Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Dodi regularly keeps a diary of all the travelling we have done as a married couple. The following is an excerpt describing March 22nd, 2025.
It’s Saturday and it’s cleaning day for us. We spent about an hour or so on it. Keeping it weekly means it hasn’t had a chance to get too messy/dirty so it doesn’t take long and we both work on it. Glen picked us up at 12:30 and we went to Masame’s house where we met her and her daughter, Karin, and we’re off to another countryside restaurant for lunch. There is a lot of eating happening on this trip and I am afraid that I am gaining pounds but there is no scale here. I’m not certain but it feels like it. Anyway, we have a beautiful meal – a feast for the eyes and the mouth. It started with a potato and cheese soup, followed by the most beautiful salad I have ever seen and maybe the best tasting one, too. It is a selection of about a dozen different pieces of vegetables and meats piled with greens and topped by a delicious light dressing. Oishii! The main course was cod, lightly fried, served with a selection of colorful, roasted vegetables and fried tofu. This tofu was good as I normally don’t care for it. I think because it is such a staple to the Japanese diet that they know how to prepare it many ways and ways that make it taste okay. The meal ended with “kamboucha”, which of course I have heard of back home but have never tasted. Translated it means kelp tea. I expected it to taste like seaweed – briny and like grass. I was surprised that, to me, it tasted like chicken broth. I liked it and will see if I can get some in the grocery store. Apparently, it is a powder that you just add boiling water to. The restaurant was called “La Motrice” and seems like an odd name in Japan, but it was certainly a wonderful meal and seemed quite high end. It only had seating for about 14 people, 4 tables. There was a lovely view of the mountains and valley below and we were surrounded by birch trees. It was all a great experience.
We then took Glen back to his car as he was going to spend the rest of the day at work – on a Saturday. The Japanese do seem to devote an enormous amount of time to their jobs. The remaining four of us are then off to a ski resort where Masame’s husband works in administration. It is an enormous resort with a huge wave pool, about the size of the one at West Edmonton Mall. There are four 36 storey towers/hotels, with covered walkways connecting all the buildings, and at least a dozen restaurants. There are many retail stores and I don’t even know how many ski runs there are. There were crowds of people everywhere and many of them were families with young children. This resort is called “Risonare” at the town of Tomamu.
Unfortunately, as we were leaving and walking back to the parking lot, Paul slipped on a patch of ice and had a nasty fall. Luckily, he didn’t hit his head or break anything but he banged his elbow, so it was bleeding and landed on his tail bone, so he will be sore. We took the toll highway back towards home and had a pit stop at a grocery store in Shimizu. It was about 7:00 when we arrived at home and dark by then. It was a full and exhausting day.
Sunday, March 23, 2025
I woke up, excited for this day, as we had not seen Yuki and Jin since they moved away from Stony Plain near the end of the COVID crisis. After a couple of ‘great to see you again hugs’ we hopped in Yuki’s car and enjoyed a wonderful day together. We hit some of Yuki’s usual shopping stops in Obihiro and Otofuke as Sundays are her days for running errands. Jin was away for a few days, travelling to Korea to visit his family. We had a great lunch at a Hama-Sushi restaurant where Yuki introduced me to some of her favourite dishes. My list of favourite things to order at a sushi restaurant has expended quite a bit. A surprise dish came in the way of us ordering French Fries. They were very thin and deep fried to the perfect crispiness. We think they may have been done in a light tempura batter. Oishii!
I think the first time I became aware of dollar stores was during our first trip to Japan twenty years ago. Well, the 100 Yen stores are alive and well. We popped into a couple of them to browse and came away each time with items we have not seen before. Matcha salt and parchment paper with printed designs are just a few of the items we’ll be packing home. With Yuki’s help, I think I can now operate the electronic check-out systems at retail stores on my own, now.
We had a full day of exploring businesses, but my favourite time was being in the car with Yuki and getting caught up with our lives. I am appreciative of our conversations during the course of this day and I continue to learn more about what regular life is like in Japan.
Monday, March 24th, 2025
Sadly, today was our last visit to Shikaoi schools. This week marks the end of the calendar year for local schools around here. Students and staff will have a couple of weeks break until their new school year begins in April.
We experienced a memorable and historic morning at Kamihoronai Elementary School when the school officially closed its doors on 109 years of serving its community. Of the nine grade 1 to 6 students registered at the school this year, two also celebrated their graduation today. This event certainly focussed more on the happiness of the day rather than the sadness of the end of an era.
There were a host of dignitaries in attendance to witness this event, including Mayor Kii. A full media crew from NHK news service was there to mark the significance of the ceremony. The decorations were simple and beautifully done. The staff and students decorated the entire length of the hallway entrance to the gymnasium with cascading cherry blossoms cut out from paper. There were beautiful fresh flower arrangements everywhere. An assortment of potted flowers formed an aisle down the center of the gym The massive bouquet of cut flowers on the stage was spectacular. The protocols and cultural influence of this event have been similar in each of the three graduations we’ve been so fortunate to attend in Shikaoi. However, there are distinct differences and traditions that each school has developed over time. This morning, we were treated to a beautiful song performed by the kids, with original lyrics written specifically to reflect the last school year at Kamihoronai Elementary School. The students’ performance was touching. The parents of the two graduating students were given special seats of honour and their kids had an opportunity to publicly acknowledge their love and appreciation for them.
As part of the protocol for graduations there is no talking or whispering. Glen really wanted to make sure that we were kept in the loop with everything that was being said, so he came up with this great idea of using iPads and iPad pencils as a way of communicating. As individuals gave their speeches, Glen would translate and write key messages on his tablet for us in point form. It really assisted in providing us with a richer experience of what was going on.
Congratulations to the students, families, and staff at Kamihoronai Elementary School for the great send-off of its last two graduating students and the school’s 109 years of existence.
Tuesday, March 25th, 2025
When Dodi and I first talked to each other about committing to participating in the Long Stay Volunteer Program, the two factors that we weren’t very sure about was how long would we go for and what would we be doing during that time? In chatting with previous volunteers, the one activity that seemed to stand out was the planned visits to the pre-school/Kindergarten program in Shikaoi. For logistical reasons, this morning was our first visit.
This recently constructed facility is remarkable. The design is unlike any pre-school or Kindergarten I’ve seen before. It is generously staffed. Once again, it is clear the Japanese place great importance and resources in ensuring the health and well-being of their children. Dodi and I were introduced to staff and then we were invited into the area where the three to five-year olds spend their unstructured playtime.
Dodi describes our initial meeting with these children as similar to being swarmed by a hive of bees! They were so excited to welcome us. We aren’t sure how many kids there were – at least fifty would be a guess. The lead instructor easily got the children into very organized lines after our initial greeting and we were formally introduced. Then it was free time, when the kids are given an opportunity to choose what they want to do. There was half a dozen play stations and lots of additional floor space and manipulatives for kids to make up their own activities. I spent time at the drawing/colouring tables and the play kitchen area. One child sat with me and read a couple of books to me, turning each page. I built structures with large foam blocks, I jumped rope, played tag, hide and seek, did tug of war, and I still struggle with using a hula hoop. I should mention that I did all of this with the children – not on my own. It is obvious that their structured time throughout the day is used effectively as these kids demonstrated many skills and routines. One little girl was able to tell me the names of every food item there was in the play kitchen area. Another child sang the ‘A, B, C, D’ song flawlessly, in English. Most knew to know how to count to ten in English and everyone could say ‘hello’ and ‘good-bye’. When it was time to clean up, every child enthusiastically pitched in with collecting every item and returning them to the proper places. Saying good-bye to us included all the children forming an arch through which we were expected to walk under. I had to crawl on my hands and knees through a very long human arch as my body size wasn’t compatible with theirs. Every child either said ‘thank you’ or ‘good-bye’ during this event.
These children didn’t seem to be aware or care much that there was a language barrier between us. They continually had running conversations with us in Japanese, even though we could only guess at whatever it was they wanted to share. As Dodi commented to me after we left, “Those kids must think we are pretty stupid!” One thing for certain is that the both of us were exhausted after our 90-minute play date.
Taeko and Takanori Yamamoto picked us up in the early afternoon and drove us to the town of Kamishihoro, where we enjoyed a beef and soba noodles lunch at a rest stop. Besides bathrooms, rest stops or ‘michi-no-ekis’ are typically made up of an information area featuring local places to visit, restaurants, comfortable sitting/resting areas, food shops, and shops with local items/crafts for sale. Interestingly, gas stations are not a part of a michi-no-eki, but they are located close-by.
When we returned to Shikaoi, we stopped to have tea/coffee and a sweet at Roku (a sweets shop). It was a surprise to have Kokoro Ui serve us. I didn’t know she was working there, part time. Kokoro is the young woman that spent the first semester of the current high school year in Canada, at Memorial Composite High School. She has recently graduated here, at Shikaoi High School. Koroko was excited to share that she is now driving. Young adults are not permitted to drive while they are attending school.
We spent a couple of hours talking with Takanori and Taeko over tea, before they dropped us back home.
Wednesday, March 26th, 2025
We were first introduced to Elizabeth by the Yamamotos when we went to see a talent show in Urimaku, during our first week in Japan. Elizabeth is originally from California and has lived in Japan for about forty-five years. She is married and has one daughter (we met her) and is expecting her third grandchild this summer. The best single word I can think of to describe Elizabeth is ‘dynamic’.
During the last lunch date we had with Elizabeth, we discovered that we had a common interest in gardening. A couple of days ago, Elizabeth emailed us to let us know that she was going to be going to Otofuke, today, for an appointment. There was a greenhouse/gardening centre nearby and she offered to take us with her and drop us off while she was being cared for. We spent most of our time browsing through the seed collection of flowers and vegetables, picking up varieties that were new to us and ones that will, hopefully, take root in our own yard this growing season.
We visited several unique specialty shops in Otofuke, as well. The stores were mostly stocked with Hokkaido-made products. These smaller storefront shops had quite a large selection to peruse through. Aided by my Google Translate app on my phone, we were able to figure out the contents of items that are so appealingly packaged but can be impossible to know what you are looking at. It is interesting to note that many of these unique Hokkaido products often include an English description.
Elizabeth suggested we go to a Japanese restaurant (it was busy) that specialized in fish for lunch. Green tea is always served at the start of the meals. We all chose the luncheon special – salmon. It was very good. Accompanying dishes included rice, miso soup, a pickled vegetable, a salad (bean sprouts, green beans and seaweed), and tofu. It was a full meal.
Once again, our forty-minute commute between Shikaoi and Otofuke was engaging as we had ample opportunity to share information and ask lots of questions.
Just as we were pulling into Shikaoi, Elizabeth turned her car into the driveway of an old brick building that has been beautifully renovated. It is a project of a couple who are friends with Elizabeth. The building mainly serves as a meeting space for seniors in the latter stages of their lives. It has comfortable meeting spaces and a cafeteria that is open to the public. This facility can be utilized by other groups, as well.
Our days in Shikaoi tend to wind down in the early evening. Tonight, I took a nap at around 8:30 pm, in preparation for a virtual meeting in Stony Plain that had a 12:00 am start time. It was supposed to last for the entire day (Alberta time). Fortunately for me, we were able to work through the entire agenda in about four hours.
Stony Plain in Shikaoi 