New Year Blues and bliss

Shogatsu, or Japanese New Year, is the most important holiday for the Japanese. January 1st is the beginning of the new year so for several days, even weeks prior to this date, many Japanese housewives will diligintly clean house, every nook and crany, as well as throwing out useless items. This is their chance to have a fresh start, a new beginning, an empty slate. This explains why the Hard-Off was more full than other times I've been there--they even had extra shelves to stock their hand bags!

It is also during this time that business, shops and schools close for several days over the Shogatsu, something we realized too late as we spent the nights of the 2nd and 3rd in Tokyo.

Several weekends later we attended the Ikebana International's Japanese New Year Celebration in Kamakura. We were fortunate to be able to enter the home of the head priest that attends the temple at Hase. There, taiko drummers performed energetic numbers as our children covered their ears. A traditional Japanese comedien livened up our afternoon by showing us how to pound mochi, sweet glutonous rice which is steamed, then pounded into a paste which is then used in traditional Japanese cuisine.

We understand how fortunate we are to be able to have these experiences and are saddened too that these will also be our last in Japan. This new year does represent a new slate for us Millers and we wish that you, our friends and family, will have a year filled with hope and happiness.

The Strawberry Crawl

One of our favorite local activities is strawberry picking, or itchigo gari. It's a unique experience for us American because 1) strawberry season is December through May and 2) it's a finger-staining, chin dribbling, all-you-can-eat fest, all done within 30 minutes!

The strawberries however are so sweet and they taste just like a strawberry should, not like the strawberries you get in the grocery stores that are mostly sour or tasteless. We are even given a squirt of sweetened condensed milk in our trays to use as a dipping sauce for our strawberries. I must admit that a little extra sugar doesn't hurt the flavor but the berries don't really need it, they are sweet enough all on their own.

We've gone several times, always aware of how many strawberries can actually be eaten in 30 minutes. We know we never make it past 15 minutes, our trays full of the green, leafy discards, but we try anyway.

Also, the attendents at the green houses are always on the lookout for those of us trying to sneek a few out of the building--no such luck! You have to eat all the strawberries on site, not ever bringing any out with you. Not too bad since you can purchase a small box at the main building. And they make a wicked good strawberry preserve too.

What are YOUR resolutions?

A resolution is "a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner." Typically we make hollow resolutions at the stroke of midnight on January 1st every year then deny them a few weeks later claiming that, well, no one ever keeps a resolution! So I'm going to make my resolution public and in a few weeks time, I'll let you know when I've stopped, okay? And we can turn this into a contest. The person/s who makes the closest correct guess on each resolution wins a special Japanese prize. Okay, here we go:

1. I resolve to cook for my family three times per week, (a real meal, not heating up frozen dinners or eating cheese and crackers).
2. I resolve to work out between my personal training sessions.
3. I resolve to walk with Nancy at least once a week.
4. I resolve to go on a trip outside of Japan once a month, (this is going to be hard to follow).
5. I resolve to go through the closets week by week to clear out all our junk for our move back to the States.
6. I resolve to go out on a date with Doug once a month.
7. I resolve to update this blog at least once per week.

Okay, that should give you all a chance to participate in this contest. Good luck to you all and most of all, good luck to me. BTW: What are YOUR resolutions for 2009:)

Gomenazai!

Dear friends and family,
It has been a while but you knew I was still here. I just had other things on my plate. I hope I can keep your attention so please stay tuned for updates--lots and lots of updates! And photos too! I know how you all like looking at our photos. All is forthcoming.

Meanwhile, I've put together a slide show or two to whet your appetites. Little tid bits from the past starting with our frozen journey to Sapporo for the Yuki Matsuri, or snow festival.

Our trip to the 5th station of Fuji-san