2-11-2011

Well, it is the monthly scrapbook day! It is late and we have to get up and go tomorrow on our big trip to Hokkaido, but I knew I had to do this post before I left or I may forget everything. Today was a national holiday in Japan. It is National Foundation Day. On this day in 660 BC the first Japanese emperor was crowned. We enjoyed the day off, but to be honest we had no idea what we were supposed to be celebrating. :) I just googled it to find out and put it on the blog for your info. It seems like they have lots of national holidays in Japan - I guess they need it for those 14 hour work days that are the norm for a lot of people.

We have been under the weather all week, and are just now starting to feel better - in time for our trip to the tundra of Hokkaido. Thankfully we are staying at an all-inclusive spot with an indoor pool so I do not have to leave the hotel if I do not want to! I plan to only leave to take some photos of Miyako and Kan sledding. It snowed in Tokyo today. It did not accumulate. Once it hit the ground it turned to water, but it was still pretty to watch outside our window. Miyako tried looking for Mt. Fuji but he was nowhere to be seen in the midst of the thick clouds.

I got my hair done today. Big excitement huh? It actually is - in the US, I got a cut and color every 6 weeks. It was my therapy. However, with our cost of living adjustments, I get my hair cut and colored here every three months. My beautician at home would probably die if she read this, but it is the truth. I love getting my hair done here, mainly because of the head massage I get every time they wash my hair. I seriously spend about 25 minutes getting my hair washed and my head massaged. She also gives me a neck and shoulder massage. It is well worth the expense.

We went to a Valentine party for church. Miyako was sporting her cute little panda outfit with hearts on her tights and her fake black ugg boots. I must admit, she looked cute. It was fun to see friends from church and enjoy some fellowship on our day off. After getting Miyako to bed and packed, for the most part, Kan and I sat down with our favorite three judges - Randy, J Lo and Steven - you know, American Idol. Halfway through I said to Kan, "If we were in the US, you would not watch this with me would you?" His response, "Umm...no!" But here in Japan, it is our usual Sunday night entertainment, however, this week we watched it early since we leave for Hokkaido tomorrow.

We will only be gone for a long weekend, but we are definitely excited to get out of Tokyo for a few days. Miyako is excited about the train ride, airplane ride, and bus ride we will take tomorrow. She thinks she is going to the "bubble water in Malaysia" since I packed her Minnie Mouse swimsuit. She will have a rude awakening when the weather is not quite "bubble water" weather, but there will be an indoor pool so she should enjoy that. On a fun Miyako note, this week we were reading a book teaching letters. The letter B was associated with baby Mickey sleeping in his "bed." I said to her, "B is the letter that is used in the word bed." Her response was, "Like B1 when we take the elevator to the train station at Kachidoki." I guess all of those times of pointing out B1, B2, or even B5 on the elevator have made an impression on her. It is amazing to me that part of her vocabulary includes the train stations between where we live clear to Roppongi, which is about 6 stations away. I told a dear friend on the phone today when our girls play together in the US, her little girl will have no idea what Miyako is talking about. :)

Well, it is after midnight. I must shut down for now. Stay tuned - we will be back post Hokkaido with some fun pics. Happy 2-11-2011.