I still can't believe she is already that old. I still remember riding in the car listening to Sesame street tapes to keep her occupied as we drove. I don't think she listens to the same stuff now.
For her birthday we went to Utsunomiya station to pick up a cake from a bakery. It was the same place that Warren and Jim bought a cake for me from last year at my birthday. They even through in 18 candles for us to put on the cake for her. It was a delicious cake and I think Erin was able to enjoy her birthday.
This week Kate participated in an international cooking class. We met the instructor at the Takanezawa Eco Center event that the children did the hot air balloons at.
The food for this class was Indonesian. Kate said it was very tasty, but a lot of work to make. Kate has really been enjoying cooking lately and has had the opportunity to learn a number of different recipes. She has been writing them down so that when we go home she can continue to make them.
For the weekend we headed to Oarai. It is a town on the east coast of Japan. We have been there a handful of times now, but always enjoy it. First stop was a kaiten sushi restaurant as it was lunch time. The sushi here is huge and can not be eaten in one bite.
Next up was a tour of the fish markets. A variety of seafood can be bought at the shops. Our biggest problem is that we don't really know how to prepare most of the food and so even though it is fresh and a great deal it is not often that we actually by anything. We just enjoy the experience.
Here are some interesting crabs we saw on this trip. I have never actually seen this type before. I was able to find them on the internet. They are called Spanner crabs and they come from Australia. They are unusual in that they walk forward and backward rather than sideways like most crabs. If you want to know more you can check out the link below.
After the market we went to the beach. I took a different route this time that drove along the coast and we saw two distinctly different types of ocean front. One was very rocky and looked fun for exploring and the other was sandy and good for hanging out and going in the water. We decided to go to both on the way home. The children enjoyed looking for sea life in the rocky area and we probably spent about 1 hour there.
We even found some colorful starfish amongst the rocks.
Next up was the sandy area to play in the waves. The last time we went the children got wet and sandy and we did not have towels. This time the as soon as the children heard we were going to the beach they gathered up their swim suits and towels. It was a good thing too.
All the children hanging together.
As the children were playing kelp was washing up on shore. Liam and Colleen decided it would be fun to collect it and put it in a pile on the beach. We dared Liam to put it on his head like a kelp dread lock wig and he agreed to do it. Both funny and gross at the same time..
Colleen found some really green stuff and decided to do the same. Hers was much smaller.
On Sunday we went to a catfish festival. At the festival a bunch of fish were released into a small channel and only children were allowed to go in and try to catch them with their hands.
Liam and Colleen did not fair very well in the catching part. This was our first time and we had no idea what to bring or do. The children with gloves faired much better as they could grab the slippery fish better. We observed other tactics, but were never able to help the children. In the end the children were not able to catch any, but as Colleen got out of the water she was given one in a bag. Originally we thought the fish were released into the nearby river. We quickly learned that they were to be kept for eating. Only problem is, I never learned how to prepare a fish like this. As a result we slipped the fish into someone else's bucket when they were not looking. It was funny to see his reaction when he discovered an extra fish in his bucket.
The fish that were released into the river were young fish to re-populate the river. We were given small containers of them to release and everyone lined the river to release them at the same time.
After the release there were a variety of other activities to try, one of which was canoeing. Kate and Colleen rode together and Liam and I rode together. There was a short course up and back along the river the fish were released into.
Next up was the tight rope walk over the river. At the side of the river there was a practice rope. I did not fair so well on the practice rope, but it was very loose and as a result very difficult.
The actual rope was over the river and if you made it there was a prize of about $300US. Of course the children were interested, and I thought maybe this rope would be a bit more taught and for the chance to win $300 I figured I should give it a go. I am calling this a rope, but actually it is a giant strap with a ratchet on it. First up from our squad was Liam. He actually tried a number of times and gave it a good effort, but in the end he just got wet.
Colleen was next and actually came the closest of the three of us to making it, but in the end she also went swimming.
On my turn I realized immediately that the rope was not tighter and new I was in trouble. I was not able to stop from shaking back and forth and figured the longer I stood in one spot the more likely I was to fall and so I tried to make a run for it........Fail.. I got wet as well.
Part of the festival also included food. I had Udon, but Kate and the children tried the soba slide. For a set fee of about $1 you were given a cup of sauce and a pair of chopsticks. Then you had to stand at a chute and catch the noodles as they slid down the slide. What you caught you got to eat.
The children were able to get a photo with the Takanezawa town center mascot. It looks a bit like a Pokemon.
On the walk back to the car Kate snapped this picture. As you can see the rice is already getting really tall.
That is all for this post, hope everyone had a great 4th of July...
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