6 Months

It's been 6 months since the happiest day of my life; The day I married Ben! I still feel like I won the best lottery of all times, how could I trick a man as good and loving as him to choose me? Our adventure together is just beginning, and  already it's incredible!
I leave you with a picture of the beautiful roses and daffodils that Ben bought me.

Musicality

American's can't dance. Why? Because we don't understand music. Why? Because we place no cultural value on it. For a county that produces more music sales then any other, one would assume that our country actually knew something about it. I personally spent much of my life studying music, and even thought of pursuing a music career.
America's educational system is edging out arts of all types, though there is not much left to lose. When I compare the amount of time kids in Japan spend  on the arts, it shines a light of absurdity on the American school system.

Every teacher I work with can play the piano, I know this because every classroom has a piano, and the teachers frequently play along with the students. Every morning, before the first class of the day the students have their class meetings. After they finish the announcements, they all sing together. If there is a student who can play the piano well enough, they accompany the class, otherwise it is up to the teacher. Each student has a folder of music, though if the song is new, a blown up copy of the sheet music will be held up to the chalk board.

Students start learning to read music early. Student learn the keys on a  piano by the end of second grade by learning to playing a blow-organ. Students learn to read basic rhythms by the end of fourth grade using percussive instrument. They learn to read sheet music by the end of 5th grade by singing and playing the piano.

Music is frequently incorporated into all subjects, and the students have memorized the CD I play in class during work time, and I am encouraged to use what ever songs I can to teach a lesson.

Not only do students learn in class how to produce music, they learn how to dance. Gym periods are often dance classes, where students learn choreographed moves to all types of music (Pop, and hip hop to traditional songs).

It's a shame that music is falling to the wayside in The States. The feeling you get singing with a group of people, or dancing with a group of people is incredible. Few things make you feel more like your part of a community than music.

Earthquakes

We've been feeling a lot of earthquakes lately here in Uenohara, nothing consequential, they're really just barely strong enough to even be noticed, but they freak me out. I don't understand them, I don't have any idea what to do in the event of a bad earthquake, and they are unpredictable.

At home when I would watch TV, there would be severe weather warnings that would scroll under what ever I was watching, usually it was just a thunderstorm, but sometimes it would be a fire or severe winds. Here in Japan you will see earthquake notices, with the location and strength of the earthquake.

Japan uses a different scale for measuring the strength of earthquakes. Most countries report earthquakes on the Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS) which is the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of the area that slipped. Earthquakes between 3.0 and 3.9 are noticiable but not damaging on this scale. The Great Japan Earthquake was a 9.3.

Japan uses the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale (JMA) which measures earthquakes in units of shindo (amount of shaking). The strength of an earthquake is referred to by it's shindo number and can range from 1-7 shindo. Earthquake measurements are usually stated in whole numbers (an earthquake measurement of 2.5 up to 3.4 would be 3 shindo intensity). 3 shindo intensity earquakes are noticiable but not damaging on this scale. The Great Japan Earthquakes was a 7 on this scale.

A magnitude scale like MMS is more useful scientifically, because it can easily give and indication of epicenter, and area affected. But I believe an intensity scale, like JMA, is more useful for human safety. Intensity can be roughly converted to peak ground acceleration, which give a good indication of how much damage is done by the earthquake. Earthquakes below 4 shindo do no damage, and are unlikely to harm anyone (peak ground acceleration of 0.80 m/s). 4 and 5 shindo earthquakes are somewhat damaging, though very few people are likely to be hurt (between 0.80 and 2.50 m/s). 6 shindo earthquakes are very damaging, and likely to result in severe property damage, bodily harm, and death (between 2.5 and 4.0 m/s). 7 shindo earthquakes are devastating, and will likely result in catastrophic infrastructural damage, and many injuries and deaths (anything about 4.0 m/s).

I have not yet experienced an earthquake over a 3 shindo level, and hope I never will. I would rather have raging skies, and stable grounds, than the other way around.