October 2005 Old Blog Posts
October 30
Halloween Preview
We're getting colds...again. Oh joy of all joys! It's a gray Sunday morning in Zushi and we just finished our breakfast. I don't doubt that this is going to be the kind of day that we're in our pajamas until almost lunchtime. Josiah is still doing fairly well--he's acting a little more quiet than usual, but he doesn't seem to be running a temp. It's so strange how quickly this came on him. He was fine last night at the Halloween party, fine all the way home, then as soon as he got in bed, it was like someone turned on the snot faucet. It happened that quickly. Now he's congested and snotty. Poor kid. And we know exactly who gave it to us, though to be fair, we were duly warned.
What was I to do? It was either forgo the train set and stay healthy, or go and play and take the chance of getting sick. Josiah is in love with the train set. I'm in love with getting him out of my hair for a couple of hours. Now we're going to pay, I guess! I'm sure to Joe, it was worth it to be able to play with the trains for awhile.
It's been a busy couple of days, which is good. It helps to make the time pass. On Friday, we drove into Yokosuka and did some shopping at Ave and Home's. As I'm sure I've said before, Ave is a bit like Japanese Wal-Mart, while Home's has everything Ave does, plus a very nice, expensive floor full of furniture and home goods. The pictures of Josiah playing on the slide are from Home's--they have a little play area for the kids. A lot of better stores have play areas. Some of them are pretty cool, actually. I finally bought some curtains for our bedroom. Ha! No more waking up at sunrise at 5:30 a.m. Now we can actually sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. Believe me, that extra hour is worth it!
Yesterday, we took a long walk with Mariska, Drake and Lily. We went down to the park in Zushi again, this time to check out a train car that is part of the park. Josiah and the other kids had a great time climbing up the stairs, running through the train, and climbing down the other side. Plus, the actual in-use tracks are right across the street, so he got to see the train go by a couple of times. Wait until he comprehends that Uncle Eli actually gets to ride on the train in Minnesota every night! I have ordered Josiah his first "Thomas" train set. We're starting pretty basic, with a figure eight track, a Thomas, and a few boxcars. One can get very elaborate with these trains!
We had the ship's Halloween party last night. Josiah was pretty resentful of the Eeyore hood, so you won't see too many pictures of him with it on, and those that I did get, he's distinctly unhappy or pulling at it. He didn't mind the little suit though, so he wore that all evening and literally chased his tail around for hours. We had a potluck dinner and games and candy for the kids. It was a good time, though not as fun as last year's "haunted hangar" on the ship. Oh, and we carved pumpkins at Mariska's on Friday night--there are a couple of pictures of our pumpkin. Mariska and Alexis were so good at it--mine took me forever. I can only remember carving pumpkins a couple of times in my life. I guess Halloween was a big deal for their families growing up. I don't really remember it being a big event when I was growing up, plus I'm sure Jan didn't really want us carving pumpkins anywhere within a 50' radius of her house!
Happy Halloween everyone!
8:04 AM Add a comment Read comments (2) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 27
Just Another Rainy Day...
Just another rainy day in Japan. Josiah is having a very late lunch. It's almost 3:00 p.m. I guess it's more like lupper or linner at this point. I had a doctor's appointment this morning (everything is fine), so he was down playing at Alexis' apartment. Our friend Mariska just arrived from San Diego and somehow managed to get the apartment right next door to Alexis, so they're like Lucy and Ethel down there, running back and forth between places. Alexis keeps joking that they need a doggie door for the kids, so they can run in between without having to leave!
Josiah is in love with his friend Drake's "Thomas the Tank Engine" train set (hint, hint if any grandparent is wondering about Christmas presents). Drake has a big table, probably 4x6' or thereabouts, set up with wooden track, bridges, trees, etc. Joe knows the word "choo-choo" from watching the trains go by right outside Ikego's gate. Anyway, I had to drag him away from there, kicking and screaming and moaning "chooooo-choooo" all the way home. As you can imagine, he can get fairly dramatic when things don't go his way. I know you're all so surprised!
Not much else to report. Hans is off again...this time even longer than the last time. The only good thing is that he'll be able to call several times. He can't get any e-mail messages sent to his Hotmail address anymore-- so if anyone needs to reach him, please do so at his work address. If you don't happen to have it, e-mail me and I'll get it to you. We had Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday night since he'll have to miss it. I made turkey breast, cornbread, stuffing, potatoes, carrots. It certainly wasn't as tasty as last years' dinner at Chad and Heidi's, but it was the thought that counts! I just keep telling myself that, when it comes to my cooking!!
Still no sign of Josiah's Yoda costume for Halloween. I did get a package today from my parents. Dad mailed it just over a week ago. I wish that someone could tell me why in the world a package from Minnesota only takes eight days, and a package from a place like the Gap takes upwards of six weeks? Grrrr. It's gotten to the point where I think I'll just have companies ship things to my parents or Genevieve and have them forward the package to me. It's a heck of a lot quicker. Sheesh. Anyway--Alexis has a backup costume for Joe, just in case. It's Eeyore. Yep. Eeyore.
Oh, and Joe's got a job for Monday. I haven't gotten any information about it yet, except that it should be for around three hours and probably somewhere in the Tokyo area again. So I'm busy psyching myself up for another incredible journey, lugging the stroller up and down stairs! The agency promised it would be short and sweet this time, so hopefully we can avoid rush hour and be home in time for trick-or-treating. I'll be sure to take the camera.
Take care everyone...
3:05 PM Add a comment Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 24
Trip to Tokyo
We're back from our trip to Tokyo...well, I guess we've actually been back for a couple of days as it was only an overnight Friday/Saturday. I just finally got around to loading our new camera's software and downloading the pictures. Our poor old Kodak gave up the ghost on Thursday night...it was a good camera. We bought it just before our wedding, so it lived a long life in terms of electronics. We bought another Kodak on Friday morning and so far are enjoying it. It was much cheaper and is nicer than our first one. Funny how technology just gets cheaper and cheaper...
The trip went well. Hans got to experience the joys of lugging a baby in a stroller up and down stairways in the subway and train stations. It still makes me crazy, almost to the point of tears, but he was pretty stoic about it. He says he has a new respect for the effort I had to expend to take Josiah to those modeling shoots in Tokyo! I still don't understand why Japan has so few elevators in their public transportation stations. I asked a native why that was and what the elderly and handicapped do, and she replied that they just know that they can only go to certain stations. Well, of course, that certainly wouldn't fly in the States. I guess we've gotten spoiled by all the ramps and elevators.
Our hotel was very small, but nice. It was just across the boulevard from the Imperial Palace. We spent some time there on Saturday morning, braving the drizzle to take a look around. A lot of it is under construction or renovation, so we didn't see too much. The palace itself is only open to the public two days out of the year. There are some pictures of the area that our hotel was in--some views of the park and the surrounding moat, a fountain park that was across the way, and some shots of downtown Tokyo.
We also went up to Ueno Park, had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and went to the Tokyo National Museum. The museum turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I think we had mistaken it for the Edo Museum, a place that many people have recommended to us. Hans was eager to see Samurai "stuff", but there was very little of it at the museum, and someone small was not being very polite in the museum (ie: much loud yelling, etc.).
All in all, it was a good trip. It was so nice for Hans to have an extra day off and for us to be able to spend it together. We saw a little bit of Tokyo and hope to go back for day trips soon. Enjoy the pics!
4:11 PM Add a comment Read comments (1) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 20
Nothing was still
Last night, I tried to sleep with Josiah again. When Hans is gone, I just like the comfort of having Joe in bed right next to me. I should have known it was a mistake, based on past experiences, but I decided to try again. Josiah is possibly the most active sleeper ever. He rolls, he tosses, he flings himself around. I usually bring him in and put him next to me after he's been sleeping for awhile in his own crib, then I'll sit and read for an hour. During that hour, he'll sleep next to me like a little angel, mouth slightly open, hardly moving a muscle. I always have to stop what I'm doing just to admire him. It's after I turn out the lights that he starts thrashing. At one point, he was laying with his feet in my face. I was getting no sleep whatsoever, so finally, around midnight, I got up and put him back into his own bed.
We had a little earthquake last night. That makes three that we've had since we've been here that I've noticed. I'm sure there are minor little tremors occuring all the time. There was one on Sunday that was very short, no more than five seconds, but somewhat violent in those five seconds. I sat here for about 2.5 seconds, then thought maybe I should scoop up Joe and run outside, but by the time I'd started up out of the chair, it had stopped. Last night, I was sitting in bed (before Joe came in) when suddenly, the room just started a nice, gentle swaying/rocking. Last night's lasted a little longer, maybe 10-15 seconds. Moms, don't worry, we've been instructed in earthquake safety--stop, drop and roll, right? Oh wait, that's fire safety. I promise, we really have been briefed in what to do in the event a decent, prolonged one comes along.
I have been obsessing the last couple of days with what I should do about these kids and their living situation. Once I start fretting about these problems, I find I cannot rest until I've come up with a solution. I'm trying to decide if Josiah and Anna should have their own rooms. Should Anna take Joe's crib and Joe move into a bed? Should it be a toddler bed or should we just go whole hog into the twin bed? Is he ready to be out of the crib at 21 months? Should I put them both into the same room (then I have the burden of trying to match cribs and bedding), or should I keep Josiah's room the haven of toddler masculinity and make Anna her own little-girl room? Ugh. I think I've finally come to a decision. My husband isn't going to be too happy when he hears that I want him to move his computer out of the extra bedroom, but I know we have room for it downstairs, and then Anna can have her pink room. I feel like she deserves that. Besides, I worry about her getting up in the middle of the night and waking Josiah up if they share a room. Any thoughts from the Moms on this one? I've been polling the mothers that I know.
We're going to Tokyo tomorrow for an overnight. I booked us rather an extravagant room at a hotel that overlooks the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Tonight, we're going to look through our DK Japan book and pick out what we would like to see on Friday and Saturday. We'll send pictures.
2:46 PM Add a comment Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 19
Today's Observations
Reflections as of today:
Today, I had the car...well, the van. Yes, I am freely admitting that I now drive a little van. Not a mini-van, but a little van. It's not much, but it runs and the air conditioner works. Which is very important in this hyper-humid climate. It looks like someone has run a garden rake up and down the sides of this poor vehicle, which makes me ill every time I look at it. See, I was brought up in a household in which damage to the car was punishable by extreme torture and starvation. Even daring to eat or put a foot on the seat was considered something of a crime. I got used to having to walk for miles because my parents refused to park anywhere but the last, corner parking spot at the grocery store.
Shouldn't talk, because now I do the same, and do I love my car? My car at home, I mean? Let's just put it this way, I have a picture of my 2004 VW Passat station wagon hanging on my refrigerator, in a place only slightly less honored than my skyline of St. Paul. Those habits imbued by my father have passed to me. Now I park in the farthest parking spot. I will admit that I do eat in my car, but very carefully. Have I mentioned that Hans wants to get an Audi S4 when we get back to the States? Geez, and I'm psycho about my VW. I'm not sure I'm going to allow him to take it out of the garage (I'm laughing, just picturing him in the garage going "vroooommm" and pretending to drive). There's just too many lunatics out there who don't care about dooring my car.
Anyway, it's kind of nice to have a crappy car here in Japan. Never in my life have I felt such reckless abandon in the car. I wipe my hands on the seats. I throw pop cans on the floor. I eat with gusto, not caring what gets spilled. I allow my child to freely eat and deposit food everywhere. I realized just what a mess it was today, so I cleaned up a little. There were raisins and Chex Mix everywhere, empty pop cans, Kleenex, Matchbox cars. It's just kind of nice not to obsess about my leather seats and where I park. Now I shimmy into that tight spot right next to the building!
So, driving to Yokosuka today, I ran into several areas on the main drag out of town where the city is doing some construction. It's only a two-lane road (with parking allowed ON the street on both sides), so it can get a little hairy to navigate. There were uniformed workers with batons out directing traffic in the construction areas. They hold their batons horizontally when you need to stop, and they bow when they stop you and when you pass.
I'm just in shock and awe over how reserved and polite the Japanese are. I'd like to see a construction worker in the U.S. show that kind of respect to someone on the street. I've worked with 'em, I know what they're like! Another thing that I've noticed is that when we're out shopping in a Japanese area, the clerks are amazingly polite and courteous...they greet you about twenty times, and bow, and if you buy something, they are "arigato"-ing you out the door. Plus, they fold everything like origami, wrap it in paper and even tape the shopping bag shut. They did this even at the Gap outlet last week. Crazy. I think I'm lucky in the U.S. if the Gap clerk even folds my purchases, let alone says thank you.
As a matter of fact, I just read an article about how Americans are getting ruder. I sure wish it wasn't true, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is. The Japanese are just so concious all the time of others. They are helpful to the point of annoyance. They are completely reserved and self-contained. I've watched them on the trains. Mostly, they sleep, but if they have conversations, they are quiet. I feel embarassed if Josiah starts making noise on the train, it's that quiet!
Point of the day: Just be courteous. Use your blinkers and stuff!
Halloween Preview
We're getting colds...again. Oh joy of all joys! It's a gray Sunday morning in Zushi and we just finished our breakfast. I don't doubt that this is going to be the kind of day that we're in our pajamas until almost lunchtime. Josiah is still doing fairly well--he's acting a little more quiet than usual, but he doesn't seem to be running a temp. It's so strange how quickly this came on him. He was fine last night at the Halloween party, fine all the way home, then as soon as he got in bed, it was like someone turned on the snot faucet. It happened that quickly. Now he's congested and snotty. Poor kid. And we know exactly who gave it to us, though to be fair, we were duly warned.
What was I to do? It was either forgo the train set and stay healthy, or go and play and take the chance of getting sick. Josiah is in love with the train set. I'm in love with getting him out of my hair for a couple of hours. Now we're going to pay, I guess! I'm sure to Joe, it was worth it to be able to play with the trains for awhile.
It's been a busy couple of days, which is good. It helps to make the time pass. On Friday, we drove into Yokosuka and did some shopping at Ave and Home's. As I'm sure I've said before, Ave is a bit like Japanese Wal-Mart, while Home's has everything Ave does, plus a very nice, expensive floor full of furniture and home goods. The pictures of Josiah playing on the slide are from Home's--they have a little play area for the kids. A lot of better stores have play areas. Some of them are pretty cool, actually. I finally bought some curtains for our bedroom. Ha! No more waking up at sunrise at 5:30 a.m. Now we can actually sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. Believe me, that extra hour is worth it!
Yesterday, we took a long walk with Mariska, Drake and Lily. We went down to the park in Zushi again, this time to check out a train car that is part of the park. Josiah and the other kids had a great time climbing up the stairs, running through the train, and climbing down the other side. Plus, the actual in-use tracks are right across the street, so he got to see the train go by a couple of times. Wait until he comprehends that Uncle Eli actually gets to ride on the train in Minnesota every night! I have ordered Josiah his first "Thomas" train set. We're starting pretty basic, with a figure eight track, a Thomas, and a few boxcars. One can get very elaborate with these trains!
We had the ship's Halloween party last night. Josiah was pretty resentful of the Eeyore hood, so you won't see too many pictures of him with it on, and those that I did get, he's distinctly unhappy or pulling at it. He didn't mind the little suit though, so he wore that all evening and literally chased his tail around for hours. We had a potluck dinner and games and candy for the kids. It was a good time, though not as fun as last year's "haunted hangar" on the ship. Oh, and we carved pumpkins at Mariska's on Friday night--there are a couple of pictures of our pumpkin. Mariska and Alexis were so good at it--mine took me forever. I can only remember carving pumpkins a couple of times in my life. I guess Halloween was a big deal for their families growing up. I don't really remember it being a big event when I was growing up, plus I'm sure Jan didn't really want us carving pumpkins anywhere within a 50' radius of her house!
Happy Halloween everyone!
8:04 AM Add a comment Read comments (2) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 27
Just Another Rainy Day...
Just another rainy day in Japan. Josiah is having a very late lunch. It's almost 3:00 p.m. I guess it's more like lupper or linner at this point. I had a doctor's appointment this morning (everything is fine), so he was down playing at Alexis' apartment. Our friend Mariska just arrived from San Diego and somehow managed to get the apartment right next door to Alexis, so they're like Lucy and Ethel down there, running back and forth between places. Alexis keeps joking that they need a doggie door for the kids, so they can run in between without having to leave!
Josiah is in love with his friend Drake's "Thomas the Tank Engine" train set (hint, hint if any grandparent is wondering about Christmas presents). Drake has a big table, probably 4x6' or thereabouts, set up with wooden track, bridges, trees, etc. Joe knows the word "choo-choo" from watching the trains go by right outside Ikego's gate. Anyway, I had to drag him away from there, kicking and screaming and moaning "chooooo-choooo" all the way home. As you can imagine, he can get fairly dramatic when things don't go his way. I know you're all so surprised!
Not much else to report. Hans is off again...this time even longer than the last time. The only good thing is that he'll be able to call several times. He can't get any e-mail messages sent to his Hotmail address anymore-- so if anyone needs to reach him, please do so at his work address. If you don't happen to have it, e-mail me and I'll get it to you. We had Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday night since he'll have to miss it. I made turkey breast, cornbread, stuffing, potatoes, carrots. It certainly wasn't as tasty as last years' dinner at Chad and Heidi's, but it was the thought that counts! I just keep telling myself that, when it comes to my cooking!!
Still no sign of Josiah's Yoda costume for Halloween. I did get a package today from my parents. Dad mailed it just over a week ago. I wish that someone could tell me why in the world a package from Minnesota only takes eight days, and a package from a place like the Gap takes upwards of six weeks? Grrrr. It's gotten to the point where I think I'll just have companies ship things to my parents or Genevieve and have them forward the package to me. It's a heck of a lot quicker. Sheesh. Anyway--Alexis has a backup costume for Joe, just in case. It's Eeyore. Yep. Eeyore.
Oh, and Joe's got a job for Monday. I haven't gotten any information about it yet, except that it should be for around three hours and probably somewhere in the Tokyo area again. So I'm busy psyching myself up for another incredible journey, lugging the stroller up and down stairs! The agency promised it would be short and sweet this time, so hopefully we can avoid rush hour and be home in time for trick-or-treating. I'll be sure to take the camera.
Take care everyone...
3:05 PM Add a comment Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 24
Trip to Tokyo
We're back from our trip to Tokyo...well, I guess we've actually been back for a couple of days as it was only an overnight Friday/Saturday. I just finally got around to loading our new camera's software and downloading the pictures. Our poor old Kodak gave up the ghost on Thursday night...it was a good camera. We bought it just before our wedding, so it lived a long life in terms of electronics. We bought another Kodak on Friday morning and so far are enjoying it. It was much cheaper and is nicer than our first one. Funny how technology just gets cheaper and cheaper...
The trip went well. Hans got to experience the joys of lugging a baby in a stroller up and down stairways in the subway and train stations. It still makes me crazy, almost to the point of tears, but he was pretty stoic about it. He says he has a new respect for the effort I had to expend to take Josiah to those modeling shoots in Tokyo! I still don't understand why Japan has so few elevators in their public transportation stations. I asked a native why that was and what the elderly and handicapped do, and she replied that they just know that they can only go to certain stations. Well, of course, that certainly wouldn't fly in the States. I guess we've gotten spoiled by all the ramps and elevators.
Our hotel was very small, but nice. It was just across the boulevard from the Imperial Palace. We spent some time there on Saturday morning, braving the drizzle to take a look around. A lot of it is under construction or renovation, so we didn't see too much. The palace itself is only open to the public two days out of the year. There are some pictures of the area that our hotel was in--some views of the park and the surrounding moat, a fountain park that was across the way, and some shots of downtown Tokyo.
We also went up to Ueno Park, had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and went to the Tokyo National Museum. The museum turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I think we had mistaken it for the Edo Museum, a place that many people have recommended to us. Hans was eager to see Samurai "stuff", but there was very little of it at the museum, and someone small was not being very polite in the museum (ie: much loud yelling, etc.).
All in all, it was a good trip. It was so nice for Hans to have an extra day off and for us to be able to spend it together. We saw a little bit of Tokyo and hope to go back for day trips soon. Enjoy the pics!
4:11 PM Add a comment Read comments (1) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 20
Nothing was still
Last night, I tried to sleep with Josiah again. When Hans is gone, I just like the comfort of having Joe in bed right next to me. I should have known it was a mistake, based on past experiences, but I decided to try again. Josiah is possibly the most active sleeper ever. He rolls, he tosses, he flings himself around. I usually bring him in and put him next to me after he's been sleeping for awhile in his own crib, then I'll sit and read for an hour. During that hour, he'll sleep next to me like a little angel, mouth slightly open, hardly moving a muscle. I always have to stop what I'm doing just to admire him. It's after I turn out the lights that he starts thrashing. At one point, he was laying with his feet in my face. I was getting no sleep whatsoever, so finally, around midnight, I got up and put him back into his own bed.
We had a little earthquake last night. That makes three that we've had since we've been here that I've noticed. I'm sure there are minor little tremors occuring all the time. There was one on Sunday that was very short, no more than five seconds, but somewhat violent in those five seconds. I sat here for about 2.5 seconds, then thought maybe I should scoop up Joe and run outside, but by the time I'd started up out of the chair, it had stopped. Last night, I was sitting in bed (before Joe came in) when suddenly, the room just started a nice, gentle swaying/rocking. Last night's lasted a little longer, maybe 10-15 seconds. Moms, don't worry, we've been instructed in earthquake safety--stop, drop and roll, right? Oh wait, that's fire safety. I promise, we really have been briefed in what to do in the event a decent, prolonged one comes along.
I have been obsessing the last couple of days with what I should do about these kids and their living situation. Once I start fretting about these problems, I find I cannot rest until I've come up with a solution. I'm trying to decide if Josiah and Anna should have their own rooms. Should Anna take Joe's crib and Joe move into a bed? Should it be a toddler bed or should we just go whole hog into the twin bed? Is he ready to be out of the crib at 21 months? Should I put them both into the same room (then I have the burden of trying to match cribs and bedding), or should I keep Josiah's room the haven of toddler masculinity and make Anna her own little-girl room? Ugh. I think I've finally come to a decision. My husband isn't going to be too happy when he hears that I want him to move his computer out of the extra bedroom, but I know we have room for it downstairs, and then Anna can have her pink room. I feel like she deserves that. Besides, I worry about her getting up in the middle of the night and waking Josiah up if they share a room. Any thoughts from the Moms on this one? I've been polling the mothers that I know.
We're going to Tokyo tomorrow for an overnight. I booked us rather an extravagant room at a hotel that overlooks the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Tonight, we're going to look through our DK Japan book and pick out what we would like to see on Friday and Saturday. We'll send pictures.
2:46 PM Add a comment Permalink Trackbacks (0) Blog it
October 19
Today's Observations
Reflections as of today:
Today, I had the car...well, the van. Yes, I am freely admitting that I now drive a little van. Not a mini-van, but a little van. It's not much, but it runs and the air conditioner works. Which is very important in this hyper-humid climate. It looks like someone has run a garden rake up and down the sides of this poor vehicle, which makes me ill every time I look at it. See, I was brought up in a household in which damage to the car was punishable by extreme torture and starvation. Even daring to eat or put a foot on the seat was considered something of a crime. I got used to having to walk for miles because my parents refused to park anywhere but the last, corner parking spot at the grocery store.
Shouldn't talk, because now I do the same, and do I love my car? My car at home, I mean? Let's just put it this way, I have a picture of my 2004 VW Passat station wagon hanging on my refrigerator, in a place only slightly less honored than my skyline of St. Paul. Those habits imbued by my father have passed to me. Now I park in the farthest parking spot. I will admit that I do eat in my car, but very carefully. Have I mentioned that Hans wants to get an Audi S4 when we get back to the States? Geez, and I'm psycho about my VW. I'm not sure I'm going to allow him to take it out of the garage (I'm laughing, just picturing him in the garage going "vroooommm" and pretending to drive). There's just too many lunatics out there who don't care about dooring my car.
Anyway, it's kind of nice to have a crappy car here in Japan. Never in my life have I felt such reckless abandon in the car. I wipe my hands on the seats. I throw pop cans on the floor. I eat with gusto, not caring what gets spilled. I allow my child to freely eat and deposit food everywhere. I realized just what a mess it was today, so I cleaned up a little. There were raisins and Chex Mix everywhere, empty pop cans, Kleenex, Matchbox cars. It's just kind of nice not to obsess about my leather seats and where I park. Now I shimmy into that tight spot right next to the building!
So, driving to Yokosuka today, I ran into several areas on the main drag out of town where the city is doing some construction. It's only a two-lane road (with parking allowed ON the street on both sides), so it can get a little hairy to navigate. There were uniformed workers with batons out directing traffic in the construction areas. They hold their batons horizontally when you need to stop, and they bow when they stop you and when you pass.
I'm just in shock and awe over how reserved and polite the Japanese are. I'd like to see a construction worker in the U.S. show that kind of respect to someone on the street. I've worked with 'em, I know what they're like! Another thing that I've noticed is that when we're out shopping in a Japanese area, the clerks are amazingly polite and courteous...they greet you about twenty times, and bow, and if you buy something, they are "arigato"-ing you out the door. Plus, they fold everything like origami, wrap it in paper and even tape the shopping bag shut. They did this even at the Gap outlet last week. Crazy. I think I'm lucky in the U.S. if the Gap clerk even folds my purchases, let alone says thank you.
As a matter of fact, I just read an article about how Americans are getting ruder. I sure wish it wasn't true, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is. The Japanese are just so concious all the time of others. They are helpful to the point of annoyance. They are completely reserved and self-contained. I've watched them on the trains. Mostly, they sleep, but if they have conversations, they are quiet. I feel embarassed if Josiah starts making noise on the train, it's that quiet!
Point of the day: Just be courteous. Use your blinkers and stuff!
Comments