Life as we know it...

Hey everyone, sorry it has been so long since we last blogged.  We have been so busy with life in Himeji that we haven't taken time to keep you all posted.  We have not done anything to incredibly exciting since the last time we blogged.  Last Friday night, one of my fellow English teachers, Mr. Ayukawa, called me and asked if I wanted to go to his favorite onsen (Japanese hot spring) with him on Saturday morning.  Of course I jumped at the opportunity because that was one of the things I was so excited to do.  For those of you who are not familiar with onsens I have attached a link for you to check it out- click here!  Well, that turned out to be quite and experience as tattoos are frowned upon here in Japan.  Apparently the only people with tattoos are Yukaza (Japanese Mafia) and in the old days the criminals were tattooed when they were taken to prison so even when they got out everyone new they were criminals.  Also it doesn't bode well for me that the Yukaza are also known for having shaved heads and facial hair.  Needless to say as I walked in with nothing but a small washcloth covering me I realized I was the main attraction.  Not only was I white, much larger than anyone there and sporting a tattoo, I also have a shaved head and facial hair.  Just as Mr. Ayukawa and I got settled in the main bathing area one of the onsen attendants came over and told us we had to leave.  WELL CRAP!!  Mr.  Ayukawa had told me that the signs outside that said that no one with tattoos would be allowed in the onsen was just a formality but I was quickly realizing that they weren't messing around.  He bantered back and forth with the man for a couple of minutes and then went back to relaxing.  I guess he told him to leave us alone and let us bathe for a couple of minutes.  AWKWARD!!!  So we got out of that pool and headed to the bathing area where they have soap and shampoo available for us to scrub and get good and clean.  After we finished there we went into a sauna.  Not even a minute after we sat down in the sauna the attendant came back in and asked us to leave again.  Once again there was some bickering back and forth as the attendant with all his clothes on was sweating profusely pleading for us to leave.  I was feeling pretty uncomfortable by now as there were about 15 other sweaty naked men in there watching as we made a scene.  Then Mr. Ayukawa tells the man that if he wants me to leave then he needs to tell me himself... in English.  Well this made the attendant feel even more uncomfortable so he left.  About 5 minutes later we headed out of the sauna and guess who was waiting for us?  That's right... the attendant.  He again asked us to leave and Mr. Ayukawa worked it out with him that we would leave right after I got to experience the outdoor baths.  The attendant said that would be fine but that he was going to keep an eye on us.  AWKWARD!!  He also asked that I cover my tattoo with my wash cloth which left me now walking around with it on my arm instead of covering the family jewels like all of the other men do when walking from bath to bath.  Even more AWKWARD!!!!!  So we finish up and leave with Mr. Ayukawa complaining that he was hoping for a relaxing afternoon but instead he was more stressed than when he came in!  I'm still not sure my pride has fully recovered after this very humbling experience.  Some students from our class are going to take us to another onsen up in the mountains next weekend so I got some waterproof tape to wrap my tattoo up for next time... we'll keep you posted on how that goes!  Later on Saturday Audrey and I went to a welcome party at the community center.  When we first got there members of the community welcomed us and asked us to introduce ourselves.  Then we were invited into another room where they had a bunch of men's and women's Kimonos.  They promptly dressed us, tied our obi's and prepared us for a tea ceremony.  They served us the tea and we ate delicious little cakes.  Afterward they told us that we got to keep the kimonos as a gift from the city!  This just made Audrey's day because she absolutely loves hers.  Mine is a little on the flamboyant side but its a kimono none the less and a great souvenir (or house coat;)  After the welcome party we went with some friends to a little desert place.  We sat upstairs and enjoyed fruity drinks and tasty pastries.  All in all it was a great day.  Sunday wasn't too exciting as there was a massive storm.  When it rains here its not a little sprinkle... it comes down in buckets.  Unfortunately we ventured out during one of the lulls but ended up getting drenched because we couldn't get back home before the skies opened up again.  Monday 17 students arrived from Australia through an exchange program.  It was nice having other native speakers in my English classes this week... but 57 students in one class is a bit much to handle but the Japanese students and Australian students alike loved it as we played get to know you games in every class.  Well we are getting ready to head out.  We have to run by the post office and then its off to a tour of the Himeji Castle!  We will blog again soon about our tour and other exciting events that are forth coming.  Hope all is going well in your neck of the woods and we miss you and love you all very much!

My little Japanese beauty... doesn't she look gorgeous in her kimono!!!

The Arizona crew in our Kimonos

The leaves are changing colors even more...just beautiful!!

My Onsen buddy Mr. Ayukawa

Audrey and I with Mr. Honda at the welcome ceremony (dont stare at my belt for to long...you might get dizzy!)

Green tea and sweet bean cake (definitely an aquired taste)

Girl making the tea

Audrey's Obi... beautifully hand stitched!

Moon viewing and footie pictures...

You can read more about these events in the next blog but Audrey wanted us to post some pictures of our footie and frisbee day and the moon viewing festival.  So here they are... hope you enjoy:)  

Taigo Drumming...

Check out the Castle in the background... 

These ladies were playing harps... beautiful music!!

We still cant believe we are doing all of these things in JAPAN!!!

Sports day, moon viewing and footie!

Audrey and I had a nice week last week.  On Wednesday my students at the University that we teach at had a welcome party for me.  It was so sweet, they totally brought snacks and home made goodies that we munched on while singing songs they picked out.  They even made a CD of the songs and printed up all the words so we could all sing along.  I was then informed that I was supposed to lead them in the singing.  Well this was a bad idea for tow reasons... First of all my singing is much like dogs howling and if that wasnt bad enough I only knew one of the songs they had prepared... the classic "Ive been working on the railroad"  YIKES!  I was informed that two of the other songs were by the Carpenters.  They seemed a bit turned off that I didnt know the songs.  It was as if they thought that if the song was in English and by an American band, I should know it.  I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had never heard of the Carpenters so I just struggled my way through the song.  Oh to have a tape recording of that chior... we had our own "distinct" sound.  After the sing along we played games like charades and "guess what Im describing with one word".  They loved laughing and breaking into full Japanese leaving me wondering what in the world was going on.  After our games one lady went to the piano and started playing Japanese folk songs that everyone knew... except for me of course.  She had printed up the words in Japanese for everyone but that didnt help me much so I had an excuse for not singing:)  A little old man next to me tried to translate what was going on in the song but he left many gaps as he wasn't sure of how to say it in English.  We ended up chatting for the last 10 minutes of class and not getting any work done, but thats okay... It was a wonderful experience!  Well, our weekend was pretty quite.  On Saturday a couple of our new Australian friends invited us to go play some "footie" (Australian rules football) and toss the frisbee around.  We had so much fun kicking the "footie" around and chasing the frisbee as none of us had really good aim.  Sunday I had to teach so Audrey came down and had lunch with me.  We ate in the cafeteria with the students and Audrey was definitely on show.  All of my students are obsessed with her and could not wait to meet her.  The girls would come running up to us giggling and saying "wife" and "so beautiful" or "cutie".   I think Audrey blushed every time but I was happy to show off my wonderful wife:)  After lunch I gave her a little tour and showed her the teachers offices and then she headed home.  Later that night we went to a moon viewing festival.  It was great as we sprawled out on blankets in front of the castle, stared at the full moon and listened to live music.  Our favorite part had to be the Taiko drummers.  The drums sound amazing and their rhythm and power is unbelievable!  Monday was a holiday... I believe it was respect for the aged day so there was no school.  Unless you go to Himeji High because then you have sports day.  The students take so much pride in their sports day and all of their hard work paid off as it was quite a sight to see.  Unfortunately, we were not sure how much we would get in because there was a typhoon brewing and rain was in the forcast.  Thankfully it was cool and cloudy in the morning but the rains came at about 2:00 so the field day was cut a little short... but not without plenty of excitement in the rain.  Their games were so much fun to watch so I taped them and added them below.  I think the most incredible part had to be the decorations the students created and the cheers they came up with.  The last two videos are some of the decorations and cheers so check them out! 

This game is like a chicken fight... without a pool and with colored hats on!

Four legged race... It just sounds painful

Whole class jump rope competition... Its pretty amazing watching 40 students jump in unison

Every class in the school made decorations, got costumes and came up with their own dance routine... check it they are great

The students came up with all of the designs and created all of the decorations on their own!

The weekend come and gone

Another glorious weekend in Himeji come and gone.  We have been so busy getting situated at school that we have not been on to many adventures until this weekend.  Saturday afternoon Audrey and I went Yukata shopping.  A Yukata is a summer kimono that is made out of cotton so that it isnt quite as hot.  Audrey found a beautiful one that she absolutely loves and we will post pictures of her wearing it as soon as we figure out how to tie the belt correclty.  Then we headed to the grocery store and stocked up on food for this next week as well as a mystery lunch box.  We like to buy ready made meals that look tasty and then find out what they are when we sit down to eat them.  Saturdays turned out to be quite oishii (delicious).  After we got home we showered and went to a little "Baptist"church around the corner from our house.  The sign said that there was an English service at 7:00 on Saturday nights so we were pretty excited to check it out and meet some of the locals.  Well that wasnt quite the case.  The service was lead by a German man that has lived here in Himeji for 17 years and a deacon that comes down from Osaka.  Audrey and I just so happened to be the ony ones there that night and from the sounds of it, if we return next week we will be the only ones there again!  It was a beautiful little church and the service was beautiful and the pastor shared a great message but it was much different that what we are accustomed to at the Bridge.   The service seemed to have quite the catholic influence as there was a lot of call and response... "peace be with you" "and also with you" stuff.  There were also Gregorian chant parts and we sang songs in different languages (definitely not English or Japanese), we took communion at the end, all drank out of the same cup and were surprised that it was not grape juice.  Over all it was a great experience, just not quite what we were expecting.  After church we pulled up a table between a couple of pews and had "snacks and a chat."  It was very enjoyable as the pastor and deacon are beautiful people and we had a nice time talking with them for awhile.  By the time we left it was after 9:00 and we still had not eaten dinner because we were hoping to meet some new friends and go get some food after church.  Since that didn't happen quite as expected we decided to cruise downtown to see what was open.  After about 30 minutes of searching we decided that we would rather eat at home than the 24 hour McDonalds so we headed back, ate and went to bed.  On Sunday we decided that we would go the the Gardens outside of the Castle.  We were in for about 10 minutes before the skies opened up and and it stated to downpour Himeji style.  It was so fantastic as the temperature dropped about 10 degrees and since us Arizona folk don't get to see as much rain as we would like we soaked it up (literally).  After it rained for a little bit the skies cleared up, the sun came out and we were able to finish walking through the garden in all of its splendor!  The pictures just don't do it justice.  Just imagine looking at this beautiful patch of nature, hearing the waterfall, smelling the rain and flowers, it was breathtaking.  We are also told that we should visit the garden every season because of the way the flowers and trees change throughout the year.  After walking around the garden for a couple of hours we went to a park where we played frisbee with some friends that went to the garden with us.  So, all in all it was a wonderful weekend.  The city of Himeji and its people are absolutely beautiful and we feel so blessed to have this opportunity.  The honesty and integrity of these people is pretty amazing.  Everyone tells us how safe it is here and how little crime there is but I am bound and determined to put them to the test.  Last weekend we went to the Miyuki-dori and I had our digital camera in the front basket of my bike and when we parked I locked up my bike and left the camera sitting in the basket... in the middle of the busiest shopping area in the city.  About two hours later I saw something that I wanted to take a picture of and realized that I didnt have the camera and that it was still in the basket in my bike... WELL CRAP!!!  So as we are briskly walking back to where we parked I am thinking about where we could buy a new camera, what kind of camera we should get, how big of an idiot I am for leaving it... you get the point.  All of the knowledge I had to draw on from living in Mesa and spending time in South Phoenix lead me to believe that our camera would have been pawned by time we got back to our bikes!  When we finally got to our bikes we were pleasantly surprised that is was still sitting there right where I had left it.  At least that day I locked up my bike though.  The next Wednesday when Audrey and I went to teach at the University I locked up my bike... and left the key sitting in the lock.  WELL CRAP!!!!  Unfortunately, I realized just as class was starting.  So for the next hour and a half I was wondering if I was going to be walking home that night.  Then to make matters worse, I looked out the window and it was pouring rain!  After class ended I ran out (in the rain) to find my bike still sitting there with the key still dangling in the lock.  God bless people with morals... 

Yellow bamboo...

A path through one of the gardens

Audrey loves the roof tiles...

And this yellow tree:)

Rain in the garden

The happy couple under a natural canopy of branches

Another picture of tiles

A stream...

The view when you first walk in

More trees!?

Audrey loved the pink blossoms on the tree

Waterfall

Us feeling blessed to have this experience together

My favorite picture... you would never guess we are in the middle of the city!

School is in Session

Sorry it has been so long since we last blogged.  Unfortunately our 3 month vacation had to come to an end and we actually had to work so we are not quite sure what to do with ourselves!  That being said we were excited to get started and find out what we got ourselves into.

My school started with opening ceremonies where the students lined up in the gym and listened to the principal and vice principal talk for about an hour and a half.  After that there were no classes so I sat in the teachers room and started planning lessons with my fellow Japanese English teachers.  My desk is right next to Mr. Ayukawa's.  He is the head English teacher at Himeji High School and one of the funniest men I have ever met.  He always has jokes for me and Audrey.  He only met Audrey once but he is completely infatuated with her so every time he tells me a joke he says, "Now go home and try it on your wife, then report back to me with what she says."  Then the next day like clock work... before he even sits down he says, "You tell Audrey?  What did she say?"  Yesterday's joke was, "What kind of animal do you have to keep an eye on during an exam?"  After he asks me he then makes me say "UNCLE" in order for him to tell me the answer.  So I say uncle and he says, " a Cheetah"  and with his thick Japanese accent I can tell it kind of sounds like "Cheater" so I get a pretty good laugh out of it. So most of my day was filled with meeting the other staff members and some students in the hallways.  Meeting these students for the first time is quite an experience.  Most of the time they walk by and say "Hello" and then I would respond with "Hi" or "Hello, how are you?" and they would start giggling and run away.  It is the strangest thing!  So Mr. Ayukawa and I just laugh and continue walking only for it to happen about 20 more times before we get back to the teachers area.  In the Japanese culture they are very bit on being present whether you have classes to teach or not.  So even though I may only teach two 45 minute classes a day it is important for me to be at school from 8:20 to 4:15 everyday.  This is a far cry from school at home where we would get to school 30 minutes before school started (on a good day) and leave 30 minutes after it ended and take work home with us.  Instead teachers here usually get to school at 8:15 and leave anywhere between 5 and 7 that night, even though school got out at 3:20.  Audrey's school is very similar in many ways.  While her days are much like mine she had a little bit more excitement on Monday during opening ceremonies.  Her school asked her to give a speech in front of the whole school, teachers and students alike.  Just as she introduced herself the students thought that what she was saying was pretty funny and started giggling, which was not exactly what she wanted to hear at that moment.  After her speech one of her fellow Japanese English teachers announces to the entire school that she is only 24 years old and the youngest teacher at the school.  Then he proceeded to try and get the students to repeat after him and say "Hi, Audrey Sensei" but only a handful of students actually followed along and then their was an awkward silence.  

After school we have been enjoying the cooler weather and taking bike rides around town.  The castle is only about a 10 minute bike ride away so we ride over there as much as possible and enjoy the scenery.  Last night we had game night at the Shirasagi Residence and we played Scrabble.  Sophie, one of the other teachers daughter and two women from the university (where we teach on Wednesdays) were there along with their children.  It was nice to spend time with them outside of class and see them put their English skills to the test in Scrabble.  Each of us native speakers teamed up with a local woman and had a great time.  We are truly enjoying our time here and love building relationships with those around us.  The rest of this week  will probably be pretty slow as we are getting into the swing of things at school but we look forward to sharing our upcoming adventures with you!

Ummm.... Okay..... I was a little hesitant but if you say so

The leaves of the trees are already changing... we are about to experience our first real Autumn!

Pictures just dont do this castle justice... it is breath taking.

Here it is all lit up at night... I love it!