Happy Fall Y'all!

Happy Fall Friends!  

It is *finally* starting to feel like fall around here!   Jeans and boots, here I come.  Here are a few things making me happy these days ...

The North East Girl ...

My friend, Mrs. S., introduced me to this blog and my bank account hasn't recovered since!  I find it hard to add new pieces into my wardrobe each season since I don't live anywhere near a mall to peruse and I'm not exactly surrounded by a city full of fashionistas.  Thank you, North East Girl, for helping me add some key pieces to my wardrobe this fall!

This puffy vest ...

Excursion Quilted Vest

If you know me in real life, you know I live in a puffy vest all winter long.  I added this slimmer version to my wardrobe last week when J. Crew was having a sale.  I cannot wait until it gets a little bit cooler!

This Japanese antique I found at the Yamato Shrine Sale a few weekends ago ...

It only set me back 5,000 yen ... roughly $50.00!

Arashi ... a restaurant that changed my life.  You order from a vending machine, it costs $5.00 and makes a great dinner.  I've been three times in the past week.

YUM.

Lunch at a restaurant that had been on my bucket list for ages:

We even got to sit outside!

A ride on the rhino bus:

Another check off the Bucket List!

The Machida Shrine Sale:

On the 1st of every month, vendors gather at the Machida Temmangu Shrine for the Machida Shrine Sale.  It resembles a flea market and is full of good finds.  I love picking up treasures that will remind me of my time abroad for years to come.

and ...

An upcoming trip to see my hubs!

I hope your fall is starting as well as mine!

Hiking in Japan (December 2012)

We haven't done as much hiking here in Japan as we would like to, but J. found a trail that is nearby and dog friendly.  We headed out there one crisp December day with our neighbor and his dog, Angus.

Our first glimpse of the view

J., me + Lucy ... she was SO happy to get back out on the trail!

You could see all the way to Tokyo and Yokohama

Mr. H. and Angus ... he and Lucy are besties!

J. and I with the dogs

One happy little pup

Which way?!

One last view ...

Hopefully we will be able to get some more hiking in when J. returns from deployment!

NAF Atsugi Bon Odori Festival 2013

I wrote about last year's Bon Odori festival here.  This year, I was excited to be taking part in the festival!  Our husbands were deployed, but the wives of 141 came out to support us!

141 Dancers!

Mrs. Bag-O, our XO's wife, me, CO's wife (COW)

Mrs. Bag-O + Me

141 Wives!

More 141 wives!

Me + Mrs. Bag-O

Our cute bows

NAF Atsugi Dancers doing a dance to Call Me Maybe

Other groups of Japanese Bon dancers were invited to participate in our festival

NAF Atsugi dancers on the stage

Mrs. Bag-O and I ... the photo is blurry but it makes me laugh!

Dancers ... you can see our obi bows and everyone's pretty updos!

Our friend Mrs. Handy

Action shots

More action shots!

Mrs. Bag-O and I

All in all, I am glad I participated in Bon Odori dancing this summer!  It was definitely out of my comfort zone - I am super uncoordinated and hate being in the limelight - but all of the festivals we participated in this summer were a lot of fun.  It was also a great opportunity to learn about a part of Japanese culture that I probably never would have known about had I not moved to Japan.  If you are over here and you have the opportunity to participate, I highly recommend it!

Japanese Field Trip

I'm working on my Australia blog posts (going through 750 pictures takes some time!) but in the mean time, I thought I'd share photos from the field trip my Japanese students took to base!  

We had a slight snafu - I picked them up at 10:15 and we headed over to the pool ... which doesn't open until 12:00.  WHOOPS.  But they got a drink at McDonald's and came over to my house to meet Miss Lucy and color a few pages.  We finally made it into the pool and spent a few hours there before heading over to the food court for lunch.  It was a fun outing!  I really enjoy spending time with my students outside of our formal lessons - I think it gives you a deeper relationship and they see how you use English in an everyday setting!  

Yuna

Genki, Yuna + Kokoha

Me and my cute little students!

We went the Monday after I got back from Australia and it was the only day I had to work that week ... how can you even call this "work"?!

NAF Atsugi Bon Odori Festival (August 2012)

Obon is an annual Buddhist event for remembering one's ancestors and the sacrifices they made during their life.  The Japanese believe that each year during obon, their ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.  I kind of like the idea of this, wouldn't it be comforting to know that your loved ones were visiting you each year?  

During this time, there are a lot of festivals honoring the spirits.  We have one here on base and open the gates to our Japanese friends.  The bases' Officers and Enlisted Spouses Clubs take part in the festival.  They learn the dances and practice all summer long and have several performances throughout the summer, with the NAF Atsugi Bon Odori Festival being the last major performance.  I did not participate last year, but am happy to say I will be participating this year!  

Lots of people at the festival

There were lots of booths set up ... some selling squadron gear and some selling food

Our Shadowhawk booth!

J. and I at the Shadowhawk booth!

Bon Odori dancers waiting to start dancing

The dancers wear summer kimonos, called "yukatas"

The NAF Atsugi Dancers on the stage

I love these purple obis

The NAF Atsugi Dancers dancing around the stage

We have already started practices for this year's festival and have even participated in an event in Tokyo already!  I will be sure to write about that soon.