Author: Lori

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Autumn Leaves

People say the most beautiful season in Japan is spring, with all the cherry blossoms in full bloom.  I agree it’s quite a sight, but I also think there’s awe-inspiring beauty in seeing autumn leaves transform the landscape.  We decided to head to one of the most famous places to see this year’s autumn colors: […]

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving–a time to reflect on the countless blessings we have, gather around a dinner table with family and friends, drink too much and pig out.  Strangely, we’ve acclimated to the holidays in Japan and had it not been the messages of “Happy Thanksgiving” sent from friends back in the States, we probably would have never […]

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Sports Festival-undoukai

In October there is a national holiday called “taiiku no hi”体育の日: sports and health day.  It commemorates the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.  In recognition of this holiday, schools hold an 運動会 or sports festival.  Zachary started school the day after undoukai finished last year, so this was our first sports day experience.  The entire […]

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Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

September 13, 2018.  That was the day we landed at Nagoya Chubu Airport and began our new life in Osaka.  As we left Honolulu Airport on September 12th, Hurricane Olivia was on her way to the islands.  Flights were cancelled and delayed.  Our flight was delayed to accommodate a flight coming in that was also […]

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First Summer in Osaka

Can it really be the end of August?  From what the locals tell me, we have passed the peak of summer in Osaka…maybe.  The reason for the hesitation is that last year’s Osaka summer was one of the worst in recent memory.  There was a really strong earthquake, record-breaking heat and a terrible typhoon that […]

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Kindergarten

There is so much to admire about daycare/preschool facilities and caregivers in every country.  They provide a safe, educational and social setting for infants and toddlers to explore at their own pace.  The caregivers have endless diapers to change, noses and tears to wipe not to mention a huge responsibility in caring for our little […]

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Hisashiburini…it’s been a long time since my last post…

You know it’s been a while since you last logged on when you can’t remember your username or password… First off, we are alive and well despite my 4 month hiatus from blogging.  It’s been a very busy 4 months: Early March is when the school year started to wind down.  We began counting the […]

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Job Hunting

Can it be really be late February and nary a post from either of us in weeks…months?  Rest assured, we are alive and well and over our bouts of homesickness 🙂 It’s been a busy 2019 so far with Michael’s schedule changing to 10 hour days and my scrambling to find a job before the […]

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Chocolate Run

No, I’m not disclosing my digestive issues here.  I saw an ad back in November about a 10 km run scheduled for mid-January.  I wondered if it was anything like the Hot Chocolate run Karen, Pat and I did last year where, after you cross the finish line, you get a plastic container/mug with a […]

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Cheers to 2019!

It’s hard to believe that it’s 2019.  We’ve been living in Osaka for 4 months now, which is also hard to believe!  As you may have noticed, we haven’t blogged for a few weeks now.  It’s partly due to Michael starting his new work schedule this month, but it’s also partly due to a tinge […]

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