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.