Back Home

We arrived home after a short taxi ride, dumped our luggage then walked to the back of the house to see the devastation of our dogs.

Isn't it fitting that this blog ends where it began... with our dogs?!

The back room was covered in dust. Since it had been raining in LA after we left the dogs tracked in tons of dust from the backyard. They were all filthy but happy to see us.

We spent a few hours cleaning the back room, back yard and kitchen. Then I took the dogs to get a bath at the local Petco.

I am trying to stay awake until night. Otherwise I will suffer the most horrid jet lag....

At LAX... again

Well, today we returned to the U.S.

The three of us caught a subway to the Kansai New Airport and checked in. Misato and I had only three bags since we came to Japan with one bag filled with gifts and the intention of leaving it behind for my mother in laws visit to LA in December.

The airport workers asked that Misato and I open two of our three bags. A Homeland Security request they told my wife. We were checked in within a few minutes.

Afterwards we waited for Ross to check in at the JAL counter then went downstairs for a quick meal of soba noodles. Then we departed for our respective gates and said goodbye.

The flight was good. The plane was new and spacious (although I could not get an emergency seat!) but the movies were the same. And we departed on time! Same movies but that was okay.

Later in the flight I was looking over at someone else's monitor as they were watching "Madagascar." I was struck by just how poor the animation was. Not appalling but rather amateurish, as if someone had learned the new trick of "snappy animation" but not how to use it prudently.

Oh well, luckily there is often no correlation between the quality of a movie and the box office... look at how well Episode 3 did! Not the "Madagascar" sucked. It was a bit unnerving to watch it a second time.

I, of course, failed to get any sleep on the flight. We landed without incident but Misato was diverted to a second station to clear up some sort of Green Card issue. Nothing major. I grabbed all of our bags in the meantime just in time to meet her, then we waited for the Fly Away bus back to the valley.

The first thing I was struck by was the wall to wall traffic on the 405 north. Makes one miss a functioning public transportation system.

New TV For Hayashi-sama!

After much deliberation at Yodobashi depaato we bought a new Sharp 15 inch LCD television for her. The size was right for her she felt and the brightness was great.

Ross had wandered into an adjacent room where they had several screens and projectors on display. Most of them looked incredible and cost around $2000. Hmmm.

We put the television in a looker in the subway station then went upstairs to eat at one of Hayashi-sama's favorite restaurants. But the katsu restaurant had just closed!

So we went back to the basement and found another katsu restaurant. Ross and I had to once again resort to telling Misato which of the display plates we wanted. So we all ate our dinner and drank our Asahi beers (all of us except Hayashi-sama).

We retreived the contents from the locker and boarded the train, which was packed by the time it left Osaka Station. Luckily, a kind young man stood up and gave his seat to Hayashi-sama, much to the embarrassment of his two buddies who kept their seats. Although Ross and I could not see them we could hear them all engaged in what sounded like a fun conversation.

Once back at the condo we gave Ross his bag back (we had taken it with us when we returned from Tokyo). He left shortly thereafter; Misato was exhausted and had passed the threshold of being irritated.

I hooked the new television which Hayashi-sama has been watching ever since! I think the size will work out great and hopefully help to lower her electricity bill as well (utilities are expensive in Japan). I am glad that she likes it!

A Day of Chores

Today is Halloween in the United States!

Misato woke up pretty early this morning, since it was going to be a full day. Her mother was already out somewhere. Later we learned that Hayashi-sama went out for a morning stroll. During her walk she stopped to admire some flowers which so happened to be in front of a Christian church. They invited her in, gave her some simple computer lessons, a bible then invited her to return again.

She handed me the bible to read later on that morning.

I had intended to sleep in since I still have not been sleeping well. But Ross called and asked to come over; he needed help trying to arrange a tour in Kyoto. He was going off on his own again this morning since we would be preoccupied here in Osaka.

So I got up and showered. Ross came over and Misato gave him some instructions before she had to rush out to meet Noriko again. She was going to help Noriko book a trip to Los Angeles in late December. Hopefully Hayashi-sama will travel along with them.

After breakfast Hayashi-sama and I caught a train to meet Misato at the Osaka City Hall. We waited close to 30 minutes before she arrived, but they still had time to fill out the paperwork and make their appointment. They were meeting a lawyer to talk about inheritance and the Japanese taxation system..

After that we went to a depaato to buy a bookcase and a chair for Hayashi-sama to sit on while putting on her shoes at the entry way. We could not find either, so we returned to the condo and met Ross, who had returned from Kyoto.

Misato did not return to the condo with us but walked to the dojo instead. Once she returned we left for Yodobashi.

Nanzenji Shrine

We ended our last trip to Kyoto with a walk through Nanzenji Temple. This is a large compound with multiple buildings and an aqueduct. Although I had visited there during my last trip to Japan there was still quite a bit I had not seen.

Initially we were going to go to the top of the main temple but, running out of time, decided to visit a temple whose walls were decorated with old paintings.

There was a gorgeous rock garden inside with several rooms, closed to visitors but you could see inside, looking out over this garden. The floor to ceiling paintings on the walls were still quite vivid despite being old. The subjects consisted of tigers and landscapes and samurai and everyday folk.

And the landscape surrounding the temple was, of course, serene and beautiful. Such an old and beautiful city. They've laws prohibiting the building of sky scapers above a certain height, in order to preserve the existing look of this hallmark city.

The sun was just about to set below the surrounding mountains but I managed to capture a nice picture of the pinkish clouds catching the last bits of red sunlight on their edges.

After leaving Nanzenji we walked down narrow stone-paved streets then jumped on a bus for a short ride to Gion. We went to the Craft Center then walked down the street toward the side streets. We noticed several people lining one street were were on then saw the object of their attention; a geisha and maiko were entering a taxi. I tried to snap a photo also but they looked annoyed and in a hurry.

A moment later another geisha and maiko pair walked past us and into a restaurant. I snapped a blurry picture of them and both Misato and I swore that one of them was the young girl in the documentary "Geisha" we have at home.

We returned to the main street and into a pickle store. Misato bought some pickles for Yoko-san, our surrogate step-sister who has and still helps us so much. Then we returned to Osaka, priced some small tv sets at Yodobashi deepato then caught the elevator up to the food court. We all decided to eat om-rice; an omelette stuffed with rice over gravy. Mine had a ground beef patty on top smothered in hayashi sauce. Ross' had chicken katsu on top but Misato's was plain.

Ross and I made the mistake of ordering medium size; we did not believe the waitress when she told us that what we saw in the window display were all small sizes. We could not finish what we had ordered.

Then we went home and I went to sleep.

Wabi-Sabi Temple Tour - Silver Temple

Another bus to the Silver Temple, this time passing by the art college Misato had attended years back.

We got off the bus after a short ride and looked for a place to eat. Misato remembered a very good soba restaurant that she used to go to when she lived in Kyoto, so we walked there. Just before going inside a large black luxury car pulled up and a hard looking man with a shaved head and wearing sunglasses got out of the car; it was an overcast day. He had a young, pretty woman with him.

I could tell by the look, the driver who stood beside the car and the way Misato stiffened slightly that he was yakuza, or yakitori-ya (the code word Misato and I came up with a few nights ago). Misato also whispered that he actually had a sticker with the name of his group on the back windshield.

We sat at the counter, sparing ourselves the unbearable pain of sitting cross-legged in the traditional style, as others were doing. Too tall and inflexible for that.

The soba was great! They gave each of us a bowl of their soup, a platter of veggies to add to the soup and a plate of warm soba noodles for dipping into the soup. Ross commented that he had not eaten anything bad yet. He mentioned several days before that he had not been crazy over the kushikatsu, but liked it nonetheless.

After lunch Misato chatted with the owners of the restaurant briefly then we walked to the Silver Temple. The building itself looked quite old and weathered; completely lacking the brilliance of the Gold Temple but matching it in majesty.

But the grounds were amazingly beautiful and serene! Thickly forested hills bordered the large compound and there were at least a couple of dozen types of moss grown there; there was a display showing the various mosses there.

Once again we all walked slowly through the grounds, admiring the trees & moss, taking in the sounds of the waterfalls and, yes, snapping dozens of photos.

On the way out Ross bought a package of incense. He had been talking about buying incense since we first went to Kiyomuzi Temple.

Wabi-Sabi Temple Tour - Gold Temple

We exited the bus and walked to the Gold Temple. The walk through the grounds was quite beautiful; the leaves were just beginning to change colors and the grounds were magnificent. I could not stop snapping photographs. Ross and I commented that it is difficult indeed to take a bad photograph in the temples of Kyoto.

The Gold Temple was very pretty, sitting in the middle of the north shore of a small serene lake. Misato commented that some Japanese had been upset when the gold facade had been updated, but why complain since this was the original color of the temple? Would they have not liked it then, if they lived during the time when it was originally built? Better to renovate it than lose it forever to decay.

The grounds were large so we walked slowly through them, taking tons of pictures of course. At one spot there was a small stone statue with a stone bowl and hundreds of coins at the base of these two things. Misato explained that you would be granted a wish if you tosses a coin into the bowl. I tried once but did not make it. I tried again, inadvertently skipping the coin off the pile in front of the bowl... and it bounced in! I had wished that we move to Japan and have a child.

There was another small lake with a tea house built for one of the shoguns overlooking it. A few pathways had been roped off, so I can only imagine what beautiful things we were not able to see. But what we could see was all magnificent.

Bus Ride Through Kyoto

Misato and I had planned to wake up early, leave for Kyoto with Ross at around 9AM then we would return in the early evening to continue working in the condo. Well, the morning did not quite work out that way.

We did not wake up early, with me leaving to meet Ross at the hotel at around 10AM. We were to meet Misato at the subway station at 10:15AM, giving her time to visit the dojo here in Osaka (a 10 minute walk from her condo).

Ross and I waited at the station and Misato finally arrived just before 11AM. She confessed that she had not even made it to the dojo! So we boarded a train, transferred at Shin-Osaka then made our way to Kyoto Station.

Once there we went to a bank to get some cash, but this particular branch did not accept any of our atm cards. The security guard somewhat rudely directed us out and exclaimed "Post office," so we walked a block down the street and used the atms there, with success.

Then we waited for a bus that would take us to the Gold Temple, toward the north of Kyoto. Misato was a bit lost for a while but we finally made it onto the bus which became incredibly crowded after a while. A bunch of students who had apparently failed their college entrance exams were all going to a continuation school and since they all boarded and exited at the same stations the overload was relieved as quickly as it was created.

At one station a rather dirty and disheveled middle aged man got on the bus and began talking in rather good English to Ross. He asked if Ross had been to Santa Monica then turned to me and asked if I was American also. He also asked if I was in the Navy, something I have been asked before and I assume most Japanese think when they see me. I thought then to make a tshirt which in Japanese read "No, I am not in the Navy!"

He seemed quite intelligent and well educated, but his clothes, while nice, were not clean and he was missing a lens from the right side of his glasses. Misato conjectured that he had perhaps been a worker who simply cashed out on society due to the extreme stresses during the Bubble Economy and subsequent recession.

After our goodbyes he left our the back door, apparently not paying his bus fare of 220 yen. It was very interesting to meet him.

Bead Lessons

Misato and I met Noriko and one of her girlfriends at a kissaten in Osaka. The woman was quite talented at creating beaded jewelry and since Misato is becoming more and more interested in this, Noriko was kind enough to arrange a meeting between them.

I sat quietly while she showed Misato how to make certain pieces of beaded jewelry that my wife had seen and liked. Some of it was very intricate and difficult.

This woman was very nice and obviously patient. Misato was having a great time!

Later, we bought some small cakes for her and her daughter as a small expression of our appreciation.

Mikijo

After the beads lesson we boarded the subway train for the long ride to the far north-west of Kyoto to meet her cousin Mikiyo and his family, including his father the Tokugawa who lived with them.

Mikiyo had wanted us to come Saturday evening and stay the night, but Misato said that she was too busy. He then ask that she forget the beads lesson and come earlier on Sunday so that we could spend more time together.

We needed to transfer to another train and there was a girl running and jumping and yelling loudly on the platform. Quite unusual in Japan and she obviously had a learning or mental disability. No one minded her, which was good. And she seemed to be having a great time playing around. Luckily, she lives in a country where she can safely ride the trains all by herself with minimal worries that someone might harm her or otherwise take advantage of her.

We finally exited the subway station after Misato called Yoshiyuki for directions, but we still managed to get lost and go the wrong way. It was late and she called again, this time we exited and Mikiyo was there waiting for us. We jumped in his new Mercedes (gotta love the health insurance system in Japan!) and he drove us to their new home.

Yoshiyuki and his girlfriend were there; she is a very cute young woman. His sister, her husband and their 3 month old son were also there from Osaka, where they now live. Mikiyo is quite the happy grandfather and spent a lot of time with his grandson.

After dinner I ask Mikiyo is he could give us a tour of their house, which he was glad to do. There was a bedroom and small living room downstairs for the grandparents. A large open kitchen adjacent to the main living room, a bath tub & shower and another bathroom with a toilet. All the rooms were spacious.

Up a steep set staircase and there were four bedrooms. All between 6 and 7 tatami in size. A nice and spacious house. The Tokugawa and Misato's other aunt are lucky in that their children have upheld their social contract and taken their again parents into their homes.

Since it was Sunday night and everyone had to work the next morning, some of them traveling close to an hour to do so, Misato and I left just before 11PM. Yoshiyuki drove us to the subway station, we said our goodbyes and then we boarded a train back to Osaka.

Once near her condo we stopped at a ramen-ya and ate once again. We really had not eaten that much at Mikiyo's house.

Dinner with the Fujimori Family

Misato and I took a train to an area of Osaka I had never been to before. We exited the station and waited in line for a street-level train that would take us nearer to the restaurant we were meeting Noriko and her family at.

The line to board the next cable car had grown quite long and it seemed that an unusual amount of time had passed since the last car departed. So Misato set off to call Noriko to let her know that we might be a little late and also to ask the station employee when the next car would arrive.

Misato came back after a long time (I was worried that the car would come and she would still be away) and informed me that there had been an accident. I had not noticed the auto traffic also backing up on the streets. Soon after the station employee walked forward and made this news available to everyone waiting. So we all filed away.

Misato called Noriko once again and they made arrangements to meet us somewhere else. So we boarded the subway train and Noriko met us nearby in her car once we exited the station. She dropped us off at the entrance of the restaurant and Misato and I entered while she parked the minivan.

Fujimura-san and his children, Taki and Takaki, were waiting inside and had already started eating.

Taki is their 12 year old daughter. She is very tall (as tall as my wife but thinner), fashionable and a very pretty young girl. Her father is encouraging her to start a small business of her own in an attempt to instill a sense of independence and business savvy at an early age. Quite admirable of Mr. Fujimura. Takaki is their younger son and he is quite shy but nice. I really like this family a lot.

We ate many small dishes and Fujimura-san ordered bottle after bottle of sake, despite the fact that his wife wanted him to curtail his drinking. I stopped counting after the 7th bottle and was getting quite wasted. I have to admit that I was glad when the restaurant kindly informed us that they would be closing soon. It was already an hour past closing time but since Mr. Fujimura was a longtime customer they let us stay a lot longer than we should have.

They dropped us off at the station and we returned home. I did not sleep well that night.

Condo Cleanup

This morning we all woke up and worked at changing the condo around. This meant sorting through all the items Hayashi-sama had accumulated over the years and decided what could & should be thrown out to make space. Not only was there quite a bit to go through, but Hayashi-sama was remiss to throw out anything.

Misato started in the bathroom but we found that we reach a point where we could not do anymore. Then we moved to the kitchen and actually accomplished quite a bit. We removed the large television & broke down the wire stand upon which it sat. Misato also sorted through a ton of books and magazines which she had kept at the bottom of this stand for years.

We found a great photo of Misato taken during one of her runway jobs. She was wearing a black cloak and hook, the surroundings were dark and her white face was the only thing illuminated in the photo. It was gorgeous in a Goth sort of way.

Once this space was empty we sorted through the items in the storage units in front of the refrigerator. With everything removed Misato sorted through it all (Hayashi-sama has way too many dishes for her actual needs) while I moved the three units into the area where the wire tv stand had been. I also moved a matching unit from the living room into the same area.

We are going to buy a smaller tv for that area and the overall change has opened up the kitchen & dining area considerably. We still need to do work in the living room. Of course it would be great if we all spent a month or so going through the entire condo. I would like to sort through everything and try to create an environment where Hayashi-sama does not have to bend down so much. That is when she gets dizzy, bending down then standing up too quickly. It would also be great to install some bars in the bathroom for her to use also.

I've tried to convince Misato to stay in Japan a extra few days but nothing doing. She promises to return to Japan with her mother (who is coming to LA for a visit in December).

Out and About

Didn`t sleep well last night; long story.

After breakfast I decided to head out to Yodobashi by myself this morning. I had intended to trek to Shinsaibashi but it is raining lightly and my wife`s aunt is dropping by from Kyoto in an hour.

Just wanted to get out of the condo for a bit. Time to head back so that I will be there before her aunt arrives. We also have a dinner engagement with Noriko and her husband Fujimori san later tonight...

Sushi in Kobe

Can you believe it?! Almost two weeks in Japan and today was our first sushi meal. Well, not so for my wife; she managed to sneak out for a sushi lunch with her girlfriend Noriko. Remember the day that Ross and I were lost throughout Osaka?

My wife, my giri no haha, and I caught the train to Kobe then a taxi to the Tai Den sushi restaurant. Their doors opened at 11:30AM for lunch. It was 11AM and there was already a line of people outside. This place is supposed to be excellent and since they only have a small counter folks are willing to wait for a seat.

Fortunately, we were near the front of the line so we got a seat at the end of the counter. There were three sushi chefs; our seemed to be the youngest (but middle aged) and the other two ascending in age. The chef furthest from us moved with a rhythm that was almost like an odd sort of dance as he made sushi. I have seen this before but it was never so fun as watching him move. And his face was almost cartoon-like.

My wife, who had been there many times before, sat us all down then told the chef to serve up everything from "here" to the end of the counter! I got the full two pieces of nigiri while my wife and her mother shared one piece each.

Well, it was all incredible. They served things like ika with uni on top. It was all good and a fear began to creep over me knowing that my wife would eat and eat and eat given how good everything was.

I escaped with a nominal bill and a full stomach. We grabbed a small coffee down the road then caught the train to the Osaka station. We went to the bank to exchange some U.S. dollars for Yen and Misato and her mother spoke with a banker about an estate planning service.

Throughout the trip we have been reminded how old her mother is getting and how alone Hayashi-sama is. I feel confident that I could re-enter the U.S. CG workforce if absent for a few years in Japan. Worst case is that I become fairly proficient in Japanese then transition to fulltime teaching if I cannot find work at a studio after a few years.

But I believe my wife should spend as much time as she can with her mother. Even if we are in Tokyo and her mother is in Osaka it would allow us to visit much more often. Also, my mother in law, like her daughter, is a very strong-willed woman. Her siblings have all but given up trying to tell her to do "this" or to do "that" for her safety and well-being. But her daughter has no such qualms. So over time we can help her out little by little, coaxing Hayashi-sama to change certain things and fixing her condo so that it is more efficient, safe and livable.

I am fairly confident I can get a job here in Japan. It will not pay as well but if we can both work then it will be fine. Lots of logistics to take care of; renting or eventually selling the house in Los Angeles. Taking care of three large dogs in a small apartment or condo in Tokyo. But nothing insurmountable if this is what we decide to do.

A Tad Bit Lost

Although I have internet access here in Osaka, some sites only display in Japanese making them all but inaccessible to me... Blogger is one such site. I have only gotten to this point by guessing at what the menus say, mainly through sheer luck and recollection of button placement.

Well... yesterday my wife, mother in law and I went to Kobe to walk around a bit then grab lunch. Kobe is filled with a lot of nice new buildings, mainly becase most of them were damaged beyond repair during the last large earthquake.

We all arrived at Dai-Ten sushi just after 11AM. They open their doors for lunch at 11:30 but there were already a few folks in line ahead of us! This place is supposed to be great and since they only have a small counter it is good to get there early.

Believe it or not this was my first sushi meal while in Japan! And yes, it was GREAT! Not only was the food excellent but one of the chefs moved with a funny, dance-like manner when he assembled his sushi creations. It was fun to watch; tasty and entertaining!

After a bit more walking (we were all stuffed and the walk did us all good) and a stop for coffee we stopped at Yodobashi (were I am now). Misato went off to get some information on... something... and I sat at the icafe checking my email. While outside I soon found myself in a conversation with a couple young nihonjin; one a guy studying Economics and the other a young woman studying English. Her friend was forcing her to flex her language skills, and she spoke English a lot better than I spoke Japanese.

I learned that she will move to Tokyo in a few months and begin working as a JAL flight attendant once she has completed her degree. They asked me my thoughts and impressions of Japan in general and the Kansei area in particular. We talked for quite a long time then when it was time for them to go they asked to take a some pictures with me.

Hayashi-sama went home ahead of us while Misato bought some meats for dinner tonight. While she was shopping I looked for the post office, or yubinkyookyu, which was also in the basement. The door I found was locked but a young woman also heading to the post office offered to guide me there. Along the way we added tow more young women to our posse.

After mailing the postcards to my family I found my wife, she shopped a little longer then we returned to the condo and cooked dinner at home.

Taking It Easy

We didn't have much of a plan this morning. During breakfast Misato and her mother decided to go to a government office so that they could clarify some family matters. Misato and I went ahead by taxi with the intent of grabbing a ticket (they call you by your ticket number) then her mother would arrive a little later.

Although they had called ahead Misato learned that the expert on what she needed to ask questions about was not there that day. So she called the main government office in Osaka and made an appointment on a specific date.

Then we met her mother at Osaka eki so that I could go to the large book store there and then we would eat lunch. I bought a handful of books to help me learn Japanese. A vocabulary book arranged by topic, workbooks for the books we are using in my Japanese classes in LA and a couple of small kanji books.

I encouraged my mother-in-law to buy some books. Reading, conversation and games are all good for the again mind. Of course she declined. Perhaps Misato will just buy her some books before we leave.

We ate lunch at a soba restaurant at the top of one of the buildings nearby.Then the shopping began!

I bought a Hanshin Tiger's baseball cap. Although they had just lost the Japanese World Series the city was still excited and the Hanshin corporation was having a major sale in their department store to show their appreciation to their fans. My wife bought some more beads and the woman in that section gave her some instructions on how some of the display pieces that my wife liked were made. If you still have problems they offered free classes at a later date.

My wife and mother-in-law spent over an hour shopping; closer to two hours. I sat down on a bench and began reading the Harper's magazine I bought a little earlier. They eventually returned with a couple of pairs of pants and a winter jacket for Hayashi-sama. Apparently she is not only stubborn ("No, I don't need another winter jacket.") but, once she concedes, she can be quite picky. So it took a while.

My mother-in-laws combination of stubbornness, impatience and picky taste feels like looking in a mirror and seeing what my wife's personality will be like in 30 years. Luckily, I've an almost diametrically opposing and complementary personality ("Sure, whatever.").

We returned to the station near her home and decided to drop our bags off at the condo and go back to the okonomiyaki restaurant. On the way back we passed a long, black luxury car with a couple of guys in dark suits (not uncommon) and sunglasses (odd, given that it was quite dark out by now). Once we were a good distance away I leaned over and whispered 'Yakuza?' to Misato. She was livid and shushed me immediately.

She said that they were low-level yakuza, the kind that like to cause trouble and extort money from hapless passersby.

After dropping off our bags I grabbed the golf ball & tee sets I had bought from the studio. The couple which owns the okonomiyaki-ya are avid golfers and we wanted to give them a small gift.

By the time we made it back to the condo we were all exhausted. I read a little more from the Harper's then went to bed.