We were stationed in Japan for 13 and a half years. Many people who were stationed there became recluses in their own homes, barely venturing out at all. Well, this was not the case with us. We found Japanese friends (we were teaching them English) who brought us into their culture. In this picture, we are dressed up in traditional Nebuta Festival costumes. Our hosts took us into Amorii City, the capital of Aomorii Prefecture for the Festival. This picture was in August, 1984, when we had been there for just over one year.

The festival was crowded beyond belief, tighter than elbow-to-elbow. The Japanese are an up-tight society, until they get drunk, then it's Katie-bar-the-door! Wild groups dancing, to flutes and massive drums. The Japanese night was thick with smoke from fireworks, thicker with groups following the floats down the avenues, and even thicker with the smell of Kerii beer and Suntory whiskey. When the festival began, the Japanese participants would seek out foreigners (Gai-jiin's) to draw into the activities, they were very friendly and open to our presence there.

As you can see in the picture, Dennis was not too pleased to be there. Joy never did know a stranger, and the Japanese ladies loved her. Mintha had blond hair, peach fuzz really, and the Mamma-san's would take her from our arms and parade her about from store to store, and shop to shop, lady to lady, until we hardly knew where she was or who had her last. These same ladies were aghast when they saw us putting diluted Coca-Cola into her bottle (she was not quite two years old)!

Ah, taste and see that the Lord is Good (can you find the Scripture reference for that saying?).