Dancing Queen

YHS Gym for Asia Heritage Performance

Taiko Drum Performance

Pre-teen Yokota Dance Troupe

As the days go by, pass weeks seem to become a blur.  As school comes to an end, we almost always find ourselves barely communicating with all the functions taking place this time of year.  Tonight we are done with a year long dance practice that ends with a great recital put on by Ms. Deb.  We started off our morning with a great breakfast at the Enlisted club, then on to one last performance for Asia Heritage celebration week.  After a short break, we then ended our day with two recital shows.  Rene and I are looking forward to a nice summer break and continue to plan our trip to Phuket Thailand for some beach fun and a sort of different cultural experience.  Enjoy the pictures and some video will be posted later.  

Check ✔ -Hakone

Lake Ashi is a crater lake formed by volcanic activity.  The area of the lake is 7 sq km.  The lake never gets frozen, not even in winter.  On a nice clear day, you will see Mt. Fuji's reflection in the water.  Here are some fishermen along the shore.

Here we are climbing up to the scenic area of Kanagawa, where the black eggs are sold.  Eggs are boiled in the hot springs.  Legend has it, if you eat a black egg, you will live long.

We toured Owakudani Valley by Ropeway.  What an awesome way to see the volcanic fumes of hydrogen sulfide being emitted down below.

Volcanic fumes that still burn today

We were pretty high-

Here a man is getting the eggs out of the hot springs, we bought five for 500 Yen.

Hot!

I guess Larissa & I will live for many years to come.  We both ate the eggs and they were so good.

Our boat ride down Lake Ashi.  There are many torii gates along the way.

The boat that took us down a leisurely ride down the lake.

Hakone Shrine area

The big torii gate on Lake Ashi, I had to climb down so many steps to take this shot, then climb back up.  

Cleansing my hands

As we enter into our third and final year here in Japan, I have started to feel a sense of urgency. My check list of things to do seems to be growing longer and longer. Today, we were able to visit Hakone. Hakone is one of the most visited tourist resorts in Japan. Hakone is surrounded by scenic mountains, Mt. Fuji, boats, beautiful Lake Ashi, onsens, museums, and hot water springs. The drive itself is spectacular. Unfortunately, due to rain and heavy clouds, we were not able to see Mt. Fuji. Despite the weather, the trip was awesome! About four hundred thousand years ago, Mt. Hakone burst into eruption. Mt. Hakone resembled Mt. Fuji until it's eruption. The central part of Mt. Hakone has subsided into a caldera. The water that stayed in the caldera is now a lovely lake known as Lake Ashi. Our first stop was Owakudani Valley. You can literally feel the earth breathing. Owakudani is like a different dimension as the landscape spreads before you. Our second stop was Lake Ashi, where we took a boat ride down the lake. We spent some time in the town of Hakone, then we made a final stop at the Hakone Shrine. This national park is not only historical, but makes you want to return back tomorrow and spend a weak at one of the different beautiful hotels on the lake.  You can see more photos on my Facebook account.  This place is a must see if you every visit us here in Japan.

Cultural School Experience

Polkabal Dance

Polkabal Dance 

At times it is difficult to see Larissa, but enjoy!

American Heritage Celebration

Larissa represented China during the fashion show.

The show began with a cherry blossom performance

The star of the show, Yumeya Fujinaka

Today, the school celebrated American Heritage Day.  The school nurse who is a friend of mine pursuaded Larissa to do a dance number (Polkabal), and take part in the fashion show. Many activities took place during the morning hours.  The students then migrated to the Taiyo where dance performances and a Manjushaka show took place.  The show was great entertainment for the audience.  The customs were bright and colorful and the music was enjoyable.  Manujushaka is a legendary Japanese flower that grows only in heaven, and has special power that encourages a person to turn away from evil.  The point of the entire show was world peace.  There is no doubt this will be a memorable show for many American school children.   

Nihon Minkaen

Breathtaking Gardens as always

The Suzuki House

Standing in front of the Water Mill

The Emukai House

A fireplace in the house to keep warm in the bedroom

The Ioka House

Ice Cream and Green Tea Break

An employee prepares our fire, this was how Japanese cooked and sat around the dinner table

Apparently, I was on the masters seat

Traditional Japanese architecture is well known around the world for its beauty and functionality, the essence of which is reflected in the design and constuction of Japanese folk houses.  To conserve these valuable historic creations from the past, the city of Kawasaki began to relocate them to Minkaen from all over Japan in 1965.  During our tour today, we saw around 25 historical buildings including what once was a Kabuki stage.  These houses tell many stories of the people who once lived in them.  After a perfect weather day of walking through this picturesque place, we had lunch at a great Pizza House.  

Mother's Day

My beautiful Japanese Cherry Blossom Vase with flowers gifted by Rene

My wonderful Mamasan Japanese bike gifted by Rene and the kids

The family - Mary Loberg

The family
is like a garden
with joy
for all to share,
With tender, growing blossoms
that thrive on love
and care,
And when
the flowers are gathered
for a very special day,
They make
a bright and beautiful
happiness bouquet.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there, especially my mom, and Grandma Rosa.

We love you!  Ronda, Rene, Larissa, and Renie