Well the weather report in Osaka these days is HOT. Hot, hot and more hot with a warm hot front moving in.

Seriously though, Osaka is over 30 degrees most days and the humidity is rather harsh, but you know, when in Rome.

Kana and I are both doing good. I think she is starting to show which is amazing and we have another checkup at Kaizuka Hospital in 2 weeks, so we may find out then if the little Mercer is a boy or a girl.

Last weekend Kana and I were able to visit some friends that I met on the train. It all started one day when I was taking my guitar to work to play for the kids and a couple of older Japanese gentlemen (Shigeru & Yoshio), seeing I was struggling with my guitar and backpack, offered to help me stow my guitar. What started that day was the beginning of an amazing friendship.

The first fellow is Shigeru Komamonoya, he is 62 and recently started working from home so I don’t see him as much as I used to. The second fellow is Yoshio Tokitomo, he is 66 and still works downtown, so I see him all the time on the train ride to work. I think these two have kind of adopted me or something.

Anyways, last Saturday, Shigeru invited Kana and I over along with Yoshio and a few others; Mr. & Mrs. Sei who run an International Cultural Centre in Kumatori (the town where Shigeru and Yoshio live), who brought along with them a 19 year old exchange student from Senegal whose name was so hard to pronounce that everyone calls him Deer-san.

Another lady (Mrs. Hamotani) came as well, and with her she brought a wonderful drumming lady from Senegal named Yande. Both students from Senegal spoke good English, along with French, Spanish and their native tongue called Olaf.

Needless to say we had good times at Shigeru’s place and big thanks goes out to his wife Akiko who looked after everyone so well.