Email of the Day
To: President George W. Bush <president@whitehouse.gov>
From: gary wolff
Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2001
Subject: Please Come to Japan NOW !!
Dear President Bush:
I am a Houston native and graduate of the University
of Texas at Austin. I am also presently a 10-year resident of Tokyo, Japan.
I can honestly say that in my entire tenure in Japan, I have never sensed
a stronger anti-American sentiment than that which now exists in the hearts
and minds of the Japanese people.
The tragic submarine accident in Hawaii unfortunately
came at a very sensitive time in our bilateral relations and on the heels
of the continuing behavioral problems with our military personnel in Okinawa.
From one Texas boy to another, you need to get over
here ASAP to smooth things over. Trust me on this. Having lived here so
long and taught over 4000 Japanese students, I feel I am in a somewhat
unique position to understand and judge the feelings of the average Japanese.
You are doing a fantastic job so far and we are all
very proud of you. But please do give some serious consideration to my
recommendation.
Thank you so very much for your valuable time.
Respectfully yours,
gary wolff
|
Gary Joe
Wolff
(click on photo for larger image)
Excuse me, but are you
lost? Are you sure you're in the right place?
Oh well, regardless of whether you stumbled here by accident,
came on your own free will, or were ordered here at gunpoint,
why don't you take a load off and stay awhile.
By the way, "Howdy" (as they say back home in Texas) !!
Welcome to my home page.
I live in Tokyo,
Japan,
an exciting 24-hour-a-day metropolis inhabited by only 30 million folks,
where I am currently working in the English education
business.
I've been here for almost a decade now,
and my main job is with a large Japanese construction company.
I have had the pleasure
of teaching
over 4,000 students
at over 60 companies, schools, and agencies.
I have also worked for a company licensed by Disney,
a job which has taken me to 44 of Japan's 47 prefectures,
singing and dancing for young children
in an English education stage show.
Yes, I started my entertainment career quite young by forming a
rock band
at the age of only 4 --
I'm the one in the photo wearing the shades.
(Ha Ha -- Just a joke !!)
My tenure in Japan has
been a lot of fun, but I really do miss my family,
Tex-Mex food, and my mom
and dad's home cooking,
especially my dad's Texas barbeque.
Japan is indeed a very beautiful country
-- it's about 70% mountains --
and I have found the people to be especially warm and kind.
One of the most surprising
things for me
was to discover after moving here that
Tokyo is not a city,
but in fact, a prefecture,
the equivalent of a U.S. state.
It is a massive expanse of real estate
-- with a land area of 2135 sq. km. --
consisting of 23 wards, 27 cities, 6 towns, 8 villages,
as well as the Izu 7 Islands,
and the beautiful, remote Ogasawara Islands
-- some 1200 km. south of the metropolis --
which include Iwo Jima,
the famous WW II battle site.
And despite living in
what is probably the world's
most populous metropolitan area,
one can be hiking in the mountains in a national park with a less-than-two-hour
train ride
or be surfing in the Pacific Ocean with a less-than-one-hour train ride.
The culture here is absolutely fascinating.
Japan is a very interesting country and it has been a pleasure living here.
By the way, I used to
have a bunch of boring stuff on this page about my past life in the States,
including my background, hometown, interests, etc., but it seemed
to be in the way, so I decided to cut and paste it here.
So in case you haven't dozed off by now,
I hope you will have time to visit
the rest of this site.
Enjoy !!
Navigating
this site:
--------------------PHOTOS--------------------
(over 400)
Take
me straight to the Photo Gallery
Exciting Japan Photos
(updated Feb. 18, 2001)
Exciting
Texas Photos
Exciting
Mountain Photos
Exciting Disney Kid Photos
Exciting Halloween Photos
Exciting
Friend and Family Photos
More Exciting Friend
and Family Photos, Page 2
More Exciting Friend
and Family Photos, Page 3
(updated Feb. 13, 2001)
--------------------FUN STUFF--------------------
The
Bush-Gore Dance 
(It may be over, but
the dancing never ends!)
(added Feb. 5, 2001)
The
Dancing U.S. Presidents
The
Parade of Stars
Fireworks
over Tokyo Bay
3D
Rotating Clock
Las
Vegas Striptease Girl
Risque
Jokes
Springtime
Flowers in Texas
(a virtual slide show)
The
History and Lyrics of the Song, "The Yellow Rose of Texas"
Smiles
to Help Brighten Your Day
George
Carlin's Latest Theory on Life
The
Paradox of Our Time
by George Carlin
-------------------FEEL
GOOD-------------------
STUFF
Rocks
(Set your priorities. Take care of your rocks
first.)
(added Feb. 5, 2001)
What
is the Meaning of Life?
Inspiration
and Hope
(updated Feb. 7, 2001)
Tips
for Success
(added Feb. 7, 2001)
Everyone's
Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
by Baz Luhrmann
Going
to College
Life's
Many Little Lessons
Affirmation
of Faith in an Apocalyptic Age
by the Reverend John D. Craig
I've
Learned....
A
Vanished Friend
The
Most Beautiful Flower
Love
Poems
The
Summer of '99 is Over, but the Memories Linger On........
(a short slide show)
A
Place in the Sun
(an awesome, breathtaking sunset with background music)
Almost
Full Moon Fever
(with
"Everything I Do... I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams)
Phil
Collins in Concert -- "Do You Remember?"
Listen
to One of my Favorite Songs Here --
"Open Arms" by Journey
--------------------JAPAN
STUFF--------------------
Cherry
Blossoms in Japan
Live
Concert Schedules for Some of My Favorite Tokyo Musicians:
Helen Northeast
Red*Thread
Donna
Burke & Bill Benfield
Miya
Ishida
David Walker
Edelweiss
Kapelle
More
Tokyo Concert Info
Tokyo Live Music
Just
How Crowded IS it on Toyko Trains, Anyways?
Gary's
Tokyo-Houston News Beacon
What's
Newsworthy in Japan These Days?
A
Live Minicam View of Mt. Fuji
(Japan
Time = GMT + 9 hours)
Rob's
Japan FAQ: Know Before You Go
(Visiting or relocating
to Japan? Get your questions answered here)
Rob's
Japan Photo Gallery
(a comprehensive
photo compilation of interesting Japanese culture)
Photo
Japan
(fine photographic images of Japan)
More
Japan Links
More
Tokyo Links
-----------------A TRIBUTE
TO DAD-----------------
The
Home Page of Walter Wolff
-- take a tour through the almost 50-year career of one of the
best fast-pitch softball pitchers who ever walked on this planet --
--------------------BORING STUFF--------------------
Web
Site Bookmarks
Resume
Gary's
Past Life in the States
Opinion
Page
(oops, up on my soapbox AGAIN)
Previous
Versions of this Welcome Page:
New Year's 2001
Christmas 2000
Fall 2000
Summer 2000
Spring 2000
New Year's 2000 (Geisha Gary)
Fall '99 (Ricky Martin theme)
Summer '99
Spring '99
Christmas '98
'98 Nagano Winter Olympics
Original Home Page Published January 27, 1997
----------YEAR 2000----------
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Well, this one will go
down in history.
For an insightful explanation to the craziness that just transpired in
Florida,
click here for an excellent editorial
piece by Richard Rodriguez,
editor at the Pacific News Service, that ran in the
Sunday, November 26, 2000 L.A. Times.
Sayonara
Well, I guess that's
all for now. Thanks for visiting.
I sincerely hope this web site has been a culturally rewarding experience
for you (joke).
The site has grown considerably since it was first launched in Jan. '97
and
it is unlikely you will be able to see everything in only 1 visit.
So please bookmark this site and come back when you can stay longer
-- or as they say in Texas --
"Y'all come back now, ya heah?"
Happy surfing !!
And don't forget to drop
me a line if you have time.
If you have any comments, suggestions,
or would just like to yell at me,
you can send email here:
garywolf@gol.com
Congratulations!
You are person number
to visit this site so far today!
Ha Ha Ha !
Come back and visit real
soon !!
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