Little Wing in Japan

Rhubarb Cake

2008-05-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Rhubarb season has came in Japan,too.
I baked rhubarb cake this year ,too,while cherishing USA and thinking of Steffi.
She is one of my best freind ,German who is living USA ,still now and she taught me how to bake it 2years ago.
Before that I never had eaten Rhubarb,so that I was very surprised its taste!
How sour and sweet after baked with sugar,and pretty color they have.

I love Rhubarb!!

In Japan,it is in only Nagano or Hokkaido which thr rhubarb is planted.

I bought them by internet and could get them.

Now I'm very happy to eat it and could think of my friend for a while.

Love,Steffi.

Christmas in Japan 2007

2007-12-25T22:26:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

I roasted a whole chicken for dinner.
Although it was small compared than American turky,it was yummy.

Also I baked a cake with Hinako and Kanako.
They really like sweet something,and they licked a lot of whipped cream before finishing a Christmas cake.

We are very happy to have a great time with family and a new baby Nanako.

Happy Christmas!

2007-12-25T22:09:00.000-08:00

My 2daughters did flower girls at my little sister's wedding ceremony.
They like to wear dresses very much ,like princes.
They looked so happy and did as flower girls perfectly.

My husband were anxious for their future because he loves them a lot and he know that someday they get marry guys.

The 3d girl!!

2007-11-02T08:36:00.001-07:00

I got a baby on Oct,24 in the afternoon.She was fine,and her weight was 3362g,it was a big baby compared to other babies.

I and my husband named her "Nanako",imaging the sea,because we went to the sea shore to fish many times in this summer,also the character of Kanji in her name means seven sea.

Hinako and Kanako were so happy and excited to have one more girl as sister!Hinako hugs her many times,and seems to love her,but Kanako seems to have jealousy a little against the baby,and says "I am a baby"

I hope she is trying to be a big sister.

After the delivery,I'm gettig better soon.
Although it's my secret,I got epidual anesthesia in Japan !!
In Japan,the number of anesthetist is lacking so much.
So that there is very rare to have anesthetist in obstetric hospital.
I was very lucky and special to get it!!

Anyway,we are fine and have sweet time with a new born baby.

2006 Christmas!

2006-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

We baked a lot of ginger bread cookies last week,also we made a ginger bread house with Hinako & Kanako.They were crazy and qute!Whenever I didn't see them,they tried to eat it little by little.It was so funny to watch that they were closing to it like a kitty cat.I followed this recipie from William Sonoma's website.And I cherish NC and frineds and family!!

In Japan,Christmas is a big event for everyone now ,of course, for commerciall people,because all they suppose it should be a big chance to get a great amount of money in this season .Japanese people celebrate it on 24th night with lovers or freinds or family,not 25th ,even though they are not Christians.And they give gifts each other,also kids look forward getting present from Santa Claus.Recently almost are not Buddhist ,so that it is OK to have Christmas event.But I think it's one of problem that almost don't have any religion. It can say to me same thing.

Anyway I love Christmas and I'm busy to prepare somethings for it!!

Autumn leaves

2006-11-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

You know,there are many temples in Japan,also my town is ,too.
An old temple is close to my house,and recently we found a beautiful ,big maidenhair tree(Ginkgo) at there.I've heard that the age is over 350 years,and it could survive through Atomic bumb in World War2.
Now almost leaves in Hiroshima is changing colors into yellow,red,brown,or falling ,too.
At the old temple,it was like yellow carpet by a lot of falling leaves,this is the most beautiful time to see it.

But there is sad Japanese culture.
In morning on that day,we could see beautiful fallen leaves on the ground as they were,
I could play with yellow leaves with Kanako.
In afternoon on same day,some people who works at there began to clean up leaves.
So that Hinako couldn't see beautiful yellow carpet.
Why did they clean up????
That is the Japanese character.
They seemed that they couldn't wait to clean up leaves.
Also there is another reason,Japan has more rainy days than USA.
If it rains,the leaves become into wet,darty,the people cleaning up said.

I'm cherishing beautiful yellow carpet besides roades in NC.
Autumn in NC is best place to enjoy autumn for me!!

The peace park

2006-11-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

We went to the peace park at the center of Hiroshima,
It is a kind of memorial park for the Atmic bomb in the world war 2,and there ia a lot of tlavelers from all over the world everyday.It is very famous as a beautiful park ,specially cherry blossom in springs,even though in autumn,too.
Recently I'm missing beautiful trees in NC,and I've been looking for them,additionaly international family.That is most similar to foreign park in Hiroshima,so that I like here.
I met Russian mom and a baby.She was very nice butshe can speak Japanese,can't speak English.I need a native speaker mom to keep English.

Here,there is a big website for international peoples who are living in Hiroshima.
I put an ad at the web about play group,there used to be someone who organized it,but now there is no one.Is that my mission?That's my pleasure!

If you find my blog who is living in Hiroshima,contact me!!

Cinnamon Clay

2006-11-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

I reccomend you to make Cinnamon Clay for Christmas!
Ms.Shavon(she is a teacher at Hinako's prechool in Durham) gave me a Cinnamon ornament which was made from cinnamon clay at last Christmas. It was so much pretty shape ,ginger bread man,and smell was very sweet and wonderful.I loved it so much!!
Fortunately she gave me the recipie,too .
I will try to make it this year.
How to make Cinnamon clay is here.
http://www.kidsdomain.com/claft/cinnamonclay.html

There is one problem.
I can't find a apple sauce in Japan.
There are Apple jam,Apple raw sauce,Apple puree for babyfood in Japan,but I think these are a little different from the Apple sauce which is selling at Harris Teeter,and so on.
Could someone tell me how to make Apple sauce?
I've already gotten Apple puree for baby food.

Memories in Cuba

2006-11-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

We travel to Cuba in the end of September in the middle of moving back to Japan.
It was wonderful experience for me to go there with whole family.

Wedding

2006-11-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

We were invited to a wedding ceremony of my family today.
Hinako took a part of flower girls,and Hinako and Kanako wore the dresses that I made them in USA 2 month ago.

They were just fit,but shoes were too tight for them,specially Hinako.
I could'nt figure out that it was too small for Hinako by this morning.
Of course we didn't have much time to buy it,so that I borrowed shoe from my sister in low hurriedly.

We should know that our children are growing so much!!

Halloween

2006-11-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hinako had a trick or treat at her preshool.
It was so crowded with many moms in front of school,because nobody know what is Halloween,and they wanted to see how nice kids looked on that day!

On that day,kids walk to the house of mayer for trick or treat,because it is close to there from school,and the mayer and wife have been corporating for this schooler's trick or treat.
In Japan,Halloween is getting popular recently,but trick or treat and carving are not so popular,so that there is no houses which residences can give snack for kids.
Although I decorated my house and lighted Jacklantern at my garden,no kids came to my house.

I think dark in evening is most amazing time for halloween!!

Halloween Jacklantern

2006-10-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

I could enjoy carving pumpkin in Japan,too!

I found a carving stools at Toysrus accidentally,and pumpkin,too.
It was not difficult to do it,but it is not popular to carve pumpkin here yet now.
It may be my mission to familiarize to carve pumpkin for Halloween.

And then now I got a lot of seeds of pumpkin,I will plant them next spring as my friend Steffanie told me about it.

I need to get some template from USA or website.

Anyway I love Jacklantern!!

Pink House

2006-10-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Hinako painted a house made by cardboard pink in my garden.

Halloween in Japan

2006-10-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming!
In Japan,it is getting more popular between kids,and young peoples,especially in Christian private schools.
It is by a reason that recently Japanese govoment reccomends all schools to have English class ,even in Elementary schools.
So that many native English speakers are staying to teach English at schools.

By the way,actually I gave up to enjoy pupkin carving in Japan. But I found a big pumpkin at flower shop, which was imported from USA.
The price was a little more expensive,it was $30.
But I couldn't stop shopping it with cherishing heart for NC life.

I will carve it tonight,that must be fun for me!!

Hinako's preschool belongs to a church,and then they have Halloween at there on October,31th.
I sent princes's cpstumes from NC by sea mail,it was late.
So that I made a Cindellera costume for her.
Kanako loves princes,too.

I will be supposed to make a same one for Kanako,soon.

Hinako started to go to her school "Youchienn"

2006-10-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Finally Hinako started to go to "Youchienn" like preschol since this Monday.
The school bus picks up Hinako in front of my house at 10:05 everymorning,drops off her at 3:50.
It is more convinient time for Mom,don't you think?Although I have to make lunch box everyday!

It is not easy to make lunch box in Japanese style.
Also I'm supposed to make same one for my husband,too.
Now I'm getting be eary bird!!

At the begining ,I was very afraid of that she will cry at there,but she's grown up recently!!
But she looked so happy to go there,she can be friendly against stranger.
I should be glad that now she is friendly for everybody.

Last weekend,we went to Shimabara city in kyusyu to show our 2 girls to my grand mom.

Shimabara is beautiful city,and there is an old castle and old traditional houses,and then this city is famous with clear and pure water.
Also there is Mt,Fugen which erupted in 1990,it is well-known between valcanic researcher. The museum for the mountain was so real! Buried houses are kept to show how terrible mud flood was for future generatons!

My grand mother is living with first daughter and her husband,she looked so happy to see Hinako,kanako.
She is 92 years old now,she doesn't have any problem with body expect weak hearing.Her hobby is "Tanka",which is similar to "Haiku"She is enjoying her life,still now.

Little wing in Japan

2006-10-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

We lived in NC from 2002 to 2006,it was wonderful time and we got a lot of great friends.
Now we came back to our country Japan,started our new life in Hiroshima city in Japan.
It was very different from American life style,we are cherishing USA so much.
Of course,we are missing our precious friends in NC,NY.

This blog is showing how we are in Japan for friends in NC.

Hello my friends!!

We can see you here again!!!