Happy Birthday Rika 2014

11/21/2014 My baby girl is now a big 7 years old and going on 2nd grade. Big sister Hana's B-day is in Feb. She'll be 10 and going to 5th grade. Rika got some jewelry for her birthday and a set of pet toys from me. The same day, Hana got a shogi set(Japanese chess).

Hana sprained her arm in Sept. She's OK now.

Day at Kiyumizu-dera Temple

Not to be confused with the more famous temple in Kyoto of the same name, Kiyumizu is a large temple in Yasugi with a 3 tiered pagoda. In Oct. 2014

Sports Day 2014

Here are Hana and Rika at their elementary school sports day or field day. Grandma came and brought a nice spread. The girls did their best.

Day at Mt. Daisen(2014)

We tried to visit Oniko-land(Ogre-land), but it was closed. We also went to Mt. Daisen. The girls milked a cow and Rika got knocked over by an over-zealous and hungry goat. She was ok.

The Girls with Yonago Characters

In September, the girls went to an event with lots of cute local characters:

Shima-neko(Shimane-cat) the cute and nationally popular character from neighboring Shimane Prefecture. The roof on the cat's head is in the Izumo Taisha style, the most famous shrine in the region. 

Negita(Big green onion) Yonago and this area are famous for green onion, here's the Yonago character that alo resembles a "Y".

Negi-ko(Girl onion) The cute girl version with a flower soyou can tell the difference.

Trippy, Torippy, The character for Tottori Prefecture, a cross between a bird and a pear.

Fogel Bird Park(2014)

We all went to Fogel bird park in Matsue and saw the owls and other bids. It was a really good day. The girls got some nice gifts, too.

Rika the Fashion Model 2014

Rika(6) has some aspirations to be a fashion model. I believe she has potential. She might try an audition.