A Weekend of Akita Bliss

I went to Akita city to visit Kirsten and Hannah...

I got there at 10 p.m. and was welcomed by the girls, who told me we'd be riding bikes back to Kirsten's apartment. I was concerned because I had a suitcase and was imagining myself rolling it along side me while I rode the bike, and I knew it was no short trip. But, no, we got the bikes out of the bike parking ramp and Kirsten plopped by suitcase right into the basket! But the capacity of bike baskets never ceases to amaze me. It took a little while to get the hang of it, but it turned out to be really easy to ride with my little "baby" in back.

On Sunday afternoon we took a road trip out to the coast, thanks to their friend DJ Conny (pronounced "coney"). We stopped at the grocery store before we left to get our picnic snacks, but ended up eating most of them in the car. Toward the end of the ride we were going through narrow winding roads in the mountains and regretted eating so many snacks... but once we got out and got some fresh air, we felt much better :)

At sunset, we set up a blanket on the edge of the cliff and had some strawberries with sweetened-condensed milk from a tube. Somehow Kirsten ended up in the picnic bag. Weird... ;-)
We played frisbee until it got dark, then we drove to a look-out point above the city. There were vending machines, of course, and that's where Conny introduced us to the incredible Orange Fanta Shaker. You shake it 10 times before opening it, and it becomes a perfect combination of orange soda and orange jello. Incredible! And it doesn't even explode when you open it - any chemists out there who can explain that?

On Monday we met up with Kaila (the teacher in Takanosu), her friends Brendan and Pam, visiting from Canada, and Sachiko who drove them. We also got to meet Heather, the new teacher who will be taking over for Kaila. We had a fun time at Starbucks (the new coffee jello frappuccino is AMAZING! I don't know what it is lately with jello in drinks, but it's such a good idea) and the mall. We even had Baskin-Robins - my first time since I got to Japan.


I love the rice fields in this season.

At one point Hannah, Kaila and I ended up stranded in a little train station in the middle of nowhere, but it's long story, so I'll just leave you with this image from inside the over-pass at the station. With all the vending machines in this country, there is never a lack of bottles.

Golden Week with Mom and Dad

My parents were here from April 30th-May 8th, during my Golden Week vacation. We packed a lot into our schedule and were busy all day every day! I was impressed with how much Mom and Dad were willing to try: ANY food put before them, speaking Japanese a little, the public bath, meeting lots of people, etc. Here are some highlights from the visit:

When I showed the above picture to one of my high school students, she said "it suits him well."

This was the "geibikei." We sat on the floor of the boat and rode through the shallow water. The man told jokes and sang a couple of traditional-style songs for us as he pushed the boat using the pole.

^ Dad eating a whole fish. Delicious?

During the Golden Week holiday there was "Boys' Day" (now sometimes called "Children's Day). Families and businesses fly these "koinobori" to celebrate the boys (or children in general).

Mom drew and told the story of Noah's Ark at Hallelujah Nursery (with the help of a translator friend).

Here I am with my two moms. :-D

On their last full day in Morioka, Mom and Dad got to meet my cute little Wednesday-students.

A special gift for mom from the Miyakawas!