It's Snowing on New Year's Eve in Tokyo

Well, the family is gone and they made it home safely. The weather was great while they were here but it has turned colder since. The view here is from my balcony down onto the temple gate below.

I went into work onthe 29th and 30th. The 29th is the "official" last day of work and then there is the week long New Year's holiday which is one of most looked forward to in Japan. On the last day, Chiyoda holds an office party.

Everyone has a drink and there are snacks. Afterwards, it seems to be tradition to go to a karaoke bar at Chiyoda. I went and we had a good time. Since I had not had quite as much to drink as some of the others it was a little bit hard to get me to sing but I finally relented. For those who must know, I sang Hank Williams "Jambalaya" and the old blues song "Stormy Monday". These songs are simple, don't have any vocal range, and nobody there knew if I was singing it right anyway.

My friends from work were a little more lively. They sang Western and Japanese songs in about equal number and I was surprised at how good some of them were. The girls usually danced while they sang and if they did duets they were pretty much dancing in unison - it must have been memorized from the video. Anyway, it was good fun.

Today I have been doing the housework and just relaxing.

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu - Have a happy New Year!

The Beer Museum at Yebisu Gardens

Megan: What kind of beer was that you were drinking? And David....

A Japanese Maple at the University of Tokyo

It has been a very warm year in Japan and this maple is just turning colors. Tokyo University is well known and has a kind of European look to it. It is located near Ueno on the North side of the city. They sell beer in the University student center just like at Baylor and we were fortunate enough to find T-shirts - thank goodness...

The Year of the Rooster

This is Megan and David at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. In the Chinese zodiac, 2005 will be the year of the rooster. Because a lot of Japanese culture originated in China, the zodiac is observed here as well. The takoyaki (cooked octopus in a dough ball) sure were good...

Theater in Kyoto

Kyoto is of course known for its cultural arts, crafts, and food. It is the cultural center of Japan and you can still see many things that have been unchanged for centuries. (hint to one member of the family for the future: Indian food is not considered a traditional Kyoto specialty)

Dave and the Shinkansen

This is the shinkansen (bullet train) that we took back from Kyoto. The train has a top speed of close to 300 km/hr (180 mph) yet is very smooth and very quiet. The seats are spacious and it is very efficient. But tickets are a little bit pricey. The train was full the Saturday that we went to Kyoto.

Pagoda in Kyoto

We had a very nice trip to Kyoto and of course visited a number of temples and went shopping. This was my first time to Kyoto and it wasn't quite like I expected. Kyoto is an interesting mix of old and new Japan but appears more European to me in some respects. The river through the city, the greater space than Tokyo, and the avenues make it seem so.

Meg Graduates from Baylor!

Here she is, by the statue, a full fledged graduate with a job and everything. Lots of family and friends were there and we had a great time. When Megan started at Baylor I told her I expected to be back in four years to take her picture at the statue. She made it in three and a half! Congratulationas Megan....