SAKURA : NAKAMEGURO

There is a certain panic that sets in during sakura season in Tokyo where everyone is buzzing around trying to get the best views of these ephemeral flowers. I myself, felt this panic the other weekend when I had to teach my Saturday class on the prime day for sakura viewing! My class finished at 3pm and I immediately headed into Tokyo to meet a few friends and take pics of the flowers for a few hours before the sun set around 6pm. The spot I had been dreaming about going to was Nakameguro...and let me just say, it did not dissappoint. 

Nakameguro station is pretty small...so on this particular Saturday it was overflowing with people...jammed on every side trying to exit and get to Meguro river to see the blooms. 

Meguro is a pretty stylish area since it bumps into Ebisu and Daikanyama which are super cool places for young working people to hang out...aka TRENDY-INSTAGRAM-VIBES ALL AROUND! 

I met up with my friends Brittan and Nathalie and it was so fun to drink pretty sparkling drinks, take a bazillion photos, and share the excitement of sakura season with them! 

This might be my favorite shot of the day! 

All along the river...it was PACKED. But funny enough, I didn't really mind. The flowers were so stunning that you couldn't really complain. 

We were sure to get our hands on some Hanami dango...which represents the three stages a sakura flower lives through: pink bud, white petals, and green leaves! get it!? 

I can imagine this couple perfectly coordinating their pink outfit beforehand just to take this photo

When the sun sets, they light up the river which creates a pretty epic scene. The weather was so nice...with just a bit of chill in the air. ahhh...spring. 

THANK YOU SAKURA 2017...IT'S BEEN REAL! SEE YA NEXT YEAR....またね〜

SAKURA : TEGANUMA

HE IS RISEN!
 

I thank the good Lord for Easter- the day we celebrate His resurrection and the freedom we receive from the cross! My heart is so grateful, even more so this year as I continue to live abroad and experience moments of deep closeness and dependence on God. The weight of all the words of Jesus, all He did on Earth in His ministry, all His love and sacrifice for all of us has been made even more real to me living here. Wow. 

For me, this winter season hasn't been the easiest. There were many days that felt gloomy, cold and dark. The strain of relationships, cultural differences, misunderstanding, loss, sickness, change, temptation, anxiety...it all left me in a type of winter season that my heart had never encountered before. But the good Lord is the one who changes the winter into spring and this I can say with confidence and assurance - God is SO GOOD and His promises are SO TRUE. There is so much joy to be found when we stick close to the Lord in our acts of obedience and devotion.

So the springtime feels so amazing not only just with regard to weather (although I am stoked to pack up my bulky sweaters and wear t-shirts again) but also with regard to the freshness and healing I feel in my heart. Praise the Lord!

Time for some Sakura photos to celebrate...starting with my backyard aka Teganuma! 

There's a beautiful line of sakura trees all along the walkway and even though it was pouring rain when I went out on this morning to take pics...it was still stunning!

A few days later I headed back to Teganuma when it wasn't raining and got some pics of the sakura falling...

I love all the old men that fish around the water. They just chill out there all day...such a simple life!

Sad to see the petals on the ground...but still beautiful! 

I loved this family chillin under this incredibly beautiful tree in their pink tent. perfect. 

Blessed to call this place my home and to experience the beauty of another sakura season! 

WHY YOU NEED TO WATCH TERRACE HOUSE

Ok brief overview if you didn't already know...

TERRACE HOUSE : A Japanese reality TV show (now on Netflix) based in Tokyo. Six strangers live in an epic house together, all working their various jobs and living their life per-usual, except they are filmed round the clock (think Real World but much much more tame and modest). People can leave the show at any time, thus freeing up space for new people to come in and shake things up. My brother, cousins, aunties, Japanese friends, and American friends all agree that this is a brilliant display of reality TV. This blog post is specifically being written to explain why you NEED to watch this show haha..

1. TOKYO, THE DREAM LAND.
Okay, first and foremost this show takes place in Tokyo, aka one of the greatest cities known to man. If you haven't been to Tokyo, this show will make you want to come ASAP. If you have been to Tokyo, this show will make your heart ache wanting to be back. The show follows the members of the house as they go to work (hairdresser, model, barista), out to dinner (yakiniku, okonomiyaki, shabu shabu), go on dates (kamakura, ebisu, shibuya) etc. The way the show is filmed is so rad; stylish, simple, clean lines, good shots of the city...and does (in my opinion) portray Tokyo as the truly incredible place it is. 

2. THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Japanese is a beautiful language, and It takes only a few minutes of watching the show to realize this. It's soft, tender, fluid and encapsulates a few words that are just so epic they can't be properly translated to English i.e otsukaresama, ikemen, shyouganai. For me, this is extra fun because I get to study while being entertained. The people on this show are all in their 20s, so the language used is not only relevant and conversational, it's also just so cool! You might start saying some Japanese phrases after a few episodes...majide? (really?)...gomennasai (i'm sorry)...okaeri (welcome home).

3. THE FOOD
If you feel insecure about your cooking ability, then this show will make you feel worse haha. Just in the first episode, a few members of the house to go the supermarket, come home and effortlessly cook up the most amazing sushi dinner. A lot of the episodes are centered around food, which is very appropriate for Japanese culture, and these 20-somethings whip up some incredible dishes that will give you major #lifegoals. 

4. THE JAPANESE WAY
One of the best parts of this show is the insight into the Japanese way. Whether it's the dating style, the designated house cleaning time, the male-female roles, the way conflict is addressed, and even the passive aggressive tension that hangs in the air in a few episodes, is all so distinctly Japanese. It is fascinating watching this all go down, especially for those of us that grew up in America and are used to a quite different approach to relationships and communication. It is a true insight into the Japanese way of life and it will make you ask so many questions and discuss so many things!! (shout out to my cousin Bryce who is possibly making a podcast about this because the cultural topics to discuss are truly endless.)

OKAY PEOPLE...I gave you 4 decent reasons to watch the show. GO GO GO! You seriously won't regret it. I told Russ and Jen (brother and sister-in-law) to watch it ASAP and they approached it with hesitation. So..it's basically Japanese real world? But...only after a few days, the Terrace House magic set in and my brother texted me with a full list of all the members from the first two seasons (THAT'S LIKE 40+ EPISODES!) from order of his "most-liked-member" to "least-liked-member". He got ahead of me in the show and I am now the one catching up. So calling this "the Japanese version of real world" ....NO WAY...TERRACE HOUSE IS MORE. SO. MUCH. MORE. 

okay and let me just end with some preview photos of this Sakura season! I have been catching up on Terrace House so I haven't had time to get my photos organized and blog about it...but soon enough :) 

OHHHH...side note, one of the members from the show, Uchi (hairdresser) works in Daikanyama which is one of my favorite places in Tokyo. One time last summer I was walking through the small streets of that area to meet a friend and I happened to walk past his hair salon (BLAST) as he walked out and said goodbye to one of his clients. I just about had a panic attack and was completely in shock (he's one of my fav members of the show) and would have 100% asked for a photo if he wasnt with a client! But it got me thinking...how crazy that these people from this epic reality show are just normal, working, 20-somethings in Tokyo...I NEED TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEM!!!!

THE BEGINNING OF THE BEAUTY

Tokyo is a magical land year-round...but during April there is an extra sparkle of magic due to the two week time frame where sakura (cherry blossoms) are in bloom. 

One of the places you HAVE to see while in Tokyo in April is Nakameguro...or Nakamegs as I like to call it. 

Like a magical fairy land!! 

bikes...sakura...the river..ahhh Japan.

I hit up my fav coffee shop in Meguro, JAHO COFFEE, to visit my friend Nami that works there. I ordered a coffee and this amazing strawberry mousse with azuki bean on the bottom. SO GOOD. 

JAHO has the coolest vibe and it's my go-to spot when in the area. Plus, Nami is amazing and the friendliest and most joyful lady! 

I cruised the streets of Nakamegs and couldn't believe how many people were there on a Tuesday at 4pm. But then I concluded that most of the people were college students, stay at home moms, or cute elderly people! I was so thankful to get a view of the sakura in meguro and to spend one more nice afternoon in Tokyo before the new school year begins on Thursday!

After chillen in Meguro, I headed to Odaiba to meet up with Pastor Steve and Nancy who are here with a group from GVBC. I met them at their hotel and they took me to get starbucks. We chatted all about their jam packed tour of Japan, my job here, Japanese churches, ministry, and also how they both have known me since I was 2 years old! That is pretty special, and I was so blessed by the time I had with them. 

So...this is really the beginning of this beautiful Sakura season...more where this came from!!

SISSY

I was going to post a bunch of photos of my sister and I to commemorate her birthday today, April 1st (the joke of her life has been that her birthday is INDEED on April 1st. It is no joke ha!) but after looking through endless photos of us and remembering all these special times I've had with her, I realized that this one encapsulates us perfectly...

Most of you know that my sister (or as I like to call her Stac, Sis, Sissy) is 10 years my senior. Growing up, this had it's number of benefits. In high school Stac was a star basketball player, involved in many clubs and activities, who was well liked by all her peers. This meant that when I eventually made it to high school, I was referred to by many as "little Komae" and walked around with an extra layer of confidence thanks to my sis. When I was a pre-teen, I watched my sis graduate at the top of her class with a degree in Communication studies from Vanguard, and I knew I wanted to follow suit. I saw how she excelled both academically and socially, so when I majored in Comm at APU, I knew I wanted to thrive like she did. Then, there was the time Stac went on missions with YWAM in Australia when I was a teenager. She sent me this box of cool things from AUS and I remember thinking at that moment, I'm gunna do this one day too! Travel the world for Jesus and explore new places! That came to fruition when I spent time in Uganda, and then the moment I got my job in Japan and she was the first one I told. 

When I moved to Japan, I had a slight fear that it would be hard to keep in touch with her and that we would drift apart in a way... but praise the Lord that didn't happen! Our friendship and sisterhood has actually strengthened! I guess distance really does make the heart grow fonder. We chat all the time, I send her updates of my life here and she sends me pics of the kids and how things are at moms. Not only has she been with me through the best days and most exciting experiences I've had here in Japan, but she has also been with me the rough days...the moments when my heart was heavy and I felt like I had fallen on my face. Throughout my entire life, Stac has always been right there to pick up my phone call, provide wisdom and guidance, and point me back to Jesus. How blessed I am to call her sissy.  

So today, I celebrate my sis and all she means to me and to everyone else that knows her. She is an amazing sister, wife, mother (+one on the way!), daughter, leader, party-planner, greeter, encourager, and child of God!!

I love you tons sissy. Thanks for being my lifelong role model. Thanks for always lifting me up and pointing me to Christ. I know Him more because of you. I am grateful for your life today and everyday! Happy birthday! 
Love, Chanie. 

okay, one more pic for kicks..

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
The LORD's lovingkindness indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion", says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."
Lamentations 3: 22-23