Quaking

Update: I wrote this post on Thursday and tonight (Saturday) we actually experienced another big one, this one for about two minutes. The first thing I did was grab the TV! We are all fine but I am definitely concerned about so much seismic activity! Prayers are always welcome! 

When we lived in Rochester, my favorite trees were the quaking aspens. We had three of them that leaned over our deck and it was my favorite view in the whole house, living right in the treetops and watching the trees clap their hands every time the slightest breeze came through.

Little did I know at that time that I would once again live a daily life surrounded by quaking, although in this case, it's the earth, not trees. 

A few days ago there was an earthquake, the third one that I've felt in three weeks. The two early ones were tremors that I only felt because I was on a relatively high floor in a hotel, and because I was sleeping. I woke up to the feeling of gently shimmying as if I were jello on a plate. It was almost relaxing, like the Earth had become a giant massage chair.

The last one was...not that. It was much more powerful and it was loud. Also, confusing. I had no idea what was happening, because, as luck would have it, we had just purchased a new TV and Tim and the guy were preparing to load it into our van. So my first thought was "Why they heck are they shaking the car so much? Is it stuck?" Then I heard the phones going off with the alerts and I figured it out. And obviously an earthquake WOULD hit right as we were about to load a brand new, highly breakable, and very expensive object into our van. Fortunately, all was well, and no TVs or people were harmed in the loading process. The older kids were at school. Belle's reaction was "It was not scary at all, because when I heard JI SHIN JI SHIN alert, I just hid under the table like I am supposed to" and Biggie's was "That did not happen." Typical. Pretty sure Biggie does not sit still long enough to notice an earthquake.

It is a weird thing to live in a place where the Earth might suddenly upend your entire life with no warning. It makes you aware that there is really only so much that is in your control. So you kiss your kids a lot, you secure your breakables, and you hope you're not in an elevator or on a high speed train or in the shower when it happens. Those things are not necessarily dangerous, but it would be inconvenient, for sure.

We are leaving Japan for the States next week, and I am frankly dreading it. Being sealed into a metal tube traveling at high altitudes is never my idea of a good time. Make it last about 14 hours with three highly active children and it sounds a great deal like hell to me. Still, once we are there  it should be nice. We are going to a wedding in NY first and then Tim will leave. We will visit my grandmother, who lives about an hour south of the wedding, and then my Mom and I will drive from NY to NC. Jet lag, formal affair where good behavior is required, and then a nice long road trip! What could possibly go wrong?!??!! And then we'll mostly just visit with my family and my friend Jen, whom I've been needing to see for about six  months now. And then I'll fly back. With the kids. From Washington DC to Tokyo. By myself. Cue the Carrie Underwood "Jesus, take the wheeeeeeeeeeelllllll". And also drugs. Cue those too.

In between packing and earthquake proofing and such, we are also missing my sister and her boyfriend who had a nice long visit to Japan. Sidenote: boyfriend is a horrible word and yet everything you could use in its place is even worse. Date? Too temporary. Partner? Weirdly businesslike. Lover? Awkward. Soulmate? Cheesy. Come on, guys, we can do better than boyfriend, right? I just have no idea how.

Anyway, Jordan and her notboynotfriend Adam came to visit and it was marvelous.Please ignore my finger covering part of the camera below. The kids adored their Auntie JoJo and Uncle Adam and are driving me crazy asking every single day if they are coming back to Japan "to be part of our family again". We may possibly get to see them again in NY, so that would make everyone very happy.




I will have to write about the details of our visit in tomorrow's post, but for now, I will just say that it was great to see them again, and hard to say goodbye. And here is a weird little secret that is already known by anyone who has spent a great deal of time away from family: you almost dread visits. It's not because you don't want to see them...of course you do!...it's just that saying goodbye is like ripping off a Band-Aid. It stings a little bit and you have to regrow your thick "I can do daily life without you if I have to" skin. Still, you wouldn't miss it, even if you have a sort of physical soreness afterward. Life quickly sucks you back in and you move on, with more memories and a closer bond, and generally more appreciation for the people your "little" siblings are becoming in their time on their own. Both of my sisters have visited us in Japan and I hope both of them will be able to return before we leave. It's just so fun to be with them and we miss them a lot when we're apart. Both of the big kids have asked me, apropos of nothing, "Hey, Mom, do you miss your sister Jojo right now?"...which is my biggest indication that THEY miss Aunt Jo. Well, that and the fact that Biggie has tenderly made an extremely small bed beside his own for "the next time Uncle Adam visits, so he can sleep with me." It is about the right size for a small dog, so ...good luck with that, Adam! Should be super comfy.

Foodie Files: Conveyor Belt Sushi

Quick: name the first Japanese food that springs to your mind. GO!

I bet it was sushi. Was it sushi? Just pretend it was, because this post will be irrelevant otherwise.

There are basically two ways to do sushi (or zushi) in Japan. The first is the famous "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" way, where an artist who happens to work in fish sets up shop and makes sushi directly for the people sitting in front of him. He'll watch you eat and shape the fish to your pace and your liking. These places are usually very small, with a reverent and quiet atmosphere, and they are very pricey. Plus, you pretty much eat what you are given, unless you have a serious food aversion or allergy. I hear it's lovely, but we haven't actually done it yet ourselves.

The second way is conveyor belt sushi. This is our local favorite. 

When sushi becomes part of a compound word in Japanese, it is pronounced "zushi". You'll see it both ways if you travel in Japan, but it means the same thing.

This is a very different experience. The restaurants are large,  very noisy, and super cheap. But they are still delicious and they are usually PACKED to the gills. (Ha.Ha.)

I have to admit, I had no hopes that my children would become sushi lovers. I was quite pleased to be wrong.

Tuna rolls are her favorite.

While I had zero expectations, I think the fun atmosphere really adds to thrill for my children. The booths are staggered around central "train tracks" as my children call them and the sushi circulates on the tracks.

This is actually in England, but it gives you a good idea of the overall layout.

You sit down at your booth and start snagging plates right away. Zero wait time also helps with little children. Plus, the lurid midori green soda we allow them to drink probably helps. I'm sure this color is all natural. This is Fanta melon soda which is very popular here and is always one of two sodas on offer, along with regular cola.

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If you don't like soda, each conveyor belt sushi place that I've seen has powdered green tea available at no charge at your table, with a hot water dispenser either at your table or at the soda fountain. And always, ice water is available for free, albeit in teeny tiny Japanese glasses that are about 1/3 the size of American soda glasses.

The chefs will prepare certain "standard" dishes and send them onto the belt.  For instance, there will almost always be tuna, salmon, roe, and urchin circulating along with some California rolls and cucumber stick rolls. There will usually be some edamame and a few desserts making the rounds as well.

You can see the plates on both sides of belt.

You save your plates which usually come in three colors to indicate different levels of pricing and then your waiter will total up your plates at the end for your bill.

You also have a screen at your table which allows you to place special orders. There are a variety of appetizers and desserts and sides available and you can also order special sushi rolls. Special orders come elevated on black plates and your screen will sound an alert when your order gets within a few feet of your table. This is also extremely exciting for my kids who like to scream "HERE IT COMES!!!!" when our alert sounds. I like to think we're bringing a special American vibe to the joint when this happens.

The leftmost plate is elevated, which means someone placed an order for it. Naturally it's bad form to snatch an order that isn't yours, no matter how tempting it looks!

The quality of the sushi is a cut above (I'm so sorry about all the bad puns, but I can't stop) grocery store deli selections and a significant step below a sushi chef's restaurant, but mid level sushi in Japan is still really darn good. And you can feed a large family very cheaply. I believe our bill came up to about $21 dollars and we all ate a LOT of food, including appetizers and desserts for each of us.

I believe there are quite a few of these in the States as well, but if you're here in Japan, it's a must visit cultural experience and very kid friendly.