Some Neighbors Nearby

These photos are from a two block stretch of street a few blocks away. A beautiful Temple.





Temples like these are really all over the place. Can I count how many temples and shrines are around here? At least ten.






They all really are awesome. Maybe that's why I didn't care about traveling all the distances to see famous ones.
These "little" ones are beautiful in their own right.





However, with the reversed Nazi sign. I heard something about not using it much anymore because everyone thinks it's associated to Nazi's.





Next to the Temple, is likely the very nice home of the family who are the Temple Priest's family? Shinto and Buddhist Temples are in charge of the wedding business', funeral business, praying over the construction of new buildings, and the Priests are paid to come pray at the alters/shrines inside individual homes.


Usually on the date every month of the most recently deceased family memebers. Oh, and New Year's, and Obon- summer "hosting back the ancestor spirits". The graveyards are always visited, and cleaned up at least those times a year? Usually more often than just those two occasions I believe.



There's a style of home I much prefer just down half a block. The old wooden style.






What's interesting, and amazing really, is how well used the space is. Well, true, it's out of necessity. Across the road from the beautiful wooden home is the home, and construction company of my old students. The Ogasawaras. Now those sons are taking over their father's business. I often see them driving, and we still wave to each other. Nice!




From where I shot that photo, turn around and there's this shack.





Two places of residence. One has housed many cats...
The narrow TWO LANE road alongside this place (it's really one lane but we can drive both ways, with nice enough manners!)
But this "road" is the very popluar "Cherry Blossom Road" in Spring. You can see the "waterway" I call it. You could call it a stream in the old days I think. I've referred to it as a sewage way. You can see the pipes where water flows from people's sinks and washing machines. Not all, but some still do. You can also see rats running from those gutters, if you're so unlucky. And you couldn't imagine, but fish do live in there, and people even FISH in places like this!





There you go- a typical couple of blocks in Japan!

Sunday Tennis in Japan

It's a Sunday, and dear friend Amy and I got our butts out to hit some balls. These girls were there too, actually even with BOYS!! They were playing tennis TOGETHER! (tho the boys had left by the time I got to photograph them unfortunately)

Amy- who's an English teacher in the schools around town, was surprised as was I! In Japan boys and girls together, has been rare. Oh, the changes! SO nice to see.


They are 7th graders, and recognized Amy. While playing one of them hollered "Are you Amy?"
Another pleasant surprise, actually not all that unusual with the youth, some forwardness. I think this is what some of us foreigners who stay a while enjoy about this country. A little extra attention!

But check it out. It's a Sunday, and they are in their school sweats, with helmets on their bikes. They HAVE to ride around like that.
Well, I'll check it out. Perhaps they had to go to school earlier for practice? Diligence, eh? And another interesting thing in Japan. They choose one sport and that's the only sport they practice- year-round!

Maybe that's also how Zen got as good as he has at basketball. They practiced BEFORE classes in the wee hours of the morning, and AFTER school.

Ok, well back to the girls~ they were sitting with their Japanese picnic BENTOS. Now does this look yummy or what?!




And they said they made them themselves (often MOTHERS, yeah, that's right, NOT fathers, will).

I know Zen's mouth is watering.
The triangular brown thingy is an ONIGIRI. "Rice ball" and not ever in the shape of a ball. Always a triangle!





Well, last night Amy and I got our fill of Japanese delicacies, now we're ready for- PIZZA! Nothing like this kind of variety right here in our own home town of Nishio!

This One Daughter~~

I FINALLY got to see my third child! The twerp lives only a couple blocks away but didn't make the time to see me. Now this is one different child!! hahaha! Like Naomi said a few days ago, "You and Oto-san made interesting kids".
Yep.
Sheon... 18 and about to graduate from High School. And those nails... she mailed THIS photo at Christmas- and a month later, she still has these...contraptions lacing her fingers. She says she even washes dishes with these!!

"Threats" of Snow

Oh, they keep teasing us with "threats" of snow!

It's nice, and rainy outdoors~if only the rain WOULD change to snow- I'll be out there snapping lots and LOTS of photos. There's nothing like seeing Nishio in snow. Or BAMBOO in snow!!

There has been not one sunny day since I've returned to Nishio.
But I must admit I'm feeling "sunnier" myself!

Hey well, check it out, what's been helping to remedy my asthmatic ailing, yummy SASHIMI to indulge in, not to mention all the other delicacies, so conveniently available in any 7-11 or supermarket!





I've been starting to see things here, almost from a foreigner's eye again. I'm getting more tempted to share lots of that, and photos, with this space to show y'all!


I mean, looky, I just renewed my Japanese driver's license, and I got my first GOLD CARD! I have to get clued in on all that I am now entailed to being a GOLD LICENSED driver in Japan.
See- I was the driver when I demolished my friend's van (photos and story below) but I really AM a great driver. Or is that past tense? "was" now?


I am more careful... it had been THIRTY years I had had no accidents!

In any case... I will keep this one short. I'm off to be a High School English teacher for a couple hours!

"Rising Sun" Land is COLD!!

I'm back home in Japan, Nishio, and got back asthma too. Gosh, nothing like not being able to enjoy all the welcomings back, and not being able to talk up a storm. I've been sort of hiding from people.

Oh, and the COLD! Goodness, I TRY to think it's not that much colder than Santa Cruz, but I've become a sucker for heat now. No, Ih ae to admit, I'm a WIMP in the cold now. (God, I know- it comes with age!!) It's no longer like the days (at boarding school) when I would turn off the heater and OPEN my window a bit so I could smell the refreshing snowy winter air in the mornings!!!



But here at our school, and home things have pretty much managed well without me managing things!! See the beautiful sign Mr. Murakami-friend- has "renovated" and added a roof and light to for our school?!


Teacher Giselle has been a biggy "holding down the fort". And she was just able to get a three year visa! Which she just might be able to fully use with us? Or she'll be saving to have her - I think it's five dogs now- and at least seven chickens to fly anywhere away with her. Giselle and her husband came with two dogs, and have a philosophy about how come they can't say no to having other animals join them. Perhaps buying an ark- boat to get back to Canada would be more reasonable price-wise? Especially considering that within three more years- how many more animals might find their way to their doorstep.

So, yes, otherwise I'm not too much out and about yet. I've taught a few classes...but it uses up my energy!! It gets difficult to breath, so I have to use those amazing inhalers that open your brochial tubes right up so I can breathe normally within seconds. However when you use them too much, which is what is happening, messes up my lungs and then I start to wheeze and cough, and get nasty breath. Oh, not just that,
I won't be able to laugh without coughing, and that coughing gets worse if I can't stop using the inhalers. I'll start to cough up the nastiest crap...so that's happened when I've put off going to the hospital after four or five days of this.

At the hospital they give me some steams-medicinal- to breath. Then an IV for a couple of hours. I leave there feeling better, and usually keep getting better from there. Last winter? I did have to go back to get a second dose of that routine within a couple days of the first. That worried me.

So, also I have to try to clean out my house of dust and try NOT to get too tired again, or breathe that dust while vacuuming. I'm not hesitant to wear face masks outside now- even on the planes I'm wearing them now.

Allergies to dust and the cat...and now too there's some pollen in the air that people are allergic to, me too likely. But the houses closed up to keep out the cold, and the kerosene heaters that "hurts" some of us more sensitive people!

But it is about hyperventilating. Too much air in the lungs, and the bronchial tubes start to close up to try to STOP more oxygen coming in and to get more CO2 build up in there. (that's why people used the paper bags it appears- and how I feel facemasks help, by keeping some of that CO2 ready to be breathed back in)

I did study with people from a group called KickAsthma (1 1/2 hrs for $100. They have a website thougy the one I found is for kids it looks like) and they use a Russian breathing technique in their hospitals to avoid taking drugs, for the last 50 or 60 years.

It totally works, I had one attack I had to work through without an inhaler and I did it using their technique. At a time like that- you feel SO close to dying.

I haven't practiced their techniques. So...with all the "triggers" (cat, dust, cold, weariness, hayfever, foods...) it can start. One thing I have mastered is to only breath through my nose. (Mouths are for eating and speaking, noses are for breathing- and takes in smaller amounts of oxygen, besides filters, and warms the air...it's job). I learned by taping my mouth shut at night so as not to breath through my mouth when sleeping (they recommended that! and even gave me the tape!!)

O.k., enough on that subject. I am using the drugs to help. What's this life without all the drugs everywhere eh?! My Grandmom is so cute, I ask her about some things I question the safety of her using, and she has said "Well, I'm 88 years old and it hasn't bothered me!" I have to admit- yes- certainly seems so (her mom lived till 94). My Grandmama is so WITH it!! She's so cute when she says things like "That's just NASTY".

24 Hours Until Departure

Well, until I am departing from Santa Cruz!
It was really gorgeous weather like this- this scene is a 5 minute walk from our place...



I'm almost used to hearing the crashing of the waves in the middle of the night. It is awesome. Last night Taka and I walked out there and watched the power of the sea. The waves smashing into the boulders by the road. It really is fearsome.

Funny,last night, again the movie The Titanic was on tv. The first time we saw that movie, Taka and I, we had gone to Guam. One of the couple trips I've ever taken elsewhere. It was just after Christmas we flew from Japan. When we were going through immigration there they asked "WHY did you come to Guam?" like we were strange or something. I answered "Well, it's a holiday- for fun..." wondering what the problem was. He man told us a very large typhoon had just blown through and most of the electricity and water was out! NO ONE had told us when we were leaving Japan, we had heard NO news. Anyway we rented a car, but drove through the dark, no street lights or traffic signals. Our hotel front windows were all blown out, and we had to enter through the back kitchen entrance.

That trip was one of the first I took away from my four kids. When that movie came out, it was about 10 years ago. I was so "fragile" anyway, about the circumstances I was making for my family. So when Taka and I saw that movie, when it was over, I just sat in that theatre and cried and cried- the movie kind of started it, but it was about life and love and death. People exiting the movie must have thought me odd though!

I'm mentally preparing myself to reenter Japan-land. I know where I keep a bedwarmer. I do look so forward to it even the cold weather, but home there. I'm so glad I have that all still happening there. But I am leaving in the middle of basketball season here and that feels unfortunate. Taka and I were looking at this year, 2008 and figuring out my year long travel plans- basically. Two months there, three here. Then another two months in Japan and three here again. Next mid-December I'll have to head back to Santa Cruz and stay till mid March to see through the basketball season. Zen's team is doing better- the head coach was actually someone causing some big problems. But we, some parents and the players, made lots of noise about it the end of December and it seems the assistant coach is now acting as head coach. Next year will be another story with, hopefully, new coaches!

It's nearly day break and time to go back to bed and get the last of dream-y-land there!

New Year- New News~~

Well, moving on after that awesome accident, in spirit- but also physically.
I will get to see one more of Zen's basketball games tomorrow night before I leave for two months in Japan.

Hey, check out this photo of this fan of Zen's! Zen says he doesn't know him.
There were three other boys at another game, one had a Z drawn on his stomach, another boy had an E and the third boy had an N!!! They stood and showed off who they were rooting for!!!




So, the weather has been dreary since the New Year storms. Life has been good though, now I'm all about packing to return to the Japan I love. I also have to do paper work to change my name as well- "Cynthia Maki Tsuruta". I've been asked why- why keep "Maki" in my name. I realized that I have many more good memories as a Maki than when I was a "Jackson", (though I'll miss talking about Jackson as my name and that my sister's name is "Janet") But, besides it's just true, I have some pride in my children and want to show I'm related to them!!

See here's one more photo of my children- see how unique they are!! xoxoxo

2008 blew in with a storm

New Year's Eve and Day was actually very quiet, we were mainly getting Naomi ready to depart back for Hawaii. Taka was the last of us to catch and get over a cold.

January 3rd we were told Hurricane-like 60mph winds and rains were coming. I called American Airlines, which Naomi was flying with the next morning. Three times I called them- even up until we left our home at 5:30 am. They didn't cancel- well not until half an hour before the flight. Too late for us. We got into the worst accident of my life. Here, I wrote this to some friends soon after:

It's been like a dream, but more a nightmare.



Yesterday was earth shaking for us in more ways than just the weather's storming. Our view on life is permanently altered- as is our view from our home, where the palm tree, which was part of our lovely scenery from our third story apartment, was blown down by the rains. It's like it died in our place.

Yesterday morning, we were driving Naomi, to the airport in horrible rains at 6am.. We had borrowed a large van from friends, because we also were to pick up a family of four friends to visit here for a couple of days on their way back to Japan.

We ended up having a terrible car accident on the highway- it was amazing nobody was killed- or at least badly hurt. We hydroplaned, on the four lane highway. The car spun and hit the divider on the bumper, (we thought we were going to go over that divider) then the car turned itself again we hit into the divider again practically head on. The bumper tore off (and got left behind) I somehow could steer it back into the middle lane, but also by then no brakes or emergency brakes worked.We were headed into a muddy grassy embankment on the other side of the highway, I remember telling Naomi and Taka I couldn't hit- we were going to hit.... Miraculously no other cars, were near us. I had thought to remind Naomi to put on her seat belt but hadn't. She banged her head and got thrown some, now it's hurting her body, but we didn't go to any hospital (she recently had to do that trip, and by ambulance in Hawaii, after a bad scooter spill and she is still paying fees for that, you know that Michael Moore movie about the medical system?!) For us the medical personnel and cops that came to help were so kind and also offered calling an ambulance, but there was no blood, and our blood pressures were fine.

Dear Victor from the city picked us up from the towing company office. We went to his home to wait out the storm. Naomi caught another plane the next morning. Her plane hadn't been cancelled until 8am (departure was 8:30) .... ha, ha, ha! no extra fees for that plane rescheduling, but we have some extra fees for rescheduling our departure from earth!! Gosh, that's a good one!

The car owners-Jennipher and Thomas are so, so caring. They are a two car owning family... I know I will have to help them buy a new car, but at least we'll see what the adjuster can figure out their insurance can pay. Interestingly (there are many interesting things about how this happened!) Jennipher had told me the day before how she liked that car and appreciated how good it was for her family, but she wanted to downsize, after her son got his driver's license, ...that would have been a couple years later.

I think about how close to perfect our lives has gotten, then how close to death we were. A balancing effect it seems in a way. Only a few more days until I return to Japan until mid-March. Time is healing, I'm still feeling so in awe- and thankful. It wasn't our time yet. xoxoxox hugging and kissing everyone now!!

12/29/07 The Parties

First at I LOVE SUSHI and Karaoke...
Some of our next generation


And some of my dear man's men he work works (and plays with?)





Here's a few of the photos from THE 418 PROJECT where we continued our party to DANCE

A couple of our DEAR entertainers- Akilah and David


Hey check out the misspelled cake



Jon~Giovani~Man, Gina DJ, and Sally~our camera-woman


Ariel and Naomi with our wedded bunnies on their heads.


Ballerina Ariel boogies with Victor Dad.

How roads go!

So yeah, we did have a couple of interesting things happen these days, just before marrying. We went for Taka to take the driver’s test for a California license. He had to study for the test in English, but could take the test in Japanese!
(They even let him take the test away- which appeared to be the ONLY test they had to copy out for him... Zen might be so lucky!! Sheon too?!!) In any case, he handed back in the test and they reported he barely passed it (he had three tries- but made it on the first!). Taka said the Japanese was funky and didn’t make sense. Still he passed, and even the people there were impressed considering he could only study it in English. I whispered to one woman “He’s just SMART!”. It’s so true!
Anyway, we headed over to City Hall after that (he had the day off from work) to pay for our marriage license. On the way, check this out, we got rear ended!! It was sad! The young woman was from out of town and that was a hard street to maneuver. At first I was scared they’d run (two guys that looked like her brothers were in the car too). But she came through, and her insurance also even paid us $700 and then also for physical pain ($300.) though I told them we had basically none! (I had NO desire to report to any hospitals to try to get reports or lie).
So, that happened on December 7th? We got the checks around 12/29.
And then... New Year’s Eve, when driving to Jennipher’s to care for her pets- where we house sat last Spring when we came from Japan to here (perfect timing to house hunt those two months we first had here!) on the way, Naomi and I were listening to loud music, but this thing, our tire ran over, hit- JARRED the car so hard- as if we had hit a big pot hole but there was no hole in the road! And both of us were like “WOW!! What was THAT??”. I knew it was the tire, and it was bad. I felt anxious that we might not make it to Jennipher’s- only perhaps three blocks away. However, thankfully, we did make it, and the rocky looking thing plunged into the tire, the air was clearly and totally spraying out the air!
True, all of our tires needed to be changed. That was the “plan” I suspect. Thank goodness for the insurance money for the rear ender from before! But considering how much driving Taka does for the basketball boys, dong the tires now clearly feels what was needed. Taka feels there’s a great difference now how the tires grip the road (we changed all four today).

HEY!! I'm not able to download the other photo I wanted to show you~ and it's too late- so I have to sign off toinght! Tho I never want to HAVE to shut down!
xoxoxo Thia

Presents!

These were two of our favorite presents on Christmas Day!! Naomi made our newly wedded bunnies for us. (When she was homeschooling, Sheon too, I had them study sewing with Tae-chan. It's paying off!) Kahori (Ischin's girlfriend) made our ring pillow, and Kahori's work is as a Bridal coordinator, and SHE knows her stuff too! Unfortunately we opened the pillow too late for our ceremony- but it's part of our "altar" now. (I kept having that song run through my head "We're going to the chapel and we're... gonna get married!" I had to get the song for Taka to hear, he didnt remember it!).

And below was like a wedding present too. At our lunch after we wed, Uncle Lynn came with Santa Cruz Sentianl newspapers for everyone to see this photo of Zen at a game they played the day before. One more of our best presents!!



I haven't figured out how to turn around the photo- but if you look close enough you can see they say "Zen Maki...ikaM neZ s'zurC atnaS"
Stepdad Frank, with Mom they were here for that game, Frank remembers that that was perhaps the ONLY shot Zen got (he wasn't played enough!!).

For Christmas 2007

On my birthday, the 23rd we went and got ourselves a tree- a compact , real living, tree that will be with us for the next Christmas' for as long as we can carry her around!! It was for our first Christmas back in the States in many years~

People had tried to get me to be alternative and find another sort of tree. But stubborn me wanted the traditional! BUT, if I had see Victor's "tree" below, before we bought ours, I would have been perfectly inspired to do similar!!

Uncle Lynn and Stepdad Frank looking over the ocean we wed in front of~

The memories!

Mom, Grandmom (father's mom) me and Naomi... four generations of women!



Can you see, the origami cranes on the cake? The man who married us, Brett, he folded them for us. I just recently met him, and he knew Ana, and had married Lynn and Lorraine's brother recently! He was so perfect!!

A few more photos I'm trying to get in~~

Ana and I were College house mates back in 1980. Her son, Joe is Zen's best freind here, and her four kids and ours have basically all known each other from summers living together here the summers we visited in Santa Cruz.