On the Road

Singing their favorite Abba song, Honey Honey. Ipod keeps us sane on long trips - Ozone's Numa Numa song has a miraculous ability to stop them feeling car sick!

Kids in car. Heaven or hell? There were moments of sheer horror, but mostly we had fun, and I just such a sense of relaxation and happiness being will all my family, on the road and away from the cares and habits of home. Above right: The Policeman who pulled up Osamu. Yes!! Sorry, but after years of insisting on my kids wearing seat belts while this family never used them, and kept saying "It's okay, it's okay" they finally got pulled up and fined for it. Below left: Michi no Eki. Driving essential in Japan. In New Zealand, it's the service station stop, with pies and cups of coffee and magazines and chocolate and toilets. In Japan, it's the Michi no Eki or Road Station, with it's souvenir shops, noodles, canned coffee and toilets. Below right: Where is the beach?? After passing the road sign pointing to the beach, we went through rice paddies and forests and up over a mountain or two, for miles, with not even a glimpse of the ocean; even AFTER we parked and changed into our togs in the cabins, we still hadn't seen the sea yet!





Just a brief shot of the road, the valley, the bridge, and the kids.

On the way to Takachiho from Nobeoka, a lovely river. Above right: typical Japanese road, with a bridge and a tunnel. Below left: a really high bridge, or at least I though so at the time, but they kept getting higher as we headed toward Takachiho. Below right: A valley between Takachiho and Taketa in southern Oita prefecture.





Saving the best until last - even if you don't watch the other vids, watch this one!

Oops, I did it again!

Broke my toe, that is. First time was in NZ last year, when I whacked it into a low concrete wall in my brother's garden.

This time all it took was a door frame. A bloody door frame! I went swimming, semi-body-boarding (alas, no waves, so no fun), snorkeling, tramped through a gorge and drove for hours, but it wasn't any of these interesting things that got me, it was just walking through a door. I don't even think I was drunk, I'd had only one pint of beer several hours earlier, in fact I was on my way to the fridge to get the wine.

I was going to leave it, but then I hit it again yesterday, on a door again - the dinner out, drinks with friends at two pubs, two English lessons, shopping, delivery of kids to camp and attendance at said camp's camp fire and smores feast last night all were fine - I did myself in getting a nappy out of the closet! It hurt so much I actually did cry! So I decided to go in and get it seen to.

So, I am on rest and elevation, which is not easy! Laundry, shopping, cooking... even my proofreading is proving hard, as I have to try to elevate the foot - not easy when you are typing! My other computer is lower, with a floor chair, but my wireless won't work for some reason, so I've spent the day trying to fix that. Sheesh!

Erica's being kept happy with Dora DVDs, but she misses her sisters I am sure. I think I will be lining them up for more stays at friends' houses though, as hobbly limping no-swimming Mummy is so NOT fun for the summer holidays!

Some more camping photos

Ukiwas

The girls cooperated wonderfully to tote the boat and all the ukiwas to beach, cheerfully laughing and singing chants to help them along (a stark difference to the trip back, when all they did was bicker as one after another dropped their corner!)

Rare shot of all of them in one place, aware of the camera, if not actually looking at it!

Our cabins main room, with stairs to upstairs room, and the door frame that broke my toe on the left, just ahead of the fire extinguisher.

The scene at breakfast

Parting shot: peek-a-boo!

Sunday Barbecue

The scene by night. Yes, this is 'camping', Japanese style. Actually they do have free camping and tent sites, but no caravans and very few campervans, but lots of these cabins - kitchen, bathroom, air conditioning and TV seem to be the 'basics'. Yokomatsu family had one half, Harada family had the other half.



Left: Mums. Right: action freeze function. You can tell I have a new camera to play with!



Below, Maki's bosses at the Indian restaurant, Sunit and Mr. P. ably manning the barbies.

Another J. bbq essential - firework

Takuya and wife Maki and the Indian bosses.


Right, Kanji and Osamu, band mate and friend from way back. We three occupied these chairs and downed far too many drinks, stumbling back to the cabin at god knows what time. Erica conveniently fell asleep all by herself on a futon we'd laid out in the cabin, and Lena and Amy also both put themselves to bed, albeit with their buddy Momoka. I don't know what time they went to sleep, and I don't care!

Sumie Beach, Sunday

At about this time last week, there I was, on that beach, with that very beer in my hand. God, it was a good one! I might write about it in a moment, but for now, a few pix will do

Me, looking a little Islamic because I am sick to death of coming back bright red and gingerly showering and dressing for days after the beach. It's very light cotton, and very freeing because then I can stop worrying if I have enough sunblock on. The hat stayed on too! On the right, my husband looking SO uncharacteristically beachy. He is NOT an ocean-going kind of guy, that's MY board!

My cute toddler. Say no more.












Cute toddler and her birthday twin, Yuki.
He copied everything she did, including taking a drink at the exact same time she did! On the right, his aunt, she did actually get in the water, in her burkini top. We were lucky to grab this cute little shelter on the beach, I could have stayed there all day!

There were other kids there too, though we didn't see much of them. Here they are, in mixed order from both days, when the sat still long enough for me to get a shot:


Nako and Karin on the left, Amy on the right. Momoka and Lena bottom right, after Yukko did their make-up. Below left, all the kids at breakfast the next day

Nagasakibana

Beach today!

I love the ocean. In the pool the other day, I got bored pretty quickly, and started watching the clock and putting a time limit on our fun. But I seem to be able to just hang out and chill in the ocean for hours on end! I'm not sure why, maybe you can relax more with the salty water helping you stay bouyant, maybe it's the attractive scenery, or the interesting things to watch (sand moving, stone and shells, catching wakame, watching out for jellyfish and the occasional flying fish) or that you can do more interesting things like use the boogie board, or go snorkeling. But a lot of the time I was just in the shallows, accompanying Erica, sitting on a ring, or lying on the boogie board or just floating there, relaxing.

At the same time it's so exhausting! It's the heat, I suppose, it just took it out of us. It doesn't help that our car has no air conditioning, and we returned home in the hottest part of the day, to catch a play-date who didn't turn up...





See the yellow spot right in the centre? That's Lena's ring. All three girls are there in their rings.

Pool 2

We made to a pool again today! This time Shimin Pool, the public town pool, which is pretty crap, and which Lena complained about, until I offered her the alternative of going on her own to Baachan's for the afternoon, upon which she decided it really would be okay.

Up a little late today, 8am, laundry and cleaning, blah blah blah, walked Amy to school, did some proofreading, warmed up the lasagne for lunch, then went to visit Chiharu and beautiful, and very sleepy baby Seina. We nearly managed to convince shy Seiya to join us in the pool, but maybe next time.

I forgot the pool had set times. 3 2.5hr sessions, and we came in the middle of one, so we only got just over an hour in the pool in the end, but that was fine.




The girls finished up the day at their English class at Keio, while I cooked and Kanji fixed some of the screen doors, so we can have the windows open without the mozzies coming in. Then we had a stir-fry for dinner, got Erica to bed early, and played a board game, Life, together in the evening. Typical summer holiday day!

PS, just read a blog from two years ago, complaining about the electricity. Well, we finally got it fixed, and we can now vacuum AND have the air conditioner on at the same time.

Atchoo!

Katei homons (teacher's home visit) done! Short chat, both teachers seem okay, neither concerned about the trip to NZ, Lena's teacher I was especially happy with as she was taking the teasing Lena's been getting about being a gaikokujin very seriously, and even named the ring-leader and told us she had talked to the parents about it. We are also coaching her from this end on ways to react so she doesn't become an easy target.

Amy has started her craft activity, or should I say, *I* have started Amy's craft activity. She is doing a mosaic picture, and I graphed out the photo she chose so she can draw it on a large piece of paper. Lena hasn't thought of anything to do yet.
I've had lots of aggravations today! Blocked toilet, leaking rubbish bag (don't you hate that!), two episodes of wet pants and nearly a poo in the bed (picture DH running downstairs to the toilet with Erica, stiff as a board, denying she is doing a poo), and a sudden flare-up of allergies, which I am attributing to dani dander, as I shook out the mattresses today. I will go up in a moment to give them all a good vacuum before I attempt to sleep on them tonight. Moments like this I hate Japan.

DH fixed the toilet and just repaired one screen door, and is now exhausted. The kids finished the lasagne (I did the sauce, half the meat) I might go have a nice COLD shower!

Thunderbolts and Lightening

Very Very frightening...

When you are in a swimming pool.

We did make it to the pool today, despite Amy having to GO TO SCHOOL! When Kanji warned me that the Keio camp might clash with school, I assumed he was talking about the August 6 peace event they always have, but no, he meant the three extra two-hour lessons the whole Fourth Grade has to have this week to catch up. I was annoyed, and even more so when Amy told me that the reason they are behind is because the teacher spends so much time disciplining the naughty kids.

And shocked of course, when we learned this last night as we ate dinner! Not wanting to lose my holiday I then and there vowed that we would go the pool anyway - the lesson is from 9-11, so I prepared the picnic, got everything in the car and picked her up. I had one visit to the bank to make, and we made it to the pool in time for the 11:50 break (everyone has to get out of the pool for ten minutes every hour), so we didn't feel we were missing out on anything as we sat outside the pool on some lawn by the car park having our picnic.

The lightening stated up just after 2pm. Everyone got back in the water after the break, everyone wondering... but after a few big booms and SEEING the flashes of lightinging from the pool, I had just decided that we were going to go home now, when everyone was chased out of the pool by an announcement over the loudspeakers.

The BIGGEST thunder claps came as we were in the dressing room, and when we came out, most of the people were waiting out the downpour. We decided to make a run for it, or in my case, a waddle, what with my shoes falling off, carting two bags and a toddler. Amy and Lena beat me to the car, then had to stand there waiting because I had the key. We were all soaked to the skin, wetter than we were in the pool, I think!



We had scheduled a visit to a friend in a nearby town next, and the storm continued as we drove. I have never driven in such a downpour! In several places the road was really flooded. In the one below, I had to change into 2nd gear to get through it. And yes, I'm filming and driving, but my new camera is a point-and-click, one-touch video clever thing and I was driving with BOTH hands on the wheel!

Monday Monday

Had a very busy but satisfying day.

I slept in until nearly 10!! That was amazing. K. took the girls for a walk. It was lovely waking up to an already cooled room, everyone quietly sitting inside. Erica still in her pyjamas - she had gone on the walk still wearing them apparently. Despite the fact that her chest of drawers is right there under the window, pretty big and unmissable, he can't seem to find it.

I spend the day slowly cleaning up the rooms after yesterday's party. That plus the kitchen took half the day! I like our new arrangement though, with the jungle gym outside, the sofa along the un-used doors, it opens up the rooms a bit and turns it into one combined space, which is better for the summer vacation, I think. The jungle gym's not really for the outdoors, but I have it covered with the over-turned, empty swimming pool.

All three girls were in the pool by 10:15, and only came out so they could go to another pool (the school pool) after which they came home and got ready to go to a third pool (swimming lesson). We will be visiting at least two other pools and the ocean this week, go summer!!!

I planned the week's menus and went out to four different shops to buy all the things we need. I got home, and cleaned out the pool, and made muesli, pesto and goma-ae while cooking a very simple meal for the kids of cold tofu, sausages, rice and soup.

We have a super week planned. To the nagare pool tomorrow, teacher home-visits on Wednesday, between which I'll have the girls in the kitchen making lasagne, then the beach on Thursday, town pool on Friday. Next week is even busier, but that can wait...

Nakatsu Gion Matsuri - Nakatsu Jinja Sunday night

A Gion Kuruma being pulled into the shrine.

Matsuri essentials - kakigori and karaage (shaved ice and fried chicken)


We went after the party with the last few guests left, Kate and Hannah. Kate helped us with our obis. These are not the best photos, but Amy is wearing her other yukata, which is very pretty.
Erica is conveniently showing you how wide her left hand spreads - that's it folks, not a mm more!

Below, the kuruma being pulled around the shrine in a big circle.

Gion Party

The Gion floats come by my house on Sunday morning, which is a great opportunity to watch the festival and the dancing in relative peace, with the ability to escape back into the air conditioning in between floats! Last year I invited people over to watch with me - only for Erica to get sick and have to go to hospital, so the party was cancelled. This year I got my party, and my baby was in full health, so I was very happy!

I love how tidy my rooms look before a party! Picture taken for later inspiration, let's see if I can keep it like that all summer!

I decided to have an ice cream and swimming pool party for all my friends with kids, followed by a pot luck lunch, whatever for dinner, and finally to walk over to the festival in the evening to watch the floats go into the shrine. It's much more exciting at night, and they go faster, but it's special during the day because that's when you see the dancers. We gave them quite a nicely sized audience!

Left: kids' party!Kristin and kids arrived first, then Akiko and Tomomi with
Daichan. Here, Erica is lying down next to him in order to, I don't know, commune with him all the better! She loves babies. Tommy and Lena are fussing over him too, while Amy reads to Sasha and Hiro. Right: around lunchtime, that's Kevin and his cute feet in front in his yukata, his wife next to him, Kate and Amy playing chess in the corner, then Hannah, Georgia, Cameron and Tomomi

Left: same place, same table, different people, different food! Evening drinks with Rich, Kuni and Juna, Kristin, Christine and E7, Hannah (only one who hasn't moved) and Kate and Amy, this time she's showing Kate her drawings.
On the right, your hostess! With Tammy.

KIDS! Left: Erica proving that 21st Century kids do still enjoy lo-tech toys like a View Master. When the little darlings got too noisy, I chased them upstairs to play dress-ups, which resulted in several fashion shows: Right, Nao got to be Snow White.
left, Sasha goes Indian, Singapore style. Right, Juna as Barbie Mariposa.