An afternoon nap

It's silent now in the Watanbe household, up here in Yabuki, Fukushima. As is tradition on a Sunday, ramen noodles were ordered for lunch, and delivered to the dining table 15 minutes later. Piping hot and delicious, everybody tucked in and all that could be heard was happy slurping. We finish, wash the ramen bowls, and 30 minutes later, the delivery man returns and takes the bowls back to the store. All very efficient and great service. To keep the soup and noodles from spilling over, there is a special carry bow on the back of the delivery man's scooter. Set within complex system, this basically adjusts so that it maintains an upright position. Also, elasticated vinyl wrap covers the top of each bowl, so there's no spillage. Everybody is now asleep, their stomachs full with ramen, whilst I type away on Miyu's baby Mac.

The choosing of names

With a baby on the way, a constant thought in ones mind is the name. Here in Japan, it is common to think of names, and then consult a monk who specializes in analyzing the number of strokes in the chracters that make up that name. He determines whether the chosen name and the family name are well balanced and if it will bear good fortune. We haven't reached that stage yet, but we will be doing so soon. Also, with more and more people marrying non-Japanese, people try to find names that sound Western but can be written in Japanese kanji. For example, "Jay" is very popular. A British/Japanese couple I know chose "Isamu", so that if need be, the "I" and "U" could fade into the background to produce "Sam". It certainly adds further complexity to choosing names, as there are more factors to consider. How it sounds in both languages, is the meaning of the sounds funnny or strange, how will people shorten the name chosen, what could be alternative readings of the kanji, what does it rhyme with in other languages????? Considering all these things, it brings to the fore the importance of the name choosing. Of course, the child could change name, but that's still not usual (although very easy to do, actually). I must ponder further...

Another one bites the dust

Got some great news today from my friend Joseph today. He proposed to his girlfriend Satoko and she accepted! I'm so happy for them as they're such a lovely couple, and clearly goo-goo about each other. Congratulations you two!
Miyu's now safely settled into her parents' house, and is fully prepped for the impending arrival of the little 'un. When I was on the phone to her last night, he gave the strongest kick so far which resulted in Miyu screaming out in pain and shock! I'm sorry for Miyu but at the same time kinda stupid proud about it : ) I mean, he must be pretty healthy to be knocking around like that.
I've also noticed a lot more young parents around Tokyo recently. Dunno if that's due to the fact that I'm soon to join their ranks (OK, maybe I'm not so young...), or if there's been some sudden explosion of kids. The government has been making various noises about the importance of increasing the population, so maybe, like good citizens, the Japanese have decided to get jiggy with it a bit more. And this is no mean feat, as a recent global survey found Japan to be bottom of the jiggy stakes!
This living by ones self thing is a bit over rated I think. Especially when you've gotten so used to having somebody else around. I find myself unable to sleep very well. The bed just seems a bit too large to be comfortable. Dare say I'll get used to it, but the thing is I don't really want to! I really want Miyu to be here, but I can completely see the logic of her staying up in Fukushima for the time being. Ahh well, roll on birth!