Uniquely Japanese

I have really wanted to add these things with pictures, but I will just have to blog now and add pictures later. There are some really unique things about living in Japan. First of all, something that I noticed recently is that there is a huge trend for women to wear their shoes way too big. They get sizes so big that their entire foot comes out the front of their open-toed shoes leaving an inch or two in the back.

Another thing I have noticed, there are no old cars here. I inquired as to why that was and was told by my Japanese friend that the inspection process and road tax requirements are so stringent, that once a car is older than four years, because of the increasing price to keep it on the road, it is cheaper for people to just buy new ones. Crazy!

The Japanese are either really high tech or really low tech with their toilets. Sometimes you go in and the seat is heated, there is a bidet and there is either music or running water noises automatically to hide the sounds of your nature calling. Either that or there are what look like mens urinals laying flat on the ground. These are called squatters. These usually have no toilet paper so always carry that with you when you go out. Also very few bathrooms, especially in the city or in rural areas, have paper towels, so always carry a cloth towel with you. I bought several handkerchiefs from the dollar store and carry those with me.

I will be sure to write more as I notice things uniquely Japanese.

Sarah's Cable TV Commercial

Obviously, Sarah got selected to be in this commercial for cable and internet service. Since they were looking for a woman to play Sarah's Mother, they asked me to audition too. It was my first audition and although I didn't make it, I made the "short list" which is down between me and another gal. I guess they thought she looked more like Sarah's Mother than I did! This is especially funny since you only get to see the back of her head! The shoot was really fun. It was an all-day affair, but we got to meet some interesting people. The guy who played the Doctor was from Africa. He is married to a Japanese woman and they are expecting their first baby. He came to Japan to be with his brother who left Africa a while ago. The guy who played Sarah's Dad is French, also married to a Japanese girl, and just had his first baby...he slept alot between shoots. The woman who was Sarah's Mother was Italian and looked a lot like my brother's wife Jill...also Italian, but she was blond. She is married to a Japanese man whom she met while in school in England. She said to me "I never thought I would ever marry a Japanese guy" but it was funny how she scrunched up her nose when she said "Japanese." I guess she got over it! Sarah had a blast playing with the bears. One is supposed to be the uncle of the other one. One is a newspaper reporter...not sure how that is supposed to play into the commercial for cable TV. Anyway, it was just another fun adventure.

I am an Aunt again, and again, and

So this has been the year for babies. My sister Amanda just had a beautiful little girl, Karyssa, to add to her other three beautiful children. A very exciting event for me was the birth of Reilly Evan Campbell to my baby brother Scott on February 28 (I even predicted the day he would come). I guess it was that my "bratty baby brother" is now all growed up. It is also really exciting for me to announce that my baby sister is pregnant! This is especially symbolic because it finally brings us all into the same phase of life and now they can not only see what I have been going through, but really understand! I am so psyched!

So the rumors about kids modeling in Japan are true. We had known that several modeling agencies from Tokyo came to base, about every six months, to recruit American children for television, commercial and print work. What we didn't realize was that the modeling fair weekend was going to be the week we got here. We went to "see what it was all about" and hit the ground running...we got seven calls in the first week. That was really crazy since I didn't even know how to get to the other side of base! Since then, I have mastered the train and subway systems and have been quite busy with the jobs that Tyler, Sarah and Hannah have gotten so far. Here are a few examples of their work: Hannah did the video spot, Tyler did a "combi mini" catalog, and Sarah did a magazine shoot for "Oceans" and an advertizing deal for "Rubies" Halloween costumes among others...

It has also been interesting to learn how weird and bad the lives of the "real" models is. The Dutch gal who was supposed to be Hannah's "Mom" gave me a behind-the-scenes low-down. Most of the models live together...sometimes eight girls to an apartment. They are only allowed to come to Japan if they are sponsored by a particular agency. The contracts are for six to eight weeks long...only. The girls get their rent provided up-front by the agency, but they have to pay it back when they get a paying job. This gal was twenty and was old. She lives with four girls who are all 15, three from Poland, one from Holland. These girls go out drinking every night and come home at wee hours. I guess there is a bar that lets models in free and provides food vouchers and free drinks. They save up the food vouchers for parties...they will get together and spend their vouchers all at once to have a Birthday or some other celebration. They rarely make enough to go out otherwise. This leaves them prey to obviously unsavory characters, one of whom hangs out at the "model bars" and sells drugs...or gives them out at first. The "Dad" was Russian and looked like he had a rough night. No, my kids will never become "real" models...it is just for fun now!

Fortune Beans

February 3rd, which is one day before Risshun (the first day of spring on the lunar calendar), is called Setsubun ("set soo boon") in Japan. It's not a national holiday, but mame maki (bean throwing) ceremonies are performed on Setsubun. Traditionally, people throw roasted soy beans called fuku mame or fortune beans, shouting 'oni wa so to' (get out demons) and 'fu ku wa uchi' (come in happiness.) It is believed that people will be healthy and happy if they pick up and eat fuku mame the number equal to their ages (for me that was a lot of beans). Yesterday, we visited a local shrine, to get beans to receive good fortune for the year. At our shrine, there were a bunch of older men who were standing up on the shrine platform. At the designated time, every half hour from four to five, they would throw cellophane bags full of candy and beans, loose beans, coins, or small Japanese oranges out at the crowd. (It was very reminiscent of Mardi-gras but without the drinking or the beads!) The crowd was standing with open shopping bags ready to catch what they could. Some older men were walking around feeling sorry for the Gai-jin (foreigners) and bestowed upon us bean bags and coins! They were also serving "Sweet bean soup" or oshiruko which is a traditional Japanese dessert. The "soup" is made of azuki beans (the size of black beans, but red) which are boiled and crushed, served warm with the liquid in a bowl with mochi. Mochi is glutinous rice cake and tastes and looks a bit like potato gnochi...really chewy. Also, I found out how to use a shrine...each shrine is dedicated to a specific God and has a specific function. My friend Jessica and I ran away from the one for pregancy but settled on the one for education and learning. You make a monetary offering, .50 or a dollar, ring the bell, clap twice and then say a prayer. Hopefully I will be able to learn Japanese faster and easier now! Anyway, it was really fun to go and experience this ceremony. Jessica took some pictures so I will post them when I get them!

The Emperor's New Clothes

The Emperor of Japan comes out twice a year to greet his people. Once is on his Birthday on December 23rd and the other is on the 2nd of January where he gives his blessing for the new year. We went on Friday the 2nd with my Japanese teacher Tomoko and her family, and our friend Amy Joiner and her son Eric. We took the train and subway to "Nijubashi" (means two bridges for the two bridges you cross over the moat to get to the palace). We were led into a security line where we got frisked. There were thousands of people there, but the efficiency was amazing. We also had strollers so we were ushered into a different line and bypassed a lot of people. We lined up and were all given paper Japanese flags. Shortly, a great door opened and we all filed over a bridge and through the portcullis. There was a guard, very reminiscent of the Beefeaters in London, standing at attention as we walked past. We went up a hill and around a bend where we saw a beautiful Japanese building which I think is Edo Castle rebuilt. We went a bit farther (despit the thousands of people, the line moved quickly and orderly and everyone respected personal space) and went through another gate and came into a courtyard where there was a really long, low building. There was a glass porch - like a sunporch - on the second floor that was empty but was guarded on either side with "secret service." We all filed into the courtyard where we waited for 15 minutes when the Imperial Family filed out onto the porch. Although you can't tell from the picture (my iphone doesn't have zoom), we had a great view of the Emperor and his family. It was surreal listening to shouts of "Banzai" (eternal life) and the crackling of the paper flags in the wind. I do have to say after taking the kids to get dressed up in traditional Japanese kimonos, it was kind of disappointing to see the emperor dressed in his business suit, but it was a great experience in general. After a few minutes of waving and the Emperor giving his short blessing, he and his family filed out of the porch and we were all ushered through the exit and down the hill coming out on the opposite side of the entrance. We saw a beautiful pagoda and some beautiful gates on our way through the gardens and out of the property where we were deposited once again in the middle of the city. We all had a great time and are glad we had this opportunity that some Japanese only take advantage of once in their lives (like a trip to Mecca).

The Japanese Christmas Card

So these were supposed to be our Christmas card pictures this year. Unbeknownst to me however, there is a two-week processing time from your session till you get the prints. I don't exactly understand that because the pictures are digital...oh, well. So we went to the cutest place inside Toys-R-Us called Alice Studio. They do the hair and makeup and are great with the kids. Each child gets to take home the brush and comb that were used on them as well as the "flip-flop socks" as we call them. I think they came out great with the small exception that the day before the photo shoot, Tyler put his teeth through his top lip! Just adds to the fierce warrior thing I think. The Kun (coon) and Chan at the end of the names is a Japanese thing. They put Chan or Kun at the end of a boy's name and Chan at the end of a girls, to designate that they are children...it is a diminutive thing like the Spanish "-ita" or mija/hijo. I like it because they call Tyler, Tycoon!