１月２４日午前１１時、僕らの大切なクマたちはEmeryville にある映画館、Bay st 16 movie theatreで迷子になってしまった。彼らはジップロックバックに入ったまま、映画館のロビーのどこかに落っこちてしまった。僕らはこの千ドルという大金の懸賞金を、迷子のクマの噂が広がる手掛かりとして提示している。この懸賞金が人々の関心を引き、やがてクマを拾ってくれた人の耳に入り、僕らの大切なクマたちを家に連れて来てくれると心から願っている。
Hello good people! It has been a long while. Much has happened. I finally finished the solo piano record I have been working on. I had been writing those piano pieces for around 10 years,so finishing it left me with an unexpected and complex feeling. On one hand a sense of completion,and on the other a feeling of being lost. I guess I had been working on it so long that the “working on it”became a large part of my life. When that was gone,there was space,which is scary sometimes .. Anyway this blog isn’t about me and my feelings,it’s about Bears. If you would like to listen to some of the finished piano pieces you can at Amazon,itunes or my website.
There was a reason I started off by talking about finishing the record though. It is the beginning of our next story. Faced with this big space in my life,the Bears suggested we might fill it (at least temporarily) with a vacation somewhere special. What better place to relax and ponder the course of one’s life than beautiful Kauai? My girlfriend,the Bears and I packed up our swimsuits and suntan lotion (Bears have very fair skin you know) and headed for Hawaii!
Traveling with Bears
Traveling with Bears is always an adventure;they are in fact wild animals. When we went through airport security,they each did their best impersonation of a stuffed animal so as to not cause us any problems.. As soon as we had boarded the plane,the Bears took off under the seats. They could periodically be seen running down the isle,then ducking back into the jungle of feet and bags. While down there,they managed to find everyone’s stash of snacks. They would come back to our seats eating all manner of things,from cookies to celery sticks. There was a little drama when they discovered some kid eating Gummi bear candies. They devised an elaborate plan involving Cowbear as a decoy in order to steal away the kid’s Gummi bears and set them free once we arrived in Hawaii. Though successful,this let to an angry kid running through the plane yelling about thieving bears,while I guiltily stuffed the newly pilfered candies into my carry on bag. I felt a bizarre mixture of guilt and pride…
Life on the island
Despite such wild adventures,we made it to Kauai. We stayed at the extreme North end of the island,far away from anything. We marveled at the beauty of the nature. We BBQ’d delicious foods from the island. We hiked,played,and took naps. We danced and made friends with spiders,cats and a horse. We argued with a noisy frog,rode in a canoe,drank Mai Tais,and yes we did set the Gummi bears free. They now inhabit a secret forest on the northern end of the island. So,if you are ever hiking in the north side of Kauai,watch out for wild Gummi Bears!!!
Here are some snapshots we took while on our adventure. Be well,good people.
Posing at the top of the mountain
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Bear #3 and Cowbear having fun!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Cowbear reflecting on life..
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Posing by the river
ANY CHARACTER HERE
The Bears are sending loving thoughts and prayers to all of the people in Japan affected by the recent disaster.
Hello good people.. Today (January 24th) is the one year anniversary of the sad day when we lost our sweet Bear #1 and Bear #2. Despite all of our best efforts,our Bears haven’t found their way home. Although we are sad that they are not with us,we are happy and grateful to have the Bear family that we do. We cannot thank you all enough for the encouragement and kindness you have shown us. Bear #3 and #4,Monsieur Bear and little Cowbear have been a great comfort to us,as well as helping us out in our search too! So,I wanted to take this time to thank everyone who has kept with us and supported us this year,as well as the kind folks who sent such lovely new Bears to us. Thank you.
My Sad Plan..
I was feeling sad,thinking about the day we lost the Bears.. I remembered all the feelings I had felt,and how gloomy it all was. In this sad state I formed an idea that we should return to the place we lost the Bears 1 year ago. I imagined us taking Bear #3,Bear #4,Cowbear and the Monsieur to see a movie in the same theatre where Bear #1 and Bear #2 had gone missing. We haven’t been back to the movies since the day we lost them;just the thought of going to the movies makes me feel ill…We could take some pictures,say a little prayer,and stoically walk through that theatre once again. I announced my plan (though no-one seemed very enthusiastic) and prepared for this sad vigil.
Bears don’t like that..
When we woke up on the day of this planned outing,the Bears were nowhere to be seen. Usually they are up and running around,but today it was completely silent. A quick jolt of fear ran through me.. What demonic trick was the universe playing on me?! Then I heard some scuffling in the cabinet next to my bed. I opened it slowly and there they were. Bear #3 was in front with her arms outstretched as if to protect the other Bears. From me? After a little coaxing (ginger ale and doughnuts did the trick) the Monsieur softly explained that they were scared of going to the theatre. “You see monsieur,we are frightened that one of us might get lost in this terrible place where Bear #1 and #2 went missing.. We are very happy here together,and we think it is unwise to tempt fate in such a way…Perhaps we could think of another way to recognize this sad day?”.
I realized the folly of my plan. I had been thinking about my own sad feelings and not considering how everyone else might be feeling. In my attempt to honor the Bears I was actually doing them a disservice. Bear #1 and Bear #2 would never want us to feel sad;bears hate feeling sad. The best way to honor the Bears would be to do something fun,something fancy..
A Fancy Feast!
We decided to go all out and have a feast worthy of Bears! We got chicken pot pies (one of Bear #1 and Bear #2′s favorite dishes),cheeses,and cakes too! We put on some of our favorite music and had a great time looking at pictures and videos of Bear #1 and Bear #2! We all laughed and ate our fill.
Mmmmmmm.
Cowbear likes pot pie too!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Oooooo!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Bear #3 is very focused..
Looking at pictures of #1 and #2
We had a great evening celebrating Bear #1 and Bear #2. I am happy the Bears helped me come to my senses. Otherwise,there would be more sad memories instead of more happy ones!
Hello good people! I hope you are all in good health and good spirits. The arrival of this holiday season brings feelings of joy and good will,but it also brings the rain and the cold.. It is for that reason that as of late,we have been spending quite a bit of time indoors. While this is great for finishing up those little projects one has been working on,it can also make one feel a certain longing for the outside world and all that it has to offer. This certain longing turns into a absolute necessity when you have four noisy and temperamental Bears living with you. They command a very large presence for creatures so small in size. It is with this in mind that we begin our story..
We want out!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
The long rainy days..
It had been raining for several days straight and it was getting the better of us. The Bears had slowly begun to lose their playful and outgoing spirit that is normally so pronounced. Ordinarily,meal-time was our most festive hour,yet even that was feeling lacking these days. The Bears would quietly chomp away on their marmalade covered cheese crackers while staring out the window at the storm outside. The rest of the time they played cards or just sat with their faces pressed against the window leaving Bear nose prints all over the bottom of the glass. I wasn’t sure how much longer this could go on..
Morning
I awoke to the sound of Bears. If you have never awoken to the sound of Bears,I can’t really advise it- it can be a truly startling experience.. I heard the crunching and rustling of paper,and wondered what kind of surprise I was in for this morning. They had the newspaper spread out on the floor with the entertainment section open. Bear #3 walked across the pages with an intense look in her eye;the rest of the Bears stood quietly nearby.. She surveyed the landscape of as if sizing up a potential enemy. Suddenly,she sprinted across the paper to an add in the upper right hand corner. She stopped and read it intently. The other Bears gathered around her to see what she had found. I became curious to,and walked over to see what they were so excited about.. As I approached they all turned to me with great big Bear smiles on their faces.. It was an add for “Madama Butterfly”. Hmmm,I guess we were going to the Opera!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Cowbear reading the menu..
Bear #3 looking cute at the restaurant..
My Girlfriend and I thought it was a fantastic idea! What better way to spend a cold winter evening than with our Bears at the Opera. Dinner and a performance,it was guaranteed to raise our spirits! We dressed up in our finest of finery,made a dinner reservation and we were off.
At the Restaurant..
We decided to try a restaurant in San Francisco called Swell. They had all kinds of delicious seafood,and the waitress even commented on how happy and cute the Bears were. They all gave her their cutest most innocent Bear looks in hope she would bring them some extra tasty fish to eat- which she did.. Of course,once the food arrived,they lost all of the pretense and turned into the ravenous Bears that they are! We ate and ate until we had had our fill,then headed for the opera house.
ANY CHARACTER HERE
The Opera
We walked through the beautiful and ornate lobby on the way to our seats. The Bears were running up and down the halls,sliding down the marble bannister and having an overall great time. It would appear they had gotten their spirit back. We sat down and the opera began. What can I say about the show.. The Bears sat quietly on our shoulders the whole time. At the saddest and most tragic moments,I could hear the faint sound of Bear sobbing in my ear. It was lovely. We had all needed a night like this. A night where we could take in beauty and appreciate life;a night where we could feel like we were a part of the world.. We took some snap shots of the bears (they really wanted to commemorate the trip with some nice pictures) and headed home.
Myself,Bear #3 and Cowbear during intermission
Bear #3 wants to sing too!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Well,this magical night out was just what we needed. Happiness is once again restored- all because of Bear #3′s great idea! So,if you are feeling a little restless or a little down this season,maybe the opera could be the antidote. It worked for us! Be well friends.
Hello good people! This is a story about how The Bears helped create a Birthday surprise to remember!
Morning
I woke to the familiar sound of Bears chattering away. The grunts and squeaks trickled into my ear from the corner of my room that they have made their home.. Their “home”consists mostly of cushions and pillows they have gathered from around my apartment and stacked up to create one giant Bear bed. The whispers and grunts emanating from the corner of my room were interrupted by the occasional discernible word-”present”;“pink”;“Achan”..
Hmmm..
Next thing I knew I had 4 Bears perched on my chest,staring me in the face. Though small and cute,their completely silent approach was a little startling;not to mention the warm wave of Bear morning breath that hit me as they all started talking at once.. After a bit of Bear language de-coding,I began to understand what all their excitement was about. My girlfriends birthday was coming up,and they wanted to make her a special birthday present! They were planning to take a nice photo of all the Bears having a birthday party for her! What a great idea! We began brainstorming.. They wanted to take the picture in a special setting,similar to Bear #1 and Bear #2′s Christmas and Thanksgiving photos. We decided it would be best if we built a nice “Bear room”for them to have their “birthday party”in. Time to do some building!
Next stop- the crafts store!
The Bears and I all headed down to the arts and crafts store. Once inside,the Bears scattered in all directions. I started looking for the essentials:glue,some cardboard,tape and all other things one might need for such a project. As I walked down the aisles,Bears appeared here and there . Each had a shopping basket bursting with pink fluffy things which they dutifully pushed through the endless maze of stuff. I think they managed to find every pink item that was in that store! Once we had collected all the supplies we might need,we headed home to make the special “scene”for our portrait.
Late night Building party..
The crew of workers
Working hard!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
We carved,cut glued and sewed.. I drank wine- the Bears drank ginger-ale.. We went crazy decorating the Bear house for the photo shoot the next day. We worked like professionals. It was nearly morning by the time we were done! CowBear was the first to pass out. At some point in the night’s activities,he headed over to “Bear corner”and started snoring away on a giant pillow. The Monsieur was next. I knew he would not last much longer when he began singing a delirious version “La Vie en Rose”. Sure enough,before he finished the last verse he was snoring away.. Bear #4 hit the sack soon thereafter.. Bear #3 on the other hand kept on working till the very end. She straightened,dusted and prepared the Bears awesome room for the photo we would take the next day.. Once we were ready for the shoot,Bear #3 passed out in the little room we had spent all night creating.
The early stages...
The next day
We all woke up tired. The Bears were worried about getting their picture taken because they all had puffy faces from lack of sleep. They spent all morning making themselves look good for our photo shoot.. We took some test photos before we brought out the cake!
Notice our special lighting design..
How did it go? Look for yourself! This is the picture we decided on using.
Once we had finished our picture,we had it printed and framed in an awesome blue (had to balance out all the pink) frame. We dressed ourselves nicely for the birthday party,and proudly headed over with our finished present.
Cheese!
The birthday party was amazing. Old friends gathered and celebrated our dear and beloved Achan’s birthday. The Bears looked really cool in the birthday hats we had made the night before. They ate so much cake,I thought they might burst! They didn’t,but they did fall asleep pretty early. Everyone loved the Bears’special birthday picture,and we all agreed it was a true Bear Masterpiece.
Fit to hang in any museum!
A note to our readers: Although our posting has decreased dramatically,we still believe our Bears will find their way home some day. Our lives are filled with the special Bears who live with us now thanks to you good people. Thank you for your continued support,and thank you for loving Bears! We will continue to post our Bear stories as often as we can.
Hello Good people! I am sorry to have been away for so long. I have been working on my solo piano record and it is taking up most all of my time. In a few weeks I will be back to Bear blogging in full force. I have a lot of stories to tell about our new Bear friends,and some to tell about Bear #1 and Bear #2 as well. There will be some sad stories,but some happy ones too! In the meantime,I just wanted to check in and say thank you for reading our bear stories. In my heart I know #1 and #2 will come home some day and join the party with Bear #3,#4,the Monsieur,and cowbear! In the meantime,here are a few pictures I haven’t posted yet of Bear #1 and Bear #2. Be well!
Hello good people! All is well down here at Bear Central. The Bears went through some tough times after Japan’s loss against Paraguay . They were so excited after the glorious win over Denmark that they were sure Japan was going to win the whole tournament! I tried to tell them not to get too excited,but having seen Bear #1 and Bear #2 on TV at the Japan/Cameroon game supporting the Japan team,they were certain of total and absolute victory. Japan played beautifully that day against Paraguay,but they couldn’t manage to score that critical goal.. We looked on with excitement and tension as the game went into penalty kicks. We half expected to see Bear #1 standing on the goal cross bar,waiting to drop down and try to stop any balls that got by Kawashima.. No,the Bears were most likely in the crowd (the VIP section of course),cheering like crazy for The Samurai Blue.
There is no need to recap what happened that day. We all know how it turned out.
After the game,we drank down an extra spicy Bloody Mary,packed up our disappointment,and left the bar. I have never seen these Bears so quiet. Even Monsieur Bear was disappointed. He had temporarily adopted Japan as his favorite team after France’s uneventful showing at the Cup. We walked slowly up the street towards the Conservatory of Music. The early morning commute was underway,and the cars seemed louder and more threatening than usual. The wind came blasting down Van Ness avenue,adding to our discomfort and further weakening our spirits. I wanted to go home and go back to bed,but I had to get some practice time in..
I played sad songs on the piano,while the Bears looked on with that blank look they sometimes get. I guess that’s the way things go sometimes. I feel a Bod Dylan quote would be appropriate here,but I can’t think of the right one…
Sad songs and quiet Bears..
The Bears chose the title for this post because they saw how sad Yuichi Komano was after the game was over. They had me get on the computer and send him a message through his soccer team’s website telling him they thought he was super awesome and to please not feel sad that he missed his kick. Bears know that sometimes bad luck just happens.
We all feel a lot better now that every other team in the Cup has lost as well (except for one of course).. Many of them were heartbreaking finishes for the fans (Ghana vs Uruguay comes to mind),so the Bears want to send their regards to all those fans who felt crummy when their team lost. They decided to take a picture with this beauuutiful Sunflower to post for all the Soccer fans who’s teams didn’t make it. They also want to congratulate Spain on their first ever World Cup victory. Congratulations Spain!
Some Happy News..
It’s not only tears of defeat around here. We also have some tears of joy as we welcome our new Bear friend Cowbear (short for cow-boy-bear)! He is a cute and tiny little bear dressed in an ultra boss cow suit! He sailed across the ocean from Japan to San Francisco in his trusty origami boat! Thank you to our good friend Mariane for helping him navigate his way to our home.
Cowbear sailing in his boat!
Also,we want to thank our awesome friend Boo in Osaka for sending us these cute bobble-head bear keychains. They dance really well and have a little ladybug on their kuma butt! I see potential for a dancing video in the future to showcase the dancing talent of these guys..
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Kuma-san signing off for now. My posts may be less frequent for a month or so because I am preparing for an important recording session in August. Please send me good vibes so that it goes successfully!!
Hello good people! It is world cup time,and down here at Bear central have got the fever! Bear #3 and Bear #4 have been cheering on Japan,while Monsieur Bear has of course been rooting for France. The games have been on at 4:30 am (ouch!),7:00 am,and 11:30 am for us folks out here on the west coast,but that hasn’t stopped us! Bars are opening at 6:00 am to show the games,and a German restaurant in town even opened at 4:00 in the morning to show the Germany/Serbia game! Bear #3 and #4 had been talking for days in advance about the Japan/Cameroon game. They were crazy excited to go watch it. The morning of the game,they woke me up at 5:30 by jumping up and down on my head…Of course they are very soft and lightweight,so I think it took a lot of jumping for them to roust me from my slumber.. After a quick cup of tea,we made ourselves look presentable and jumped on the train,headed for the Mercury lounge to watch the game..
Japan vs Cameroon (Did you see that!?)
We arrived at the bar,and found ourselves a nice corner with a good view of the television. The place was surprisingly crowded for being so early.. We ordered some “breakfast burritos”to share with the Bears and settled in for the game.
We are ready to watch the game!
Monsieur Bear is curious about this so called "Breakfast Burrito"..
ANY CHARACTER HERE
As the teams were coming out onto the field and getting ready to play,Bear #3 started jumping around like a Bear possessed! She whispered something into my girlfriends ear,then ran over to the other Bears and started excitedly talking to them.. I asked my girlfriend what she had said. “She said she just saw Bear #1 and #2 on the field with the Japan team..” “Did you see them?” “No…” I hadn’t seen them either…While I trust Bear #3 (as much as a human can trust a Bear!),I was sure that it was just a hallucination brought on by over excitation and too much candy.. When I suggested this,she shook her head and disappointedly turned back to watch the game.. What a game it was! The whole bar went crazy when Keisuke Honda scored right before the end of the first half (apparently everyone in the bar was rooting for Japan)! We spent half-time talking about how great it would be if Japan won this game.. The Bears pointed out that it would be the first World Cup game Japan ever won away from home- Cool! Even Monsieur Bear was swept up in the festive mood. He was going from table to table congratulating people on the goal,but gently reminding them how France won the World cup in 1998 and what great soccer players the French are in general..
The second half began,and for the rest of the match we were all on edge as Cameroon’s relentless attacks were repeatedly absorbed by Japan’s excellent defense. When the match finally came to a close,we all sprang to our feet to enjoy Japan’s well earned victory! The owner of the bar brought out the champagne (such decadent thrills go hand in hand with early morning football) and we all toasted! As I was talking to my girlfriend,Monsieur Bear sauntered over to us and began to speak (you must imagine his French accent)… ”Monsieur,I believe I have seen our friends as well.. That is to say monsieur,I have just seen z’Bear #1 and Bear #2 on the television cheering in the crowd amongst the Japan fans.. Mon Dieu,it gave me a shock!!”
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Could it be?
Later that afternoon,Bear #3 and Monsieur Bear remained insistent on what they had seen. We all agreed we had better go back and take a closer look at the footage from that game. We all gathered around the computer and watched the broadcast from the beginning. The Bears were crowded around the monitor searching the screen for signs of Bears.. Sure enough,they were right! Here is what we found..
Anything out of the ordinary?
Upon closer examination...
ANY CHARACTER HERE
Yay Japan!
Bears!!!
ANY CHARACTER HERE
I apologized to Bear #3 for not believing her when she had told us about seeing the Bears. She said it was alright as long as we all watched the next Japan game.. At least our Bears are out there having a great time! Good luck to the Japan team! We hope the game against Denmark tomorrow is a victory!!!! Keep your eyes open for any Bears running around on the field,trying to get in on the action. I know Bear #1 always wanted to be a soccer star!
On January 24th,at 11:00 a.m. while at the Bay street 16 movie theatre in Emeryville California,we lost our beloved Bears. They were in a ziplock bag and were dropped somewhere in the lobby of the theatre. We are offering this large reward in order to help spread the word about our missing Bears. It is our hope that the reward will generate enough attention that the right person (the one with our Bears!) will find this site and bring our Bears back home!
Our Youtube Channel
Although we are sad that they are not with us,we are happy and grateful to have the Bear family that we do. We cannot thank you all enough for the encouragement and kindness you have shown us. Bear #3 and #4,Monsieur Bear and little Cowbear have been a great comfort to us,as well as helping us out in our search too! So,I wanted to take this time to thank everyone who has kept with us and supported us this year,as well as the kind folks who sent such lovely new Bears to us. Thank you. 
