www.snowmanjapan.net

Snowman Japan Web Log

for December 2006

NOTE:  The OBJECTIVE of this BLOG is to help my students with their study of English.

AND

For all of you, out there, around the world to;

SEE HOKKAIDO

2006 December 31 Sunday.

2006 December 30 Saturday.

I received a surprise visit from the mother of one of my students this morning at about 9:00.   She delivered a gift of homemade kimchi キムチ and also some Korean shochu 焼酎 to my front door.   Her daughter has been coming to my classroom for almost 5 years now, and will be graduating from junior high school in March of 2007.   Therefore, her mother is very concerned about which high school her daughter can get into, and what her life will become in the future.  I am concerned as well.   We had a rather long conversation about it this morning.   To make a long story short, it appears as if this young girl will not be heading to a college or university here in Japan.  Therefore, what are her real options 3 years from now.    Learn English well enough to attend a college in an English speaking country?  Doubtful.  When she first started coming to my classroom as an elementary school student, she attended twice a week, every week.   As she got older year by year, she came less frequently, about once a week, almost every week.  After she entered junior high school, she joined the tennis club, and as a result, had less time to come to my classroom.  I would only see her about once or twice a month.   Finally, as 2006 dawned upon humanity, I would see her only once every 4 to 6 weeks.  Clearly, she was not taking advantage of her FREE opportunity to learn English at my classroom.  What is she really interested in doing?    Then, about 4 or 5 months ago, she brought a very large and colorful pamphlet to my classroom that was advertising a FINGERNAIL ART SCHOOL.   She said that she was interested in becoming a NAIL ARTIST because she liked to learn about COLOR and DESIGN.   I politely listened to her explanation of her "dream" for about 20 minutes.  Then, I mentioned that if she really likes to work with GRAPHIC ART, she should ALSO learn how to create the same thing using a Personal Computer.  The applications for using this knowledge are Virtually endless.  I showed her a few books, written in Japanese, about using FLASH,  FIREWORKS and DREAMWEAVER and explained to her that people who really know how to use these TOOLS, are having good jobs, and making good money.  And also that the INTERNET has only just begun.    I don't think that she fully understood the importance of my message, but I am hopeful that I may have planted a seed, that will germinate into a further investigation of this field of study, at her option, sometime in the future.  Let's hope and pray that it will.  I have done my best to help her in life, now it is her turn to put forth the EFFORT and find her own TRUE PATH for herself in LIFE.   Think and Grow Rich.

2006 December 29 Friday.

Another very cold day, with no significant snowfall.  Where is all the snow???  I finalized the design and colors for our 2007 New Year Card today and spent the entire day printing out about 300 copies of it.  With the ink jet printer that I have, it takes about 50 minutes to printout 20 cards.   How long did it take me to print out all 300 something cards?  You do the math.   The results are very good however, and I will put an image of this year's design in my upcoming blog for January 1, 2007.   Coming soon.     But anyway, back to the snow situation here, where indeed is all of the snow?   I have lived here for almost 17 years now, and I can not remember a year when Asahikawa had such a small amount of snow on the ground, at this time of the year.  See the photo on the left for details.  Not only is there no snow to speak of, the icy conditions of the roads and sidewalks make even walking a hazardous undertaking.  I haven't fallen down yet, but I have done so from time to time in years past.   I can only imagine what the conditions at the various ski grounds in and around this city must be like.  Certainly no good for the snowboarders among us.   By the way, in the photo on the left, you can see some bright lights "floating" above a 3 story building.  That is, in reality, Santa Present Park.   The nearest ski ground to my classroom.   I know it is open, because the lights are on, but how many people are actually skiing or snowboarding there right now, I have no idea.  My guess is that there are very few.   In fact, there may be more staff members than customers.   Not a good situation for any business to be in.

2006 December 28 Thursday.

My first priority of this day, is to finalize the print-ready design of my New Year Card 年賀状 , for the year 平成１９年。    The year 2007, will be the year of the Wild Boar 　いのしし　猪　亥　It has many written representations, but it is again, in 2007, as it has been on every 12th year, for thousands of years in the past, as it will be yet again next year, the year of the PIG.   Sorry to POP your BUBBLE.  But, it's just a pig.   Not one of my favorite animals on this planet, but an important animal none the less.   It's not because I think that pigs are dirty, they are not.   But simply because I do not like the way that their pig sty smell, and I do not care much for the taste of their PORK meat, either.    In whatever way, it might be prepared, PORK just doesn't agree with my stomach.    The aroma and flavor, just doesn't synchronize, with my vibrations.    I'd rather have, fish, chicken or beef.   Even Natto, is much more preferred over PORK.   I am very well aware that many many people in Hokkaido love to eat PORK, cooked using various recipes.   I have tried them all before, and when I was younger, I almost liked them, but not enough to think about cooking up any PORK dishes for myself.   Never.   Cheese and Crackers sounds like a better meal.   Anyway, speaking of Wild Boars, which are also known as Razor Backs in the deep south of the USA, I was obligated to design an image of just such a beast, on my PC, for use in my 2007 New Year Card.  I came up with a preliminary design, that you can see on the left, but I am still not satisfied with the finished product.  Especially because the printed out version of the POSTCARD, looks very bad in the COLOR department.  I need to re-evaluate the colors, and add some more distinct border markings to the separate shapes that comprise the design of the overall image, so as to create a more presentable version of this New Year Card.  I MUST get this project finished by tomorrow night.  Therefore, I WILL do it.    I can't wait to see, what it turns out to become, design-wise.  The BASICs will stay the same, but the PRESENTATION will be something NEW and DIFFERENT.   You may even get one in your mailbox on January 1, 2007.    Or very shortly thereafter.   It is my hope that you will enjoy the final design presentation of this year's NenGaJo. 

2006 December 27 Wednesday.

WHAT ?!?!?     Another BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE.    What the phuck is this,.......   shock and awe?  Maybe so.  Look at what arrived this evening at about 19:20.   A beautiful gift from a student that I haven't seen,  face to face,  in quite a long time.   She works as a professional registered nurse, also known as an,  RN.    Her work takes her all over Hokkaido.  She has even lived and worked for several years in Wakkanai 稚内.  The Northernmost City, and a very windy and cold place, in JAPAN.   Now, she is living in Asahikawa again.   I believe this because the return address label on the package had just such words, written there in its space.  What a beautiful GIFT.   Thank you Soooooooooooooooooo MUCH Emi さん.   I hope to see you again soon, here in Asahikawa.   It is my hometown.   I think it is yours as well.   Not only was this unexpected gift of the two mug cups, a complete surprise, but also the post office delivery person, caught me off guard and with my hair down.   After I had signed for the package, he said 　"You were my daughter's English teacher, at the Kosei Nursing School" 　JA旭川厚生看護専門学校.  I was taken aback upon hearing this so I inquired, "Is she a first year student or a second year student?"  He replied that she was a second year student.  A Ha,   it must be Eriちゃん.  I later heard the next day from Eriちゃん  herself, that it was indeed her father who had delivered the package of Mug Cups, from Emi さん .    Shit man, somebody splash cold water in my face.  Did this stuff really happen?   Yeah, it did.   Stay tuned for more TRUE STORIES from the not so frozen island of HOKKAIDO.    Dreamland 24/7

2006 December 26 Tuesday.

Even though my classroom is closed for winter vacation from December 23 until January 8, I do take private lessons if the need arises.  As it did today.   About one week ago, a woman called my classroom after looking at this website, to schedule weekly private lessons for two of her 3 children.  An interesting thing about this person, is that she was a student in my English class for second year students at the Hokkaido Prefecture Nursing Academy of Asahikawa 北海道立旭川高等看護学院 about 10 years ago.  Now she is married, so I couldn't recognize her last name from those days, but when she came to my classroom today at about 15:30, I immediately recognized her face.  We had even gone snowboarding together with a few other students, about 10 or 11 years ago, at Santa Present Park.   Wow!  Talk about a phone call out of the blue  偶然なこと, this was one of them.  You never know whom you will meet again, nor where and why you will meet them, until it happens.  Well, it happened again today.   I spent about 90 minutes with her and her 3 children, learning the colors and numbers as well as a few other basic words and phrases.  Her oldest daughter is 6 years old, her second daughter is 3 years old, and her youngest child, a son, is only one year and two months old.  All of them are very bright and cheerful, and we all bonded into friendship as the lesson progressed.  They will come back again for another lesson on a Saturday morning in early January.   Because they agreed to come every week for an 80 minute private lesson, I gave them a rather generous discount on the price for each lesson.   My main concern is to help these kids get accustomed to listening to, speaking, reading and writing in the English language.   That will take several years, and I don't want to put any large financial burden upon them by doing so.   Top quality English lessons, at a fair price.  That's what I do for a living.  The living in Hokkaido, that I am so blessed to be doing as my life's work.

2006 December 25 Monday.

Today is exactly 3 days after the winter solstice.  Many people call this day Christmas (Christ Mass) and celebrate it as the birthday of Jesus the Christ.   Over here in Japan, where only about 1% of the population call themselves "Christians", it is just another ordinary business day.  Most people in Japan enjoy the outward trappings of the Xmas Season with lots of lights and decorations, as do I.  In fact, if people celebrate Xmas at all, it is usually done on December 24, which is known simply as, EVE.   Popular activities on EVE include going to an expensive restaurant or hotel for a Dinner Show by some well-known entertainer.   Also, it is quite common to buy a Xmas Cake to eat and enjoy.   As for me and Ikuko, we spend EVE the same way every year.   Right here at home with candle light and an electric hot plate for cooking up various meats and vegetables.  We did that again last night.   This evening, I was invited to another Xmas Party by my long time friend, Mr. N. who is the same age as I, and has his own business, working as an architect.   Also at tonight's party, held at the very delicious, hole-in-the-wall 居酒屋　夢玄関, was the radio station manager of FMりべーる, as well as a few other people.   I haven't seen Mr. N. for at least 7 or 8 months, so we had a lot to talk about.   The food at MuGenKan was hot pot style and very tasty.   I also enjoyed drinking copious amounts of pure rice wine 純米酒 made by 男山.   The soup was hot and the rice wine was cold.  The perfect combination for a winter's night.   During dinner, the radio station manager talked with me a bit about coming back to the radio station, and doing a weekly radio show again.   I had been a 市民DJ at this radio station for about 5 and one half years between July of 1994 and December of 2000.   In other words, I was basically a volunteer radio announcer.   I did the show in both English and Japanese.   I enjoyed it for the most part, but each show that I recorded was broadcast only twice, before the digital tapes were erased and reused.   That seems like a lot of effort for something that disappears like smoke into the air.  Nowadays, I have my very own internet radio station called Snow Radio.   Not only can I talk about anything I want to, but the radio shows are stored on a server and can be listened to at anytime, and from anywhere in the world.   When I was a Citizen DJ at FM River, I didn't even have a website yet, so this was the only way for me to get my voice heard.   Things are much different now.   However, if we can come up with a truly interesting and unique radio program for the station, I may in fact get back behind the microphone at 83.7 MHz.   Nothing has been decided yet, and this conversation has been going on for about 2 years now, so don't hold your breath.   After we all finished eating at MuGenKan, we went to various bars for the purpose of singing Karaoke.  This is another thing which I haven't done in a very long time, so I really enjoyed it tonight.   I sang a few Xmas Songs and then settled into a groove of Inoue Yosui 井上陽水　songs.    He is by far, my favorite Japanese musical artist.   His father was a dentist, just like my father was.   He tried 3 different times to get into dental school, but failed every time.   So, he became a professional singer/songwriter.   It is a very good thing that he did.   Not just for me, but for millions and millions of other people, all over the world.  Thank you for your beautiful vibrations, Yosui!!!    CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 24 Sunday.

2006 December 23 Saturday.

Today is a National Holiday in Japan.  It is the Emperor's Birthday   天皇誕生日 to be exact.  Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko came to Asahikawa on July 4, 2003 for the first time in more than 30 years.  The Royal Couple were on a tour of Hokkaido that year, and they traveled around this beautiful island by motorcade.   One of the events on their schedule was to have a Luncheon Banquet at the Taisetsu Crystal Hall which is right across the street from my classroom.   Because I knew the schedule of events on that day, I waited outside on the street along the route of the motorcade as it left the Luncheon Banquet at about 15:00.  I was in a big crowd of people, but lucky for me, I am taller than most of the other people, so I could raise up my one-shot-at-a-time digital camera over my head in an attempt to take a photo of the Emperor as he and the Empress passed by on their way to their next event.  Even though I couldn't use the viewfinder so as to be sure that I got a good photo, I got lucky none the less.  As you can see from the photo on the left, this was a very lucky photo indeed, because I only had one chance.  The one and only chance in my lifetime perhaps.   As a result, I nailed it.   Later that same day, during the evening, there was another large gathering of people, this time in front of the Asahikawa City Hall to wave up at the Royal Couple as they waved back down to the crowd below from a 15th floor window in the Asahikawa Grand Hotel.  I was able to take some very interesting photos of the occasion and you can see the photo gallery for that day by clicking here.   You can also read the very short essay I wrote about it by clicking here.   As I said at the start of today's blog, today is a National Holiday so I had no classes to teach.  With about 2 weeks of winter vacation in front of me, I began to think of all of the things that I must do, and most of the other things that I want to do.  It is a rather long list.

2006 December 22 Friday.

Today is the Winter Solstice 冬至.   If you are not quite sure what that means, please consult the graphic I made on the left.  In a word, the sun comes up late and goes down early.   At high noon, it is the lowest in the sky that gets on any other day of the year.  That's what it means, in a nutshell.   In other words, the sun seems to stop its decent towards the horizon at high noon.   If it continued any more, it would disappear below the horizon and the world would go dark.   Forever.   At least this is what many people in the ancient world believed.  Those people among them who were somewhat more enlightened, knew that this exact same phenomena, happened every year at this exact same time, and these more informed people made up fantastic stories of how GOD was angry and would swallow the sun thus plunging the world into eternal darkness.   UNLESS,.......  The people would all gather at a certain location and perform a certain ritual, with the enlightened TEACHER at the head of the group, who told everyone that he or she had a direct pipeline to GOD.  So, they all gathered together and they prayed and pleaded for three days and three nights, and low and behold, at high noon on the third day, the sun was noticeably higher in the sky than it had been before, and the world had been SAVED from eternal darkness.   Coincidentally, the third day after the Winter Solstice is December 25.  Also known as Christmas Day in many parts of the world.  This day is proclaimed as the day that the SON of GOD was born in a manger in Bethlehem.   The LIGHT of the world.    Yes, indeed.  The SUN is the light of the world.  Always has been.   Does everyone now understand why Xmas is celebrated on December 25, exactly three days after the Winter Solstice?   There is a very CERTAIN REASON behind this very old custom.   Always has been.

2006 December 21 Thursday.

It is the day before the Winter Solstice 冬至.   A very fine day indeed.  The streets are wet and black.  No new snow of significant volume has fallen within the past 88 hours or so.  I'm Dreaming of a Global Warming Xmas????   It's not natural for it to be this warm on this date in December here in Asahikawa.      Again today, my lessons for children were half lesson/half mini Xmas party.   Everybody enjoyed it very much.  In fact the kids enjoyed it even more than I thought they would.  This turned out to be a very good idea.  An idea that was initially proposed by the three young ladies whom you can see in the photo on the left.  Thanks for the great idea, girls!  Let's do this again next year.

2006 December 20 Wednesday.

We are at the peak of the week before the start of winter vacation.  Starting today, the children's lessons will have a mini Xmas Party while playing the words and phrases guessing game, Wheel of Fortune.   There will be a wide variety of juices and snacks that the kids can eat while they play the guessing game, and also a small Xmas Gift for each and every child student, at the end of the lesson.   This is something we have never done at my classroom before, because we had the preconceived notion that a Xmas Party or a Halloween Party needed to have everyone together at the same place, and at the same time, for one big event.   This practice is very common among most English Conversation Classrooms throughout Japan.   My classroom is too small to hold such a big event, so we have never done it before.   Then about two or three weeks ago, the 3 young ladies who come to their lesson at 15:00 every Thursday, begged and pleaded with me to have a mini Xmas Party during their class time.   After thinking about it for a while, I decided to do that, not just for their class, but for all children's classes during this last week before winter vacation.   So, far, it has turned out to be a very good idea.   Again tomorrow, and on Friday, there will be a mini Xmas Party during each and every one of the children's classes.   Could it be that a new tradition has been born here at Snowman Bei Kaiwa?

2006 December 19 Tuesday.

Tuesday's with Mr. T.  The retired high school English teacher who comes to my classroom every week on this day at 15:00.  This will be our last class together until January 9 of next year.  He told me today that he will be taking a 10 day trip to Turkey during the year-end/new-year season.   I myself have never been to Turkey, but I do realize how historically important that part of the world is.   Several years ago, a group of 3 young ladies who used to come to my classroom, also took a trip to Turkey and showed me a home movie video that they had taken while there.  There are many interesting things to see in Turkey as was evident from watching their video.   One of the things that they mentioned is that people eat a lot of mutton ラム肉 in Turkey.   They said that after a few days they got very tired of eating, and in fact smelling roasting mutton on the streets everywhere, so they went to eat at McDonalds!   Mr. T. also told me that he doesn't like to eat mutton all that much, and neither do I.   Once in a while it is OK, but every day???   I'd rather eat natto and brown rice.  One quick look at the map on the left will tell you that Turkey is the gateway between Europe and Asia.   Always has been.   As such, a blending and mixing of cultures has been the normal situation there for thousands and thousands of years.  This fact, in and of itself, is sure to make Turkey a fascinating tourist destination.   I know Mr. T.  will take a lot of photos while he is there, and I am looking forward to seeing them, along with listening to his stories of the many things he will see and do during that time.   Have a safe trip Mr. T.!   See you again next year.

2006 December 18 Monday.

A very busy day indeed.   From 10:00 until 11:00 I was playing my folk guitar and singing Xmas Songs at the Chestnut Tree Kindergarten in Nagayama くりの木幼稚園.   After that, I drove back to my classroom, and arrived at about 11:40, I dropped off my guitar and the very big bag of flash cards.   Then, I called a taxi to get on over to the ホテルパコ by 12:00.   I arrived on time and was greeted by my students whom I meet every Monday at 13:00 at the 神楽公民館英会話を楽しむ会.  This very nice group of people have held this type of Xmas Party every year　since about 10 years ago.  Sometimes they hold it at the Kagura Kominkan, and sometimes they have it at a restaurant or hotel.  Either way is fine with me.  I always have a wonderful time.  The Hotel Paco has a buffet style restaurant on the 14th floor, and that is where we all gathered to eat today.   After eating our fill, we moved over to one of the Karaoke rooms, also on the 14th floor, for some music and games.  I sang some very famous Xmas songs, and was complimented on my clear pronunciation of English words.  It's only natural for me since I was born in an English speaking country.  A simple fact that has turned into a huge job assent over here in Japan when mixed with my ability to speak, read and write Japanese.  It's the best of both worlds, and I live in it every day.   I had to leave the party a bit early at 14:30, because I had a lesson at my classroom starting at 15:00.  Thank you again so much everyone for your continued support throughout these past 10 or 12 years.  I always do my best to make each and every class an interesting and enjoyable experience, but if I didn't have any students, I most certainly could not do this for a living.  Thanks again and again and again!!!!!  See you all again in January of next year.

2006 December 17 Sunday.

Snap, Crackle, POP, Rice Crispy!    Yeah, that is the sound it made TODAY, as my faithful old companion for the past 14 years or so, cried out, when it died upon the shelf where it had been doing its job for all of those years.   Rest In Peace.    RIP.   You may get a new life after a repair in Japan, or most likely overseas.     The photo you can see on the left is one of the NEW home appliance.   How many of you out there, have a microwave oven? 電子レンジー     Once you get used to the convenience of using a microwave, ZAP  チン, you may find it difficult to ever again adjust easily to using a purely convection heat oven.   Or, maybe you can, but you just don't want to.  If you have enough cash, you can go and buy a new home electronic appliance.  So that is what we did, today.   Fortunately for us there is a very large 100万ボルト store just down the highway from our classroom, so we drove over there to see what's new in microwave/convection ovens.  They had stuff that cost anywhere from about 15,000 yen up to about 100,000 yen.   Why a microwave/convection oven should cost almost $1000 is beyond me, but I know that some people will buy them.   We settled on a mid-range style of oven that cost about $300.  I hope it lasts at least as long as the other one I bought about 14 years ago.  That one cost me almost $600 dollars, and I was still working for someone else at the time.  Talk about a leap of faith.  If I had lost my job, I would have had to move, and possibly leave my microwave oven behind.  Fortunately for me, that didn't happen.  I am now looking forward to making a lot of baked goodies during this upcoming holiday season.  Pizza sounds good for starters.

2006 December 16 Saturday.

Another rather warm and sunny day with no new snowfall.  I took a ride on a JR train bound  for Sapporo, leaving Asahikawa at exactly 15:00 today.  Mr. Baba and I attended the The Hokkaido Cultural Property Protection Association Big Year End Party.  See the photo on the left for details.  We go to this event every year together.   This year for the first time, the event was held at the Sapporo Park Hotel.  During the preceding 23 years that this event has been held, it was held in another hotel, a hotel which is right next door.  A hotel that has much bigger rooms, and much more food and drink, offered to their customers of that hotel.    Phuck man, I just spent ten thousand yen for the party fee, plus another 4,400 yen for the JR holiday pass, round trip Asahikawa - Sapporo.   I don't care about the "paper money", but this year, for the first time, the reward was not worth the effort.   To see a photo slideshow of LAST YEAR's event; click here.   The food at the Park Hotel Sapporo is very tasty.  My hat is off to the chefs.  Good job guys!  The only disappointment is that the volume of food was low, and the number of dishes was only about 4 or 5.   Come on Mr. Manager,  GIVE SOMETHING BACK to your life's blood.  The paying customer.    After that annual event had concluded at about 20:30, Mr. Baba and I, hurried back to the Sapporo JR station by taxi, but we just missed boarding the 21:00 train.  If we want to take the express train called the Super White Arrow, that runs regularly between Sapporo and Asahikawa, we need to wait until 22:00, so that's what we did.   As is his usual custom when we travel together, Mr. Baba made it a point to buy a small gift of something good to eat for my wife.  Today, he bought 10 pieces of choux cream from a small shop inside the JR station.   Needless to say, my wife was very happy when I gave her the package of tasty goodies tonight.   Mr. Baba is the owner of the very famous Pub Restaurant Ohfune, and I have known him for more than 12 or 13 years.   An interesting side note here is that, he was also the childhood friend of my wife's uncle.  In other words, her father's younger brother.  Unfortunately, my wife's father and uncle have both passed on, but isn't it interesting how paths cross and people meet?  I mean, what are the chances of me, being born and raised in Spokane Washington, USA, to come to Asahikawa, meet Ikuko, fall in love and get married, and meet all of these interesting people along the way.  What are the chances, indeed.

2006 December 15 Friday.

My teaching day started off at 9:00 at the Hokkaido Nursing Academy of Asahikawa 北海道立旭川高等看護学院.  Today Ikeda Sensei and I each had two classes instead of just one, for a total of 3 hours in a row.   As I do every year at this time of the season, I showed each of the classes, two 30 minute video animations.  One is called Father Christmas and the other is called The Snowman.  Both of these stories were written by the Englishman, Raymond Briggs.       I first saw these two animations way back in 1993 on one of the NHK Broadcast Satellite channels.  I was quick witted enough at the time to put a new video cassette tape into my VCR and record them.   One of the unique things about The Snowman animation is that there is absolutely no spoken dialogue in it, except at the very beginning of the movie when the narrator says; I remember that winter, because it brought the heaviest snows I had ever seen.  The snow had fallen steadily all night long.  And in the morning I awoke in a room filled with light and silence.  The whole world seemed to be held in a dreamlike stillness.   It was a magical day.  And it was on that day, I made The Snowman.  The rest of the 30 minute movie is composed of colors, images and background music only.  Despite the lack of spoken words, the meaning of the story comes through loud and clear.  This is an animation that can be enjoyed by both young and old alike.  Regardless of native language or ethnic origin.  It is a universal story theme and will most likely endure for a long, long time to come.  The soft pastel style of the artwork in the animation is very calm and soothing as is the musical score that serves as the BGM.  At the very end of the movie there is an extremely thought provoking moment.  The young boy, who built the snowman, is given a blue and white muffler by Santa Claus as a Christmas present, while the little boy and The Snowman are  attending a Snowmen Only Xmas Party in a distant snow covered forest, far from the little boy's  home.  After the party, he and The Snowman, fly back to the little boy's home.  The young boy hugs The Snowman, and then goes back inside his house to go to bed.  The next morning when the little boy wakes up, he goes back outside to see The Snowman again, but The Snowman has already completely melted.  He is very sad and teary eyed.  Then, he reaches into the left pocket of his night robe, and pulls out the blue and white muffler that Santa Claus had given him the night before at the snowmen only, winter party.  The obvious question is;  Was it all just a dream, or was it reality?  And by the way, how do you know that you are not dreaming right here and now?    Think about it for a moment.    Welcome 2 Dreamland,   24/7.    CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 14 Thursday.

Did I see rain falling out of the sky today?  Yes, I did.  It's not snowing much in the mountains either, according to the university student who came for his English speaking lesson today at 18:00.   This guy works as a ski instructor at Kamui Ski Links which is very close to Asahikawa.  He said that weather conditions on the mountain today where falling snow mixed with rain.  When I asked him how many paying customers were on the slopes today, he replied; 20.   That's not very many, is it.   Because he works as a ski instructor, he doesn't get paid unless he has a ski lesson to teach.   Since this season's opening day on Saturday, December  9, he has taught exactly ZERO lessons.   He must feel similar to the Mayor of Yuubari, whom I wrote about in yesterday's blog.   Speaking of pay cuts, today's headlines read; The Prime Minister will give back, 3 months pay.   Am I seeing a trend here?   What could be next,......    I didn't see any mention of this in the Prime Minister's weekly eMagazine which I receive by email every Thursday.   Here is one of the things that was written in his message for today:  I visited an elementary school in Tokyo last week in hopes of getting a feel for the educational environment children are in today and talking to them in person. It was my first visit to an elementary school in the 40 years since I graduated from my own. Over lunch, I had a chance to hear, in their own words, what children are really thinking. Many shared with me that they enjoy extracurricular activities and sports. They also asked me unpretentious questions, such as, "As a child, did you have a goal in life?" These questions reassured me that children have hopes and dreams for what they want to pursue in the future. I was a bit worried that the children would tense up with the press crew in their classroom, but the close bond the class shared and the warm smiles they gave me as we talked impressed me strongly. I have kept in close touch with my elementary school friends, meeting with them frequently even now after 40 years. Exciting times spent together with friends, even if you occasionally argue, will become a precious memory later in life. It is my hope that children will possess the kindness to go over and talk to another child they see all alone. I was able to convey this message during my visit to the school.   You can read the rest of the newsletter, and even subscribe to it yourself by clicking on the following URL;  http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html    I enjoy reading it every week, and I think that you might enjoy reading it also.  The eMagazine in currently available in 3 languages.   Japanese, English and Chinese.   I wonder if a Korean Language version will be coming in the future.

2006 December 13 Wednesday.

Another warm and snow-melty day.  The streets look mostly black, but most sidewalks are still white.  Either way, I didn't have to drive anywhere today so I stayed at home doing many things, including looking through the morning addition of the Hokkaido Newspaper.  The headline on the right really caught my attention.  It reads as follows; City of Yuubari Mayor's Salary to be cut by 70%.   Next fiscal year, he will become the lowest paid mayor in all of Japan.   I have never met the mayor of Yuubari in person, but I can just image what he must have been thinking when he first got this news, much much sooner than I just did.  He was probably saying to himself; "Why in the world did I want this job in the first place???"    To me, it sounds like a bait-and-switch.   Promises, promises, promises, and lies.   They are all around us every day.  You don't have to look hard to find either one, at any time.   What are they going to do next, raise our taxes some more?   As a matter of fact, they have plans on the table already, to do just that.  Let's see, if the politicians take a pay cut, and us ordinary, John Q Citizens have our taxes increased, then we too will, as a net effect, have received a reduction in pay as well.   That sounds like a lose-lose situation to me.   Isn't there a better way?   Something that will lead to a win-win situation, where everybody is happy?   Hmmmmm.   Let me think about this for a moment,....   Hey!  I've got a bright idea!   Let's reduce spending!!!   Yeah, that's the ticket.    Reduce expenditures and shrink the economy.   Both locally and nationally.    Maybe I'll call my new economic theory, the trickle up theory.   I know it sounds similar to the Ronald Reagan's trickle down theory, but what will be the true net effect?   I need to get out my pocket calculator,  hold on a second please.

2006 December 12 Tuesday.

It is getting warmer these days, and some of the snow is melting.  This won't last long, but it is bad news for skiers and the owners of ski grounds.  I won't have any time to go snowboarding until sometime after December 23, so I'm hoping by then that there will be some more BIG POWDER SNOW on the slopes for me to glide through.  If you are a skier but have never tried snowboarding before, may I suggest that you read an essay I wrote several years ago about it by clicking here.   I myself have never been a skier, except for cross country skiing.  In fact, I had never even been to a ski ground until I came to Asahikawa almost 17 years ago.  One thing I do know for sure, is that snowboarding is much easier to learn than skiing in the beginning stages.  The learning curve for snowboarding is much faster.  After you finally get the feel of the balance for it, it is sort of like riding a bicycle.  You will never forget how to do it.  I think that skiing is also the same way, but it takes much longer to get really good at it.  As you might well imagine, there are many very good skiers living here in Asahikawa.  I always ask them if they have tried snowboarding before.   Many of them have, but most of them say that they like skiing better.  It is not hard to understand why.  For one thing, skiers can go much faster than even the fastest snowboarder.  Another thing is that the skier is facing straight ahead while going down the slope.  A snowboarder must stand sideways and look over his or her shoulder in order to see where they are going.  Most skiers don't like this snowboarding stance, and therefore don't like snowboarding that much.  However for me, having never learned how to ski in the first place, snowboarding is the most fun I have ever had on the snow, during the winter.  If you have ever gone downhill sledding or inner-tubing and enjoyed it, you will love snowboarding.  It is like surfing on a big huge frozen wave.  A wave that doesn't move by itself.   It is much easier than wave surfing, or even wind sailing on the ocean.  I know this for a fact, because I have tried doing both.   Many people say that snowboarding is dangerous because both of your feet are firmly bolted into place and can't be moved.  This is in fact, a good thing.  You will never lose control of your legs and end up doing the splits, like a ballerina.  One of the biggest dangers is falling over backwards.  This happens a lot when you are first learning how to snowboard, but it doesn't happen much after you have become good at it.  It does happen from time to time however, and that is why I always wear a helmet when I ride.  Not only is the helmet good for safety, but it also helps to keep your head warmer too.  Play it safe and ride in comfort.  Also, snowboards such as the slope-style one that I have, work best in deep powder snow, while free riding down a big wide slope.   Later on during the ski season in late February, when the slopes get hard and icy, I don't go snowboarding at all.  Ice boarding is very hard work physically, and also extremely dangerous.   Best to be avoided.  See you on the slopes!

2006 December 11 Monday.

My first gig of the day started off at 13:00 at the 神楽公民館英会話を楽しむ会。 Most of the members were in attendance today, and they all talked about various things.  Nobody this week had such an amusing story as Mrs. A. did last week, but one member who will quit our circle at the end of this month, brought many photographs and newspaper articles, of his various experiences here in Asahikawa working as a volunteer Japanese/English language teacher and interpreter.  He has met many famous people, and has had many interesting experiences throughout the years in this way.  Right now he seems to be concentrating his studies on medical English in order to become a certified medical English/Japanese language interpreter.  He has shown me some of his study materials in the past, and I must say that I don't know the correct pronunciations of many of the English language medical terms 医療用語.  He has even invited me and the other members of our English circle to come to some of the classes for learning this skill, but I'm not sure if anyone has attended or not.  I didn't go because I am busy developing eLearning applications for the study of English on the internet.  This takes up all of my free time and then some.   Even my father, who was a dentist, encouraged me to study hard and go to medical school, ever since I was just a young child.  Unfortunately for him, I never had any interest in the medical sciences.  I have always been much more interested in music and languages, for as long as I can remember.  Anyway, to make a long story short, today was the last class of this year for this group of very nice people.  Next week we will have a Xmas Party at the ホテルパコ from 12:00 until about 15:00.  We did this very same thing last year, and you can see a photo slide show of that event by clicking here.    When that class was finished at about 14:50, I hurried back to my classroom for straight classes from 15:00 until 20:00.    The wonderful lady who comes to my classroom every Monday at 15:00, has just moved to Asahikawa from Kyushu only about 10 months ago.   She is currently writing her LIFE STORY in English, and we spend each and every class proofreading her English compositions, and talking about various things related to her story.  I never have to make that many corrections to her original written English, because it is already very easy to read and understand.  She has been through some very difficult and miserable times in the past, but she seems to be much happier now.  In fact, she said to me today that, she feels like she has "killed" her unpleasant past, because she has now spent many hours both thinking and writing about it.  Writing and thinking about it.  Then, thinking and writing about it some more.  I immediately understood what she was talking about.   I have seen her grow over these past 10 months, and have noticed many big changes in her attitude and appearance.  She very much enjoys the writing process, and has benefited greatly from it.   So have I.  Writing, is thinking, in depth.  Thinking deeply about something, causes a person to want to write about it.  It is an iterative process that contains endless possibilities.  I know from personal experience because I have been writing this blog every day for almost 2 years now, as well as many other things in the past.  If you want to get better at doing something, anything, JUST DO IT.   CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 10 Sunday.

Today I went to this event at the Palace Hotel here in Asahikawa.  The title at the top reads "Towards the future of the Network Society".  See it!   Ask about it!   Touch it!  (FREE).   Public Lecture "Tourism and Information"  Lecturer: Hokkaido University Graduate School (Tourism Information Academic Society Chairperson)  Azuma Ohuchi PhD.   You can also experience Microsoft's new Operating System WINDOWS VISTA at the same time (in another room) from 11:00 until 16:00.  As you already know, from reading my blog on a regular basis, I am very much interested in promoting Asahikawa, and in fact, all of Hokkaido on this website.  Therefore, my interest in attending this lecture was at a maximum.  Before professor Ohuchi began his lecture at about 13:05, the Chairperson of the 旭川　ICT　(Information & Communication Technology)  協議会　会長 古川先生 Mr. Furukawa gave a brief introduction of the main speaker.  During that time, he said something that I didn't know before.  He talked about which cities in Hokkaido are advanced in the IT industry.  He said that Sapporo was number one.  No big surprise there.  Then he mentioned that Asahikawa was NOT number two, but number 5!!!   Say what?  Asahikawa is the second largest city in Hokkaido by population, but it's only number 5 in the area of IT businesses.   I was very surprised to hear that, but I also sensed a big opportunity.  Number two in Hokkaido for IT businesses is Muroran, followed by Hakodate and Tomakomai.   Another interesting thing that he mentioned is that his organization's name; Asahikawa ICT really means; 「旭川　愛して」  I love Asahikawa too.  That's why I have continued to live here since 1990.  You can visit Asahikawa ICT's website at http://www.a-ict.jp      Next, professor Ohuchi gave a fifty-something minute lecture about Information and Tourism.  It was very interesting and informative.  He emphasized the fact that the REAL POWER of digital information is that it can be copied an endless number of times, without losing any of the quality of the information.   For example, if you make a copy of a movie DVD or a music CD, the copy will be just as clean and clear as the original.  Also, any number of copies of the DVD or CD can be made from any other copy of that digital information, with absolutely no loss of quality.  A simple but amazing fact about digital data.  He also talked about many other things including the classic book written by Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave.   I wanted to hear even more from the good professor, but he has many other things to do, and he had to get back to Sapporo.  The lecture I heard today, gave me many new ideas, and topics for further research.  I am very glad that I went to today's event.  Thank you so much for having it.    CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 9 Saturday.

No classes today, which was a good thing because I was feeling a bit under the weather.  Ikuko her younger sister and I ate and drank a lot of Korean foods and beverages last night.  We had a wonderful time.  Korean Shochu 焼酎 is so smooth and easy to drink, that it is easy to drink too much.   Apparently, that's what I did.   I sat around all day feeling rather lethargic.  Not wanting to do much.  I think today was also the Asahikawa University Lifelong Learning Bowling Competition, but I am not 100% sure, because I didn't see any notice about it this year.   I have gone to this event every year for the past 5 or 6 years, and have had a wonderful time every year.  In fact last year, I was the winner with the highest score.  A total of 335 point for 2 games.  My best score ever.   Even if the bowling party really was held today, I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much considering my miserable physical condition.  Oh well, maybe next year.  You can see a photo gallery of last year's bowling event which was held on December 11, 2005 by clicking here.

2006 December 8 Friday.

My teaching day started off at 9:00 with the second year students at the DoKan Nursing School 北海道立旭川高等看護学院.  Today, we did a word association exercise using page two of one of my original textbooks.  It was a very relaxed and enjoyable class for everyone involved.   After that class was finished at about 10:30, I took a taxi back to my classroom to eat brunch and get ready for straight classes from 15:00 until 20:00.  When that was all finished, Ikuko and I got into a taxi and rode over to her mother's house which is located in the Chuwa District of Asahikawa.  Today was a special day, because Ikuko's younger sister, who lives and works in Tokyo, had come back to Asahikawa for a one night stay.  Only one night?  Why now?  Why not at the end of this month?   It's because she had some accumulated mileage points from flying, in the past, and needed to use them up before they expired.  So, she came back to Asahikawa today.  During August of this year, she took a 3 nights 4 days trip to South Korea, and had a wonderful time.  She really likes Korean food and so do I, so I wrote in my blog on August 16, asking her to get me some good stuff to eat.  Well, today my wish came true.  You can see some of the stuff that she brought with her today in the photo on the left.  Actually, this is only about one-forth of what she brought with her.  I couldn't get everything into one photo.    Tonight, we all sat around eating and drinking Korean goodies and talking about various things.  I took a taxi home at about midnight, but Ikuko stayed overnight at her mother's house.  The stuff you can see in the photo is all made in Korea, but Ikuko's younger sister bought it all in Tokyo.  No big surprise there.   It would be a big hassle to try and carry all of this stuff back from South Korea.  She brought about 4 times more items than you can see in this photo.  That's a lot of stuff.   Thanks U!!!!   She is too busy with work to come back to Asahikawa again during the year-end/new-year season so, I'll see you again in February.  Have a safe trip back to Tokyo.    CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 7 Thursday.

PEARL HARBOR DAY   "A day,  which will live in infamy."  That's what FDR said in a speech before congress shortly after the "surprise attack".   He also asked congress during that very same speech to "declare war on the Empire of Japan."   An outraged congress approved it immediately.  No big surprise there.   My only question is; "Was FDR's speech written before December 7?"   Image the possibilities.    As far as the attack itself is concerned, I don't think is was a very wise move to begin with.  But it happened.  You can read all about it by clicking here.     You can see movie clips of the 2001 blockbuster Hollywood movie by clicking here.   The photograph you can see above is of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.  If you have ever been to Hawaii, you may have visited it before.  I never have.  So, I'm putting a digital memorial on this blog page in order to gaze upon it often.   Ya gotta watch out for them thar flying missile thing-a-ma-jiggys!    Meanwhile, over here in Japan, it is just another work day.  A work day which included no classes outside of my classroom.  So, I didn't need to drive my car and burn any gasoline.   After all of my lessons were finished at 20:00, I had some dinner and did some research on the internet.  There is always something new to see and learn.  You don't even have to go to the library to access the information.  Just log on to the websites of your choice, and the info you want is right there at your finger tips.  Just a click away.   I even thought about playing the guitar a bit this evening, but I just wasn't in the mood.  Lights out at 24:00.

2006 December 6 Wednesday.

Today was just another normal teaching day, so there is not much to talk about.  However, last Saturday, I was surprised to receive an email from a person that I have not met in over 20 years.  The first time I met him, he was a PhD 博士 student at Washington State University  WSU, the same university at which I was working on my BA 学士号 in Business Administration 経営学 with a specialty in Marketing.  The reason I met him at all on this very large university campus, is because he was one of the teachers for my Summer Session Intensive Japanese Language Course that I was taking during my junior year.  You can see his photo on the left.  Also, if you click on the photo, you can read more about this unique and interesting individual.   While he was a PhD student at WSU, he used to take many field trips out into the surrounding countryside, and dig up old bottles that had been buried for many many years.  As you can see from the photo on the left, he has a very large bottle collection.  Much much larger than this photo alone can convey.  Not only was he my Japanese Language teacher during our time together at WSU, but we also played our guitars and sang songs together.  He has written many original songs as well.   Anyway, the reason he sent me an email on Saturday, was that he was staying in Hakodate for 2 or 3 days, and asked me to come and visit him if I could.  Unfortunately for me, I had many things to do before Monday morning so I had to tell him that I couldn't make it this time.  He rarely comes to Hokkaido, and I haven't been to Tokyo in about 7 years, so we have never had a chance to see each other again since our days together at WSU.   However, we do keep in touch with each other by sending a New Years Card 年賀状 every year.   Hey Taichi!   Sorry I couldn't come and see you in Hakodate last weekend, but let's keep in touch and hope that someday our paths will cross again.   There is a lot to talk about after more than 20 years.   And thanks to you, I learned the Japanese Language.  Something that I use each and every day.  I couldn't live here without it.   CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 5 Tuesday.

Normally, I would have gone to Asahikawa University this morning to teach an English class to the freshmen and repeaters class, but for some reason, the university office has scheduled these next two weeks as supplemental classes, and not required.   Therefore, I'll stay at home and off the roads today.  Driving can be fun, but it can also be dangerous.  Especially when there are dangerous drivers on the roads.   People who drive too fast, and don't look where they are going.   And/or people who FIRST drink alcohol, and THEN drive a motor vehicle.   Not only do they often kill themselves in some foolish accident, but they often kill or injure other people as well.   DON'T DO IT!!!   If you drink booze during this end of the year party hearty season, take a taxi.   They need the money, and you need the safety.   Also, there are several companies that provide a "designated driver" service known as 代行車.   The big advantage to this is that you can drive your car to the party, drink and eat as much as you like, then call the designated driver company.  They will send a two man team to the restaurant where you are waiting, follow you over to where your car is parked, drive you home while the other man is following behind in the return vehicle, and deliver you safely to your front door.   All for about the same price as taking a taxi one way.   Is that a business idea or what.  Not only that, but if the police stop you and you are in fact Driving While Intoxicated, you will loose your driver's license for one year and pay a hefty fine starting from about 350,000 yen.   Drinking and driving yourself, is clearly THE WORST OPTION.   Don't do it.   Take a taxi.   A yellow cab if you can find one.    CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 4 Monday.

My first gig of the day started off at 10:00, at the Young Buds Kindergarten めばえ幼稚園 located in Kamui.  Today, all of the students gathered together at the same time and we sang the song:  Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer あかはなのトナカイ , first in Japanese, and then a few times, more slowly, in English.  I also introduced the students to another new song.  A rather long song entitled: The Green Grass Grew All Around.   I used the 10 full-color, laminated A3 sized flash cards, that I had spent somewhere between 8 and 10 hours making, during yesterday, and the day before.  You can see the flash cards in the photo on the left.  As you can see by looking at the last card, resting on the upper left corner of the table, the last verse of the song is very long.  Too long for the kids to learn in just one lesson.  I will be using these same flash cards many times again in the future.  That is why I don't mind taking the time up front, to make something really good and long lasting.  It will make my teaching time much easier and more enjoyable.  Give first, receive later.  Being fully prepared before you walk into the classroom, makes the students happy, and makes the teacher relaxed.  Unlike many teachers, I don't need to prepare before each and every lesson.  I have already done all of that preparation work, during my "free time", and at a time of my free choosing.  I can use my numerous lesson plans,  over and over again, with different groups of students, over many years.  For the students, it seems like something new and original, and it is.  But for me, it is a well rehearsed routine that I can perform again and again, with very little EXTRA effort, each and every time.  PAY IT FORWARD.   Like we used to say when I was in the U.S. Coast Guard, Semper Paratus   ALWAYS READY.   In other words, training and experience make the actual job performance, almost automatic.  This works well for almost any job or profession.   Working hard?  Yes, but also working smart.    After that gig was finished at 11:30, I drove back to my classroom to eat brunch before my next lesson started at 13:00, at the 神楽公民館英会話を楽しむ会.   Again today, most of the students were in attendance, and we had some lively and interesting discussions about various things.   One of the ladies, Mrs. A., had a very amusing story to tell.   Every year at about this time, some of her friends who live in Honshu, send her a box full of permissions 柿.  This year, she also received a box, and without opening it, wrote a quick thank you message on a post card, and put it into a mail box, outside of her home.  When she got back home and opened the box, she discovered to her horror, that it was not permissions, but mandarin oranges みかん that were inside the box.   I can clearly imagine the situation.  She probably wrote something like;   "Thank you so much for the delicious permissions.  My family and I are very much enjoying eating them."  Realizing her confusing social faux pax, she quickly wrote another postcard that said something like; "Sorry my mistake, the mandarin oranges are very delicious.  Maybe I have Alzheimer's Disease."  She then posted this second postcard into a mail box outside her home, on the very same day.    Does this story sound amusing so far?    But wait, there is more.   After she had written the second post card and put it into a mail box, she went back home again and discovered that underneath the mandarin oranges, there were also some permissions!!!  "Oh my god!  Now what have I done?"  She came to the conclusion that,  HASTE MAKES WASTE 急げば回る。  Yes, I agree.  It is important to stay calm and think with a clear mind, BEFORE opening your mouth to speak, or BEFORE picking up a pen to write a message.  I almost couldn't stop laughing at this amusing and very interesting story, as told by Mrs. A.    After listening to her fascinating story,  I said to her;  "That is a very amusing and true story.  Also, it is a bit embarrassing, but you do have an ALIBI.   You can say that;  "I opened the box upside down 逆さま, and I saw the permissions first.  I wrote you a thank you card immediately after that, and posted it right away.  When I came back home, I discovered that there were also mandarin oranges at the bottom of the box.    Thank you so much for both of these gifts."     It's just my wild idea, but please feel free to use it, if you need to, or if you want to.  Ai yai yai yai!   Social customs can be both interesting, and amusing.     Maybe even embarrassing, from time to time.   CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 3 Sunday.

Well, well,...   look what I found, living in my classroom.  A ladybug.  Still alive in this cold season.  It must have been hiding among the ceiling light fixtures.   I found it sitting on top of my classroom table this morning.  It was still alive, but not moving much.  It must be very hungry.  The natural source of it's food has dried up many weeks ago.  I knew right away that the little fella needed some basic nutrition, and fast.  Mr. Lettuce came to the rescue.  Ms. Ladybug perked up right away and began to nibble away on the wet leaf of lettuce.  Must have tasted very good after such a long time, fasting.  Fasting, but not by choice.   By natural circumstances.  I guess, I became his or her guardian angel for just that brief moment.  I wonder how long this little critter will survive?  It's already in an elite group of insects here in Hokkaido by the very fact that 99% of his buddies are already, long gone.   But wait a minute!!!   I see ladybugs every year, during the season of no snow.  Yes, you do.   We all do.  They somehow manage to leave behind their DNA, for rebirth again, in the spring and summer months.   A common miracle, but a miracle none the less.  And no less of a miracle, just because it happens to be very common.  It is truly an amazing miracle, just in and of itself.  Think about it for a moment, where did your human body come from?   Mom and Dad.   Where is your human body going from here?  Back to the STAR DUST from which it has come.  Time and time again.  Innumerable and continuing, on a daily basis.  24/7.   All around the cosmos.    Another SUPER NOVA.     CLICK HERE to LISTEN

2006 December 2 Saturday.

The snow is coming down big time here in central Hokkaido.  It is beautiful.  So beautiful that I managed to find the time and motivation to take a night time walk in the crystal wonderland.  I have spent most of the day making some new A3 sized full color laminated flash cards for use with young children.   I will be continuing this work tomorrow.   But as for the rest of the night, I'm going to take a trek in the windless white crystal world of this unique island.  What a treat!  Right now the snow is only about 20 to 30 cm. deep, so it is still easy to walk around with just a pair of high boots.  Not long from now, you will need either cross-country skis, or snowshoes, to do the same thing.  Mother nature doesn't screw around.  Learn to live with her, or be miserable.  These first snows of December and January are really the best here in Asahikawa.  Lots and lots of light and fluffy, sometimes huge snowflakes, floating down gently out of the sky and onto your face.  The photo you can see on the left was taken at about 23:00 in Crystal Park, which is right next door to my classroom.  I continued my walk through the park and over to the newly built LAWSON near 小城,　in the area where they are building another new bridge.  I bought a 500 ml bottle of pure malt rice wine and continued my walk on the cycling roads running along the banks of the Chubetsu River.  Like I said above, the next time I want to do something like this, I'll be wearing snowshoes strapped onto these big SOREL boots.  Even then, when the snow gets really deep, your feet will sink down into the newly fallen snow, to about 10 or 20 cm as you are snowshoe-walking your way across a white wilderness, with your mind focused clearly on anything at all.  If it is not windy, it is very pleasant indeed.  Because of the exercise, you don't feel cold at all.  Except for the sweat, which will surely come.  It is important to keep moving until you get back home.  Home sweet home.  My home.  Hokkaido 147.

2006 December 1 Friday.

Welcome to December.  Also known in Japanese as ShiWaSu 師走.   The teacher runs.   It is indeed a busy time of year for almost everyone over here in Japan.  Myself included.   Over here, the end of the year, and the start of the new year means many social gatherings.  Year End Parties 忘年会.  New Year's Parties 新年会.  Designing, printing and writing messages on hundreds of New Year Cards.   Cleaning up the classroom floor in a big time way.  Cleaning up the living room as well 大掃除.  Sweat soaked sweats in the middle of winter.  Oh!  Speaking of the New Year Card, I still haven't finalized my design yet.  That's another thing that I need to do in the very near future.  I insist on making a new and original design each and every year.  It is a lot of fun to do, but it takes quite a bit of time.  Yeah, well,...   Let's do it anyway.

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