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Yokohama daytrip
I literally dragged Tod out of bed this afternoon at 1 (he’s quite heavy!), got him into the shower and out of the house by 2. We went to Yokohama. So much has changed since the last time we trekked down there. Before there was lots of construction around Sakuragicho station but MInato Mirai 21,…
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Kitano Jinja festival
For two weeks, a tinsel draped signboard at the end of our street has reminded us about the Kitano Jinja matsuri around the corner from us. Saturday 8/24, 5-9 pm. Rain or Shine. The main selling point was “Dad, we’ll have beer at good prices!” By 8 pm, the lanterns leading up the stone stairs…
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Another mad cow
Another mad cow. This one is #5. It was noticed during the Agriculture Ministry’s testing process this week so it hasn’t been sold or served. They didn’t say it wouldn’t get mixed into cowfeed, though. That happened with one of the other mad cows earlier this year. I was really hoping to have some tasty…
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Nippon Scam
Nippon Ham, meat packager and owner of the baseball team the Nippon Ham Fighters, is in the news this week for scamming the government. They bought 5 tons of cheap, imported beef and passed it off as domestic during the mad cow beef buyback program. So what’s their penalty? They’ve announced that the founder/chairman &…
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Confirmations
I should have made this phone call weeks ago. Maybe even months ago. But I’m loathe to make it at all. I’m scheduled for my annual thyroid biopsy in mid-September. Yuck. Last year a few weeks before the biopsy, I had a ultrasound scan and bloodwork done. But this time, I don’t have appointments for…
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Hosting a FOAF
There’s a stranger sleeping on my living room floor. Mike Lee went the same school as one of our friends. He was passing through Tokyo and needed a place to stay. Our living room seemed the logical choice. It’s good to meet and host people you don’t know but who have some sort of connection…
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Delayed daytrip
For several months, I’ve been hoping to get out of town to take a walk in the woods. On Friday night, Tod asked me to pick a good trip from our Day Walks Near Tokyo book. I was delighted. We’d go on Sunday. But yesterday morning the edge of a typhoon tormented us with rain,…
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Square watermelon
We found the holy grail of watermelons. Of course, I didn’t have my camera… Since reading about square watermelons last summer, we’ve been keeping an eye out at all the fancy fruit mongers. Last night, we finally found one–at the supermarket down the street. It was about 30 cm on a side with rounded corners.…
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Japanese TV is silly
Japanese TV is silly. This afternoon I watched as two young male TV talents met the lovely spokeswoman for the upcoming Pan Pacific Swimming Championship. They challenged her to a high-stakes Jenga game. If she lost, she had to go out on a date with one of the guys. To add to the hilarity, each…
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Flourless chocolate cake
I have 12 servings of an extremely rich, flourless chocolate cake sitting in my fridge. MJ will take it home with her this morning (it’s the remainder of her birthday cake) but not before I scarf down a slice along with some nice strong coffee. I’m already anticipating the sugar-caffeine rush. I’m feeling a bit…
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