EMIKO - PART I

Emiko has been my best friend ever since I was old enough to remember having friends haha. I think we met back in 2nd or 3rd grade? When we were little she used to live next to my Aunt and Uncle and I thought it was the coolest thing ever that I could go to their house AND her house in the same afternoon. She was always homeschooled, so we never went to school together... and when we were in the 5th grade her family moved to Japan for her dads job. Yet the distance seemed to affect us in a positive way and we wrote emails to each other like "Hi Emi I just got home from school and ate a popsicle. My dog is funny. bye" because that's what 10 year olds do haha. The best part is I would then print out every single email sent between us and put it in a special box decorated with AMIE and EMI all over it. I think I still have that box somewhere. 

So basically, having Emi visit me in Japan was a childhood dream come true. The absolute best week ever. Our friendship was solidified all those years ago when we were younger, and it has survived moves to Nagoya, OC, Brussels, London, Azusa, Redding, LA, and now Kashiwa. The running joke is that I have seen every place Emi has ever lived (and it has been a lot of places) so the tables were turned and she was able to visit my home here in Japan. 

We explored all over Tokyo and took a bazillion photos and selfies. When Emi left last week we literally both cried like our 10 year old selves and wished we could just be roomies already. 

We knew we had to recreate this photo from our time in Nagoya, Japan in 2003! We have come a loooooong way from our awkward teen selves lol. But its true, your best friends know you and accept you before you are ever anywhere close to being "cool" 

On our first day together I showed Emi Teganuma, the river by my house. 

Had to get some umeboshi onigiri! My fav. 

It was so hot out in the blazing sun, but the breeze was blowing pretty nicely for us and we had a blast running around the rice patties and unashamedly taking photos. This last one of her is my fav!

A few more of day 1 from my phone..

We woke up each morning to the always fabulous 7-11 coffee, oatmeal for Emi, yogurt for me, and some fruit. 

We ended our first night with an amazing Kushiage (a bunch of fried meat and veggies on a stick - chef's choice!) with two of my good friends Mina and her husband Aki plus their friend Shun! Aki's other friend owns the restaurant which is a cozy little place a few minutes from Kashiwa station. The food is so good and I even got an order of the most delicious umeboshi ochazuke! I could eat that everyday without hesitation. Because we were with such good company, it helped Emi fight most of her jet lag and stay up all day so we were sooooo ready for the next day...aka the day we took over TOKYO! coming next...

HAPPY JAPANNIVERSARY

365 days ago...I left LAX airport with a one way ticket and landed at Narita International Airport to start my new life in Japan.

That makes today my 1st official Japanniversary. wow.

This picture was taken over a year ago, at my going away party. 

A year? One entire calendar year? Through every holiday, season, and birthday...I have called Japan home. WHAT? That is crazy. What is even crazier is that I plan to stay. Two more years. 

Before I moved here I thought living abroad for one year was crazy. So three years seemed impossible. I had no grasp on how I would survive being so far away from my family and friends, and the time frame just seemed daunting. But now, here I am..and life has a funny way of working out because I love Japan more today than I did yesterday, and buckets more than I did a year ago. life. is. crazy.

I could go into detail about the things I've been learning, or all the little reasons why I love living here...but what I really just want to say is that I owe it all to Jesus. Because of Him I am here and thriving. He has given me a job I love, a church I can call home, friends and family to hang out with here, as well as the may friends and family that have visited. He has protected me everyday, provided for my every need, and comforted me through every moment of doubt. I have seen God in so many beautiful ways since moving here, and for that I am eternally grateful. 

I'll end with this...the greatest gift God has given me while being in Japan has been a heart for the Japanese. He has opened my eyes to the ways He loves these people and my heart now breaks for the Japanese people to know the love of God. This burden I have on my heart for the people I work with and the friends I have here has driven a passion in me and filled me with purpose every single day. Before I moved here I was so worried about being homesick, about doing things independently, or being lonely. I was worried about feeling the pain and sadness that would come from all of that, but let me just tell you this --> When you are filled with purpose you obliterate all of the pain. I am filled with purpose... and it is all from God, through God, because of God, and for God! Amen! 

^me talking with my hands, per usual. 

Thanks for all the love and support from afar! Cheers to two more years loving and serving God in Japan! 

*anyone who wants to visit, please feel free! I love sharing my love for this country with others. 

HANABI + YUKATAS

In the states, we associate fireworks (Hanabi) with the 4th of July.
In Japan, we associate fireworks with two things : summer + yukatas! 

A yukata is a casual summer kimono that is seen all over Japan in the summer. The girls yukatas are all BEAUTIFUL. Actually, the point is that each part of your outfit, the yukata (main cloth part), the obi (the waist tie), and the geta (wooden shoes), are all supposed to stand out on their own which creates very bright and colorful miss-matched patterns. aka AMAZING. 

So August 6th was our local Firework show at Tengauma river. Thousands and thousands of people come out to watch this 1.5 hour show (YES AN HOUR AND A HALF OF FIREWORKS) and Steph and were lucky that our two good friends saved a spot for us the day before! 

So, I don't have a yukata yet but my good friend Haruka is pregnant so she said "Amie, I can't wear mine so you can borrow it!" I then borrowed Steph's red Obi for a pop of color and we had a fun time trying to put the darn thing on!! haha it is not as easy as it may seem. 

Steph in her pretty yukata and yellow obi. 

The fireworks started around 7pm so we headed to the park around 5:30 and I was already VERY SWEATY. 

Feeling very 日本人 (nihonjin - Japanese) 

A sea of blue tarps reserving spots. We had THE PERFECT view of the show right on the water. Front row and center.

It wouldn't be a Japanese event without plenty of good food...I even found spam and it took me right back to my childhood! We grabbed some food and sat down on our tarp with a bunch of other snacks and drinks to enjoy the show. 

So. many. people. I even saw two of my students on a date which made me laugh that they somehow found Steph and I in this sea of people! how?! No idea. 

The show started at 7:10 and it was incredible. Forsure the best firework show I have ever seen. It felt like we were right under them! The atmosphere was epic too...just a hot Japanese summer, cicadas ringing in the trees, kids running around, ladies in beautiful yukatas, and the booming sound of the fireworks. I am approaching my one year JAPANIVERSARY (a year since I moved to Japan) so it made it more epic knowing that this place has been my home for the past year and will always hold a very special place in my heart.  

KOBE CAMP

Long before Kobe Bryant became the iconic image and hero of my generation...there was the city of Kobe, in Japan. Actually rumor has it Kobe Bryant's parents named him after the famous Kobe beef that comes from the area. 

Last week I had the chance to help out with a camp, and we all know I am a camp person...but get this...this was a BASKETBALL CHURCH CAMP IN KOBE! Talk about the most perfect combination. The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if KOBE Bryant was there himself. 

I took the Shinkansen down Tuesday after work. From my school, it took me an hour to get to Tokyo station where the Shinkansen leaves. From there it took me around 3 hours to get down to Kobe (it's far!!) and I made a pit stop in Osaka on the way.

There is an unspoken rivalry (I guess it is often spoken of but Japanese people are polite compared to rivalries in the states) between Osaka-Kansai people and Tokyo-Kanto people. The two cities try to differentiate themselves as much as possible so in Osaka people stand on the right side of escalators while in Tokyo people stand on the left - confusing!

Anyway, the reason I stopped in Osaka was to meet up with Kazue, who is marrying my brother-in-laws good friend Jose. Kazue was recently up at my place in Kashiwa with Jose and Ant, so it was fun to see her on her home turf. She took me out to eat Shabu shabu and it was so good! I hope I can visit her one more time in Osaka before she moves to CA to get married!

So after dinner with Kazue I finally made it to Kobe and stayed at a local church with the team of Americans I would be working with. The next day we woke up, met our campers at a nearby station, and drove into the Inaka (countryside) for camp!!

We stayed at this Rugby sports facility about an hour inland from Kobe city. My dad's friend Martin, organizes this basketball camp every year and that is how I heard about it. It combines the four things I love most JESUS + JAPAN + KIDS + BASKETBALL. So perfect

We partnered with a local pastor and his wife and they sent out the info for the camp to the public. In Japan, from a very young age, kids are highly involved in their school clubs so it is hard to find kids with a few free days to spend at a basketball church camp...so this year 7 junior high boys came! Everyone wished there were more kids, but we all understood its the cultural circumstance and were stoked to have 7 boys to hang out with!

On the first day, we played bball from 1-5pm!! The boys were excited to get on the court and if the sweat on their shirt is any evidence, they definitely played hard!

We were all tired that first night...so it felt nice to come into the cafeteria for a nice big meal. Like I said, this is a Rugby sports facility so the chef really cooks some hefty food. We had teriyaki chicken, sausage, cabbage, rice, and soup the first night. 

We wrapped up the evening playing camp games (ninja is always a huge hit with kids, especially boys), a time of worship, and a message from Pastor Taniguchi. 

Day 2! Wake up call was at 7am, for breakfast at 7:30, and I made sure to get up earlier to take in as much nature as possible. I found a nice spot out on the patio...and it reminded me so much of my time working at Forest Home back in college. There is something magical about that early morning sun on a summer day, with a full days adventure ahead of you, the peaceful moment staring at Gods creation, far from the hustle and bustle of the big city...ahhhh the best. 

Day 2 was a crazy basketball day. We played from 9:00-11:50am, had a lunch break, and then played from 1:00-5:00pm!! That is a lot of basketball even for me! We made sure to split things up between fundamental drills, plenty of water breaks, groups games, scrimmages, and the best part - Bible time! There were 5 of us coaches who each shared a devotional throughout the camp. We then split up into small groups to talk to the kids about what they learned. 

the gym was SO HOT. I want to guess it was 90 with 110 percent humidity haha. I was sweating just standing there...literally dripping sweat. The good thing is, at Japanese convenience stores they sell frozen drinks so this frozen aquarius (sports drink) tasted like HEAVEN. 

For lunch we all ate Hambagu (hamburger patty) with mushroom soup and rice. It was funny being with 7 junior high boys because they ate everything extremely fast. I think one kid ate his entire hambagu in 1 minute. 

It was fun sitting family style at camp and I loved praying with the kids before every meal. 

Phew! day 2 of basketball ended and everyone was exhausted...but in a good way. After finishing at 5, there is designated "bath" time where everyone washes up in the public bath. Yep, that Japanese life! I wish you all could experience public bathing here in Japan..it is so funny to me how it is so normal for them here but the weirdest thing for foreigners! Lucky for me, there were only 2 other ladies at camp with me so we took turns and went separately. *I don't mind using public baths if I am with strangers, but if I am with people I know, it's weird!

Night session on day 2 consisted of a lot of fun games outside in the dark...an awesome message by Pastor Taniguchi..a few worship songs in English and Japanese...and to top it all off we ate SMORES! Now, smores are not common here in Japan so for most of the students it was their first time eating them. As Americans we grew up with them, but can you imagine being a junior high boy and eating one for the first time?? They freaked out. They all ate at least 4 and some of them we had to tell to stop or else they would be feeling pretty sick!

Day 3 of camp. We all woke up to the classic Japanese breakfast of Miso soup, rice, a few veggies, and fish. (I passed on the fish obvi) but the miso soup was sooooo goooooood. 

I've been lovin this song off Hillsongs new album.. "And we owe it all to Jesus/ sin and all its shame deleted/ death and all its chains defeated/ and the light we see is Jesus/ and the air we breathe is freedom" AMEN!! 

Last day of camp...we played a full four quarter game all morning and had the best time. 

After our game, we closed things off with a short speech about each of the kids and gave them a gift bag of a framed photos of us, a manga Bible (so cool!) and a bunch of other stuff along with one of the camp balls to keep. One kid even ran upstairs after to immediately start reading the manga Bible because he was so curious. Praise God! 

Group photo. back row of coaches: Jen, Martin's daughter from Maryland...Russel from SD...Dennis from SF...and JJ from soCal. Front row is all the kids! 

After our last basketball session we headed into the cafeteria for...drumroll...CURRY!!! Curry is everyones' favorite comfort food, right? (side note: can you imagine how many basketball jokes could happen if Japanese people became fans of Steph Curry??) The boys dug right in...and we let them serve themselves which might have been a mistake because some of them put SO MUCH curry on their plates. But they ate it all! Every last drop of curry and rice was consumed. It was crazy. 

We were so far out in the inaka (countryside) that our gym was the true definition of a "jungle gym" with so much greenery surrounding it. My eyes were in heaven because we don't really get this type of greenery near Tokyo so it was a treat. 

On Friday we drove the boys back to the nearest station and sent them on their way. They all were traveling back towards Osaka and it was amazing seeing them just confidently take public transportation like it was no big deal! 

It was so refreshing for the soul to be out in nature, and it was even more refreshing to the soul to be reading God's word and sharing His love with these Japanese kids. I was so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of a camp like this, praising Jesus and playing sports. It was the best way to spend a few days and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here!" 
2 Corinthians 5:17

KASHIWA MATSURI 柏祭り

This past weekend was the Kashiwa Matsuri (festival)... aka a giant party in my backyard. Funny thing is, I had originally planned to travel down to Kobe on Saturday to help out with a basketball ministry camp so I wasn't going to be able to go to the festival. But at the last minute, the camp schedule got pushed back 2 days leaving me with a free Saturday to go, so it all worked out! 

The streets were packed when I got there at 3pm and the Odori dance competition was going on. Everyone looked so lovely, and the booming taiko drums and high pitched odori music created that quintessential-Japanese-matsuri atmosphere. 

Can we all take a moment to appreciate this man's incredible photography form. 

Kashiwa station is pretty big so all the surrounding streets were packed with booths selling snacks, drinks, and offering games for the kids. Steph's sister Courtney has been traveling through Japan these past few weeks and it was fun to have her in town for this specific matsuri. 

I loved these two girls and their grandpa.

On the other side of the station they had a big stage set up for many performances that ran throughout the weekend.

JAM PACKED! 

all kinds of seafood on sticks, amazingly crispy and delicious Japanese pickles, and these traditional candies...just to name a few snacks for sale. 

fresh squeezed orange jucie with a bit of sparking cider mixed in. 

As expected, Steph and I ran into so many of our students there. It was as if every 10 minutes or so we heard, "OH!? AMIE! STEPHANIE!" These girls are on the dance team at school and were dressed in the cutest Yukatas! 

ahhh...a nice cold bottle of Ramune! 

Ok, I think we can all agree that Japanese kids are reallyyyy cute...but Japanese kids in their summer yukatas take it to the next level of undeniable cuteness! 

It's not a true matsuri without some good Kakigori (Shaved ice) and this one did not disappoint. 

As a kid, I remember looking forward to the JCI (Japanese Cultural Institute) carnival every summer, which took place in the parking lot of our local community center. I have so many distinct memories of eating okinawa dango, yakisoba, shaved ice...playing bingo downstairs...making those tiny bead bracelets in the arts room upstairs (my Torrance peeps you know exactly what I'm talking about right?!)...fishing for goldfish using paper plates...saying hi to my uncle who sold plants from his nursery...and fully enjoying hanging out in the summer with friends. 

There is something so special about summers + matsuris and spending the afternoon in Kashiwa filled me with so much nostalgia. It was definitely the perfect way to spend a summer day in Japan!