Update To 3/08 & Beyond

Here is an update before I head out for the day in the rain, and the cool Tokyo March...

Well, I just finished lunch, vacuuming, cutting up all the plastic garbage and putting it in the separate trash. I washed the blankets I sleep under etc. Yesterday I stayed home all day and did shopping, laundry, accounting (left over stuff from the Intrmarket business - Alex in France still insists on buying some stuff from me so I do it, but have to take care of taxes, etc. etc. here; it isn't much, but it keeps his customer happy).

I'm going into Shinjuku this afternoon to look at a light fleece blanket to consider replacing my Golden Fleece, the one I got 18 years ago from one of my students in Ono (textile company).  His wife made it for me as a gift many many moons ago. It is the kind I wrap around myself because I don't use the heat here in winter... don't need it as it is not nearly as cold as Fukui, but of course to the Tokyoites it is winter, and cold. Maybe my body will adjust as Mayu's did. For her, her second winter here, it is now "cold", but the first winter was not. so, I saw that at a sporting goods shop at Shinjuku they are selling off some tartan ones, and thought it might be a good chance to replace this one, as it is pretty thin now after 18 years of wearing it wrapped around my waist all day, all night (except when sleeping).

I also need to go to Yamaya and buy more of my stock of Lavazza coffee as I am down to three packs now which will run out in a couple of weeks. I don't get the opportunity to go and find the place in Tokyo that sells it that often, as I don't go into Shinjuku and go shopping often. Of course I am there every Monday to go to Kobuchizawa, but I arrive, (maybe meet someone at STBX for coffee if they have free time, like Mayu, or Kayo), get lunch, get on the train and go. Other than that I am not wandering around there that often.

Mayu wants to meet me for dinner so tonight she and I will meet at Hiroo station after her concert is done and go to an italian restaurant that she has wanted to visit for some time.

On Friday a group of us moved from the 7th floor to the 8th floor so I spent most of the day moving my departmental stuff because my partner, Kyoko, is away as her dad just died of cancer - a bazillion different cancers that he has been battling and keeping at bay for 10 years. It finally caught up to him last weekend so it is possible that it moved up into his brain as he had a sudden collapse two weekends ago and had to be admitted to the hospital. My boss got promoted up to be the boss of the entire division, and the new boss is from Osaka. He is like an absentee landlord as from Mon-Wed he will continue to run the Osaka office, but Thur/Fri he will come to Tokyo and do his Educational Training Office responsibilities. So that left me to take care of it, and I did. However Kyoko and I will have to move our cabinet stuff on Tuesday when she and I are both back in the office as I am not sure where she had planned to put it all.

There are huge changes in the company as it is a new year, and SMR (Sugi Medical Research) is now one year old  after acquiring two other companies and merging all three into one. So people are joining, people are leaving, some are being fired, others promoted, and so forth. It is going to be a tough year as everything is in flux after they are finally brining all three business cultures into one new standard business culure. Who knows where I will be in a year? Maybe living out of a box in Shinjuku Station. One never knows.

A new "International Office" was created with my "other boss" running it. He and I are the only members of that "office". It is too small to be a "bu" or "department", just like the Educational Training Office (Kyoiku Kenshuu Shitsu) is too small to be an actual "BU". It gets relegated to the "shitsu", or "office" status.)

Although it is March and the weather in Tokyo usually starts warming up, this week looks to be cool and rainy. On Friday it was an unusual 20C, but today it is down to 4C with rain, and some sleet tonight. It will be humid and chilly.

Next Sunday I will go to Atami which is a couple hour train ride away to see an art gallery (Japanese) that displays old pottery, kakejiku wall hangings, and the like. Miyuki, a coworker gave me a free pass to go as her parents voluneered there during last year to do some stuff. So, since I like that kind of art gallery (not fond of the painting galleries, though, which Mayu always loved <while not having a particular interest in the natural history kind of museums that I love>) I thought it would make a good outing for Sunday.

Then... I have a four day holiday from 19-23 of this month. Actually it is a long weekend, with 3/22 being an exchange for the national spring equinox day which lands on Sunday this year. I had to work (we all had to work) on Saturday, 2/27 so I'm taking the corresponding friday off (3/19), making it a four day weekend. And... I'm going up to Hokkaido for a holiday. The flight and hotel are booked to Sapporo and I'll be leaving probably early on the 19th (not sure yet, as the flight is kind of up in the air as to which time... typical Japan). There were no flight packages available for four days, so I'll be coming back on the Sunday, then doing my catchup weekend stuff on the Monday.

The last time I was up in Hokkaido, I was hitchiking around the island and was in my late 20s (I think). It's time to visit again XX years later. I will NOT be taking my computer with me as they charge for internet access in the room (Sheraton Hotel) so will be gone for the weekend, off the radar, getting out of Tokyo, leaving the internet world in the past for that time.

Mia, my former eyeglass-related associate & friend from Copenhagen (I stayed with her for a week when I went there for business years ago), will be coming here from Apr 26 - May 12th. I am taking the entire time off to be with her. She wants to eat sushi, drink tea, see Japanese gardens, temples, ride the shinkansen, visit the sea, experience a beach, an onsen, also go to the countryside and see the nature. She has listed other things she also wants to do and I am sure that since I will be completely off for that time (need to request my time off). I am looking forward to giving her a wonderful experience.

That is about 1.5 months away, but I know the next month will fly and we will hit spring. It will be interesting as she wants to go to Kyoto... Golden Week... the chances are we may not be able to get there because GW travel is ABSOLUTELY THE WORST TIME TO GO ANYWHERE, DO ANYTHING IN EXISTENCE, as everyone gets the time off, and everyone travels. Trains are usually 150% overcapacity and people jam in and stand in the aisles for hours as they don't limit riders to available seats only. Reserved section is quiet but full, and nonreserved is first-come-first-served basis, but they keep letting people in so it gets totally packed in the aisles, and between the cars and you can barely move. Have to go to the loo? Might as well carry a cup with you, cuz you might not be able to make it in time... But if possible, we will try.

So that's it for me, from Tokyo.

I love you!
Cam