Family Journal – Page 13

Tateyama Ski Trip

February 13, 2016February 13, 2016billkralovec

Owen goes down the hill!

I am finally starting to feel a bit better after last week’s influenza. I was well enough to accompany the students on our school’s annual cross country ski trip. The students learned how to cross country ski at the Tateyama National Youth Outdoor Learning Center. It is just outside of the Tateyama national park, which is located on the far north eastern part of the Japanese alps. The park is famous for the giant snow walls that tourists visit each spring.

It has not been a great year for the skiing business on the main island of Honshu because of a lack of snow. Fortunately for us there was enough snow to be able to ski and students really had fun throwing snowballs, making snowmen, etc. Snow brings out the kid in everyone! The government run center is set up for school groups and so it was a perfect place to bring a large group of adolescents.

The view from the center looking across the river valley.

This was my first visit to the Nagano / Japanese Alps region and I hope to explore more of the region during my stay in Japan. Below is the view of the mountains from the city of Toyama on the Sea of Japan coast. Of course the highlight for me was spending time with Owen. He gets along so easily with others and is such a positive young man. It was a pleasure to watch him interact with the other students on the trip. A big thank you to Baba sensei for organizing the trip and allowing me to be a chaperone.

Small Moments

February 4, 2016billkralovec

I am trying to capture those small moments in my life that may seem insignificant, but as I get older and my world gets smaller, they become more important. By smaller, I mean family and friends become more important than accomplishments or the outside world.

Last week was Nadia’s birthday. We celebrated with cake and kid champagne. The kids made really nice cards and we started a tradition of making a big sign. Happy birthday baby – I love you!

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As you can see, I am definitely pushing the boundaries with my cultural comfort. This was the first time I wore a mask. I always thought when I saw Asians wearing a mask I thought that it was because they didn’t want to catch a cold, but actually it is reverse. You wear a mask when you are sick and the mask prevents others from catching your cold or flu. I have a cold/mild flu today and didn’t want to spread my illness. My glasses kept fogging up and Tomomi helped me get it situated so it didn’t happen.

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Last Saturday morning I had to take Owen to the train station to go to his soccer game. He had to be at the station before 7:00 AM and it is one of the ways I can show my love for him is making sure he gets up, has his bags packed and see him off on the train with his teammates. I really enjoy the morning times when it is just him and me! He is growing up and becoming a young man and I am so proud of him. More on his soccer season in later posts. He is shown crossing the street on the way to the Kita Senri station as the sun was coming up.

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The “hair fairy” has struck!

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First Snowfall in Osaka

January 23, 2016billkralovec

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Osaka’s climate is similar to Atlanta USA so it rarely snows here. Earlier this week, we awoke to a thin covering of snow! By noon it was melted and gone but the morning was fun for the kids and for me. Above is a tsubaki flower, known as the “rose of winter” which is an apt name. They are a common garden hedge in Osaka.

It was strange to see our street (below) with snow cover. I love snow and if it is going to be cold, one might as well have snow. The word for snow is Japanese is yuuki. This is the third occasion in my time here that it has snowed and I am hoping for more.

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The cold weather finally arrived last week after a pretty warm December and early January. As I write this, it is -1C in our suburb of Minoo. It will stay around the zero mark all day today. The cold weather will stay until Wednesday when it will go back up to a high of 12 C (54F). Nadia is pictured on the way to school on Tuesday morning during the snow.

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The Largest City in the World: Tokyo

December 31, 2015billkralovec

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We are spending a few days in Tokyo and are excited to experience the largest metropolitan area in the world. 2015 estimates put the total number of people at 38 million. Let me repeat, 38 million people! That is the entire population of Serbia six times over! They are spread out over a large area, but still has a population density twice that of Bangladesh at 2,642 people / square kilometer.

Our apartment is in Nishi (west) Asakusa which is on the northeastern fringe of city center. We arrived last night and took a 13-minute train ride to the famous Ginza area of Tokyo. I read a lot about Ginza in my Visualizing Japan course from Harvard X. It first developed during the Meiji restoration and was a symbol of cosmopolitanism that the government wanted to promote after centuries of isolation. The Shiseido company used Ginza as a central part of its successful marketing campaign in the interwar period. It was not popular with foreigners, as they wanted to see the more “authentic” Japan and the older neighborhoods. Most of the European architecture buildings were destroyed in World War II, but the famous Wako department store building survived. I am reading a lot about World War II lately and can’t imagine that the building was once the American GI RX. It has come a long way since then. The Wako building can be seen in the lead photo on the left.

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The Chanel store in Ginza.

Ginza reminds me of Manhattan with its glitzy window displays and lights. The architecture in Japan is more cutting edge than New York in my opinion and it is a delight for those interested in building design. It is also similar to the Shinsaibashi area on the Midosuji road in downtown Osaka. After a year and half in country, the train lines were not as daunting as before and with my Tokyo train app and our ICOCA cards that work around the country, it was quite easy to get around.

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Louis Vitton window display – Ginza

We found an excellent Mexican restaurant underneath a raised freeway. The Zest Cantina was located with several other restaurants in an underground tunnel of sorts. The homemade guava lemonade and guacamole were absolutely delicious! I recommend the hamburgers as well.

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A typical Kralovec family photo – the boys wrestling and the girls posing!

Christmas Journal 12/20/2015

December 20, 2015billkralovec

Under the mistletoe at the Osaka German Christmas market

Christmas markets are one of our family Christmas traditions. It started with our first visit to the Budapest, Hungary market, which in my opinion, is the best in the world. Nadia is a huge fan of Christmas markets. One Christmas we went to all the markets in Vienna. Austria and Germany are the most fanatical cultures I have seen about Christmas.

The center piece “tree” at the Osaka Christmas market

Last night we ventured downtown to the Osaka Christmas market in the Umeda Sky Plaza. Cultural public events are held there all year long. The city contracted a German Christmas market company, well, many of the employees doing sales and running the attractions were European. We didn’t choose the best night, a Saturday before Christmas, so it was quite crowded. By the end of our time there, it was clearing out, so it was better. That is one bad thing about Japan – too many people! The depopulation occurring now in my view is a good thing. They need more space here and with an island, you can’t find any. Anyway, we had a lot of laughs with the kids, running through the nearby park, drinking mulled wine, spinning on the carousel, and listening to Christmas carols. It was a nice cold evening and the mulled wines were perfect.

Today I had a day with the boys. Ocean has a sleepover at her friend’s tonight and they are going to Star Wars tomorrow. Nadia is still not feeling well, so the two Os and I went and played basketball. After watching the Pistons dramatic 4OT win over the Bulls, the boys are even more enthusiastic about hoops! I love it. They insist on going to the gym everyday, and I am happy to oblige (video above). After making some lunch for everyone, we then went for a hike up trail #8 in the Minoh quasi national park. We drove to the Katsuo-ji temple and parked the car in the entrance area to the hike. The trail goes over a high ridge to follow a creek through a valley to to another paved road in the park. We made it most of the way and turned around. The best part of hiking with my sons is our talks while we are walking. We played charades and had loads of laughs.

The forests in Japan are not diverse and much of the trees are planted. We saw tsubaki (tea family) trees in flower (‘the rose of winter’) and the ubiquitous sugi (Japanese cedar), although it is not a cedar but a single-species genus of conifer. It is the national tree of Japan. We also heard the call of the brown-eared bulbul.

I finished the day with a pleasant dinner with Nadia at our favorite local sushi restaurant. I love seafood and have a new appreciation for sushi. A blog post is coming soon.

Winter Holiday Journal: 12/19/2015

December 19, 2015billkralovec

We are not going anywhere for the Christmas holidays this year, but staying in Japan and enjoying time together as a family.

Yesterday was our first day off from school and I always find it takes a few days to unwind from work. We do not own a car here, instead we rent a car on the occasional weekend and during the holidays. Since we live only a couple of blocks away from school and with most shops that we need within walking or biking distance, we find that we get along without a car just fine. It causes us to bike and walk more which is a good thing! I always try to live close to our work as in my opinion, commuting cuts down one’s quality of life. I would rather have the extra time to do things I enjoy rather than devoting it to transport.

Ocean and I went to pick up the rental car mid morning. We rode to the Senri Chuo station (10 minute bike ride) and took the train 5 stops (13 minutes) to the Shin-Osaka station. When we got to the rental place, I realized I forgot my international drivers license and so Nadia had to come down with it. She has a severe cold and it was tough for her to get out of bed, but she is always supportive of me. We had some time to kill so we stopped at Family Mart for something to eat. In the ubiquitous convenience stores in Japan, one can pay bills, get cash, buy tickets, make photocopies, passport photos, etc. the list goes on and on, hence the term convenient. It was kind of like a mini-lunch date as we ate underneath the skyscrapers and the bustling street life. Ocean is so beautiful and cute that she always receives gifts from store attendants. This time it was a series of postcards with characters from the popular manga/anime series One Piece.

After picking up the car we stopped at a new supermarket, Oasis, on the way home. Supermarkets here are at the same level of quality as in the US, although they are not as large. I was impressed with the selection of craft beers and wines, and the girls loved the bakery, deli and fruits and vegetables.

In the afternoon the kids and I went to the school gym and played basketball. Owen is totally into the sport after his season and wants to play all the time. We had many laughs and we use creative ways to make the game fun with Oliver and Ocean. In the evening I did some things around the house and finally got around to replacing all the burnt out light bulbs. Nadia was still under the weather so we just spent time watching television. I made mini-pizzas for the kids. Children are up, will write again tomorrow.

Owen Finishes Basketball Season

December 6, 2015billkralovec

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Owen is defending the inbounds pass against the Hokkaido International School.

Owen completed his basketball season this weekend at the Western Japan Athletics Association (WJAA) middle school boys tournament. Marist Brothers IS hosted the games in Suma Beach, located on the western side of Kobe. The Senri & Osaka International Schools “Sabers”, Owen’s team, lost a tough semifinal game 42-44 to the Sons of The Light, an international Christian school from Kobe. They were trying to avenge their only loss from the regular season, but just didn’t have enough. Owen made two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to bring the Sabers back. The Sabers went on defeat the Hokkaido IS in the consolation game to finish in third place. A disappointing finish for the team, because we thought they had the best team in the tournament. But that is the nature of the knockout format. The Sabers finished 11 wins and 2 losses, with wins over Kansai University International Academy, Marist Brothers, Nagoya IS, Canadian Academy, among others.

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Tip-off against the Sons of the Light (Owen is on the left side of the picture)

It was a breakthrough season for my son. He is enthused about basketball and is now following NBA games online and practices outside of the team practices and games. It would be nice to get him on a club team here and to get him to play in a basketball camp this summer in the USA. He was a part-time starter / sixth man on the middle school “A” team as a seventh grader. He is improving as he plays more and getting more comfortable with the game.

It is funny in the photos of this blog post the differences of the sizes of the boys. Grade 8 boys hit puberty and with growth spurts occurring at different times, you can really see young men playing against boys. Owen is still a little boy but is on the verge of onset of puberty.

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I was the assistant coach for the team this year, helping out head coach Rodney Ray. I worked more with the developmental squads (“B” and “C” teams) but got to spend some quality time with my son. Just getting the experience of playing on a competitive sports team and learning how to handle victory and defeat and be a part of a team is so valuable for boys. I would like to thank coach Ray for his dedication to the team and his work with Owen.

I am looking forward to follow his soccer season which starts in January. Go Sabers!

Viewing the White Egret

November 29, 2015November 29, 2015billkralovec

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On the way home from Tottori we stopped at the famous Himeji Castle in the Hyogo prefecture. It is an UNESCO world heritage site and the finest example of the classic Japanese feudal period architecture. We arrived too late in the day to enter, but we did admire it from the substantial grounds surrounding it. It is called the “white heron” or “white egret” because with the roof gables give it the appearance of the white bird taking off in flight.

Castles are always funny to me in that people don’t realize all the awful things that took place on the site. They are usually the sites of great battles where men died and if the raid successful, the women and children enslaved. Because it happened so long ago however, people look at them for the architecture and history, but not the tragic human story. Himeji is no exception to this rule and since it was originally built in the 1300s, probably many people died fighting for control of the castle and the town. It is built on a hill and dominates the city.

It is remarkable that it is still standing. During World War II, a bomb landed on the roof but failed to detonate, meanwhile the entire city was destroyed by the allies. It survived the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, while once again, many buildings in the city were destroyed. Earlier, it was almost demolished and developed by the locals, but the expense of tearing it down, prevented various parties throughout history from doing so.

I am glad that it remained standing and perhaps if we are in the area, we will return to go inside. We found several geocaches around the castle and despite the rainy night, it was a good time. I want to thank the Tsubaki and Marce families for coming with us!

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Brotherhood

November 15, 2015November 22, 2015billkralovec

It was a delight to get spend some time with my brother again when he visited me earlier this month. We haven’t seen each other in person since my dad’s funeral in February of 2012. We talk on regular basis, but living far away from each other and my family not spending summers in Michigan anymore, means that we don’t spend time together.

Growing up five years apart meant that I was always on the next stage of childhood or adolescence. When I was in high school, he was in elementary, when I went off to college, he was in high school, etc. We have become closer in adulthood. It is special that I can maintain a close relationship with him and hope to continue to do so. Brothers have so many common memories and shared stories, that it got me reflecting a lot during his visit on my family. We had a nice childhood and my parents did a good job of raising us, including my other brother Jim.

It is also a chance to see my dad again, in a way. I am adopted and do not share any physical traits with my Kralovec family, but Andy is not adopted and has my Dad’s voice, eyes and some of his mannerisms. It made me sad that my father is gone and I wish he and my mom could see their grandchildren grow up and see us as middle aged men.

The old axiom is true that your brothers and sisters are the people in life you have the longest relationship with. They are there from the start, and even though we marry and have children of our own, there is a special bond between siblings that is always there because of growing up together.

Thanks Andy and Chantal for coming to visit us! The kids really enjoyed having you stay with us. You are welcome anytime!

Temples of Japan

November 15, 2015November 15, 2015billkralovec

After our hike we drove across town just before closing time to walk the grounds of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto (photo above). This is another former villa of a rich shogun which upon his death, was turned into a Zen Buddhist temple. From the photos of the temple, it always looked like it is out in the countryside, but a busy street is in front of the grounds and property is in an urban zone. Arriving 5 minutes before the front gate to the complex closing was excellent timing for photos and lack of crowds. It is a thin coating of gold foil, not made of solid gold. The shoguns loved their ponds and gardens, which made for a stunning reflection in the setting sun.

Temples in Japan are similar to the monasteries in Serbia for me. They are usually located in bucolic settings, which is the attraction, as I don’t seek spiritual things. It is also an insight into the culture of a country and there is always a bit of history. They make for a good destination for a day out and a reason to get out of the house.

The biggest temple in Minoh is the Katsuo-ji (in Japanese, “ji” means temple) which I’ve blogged about before. It is a nice hike we can do from our house and takes about 4 hours round trip. On my brother’s first day in Japan, we went up through the Minoh quasi national park forest to the temple. Despite the rain, it was a relaxing hike and as you can see from the photo above, the clouds made it even more mystical.

Temples also have attractions for kids. They love to feed the koi, or as I call them, colorful carp. There is also incense and candles to light and reflect on family members, both living and dead. Most have a gong or bell that can be rung and the kids can also get a fortune paper and tie it to the string. At katsuoji, you can also get the Japanese dolls, daruma. We have darumas representing our family under the biggest cedar tree on the property.