Japanese vending machines

I miss vending machines! Truly. In Japan and especially in Tokyo they are everywhere and very convenient. Australian drinks are so expensive compared to ones you can buy from Japanese vending machines. But drinks are not the only thing you can buy from vending machines in Japan. Check this out for an eye opening look at the variety of things you can buy.

Time is money or is it?

A conversation with a friend recently reminded me about how sometimes Time=Money and sometimes it doesn't. Actually, most times time doesn't equal money. Get involved in creative work and it is hard to see that time equals money. I mean, how long does it take to write an excellent song or craft a readable book? What about the value of time when you are changing dirty nappies or cleaning up vomit? When you're comforting a friend or catching up on the phone? Even in a job where time does equal money it doesn't always work. When I worked as an Occupational Therapist in rural Queensland I was an employee of Queensland Health. They paid me a rate per hour. But each hour I spent on the job wasn't equal. Some clients came to see me at the hospital where I was based, for others I travelled two hours each way to go and see. I hope they were thankful that the government picked up the tab. I had to try not to think of the financial side of things. The client who lived two hours away was just as important as the one who lived down the street. Motherhood and parenting in general are difficult to measure in the time=money formula. But so is Christian work. I'm sure that more than one church has tried to do it. Not sure how successful it can be. Prayer, sermon preparation, evangelism, visitation etc. Who can put a price? To put it more personally, we ourselves are doing work where it is impossible to put a money value on our time. We've travelled and stayed overnight to do a meeting for 12 people. Done a very similar thing in a different place and reached 100 people. Just the other day I drove nearly two hours to a prayer meeting for five people, none of whom financially support us, but all of whom pray diligently for us and Japan. Actually it is detrimental if we think in monetary terms. Thoughts like, "Will this meeting generate financial support?" puts a lot of pressure on you to perform. And takes your eyes off God and what He might be doing in the hearts of people, something you cannot put a money value on. Instead we put our financial needs before our heavenly Father and then try to get on with our work. And trust that God has prepared the way before us.

More on wearing my summer kimono

I asked a couple of days ago advice about wearing my summer kimono at our Saturday evening Japanese evening. The overwhelming response was 'Yes'. So I will, with a proviso. It is a relatively uncomfortable garment (aren't most elegant outfits?). It has four belts as well as a large stiff bow at the back which doesn't allow me to relax into a chair back. Additionally the shoes are shorter than my foot (that is the correct size for some reason). So, I've decided to take a back-up. An alternative to change into if I get too sick of it. Trick is, when? The evening will (hopefully) run something like this: 5pm set up 6pm 100 people arrive and eat 7pm divide into 4 groups introduction slipper relay 7.30 groups rotate around 4 stations - origami, DVD, language lab and a scavenger hunt based on our mission stand 8.30 conclusion with a short presentation about CAJ (Christian Academy in Japan) and question time. What do you think? Do I eat with the yukata (correct name for summer kimono) on and change before 7 or do I do it the other way around?

TV is not playing what I want...

We're trying to educate our 4 y.o. right now that TVs don't play what you want when you want. Sound strange? He wants Playschool to be on now, and doesn't understand that because it is not yet 9.30, it is not on. This is because our kids have mostly watched English videos and DVDs in Japan, which, of course, are in our total control and don't run by a schedule. They certainly don't watch much TV and usually I use it very strategically because I can control when they watch it. They mostly watch TV while I'm making dinner, in that nasty period that every mum knows about - 4.30 onwards! Just when you're trying to prepare the food they need and they require much more assistance than usual to manage their relationships! TV doesn't necessarily fit so neatly into our timetable. However we're enjoying a spot of Aussie TV every now and then. It is nice to watch new episodes of Playschool, for example.

Things about me that have changed

Someone pointed out yesterday that we've lived in Japan for almost a decade. Sounds imposing when you put it like that. I've have noticed a few things that I probably do differently to 10 years ago, and not just because I'm older!

• I use my hands to illustrate some of my words, like numbers. This comes of learning another language and lacking confidence that people will understand your words. Interesting that it has translated over into English.
• I've been told I speak softly (except when dealing with children who aren't responding). I don't think that this was particularly a characteristic of mine before I went to Japan. A couple of theories - possibly just Japanese. I wonder if it is also born of sticking out so much and trying to compensate by speaking softly?
• I don't like my shoes on in the house, though possibly that was the case before.
• I can tend to go over the top in humour or speaking my mind, just because I can.
• I speak to people in lines, chat to bank employees, checkout chicks - just because I can!
• I pay less attention to what others think. For years we've been living in another culture, with lots of people paying a lot of attention to us. In the end I've had to largely disregard them and get on with doing my own thing. Sounds weird, but here's an example; managing my kids in public. In Japan they attract a lot of attention in public, just because of the way they look. Dealing with bad behaviour in public is tricky in the face of that. I've had to block out the fact that lots of people are observing us and get on with managing my family as best I can.
• Related to the above but slightly different - I've grown fairly comfortable with me (this is a sign of age too, I know). We are living lives so different from most of the people around us - here and in Japan - that we've had to find our own plimsoll lines. How much we can take on, when to say no, even what to feed my family, how to manage my own kids, and what my own role will be outside of my home-maker role. With so few people as role models it has not been easy and negative comparison with others is a potential trap.

Well, that is quite a few things, ranging from the surface to quite deep. Anyone who knew me before and now want to add their observations? We have had virtual strangers tell us they can tell we've lived in Japan, just from the way we carry ourselves! Scary!

Should I wear my summer kimono?

We have about 90 people coming to a Japanese evening in Toowoomba on Saturday. It will be both fun and informative - the best combination! My question is, should I wear my summer kimono? Advice please!

Japanese customs

Doing some research this morning, I stumbled upon a webpage called "10 Japanese Customs You Must Know Before A Trip to Japan". It has some interesting observations on Japanese customs. I love it when you read something that crystallises something you know, but haven't been able to put it into words yet. Here are a couple I found this morning on the above page:

Some false assumptions among many Japanese that’s slowly being dispelled by time is the “uniqueness” of Japan...(and therefore)

• Japan is the only country that has four seasons;
• foreigners can’t understand Japan; (nor can they speak Japanese)
• only Japanese can use chopsticks properly.

It's absolutely true. So many times people have commented on my amazing ability to speak Japanese (or use chopsticks) when I've only uttered a short phrase, no better than a primary schooler might do....

Here's another key insight:

Drawing attention to yourself as an individual is a huge no-no: don’t blow your nose in public, try to avoid eating while on the go, and don’t speak on your cell phone in crowded public areas like trains or buses.

The main problem with this is that foreigners simply can’t avoid standing out; we stick out like sore thumbs no matter how long we’ve been here, or how much we know about Japanese culture and society.

As a result, being in Japan gives foreigners the status of D-level celebrities: you’ll get glances...

...and more. Especially if you have white babies or children. We've had ladies nearly swooning at the "cuteness" of our kids! It is wonderful to be in a land at present where we don't stick out. And in fact, where it doesn't matter too much if you do!