Happy New Years Eve

Typical menu for New Years Eve includes home made sushi with mushroom, asparagus, carrots, cucumbers, egg, rice and sea weed. For other family members is the plate above with sea weed and rice topped with fish eggs. We also had sake, sparkling juice, and champagne. Happy New Years Eve!

 

Similarities and Differences

 Japan differs from the United States in many ways. Being here and unable to read the Japanese language is difficult. At the volcano museum only one tenth of the displays were translated into English. I felt illiterate. I feel the same way at grocery stores. I have google translate on my phone but if there are no bars inside the grocery store, I cannot translate. Again I feel illiterate. Is this soy sauce or meat sauce? I have no idea. There are signs on the side of the highways warning us to watch for wildlife. North of here the signs warned us about deer which is the same in the United States. Between here and Fukuoka the signs warned about wild boar and raccoon dogs. All of the major sidewalks have a strip of yellow and white plastic down the middle with four ridges inside. The airport and some museums have the same strips. I first noticed them at the airport because the strips make it difficult for me to pull my wheelie suitcase. Although it took me a long time to figure this out, this yellow and white strip is for blind people who use a cane. That makes much sense but I have yet to see one blind person using a cane since I have been here. I am glad this country is accommodating blind people but I think more curb cutouts would be more useful.

 

Aso

On our way to the Aso volcano we stopped first at the Shinto shrine in Aso City. This is one of Japan's oldest and most significant shrines. People come here to revere the volcano and to pray the volcano stays dormant.

On our way up the hill to the volcano we saw horses and cows on the grasslands. The white cloud you see on the right side of the picture is actually gasses erupting from the volcano.

A Shetland pony was part of the herd.

The drive up to the caldera was long and very slow. Many other people were here to visit. We had one long wait to talk to a ranger at a booth asking if we had heart conditions, lung conditions or asthma which would keep up from continuing our journey.

 

Izumi Crane Observation Center

Yesterday we drove 4 hours north and east to the Izumi Crane Observation Center in the Kagoshima Prefecture.

This differs from the crane center in Wisconsin. These cranes (and crows) are not caged. They come here willingly. The center is adjacent to the sea. Some cranes winter here from Siberia. This is migration season.

There can be as many as 10,000 cranes in these rice fields.

Here are hooded cranes, white necked cranes, sandhill cranes, Siberian cranes and Demoiselle cranes.

So many cranes eating rice.

Burlap sacks of rice are ripped open and dumped on the roads between the rice fields.

 

Patton's Prayer

In 1970 a movie came out called Patton. I saw it three times. I asked my father for a ride to the theater to see it for the third time. As he pulled into the Har Mar parking lot he asked me if I had seen it before. I admitted I had seen it twice already. If he had known that he wouldn't have given me the ride to the theater. I just finished reading Patton's Prayer: A True Story Of Courage, Faith, and Victory In World War Two. The author is Alex Kershaw. My goal was to read more about the battle of the bulge and not necessarily to learn more about Patton but the two topics go hand in hand. What I learned from the book (and not the movie) was that Patton was a man of faith and that Patton loved war. He was disappointed to learn the war had ended. I also learned more about his tragic death. I enjoyed this book about Patton that was published in 2024.  

 

 

Happy Holidays

Here in Japan Santa gets a carrot, two cookies, and a small bottle of yogurt (kefir).

 

Quilt

This pink quilt, here on my bed in Sasebo, was made by the ladies of the church that my father attended. The ladies made it as a wedding gift to him and his new bride. None of the stitches on this quilt were done by a machine. This is a quilt made by the labor of love. And it's beautiful.

 

  

Huis Ten Bosch

Today we went to a theme park on the other side of Sasebo called Huis Ten Bosch. This is a recreation of a village near the Hague that was one of the three houses for the Dutch royal family. Each museum, house, building and restaurant is built a few inches shorter than the original ones in the Netherlands so as not to offend the Dutch.

After touring the teddy bear museum we took a ride on a canal boat to the other side of the park. This is a huge theme park that includes one hotel inside the park and many others on the periphery of the park.

We went on the three story carousel. The grand girls wanted the top floor. I tried to get on one of the carousel horse but my left leg would  not cooperate. So I rode on a kiddy table that rotated. A 4 year old Japanese girl was already on it but she said I could join her. The dang kid kept the table spinning the entire time. To avoid dizziness I just looked down at the seat. 

We saw 4 or 5 shows during our 8 hour stay. The theme park Christmas tree can be seen in the background. This group of singers sang holiday songs but also the Flintstone theme song (We'll have a good time, a dabba do time, we'll have a Merry Christmas time."

After touring the glass museum and the flower museum we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant called Pinocchio's.

After dinner we came outside just in time to hear the Christmas concert and see the lighting of the Christmas tree. Our timing was lucky today. This theme park was much better than I expected. Huis Ten Bosch does  not have all the rides that Disneyland has but it has more art and culture and class.

 

Nagasaki

Just down from Peace Park is a sculpture garden. Various countries (20 plus) donated statues to Nagasaki to commemorate the bombing. I noticed quite a few of the statues featured women holding children.

This is the actual location where the bomb landed.

This is the Oura Catholic Cathedral which is the oldest Catholic church in Japan. The cathedral is dedicated to the 26 Catholics who were executed for being Catholic.

This fish pond with lanterns above it is the entrance to Glover Gardens. Despite it being the first day of winter there were a few flowers blooming; mostly pansies.

My grandgirls really enjoyed feeding the koi.

We stopped by the museum of performing arts. A holiday concert was going on. We also saw dragon parade costumes on display.

After a nice dinner at a cafe by the wharf, we drove to the Nagasaki Ropeway. This cable car took us to the top of Mount Inasa for a terrific view of the city all lit up at night. We got there around 7 p.m. Special lights in the city come on between 8 and 10 p.m. so we missed that but it was still a great view. The ride takes five minutes.

 

Peace Park

 Today we drove 90 minutes north to the town of Nagasaki. We stopped to visit Peace Park. The statue has the right arm extended upwards to where the bomb came from. The left arm is extended toward peace over the land. About 40 years ago I visited Hawaii. When we toured the Pearl Harbor Memorial I was surrounded by Japanese tourists. I felt awkward. Today I was visiting the epicenter of the atom bomb in Nagasaki and again I felt awkward.

 

 

River Walk

Yesterday evening the weather was warm so we took a stroll from the house down to the river. We saw a grey heron and at least a dozen Eurasian wigeons. We saw a couple Eurasian coots. We saw a small shorebird that was bigger than a sanderling but we couldn't quite figure out what it was.  We saw brown eared Bulbul and black kites. We saw a couple of little egrets (with yellow feet) and four Japanese cormorant.  All in all, it was a productive bird walk.

 

 

The Secret War Of Julia Child

 Diana R. Chambers is the author of The Secret War Of Julie Child. This is a historical accounting of Julia's life before she became a famous chef and before she married her husband. Julia, grown up wealthy in California, moved to Washington, D.C. as a file clerk. Later she worked as an espionage agent in India and China. She worked for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services). She got into some danger while abroad and reading those parts was quite thrilling. I really enjoyed this book about Julia Child.

 

 

 

 

Good Ideas

In Japan, if you are a new driver or a new driver in this country, you apply these blue/green and yellow heart shaped stickers to the front and back of your car. This way other drivers know you are inexperienced and will give you more lee-way. I think that is a great idea. I think it could reduce road rage.

Some toilets in Japan have a sink above them. The water that will flow into the toilet tank passes through the sink first. After you flush the toilet you lean over the toilet to wash your hands in cold water.  This calls for odd hand washing posture. The water is very cold. The sink is tiny and you have to keep your hands close together. Sometimes water splashes on the counter but I still think this is a good water conservation idea.

 

Hirado Castle

Today we took a 40 minute ride north to Hirado.

This is a temple outside of Hirado Castle. This area was the first in Japan to encounter Christian missionaries.

Another temple outside of the castle.

I liked this wall of umbrellas.

Here is the actual castle. We chose to stay outside but you can walk up the stairs to the balcony on the 3rd floor.

After exploring outside of the castle we continued up the hill.

This is the memorial to the first English person to come to Japan. His name was William Adams.

Another view of the castle.

 

Birds In Sasebo

This morning I walked the grand girls to the bus stop. We went for another walk through the rice fields. We saw black kites circling over head. I saw a dozen black kites. We saw four wagtails flying. It could have been a Japanese wagtail but this country has 4 species of wagtails so I am not sure. We saw several Great Egrets (all in white) and coots in a water filled ditch between the fields. We saw a dozen ring billed ducks and some mallards. Then we walked to a grocery store. Being at the grocery store and unable to read the ingredients was overwhelming. Now I have downloaded Google Translate onto my phone which will make things easier. Later we picked Granddaughter #2 up from school. We hung out at the school playground for an hour until Granddaughter #1 was released from her after school activity. Then we watched for another hour as the girls could blow off steam. Man, oh man, where do these kids get all their energy? I am exhausted just watching them running and chasing. Once we got home they started making gingerbread houses and I started to make dinner. Even when I used my Google translate I couldn't figure out how to turn on the stove. We had a great dinner and a fun time using scissors to make snowflakes. I look forward to what ever adventures tomorrow will bring.

Everything Worked Out

 

This is a picture of a booth designed for people who get sensory overload at the Fukayoka airport.

Yesterday I was bummed that I missed the connecting flight from Tokyo to Fukayoka. Today I was glad I missed that flight. Missing that flight was inevitable but since it was United Airlines flight I will get reimbursed for my hotel. Since I had only 60 minutes to gather my luggage, go through customs twice, and take a bus to Terminal 1 the task was impossible. Instead I got to rest for free at a luxurious hotel and take a nice hot shower. The next morning I headed to the airport at 5:30 for my 8:30 flight. I went to terminal 3. I was told to go to the fourth floor. From the fourth floor I was told to go to the first floor.  Then I was told to take the free shuttle to terminal 2. I was told to go to the third floor. From the 3rd floor I was to take the free shuttle to terminal 1. I couldn't find the shuttle location so a very nice police officer walked me there. From terminal 1 things got easier. I got a ticket and checked my bag. I found my gate immediately. I had an hour to relax before the 2 hour flight to Fukayoka.  I got on the plane and two hours later we landed. From there I took a free shuttle to the international terminal. I walked through the terminal and bought an egg sandwich at the 7-11. I found the door from which the bus from Fukayaka to Sasebo was located.  Also I learned that you do not pronounce Sasebo as "says boe" but as "sassy boe." That would have been good to know before I left. I had a very nice 90 minute bus ride to Sasebo. We passed through cities, steep hills, river valleys and rice fields. In one town I saw two helmeted men wearing high visibility jackets up in a tree shaking off all the yellow leaves. Why the hurry to get all the leaves off the tree? I don't know but as the bus traveled forwarded I saw that another dozen trees had been stripped of all their leaves. We arrived at the Sasebo bus terminal at which I found my daughter-in-law and two grand girls. Finally, I have arrived and everything worked out in the end.

Travel Is Stressful

On Saturday afternoon I left my place in Winona and drove to Minneapolis to stay at Offspring #2's house. On Sunday morning we left for the MSP airport at 6:30. I arrived in Chicago at 10:30. My flight to Tokyo was delayed for 45 minutes because some transferring fliers in Chicago were late. I arrived in Tokyo 20 minutes before my flight to Fukuoka was due to leave. I had to go through customs so I missed my flight. Since this was all United Airlines fault, I was told to get a hotel at the Villa hotel (a short indoor 5 minute walk away). United Airlines would reimburse me up to $200 for the hotel and $50 for a meal. I am so stuffed from all the food I had on the flight to Tokyo I couldn't eat another meal. Tomorrow my next flight leaves at 8:30 a.m. This hotel is very nice and it sure felt good to take off my compression socks and take a shower. Total for today of time spent in the air was 18 hours. I keep telling myself it's not the destination, it's the journey.

Fiddler Group

Yesterday a fiddler group performed a holiday concert at the Winona Public Library. In the group were 8 high school aged fiddlers and one man who looked to be about 80. One man played the bass, two students played the cello and the rest were violinists. They played holiday music from Ireland, Scotland, Britain, Israel and Germany. What a great concert!

 

Shotgun Lovesongs

 I was sucked into Shotgun Lovesongs like smoke up a chimney. Nickolas Butler is an excellent writer. I couldn't put it down and ended up reading until after midnight. This story takes place in a fictional town in Wisconsin called Little Wing. Little Wing is a farming town situated an hour south of Eau Claire. Four friends from school remain friends into adulthood. Each of the four plus Henry's wife, Beth, narrates a chapter. Each chapter has a single letter title. H for Henry, B for Beth, R for Robbie, K for Kip, and L for Leland. The first one to become famous is Robbie. Robbie is a terrific rodeo cowboy. Of course rodeos come with injuries and no rodeo cowboy lasts into old age. Leland becomes a famous rock star. Kip goes to Chicago and becomes a wealthy businessman. Henry and Beth farm a dairy operation, are happily married, and have two children. As they come back to Little Wing for weddings and birthday celebrations, their friendship changes and evolves. I sincerely enjoyed this book about male friendships in the Midwest.

 

 

Audition

 Katie Kitamura is the author of the fiction novel Audition. The story is about an actress and her husband. Part one of the novel seems to have nothing to do with Part two. I thought this literary fiction was pretentious and mystifying. I struggled to finish the book.