Some thoughts on where I am:

The predominant winter bird appears to be the crow. These are smaller than the crows back in Maine and they have a softer voice which is in keeping with the general politeness of Japanese society.

Businesses use a lot of flags to get the attention of the public. They are the traditionalJapanese design with an upright pole, an arm at the top at right angles to the upright, and the flage attached to both pieces. They are usually brightly colored and covered with Japanese characters.

We went out to dinner tonight. We went to a noodle house where we ate udon. The udon is a thick long noodle which is served in a sauce or with a sauce. The sauces are varied. Wakana had a yam based sauce. Mine was curry. When I say the noodles are thick you must believe me. They are huge noodles, at least a foot long, half an inch wide and a full quarter inch deep. The bowl was huge also. I couldn't finish mine though I tried. Wakana's parents finished theirs and Wakana's mother then went on to finish Wakana's noodles. the Japanese may not be a large people but they can eat!