Pictured is a sampling of the offerings. It is interesting, the Japanese treats are not chocked full of sugar like their American counterparts. They have a more subtle sweetness that allows you to enjoy the other flavors more. We brought some American sweets with us and now that we have been here for almost 4 months they taste unbelievably sweet.
Here are some of the ladies enjoying the goodies. Good food, good company, and full stomachs.
On Friday I went out to dinner with my US manager and Japanese associates. We had a number of conversations about life in Japan. I was asked if I had any frustrations or difficulties to which I responded "I would like to buy an entire loaf of bread." To explain, you have to understand that in Japan the typical loaf size is about 1/2 the US size. Both ends are cut off so there is no heal. Then your option is 6,8, or 10 pieces. The loaf sizes are all the same but the piece thickness is different. Anyway, later that night we were singing Karaoke in a bar and a man walked in holding a giant loaf a bread in each hand for sale. Immediately Anthony jumped up and said "Oh I have to buy one of those for you." The rest of the night I had to carry the loaf of bread with me. The next day the children were so excited to see an entire loaf.. Liam is holding the typical in one hand and our ginormous "bar" loaf in the other.
This week we also attended a Japanese Cultural Festival in Utsunomiya. There were many things to enjoy. When we arrived we were hungry so we hit up the cooking corner. There we were able to make your own Onigiri. It is rice with any number of goodies that is rolled up into a, well.... I think you are supposed to squish it into a triangle, but ball is easier.
Below you can see all the options from bacon to shrimp there were many to choose from.
I loaded mine up with too much goodness to fold inside and had to wrap it in nori (sea weed).
Kate and the children had more success and were able to fold without the nori. Both children chose bacon as the sole ingredient for their hidden treasure. If you ever see a rice ball at a 7/11 in Japan you will know that something lurks within the ricey exterior..
Next was off to the sweets table. We had the choice to make our own, or eat from the treats made by a gentleman that must do this often. We chose to do both.
Here the children are making some while the master on the left creates works of tasty art.
Below are some of his creations.
After getting a bite to eat we were able to try on traditional Japanese Kimonos. This was an interesting experience for all of us. For me it was interesting because the changing areas for the men and women are separate, but both are attended by women. When I went in they asked me to take my shirt off to get started. Then after one robe was put on they asked for me to take my pants off. Since it was in Japanese I waited, because I wanted to make sure I heard correctly. Finally they pointed and motioned so I complied. If that was not what they wanted it really would have been funny, it was embarrassing enough with my stars and stripes thong... In the end I think I had 4 layers of clothes and 3 belts. The only thing that was not comfortable were the shoes as they were not long enough.
Some of the ladies..
The Kimonos can get very elaborate, from the back you can see the bows. While looking at this picture I was reminded of something. When we go shopping sometimes if I look away for a minute I lose Kate. While in Japan she bought a Japanese style coat, she is similar in height, and she has straight black hair. She blends right in, I have to look for the Japanese lady with the two American children to find her...
Liam and Colleen were getting tons of attention while dressed in their Kimonos. It took me forever to meet up with Kate after changing because a bunch of college age girls swarmed around him to get their picture with him. It was pretty funny.
Next up.....
The children made baskets and origami birds. They did this activity while wearing the Kimonos. Not much explanation required for this activity.
After changing out of the Kimonos (again underwear and older ladies) the children hit the animal finger craft booth. I was not able to determine the medium being used, but it looked like the shells of mini lemons. The shells were colored and to make the different items. The children had to trim the pieces and glue them together. Both children really enjoyed the activity.
Below is a display made using this craft.
Colleen hard at work.
In the end Colleen ended up making two, a bird and a monkey, this is the monkey.
Liam made a frog.
Calligraphy was next on our journey.
This is harder than it looks. We used paint brushes and ink so you only get one chance at it. You have to dip the brush and then hold it straight up and down as you make each stroke. We all chose different Kanji in the end. Kate chose "cherry blossom", Liam chose "love", Colleen picked "friends" and I did "Peace".
After the calligraphy Kate and the children made flower arrangements.
All the materials were provided and help was given by an 90 year old Japanese woman. All of the arrangements turned out great through her guidance and the other helpers. Now we get to find out how long they will stay alive.
As if all of these activities weren't enough we also got to witness a traditional tea ceremony.
Along with other cultural displays there was music and singing throughout the event. We will have to put this one on our list for next year.
After leaving the cultural festival we headed for Haga town to a spring festival. We arrived late so some of the activities were already shutting down. Both children got to ride on a mini motorcycle. Liam rode it without event, but once Colleen started to go it was evident that she did not know how to stop. She made a B-line for the barrier at the end of the course and plowed right through it. She must have some of her Aunt Claire in her.. After we saw she was OK we got a good laugh out of it. Actually she got right back on and tried it again with no more problems.
No good pictures of the incident because she was my priority. I will have to work on that if we ever want to win a funniest video contest.
After the crash she was right back at it..
I got a kick out of seeing an adult woman in high heel boots ride one of the mini bikes. I also see women riding bicycles in those boots, maybe I will have to snag a picture of that later.
For final activity the children did was a working mini steam train. It had an actual boiler and before each run the conductor had to stoke the fire. It even sounded like a real train.
That finishes this week.
Not sure what is planned for next.
Have a good week..
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