Sunday Afternoons, Summer style

Need I say more?

Gahhhhh!  crazy!  I had two babies at the same time.  No wonder people look at me like I'm crazy.

Traditional riding down the hill at gram's.

Obon Festival

During World War II, there were many Japanese internment camps in Utah.  Once those camps folded, many of the Japanese people stayed and became farmers, including my great-grandparents.  My grandmother spent her early twenties in an internment camp, where she met and married a young man who later died in combat in Italy in 1945.  Most Japanese people never talked about “camp”, and my grandmother was no different. We tried multiple times to write her story, but she just never talked about it, and when she did, it was never in any detail.

(Esther Oka in “Camp”, 1945)

My great-grandparents raised their children on a farm in the heart of Ogden on 39^th street. Apparently, the Oka Farm was well known in the community and my mother was raised just blocks from there.  As a kid, I spent every summer in Ogden working in my grandma’s garden.   Ogden’s historic 25^th street was once the Japantown of Ogden, or as close as it could get to being a Japantown.   There were Japanese restaurants, fish markets and bathhouses that lined the streets of 25^th.  (Yes, along with the local brothels.)  Can you imagine how different it must have been?

Who knew?  I had no idea that the Japanese culture was once so strong here in Ogden.   I plan on keeping their Japanese tradition alive, and this week I’m taking part in the Obon Festival. What is an Obon Festival?  Well, until recently, even I didn’t know.  The Ogden Buddhist Temple honors their ancestors who have passed before them each year by holding the Obon Festival.   It’s a way for them to resolve unsettled business so they can embrace their loved ones once again.  What better way to honor my ancestors of Ogden and Japan than to participate in the Obon Festival?

Buddhism is not just a religion, but a way of life.  Buddhists believe they are given everything they need in this life, they just need to become aware of their gifts and live a life of gratitude for those gifts.

The Obon Festival is filled with food, dancing, music, and taiko drummers. The dances acknowledge their rich heritage that was molded by their ancestors. 

The dancing is performed by the local Buddhist people of Ogden and Salt Lake.   There are 12-14 dances honoring their dead. The dancers wear Yukatas (summer kimonos), and use different props during the dances, such as: Uchiwa (round fan), Tengui (towel), Sensu (Folding Fan), Kachi-Kachi (wooden hand noise maker).

THE traditional Taiko drummers will be performing (Taiko in Japanese means ‘drum’). If you haven’t heard or seen these guys, you are missing out.  They are immensely powerful and a lot of fun to watch.  I’ve seen them multiple times while growing up and I am mesmerized each time.  When they perform, the goal is to become one with the drum, which is also a way of becoming one with Buddha.  They even make their own drums! I made a goal a couple years ago to become a Taiko drummer. Luckily, they are starting a new group and are looking for recruits! (Hint, Hint)

At the Obon Festival this year, there will be booths filled with food and souvenirs. Come watch the dancing!  Feel the rhythm of the Taiko drummers!  Come, help keep the traditions alive and see the deep Japanese history of Ogden through the Buddhist people!

Where:           Ogden Buddhist Church

                        155 North Street

                        Ogden, Utah

When:            Saturday, July 20, 2013

Schedule

4:00 Food Booths Open

7:30 Taiko Drums

8:00 Dance Performance

9:00 Intermission Taiko Drums

9:30 Dance Performance (Last dance the audience is asked to participate)

Food Available:

Teriyaki Rice Bowls with Chicken or Beef

Spam Musubi (Block of Rice and Spam wrapped together with dried seaweed)

Somen Noodles (Cold noodles in Fish Stock)

Vegetarian Tofu Salad

Manju (Sweet Rice Cake)

Ramune (Japanese Soda)

Hot Dogs (American Tradition)

generations at 3 months

so this story kind of applies but not really.

when in my teens, i was caught licking my dessert plate by none other than my mom. (we grew up with what i think would be considered STRICT table manners.  so this was a serious no-no.)

where did i learn this trick?  well from my grams.  after eating some ice cream, grams would lift the bowl to her face, stick out her tongue and lick.  just the other day my mom was eating some mochi and what did i find her doing?  LICKING the left over sauce.  then later i come upon her teaching aiko how to stick out her tongue.

my, my. how the tables have turned. 



baby girl in her fancy new jacket auntie steph bought her for christmas.  (i just noticed my CRAZY eyebrows. . .whoa.)

grams

dear grams

i'm a little sad you never got to meet your little namesake... at least here on earth.

i miss you

happy birthday to you and tracey!

Got us some good snow.

the kona was dying to go play in the snow.  i mean...who could say "no" to these big browns? 

she's always wanting to push you down the hill

or be there when you biff it on the bunny hill at auntie mitsie's house

or be your own little side cheerleader.

the mama and auntie mitsie learned to ski on this hill

they always join in the fun!

usually standing and watching, but this year we got them to go down the hill!

whether it's going down the hill or getting warm inside,  the kona is always there. 

hana

so this is partly why we named her Esther

my gram and her make a lot of the same faces

plus they have the same "hana"

which is nose in japanese

i can just imagine gram saying 

"she has my hana."

yes she does gram

miss you grams.

Random Times, but good times.

Kona and the husband zonked out on the floor the other night.

Sometimes, he just remind me of a little kid, who just loves his puppy!

It finally snowed!  So of course, we the sisters couldn't not sled at grams.

Mitsie as usual, blew up all our sleds!

Thanks Mits!

How much clothing could we wear?

hey, it's me, harmony.

just a typical weekend, trying on some of grams old clothing.
As many pieces as possible.

Good Company, food, music, disneyland can do no wrong.

Note to all...these are not in order. 

It's much too hard.

Thunder Mountain, might just be one of the best little thrillers out there.

The swings...which kind of make me a little sick.

Look at my husband's face! 

Hali was laughing like a manic.

Boy, do I have a video for you.

We ate many smashed PB&J.

more smashed than anything.

toy story ride. always a super long wait.

always worth the long wait, even if someone did puke in the line somewhere.

Disneyland for Christmas, what more could you ask for?

Stuck on the line.

So excited for Cars to open in the California side. 

It will be amazing! They are building the entire Radiator Springs. 

Giant turkey leg.

It was delicious.

All my hard healthy work out the door.

Here I am trying to be healthy, eating the avocado. 

which was so smashed and brown it would have made me cry, except for I was at Disneyland.

The world of colors was amazing.

Absolutely stunning, even if it was raining, and we were on the front row getting even wetter.

I bought this print for our house..that will hopefully close soon!

The Matterhorn.

This is what my mom thinks of when we say Disneyland. 

As a young girl, her family always came to Disneyland, so you see, our love goes deep and for many years back. So sad Mitsie, jan and my dad couldn't join us.

Grams at Disneyland.

She is where my mom gets her trooperness.

Shrooms

I can't help it. 

i hate mushrooms, but they are soooo pretty. 

it may be the fact that gram used to grow them in the basement

on some moldy thing my uncle bought her...

maybe

Just a smidgeon of what my grandma was like.

God be with you til we meet again.

Esther Mistuko Oka 

1920-2011

The latest in our life, as by the Han.

My older sister, Harmony (the short, spunky, sassy one) has gone a bit weirdy lately with her food choices. I don't remember the last time I went home and we had normal food. This weekend:

Me: Why have you gone weird? And how long is it going to last? I'm sick of waffles made with flax seed.

Harmony: With a name like Harmony it was going to happen sooner or later. Deal with it.

Me: Ugh.

   later...

Me: Do we have any Otter Pops?

Harmony: No, do you want a spinach smoothie? It has fruit in it.

Me: Fruit and spinach? No thanks, I would like an Otter Pop.

Harmony: Let me make you a smoothie.

Derek: We have some Otter Pops in the freezer.

Me: Hurray!

Harmony: No! Let me make you a smoothie.

Me: Noooo. Harm, Otter Pops are delicious, they make the world go 'round.

Harmony: Yeah, round.  

   ...delayed response...

Me: HA! That WAS funny! Very clever, good one.

Harmony: I know, I know. So let me make you a spinach smoothie.

Me: Nope, got an Otter Pop, I'm gonna go eat it with Kona.

Little sister, Hali (the long-haired exotic-looking one), was also home this weekend. I wanted to watch Swamp People (a story for another day), Harmony wanted to reupholster a couch, Derek wanted to do...something (probably a nerdy computer game), and Hali...well...

Hali: Coooooome outside and sit with me! 

Harmony: How 'bout we do my couch!

Derek: Neither of those sound fun.

Hali: Buuuuuut it's nice outside. Anana, come outside with me.

Me: Meh...I want to cuddle with The Kona and watch Swamp People.

   ...a few minutes passed, Hali disappeared and the rest of us went about what we were previously doing.

Harmony: Where is Hali?

Me: I dunno...

   ...I went to the front room and looked out the window...

Hahaha. Of course, we laughed and took photos before joining her, it was just so cute and precious...gotta love the baby of the family. She was sooooo happy and wanted nothing more than to use her new hammock. Coincidentally, she was reading one of the crazy food books that Harmony has been reading.

And the reason I love my family? After sitting outside and talking for a while, Harmony did make us weird smoothies (which I fed to Kona), I helped her reupholster her couch, and then we watched Swamp People all together! Swamp People has become a recent obsession which I will explain in further detail at a later date.

The rest of the weekend was spent helping out in the yard and garden at G-Ma Oka's where I skillfully pruned her bonsai trees into practically perfect spheres. I wielded that electric pruner with great talent. Unfortunately, Grandma is getting up there in years and is no longer able to come outside. Such a shame that she was not there to kibitz that I missed a spot here or there like tradition holds. Or to tell me how lucky I am to have the miracle of electricity, because years ago she did this by hand with naught but some hand sheers.

And what about Kona, you ask? What did one of the most featured characters on this blog do with her weekend? The usual: laid around, went with us everywhere and watched us work.