Truthfully, the last few weeks have dragged on. Between the craziness of school, where I have been pulled three days to cover a kindergarten class and another day pretending to be a first-grade teacher, and dealing with Bryan's deployment, you can totally understand the power of these two pictures:
No judgment allowed. Oh, and thank you Mrs. Jennifer for the glass! Clearly, its getting some good use! ;)
Don't forget that Japan went back into lockdown mid-January due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, so SOFA members weren't allowed to do anything out in town. This didn't help the monotony of repetitive days...for several weeks it was home-to-work and then back home again.
I will say, while the days are long, the afternoons at home with these two pups made it bearable! I know they miss their dad, but I'm not complaining when they opt to give me double the number of snuggles! Hugo and Reynolds have enjoyed the chill afternoons, especially with all the dreary, cold and snowy afternoons we have had recently in Sasebo! (Unfortunately, the snow hasn't stuck enough to warrant a school snow day! Darn!)
Now we haven't spent all of our time chilling at home. (Ok, I admit, most of it has been spent at home...) BUT we have enjoyed some days playing with our puppy friends! We even met a new friend, Bo, who is only 10 months old! He's 118 lbs of sweetness, and his size makes Reynolds look like a chihuahua!
Just last week the base released new guidelines allowing us to participate in activities off base again. With this news, and the fact that I had a three-day weekend for Presidents Day, I knew it was time to get out and have some good girl time!
Saturday, February 19, 2022: Umegae Sake Brewery
A few days before, Julia messaged our girl group asking if anyone wanted to visit Umegae's Annual Sake Festival. Having no other plans, I figured I may as well go learn about some local Japanese alcohol! While it was raining, we didn't let it stop us! Bring on the booze!
As we entered the Umegae (oo-may-gah-ay) Brewery, we were warmly greeted and offered all types of tastings to try. This brewery was constructed in 1787 and has continued to brew different types of Japanese liquor ever since, so they obviously have their process down pat! As we worked our way around the building to the different booths, we tried sake (sah-key), Japanese brewed alcohol, and Shochu (so-chew), Japanese distilled liquor. Don't ask me what the differences are; all I understood was that sake isn't as strong as Shochu. I know, I'm impressing you with my knowledge. I'm a true connoisseur.
If you ask my favorites: I loved the yuzu liquor the best! Made from the Japanese citrus fruit, yuzu, this liquor was so tart that it made my jaw clench up- delish! I also really enjoyed the sparkling sake options, so I bought two different types for Bryan to try when he gets home. (That's my excuse for buying so many bottles. I blame the deployed husband. Nothing wrong with that!)
If you ask my least favorite: the Amazake (ah-mah-zah-key) was the worst. Amazake is fermented rice and it tastes just about as good as it sounds. Oh, and it was chunky. Nothing like fermented chunky rice-liquor. Yum. (Not.)
If you ask what the coolest part was: there's no debate. Watching some ladies pour, label and seal my very own fresh bottle of sake. Did you read that? I purchased a bottle of sake that was bottled right before my eyes that was made just for me! How cool is that?! This is the "main event" of the festival and is known as "kesa shibori namazake" (draft sake drawn this morning.) This special event happens rarely and celebrates the brewery's success of the season.
Now that I have shared all my fancy Japanese words and my "wordly" knowledge, its time to show my true colors and share my struggles. As we walked booth-to-booth buying our liquors, we were each handed these small, green tickets. Of course, these tickets are written in Japanese so we had no clue what they were for. Each time we bought a bottle, the workers would just smile, hand us more tickets, and move their hands in a cranking motion trying to tell us something... In response, we smile, nod and move along.
The smile and nod has gotten me very far these last eight months!
At the end of our shopping extravaganza, we Google Translated the ticket and realized it was a raffle ticket. One Godsend (who spoke broken English) explained that outside of the main building was a raffle tent, where we can use our tickets to win prizes!
So we headed out in the pouring rain and found a small table with several ladies crowded around. We stood off to the side and waited. We watched as some locals walked up, handed the ladies their tickets and then turned the handle on the wooden cage that spit out a small colored ball. Now we make our move- we walk up, smile and nod, hand them each our handfuls of tickets, and spin the wheel! The colored balls represented different prize levels, and we all lucked out by winning various bottles of Sake! Woohoo! Free booze! Could this day get any better?!
You know I wasn't going to visit my first sake brewery and NOT get a video of my "kesa shibori namazake" being made! Check out the video, and ignore our constant "this is so cool!" Clearly, we were excited.
After a morning of tastings, we grabbed lunch at Bunco Cafe, a tiny coffee shop, before heading home! This quaint place was located right on the water and, had the weather been better, would have made for a beautiful view! Instead, we sat dreaming of prettier days and warmer weather from inside with our coffee and toasts!
Sunday, February 20, 2022: Princess Ariel Visits the Castillo Girls
During our brewery morning the day before, Jaime invited Julia and I to crash her princess party with Kaiti and her little girls! Again, I didn't have anything else going on, so I happily accepted the invitation.
Jaime has a side business, Whimsical Wishes, where she makes little kids' dreams come true with a personal visit from their favorite Disney princess! With a background in theater and a true love for kids, Jaime has found her calling and it was so fun to watch her in her element, while also witnessing the magic with Kaiti's daughters!
I went by and helped Jaime get ready before the party, and after an afternoon of fun, I ended our endeavor by "driving Ariel back to the ocean" two hours later. During our get together, we enjoyed storytime with Princess Ariel, had a tea party, played some games and watched as two little girls had the best afternoon EVER!
Jaime even sang with the girls (see the video below- she's beyond talented!)
Monday, February 21, 2022: Strawberry Picking at Ichigo no Mori
What started out as our only adventure of the weekend, turned into the perfect ending to a busy Presidents Day: Strawberry Picking! Earlier in the month, I ran across a post promoting the Ichigo no Mori Strawberry Greenhouses, and knew I had to go! Lucky for me, the girls were down to dig into some strawberries too!
Now before I get into it, I have to share that a box of strawberries (maybe 8 strawberries in a pack) costs roughly $6 at the local grocery store. I weep every time I shop, yall. So when I learned that we could visit an all-you-can-eat strawberry greenhouse for $17 I knew I could eat my body weight in berries!
I offered to drive, and after a 20-minute trek, Google had us in the wrong parking lot. Eventually, we figured it out, nothing like a little confusion to start off an exciting day!
As we entered the greenhouses, we quickly realized we didn't dress right for the occasion- the sweat immediately started dripping down our backs and along our masked-covered faces. The workers quickly explained that for $17/person, we could eat as many strawberries as we wanted within a 40-minute window. We were then handed plastic gloves, a pair of tiny Japanese scissors and a wastebasket to string around our necks for trash and then we were set loose to gorge ourselves!
And did I. Whew. By the end of our 40-minute window, I was painfully full of fresh berries and I had filled a separate basket to purchase and take with me! I even splurged and bought a jar of honey that was bottled fresh from the hive on site!
While Kaiti took the girls home for a strawberry-filled nap, Julia, Jaime and I tried a new restaurant before heading home. While visiting a random new restaurant is always a gamble, we lucked out with a delicious lunch of tonkatsu (ton-cot-su), cabbage salad, miso soup and steamed rice. Knowing how much Bryan loves tonkatsu, I have a feeling I will be visiting again with him once he gets home from this float! The pork was *chef's kiss.*
Plus, enjoying good food with good friends always makes being the only Americans in the vicinity a little less awkward!
While Bryan is greatly missed, I am beyond blessed to have such good, wholehearted friends who are adventurous and willing to get out there and explore! I can't imagine these deployments without this group of girls- they really are life-saving!
Now bring on the last month(ish) of deployment! Let's get this over with!
--Katie
I love your pictures and know your girlfriends are thankful to have an awesome photographer to capture the adventures! I wish I was with you!!