Good news and Bad news

Which do you want to hear first, the good news or bad news? Anyway, don't worry, the bad news isn't so bad and you don't have to sit down or anything...

First, the good news:
I ran into a student Mr. K yesterday before I went for a jog. I know that he rides his bike on Mukogawa river every weekend, and I often go jogging or walking or cycling along the river, but I have never met him until yesterday. While I was stretching, I man on a bike started slowing down and waving at me. Honestly speaking, at first I didn't recognize him. He looked different. Maybe it was because I usually see him when he is wearing a suit. But yesterday, cause he was cycling, he was wearing a helmet and some very snappy "bike wear." He stopped and we chatted for a minute or two. I noticed that he was wearing sunscreen, and I said "I bet I will get sun burnt today." Then he said "Be careful and have a good day" and went on his way.

The bad news: As I thought, I did get red. I got very sun burnt. My face and head looks like a ripe tomato!!! And it is hot!! I made a stupid mistake by not using sun block, but I swear that I will learn from my mistake and cover up and use lotion every day from now on.

More good news: Yesterday, as usual on Sunday, I went to the fish market and bought some delicious fish for dinner.

The bad news: While I was looking around the market, I thought "There isn't that big of a selection today. And not only the fish shelves, but a lot of the other products shelves, are empty or almost empty. It is strange... " So I looked around and then I found a big advertisement that said "Big Sale!!" I thought "OK, but I wonder why..." And then, after I paid for the fish and stuff ant the register and got my receipt from the cashier who is there every week, bagged my stuff, and put back the shopping cart, I walked outside. It was at that time that I saw the sign in front of the entrance: "As of June 28th, we will be closing..."

I was at a loss for words....shocked.

That was my favorite place. I went there almost every Sunday. The fish was great, and a reasonable price. And FRESH! a BIG! and the staff, from the fish cutters to the floor sales staff to the cashiers, always remembered me every week and were kind. I am really gonna miss that shop...

But, it is in times like this that I try to be optimistic and remember the saying: "Every beginning has an end. And for every end, there is a new beginning..."

Now, I have a new challenge: I have to find a new place to buy fish on Sunday.

Below are photos from Ms. e's trip a while back. Can you tell where these photographs were taken?

Supermarket Adventure (blog by Luis)

Every time I travel, one of my “fetishes” is exploring supermarkets and see what type of food can you find, what do people normally eat in those places/countries. In Japan, there are convenience stores and supermarkets everywhere. Moreover, these are most likely to be open any time, I mean 24/7. In the remote scenario that you cannot find one, you will surely pass by several vending machines.
Once inside the supermarket you feel immediately in an unusual territory.. You start by entering through the left door(the opposite to Europe/US), corridors are quite narrow since the shop tends to be smaller too. I haven’t found any really big supermarkets where you find everything you need (hypermarkets, big grocery stores), here they are more specialized in food (they might have a second floor with clothing and house products). The products, well.. where to start, totally different and very hard to find the brands you normally would find in Europe or America. Foreign brands and products are almost non-existent. If found, they are priced 2 or 3 times above a European/American store. Thus, to save money in Japan, you will need to invest some time exploring Japanese products and brands first. Nonetheless, 1L of Japanese milk costs about 1,50Eur and the only pasta (I wanted penne, there was no fusilli, and only a 2~3 brands of spaghetti) I could find was in a tiny 125g package and cost more than a 500g package in Europe! On the other hand, there is quite a lot of fish for reasonable prices though.
The fruit is curious, the sizes I mean. They look like the fruit in Europe or America, but while the taste is similar to the European (Yummy!), the size is closer to the over-sized American “bland and tasteless plastic” fruit (I am referring to the apples for this comparison). On the other hand, you get vegetables like a cucumbers which are thinner and smaller than the ones overseas.
Time to pay! The payment process is quite similar to anywhere else, the funny part is the gestures of the employee and how they meticulously pass the products through the machine and count the money you give them and the change they give you back, it looks like a ritual (to avoid the word robots) or maybe more like an assembly plant. Another difference is the cash machine they use, there is no till!! Well, there is one but it does not open, the machine has an automatic coin counter and bank note reader and gives back the exact change. Those employees at the counters could easily be replaced by no-one! Nothing revolutionary, we already have self-payment checkouts in Europe, and US has them too.
I almost forgot one important part. Ah! Except for bicycles, there is no parking lots at many of the convenience stores.

Japanese Cooking (blog by Luis)

The other day I cooked: Boiled udon with thin pork slices mixed with vegetables, with Korean kimchii as side dish.
It was my first attempt to cook Japanese food and I must say it was damn good. My meal portions have to be always quite generous. And thus they are not so fancy to the eye. Of course, the Korean kimchii was not prepared by me, but it is considered to be the healthiest food on Earth (by me!), very spicy cabbage, and I love it.

Favorite quote(by Luis)

"Some people see things as they are and ask why.
I dream things that never were and ask why not!"

Below are photos of the front and back from my(Glenn's) parents house. My father recently completed this big project. He did a great job!!

"Let's go for a drive"

Recently I got a Japanese driver's license. It was an ordeal to get it. First I had to do a lot of paperwork, then take a written test, and lastly pass a difficult driving test. But to be honest, it was much better than the other option, which is go to Japanese driving school which requires an exuberant amount of time and money!! One of the main reasons I wanted to get a driver's license was to be able to go for a drive and check out many "nature spots" with my wife around the Kansai area. As soon as I got the license, I said to my wife, "Let's go for a drive!" It was the first time I have ever said that to her.

Ms. N talked about going for a drive to Lake Biwa with her husband a few months ago, and that info stuck in my head, so the first place I decided to go to was Shiga Prefecture. It took about one hour, or one hour and a half, from Nishinomiya to Otsu City last Sunday. There wasn't much traffic on the way there. But on the way back, there was a lot of traffic before getting on the highway. We had to sit in traffic for about 40 minutes until the toll booth. I was in the right lane, which was moving like a snail because many other drivers used the left lane and sped to the front and did a snake job(=cut in the line) at the last minute. What do you think? Is that style of driving dangerous/reckless or clever/smart? I guess it depends on your perspective...

It was cloudy on Sunday, but Lake Biwa and the mountains and countryside scenery were all really beautiful. After we arrived at Lake Biwa, we stretched and ate an egg-salad sandwich for breakfast while gazing at the Lake. Then we drove to a couple of spots on the lake. It was fun to watch a local fisherman catch a lot of fish using a net in a river going into Lake Biwa. He threw out his net about 3 or 4 times, and each time caught about 20 fish. In all, he was there for about 20 minutes or so. It was very efficient fishing I thought. And near him, there were many other fisherman using a rod. But, they didn't catch anything. NOTHING. ZILCH. I wonder what they were thinking...If I was them, I would have bought a fishing net pronto!!
Then, we headed to a local market and for a snack, we ate Mackerel Sushi and a red sweet-beans rice cake. I liked the sushi a lot. Then we drove to the most Northern part of Lake Biwa, but the road was closed so we had to turn around. And then for lunch, we found a small cafe and ate a pizza which was baked in a special pizza oven, and drank an apple juice and ginger-ale. Tow pieces of chocolate cake also came with the pizza lunch set. Everything was good. Do you think we ate a lot? ;) Then, we went for a drive in the mountains. I love the tiered rice fields and countryside scenery of Japan so that was my favorite part of the drive. And before we went back home, I also went in a nice hot spring. It was refreshing.

Some random comments:
1. I got lost two times. Once was in the mountain, and the second time was when I returned the rental car. FYI, the rental car was a Toyota Corolla. It was a smooth ride.
2. The automatic navigation system is truly a great and convenient device. It saved me a lot of time finding many places. Whoever invented it is a genius. But at times it can distract the driver because it beeps a lot and also sometimes gives wrong directions. And, drivers must concentrate on the road, so when we use a navigation system, we should be careful.
3. I would like to to especially thank my mother, my wife, my friend Mr. BD, and the driving teachers who taught me how to drive on the course and pass the driving test, for all of their help in getting the license.

Enjoy the photos!

Cool Biz

What do you think of Cool Biz?
For those of you who don't know what "cool biz" is, please refer to the following explanation which I got from Wikipedia:
"The Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MOE) began advocating the Cool Biz campaign in summer 2005 as a means to help reduce electric consumption by limiting use of air conditioning. This idea was proposed by then-MOE minister Yuriko Koike under the Koizumi cabinet."

Some of the rules are:
1. Offices must set the air conditioner temperature at 28 degrees Celsius(=82.4 degrees Fahrenheit). In my opinion, that is HOT! If you open the windows and use an electric fan, or even a hand fan, I think it would be cooler.
2. Men are not allowed to wear ties or jackets. Instead, they have to wear button down collared shirts. (Be careful, golf shirts are not permitted.)
3. Shorts are prohibited, but Aloha shirts are not.

And it is important to note, that participation in the Cool Biz Campaign is voluntary, not mandatory. That means that all companies don't have to do it. They can do it only if they want to.

Personally, I like to dress up sometimes, and I understand that many business people in Japan feel the need to wear a suit and necktie to please their clients. Especially for salespeople, I can understand why dressing formally may be important. However, I think dressing down in the summer is a great idea for many reasons. One of the reasons is of course to save energy. Anyway, I am definitely for more company participation in the Cool Biz Campaign! How about you...for or against?


"Cool Biz campaign goes 'Super' this summer"
from "The Japan Time Online"
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110602a1.html

The rainy season is almost over...

Spelling Bee

When I was in 3rd grade in elementary school, I won the Spelling Bee! I won it three years in a row, and then I was dethroned in 6th grade. Those were the glory days!!
Do you know what a "spelling bee" is? Well if not, let me tell you. It is a spelling competition.
Read below for this year's champion! And fyi, the final winning word of this year's tournament was "cymotrichous," which means wavy-haired. Are you good at spelling?

"2011 spelling bee is won by a hair"
from The Japan Times Online
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110604a6.html

And below is one of my favorite sweets to cool down in the hot and humid Kansai summer. Vanilla and Green-tea (Ma-cha) soft ice cream!! Yummy!!!

The Rooster

Last night, after I finished up class with Mr. M at 10pm, I did some paperwork and cleaned up and headed to Kita-Shinchi station on foot. There was a nice breeze, and it was a nice and basically normal night...UNTIL right before I arrived at the station. And then, I couldn't believe my eyes!! There was a rooster on the roof of a car!! I thought I was delirious, maybe sick or something, so I rubbed my eyes a few times and slapped myself in the face (like an Inoki slap!) to wake up. But when I opened my eyes again, the rooster was still there. I was not hallucinating!! It is true, and I am totally serious!! ON THE ROOF OF A CAR, THERE WAS A ROOSTER!!! Now tell me, am I lying?




p.s. Actually, a few months ago, or maybe more, there was a special on a tv show I often watch, "Tantei(Investigator) Night Scoop," about this "rooster on the roof." So I knew about it. But to actually see it with my own eyes, well, that is something different!!

Wajian

The other day I went to a great restaurant with my wife. The name of the restaurant is Wajian, and I definitely recommend it to everyone. It is in Edobori/Higobashi.

I heard about it from Ms. M. She lives the neighborhood and said "Wajian is one of the nest izakayas in Osaka. Take my word for it, you'll love it."

So, I followed her advice and just as she said, it was fabulous!!
What was so great about it?
Well, for starters, the food. The menu is enormous, and my wife and I actually both got tired from reading all of it, so we ordered the "Leave it up to the chef 3800yen Course." It included a raw fish assortment, a grilled beef plate, and some type of nabe(=a hot pot, or vegetables and beef boiled in a pot) with ramen noodles, plus a bunch of other original small dishes. I was more than full. And very satisfied.
In addition, there is a wide selection of beverages; beer, wine, sake, shochu, whiskey, cocktails, and more!!
The owner/chef is around 33 years old, and a nice guy. Two guys, I think one of them is his classmate from high school, help with the cooking. And two ladies, who are very beautiful, help with the floor(=help with waitressing.) For all of you ladies out there, I heard that many people also think that all of the guys are good-looking too. But, I didn't notice...

Take a look at the link below for the menu, and exact location, and oh yeah, the telephone number. Because if you go, reservations are recommended!!
http://www.wajian.com/

Below is my sister-in-law's new project. She is collecting rain using the red buckets on her deck. If she lived in Japan for the past two weeks, I think she would have collected A LOT of rain!!!

Cool bird house!!

A friend? A neighbor? A roommate?

Rainy season, and music

Today is May 31st, the last day of May. Tomorrow will be June 1st, and the first day of June. And June means the summer!!
But before the summer really comes, we have to waddle through the rainy season.
Recently I notice many women walking around town sporting new, slick rain boots. I am considering getting myself a pair!
This year the rainy season began quite early, about two weeks earlier than usual.
When it rains all day, like it did last Sunday, what do you like to do?
Last Sunday I went to the gym for a swim in the morning and then came home, had some lunch, and took it easy in the afternoon while listening to some new CDs I recently bought. Speaking of music, what kind of music do you like? Except for heavy metal and hard-core rap, I basically like everything.

"Tokyo: What's your favorite Japanese music?"
from The Japan Times Online, VIEWS FROM THE STREET:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110531vf.html

Below is a Buddhist monk in training. ;) That is a joke.
Actually, his mother made a mistake when cutting his hair.
She wasn't used to using the electric clippers because it was her first time to use them.
I think little K looks good and should keep the new hairdo forever!

Luis and Sachiko's Wedding Photos

I had the pleasure of seeing some of their wedding photos; from the photos of the ceremony in the church to the reception and dinner at Luis' cousin's house. It looks like Luis did it right! A top-notch job! I wish I could put more photos up on the blog, but I can only put 5 photos up at one time-that is the max, so I chose 5 of my favorite. And I want to thank Luis for permission to put these photos of his and his wife's very personal moments on the blog!! Now, I hope everyone takes a look and enjoys!

Luis making a toast...Cheers!

A very cool black-and-white shot of the dinner party

Their friends and family in the church.

I think Luis's brother is somewhere in the back laughing.

Hollywood Style!!

Cutting the cake!
I wish I could show you the photos of them feeding each other the cake too...
they were too cute!!!

The Big Day (blog by Luis)

The wedding day is more than a single ceremony and reception party. It requires several months of preparation organizing every detail for that big day.
We flew to Portugal a week earlier and had literally a marathon running around between the catering service, flower shop, church, hairdresser, meeting the DJ/cameraman/photographer,... and end up not being able to sleep more than 5h in any of those nights.
In between, I had to "babysit" my wife's parents and guide them around North of Portugal and Spain. Fortunately they really enjoyed the sightseeing, food and were surprised how helpful and friendly Portuguese people were to them.
Time flies when you are a busy bee and the wedding day came faster than a blink of an eye. Everything was perfect, the flower arrangements in church and we also had a "quarteto" of singers in church, and the reception place and catering service too.
As we were leaving the church we got surprised since there were dozens of French tourists waiting to congratulate us.
Then, we moved to my cousin's house around 6.30pm. At this time of the year in Portugal the sunset is very late, around 9pm. So, we had a few drinks and appetizers by the pool before changing to our kimono&hakama. Everyone wanted to take pics with us.
Dinner started around 9.30pm and lasted until mid-night. After, the party continued around the pool again and finished with the sunrise just after 6am!
We were exhausted but relieved and glad everything went well and our families and friends enjoyed.
The next day was time for some grocery shopping (wine, smoked dried ham, 'choricos', cheese,...)and packing.
Now, after 2 nights back in Japan I am heavily jet lagged and cannot sleep more than 3~4h at night, and extremely sleepy after lunch.

Rice Omelet, New York, Roses

First, does anyone know how to make a rice omelet? If you do, and if you have a good recipe, please tell me because Mr. M is on a mission to make a superb rice omelet, but he seems to be having some trouble. He has tried the past two weekends to make a "good looking" and "good tasting" omelet. However, unfortunately, he has failed. The first time he failed miserably. The second time, he fell one step short of the success line. But I believe this weekend, his third time to try, will be a success!!

The ingredients he used are the following:
milk, eggs, butter, chicken, tomato, onions, green peppers, scallions, ketchup, and oyster sauce.

Is he forgetting anything? Did he leave anything out?
The below photos are proof of his effort and also the results.

Prep work

More Prep work

The second time's result. So close!!!

The first time's result. So far away!!

Grocery shopping

To change the subject, do you know how many roses are in Utsubo Park right now? I have gone to the park every day this week during my break time and counted. The final tally is 3400 roses!!! Actually, I didn't count. That was just a joke. But 3400 is true. I heard it on the radio this morning.

And before I go, I want to pass on some good info. Earlier this week, Ms. J told me that a "New York Fair" is being held at Hankyu Department Store from the 18th of May for about a week. There will be a variety of booths with food, clothes, and a bunch of other stuff. I like bagels, so I am going to grab a few New York bagels and eat the for brunch this Sunday. If you are interested, check it out!

Edobori Blues, Kawaramachi Blanche, a new pizza joint, and Isetan vegetables

Last weekend my wife went back to her hometown in Kyushu, so I was flying solo. On Thursday, I went out to dinner and a few drinks after work. The name of the restaurant/bar which I went to is Edobori-Blues. It opened about 6 years ago, and I pass it almost every day on my way to or from work. I like jazz, especially the blues, so I was curious about the place from the first time I saw it. Plus Ms. T, who lives right across the street from this place, told me "Edobori Blues is always full with middle-aged or old guys like you when I go home," so I was interested in it. Here is what I thought.
When I walked in, there were two men sitting at the counter, and a group of four,two girls and two guys, sitting at a table. I took a seat in between the two guys at the counter. The counter has about 6 stools. There are two tables. The place is quite snug. The chef/owner is a nice guy about the same age as me. One woman helps him behind the counter. They are both friendly. I like shochu, so I ordered a potato shochu on the rocks and two small dishes to start. The shochu was good and cheap. The food was alright, not fantastic, but not bad either. To my surprise, the place is not a "Blues Bar," but the owner plays a lot of American music from the 1970's...it was nostalgic. Basically, I liked it and it is really convenient for me cause it is on my way home, so I plan to go back there again from time to time. I recommend it if;
you like drinking
like 1970's music
don't mind tight places
don't mind second hand smoke
and are not so interested in food/eating.

Also, I wrote about dinner at Kawaramachi Blanche a while back. But I have never written about lunch. I went there for lunch the other day. I know it is a popular lunch spot, so I arrived at 11:40am because I thought it would get busy from noon and I wanted to beat the crowd. But, it was wrong. It was already packed when I got there. There are tables and a counter. I choose a stool at the counter because I was by myself. There are two choices for lunch, "A", which was breaded chicken something something, or "B", which was a cheese hamburger. Both sets comes with soup, a salad and rice. When I saw the chicken, I immediately knew why it is popular. It looks delicious and tasted even better! It was EXCELLENT! If you are in Honmachi, I highly recommend this place. However, it is a little small, crowded, and smoking is allowed, so if any of these points bother you, then you should better not go I think.

And, I tried a new pizza place which just opened in Honmachi last week too. There was a buzz about this place last week in Honmachi, and every day a long line formed in front of the entrance. This is because as part of an "Opening Sale," everything on the menu; pizza, appetizers, drinks, dessert, was half price for the first 5 days. And lunch, a pizza, soup and salad, was only 500yen!! That is a great deal, and pizza is one of my favorite foods, so I really wanted to check it out. But I was disappointed. The pizza was alright, but it is not worth the regular price. The salad was fresh and good. But the soup, I ordered minestrone, was minute!! In addition, I don't really like the atmosphere so I will probably not go again. I am rooting for this pizza joint to succeed because I root for all new businesses in Honmachi, but I would be very surprised if it made it.

Oh yeah, before I forget, my wife really recommends the vegetable section of the food area at the new Isetan Department Store in Umeda. She said the other food sections are nothing special, but the vegetable section in "Very Great" with many kinds of unique and fresh vegetables at a reasonable price.

Below is the new outside furniture which my folks bought for their house. Don't you think it looks great!?

Raw and Royal

First, let's talk about raw beef. As many of you know, many people got food poisoning and as of today, four people even died from eating "Yukke," which is raw beef topped with raw egg. That's right, a "double raw" dish!! It is my impression that many Japanese like and order this dish, a delicacy in Japan, when they go to a Yakiniku restaurant.
I have eaten it a handful of times. I only thought it was really delicious at one restaurant, which I have been to two or three times and is located in the southern part of Osaka. Except for the "Yukke" at this restaurant, I thought all of the other "Yukke" I have eaten is "just alright," which means it is nothing special.
In general, Americans don't eat any meat; beef, chicken, pork, or even fish, which is not cooked. I know you are thinking, "What about sushi?! There are many sushi restaurants in America with strange sushi rolls like California Roll, New York Roll, Philadelphia Roll, Spicy Tune Tempura Roll, etc!!" Well, please remember that sushi became popular, main stream, in America only within the past ten years or so. For example, if you ask my father now in 2011, "Hey Big Guy, would you like to go out for some sushi?" He would say "Sure! I'd love to. Count me in!" But if you asked him the same question 20 years ago, he would say something like this: "Sushi!? What are you crazy!? You should get your head examined."
Personally, I love sushi now, but I had never eaten even one piece of sushi before I was 21 years old. And that was the only raw food I ever ate while I lived in America. Since, I have come to Japan, over the years, I have tried raw egg, raw horse meat, raw chicken, raw pork...I think that's about it. I could eat everything and for the most part liked everything, but to be honest, I would choose scrambled eggs over rice over raw egg over rice any day of the week. The same goes for beef, chicken, and pork.
How about you? What do you think about raw meat? Do you like it?

Now, on to the next topic. The Royal Wedding! Did you watch it? I watched it live because I am really interested in these types of events!! They are so exciting and glitzy and glamorous! Actually, that is not true. I watched it because I had no choice in the matter. My wife reserved the rights to our TV two weeks in advance because she wanted to see Kate's dress and see William and Kate smooch! Anyway, did you watch it? What did you think?

Below is a photo of Moco, Mrs. K's new family member. Moco is a mix of a poodle and chihuahua I think...but I am not 100% sure so don't quote me on that.

Y's (a repeat)

After work on Saturday, I went to Happy Hour at "The White Bear"by myself in Shinchi. I got my favorite seat outside and while sipping on a few brewskies, I relaxed and watched the pedestrians strolling by. Then my wife came and we headed to one of her favorite places, Y's. It was our second time there, and she was really looking forward to it. Compared to last time, this time was better for a few reasons I think. First, I asked Mr. Yoshida (the owner/chef) to recommend a good wine, and he recommended a nice one. Second, the bread was more delicious this time. But I ate one piece too many, and this came back to haunt me later! Third, my entree, the duck, was good! And My wife's entree, the special Okinawa Pork, was perfectly cooked and the portion was GIGANTIC!!! It was definitely worth the extra 1000 yen. But again, like last time, I couldn't finish my meal so I had to bring some of the pork home in a doggy bag. Lastly, we were fortunate to meet a very nice couple who I will refer to as Mr. and Mrs. Fukushima. Mr. and Mrs. F sat next to us by chance. My wife was sitting next to Mrs. F. My wife and since we usually don't talk so much, my wife had ample time to eavesdrop on Mr. and Mrs. F's conversation. It is not so polite, but it is interesting! She likes eavesdropping and is very good at it!! It was Mrs. Fukushima's birthday, so when the chef prepared a special cake with candles for her, we both said "Happy Birthday" to her and then the four of us began talking. Mr. F is originally from Nagano and came to Osaka about 10 years ago for work. He is in the fashion industry. He originally worked for a top trading company and then was head-hunted to work in a client's apparel company. He speaks Chinese fluently, is in charge of vacuuming in the house, dresses very slickly fashionable but not too flashy, and is a very good listener I think. This quality is very important for him in his job because he is a salesman, and also in his home, because his wife Mrs. F talks a lot! A good talker always needs a good listener!! Mrs. F is from South Osaka and speaks very politely, but in Osaka dialect. She is very fashionable but doesn't wear too much make-up. She works in her cousin's company, is a good cook, and loves her dog very much! She and my wife got along very well! Mr. and Mrs. F dated for a while before they got married about two years ago. We probably talked for about an hour and a half. We talked so much that Mrs. F couldn't even relax and eat her special birthday dessert!! According to Mr. F, it was love at first sight. My wife and I had a really good time and it was nice to have a good dinner and also meet good people at the same time. In a sense, we "killed two birds with one stone." Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Fukushima!!

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of Golden Week vacation!!

Golden Week Vacation...

GW Vacation is just around the corner. Do you have any plans?As of now, I plan to go hiking one day. Except for that, I will chill out the rest of the time. I might also meet some friends for dinner or something a night or two, but I haven't decided yet. I am looking forward to spending a lot of time outside jogging, walking, cycling, sleeping, and more.

To change the subject, yesterday morning there was sudden storm in the morning. When I walked to the classroom in the morning, the sky was blue. And then, while teaching, I heard loud thunder and then saw some lightening. When I looked outside, it was dark and seconds later it began pouring. I looked out of the window and saw many frantically people holding newspapers over their heads while running towards their offices. Maybe the didn't expect it to rain.

Anyway, this week is a short week. Hope everyone enjoys it!

p.s. Last week an old friend of mine Mr. B.D. sent me an email with some photos from an excursion he went on the other day day. I hadn't spoke to him in a while so it was nice to get a note from him. He said the cherry blossoms and river and mountains and spa, and everything were great! Can you tell from the photos below where he went? If not, guess!! And ask me for the correct answer when you see me.

Trail Running

This morning I went for a jog and stretched a little. Only about 5km, but it was nice. And I was lucky, cause right after I finished running, it began to rain.

Then, on my way to the classroom, I stopped at The Big Issue office in Dojima, and donated two bags of clothes. For those of you who don't know, The Big Issue is an Organization which publishes and sells a magazine called "The Big Issue" to support homeless people. Here is the conversation at the office.
Staff Member: Hello. Can I help you?
Glenn: Yes, last year I came here and donated some clothes. I'd like to do the same today.
Staff member: Oh really?! Thank you very much. Do you read The Big Issue Magazine?
Glenn: Yes, I buy every issue. It's interesting. Anyway, there are pants and sweaters, all clean, and there is no underwear or socks in the bags. Is that alright?
Staff member: Yes, that's fine. I will distribute them to the guys.
Glenn: Thank you.

And, then this afternoon, I got a great email from Mr. K. Read it for yourself.

"Hi Glenn. I ran Hiraodai trail running race 40km on April 17th.I completed the full distance. But my upper legs was cramped at the 30km point... Hiraodai is a beautiful mountain in Kitakyushu. The mountain scenery on Hiraodai is amazing. I felt great while running in Hiraodai. For details, please visit the following my blog's article. You can see the beautiful photos in Hiraodai. Enjoy my photos and race report. Best Regards, K"

I love nature, and walking, hiking, running. And I also like Kyushu. I am very jealous of Mr. K. But more importantly, Congratulations to Mr. K for finishing this great race!! It is a triumph!

Tokyo Report

Two weeks ago, Luis went to Tokyo for a job interview. When he came back, he gave me the low-down. Here it is. Tokyo was dark. Many of the train stations and convenience stores and shops keep many of the lights off, or only use half of the lights. There wasn't any water on the shelves in the convenient stores. Business was as usual, and there were many people walking around. But the people seems a little tense, and tired. Maybe this is because of dealing with and thinking about the blackouts, the many smaller earthquakes, and the radioactivity.

Have you been to Tokyo, on business or for pleasure, recently? If yes, what did you think? If not, do you have any plans to go to Tokyo in the near future?

Who is that shadow lady?!

The answer: Ms. F in San Francisco. She loves it there and lived there for about ten years. Some day, one day in the future, it is her dream to go back and live there. I hope her dream comes true...

Housework (blog by Luis)

Do you like it? I don't recall anyone saying they enjoy doing it. I am no exception either. However, lately I find myself doing many chores around the house. With the exception of cooking, which I do occasionally, I do the following tasks regularly; laundry, dishwashing, cleaning, vacuuming, and throwing away the trash. This may sound a bit odd to most Japanese, but not so much for Americans and Europeans. Nowadays, couples in America and Europe tend to split the housework. About 50-50. They both share the responsibility of housework. One of the reasons for this tendency is that many women work full time now. When I was a child, my parents taught me to clean up my room and help out cleaning the house every weekend. Then in University I lived with so friends in a flat so we couldn't rely on our parents to do the housework! We had to do everything by ourselves!! When I was 18, I moved out of my parents house. Since then, I have always lived on my own, with friends, by myself, or now with my wife. This experience made me more independent and resourceful, not only with cleaning, but also with fixing stuff at home. And now, because I am a student again, I have more time than my wife who has a full-time job. Thus, I don't mind taking care of our flat. But, to be honest, I really hate doing the dishes! How about your place? Who does most of the housework?

Below are some cherry blossom photos courtesy of Ms. e. Thank you.

"Diet Challenge," and Cherry Blossoms

In January I decided to participate in my gym's "Diet Challenge." The rules were the following: 1. You have to be weighed at the gym by a staff member in January. 2. Three months after this "weigh-in day," you have to be weighed at the gym again. 3. For every 1 kg that you lose, the gym will give you a 500yen gift certificate which must be used at the gym. That's it. It was a no brainer!! And an easy win and easy money! On Jan. 7th, I was 82.15kg. On April 8th, I was 77.45. That is a difference of 4.7 kilograms, and when rounded up, 5kg! That's right, in 3 months I lose 5 kg!! How did I do it? Well, that is a secret!!! But if you ask me directly, I will be happy to tell you. And 5kg X 500yen=2500yen! I already used one of the 500yen gift certificates. I bought some exercise drinks. The expiration date of the certificates is in October, so there is plenty of time to use them. I am looking forward to it.

Speaking of gift certificates, I used 5000yen of my eco-point gift certificates and bought stuff for a cherry blossom picnic with the Mrs. last Sunday in Shukugawa. It was my first time to Shukugawa, and I was really impressed. It was crowded, but it wasn't too crowded, and we got a great spot under one of the pink trees, and ate and drank and "people-watched" a lot, and talked a little. The blossoms and the area were really beautiful!! It was a great day!!