TAO!!! The taiko drumming concert ((UPDATE!))

Sorry this post is so late! One week ago CT, Stitch, Billy and I went and say a group called TAO. TAO is a modernized taiko drumming group. It was absolutely AMAZING. The performance was outstanding. There were a few drummers that were hilarious, the women looked so powerful and energetic, the entire group was energetic, strong, and amazing. Unfrotunately I was not able to get a picture during the show and trying to describe just how absolutely amazing and moving the show was is impossible. So instead, here is the trailer that TAO uses to entice their english speaking audience!





And one of their many amazing peices:

Nagasaki Bio Park!

Today we went to the Nagasaki Bio Park! It was terribly hot but we had a great time anyway seeing all the animals! Totoro even came along to see some things! Because our day was so busy we'll only share a few things.

First we saw a bunch of birds, then walked up a STEEP hill and into a butterfly garden. Thats were we found some bats! Cool huh?

Then around the corner, after some other animals, there were penguins! Hi penguins!

Then we fed some flamingos. Cool!

We also saw alot of turtles and some prairie dogs, then we sat down for lunch. Sandwhiches, fruits, veggies and cheese all brought from home! Yum!

Next was a small petting area, we held guinea pigs, pet the giant lizard thing, saw bunnies, hamsters, cats, birds, a pony.. and the thing with big ears. Stitch wanted to compare ears.

Then we pet and fed the Capybara. Unfortunately a little boy got bit by one :( Made them less cool.. but the baby Capybara was adorable! (Picture not shown)

Then we saw enough racoons to populate a north eastern state! I named them all Meeko :D

Totoro liked the big white Rhino.

We also saw llamas but I thought we'd get closer so I didn't take a picture.. we never got closer. But heres a giraffe!

We also saw porcupines and Skunks!

The japanese call Skunks "Skunku" ... Ayden corrected them.

Then we found the squirrel monkeys. They hung out with us for a bit, stole the food we bought for them as we were trying to get it onto our hands. Silly 'saru!'

Afterwards were some emu and red kangaroos. I hugged one. CT and stitch were jelous. Then I hugged a grey one.. and so they took a picture lounging with it.

Totoro found a bit black hippo and wanted a picture with it, then some big fish! He likes big animals, since he's big too!




At the end of the day we took a group photo in the butterfly garden. It was a lot of fun! I sort of wish it weren't so big so I could share more pictures and more information! But to find more information about the Nagasaki Bio Park (such as the animals CT, Stitch and I saw) go to http://www.biopark.co.jp/en/guidemap.html#animals

On the drive home we were looking out the window and saw the three towers. In the picture they're out in the distance. These three towers were what transmitted the message to bomb Pearl Harbor. Sort of a sad note to end the day on, but still insanely interesting!

The Bio Park was so much fun! We are definately going back again!!!

Fireworks? Wait.. what?

Fireworks? Randomly at 7:30/8PM I hear a bunch of recognizable pops! So I peek out the blinds and sure enough FIREWORKS! Not sure if they were from the base or why they were being set off but CT, Stitch and I definately enjoyed watching them for a few minutes!

Well, thats all for today, been taking it slow after such a busy weekend! Enjoy the pics of the fireworks!

A nice day out

CT and Stitch had a nice day out today. We had a nice adventure out to Saza! We went out to Sarayama park with Shannon and Wendy, which had some beautiful irises blooming! We enjoyed a beautiful walk through the flowers then walked up to the playground. At this point we went down a rolley slide. All this of course was after buying some delicious strawberries from the farmer's market! It was a gorgeous morning to be outdoors.

CT and Stitch took a break for a bit while Wendy, Bryan and I ate lunch, grabbed Ayden (the older of their 2 boys) then hit the gym to go swimming! It was great for the 5 of us but CT and Stitch don't like the water.. and swimming on base isn't that exciting so they hung out in the locker room. But they definately wanted to join us at the SUSHI-GO-ROUND!!!

I dont' know who enjoys the Sushi-go-round more, Stitch, CT or me!! Probably me. Sushi is so yummy! But they didn't have a lot of rolls without wasabi (which I, unfortunately, dont' like) so we ordered some.. including a California Roll! CT and Stitch were amazed at how large the roll was! They were glad that I was the one attempting to eat it. Then a delicious sesame covered mochi with bean curd as dessert YUM! Nice quiet day, it was beautiful!!

((The stack of plates in the background are all Bryan's! Crazy!!!))

CT and Stitch at Greenland Amusement Park!

CT and Stitch would like to welcome you to their adventure at the Greenland Amusement Park! (with our friend Susan, picture not included)

We had such a busy day today. Woke up at 6:30, walked to base at 7:10, grabbed some coffee and some yen and got to the bus. We had a nice long bus ride to Hario housing, then we were on our way to the park! It was a long ride through lots of trees and mountains and on some very small roads! These roads were not designed with busses in mind! Anywho, once we got to the park we set to work on finding some fun rides! Our first ride? A mini-coaster! "Sphinx Coaster" the outside was designed to look like a Sphinx, and the ride was a nice pleasant one. Not too scarey for the little guys!

After the coaster we meandered around the corner and found our way to Dragon River. After trying to scope out the damage to previous riders we decided that it was safe to give the ride a go. So CT and Stitch got their first river rapid ride, and Susan and I didn't get wet! It was a win win! After this ride we decided it was time to poke around for some food. Unfortunately nothing in our immediate surroundings looked good and we started walking around trying to find something we knew we'd like but along the way... we got distracted by go karts...











Go karts were super fun! not only was it the first ride for Stitch and CT, it was MY first time driving a go kart too!! Normally I see them in FL at Disney but the line is WAY too long to verify a five minute drive.. (not even) but no line here!











Again, Susan and I got distracted by the "Legend of Salamnder." After staring at the building for a few moments we decided to head in to see what the ride was. Turned out to be a ride where you shoot at targets (like Buzz Lightyear in Disney World!) I got about..7500 points! If I remember correctly. CT and Stitch got to watch.


















And then we finally grabbed McDonalds! Stitch and CT haven't seen a McDonalds yet so it was another new adventure for them. The chicken selects were super yummy! and the french fries were nice and HOT! Yum!

Susan and I went on the Black Hole Coaster after lunch, which CT and Stitch took a picture in front of... but since they didn't go on the ride itself theres no point in including that picture!

But finding the giant Totoro doll was TOTALLY worth including! TOTORO RULES! CT was very happy to see a big Totoro.

After spotting Totoro I went on a BIG roller coaster called "Gao." It was SOO fun!!! But CT and Stitch stayed with Susan so they wouldn't get lost. Once I got off, we went on Sky Jet. A nice relaxing ride with a great view!

After the Sky Jet we took pictures in pretty princess dresses! ((thats a dress, not a curtain!))

After dresses was a "petting zoo" with guneia pigs and dogs. CT and Stitch sat that out, to void becoming chew toys. The dogs were adorable.. but they were all napping and some of them refused to wake up. Lame.

Then we got on the "Western Train" ... turns out it was a really short train ride with a "western" theme... including hippos and rhinos... Did you know there were hippos and rhinos in the west? I sure didn't!

Then we went on a fun water ride with a HUGE splash.. but the cool thing is.. the boat is completely covered so you dont' get wet! Instead you FRY under the sun while being stuck in a boat with no fresh air and several other bodies... woohoo!!

Last but not least (well, for CT and Stitch) was the Carousel! It looks like Stitch is about to try to run off... haha!

It was a loooong day for us, but it was loads of fun hanging out with Susan! Next time I think I'll leave CT and Stitch at home so I can go on more coasters!!!

Anywho, probably no adventures tomorrow but who knows. Maybe a walk into town or something to get out of the house?