Happy New Year everyone. I know it is still New Years eve back in Canada, but here it is New Years Day 2005. WOO HOO!

We had a great time yesterday watching all the TV specials, and it was a good thing we were watching TV because it snowed most of the morning.

It was a great time had by all with great food, including a bowl of buckwheat noodles at midnight (presumably for good luck in the New Year).

Kana and I wish you all the very best that God has for you in 2005.

Hello All. Just an update on how our first Christmas dinner went here in Japan. Let me start out by saying that Kana says it was the “Best Christmas Ever!” as her family never gets together on Christmas let alone exchanging gifts. So there ya go.

We had a little 10cm tall Christmas tree which we stacked all the gifts around. We also rented “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Japanese subtitles of course.

Now to what this article is all about…the dinner. I guess I should have tested the chili powder out ’cause it is a bit hotter (the variety we got anyways) over here than at home. I put in about half as much as I usually do and man if that chili wasn’t the hottest chili I ever made. YIKES!

Kana’s Sister Chie, has a boyfriend named Shingo and he is not a big fan of hot stuff anyways. He is over there on the other side of the table trying to be polite and choking back some throat scarring chili. I told Kana to tell him to just leave it and I would not be offended. But I have to give him credit, he ate it all. Of course he had to drink a few beers to wash it down…but good job anyways.

Let that be a lesson to you kiddies…when cooking in foreign lands. Make sure to test out the spices FIRST before making your chili THERMO NUCLEAR!

Shingo and Chie and the Christmas Chili

Kana and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. It is Christmas morning here in Japan. Unfortunately the family is all working so Kana and I will celebrate with them when they get home form work.

We don't have an oven big enough to cook a Chicken or a Turkey, so I am going to cook some chili and see how that goes over.

It was fun just finding the ingredients. We had to go to like 5 department store food sections to find the chili powder.

Anyways, we hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.

Today (Dec.23) is Emperor Akihito's Birthday! So it is a day off for everyone in the Ogino household. I think we might hit the driving range (next door) and get some exercise today.

It's kinda weird having a holiday so close to Christmas, when Christmas isn't a holiday (at least it is on Saturday this year so most of the family has the day off).

Japanese Emperor Akihito is 71 years old today

Kana and I travelled down into Osaka to got to the Immigration Bureau to see about my Visa stuff and afterwards we went shopping in a mall nearby where we found a Starbucks.

Starbucks in Japan is, well, Japanese. They greet you at the door and hand you a menu while you wait in line. They bow and thank you for your business when you leave. It is a very nice experience all around.

Hey All! I added a new Mercer Adventures video page today (retired in 2012 as they’ve been incorporated into the blog). Kana and I have been taking pics with our digital and the odd snipit of video. I think they are a cool way to show a little of our life here in Osaka. Enjoy.

After taking a full week to recover from the 17 hour time change, it's time to launch the website. Some things are still under construction and some will be updated regularly. Don't Miss It.

I am also planning on starting a little regular news item on here called "Reflections" which will be my little contribution in trying to reflect Japan (and in particular Osaka) through my eyes.

Well, well well. Vigil Health Solutions (www.vigil.com) has been my employer for the past year. Today I said “Sayonara” to my Vigilante Compatriots! I know you will all miss the Timbits, but I am sure Edgar & Brett will keep you hooked up! Good luck to you all and thank you for the card and the Tim Horton’s Coffee. BTW Jacquie, my last name is Mercer not Horton! LOL