I`ve Entered Miniature Cuteville

Everyone and everything in Japan is so damn cute - the people, the packaging, the cars - everything. No matter whether in Osaka or a small town in the country like Osa where I am staying, it's all too cute - and miniature. Not only have I been transported to Cuteville, I've entered Miniatureville as well. Cars, people, packaging, washing machines, apartments - they're all smaller in Japan. The cars are tiny; the bigger sized cars I see on the streets here are the size of economy cars back home. There are sedan sized cars that are the same size as in the U.S., but not many.

Everyone is fashionable, even out here in the country. School girls and boys have edgy, textured haircuts. Getting here by way of Osaka, I noticed that girls and women more or less have the same haircut: layered and thinned out at the ends so they can wear cute pig tails. I can't keep up with the cute. And with travel clothes, I'm a lost cause anyway, so I give up on trying to keep up.

Osa is beautiful. It is a valley of rice fields next to Japanese style houses. The surrounding mountains are covered with lush green trees. It reminds me a bit of the Skagit Valley back home except Osa is landlocked. Everyone here has a beautiful vegetable garden and some houses have fruit trees as well. Even in the neighboring town of Niimi proper, which has a population of 38,000 (including Osa`s population) compared to Osa's 4,000 houses have their vegetable gardens and fruit trees even though the sprawling rice fields are less.

Roslynn's apartment is right next to Osa Jr. High school, one of the schools where she works, the other being in Niimi. Students here work very hard. Every morning at 7:30 kids do their exercise drills until class begins at around a quarter past 8:00. They are in school until 4:00 after which the students who do sports suit up and practice until 7:30. In Japan they have cram schools, which are small schools separate from the junior high that offer small classes in different subjects to prepare students for their high school standard placement tests. After sports practice students may then go to cram school until about 10:00 at night. Then they're back at school again at 7:30 in the morning.

I've been in Osa a little over a week now and my body is starting to settle in from the flight and time change. I was inspired by a small recipe book Roslynn has that highlights foods commonly used in Japanese cooking and their health benefits. Many benefit the digestive system and prevent cancer. I decided the two months that I am here will be focused on balancing my health and diet. There isn't a better place than Osa with the fresh produce anyway. I ran about three miles yesterday and will continue to do so daily or every other day depending on my shin splints. My daily routine will also include abdominal crunches, meditation, and Hindi study. I had wanted my last month in Seattle to be my healthy month and got sidetracked with packing, the car accident, and selling my car. Now I have all the time in the world to prepare healthy food and get in shape. I'm excited.