January Pictures

Just some kindergarteners playing their flutes made from beer cans…



While talking to Kerry about the differences between China and Japan, some things that no longer seem strange to either of us became apparent. For example, she doesn’t think much of the synchronized dance that the Chinese children do every morning or the mid-day pauses that her students take to do eye-exercises (apparently rubbing around the eyes improves sight??) In Japan, the school lunch routine is one of the many things that I no longer think twice about but I think is worth documenting. There is no cafeteria so from the first grade on, the students learn the highly efficient serve-each-other method of distributing lunches.



A small elementary school class
Shikokuchuo-shi Progressive Party
Three houses in three different cities with transportation via trains and cabs, twenty people from around the region, and a ten hour continuous party with lots of good food...this is how we spent last Saturday night, starting with appetizers and cocktails in my tiny apartment.


Sitting under a kutatsu table is a great and cozy way to stay warm, there is a heater under the table and a blanket over it to keep the heat in