Aug 15, 2001 Countdown to V V - 11 Days

This is John with Ying Zou, from China. We are so glad that she gave our airplane back!

Cool and quiet in Fujisawa. An excellent day for Rising Sun School, and the students thereof!  Our first student, Ying (from China) told us about her country and the area she lives in, near Harbin. Not far from Russia and Mongolia, and bitter cold. Ying has an excellent personality and loves to tease the teacher. The other students were impressed with her presentation skills. After a wonderful lunch at McDonald's, we came back to our house to find that the Shinto Shrine people were preparing for their big festival on Friday. They have trimmed back all the cherry trees so that their floats would fit through the narrow street leading to the shrine. There are three gates leading to the shrine, and they look a lot like Oklahoma football goalposts, only huge! We have been warned that the festival will be quite noisy, and so many people that it may be difficult to get into and out of the house. I expect to have pictures for you.

Frank and Martin showed up at their appointed time, and we practiced on their presentation, which they gave to their mothers after they returned. Frank fell down a lot today, and was basically terrified by Billy Bojangles. Hiromi is completing the special website that will contain our tour postings, and now says it will be ready on the 27th. You will be able to talk to us instantly, either by telephone or Docomo e-mail. Our Docomo cell telephone number is 0907 805 7114, but if you are calling fromthe USA, dial this:  01181 907 805 7114.   The price for a short call is about what you pay for a cup of coffee. Just be sure to add 14 hours to CST!   We are already getting the short "bio sketches" and pictures to be able to introduce you to your travel companions, so send them on, asap! We are making every attempt to protect your privacy...please let us know if that is a concern for you. We intend to ask permission before releasing anyone's e-mail address, but you should expect to meet some new friends. I believe there are already seven different countries represented, so the trip will definitely have an international flavor. If you have any ideas to enhance the experience, let us know!

Love, John and Hiromi