Miscellaneous thoughts

There is a souvenir I will treasure above all others. It's a pine cone. What makes it so special? A little six year old schoolgirl on her way to the open air old house museum in Osaka with 200 other students (sensei told me the number), was very eager to try out her English and was brave enough to initiate conversation with a cheery Hello. Other students chimed in once they realized I wouldn't bite and enjoyed talking to them. As we parted, she handed me the pine cone. It was the sweetest thing that has happened since I arrived, because it was from the heart.

Speaking of practicing English, I seem to be a target for students of all ages wanting to practice. I even had a college student ask if we could talk for awhile while I was admiring the exterior of Osaka Castle. We chatted a bit and he seemed so grateful especially since I said (in Japanese) his English was very good. He actually blushed!

A Frenchman was ringing the bell in Peace Park (Hiroshima) and I told him there was the big bell just down the path if he liked ringing bells. This started a flood of information about his travels and work in Japan. It was fun to listen to his travel tales. It seems he wants to figure out a way to stay. I wish him luck.

Turtles are becoming my new wildlife obsession. They are everywhere and seem to live with the koi quite peacefully. Not to mention they are cute and slow enough to pose for pictures.

I expected to be watching some of the current anime I follow online on TV. So far, I've only found a couple of the shows on the free stations the hotels provide. Maybe they are cable or something. Not that I could understand them without sub-titles anyway, but it would be fun to see them as they come out. I did watch the Japanese version of Power Rangers though and must say that the costumes are MUCH better than the American version. Much more imaginative and theatrical.

When you grocery shop in Japan, each cashier says aloud each price as they are scanning your items. They then say the total and show you on the register. When you hand over the cash (actually you put it in a cash tray - never put money in their hands) they say aloud the amount you gave them and then count out your change while saying the amount. At first I thought they did this because I'm a foreigner and they wanted to make sure I understood, but they do it for everybody. I appreciate this so much and wish US cashiers would get into the habit. It's not only more courteous, it's more accurate as well.

I'm on my second umbrella because the wind has been rather wild since the typhoon hit. If things go on as they are, I'll be on my third umbrella soon. The cheap ones like to turn inside out at the least gust.