Sunday morning 5:34am

That's what time it is here. I was wide awake about 15 minutes ago -- having slept about 7 hours straight. Yesssss!

OK, a couple of things Carol told us that I forgot to mention last night.

N-san asked Carol about this trip, and Carol told her we came to pray for the people of Japan. This made a big impression. "You don't get paid for this, do you?" Correct. N-san is not a Christian but she was very very impressed that a team of people would come here to do that. Another seed...

Carol then asked her how we could pray for her specifically. This opened up a topic of conversation that would have been missed without that question. Apparently there ahve been some kidnappings recently in the Tokyo area. N-san's theory is that these guys are playing too many violent video games, and think they can get money by dragging young girls into their cars, then demanding ransom. I wrote a short paper on this a few years ago, and I definitely agree that this could be a contributing factor.

So if you would pray that these kidnappings would stop, whatever the cause? And that N-san would take the next step toward knowing Jesus?

and on a lighter note...

Stepping off the plane into the warm air of the jetway, then into the terminal building at Narita, I caught the whiff of Narita Airport. Ah, yes, Narita does smell like this, doesn't it? As I told Rob about this, he said, "natsukashii" (how do you say that in English? Something like "brings nostalgic feelings") which at first I thought, well, no, it's not really nostalgic... well, yes it is. The feeling of "I'm back home now" came to me briefly... even though Carol and I had spent less than two years in Tokyo (vs 4 in Kobe).

People say Japan is expensive. Lillian and I got off the train at Mitaka station -- and by the way, we never had to use stairs at a train station; they all have escalators! Rob says this has changed just over the past few years. We stopped at a kiosk and got a half-liter water bottle, Crystal Geyser. 110 yen, just under a dollar. That sounds like what I'd pay at a vending machine in California.

It took us about 15 minutes to walk to the TEAM Center, where we happened upon a vending machine. Notice anything about it? Both Coke and Pepsi in the same machine for one thing! I didn't notice the prices -- I think they used to be about 110 yen when we lived here....

Carol and I took the 3-minute walk to the "Family Mart" (think 7-11) and got dinner for four for 1586 yen. That's under $15 US. This was two bento-style meals in takeout containers, a small dish of inari sushi (3 or 5 pieces -- who'd put 4 in a food dish here in Japan?) , and some oden. If you have not had oden, you have missed out on a signature Japan experience. This is a kind of nimono or "boiled stuff" -- boiled in a kind of fish broth. We picked up some kon'nyaku (made from the "devil's tongue" plant - don't ask me!), some fish-cake stuff, and a slice of daikon. This last was a slice about 3cm thick and maybe 6cm in diameter, tender and permeated with the flavor of the fish broth.

I defy anyone to get food this good at this price anywhere in the US. Granted, the other 3 were women who don't eat very much (Rob had already had dinner by the time Carol and Sylvia got here).