Friday, December 24, 2010

Friday, December 17, 2010

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Monday, December 6, 2010

Thursday, December 2, 2010

kristina's birthday








After complaining that we never do anything special for my birthday, Tetsushi worked extra hard this year to make sure I wouldn't be able to say that again.
We took the day off and went to a small store out in the countryside where they make natto. Natto is fermented soy beans. It is a really odd Japanese food, definitely an acquired taste. Most people hate it at first, I certainly did. It is stinky and sticky and slimy. It is a very strange food, but once you start liking it, it is wonderful. I have to say, I LOVE natto. And the best part is it's really good for you and cheap! We heard about this store where they make natto and have been wanting to visit for months so we made the trip out there. It was great. The family that runs the store was really sweet and we had a nice visit with them. We brought a bunch of natto home to eat. It was delicious!

After the natto store, we went to the aquarium in Beppu. It was lots of fun. Yukine was entertained. I think her favorite part was discovering a slide in the kids playground. We didn't get a picture of that, but it was her first slide experience and she couldn't get enough. All in all, it was a great day! I really enjoyed my birthday. Thanks Tetsushi!