Nov. 22 - I was a bit disappointed to wake up to rainy weather the other morning. But then I thought that without rain we could not live such comfortable lives. Without water farmers could not grow food, and we could not enjoy our hot evening baths.

As I gazed out the window at the rain, I thought about my many Japanese friends who have told me that Japan is a resource-poor nation. They point out that Japan does not possess reserves of oil, precious metals or rare earths.

But in my hometown in Southern California we recognize that our most important and precious natural resource is water. We understand the importance of water precisely because it is so scarce. Despite our investments in massive aqueducts to transport water from the far-off Colorado River or from Northern California, we are sometimes forced to ration our precious water to ensure sufficient supplies.

Japan, with its abundant year-round rainfall, is rich in the most important natural resource of all. Thinking about this, I became more accepting of the wet weather that morning.

Until next time,

Jim