Inner Muses

I started writing this article before the COVID-19 pandemic hit; before the death of George Floyd engulfed the United States in a wild fire of protests; before the peaceful protests, the rioting and the looting across our major cities spurred a fascist response by our president reminiscent of Hilter's brown shirts. So much has happened since I returned from Japan in November of 2019. Still, when I returned, I was hit by profound reverse culture shock as I re-entered the United States. I do my best to describe it here, but I've got to push to get this out before the next crisis distracts. The impact of that culture shock continues to color my view of these unfolding crises and the lessons I hope the country is learning from it. Each time my friends ask me "How is it being back in the US?", I again feel the urge to write this post. The answer is too big. Elevator answer: I'm glad to be back with my family. I am thankful to be with them and have a job I can wo...

Yuriko and I traveled to Japan as this pandemic was breaking out from February 26th and returned March 5th. Ten days ago, we completed two weeks of self-quarantine after our return, we’re doing well. None of us are sick. The State Dept warning for Japan was level 1 and moved to 2 the day before we left. It was an interesting time to visit, but I needed to complete my 2019 Japanese taxes by March 15, so the timing was set back in January. It was a bizarre experience. People thought we were crazy to go into the danger of Japan before we left. But, while we were there, our hometown of Kirkland, WA because the epicenter of COVID-19 death in the US. We felt we were going into danger returning home. We saw Seattle’s and then the US' future. Schools closed while we were there. Gatherings of people, shows, sports events, etc. closed or reduced hours.  Everyone wore masks. TP, hand cleaner, and masks were sold out due to hoarding. Still people met us for dinner and coffee. My f...

View of my old neighborhood of Sakuragaoka (桜丘) from the top of the new Shibuya Scramble Square building. It's now December 16, 2019 and I returned to the US on November 22nd. Here's a blog entry I wrote before leaving Japan back in September as I was coming to grips with the decision to return. ~~~ It's been more than a year since I last blogged. I guess I've been spending more time living than writing about living. :-) Well, that "just living" time in Japan is likely coming to an end very soon. What's ultimate dragging me back to the US, with much sadness and regret, is money. People say that living in Japan is expensive. It's really not true. What's driving me back is the unjust healthcare system of the US and the fact that I must provide US  healthcare insurance for my family. But you might ask, aren't you heading back because Japan is more expensive than the US? No. Taxes are higher in Japan for me than in the US. But, I ...