One can only hope!
This last week was the first week of this year's OMF Japan's Pre-Home Assignment Workshop. I am not taking the workshop, but am providing places to stay at the Guest Home and, for the last few days, meals for the participants and presenters. I had a day off Friday. The Workshop met for a half day today and I made them lunch. They will resume on Monday and continue through their final dinner on Friday evening.
This next week a co-worker from Hokkaido is in charge of making the lunches and dinners. I only have to provide food for breakfast (preparation left up to the individual), morning snack and afternoon snack. I also offered to make a few desserts. Today I collected the towels from my guests and still have one batch in the dryer.
Providing edible food in quantity on time is a stressful job for someone who has merely provided for themselves for the most part these last few years. I'm happy to be the sous chef, shopper and goodies provider for the next week.
I spent several weeks before this one planning, shopping and cleaning to get ready for everyone. When everyone leaves there will be lots to do in the way of laundry and straightening up and restocking soap and toilet paper and such in the rooms.
The workshop is highly recommended to our members who will be going on their Home Assignments in the next year, and past participants have appreciated the instruction in how to reconnect with supporters and families and churches at home. It's an intense time for us all if for different reasons.
On January 20th the 11th annual Tokyo Great Quilt Festival will open at the Tokyo Dome. If all goes well I will be at the opening ceremonies (Princess Masako sama usually presides) and will be among the first to see the exhibits this year. All this at the invitation of my Quilting Teacher who, for the 11th year, has her work on display at the Dome.
Some of the people who follow this blog are really interested in the quilt shows in Japan. So, since I was at the Tokyo Dome yesterday for the Opening of this year's show and took a load of photos I thought I would share. The arrangement of displays and vendors and the stage were changed this year. At the beginning of the day it was quite easy to get around and take photos. As the day progressed it got more crowded, but still not as bad as my experience last year. Don't know if it was the day, the weather or the rearrangement. 
