Japan-American Society Event + Zushi Beach

Today was an 'Open Base Event'. The Japanese American Society threw a 'Party', a Mochi Pounding Party.



There was quite a few events being held.
Music was played...
Tea Ceramony was performed...
Kimono's were tried on ... and Mochi was eat'n! Well, the mochi was eat'n mostly by Ethan and I. Olivia and Evan loved the soup ......... we all love the soup. I will have to learn to make that soup! It was a BIG hit, as it always is during a Japanese event. (We have had it several times in the past few months)



We enjoyed a Tea ceramony and Olivia was very interested. Just Our Family enjoyed watching them make the tea... we were served 'tea treats' and we also were able to try the Green Tea. It was actually frothy... Very enjoyable!
We would have never asked about it, but Olivia wanted to do it. She was asking many questions about it.
Olivia and Evan drank the green tea with mommy & daddy. Olivia even got her own 'cup' (more like a bowl) of tea.
Each Family was able to enjoy Tea Ceramony as a 'family' if they asked about it. We did, we were very happy we were able to experience it!!

This is the Japanese Member's pounding the Mochi. Here is a link to learn more about Mochi.
Mochi (Japanese: 餅) is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.
They use a wooden 'bowl' of sorts and a big wooden 'hammer' of sorts. They pound the hot rice using water to prevent stickyness. Its very interesting to watch!


We ate the Mochi to fast... i did not get any photos! haha!

After having a bit of Mochi & Soup & Tea...
We tried on Kimono. This included a long wait, and crazy kids... but we did it, and i am glad.
When Olivia was a baby she did this exact event. I have baby pictures of her in Kimono. Priceless. When she was 2 we did a professional photo shoot of her in Kimono. I hope to do the same this time.
With out further waiting, here are todays Kimono Photos---------->

You have to know this 1st.
The Adults HAD to wear their clothing under the Kimono's. (there was a lot of people trying on, and it was busy!!)
This was BEYOND Uncomfortable. So, my entire outfit was under the kimono, jeans and all!
For me... my 'chest' was NOT made for Kimono! LMAO!
As you see Japanese ladies have no butt or 'chest' so Kimono fits them Perfect! hahaha!
All in All?
I did enjoy trying it on, and i will do it again next year!
It was a GREAT family fun time....... and i am glad we did it!

This is Olivia. She was just adorable, and enjoyed herself.

Her hair was done by one of the Japanese ladies. It was Quick and Simple... but worked!
I can not wait to get Olivia's picture done again in a Studio like last time, in Kimono.


Evan was a little crazy man the entire time! He was bored with the whole deal.
But, he was a good boy for the Kimono try-on, and enjoyed himself for about 5 minutes.


I just love this picture. I asked them to look to the side, and they did... Perfect!
I love pictures when they don't look at me as well!

Gosh! In this picture Evan looks SO big... and he only just turned 4! :( Olivia is 7...... and she is a tall 7 too! WOW!


I told Ethan i was NOT trying Kimono on!
He said if i did it... he would too. ;)
I think i just found his Next Yr Christmas Gift.
He looked Amazing! :)


Ethan and the kids had a blast!


Mommy,Olivia & Evan
I did try Kimono too. I wont share 'full photos' here. But, if you would like to view My Photo's ... or our Family Photos... please e-mail me! ;)


After we took off the Kimono we met Tim, Kath & Steph for a bit of exploring. It was about 1:30 pm at this point.
It was a last minute decision, and i am glad we went.
We (all 7 of us) took the train from Ikego to ShinZushi. We walked around a bit looking for the 'beach'. Tim was told by a co-worker about the Zushi Beach. We did not realize HOW CLOSE the beach is to our house. It was just shocking that it was only about a 5~10 minute walk from the ShinZushi train station.
On a clear day, you can see Mt Fuji from Zushi Beach. Today was a "nice" day... but it was not clear, there was a good amount of haze in the air. So, we could not see Fuji-san. :(
But here is a photo of what it Would have looked like. This photo was posted at the beach, showing the possible views.


We will be returning for another glimpse of Fuji-san!
I did get some beautiful shots of the beach, and i am amazed... and cant wait to come and swim in the summer! :)

This quaint street dead ends at the beach.


At the end of the street, you go under a tunnel and .... the beach!




The windsurfers were out in full force today!




Evan and Daddy picking shell's.


A beautiful view of the beach... breathless... pictures cant explain!






In this photo... there is a Island in the distance. This is Monkey Island. If it was a clear day....... Mt Fuji would be the Focus of this picture. Still, with or without Fujisan it's a Beautiful place to be!



After our day at the 'Party' & then a walk on the Zushi Beach we were a bit hungry (at least the kids were!). We were walking home, a New Way and saw this Pizza Van. I have seen this Pizza Van before in Zushi City in front of King Store. Anyways, it was Ethan, Tim, and Steph's 1st time seeing his Van. We tried a 2 pizza's.... and they were delicious! Ethan took a 8 minute video of the gentlemen making out Pizza..... i will upload it to u-tube and i will post that soon! Look for it, it's interesting (Especially because it was made in a Van!)







As we walk away..... it was a nice 'snack'. ;)
As i walked away, i thought... wow... i live on Vacation. This 3 yr tour... it sometimes feels like a Vacation, only with my 'stuff'. I am very thankful for these 3 years. As i know all to well... we will never get these back! Enjoy every moment..... and every bite! Mmmmmmmmmmm


On our way home we were in unknown territory. haha
If i say we were 'lost'... Ethan would beg to differ.... but anyways... we saw some pretty homes... and a 'grave yard' LMAO! We we FINALLY made it to a intersection... we took a sit down break. Amazingly? This is where we ended up, and just about 2 blocks away we stumbled upon the train station.



After we stumbled into the train station we just walked right through and went to a small hole in the wall Chinese/Japanese food place. We had a nice 'dinner'... and it was pretty quick, and very tasty. I did not take pictures of the food... but the people were SUPER nice..........



See You Again Soon!!!