Peanuts, Crying Children, and Ogres' Underwear

When we moved here 2 years ago, every one was gearing up for the weirdest holiday I've ever heard of. Let's let that sink in, this is a weirder celebration that pranking friends all day; dressing up and begging strangers for candy; OR even waiting for a rodent to tell us if spring is on the way. Yep, it's THAT crazy, friends!

Setsubun

 節分

The day where children all over Japan are scared witless by big monsters called Oni and throw peanuts at them to make them go away. While the kids do this they chant, "Oni wa soto; fuku wa uchi" (monsters/evil out; happiness in).

Our first week here our host family showed us a home video of the father dressing up as oni and trying to get in the house as the daughters chucked peanuts at him. Well, the oldest threw peanuts; the younger daughter cried and hid behind her mom's legs.

Crying is pretty much a mainstay of Setsubun. Moms I've talked to about it share how the schools have people dressed as oni come so the kids can throw their peanuts. Then they take a class picture, which is mostly a group of red-faced crying children.

Maybe it's like how I think it's hilarious seeing pictures of kids freaking out on Santa's lap.

Image: kleinburtts.com
heartbreaking, yet hilarious

Although, to be fair, people don't expect the kids to freak on jolly old St Nick's lap.



At play group last week, we sang a setsubun song about oni's underwear. It was pretty funny. I told an American friend and she said it was a common song that her daughters learned at preschool, too.

I've found the words for you so you can sing it, too!

To the tune of "Funiculi, Funiculi" (The traditional Italian song)

Oni no pantsu wa ii pantsu Tsuyoi zo, tsuyoi zo Tora no kegawa de dekiteiru Tsuyoi zo, tsuyoi zo Go-nen haite mo yaburenai Tsuyoi zo, tsuyoi zo Ju-nen haitemo yaburenai Tsuyoi zo, tsuyoi zo Hakou, hakou, oni no pantsu Hakou, hakou, oni no pantsu Anata mo, watashi mo, anata mo, watashi mo Minna de hakou oni no pantsu!

and the translation:

Ogres' trunks are good underwear They are strong, they are strong They are made of tiger skin They are strong, they are strong Wear them for 5 years, they won't tear They are strong, they are strong Wear them even for 10 years, they won't tear They are strong, they are strong Let's wear them, wear them, ogres' underwear Let's wear them, wear them, ogres' underwear You, and me, and you, and me, Everyone let's wear them ogres' underwear!

Only in Japan: Onsen

I can't believe we've lived in Japan for almost 2 year (the time has flown) and we haven't written even once about onsens!

Onsens are the places to be in Japan. Whole vacations are planned around the best ones. No place inspires as much terror for a first-timer, yet once you've been, it is one of the greatest parts about living here.

The onsen is a public bath, divided men and women (usually, I've heard scary stories from missionaries who've been here longer than I). Think large naked spa, more than high school locker room.

Image
I don't have any pictures of the actual onsen we go to (for obvious reasons) . It's pretty much like this, but with ya know... people)

Once you get over the whole "I'm naked and people can see me!" thing, it's a nice time of relaxation.

Image 
Here's a better picture. I think we're getting closer. 

Since Japan was formed by lots of volcanic activity, there are a lot of natural hot springs. You can take trips to towns that have sprung up around the springs (bu-da dum). There are also basic onsen in each little community.

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Here we go! Nicer than the one we went to, but a good image of onsens in Japan.
( click the image link to read the wiki article, if you're interested)

Stephen and I took Jillian to our neighborhood onsen this weekend. We didn't stay long since wrangling a slippery baby kind of cuts into the relaxation element for me. I think Stephen had a nice time on his side of the wall though.

Outside the baths, we were able to snap a pic of our little bathing beauty, squeaky clean and warm in her jammies. 

Jillian loved the baths, even if her rubber duckies had to stay home. Though, I do think I have to work on keeping her from trying to swim in the tubs. I feel like it will be frowned upon when she's older. And incase you were worried (cuz it's always on the forefront of my mind when I take Jill to the public bath), there were no accidents to be had. All potential debris was left safely in her diaper before we got there. :P



Would you ever go or have you ever gone to an onsen? Any funny stories to share? Leave me a comment.

Skinny Santa Visits the Play Group.

Today, Santa came to Nishioka (our little corner of Sapporo, Japan). Not the fat jolly guy you'd expect, though. This Santa was a skinny Japanese man. It didn't matter too much though. The Nishioka play group was filled with joyous squeals as Santa danced, sang, and passed out presents.

Even my little one, only 8 months old, was quite taken with this Svelt St. Nick.

That is until it was time to take a picture with him.

We managed in the end to get her calm enough to snap a pic.

Santa was sure a treat today. The main fun, though, was getting to spend time with Jilly's new friends (and their mothers).

Jillian and her friend M-Chan, born only 2 days apart. 

Being part of this weekly play group has been a great experience for me. It's nice to be connecting with neighborhood women in the same stage of life as me. I think we've even made a breakthrough. They've stopped referring to me as Chiyo's mom, and instead use my real name. I, in turn, get to use their given names too! Such a silly thing to be excited about, but I feel like it means I've made it to the inside of this group, rather than just being a foreigner watching from the outside.

Only in Japan: 3 Signs of Autumn

Image source: Trip Advisor

I love Fall. It is by far the best of seasons. Maybe it's because I lived through the death-heat of Fresno summers for 26 years and fall was always a welcomed relief. Or maybe because my birthday is snug in the middle of fall. In any case, I LOVE FALL!

The other day I realized fall had snuck up on me. I went for a walk and ::BAM:: Autumn! It's probably because the signs of Autumn are so different here from what I'm used to. Of course there's the typical changing of leaves, and crisp air, but there are no Halloween decorations on every house, no Fresno Fair, no Pumpkin Spice Lattes. It got me thinking, what are the signs of Autumn in Japan. So with out further ado, I bring to you 3 signs that Fall has come to Japan.

1-The familiar song of the sweet potato truck.

No ice cream trucks in Japan. But they do have guys who drive around singing through a speaker, selling roasted sweet potatoes. We've yet to purchase any, but I hear they're great. Maybe I'll send Stephen down next time I hear his song. 

2-Everyone starts wearing long sleeves and jackets. 

Yes, I know this is typical in the States as well. It's cold; you wear warmer clothing. But here, it seems like the change in clothes has more to do with the date on the calendar than the temperature on the thermometer. October 1, rain or shine, everyone puts away the short sleeves and shorts in favor of long pants, long sleeves, jackets, scarves, and hats. This year, there have been a few very nice, warm days after the 1st. The kind of days where a pair of jeans and a short sleeve shirt are perfect. Yet, we're are the only two people crazy enough to buck the trend and dress for the weather, not the calendar. It usually makes for very funny conversations with every person we see. 

"Eeehhh, samukunai?! (aren't you cold?!)"

"No, it's 75 degrees and sunny. Aren't you hot?"

3-I plugged in my toilet.
Yes, you read that right.
Without central heating, the bathroom can get mighty chilly and who wants to sit on an icy throne in the middle of the night. Not the Japanese! That's why many toilets here are heated. (LOVE IT!) I leave the seat unplugged through out the spring and summer, but once the temperature dips, our favorite appliance gets plugged in.

Cultural Difference at a Moms' Class

Getting into a group is one of the most important things you can do to minister in Japan. That's why when I learned about the new mothers' class at my city office, I jumped at the chance to participate.

The class brought together women from the same neighborhoods with due dates close together for conversation and lessons about pregnancy and motherhood. Of course, these classes were all in Japanese, but understanding the content was a bonus in my mind. I was going with the intention of breaking into the "mommy" group in my community.

The class itself was broken up into 4 teaching sessions and 1 postpartum play group scheduled for September. I was surprised how much I actually understood from the class. It's probably due to the text book (with pictures!) they handed out the first day. Well, that and the very kind women who helped the confused gaijin (foreigner) in their group.

new moms practicing diapering and dressing baby-dolls

Some of the information was old hat. Things like, eat proper meals that include all the food groups. Some of it was surprising, like finding out that fruit is on the "only eat a little bit" side of the food pyramid, rather than next to the vegetables.

Photo credit: The Food Guide Pyramid

During the class, I kept a running mental note about things to share with you all from my experience. so, for your enjoyment, I present:

"strange and interesting things I learned at "moms' class"

Diet:

I've already mentioned about the food guide strangeness I encountered. I also was not expecting 10 pages of a 70 page book to be devoted to telling women things like "don't eat a lot of fatty and salty foods." In our discussion groups, I got the feeling that these women are terrified of gaining too much weight while pregnant. One woman said it was important to "not eat your favorite foods, so you don't get fat." And all the rest of the skinny Japanese ladies agreed that getting fat would be horrible. The lone American just kept quiet and thought about the candy bar waiting for her in her purse.

Pain relief:

In two of the four class sessions, a woman from my group was brought up for a demonstration. A strip of bleached cotton cloth was pulled tightly around her hips. When I asked my neighbor why, she explained it was for pain relief. Not being satisfied with that answer, I asked when one would do this. I assumed after birth, since I know the Japanese have a tradition of wrapping one's hips to put them back into place after birth. Nope, she said you do it before birth, to ease back and hip pain. I was under the impression that my hips and back hurt because my hips were supposed to move outward to prepare for labor.

I think I'll stick with tylenol, thanks.

Bathing babies:

Using life-like baby-dolls, moms (and some dads) practiced bathing babies

I was really glad we got some instruction and practice on this topic. Since I've never bathes a slippery little baby before, I'm going to assume everything they taught was standard procedure in the US also. One thing I was surprised to find out, though, was how frequently they recommend bathing your baby. When I asked my instructor, she said "Mai nichi" (EVERYDAY!) How dirty do these babies plan on getting? I thought rolling in the dirt was an activity for older toddlers, myself.

The advice does fit with the culture though. Japan is all about their baths. Whole vacations are planned around where has the best "Onsen" (public baths/spa). I'm sure my instructor thought Americans are filthy when I said most people only bathe their babies every other day or so (I think even this frequency is being a bit generous.)

...If Only In My Dreams

The other day I was out running errands: gifts to buy, gifts to mail, grocery lists to fill. Even though the busyness is the same no matter where you spend you Christmas, the differentness of Japan at the holidays was taking it's toll. Little things like not hearing Christmas music everywhere you go, or not seeing kids sitting on Santa's lap at the mall. Just little things, really.

So, when my errands took me into Starbucks, I had to take a short break from Christmas in Japan. The music on the speakers was the same as I always remember, the toffee-nut late tasted just like always, and the cranberry bliss-bar reminded me of good times with friends. I closed my eyes and let Japan slip away. If only for a moment, I was sitting at Riverpark, taking a break between stores. When I opened my eyes, it was Japan again, just like I'd left it, but now somehow a little more like home.

Snow?

This past week or so, we've been enjoying a sunny 60 degree Autumn, so I was quite surprised to hear that according to Hokkaido tradition, and my English students, Snow is on its way.

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready for class, I glanced out the window and saw snow. At least, it looked just like snow. Even Stephen was fooled. But considering it was 60 degrees, and sunny with out a cloud in the sky, we decided it must be something else.

(The picture I took was not nearly as clear as this one I found online)

When my students arrived to class, they were all abuzz. "Did you see the Yuki mushi (Snow bugs)?"

So, that's what they were!

My students explained to me that these bugs, only found in Hokkaido, always appear right before it snows.

(Again, not my picture. But, don't they totally look like snow!?)

No one could say how long between Yuki mushi sightings and first snowfall. All they could say was, "mosugu" (soon).

UPDATE:

November 15th, we got our first snowfall. It melted quickly when the sun came up, it it fell non the less. That's 3.5 weeks from seeing the snowbugs. 3.5 weeks does not seem like mosugu (soon) to me.

A Year Without Slurpees

It's been a while since I've posted, but it hasn't been from lack of blog fodder, that's for sure! I have a few post waiting in the wings, but before I get to them I wanted to remind all of you to celebrate free Slurpee day (if you are State-side). As always 7-11 celebrates our Anniversary by giving out free Slurpees to customers everywhere.

Wait, that's not right.

Oh, I mean we celebrate our anniversary by taking advantage of 7-11's name being the same as our anniversary date and their marketing campaign. Only, even though 7-11 is big here in Japan, there are no Sluprees to be found.

This year, after a wonderful anniversary lunch downtown, we treated ourselves to 7-11 brand...

iced teas.

When in Japan...

Here's to 3 wonderful years with married to my best friend!

New Traditions

Everyone has their Easter traditions. Church, brunch, egg hunt, family time, everyone has their own special way to celebrate the rising of the Savior. We were eager and excited to see what Sapporo EV Free had planned.

Usually after church we eat a meal together, often prepared by one or two women from the church. This weekend we would have a potluck. After a wonderful Easter message (and I know it was wonderful, because our friend K translated for us!), everyone got to work to get the potluck ready.

I have never seen so many people in our church's kitchen. Everyone was busy putting the finishing touches on their dishes, and bringing trays, bowls, and plates into the sanctuary.

Would you believe that THIS was not all of the food!?

In the forefront you can see the cookies my friends helped me make. (Side note: have you ever seen someone eat a sugar cookie with chopsticks? I have, and it is hilarious!)

After singing our food prayer song, everyone filled up a plate and found a seat and a few friends to chat with.

In our church, the sanctuary serves as a multipurpose room. To make it extra festive for our Easter potluck, the pastor's wife asked Stephen to draw Rabbits, Eggs, and Basket for the walls.

Here's a pic of Stephen posing with one of his rabbits. (He was making bunny ears. )

The room was lively with conversations. And Everyone was snapping pictures with their friends.

Here I am with 3 awesome ladies from Ch!n@ who are a part of our church family.

I was surprised to find out that our pastor's wife had organized games for the whole group to play after lunch was cleaned up.

Our first game involved trying to get a group of 3 people to fit on a piece of newspaper that got folded in half for each new round. I fell down early, so I was able to snap some action shots of the other groups.

Here's Stephen and his group. They lasted much longer than me and my group did.

Here is a shot of the winning group implementing some serious strategy!

The next game was like the old American game, whose got the button. We passed, or pretended to pass a game chip down a line of people, and the other teams had to guess who really had it.

I probably should have been paying more attention, like everyone else in the room.

The final game was really fun, but totally unfair for the group that had the two Americans. (Our apologies to team "Rice".) It was a version of "Telephone" that involved writing the word on your neighbor's back. But the word was Japanese, and written in Hiragana.

Here's Stephen trying to write うさぎ (Usagi- Rabbit) on his neighbor's back. If you couldn't guess, our team lost.

We had a great time with our church family this Easter. Can't wait 'til next year!

Happy Easter, From the Borbas!

Easter Cookies

Today, I had the most fun since coming to Japan. 4 women from church and/or English class came over to make cookies for the Easter Potluck. I thought making cookies would be the perfect excuse to have these ladies (not all of whom knew each other) over to hang out grow in friendship. So, I broke out all of my cookie cutters (minus the snowflakes and candy-cane shapes) & 9 bottles of sprinkles, threw a plastic sheet on top of my table, kicked Stephen out for a few hours, and let the ladies have at it.

While we backed and decorated we chatted about anything and everything. In English, Japanese, and even a little Korean too.

We were even able to tell my new friend and Japanese teacher, M, a little about Easter.

Did the ladies have fun?

I'll let you be the judge.

Here're the finished products.

The sprinkles from America were definitely a big hit. Can you tell?

While we waited for the icing to dry, we drank coffee, looked at albums, and played Mario Kart on the Wii.

I can't wait to find another reason to have these ladies over again!