Happy Obon!

Tomorrow kicks off another crazy holiday in Japan!  Obon is one of the most important Japanese celebrations.  It is an annual Buddhist event commemorating one’s ancestors. It is believed that each year during Obon, the ancestors’ spirits return to this world in order to visit their still-living relatives.

Therefore, Japanese people should go back to their hometown on the evening of August 13th and hang a lighted lantern outside to welcome the spirits.  People focus on loved ones who have passed, often holding family reunions in their ancestral homes so they can celebrate the spirits of their ancestors during their return. Families also spend time visiting and cleaning grave sites, lighting incense, and leaving food offerings for when the spirits arrive!

Celebrations may include festivals, dancing, games, rides, and fireworks.  They generally end on August 16th with floating paper lanterns in a river to guide the ancestral spirits back to the world of dead.

Many companies in Japan, including all schools and Toyota, had the entire week preceding Obon off from work.  (Mitsui was still working, but half of my department took it off anyway.)  In recent years, however, many people skip the traditional meaning and use this as a vacation period.  Therefore, it has become one of the 3 major travel periods, along with Golden Week in May and New Year festivities.

I'll guess we'll all just have to wait and see what this weekend brings for me ;)

Tanabata Festival!

It's summer in Nagoya (blazing hot, I might add), so why not throw on my yukata (summer kimono) and head to a local festival?!

Actually, I was completely ready to stay at home and bask in the A/C, but I had already committed to Tarynn about going to this thing.  I'm glad that we went, and once you see the pictures, you'll know that I'm also glad we decided to suck it up and wear our yukatas in the crazy heat.

We have arrived at the Tanabata Festival in Ichinomiya (about a 20 minute train ride from Nagoya). 

Tanabata is the holiday for star-crossed lovers. 

If you don't remember the story, check out my blog from July 7th by clicking here.

Tanabata decorations include many streamers and hanging your wishes (or heart's desire) from a bamboo tree.

I love all of the colorful decorations!

Amazingly enough, I was not too hot in my yukata!  Maybe the Japanese people do know a thing or two about cool summer festival outfits!!

This festival had a big stage, paper lanterns, great music, lots of dancing, and plenty of men, women, and children in yukatas!!

Check out this sweet video of people dancing in the street. 

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

I had fun watching all of the cool outfits and synchronized dances.  It reminds me of line dancing in America, only they go in a circle around the stage!!

Ladies show off their dancing skills!

Another video of people dancing and the crowd. 

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

I loved to see all of the children wearing yukatas.  They were so adorable!!

Take a quick look at this video, and you will notice plenty of kids wearing yukatas!

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

As Kerri enjoys her shaved ice, you can see the street is lined with food vendors.  It's kind of like Fall Festival in Evansville, only the food was mostly unidentifiable to me and I couldn't read the signs!

Masks were also popular at the festival, but I'm not sure why.  I don't remember this tradition being part of the history of Tanabata.  Maybe it's just a fun thing for Japanese people to wear!!

Exhibit #3 as to why Japan needs swimming pools. 

This little boy is in the fountain cooling off because even at 8pm it's still in the 90's!

Tarynn gets ready to enjoy her yakisoba (noodles with an egg on top).  I still find it amazing that so many festival/carnival/stadium foods in Japan have to be eaten with chopsticks.  I prefer one-handed foods (like corn dogs and cotton candy), so I can walk and eat at the same time.

One more video that is kind of dark but as the night got later, then the music and dancing got faster.  So cool to watch.  Who needs a parade when people dance in unison in the street instead?! 

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

Our bellies are full, and we've seen enough dancing, so it's time to go home and go to bed! 

Kerri and Tarynn are ready to beat the rush and head for the train station.

Even lovely ladies in yukatas have to buy train tickets ;)

This festival was a lot of fun, and I'm very glad that Tarynn dragged me out of my air conditioning to experience it!!  Japan really does have some cool customs, and it's awesome to learn about them first hand!

Eel Eating Day

Guess what?!  Today is another special day in Japan!!

July 26, 2010 is "Eel Eating Day" or Doyo No Ushi No Hi. 

Based off the Lunar calendar, today is thought to be the hottest day of the year.  The Japanese tradition is to eat eel today is order to ward off natsu batte, which is condition that causes summer fatigue, lethargy, and loss of appetite due to the extreme heat and humidity.  Eel traditionally bolsters your energy and is a great choice for today. 

I'm sad to report that I didn't eat eel today, simply because I didn't know about today's special meaning until after lunch and I already had dinner plans.  But I have eaten eel many other times before since it is a speciality in Nagoya.  (If you need a refresher, check out my old eel blog by clicking here.)

I will say if this turns out to be the hottest day of the summer, I'm in for a real treat!  But I have a feeling that August is going to roar in with some high temperatures, too!

Happy Tanabata Day!

The 7th day of the 7th month marks another holiday for Japan.  Sadly this one doesn't qualify as a national holiday or come with a day off, but as usual it does come with some goofy traditions!!

Tanabata literally means "evening of the seventh".  It celebrates the meeting of two lovers, Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). According to legend, the Milky Way (a river of stars that cross the sky) separates two lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. It's believed that Orihime and Hikoboshi can't cross the Milky Way to see each other if the evening is rainy or cloudy, so people pray for good weather and also make wishes for themselves.

In Japan people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes on tanzaku (small pieces of paper) and hanging them on bamboo trees.  Here's a tanabata display in the lobby of Lucent Tower, the office building near my apartment.

Unfortunately, my company (Mitsui) did not supply bamboo trees and tanzaku so that we could make wishes on this day.

I'm told that women generally wish for help with their love life (shocking!), and (I'm not making this up...) men generally wish for better penmanship!!  LOL.

Tanabata is often celebrated at different times in different areas of Japan, depending on which calendar is used to determine the 7th day of the 7th month.  I have tentative plans to go a Tanabata festival later this month on a weekend (since they use the Lunar calendar) in a city near Nagoya, where I will surely be encouraged to write a wish about finding myself a husband!!

Japan's Golden Week

I'm starting the month of May off in style... with a big holiday! 

Japan is currently celebrating "Golden Week", which is the longest time off for most businesses outside of Year End festivities.  They don't celebrate one thing in particular, but rather it's a bunch of rather random holidays in rapid succession. 

April 29 ~ Showa Day

In honor of the former Emperor's Birthday.  Showa reigned as emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989.   

This is a day to reflect on his 63 years of tumultuous reign.

May 3 ~ Constitution Day

The current Japanese constitution was implemented in 1947, so this day is to reflect on democracy and government.

May 4 ~ Greenery Day

A relatively new holiday to the line-up.  It was formerly celebrated on April 29 in order to recognize nature and to honor the love that Emperor Showa had for plants.  In 2007, April 29 was renamed Showa Day, and this holiday was moved to May 4. 

(Some Japanese critics say it was moved just to extend the Golden Week holiday!  Whatever the reason, I'm not going to complain!)

May 5 ~ Children's Day

This is also refered to as "Double Fifth" in other Asian countries because it is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month.  It began in 1948 with the name of Boy's Day but has been modified to include both genders.  (You may recall that Girl's Day "Hina Matsuri" is celebrated on Double Third, the third day of the third month.) 

The purpose is to celebrate the happiness of children and the express gratitude to mothers. 

I've been seeing these beautiful fish windsocks all over Japan this month and just found out they are related to former Boy's Day.  The koi carp banners symbolize strength and courage for boys.  Chinese legend says that carp which were strong enough to swim upstream and to a waterfall would turn into a dragon.  The banners blowing in the wind look like swimming carp.

Families generally fly a koi carp banner at their homes for each of their sons.  At the Tokyo Tower last week, they had 333 carp banners flying since the tower is 333 meters tall. 

Since families often do something special for their children on this day, I hear that Tokyo DisneyLand will be a crazy mob scene. Somehow that's hard for me to imagine because Tokyo always appears to be a crazy mob scene for me regardless of the day!!

One last factoid:  The name "Golden Week" actually came from the film industry since they saw an uptick in sales during this holiday period.  Back in the 1950's they started calling it the "golden time" for movies to be released, and the name eventually stuck.

Holidays and Time Off

As I've mentioned before, the Japanese work ethic is legendary. Most workers stay late into the night as if they are in some kind of silent competition with each other. But do not be fooled, being a worker in Japan has some benefits, too.
For instance, most companies in Japan give at least 19 paid holidays per year. (Compared to 9 paid holidays with Transfreight.) The rumor is that the holidays force businessmen to spend time with their families, but I also think that the Japanese will use any excuse to have a party! Some of the more unique observed holidays are:
--Spring & Autumn Equinox (What?! The first day of Winter and Summer aren't special, too?!)
--Greenery Day (Not sure what this consists off, but it must be cool since it has the name "Green" in it...)
--Children's Day and Respect for the Aged Day (That pretty much covers everyone, right?)
And my personal favorite...
--The Emperor's Birthday! (How sweet would it be to get August 4th off in honor of President Obama?)
These holidays are rarely observed on a Monday, but rather the day off is given whenever they fall, so I frequently have random a Tuesday or Thursday free from work. There is also a Japanese law that when 2 holidays fall within the same week and there is only 1 work day in between, that middle day must also be given off as a holiday! That rare occasion happened in September 2009 just before I arrived in Japan. Sadly, there are no "gimme" holidays like this in 2010.
Nearly all stores, museums, and attractions are open on holidays (to boost revenue from businessmen and their families). Instead, they take the following day off.

There is no policy about Sick Days, but people are encouraged to take them. In fact, you will rarely ever hear a cough, sneeze, or sniffle in the office. If you are remotely sick, it is expected that you will stay home from work for 5 days. (And computers don't leave the office, so no working from home!) When you return to work, you must wear a mask for another 5 days. (I think it's to warn people that you were recently sick, and they should stay away!!)
In over 4 months, I haven't been sick yet. Not even a sore throat. Some people say it's due to my strong American immune system. Japan is such a clean environment with anti-bacterial paranoia, that in recent years there is a true problem with children not building their immune systems. I guess in my 29 years in America, I've already had everything under the sun that Japan could possibly throw at me!!

White Day

Happy White Day to all the ladies out there!
You may recall me saying that White Day is celebrated on March 14th and is the counterpart to Valentine's Day. A Japanese man traditionally gives chocolate to his sweetheart (or the ladies he works with) on this day. True to form, all of the ladies at work received a small box of chocolate on Friday afternoon from the men. I had forgotten all about the tradition but was so excited to receive a treat. I was even more excited when I realized it was Godiva, and therefore, certain to not have any red bean paste hiding inside!!
On my walk home from work on Friday evening I passed by the same department store basement where I went hunting for chocolate around February 14th and was delighted to see that it was mobbed with men and only men!! This made me smile.
Some times I get so frustrated that Japan has silly rules that I don't understand, and no one even questions them besides me. But other times I like the predictability and fact that people always follow through on their sense of responsibility.
Oh yeah, one more thing... I played volleyball today with my International Club, and one of the guys brought chocolate for the ladies!! He's from Canada, but I like that he's embracing the Japanese culture (and that it benefited me)!

St. Patty's Day in Japan!

On March 6th, there was a St. Patrick's Day parade in Nagoya, and I just knew I had to be there to check out the festivities. I haven't quite figured out why they had it on such a goofy date, but the Japanese don't usually celebrate it. Instead, the parade and after party was sponsored by a foreigner bar.
The parade was actually a small motley crew of people wearing green and other nutty costumes. It was lead by what looked like the pope wearing a green robe!
There was even a leprechaun, and guys with horse masks pulling some kind of odd float...

Me and my new American friend, Kelly, with a Japanese bag piper!

Who doesn't love a giant glass of Guinness?!

I am with a Nagoya cartoon samuri.

Kerri and her new Japanese friend, Daisuke, enjoy their green beers!!

I love a nice Irish man in a kilt...

So excited to see the Guinness guy again!

KG and her new crew of friends. We moved on to another bar. This one was super tiny, but filled with locals who thought drunk Americans wearing lots of green were rather amusing!

The whole event was nutty but fun. I am actually glad they celebrated on a goofy date because I will be in Kentucky on March 17th, so now I can celebrate St. Patty's Day twice this year!!

Hina Matsuri

How would it be another week in Japan without another holiday? "Hina Matsuri" is celebrated every year on March 3rd (but is not a national holiday). It's also known as "Girl's Day" or "Festival of Dolls". The origins of this holiday dates back over 1,000 years to 794 A.D.

On this day families pray for the happiness and prosperity of their daughters and to help ensure they grow up healthy and beautiful. Usually grandparents will buy their granddaughters a set of dolls on their first Hina Matsuri. Often times the dolls are displayed in a very specific elaborate 7-tier design as the picture below indicates. I have no idea where the Japanese find the space to put these displays in their tiny apartments!

These figurines are usually brought out around mid-February, and then are promptly put away after the celebration on March 3rd. I even got my own "doll" figurine from a lady at work (pictured below). She warned me that if I don't put it my doll away on March 3rd, the superstition is that I will have trouble getting married!! I've never had so many people concerned about my marital status before... It's kind of weird! (Just look at the doll that was picked out for me... I think it's supposed to be a bride & a groom!)

There is also a tradition that each household should leave a doll at a shrine or put it on a boat and have it float away to the sea on March 3rd. The thought is that bad fortune will be removed from the girl, transferred to the doll, and then abandoned.

Many of you may be wondering when is "Boy's Day"? In the past Boy's Day has been celebrated on May 5th, but in recent years it has been renamed to "Children's Day" to include both genders, and it is a national holiday.

Everyone please pray for me today, and I will be sure to put my doll figurine away before bedtime!!

St. Valentine's Day

This week I found out that Japan celebrates Valentine's Day a little bit differently than America... but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by that by now!

First of all, the holiday is called "St." Valentine's Day, and secondly, the tradition is for women to give chocolate to their sweethearts. That's it!! No teddy bears, no flowers, no candy conversation hearts, no little cards, and nothing for women!! But before all of you lovely ladies out there have a meltdown, I did find out that there is a special Japanese holiday on March 14th called "White Day", and on that day men are supposed to return the favor of chocolate to their sweethearts.

I thought I was in the clear for this holiday since I do not have a "sweetheart" in Japan, but as it turns out, it's also polite for the women of Mitsui to give the men in their department a gift of chocolate! So one evening after work this week, I went shopping with the other 2 ladies in my department, Ema & Mari, to pick out chocolate for our men.

This shopping experience was unreal. I'm not talking about picking out candy from the holiday aisle at Meijer or Wal-Mart. The Japanese take shopping to a new level!! We started in the basement of a local department store, Meitetsu. Usually the basements are "markets" and have a variety of foods to purchase, but during this time of year, the entire basement was transformed into a candy gallery!! As far as you could see there were counters filled with boxes of chocolates and about 200 tiny Japanese women looking for the perfect arrangement for their sweethearts. I could not believe it because I've been to this market a few times on my way home from work. I almost didn't recognize the transformation, and the amount of people was crazy!! All of the chocolates were arranged in fancy boxes, ranging from $3 to over $50!! I obediently followed Ema and Mari around, weaving in and out of people and gazing into glass counters. I have no idea what we were looking for, maybe a good price or a "handsome" arrangement. How do you choose chocolates without tasting them?!

Finally, Mari said "Okay, let's go". Thank goodness... we were ready to leave. Umm... no... we were done looking at that floor. Next, we moved up to the 7th floor where, unbelievably, there was three times as many candy counters and about 500 more Japanese women!! Seriously, I was flabbergasted! We milled around some more, and then we stopped to have a conference. Should we get each man something different? This question just made me laugh!! I made that decision... NO, everyone is getting the same thing. If it was this difficult to choose 1 type of candy, there was no way I could handle shopping for 5 boxes! So with that decision out of the way, we just had to find an acceptable choice. We settled on a small box for each guy with 8 pieces of chocolate for about $6.

The entire time I was shopping, all I could think about was thank goodness we don't have this tradition in America. Can you imagine me at Transfreight last year? I'm the only woman in my department, and I'd be buying chocolate for 10 men!! If I spent $6 on each of them, what would I get in return on "White Day"? It better not be a $6 box of chocolate that they all went in on together!! But then again, do I really need $60 worth of chocolate? (Hello, 10 extra pounds and 4 cavities!!) For future reference, if this ever occurs, I'll take a Butterfinger and a new pair of shoes ;)

Back to reality... the guys at Mitsui did seem to appreciate our chocolate on Friday, and we'll see if the ladies get anything in return on March 14th! (I'd love to see how much time they spend picking out our boxes of chocolates!!)

On Wednesday, I also found out that one of my new friends in Japan is getting married this Sunday, February 14th! I asked her if she was excited about it, and she told me "so-so"!! Apparently, she is disappointed that she's not moving after the wedding. She's going to continue living with her parents, and her new husband is moving into her room! So she had to spend Thursday (our National Founding Day holiday) cleaning her room and making space for his things!! Again, I can't imagine this ever happening in America... too funny! They are also not taking a honeymoon next week, but she did say they would take a trip some time this summer.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!

Thanks to Mom and Gma for sending me yummy care packages! The chocolate-covered seafoam from Mom didn't stand a chance! It didn't even make it to V-Day!! My favorite treat from Gma was instant dry milk. (I know I'm crazy!) I immediately made a batch and used it to make mint chocolate Jell-O pudding (which I'll eat on V-Day)! You never realize how many things you want to eat require milk until you don't have any! (FYI--they do have milk in Japan, but I think it tastes awful and refuse to drink it. And I'm not the only one... Kawakami from work won't drink Japanese milk either. He won't even put it in his coffee! He says the milk ruins everything and makes it taste bad!)

National Founding Day

I got a day off in the middle of the week, too, but it wasn't due to snow! Today is National Founding Day in Japan, which as far as I can tell, is like Independence Day in America. I asked if there was anything special I should be doing to celebrate, like visiting a shrine or randomly throwing beans, but my co-workers said no. According the my research, this holiday is still quite controversial in Japan and at the most people will fly a flag. It's not appropriate to show your patriotism in any other way. So I used my free day to sleep in, call some friends, stay in my PJ's till the afternoon, and finally I decided to get a haircut!!

It's been 4 months since my last haircut in Kentucky, and that seems like FOREVER to me!! I've been researching places online for a few days, and I finally picked a salon that had a website in English and says they can accommodate gaijin (foreigner) hair. When I called, the receptionist had a repertoire of about 6 English words, but I managed to figure out that she had availability today and wanted me to come in at 5. Perfect, except today was laundry day, and I had NO clothes to wear, and no way to dry them!!

So I was forced to wear my "house" clothes: sweatpants and a t-shirt. As it turns out, my sweatpants might be okay for shuffling around my apartment, but they would not stay up as I walked to the train station. That is the one pair of pants I did not replace with a smaller size when was home at Christmas... When I reached the train station, I was forced to roll the waistband a few times like a high school girl just out of necessity! Looking back, I suppose I could have worn work clothes, but seriously it's my day off!

Without too much trouble, I found my hair salon. I was still 15 minutes early, but they knew exactly who I was and started taking care of me. First, they gave me a towel to wipe my face off with... but I don't recall being sweaty or dirty! Then a girl came over to take my purse and coat (which I never saw again until it was paying time) and said she talked to me on the phone. She apologized for her poor English. I told her she did fine! They all kept commenting on my short sleeve shirt and bringing me blankets, but like all Japan workplaces, it was 82 in there, so I waved them off and said "atsui desu" which means I'm hot.

Next, my stylist, Masahiro, came over and introduced himself. He knew a little English, and I met him in the middle with a little Japanese, which impressed him. I told him a wanted a trim, just 2 centimeters taken off and freshen up my look. I also told him it had to be easy for me to do each morning, wash & go only. He seemed to understand this but said he wanted to cut 3 centimeters instead. This made me smile because I read online that the Japanese get a little crazy with the scissors once they get you in the chair!! Plus, no one had ever negotiated my hair with me like that!! But I said sure.

So off to the shampoo chair I went with a new guy. He covered me with a blanket, put a paper towel over my face to not mess up my makeup (like I was wearing any...), and started his job. His English was limited, but he was excited to talk to me. I got to hear about his trip to New York, how he wants to move to Tokyo, and how he'd like to study English but it's hard since they work 6 days per week (including holidays!).

Back to Masahiro, who started cutting away. I had also read online that salons love when gaijin come in because they don't usually get the opportunity to work on foreigner hair. This salon was a happening place, with staff of about 20. But whenever anyone wasn't busy, they stood in the background and watched me get my hair done. Most of the time, they stood just outside my line of vision in the mirror, but the place was all windows, so I could still see them in the reflection!

Once Masahiro and I were satisfied with my new 'do, he sent me back to the talkative shampoo boy, where I got the blanket & face towel treatment again and my hair conditioned. Then I got a shoulder, neck, and head massage before finally getting my hair blow dried. Again, all of the workers were gathered around watching, and they kept passing around the blow dryer, so in total I had 3 different people blow dry my hair!! LOL. The whole experience took about 90 minutes and was so funny! Masahiro kept telling me he could do my hair coloring next time, too. So either my grown out highlights look like crap, or he really wants the opportunity to work on my hair again!

Finally, it's paying time. I am escorted to the desk, and my coat and purse reappear. (Only in Japan could they get away with this... most Americans would never let their purse out of their sight!) The damage was about $42, and there's no tipping. I've gotten used to the high prices in Japan, so I didn't this was a bad deal. Besides I did get some great treatment and that back & neck massage!! Masahiro and the shampoo boy might be seeing me again in a couple months!!

Sorry my new haircut pic is at the top this time, but blogger.com had a little attitude today, so it's the best I could do!!

Setsubun

Today I had a lunch date with 3 of my favorite Japanese ladies. They took me to a new place called "Ciao", which serves spaghetti and appears to be Italian, but so many things in Japan aren't what they first seem!!

This wasn't your normal spaghetti. It was a Nagoya speciality, and unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me :( But I will do my best to describe it in detail. The noodles are Japanese and are thicker than normal spaghetti, and the sauce was orangish, thick, sticky, & a little spicy. The really strange part is you get to put a bunch of random toppings on it! The one I ordered was called "bopon" and had spinach, mushrooms, corn, and pork slices!! It was an interesting combination, but not too bad. I'm told that many visitors, especially those from the Tokyo office, love this place because it's so regional.

While we were eating, one of the women gave me a "present". It is pictured below.

I had no idea what it was, but thanked her any way. She came prepared with an English printout and told me it was for "Setsubun".

As it turns out Setsubun is from the Lunar calendar and is considered the traditional end of winter. This year it is celebrated on February 3rd, and February 4th is officially the start of spring. (Although the weather here may not reflect it!) Many years ago Japan celebrated Setsubun as New Year's Eve!

Back to my "present"... in order to celebrate Setsubun properly, roasted soybeans are either thrown out the door or at a family member wearing a demon mask while and shouting the phrase "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi". Loosely translated this means "Demons Out, Luck In." In addition, to guarantee good health, one must collect the scattered beans and then eat the number corresponding to their age!

I saved 29 beans, ate them (pretty dry and tasteless), and then threw the rest over my balcony while shouting! Moments like this, I really wish I had a family member around so they could don a demon mask, and I'd have an excuse to throw things at them!!

Coming of Age Day

Many of you know that I just finished enjoying my first 3-day weekend of the new year. Japan has many national holidays, and there is generally at least one 3-day weekend a month. Monday, January 11th was "Coming of Age" Day, and I had no idea what it meant until today!

Coming of Age Day is celebrated on the second Monday in January, and it marks the transition between childhood and becoming a responsible adult. So this week's celebration was in honor of people celebrating their 20th birthday between April 2009 and March 2010. The age of 20 is when Japanese can smoke, drink, vote, etc. and are thought to now be "self reliant members of society".

Neighborhoods host ceremonies for their residents turning 20. Females generally wear a special type of kimono for unmarried women with extra-long sleeves and elaborate designs. A full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is often borrowed from a relative or rented rather than being bought. Males some times wear traditional kimonos too, but most wear formal Western clothes, such as a suit and tie.

Some days living in Japan is like putting together a puzzle. When my lunch ladies were telling me about this tradition today, a light bulb went off in my head! On Monday I was out walking around and saw many young women wearing kimonos outside nice hotels and other swanky establishments. I knew it was a strange sight (since kimonos are so fancy), but I never connected the dots as to why the women were all the same age, and that it had something to do with the national holiday!! I'm sure this won't be my last "aha!" moment while living abroad!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I had a traditional turkey dinner among a room full of white people :)

It was a nice change of pace! My Japanese work colleagues were impressed that I found out about this event all on my own! (They had no idea such a thing existed in Nagoya!) I can't take full credit... the Americans I met in my apartment building put a bug in my ear, but I did have to do some internet searching of my own!

Work has been good lately. I have been Miss Popularity in the office. All of the ladies are scrambling to be my lunch companion. (Guys not so much... what the heck?!) Anyway, I'm giving out my mobile phone number like crazy, and hopefully someone will take the bait and entertain me this weekend!!

Wait a minute, let me give some credit to the guys here... My lunch date on Wednesday told me that the guy who sits next to her wanted to throw me a Christmas party in December!! LOL, of course I said yes! So I confirmed my availability on the date he was hoping for, and he (I've never met him!) is going to start planning and inviting his friends, plus a few other people in the office I work with! The whole thing is so bizarre. In addition to this party, my social calendar is getting quite full in December with work events. We have a Farewell/Welcome Party next week because our General Manager is transferring, so we're getting a new one, and we have a Year-End Party for Mitsui, as well as a Year-End Party for my department.

Culture Day with Mika

November 4th was a national holiday in Japan: Culture Day. I received a private tour of Tokyo from Kelly's friend from CMU, Mika Ogawa. We had a busy day, including: The Imperial Palace, Asakusa, Sensoji Temple, rickshaw ride, Shimbamata Taishakuten Temple, Shibuya, and Takeshita Dori. Kerri in front of the famous big red lantern in Asakusa.

Busy streets of Asakusa.

Asahi Breweries Bldg affectionately known as the "poo building" by locals!

Kerri & Mika on a rickshaw ride!

Off we go... being pulled down the streets on Asakusa.

Mika is mixing our bowl full of surprise!

Cooking our "okonomiyaki". It's like a pancake stuffed with all sorts of odds & ends.

More food we got to cook on our own, but I can't remember the name!!

Parade for culture day. This pic goes with the one below it. These lovely ladies turn into swans.

You won't see any tractors or pick up trucks pulling floats in this parade everything was man power. People pushed the floats!!

Takeshita Dori. Great street for shopping near Shibuya.