Week 3 Day 5

Pictures of the journey:

Taken by my friend, Brittney, in North Dakota

A variety of forms of transportation all on various journeys

Journey up Mt. Fuji

Journey through the labyrinth with our DDH group

Journey through the Word with friends

Week 2 Day 5

Some pictures from my files that represent silence to me...

Morning reflections from the pond in Karuizawa

Tree lined street in the morning light

Ripples on the lake

Clouds in a blue sky

Bible reading on the veranda in the evening

Almost sunset

The canoe my friend and her dad built out on the lake

Sabbath Adventures

Last Monday for my Sabbath I went on a little adventure back to the beach I had visited in May when I last posted.  (If anyone has figured out how to stop time, let me know.  Lots of life has happened since my last post, but trying to catch up is overwhelming, so I am just going to plod on from here.)

So, I went to the beach again.  But, before going to the beach I thought I should try to find something new in the area.  The night before I left I studied my online map of the area looking for parks or other beaches or landmarks or anything that might be interesting.

I found...

A little cove where I could climb on the rocks, sit in the sun, watch the fishing boats go by

 And, not pictured, the kind lady at the hotel who allowed me to park my car for a while as I went exploring through the neighborhood.

The rocks went right out into the water- or the water came right up over the rocks...

Beautiful views from...

The lighthouse!  (I had taken a picture of the whole thing from below, but that pic has disappeared!)

A little cafe on the hill looking down over the bay

 The interior of the cafe was all train themed with signs from old train cars and stations and a model train running around the perimeter of the cafe.  The lady working there told me about the birds soaring around the hills, the quiet life on this little hill, and told me to park my car in their parking lot next time I wanted to come exploring the hills!

The sun was sparkling on the water so beautifully!

There were so many fishing boats out on the water, even people fishing right from the shore.  I am not sure what kind of fish they were catching, but it was obviously a good day for it because I have never seen that many boats and people fishing when I have been to this beach before.

On my last trip to the beach- between May and now!- I found this lovely tea shop in a mall.

Last time I went to the beach I stopped at this mall because I heard they had a nice Starbucks with a terrace.  There is a nice Starbucks, but the terrace is in the food court.  However, as I walked around before going into Starbucks, I found this tea shop with the walls lined with bookshelves.  As much as I love SB, I could not resist this shop!  It was a lovely place to read and reflect.

What adventures does my next Sabbath hold?!

Parks

I love the park just up the road from me.  I has lovely tree-lined walking paths, a water fountain, and lots of friendly people.  I often run through the park on my morning runs, however, during the summer I run exclusively in the park so that I can drink water without having to carry it.

Over the summer this year I discovered there is a group of people who do radio exercises every morning at 6:30.  I have joined them and really enjoy it.  Many of the participants walk the paths before the exercises start.  Although, now that it is getting cooler and the sun doesn't rise so early, many are waiting until after exercises to walk.  That is when I have started running, too, actually!

I love running past people and greeting them.  Now that I have joined the exercise time, people know I can speak Japanese and have lived here for quite some time.  I think that gives them more of a willingness to greet me.

One of the men who has lived in the area the longest said that the park used to be a pond and a plum tree orchard.  There is a pond in the park now, but it is in a different location!  I am not sure how they moved the pond, but they did.  There are ducks that winter in the pond and a pheasant who makes his presence known every once in a while.

A couple of mornings ago the clouds turned pink as the sun was rising and the full moon was setting. It was really beautiful, and impossible to capture with a camera.  But, I wrote this haiku as I was walking home...

early morning sun
full moon swallowed by pink clouds
jogging in the park

Come visit and I will take you to meet my new friends at the park!

Here and There, Part 1

I have spent a bit of time over the past month in airplanes and fighting jet lag.  These travels have all included fun, work, times of refreshment, and times of study.

Every summer our missionaries in Japan gather for a time of study and refreshment.  This year we went to a beautiful beach location.

Enjoying the beach, sun, and ocean!

I enjoyed our times of worship and study as a mission family.  We studied Moses and his leadership.  We sang and praised.  It was refreshing!

Singing together

We also spent some time enjoying nature, the beach and mountains, two of my favorites!

Our hiking adventure took a muddy turn after about 300 meters.  We crossed a river several times so were able to rinse off as we went along.  The waterfall was pretty but not as grand as we were expecting.  Of course, the river was not at the end of the hike, so we went home muddy!

Really, the waterfall is just down the hill!

Time for water and a snack

The waterfall

Our muddy legs at the end of the hike.
They had been worse than this at times!

We made it!

Our last morning God woke me up early as I had asked so that I could see the sunrise over the ocean. Beautiful!

I am thankful for this annual time of worship, study, and refreshment!

The Wonder of Christmas

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11 ESV)

When I think of the Magi, I am filled with wonder.  They had a lot of confidence and had studied a long time to leave their homes and take off on a journey to a destination they were not quite sure of.  These people, seems like there may have been quite an entourage, felt that the birth of a new king was important enough to make such a trip.  And, all they had for a map was a star.  Oh, I can't wait to talk to some of the people from this group when I get to heaven!  They must have some great travel stories!

This summer when friends were visiting from Japan, we stopped out in the middle of a corn field on a clear, moonless night.  The night sky was amazing!  I am awestruck that in the midst of all of that, these people could recognize a new star and knew its meaning.  I am Wonderstruck that God made such an amazing universe and that even at night we can see His handiwork.

Along the Way

I spent over half of June going to and staying in Michigan.  I had a fun drive out to Michigan, stopping along the way to visit friends.
６月に半分以上ミシガン州に行くと泊まることです。行く途中で、友達の家に尋ねました。楽しい旅だった。

Iowa has some cool rest areas!
This one was dedicated to Iowa authors.

Illinois has some nice rest areas, too.
This is the view from...

...here!  Very cool lookout tower.

I went a little out of my way to go to Springfield, IL, where I saw Pres. Lincoln's home.

This is where Abe Lincoln was sitting when the message came  that he had been chosen to run for president.

The front hall where he would have hung his hat.

The 'family' room where Abe played with his boys and his wife sewed.

The bedroom, with a cute little heating stove.

The house as it was probably situated when Abe lived there.

After seeing Lincoln's home, I rushed on to Champaign
where I went to a Sidewalk Prophets concert with Dan and Molly.

A models the Peruvian tablecloth.

Z had a different look.

Coco helped Donna with some electrical work.

This indoor park is inside a church.

Z and his friend with Coco.

Selfie of the girls

Me and my friend-sister

The big kids being blinded by the sun!

Flat Coco Sees South Dakota

This week Coco, the real one, is in New York City!  Flat Shan is getting to see the sights and participate in gospel music ministry.  Flat Coco continues to enjoy adventures in South Dakota.
今週、本物のココちゃんがニューヨークにいます。Flat Shanが一緒に楽しんでいるみたい。いいね！Flat Cocoがまだ、SDのアドベンチャーを楽しんでいます。

The first week of August my friend and her family came to visit South Dakota from Japan.  We saw lots of sights!
８月の初めに日本の友達とご家族がSDに来てくださった。沢山の観光スポットを見に行きました。

Origami Fun!

Inside the grain bin-this was full of corn last week!

Farm Machinery Orientation

Lessons in corn growing

Look what South Dakotans do with corn!

Al's Oasis burger

And, in the middle of the prairie... !

Wildflowers

Look, there is no ocean out there!

Flat Coco meets Flat Stanley at Devil's Tower, Wyoming!

"That ribbon of highway..."  (This Land is Your Land)

Mount Rushmore!

Preparing for the cold of Wind Cave-a very amazing place!

The Bike Rally was starting!

Enjoying a buffalo burger in Custer

Flat Coco helping me drive

South Dakota sunset

A new game, ladder ball

Sioux Falls

The whole gang

Connect Four was a favorite

Spending some time singing praises