Kuniko called me last night on her way to her final bonenkai to tell me that her parents were coming over to drop off some stuff to send to the USA for Christmas. Since she gave me the heads-up I picked up the house a bit before they arrived, and when they came they came bearing gifts not only for my family in America but for us as well. As usual we received big bags of fresh vegetables (mostly potatoes this time), some big bottles of sake, and plenty of other little goodies which will probably end up as tonight’s dinner.
This morning I was watching morning TV and the news program focused for a short time on some kids that are learning fencing. Ever since the Olympic games in China where a Japanese fencer did very well, the sport has enjoyed a bit more popularity. It is still very rare in Japan, but the exposure it got in the Olympics has helped a lot.
It was interesting to watch the kids practicing. I thought they’d show them doing drills and practices (and they did – very briefly), but they spent far more time on the segment showing the kids’ notebooks and memorization drills on what parts of the body are good to attack and what parts are not. Rote memorization wins again!
I’m off to face the cold morning commute – it has suddenly become winter in the last two days. I’m looking for the escape to the warmer climates of Northern CA.
