Elin and the kids went to the science museum with Reiko sensei and the Musick family today. I didn't get to go so I don't have much commentary... I heard they spent five hours there.
This is a room with a lot of stag beetles in it. Elin said that one died and dropped onto a little girl's head. Nice. 
This looks like a house for the beetles. 
Photo op with a robot body... I think. 
Denny in the robot body. Neighborhood festivals - Omatsuri
There are at least two sections in our town - Takanezawa - Housekidai and Koyodai. I am not sure that we were supposed to go to the other festival, but we have friends that live there so we went. 
This is Denny decorating his very own fan. It is running in the high 80's . low 90's right now. The humidity makes it feel a lot worse.
This is a Mikoshi. It is supposed to be a carrier of the god of a specific temple. 
Later that day, we stopped at the Housekidai Omatsuri. The kids took to the ring toss game. It was only 20 yen ($0.20) so we let them play a bunch of times. The prizes were actually pretty good for the low price of playing. Savannah begging for more money to play the ring toss game again... You can almost read in her eyes that she knows she is going to get it.
Savannah picking out her sixth or seventh prize.
Denny picking out his next prize. 
Bicycle parking at the park. This was only about half the bikes that were there. It was a community party and there is no parking so your choices are limited. 
And, of course... It rained. We were able to get about an hour in before we left. Elin's played 'wet tee shit contest' in her white shirt. I couldn't figure out why the men were staring at us until... I figured it might be time to go.Water guns and Somen noodles at the Eco-center
The kids got to make home-made waterguns out of a hollow bamboo tube It was open on one end and had a small hole in the other. They gave us a stick to tie a sponge to the end and then cover with a cloth. You fill the tube, put the stick in and push. The pressure forces the water out of the small hole in the bamboo. All of the kids had a waterbattle for about an hour. 
Denny making his watergun/
If you look closely, you can see the bamboo trough that is set up for the somen noodles. They run cold water down the tube and drop noodles into it. All the people standing around the trough grab the noodles with chopsticks or forks. You dip it into a soy based sauce with green onions and ginger. It is a customary summer food because it is cold. Also, the greenery above the trough is actually a kiwi plant. We had never seen one before.
Next to the Eco-center is a tennis court. There were several women playing tennis. In order to stay out of the sun, they had on long pants, long sleeve shirts, hats and gloves. I was standing at the eco-center watching the kids play with the water... and I was sweating. I can't imagine being in all of those clothes playing tennis.
Denny playing with his watergun.
Savannah and the other kids spraying each other with water. Believe it or not, there was not one tear shed and not one fight. 
We also received corn on the cob. It was sooooo good. It was the first corn on the cob that we have had here. It is the same as the US, only it costs 300-400 yen per ear ($3-$4). Savahhan only has one top tooth at this point so she struggled a bit.
My bowl of somen noodles. It kept getting bigger and bigger because Denny and Savannah had more fun catching the noodles than eating them. 
Elin eating her noodles. 
This is a seceda shell that we found. They are everywhere this tear. I am not sure if they follow a similar schedule as they do in the US. The sound is nice to listen to because it reminds me of summer. Savannah at the science center in Utsunomiya
Dancing at the Housekidai Omatsuri
Watermelon smashing at the Housekidai Omatsuri
Carrying the Mikoshi at the Koyodai Omatsuri
How much fun can you have with 100 yen ($1)?
Somen noodles at the Eco-center.
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