A Bit Chilly in the Mountains

On Saturday, my family and I went to Mount Aso to spend some time in the family cottage. In fact, we had a small barbecue for some Kendai work mates. It was very fun, and fortunately, it didn't rain. The barbecue went well and everyone ate a lot! It was quite windy during the day, and by evening, it began to get quite chilly. I was surprised how fast it gets cold, but then again, I guess it is fall. By nightfall we all had to wear jackets. It was even chilly with jackets. I had to put on a sweatshirt too! When we slept last night, we had to have many blankets. When we woke up this morning, it was very cold, and there was dew on the grass and on my car. I felt like winter is coming quickly and will be here before we know it.

I like winter in Japan, but not as much as in my hometown in Pennsylvania because there is much snow. I love snow, so Hokkaido is really nice for me. Sometimes it snows so much in Hokkaido that roads get filled with snow and get closed. I don't know if I could live there because of that, but I sure love traveling there. Skiing in Hokkaido is excellent! The snow is pure powder, and I love skiing and then coming back into a nice warm lodge to have meal. The air is very crisp and cool and you can see your breath!

This Week on Blog

Hi there, what a beautiful Sunday it is. There is sun today, so it's Sun day! Yes, that is the origin of the name for this day. In America when I was young, Sundays were days of rest. Most stores were closed on Sundays. Very few restaurants were open as well. People went to church in the morning, had coffee and donuts there, and then went home. In my family we often went to the local country club for brunch after church and went swimming in the summer. Sometimes we went home after church and my mother and grandmother cooked a large meal. In the evening we had a smaller meal and then watched TV with the family. Maybe other teachers my age remember those days.

When I was about 8 or 9 the local mall began opening on Sundays. Everyone was a little surprised at first, but we all soon got used to it. Soon Sundays became a day of shopping, going to movies, and eating out. In my town, Greensburg in Pennsylvania, other shopping malls were built outside of town. Everyone began to shop in the malls, and stopped going downtown. Soon this beautiful little town became empty. Shops closed. Restaurants shut down. Even the 2 movie theaters in my downtown went out of business because everyone began to watch movies at the mall. Greensburg became a ghost town. It still hasn't recovered to this day.

Japan is starting to walk down a similar path. When I first came to Kumamoto, there was only 1 mall, which was Sampian at that time. Soon Crystal Mall (now Youme Town Hamasen) opened. Shortly after that Diamond City Clair (Now Aeon Mall) opened. More and more people went to the malls. Fortunately, downtown Kumamoto is big enough that it is not in danger of becoming a ghost town. There is still a lot of activity downtown. I hope it stays that way.

What are you going to do today? I think I'll go shopping !