Love Having Visitors!

The night before our family left, my friend Nicole came to visit from Seattle. She was here for almost 3 weeks, and we had a great time! We love having visitors - it's fun to show people around Japan, and reminds us of how much we love this city & country! Here is a little slideshow of pictures from her trip.

She arrived just in time for cherry blossoms!

We went to my favorite castle in Inuyama.

Ate some delicious Japanese & Asian food
(pictured here is Japanese curry).

Also ate some not so great food...

And a traditional Japanese meal.

Went to the Nagoya Chunichi Dragon's baseball game.

Celebrated Nicole's 30th birthday!

Day trip to Kyoto to see temples & shrines
and have a maiko geisha makeover.

Had gorgeous weather! Went to the zoo and aquarium.
Visited parks and took long walks!

Dressed in kimono and experienced traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

Explored new temples and shrines.
This is the Tagata Jinja Shrine (penis shrine).

Went to Gifu and discovered a giant paper mache buddha.

Day trip to Nagano to see the snow monkeys in the onsen.

Thanks Nicole for visiting! We had a really great time with you here. Miss you already, but looking forward to seeing you in July! :)

Tagata Jinja Shrine

Tagata Jinja is a Shinto Shrine in Komaki City, just north of Nagoya. Unfortunately, we missed the annual festival, which is held every March 15th. It's a festival that celebrates a plentiful harvest, peace, and fertility. It's commonly referred to as the "Japanese Penis Festival," and includes food, dancing, and a parade. The main attraction is a 2.5 meter long 620 pound wooden phallus that was carved from a single Japanese cypress tree.

Even though we missed the festival, we decided to visit the shrine anyway - since Joe and I have never been before, and it's a unique experience for foreigners. I read that for most of the year, Tagata Jinja is very quiet. Most of the visitors are young couples, sometimes coming to pray for successful conception, and sometimes coming to give thanks for a safe child birth.

The entire temple had a variety of phallus shaped objects, including the rocks surrounding the shrine. I have included a few pictures below, but they are obviously not appropriate for all readers.

Giant penis on display inside the temple.

Variety of phallus shaped objects surrounding the giant penis.

Another giant penis inside another temple.

Even the rocks outside where penis-shaped.

Gifu Prefecture & Nagano Snow Monkeys!

We rented a car for the weekend, and decided to head north to the prefecture of Gifu on Satuday. Here, we checked out the Gifu castle and also the Shouhou-ji Temple.

Gifu-jo Castle stands at the top of a mountain, and the only access to the top is by cable car. Despite the rain and poor weather, we took the cable car to the top to check out the castle. I'm sure on a clear day, the views would have been spectacular! Unfortunately because of the rain and fog, we couldn't see anything. Inside the castle was a little disappointing as well. It's very small, and it's a modern reconstruction of the original. Inside is a museum, with not much to see.

Gifu-jo Castle

Nicole inside the castle museum.

After the castle, we headed a short ways to the temple of Shouhou-ji. The main attraction at this temple is the paper-mache Daibutsu (buddha), which stands nearly 14 meters tall and is said to have been fashioned over 38 years using about a ton of paper Sutras. The central pillar of this buddha was constructed with ginkgo tree wood. Its framework was built from various types of wood while the body was knitted together from many types of bamboo material. The surface of the buddha was hardened with clay and covered with many great Buddhist scriptures. As a final process, lacquer was applied many times and then plastered with golden leaves. Because priests and many others prayed for people's happiness by using buddhist sutra scriptures, placing many scriptures onto the body of the buddha was very important in its construction.

Giant buddha, hard to believe it's made with paper mache.

Small statues go all the way around the temple.

On Sunday, we headed about 4 hours north to Nagano to see the Japanese snow monkeys. Here there is an onsen (hot spring) village nestled in the mountains, home to about 200 Japanese macaques who live in and around the onsen baths. The monkeys and their hot tub can be found at a park called Jigokudani Yaen-koen. The most popular time to see the monkeys is in the winter, when many of them are bathing in the onsen. However, the park is open year-round, and it's possible to see quite a few anytime of the year. They are accustomed to humans, and can be observed from very close.

We were a little nervous that we would drive all the way there and then not see any monkeys. But I'm happy to report that we had good luck seeing tons of monkeys everywhere! I LOVED this experience! Next time, we'll go in the winter and see them in action in the snow.

the onsen

relaxing in the hot spring

we saw quite a few baby monkeys :)

getting very close!

what a great day!

Baby Schreurs... "Maybe it's a ______!"

We had our 17 week appointment this week. The doctor measured the baby's head and size and said that based on the measurements I'm right on track for my due date. We are both doing well, gaining weight, and overall very healthy. We were also able to finally hear the baby's heartbeat, which is currently at a rate of about 150.

We were hoping to find out the gender at our appointment, and well... we kind-of did. The doctor asked if we wanted to know the sex, we said yes, and his response was: "maybe it's a boy." I know you're all thinking what does "maybe" mean? Well, I'm sure you've all gained some insight into the Japanese culture from all of the news reports after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters here in Japan. Accuracy is important to the Japanese, and errors are not well accepted. A Japanese person does not like to be put in the position of having to admit a mistake or failure. Doing so would be to lose face, which is pretty serious in Japan. Generally people do not give answers or responses until they are over 110% positive.... so based on the culture, and the fact that my doctor actually gave a gender response, I think it's probably safe to say it's a boy. But to be sure, he'll check again and confirm at my next appointment in 4 weeks.

Here is the ultrasound video! Let us know if you agree that it's a boy. :)

Chunichi Dragons Baseball

We went to our first Nagoya Chunichi Dragon's baseball game last weekend. If the name sounds familiar, it's probably because you recognize it from the movie "Mr. Baseball" with Tom Selleck. The movie is about a baseball player who is traded to a Japanese team and has trouble fitting into society.

The seating was pretty comfortable, and we were fortunate enough to have good seats right behind third base. I was a little disappointed in the food selection, but that goes without saying when all I have to compare it to is the delicious garlic fries at the Seattle Mariner's baseball games! I was however impressed with the fact that you can bring drinks into the stadium - including alcohol! They just make you transfer it into a cup to get rid of the bottles and cans.

indoor stadium

The Dragon's have 3 mascots - a blue dragon, a pink dragon, and a koala. Apparently the story goes that Nagoya was the first city to get a koala in its zoo, therefore the team adopted the animal as their mascot.

I think the koala is a fan favorite.
Many of the kids even wore koala ears at the game.

My favorite was of course the pink dragon!
I love that their mascots look like cartoon characters.

I was impressed with the fans at the game... they get really into the game! The stadium was essentially divided in half, with Dragon's fans on one side, and the opponent fans on the other. Each side waved their team flags when their team was up to bat, and all fans sang songs and cheered. I was also impressed with the cleanliness of the stadium - we didn't see any trash on the floor, and the bottom of our shoes never got that sticky feeling that you get in most stadiums in the U.S.

cheering fans!

It was a fun experience, and I'm glad we went. The game itself was a bit boring, as it was tied 0-0 throughout the entire game until the Dragon's finally scored in the 10th inning. So I'm glad to report that they won, but I think our next adventure will be to check out Nagoya's soccer team.

Hanami

Japanese Cherry Blossoms (sakura) bloom between late March and early April. This year was perfect timing for all of our visitors, as our family was able to see the beginning of the blooms and Nicole was able to see the end.

"Hanami" is a very popular time in Japan's spring. "Hana" means flower, and "mi" means seeing or viewing. Therefore, the term "hanami" means admiring the beauty of the cherry blossoms. Many people gather in parks to view the beautiful trees, while others have outdoor parties under the cherry trees eating, drinking, and singing.

Sakura along the Yamazaki River.

A tunnel of cherry blossoms on the bank of the river.

Sakura at Nagoya Castle.

Schreurs/VerHeul Trip to Japan

Joe's mom and dad & sister and brother-in-law came to visit last week - and we had a fantastic time! The week went by fast, especially since we tried to show them as much as possible during their time here. Fortunately the weather cooperated in the beginning of their trip, but towards the end we had some rain which took away from site-seeing.

The first day we went to my friend Miyoko's house for a traditional Japanese meal. She was nice enough to make 3 Japanese dishes for us to try. The first was okonomiyaki, which is a Japanese style pancake made with a variety of meats/seafood (usually pork, shrimp, and squid) and veggies, mixed with green onion, egg, and batter. Then it's topped with okonomiyaki brown sauce for a delicious meal. The second dish was called yakisoba, which is essentially just fried noodles (similar to Chinese chow mein). Lastly we tried takoyaki, which are ball-shaped fried/grilled octopus made with octopus chunks, batter, and green onion (although Miyoko substituted the octopus with cheese, for fear of foreigners being weirded out with eating octopus).

Japanese lunch at Miyoko's house (takoyaki is being prepared on the hot plate).

Next we went to the city of Nara. It's one of our favorite places in Japan because it's small enough to walk around, yet large enough to see quite a few famous sites. It was the first permanent capital in Japan, established in 710. Even though it is no longer the capital, it still has quite a few historic treasures including a giant buddha and several old temples.

Mom S feeding the deer that roam throughout the city of Nara. The deer were once considered messengers of the gods. Since then, the deer have been regarded as heavenly animals, protecting the city. Today there are over 1200 deer roaming the city who have ultimately become a symbol of the city. Even though the deer are mainly tame, they can be rather aggressive if they think you will feed them. Numerous vendors sell deer crackers around the city, and people are quick to buy them.

Todai-ji is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples. It houses Japan's largest bronze buddha statue (called Daibatsu), and is the world's largest wooden building.

Dad S bought a roof tile at Todai-ji to support the reconstruction of the temple. The instructions were to write your name, address, and prayer/wish on it. His wish was for healthy grandchildren. :)

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the city and exploring a variety of temples and pagodas. After a full day of walking, we were ready to head back to Kyoto so that the girls could do their maiko makeover, we could eat dinner, and head to the hotel.

Mom S & Rachel at their maiko makeover. Their professional pictures turned out great! The name Maiko means apprentice Geisha. It takes years for an apprentice maiko to master their art and become a Geisha, which means "practitioner of the arts."

We stayed the night in a Japanese ryokan (Japanese style inn). You have to sleep on futon mats on the floor. Not only were we lucky enough to find a hotel in Kyoto in April, but we feel very fortunate to have found a family style room to accommodate 6 people! It felt like were were kids again having a slumber party in sleeping bags. Very fun experience!

We woke up early the following morning to explore the city of Kyoto. We spent the morning at the famous Kinkaku-ji (the golden temple), then headed over to Kyoto's Castle called Nijo Castle, and ended at Ginkaku-ji.

Family shot in front of kinkaku-ji. One of the most beautiful spots in Kyoto.

Ginkaku-ji was built as a retirement villa for the shogun in 1482. However, after his death it was converted into a Zen temple. This temple is more famous for it's surrounding area including a Japanese garden and wooded grounds covered with a variety of mosses.

After spending the day site-seeing, we attended a Geisha show in the heart of Kyoto's historic entertainment district, Gion. The performance was a cherry blossom spring dance, which is only performed in the month of April.

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos during the show. This picture I took off of the show's website so that you could see some of the costumes and scenery. It was an incredible experience! We all really enjoyed it. It was a great opportunity to see Geisha and gain some insight into the Japanese culture.

After an exhausting 2-day adventure of site-seeing in Nara and Kyoto, we took it easy for the remainder of their trip. Lots of eating, shopping, walking around Nagoya, and Tiger Woods golf. The girls also did a pottery shopping trip to Seto one day while the boys did an Asahi brewery tour.

On Wednesday, the girls went to ikebana class. Mom S and Rachel learned moribana style, and I was able to try freestyle. It was nice that they were able to participate in a Japanese art.

Their trip aligned perfectly with Japanese cherry blossom time! We walked around a park to enjoy the flowers and see the importance of the blooms to Japanese people.

We tried to take them to a variety of restaurants while they were in town. We ate sushi, eel, Taiwanese dumplings (Rachel's favorite), ramen (Mom S's favorite), and Indian (Dad S & Alex's favorite).

Thank you to Mom and Dad Schreurs & Rachel and Alex for making the long trip out here to visit. We had a great time with you all, and miss you already.

Thailand

I have been behind on posting blogs lately. We were in Thailand, then headed back to Michigan during the Japan disaster, then shortly after arriving back in Japan we had family visiting. It's been 3 non-stop busy weeks!

Overall, our trip to Thailand was great! It was a little stressful at times, since every time we turned on the T.V., news, or checked our email we were constantly seeing negative reports on Japan's nuclear disaster. But despite all of the stress, we really enjoyed the country of Thailand. The land, jungle, islands and beaches were gorgeous! The people were extremely friendly, the service was great, and the food was excellent.

The first few days we stayed at a resort called Our Jungle House in the Khao Sok rainforest. It was about a 2 hour drive from Phuket airport. The drive to the jungle was the scariest part of our trip. We walked out of the airport to see a random person holding a paper with "Schreurs" written on it. So we hopped into this person's car (who couldn't speak any English), drove through some rough towns and areas along the way, watched the sun go down and it get pitch black, wind through narrow streets through the mountains, and eventually ended up at our resort. If I didn't know that other foreigners have done this trip before, I would have been more nervous and thought that we might not make it to our destination.

It was very hot and humid, and the treehouse was pretty rustic: a hard mat/bed to sleep on, no air-conditioning, one light inside that was similar to the light of a candle, lots of bugs, and only cold rainwater to shower. We even had to sleep inside a mosquito net to keep the bugs out. But even though it wasn't the best accommodation, it was an unforgettable experience. It was neat to be in the jungle and actually sleep inside a treehouse.

our tree house

inside our tree house

There was only one bar/restaurant, but the food at the jungle house was the best that we had in Thailand. They had a variety of authentic Thai meals to choose from, including green curry, pad thai, stir-fries, and noodle dishes.

bar/restaurant

upstairs at the restaurant

We also had the opportunity to go on a 2-hour elephant trek through the jungle. The trip took us through streams, orchards, and the tropical jungle. At the end of the ride, I was even able to scoot down off of the seat and ride on the elephant's head. It was scary and not safe whatsoever, but very fun! I didn't realize how rough and hairy an elephants skin is.

elephant trekking

riding on his head!

After our rustic treehouse adventure, we headed back down to Phuket to stay in the luxury of a 5-star Marriott beach resort. It was quite the opposite experience of the jungle house! Our room was ginormous and beautiful, overlooking one of the many pools. There were also several restaurants to choose from throughout the resort, including a variety of international restaurants and buffets. We spent most of our days laying in the sun by the pool, walking the beach, getting beach side massages, and eating amazing food dishes.

sunset at the Marriott

One day we booked an all day tour to see James Bond Island and Phang-Nga Bay. Our first stop was at James Bond Island, where the filmed "James Bond: A Man With a Golden Gun." Next we headed to "Hong Island" and "Panak Island" where we were able to relax and explore the areas by canoe as the staff paddled us through the caves and mangroves. Lastly, we headed to "Pan Yee" the floating Sea Gypsy Village, to have lunch and shop.

James Bond Island

Phang-Nga Bay

going inside a cave a "Panak Island"

"Pan Yee" the floating Sea Gypsy Village

On our last day in Phuket, we took a Thai cooking class at the Marriott. We woke up early to explore the local market with our teacher, then headed back to the school to learn how to cook a variety of dishes. We learned how to make Phad Thai (stir fried Thai rice noodle with peanut), Gaeng Kheaw Wan (chicken green curry), and Som Tum (green papaya salad).

teacher explaining ingredients at the local market

cooking!

final product - delicious!

If I had one word to describe Thailand, I would use the word: GREEN! The jungle was green, the mountains were green, the trees & plants were green, some of the houses were green, the food/fruit/vegetables were green, the bugs & lizards were green, and even the ocean was a beautiful green color. It was amazing!

green tropical environment & river

green islands & ocean

green caves & water

green giant lizards, snakes, etc!

I have 2 Thailand albums on our shutterfly website, one for the Treehouse and one for Phuket. http://emilyandjoepictures.shutterfly.com/