The Talandis Family in Japan

About this original series

Our family video podcast from Toyama City, Japan, featuring the adventures of Jerry (papa), Shinobu (mama), our ten year old son Luke, and our four year old daughter, Max. My goals for this show are to share highlights of family news and a bit of Japanese culture as well. This show is intended primarily for family and friends, but anyone interested in daily life in Japan is also welcome.

Episodes of The Talandis Family in Japan

    • Play TSC2: Ball Throwing Practice - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TSC2: Ball Throwing Practice

      On April 29th, Luke participated in the annual "Super Chibiko Challenge," a pentathlon of sorts for elementary school kids in Toyama Prefecture. When he competed last year, by far his worst event was the softball throw. So for this year's competition we made a point of working on his ball throwing a lot. Shinobu and I did our best, but Luke wasn't making much progress. Finally we sought the help of Inoue-san, a co-worker of Shinobu who used to be a baseball player and coach. And thanks to our ...

      • Release date
        May 20, 2012
      • Runtime
        05:43
    • Play TSC1: Chibiko Taikai 2012 - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TSC1: Chibiko Taikai 2012

      Here's the first episode of "TSC", the Talandis Sports Channel. This is a series of clips dedicated to provide timely highlights of family sporting activities. This one focuses on Luke's participation in the 13th annual "Chibiko Taikai", an annual All-Toyama swim meet open to elementary and junior high school children. This was Luke's 3rd time swimming in this event, which is a big annual event in our local swimming scene. All the local swim clubs participate, and it's a good chance to compete...

      • Release date
        Feb 17, 2012
      • Runtime
        11:26
    • Play TFIJ42: Luke's 1st official gold medal - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TFIJ42: Luke's 1st official gold medal

      Here is the story of how Luke won his first official gold medal, at a swim meet at our home pool in Yatsuo. Coach mama was one of the main organizers, so this clip shows her in her element. At the time of this event, Luke was nine and in the 4th grade. He has been working very hard in the pool, so it was great for him to get this tangible encouragement. Luke not only won gold, but also set a meet record. Still, coach mama did her thing and found a lot of ways he can improve. Max, now four, als...

      • Release date
        Aug 1, 2011
      • Runtime
        07:59
    • Play TFiJ41: Max's 4th Birthday Photo Shoot - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TFiJ41: Max's 4th Birthday Photo Shoot

      Our daughter Max turned four on March 7th, 2011. The following morning, according to our family tradition, we took her to a photo studio to get her annual portrait done. If you're in the mood for cute, check out this video! :-)

      • Release date
        Jun 25, 2011
      • Runtime
        06:01
    • Play TFiJ40: Hikiyama 2011 - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TFiJ40: Hikiyama 2011

      On May 3rd, 2011, in the midst of Golden Week, Luke participated in the annual Hikiyama festival in our hometown of Yatsuo-machi. This festival has been held since the mid-18th century and features ornate floats decorated with extremely cool works of Japanese craftsmanship, including wood carvings, metal work, dolls, and embroidery. This short clip chronicles our adventures from the day, including Luke riding in the top of a float.

      • Release date
        May 28, 2011
      • Runtime
        08:56
    • Play TFiJ39: Luke's Super Chibiko Challenge - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TFiJ39: Luke's Super Chibiko Challenge

      On the 1st day of Golden Week 2011, Luke participated in the 23rd annual "Super Chibiko [kids] Challenge", a sports event for select 4th-6th graders from each elementary school in Toyama Prefecture. The kids compete in five events throughout the day: running, jumping, dribbling, throwing, and swimming. It's basically like a pentathalon for children, designed to challenge and test overall athletic ability. Each school can send up to three boys & girls (one for each grade). Luke was the only boy...

      • Release date
        May 3, 2011
      • Runtime
        08:57
    • Play TFiJ38: Winter 2011 (Driving Max to School) - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TFiJ38: Winter 2011 (Driving Max to School)

      Here is the 2nd in a series of videos on our experiences from the amazing winter of 2011. This is a simple tale, of my daily duty of taking our daughter Max to nursury school each morning. On this particular morning (January 31st), the snow was at its peak. Please come along for the 2 km ride to school through the winter wonderland that was our neighborhood.

      • Release date
        Mar 8, 2011
      • Runtime
        05:20
    • Play TFiJ37: Max's 1st time sledding & skiing - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TFiJ37: Max's 1st time sledding & skiing

      Our three year old daughter Max had an especially fun winter this year sledding and skiing for the first time in her life. Here are some highlights.

      • Release date
        Mar 4, 2011
      • Runtime
        03:45
    • Play TFiJ36: Winter 2011-Yuki Oroshi - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      TFiJ36: Winter 2011-Yuki Oroshi

      It's been an amazing winter here in Toyama, one definitely for the record books. With snowfall amounts not seen in a generation, it has simultaneous made for some severe stress and wonderous beauty. In this the first of a series on our Winter 2011 experiences, Mama & Papa work hard to shovel snow off the roof of the house, a process known in Japanese as "yuki oroshi".

      • Release date
        Feb 25, 2011
      • Runtime
        08:25
    • Play Guruji's 27th Memorial Service - The Talandis Family in Japan on Blip The Talandis Family in Japan episodes on Blip

      Guruji's 27th Memorial Service

      Scenes from the 27th memorial service for the founder of Nipponzan Myohoji, Nichidatsu Fujii (Guruji). This Buddhisht ceremony took place at Kiyosumi Temple in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on January 9th, 2010.

      • Release date
        Jan 15, 2011
      • Runtime
        06:46
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