Remembering

Last fall, a couple we know had a beautiful baby boy. They had known for months that the baby would be born with severe birth defects and would not live long. Even so, they decided that she would carry the baby to term, and they would savor their time with him.

He was born and lived just a short while. But, he was surrounded by loving parents his entire life.

At the funeral, they gave out bulbs and asked people to plant them. My son decided to take our bulb, put it in a small pot, and care for it. All winter long he has been watering it and waiting for it to grow.

This week it bloomed.

A glimmer of spring

I was walking in the yard and noticed a single crocus flower. We still have a bit of snow and ice behind the house and spring seems a long way off. But, the sight of a crocus gives me hope that warmer days will come.

Tanuki

A few years ago, my brother and his family were living in Tokyo. I came on a business trip and met up with him. I was telling him about the "Tanuki", a raccoon dog found in Japan. The Tanuki is thought to be mischievous and to have the ability to change shape. I had remembered seeing little Tanuki statues around and wanted to show him.

We wandered around for quite a while and never came across one of the statues. But, on this last trip, I went to a lunch place with some co-workers and saw the statue. In this case, the Tanuki had an onion in his mouth. I don't know why.

How's your commute

I'm back from Tokyo but have a lot of pictures yet to post. While I was there, I rode the Yamanote train line everyday to get to the office. Between 8-9am, that train gets very crowded.

One day, I hit the train at the exact wrong time. I was packed in so tightly I could have lifted my feet off the floor of the train and not moved.

After that experience, I decided I had to take a quick video of the trains.

Try the fish

I'm waiting in Narita airport for my flight to go back to Boston and thought I post something.

Last night, I joined some colleagues and went to a traditional Japanese restaurant in Tamachi. After we sat down, the waitress came by with a cart of fish. I have seen fish in a tank that you pick out. But, it was a first to have the selection come to the table.

I always just let others order for me at these places. They picked some great things including the sashimi (see below) that was served at the beginning of the meal.

Strange animals

This week, I've come across 2 animal statues that I had to photograph. The one above was from a restaurant near Shiba Koen. It is a variation on a traditional Japanese good luck symbol, the Maneki Neko. A Maneki Neko is supposed to bring good luck to its owner. This one looks like it is completely strung out.

And, walking around at lunch yesterday, I saw this pig fishing statue. It made me wonder if that restaurant serves pork, fish, or some odd combination of both.

Tonkatsu

I met up with my college buddy last night. We decided to have dinner at a small tonkatsu restaurant near his office in Nishi Azabu. I am always amazed at the number of restaurants in this city. It seems like there are interesting places around every corner.

We were seated in an upstairs area that had 3 or 4 tables. The service was quite good and the tonkatsu was very tender.

O-Jizo Sama

I was walking to the office yesterday when I came across this statue. I asked some people about it and learned that it is an O-Jizo Sama statue, an important figure in Buddhism.

According to Buddhist tradition, Jizo is the protector of children. And there is an old story about a farmer who saw an O-Jizo Sama statue by the side of the road in winter. He thought that Jizo seemed cold and gave him a hat. Later, Jizo brought gifts to his home as a way to thank him for his kindness.

The Longest Day - Part 2

I arrived in Tokyo after the 14 hour flight and was ready to get to the hotel.

At Narita Airport, the easiest way to get to downtown Tokyo is to take the "Friendly Airport Limousine" (which can best be descibed as "A Large Orange Bus"). It can take up to 2 hours from the Airport to Tokyo. And, a long bus ride can be deadly after a long flight.

Here is what I did to pass the time on my 14 hour flight.

• Watched an episode of House.
• Watched another episode of House.
• Ate lunch.
• Checked out the available movies (and realized I didn't want to see any of them)
• Tried to sleep
• Watched an episode of House, and then another, and then another
• Tried to sleep again
• Ate something
• Watched yet another episode of House and started wondering if I could watch every episode of House that was available
• Tried to sleep again
• Watched two more episodes of House and then tried to read
• And finally, filled out my landing cards for customs
  

After the long flight and the 90 minute bus ride, I arrived at the hotel - 23 hours after I left home.

The Longest Day

I am on my way to Tokyo today. It will be a long, long day.

5:45am: Turn off the alarm clock and wish it was a regular Saturday
6:15am: Final check of my luggage and out the door
7:15am: Check in at Logan Airport
8:00am: Board mini-plane to fly to JFK
8:10am: Half listen to very perky flight attendant explain safety rules
8:11am: Wonder how someone can be so energetic and thrilled about explaining safety rules
9:30am: Arrive at JFK
10:20am: Kill time by writing a blog post

In an hour, I'll be getting on the flight and hunkering down for 14hours in the air.

Nor'easter

We had enough of a warming spell over the past few weeks for the snow to melt in the yard. On Saturday, we could actually see some grass.

But, it is too soon to think about spring.

On Sunday night, we got the kind of storm they call a Nor'easter. A good Nor'easter builds up power as it moves up the east coast. We got over 12 inches of new snow.

This morning, the storm is gone, and we woke up to sunshine, blue skies, and fresh snow.