1400 hours "The Storming Six"
The weather took a crazy turn for the warm! We are having like record lows for snow fall in the end of February... so i have been basking in the sun like a cat! Loving the sunshine!
Culture point:
There are two big holidays called " hinamatsuri" and "kodomo no hi" and they are pretty much kids day! The second one literarily translates to "kids day" and I think I talked about this before but I know more now. Both are celebrated by putting out decorations like a nativity at Christmas to us. But pretty much that's all the holiday is. So the first one is hinamatsuri and its like girls day and you have these dolls that look like ancient Japanese emperors and queens and princesses and stuff. They look really fancy and cost thousands of dollars. When the first daughter is born into a family the parents of the mother of the daughter is traditionally expected to buy those dolls for the family.
kodomo no hi is the boy version and the decorations are armor especially a samurai helmet. When the fist male of a family is born tradition says the fathers parents buy those decorations. Kinda fun but looks expensive! (That's why I think the grandparents who love the child most buys it.. haha)
Fun food fact:
Pizza. Macnab choros favorite food is pizza so we have been thinking about it lately. The thing with food in Japan is if you have the right connections and endless amounts of money you could probably get any type of food from anywhere in the world. so you could get a pizza hut deep dish pizza that is medium size but it will cost you around 50 dollars. That is kinda fun. Sometimes the church members are way too nice and will sneak us stuff like that... crazy! But you can get cheaper pizza around - most of the time there is corn and mayonnaise on it. Or the second most common is chopped up sausages that are kinda like a high quality hot dog. Both are good once you get your imagination wrapped around them! I have never seen pepperoni pizza here besides the military base.
Spiritual thought:
We had a really close friend lose their mother this week and it has kind of shook us a little in the right direction. I have never been close to death yet so I wont try and pretend like I know anything of the grief or burden of losing a loved one; but I do always think of a scripture "But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ." Mosiah 16:8 (pg.178 of the Book of Mormon). Death used to be so scary to me until I talked to God about it through prayer. Though Prayer I know that we can have the fear and sorrow that in associated with our own death be taken away. My friend seems to be having her burden taken away too. I am so thankful for Christ's sacrifice for us. I am thankful that God has a plan for us and this is not the end of us or our family unit.
Funny story:
Japanese people are so funny about nakedness to me... but I suppose I am funny about it to them too.. sometimes I want to read my companions letters home. haha!
For example, in a magazine of a new hot spa there might be a picture with 10 men bums on it. No one thinks anything of it - the male body is just like a baby body nobody cares. Girls bodies are probably the same as in America I think. They all grow up going to public hot springs where they separate the boys and girls and everyone is nude while taking a bath and so they are so much used to that type of thing then I think Americans are. That being said... I was laughing so hard when I heard this adult man in his 60s tell us about his most awkward moment in English class.. (it started off in elfish but as he got more passionate it went into Japanese:
"You wanna hear a crazy story!? I used to be in the military and I had a few chances to go into that American base over in misawa. It was a great place - everything was huge and the people were friendly but I had the craziest experience.. you know in the bathrooms you have a door right? like a normal strong tall door? (in japan they are pretty much always floor to ceiling doors on stalls) Well back in the 80s when I went into that base I went into the bathroom and there was no doors! I was feeling so awkward and then it got way worse when a bunch of American guys came in the bathroom as well.. we could see each other!! And then you want to know the craziest thing.. they were talking to each other! Just having a nice ol chat about something in English. I couldn't believe it... years passed and I thought maybe that was just the old ways and maybe it was just because they are military and want to keep it cheep and easy to maintain.. But I went back and I thought ahh they finally put doors on the stalls... but then they were this little half doors that you could SEE under and over! Those people were very kind but I couldn't believe it..."
My jaw was on the ground... haha! It's just culture differences but I thought it was funny of him to share it.. Macnab choro then shared his awkward Japan bathroom story and it was the exact same experience I had in the Tokyo airport! I was laughing so hard because he said all the exact things I did down to the lady coming in and cleaning and everyone panicking..
Love each other for me!
Law Choro
I feel guilty when I share anything to do with restrooms so forgive me...
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