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Name: Jacob Robert

Nicknames: “Handsome”, “Little Man”, “Sir-Stink-A-Lot”, “Boogga Bear” , "One Eye Jake"

Age: 6 months

Hair color: the hair I do have- brown

Eye Color: flip a coin…. one day brown, one day blue

Weight: 17 lbs 6oz

Height: 27 inches

Favorite Food: Oatmeal Cereal

Interests: sign language, modeling (for my parent’s camera), exploring new things,

Hobbies: rolling over, eating my feet, watching IU b-ball, tummy time, playing peak-a-boo

Goals: eat more veggies, improve my posture

Our Sweet Celebrity

If I might just take a moment to share with you what a hit Jacob is in this country. Of course every mother thinks that her baby is the sweetest and cutest, and I’m sure that any American baby has the same flood of attention that Jacob does here. BUT let me share with you how popular Jacob is when we go out. I have been stalked in the grocery store with Japanese women trying to catch a glimpse of Jacob, watch Japanese women take pictures of him with their cell phones while I bathe in the onsen, and the list goes on and on. During this trip, I took out my camera to catch other examples of Jacob’s popularity. One night at a small Thai restaurant here in Misawa, the owner asked to hold him while her husband, who works in the kitchen, took pictures. She then took Jacob over to the cash register to settle another patron’s check.




While at the B&B, three ladies from Hong Kong oogled over him and never missed an opportunity to take pictures.



And even the eccentric German who worked at the B&B helped Chris babysit!




Jacob is quite the celebrity wherever we go. What will we do the day we come back to the States and he does’t stop traffic?? =)

Snow Anyone?

After our trip to Tokyo, Scott, Casey, Chris, Jason, Jacob and I hopped on the Shinkansen for the 3 hour ride to Misawa. On Tuesday we rested a bit and took in the city of Misawa and the Air Base. On Wednesday the six of us snuggled into our rented van, and headed to the Iwate Prefecture to ski at Appi Kogen Resort. Wednesday we had beautiful weather and lots of great skiing. Jason and I took turns skiing while the other played with Jacob in the lodge.

We stayed overnight and our accommodations were perfect. Jason discovered a Bed and Breakfast, called Pension Mutti, close to the ski resort which was run by a Japanese lady, Kayoko Mutti. She had been a ski instructor years ago and skied all over the world. She told us that she used to ski 250 days out of the year! (slacker) Twelve years ago she opened up this B&B. It was darling! Our rooms were modest, but pleasant, and there was a private onsen we took advantage of. Kayoko took great pride in the quality of the accommodations and her meals she served. Wednesday after a great day of skiing and a relaxing trip to the onsen, we were spoiled with an amazing meal. She served each of us potato soup, a salad and small appetizer plate, our own personal trout, steak with a small potato, and a delicious desert. For breakfast Thursday morning we had corn soup (my personal fave) a small salad, scrambled eggs, sausages, and her most yummy-luscious homemade rolls, fresh from the oven.

Thursday morning we awoke to a blanket of six inches of fresh snow, beautiful blue skies, and lots of sun. We thanked our wonderful hostess, bid farewell to the Pension Mutti, and headed back to the slopes. Although the gondolas had already closed due to winds, skiing in the morning was full of fun with new powder and stories of losing poles and ending up waist deep in the trees.

After lunch though, it was a different story. The falling snow had picked up significantly and the wind gusts were steady and strong. When Scott, Casey, Chis and I snapped into our skis, we had difficulty getting to the lift due to the strong winds and blinding snow. Once we were on the lift, I will not lie, my palms were sweating a bit from all the blowing around. When we got off the first lift we discovered that the rest of the lifts had stopped and the resort was shutting down. As we could not see more than a few feet in front of us due to the white-out conditions, Scott suggested that we all stay together as we headed down the hill. Once we packed up Jacob and the van, it was evident that we were not going to make it back to Misawa in these conditions. The Expressway back had already shut down due to the storm and would need a place to stay for the night. Luckily, Kayoko, welcomed us back to the Pension Mutti, although she was very concerned about what we were going to eat, as she had obviously not expected us back for dinner. We assured her that ANYTHING was fine and not to go to any trouble for us. Well, although we did not have a 5 course meal as we did the night before, we were eager to gobble up the large wonderful plates of chicken in a mushroom sauce with desert. Kayoko apologized profusely for a meal that was below her expectations and even gave us a complimentary bottle of wine. We all thanked her for the amazing meal and service. Jason and I look forward to staying there again. Mental note though....do not leave the house unless you triple check that you have enough diapers for a blizzard! Even though I usually over estimate the supplies I will need for Jacob (I had brought enough rice cereal and burp cloths for a week!), I somehow did not bring enough diapers. The supply I brought was barley enough for the original trip, let alone another night away from home. So, Jason, Scott and Chris ventured out into the storm to get diapers at a near-by convenience store. Thanks Guys!

Although the remainder of Scott, Casey and Chris's trip was foiled due to the "Blizzard" which dumped more than a foot of snow throughout the region, we all enjoyed their last day in Misawa with a slow, but safe drive from the resort, a trip to a Buddhist Temple, and a couple intense games of bowling, and a delicious sushi dinner (just ask Chris!). We are happy to report that our guests made it back to Tokyo and Narita Airport and back to the States with no issues or delays.

Scott, Casey and Chris: Thanks for coming to visit us and Japan!!! We hope you had a wonderful and memorable trip!

Been There, Done That....Tokyo

We were very excited to have our first visitors in Japan when our pals Scott, Casey, and Chris came last week. Jason, Jacob, and I met them in Tokyo after their long flight and then spent a few days exploring the large city. Tokyo has over 12 million people living in the city, and over 35 million in the metro area. In comparison, New York City's population is approximately 8 million and the State of Ohio has just under 11.5 million. We were all in awe of the size of the city. We mingled amongst the millions with 1 stroller and 2 guide books over 3 days of beautiful weather.

Our first day we walked around the Imperial Palace Gardens.

We then ventured to the Ginza district where we explored all the hottest electronics in the Sony Building and ate lunch at a chic restaurant.

We finished the afternoon with a trip to Meiji Shrine. Here we saw the largest Torii Gate in all Japan and stumbled upon 2 Japanese weddings that were taking place at the Temple.

For dinner we found a charming restaurant in the Roppongi District where we had a private room on the 7th floor overlooking the district and cooked our own meat on the hibachi grills at our table. I am happy to report that none of us suffered from food poisoning after being responsible for cooking our own food. :) After dinner, we headed to the top of Tokyo Tower to look over the enormous city and all it's lights, which seemed to go on forever.

Day two was spent exploring the Electronic District in Akihabara. None of us came away with any new cameras, TV's, or mp3 players, but we did all window shop. We had a great lunch with the best hot dogs at a small coffee shop...Casey mentioned that the US should make hot dogs like these!

After lunch we headed to a Sumo Tournament for the rest of the afternoon. We went with a tour group so we could take advantage of an English speaking guide. He was very helpful explaining the traditions, ceremony and rules of Sumo Wrestling. All 5 of us left with a greater appreciation of the sport. I still cannot tell you why they insist on wearing such little clothing while wrestling, but we did learn a few other facts.

Our third, and last day, began at the crack of dawn at the Fish Market and Auction. This was one of the few destinations we did not take Jacob (he could have been mistaken for a fish and sold to the highest bidder!). I stayed at the hotel with him and slept in. Jason, Scott, Casey and Chris were up before the sun and rose at 5AM. This fish market differs from that of smaller cities (like the one we visited near Misawa) in that it is the market for commercial and private businesses rather than for the average consumer. Wow, what a site. Tokyo is the mecca for the fishing industry and it was certainly evident on this morning. The auction for the >200 pound tunas was over before we knew it. The fish were then carved, sliced, sawed, diced in every style for the various business owners. The four of them saw tuna, salmon, octopi, squid, swordwish, and hundreds more species we can't name. They left by 7AM, grabbed a cup of coffee, and met Jacob and I for breakfast.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the Shinjuku District, which is the major business/government district in Tokyo. We ventured through several communities here, including several posh shops, the 'Red-Light' area and the business buildings. We took another elevator to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building where we once again had a breath-taking view of the city. Due to an overcast day, we were disappointed that Mt. Fuji wasn't visible, but we were able to take great pictures of the rest of the city. Before we left, our sweet tooth led us on a search for dessert and we found the yummiest place on earth! We found what can only be described as a "Bakery on Steroids". After purchasing and eating our yummy treats, we boarded the Shinkansen Train (Bullet Train) to Misawa.

Our trip to Tokyo was enlightening and eye opening. We enjoyed the culture of Tokyo, the hustle and bustle of a large city, and of course, our friends. We also had several delicious meals, noodle bowls, Kobe beef, yakitori, and melt in your mouth french toast. We also left with a few funny stories such as "Where in Tokyo is Chris' Passport?" and Jason crashing a Japanese wedding. Jacob was the most well-behaved baby in Tokyo. In fact, he was one of the few babies out and about! Japanese families tend to keep infants hibernating throughout the winter and until they can walk. On a side note, the Japanese are not very handicap or stroller friendly. Elevators were hard to come by. As a result, the five of us took turns lugging the stroller up and down stairs. Jacob enjoyed seeing the sights from his Baby Bjorn, but also napping in his stroller. We only explored a fraction of the city, but hope to return there again soon.

Enjoy all the pics!! More to come from this past week's adventures.