There's a hint of Spring in the air...

I found another lovely park with the help of my friend Connie. We went to Kichijoji, a little farther West than we are, and ate in a restaurant called "Monk's Food." It's named after Thelonious Monk. They played recorded jazz while we ate, and the place has an impressive cd collection behind the bar. Kichijoji is known apparently for it's jazz music places. And hair salons. We didn't keep count, but we must have walked by dozens of salons!

There is a park in that town called Inokashira Park, and it is very lovely. While walking around in the crisp February air, I noticed a real warmth to the sun. The ducks were swimming about, there were crocus on the ground and blossoms on the trees. I think they were plum blossoms. The cherry blossoms will be out in about a month. It is starting to feel like spring is around the corner. This makes me happy, and also on some level very very frightened. I am worried that the heat will be jacked up too quickly. I am used to a fickle spring, one that teases and makes you beg for it. I'm worried about the possibility of having to turn on the AC in a month, and having to use my little sweat towels again...When you ask Tokyoites about their weather, they always answer in vauge terms, never a straight answer. Like I said, it makes me nervous.

Kichijoji sights

I took this picture for Mom. Hi Mom! Ever since Chris was born, she's insisted we all call her Grannie. This looked like a tiny little bake shop.

More blossoms, this time on an old, old tree.

A duck, unlike the ducks from home...

This shrine looks so typically Japanese. Beautifully landscaped, across a bridge, near a fountain.

Universal signs of spring...

Japanese Baptism

Today was my best day in Japan.

Tons of adorable babies, nearly naked men, strong community bonding...all things I love! I had the good fortune to attend the Hadaka Matsuri out beyond Chiba, a celebration of children, community, hope, purification and sake. Basically the event started like this: at one o'clock sharp, as we were approaching the shrine area, there were 5 loud explosions above our heads. We knew the excitement was starting. The Japanese are nothing, if not punctual.

When we arrived, the men were in a tight group right in front of the shrine entrance, donning their loin cloths and holding babies in their arms. They then paraded the babies in a long line, through the lovely winding wooded path and down to the muddy pond. I crouched down behind a wooden fence, stuck my camera between the wooden slats and took pictures of the men lovingly holding these cute, tiny Japanese bundles. At this point, the babies were mostly quiet, surprised, and happily going along for the ride. At the pond, the men dipped long straw sticks into the mud in the pond, and smeared, dotted, and dripped it onto the faces of the babies. So much like Baptism. It is a gesture meant to purify the children and to insure their happy healthy life and good fortune. As the men carried the babies back up the hill to the shrine, there were a few little ones who were starting to realize that the naked man carrying them was NOT MOM, and that pond mud in February is COLD. They began to squall. A few minutes later, back down the path they came, in the arms of another strange (NOT MOM!) naked man, and the squalling increased in volume. The men were still lovingly, patiently cradling these little babies in their arms. I was captivated by the men's smiling faces, and tried to capture their beatific expressions. It was very moving.

By the 3rd and last pass to the pond, most of the babies were now terrified, (AND YOU! YOU ARE ALSO NOT MOM!) and screaming their heads off. I also noticed that many of the men were now wearing ear plugs. Maybe they had been wearing them all along, I'm not sure. But maybe that's the reason they all seemed so... serene, and unaffected by the decibels that were blasting them in their faces.

After the babies were lovingly traumatized 3 times, they were delivered back to their parents' arms. The men disappeared. We heard some chanting and roaring through the woods from the shrine, and I presumed they were downing their first round of sake. Then down the path they came, chanting loudly and heading towards the frigid pond. They waded in and formed small groups. One guy climbed up onto the shoulders of his group-mates and they all moved toward each other.

"A-ha!" I thought, "This is it! The culmination of the purification ritual...a GIANT GAME OF CHICKEN!" And indeed it was.

They crashed into and pushed on each other- most of the guys fell in and got wet and muddy. They flung wads of mud at each other and splashed for a minute and then they all got out and headed back up the hill to the shrine. BUT- here's the best part. As they walked by the assembled crowd, they bestowed muddy blessings on random spectators. It is considered very good luck to receive a smear of mud from these guys, and so when I got smeared, I was ecstatic. I took a picture of myself! Suddenly, I was the center of attention. The locals who were there with cameras were really interested in a gaijin who had been purified at their community festival. I suddenly felt like a celebrity, as their cameras clicked away at my happy smiling muddy face. They were smiling too. Heck, everyone was smiling (except for the babies)at this wonderful community feel-good event.

Chanting, more roaring, stomping feet, down they came again. Another giant game of chicken purification, more slinging, splashing, falling. It was delicious to watch. On their way back to the warming fire and sake at the shrine, I got smeared AGAIN! How lucky can I be?! Took another gleeful picture. As soon as the locals noticed that nearly everyone in our gaijin group had been smeared, there were probably 50 people who came at some point and took our picture. A little old lady in her 80's wanted to get in on the action and posed with us. More pictures. It was pretty thrilling. I felt like I was on the red carpet at the Oscars, except for my clothes, hair, make-up and the mud on my face.

We moved up onto a wall for a better vantage point for the 3rd and final game of chicken. Now the guys were drunk, the cold didn't seem to bother them anymore, and the mud slingingsplashingfallingfacefirst in the pond was even more fun to watch. Finally they made a huge squidgy circle, and chanted and clapped rhythmically together, signaling the end of this fantastic festival.

The after party was held up at the shrine. There was a roaring fire, some of the guys were still standing around, drinking sake out of the biggest (and muddiest) sake bottle I've ever seen, and relishing their celebrity. If I felt like a movie star, I can only imagine how they enjoyed the attention. One guy in particular- a very large man- was very good at mugging for the camera. He was a master at entertaining the crowd.

I was so happy to be there. It might have been the combination of the sun, the woods, the smiling faces, the wood smoke, mud...the earthiness of it all. I was keenly aware of the fact that these people love their children. They love their community. They delight in their life cycle celebrations- and they have many throughout the year. I got the opportunity to peek into a suburban community much like my home town in Upstate NY, but with a Japanese face. It made me absolutely adore these people.

This was my best day day in Japan.

To see the event through the lens of a friendly Japanese guy with a really good camera, go to:

http://egao.hp.infoseek.co.jp/

Babies!

Right at the start: This little guy seems not so sure about all of this...

On their way to the pond the 1st time

This little guy slept through all 3 trips!

Before...

After!

And now the FUN part...

Did I mention is was about 42 degrees today?

Oh so happy!

Very sweet.

Yeah. Riiiight.

Looking for his next "victim."

Through the lens of Art Sullivan

The boys are officially on their way home. They will leave Japan at 2:00 on Saturday (TODAY), and arrive in Ithaca at 3:00 on Saturday, after about 20 hours of travel. They will get to enjoy 2 sunsets today. Trevor said, "That's ok, I'll probably just be passed out for both of them."

Here are a few pictures from Art's camera this week. Alaska

Shibuya

Ueno Market

Meiji Shrine

Asakusa

Dinner conversation...

So, as is becoming tradition, we took Art and Trevor, Matt and Nate out to Gonpachi, our favorite restaurant in the WORLD, as a farewell send-off for our Tburg visitors. Just to give you an idea of how good this place is...both Presidents Clinton and GHWB have been entertained there. One of our favorite tasty little dishes at Gonpachi is tiny tender asparagas wrapped in bacon, skewered and grilled.

Trevor was throroughly enjoying these delicious tidbits when he emphatically announced,

"You know, people would eat more vegetables if they were wrapped in bacon."

Matthew: "What would vegans eat?"

Trevor: "Who cares?"

So...the boys have eaten, walked, ridden, wandered, laughed, sung, and photographed their way through one of the world's largest cities this week. They have learned a few Japanese words. Art is constantly thanking people by saying "arigato." (He also offered to run to the store this morning for milk, which places him on a pedestal above all other 16 year olds on the planet.) Today they spent time being creative- writing, and filming something I hope doesn't embarass our family or get us deported, and playing music together, some old tunes and some new. They have been like puppies this week, and very physical. There has been a lot of playful banter and witty repartee. In short, a great pleasure to host these 2 young men from home.

After dinner we walked to the Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills and went 52 floors up to an observatory. Wow. It was spectacular. If you come, we will take you there at night. I can't really think up an adequate superlative to describe the view. I guess you could say it was so great, it was like...Tokyo wrapped in bacon.

Hangin' in Tokyo

The first day, on the train

Vending machines are everywhere...hot and cold drinks, clothing- practically anything you can imagine.

I think this is my favorite picture of the week. They were just so sweet together!

Awwwwww!

Art really enjoyed playing guitar when he had the chance.

Poor Arturo. They are relentless...

On Thursday, Mount Fuji...

We had a great day yesterday traveling to Hakone and seeing the sights. The boys were pretty good traveling companions as far as 16 year olds go, and they seemed to enjoy themselves. They took a lot of pictures. I tried to take a lot of pictures, but my camera broke when we got aboard the pirate ship. So I only have half the day documented.

The day was uneventful except for the point during the day when I left the boys for a short while in a trinket shop. The stores in Japan frequently create "Lucky Bags." They put left-over merchandise in bags and close them up so you can't see what you are buying, and sell them for usually about the equivalent of 10 dollars. Well, when I was sitting outside in the sun waiting for them to join me, they emerged from the store with one of these "Lucky Bags." Apparently they had each put forth change from their pockets and jointly paid for said bag. They sat in the sun, unpacking the bag to great gales of laughter, and after they looked through the contents, re-named said bag as the "Crap Bag." Well, after that None of them wanted to carry it. Art was a good sport, and had carried it most of the way, but I only carried it a few minutes before reminding them that I had nothing to do with it whatsoever, and made Matt carry it. The afternoon was then spent with Art plotting to ditch the newly named bag, but to no avail. It made it home, and the handles ripped finally at the station, but it was a great source of jocularity for most of the afternoon. They will be bringing home some of the contents as gifts.

We took trains, a bus, walked, sailed on a pirate ship, took a gondola, and a cable car to travel through the Hakone region under the bright blue sunny sky. We ate soba noodles in broth for lunch, and watched the sun set behind Fuji-san. (Affectionately nicknamed "The Fuj" by the guys) All in all, a very good day.

Our trip to Hakone...

And they're off!

Showing Art where we were headed. We look pretty serious about this, don't we?

The boys like this one. They think it looks like an "album cover."

Lookin' at "the Fuj."

Hey! Look at all this useless STUFF!I guess I AM lucky!!

Looks like an albatross, to me, Art.

Dairokuten Hadaka Matsuri

My friend Connie and I are planning a trip to Chiba on Monday to witness this festival. Click on the link to see the Youtube video.

http://samuraidave.wordpress.com/category/dairokuten-no-hadaka-matsuri/

The weather forecast is for a high of 42 degrees F on Monday. Brrrrr!

Tuesday, February 19: Chris and Trevor's birthday!

This was the first time in 20 years that I have been away from my firstborn on his birthday. 20 years. I told Chris he needed to tell all his friends about how there's no way his mother looks old enough to have a 20-year old! Of course, he just laughed. I called him around 6:00 p.m. on his birthday. He had really nothing special planned, but there was going to be a hockey game on, and he and some friends were probably going to a bar to watch it. Sounds like fun to me. Happy Birthday, Chris Ploss. I miss you more than you know!

A little closer to home was Trevor's birthday. Unfortunately, my day was completely booked with a meeting in the morning and a 3 hour Taiko class. It was a long day. I sent Arturo and Trevor out yesterday armed with their Suica cards (for the trains), Robin's cell phone, and my favorite map. They were feeling like some adventure as it was another gorgeous day, and Matt was still in school. I had my cell phone in my pocket all day yesterday, in case they tried to call, but never heard a word. I DID hear about their exploration when I got home, however. At about 5:30 when I arrived, the boys were home hanging around, playing guitars, watching tv, and shooting the breeze.

Here is their adventure: Art and Trev managed to find the moat and the Imperial Grounds, wandered around the large beautiful gardens, and saw the ruins of an Imperial Palace that completely burned down 17 years after it was built, back in the 1600's (I think). Then- uh oh- we tried this once, they looked for food. There's really NOT MUCH in the way of restaurants near the Imperial Grounds. It's mostly business and government offices. So, in their quest for something to fill their bellies, they got lost. Quite lost in fact. They were looking for a metro station, because they had learned from Matt who got them slightly lost on Sunday, that the metro can take you home pretty easily eventually. But they found some strange line that they took to get to another line, to finally make a connection to get back on OUR line. I am guessing it was a learning experience. They said they wern't scared, just tired, and probably HUNGRY, by the time they got home. Last evening, Trevor and Matt donned their new crazy Tokyo clothes and the 3 of them accompanied by Nathan went to Shibuya for some Korean Barbeque and bowling. That was Trevor's 16th birthday. I'm guessing that will be a birthday he won't soon forget.

Monday, stuck with Mamma Ploss

Today is Monday and after my yoga class (I can really feel myself getting stronger and more flexible!!) I took Trevor and Art out on the town. First, we went to Tokyo Tower. Loved it. Beautiful gorgeous clear Buddha-blue sky, and no crowds, no lines, no waiting. It was great. From our great height we could see the American Club right close by, Robin's work building, the Diet building (seat of Japan's government), Yoyogi Park and the Imperial grounds. Mount Fuji was stunning today. I think they were impressed by the enormity of Tokyo. After the tower, we headed up to Asakusa and had lunch. We found a place where lunch cost the boys about $5.50 and mine was about $3.80. Yum. Art is not crazy for sushi or seaweed in his soup it seems. He said at lunch today, "I like to see the ocean, hear the ocean, and smell the ocean, I just don't like to eat the ocean."

I took the boys shopping for gifts to take home and we had fun poking in and out of all the shops up there.

When we made it to the Shrine, it was shortly after 2:00, and the monks were chanting. This was something I had never heard before. It was very interesting to hear. They slide chromatically up and down by half steps a lot as they sing, and at one point they all threw stuff at the alter. I think they may have been throwing strips of paper or flower petals, because these things fluttered and fell. Then one of the monks started beating the huge Taiko drum (Trevor called it the Donkey Kong Drum) and the chanting changed, becoming more rhythmic, pulsating with the drum beat. The place was very busy with people praying and tossing coins. Trevor tossed a coin for me and one for him today.

I have to report that Art and Trevor made excellent good-will ambassadors today. On the train, Trevor hopped up from his seat to make sure an older woman with a cane could sit. When I looked at him and thanked him, he said, "Not all Americans are thoughtless and lazy." Then Art stood and offered his seat to a woman who declined it, but was also impressed by his good manners. I was very proud of them both today. We had a good time.

They have gone back out with Matthew before supper. I suspect they will sleep well tonight!

The very tall. The very small.

Here is a harmless Harajuku person who really really wanted his picture taken with the boys yesterday when they were out.

Mount Fuji, taken from Tokyo Tower which, by the way, is about 6 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Just as we were leaving Tokyo Tower, a chartered bus with young elementary children arrived. All uniformed, all with identical back packs. Very adorable.

Trevor took this picture at Asakusa. Can you find the big pink colored gijin in the picture? That's me.

Then these kids got off the bus...even younger, probably pre-school by our standards. They were fascinated by us because we were taking their picture and I was smiling and waving. The poor teachers were trying to line them up by singing a song with them. There is much emphasis on "staying in line" here.

Reunited, and it feels so good...

The boys from Trumansburg are here! They spent a great day yesterday, traveling around Tokyo on the trains and subways, visited a noisy open air market in Ueno and had a delicious Chinese dumpling lunch. They hit a science museum (although not too hard) and went shopping for an outrageous outfit for Trevor's birthday. Right now 2 are still sleeping, and Art and Robin are jamming on guitars. It's very lovely having them here. Today they are going to check out the youth music culture scene at Yoyogi Park, maybe catch the dancing Elvi and walk the crowed alleyways of Harajuku. I think tonight they sample sushi at our favorite place. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories.

Snow monkeys of Nagano Prefecture

Click on the link below to see the live web cam at the outdoor onsen where the snow monkeys reside. Robin said he would like to see a picture of an onsen with monkeys on the outside, taking pictures of people in the onsen. Apparently, these monkeys are the most photographed in the world.

If you are on the East coast of the US, you should try viewing in the evening or at night.

http://www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp/livecam/monkey/index.htm

Chocolate. Not just for women anymore.

As I've mentioned before, many western holidays are adopted by the Japanese. Valentine's Day is no exception. Here, the day is marked by WOMEN giving chocolates to MEN. These can be men they work for, their husbands, fathers, friends...but the men receive the chocolate gifts. I could speculate why this is so, but I'll keep to the point. When Robin met me at the concert last night, he came bearing a little Satie bag from Mitsukoshi Department Store. In it were the most heavenly chocolates I've ever eaten. They are the ones I used to take around to my friends who also taught in the Middle School, just to watch their faces as the chocolate melted in their mouths! It's really that good. I was pleased that he took the time and made the effort to go out of his way, and told him so with a kiss.
This morning as I was slowly waking up, he sat down on the edge of the bed and described his experience. Apparently, the counter in the store was decorated for women- totally over the top- and when he got there, it was a mob scene. The Japanese women were 3 or 4 deep around the display, all shouting and gesturing as if they were in the bull pit at the NY stock exchange. (They can be very aggressive when they want to be!) They were buying multiple boxes each, some seemed to be buying dozens. The image of my large gaijin husband, quietly making his way through the noisy female throng, to buy one single box of chocolates, is a comical and heart melting one. What a guy.

Eggs and technology

This will be a musing of a bunch of things. First, I took a picture of the egg on the right, sitting alone in it's plastic tray, for Pete. I wanted him to see that some of the eggs here have little stickers placed oh so gingerly on top. The Japanese pride themselves on their fresh eggs. There are many dishes here that include raw egg as a dipping sauce. They crack whole eggs into ramen, on top of rice, or on top of just about anything. Eggs are a big part of their cuisine. When I went out with my friends for dinner and karaoke, one of them said the eggs here are so yellow (and some of them are a deeper, darker yellowish orange than I'm used to) because they are so fresh. I immediately chimed in with my suspicion that it was probably due to the breed and the feed. To make my claim sound more legitimate, I told them all of our family's long-standing relationship with "my friend who is a chicken farmer." They found this to be interesting, and asked everyone at the table that has a friend who is a chicken farmer to raise their hand. When you move in circles such as these (even the ones from Minnesota- and there are oodles of 'em) having chicken farmer friends is an oddity. I proudly raised my hand, and thought warmly and happily of Peter and Joel.

Last night, the boys and I met Robin at the Tokyo Dome to see and hear The Police. Great concert. I had my ear plugs in the whole time (old fuddy duddy!) and thoroughly, comfortably enjoyed the entire concert. There were 25 thousand people there with me. It was amazing to see the sea of heads and arms clapping to the beat. Sting looks fantastic. He's still got the voice. The drummer was amazing. The guitar player hasn't aged quite as well, but he's still got it. The amount of high tech at the concert was fascinating. But really, yesterday it was the technology of Facebook messages that amazed me more.

Around noon yesterday, I sent out several Valentine's messages to some of my friends on Facebook. This would have been at 10:00 p.m. in Trumansburg, prime time for on-line activity for teenagers. I was so completely delighted to hear back from some dear students in a matter of minutes. I feel so connected. I called my Mom and Dad on skype to wish my Dad a Happy Valentine's Day/Happy Birthday, and had a chance to talk to one of their guests, my friend Melinda's Mom. But I already knew they were going to be there, because I had heard about it from Melinda on Facebook. When I think about how it must have been for expats to come to Japan even 20 years ago, it must have seemed like a different world. I know it was a much more isolating experience for them. No skype, no email, no Facebook....how did they ever manage? In some ways maybe it was a better, more authentic immersion into Japanese culture. Sink or swim. But I'll take my technology thanks, and am grateful for the opportunity to blog, skype Chris in Montreal, call Cathryn in the hospital, check the weather in Upstate NY, and stay on top of the news from friends and actually sometimes see their faces while I hear their voices. Very cool. Maybe this is the best of both worlds?

I hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day willed with love and fun. I must sign off now. I need to do some serious grocery shopping today, (perhaps 2 trips!) for Art Sullivan and Trevor Scheer will be here this evening, and will be staying for a week. Genevieve, Art's sister told us we aren't allowed to have TOO MUCH fun without her. So I'll be posting more this week, and will be taking pictures of the guys as they have a cultural experience. Enjoy your winter break, Upstate New Yorkers!

Cheers!

Singing with friends

This picture shows some elementary school boys in their school uniforms, and their $200.00 leather backpacks which all the little children have. The boys wear shorts as part of their uniform- even on the coldest days. I dig their hats. These boys were standing on a train station platform and were particularly noisy. I enjoy the boisterous, happy sounds of children on the trains. It is such a welcome contrast to the almost eerie quiet that is the norm.

Singing with and for my friends...

Last night, I sang in the Brahms Requiem with the Tokyo International Singers and the Tokyo New City Orchestra. It was kinda fun. I have never been a Brahms fan, but I suspect it has to do with not knowing him very well. A good way get to know a composer is through performing their music. Though still not sure if I am a "fan," at least I have an appreciation for his lush, rich harmony, his meandering melodies and the difficulty of his vocal parts! The guy wrote for singers as if they were instrumentalists. The vocal parts are full of difficult intervals, extremes in range, and lots of accidentals. It was a great chance for me to flex my brain muscles. I met some wonderful people from all over the world, and Japan. The best part for me was the number of people I knew who came to the concert- my Taiko buddies, and our teacher, neighbors, some Japanese friends and even some complete strangers: friends of friends. The night turned treacherous as sleet fell and the temperature dropped, but the hall was full and the concert was well received. My most critical critic (Robin) said that our German was pretty good. That's high praise for him. Overall, I'd say that it was a pretty good performance. It's always exciting to perform with an orchestra!

After the performance a few of us went out to a Southwestern themed restaurant called "Stallions" (these places always intrigue me) and celebrated with "nachose" and shrimp quesadillas. Suddenly, a couple of beers and lots of great conversation later, it was 20 minutes to 12:00. The trains stop running shortly after midnight, so we all scrambled out into the slippery night and managed to get the last train to Shibuya, where we caught the last train out to transfer to our line, where we caught the second to last train to our station. I expected the stations to be teeming with people like us, rushing to avoid taxi fares, but it was amazingly calm. It must have been the bad weather. The excitement was all in the voices of the platform "conductors" who were obviously telling passengers that this was the last train, and they'd better move their @$$*$! They were carnie-like in their announcements, very uncharacteristically joyful. Maybe they were happy to finally be done with work, and going home themselves.

I learned something first-hand about the Japanese and gift giving. There were 3 couples of people I gave tickets to, as gifts: Moko my Taiko instructor, our neighbors, the Kimura-sans, and a piano teacher I've never met, but who teaches the daughter of Robin's boss. Last night when I got home, Moko had sent me an email, apologizing for not bringing me a gift, and offered to bring me another Taiko T-shirt to class on Tuesday. Today, I received an email from the piano teacher (who didn't even make it to the concert) inviting me out for lunch. And then tonight, our doorbell rang, and standing at the door was Mrs. Kimura, holding a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and speaking rapidly telling me something I couldn't understand, except I did pick out the word for "beautiful." So it's true. When you give gifts in Japan, expect a hasty reciprocation.

Winter boots, anyone?

These girls were on the midnight train. They were headed out into the inches of slush eventually... but I have to wonder what their shoes looked like by the time they got home.

Spaaaaaaah!

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a stay at a spa resort. It was on Thursday-Friday. My 3 friends, Connie, Terry and Marie all signed up as well. It was to be Terry's birthday celebration. Unfortunately, Terry caught a nasty bug, and had to stay home. So it was with a feeling of disappointment that we met at Shinagawa station on Thursday morning.

There were 7 of us. The tour was arranged by Sandy I., an American woman who loves to travel and explore new places and does this for a living now. She used to teach English in a small town near Hakone. We caught a special high speed train to the Izu penninsula (the same area that Nathan traveled to in the Fall) and stayed at a spa resort complete with pool, hot tub, indoor and outdoor onsen, spa services, relaxation room, restaurant and gorgeous views overlooking the ocean.

At the first train station stop on our way, we sat on the edge of a foot bath onsen. Took off our shoes, socks and just soaked. Ahhh...There was an older Japanese couple who at one point were highly amused by something we did. Then off to the next stop before the spa. We had lunch at a very interesting stained glass museum. The building was reminicent of a small European church or castle. Inside there were pictures of famous stained glass windows, lots of actual stained glass windows, prints, paintings of European scenes and other reproductions. It was a very strange place to be. There was a chapel with an English pipe organ (I think it was a tracker organ- for those of you who care) from 1902 and we had the opportunity to hear a short concert. We got to hear one of the "Little" Prelude and Fugues, the slow and beautiful theme from Holst's Jupiter (From The Planets), Pachelbel's Canon, and other light pieces. While I was sitting and listening to the organ, I looked around at the ornate paintings on the walls of icons of Christianity- Christ ascending in the clouds, Mary, angels, Saints, and thought to myself, "This is so weird." Here in the middle of a Shinto/Confucian nation is this little Disney-esque "Wee Europe." We had some conversation about this and I found out that the majority of Japanese don't have passports, and that there are places like this to satisfy their curiosity about the world without ever actually having to leave their homeland. Actually the same is true in the US. Most of the population does not have passports. Think about theme parks and Disney World. I am sure you can find people in lederhosen, serving bratwurst at those places on any given day. But I digress.

So after that interesting lunchtime excursion, we headed off to the spa. I had the first massage, which I was looking forward to eagerly. I have been carrying knots in my shoulders from Peter Pan- and that was a year ago! I have had them with me for so long, I have given them names. The woman who interviewed me before the massage was very nice, but she had very little English, and I had about as much Japanese, so after much smiling, hand signals, nodding, and apologizing on my part, we determined that I was healthy, and the SHE would choose the scented oil. One of the best massages I've ever had.

After that I was a puddle. We had a great Japanese dinner with many little dishes of tasty (and unidentifyable) little portions, veggies and seafood cooked in broth over our own sterno burner, deep fried whole fish, sake, rice, the usual fare. After dinner- the onsen.

I have been here for almost 6 months and have not sought out an onsen experience. I was very impressed that my sister in law and niece tried the onsen in Nikko while they were here. For you see, it involves getting naked in front of strangers, which until I actually did it, seemed like a big huge scary thing. It's no big thing. We wore our yukata down to the locker room. We washed with soap, sitting on little stools in front of a mirror, before entering the hot bath. I immediately went for the outside bath. It was after dark, the stars were out and the view, if you sat up high enough, was out over the ocean to the islands beyond. There were some twinkly lights out across the water, there was a nice cold breeze to cool us off and the water was the perfect temperature. The only thing better would have been to have some sake to drink while we lounged. Something to remember for next time. Then-upon returning to our suite, I was so relaxed, I was afraid I would forget to breathe. I was the first person in bed. Connie, Marie and I were chatting, and I just fell asleep. So off I went.

The second day was sunny and clear. We visited more small museums, including an antique jewelry place where we could have our picture taken with old-fashioned dresses. Everyone was joking about putting on the dresses, but I said- "Absolutely! I'm game." So we all did. I looked particularly hideous. So much so that the Japanese women who were helping us chuckled and brought out an ugly looking hair piece to add to my look. Just awful, but funny. I love funny, so it was all good.

As I write this, I am on my couch. The Super Bowl is on, it's Monday, and the Tokyo Corning office is pretty empty this morning as everyone is watching the game. Robin and I are here enjoying time together. There was a serious reminder that came from the boys' High School Office- saying something like, "Staying home from school on Monday to watch the Super Bowl will be an unexcused absence." Ouch. Too bad, sports fans.