Live From 2 Dogs Cafe in Morro Bay

We flew from Albuquerque to Phoenix four days ago. We made certain to unpack all our bags from the car while we were there, because our host warned that things melt when left overnight in the garage... We flew to San Jose on Friday and stayed with friends. I looked around for signs that we were in heart of Silicon Valley and saw none. Well, few. Today we drove by the EBay HQ, and then we left town on the 101 heading south for LA. But...we're spending a day or two in Morro Bay on the way. And it feels good. This evening we walked down to the waterfront to eat fish and chips. Behind us the massive rock the sits in the harbor gradually became enshrouded in clouds starting from the top down.

Just before eating we peaked in the shop that bakes fresh cinnamon rolls all day. They open at 8am with a fresh batch, and we'll be waiting there in the morning. I also talked with a guy who takes people out in a glass bottomed boat every hour on the hour from 10 to 6. He said when they feed the fish (during the boat ride) you can lean over the side and scoop one up with your bare hands. That was an unofficial stuff. It's probably not legal, strictly speaking, to scoop up fish without a liscense. But I'm going to try tomorrow, and hopefully the kids will get to see some sea lions and otters for the first time outside of a zoo. Then we'll head up the coast in the car. About 20 minutes from here you can usually spot hundreds of seals laying out on the beach. People park their cars and walk over to see them and take pictures. So we'll do that, and then stop by Taco Temple on the way back for, supposedly, the best fish tacos in the area.

Sorry if I'm boring you. We head back to Japan in 15 days. On the one hand, I'm just about ready to get back home (to Tokyo). On the other hand, I'm soaking up every detail of these last few days here. Tomorrow, I'm thinking, will be worth remembering if I can help it.

I'm in a coffee shop right now with free wireless. The coffee is good; and as I plugged in my laptop I had this thought. What's the dumbest mistake you ever made in Japan (for those who live/d there)? When we moved into our first place in Yokohama, I unpacked my desktop computer (which I'd actually packed and brought on the plane). The power cord had 3 prongs, but (as you learn) most Japanese outlets are NOT grounded (2 prongs only). Anyway, I looked around and saw this 3 pronged outlet up near the ceiling. "That'll do," I thought. With a sense of foreboding, though, I stood on a chair to plug in my computer. I turned it on, the screen came to life -- for a moment -- and then everything went black. Not just the screen; the lights went out in our apartment, and I figured something was very wrong. Later I learned what happened. Outlets near the ceiling like that one are intended for air conditioners, and they are set to 200 volts or more. Fortunately, my power supply had paid the ultimate price and fried itself to save my motherboard.

So what dumb thing did you do then? Thanks for sharing.

Japan on my Mind Today

Here's a group of kids playing in the river just down from our house. Most of this particular river is not lined with concrete, thankfully, but there are advantages to the odd concrete section. It would be a SIGHT if I were to go out and give this a try sometime, but it's tempting... "Hey, did you see the giant, 2 meter skinny, white gaikokujin jumping into the river today with the kids? Sugoy neeee! Kowai neeee!"

The other picture is a mural sized advertisement for the gas company that I saw in a train station. Hunkabutta had posted a bunch of billboard shots that week, so I decided to keep my eyes open. I sincerely doubt you'll find many gas company workers that look like this, and it certainly makes you wonder what they're really selling. But then, you can advertise just about anything in Japan with a pretty female face. Add a group of scantily clad dancers and you can sell...a brake job? Tires? Motor oil? Yes. So what's the strangest commercial you've seen in Japan?

We'll be heading back to our home in Tokyo in 22 days. Seems like the time is dwindling down. That's because we're leaving my parents' house (my hometown) in just 3 days. Then we'll be on the road and staying with friends. Ahhh. We'll miss this place when we go, but Japan is home for us now. I'm starting to look forward to getting back there. To see our friends. To move our kids into their own room. To pick up my Japanese again. To fire up the old rice cooker. To haul out the 50 cans of green chile that I'm bringing with me and arrange them on a shelf. To start riding my bike again. To lose whatever weight I've gained here by eating comparitively massive amounts of red meat and cheese.

Colorado Wildflowers and Nagano Calling

Yesterday, I was sitting in a car driving across Colorado. Looking out the window, I was amazed at the broad expanse from horizon to horizon: rolling green hills, scattered farmlands, empty places and mountains beyond. We drove to Purgatory -- that's a ski resort above Durango, Colorado. Our family friends have a condo that they generously share. Today, my wife and I woke up at 6:30am, left the kids with my parents, drove about 10 miles up the road toward Silverton, and started hiking uphill. After about 3 hours, we came to Crater Lake, which sits at about 12,000 feet. I took loads of pictures (see above). We tried our luck fly fishing, and then we hiked down the mountain. We didn't catch any fish, but at the small lake where we parked the car a guy and his kids were just wrapping up a day of fishing. They had an overabundance of trout (about 25), and he gave us four, which was great because I'd promised that we'd be eating fish for dinner. So now I'm full of food, exhausted, and ready for a deep, deep sleep. And for me, I love this. Even the pain I'm in; it's great. Much better than watching DVD's on TV or going shopping in a mall. Tomorrow we'll head into Durango for a walk on Main Street, a stop at the local coffee shop that we started going to more than a decade ago, more fishing (the Animas River right in town is supposed to be good), a stop at Carver's sandwhich shop and brewery, and perhaps rafting (also on the Animas). Then we'll return to Purgatory (you know, the place we're staying), and I'll take my daughter out to try and catch her first fish.

I'm drinking it all in. We've been looking forward to this trip for about a year. It's a chance to do things that we "can't" do in Japan. "Can't" is an exaggeration, but it's certainly difficult for us to enjoy the outdoors from our home in Japan. It's not all Japan's fault. Three kids change your life quite a bit. Plus, we're living in Tokyo, not Hokkaido or Nagano. Like most really big cities, Tokyo is not the greatest place for someone who loves the outdoors. Then again, we're surpisingly close to the mountains. In fact, we're just a 2 hour drive from Nagano, the gateway to the "Japanese Alps." So today, as we were walking along, my wife said something like: "When we get back to Japan we need to keep doing things like this somehow." Maybe that was wishful thinking, or altitude sickness. She was barely hobbling along at that point and perhaps fantasizing. But seriously, I was thinking the same thing. Get on the train. Get in the car. Take the kids up and teach them how to sleep in a tent and rough it a little; with no Onsen; no big tray of food with 16 little items on it waiting at breakfast. Those trays are nice, by the way. I eat all that stuff right up.

I am a bit perplexed by the reputation that the Japanese have for loving nature. Personally, loving nature -- to me -- means getting out there in the middle of it. Not to mention getting dirty with fish slime on your hand (for 2 or 3 days) and blood on your knees from scraping through the brush. Rather, for a country of nature lovers, the Japanese have an odd way of damming rivers and an obsession with concrete, and commercial ventures (hotels, vending machines, tourist stands) right in the places where I'd prefer civilization to stop. I thought about reflecting on these things more, but honestly I wouldn't get far. I don't understand it, and I haven't been in Japan long enough or far enough AWAY from Tokyo to know if these things are the really deeply embedded or not.

I want to say a few positive things though. First, we're really fortunate to live so close to Nagano. We can also hop on a train that goes to nearby mountains with decent hiking and backpacking potential. It's expensive to travel (toll roads and train fares add up quickly), but it's not bad considering the cost of everything else. It's much cheaper than taking the family to an Onsen, for example. Second, my Japanese friend and conversation partner also likes hiking and camping, and we've talked about going into the mountains together. What an opportunity. Although he just told me he landed a full time job... Oh, well. (Congratulations!) Third, we have a fly fishing club ("circle") right in our city. I met some of those guys, and I imagine they'd let me join, at least until I hook somebody in the ear. Fourth, and finally, our kids are getting bigger (kids do that!). So I won't have this excuse of being tied down forever. Whew.

In my last couple of posts I've asked for feedback, and the comments people have left are great. Thanks. It's very easy to leave a comment, by the way. You don't have to "sign up" or give your email address. Please leave a few words if you know anything about getting out into nature in Japan, or to say whatever comes to mind. Hey, whadaya think about Lance's chance in the Tour?? You know.

To see more of these pictures CLICK HERE for my Colorado Gallery.

More Reflections from Abroad

I'm still here in the USA, in the home where I grew up. Tomorrow, we're driving to Colorado for a week. I've been looking forward to this trip for the past year. I love Colorado. We're going back to the area where my wife and I went on our honeymoon. My parents are coming along to help watch the kids, so we'll be able to get away part of the time. We'll be hiking and fly fishing, with breaks for picnics and coffee. On one of the days, we're hiking to a small trout-filled lake that sits at 12,200 feet elevation. I'll eventually post some pictures.

The other day I wrote about the feeling of "expansiveness" that my wife and I felt shortly after returning to the USA in June. This trip to Colorado is huge for me. I'm hoping to create vivid memories to take back with me (to Japan) in August. We'll bring back our backpacks and fly fishing gear to Tokyo, and hopefully I'll get motivated to go out and explore. The place where we live has relatively "easy" access to the mountains (of Okutama and, further, Nagano). I'm also reminded that there is a fly fishing circle (club) that I could probably join.

The pictures above show some girls that I met by the river one day. This is the river that runs near our house in Japan. They were out searching for fish with a net. I asked if they ever saw snakes around there, and they said, "No." So I pointed out the 6 foot snake sitting mid-stream about ten feet behind them. They thought that was neat and moved in for a closer look. So the snake swam to the opposite bank and disappeared into the grass. I left them like that and returned to where my family was having a picnic nearby. But 30 minutes later the girls showed up carrying the snake. Everyone thought that was pretty cool. We took some photos, and then they let the snake go.

As a follow up to my last post, I had planned to write about what I miss from life in Japan. But I'm not inspired. It's too late. My mind is on Colorado now. Anyway, I'll say just one thing. I miss our house, which has become a home. I'm very grateful about that. It took over two years of living in Japan to produce that kind of feeling.

Have you lived in Japan? What do you miss (when you leave)? Leave a comment if something comes to mind.