Pioneering in Japan

What makes Tokyo, is the people. Who they are, yes, but not just who they are, but  how many  there are - over 35 million souls in the metro area. If you look into people's faces (and how can you not  look into their faces) you'll see the sad, the busy, the apathetic, the lonely, the distracted, and the weary. If you just keep looking, eventually you're sure to recognize somebody  who reminds you of that one favorite relative or that one special friend, (you know, the one you keep praying will give his heart to Jesus?) - - Now multiply that by 35,000,000... Adrift in an ocean of souls Across the globe, there are a lot of people in a lot of places, but here, here they're all bunched up in one spot, living in everything from penthouses to capsule hotels . And they don't stay holed-up inside, either. People are outside, everywhere, from morning to laaaate at night! So we go to Shibuya. Thousands upon thousands of mostly highschool and college-aged window-shoppers,...

How could you resist? Then, how could you drink anything else...

Yesterday we were out exploring Fuchu City. What started as a simple trip to the 100 Yen Store (think - "Dollar and Thirty Cent Store" ) ended up being a whirlwind tour of low-end to not-so-high end capitalism. But first, takoyaki - Takoyaki is GREAT! I can only describe it as shaped like a Captain D's hushpuppy, but made of flour, not cornmeal, and with a piece of octopus inside! (Yes, octopus . The tako in tako yaki. Most of Asia and Latin America likes octopus. Live with it!) The finished product Next stop a "One Day Store" (?) with some suspiciously good deals. Here are some shoes (my daughter would love) for only $6.50 - As we walked back past the takoyaki shop (a popular place), we noticed a family all dressed up. I asked, in the corniest American accent I could muster, if I could take a picture. They seemed more than flattered - After several arigato-gozaimases, I started to walk away, but I was beckoned back by the excited parents - I'd missed the ...

I've been coming to grips with the fact that I live 14 to 16 hours in the future from those of you in the USA ( 8 pm there is 12 noon tomorrow for us). Frankly, it feels very Star Trek-esque to call people in the past from somewhere in the near future ( sorry about the election. I couldn't bear to break the bad news to you over the phone). Recently, however, as we stepped out of a train station, we found that we'd somehow warped ahead in time nearly 2 months - Yes, it's Christmas here in Nippon. And it feels like it too. All the shops in the train stations are selling Christmas gifts, and fruit and candy baskets, and there are posters for Christmas meals and musicals.  People seem infatuated, nay, obsessed with the season , but not necessarily the day . For the next 45 days people will be ho-ho-ho-ing with much mistletoe-ing, but on the big day itself? It's cubicle work as usual. Sounds like a trumpet call for industrial strength caroling and live Nativity scenes...

After we checked out of our honeymoon suite at the Narita U-city Hotel, we took the hotel shuttle back to Tokyo Narita International Airport... to catch a bus . The airport is HUGE and fast-paced. We had to go down to the lower levels to change money and buy our limousine bus tickets to Chofu Station, near Fuchu City. While it's cheaper to go by train, we decided that for this first trip, it wasn't worth getting lost just to prove how self-reliant we are. Into Tokyo! After about a 2 hour drive we got to Chofu Station.

Wow, what a ride! Last Monday, October 29, we had dinner at Dan & Emily Gutierrez' house (world's finest roast beef, whipped potatoes, green chile stew, and tiramisu ! You guys ROCK!). That night we went home to "finish packing" and get some sleep before our flight... Well, we never even made it to bed. When Pastor Ray and sister Patsy drove up at 4:30 a.m., we had just tucked the last sock into the last suitcase. Flew from ABQ to PHX to LAX and then, at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30th - on to Narita Airport, Tokyo (for more about that story, go here ). I will say the connections were amazing. We got off the plane in Narita (not Narnia ), breezed through immigration, trekked a mile or two to the baggage claim, and then, just as we walked up, all our luggage came out together (a miracle, considering our plane holds 400 people and it looked pretty full). We got waved through customs and walked out into the main airport. Using my well-honed, traveling skills, honed ...