Kentucky = Christmas

 Wait until you hear what Japan's version of Christmas!

This country is a true marketer's DREAMLAND!

The Huffington Post explains the story like this,

"It’s Christmas Eve in Japan. Little boys and girls pull on their coats, the twinkle of anticipation in their eyes. Keeping the tradition alive, they will trek with their families to feast at … the popular American fast food chain KFC.

Christmas isn’t a national holiday in Japan—only one percent of the Japanese population is estimated to be Christian—yet a bucket of “Christmas Chicken” (the next best thing to turkey—a meat you can’t find anywhere in Japan) is the go-to meal on the big day. And it’s all thanks to the insanely successful “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!) marketing campaign in 1974.

When a group of foreigners couldn’t find turkey on Christmas day and opted for fried chicken instead, the company saw this as a prime commercial opportunity and launched its first Christmas meal that year: Chicken and wine for 2,920 yen (at that time about $10)—pretty pricey for the mid-seventies. Today the christmas chicken dinner (which now boasts cake and champagne) goes for about 3,990 yen ($40)."

We had heard the story, but thought it must be overblown. Well, it's NOT!

We quickly realized how popular KFC was. It is the ONLY drive thru we have seen in all of Japan. However, it doesn't usually look crowded and the prices are about 20 % higher than the US. (That is the typical amount of mark up around here.)

The second week of OCTOBER our local KFC started putting up their Christmas decorations. Here is COL Sanders himself with the kiddos staring into the sun. (Read: not happy with Momma, but trying to please her.)

There are several options available for purchase but they all MUST be pre-ordered by December 10th! That gives KFC enough time to ship, prep, pack and hire seasonal help for each store. 

The options look like this:

As you can see there are a few choices sold as "sets". You can also add on more chicken or sides. The large "Roastiessee" chicken that you can pick up everyday from the grocery store in the US sells for almost $60!  Now, back home that same size chicken is $6, all day, everyday. Here in Japan though this type of chicken is just not available.

The Christmas holiday in Japan goes like this: 

Take down the Halloween decor.
Totally ignore that really weird holiday called "Thanksgiving".
Order your KFC holiday meal. 
Wait two more weeks and then:
Break out the tinsel, put up the tree picture of that tree, layer on the lights hang up some window clings and cue the Christmas carols.

Ignore the true reason for Christmas. Forget about the precious child born that night. Put some blinders on to the King of Kings born in that stable to a virgin, whom Wise Men walked miles to worship. 

If only 1% of all of Japan celebrates Christmas for the true reasons, then those of us who KNOW the True King have a lot of work to do.

So, I won't ask you what you will be eating for Christmas.

Maybe turkey, ham, KFC or -our family's favorite- chicken enchiladas. 

Instead, I will ask you what are you DOING to spread God's love this holiday season? 

Write a note to all those people who serve you throughout the year: mailmen, coffee barista, dentist, nail tech, vet... anyone. Invite them to your local church service. Offer them a place at your dinner table. Give them your time.

We all need a little love. We are desire real friends, not just those people you see once and awhile. Real friends are friends who keep us grounded, who tell us the truth and who push us towards the Lord.

Merry Christmas to you & yours!

Whatever you eat...

Come Let Us Adore Him,

~Aggie Amy

*Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-japan-is-obsessed-with-kentucky-fried-chicken-on-christmas-1-161666960/#7BbKBx8JcW1MyTyo.99

Ramen + Royce = Totally Addictive Japanese Food

Picture: CUPNOODLES MUSEUM

In the midst of the second largest town in Japan is a HUGE, 5-story museum. To describe it to an American I would say it is like a modern art musuem: bright, airy, tall and incredibly clean. In fact, it is one of the cleanest buildings I have ever seen.

The "Cupnoodles Museum" (and yes, I spelled it correctly) opened in 2011. It is hugely popular and a fantastic way to spend a day.

Cupnoodles tells the story of Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin food product and the inventor of Chicken Ramen.

Mr. Ando had noticed that at lunch some of the workers in his town would not have time to eat because the lines to get Ramen noodles at the local food sheds were just way too long to feed the massive amount of workers. He wanted to give the time, and the control back to the worker. He was also considered with cost for the law-wage workers.

He worked for over a year in a wooden shed behind his home trying to invent a noodle ramen that would cook quickly with just hot water.

His first attempts were not at all successful. The cooking was unequal, the noodles were hard in spots, the nutrition was not acceptable. He kept working.

He finally got it. In 1958, "magic ramen" was created. Ramen was packaged in a small envelope. It was an instant success! Today, in Japan alone, over 51 Million ramen packages are sold each year!

W-O-W!

 In 1971, on a research trip to the US, Mr. Ando saw workers breaking up his chicken ramen, placing it in a cup, pouring hot water over it and eating it with a ...fork! He decided THAT process was how he was going to make his chicken ramen a worldwide phenomon. He just had to add the CUP! He invented "Cupnoodles" when he got back to Japan.

This invention made him millions and millions, but it also fed millions and millions. Cupnoodles went global within months!

The muesum tells the story of Mr. Ando and the continued growth of the company.

We wanted to learn how to make the noodles. The 90 minute class was a ton of fun, and quite educational. It was, of course, completely in Japanese. We were totally covered though because our church had coordinated this trip and brought along locals to help out.

The class for two "adults" and one "student" was $13. Not bad for 90 minutes for a class with one on four instruction.

We had to wear the cute bandanas. Everyone else just "knew" that they were supposed to put the bandanas on so that the chicken's eyes showed. Carson and I both put it on upside down with the fanny showing. (I switched mine before the photo was taken.) We had numbers on our aprons that were used to track the bowls and frying cases with our specific noodles, so we ended up with our own noodles.

You can also design your very own Cupnoodles package! It is a really popular activity. We wanted to do that as well. (Yes, we are nerds when it comes to this kind of thing.) Sadly, we ran out of time!

When we left the class, we only had 10 minutes until the bus left. We ran, well we walked quickly, through the Hall of Noodles, so we could see the over 3,000 different packages that have been marketed since 1958.

It was facsinating to see, not only the packaging but the size of the servings as well.  There are some Cupnoodles with toys on them, some in adorable chicken mugs and some that must serve an entire family- or maybe an Army platoon :)

We will have to go back with the rest of the family and enjoy more of this fabulous musuem. We did not get to go on all the levels, but we will next time.

On to the next Japanese Food Addiction!

Hubby has been traveling a ton lately. When you go through the airports here you get the greatest opputunity to eat local Japanese foods.

There is one store that we have been hearing about, but have not had the chance to visit.

Until Now!

Meet Royce Chocolate World!

This is what the airport "store" looks like. It is like a combo between a museum and a factory. The wonderful smell of melting chocolate, the cleanliness of a typical Japanese resturant and the fun of a Brookstone. It should be weird to shop in the airport. It's not. My wallet can testify to that.

You can choose from all sorts of tasty treats. The most addictive one is the fresh potato ships covered in Royce's rich, but light chocolate. Oh.My.My.My!

They are lick-your-lips, hide-your-bag, steal-from-your-kids GOOD!

The package doesn't look like much. I get that.

You will just have to trust me.

Or, you can pray you have a visit from us coming up... and that we will NOT have eaten all the Royce chocolate!

The stores are turning up in more and more places. They have three in NYC now.

Yes, it is worth the trip.

No, I don't care where you live.

It is STILL worth the trip!

I am thinking we may have to pay the $30 in tolls and $20 in airport parking just to get some more very soon.

Hubby may not be too keen on that.

Oh, but hold on. Let me grab that calendar.

I wonder when his next trip is....

 Noodles & Chocolate for Dinner Every Meal,

~Aggie Amy

Bits & Pieces of Life in Japan

Every place you live there is a set of "new rules" or things that are typical for that location.

In Texas, it is totally normal for you to order "tea" and receive sweet tea. God bless that beautiful piece of heaven!

Traveling through New Jersey when you pull into a gas station, it is understood that someone else will fill up your car for you while you sit inside the vehicle. You will also pay less for your gas here. Go figure. 

Head to Germany and it will take three hours to eat dinner. Even then you will have to beg for a check, because dinner is considered a social event that lasts ..forever.. I mean, that lasts for most of the evening.

When visiting in Moscow, you better keep your head down and your smiling face completely neutral. Otherwise, it is obvious you do not belong. Russians don't smile at strangers. Come to think of it, Russians don't really smile much at all. 

Well, in Japan there are definite ways of life as well. Some I can explain because I've learned the background. Others leave me clueless. Don't worry, I'm used to being clueless in certain areas. It keeps me humble.

Here are a few random tidbits we have learned while living and traveling in Japan.

* Men are Hungrier? There are two sizes of meals for adults. A "male" meal is about 50% larger than a female version. The meals cost the same amount of ¥ though. Women are smaller, and they "want to stay that way", as one local told me. They considered it offensive when a woman eats says much as a man. They even have different size Bento boxes for making lunches to take to work. The female version is not much bigger than two kid's juice boxes. Oh, that's how they stay so thin.

* They are on the Move! Their homes are not only tiny (like I have explained before), but the homes are also multi-leveled. This means that no matter what the age of the oocupants they must climb stairs and move around a lot. They also eat while seating basically on the floor. (There are thin mats to sit on, but they are no thicker than a beach towel folded in half.) Three meals a day, for their entire lives, they do a squats to get up and down to the incredibly short table. When was the last time you do some squats on the floor to eat. I not even 40 and the floor is really far down there! How do they do it at 90?

* Working 9 to 105!  (No blog is complete without a little Dolly Parton reference.) There is no reason to stop working here. They will find a job, any job for any one who wants to work. There are people working the crosswalks, washing down the sidewalks, watching out for walkers when construction workers are digging.... You name it. 

They are greeters at Mcdonalds, which is said "Ma-coo-do-na-el-das" here ~ just to confuse every.single.visitor to the country. Every other country I have ever been to pronounces McDonalds, like we do in the States. Japan makes it a 6 to 7 syllable word end pending on who is speaking. I digress.

Allowing the elders of the country to work doesn't seem to be about money, although I am sure it is occasionally. Most of all it seems to be about giving the seniors a purpose. 

When they are not working, every senior citizen plays some type of recreation in their town. They are everywhere! They come out in hoards during the day when the children are at school. All the local parks and fields are flooded with crocquet and mini golf, frisbee and some game that looks like boucee. 

Seriously, it is like the whole town became an "active seniors resort"! I want to stop and take pictures, but I may not sure how well that would go over. It is a fabulous system to keep their elders active, healthy and challenged. Plus, they are plugged in to a group so if something went wrong people would know to check on the missing senior. Their population not only lives longer, but lives much healthier than ours because they move, work longer and stay more active. Lightbulb moment anyone?

* Sit Tall, but be Bowlegged?  What? Let me just put it out there. 

A large number of the Japanese women we see have wonderful posture sitting down. They sit so tall you almost forget how short they are. Weird, but true. In restaurants you can look around and not see a single female who is slouching a bit. As if a pole from the ceiling went straight down their backs, they sit that straight up. But, then it happens. They stand up and start walking. It is just a mess for most females 30 and younger. It apparently started when their desire to walk in ever taller heels. They "copied the runway models" and put one foot in front of the other while turning their toes completely out. They look like the "omega" sign when they walk. They are beautiful, poised and precise... while being totally bowlegged. I'm not sure why. I have tried to ask, but there is not a polite way to say this. Really. I've tried.
 

* Females lack a certain American "necessity". This is a little awkward to discuss, but in the interest of education I am going to tell you the whole story. We explore in grocery stores. You can find out a ton about a country and her people in a grocery store. After multiple stores and looking around for weeks I discovered a interesting factoid. This island doesn't sell tampons. I have no idea why. I certainly am not asking about that one! I an ag see that getting truly lost in translation. Just a random truth to share with the lady blog world. Another weird fact, toilet paper comes in scent and crazy prints. 

 

* Germaphobics Galore!  My sweet sister-in-law would love this aspect of Japan. They are Germ FREAKS! I say that in the kindest sort of way. 

There are sinks in all the resturants out wash your hands without having to go into the bathroom. Awesome idea.

 

There are also anti-bacterial towelettes given to each diner at every single restuarant. Ritzy places or hole.in.the.wall joint. You will have a towelettes. Don't even think about using that thing as a napkin. Not cool. It is considered "dirtier than your dog's bum" once you wash your hands with it. 

And, oh my! the reaction if something hits the floor and you try to pick it up. This has happens to me. Of course it has. With four kiddos and the clutze that I am. I dropped a coin. The scenario played out like this. 

Setting: a high-class food store where the food looks like it from a magazine. It is the quietest place in town, even though there are 35+ shoppers active searching for their next noodle or rice meal.

A young cashier attempts to hand me some change from my purchase. It is, of course, coins since most of Japan's money is coins. I fumble it before dropping a lone 500¥ coin on the floor. I watch as it falls and hear the 'clink' of it's metal bouncing on the hard floor.  

The world stopped spinning. As if you were a huge piglet headed into a slaughterhouse, the whole audience knows this is a horrible idea.  They are trapped watching you as you make a huge mistake. The entire store freezes and the background music stops. The people all reach to help you, but in slow motion all you hear is a faint, "noooooo". Your finger almost touches the coin as a complete stranger jumps on it. Literally.  The man stomped on my $5, as if it were an an the was destined to crush. He looks at the cashier and hast fully said something in a deep, guitar voice. She started digging out a NEW coin for me as she call a manager to come sanitize the old coin. It cannot possible go back into the drawer and infect the other clean coins. 

We got out to the car and finally one of the kids broke the strange silence with, "That was incredibly strange! Do they not know how dirty money already? Dropping it on the ground wouldn't even matter that much since you didn't plan on eating it or anything." (Trust me my poor sister-in-law is washing her hands at this very second just thinking about me getting a coin off the dirty floor.)

Japan is obsessed with clean, if something falls on the floor, you leave it there. A lovely worker with a long- handled broom will make it disappear ASAP.  You do not even look at it. It never happened. Kinda like me wearing neon Capri pants and rubber bracelets from my wrist to my elbow. Never happened. 

 

* To the Left, to the Left! You drive on the left. You walk on the left. You step to the left if it's crowded. You face chopsticks to that left. You go through the buffet line to the left. The buttons for the elevator are on the left. The bus lets you out on the left side of the road. BUT, when you are in Osaka, you stand on the right and the buttons are on the right. It is like Austin, Texas. They just like to be weird. No one knows why, but it's their "thang" so let them have it. Before you know it there will be shirts that say, " Keep Osaka Weird!"
 

* Men are not quite as manly as most Americans. I'm totally cool with my man carrying a gun, but a large, decorated purse on a male is just not attractive to me.  I don't have a single solitary word to say about that. Not. One. Word. Then, there's all the men wearing capri pants... Momma always told me if you don't have anything nice to say.... Well, you know how it goes.

*A Whole new Kind of Seat Warmer! It's shocking at first to sit on a Japanese toilet, but it really is a luxury. When you sit down on the toilet and the seat is warm, the music is playing and the bathroom is meticulously clean. Warm toilet seats during the freezing New York winters while trying to potty train would have been awesome.

* Basic Manners are Back in Style.  I know the whole story of why Japanese bow. Here's the short version. Back in the Samari times your neck was the most vulnerable part of your body. When you bow, you quite literally, show the back of your neck to the person. You are making yourself vulnerable and showing the person you rust them to not cut your head off. 

Well, I don't want to bring out the Samari swords or anything, but I would love for basic manners to return to the USA. 

When you check out here, after the money has been exchanged and recipt given, the two people make eye contact. Then, they both places their hands down and bow at the waist while saying, "Arigatougozaimasu". (It sounds like, "R-E-got-toe goes-zi-moss.) it means ,"thank you so very much". It is utterly surreal that something so small can make the whole day better. But, it does. That small gesture reminds both people that we are in this together and that manners make life easier. When did we forget that? They even have "guards" who keep the grass they are mowing from landing in the street. Crazy!

* Smoking, Anyone? One of the cultural surprises here has been the vast amount of people who smoke. It is like the 90's in the US. There are smokers everywhere, though you never see a cigarette butt. There are designated smoking sections at almost every location. Both sexes smoke, but it is primarily the men who smoke in public. All ages seem to smoke and ignore the health risks. It is a conundrum for me. Why would they start a nasty habit that even the crazy Americans are working hard to get away from?

* Progress is a Team Sport. Japan has issues. They refuse to acknowledge mental illness, the number of young people is not growing fast enough to support their huge, aging population, and they are running out of room in the most popular parts of the country. Cremation is required because they don't have the land to even bury people. But, and this is where the rubber meets the road folks, they are a TEAM. They consider the community more important than the self. They sacrifice willingly to serve the country and each other. They know they are stronger together. They disagree, discuss both sides and put it to a vote. Then, they get busy doing whatever it is the majority voted for without wasting anymore time bickering. Doesn't THAT sound like something America could learn from?

I love bringing all the little tidbits to you. I pray that your day is brightened and your load lightened as you laugh at my mistakes  silly adventures.

I'm more advanced than the Ape, but none the less, still evolving.

Covering the craziness of my Crew,

~Aggie Amy

Halloween for ALL in Japan

Wow! The Japanese are obsessed with most American holidays. I get it.


Still, I am shocked by how much they LOVE Halloween!  It is everywhere!  From restaurants to grocery stores, to people's cars and even ads. Way past what we even do in the US!

Here are a few pics from the local area of Nippon's latest craze.

The McDonald's in Japan goes all out for Halloween. The have a black "witch" burger and a white "ghost" chicken sandwich. The black burger has a soy and teriyaki sauce with nacho cheese on a black bun. The chicken sandwich has a white cheese and mayo on a white bun. Both are, surprisingly, tasty. (We don't really eat at McD's in the States. However, when you are overseas it is nice to have 'normal' fries and 'real' coke. It is not high brow, but it is as American as it comes.)

Kentucky Friend Chicken, or KFC to the kids and me, also gets in the Halloween action. They have a special 'Trick or Treat' bucket that is only offered the week of Halloween.  Good Ol' Colonel Sanders even wears a black witch's hat in the advertisement.  Yes, it is 1850 Yen, or $18.50, for six small pieces of chicken, two biscuits with honey sauce and two tiny fries. For a few dollars more you can have a tiny drink. This is why we carry water.

I don't even like Halloween. But, still the Japanese try hard to find a way to make Halloween "kawaii" (Ka-why-e) which means "cute" or "adorable".

Here is the local grocery store. They have a pretty good size selection of seasonal treats. There are pumpkin flavored Pocky, Milky chocolate in Halloween packages and cookies individually wrapped to be given out for Trick or Treating. By far, our favorite Fall treat has been pumpkin Kit Kat. It sounds gross. I don't even like pumpkin, but these sweets are a subtle spice cookie covered in white chocolate. We can't taste pumpkin at all.

There are small costumes everywhere! Mainly just capes, but they are everywhere! The costumes don't seem to be limited to young kids. Everyone gets in on the fun around Tokyo.

Ziploc puts out special containers this time of year as well. They just have to have Mickey Mouse printed on them. Mickey is everywhere here! That's what makes them adorable!

As you drive around town you see that most stores have some sort of Halloween decoration. You have to go so painfully.slow that you can study every business. Seriously, I go weeks on end without my car hitting FOURTY miles per hour! Weeks. It is NUTS!

Anyway, our local car dealer had a HUGE cutout of a large, white woman dressed as a witch. Our kids laughed at her every time we passed that store. I tried to convince them to let me take them inside to have their picture made with her. They were having nothing to do with it! They were nervous we would look like goof balls. Like that EVER happens!

The Crew is always trying to find a new toy or cool candy. Here they are discovering that Japan carries knock-off German kinder eggs! In Japan, the kinder eggs are called "Choco Eggs". The eggs are filled with Pokemon and Super Mario characters. Fun for my four!


 On Halloween night we got a group of families together for BBQ. That is how we roll on military posts. We party and enjoy each other's company before we 'improve international relationships'. How do we do that? Well, we let the locals enjoy some of an American tradition.  We had heard that there would be a LOT of Japanese children. Well, we heard wrong. There were hundreds- literally- over 700 Japanese kids who came through our little area. We were shocked! Each child would individually ask us, "Trick or Treat?". We would offer the kid a piece of candy and they would say, "Thank you" before they would move on to the next bucket of candy.  Several of the children gave US treats when we gave them candy. Typical "gift-for-gift" Japanese style.

The Japanese kids were incredibly polite. They were intimidated if there were American kids being loud or with scary masks. Most of the American children really behaved themselves. My kiddos did a quick trip around post and then returned early to 'help me' hand out candy. The boys ended up taking over and handing out all candy for over two hours. They loved it! They keep talking about how sweet, kind and quiet the locals are.


I hope you enjoyed your Halloween. Whether or not you 'celebrate' the holiday, and that is a topic for another day, it was a fun way for this family to spend some time with the locals.

By the way if you need any candy for the next few years... we are swimming in the stuff!!!

Lost in lollipops & ditching the Dots,

~Aggie Amy

My Jersey Boy's Birthday

I was going to write about the new Burger King Black Burger today.

I also wanted to tell you about a random meeting with some local women.

None of that is going to happen in this entry. I decided to share a bit of my crazy life instead.

I know, it's weird. It's just the way I am. Love me or hate me, either way I'm still me.

Today I am going to tell you about the love of my life and the horrible, no good, very bad gift giver that I am.

I try but I have never been a good gift giver. My husband is a wonderful gift giver! I love that! I can mention that I liked something, or even look just-a-tad too long at something in the store and a few days later it will appear. I have to be careful not to ask for something I don't really want ;)

It is very difficult to find a true gift for your spouse after you have been together for years.

I mean we share a bank account, so it's not like I can ever really surprise him.

I am always on the hunt for a new idea to show him my love.

If I am being totally blunt, my hubby gives me waaayyy better gifts that I do him. He gives me the one thing no one else can, time at home with my kids. He has encouraged and supported my desire to be the at-home-Momma for years and years. Even when I could have hurried to work as the kids grew, he let me find my own path.

I have worked ... some...off and on. I enjoyed it. It is just difficult to put my heart into a job and still have the energy and spirit to serve my family.

I admire the women, and men, who do it. You are stronger than I.

I want  need my own time. I like having the quiet house after the chaos of sending our brats to school. (It's okay to call them that when they are military kids. I am not criticizing, so no hate mail on that one. Feel free to hate mail me about the vast amount of other things I say that offend you.)

He has served his country since he was a just a teenager. Then, he went and married this high-maintenance Southern Belle. Poor guy. He must have had some inkling that I would be a little tough to handle when we were dating.

But, alas... He gave me that shiny ring.

He signed the papers.

He said "I do". And, he MEANT it.

When he said "for as long as I live", he really meant it. What a brilliantly refreshing concept. A man of his word.

I have put him through the ringer. I try not to... well, most days I try not to. Somedays I am not the best wife. Somedays I qualify for the 'she has gone and lost her mind club'. Then, on rare occasions he gets the idealistic girl he married. Poor, poor guy. He married a complicated chick.

So, as you can tell, my husband deserves a gift.

What do I get a man who provides selflessly to his wife, his kids, his friends and his country?

How can I tell him how much I adore his heart, his conversations and his time?

When I am perplexed, I look in that big ol' book of instructions. 

The Book says I am to love, submit and respect my husband. How do I do that in this situation?

I gave him plane tickets and kicked him out of Japan for a few weeks. 

Wait. What? 

My hubby is a total geography geek. He loves anything and everything that has to do with the study of human, military, and cultural geography. He is fascinated by people, their lands and their customs. He will research their religions and study their family structures. He gets into a zone when he starts to see the relationships between their geography and their traditions come together. 

Here is where we differ. 

I am... less fascinated.

I still really enjoy the learning side of other cultures. 

I just don't necessarily want to visit the entire world. I don't dream of seeing every battlefield, castle or church known to man. I'm good with some great 'tourist traps', a trip to the local grocery store and a stop at the McDonald's (Trust me, McDonald's is vastly different in every country. It's a great way to see the local flavor.)

But, I love my husband. I adore him, even when I want to bonk him upside the head with a balloon. I think he was made for me and I was created for him. 

How do I say thank you, or in this case 'Happy Birthday', to the man I have spent almost 2 decades loving? 

I had to find someway to speak his "love language", as the famous Dr. Chapman would say.

I gave him a trip to Vietnam with decorated Veterans and college students studying military history. He has two weeks to enjoy the wisdom of men who have been prisoners of war. He can soak up all the stories of Vietnam vets who are longing to share their memories, while they can still walk the battlefields they fought on almost 50 years ago. I encouraged, and then encouraged again, my hero to go. Now this trip may not sound like a good gift to you. But, it's not about you. It's about what makes HIM happy. So, off he went to explore and learn.

Then, I did something radical. I went on with life as usual... never-ending homework, way too many soccer practices and the constant line of dishes that mysteriously fill my sink. I fix whatever issues come up, take kids to the various appointments the need and plan a few gatherings in my spare time. I live. I don't hold it over his head that he is 'on vacation' while I am not. That would ruin the gift. 

I am not telling you this story to brag on myself. 

Trust me, I do wrong every day. 

I didn't even come up with the trip. I just heard him talk about it and saw a chance to give him something he would never give himself. 

I am sharing this with you to encourage you to love on YOUR spouse today. 

Come on, we can all think of one or two things that would make our spouse's day better. 

Does he need his clothes taken to the cleaners? His car washed? A love letter left in his dresser drawer?

Did you tell him how much you respect his opinion? Or how much you like it when he holds your hand?

I know marriage is under attack these days. It is hard to be married. Still, it is oh so worth it.

Are you giving your best effort?

Change it up.

Shock him - just enough to make him think, "Umm, now that's the girl I fell in love with!"

Isn't that good for both of you? 

Isn't that effort all you really want from him every once in awhile?

So, dust off your thinking caps Ladies. Start a new 'note' on your iPhone or bring out that list you always carry around. What are some ways you can make him feel loved today? 

A massage? 

A surprise date night? 

Tickets to the game for him and a buddy? 

A round of golf for him and his dad?

I can't wait to hear what cool ideas you come up with. 

So, off you go. Find a little bit of  love and cheer to pass on to that hunk you married. 

Let me go find that John Legend "All of Me" song and get this house cleaned up before my man gets home. He has been away too long. ;)

I promise next blog I will actually talk about Japan ... maybe 

Love to you,

~Aggie Amy

Toys R Us and Vending Restaurants

Sing with me.

Come on. You know you want to!

"Over the river and through the woods town, to Toys R Us we go... " 

Alright, so the song is cheesy, but the mountains are beautiful! Now that the rainy season has ended we can see all the amazing mountains that surround us. It is a breathtaking day.

We needed to get a birthday gift for an upcoming party, so we headed out to see how Japan does Toys R Us.  Saturday is a great day to shop, but since the young children normally are in school on saturday we thought we would be fine. 

We were wrong. It was a 'holiday' from Saturday school. OK then. Good to know. 

When we got there we were surprised to see a very long line all the way outside of the store. We had no idea what the line was for. We stood in it anyway. (This is what happens when you can't speak or read the lanuage. There was a sign, but it was gooble-ly gook to us, so we stood in line.) 

When we got inside the store and got to the aisles we realized that the line was going straight to the cashiers. What? No one spoke any English so we were clueless to why they were standing in the long lines. 

Now, what? We broke off from the line and started shopping. Actually, Hubby and the kids went shopping. 

I followed the line and watched. The creepy chick you hear about on Japanese television who watches everyone while they go about their normal day.... that's me. 

Hey, I have to learn somehow!

I learned that we just happened to pick the one day this year that new Pokemon cards were being released in Japan. That is my typical shopping experience. Seriously, never get behind me in a line! I can just be standing there and the cash register breaks, the person's card doesn't work or the items need a price check, from .... Africa! I should probably buy a shirt: "AVOID MY LINE AT ALL COSTS!" So, of course, we pick THIS day to shop. It's my world.

Well, I was determined to ignore the line and shop away. I had Yen in my pocket and everyone knows that that doesn't last too long. Whatever shall we find in the aisles...

First thing we noticed is true all over Japan. I am not sure why we were surprised. They leave the toys out. No one steals the toys. Imagine that. A world where you can test something out first. What a concept.

Most of the shoppers stayed in the long line for Pokemon cards. It made the large store rather empty. 

The "Pocket Monsters", which was shortened to "Poke-mon" went it went international, section is huge. It is fascinating to see the different characters next to lettering I recognize but don't know. It makes my brain stop and think a second. 

Then, there was the random Godzilla figure on clearance for $35. I can't imagine why anyone would need one of these things! 

 My youngest son had told us about a farming game that has gotten a lot of attention here. The government actually sanctioned to have to made. Apparently, families used to pass down farmland from generation to generation. Now, young people are having to work office jobs in order to provide for their families. The generation the family is counting on to work the farms now work in buildings. So, how does the government teach the next generation to work the farmland if this generation isn't doing it? You create a farming simulator game, make it fun and cheap so every youngster wants to play it. Hopefully, it ignites a fire in the next generation to work the farmland of Japan. Brilliant.

There was the Shinkansen, or bullet train, car complete with sound effects. It was pretty affordable at only $28. There were some pretty expensive, and extensive, train sets that would make grown man drool. Not my hubby, thankfully.

Here in the Land of the Raising Sun, they have a special affinity to things that are "kawai", or cute. Grown men will wear "kawai" purses simply because everyone loves the 'cute' things around here. It is an... interesting... phenomon. Well, here are the "Matchbox" type cars that are produced in Japan. Aren't they, I know, cute?

When my crew of kids were little they loved their mini, fold-out sofas. They would even share the sofas to watch a show or make it out into a bed to nap. There were a ton of characters available in the States. The bonus for our large family was you could buy the sofas for $20.  Here is one of those sofas on clearance for $54! Did I mention how expensive things are here? 

We had not seen this kind of chair for sale, though we see it at traditional resturants often. The "high chair" it -literally- just inches off the ground. Note the 'walker' next to it and you can compare the height. It is just so short! It is a nice wooden product that would last through several children. Still, the cheaply made cloth sofa is almost as much as this chair. We have been told that items that are made from renewable resources are less expensive, but we rarely find that to be true. It is true in this case.

Our eyes, and our minds really had to adjust to this display. The game of "Life" in Japanese. I know, what language did I expect it to be in? What can I say, it just looks vastly... different!

I'm not sure you heard, but recently the creator of Hello Kitty announced that Hello Kitty is actually a GIRL and not a kitty. 

Huh??  Mind Blown. 

Well, if that is true, and I'm sure it is since he is Japanese and had no reason to lie, then what is on this girl's head? 

Another girl? Weirdness. I'm just not sure what to make of that. 

It is such an adorable Barbie outfit we would have gotten it for our girls. I mean with the traditional "Kimono" clothes, shoes and ribbon. 

But, the $20 price tag stopped us. 

We would have to buy two of those puppies. Nah. Maybe for a birthday gift, but not just for a normal Saturday. 

Random tidbit of the day: "kimono" literally translate into "a something to wear". 

You can often tell if a woman is married by the length of the sleeves on her kimono. 

When a girl turns 20 she has a celebration for 'coming of age'. At that ceremony she is given a 'furisode'. The garment looks like a kimono, but has longer sleeves. The sleeves can be almost as long as the dress itself. 

As we were leaving we saw how people were using their new trading cards. (Each buyer was limited to 5 packs of new Pokemon cards.) There are computer consoles after the check out where you can 'play' the trading game against the computer itself, or against others across Japan. These machines were packed. (Come on, how many of you would stand in a long line for a playing card so you could stand in another long line for the kids to play with those trading cards. Not this girl!)

The other 'news' we saw when we were out and about was... in the bathroom. 

Now, there's a statement I never thought I would make!

There was a "No Smorking" sign in the restroom. Smorking.... I guess I will avoid doing that. Whatever that is.

Little C went to the restroom and ran out to say, "There are jackets on the toilet paper." 

"Umm....wait... What did you say?"

I went into the bathroom with my camera to investigate. Another statement that should never be said. 

Things you don't see everyday. Toilet paper in a fur coat. Check that one off of my bucket list. Ha!

The next fascination was a dual faucet. Have you ever seen one? It dispenses both the soap and the water. (Soap on one side, water on the other side.)

G washed her hands 

twice so I could get  picture. She is that sweet. The only bad part for us continues to be the height of the sinks. Can you tell how far she is bending down?

After we spent some yen at Toys R Us, we found a new place to eat. 

Wow, we do that a lot don't we? Well, that's what you do when you live in a new place. You 'test drive' all the new stores and restaurants. 

We went to a noodle place that seats 18 people. It is a 'moderate' seating place here. Places are truly that small! We are a family of 6, squeezing into tiny stores all over Nippon. (Nippon is what Japan calls itself, much like Germany calls itself Deutschland.) Yes, we are an oddity. But, come on, if you are reading this you already knew how ODD we are!

Today, we tried a "vending" restaurant. You order your meal at a vending machine that is actually in the entrance of the store. The machine spits out tiny little receipts (one for each dish you order). You take the receipts to a waitress who processes your order. The waitress and staff never touch money. Talk about keeping the money 'germs' away from the food! How about you don't allow money in the restaurant at all? That will keep the 'germ police' from bugging you. 

The labels on the machine are changed everyday to reflect the fresh fish that came in that day.

We are trying to educate the kids as much as possible. It is kinda the blind leading the blind at this point. Here,  A&M are deciphering the numerous entree and side dish options.

The girls don't eat too much. That makes them the easiest to order for. They always get the kid's meal. It's great because we get to see how the different establishments view kid's food. Plus, they often times get a little toy or sticker. They love that part.

In Japan, a 'combo' meal is called a 'set'. The "kids set" at this eatery was about $3. It came with ramen, juice and "dessert". The "dessert" was chips, but whatever. The girls loved it! Their meal comes with a separate bowl so they can 'cool' the noodles or separate them from the broth. As you can see, our little prissy chick was thrilled with her food. 

A&M both went with ramen in various flavors. I went with Tappen Rice. It is a skillet dish with a fried egg on the bottom, rice and meat on top. They pour soy sauce on it as they put it on your place. It was delicious. Typical to most places, we all recieved miso soup as well.  

Another adventure in our new country done. 

Another day where the locals were probably scratching their heads about those 'silly Americans'. 

We didn't solve world peace. I wish we could. Only open hearts and prayerful attitudes can do that. But, we gained a little confidence in ourselves and in our surrounding.

We were watched and wondered about when the six of our bowed our heads before we ate. It is hard for locals not to stare when our blond haired, 8 year old proudly talks to Jesus. She loudly blessed the food, prayed for the people at the table and asked for forgiveness for running into someone at the store. (We are working on having Japanese manners, but we still have some American tendencies at times.) Her heart is full and she is not ashamed to be a Christ follower.

What did you do that got you noticed today? I did not do as much as that little girl did. I need to up my game.

I am praying for you. Where ever you are right now. My family is praying for you. That you would be blessed and feel the love of Jesus today.

Until next time sweet readers, this Southern Belle needs to research.

I am off to find some donut recipes. The Japanese are wonderful, but they have not conquered the sugary, sinfully sweet, finger licking goodness of a hot Krispy Kreme.

Peace be with you,

~Aggie Amy