Hmmm... maybe I felt a very small earthquake just now. I can't really tell. I could feel my floor shaking, but it was pretty minor. Definitely not something to be worried about, just curious. I'll have to ask someone when I get back from Hiroshima and Fukuoka.

In August I volunteered to help the Toyama sports stadium hold an event with elementary kids one Saturday evening. They took our bank account details to reimburse us for transportation, and give us a "little present." It was about 4 hours of my time total. Today I got a letter from them that they are giving us 11,000 yen! That's about 90 dollars! It's a ridiculous amount for something that we wanted to do and volunteered for. It's kind of a tradition in Japan to give some present or money to people who volunteer. For helping at a Halloween party, I got 5,000. English camp in Tateyama: 5,000 in book gift certificates. Helping at a New Year's Party: 2,000 in book gift certificates. Now this new money.

While I appreciate that they want to give us something to say thanks, I just wish they would say it, or give us some pizza or something. It kind of cheapens the volunteer experience when it turns out you're actually getting paid to do it.