Last Wednesday Toshi, Ricky and I drove down to Boston to attend a reception in honor of the new Consul General of Japan and his wife given in their residence in Brookline, Massachusetts. The very large house was guarded by police officers. We wondered if they are on duty at all times. Perhaps. I didn't feel comfortable wandering around even the first floor of their home as many others were doing, so I only saw a couple of the rooms. But those I did see were quite sumptuous and decorated with Japanese art. A gorgeous tea ceremony set including a table of black lacquer with gold makie decoration stood in the main room looking a little out of place as we entered.
Consul and Mrs. Himeno are a charming couple from Osaka who have been married for 37 years. We're three years ahead of them having celebrated our 40th anniversary on August 24th. We wish them good luck here in the U.S. As we were introduced to them on the receiving line, we presented them with a piece of Toshi's pottery and a copy of my book. We hope they enjoy them both, although I doubt they will have much time for reading.
It was a very nice party. There were tables with food set up both inside and out. Besides sushi, which disappeared in a flash as usual, there were a variety of other delicious foods as well as interesting people to meet. Unfortunately, I only chatted with a few guests, among them a Japanese sculptor whose beautiful work can be seen around the world and an American psychiatrist who is acquainted with some friends of my family from my childhood. I constantly find myself amazed at how small the world really is.
The next day, on our way home we stopped at a huge Korean supermarket outside of Boston. Aside from Korean products, they also sell many Japanese products, which delighted us. Looking around at all the exotic food, I imagined how happy ex-pat Koreans must feel when they step into the store for the first time and see all the foods from home that they've missed. We know exactly how that feels. Among the groceries we bought were two 50 pound bags of a Japanese variety of rice grown in California. The large Japanese supermarket we shop in when we visit New Jersey and New York doesn't even carry bags that large. Or if they do, we've never seen them.
Tonight is the last of the Super Moons and it is also the Harvest Moon. If you haven't gone outside to look at it yet, please do. The night here in Vermont is beautifully clear and the moon is spectacular. You can see both the American "Man in the Moon" and the Japanese "Rabbit Making Mochi."
Pleasant dreams to you all.
Consul and Mrs. Himeno are a charming couple from Osaka who have been married for 37 years. We're three years ahead of them having celebrated our 40th anniversary on August 24th. We wish them good luck here in the U.S. As we were introduced to them on the receiving line, we presented them with a piece of Toshi's pottery and a copy of my book. We hope they enjoy them both, although I doubt they will have much time for reading.
It was a very nice party. There were tables with food set up both inside and out. Besides sushi, which disappeared in a flash as usual, there were a variety of other delicious foods as well as interesting people to meet. Unfortunately, I only chatted with a few guests, among them a Japanese sculptor whose beautiful work can be seen around the world and an American psychiatrist who is acquainted with some friends of my family from my childhood. I constantly find myself amazed at how small the world really is.
The next day, on our way home we stopped at a huge Korean supermarket outside of Boston. Aside from Korean products, they also sell many Japanese products, which delighted us. Looking around at all the exotic food, I imagined how happy ex-pat Koreans must feel when they step into the store for the first time and see all the foods from home that they've missed. We know exactly how that feels. Among the groceries we bought were two 50 pound bags of a Japanese variety of rice grown in California. The large Japanese supermarket we shop in when we visit New Jersey and New York doesn't even carry bags that large. Or if they do, we've never seen them.
Tonight is the last of the Super Moons and it is also the Harvest Moon. If you haven't gone outside to look at it yet, please do. The night here in Vermont is beautifully clear and the moon is spectacular. You can see both the American "Man in the Moon" and the Japanese "Rabbit Making Mochi."
Pleasant dreams to you all.