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For the first time
For the first time in three years, Japan’s trains let us down. We were on our way to a party in Kisarazu, Chiba prefecture (the “state” to the east of Tokyo). It’s about an hour and a half away by train, or only an hour if you catch the Sazanami express train. Kisarazu is “in…
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Peterb is in town
Peterb is in town from Pittsburgh. We haven’t seen him in five years, and all of us have been busy in the intervening years–marriage, mortgage, moving–but I think that neither he nor we have changed much. In a way, that’s very comforting. It’s nice to have a solid foundation of personality that remains immutable despite…
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If I had to
If I had to name one thing I hate about living in Japan, today I’d name bilingual computing. My Macs are generally pretty good at allowing me to display and type Japanese. But my e-mail program gives me trouble with encoding–I can receive Japanese e-mail, but I cannot send it. And after my recent upgrade…
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The city changes its
The city changes its clothes at dinnertime. Hakusan Dori, the four lane boulevard that runs through our section of town is pretty sterile during the day; the high-speed traffic doesn’t encourage many small shops and long stretches are lined with office buildings and shuttered shops. But in the evening, the metal shutters of the shops…
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I tried really hard
I tried really hard not to work yesterday and to enjoy a day of rest away from my computer. That is hard work. It was too hot (another 35 degree scorcher) to go outside for long. Everyone else in the house was engaged in solitary pursuits, like working on web pages or watching movies. I…
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Mini-digger SKR-301
9:01 am. The extremely cute, bright turquoise mini-digger (model SKR-301) is doing a balletic dance from its flatbed truck to the ground. The skilled operator uses the digging head as a fulcrum to slide the machine off the raked bed of the truck without bouncing it off the asphalt. Sadly, it is a Sunday morning….one…
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We went to see
We went to see the lanterns floating on the moat at the Imperial Palace, but we arrived to late to see them launched. They were very pretty in the twilight from the height of the moat walls, but the best view must have been with those who had rented boats and were rowing among them.…
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The Sony Building, in
The Sony Building, in Ginza, is a showcase of Sony’s products. Each floor has a different category–televisions, computers, cameras, stereos, games–with sample products you can try, games to play and more uniformed showroom attendants than you can shake a stick at. I spent 20 minutes playing with the “location free” Airboard, a portable TV/Internet terminal.…
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My husband is a
My husband is a delight to wake up. He’s not a morning person. I get up early and work until his alarm goes off, then make coffee and deliver a mug to his bedside. If he’s conscious enough to talk, I spend a few minutes chatting with him. On the weekends, I read him articles…
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Today I’m going to
Today I’m going to the doctor to complain about some strange headaches I’ve been having. I really don’t like the medical profession and this visit makes me nervous and tense, but the headaches are stronger than my aversion and fear. I’m chickening out though, and not going to a local Japanese clinic. Why? If I…
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