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Travel planning makes me
Travel planning makes me growl. My trips overseas are never simple. I wish I could just fly from point A to point B and be done with it. But it never works that way. Too many things to do, people to see. June is coming fast and we’re off to a family reunion in Cape…
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7:12 pm. Two cups
7:12 pm. Two cups of coffee. 12:44 am. Hyperactive would-be sleeper realises her mistake. Wow, does coffee in the morning effect me the same way? I guess it must, but it’s not nearly as noticable. Although you may think of Japan as a place where everyone drinks green tea (and they do), coffee is extremely…
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If you’ve ever been
If you’ve ever been in a busy train station in Tokyo, you’ll understand my problem. I have to direct a half a dozen people to a meeting place in a two-level station that services three different train companies and innumerable lines. I can’t simply say “Let’s meet at the ticket window.” The directions to the…
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My friend, Lil, is
My friend, Lil, is in the hospital with appendicitis. I went to see her yesterday. What an eye-opener. Patients are required to supply their own towels, drinking water, and even tissues. There are no complimentary hospital gowns to wear while your friends bring you your proper pjs; Lil had to trundle herself and her IV…
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4:14 am. Squawk. Squawk.
4:14 am. Squawk. Squawk. Squaaaaawk. Squawk. Squawk. Cheep! Squawk. Squawk. Cheep! Squawk. Squawk. Cheep! Squawk. Squawk. Cheep! Squawk. Squawk. Cheep! Squawk. Squawk. Cheep! Squawk. Squaaaawk. Cheep! Cheep! A baby bird sitting outside my bedroom window (but in close proximity to my ears) was having a pre-dawn singing lesson. He did well. His father sat nearby…
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My pile of business
My pile of business cards, an essential tool for business and social relations in Japan, is starting to overflow. I am having trouble locating the ones I need. It’s time to reorganize them. I have two books with clear plastic pockets that are full of meishi already. I find this system to be tidy, but…
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We turned our balcony
We turned our balcony into a nice place to sit outside and enjoy the flower-scented air. Now I hear the heavy “flap, flap flap” of a pigeon struggling up from the railing to the roof. A pair of pigeons flies around our house from ledge to ledge trying to find a comfortable place to roost.…
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My friend Elizabeth came
My friend Elizabeth came through with an explanation of Sanrinbou, which I wrote about on April 13th. Elizabeth’s lived here for 35 years–she knows everything! “SAN RINBOU… written with the characters for “three” (SAN), “next door” (tonari, also pronounced RIN) and “dead” (shinu, also pronounced BOU). part of a larger, very complicated system of superstitions.…
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Our office room is
Our office room is undergoing a transformation. The balcony is sprouting a small garden suspended in oblong pots from the railing. Tara and I spent yesterday afternoon planting marigolds, pansies, and other orange blooms then fixing them to the railing with metal brackets. Tara washed the balcony floor and discovered a leak in the drain.…
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Sometimes there are too
Sometimes there are too many choices. Tara & I walked to the local Mister Donut to pick up a breakfast treat while Tod & Seth slept. We know what sorts of donuts they like, so when we started to select our dozen, it was with them in mind: French crullers, custard cream, cinnamon, glazed plus…
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