An Innocent Phone Call

That was all it started out with. Cole called his friend one day after school to see if he wanted to come over and play. His friend did but only after he was done checking out the presents under his Christmas tree. Cole got off the phone and told me that and then asked me why he couldn't look at his presents. I said he could, conjuring memories of the Christmas' in my youth, rearranging, sorting and shaking the presents all the while imagining the treasures I'd get.

Well, you can understand my surprise when Cole came waltzing into the kitchen minutes later saying "Look what Hiroo gave me!" I'm like all "Wait...no...what?!? You're not supposed to open the presents!" I hurried into the living room where Cole and Kaori had opened all their presents that were under the tree! Luckily there were only a few out there so there will still be surprises on Christmas morning.

Cole claims that "we just had a miscommunication."

Winter Wonderland

I figured that our family walks would end with the first few flurries of snow. But there we were, right in the middle of a winter weather advisory, blowing snow, dark night and cold weather walking Hiroo down the street. The walk was even suggested by the kids no less. And if that is not enough, it was after Kaori had helped me shovel the driveway and patio for half an hour and the kids were outside playing.

So as not to leave you with some romantic notion of a fresh, untouched blanket of snow with large, gently falling flakes, I must tell you that I'm done with this winter now almost even before it is starting. As I mentioned, I had to shovel the driveway tonight as well as last night. And even now as I sit here typing the godforsaken stuff continues to fall and accumulate on my driveway necessitating my further shoveling tomorrow. How I long for the days of summer when I can go back to complaining about mowing the lawn.

Reader Feedback

I got some feedback that Kaori should be in some pictures with Hiroo too. The first couple days she didn't want too hold him too much but now she is okay. Here's a photo.

By the way, the feedback wasn't in comment form though which is what I'd prefer.

Introducing Hiroo!

Say hello to Hiroo (pronounced hero). Hiroo is the area of Tokyo where we lived but we are using a more English pronunciation. He is a nine week old soft coated wheaton terrier. We picked him up Saturday, Nov. 15. He's a lot of fun and well-behaved. The kids love him. I guess it's likely he'll be the subject of future blog entries.

Yuki Daruma

The overnight snowfall got the kids all excited about building a snowman. It is their first significant snowfall in three years afterall. So we went out and built a snowman and gave him a dog too. He didn't tip over, contrary to how it looks. But our attempts to fix him might have hurt him. He's still standing, for now anyway.

Recent Pictures

This is Kaori's recent artwork. The owl isn't copied from anything, the teacher just kind of showed them how to draw it.










Cole has recently taken up rock climbing. Here he is at our local health club, Lifetime Fitness. He can climb all the way to the top.
















And here are our trick or treaters.












By the way, I'm leaving the current poll up until I get more votes. Four isn't enough.

Jack-O-Lantern Time

One a frigid, snowy, windy Sunday afternoon we braved the elements to pick out our pumpkins for Halloween this year. We did a fine job in spite of being bundled up and in a weather-induced hurry. What you see at left are the fruits of our labor. Nice don't you think? Remember, you can click on the picture for a larger view.

More Art

The second installment of Kaori's art. This one isn't a reproduction but it focuses instead on perspective. See how things in the distance are smaller than things closer up? Like the small tree on the opposite shore versus the taller cattails. She's a budding artist.

Yellowstone National Park

I recommend a trip to Yellowstone National Park but must add that ours was definitely enhanced by kids that behave and travel well in the car. We did a fair bit of driving throughout the park and Cole and Kaori were so good the whole time.

Highlights of our trip were seeing the animals, scenery, geysers in Yellowstone and playing Uno at night. Surprisingly, seeing Old Faithful erupt was a bit anticlimactic. Maybe my expectations were too high or the rest of the park just outshone its most famous member. Evidently Old Faithful is neither the biggest nor prettiest geyser to watch. And ever since an earthquake in the park in the 80's is it not the most reliable. Now it erupts every 90 minutes give or take 10.

Click here to see our pictures from Yellowstone. Fair warning here, there are a lot of pictures. You will see many buffalo, elk, bighorn sheep, rock formations, waterfalls, kids and hot water springs. Unfortunately no moose or bears.

Old Faithful

As the countdown on the left says, the kids have a couple days off from school this week. So we've decided to take a little mini-vacation to Yellowstone National Park. We'll be staying at the Snow Lodge near Old Faithful. The lodge is appropriately named since they do have a couple inches of snow already. Might be a little chilly but we're planning on having fun anyway. Pictures to follow.

Kaori's Cats

Kaori started a new drawing class last Thursday after school. She enjoys art so much and really enjoyed her art class in Tokyo that she wanted to do another. This is a drawing of Charles Wysocki's "Kitty's Treat". I think each week they'll do another drawing of a famous painting or piece of artwork. See the original here.

"I shall return."

Last weekend I was lucky enough to once again return to Japan and see some friends. On Friday I ran around the Imperial Palace with friends and then we went out to eat. Over the weekend I went to Murakami to participate in a triathlon. Unfortunately the sea was too angry to allow us to swim so it became a run/bike/run event. Still quite enjoyable.

I returned Monday to my family that I missed very much. Still I'd like to repeat the trip sometime. At left is a picture of my friend Chiba-san and me.

Cole's Football Picture

Cole enjoys being a football player. He likes wearing the uniform and having people watch him play. I'm sitting at all the practices for 2 hours. Go to all the games. Buy the snacks and drinks and drive him all around. Then when he finally grows up and gets on TV he'll probably say "Hi Mom!"

Of Weather and Health Clubs

Obviously one big difference between Tokyo and here this time of year is the weather. About now Tokyo is still experiencing 85 degrees from morning to night with an equal level of humidity. It generally stays the same all day. Last Tuesday I got up and it was 70 degrees at 6:30 AM; a pleasant day. The very next day was less than 50 at the same time. Did Fall fall that quickly? I mean I'll be the first to admit I'm a weather-wimp but let's have a little more gradual movement here.


Also in Tokyo the sun spends much of its day high up in the sky, relentlessly beating down on you from above. I had forgotten that here in the northern altitudes it tends to be low in the sky during morning and evening hours, providing little warmth while also serving to be a blinding light; quite effectively hiding any oncoming traffic. Soon it'll disappear over the southern horizon not to be seen again until Spring. Listen to me, sounds like I live in Northern Alaska.

When we were in Tokyo I would ride my bike the 2 or 3 miles to local pools to swim and consider it an easy trip without the hassle of riding and changing trains on the subway. Plus it was an easy way to get a few miles of training in on the bike. Well, here it seems I can't be bothered to ride even the 1.2 miles to the local health club. My excuses are that I needed to hurry to get back and pick up the kids, that I needed the time to continue to unpack stuff at home and that the road to the club has very narrow shoulders and it is scary to ride on. This last excuse has the added benefit of even being true. Anyway, I've vowed to do better in the future. As long as time, traffic and life permits anyway.

Moving In

Moving into a house isn’t something you do over the course of a weekend. It takes weeks and even months. This is the task we have now set upon for the third time in three years. The kids especially enjoy visits to our storage so we can pick up new “treasures” in our boxes and bring them home. One advantage of not marking the boxes very well is the excitement of finding long forgotten momentos, toys and trinkets. I could name a few distinct disadvantages here but I’m focusing on the positive.

Well after the troubles with buying our house we are finally in and the very reasons that we wanted it in the first place are paying off. We liked the house for the neighborhood which was full of children, playsets and young families. The first day that the kids and I spent here they were gone for most of it playing with the neighbor kids. They just decided to go knock on their door to see if they could pet the dog. Turns out they have girls that are 6, 9 and 12. Two doors down from us are brothers that are 7 and 9. Currently one of Cole and Kaori’s favorite activities is to go and introduce themselves to the neighbors. Quite out of character for them. Lately the neighborhood kids have been coming out of the woodwork.

Mowed the lawn and it took me one and a half hours. That was just straight mowing time; no bagging. Definitely have to check out the riding lawn mower sales at the end of this season.

Cole is endeavoring to play tackle football this Fall. I didn't get to play tackle football until seventh grade. He's very excited and has his pants and jersey and helmet and everything. I'll definitely have pictures to post for that.

Vroom, vroom

I have now mowed two lawns since being back, my dad's and my brother/sister-in-law's. And I have two observations.

First of all, I didn't really miss mowing lawns. Not at all. Not a bit. Not in the least. Call me lazy. Yardwork isn't high on my list anyway, but then neither is housework or workwork. So it is something that I didn't really notice was gone but now that it's back I want it gone again.

Secondly, I seem to be out of top lawnmowing form. I've been smashing into things, running over stuff, barely able to keep up with the self-propelled lawnmowers, spilling gas on myself, etc. I guess this isn't a skill that gets lost over the winter months but definitely atrophies over 3 years. I'd go without it again though if I had the opportunity.

A Triathlon Weekend

And it didn't even include me. Cole and Kaori each completed their inaugural triathlons last Saturday. After I had done mine I told them that there were some for kids and they each wanted to do it too. I was pretty sure Cole would follow through with it but less sure about Dodi. She was all for it up until the morning of the event but then had a change of heart. I told her she didn't have to do it but we'd go to the park and see what it looked like.

Well Kaori changed her mind but she sure wasn't happy about it. She was in tears and I kept telling her she didn't have to do it but she just kept wanting to. Then we went out to the water and parents could help the younger kids so I went with. The "swim" for both was so short and crowded and shallow that we just ended up running through the water. I probably wouldn't even get sick if my triathlons were like that. Probably. Anyway she kept running and crying through the transition to the biking stage but then she got more comfortable on the bike and started smiling. By the time we hit the running portion she was all fired up and ready to go. She was running fast; so fast that before it was over I couldn't get out in front far enough to snap a decent picture. After that she was in the best mood and so happy she did it.

I got back from Kaori's triathlon just in time to see Cole in the bike transition and to watch him take off. He seemed to be doing great and enjoying himself. He got back from the bike and took off on the run and he was working so hard! He later said the run portion was the most difficult part. I tend to agree. I'm so proud.

Okay, for the sake of the kids, let's get some comments on this post.

America The Large

When moving from a country with an approximate land area of 377,000 square kilometers to one with over 9.5 million square kilometers it becomes obvious that size does matter. The Japanese, as a people are small compared to their American counterparts; shorter and thinner. They drive smaller cars and live in smaller apartments. Public spaces are smaller, restaurants, bars and stores. Food portions are definitely smaller. I've been known to order two entrees. (Or two desserts but that was in the U.S.) Finally something very noticeable to me, airplane seats on Japanese airlines are smaller.

In contrast, Americans are large. We live large, eat large, play large and drive large things. Not that it's bad. I enjoy being able to live in a nice house with a big yard without having to sever two appendages and hand them over to the man. I definitely get plenty to eat from just one entree. Also it is nice to be able to drive a vehicle and to be able to throw anything you want in the back. But that comes at a price and with the cost of gasoline, that price is rising. It also seems to be taking a toll on the environment.

Speaking of transportation, that is a mixed bag of good and bad. The freedom of a car is nice but the mind numbing ease of the trains had the allure of simplicity. I don't like constantly changing radio stations from one unsatisfying song to the mindless drivel of talk radio and back. People watching (or snoozing) on the trains was better. I didn't really care for taking 4 different trains though and changing at several stations just to get somewhere. It's nice just to drive and park.

So this, as with all other things, I find is both a good and bad adjustment.

Finally on another note I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Robyn has gone back to Tokyo for a few weeks. We'll miss her, already do. If you watch closely I'll be changing "This Month's Countdown" to her return as soon as possible after the current one is done.

First Observations

My first observations after being back in the U.S. for a week or so is that it is like I never left. It honestly feels like I'm living here like I always have been. That we lived in Japan for three years is just amazing to me; it went so fast.

Additionally when I got my haircut in Tokyo the stylists usually didn't try to make much small talk. That was good for me, I could just sit there and relax. I'm not much for talking just to talk. Like when the phone rings I don't want to answer it because I'm afraid somebody else will be on the other end. So when I recently got my hair cut here and the stylist was trying her darnedest to start up a conversation it was all lost on me. Which is more rude, to mutter monosyllabic responses or to come right out and tell them to save it because I'd rather not talk?

Homeward Bound

Well it couldn't be more true that the days are long but the years are short. It has been three very short years that went by in a flash and now as many of you might already know, we are moving back to the U.S. We will be leaving and arriving on Tuesday, July 1st.


So many things to think about, all the memories and places visited, the people and friends that we now have scattered all over the globe, looking forward to life in the U.S., what to do with this blog?, etc. When Robyn first started looking into a new position with Northwest back in the Twin Cities, we both said that either way it turned out we'd be disappointed. Sad but true, so it is a bittersweet ending for us. Makes me think the title of this post would more aptly be named "Leaving home to go home"


It will likely take the benefit of time and adjustment to life back in the U.S. to really provide perspective on our adventure here and what it has meant to us. A list of things I'll miss could go on forever and I would still leave out a few things that will likely pop into my mind at odd times during everyday life. First and foremost would have to be the people, my mom's siblings and their kids and my running club, Namban Rengo. It's always about the people.


As for this blog, well what will become of it? It was originally started as a way to keep everybody updated on our progress without having to send the same email to 12 different people. Life in Japan isn't something everybody readily knows about so this blog served as a small window to learn about it through my eyes. But I dare say all of my readers know about life in the U.S. Will the interest level still be there if it is just our family adventures and my writing? At that point it becomes just another blog on an already overcrowded internet. Please feel free to vote at left and give me your opinions and comments.


So another chapter in our life ends and a fresh, new one begins. What will it hold for us?

Washing Machine

Well, I guess I did tell Cole that the washing machine would be done when it stopped. I didn't count on the soak cycle though. So while Cole was anxiously awaiting his favorite shirt to be done washing the machine did indeed stop and so in his mind, it was done. A few minutes later I entered the laundry and Cole says to me "These clothes sure are wet." There he was with Kaori, taking clothes out of a full basin of water and putting them in the dryer. Yes indeed, those clothes sure were wet. I admire his attitude though and willingness to work through the wet, dripping, soaking, sopping conditions. Kaori's willingness ended when I instructed them that the clothes were going to have to be put back in the washer but Cole kept right at it. He really wanted that favorite shirt. And he got it.

Our creative kids

School is out so we are spending a little time filing some of the kids' work from the year. In doing so I came across some poems that Cole wrote during his poetry session last year, first grade. Here are his poems.

blue
blue skie wae up hie.
a blue buloon for a blue sterring.
a blue clip borde for blue paper.

black!!!
black clipbords.
black papor.
black craons.
black dogs.
black baskits.
black Pencells.

my Dogs
one of my dogs died at a vet
my hart almost broke.
My othor dog I had to give away
so we could come to Japan.
My hart was bleeding

Kaori doesn't have any poetry but a little while ago Robyn sent an email back to me that I had sent to her 3 or 4 years ago. These were some of Kaori's words at that time.
1. Oh-ee = Horsey
2. Blah-lah = Mikata
3. Lah-thu = Love you
4. Blah = Banana
5. Di-di = Blankie
6. Deese = Cheese
7. Roni = Macaroni and Cheese
8. Doosh = Shoes
9. Da-da = Cracker
10. Mow = Cat

Congratulations Kaori!

Yesterday Kaori graduated from Willowbrook international school. Beforehand she said she was a little scared but she performed admirably. She did a great job singing, receiving her diploma and posing for the camera. We are so proud of her. On to kindergarten!



This is my Father's Day present, a bike for me to use for triathlons. It's name is Ao, pronounced like the "ou" sound in ouch. Ao in Japanese means blue. Ow in English is what I say after I crash. Nice double entendre don't you think?

Oshima!

For pictures click here. They are of all my teammates who did the race so you won't recognize people in a lot of the pictures.

We had great weather on Saturday. Warm enough for the spectators but not too warm for the competitors. It didn't seem to help the ocean though because that water was cold! First of all, I'll get to the question that you are all wondering. Yes, I did hurl after the swim. I don't know why. I felt fine running up the beach. Then we had to head up a long concrete ramp and it just hit me. I stopped once and dry heaved a little and then again a little later to empty my stomach. Not pleasant. But really, the swim went very well. I could see the fish and rocks and scuba divers at the bottom of the ocean.

Next I'd have to say the bike went well because I beat my goal time but after I think about it a bit I'm wondering if it really did. We did four laps of a 10k route but halfway through the first lap I went in the ditch and flew over the handlebars and then the bike flew back over me. I smacked my head hard; good thing helmets are mandatory. I was left bruised and bloody but able to continue. The handlebars on the bike were bent down and to the right, good thing we were going in clockwise loops. After that I dropped some gels I was going to take and lost my water bottle. Maybe it wasn't so good.

Finally to the run, which is supposed to be my best part. Unfortunately it was the only one that I didn't beat my goal time. I think after emptying my stomach and misplacing an energy gel (it was hiding in my bag) I just ran out of gas. Still I beat my goal of 2:45 by 90 seconds. I guess that means I'll be back. I mean, fix a few of those little things and just think how much faster I could go.

In the end we all had a great time. Cole and Kaori say they are excited to do some kids triathlons with me and I think Robyn just might have a new job (unpaid) as team photographer. We even enjoyed the traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast. Well, maybe not the kids so much.

Ready, set, Go!

Robyn has finally returned home after a week of working in Minnesota and she brought her friend Kathleen with her who stayed with us for a couple nights which was a nice change of pace and we were able to take her to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant but what she neglected to bring with her was some nice weather because I'm definitely getting sick of all this rain we've been having. How's that for an opening sentence? Pretty much sums up all that has been happening.

I must add that my first triathlon is this Saturday. I think the worst part will be the swim which is in the ocean. A couple weeks ago I did an ocean swim with some friends just to see what it was all about and to try out my new wetsuit. Most of it seemed to go pretty well except that as soon as I got done swimming I had to hurl. That is not a good sign. Seasick? Maybe but it wasn't so wavy. Drinking too much saltwater? Wetsuit compressing my stomach? (I tell you what, those things are tight!) Probably all of it played a part. I just hope it doesn't happen during the triathlon because, and I'm just guessing here, I'm pretty sure that would slow me down. Maybe all these typhoons we've been having give us a reprieve for the weekend too.

Kyoto

Kyoto is home to a few hundred shrines and temples and we managed to visit a handful of them during our weekend visit. First was the Fushini Inari Shrine, pictured left. I read that there were over 5,000 of the orange gates, some big and some small. They are donated to the shrine by families and companies. It offers a nice walk through the gate lined trail that winds through a forest and up the hills surrounding the city. This was one of my favorite shrines.



Next was the Kiyomizu Temple. This is a very popular temple that is situated in the hills overlooking Kyoto. It's central building is built somewhat on stilts on the hillside. Several other buildings and paths are also located in the hills and it has a kind of a waterfall fountain that is used for cleansing. Great views of the beautiful mountains.

The next temple we visited was the Ginkakuji, or Silver pavilion. This was quite a contrast to the Golden pavilion as seen below. Mostly it is a garden of sand sculpted to hint of Mt. Fuji (see left) or groomed to look like water. It is a peaceful reflective place.

The Kinkakuji or Golden pavilion, was a very impressive building, set beside a reflecting pond. It is a very popular tourist attraction so the crowds were thick with picture takers. Still the gold flecked paint on the building shone brightly in the morning sun and made for a striking vista.

Finally we visited Nijo Castle. As we toured the main building the wooden floor squeaked beneath our feet. This was by design so any spies sneaking around the castle could be caught by the guards. Four hundred year old paintings lined the walls where pictures were forbidden and the odor of feet was tangible. Not because of anything from the castle but because everybody was required to take their shoes off and shuffle about in stocking feet. Outside, the castle had notable walls, gardens and ponds.

In all Kyoto was a fun place to visit although different than we expected. It is a modern city dotted with many, many historical, noteworthy locales.

May's Going's On (is that right?)

Sorry the blog has become a little stale the last couple weeks. I'll try to do better. School year is winding down now, picnics, field trips etc are filling up the calendar. Last week Cole went to the Tama Zoo with his class and Kaori's school had Sports Day. That involved the teachers putting on games for the students (and parents). The kids got stamps and once they filled up their card, a gold medal. The parents got nothin'. Then on Saturday night Robyn and I went out with parents from Cole's class and his teacher to thank him for his efforts for the year. Next week Kaori will be on an outing to Children's Castle here in Tokyo and then conferences the week after that. Cole will be having portfolio sharing day where Robyn and I'll be going out to his school so he can show us the work he's done this year. I'm sure there's more but I can't remember it all.

Big earthquake just off the coast last week. I felt the first shock at about 1 AM as it woke me up and just kept shaking and rattling the apartment. About 45 minutes later the second wave came through and Robyn and I both woke up. She said "That was a big one" but of course I had to tell her the first one was bigger. It registered 6.8, pretty big indeed. No damage though, just loss of sleep.

This weekend we are going to try to go to Kyoto. Shouldn't be a problem, just if we can make all the arrangements in the next few days. We'll go on the Shinkansen, the high speed train. Kyoto has many old temples and castles and is close to Osaka. Robyn has wanted to visit there since we've moved. Finally.

Next month we are going to Oshima, an island just south of Tokyo. We'll have to take a jet boat to get there. I've been wanting to visit one of the southern islands. Actually I'll be doing my very first triathlon on the island. Probably going to be nerve wracking until that is over and then fun.

Adventures in the Emergency Room

Friday night we were heading to the store to get birthday party supplies because, well, we were having a birthday party. Above the local grocery store is where are the good party supplies lie so that is where we were going. Kaori energetically ran off to lead the way however just before she got to the stairs she tripped. Nightmares all over again because Cole did the exact same thing when he was 1 or 2 years old. Fortunately, at that time he had his head turned so when he fell against the first step he just got a bruise (albeit nasty and long lasting) on the cheek. Kaori fell directly mouth first into the first step. Lots of bleeding and crying ensued.

We took a taxi to the nearest hospital but the doctor on site said they had no facilities to do plastic surgery. What? Plastic surgery? Maybe that would be useful down the road but right now we just want to get our girl stitched up. No, they couldn't/wouldn't do it. They gave us a phone number to call to find a more suitable hospital. Well, in talking to us they knew our Japanese was verrrry limited and indicated that the hotline was Japanese only. That didn't exactly fit. I asked if he would call for us. Luckily he did. A few minutes later we were back in a taxi headed to another hospital where evidently they did have "plastic surgery" capabilities. Turns out plastic surgery just means stitches(?). Near as I can tell that is what it means because that is what they did. Kaori also had to have a dentist push her teeth back into place and bond them there. Shots in your mouth are a bad deal. Shots in your little girl's mouth are even worse. By about 100 times.

Today the swelling has gone down and the coloration is good. Kaori looks much better. She has been such a trooper throughout this whole thing. She doesn't like taking her medicine but still does. Time heals all wounds.

All Set

The kids are all farmed out to friends for playdates next week. All my travel arrangements have been made. Robyn is all set to takeover the household until I get back. All systems are go. Well, not really. I'm woefully undertrained for this marathon. Good thing I'm only planning to run it for fun and not to race it. Imagine that, running 26.2 miles for fun. For all my U.S. and Canada readers (I'm sure there are so many) you can watch the marathon live online at www.wcsn.com. Since I'm expecting even less face time there than in the Japanese movie I'm going to be in, it might be a little boring for you.

Until next week!

Minor Musings from an Expat

Australia and New Zealand have stopped using pennies. I for one think this is a good move. I think they are too expensive for what they are worth and would much rather that prices got rounded to the nearest nickel (or even dime). At the end of the day I think retailers and consumers alike would come out even and even if I lost a couple pennies with each transaction I wouldn't mind.

The U.S. is moving to an all digital television network next February. I'm sure electronics companies and retailers are thrilled by this news because all analog TV's will have to be replaced by digital ones or have a converter attached. I don't especially mind this happening, I guess it's progress. I suppose it's a good thing that our TV went belly up last year.

These countries have not have not officially adopted the International System of Units (metric system) as their primary or sole system of measurement: Liberia, Myanmar and the United States. To me it seems like the U.S. should join the bandwagon and convert to the metric system. What is holding it back? I think either laziness and/or arrogance. Neither of which are good qualities. I mean really, every other meaningful country in the world uses it, why should Americans/American companies and those working with them have to go through a system of conversions in order to function. I think a cold turkey move to the metric system is the only way to go.

We received an letter from the IRS yesterday announcing an economic stimulus payment to up to 130 million households. Households will be eligible for up to $600 or $1,200 if couples file together and another $300 for children. Let's say $1,000 for 100 million households and that is $100 billion. That's a lot of cha-ching. I'm not an economist so I have no answers but I do have questions, like will enough of that get spent to stimulate the economy out of recession? If all of it is spent would that even be enough? Since people weren't expecting to receive this anyway, is there a better use for the money? Like it could be used to pay off a portion of the national debt for example. I don't know and I don't know.

Just a few items that are filling my head on this day.

Sydney and the Cherry Blossoms

Actually the cherry blossoms are blooming here in Tokyo. I figured I better mention them now because they'll be gone in a few days time. When I was out running at 7AM today, people were already out at the parks, on the riverbanks and in the cemeteries claiming the prime spots under the cherry trees. Yes, that's correct, in the cemeteries. Actually only Aoyama cemetery is where I know people have cherry blossom viewing parties but it wouldn't surprise me if it happened at others. It is a chance to get outside and enjoy a bite and a drink with friends. It is raining now so I wonder how that is working out for them.

We had a great time in Sydney in spite of the cost of things. I think it is now Robyn's favorite city. Our hotel was right by Sydney harbour and so we took the ferries from the wharf there and went all over. We were basically situated right between the harbour bridge and the Sydney opera house. I must say the opera house is more impressive in person than in photos. There is a path that goes along the waterfront and around the opera house that Robyn and I walked and ran on in the mornings.

The first day there was some hoopla festival at nearby Darling Harbour so we went to watch musicians, acrobats, street performers etc. there. The next day we took the ferry across the harbour to Manly. Although you might think it was named after me, you'd be incorrect. Anyway there is a beach and little shopping area there. The kids played at the beach a little but that afternoon we swam at Bondi beach, Australia's most famous. The water was way too cold though. On Wednesday we took in the zoo and the Imax theater. The zoo was fun, it is nice and big and has great views of Sydney harbor. We went to the top of the Sydney tower to get a view of the city on Thursday and then went back to Darling Harbour to see the aquarium. We were go, go, go all the time and the kids were troopers about walking so much.

I'm not sure which city is more expensive, Tokyo or Sydney. We couldn't even have a casual breakfast in Sydney without the bill ballooning up to $50 or $60. Our first eating establishment was, any guesses? Yes, it was Krispy Kreme. Unfortunately they were selling donuts for $2.30 apiece. Good thing we didn't have any more than 19 dozen of those. Actually just a half dozen. We couldn't afford any more. Maybe it was just because we were in the prime restaurant/real estate area. If you are planning a visit, bring an extra suitcase full of cash.

Here are our pictures.

Baseball Game at the Tokyo Dome

We went to the Boston Red Sox vs. Hanshin Tigers baseball game yesterday and had a lot of fun. Boston won 6-5 and hit a couple home runs. You can see we were all decked out in the proper colors.

Today we are off for Sydney. I'll let you know how that goes in a week or so.

And the winner is...

Sydney. Yes we are headed to Sydney for 4-5 days next week. From what I've seen it is as expensive as, or moreso than Tokyo. We couldn't find a hotel room for less than $200 per night. Also, most all the hotels limit rooms to three people; meaning a family of four like ours is required to get two rooms. Is that not crazy? Luckily one hotel that originally was going to require us to have two rooms is letting us stay in just one.

On the other hand there seems to be a lot of things for us to do. This weekend is some sort of Darling Harbour Hoopla festival, then there's the aquarium, zoo, IMAX theatre, ferry boats and more and more. We are looking forward to it; should be fun. When we are there I'll have to see which way water goes down the drain. Did I say that about when I went to Africa too? I can't remember.

Spring Break!

Okay, so it's not exactly spring break yet but it is coming up in a few weeks. So we are planning on a trip but not quite sure where we want to go yet. Of course it does depend on how full some flights are but currently here are our options:

Australia: Kind of a long flight to Sydney, about nine hours but it is in the same time zone as Tokyo so It wouldn't be a huge adjustment. We could fly at night and sleep on the plane and be ready to go the next day. It is definitely easier to get to Australia from Japan than the U.S. so if we are going to make a family trip there, this is the time to do it. Haven't really looked at activities there yet but many of our friends here have been to Australia and highly recommend it.

Bali or Phuket: Both of these are resort areas, Bali in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand and are also highly recommended by friends. Much closer to Japan than the long flight to Australia and only an hour or so time difference. These two places are also ones I'm sure we wouldn't visit from the U.S. so we must get there from Japan. Beach, sand, ocean in a tropical climate; sounds pretty good doesn't it? The shorter flight makes this a potential for a long weekend trip too.

So, what do you think?

Movie et al.

First things first. A cold seems to have invaded our home since early January and is here for the long term. Last week it seems each one of us missed a day of school or work or something. This week we are a little better but coughing, sneezing and sniffling are still the order of the day. On top of that, Robyn is in Beijing for the week. Already looking forward to the weekend.

Getting to the movie now, after just wrapping up a three day stint on set. We filmed two courtroom scenes. I was slated to be an MP that escorted the prisoners (including the star of the movie) out of the courtroom. Talk about face time! However the other guy and I were in those roles for about 1 minute before the director replaced us with two other fellows. Curse the director! Can't he just trust his casting people? So I became a courtroom person sitting in uniform behind the prosecutors. I believe I'll be in quite a few shots though.

As far as the shooting, it was pretty interesting. I think it would be hard to be an actor though. Each take took 2-3 rehearsals and then 1-2 official takes before it was satisfactory. Each scene might be filmed from 8-10 different camera angles so that means each scene would be created 40-50 times. This would all be for only a few minutes in the actual movie. Add to that a fair bit of time between each take to set up the cameras and lighting and props and each day can become quite long and boring. I've been asked back to be a jailer for a few more days. Not sure if I'll do it though; they'll have to talk to my agent.


A few interesting tidbits about the movie:
*We are shooting at TOHO studios, one of the bigger (the biggest?) studios in Japan. TOHO actually has their own chain of cinemas to distribute their movies. They also made the Godzilla movies, or at least I assume so since the above picture was from the front gate.
*The director, a big bear of a man even by U.S. standards, is from a famous family I hear. One of his forefather's picture is on the Japanese 10,000 yen bill.
*The movie is actually a true story but the main character wasn't executed in the end. He lived to write his memoirs and see them become a movie.

Take Two

Well, not quite yet. For the next three days I'm scheduled to go to the studios for filming. I'm not as much excited about these days though. First of all I found out I'm one of 45 foreigners that will be on set. I'm guessing I'll be more of a face in the crowd for these scenes. Secondly, now that I know it's wait, wait, wait, film, wait, wait, wait...I know that it gets a little boring. It's interesting to see for a couple days, but I think three days in a row will get a little long. Finally, they aren't even providing us lunch this time. The nerve.

I'll be sure to blog on the high/low lights.

Take One

So yesterday was my first day on the job at the studio. I was joined by two other foreigners, a Spainard and a Frenchman and we were to play the American soldiers. Can I say that I'm not surprised that the Frenchman was the complainer of the group? The casting company managers didn't do enough for us, it was too long and boring, the Japanese didn't respect us enough...blah, blah, blah.

They dressed us up in soldier uniforms complete with jackets, coats, gun belts, boots and leggings. I kept thinking that they were going to all this trouble to dress me up and then they were going to find out that I can't act. Either that or what kind of low-budget, fly-by-night outfit would employ me to act in their movie? After we got dressed was makeup. I didn't get any. Evidently I'm beautiful enough without it. Some got it and some got haircuts too. We were then taken to the studio to wait for the filming. Check that, we were taken to the door outside the studio to wait for the filming. We waited outside for much of the day. The "talent" would come in their private vans and be ushered inside the studio. When called into the studio I did the same thing all day: stand in the middle of the prison bus and hold my rifle. Stand up straight, look straight ahead and don't move my eyes (or anything) and don't make a sound. I also held on to a pole to show that the bus was moving (it wasn't).

I think this same scene was shot from 5-6 different camera angles because I did the same thing 5-6 different times. They served us breakfast and lunch and we wrapped up late afternoon. I'll definitely be in the movie if this scene is used; just not sure what part of me. Just some Army-issue-uniformed body part or my face? Not sure. I also had a helmet on which I was instructed to pull down very close to my eyes. Still, I'm sure they recognized the acting talent...

Cut! That's a wrap!

An Early Start

It's 5:10 AM on Friday and I'm off to the movie studios. A rush of late emails and phone calls has gotten me into a couple scenes being filmed today. I'm hoping for a prominent role of maybe 10 seconds and not a "Don't call us, we'll call you." I'll update more later.

My Fifteen Minutes...

...or more likely fifteen seconds of fame. I recieved an email from the casting company saying that the dates of filming on February 23, 24 and 25th are now fixed. I've gone from being a prison guard to being a medical soldier. Also intriguing is this line in the email I received: "I’ll send you an English Script of the scenes, #42 & 50 later." What exactly does this mean? Will I have a line(s)? This is all moving too fast for me. Maybe I better hire an agent and negotiate some better terms. My wife is just aflitter with excitement for me.

You'll see my current countdown is for the Tokyo marathon. Unfortunately due to recent achilles' tendon problems I won't be able to participate in this event. Hopefully I'll be able to do the 10k that is run at the same time. Since it has been posted in my countdown I'll leave it there but you can be sure that I'm going to change that to my acting debut as soon as the marathon is over.

A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION
At first I thought the name of the movie was "I want to be Kai"; Kai being a common boy's name. However I've found out that kai = shellfish. So that's interesting. This movie was first made in 1958 and later adapted for television. Click here for more information.

Our Weekend

Click here for pictures from our weekend in Sapporo. It was actually the weekend before the official opening of the snow festival so they were still working on the sculptures. Still we got to see some that were quite big and impressive. Our favorites were the blue ice/snow building, the elephant sculpture, and the one with the famous world sites. They really didn't have many of the ice carvings done. I think the one that I took the picture of is Stonehenge. Maybe if you get really squinty it could be the heads on Easter Island. Maybe not.

Cole pounded a brick at the temple sculpture and then proceeded to carry it around until it "about froze my hands". He was sad to give it up, leaving it in a snowbank by the sidewalk. The kids were troopers (for awhile) walking around in the cold and snow. Robyn and Kaori each got a stylish new stocking cap.

Movie Update: I emailed the casting company back last week saying that I was interested in doing the movie. Then they sent me another email saying that although I hadn't replied, the movie people want to use me specifically for a prison guard, an actual role! So I sent two more emails saying that I was interested but they still haven't replied. ?!?

Sapporo Snow Festival

This weekend we are going to the Sapporo Snow Festival. It doesn't officially start until next Tuesday but we were clued in to go the weekend before because most of the sculptures and attractions are already up but without the tens of thousands of people. Sapporo is the largest city on Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido. Likely you have only heard of it because of Sapporo beer, maybe not even because of that. There will be snow and ice sculptures there, snow slides and mazes and lots of food. Not sure how much of the food we'll eat though because it's not like going to the Minnesota state fair is it. Although there will be food on a stick I doubt it will be of the deep fried candy bar and pronto pup variety. More likely yakitori (chicken), tako (octopus) balls and the like. All in all it should be fun though. It is famous like the St. Paul winter festival to which we have never been.


I also have to mention that we have tried corn soup. As part of our "try new restaurants" oath, we happened to go to Smoky's, which, as a restaurant, I'd highly recommend. It is known for sausages of all things and has a few different options of sausage platters to order. I ended up going with the recommended "spicy" selection. It didn't disappoint. In fact it was delicious and is driving my impulse to forego the new restaurants and return to Smoky's. The kids enjoyed their hamburger steaks but Robyn was a little less pleased with her spam-like meatloaf sandwich. But my sausages, I tell you what, they were grade A. The platter included chorizo and (I'm embarrassed to admit) two other kinds that I don't remember what they are. They were so good that I even ate the sauerkraut-looking-but-not-tasting vegetable item that accompanied them. This is a must attend for all you future Tokyo-visiting folks.


What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, corn soup. Well, as an included side item to Robyn's spam, I mean meatloaf sandwich, she got a bowl of corn soup. It was definitely not a chowder as it wasn't chunky or thick at all. In fact it was kind of creamy and light. It was very tasty and hopefully it is something that will draw Robyn in so we can revisit a new favorite restaurant.

Casting Calls

I had another opportunity to be on film last Sunday. They were filming a commercial for Adidas and needed foreigners to be background runners. I was planning on going but then the thought of standing out in the cold all day made me decide otherwise. Especially since the chances of me actually seeing the commercial are low. A friend of mine from Australia who went said it was "was freezing cold, but was still fun in a strange way." That's about what I would expect, a strange sort of fun.

But that was just for a commercial; I also have another opportunity for the big screen. A film about a Japanese soldier is being filmed. The soldier gets caught and is tried for war crimes. They need foreigners for a courtroom scene and for a prison camp scene. I'm sure I'm a shoo-in for those roles. Be on the look out for “Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai” at theaters near you (or maybe not so near.) The title means "I want to become Kai". Not sure if Kai is a person or thing.

Snow Days

It's snowing today. The number of days that it has done that while we've been here can be counted on one hand. The last time we accumulated any snow Cole and Kaori had a great time playing in it in our back yard so they are excited to play in it again after school today. Unfortunately I think it will turn to rain and warm up and will disappear before they get a chance to frolic.

Anyway, this is the way snow was meant to be; big and fluffy without the bitter cold. Nice and pleasant.

Edit: BTW the picture is of our back yard.

Maybe You are Wondering

With an important playoff on TV I toughened up and arose at (actually shortly before) 3 AM last Sunday to get my run in. I got back home and Robyn was still in bed and Cole and Kaori still at their sleepovers. I flipped on the TV just in time to see the Packers go down by 14 points early in the first quarter. How could that have happened so quickly? I must have been a good luck charm for the Packers though because right when I started watching they started scoring (fyi: all fans see things that way). Later Sunday evening I found the game being rebroadcast on the TV at a comfortable 7 PM. Still, had I known I don't think I would have done anything differently because if I had waited to watch the game that night I would have been on pins and needles all day and probably would have found out the outcome of the game on the internet; thus spoiling that actual watching of the game.

This weeks game provides no such hardships. It will be broadcast here at about 8:30 AM on Monday, shortly after I get home from taking Kaori to school. I did have to cancel my Japanese lesson for Monday though but I'm willing to sacrifice for the Pack.

I'm Dilemma'd

First of all let me say that I'm quite enjoying Tokyo's winter weather. Everyday is in the 50's and it never gets below freezing. Also no messy snow and slush like back in the upper Midwest. I'll admit it, I've become a weather wimp and I could get used to this.

Now for my dilemma. Sure it's convenient in the U.S. for the Packers to play at 3:30 CT on Saturday afternoon but that is 6:30 Sunday morning for me. That isn't so bad because I've spent many a game this season getting up to watch the Pack play at 2 or 3 in the morning and then going back to bed. My problem is that the Tokyo marathon is fast approaching and Sundays are reserved my long runs, up to 3 hours. We leave for church at about 10:30 so I couldn't run after the game. Getting up at 3 AM to run before the game makes me feel grouchy just thinking about it. What to do?

Sleeping Woes

I think I should have added another option in the current poll: "Adjusting to the time change." Robyn and I have been seeing a few too many 3:30's and 4:00's in the morning lately. However the kids seem to be getting back to normal nicely.

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig

Number one sign that we are back in Japan: A band was playing loudly at 7 AM this frigid (by Tokyo standards anyway, 34 degrees) morning at the Imperial Palace. The accompanying singing was more like organized yelling by my estimation but their enthusiasm is a testament to the importance placed on the new year. I can only imagine a similar celebration in the U.S. starting at a much later hour. I only witnessed it because I was out running.

Of course we had a great time on our Christmas vacation. Spending time with family, going on our cruise, etc. Makes me wistful to move back to the U.S.

Speaking of the cruise, you blog reading veterans might remember that after our cruise in 2005 I had "Leavin' on a jet plane" stuck in my head for what seemed like ages afterward. This is because a parody of it is sung by the wait staff at the last dinner. Well once again it is firmly planted in my head, however somewhat less irritatingly so this time.

Also for a second time after our Christmas trip home we had to obtain another bag to bring all our stuff back to Japan. Does it really expand that much? No, but all those Christmas presents, as small as they are, really add up. So we ended up checking three bags that were all within a pound of the 50 pound weight limit. That part, not so much of a problem. Lugging them around airports and subways, large pain in the derriere.