Akemashite Omodeto Gozaimasu!! (Happy New Year!)

The last blog of the year! Yikes. The last blog of the decade! I wonder if I'll be able to write another last of the decade blurb in ten years... hmmm... I suppose we shall see. So New Year in Japan is a pretty big deal, and there are many a tradition involved. In the home (and at work), cleaning and tidying is a must - people have goods (tables, furniture) outside to tidy and clean the floors, the windows the everything, including clothing and papers and, well, everything I guess. This keeps in line with the idea that, seeing as how years are viewed as completely separate, you leave anything unwanted, unclean, undesirable, behind with the old year and in turn can start the new one afresh. Apparently there are bonenkai or "year forgetting parties" to celebrate the new year and the sloughing off of any worries, concerns, sins etc., that are tied to the year soon to be gone by. Out with the old and in with the new! I know that we celebrate new years with a vague touch of this idea, but it's not nearly so pronounced. Houses are decorated with a variety of kadomatsu, new years decorations, including pine (to welcome the Shinto god of the new year), bamboo ropes, tangerines, paper decorations - all of which symbolize longevity, vitality and good fortune. Other new years traditions include sending new years greeting cards (delivered on January 1st), eating mochi rice cakes and many other special new years foods, visiting temples at midnight or early on the 1st and much more, I'm sure. I've gleaned most of this info from the www, and all six of us have questions for Nao - what's this, why that, etc. We visited a local temple yesterday on a neighborhood walk around, and saw a man come in and do a short ritual temple visit - he threw envelopes (with wishes/prayers for the new year, I think) and a bamboo rope on a small fire, gestured, bowed, and was on his way. And so the question is, have we done or are we going to follow any of these traditions? Yes - some, but not all. We hung a Shimekazari on our front door (a gift from Nao), and are going to visit a temple at midnight tonight... It should be a very memorable New Years!!

And then there were six! The fab four (Steve's parents Bob and Marg, and his aunt and uncle Barb and Ralph) arrived on Tuesday afternoon, and we are in the thick of planning and enjoying each other's company. Hurray. We have many a meal planned, and even yesterday opened more PRESENTS! We gave them a "welcome to Japan" pack which included a Pasmo (metro pass card), a metro map, coffees, Japanese beer and wine, rice cakes, face masks (possibly their favourite part), SUMO tickets (!!!) and hmmm... maybe that's about it. Oh, and some bowls and chopsticks. And, we were spoiled, once again. In a very cute, short card-letter, Wii were informed that wii had a big, fun gift, waiting at home for (wii) us. A WII! Duh. Exciting! I'm excited for the Wii Fit, though I'm not really sure what the deal is. I suppose we shall see! I got some earrings to match my most favourite necklace (pics to come), iTunes gift cards, Olympics mittens and more. Like I said, we were spoiled! And as I write, people are scattered in the main room of our small apartment - some guitaring and singing (Steve and Bob), Nintendo DSing (Barb) and iPod internet-ing (Marg and Ralph); the hockey game is on (slingbox) and we are soon to abandon ship for a walk in the park in the last-of-the-year afternoon sun. There's not much that I need to or want to slough off from this year - it's been an amazing one: our wedding, great times with family and friends, and a new adventure in the land of the rising sun. The guys are singing "Peaceful Easy Feeling" - just what I want, just what I've got, to carry me into a new year. All the best in 2010!!

christmas pics

Not that a big, raw trussed up bird is the first thing you want to see ... ever, but here she be. It turned out perfectly... yaaaay Costco. Yay turkey-bird.

Steve carving the biiiird. His Where the Wild Things Are shirt prompted a bit of a discussion on the movie versus the book, and the embellished storyline. Neither of us have seen the movie, but we had to pull out my children's book anthology and re-read the story...

Steve, Nao, Marili, Hendrik and Charlie - great company!!

The gals
On our December 24th bike ride: the park, like the weather, was beaut-iful!

Fall colours and no jacket necessary...

Where the wild things are... in the park. There were all sorts of boards showing the different species - animal and plant - in the park. Very informative.



Christmas Eve dinner! A reheat repeat from the 23rd...


Ahhhh the crackling fire... getting ready to open presies!

I got a Kindle!!!!!

Ready to ride the mean-looking Nozomi bullet train on Christmas Day.

My lunch bento: 2009.12.25.

Big Fuji-san popping up to say hello.

Note the extension on Steve's bed: so thoughtful for the team to request a longer bed; it's only the solution to the problem of the too-short sleepingsurface that we found hilarious.

Boxing Day bento. Much unknown, almost all tried. I like the maple-leaf shaped carrot.

Game Day! Pre-game pasta in the room.

I don't know if you can really see this but F.C. Tokyo is standing with a team of uniformed vball girlies in this pic - they walked in hand-in-hand with a girls volleyball team and it was adorable... so so cute! After a photo (or I'm not sure what exactly) the girls team circled through Team Tokyo and gave each guy a jump/block double-handed hi-five, with each of the guys holding their arms up up high. It was funny and, again, cute, to see the girls giggle and try their best to sky up to Steve's outstretched upstretched hands.

The small but vocal troupe of supporters. Before each game they hold out their scarves and sing a song - incomprehensible to me, of course.

While the guys warmed up and did their loooong pre-game preparation, I walked along the river. It was sunny and warm and lovely.

Outside the massive sports complex in Gifu. The team played in Kasugai on the 26th and in Gifu on the 27th - both cities are within 30-45 minutes outside of Nagoya.

Sunday in Gifu's massive gym...

The troupe, once again. And a Canadian flag! Love it!

merry christmas!

Merry Christmas!! The past few days have been full of Christmas-ness – lots of food, friends, good spirit, presents, a decorated tree, Christmas music and even a warm, flaming hearth. We’ve both been missing our families, but are so thankful to be together, as we are now officially family – it’s our first Christmas as hubs and wife! So, where to start….ummm… let’s start with (surprise) the food. So, all along we’d planned on making a Christmas dinner, but weren’t sure when we’d do it, exactly what we’d cook or who we’d eat the food with… until we made a rather last minute decision on the afternoon of the 22nd. Sounds verrrrry organized, no? We’d hit up Costco that morning, in search of cheap (er) cheese, a roast bird, and a few fixings in preparation for the arrival of the Fab Four next week. The menu was coming together: roast bird (turkey or chicken), mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy. It wasn’t until we got to Costco and saw the small bevy of frozen turkey-birds that Steve persuaded me that not only could we defrost a turkey in 24 hours, but that we could pull off the planning, purchasing and cooking and organizing for a meal for six. So, that afternoon we decided against eating alone on the 24th, and for inviting our South African friends Marili and Hendrik, our Australian buddy Charlie, and my Japanese friend Nao over for a big meal… the next day.

So we bought the smallest bird we could find, and Steve lugged the frozen lunk all the way across Tokyo, in his backpack – on the bus, on the train and finally on his bike, from Kawasaki to Nakameguro, and from freezer to fridge to water bath it went. After a bit of a shopping frenzy on Monday night, we got up early to put the turkey in its small bath of cold water – in the bathtub. I cleaned, and Steve took off for an early practice; the 23rd is a holiday here – the Emperor’s birthday I think? Anyways, after four hours in the bath (and after pulling the still-frozen neck out of the defrosted bird - gross), I washed it, dressed it, stuffed it, and then crammed it into our pint-sized oven. Steve got home from training, we did some more cooking and prepping, and ??? that was about it! Guests came over around 6:30, and despite a last minute burst of in-the-kitchen-busyness, it was all stress-free and surprisingly easy! And so we had a feast of roast turkey (it was delicious!!!), mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and then an even bigger dessert feast of nanaimo bars, sugar cookies, jam diagonals and gingerbread. These treats were devoured – the small colony of goodies that has lived in our freezer for the past three weeks is all but depleted. There was beer and wine too, and Nao brought shochu, a Japanese spirit, and Steve served after-dinner Crown Royal to thirsty first-time rye drinkers… it was awesome. PLUS, we had the fire going – the fire channel that is… and it was a hit. It felt so cozy in there with the Christmas music going, the fire, the tree, great food and great company – it was a perfect Christmas meal. It was actually so great that I started annoying myself with how much I was talking about how great it was. And on that note, I’ll stop.

We slept in a bit on the 24th, but woke up to sunny blue skies and a clean kitchen. We decided on an afternoon bike ride, and decided to check out one of Meguro’s biggest parks – Rinshi-no-Mori Park. And I have to say that this is my new favourite park – though not overly large, there are trails and playing fields (bocce, frisbee, soccer), ponds and bridges and beautiful trees, and seating areas and playgrounds all over the place. It was awesome! We had a great time cruising around in there, and took our time getting home. We met up with Marili and Hendrik and made our way up to the Tokyo Baptist Church for a 5:00 service, which was, for the most part, lovely. Back home we went for Christmas Eve chez nous – there were snacks and a reheated Christmas dinner, cards and tea and treats… and then, presents! And Steve got me a Kindle! How awesome is that!?! I still have to activate it and check it out, but am really excited to get to know my new book-toy. Yay. There were some other fabulous presents (for me: necklace, cookbook, a cute shirt; for Steve: a massage, DVDs, gift cards; for us: a coffee maker, chopsticks, candy, magazines), but – get ready for the cheese – being together is the best present of all! We watched Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer on YouTube, and packed for the Christmas Day trip; and that was our Christmas Eve.

So far, Christmas Day has included: chatting with family on skype, a bullet-train trip from Tokyo to Nagoya, a run and a practice session… and so far, that’s it. We’ve been reminding each other all day that it’s Christmas (“it’s Christmas!!!”) as this is the first place we’ve lived where the 25th of December isn’t a holiday. So, the feeling isn’t really there – outside of ourselves. We’re looking forward to chatting with family again later today and tomorrow, and too, for the games coming up this weekend. Here’s to hoping that everyone has a great holidays – Merry Christmas!

my morning run

View Komazawa Park Run in a larger map

mish-mash

The other day I mentioned that the Japanese don't celebrate Christmas... and, well... that isn't entirely true. They don't celebrate it the same way we do - and by we, I mean Western Christian countries, to lump Europe and Australia and New Zealand and the Americas (and whomever else) under one big Christian umbrella. Christmas has turned into quite the commercial holiday the whole world over, and Japan is no exception. Alongside the Christmas decorations and underneath the jingle bells chansons are shiny buy this buy that signs and gift wrapping stations and so on. HowEVER! There is more of a difference that this secular buy-the-gift business. Here, Christmas is much like Valentine's Day - it's a day to take your loved one out to dinner, stroll the glowing promenades and be bedazzled by the spirituous Christmas illuminations scattered across the city. Another less romantic Christmas tradition in Japan is KFC - KFC. Apparently people line up to get their annual Xmas fix of fried foul on Christmas Eve, and because the buckets of deep-fried-something are so popular, you can reserve your chicken in advance. Yes, Christmas is synonymous with Kentucky Fried Chicken. Ugh. Might it be because the Colonel looks a little bit like Mr. Claus? Or because fried chicken is the next best thing to roasted turkey? Uh, sure. Anyways, vraiment interessant.

We felt our first in-Japan quake the other night - a 5.2, but deep deep and not so close to Tokyo - it was big enough to wake me up, but not big enough that I had trouble falling asleep less than two seconds after it finished. Steve was in a hotel, in Tokyo, in preparation for the tournament. They lost out on Friday night, and had the weekend off. In a way it was nice - Steve had his first free Saturday since we've been here... but it would have been better if the team had been successful. Meh. Next time, I hope.

I can't believe how close we are to Christmas!! And to 2010! Steve and I were talking about how the past 10 years have gone quickly (Y2K?!), but soooooo so much has happened. I suppose that is stating the obvious... but still. We've lived in so many places - and have been together for almost a decade! This summer will be nine years. Crazy. Dinner is bubbling away on the stove so maybe I should pay it some attention. I'm making a modified version of Curried Coconut Chicken - it's easy and yummy and most of the ingredients are almost always in the cupboard. Here are the "Headlines of the Year" from Metropolis, gathered from who knows where.... funny, and maybe lost in translation?

1. Paranoid Hospitals Turning away Those with Fever, or with a Foreign Friend
2. Escargot Invades Osaka Highrise
3. Cop Rapped for Letting off Aliens
4. Photograph of Crab Eggs Ends 60-year Dispute
5. New Photo Book Opens Door on the Beauty and Style of the Homeless
6. Cops Collar Giant Salamander Spotted on Kyoto Stroll
7. Self-styled God of Ancient Japan Collared for Extorting Owner of Squat
8. More People Irked by Sound of Kids at Play
9. "Homeless" Poet Chooses Asahi over Noodles
10. Injured Sea Turtle to Get Prosthetic Flippers

a win!

YAY! The guys won their first game last night! Granted it was against a second division team, but that doesn't mean much. In the five set match it really could have gone either way, and in some other matches in this massive tournament, it did. There are a total of four courts set up a la high school club volleyball tournament, with two men's games and two women's games going simultaneously. There was a big upset on the next-door court with a university team beating a V-league (top division) team, and an even BIGGER upset at the end of the block: a high school team beat one of the top teams in the women's division. A high school team. Where else would this happen? Crazy crazy crazy. Also crazy - when I walked into the gym what team was standing there but the University of Sherbrooke women's volleyball squad, here to tour and train with a Japanese university team. Crazy. Anyways, back to the game. The home team had a few chances to win it in the fourth, but after climbing out of a deficit couldn't close it... they lost 29-27 I think. In the fifth they were in the clear, and won 15-9 or something... eep, don't remember. It was great to see them win - finally - but they'll have a tough time today. Besides the fact that they are actually practicing in the afternoon (game prep starts a solid six hours before tip-off) and may be a wee bit tired from last night's five-setter, they match up against a team they lost to last weekend. By no means is it impossible, but this team they face today will be bigger and stronger and the game will be more challenging. I'm not sure if this is the team's slogan, but if they keep up with the fearless and cool business and play the way they train, they should be alllll good. Fearless and cool... this could be the best banner ever.

Christmas Lights

People keep asking us what our plans for Christmas are and I suppose I haven't really said. We have a tree and we have baked goods, but we have no flight home. Steve's team has matches on December 26th and 27th, which means they travel on the 25th. Booooo... But I'll go along, and we have Christmas-y things planned for the days before: dinner and candlelight service on the 24th, dinner with friends on the 23rd - and I guess that's about it. Even though Christmas isn't really celebrated here, the city is all dressed up in lights - there are holiday illuminations and displays all over town. Last night we made our way up to Roppongi, checked out the massive shopping and entertainment complex that is Roppongi Hills, and made our way down to Azabu Juban for some Mexican food. There was a cute little German Christmas market set up in the middle of the complex, with sausages and beer and mulled wine and people eating and drinking amidst Christmas greenery and music - very 'tis-the-season. There were bright lights all around, and, I must say that this is the most Christmas-y Christmas we've had in a foreign land in years... and I'm loving it! Unfortunately, Frijoles was closed, and despite some initial frustration ("but I'm hungry and I even checked their website to see if they were open rrrrggggh" - me), we were happy and full after warm and spicy hotpots at a neighboring restaurant - noodle pots and boiled dumplings will do that to you I suppose.


Just outside Roppongi Hills - check the giant Louis Vuitton store in the background... posh.

AND as if you need to hear about any more of my baking escapades, but... well, you do. A few weeks ago I responded to an ad in Metropolis (a goooood weekly English language magazine about Tokyo) for a baking assistant for an English baking class... uhm, yup. That's a job I could do. Anyways, so I went to my first class on Saturday afternoon, and made stollen - since it was my first time, I baked with the other ladies to get the feel of how things worked. There were nine women, and for some of them it was their first time baking - EVER. And they made stollen! Can you believe either of those things? I'm pretty sure I've been baking since I was 10 or something - but stollen, that was a first for me too. It was pretty labour intensive, but very worth my while... talk about deliciousness! I don't have the recipe, so can't pass it on - but if you don't have 3 hours to make it... then never yeeeee mind. Anyways, yum.


The weekend wasn't so successful for the volleyballers - they went down in both matches, again. However, they have a big tourney coming up this weekend, and hopefully things will start looking up for them. It's not that they're a bad team - the other teams are good and strong, and F. C. Tokyo is definitely putting up a fight; I think it's just a matter of time. This is the first year in the top division for the team, and I think that the group will gain a lot of confidence when they win their first V-league game. I'm looking forward to the games this weekend - the team is playing in The Emporer's Cup, held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. I'm hoping that a good crowd turns out to cheer them on - they are, after all, the home team. If anything, I'll be there along with a small army of mama-san volleyball mamas, and if they can cheer as half as well as they can play, there will be support a'plenty coming from the sea of spectators.