Spring Festival

The PTA, staff, and students worked really hard to host a big festival with games, flea market, food booths, and entertainment at our school one Saturday.  

Clam Season, Birthday Wisteria

Throughout April the people of Fukuoka wade into the receding tide of the Muromi River and dig for clams.  I live on the peninsula at the confluence of the rivers in the background and ride my bike along the river to work everyday.
For my birthday, Lori and I rode bikes out to Imajuku beach and found this lovely wisteria at a shrine.  

Mongolian Invasion

The Mongols tried to invade Japan twice, right here in Hakata Bay. We rode bikes out to see the remains of the defense wall along the beach:

Impressions of China

I'm in China and it is awesome. Shanghai is the biggest, tallest, most colorful and crowded city I've been in, full of new wonders and challenges but totally navigable and friendly. There are masses of people here and so many of them are so extroverted and helpful. Other people are a bit scared, and will not take your picture if you ask them to. But mostly I'm surrounded by smiles, and endless things to do. So far we've enjoyed:

• the dumplings at Yuyuan Gardens- worth the wait!
• foot massages
• wine and dessert overlooking the Bund and Pudong
• the "Humble Administrators' Garde"n in Suzhou
• picking out styles and silk prints for handmade Chinese dresses
• bargaining for an antique (maybe) mahjong set
• did I mention the dumplings?
• a hole-in-the-wall Uyghur restaurant (with picture menu)

Our hostel is great, the cabs are cheap, the steamed buns are tasty... I'm loving China and can't wait to come back in six weeks for my Silk Road adventure! Stay tuned for pictures and more tales of adventures in Shanghai...

Japanese Japanese Garden

Near Ohori-koen Park there is a "Japanese Garden".  This struck me as funny because we are in Japan, so what other kind of garden would you expect?  Still, they charged us a few hundred yen to wander the grounds of this lovely garden.  I never knew it was there before but I am sure I will go back!

Azaleas!

I have never taken so many pictures of flowers in my life, but I am so thrilled with the spring I can't help myself!  I love the azaleas, especially because, like the dogwoods, they remind me of home.  I hear next month they will be blooming on the mountains so I plan to go for some hikes!

Ichigo = Oishi!

Before I moved to Japan I worried there wouldn't be any fresh fruit.  I'm so glad I was wrong!  I do wish that there wasn't so much plastic and styrofoam involved, and at times it is awfully expensive, but when the fruit is in season it is plentiful and delicious!