Tanjoubi Omedetou Laura

April 24, 2011
Happy Birthday Laura!! 

Osaka Castle

A poster outside the castle

It is tempting to write a post about riding subways and trains in Japan when you cannot read Kanji--truly an adventure and in Japan, you better have your translator nearby.  Today we rode the rails to the Osaka Castle.  Fin and Mark have been reading James Clavell's Shogun and really enjoying the vivid descriptions of Osaka and the Castle in the book.  What fun to see it in person!

The Osaka Castle is about 600 years old and it is a fortress of astonishing size and beauty perched on the highest hill in the city.  It is filled with interesting and beautifully organized displays like the one below of samurai solidier in battle:

Here's a view from outside the castle.  A moat surrounds colossal stones that elevate the castle high above Osaka.  

Fin enjoyed standing under one of the enormous gates.  And here's another example of the fantastic manhole covers that we've been recording on our travels around Japan (see the Osaka Castle in the background?)

Fin and Nevin are now in school every day and loving it.  The classmates are very friendly and fun-loving.  Laura has been learning about speech pathology as it is practiced in Japan.  Besides teaching, Mark is enjoying photographing our travels.  Today it was rainy in Osaka.  Here is a picture of some puddled benches in front of the castle:

Food and Fun

The families that live here at the apartment complex have parents who are Hyogo University faculty.  This weekend they threw a big party.  Everyone brought different foods--many from different parts of Japan where people come from.  Our dad gave a short speech in Japanese (that was fun to listen to!) and we got to meet many of our new neighbors (including the newest neighbor with Laura).

On Sunday we visited Arima Onsen on Mt. Rokko.  It is the oldest hot springs in Japan dating back to 631.  We, of course, enjoyed a good soak and toured the city.  A bit crowded with tourists but you can really imagine what an ancient city must have been like.  Here is a little tour.  Be sure to watch the movie at the end of this point.  It's pretty amazing!

Here is a quiet spot in Arima--Buddha under cherry blossoms

Fin wasted
no time
making friends
with some of the
locals...

There were some quaint restaurants...

and shops with lots of stuff

         

  .some cool manhole covers (the Arima trolley on the right):

Ichiro in an unfamiliar suit pitching Kirin beer in an ancient city...

In Arima we came across a street act unlike anything you'll see in the States.  If you'd like to see a monkey on stilts, check back.  Were hoping to have a video on this post soon!


    See you next time:

Our apartment

Many of our friends have asked about our Japan apartment.  So let's go on a guided tour:

This is our living room

... our tatami room (for sleeping and yoga)

our dining room where we eat

...and also play cards with our friends

our bath (with soak tub)

and our kitchen

We eat lots of Japanese food.  Most of the time we can't read the label but we enjoy the adventure!

This is dad standing outside of the apartment on his way to school (no one at Evergreen would recognize him in a tie but we think he looks pretty cool!)

The Onsen and the Taisanji Temple

Onsen (温泉) in Japanese means hot springs.  Another way to describe it is a public bath where people go to soak and relax in delicious warm pools and saunas.  We can't show any pictures because everyone is naked!! but no one seems to mind.  After the onsen we visited the nearby Taisanji Temple--a Buddist temple and "national designated treasure."

The 3-tiered Pagota built in 1688

There were many shrines and statues of Buddha at the Temple.  Here are three of them.  We were surprised to see the apron and hat on one of the Buddhas.  Maybe because he's outdoors.  We noticed people rubbing his head and tummy--for good luck perhaps?

It's cherry blossom season here in western Japan and the temple grounds are filled with families enjoying the spectacular blooms.

The main temple building--Tendai Garan

New friends

Goodbye Seattle...

 ...and especially to our wonderful friends and tutors Emi and Azusa

Welcome to our blog from Kobe.

Today we played all afternoon with our new Japanese friends.  We don't speak each other's language but we find other ways to communicate--playing board and ball games, using hand signals, and teaching each other a few new words.

We also met the Head Master of the school we will be attending.  When you enter the school, you put on special indoor shoes.  They have an awesome playground.

Outside our apartment building with new friends

Our dad starts teaching tomorrow at the University of Hyogo.  Our mom is helping us with home school.  Life is good in Kobe.  People are very friendly and kind.  Here are some manhole covers we discovered on our first walk around the neighborhood.  Pretty cool!



     Good night from Finley and Nevin and from our cozy "oshiire" (closet in Japanese)--very cozy....zzzz.....