Christmas just got Merrier.

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I think I should have timed this better. I'm sitting here now in a house with the water turned off. I could of slept for another 20 minutes! But I couldn't sleep.

Night posting

I just read an email from my brother from three hours ago and he should just about be on a plane by now. Me? I'm going to bed. In the morning I will just have to throw the last couple of things into my suitcase, shut off the water and eat something. After rushing around all week I managed to sneak off to badminton tonight. Best stress relief ever and free. Plus now I am very tired and will sleep for sure.

Meanwhile here in Shikaoi...

Just thought I'd quickly post this picture that represents what's been going on in my neck of the woods. It's such a nice day here today. Slushy snow everywhere. A warm Sun. The forcast for Tokyo is even better.

Murderball

As a special treat for the students before the winter break to reward their hard work, I reached back into my hazy memories of elementary school and organized a game of Murder-ball. One of my favorite things from elementary school. All the students are anxious about the approaching holidays so not much was going to get done anyway. There is not too much to explain because the games basically work the same way. One of the biggest differences is that if the ball is caught, the other person is out. That elicited a big "eh?" from the students. I think it went over really well, the kids were thrilled and soon the gym was filled with calls of "Pass! Pass!" and "Safe!" So I guess the short description is that I played dodge-ball all morning. My afternoon is filled with chasing loose ends, making sure everything runs smoothly while I'm away.

Rolling along

Why does the world work this way? For a change, I have lots to do in the office, but some like law of nature, people keep coming by to say hi. My students. Other town workers. I mean, I like to visit, but everyone could see my desk was covered with papers. I take it as a sign my Japanese is now good enough to chat casually with people waiting. With some sadness I am faced today with my last badminton game until the new year. Great group of guys and gals but I keep getting waxed by people born with rackets in their hands. Still, everyone tries to keep the teams fair and the focus is on friendly, but intense, game-play. I have yet to take any bad feelings off the court with me. The closest I have come was getting nailed in the middle of my forehead last week. That hurt.

Delivery

Sometimes I really love this country. Take for instance the book I bought off Amazon.jp last week. I got an email that it shipped Friday morning and it arrived with a knock at my door Sunday afternoon. Where else is the world is there still delivery to your door Sunday afternoon? Everything here is still progressing at break neck speed toward my brother's arrival. Even though at the moment the office is very quiet.

One Week. An Important post.

A fairly significant point was reached today; it’s one week from today that I will be meeting my younger brother in the heart of Tokyo to start a two-week trip that will cover Kyoto, Osaka, Shikaoi and Sapporo. I will spare the readers any sappy details I have about finally being able to wrap my arms around a family member after such a long period and instead focus on the amazing and special meeting we have planned.

In Tokyo there is a very famous meeting point outside Shibuya Station at the statue of loyal dog Hachiko and this is where we plan to meet. A spot where famous actresses date major league baseball players, news reports broadcast from, rock music videos are shot at, politicians campaign from and charities fight over. Despite this however, Shibuya barely raises its collective head and keeps bustling along like a bloody force of nature. This is rooted in the square’s surroundings. Tip you head up for a change and giant towers covered with neon signs obscure the sky. People coming. People going. Frantic people. Foreign people. Everywhere everything moving. It’s is own type of drug in a dream-like scene of modern Japan. It’s bound to spark thoughts such as, “So this is where everyone is.” Certainly not for the faint of heart. Take for instance “Shibuya Scramble” adjacent to the square. Here, every three minutes like clock work—or like a tide—thousands at a time cross the street. Taking it over for a moment and then retreating. After exploring Shibuya, going home to places like Calgary and Edmonton seem rural and pedestrian. Supposed international cities like New York and London look like Amish colonies. And remember to add a dash of outlandish Japanese behaviour. One doesn’t quite know what to expect. Shibuya is probably not a place I would like to live, but it sure is fun to visit.

I am honestly worried that my brother’s head is going to explode when he arrives. Seeing it on Google maps is not the same as standing there. Locating someone in the square is also probably easier said than done as well. I think this is going to be one of the most memorable meetings we could ever imagine.

Chicago Deep Dish Pringles

Beautiful day here. Nice and sunny. Piles of slush everywhere. It's like we've gone straight to Spring.

For the record, normally I am very hesitant to try new and wierd sounding foods. But this week, curiosity got the better of me and I bought some Chicago Dish Deep flavored Pringles. (It maybe hard to see this from the image.) I don't know if they have this flavor in North America. I doubt it, but then again I'm out of the loop as to what's on Canadian store shelves at the moment. My conclusion; it's taste doesn't really resemble Chicago deep dish. Well, maybe to those who have never tried Chicago deep dish it does. I ended up not even finishing the can.