Planning Stage 1

One of the major tasks of creating an observatory is planning. I’m using present tense since I’m still in that stage of construction. I’ll share some of my ideas and the reasoning behind those ideas as the project progresses. Why build an observatory, George? Good question! Setting up and tearing down a hundred pound telescope takes precious time away from what I’m most interested in…astrophotography. With a permanent setup (observatory), I’m able to start taking pictures in minutes rather than hours. I won’t go into detail here, but I wanted to point out that I’m not doing any kind of scientific research. I just want to take “pretty” pictures. I do have a few goals in mind. I think my ultimate goal (dream) is to have a photo published in APOD (Astronomy Photo of the Day). This is a project run by NASA and it’s targeted for “backyard” and professional astronomers. I think it would be quite an honor to be recognized by professional astronomers and it’s something worth pursuing. To reach that point will require a lot of preparation, skill, patience, time, knowledge, and luck. I didn’t mention "money" because some of the photos on APOD are taken with relatively modest equipment used by very skilled individuals.

Over the course of the past couple of years, I have been carefully trying to figure out where I would build the observatory. I needed an unobstructed 360 degree view to the horizon. Dreamer…What I have is a view that has a volcano towards the southeast, a three story house towards the west, a roof of my garage towards the northwest, and two tall trees towards the southwest. Other than that it’s perfect. Well, not exactly perfect. The volcano creates its own weather by not allowing clouds to pass. During the summer months, Tsukahara will have thunderstorms when everyone else is hot and humid. I’ll take the storms, thank you. What this means is that I can almost rule out taking photos in the summer due to cloud cover and the potential for lightning strikes. I’ll talk more about lightning strikes in another post. I’ll just mention that lightning is a bad thing for the delicate electronics associated with astrophotography. What kind of electronics are you talking about? I’m glad you asked.

 

Here is a diagram of what I’m trying to accomplish…an observatory that is automated. What does that mean? I like to sleep at night. I enjoy spending time with my family. I do not want to stay up all night babysitting my equipment. Instead, I want the computer to do most of the work. Believe it or not, there are inexpensive software and hardware that will detect the weather conditions and determine if it is safe to open the observatory roof. The program will close the roof if clouds roll in. Another program will wake the telescope, point it in the correct position, focus, track the object, take the required photos, change filters, take more photos, park the telescope, close the roof, and put the system to sleep. Yes, the whole thing is automated. In the morning, a stack of images is ready for processing. Does it sound too good to be true? Not really. There are hundreds of backyard observers doing just that…getting a good night’s sleep and creating images suitable for publishing. The trick is to have all of the equipment working in sync and 100 percent reliable. It’s easy to say, but incredibly difficult and frustrating to accomplish. Hey, if it were easy, then where is the challenge? The journey to create this form of art (and it is art) should be fun. I have to keep reminding myself, this is fun. It’s a lifelong hobby and it’s fun. I’m having fun, but sometimes…     George

Suzumebachi

Suzumebachi is the Japanese name for the Asian Giant Hornet. In my previous post I mentioned that I called them "Yakuza". I included a Youtube link to this fascinating creature. Suzumebachi has the distinct reputation as being the "Most lethal animal in Japan." They can fly to a distance of 60 miles at a speed of 25 mph. The hornet is responsible for 30 to 40 deaths a year in Japan. The hornets can tear apart a bee hive in a few hours. If a single hornet is detected early, the bees (hundreds) can overpower the intruder by forming a tight ball around it. The bees fan their wings and increase the inside temperature and carbon dioxide of the ball to kill the hornet.

The Japanese have learned to live with Suzumebachi. Some very "unique" people even raise them as a crop. Yes, some Japanese eat the larvae raw or fry the adults and eat them like potato chips. They also put the insects into sake and drink them. Oh, and the spit from the Suzumebachi is a favorite athlete drink. If you don't believe me...just watch the video. The nests are collectors items if they are found intact. All of this sounds a bit too much for me. I have 10 to 15 of these buggers in the backyard trees and the dogs are afraid to go outside. I'm researching ways to make them go away before they decide to build a nest. At which point, we would have to hire someone to remove them. We were told that could cost around $300. Stay tuned...      George

Yakuza

Please let me explain the title to this post. “Yakuza” are members of the Japanese mafia. It’s a good idea to leave them alone. If you happen to cross paths with them, steer clear and get the heck out of there. That is how I feel about these flying yakuza. As soon as we experience a warm day, they magically appear. The loud and distinctive drone gives them away, long before they can be seen. That’s a good thing as it gives me time to retreat and run for safety. Yes, I actually run! I’m not too proud to say that these flying terrors scare the heck out of me. I hear them coming and I drop everything and run for cover. I was told that the sting from one of these beasts is extremely painful. The first close encounter will send you to the hospital where they are prepared to deal with such things. The second close encounter, can result in death.

Wearing certain colors (black, red, or orange) can entice these winged devils to sting you. My biggest fear is that I’m up high on a ladder and a yakuza decides to greet me. Thirty feet is a long way to crawl down a ladder. I need to work on the crown of the roof, but I have been putting it off for as long as I can. It’s already too risky to work up there this year. I’ll have to plan an attempt next March when it’s too cold for them.

 

I found this yakuza in front of our neighbor's house. It looks like was hit by a car. For some strange reason, I was sad to see that it was killed. I have the upmost respect for this creature and to see it lying there made me realize how vulnerable we all are. Out of respect, I placed the deceased yakuza into the bushes. Strange, I know, but hey, it's strange to be living out in the middle of nowhere.    George

Inch By Inch

 Golden Week is finally over and it’s time to go back to work. Most people use Golden Week as an excuse to take time off work, spend time with the family, and do some traveling / sightseeing. That means the entire country is out and about on the limited highways and byways. Long lines and traffic jams are the norm during this period. Where did you go George? Here’s my answer and the reasoning behind it.

Repairing our driveway

Erika loves to move gravel?

Firewood had to be moved, railroad ties moved, weed barrier installed, gravel moved, railroad ties moved, firewood split and stacked. Still a long way to go...

Erika and I stayed at home. One of the advantages of living in a tourist area is that travel is not required to enjoy nature. We’re immersed in the beautiful scenery and all that we need to do is to enjoy it. Our definition of “enjoy” might be a little different than most. For us, we enjoyed moving gravel, splitting logs, stacking wood, gardening, sealing and staining walls, cleaning, and weeding. Sounds like fun? Our enjoyment comes from the fact that we accomplished things as a couple. With our busy schedules, we rarely have the time to do major things around the house. Golden Week gives us a chance to do things that need to be done. Of course, we never get half of the things done that we wanted to do. That’s okay. A little bit at a time goes a long way when you add it all up.

Logs waiting to be sawn, split, and stacked

 Spring is the time for collecting and processing firewood. Our efforts in that department are well under way. The woodshed has been emptied and reorganized. Currently, we have almost a two year supply of firewood. Our goal is to have enough wood for three years. The problem is that we don’t have the storage space. I’d like to build another woodshed, but Erika doesn’t agree.

Garden #2

Garden #1

Garden #3 needs lots of work

Spring is also the time for gardening. We have three gardens. Garden #1 is used for blueberries and a nursery for various fruit trees. Garden #2 is used as a nursery for Japanese maples, berries, and some vegetables. Garden #3 is used for fruits and vegetables. After all the wood is processed, we’ll be building garden #4. That garden will be used for the vine-type plants like pumpkin. I’m pretty sure we’ll need more room for cucumbers and watermelon. Erika is even trying to grow corn. I have to remind her that the plants are going to grow very large. Inch by inch, row by row…we’ll see. Weeding is a pain, but the Hula Hoe is doing the trick. The soil around here is amazingly friable, dark and rich with nutrients. Just about anything will grow as long as it can handle the deep freeze of winter.      George   

Disneyland of Food

A couple of weeks ago, we took some of our students to Costco in Fukuoka. My mom and the dogs came along for the ride. We piled into three vehicles and Miyuki was in the lead car. She knew how to get there. She did a great job of getting us there and back safely. Thank you Miyuki! We let Noriko in the lead car use one of our cell phones. English was the only requirement for using the phone. On the way to Fukuoka, I received a call from Noriko, asking that we pass their vehicle. I was puzzled as to why they wanted us to lead. The traffic was heavy and we were afraid to change lanes. I quickly handed the phone to Erika for clarification. Yep, sure enough, they wanted us to pass them. Miyuki wanted us pass safely so that we would end up in the correct lane while she blocked traffic…pretty clever thinking on her part.

Fukuoka is a two hour drive from Tsukahara. There are many full service rest areas along the highway. The roundtrip cost to drive on the highway from Yufuin to Fukuoka is about 5000 yen. Considering it would have taken a lot longer on the smaller side roads, it was worth it. The speed limit on the highway is 80kph, but I think the posted speed limit is a mere suggestion. Most of the cars were flying past us. I finally figured out why some Japanese own very expensive sports cars. They like to drive fast on the highways. We were passed by a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsches, BMW’s, Jaguar and a Maserati just to name a few. I often see cars like these in Tsukahara, but I couldn’t figure out why. The top speed on our country roads is 60kph. Why would anyone need a car like that to drive so slow? Now, I know the answer.

The highlight for the students was a chance to eat a Costco pizza. I had a couple of slices, but I satisfied my craving for junk food with a couple of foot-long hotdogs smothered in ketchup, mustard, and relish…yummmmm. The general impression was that Costco was huge, they had a lot of stuff, and the stuff they had was big. I guess that sums it up. Even the carts were huge. Judging from what I saw at the check-out lines, people visited Costco for the experience rather than actually buying a bunch of things. I saw many carts with just a couple of items. It was interesting to see the long lines of people patiently waiting to taste free samples. Each person would take only one sample knowing that the person behind them had been patiently waiting in line also. In the U.S., it’s not that uncommon for someone to eat all of the samples and leave nothing for everyone else.

The parking lot was filled to capacity. I glanced at the license plates and I was amazed at how far people traveled to come to this store. Erika reminded me that only two Costco warehouses exist in Kyushu. “A Disneyland of food,” is how I described Costco to the students before they traveled to Fukuoka. After the trip, I concluded that Costco is like a taste of America without the hassle and cost of jumping on an airplane. I hope our students came away with that impression too.     George

Well, that's it.

My mom’s visit to Japan was important for both of us. She had a chance to see my life in Japan. She was able to see how happy I am here. She also saw how busy we are with the business and remodeling our home.  She witnessed the difficulties and inconveniences of living in the countryside. I think the time she spent here put her mind at ease. She said that she could stop worrying about me, but I know that is impossible. She is an expert at worrying and she will always do so. The second purpose of her visit was to determine if she could live in Japan after she becomes unable to take care of herself. I don’t think she can live here. Reverting back to Japanese culture would be difficult after being an American for 60+ years. Come to think of it…for me, reverting back to American culture would be very difficult after living in Japan for only 2.5 years. Why? The differences between the two cultures are light years apart, especially comparing a life in a small community in the Japan countryside with a life in a moderately sized city in California. Let me explain…

Life in Tsukahara is quiet and slow. Life in the Bay Area (California) is not. In Tsukahara, everyone knows everyone. We try to treat each other with respect and kindness and expect the same in return. In California, I lived in the same house for ten years and I didn’t know any of my neighbors. I didn’t want to know them. I kept my doors locked and I kept to myself. It was safer to do so. For my mom, she has lived in that kind of environment for most of her life. One day, I found that all of our doors were locked in Tsukahara, because she locked them. She was afraid that maybe a deer would break into the house? On my last visit to my mom’s house, I found myself staying indoors even though the house is located in a gated community. All of the new stories about random murders and violence prevented me from having a pleasant visit to the golden state. Each night, the local news would spend the first five or ten minutes describing a recent homicide, robbery, or rape. I didn’t realize it, but I was numb to those stories when I lived in the states. Upon my return visit, I became sensitive to the news of violence…maybe too sensitive. I did not want to leave the relatively safe confines of my mom’s home.

The third purpose of her visit was to spend time with her older sister. I think they enjoyed each other’s company for a few days. Those moments were priceless. Overall, I was able to share five weeks with my mom. That fact is amazing considering I used to argue with her after 5 minutes! Erika was the very best daughter-in-law. She took care of my mom when I was at work. She took her shopping, and to the local restaurants. They did some sightseeing in Yufuin. She introduced my mom to some of the neighbors. Erika was even the last one to say, “Goodbye” to her at the bus stop before she went back to America. I’m a lucky guy to have such a great wife. Well, that’s it. My mom is safely back home and ready to start her new life in retirement.    George

I'm back!



First day in Japan. Mt. Yufu in the background.

It’s great to be home! I missed my wife, dogs, and most important…the volcano. In my previous post, I wrote that I had a surprise to disclose. What’s the surprise, George? My mom flew back with me to Japan. She will be visiting for a month. Believe it or not, she just celebrated her 85^th birthday. I was worried about her enduring the long flight from San Francisco. She ended up having more energy than me after we arrived in Fukuoka. She is an amazing woman. She has been here for about a week. Her older sister, niece and her son has been showing my mom the Yufuin/ Beppu area in style. You know…fancy hotels, hot springs, 11 course dinners. It has been a fantastic experience for her…so far. Thank you, Megumi and Nao, for taking great care of my mom. I think the most important part of the trip has been the time that she could spend with her sister. Sadly, they both believe that it will be their last.

Which one is my mom?

What did you do while you were in the U.S.? Not much. Before I left, my mom had not renewed her driver’s license. I was ready to help her prepare for a life without a car. I wanted to spend as much time as I could getting her used to using public transportation. As it turned out, she passed her driver’s test on the first try. She said that she couldn’t have done it without my help, but I disagree. She studied very hard on her own. Needless to say, she was ecstatic when she received her test score. I was grateful that I could be there to share that with her.

Jelly Belly Factory entrance

 

Jelly Belly bus

Jelly Belly mascot



Jelly Belly VW

Guess what it is? It's a Jelly Belly motorcycle



Made with 25,000 jelly beans

What else did you do?  Honestly, after being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, I was hesitant to get out and explore. I could not believe how much everything had grown. The cars and the roads seemed to be enormous after experiencing Japan for a few years. Traffic congestion was the norm. I didn’t know where everyone was going, but they were certainly in a hurry to get there. The speed limit is about 140kph on the freeway. It’s called a “freeway” because there are no toll booths except for the bridges. I’m used to driving at 60kph. I stayed in the slow lane for most of my driving excursions. There are six lanes of traffic in each direction. It didn’t take long to get used to driving on the right side of the road, but I often turned the windshield wiper on instead of the turn signals. Besides visiting the Factory Stores, which I hate to do, I visited the Jelly Belly Factory to pick up some gifts.



New homes near the park boundaries

I spent some time hiking in Rockville Hills Park. I have fond memories of the park. I used to walk my other dogs there. Even the park has grown. It used to be a place that was hidden away from the public’s eye. Now it is surrounded by million dollar homes and patrolled by park rangers making sure the park entrance fee is paid. Rockville Park is still a nice place to visit and it’s good to know that it’s being protected from future development. My mom and I ate at all of the local restaurants. I satisfied any cravings I had for pizza and fast food. I learned that things (fast food and pizza) don’t taste as well as I remembered them. I can live without that kind of junk food for the rest of my life. I sorely missed Erika’s home cooking.

Beautiful spring day at Rockville Hills Park

Here’s what I learned from my recent trip to the states: Living in California is convenient. The convenience comes with a high price tag. I’m convinced that the everyday stress of commuting back and forth to the bay area had taken many precious years from my life. It’s nice to be able to go to the mall and buy whatever you want. I learned that what I want and what I need are two entirely different things. Lightening the load has brought me a greater appreciation for the things I have rather than the things I want. It’s nice to live in a gated community full of stucco homes and manicured lawns. I’d rather live in Japan in a broken down log home on the side of a volcano. Peace and quiet are priceless. It’s nice to be in a familiar English environment. Perhaps, but not understanding what people are saying behind your back has its advantages. California does have great weather. Yep, there’s no denying that. Will I ever move back to the U.S.? What do you think?     George

NEWS

Here's a bit of trivia. Do you know what "NEWS" stands for? North, East, West, and South. That's not the news. Skip down a couple of paragraphs for that.

Before the door and wall was moved

 

After the door was moved

Before the wall was removed

 

Continuing the ongoing saga of our remodel…the door to the living room has been moved. A wall has been removed to make room for our couch. A new wall was built to accept the door using the recycled materials from the previous demolition.

 

Recyled materials after demolition

Moving the couch didn’t seem like a big deal until we actually rearranged the furniture. Amazing! All of a sudden, we have a huge living space. The couch, in its original position, closed off the living room from the kitchen and dining area. In other words, the couch was in the way. With the obstacle out of the way, we have room to roam. Cool! I forgot to mention that Erika and I are challenged when it comes to interior decoration. So when we have a successful furniture rearrangement, it’s a big deal for us.

After door and wall was moved. The tatami room will be removed next.

NEWS…I’ll be going to California for a couple of weeks to visit my mother. She’ll be celebrating her 85^th birthday. It’s been almost three years since I've seen her. I promise to take lots of pictures of the trip not only for the blog, but also for my students. I leave for the U.S. on March 12^th. I’ll be flying Hawaiian Airlines from Fukuoka to Honolulu to San Francisco. It’s a late flight (9pm) and I’ll be arriving in San Francisco around 10pm. I’ll catch a shuttle to my mom’s house which should take a couple of hours. Is Erika coming with you? Good question. Nope.

Sorry, but I’ll be unable to blog for the next couple of weeks. I’ll have a big surprise to share with you when I get back. Stay tuned…

The World's Largest Grapefruit

 

Erika was walking the dogs in Hasama and a farmer gave her three soccer ball sized fruit. The fruit is called, “Banpeiyu”. I’m assuming that translates into “the world’s largest grapefruit”. How big is it? The picture doesn’t accurately depict the size of this fruit. The diameter is 12 inches. Banpeiyu smells like grapefruit. It weighs several pounds. The flesh is yellow, but the texture is dry. I don’t know why anyone would buy this, but I do know it costs around 500 yen…each. I wish I had taken a picture of the Banpeiyu tree. It was odd to see a tree filled with yellow soccer ball sized fruit. It reminded me of a tree decked out in huge yellow Christmas ornaments.     George

Update

YUMMMMMY! This fruit tastes a little sweeter than a grapefruit. If you like grapefruit, you'll love this! The cool thing is that there is so much to eat...about two or three large servings. Would I spend 500 yen? Absolutely!

The seeds are large and easy to remove.

The flesh is not dry at all.

Eco-line

When we moved to Tsukahara, we were told that February was the coldest month. This is our third winter and the results are in. Yes, February is the coldest month. We haven’t seen a temperature above 5 degrees Celsius. About 12 inches of snow has accumulated. That’s just enough snow to make driving to work a challenge. One thing that Erika and I have learned. It doesn’t matter how prepared you are to drive in the snow and ice. The accidents occur when the other guy isn’t prepared. We live in a tourist area. Tourists acting like tourists love to stop in the middle of the road and take pictures, play in the snow and/or put chains on. Did I say the “middle” of the road? This fairly dangerous maneuver stops traffic in both directions. The narrow roads are hard enough to navigate during good weather. The unsuspecting tourist, Erika likes to call them “stupid”, can turn a 30 minute commute into an all day event. One of the benefits of being surrounded by tourists that lack common sense is that they provide endless hours of conversation topics. Erika shares her nightmarish commute stories with me every night and I usually have a few stories of my own.

There is a stretch of road, Eco-line, that climbs between two volcanoes. It’s part of Erika’s daily commute. The road is narrow and steep. The lack of traffic invites the deer to hang out on the road. Eco-line is not very well maintained and it’s riddled with potholes. At night, the pitch blackness makes it a strain to see past the headlights. Couple this with snow, ice, deer, and tourists…well, it's dangerous. Did I mention that cell phones don’t work on Eco-line. Lately, Erika calls me just before and after she attempts this treacherous road so that I know where to find her if something happened.

UPDATE:

The heavy snow curling down from the metal roof. I removed this hazard right after photographing it.



After writing this blog, Tsukahara experienced its worst snowfall in recent history. A neighbor who has lived here for 19 years told us that she has never seen this much snow. The snow around our home comes up to our knees. We spent the weekend trying to dig ourselves out of the snow. Eco-line is closed. The road to Yufuin has been closed to Beppu. The problem is that the tall snow laiden bamboo tends to lean into the road. This creates tunnels of bamboo which makes the road almost impassable. The road crews are working around the clock to clear these obstacles, but Oita is not prepared for a snow event of this magnitude. In order for Erika to get to Hasama, she must drive 1.5 hours around the volcano. Since some of the roads are closed, the main roads are clogged with traffic. More snow is expected over the week. This could be a very difficult late winter for everyone.       George

We managed to dig the truck out after a weekend of hard work

Kiley and Lucky know how to get around in the snow!

Lucky wouldn't give up even in the deep snow.

BBQ?

Our firewood is under there somewhere.

 

 

New girlfriend. Her name is...

Aside from both of us being sick over the past two weekends…I found a new girlfriend. Well, Erika calls “her” that. “She” is a wonderful thing. She cooks my meals when Erika is busy or sick. Who is she? Her name is CO-OP. I’m not sure if “she” is a she, but it’s fun to think she is. I’m assuming that CO-OP is short for cooperation. CO-OP is a collection of local farmers and vendors that provide home delivery of their goods. A truck comes by with whatever I ordered from the previous week and picks up my order for the following week. The service costs about 200 yen a week whether or not I place an order. It amazingly reasonable considering that I live out in the middle of nowhere. Each order comes with a mountain of advertisements. The ads cover a wide gamut of goods ranging from desserts/snacks to clothing/cosmetics to appliances/ furniture to plants/flowers to complete meals. It's a department store delivered to your front door. The meals are packaged and frozen just like a TV dinner. Just pop it in the microwave and "ding" you're done! Did I mention that they sell beer? Not that I would indulge in that sort of thing. The complete meals are about 400 yen. Not bad considering how healthy they are. The meals would be considered small for an American appetite, but add some steamed rice and you're good to go. Oh, the meals that feature fish as the main entree have the bones removed. That's important for people like me who don't like to worry about stuff like that. The packaging is all recyclable plastic so dish washing is not required. That's also a good thing for people like me.

 

What's the real reason for the new girlfriend, George? Good question! Erika is planning for her...umm...let me put this mildly...death. What!? Don't get excited. She's not going to die or anything. She's just worried about me surviving in Japan if something terrible happened to her. She is a very responsible person. neh? That's why I married her. Everyone that knows me knows that I don't cook. I can boil water and I can pour a bowl of cereal, and most important...I can use a microwave. I think it's easy to see why she is so worried. Well, the problem is solved, sort of. I don't need to write anything in Japanese to order food. The order forms have the address already filled out. I just need to look at the pretty pictures in the advertisements and write the item number down in the appropriate box. Walla! Food delivered to my doorstep every week. I love CO-OP.

Haiku

I almost forgot to mention that one of our Tsukahara neighbors, Mu-chan, did a fabulous job of taking care of the dogs while we were busy with the Christmas party. During her visit, she created a few haikus. We were so impressed that we asked her to copy her thoughts onto the first page of our guestbook. She happily agreed.     George

Great Time

 

I grew up in Fairfield, California and I rarely had the chance to experience snow. Things have changed and snow is now something I enjoy every winter. I think you will agree that Erika and the dogs enjoy the white stuff, too.

 

Sledding is fun! Sledding with Lucky and Kiley is REALLY fun! The nearby hills provided ample opportunity to test the slippery slopes.



 

I quickly learned that going down the hill was a lot more fun than climbing up. After a few uphill trips, I decided that I had enough fun for one day. Snow? I can’t wait to do this again.   George