Happy Thanksgiving

If you're an American celebrating Thanksgiving in Japan today, I hope you're having a great day. With an American husband and kids who also hold American passports, it's a holiday that we do try to celebrate—but it's not always the easiest to do so in terms of the traditional Thanksgiving meal. We don't have an oven to cook something like a turkey or a ham (and honestly, I don't even know where I'd procure those things), so we just end up doing what we can. 

One of our favorite cafes in Niigata City had a maple pumpkin pie on their menu recently, so that was an early celebration for us. 

A slice of maple pumpkin pie and coffee at a local cafe – it's not the full meal with all the trimmings, but it hit the spot.

Even though we can't really celebrate in the traditional way, this time of year is always a reminder to me of all the things I have to be thankful for. I love where we live, I love the safety, I love the elements of Japanese culture that I get to experience on a daily basis...there's a lot of gratitude.

I hope the rest of you also feel that way about the life you have built here. It's not always easy, and like anywhere there are frustrations—but I do think the reasons a lot of us stay outweigh those minor gripes.