A Bon Odori Festival and Movin' In

We have been fairly homebound lately, what with our shipment finally arriving and our dear little ones suffering from some stomach bugs. I was hoping we could leave all ailments back in the states, but apparently kids get sick here too?! What the heck.

Unpacking was surreal. Movers came and brought in all our boxes, unloaded and set up all our furniture, and were generally great. The not great thing? We have WAY too much stuff. I mean that literally - we were never given a pound limitation on how much we could bring and the stress I felt as they kept bringing in box after box was like the last few rounds of Jenga. I imagined the movers leaving and us living in a hoarders-esque scenario for the next few years. So I immediately went into declutter/donate/dispose mode. 

We ended up filling up two car loads with donations, renting a storage unit for the holiday/camping/baby clothes, and just generally have been trying to get on top of it. To be honest, it's been therapeutic in a way. You start to feel the actual physical weight of possessions on your shoulders, the real question of who owns who. I think it will make it easier for me to focus on experiences and travel and eating good food while I'm here rather than buying things that just won't fit. 

This is such a small part of all the junk we got. But there's our house! It's a duplex with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. 

We took a break from all this and played with the leftover colored sand we got for Ivy's birthday. 

William looks like a cranky homesteader. 

These were a gift from my friend, Allison, and her mom. Ivy was so thrilled to unpack them. 

Riding and walking and playing in the housing area is really enjoyable and relaxing. 

I'm excited to establish more of a routine with the kids. We live close to the library, tons of parks, and the child development center where Ivy will be going to preschool in a month. I'm really excited for life to feel more normal. 

On to the exciting stuff! This weekend, one of the guys Luke met on his mission here way back in 2005-2007 came for a visit. His name is Satoru and he's hilarious. He was great with the kids and game for anything. We went to the pool at SHA and then headed over to the Bon Odori celebration at Camp Zama. It's a holiday here where those who celebrate believe that the spirits of their ancestors come and revisit the household alters. This is called Bon or Odon, while the Bon Odori is the traditional dance. 

Here's Sotoru enjoying a strange yet delicious brined cucumber thing. I know you are thinking, "That sounds like a pickle." It kinda was, but more savory and less sour. 

Melon and strawberry "snow corn" as the sign advertised. 

Making our way to the field where the dance was going to take place.

I loved seeing all the beauitful yukatas. The colors were so vibrant on the warm summer evening. 

It was cool seeing how many Americans participated in the costuming and dance as well. 

Isn't this the most gorgeous?

Ignore the fact that I was being a creeper taking pictures of strangers. 

Tiny kids in their tiny yukatas! I am seriously considering getting one for Ivy and June next year. 

We got to meet Zama's mascot, Zamarin (pronounced like Zama-deen, kinda)

I spy two little Americans in there.

I didn't take any pictures of the dance, but I took a few videos. I tried uploading one here. If that doesn't work, I'm sure you could find some on YouTube. The dances are relatively slow and rhythmic, and each region has a slightly different style. As the night went on, more and more people joined the circle around the stage until hundreds of people, Japanese and American, were doing the dance (or doing their darndest). Soroku pretended he was too cool to dance, but couldn't help himself when his region's came up. The night ended with fireworks and a short drive back to SHA to put three sleeping kids in bed. 

BONUS: 

We went to Costco today WITHOUT LUKE. I also drove back and forth from Camp Zama to our housing two times and I am unstoppable. BRB, going to TOKYO alone! Just kidding. For now. 

William eating/drinking this detestable jelly stuff they have here. It's kind of like someone put jello in a blender and added juice. Kids love it. Me? No. 

Ivy and June contemplating an adventurous purchase.

Okinawa sea grapes. So much curiosity mixed with so little desire to satisfy it. 

I am aware I haven't really posted pictures of our house yet. I am so very not proud of how it looks at the moment, though that's just the reality of a major move. I will do a post heavily featuring if not solely devoted to our humble abode soon!