Small World Magic on the River

In addition to the magic of watching the Comorants fish on the river, we had a serendipitous event during our night river tour. We were eating our picnic of tuna fish sandwiches aboard our boat before it left the dock. The sun was setting and the evening was beautiful. A young couple boarded the boat. The girl was especially pretty and had a huge smile. She sat down next to my daughters and they were ecstatic. She looked interested in getting to know us and I have to admit by stomach dropped as I noticed her eye my Father-in-Law's missionary name tag. "Oh no," I groaned to myself. I wasn't in a talkative mood and I am ashamed to admit, I wasn't looking forward to this tour being a missionary discussion.
It turns out that she is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon)! Not only that, she herself is a returned missionary from the Utah Temple Square Mission. She was born and raised in Russia and joined the church there five years ago. She is living in Japan working on an internship as a student of Brigham Young University (Jim and my alma mater). She spoke Russian, English, and Japanese fluently. A fascinating young woman.

Magic and the Night River of Nagaragawa (near Gifu, Japan)

Last spring, for Susan Grace's 9th grade English class, she read a short story called, Magic and the Night River by Eve Bunting. It is about a Japanese boy and his grandfather who fish with birds called Cormorants (a fishing practice that is over a thousand years old).
When we were planning our trip to Japan, Susan Grace had the wonderful suggestion that we find a place where we could watch Cormorant fishing.

The Kimono

While we were in Japan, we went to one of the big department stores in the city of Nagoya. A mannequin on display wore a kimono with a "bow" bustling out of the back like a giant silk butterfly. It was beautiful.
A few days later some friends of Jim's parents came to English class in their kimonos. How fun!
On the night before we left Japan, we went to dinner at a traditional Japanese restaraunt. We ate sushi and skiaki. The waitress wore an elegant kimono.
By now, I had fallen in love with the kimono. While we were in the airport waiting for our flight, Jim bought the older girls a kimono to share. What I didn't realize until then, is that although the bow of the kimono is beautiful, it is almost impossible to tie.

Nagano Farms

The valley of Nagano was full of meticulously cared for farms: rice fields, apple orchards, grape vines, and residential gardens. As we drove through the town, I couldn't help but notice that some of the farmers were up on ladders tending their trees. They were covering each individual apple with tiny paper-like sleeves. I found the farms quaint and charming and I sensed that the land was worked by loving hands.

Nagano Monkeys

We took a day trip to the mountains of Nagano, Japan (the home of the 1998 Winter Olympics). There is a spot in the mountains called The Monkey Park. We were interested in seeing this park that has been featured in National Geographic magazine. The monkeys are called "snow monkeys". They live surrounded by hot springs and during the winter they play in the snow and then swim in the hot springs. There was no snow while we were there, but the baby monkeys were learning how to swim in the warm water.

Elder and Sister Oldroyd

Jim's parents live in Nagoya, Japan. They are serving as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In June it was our good fortune to be able to go and visit them as a family. I can't believe how close we live to each other. The flight was less than two hours.
When we arrived at the airport, they were waiting inside with big smiles and open arms. Their mission president was also there offering us a warm welcome. It's been a long time (almost 20 years) since I was a missionary in the Dominican Republic, Santiago Mission. Being with Grandma Gina and Papa brought back many sweet memories I have of serving as a missionary. I am thankful that Jim and I could visit them with our children. I was impressed with the great sacrifices they cheerfully make each day of their mission. They have left the comforts of their home and family during their "golden years".
The sacrifice that impressed me the most is the three flights of stairs that Grandma Gina climbs each day to get to her office in the mission home. I've known for some time that Grandma Gina does not like stairs. Each time I climbed the stairs to her office I couldn't help but feel her sacrifice in each step.

Five Months, June 2011, Nagoya,Japan