New Circumstances - New Blog

To anyone checking up to see if I've added anything new, or to anyone who is finding this for the first time, this is to let you know I've upped stix and moved to a new blog address.  This blog was about my time in Japan.  That being over for the present, I've started a new blog called: Georgia's Geornal and it can be found here: georgiasgeornal.blogspot.com

It's been fun writing about Japan, and I may well mention it again, but as a new chapter has opened for me here in the USA I really felt the need for a change. 

Please feel free to visit me at my new blog site!

UK Trip Pictures

You'd think I would have taken a few more pictures of people I was visiting, but somehow the fabulous scenery and these guys took precedence! To browse the whole (large) group of pictures click on the middle of the slide show running to the right and you will be taken to the Picasa Album where you will be able to view the larger versions and even leave comments or questions.

There's no place like home...

whatever that means.  If you've ever spent considerable time in a place far away from what you called home, you might know the feeling.  Things look familiar, sometimes a bit different, but recognizable in most cases. It takes a while to get over wanting to be able to access things like 100 yen shops, fruit and vegetable shops, a train like the ones you've gotten used to.

Maybe one of the worst things is paying for things in dollars.  In Japan it's not uncommon to carry large amounts of yen with you, but, despite it's strength against the dollar, it some how feels different to be letting all those dollars slip through your fingers.

I've pretty much gotten back into the routine of sleeping when it's night time, but am still quite tired and feel pretty low in the afternoons and seem prone to headaches.  There are lots of things to do and people seem to be oblivious to the fact that making decisions is hard work for some of us. I'm trying to do things one sensible step at a time.  Still people ask if I'm looking for a job, and if I'm getting ready to head back to Japan soon. To be honest, the only appealing activity to me most days is curling up with a book.

On a different subject; this blog says in it's subtitle that it's documenting my fourth trip to Japan.  When I set it up I thought it might run a year or two, not nearly four.  Thanks to those of you who have stuck it out with me. My question now is if it should stop or change, and what it should change into if I choose the latter?  Any suggestions?

Last day in Japan till?

Today was filled with all manner of last minute things.  I needed to cancel my City registration and my Japan Health Care so headed out to the City Office with Sachiko san at 10:30.  We headed off for lunch after reasonable amounts of time waiting in a queue and filling out paper work to cancel both documents.  I did a last load of laundry and continued packing and organizing.  At this point it's much easier to decide not to bother taking things that were on the maybe list.  Space runs low.  I also chose my seat and printed my boarding pass.

Later I went to the SoftBank store to try to cancel my phone.  I wasn't able to do it though, they said that the contract holder has to come in to the store to cancel. So, Ruth, next time you come to Japan you can take care of that little detail.  Since I purchased the phone all those years ago I plan to just kidnap Pookette and take her back to Florida with me.

Had a cup of coffee with a colleague at Mr Donut and then came back to finish packing.  The Makinos stopped by to say goodbye with Emiko. Yasuko called for advice on the title of the Tokyo Dome Quilt for January.  She has to send it in for photos sometime in October.

I have the alarm set for 5am.  We leave Ichikawa at 7:30 the plane leaves at 11:00.  I think everything's done.

An Overwhelming, Intense Day Two

 The day started with the early service at the church.  My friend, Sachiko came, but had to leave to go to a meeting after. Here's a picture of us.






During the lunch time after the second service there was a farewell for me.  I've totally lost track of how many this makes.  A lot by any standard. Many people said nice things about me and all of the years I've been hanging around Ichikawa.  My friend Inoo san came for that part.






There was the traditional silver ball hanging from the ceiling which had a pull string on it.  When pulled, the ball opens and dumps flower petals and streamers and a thoughtful sentiment written on the central streamer.  A convenient package of tissues was attached in case one became overcome by the experience.





There were singing and prayers and gifts all by way of saying "Thank You" and then many many individuals who wanted to say good bye, take care, come back to Japan.







I had a little break then and came back to my room and started rearranging my packing. Later in the afternoon I went downstairs to watch the final day of the Sumo Tournament.  The championship to be determined by the final bout between the undefeated (in the previous 30 bouts) challenger and the previous champion who had lost one match of the previous 14 days. Hakuho vs. Haramafuji. Two wrestlers from Mongolia.

And the winner of the Emperor's Cup in the Aki Basho is Haramafuji.  Will Yokozuna ranking be far behind?

The couple who had offered to take me out to dinner came and watched the last three bouts along with the pastor.

Then indeed there was dinner.  What a lovely event that was!  So much silverware on the table I was almost intimidated.  A couple of hours and three knives, three forks  and countless spoons later, coffee was served with crystal sugar on a stick to stir with.  Each course was a lovely presentation.  Sauces and garnishes added all manner of bright notes to the nicely cooked, colorful food.  Dessert was a sampler of fruits and custard and caramel and ice and mint.  Uber-yum.

And now that this report is complete, back to rearranging the packing.

DAY THREE!

It's 11:30 pm so I don't have time to look for some cute illustration for the number 3 or the concept of threeness.

Another mixed bag of work and visiting places for the last time and having a great time with friends eating Japanese food.  I was really happy to figure out that the Guest Home management software is not broken even though it didn't seem to be allowing me to manually change amounts or put in mileage etc.  I was sure we had finally broken some fundamental function of the program.  What a relief to realize that because I use the nine key numbers on the right hand side of the keyboard the NUMLOCK button must be on for it to actually work!

Had a lovely dinner at the local Okonomiyaki place and the waitress took pity on we poor foreigners and made some of those lovely pancakes for us to keep us from struggling and making a mess and perhaps even embarrassing ourselves in front of others. (not likely)

Haramafuji won his sumo bout again today, 29 in a row, or maybe 30, but Hakuho won his too, so they will still fight for the championship tomorrow, the last day of the fall tournament.  Life just gets more and more interesting!

Four days left

row 1: Emiko, Fumie, Daniel, me, Megumi
row 2: Mike, Sasaki, Hitoshi, Yoko, HweeJoo, Martin, Simon
row 3: Sho, Isaac, Heike, Philipa, Armin, Wolfgang

Today at lunch time I was farewelled by OMF colleagues.  With a Regional Council meeting going on this week it meant that more people were around at lunch time and the party numbered something like 18.  It was a great excuse for a trip to Costco for pizza and salads and sushi and cheesecake and tiramasu. Yum.

Thanks to everyone for their mostly kind and sometimes humorous accolades and for the truly lovely authentically Japanese gifts.

This evening I look forward to an Eel Dinner with dear friends who are concerned that I keep up my strength!

Ichi, Ni, San, Shi...

With five days left and Hitoshi, OMF Japan's General Affairs Manager, available to assist me, we went to the bank to close out my accounts.  I have the graphic above of the number 5 and the strokes in order as well as the readings.  Part of the reason I need someone with me when doing bank stuff is that there is one part where I have to write a string of kanji on the form.  I never have occasion to write this unless it's for the bank so I don't get much practice. I have to actually write it myself, so my able assistant clearly writes each kanji for me on a scrap paper larger than usual, but easy for me to see where the lines are to go. I always apologise to my assistant for doing the strokes out of order.  They assure me that it doesn't matter, but you can see them wince if you watch out the corner of your eye as you struggle. Today I didn't drag it out any longer than I had to, so we got done fairly quickly.  Much better than opening the account.

Today was also the day the post office came and picked up the four boxes I am sending by surface mail.  This is the cheapest method but takes the longest - two months.  Of course in the States the Post Office doesn't provide any service like this, either picking up at the house or sending by surface mail.  It will be interesting to see how long Japan Post does.

The rest of my day was spent doing things at the Guest Home as the Abts are in Yokohama providing child care for one of our couples. It's really difficult to pay attention to the needs of the Guest Home when my mind has so many other things to dwell on these last five days.  Today I didn't have any invitations to meals out and it has been a relief.  I had my apple and oatmeal for breakfast and a salad for lunch. Eggs for dinner?

Day Six

 

 

After yesterday's party where we all made sushi rolls with the ingredients provided and had all kinds of extras like tuna mayonnaise and jellies, today's Pot Luck Farewell lunch at Quilting Class featured pork loin cooked in black tea and then marinated in Japanese flavors, Chirashi Zushi and Homemade pickled vegetables.

At right are members of my Wednesday Class and the Thursday Class that we sometimes get together with.

 

 

 

 Sensei asked my classmates and some other quilters I had met through her to make a block for a friendship quilt for me.  Today I received the blocks which really reflect the personalities and color choices of each maker. When I get home I need to add sashing and probably a center square to even things out a bit.  What I'm wondering now is if anyone out there has a good idea for the type/color of sashing fabric?  Please set me know what you think.

Final Week Countdown

Seven days left in Japan. Four boxes packed.  Decisions about suitcases made and packing about 75% finished. Week prior notification arrived from the airline. Not allowing myself to think I've got it wired.  Too many last minute things to do for that.

Today there is a lunch at the home of a couple from the church in Ichikawa.  Tomorrow will be the final Quilting Class. I need to ask some questions about bank accounts now that there's someone here to ask.

This is the second week of the 2012 Autumn Sumo Tournament and I had someone help me with the TV so I can watch most afternoons. Lots of people did really well the first week.  Second week is harder for them and more interesting for people watching.

Think I'll go do some quilting homework.

Goodbye and goodbye again!

 

Saying goodbye in Japan is sometimes a long process.  I will leave here on September 25, but the first special goodbye event for me was held last Sunday. My quilting teacher and her husband invited some people to gather at their summer house in Karuizawa where we had a lunch together which included my version of Taco Rice among other things including a cake (always a good idea to my way of thinking!)





I was given the center seat at the table and was asked to say a few words about going home and future plans before we ate.

Yesterday I was asked to the regular monthly meeting of IVIS (Ichikawa Volunteer Interpreter's Society) where I have often encouraged their English speaking ability and shared views and ideas.  This time they were given free reign to ask me "anything!" The questions ranged from what my plans were to what do the initials O. M. F. stand for to who I'll vote for in November's election. This was followed by a "pot luck lunch."  Foods ranged from pizza to sushi to potato salad to nashi. It was a nice thing to do.  Some of these folks have known me since 1999 when I first came to Japan and some I met for the first time yesterday.  Many are convinced I will be back.

Moving Upstairs

I'm in the midst of packing and moving my stuff upstairs to one of the Guest rooms.  It's a matter of schedule that I'm moving this week.  My replacements here at the Guest Home will be arriving on August 29 and they need to live here. I would like to take a bit of a holiday while things are relatively quiet here and have the opportunity to go to my favorite place in the woods in the mountains in Karuizawa.  My quilting class is having a party at our sensei's summer home in Naka Karuizawa on August 26. So, if you put all of those things on a calendar you come up with my needing to move this week. A friend got me a discount on tickets on the Shinkansen, so that really means I have to go on the planned day and time, no excuses.

One thing that makes it a little easier is that in my mind I've never moved in to this apartment.  The circumstances of my taking on the job of managing the Guest Home and the relentlessness of the work itself has meant that I sleep in the bed, I use the shower and the kitchen, but my stuff pretty much sits on the top.  Not stashed away too far.  So for the last day and a half I've been putting things in boxes so that I can get them out of here quickly and then I'll clean the house so that I can go on my vacation.

This morning I did another job that was on my list.  I went for my annual check up with my local doctor. I was due for a blood draw in any case, so I also had the urine test, chest x-ray, and EKG.  They also check your height weight, waist measurement, and such.  Because of my age and because I am part of the National Health Plan this annual check is free for the things I mentioned.  The only thing he asked me about adding was the liver function tests on the blood samples.  This added about $4.50 to my usual fee (like a co-pay). I could go to a bigger clinic and get a mammogram and swallow a camera for a stomach cancer test, but I have chosen to defer those till I get home. The doctor I see has a small clinic very near here.  It's great for getting my maintenance medications and for colds or other ailments.  The best part is that he understands most of my questions/responses in English and attempts to use as much English as he can pull up from his memory when speaking to me. So it has worked for me. When I told him I was moving back to America in September he didn't make much of a response, so I said, "Will you miss me?" He said, "I suppose."

The Quintessential Ichikawa Summer Event

Most summers the city of Ichikawa puts on an event the first Saturday of August.  It's a fireworks display down by the Edogawa River. Sometimes I have gone down to the riverside and sat on a tarp with crowds of others to see the show close up and other years like this one I went up to the flat roof of the Guest Home building.  The weather conditions this year were near optimal and the view was great.  Fireworks in Japanese are Hanabi which can be roughly translated as "Fire Flowers."  Here's a short clip of the 75 minute show.

Only in summer

I decided this afternoon that I really needed to get out and walk for a bit before it got too dark. The quality of my physical exercise has become a bit tatty recently.  I noticed when I was greeting Mrs. Kusaka that it seemed a bit cooler and drier outside than it had been this morning.  So, after dinner I got my bag and a towel, put on proper shoes (not Crocs or sandals) and stepped outside. 

I immediately heard a distinctive sound. It was music, but of a special type heard on certain summer evenings in this area. Summer festival music with the strong beat of taiko drums and and the plaintive vocal.  So I headed toward the elementary school and the sound grew louder.  I had been to this festival in 2004 and really, it looked much the same.  There were more drummers today and a fire truck, but otherwise the same.  No doubt the annual PTA summer fundraiser.

Having seen fellow blogger, Nancy J's video of the newborn lambs gave me the idea to take a video with my camera, which I had never done. It's quite a small, relatively uncomplicated camera and I had never videoed with it before.  I did manage to figure out how to switch modes and off I went.  Here it is:                                                               

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My Favorite Wins Again

It's always difficult to explain to anyone why I like Sumo.  To many, especially my Western friends and acquaintances it's a lot of sweaty fat guys pushing each other around. There is some of that, but Sumo has it's skills, it's rules, it's stars, it's up-and-comers. Six tournaments a year, one in each of the odd numbered months.

This year as the second week of the July Tournament was drawing to a close, two men remained unbeaten and by today's final round the Yokozuna, Hakuho with a perfect record went up against the Ozeki Harumafuji also 14-0. Both are Mongolians. Both are tough. This was only the fifth time since the advent of 15 day tourneys that two men came up to the final day without a loss.
I was pleased when Harumafuji came up the winner.  He's been solid in every match. I've liked him for several years now, since he came up the ranks to win his first Tournament several years ago. He's not huge and he's not pretty, there's a bit of the underdog about him.  Tonight though, he's the King of the Ring.

Next to Last Quilting Class

Today was my regular Quilting Class. We don't have class in August because Sensei always takes a holiday, and so do many of her students.  This year however we are planning to meet at Sensei's summer home in Karuizawa on August 26.  This will be a day for relaxing at the onsen, shopping and eating together.  Emiko san has requested Taco Rice, so that will probably be what we have. This is also a "going away" commemoration for me. I hope to be able to go to one more regular class in September.
Attending this Quilting Class during this term in Japan has been a real learning experience. My classmates have learned lots of English. I have learned a lot of Japanese. I have learned much more about Japanese Culture than I can ever recount. Then there are the typical Japanese Housewife conversations. Today we even talked about the Japanese opposition to the stationing of Osprey aircraft at the airbase in Okinawa, and the rumour that Bill Gates has purchased a huge piece of property in Naka Karuizawa and is building a villa complete with helipad. Oh yes, we are also all sewing and quilting during this twice monthly 4 to 5 hour session.

I seem to have accidentally gotten a blue filter on the camera today.  (Japanese camera with Japanese instructions!)

Kawakoe san with the bag she finished today.  She really liked it and so did I!

Hayakawa san with her current project, also a bag.

Yamazaki san at the machine with Kuraishi sensei giving instruction.

Me enjoying our 2 pm "coffee and sweet."

The Banners Find a Home

A year and a half ago, I think, I wrote about a set of banners that were a cooperative process between a Thai batik crafts person, another OMFer and me. The banners took a really long time to put together and send to their intended place at our newly refurbished International Headquarters in Singapore.  I found out earlier this year that due to some unspecified problems they had not yet been hung.  Then in the last week I received photos by email from two different friends of the banners hanging, not in some open atrium as I had been lead to imagine, but on the walls in the office area.  I suppose if I had known that they were going to be open to close scrutiny I would have fretted more about the stitching and they would have taken even more time to put together.  Sometimes it's better not to know.

Not Exactly What You Might Be Expecting

Today was the annual performance of Voice of Adoration.  They are the women's Black Gospel Choir at the Chapel of Adoration in Ichikawa City.  They are better every year, gaining confidence and ease in performing their music. I really enjoy them, even though I know they are not black, but Japanese and that they feel more comfortable with music that can be clearly written on a proper staff than they could ever  be with the "call and respond" style of the choirs they emulate.  But still, once I get past all that I know that they are doing a great job reaching out to others.  Not all of the members are Christians, but by participating they come to know Christian community and love for others.  The performance draws many family and friends from nearby and all are welcomed and invited to come back. I guess the best part is that the choir looks like they're having more fun than anybody. 

Rainy Season

 One nice thing about rainy season here is that it is also the time for hydrangea.  The picture above shows one like those I remember from my childhood. The other ones here to the right and below are only ones I would associate with Japan. It seems that botanists here are always busy developing new colors and shapes for the blooms loved by the Japanese people.
So despite the rain showers there are flowers to brighten our days.

 My dad occasionally changed the color of the blooms on the bushes around my childhood home.  It took at least a year and involved putting different chemicals at the roots of the plant.  The only thing I remember was iron, but I don't remember what color that made the bloom.









Today I sent out a newsletter by email.  If you got it, please remember to reply by one of the methods I listed at the end.  If you didn't get one, maybe I don't have your current email address.  If you'd like to receive a copy, please let me know!

Meantime, try to keep dry!

I Can Never Say My Job's Finished

In the past two weeks especially, I have noticed that in early afternoon at the latest I am really feeling tired. This past week the weather has turned cold with the start of the rainy season. so add to the tiredness some aching joints in reaction to the weather.  Today I realized that perhaps part of the tiredness is due to the Spring Cleaning/Change Over that step by step  has been accomplished in about that same amount of time.  I had a famous two days at the beginning of the month where all of the Guest Home beds and a few additional futons were full.  I had gotten the main building changed over before that and after I did the annex.

The Change Over involved putting the winter duvets (actually called kakibuton here) into Space Bags after airing them and getting out the summer weight ones I put away last autumn. Also every bed here in the winter has an electric blanket under the bottom sheet. These are thankfully washable and so were collected washed and hung to dry.  They are the last thing that needs to be put away in some of the rooms. The mattresses for the most part were turned and the mattress pads were laundered as well. While I was at it I moved all the furniture in the rooms and vacuumed and dusted behind everything. 

Cleaning a couple of recently vacated rooms today I realized that my enemy, the ubiquitous mildew has been lurking undetected under the lids and behind the toilets in the unit baths! Yuck, I hate mildew! There's a handy spray cleaner here that is called Kabi Kira. (Kabi is the Japanese word for mildew, kira is Japanese for, well...killer.) So, something else to tend to in this round of cleaning.