Family, Friends, and Food in Japan

My oldest boy, Ischin! He and I got to play one afternoon of tennis.

Before tennis we went to Midori Gama farmers market

This cute young guy sold us little fishies~

It was interesting, the boxes he used to measure out the fish, the more expensive fish, of course, was sold by the smaller box.

Fish REALLY on a stick, ready to be BBQ'd, no, no, no, that's American style... simply roasted Japanese style, over a fire

One afternoon I got to get together with my long time friend-student at her home for lunch, along with her friends. The kimono-clad woman to the far right was her tea ceremony teacher

Her old traditional home is still kept in such amazingly condition.

I think this is called a NOREN, blowing in the Spring breeze, in the hall between two rooms.

The rooms are divided by these doors which still are the originals, from how many years ago?

On the other side of the doors, also the original paper, which had writing that is old Kanji, not readable by most any Japanese today! 

This, I was told, is a Japanese Woman's Sword, brought to the house by the woman marrying into the family four or five generations ago. It's called a "Naginata" 薙刀

I'd seen these back rooms years ago, but had forgotten how amazing they really are. I'm especially take by the paper shoji doors, with the incredibly fine woodwork.

She-chan and Sylvester

This kitty is very loved by our family. He hangs around in some of the funniest places. 

(you can see old photos in past blog entries of some of the places!)

He has a distinguished attitude about him. 

But then he can choose the funniest places to rest his head. On Sheon-chan's foot?!!

Look at him with his paws folded in Sheon's arms!  

I have had terrible asthma in the past, I don't usually touch animals now, and he never expects me to hold him the way my kids and husband do. 

Now my daughter Sheon is another story. She's one of the most huggable things!!!

Back to Japan amid Flu fears!! (AND new photos at the bottom!)

I flew back to Japan for a couple weeks of work and visiting kids.

(Oh, that's not me all dressed up- just some of the fellows on their way to checking us out!)

I've been trying to find a photo of the infrared cameras they used on our plane.

At least twenty smocked, masked AND goggled clad beings boarded our flight just after we landed in Narita, Japan. Oh, and the guys with infrared cameras also wore those serious gas masks! Not the women who collected our health information sheets though.(I wonder why)

Only after those ominous beings started checking all of us THEN the flight attendants proceeded to pass out cloth masks to us passengers, though they had offered them at the beginning of the trip. (It took an hour to complete checking all of us)

I had taken my own masks (I've BEEN stocked!). Here's an older photo of me with one on. I was having serious asthma attackings so... that's why I care to wear them.

In Japan people wear them without second thought pretty much.

Hayfever is one big reason. Also if someone has a cold, they don't want to pass it on, or don't want to catch one from others.

It's just common knowledge that it helps. You get used to seeing people wear them here.

It helps against dust and cat hair (in my house) so I wear them regularly now.

Check this out this link below of cool and interestingly decorated masks Japanese have created. I always wanted to get my daughter Sheon to draw cool designs on my masks!

Swine Flu Fashion Heats Up With Cool Surgical Masks

http://inventorspot.com/articles/eight_surgical_masks_survive_swine_flu_style_27297

I like this Kitty-chan mask I wore on one of my flights:

Ok, enough of that!

Once off the flight here's where I went to the john/loo/lavatory whatever~ then I was really able to place where I was, by the TOIKETS- back in "my" good ol' country of Japan. I've flown back and forth from the States to Japan and back again about ten round-trip trips in the past two years? ( I think some of me doesn't always land when I physically do- at least for a time anyway)

So, to the first buisness at hand in Japan:

Either the squat toilet, which makes for not having to make seat contact, or waste seat paper.

One other positive aspect is that it's good stretching for the legs- you know: knee bends!

And the other choice is:

Our Japanese high tech toilet at it's best (actually the ones which open and close by themselves, sensing our presence, are one step higher- no need to touch that germy seat!).

There is english is small type if you can look closely.

You can max the volume of the "bidet" spray- I guess you say. Or the pressure... you can even have "flushing sound" to cover your bodily noises of relieving itself.

Oh, and higher tech toilets have buttons to make change the temperature of the seat and water.

I have one good story.

When I first went to Japan in '86 and used one of these johns. I had a year old baby with me. In those days English was written by the buttons. My little girl pressed some of those buttons while I was doing my duty, finished actually but still sitting there, and suddenly a spray came spraying my derriere~bottom. I sprang up from that toilet bowl, slamming down the cover at once! I thought it was a cleanser for cleaning the toilet bowl, not my butt!

I've never been a user of it- but once, in my twenty two years there, to try it properly. Well, maybe properly? I can't say to tell you the truth!

Next stop, a JAPANESE convenience store! In my opinion, a MUCH larger, healthier variety of "fast food" and drink. A biggie we miss in the States.

ONIGIRI "rice balls" that are triangular and etc. Also BENTOS of a sort, "lunchboxes" in plastic

Snacks usually to accompany alcoholic beverages.

The alcoholic beverages, beer, sweet mixed canned drnks...

next to that sake, and other traditional liquor...

and it looks like for after the alcohol, the ENERGY drinks!

The TEAS!!! Almost NONE of them are, thank god, NOT sweetened!

Or for the sweetened drinks, most canned coffees are such. Also "milk teas" which you can also buy from another location hot.

Oh, I didn't get a shot of the variety of potato chips, rice/fish crackers (SENBEI)...candy...another day!

Grandmom's 90th Birthday May 9th, born 1919

Don't you wonder what she wished for?!



Zen was actually dressed up for a PROM he took off for a little bit later.

Below, I gave a present to Grandmom in this random, eye-candy bag which Grandmom seemed to enjoy as much as the present inside!

(Remember you can click on the photos to enlarge them)




Uncle Lynn and Taka with Grandmom (Thanks to Lorraine for all the fantastic photos too!!)


Grandmom held a martini and a bouquet, and we were doing the Queen's wave in her place for Our Birthday Queen Grandmom!

My Japanese~American Men!!

Zen does his time at school, comes home after basketball training, relaxes a tad with music, then hits the books to do his homework.


These days I don't much ask Zen to pose for photos. But he did for the nice outfit he's going to wear to the prom tomorrow night! Looks slick, eh?! My " baby"almost 17 year now! Got invited to the High School prom (with a friend) and they'll go to San Francisco- out on a yacht- dancing in the cold moonlight~ if the fog doesn't come it (unlikely!!!)
More photos to come!

We're a one car family here. Taka's taken to riding a bike to work. From our new place here, work is only a 10 minute bike ride away.

We're living up here on the second floor with this little park outside our front door. We don't have the sounds or smell of ocean like at the first apartment. But California earthy wafts of grass and green is so good too.