Hughes Family in Japan: Community activity, Nakagawa aquarium, etc..

Kate and the children signed up to make book cases as a community activity in Takanezawa 高根沢. They met at a school parking lot then drove to the activity. It was at a local residents house. I am pretty sure he has some sort of business there as he has a fork truck. I don't know many people that just have a fork truck. Everyone that went to the activity chipped in to make the day a success.

First all the wood was selected and cut to size.

The children drew a design on the side pieces with pencil. Another gentleman cut the patterns out.

Then the children smoothed all the edges with sandpaper.

Final assembly..

Here is the finished product.

After all the wood working was done it was time for lunch. That was also included in the 500 yen fee. (Katie writing) They started cooking lunch outside on the fire. The first pot was used to cook meat in oil. It smelled deeeelicious. Then there was a pot with broth and vegetables. I think they used the same pot for the broth that they cooked the meat in...for the flavor. They also boiled a pot of water to cook the soba noodles in. That part was very quick it seems just to heat the noodles. They put the noodles, soup and meat in the bowl. It was certainly a beautiful :) bowl of soup.

I didn't pay for me so I was not expecting to eat. I was thrilled they wanted myself and all of the parents to eat. Anyone who knows me well knows I LOVE food. They also served red rice, pickled daikon and a dish made out of a root with carrots. All of it was delicious. They sent me home with "take out" too.

I didn't know any of these people before this day or speak the language and still I felt like I was with family. It seemed like the kids felt the same running around the yard. At one point I was thinking....I can't believe I am here experiencing this wonderful day. I did wish that Larry could have shared with us.

The gentleman also made a me cutting board to bring home. I have used it everyday since. My plan is to make some cookies and drop them off soon. It is common to give a gift of thanks. I have several I am going to do this week.

This week was Liam's 10th birthday. He got a few small things, but has decided to save his money for next month's adventure. Pictured below is him making candy tako yaki from a kit he got for his birthday. Liam actually does not like the real thing. He was more than willing to tear up the candy version.

On the weekend we headed off to Nakagawa aquarium. It was about 30-40 min. drive. The drive itself was nice. It was good to get out on the warm day (about 58degrees).

The aquarium contains mostly fresh water fish. As a result they are not as colorful as the typical ocean fish, but still beautiful and interesting.

There were a number of exhibits that allow you to interact with the aquatic animals. There were starfish, turtles, sharks, crawfish, see urchin, and a crazy slimy thing (Sea Cucumber)...(these were some of the few salt water animals).

There were fish from the Amazon in a large tube style tank. The biggest and scariest would be the Arapaima. I could not imagine swimming in a river and seeing one of these things in the water. It would probably make me soil my trunks.

We saw our first ever Sea Monkey vending machine. The sign actually calls them Ghost Shrimp. Fortunately the children didn't see it or we would probably have a new pet. There are a few vending machines in Japan, so the children are happy when we find one....

Finally, I have been riding my bike to work pretty consistently. The bike I have been riding was made in 1993 and was the bike I used to race on. As a result the components were starting to really get worn out. The other problem was that we don't have a garage (they aren't common in Japan, in fact I have not seen any yet.) On top of that the bike was too big to fit in the entry way. I decided to get a new bike. I picked a Japan market only Gios. It has small wheels (20"), so it fits in the entry way easily. It has STI shifters, bladed spokes, and a carbon fiber fork. I will start riding it to work tomorrow.