Rice field working and duck release.

I am currently running a behind on the blog. So the first portion of this post was from last weekend. Then I jump ahead to today, but I will save yesterday for next week as I will be at Fuji. The week after that I will try to get back on schedule.

Two weeks ago we planted rice at our Takanezawa community rice field. This year I got to drive the tractor for one pass. Liam and I loaded onto the tractor and the supervisor told me which lever to press to make it go forward. Immediately after I pushed the lever we started to move and the supervisor lost his grip and bailed into the field. He was laying in the mud as I was about to run over him. He had not yet told me what to push to make it stop. I knew which lever made it go so I slammed the opposite lever out of instinct and thankfully it stopped. You can see the supervisors side is all muddy in the picture below, that is the reason why..

After the machine planted we all entered the field to plant the areas the tractor couldn't get or missed.

Liam and Colleen were both very good helpers.

And as always they enjoyed getting muddy and catching frogs.

That all happened the same day we picked up the ducks to take care of for two weeks.

Kate is still making the bentos for the children on occasion. Her latest creation included gyoza with a smiley face as well as a variety of other foods to satisfy the children.

Last weekend we went to the Takanezawa eco center for a small festival. There were a number of displays on hand as well as a variety of food vendors. They also had a hot air balloon making station. The children decided it looked fun and gave it a go. When we went into the room to start we saw that our neighbor Yamashita san was one of the volunteers. Below he is helping Liam to tape the sides of the bag that would become our balloon.

When the bag was all taped up and the gondola was added it was time to decorate. We all had fun drawing on the balloon to spice it up a little.

After the taping and decorating was finished we took it outside to the launch station. The back was pulled over a bamboo tube. Initially a hair dryer was used to inflate the balloon. Once it was filled with air they blew a torch through the bamboo to really heat up the air inside.

We all joined in to give the count down and whoooosh the balloon was let go and flew way up into the sky. String was attached to the balloon so it wouldn't float away, but it still got up pretty high in the sky.

Later we went bowling with the Nakamichi sans. While bowling Kate told Yuta that he had a lucky jacket and she wanted to borrow it. He let her, so she shoehorned into it. Definitely a little on the small side. We all had a good time bowling and hanging out together.

When we finished bowling we went back to the Nakamichi sans. While the adults hung out talking the children played The Game of Life in Japanese.

For dinner the Nakamichi sans ordered pizza from Pizza La (a Japanese pizza company) and purchased pastries from a baking shop just up the street. All of the food was delicious. They also served us a really special Japanese tea that was $8 a bag. It is made from only select tea leaves. The difference in flavor between it and regular green tea was actually quite easy to taste. It was very good, but I won't be running out to buy a bunch of bags any time soon.

This weekend marked the two week mark for the ducks and so we took them back to the rice field to let them go. Everyone was a little sad to see them go, even though they constantly made a huge mess that mostly Kate and on occasion the children had to clean up. Both ducklings grew during their stay. The all yellow one got giant. They stayed healthy the entire time we had them and they were very energetic.

When it was time all the children lined up with the ducks and then let them go into the field. The ducks all immediately jumped in the mud and started eating stuff out of the muck.

They all looked to really enjoy the mud and the company of all the other ducks. We initially thought they may have a little shock going out on their own as Kate and the children really spoiled them with attention, but in the end they looked really happy. The big yellow one was easy to pick out of the crowd so Kate snagged one last picture.

While the ducks were still getting used to their new home we were sent into the field to weed. Anything that was not rice we had to pull out. Liam jumped right in and got to work. He said "if you want to have good rice you have to respect the field."

After finishing with the ducks and weeding we drove to a strawberry farm to pick and eat as many strawberries as we could. I got separated from the group at a signal and so it took a little effort as well as help from some of the other cars that got separated, but we finally made it. I think the weather has been a little tough on them this year and so they were not quite as sweet as last year, but tasty none the less. We all got our fill before leaving for home.

Have a good week...

Sado Island bike ride, baby ducks, etc..

Last weekend I went on a planned trip with some friends from work for a ride on Sado Island. The event was a 210 km ride around the entire island. Over 2000 other people registered to do the same ride. There were 2 or 3 shorter options but I am not sure the number of participants for those rides. It all started at 6:oo am for me when Hakamata san arrived at my house in his giant Hiace van. Ito san now lives in Tokyo so he spent the night at my house as he would have had to leave his at 4:00 am to make our planned start time of 6:00. From my house we went to Maeshima sans to pick him up.

Once the four of us and the bikes were loaded we were of to Nigata. Nigata is the city the ferry left from to go to Sado island. The arrow in the picture below is pointing to Sado and the star is about were Utsunomiya is.

We arrived at Nigata in time for lunch so we walked around the pier a little. There were a number of boats with huge lights hanging from them. Apparently ika (squid) are attracted to light. These were squid fishing boats. They go out at night and turn on the lights to attract the squid and then fish them out.

Anyway, the reason we left so early from Utsunomiya is because we had to catch a specific ferry from Nigata to get to Sado island. We arrived early enough so there was no stress to register and board the ferry.

Maeshima san, Ito san, and I paid an extra fee to take our bicycles whole. They were carefully strapped down in the cargo area.

Hakamata san put his bicycle in a bag along with the majority of the other riders. His was then hung on a clothes line for the trip to the island.

Here is the view of Nigata from the boat as we floated away.

Our ride took about 2 hr 30 min on the huge ferry, but as we were making our trip the more expensive hydrofoil boat blew past us heading to Sado.

We paid for a second class ticket which gave us access to a number of rooms on the boat. There was a small walking area and the rest was carpeted. Everyone took their shoes off and claimed space on the floor for the ride. I can't see this working in the US as nobody would take their shoes off and the carpet would quickly get soiled to the point nobody would want to lay on it.

After a few hours the intercom came to life to announce we were close and should start preparing to get off the boat. The island looked beautiful as we approached. Hakamata san went to get his bagged bike and the rest of us went below deck to retrieve our complete bikes.

Once we were unloaded it was a short ride to our hotel. There were two options for registration for the ride. #1 register the night before at the kick off event, #2 register in the morning. We decided to register the night before, our hotel was on the ferry side so we had to ride 20 km to the start to register and 20 km back. Registering the night before meant we could arrive at the start at 5:45 am so it was worth it. After arriving at the hotel for the night we were asked to leave the bikes in the lobby for the night. Ito san convinced the hotel to let us keep them in the room.

Our hotel was a traditional Japanese style hotel so along with the room we got dinner and breakfast as well as admission to an onsen (hot spring). This is me and Maeshima sitting down for dinner.

There were a variety of foods for dinner. I actually left with a completely full stomach. This is a good view of the meal. Since we were leaving so early in the morning we were given a small bento for breakfast in our room.

The next morning we got up before the sun rose got ready and rode the 20 km to the start point. We were greeted by a huge mass of riders. The start was staggered so although the event started at 6:00 am we didn't actually start until 6:30 am.

The ride was extremely well organized and the roads were smooth and clean. Maeshima took this as we rode through one of the many towns. This event is a big deal for the island and it was nice to see many of the local people came out to wave and cheer the riders as we went by. They would clap and say ganbaret (do your best). The man in the background was one of those people.

The island itself is beautiful and the water is very clear. We could see the bottom as we rode along. There were also many people fishing and gathering kelp and other see life from the ocean.

Although the ride was around the perimeter of the island it was not flat. There were actually a number of climbs on the route and some were pretty challenging. The below picture was taken from a fairly challenging climb. You can see the road snaking along up the hillside.

We stopped about 2/3 up to take some pictures. Pictured below from left to right is: Ito san, me, Hakamata san, and Maeshima san.

This is looking out over the ocean from the same spot. Notice how blue the water is and you can see the bottom as well.

There were so many beautiful photo opportunities on the way but it would be impossible to stop and take pictures of them all and finish the ride in time. There were two things that kept us moving along. #1. There was a time cut off at all of the stations and if you did not pass the station by that cut off you were taken off the course. We were never in danger of this one. #2. We had to get back in time to catch the last ferry to Nigata as 3 of the four of us had to work the next day.

We were very lucky in that the weather was great. It was a little cool, but sunny. With the exception of only one other year of this event it has rained on this day. I think that made all the difference in our enjoyment level.

There were a total of 7 rest stops with water and a variety of foods available to eat. All included with the price of admission to the event.

I have to admit this was by far the best organized cycling event I have ever attended. Almost every corner along the route was staffed with a flagger to direct traffic as well as any area on the course that could be considered dangerous. The rest stops were well placed, food was readily available, water and sports drink, as well as entertainment. The entertainment varied and looked to be put on by local high school students. The movie below was of some Japanese drums. The children would rotated to keep the drums going all day. We could hear them for a good ways as we approached the rest stop and as we road off.

At one stop I saw these huge barrels with people riding them. The woman standing would swing the paddle left and right to propel the barrel forward in the water. I also saw these being used to collect seaweed in other parts of the island.

At this point we were 120 km in. Everyone in our group held up pretty well. We could see a number of others that did not hold up so well. At about 180 km in there was a 15% hill. That hill at that point in the ride forced a number of other riders to walk or weave back and force across the road to lessen the angle a little. Before the event we all agreed that we would ride hard up the hills for training before Fuji. This one was no exception, Hakamata san and I rode very aggressively up it and as we passed the other riders I heard a number of "nani's" and "honto's" which is basically "What" and "are you serious". It was kind of funny. Actually throughout the day we all kept a very positive attitude. Maeshima would periodically attack on what he thought were smaller hills. When they were smaller hills he could make it to the top first, but a number of times the hills were not so small and as we rounded the corner they just kept going up. On those I would ride past him whistling and laughing.

Here we are at the finish. It was pretty cool, we rode with chips in an ankle bracelet and so a sensor was tripped before the finish. That gave the announcers our information and they congratulated us by name as we crossed the finish point. On the day we ended up riding 250 km (155 miles) because we rode to the start from our hotel and then back after finishing.

Below is the island and our route. Our hotel was on the right in the middle so we rode across to the start and then around clockwise.

We finished with enough time to hit the hotel's onsen one last time and then loaded into the ferry to head back to Nigata.

On the ferry I saw this sign that made me sick. It basically says "watch out don't jump" with abunai written in a red blood like blotch. The fact that this sign exist probably means somebody scraped the top of their scalp off at this point....ewwww.

We arrived at Nigata at about 9:30 pm. We were all tired from the ride and travel. Maeshima san is playing up a little in the picture. At this point we had more than three hours of driving left and with the traffic jam getting out of the parking lot we didn't get home until after 2 am. Hakamata was even later as he drove. Then the next day 3 of the 4 of us had to go to work. I was pretty tired, but still somewhat productive. In the end it was all worth it...

While I was on the ride Kate and the children went to pick up two ducklings from the Takanezawa community center. Last year we were given the opportunity to take them home as well, but we decided not to as we had a lot going on and were not sure how to take care of them. This year we were feeling pretty settled and decided the children would really enjoy it so we agreed to try it. We will have them for two weeks and then they will be let go in our rice field for pest/weed control. The children got to pick two from a big box of baby ducklings.

Both children have really taken to them and I think the ducklings have taken to the children. Here they are sleeping on Colleen. The neighbor children have also been over a number of times to play with them since they arrived at our home. Both Liam and Colleen enjoy holding them.

Kate and the children filled a plastic tub with water for the ducklings to play in. They really enjoy it and go crazy when you put them in it. About once or twice a day the children are taking them out to spend time outside rather than in the box we were given to care for them in.

Here they are out in the yard.

That is all for this post, have a great week..

Golden week part II - Happy Birthday Kate, Rice planting and Fuji

The day we returned from China was Kate's birthday. Happy Birthday Kate... The following day after we returned we were greeted by the Shionome sans, they just stopped by to wish Kate a happy birthday and brought a gift by for her. The next day we all headed out to Karasuyama to help the Shionome sans family plant their rice fields. There were many different family members and their children all helping. Some of the children loaded into the back of the Suzuki carry pickup for a ride to the fields. They all loved it..

Taka san was all dressed up for planting, we almost didn't recognize him.

I am not sure his fathers age, but he is still energetic and very active with the planting of the field.

After the tractor makes its pass, everyone goes into the field to fill in any of the placed that were missed. There are two main areas that need filled, when the planter doesn't grab any starts, and where the tractor can not reach.

This is the finished product, Karasuyama is a pretty hilly area. The country side is very peaceful.

Already the frogs are starting to populate the rice fields. While planting the children found a ton of frog eggs. They went back and scooped a bunch up to try to raise. Here Chika chan is holding a big pile of them.

When we were finished we went to an older style rice field in Karasuyama. The older style is much smaller and requires a lot more hand work. This field is owned by the community and was decorated for boys day.

The following day we woke up early, loaded the car, and headed to Gotenba. We had a few days remaining in our vacation after returning from China. Kate and the children wanted to see Fuji up close and so we decided this was the time to make the trip. I have attached a map to show where we went.

The day we drove down was extremely hazy. Even as we got close to Fuji we really couldn't see it. Only when we were right under it could we catch a small glimpse of it. We checked in to our hotel for the night and headed out for dinner. In 2001 I came to Japan on a business trip. One night when going out for dinner we walked past about 10 restaurants with a fellow Japanese associate. He kept saying each one was no good. I asked if he had been there before to which he responded "No". When I asked how he knew it was no good he explained that nobody was inside and it was dinner time. Finally we passed a busy restaurant, we went in and had a good dinner. Well I have always remembered that, but never really put it to the test. We picked a restaurant that was empty, and the end result was that it was some of the worst food we have ever been served in Japan. We went back to the hotel unsatisfied and went to bed. When we woke up we were greeted by this view... and a new start to the day.

I looked at the map the night before and planned the basic agenda. To kick off the day I decided we should drive to station 5 of Fuji. It is the highest you can go by car and just happens to take the same route I will ride in my next bicycle race. Along the way there are many beautiful views of Fuji.

We passed a lake on the way and saw this huge swan boat. We didn't ride it, just stretched our legs a little.

When we turned onto the road that goes up Fuji and were greeted by a musical road. I have seen this in a commercial before but never personally experienced it. It was a pretty cool surprise. In the background is Fuji.

After arriving at the top we parked and walked around the station a little.

At the top you can get a variety of foods with the Mt Fuji theme. We opted for the Mt Fuji pastry. We started with only two to share, but they were so tasty that we ended up getting two more.

There were signs at the top for the up and coming race. The race is limited to 5000 people and it was already filled within a week of open registration. Should be an interesting event, the road up is not incredibly steep, but it just goes on and on..

Here is the family with Fuji in the background. It looks like it is not so far from the top, but it is a little deceptive. From this location we were probably only about half way up the mountain.

Next on the agenda was a trip to Owakudani. We heard about this place from the McNamara's (via Facebook) and thought it looked interesting. I only knew the rough location so when we got close we stopped at an information center and just asked where the black eggs were. The gentleman instantly said Owakudani.. So what is it? It is a place in the side of a mountain that still has volcanic activity. When you look up the side of the mountain there is steam pouring out from various locations. It really is a cool place.

There is a walking path up to a small building that passes a river of grey boiling water. We decided to make the trek to the top. Along the path there are signs that say don't stand in one place for too long as the fumes can be toxic.

At the top there is a small building and a pool of the boiling grey goo.

The building is for purchasing kurotamago (black eggs) The eggs are hard boiled in the grey bubbling goo which turns them black. They can be purchased in bags of 5.

The myth is that if you eat these eggs your life will be extended by 7 years. The eggs themselves were tasty, just like regular hard boiled eggs, but all the smell from the volcanic activity reminded us of rotten eggs and that made them harder to eat. We all decided that we should each eat 2 eggs to make up for the loss in years we incurred by breathing in all the toxic fumes while enjoying the scenery.

There is a ropeway at the top moving eggs up and down the mountain side for guests that don't want to make the hike up to the top. The eggs are used to flavor a number of food products at the bottom as well. We tried the black egg ice cream. Actually tasted like regular ice cream.

After we finished at Owakakudani I gave the family the option to head back to the hotel or drive to the beach. When I checked the map the night before I noticed that it was not so far. Everyone agreed that we should go to the beach. This coast did not have sand, instead it was hilly and rocky.

We drove out on a small peninsula to take in the sights. Looking up the hillside I wondered what it would be like to live in one of these houses overlooking the ocean.

Along the way we stopped to check out a temple. I liked how this picture of a stone fence turned out so I am including it in the post.

We stopped the car at a pull off and got out to explore. The children loved walking around the rocks exploring the various see life that lives in this environment.

There were a variety of different animals around. Tons of crabs could be found amongst the rocks.

We also saw fish, anemone, fish, a rat, and a number of things I had know idea what they were and would not touch.

We were there long enough that on the way home it started to get dark and we were hungry. Due to our experience with the restaurant the night before we decided to take my Japanese friends advice and we selected a restaurant that was somewhat busy.

Well his advice turned out to be quite accurate. This time our experience was totally different. We all were able to get a meal that we enjoyed. The children and Kate had tuna sashimi along with various other Japanese dishes. I asked for the recommendation. It was a variety plate that included a huge scary looking fish (you can see it in the picture below Colleen). The waitress only spoke Japanese, but when I asked how to eat the fish said said you eat it all and so I did. It felt a little strange eating the boney parts, but actually it was really good. In the future I guess we will have to stick with the busy is better philosophy..

That is all for this post, have a great week..