My Trip to Kawauchi - Part 2

Oh dear, trouble is certainly brewing for our young Protagonist. The kanji at the bottom is Sapporo, and YES, I do realize that to fall asleep on your train and end up in Sapporo you have to either a) buy an even more expensive ticket for a train that takes you in the wrong direction, or b) sleepwalk OFF your original train in Hachinohe, transfer onto a local train (asleep) to Aomori city, then transfer again (asleep) onto another train bound for Hokkaido. Luckily for me, none of my students ever had to take a train to Aomori before.

My Trip to Kawauchi - Part 3

Oh GOD!! I can't read anymore! Scott is finished... DOOMED I say! If the Sapporo weather doesn't kill him, I am POSITIVE he will lose his way, wander into the Sapporo BEER Factory, and then we will NEVER see him again. MERCY!!!

P.S. That's a SUBWAY in the last line.

My Trip to Kawauchi - Part 4

Whew!! For a moment there I thought Scott was really in trouble! Those Kuro Neko men really are this friendly!

My Trip to Kawauchi - Part 5

Will our Hero EVER make it home?! Just so you know, the fish at the bottom is supposed to be a MAGURO or tuna. The town of Oma is famous for the men who haul in these monsters from the Tsugaru Straight (the area of ocean between Honshu and Hokkaido).

My Trip to Kawauchi - Part 6

A tense narrative until the very end! I almost feel like I am RIGHT there with Scott as he makes his pilgrimage!

My Trip to Kawauchi - Part 7

WOW!! What a surprise ending!! I would have never seen that one coming! Harry Potter has nothing on this 7 part epic!

Our Son

Good news, everyone! We are going to have a baby boy! The trip to the hospital yesterday was MORE than exciting; we found out that the forceful kicks coming from inside Kotomi's tummy are fueled by BOY POWER!! Kotomi and I are thrilled, and we figured since we finally know who is making their debut in May, we should share his name with all of you. After all, he is already a part of the family, isn't he? So, I am pleased to announce that the name of our son will be:

Maxwell Zen Pike

In honor of my late Grandmother's suggestion that our boy have an English first name and Japanese middle name, we thought long and hard over a good combination of simplicity, meaning, and style. Zen is not the Buddhist Zen, but rather a Japanese word meaning "good" or "virtuous". For the first name, we wanted something that was easily pronounceable by both sides of the family and in both accents. Max is a good name for our boy's younger years, while Maxwell, we feel, has a certain respectably cool factor to it for when he grows up. Please help us welcome wee Max as he nears the end / beginning of his big journey this May. In honor of my son, I present to you a series of significant "Maxes" below. If anyone has a good jpeg of Homer's MAX POWER, please send it to me and I will gladly post it. Stay tuned for more MAX News, and as the Japanese say, on behalf of my son, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Love,

Scott, Kotomi and Max

Max = Fun

Max from Where The Wild Things Are. Does anyone remember this kids book?

Max = Style

The best shoe ever? AIR MAX 95

Max = Speed

The Shinkansen MAX Yamabiko, serving northern Japan (Tohoku) as far as Sendai.

Max = Hero

Ultraman MAX This year's Ultraman variation. F.Y.I : In the 80's there was an American version of Ultraman called ULTRAMAN SCOTT. Can you guess what our Halloween costumes will be for the next 10 years?

Baby Update - Week 21

As you can see by the image to the right, my wife's stomach has grown considerably since last August. As is usual with expecting mothers, there is hair growth and the appearance of stretch marks on the abdomen. The one thing that is concering us right now is the underdevelopment of the breasts. If Kotomi's breasts remain this small at the time of birth, we may have to consider alternatives to breast feeding. For now, we look forward to our next check-up this week, and the possibility of learning whether we will have a Son or a Daugther. Check back here soon!!!

Scott, Kotomi and Hama-chan

P.S. The baby started kicking last month. Just a little a first, but he/she is a virtual Disco Inferno / Dancing Queen right now.

Strange Love indeed.

My Little Piggy

Kotomi steps into the role of Momma Pig in her Pre-School class' rendition of 3 Little Pigs during their annual Christmas Pageant. I do believe that is the brick house they just finished making.

Snow Giant

One of the many things I am proud of: a MASSIVE snowman made from the collective paper snowflakes designed and cut by my 1st and 2nd Graders at Ashihara Elementary School. A pity I will have to destroy him next week, but my heart will go on.

Happy 30th, Kotomi !!

This year we spent Kotomi's 30th Birthday in the posh getaway town of Karuizawa. We browsed the jam shops, perused the Factory Outlet Mall, dined where the Imperial Family has dined, and almost soiled ourselves driving back through a mountain pass in a snowstorm. Thank you again to that kind Eneos attendant who hooked us up with chains for the car!

So THAT'S how they get so big!!!

A Sumo Wrestler prepares himself for his mid-day meal..... er, I mean training.

More to Love...

Sumo Great, Yokozuna Asashoryu demonstrates his posing prowess at a Fan Appreciation Day in December. Kotomi maintains that she could see his Aura of Greatness. I was brought to tears just to be close to his presence.

The Fall / Winter in Pictures - 2005

Here are a select few of the pics we have take this fall and winter. Morning Sickness took up quite a lot of our time and energy, but we did manage to have some fun. Among our highlights for the Twilight of '05... Sumo, Karuizawa, and an abundance of hard work put in at our schools. Enjoy!!

Christmas Illumination in Shinjuku

For Winter 2005, Caramel was the flavor of choice, Razor Ramon was the best Hard Gay comedian, and the unofficial color of Christmas Illumination was blue. Once the manic desire and trendy breeze hits them, the Japanese can do anything better than any other people. Case in point, Christmas Illumination.