Elizabeth's Secret Garden

  For all the Studio Ghibli fans, this post is for you. My personal favorite Studio Ghibli film is Howl's Moving Castle and for years I've enjoyed Miyazaki's films. They are entertaining, intriguing, and overall good films. I was in for a very pleasant surprise to find out that the park was an hour away from the school my husband and I were serving at in Gamagori, Japan. The park is spread throughout the larger Aichi Commemorative Park. There are five areas that are weaved within the larger park. The aspect of the parks being part of the natural surroundings reflects the element of respecting and caring for the environment that can be found in the films  Link for park in Aichi https://ghibli-park.jp/en/  There are a few options for visiting the park in Aichi, Japan. You can get a standard pass or a premium pass. If you just get the standard pass you will not be able to go into all the buildings and will only be able to go into three of the five areas. If you want to get t...

  Japan is known for its cafes. There are cafes for just about everything it feels like. There is an owl café, Peter Rabbit Café, cat café, Harry Potter Café, and many more themed options. One of the top tourist attractions on our list was visiting a Capybara Café. They are my favorite animal so it only makes sense. They are like giant guinea pigs that are super chill. There is a café that has cats and capybaras, but the one we chose was just Capybaras. The most important thing to note is you have to have a reservation. It is popular so you want to book an appointment as soon as it opens. The reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance. Also, plan to arrive a little early and you must order a drink to enter. The visitation period is 30 minutes. You can pay extra to get to feed the Capybaras. Below is the link where you can make reservations and get other important information.   https://cspace.co.jp/home_english/   My husband and I didn't get to go into ...

  While in Japan, I got to experience the culture through traveling, but also experience what it is like to teach at a Japanese Preschool. My husband had done ministry in Japan for 6 month several years ago, but this was my first time. My husband and I spent our first two weeks serving at a preschool that is part of a local Church. I was grateful for the time that we got to spend getting to know the teachers, parents, and children. I was amazed by the level of respect and responsibility that the children had. On the very first day of visiting, the children put on a 45 minute performance. They had memorized several songs and the 4/5 year old children were able to play instruments. The children were taught a level of responsibility that is very different than what I've seen at schools at home. These children were given jobs and took care of serving food and cleaning up after meals.  I was able to read a butterfly story in English to the two year old's and the older age groups. I...

Japan is truly beautiful. The people, the country, and the language. Summer of 2024, my husband and I embarked on an epic journey to go to literally the other side of the planet. My husband had gone several years back, but this was my first time going. I had prepared in every way possible for this journey from studying the culture to diving into learning the language. What I wasn't prepared for was leaving part of my heart behind in Japan. So I decided this week that it was time to share this love with others and give everyone a little taste of what living in Japan is like and all the places there are to see.  This was the community of Gamagori that we stayed in for the first two weeks before continuing our journey across Japan. This area is considered rural in Japan. A much more peaceful town than living in the heart of Tokyo.  This is called a Genkan which in kanji is 玄関. Whenever you go to a home, you stop here and place your shoes in a rack or designated area and then typi...