It was fun to watch a video of the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan visiting a temporary housing unit in the city of Kamaishi, where we spent so much of our time. What a moving experience for these survivors.
http://www.newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/105353.php

Challenging to visit Harlem, New York for the first time at night via subway, but reconnecting with the EPL team, former volunteers to Tono base, made it worth the trip. Akie made wonderful "oden" and the fellowship and sharing was encouraging. Always great to reunite with those who have a heart for the survivors who are still recovering northern Japan.

Oden, a favorite Japanese food.

On the lighter side, this article on Japan caught my attention. Though I'm not sure if the last item would make my top ten things Japanese do right, the rest would get my whole hearted agreement, especially the service in Japan. I also need to weight in on the mention of recycling. Yes, the Japanese do recycling great, but as one person who has more then once been "grilled" over what exactly was in my garage bag, I feel it wouldn't hurt them to be a little less awesome with recycling.
Things Japanese are Awesome at...