Lincoln started school on October 12th here in Japan. We quickly started looking into schools when we arrived and toured two schools before deciding on Fuji Youchien (Kindergarten). They recommended we wait to start until after their big sports day on October 9th since the kids had been preparing for it and they didn't want Lincoln to be too overwhelmed. It is an all Japanese speaking school so we knew it it could be a hard adjustment for him at first. He rides a bus to and from school that picks up and drops off at the gate closest to our house. On his first day we drove him in and he rode the bus home. He has done great with the bus and did not even cry getting on the bus his 2nd day. The school is very unique and we think it will be an awesome experience for Linc. The school is in the shape of a circle with open air classrooms on the bottom and a large play area on top. There are multiple areas to play outside around the circle and the school has animals including two ponies (he gets to ride one on his birthday!). The school has a farm that the kids get to harvest vegetables from and bring them home. Within his first week, Lincoln had a field trip to harvest sweet potatoes and brought home 5 large one's. Eric made a yummy soup with them. They also have school chefs that prepare fresh meals daily and most days we have let him try school lunch. The food is very different than what he is used to and some days I think he only eats the fruit but the teachers tell us he is getting better at trying the fish, chicken, rice, noodle, and soup dishes. Also within his first two weeks we were invited to a family lunch for his class. Eric and I were able to attend and try some of the food he is offered. It was tough for Lincoln having us there and we were all a bit overwhelmed. The food was served by the kids and they sang songs in Japanese as the teacher played the piano. Lincoln has 2 kids from base in his class and the teachers say they are making great friends with each other. He wears a uniform to school and the kids change themselves into play clothes upon arrival. One of the school's motto's is I can do it myself and we can already see Lincoln becoming more independent since starting school. When were were registering for the school they gave us so much info it was a little overwhelming for me. There is a certain way to wear their clothes, pack their lunch sack and book bag, and don't forget to put a handkerchief in their left pocket daily. :) Two of my neighbors have kids that attend the school so they were very helpful in answering any questions I had as we got started. It also helped that he had friends on the bus! The school has been great with letting us know how he is doing. We have one main contact that translates any information from the teacher to us. They say he plays well throughout the grounds, is trying new foods and is very observant and tries to dance and sing with the class! Here are some photos from his 1st day, field trip, and family lunch. I also included a link to a Ted Talk that shows the school in more detail and the philosophy behind it.
Ready for my 1st day!
Rocking his uniform!
In front of his classroom. They take their shoes and socks off before entering the classroom. He gave me a hug and was off with his teacher to change his clothes.
Getting off the bus his first day. I see you buddy!
So proud of my big boy! When all the kids are off the bus we bow and say Sayonara (Goodbye in Japanese).
The school sent home this picture of Lincoln harvesting sweet potatoes. They meant dug of course. His class wears a light pink hat with their training wear shorts daily. He can wear tights under on cooler days.
Home with my dirty sweet potatoes. He came off the bus with dirt all over his face.
He got to ride at the front of the bus one day last week. Before getting on the bus we bow and say Ohio Gozaimas (Good Morning in Japanese).
With Linc at family lunch. He only smiled because it was time to go home!
We made the school newsletter. Linc wasn't having any other photo opps this day.
Two weekends ago Eric and I planned a day trip through ITT to see the Great Buddha and Shrines. We decided to do the trip as a way to celebrate the news that Eric passed his medical boards. After 9 weeks of waiting he finally got an e-mail in late September....not that I was worried but I think it was a huge relief for him. We found a great sitter for the boys so we were off for the day to sight see, shop, and relax. Here are some pics from our date day! Eric took over the camera for the day and took a photo of every area we saw so I included a slideshow at the end for anyone interested in seeing more detailed photos of the shrines. :)
The Great Buddha of Kamakura
Big Buddha is 38ft tall, almost 44ft with the base, and is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan.
Entrance to the Buddha Shrine - it rained most of the morning but at least it was not cold
My little tourist at the base of the Hase Temple
The gardens and ponds were beautiful
Touring Tsurugaoka Sachimangu Shrine
These little foxes wore red aprons
The shrine in the distance - this shrine was close to the shopping and restaurants
It stopped raining for shopping!! I definitely want to go back for more.
It has been two weeks since my last post. Here is what we have been up to in Japan!
Every year Yokota Air Base hosts a Friendship Festival. This is an event where the Japanese community are invited on base to celebrate the partnership between the U.S. and Japan.
Family Selfie
Checking out the planes
Sometimes things get lost in translation
The boys enjoying their snow corn
I ventured off base with my neighbor to a store called Hard Offs. It was a thrift shop with a little bit of everything. We also went to a Recycle Shop which was similar except it had appliances and furniture too.
We checked out a nearby Japanese grocery store. You can find some interesting flavors in common American products. I wonder what turkey leg pringles taste like? We did buy and try sake kit kats and green tea kit kats. The sake was pretty good but would not recommend the green tea. The boys liked seeing the random fish throughout the store.
Over the weekend we checked out the Aeon Mall. We shopped at the Gap. :) They also had an H&M but those were probably the only two stores I recognized. The food court experience is always interesting. The boys had KFC, I found a flat bread pizza, and Eric is always sampling some noodle dish. We sat in the kid area on little chairs.
They put Eric's name above our door. The Vaillants live here!
We decided to get a 2nd car. Check out E's new 1998 Pajero mini. I might steal it. It is smaller than our yellow car!
We went to our first Japanese Baseball game. We did a travel tour through the base so we took a bus there and back.
Our home team is called the Seibu Lions and they play at the Seibu Prince Dome
The boys before the game
One with mommy!
Eric sampling the ball park food. There is a picture of a baseball player on the seaweed. I struggled to find anything to eat so I resorted to KFC french fries. They also had beer girls with back pack mini kegs with beer on tap.
The atmosphere is very loud. Across from where we were sitting there were bands for each team that play the entire game. Sections of the stadium also did chants and dances in unison. It felt more like a college football atmosphere than the baseball games we are used to back home. Here is Linc with his plastic bats you hit together with the crowd.
You also want to fly your team flag
All the commotion led to a nap for Linc
In the 7th inning you can buy these balloons to let go together at the end of the inning.
We are all moved in to our permanent house on base. We had temporary furniture delivered on move in day and will be using
that until our household goods arrive (hoping by mid-October). It is a 3 bedroom garden unit which backs up to Hayden's school. He is enjoying the short walk to school and so far has reported good days. His only struggles so far have been with Japanese class and Spanish class which is understandable since he has never had either. We are learning some basic Japanese words and both boys can count to five in Japanese....ichi, ni, san, shi, go. We have visited two pre-schools for Lincoln, one a Japanese school and one an International school, both off base. We really liked both and are in the process of deciding and getting things lined up to enroll. More on that once all is settled. In the past week we have stayed busy. I attended a ladies church kick-off event where we made a Japanese flower arrangement called Ikebana. Over the weekend I visited a Japanese antique sale on base. These are held once a month. I had never been to an antique sale of any sort but the girl I went with was a pro and helped me know what things were and how to negotiate on the prices. I was able to purchase a beautiful full length mirror for our room and 3 Kokeshi dolls. We also visited the library so the boys could check out books, dvd's and board games. We are watching dvd's from our computer currently but it is better than nothing. We were able to borrow a tv and microwave from the base loan locker which was helpful. We have AFN (Armed Forces Network) tv which is limited in its channels but we can see some primetime shows and sports. We enjoyed watching a Georgia football game on a Sunday morning and the Redskins on a Tuesday morning live. :) On Sunday we followed our new neighbors over to a cute shopping town off base called Mori Town. They had a climbing wall for kids there, shops, restaurants, and a nice mall. I am looking forward to going back without the kids to shop! We walked around and got icecream. It was interesting trying to order but we figured out which was vanilla frozen yogurt. The cones were different too but very good. I signed up for a wine and design class one night and painted a Japan painting which was fun. Our sponsor/friend took us to the Costco here. It was very similar to Costco's in the US except for some of their products obviously. Eric bought sushi which he said was super fresh and delicious. Most of the sushi here has raw fish so I won't be venturing to try any of that. Here are some pics from our newest adventures in Japan....
Hayden walking home from school. I am standing in our back yard.
My Ikebana flower arrangement. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. The stalks, leaves, and flowers were cut at different lengths and placed in different positions to symbolize heaven, earth, and man.
Kokeshi are Japanese dolls, handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few, thin painted lines to define the face. One characteristic of the dolls is their lack of arms and legs. There were many designs and sizes to choose from at the antique sale. I gravitated towards the girly one's. :)
Hayden on the climbing wall in Mori Town
Ice cream! Yes, that is a KFC behind him which we have seen a lot of here.
We were safe and went with vanilla. They had a vanilla/melon swirl which sounded interesting. Our neighbor tried it and said it tasted like cantaloupe.
Eric with his new grill and patio set.
We are trying new Japanese snacks each time we go grocery shopping. The animal crackers had very interesting animals. There are about 50 different animals named on the box. They taste a little more like a cracker than a cookie but we all liked them and enjoyed a good laugh at all the animals.
Me with my painting. Not sure I love Japan yet but I thought the picture would be nice in our new house. :)
