Weekend in Saga Take Two!!

Y'all remember our Japanese family, the Yamasaki's? Well, they invited us down to their beautiful home again this summer when Kouichi and his two kids were in town (we missed you Kizuki!). They always go out of their way to make us feel like true family members and it is always a BLAST hanging out with them! The language barrier is powerful but it's amazing how much you can communicate without using verbal skills. Acting things out, smiling and laughter speak loads!

For lunch on Saturday, Kouichi and his dad, Bob-san, took us to a waterfall near their home. This particular area is known for their Carp - they farm raise them to keep their food intake regulated. The Carp are bottom feeding fish, so thankfully, the ones that are intended for human consumption have been accustomed to a cleaner diet. 

The entrance to the restaurant specializing in Carp dishes

Seating was contained in private tatami rooms. When we were ready to order, Kouchi placed a phone call to the kitchen.

This was the spread they ordered... per person!!!

The first preparation of Carp was sashimi style. It was very thinly sliced and kept on ice. There were fine bones in each piece, but they were edible. Definitely changed the texture from the typical sashimi we eat. It was deliciously fresh and had its own distinct flavor. The pieces on the shiso leaf in the center there are actually raw pieces of skin. I was not a huge fan personally, so after eating one, I gave the others to Kouichi who LOVED them!

This was our FAVORITE. It was a delicious hot soup with smoked Carp and its roe. At first, I did not think I was going to be able to eat it because it looked just like pork, so when Kouichi told me it was Carp, I gobbled it up! It definitely did not taste or look like fish!

After lunch, the family invited us to observe a traditional ceremony in which a Buddhist priest comes to the house to perform a ritual in which they commemorate the 50th anniversary of a great grandfather's death. There was a lot of preparation involved and we were truly able to see how the tatami room is utilized in a Japanese family home. 

After the ceremony was complete, it was time for dinner! The Yamasaki's definitely know how to EAT WELL! Check out this spread:

Fried shrimp and chicken

A Japanese pancake - it's almost like a thick crepe with vegetables and Japanese seasoning... I personally LOVE them!

A sushi platter (there were TWO of these!!)

Kanpai!!

What a HAPPY baby!!

Such a cutie!

The boys satisfied after the big meal! (Kouichi, Bob-san, Sam-san, Taka-san, and Joel)

Brothers, can you tell? Just missing Shinji!

Mai is so beautiful!

Now, this kid.... THIS kid I adore!

There is so much love and joy in this family - it rubs off! We are SO blessed and honored to have them in our lives!

Now we have to give a shout out to our friend, Neph. He graciously provided a tour of the air traffic control tower for us when the Yamasaki's visited Iwakuni. They were BIG fans of his, so he made it on their wall of pictures!! Go Neph!!! :-)

Our last day in Saga, we went to a famous pottery store to not only check out the gorgeous wares, but to try our hands at making our OWN pottery on the wheel!

There were many types of styles, designs, sizes, etc. etc. It was overwhelming and I wanted ALL of it! 

After walking around and getting inspired, we had the chance to try it ourselves!!

This guy made it look SO easy!!! He was truly masterful!

We each started with a huge lump of clay. You would shape what you wanted out of the top portion, then use a taut string to slice it off the mound if you wanted to keep what you created. 

I had NO idea the level of difficulty I was about to experience!

Kouichi turned out to be quite skilled. I think he is secretly a potter in his free time, LOL

My failed creations... the master potter had to help me each time, and I still found a way to screw them up! I went through my entire lump of clay, LOL! Thankfully, the last one (the middle one in the picture) was salvageable. It was called "unique" by the master. Kouichi sent us the finished products after they were glazed, though, and they were BEAUTIFUL! Truly an ugly duckling turned swan moment! Now I know why God being the potter is such beautiful imagery... He knows what the finished product will be after all of the difficulty in forming and setting the clay!

We had a fabulous time with the Yamasaki's and as usual, were blown away by their generosity, openness, and positive energy. Hopefully, we will have an Okinawan visit from the family?? :-)