Sun and Snow

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While the rest of Japan is covered in snow, apart from some snow flurries we here in Kyushu are exempt from those conditions.
But it is cold..... even Starbucks in Hamanomachi (Nagasaki area) gives out green coloured blankets to ward off the cold coming through the door. Closing the door and letting people use another entrance is apparently no option. My Caramel Macchiato tastes great though especially with a variation on the famous viennese Sachertorte .

Had our 2nd exam, conversation, kaiwa 会話 , yesterday, by listening to a tape with short conversational pieces and questions and then writing down...yes writing down... the answers. Was OK I guess.

Since our Arts Professor Matthi Forrer is her for a week supervising part of the Deshima 出島 project, we decided to meet up and we even got a peek in to the newly restored house of the captain of this Dutch Factory in the 17th century, called Jan Cock Blomhoff, with authentic (e.g. the original sofa on which his wife Laetitia was depicted) and replicated pieces of furniture.
Interesting to say the least.

One house in Deshima was used as the International Club from 1868 onwards and since Japan is known for its excessive exchange of business name cards, meishi 名刺 it comes as no surprise that they had a business name card showcase made over a fireplace no less, especially for this building where members could display them.　

P.S.
Vox populi, vox dei........
Reading the newspapers once in a while gives me the creeps..setting fire to embassies seems to be 'en vogue' these days. Whatever happened to simply boycotting Danish pastries to ventilate your orchestrated (in Syria and Lebanon at least) anger and losing that little extra so you can get ready for the beach.
On top of that the ultra conservative Opus Dei has started a campaign to better their image as portrayed in Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code', soon to be made into a feature movie. Trying to vilify the book wouldn't stand chance anyhow.....
My tip:..... get Saatchi & Saatchi in.. they do deliver!!