Disney Sea

Chie, Mrs. and Mr. Uetake at Disney Sea
Last Sunday, I went to Disney Sea with three of my favorite Japanese people - the Uetake's. They took me to Tokyo Disney Land last summer, and promised to take me to Tokyo Disney Sea this summer. It was awesome! I got to watch the Little Mermaid fly through the air and confront the evil Sea Witch, Aladdin and Genie fight of the evil Jafar, and even go through Indiana Jones's Temple of Doom on a crazy roller coaster. It was an amazingly fun and interesting time, especially since most of it was in Japanese. The place was simply beautiful, but it looked like it was Disney and Universal Studios all smashed into one.
Of course the best part was hanging out with the Uetake's. They are so nice to me and they always take care of me. As most of you know, they are my landlord's, but more than that, they are my Japanese family. I usually walk over to their house next door to our apartments and hang out with them at least once a week. Chie, the youngest daughter, is a couple of years older than me and one of my good friends. She speaks great English and loves sweets as much as I do. Mrs. Uetake has been like a mother to me, showing me how to eat fruits the Japanese way (you have to peel the skin off) and how to cook rice. She is so patient with me though I know I appear like a child to her, having to learn things that most Japanese people inherently know. And Mr. Uetake is like a father. From lecturing me because I didn't shut my curtains at night ("You are foreign girl! People can see you! Close your curtains!") to always helping me decifer my mail and bills and paperwork to always inviting me to musical and cultural art performances, he has truly helped me to become more accustumed to this culture and way of life. They have made me feel loved and accepted more than anybody else here in Japan. And don't even get me started on their grandson. They have an older daughter - Kanai - who lives in Tokyo with her husband and son. The five year old Ryuta is such a violent little tyke, but I love wrestling with him. Though he is American by birth (his father worked in Chicago for a while, when Ryuta was born), he speaks very little English (though his parents speak it marvelously). Anyways, they are a huge blessing to me here and I love them so much. They are truly kind, caring people and I pray that God will bless them as they have blessed me.