I was checking out the Japan Today website and noticed that they have a nice little visitors’ guide section. It was kind of neat to read about lots of places that we used to visit and hang out at when we lived in Tokyo/Yokohama. And it looks like there are tons of new things to do/restaurants to try.

The guide is good for American ex-pats looking for stuff from home. I remember going to the Oshman’s in Shibuya not because I needed anything, but just because it reminded me of the States. And we went to Tony Roma’s a few times for some good ribs. When we lived in Yokohama, we were lucky because near us was a big store called Olympic which had some food stuffs from the States, like American mayo (not Kewpie). And in Kichijoji there was Sony Plaza and Miuraya. For clothes, I would shop at Eddie Bauer at Queen’s Square in Yokohama or the one in Shibuya. What was really weird was that there was a candy store in Yokohama and on their display window was listed all the cities that they had stores in. And of course, I found Torrance (where I grew up). Speaking of stuff from back home, it was really cool when we went to the movies in Yokohama to see Jackie Brown because I could recognize most of the So. Cal. locations in that movie. Lots of it was filmed within a mile or two from my parents’ house. I think Mariko was tired of me saying, “I know where that is!” every couple minutes…

Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), and soundtrack to Sen, which I highly recommend!

I am hoping that the English version of Sen has the correct color. The Japanese release had a reddish tint to it that the distribution company would not even acknowledge existed. There was a lawsuit in Japan brought up because the dvd was not the same color as the theatrical version. I think it was only the version sold in Japan that was messed up, but you can definitely tell that it is reddish…

*Update* The US version does not have the reddish tint. Yay!

Some workmates and I were taking a little break talking about Airplane! and some of the classic lines. I found the script on google, so here are some good ones:

Joey : I think you’re the greatest, but my dad says you don’t
work hard enough on defence. And he says that lots of
times, you don’t even run down court. And that you
don’t really try . . . except during the playoffs.
Murdock : The hell I don’t!! ( grabs joey by collar ) LISTEN KID!
I’ve been hearing that crap ever since I was at UCLA.
I’m out there busting my buns every night. Tell your
old man to drag Walton and Denier up and down the
court for 48 minutes.
…….

Oldlady2: Oh… its my stomach. I haven’t felt this awful since
we saw that Ronald Reagan film. uhh.
…….

MCrosky : MAYDAY? What the hell does that mean?
Johnny : Mayday? Why that’s the Russian New Year. You know,
we’ll have a big parade, we’ll serve hot hor’doevres

Here’s another link to some pictures and sound files.

It always seems to be super-cold in my office building. And in the summer, it gets even colder. I used to have a scarf here for me to use, but I lost it. At least I have a jacket. It would be nice to have an electric blanket to use while I work. But until I get one, I will have to make do with my jacket and a hot cup of coffee.

I was checking out the webarchive to see what Takoyaki.org looked like a couple years ago. I was reading the blog which was around the time Bay was born. Here are a couple excerpts:

++++++++++++

monday, june 25

13:56
Mariko and I are now playing the waiting game. We have our bags packed and ready for the hospital. Official due date is this Thursday. I have a video camera, 35mm camera, and digital camera ready to go, as well as all the things that were recommeded in our baby class and by our friends. Now only if that baby boy will cooperate…

friday, june 29

16:53
We are going to the hospital now! 🙂

++++++++++++

I also found a link to this awesome Thai flash music video. It’s hard to beat this one! I love the music.

I heard Mariko get up and turn on the shower. A few seconds later, Bay sat up and said, “Mama?” That was at 6:30am. Surprisingly, I am not too tired. It must be because I didn’t watch tv from midnight to 1am as I have been doing lately (watching war coverage).

I figure I would just leave the site open for you all to see while I update it. Maybe that will motivate me to get it done faster! 🙂

I am also going to redesign Bay’s page, hopefully it will be easier to update with pictures so that I will do it more often!

In the meantime, I am going to convert pages to the new format and add them to the menu as I complete them.

This weekend was another fun, but busy one. On Saturday morning we went to our monthly Japanese Kids’ playgroup. This time it was an Easter egg hunt at the park in Davis Springs. Bay had a good time and found lots of eggs. The food was terrific too, with finger sandwiches, karaage (fried chicken), meat pies, pigs in blankets, bagels and cookies. Mariko also made a wonderful cake!

In the afternoon we went to Jeff and Hiromi’s baby shower. It was fun. We hadn’t seen them in a couple years, and it was good to see them both again.

Today we went with Mikey to see Disney on Ice. This year’s show was a jungle theme, with the stories of Jungle Book, Tarzan, and The Lion King all being told. The skating was great as usual and the costumes were really cool. Especially the elephants, which were huge.

Bay and Mariko already fell asleep, and I just got back from a bike ride around the neighborhood. Now I will continue updating the site…