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This is a story about an
international couple raising and home educating three
young boys on a small island in Japan, half living in
buses, engaged in organic, self-sufficient farming in
the middle of a mountain forest while dealing with
climate, cultural, and personal challenges. These pages
are about pretty much anything and everything all guided
by our family motto, Taking Chances, Making Changes,
Being Happy. Thank you very much for joining us on our
ongoing crazy adventure.
Comments or questions about this blog?....message me at
Facebook. |
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 Family
Visits
August 2016 - This was a fun month since family
came to visit. We spent most of the time at the beaches together, of course.
Shai and the kids went crazy playing together. Then we finished off the month
with the okuizome ceremony for our baby Lael where he ate his first food,
only a little bit.
Picture - Shai kissing
his cousin, little Riachan. |
Family Arrives
August 3, 2016 - Today our family arrived on the
island. We spent a lot of time talking even though they all were tired from the
trip
Picture - Home - All of us hanging out
together and talking.
Picture - Home - All of us hanging out
together and talking. |
 Beach
Family
August 4, 2016 - Today we spent a few hours at
the Tanegashima Space Center museum and beach. This was actually the first time
for some of them to visit the island, and being Summer, this was where they all
wanted to go, especially the kids.
Picture - All of us at
the Tanegashima Space Center beach.
Picture - Tanegashima Space Center - Shai
and Riachan behind rockets 1.
Picture - Tanegashima Space Center - Shai
and Riachan behind rockets 2.
Picture - Tanegashima Space Center - All of
us really enjoying a picnic in this beautiful place.
Picture - Tanegashima Space Center - All of
us at the beach 1.
Picture - Tanegashima Space Center - All of
us at the beach 2.
Picture - Home - The wood chips we plan to use
for the smoker.
Picture - Home - Shai kissing his little cousin
Riachan.
Picture - Home - Shai sitting with his little
cousin Riachan.
Picture - Home - Made a party with family and
friends tonight 1.
Picture - Home - Made a party with family and
friends tonight 2.
Picture - Home - Made a party with family and
friends tonight 3.
Picture - Home - Made a party with family and
friends tonight 4. |
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 Sightseeing
Today
August 5, 2016 - We decided to go sightseeing
today and visit a few of the beautiful places in this town before really hitting
the beach.
Picture - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point.
We began with the really high observation point, called Nanairo which
means seven colors in English, and overlooks Maenohama Seaside Park and beach,
along with the countryside of Minamitane Town. Then we headed for Hamada Beach
which is home to the Chikura Caves and some incredible rock formations.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point 1.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point 2.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point 3.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point 4.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point 5.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point 6.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the
beautiful Maenohama observation point 7.
Picture - Hamada Beach - Us eating lunch at
the Hamada Beach restaurant 1.
Picture - Hamada Beach - Us eating lunch at
the Hamada Beach restaurant 2.
Picture - Hamada Beach - Us eating lunch at
the Hamada Beach restaurant 3.
Picture - Hamada Beach - Us eating lunch at
the Hamada Beach restaurant 4.
Picture - Hamada Beach - Us eating lunch at
the Hamada Beach restaurant 5.
Picture - Hamada Beach - Us eating lunch at
the Hamada Beach restaurant 6.
Picture - Chikura Caves - Us hanging out at
this very cool place 1.
Picture - Chikura Caves - Us hanging out at
this very cool place 2.
Picture - Chikura Caves - Us hanging out at
this very cool place 3.
Picture - Chikura Caves - Us hanging out at
this very cool place 4.
Picture - Chikura Caves - Us hanging out at
this very cool place 5.
Picture - Chikura Caves - Us hanging out at
this very cool place 6.
Picture - Chikura Caves - Us hanging out at
this very cool place 7. |
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 Surfs
Up
August 6, 2016 - Today all of us really hit the
beach in style, equipped with all kinds of toys and a couple of long boards.
This was actually the first time for me to try surfing. This was not an easy
task with a recently torn bicep which was all wrapped up, but what the heck, all
in the name of fun.
Picture - Me actually
riding a surfboard.
Today we decided to go surfing at the famous Hotel Mae, which means in front of
the hotel. This is a really famous surfing spot for the locals and for visitors
to the island. Anyway, I kept trying to stand up on the long board, and after
about 30 minutes, could actually catch a few waves. Whoa what a rush. Yeah
surfing is a lot of fun.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me surfing on
the green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me surfing on
the green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me holding Shai
on the green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Possibly Toukun
waiting to catch a wave.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me surfing on
the green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Toukun surfing
on the orange long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me surfing on
the green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me surfing on
the green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me and Toukun
holding the long boards.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me and Toukun
holding the long boards.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me holding the
green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me holding the
green long board.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me, Shai and
Toukun holding the long boards.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me, Shai and
Toukun holding the long boards.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me, Shai and
Akiko holding the long boards.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Me, Shai and
Akiko holding the long boards.
Picture - Yasubei Restaurant - Us eating at
the famous okonomiyaki restaurant in town.
Picture - Yasubei Restaurant - Us eating at
the famous okonomiyaki restaurant in town.
Picture - Home - Hanging out together and
lighting fireworks tonight.
Picture - Home - Hanging out together and
lighting fireworks tonight.
Picture - Home - Hanging out together and
lighting fireworks tonight. |
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 Surf
Boards
August 7, 2016 - We wrapped up the family
vacation today with another trip to the beach. Then at night we went to the
annual Rocket Festival complete with tons of food, entertainment, and of course,
an unbelievable fireworks and laser display. I could not really enjoy the
evening though. Thanks to eating a bit of old fish during the day, need to deal
with a bit of food poisoning at night. Really sucked and then threw up in the
bathroom there. The next day Akiko got the same thing.
Picture - Us with the
incredible long boards.
Picture - Tanegashima Space Center - Us
holding surfboards at the beach 1.
Picture - Tanegashima Space Center - Us
holding surfboards at the beach 2.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the annual
rocket festival 1.
Picture - Minamitane Town - Us at the annual
rocket festival 2.
Picture - Minamitane Town - The annual
rocket festival incredible fireworks 1.
Picture - Minamitane Town - The annual
rocket festival incredible fireworks 2.
Picture - Minamitane Town - The annual
rocket festival incredible fireworks 3. |
Barbecue Party
August 11, 2016 - Today we were invited to a
barbecue party at Hotel Mae beach.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Shai getting
ready to smash a huge watermelon with a stick 1.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Shai getting
ready to smash a huge watermelon with a stick 2.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Shai doing a bit
of fireworks on the beach 1.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Shai doing a bit
of fireworks on the beach 2.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Us with a group
of friends 1.
Picture - Hotel Mae Beach - Us with a group
of friends 2. |
Crazy Bugs
August 12, 2016 - A few pictures of some of the
incredible bugs on this island. Also a few pictures of bitter melon, AKA goya,
growing in the farms
Picture - Home - A picture of a cicada bug,
AKA semi, from the farms 1.
Picture - Home - A picture of a cicada bug,
AKA semi, from the farms 2.
Picture - Home - A picture of a suzumebachi
bee, AKA worst bee in Japan, from the farms 1.
Picture - Home - A picture of a suzumebachi
bee, AKA worst bee in Japan, from the farms 2.
Picture - Home - A group of tasty bitter
melon, AKA goya, hanging over the driveway 1.
Picture - Home - A group of tasty bitter
melon, AKA goya, hanging over the driveway 2. |
 Bicep
Tear
August 15, 2016 - Yup I totally messed up my
right arm trying to pull our car out of a sand hill at the beach. This actually
happened about a month ago, and finally decided to post a picture now. Anyway,
this sucks but at least it got me to return to the computer and finish up a lot
of online projects. Going to post the details of this in another section of the
site.
Picture - My totally
messed up arm.
Picture - Home - My arm flexed and visibly
messed up.
Picture - Home - My are unflexed and looking
more normal.
Picture - Home - Lael hanging out and
relaxing on the bed 1.
Picture - Home - Lael hanging out and
relaxing on the bed 2. |
Goya Seeds
August 19, 2016 - Another nasty bug to deal with
in the farms. Trying to catch a few bitter melon, AKA goya, seeds in a bag.
Picture - Home - This is a common biting
horse fly from the farms 1.
Picture - Home - This is a common biting
horse fly from the farms 2.
Picture - Home - A bitter melon turning
yellow and going to seed. |
Watch Out
August 21, 2016 - I made this little watch out
for goya plaque using an old piece of driftwood, a magnifying glass to use the
sun to burn the wood, and some oil crayons for the bitter melon.
Picture - Home - A watch out for the bitter
melon plaque. |
Harvested Popcorn
August 22, 2016 - A nice line of popcorn
harvested from the farm and sitting outside to dry.
Picture - Home - A nice line of popcorn
drying outside.
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Bitter Melon
August 24, 2016 - A tasty group of bitter melon
cut, salted, and ready to be made into dill pickles. Another tasty group of
bitter melon cut and ready for storage.
Picture - Home - A tasty group of bitter
melon ready to become pickles.
Picture - Home - A tasty group of bitter
melon ready for storage. |
Bitter Melon Again
August 26, 2016 - Yeah a lot of stuff about
bitter melon. This is definitely a favorite grown in the farms again this year.
A lot of these were made into delicious pickles and others were turned into
little bitter melon ice chunks and stored for later use. This week one of the
neighbors cut a lot of trees along the street. This wood was later used for the
barbecue and food smoker in the yard.
Picture - Home - A nice group of bitter
melon ready to be made into pickles.
Picture - Home - A tasty bunch of bitter
melon ice chunks ready for storage.
Picture - Home - The bitter melon made into
pickles and stored in jars.
Picture - Home - A huge pile of cut trees to
be used for cooking. |
Another Party
August 30, 2016 - Another fun party tonight with
our friends Oyabing, Yocci, and their kids.
Picture - Home - Shai and his friend Taiyo
doing fireworks in the yard 1.
Picture - Home - Shai and his friend Taiyo
doing fireworks in the yard 2.
Picture - Home - Shai in the yard doing
fireworks again.
Picture - Home - Shai and his friend Taiyo
eating watermelon at the table.
Picture - Home - All of us hanging out
together 1.
Picture - Home - All of us hanging out
together 2. |
 Okuizome
Ceremony
August 31, 2016 - Today we celebrated Okuizome,
お食い初め, which is a Japanese ceremony to celebrate the 100th day of the birth of a
baby. The word okuizome literally means first eating, and is the time when a
baby is given the first taste of food.
Picture - Little Lael
ready for his first taste of food.
Picture - Home - A tai fish which has a lot
of meaning in Japan.
Picture - Home - A few foods for the baby to
taste and a rock. that also has meaning.
Picture - Home - Another picture of the food
all together.
Picture - Home - A picture of the dessert.
Picture - Home - Lael with all of the food
close up.
Picture - Home - Lael with all of the food
again.
Picture - Home - All of us together with the
food.
Picture - Home - All of us together with the
food again. |
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