New Years Preparations

     A few days before New Years Eve, Ryoko asked me to help make special ornaments for the house.  The leaders of Nagareyama have asked that people not purchase ornaments because they become too much waste afterwards.  We do not feel bound by this because we made them from material handy on the farm and the little plastic used will be recycled or reused when we finish with them.  The ornaments are called Kadomatsu and there are traditionally two, one placed on either side of the main entry to the house.  My job consisted of cutting 6 pieces of fresh bamboo at an angle so that the cuts are elliptical in shape.  Yuta was a very good helper for this step.  I wanted to cut through one of the nodes so that the solid part would transect the ellipse, but I was overruled on this.  My cuts are all in the internodes.  The pieces are staggered and tied together as you can see in the photo.  We also used a bit of rice hay, nawa (that I made earlier in the year), evergreen brances, and paper from the local shrine.  I am pleased with the way they look, and I know that next time I will be able to cut through the nodes because when we went to the shrine last night (the same shrine we were married in), their kadomatsu had been cut that way. . .

KIOSK!

     Kiosks are pretty much everywhere.  New York City is chock full of them, and I have seen them throughout the Capital Region as well.  I think the word is from Russian, and I was not surprised to see them here in Japan.  We are a bit closer to Russia than New York, and the Japanese people are quite entrepreneurial.  The train stations here are full of coffee shops, news stands, convenience stores, and restaurants.  One store in particular has really caught my attention here.  It is a kiosk style store, with all the personality and creativity of a person who names their dog, "Dog".  It is cute, it forces people to be redundant, and repetitive, which always makes me happy and happy.  Here is a photo of the Kiosk kiosk. . .

Bar in Minami Kashiwa

I was jogging this morning towards Kashiwa and I passed this bar on my way.  I am planning to go soon, do you think I should bring ID to prove I have a name?

"Club the No Name"

Turkey Dinner at Grand Lodge

     Last Saturday Ryoko, Yuta, and I went to Tokyo so that we could attend a turkey dinner at the Grand Lodge of Japan.  I had to work most of that day in Kashiwa, so Ryoko and Yuta met me at the train station so that we could travel together.  I took this picture of Tokyo Tower as we were approaching the lodge. When we got to the Scottish Rite lodge room where the dinner was being held, the Christmas theme was fully realized.  I felt like I was back in the States. The turkey was delicious and there were copious quantities of stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and afterwards pies of all appropriate flavors.  I am glad to say that I stuffed myself, as did Yuta and Ryoko.  Yuta made a friend there named Shane, a very dignified ten year old son of another mason.  I exchanged email addresses with them and maybe we can host them some time soon.  These photos were taken in the lodge as we were leaving the dinner.

     Overall the dinner was a great success, the only issue I had was that the dishes were cold.  I am accustomed to turkey being still hot from the oven. . .

Christmas Tree!

     Yesterday, after Yuta returned from school, finished his homework, and before dinner was ready, we went to D2 (a store similar to Lowes) and bought all that we needed for an American style Christmas tree.  I had thought that we would not be able to pull the season together because of all the differences between American and Japanese culture, but now I see it can be done.

     I am not accustomed to a Holiday season where I can go outside the house and pick an orange to eat (What did you say? The ground is frozen solid in New York?).  We even have a Kumquat tree that is about ripe, that I can pick from any time I want to (What did you say? Kumquats are expensive in New York?). The persimmons are all collected off of the several trees and in the house ready to eat (Don't know what a persimmon is? Neither did I until I saw them growing in the yard.).  You have already seen all the flowering trees and plants around the farm (What did you say? The only flowers in New York are the ones for sale?)  I miss my winter coat, the fleece I wear here is much less massive and I need the reassuring weight of a real wool coat.  It just doesn't get cold enough in Japan to require it.  I miss driving in the snow and ice of New York, there is never any black ice here to "liven things up" with a little loss of friction.  The frequent drivers on their cell phones are just no substitute for black ice.  I think I will go outside and pick an orange now. . .

Gardening and News

     I took a good photo of the garden outside my computer room today as the Sun was setting.  The Camellia trees are in bloom here and looking awesome.  You can also see Mums in the background, and this garden really shows how good Oba-chan is with plants.  The only other person I know with as green a thumb is my Mom.

     In other news, I have started work with Berlitz teaching English.  It is a part time job with better employee supports than I have seen at other similar institutions in Japan.  They made me travel to Tokyo for five days of training and one day in Kashiwa without pay.  In the US this would have been illegal, but here they get away with it as an "extended interview".  I still plan on doing the best work for them I can, but I have to wonder how many teachers are less enthusiastic because of this lost time.  It certainly wasn't cheap to go through with travel and food for the week.  I did learn a different style of teaching than what I am accustomed to, and I know that it will effect my work in the states.

Braille for your feet!

     I have been meaning to write about this observation for some time now and am finally getting around to it. When I first came to Japan I noticed yellow tile stripes on the floor of the train station and then all around Japan.  They were on the streets and in some buildings as well.  I asked about the tiles, specifically why they had bumps on them.  The answer is that they are for blind people to find their way around the train station. You can feel the bumps through your shoes, and even make out if they are dashes or dots!  Here is a photo I took in the subway outside of Ueno station.          

     I think this idea is terrific and wonder, why we are not doing this in the States?  Come on infrastructure people, get on the ball!