BLUE COUP D’ETAT

Some what behind on my publications in Japan, time really flies here. So I will publish another old thought of self talk that is somewhat thought provoking, at least to me.

NO SHAME, NO SHAME! But how when you do things you feel ashamed of–stop being ashamed? Stop doing the things? Neither answer is satisfactory–I strive to stop doing the things that make me ashamed but sometimes I falter and the shame is great. It doesn’t seem right to accept things from myself that I think are wrong or shameful. I think it’s a cop out to just say, “well that’s just me and thus I love it”.

The secret to loving others is to accept and in turn love their faults–love the faults, love the person. Somehow need to apply this maxim to myself–reconcile my desire to change the things that I’m ashamed of–my faults–with a loving knowledge of those faults, maybe a sense of humor–to laugh at myself rather than torture. Will the laughter help me change or cause me to accept my weaknesses and fall into a laughing self reproach?

Impressions, unexplained recollections all out of order. . .

Touring the shrines of Kamakura, kimonos and wedding parties, trains, surfers, big buddha, hi-tech wonderland composed of squares, the great bridges of Yokohama that look like enoromous string instruments (maybe violins or guitars), kindness upon kindness upon kindness, the people are amazing here and I am blessed with good friendships with good people, home cooking and monja in Ginza (you fry it yourself, Koubuchi-cun did the honors very skillfully, a collection of sea food and meat and vegetables with a starchy liquid, exquiste, smokey, makes your clothes smell but absolutely worth it), cute little Touko-chan, I will post pictures, great breakfast and broken languages that are no barrier courtesy of Tomoko’s mom, both grandmothers full of sweet sentiment and love, father is the model of courtesy and humor, Ayako shopping for a jacketo for Touko-chan, searching for Koubuchi-cun in Barney’s, buying sweet rolls in Ginza for the family, talking long but not long enough with Keiko, Touko-chan playing and squirming all around during dinner and then she likes to run and run and run, so much smiling my cheeks hurt, long pleasant train ride to Fujisawa, walking the narrow winding streets and looking at the nice houses, a honeycomb of humanity, listening to converstations that I can’t understand but comprehend the feeling fully, the smiles, the humor, the love, Tomoko has a great family, eating dinner with some of her friends, Belgi food (Belgian Japanese style smalls dishes with a Hoegaarden to wash it down), kind friends speaking English for my benefit except one who showed up late and a little drunk and happy, I like listening anyway, talk plenty at home, be well all, more later.

Tokyo
the other side of the world
I have a renewed admiration of those that can speak more than one language. Learning a new language is like being completely stripped and having to be open to not knowing, throwing out everything that I’ve ever known and starting from scratch. An interesting experience, humbling. I’ve had it before in other countries but here in Japan I feel it very strongly. I want to post some pictures but I cant understand the hirigana on this computer so I’ll have to wait to be assisted by someone that speaks English

c o m p u t e r t w e a k i n g o n m e d o n ‘ t k n o w h o w t o f i x i t s o t h i s t h e e n d o f t h i s e n t r y . . .