Shrek in Japanese-English

Americans are spoiled.

I guess that could be said about quite a bit of our culture.

I am speaking about a certain field though. We are spoiled with fantastic drama! We have wonderful live theater, mesmerizing movies and music that can make the most stoic person emotional.

When the opportunity came for us to see how the Japanese would perform we were hesitate. Don't get me wrong. The Japanese are just as talented, and in most cases, seem more dedicated that Americans. We only hesitated because we do not speak their language.

How were we going to survive a two hour performance when we don't speak the same language? How would the kids handle it?

Would we be able to understand through body language? Or maybe through hand gestures?


On post a few times a year, a Japanese University brings an American play to life in ENGLISH!

Yeah! It was the perfect way to see some Japanese talent, without the stress of trying to figure out what in the world the actors were saying =)

The drama team was performing Shrek Jr. We were excited to see how they would decorate the stage, and even more excited to see the costumes!

Well, the Japanese did not disappoint!

Shrek is such a great show. The drama crew did an awesome job! Their English was quite good. Shrek and Donkey were just spot on most of the time. Their pronunciation was good. Their diction was off in several parts. It was not a lack of talent. It was just a non-native speaker trying to work out a complicated language.

There were some characters that you even forgot they were NOT English. Then, there were other characters that you could not understand a single word. The actor who played Pinocchio was trying to  keep the "high pitched" young boy voice throughout the whole play. It was really difficult to listen to.

If I had not seen Shrek a few hundred times then I am not sure I would have followed certain parts.

The costumes were original and fun. The favorite costume and character was Lord Farquaard. He walked around on his knees with fake little legs. He 'danced' and 'ran' a few times to the hoots and hollers of the audience.

Fiona was a wonderful singer. The best scene of the night was one I had never seen before in Shrek. There were three females playing the role of Fiona as she aged. The first one was very young, maybe 10, then a 14 year old and then the college student who played Fiona for the rest of the show. We watch as Fiona sang a song about being trapped in the tower. As she spun around the tower an older Fiona would come out. It was really well done.

Even in English, on an American base the vast majority of the audience was Japanese. In order to accommodate for the locals the theater scrolled the play in Japanese on a side wall.  The locals didn't seem to mind the setup.

When intermission came, only the American stood up at first. We wondered if we were 'supposed to' stand and leave. We try hard not to offend the Japanese and to follow the parts of their culture we can respect without compromising our beliefs. When they all remained sitting we were puzzled. Finally, they start to stand and take a break. We were told that since they were 'visiting our theater' they wanted us to go first. How sweet they are!

At intermission, the theater students had set up a few photo backdrops for people to pose in front of. They had also set up a few areas for the kids to color Shrek pictures. The kids thought it was pretty cool.

We went back in to watch the second act. We were all getting a little tuckered. See, you don't realize how hard it is to try and translate all the time. After an hour you are often a little tired. Two hours in, you are starting to get frustrated. With three hours of active translating under your belt, you are ready for ice cream and a bath.

When the show passed two hours I thought we would lose the kids completely. Luckily, the young ones had been given clipboards with paper and pencils. This kept them entertained. They played games, passed notes and drew pictures. Who knew I would be so thankful for a simple clipboard?

We were about to hit three hours and even I was D-O-N-E.  As I said, I really like Shrek. I think the Japanese did an awesome job. But any play that lasts that long is just plain OUT.OF.HAND!

Finally, the show ended. Thank you. Then, for the encore, the whole Shrek crew came out to see "I'm a Believer". They danced and sang and ROCKED it! Everyone had a ball. If they could only have sang that song an hour earlier.

We thought the fun was over until we stepped out of the theater. The Shrek crew has lined the hallways to sign autographs and pose for pictures. The Japanese, again, let the Americans go first. It was adorable and sweet.

Overall, we had fun. We enjoyed the show and learned a few more Japanese-English words. We look forward to seeing a few more shows during our tour. Next time I will remember a fanny cushion ;)

Enjoy Your Show~

Aggie Amy

Breath-taking Sakura... AKA Cherry Blossoms

I have seen the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, D.C.

I have seen all the online pictures of Cherry Blossoms in Japan.

Please, I own every single Cherry Blossom bubble bath and smell good that Bath & Body Works makes.

I thought I knew about the flower, smell, look and coverage of the Cherry Blossom.

I have NEVER seen anything like the Cherry Blossoms here in our area of Kanagawa, Japan.

The flowers are called Sakura (saw-cur-a). Sakura Season is short and highly valued. There are national calendars to tell visitors when the trees will bloom in each geographical area. There are vacations that sell out in hours to simply go look at flowers! They have their whole school year set so they can have the vacation during Sakura season.

That is like Texas planning Spring Break around Bluebonnets.

It's nuts!!!

I thought people were just exaggerating. In my head I was going, "Come on, how GOOD could FLOWERS be?" I mean, I can go to Costco and grab some pretty flowers.

How could some flowers excite the calm and quiet Japanese?

How can a few buds on trees make people plan their whole vacation around the chance they might get to see them?

I was wrong.


The whole area is covered in hundreds and hundreds of huge, blossoming white and pink flowers. One day you go to sleep, and the next day you are assaulted by blooms.

The Sakura are tee.totally, overwhelmingly gorgeous! Just look at a few of these trees. They are HUGE!

Here's the only issue I have with Sakura season.

It is way too short! Once the blooms show, they will open completely and FALL OFF in less than 14 days! Seriously?!?!?

The locals call is "Spring Snow". You walk out and see the sidewalks and streets look like hail has hit the area.

You can, literally, watch as the Cherry Blossom "Snow" falls to the ground. You know the end is near. The site makes even those in a hurry, stop and take notice of the beauty.



I took the girls out to take their pictures on a Thursday. They were thrilled to play around in the fantastic park by post. They were even okay with posing for me, for "just a couple" of pictures. Look at that beautiful tree behind them.

Three DAYS later I went back with the boys to take their pictures are that same tree was EMPTY! I had to find another tree. It's no where near as full. How can that have happened in three days?

The beautiful park has only a few days left of Sakura season. The locals know it. There were people everywhere! It was like trying to take a picture in front of the Disney Castle, I just could not get a shot without other people in the background.

It is crazy! How can beauty fade that fast?

At least we got to see it. We will never forget it.

This is the simply beauty and wonder of Nippon.

This is Japan at it's best.

Take time today to smell the flowers, wherever you are in the world today!

Happy Sakura,

~Aggie Amy

Traffic ---> Italian and Crazy Stores!

A few days back I took the kids out to grab lunch on a rainy Saturday. Daddy was gone, so the kids and I were excited to explore a new place. Well, traffic had different plan. We couldn't get anywhere near the place. Not even close.  

So, I pulled out my brand of Cra-Zy and turned their whining complaints into a goofy song. Laughing made the standstill traffic so much easier to stand. We tried for over an hour to get closer to the place, but eventually gave up.

Out came the cellphone and into Google went "family restaurants in Japan". Wouldn't you know, there was a "Fast Food Italian" chain restaurant about 3 miles from where we were. It sounds close, right? Well, that 3 miles took us about 49 minutes, but we got there.

The place was... well it was rundown. That is putting it nicely. Most places in Japan are incredibly clean. This place was like old wallpaper and 70's decoration. But, the tables and food looked clean.

I asked the kids if we should try to find something else. They just looked at me. And all four- at the same time- shook their heads "NO!"

Yes, it is difficult to find places and travel around in Japan. The kids can only take it so long. I can only take about 30 seconds longer than they can. We stayed at Saizeriya.

The waitress was incredibly friendly, the food was pretty good and the cost was low. The kids got 'typical' Italian pasta dishes, like broccoli and penne.

Baby girl got the kids meal. It is really the only choice, other than pasta, and she was not "in a pasta mood". Whatever. The dish was sausage and meat, which my carnivore loved. But that's not why I am showing you this picture. Her dish allows me explain an interesting phenomenon that I have not seen outside of Japan. 

Clearly, Japan is known for eating a ton of rice. It is served all day long, at almost every meal.  Somewhere along the way someone must have gotten sick of plain old rice. They decided to add "shakey" flavors to their cool creations. Now, the flavors are vast and widely available. My kids favorite flavor is "egg" or "egg and veggie". They love plain rice as well, but is stick the flavor packets in their lunch every now and again to keep things interesting. 

You can also see on her plate a small almost jelly-size packet that has an apple on it. That is a cross between a fruit cup and jello. You open the package and swallow the whole thing at once. What? Wouldn't that be a chocking hazard you ask? I thought so the first time, so I tested it. It dissolves so quickly that chocking is jot an issue. Taste, however is a tad questionable in my opinion. 

We also ordered "corn pottage". Miso soup is the most common here, but several places carry corn pottage. The interesting thing about this one, besides the random swirl of cream, was that the soup is served cold. Yep, cold. I was surprised, but we liked it.

Another new found favorite of the kiddos is Melon Fanta. It is less carbonated that some of the drinks here. I think they get it because it looks cool to drink bright green liquid? (I have no idea why, but most of the sodas here knock you down they are so overly carbonated. And don't get me started on the tragedy of coke zero here. Dreadful what has happens to that taste translation!)

All in all Saizeriya was an average, fast-food Italian joint for these Americans in the heart of Japan. Wow, that's a weird sentence. Wow, that's my life :)


There were a few store fronts I wanted to tell you about. Japan has some pretty good shopping. It is not all really exciting to me, but the names of the stores crack me up! I just had to share a couple of them. 

Here we are walking towards the shopping center. It is officially 'outside' under the awning in the middle of the picture. It is a little rough to truly shop when you are freezing in the winter and burning up in the summer. Somehow, if I need something bad enough, I can manage.

Welcome to "Wants". Hubby says they need a store next door called "Needs". Then, we could teach our children- and the rest of America- how to use money responsibly!

There are more and more American companies moving over to Japan. I had never heard of "Mister Donut", but our friend from CT said she had one growing up. Their donuts aren't that great in general, but they give us a little taste of home.

You don't like Mister Donut? Well, feel free to to walk next door to grab a slimy squid!

 Or, do you need a massive ET? You can have this one for about $500! 

You know you have ALWAYS wanted to go to the "Yellow Submarine"! Now you can and while you are there you can book a trip with this crazy named travel agency.

There apparently is a massive run on Australian Jean Stores? Why else would you name a store "Jeans Mate"?

Then there is the ever.so.random clothing store name "Womb". My only problem with it is it is a store for MEN? Seriously, do men want to shop at a 'womb'?

We have some amazing friends with the last name Amos. Low and behold I found THEIR store! "Amos Style" would be a sure hit with the man of that house!

Finally, another couple of very wild burgers served at McDonalds here. Right now it is the Hawaiian season. I have no idea why. Here is what the eatery.com says about the new fare, "Hawaiian Barbecue Pork Burger, which features a pork patty topped with pulled pork "slow cooked for four hours," plus coleslaw and pickles. The Loco Moco burger will feature two burger patties, a cooked egg, lettuce, and a gravy sauce.

I enjoy seeing new places to both shop and eat. I giggle at the names, and cry a little at the tiny sizes :)

Have a blessed day in your world- where ever you are!

Sippin' on Sweet Tea,

~Aggie Amy