Ken and Hiromi-chan's wedding

The highlight of the trip was Ken and Hiromi-chan's wedding ceremony. They were a beautiful couple, and, at the sight of two such dear souls radiant with joy, I also felt a joy that I hadn't know for a long time. The last time I felt joy like that was a year ago, when I last saw Naoko's loving smile. I wish all my friends could find as good a match as Ken and Hiromi found in each other, because the joy they experience from each other overflows to grace all those around them.

Now I'm back in Berkeley, and have spent three days at my new job at URS-Oakland. The first two days were tough because I was suffering from jet-lag, which, combined with a fast-paced job, is not a good recipie. But today I recovered from the jet lag and felt awake, thereby enjoying the fast pace and the interesting projects. It's going to be a challenge, but I feel a lot of motivation for what I'm doing there. My projects so far include the design of shore protection for a reservoir, and dilution analysis of the effluent of a wastewater plant. Today I also began bicycling to work, which is an easy 25 minute ride each way; it helps get my blood flowing in the morning.

Kyoto with Hideo

This being Gerard's first trip to Japan, visiting the ancient imperial capital of Kyoto was a must. We met my hiking buddy Hideo, who has more knowledge of the local flora and history than anyone else I know, and he took us on a hike from the bucolic Nanzenji temple, over a forested ridge, to Kyoto city. Pictured here is the Lake Biwa aquaduct, which was built in the 19th century to generate hydropower for Japan's first electric streetcars; it takes water from the lake, tunnels through a mountain, and runs downhill through turbines into a canal that runs through town. It's an impressive engineering feat for the age in which it was built, as Meiji Japan had just barely emerged from feudalism at that time. Hideo then invited us back to his home on the shore of Lake Biwa, where we ate yu-tofu, another traditional hot winter dish, this one a soup with tofu and veggies, and tempura. As always on visits to Hideo's home, we spoke about politics in our two countries, which is an energizing and sometimes confusing topic, especially in a foreign language. Again, natsukashikatta!

New Year's in Japan

Gerard and I travelled to Japan over this winter's break. We spent the New Year holiday at Nobuko-chan's family's home in the countryside, eating delicious mochi and zenzai, the traditional hot foods of winter celebrations. That was followed by a visit to Kobe to see old friends from the IOC. We spent a day hiking over Rokko-san and down the other side to Arima Onsen, with one of the original hot springs pictured here; natsukashii! The only wildlife we encountered on the way was one inoshishi (wild boar) digging for grubs. It was a sweet time spent with good old friends enjoying each others' company and the outdoors all together. Josh, Junko, and Wendy hosted us with food and lodging in their apartments; I'm lucky to know such kind folks! I've missed you guys.