GOOD FOOD, GOOD PEOPLE

Summers are for adventuring...and now that I get to call Japan home, I've been doing just that. 
 

SO...THE OTHER DAY I ATE MEXICAN FOOD. But wait one second...before that, I ate this really good little apple pie as a snack.

Okay so let's talk about this MEXICAN FOOD...

Here in Japan, people glorify Taco Bell which we all know isn't "real" mexican food, so I was more than stoked to actually get a taste of the real deal. 

The restaurant we (me and three homies) went to is right next to Hiro-o station and is called LA JOLLA which is so ironic considering I have spent a lot of time in San Diego and La Jolla with two of my best friends from college...so it was meant to be!

OKAY...DRUMROLL...

GUACAMOLEEEEEEEE AND STUFFED JALAPENOS!!! I ALMOST CRIED. THE GUAC WAS SO GOOD AND LEGIT. AND THE CHIPS WERE LIKE REAL SALTY, THIN, DELICIOUSSSS CHIPS. Lets all remember that I had a Mexican themed going away party a year ago because I knew I would miss it...so this was heaven

We split a chicken quesadilla. It was amazing. 

Steph got this beautiful chimichanga which was really really good. Love how they make the sour cream look like frosting lol. 

OKAY. THIS. THIS PLATE OF FOOD. I knew that I needed to order rice and beans. I am a rice and beans person (shout out to my Gulu peeps) so I was so happy to be eating this plate. Chili Verde enchilada too! 

The restaurant had a California vibe with maps of SD and the USA all over, and a bunch of signed papers from famous people. Right behind us was Earth Wind and Fire haha!

So after our amazing dinner (highly recommend to anyone in Tokyo)...we walked towards Roppongi area and stopped by this international super market where we found...

 H A W A I I A N S U N! Praise the Lord. I grew up on this stuff and it is not commonly found in Japan so I bought one for everyone haha. Lilikoi passion is the best and we drank them while walking over to roppongi hills, in perfect summer weather, playing a little bit of Pokemon go...

Our last stop was the Tsutaya + Starbucks near roppongi hills. Japanese people love love love chillin at starbucks and this one was one of the coolest I have been in! 

I already love Tokyo. But now that I know there exists a real Mexican food restaurant in Tokyo...I may never leaaaaveeee!! (jk mom) 

Ok now on to Sunday...

I finally got to spend time with Sayaka who is like a sister to me since she spent a lot of time with my family earlier this year when she interned in Torrance. We met up at Lalaport Tokyo bay after church for shopping and dinner!

We were unintentionally matching, and had a really good thai dinner at Monsoon. yummmm. I love Sayakas sweet spirit and her down to earth sense of humor...for example, when we go out to eat we always end up ordering a bunch of things like "oh hey wanna get fries and a salad too...and maybe smoothies?" hahaa love her!

I also got suckered into buying candy from Sweet Factory because it reminded me of home...but what I didn't realize was that this bag would cost $10. NOOOOOWHYY??? 

MONDAY

Since it is summer here, Steph and I don't teach classes...but we still have to come to school. Basically, we can come in anytime and leave around 3ish. We spend the day planning for next semester or meeting with students to practice for upcoming speech contests. On Monday we didn't have much to do in the afternoon so we left a bit early and went to the nearest mall so steph could buy Birks, which she has been wanting for a while. Before we went I literally said "Steph, don't let me buy any. I already have two pairs." But WHAT DO YOU KNOW....they had a sale and I accidentally bought a pair of blue ones. haha oops! Also, we had Komeda coffee's really good pancake/croissant ice cream snack thingie that was so good. 

TUESDAY

Tuesday was such a fun day. My fellow coworker and I held a small English Summer Camp for local kids who are interested. Japanese high schools often offer summer lessons to the public just for fun and for the school to get more exposure. So Tuesday we hosted a 2 hour little camp and had 6 cute kids!

We played a lot of number games, gave them silly bandz, practiced self introductions, ate snacks, and had the best time.

Little Riho was so cute! She is only 7 but speaks English really well because, as I learned from her mother, she watches Disney Channel! I guess that's the ticket folks..because this girl was amazing. Our conversation went something like this
"So what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Oh, I haven't decided yet. But I like baseball. I play catch with my dad and I love English"
amazing!

My coworkers son, Kai, is one of my favorite little kids and he came to the summer camp with his classmate Tadakatsu. They were really fun to hang out with and after camp we had a little party eating eclairs in the English Office. 

After a busy day at work, Steph and I met up with our Mexican Crew (as in the homies we went to eat mexican food with haha) and we grubbed some amazing ramen. I got the tsukemen dipping noodles with a really good spicy shoyu broth. yummm. Then, we stopped by Lawsons where I got this pineapple horoyoi drink which contains 3% alc but really tastes like juice!! So refreshing, and the only alcohol I am willing to consume. After dinner and a snack, we all went to go play pool which is our new hobby haha! Perfect summer day.

WEDNESDAY

Liane, who is a former ELT at Ichikashi and a dear family friend, came to school to pick Steph and I up for lunch. She jokingly said she hijacked us (since we are technically "working") but she knows our Vice Principals so they were cool with it. She brought along her daughter, Mina, who is teeny tiny and the cutest little disney princess. 

Love this little girl! 

Liane drove us to eat lunch at a really good Okonomiyaki place. We ordered the "ladies set" which came with salad, soup, a small okonomiyaki, yakisoba, two meat wraps, all-you-can-drink-bar, and icecream!! All for ￥1000 aka $10! At the drink bar I got Melon soda + Calpis which made for the weirdest color of drink...but it tasted great. 

Well folks, this summer is off to a great start. I have the month of August to adventure around some more before school starts back up in September. The weather recently has been really nice...a bit overcast and not too humid...but I know the heat is coming! 

海の日- OCEAN DAY

Although Japan is technically an island nation, the beach is not as accessible as it may seem. I live an hour away from Tokyo...and although Tokyo has it's own body of water (Tokyo Bay), it is not swimable water. So the closest beach would have to be somewhere on the other side of Chiba, which is a good 2 hours away from me..noooooo.

Well, recently we celebrated a national holiday: OCEAN DAY, so I took it as a sign from the good Lord above that it was time for me to dip my toes in the other side of the pacific. 

I took the train 1 hour to meet up with my friends Haruka, Daniel, and Amy who I know from church...and we took another train 1 hour and then a bus 30 minutes to get to the beach! We went to Kujukuri beach in Chiba and upon first sight...I was in heaven. 

Haruka and Daniel are awesome humans who brought fresh watermelon (ICED!!!) and shared with us on the sand. It was perfect. Also how random and funny is that CHIBA POWER graffiti lol. 

Haruka and Daniel met back in the states and are now living in Japan expecting their first child! I love hanging out with them and Haruka is such a cute pregnant lady! 

Daniel trying to fold the tent lol.

Amy is a missionary here in Japan, originally from Oklahoma. Both her and Haruka have become big sisters to me here in Japan. I admire their wisdom, grace, love for nature, and unwavering faith in the good Lord. Thankful for them! 

This little dude was riding the back of his grandpas bike and was giving me this look like "OH YOU KNOW I'M SO COOL RIGHT?!" I was cracking up hahahaaa. so cute. 

Daniels idea..."oh! take a pic with our rings in it!"

I totally get why Japanese people love Hawaii. The beaches vibe the same way. Laid back, family style atmosphere with good food and drinks..totally a place you could hang out all day long. 

Bought this at a local bakery before going to the beach. Sesame mochi ball with anko inside yummmmmm!

For some reason, after a loooong day of activity I always crave this Georgia Caffe Late. Its super sweet and just the refreshing boost I need!

The bus ride back was beautiful...rice patties galore. After making it back to Funabashi we decided to get some good food to close out our perfect day...and we opted for Vietnamese food because Amy knew a good place in the station.

When we walked up to the restaurant...I saw a bunch of Vietnamese people inside and knew it must be legit! Sure enough...

...IT WAS SO GOOD. There are few things on this earth better than a fresh Banh Mi sandwich. 

The Pho was really good too. I was laughing because in Vietnam this bowl would cost $2 or something...but here it was $10. But hey, it's Japan you know. It was really good though and the perfect thing to fill our bellies after a long day in the sun.

After dinner, I took the train back to Kashiwa at around 9pm. I was so tired at that point that I knocked out...only to be woken up to the rush of everyone getting off the train because we had reached the last stop - Kashiwa. If the train would have kept going I would have slept straight through my stop and more...haha. 

Thank the good Lord for His creation! The ocean is so refreshing because it reminds me of our creator and all the goodness He has bestowed upon us on this earth. 

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea"
Habakkuk 2:14

LIFE LONG FRIENDS

There is something really special about having friends from home visit Japan.

Especially when that friend is someone you've known your whole life.

Most of us have those friends...the ones we've grown up with and have more memories with than we even realize. The friends you go to camp with, run basketball drills with, celebrate every birthday with, go through your most awkward teen years with. The friends who's house becomes your house, you know the taste of their moms cooking, and all the pets they've ever had. The friends that make you laugh effortlessly by just bringing up some silly childhood memory and the friends that are perpetually stuck with you in life because you've just done too many things together for there to ever be a divide.

To me, that friend is Kristen. (better known as Dresser, dress, kdress..)

We've been through it all together and she just so happened to be on the Japan mission team from our church that came through Tokyo recently. I was so stoked to see her, even if it was just for a brief dinner and hang out on the roof overlooking Tokyo Station. 

HAHA this is a pic of us during our F.O.R days. I was super chubby and she was tall, lanky, and always wore knee pads. We have come a long way folks!

This is Dresser in a nutshell : Right when I saw her she was like "oh I changed my clothes because I thought you were going to come all stylish since you live in Japan now!" HAHAHA. She didn't realize I was coming from a field trip with my students in which I was running around Asakusa all day so I was clearly NOT dressed to impress. 

The last time we saw each other was a year ago or so, right before I left the states...but we picked up right where we left off. She's one of the people that makes me laugh the most and anyone who knows dresser knows this to be true. 

She also hand delivered this B E A U tiful package from the kiddos! yay! Everyone was asking my mom "what should we bring Amie?" and the honest truth is, I have everything I need here so hand written notes and cards are the best!

Tiny bookmarks of the kids!!

We spend most of our time hanging out on the rooftop of the KITTE building which offers an awesome view of Tokyo station. 

We all had dinner at this popular Giant-bowls-of-udon place near Tokyo station. It was so fun to talk to everyone and just hear how their time in Japan was. You know, God really is so faithful and being around my brothers and sisters from GVBC reminded me of that truth. We all know Japan to be a nation of not many Christians, so having the team here and one of my best friends was just really encouraging and uplifting for the soul! 

"...so everything will live where the river goes." Ezekiel 47:9

野球の日-BASEBALL DAY

Sports are definitely a part of the fabric of any culture; deeply woven into childhood memories,  wrapped up in historical milestones, giving us heroes, rivals, underdogs, champions...and ultimately unifying a group of people over a common goal. 

In the states we have Super Bowl Sunday, the NBA finals, March Maddness...just to name a few. They're cultural icons woven into our American ideals and the moment you step away from the states you realize just how true that is. A few years ago when I was living in Uganda, I woke up at 2am to watch the Super Bowl with a room full of Americans. We bonded over the nostalgia of it all and found humor in the fact that we were all gathered around a TV in the middle of the night in the middle of Africa watching football. ahhh...sports. 

Now that I get to call Japan home (almost for a year!) I have gotten past the fact that my number one sport, basketball, just isn't the same here... and fully accepted a new sports hobby : Baseball.

Baseball is THE sport in Japan. Not only is it the sport that most Japanese people have been famous overseas for (ICHIROOOO) but baseball teams here have huge followings. Also, every summer there is a huge high school baseball tournament (similar to the Little League World Series) called Koshien. One school from every prefecture advances to the tournament and it is a big deal here. 

My high school had GAME 1 of the tournamnet recently and myself, and a bunch of other teachers went to watch. Coincidentally, on that same day, I had planned to see a professional baseball game with a few friends so this day was easily dubbed : 野球の日...BASEBALL DAY. 

The game was held at a nearby stadium and all the teachers drove there while most of the students rode their bikes. 

All of the sports teams came to support the baseball boys. The pic on the right is of me and two of the basektball girls, Saki and Hana!

The underclassmen baseball boys are in charge of the cheering...which is a huge part of the culture of the game. They lay out posters of song names on them that they have all memorized. A different song is held up according to each player and the band plays along.

Everyone was given a cone to cheer with...either shouting in them or banging them to make a loud sound. Everyone stands up while our team is up to bat, cheering, dancing, screaming, and rooting for the team like it's game 7 of the NBA finals!

The underclassmen working hard to support their team! so cute

Our team won 4-1 and moved on to the second round, where (sadly) they lost.

But, being able to attend one of their games was really fun as a teacher.  I have a lot of the baseball boys in my classes and they always greet me with an eager and LOUD "HELLO AMIE SENSEI" with a bow. I used to wonder why they were all so loud...but after attending a game it all makes sense now haha. 

So after attending our school's game, Steph and I headed into Tokyo to go see a game at TOKYO DOME! I was all excited to wear my Giants hat, but then I looked at the tickets again and realized I wasn't going to a Giants game but a Softbank VS Marines game LOL. That's like bringing a Lakers hat to a Clippers vs Warriors game. No.No

Even though Tokyo Dome is usually home to the Giants, the home team this night was the Marines so everyone got a free Marines Jersey. 

KARAAGE AT A BALL GAME YESSSS PLEASE. 

I met Saki back in 2008 or so when we were highschoolers and we recently reconnected back in Japan. Saki mentioned she loved baseball so I got super excited and we scheduled this game together. It was so fun cheering on the team with her and her favorite player Navarro who is from Dominican Republic LOL...not even Japanese! 

EDEMAME > PEANUTS 

The Softbank Hawks KILLED the Marines...and although the game wasn't terribly exciting, I still had a great time with Steph and Saki, and Saki's friend!

野球の日 was a crazy day but I learned that baseball in Japan is much more exciting than back in the states. I can't exactly say why...maybe it's because back in the states there are so many competing sports to watch so for me, MLB gets swept under the rug. But here...baseball really is life. People are die hard fans and the cheering at games is non stop. I love it though, and I love that I have found a sport to follow here in the motherland!

ENGLISH CONVERSATION CLUB : ASAKUSA

One of my main responsibilities at school is to lead the English Conversation Club (ECC) with Steph! This year we have about 30 students in ECC which is awesome considering English is not the easiest subject for students and they tend to shy away from speaking. We meet every Monday after school and usually do English conversation activities, holiday parties, prepare for English speech contests, or just hang out! 

One annual event ECC does is a trip to Asakusa (famous sensoji temple) to talk to foreigners. This year, Steph and I ordered shirts, planned the route to get all the kids there, and made interview sheets so they could ask questions in English. 

We had been preparing for many months in advance, getting the students pumped up to speak to strangers in English and the day turned out to be just as awesome as we anticipated! We had a group of about 25 and we split them up into smaller groups of 3-4 to go talk to people. I brought my camera along to document the day and a couple times I kept telling myself, "I can't believe I get paid to do this..." 

These two call themselves "da brothers" since they do almost everything together! haha. Avhishek is from Nepal and Kurt is from the Philippines so English is their most comfortable language together. 

Our route to Asakusa...SCHOOL --> BUS --> TRAIN 

Steph chose the shirt design and I chose the colors in honor of USC HAHAHAA. Well, I thought they would look nice in contrast together and also rep the cardinal red and gold you know. 

Thankfully the train from Kashiwa Tanaka station (nearest station to our school) goes straight to Asakusa (30 minutes) so it was easy to get there with a big group. 

I let one of the students play around with my camera for a while and when I was looking through photos after...I saw this shot and loved it. 

Official Logo for the Tokyo 2020 olympics. 

When we arrived to Asakusa we went to the information center across from sensoji and ate lunch on the 6th floor free communal room! It was air conditioned and a perfect gathering place. 

ALSO, TOKYO SECRET: the 8th floor of the information center across from Sensoji has a SICK view of Tokyo skytree and the big golden poop as most people call it (aka Asahi beer hall) haha! 

NOTHING LIKE A KILLER CITY VIEW! 

Steph and I, being the photographers that we are, were freaking out over this view. I think I took 100 pics of this one spot haha...SO DOPE. 

A couple of my students were talking to this group of tall Europeans who happened to be in Japan for the World Ballroom Championships...what!??? They were representing the Czech Republic and when I asked them to show us an example they happily busted out their best moves in the middle of the street. Gotta love Tokyo man...

For those who know this about me (mom, sis, and rin) I am slightly obsessed with everything about dance, specifically the show So You Think You Can Dance (watched every single season) so when they were dancing I was kind of having a fan girl moment and did not want them to stop...

My students were also freaking out saying things like "HE IS SO COOL" "SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!"

Good job boys!

The modern kimono look...with selfie stick

Cute moms. Side note: moms in Japan are seriously so cool. Especially in Tokyo. They are always dressed super cute yet still conservative, pushing their little babies on bikes being so active and awesome. Love it. 

I made these signs for them to wear in case they were too nervous to just walk up to people.

Miriam is from Egypt and she is normally a bit shy, but she really loved chatting with people at Asakusa - especially these ladies from the states who were here to sing in a concert!

I love melon pan...so melon pan WITH ICECREAM INSIDE was next level. WOW. 

group shot!! Love these kids and so blessed to work with them.

The extremely tan men pushing Rikshaws around for $80 an hour. nuts. 

"the brothers" said to me..."hey take a pic of us in the street.." lol these kids crack me up 

Funny story...Don Quijote is a huge chain store here in Japan that is comparable to a slightly more chaotic Walmart or Target but people in Japan just call it "ドンキ" literally pronounced "DONKEY" (everything in Japan is shortened!) It is so funny to me because I remember reading Don Quixote in school so I know the story, but the translation doesn't go that far in Japan so students don't really get the name...anyway we were walking in Asakusa where they happen to have a HUGE Don Quijote and one of the only stores where DON QUIJOTE is actually written out (usually just says in katakana) so one of my students was like..."Amie sensei what is DON-QU-EE-JO-TAY?" I just started laughing...hahhaa

Phew...so there you have it. Crazy day in Asakusa! Not sure if you can tell from the photos but it was literally 85degrees that day with 90% humidity...yikes! The kids were troopers though and all had a good time. I was so proud of them for stepping out of their comfort zones and talking to a bunch of friendly foreigners. I really can't believe I get to call this my "job" and I am loving every minute of it! Thank you Lord!