Anthony and Saki's Not-So-Crazy Japan Adventure

Japanese Mom's Lead from Behind or Far Away

2012-02-13T09:27:00.001+09:00

This is something I've noticed many times and it always causes me to shudder.
I have seen many times where a mother with a small child, maybe 2-4 years old, lets the child walk down the sidewalk or road first.
The opposite is the mother who walks 5 meters in front of her kid.
Of course in both situations the mother is aware if where her child is, but not having the kid in arm's reach is a scary thing for me to see.

Maybe it's the American in me.

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Family Worship Evening

2012-01-16T15:19:00.001+09:00

Here are some pictures from our FWE. Lance was traveling to different train stations witnessing to people that he met. As you can see in the pictures below. Both Lance and Sasha enjoy singing.

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New Printer Now I Can Throw Things Out

2012-01-07T12:45:00.001+09:00

Finally after many many months of having no printer, I bought one from the Apple Store. Actually, our printer got broken during the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake last year.

HP Deskjet 3070A. My have printers changed! AirPrint is great and so is their eprint services. It allows you to email things directly to your printer. Also, the scanner is great. I'm scanning all my old documents into my printer, so that I can make more space in our tiny Japanese apartment. Scanning is what I use this printer for the most. In fact, now that I use my iphone and iPad on a daily basis, I have come to loathe paper. That is the true reason why we didn’t replace our printer until now. But as a teacher, I need to print materials for my students, and as a father, for my kids.

Throwing out things is important in a small apartment. In the U.S, you can bury things in the back of a closet and forget about them. But here, space is at a premium. We are not fully digital though. We still buy Blu-Rays for the high picture quality and the special features that you can’t get on iTunes.

Fun Japanese Things

2012-01-04T13:07:00.001+09:00

Well, I was in the mall and this was the elevator sign. I know in the U.S. you would have a sign (to avoid the parasitic lawyers who’d love to sue) to warn people…but would it look

this?

Winter Vacation

2012-01-04T12:58:00.001+09:00

Lance is now three and Sasha is 15 months. We had a blast on my break from school. Now Sasha is really my buddy. Lance and I are now best friends. We went to Utsunomiya and fun eating Gyoza and hanging out with a good friend of mine from the states. He has his own English conversation school and rents the entire floor of an apartment. His place is really big and the kids a so much fun running around there.

Anyway onto the pics!

This is a very famous Gyoza store. Some famous celebrities visit here (I got an iPhone 4 now so better pictures! Yay!)

At Brady (my friends place) with my kids and his!

We went to a department store and had 20 minutes to build a train! I think Lance and I built a good one!

End of School Year

2011-12-20T17:04:00.001+09:00

December is here and that means another school year is ending. There is a winter intensive program starting in January, but I won't see most 2nd year students until graduation in March.

Really awesome students this year. My students graduation presentations were the best ever!

The worst thing about teaching is that every year I get older but
my students remain the same age!

Here are some pictures of two of my six classes.

GC Class

Hybrid English Class

White Collars in Suits, Blue Collars too!

2011-12-01T08:53:00.001+09:00

Something intersecting in Tokyo rush hour trains, you see most working aged men in suits. It may seem like all of them are office workers or salesmen, but this is not the case.

I recently saw the wonderful building services personnel at my workplace leaving work in a sharp black suit. I saw him again going into work with a suit on.

I spoke to my brother-in-law, who is an elevator engineer and he told many companies ask their employees who use public transportation to wear suits.

Cool, isn't it?

The Neverending Cough

2011-11-20T08:58:00.001+09:00

I have had a cough that just will not go away. Amazingly enough, the pharmacies here do not have anything worthy of the name "cough syrup." My kingdom for some Robitussen or NyQuil.

Good Morning

2011-11-10T13:49:00.002+09:00

Here is something I learned just last week. A co-worker came into my office around 3pm and says to me "Ohayou Gozaimasu" (Good morning). With a puzzled look on my face I said "you mean, good afternoon, right?" He says "in Japan, the first time we see someone during any given day, we say 'good morning.'"

So good morning can be used at anytime of day here in Japan.

Sleeping with the Family

2011-10-22T16:59:00.001+09:00

One of the things I thought was most strange when I moved to Japan was sleeping arrangements.

Since room space is a limited, the futon (basically just a foldable mattress, no wooden frame as seen in the U.S.) is what we have in our apartment. Since it is difficult to get up off the floor and walk into another room to feed Sasha and tend to Lance, the kids sleep in the bed with us.

This arrangement is quite common here. When I first found out about it, I laughed. Now I do it. Actually, although sometimes it is inconvenient, I kind of enjoy it.

Of course, this arrangement will have to stop before they become teenagers!

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Sasha almost one

2011-09-21T20:05:00.001+09:00

Sasha is growing up so fast! She has two bottom teeth and four top teeth. She is walking (wobbily) all around the house!

Typhoon

2011-09-21T19:22:00.001+09:00

Today I got to school only to find out school was closed due to the coming typhoon. Some trees were knocked down and some lost power in my congregation, but overall it was mild compared to what happened in other parts of Japan.

Lance and Ultra- Man

2011-08-24T15:57:00.001+09:00

Look it's Lance and Ultra-Man. And uh, there is also some stupid statue in the background!

Take Family to Work

2011-08-24T15:48:00.001+09:00

We were in Tokyo, so we stopped by the school where I worked to show off the wife and kids...too bad it wasn't a school day.

Too bad I didn't take more pictures...

At Prince Hotel in Tokyo

2011-08-23T17:47:00.001+09:00

Saki got a great deal on Groupon. One night on the 30th floor and two Aquarium tickets for 6800 yen!

We are staying in Higashi Ikebukuro Prince Hotel.

Lance and Sasha love the view. I'm worried that the window glass is a bit thin!

Trains

2011-08-17T11:30:00.001+09:00

I just thought about something. It seems that the U.S. was way ahead of the rest of the world with locomotives in the 1800's and now among modern countries is waaaay behind.

I've been traveling across Japan for work using trains and Shinkansen lines and I realize how convenient they are compared with flying.

I also noticed the difference from NYC trains and Japan trains.

In Japan you need a ticket to enter and you use the same ticket to exit. This is because fare prices vary according to distance. When exiting, the ticket reading machine eats your ticket.

In NYC you only need a ticket to get in. In Japan, you don't see tickets thrown on the ground like in NYC, because if you try to exit without a ticket, you'll have to pay the maximum fare.

This is at Odawara station.

YouTube Video

He is a mascot of a poplar popsicle brand. His name is Gari-Gari-Kun! I saw him in Saitama

Oh my! What's wrong with my kids!!

2011-08-02T13:29:00.001+09:00

Sasha and Lancey have some sort of crazy skin rash!!

At first Lancey only had a fever!

Lancey also has a swollen right hand! It looks like his hand got stepped on! 痛そう！

Sasha's rash is worse. She looks like Job.

They are both in good spirits though. I hope they get better soon!

Pokemon Jet!

2011-07-25T08:31:00.001+09:00

On the way back from Sapporo I had the rare privilege of flying on the POKEMON JET. it's a 747-400 that is all POKEMON'd out!

The seat headrests have Pokemon covers and even the cabin attendants wear Pokemon aprons.

Of course, I don't have any real interest in Pokemon but it is quite a cute looking plane!

Beautiful Sapporo!

2011-07-24T14:23:00.001+09:00

Back in the great city of Sapporo for an event with the school. This city is really nice. Wides streets, friendly people, super clean and cool in the summer. Of course in winter, it's really cold. But growing up in Cincinnati, cold weather isn't much of a bother.

This park is in the center of the city and is extends for many blocks. Odori Park

Funny things happen. I ran into some of my former students who graduated last year on the way to the Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Such lovely students...too bad I didnt remember their names! :-(

The Heat is On

2011-07-05T22:26:00.002+09:00

It is now getting super hot in the part of Japan. Humidity here is as bad as any place I've ever been. It reminds me of northern Florida.

Anyway tempers are now flaring up. I saw to business men on the train platform today. I didn't see how it started but I did see that some words were exchanged, then came pushing, and finally one guy put the other in a headlock.

NOW THIS IS WHERE IN AMERICA A CROWD WOULD'VE FORMED WITH PEOPLE EGGING ON THE COMBATANTS SCREAMING FOR BLOOD LIKE AT THE ANCIENT COLISEUM.

Japan, is well, uh, different.

No crowd formed and two ladies discreetly broke up the altercation. One lady said, "just walk away, you guys are both adults." The other lady said "There are children around here, it's not good for them to see this kind of stuff."

Then the fight ended before it began.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY?

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Location:４丁目,Fujisawa,Japan

Spring Wedding

2011-06-16T07:59:00.001+09:00

Our Good friend Hiroshi got married to his soulmate on Saturday June 11. Unfortunately, June is the rainy season here and boy did it rain! So much so that Noah would've have had a bout of PTS if he saw this rain!

Lance was the ring boy!

Unfortunately I don't have any
pictures yet since I had to hold Sasha who was making all sorts of noise and taking a picture with iPhone with one hand is impossible.

PayDay!

2011-05-25T08:15:00.002+09:00

Huzzah! It's finally payday! Here, most companies pay their employees on the same day, the 25th. It is like the dumbest idea since shareholder value maximization but I digress.

Imagine if it were like this in the U.S? First off, most people would be broke since budgeting month-to-month requires more forethought than from week-to-week. Bank accounts that are overdrawn would skyrocket as would credit card late fees!

Also, all muggings, robberies, stick-ups, and the like would occur on the 25th and 26th of each month.

Here, most people aren't bold enough or grasp the concept of robbing their fellow man in broad daylight so that isn't a worry.

I've seen people of all ages walking around with a fistful of money and the only one thinking about taking it is probably me!

Here the only problem is ATMs are overwhelmed and banks are super-crowded.

Japanese Cutlerly

2011-05-10T21:28:00.001+09:00

In my experience, Japanese kitchen cutlery consists mainly of ONE LARGE SHARP KNIFE called a "Hocho."

They use this knife for everything.

Have to cut up a chicken? Grab the hocho.

Need to slice a tomato? Get the hocho?

Have to peel an apple? The hocho, please.

Need to cut Tofu? Hocho.

A cherry? Well, you know.

This is so opposite of the U.S. where we have carving knives, pearing knives, peelers, and the like.

I would think the Japanese lose more fingers in the kitchen than any other country. (this statement is spurious with no data to back it up)

The knife on the left is a hocho. The one on the right is for decorative purposes only.

Lance Doesn't Want to be a Gangster

2011-05-08T11:25:00.000+09:00

He wants to be a pianist.

The weather is great

2011-05-08T08:38:00.001+09:00

Wow! It's been a while since I've updated.

We've all gotten used to power saving here in this area.

The Cherryblossoms were beautiful this year. A wonderful reminder of God's goodness.

Took Lance and Sasha to the zoo. Lance loved looking at the snakes. Like a good dad, I picked up a guinea pig to show to Lance.

Campaign went very well.
Had a little party at the house for all in the group yesterday.

Lance and Sasha get along very well together

And Family Photo at the assembly hall.

Saving Energy

2011-04-11T21:01:00.001+09:00

It's been one month since the
Great Tohoku Earthquake.

Since then in an effort to conserve energy, rolling blackout were instituted, but for the past few weeks, we've had no scheduled blackouts.
Blackouts are bad for the economy.

Nevertheless, much energy has been saved through energy conservation. For example, in most places including train stations have stopped escalator services, and many places have all unnecessary lights.

Although many stores look like their closed, they are open for business. No one really seems to mind or complains about it.

I hope this energy reduction continues. Good for the environment and the wallet too!

I am scared of summer though. No A/C in the classroom will be TAIHEN (difficult in Japanese)!!

Lancey the Gamer

2011-04-11T20:39:00.001+09:00

The apple didn't fall far from the tree...

YouTube Video

Japan Hasn't Sunk Under the Sea Yet! Yeah

2011-03-28T10:19:00.001+09:00

Sorry for not updating in a long time. Been very busy with work and congregation stuff. Life still goes on here despite the bad, bad situation up north. According the reports, radiation is still leaking out of the reactors, despite the fact that total meltdown has been (so far ) avoided.

In Tokyo are the surrounding areas, since there was a higher than normal level found in the Tokyo water shed, the government issued a warning that babies under a year old to drink, sparking a mass buy out of all the bottled water in that area.

We are still 'fine' here. There is no reports that our water shed is threatened. Still a good and kind friend of ours from the local Japanese congregation bought 6 2Qt bottles of water for Sasha.

Besides that, today is a beautiful day. Clear skies and Mt. Fuji looks beautiful.

Buddy Times 2

2011-03-22T00:22:00.001+09:00

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Family Picture

2011-03-21T23:51:00.001+09:00

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Blackouts and More Blackouts and Graduation

2011-03-18T12:41:00.001+09:00

We are now getting blackouts twice a day. It is quite boring to be in a house with no
power. Thankfully we have some candles and battery powered electronic gadgets
that keep us busy. We can listen to kingdom songs and magazines as well. The kids have no problems with the dark. They just want someone or something to play with.
We have meeting tonight and thankfully the blackout ends at 5:30pm, so we can have our
meeting and get there without much worry. (Its an unnerving, even in Japan, to
drive without traffic signals)

Although the nuclear reactor issue is bad, beyond bad. Although is its good to see the news media giving us all basic education in how nuclear power works, something that has always fascinated me, I hope that the media will not sensationalize anymore and concentrate on the facts.

Friends of mine in Tokyo have been stopped by reporters from big news agencies, where they try to ask leading questions to get them to say that everyone here is scared and panicked. Sigh...

Yesterday we had our school graduation. It is usually a big affair that lasts for 2-3 hours then a break, then a party for three hours at a hotel. This time it was done all at a beautiful hotel in Odaiba, and the ceremony lasted 1/2 hour and the party immediately followed that. It was good to see that most of the students (670 graduates)that although still in shock, were in good spirits.

Very good speeches by the faculty pointing to the stubborn resilience of the Japanese and how they keep moving forward despite terrible losses.

First Rolling Blackout

2011-03-16T01:19:00.001+09:00

The first rolling blackout in our area was today. It wasn't so bad. We just sat around, did some Bible reading by iPad, then Lance painted a red paper and we hung it over the bedroom and pretended it was the Passover. He enjoyed it. Sasha is only 5 months, so she's just worried about eating and being played with from time to time.

It looks like they are struggling to get the Nuclear reactors under control. It looks pretty bad. I thought living 150 miles away was a safe distance, but the higher radiation levels as far as Tokyo (170 miles away) prove otherwise. Still the levels of radiation are low and they dissipated very quickly.

We are doing well. We understand why the wisest man said: "So never be anxious about the next day. For the next day will have it's own anxieties. Sufficient for each day it own badness."

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We hope things get better in Fukushima

2011-03-15T15:42:00.001+09:00

Unfortunately it seems that the Tokyo Electric Company that owns the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant isn't doing so well in fighting the disaster that is at hand. I hope they can get it under control before it's too late.

Anyway, my area will be going through a scheduled power outage, including water, at 4:20pm to around 8pm, I think. We have our candles ready.

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Location:４丁目,Fujisawa,Japan

Food Supplies and Japanese Behavior and Relief Efforts

2011-03-14T22:41:00.001+09:00

Today I went to the store at 10 AM in order to get supplies. I got there 10 min. early and that was good because there was a long line outside and within just about 15 min. most of the main supplies ran out.

Another thing I like about the Japanese is that most of them don't panic, well I should say go crazy, in a crisis situation. Most people calmly wait in long lines and pay for their products. No one was pushing or shoving or cursing it out loud where I was at. Most only bought one or two items instead of trying to hoard all of the supplies in case of an another quake.

One good thing about living is Japan is no looting, or very little looting. So far on the news haven't seen anyone walking away with plasma TVs or PS3s they 'liberated' from abandoned stores.

Saki went to get gas today and there was a long line trying to get gas and kerosene. Thankfully she was able to get 10 L of gasoline for the car, and 8 L of kerosene for our heaters.

It's really sad to see what's happening in Fukushima and other places with nuclear reactors. It gives nuclear power a bad name, when in fact it is usually very efficient and relatively safe. I pray that no one is adversity affected by the radiation.

Thankfully the response by the organization has been rapid and I hear many congregation members in affected areas are already receiving some food and other provisions at this desperate time. Of course this isn't an official report and I won't go into any details, but it is encouraging to hear.

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Rolling Blackouts and Food Supplies

2011-03-14T00:18:00.001+09:00

Although we are in no way near starving, no doubt it'll be hard to buy foodstuffs for a while. Today, the family drove to Haneda Airport near Tokyo to pick up her brother and couldn't find any gas stations with gas on the way back. We have a 1/4 of a tank now.

Also buying eggs, bread, noodles, milk, etc is difficult to buy. We will be OK, but different than normal.

Also starting tomorrow morning, and most likely continuing until the end of April, in order to conserve power and avoid a total blackout, they will be instituting rolling blackouts in 9 states.

We will not have power from 6:20 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. until further notice.

We live quite a distance away from Fukushima where the nuclear reactors are. We are over 150 miles south. The reactors are in bad condition and appear that they will meltdown. The people in those areas have been evacuated and are being checked for radiation exposure. Still it won't be a Chernobyl level incident.

We were to go to Fukushima this coming weekend stay at a resort there for two nights. We will pray for all those in that area who have lost loved ones and homes.

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Location:４丁目,Fujisawa,Japan

Massive Destruction

2011-03-12T04:25:00.002+09:00

Link

Unbelievable...

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Location:４丁目,Fujisawa,Japan

Earthquake

2011-03-11T21:19:00.001+09:00

Japan experienced maybe the largest earthquake on record today at 2:47pm Tokyo time. It was the longest temblor I've ever felt. My family was at home during the quake, and although some things fell and broke, they're OK.

The friends in my congregation so far are also OK.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Great Things About Living in Japan 001

2011-03-03T20:08:00.001+09:00

Never having to worry about taking my iPad out in public and wondering if someone will try to trick, hit, stab, or shoot me to get it!

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Location:２丁目,Chiyoda,Japan

Play Hard Relax Hard

2011-02-24T08:13:00.001+09:00

Lance's growth is amazing to watch! This morning I said "Good morning Lance, How are you?" He said "Good." I asked him would he like to comment at the meeting on Friday he said "No, too shy!"

Anyway here are some pictures of him with his buddy from the congregation.

The Kids

2011-02-04T16:05:00.001+09:00

Here are some shots of Lance and Sasha:

More than siblings

Family Evening

And you must read it in it day and night.

Actually Lance built half of this on his own, I built the other half.

These were Lance's shoes that he used for 4 months! The boy destroyed them! Part of his life history. Hard to throw away.

KIFL Times Student Newsletter

2011-02-02T08:11:00.001+09:00

At the college I work at, some really interesting student essays are published in the school newsletter, the KIFL TIMES. It's always a good read since it provides insight into the Japanese mindset, which on the surface, greatly differs from my own.

For example in the excerpt below one student summarizes one aspect common among Japanese when first living abroad:

I think studying abroad has disadvantages, too. Many Japanese people tend to act in groups. Therefore they cannot learn English and the time overseas is meaningless. Short term Students or beginners tend to act this way. On the other hand, there are some longer term students who can be influenced easily and think everything is good; they can not criticize foreign culture at all. They also romanticize the worst habits. They should learn to distinguish between poor role models and good role models but their behavior and lifestyles are sometimes influenced too much by poor role models so they do not think for themselves. They just imitate and think that they are simply trying to fit in.

There is more in the link below.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/488vcct

At Toys R Us

2011-01-25T17:08:00.001+09:00

Had the day off and went to Toys R Us with the family.

First Lance at Chocolate Ice Cream.
His face says "ecstasy!"

Sasha is having fun too!

Lance wants to buy something, too bad he doesn't have any money!

Open Fires

2011-01-17T21:30:00.001+09:00

Something that I never seen in the U.S. was people burning their garbage. I think it is illegal and the fire department would come a running and ruin your day. In Japan, many a farm owner burns all of their refuse outside. Last night coming home from a meeting, there was smoke billowing out onto the highway and a huge blaze in a man's front yard, yet not complaints and no FD.

Sashi is no three months and getting bigger. Her cries are louder, she smiles even when she doesn't have gas, and her neck is quite stable.

Lance's speech gets more impressive everyday. He mixes Japanese in with English sometimes, but his primary language is English as he hears it spoken to him from both Mommy and Daddy everyday.

Will add pictures of them both tomorrow!

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Back to School

2011-01-07T08:02:00.001+09:00

Well after a great winter holiday spent with the family, I'm going back to school today. I made changes in the way I taught my classes last semester, which resulted in a higher satisfaction rate and no complaints! Hurray!

One complaint sometimes raised by some students is the use of profanity.

The Japanese language has very few, actually I think none, swear words. Also since respectful speech is needed daily when speaking to those higher than you, there is little place for it, it seems.

I find that very refreshing!
Now off to meet students - new and old!

At the Cheese Garden

2011-01-07T07:57:00.001+09:00

Went to Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture with the family. We had a great time. We had some great cheesecake!

Sasha's Big Mouth

2011-01-02T09:18:00.001+09:00

Isn't she lovely?

- Be here now! Windows Phone 7

I hate Apple!

2010-12-09T23:17:00.001+09:00

I'm a Microsoft fan, but...

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Japanese Bathroom Stalls

2010-12-09T13:01:00.001+09:00

I just realized that in Japanese bathrooms, the stalls go all the way down to the ground. In the U.S. you have that lovely 6 inch gap which allows for passing of toilet paper and other goods. I was too embarrassed to take a picture given that t I would look like a serious...

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Location:At home with the kids

2010-12-05T09:00:00.001+09:00

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Location:Sasha and Lancey

Lance and Sasha at the Congregation Meeting

2010-11-22T08:16:00.001+09:00

Yesterday Saki and I could really enjoy the meeting! Usually during the lecture, Lance is making all types of noise, and by the time the study starts, Lance needs to be walked around, fed, and pacified. Not this time! They were both little angels!

Trainspotting with Lance Part II

2010-10-30T23:13:00.001+09:00

Here we go again.

Lance is really enjoying himself. I needs to visit about 15 more stations by November 30, to complete his 2010 stamp book. Today there was a typhoon, so we couldn’t go out. Next Saturday has to be our big push for completion.

Lance and Sasha

2010-10-13T09:35:00.001+09:00

Lance loves his sister. No animosity!

Oh my look at Lance! I hope these aren't horns!

Posted from my iPhone yo!

We proudly announce...

2010-10-06T20:00:00.001+09:00

We after much deliberation we would like to proudly announce:

Sasha 桜亜紗Janelle Madden

And Here is Lance meeting his sister for the first time!!

He was so happy to meet his little sister!

Lance is staying with his grandparents now. He is so understanding! Yesterday at the hospital when mom said goodbye and he had to go back home with grandma, he tried so hard not to cry! His was trying to be a big boy!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Mission Accomplished!

2010-10-04T20:37:00.001+09:00

At 7:25pm Saki gave birth to a healthy baby girl of
6.5 lbs after only 10 minutes in the delivery room! We are thankful for everyone's thoughts, prayers, and support!!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

This could be it!

2010-10-04T08:28:00.001+09:00

My wife started having labor pains! I'm taking her to the hospital now!!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

LANCE AND DADDY TRAINSPOTTING

2010-09-28T22:20:00.001+09:00

Well, my son is a train “otaku.” He’s not even two years old yet, but he loves looking at trains, playing with toy trains, and reading train books.

As a father, I guess I should exploit this interest, so that I can bond with my son. So I’m taking him to different train stations and creating a scrapbook of our adventures.

A Blast From The 70's

2010-09-11T18:12:00.001+09:00

I can't believe these death traps are still legal! Has anyone ever ridden in one of these?

Lance is so funny!

2010-09-09T08:04:00.001+09:00

Wow! What goes on in his little brain is amazing. We try to read to him from the "My Book of Bible Stories" before putting him to bed. We try to have him sit for 5 minutes, hoping this will help him get used to sitting down at congregation meetings.

So last night as we were reading, Lance jumps down from the couch and takes the Bible Stories book and closes it.

Next comes the funny part: He begins to give us the book back, then thinks "if I give it back to them, they'll just read it to me again." So he takes the book to the side of the couch, and hides the book between the couch and the wall!

We ask him "Lance, where is the Bible Stories book?" He says "いないない." meaning "it disappeared!" Then he puts his hands out in a 'I don't know' gesture with a smirk on his face!

We decided to let him have this victory! We were impressed how much a 21-month old can reason!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

How Nostalgic!

2010-08-28T10:17:00.001+09:00

Nostalgia. Not a word so commonly used when I lived in the U.S, is very often used by the Japanese.

Anyway, I use this word today because I went back to my old teaching job, Tokyo Business College, to pick up some games and personal belongings. There were no classes going on, so I didn't see any students, just administrators.

Well, I didn't actually missed everything about the place, but I did miss the students. I met and taught some really smart and talented people.

Most have moved on to bigger things; using the school as a stepping-stone or a paperweight, anchoring them in Japan until they found work or entered university.

Long Live TBL!

Posted from my iOS4 3GS!

Location:２丁目,Yamato City,Japan

Joy of Joys

2010-08-26T18:51:00.000+09:00

Oh what could bring such a feeling of bliss, ecstasy, and deep contentment to an American living in Japan?
Mexican food!

Oh how rare a find here! The only thing that could make it better would be an authentic margarita!

Oh wait! What is this?

- Posted from my very satisfied tummy!

Location:３丁目,Ebina City,Japan

More Omiya with Lance

2010-08-17T14:35:00.001+09:00

Actually, I believe we were in Saitama City. The train station's name is Omiya. Lance came with me to a PR event for the college I work at. Here are some more pictures:

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

In Omiya with Lance

2010-08-17T14:10:00.001+09:00

Thanks Lance wanted to come to work with daddy so we went to Omiya together. Lance was the star of the event. Everybody loved him. They like him more than me. Of course that is to be expected. Lance had a great time. He are some pictures of him playing with my coworker. Lance still has trouble catching!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Travel by Rail

2010-08-17T14:06:00.000+09:00

I recommend that those who live in the United States to try taking a vacation using Amtrak.

I think you'll find rail travel to be much more comfortable than car or plane. Of course it may be more expensive. Or just come to Japan are you have the means and get a JR rail pass and travel around Japan using the Shinkansen!

I've been traveling by bullet train for the past two weeks and it's been a real blast!

Enjoy these pictures.

YouTube Video
- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

In Utsunomiya

2010-08-05T17:21:00.000+09:00

Although we are still not finished moving, duty calls...worked in Utsunomiya today. Famous for Chinese Dumplings or in Japanese: Gyoza

The place we went to seems to
be quite well known for gyoza.

I haven't seen bottled Pepsi in years! It tastes so much better in glass than in aluminum!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Location:Utsunomiya

Moving Part 2

2010-07-28T22:25:00.001+09:00

Why?

Our movers have a cute Panda on their boxes!

Well the realtor inspected the apartment and said he's never seen anyone clean as much as we did!

That was good because he overlooked some damage to the apartment. But the $750
question: will we get our deposit back?
Yes all of it besides the $350 professional cleaning fee! Grrrrr!

Oh well, such is life. Now I gotta unpack the boxes and stuff.

Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Location:５丁目,Fujisawa City,Japan

School Event in Tokyo

2010-07-28T22:20:00.001+09:00

Here are some pictures from a recent school event.

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Moving Day!

2010-07-28T22:13:00.001+09:00

After living in the same apartment for 5 years, today we are moving to a new place...5 minutes away from the old place.

But much bigger. And on the first floor. And our parking space is 15 feet from the front door. Although now I'm a 10-minute walk from the train station, the quality of life we enjoy should be much better.

The moving company is very interesting. They actually care about your stuff, and don't try to rob you blind when you're not looking.

The movers were kind and mannerly. They took off their shoes each and every time they came into my apartment.

They were dirt cheap too! I wonder what kind of service you get for top dollar!

We had to clean the apartment before we turn it over to the landlord, if we wanted any of our deposit back.

In Japan you usually pay 1 or 2 months "Thank You Money" 礼金
and 1 to 3 months "Deposit" 敷金.

The thank you money, you never get back. In addition you must pay the realtor a fee of about 1 month's rent for their services.

You may get some, rarely all, of your deposit back. But my sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and two good friends helped me clean the place. The place is totally spotless! I better be gettin' my deposit back yo!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Location:１丁目,Fujisawa City,Japan

Trains are Super-crowded

2010-07-16T08:31:00.000+09:00

Lady got a bit too close to this guy on my morning commute. I hope dude doesn't get in trouble with the wife for this. (I wanted to take a picture of the lady, but I didn't want her to call the police)

Yes that be a kiss!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Location:３丁目,Minato Ward,Japan

Lancey Helping Mommy Pack!

2010-07-13T22:36:00.002+09:00

Buddy loves work! I gotta get him a full-time job! In the meantime he can help mommy around the house!

Hokkaido

2010-07-13T22:28:00.001+09:00

Had the opportunity to go to Hokkaido over the weekend with my workmates. It was business trip to promote the school I work at.

Hokkaido is known for having tastier food; meat, seafood, and vegetables than the rest of Japan.
I decided to test out this belief by eating a very famous Hokkaido dish: Genghis Khan.

No not the legendary Mongolian military genius and ruler who conquered most of Asia, Genghis Khan the dish: Mutton cooked in a convex metal skillet, along with alfalfa, cabbage, and onions.

Poor, Poor, Genghis!

- Posted from my iPhone because my Dell PC is broken!

Lance giving his first talk

2010-07-09T08:19:00.001+09:00

Lance said he was inspired and wanted to say a few words to the brothers in the congregation. It was very moving and heartfelt. Too bad no one understood anything that he said!

Organizing his thoughts...

Addressing his captive audience!

Japanese Government Woes

2010-07-06T18:04:00.001+09:00

Japan has experienced something unheard of in the states.

Since I've been here in Japan, 5 years, there have been 6 Prime Ministers. Quite shocking indeed.

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Location:１丁目,Fujisawa City,Japan

Lance and Saki are Back

2010-07-03T08:19:00.002+09:00

Well, my wife and Lance came back. My wife brought me back an unexpected gift: "A Summer Cold." I didn't ask for it, but she was kind enough to give it to me anyway. That's called love.

Well, in this season, Japan (Tokyo area) gets super hot and humid. It's worse than the humidity in New York and Ohio. Its kind of like what it feels like in Northern Florida (pronounced Flah-ra-dah by the northern floridians).

Not a great time to visit Japan. Not a great time to live in Japan. Unless of course, you live in a 24-hour air conditioned environment, have maidservants, and an air-conditioned limousine.

She's baaaaack!!!

2010-06-26T20:55:00.000+09:00

My soulmate, my right hand, and my big toe---- yes Saki is back!

I'm whole and complete again!

Oh, yeah, Lance came back too! He smiled at me when he first saw me, after that he was looking at the trains again!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Location:３丁目,Minato Ward,Japan

So Lonely

2010-06-22T06:46:00.004+09:00

Wow! Saki and Lance have now almost been gone for 3 weeks! Well the quietness and cleanness are killing me. I have no one to talk to. No one invites me anywhere! My only friends are the invisible ones...which no doubt are superior to the visible type...still one longs for two-way conversation.

I guess I'll have to content myself with upgrading to iOS4!.

Pictures of Lance.
He is truly turning into a little boy.

Pics from Saki's iphone.

Wow! Saki and Lance have now almost been gone for 3 weeks! Well the quietness and cleanness are killing me. I have no one to talk to. No one invites me anywhere! My only friends are the invisible ones...which no doubt are superior to the visible type...still one longs for two-way conversation.

I guess I'll have to content myself with upgrading to iOS4!.

Pictures of Lance.
He is truly turning into a little boy.

Pics from Saki's iphone.

Lance got his first Haircut!

2010-06-09T22:32:00.000+09:00

He got his haircut for the first time. He's in Ohio visiting his grandparents with his Mommy!

Me? I gotta stay here and work.

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Tough Times

2010-05-30T12:20:00.001+09:00

The worldwide recession doesn't discriminate, even the Sith aren't excluded.

Imagine the shame the Dark Lord must feel to sell himself as the poster boy for Japan's coffee-in-a-can industry?

I guess getting financing for a galactic empire isn't as easy as it used to be, especially after defaulting on loans from the Intergalactic Banking Clan to build two failed Death Stars.

(note: maybe Vader pitched them as large mining vessels, as planet-killing machines doesn't sound very politically correct theses days...anyway I digress)

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Lance

2010-05-28T08:31:00.001+09:00

Lance is now getting close to making intelligible speech. Recently his back teeth starting coming in. Now he's got 12 teeth!

The boy really loves eating ice cubes. As soon as he hears the freezer open, here's ice rattling around in a cup, he's up and running to the freezer.

He enjoys opening the refrigerator and looking inside and pulling out things.

He's really getting autonomous. Soon we'll be able to leave him home because he'll be able to
fend for himself.

Notice as he sits on the curb, without any concern for nearby traffic!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Toilets

2010-05-28T08:14:00.000+09:00

This is the traditional style toilet that you find in restrooms. What do you think?

Hey! How about some instructions on how to use this blasted thing?

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Hamburgers

2010-05-23T08:21:00.000+09:00

Well, since i've been trying to eat better as a lifestyle and not a fad diet, I've been making veggies the main dish and animal products the side, and minimal carbs.

Unfortunately after 3 weeks of doing it, it feel great, bur I just caught a cold. So much for eating right and exercising.

Japanese usually bring a lunch box ( called bento of obento) to work. It is just a plastic box...a small plastic box. So not much food can be put inside, keeping with the "Hara Hachi-bun" eating philosophy.

Anyway here's me on Saturday... eating like a real American!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Summer is near!

2010-05-19T08:03:00.001+09:00

After a long, long cold, winter the weather is beginning to warm up. Of course this means no more hiding behind sweaters and sport coats, so that means exercise has become a necessity once again.

Amazingly most Japanese I work with don't have an exercise routine, but aren't obese.

Sadly, more and more Japanese, especially young people are seeming to get chubbier. The reason isn't lack of exercise.

EXERCISE IS NOT THE KEY TO CONTROLLING WEIGHT

(the health clubs would like to tell you differently it seems)

THE JAPANESE ENJOY THE LONGEST LIFE SPAN BUT DON'T PARTICULARLY EXERCISE (it seems from my understanding at least)

THE KEY SEEMS EATING LESS THAN NEEDED TO FILL YOU UP

There is a Japanese expression: "Hara ga hachibun"
It means that " my stomach is 80% full"

This is the common way of saying 'no thanks' to seconds or to dessert.

Also late night snacking isn't very common here like in the states.

So try eating until you're 80% full. It doesn't matter what you eat. Most likely you won't lose weight, but maintain your current weight indefinitely. ADD some regular walking a few times a week, and slowly you will be happy about dressing lighter in the summer!

P.S. I'm a total hypocrite, but don't let that stop you!

We love excess in everything, culturally, this is still unacceptable in Japan. (Besides alcohol of course, many businessmen drink to excessively regularly)

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Golden Week

2010-05-04T19:17:00.001+09:00

Who says the Japanese are always working?! According to some reports I've read, actually U.S. Americans work more hours than the Japanese. April is the start of the Japanese school year and work year. So just after one month of work and school, most people get one week off called Golden Week. The first holiday, Midori no Hi, Green Day, was on April 29th and the final day, Kodomo no Hi, Children's Day is May 5th.

So it is a really great time for people to travel and relax. We went to the zoo with Lance. He had a blast, unfortunately, he enjoys trains, planes, and buses more than creation and natural wonders!

This picture is funny. There are no shop attendants anywhere in sight, yet people are actually selecting what they want and taking into the register to pay for it. Only in Japan!

And here are also some pics with old friends. We met them at the Ebina KH dedication.

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

Cherryblossoms

2010-04-25T23:40:00.000+09:00

Japanese love cherryblossoms! They only bloom for a couple of weeks so many take out time to get together to look at them while picnicking. I admit as an American, I wondered why people got so excited about them, but I faked interest by going and even organizing groups to cherryblossom viewing!

Now though I genuinely appreciate seeing their beauty.

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

At Memorial

2010-04-02T10:53:00.000+09:00

Here are some pictures from our Memorial. So many dressed in Kimono. A very kind sister in our congregation lent Kimonos to many and helped the sisters put them on. For the amateur, it can take one or even two hours to put on. This sister can do it in 20 minutes!

And here is out annual family picture at the Memorial. Next year hopefully there will be four of us!

- Posted from my iPhone, no wait my LE1600, no my Dell PC, uhh...

ANA!!

2010-04-02T10:32:00.000+09:00

I love to fly on Japanese Airlines because of the quality service they ever so professionally provide. Of course, I've never flown on any other Asian or European Carriers, but I've flown with all the major U.S. ones.

Anyway, one cool thing All Nippon Airways offered was free drink service including ALCOHOL. Yes Alcohol. You could have as much as you wanted as well. Hence not a few Japanese businessmen got red
faced and boisterous while enjoying their spirits.

Noticed I used past tense. According to the news, they will now be a nominal fee for alcoholic beverages! Gakkari!!
ガッカリ‼

But times are tough everywhere!

- Posted from my stone tablet.

10th Anniversary!!

2010-03-25T23:47:00.001+09:00

Saki and I celebrated our 10th anniversary today. Where has the time gone? The nice thing is that we feel that we've always been together. We exchanged gifts in the morning, went to lunch with Lance in the afternoon, and went to a mall in the evening. A mall sounds very special right? Well for us it is. We've never been to Shonan Mall before, even though it is pretty close to where we live.

We had a blast. Lance was with us and that made it all the better.

Saki is Pregnant!

2010-03-16T09:17:00.001+09:00

Wow! And there it is. We've known for a little over a month, but we are now officially announcing it to our friends: Saki is pregant!!!
Hurray!!

Lance is now 15 months and if all goes well, he'll have a little brother/sister this October. He already understands "Where's the baby?" and when he hears that, he goes and taps on my wife's belly.

Lance loves other babies so we think he'll be very excited.

We have a nickname for this one as well, but it isn't as cute a 'little Johnny.'

We call him in Japanese Tsugi-koon, which means "the next one."

- Posted from my iPhone! No iPad for me!

Adventures with Lance

2010-03-14T13:00:00.001+09:00

I haven't posted much recently, but I'm enjoying fatherhood very much. Here are some recent outings with buddy!

- Posted from my Nintendo DS

Look who's on Deck

2010-03-14T08:15:00.001+09:00

Do you know what this is?

- Posted from my Newton

TESTING

2010-03-04T12:38:00.000+09:00

THIS IS ONLY A TEST

Doing the inevitable

2010-02-24T21:26:00.001+09:00

Starting March 1, all beta versions of Windows 7 will start shutting down every 2 hours. So I did the inevitable...

One for my TabletPC ( yes I was rocking the tablet scene long before 'i-whatever' made it cool) and one for the Dell PC.

After using seven, one cannot go back to Vista without losing one's sanity! And to think I
bought that awful Vista Ultimate Garbage, what a waste! I'm still waiting for Bill Gates to issue a refund for selling that to chumps like me. I think an 8 year old must have been in charge of Microsoft Quality Control during the Vista testing.

Fact: an idea no matter how dumb, repeated to oneself dozens of times, starts to sound good.

And from that type of thinking we got Windows Vista! R.I.P.

Posted from my iPad mini

Adventure in Asagaya

2010-02-21T21:04:00.000+09:00

I gave a lecture in an Asagaya congregation on Sunday and ran into an old, well he probably doesn't appreciate being called that, friend.

And his beautiful family!

And what is this?
What kind of vending machine is this?

It's a battery vending machine!
For those emergencies when you just have to have a battery for your...what? Everything uses rechargeable batteries now. Oh
well...

Finally and ad for a new Shinkansen bullet train!

From Tokyo to Northern Japan, Aomori, in 3 hours. 200 mph! 320 kph!

- Posted from my iPad mini

Helping a friend

2010-02-17T15:20:00.001+09:00

A friend of mine moved, so she needed help cleaning.
Anyway here's a picture of all the participants!

- Posted from my Nintendo DS

Lance in the snow

2010-02-17T15:02:00.000+09:00

Lance playing in the snow. This was his first time!!

This sign is funny! It says "Did you forget something? Clean up your dog's poo!"

In the U.S. I think the sign would contain some 'or else' clause like a fine or imprisonment. Lol!

-Posted from my iPad mini.

Lance and Jubilee

2010-02-12T00:26:00.001+09:00

We visited Brady and Yuki and their baby Jubilee.

- Posted from my Nintendo DS

Location:４丁目,Mooka City,Japan

Gathering of Friends

2010-02-08T22:10:00.001+09:00

On Sunday, Saki, Lance, and I entertained some guests, friends from our Ebina group.

We ate sandwiches and soup. Their appetites were quite small, so guess who will be eating sandwiches for lunch everday this week!

- Posted from my iPad! (small size)

Location:２丁目,Fujisawa City,Japan

2010-02-02T21:50:00.001+09:00

This is the view from my house when I woke up.

- Posted from my Etch-a-Sketch

Location:３丁目,Fujisawa City,Japan

Babysitting

2010-01-14T07:35:00.001+09:00

It's getting easier taking care of Lance when Saki has to work, well for the most part.

I made the mistake of going grocery shopping with him but opting to forgo the stroller. He was out of control! I had to scissor him between my legs while I was at the checkout counter. Never Again.

I took him to the park and took some photos. Something weird happen to my phone, vlbut I think the pics look cool!

Posted from my Etch-a-sketch

2010-01-13T08:48:00.000+09:00

Back to work at Kanda Institute for Winter Intensive Term. New students ( to me anyway) and they are very eager.

Hanging out with twenty-year old s makes me feel young!

- Posted from my Nintendo DS

Location:Back to School!

The Conqueror

2010-01-13T08:45:00.001+09:00

Lance was in the car with us while we did our ministry work on Sunday. So I let him walk around the neighborhood when we got back home.

Now I gave him free rein, letting him go where he wanted to. He struggled a bit but he walked from our house to the train station to look at trains! It is a 2 min walk from my apartment to the train tracks for an adult. For Lance it took 10 minutes! But he made it unassisted. The boy loves trains! Go Lance!

- Posted from my Nintendo DS

Location:２丁目,Yokohama City,Japan