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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!

Look, over here!

Cheeze!

What the?

Pretty comfortable here...

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..

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!!

World Cup Fever

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"..

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!!”

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...

Yay Japan!

Bears!!!

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!

Hello good people!
First, I would like to thank Jumi and her cute Monchhichi for writing such a nice post on their blog about our sadly still missing Bear #1 and Bear #2. Check it out here! I also want to thank them for the awesome picture they sent for our “bear search photo gallery“. Thanks for the help guys, you rock!
I mentioned in my last post that we had received an email from an old friend of Bear #1 and Bear #2. He was planning a trip to the US and wanted to come stay for a while and hang out with Bear #3 and Bear #4. Ever since I told Bear #3 and Bear #4 about his email, they have been constantly peeking out the window, very excited for their new friend to arrive. They have been studying the French language, using the internet and and old French text book I have left over from my days as a student. They are forever making plans about places they can go and adventures they can have together! Well, to all of our happy surprise…

The Monsieur has arrived!

He is a very charming fellow. He told us his French name is too difficult to pronounce, so he would like us to call him by an nickname of our choosing . I think Monsieur Bear is perfect. It is still a bit French, and easily rolls off the tongue! He loves candy, and is always walking around with a lollipop. Bear #3 finds his endless supply of lollipops most fascinating (she loves candy too), and is always trying to get a taste! We took these pictures just after he arrived. Bear #3 and #4 really liked his letter, and wanted to have their picture taken with it for the blog. I think these Bears are going to get along great together, and we are very grateful to have an old friend of Bear #1 and Bear #2 visiting. We can’t wait to see what adventures unfold!

Bear #3 and #4 with the letter..

#3 is interested in that lollipop!

Even though Bear #1 and Bear #2 are still away from home, this home has gotten a lot happier thanks to Bear #3 and Bear #4 and now The Monsieur!
Our sincere gratitude goes out out to the kind and wonderful persons who have so generously given this happiness to our lives.

More adventures to come!!

Hello good people. All is well down here at Bear central.. Bear #1 and Bear #2 are still missing, but we are sure they must be traveling the world in search of new adventure and delicious food! I’m still working on my piano recordings and making good progress.. Bear #3 and Bear #4 have settled in and are now fully embracing American culture. They have learned all the latest dances (I assume from the internet, because it sure isn’t from me), and are in love with eating cupcakes. While that doesn’t cover all of American culture, we can at least call it the “short list”. Even with their rich cultural experience here, they recently told us that they were feeling a little homesick for Japan. My girlfriend had been thinking about a trip back home as well, so they all three packed their bags and headed home for a little rest and relaxation. I sure wish I could have gone with them!
Judging from the emails I received from them, they had a great time. They send lots of cute pictures and asked me to put them up on the blog. So, here we go!

Bear #3 and #4 off to Tokyo!

Yay! We are going to Japan!!

We have jet-lag! Time for bed!

At The Onsen

"Hey #4, let's go relax in the bath!"

"We are ready!!"

"Oooooh, feels good!"

"This is the good life.."

Happily, they all had a relaxing and fun vacation spending quality time with family and friends. Welcome home guys, I missed you!

In other news..

We recently received an email from a French Bear whom I am calling Monsieur Bear. He is apparently a long time friend of Bear #1 and Bear #2. He explained how he bumped into them while traveling and how they suggested he come visit us here in San Francisco. His letter of introduction also included a photo of him which we all thought was very handsome. We have prepared his room so that he may be comfortable and stay as long as he likes. We are all very excited to meet him (Bear #3 and Bear #4 are learning French from the internet- BONJOOOOOOOUR!)
Here is the picture he sent along..

Until next time.. Au revoir!

Hello good people. Thank you to all of our readers who have stayed with us through our lost Bear ordeal. Four months on, and still no sign of Bear #1 and Bear #2. Some people say that our Bears are probably gone for good, and won’t likely return, but we don’t listen to such talk! We think we had better keep Bear blogging so that one day the person who found our Bears can find our blog! Though we are quickly running out of pictures of our Beloved #1 and #2, we plan to do our best at Bear blogging until our bears make it home. Luckily we have Bear #3 and Bear #4 to keep us company, and to give us more to write about as well! Again, thank you to all of you for the amazing support, it means a lot to us.
Todays post is a story of soup, soccer and how we discovered that Bears love baths.

Soccer

It was another warm day in Tokyo. After all the sightseeing and traveling we had been doing, we decided to spend the day relaxing and enjoying life. While I could never be called a sports fan, I do enjoy watching soccer games now and again. Every world cup, I make it a point to watch as many games as I can at the local pub. I especially enjoy early morning games (my earliest was Argentina vs Germany at 6:00 am!). It is so radically different from my usual routine that it always feels like a very special event. Plus, it gives me a reason to drink beer with breakfast, which feels pretty decadent if you ask me… So, when we found out that there was going to be an important soccer match that afternoon (Japan vs Australia), it sounded like the absolute perfect way to spend the afternoon.
Our criteria in searching for a pub to watch the game at was simple, they needed air conditioning, beer, and a big TV! We found just the place in the Ebisu district. They had a projector with a big screen set up, and they had even pre-sold the best seats to the die hard fans. Awesome! We found a spot and had some good pub grub while we waited for the game to start.
The smell of food brought Bear #1 and Bear #2 out from my bag where they had been having an afternoon nap. They were very excited at the idea of watching the soccer game. Bear #1 showed us his soccer moves by repeatedly kicking a crinkled up paper wrapper off the table and making me go fetch it. He said that if he wasn’t planning on being the first Bear rapper, then he would definitely consider being the first Bear soccer star. I can see him now, running down the field, chasing a giant soccer ball, wearing his jersey with a big #1 on! I am sure he would be a real success! Bear #2 cheered him on by screeching “GOAL!” every time he kicked the paper wrapper off of the table. This encouragement caused him to become progressively more excited until finally he was kicking everything off the table. Beer coasters, sugar packets and toothpicks flew from our table into the surrounding area. His final kick came when he yelled out “Kuma Kick!” (kuma is Bear in Japanese), and with ferocious velocity flew off the table and onto the pub floor.
At that point, the game started and we all turned our attention to the TV. I won’t recap the details of the match, but it was a great time. There were both Japan fans and Australia fans at the bar cheering loudly for their team, yet the environment remained one of celebration and friendly competition. The Bears sat on top of our heads and cheered gleefully. I overheard Bear #2 asking my girlfriend if she would help make her a “soccer skirt” to wear to the next game..

Ooops!

"Ready for soccer!

Soup and the Daredevil!

From there, we met up with our good friends Yuki and Reiko and went to a nearby restaurant for some food. It was one of those restaurants where you can cook at the table, and we ordered some Motsu-nabe (Intestine soup!). By the time the food came, we had all worked up quite an appetite! Bear #1 and Bear #2 were excitedly telling the story of the soccer game while Bear #1 demonstrated his special soccer kick to a semi-captive audience. At this moment everything happened very fast. Bear #1 was sniffing at the soup, excitedly talking about soccer and other indiscernible things that sounded most like grunts and squeaks… Bear #2 was saying how delicious the soup looked. Then it happened. Out of nowhere, Bear #1 ran at the pot of boiling soup and leaped into the air shouting “wheeeeeeeee!”. We all looked on in amazement as Bear #1 flew through the air in slow motion and made a spectacular landing into the boiling soup! A very small splash could be heard throughout the restaurant. We all froze for a moment, not really knowing what had just happened. My girlfriend snatched #1 out of the soup, and whisked him off to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Moments before the leap..

The rest of the meal was rather sedate next to Bear #1’s riotous leap into the soup. When asked why he had done it, he said he couldn’t really remember. I think he was just over excited by the soccer match.. Poor Bear #1!! Bear #2 kept reminding him all night that he smelled like an intestine soup! Later that evening we went to a rooftop bar for a final nightcap. Bear #2 sat on the other side side of the bar because “Bear #1 smells of a soup!”. I heard her telling someone that “Bear #1 just loves to swim in soup..”.
Bear #1 took it all in stride, even teasing himself by parading up and down the bar asking “where is that delicious soup I keep smelling?!”.
Tired from the days events, we said goodnight to our friends and headed for home.

"Sorry #1, but you smell like soup!"

"I still like you #1, even if you do smell of soup."

Bears love Baths!

Later that evening, we gave Bear #1 a bubble bath to try and get rid of the smell. Bear #2 saw how much fun he was having and insisted on a bath as well since she had been sitting so close to him the whole way home. And that, dear friends is how we discovered that Bears love baths!

Bear #3 and #4 say hi. They have a new cute photo in the “Bear search photo-gallery. You can see it here!
Until next time…
Kuma-san

Hello Good people! Life is good down here at Bear Central (aside from our still missing Bears of course). Bear #3 and Bear #4 have become well adjusted to life here in the United States. They seem to have quite an appetite for delicious snacks, and their late night movie watching shows no sign of cessation. They have had some great ideas for a new Bear movie that we could make with them as the stars! It is a pretty ambitious idea they came up with, so I am not sure when I will get around to it. I think after I finish the project I am working on, it could be a nice break…
On to today’s post!

Mysterious Charges..

What’s all this? Well, recently some strange charges have started appearing on our credit card.. The origin? You guessed it- the UK. We logically assumed it was just a petty crook who had gotten their hands on our credit card number, so we canceled the card- case closed. All was well, but after a couple days our creative brains got hold of this story, and started spinning out it’s own version of how these curious charges came to be…

More Fish and Chips please!

I think I mentioned in a previous post how Bear #1 and Bear #2 liked to order things off the internet; anything from several pounds of raw fish, to ballet tickets (they like the Nutcracker a lot). The procedure went something like this.. Bear #2 being more numerically inclined, would read off our credit card information to Bear #1 who hopped, skipped and tripped from key to computer key doing his best to input the information. This practice would sometimes take them all day. After all, it is probably pretty difficult to perform a sequence of sixteen perfect hops across a computer keyboard. I can imagine Bear #2’s voice, “No, you missed that last one.. Deeeeleeeete #1! That was Return! OOOOpps sorry! Start over..” I would come home and Bear #1 would be snoring away on a pillow several times larger than he, thoroughly exhausted from this not so fun version of Dance Dance Revolution .
Anyway, these unknown charges got us thinking that maybe our Bears were at it again, only this time they were spending our money in Britain!

I can see them now, walking the London streets, stopping into the pub for some snacks after a long day of sight seeing. Bear #1 is probably searching for the best fish and chips in town, always asking for extra tartar sauce and lots of malt vinegar! Bear #2 probably went to see the beeeeeeautiful crown jewels and is having tea every afternoon with the Queen. “Well you know Queen, we Bears understand..”
Then there is Paddington station. They probably go there every morning and ask all the commuters where they can find that big Bear wearing the blue coat and cool hat.
Then they walk the High street visiting boutiques and fancy shops in search of gourmet snack and exotic sweets. “Charge it!” they squeak out in unison..
Oh sweet Bears, if we were sure it was you spending our money we would gladly fund your extravagant ventures. Besides, we know you are resourceful and generally self sufficient- you are Bears! Go out and show them who is Boss!
Come home soon Bears- we miss you.
Bear #3 and #4 say hi!

Here are some more cute pictures of Bear #1 and #2 in Japan last summer.

What's in the bag?

Hello Good people!  All is well over here at Bear central. Bear #3 and Bear #4 are having a great time learning all about American culture and especially Bay Area cuisine!  We are getting to know these sweet Bears little by little and are loving every minute of it.

I want to say a special hello to our friends Reiko and Yuki in Japan! We miss you guys, and hope to come say hi sometime soon. We are doing great aside from losing our Bears..

Recently we received an email from a fellow Bear sympathizer explaining a new law regarding Bear hunting ( Noooo!) in California. It appears The California Dept. of Fish & Game is trying to remove the cap on the number of Bears that can be killed during Bear hunting season. There are lots of other nasty details, but it sounds pretty bleak for the Bears if you ask me..  After reading this, we thought of our own dear Bears and how they would feel about such a law..  On more than one occasion I came home to find them at the computer writing a letter to someone or other- Bear #2 standing on the desk, directing #1 which key to jump on next. It was quite a painstaking process for them, but they loved it. They even had their own font that they liked to use. Granted, they were usually trying to order large volumes of fresh Salmon from some fishery (on my credit card), but they did occasionally  send letters to public figures regarding contemporary events.. Actually, before our dreaded trip to see Avatar, the Bears insisted on writing to James Cameron to ask him to make 3-D glasses in Bear size so they could watch the special effects too.. He never replied, so they decided that if they watched it with one eye closed it would work just as well..

Anyhow, that is what they would do; they would write a letter. I have read enough letters written by the Bears to guess what they would say, so I sat down and wrote a letter to the California Dept. of Fish & Game. Bear #3 and #4 were encouraging me the whole while, dancing on my head and singing strange guttural sounding Bear songs to keep me going.. Here is the letter reproduced in all it’s glory!

We sent this off along with a cute picture of the Bears.. I think that the “public comment” period is officially over, but I figure it can’t hurt. It feels good to represent the Bears; I know it would make them happy. If you want to read more about this Bear hunting issue  or get involved, try here and here..

Until next time..

We wish you happiness.