Persimmons are hung in rows to dry, for later to be enjoyed as a C vitamin rich snack.
A natural ailment for sore throat. 'Karin' pickled in honey. My Ikebana teacher surplied the fruit. The honey was bought at Kokoroya, an NGO helping mentally challenged people and local farmers, while promoting chemical free produce.
'Bunka no hi' is the National culture day in Japan and therefore a tea ceremony was arranged in one of the local parks.
A good friend and her mother invited me(b) to join, and that is an invitation I would never turn down. The atmosphere alone is reason enough to join, the air tingling with respect, humbleness and discipline. The joy of being surrounded by beautiful kimono clad ladies is another good reason for signing up. The excellent tea a third. Tea ceremony is almost like a group meditation where the World is no bigger than the tea ceremony room and everyone's attention is on the art of making and enjoying the tea.
I got the chance to participate in two different kinds of tea ceremonies. One was Iemotosenke, the other omotesenke.
The women on the far left is my friend's mother.
As expatriates in Japan the question we seem to get most often is "Are you speaking Japanese?"
Our answer continue to be the same, that we are trying to learn it, - hoping someday to make it to 2-kyu, but doubting that it will ever happen.
One's level of Japanese is measured in kyu's were 1-kyu means you are 100% fluent speaking and 4-kyu means you are on a very basic level.
We are somehow in between 3-kyu and 4-kyu. We would fail a 3-kyu due to the grammar, but our vocab would be sufficient to pass through though...we think...
These days studying has become a challenge as our classes continuously are canceled due to Henrik's busy work schedule. Self discipline is not really our strong side, when there are tons of (other) fun things awaiting outside the door. And there are ALWAYS tons of fun things awaiting outside the door.
But there is still hope. Few weeks ago, a good Japanese friend introduced us to a language community on the web, iknow.co.jp. Its originally made for Japanese learning English (Generally Japanese people are very interested in learning English) but recently the site also offers the opposite,- that English speaking persons can study Japanese.
Basically the site offers simple intelligent built up courses that extend your vocab through useful phrases. Its very flexible and an algorithm makes sure you learn what you need to learn.
The real strength of the site though is the community and the tools supplied to support it. Journal and shoot boxes for example make it possible to communicate with each other and this is very much done here. It's a buzzing community. B's first journal written in Japanese resulted promptly in five comments from Japanese users. Besides being encouraging it also opens up for opportunities to practice your skills with native speaking Japanese.
Big Brother is also incoporated in the community. You can easily see how many words and how many minutes any user has studied at a given date...and they can see your effort as well. This works very much as a whip to study as often at possible.
All-in-all a great site we hope (and these days believe) will keep us on track for a while.
I always have food cravings. Food cravings for any kind of Japanese food. Preferably Japanese food cooked by Japanese people.
Food here is made with such care. Focus is solely on the ingredient, its quality and freshness. The Japanese acknowledge that food taste better when it is in season. It's common to shop for groceries almost every day, thus securing fresh ingredients for every meal. The trolleys for groceries at the supermarket are no bigger than a shopping basket. That says a lot.
Right now chestnuts, persimmons and grapes are at their peaks.
Chestnuts are delicious cooked in rice with mirin and a pinch of salt. Persimmons are perfect tossed in Shiraae - a mixture of grinded white sesame seeds, miso, mirin and tofu. Grapes are superb as juice.
Takeda-san from my Chigiri-e group gave me a lot of grapes the other day. I mashed them and cooked them on low heat for 10 minutes. Then I sieved the juice. It gave me two big glasses of thick yummy sweet grape juice. So tasty that it was all gone within seconds. A perfect way to start the day.
P.S.: I wanted to dazzle my sis on visit with homemade Kuri-gohan (rice with chestnuts). I ended up with exploding chestnuts in the oven. For those of you who want to do the trick as well, - don't cut a cross in the chestnuts before you heat them in the oven. For those of you who want to avoid the explosions, do as my Ikebana teacher taught me today: Just soak the chestnuts for a while and you can easily peel them without using the oven at all!
After only three hours sleep due to Mikas wedding yesterday, I am surprised I didn't fall asleep amongst the ricestacks near Yabuki, an hours drive from Koriyama. But no, today was all about harvesting rice, so no time for idyllic napping, despite the inviting laid-back atmosphere that always greet you on the countryside. I love the countryside.
The trip was organized by a threesome, - a local NGO for mentally challenged people, Kalmia which is an international organization in Koriyama and the owners of the field, the local sake brewery whom I assume will use the harvested rice for making at least cooking sake. 
Equipped with a small scythe for cutting and softened weed for bundling the work came around pretty easily. Here it is my Malaysian friend Shy, who almost disappeared in the ricefield.
Bundling with Ayako-san.
Confused frogs jumped around our feet, wondering why we cut down their golden rice-forest.
We were around 50 people cutting down, bundling and stacking the rice.
Here is the field well halfway through: 
Afterwards a celebration lunch was arranged with mochi in tons of variations, the local community performed a traditional danceshow and the day was rounded up with a quiz in Japanese about farming in Japan. I have no idea how I ended up with a price. (I think I owe that one to Shy of Robyn). 
Here we are, the whole group from Kalmia: 
This fellow is my favorite resident in Yabuki. I absolutely adore him.
Today's Ikebana decoration was chosen to honor the fact that Mika is getting married in two days. The small bell peppers you see at the bottom of the decoration symbolize fertility, so this was Gunji-sensei's way of wishing Mika a happy and productive marriage. Here is Mika with Gunji-sensei's decoration and Mie-chan: 
Ikebana was also very special today because my sis attended the class. Gunji-sensei had gone out of her way to prepare a good experience. Japanese people tend to show a hospitality that can only inspire. 
Sis made a beautiful autumn decoration with german iris and red berries. 
As Mika had to hurry on for wedding pic shooting, Gunji-sensei had arranged for another woman to come and help with translation. Lots of regional handicraft was showed and discussed.
The red cow on the pic is the Akabeko cow, a famed toy from the Aizu region.
After all the 'hard' work a feast of a lunch was served. It included various types of tempura, tofu, cucumber and crab salad, mountain vegetables, the best seasoned rice I have ever had and a deluxe miso soup and nuka-pickles. We got to help arrange it, which was quite fun:-) We also got to taste a homemade healthy fruit/vinegar drink. I don't remember the name of the fruit though. Itadakimasu! : 
Who says, that just because you are a dog, you can't dress up for a day's fun? 
This picture was shot at the newest (and biggest) outlet mall in Tohoku region, located in the outskirts of Sendai.
Dressing up your dog is sort of normal here in Japan, and you can find racks of dogs clothes in every other well-stocked shopping center.
This fellow is well above the average though, even wearing a bracelet. A pity we didn't get a pic of her cool mate dressed in leather jacket, red scarf and killer sunglasses. Or their owners...
Did I mention the dogs had their own stroller?
These lovely adzuki bean filled sweets were a gift from our neighbor. Love, love, LOVE anything filled with adzuki bean paste.
There is one sight we never seem to grow tired of, - the rice fields. No matter what time of the year their way and color attract us. Maybe it is because rice (or products made of rice like sake, sushi and mochi) take an important role in most Japanese ceremonies and festivals thus are continually forced upon us seeking to gain knowledge obout the Japanese culture. Maybe it is because rice is the most important part of any Japanese meal and we therefore enjoy them several times pr. day. Or maybe its simply because the fields are gorgeous.
At this time of the year the yellow rice contrasts the green leaves beautifully. 
This is how it will look in a month or so, as a perfect golden rug they will be ready for harvest.
(the pic is from last year).
Its Autumn now. Despite 28 degrees Celcius, shops agree that Autumn is over us or at least around the corner and thus decorate to celebrate the second most beautiful season in Japan (First one being Spring with the Cherry-trees in blossom of cause). Red maple leaves in plastic decorate the hallways of the malls, and national produce like beer has leaves printed on the cans. The restaurants and delis have as well taken the Autumn spirit to them as seen on this lunchbox (o bento) with carrots in the shape of leaves delicately scattered over the mushroom seasoned rice, a piece of salmon, a bit of sweet potato, a shitake musroom, a fish ball and Tamago yaki - a yummy kind of sweet egg omelette. Included is also a sweet bun made of rice and adzuki beans.
Price? 598 jpy or 27,50 d.kr.
The other day we found the official tourist video for Fukushima, the state we currently live in. It gives a pretty good idea of 'our' region. It can be seen here: Fukushima Prefecture video
(Warning: don't let the music get to you).
Warning: This blog entry is no more than a simple description of an average Sunday in our lives.
”A rainy Sunday in August” might sound a little depressing to most people. It does not have to be though. A rainy Sunday in August can also be just to live and enjoy life. So how does a rainy Sunday in Koriyama look like? In this case it starts 7am with H going out for his daily run, in his preparations for Honolulu marathon in December.
It might seem a little harsh to begin a Sunday morning at 7am, but it pays of when we arrive at the JA (Japanese Agriculture) market where the fresh fruits and vegetables awaits at 9am. It is the season of the huge peaches which are perfect for our morning smoothies. Approaching the end of the blueberry season brings us to Miharu where it is with disappointment we realize that we must leave empty-handed. The upside is however that we would not be able to fit much more in the freezer anyway, since it is almost full of containers with pineapple, peaches, chickpeas and a few with blueberries from our last harvest there. Having decided to eat the Herb Garden’s lunch buffet in Miharu we had 1½ hour to kill before it opened. We chose to cruise around in the hilly region and enjoy the rice fields where the rice now actually is visible. We also visited a hermitage (cottage) on a small hill surrounded by huge bamboo while covering from the rain together under one umbrella. The hermitage used to belong to a poet (or was he writer?). He had chosen the location because of its solitude and rich nature and had a small rock garden for meditation. Being at the hermitage alone gave us a sense of peace and privacy. This feeling stood in contrast to the experience at the lunch place, where the eyes constantly were on the two tall gaijins. The feeling of being the odd one out will probably continue to appear in the remaining time here in Japan.
The lunch buffet was great though. Herb Garden is actually a big farm catering the region with herbs, vegetables and plants. The food was organic and there was a huge variety to choose from the viking. which is was an "eat-all-you-can-buffet"is called here in Japan (makes you wonder as a scandinavian).
Full and happy, we returned to Koriyama City via Koriyama’s Art Museum where we saw the Dutch exhibition of drawings from various cartoons, which our neighbour recommended to us some weeks ago. After an hour in the company of various cartoon characters we left the museum light-hearted and smiling.
With the weather still only suitable for indoor activities we chose to spend some time in The Mall, like many others. One of the routine activities is to take a short look at the poor puppies that simultaneously breaks and melts our hearts. The outdoor event on the parking lot with live music and food stalls also had to be checked out, but it was not more than a “been there done that”.
Having made a plan of using this Sunday productively brought us to Excelsior Café in Tsutaya bookstore with our laptops and two soy latté in big mugs. All set for blog-writing. Being hopelessly behind writing about what we have been doing the last couple of years, it has become essential for us to dedicate time for this. The time was also spent talking about the final details of the upcoming visit from B´s sister and brother-in-law whom we are very much looking forward to receive here in Koriyama.
Very characteristically of our lives, we are frequently planning the next adventures, which very naturally brings us to the 2009 calendar hunting. Having started the discussions on what to do for Christmas… in 2009… - it does not seem weird at all to look for the 2009 calendar. You might wonder if it is sane to think about Christmas preparations for 2009? Why plan so much? Why not just cherish the moment? Luckily, it seems like it is possible to manage both. Treasuring the moment gives us happiness in the daily life, where the plans and dreams are what add the extra spice.
Being on our way home, in that moment, we sent our thoughts to Henrik’s dad who is running in the Villa Gallina race for the first time in more than 10 years. With the time difference of 7 hours, he should be finished by now.
It is thus in a mixture of being in the moment and dreaming about travels and the opportunities in life, that we close the chapter of the Olympics by watching the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games before bedtime. We cherished the moment of the spectacular Grande Finale of the Games, while at the same time recalling the unforgettable experience in The Nest, and simultaneously sharing the feeling of the beginning of a new chapter.
Yesterday, our kind neighbor stopped by to check if we would be home for lunch today. We confirmed, so today she came by with a full lunch menu for us: cold somen noodles and crisp warm tempura. Sometimes living in Japan can feel like paradise.
7 years has passed since I (H) have studied for real. Of course there has been various courses and training activities provided at work since I left the Technical University in Lyngby, but this summer I returned to the real school bench again as I attended an eMBA class at Temple University’s Tokyo campus titled: “Managing the Enterprise from a Global Perspective”. The aim of the course has been to add additional theory to my practical experience at work, partly through studying the course material and equally important through the discussions with fellow alumni and the teacher. The class consisted of Mexicans, Japanese, Americans, an Australian and an Austrian, whom all presented different perspectives because of their cultural background and their different corporate cultures. This is for sure an effective way to broaden ones perspectives.
The classes took place on Saturdays, starting 6:16 a.m. at Koriyama station catching the train to Tokyo and ended again in Koriyama 8:29 p.m. (The trains are always very precise in Japan!) Long days. In matter of fact - long weeks, but worth it. Imagine that you have a lot of puzzles to solve (plus some puzzles you didn’t even know existed…), in some cases you are missing a piece to complete the puzzle, in other cases you don’t know what the puzzle will look like when it is finished. The theory and discussions in this course has helped solving some of the puzzles I have been working on for a while, like answering questions like “Why is it such a challenge to engage in business between different nationalities?”
The biggest lesson though, has been the realization of a need and desire for continuously discovering new puzzles, pieces and outlines. It will most likely not be long before I return to the school bench again.
As Mika-san and I(B) had arrived early for a Nuka-lesson at Gunji-sensei's house, we were invited as guests to a tea ceremony class. Its always hypnotizing to watch the details that a 'go Teishu' (tea ceremony master) puts into preparing the tea, so of cause we joined in. One student had studied for 20 years, another for 17 years...kind of indicate the complexity of this art form right?
The summer-tea ceremony differs from the winter-tea ceremonies, not just because of the 'light' service used (like thin glass cups opposed to thick ceramic cups, light bamboo tray opposed to wood trays during winter etc), but also because of the temperature of the water used for making the tea. During winter the water is heated to 80°C (Sencha 100 °C) before it is mixed with the tea leaves. Two pots of tea can be made of one batch of leaves(ichi-sen & ni-sen).
During summertime, the water is only heated to 25°C, more leaves are used, and three pots of tea can be made of one batch of tea leaves (ichi-sen, ni-sen & san-sen).
As three students practiced tea ceremony today it meant we each had 9 cups of tasty green tea!
The second best part of the tea ceremony – the tea being the best of cause – is the o Kashi, a typical Japanese sweet that goes well with the tea. Often it is made of beans.
The design of the cake is decided upon the occasion or the season of the year. Today's 'o kashi' was made by an 82 year old cake-artist here in Koriyama, and the cake was inspired by the sea. The white beans in the translucent jelly symbolize stones in clear water. 
After the tea ceremony class and a tasty lunch, the Nuka-class could begin.
One of the three most important components of a Japanese meal is pickles (the other two being miso soup and rice). Pickles are made in many different ways, but the most demanding one must be the vegetables pickled in nuka, as nuka needs constant love and care.
Nuka is a kind of fermented paste made of mainly rice bran(nuka), salt and water. In the old days every family would have its own Nuka-pot handed down from generations, because the thing is that a nuka-pot can live forever, if well taken care of. 
To the rice brand, salt and water, we added as well yoghurt, and the following for taste: Dashi (bonito flakes), Kombu (kelp), Shitake musrooms, Niboshi (dried baby sardines) and thinly sliced Togarashi chilis (which also keeps the bugs on a distance.)
Because the nuka paste contains live bacillus, it must be carefully monitored meaning I every single day from now on, must mix the nuka paste by hand to avoid molds. If this is done well, Nuka-chan (as Mika-san kindly has baptized it) will stay with us forever.
To create the pickles, vegetables like cucumber, eggplant, burdock or carrot are buried in the paste for one and a half day, and then ready to be served!
Banh Trang stuffed with salad, carrot, cucumber and shrimps/ham and with the most delicious spicy-sweet dressing on the side.
Another tasty gift from our neighbor dropped off at dinnertime.
Todays Ikebana project. This time, Gunji-sensei had prepared a decoration pre-hand for us to copy. The copying went so well, that she for the first time ever didn't changed a single thing about my decoration. I guess she was in a very good mood today.
After class we had a great lunch at a local healthy restaurant. After I've changed my diet, my friends do their best to support me which I really appreciate. Many restaurants have a fixed lunch menu, which make the choice of restaurant really important. We also visited a couple of ceramic shops, as I need a new Ikebana vase after my old one broke during an earth quake. The only thing we have lost in a earth quake so far.
Mie-chan is Gunji-sensei's old, but cute cat. She always greets the students when we arrive and expects a lot of cuddling. The first cat I ever met who adores to be brushed with a broom.
Fans are not only a tool for Geishas and Samurais. During the humid hot summer, fans come in pretty handy and they are not difficult to get hands on. Two options: 
1) Spend a minor fortune on a beautiful handicrafted one in Kyoto.
2) Accept a fan for free from the many guys who hand them out on the streets. This will turn you into a walking commercial for a karaoke bar, a real estate agency or ... so choose with care.
(The picture shows last year's harvest...we are becoming very Japanese, in the way of not saying 'no').
This evening we had the great opportunity to attend a concert performed by local citizens, here amongst our good friend Keiko-san whom is an accomplished piano player. Together with a saxophone player, she filled the room with Brazilian inspired music. She played absolutely fantastic and we are very proud to know her.
Koriyama is a very musical city, as you will notice when you walk down our main street.
Here and there you find benches inviting you to take a break. All the benches are artfully shaped into music notes and the likes. The reason for this is that the musical students in Koriyama, many years in a row, have won some national competition in music!
We have found a great Farmers Market in Koriyama which we try to find our way to every Sunday morning 9 o'clock sharp.
And we really do mean sharp! 30 minutes before the market opens, cars start to gather on the parking area in front of the indoor market. The drivers stay put in the cars watching the invisible queue to the market. As soon as a line actually starts to form, people jump out of the car to join in. When the doors finally open a huge line has formed.
If you arrive at the market 30 minutes after the market has opened, - you will find most shelves boring or empty, but if you make it on time you find an abundance of veggies and fruits.
We love filling up our baskets with tons of vegetables. We eat mainly vegetarian now, so we do consume quite a bit of vegetables. The market only carry local produce, so it is also the perfect spot to learn what stuff is actually in season at the moment (opposed to supermarkets that has too much imported stuff).
Last time we went there it was all about bamboo shoots, Fuki (which we accidently mistook for Rhubarb, but thats another story) and Strawberries. This time we stocked up on Cherries, cauliflower, asparagus and squash. Ohh, - and Heart Sticks! Who can live without Heart Sticks? A cucumber in the perfect shape of a heart!
Blue Mountains is just a train ride from Sydney and where the bride and groom (G&C) grew up. We knew the place had to be special since G&C who had seen the whole world still choose to live there so we wanted to check this presumably paradise out for our selves.
After recommendation, we took base in an idyllic little town named Leura, named after the many volcanic stones found there (Lava means Leura in aboriginal).
Leura was a sweet little oasis. Grand old-fashioned Victorian inspired houses, lovely (in the word’s English sense lovely) boutique shops selling all these things you didn’t know you needed but totally need to own like luxury stationary, inspiring notebooks, handmade candles, art craft and a well assorted candy store, which we have heard can enchant people with all its candy, so they show up late for obligations, like a wedding. Oooh and Leura has a fantastic coffee shop: A wooden house with panorama views of the landscape all the way to Katoomba,- the neighbouring tourist hub.
Katoomba is a must-do place if you want to see the Blue Mountains landmark, - its grand cliffs named the three sisters. On a map Leura looked pretty close to Katoomba, we just needed to follow the canyon, so we packed a back and went hiking near the edge. 
Blue Mountains was supposed to be really cold as it was winter, but we had more than 20 degrees most of the day. The hike was beautiful but much longer that expected. Midways we made a detour to find lunch and stumbled across a gorgeous place where families, dog walkers, business people and sightseers like us (though more refined than us in our hiking boots) were taking in the mild winter by eating lunch in the large sun filled garden with an amazing view of the canyon. Here we started to realize that Blue Mountains is indeed a special place on earth. So relaxed and blessed with beauty, natural and isolated, yet with all indulgences within reach…though the goat cheese tart was sold out. Could we live here? Indeed we could!
As the Blue Mountains is a World Heritage site, the area around the main sites are highly developed. A short, though steep train ride takes you down the cliff side through the green foliage where a web of trails leads you through the forest.
A cable “Skyway” with glass bottom takes you across the valley in 200 meter height and offers a breathtaking view. We spent great hours there with highlight of the day being watching the Australian native Lyrebird picking for worms (?) while speaking a sound we couldn’t quite decipher. The Lyrebird is famous for being able to mimic natural as well as artificial sounds from its environment.
The Three Sisters: 
One evening we met G&C for a splendid dinner, H and G eating kangaroo – of cause. It was really great to have a little quiet time with them (can’t believe they made time for it the day before they were going on honeymoon!). Participating in the wedding was a beautiful experience and an important event, but to have relaxed quality time to catch up is invaluable. We are glad we had this opportunity.
We didn't get to see the Platypus :-( as they tend to hide during winter, but we did get to see a whole lot of different animals while touring the shores and the hinterland of Byron Bay. We always get a great kick out of watching wildlife in their natural environment.
The Rainbow Lorikeets were easy to spot with their bright colored feathers, - and if you couldn't see them, you could for sure hear them!: 
Another of the many different kind of parrots in the region. This is a Galah: 
From the beach we watched the Humpback whales make their journey to the warmer waters in the North. With a good will you can see the tail of one here (you might want to click pic. to enlarge): 
...and the playful dolphins. A baby dolphin made an awesome whole-body-over-the surface- jump, but kind of hard to photograph, so this will have to do: 
We saw two different kind of flying foxes, - a kind of fruit eating bats. This picture shows the Grey-headed flying fox. We also saw the black Flying fox. They sleep in huge colonies in trees, during the day, before they travel up to 50 km pr day to feed on fruit and pollen. 
Just out side Lismore, there is a road lined with Ecalyptus trees. Here we saw the cutest koala bears: 
We had encounters with three different kinds of kangaroos besides Wallabies and Pademelons. Can you think of a nicer way to be carried around by your mother? 
OZ part 5 (OZ part 4 about Sydney is not done yet)
The Wedding took place in the most eastern region of Australia, famed for hippies, surfers and a warm climate. June means winter in Australia – but we still had above 20 degrees in Lennox Head. Nice!
Due to Henriks work we were left with only 10 days for our first visit to Australia. Our main reason to go to Australia was to participate in the wedding, but since we were there, we might as well take a look around.
We booked an apartment for 5 days in a small costal town named Lennox Head, a somewhat lazy little place with a beautiful beach, and restaurants and delis that offered a great variety of healthy food. We found vegetable juices, fruit smoothies and chickpea salads not to mention a tasty date crumble made without sugar, wheat and milk. Heaven!
Henrik would do his morning runs on the beach, some days we would take walks there, looking at humpback whales or dolphins or just enjoying being close to the ocean. 
One morning we spent near Lake Ainsworth, a brown colored lake, that got its color from the many tea trees surrounding it. The water is supposedly healthy for skin and hair, but we skipped the swim this time and instead enjoyed the rich bird life there.
The rainbow parrots are like color palettes.
One evening we meet up with G&C for an evening coffee, where we also got a chance to meet C’s friendly parents. 
We had a few side trips from Lennox head. One was a tour with Byron Bay Wildlife Tours, which we cannot recommend highly enough. The owner kept all promises and we had an interesting day watching 5 different kinds of Kangaroos, wallabies, Pademelons, 2 kinds of Flying foxes, koalas, humpback whales and dolphins, all in the wild nature and not some kind of park. Also the owner/guide was a dedicated naturelover. He tried to do a difference for the endangered animals in the region like the koalas that are threatened by mining in Lismore and he also made us think twice in the future before investing in a house pet. Cats and dogs are a real threat to the wildlife. Not only because of their hunting, - but also because of the deceases they carry and spread. 
Another side trip was to Byron Bay,- the most famed city in the region.
Known for its serious laidback hippie-surfer party culture, Byron Bay is a true gem when it comes to organic food and supplements, so we hailed everything from Goji berries to parabene free moisturisers down from the shelves. All to a fair price! The high prices on import goods in Japan can be hard to cope with.
We also went to the lighthouse in Byron Bay. THE most eastern point of Australia…or actually we tried to go there, we walked and walked, took one nature trail and then another, but we never made it there, but did end up at a point where we could see the light house from a distance. That must count too, right? Especially because we also saw a humpback whale.
OZ part 3
During our backpacker trip in South America 2006 we met two wonderful people in a random hostel in the old Inca capital, Cusco in Peru.
The couple (G&C) did what we still only dream of; travelled around the world for a year (actually we dream of doing it for three years, but that's another story), and when we met them they had made it just about half way and were flying on a pink cloud of love as an engagement had fallen into place on the way.
They reminded us of important facets of what a relationship is also about and in that way they are an inspiration to us.
We met up with them a couple of times later on the trip (In Bolivia and in Argentina), but we haven't seen them since, so when they asked us to help them celebrate their marital ceremony in Australia this June, we didn’t hesitate to say yes.
The Wedding celebration was split over 3 days, starting of with an informal dinner at a beautiful old pub in Bangalow. We are sorry to realise that we don't have any pictures from there, as it really was a cool place. Never the less we had a great time chatting around with a lot of people. Australians have great people skills and they did a great effort to mingle with us.
The second day was when the ceremony took place. All guests were picked up by bus and transported to a beautiful French inspired castle, which made something clear to us. Despite what some Danish politician thinks, the thing is that when you pick up your feet for a while and plant them in another culture, you don’t put your old culture behind you, instead the new culture tie knots with your old culture and thus you now have two cultures close to heart. The thing is that G&C have spent months in France due to his work so choosing a location like this French inspired place as their venue, seemed like France has left a pretty important impact on their cultural paradigm…or maybe they are just very romantic ☺ What ever reason, it made us reflect about the fact that certain Brazilian and Japanese cultural aspects will be following us naturally for the rest of our lives, as the Danish culture will. 
It was a beautiful wedding. All powers seemed to have decided to work together to commemorate the love of G&C. The sun shined from a clear blue sky and the energy of the people was summing and warm.
Special moments and details in random order from the day: the way the sun rays spread warmth’s on the walls during the ceremony, the sense of detail wrapped around the whole setup, the sincere feeling of joy and happiness everybody shared. The overwhelming candy table with hand made beautiful boxes, people dancing around with ties around their head (opposed to around their neck), smiles and laughter, the special glow you only find around a very happy newly wed couple, crowds of people on the dancefloor, the delicious appetizers served before dinner, the rings in the shell wandering from one guest to another before the ceremony picking up wishes of love and happiness to the couple. The romantic energy of the wedding enhanced by everyone and everything. Perfect. Beautiful. Relaxed. Momentous. When we were back at the hotel, a little tipsy and with tired feet after a whole night dancing, we looked back at a super evening.
The day after, everybody met up again at G&C’s apartment for a recovery Barbie. (Barbie is not to mistaken for a Mattel product, but just the Australians way of saying BBQ. red.) Really relaxed. Think lots of yummy salads and meats and laid back conversations. A perfect final.
For us participating in the 3 day festivities became an extraordinary experience. During the three days we had had immensely fun with G& C, their friends and family. They were relaxed, chatty and curious and so we had felt welcomed, comfortable and home. Home. Home, as we have only felt one time during our so far 1,5 year in Japan (and that was when we had a Danish Christmas lunch for a bunch of mostly western friends). ‘Home’ as in Denmark. We had sort of forgotten how that kind of home felt.
Living in Japan, expose us to many wonderful experiences and wonderful people, which we would never be without. Every day our cultural understanding is challenged and widened. We treasure it. We have made good friends and mostly embrace the challenge of nurturing new friendships.
Having said that, the cultural barrier is high. Japan and Denmark has so little in common in so many aspects, which means we always must stay alert, – both to understand correctly and to be understood correctly.
A place like Australia with deep roots in European culture makes it easy to feel at home. You don’t have to be alert. You speak the same language, figure of speech. The encounter with the open arms and familiar western mindsets of G&C’s family and friends was something, we realised, that we had longed for.
The encounter had an even stronger effect, as it was a knot tied group of close people who had known each other for what seemed like forever. They relaxed in each other’s company. It is something you can only experience with your own family and dearest friends. We miss that kind of qualitytime with our friends and family in Denmark and Brazil.
Thanks for a wonderful experience G&C. Thanks for letting us borrow your wonderful friends and family while our own are out of reach. And thanks for letting us take part in your love, - and a great party. We are really glad we had this great chance to meet up with you again and hope it won’t take ages before we meet up again. You are two wonderful people that together form a perfect couple.
The picture is from the Wedding ceremony. The mothers in law were asked to tie the bride and groom's hands together. An ancient tradition that really touched us.
P.S.: Now, we are SO ready to see our own friends and family for Christmas!!! (Yep we will be home for Christmas and part of January). Mata néee.
OZ part 2
We are fascinated by the rice fields and their beauty, and to plant them has been something we wanted to try since we read an old diary of a Dane that did it while living here.
Last year we had to turn down three invitations due to a busy schedule, so we hoped to get another chance this year, which we happily got. Unfortunately H had to go to dk on business trip, so I ended up joining alone, this overcast day. In fact I ended up being the only foreigner in a group of 40, but I didn't thought much about it. I am too used to hang around people I don't understand :-) It was a nice group,- everybody were friendly and hardworking, and I remember a nice conversation with someone about whether we have rice fields in dk or not. 
The experience gave a full understanding of why machines are used to plant rice fields these days. Planting rice is really hard work for your back ... and an annoying thing is that your rubber boots tend to get stuck in the mud all the time (which might only had been a problem for me, because I insisted in using my own fancy white boots apposed to their long black practical boots that came with a rubberband to firmly secure the boot to the foot). Who cares, even though I almost fell full length in the mud, I didn't, so I guess my boots did me very well! Ohh, and nobody had told me about the hat. Everybody wore one except me!
A grid had been drawn in the mud, making it easy to plant the crops on a straight line...you would think...but every time you put your feet in the mud, the water turns blurry and the grid vanished in the around 30 cm of water that topped the mud. I thought we did well anyway!
Afterwards some of the men gathered in the stream that supplies the rice fields with water. They wanted to catch the dinner,- a sort of eel I think, but I might have lost some info in the translation...
As always with this kind of event arranged by KALMIA, an awesome lunch awaited the crowd with onigiri, tempura and green tea prepared by Keikos mother. She is a great cook.
I skipped an invitation to go soak up in an onsen (hot spring). I know it doesn't sound like me, - but while I was planting rice, H had arrived in Japan and I was eager to see him again.
