Nagushiyama Park

It was our first month in Sasebo and David was deployed, so Eisley and I did some exploration of the local area. There is a beautiful park called Nagushiyama that claims to have one hundred thousand Kurume and Hirado azaleas. It has gorgeous views on the northern Kujuku islands and was just a really lovely place to walk around. Plus there were plenty of opportunities to take photos of adorable Eisley.  

They have a little wooded area that is set up for camping.

There's a massive roller slide, it looks so fun!

Finding out what dirt tastes like

Eisley is just starting to be able to stand on her own. Her concentration on trying to balance is so cute.

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Golden Week in Arita

It is Golden Week and we joined the throngs of Japanese attending the largest ceramic fair in Western Japan. Ceramics are one of the traditional crafts of Japan and Arita is known all over Japan for producing some of the best the country can offer. The Ceramic Fair is held Annually from April 29th-May 5th. There are around 600 shops filling a 4km long stretch of main street through the city. 

A beautiful way to show off those broken Ceramics

My first time trying Taiyaki. Translating to roughly "baked sea bream" they are fish-shaped pancakes with a filling. I asked the stand owner if I could have chocolate but he gave me the crossed arms no-good sign. So since I knew there could be many different fillings like different beans and sometimes cabbage I was a little stuck because my Japanese is so limited. I figured the best I could do was ask "Oishi (delicious)?" and point at the different offerings. He quickly selected one and enthusiastically stated "Hai Oishi!" and started making fishy noises while swimming the cake toward Eisley and I. It turns out this cake had a sweet custard filling and it was actually really good. 

 Check out these cute "his and hers" wiener dog chopstick rests

This stand was selling Banana and Watermelon "Ice Cream" Which is really more like a fine-grained shaved ice.

I bought these sweet little spoons

The Japanese are masters at creating masterful recreations of beautiful European buildings. Arita Porcelain Park is home to a opulent recreation of the Zwinger, which is a palace in the German city of Dresden including a beautiful European-style garden behind the palace. 

 I just can't believe how big Eisley is getting! She is finally fitting into this super cute 12 month size outfit from Aunt Alicia and Uncle Alan. 

Quick tips for fellow adventurers:
Bring lots of Yen, most places do not take credit (tolls are 410 yen each way from Hario).
Don't bring strollers or pets as it can be very crowded.
Park at the Porcelain Park for free. There is plenty of parking and very convenient free buses that run to Arita and Hasami. The buses run every 20 minutes from 8:30am-6pm.
Here is a MAP to the Porcelain Park with the Palace seen above :)

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Sweet Sunday

It has been a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. The spring weather is perfect for enjoying the outdoors. I've been wanting to get a good picture of Eisley's teeth. She has two on the bottom and a random little one on top. It is adorable and I love her huge smiles! 

Also we are loving our new church family here! It is a wonderful feeling to be able to go anywhere in the world and instantly know a whole group of wonderful people. It makes the world seem a little bit smaller. We have a wonderful set of senior missionaries that are leaving Sasebo for home this week. I am so glad I was able to meet them before they left. I learned that Sister Roberts went to the same high school as I did in the tiny little town of Kingsford nestled in the upper peninsula of Michigan. What are the chances of that? 

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Wisteria Tunnel

Kawachi Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu Japan is known worldwide for their wisteria tunnel. The flowers are absolutely gorgeous and the smell reminds you of warm, sweet spring days.  These beautiful flowers peak at the end of April to early May in Kyushu. Unfortunately we were about a week and a half too early to see them in full bloom, but we were able to avoid the crowds of Golden Week where most of the Japanese are off of work celebrating a week filled with national holidays. 

I love the old, twisted trunks of the Wisteria

 Maybe we will make it back next year for Eisley's Second Birthday. 

The Japanese love America babies and always ask to take pictures of/with them.

Here is a MAP for my fellow Adventurers.

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