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."

Karuizawa Revisited

I'm just back from 5 days in Karuizawa.  It felt like at least a week more. But, no, I'm back in Ichikawa.  Tomorrow guests start arriving again after almost two weeks without any. So it's back to work. 

I promised something new in the way of Karuizawa pictures.  As it's one of my favorite places to go I have lots of pictures.  This time I did make it to the Outlet Mall, which I hadn't visited before.  Most of the stock is aimed for twentysomethings and most carry only Japanese sizes, even in the American or British shops (L.L.Bean, Burberry's). and everything is pretty pricey, or spendy or expensive.

I didn't expect to get to the Pearly Gates, and who knew it was a Golf Shop? And who can make sense of a golf shop being called Pearly Gates?  One of those inscrutable Japanese mysteries perhaps. Or is it a shop started in another country?

There was a quartet of young people playing wind instruments in a central area of the mall.  The music was classical and the young musicians disciplined as one begins to expect in Japan.

I came across this fungi family near our house.  They really looked like flowers, but are probably a kind of mushroom.

The last time I photographed this small lake near Ohga Hall there was a rather sizable bridge across it.  The bridge is no more, alas. I rather liked it. Don't know why they took it down.






So, back to the grind.  Still trying to get settled in my apartment. Wanting very much to start some sewing projects as few things I have fit very well. I'm stuck with super casual with a few pieces of dressier clothes, some of which fits and some too large.

East Japan Conference 2011

This year's conference was held at Megumi Chalet, a Christian Conference Center in Karuizawa, Japan. Since I will be responsible for booking space at our Holiday House in Karuizawa for summer visitors, I went a few days early with an OMF couple to do the spring cleaning at the house.  We aired all the blankets and futons and made sure everything was clean and organized so that people who need a holiday will be able to spend most of their time enjoying Karuizawa.

On Monday afternoon we went to the Chalet and joined our colleagues for three days of speakers, discussions, music, activities and enjoyed the meals prepared by the staff there.  The facility is built on a hillside, and our meetings were mostly held in the Chapel about two-thirds of the way up. My room was on the lowest level, so I got lots of stair climbing exercise. A lovely little lake is nearby and provided a nice place for a morning walk.

It was a great chance to catch up with people we don't see all that often and to see how their kids have grown. We took several short term workers along to run a program just for the kids, so everyone had something to do.

 Here's a picture of us:

Don't look now, but...

February is all but over for 2010. Sometimes time really gets away from me.

So, the first week of March - here in Japan - Hina Matsuri is celebrated on the third. This is a holiday just for girls, it's Doll festival. Little girls display their collection of dolls representing the Emperor and Emperess and their court. Doting parents and grandparents buy dolls for the collection. These are not to be played with, but are just for "pretty" and are to be admired.

On the third I will be joining a group of women from OMF and other Missions for the JEMA Ladies Retreat in my favorite place to go in Japan - Karuizawa.