Biggest news is that my niece Miriam Keltie was born 4:45am 15 August as I commenced my visit to Japan. Mother, Father and baby well. __________________________________________________________________ Back to Japan after 3 years and the first thing that I experienced was the heat that is Japan in the summer. Now foreigners have to have their fingerprints scanned and a photo taken at the airport, that didn’t happen the last time I was here. However, I managed to get through customs quickly and found that I could take a train directly to Hiro’s place on the other side of Tokyo. This was a godsend as I always hate manoeuvring around Tokyo station because I always get lost. At the airport, I was reminded of Japan’s fantastic technology. I went to the loo and nearly stayed, oh those computerised toilets - full throttle on the water pressure, cool water and a blow dry I totally enjoyed the pampering after sitting for 8 hours. Then I got a bottle of cold Milk Tea from the vending machine – aaah there is a heaven. Hiro was waiting (jumping up and down) at the train station and we went immediately to a 7/11 convenience store. I unloaded what felt like half my bag in weight in presents (mainly chocolate and Timtams) and takubined them to people. Takubin is a wonderful delivery service that enables you to take anything (even pets I just found out) to a convenience store and have them delivered door to door for what is really a reasonable fee. That done I obtained my next Japanese love, I bought some Umeshu and Onigeri. Umesho is a very sweet plum wine. We can get this in Australia but here they have plums in the bottom and chewing on these is half the fun. Onegiri is a rice ball with something delicious in the middle, tuna, fish eggs, sour plums anything. That done back to Hiro’s and I met the lovely Miki. Hiro has bought a house on the edge of Hachioji and it is wonderful. It is not the shoebox that was his previous apartment, and I mean it was the size of a shoebox. Now he has 3 bedrooms and a small garden outside of the dining/living room. A real luxury in Japan and the garden backs onto a nature reserve, so from early morning I could hear the cicadas and to my surprise many variety of birds. Next day and off to Sado Is. and here I would like to mention that Brisbane transit could learn a lot from Japans metro system. Unfortunately, even though Brisbane Rail thinks they have the best rail system in the world maybe one of these people should come to Japan. I understand we don’t have the millions of people to warrant a train every 10 minutes but on the train there is a board that tells you where you are, and the next couple of stations, with the anticipated minutes to arrival – no more guessing if yours is the next station. On a lighter note, I watched the movie “My life in Ruins” on the plane. I was reminded again about the international image of Australians as beer swilling speakers of an English dialect incomprehensible to the rest of the world. Well, I gotta say, sit on a Tokyo train at 8am and experience an old man (not a derelict) sucking from his can of beer and you will discover that Australians are not the only ones who like to imbibe at an early hour. Japan in summer is green, lush and beautiful. Even along the Chuo line going into Tokyo there is an abundance of lush greenery. More so, in the beautiful countryside on the way to Naoetsu in Niigata-ken. The rice fields are green and look fantastic – it is nearly time to harvest. The car ferry that takes people to Ogi on Sado Island has 6 decks with a majestic staircase, escalators, noisy-lights-flashing games parlours and restaurants. You can lounge in the tatami mat area which is a place in the centre of the deck with no designated markings, people run to this area and claim their spot, just like finding the right spot at a picnic ground, then spend the 2H 20 minute trip lounging around. I must say that the cool breeze off the sea is a pleasant change to the heat. Onto Sado and the excitement felt by everyone is obvious. First stop was the Events office to get my workshop concert tickets and a taxi up to my hostel. I have watched one concert and the invited group this year is the Dutch rock and roll band Bluf, which to me feels like a mismatch. However, when they performed together the sound was great. Some things have changed and that’s the way of the world isn’t it? You experience something a couple times which is fantastic then they go and change it all. Matt is here also with his friend from home Rick. At the moment I am sitting in a park, to one side is a market, behind me is a children’s playground and I can hear the drums from the centre to my right. I can also hear the flute and some traditional Japanese singing. Sado is a total assault on the auditory sensors. Funny things I have experienced: A sign at the ferry terminal for “wicket”, as the Japanese generally don’t know about cricket I figure it’s another spelling mistake. Never in Australia would you see a young guy walking down the street with his toothbrush. The ATM has an English option, I hit English/ Withdraw/Visitor Withdrawal and then it gave me back my card. I checked the sign, yes - it took my card. I Tried again another 4 times, then I omitted the English option and did it in Japanese and it worked perfectly. Sado is a little island not used to so many foreigners and you can imagine how many locals might find it exhausting and irritating to have all the noisy loud foreigners in town and how they might want to ignore them. Well that’s what happened to the ATM I think Where else would this happen? Last night the lady at the liquor store gave me a plastic bottle to put my Umeshu into. Glass bottles are not allowed into the concert area and then she gave me a little plastic box for the plums – at no extra cost. I gave the little old lady that owns our hostel (which is really a big old traditional Japanese house) some souvenirs of a pack of Timtams and a Kangaroo keyring. This morning she came out to me and in she handed me something encased by both her hands. She has no English, but was saying “Kangaroo”, and when she took her hand a way it was two Onegiri (rice balls) which she had just made. So we joked that inside the rice ball was Kangaroo. | 
