Cam in Japan

I got my Japanese Registration Card yesterday! That means that I am legally here in Japan. It also means that I can buy a phone and have a Japan phone number~ On an iPhone 6+, of course: My next step is getting a hanko. What is a hanko, you ask? A hanko is what they use for official signatures. They are usually uniquely done, but you can buy a generic one from the shop, as well. Since they are used for signing official documents, they must be used for opening a bank account,

Recycling When I look at the way trash is done here, I always think of this wonderful kid named Justin Valdez. Justin went on the Garden Grove Sister City trip to Anyang, Korea when I chaperoned in 2012. He was all about recycling. He was, after much effort and convincing, able to get his high school principal to order recycling trash cans for every class room. He set up a new recycling program at Garden Grove High School which actually helped them to save money. He started c

I'm not sure how many parts there will be since, I think I will always find differences between Hiroshima and Orange County. But, this will begin the series. Baseball! 野球 (Yakyou) Tomo took me to my first Carps game. Baseball here is done a bit differently than Anaheim stadium. For one, on a weeknight, the stadium is packed! We watched the Hiroshima Carp play the Tokyo Giants. The rules for the players are basically the same, but the cheering is diferent. When the home team i

We finally got to enjoy the night time serenity on our balcony. This area quiets down nicely at night. All we heard was the slight rain. It rains a lot more here than in Southern California. No drought here... And our view is awesome! We are sitting next to one of the rivers that leads out to the ocean. #Hiroshima

The song lyrics themsleves dont' really qualify what I'm doing, but everyone knows thow the chorus. "I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again..." Well, I kind of do. June 2016 is the plan. Until then, I will be udating this blog to give my perceptions of Japanese life as compared to my American life from Southern California. For the last ten years I've lived an and worked for the City of Garden Grove. I've volunteered for many organizations that make the

All of my life is now reduced to three suitcases and and two storage bins. Next week, I leave for Hiroshima, Japan to be with my amazingly wonderful, smart, fun, talented, wife. How did this come to be? I think that's a question that will need to be answered in time. It took me a long time to come to a point to even consider marrying anyone. But, once I was ready, and I knew what I wanted in a partner, suddenly there she was. Now, I'm not a romantic guy by nature. But, the ro