Meanwhile, in Japan

Howdy, readers! Long time no blog. If you check back in the archives you might notice that around this time last year I had a post about my lack of activity. This is more or less a resurrection of that sentiment. You see, it’s not that things don’t happen in Japan in the winter. Quite the contrary, as illustrated by the Sapporo ice festivals and any number of celebrations in the warmer and colder regions, but where I live, quite literally the middle of the big island, not much goes down in the way of festivities. Comparatively, that is.

As for travel, I spent Christmas and New Year’s in Indiana, which, as much as I love my home state, isn’t in danger of any excitement. Trips in January are rare as the weather isn’t conducive to being outside. The past four weeks have been pretty routine. Sorry if you were hoping for winter hijinks of some variety.

On the plus side, with the warmer weather (today is the beginning of Japanese spring) comes more activity, so you can expect a lot more wacky sojourns and amusing stories of my follies and foibles. Chuck Norris says that we must remain goal-oriented, so to that end I’ve established a list of things to accomplish his year.

While this isn’t the complete list, you should be able to get a feel for the sort of outings that I have in store:

• see (and obtain a photo with?) a geisha
• learn how to grow bonsai trees
• visit the atomic bomb museum in Hiroshima
• enter Ninja Warrior
• learn Japanese calligraphy
• start a chess club at the school
• walk the old footpath from Nara to Yagyu Village
• ride a bullet train
• meet (and obtain a photo with?) a sumo wrestler
• study some kind of traditional dance
• in lieu of a chess club, convince the Powers that Be to let me have an international club

As Ben Grimm would say, “It’s culturin’ time!”