Today

Koizumi won the election yesterday. (I'm not sure what "won" means,since I don't know the election procedures in Japan.) But in any case, Koizumi will continue to be prime minister. If I understand correctly, this means that there will soon be new members in Congress (because he recently dissolved the last group), Japan's post office will be privatized, and the constitution will be changed so that Japan can participate in war. Great. Does this mean Japan will send troops (more troops?) to Iraq? Obviously my political knowledge is limited, so I'm waiting for clarification from Meg on this one. But I do have 2 comments: I don't think changing the constitution to support war is a good idea. And, if you privatize the post office, I assume there would be multiple companies to avoid a monopoly. But with numerous "companies," how much will a stamp cost? If private posts compete, could it not potentially cost more to mail something within Fuji than to Sapporo? Strange...

In other news, a gorgeous stray kitten was found near the school. Not only is this slender, dark grey-striped kitten beautiful, but he is friendly, and will lie on his back purring for as long as you wish to pet him. He doesn't bite or scratch or play all the time like most frisky kittys, yet he has a healthy amount of energy. Basically, this is the perfect kitten. Last week the school nurse took him home and I was insanely jealous but also relieved that someone could care for him. Today, the kitten is back under a box outside the school, because the nurse's husband didn't want him. This breaks my heart. I tried asking about a pound, so that a good owner can buy him. But the half-Japanese / half-English response I got sounded like there are no kitty pounds, just kitty impounds. So if no one takes him, he will be killed. This absolutely breaks my heart. If I owned a square foot of grass I would scoop him up and worry about the consequences later. But I live in a school-owned apartment, and I don't think I can afford vet bills. Please, someone, take this cat!!

The "French" bakery across from the school, Boulangerie Printemps, has an interesting assortment of French-Japanese pastries. I tried a few but was discouraged when I twice ended up with seafood curry donuts. They tasted good, but I was expecting something sweet. I can't read anything in the store, except "chocolate," so I basically stopped going. Today, however, they're having a rare sale, so every teacher in the school went to load up on pastries for a dollar a piece. (My tiny supervisor bought ten!!) So many teachers were excited that I decided to go, too. I armed myself against curry donuts by learning the word for sweet in Japanese...and I ended up with something delicious. It looks like a fresh, puffy cream pastry with powdered sugar sprinkled on top...but instead of being filled with real cream, it is filled with soybean cream! (Essentially, very soft, slightly-sweetened tofu.) Not only was it not horrible for you, it tasted delicious and was not too sweet. I'm going back next month when they have another sale.

I may have mentioned this before, but I am so glad I like my supervisor. She strikes me as relatively laid-back and understanding, and somehow we just "click." It's funny but I think much of this is due to the fact that we have the same eating patterns: we both like to eat little bits all day long, and we're usually hungry. A shared taste for Japanese-French donuts doesn't hurt, either. I left school at 5pm and saw her coming out of the bakery -- she bought more pastries! So we're able to laugh about mundane things, like eating, and the teachers who always yell at the students, and the teachers who always offer us food and strange "anti-adiposis" tea from China.

Ishii Sensei (my supervisor) often makes me laugh. She has a one-year old daughter, and even though she is not "naturally maternal," it's obvious she tries to be a good mother. This morning I sat down at my desk and asked if she had a good weekend. She smiled, sort of, and said, "Yes, but I was with my daugher," (she paused to let those implications sink in) "for 48 hours." Her view of motherhood makes me laugh. Of course since I don't have kids, I don't know what I'm talking about, but she performs many tasks of motherhood with a reluctance that sparks my sympathy. "I get so tired, with no time to myself, but my daughter must get very lonely during the week -- so on the weekends I spend time with her." I think I can understand how she might feel, spending too much time with people. I spend too much time with the other Americans around Fuji. Granted, they're all potty-trained by this point, but I could use more time to myself as well. More time for me and some new Japanese friendships that hold a lot of promise.