At least it goes both ways...

We had Tomoko, Taiki (Jack's classmate), and Keita (Tomoko's 3yo son) for brunch today. Tomoko is the friend who worked in Banff and knows quite a bit of English. She also loves maple syrup (she said she arrived back from her year in Canada weighing quite a bit more than when she left because of maple syrup -- so much so that her mom didn't recognize her at the airport). So we had French toast, eggs and asparagus, bacon, and fruit salad. Tomoko loved it. Taiki liked the French toast. And Keita would not eat a bite.

Keita finally agreed to a persimmon (the one fruit I didn't put in the fruit salad) and I was more than happy to prepare something extra for him.

At least other kids don't like "new" food. Whew.

In other news -- I have been meaning to answer questions that friends of Jack, Kate and Livie have asked. I thought others (kids or adults) might be interested in the answers, too.

* How do you make friends when you don't speak the same language? Luckily, playing is a kind of universal language, and so almost all of it can be done without speaking. Whether it's throwing a ball around, building with Lego, running around outside, or coloring, it seems all three kids have been able to communicate without speaking much, and all three have made good friends.

We have made sure that Jack watches Pokemon each Thursday night at 7 p.m., as all of the kids in his class watch it and try to talk to him in English about it. All three also know enough words to be able to say thank you, sorry, hello, good morning, and goodbye (and a few others each weeks) in Japanese. But it's amazing to see how easily you can be friends without talking.

* Why is everyone wearing the same bathrobe in some of those pictures? What are traditional Japanese baths? You can read more about onsen (public bathing facilities and inns around hot springs) and yukata (casual kimono worn at the onsen) here and here. We went to onsen at Lake Toya and at Jozankei. These trips, and the baths and swimming pools, have been one of the things we have enjoyed most during our time in Japan.

After you arrive at these big hotels, you find in your room yukata and flip flops for you to wear to the baths. They even had little ones for the kids. If you are just going swimming (and to the waterslide), you wear a swimsuit under your yukata and in the pools. But if you are going to sit in the hot tubs and warm waters, you do not wear a suit at all. Men and older boys go to one side, and woman, older girls, and younger boys and girls go to another.

First you scrub clean, and then you sit in the tubs. Some of them are REALLY hot, some are REALLY cold, some have bamboo or rocks on the floor, some have waves or jets... it's pretty great. After the first few seconds, it doesn't seem odd to be naked at all. Everyone else is, and no else seems to notice, so quickly, we stopped caring, too (in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you Jack, Katie and Livie had NO issues walking around naked).

* Do they have Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas or New Year's? Japanese holidays are pretty different from the ones we celebrate in Canada and the U.S. The biggest holiday of the year is New Year's. People eat special food, send postcards, and give money to children. Many visit a Shinto shrine (like the one we went to for the 7-5-3 festival) after midnight on Jan. 1 or sometime during the day.

There have been a lot of fall holidays but not the ones we are used to celebrating. There has been "Respect for the Aged" day and Autumnal Equinox in September, Health and Sports Day in October, Culture Day and Labor Thanksgiving Day (an occasion for praising labor, celebrating production and giving one another thanks. Prior to the establishment of this holiday, November 23rd was celebrated as an imperial harvest festival called Niiname-sai) in November, and the Emperor's birthday on December 23 (the day we leave).

But because of so much interaction between Japan and the west, there were decorations for Halloween, and apparently there will be Christmas decorations as well.

That's it for now -- time to get these kids to bed. We are hoping to make a little day trip tomorrow to a fishing village. The weather is supposed to turn snowy later in the week, so it might be our last outdoor trip for a while.