It's Only Been Four Days...

I arrived back in Vancouver on Monday and was met by family at the airport.  I cleared customs and got my luggage so quickly my sister wasn't halfway to the airport on the Canada Line Skytrain.  Yes, arriving ten minutes ahead of schedule can make a difference.  The interesting thing is that the plane arrived ahead of schedule in spite of our departure from Narita being delayed.  We sat on the runway a bit while a plane two ahead of us was being checked out.  Just as its pilot was revving up the plane to start a take-off run the plane was struck by a bird.  So they had to rush a couple of engineers out to check that all was okay.  It turned out that the plane was fine so they were able to proceed on their journey.

I've been busy over the past three nights.  Attended a Round of 16 match at BC Place Stadium on Tuesday night.  I had the pleasure of watching Japan emerge victorious over the Netherlands.  Wednesday night's feature was a reception to welcome Mayor Fumiko Hayashi of Yokohama city.  I had luckily managed to scoop up an invitation through a friend who I had phoned the night of my return to Vancouver.  Toss in a dentist appointment the following morning and a barbecue that night and I find myself just relaxing and typing away on my computer on Friday morning.  I've been through a small whirlwind of activity and it goes without saying I'm working on staying alert to make sure I can keep tabs on what is on my calendar.

The next ten days will see me go through a number of dinners and parties with friends and family, a couple of 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup matches, and O-haka Maeri the day before I leave.  That final item being where one attends to the graves of family ancestors as part of the practice of rituals tied to Obon, the annual period when the souls of the dead are believed to visit.  Canadian Jodo-Shinshu Buddhists typically hold their Obon events in early July whilst in Japan they are held in August.  The cause of this difference comes from a decision someone made in Canada to adjust the date for Obon to the Gregorian calendar.  The same was done for Hanamatsuri, the festival celebrating the birth of Shakamuni Buddha, which is observed in April.  The instances where the adjustment wasn't made is for the spring and fall observances of O-Higan, the spring and fall equinoxes.  No need to make any changes there.