J was wearing my dress, so I used a cape and a wig. I changed after we arrived, not wanting to catch my cape in the bicycle spokes. 

The garden where the Halloween party was held had a nice display on witchcraft. 

Halloween Party

After a week of deliberations, this is what we ended up as; J was a witch in black, L was a vampire, M was a green witch, N was Donald Duck (her mask is on a hood hanging off the back of her shirt) and some kid we don't know (this was usually my youngest brother in everyone else's Disneyland photos) was another vampire.

Tis the season!

Tis the season!
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

Play group annual Halloween party was a big success.

Fun for All at Sports Festival

S participated in the "Eye of the Typhoon" relay race with some other fathers of kids in L's class. They had to run around two cones and back to the next group of three in their team. They came in last in spite of S's powerful swing (which was quite a surprise to the other two dads), but they all had fun. 

The 7th and Final Kindergarten Sports Festival

 


Relay Runner L in the lead at his kindergarten's annual sports festival. He really enjoys running and does laps when we go to the park. The girls' elementary school will hold a similar event in mid November. L's event was a morning affair and S suggested that we go out for lunch to celebrate L's victories. Fine with me. Most schools have longer, all day sports festivals requiring fancy picnic lunches for the family.

More on Harvest Festival

This is the drum N and L helped pull around. Our team's course was on both sides of the railroad tracks and it was a little harrowing getting 50 kids, the drum, the kids' shrine and the adults' shrine with 30 or 40 slightly inebriated shrine bearers in loincloths (called FUNDOSHI) across the tracks between trains. We had to do it in 2 shifts. I haven't seen these shrines move so quickly unless it was at some other more competitive festival where they bash into each other or race around the neighborhood. Our team usually just meanders along the designated route, spreading the blessing and then sprints across the tracks. I'm surpised nothing tipped over. The kids all got bags full of snacks for participating which have already been devoured two days later.  

Harvest Festival 2005

Harvest Festival 2005
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

Although we live in a big city, the local Shinto shrine continues their annual harvest festival. J was a little too tall to carry the childrens' portable shrine (called a MIKOSHI) so she just tagged along behind. L and N pulled a gigantic drum around the neighbor on a one mile route through the neighborhood. The main street near our house was closed all afternoon so teams of shrine bearers from other nearby neighborhoods could pull their drums and carts of musicians around and carry their shrines too.

Fall?

Well, it's still in the low to mid 90s (Farenheit) but Monday night I heard the hot sweet potato vendor driving around the neighborhood playing a tape over a loudspeaker, touting his stone-roasted sastuma potatoes. There is actually a wood-fueled oven filled with stones in the back of the tiny pickup truck. I guess it's time to replace the bamboo wind chimes with Autumn decor...even if it still feels like summer.

Earthquakes and Typhoons

I went on-line and ordered enough food for a few days to be delivered by the local supermarket this afternoon as a big typhoon of Hurricane Katherine intensity is headed toward Kyushu and it has already begun to rain in Tokyo. It looks like we'll miss the brunt of it but a tiny earthquake this morning was extra incentive to prepare a little more. I've made a 6 liter jug of the barley tea the kids like, a big batch of rice and a pot of pumpkin soup so I won't have to cook much later when everyone is home and the place gets too humid and hot from all the bodies. The bathtub is full in case we need it for flushing toilets. The kids are all at school as the weather isn't bad enough yet for a "storm day."

The view from our deluxe cabin. 

The girls on the porch of our deluxe cabin. 

L enjoyed the obstacle course. 

M was the minimum height for the go-karts and she was an excellent driver. 

J was just the right size for these go-karts. 

L was too short to drive so S gave him a tour. 

Kanpai! N really enjoys grilled food. 

Craft time at camp. Why is everybody looking at J? Even the girl behind them... 

Family Trip

S gave me some pamphlets early in the summer with lists of hotels with swimming pools and said we should take the kids somewhere for 2 nights and take it easy. He pointed to the great prices advertised and told me to find someplace, giving me the dates of our English school's summer vacation: August 14-24. I circled all the cheapest places but, of course, none were at the advertised prices S expected because we weren't planning a mid-June or early September holiday. Still, 10,000 yen a night per person wasn't too bad for hot springs, a pool, proximity to the beach (in Izu) smorgasbord (all you can eat) dinner and breakfast.

S rejected the places I had circled saying that it would be too tiring and expensive getting all the way to Izu and back and not wanting to spend even more money on daytime entertainment (amusement parks, alligator zoo etc.) when the kids got bored of swimming. He asked me to find out if our Co-op (a delivery shopping club we belong to ) had any discount tickets for the camping place we visited last year, Sagamiko Picnicland.

This place is a city slicker campsite with 4-person dome tents already set up on wooden platforms (with 2 blankets per occupant and a flashlight) or small 4-person cabins, simple (futons, a light, running water, no toilet) or deluxe (futons, a toilet, A/C, a sink, and a TV), a pool, a petting farm, an amusement park and other attractions all rolled into one. For one price, dinner (all you can eat grilled vegetables, meat and fried noodles), overnight facilities, unlimited one day use of the amusement park rides, unlimited use of the pool, petting farm rabbits, sheep, goats, ponies and other animals), buffet breakfast, a campfire service (with sexy guys leading the songs and activities), a pack of fireworks for each child, a craft project for everyone and hot showers are rolled into one package deal.

I was able to find discount prices (5,200 yen per night per child, 5,600 yen per night per adult) in our Co-op leaflet and make internet reservations for a tent and a cabin. S said he needed a futon and that 2000 yen extra for 2 of us in a DELUXE cabin and 4 people at the tent price wouldn't break the bank. Unfortunately, the deluxe cabins were all reserved and S had to accept the cheaper (only 1,000 yen extra) cabin with no toilet. We made reservations, received confirmation by mail with a bill and remitted our money directly to Sagamiko Picnicland's account.

The tents and cabins are in different sites so I immediately sent an e-mail explaining that I had made 2 separate reservations for 2 and for 4 people as we wanted a cabin for my husband and young son but that the girls wanted to sleep in a tent and that I hoped they would try to find a tent as close as possible to the cabin. I got a reply saying that it might be difficult but that they would try, so I sent a gushing thank you e-mail, not forgetting to say how much we enjoyed our stay the previous year and that whatever they could come up with would be fine.

You can see more details at http://www.picnicland.co.jp . It is one stop past Takao on the Chuo Line and then a 10 minute bus ride so we took our train line to Takao and transferred to the Chuo Line. Most people pack all sorts of cooler boxes and other gear in their cars and just drive there but some folks do take the train with a bare minimum of luggage. It only took us about an hour to get there.

Each person in our family had a medium sized daypack with two changes of clothes, a swimsuit, a small and a large towel, a pack of instant ramen (bulky but light) and an amusement to share with siblings in case of rain (a pack of cards, a pack of hanafuda cards (traditional Japanese game), a book about bugs and a small rubber ball respectively from top to bottom). I had a tote back with a big box of onigiri (rice packed into balls and wrapped in nori seaweed sheets) and a Tupperware box with tamagoyaki (a sliced square soy flavored omelet to use up the eggs in the fridge), sweet potato chunks, cherry tomatoes and leftover yakitori （grilled bite-sized pieces of chicken and leeks on skewers with sweet soy flavored sauce） for lunch the first day and lots of snacks for all 3 days. S had the video and digital cameras and a small electric hotpot so we wouldn't have to spend extra money renting the fireplace area and pots and pans to heat water for our ramen lunch the 2nd day.

We arrived safely and were micro-bus chauffeured halfway to the top of the "mountain" where the camp facilities are located. When I checked in, they gave me a map to locate the cabin, but no tent...UH OH! But wait, I have another confirmation number...The receptionist looked relieved, punched the second number into her computer and came up with a map to our tent as well. It was right across a small path from the cabin. Hurray! And what do we find when we arrive at our cabin/tent site? They've upgraded us to DELUXE! S was ever so pleased at the free upgrade and the air-conditioning. L and N were
happy about the private toilet which was even a WASHLET type (Check out the TOTO website at　http://www.washlet.com/default.asp , L enjoyed that more than the mini-roller coaster!).

It was cool enough for 3 of us to stay in the tent the first night, but we all opted for the cabin the second night, 2 of us on blankets on the floor, the other 4 in the bunk beds with futons.

The place is set up on a ridge and we did a lot of walking up and down hills to do anything. The rides are a little tame; just right for L and N. J and M would probably enjoy a little more excitement next year. Everybody seemed to have a good time so I think it was a success. City slicker camping worked well for us as we don't own any camping gear or a car.

We arrived home just before a typhoon headed toward Tokyo and it began to rain last night. After 2 nights of grilled veggies and meat, we were ready for sushi for dinner last night and the girls had fun playing sushi chef and assembling nigiri sushi and maki (rolled) sushi for us at the table at home.

Today and tomorrow are definitely indoor days with all the wind and rain. The second term of school starts a week from today.

Summer Vacation

Town Life

A large box from Grandma and Grandpa arrived the morning of the 11th, right on N's birthday, making her feel extra special. Presents for the summer birthday children (J, L and N respectively) were enclosed and much appreciated. We went out for a lunch of Korean BBQ per N's request and had an ice cream cake for snack later at home.

We closed the English school from the 14th to the 24th to relax around home and enjoy summer a little. We've been going to the local public pool a few times a week and singing karaoke a few times to enjoy the airconditioning at one of the many local karaoke studios. The children all sing very well and enjoy listening to their parents sing a few oldies from time to time. S has a lovely, deep voice, good tone and rhythm. The children seem to take after him, fortunately.

We're off camping at the same place we stayed last summer soon.

Batting Center 

Sleeping sisters 

N's birthday lunch out. 

What a gentle guy! 

M is having fun too. 

This is how L is enjoying his summer vacation. 

Busy Weekend

Saturday was L's birthday and he requested a chocolate and ice cream cake shaped like a cartoon character, Doraemon. I managed to do most of the preparations the day before, as I was downstairs at the monthly building committee meeting all morning and we went out to the "family" restaurant a few blocks away for lunch. We were grateful for the arctic blast of air-conditioning in the restaurant and managed to stretch lunch into two comfortable hours before returning to our sweltering apartment for the Doraemon cake. We made sure to set the table and get the video and camera out before removing the cake from the freezer, hurriedly sticking six candles on and singing a rush job of "Happy Birthday" before the face melted. Halfway through eating the cake, we realized we'd forgotten to take a photo of the masterpiece.

Saturday evening was the building's annual summer party. I cycled around late in the afternoon picking up food we'd ordered (sandwiches from the bakery and 100 sticks of yakitori from a poultry specialty shop halfway to the next station) while the less mobile committee members boiled and salted edamame (green soy beans) and waited for the sushi, beer and chilled watermelon to be delivered by the respective neighborhood vendors. The men from our new building management company helped set up the desks from our meeting room in the entrance lobby and about 40 of us enjoyed dinner and beer from 6 to 8 p.m. Promptly at 8, the chairman announced that the beer was gone and thanked everyone for attending. I sent the kids upstairs so I could help clean up, but there were enough people helping that I didn't have to do too much. We divided the leftovers so S had a few extra dishes with his beer when he returned from classes after 10.

Sunday was an elementary school parents' association softball tournament. S was asked to join our school's team and he agreed to play if they couldn't find enough players. He had assumed that he had sounded non-committal enough to be left off the team, but it seems that they needed him. A neighbor who organizes our school team each year called him last week with details and told him that they really needed him. He said it was a casual competition among 5 schools and that no special equipment would be necessary but to please wear long pants and a hat and bring a glove if we had one. S decided that his judo pants would be acceptable and easier for him to move around in, but he did get serious about other gear. He borrowed a bat and some gloves from the construction company laboratory where he does consulting work and he went shopping for a few extra knee and elbow supporters. The kids were having fun trying them on and walking around like robots. S looked a little embarrassed when L appeared with a jock strap over his head like a professional wrestler's mask.

I mentioned a batting center not far from here and S went a few times to get some practice swinging at baseballs pitched by a machine for a couple of dollars a bucket. He also had the kids throw balls to him in the park to practice chasing and retrieving. I think the practice helped him acclimate, he wasn't in terrible condition after pitching morning game, umpiring another game and then playing second base and catcher in an afternoon game while we and two other families braved the heat and cheered the team on. I was responsible for buying the team lunches; onigiri (rice balls), pumpkin, square omelets, pickles and cherry tomatoes.

The principal watched the morning game and the vice principal stopped by for the afternoon game. The team played well for never having practiced together and managed to maintain leads through the top of the last inning. Unfortunately, the opposing teams managed to get a home run with bases loaded in the bottom of the last inning and our team lost both games. S was preparing to decline the team invitation to go out with some of the wives and children to a bar for dinner and cold beer and 6:00 but when I told him I'd take his Sunday evening classes, he was happy to accept and told me to come to the bar after the last student left at 8:30. He and the children were enjoying themselves when I arrived just in time for a few beers and a brilliant green cocktail which had chunks of kiwi fruit floating in it. J said that they had to order lots of squid because the children (mostly ours) kept eating the platters of grilled whole squid as they arrived and the food never made it to the adult table. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the day and evening out in spite of the heat and humidity.

I washed the orange school team uniform T-shirt that S borrowed and the aforementioned supporters and have them ready for the next half of the tournament on Sept. 19, a holiday.

Phlebitis?

A pain in my left calf Saturday morning developed into a swollen calf by that evening and I could feel two hard veins under the tender pink swelling. I thought it might be some kind of blood clotting so I rested with my leg up for a while and kept it cooled by soaking it in a tub full of cold water from time to time. The swelling went down and left only two reddish lines over the veins instead of a pink calf.

Monday morning I went to the clinic down the street to see if I'd done the right thing and the doctor confirmed superficial phlebitis. I was worried that it might be a side effect of the Tamoxifen that I've been taking once a day since December and the doctor thought that it might be possible. He asked me to speak with my breast doctor before deciding whether or not to discontinue the medication and to take it easy, elevate and cool the calf.

This morning the veins look much better and are just a little tender. My breast doctor advised me to keep elevating and cooling per the local clinic instructions and continue with the Tamoxifen. Sounds like it isn't too serious.

Hakone Trip Dinner

Hakone Trip Dinner
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

L seems capable of eating anything with enough peer pressure. At home he hardly ever eats tomato flavored rice in an omelet.

Hakone Lake Ashinoko

Hakone Ashinoko
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

L had a great time on his three day trip to Hakone with his grade in kindergarten. His teacher said he was always the first asleep and the last up in the morning, so I guess he had no trouble sleeping without a room full of sisters.

Watermelon

Watermelon
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

I bought a big watermelon for dessert yesterday as we had some friends over for dinner before the second evening of the festival. It was so big that we only made it through half of it so I saved the other half for snack today. It really hit the spot after cycling down to the public pool and huffing and puffing our way back up the hill home for lunch. L got a little pink in spite of the sunscreen, but should feel well enough tomorrow to go on his kindergarten trip to Hakone for three days.

Shaved Ice

Shaved Ice
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

J really needed the shaved ice. She danced for 90 minutes after it got a little darker. Of course she waited until there was a fairly good crowd of dancers before joining in to avoid seeming conspicuous. There was very little I could do to blend in...

Borrowed Yukata

Borrowed Yukata
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

After the thunder faded away, we had a great evening for the annual neighborhood summer festival in the park behind our apartment.

Summer Festival Season

We're down to the last week and a half of school before summer vacation. The kids are getting excited about dressing up for this year's neighborhood BON dance festival in the park next weekend. A few days ago, the superintendant relayed that that an elderly woman on the 4th floor hoped she could lend me a yukata (casual cotton summer kimono) this summer as she knew how difficult it could be to find one big enough for the large foreign woman with the cute children. I told him that I had one of my own and that I'd be too scared of spilling something on borrowed apparel.

He stopped me in the lobby today to tell me that the woman was still eager to lend me the yukata and that she was confident that it would fit me well as she had had it tailor made to fit her wider than average dimensions. I decided to stop by and thank her for the kind offer. She was expecting me, the yukata laid out on her coffee table with all the paraphenelia for properly putting it on and a beautiful woven OBI (2 or 2 1/2 yard long, 1 foot wide waist belt). She said she'd had it all out since the previous day, when her regular day care helper had been there. She invited me in to show me the best way to wear it.

I tried it on over the clothes I was wearing and we both worked out how to tie the OBI as it had been a long time since she had worn it. Her response to how I looked was a gusty "Bravo!" and an apology for Italian instead of English. She had aspired to sing opera when she was younger, she explained, so her chest had developed too much for off-the-rack yukatas. She was pleased that I recognized the OBI as a special pattern from Hakata in Kyushuu, where S is from, and told me more than I wanted to know about how special the silk belt was. Now I'm afraid to wear it to the festival where L or N will think nothing of wiping their sticky hands...Of course it would be rude not to wear the outfit though.

The wooden sandals she offered me were, as to be expected, too small to get my feet into but she happily insisted that my usual summer sandals would look wonderful with the ensemble. I thanked her for the loan and walked downstairs to give the superintendant and his wife a laugh before returning home to take it all off and carefully fold it until next week's festival. I'll definitely try to get some pictures.

102-0201_IMG

102-0201_IMG
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

He had fun getting up there, but needed assistance on the descent.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea
Originally uploaded by Koggy.

Just some cool colors to help beat the heat.

Rainy Season

There's a street ,barely wide enough for bicycles, that connects the main street where we live and the parallel back street the children use to walk to school. On this street is a very small dilapidated 2 story house on a 4x5 yard plot of land. Although it is officially "rainy season" now, the big cactus is blooming with bright yellow flowers beside the shady blue hydrangeas in the 50 inch strip of garden bewteen the from of the house and the street. Small green citrus fruits which will grow to grapefruit sized pinkish orange fruits by winter fill the tree in the corner where the garden wraps around the south side of the house. An overgrown palm tree and a cherry tree, which was beautiful in April, are featured among the bushy hodgepodge of who knows what. It's a tiny patch of jungle in the city and, somehow, calming. I really have to get a picture.

Fifth Grade Trip

M left for school this morning with a backpack filled with clothes for 3 days, two onigiri (rice packed into triangular balls with a pickled plum in the center, wrapped in a sheet of seaweed) and a thermos full of iced barley tea. She and the entire 5th grade will spend 2 nights in Nagano hiking and visiting various industries (mostly forestry and farming) as part of their "moving classroom." She was very excited about it all and it looks like the weather will hold out for them in that part of Japan, even though the rainy season has officially begun.

L may not be so lucky; his kindergarten picnic was postponed from last Friday to tomorrow due to rain. It looks like rain already, so they'll probably cancel the event altogether. He had a day off today because S and he attended the Fathers Day event in his classroom on Sunday. We biked around the city doing errands and met about 12 "Assoc. of Foreign Wives of Japanese" friends for lunch in the department store near our station.

I learned an interesting fact from an Austrian woman whom I had met 6 or 7 years ago at another event and knew that she lived about 40 minutes further out from the city than we are, on the same train line. It turns out that she and her husband also own an apartment right here in our neighborhood. It's in the building right in front of ours, in fact, and is empty most of the time since both of her daughters have graduated from university and gotten married. She or her husband stay there sometimes when their business runs too late to catch the last train to the distant parts of the metropolis. She said I should call her if I have out of town guests who might need a place to sleep, but that it is just that, and not very luxurious. If I had only known a few months ago...

J's Birthday

J did very well with the English notes for her birthday treasure hunt and successfully found the keys to her new bicycle on Monday morning. The girls were out of school for the day as a make up day for the previous Saturday when they had classes all morning for an open house. L had kindergarten, as kindergarten isn't part of the public school system. M made plans to visit a friend. We called one of J's friends and J, the friend, N and I rode our bikes to a nearby bowling alley for three games. N was pleased to get a combined score of 68 for her three games. After curry for lunch in a restaurant, we cycled home to decorate the cake before L came home. M brought her friend by at 3:00 when L also returned so we had a good number of voices for the Happy Birthday Song. The strawberry sponge cake with strawberry mousse filling and raspberry liqueur flavored whipped cream sold well.

Sometimes "smaller" is an advantage; L is victor at local tricycle circuit, taking home first prize, a coupon for free fries at McD's. 

The Birthday Present

J's birthday isn't until June 13th but I just had to take advantage of the sale at the local shopping center. Our credit card is issued through this chain of stores and they give us a 5% discount in addition to the special Spring Sale prices. I found an adult bicycle for 7,999 yen and went ahead and bought it. It was the last one in stock, so I felt lucky.

The actual purchase took a while as there were forms to fill out for registering the bike with the police (so it will be returned to us if it's found in some obscure place) and the clerk had to complete a thorough pre-sale inspection. We talked while he made various adjustments and filled the tires a little more and I told him how it was a present for my daughter who would be very pleased to have her first new bicycle. He took my credit card and went to another clerk at the cash register. When he returned, giving me my receipt and card, he told me that he had marked the bike down by 499 yen to an even 7,500 yen because it was a present and that he'd like to throw in some 200 yen reflective name stickers for the birthday girl. I arranged to pick up the bike the next morning, as I was on my own bike and couldn't push the new one home with my groceries too.

Now I had to figure out how to hide the bike until J's birthday. Our building has free bicycle parking outside, behind the building, and 2,000 yen per year parking in the basement parking lot. Our old bikes are all out behind the building but I paid for half a year to get a slot downstairs for the still new bike. I left the girls home with S when I took L to his kindergarten bus stop on Saturday morning and walked to the store near the station after sending L off. I rode the bike home (gently) and into the new slot downstairs. The tires have been wiped clean, the key and manual hidden in S's study so now I just have to keep my mouth shut until the middle of next month. We'll wait to put the name on until after J's birthday so she won't accidentally find the bike downstairs among 40 or 50 other bikes.

Intruders!

I left our sliding glass doors to the balcony open to air the apartment out for an afternoon visit from J's teacher. I returned from my errands to find two pidgeons trying to build a nest against the wall under the dining room table bench. Apparently S had shooed them out once and gone back to his nap. I shooed them around the table and out again and cleaned up the twigs before the teacher arrived, glad they hadn't had time to lay any eggs.

Sad News from Home

I learned today of the unexpected death at 45 of the former town historian, D W on May 6th. I remember hearing him talk about the landscaping plans at the local historic spot, the manse of the town's founder, as he researched authenticity and worked hard years ago and also remember enjoying his contributions to the Republican on the town history which I received by seamail far far away. I suppose it's too late to mention any schoolgirl crush I may have had on the gentle and earnest student of anthropology and archaeology. His contributions to the understanding of local history, even after moving down south, are not small and I feel that his death at 45 is such a waste.

Golden Week

Golden Week

We closed the English school for a week because of a series of national holidays collectively known as "Golden Week" in Japan. Families make plans months in advance to travel during the extended vacation. The news reports 60 and 70 mile long traffic jams on the major expressways around Tokyo. We decided to relax around home rather than brave the crowds and special holiday price increases in Hakone or some other tourist spot.

So far we've cycled, splashed in a stream, had a picnic, eaten out (Chinese) and gone swimming. S was too tired from the Saturday cycling to go swimming on Sunday, so I took the kids to the indoor, heated, public swimming pool with two water slides and a circulating pool where we tried to visit in January. L was too young and too short for the slides, but he had a great time drifting around the circulating pool with me while his sisters were sliding.

The children went on and on about the fun they had so S decided we should go again today so he could see this wonderful place. There weren't too many small children, as there was a rule that people using diapers on a daily basis are not permitted in the pool area. There is apparently a nice play room where the grandmothers can stay with the babies while the rest of the family splashes around.

Dinner at a Hiroshima style okonomiyaki restaurant on the way home was good entertainment. The kids loved sitting at the grill/counter watching the the cute young man fry noodles and mountains of shredded cabbage to be sandwiched between a savory crepe and a flattened and spread out fried egg and slathered with brown okonomiyaki sauce. When the "pancakes" were ready, they were placed in front of us on the grill for us to chop away and eat in small portions as the whole pancakes were too big to fit on the small plates we'd been given. The children were excited about eating right off the grill and we managed to finish the meal with no burned fingers or spilled water.

We only rent videos or DVDs a few times a year, so "Monday Night at the Movies" in the Sugio home was appreciated. They watched Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban." Tonight they are camping on the floor of the English school with S, a few blocks away from here. They carried blankets and pillows down the street after they brushed their teeth at home.

Tomorrow is probably KARAOKE day and then off to the local hot springs before dinner in the restaurant near the station where we went with Mom and Dad after our picnic last month.

Pension Gifts

The Lady Downstairs

The nice lady from the third floor has graced us with another visit. She asked if it would be OK to give the children 500 yen each to pick out a book at the bookstore, saying that she was sure they could pick the books they like better than she could. She receives her national pension on the 15th of each month, and seems to spend the 2 preceding weeks thinking of how to use it. The children sat down with her on the floor near the front door joyfully accepted her gift money and chocolates, making her very happy. We biked to a bookstore in a new shopping center and got some craft books, a Pokemon board book and some manga, Japanese comic book style novelettes. We'll be sure to show her the books when she stops by next Saturday with red bean filled rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves (I think they're oak leaves) for Boy's Day a few days early.

PTA

I'm down to the last week as VP of the kindergarten PTA and only have one more orientation meeting and a formal speech to get through next week. The incoming VP says she appreciates the streamlining I accomplished and plans to continue using my model. What a relief.

While I was conducting the changeover meeting at the kindergarten this morning, the elementary school district safety committee meeting was being held closer to home to choose this year's area leaders. There are 4 areas with 5 subgroups or so per area. As we have a 6th grader, the subgroup leadership fell to me this year. I have to make a telephone tree with the 8 families in our sub group and distribute various documents and safety patrol rosters from the main area leader when this year's documents are ready. I called yesterday to let them know that my kindergarten duties would make me late for the meeting.

When I arrived 45 minutes late, the district leader was just putting papers away and all the other people had gone home. She was pleasant, thanking me and asking me to sign in. She said that she hadn't been informed of the area leader for my neighborhood, but that I would hear from last year's subgroup leader with any news.

I learned on the phone this evening from last year's subleader that the 4 other subgroup leaders had been unable to decide upon a leader and had resorted to putting our 5 names in a lottery. Guess who won! In my absence, the other mothers were relieved to lose the lottery and leave making traffic safety documents and a patrol roster of 60 families up to yours truly. Fortunately last year's subleader will give me a big bag full of last year's documents I can reference in organizing this year's plan.

This supposedly gets me off the hook for other school committees this year, so I won't have to organize the summer pottery painting, the fall sports day, the winter rice cake festival, the PTA election...this year. Also, next time we have a 6th grader (next year), I can be excluded in any lotteries if things get so bad that lotteries are required for selecting leaders. I don't know how many times this exclusion is valid, as most people only have 1 or 2 children.

New School Year

The kids started their new school year on Wednesday. The cherry trees blossomed that day as well, just after Mom and Dad left the country. The park is full of families playing in a flurry of petals. Tomorrow we'll go on a picnic at our usual spot along the nearby river where there is a bank of cherry trees.