Macudonarudo anyone?

One of the only affordable "fast food" places in Japan is McDonalds.  Those golden arches can be seen worldwide.  Oh course, some of the menu items are a little different, we usually pass on the fried-egg teriyaki burger and order a plain burger for about a US $1.20.  It's filling and cheap, especially for those hungry teenage mouths in the backseat.  For the same price you can get a small chocolate shake; our favorite drive-through treat when on the road.

This McDonald's is temptingly situated along our 30-45 minute drive home from church.  Sitting in the McDonald's parking lot I snapped this picture below.  In the midst of our few minutes of American utopia, nibbling our fries and sipping our shakes, we were jolted back to the sobering reality of why we live in Japan.

Table for 2? Right this way.

For one evening our church worship room was transformed into a romantic, candle-lit restaurant.  I loved decorating and making a nice meal for the 16 people who came.  After dinner everyone watched the movie "Fireproof" (with Japanese sub-titles) and then Tim lead a discussion time about the movie.  Everyone seemed to love it and hopefully it got people talking to each other about their marriage. Maybe we'll do it again. 

For the dinner we made the veggies, potatoes and chocolate cake for desert.  Thankfully Costco provided the rest; baked chicken, bread and even sparkling cider.  What would we do without Costco?  We've only had it available the last 5 years to us and I tell ya, we are hooked.  The Japanese seem to be too.  It is always packed with people, so we have to try to time our 45 minute trip there carefully to avoid the mass of shoppers.  We love bringing home an easy meal of cooked pizza after shopping for meat, cheese and nuts.  Costco here in Japan has about 1/3 of the American Costco items...including treats like muffins, root beer and granola. 

Being Green and Saving Some Green

Here are some ways we save...

• Wash and reuse ziplock bags
• Fill the washing machine from the shower hose waiting for the water to get warm
• Wash your hands in the sink situated above the toilet using water that fills the tank
• Heat or cool only the room you are in - no central heating or AC
• Never waste/toss food on your plate
• Walk or bike instead of drive
• Hang laundry outside to dry
• Don't eat out, but make sandwiches ahead for hungry kids on the go
• Don't buy drinks, but bring along re-used water bottles

How about you? Share a way you (or your pockets) are greener!

Ramen

Tim and I love to try little whole-in-the-wall restraunts we stumble upon.

Our latest quest?

To find the best ramen in town!
I'm afraid this shop didn't rank too high on the list, but it was fun to try another little mom-and-pop restaurant around the corner from our house. A big bowl (the only thing big in Japan) of fresh noodles, veggies, seaweed and pork tastes especially good on a cold winter day.

Tim likes Miso (fermented beans) and I like Shoyu (soy sauce) flavored soup. To fit in with the locals here you have to slurp loudly, something I just can not get myself to do, although the kids love it and do it especially well! The ramen noodles are eaten with chopsticks and you use the big wooden or plastic spoon for the soup.

Often shops like this have a selection of Manga (Japanese comic books) to help pass the time. It seems there is always a TV on somehow, somewhere. The little ceramic cat sitting on the shelf is to beckon in good luck.

Some of our Family's Favorite Food

Gioza

These lightly fried Chinese dumplings are made with a sort of wan-tan skin that is filled with pork, cabbage, onions and garlic. You can buy them fresh or frozen at the grocery store and they are on the menu in many restaurants. At our former church we had gioza parties where 30 or so people gathered to spend the evening making homemade gioza, including making the skins from scratch. It was a lot of work but they were delicious, although the whole church smelled like garlic for days, even weeks afterward.

Curry Rice

Japanese curry rice is relatively mild. It can be rather sweet with a fruit-like flavor especially for kids. When you buy it in the store you can buy it in single serving bags ready to heat and serve. You can also buy it in a block that you mix with hot water, veggies and meat. You can choose from an array of spicy/hot levels from numbers 1-5 (with 5 being the hottest, but still nothing like traditional spicy Indian Curry).

Sunflowers for Decontamination

Japanese reserchers believe growing sunflowers will remove radioactive cesium from contaminated soil around the Fukushima No. nuclear plant and are planning a project to plant as many of the yellow flowers as possible this year.

Japanese researchers believe growing sunflowers will remove radioactive cesium from contaminated soil around the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, and are planning a project to plant as many of the yellow flowers as possible this year.

They have invited people to sow sunflower seeds near the Fukushima prefecture power station, hoping the sunflower will become a symbol of recovery in the areas affected by the nuclear crisis.

After the sunflowers are harvested, they will be decomposed with bacteria.

After the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, sunflowers and rape blossoms were used to decontaminate soil in Ukraine.

Radioactive cesium of various kinds is similar to kalium, a commonly used fertilizer. If kalium is not present, sunflowers absorb cesium instead.

If the harvested sunflowers are disposed of by burning, radioactive cesium could be dispersed through smoke. This is why the researchers are considering using hyperthermophilic aerobic bacteria – used to produce compost – to decompose the plants and slash the amount of radioactive waste that needs to be dealt with.

Officials have gathered about 300 kilograms of sunflower seeds and have also asked Thailand, a major producer of sunflower seeds, for cooperation in the project. They also requested high schools in and near the 30-kilometer zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant to grow sunflowers on their school grounds.

Source: The Yomiuri News 2011-04-23

Ferrying Across the Sea

This summer we were blessed to have a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle (not to mention the heat!) of our life and ministry here in Tokyo. We drove up to the tip of Honshu,the main island of Japan and took a 4 hour ferry to the northern island of Hokkaido. In a country with over 6,000 islands, ferrying from one place to another isn't out of the ordinary.

Our family isn't a stranger to ferries either. When the kids were little we took 10-14 hour ferries to visit Japanese friends or to go on vacation. Usually the ferries were overnight and we slept (or tried to sleep) in small berths or in huge rooms with dozens of others sprawled out on the floor. We used to drug everyone up with seasick medicine, but now we use MotionEaze. A few dabs behind the ear of this herbal wonder keeps your tummy happy no matter how choppy the waves. (I keep a small bottle in my purse for curvy road trips too.) Even with all the stress of traveling the high seas, our kids have fond memories of playing ping pong, dipping in the sloshing public bath and watching a movie in a big theater throughout those long ferry adventures.
The 4 hour ferry boats aren't quit so extravagant. We sat in one of several rooms, some with chairs and some with a bare floor where sleepy travelers could take a nap. Pictured below is the young woman we sat by. Tim was able to strike up a friendly conversation with her and in his warm and casual way share the Gospel. Even on vacation, his evangelist heart beats strong.
It's quite an experience to take your car on the ferry. It costs quite a bit, but it is worth it to have the freedom of getting easily to your destination on the other side of the sea. We like the shorter/smaller ferries better because loading and unloading of cars and trucks takes less time.
We lined up with all the other cars in the parking lot and took turns driving onto the ferry. There are a lot of trucks, as you can imagine. After parking our car, we walk up to the upper deck for the rest of the ride (Our dog, Cali, waited patiently, and comfortably mind you, on the forbidden, cushiony seat of our car.) On this ferry, most people ate their boxed lunch they had brought with them, but there was a machine that sold instant cup of noodles and a even a sink with boiling hot water. (I, of course, enjoyed a soothing paper-cup of tea).

Keeping My Cool

You will find lots of fans around our house, the plug-in ones and the wave-your-arm ones. I, along with most Japanese, carry a folding fan everywhere. These cloth fans are beautiful and come in an array of styles, colors and prices. I am always on the look out at the end-of-the-summer-sales for a pretty back up. Men carry these fabric accordion fans as well.

The flat fans (pictured below) have a different name in Japanese than the folding ones. They are traditionally made with bamboo and paper, although plastic advertisement ones are given out by stores, companies or restaurants.

Besides a fan in my bag, you will find a mini thin washcloth to discreetly dab the sweat (I mean "glow") on my face. These mini terrycloth handkerchiefs come in all colors and styles, even browns and blues for men. Japanese also use these for drying their hands as many public bathrooms do not have paper towels.

To help keep our living/dining/kitchen room cooler we, along with most Japanese, use bamboo shades. Some of these are inside so that they be easily opened and some of these hang outside the window and stay put all summer. These thin woven mats let in a hint of light, but still help block the heat and can cost as little as just a few dollars. I love the rich texture they bring to a room, plus their oriental appeal.

I have to admit that I am glad to have almost survived another hot and humid Tokyo summer. The other day I was looking forward to a forcasted typhoon because it brought hopes of cool winds and rain. We were sorely disappointed though and instead got even more sticky humid days that made me long even more for autumn days to come.

The Give-Away you've been waiting for

Last summer was the water bottle carrier, this year it's a cute shopping tote. Japan too is going eco-friendly and several grocery stores I shop at charge now for bags. I always carry a portable tote in my bulging purse. Japan, the land of cute bags, sells a variety of adorable cloth bags, like the one pictured above. Please leave a comment on THIS POST in the next 3 weeks for a chance to win. I'll draw 2 names on Aug. 24 and if you are chosen I'll send this to your front door. (Overseas blog readers are welcome too!) Just a little "Thank You" from me to you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to keep up with our family and ministry by reading this blog!

Beautiful feet...well, super-cute shoes at least

I bought a pair of shoes today. That might not seem like a big deal, but here in Japan it is hard to find shoes that fit. Notice the size is "Triple Large". Tim, with his size 13 shoe, of course, can't buy shoes here and even our boys with their fast-growing-teenage-feet have a hard time getting shoes big enough. We usually have a few suitcases full of shoes that we bring across the ocean, but it is hard to plan ahead with needed sizes and styles.

In Tokyo I walk everywhere and find that I need very comfortable shoes. Practical wins out over cute here on this side of the sea. I am always on the look out for shoes that come off easily (since we take our shoes off Japanese-style at the front door) but stay on well (when I ride by my bike...hate to loose a shoe in the middle of a busy intersection...my missionary friend has a story she could tell you about that) and are comfortable to walk several miles. Care to walk a mile in my shoes?

Our Car

We are so excited to finally have a car after over a year of getting around on 2 legs or 2 wheels. 4 wheels feels like a breeze. Our missionary friends who left Japan gave us their used mini van. It is small enough to get around easily and fit in our very narrow and low driveway and big enough to seat 8, although a little snug. We still had to pay the expensive yearly car and road tax which costs about $1,100. Having a car has come in handy transporting things and shopping, as well as saving us money on train fare.

When I first came to Tokyo last year I said I would never drive. It was scary. Tokyo is a city made up of little villages with dirt paths that used to be traveled by carts. Now this most populated city in the world is a paved crazy maze of cars, truck, bikes, pedestrians and mopeds.

I blame my leeriness to drive on my poor depth-perception, but I think anyone would agree that it is hard to navigate on what is more like a wide congested sidewalk, than a street. When I first started driving I would make sure one of the kids was in the front seat to tell me how close I was to the edge of the road (which is lined with cement walls, rails or bushes). Once when I asked how close I was, as I was trying to pull to the edge of my side to let another car pass, our son answered, "Got a piece of paper?" We have laughed about it ever since. God graciously pushed me gently out of my comfort zone and stretched me to be able to get around a little.

We took these pictures and video last summer when we borrowed our friend's car. We had just got our GPS, affectionately named "Sully" (from the TV series Dr. Quinn-Medicine Woman that our family watched last year). Our "Navi" (short for navigation) as the Japanese call it, helps us get around. I hope that these pictures and video give you a little taste of the driving in Tokyo experience.

Sushi

Tim loves Sushi. Unfortunately I don't, but I have gone with my husband a couple times to "Kaiten Sushi". In Japan there are all kinds of priced Sushi restaurants and this affordable place was a little over a dollar each. Plates of sushi go around the tables on a conveyor belt and you pick up what looks good or you can push the pictures on the screen to special order. Powdered green tea and hot water are at each table for a complimentary drink.
When finished eating you stack up your plates and slip them into a plastic slot that counts them up, letting your server know how much you need to pay. There's even a sort of lottery game on the moniter and after every 5 plates consumed you get a chance at a free helping of raw fish. Too bad we didn't win, maybe next time. It sure makes for an interesting and culture-filled date out.
See HERE for an older post about our friend's Sushi Shop in northern Japan.

our new normal

2 months after the March 11 earthquake finds our family getting back to normal...well, our "new normal" which includes life with earthquakes. Even though Japan is a country used to living with earthquakes, the almost constant, good sized quakes these past months have definitely shaken us all up. We were just commenting with relief that we haven't had any for about a week now. A few weeks ago we had 6 out of 8 nights with earthquakes which made us so tired since it was hard to get to sleep or back to sleep after those big jolts.

A teacher at the boy's school said that the kids too are used to the earthquakes. She said the other day while a student was giving a presentation, they had an earthquake. The kids immediately and silently dove under the desks. As soon as it was over everyone got back into their seats and the student just continued his presentation as if nothing ever happened.

Some of the interesting "gadgets" that you will find around our house to help combat the shaking are pictured here. Like I said, Japanese are used to earthquakes and are very prepared. Pictured above is this device that clamps tight between the ceiling and a big cabinet to hold it more secure and keep it from falling over. Pictured below you can see hooks on all of our cabinets in the kitchen. We usually don't lock these as it makes getting food and dishes rather bothersome, but lately they have been shut tight.

Another new normal for me is working at the CRASH Japan headquarters office 3 full days a week. This network of Christians ready to do relief work has become a fast-moving organization reaching out to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11. A friend described the work going on at the CRASH office as building a plane, while it is taking off. I have been really stretched as I help screen and process Japanese Christian volunteers as well as volunteers from around the world. I am thankful for this opportunity that God has given me to be a part of the Christian Relief Assistance, Sharing and Hope that CRASH stands for.
(double click on any picture to see it bigger)

Stressed Out

God's perfect timing. My dad, gave a "Handling Stress" seminar just days before the big March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear concerns. It was great to have my parents here, although I felt bad they had to experience the earthquake(s) with us. All of us who heard the seminars, including the students at the boy's school, have had ample opportunities to put those Biblically based principles into practice. Over and over again I go back to #1: God is in Control, roll the stressful situation over to Him .

see link here

Another Big one

Well, not as big as The Big One...but big enough to get me out of bed, wake the kids and head downstairs. The land of Japan has experienced something like 920 earthquakes since The Big One on March 11, just about a month ago.

My friend from church just e-mailed me about feeling frightened during that last quake. It frightened me too. My sweet husband who grew up used to earthquakes in Southern California isn't too bothered. He smiles and says, "That was a good one". I, on the other hand, jump up in a panic with my heart racing and try to scoot everyone out the door; anywhere feels safer to me than sitting in a rattling room. (I am thankful to be on the 1st floor though. My heart goes out to our Japanese friend who lives on the 9th floor of a big apartment building which litterally sways back and forth.)

A few Sunday's ago the Lord encouraged and challenged me with a familiar song.

Lord of all creation
Of water, earth and sky
The heavens are Your tabernacle
Glory to the Lord on high

God of wonders beyond our galaxy
You are holy, holy
The universe declares Your majesty
(Precious Lord, reveal Your heart to me)
You are holy, holy

Lord of heaven and earth

Early in the morning
I will celebrate the light
And as I stumble through the darkness
I will call Your name by night

Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth

What a wonderful reminder the Lord gave me that morning. So often I forget how big my God is. I forget that He holds this earth that He made in His Hands. He knows each time it shakes and is never cuaght off guard or surprised. What a blessing I have as a beloved and safe child of my big God to rest in protective care.

The Lord is My Way

Please take a moment to watch this 3 minute video HERE . The husband of the HS principle at the boy's school shares about his trip on a CRASH advance team last week to survey one of the most affected areas. We recognize the broken up road shown in the video as the same road in front of the beach that we stay at each summer for a few weeks at OMF's cabin.

Here is a picture from our vacation time last summer near Sendai City. The cabins on the hills were a safe refuge from the tsunami that came flooding into the lower beach areas without warning. Several missionary families were stranded for several days eating stored canned food and drinking melted snow. The fish hatchery, beach hut and houses that you see off in the distance here have all been washed away. Our hearts are heavy as we think of our Christian Japanese friend who worked in a fish hatchery like this one along the coast. His name is still among the missing.

Earthquake

Thank you for praying. We are overwhelmed and immensely blessed by so many e-mails and FaceBook messages. Sorry I haven't posted. Life has been a little crazy. I did want to let you know we are ok and summarize our situation here in Tokyo for you.

First of all, we are extremely blessed that our family, house and possessions are safe. The 8.9 M earthquake on Friday and the many big aftershocks have left us feeling pretty wobbly. The earthquake caused a tsunami that hit the northeastern coast of Japan, where most of the pictures and footage you see on the news are taken.

After several big earthquakes on Friday afternoon we had to ride our bikes to the boy's school to pick them up personally since the trains were down. Since our cell phones weren't working, we were so thankful to finally hear they were safe. The school handled the crisis very well and we were thankful that just the day before the students had practicing an earthquake drill.

We have heard of two explosions now at a nuclear plant about 130 miles away, but only those living close by have been evacuated. We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation. Please pray for wisdom and protection.

CRASH (Christian Relief Assistance Support and Hope) is a network of Christians (Japanese and missionaries living in Japan) ready to do relief work. http://www.crashjapan.com/ I attended the first meeting yesterday to see how our mission organization OMF International, as well as our family personally, can be involved in the relief and recover stages. Pray for God's clear leading and open doors to serve and share Christ. OMF has started a Sendai Earthquake Relief fund and more information can be found at this link if you are interested. http://www.omf.org/omf/japan

We have heard about possible power outages here in Tokyo, but haven't experienced anything yet. So far we are thankful to enjoy hot food and warm feet. But today we went shopping and were surprised to see many of the shelves empty. There was no milk, eggs or bottled water. I have to admit it was a little un-nerving. We don't want to panic, but want to be careful and prepared.

Millions of Japanese were stuck in downtown Tokyo on Friday evening and couldn't get home after the earthquake. Like our family, many Japanese in Tokyo don't have a car and rely daily on trains to get around.The trains have been running off and on. Today our station was closed with big gates in front locked shut.

Psalm 46 has come to life for us the past few days. "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though the waters roar and foam; Though the mountains quake at its swelling."

out for pizza

Our family celebrated the end of a great 1st semester of school by going out to Shakey's Pizza. The kids worked so hard and have adjusted well to their new school here in Tokyo. Instead of just hopping in the car and driving 10 minutes across town (like we would in California) we all hopped on the train.
40 minutes later, 2 train rides and $4 poorer (x that by 5 people!) we sat down to a Shakey's all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. It cost about the same for the train fare round trip as it did for the price of lunch. Sometimes Japanese pizza can have some unusual toppings like corn, tuna, scallops and squid. We have to admit we passed on the mayonnaise, pepper pizza that day. I am sure we got our money worth as the boys got their fill of yummy, American style pizza; what a treat.