JAFG Valentine's Lunch

 Here are some pictures from our February meetings. Such cute little ladies. I look forward to seeing them every month!

 Baby June!

JAFG Halloween Lunch

I hosted a lunch at my house for my Japanese American Friendship Group. I was a little worried about fitting so many people in my house, but it worked out! Too bad my new Balinese table still isn't here. :)

Each of the Americans brought a dish to share with the Japanese ladies and for our activity we made caramel apples. Japanese people don't usually eat the skin of fruit (including grapes) so I wasn't sure what they would think of the caramel apples, but they seemed to enjoy making them!

We enjoyed lunch and chatting and catching up with eachother.

 

 Sarah, Cassie and Courtney.

 Baby Levi got a special gift because he is almost 100 days old. In Japan, this is the time when there is a ceremony for the baby to have his first bite of food, a single grain of rice. Special dishes are used to mark the occassion.

 I was pretty exhausted after cleaning and preparing everything for the ladies, but it was a great turnout. Thanks for coming!

Yukata!

For July's JAFG meeting, we went to Tamae's house and they dressed us in yukata. Yukata are the summer version of a kimono. They are made of a light weight cotton instead of silk and don't have as many undergarments so they are much cooler. They dressed me in my own yukata too! Since I am participating in the Bon Odori festival and dancing this year, we had to purchase our own kimono. Red, white and blue no less. How fitting. It takes another person to get me dressed in the yukata, but it looks so pretty when it is on. A fun souvenir to bring home from Japan!

Lunch in Hakone

Last Tuesday while Glenn was on duty on the ship, I went to Hakone with my friend Akiyo. Akiyo is in the Japanese American Friendship group that I am a part of as well. We went with two of her friends Mie and Sumie who are sisters.

I met them at Ebina station and we drove to Hakone from there. Since they were a bunch of chatty adorable women, we missed our exit on the Tomei, but no worries, we took Hydrangea road instead which was a wonderful mistake! The entire road was lined with blooming hydrangeas and a view of Mt. Fuji as well!

We got to Hakone and went to Kaiseki Kadan for lunch. The restaurant was originally built as the summer residence of Prince Kan-in-no-miya who was an inner member of the Japanese Imperial family. He would have been third in line to become emperor if there had been no direct heir. It was built 80 years ago and for the last 20 has been a restaurant. There is also a beautiful hotel attached to the restaurant that is more expensive than I could ever afford.

The lunch we had was a traditional o-bento style lunch (lunch box) that had beautiful presentation. Let me see if I can remember what we ate. From the top left teal dish, moving clockwise:

• Pickles- radish, cucumber, seaweed
• Sashimi (raw fish)- tuna and squid
• Burdock root and carrot salad
• Jellyfish and cucumber salad
• Some sort of greens in a sweet goo
• Flatfish
• Sweet potato in green tea
• Fried okra and shrimp paste tempura
• Pork Belly, green peas and some white vegetable
• Rice with Mushrooms

It may not sound like it, but everything was delicious and so beautifully prepared. We also started the meal with a tiny shot of plum liquor unique to the restaurant. Kampai! I like it! After lunch we had coffee and tea in the salon of the hotel.

Oh and dessert! We had an amazing almond jello with a melon layer on top. It was so refreshing!

We drove through Hakone afterwards and saw a few things before we headed back to Ebina. I had an English class that afternoon so I couldn't spend all day with them, but I can't wait to go back to Hakone again. Maybe with Glenn next year when he's home.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Last month at my Japanese Friendship Group meeting, we got the opportunity to participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I've heard a lot about the ceremonies since we moved to Japan, but I had never seen one. The ceremony is almost like a meditation technique for those that study it. Many people study for many many years before they are fully "trained". Our teacher was Aya, the daughter of a member of the friendship group, but also a friend of mine. You may recognize her from the Yokohama bay cruise pictures and Octoberfest.

Aya made tea for us and told us when to eat our sweets, how to sit, how to hold the tea cup, how to rotate the cup and wipe it before the next person drinks! So many rules and methods to doing things, but only one motion or movement is done at a time. I think that's what makes it a meditation.

After Aya showed us how to make the tea, she gave me the opportunity to do it as well. It seemed so easy watching her! Pick up the whisk, put in some tea powder, easy peasy. It was not! Each motion had to be exact and with the correct technique. It was a lot harder than I was expecting, but I really enjoyed having the opportunity to try.

At the same friendship group meeting, a few of the Japanese ladies also played the koto for us. It is a Japanese harp like instrument. Mom, you will be happy to know that with those couple years of piano lessons, all I can play is Yankee Doodle. :)

I'm thankful to have all these opportunities to experience the Japanese culture while I'm here!

My Japanese American Friendship Group

Once a month I get together with about 10 women from base in various squadrons and about 10 Japanese women who have been friends for years and we have lunch and do various activities. This month we had a picnic outdoors and played Bocce ball. It is a really great group and it is fun to talk to the Japanese ladies. Some of them have been a member of this group for almost 50 years. One of the ladies has a daughter who is a professional soccer player, one used to be a professional kimono dresser. I enjoy hearing their stories and they like to practice their English as well.

One of the other fun parts is the gifts. Every other month we host so they give us gifts and when they host we give them gifts. It is fun to think of something that represents America or that a 70 year old would like and its fun to see what they find for us. In May they will be hosting at one of their houses and making awesome Japanese food for lunch. Can't wait!