Mikawa Bay, Japan 3/31/11

This is from about half an hour from our home. Mikawa Bay.
Up on this hill is the "eating establishment" called SAN GANE SAN

This is one of the "rooms". There are perhaps thirty of these around the mountainside of this old style restaurant

Inside we cook on a Hibachi, see, we have large paper napkins(with advertising all over it) on our laps to deal with our inadequate chopstick use! Veggies, pork, mutton, and/or beef...and quail's eggs~and rice, pickles, tea-soup with seasoning FURIKAKE, and of course, beer.

This photo was from a little while ago. (And in one of the larger rooms) Not this trip...this trip Anita, on the left WILL be RETURNING to our town of Nishio mid April to work with my school. Amy- in the middle, I couldn't get her back yet.

That day while walking around, we peeked into this unused building. Ohhh, to be here at night! You can't imagine NOT getting other worldly entertainment!

I haven't gotten to take many photos this trip yet,but Taka and I went to this one home the beginning  of this trip, where a man is making "rocket stoves" which don't release as many fumes~
I haven't looked into them in detail but sounds like the way to go.

http://www.lowimpact.org/linksrocketstoves.html

 His place is in Nagoya. It's so cool to find a YARD like this in the middle of the city.

  He even had a "TREE HOUSE" in his yard (well, almost a house). A tree house was always something I wanted my kids to get to play in when they were little.

I was looking back at some of my oldest photos on my computer. Just before leaving Japan, four years ago, April, this was Zen one last time with his basketball team mates. Their sayonara throw.

Four years makes a huge difference. Zen's no longer little like this. That's him in front between the Gamano holding the ball and Masato with the paper...what's that paper/ceritficate?
WAIT GO FURTHER BACK!!! ZEN AND JOE!!! In Santa Cruz...how many years ago? 7th grade? Ballers By Nature!!!

Japan, southwest of Nagoya 3/28/11

The first day in Japan, a chance in the middle of the busi-ness, we stopped near home at a restaurant for SOBA. (buckwheat noodles)~
"REAL" tempura (no american carrots or broccoli..."sorry" they aren't meant to be tempura really.)

This is where they make the final noodle cutsAnd then, out the window, the scenic japanesey view~ picture perfect for Japan really

There was really no time for Taka to enjoy Japanese newspaper or TV. He was too busy. Even I...after a week, have started to feel out of it. There's not the tv, or CNN in Japan like we have in Santa Cruz. No, I can't understand the Japanese (language), and interestingly...maybe lots of people are trying to NOT watch it now. Even meeting old friends, people are not bringing up what's gone down. It does make me prefer to hear CNN. I hear more in the States than I can right here in the country of Japan, I regret to say.

March 19th, 2011 in Santa Cruz still...about to go to 日本

I'm in the Apple Store in Los Gatos...wow, I can use this Photo Booth on my Mac and make my face look pretty good for having gotten up SO early to drive here this morning. Over Highway 17, takes 45 minutes to get here by 8am...to make a purchase for Zen's Graduation present.

before I will leave for Japan on Monday, March 21st, if all goes as planned. I will be like this, in the clouds in 48 hours. Taka is there already...leaving Zen behind~ to play with his graduation present. I don't think he'll miss us too much!
Last night Zen was home, as it poured outside...staying warm...working on his computer, my old one...

Recently Zen's bought new protein powder to drink before workouts. He's body building, and asked me to take these photos to compare...a month from now when I return from Japan.

Some more Photo Booth pics the kids took this past February:

While terrible news has happened, we had to rejoice in the news of ZEN and SANTA CRUZ High

"END OF THE LINE"  It was one of the best games to celebrate!!!

Can you click on this article and read it?

(and see it's Zen's photo below?)

Salecian is a Private Christian school; Santa Cruz High was the only Public High School to make the top eight schools in these NorCal playoffs in California. There is a very clear discrepancy about this private school allowance to recruit and buy players vs public schools being prohibited from doing just that.

And then there were the referees. We hate to think racism plays a part...but it was hard to ignore how blatant it was. It ended up being against SCHigh. We don't get to veto Referees. And they are supposed to be the best at this level!

In any case, the boys played to the ultimate degree, Zen said it well:
(though whoever wrote the article misspelled "your"! That wasn't Zen!) This game was one of the most exciting we got to see the boys play this season. They knew they played well. So "losing" was...not like that at all. All the standing ovations for the boys the whole game long relayed that feeling! xoxoxo

I do wish we could even show some extra appreciation to them all somehow~

And especially, considering all the terrible news these days, taking our thoughts away from them and their work, but...for Japan...the sadness goes on for a long, long time...

BJ, here below. Who we got to see at the Colfax game on the 10th, since the terrible accidents began, BJ has said that if someone from Japan needs a space to stay, they have room in their home. How awesome is that?!!

BJ, who I've referred to as a Mrs. Jerry Garcia~ Who I met in '80 in Santa Cruz~ a Dead Head to the ultimate degree (and then she went "straight" to study solar engineering at UC Irvine!). BJ ALSO went to Japan and taught for our english school...oh~my dear ol' gorgeous friend BJ!!!

Here is their home in Grass Valley~ And as I write this...Taka is flying to Nagoya via Tokyo.

I'm nervous.  Oh Japan~~

Rocked~Thursday Japan and California

Zen's High School team was rocking on the courts, a four hour distance away from Santa Cruz winning in the NorCal playoffs, putting Santa Cruz High in the top eight teams in California.

But on the return drive home we heard about the quake in Japan.

Nishio, is about 800 miles south of the quake. My daughter Sheon said, they, ran out of the building it was that strong and scary.

We live near Nagoya, near the center, but where the circle is below Nagoya, by Mikawa Bay (not noted) is where we live. Sendai, North of Tokyo is near where the worst has been affected.

 Taka's uncle lives in Tokyo...midwife, old friend Lena and Shunji's son Yuya is in Tokyo...who says he is fine. So, the combo of S.C.High's win and Japan rocking is mind blowing today. March 11th...

  Below, are a few photos from the evening of the win though.

  And I missed taking a beautiful photo of old friend BJ, who also came and worked for my school in Nishio! She lives with her husband and 13 year old son- who also happens to play basketball, in Grass Valley, RIGHT by where the game was last night. They came and cheered for the boys too!

  Santa Cruz High won 72-43.

  Boarding the chartered bus afterwards, the celebratory boys were on their way home~ parents hanging out outside to see the bus head home, getting back home at 12:30 am.

The local Santa Cruz Sentinal wrote:  NorCal D-IV boys basketball: No. 5 Santa Cruz crushes No. 4 Colfax in second round

"So Much Things..."

We have to move..."move house"...

move things...move countries...Moving friends...

Julie is visiting the West Coast again. I am getting to chauffeur her a bit, along with her good friend from Argentina again, Carmen. They were in Escalon again, training...

  And this is the home, where Ana and Jon lived with their kids, we will get to move to from May 1st.

  And Taka has to return to Japan.... to help his father so much...

  And I have to return to Japan ....to help my school so much...

  Zen's still got some more basketball, and High School to complete! Here's where we will move:

Comfy inside! I have to stay away from the kitty though~ but by the time we move in May 1st the kitty will be big and macho to hang outside with the foresty wild life