First Sunday - Japan

Here is where we attended church today - the annex of the temple! It was in English and was just like attending in the states. It was nice to have the familiarity of it all.

Sunday is a big day for weddings too! We saw this couple outside our window this morning. Then this afternoon, there was another one and they were really having a great time. We have a great view of all the festivities. Here's Rulon outside the annex.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed meeting the people at church. It looks like it will be a great place to be.

A couple came and sat down next to us with their little girl. Pretty soon she leaned over to me and said, "Are you the Gibsons from Naperville?" It was Michelle Andrews! What a very small world. They lived there for about 3 years and Michelle is Jill's age. She invited us to dinner tonight. They live in a HUGE apartment that is decorated just beautifully with Japanese items. She and her husband have lived here about 4 years. She has learned Japanese painting, cooking, the language, and teaches at a college - interior design. Her husband is a tax person for Exxon. They had another couple over also and we had a gourmet Japanese meal. That was an unexpected bonus today.

We will have to figure out the Skype thing soon. We love you all! This will be a busy week also.

First Saturday in Japan

We took the subway and a bus to the Branch picnic and visit to the Open Air Arcitectural Museum. We saw this girl in a kimino on the subway! She was so beautiful. At the park there were two huge groups of Moms and their children doing activities together. They were having a great time.

After Dad paid the admission to get in, the lady said, "You're old! You get in for half price!" She refunded the ticket price and charged him senior admission. He didn't know whether to feel flattered or not. Here is the food from our picnic.

Not a huge group, but a nice one. People treated us so well.

My first experience with a "squatty potty". Actually, I waited until the regular toilet was available but couldn't resist taking this picture.

The trees were so magnificent.

Inside the gift shop.

Dad by a cannon.

Me by one of the old restored or rebuilt homes - there were 27 in the display. It was fascinating to see how the people lived throughout the centuries in Japan.

Our group listening to the guide.

Dad, the Browns, Sister Watabe, and another sister from the Branch.

One of the homes we went in. This one was from the 1940's.

The view from a window - notice the beautifully shaped tree.

We had to remove our shoes in order to enter the homes.

A fence made of bamboo.

A Japanese clothesline from days gone by.

Cooking over a fire right inside the house.

Playing a game like hackeysack but with balls.

An old threshing machine.

Here's our group around the fire.

Huge ceramic pots.

Note the thatched roof.

On the way home, we rode with a couple in their car. Here is a picture of some laundry drying on the porch.

The futons are aired by hanging them over the bannisters.

Looking down into a ravine - so green and lush!

These azalea hedges are everywhere.

More futons hanging out to air.

A cemetary - I want to visit this sometime.

And this was taken from our window! There is a reception center directly across the street. There was a wedding today and these were some of the guests.

The day was very full and exciting. We saw so many diverse things. So glad I have a camera to capture all these moments!

Making Cookies in a Japanese Oven

Here's the beast! Sister Mead (who formerly lived here) had everything labled in English but I still couldn't figure it out until the office sent a girl over to show me how to use it. This morning I decided to make cookies to take to a ward picnic today. Here is a pictorial on how I did it! Eggs come in cartons of 10 instead of 12. Everything is so beautifully packaged. I almost hated to open them. Also, the yolks were almost orange.

Here is the margarine - in a nice little tub.

This is the sugar - the white is the consistancy of brown sugar.

The batter is ready to be formed into cookies.

I didn't have cookies sheets - used a broiler pan instead.

And they turned out just fine!

And they taste good too!

I will write more about the picnic later!

Costco Run in Japan

Today we took a trip to Costco! There were three couples who went. Here is Sister Robertson as she writes down the directions as her husband drives. They are leaving in June and Brother Watabe will have to drive. The Robertsons have lived in Japan for many years. He was a young missionary here, then worked here for IBM. They had their family of seven children with them. Then he was a mission president for 3 years. Now they are finishing up 3 years as public affairs missionaries. Here I am! Costco is huge! You park on top and then go down moving ramp to the store. People who were going back to their cars were on the ramps that went up with their carts. The ramps are like escalators but don't have steps. The carts don't roll down! I don't know how it is done but it is amazing.

When we finished, we went to get lunch at the cafeteria. People were just leaving their carts unattended and no one bothered them. People are very honest and trusting - there are serious penalties for crime.

After all that, when we returned, we still didn't have some of the basics. We went to the neighborhood store for milk, etc. Here is Dad bagging the groceries! Bet you never thought you would see this!

This was outside the store - the recycling/garbage program is really involved. You have to separate things into many different categories. You can spend a lot of time sorting trash!

Here is Dad outside the store ready to go home. We just had to gasp at the prices - real sticker shock! We paid 239,000 yen at Costco - about 239 dollars. Brother Robertson said you just have to realize that you are going to be paying a lot and don't think about what you would spend in the states. I guess sometime I will be able to tell if something is a good deal but not yet! No coupons, Kim!

Dad has had a couple of conversations with missionaries and is getting into his work. I had fun decorating the bookshelves. I found all sorts of beautiful dishes and Japanese items in a storage cupboard. Everything loos so nice and we are settling into a routine. It is going to be a wonderful experience.

Getting Legal

This morning we went to get registered as aliens at the court house. Momoko (Little Peach Blossom) Yamashita took us. Here she is in the taxi (note the lace covered headrests). Everything here is so clean - even the taxi drivers wear business suits. No one litters and streets are swept daily. The cement trucks were even shining! Anyway, back to our adventure. Momoko works for the Church in the office and is assigned to help the senior missionaries like us get registered. We now are able to reenter Japan after traveling to Korea and other places. It was quite a process. We went for about an hour on a chi bus. It only held about 10 people and it zigzagged all across town and took about twice as long as if we had taken the subway. But it cost half as much and it was fun to see how huge this city is. As I mentioned, the driver is on the right side and drives on the left side of the road. Traffic moves along well. You have to pass a rigorous test and pay a huge sum to be able to get a license. Plus, you have to prove that you have a place to park a car before you can get a license. So most people walk everywhere or ride the bus or subway or bullet train. Or they have bikes or motor bikes.
We were so glad that we had Momoko to help us fill out the forms. We couldn't have done it without her. She was so pleasant and made it fun. She graduated from BYU and is now back here and has worked for the Church for about five years.
After we finished registering, we went in a taxi to get our national insurance. Since we will be in the country for over a year, we have to pay about $60 a month into this fund. If we get sick or need to go to the doctor, dentist or hospital, we will only need to pay about 30%. (Plus, we have Blue Cross/Blue Shield so we will be set.) After doing all that, we again took a taxi back to the PBO (Presiding Bishop's Office - really just Church headquarters).
Then, I was invited to a Relief Society luncheon at a member's apartment - wow! It was very spacious and now I know how the corporate families live. There were about 10 women there. They had attended a temple session in the morning. They were just as down-to-earth as they could be. They were so nice to me. I met one sweet lady who has lived here for 14 years and knew Tori Hunter Gabrielson when she was here. Also, there was a lady named Tanner. It is really a small world.
Dad went with Elder Brown to a huge store called Tokyo Hands - it is supposed to be a combination of a Target and hardware store. He said it was huge and he came home very tired. They took the subway to get there.
Now tonight we are invited to the Robertson's for dinner. They are Public Affairs missionaries and live in the apartment below us.
We are getting used to the time change and the jet lag is easing. This is a wonderful adventure!