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.

Jillian's Foot: An Update

Jilli's been such a trooper through this whole clubfoot ordeal. Although, I guess it's the only reality she knows, so she doesn't have much to compare it to. 

Her last cast came off in late June. We were so excited to have access to both feet for the first time since she was a week old. 

At that point, the doctor fit her for special shoes that would act as a brace to keep the newly stretched muscles and tendons from shrinking back to where they were. She's been wearing the braces 23 hours a day, every day, since then. 

I was worried at first about how the braces would affect our daily life with Jill. I knew it would be better in the cast for things like baths and play time, since we were now free to have some bare feet time each day. 

Other things though, like diaper changes and clothes, were new territory. Turns out, other than not being able to wear footy-jammies, the bar hasn't been too much of an imposition. And now I have a handy-dandy handle bar to assist in diaper changes. ;)

We've been amazed watching her play while wearing her brace. Her tummy and leg muscles must be getting so strong from all the leg lifts she does. 

She even figured out how to use the bar as leverage to roll over before most babies do. Other things, like finding her feet, took some extra time. But I'm sure now that she's discovered them, it won't be long before she's trying to unstrap her shoes. 

At our last doctor's appointment, we thought we would get the go ahead to move to only night and nap wear. After looking at her xrays, the doc said, "everything looks normal, but let's be extra cautious and keep the bar on 23 hours a day for a few more months." We're not sure how much of this is typical Japanese cautiousness, but even though we're frustrated, we're following doctor's orders and keeping the bar on. :/

We're all anxiously looking forward to FINALLY being graduated out of the bar during the day. I feel like Jill is trying to get mobil and having bare feet would really help her out. Although, I'm sure she'll manage even in the bar. This kid is a go-getter!

Providence and the Play Group

As I look back over the events of the past day and months, I can't help be amazed at God's hand of providence.

Jill woke up earlier than usual from her first nap. After she ate, I tried to Skype my mom. Since she was in a meeting, I thought we should take a walk since the weather is finally turning nice again. I usually only take a purse with a diaper, travel wipes, and a burp cloth rather than my whole diaper bag when I take a walk to the park. Today, I decided to bring the whole bag, even though I only planned on being gone 10-15 minutes. My plan was to go to the park across the street and let her feel the grass, but when we got there I realized the ground was too wet from yesterday's rain. I changed tack and headed to the park a little further down the road where there is more sunshine to dry the ground.

As we neared the 2nd park a women and her 8 month old daughter rushed to catch up to us. 

I met this mom 2 months ago at the park near my house. I was there on a whim and she and her daughter sat with us to chat for a few minutes. 

She recognized me as I was walking. She even remembered my daughter's name and was excited to see Chiyo-chan (Jillian). After chatting our way down the road, past the park, I discovered she wanted to invite me to the neighborhood play group she was walking to. 

I knew this play group existed, I just didn't know where it was, or when it met. I learned the Japanese name for it on Wednesday and was actually looking it up online when Jill woke from her nap this morning. 

As we were walking, the mom told me about how she moved here last year and really wanted to make friends. This was going to be her first day at the kids' club and she was embarrassed to go alone. She was happy she saw me and that I wanted to come too. 

At the kids' club there were dozens of other moms with there kids. Babies and toddlers filled the rooms.  It was wonderful watching Jilli interact with the other babies. I sometimes worry she doesn't get enough time with other little ones since she's the only person under 13 years old at our church. Jill was gentle and sweet as she touched there other babies' faces and hands. She even showed off her giggles and rolling. 

Offering your hand to be chewed on is the international sign of friendship among babies

Before we left to get home for her nap, another mom came up to me to ask if I lived in the building named "LaForce."  I do, and it turns out, so does she. She and her 1 year old son live two floors down and have the parking space next to ours. Go figure. 

The play group meets ever Friday, a 4 minute walk from my apartment. I am so excited to go back again. I feel like a genuine connection is being made, and to think, if Jill had slept for her whole nap, or my mom was free to Skype, or the grass was dry enough to sit on, I never would have gone. 

PB&J's

I've taken PB&J for granted for too long. It's just so basic in my mind that I forget it's a novel treat for Japanese. 

For September's culture class, we taught about school culture: lunch ladies, "A+"s, jungle gyms, detention, etc... But the highlight of the day was teaching these housewives how to make "American box lunches."

We scrounged supplies from various stores around the neighborhood to make a quintessential "cold lunch." PB&J, carrot coins, goldfish crackers, chocolate chip cookies, and a juice box. 

Not nearly as pretty as Japanese boxed lunches, but it tastes like home and that's all that matters. 

The reaction was one of surprise, confusion, and delight. When I asked what they thought of the lunch both women agreed it was "mezarashi" (new, novel, strange, unusual). Never before had the ladies eaten peanut-butter AND jelly together on a sandwich; only one or the other.  The carrots also were met with skepticism. Although they ate them, I think it was out of politeness. Perhaps raw carrots for a snack take some getting used to. 

Over all the box lunch was a hit. One student bagged up her leftovers to share with her daughter. 

In A Land Without Target

Since we've been living in Japan, there have been many occasions when we needed to purchase something and we had no idea where to find it. It usually is something simple like cleaning supplies, or miscellaneous household goods. Nothing too bizarre. Yet, we are often stymied when it came to where to look.
I would ask myself, "If I needed "X" in the states, where would I go to find it?"
The answer is always the same: "Target"

But of course, there is no Target in Japan. :(

Don't get me wrong, we've managed okay and been able to find most everything we've looked for. It just took extra thought to do so.

Most recently I was looking for a picture frame for a gift and thought, I can't be the only gaijin to have no idea where to find stuff. So incase there are any fellow confused gaijin reading this blog, I bring to you

"Where to find stuff in a land without Target."

Nitori
Nitori is great for furniture and miscellaneous household goods. Its pretty much a one stop shop for things to get your apartment set up. They even have example rooms, like Ikea, to give you ideas.  The prices are very reasonable too. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize going to Nitori was more economical than going to the secondhand stores. And unlike the secondhand stores, when you were done shopping at Nitori, all your stuff matched! We've even found for things like hangers, its cheaper to shop here than the 100 Yen shop.

Go to Nitori to find:
Furniture, household organization stuff, laundry accessories, bedding, curtains, rugs, hangers, picture frames, decorations, dishes, etc...


any denki (electric) store
Last winter we quickly realized not having neighbors on the floor below us meant our apartment was much colder at night than the previous year. We needed an electric blanket and we needed it NOW! Only, we were at a loss about where to find one. I searched Nitori since they had become my new go to place for home goods. Unfortunately, out of the many blankets they carried, none were electric. I was so happy when I stumbled across them while wandering the local denki store. I probably should have guessed I'd find it there. After all, denki mofu (Electric blanket), denki ya (electric store).

Here are some other things you can find at a denki store like Yodobashi Camera, Kojima, or K's Denki:
light bulbs
appliances
computers and accessories
cameras and accessories
printers, printer paper, and ink
blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons
headphones, speakers, music players
etc...



100 Yen Shop
I like the Dollar store in America, but I LOVE 100 yen shops like Seria, Daiso, and Can-do. Our local 100 shop has become an invaluable resource for kids' English class, craft parties, and other odds and ends. It's hard not to come away with a basket of stuff when you walk through a 100 shop. My favorite 100 Yen purchase has been my dishes. 18 months and still going strong.

I can't even begin to list all the awesome stuff you can find at a 100 Yen shop.


Shimamura, GU, & Uniqlo
Clothes, clothes, and more clothes. If I need clothes at a reasonable price I head to one of these 3 stores. Now, given, I'm much bigger than the Japanese these clothes are designed for, but for the most part I'm able to find stuff that fits for not too much yen. I've even managed to find shoes that fit my big ol' American feet at Shimamura. It was a happy day indeed!




I should probably add that I'm in no way being paid to advertise for these stores and my opinions are my own, and do not necessarily reflect other A2 missionaries.  Although I'm sure one or two share my love of 100 Yen shops. :)

Culture Class: 4th of July

Stephen has been teaching a monthly American culture class to his English students in Chitose. In the past he's talked about things like St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Mother's Day. Each lesson shares the historical origin, modern celebration, and vocabulary & phrases that go along with it.

This month, the class was focused on Independance Day. 

When Stephen's mom visited, she brought lots of fun red, white, & blue goodies for class.

The ladies we're blown away by our modern celebration of our nation's independence. 

So much red, white, and blue!

I made blue raspberry jello and topped it with whipped cream and a cherry to be festive. I was pleased to learn that they enjoyed their first bites of the classic american dessert. One student even asked me how I made it, asking for specific ingredients. "Did you add lemon juice?"

I smiled and explained that Jello is the easiest dessert in America; just open the box and add water.

Our students showing off their treats

Jillian made an appearance in her 4th of July finest.

a very patriotic diaper change :P

Besides all the sweets and laughter, my favorite part of the class was discussing the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

It was interesting discussing how the idea of being created equal by God shapes American culture. We decided this line has a lot to do with why Japan and America are so different. In Japan, even the language is structured around the idea superior and inferior. Showing respect is a very important value. Americans are often seen as disrespectful from a Japanese perspective because we interact very informally with our superiors and people older than ourselves. After discussing with the group I think we do this because at the core of our national identity, we see all people as equal, not more or less important, and our language and interactions reflect that. 

I always have such a great time with our Chitose ladies. I am eager for the day when they recognize that they too were created by God. I'm looking forward to our next culture class and what truths we can share!

*If you have an idea for an American culture class, leave a comment. We're always open to imput and ideas. :)

God's Got My Back

 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,  he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.  News of this spread through all that region.

Matthew 9:18-26

It figures that the week my pastor gives a message on Jesus the Great Physician is the same week my back goes out.

On Sunday, I was so glad to understand the message. Like always, it was given in Japanese, but this week I felt I understood more than usual. As I was listening, I thought, I believe Jesus can heal, but I don't really have any personal stories to share in small group today. I feel like God was sitting up in heaven laughing, saying, "Child, just you wait..."

Now, I'm not saying God made my back go out to prove a point. I mean, He totally could have. But, no, I am sure this was going to happen regardless. (Too much up and down with the baby can mess you up.) I just feel like the message was extra timely in my life.

Wednesday morning, I was feeling a little stiffer than usual. Bending over to pick up the baby was a bit more of a challenge than usual. By Thursday, I was in tears limping to and from the baby's room. Pulling her from the crib was a force of will. The three steps from the crib to the rocking chair to nurse her took all of my strength.

I spent the morning literally praying through every step. Most of the prayers were something like, "Please, don't let me drop the baby." I even enlisted the prayers of my Facebook friends. (Those of you who prayed, THANK YOU!)

To make matters more interesting, Jill was in the throws of a growth spurt and wanted to eat more often than usual. Which meant I was mobile a bit more than I would have preferred.

For play time, I decided to lay on the floor with Jillian. It was great in theory. I got to rest my back and Jill got to play with Mommy. I say "in theory" because when play time was over, I realized I was stuck. It took me 10 minutes to get up off the floor.

Jilli didn't mind  a little extra playtime. She had Elmo to keep her  busy.

Thursday was the worst of it. Thankfully, Friday and Saturday have been progressively better. I feel like God has been gracious in answering prayers. I'm still not at 100%,  but each trip to the baby's room is a little bit easier.

I'm hoping to be better tomorrow to go to church and share my new story with my small group. Even if it is a week late.