Exploring Tokyo

After having put things off to the last minute Shige and I ended up spending the night in Tokyo. We ended up staying at th Sun Route Hotel near Shinagawa seaside station. We got off at Aomonoyokocho, a station I hadn't heard of before, and the area is actually very near the Old Tokaido, the old road from Nihonbashi to Kyoto. this is the road of which woodblock prints were made depicting scenes along the way. This is the police station right outside of the station.

Then just a short walk from the station is the actual road.

On the corner stood this old building that was actually a doctors office. It is quite rare to find such nice old architecture in Tokyo.

This is the night view from the hotel room.

After a hearty all you can eat breakfast, we set out on the road walking towards Shinagawa. this picture is one of the many shrines along the way. As you look at the map it is dotted with little shrines all over the area. This is Ebara Shrine. There is a large festival there the first weekend in June, I need to go back and check it out then.
There were quite a few interesting old houses that dotted the route. It made the walk very interesting.
There were also quite a few parks, in this one there were four old ladies playing a game of ring toss.

Ebara Jinja

A protecting Shisa at Shinagawa Shrine.
Notice Mt. Fuji, there was a mini Mt. Fuji in the temple grounds to climb up. I think I had seen it on TV and you are actually supposed to be able to see the actual mountain from there.

Torii

Country

Even though it has gotten rather convenient where I live, if you just walk aboout 5 or 10 minutes you can really feel like you are in the country side. I was surprised even to find what looked like a private shrine on someone's property. And with the start of Golden Week this is common sight that you don't often see in the city any more. Glad to see some people still have the space to do something like this.By the way this is my first picture on my new cell phone. Probably would have turned out better had I taken the plastic film off that is covering the lens and making this picture a little blurred.

Falling

So tonight on my way from work the train was a little crowded but not half as bad as in the morning. Anyway at the stop before a bunch of Jr. High boys got on, and proceeded to drop their bags and continued on the ride. I knew that I was going to have to push my way out but didn't think much of it, so I start to get off and some how these boys were a little slow to move and then realized their bags were in the way and started to move with me. Some how my feet got tangled up the their bags and with my right hand still in my pocket I tumbled out the door of the train, half in and half out. One hand reached out to help me up, I got up on my feet feeling a little bit awkward, and the boy that got out ahead of me bowed an apology. Little sore but nothing major to complain about. At least they didn't have to hold up the train to rescue me, then I really would have felt stupid.

Elevator

I think this must be the worlds shortest elevator. You can see the elevator through the door and it is at the exit side. I think it goes up maybe 3 feet. You can see that there are maybe six steps and the guy in the back is where you get off the elevator. Couldn't the have come up with a better solution?

Expelled

I want to see this movie, I hope it makes it to Japan.

Spring

Spring is here, but if you want to see snow you can still do it. This road through the Japan alps is a famous tourist spot just for what you are seeing here. Someday I'd like to make the trip. I just wonder how long it takes all of it to melt.

1950's ???

So I stopped by Harajuku to check out a sporting goods store, and for a moment as I passed by the entrance I thought I was in the 1950's. In fact the white skirt was a poodle skirt none the less.

There are always unusual dressers in Harajuku, but these ladies well in their 20's were quite different than the other crazies that run around the are.

Narita, and sushi.

Narita has actually become a very interesting little stop. They still have a lot of little mom and pop stores towards the main shrine, and they also are doing a good job of catering to the tourists that make their way through Tokyo. Even in the few years that I have been away from Chiba there have been a lot of changes and for the better. Tonight I wanted to catch the drum festival going on. I did catch some of it but we hurried of before it was finished to beat the crowds to our favorite sushi bar. Edokko sushi. If you ever have a lay over in Tokyo and are looking for a great lunch this is just the place to head to. And you would still have time to pick up a nice souvenir from one of the shops like this one below that sell really cool bamboo crafts.

American Idol

American Idol goes contemporary Christian. Wasn't able to see the show but how interesting they would choose to put this on nat'l telivision.

Crushed

Since the new subway line opened near my house it has actually been rather enjoyable to commute to work by train instead of my motorcycle. The last 2 days I have caught the commuter express which is always crowded, today to add to it is was raining which means more people are on the trains. So I'm used to being pressed up against all these random people, or so I thought. This morning there was another foreigner on the train and after the first stop we were pushed up against each other, and it was awkward. I felt like I needed to try and keep from being pushed into him, and if I did I should probably apologize or somethingl. How weird to never have this feeling when it is a Japanese person. Just really made me wonder. Luckily he closed his eyes, a good way to hide your uncomfortableness, and I got off at the next station so it wasn't so bad.

Two Faces of Mike

Now the picture really doesn't have anything to do with my musings, except for the fact that it was one of the last things I saw before leaving the states, and it is a nice shot is I don't say so myself. Anyway I just wanted to say it is good to be back in Japan but at the same time a little strange. One thing I realized just the other day was that when I first went back to the states I was actually pretty quiet and not very talkative, almost like I was sitting back and observing everything that was going around me. Which in some ways is so not me, but I think that in some ways Japan has made me this way. Now since I have been back I have discovered that I am acting and saying things that are very much more American than Japanese. I realized that I do in fact have two very different faces and they don't necessarily show themselves at the same time.

And if they did would I look like this?

Well I hope that I might scare more people than I do already. I guess that what made me come to this realization was that I have been randomly and openly giving very frank and sometimes pretty humorous remarks to people at school. This is so not the Japanese Mike but the American Mike, and actually the face that I do prefer. I'm glad I have both of them though they do come in handy and through both of them I tend to see the world in different ways. And I think that I'm realizing that to help me survive the Japanese culture, I really need to let let the American Mike show more here in Japan. Over the years the Japanese Mike has come to the forefront more often then not, and even though it is useful in helping me just deal with everyday life, the joy and the laughter that the other face bring are the things that I think I value more.

My time back in the states was great but was way too short. Or maybe I should say that it just went by too fast. There are still many people that I would like to connect with, and some that I would like to be able to spend more time with, just being with them. It was also a time to experience church. Attending Church at the Crossing was a real blessing for me, and I would have liked to have been more involved but I did have limited time. I was good to sing and worship and not feel like I didn't know any of the songs. I was grateful for the good mix of music, and the worship wasn't just a spectator event, everyone could easily be an active participant.

Of course the best part of my time off was the opportunity to go to Africa. Even though the original plan was scrapped , plan be turned out to be probably better than the original one would have been. Visiting Aldersgate school in Tanzania was great. I wish I could sit through their wonderful worship services every week. The music awe inspiring and straight from the heart. The people of Tanzania although poor they are rich in spirit, and didn't seem desperate, but rather content. I think we could all learn a lesson from them. Rwanda is a beautiful country, I guess the images that pop into the mind first are those of genocide, so I was suprised how green and abundant everything seemed. I didn't look like a poor country that had been through such an awful past. And it was encouraging to hear that the country is on an economic rebound, and the president is doing a great job of eliminating the the racial barriers that have scarred the nations past.

And I can't forget how great it was to go on Safari! I went on Safari. I just like to say that, how cool. We kept saying that to ourselves the whole time. It was a great ending to our trip and even though it was a little pricey because it was only two of us, it was well worth it and I would do it again in a minute. And if anyone out there is interested in a trip like this, I have the greatest guide, Charlie. One in a million and we had a great time with him.

The time back in the States and in Africa was great but it has been good to be back home.

Bumper Stickers

Have been reading "Lord Save us From Your Followers" and this little story I found on Our Daily Bread caught my attention.

I love the story of the stressed-out woman who was tailgating a man as they drove on a busy boulevard. When he slowed to a stop at a yellow light, the woman hit the horn, cussing and screaming in frustration and gesturing angrily. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a police officer who ordered her to exit the car with her hands up. He took her to the police station and placed her in a holding cell.
An hour later, the officer returned and said, "I'm sorry, Ma'am. This has been a big mistake. When I pulled up behind you, I noticed your 'What Would Jesus Do?' license plate holder and your 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker. I assumed the car was stolen!"

Makes you wonder what people assume about you and me.

Overweight?

Japan brings in compulsory fat checks for over-40s. Well I wonder how this is going to effect me? They say they are doing it to save money, but I just heard on the news that it just may have the opposite effect in that there will be so many people that don't make it under the 34 inch waistline that there will be a rush to doctors offices to get help. Now are they going to hold us foreigners up to these same limits, if so I'm afraid that I am in trouble. But then again, I could stand to lose a few pounds.

Pics Updated

Haven't been online as much as I need to be to get all my web pages updated. But this morning I got up at the crack of dawn to get to my 6:50 flight back to Indiana and I was greeted by a 3 hour delay. Flashbacks of Rwanda and the 6 hour delay that we had in Rwanda. Luckily there is free internet access here at the Birmingham airport. I did get my safari pics up and you can see them on my Mac site. 

Elephants

Animals of Africa

Reticulated Giraffe

Grevyi Zebra

Orix and Zebra

Baboon, actually there were a group of these guys that visited our hotel while I was at the pool. I didn't have my camera then and they got chased away and that is when they ran off behind our rooms and started fighting in the trees and ran across the river. Susan was in her room at the time and didn't really want to go out till I got back. The noise is quite chilling, and these same guys had kept our guide awake the night before after they started screaming after hearing a lion in the area.

We probably saw about 100 elephants.

These guys or I should probably say gals, because the guys go rogue when they grow up and are forced out of the herd by their mothers, were in the river bed digging holes in search of water. All the other animals tend to follow them because of this.

Out of Africa

I am back, and have just started going through my pictures. The trip was fantastic.  Just to think two days ago I was on SAFARI!! How cool is that. 
We stayed in a great hotel in the Samburu Game Reserve, the Sarova Shaba Game Lodge. This guy a Samburu tribes man, Leklawai, hung around the restaurant during our meals. A really nice guy but he spoke very little English. He did teach us a few words, but I think that I have forgotten most of them.

Leklawai

Rwanda with Ian Rankin

Today is the our last day in Rwanda, so far we have had a great time. I will have many pictures and stories to tell when I get back. This is only the second time that we have had internet access and I have not been able to do much with my mail, so sorry I havent been able to get back with anyone that has mailed me. Last night we had dinner with ian Rankin, too bad he wasn'nt the famous author, but at least it makes for an interesting story and I won' tell Roger otherwise.

Straight No Chaser

Went to see Straight No Chaser last night in Richmond and IU East. They do a very good show. They were all really good but there were a couple with really exceptional voices, like Jesse who is standing in the middle when they switch to "Stayin' Alive" in the video below.


There singing is good but the comical blurbs and the mixing of different songs was the thing that caught my attention, like the video I posted before, !2 Days of Christmas.If you have the chance see them live. The funny thing about the evening was when I first arrived I had to go to the bathroom and I think almost all the members were in there when I was. It was just a feeling at first but once they started I was right.A little weird, but interesting.

Geneology

So this was actually what I had set out to find. Now I was assuming this would be an old headstone, but I was gravely wrong. Now the question is who would have put up a relatively new headstone? My dad was surprised and he had no memory of the grave being like this. There was also a World War marker, probably indicating a veteran, but I don't know who this could be. Now I have a new quest to find out someone who might know something about this headstone. And who all might be buried here.

Minster

As noted before as I drove down the road I would see another church and then the last on was in Minster, a town I had never heard of.
And on the same block behind the church was the old public school. Now it was offices for the area Catholic churches.

Churches

I took a quick trip home this weekend and took the back roads. My purpose was to visit the cemetery where my ggg grandfather is supposed to be buried. On the way I cam across a string of small Catholic communities. Most of these churches were visible from one another.

St. Henry

Cassella

St. Rose

St. John the Baptist
@Maria Stein

Maria Stein Center
Shrine of the Holy Relics

Amish Country

Me and my traveling companions. Punda (Caroline Ackerman, Judith Jennings, and Susan. We are sitting at Java Jo's, a nice little coffee shop right in the middle of downtown Berlin. Good coffee, baked oatmeal for breakfast, fun sandwiches and salads, and a billiards room in the back. But the best thing is they have wireless.Our cabin just minutes outside of downtown Berlin.
We were driving when I took this so it is not the best angle, but interesting none the less.
View across the valley from out cabin, I was testing my new camera and it's zoom on this trip.
A couple of Buggies outside the bulk food store in New Hope.
Again taken from the car, not the best picture, but at least I got the blur out.

Thoughts to Ponder

Ponderisms

Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in" . . But it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway .

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If Wile E . Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

12 Days of Christmas?

Thanks to Susan for this too funny video!

The Kite Runner

This movie is a must see! "The Kite Runner""There is a way to be good again."

Based on one of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, THE KITE RUNNER is a profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes and redeeming love. In a divided country on the verge of war, two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, are about to be torn apart forever. It's a glorious afternoon in Kabul and the skies are bursting with the exhilarating foy of a kite-fighting tournament. But in the aftermath of the day's victory, one boy's fearful act of betrayal will mark their lives forever and set in motion an epic quest for redemption. Now, after 20 years of living in America, Amir returns to a perilous Afghanistan under the Taliban's iron-fisted rule to face the secrets that still haunt him and take one last daring chance to set things sight...
*taken from The Kite Runner official site.

If this movie doesn't win an Academy Award I will be very surprised. Go out and see this movie, take tissues, I guarantee you will be moved!

Random Houses

Ran home to Shelby on Thursday and came back this morning. The drive back was nostalgic, most of the route back has changed into 4 lane except for the section of 224 that goes through Decatur In. It is a county seat and of course like all these little court house towns also has a very nice old court house in the center of town. This house I had seen many time in the past and thought it was in better condition. Even though it is run down the potential is limitless. Too bad it is in the middle of nowhere.In Shelby there are a number of houses up for sale. This one is behind my parents and it has been redone on the out side.
Both of these houses are on Grand Blvd. the place in Shelby to live in it's day. This house used to be totally run down with a huge pice tree in the front yard that completely hid the house. I would love to see the inside.
This house is the one that I am going to look at next week. $180,000 4 apartments with a 5 car garage in the back. There are a lot things that are up in the air. My brother may be open to managing it for me. The rent on the apts. is $625, is it worth the investment?

History

Yesterday, I walked to the public library and did some reading on the history of Anderson. In one of the books I ran across the mention of this house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. For some reason I doubt that the green trim is an original color, but who knows. One other thing that I learned about Anderson was the gas boom that occurred in the late 1800's. Natural gas fields were discovered in central Indiana and Ohio. The gas seems to have been discovered because of the practice of early settlers to drill for salt water. Natural gas was then used for heating and lighting in the city. At one point they even piped it into the White River and lit up the river. How bazaar is that?

Presidential Potential

From CNN here are the results of the top 6 candidates. It has been interesting to be back in the states while this is all going on. Now I'm not very opinionated when it comes to politics but I do have some ideas about this election. I think John Edwards would make a good president, too bad he is not getting lots of press. He looks more like a president, I don't think America is ready for a woman or a black president. Maybe I have just been gone too long to really understand the feeling of most Americans. And I don't consider myself to be a bigot or prejudiced, but I heard a newscaster talking about presidential names, and he was saying most of these front runners don't have presidential sounding names. I don't think America is ready for a president whose middle name is Hussein. Am I wrong? I am surprised no one has brought it up. Barack Hussein Obama.

On the republican side, is there a good candidate? Huckabee, an ordained minister, I think that he has had to deal with tough questions just because he is a pastor, and he comes out sounding good. Bust sadly to say I think America will also have time backing an evangelical minister. How sad. So for right now I'm hoping that Edwards will make some inroads.

Exporing Anderson

I spent the morning walking through the historic districts of Anderson trying to see if there were any interesting properties on the market. The only problem with Anderson is that the economy seems to be really pretty depressed.

Interesting old house on Historic 8th st.

Below are 3 properties up for sale. Possibilities???
411 w 10th

314 w 12th

337 w 11th

Get F.I.T.

This mornings message, started with the idea of how we realize our goals, our resolutions for this new year.

• "Bummed about that gut? Wish you had rock-hard abs? Look...I'm gonna be honest...Unless you are under the age of 23, or a professional football player... it's probably not gonna happen. If I were you I'd just buy some bigger shirts."

Peyton Manning

Using this to think about our goals, there are 5 things that we should keep in mind, to help realize them.

1. Make it positive.
2. Be realistic.
3. Picture it.
4. Do not, do it alone.
5. Give it 30 days.

The main scripture reference for the message was from Hebrews 12: 1-3

This weeks message was titled Get F.I.T. -- Get Free.
And how do we do this:

• Be encouraged
• Be proactive
• Be together
• Be biblical
• Be focused
  

Small Town Indiana

This is the Clay Terrace Mall. This kind of open mall seems to be the trend now in the states, come to think about it, it really does have the feel of a downtown and even the clerks at the stores seemed to be more friendly.

This is the court house in Noblesville.

And in the square right next to the court house, this beautiful old house.

Sunday Afternoon

Today I decided to go to church in Indy at Church at the Crossing, and I'm glad I did. As I entered the sanctuary I almost ran into the pastor, and old friend, Steve Renick. We both did a double take and I got a big hug. The worship was very nice and was blended with both hymns and choruses that I was familiar with which was a blessing. Susan had told me that it would be a good place to go and that some other old friends attended the 9:30 service. So how nice that after the service I did find Will and Patsy Kline. I got to spend a few minutes talking with them and I think this has helped me decide that even though it may be far I think this is where I am going to attend.

On the way home I decided to swing through Carmel. There was another Dicks that I wanted to go and see if I could find the compression pants that I had been looking for. Sure enough they had them and it seemed this store was a lot nicer than the other branches that I had been too. In fact the the whole complex that it was in was so nice. The area is called Clay Terrace Mall. It is like they have built a little downtown area out in the suburbs. It had a nice feel very conducive to shopping, so naturally I ended up buying more than the pants. Pick up some shoes a wall sconce @ Pier 1, and a sweater at Eddie Bauer. Lunch was at Qdoba, a Mexican fast food place that was really nice. Between Carmel and Anderson is a Nobelsville which is a quaint little town that I have never been to. Below is the county court house. And the square was full of nice little shops, that were still in business. I think I will explore the city some more while I'm back.

Home

So this is my home while I'm in the states. I'm in the building on the left in the back. As you can see we have had some snow, it has been snowing off and on the last 2 days. There is not a lot of snow but enough to make it pretty. The downside of all of this is that we have had a cold snap from yesterday. This morning I was talking to Shige when I checked the temperature. This morning it is 5°, I told him that and he said, "oh the same as here, then I reminded him that this was F, in C in is -15°. Needless to say it is really cold!

I have started reading ホームレス中学生 (Homeless Jr. High student), it is not to difficult and I think if I go slow I will be able to get through it.
Yesterday I went to "Charlie Wilson's War" it was pretty good, but a little fast moving in the dialog area. I guess it just really shows that I'm not used to keeping up on conversations. Hopefully that is something that I will be working on while I'm here.