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By admin, July 6, 2010 11:30 pm

I casted my vote for Japanese upper house election last week. I believe this was my first voting experience at age 49. A couple years ago, I registered to the overseas voter registration list as suggested by the Japanese consulate. I didn’t know that opportunity until then. I prefer to nationalize in order to vote here, but my parents would love to hear that. I am considering, though.

The other day, the mailman delivered the express mail from Japan. We thought it was from my parents. There were over $100 worth of stamps on it. Then, I realized it is from Minato-ku, Secretariat of the Election. Hundred dollars to cast a ballot. My vote sounded very heavy. (If I live in big city where Japanese consulate locates, I can vote there.) I read the Japanese newspaper on the net everyday, but have no idea even who are candidates and what their stances. I spent good hours in front of the computer reading about the candidates. There were much of information available last week, but I needed too mail it to be delivered by July 11. Election was announced on June 24 as the voting date on July 11, a window of 18 days.

I fired on Saturday. It was very hot. We are in middle of the heat wave, setting 94F degrees everyday. The kiln looked very good. I am ready for the Corn Hill Art Festival this weekend.

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By admin, June 28, 2010 10:11 pm

I attended my first graduation in US, not mine,  my daughter’s.  I was amazed many people other than parents were there. I realized how important thing and key milestone on her life, like the initiation rite.  Japanese cerebrates him/her on 20th birth year. I think most high school kids here are definitely more matured than we were in the high school. Now, our daughter has two months before departing to Abu Dhabi for the collage.

My mug is featured in the blog, http://dancingdolphinpottery.blogspot.com/

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By admin, June 25, 2010 2:02 am

I was loading the kiln yesterday.  Around 1:30pm, I felt the building moving. We are facing the CSX yard, and they produce lots of ground movement, but nothing was in action. Then I realized this was earthquake. It was long one, about 30 seconds. In my experience in Japan, if it continued more than 15 seconds, it tends to become a large one. But this earthquake was just long steady horizontal shake. Ware on the shelves are all ok. Epic center of the earthquake was in Ottawa, Canada, 180 miles away, magnitude 5. We probably had Japanese scale of 2 to 3, once month or more if you are in Tokyo.

I really hate the earthquake. You have no control over the earthquake, but stay put or hide under the table. I don’t remember when, but I hid under the table in the student full of the class room, but nobody else.  I was very embarrassed, of course.

Ready to fire tomorrow.