Christmas in Japan

We had a great Christmas season in Japan this year. The neighbors got together and went out for dinner. We had a Christmas Eve party with the neighbors. Sumire's preschool had a Christmas celebration (have a close look at Santa - he may look familiar to you!) And Christmas Day was exciting too as Sumire has better understands the festivities this year. Enjoy the pix.

Hello Kittly Land!

We went to the Hello Kitty amusement park in December. It was neat but VERY crowded! Sumire had fun. They had a well done show that was a remake of the Wizard of Oz with Kitty!

Disneyland

Here are some pictures from our trip to Disneyland with the Yokooji's in October.
Enjoy.

Halloween

Although Halloween is becoming more popular in Japan, the popularity is mostly in commercial aspects (people buy Halloween decorations) or the party scene in big cities. Trick or treating is still uncommon.
Last year we started a trick or treat night for the kids - 3 families took part. This year we had about 12 kids from the neighborhood participate. The kids had a great time and many of the parents got dressed up too!
Enjoy the pictures.
(Try to find the one where Sumire is doing her "pumpkin face")

Sports Day

Yesterday was Sumire's daycare Sports Day. Here are some shots of the fun. Thanks Auntie Lorraine for the cool outfit! She got an Anpan-man medal for her efforts. Yuki ran for the blue team!

The 15m dash was a bit puzzling for her - all the other kids were off and running but Sumire didn't seem in any rush at all. One of her teachers helped her finish though.

Here is a shirt that I saw at the sports day. Not a university I will be recommending to my students!