Setsubun or "Bean Throwing Day"

Setsubun or "Bean Throwing Day"

February 3rd is 節分の日(setsu-bun) in Japan.  It is similar to Spain's tomato throwing food fight, but with roasted soybeans. Yes, there is a celebration to have a huge food fight at a holy site. No, I do not claim to understand why it would be a shrine, but it is. 

 

Setsubun is a traditional ceremony (not an official holiday off of work) that happens right before
 立春(rish-shyun), which is the first day of Spring which is February 4th.

  The kanji's 節分(setsu-bun) literally means "Split the Season". The Japanese celebrating leaving Winter and moving into Spring. It still feels like Winter across most of Japan, but alas it is the official start of Spring so they do it on the day. The culture likes to follow the rules.

A few activities or rituals are performed on this day. The most popular one is held at shrines all over Japan. It is known as  豆撒き(mame-ma-ki)... or bean throwing to us English speaking folks.

 

It is said that on the day the season changes evil arises and demons bring bad luck. But thanks to good 'ol soy beans you too can ward off evil spirits.   Some people (I am not sure who gets picked for this task or why), but some people wear the evil demon "ogre" masks, while everyone else throws roasted soybeans at them. Seriously, who would volunteer to be the Demon? Wait a second, I can think of a few people who would probably enjoy this part.

Anyway, people don't only throw the beans. You also are supposed to eat as many beans as you are old to ward off the evil spirits. And, you get those beans off of the floor after people throw them at the demons. I'm kidding. There are bags of beans for sale that you eat. The Japanese are amazingly clean and would not eat off the dirty floor.

 

When throwing the beans you  yell "鬼は外！福は内" which means "Demons Out! Luck In!" It sounds like, "oni wa soto; fuku wa uchi". I never could copy what they were saying. I had to look it up.

The celebration is so popular it has it's own KitKat and Aero bars! The KitKat is roasted soybean and dark chocolate. No, I didn't buy them only because I was out of Yen :(  I would have made someone in this house try it! 

Some shrines get really into the festivities. They bring in celebrities or sumo wrestlers to throw the beans. There is also candy and money thrown at certain shrines.  It is basically just a huge party to celebrate the changing of seasons.

On Setsubun, there is also a traditional food eaten in a certain way. (Of course there is! In American we eat cabbage and black-eyed peas on New Year's, turkey on Thanksgiving and ham at Easter. Why would other countries not have a special food on certain holidays?) In Japan, it is customary to eat "ehou-maki" on Setsubun. This is a large, uncut sushi roll with certain fillings based on the area in which you live. Here around Tokyo, the roll is filled with avocado, crab, fried egg... And several other options. As long as it has seven fillings. 

 

But there is another way of celebrating setsubun no hi, and that’s with a big, long, uncut sushi roll called ehou-maki. There are several rules to the ehou-maki that I found interesting.

This made me react in So, what makes an ehou-maki different from a regular sushi roll? There are basically three rules:

• It must contain seven ingredients, because seven is a lucky number.
• It must not be cut, because it might cut (off) your luck.
• You have to eat it while facing the lucky direction, which changes every year! This year’s lucky directly is hinoe (丙 (ひのえ)), which is a little bit to the south of south-south-east on a regular compass. If you can read kanji, this page has a good chart.
• Finally, you must eat the whole roll in total silence!

Well, never mind this whole celebration. If that WHOLE thing has to be eaten in
TOTAL SILENCE, this family is hosed. We will never be able to accomplish that!

A final way of celebrating setsubun no hi is to take a nice long relaxing bath, with some slices of yuzu in the water. Bathing in hot yuzu-infused water is supposed to get rid of bad spirits. Yuzu is basically a blend of an orange and an tangerine, if I am reading the translation correctly.

In Japan you can get bath essences with yuzu oil. I forgot to grab those when I was out shopping locally this week, so I'm just cutting up some oranges and throwing them in my bathwater.  Hey, any excuse to take some alone time in a hot bath works for me!

 

You can see why today is a great day in Japan. It has always been a great day in my family. It is my baby brother's birthday! He is pretty much the typical "baby of the family": spoiled, funny, know-it-all and tells all our secrets. He is much more than just that though. He is dedicated and strong, hard-working and caring. We adore him everyday, but on this date, we say an extra special prayer of thanksgiving for him being in our lives. Happy Birthday Uncle Ryan. May all  your dreams come true!

 

Until next time, enjoy the "split of the seasons" and love on each other without throwing beans please!

 

Living the Life,

~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

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