tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-383270452024-03-06T23:24:55.459-08:00Tenaciously Yours, Jessica GuthrieAn ongoing commentary of the scrapbook activities and projects Jessica's involved in, from California to Florida to Japan!Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.comBlogger608125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-24344148847123287372016-07-21T23:44:00.002-07:002016-07-21T23:44:45.280-07:00Some sayonara words about leaving Iwakuni<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Author's note: Everything I write about here (and, actually on this whole blog, unless otherwise stated) are my experiences and mine only. Yours may be, well, <u>probably</u> will be, different. But these are some things I have learned and would like to share with you. Your results may differ...</i></span><br />
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Leaving Iwakuni is like pulling a Band-Aid off veeeerrrrryyyyy sllllooooowwwwlllllyyyy. And you feel every hair as it's pulled and tugged along the way. Every one of them. And ultimately, the bandage is going to take a little skin with it too. The adhesive is just that good.<br />
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I made the mistake of loving people, places and things here in this country. I started having to say good-bye to close friends last year, so, really, my departure began about a year ago, I'd say. The spouse and I went to our last Marine Corps ball... riiip! The kids had their last Homecoming dance and Mini Marine Corps Ball... rip, rip. Ashleigh and Carolyn left in December... riiip, riiip. I had my final cherry blossom season as a photographer... riiiip. I said good-bye to KC, Amanda, Teresa and Britt.... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiip!!! I went to Kuju, my most favorite place in Japan, for the final time... riiiip! Gwen left... riiip. I said <i>matane</i> to my lovely English students.... riiip. I gave up my volunteer responsibilities and said goodbye to the amazing people I was fortunate to work with... riiip.<br />
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I organized my entire house into "luggage," "express shipment," "household goods shipment," "mail," "sell," "giveaway," and "toss," and then executed each of those things, hoping I did not make some grave mistake in my categorization... riiiiiiiiiiip! I watched the movers carry away my belongings, I cleaned my apartment for the last time and we handed the keys over, never to set foot inside the place again... riiip. I sold the reliable, utilitarian car that had managed to get me all around Japan for a respectable sum, but couldn't watch as it was driven away... riiiip. I went on my last day trip and onsened for the last time... rip, rip. I said goodbye to Chie... riiiip.<br />
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Today I say goodbye to the balance of my close friends left in Iwakuni... rip, rip, rip, rip. Save one. Cortney... who is kind enough to drive us to the airport tomorrow morning and will be there for the completion of Band-Aid removal. I apologize to her now for anything that might happen then.... RIIIIIIIIIP!<br />
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No one but military-affiliated people can understand this. Oh, they try to, they really do. Many have empathy and compassion, and do what they think might make you feel better. And thank you for that. But, honestly, when we arrive in the States with our exposed wound without any hair left, we just want a shower, a greasy American meal and a soft bed. Because we are tired, physically and emotionally, it will take weeks, if not months, to completely heal. And we pretty much have to do that on our own.<br />
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And I am saying this as a person who is leaving Iwakuni willingly and is excited about the future. I'm not regretting anything or feel like I am being torn away from my life here. All is well as far as the big picture goes. For some people, that isn't the case. Everyone has a different story. Try to be kind and patient.<br />
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Well, OK, <i>sniff</i>, the sappy crap is over. Here are some helpful tips that are more practical the torn Band-Aid advice... and shows you how much fun it is try to move out of here:<br />
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* No one knows anything about what you need to do to fly with your pet until the morning you show up for your flight. Seriously... it does not matter how many times you ask about the type of kennel you have, the size of your pet, the procedures or the guidelines... it will be WRONG. The information the people provide you may be correct for somebody somewhere, but, inevitably, it does not pertain to <u>you</u> and <u>your</u> situation for some reason. You find out that your cat is not actually flying in the cabin with you, like you have thought for months, but is now under the plane. These two situations require two different types of carriers, one of which you do not own. If you have a connecting flight on a commercial carrier (95% of people do) you may have an entirely different situation on your hands, and a different type of carrier might be needed. The resources available for assisting with these procedures here in Iwakuni is nil and I have yet to hear of anyone ticketing and flying their pets out of here without some sort of major problem at some point along the journey. There was a Japanese woman at the Iwakuni terminal named Yoshiko who was my husband's savior today (I say 'husband' because I refused to deal with the cat when I had the bulk of the other household responsibilities). If it wasn't for her, Iwakuni may have had <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/09/a-soapbox-moment-my-thoughts-on-pets-in.html">yet another abandoned pet</a>. Our cat will not be flying until tomorrow, so there is still plenty of time for something to go wrong, of course.<br />
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* This next one is both a bad and good thing... Because we are overseas, the military member must be present for or conduct most of the checkout procedures. There are, not kidding, about 40 of them. And you have to go around on base to each building to do them. And each entity, from housing, to the cable company to the armory, all have different days and times that they will sign your checkout sheet. Nothing is streamlined or easy. It takes an industrious person at least three days to check out of base. The system sucks, especially in 85-degree heat with humidity. The good news? For once the Marine Corps spouses who usually help do all of this crap when they leave other state-side duty stations while their husbands are hiding out at "work" can just sit back and drink mai tais at the hotel room. Just kidding. I was changing the addresses on all of our banks and insurance companies online and packing necessities for the plane ride. No mai tais. The good news is that I got to do it in an air conditioned room! #winning<br />
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* We were entitled to 7 days reimbursement at TLF (hotel we stay at on base until it's time to leave). HOWEVER, you can only have an overlap between checking in to TLF and checking out of housing (your apartment) of two days. No one will tell you this until it is too late. We used three days because of when our housing appointment was scheduled. We may not be reimbursed for one of our days of lodging. Basically, because the USMC thinks he has nothing else better to do, the Commanding Officer OF THE BASE has to sign off on us getting reimbursed for that one day that we had no idea would be an issue. Or, we have to pay out of pocket and lose food money for that day. But, with the super cold A/C, daily trash pickup without having to yell at my kids, and amazing water pressure in the shower, the extra money out of pocket is almost worth it. Almost. Not quite. Show me the money!<br />
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* If you have a house phone, you cannot turn it off and pay your last bill on the same day. This is just too much to ask. So, go on one day (they are now located in the Torii Pines shopping center) to shut your service off, and then go the next day to pay your final bill. Our final bill was twice as much as our usual bill. I have no idea why, but after a bunch of abuse by the check-out system, you start to not care anymore.<br />
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So, these are just some of the things I've run into through this leaving Iwakuni process. I do still have 18 more hours left until my plane is supposed to take off, so there is time for something more to present a challenge... let's hope it doesn't... wish us luck!<br />
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<br />Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-58680885602722212832016-07-19T05:57:00.001-07:002016-07-19T07:25:52.600-07:00Iwakuni Takeaway: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I wanted to save this sayonara post as my last one, with a bold, resonating message and an epic mike drop as I boarded the plane bound for the States Saturday morning.<br />
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But blogs don't have microphones (well, at least mine doesn't... I'm old school like that) and I think I'd rather end my days in Iwakuni on a more positive note. Plus, I'm not cool enough to execute an epic mike drop. But the two purposes behind this post are incredibly important to me, so I am going to write about them.<br />
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Purpose #1: You're gonna have a lot more fun here if you get involved in something you are passionate about.<br />
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Purpose #2: No matter what you do, you're gonna have haters.<br />
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I know some of you out there have followed this blog since the first moment I announced we were moving from Pensacola to Japan (thanks, Mom), others have happened upon it when you Googled "Iwakuni" and "commissary" in the search box. A handful of you have stopped me to let me know how much this blog helped you look forward to your time here and get acclimated to this amazing, yet unusual, lifestyle. Others just, for some crazy reason, find me entertaining. Whatever the reason, I'm glad. I'm glad I've improved your life in some small way, whether it was assisting with Space A travel tips, telling you what's going on in my life of adventures (you're welcome, Mom) or simply giving you a much-needed laugh at the end of a tough day. It has been my pleasure.<br />
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In 2012, I started focusing my blog on my life in Iwakuni because 1) that's where I was going to live and 2) there was little to no accurate information about life here. I Googled into the wee hours of the morning several times in January 2012, trying search word combinations that I thought would pop up a magical website that would answer all of my Iwakuni questions. Yeah... no. So, being the blogger that I became back in 2007, I figured I would share helpful - and sometimes entertaining - information as I encountered it. I wanted to help other people like me enjoy their time here and avoid pitfalls I may have found myself digging my way out of as I navigated the base community and galavanted across the wilds of Japan.<br />
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But it wasn't just through blogging. I volunteered to write for the base's Preview magazine. I became a LINKS mentor (for those of you who are not in the Marine Corps this is an organization for spouses to find support, information and, well, friends) and I often gave a speech about surviving your significant other's deployments... because I have survived a few and became stronger because of it. I also volunteered to teach English to Japanese spouses and to answer any questions they had about Marine Corps life.<br />
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With three other people I founded the <a href="http://iwakunibusinessdirectory.blogspot.jp/">Iwakuni Home-based Business Organization</a>, or IHBO, to help people affiliated with the base grow their businesses, whatever they might be. With help, I planned two business expos a year so business owners could get their products and services out into the community.<br />
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I started a Facebook group to encourage spouses to get off base and go on day trips around the area, usually to take pictures of something and eat stuff. And maybe get naked together in a huge pool of hot water. (This is called onsening... see that search box at the top left of this page? Type in the word onsen and you'll see what I am talking about. Well... maybe not actually <i>see</i>...)<br />
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One time I even rented the Sakura theater for a night to show classic 80's movies and invited ALL of the ladies on base to join us for a night of Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and leg warmers. It was so rad!<br />
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I became a moderator on the Iwakuni Classifieds and Information Facebook Page. I was a command team advisor for the smallest squadron on base, MACS-4. And, despite what a lot of people think, it's tough to be a small squadron... fewer resources and a lot more red-headed step-child treatment. Although, my loud mouth did manage to get MACS-4 on the MCAS Iwakuni home page... finally. It was scary that January when I was Googling Iwakuni and I couldn't even find my husband's squadron on the official base web site! Uh, honey, are you sure that's where we're going? I don't see anything with a four listed at all... and nothing about a guy named Mack...<br />
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I launched a couple of businesses on base, and while I did charge for my services (I am not a charity, after all), I feel as though I helped people. Through my <a href="http://jessicaguthriephotography.zenfolio.com/">photography</a>, I gave women the opportunity to see themselves as beautiful as the world sees them. I gave families priceless images of their time in Japan. I inspired more than 100 people to pick up their cameras and take their photos to the next level as they captured moments of their travels and kids. With my crafting business, I gave ladies a chance to break away from life and the left side of their brains, and allow them to create a scrapbook or home decor piece they were proud to show off. I think, through my work, I made some lives just a little bit brighter.<br />
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I know it sounds like I am listing off items on my resume. And I guess I kind of am, but my point is that I was INVOLVED. I chose things I was passionate about (education, sharing helpful information, business growth, marketing, travel) and put my efforts and talents where they were needed. I didn't just sit back and complain to my friends about how there was nothing to do, how the Classifieds page was an unruly mess, or how I couldn't get my business launched in a community marred by bureaucratic red tape. I jumped in and tried to make it better for everyone.<br />
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And I had so much FUN! It wasn't always easy, but it was so incredibly rewarding. Time has flown by, I have made some amazing friendships, met inspiring people and renewed my zest for life. The best part is that I think I am leaving Iwakuni a little bit better than I found it. And that's what everyone should strive to do.<br />
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So those were my good deeds.<br />
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I feel like I gave a lot of time effort and talent to the community, and there are many people who have said they appreciated it. You are more than welcome. It was my absolute pleasure. Thank you for your part in making my life here an incredible experience.<br />
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But, as I am sure you have heard, and as this blog post title says, the good deeds didn't go unpunished.<br />
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There are some people who don't like me. (Surprise!) Most prevalent are my lovely cyber bullies. Yes, I have enjoyed being cyber bullied by members of the community in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Iwakuni-Rants-PART-DEUX-237670789901951/?fref=ts">public forums</a>. And frankly, once the shock wore off (someone noticed me enough to hate me and write about it???), I found it amusing. A few examples for your viewing pleasure:<br />
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Oh, honey. I am not a teenage girl with a lack of self-esteem. This is not my first rodeo. I couldn't care less what you think of my ball gown, my "lady clique" friends or my pride in my son. I am having FUN and minding my own business... I'm just amazed that my life holds so much interest for you. Don't you have your own??<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlet O'Hara's curtains were harmed in the making of this dress.</td></tr>
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You are a frightened little person who is screaming for attention from behind the supposed safety of your page. Well, here you go. Here is your 15 minutes of pseudo-fame. Enjoy:<br />
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I am ever so glad you picked me to harass. Because not everyone is as strong and self-aware as I am. Not everyone has at least a dozen (you miscounted) friends who would pick up baseball bats for me and charge on to a (figurative... we have a little bit of class, believe it or not) empty lot to throw down. Not everyone has a husband who had to be talked down from kicking your (not figurative) ass.<br />
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Some people don't realize how amazing they are. Some people lack confidence. Some people believe the bullshit spewed from a major jackass behind an "anonymous" post. Some people don't have the fabulous support system I do. Some people might have, God forbid, hurt themselves for remarks like the ones you made about me. And you, you sad little excuse for a human, would have had to live with that. For the sake of your victims, I hope it never comes to that.<br />
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And go ahead and use bravado to try and justify your actions. Call me names, tell me I'm "butt hurt" and that you have the freedom of speech. You are so right. You absolutely do have freedom of speech. I just hope you're prepared to live with the consequences of what you say.<br />
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OK, your 15 minutes are up.<br />
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So, Iwakuni community (or anyone else, really... this is a universal request), if you find some other jackass who likes to call out individuals in their public Facebook group rants, I hope you, as a member of the community, will make the effort to shut it down. It would be better for the bully if <i>you</i> did it, because who knows what NCIS would do to them...<br />
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And to those of you out there being cyber bullied... I urge you to raise your internal middle finger and keep being you. You are fantastic. You are unique. And you need to remember that mean people are scared people. Choose to be brave.<br />
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In conclusion, if you're trying to make the most of your time in Iwakuni, find something you're passionate about (unless it's belittling people, of course) and go do it! If you don't have haters, then you're doing something wrong! ;) There are plenty of opportunities to create your own fun and make a difference. Peacock dyed hair and 80's costumes not required... but recommended. And always, always, choose to be brave.<br />
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<br />Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-76761388736260050212016-07-18T06:38:00.001-07:002016-07-18T06:45:58.347-07:00Sayonara Dolls: No Sharpie Required<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, there was a phenomenon on the base here in Iwakuni, something reminiscent of high school yearbooks. I think I first heard about this about six months after I arrived here, as the first people I had met and had gotten to know started to move back to the States.<br />
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One woman simply asked, "Have you signed my sayonara doll?" and shoved a skinny brown cardboard box at me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The box looked a lot like this one, although you can see that this one is actually mine. Pro tip: Write your name on the box and have a pen inside. Most boxes look alike and dolls have been inadvertently taken home by the wrong mama. As for a pen, it's better to be prepared, right? I like the ones that have four different colored inks that you can find at the Daiso for about a dollar. It makes for a fun, colorful scroll.</td></tr>
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Uh, no. I have not signed your, um, doll. Do I want to? What is this thing? I imagined using a Sharpie to write across a baby doll's face. Hmm... that could be fun...<br />
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Ultimately these sayonara dolls are kokeshi with a bonus feature: they unwind to give the owner about five feet of parchment paper for their friends to sign. By the way, Sharpies are not recommended because they can bleed through.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Heather's doll... the kokeshi was a virgin... I was the first to write on her. ;)</td></tr>
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Now, I don't know what the Japanese natives use them for, although there are bride and groom dolls, so maybe bridal wishes? However, the American women (maybe some men...? I haven't been asked by a man to sign his doll, but I do not want to appear sexist here) use them to send farewell messages to the friends, co-workers, and close acquaintances they have met during their brief time here. Often a group of friends or a squadron's spouse organization purchases the doll for the person leaving, everyone signs it on the sly, and then the doll is presented at the going away dinner or party for the departing person.<br />
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But there is a problem with this tradition: Some of your friends leave before you do, so you end up signing their doll, but they aren't around to reciprocate when you leave.<br />
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Or, in my case, most of them leave before I do. That is not only depressing, but would leave me with a very naked sayonara doll.<br />
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At the suggestion of a fellow Marine Corps wife, I actually purchased myself a doll a couple of years ago. As my friends left, I could still get farewell messages from them. Because of this, my doll is far from naked and I still have a few days left in Iwakuni. Depending on how many people you meet and how long you stay, you may actually need to purchase a second doll. Two of my friends, Britt and Gwen, had to do that because they lived here five and eight years, respectively. My friend, Cortney, complained today that there wasn't any more space left on my doll because other people "wrote too big and bubbly!" So, pro tip: Don't hog the paper. Write in a small font and keep your comments concise. ;)<br />
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Sayonara dolls are fairly easy to find. The Four Seasons gift shop, located in the Torii Pines shopping area (for those of you who have left Iwakuni, this was the gift store that used to be at the top of the escalator in the MCX... there's now a whole new shopping center past the Sakura Theater that houses the gift shop, barber shop, salon, bike shop, cleaners and telephone office). If you go to the MCCS fall or spring bazaar (usually held in Ironworks Gym) there are vendors there who sell them. I have also heard that there are shops in town that have them, but I have yet to see them. But, wherever you find one, plan to spend between 3,000 and 5,000 yen ($30-$50) and have a tough time choosing between the different colors and designs.<br />
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Bittersweet Signing!<br />
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("Happy Signing" just doesn't fit. Despite the fact we military families are used to moving, it never gets easier to leave the people who have been your family for the past few years.)Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-45122298965722941362016-07-03T00:50:00.001-07:002016-07-03T04:52:39.351-07:00My Quest for Castles: Japan's National Treasure Castle 5<i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Author's note: To fully appreciate this post, I highly recommend starting with the first installment of the five-part series, <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2016/06/my-quest-for-castles-japans-national.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">which can be found here</a>.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">A Google search I did this spring indicated that there were four original Japanese castles on the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Treasures_of_Japan_(castles)" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">National Treasure registry</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">, but the internet LIED. All of the blogs and travel sites that I accessed had been written prior to July 2015. I know this because Matsue Castle was added to the registry in July 2015 and none of the sites I accessed had mentioned it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">After I got over my initial disappointment... because I did not discover there was a fifth castle until I was in the car and on my way to see the fourth (and what I thought was the final) castle, it was time to plan a day trip to the Matsue area, which is about a three-hour road trip from Iwakuni. So, we rented a van, added some adventurous women to the vehicle and headed off to check it out.</span><br />
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<b>Castle 5, Matsue, check!</b><br />
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Also interesting to note: Before you actually reach the castle, you walk past this very Western-looking building, Kounkaku, which was built simply to house the emperor during his visit to the area in 1907. It was recently restored.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">So, I have officially reached my goal to see all FIVE of Japan's original castles that are national treasures. Inuyama, Hikone, Himeji, Matsumoto and Matsue. Check, check, check, check and check...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">And I am officially finished with Japanese castles. Case closed.</span>Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-47278480625503391982016-07-03T00:07:00.000-07:002016-07-03T04:52:19.713-07:00My Quest for Castles: Japan's National Treasure Castle 4<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Author's note: To fully appreciate this post, I highly recommend starting with the first installment of the five-part series, <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2016/06/my-quest-for-castles-japans-national.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">which can be found here</a>.</i><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">A Google search indicated that there were four original Japanese castles on the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Treasures_of_Japan_(castles)" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px; text-decoration: none;">National Treasure registry</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">, and I had now seen three of them. It was time to see the fourth. But Matsumoto Castle is about 9 hours away for Iwakuni by car... that's no day trip. But my friend, Shannon, was up for a road trip, and so was my mother, so we took four days and hit quite of few sites as we made our way to that final castle.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">While, technically, I had already seen Hikone Castle, doing a sort of drive-by viewing, but since Shannon hadn't been (and is working on the goal of seeing all 12 of the original Japanese castles) we stopped by, allowing me to view it up close.</span></span><br />
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And there is, in fact a Starbucks just a few kilometers away!<br />
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We hit the road again and decided to stop at the oldest castle tower in Japan: Maruoka. I am not sure why this is not also a national treasure, but it's not, so I couldn't count it on the bucket list. :/<br />
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And finally, the next day... we got to Matsumoto... unique in that it has black walls while most castles are white.<br />
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<b>Castle 4, Matsumoto, check!</b><br />
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And it was this day that I found out there are actually FIVE National Treasure Castles... Matsue was just added last July and wasn't on any of the websites and blogs that I accessed before. It completely ruined my day... actually, week. Until Shannon let me know that that fifth castle, Matsue, was only a few hours' drive from Iwakuni. Completely do-able as a day trip. So, while I wasn't expecting to add another trip to my itinerary before I left Japan, a group of my friends were ready to check out the Matsue area... and so we went.<br />
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Click <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2016/07/my-quest-for-castles-japans-national_3.html">here</a> for the final installment.Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-24403608686845257312016-06-22T05:41:00.001-07:002016-07-03T04:51:46.162-07:00My Quest for Castles: Japan's National Treasure Castle 3<i>Author's note: To fully appreciate this post, I highly recommend starting with the first installment of the five-part series, <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2016/06/my-quest-for-castles-japans-national.html">which can be found here</a>.</i><br />
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So, once I had heard there were four original Japanese castles on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Treasures_of_Japan_(castles)">National Treasure registry</a>, and I had already seen two of them, I figured I could make it a point to see the other two. I'm goal-oriented, after all, and I couldn't just let the other two go... <i>unseen</i>. The third one I saw was Himeji, which is the most famous of Japan's Castles. It's the largest of the originals and if you have see an image of a Japanese castle, chances are, it was Himeji.<br />
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It's a huge tourist attraction, especially during the cherry blossom season, which usually hits the first week of April. We went March 30 in the hopes of missing some of the crowds. While we did miss the biggest crowds of the season, because the blooms were just starting to pop, there was still quite a mass of humanity.<br />
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As we made our way up to the castle, we were told it would take 2-3 hours to get through the inside of the castle. On a non-cherry-blossom-season day, it takes about 30-45 minutes. We weren't sure we wanted to invest that much time... but we gave it a shot. And stood in the same spot for a good 25 minutes. I tried to pass the time by photographing details...<br />
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But we decided to give up and just got the front yard of the castle to get some shots of the castle and the view from it.<br />
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<b>Castle 3, Himeji, check!</b><br />
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Early on in her 3-month visit, I made the mistake of encouraging my mom to collect the different Starbucks city mugs. She got Hiroshima's and then, with my blind encouragement, was on a quest for any others she could get her hands on. I did not have the foresight to check and see what mugs were currently available, which led us on a 90-minute goose chase to two different Starbucks locations for a Himeji mug that did not exist. Oops.<br />
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As you may have noticed from previous blog posts, we like to cram as much sightseeing into a road trip as we can. So, again with the suggestion provided to us by our friend and experienced Japan traveler, Carolyn, we headed to the <a href="https://tokyofox.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/kansai-trip-2011-pt-v-the-last-samurai-filming-locations/">Engyoji Temple where the 2003 film "The Last Samurai"</a> was filmed. Of course, after our time at Himeji Castle NOT seeing the castle, and the search for a Starbucks for my mother, we got there late in the afternoon and only had about 50 minutes to see the place. This wouldn't have been a problem if it hadn't been suggested that we take a tour bus to and from the ropeway station at the top of the hill to the actual temple site. There are a lot of hills to hike and, well, we only had 50 minutes. So this was a rush job... to not miss the last bus down the mountain, as well as to miss the threatening rain.<br />
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But, here are my less-than-stellar images to prove I was there where Tom Cruise once stood (not to mention all the famous Japanese historical figures who I cannot name, but could easily be found with a Google search):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of the valley from the ropeway car.</td></tr>
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So with three castles down, there was only one more left... Matsumoto Castle near Nagano... just a mere 9 hour drive from Iwakuni. But there was a plan hatched to make that trip happen... for the next installment, <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2016/07/my-quest-for-castles-japans-national.html">click here</a>.Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-85312691669583177652016-06-22T04:54:00.004-07:002016-07-03T04:51:21.425-07:00My Quest for Castles: Japan's National Treasure Castles 1 and 2So, I never planned to have one of my bucket list items be to see the all of the original National Treasure Castles in Japan. Japanese castles are cool, but, like shrines and temples, they seem to be in abundance in the land of the rising sun, and unless you are a historian, Buddhist or Shinto, there is really no reason to visit every roadside landmark like these. To the untrained eye, such as my own, they all look a lot alike and there is typically little to no English. Not that I expect that... this IS Japan, but the fact is that my interest strays much faster if I have no idea why that dragon is playing with a ball in that particular fountain. When it comes to castles, temples and shrines, I hit the biggest, the best, the oldest, the most unusual.<br />
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I don't mean to mean to be callus. Truly, many of these building are stunning and should most definitely be appreciated. But, in a country a millennium older than my own, I wanted to touch buildings and statues and non-man-made objects that were ORIGINAL, that had stood the test of time. My first couple of years here, I was disappointed. So many of the touristy things had been rebuilt due to fire, earthquakes, wars, and, um, bombs. But once I chatted with some of my travel-experienced friends and did some research, I realized that there are a lot of several-centuries-old things still standing. It's just most of them are off the "beaten path."<br />
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So, when I visit my first original Japanese castle, it was as a side trip to the main event we road tripped to: the <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2014/04/nagoya-fertility-festival-bananas-sake.html">annual fertility festival </a>near Nagoya held March 15. I had been in 2014 with the spouse, but this spring, I went with two members of my "lady clique" and a baby. Yes... I realize that taking a baby to a fertility festival is just unnecessary... obviously someone is fertile. But the fertile one happened to provide sustenance for her child, so said child was packed along. You can see he had a lot of fun.<br />
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Of course, we did family-friendly activities, too... I visited Nagoya Castle for the second time. It has been rebuilt from being destroyed by air raids in 1945, and isn't original, but it is still beautiful.<br />
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But, of course we had to get to the fertility festival, which kicks of in the mid-afternoon with a parade from one shrine to another.<br />
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Once we had our fill of wooden phalluses, we took some advice from our friend Carolyn and drove about 20 minutes to Inuyama Castle... the first that I saw of the original National Treasure Castles. We checked out the shrine below it first, and then headed up the hill to touch something built in the early 1600s.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbuP4a94TmPQwlXQZHTjUBGbFCmJAYZ5bWyL_y6wKiJGIcrUq2nEi7dCRntHMP7WVhXe7iVjZumKrc3yS2awnWcAqhvqyw0t5aAw781MVZSJYB1OhlLumZ88ohmTb1bux8_MrSQ/s1600/Nagoya+%252831+of+38%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbuP4a94TmPQwlXQZHTjUBGbFCmJAYZ5bWyL_y6wKiJGIcrUq2nEi7dCRntHMP7WVhXe7iVjZumKrc3yS2awnWcAqhvqyw0t5aAw781MVZSJYB1OhlLumZ88ohmTb1bux8_MrSQ/s400/Nagoya+%252831+of+38%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inuyama Castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While photographs were discouraged inside the castle, I do want to tell you that the wooden steps are steep and slick, and there are several flights of them. The castle also tends to shift and shudder in the wind, so if you are afraid of heights, wind or aren't able to climb ladders in bare feet (no shoes in these castles!) then you may just want to admire the architecture from outside.<br />
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<b>Castle 1, Inuyama, check!</b><br />
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In my research I had found that there were a total of <a href="http://www.jcastle.info/castle/browse/condition/Original">12 original castles</a> across Japan. My friend, Shannon, just saw her #8 and will see the other 4 in July. However, I did not make this a quest until I saw Inuyama and then was on my iPhone on the ride home to see where the rest of the castles were. I knew I would not be able to fit all 12 into the timeline I had before my family moved back to the States, but there were only <a href="http://www.mustlovejapan.com/feature/four_castles/">4 that were national treasures</a>. Maybe I could check all of those off of my list. (Just so you know, you need to keep reading because the internet lied and I found out the hard way.)<br />
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But I googled away happily in the back seat, driving away from Inuyama, and realized that Castle #2 was on our way home! Way too excited for my own good, I managed to get my tripmates to agree to a drive-by viewing because the castle would be closed by the time we got there. So, we did the drive-by viewing of Hikone Castle (and there was a Starbucks a mile away, so we caffeinated up and got back on the road. Home was still more than 5 hours away.)<br />
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<b>Castle 2, Hikone, check!</b><br />
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Well, gee, I've now seen two of the castles... I'm halfway there! Japan's most photographed castle, Himeji, is supposed to be a sight be behold during cherry blossom season, and my mom was coming for a 3-month visit. My third castle was going to be checked of the list in just a couple of weeks.<br />
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Click <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2016/06/my-quest-for-castles-japans-national_22.html">here for the adventures of Castle 3</a>... HimejiJessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-56587579258033081752016-06-21T04:46:00.001-07:002016-06-21T04:47:35.651-07:00An Iwakuni Event of Epic Proportions.... The New Commissary OpensIn all the years of my life prior to moving to Iwakuni, stores and businesses opened all around me. The few that I actually noticed as new, I'm sure had grand openings, but I never attended. I had other things to do... like work. Or school. Or parent teacher conferences. Or... something.<br />
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But then I moved to Iwakuni.</div>
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And we have been besieged by construction for the past 4 years I have been here. And when I say besieged, I mean besieged. There are very few areas of the base that remain untouched and if you lived here two or more years ago, you probably don't recognize the place.</div>
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You certainly wouldn't recognize the new commissary, which had its grand opening today. Clearly a lot of work and effort went into this. Kudos to everyone involved.</div>
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For those of you who have forgotten what the old commissary looked like, or you never saw it to begin with, here is a taste:</div>
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If you would like further details I invite you to visit this blog post from <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2013/11/ahh-commissary-my-take-on-shopping-for.html">2013</a> and this one from <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2014/08/everything-you-never-knew-you-ever.html">2014</a>. You can also take a look at the sketches and timeline that led up to this day in this post <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2014/02/town-hall-take-away-squeaky-wheel-gets.html">here</a>. </div>
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When food wasn't missing from the shelves, especially fresh foods, it was expensive. I consistently paid $5 for two bell peppers. $14 for a small spaghetti squash. $5 for a small plastic box of blueberries. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts had gone the way of the dodo. I saw Granny Smith apples twice in my four-year tenure here. Fresh jalepenos only showed up in the summer months.</div>
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But today was an entirely different story. Well, except for the Granny Smith apples. Still don't have those.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The commissary now has floral items.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz47bgy21hv2Ub0vutHZ5Z0rUWiglpKe0go-FDgd8WNDKotH1EXN62Y_g9Kb4kN7-IgF7Z-cNVzmNvR8pBfXID-E2sy6Db-7Z_edQ3SNgquYGiWbdqF540KU6DyJmPF6ZYGN2pzg/s1600/IMG_1064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz47bgy21hv2Ub0vutHZ5Z0rUWiglpKe0go-FDgd8WNDKotH1EXN62Y_g9Kb4kN7-IgF7Z-cNVzmNvR8pBfXID-E2sy6Db-7Z_edQ3SNgquYGiWbdqF540KU6DyJmPF6ZYGN2pzg/s400/IMG_1064.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kintai Bridge over bottled water</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cases of soda</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The produce section</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cupcakes for the grand opening. As any good military commissary should have, kids were running amuck around the store. While I stood there and took this picture at around 10 a.m., one child bragged to his friend about how he was on his third cupcake. He was later being yelled at by his mom in the checkout line because he wouldn't stop trying to swing on the cart, the line dividers, the ceiling...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a land where watermelons are $20 at Costco, I grabbed the $5 watermelon. Actually, my 14-year-old, Will, did. He was not taking no for an answer on that.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bell peppers were 5 for $5. I'm sure it is too much to hope that that price will be permanent.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyDYXA8-zGZjUQ9JxL9qJk6TkOoyjZ0VN0lMiW1Hdm4H6KaydIMUfVPumC0XgdKobTrhwk_MlOJxM3W1_C1uVRlyM3wMBs371HkjqDY1nElEcFD44XZbed1YsB7TU3XX_4kXVjg/s1600/IMG_1073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyDYXA8-zGZjUQ9JxL9qJk6TkOoyjZ0VN0lMiW1Hdm4H6KaydIMUfVPumC0XgdKobTrhwk_MlOJxM3W1_C1uVRlyM3wMBs371HkjqDY1nElEcFD44XZbed1YsB7TU3XX_4kXVjg/s400/IMG_1073.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were celebratory balloons... (followed by startling celebratory balloon popping throughout my visit)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhJQKw8Sq5pFY0OJY6K6fEMLZ2cBVm8sy47AfEXwNHiooNgh4m_IOHJgHj2Mhc-k2rKDgzZxZ-qFYcAcB7oScSE85vSfEdDIKovjncNHq2JEBmJtU45u3pzqCxSmmrDhvM-hfzQ/s1600/IMG_1074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhJQKw8Sq5pFY0OJY6K6fEMLZ2cBVm8sy47AfEXwNHiooNgh4m_IOHJgHj2Mhc-k2rKDgzZxZ-qFYcAcB7oScSE85vSfEdDIKovjncNHq2JEBmJtU45u3pzqCxSmmrDhvM-hfzQ/s400/IMG_1074.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And there was a chocolate fountain... as well as free packages English muffins (not pictured).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dairy aisle was a joy to behold. My friend Shannon said this is the third time she has seen ricotta cheese at the commissary in the 3 years she has been here. And never in such quantity. And look at all that cottage cheese! Hopefully future residents will never have to know the terrible struggles of the residents before them when a cottage cheese famine hit!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This aisle was the most clogged... the dairy/cheese aisle. People were just stopped with their carts and staring into the cases. I think they were in awe of the selection and quantity of cheeses. If you haven't ever lived here, you don't know what a lack of cheese can do to you. It's like recovering from a tampon shortage on Orange is the New Black. Seriously.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWbm66PeIHMgQ-seZCaIJ812AYRwrzqUQqPOAJeYI4_9jyXjuYha7fEqdFju2xyEQ00hJQe94dTj7WbcwLeB0mqKts6gwFfgaRQkZGN7dRgCpVjFs2KF_tkbX3mkjYF-_tyFHXg/s1600/IMG_1086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWbm66PeIHMgQ-seZCaIJ812AYRwrzqUQqPOAJeYI4_9jyXjuYha7fEqdFju2xyEQ00hJQe94dTj7WbcwLeB0mqKts6gwFfgaRQkZGN7dRgCpVjFs2KF_tkbX3mkjYF-_tyFHXg/s400/IMG_1086.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is now a sushi bar! However, we still live in Japan, so there are lots of sushi choices off base, as well. I would have been more excited about a Dairy Queen bar or a tequila bar. Yeah.... definitely the tequila bar. Good tequila is not plentiful in this country.</td></tr>
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The deli and bakery were HUGE in comparison to the postage-stamp-sized deli we had before. And the bakery was kind of scattered all over the store...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGlE_riF1rMV7SI1f1cLNpGXG-TGG_-TmDi96Q_NeOlPMjCnNy93IxTRqKbh1NtRAngA46w-EQfTgWdwHT3LKRYJE3elIH7owVhbWu_DEko904i9FwjLnRl9ZYTgTqPt1mM7rWQ/s1600/IMG_1099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGlE_riF1rMV7SI1f1cLNpGXG-TGG_-TmDi96Q_NeOlPMjCnNy93IxTRqKbh1NtRAngA46w-EQfTgWdwHT3LKRYJE3elIH7owVhbWu_DEko904i9FwjLnRl9ZYTgTqPt1mM7rWQ/s400/IMG_1099.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all of the CoffeeMate choices... a year ago people were bargaining on the Facebook classifieds for these. I think one woman even traded her first born.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkGTo16Dfv4t1Be-JuvBn5tGphVRkC1HYGyUjaYHRWxYX_GqBUXCB6KdmIBS8NWmF1n-b-mcs8IulAc-soKvbdR2Wk988bVcmWbPMR2hfwRedPjscIuPsuH7Y3sDAGHVP3ZJ-5Q/s1600/IMG_1101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkGTo16Dfv4t1Be-JuvBn5tGphVRkC1HYGyUjaYHRWxYX_GqBUXCB6KdmIBS8NWmF1n-b-mcs8IulAc-soKvbdR2Wk988bVcmWbPMR2hfwRedPjscIuPsuH7Y3sDAGHVP3ZJ-5Q/s400/IMG_1101.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monster torii gate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM8JA_n1GO6SL0r1f55AG5OKifb9hFfcB1R5ZL-cBDEYh6SZCAcSbcSp7lCfzRf1SRbvo96GW-k7PkzEqKRkPDuJMSZgtbuPk_ck7mK0B8cTA6gTpws-wNGVcdsXYEp0ryOM7dg/s1600/IMG_1102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM8JA_n1GO6SL0r1f55AG5OKifb9hFfcB1R5ZL-cBDEYh6SZCAcSbcSp7lCfzRf1SRbvo96GW-k7PkzEqKRkPDuJMSZgtbuPk_ck7mK0B8cTA6gTpws-wNGVcdsXYEp0ryOM7dg/s400/IMG_1102.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some things never change though... 7 different checkout stations... only 3 or 4 were open all day. But there were lots of dudes standing around in suits, chatting. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWRC7WDFYs0OvQUjmnVu67AjIkTVcFssLTSnJLQ5coGUPh2pFzDak8TcHjUg-K8Kmx1hY7feBbw062v6vn0ShBDgvFj8Z42PpF-HEBNLX_KraBRFTkX2dlpzUEvzoLshS5E-07g/s1600/IMG_1104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWRC7WDFYs0OvQUjmnVu67AjIkTVcFssLTSnJLQ5coGUPh2pFzDak8TcHjUg-K8Kmx1hY7feBbw062v6vn0ShBDgvFj8Z42PpF-HEBNLX_KraBRFTkX2dlpzUEvzoLshS5E-07g/s400/IMG_1104.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibit A ;)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDJnhSeYiryJdLZ9G4n8tG-McVSfRCyGc1wHZg5DfLzbkxuJ6gTSzIzH8-Wvxo9WzEJxfBv4iuSb6l4WcSyxGD25nynEJu0pZbY9cmp-rPqBMSkheBjs983zT0MacSxAvV7jWaA/s1600/IMG_1103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDJnhSeYiryJdLZ9G4n8tG-McVSfRCyGc1wHZg5DfLzbkxuJ6gTSzIzH8-Wvxo9WzEJxfBv4iuSb6l4WcSyxGD25nynEJu0pZbY9cmp-rPqBMSkheBjs983zT0MacSxAvV7jWaA/s400/IMG_1103.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxst9Mb1opj0S2fVbEe7TJslUaHW6WtVXVwdrEE8T2dPU5DSnU1LljUJxqHWcWE2rs5Vmy7hhyphenhyphenZJy4v6m8BCQTmYj9FVFB6wO8HSMsbFzjXvSNRvKa2-f5tXwAyXz0cCjjlCNaA/s1600/IMG_1105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxst9Mb1opj0S2fVbEe7TJslUaHW6WtVXVwdrEE8T2dPU5DSnU1LljUJxqHWcWE2rs5Vmy7hhyphenhyphenZJy4v6m8BCQTmYj9FVFB6wO8HSMsbFzjXvSNRvKa2-f5tXwAyXz0cCjjlCNaA/s400/IMG_1105.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solar power! Although my geeky brother pointed out that they were showing their power savings on a power-guzzling monitor. He said it was ironic. I told him to straighten his pocket protector.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuE5gANNsCOSE3OnTk6EKP6qfz8XP5jYrS2uVTU8ixDr13Pbw6WOZIS2QgPWqFkKnaPdNabyspn-R5CCTB_7Xg_jFIDJ6gJNW_vHzzSCyVIz8SqZ4ZOrL5wT5EBd1NPKy1Yp7IQ/s1600/IMG_1106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuE5gANNsCOSE3OnTk6EKP6qfz8XP5jYrS2uVTU8ixDr13Pbw6WOZIS2QgPWqFkKnaPdNabyspn-R5CCTB_7Xg_jFIDJ6gJNW_vHzzSCyVIz8SqZ4ZOrL5wT5EBd1NPKy1Yp7IQ/s400/IMG_1106.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free food! I did not partake, though.</td></tr>
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So there was some collateral that the commissary people handed out prior to the grand opening, and at the door as we walked in this morning. I did not read any of it, but I photographed it and place it here for your review.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNm1NBlbGkx1-4EW_tnLzzuwVzq7_G3CNVTRZ7B8qA5yJnVOyFvpSSBVOlgPE2g4HKMm1Av7W2tVanDoT80n9bg9HduHnHbhbikSxqbEZKLMHBiOgkgDB7yaGvNeRwKL_qOt8yQ/s1600/IMG_1114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNm1NBlbGkx1-4EW_tnLzzuwVzq7_G3CNVTRZ7B8qA5yJnVOyFvpSSBVOlgPE2g4HKMm1Av7W2tVanDoT80n9bg9HduHnHbhbikSxqbEZKLMHBiOgkgDB7yaGvNeRwKL_qOt8yQ/s400/IMG_1114.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a simple glance, I noticed that we have two aisles of pizza! We only had a single case before... the kids are thrilled! They'll get to enjoy the variety for about another month before we leave Iwakuni.</td></tr>
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In other news, the new post office opened up on base in May. It's very nice... large, clean, but clearly designed by men.</div>
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See the grass in front of the building? See the door on the front of the building? See the back end of the car in front of me? See the sign in front of the grass? You are not allowed to walk on the grass. So, when you are carrying a large package to and from your car, you have to walk completely around the grassy area to get to/from your car/the front door. Why wasn't a straight path to the parking lot created? Hello, people... an obstacle course to the front door is not helpful. If you have to have a special sign telling people to stay off the grass at a public building, you need to rethink your grass.</div>
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The other big differences: Boxes now have windows to see if there is mail... this is good because many people have struggled bringing back their high school locker skills with the combo locks now on the boxes. If you don't have mail, it certainly is not worth the struggle. And since my box is even with my knees, I feel like a contortionist trying to look through the window. But, there are also more parcel lockers, so that means more opportunity to pick up packages when the post office window isn't open. Yay!</div>
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We just got word that the new Sakura Theater, er, <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2014/02/town-hall-take-away-squeaky-wheel-gets.html">command assembly hall</a>, will have its grand opening on July 1, followed by a second celebration July 4. Which is good news since there can't be any <a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/06/10/americafest-canceled-for-us-troops-in-japan-after-okinawa-murder.html">4th of July fireworks or concerts</a>. I'll be there, throwing some popcorn and Mike and Ikes into the air, saying "oooo," "ahhhhh."</div>
Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-63720005772026824192016-04-24T00:20:00.001-07:002016-04-24T00:20:38.098-07:00Tulips with the added bonus of kikumomo...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBsEcUbTpzpyztvLoFbqHPHKPhI0kb4GHHpqRU2fKrysrVuhqGvHdeBb58OTNCBIkU5xgkDFezst_EyhXT1xFENvl2r3u5VQc1LSzBUIv7B21a5jnfXqomkzSfNHbCQG8HtL0ZA/s1600/Tulips+and+Plum+Trees+%252836+of+37%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBsEcUbTpzpyztvLoFbqHPHKPhI0kb4GHHpqRU2fKrysrVuhqGvHdeBb58OTNCBIkU5xgkDFezst_EyhXT1xFENvl2r3u5VQc1LSzBUIv7B21a5jnfXqomkzSfNHbCQG8HtL0ZA/s400/Tulips+and+Plum+Trees+%252836+of+37%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know these are not tulips... keep reading....</td></tr>
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So for the third year in a row, I visited Sera Kogen during tulip season.. and was definitely not disappointed. I love them so much I always bring some home.<br />
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But, instead of just being satisfied with <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/search?q=sera+kogen+tulip">what I have already seen in past years (tulips)</a> I decided to check out a second garden, of a completely different nature, only five minutes away from Sera Kogen, called <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/maps/place/%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0/@34.6554254,133.0299223,15.18z/data=!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x3550e675f5c02107:0xb54f1e9816b8815b!2z5LiW576F6auY5Y6f6L6y5aC0IFNlcmFrb2dlbiBGYXJt!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xfd848aa3db9c93f9?hl=en">Skyfarm</a>.<br />
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I recommend going to Sera Kogen the Wednesday or Thursday prior to the tulip festival weekend. If you go on the weekend it can become quite crowded. The festival is usually around Earth Day, which is April 22, but of course, the blooms depend on Mother Nature's cooperation.<br />
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But first, for those of you who are huge tulip fans, here is some tulip eye candy for you, to start this post off right:<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">This year they had English signs with the names of the tulip varieties, which my mother and I were both excited about. (If you hadn't read in previous posts, Mom is visiting my family for 90 days and is in the middle of her visit.... she's tagging along with me on all of my bucket list trips that I hope to do before my family moves back to the States this summer.) </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Here are some of my favorite varieties... either because of the flower itself, or simply because of the name...</span></div>
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Once we were done enjoying the tulips (plan on 2 hours and 800 yen), we headed back to the car and drove out of the main parking lot, to the left, and followed the arrows to <a href="http://www.sera-kankoukyoukai.or.jp/ra-skyfarm.htm">SkyFarm</a> (open link in Google Chrome to translate), which is known for its yellow forsythia or rapeseed flowers, and pink <i>kikumomo</i>, or peach blossoms. There are also fruiting plum and chestnut trees, which do not flower at this time.<br />
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In June, you can visit again for the plum harvest. There were details on that, with photos, but it was all in Japanese, so just keep the date of June 21 in mind for a visit to Skyfarm. And then in September, they have chestnut harvesting.<br />
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But during tulip season, for 700 yen, you can go a short hike labeled with numbers for the different views of the forsythia fields you can enjoy. It was a gorgeous day for a short hike... the only kind of hike I like.<br />
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Plan on spending about an hour at SkyFarm. There aren't many amenities, so if you want a sit-down lunch, either eat at one of the Sera Kogen cafes, or travel about 15 minutes away to the <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/maps/place/%E3%81%9B%E3%82%89%E3%83%AF%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%83%E3%83%97/@34.6280305,132.9787196,17z/data=!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x3550efb5427125bd:0x54e73744bd6fec0a!2sSerayume+Park!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x443c49d48d5828f7?hl=en">Sera Dream Park</a>, where there is the <a href="http://www.serawinery.jp/">Sera Winery</a> with some delicious yakiniku, as well as other dishes. And wine. Lots of wine. If you're traveling with kids, the Sera Dream Park also features a huge playground where they can burn off some steam.</div>
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<br />Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-1777464518129034962016-04-23T23:52:00.001-07:002016-04-23T23:52:12.381-07:00Spring Sakura Tradition at the Japanese Mint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just found out about the Hiroshima Mint's (yes, as in money) collection of 56 different varieties of cherry blossom (sakura) trees last year. I had overbooked myself and didn't make it to see them, so I made it a priority this year. I'm so glad I went. Did you know there are green-flowered cherry blossom trees? I didn't until last week and I loved them!<br />
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Originally my friend Hyla, who founded <a href="http://iwakuniexplorer.com/">IwakuniExplorer.com</a>, found out about the mint on the fabulous English website, <a href="http://gethiroshima.com/event/cherry-blossom-viewing-at-the-japan-mint/">GetHiroshima.com</a>. The mint is only about 45 minutes away from Iwakuni, in Itsukaichi. It is only open for about a week, and we went towards the end of the season, on a Monday, to avoid the large crowds that visit during the weekend. The cherry blossoms at the mint tend to bloom later than the rest of the cherry blossom trees in the area, around mid-April. We went April 18th.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actual cherries?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved the heart that formed... there were several trees that had them.</td></tr>
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The mint also offered commemorative coins, but the only one I wanted, with the Kintai Bridge, was sold out. The little shop is in the back right corner of the garden as you enter.<br />
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Parking is a pain... the mint doesn't have any. I doubt it was legal, but we ate lunch at the Coco's restaurant (not curry... a variety of tasty dishes, though), so I just parked there and walked across the street to the mint for the 45 minutes worth of photos I took. Another friend parked about a kilometer down the road in a store's parking structure.<br />
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<br />Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-90081450135347152142016-04-23T23:19:00.001-07:002016-04-23T23:19:23.946-07:00Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to the mines we go....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So my Japanese friend, Chie, had been trying to plan a day trip for my Mom since my Mom arrived in Iwakuni on March 16 to visit for 90 days. Unfortunately, the first few plans got rained out. But, finally, Mother Nature cooperated and we managed to stick with a plan... visiting the <a href="http://ginzan.city.ohda.lg.jp/1750.html">Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine Site</a>, which was Japan's largest silver mine until it closed in 1923. It had been an a<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwami_Ginzan_Silver_Mine">ctive mine for more than 400 years</a> and is now a World Heritage Site. It takes about <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/maps/place/Iwami+Ginzan+Silver+Mine/@35.105142,132.436565,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x355a0f6d2a27ef31:0xff954f9289139fce?hl=en">two hours to drive there</a> and you could easily spend the entire day there, checking out the all of the different sites, shrines and shops.<br />
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When you arrive at the National Heritage Site, you park there and take a bus (plan on about 600 yen round trip per adult and about half that for kids) to the base of the Silver Mine town. Nearby the first stop where the bus drops you off is a bike rental shop. This shop is important to visit.<br />
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What Chie neglected to tell us (and she neglected to tell us ON PURPOSE because she'd knew we'd balk at the plan) was that it was a 45-minute uphill walk to the mine and hamlet locations. OR it was a 15-minute uphill ride by electric bicycle for an additional 1,000 yen per person. We were pressed for time and the kids were clamoring to have a chance to ride an electric bike, so, despite the fact that I had not ridden a bicycle since college (once you go over the handlebars in junior high, then high school, and then again in college, you know when to call it quits) and my Mom was pretty sure she hadn't been on one since before I was born, we rented electric bicycles... and obviously lived to tell the tale.<br />
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I have to admit that if I was to purchase a bicycle for myself at any point, I am definitely purchasing an electric one. You still pedal, but the bike does about 90 percent of the work. So, I felt like I was getting a good workout but didn't have to sweat much. The perfect exercise plan for me!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj67niPrVlmJdPg98rtcV0YVwIy_CMb3QylmZ7BIencXY6BXFBr7_LMwYU91ukAockLTWyFhdZHr1P9EmPZjSizjyqkEFJYnO7P4JtFlHVtwfdIEO1pJ2trLPuxN_-JDKHCnrtQA/s1600/IMG_9301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj67niPrVlmJdPg98rtcV0YVwIy_CMb3QylmZ7BIencXY6BXFBr7_LMwYU91ukAockLTWyFhdZHr1P9EmPZjSizjyqkEFJYnO7P4JtFlHVtwfdIEO1pJ2trLPuxN_-JDKHCnrtQA/s400/IMG_9301.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got an English map from the bike rental guy, but we also received an English brochure at the main mine site. You can also download it from the website (link in the first paragraph of this post)</td></tr>
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Once we got up the hill, we parked our bikes and then walked up the hill a bit further for the main mine entrance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixMgIvgI1OxtheTQPnBAMzEoHQsMNAevU43AtehphFl-mE9BouYhMTENq3-zZqHnbML3cAbaPIuh6-jmBw5edn8gJNCvnDy3qBYdVbnOilemi-L4qsH7Yhc-kAm2cQHKtNLUhag/s1600/Ginzan+Silver+Mine+%25281+of+19%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixMgIvgI1OxtheTQPnBAMzEoHQsMNAevU43AtehphFl-mE9BouYhMTENq3-zZqHnbML3cAbaPIuh6-jmBw5edn8gJNCvnDy3qBYdVbnOilemi-L4qsH7Yhc-kAm2cQHKtNLUhag/s400/Ginzan+Silver+Mine+%25281+of+19%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Follow the arrow on the road to get to the mine entrance. You will go through the mine and then come back down the road that forks to the left.</td></tr>
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As we walked, we saw hundreds of other mine entrances. Each is numbered. Most are fenced off.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">None of them are Big OK American sized until you get to the main mine shaft.</span></div>
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Once through the main mine shaft, we walked back towards the parked bikes, stopping at a shrine and several tiny hamlet ruins that use to be where the miners and their families lived.<br />
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Much to my delight, I even managed to happen upon a Morel mushroom. </div>
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Once through with the main mine area, we hopped back on our bikes (your 1,000 yen gets you two hours of rental) and headed back down the hill... with the "electric" art turned off. You don;t need help accelerating down these hills. By the way, if you hadn't already used your common sense, if you have small children, you will either want to walk the hill, or avoid this trip. Or, inquire about electric bicycles with baby seats on the back. There are regular bicycles but unless you are a bicyclist already, this option is not recommended.</div>
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At the bottom of the hill, near the bike rental area, is the Rakan-ji Temple and Gohyakurakan. They are across the street from one another. At the temple you can wash your money with a strainer, which means you will earn even more money. But don't forget to donate some to the box next to the pool and strainers! Karma, people karma. There is an entrance fee of 500 yen per adult and 200 per child.</div>
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Once we captured all the photos we wanted to get of the temple, we returned the bikes (no one launched themselves over the handlebars - #winning!) and moved on to walk the Omori District village. It was a random Friday, so many of the shops were closed, but there were still a few open, and plenty of restaurants and cafes. It was a cool little town that reminded my kids of a Japanese version of Tombstone, AZ (the ghost town).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A number of buildings had this really cool etched glass. I never saw anyplace selling it, which I was kind of bummed about.</td></tr>
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Many of the mailboxes were very decorative, even creative.<br />
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We also stopped at the former Kawashima Family Residence, which was the home of a samurai who acted as the town's mayor, so to speak. The family was in charge of managing all the mining operations in the area between 1610 and 1868. So, I'm assuming it wasn't an elected position. I highly recommend stopping at the residence. It is the only historical Japanese home that had furniture being "used" as it would have been back when the family lived there. Most historical residences just have empty rooms, which makes it hard to imagine what life was like back then. Below was a display in the loft: the samurai's armor and weapons.<br />
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The road is quite long and takes about 20 minutes to walk if you don't stop... which you will. But at the end of it was a quaint Japanese restaurant with a tasty, reasonable priced lunch. The benefit of this particular place is that it can serve large groups of people. Many of the other restaurants were simply small cafes.</div>
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There is another bus stop across the street from the restaurant, so we just walked over there and boarded the next bus, which took us to the parking lot where we left our car.</div>
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This trip was fun for everyone in our group, and you were able to learn a lot about the historical culture of the area. I recommend allowing about 6 hours to see everything. We did it in 4, but felt rushed, due to commitments back at home.</div>
<br />Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-20048820384491492192016-04-23T22:13:00.002-07:002016-04-23T22:13:40.474-07:00Monkey Business in Beppu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Mom is visiting us in Japan, and will be here a total of 90 days. I am taking her with me on all of my final adventures before my family moves back to the States in July. I haven't blogged about too many of the adventures so far, because most of them have been things I have done in the past, and already have information blog posts for. Such as Beppu. I've been to the hells, buried myself in a sand onsen, enjoyed the Suginoi resort and atop a mountain that should have had a fantastic view... if it hadn't been cloudy that day. You can read about all of those adventures <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/search?q=beppu">here</a>.<br />
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But this time, when I took my Mom to Beppu for the kids' spring break holiday (and three days before the series of earthquakes rocked the area) we stopped by a place I hadn't been to before and enjoyed some snow monkeys. It turns out that <a href="http://www.takasakiyama.jp/takasakiyama/en/">Takasakiyama Nature Zoo</a> is only 9 days younger than my mother... LOL.<br />
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Helpful hint: <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/maps/place/Takasakiyama+Nature+Zoo/@33.2580692,131.5304911,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x3546a1386bb372c3:0xfa8325f5ccb225ff?hl=en">Use this Google Maps link. </a> I used a different one and it tried to take me to the top of the monkeys' mountain, rather than at the base, where the zoo is. By the time I had enough sense, and could manage, to turn the car around, we were on a one-car-wide gravel road with a sheer cliff on one side. No bueno.<br />
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Of course, it was spring, so there was no snow, but the monkeys were still fun to watch, regardless, and I recommend the stop. There is also an aquarium nearby, so you could spend a good portion of your day checking out all the animals available. Just make sure you don't check out the monkeys too closely... or laugh at them... or bring in food. Apparently they like to attack humans en masse when they want food or feel ridiculed.<br />
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We were also fortunate that there was a Japanese woman there who spoke English and volunteers her time to the park to inform English speakers like us about the monkeys' routine, why they come to the park (they are wild, and not trained... simply motivated by food, much like my spouse and offspring.)<br />
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We arrived just in time for the first mass feeding. They coming running for the seed or whatever it is they spray across the lot and it is said to be good luck if a monkey runs between your legs. We all have multiple opportunities for luck.<br />
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And then the monkeys were requested (i.e., enticed with food) to show how well they can climb, jump and figure out simple mechanics.</div>
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There was a lot of excessive grooming. Some fun facts: The females stay in family groups while the males migrate. The longer the male is in a group, the more alpha he becomes. Babies under a year old are dropped off at the "yochien" spot... a banoo playground created by humans. The moms drop their offspring off there in the morning and then pick them back up at 5 p.m. when the park closes. Some babies don't want to go home because they are having too much fun. Those kids get drug off. Some moms are helicopter moms and never stray too far from the yochien. And the younger and more feminine the monkeys were, the cuter they were... the older males had bright red faces and butts... not attractive in monkeys or humans... ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxODkbq9DF0EYC1Q3CoEFc4EkVslpi2OsBy-7MMsUzeNKbYG4WwpbZVtXQdRrN2XmgSVd0hgPouk_TUCjYhwN2TTLbwFRWpODFd3FOz0JU2n_sHSm9WlQad4Rw6-GGX7IKKFQGg/s1600/Monkey+Park+%252815+of+16%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxODkbq9DF0EYC1Q3CoEFc4EkVslpi2OsBy-7MMsUzeNKbYG4WwpbZVtXQdRrN2XmgSVd0hgPouk_TUCjYhwN2TTLbwFRWpODFd3FOz0JU2n_sHSm9WlQad4Rw6-GGX7IKKFQGg/s400/Monkey+Park+%252815+of+16%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7YAhxQIDE6W3VYlEGczzM1NRsHp_-z2UGYPb7WDTnOnyDZKBEpt3iqXy6B9TTbuTm9DhI1sztjRFBik7Brr66PYqlcFb_HLS8QThKACfGK6FfY9635JrwwPQuWY6DcVKJifPTA/s1600/Monkey+Park+%252816+of+16%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7YAhxQIDE6W3VYlEGczzM1NRsHp_-z2UGYPb7WDTnOnyDZKBEpt3iqXy6B9TTbuTm9DhI1sztjRFBik7Brr66PYqlcFb_HLS8QThKACfGK6FfY9635JrwwPQuWY6DcVKJifPTA/s400/Monkey+Park+%252816+of+16%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQxkMUMDREUBOIVNALE4bAEPzpXn-mLMsew8I5GFRnaSv4vsOQJFHCxtSMCx6zi9OFS1Im5avjeEWkW2rFakdh2tAkn7Eg95yl7PsEvjNtTGMgeHWKxLqvALKLYLuUx7qR4dmwg/s1600/Monkey+Park+%25286+of+16%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQxkMUMDREUBOIVNALE4bAEPzpXn-mLMsew8I5GFRnaSv4vsOQJFHCxtSMCx6zi9OFS1Im5avjeEWkW2rFakdh2tAkn7Eg95yl7PsEvjNtTGMgeHWKxLqvALKLYLuUx7qR4dmwg/s400/Monkey+Park+%25286+of+16%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCi36bJn4hKng3yEwkuw_lG6pctaj6j4p-rQltT7ZE9fglYcasuSqsNF1ctB0il59sRh3DlCfeOtGPNqRQYAgvYv9RRsK5z7zqAoWc_Tb_9xnl0wcJuSPgy6i3bAtr7g9M31W1jg/s1600/Monkey+Park+%25285+of+16%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCi36bJn4hKng3yEwkuw_lG6pctaj6j4p-rQltT7ZE9fglYcasuSqsNF1ctB0il59sRh3DlCfeOtGPNqRQYAgvYv9RRsK5z7zqAoWc_Tb_9xnl0wcJuSPgy6i3bAtr7g9M31W1jg/s400/Monkey+Park+%25285+of+16%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Plan to spend about 2 hours at the money park. Adults are 510 yen, kids about half that. For an additional 100 yen, you can take the small monorail up the hill, or you can walk it for the price of admission. In my opinion, the 100 yen is worth it, plus you are above some of the trees the monkeys are climbing on top of. Kind of fun.Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-64610134229639995802016-03-29T01:33:00.000-07:002016-03-29T04:19:23.606-07:00The Answer to: Why aren't you blogging more?!?!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy5uI-lZLmaTa1AoKAGCq_jD72-Cd9zNxT5w_1FpUDf1e9k7zMZzpc5vKgbSe1cOglP3DMaDHJO4rZDYYj508jqtGKG8smrKxzpIiq-CDqI6H6_d_2SaCyc0aoizPHRFcu2JtlQ/s1600/Hagi+2016+%25287+of+22%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy5uI-lZLmaTa1AoKAGCq_jD72-Cd9zNxT5w_1FpUDf1e9k7zMZzpc5vKgbSe1cOglP3DMaDHJO4rZDYYj508jqtGKG8smrKxzpIiq-CDqI6H6_d_2SaCyc0aoizPHRFcu2JtlQ/s400/Hagi+2016+%25287+of+22%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early cherry blossom trees in Hagi.<br />
<a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/03/three-places-to-go-when-you-need-to-see.html" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Click here for Previous Blog Post.</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayaspe4SJhadHrNnRNdG2aVihcoo1E_xPw0VWfkiwmHaNxVIjt-Rlnux3HEhpqJSuHjjXSfhtOGobYYtWxRbXvdEv_9svt5JmSNlWbkO0Wi9E0ZTHlk4Ai0T2qlLXDO02UEEecw/s1600/Nagoya+%252836+of+38%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayaspe4SJhadHrNnRNdG2aVihcoo1E_xPw0VWfkiwmHaNxVIjt-Rlnux3HEhpqJSuHjjXSfhtOGobYYtWxRbXvdEv_9svt5JmSNlWbkO0Wi9E0ZTHlk4Ai0T2qlLXDO02UEEecw/s320/Nagoya+%252836+of+38%2529.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at Nagoya Castle March 15</td></tr>
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I just realized that I haven't been blogging much... and it's not just because I am busy. I am, of course, busy, because that is how a I like my life. It is exceptionally busy this week and next because it is cherry blossom season and it's a busy time for family portraits. Even my family is having portraits done. There are a few more reasons, which I would like to discuss here:<br />
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1) I am not doing a lot of new things now. I'm doing repeats of some of my favorites. I have already blogged about much of what I'm doing now in years past. Because I only have about 4 months left in this country, I am hitting a few highlights (like going to Himeji Castle tomorrow) that I haven't hit before, but for the most part, I am going to my favorite places to enjoy them one more time. My mother is also in town visiting so she has her list of places she'd like to go... most of them from my list of places I have been, LOL.<br />
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2) Base life is changing rapidly. As I mentioned in my <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2016/02/the-2016-town-hall-meeting-gossip-of.html">final Town Hall Meeting post</a>, there many changes taking place. Between now and the time I leave, we will have a new theater, commissary, a ton of new housing in all sorts of different styles and new road closures. Whatever I blog about now will be obsolete by the time you read it. And the things I do want to write about aren't exactly going to make me any friends... they are more like warnings for rational, sane people. So I am tabling those for now.<br />
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3) I'm focusing on me, my family and my friends. Yes, I am being selfish. And I won't apologize. There are big changes in store for the Guthries and not only do we have to wrap up stuff here, but we have to start stuff up in the States. So, much of my time is being used to spend time with fabulous friends I may not see again for months, if not years, and with my visiting mother. I'm also supporting my spouse as he retires from the only professional life he's known, and helping my kids transition to yet another city and school. Oh, and, for myself, trying to figure out how to restart my business, and even this blog, once I return to the States.<br />
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But, if you need some fresh Tenaciously Yours in your life to get you through until the next time I have something to blog about, here is some eye candy for you from my early March 2016 adventures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8etqiEPWo5me_GHLXP7RfZ1rh9-0gCTa_pZLBuRcDtYB_l0jhwFhCSl61GrJ1wS3lOSB-2aUwjUYAyIyygfmkH1Buuw8ZlhTzuCshPYnXLJ84rAkHarycWDyUFOtNieS1bXqYnw/s1600/Hagi+2016+%252813+of+22%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8etqiEPWo5me_GHLXP7RfZ1rh9-0gCTa_pZLBuRcDtYB_l0jhwFhCSl61GrJ1wS3lOSB-2aUwjUYAyIyygfmkH1Buuw8ZlhTzuCshPYnXLJ84rAkHarycWDyUFOtNieS1bXqYnw/s400/Hagi+2016+%252813+of+22%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsubaki (Camellia) Forest in Hagi March 8.<br />
<a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/03/three-places-to-go-when-you-need-to-see.html">Click here for Previous Blog Post.</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaY0prEBMClyhcwevBE-xd4dQXYz4KTum7PPx1jyroxQrX7lg0SyQ4Xv9LSmldksKTA41SN2YvuDslEH7bVJDLP5T2mvSX9g2Jh35ZVNrL06kPpP4D62rJ02YPzJCDq99V484Tw/s1600/Nagoya+%25284+of+38%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaY0prEBMClyhcwevBE-xd4dQXYz4KTum7PPx1jyroxQrX7lg0SyQ4Xv9LSmldksKTA41SN2YvuDslEH7bVJDLP5T2mvSX9g2Jh35ZVNrL06kPpP4D62rJ02YPzJCDq99V484Tw/s400/Nagoya+%25284+of+38%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagoya Castle, March 15</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BT_PUvSn2LeeENdGigAAlRTC-l3EXOORMaou5oyJpS5HL0ftsuqk056LMKZ7ylILFQWMfVHO_MvF8_O7PPV6vUMCLPetN29YmKfaMZ4hHHJGSDysYQ-gupYZVqbhDvvebkfZyg/s1600/Nagoya+%252823+of+38%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BT_PUvSn2LeeENdGigAAlRTC-l3EXOORMaou5oyJpS5HL0ftsuqk056LMKZ7ylILFQWMfVHO_MvF8_O7PPV6vUMCLPetN29YmKfaMZ4hHHJGSDysYQ-gupYZVqbhDvvebkfZyg/s400/Nagoya+%252823+of+38%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tagata Shrine Fertility Festival, near Nagoya, March 15<br />
<a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2014/04/nagoya-fertility-festival-bananas-sake.html">Click here for previous blog post.</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zYkymiBAjBpwXFZds3KtNDnhlJTsh9YOL_h7c1hmjqc0BI69HQ6fMNxAGdYqPY3SjkXK3Y1_aVjQA0JFxWwy14n6MuXD7gWOd-81BFhNdnXbgYy3_qMoqD4vdHl0Io7Rr-QClg/s1600/Nagoya+%252832+of+38%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zYkymiBAjBpwXFZds3KtNDnhlJTsh9YOL_h7c1hmjqc0BI69HQ6fMNxAGdYqPY3SjkXK3Y1_aVjQA0JFxWwy14n6MuXD7gWOd-81BFhNdnXbgYy3_qMoqD4vdHl0Io7Rr-QClg/s400/Nagoya+%252832+of+38%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inuyama Castle, one of the four original Japanese castles that is also considered a national treasure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyHrI5shREEYWIu7zLadFCuqlRcrEUA5Y3V7_K9bcyLaHRt_cC8JtVoVBiK4ml_srBAbCWAHl3VgUtc13jOouQBLD40MoSJcSJlIHuK427aXswRLvYaDuLCj6SF92hDESUpiD7A/s1600/Nagoya+%252834+of+38%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKyHrI5shREEYWIu7zLadFCuqlRcrEUA5Y3V7_K9bcyLaHRt_cC8JtVoVBiK4ml_srBAbCWAHl3VgUtc13jOouQBLD40MoSJcSJlIHuK427aXswRLvYaDuLCj6SF92hDESUpiD7A/s400/Nagoya+%252834+of+38%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hikone Castle, one of the four original Japanese castles that is also considered a national treasure. Himeji is a third, and there is a fourth I plan to go see in May.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-39524231834500830912016-02-29T23:19:00.000-08:002016-02-29T23:19:00.332-08:00Nicoli Kitchen: Where toddlers are welcome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nicoli Kitchen is a downtown Iwakuni restaurant I recently visited that is incredibly kid-friendly... a great place for moms with babies and toddlers to get together for lunch. They show Tom & Jerry cartoons and have a play area with toys. And the food is delicious, albeit oddly colored... here is my four-cheese pizza.<div>
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Yes, that's a blue crust. At first I was told that it might be squid ink that's causing the blue color. Then I found out that it actually is what translates into "bamboo charcoal." Oh, good, even better. But if you're not adventurous, that's OK, it did not taste like anything but cheese pizza. It came with honey to drizzle over the top. I never would have thought that that combo would be a good one, but let me assure you: it is!</div>
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My friend KC tried the black curry... and it gave her a lovely Wicked Witch/zombie- tooth look, but she said it tasted quite good.</div>
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I got the lunch set that included the salad bar and dessert, for about $15. The salad bar also has all-you-can-drink juices and teas.</div>
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The menu is posted outside the restaurant, including the lunch menu and sets. Most of it is subtitled in English, and the staff speaks some English.</div>
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The restaurant is not huge, but has both table and chair seating, as well as traditional Japanese seating with cushions. If you have a large party, I would call ahead. <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/maps/place/%E3%83%8B%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AA+%E3%82%AD%E3%83%83%E3%83%81%E3%83%B3/@34.1707473,132.2217035,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x354535762cb447e7:0x396d1b9f1e8ed522?hl=en">Click here</a> for the map. Enjoy!</div>
Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-82558591314054865592016-02-27T14:38:00.002-08:002016-02-29T02:16:22.184-08:00The 2016 Town Hall Meeting gossip I have gathered...<div class="ecxp1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; margin-bottom: 1.35em;">
<span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This post is full of information I got second-hand... sometimes third-hand... sometimes just as photographic evidence found on the Iwakuni Classifieds and Information Facebook Page. I, myself, did not attend either of the MCAS Iwakuni town hall meetings this year because I had a stamp-making class I went to and a photography class I was teaching at each of the respective times on Feb. 11. I have priorities and since the spouse is retiring this summer, my priorities have shifted from life in Iwakuni to carving my kanji-fied name into a stone. Do I think that Col. Boucher, the CO of the base, should have consulted my schedule before planning the meetings? Absolutely. But this is an imperfect world we're living in. I forgive him, and you should, too.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fortunately, I have friends. And some of these friends attended one or both of the town hall meetings. I wasn't going to write a blog about this year's meeting like I did <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/02/2015-town-hall-takeaway-there-are.html">last year</a> and the <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2014/02/town-hall-take-away-squeaky-wheel-gets.html">year before</a>, but after being stopped a handful of times by people asking if I would be blogging, I realized there was a demand for a meeting recap as only this blog can provide. So, here is my valiant effort based on information I did not collect myself. I want to thank the lovely April for taking and sending me her very thorough notes. Without her, this blog post would not have been possible.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 32.1867px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">TOWN HALL MEETING NOTES (in no particular order):</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">There will be a 25% increase in population on base this year. The first Navy squadron is arriving this fall. In total, there will be two more Navy squadrons and one more Marine by January 2017.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> Rumors have it that no, many of the entities on base are not prepared for the influx and probably won't be until the following year, if ever. Reason #254 I am glad I am leaving this summer.</span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The road between current commissary and Crossroads is scheduled to close in mid-2016. The new commissary, post office, and movie theater are scheduled to open in mid-2016.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> This is, of course, late. In the 2014 town hall meeting, the commissary was scheduled to be open in the Spring of 2015... so it looks like the base construction is about 15 months behind schedule. Well, done, everyone. Well done.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The Monzen gate is getting bigger. Construction is scheduled to start in March. The infamous pirate playground will close and the parking lot for the nearby midrise will close.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> Supposedly they are working on a solution for parking for that building's residents, but a lack of real estate in that area is probably making this a challenge. There is already a parking shortage over there. So, if you are moving to Iwakuni this summer, you may not want to choose to live in a midrise (also known as tower... think apartment building) on the Monzen side of base (over the bridge) until 2018.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The sea wall, between newly renovated section and the gym, </span><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">will close </span><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">March 2016 for one year.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> It is rumored that a running path circumventing this problem area is being discussed. It will probably be completed in April 2017.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The new post office is scheduled to open in May 2016 (about a year late) with 240 parcel lockers. The mailboxes have windows so you can see if you have mail without opening the box. Yay for lazy people! Combination locks will replace keys, so no more worries about forgetting your keys. Now you get to forget your combo. Your current box number will stay the same.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The new Kintai Inn expansion will serve as TLF overflow. It opens in May, just in time for peak PCS season.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> This seems to be too perfect. I'd keep an eye on this.</span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">New Sakura Theater, ahem, <i>command assembly hall</i>, is scheduled to open in July. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and the Red Cross will move to Sakura, along with Marine Corps Family Team Building. There are 1000+ seats in the new theater. And a huge tapestry made in Kyoto.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">Good news: the new commissary is opening this summer! Worst case scenario is August, but they are hoping for a 4th of July grand opening. Bad news: We won't get more items on the shelves until population grows.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> And no word on cottage cheese shortage prevention.</span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The new Town Center is slated to open in August. It will house the new TLF, auto service center, coffee shop, dry cleaner, engraving/plaque shop, Japanese gift ship, optical, sporting goods,</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">barber (increase to 10 seats), and beauty shop. It will be located in the middle of the row home (three-story homes) neighborhoods.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">School officials will get the keys to the new schools this summer. The high school will transfer over winter break 2016-2017. The other schools (a junior high and two elementary schools) will transfer the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Last I heard, uniforms were being considered for the schools. </span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 32.1867px;">They are trying to start off the new school year with six more teachers. But, it's kind of like the commissary: we don't rate new items/teachers until the population can support it. But we saw what happened when we wait too long to hire teachers... this year, there weren't enough teachers to start the school year. Instead, permanent subs (many who do not have teaching degrees or certificates) were having to fill in for weeks, even months, at time. Because of problems and bureaucracy regarding background checks and paperwork, it took new teachers and new substitute teachers up to four months to get cleared for work... AFTER they were originally hired. Teachers from the closing Atsugi Navy base may be transferred to Iwakuni after the Atsugi residents move to Iwakuni (Gee, that makes a lot of sense... which means it probably won't happen). Military spouses who are certified teachers should apply to be a substitute and/or teacher now because local hires will get preference in hiring when positions open.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 32.1867px;"> (While it sounds like they are doing milspouses a favor, they are actually saving themselves a lot of money... "local hire" milspouses are cheaper to hire. They don't rate the monthly living expenses and semi-annual trips home like teachers hired directly from the States.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">Ironworks Gym parking has improved. There are 47 new spaces.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> And they are all still full weekday evenings.</span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">Clinic modifications will begin in April. Completion is expected in September. This will increase exam rooms to add providers. There will be 49 new PCP and support staff to arrive by the end of 2016 to include family doctors, a pediatrician and an internist. The new clinic is scheduled to be delivered in Sept. 2017.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">Dental will add nine new providers / support staff. Twenty-four new personnel are also scheduled to arrive in Sept. 2017.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The Iwakuni Kintai-kyo Airport will add a flight to Tokyo daily (so now 5 flights) and a daily flight to Okinawa, which starts March 27th.</span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The amount of family housing continues to increase. A total of 222 new homes are scheduled to be completed this year. Eight 3-bedroom row homes, 44 3-bedroom duplexes and 38 4-bedroom duplexes are scheduled to be delivered in May.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> In </span><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">July, another 36 3-bedroom row homes and 96 3-bedroom duplexes are scheduled to be delivered.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">One of the complaints with the row homes is that there is a lack of storage. Housing is looking into the possibility of modifying the homes to add more storage once the Japanese row home warranties expire in three years or so.</span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">The renovations of towers 655 and 589 are scheduled to be completed this month.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> 589 will feature an indoor playground in its community room.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 32.1867px;">May 5th will be Friendship Day once again. This is the 40th year for the event. There was an estimated 175,000 attendees last year, on a rainy day. There will possibly be 300,000 this year. The Blue Impulse (think Blue Angels) precision flight team is expected to perform again this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;"><b>From the Question and Answer portion of the Town Hall meeting:</b></span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">Hoverboards are not allowed on the streets. A base-wide email was sent out the beginning of February with new security rules.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> </span><span class="ecxs1" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 32.1867px;">Construction on the new CDC will start after the current Sakura Theater is torn down. There is extra capacity in the current CDC in terms of room, but there are not enough teachers. They are currently adding a new temporary building, and more importantly, working on increasing the pay structure to attract teachers.</span><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"> This was an issue brought up last year, too... glad they are finally working on it now that it's an even bigger problem.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;">People complained about kids riding bikes and skateboards in the middle of the road, and darting out into streets without looking for cars. Apparently, these people were told that there is a parenting issue on base: people aren't parenting (surprise!). Teach your kids how to properly stay safe and maybe even monitor them to see if they follow through. </span></span></div>
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<span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">From Facebook:</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="ecxApple-converted-space" style="line-height: 32.1867px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">People wanted more high chairs at the Crossroads Food Court. There are now more high chairs at Crossroads Food Court. People wanted trash cans for dog poop along the seawall. There are now trashcans for dog poop (and other things, I assume) along the seawall.</span></span></div>
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So, I hope this is helpful for those of you, like me, who weren't able to attend the town hall meetings. And, just to make it clear: I am leaving Iwakuni this summer, so there will not be any more Town Hall reports on this blog. No, I do not know who might take over blogging about Iwakuni. Maybe you should give it a shot. :)<span class="ecxs1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext-regular"; font-size: 17pt; line-height: 32.1867px;"></span></div>
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Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-81507216256756309722016-02-10T22:35:00.002-08:002016-02-10T22:35:57.869-08:00Kanji Stamp Making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjRo_l9NWkbIavB5wldE1H3yOa61eziL0_w45XrvY1-hfj86hYddUgUik2D8cOCPQmuO3lygDa80hnJ4qBCqFzqJAIN5GX505qmzBUGSXQ88GTi3oc-1QyiXxzkQCUbH18d04Ug/s1600/IMG_8501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjRo_l9NWkbIavB5wldE1H3yOa61eziL0_w45XrvY1-hfj86hYddUgUik2D8cOCPQmuO3lygDa80hnJ4qBCqFzqJAIN5GX505qmzBUGSXQ88GTi3oc-1QyiXxzkQCUbH18d04Ug/s400/IMG_8501.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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My awesome Japanese friend, Chie, set a group of us up with the opportunity to make our own kanji stamps. You may have seen these on works of art and the like... little squares with ancient kanji characters in them. Well, I can now say I have my own stamp that I created to stamp on my next work of art.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwEHgHpEjk36J2spGA5mv1G_ksVDSklXdgYYEpwoJ-mWGyQdF4k9ZZt45JP4j7hIXJklCELQgXbuyMMpxlWCsHPGwsLwDJF1CgeaVYWNt4Z6j5vI1TclzS5sTCMDwMUJpSclrwQ/s1600/Stanp+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwEHgHpEjk36J2spGA5mv1G_ksVDSklXdgYYEpwoJ-mWGyQdF4k9ZZt45JP4j7hIXJklCELQgXbuyMMpxlWCsHPGwsLwDJF1CgeaVYWNt4Z6j5vI1TclzS5sTCMDwMUJpSclrwQ/s400/Stanp+group.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You don't have to travel far to enjoy doing this. It's at the Kikkawa Historical Museum in the Kintai Bridge area. If you know where the large iris flower field blooms in the summer, and you happen to be standing there, then you're probably just a few yards away from the museum. The entrance looks like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVk8btFwE3V9SdcdyLsHculXFo_-K4YSOj3QIOzyxJnPLmmxQnPi5kCoEnKNYbkMUlT9I0CqIez_uORbxDhHj5F1-Utlg-CeSjoXHkSnPpKrJjE_JGAAEYYLFjbJkqQt2aZMvUQ/s1600/Entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVk8btFwE3V9SdcdyLsHculXFo_-K4YSOj3QIOzyxJnPLmmxQnPi5kCoEnKNYbkMUlT9I0CqIez_uORbxDhHj5F1-Utlg-CeSjoXHkSnPpKrJjE_JGAAEYYLFjbJkqQt2aZMvUQ/s320/Entrance.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here's a map:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCHYfA7um3MSvAtovAKZZYLgB5eAok9FUCB_YIocMALxYZkJgPde2_EAVkjF1C9xCCYO9CHK1GkrQSbbQ-U2qLjiwyf9RwaN6M_2VbMAU8thsRg0edZMhoki27fTHLnHUIivA4A/s1600/Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCHYfA7um3MSvAtovAKZZYLgB5eAok9FUCB_YIocMALxYZkJgPde2_EAVkjF1C9xCCYO9CHK1GkrQSbbQ-U2qLjiwyf9RwaN6M_2VbMAU8thsRg0edZMhoki27fTHLnHUIivA4A/s320/Map.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And a web site (Use Google Chrome to translate it): <a href="http://www.sky.icn-tv.ne.jp/~kikkawa7/access.html">http://www.sky.icn-tv.ne.jp/~kikkawa7/access.html</a><br />
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Plan on the class taking about 2 hours. It costs 2,000 yen (About $16) per person. We had 8 people in our group and were done in an hour and 40 minutes, including the time it took the <i>sensei</i> to fix all of our attempted carvings. This is intricate work with a chisel and it is a small classroom, so young children should be left at home. I probably should have been left at home, too, because I don't think I'll be able to make stamps for a living. My effort did not result in a masterpiece. But, with the <i>sensei's</i> help, mine turned out pretty good. It is as close to Guthrie as phonetically possible in kanji, and it stands for "elegance." I'm not sure that's exactly what comes to mind when people think of our family, but OK, I'll go with it. Other friends' kanji stood for "brilliant silk" "gentle music" and "purple," for example.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6cMYdRMgGSinDpuv55WUIpmJR9Xm4kSkCZmOf0yyjRUBaytYCwzotGYc3kiXHHa4W1KTlYLZ-8JpzEEpBLrzbipw2ZjEaLoM1LUV6hP-dkejsnku_z3aeZuq-nlw53sqhXmf-Q/s1600/IMG_8497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6cMYdRMgGSinDpuv55WUIpmJR9Xm4kSkCZmOf0yyjRUBaytYCwzotGYc3kiXHHa4W1KTlYLZ-8JpzEEpBLrzbipw2ZjEaLoM1LUV6hP-dkejsnku_z3aeZuq-nlw53sqhXmf-Q/s400/IMG_8497.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLaZKRdncRwvToUzd_rNrf1Sk03_OM-aC2rP44Gm_WJjK3UgM_S1DDhWRSHFp86K1u3fAAcZD3IFAyMk6VCwXmUiz8HM5RZCdvYjcbO7QqgNTR1LZcdr4XqXN3bifN20HGSb_Iw/s1600/IMG_8498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLaZKRdncRwvToUzd_rNrf1Sk03_OM-aC2rP44Gm_WJjK3UgM_S1DDhWRSHFp86K1u3fAAcZD3IFAyMk6VCwXmUiz8HM5RZCdvYjcbO7QqgNTR1LZcdr4XqXN3bifN20HGSb_Iw/s320/IMG_8498.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the Guthrie stamp... you read it from right to left. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E5hwP1Ofp6X4maTQGnggD_xUSXAOIu8GjKQuMDTxqmreHxPVOUSC8My4Eo0517CM9Zh2woUjdhyphenhyphenzdLH0Yupr2bdy1EEgM-LuPj4ITwyPPcF4i40b6W-uzjH_DXzVsBJvmlNi0g/s1600/IMG_8504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E5hwP1Ofp6X4maTQGnggD_xUSXAOIu8GjKQuMDTxqmreHxPVOUSC8My4Eo0517CM9Zh2woUjdhyphenhyphenzdLH0Yupr2bdy1EEgM-LuPj4ITwyPPcF4i40b6W-uzjH_DXzVsBJvmlNi0g/s320/IMG_8504.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what "gentle music" looks like. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VfyesjjIqEWlA0yEB2nr1pUREGWk1QGl36q2XhdA-O7DKLaqKnd_AhVzcZwqrut5J9abtXt7F_mHg_o5xHKy3C2kSH1xgNK6T6aqKsZiKw31GtFPhFptK91q6ojzfJlMPQay0Q/s1600/IMG_8499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VfyesjjIqEWlA0yEB2nr1pUREGWk1QGl36q2XhdA-O7DKLaqKnd_AhVzcZwqrut5J9abtXt7F_mHg_o5xHKy3C2kSH1xgNK6T6aqKsZiKw31GtFPhFptK91q6ojzfJlMPQay0Q/s320/IMG_8499.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3HzgGMpd9LKFGbnC32VIo9ts8eMBOkl3ZdltievqVjfEJBdOulsNdwrO6r_c-ayYqZxm-MM3izEMfzT3vwOOnFQinCcn48QyGjAwp3oRxAykSjwvROc63JpI8GSBjTRnFhkdHg/s1600/IMG_8502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3HzgGMpd9LKFGbnC32VIo9ts8eMBOkl3ZdltievqVjfEJBdOulsNdwrO6r_c-ayYqZxm-MM3izEMfzT3vwOOnFQinCcn48QyGjAwp3oRxAykSjwvROc63JpI8GSBjTRnFhkdHg/s320/IMG_8502.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGydC5YnPCpd6vfcItDx-kpf8Sf5rpo32H5MB-Nh6vTud2zE0d9dIljpfCexlyfQ-DOsC3Sjnq840nehQ5Dq-DP-e53t1cNYzTP6Qerki_IVkP27f_hzO7z7RqtCAYmyRgn_RnA/s1600/IMG_8503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGydC5YnPCpd6vfcItDx-kpf8Sf5rpo32H5MB-Nh6vTud2zE0d9dIljpfCexlyfQ-DOsC3Sjnq840nehQ5Dq-DP-e53t1cNYzTP6Qerki_IVkP27f_hzO7z7RqtCAYmyRgn_RnA/s320/IMG_8503.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can use regular ink to stamp the images, but the sensei used traditional ink, which is almost like a paste. To properly use the stamp, you must press down hard and wiggle the stamp around gently to get all of the edges.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZvJMpYZiDBpe_CmKawYxgxsp_QVK2HJASY9M5KHBjRVw8VIQx9mW7zMSs-ESpU8bQ1lpLdw-2OZe9G2rcC1gf4Hpfeb0IC2MKsDtfrsDe6m1q0x0hJoQN4B6zXBcIzW9UHDK3Q/s1600/IMG_8505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZvJMpYZiDBpe_CmKawYxgxsp_QVK2HJASY9M5KHBjRVw8VIQx9mW7zMSs-ESpU8bQ1lpLdw-2OZe9G2rcC1gf4Hpfeb0IC2MKsDtfrsDe6m1q0x0hJoQN4B6zXBcIzW9UHDK3Q/s320/IMG_8505.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stamp in its little cover. The "G" is where I place the thumb of my right hand when stamping so that the stamp is right-side up. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k9L7CgrUnzHxKK9_aDPTBdvbq8ldJIAVhl-R-EoxwyXM3fxFJHQyHDbd_fDP5Ux75-m6QmrXSHkUDVovARnKWXZvKCUBBOuHW18ALQZ9h6FBDvYf2LzPDg4ouq6HI1NRPWx8wA/s1600/IMG_8512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k9L7CgrUnzHxKK9_aDPTBdvbq8ldJIAVhl-R-EoxwyXM3fxFJHQyHDbd_fDP5Ux75-m6QmrXSHkUDVovARnKWXZvKCUBBOuHW18ALQZ9h6FBDvYf2LzPDg4ouq6HI1NRPWx8wA/s400/IMG_8512.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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While you can call and make a reservation for a group class at any time, there will be a drop-in open event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28 through May 10 (Golden Week time). The <i>sensei</i> did recommend that Americans call to reserve their stamp so that the proper kanji for their names could be researched. but this step is not necessary. However, if you do call ahead with your name, don't be a rude no-show. Even if you can't make it, be sure to go and pay for your stamp, or send someone else to pick it up for you. Have fun!Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-45529965522857206842016-02-10T22:07:00.003-08:002016-02-11T05:04:00.588-08:00Parco della Pace: Pizza, sausage and tiled sinks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPg_TGGPrti0cn0o0775Fq1vJEQInRLagOVaAY5Yqcs45ZptsLmZqHLLHSYorI92Y0BwiQc_lG3I44oKmepjMwgqsSvH_vv2XHH37gT_2SL0UtZFOllk9xqTAEGYgw_3LY2nrQA/s1600/IMG_8474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPg_TGGPrti0cn0o0775Fq1vJEQInRLagOVaAY5Yqcs45ZptsLmZqHLLHSYorI92Y0BwiQc_lG3I44oKmepjMwgqsSvH_vv2XHH37gT_2SL0UtZFOllk9xqTAEGYgw_3LY2nrQA/s400/IMG_8474.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You may remember my friend Cortney from the <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing.html">dress painting thing</a>... she's the Problem Solver. She's got a spouse named Ted. And Ted likes to try new restaurants. He's the New Restaurant Finder. And he recently found a new restaurant on TripAdvisor. Well, it was new to us, but not new in general. If you like pizza, french fries, chicken wings, sausage and wine, this is your place.<br />
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Parco della Pace, which translates to Peace Park in Italian, is, in fact, near Peace Park in Hiroshima. Plan on it taking about an hour to an hour and half to drive there from Iwakuni, depending on traffic. Parking is about 400 yen an hour in the parking structure behind the restaurant. We went on a Saturday evening, and called ahead to make reservations, it was recommend that when you call ahead for reservations, you have someone who speaks Japanese do it for you. Luckily, most of us have access to a Japanese friend or ITT on base. Here is the business card and English menu (yes, there is an English menu! And the staff did speak fairly good English once we were there):<br />
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You can see we brought our children. Which was fine. It was fun for the whole family, but it is a small restaurant... we took up about a third of it, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of taking a large group there.<br />
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But it is totally worth going. The food was delicious. So was the wine.<br />
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The pizza is baked in this stone kiln from Naples...<br />
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And I loved that the oven tile matched the tile in the bathroom sink.<br />
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The kids were just thrilled to get Coke and ginger ale in bottles. Ah, cheap thrills.<br />
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So, the consensus in our group was that Parco della Pace deserved its Tripadvisor 5-star rating. I invite you to check the place out... just make reservations in Japanese first.Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-66961777583595910992016-01-17T21:55:00.002-08:002016-01-17T21:55:29.500-08:00House Hacks at the DaisoI have blogged before about how fabulous Daisos (think Japanese dollar stores, only WAY better than American dollar stores) are, but sometimes you see all the goodness under those bright florescent lights and you end up spending a lot of money for some stuff you have no idea what to do with. If you'd like to read about the various times I have used a Daiso, just type Daiso in to the white box in the upper left of this page. All the posts will pop up.<br />
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And then you find that you need solutions for Japanese-living problems you never knew you had. I call these house hacks. For example, how do you hang curtains? Curtains are especially important because, after all, this is the Land of the Rising Sun and I am a night owl. I have no interest in rising with the sun. But all there were in my mid-rise apartment were these loop things on a sliding track. Um... what? That was not working for the curtains I already own. Instead of forking out a few thousand yen on new curtains, you may want to try the hooked clothespin hack.<br />
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Or the actual Japanese curtain hooks hack:<br />
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These both can usually be found in the wooden crafts section of the store. You will need two to four packs, depending on which window/sliding glass door you are hanging curtains on. Still, 440 yen is much cheaper than buying new Japanese curtains. But, regardless of the hack you use, plan on your curtains to be about 6 inches too short... even the ones you buy in Japan. Clearly a man designed the midrises because it is nearly impossible to find affordable curtains that fit properly.<br />
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Of course, the Japanese shower curtain rods are hung about two inches too high, so the end of the shower curtain blows in to the bathroom when the shower is on, drenching the floor. By using o-rings to string your shower curtain, the curtain edge will catch on the tiled lip of the shower floor and your floors will remain dry. Well, at least drier.<br />
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The o-rings come in various sizes, but the orange pack, or 50mm, works best for this... these are found in the stationery section.<br />
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Who decided it was a good idea to put a frosted window in the door separating the master bedroom from the master bathroom? Every time the spouse had to get up for work and I was sleeping late, I got bombarded with a stream of bright light at o'dark thirty in the morning. Fantastic, since I don;t fall back to sleep easily. A couple of short tension rods (called tension poles at the Daiso), a scrap of dark fabric and a sewing kit (all of these are at the Daiso) and you have a blackout panel for that stupid window. Just be sure to measure the window height accurately and then add about four inches for the pocket for the pole to slip through.<br />
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Did you know that some of the moldings around your kitchen are metal? Probably a fire safety thing, but actually very useful for organization. Magnetic Color Life containers come in all sorts of colors. This one is near our landline phone.<br />
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I got tired of little MIO juice mix bottles being left all over my kitchen counters or falling off of the shelves in my pantry... magnetic canisters with windows help keep them out of my way... and hold up photos on my fridge... I love items that can multitask. ;)<br />
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These are usually found in the stationery section, near the o-rings.<br />
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In Iwakuni there are four Daisos that I know of, and then a Seria (same thing, just a different company), which is near Nafco. Below is a map of the Daiso locations... I just typed "daiso" in to Google maps. The top left is known as the Fresta (or Cazl Mall) Daiso; the top right is adjacent the Iwakuni train station; the red circle at the bottom is on the second floor of the Fuji shopping area (think Jan Jaka restaurant); and there is the pink Daiso across the street, which is the grey circle near the red circle on the map. Happy house hacking!<br />
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<br />Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-48350869075013176832015-12-23T05:24:00.000-08:002015-12-23T05:24:07.633-08:00Bihoku Hillside Park Illumination: A Shiny Winter Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvHkUx_DxsYMQWoQBBtsPXOabccIsHAGF6zYJvBS0yj9zYOr39ZbQSSPD21HKbz8ukPT0KOkDPSB7gTJ5FU9wNCA_UiuTpwvEeTI1fj3VrBqJifrnBXesAPoYcuRfEB9tu4lKMg/s1600/Bihoku+2015+%252810+of+16%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvHkUx_DxsYMQWoQBBtsPXOabccIsHAGF6zYJvBS0yj9zYOr39ZbQSSPD21HKbz8ukPT0KOkDPSB7gTJ5FU9wNCA_UiuTpwvEeTI1fj3VrBqJifrnBXesAPoYcuRfEB9tu4lKMg/s400/Bihoku+2015+%252810+of+16%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the third time since living in Japan, my family visited the Bihoku Hillside Park's winter illumination display. If you are looking for something that people of all ages will enjoy during the holiday season, I highly recommend this. It takes about 2 hours to get there, but most of it is highway driving. It costs roughly 3,500 yen one way for tolls (you'll take the Sanyo to the Chugoku toward Miyoshi). If you get there before the sun sets, there is an amazing playground children of all ages (even adults) will love. You can read more about that in <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2013/12/bihoku-christmas-light-illumination.html">my blog post from a couple of years ago</a>. If you want to spend the day there, I recommend heading out around noon, and either taking food with you or buying it at a rest area along the way. There is one small noodle/curry cafe at the park, but it can get crowded. Let your kids run loose on the huge playground and then stay for an hour or two after dark, enjoying the lights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.76px;">The illumination is usually just for the month of December and the first few days of January. Lights at the park turn on at 5:30 p.m. and the park is open until 9 p.m. The night photography opportunities are fun and plentiful. Admission is 410 yen for adults and 80 yen for kids who are elementary school and junior high school aged. Parking is 310 yen per car. Websites with info: </span><a href="http://www.bihoku-park.go.jp/information/information_top.html" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18.76px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>www.bihoku-park.go.jp/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>information/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>information_top.html</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.76px;"> and</span><a href="http://japan-attractions.jp/illumination/bihokuryukyu-winter-illumination-2014/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18.76px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>japan-attractions.jp/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>illumination/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>bihokuryukyu-winter-illumin<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>ation-2014/</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son wanted a photo of himself getting "impaled" by the big arrow...</td></tr>
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These next three was me having way too much fun swiveling my camera on the tripod during a long exposure...<br />
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OK, back to "normal" night photography...<br />
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The displays each year are different, so this can be a fun annual family tradition without seeing the same things over and over. Happy Holidays!Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-38942831435879686072015-12-12T18:56:00.002-08:002015-12-13T17:52:42.237-08:00A Tale of 12 Dresses (and 1 amazing friendship) Part 4: The Lighting<i style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the final of four blog posts about my adventures with 12 wedding dresses and a group of fabulous friends. Please read the <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing.html">first installments of this story</a>, if you haven't already. This post will make a lot more sense if you do.</span></i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Throughout the planning of these events, all of the Awesome Wives have heard some version of the following:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">"Don't you feel guilty about destroying those dresses?! They are so beautiful!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">"You're gonna do WHAT to them?! What a waste! You should sell them on eBay... you'd make a ton of money!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">"OMG, that sounds like so much fun! I wish I could do that!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">So here are my personal responses to these statements... meaning I speak for myself, not necessarily sharing the same opinions as my friends. Although, I think they might agree...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">"Don't you feel guilty about destroying those dresses?! They are so beautiful!"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">No. No, I do not. For a couple of reasons. 1) If we weren't meant to do this, we never would have found twelve $9 wedding dresses. Serendipity stepped in and made it possible for us to have these wonderful memories this fall. And 2) These dresses have seen more use and love than my own wedding dress has. I wore my wedding dress two days, for my wedding and a separate reception later, and now it is in storage in Florida somewhere, probably growing mold (because military storage is not known to be of superior quality and it has been more than 3 years since I have seen my stuff). And before that, it was in a guest room closet, just hanging out. This new dress, I wore it for three actual events. I renewed my wedding vows in it, I danced in it, I laughed in it, and as you will see in a moment, I walked the streets of Hiroshima in it. The 39-year-old me loves this wedding dress as much as the 23-year-old me loved my actual wedding dress. There was no waste, fraud or abuse, I promise you.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">"You're gonna do WHAT to them?! What a waste! You should sell them on eBay... you'd make a ton of money!"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">Guess what? Life is not all about money. Trust me, I like money. I like to have enough money so that I can afford to go on fun adventures, and I can have a working iPhone and DSLR camera so I can record my adventures to reminisce about later. But these dresses were not about making money. They were about making memories. I wouldn't trade these memories for a few hundred bucks on eBay. And maybe I can still sell my dress. Someone might want a painted up wedding dress. You never know.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">"OMG, that sounds like so much fun! I wish I could do that!"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">OMG, it WAS a lot of fun. I enjoyed the planning, the fighting and the photos afterward. I love having the memories of KC's face plant (I wish I had a still image but I don't!), Shelagh's trying to stay as clean as possible because she had an event with her kids afterwards,</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"> and the painted handprints in inappropriate places on our dresses.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvlrxRnsOX1BE7dv4QQiFRaH83aWWs7cRlI2RH1nH9pnCelnyPBYJFBXfeNuKWk9KOouEthHJE-UitdTcDFvSnsHAaq61SKBqkr8c5ZdVAR348V3CRbe_qOOIu_XBQfusZTrEQg/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%2528107+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvlrxRnsOX1BE7dv4QQiFRaH83aWWs7cRlI2RH1nH9pnCelnyPBYJFBXfeNuKWk9KOouEthHJE-UitdTcDFvSnsHAaq61SKBqkr8c5ZdVAR348V3CRbe_qOOIu_XBQfusZTrEQg/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%2528107+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">And guess what... with a little work and planning, you CAN do this too. Grab some friends and comb thrift stores for a few weeks or months. Hire a photographer to get some great photos (I happen to know one...). I got really lucky in that my friends all had good cameras and I knew how to set them up for the best shots. I've taught my husband and kids photography skills... my 13-year-old took the video, by the way. I had great luck finding dresses, and you might, too. Or, if you're really brave (and maybe practical) use your actual wedding dress. Trust me, I doubt your daughter will want to wear it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">You will have a blast in your dress... and never want the fun to end. Unfortunately, two of us were moving back to the States this month, so we had to have as many activities as possible in a short amount of time. Ashleigh left Japan the first week of December and Carolyn left a week later. I now have two pieces of my heart in Texas and California. This coming year will be a rough one... another 6 of us are scheduled to leave Iwakuni in 2016, going not only all over the States, but maybe all over the world. You never know where the military wind will blow you next.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;">So, as to not leave this blog post in a bummer of a mood, I leave you with the following images. Each December, the city of Hiroshima (about an hour from Iwakuni) has a huge light display called Dreamination. On Dec. 1 seven of us dressed up in our paint-splattered dresses, took the train to Hiroshima, went to a nice Italian dinner and toured the lights. Yes, we got a lot of funny looks. Yes, we were asked to take pictures with a lot of people. Yes, we are probably up on some random blogs and Facebook pages. Yes, we had fun. Yes, we get enough attention at home, but a little more can't hurt, right? Of course not! Everyone should be a rock star for a day! When locals who spoke English asked us why were dressed up this way, they didn't understand our story when we tried to tell them the truth. It is so far out of the Japanese norm. So, we made up a story that seemed to be better understood: We were a touring rock band called The Angry Brides. Amanda was lead vocalist. Teresa's on drums. I play the cowbell. Unlike the true story, that one got a lot of nods and smiles. Maybe it's time to start a band...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8CnFdKL7GnjMvSgg5jzwuLyUjEj8ohroEpAXFtk3SpDaaBViRcslEg2GDdxaq7tuP_kGIVC65otXTF_TUlDhGxBDCKFWjgSjYudqXXe-bptxFaBWwX7Rjz_4uA9IxVLYUf19Uw/s1600/12316514_10207793826505943_3719400732011305896_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8CnFdKL7GnjMvSgg5jzwuLyUjEj8ohroEpAXFtk3SpDaaBViRcslEg2GDdxaq7tuP_kGIVC65otXTF_TUlDhGxBDCKFWjgSjYudqXXe-bptxFaBWwX7Rjz_4uA9IxVLYUf19Uw/s400/12316514_10207793826505943_3719400732011305896_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, my hair is dyed this way right now... I call it The Peacock.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking the streets of Iwakuni, heading for the train station<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfortable shoes are a must... long hems cover up footwear anyway!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starbucks run!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSQXSU8Lkn3yCr6InGHDbI5eHuVxagV-A9ZhF4FpCMICikRQ2OfzD2I2XtpTdrmC_8tAQ5iMKVYaehVY8R2vvNZUVMpCvEmTuxF8jY3kXlijMet8M_wV5F5Nj3QeqNYd50tFfrQ/s1600/12336020_573599659464549_792193482_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSQXSU8Lkn3yCr6InGHDbI5eHuVxagV-A9ZhF4FpCMICikRQ2OfzD2I2XtpTdrmC_8tAQ5iMKVYaehVY8R2vvNZUVMpCvEmTuxF8jY3kXlijMet8M_wV5F5Nj3QeqNYd50tFfrQ/s400/12336020_573599659464549_792193482_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The locals liked us. :)<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></i>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2px;">Much love to my friends who made these memories possible.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span>Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-54337534134953506052015-12-12T18:03:00.000-08:002015-12-14T06:40:44.853-08:00A Tale of 12 Dresses (and 1 amazing friendship) Part 3: The Fighting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Please read the <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing.html">first installment of this story</a>, as well as <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing_11.html">the second</a>, if you haven't already. This post will make a lot more sense if you do.</span></i></div>
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So, the whole point to acquiring a bunch of wedding dresses was finally happening. It was Trash the Dress Day! The day that worked with everyone's schedules was Sunday, Nov. 22, which happened to be my 39th birthday. We once again took Tsuzu Beach by storm, armed with nearly a dozen cameras, 14 foam water squirters we got on clearance at the exchange, a couple dozen family members (including our children, who were more excited about this than we were, if that's possible), and gallons of water-based paint. </div>
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After some coordinated portraits of the dresses and their wearers prior to the paint war, the battle began... Below is a video of the proceedings, along with a photo montage of photos from several cameras placed at different angles in the hopes to capture all of the action.</div>
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Below the video are some of the photos my camera captured. I now know that nothing says "I love you" like shooting paint in your friends' faces.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nvIgZeFzHyM" width="560"></iframe>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If the video isn't working properly in your browser, <a href="https://youtu.be/nvIgZeFzHyM">click here to go directly to YouTube</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bvxfsRKj3qc6AiyK2XWfwyjVc-1biHdpIAIHv-4E_eOq5shDuivjUvAyA8O7MHd4sYa_8NQYOyZ1zKgCfKAuls4SaA_L4jVjiDi75jQB5J5AcdZwNN674vZKHxpG8tLTaPl7-Q/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252853+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bvxfsRKj3qc6AiyK2XWfwyjVc-1biHdpIAIHv-4E_eOq5shDuivjUvAyA8O7MHd4sYa_8NQYOyZ1zKgCfKAuls4SaA_L4jVjiDi75jQB5J5AcdZwNN674vZKHxpG8tLTaPl7-Q/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252853+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KC</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCNsas9L64_Yj9W5jEEMIL509t5r5KRvzIWiIk1thb28QTLZ_Nfp19JoVExlBbG2DMBAecvXCJnVZ8BhR0JaT38PWVZIKEROsWGrAE8cH1JcupRXnahz7XJ8SqFwET8LztrinKw/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252834+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCNsas9L64_Yj9W5jEEMIL509t5r5KRvzIWiIk1thb28QTLZ_Nfp19JoVExlBbG2DMBAecvXCJnVZ8BhR0JaT38PWVZIKEROsWGrAE8cH1JcupRXnahz7XJ8SqFwET8LztrinKw/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252834+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cortney</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lTqLGea0m7FZHMTBze_vUpR2xZ7mjZd3c2tSv_bRMtv44TsUALGVoZO8HWGtFl8aGPjh1ao8LjeLpO5-hUMOv6qMgjbmExt46SxEBCItPPtv-yiWRxbGCkBxd54jHbrUq-2LcQ/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252839+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lTqLGea0m7FZHMTBze_vUpR2xZ7mjZd3c2tSv_bRMtv44TsUALGVoZO8HWGtFl8aGPjh1ao8LjeLpO5-hUMOv6qMgjbmExt46SxEBCItPPtv-yiWRxbGCkBxd54jHbrUq-2LcQ/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252839+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolyn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYCRtXpWBB8HBlMCcaySDNBfDHSWTI3-wPViCwWUQyovScXFYeIL6ID2FfHBcmrfMKmClItS_szEldnizkAbZ-h9QClrIYg3VEItWbGNisdU7ShV1Xy8mdnK4PX-KtrQ2l4GXhg/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252848+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYCRtXpWBB8HBlMCcaySDNBfDHSWTI3-wPViCwWUQyovScXFYeIL6ID2FfHBcmrfMKmClItS_szEldnizkAbZ-h9QClrIYg3VEItWbGNisdU7ShV1Xy8mdnK4PX-KtrQ2l4GXhg/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252848+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That would be me</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTUCZlg6SdPJnb89_gxICsesigVmMFBXZGhRYuDfzUF9w6DZ8SGeUjiX-gtr1Ck2XLWq0dhNxLTCHFszfEp-ohUwTmR9ATWsjg2Z-RrfnWzz9ZfjEOG7cXjtiEER0r4UWddc_Eg/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252856+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTUCZlg6SdPJnb89_gxICsesigVmMFBXZGhRYuDfzUF9w6DZ8SGeUjiX-gtr1Ck2XLWq0dhNxLTCHFszfEp-ohUwTmR9ATWsjg2Z-RrfnWzz9ZfjEOG7cXjtiEER0r4UWddc_Eg/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252856+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gwen</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvSueHgzyuTSb_RTYhBQ6PC0b6tbWLZ-fPw6tJbLXHzEODD100njkEn7MNbjxN4qOtCvJwjo8VsKtkuX5sj4OYP88JyQ4hX0bbHl6Vq4PglCLXDi3cDYEm8m_k80Ept4TFAusKw/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252862+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvSueHgzyuTSb_RTYhBQ6PC0b6tbWLZ-fPw6tJbLXHzEODD100njkEn7MNbjxN4qOtCvJwjo8VsKtkuX5sj4OYP88JyQ4hX0bbHl6Vq4PglCLXDi3cDYEm8m_k80Ept4TFAusKw/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252862+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelagh</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2emATz5g7cRG6Tw7iOHa1JR-0KCrJBQ4ZB4dWb6Cyofcs8AptZp4nXGO4m_lL4OCmZt07rJDHy-xy57eZyBSCEJQCG8xWjrsu-pUfvXtgdGHflBD8sSl0Rpn7t2CQ1kCbW5VG6A/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252868+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2emATz5g7cRG6Tw7iOHa1JR-0KCrJBQ4ZB4dWb6Cyofcs8AptZp4nXGO4m_lL4OCmZt07rJDHy-xy57eZyBSCEJQCG8xWjrsu-pUfvXtgdGHflBD8sSl0Rpn7t2CQ1kCbW5VG6A/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252868+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashleigh</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimd8o8SaNlCSJhvnHURuk4-s8cs_ahUDGwl2n_Y3wziNqjXzzCjbCi1sKAx-FLo7-mQQ__-Y8VkjwvHTM0Pk7XTbLHScotWs5NqdaJTw0HvCVISW8PsELsn9ufuDXY-qOrIajcjg/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252874+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimd8o8SaNlCSJhvnHURuk4-s8cs_ahUDGwl2n_Y3wziNqjXzzCjbCi1sKAx-FLo7-mQQ__-Y8VkjwvHTM0Pk7XTbLHScotWs5NqdaJTw0HvCVISW8PsELsn9ufuDXY-qOrIajcjg/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252874+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanda</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImWRvPrxQLfWsEoEvdQy8fjYBOP4uITxRPN9WSdA-2eqkHLUh8THM7kY2WQ1dJTHdpeoWeiIy7f4nxiA3S2ntuNVuppVoyHb9kIRM0XP52m8Pqgq36TNi2dRmiTt-FaYa67FusA/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252882+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImWRvPrxQLfWsEoEvdQy8fjYBOP4uITxRPN9WSdA-2eqkHLUh8THM7kY2WQ1dJTHdpeoWeiIy7f4nxiA3S2ntuNVuppVoyHb9kIRM0XP52m8Pqgq36TNi2dRmiTt-FaYa67FusA/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252882+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWD8YAOZOXmDBUQjgTmtKSppxBtMub7ea5QvqZdjWuddRX5nRXl4GApWf-J2Um7sAcrh-qlj7Ir9Kb8r7B9wHBbiYlrbBXDdszwhHB6fn8ZhuB0bkVRwQx_F1px82XOzZDh4nI4w/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252885+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWD8YAOZOXmDBUQjgTmtKSppxBtMub7ea5QvqZdjWuddRX5nRXl4GApWf-J2Um7sAcrh-qlj7Ir9Kb8r7B9wHBbiYlrbBXDdszwhHB6fn8ZhuB0bkVRwQx_F1px82XOzZDh4nI4w/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252885+of+162%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Britt</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87py6uHhQC9GNhfdOlES63lpcWW5uVUQGBdmZPOkxFlgzL_HlDIOMr5c0vWxZ8N28BjazC91Z32eq64LbXfExs5uFIzKvB6nAYDGD0nmI7CiK8XAvnENPFfb62ptP3D0wViY6tA/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252891+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87py6uHhQC9GNhfdOlES63lpcWW5uVUQGBdmZPOkxFlgzL_HlDIOMr5c0vWxZ8N28BjazC91Z32eq64LbXfExs5uFIzKvB6nAYDGD0nmI7CiK8XAvnENPFfb62ptP3D0wViY6tA/s320/Trash+the+Dress+%252891+of+162%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of us, including Chie, who was a bit late to the party due to parental obligations</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldvcqJCyJs2kmgX4_jzUtiifjnEdEGZJGoqOTf30zvrP0MPsrRrmIhXj1ZpTFc8dRn6cyut_9ShQh1mGOq7C4XDrGYO0kzlik4mSbukjTf8cZ2tFASQSc2AI3RG8rBZMt8WeSiA/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252899+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldvcqJCyJs2kmgX4_jzUtiifjnEdEGZJGoqOTf30zvrP0MPsrRrmIhXj1ZpTFc8dRn6cyut_9ShQh1mGOq7C4XDrGYO0kzlik4mSbukjTf8cZ2tFASQSc2AI3RG8rBZMt8WeSiA/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252899+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battle attitudes ON!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZob8kyHq7Cb0yadVoNAiw27ex5fgu-96Pmu9TcrnUeaUvQv8vRUfGtKHebzOjs8LX56lCp7ZW0oLYCv0yiuYQw2ZonF8nO9NnFI-IwykicLuGUCPhUVdPGetY2t_bfKvknRl-A/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%2528106+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZob8kyHq7Cb0yadVoNAiw27ex5fgu-96Pmu9TcrnUeaUvQv8vRUfGtKHebzOjs8LX56lCp7ZW0oLYCv0yiuYQw2ZonF8nO9NnFI-IwykicLuGUCPhUVdPGetY2t_bfKvknRl-A/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%2528106+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some sneak attacks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDofG12h2k8tDH30aZ0LBDI9cs5WLHrwJpcaRbihaLcT3uR1Cjwd0Yg4HBCN3sKheIK6gRpv6NpBSV0HkAPjPeEc0hS25lKez5t4sqmtsxRhukXodsk99NnG4_fk9G1bvG9D2_g/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%2528107+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDofG12h2k8tDH30aZ0LBDI9cs5WLHrwJpcaRbihaLcT3uR1Cjwd0Yg4HBCN3sKheIK6gRpv6NpBSV0HkAPjPeEc0hS25lKez5t4sqmtsxRhukXodsk99NnG4_fk9G1bvG9D2_g/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%2528107+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inappropriate placement of handprints</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5r0TFWg07WiqPR6MG-WdCKcmqUgP2-yYSaD-nYnGBT2UJYpCH3xSYlg-DhwbNOni-VF3s2fl2cwiPmtnm2Xb0syb6DE8IQUW7_ReU02aSro-0sIGtkb9xd7YgSe3ZnPrBwcNDMQ/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%2528108+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5r0TFWg07WiqPR6MG-WdCKcmqUgP2-yYSaD-nYnGBT2UJYpCH3xSYlg-DhwbNOni-VF3s2fl2cwiPmtnm2Xb0syb6DE8IQUW7_ReU02aSro-0sIGtkb9xd7YgSe3ZnPrBwcNDMQ/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%2528108+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsHVU7wg4pbeB4TQLQYM8bd-v5Oh2Fd9iIDCDlAhRVJKMdf-BuV0uj3kwfL8azQ9il8U1MsN0kYhtFiRGcMAhnqTb3SpoTbaO9ls7HAiboaSNcwDZPMf036cVVaNn2Ta-av0CMA/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%2528112+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsHVU7wg4pbeB4TQLQYM8bd-v5Oh2Fd9iIDCDlAhRVJKMdf-BuV0uj3kwfL8azQ9il8U1MsN0kYhtFiRGcMAhnqTb3SpoTbaO9ls7HAiboaSNcwDZPMf036cVVaNn2Ta-av0CMA/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%2528112+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My birthday surprise</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74nBqBleI9Z20TH097vV4iuVpvLpomvr-qk9cXOzZMvq4mUHdclGGtvtlvP8dmdqtLrekm2GnHoRw2CSbf_NGoMIIxd3zFvYReF8SFFkDbP_NzGGRftYHNzJW16c_mSNVy6-WIw/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%2528117+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74nBqBleI9Z20TH097vV4iuVpvLpomvr-qk9cXOzZMvq4mUHdclGGtvtlvP8dmdqtLrekm2GnHoRw2CSbf_NGoMIIxd3zFvYReF8SFFkDbP_NzGGRftYHNzJW16c_mSNVy6-WIw/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%2528117+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My birthday retaliation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vuYlj3-8gAk2Ac9kz7_fcXo_O0WTeFxmSmg8mHMXafeqjYjKqYjDETaHdK_h06GJRi0IpN_MLkE_FBL9qW06V6bF9eD3u-E-QuUTP5BcdwqUzCR-xY4jzuSlzXzIiJahPRVSog/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%2528127+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vuYlj3-8gAk2Ac9kz7_fcXo_O0WTeFxmSmg8mHMXafeqjYjKqYjDETaHdK_h06GJRi0IpN_MLkE_FBL9qW06V6bF9eD3u-E-QuUTP5BcdwqUzCR-xY4jzuSlzXzIiJahPRVSog/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%2528127+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the cameras used</td></tr>
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The Aftermath...</div>
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If you didn't watch the video, you should...one of us face-plants, another one needed eye care triage on the beach, Ashleigh wouldn't stop attacking people... it was a good time.<br />
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But that wasn't all for these dresses... we had one more adventure in store for them... but that's in <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing_9.html">Part 4, the final installment</a> <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing_9.html">(click here)</a>.Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-3326835100665755052015-12-11T21:54:00.001-08:002015-12-14T06:39:42.327-08:00A Tale of 12 Dresses (and 1 amazing friendship) Part 2: The Weddings<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Please read the <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing.html">first installment of this story</a>, if you haven't already. This post will make a lot more sense if you do.</i></span><br />
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In the midst of the wedding dress try-ons that September night, I asked my friends for help. My husband is retiring from the Marine Corps next year after 20 years of service, and it is going to be a huge transition for our family, who will have lived overseas for four years and had been a military family for 15. One of my current jobs is a <a href="http://jessicaguthriephotography.zenfolio.com/">portrait photographer</a>, and I plan to take my business back with me to the States. However, one of the main events people hire portrait photographers for is weddings. And, currently being in a place where couples must already be married in order to be brought overseas, I have shot one wedding portrait session. So I needed a wedding portfolio. Since we had all of these beautiful new dresses, and I had my beautiful friends who fit in to them, I asked if any of them would be willing to fake some weddings for me. I never thought I'd end up shooting #10weddingsin1day. Everyone was happy to help. And this is why they are Awesome.<br />
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I picked a Sunday in October to do the shoot, at a beachside park called Tsuzu Beach. This park not only had a beach, as its name implies, but also featured wooden structures, a bamboo forest and a brick tunnel. I could stage different styles of weddings easily. And we had 10 different styles of weddings. For weeks I planned and accessorized weddings in different themes and colors, complete with bouquets, table settings, welcome tables, guestbook tables, archways, etc. My friends added touches to their weddings, made bows and bouquets, and lent me items to help complete the looks. I solicited the help of the spouse (who also played a groom in some shots) as pack mule and handyman, three amazing, generous friends to assist with the setup and shoots, Gwen, Minnie and Zaneta, and Gwen's husband, Kevin, to play the part of preacher as necessary for the shots I had planned. It helped that he is licensed to conduct marriage ceremonies... he looked pretty darn authentic!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fg2e6IqCN8OvkVhZq7Y7jNEcYyLOozUVx_B_m4GDqZxLrV-tVuOyDTvvmcUGe1u7VoScenFatieQoNCeI4KtoLnwfuc3ul7mxbvHr67D0CJLIWS5nUYH54yoUt5DsXvy3ofkag/s1600/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25283+of+18%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fg2e6IqCN8OvkVhZq7Y7jNEcYyLOozUVx_B_m4GDqZxLrV-tVuOyDTvvmcUGe1u7VoScenFatieQoNCeI4KtoLnwfuc3ul7mxbvHr67D0CJLIWS5nUYH54yoUt5DsXvy3ofkag/s400/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25283+of+18%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gwen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkG_9lBRzGSLiPVcVC31IiVjqcxArWqnpUML4Glv2leJgS5SFNIV3gM4_JIZ3MV1gp2jae5LNLE92MBSZSdooaupJ-vr20W-1BHNAZflXGcUV_e9LdI6ylbci2wKYK7imvSPAZug/s1600/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%252814+of+18%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkG_9lBRzGSLiPVcVC31IiVjqcxArWqnpUML4Glv2leJgS5SFNIV3gM4_JIZ3MV1gp2jae5LNLE92MBSZSdooaupJ-vr20W-1BHNAZflXGcUV_e9LdI6ylbci2wKYK7imvSPAZug/s400/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%252814+of+18%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-5IIz_vIy2Ni5ceRsJMCUVu4I8tlW_CgL1sYorMDGoMu-wgmtU5xL-OCVeQvwfdRHuBQXrg0gAgFUdZgAzNPuWEmVdopmJGqsW4Fwkf_OEO6slc00rMher89AdNpdS2Uu-wQNg/s1600/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25282+of+18%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-5IIz_vIy2Ni5ceRsJMCUVu4I8tlW_CgL1sYorMDGoMu-wgmtU5xL-OCVeQvwfdRHuBQXrg0gAgFUdZgAzNPuWEmVdopmJGqsW4Fwkf_OEO6slc00rMher89AdNpdS2Uu-wQNg/s400/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25282+of+18%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minnie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVS2FijwsxCpm5RaJ6szmm8-skbA66RjpBOFDQskwVKPRqx2k-UerMPlnuJi1sofhJMZIshjuM5fvE-at86jBPOqURbXMR-3T4Ese5LLQ0sL009DiTwHmISRbabg9VZqAXkPdiA/s1600/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25281+of+18%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVS2FijwsxCpm5RaJ6szmm8-skbA66RjpBOFDQskwVKPRqx2k-UerMPlnuJi1sofhJMZIshjuM5fvE-at86jBPOqURbXMR-3T4Ese5LLQ0sL009DiTwHmISRbabg9VZqAXkPdiA/s400/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25281+of+18%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zaneta</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Qb7IIMuCdNObqaH03UvArp90_GmqM82tJU47CmvTX2IpMuVXnWFiZvlgK_1BKRG7W22buLR6wROjuQ3llJF5zMcfnbmU4rJlJepxy6-4K3J6J0_6BnGCcPhoppW7PPN5nL7zg/s1600/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25286+of+18%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5Qb7IIMuCdNObqaH03UvArp90_GmqM82tJU47CmvTX2IpMuVXnWFiZvlgK_1BKRG7W22buLR6wROjuQ3llJF5zMcfnbmU4rJlJepxy6-4K3J6J0_6BnGCcPhoppW7PPN5nL7zg/s320/JGP+Behind+the+Scenes+%25286+of+18%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rodney "The Spouse"</td></tr>
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Many of the Awesome Wives' husbands were coerced in to participating as grooms and we also added a bride, Mel, and her husband, for a frog princess-themed wedding. My friend Catrina from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CatrinaTengan/?fref=ts">Catrina Tengan Makeup Artistry</a> (who is moving to Pensacola, FL in 2016... hire her if you're there! You won't be sorry!) offered to do the "brides'" make up for a very affordable price. I just hoped it wouldn't rain. Everything else seemed to be falling in to place.<br />
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On the morning of the shoot, it was sprinkling... but it soon blew over and my weddings took over Tsuzu Beach. Fortunately it's not used much in the month of October, so we only had a few locals who might have been disturbed by our antics... I think we were more entertaining than disturbing to most. We had small crowds form throughout the day, watching the proceedings.<br />
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While I will feature each wedding on my <a href="http://jessicaguthriephotography.zenfolio.com/blog">photography blog</a> in the coming weeks, here are a few of my favorite images from the day...<br />
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From the Country Wedding with Britt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMbsKvEOMAT5d7Fu2kY6J4Vg5ccG4vgZokWzHtziEhLiyNqj-vW1rYVNW2fqNVUgkAUYNhlNYvkvrp5nX5G1XZKPY1PDfULlTtPRAp-lEtjoFIZvwitsTiOf4fiD_uySfhQh8hA/s1600/Country+Wedding+%252822+of+27%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMbsKvEOMAT5d7Fu2kY6J4Vg5ccG4vgZokWzHtziEhLiyNqj-vW1rYVNW2fqNVUgkAUYNhlNYvkvrp5nX5G1XZKPY1PDfULlTtPRAp-lEtjoFIZvwitsTiOf4fiD_uySfhQh8hA/s320/Country+Wedding+%252822+of+27%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_KSMrlGg4lJd9_hk96RQfmtIEC9kPG4WqapkHlc5UU2qXWVS9oc4WCOHGAyEV0EqFMflX4gOtNJx2Nh_XA5ek1idZDJ8nz6RCce55D0qoRn0HuEckedwa_QKU-_hiTL0Zi7vcg/s1600/Country+Wedding+%252814+of+27%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_KSMrlGg4lJd9_hk96RQfmtIEC9kPG4WqapkHlc5UU2qXWVS9oc4WCOHGAyEV0EqFMflX4gOtNJx2Nh_XA5ek1idZDJ8nz6RCce55D0qoRn0HuEckedwa_QKU-_hiTL0Zi7vcg/s320/Country+Wedding+%252814+of+27%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXjOd0tlFP9yu2D-T88KsTPAtz21qhcG541FTtWHysCxncoCRClmskzvwrk0kei5gvLqGQcSRQp6y6i74smzIsAsM7CE_28UFoMbTOSEDz2k7hIdLk3YRtr2g1u9pj0FJ20o-dg/s1600/Country+Wedding+%252812+of+27%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXjOd0tlFP9yu2D-T88KsTPAtz21qhcG541FTtWHysCxncoCRClmskzvwrk0kei5gvLqGQcSRQp6y6i74smzIsAsM7CE_28UFoMbTOSEDz2k7hIdLk3YRtr2g1u9pj0FJ20o-dg/s320/Country+Wedding+%252812+of+27%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX62_K3vNSba2ZHk7UXz298IbO1SK8Olc0gdyH7TtCOCz7OdnhffSX0hx1j30fc_uOW1aIYLtfMve42DpdnTUYFpzA7zQFwZQMsWngjK_XZzAmXW1kxCqwi4xpfaq9TnnUU6wGvQ/s1600/Country+Wedding+%25282+of+27%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX62_K3vNSba2ZHk7UXz298IbO1SK8Olc0gdyH7TtCOCz7OdnhffSX0hx1j30fc_uOW1aIYLtfMve42DpdnTUYFpzA7zQFwZQMsWngjK_XZzAmXW1kxCqwi4xpfaq9TnnUU6wGvQ/s320/Country+Wedding+%25282+of+27%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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From the Frog Princess Wedding with Mel and Nijal:<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">From the Beach Wedding with Carolyn and John:</span></div>
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From the Classic Wedding with Chie:<br />
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From the Enchanted Forest Wedding with Ashleigh and Rob:<br />
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From the Game of Thrones Wedding with Amanda and Nate:<br />
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From the Peacock Wedding with KC and Gary:<br />
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From the Red Night Wedding (Carolyn and John pulling double duty):<br />
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The Tropical Wedding with Teresa:<br />
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The Vintage Wedding with Cortney and Ted:<br />
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But those weren't the only ceremonies some of these dresses took part in. The spouse and I threw a Wedding Singer 80s costume party in November, where we renewed our vows (with newly ordained minister Britt) to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. With the help of my Mom's sewing skills, I got puffy sleeves, and thanks to an Iowa thrift store, a $6 80s-style wedding veil to complete my circa-1985 bride look (photos by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nizarwoganphotography/?fref=ts">Nizar Wogan</a>):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Kf_e2-Va6maT6nawOwdYC9t6Q9J_mIxEjfXIJ_AIZam4sYaX1Y56JQgi8ch73E7BF_9x3_WyvUjd3WbyCQqhMEO7Q8idd-nHuCi0Rs_zgFgCkBzzEtWvExyH2VMQ2ndigNWNtg/s1600/IMG_3567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Kf_e2-Va6maT6nawOwdYC9t6Q9J_mIxEjfXIJ_AIZam4sYaX1Y56JQgi8ch73E7BF_9x3_WyvUjd3WbyCQqhMEO7Q8idd-nHuCi0Rs_zgFgCkBzzEtWvExyH2VMQ2ndigNWNtg/s400/IMG_3567.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with my kids, who walked me down the aisle as a surprise to the spouse</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Britt officiating</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dress was heavy, hot and not made for serious dancing!</td></tr>
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We weren't the only ones with a milestone anniversary this year. Britt and her husband, Travis are celebrating 20 years, and since he was training overseas when we did the #10weddingsin1day, he couldn't participate. So, we captured these vow renewal images instead:<br />
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Gwen and Kevin are celebrating 25 years...<br />
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Cortney and Ted are celebrating 15 years...<br />
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And, of course, as mentioned, we are also celebrating 15 years and I couldn't resist one more photo with the spouse while the dress was still paint-free and he was in his dress blues...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECFoee-N3ABvG45krhLCDFo0J0eoMWD6m8ILeF1FFDWHl7t2LRe7nNIXtQ-HvpcpjsyIkrBkh90fVWBX7yXFqgYx5z9Ahir08Tu7IseJKzbpjtDzb6D1W7egl2-8Cey1T4pcIZQ/s1600/Trash+the+Dress+%252843+of+162%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECFoee-N3ABvG45krhLCDFo0J0eoMWD6m8ILeF1FFDWHl7t2LRe7nNIXtQ-HvpcpjsyIkrBkh90fVWBX7yXFqgYx5z9Ahir08Tu7IseJKzbpjtDzb6D1W7egl2-8Cey1T4pcIZQ/s400/Trash+the+Dress+%252843+of+162%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And then it was time to Trash those Dresses!<br />
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But that's in <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing_12.html">Part 3</a> <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing_12.html">(click here)</a>...Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-60951657938865537522015-12-11T20:04:00.000-08:002015-12-14T06:38:43.805-08:00A Tale of 12 Dresses (and 1 amazing friendship) Part 1: The Finding<br />
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"Hey, when you go back to the States this summer you need to find some cheap wedding dresses."<br />
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This was my friend, Britt, speaking. She's a kind-hearted, frugal, "blow with the wind where ever it takes me but it better be Hawaii" kind of lady. She's an idea person. She has a lot of crazy ideas. But she's not usually big on execution. But I am. And she knows it. So she bestowed her idea upon me.<br />
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"Yeah, you know that girl that was on the news that got jilted at the altar? I think we should trash some wedding dresses like that. Y'know, to celebrate our friendship," she continued.<br />
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Sure, it may not sound like a good way to celebrate friendship, but when you realize <a href="http://petapixel.com/2015/01/01/left-altar-bride-turns-heartbreak-epic-trash-dress-photo-shoot/">this bride's friends</a> were the ones who stood by her and helped her turn a crappy thing in to a fun one, you realize that celebrating friendship in white dresses splattered with paint isn't necessarily a crazy idea. Well, not too crazy. Just sort of Britt-level crazy, which is excellent in small doses. (We love you, Britt.)<br />
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And when Britt said "our friendship," she does not mean just the two of us. She and I are incredibly fortunate to be a part of a tight knit group of 13 friends lovingly called the Awesome Wives of Iwakuni. Yes, we named ourselves. Yes, we think we are awesome. And yes, we are OK with that despite whatever haters might say because more women should have more confidence in themselves. Short story long, we all met while living in Iwakuni, Japan. We all come from different places in the world, both geographically and philosophically, but we have two major things in common: we love to have fun and we support each other rather than tear each other down. It took some of us 30-plus years to find a group of friends like this, so we know how rare and special it is when you get it. And we know this time together is fleeting because the majority of us are military spouses who will be "blown where the wind takes us," i.e., sent where ever our spouses get orders to next. We know we need to make the most of this time we have.<br />
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So, tasked with a mission to find 12 wedding dresses (one of us had already moved to Europe) I made my annual summer visit to California and Illinois to visit friends and family. I love antique and thrift store shopping, so my search was enjoyable. But, after a couple of weeks in July of searching diligently throughout Illinois, Missouri and Iowa, I was starting to get worried. I found a dress here and there, but they had price tags of $100 or more. Not that they weren't worth that much, but that was out of our price range. I was concerned that I may end up going back to Japan empty-handed and have to face The Wrath of Britt.<br />
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But then serendipity struck.<br />
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Not a half hour from my in-laws' rural Illinois home was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Pathway-Services-Unlimited-Inc-69946657312/?fref=ts">The Attic in Jacksonville, IL</a>, a thrift store that raises funds for Pathway Services Unlimited, which helps create opportunities for people with developmental disabilities and other physical and mental challenges. A fun store with a great cause.<br />
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And the source of said serendipity.<br />
<br />
Because lo and behold, there were two wedding dresses hanging in the store window. One of them had a price tag of $50. I snapped a couple of pictures for Britt and sent it to the group chat we're all on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREaP1zfzwQMxalRJg0GURktdKnVXTxmf02Pqe1RwkCvLbi6TEDypss_2dc1c2uzQyh1Pa1UVqbKWsWOM-uOisGXEUzPeA2R_n9WsAf-YB55oCQOJpAFDefo5cJtCxynCLeaHP2g/s1600/IMG_4945.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREaP1zfzwQMxalRJg0GURktdKnVXTxmf02Pqe1RwkCvLbi6TEDypss_2dc1c2uzQyh1Pa1UVqbKWsWOM-uOisGXEUzPeA2R_n9WsAf-YB55oCQOJpAFDefo5cJtCxynCLeaHP2g/s320/IMG_4945.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7klDtLDAyyON0lDYhwtSv_pRqrRNE9ocRerb1MZSLuODDAknuGwNDplTWGvxZK7y4cR8inqr_Y1NKX9FbMuLqcEP5UCb_uj7yYVST-zVe9h8GCLvjlfzdSA_nE_dTGlcepHpT0w/s1600/IMG_4946.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7klDtLDAyyON0lDYhwtSv_pRqrRNE9ocRerb1MZSLuODDAknuGwNDplTWGvxZK7y4cR8inqr_Y1NKX9FbMuLqcEP5UCb_uj7yYVST-zVe9h8GCLvjlfzdSA_nE_dTGlcepHpT0w/s320/IMG_4946.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Do you want this dress for $50?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
With the time difference between Japan and Illinois, I did not hear from Britt until I had already left the store and headed back to my temporary home.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Yes, but see if they will take $30</span><br />
<br />
Ah, yes, the ever-frugal Britt.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">OK, I'll go back tomorrow and ask.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">OK.</span><br />
<br />
So, I went back the next day. And asked the first employee I saw there if the place would take $30 for the dress.<br />
<br />
"Absolutely," she said. "I'll wrap it up for you."<br />
<br />
Fantastic. I told her I was going to look around the store some more. I had my kids and mother-in-law in tow the day before, and while the MIL enjoys shopping most of the time, the kids... not so much. It's a good thing I did take another look around because I found a whole warehouse area I had missed the day prior. And there, on top of a huge cardboard box full of discarded hardback books, were four more wedding dresses. Brand new. With tags. Some in plastic wrap. The tags said $600, $800, etc. But I hoped that a thrift store wouldn't be looking for those kind of prices, so I went out and asked. And told the employee why I needed so many wedding dresses. And told her the story of the AWOI and our friendship, military spouses in Japan, etc. I even told her what we planned to do with these dresses: paint them all up.<br />
<br />
She was a huge fan of the idea. And assured me that those were definitely NOT the prices. In fact, I got all five dresses for $60. It turns out that I was doing her a favor. A bank had foreclosed on a bridal store and once all of the proceedings were over they had dozens of wedding and bridesmaid dresses. They donated them to The Attic. While the bridesmaid dresses sold fast, the wedding dresses... not so much. So the dresses had been taking up space in the shop for months. She told me she had some plus-size dresses in a storage closet, if I was interested. I told her I was going to get these dresses back to the MIL's house and check with my friends to make sure they were still on board.<br />
<br />
I should have just gotten the dresses then.<br />
<br />
I had my MIL and husband's aunt model the dresses with me so I could take pictures to send to the chat group for approval. (Pictures of my MIL and aunt omitted to protect the innocent).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR11lCYtV3fVh8XrImNqBaEYW1_qMnHJZwdSCFYT5Nska7o1EVuNz3gfMWQAyRQ2IG_LL1LURKqTmnP5KMi2QDuKy2hczvZJB73NEpN9ghRi62gDUJtCC62RZEyNj11dLAb-7vFg/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR11lCYtV3fVh8XrImNqBaEYW1_qMnHJZwdSCFYT5Nska7o1EVuNz3gfMWQAyRQ2IG_LL1LURKqTmnP5KMi2QDuKy2hczvZJB73NEpN9ghRi62gDUJtCC62RZEyNj11dLAb-7vFg/s320/IMG_0056.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S3hRanas3LCe3I1MqFTwnM4TG22HSJdpJeLkwsRL1dXEdd6GxDQuU55HtFqe0wwwzu1FZPsBq7fHn57JahVgoJ7X9AstrjMCPpEnV-3E8_W_IP43JbIdOoPqD4q2EA6j9fFzqw/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S3hRanas3LCe3I1MqFTwnM4TG22HSJdpJeLkwsRL1dXEdd6GxDQuU55HtFqe0wwwzu1FZPsBq7fHn57JahVgoJ7X9AstrjMCPpEnV-3E8_W_IP43JbIdOoPqD4q2EA6j9fFzqw/s320/IMG_0043.JPG" width="212" /></a><br />
<br />
All of the dresses were approved. And I was sent back to the shop to find one of the plus-size dresses. No problem... thrift store shopping for the third time in three days. I am fine with that. So the next day I headed back to The Attic in search of a plus-size dress. I asked for the same employee (name omitted to protect the innocent, of course) and it turns out she was very happy to see me. She had forgotten she had more dresses stored in a closet behind her office... and wished she had had a way to contact me to let me know. Serendipity struck again.<br />
<br />
In all, I ended up leaving The Attic with 7 more dresses, including the second one that was hanging in the shop window... all of them for $50. I had 12 gorgeous new dresses for $110, and the Awesome Wives were thrilled. Excited chatter from Awesome Wives in Germany, Texas, Japan, Bali and Maryland filtered in to the chat group. More trying on dresses for photos (yes, this was a lot of fun... more family members tried on the dresses, too)...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-d-mHjERER5p2EyUH9dqxEXH5BG6YJQefmaT1u9agxeNs-0okH2y6slQ8YQC7k1uSIFrMrIvVCsKpHdM635gNplYlcFQTxG1FN_Nm-AwLKNHeawD-a6wGJ4AvPSNvpRR0tE_UA/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LEZG8xbmF2PJ-tgMR6_9BrAjS-gk514N-ekNlRxkluzSu6r09Ab19595CBXR3dQdYlcYtduFvWlf38FFVvNgG3AemVsM4hqpSxRU7VYyrIb6F56bCf3WTzDIT2Jcjo69EK1YAQ/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LEZG8xbmF2PJ-tgMR6_9BrAjS-gk514N-ekNlRxkluzSu6r09Ab19595CBXR3dQdYlcYtduFvWlf38FFVvNgG3AemVsM4hqpSxRU7VYyrIb6F56bCf3WTzDIT2Jcjo69EK1YAQ/s320/IMG_0073.JPG" width="212" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-d-mHjERER5p2EyUH9dqxEXH5BG6YJQefmaT1u9agxeNs-0okH2y6slQ8YQC7k1uSIFrMrIvVCsKpHdM635gNplYlcFQTxG1FN_Nm-AwLKNHeawD-a6wGJ4AvPSNvpRR0tE_UA/s320/IMG_0069.JPG" width="212" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0juqt_-_o-YEbQLGV2w6nFt2oOKbNSTi1DS_kU-eYWkVcS7401JgeQZpWVfqUVXSC_KJK4gOFNI1rkJrjD32txyHnNinTG6jRdI9uoeeKu652ARKTzLY3kpMzlv4hEZJM5Di2QQ/s1600/IMG_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0juqt_-_o-YEbQLGV2w6nFt2oOKbNSTi1DS_kU-eYWkVcS7401JgeQZpWVfqUVXSC_KJK4gOFNI1rkJrjD32txyHnNinTG6jRdI9uoeeKu652ARKTzLY3kpMzlv4hEZJM5Di2QQ/s320/IMG_0060.JPG" width="212" /></a><br />
<br />
And some I couldn't fit in, they ranged in sizes, with most being 14s and 16s...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSGlpMGJOZPpBybGhJ1AABnPDojFQvtH_ZO3j_rQvnAe1jm0U3qxckP1ZixUE51EYIROCak8sQRCNMfpH4-EMxaqcDKfj5VvSlDuc-6w85aaMOs-ZZffRJw3b8QgaL4T0GscmOg/s1600/IMG_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGbEwRYwSCHvlWWumdBL2-xX-PXF1M36-AT7C2QSjZl12Wagpj767S6lqk5JZSRr1UxsgJcW0IGElmKdDv-Z6rXlkkoEFsqEvsBZEijdZPHEOcK_ceS2Rc6VpWElbnb5uJBNZqg/s1600/IMG_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGbEwRYwSCHvlWWumdBL2-xX-PXF1M36-AT7C2QSjZl12Wagpj767S6lqk5JZSRr1UxsgJcW0IGElmKdDv-Z6rXlkkoEFsqEvsBZEijdZPHEOcK_ceS2Rc6VpWElbnb5uJBNZqg/s320/IMG_0066.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hqcKGTX7hI11neXrVZfifKA4R_sNEFMHgSBTBf2fEaE_I6JvJU4csn9y6GDM1IDr5bnBygGE5qvMtVWcobRAbGF9OGxp_pvxQlKrWx4XEHBeXcDPcQRR1zz0Iq26J3m8i7F9ng/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hqcKGTX7hI11neXrVZfifKA4R_sNEFMHgSBTBf2fEaE_I6JvJU4csn9y6GDM1IDr5bnBygGE5qvMtVWcobRAbGF9OGxp_pvxQlKrWx4XEHBeXcDPcQRR1zz0Iq26J3m8i7F9ng/s320/IMG_0080.JPG" width="212" /></a><br />
<br />
Everyone was ecstatic... now... how to get this mass of dresses back to Japan without it costing an arm and a leg...?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFIr8rmFTfEm8F9VSCjQq8cwU5LDsLrZ7rguJXgfCRtgTgqs518rDxonRIWBtpPXEVG-YG-BFwu0HtzXQgrefwgU0Zftum8qQCfkw_56eEOrM6xEIRFt4xVAwAUxanEizqfwFhQ/s1600/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFIr8rmFTfEm8F9VSCjQq8cwU5LDsLrZ7rguJXgfCRtgTgqs518rDxonRIWBtpPXEVG-YG-BFwu0HtzXQgrefwgU0Zftum8qQCfkw_56eEOrM6xEIRFt4xVAwAUxanEizqfwFhQ/s400/IMG_0038.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
And that's when Cortney stepped in. Cortney is a problem solver. You present her with a problem, and she usually has a perfect solution. In this case, she came up with vacuum seal bags so we used as few boxes as possible. So, off to Bed, Bath and Beyond, I went. I had a coupon! (Britt was so proud!)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRniV40DBR-uu2EVu22-8i6JjZ0wVl1guF3nc1n8dho3SvpnMNozm1Gop0pw06kPb0p9Agnz_GSjFTyfetlme9HkGKmu-UgFP1lo3Rsc4hkVojmqbb-1IwIPzr7adUs1XuOJ65Vw/s1600/IMG_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRniV40DBR-uu2EVu22-8i6JjZ0wVl1guF3nc1n8dho3SvpnMNozm1Gop0pw06kPb0p9Agnz_GSjFTyfetlme9HkGKmu-UgFP1lo3Rsc4hkVojmqbb-1IwIPzr7adUs1XuOJ65Vw/s400/IMG_0039.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
The dresses were sucked in to bags and shipped to my address in Japan... and everything cost a mere $24 per dress. I'd say that was pretty cheap, right Britt?<br />
<br />
The saga continued in September as everyone returned to Iwakuni from their summertime adventures. We got together to try all of the dresses on to see who would fit best in which dress. Serendipity struck yet again because each lady found a dress that suited her personality and body shape. One of us, Chie, is tiny in stature... very petite, and she opted for a short, knee-length dress that I found in a Japanese RecycleMart (second hand store). Her dress cost about $8.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERozerAuSj9WwV05T9isGCkLSs2bF2OwqgqpIftldww3WIJ0QKfwYao3BjIaaDDqd8jkb_kY3efNvDwgUkQsxiGbHs-aziVtZF-j2UMnsTL52diTuz7kpaKJMDSBds6GRK-wQKg/s1600/IMG_6034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERozerAuSj9WwV05T9isGCkLSs2bF2OwqgqpIftldww3WIJ0QKfwYao3BjIaaDDqd8jkb_kY3efNvDwgUkQsxiGbHs-aziVtZF-j2UMnsTL52diTuz7kpaKJMDSBds6GRK-wQKg/s320/IMG_6034.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVilb3zxlvQHpC9o-WG2lrHfxRJXnrpw8y0_0eCdSGiEZqxLjdwEACcVoNiNSiYQGrrSVSyUk9hGadBLhD3zNPMcDjt2d2adlsxZF8mbrbAosLmHJ6j7xu-tIwGpFaDLmrKP8DSQ/s1600/IMG_6067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVilb3zxlvQHpC9o-WG2lrHfxRJXnrpw8y0_0eCdSGiEZqxLjdwEACcVoNiNSiYQGrrSVSyUk9hGadBLhD3zNPMcDjt2d2adlsxZF8mbrbAosLmHJ6j7xu-tIwGpFaDLmrKP8DSQ/s320/IMG_6067.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolyn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBw5CDZn76_g0pnPbv7B1RjxOnilv9hoymSWEpTeLEMkitWqgRwQNm7W9C7ZsQ1kuSuETm2I4w5tAhwLIdX1hYXGBpnFiUehZDKLgqGOq8bT4AiMT3tIxKlCXB48jzBL4DKtyPxw/s1600/IMG_6065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBw5CDZn76_g0pnPbv7B1RjxOnilv9hoymSWEpTeLEMkitWqgRwQNm7W9C7ZsQ1kuSuETm2I4w5tAhwLIdX1hYXGBpnFiUehZDKLgqGOq8bT4AiMT3tIxKlCXB48jzBL4DKtyPxw/s320/IMG_6065.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gwen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr38iQGkRSjVIwIQdeYcjLnX7XZUInNJZbynMmsX0B-hdp1YvJykOe7iHGqwWzax8SexetkgCklPBNYyjTt57sZFRhf8_irYNVhIbG89a4WxffGnp2-guAv-m4NYhPunMcu4uzxA/s1600/IMG_6058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr38iQGkRSjVIwIQdeYcjLnX7XZUInNJZbynMmsX0B-hdp1YvJykOe7iHGqwWzax8SexetkgCklPBNYyjTt57sZFRhf8_irYNVhIbG89a4WxffGnp2-guAv-m4NYhPunMcu4uzxA/s320/IMG_6058.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KC</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyl7JHnXy2QPQapBXX_hyM3QvxaPlYcBoDUU_Rxxq2AuIwvKOS9oOym_SDZXq3H-8aaeEVueOl87uGc1WP-5LW6m-Ra15mmAmLCecefevl5MYSJMqvH6058LnMEci5kHSwpP0kQ/s1600/IMG_6056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyl7JHnXy2QPQapBXX_hyM3QvxaPlYcBoDUU_Rxxq2AuIwvKOS9oOym_SDZXq3H-8aaeEVueOl87uGc1WP-5LW6m-Ra15mmAmLCecefevl5MYSJMqvH6058LnMEci5kHSwpP0kQ/s320/IMG_6056.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Britt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFduJswkpV9s4tqiY-Fman7S-a-StvDLPqskLCSpeTSPi2F2aPxermTB8HGClk1lmQCJyXXMrhZnlm1X5dngwemjkgghLRy0EpcSP3aqxFouRR2Ndxoee1N-AF71VIko98SPhvw/s1600/IMG_6053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFduJswkpV9s4tqiY-Fman7S-a-StvDLPqskLCSpeTSPi2F2aPxermTB8HGClk1lmQCJyXXMrhZnlm1X5dngwemjkgghLRy0EpcSP3aqxFouRR2Ndxoee1N-AF71VIko98SPhvw/s320/IMG_6053.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashleigh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIiv7TXcEUeL0ocQvLOcUtPvh7doVlRHcMPRWqj8bUQ6lKm1gGnOTNLEirvXmZ0RZIOB9CfrOpJlSHeOQfZh31N5G9QSEQ5W9VD8gCvmTXgbPltfJLAetI094khCA6Qw7bG_Elw/s1600/IMG_6045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIiv7TXcEUeL0ocQvLOcUtPvh7doVlRHcMPRWqj8bUQ6lKm1gGnOTNLEirvXmZ0RZIOB9CfrOpJlSHeOQfZh31N5G9QSEQ5W9VD8gCvmTXgbPltfJLAetI094khCA6Qw7bG_Elw/s320/IMG_6045.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSVf2Ya79cSLguTgDia_lBrlLN4wz_AjOViOwF-tkTGpjdPoV_nn0XD-Yn6r0hiBsxLdGZT4DNnJ0OEvTILy0sm_E4xbh1pouLtRgsuwZzk6O9LaxuX829503A2rzv5t4SI8UbQ/s1600/IMG_6040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSVf2Ya79cSLguTgDia_lBrlLN4wz_AjOViOwF-tkTGpjdPoV_nn0XD-Yn6r0hiBsxLdGZT4DNnJ0OEvTILy0sm_E4xbh1pouLtRgsuwZzk6O9LaxuX829503A2rzv5t4SI8UbQ/s320/IMG_6040.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlE-4VvLl_bjXrysm_OW18_c_vQFv3VcQAkEs-hH9P1YItTL6O1nSs8JrF4qdgMbldw0G_fl0xLIky-cIOLe5UKNa3-msN_QcyGINp4Z1rIyXUS_PEhlwiJH4ckBmRFDiXaxqjRA/s1600/IMG_6038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlE-4VvLl_bjXrysm_OW18_c_vQFv3VcQAkEs-hH9P1YItTL6O1nSs8JrF4qdgMbldw0G_fl0xLIky-cIOLe5UKNa3-msN_QcyGINp4Z1rIyXUS_PEhlwiJH4ckBmRFDiXaxqjRA/s320/IMG_6038.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cortney</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefGoYwKs9j7ZACcfBLQ6rndm78ExPGEi4_mZEZWaykpZ_EtdPhTHzVwUsAI56bQ0PVKRYCrY9tVXxbX1s0vQ_z007Ve1udiFp57M4LmTi3VVU7ByOx7jm6VIRCIXm_Zx5DberWw/s1600/IMG_6036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefGoYwKs9j7ZACcfBLQ6rndm78ExPGEi4_mZEZWaykpZ_EtdPhTHzVwUsAI56bQ0PVKRYCrY9tVXxbX1s0vQ_z007Ve1udiFp57M4LmTi3VVU7ByOx7jm6VIRCIXm_Zx5DberWw/s320/IMG_6036.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelagh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvS2vUexKyHtOJTwM1tWJ0_ZilAdYk_vzA3vVSCDI7toM0IfgjOVnlLYgqzxrrnx7aAheviOjPgveuf4ECzD8NsS3szxu0MasbhnKVVPvox6IcLb01fiq4CPmxWpFQsI0rVOeQzA/s1600/IMG_6063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvS2vUexKyHtOJTwM1tWJ0_ZilAdYk_vzA3vVSCDI7toM0IfgjOVnlLYgqzxrrnx7aAheviOjPgveuf4ECzD8NsS3szxu0MasbhnKVVPvox6IcLb01fiq4CPmxWpFQsI0rVOeQzA/s320/IMG_6063.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yours truly</td></tr>
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There were a few alterations that needed to be made on some of the dresses, but luckily, we had a seamstress in our midst, the lovely Amanda. She spent several hours altering layers and layers of dresses for the ladies, a volunteer effort I was soon to appreciate more than I would have ever guessed.<br />
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<a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/12/a-tale-of-12-dresses-and-1-amazing_11.html">But that's in Part 2 (click here)...</a>Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-1716742841309588362015-10-31T00:08:00.001-07:002015-10-31T00:09:08.044-07:00It's all about jams, desserts and cosmos...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bY3FeYnbvv53-_4hJRV7w405Bu2nvcDB4us1z78snR00PsqlUfZHvhCSf-rWwHh-nBW43NqL2xOPQXG-7kdoB_A7Yn4veLAMYLANYS2a3zUzEdelKvMS-WDVjbEGdhHUa5RNEg/s1600/Oshima+Cosmos+Jam+%252819+of+43%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bY3FeYnbvv53-_4hJRV7w405Bu2nvcDB4us1z78snR00PsqlUfZHvhCSf-rWwHh-nBW43NqL2xOPQXG-7kdoB_A7Yn4veLAMYLANYS2a3zUzEdelKvMS-WDVjbEGdhHUa5RNEg/s400/Oshima+Cosmos+Jam+%252819+of+43%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Suo Oshima Island (or as most base inhabitants call it,
Oshima) is only about 45 minutes away from base and has a number of activities,
from a small, but very hands-on aquarium, camping (and cabining!), restaurants,
fruit picking, beaches and more. See that tiny search box up there on the left
of this page? Type in ‘Oshima’ and you’ll see all of the blog posts I’ve
written about my adventures there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last week, I took a girls' trip (yes, I do a lot of these... it is cheaper and more fun than therapy) I actually went to three new places on Oshima,
one of them you need to hurry and see because cosmos only bloom through
October, and maybe the first part of November. A shout out to my friend,
Carolyn, for <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/4ZGqzGby3hA2">providing the pin</a> for this beautiful field of cosmos flowers,
which is a little off the beaten path.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sign says "Temporary Parking for Cosmos Field" and the name of the family who owns it or planted it, not sure which. Of course, I did not find this out until later, so, no we did not park here. We parked on the road.</td></tr>
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After checking out the cosmos, we headed to <a href="http://www.jams-garden.com/">Jam’s Garden</a>, a
cute local shop and café (<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/xRPjLVgxkd22">directions</a>). The Café is not open on Thursdays, so don’t bother
trying to go that day. But, trust me, there are other places to grab a bite,
one of which I’ll talk about in a minute.</div>
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Jam’s garden features handmade jams and jellies that are
created on site. There are a couple dozen varieties and you can taste-test them
before you buy, which I loved, because some of the Jams were more bitter than
sweet and that would have been an unpleasant surprise for a sweet tooth like
me!</div>
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After buying some jams for the family and to give as
gifts, we headed to lunch at <a href="http://cafemisaki.com/">CaféMisaki</a> (<a href="https://www.google.co.jp/maps/place/%E3%83%9F%E3%82%B5%E3%82%AD%E3%82%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A7/@33.9543479,132.2828972,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x3545413a0655251d:0x3fd8450b4926e807?hl=en">directions</a>), which has recently been renovated. They also currently have an ad in the Preview Magazine, so be sure to check that out. They are closed Monday, Tuesday and the 4th Wednesday of the month.</div>
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It also sports a gorgeous view, so
if you have a small party and the weather is nice, I recommend sitting outside.
The photo doesn’t do it justice, by the way.</div>
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The café’s lunch menu (yes, there is an English one) is mostly made of curry, which I am not a fan of, but I wasn’t there for lunch, anyway. I was there for dessert. </div>
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Yes, I was there for dessert. I had been shown photos of the desserts they offer and that’s what sold
me on the place. There is also an apple tart a la mode that is on the Japanese menu that I was not aware of until after the fact, so I pln to order that the next time I visit Cafe Misaki. So, since I was convinced to visit because of dessert photos, I’ll do you a solid and show you pictures, too, and conclude the blog post with those. Enjoy!</div>
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Jessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38327045.post-59265929065412996762015-10-20T05:22:00.001-07:002015-10-24T04:59:40.550-07:00My favorite girls' trip getaway...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes you just need to escape. You love your husband, your children, your life, but you just need a change of pace. A chance to relax, commune with nature, enjoy the quiet beauty of a garden... and the pure joy of being able to do that without any, "Honey, how many flowers do we need pictures of?" and "Mom! I'm hungry!" Oh, and don't forget drinking some local wine and soaking naked in a public bath and "shopping" at a used furniture store (which really means dodging spiders and climbing over steel sinks to get to a ceramic toilet, but I digress...), and best part of the whole damn thing... spending time with some of the amazing women I've found here in Iwakuni.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH08UkwWY6WyKdzvtLAJ-nlRWVnC0ttsAw6-jfbZPgzRH2NHP1ACCyMUDQFmeDwZmQt_6Y07hJqXclrdKjX0XWbVdEaicmXhqh0XStXSYBCPvywALPzqxmmEfQGdF08R8oKO5Vmg/s1600/Kuju+2015+%25281+of+2%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH08UkwWY6WyKdzvtLAJ-nlRWVnC0ttsAw6-jfbZPgzRH2NHP1ACCyMUDQFmeDwZmQt_6Y07hJqXclrdKjX0XWbVdEaicmXhqh0XStXSYBCPvywALPzqxmmEfQGdF08R8oKO5Vmg/s400/Kuju+2015+%25281+of+2%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My partners in crime, from my left, above: Carolyn, Gwen, Chie, Ashleigh and Cortney.</td></tr>
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Where is this glorious place? It's merely 4 or so hours from the city of Iwakuni by way of Sanyo, in the mountainous terrain of Kuju Kogen, on the island west of us, Kyushu. It's a perfect destination for an overnight trip with the girls, and it has fun for everyone: wine lovers, flower lovers, animal lovers, <i>onsen</i> lovers, shopaholics... you just can't lose. This is the <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2014/11/give-six-women-37-hours-and-watch-them.html">second year a group of us</a> has headed off in to the wild (I say this because we did have a <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=tanooki&espv=2&biw=1898&bih=962&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIx_iw-fHQyAIVhBqUCh1bGQfO#tbm=isch&q=tanooki+real+life"><i>tanooki</i></a> come check us out while we did night photography, and we dodged some spiders here and there) and I highly recommend it to other groups of women. It's an easy drive, and a relatively inexpensive trip. If you click on the link to my past post <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2015/05/she-likes-to-get-high-spring-break-2015.html">here</a>, you can find directions, web sites and more.<br />
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So, with our cottage reservation, which was 9,000 yen a person, we got a tatami mat and futon bed in a rustic (yet bug-free and clean) summer camp-type cabin. You also get <i>yakiniku</i> dinner, a buffet breakfast and access to the lovely indoor/outdoor <i>onsen</i>, where the crystal clear skies allowed us a gorgeous view of the stars (especially after I turned off the outdoor lights... but I waited until we were the only people in the small <i>onsen</i> to do that. Most Japanese <i>onsen</i> in the morning, from what I have been told, plus they aren't sure what to do with a bunch of naked foreigners, so it's easy to get the place to ourselves after awhile.) We also received discounts at the flower park and horseback riding facility.<br />
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By the time we got our rental vans ($85 a day, which includes toll passes) and got ourselves up the mountain to the Kuju area, it was time for lunch, so our first stop was at the Kuju Winery, where we enjoyed their tasty pizzas (seriously, there is not a bad one on the menu...) and local wine.<br />
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There is also a small shop to purchase the wine you've tried at the restaurant, and other gifts. I am not a huge wine drinker, I'm more of a margarita fan, so I worked on capturing some images of the local scenery. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We lucked out.<br />
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Yes, those are horses in that last shot. I'd driven by the Kokopelli Western Riding stables that are located near the winery twice before, but never stopped to see what they offered. This time we stopped.<br />
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Basically, if you want a 5-minute ride around the corral, it's 1,000 yen (900 with the cottage discount). If you want a trail ride, either 30 or 60 minutes, that's more of an investment. The stables, the winery and the flower park all close by 5 p.m., so plan accordingly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklaOswOB8lB8wj42Rgnl3Arn6GsqTSW0JOuh1t7WL_l5VXq_x3Adkh2ckhM5KsE4dr-JcE5G3M90NW3iRm7KwGiBiGPrWodhFyi8vfS-ywtE9nENgM1Z5z34rGXsKXqTOkSn4Iw/s1600/Kuju+2015+%25289+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklaOswOB8lB8wj42Rgnl3Arn6GsqTSW0JOuh1t7WL_l5VXq_x3Adkh2ckhM5KsE4dr-JcE5G3M90NW3iRm7KwGiBiGPrWodhFyi8vfS-ywtE9nENgM1Z5z34rGXsKXqTOkSn4Iw/s400/Kuju+2015+%25289+of+58%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The U.S. and Canadian flag fly because that is where these American Quarter Horse breed horses at the stable are from.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-rSdIMHSF2eSHTxsRCpaTpfJOyteMx-FMyMa78GewUMKTdHNNCnrBzvFBMgrNs0av23bS11gFTzeka__WjJtrjr5gXOQ80BYSK3GaPE9l6zAGqa2DzDc7KXro5EXBwxqz5WX_g/s1600/Kuju+2015+%25287+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-rSdIMHSF2eSHTxsRCpaTpfJOyteMx-FMyMa78GewUMKTdHNNCnrBzvFBMgrNs0av23bS11gFTzeka__WjJtrjr5gXOQ80BYSK3GaPE9l6zAGqa2DzDc7KXro5EXBwxqz5WX_g/s400/Kuju+2015+%25287+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you are missing your dog back in the States, they have several labs and golden retrievers who love attention. </td></tr>
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Carolyn wanted to ride, so she did.<br />
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Chie had never been on a horse before, so, of course we made her ride. I think she liked it despite the fact it was a little "scary." Both ladies even managed to ride in skirts.<br />
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Next stop: Kuju Hanakoen... or the Kuju flower park. Each of these three locations, the winery, stables and park, are within a half kilometer of each other, so there's not a lot of driving to be done.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM0QOQmOcAryZmksZRS9FVpe5EfVfDqHVtGNhzyzHUnXmtcZCNISPafekR51mTYOHcgRVcbo7Gueouib68wGtBD-N7CFuD4wwa8QSCEI2JWKqfVlwLlcD_TztuDx36tuR0cbV7g/s1600/Kuju+2015+%252828+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM0QOQmOcAryZmksZRS9FVpe5EfVfDqHVtGNhzyzHUnXmtcZCNISPafekR51mTYOHcgRVcbo7Gueouib68wGtBD-N7CFuD4wwa8QSCEI2JWKqfVlwLlcD_TztuDx36tuR0cbV7g/s400/Kuju+2015+%252828+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH08UkwWY6WyKdzvtLAJ-nlRWVnC0ttsAw6-jfbZPgzRH2NHP1ACCyMUDQFmeDwZmQt_6Y07hJqXclrdKjX0XWbVdEaicmXhqh0XStXSYBCPvywALPzqxmmEfQGdF08R8oKO5Vmg/s1600/Kuju+2015+%25281+of+2%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH08UkwWY6WyKdzvtLAJ-nlRWVnC0ttsAw6-jfbZPgzRH2NHP1ACCyMUDQFmeDwZmQt_6Y07hJqXclrdKjX0XWbVdEaicmXhqh0XStXSYBCPvywALPzqxmmEfQGdF08R8oKO5Vmg/s400/Kuju+2015+%25281+of+2%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We closed the place down, staying past 5 p.m. by mistake. As a photographer, I was waiting patiently for the sun to be in just the perfect place, but at this time of year, three weeks makes a big difference as to where the sun is at 4:45 p.m. Keep that in mind if you want to get portraits of your friends amongst the flowers. Once we had our fill of flowers, ducks, and pictures, we headed off to check in to the cottage, which is about 3 kilometers down the road.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucC5bfEgpdgYmc_ZU_GwiMvl-5Ti6w86i3tEE876BDzYd20pDOxqnSHwNbc4qJpTFDqkoeRbySeSKOdNYj7yElY2fl7oKTYvfnp43h_vb1aZdOS5aUgB-bUtz7Msv9IvWJd4Rvw/s1600/Kuju+2015+%252851+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucC5bfEgpdgYmc_ZU_GwiMvl-5Ti6w86i3tEE876BDzYd20pDOxqnSHwNbc4qJpTFDqkoeRbySeSKOdNYj7yElY2fl7oKTYvfnp43h_vb1aZdOS5aUgB-bUtz7Msv9IvWJd4Rvw/s400/Kuju+2015+%252851+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaUtwDS0IFBpLiaoYiR-I7NmCn7Ht3vnhPL90oS25Xr3awiChowJUTfPk8L3WBeapJ1g0ti443-Tbuh2oMXNAsxLKAvCgdIronYM7HjON1-4g2JcAY5HuRF8vu0PSzEPEKi9jfw/s1600/Kuju+2015+%252852+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaUtwDS0IFBpLiaoYiR-I7NmCn7Ht3vnhPL90oS25Xr3awiChowJUTfPk8L3WBeapJ1g0ti443-Tbuh2oMXNAsxLKAvCgdIronYM7HjON1-4g2JcAY5HuRF8vu0PSzEPEKi9jfw/s400/Kuju+2015+%252852+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp117M4m_ly9ZMv_aw8k-ZdI9_ud7obiUw3KBoYUu7Jv_jZxo-eK4Y9Twq7OQzeRLAh33EvpzUJo09t74vizEoE-8d0LpVcEYJERxtR4oG5RH9lvLxZtafkuKU51pxtvhLHmXfNw/s1600/IMG_6323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp117M4m_ly9ZMv_aw8k-ZdI9_ud7obiUw3KBoYUu7Jv_jZxo-eK4Y9Twq7OQzeRLAh33EvpzUJo09t74vizEoE-8d0LpVcEYJERxtR4oG5RH9lvLxZtafkuKU51pxtvhLHmXfNw/s400/IMG_6323.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The smoke in the distance is from the active gas volcano, <a href="http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.jp/2013/03/etiquette-aso-and-group-stretching.html">Mt. Aso</a>, which I had the pleasure of visiting 2.5 years ago.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">These fantastic views above are impossible to miss. You'll find them on the country road that leads you to the cottage. If you're really lucky you'll see some black cattle with some interesting nose-ring tags, too.</span></div>
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We checked in to the cottage, got our room keys, which are actual keys chained to wooden boards, and made our way to our rooms. Each room sleeps 4 people... just FYI for your planning purposes. I brought a thin air mattress/mat because I am a sensitive American. You may also want to bring your own pillow. Ashleigh had to bring her Snuggie. I have a great photo of her first thing in the morning, but I want her to still like me, so I won't post it publicly. Let's just say it's a leopard print Snuggie, and she just woke up. Kitty was not happy.</div>
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We each got camping wear and matching slippers.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7Arf16iO3xmgpZ-ZBuKhBHi32Qa2OONXCpLM92qcZjNclgCJUo8sSOx3iGs80Yh2dfGNvygJLMzjJj3EOt97iB30DkrSUE3FluzEigi7_elsFYt5H0jwwMJw8OJ6nO6569aWWg/s1600/IMG_6325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7Arf16iO3xmgpZ-ZBuKhBHi32Qa2OONXCpLM92qcZjNclgCJUo8sSOx3iGs80Yh2dfGNvygJLMzjJj3EOt97iB30DkrSUE3FluzEigi7_elsFYt5H0jwwMJw8OJ6nO6569aWWg/s400/IMG_6325.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When in Rome...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKocW3GIPclbzJ_YrZAznzUprmyFtTy4wMl6ZyHZ0eRXilUJ236ipVHORpy1-9HuL07SQ2Oi1ZTowCwNs6T2t3rgVaYSoV4oHx-XxyW1LT7kGpxuMIdoRBvhZ4wkJ8I9j9uCcmQ/s1600/IMG_6326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKocW3GIPclbzJ_YrZAznzUprmyFtTy4wMl6ZyHZ0eRXilUJ236ipVHORpy1-9HuL07SQ2Oi1ZTowCwNs6T2t3rgVaYSoV4oHx-XxyW1LT7kGpxuMIdoRBvhZ4wkJ8I9j9uCcmQ/s400/IMG_6326.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner was delicious. You can order drinks and they will be charged to your room. No wallets necessary. </td></tr>
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After dinner we did go enjoy the <i>onsen</i>... no photos this year, though.... sorry. But, seriously, there is nothing more relaxing than warm water, cool night air and a beautiful sky full of stars. Being naked is just an added bonus. And nothing beats a little night photography, so we were out there at 11 p.m. photographing the night skies in the grass behind our cabin. And that is where the <i>tanooki</i> found us...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTs9nrRtClPwylukUiE2kqh4SkvgdE4GoRqEBblRwD2utn13T6TiUuaPb1fa8EATCuRR_8Ysw0q2LyNADuyqeSkko5sntofB7eU6lcXnRNZ3MkDkinXDdXGaXaJ9xAyDcVYbPpg/s1600/12088527_10153316329803772_7643902781509997263_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTs9nrRtClPwylukUiE2kqh4SkvgdE4GoRqEBblRwD2utn13T6TiUuaPb1fa8EATCuRR_8Ysw0q2LyNADuyqeSkko5sntofB7eU6lcXnRNZ3MkDkinXDdXGaXaJ9xAyDcVYbPpg/s400/12088527_10153316329803772_7643902781509997263_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG6r7eRearaDXUp78lAIMzt3a_tovPn_dJd_yY62ALdqMOhIkaBzbK8noe4xDay7Ho5ynkT_zWmamWjszIqS5U6OG3qXgqDIPC6fM89edLJnxMYSm2T2okgNgaw8lxfJk9HPNZw/s1600/12118918_10153316329833772_4897795430770990867_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG6r7eRearaDXUp78lAIMzt3a_tovPn_dJd_yY62ALdqMOhIkaBzbK8noe4xDay7Ho5ynkT_zWmamWjszIqS5U6OG3qXgqDIPC6fM89edLJnxMYSm2T2okgNgaw8lxfJk9HPNZw/s400/12118918_10153316329833772_4897795430770990867_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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... until Gwen scared him off with her camera flash. Way to go, Gwen, way to go. ;p<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbvJGtv97I8irzh0OS-BVSK9XRfy8M6tLUMA3X7AAsGNnwY2mdTW-8AyjuUUhiaCae8BjCO12nbDC5zcEyyAbdTPlX5MgUx2r6SAfU7qAkrVjVNPR23DiH94Iimc90BCkgcSVlw/s1600/Kuju+2015+%252855+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbvJGtv97I8irzh0OS-BVSK9XRfy8M6tLUMA3X7AAsGNnwY2mdTW-8AyjuUUhiaCae8BjCO12nbDC5zcEyyAbdTPlX5MgUx2r6SAfU7qAkrVjVNPR23DiH94Iimc90BCkgcSVlw/s400/Kuju+2015+%252855+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuzcK9ft9XpxRinbRPejRn4ow2I8BrwFY_NkaWJdFmzuYEdNGRUOVQEH5f6-Jjqq-Ctz62OZWEJAfhIDxMkKe72YbNo_MUdl76iuT3oOKBSbcUu8l4s5Uk6hXWQe3eCBhbvW4Aw/s1600/Kuju+2015+%252856+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuzcK9ft9XpxRinbRPejRn4ow2I8BrwFY_NkaWJdFmzuYEdNGRUOVQEH5f6-Jjqq-Ctz62OZWEJAfhIDxMkKe72YbNo_MUdl76iuT3oOKBSbcUu8l4s5Uk6hXWQe3eCBhbvW4Aw/s400/Kuju+2015+%252856+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5Vtezlc-r8IZIea5EENZL8w1eGhAVOoUPvSaWVdTJiFY47kQaCC-M-rKiO1d80a6meWmnZ7itK90VcNyrS2xSMX8LpK0jd54ONTID67fMwnOEHcOZKg0wh_oEnLojEBXchR5wg/s1600/Kuju+2015+%252857+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5Vtezlc-r8IZIea5EENZL8w1eGhAVOoUPvSaWVdTJiFY47kQaCC-M-rKiO1d80a6meWmnZ7itK90VcNyrS2xSMX8LpK0jd54ONTID67fMwnOEHcOZKg0wh_oEnLojEBXchR5wg/s400/Kuju+2015+%252857+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I captured the other ladies capturing the night sky.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHR9H7-cgeMajp847LfhYakrxiK-EGEYyISm0KidCnft3g8HylsAT6ry-NOeJi3Gk-WCE3fUS0siFX_gPL7enlAyic_CrQnIl7hHjC-yr_cK0b-xWf9-WQLBXswgod-UxK4DRpUw/s1600/Kuju+2015+%252858+of+58%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHR9H7-cgeMajp847LfhYakrxiK-EGEYyISm0KidCnft3g8HylsAT6ry-NOeJi3Gk-WCE3fUS0siFX_gPL7enlAyic_CrQnIl7hHjC-yr_cK0b-xWf9-WQLBXswgod-UxK4DRpUw/s400/Kuju+2015+%252858+of+58%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Once we realized that the moon wasn't going to rise until about 3 a.m., we went to bed after midnight. And woke up before 8 a.m. so we could enjoy a buffet breakfast before hitting the road to enjoy a day of shopping. While we stopped at IKEA in Fukuoka on the way home because we wanted Swedish meatballs and cheap home decor, our actual shopping destination was Orange Top, a used furniture store about 45 minutes from the Kuju cottage. And used furniture store is what they call themselves on Google Maps. We lovingly call it the Kuju junk store. And we filled the back of two vans with treasures from this place.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2d1p9ASF394GEiwTpTFCFcH1GfFC8siyxR8xP28APFMAaCFk2Tch5ATmAjB9WBeOMo_KZsNBZuaH9NIvnk2GKJU0opzlNGh9EXlJCtuvlfpkrRJL8fPi77f_-uPR1CIuYArIBHA/s1600/IMG_6334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2d1p9ASF394GEiwTpTFCFcH1GfFC8siyxR8xP28APFMAaCFk2Tch5ATmAjB9WBeOMo_KZsNBZuaH9NIvnk2GKJU0opzlNGh9EXlJCtuvlfpkrRJL8fPi77f_-uPR1CIuYArIBHA/s400/IMG_6334.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4GkB24ZfWTCqV0MxWC-IXLHH4jBkrTukVXG-69t6ltDBguGozQOJj6g8768qdWHjf0o-hDKxlYvAJlGwAyY-wGtnrIljXRB8eIglbfKBniwdxcjZFi1gPqAZeccY95fTrtaNLg/s1600/IMG_6333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4GkB24ZfWTCqV0MxWC-IXLHH4jBkrTukVXG-69t6ltDBguGozQOJj6g8768qdWHjf0o-hDKxlYvAJlGwAyY-wGtnrIljXRB8eIglbfKBniwdxcjZFi1gPqAZeccY95fTrtaNLg/s400/IMG_6333.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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And that's just the outside. There's that whole yellow building full of stuff, too. Fortunately, we had a Japanese-speaker with us (Thank you Chie, for going... we know how much you LOVE junk stores) so I managed to find out that they have been in business for over 20 years, but moved to this location 7 years ago. It's amazing the sheer mass of different items that fill the place from floor to ceiling. Literally, there are things hanging from the ceiling. And the lady who runs the place climbs on about three layers of furniture to cut something down for you if you want it. She's got to be part acrobat.</div>
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I asked for business card and got this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXF8czNmQU0tH1HwAbVQ3aaWjEg7vMKGJUbOErRfjOK-Oj2LTWVgqEEOlzwxjd58i4dHUXNOt7eGsuS7_CBuZxgiWBc0OYuMNZ8oTCQeh069vuLZ8eIdC7mC9G3se8BRvTrC7YQ/s1600/IMG_6335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXF8czNmQU0tH1HwAbVQ3aaWjEg7vMKGJUbOErRfjOK-Oj2LTWVgqEEOlzwxjd58i4dHUXNOt7eGsuS7_CBuZxgiWBc0OYuMNZ8oTCQeh069vuLZ8eIdC7mC9G3se8BRvTrC7YQ/s400/IMG_6335.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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For those of you who can't read Japanese, <a href="https://www.google.co.jp/maps/place/33%C2%B014'36.9%22N+131%C2%B010'09.8%22E/@33.242278,131.1686613,400m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x35414ed030a94187:0x7509ab995f100dfe?hl=en">here is a Google Map pin</a>., compliments of Carolyn, who remembers to do things like that. I am just too distracted by all the cool stuff to do something sensible like drop a pin, I guess. And here are photos of my distracting treasures from this shopping trip:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwMado9ku4ol1rDHegM5AExKk2xcgqhKx6tAXoSEYUsS5Q-2h-kitQDr2KuCbUXeAlq2lVYw0PEAH4aEYjt_xHY-EjzpzNhTWBVCmUeDa3mLRqpIdKRJHVPCEH9YWZ1NmY-mHCg/s1600/IMG_6336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwMado9ku4ol1rDHegM5AExKk2xcgqhKx6tAXoSEYUsS5Q-2h-kitQDr2KuCbUXeAlq2lVYw0PEAH4aEYjt_xHY-EjzpzNhTWBVCmUeDa3mLRqpIdKRJHVPCEH9YWZ1NmY-mHCg/s400/IMG_6336.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi24E96sgtv15WewzVGr-d3DhjsJrvcjJZVtrJmQ0HpkyT0RB1TejMCVd9Jsua7o5SXQb3SFNfJPo8IDJqLgDjlCAztkCRxcIbQ0gIVu2HZEijBxg9gjTREWmoYO9ZCl3RFPoQOw/s1600/IMG_6337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi24E96sgtv15WewzVGr-d3DhjsJrvcjJZVtrJmQ0HpkyT0RB1TejMCVd9Jsua7o5SXQb3SFNfJPo8IDJqLgDjlCAztkCRxcIbQ0gIVu2HZEijBxg9gjTREWmoYO9ZCl3RFPoQOw/s400/IMG_6337.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOH4uYJioee9uu4nkzDfejhE_Y-HVaUjjxC-V0jPNrAsiyjuB72QuOo8Op3SvAUEIrVZ8E_B0lfHHjBnSFxNIrtD8iz85_LQb1UwrM1myk08p6wlWn6pXXU10_1RfBW-wau3c8iA/s1600/IMG_6338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOH4uYJioee9uu4nkzDfejhE_Y-HVaUjjxC-V0jPNrAsiyjuB72QuOo8Op3SvAUEIrVZ8E_B0lfHHjBnSFxNIrtD8iz85_LQb1UwrM1myk08p6wlWn6pXXU10_1RfBW-wau3c8iA/s400/IMG_6338.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-TEpo_eNbKxtcqGl8dU7tfUOn3BkochlST3zlroNXGt9-EbhIfmdEHeUVLmVPeQZsjdxfWqWYnJbENM616pAjRx8QCFYUQa8_R1q9bXxVH8uN-xFnPu-ilEG7ViBuDJGNCdCXA/s1600/IMG_6339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-TEpo_eNbKxtcqGl8dU7tfUOn3BkochlST3zlroNXGt9-EbhIfmdEHeUVLmVPeQZsjdxfWqWYnJbENM616pAjRx8QCFYUQa8_R1q9bXxVH8uN-xFnPu-ilEG7ViBuDJGNCdCXA/s400/IMG_6339.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1B4kP_aIAvJxD5zzgarW367srVurSlsdU8Fjkd3XWFv3mUK1nGnCgVoyq_feNpAqm__HwsFJtcrMoKXTLe4C0mH-_zyhPHAetnITOl5wwbTBN5SQoinGAiH5dU0Y5Uocs9_PFA/s1600/IMG_6340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1B4kP_aIAvJxD5zzgarW367srVurSlsdU8Fjkd3XWFv3mUK1nGnCgVoyq_feNpAqm__HwsFJtcrMoKXTLe4C0mH-_zyhPHAetnITOl5wwbTBN5SQoinGAiH5dU0Y5Uocs9_PFA/s400/IMG_6340.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqWce1hESw1r33T4NRGBXIC8MpHmBKIqupg3xMwJEkvb989-ina922AyLRSgnARDOyAFOUNkm1PRNn8qtoYAVnyYbaj-NLLEFg1tVxjzwETotnKeOcOCW6NxY0AvUrsl2oD630Q/s1600/IMG_6341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqWce1hESw1r33T4NRGBXIC8MpHmBKIqupg3xMwJEkvb989-ina922AyLRSgnARDOyAFOUNkm1PRNn8qtoYAVnyYbaj-NLLEFg1tVxjzwETotnKeOcOCW6NxY0AvUrsl2oD630Q/s400/IMG_6341.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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So, to summarize the trip, we left at 8:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday in October, and were back home by 9 p.m. on Thursday. And it was a great way to relax, recharge and get away from the daily grind. Despite the fact that two of us were fighting off colds, I don't think anyone would have missed this trip. It was a much-needed girls trip.<br />
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Want to go off on a girls trip but getting some resistance from the spouse? The fathers only had to handle one night and one morning with the school-age children. A sane wife is worth burning two days of leave, if you have younger children who aren't in daycare. There are babysitters and neighbors all over this base. JDs serves dinner. And considering how many times the non-military spouse has managed weeks- and months-long deployments, I think a true military man should be able to manage a household for 37 hours. If you find that yours can't, feel free to have him contact me... I'll put him in touch with the spouse who can assist him with his household management skills, man-style. Mine's a pro and knows he'll have a better wife for it. At least until it's time for another girls' trip... which happens to be coming up in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned... :DJessica Guthriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09503428101702547035noreply@blogger.com0