sandankyo gorge

last weekend i had the pleasure of another photography adventure with my friend and pro photographer, danielle. it was a crisp sunday and reid and curtis joined me while the big kids stayed home and played with our awesome sitter all day. we left at 0815 and didn't return home until dinner...two hour car trip each way and loads of gorgeous hiking filling up the day between.  this gorge was massive and beautiful. although a storm earlier in the week had wiped the trees pretty well clean of the bright autumn leaves, it was still breathtaking and those little bits of color that lingered on a few trees made it just magical. i was thankful for a day out walking in nature with my awesome hubby and little one, new friends and my new hobby (even got to use my new tripod, thanks mom!). we are blessed to live in such an extraordinary place.

fall photo session

i've recently begun dabbling with a bit of photography. i had the good fortune of getting to know a pro photographer at our japanese preschool's bus stop - and have been taking some classes of hers to get to know my camera a little better. i've got a long way to go, loads of practice and heaps of learning and tons of editing to practice...but i do so love it. i did a photo session for one of my doula clients last week and while waiting for the professional shots that danielle took of our family to be edited, i got antsy wanting to make christmas cards and decided to take the kids out to a heap of leaves in our front yard and just snap away. it was after school and betsy had skipped her nap so they weren't quite their funny little selves as i was hoping, but there are some beautiful shots of my sweet babes all three together and i'm quite pleased to have these memories. i do need to be sure to get the three of them together in more shots as we travel around japan. poor curtis is always tucked into a backpack for a nap with a big bonnet on his head - i always try to turn sideways so the backpack is visible as proof that he too was there. enjoy! oh - and poor betsy, by the time it was her turn for solo photos, she was falling apart (day two of no nap)...so i will try again with her in a few days.

Miyajima Island

last saturday our family hopped on the train and headed to miyajima to see the famous "floating" torii gate anditsukushima shrine and take in the beauty of autumn on the island. there has been a torii on miyajima since 1168k but the one currently there was built in 1875. a torii is considered a gateway for a holy place. in japan the torii typyically marks the transition into a shinto shrine area, although they exist at other religious shines as well.   later we hiked up some of mt. misen to the cable way but the kids fell apart about this time and there was a long wait so we decided to come back another time.  before leaving, we were sure to watch the famous maple leaf cookies (momiji-manju)being made and purchased some to enjoy later. they are delicious cookies filled traditionally with the sweet bean paste (very common in desserts here) but some also had chocolate or cream filling. we bought a pack with several options. the kids enjoyed watching the machines make them assembly-line style.  we definitely ask a lot of our small children and of course some days are better than others. our kids are really enjoying all the transit options here (drive to the train station, train to city, ferry to island, etc) but sometimes aren't as excited in walking around and taking in the sights. other days they do great. i am proud of our family for heading out on our adventures and making the most of it, even if sometimes we all fall apart a little. thanks for my husband for his willingness to take the trek, be me co-human-pack-animal as we shoulder the weight of our sweet littles and all the necessary clothing changes/sippy cups/etc to make the most of our time in japan.

after the train ride we had a few block walk to the ferry terminal. many of the cities have underground tunnels for pedestrian transit to major areas in the city. i love this conept. i also love that we traveled stroller-free that day. reid wore the hiking backpack and i wore the ergo carrier. all three kids took turns riding. :)

samurai pete while waiting to board the ferry

another ferry going the opposite direction of ours. the kids loved the boat ride!

taking in the view

lots of walking, people watching and beautiful scenery once we got to miyajima island. betsy and this boy chased each other for awhile. his parents loved the blonde haired blue eyed sassy girl trying to tickle their son. they had their video camera out for the whole ordeal. these two were super cute.

there are tame deer all along the walk way that is crowded with people. they will eat paper tickets out of your hand and attempt to steal your lunch. they are quite docile and just wander around on a whim investigating all the people on their island. once we told betsy that was the end where the deer poops came out, she backed off a bit. so funny.

watching the water traffic

i can't lie. everywhere i go, i love to people watch. BUT people watching in japan is the best - i just LOVE to take in the fashion here. my most favorite thing. i loved their semi-matching attire.

no she is not taking a picture of the deer with her phone, she is taking pictures of my kids. once the kids were done with that deer and moved on she was following us on foot trying for the perfect shot. :)

the torii is just huge - at low tide, you can walk out to it. we will definitely be going back for that opportunity. they call it a "floating" torii because it has the appearance of floating on the water, but it is actually sitting on the sea floor and is just anchored by its own weight.

another beautiful torii gate

peter was feeling extra disagreeable this trip, poor thing and was not interested in participating in the family photo. another reason to go back.

one of my favorite things on miyajima was the brilliant autumn leaves. its been so long since i enjoyed fall weather and this has been a beautiful season in japan!

betsy takes her turn at hiking while pete rides on momma's back. he's getting quite heavy, but it was better than having to stop and pick him up from a heap on the floor every 2 steps. makes me stronger, right?

little sassy bug hamming it up for all the japanese onlookers. that blonde hair and those blue eyes turn heads everywhere we go. :) she's a little super star.

momma's night out at "chicken shack"

good heavens time is on the loose. its been a month since my last post and there just hasn't been much sit-still-and-blog time in my days. the seasons have most definitely shifted to autumn with a hint of winter on the horizon. a few weeks ago, some girlfriends and i decided we needed a little date night out together. just moms and fun. no logistics. no diaper bags.  the "chicken shack" is what american's call this awesome little place that's about 30-40 minutes away (depending how lost you get, you can drive a little extra - i do NOT recommend following the directions from ITT on base!).  its hard to describe this place. it is huge. there are multiple eating areas that i believe are actually separate restaurants. there are stalls to wander through with trinkets and packaged food to buy. and there is themed decor. i was expecting to see halloween decor as i had seen pictures, but apparently they shifted their theme straight to christmas the minute halloween had been crossed off the calendar.  interesting, as they don't celebrate christmas in japan. the japanese do, however, love all things "american" and christmas, the commercialized version at least, is no exception.  we wandered around and took in all the visual overload.  it was a cool night, we could see our breath as we wandered through looking for seating.  the seating was mostly outdoors.  since japan has four seasons, i was a bit surprised - but they also have a trick that we don't in america: tables with heaters underneath and lap blankets.  i think my grandma would love these (other than the sitting on the floor aspect of it).  its a very low, coffee table height blanket with a bed comforter style blanket coming out of the edges of the table that you cover your lap with and keep the heat from the heater in. it was so cozy.  the only issue was my feet. i wore cute little ballet slipper flats and no socks. i keep forgetting that you take your shoes off everywhere you go. so before we climbed up on the platform where our table was, we had to remove our shoes - even under the warmed table, my toes were cold. and, truth be told - as flexible as i am, my hips and knees were a little uncomfortable after about 20 minutes and we all took turns shifting our positions frequently throughout the meal to keep our feet from falling asleep.  something we need to train our bodies to do is sit on the floor. there are other seating options that i will seek out next time we go, especially with our visiting american guests, no worries! they did have an english menu which was super helpful and the food was wonderful. the udon soup was absolutely divine in the chilly night air.  the seating felt really intimate because we were really spread out more than we would have been in an american restaurant, and its incredible how much less noise people make in japan in general. they are all chatting and enjoying themselves, they are just not loud and obnoxious like we americans tend to be when dining out. refreshing actually.
the real treat was after dinner. none of us were ready to call it quits and each had a hankering for a bit of indulgence. on the way back we stopped at the most precious italian restaurant for coffee and desserts. it was incredible how "at home" we felt here with the italian music and twinkle lights and italian decor and recognizable menu items. for an hour, we all took a deep sigh of relief and got to pretend we were in the states. we all love it here, but it can be exhausting when you are constantly "figuring things out".  thanks ladies for a lovely treat.

the view from one of several parking lots - we went just after halloween and they had christmas decorations up everywhere which shocked me as Japan does not celebrate christmas - however, all things American are popular here so it makes sense in that context

people posing with santa on the stage with christmas items on display and holiday music too!

a family dining....felt like a stalker but wanted to capture the tables. they are low to the ground. you sit on small pillows with your legs "indian-style" or tucked under however they will fit. a thick comforter type blanket comes out from the edges of the table and there is a heater under the table. it was oh-so-cozy for the half of you that was under that blanket. the upper half was chilly, this was a crisp night!

its very typical for japanese restaurants to have wax replicas of their dishes on display - its definitely helpful when there is a language barrier looking at a menu. however, they did have an english menu here with pictures in it. it was fairly easy to choose your meal - we over ordered of course and enjoyed it all!

wall decor in an indoor dining room

another type of table - this one you couldn't put your legs under, you just sort of cozied up next to it. i am definitely having to work on sitting for long periods of time indian-style or on my knees. there is not a lot of wiggle room - and my hips were sore after dinner! however, some of the tables have a "hole" under the table where your legs can go down to sit normally. that would definitely be more comfy for us westerners who are not so accustomed to sitting this way.

one of the servers in her santa attire poking the coals. she would take some hot embers out and put them in a clay pot with a rack on top and people could cook their meat at their table. this is very popular in japan and there are several styles/names for it.

the japanese pay close attention to creating beautiful spaces. they are very into their gardens and decor in general. this was the view from our table.

my new friend jamie and her mom

cindi, jamie and her mom dining. the green beverage is melon soda - its super delicious. in typical american fashion, we ordered way too much food but did a decent job of devouring it - our food didn't arrive until almost 8 and we were all famished. :)

posing on the stage before we left with fake beer mug props and a fake chicken leg - i was using it as a microphone to sing along to mariah carey's "all i want for christmas is you"....sometimes japan is SOOOO japanese and sometimes japan is just like home but with a little funny eccentric flair :)