誕生日のパーティー　Let the birthday celebrating begin...
Yesterday some of my associates from Toshiba took me around Tokyo to celebrate my birthday.
But first, I started the day by having lunch with a lady that I met while riding the shinkansen to Kyoto back in June. We went to a nice Japanese restaurant in Roppongi Hills, and I told her about what I had been doing in Japan, and my plans, etc etc.  I think she is like an older, Japanese, version of me- she loves working, traveling, and learning languages, all qualities that we share.
After that I walked back to Roppongi station where I met one of my friends and we headed to Tokyo Tower. We went up into the observatory and looked out over Tokyo for awhile, which is always fun for me. I am not used to big cities, so I really like to go up towers and see the expanse of buildings in the city. Next we met up with two more friends and went to a shrine called Shibatoshogu. It is always interesting to see an old, traditional style building contrasted with the new, modern buildings also in the area. After that we walked down towards the river and looked at the Rainbow Bridge. At that time two of our party had to leave for another engagement, and the rest of us headed to Akihabara, the electronics district of Tokyo. They have many stores selling electronic products for much cheaper than the usual retail price. Also they have an abundance of maid cafes and stores catering to nerd culture.

At Akihabara we met another friend and then went to a maid cafe. Maid cafes are very interesting... At these places, the waitresses dress like maid-dolls with frilly dresses and thigh high socks and maybe some bunny ears in their hair. The maids are very interactive with the patrons of the cafe, sitting by their table to explain everything in detail. We ordered a mixed juice drink, which the maids actually shake and pour at your table.  While they are doing it they say cute things for you to repeat and do a whole show of making it interactive and elaborate so it "will taste better." Also everyone who goes in gets to take a picture with the maid of their choice. When you order they bring a board that has a picture of each girl, and the patrons choose the girl they want to take a picture with. While we were there, this one guy was recognized on stage because he has been to that cafe 500 times. So he got to go up and take a picture with all of the girls. We were trying to figure out how often that guy goes to the cafe, since he looks young and we think he must go 3-5 times a week! The maids address the patrons very sweetly and say things welcome home when you arrive, and when you leave they say I will be waiting for you return (which is what Japanese normally say to their family members when they leave the house).  Also the maids call men goshujisama meaning lord, and girls they call ojosama which means princess.

                                                    The next generation of AKB48 girls

After leaving the maid cafe, we went to a restaurant for dinner. While there my friends surprised me with a delicious chocolate mousse and fruit cake that the waitresses brought out and then sang happy birthday to me. Also, my friends presented me a wallet, towel, and pocket mirror. It was a great birthday celebration!

料理の授業#3- Cooking!
I got to have another Japanese home cooking lesson!  This time we made my favorite dish, okonomiyaki, and gyudon (beef bowl).  Both were delicious! For dessert we had homemade azuki pudding and a jello like dessert. 

                                                  Lunch with a nice view from the apartment

                                                                    Okonomiyaki

                                                                       Gyudon

After dinner was over we went to watch the Toshiba baseball game.  Unfortunately they lost to JR (East Japan Railway company) and are no longer in the running for the championship, but it was a strong finish.  The last ten minutes of the game the crowd was so excited and loud that it reminded me of games at A&M. It was pretty neat the support the fans showed the teams. Even though they were losing, the crowds stood and continued cheering the whole game.

お祭りー Temple Festival
Today I went to a festival at Sojiji, which is a Buddhist temple in Tsurumi.  It is a huge temple that is supposed to be bringing more Soto-zen to Eastern Japan.  There are many monks in residence, and the temple also operates Tsurumi University and an academy for kindergarten through high school kids.
The festival was very lively! At the entrance food, toy, and game vendors lined the streets which were mobbed with hundreds of people, many who were dressed up in yukata.

Once inside the grounds of the temple, the huge stone courtyard was decorated with lights and had a stage in the center where the monks were leading the dancing.  There were also monks in the crowd encouraging people and children to join in the dancing.

 I got this chocolate dipped banana from a vendor, they wouldn't let me take one until I rolled some dice.  I rolled a seven... not sure what that means but perhaps I will receive good fortune or something.

Food I brought from the street vendor- Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, so the ingredients are in layers instead of mixed together.  And deep fried noodles that are salted like crazy!  Oh, and that is a fan that a monk gave to me.

東芝のやきゅうー Toshiba Baseball
Toshiba`s baseball team is in the corporate league championships, and yesterday I attended one of their games. It was held in the Tokyo Dome, a huge indoor baseball stadium located in the heart of Tokyo. At the entrance they handed out towels, fans, and jerseys to everyone to transform the audience into a sea of red (Toshiba`s color). The crowd was energetic as always at baseball games, and the cheer squad had really fancy routines and props this time. They even held up props that resembled a Shinto shrine at one point. Toshiba won the game, so they will continue to compete this week.

After the game, I went to dinner with a group of Toshiba people.  We ate at a Korean grill restaurant. There are burners built into the table with grills over them, and the waiters bring out plates of meats and vegetables so you can grill your food a couple pieces at a time. In Japan there seems to be an abundance of different types of restaurants where you get to cook at your own table, which makes eating out here always a fun experience.

蛸やきのパーティー　Ｔａｋｏｙａｋｉ　Ｐａｒｔｙ
The third Monday of July is Marine Day in Japan, which is a national holiday considered a day of gratitude for the blessings of the oceans. I celebrated by going to my friend`s house to make takoyaki.  Takoyaki tastes similiar to a hush puppy except that they are filled with octopus, green onions, and other little ingredients of choice like ginger, sausages, cheese, and dried tiny shrimps.  Takoyaki is made in a special pan with round forms, so they come out in a spherical shape. The pan has a heating element attached underneath so you can cook them right there at the dinner table with everyone. To make them you first pour batter into the pan, then add your fillings, and top with more batter. As they are cooking you turn them with a toothpick, producing the round shape.  After they are ready they are topped with a special sauce, bonito (fish) flakes, and sometimes mayonnaise. An expert takoyaki-eater told me that the only way to eat takoyaki is with mayonnaise! Takoyaki is delicious and fun to cook.  Along with the takoyaki we ate Japanese potato salad, avocado and tomato salad, and donuts for dessert.

We had a great afternoon of eating and talking.  My friend and her husband both grew up in the Kansai area of Japan, so they taught me some of the differences between Kansai (Kyoto) and Kanto (Tokyo) dialects.  It is my goal to be able to speak both of these dialects of Japanese!
They also surprised me with a birthday present, a beautiful Japanese fan. This is a very useful gift right now particularly since it is hot and humid every day.  Fans are actually still commonly carried and used by the Japanese, even though many westerners have the image that fans are only a traditional part of Japanese culture. I was completely surprised and so grateful for this beautiful present!

品川の水族館ー The Aquarium
I went to the Aquarium in Shinagawa with one of my Toshiba friends and her friend from university. Shinagawa aquarium has several aquariums featuring fish from freshwater rivers, to the sea, to exotic fish from other places.  It has a really neat walk-through aquarium too, where we saw a diver go in and feed the sting-rays. We also saw a dolphin show which was a lot of fun, as well as a sea lion show.

                                                                     Shark!

                                               We rowed around the pond in a rowboat.

                                                            Seafood doria for lunch

                                                    Here I am with a blue whale statue

                                                                    Grave for whales

                                                         Japanese curry for dinner!

カトリック教会ー Catholic Church
A few weeks ago I saw a sign for a Catholic Church here in Tsurumi, and I was so excited to be able to go to Mass in Japanese.  So every time I rode the bus and passed by the sign I tried to read it to figure out where the church is located.  Finally it dawned on me to google it- much easier.  So I found the directions and today I went to mass.

On the way there today, walking through a little neighborhood, I found a tiny Shinto shrine.  It is funny how there are shrines everywhere!  I have seen them in the middle of cities next to department stores, office buildings, and residential areas like this one.  I have been told that perhaps the shrines were bigger at one time, and when the area was built up around them people avoided moving the shrines so as to respect the feelings of the gods.  So... there are shrines everywhere.  This one was extra cute though, as it is set in the middle of a pond.

I found the Catholic Church very easily.  It is very close to my dormitory- only about a ten minute walk away. Once I arrived I wandered around a little and found a very pretty ornamental pond in the courtyard that had a little chapel hiding behind it.  Next I went to the main building and walked through the quiet, dark building wondering where the sanctuary was.  In the lobby I found an Indian lady and her little daughter waiting for her husband and son to arrive.  So I talked to her until the rest of her family came and then we walked upstairs for mass together. They were very kind and showed me where everything was and after mass introduced me to the priest.  It was really neat to hear mass in Japanese, and I understood everything the priest said pretty well (of course that's not the hardest task since Catholic masses all follow the same format!). It was the smallest mass I have ever attended though, with only about 15 adults and 5 little kids.  The recessional song had the same tune as one we sing in English, so that was pretty awesome. I was able to follow along and sing to it from the Japanese hymn book.

バービークュー
On Sunday I had a barbecue with several people from Toshiba.  It was held at the house of a lady that has a yard, a not so common possession here in Tokyo.  The garden (that is the term Japanese use to refer to yard) is about 12 ft by 35 ft, and that is considerably spacious in Japan!  It was very pretty though, with bushes and trees, and a gorgeous green grass (hey, something not so common in Texas!).  They actually have a vegetable garden as well right next door, and when everyone was leaving they shared fresh vegetables just picked from the garden. We grilled lots of delicious food (beef, chicken, pork, mushrooms, eggplant, etc. and had rice, salads, cake and donuts too), socialized, and played with the kids all afternoon.  It was so nice to spend a calm Sunday afternoon with the people I worked with, getting to know everyone better and seeing everyone away from the office.  As I mentioned some people brought their little kids, so it was a very relaxing, family-oriented affair.

                                                 Playing with my co-worker's little daughter.

                                                Almost everyone from my group at Toshiba!

七夕のパーティー！
The seventh of July is Tanabata, which means evening of the seventh.  This day is a festival in Japan honoring the meeting of two deities that are represented by stars.  According to the legend, these two lovers are separated by the milky way and can only be together on this night every year.  So... yesterday I attended a Tanabata party thrown by some of my friends here!

So in the afternoon I went to my friend's apartment where she invited everyone to go get dressed up for the party in the evening.  On the way there, I missed a street I was supposed to turn on so I asked a girl I saw if she could tell me which way to go.  She said she did not know the place exactly so she decided to walk with me and find it, even though she had just arrived at her own apartment and it was raining!  We were in the same neighborhood so luckily it was not far.  Another one of the many acts of kindness I have received while staying in Japan!
At the apartment, we dressed in yukata and got our hair and makeup done.  This was a yukata party, so almost everyone, boys and girls, came dressed in yukatas.  Yukatas are a light, cotton, summer version of the kimono.  Yukatas are very popular apparel for summer festivals, parties, and when you go see hanabi shows (fireworks).

Around 6:30 everyone headed to the place where the party was held.  As we walked in they divided us into teams to play games, and we wrote out tanzaku.  Tanzaku is a tradition where you write your wish down on a slip of paper and then hang it on a bamboo branch for the night so that your wish will come true.
Next we started the games.  First we played an imagination game, where the emcee gave a topic or keyword and the players wrote down the first thing that came to our mind when we think of that word.  Then when we are ready we show our teammates, and if any of us wrote the same thing we won points for our team.  For instance, given the word "Ghibli," several people on my team wrote down "Totoro."  The next game was darts, pretty straightforward.  Last we had a senko hanabi race.  Senko hanabi are very popular fireworks in Japan.  They are very similiar to sparklers because they are small and hand-held, however the flame smolders and produces miniature fireworks until the ball of fire just drops to the ground and is over.  So the person whose flame burned the longest won.

                                                                   Senko Hanabi!
Sadly my team did not win the tournament, but we socialized and  I made several new friends during the festivities, so it was a great night!  Definitely one of my favorite memories of my first trip to Japan.