Gogo no Ocha

Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2004 9:37 PM
Subject: Weekly Email

This was an interesting week. I had to work late on three days to get our package out. We got it out on Friday, one day early. A major success.

My Japanese is getting a little better but is still bad. I can order food, shop, and sometimes get directions. It is a difficult language to learn though. I am trying to force myself to speak it more. Today I was able to ask the cost of a ceramic "koi" fish in a shop window and understand it was just a display and not for sale. Another major success.

One night I was walking home late from the train station and not paying attention. Lots of times I go a slightly different route just to see if I can see anything new. I was going a way I had not taken before, was tired, and thinking about something else. I walked for a while and looked around to see I was "lost". This has happened once or twice before. The streets are narrow, windy, and in some respects look all the same. Of course I wasn't really lost, but I had to take a few minutes to get my bearings, head towards a main street, and then get a landmark. No problem.

Attached is a picture of the latest advertisement to show up on the train - kind of like Kan-Kan the dog who was selling Sapporo beer earlier this year. Only this girl is dressed in a bird suit and selling Gogo Tea. Gogo means afternoon in Japanese so it is afternoon tea. It is green tea so without the mixture of Japanese and English in the name it would be called Gogo no Ocha (really). Note the clock showing 3 o'clock (Sanji desu). I have no idea why she is dressed in a bird suit and holding a stuffed baby bird. I asked one of the secretaries and she looked at me like I was silly for wanting to know.