BANKING

I like change. Now for those of you who know me you are probably thinking, "someone has figured out Donn's password and is writing a blog." But it's true, I like change. No, not the kind where you have to do something different from what you've always done but the kind of change you get when you buy something. If my final cost at checkout was $4.01 I'd give the clerk a $5 bill. Then I'd put the change in a can and about once a year I'd wrap it up, take it to the bank and trade it in for bills so that we could buy something special or go some place special. My total time at the bank might have been 30 seconds.


Daisy is the treasurer for our new church and last summer we had a special activity that we charged 500 yen (which is a coin in Japan worth about $5.00) to attend. So Daisy had a roll of fifty 500 yen coins and a roll of fifty 100 yen coins. She asked if I'd take them to the bank and get bills.


Since I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to communicate at the bank, I asked our secretary if she would call the bank first. They said if I had more than 500 coins there would be a service charge, but I only had 100 so I asked our secretary to write the bank a note explaining about the exchange and off I went.


When I arrived there was no line, so I went to the teller, laid out my coins and gave her the note. She read it and looked a bit confused and started to get out a form. Then she said something to the girl beside her who rattled off some Japanese and she put the form away. Then she asked me for my bankbook (I assume that's what she wanted cause when I gave it to her she didn't say anything else). She looked toward a little room on her left and it appeared occupied with the door closed, so she said something that I took to mean, "Please sit down and wait," so I did.


In a couple minutes the door to the little room opened and a lady left, so the teller gathered up the change, bankbook and a banking card that she had. She took me into this very small room that was almost big enough for what I later discovered was a money-counting machine. It was one of those places that really isn't big enough to change your mind. So anyway she did something to the machine with her card and two places opened up, one for bills and one for coins. But she couldn't just drop my coins in, she had to put them in a basket first and then dump them in.


So the machine counted my money and gave her a slip of paper with a number on it. So now it's back to her window, and between her and the other teller was another machine. She put my bankbook in and entered the secret number from the money machine and voila!! the amount of coins was now entered as a deposit in our account in our book.


It only took about 15 minutes. Why they can't just give bills for change I have no idea. Maybe it's a culture thing and since this is their culture, it probably will stay that way because they don't like change!!!

DRIVING BLOG UPDATE

OK. So here's the story. I was approaching a green stoplight and traffic was not moving. I was about the 7th car in line approaching the light.

The reason we weren't moving was the traffic on the other side of the light was backed up waiting at a train crossing.

(Please note that the above pictures are not of the actual incident, but only show the typical situation.) So the light turned red and then green again, and still no movement. What I wanted to do was turn left at the light--remember that I'm in Japan and we drive on the left. I noticed car #2 or 3 waiting at the light, pull into the right lane, go around the lead car and turn left since the intersection was not blocked. This is very common in Japan in these situations, and in fact I've done it myself. (Just the other day Daisy said it scares her that I'm beginning to drive like the Japanese.) So I decided I would follow. I pull out, pass the line of cars and turn left, and I'm on my way. Suddenly I hear a siren behind me and being a good citizen, I pull off to allow him to pass...however, he didn't pass but pulled up behind me.

Now I've been told that if you get stopped in Japan, just pretend that you don't speak Japanese, and the police will get frustrated, give up and wave you on. Not a difficult thing for me because I don't speak Japanese. The problem was that the officer, a smiling, jolly character, spoke some broken English. He told me, "You drove on the right side, very dangerous."

So to make a short story shorter, I got a ticket which I thought took a long time to write up. An interesting thing is that in Japan almost everyone has a "hanko," which is a rubber stamp about 1/2 inch in diameter that has your name on it and is your legal signature. I have one but I don't carry it with me, so I had to put my fingerprint on his copy of the ticket. And with one last chuckle, the officer said, with a hint of tongue in cheek, "Have a nice day!"

Anyway, with the current exchange rate, my wallet is about $100 lighter but I was guilty, unlike the time 40-ish years ago in Cumberland, MD, that cost me $27, or the time about 4 years ago in Berkeley Springs, WV, that cost me $154. Of course, there was also the time when I was doing 42 in a 25 zone in Meyersdale PA, and the policeman sent me on my way because he dropped my license into the console of his car and couldn't get it back out without going back to the station. (He mailed me my license.) But those are all stories for a different time.

YOKOHAMA

In early May we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in Yokohama, a beautiful city located on the Tokyo Bay. Last year on our anniversary we wanted to spend the night at a motel but as it falls during one of Japan's biggest holiday weeks, everything was booked. (Had we known 40 years ago that we would be in Japan, I'm sure we would have picked a different date to be married.) So this time we got smart and booked a room at the Comfort Inn almost a year ago. To get there, we took the Seibu-Kokubunji train line to Kokubunji, then the Chuo line to Shinjuku, then the Shonan-Shinjuku line to Yokohama and finally the Negishi line to Kannai. All-in-all about a 90 minute trip.

We found our motel and left our bags at the desk as it was too early to check in. We walked down to the bay area and went through the Red Brick Warehouse which is now a mall.

That evening we ate at the Royal Host and had some kind of pork and rice. (Daisy had a salad and she was willing to share but I couldn't get past the tuna fish on top.) We picked up some popcorn and headed back to our room where we began watching a movie that had already started. It was obviousy an American movie as it stared Tom Hanks but the speaking was in Japanese. Our TV remote had a button that was labeled "bilingual," but when we pushed it, we heard both languages at the same time which is quite difficult to follow. Finally I double-clicked on the button which changed the language to all English. After almost an hour, we figured out we were watching "The Devinci Code" which, if you haven't seen it, is quite weird in some of the beliefs.

Sunday morning we ate at the Comfort Inn's complementary breakfast buffet. The first thing you encounter is pasta salad and tossed salad which is heavy on the shredded cabbage (after you have picked up your chopsticks or very small silverware). They also had fruit, dinner-type rolls, an apple pastry that was good but not very sweet, little hotdogs that they would call sausage, cornflakes or cocoa krispies (the cereal bowls might hold 1/2 cup at best) and the best part--runny scrambled eggs. We talked about putting them in the microwave to finish cooking but there was a sign that said they would explode.

After breakfast we took the train to an English-speaking church that was located, according to their website, at the top of a hill--and it certainly was. But it was a very good service. The pastor was Japanese but had spent many years in the States. We took the subway back to Yokohama and had our anniversary dinner at TGI Fridays. We had Mexican-style chicken with rice and a salad (no tuna fish) and then took the subway back to the bay area where we walked around the Landmark Plaza which is also a mall. One of the stores was also celebrating their 4oth anniversary so we asked some one to take our picture in front of their sign.

We got an ice cream cone and walked around trying to find a place that Daisy had remembered from 6 years ago when we were there for her birthday, but we couldn't find it.

We did, however, happen on to a very large parade with a large number of the entries being chidren's groups.

We also went to a doll museum which has dolls from all over the world that Daisy really enjoyed.

After the museum we took a 1 hour boat ride on the bay

which was quite nice, and later we again watched the parade for a bit, headed back towards the motel, ate lunch, picked up our bags and reversed our train jaunt and arrived home in the late afternoon.

A very nice weekend. The weather was beautiful and so was my wife. I remember well my parents 25th as we announced our engagement that day. Where does the time go? You can't get it back (and would you really want to?) Spend time with the Lord and spend time with your family. They both long for that to happen.

A Medical Experience in Japan

As many of you know, Daisy had an attack of trigeminal neuralgia in early March. She said the pain was excruciating. Much worse than having a baby (or two at once in our case). A friend told us that it is sometimes called the suicide disease because of the pain. She has been on medicine and doing much better, but it was suggested by her doctor that she have an MRI to be sure that the trigeminal neuralgia wasn't being caused by a tumor. So I thought I'd relate that experience.

First of all our doctor told us that the local hospital took walk-ins before noon so one of the Japanese speaking missionaries went with us. We thought we were going for Daisy to have an MRI. The first thing we encountered was about a 20-minute wait just to get into the hospital parking lot. Daisy and Lillian finally got out and walked the last 100 yards while I waited to park. She soon discovered that there would be no MRI that day, but that to schedule it, one must go to the hospital.

So after some line standing and form filling in the large waiting area where nearly all patients are processed, we made our way to the waiting "hall."

Note from the picture that it is actually a very large waiting area that services a total of 10 different doctors, five on each side of the hall which are as follows: obstetrics, general practitioner, dermatologist, orthopedics, oncologist, urologist, pediatrics, ear/nose/throat, eye, brain/nerve. Daisy and our accompanying translator soon got to go in and actually talk to an English-understanding but Japanese-speaking brain surgeon who discussed her problem and an appointment for the MRI was set up.

We then made our way back to the first waiting area and paid our bill... of 810 yen, about $9!

The appointment was about a week later and I'll let Daisy relate that experience to you...

Two of my English students were kind enough to accompany us since our Japanese-speaking missionary friend wasn't available the day of the MRI. They asked me the questions on the form (such as if I was pregnant!), and translated the instructions of the technicians. After I had changed into the hospital gown (which I thought was of a little better quality than is standard in the USA!), the technicians handed me some very flimsy earplugs. My friends relayed the information that this was because, "It will be noisy." I was surprised but didn't think much about it. In retrospect, I can't believe anyone would think such flimsy earplugs--or really any earplugs--would be a match for what was to come!

My friends could not come into the room where the MRI would actually be performed, of course, but the techs kindly said, "Nihongo ga skoshi warkarimuska?" ("You can understand only a little Japanese?"), and we were able to communicate with my little bit of Japanese and their little bit of English. In the USA when I have tests done in the hospital , I always FREEZE, but these rooms were so hot, I thought I was going to be sick, so I refused the blanket they wanted to put over me. Since I am slightly claustrophobic, I was a little concerned about being in the MRI machine, especially when they put a helmet-type thing over my head and part of my face. But I was given a emergency button to hold that I could press if I needed to be removed, so that was comforting.

However, it took me only a few minutes to know that I would not press that button because that would mean I'd have to go through this experience again! And as the machine was turned on, being claustrophobic suddenly because a secondary problem. Being told that it would be "noisy," didn't begin to prepare me for the volume and intensity of the noise--but then again, I don't know any words that would have prepared me, except perhaps "jackhammer!" Any of you who've had MRI's of the head probably know that it's like having a jackhammer pounding in your brain. I truly thought I was going to lose my mind from the incessant, relentless noise, and I felt strange for a day or two afterward. I assume there is a good reason for all that noise (I certainly hope so!), but no one has been able to tell me.

Back to Donn...

So the bill for the MRI came to 6,160 yen... about $70.

We weren't able to go back for the results for two weeks as we had other commitments on the day they first suggested. As you can see from the pictures, Daisy did not have the same results that Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean had when he was knocked unconscious by a baseball and the next day headlines said, "X-ray of Dean's head shows nothing." But we are very thankful that the surgeon said that there was no tumor or any growth that shouldn't be.

He said that as we age our veins lengthen and that she had one that was touching a nerve and that medicine should take care of the problem, but there were other options (surgery) if it didn't. So that 20- minute visit to have the surgeon read the results cost us another 960 yen... about $11.

So if you are keeping track, two visits with a specialist and an MRI cost us a total of $90. Japan has national health insurance and we pay 30% of the bill. So for you nonmath majors $90 is 30% of $300--total cost! We know that many people have a lot of concerns about President Obama's health plan (we've been too removed from it to know the issues), but Japan national insurance has been good for us.

Just out of curiosity, if any of you medical people happen to know what a USA hospital charges for an MRI and what it costs to actually talk face to face to a brain surgeon we'd like to know.

DUMPED ON AGAIN

Well last night it happened again. We got another 35-40 millimeters of snow. Fortunately our previous snow had melted because there would have been no place to shovel it to.

Surprisingly the roads were clear this time and I was able to take Daisy to the train station at noon.

She was able to get a picture of me shoveling so I thought you might enjoy it.

Oops. Wrong picture. That was one someone sent us of the snow in Canada. I don't know how that got in my blog. I guess the computer will only do what it's told.

Here is the correct one.

The 2 pictures are quite similar.

a. Both people have 2 legs

b. Both are holding shovels

c. Part of a house can be seen

d. There are trees visible

I'm sure that there are many other similarities so I can understand how the computer could have made a mistake. I would have deleted the Canadian picture but I posted this before I thought of that. Oh well.

THE BIG SNOW

I know that many of you back East have just experienced some mighty snow falls, but sometimes it's good to remember those who are less fortunate than you so I wanted to tell you briefly about our big storm.

As I walked past the upstairs window last Monday night I noticed that the ground was white. Well by the time we got up, we had not 22 inches of snow, not 32 inches of snow, not even 42 inches of snow.... We had 50 millimeters of snow and all that day the temperature hovered around zero degrees centigrade. Traffic was backed up in front of the campus which has never happened before. Although we had no command to stay off the roads, I decided to take the train to my meeting that I had planned to drive to.

I thought I'd send you a few pictures so that at least one of us can be thankful for what we have.

"Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:18

Donn Plans, God (and Daisy) Laugh

First a quick "toilet" blog update. I have been very thankful for our toilet seat covers as we have been awakening to 44 degree temperatures "inside" our house.

But moving on, I know that this may come as a shock to many of you but if truth be told, I really don't have that many brilliant ideas. However, in early November I had one. There are a number of different train lines in Japan, and one of Daisy's students gave us tickets for the Keisei line which begins in Ueno and ends at the Narita airport. Daisy's student had done this before, and we enjoyed going to the airport and just walking around in the many shops.

The tickets were due to expire on November 30th and November was looking like a busy month. But I realized that November was a five-Sunday month and on a 5th Sunday, we don't have any ministry responsibilities, so my brilliant idea was this: go to church in Higashi Kurume, leave our car there, take the Seibu line train to Ikebukuro (about $3 each), take the Yamanote line train to Nippori (about $1.50 each) and use our free Keisei line tickets (saving $10 each) to take us the rest of the way to shop at the airport. Since church (English speaking I might add) is over around 10:45 a.m. and it takes a little less than two hours for the trip, we could eat at the airport and have all afternoon to shop. Daisy reminded me that the kind of gifts we were looking for could probably be purchased in Asakusa, a much closer town, but that didn't seem nearly as exciting as my idea.

Great plan. I was really excited to get going, but as we went to the car after church, I reached in to get my backpack with all my cameras.... it wasn't there. I remembered I had set it in the hall at our house where I would have to trip over it on the way to the door so as not to miss it but... I missed it anyway. I could have done without my cameras, but my backpack also contained the free tickets! This meant wasting close to an hour driving back home to get the tickets, which we did. Then we drove to our local train station (Higashimurayama), parked the car at Ito's (department store that charges for parking) and hopped on the train.

Since we had lost that hour and were both getting hungry, Daisy suggested that we go to Ueno, eat at TGI Fridays

and then get on the Keisei line there. That sounded like a good idea, and fortunately we both ate the same meal cause it was loaded with garlic.

So after we ate we got on the train. I was excited because the train was a limited express, which would get to the airport sooner since it doesn't stop at all the stations. After we got on the train, there were a number of announcements. Now you have to understand that in Japan no one seems to listen to the announcements that occur before each station. They usually announce where we are and other lines that also stop there if one needs to transfer, but all the Japanese seem to know where they are and how to get where they're going so they pay no attention; and besides the announcer always sounds like he swallowed the mike (we think they go to a special school to learn this skill) so even if we could understand Japanese, we wouldn't be able to understand what he says--so we don't pay much attention either.

However, there seemed to be more than the ordinary amount of announcements on this train, and I asked Daisy if she thought they were saying anything important. She assured me that unless everyone starts getting up and leaving the train, they probably aren't. At the 3rd stop (Takasago, 12 minutes into the trip), the doors opened and there was another announcement. In the middle of this announcement, heads began to turn, people looked around and suddenly everyone started standing up and getting off the train. Now as Daisy had mentioned, we've learned that it is not a good sign when everyone exits a train that is nowhere near its destination!

We quickly looked around and I said, "Anyone speak English?" A young lady with her family quickly came over and said, "Do you understand?" We said no, and she told us that the train would go no further due to an accident ahead, and that they had announced we would have to go back to Nippori (the first stop after Ueno) and take the JR train line to the airport. (We had no free tickets for the JR train line!) The lady also said that we might be able to take a bus or a taxi and that the train line would pay for it. This was all well and good, but we had no way of explaining this to those who would be responsible to get us to the airport.

So Daisy suggested that we just go back to Ueno and take a short subway line to... yes you guess it, Asakusa, and do our shopping there, which we did. We were able to find the things we were looking for and had a good time. By the time we got home, we were pretty tired and actually glad that we hadn't gone all the way to the airport.

So my brilliant plan was about as good as the time I tried to...

Tug on Superman's cape, or the time I tried to,

Spit in the wind, or the time I tried to,

Pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger,

etc. etc. (You people who liked 70's music will understand!)

So if I have any more brilliant ideas, I'll be sure to let you know but don't hold your breath.

P.S. At least Ito's didn't charge us to park. We have no idea why, but as is often the case, the exit gate to their parking lot was up so what would have cost us $10 was free!

P.S.S. I didn't have a lot of pictures for this blog so I thought you might enjoy a couple signs that were on one of the trains.