Making a pizza without an oven can be a little tricky. Most Japanese homes don't have an oven yet major grocery stores sell frozen pizzas. Dan tried microwaving one before but it didn't quite work, so we thought we would try this.
We could use a Little Caesar's Hot-N-Ready about now! How else are we supposed to cook a pizza, suggestions? When Dan was at an away game in Okinawa, I got a chance to venture out of Izumi and explore the Osaki Hachimangu Shrine in Sendai city. The shrine was simply stunning! It was exactly what I was missing in our everyday life in Japan; the old beautiful Japanese architecture and the sacred traditions of the far East. I even got a private tour inside of the shrine! I was so taken back by their generosity and willingness to show me around. I only asked if I would be able to go inside to take a look, they agreed but I got the two hands crossed for photography (meaning no pictures inside, haha) A Shinto priest as well as an English translator gave me a mini tour. The inside was simply beautiful, rich in color, as well as traditions and spirituality. The woodwork was painted over 400 years ago and has not been touched since, only the outside of the shrine has been restored. The shrine itself was constructed between 1604 and 1607. While inside, the priest and the translator showed me the proper way to pray: you bow twice, clap your hands twice, make a sincere wish , and bow one more time. (I bowed twice at the end and they started giggling... hey, gotta love the foreigner trying to fit in, ha) Ema are votive plaques. At most shrines, one finds a stand with hundreds of small wooden plaques attached to it. These votive plaques, sold at the Shrine, are called ema. Worshippers buy the plaque, write their wish on it, then hang it on the ema stand, in hopes the shrine deity will grant their wish. All types of wishes are made -- couples hoping to have children, students hoping to pass school exams, people looking for true love, etc. Good Luck/Bad Luck fortune: Most shrines sell fortunes called Omikuji. If you draw a good fortune, keep it, take it home with you. But if it's bad, leave it at the shrine. These are bad fortunes tied to a rope at the shrine, people would also leave them on trees, fences, etc. The concept is leave the bad luck at the shrine, were the divine spirit can get rid it. We finally bought a Christmas tree.... MERRY CHRISTMAS! (or HAPPY CHRISTMAS as they say here.) ¥ 1,960 spent well (about $24.31) for a 120 cm Christmas tree all ready with decorations. Here Christmas trees come in a little kit with lights, decorations and tree skirt. We have little ornaments that look like Christmas present, apples and regular plastic balls. We also bought stockings... or FELT SOCK BAGS as they are called here. As well as candy canes to make it more homey. Gotta love the international area at our local grocery store! Okay, here is the REAL size of our tree! Tiny tiny, but it does definitely bring the Christmas feel to our Sendai apartment. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Dan made a comment in our previous post about people thinking he was Godzilla or just the really tall white American player. Well during one of their open practices a fan gave him a gift, it was a Pez dispenser of the Green Lantern!
I think this little girl thought he looked like the super hero! Definitely take that over Godzilla! Every time we arrive in a new country, we immediately notice some big cultural differences compared to America. Here are a few we noticed very quickly… First off, everyone is EXTREMELY kind and respectful. We can’t understand the language, but each person we met made us feel pretty relaxed right away. They just smile at us, talk really fast, repeat themselves a lot, and continue to bow repeatedly. No handshakes, I feel like royalty! So, for making us feel so welcome, “Arigatou Gozaimasu!” Japan is very clean. I have yet to see any garbage on the street, even in a big city like Sendai. Even the subway is pretty spotless. Dominika claims that if she dropped anything on the floor she wouldn’t mind picking it up, even food! In Chicago’s subway she was nervous to sit in a seat because of how unclean it was. Also, there are no trash cans anywhere. Literally. You can walk for blocks downtown and never find one. Frankly, it’s very annoying having to hold on to your trash all day! The cars drive on the opposite side of the street, and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. These took some getting used to. My first time in a teammate’s car, I kept flinching as oncoming traffic flew by the “wrong” side. Tip: Do a double-take before crossing the street! Also, they ALWAYS back into parking spaces, not sure why. Everything is expensive. Going to the market is depressing early on as you spend a lot for not so much food. They use the yen, which is about $1.30. A large pizza from Pizza Hut is $45, strawberries are $8, we found a melon for $75, a tiny brick of cheddar cheese is $7, and a “value meal” at McDonalds is about $11. Comparing the prices to America may drive you insane, so we try to just accept it. Lucky for us, there’s a “100 Yen Store” near our apartment, like a dollar store, that we shop at frequently. Everyone is very short, so every doorway is proportional. This made my first couple of weeks rather painful! I think I hit my head a dozen times in that first two weeks. My apartment has four doorways that I have to duck to get through. I can’t stand up straight in my bathroom, and I lean my head against the cupboards in the kitchen when I’m cooking or doing the dishes. When walking around town, I certainly get looks from locals pointing and whispering. “Godzilla!?” No folks, I’m just the only tall white American basketball player, gawk away!
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