The food is fabulous.

The flavors are so wonderful and the servings are huge. I only eat two meals a day and am walking everywhere and have to be gaining a pound a day! I anticipate that will be one of many changes when I reach Toshoji tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I spent the morning at Korakuen, billed as one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. It was built in the late 1600s by the local feudal lord whose castle, built in the early 1500s across the river, I visited this afternoon. The shady parts of the garden smelled so good, like the taxi and the hot damp towels given before a meal but I still can't figure out what the scent is. There were separate groves of cherry, plum, bamboo, cypress, and maple along with a small rice field and tea plantation, multiple shrines and tea houses, and Ryuten Pavilion with a rock studded stream running through its center. A large group of energetic 6th grade boys decided to practice their English on me. When the teacher appeared we chatted briefly. I told her I was a teacher, she told the kids that, and they gave shrieks of horror which prompted her to give them the teacher look. They continued to call out to me as our paths crossed throughout the day.

On the wider streets, the sidewalks are very wide and bicyclists and pedestrians share the space. On narrow streets, there is no sidewalk but a painted walking/bike space. This system makes biking so much safer and really, the injuries to pedestrians getting run over by a bike can't be as significant as the number of bicyclists injured by cars in the U.S. It is interesting to note that folks do not seem to jaywalk or walk through red lights at intersections even if there are no cars to be seen. I have a feeling I am the only person even thinking about it. Many Japanese people seem to be in a big hurry but they also seem to be good rule followers. They make a line to get on the bus with about two feet of space between each person. This is not how Hixson Middle school children line up for water at the track meet!

I have walked into another world and I love it.

The plane was late from Seoul to Osaka but customs waved me through with a brief glance at my passport and the cab driver was fast and I was in bed by 11:30 Monday evening. The cab was the first of many surprises. I walked from hot humidity into a meticulously clean vehicle with white matelaise seat cover and white crisply starched lace across the seat back. The air was cool with a refreshing but not identifiable scent.

Cities look like they are laid out on a grid on the map but they are not. We drove through curved narrow streets and what seemed like back alleys, on the left side, with bicycles everywhere even though it was 11 pm. Today I saw someone riding a bike, talking on a cell phone, and smoking a cigarette!

My room came with a wonderful free breakfast and given that the Tokyo Inn chain is sort of like a Motel 6, I was impressed by the flowers in the hotel lobby that doubled as the breakfast space. I took a picture but cannot figure out how to send it since all the computer instructions are in Japanese. Waling to the train station this morning (actually getting lost looking for the train station this morning), I saw large rocks and small pine trees squeezed in between houses and vegetable/flower gardens in pots infront of apartments and once I got to Okayama, a lady trimming her large potted rose bush stopped to chat and escort me to my new hotel with tatami floors and a maze of a floor plan and a delightful owners.

My Japanese seems to have left me and I forgot to bring my Japanese book but so far the charm and helpfulness of these people has overcome my ineptitude. In one store, the clerk typed what she wanted to say into her computer and had it translate and then had me respond in kind.

Thanks to all who have helped to make this happen. It is hard to believe one week ago I was helping amuse 7th graders wating for their last-day swim! I plan to be here exploring Okayama, staying at the Saiwaso Inn, until Thursday afternoon.

Preparations and Unease

There are 10 days left before I board the train to Chicago. I have a messy house to prepare for an honored weekend house guest whom I will not see. I will be in western Nebraska for my brother's wedding for the weekend and will come home to two more days of school, two classrooms to finish packing, and grades to finish.

I will then have two days to pack for the next two and a half months. I still haven't figured out how to get from the airport to a hotel when I arrive late at night in Osaka.

I started asking for help today. I am lucky to have so many competent folks to help me out.

The next post should have a subscribe feature. If you use it, you will get an email each time I post. Thanks again, Alexis, for the help on this blog.