Happy Halloween!


First, we participated in a playgroup "Halloween costume parade" through the hospital to visit Dads at work and give out candy to all staff members. Then we went to a fun Harvest Festival and made crafts and played some games.



In the evening, Sydney even went trick-or-treating (on base, of course) for the first time ever! Then we had dinner with our friends, the Millers, and had fun helping them pass out candy to a base full of American and Japanese kids. Most people buy 8+ bags of candy and even giving out only one piece per child it only lasts an hour or two! Check out our photos in the gallery.



We almost didn't have a traditional Halloween celebration, since Sydney wouldn't put on her costume until the 11th hour, but Daddy did finally get it on her, so all was not lost!



But the best part of Halloween with our two year old? This may be the first and last time Mommy and Daddy can eat Sydney's candy without her knowing what she's missing!

Sydney's Birthday: "I'm Two!"


Sydney's had a whole week of birthday celebrations...actually starting 10 days early in case her sibling decided to arrive early to spoil her last bit of "only child" fun. (No baby yet, so in some ways the "fun" has yet to begin!)

Anyway, as usual you can check out Sydney's birthday photos in our gallery.

Here are some short videos of her celebrations (click on highlighted words):

Video 1: Sydney Singing the "Birthday Song"

Video 2: Mitch Tries to Score Some Birthday Cake

Video 3: Sydney Learning to Say: "I'm two!"

Go Red Socks!

Sydney sports her Daisuke t-shirt (written in Japanese of course, compliments of Dave and Danielle) in gymnastics Monday to celebrate with the Red Socks!

A Tanuki "Family Reunion"

As promised, I will finally explain the tanuki in detail...I only hope I don't break one of Brian's rules since this will entail explaining certain body parts not usually discussed in a public forum!

Sometimes called a "racoon dog," the tanuki is a real, small nocturnal mammal with a pointed muzzle, which resembles a racoon with its rounded ears and dark mask. It is said to date back to when Japan was joined to the mainland, before the ice age. They have also been found in China, Siberia, and Europe.

The tanuki has also been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times. There are countless tales about the mischievous tanuki. The legendary tanuki can transform into any living or inanimate shape, but in legend it often assumes the form of a monk or a tea kettle to play tricks on people. Real tanuki live in the lowlands, forests and mountain valleys, and in legends, the mythical tanuki is most often shown playing tricks on hunters and woodsmen. They can cast powerful illusions--they can turn leaves into fake money or horse manure into a delicious-looking dinner.

The tanuki is said to put leaves on its head and to chant prior to transformation. In some legends, the leaf is the sacred lotus plant of Buddhism. It is also believed that tanuki can change leaves into money. Here's a little gaming trivia for you: in the computer game "Super Mario Brothers," when Mario gets a leaf, he gains pointy ears and the tail of a tanuki.

One small ceramic figure of a fat tanuki (not a whole family of them) is often found in the hallways or against the facades of restaurants (especially noodle shops) and sake shops. It stands up on his hind legs and wears a wide-brimmed straw hat hanging down his back. (This photo is an unusual display of numerous tanuki, as it was taken in Seto, where these tanuki were part of the huge pottery sale I visited in September.)

Now the taboo talk...the actual wild tanuki has unusually large testicles, which has inspired exaggeration in ceramic versions of the creature. Tanuki may be shown with their testicles flung over their backs like travellers' packs, or using them as drums. As tanuki are also typically depicted as having large bellies, they may be depicted as drumming on their bellies instead of their testicles--a more "PG" version of the tanuki, I suppose.

In one paw he holds an empty sake bottle; in the other he holds an account book--some say it represents his money being wasted on wine and women. Some say the oversized scrotum is due to sexual over-indulgences. But since his penis has disappeared, some say it is a reminder that drink "prevokes the desire, but takes away the performance."

On the other hand, there are other interpretations to the characteristics of the legendary tanuki (see figure with descriptions). But I'm not sure what a "blob" is and what it has to do with being lucky with money...

Either way, I'm feeling particularly generous, so I will offer up a ceramic tanuki as the prize for our long-overdue, next trivia contest! (Stay tuned...I have to think of something trivial. Yes, this may take a while!) And be sure to venture your guesses just the same...you'll find a use for the tanuki, as many people consider them the equivalent of a western garden gnome. I just wish I could be a fly on the wall as you try explaining your tanuki to your neighbors...

Who Needs Daisuke?

...when Brian's in the game, that is.

Saturday, Sydney and I watched as Brian and some fellow US Navy Hospital staff members played two friendly games of baseball against some Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) doctors. With a true spirit of camaraderie, each team won one game.

Back to Tokyo

In September, we had our last family "hoorah" before baby arrives in 5 weeks! We went back to the New Sanno hotel in Tokyo for two days.

On our way there (driving), we got lost in Japan for the first time! Anyone who knows me knows I do NOT like to take the path less traveled and I do not like to "just see where this road goes." When I make a wrong turn, I prefer to turn around and go back the way I came. Especially in a country where I can't read the signs. And when I don't have a map (in any language, let alone English) on hand.

However, Brian was driving, so he forged ahead and drove around hoping to find our way. I have to say I was too panicked to contest...or was it that I had no idea how we could "turn around"? (And I was too busy envisioning us abandonning our car on the side of the road and finding our way on foot to a subway. Afterall, I had a subway map.) Either way, I pride myself on remaining rather quiet and calm in this instance, at least outwardly. And, within 20 minutes or so, without any help from me, he'd navigated us back on track.

Despite our delay, we made it to the Ueno Zoo, where Sydney loved seeing all the animals. Monkeys (maybe her favorite), elephants, giraffes, tigers, lions, bears, panda bears, penguins, and more! Then we stopped by the Roppongi Hills area, which is an upscale residential area with many shops and restaurants.

On our second day, we headed to Akihabara, the electronic district of Tokyo, where you can purchase any type of electronic device known to man...if you can read the Japanese packaging, of course. We weren't in the market for anything, but it was fun to look. Apparently, gaming is a big draw to this area, and there were young men (mostly) lined up to enter entertainment centers for gaming.

Finally, we ended up in Harajuku, mostly to check out a large toy store called Kiddyland. Here we found Hello Kitty and Elmo decked out in Halloween garb, and Totoro (Sydney's favorite Japanese animated character).

When we settled on a cafe for lunch before heading home, little did we know we'd actually be attending a wedding--or so it felt when a young Japanese couple dressed in "Western" wedding attire strolled by us as they entered the reception hall attached to the cafe. But I didn't feel too bad about being under dressed, since the cat (yes, a real cat) sitting at the table next to us didn't have a special outfit on for the occasion either.