Last week, a few Japanese teammates and I had an event at a temporary housing complex in Sendai where people who lost their homes in the earthquake and tsunami live. It was a very eye-opening experience and I was happy to be involved. It basically looked like a trailer park with rows of small homes set up. We came to meet the people, sign autographs, take pictures, and give the families winter mittens. The 89ers cheerleaders also came to lead the people in stretching, because I was told that it is good for the older citizens to stay active. There were a bunch of media there to cover the event, and we presented the residents with some autographed memorabilia. I was pleased to see that everyone was very happy and upbeat. I admired their strength to continue on with their life and be positive. These people have lost everything, some of them even lost family members. But, they were all smiling, laughing, and so appreciative of us.
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In December I received an email from a fellow Marquette Alumnus and former MU athlete, Kristin Stonecki. She was currently stationed near Tokyo and knew that Dan and I were also living in Japan. Its great to know that Marquette alumni can stay connected all over the world! Kristin wanted to know if I was interested in joining her and a volunteer group that was heading up to Ishinomaki, to help with tsunami cleanup. Ishinomaki is a city located about 35 miles north of Sendai and is one of the most affected areas by the March 11th 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. I was delighted to go and help with such a great cause. I also wanted to see first hand what we have been watching on the news on March 11th, 2011. However, as soon as I agreed my fears began to creep in, it didn’t help that while talking to my mom she kept reminding me to prepare myself for the worst. “You know, they are still finding bodies along the coast, are you prepared to see that?” No, I wasn’t. I actually wasn’t prepared to see any of the destruction and visit an area where close to 10,000 people died. I arrived at the Ishinomaki train station at 8 am on December 12th , it was a cold yet sunny morning and I couldn’t wait for the KBF (Kurume Bible Fellowship) bus to pick me up. My hands were already freezing and I was kicking myself for not bringing my warm gloves. KBF informed us to dress in warm clothes, since we would be spending some of our time outdoors, and to wear clothes that we wouldn’t mind ruining. So here I was in my sweatpants, a hoodie and old gloves. Not a smart way to start the day, especially since it was December in northern Japan! The KBF bus picked me up and we headed toward the coast of Ishinomaki. I was happy to be reunited with Kristin. We knew each other in college and spent a lot of time training at the Old Gym as well as the Al McGuire Center but in reality its been five years since we spoke, other than the occasional Facebook conversations, and I didn’t know what to expect when we met again. It’s a funny feeling of happiness and uncertainty. In our years of traveling abroad we had a lot of those experiences, it’s great to see someone you know or knew of in college and then see them in a foreign country. You automatically feel a connection even though you hardly know them. Seeing Kristin was absolutely great! I have to admit; I am disappointed in myself that we didn’t hang out more in college. She is a great girl and I definitely missed out! The closer we drove to the coast the more visible the damage became. Buildings showed signs of cracking, streets were uneven, and construction sites were set up everywhere. The closer and closer we drove the damage became overwhelming. There was debris scattered everywhere, houses missing walls, piles of cars, piles of boats and piles of objects that you would never see in a pile! Cars were completely mangled and one couldn’t help to think about the massive force that swept through. It’s been estimated that the wave that hit this part of Japan was close to 33 feet high. We pulled into the Samaritan's Purse International Relief makeshift office and a member briefed us about what we will be doing. Our group would be cleaning up one house, knocking out walls, taking out the insulation and preparing the home for complete remodeling. Samaritan's Purse International Relief has been in Ishinomaki since March helping locals rebuild their lives one house at a time. The volunteer group we came with, the KBF Tohoku Relief Team, is a Christian organization from Tokyo that has been coming up weekly to Ishinomaki to aid with the cleanup. Many of the homes in the region were completely knocked down but others survived. The ones that did survive are now being renovated so the owners can move back in. The house we were cleaning up was right on the coast, about a five minute walk from the Pacific Ocean. We spent five hours cleaning up, removing debris, insulation and knocking down walls. I was completely shocked when we removed soaking wet insulation, which has not dried out in the nine months since the tsunami! During lunch Kristin and I walked around the area. I felt a mixture of emotions; I was sad and felt guilty looking at peoples' personal belongings scattered everywhere. Honestly, it looked like a bomb went off and people abandoned everything. There were toys, bikes, dishes, silverware scattered on every corner. Peoples' homes were completely on display! An errie feeling sat in when we walked by homes that were missing walls and you could look into someone’s living room, their chair still placed in front of the TV, a coffee cup sitting on the table and magazines scattered on the floor. You could imagine what those peoples' lives looked like. Words can not describe the destruction and painful feeling I felt while walking around the Ishinomaki coast. Even while facing such a great disaster there was absolutely no looting in this area. I even found a bag of money that had probably been sitting on the ground for nine months. There were memorials set up in front of some of the damaged houses. Someone in our group mentioned that some were dedicated to kids that passed away because there were traditional Japanese dolls called Kokeshi next to the tea offering. The homeowner was very welcoming and at first very overwhelmed. I couldn’t image twenty some people sweeping through my house and tearing it to pieces. She was very grateful and even bought us lunch. Fried pork, rice and salad! We all took a break from working and ate lunch on the second story of their house. The homeowner also talked to those that spoke Japanese about their tsunami experience, above is a photo of one of our group members recounting the homeowner’s stories in English. Thankfully everyone in their family survived, they escaped through a rice patty. They said they had friends that stayed behind and were trapped in their homes. The water was so high up that they were on the second story of their house completely trapped by the high water. They described it as being stuck in a washing machine. Some survived but a lot of them didn’t. People are still missing to this day; their remains have not been located. At times like this I felt a little relived that I did not understand Japanese, it was hard enough for us to be there but hearing personal accounts of life and death would bring me completely to tears. Below is a photo of the homeowner speaking to our group. Below is a photo of all the debris we took out of the house as well as Kristin and I in front of the home. Group shot with the homeowners. I was so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful cause! I think anyone who is living in Japan or will be traveling to Japan needs to see the coast of Miyagi. The damage will take your breath away and truly leave you speechless. Words can not describe what this nation went through and how gracefully they handled the worst tsunami disaster in the 21st century. Here are a couple more photos of the Ishinomaki sea wall. Crazy how peaceful the Pacific Ocean was the day we went to volunteer. For more information about the KBF Tohoku Relief Teams please visit their website or their Facebook Page. My Japanese teammates, Hikaru and Kenichi, took me to my first Japanese Hot Spring Spa experience. I've heard from many different people that I need to check one out while I'm here and I'm gad I did. One of the famous Hot Spring Spas in Sendai happens to be a team sponsor, so we went on our day off this week to recharge our bodies. If you're not familiar with traditional Japanese baths, they are all nude. So its not your average YMCA hot tub. Here we are in our Japanese spa garb. Please note our authentic wooden thong sandals. They were just as uncomfortable as they look. Not pictured was our individual bag containing two towels. One was for drying off, the other, smaller towel we were told was for "covering ourselves." That towel was tiny...you get the idea! This was one of the outdoor hot springs. As you can see, it wasn't too big. It felt boiling hot. Later we read that they keep it at 122 degrees F. We couldn't sit in there too long, but it was very relaxing. This one was indoors, but just as hot. The wooden square in the picture is a floating net with full lemons in it. It was very relaxing, despite the creepy other naked guys who were a little too enamored with seeing pro ball players! These shower stations were used before and after the hot springs. They were shower stalls, but you sit down on a small wooden stool instead of standing. It was different to shower sitting down, but rather more relaxing than standing I have to say. I might get a shower-safe stool to use at home! All in all, it was a cool experience, and I'll certainly go back!
I can't help but to brag a little about my husband! He has had an amazing season with the Sendai 89ers.
He had two amazing games this past weekend versus the Akita Northern Happinets, scoring 31 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday, and 28 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on Sunday. So far this season he has had four 30+ point games and is averaging 18.6 points per game leading his team and top ten in the league. Not only that, but he is number one in the league in three point makes! He also made the top ten in Asian Basket Top Performer of the Week! I am so so proud of him! This year, our friends Marty and Kyoko invited us to a Super Bowl party at their home in Sendai. With the time difference in Japan, the party and game began in the morning at around 9am. We enjoyed a great breakfast buffet and a champagne toast with some teammates, team management, and some other friends around Sendai. Thanks Marty and Kyoko for having us! It was a good close game, and we had a great time feeling like were back in the states. Although I did lose 1,000 YEN to my teammate Johnny betting on the Patriots!
Living in Japan I have noticed some very interesting fashion trends. At first glance I fell in love with Japanese fashion, most clothing colors are nature based, organic, soft palettes, and high quality! Over the last three months I have realized there are distinct trends that seem to be everywhere. Yes, there are those that dress in crazy harajuku style but most women in Sendai seem to harmoniously blend together. There is that collective society yet again! This does not mean I still don't adore some of their outfits and the heels they seem to wear all the time! I think I just expected Japan to be more fashion forward and outrageous. The first and most notorious trend is Louis Vuitton purses! You can't walk down a street and pass 5 women without seeing at least one Louis Vuitton. I heard that every 3 out of 5 women in Japan have a Louis Vuitton and those purses are authentic! No fake ones here! That's one trend I could get used to :) The plaid scarves, on the other hand, I am not sure about! I have seen a lot of students wear them. They are not the Arab Shemagh plaid scarves that were popular in Europe and the States a few years back, these are authentic plaid scarves that your grandpa still might have in his closet. Another use for them can be a picnic blanket. :) The main fashion trend that seems to go right over my head are shorts with tights. I have loved all the interesting selection of tights in Japan, anything from colors of the rainbow to warm wool tights that can be worn with long sweaters. However, shorts and tights to me (and most of my US counterparts) just don't go together. Dresses and skirts with tights, sure! Any day! But shorts are meant to be worn in summer! Maybe we are the ones in the wrong and this style will eventually make its way to the Western world, but for now its one that I will stay away from. I have fully embraced rabbit accessories though! Never in my life did I think I would own real fur but in Japan it seems to be everywhere. Rabbit scarves, rabbit earmuffs, rabbit coats and even rabbit scrunchies! PETA would go after me but I decided to buy a rabbit scarf/cover up. And I absolutely love it! Letter Jackets: Mmmm a trend I never thought would make it past high school but the amount of letter jackets I have seen in Japan has been astonishing. Maybe I should bring my old high school jacket and try to sell it! (It hasn't seen sunlight since 2003.) This trend seems to apply more to males than females but old school jackets as well as sweaters are definitely in. One more fashion accessory that I thought would never make it past the 1980s are scrunchies! They are definitely back in and in full force! Did we seem to forget the whole anit-scrunchie "Sex and the City" moment where Carrie dismisses them forever? Didn't we realize those neon fluffy things do nothing for our hair appeal?! Ekkk! Regardless of what us, and other westerners, might think of those hideous fluffy things they are invading Asia by storm, even American Apparel is starting to sell them again. I will definitely stay away from this fashion disaster but I am interested to see if it will make its way overseas, only time will tell.
Our Facebook Album "Funny Europe" took months before we could post it, however our Japanese edition only took a couple of weeks. There are so many poorly written English phrases everywhere, especially at our local 100 yen shop. Not only that but food items are completely foreign to us! So sit back, enjoy, and take in some Japanese flavor. Happy Valentine's Day from Japan!
Much like other adapted Western holidays this one is celebrated differently in Japan. It is customary for WOMEN to give presents, mainly chocolates, to men. Since many Japanese women are shy, this is the only day a year they can express their true feelings for ones they love. Men are supposed to return the favor on March 14th, a Japanese holiday called White Day. Let's see how many chocolates Dan receives today at their open practice! Apparently there are two types of chocolate gifts, "giri-choco" (obligation chocolates) which are given to co-workers and "honmei-choco" which symbolize love. I am hoping Dan will receive more of giri-choco than honmei-choco! haha! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day! |
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