Wum, Wom, Warm

Was just out in the brisk breeze to pay a couple of bills (Health Insurance and Water) at the Seven-Eleven. (When they say convenience store here, they mean it!) I was waiting at a crosswalk for the light to change, and a couple was standing slightly behind me. She said something to him I didn't catch and he answered, "wum." She said emphatically, "wom." They said the same words to each other, with the lady clearly enunciating each time, "wom" to which he answered, "wum." The light changed, as we started across, I turned to the lady and said clearly, "warm." We all laughed heartily.

Notice Anything Different?

All around the neighborhood for the past two weeks have been signs of pre-New Year activity. In a word - cleaning. The wall around the garden. All the screens from the house windows lined up to be washed. Larger piles of discarded household items set out on the Wednesday pickup day.

Starting the new year with a clean house, a clean slate, a chance for a do-over. The sad part is that there is no significant change in the hearts of the people, and that's the only way to initiate real change.

Has your heart been changed, cleaned, made new?

Luke 11: 24-26

Christmas in Ginza

Went to Ginza with Yasuko to have lunch, see a movie and shop. It was a National Holiday - the Emperor's Birthday, so the traffic was blocked on the main street and things were decorated for Christmas. They've done a lot with LED lights in the trees along the street, and banners. Lots and lots of people walking and looking around. It was a beautiful sunshiney day.


New vocabulary bura - bura = shopping around
Gin - bura = shopping around in Ginza
kamameishi = meal cooked in a heavy pot on the stove featuring rice in the first layer and greens and in this case chicken and slivers of yuzu peel on top. Oishii

Christmas lunch at Quilting Class

We had a carry in lunch with two classes combined at Quilting today. 5 Japanese ladies and me from 11 to 4. Think Japanese Immersion. I felt a bit waterlogged by the end of the afternoon. I did learn how to turn a sharper corner on my applique pieces today. We discussed Obama bowing to the Emperor and his wife. We talked about Emiko-san's son the "Food Fighter." And, they talked about a lot of things while I did some applique.

The lunch was wonderful, as usual and we all were sighing "Ippai" at the end.

Pictures of the quilt-in-progress are on Picasa in an album titled Japanese Memory Quilt. Just double-click on one of the slide shows to the left and the click on "My Photos."

Welcome to My Neighborhood

Where can you find a garage full of Minis next to a Harley shop? In my neighhborhood - Osu Ichikawa Japan. Visit new pictures in my Picasa Albums by double clicking on the slideshow running at the left.

Anniversary

I arrived in Japan for my fourth time one year ago. It looks as if I may be able to stay for about one more year, thanks to the generosity and prayers of many of you, my friends and supporters.

I must say that I would like to push thoughts of packing and moving as far into the future as possible, just on general principles. Ugh!

I have been able to re-establish relationships with most of my friends from past visits as well as making some new ones. I've learned how to do some new things - mostly with computers. have honed some skills, mostly in sewing and have even learned some Japanese, though woefully little compared to the vastness of the language.

I ride a bike now instead of jumping in the car, use yen instead of dollars, call people using my computer and eat cold rice for lunch by choice.

It's a different way of life, but one that I enjoy most of the time.

So, for a while longer you can check in on me here. Thanks for following even when I haven't had much to say. Write a comment - I read them all and answer most. Mata neh - till next time.

Never go into a toilet without a camera

That's usually my rule here in Japan. The toilets are clean, but can come in such a great variety of configurations. Then there are sometimes printed instructions on their proper use. Unfortunately on Saturday, I broke my own rule and went into a toilet that was attached to the storefront where I was taking a lesson in weaving. The toilet unit was a variation of the hole in the floor type that I hadn't seen before, raised up to about half of the height of a "Western" toilet
but no seat, so you clearly weren't meant to get comfortable. The really unique feature was that the pipes, that you sometimes can hold on to for balance, had pieces of barbed wire attached to them to discourage such behavior! And there was me with no camera. You'll just have to imagine.

PS Toilets in Japan are never called bathrooms, because that is the separate room with the tub in it. Rest Room is also an American euphemism. The Japanese polite term is "Washing Hands Room".

Mrs S.'s Sunday School Class

Isn't this a great looking bunch? Their Class supports me in prayer, and asks questions about what I'm doing via email. On occasion when I'm home I have the distinct pleasure of leading their meeting. It's a great age.

Internet Connection

Pookie Jr. and I are connected to the internet in my apartment at last! I won't tell you how many months and how many people this has taken to accomplish. Now I will be able to Skype all of those parts of the world that are best Skyped after reasonable office hours. I can spend half the night chasing stuff on the web. WooHoo!

The Positive Side of Typhoons

The one good thing about typhoons that I can think of is that if they come near Tokyo, the winds blow all the smoke, pollution and clouds away. So, after the typhoon of last Thursday, just at sunset, I walked against the wind that was still very strong to the riverside. Up the stairs on the side of the levee and there it was:

That distinctive pyramidal shape in the distance - everyone in Japan recognizes, Mt. Fuji

Feeling my age

I found out yesterday at Quilting Class why no one from the class commented on my last entry. Age is catching up again! I misspelled the address for the blog when I gave it to them. No wonder Google couldn't find it! When I was talking to her on the phone this morning, Yasuko said she read my past entries and would keep reading, so that means I have to keep writing!

Today is my birthday, lets just say I've reached a ripe old age (whatever that may mean). Yesterday for lunch, all my quilting classmates brought salads. It was colorful and wonderful and very tasty. Yasuko made an apple pie for the afternoon break. Today after prayer meeting Megumi san brought out a cake for everyone to share. It was a chocolate Swiss roll from Cozy Corner with strawberries on top and whole banana rolled up in the center.

Quilting Class

Because of my varying schedule my quilting teacher allows me to come to any two of the five classes she offers each month. I am working on a very individual project, a Japanese Memory Quilt, but I join in conversation (where I can with my limited Japanese), lunch, coffee breaks with whichever class I am attending. Sometimes they are working on a project that I just can't resist and I join in, only to be reminded that my quilt must be finished by spring because my teacher wants to have a local exhibition! I gave my classmates from yesterday my blog address. I wonder if anyone will comment?

Hi ho, hi ho

I've been back to work for a week now. The new boss, (he's not really new, just new to me as a boss) is working out really well. I'm pleased and relieved. Went to Quilting Class and had a Japanese lesson with my tutor last week too. I've uploaded some of the Karuizawa pics to the blog slideshow.

What I'm Doing on My Summer Vacation

I have finally made it to Holiday Time! I came to Karuizawa on the Shinkansen and visited for two days with my friends, the Kuraishis. Now I am ensconced in the OMF House in the grouund floor apartment. I will be here till September 4. Look for new pictures by double clicking on one of the slide shows on the left. (Captioned for you, Fran, and one for you, Ed.)

New photos

I've uploaded some new photos that my friend Ruth let me have of our trip to Nikko and of the recent Fireworks in Ichikawa. She obviously has a better camera than I. She got some great shots and great color.

If you want to see them, double click on one of the slideshows to the left and it should take you to all of my pictures on Picasa. Chose a collection and click on it. Let me know what you think.

Hanabe Taikai

On the first Saturday in August the city of Ichikawa traditionally has a fireworks display. This past Saturday night was "it". The fireworks are set off at the edge of the Edogawa River which is the boundary between Chiba Prefecture and the City of Tokyo (which is big enough to be it's own Prefecture!) A levee runs along the river and I have never before viewed the show from inside the levee. The trick is to have friends who stake out a place beforehand (early in the day on Saturday) by fastening down a blue tarp on the ground. The friends then take you to the spot or direct you by use of the numbers on top of the levee and a mobile phone conversation.
This year our pastor was convinced to be the person to reserve a place for anyone connected with the church or OMF to have a place to sit.

When you reach your tarp by cautiously skirting around everyone else's, you leave your shoes at the edge and find a comfortable spot. Once seated, food is the first order of business, and various cold foods begin to appear among those in the group and everything is shared around. Some groups brought small portable lights for their group others just ate and chatted in the quickly falling darkness.

The show starts promptly at seven with a few speeches from local dignitaries and then with the actual display. The great majority of the fireworks are shot high into the sky with very little interval between explosions. There were occasional diversions to displays at the water's edge accompanied by appropriate music. One featured the Olympic rings and an outline of Mt Fuji.

The program with one break of about 5 minutes lasted an hour and a half. I tell people that the colors are on a broader spectrum than I have seen at home. There are pinks and lavenders and soft greens in addition to bright colors. The other great difference I have read is that Japanese fireworks are spherical while those in the US are cylindrical. It makes a big difference in the visual effect. Difficult to describe, wonderful to watch.

The Bank

I've been having trouble lately when I go to the bank. It seems like every time I go either my pass book or my card won't work properly. This means that I have to go from the lobby where the machines are to the second floor where the people are. It has been frustrating even though I usually get what I want with my limited Japanese. I just couldn't figure why I was having so much trouble.

Today the passbook for one of my accounts kept being spit out of the updating machine without updating. So, up to the second floor I went and they did it there for me. I went back downstairs and tried to withdraw some money and the machine kept spitting the card back out. So back upstairs I went. They said the card must be replaced, so I filled out the paper work for that and then asked if I could withdraw money without the card. So, I was given another batch of paperwork to fill out. Some of this required me to copy the kanji for OMF International's official Japanese name, which is always a trying experience.

As I was talking to the really nice lady on the second floor and she's giving me new covers for my passbooks and cards and packages of tissue for my trouble, she said, "Be very careful of magnets." A light bulb lit up in my head at that point. The pouch I have in my purse to keep important things in, like passbooks, has a big old magnet closure on it.

I've been causing my own problems.

Faceboook

I'm quickly developing a love/hate relationship with Facebook. You can comment on things very quickly, but it somehow reminds me of my friends and acquaintences all getting together in one small room and talking all at once. It may well have its uses for good. We'll see.

Hot and Humid

The expression in Japanese is "mushi-atsui", (mushi = steamy, atsui = hot). Being from Florida, it's not that I don't know what hot humid weather is, but here the air conditioning is much more iffy - not every place has it, not every place has central units. Add to that the fact that I live a 15 minute walk from the Office and don't have or even drive a car in Japan. The result is that I sweat a lot here. Thank the Lord for orchestrating the creation of anti-persperant/deodorants. I still sit in church and sweat after my walk, so I fan myself and use a small towel to wipe the drips.
Fortunately the hot humid weather is only June and July with the "rainy season". In late July it switches to mainly hot through the middle of September.

Conference pictures

I've uploaded the pictures I took in Tagajo and Matsushima while at conference. As always, double click on one of the slideshows running at left and it should take you to my Picasa Albums. Click on an album to view the pictures.

OMF East Japan Conference

These are most of us, taken in the parking lot of the hotel in Tagajo where the conference was held. I love it when someone goes to the second floor and sits on the window ledge to get a group shot. No double chins in this picture! (Some of us can use all the help we can get.)

Our annual conference is a great time to see folks who work in the far reaches of our area or who do jobs where our paths don't often cross. We had an afternoon to sight see in the Matsushima area. Did a walking tour of a small island connected by a longish foot bridge with several others. Hit all the souvenir shops, of course and sampled pear ice cream, which in Japan is called La France for reasons I have not yet discovered, and a local specialty - Zunda - which turns out to be chopped, cooked, sweetened edamame. They use it in the same things they do sweet bean paste. It may be an acquired taste.

The Pie Lesson

Today, I had four Japanese women over to my place for a pie lesson. It all started with the apple pie I made for the Christmas dinner last year. One of the people at the party decided it would be great if I would give a lesson on how to make American Apple Pie. It's taken almost 6 months, but we finally did it yesterday. Wouldn't my mother have been amazed that I was teaching women in Japan to do what she taught me as a child?

There are also some pictures of my apartment here on the slide show. None of the kitchen or bath though, maybe later. To view the album with captions with the pictures, double click on the slide show. When your browser takes you to Picasa and my Albums, click on 'Georgia's Apple Dumpling', or view any of the other of my public albums by clicking on them.

Isogashkatta !

I am really busy this week. It's all the part time jobs I do, wanting to be more like full time ones.

Summer weather is definitely on its way and people are shifting to short sleeves a bit before the traditional change-over day of June 1st. Yikes! I need more summer clothes! I was so worried about not being warm enough I don't have enough cool things!

Must run. Rooms to clean, weekly prayer meeting, feed the cat. All sorts.

Middle of May

The first week of May (depending on the days of the week the holidays actually fall) in Japan is called Golden Week. There are 5 holidays and some people are able to take a few more days and add all that to the weekends to get a decent Spring Break. Most offices are closed and most stores are open. This year there was a special deal for those going by car on the major toll roads throughout the country so even more people than usual opted for car trips.

Rather than go somewhere and relax, most Japanese feel that if you go somewhere historic or famous, you need to run around as much as you can and see everything, and of course take pictures.

I went into Tokyo and visited an exhibit of antique Japanese fabrics and crafts one day, and went in the other direction to visit a big craft store for some findings for a bag I was making. Mostly I enjoyed having less people to share the trains with and having a couple days off work.

Now it is the middle of May and small signs of summer are appearing.

Nikko

I went to Nikko this weekend with a couple friends. (Thanks to Ruth we got an excellent deal on travel and hotel.) The really famous thing about Nikko is the shrines and temple on the edge of town. It's a large grouping of buildings and even on a very rainy day there were plenty of people there.

On one of the buildings are carved various scenes including monkeys engaged in different activities. It is one section of this that contains "See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil". If you watch the slideshow or go to the album on Picasa (double click on the slideshow picture) you can easily see that the little carvings or other kinds of replicas we have seen most of our lives look very little like the real thing. What a shame, because in the original the characters have a liveliness and charm missing from the drab carvings I've seen most commonly.

In town I did see a wood carving in the window of an antiques store that was quite different, showing, again three monkeys - realistically carved - a mother covering the eye of one young one, while he in return had his hand on mother's mouth, a second youngster had one of his hands on his own ear. It was darling, well done, and incredibly expensive.

The other buildings in the complex have delicate, intricate carvings, paintings and gildings. Flowers, birds, angry looking elephants carved and painted on many surfaces. Inside the buildings are buddhas and sleeping cats and weeping dragons, priests making offerings. There are repairs and refinishing works going on all around. I'm sure the environment under the dark ancient forest is hard on the wood and metal, not to mention the steady stream of visitors.

Moving right along

The Cherry Blossoms are a thing of the past in Ichikawa. They were fading fast over the weekend and then we had a heavy rain followed by strong wind. So now we are enjoying tulips, primroses, pansies, and seeing the first show of purple on the fuji (wisteria) among many flowering trees and plants. In all the concrete and stone and asphalt and with the buildings unbelievably close (to American eyes) you can usually see some spot of color in it. Small flower boxes sit on front stoops. The tops of stone walls often are lined with plant pots with flowers blooming. It's a colorful time of year here.

He is Risen Indeed!

Was just reading an article from a British Newspaper, the point of which was that we Christians need to stop trivializing the Resurrection. I agree. One of the comments from a reader was that there was no proof of any resurrection. If you've studied the proof and the Book which records it, and you look into the probability of it's truth it makes you wonder what the reader would need to convince him.

Happy Easter to you all, because He DID Arise from the dead, and for no other reason.

Thank you for waiting!

A new slide show is running to the left. I took these photos on Wednesday as I walked to my friend Yasuko's house for a Quilting lesson.

I discovered something interesting the other day. If you double click on the slide show it should take you to my Albums on Picasa. You can then click on the albums and see the photos on full screen. Happy viewing.

Wish you were here with me sitting under the trees full of pink blossoms and raining petals down on us in the gentle breeze.

Hanna Yuki

Or is it Hanna no ame?

Anyway, pictures are coming soon of the cherry trees in bloom and some today that were losing their petals and therfore making either Flower Snow or Flower Rain. Can't remember. But it's pretty to see.

Keep watching this space!

Watch this space!

With the weather remaining cool and sunny its only a matter of days before the Cherry Blossoms really get going here in Ichikawa. I have seen a few isolated trees in bloom, but the real show has yet to begin. When it does I hope to post some pictures of the ones I see and capture with my camera, so stay tuned.

I also hope to take some pictures of my apartment as I have been able to get the basics in and put in place. I really have to work on the furniture arrangement in the living room. The approaching warmer weather means that the heater will soon find a place in the closet to live rather than commanding floor space in the living room. I may have to change furniture arrangement regularly with the seasons.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

After unsettled weather yesterday today was a really pretty day with lots of sunshine and a bit of a breeze.

Went with friend, Ruth, to Yotsuya to get my new set of Japanese Textbooks so that when I start to work with my new teacher we will have something to work on!

After Yotsuya we went to Akihabara. Some of you will know this is the electronic headquarters of Tokyo (maybe Japan) (maybe the world)! Ruth had seen an electronic dictionary on sale there and decided to take another look. She decided to get it, so that means I get the hand-me-down one she had. All I have to do now is learn to use it.

Actually, I almost forgot that before we went to Tokyo we had lunch at a Nepalese Curry restaurant in Ichikawa. Curry, salad, nan and chai latte, iced, and a little dessert that was maybe yogurt, with coconut and maybe little tapiocas in it with mango sauce. Nice combination.

Moved

I've been living at my new apartment for a week now. I have pretty much everything I need plus some extras by the generosity of friends. I never see my neighbors and rarely hear them.
The 15 minute walk to the office doesn't seem like much at all, and with the weather improving, as you should be able to see in the box running under the slideshow, we're supposed to get into the 60s this week.

Our OMF Language Advisor is arranging for my continuing Japanese lessons, and the teacher is willing to come to the office or to my apartment for the lessons.

Yesterday I was a guest at a meeting of the Ichikawa International Exchange Association in Yawata. It was what they call a "Speak Up" session where everyone was encouraged to speak in English. My job was to provide the catylist for them to speak. We had a good time and they've asked if I will return sometime. I was amused, after an hour and a half of conversation with these folks whose English is good, at 3 o'clock when the meeting was over everyone immediately switched back to Japanese!

Moving Update

The building at the center of the picture is where my new apartment is; the second floor, upper right in the picture. It's a 15 minute walk to the office and a little less than ten to Ichikawa station. The space on the left is a playground. It's only about a block and a half to the river.

I got the kitchen storage unit called a shokidana. It holds dishes and appliances and whatever else you want to put in there. The one I got is large - three doors across, and upper and lower cabinets. The microwave I was given is small and even though it can also be used as an oven, there was no oven shelf in it when it came to me, so I may have to investigate getting another one. I'm also thinking about getting a bicycle. I don't so much mind the walking, but shopping is a lot easier with a bike with front and back baskets.

Tomorrow the gas gets turned on and on Saturday is the final move of the last of my things here at the Guest home.

Lots of light

Got the key for my apartment today. It is amazing for a Japanese apartment to have so many windows, and on so many sides of the place. It was a bright blue sky clear day today and that really enhanced it. By sundown we had moved two vanloads of stuff in. Due to two different parties moving away from Japan in the last little while, I really have most of the things I need. I need to get a cabinet for the kitchen for storage and work space, and a carpet for the bedroom. I'm sure that a few more bits and pieces will be needed, but What I've already got is amazing. Thanks be to our kind and generous God.

My Name's on the Mailbox !

I have returned to Ichikawa, arriving Friday evening and booked into the room at the Guest Home I was in previous to my month in Sapporo . I've unpacked, talked with friends, met some new folks, have been to a couple of nice places to eat, been to church, and have watched a video.

This afternoon my friend Ruth came by and told me about this sale at a local bakery where you get a coupon worth half of your purchase  to buy even more stuff by April. As we started out for the bakery I said that even if we couldn't see inside my new apartment until we pick up the key tomorrow afternoon, it would be nice to see where it is. At the point where we were about to turn down the street, we met my old friend Sachiko-san. When she found out where we were going she decided to come along.

The building looks very well kept up on the outside. It was very quiet, being on the corner of two small streets. Across the one street is a kid's play park, which Sachiko says is also an evacuation point in case of earthquake.

Sachiko-san looked at the mailboxes and discovered that the one for Apt 205 already had a label with my name printed on it, in English and spelled exactly correctly!

A Light Lunch

Japanese friends at church had a memorial celebration in honor of her parents. After a service at the mausoleum, there was a "Light Lunch" at a local restaurant. The surroundings and food were wonderful. Pictures are running in the slide show on the left.

Beginning Week Four

Upon entering the final week of my stint here in Hokkaido for Language School I am happily surprised that it has gone as well as it has. We are nearing the end of the text, "Japanese in 45 Hours" and my Japanese teacher has reccommended that I continue when I get back to Ichikawa with the sequel and with weekly language sessions. OMF's Language Advisor will find someone suitable to teach me.

We've had some more snow over the weekend, so what else is new? It would be great to visit here in the summer, I think, just to see the contrast.

I am looking forward to getting back to familiar old Ichikawa.

Let it Snow

Or as my Japanese teacher says, Yuki, Yuki, Yuki. I must say it beats rain and grey ice, hands down.

Last week during the lull in the snow, it seemed that snow plows and snow blowers were working all over town. We had two plows on our street, moving the snow around, then a big scoop and a continuing line of dumptrucks finally hauling it away...somewhere.

The snow has begun again. Not a big blizzard of it, but softly, constantly, hour after hour.

Yuki, Yuki, Yuki.

Yuki Matsuri 2009

Each February the city of Sapporo hosts a Snow Festival in Odori Park in the heart of the city. Many snow and ice sculptures are erected and visitors are directed to view them by walking around the park in a counterclockwise pattern.

The festival lasts only one week. The weather this week has hovered right around freezing during the day time hours so the snow around the park went from slush to packed to ice. I was grateful for my strap on cleats and my ski pole. I walked in a surefooted manner while those around me slithered and slid.

Pictures of the festival are running on the slide show to the left. If you want a better look you can visit my public album at picasaweb.google.com and search for Yuki Matsuri 2009.

Attitude Adjustment

This winter thing turns out to be not as bad as I anticipated. Walking home today just after noon it was snowing hard. I couldn't see to the end of the block and the wind was strong. I was glad to get home (it was a 25 minute walk) and kept thinking that I should have put my scarf on differently and the other gloves would have been better as I walked, but it was in no way life threatening or even totally miserable, it was just snow and when I got home I could have a nice hot lunch and it's Friday so tomorrow is a free day.
Actually, tomorrow my hosts at the Guest Home, have offered to take me with them to the Snow Festival, a must see event in this part of the world. I do need to study a bit, but my teacher at language school is fun and even though she says things like, 'memorize this," she laughs with me at my frequent missteps. Each day I want to do better, and remember more.
I'm sure Ichikawa will seem balmy when I return at the end of the month, and spring will be just around the corner, but my month in Sapporo will probably not be a nightmare to be forgotten; more like an opportunity to experience an even wider world and to learn even at my advanced age that occasional challenges to our comfort zones can be enjoyable.

School Daze

The school thing, so far anyway, is not that bad at all. Takahashi sensei is really quite kind and even when I'm suffering from a total lack of brain activity, she is patient. I mean to tell you that on occasion I will be searching for a character and absolutely nothing comes to mind. Ah well!
We're doing a course called "Japanese in 45 hours" and it seems to have a nice combination of conversation, writing and survival situations. Four weeks here is all I have. I must say though, they ring a bell at the end of each session and for all the world it sounds to me like someone should say, "Gentlemen, go to your corners."

I don't think we're in Ichikawa anymore, Toto

It wasn't a tornado, it was a Skymark jet, but the differences are about as stark as the ones between Kansas and the Emerald city. I am now in Sapporo, Japan which is on the Northern Island of the four major Japanese islands. You may remember the Winter Olympics being held here. I will be here four weeks doing some Japanese language study at the OMF Japanese Language School.

It has been cold since my arrival and very icy on the sidewalks where not all the snow was removed before last week's rains. It has been snowing lightly today and this seems to make the sidewalks less slippery. So at this point with a 20 minute (in good weather) walk each way to school and back I'm all for a little more snow.

I Am Here

Find the large orangy colored building.  That's the Rosa Ichikawa Apartment building.  Beside it to the West (left) are The OMF Guest Home, and then North of it is the OMF Japan Headquarters.  Then toward the top of the picture, right of center is a green roofed building with a white steeple sticking up.  That's the Church.  The Japan Rail Sobu Line is in the foreground.

Back to Normal

Whatever that may be, the two week long workshop for Missionaries looking to return to their home countries for  furlough/home assignment this year comes to an end this evening.  Everyone will return to their Japan home by tomorrow afternoon.  All the sheets and towels will need washing and the rooms cleaning so new guests may be welcomed next week.  That's life here at the OMF Guest Home. 

Tomorrow I will see a good friend for the first time since I have returned here.  She tells me she has a friend who owns some apartments, and she'd be glad to speak to her about what I'm looking for when I return to Ichikawa in March.  This may be a good thing!

Tokyo Dome Quilt Show 2009

I used my free afternoon today to visit the Tokyo Dome Quilt Show. I wasn't sure if my friend Kuraishi-san was exhibiting or not this year, but as I rounded a corner into one of the exhibit areas I thought to myself, that looks like one of Yasuko's quilts. When I got close enough to see the placard beside the quilt I saw that indeed it is her entry this year. It's called "Letter from Forest". The slide show pictures are of today's adventure as well.

New Follower

Hi Matthew, hope you didn't sign on like two weeks ago. I just noticed today that I had 6 followers. I thought there were only 5 the last time I looked! It's good to know you're there. Hope things are going well for you. I'm counting on you out there praying for me. Sure could use one of your hugs. Have you figured out how to do them long distance? Stay strong.

Is Creap really Creepy?

Anon. Bob recently commented on the frequency of English words in recent photos. Here we have an example of a word written in "English" that is actually a form of "Japanglish". We as English speakers see it as a word, and can easily pronounce it. Does the word tell us what this product is? No. Does the sound of the word tell us that we really might want to use this product? Probably not. Does this prevent Creap from being a successful Japanese Brand? Of course not! Do the Japanese want you to tell them that someone has made a poor choice in branding this product? They are so over having their English criticised.

I won't make you guess again since we just did a post like that. Creap is a very successful brand of powdered coffee creamer.

Child Care

It seems like I never get away from it where ever I go. This week and next it's children whose parents are in a training course here at OMF Japan Headquarters. Sure does make a person like me tired!

I'm hoping to get time off for good behavior to go to the Annual Tokyo Dome Quilt Show.

Time will tell.

Sharp Contrasts

This picture was taken in the Ochanomizu section of Tokyo. It's a peaceful park like area surrounded by towering modern buildings, and bustling pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Fast/slow, noisy/quiet, bright/dark, beauty/ugliness, crowds/personal space, celebration/mourning. To me these contrasts seem very close together much of the time in Japan.

New pictures

I changed the slideshow after taking bunches of pictures in and around Ichikawa, Tokorozawa, Ikebukuro, and Ochanomizu.

Do you know what the building that looks like an owl actually is? What might the occupation of the man in the red shoes be? What kind of flowers are represented here in concrete and steel? Where would the yellow stripe with the number 9 and other characters commonly be found? What does the poster on the wall instruct you to do? What are all those black and white stripes? What is Cup Dust?

Do you have any questions?

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day in Japan is the quietest day of the year. Most folks go to their ancestral home place to spend the holiday with their family and arrive on or before the 31st. Most workers except for those in essential services have time off, sometimes 3 or 4 days. I'm told that on the first and second of January Mt. Fuji is visible in the Tokyo area most years because of the decrease in smog on those days. Even from our roof, which is like the fourth floor of the building, I could see the very top quarter or so of the mountain this morning. I seem to remember that in years past you could see more of the mountain. Either my memory is faulty (I know it is) or they have built new and taller structures in the way.

I hope you all will enjoy your families, have a little rest and set your sights on what you would like to accomplish in the coming year.

God's blessings on you all for the coming year.