2 weeks and 6 days

It's been a pretty amazing start for our new adventure. We enjoyed a fantastic Japanese dinner on Christmas Eve at a restaurant where everything on the menu was written in characters instead of letters or pictures. Luckily we had gone with friends who know the language. Then on Christmas we invited one of the divers over to our apartment for holiday paninis and a game of scrabble. Andy had even got his first dive in as part of this team. AND it was on the Kitty Hawk which is one of the largest ships in the world. We got to enjoy a Japanese New Year and see the 20 year olds all dressed up for Come of Age day. For the New Year everyone has three days to go to temple, toss their lucky goyen (5 yen coin) into a box, ring the bell, and make a wish. Your three days begin at midnight on New Year's Eve and often there is a long line at the temple to make wishes at soon as the clock hits the new year. For Come of Age day anyone turning 20 years old in 2006 dresses up in traditional kimono and goes to the temple for a blessing and celebration. They tended to continue wearing their kimono for the rest of the day so you saw people all dressed up wherever you went. We've gone for sushi and have enjoyed sumo on tv. We've been off to visit Tokyo and see the amazing way people cross the street at intersections. The people watching is fabulous over here. So many of the young men look like they are straight out of an animae cartoon with their stylish clothes and funky hair. The other day we saw a guy that could have been David Bowie's Japanese twin! Another funny thing we've noticed is that the houses here aren't insulated. Everyone heats their home with a kerosene heater and/or has one of these great little tables with a built in heater underneath. They also make these table covers that help hold the heat in and keep the people sitting at the table warm. I'm sure we'll find a few other funny little things soon...