A Sudden Idea

A friend called a little while ago and said "I've had a sudden idea!"

The result is that I will be catching a train around 4:30 this afternoon to visit the "Hatazawa Hyatt-Weston" to watch the Royal Wedding and then tomorrow a nice breakfast and some shopping before returning to Ichikawa and packing.

Some days it really pays to be flexible!

Time Flies Whether You're Having Fun or Not!

It's kind of a mixed blessing - I haven't posted for a week and no one has emailed to see if I'm still alive.

Spring is here for sure. I didn't even switch on the heater this morning when I took a shower. We've been having strong winds since early today, and now it's clouding up and calming down. It will likely rain sometime this evening. (The weather report and my left big toe concur.)

I'm spending time relearning how to keep the Guest Home Accounts and sorting through things in preparation for moving back to full time work at the OMF International Guest Home. I will be giving up my apartment, so need to get rid of the stuff that I have kept for who knows why. Today I'm working on my desk. There's a chance that a new employee at the office will want some of my furniture. Just a couple more decisions on the part of others, and I will have a definite timetable for the move. Till then I can sort.

How are you these days?

Quilting Day

Actually a lot of different kinds of projects get worked on by the members of my quilting class. Today I worked on a handbag. The fabric is from a small shop that used to be in Karizawa. The owner of the shop likes to  experiment with different weaving techniques. This fabric is a grey base with grey, black, silver and white yarns kind of "floated" on top using a jacquard loom. I've paired it with black "leatherette" read vinyl. It's coming out rather well. Pictures later.

We're also working on "kinchyaku" to send to Tohoku. I think I talked about these before. The cloth drawstring bags that have been traditionally used by ladies in Japan to carry stuff in.  We were given fabric and instructions today - Homework!

In anticipation of my moving back to the Guest Home to run it when Aylings go back to the UK, notice was given to my landlord that I will be vacating. Lots of good stuff to find new homes for. Busy days ahead. Tomorrow Ms S and I go to get tickets for our trip to Kyoto in May.

A New Week

It's Monday again, funny how those keep coming around with regularity. I've just spent the morning and half of the afternoon catching up on admin work for Serve Japan.  I will soon head for home on my bike. Once there I will put the cover on it because they are predicting rain for the next two days. (Some of my joints confirm that forecast.)

I sent a newsletter email out a little while ago with a link to a video recently put together by OMF and open to anyone to distribute.  The pictures were taken in the last week or two and permission was obtained to use a Twila Paris song to enhance the theme.  If you haven't yet, take a look at it: http://vimeo.com/22420842

I took more pictures over the weekend, but haven't resolved the online storage issues.  I hope to do so soon. This past Sunday event was a walk to the Yawata section of Ichikawa City to see a small quilt exhibition by the students of a local quilt teacher who is a former student of my quilt teacher.  There were some interesting pieces and some really nice hand bags.  Photos some day soon.  stay tuned. 

We had lots of wind last Friday and sun over the weekend, so the blossoming trees mostly are now showing their new leaves and the Fuji (Wisteria) are getting ready for their show which always comes in the wake of the Cherry Blossom season and is somewhat overshadowed by it.  The Kanji for wisteria is a part of my surname in Japanese, so it holds it's own special place in my heart.

Sorry to Make You Wait

There are probably close to 200 photos I've taken, but haven't gotten on to Picasa yet. I ran out of space in my free storage and had difficulty getting some more. Hopefully when I get it all worked out I will still remember where and why I took them! Till then here is one that is my favorite. All of these colors of blossoms are on the same branches. I don't know how the tree does it!

Tomorrow is the OMF Women's Spring Lunch, and were going to a Sizzler Restaurant about four stations away. It occured to me this morning that I haven't been on the train into Tokyo since before the earthquake. I guess I've just been too busy running around Ichikawa.

Lots of things happened since my last post

You've probably heard we've had another quake. It felt pretty strong, but not enough to get under the table. There have been numerous aftershocks. I'm fine, but my nerves are a bit frazzled.

Earlier today I met my friends from my quilting class and a couple of other classes. There were 8 of us counting sensei. We had lunch together at a sushi restaurant on the pedestrian street that leads to Mama zan, Ichikawa's high point. After lunch we walked a couple blocks to sensei's favorite coffee shop; some had coffee, some had coffee and cake, one had macha with milk.

Thus fortified we climbed the ancient stone steps up to the combination shrine and temple grounds to the famous weeping cherry tree and a lot of other cherry trees, and the big cemetery. I realized today that there's a big preschool there as well - great view of the cemetery from it's grounds.

The cherry blossoms were glorious. Tree after tree, avenues with cherry trees forming a tunnel of delicate pink. A single huge tree in a barren school yard with girls in blue track suits learning to twirl batons under it's boughs.

From Mama we walked to Satomi Koen - more cherry blossoms. I'd be showing you my pictures but yesterday I ran out of storage space on Picasa and couldn't upload them. I don't have my new credit card yet, so I couldn't buy more space. I tried to get Shutterfly to work, but failed.

For our snack this afternoon, we went to a very tall building on the campus of the Konodai Girl's High School to the cafeteria on the 18th floor. There are fantastic views from up there. We had Cream Anmitsu - a traditional Japanese dessert. I'd describe it but it would take a whole lot of explaination that I'm honestly not up to at the moment. Near the close of a school day the cafeteria might be expected to be a bit of a mess, but this one was neat and clean. A large group of girls left an area near us and in their wake the tables were clean, and the furniture was neatly in place. You've gotta love Japan at times like that.

The skies clouded up and we headed for the bus back to Ichikawa station. I walked back from there and was just unwinding a bit when the earthquake hit, shortly after that it started to rain, and I'm ready to go to bed.

Maiko Chan And Her Quilt

This week at church the Katoh family had time for a couple pictures of Maiko (and Mommy Megumi) and me with her quilt.

Quiet Day

It's been kind of rainy and cloudy and windy today, so I stayed close to home and stayed quiet. Just did the necessary laundry, made some chicken curry rice and worked on a knitting project (a scarf, now that cold weather's almost over!)

Tomorrow will be a bit busier with my weekly walk with Sachiko san. Hopefully today's weather won't have totally ruined the cherry blossoms.

I've been thinking about how to put some kind of a structure to my diet as I have fairly recently been diagnosed with type two diabetes. The initial shock scared me into dropping a few kilos, but I need to drop a few more. Dieting is not my strong point. Glad I'm not in the U.S. for the Easter candy season!

Another Shake

I was already asleep last night when the latest aftershock hit. It was an earthquake in it's own right at 7.1. The location was close to where the big one hit. The shaking did wake me and the length of the movement impressed me, but after a minute or so things were still again and I went back to sleep.

I hear that power went out in north Japan, but Ichikawa seems to be waking up as usual.

Another Reserved Blossom Viewing

Today was the day for my regular quilting class, the first of two in April. The cherry trees on the way were still not fully blooming, although more than on Sunday.

Sensei has decided that we (her students) should do something special for the victims of Japan's triple tragedy, so she has gotten together appropriate fabric scraps and on Monday after meeting for lunch together at a reasonably priced local restaurant we will walk together to Mama san to see the famous, ancient weeping cherry tree and then spend the afternoon making small fabric drawstring bags (kinchyaku) to send to Tohoku.

Sleeping Sakura and Taiko Surprise

For the third Sunday in a row my friend Sachiko and I have headed off for a walk after church. Today we headed east to the Nakayama area of Ichikawa City. We visited a gallery there exhibiting the water color paintings of a local artist named Oshitani. He is a retired businessman who has been painting for only 14 years or so.  I really like his pastel palette and his interpretation of water and sky elements. Many of the paintings were from his travels in Europe. We were invited to sit with the artist and enjoyed ocha and conversation.

Having walked along the JR line to get to Nakayama, we returned along the Keisei Line. We walked beside the Mama River at several points and looked at the cherry trees. I had read that Sakura had officially opened in the Tokyo area on March 31, however cold days followed and the trees have not yet really opened their blooms. Sachiko san says they are sleeping, waiting  for warmer weather. However, we were rewarded with a chance encounter with a Taiko performance by some young people. I love Taiko. It's loud and rather primal. These kids, as is usual were well practiced and gave a really charming performance.

Free Discussion

Sometimes on a Saturday morning my friends at the Ichikawa Volunteer Interpreter Society (IVIS) ask me to moderate a two hour session called "Free Discussion". The participants are Japanese and the session is conducted in English. My job is to set the topic and make sure everyone has a chance to speak. Today the planned Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic was canceled and we had free discussion instead. Springboarding from recent events in Japan I asked them to tell me something they learned or something they planned to do as a result of Japan's triple disaster. There were around 16 people there this morning so I learned a lot. Oh, did I mention that I usually learn as much or than anyone?

1. A reason for not having Cherry Blossom Viewing Parties this year is that people in Tohoku would see it  in the media and feel really bad.

2. One woman said several times that everyone she knows is depressed.

3. The Japanese Self Defence Force helicopters can't land anywhere that isn't authorized for their use, but American Forces could land anywhere they deemed safe and convenient.

4. One member had been on a plane flying to Osaka on 3/11, and was surprised when he finally found there had been an earthquake that they hadn't had ant kind of turbulence.

5. Part of the training for earthquake preparedness is figuring out the best route from your workplace to your home on foot which helped explain why so many people chose to walk when the trains weren't running.

6. If Japan can build a robot that can play the violin why did they have to borrow a remote control bulldozer from France.

7. Saving power is relatively easy now, but no one is looking forward to Tokyo summer without air conditioning.

I was able to tell this group how much I admire the Japanese People. It was a good session, and truth be told, the cherry trees won't really be at their best till later in the week.

Three Weeks...

since the "Big One." Aftershocks have diminished. Power outages are few and short. Food and gasoline are readily available again in the area. The Japanese people have put their shoulders to the proverbial wheel and are getting on with things. The task of searching for victims and the massive clean up grind on. They will build again and build better. Other news in the world has distracted people from thinking about Japan. Here were not likely to forget any time soon.