Hey look, it's Jackie Chan!

Okay, first of all, I think Jackie Chan is Chinese, but regardless, I chose this title out of a desire to express my feeling of ignorance as an American in Japan. Not only do the people here love our movies and television shows, like Lincoln and CSI, they are well educated on American government issues and are far ahead in terms of technology.

As I was riding back with two of the professors from the university where I will be performing, I noticed that at every toll booth, we didn't even have to slow down, since the automated booth detected our car's identity because of a chip imbedded in the vehicle. This eliminates toll booth lines and reduces traffic pile-ups.

I am staying at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Masuko, and while I will post pictures of where I am staying later, I did want to give you an update on my first meal in Japan. Mrs. Masuko spent almost the entire day making a meal for me that consisted of:
-Pumpkin soup
-Squid and eggplant
-Potato salad
-French Lasagna

While the whole meal was absolutely wonderful, especially the pumkin soup, I especially enjoyed the French lasagna, which used french crepes instead of lasagna noodles. Contrary to what I had expected, Japanese people enjoy eating food from other cultures, much like we do in the United States. Kentucky Fried chicken is especially popular here, while, at the same time, Mexican food is only beginning to emerge.

And, finally, here are some of the desserts I tried:

"Gracious hosts" does not even begin to describe how well the Japanese treat we foreigners.

-Carson