Hokkaido Kudasai

  One of Ted’s aikido buddies, Ronny, invited us to spend Christmas Eve with him and his family and one of their friends.   He is Norwegian...

According to Wikipedia, “a bōnenkai ( 忘年会 , literally "forget the year gathering” ) is a Japanese drinking party that takes place at...

It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas, and not just because of the snow. Christmas is not a Japanese holiday, but the American Ch...

  Today is Ted’s mom’s birthday.   Shortly before I left for Japan, I went to Virginia to visit with her. We celebrated her birthday with a ...