Fox Encounter

Koby and Yasuko left for school at the regular time this morning, while Evan and I ate breakfast and watched kid shows on TV, I took a hot bath and Yasuko showed up from school for a short visit, she has to go back for about an hour and then should be home for the rest of the day.

We have a meeting with Koby's teacher today at 3:00 pm, it is just your normal parent teachers talk to see how he is doing. Here in Japan the teachers come to your house.

I need to take the car into town and get gas, the prices are rising tomorrow. Gas is much more expensive here in Japan than America at 130 yen per liter, thats about $1.30 per liter. But the prices are consistent and don't change every day like in America, when the prices change it is usually announced before hand. We filled up our car and also bought kerosene, which we use to heat the bath and the heater for the house.

After school we went to the local store to get a few things and then had to rush back to make the meeting with Koby's teacher. We didn't really talk about Koby too much since Yasuko is with him and the teacher on a daily basis, so we just chatted in general. I think Yasuko is going to start leaving Koby alone a little more so he can quit depending on her so much, if it gets too difficult for him we can always change plans.

The teacher says he is doing well in all of his subjects, so no problems except language. But more and more everyday he is speaking Japanese and communicating with the neighborhood kids. You also have to keep in mind that we have only been here one month, so I think h is doing exceptionally well. Even though I know more Japanese than he does, I think he will pass me soon and it will be hard for me to catch up.

In the evening Yasuko was making dinner and I went for a walk with Koby and 2 other boys following me on their bikes. We saw a fox, and played near the river on the way back until it started to get dark.

BBQ's and Cherry Blossoms

Koby is off of school today, so we all slept in a bit. After everyone had breakfast, we were informed that there is a BBQ today near the Shibinai meeting hall, so Yasuko prepared some rice to take and drinks, and I took a trip up the mountains to collect some spring water, along the way I stopped and took some pictures, and Sumi-san the Shibinai police officer stopped and talked with me a little while, he was happy that we finally got a car.

I continued up the mountain on my water collecting trip, and when I got there the parking lot was completely full, so I decided I would return another time. I got back just as the BBQ was starting and realized this was basically for women and children, but I was told no problem and to join in, Yoshitake-san, another man showed up and then Ueo-san showed up, so again it turned into a drinking party as usual and we ended up at Ueo-sans house until about 9:30 pm.

The BBQ was great, they were cooking lamb, beef, pork, chicken, salmon, asparagus, cabbage, and peppers. Later at Ueo-sans house he made fresh noodles right in front of us. It was a long process, but well worth the wait, it was some of the best noodles I have ever eaten, we also had tempura sweet potatoes, gobo, which is a root vegetable, and some local wild vegetables collected in the mountains here. If something was ever to happen with food supply, we have all we need here that you can just find growing wild.

The cherry blossoms are starting to open and I need to get some pictures tomorrow, they only last about a week before they start falling off. People are stopping off from their sightseeing trips up the mountain to take pictures of the cherry blossoms here at the school. I was also told that another BBQ will be taking place on Monday.

Bad Weather

Koby and Yasuko was off to school at 8:00 am this morning, while Evan and I ate breakfast and got dressed, Evan is watching kids shows on TV and I am at the computer updating this journal.

Yasuko will be coming home early today at around 10:00 am, Koby has music and PE and art after lunch and will not need Yasuko. We have to go to the Post Office and exchange some more Traveler Checks, we still have to transfer our money in the bank in America to a bank here in Hokkaido, the exchange rate has went up a little from 96 yen to the dollar to 104 yen to the dollar, we need to get all of our money here before the dollar tanks. My friend Norman has already took all of his American money and exchanged it into Yen.

The weather is dreary again today, with dark clouds filling the sky and very windy. Out my window the Taisetsu mountain range is obscured by clouds. After we got back from running errands, Yasuko decided to go to the school and check on Koby, she came back shortly after leaving. The rest of the day was spent doing not much of nothing because of the weather.

Neighborly Visits

We all slept late today, waking up at 8:30 am, the kids had cereal for breakfast and Yasuko and I had coffee and toast. The kids went outside to play. The weather is cloudy and windy with the sun trying to peek through, the temperature feels to be about high 40's low 50's.. not too bad.

Maskawa-san our neighbor stopped by and told us that her oldest daughter Yu (10) is away with her Dad in Otaru, which is about a 3 hour drive from here, and will not be back until Tuesday, she thought she was going to be off of work, but was unexpectedly called in, and asked if we could keep an eye on Ibuki (8) and Mu (6), she will not get home until 9:30 pm. They live in the other half of the duplex we live in.

We took them and our kids to the natural spring nearby and collected some fresh water, the water in our tap is good also, but you get the metallic taste sometimes because of the pipes, but the spring water is so good, and is great to make rice and coffee with. The kids had fun throwing rocks into the nearby river, and the mountains were just beautiful, of course I forgot my camera again, but we live only 5 minutes away so I will go back to take some pictures. We need to buy a bigger container to hold more water, right now we are using 2 liter drink containers that we have emptied.

After lunch we took a trip into town and made sure the other neighbors knew about Ibuki and Mu, we went to a combination dollar store, grocery store and clothes store and book store, it is in a 3 story building, one stop shopping at it's finest. It was raining when we got finished and the wind is blowing like crazy.

We got back around 7:00 pm, and called our neighbor Fujita who is going to help us with our Internet connection, they came over and talked over coffee while the kids played with legos, apparently the second terminal adapter is also very old, and we cannot find drivers for it, so it looks like we are going to have to shell out the $100 to buy a new one, Oh Well, we sure gave it a good shot to try and get on for Free.

In another week is the Japanese Holiday "Golden Week" and we are going to go with Fujita -san on a picnic with both family's to a park where the kids can have fun and the adults can have fun also. Fujita-san is also going to take us to an electronic store where we can buy a new terminal adapter, so the Internet is going to have to wait another couple of weeks.

The Fujita family went home at 9:00 pm and we quickly had dinner and got the kids into bed, it was a late night for all of us.

Car Finally

We were up at 8:00 am to get the kids ready and breakfast done. The car dealer will be here at 10:00 am to pick us up to go get our car. Today was also recycle garbage pick up, so Yasuko and myself walked to the corner to take the plastic bottles, general plastics, aluminum cans, and cardboard to the pickup area, while the kids stayed at home and got ready.

The weather is much better today, with clear blue skies and the sun shining, although the temperature feels like it is in the high 50's right now. It will get warmer as the sun gets high in the sky.

Today is exactly one month that we have been in Hokkaido and we are all loving it, I can't imagine any other place I would rather live, it is absolutely beautiful here and safe.

The car dealer was right on time, the Japanese tend to be very punctual, we left to go to Asahikawa with me at the wheel all of the way there, on the way we stopped at a ice cream shop and was treated to soft serve Hokkaido famous ice cream by the man that sold us the car, he also bought us some grilled pork on a stick, what service for buying a used car that only costs $2000 dollars.

After we did all of the paperwork he led us to our Buddhist church in Asahikawa. When we lived in Houston, the closest one was in San Antonio, and we only made it there once, now we will be able to go frequently since it is so close. After the church visit we went to Snowman's (Norman) classroom and used his Internet connection to check email and to update my Blog and try and find drivers for our terminal adapter we have so we can get Internet access. Ikuko his wife came home, while Norman and the kids were at the park, we all talked a little while and Norman came back about 15 minutes later.

After we visited for a bit, Yasuko the kids and myself went and ate Sushi. We headed back home before it started getting dark so I could see to drive our first time alone trying to find our way back home. We made it back with no problems whatsoever, and even decided to try to come back a back way through the mountains, and had no mis-turns at all. It is pretty easy to drive here if I can remember to stay on the left side of the road and that my blinker is on the right side of the steering wheel instead of the left.

It is supposed to get in the high 20's tonight, a nice little cool night, and tomorrow it is supposed to be rainy. Finally we are mobile Yipee!

Flower Planting

Yasuko and Koby were off to school at the normal time today, the kids are going to be planting flowers all around the school today at about 10:00 am, so Evan and myself are going to go outside and watch and help if we can.

After breakfast we walked outside, it is very cold today, probably around the mid 40's, and we just thought it was going to stay warm ha ha. We helped plant flowers and I took some pictures of the kids planting flowers, afterwards they let us take some home, in which I put in my garden.

We are still deciding what we are going to have in our garden, so far we are thinking potatoes, green onions, hot peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, maybe asparagus, we still have until June to decide. I hurt my back yesterday in the garden and have been taking it easy today, probably pulled a muscle, it should be ok in a few days.

When we were watching the kids plant flowers, one of the ladies that was helping asked if we had bicycles, and I told her we all had them except Evan, and she said that she had an extra one for him. Now we all will have bikes, but Yasuko needs a mountain bike, the one she has is not very good for riding off road.

Yasuko came home at lunch time and doesn't need to go back today, Koby has Art, Music, and PE left to do, he really only needs her for Japanese, Math, Science and Social Studies. We are going to walk over to get our vegetables around 4:30 pm this afternoon.

We walked over to the gas station to inquire about getting some more kerosene in our tank, they said we should be ok for another 2 weeks, we don't want to fill it up because we don't know how long we will be in this house.

At 415 we walked over to Fujita-sans house to get some more vegetables, we went straight to the greenhouse and picked what we needed, we came home with red radishes, white radishes, turnips with the greens, spinach, Chinese cabbage, and other assorted leafy vegetables. It sure helps not to have to buy any vegetables at the store, so our grocery shopping is mainly bread, milk, eggs, and fish. We stayed and talked while the kids played, and walked home as it was getting dark.

Busy Phone Day

Yasuko and Koby were off to school at the usual time this morning, Koby usually goes about 7:50 to 8:00 so he has time to play with the other kids until school starts at 8:15, Yasuko usually leaves around 8:10. Evan slept late today waking up at 8:45, I guess he was tired from last night.

Evan ate cereal for breakfast and I had an egg and toast and coffee. The weather today is a little cooler than it has been lately, and is overcast. Only 2-3 more days until we have a car, It will be nice to be mobile, where we live, a car is a must, unlike Tokyo where a car is not needed. We are the last village and group of houses before the mountains, so I guess you can say we are the farthest village from the city, although it is only a 20 minute car ride away. We have the best of both worlds, country living, and not to far from the city if we need it. In fact we are even closer to the city, than we were when we lived in Houston, although here there is nothing in between except farm lands.

Our phone rang so many times today, I had called a local English school to inquire about a job, and they called me back requesting that I send my resume, they only hire part time, but it is a way to get some teaching experience. Also the lady who Koby and I are going to take a Japanese class from called, then my friend Norman called. A neighbor called telling us to come by tomorrow to pick up some more Free vegetables. And then I got a call from a guy I contacted off of MySpace over 2 years ago that lives in Asahikawa, the thing that totally floored me is that he lives in the very same building that Norman lives in, how big of a coincidence is that?

We also got a call from the car dealer saying that we will be able to get our car on Saturday. Yipee, finally getting some wheels.

Neighborly Fun

Yasuko and Koby were off to school at 8:00 am, Evan was watching kids shows, and I got up late at 8:30 am, and fixed breakfast for Evan and myself. After eating Evan changed his clothes and went outside to play, it is kind of boring for him because all of the kids are in school, and the ones his age go to daycare close by, Evan wants to go to the daycare also, but we cannot pay for it right now especially since I can watch him for free.

Once I start working then maybe he can attend, it is only $60 a month, compare that to the $100 a week in America. I don't know what the day will turn out like, the only thing I have planned is to work in the garden some more, spreading fertilizer and getting the ground ready for planting in about a month.

Masani-san said he had a small green house to donate to me, that will be awesome because it will allow me to extend the growing season here with the long winters. We were told that one of the teachers from Koby's school that just left had left as bike for him in their storage shed, so Yasuko and I walked over there to check it out. It was a almost new boys bike with a basket on the front lights and a bike lock, we are so lucky to get this bike for him. He was very happy after school and did his homework fast and went to ride it for a while, him and I took a little ride towards the mountain, and then to the river.

We were invited to dinner with the family that shares our duplex, it was grilled meat and salad and fried potatoes. We brought some red wine and some plum wine both which had been given to us as gifts from Masani-san. It was a great dinner and the kids had fun playing with the three kids that live there. They are Yu-chan (10), Ibuki-kun (8), and Mu-chan (6). There Mom is divorced and works from noon until about 9:30 pm at a local resort hotel.

When we made the 6 steps to our house, the kids were already in their pajamas and brushed their teeth and went to bed, Yasuko and myself followed not too far behind them.

Another Busy Day

Yasuko and Koby left for school this morning and Evan had already ate cereal as I got out of bed. I made a egg, ham and cheese omelet and toast for breakfast.

The local PTA guy Yoshitake-san who has been helping us to get a car came by and said that the car dealer would be here at 10:00am, so after I ate breakfast I walked over to the school to get Yasuko. Everybody showed up on time as usual and Yasuko sat down and did the paperwork that was required to buy the car, we also paid for the car. So either the 26th or 27th we will have a car finally.

While Yasuko was talking with the car dealer, I hung up a curtain rod for our living room window, so we can finally take down the blanket that was held up with thumb tacks. Yasuko has to go back to the school after lunch, and I am going to go also so I can check email and other Internet stuff, hopefully we will get Internet access very soon also, we are just waiting for the software for the modem that we have.

I was able to check email at Koby's school today and had over 200 messages to sift through, when Koby came home, he did his homework and then a lady who is going to be giving Koby and myself Japanese lessons came over to talk about when and where we should do the lessons, we are still undecided if our classes will be together because Japanese for kids and Japanese for adults is a little different in how you say words, even though we are pretty much at the same level, the lessons are only $3 a week for a one and a half hour class that happens once a week.

After the meeting I worked in the garden to be a little while, and then played a few rounds of park golf with Kitayama grandpa. Yasuko has Yoga tonight, so I will be getting dinner ready and the kids prepared for bedtime.

Business

Today we have to go to town hall and register my Inkan (Japanese rubber stamp) so that we can start on the process of purchasing a car. As we were walking out to go catch the bus, a local town dignitary was here to till the land next to our house that the school uses for a garden, so he did mine also which saved me probably 3 weeks of work.

We left on the bus shortly afterwards and went to the town hall. After we got our business done, we stopped by the post office and then walked around Higashi Kagura a little. We stopped by the grocery store and got a few things before it was time to catch the bus back home.

When I got back home I spread my garden dirt into rows, but later was told that here in Hokkaido where it doesn't rain much that it was not good to do that, so tomorrow I will go flatten it back out.

I played park golf today with a elderly man who lives right across from us, park golf is like a cross between croquet, regular golf, and miniature golf, it was real fun and I look forward to doing it again.

Tonight Yasuko has a town meeting and I am going to stay home with the kids and get them ready for bed. Yasuko has to go at 7:00pm and should be home around 10:00pm, they are going to discuss the housing problem here in Shibinai, our living accommodations are still up in the air after 6 months from now, but I am not worried, the boss of this town announced to the people here in Shibinai that have empty houses (there are about 5) to please consider renting to us in 6 months.

Gardening

We were all up early and the kids were quick to get dressed after breakfast and get out and play with the other kids. I worked on the spot that is going to be our garden, I was told that another person that used to live in this house had a garden in the same spot, so the soil should be good. I have just been tilling up the hard ground, and removing the rocks, the soil here is very rocky.

Norman arrived right on time and we chatted for a while. Ueo-san came over and wanted to fix the brakes on the bikes that were given to us. Norman had a chance to get to know Ueo-san a little. After the bikes were fixed, Norman used my bike and I used Koby to take a ride to the Chubetsu river, we threw sticks in and watched them go over the water fall and also skipped rocks, one of the local neighborhood kids Ibuki-kun followed us.

After we got back we chatted some more and drank some ice tea. Norman brought an extra DVD player he had for us to use for as long as we needed it, we hooked it up and got everything to working. Shortly after that Norman left and I worked on the garden until dark.

Country Living

We all woke up about 8:00 am this morning and had breakfast, Yasuko's friend was supposed to come over today with her family and visit, but her husband had to work so they canceled, she asked Yasuko if she wanted to go into town with her, but unfortunately there is not enough room for all of us, so we stayed home.

I can't wait until we get a car, so we wont have to depend on others for simple things like the grocery store, it would also be nice to explore the local towns, but that will have to wait for now.

The weather is very nice and warm, it was short sleeve shirts during the day yesterday and looks like it will be the same today.

I gave my English teaching friend Norman a call and asked if he could come out and visit tomorrow, and he said he would be here around 1:00 pm. The rest of the day was spent playing with the local neighborhood kids.

Playing With The Kids

Today Yasuko and Koby were off to school at 8:05am and Evan and myself had breakfast of egg and cheese omelet and toast. Evan and I are going to take the bus into town today and walk around and bring back a few groceries. The bus is free for Evan and only costs 100 yen ($1) for me, it is the same one Koby rode the other day into town, but Koby costs 50 yen (50 cents).

Evan and myself had fun in town, the first thing we did was go to the playground, but I think all of the things that were there were a little too big for Evan's age, he was scared to get on most of the things there. After the playground we walked around a little while and just explored until Evan started complaining that he was tired.

We went to a local temple and rested on the benches and enjoyed the view from the top of a hill. After that we went to the library for a bit, since our bust didn't leave to go back home for an hour. Evan and myself looked for Waldo in one of the wheres Waldo books. When it was 40 minutes until the bus left, we went to the grocery store and bought a few things that we needed. We arrived at the bust stop with about 15 minutes left until the bus came, so we drank some grape juice while we waited. On the ride back Evan fell asleep, as he usually does when he rides in a vehicle.

When we arrived home Yasuko was already home, but had to go back for about an hour, Koby gets out of school at 2:15 pm today to start his weekend. After Koby came home from school, him and about 4 others went to Ian's House to play, I stayed around the house and played with all of the neighborhood kids.

I also took a long bike ride up a pretty steep hill to the next town with one of the 1st graders here at the Shibinai school, we went to where the local daycare was and found all of the parents waiting for their kids to get finished cleaning. We stopped and talked for a while, with the parents including the boys parents that rode bikes with me. We went back after about 30 minutes, boy was my legs tired, after that I played ball with Koby and all of the other kids until dark, talk about getting some exercise.....Whew!

Enjoying Shibinai

Yasuko and Koby left for school about 8:00am, Koby had to take his bike today because they have a bicycle and general safety class with Sumi-san the local policeman. Evan and I had breakfast and I got him cleaned up and dressed, and he just went out to play.

Yasuko said that Koby's class should be outside today looking for bugs, for science class. I think I will go outside and see if I can see them. Evan and myself just returned from the playground at the school, Koby learned pedestrian safety and how to cross the street, and also bicycle safety and crossing the street with a bike, after that they had a short time to play for recess.

When they were done, Evan and myself came home, Yasuko returned home shortly afterwards and didn't have to go back for the rest of the day. A neighbor Ueo-san came over and asked if I would like to ride with him into Asahikawa today, he is planning on opening his own Sushi and Tempura restaurant and was meeting with the carpenter and real estate agent and also getting measurements of the entire restaurant, It was a fun ride and I got to see some things that I have not seen before.

Ueo-san showed me a ski resort that he goes to in the Winter, it is one of the cheaper ski places and costs $16 for a 11 time lift ticket. The reason it is cheaper is because the mountain is not that tall, the larger ones are more expensive, like $60 for a one day lift ticket, not to mention ski rental if you don't have your own. We also stopped at a grocery store on the way back, I just got a drink and Ueo-san bought beer and clams. When we arrive home in the Evening he gave me one of the packages of clams, and we had them for dinner, they were real good. I am going to help Ueo-san another day move some stuff to his new restaurant, he will need to do some fixing on the building but I think he is going to get a good price on the rent.

The rest of the day was spent playing with the kids and talking to the neighbors.

Awesome Day

Yasuko and Koby was off to school at 8:00am this morning, I got up and said by to them and watched TV until Evan woke up. I fixed Evan breakfast of cereal, cheese bread and an apple, while I had coffee an apple and cheese bread also.

Koby gets out of school early today. Yasuko should be home at lunch, while Koby will be home around 1:00pm. It looks like it is going to be another beautiful day today, although it's a bit hazier out compared to yesterdays clear blue skies. Koby is having trouble with Japanese class, so Yasuko talked to the teacher and asked if he could attend the first grade Japanese class, so he could start from the beginning, they all agreed, including Koby that it would be a good idea. Other than Japanese he is doing well with all of the other subjects, he really enjoys this school.

Yesterday the class got to go outside and walk around the town using a map for social study class. Yasuko came home around lunchtime, and Koby gets out of school at 1:15pm. When Koby came home he immediately got out his new bike and started riding it, we need to get him a helmet, since the kids are required to have them. I decided to take the other bike out for an exploration towards the mountains. I rode for about 2 miles until the road started going up the mountain, that would be a hard climb so I took another road that went off to the left that was more flat.

On the way I saw a fox walking along the levy of the Chubetsu river, but he was about 75 yards away. I kept riding until the road ended at the Chubetsu River Dam, this Dam is huge, and I was disappointed that I didn't bring the camera, next time I will. I set and listened to the water for a short time then decided to come back riding along the levy this time. It was a bumpy ride but well worth it. On the way back I saw a KingFisher, and 3 Shikah Deer, which is a Japanese Deer that has a shorter snout than the whitetail deer I am accustomed to. The deer kind of startled me at first because I didn't know what they were when I first saw them moving.

Next I caught up with the fox I had saw earlier, the wind was blowing in both of our faces and he did not here me coming up behind him until I was right next to him. We were about 25 yards from each other, so I made a noise, and he looked at me and laid down and just looked. It was so beautiful, I am so lucky to live here.

When I arrived home Koby and I rode together down by the river and threw rocks and sticks in. He likes to watch the sticks go down the little water falls. When we came back, most of the neighborhood kids were going to take the bus into town and go to the library, Koby said he wanted to go, so me and Yasuko said it would be a good experience to go on a long trip without Mom and Dad into town. We felt OK doing this since there was about 10 kids in total, from 2nd graders to 6th graders, Yasuko gave Koby $4 to pay for the bus and get a snack. They all returned as it was getting dark. He said he had fun, the town he went to is the same place where we went to sign up for my ID card, it is a small city, but has crosswalks with lights at every corner, so is easy for the kids to cross and be safe.

Later on we got a telephone call from Ian's Mom, her last name is Brooks, and she said she had a present for us. When she arrived she gave us a terminal adapter that we needed for the Internet access, her brother is a computer technician and had one that he didn't need, so that save us about $100. Now we have to get the software for Yasuko's and my computer then we can get the Internet hooked up finally.

Beautiful Day

Yasuko and Koby were up early to go to school, I got up at 9:00am and I woke up Evan at 9:30am, I made ham and cheese omelets and toast for breakfast, and then we went for a walk, I took off my hoodie a little ways into the walk and enjoyed the cool air in a short sleeve shirt, it is beautiful today, blue skies and not a cloud to be found.

Yasuko got home for lunch at 12:15 pm and took the clothes outside to dry, she has to go back at 1:30 pm. Evan and myself played with Legos until the kids got out of school, and then we all went out and played until dark, these Japanese kids love me here, probably because I play with them.

A neighbor gave us 2 bicycles that he no longer needed, we offered to pay, but he denied it, in Japan you have to pay to get rid of large items, so we are actually doing him a favor by taking them. One bike is a mountain bike perfect for me, and the other is a bike that is popular here that folds up, and will be just right for Koby. There is another neighbor that has a bike that he is wanting to get rid of that Yasuko can have, then we will all have bikes, except Evan, although Evan needs to practice more with training wheels.

Yasuko prepared dinner and then left to go to Yoga tonight. The boys and myself ate dinner and got ready for bed, so Yasuko would not have anything to do when she got home except eat.

Day Off

All of the kids are out of school today since they had to attend yesterday. We had kids knocking on the door ready to play with Koby and Evan at 8:45am, so we all got up and ate breakfast.

Around lunchtime Fujita San's grandpa picked us up to take us into town, I have to pick up my foreigners ID card today, which all non Japanese residents must carry with them. It basically is like a National ID card (Green Card).

We did some banking and mailed some bills off. We also returned some library books and bought a few groceries. We ordered the inkan which is an official rubber stamp that Japanese use like Americans use their signature, I will need this to buy a car. It will be mailed to us in about a week. Not to much longer and we will finally have a car.

Internet is still not connected, we still need to buy a new terminal adapter, hopefully we can get it soon. Fujita san mom came over and talked with Yasuko for a bit, they are the same age so they have a lot in common. Koby's friend ate dinner with us and took a bath at our house, the kids thought it was fun, but it is very normal for community bathing here.

The weather is getting warmer and warmer, and the snow is almost all gone, you still need a light jacket during the day and a heavy jacket at night.

Parents Day

Today is a special day at Koby's school, normally they have off on Saturday and Sunday, but today is the day for the parents to visit the school and sit in on a class to watch how the kids study. We also get to eat lunch with them and listen to a few speeches from the principle and PTA personnel.

Yasuko and Koby had to be there at the regular time 8:00am and Evan and myself will go there at 11:15am till about 3:00. After that a Welcome party is planned for the Hamel family which is scheduled to go on until about 8:00pm. Whew it has been a busy last couple of days. The day at school ended a little late, at about 3:45pm, the lunch was great, we had egg soup with vegetables, sauteed cabbage, white rice and a piece of boneless chicken breast fried. I normally don't eat chicken, but for Koby's sake, I finished all of my lunch and it was really tasty, much different than the American school lunch of hamburgers, pizza and hot dogs.

After the school meeting we had only about 20 minutes to rest before they were calling us to the community center for the party. The party turned out to be a welcoming for more than just us, but a couple of other families also. It seemed like almost the whole town was there, we had brownies, cake, cheese cake, jello, all types of candies, and Japanese snacks. We all introduced ourselves and said a little bit to everyone, I thanked everyone for being so kind to us and explained that I had never experienced a place where there was such a sense of community.

There were probably 30 or more kids running around playing. After it got a little late the men stuck around and started drinking draft beer, there was about 12 of us including Koby's principle, drinking talking, playing guitar and singing. I had a great time, and was glad to get to know everyone a little better. We got home about 9:30pm and went to bed shortly afterward.

Car Shopping

We woke up to a dreary day, it is very cold today and has been snowing for about 5 hours, it is very small flakes but since it has been snowing for so long it is collecting in the trees and on the ground.

We had to take our garbage to the recycle center today. Here in Japan they are very strict on waste disposal. You have to separate plastics, metals and paper.

Our neighbor picked us up and took us into town to look at cars. We found one I think we are going to get. It is a Toyota starlet, 4 wheel drive for Hokkaido weather, 5 door and will not need an inspection for 2 years which is very expensive here (about $600) every 2 years. It is an old car, but the people who are selling it are very trustworthy and respected by citizens of Shibinai. It costs $2000 and should be a good car for a starter vehicle in Japan.

After I get a job and start bringing in some money we can get more selective on a newer vehicle. Hopefully in a couple of more weeks we will have it, there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be done before we can drive it home.

After lunch we are going to a rice planting ceremony which is a important event for this farming community. The rice planting ceremony turned into a late night party, we started just talking and drinking coffee while the kids (6 in total) played. It eventually turned into drinking beer and then eating dinner with the family of about 16 of us in total. It was a great time and the people are so kind. We got home late and went to bed soon afterwards.

Easy Days

Yasuko and Koby were off to school this morning while Evan and I ate breakfast. I cleaned the dishes while he was at the playground playing. After I finished I went to check on Evan and pushed him on the swing for awhile. After swinging we walked along the river for a bit and threw rocks and sticks in the water.

We saw our first snake today, I showed Evan and told him if he ever sees a snake to run away from it. I am not sure if it was a poisonous snake or not, but we just kept our distance, I came home to get the camera so I could take a picture of the snake, but by the time we went back it was gone.

After school I played with the neighborhood kids for a couple of hours. It was a cold day today and we came home to get warm. Ian came to our house to play with Koby today, they like to play the Nintendo DS game together (Pokemon). Yasuko chatted with Ian's mom for a while, she speaks English very well.

Later Yasuko went to the little store here in town to get some drinks, It amazes me at the honesty of the Japanese people in this town. The little store is connected to the owners house, and the owner was away, but the store was open, so you can walk in but no one is there to ring up your purchase. In America, there would be nothing left in the store if it was left unattended.

Loving Japan

Woke up at 7:45am to say goodbye to Koby. Today at the breakfast table, he stretched and said "another good day of Japanese school", I am getting the feeling that he really likes it here. I mentioned last night "So are you ready to go back to Texas, in which he quickly responded NO".

I got the beds put up, and the clothes that had dried folded, nothing much else to do until lunch, maybe Evan and me will go for a walk in a little while. We found out that the Internet adapter that someone had gave us was too old and we would have to buy a newer model, I think they cost around $100.. Yikes! But if we want Internet access, then we have to get it.

Evan is watching kids shows on TV. Yasuko came home at lunch today and stayed home the rest of the day. Koby's remaining classes didn't require her to be there. After school Koby went to Ian's house (the boy who speaks English real well) he lives about a mile away and the boys walked there by themselves, It's nice to live in the country.

Yasuko, Evan and myself walked to the dairy to get some more milk, but the main guy was not there, so we wasn't able to get some. On the way back we were stopped by a neighbor who was going to the grocery store and asked if she could get anything for us, Yep Milk.

We all walked to Ian's house to get Koby and we talked with his grandma for awhile, while the boys tried to throw snowballs over the power lines. After arriving home, our neighbor brought us the milk and had also bought the boys some marshmallows.

For dinner we had fried shrimp, a type of green onion/garlic the neighbors gave us which is called "Nira", the potatoes we were given, and rice.

Chubetsu River

Yasuko and Koby left for school today at 7:50am, while Evan and I had breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast. After we got the clothes hung up to dry (dryers are a luxury here and most people hang things up to dry) we went for a walk near the Chubetsu river.

The big river is about a half mile walk away and is full of rainbow trout. No fishing license required here, the government is not like America, always trying to find a way to extract money from you at every given moment.

I am looking forward to learning how to fly fish. Free vegetables, Free Fish... What a great place to live. We listened to the nice sounds of the river flowing against the river rocks, and threw rocks into the water.

Yasuko came home for lunch and has to go back at 1:30pm, Evan and the neighbors girl are playing together, she is in first grade this year. Koby will get home around 3:00pm today.

After school Koby went to one of his classmates house to play, when Yasuko went to pick him up, she came back with 2 large bags filled with potatoes, cabbage, green onions, radishes, and fresh horseradish, straight out of the garden.

For dinner we had fried noodles with vegetables and gravy.

New School

Koby's first day of real school, he studied Japanese, and learned how to ride a unicycle. He had a great lunch of noodles in broth with vegetables, baked rice balls, broccoli and milk. At the end of the day the kids have to clean the school.

Mr Abe a policeman in Higashikawa stopped by today to see if we needed to go shopping. He speaks English very well after growing up near an American missionary and his family. He speaks English better than anyone I have met here so far.

Yasuko, Evan, Myself and Mr Abe went to the Japanese equivalent of a dollar store and bought all of the supplies that Koby will need for school.

It was a busy day, and we finished up with a dinner of salmon, greens, and fried rice with vegetables. Yasuko started Yoga class at 6:30pm and got home at 8:30pm

First Day of School

Today was Koby's first day of school ceremony where he found out who his teacher would be. His teacher turned out to be a female and is the assistant principle. Koby had to get in front of the whole school and tell everyone his name.

In this school it has so few students that they combine 1&2 grade, 3&4 grade and 5&6 grade. Koby has (4) 3rd graders and (2) 4th graders for a total of 6 kids in his class.

He did good, and kind of just watched the other kids and followed their lead, it was a short day and basically only the first day ceremony and a lot of speeches.

Last Day of Vacation

Tomorrow is the big day of school, All of the kids were outside playing today getting the most out of the last day of vacation.

We visited with the local policeman and his family today. Yasuko is becoming fast friends with all of the women of the town. Even though we don't know everyone here, everyone sure knows or has heard of us.

The only foreigners in town!

Feeling ill

We got our phone installed today, now we will not feel so isolated. Yasuko was busy calling everyone and giving them our new telephone number, we also got our terminal adapter for the Internet service connected also, but still need to choose a provider before we can get online.

The weather is getting steadily warmer and the snow is melting fast. Snowman came over today and visited again, he brought me some books to read, including a couple learning to speak Japanese books, a novel and Conspiracy and UFO book, that will keep me busy for a while.

We drove about 10 minutes from here where there is a natural spring that ice cold water comes up from the ground. We collected (2) 2 liter bottles, the water tastes great, with no taste at all, just like water should. (no taste no smell), No chlorine, no fluoride and no heavy metals.

The kids and myself were sick at our stomachs today, but Yasuko was un-affected. Koby and Evan both threw up, while I went to bed early. It must have been something that we ate, but I cannot figure out what it could have been. We all felt better the next day.

Fox

We borrowed a truck today to go get some groceries that we needed, it was my first time to drive in Japan in more than 12 years. I have to keep reminding myself left side, left side. Since we drive on the left side of the road here.

The kids stayed at a neighbors house and played with their kids, and ended up eating dinner with them also. We saw our first red fox crossing the road as we were coming back from the store, it looked like he had a hurt leg and was limping.

As far as bears, there are no worries, Mr. Ikeno was born and raised here and says he has only seen one his entire life and that was five years ago.

It was another beautiful day getting warmer and warmer.

Normal Schedules

Another beautiful day, we are finally into a normal sleep and waking schedule. The kids usually go to bed between 9:30 and 10pm and wake up between 7:30 and 8:00am, while Yasuko and I are in bed around 10:30pm and up at 7:00am.

Koby has to be at school at 8:00am so waking up at 7:00 will be plenty of time to get ready and make it to school. It helps when you can throw a rock and hit his school from our house.

Exercise

The weather during the day is nice, no jacket needed but a long sleeved shirt is advised. The snow is melting fast and soon there will be none to see except on the mountain tops.

We are still working on getting Internet access and a vehicle. It is a very nice place here, but without a vehicle, you are kind of stuck to a very small area.

We went for a long walk up a mountain today, and got a great view of the town we live in. Stupid me forgot to bring the camera, but I will go back again and get some pictures.

Evan and Koby had a good time, but Evan's little legs get tired fast.

Higashikagura

We learned today that there is a dairy right up the road from our house (walking distance) where we can buy fresh cow milk straight out of the cow. We can buy 2 liters for about $3 but we have to heat it up before we drink it to kill any germs there might be lurking in it. You have to remember this is straight out of the cow, not homogenized or pasteurized. So we pasteurize it ourself and then refrigerate it, the only drawback is it has to be used within a few days or it goes bad.

We had large snowflakes coming down today, but the weather is getting so warm that it is melting faster than it is sticking. Koby's school playground used to be covered with snow when we first got here, but now it is almost clear.

We took a bus into town today, it costs $3 for all of us. We visited the library and checked out some books for the kids, I looked through the very small english written section and got 2 of the thickest ones I could find. I will be able to read all of the english books in the library in about 3 months haha.