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.

Sunday Afternoon Walk

My friend Sachiko and I went for a walk after church. The picture here is the only sign we saw of damage from the earthquake. There will be a new set of pictures running in the slide show (as soon as I can get it changed) of other things we saw as we walked down to and then along the river, to Satomi Park and Junsai Park. Everywhere we saw people walking and enjoying the early spring weather. Sachiko commented that the conversations of people we passed were centered on the earthquake.

Several people let me know today about the Samaritan's Purse delivery of food etc. for Sendai. I was really happy to know that they had coordinated with CRASH the Christian organization that OMF is partnering with in the relief effort on this end for delivery to evacuation centers, especially ones the government hadn't gotten to yet. The main problem so far is not that there is no food, but that it's difficult to get food from collection depots around Sendai into the area evacuation centers. Sendai was able yesterday to receive a supply ship at their port.

Read a report from one of our missionaries in Sendai who seems to be having the time of his life ministering and witnessing to Japanese people.

Read one comment that it would be good if people in developed countries made sure that missionaries who are already serving here were fully supported before just donating willy nilly to the general 'cause'.

Two OMFers doing some scouting along the coast to see where we should send a team, got government permission to get gas and to travel on the expressway rather than the back roads. It really pays to have people on the ground who know how things work here and follow accepted cultural procedures. Doing it the Japanese way is important for getting things done and being accepted.

Remember that if you want to look at the pictures more closely, click on the slide show and when you get to Picasa you have lots of options. You can even comment there if you like.


  

Japanesy

This is the kind of thing that makes you hit your forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Of course you have to like the combination.

Snow People

It snowed a little last night, as predicted. An inch or two of slushy stuff greeted me as I took the trash out before 8am. I needed to take a short term worker to the train and then to the express train to the airport and then was on my way back to the office. Walking by a newish house, lovely two story in yellow brick with a wall and lovely gate I saw through the gate that someone was building snow people in the yard. So I got my camera out and called in Japanese, "Excuse me, may I take a picture?" She laughed and said "Dozo."

After I took a picture she came to the gate and unlocked it and invited me in to take a closer shot, and while I was fussing with the camera she started asking me questions in Japanese and English, finding out where I was from, my name and where I worked, how long was I in Japan, etc. I answered in as much Japanese as possible, and then English.

Turns out she invited me for tea. I felt that it was a bit quick to accept right away, so I said, certainly, I would love to come sometime. This led to exchange of phone numbers and then to her telling me that she teaches a class in making sushi, and invited me to the next class two and a half weeks from now.

Always something new and exciting here in Japan, all from admiration of some snow people.

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.