Tokyo's 33 Million

Last week I was able to return to the Tokyo Government Towers, the place where the Holy Spirit first spoke to me about coming to Japan for two years. The pictures below show an overview of Tokyo from an observation deck on the 45th floor. As you look at the pictures maybe you'll get an idea of how overwhelming the task is here - more than 99% of the 33 million Japanese in Tokyo are lost.

Medical Mystery

If you paid attention to my list of recent "firsts" in Japan you know I had a bike accident. It was Tuesday night, just four days after I arrived in Japan, and it happened to be raining. My roommate Amy and I were off to a cheap grocery store about 15 minutes away by bike. Try to picture me riding a bike in the dark with slick roads and light rain constantly clouding my vision. Now imagine a narrow one way road and the task of avoiding pedestrians, other bikers, moving vehicles and parked vehicles. For Amy it was a piece of cake. For me it was no easy task; it seemed almost impossible and maybe it was because I somehow managed to run into a parked van. While the injuries stung like crazy at the time, there appeared to be no major damages. . .until three weeks later when my left leg had yet to heal completely. With all of the walking we do here, the condition of my leg continued to worsen and my discomfort increased. I made my first trip to the doctor's office and was sent home with an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. Less than one week later there is no visible improvement and new symptoms are occurring. So tomorrow morning I will return to the doctor's. I'm including some pictures here for those of you who are interested in such medical things. Please pray for answers to this medical mystery and for healing as well.

Roommies - The 7th Generation

So here they are, my most wonderful roommates. Meet Amy (left) and Eileen (right).










Pictured at Earth Day Fair

Apt. Pics

Many of you have asked about my apartment and what it looks like. Here are some photos to help you envision my new place.

In Japan you always take your shoes off when entering someone's home. (And even in some restaurants)


Pictured here is my roommate Eileen working on her computer at our kotatsu table (a low, wooden table frame covered by a heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself). I found this table quite delightful on many occasions the first week or two I was here.


Here's a shot of the kitchen. Notice all of the trash compartments/containers. The Japanese separate their trash into way too many categories. Burnables and non-burnables, plastics and cans, cardboard and glass, etc. I just know I'm frustrating the trash people like crazy. Some people (like myself) . . . unlearnable.


And the shower. Our shower has a mirror in it. And the tub has a cover.















One more thing. I could go on all day about the cultural differences of Japanese bathrooms. Pictured above is the handle on one of the toilets in our apartment. The kanji (Japanese characters borrowed from the Chinese) and the corresponding arrow show you which way to push the handle to get the desired flush. Pushing the handle up is for a small flush and pushing it down results in a big flush. Bet you can't figure out what that's for.

Another funny thing about many Japanese public bathrooms is that they have noisemakers that sound like rushing water. Most of the time you have to push a button to start it, but the one I used yesterday came on automatically. Crazy!