Merry Christmas everyone. I know the burning question on everyone's mind is “Did Kana have the baby yet?” The answer is no, not yet, but the Doctor says it should be any day. During the check up at the hospital today the Doc said he figures the baby just likes being in Mom too much.
In other news, the NEW website is live now, as you probably already noticed. This version is a little brighter and a little more organized.
If you haven't done so already, or you want to again, please take a minute to sign the Friends page and wish us some Christmas cheer.
Thanks to everyone who has made this first year in Japan fun and exciting (Yoshio, Shigeru & Akiko, Mr. & Mrs. Sei, Nakamura-san, Brent & Yoshie, the KaToRiShiA, Toni, Daniel, Narelle, Madoka, Eiko and the rest of the folks at Royal Kids International School, Mac & Aya, all the folks at AIM English Studio, Matsumoto-san [my hairdresser], and everyone we forgot to mention…we know who you are!). And of course, to all our friends and family back home, we sure do miss you guys.
I am currently doing an overhaul on The Mercers' website. Over the next few days some areas may be down while others may look completely different. 
I visited the hospital for a regular check-up on November 2nd and we finally got to know the baby is a girl. YET, we still have to have that “There is always a chance of 0.1% happens” in our mind as what happened to us when we got pregnant and my friend Tomo got a baby boy when she had been told she was going to have a girl….
Speed Tribes is an interesting look into the youth of 90’s Japan. Greenfeld finding himself bored with the usual stories in Japan is nearly run over by a Bosozoku (a motorcycle gang member [Bosozoku: literally translates as a tribe who drives violently against the law]) and there in the street he decided to tell not only their story but the story of youth in Japan in general. 
section called "Craig & Kana's Crash Course for Canadians in Kansai"…kinda rolls off the tongue doesn't it? Basically it is a collection of articles on how to do different things in and around Osaka, from buying a computer, to finding foreign food, to finding a nice place to go for dinner on a Friday night. We just felt we might be able to help other folks in a similar situation to ours! Hope it helps.
Expat Express is an online ordering company based in Utah, USA. Their website says they have service representatives in Japan, and will ship to a whole host of countries. Their product selection is wide (as one would expect since they are based in the USA).
If you are not close enough to drive or take a train to get your fill of foreign foods, then why not try a little online ordering?
The Foreign Buyers’ Club was started by Chuck and Kelly in Kobe over 12 years ago. They now have in addition to the USA club, British and Aussie websites.
