The Boys Play American Football

A month or so back Mio heard from a friend that someone she knew was coaching American Flag Football for kids. We checked it out and found out that the practices are happening about 5 minutes away at the college. The college has an American Football team that is highly ranked in the Japan college league. The boys get to practice on the college's artificial turf! Here are some pics.

You'll notice Michael in the Ducks' jersey. He has been practicing as a quarterback. He also has done some practicing as a receiver since he can catch the coach's 50 yard passes!

Slippers in the Office???

Slippers in the office??? You gotta be crazy. Who would wear slippers in a business office? After all, an office is not a place to rest and relax.

Well, actually, it is very common for folks to slip into slippers or sandals when arriving at the office. This gives the feet and the shoes a break from the unrelenting humidity that starts in April and lasts into October/November.

Personally, I thought I would never break down and wear slippers or sandals in the office. Well, I've broken down and done the unthinkable. Here are my office slippers. After 2 weeks I still feel very self-conscious, but I have to admit that they are very comfortable and it's nice not to have hot, sweaty feet all day. I'm sure my shoes are happier to!

Flower Arranging

Mio has enjoyed taking a flower arranging class at the local library. The Japanese have a great passion for flower arranging. Here is one of Mio's latest creations.

The Latest Train Casualty

Early on in the blog I described the morning commute in Tokyo. Michael has coined the phrase ‘raisin train’ since the people riding the trains are like raisins in a box, touched and squished on all sides.

Here are a couple of pictures from the web of how crowded some trains can get. The platform workers serve many functions, like making sure people get off/on the trains safely, no one gets caught in the doors, baggage doesn’t get caught in the doors, no one falls off the platforms and onto the tracks, and shoving as many people onto the trains as possible.

I often take some fruit to work to eat as a snack in the afternoon. I learned early on that I must put the fruit in a plastic bag as some days the trains are really crowded and whatever is in my bag may be subjected to considerable pressure. In other words, some days my bag gets squished pretty hard and whatever is inside is at risk. On this particular day my banana took the fall, becoming the latest train casualty. I probably lose one banana ever other month, so it is not too bad.

Spring Dust Clouds

While visiting a customer the other day in their 24th floor offices, I noticed that Tokyo was looking a lot like LA. There was a pale haze hovering over the entire city. This seemed very unusual as Tokyo normally looks quite clear. No one in the meeting seemed to be able to explain what we were seeing.

Later that day or the next day I heard from the news that Japan was being covered by a dust cloud coming from China’s Gobi Desert. The dust blows across Korea, the Japan Sea, and to Japan. It seems that every few years this happens. It hasn’t happened for quite a few years and this year seems to be a particularly dusty year. Some say it is a result of overworking the land like the US did back in the 30’s, resulting in the Dust Bowl Years.

Here’s a picture from the web of the dust rising out of the Gobi Desert in China.

Cherry Blossoms

Here are some pictures of local cherry blossoms. The 2 neighborhoods on either side of ours had cherry blossom festivals. Because these are small neighborhood events, the vendors are local vendors/boosters. They had food and game booths and some entertainment. Neighborhood festivals are fun because they add individual character to the neighborhood.

Also included is a picture of Tommy playing soccer. He started recently and really seems to enjoy it. It’s Tommy’s first sport.