"Happy Birthday Number 12"

I had to smile when I saw this birthday message on my Facebook wall from one of my foreigner friends living in Japan. Earlier in November, him and another friend and I went to Kashima Soccer Stadium in Ibaraki to watch the Kashima Antlers play the Nagoya Grampus. While I have seen Kashima Stadium from the outside several times since I moved to Ibaraki, I had never been inside until this day, and WOW.

About two minutes after getting off the train in front of Kashima stadium, my friends and I entered an endless sea of Kashima Antlers fans, decked out in red and navy blue jerseys, coats, scarves, and hats. If being a foreigner wasn't enough, not having a jersey (or any fan-related items) made us stick out even more. On the train, we had talked about buying a jersey when we got to stadium, so that was our first order of business.

We managed to squeeze our way to the front table of one booth to ask for a jersey. The lady asked me what number I wanted. I hesitated because at that point, I didn't really know any of the players. My friend randomly asked the lady for # 12, so I said I'd take the same. We had absolutely no idea who # 12 was. But we were hoping it was a star player, and seeing as how #12 was selected for a jersey, we thought we were in luck.

After this, we put on our new jerseys and took our seats. The seats in this stadium are built so that no matter where you sit, you have a good seat. I was surprised at how clean and modern it looked inside. We noticed that many other fans were wearing the same # 12 jersey, so we knew for sure # 12 was a good pick.

Finally, it was game time. The stadium was packed, and we had a perfect view of the Kashima fan zone. The huge flat screen TV mounted on one side of the stadium began introducing the members of the team. First the team players and then the substitutes. My friend and I anxiously waited for #12.

We were confused and disappointed when the introductions were over and #12 hadn't been introduced. Who was he?

Just then, our question was answered. The announcer said, "Aaaaaaaand finally, #12!!!!!" And a live view of the audience was broadcasted on the screen...



 



The blue and white flag is the official flag of Ibaraki Prefecture.



Just Another Saturday in Japan...

Not a day goes by in Japan when I'm not surprised by something I encounter. Here's a little taste of what my friends and I unexpectedly experienced this morning in Satomi, a small village in northern Ibaraki (please excuse the poor quality of the video:/ ). Today, I was invited by my friends to go to an "apple onsen" in Daigo, a place in Ibaraki famous for apples. On the way there, we decided to stop at the "Satomi Music Festival." I heard country music for the first time in Japan and loved it!

Next to the stage were a bunch of hay statues of various Japanese characters and some other unrecognizable figures. I think the hay was leftover from rice harvesting and used to make these neat displays. After the music festival, we had a delicious soba and tempura (soba = buck wheat noodles / tempura = an assortment of deep fried vegetables and shrimp) lunch.

 

After lunch, we made our way to the apple onsen. Onsens are public baths, like spas, that can be found all around Japan. In Daigo, we went to an apple onsen, where fresh apples float in the main bath! The apples looked, smelt, and felt completely fresh, which was surprising since they were floating in a hot bath. The apple bath was inside; the bath outside was filled with an assortment of colored flowers. We joked about feeling like we were in fairytale. It really looked and felt like it. The outside bath was nice because the air was cool, which made the hot bath more bearable. Also, it was nice to look at the mountain scenery, especially the red and orange leaves on the trees. And even better, the free body soap, shampoo and conditioner provided by the spa were apple scented! I came home relaxed and with the scent of fresh apples all over my body.

It was so refreshing, and the perfect way to spend a Fall afternoon here. The only downside was that Jen and I forgot to bring socks to change into after the bath, and it was really cold. Luckily, we found some in a little shop in the same building as the onsen. Not exactly what we were looking for, but they worked!

  

My Japanese Winter Survival Kit



In Japanese, "nabe" means "pot." Nabe is a popular winter dish in Japan - a boiling pot of meat and an assortment of vegetables. My grocery store recently started selling pre packaged nabe which is convenient and makes for an easy, wholesome dinner. The white, tube-like things are called "kiritanpo," cooked rice that has been mashed, formed into cylinders, and then toasted.



Nabe, after.



Heattech is like Under Armour, except you can wear it on a daily basis. At Uniqlo, it comes in a variety of styles and colors. There are even heattech socks. It's super warm, fashionable, and can be worn under just about anything. I'm definitely going to miss this stuff when I go home! 

 

My kotatsu - a "kotatsu" is a small table with an electric heater attached to the underside. During the winter, you throw a heavy blanket over the table and use it as a heat source. Most families in Japan use a kotatsu since central heating is not as common here. While it's pretty cool and can be addicting, nothing compares to central heating!