Sapporo Ice and Snow Fest

Part of the incentive of moving overseas was that we could use this experience as an excuse to see other parts of Asia, but also other parts of Japan. This month we went up to the Northern prefecture, Hokkaido. (Japan is roughly the size of California so I think it's similar to the distance between SD and SF).

Way back in September I learned about an annual event called the Sapporo Ice and Snow Fest. It's a week long event that attracts over 2 million people and has been occurring for about 65 years. The event features 2 kilometers of giant ice and snow sculptures...

some of which measure 50 feet high and 80 feet wide. Travelling north gave us an opportunity to experience a little winter. Yokosuka, where we live, did not see any snow this year except for a few flurries. I don't think the temperatures went below 40 most days. But, hailing from Chicago as we do, we had all the necessary winter gear. (Ironically it was colder when we visited Chicago in November than it has been here all winter.)

Sapporo Fest is a great family event with fun for kids and parents of all ages. We were only there for 2 1/2 days but we had a blast. Here are some highlights of our trip:

 There were several blocks of intricate ice sculptures, many of which were illuminated at night. Unfortunately the night we arrived had been rainy so we suspect a lot of the detail had been washed off but for the most part we could tell what we were looking at.

Of course we had to consume lots of ice cold Sapporo beer in keeping with the theme of the festival.

During the day time we went to the Tsu Dome Site, a family oriented site with snow slides, smaller snow sculptures and hands-on activities for kids. Inside the dome we found bounce houses, food stands and even a magician.

 The Sandors posing with the first of many, many Olafs.

 
We all got to try the ice/snow slides. This was actually the smallest one. If you look closely you can see Mike and Quinn in the background.

The main part of the festival really begs to be seen at night. The ice looks great illuminated and the shadows really show off the detail in the snow.

 Nerd alert: This was Mike's favorite one. 

One of the coolest displays was this horse. It was sponsored by the nearby racetrack. As Reese would say, "It was a snow horse but then it started moving! ...but not really."

 Reese really got in the spirit of things.

The festival started on Thursday but we didn't arrive until Sunday so most of the sculptures had been finished by then but we did get to see one that was still in progress. It was neat to see how they made them.

We still have not spent much time in Tokyo. (I know, I know, I don't want to talk about it.) So it was fun to be in Sapporo which is much more of a metropolis than where we live.

One of the buildings downtown even had a ferris wheel on the roof so it was our last bit of fun before heading to the airport to return home.

A (slightly blurry) photo of us taken by Reese.

A good time was had by all!

Merīkurisumasu

I had no intention of taking a 6 week hiatus from the blog but we all know the saying about how time flies...
We have indeed been having fun! After a much needed and very enjoyable 3 weeks back in the states, Reese, Quinn and I returned to Japan where Mike had been holding down the fort. Being away in November meant getting to spend Thanksgiving with family but it also meant that we only had 3 weeks to get ready for Christmas.
In Japan, Dec. 25th is not a national holiday and most Japanese do not celebrate in any way, but, we did see a few decorations in store windows and some young people sporting Santa hats. If they do celebrate, they have a different interpretation which for some inexplicable reason may or may not involve Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Kudos to the marketing masterminds at KFC who somehow managed to persuade the Japanese that American's eat lots of chicken on Christmas and that they should reserve their buckets early.)
Despite the greasy fingers, Christmas Eve is seen as more of a romantic holiday where only significant others exchange gifts. As you know, in America, romance takes a back seat to kids and toys at Christmastime. I felt an extra pressure this year to make the holiday special for my kids because we were away from home, from the grandparents and some cherished traditions we would not be able to recreate in Japan.

The Navy Base does a lot to make sure the ex-pats have a happy holiday. Early in December a bunch of places held "Breakfast with Santa" type events. We went to one and it was nice but sort of an odd set up. We were warned that we had to be in and out in 45 minutes, as we went through the buffet there were servers asking us if we wanted one bacon slice or two, (Um...the correct answer is 4!) and poor Santa was just sitting off to the side of the buffet like a shy girl at a middle school dance so we felt a little awkward approaching him as is evidence by everyone's uncomfortable expression in the above family portrait.

The best thing about it were the sugar cookies which the host delivered to us with a napkin and told us to enjoy them on our way out. (That's right, here's a cookie, don't dawdle and don't eat all our bacon!) At least we were able to check "Tell Santa what you want for Christmas" off our holiday to-do list for Reese.
The yummy cookies inspired us to go home and make our own treats. Reese and I made Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies, regular Chocolate Chip (for Mike) and Gingerbread. It's no match for making a gingerbread house with grandma but still fun and very delicious!

Reese's school held a nice Christmas party for all the kids and parents. It was her final day in a school that she hasn't exactly loved since the beginning. The school and her teacher mean well but it wasn't a great fit for us. The kids put on a show for us and some of the classes got to wear cute reindeer antlers or Santa hats. Reese's teacher worked so hard on Christmas tree costumes for all her kids. Unfortunately Reese did not love it and made no attempt to pretend otherwise. 

She and Quinn did however enjoy the potluck buffet. 

The season really kicked off when we got our tree. Reese really enjoyed helping with the decorations this year and gasped, "It's beautiful!" when we finally lit the lights.

One of my family's traditions has been having Chicago style deep dish pizza on Christmas Day but since Yokosuka is not in Lou Malnati's delivery radius we had to improvise with a little help from America's Test Kitchen.

The weather on Christmas was bright and sunny so we took a day trip to nearby Enoshima Island. We enjoyed some fresh air and some beautiful views of Sagami Bay. 

 Enoshima Island is home to a shrine, some caves, an aquarium, gardens and several shops and restaurants.

At night during the month of December they have a winter illumination display which are found all over Japan.  Tourists and locals enjoy walking the paths surrounded by dazzling lights.

 Japanese love to pose for pictures with the "Peace" sign. Reese doesn't quite get that so she likes to pose with one finger in the air. God forbid we try to tell her different.

 Wishing you sunny days...

...warm nights,

and a wonderful 2015, wherever your travels take you!

Food, Glorious Food!

By far, the thing people back home are most curious about is whether or not we like the food here. Not surprising given that we eat roughly three times a day and meals and mealtimes are such a huge part of any culture. We have had some really good meals here and some disappointing ones. Any parent can tell you eating out with kids is always an adventure. Eating out in Japan takes that to the extreme. Not every restaurant has a high chair so you have to consider that you might be feeding your 15month old rice on your lap and though many restaurants have elaborate picture menus, the smaller mom and pop shops do not so...you take your chances.

For instance, today we went out in search of breakfast, a meal that is very different here than in the states but, not far down the road from our house is a coffee shop that has pictures of waffles on their menu so we felt we'd have a pretty good chance at getting what we were looking for. Not so my friends! Turns out, waffles are only available after 2:30pm. Silly Americans! Waffles are not for breakfast. No egg/bacon/toast combo here. Instead try this odd assortment of food:

Red bean sticky rice, some sort of soupy egg, sausage and cheese dish, green salad, potato salad and a bowl of onion laden vegetable soup.

This was actually quite good, but not exactly what I'm looking for at 9:30 on a Sunday morning. Especially not when it comes with a side of shirasu; boiled and dried baby anchovies which, Mike and Reese gobbled up by the way, one benefit (or disadvantage depending on how you look at it), to not knowing what is on your plate.

I guess that's the thing, Japanese tastes are very different so they think nothing of eating this for breakfast. At Halloween Burger King and McDonald's both offer black burgers; with a charcoal smoked bun and sauce made from squid ink. Mike tried it and couldn't even eat the whole thing. He said it was disgusting. If you know Mike at all, you know it has to be pretty bad for him to let part of a burger go to waste. 

Japanese snacks might be flavored with edamame, green tea, fish, seaweed, red bean paste and other oddities. There are a dozen flavors of Kit Kat here from strawberry to pumpkin to wasabi.

But most of the food here is good and certainly edible. I have talked about sushi before so I won't go into that again. Besides, there is a lot more to Japanese cuisine than sushi. Some other examples of "must try" dishes are ramen, okonomiyaki and curry.

ramen

Ramen does not refer to the freeze dried packets of noodles with the envelope of MSG seasoning that you stock your house with when you are fresh out of college, broke from spending most of your money on student loans and beer. It refers to any number of savory bowls of broth, fresh noodles, vegetables, miso, meat and other surprises like a hard-boiled egg. I think it's delicious but Quinn likes to fling noodles around so we don't get to have it often.

okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a savory pan fried food that consists of batter and cabbage; "okonomi" literally means "to one's liking" so toppings and ingredients vary. Unfortunately I have not had the pleasure of trying this yet. The restaurants where they serve this usually cook it right in front of you on a griddle built right into the table. We have a very handsy toddler so we avoid this unnecessary danger. Mike has tried it though and says it's very good. 

katsu curry (breaded pork cutlet)

We did recently try the curry after avoiding it for weeks. The thing is, it doesn't look very appetizing to me, just a thick brown sauce with some sort of meat and not many vegetables to speak of. In actuality it was pretty good, very different from Indian curry... not as spicy and not as heavy as you'd think. 

We have tried food that caters to tourists which is very greasy and not appetizing. We have tried very traditional Japanese meals with a variety of things to sample. 

But, ironically, our favorite restaurant so far in Japan is an Indian one. Delicious creamy curries with flavorful basmati rice and just look at that piece of naan! Some of the best I've ever had and I grew up a mile away from Chicago's Devon Ave.

The best part is, this is one place where Quinn will happily eat. 

...providing he gets his own piece of naan!