MERRY
CHRISTMAS
FROM
JAPAN !!


Gary Joe Wolff
(in Japan)


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 over 9 years 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 September 24, 2000)
  Exciting Texas Photos  
Exciting Mountain Photos
(updated September 24, 2000)
Exciting Disney Kid Photos
Exciting Halloween Photos
(updated October 22, 2000)
Exciting Friend and Family Photos
More Exciting Friend and Family Photos, Page 2
More Exciting Friend and Family Photos, Page 3  
(updated September 24, 2000)

--------------------FUN STUFF--------------------

  The Dancing U.S. Presidents  
(added September 23, 2000)

  The Parade of Stars  
(added September 23, 2000)

  Fireworks over Tokyo Bay

  3D Rotating Clock  

  Las Vegas Striptease Girl  

  Risque Jokes
(updated September 12, 2000)

  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  
(added September 12, 2000)

  The Paradox of Our Time
by George Carlin

-------------------FEEL GOOD-------------------
STUFF

  What is the Meaning of Life?   

  Inspiration and Hope
(updated October 22, 2000) 

  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
(updated October 15, 2000)  

  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:

Joni Davis
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
-- a real softball legend --


--------------------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:
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
email

Congratulations!
You are person number
65 million
to visit this site so far today!
Ha Ha Ha !

Come back and visit real soon !!

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