Today, on the morning train to Mitsu, I explained Frosty the Snowman in Japanese.  Fortunately, I had recently learned the words for 'special' (tokubetsu) and 'hat' (boshi).  I learned that my friend Komotosan likes snowball fights more than snowboarding, and thinks that Americans use carrots on snowmen because we have big noses.

Also, 5 small, colorful cats have taken up residence in the forest of bicycles outside my apartment.  They're too big to be kittens, but still gangly enough to look like kindergarteners experimenting on a jungle gym for the first time.

It took some doing, but I have now sampled Ramen noodles from all 4 of the principal schools (Shio, Tonkotsu, Miso, and Shoyu).  Believe me, they're nothing like what you find at ACME.  Shio was the most unexpected, Shoyu the smokiest, Miso the least like what it sounds, and Tonkotsu the most like Kobe.  They are all delicious, and I must suppress the desire to eat them every day.

Just testing...can anybody out there read this?

If so, hello from Japan.  :-)