The Latest From Michigan

Boeing has deemed it safe to return to Japan and asked all its expatriates to return starting next week. News and information from their experts say that Nagoya is safe. The following is the latest: Radiation is at background levels and no increased radiation has been seen since the event. There have been no measurements of contamination in tap water in Nagoya. Monitoring will continue for the foreseeable future. Analysis of worst case scenarios assuming full nuclear meltdown and unfavorable winds still show radiation at background levels in Nagoya.

Emily and I have been in touch with a number of friends still in Nagoya. Actually, Emily has a pregnant friend that has remained there since the Earthquake and another returning this coming week. Our friends have informed us that life is continuing on as if nothing is wrong.

Emily and I have spent the last week in Michigan with our family and friends. We have enjoyed our time away but are indeed headed back to Japan. Joe will leave Monday and Emily will follow on Wednesday. Mom and Dad Schreurs as well as Rachel and Alex are still coming for their visit. We look forward to seeing them all and showing them a good time in Japan!!

Home Sweet Home

The Fukushima nuclear power plant situation has continued without resolution and as such we decided to come back to the good ole U S of A! We had been spending a week vacation in Thailand with a planned return to Nagoya on Sunday. Instead, with a optional home leave provided by Boeing, we decided to extend our trip and head directly to the States. We will spend this week in Michigan with our friends and family. Then we will go to Seattle so Joe can work until our return to Nagoya. We're hopeful to return next week but will keep everyone posted on the progress.

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Nuclear Disasters...Oh My!

On Friday, March 11th, just before 3PM in Japan, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan. The closest coastal city to the quake was Sendai. Sendai is to the northeast of Nagoya where we live by around 250 miles. Shortly after the quake a tsunami was hitting the coasts of Japan. The hardest hit areas of the quake were unfortunately the hardest hit areas by the tsunami. Then to add to it a nuclear power plant to the south of Sendai in Fukushima started having problems keeping a number of its 6 nuclear reactors cool.

The earthquake was felt all across Japan. In Nagoya, the registered magnitude was around a 4.0. Fortunately, this was not that strong and the majority of buildings and structures are designed to withstand much worse. The earthquake did however last for about 4 minutes straight. And subsequent to it there were tens of similar strength aftershocks.

Emily was with a student and thought it was just her - she started to feel really dizzy and thought she was going to pass out... then her student yelled, "It's an earthquake!" Emily definitely felt it and saw the buildings moving. It was Emily's first earthquake and not what she expected. The expectation was for shaking and rattling like you see in the movies and news. Instead it was slow moving and like a rolling motion.

Joe was away from his standard office near the water and in downtown Nagoya when the quake hit. He was on the 7th floor of a small building trying to get his new work computer setup with some of his coworkers. He was sitting in a flexible back chair when all of sudden it was like a rocking chair. It took someone else to say "earthquake" to realize "yep, this is an earthquake". We all just sat there thinking its going to end shortly. But after the 3rd minute came and passed we decided we needed to get out. We took the office administrator (who was freaking out) down the emergency fire escape and waited for it to stop. The quake was not as Joe expected either. Instead of vigorous shaking and vibrating it was a slow rolling motion where you just felt unsteady and unbalanced like you were on a rocking fishing boat. Then for the rest of the afternoon, we lived in paranoia of the aftershocks..."there's another one".

The earthquake had no affect on Nagoya. There was no structural damage that we know of, certainly nothing major. The tsunami also had no affect on the Nagoya coastal regions.

On Saturday, the day after the quake, we were leaving for Thailand for a week vacation. At the airport it was obvious a number of people had their flights canceled but the airport was operating as usual. We were able to get out on time and our currently still in Thailand.

The nuclear power plant situation was not something we expected or saw coming. When we arrived in Thailand we learned of what was going on and began to wonder what was going to happen. It seems like every time we turn on the TV there is a new development regarding the power plant. Currently, we have to trust that everything is being done to contain the situation there. However, Nagoya is around 200 miles away from the affected power plant. This is well beyond a safe buffer zone should "shit hit the fan". We are reassured this both by the news and Boeing. Boeing continues to monitor the situation and is keeping all of its employees in Japan well informed. Currently they have relocated those employees who were working in the Northeast. If this puts your minds at ease, a number of the them are now in Nagoya. We continue to watch the news, internet and emails we get from family and friends regarding this situation. As of right now we feel safe and believe it is safe to return to Nagoya at the end of our trip.

Thank you to everyone for thinking of us and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We are so appreciative.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those truly affected by this terrible and devastating trio of disasters that has struck Japan.

SURPRISE!

Joe's good friend from work, Brian, organized a surprise 27th birthday party for him. We managed to get 25 of our close friends together for a fun night at Outback. We also managed to keep it a complete secret. :)

Surprise! He had no idea.

Table #1

Table #2

Good friends :)

Everyone singing "Happy Birthday!"

Make a wish!

Happy early 27th Birthday to my wonderful hubby! His actual birthday is March 16th, but we will be in Thailand for it. Thank you to Brian for organizing the surprise and making the reservation. He had a great time! We feel so blessed to have met such wonderful friends here in Nagoya!

Week off!

I don't have to work this week, and it's been great to have my life back! I didn't realize how much I've been missing out on with friends and social events. I decided to quit my job, so I am officially done working at the end of this month... and I can't wait! I'm counting down the days until I'm done - March 25th! :) Don't get me wrong, teaching in Japan has been an incredible experience. I've learned a lot, explored new areas, met new people, made some extra money, and really enjoyed the kiddos. But I'm ready to move on and get back into a regular routine at home. Our house has been a disaster, especially since Joe is in grad school now. He doesn't have much time to help out, so most of the responsibilities are falling on me right now. It doesn't help that since we live downtown I have to go to about 5 different grocery stores each week to get what we need... and with no car, it can be difficult and time consuming. It's overwhelming to try to work and keep up with everyday life in Japan. So I've made the decision, and I can't wait!

This week I was able to go back to the Meet & Greet, a gathering of foreign women at a local American restaurant once a month. It was nice to catch up with friends, see people I haven't seen in a long time, and meet new people. I'm looking forward to adding this back into my life next month.

I was also able to go back to Ikebana class! I didn't realize how much I miss this! I go with a group of girls that I've become really close with, and I miss having the opportunity to see them regularly. This is another activity that I'm looking forward to adding back into my life. This week I did freestyle, here is a pic of my final product.

This is what I recreated after bringing my flowers home. It actually looked much cuter in class because I had a different shape of vase. I love the pink gerber daisies.

My other big news is that I booked my flight home for the summer! I'll be arriving in Michigan on May 27th and leaving on July 15th. However, during that time I will also be traveling to Savannah with my family to visit Michael, going to Tucson to see the von Scheliha family, and then to Seattle for Eric & Fran's wedding. It will be a crazy and hectic summer, but I can't wait to finally see everyone!

Tea Ceremony & Karaoke

One of my friends, Miyoko, who I also teach English, invited my mom and I out to experience Japanese Tea Ceremony and Karaoke.

Miyoko welcome us into her home, and allowed us to wear her kimono. She helped us dress - I never knew wearing a kimono was such a complicated process! It was very tight and a bit uncomfortable... but very fun to wear, especially to a Japanese Tea Ceremony.

The man in this photo is the teacher, apparently it takes several years to become certified in tea ceremony. The women we attended with have been practicing for many years, and are still learning! The tea ceremony is a well orchestrated series of events, each part of the ritual is symbolic. I love that the kettle is in the floor. They use a bamboo ladle to pour and serve the water.

These are the three women we attended the ceremony with, Miyoko and her friends. All learning and practicing the tea ceremony process. It was a very interesting experience, and I'm interested in learning more about the meaning behind the movements in Japanese Tea Ceremony.

After the Tea Ceremony, we headed over to a local karaoke "box" for some good ole' singing! Karaoke is one of the main social activities of Japanese people. Many karaoke bars are open 24 hours, and often feature all-you-can-drink deals. Each group has their own room with access to all karaoke paraphernalia... far more private compared to U.S. karaoke since it's just you and your friends in a room. They have a wide variety of songs to choose from - my mom enjoyed singing oldies, especially the Beatles.

Kyoto Trip & Maiko Makeover with Mom

After spending a day in Nara, we spent the following day exploring Kyoto.

This is Kinkaku-ji, the famous temple of the Golden Pavilion. It's surrounded by Mirror Pond, which makes for an awesome picture with the reflection! This was originally built as a retirement villa in 1358 but was converted into a Zen temple after his death. The 1st floor is palace-style, the 2nd floor is samurai-style, and the 3rd floor is Zen temple style.

Japanese tea house.

Nijo Castle, known for its unusually ornate interiors and nightingale floors. The floors make bird-like speaking sounds when walked upon, as a warning of possible intruders. The nightingale floors were carefully laid so that the cramps and nails below the floorboards would rub together and squeak gently when disturbed. The castle was created by Shogun Tokugawa (1543-1616), and symbolized power and riches.

Geisha are traditional female professional entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese traditional arts, such as music and dance. Apprentice geisha are called maiko, which is what we were dressed as. The white make-up and elbarote kimono and hair of a maiko is the popular image held of geisha. They wear their hair in a distinctive style and sport a unique costume featuring a long hanging obi, tall clogs, and an under-kimono. To see all our pictures, go to: http://emilyandjoepictures.shutterfly.com/

Trip to Nara with Mom

I decided to take my mom on a day-trip to Nara. It takes about an hour and half to get there from Nagoya by 2 trains. Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan, and today is one of the country's most rewarding sights! It's known as a treasure house of Buddhist art, with numerous Japanese Buddhist temples and Buddhist statues.

There are wild deer everywhere... and they are not scared of people! They are called shika and were originally regarded as divine messengers of Shinto gods. Today they enjoy the status of National Treasures. They roam the park and surrounding areas in search of handouts from tourists, often young children who have the misfortune to be carrying food! My mom bought deer biscuits to feed them - and they were very greedy! Butting her for more food!

Todai-ji. This is the temple that represents Nara.This enormous temple houses Japan's largest bronze statue, as well as many other Buddhist statues. It's worth the trip to this city, just to see this temple and giant Buddha!

Shrine along the path to the next temple. So many deer along the way.

We're not exactly sure what the name of this is, or what it is, but many of the temples have them. Maybe a giant gong?

A lady was selling baked Japanese sweet potatoes on the street. They were delicious!!! I love Japanese sweet potatoes - I usually slice them, grill them, and serve them with honey. But now I'll have to try baking them.

Kofuku-ji temple area. 5-storey pagoda, the second tallest in Japan.

After spending the day in Nara, we headed over to Kyoto to spend the night in a Japanese Ryokan, a traditional Japanese Inn. The room was a tatami room (straw mat flooring), with Japanese floor futons for bedding. It was a really fun experience!

Ueda Overnight Field Trip to Osaka

My school went on an overnight field trip to Osaka. We spent the first day at Universal Studios, spent the night in a hotel, then went to Kidzania (an adult world for kids) on the second day.

We met at Nagoya Station very early in the morning, then took the Shinkansen (high speed bullet train) to Osaka. We had to take another 2 trains to get to Universal Studios. Managing 24 students with only 4 teachers through 3 train stations during rush hour was incredibly stressful! But when we finally arrived, everyone was excited.

Picture of my group at Universal Studios. Ms. Yuki and I had 12 children in our group, ages 3-5 years old. It was a very hectic and stressful day! There weren't too many rides that the kids were tall enough to ride, so we spent most of our day going to different shows. After spending the day at the park, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner - then headed over to the hotel. I had 8 kids in my hotel room that I was responsible for all evening, including bathing and getting ready for bed. There was never a dull moment! It gave me a little taste of what it would be like to have 8 children!

On the second day we headed over to a place called Kidzania. It's literally an adult world for kids. They were able to experience a variety of different jobs, get paid for their work, and spend their hard earned "money" at the end of the day. Jobs consisted of: chef, baker, police officer, fireman, doctor, dentist, banker, security guard, construction worker, fashion designer, barber, salon stylist, magician, train operator, car repair.... you name it, they had it!

A few of the students learning how to make sushi. They were very proud of their hard work.

Here the students are learning how to be a fashion designer - they were able to design their own outfits!

It was such a great learning experience for the kiddos. I think that the U.S. should have one of these parks! :)

Nagano Ski Trip

We went to Nagano for a weekend ski trip! It was a pre-planned event, organized by the Japan relocation agency that helped us find our apartment. So all we had to do was pay - and show up! It was very convenient... we didn't have to worry about finding our way, reserving a hotel, buying tickets, etc.

It snowed the ENTIRE time we were there. Which made for beautiful scenery and fresh powder snow - but it also made it a little difficult to see while skiing at times, and also very wet.

There was so much fresh powder that Joe could stick his entire pole under the snow!

Fresh snow pile outside the hotel lobby.

We had a tatami room inside our hotel room - I loved this!

Right before we boarded the bus to go home, it stopped snowing. The views were spectacular!

View while loading the bus. Wish it would have been this beautiful all weekend long.