Weekenders: Enoshima and Kamakura

Last weekend was a long weekend, so we went with on a little trip with our friend Kazunari.  His hometown is Fujisawa, just outside Tokyo, and he invited us along to come visit his family and see the sights.  We aren't often able to take trips, and we've actually never left Hokkaido since we moved here, so we were excited to see another part of Japan.

On Saturday, we got up bright and early to go to a Hawaiian pancake shop called Eggs 'n Things.  We arrived before they opened, and good thing we did, because there was already a line outside.

It was totally worth it.

Stuffed with pancakes and whipped cream, we made our way to Enoshima, a small island just off the mainland.  So close in fact, that you walk a bridge to get there.  Lots of people were out and about - runner, surfers, kids with their babies strapped to them.  It was awesome just not having to walk on ice!

Enoshima was beautiful, with lots of temples and a tower that gave you a great view of Mt. Fuji.  There were also stairs.  Lots of stairs.

After Enoshima, it was a quick train ride to Kamakura.  We grabbed lunch at a little cafe (where supposedly President Obama had eaten macha ice as a child), and were on our way to Daibutsu, or Big Buddha.  I believe this statue is about 900 years old.  As an American, it's strange to be around things that are just so old.  Imagine all that it's seen.

We finally found shoes Nathan's size.  Ha!

Next, we walked to the Zeniarai Temple.  This temple is most famous for money blessing.  You wash any amount of money in the water there, and it's supposed to double.  I even saw some people washing 10,000 yen (about $100) there!

Because it was a holiday weekend and so close to the new year, there were lots of people praying and lighting incense and whatnot.  It was a very peaceful place, despite all the people.   I could've stayed there all day.

But the afternoon was young and there was lots more to see, so next up was the Hachiman-gu Shrine.

Lots more people, lots more stairs.

Hachiman-gu Shrine is quite old as well, although the buildings are usually replicas built more recently.  When things are made of mostly wood, they fall, or are burnt or are decimated by war, and then rebuilt again.  So temporal.

By this time, the sun was starting to go down, so we made our way to Kazunari's family's house.  I'll admit, I was a little nervous about meeting them and speaking Japanese.  But it really was a great time and they were all so nice.

They immediately made us feel like we were a part of their family, and said we could come visit them anytime.  Oh, the wonderful people we've met while living in Japan.

Let's do this

After getting hit with sickness the last week of 2012 and the first week of 2013, I hope that means I won't be sick for the rest of the year!

2012 was a mixed bag of emotions.  It was another great year in Japan, working at a school that I love. I had some wonderful moments with friends and Takuya and I did a lot of singing and met some cool people in the process.  My sister visited us for two months!!  I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (twice!), and I feel like my Japanese is - ever so slowly - improving.  

Then in June, I found out my mom had stage 4 cancer.  That was a rough one, and it was hard being so far from home.  It was good to see her when I went back to the US in August, and although she was taking some pretty intense chemo therapy, I could tell she was in good hands with her wonderful doctors.  Then in December, my mother had a PET scan to see where the cancer still was and if the chemo was doing its job.  And the cancer is gone!!  As in, they can't find it anywhere on the PET scan. Of course, she'll have to continue to see doctors and take medication, but it won't be so intense.  I'm so thankful for this, and it truly was the best Christmas present for all of us.

I'm wanting to take that spirit of thankfulness with me into this new year.  I don't want to take anything for granted.  Yes, of course I wanna exercise more and be healthy (this year I am all about dental care, thank you Rachel!), but I think the graphic above explains my feelings perfectly.  I want more of the good stuff.  I'm tired of being so hard on myself, thinking about what could have been or what I should have done.

Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.  Easier said than done, I'm sure, but dang it I'm gonna try!!!

Ringing in the New Year!

It's always fun celebrating the New Year in Japan.  This year, we visited three families on three different days, each one of them serving us amazing food.  I'm pretty sure I've gained some holiday weight!  We did our annual visit to the Hokkaido shrine and hung our fortunes on the tree.  We also fit in some karaoke on New Year's day!  Perhaps you're wondering about the cat on Ethan's shoulders?  He belongs to our friends who used to live in New York City.  They found this cat there, and brought it with them to Japan when they came back.  Definitely the friendliest New Yorker we've ever met (I kid, I kid).

...And then yesterday, Nate and I got hit with a nasty stomach bug, and all New Year's activities came to a screeching halt.  It's forced us to stay inside and take it easy for a few days.  When I have the energy, I'll do some deep cleaning around the house, as is my tradition in the new year.

I'm sure I'll post about my goals for the new year soon, but for now, I don't really have the energy for it.  Right now, I'm happy with my boys and resting, and no makeup and my hair a mess.  Sometimes, you just gotta take things slow.

Goodbye 2012

January

February

March

April

 May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Once again, the year flew by too quickly.  It was a year filled with family and friends, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  2012 was also a year full of new experiences and challenges.  We're all growing a little older and a little wiser, here in the Robinson house.  And we're looking forward to what challenges await us for 2013.

Happy New Year, everyone!!

So this was Christmas

It's interesting, celebrating Christmas with a teenager.  Make no mistake, he still gets super excited about Christmas day, and was asking everyday when packages would get here, and what did we buy for him, etc. etc.  But he's no longer at the age for toys.  They've been replaced which what I like to call Ethan's holy trinity of gifts: books, t-shirts, and video/computer games.  Well, he also wanted some music and guitar stuff too.  It's just strange not buying him little viking Playmobil figures like we did in the old days.  The closest we got was this game he got called "King's Table" which was supposedly played by vikings.

But even though gifts are changing, some traditions are not.  We still make German apple pancakes on Christmas morning, and it's becoming a tradition to have other people over who can't make it back home for Christmas.  Everybody brought over some food and we ate, drank, and were merry into the early morning.  And we hopefully didn't bother out neighbors.

It's gotten really cold in the last few days, and I've barely ventured out of the apartment, apart from going to see Les Miserables last night (which was awesome, by the way).  For me, these nights are for drinking hot drinks, cuddling with my boys, and watching Homeland (I've become hooked).

Oh yeah, and getting over this sore throat I've had for 3 days.  I dare you to get me out from under these blankets!

These days

It's quiet around here these days.  We took Rachel to the airport on Wednesday and now the house feels empty without her around.  Two months went by so quickly, and we had such a good time with her. All my friends that met her wanted her to stay, and my students loved her.  I think it was hard for her to say goodbye.  I know it was for me.

But honestly, I'm welcoming the slower pace that we've had around here the last few days, even though I know it won't last long.  Year-end parties, Christmas parties, and New Year parties are in the future, which means our schedules will be busy again.  But I don't mind it.  I think it's important to be around people during the holidays.  Even if it's not our families, it's our extended Japanese family, who have become an important part of our lives.

But with all the parties and friends, I can't help but feel a little melancholy.  Having Rachel here made me realize how much I need her around.  We kind of complete each other, if that makes any sense.  But I'm happy she was able to stay for so long, and I'm looking forward to another beautiful Christmas season in Sapporo.  The city's really showing off this year, with lots and lots of snow almost every day.  Ethan's got the Christmas movies ready to go, and we'll kick off the Christmas week with Home Alone, hot chocolate, and some last-minute Christmas shopping.  I guess I won't be resting too much after all.  Oh well!!

The Snowiest City in the World

The snow has come to Sapporo, leaving it a wintry wonderland.

However, sometimes it's an icy deathtrap.  That's ice, y'all, and it's slippery.  I haven't slipped yet, but it's only a matter of time.

Winter is also the time for White Illumination in Odori Park.  We braved the cold on Friday night to eat German food in the German Market and take pictures of the lights.  But when we couldn't feel our toes, we decided to head indoors.  

Some snowflakes have even found their way into our apartment!
Stay warm, everyone!!