Imperial Palace Tour

Today I went to downtown Tokyo, with the Erwin's, to tour the Imperial Palace.  First thing I totally forgot was to bring ID!  I usually travel with my ID but decided to bring my smaller bag which didn't have my ID.  I didn't transfer the documents into the smaller bag.  God must have had a hand somewhere because we were never asked for ID, even though the confirmation email said to bring ID!  The people in front of us were asked to produce their ID but they just counted us and passed us on!  

It was an interesting tour.  The tour was all in Japanese, but we had headsets that had English.  The Japanese tour took a whole lot longer than the English one, which makes me wonder if they were sharing more information in Japanese than in English.  It was still quite informative. In 1868 Emperor Meiji moved to Tokyo from Kyoto.  The Emperor has lived in Tokyo since that time.  

This wall was made with stone and some of the stones had markings from feudal families or lords or some sort of what used to be rulers (I can't remember).

Fujimi-yagura - It is three stories tall and was reconstructed in 1659.  It's a watchtower. 

Imperial Palace - Chowaden Hall, Left side is the South Porch and the right side is the North Porch, where many of the visiting dignitaries come through the North Porch. That green metal thing is there to represent a pine tree.  

Straight ahead is the balcony where the Emperor and Empress and Members of the Imperial family stand on January 2nd for the New Year, and again on December 23rd for the Emperor's birthday.

Hasuikebori (Lotus Moat) - this apparently is beautiful when in bloom in the summer.

Entrance gate to the East Gardens also known as the Ote-mon Gate

Tenshukaku Donjon in the East Gardens - original was completed in 1607, was destroyed in the Great Fire of  1657 and it has never been reconstructed but only the stone wall that formed the foundation is there today.

Tokagakudo Concert Hall built in 1966.  Taken from on top of the Tenshukaku Donjon.

Wendy's in Roppongi!  Had a double cheese burger.  Sometimes I miss that North American food!

Before you think I had a fantastic memory, I had an Imperial Palace pamphlet that helped me.  

It was a chilly day and another great opportunity for me to ride the trains, helping me to understand the system a little better.   I had a great time with the Erwin's and I learned a lot!  I did take a few more pictures and you can find them on www.flickr.com/photos/wlangelaar.  

Christmas in Japan!

So, this is Christmas, in Japan.  It's like any other day.  I went to the Seiyu to pick up some things and there were people shopping, working, delivering packages, cleaning the streets, delivering propane, picking up garbage, students attending school, even newspapers were delivered, just like any other day.  
I, however, was able to have a bit of a special day.  Hana and Jenny, let me sleep in until 7 this morning.  They both were so excited to come downstairs, you'd think they had presents under the tree, or saw Santa Claus during the night, or heard reindeer on the roof, or something.  Anyway, we went through our regular morning routine.  Like any other day this break, Hana sits on the left and Jenny on the right, while I eat breakfast, hoping for some crumbs or a crust!  
I bicycled down to the local Seiyu for some items and then sat outside with both dogs for about an hour.  The dogs were enjoying their time outside in the sun.  It was warm, but not so warm as to only wear a t-shirt.  

Jenny and Hana enjoying the sunshine this Christmas day!

I was able to have Christmas dinner with the Essenburgs, who are CRWM missionaries that work at Christian Academy in Japan.  It was a great dinner with turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, cream corn, rolls, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, frozen fruit salad, cookies, candy, chocolate, gingerbread and even banket!  We also sat at the table and worked at a Christmas jigsaw puzzle!  
I made it home in time to take Jenny for a bit of a run and Hana for a sniff/walk.  While on our walk between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., there were still businesses open.  Here are some pictures taken during the dogs and my run/walk this Christmas day evening. 

Sorry for the blurriness, this is City Hall at about 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Christmas lights by a home a couple of blocks away.

Flower Shop

Dogs were getting hair cuts here.

The bread store

Neighbor's place down the street

Christmas 2012 was like no other Christmas for me, mostly because I spent it in Japan.  In a sense, I was able to celebrate this day, keeping it simple.  I pray that you may have a chance to reflect on what Christ's birth here on earth means to you.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Disneyland Tokyo!

Yesterday was a very long day!  I was up by 5:15 a.m. and didn't crawl back into bed until midnight.  It was a very full day!  Here's what I did... ready?  Wait for it... DISNEYLAND TOKYO!  ok, maybe the lead up was bigger than the punchline deserved.  :)  I have not been an avid Disney person but I do remember when I was young, waiting to be able to watch the Wonderful World of Disney on TV.  It was one of the few TV shows I could watch.  

So, I was invited by a family, the Erwins, who attends and works at Christian Academy in Japan to go with them to Disneyland.  I thought it would be a good opportunity to see one the tourist attractions here in Tokyo. We caught the 6:49 a.m. train from Higashikurume, switched trains a couple of times and were at Disneyland Tokyo!  It felt like the Disney parks in the US, even with palm trees.  The only problem was the temperature!  It was only 8ᵒ C, or 45ᵒ F!  I was wearing my winter jacket with a couple of layers underneath and my gloves!  It didn't fit with the times I had visited Disneyland in California or Disney World in Florida, but it was an adventure anyway!  

I felt that we had been able to get on to a number of rides over the course of 13 hours.  We rode the rides for or visited Buzz Lightyear, Monsters Inc., Peter Pan, Mark Twain Riverboat, Pirates of the Caribbean,  Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki House, Country Bear Theater, Tom Sawyer Island, Cinderella's Fairy Tale Hall, Mickey's PhilHarMagic, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Pooh's Honey Hut, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Captain EO, and Giant Circuit Raceway!  Not bad, eh?  

There were a number of similarities between this Disney park the the other Disney parks, but there are some differences.  There was a fair amount of English available, although a number of the rides were in Japanese, which really makes it interesting when you're used to a certain voice in English and you get Japanese!  Here are a couple of clips...

 

Here are some pictures, you can find more at www.flickr.com/photos/wlangelaar

Entrance to Disneyland Tokyo

My 1-Day Passport

The famous Cinderella Castle

A view from the Castle

From atop the Mark Twain Riverboat

The Christmas Tree in the World Bazaar

Looking up the Christmas tree from the bottom

It was a very fun day spent with the Erwin's.  Today however is a day to rest and relax!

Christmas break is here!

Merry Christmas!  I still wonder at the fact that I'm in Japan!  Hard to believe that I am way across the Pacific Ocean from where I have lived most of my life!  Sometimes as I am riding my bicycle to school, I have to be reminded that I really am in Japan!  

This will be my first Christmas in Japan.  I'm still trying to figure out what Christmas will be like here.  A couple of weeks ago, there were only a small amount of lights out and Merry Christmas signs.  In the last week there have been a few more lights but I'm not 100% sure if it is for Christmas or if it is for New Year's.  I have heard that New Year's is a celebrated holiday, a pretty big deal.  

A dental building near where I'm living.

Thursday, December 13th was a special day in grade six at Christian Academy in Japan.  We celebrated Passover!  In some senses it seemed odd that we were celebrating Passover just before Christmas, but then again, it was because of Christmas, that we were able to share in the meal that pointed to the final sacrifice and resurrection of Christ.  We had a pastor from a local church help us through a Messianic Passover Haggadah script.  The students had made some matzoh and haroset the day before.  Here are some pictures of the event.  

We really do not segregate the students by gender, they do this on their own!

Girl's table

Pastor's table

On Friday, December 7th we had a significant earthquake here.  It was one that made the news in Canada and the US.  That quake was about the sixth one I felt since coming here in August. Interestingly enough, an alert came on my IPhone with sirens, announcing the earthquake, however with my lack of Japanese, I didn't know what it was about.  It took a little bit for me to figure out that it actually was an alert about the earthquake, which came only seconds after the alert.  There were a number of teachers still in the building and we were either standing in the doorway or under a table or desk.  The buildings here "rock" some but they seem to be able to withstand quite a shake.  

Each day of this Advent season I have been able to open a gift given by the grade one and two classes at Washington Christian Academy.  I take pictures of the gifts each day to send to the teachers to share with the students.  It has turned my little Christmas tree into an ornament filled tree.  The star is HUGE compared to the tree, but I am loving it!  Here is the tree as of December 17th.  

My Little Advent Tree!

So, what do I plan to do with my three weeks off?  Well, I do have school work to do, grading papers, forms to fill out and lesson planning as well as curriculum work.  I have to admit though, the break is welcome and since the three days off thus far, I've relaxed a lot, although not nearly as much as Hana, the black lab I am taking care of for most of the break. She seems to sleep nonstop!  I also will have Jenny, a yellow lab coming Tuesday, December 18th.  She will stay here for part of the break.  I also have plans to go to Disney, not sure if I'll be going to land or sea, here in Tokyo.  That should be interesting to see if it's different from Disneyland or Disney World in the US.  I also have tickets to go tour the Imperial Palace grounds on Boxing Day.  Both of those days should be fun.  I hope to do some bicycling around and hopping on the trains so I can start to feel a little more comfortable knowing where I'm going when I ride on them.  

I'm sure I'll post about the upcoming events.  I'd like to wish you all a very Blessed Christmas! 

What a busy couple of weeks!

Konnichiwa!  Ok, thought I'd try a little Japanese on you!  I have to admit, I'm slowly, however so slowly, learning new words and characters.  It is complicated.  There are three different alphabets, Hiragana, Katakana and Cangjie.  All three can be used within one sentence.  There are different symbols for the same sound depending on the alphabet.  So, lots to learn for this brain!  

ヒらがな Hiragana  C日弓土十戈 Cangjie  カタカナ Katakana

It has been a busy couple of weeks with a lot of activities going on.  November 15th was a special day for Grade 6 and 9 at CAJ.  It was Greek Day!  Both classes have been practicing their Greek myths skits for a number of weeks prior.  That Thursday the students were to present their skits.  Parents visitors and other classes came into the auditorium to watch few of the skits.  After the skits were completed, by about 1:30 - 2:00 or so, a number of parents had prepared some Greek food for the students.  It was a fun day! 

Busy preparing for skits and presenting skits.  

I had my first Thanksgiving meal the Saturday before Thanksgiving weekend.  About 30 women, carrying different country passports, living here in the Tokyo gathered together at a mutual friend's place to share a Thanksgiving meal.  We did not all know each other but we were all connected to a couple of teachers at CAJ.  It was a fun evening and a first Thanksgiving meal for some of them, not having experienced things such as stuffing or pumpkin pie.  

All of us at the Thanksgiving meal on the Saturday before US Thanksgiving.  Some of the leftovers on the table.  

 We also had a Thanksgiving meal with the Christian Reformed World Mission missionaries and partner missionaries at Michael and Kim Essenburg's house.  We shared another traditional US Thanksgiving meal, sang some Thanksgiving songs and were able to have good fellowship.  
Right after the meal, seven of us drove/rode up to Takayama to stay in Brian and Bette VanderHaak's cabin for the long weekend.  That is where I had my third U.S. Thanksgiving meal!  Friday evening there were about another 30 people who live in the neighboring missionary cabins, came to Brian and Bette's cabin to share a Thanksgiving meal.  It was great getting to meet a number of the neighbors there.  
I have only been up to Takayama two times now, but really enjoy the time there as it is very relaxing and I get to spend time walking or running the beach.  There were a couple of new things that happened this trip.  First, I met Jenny, a yellow lab who lives with the Potter family.  I will be dog-sitting Jenny and Hana (VanderHaak's black lab) over Christmas break.  Here's a picture of both Jenny and Hana on the beach.  I was adventurous and took both, Jenny and Hana for a walk.  

Jenny and Hana both like walks on the beach!

The second thing that happened was that Simone braided my hair adding extensions!  Simone had some extra extensions she brought from the U.S. and she was willing to put them in my hair.  Yes, I look different and well, it has been interesting the reactions to my braids.  I think now that people are a bit used it now and they have asked about how I had it done.  Simone took a large chunk of Saturday just braiding my hair!  Here's a picture of what she accomplished that day!  

Doesn't it look interesting? That's Kelsey Hardeman in the back.

The third interesting thing may not be so interesting but it's been a long time!  I made peanut sauce!  It's based on a recipe in the Wild Boar on the Kitchen Floor cookbook for West Africa.  I haven't made peanut sauce in quite a while and had to do it from memory not knowing for sure how much of the ingredients to put it.  It was a bit of a hit and mostly hit.  It turned out fine and all seven of us had enough to eat.  

YUM Peanut Sauce!

Visiting Takayama gives me to opportunity to do some exploring, especially looking at the damage the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, envisioning what it must have been like to have this HUGE wall of water destroy so much of the homes and land.  The area is called Shichigahama, which literally means seven beaches, a lot to explore.  Here are a few pictures of what I explored. 

Waves coming in

Another beach

A destroyed bridge

I have to admit, I'm struggling with the fact that today is the first day of December!  How did that happen?  Wasn't it just August 11th and I landed in Narita?  Only two more weeks of teaching and Christmas break will be here!  Christmas events have begun.  Last night, November 30th, was the first Christmas concert at CAJ.  The High School Music department presented its Christmas concert.  It was about two hours of bands and choirs.  I was quite impressed with the wide range of musical skills the students at CAJ have.  Even one student directed a musical piece!  

Wide range of choral and bands at the High School Christmas Concert at CAJ

Saturday, December 1st was the day for the Run For the Cure in Tokyo.  It's a fundraiser for Breast Cancer.  Tanya Hall, our Middle School Principal organized a group of us from CAJ to take the train and head down to Hibiya Park where the stage and registration was.  We picked up our t-shirts, took pictures, had our faces painted and then headed over to the start area which is by the Imperial Palace grounds.  

This is the CAJ group.  Some of us walked, some ran the 5 km.

Map of the 10 or 5 km run/walk 

It was fun to walk with colleagues, chatting about various things outside of school.  The weather held out until we finished.  About 15 minutes after we finished there was a down pour of rain.  We ran to the train station and hopped on a train that headed home.  
Saturday evening December 1st, Simone and I took Bette to The Himalayan Restaurant in Tokorozowa.  We went there a couple of weeks ago.  We like the curry they serve there as well as the naan.  Here is a picture of my dinner.  YUM! 

I ordered an eggplant and a chicken curry.  There was also a salad and rice with the naan. They have this delicious yoghurt as a dessert

Finally, saving the best for last! About a week ago I got an email from the Business office at school telling me I had a HUGE package!  Of course I still had to teach a couple of classes before I could get down to the business office.  My curiosity had peaked.  During fourth period I walked down and went to pick up my big box.  It was from the grade one and two classes at Washington Christian Academy!  I opened the box and the most thoughtful gift was included!  They had put a small Christmas tree with 24 gifts from the students!  Each bag had a date on it, meaning that was the date I could open the gift!  December 1st was supposed to be the box, but they had forgotten to put that note on the box and I had already opened it.  So, today's gift was the tree.  This past Tuesday I was able to take the gift home, since I ride a bicycle, here's how I did it...

Good thing the bicycle has a front basket.  I was able to fit it into the basket for the most part.

 When I arrived home, I set up the tree and the gifts are lined up in order on the shelves.  It is such a wonderful idea!  It just warmed my heart that they thought to even do that for me.  

I dedicated two shelves for the tree and all the gifts!  How fun is that!  The Canadian flag was a VanderHaak addition from earlier this year.  

Did I ever tell you that the class chosen me as their missionary they pray for regularly? We have been able to set up about a one a month Skype session.  It is so fun for me to chat and answer their questions about living in Japan!  It is such a blessing to know that there are so many people praying!  God has been good to me.  When I sit and think about it, I truly am overwhelmed by the tremendous support, whether it be through praying regularly, encouraging emails, Skype sessions, FaceTime sessions, IMessages, phone calls (I have found out a way to make calls to Canada and the US for free) mailing packages and financial support.  Thank you all!  May God bless you!