Bamboo Shoot Digging

So this is the second year that we have been invited down to Ito to go bamboo shoot digging with a colleague of ours. It turns out that there are bamboo shoots you should be looking for. I thought that once they start coming out of the ground, then you are good to go. It turns out that the smaller the shoot, the better. They are the ones that are barely poking out of the ground and you just dig around them until you can break them away from the roots and out they come.

Today I was with a Japanese girl that goes to our school and she tried SO hard to dig around the bamboo shoots but just didn't have enough strength or girth (luckily, I have a lot of girth). She would even tried to jump on the shovel but kept complaining that the digging was hard so I would jump in and break the bamboo shoot loose for her to pick up. The last one we dug up was next to a large shoot and was difficult to get around but I was determined to let her dig it out. I gave a little bit of help but tried to be really patient and allow her to get under it. At one point she said, "I really want to learn to speak English!" which was so cool because most of our conversation was in English and she tried so hard so I encouraged her to keep trying and told her how great she was trying to use her English. I was able to get the shovel deep in the dirt but let her do the rest and she finally was able to break it loose. She was so excited and looked at me with the biggest smile and of course I had to give her a high five. I could tell it was just one of those moments where she didn't think she could do it but she was able to accomplish it.

 One of the ladies that Rachel works with has a husband that works with us and she makes the most amazing gyoza (dumplings). Joanna tried to make them last year and Rachel and I joined in with Joanna this year to try to make them. Let's just say, our inexperience showed but they all still turned out to be really delicious.

 Rachel in the bamboo forest giving it her all.

 So determined!

 After you dig up the shoots, you shuck them like corn. The only problem is that you have to do a lot of shucking to get to the good part.

 That was a lot of shucking. They ended up boiling the bamboo shoots but this was the leftover mess that we ended up cleaning up and it got put back into the forest.

 One of the kid's mom made crepes and we were brought them after our dig. The were absolutely fantastic and had whipped cream, strawberries, bananas, and chocolate sauce.

 So after I got my crepe, I ate it pretty quickly. One mom came out with ice cream to go on top of it but I had already finished. Unfortunately, there were no spoons. One of the kids came out with spoons but then only gave one and I figured, what the heck. I'll just eat mine without a spoon. I know this looks like a staged picture but this is actually what happened when I was trying to eat the ice cream out of the bowl.

 Barbecue group shot.

 Trying to get everyone in the photo. Let's just say that this wasn't easy.

What fun kids. My bamboo helper is the one in the hat.

Japanese Drumming

Joanna and I decided last year to try taking Japanese Drum lessons. It has certainly been a challenge. It looked so easy when we watched others do it but once we were there, it was so hard to follow the directions and even warming up tended to be difficult. It is all about the form and how to use your wrist. Fortunately for me, I played badminton in high school and then racquetball which is all wrist action. Poor Joanna took tennis which is much more arm action so it has taken awhile for her to get used to using her wrists.

Our instructor, Waka, is so patient with us and tries to use his English the whole time and we really appreciate it. Even though we are normally to tired on Monday evenings, when we go we come home so pumped up after having a great lesson with Waka.

Waka had a concert where some of his students performed at the beginning and then his group Wakashi put on a performance. He asked us if we could go and we weren't sure because we had to work all day on Saturday but we felt good enough and invited Rachel to go with us. We are SO glad we went because the performance was amazing! It gave us a new appreciation for our teacher watching him putting his heart and soul into the drumming. I hope you can watch our videos and hopefully they'll upload. Please enjoy!

Fantasy Sumo!

So we decided to compete against each other in Fantasy Sumo during the most recent sumo tournament and it was exciting to see Joanna and Rachel (Jorach) in second place after 4 days of the tournament. Today I looked at the recent standings after 6 days and who passed Jorach, but Januck of course! We are currently 3rd and 4th place. Who knows if it will last but hey, Life Should Be Fun!

 After Day 4

Woohoo!!!!!

Bamboo Fun!

Last year we went bamboo shoot hunting (or digging) and we had so much fun! I even put a bamboo shoot on my head with one of the kids there and got a picture along with a picture of our bamboo shoot hunting crew. Joanna shared with me that the kid who I put a bamboo shoot on my head with made a picture inspired by that day. Enjoy!

 The picture!

 The Crew!

So...much...FUN!

Tree Blossoming Time

Last Saturday we decided to take the train down the peninsula to see the trees blooming at this time of year. It was such a beautiful day but so crowded. On the train down we didn't think we would get a seat but luckily many people got off at the first stop and we were able to sit. On the way back, we were last in line to catch the train back up but once the first train stopped, many people got on and we were third in line for the next train. It was awesome because there were no seats left but as we got on we saw two seats and we were luckily enough to get them. I asked Joanna about Rachel and she said she found a single seat so we were all able to sit on the hour plus train ride back. What a beautiful day!

 It was Girl's Day and this shrine had dolls lined up on the steps to the shrine.

 Crazy busy.

 Beautiful.

 More beautiful?

Most beautiful. Not me but them and it!

Silly but smelling the blossoms.

Down by the water.

 The insane train platform.

Poor guy! Tuckered out from the day! (Okay, I took this picture of myself but I was still really tired!)

Weekend Walk

After a wonderful dinner on Friday night, Rachel and I decided to go to Baskin Robbins which is a bit of a trek but it is always worth it. We took the bus and then decided to get off before our regular stop because of traffic. We think the bus driver was a bit annoyed because we rang the bell close to our stop and as we started walking to exit the bus while it was still moving, the driver slammed on his brakes and we both almost ended up on the floor. Rachel remembers me swinging around the pole in the bus as I lost my balance.

On our way we always pass by a batting cage that I once went with my coworkers and it took convincing but I finally got Rachel to stop and hit a couple of balls. My wrist was still sore from falling during P.E. during the week so I favored my other wrist and we had a lot of fun. I have to say that there is a huge difference between hitting in the 65 km/hr cage and the 110 km/hr cage. I don't know how the major leaguers do it. Oh, and my body was so sore the next few days, especially the sides of my back due to my batting stance.

After finally getting to Baskin Robbins, we couldn't believe the line out the door. It turns out that our cell phone company has Super Fridays where they have promotions at local businesses. This time it was Baskin Robbins that was having a Free Scoop night and we just happened to walk apon it. We get the coupon on our phone but we usually delete it because we normally can't read it but wished we had kept it this time. Rachel said that for the next month, every Friday is Super Friday at Baskin Robbins so it looks like we'll be going there every Friday for awhile!

 Rachel Trout!

 Our line.

 Out the door!

 Packed inside.

 Packed outside with barely any parking.

Our ultimate reward!

Family

I am so thankful for my family. I think about the 29 years that Joanna and I have married and how we have two amazing kids who continue to amaze us. Rachel is about to embark on her new career and Alex just released a new song and video today. Time flies and I think about all of the things I could have done or should have done but I've realized that I need to look forward to all the things that will happen. I've had a great year teaching with Joanna and no matter what happens next year, I will always cherish this year that we have been able to teach together. Can't wait to see what next school year brings!