30 for 30

Contrary to the T-Shirt in the photo, I'd say Haikus are not always easy.  At least not in this case.  After months of planning, organizing, begging, reminding, and I'm sure quite a few road bumps, my wife pulled off a wonderful birthday surprise.  30 Haikus from 30 of my friends and family to celebrate my 30th birthday, and all presented in a beautiful hardcover book form.

Honestly, I was blown away by it.  All of the work, all of the support, and all of the individual touches from all of the participants brought a smile to my face.  Each Haiku was presented in the authors' original handwriting or creative approach along with a photo from our time in Japan.  I am grateful to my wife for organizing all of the responses and putting together such wonderful photos in this book.  I am also grateful for everyone that participated giving me quite a lot to be happy about!

As a token of my appreciation I feel it only fair to reply in Haiku form:

Thirty years gone by
USA, Japan, the world
Everywhere Love

Nagoya Castle Summer Festival

The summer is nearing it's end here in Nagoya, but it wasn't without plenty of firework shows and festivals. Last month, we had the opportunity to experience the Nagoya castle at night and partake in the summer festival atmosphere there.

The castle was absolutely beautiful lit up at night, and all of the people were fun to be around. My wife and her brother had their feet cleansed by an army of nibbling fish, and we had a blast trying some of the Japanese festival foods, but the highlight of the night was a tie. Decide for yourself...

It was really cool to watch this traditional Japanese song and dance, although it could be construed as Japan's version of 'The Hustle.'



And any magician - no matter how good or bad - should get bonus points for working in the theme from 'Beverly Hills Cop' to his or her act.

Our Mule Marvin

Our friend Marvin arrived last Friday for a 9 day visit. During his trip we'll visit some of our favorite Nagoya spots, Kyoto, and Tokyo. I was really excited to see him, but he blew me away with his gifts! (Do I blog about how much I miss beer and micro-brews too much?)


I have no idea how he got through customs un-checked, but certainly thankful he did. The only problem now is that I can't find it in me to open one. I just like looking in the fridge knowing they're there.

Thanks Marvin!