School project/artwork

One of my afterschoolers brought a robot he made from school.  Very cute and inventive, don't you think?  I love the googly eyes and antenna. 

The robot can even sit down....

or stand up!  How creative is that?  Perhaps he's a future robotics engineer in the making?  :)

Ella at the groomer's

Our lovely groomer posted some photos of Ella's visit and it looks like she had a blast!

"Hello world!"

Doesn't my girl look super happy?

After her trimming, she can play in the front area with the other doggies.  However, although Ella's a curious kid, she's also very shy.  Her way of joining in the fun is choosing the comfy couch and watching from a distance!  :)  Isn't she a funny character? 

I'm glad she always enjoys her time there and comes home looking like a princess.  We're so grateful to have found our groomer and look forward to our next visit.   Arigatou ne!

Japanese preschool

Today I went to one of my Japanese preschools that I visit once a week.  This is the 4 year old class who are hard at work.  (What is the key to them being so quiet and focused, you ask?  My secret weapon...a fun activity sheet!)

                  

As I called out the colors and shapes in English (orange circles, red ovals,etc.) the children followed directions and designed their giraffes.

A few of the boys were very creative ...they said their giraffes ate so much ice cream that it was pouring out of their noses!

The girls stuck to drawing hearts and ribbons.  :)

It's a great way to practice using what they learned and they're always so proud of their completed project.  Good job, class!

Shuri Castle

We made our way to Shuri Castle to see their 3-day event of festivities. They had traditional, Okinawan dances, tea ceremonies, and a tour of the castle. I thought it'd be fun to dress Ella up in a kimono and she was a big hit with the Japanese tourists!

If you care to look at the slideshow, click here . Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve in the market

It was busy today with people doing their last-minute shopping before the 3-day New Year's celebrations. Locals and tourists flock to this part of town to buy the freshest ingredients so I decided to join in on the action!

Several stands sell the same items so how does this foreigner know which one is the best? I have a little system... go with the one that has the longest line! Yep, yep. :) This kamaboko (fish cakes) stand fit the criteria so I waited for my turn and sure enough, it was delicious.

Next up was the cakes stand. So many to choose from...no wonder people are super serious trying to pick their favorites!

One by one, I enjoyed browsing through the food and took snaps of some of the popular delights. Japanese yams, the yummy cakes, mozuku (green seaplant) and soba (long noodles symbolize long life).

Delicious treats are brown sugar, sata andagi (Okinawan donuts), the must-have mochi (rice cake), and muchi (Okinawan mochi) wrapped in banana (?) leaves. My favorite is the sata andagi donut!

After my shopping, I was getting hungry and stumbled upon an awesome place to eat. From 3pm on New Year's Eve the local shop owners set up some tables and serve homemade soba noodles. It was oishii (delicious)!!

Did I mention it cost only 100 yen (less than a US dollar)? For those of you who are in the area next year, it's right along Heiwadori towards the back. Just be sure to get there before the soba runs out...which is fast! :)

Happy holidays!

The new year is just around the corner! So many plans and things to prepare...very exciting. But for now we're going to take a little time out to enjoy the holidays. Hope you have fun doing the same. :)

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and looking foward to 2011!

Kawaii Zakka Shop

Today was an unusual day for me because I had the afternoon off...yay! So without a second thought, I went straight to my favorite handmade/specialty shop. If you're a big "zakka" fan like me these places are like heaven!

Plush toys, books, stationary...you name it, they have it.

I love all the yummy colors and kawaii characters but how do they fit everything on the shelves? Japanese sure are professionals at being compact !

If that was not enough, they even have a bakery filled with delicious treats

and fresh flowers for the home.

With some cream cheese bread and a little shopping, it was the perfect way to enjoy my afternoon! :)