An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Having been owned by many cats over my lifetime, I have to tell you that this "guide" is priceless!

Goodbye Tokyo, I'll miss you!

Sorry I've been away from my blog for a little while. Life has been a little crazy the last few weeks and I'm finally able to sit down and think about this blog.

Leaving Tokyo last week was bittersweet. There are so many people and things I'll miss:

Friends/Students: Including Judy, Courtney, Colleen, Jonathan, Jeremy, Eric, Satoko, Steve, Val, Amanda, Michael, Devon, David, Hiroko, Jean, Rieko, Hisae, Rumiko, Michiko, Emi, Chikako, Mayuko, Ryosuke, Tadashi, Chieko, Sachiko, Yohei, Rika, Yumi, Sho, Kosaku, Mayumi, Hiroko, Fumiko, Aki, Naombu, and friends who have already left--Michelle, Wendy, Emma, Elisa.

Food/Beverages: Impeccably fresh sushi and sashimi such as ebi, ikura, uni, maguro, and hamachi; bento; tofu (the REAL kind) and yuba; burdock root salads, mountain potatoes and all the other beautiful fruit and vegetables; Japanese tsukemono (pickles); sake (the huge variety), chu-hi (my beverage of choice); and especially the beauty and artistry of every food presentation which never failed to thrill me.

Trains: Really! Most of the time I was lucky enough to ride on less crowded trains. As long as you don't have to ride trains during rush hour, there's no better transportation service in the world than the reliable and convenient train system in Japan. While expensive, it nevertheless meant I never needed a car and could go anywhere I wanted quickly and safely.

Karaoke: Lots of fun with friends!

Konbinis: Convenience stores that really are convenient! There's almost always at least one near every train station or within two or three blocks from where anyone lives. Most of them sell bentos that are much healthier than the traditional hotdogs or fake cheese-laden nachos and other crap that's available in American convenience stores.

Vending Machines: You name it, you can find it in a vending machine!

Places: Shibuya--especially the Food Show, Hachiko (for meeting people), the BIG crossing, Bic Camera, the Apple Store, 0101, Blister, Loft, and millions more! Omotesando, Tameike-sanno, Ginza, Hiro, Ebisu, Roppongi, Shinjuku, Yoyogi park, Harajuku, Jiyugaoka, and on and on and on.

Izakaya: All those great, inexpensive places to go to eat and/or drink with friends after work.

Kimono: The gorgeous patterns and colors!

Temples and Shrines: Such beautiful places.

Festivals and Fireworks: Seems like there's always something happening.

There are just so many more things, but for now that's the highlight of my memories of Japan.

It's been quite an amazing journey these past three years and I hope I never forget it (hopefully, this blog will be my biggest reminder).

My next post will be about some of my feelings since arriving back in the U.S. Still haven't figured out what to do with this blog--change its name or what exactly? Anyway, I'll continue blogging under "Gambatte!" until I do decide. I hope you'll stay tuned.

Sayonara sale

Today I hauled a bunch of stuff out on a little patio adjacent to my apartment and had a Sayonara Sale. While I don't know any of my neighbors, except to bow slightly and say a quick hello, they seemed most eager to see what I had on offer.


One neighbor has a cute little 3-year-old grandchild who came to see what was going on. I had anticipated her interest and had saved a pink pig bathroom set for her (no, I didn't buy it, it was given to me by one of my zany friends) and she was thrilled. She, her grandparents, and her mom and dad took the bulk of my things. Almost everything was free but they insisted on giving me a little money nevertheless.

Then I was totally surprised when one of their other grandchildren handed me a bag with two cans of chilled beer inside! I didn't realize until much later that the grandfather had dropped a 500 yen coin inside the bag. I do remember that he beamed as he watched his grandson hand it to me. Nobody spoke much English, and of course I don't speak Japanese, but it will be one of my fondest memories of Japan.

While I've heard--and seen firsthand--that most Japanese just toss their unwanted items in the trash, it made me feel good knowing that I wasn't adding too much to the massive landfills that must exist around Japan. Everyone who walked down my street stopped to dig through items and usually found a few things to take home. One lady came back about five times, as did the grandparents and their grandchild.

All in all, I think everyone felt a little happier with the "treasures" they took home, and I know I felt a little bit of an ache in my heart as I realized that in about a week I will be leaving Japan. Today erased some of the memories of the irritating things about Tokyo, and reminded me that no matter what country or city, people can interract with kindness and friendship. And best of all, today showed me once again that language is no barrier to what the heart can feel.

Segoi! (セゴイ！)

In a mad rush

Sorry I haven't had time to post much lately. I'm busy sorting, pitching, and packing to leave Tokyo on May 29th. It's all happening so fast that my head is spinning.

On top of all that, I decided to work Golden Week, the week of four holidays and Children's Day. It's a nice way to make a little extra money, and I didn't have plans to go anywhere anyway. Still, I sort of regret not taking the time to go see more of Japan. I have to admit I'm not good at going places by myself (although I came all the way to Japan by myself!), especially when I don't speak the language. The hoped-for visits by family and friends never materialized, unfortunately, so I ended up working most holidays and only taking vacations home to the U.S.

Anyway, I'm feeling very excited about returning home. It will be great to be able to read signs and find familiar things in grocery stores and restaurants. I'm really looking forward to eating Mexican food again!

Ironically, the entire time I've lived in Japan I've wanted a cat, which was a definite no-no with my landladies. After moving to my new apartment last October, I thought long and hard about getting a cat but decided not to because I didn't know what my plans were, and didn't want to have to consider shipping a cat by air. In the last 10 days or so, a 3-legged cat has decided to take up residence on my patio, next to my washing machine. "She's" very skinny, in poor health, and very shy. I've put out food for her and she has rewarded me with her loyal presence each morning and evening. I wonder about what might have happened to her poor leg, and today as she was cleaning herself in the sunshine, I got a better look through my sliding door. I thought maybe it was a birth defect, but it looks like it was cut off. Poor baby! I wonder what her story is and wish I could ask her, but she apparently doesn't speak English and I don't speak Japanese!

Cat's have a very difficult life in Tokyo. Most of them have some kind of eye and nose congestion. Many of them have feline AIDS, I'm told. People don't seem to consider spaying or neutering their cats, so the population grows because they're outdoor cats. So, life as a street cat is just plain tough.

Fortunately, I have a close friend who is very active in cat welfare in Tokyo and has offered to come trap the little gal, take her to a vet for neutering, get her on antibiotics, and find a good home for her. I sure hope she's successful! This little kitty has had more trauma than any cat deserves, and I hope she can spend the rest of her days being loved and cared for properly.

A birthday announcement

Today is my birthday and it will be the last one spent in Japan. After 3 years, I'm ready to go back home to America. Being an expat has been a wonderful and exciting adventure, but it's time to leave.

Last night I told my boss I was leaving the end of May. Just saying those words gave a new reality to this plan, and frightens me a little. I don't have another job yet, but will stay with my daughter and her husband while I work something out.

Six weeks will go very quickly. Wow! Can't believe I'm leaving! There's so much to do before then that my head is starting to spin.

I might have to rethink my blog name, although it seems to fit no matter where I'm living. Gambatte is Japanese for something like "keep trying to do your best" or "don't give up." So, even though I will be leaving Japan, I'll definitely keep trying to do my best.

More about this later.

Puzzles of Daily Life in Tokyo

Here's a great video from Mediatinker. It will give you an idea of some of the things I've experienced since living in Tokyo. I never learned Japanese, except for sumimasen and arigatou, and a smattering of a few other short phrases. And, as much as I've tried, I also don't know kanji, katakana or hiragana, but somehow I've managed to stumble through my three years here. I'm hopeless when it comes to languages other than my own.