Here Grandpa Jack is giving Liam some tips on using the razor knife to shape the chopsticks while Reiko looks on with a look that says... "don't cut your fingers off".
After the shaping was complete the children were given the opportunity to burn their names into the chopsticks. The finished product came out really nice. Liam has already used them at a couple of meals.
Grandma and Grandpa didn't want to stick out so much so they dawned the masks just like everyone else. I think in this case they were actually for the dust from sanding the chopsticks and not so much for sickness.
On Friday I took everyone to a Katsu restaurant. Katsu is breaded and fried and you can get a variety of types. Pork, chicken, shrimp, oyster, etc... Everyone picked a form of pig meat in the end. The meal was delicious, not only was the Katsu excellent, but the salad and miso were great as well.
Yesterday we went back to Nikko, but this time to see the temples. The previous time we drove around and took in the scenery, but did not stop to see the temples. This week was a full moon and at the temple there was a bamboo circle at the temple. I am assuming this represents the moon. Many people were intentionally walking through the circle.
Nikko is full of really old trees. Over the years it was learned that lightning was a huge threat to both the temples and the trees surrounding the temples. Now many of the trees have lightning rods on them. Metal bands are used to hold the lightning rod in place and can be seen about every 20 feet up the length of the larger trees. The picture below shows a couple of the metal bands.
The mountains stay moist and cool year round. The environment really fosters the growth of plant life. The green color is amazing.
There is a walking path connecting two different segments of temples. On both sides of the path there is almost a carpet of greenery growing on everything. To add to the atmosphere there is a channel of mountain water running along the side of the path. The gurgle of the water as it runs by makes for a very serene stroll to the other temple.
This image shows just how thick the layer of green can be. It reminds me a little of that Creep Show movie where the meteor hits a small community and the man that touches it ends up covered in green moss along with his house and the surrounding community.
I also like this picture that Kate took of leaves of a Japanese Maple (I think)
The temples in and around Nikko really are beautiful. They are set in the mountains with the mature trees. It is impossible to really capture it in a photo, because photos don't do a good job explaining the atmosphere.
This temple requires walking up quite a few steps to see it all.
Nikko is also home to a 5 tiered pagoda. I previously posted pictures of it from the front, so I decided to mix it up a little with this photo from the back side. The trees are huge all through the temple area, but without a reference in the picture it is difficult to understand just how big they are.
The children found a drinking fountain that was fed by the mountain natural spring. They also discovered if you plug up multiple holes while your brother/sister are drinking they can get water up their nose.
I love this old cherry tree. I am not sure how old it is, but it is very weathered looking. In the picture you can see the extreme care given to the tree to keep it shaped and from becoming broken.
It is my understanding the the temples in Nikko are both Buddhist and Shinto. Shinto shrines typically have the large gates (Tori Gates) and Buddhist temples typically have a bell. Below is a bell in Nikko next to one of the temples. We have heard it ring before on a previous trip. I am not sure what the occasion is when it rings, but the sound is very nice.
Finally on the way out of Nikko I was just picking roads off of the navi and we ended up traveling on a really nice road. The view from the road was great and eventually I was able to connect it back to the road we wanted to be on to go home.
After residing in Japan for 1 year the International drivers license is no longer valid with the Japanese government. We are quickly approaching the 1 year mark so Kate and I were tasked with passing the Japanese drivers test last week. The entire process required me to take 2 half days and 1 full day off of work. The first half day was for the license bureau to confirm that I am me and legally reside in this country. They also confirm that I previously had a drivers license in the US. The next half day was for practice driving at a training center. The final full day was for the written test and driving test. The driving portion of the test has a very low pass rate. When the first group of US associates and spouses went all came home empty handed. Out of about 22 people 1 was successful in obtaining a license. The driving portion is really an exercise in showing that you understand the driving requirements and are capable of doing them. Below is the course. The instructor only speaks in Japanese during the test.
Now for the steps...I won't list them all because it is boring blog material, but I will list the steps required just to start and pull out.
1. Approach the car from the curb. Look right and left before opening the rear door to place your belongings on the seat.
2. Look at the front and back of the car and under the car to confirm there are no obstacles, children, etc.
3. Approach the drivers door, look right and left before opening the door.
4. Get in the car.
5. Close the door
6. Immediately lock the door.
7. Adjust the seat.
8. Adjust the rear view mirror. (you must touch the mirror for it to count)
9. Adjust the door or fender mirrors.
10. Buckle your seat belt.
11. Confirm that all passengers have their belts on.
12. Depress the foot brake.
13. Confirm the car is in park and the emergency brake is set by shaking the lever, knob.
14. With the brake depressed start the car.
15. Look around the car to confirm pedestrians, cyclist, etc.
16. Activate the right turn signal to show you are planning to pull out.
17. Put the car in drive.
18. Turn off the hand brake.
19. Check the rear mirror, fender mirror, and blind spot for traffic.
20. Pull out.
21. Turn off the signal.
All of the procedures need to be followed or you will lose points. There are similar lists for changing lanes, turning, cross walks.....etc...I spent the night before memorizing the procedures and practicing them to make them natural so they didn't require a lot of extra thought. On test day I memorized the course so that I didn't have to listen for the instructions as I drove. Then after lunch we were allowed to walk the course before we drove. I walked the course by memory and imagined what I should be doing at each stage of the course. Throughout the day I was made fun of as I sat imagining I was driving the course. Everyone said I was doing the robot dance. Anyway end result. 4 out of 20 passed the test and came away with a license, 2 of which were first timers. Myself and Mike Cao. I really can't afford to take time off of work now so I was really happy I could pull it off on the first try.
On Sunday we took the train from Hoshakuji station to Utsunomiya so that everyone could see what it was like to ride the trains in Japan. After arriving in Utsunomiya we walked around and did some exploring in the city. I had Kate take this picture of me and the children with the famous Utsunomiya Gyoza statue. The statue used to be on the east side of the station, but was moved during the station remodeling a few years ago. There was an accident during the move and the statue was broken into three pieces. The devastating footage made the news. I found this tragic video on youtube so I attached a link.
Now the statue resides on the West side of the station under a walking bridge. You can see the repair marks in the picture. The statue is of Venus De Milo wrapped in Gyoza...awesome..
The other picture is the family huddled around a huge frog carved from Oya stone.
When we got back to the station Liam found this huge preying mantis. Since he is the bug whisperer he had to hold it for a little bit before we returned home.
In one day I saw 6 different mantis. There must be a lot of them in Japan.
Thats all for this post, have a good week.
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