Two Hot Spots in Japan

Japanese rice fields are one amazing sight I have always loved...lined up like this~

but the COLOR of them, the green on my eyes FEELS so good. Honestly healing!! 

The mountains get chopped off to sell soil to man making areas, (land in the oceans) like the nearby airport I have been using a lot of, Centrair, Nagoya. I can't remember it happening this way in the States. 

But the sky on the distance is awesome too, no?!
So the SECOND Japanese hot spot is in the KARAOKE rooms! If you have never done Karaoke- in Japan, time stands still. Four hours can pass, singing away, and it feels like an hour and a half. Five hours wouldn't be too much to sing for.
Above, me next to Anita from Peru~U.S., next to her Liv from Australia, then Amy dearest, from New Zealand. All English teachers, with Anita being more even. (I never met SO many "foreigners" before coming to Japan!!!)  Next to Amy, Kana then my older daughter dear Naomi! Kana visited us with Naomi in Santa Cruz last Winter another great English speaking young woman (I'm always so grateful for all the people speaking English- for ME!!).

一心 June 22nd

Ischin-kun! 一心 My firstborn big boy! Quite the space he has made- no?

Serene~ Cool!

He likes writing there. He does look the perfect author type like that, no?


I wanted to show off his tatoos- but too blurry. I'll try again~

And then looky here! Ischin's girlfriend MODELING!! Kahori's PRACTICING the wedding look~( it's where she works actually!)

6/16~6/18 Birthdays~~

Zen's birthday was the 16th, he turned 16 and had his first summer league team game which they won by ONE point!! NICE DAY!!! (Thank you for the photos Taka-honey!!)

June 18th was Sheon's 19th birthday! Sheon in pink~~we had lasagna and pizza in Japan~~ YUM

A day and night in Nishio~Catching up!

So, Nishio~ the past few days I've started to feel asthma creeping up to take hold of me. Yesterday I aimed to stay home... aired out my FUTON! That's one thing I really love about Japan. Being able to air out your bedding. (Americans take note: futons are NOT the size of american matresses!! ) But I also add this photo to show the TREE!!! See that pretty little tree? It was about chest high maybe seven years ago, a Mother's Day present to me from my dear kids. Now- it's grown as they have. Beautiful and still to - "bear fruit"!!! (it's a mini apple tree!!)

So, I did one task I always need do when I come back. The "Books", typing in all the money business for the school. I use Ischin's computer for that- he does it when I'm not here- but then when I'm here I use my computer to do extra calculating- all the things I buy in the States for the school and students. I have to convert dollars to yen. Not hard but time consuming~

Since Ischin now lives full time in this space that Taka and I lived in before- the TV is cable-less. And I've forgotten how to switch regular TV programs on- which I actually enjoy hearing as background! Instead today I pulled out old VIDEOS!! I was watching an old concert copy of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS!!! Ahhh- memories!!! But nice space no?!


This is just our cat Sylvester. He finds the most unique places to get comfortable!!!
It's the game cabinet in our classroom.

And then I dragged my asthmatic state out to see some old friends at a concert in town. One I know from the "NAGANO HIMALAYAS"- Oshika-mura~ dear Bob. And Mabo- ah, the sweet old friend- he said , when hugging me- that he thought I'm forgetting my Japanese- I laughed- I never "had it" I reminded him! Some of us....never "get it" but I'm not giving up yet~~

And then this here HARU!!! "HAL" my fellow OX! (We're both born the year of the Ox) Hey- I don't look bad do I?! True his hug and the music played beforehand, besides all the other energy and environment helped! But, yeah- Haru- Sundancer, Peace worker dear friend who moved to Nishio after their home was "uprooted" in the Kobe quake...seeing him was SO sweet!

Scenery

In Hazu, Aichi-ken Japan-


The Temple gives honor to the KABOCHA squash !!!

Click on the photo, you can better see the dear little old women sitting and chatting amongst themselves in front of the Temple

June 15th week #2 in Japan

This is what I spend hours working on these past days- for some of my favorite students who came to party last night. I brought back crystals from Pennsylvania, and elsewhere... brought them back here to Japan...

...but I have ALL these other beads from way back when too. I used to try to make Native American style jewlery before Ischin was born. But after Ischin began crawling, I kept finding colorful beads in his diapers. He was eating them so I had to I put them away for these 25 years.






Ischin also joined our feast~




















The "real deal" - you see what you get! Or- you see WHERE what you get is REALLY from!

Wk #1 back in Japan 6/7~

My first day back to Japan. Ischin and Naomi- two more gorgeous kids~~ met me at the airport. Our very first stop- to see Sheon-chan. She now works at the liquor store I frequent most!! What a coincidence?!
This photo totally doesn't do justice to the beauty- our sleeping beauty (cause that's what Sheon really does so much of!)
My american camera fudged up so I'm going to have to bother -embarrass- Sheon and take another photo of her soon "to better see her with"


A couple of days after getting back, I went right into the heart of Japan- well Nagoya- not quite the center! But hey- "really Japan" all those dressed up mannequins in YUKATAS!!! You KNOW I'm here!!!

Yesterday, I went back into the city just to watch the NBA playoff at a sports bar (no one else was there to see the game- obviously Japanese don't have any idols of their own in basketball YET- ZEN!!!! ....now baseball- forget it!!!). Naomi went with me, but she went visiting a friend afterwards, so she dropped me off at a bus station so I could get back home. I was figuring out which bus- looking above the driver to see the sign over him on the outside of his bus- looked at him and OH!!! Well, now what a NICE surprise, Ischin old classmate, HIDDE!! Hidemitsu! I used to drive HIM and Ischin to their night high school some years ago all of the time. Hidde- he's the quiet type like Taka- I always found the dear young man quite attractive! Hey, and check out the gloves they have to wear~ The sweetheart let me ride for free too. Nothing like CONNECTIONS!

June 6th until July 9th in Nishio Japan

I'm making myself excited to go to Japan again, perhaps this being a shorter trip helps, because I'm feeling sorry to leave my homemaking duties behind. But then again, my boys get to missing me when I'm not here in Santa Cruz, and when I return I'm SO welcomed, and can hardly do wrong!! (I'm thinking of my cooking!)


We took Nagisa out on the wharf, where all the sea lions are, for dinner recently. Well, not a sea lion dinner!





From the wharf we look back towards the Boardwalk...


And please do click right on top of this photo to get a better view of all the surfers and sailers! Well, surfers waiting to surf- what patience, eh?!! Lovely view it is!!