I’m so stupid, which caused me to do an emergency visit to the embassy today. Had to renew my passport, which expired in January. Hopefully the passport will be arriving in time for our trip to Hawaii in a while.
Emergency Visit
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Tag Archives: Swedish Embassy
Sweden Day
Chie and I went to the Swedish Embassy around 2 pm. There we met Mina-sensei and we enjoyed the Sweden Day. It was a combination of celebrating the Swedish National Day and some event where Swedish companies presents there products and services. Though I think the only criteria was that you somehow was related to Sweden as there was a Japanese company and Finn Air, which I am pretty sure had not been there if it has been in the middle of Hockey World Cup instead of June as now.
We spent a couple of hours walking around watching the different companyies’ booths, had some hot dogs, watched some Swedish folk dans around a mid-summer pole and other typical things you do in Sweden around the Swedish National Day (and mid-summer).
Just before we were about to leave Chie wanted to have another look inside so she and Mina-sensei went inside while I waited outside. Soon she came out all excited and dragged me into the embassy. And there he was. The Swedish King Carl Gustaf. I took some poor photos, but at one time he passed me less than a meter away, turned his face and looked me straight in the face… But I did not have the paparazzi in me to shoot him in the face with my iPhone. So you just have to believe me that it is him on these pictures 🙂
Oh, in the excitement of writing of our encounter with the Swedish Royal blood, I almost forgot the Swedish folk dancers… They were full blood Japanese 🙂 I was somewhat strange to see two small Japanese people dressed in Swedish folk dresses dancing Swedish folk dance to Swedish folk music in Japan.
Once we had got our folk dance and Royal sweet tooth satisfied we went back to Naka-Meguro for dinner.
Almost a Month…
It’s been almost a month since I updated the blog. Not much have happened. A lot of work and evenings spent in the gym or having dinner with Chie. Yes, I finally feel good enough to do some serious gym time, though time is still not enough to go as often as I would like to. The sessions with Ara-san at Serendipity Bodywork have payed off and I can finally do some serious running of more than 45 minutes without my calfs going to stone.
Next week I will be in Beijing, though it will be a short week only – leaving Monday noon and back on Thursday afternoon. That’s enough.
Today we will visit the Swedish Embassy here in Tokyo to celebrate the Swedish National Day… Yeah, a few days early but June 6 is a workday. There is a rumor that the Swedish King will visit, but we’ll see about that. Chie has anyway rehearsed what to say… “Hej, Hej” and if his Majesty replies… “Jag föstÃ¥r inte” so she will probably charm him to death 🙂
My tea ceremony teacher will also join us. And afterwards we will have dinner together at Yodakimbo. Looking forward to the dinner more than potentially meeting the king.
A Visit to the Swedish Embassy
This morning I got an email and an automatic phone call from the Swedish Foreign Ministry telling me that the Swedish Radiation Safety Agency recommended all Swedes within a radius of 250 km from Fukushima #1 to take iodine pills. And if you could not get hold of it they were provided by the embassy.
So better safe than sorry, I got on my bike to Meguro station from where I took the Namboku line to Roppongi-Ichome. While I was riding the subway cell-phones suddenly started to beep in the cart. And the train stopped with the driver explaining that we stopped because of an earthquake. My first while in the subway, though I could feel nothing.
Arriving at Roppongi-Ichome I have to pass through a garden terrace before I could get to the embassy. A plum tree was in full bloom looking like a pink lollipop 🙂
In difference to the US Embassy almost next doors the Swedish Embassy has no guards and is always open. The only person there was a single guy sitting behind glass in the reception. I showed him my passport and I got 10 iodine pills.
Then I went home. Stopping only at Tokyu Store to buy water and strawberries, and then a final stop to get a haircut.
Hip, Hip Hurray for Sweden
It seems we started to celebrate the National Day in Sweden on June 6 in the beginning of the 20th century, in honor of the election of King Gustav Vasa on June 6 1523.
Some other important events have also taken place on June 6, such as:
- the succession of Christina by her cousin Charles X of Sweden (maybe related to X-men but I am not sure ;-)) in 1654
- new instrument of government, which restores political power to Riksdag of the estate, in 1809
- Sophia of Nassau marries the Sweden-Norway king to be Oscar II in 1857
- new instrument of government , which makes Sweden constitutional monarchy in 1974.
And this year Chie and Johan sneaked into the ambassador’s private apartment 😛 Don’t tell anyone but we did. And then we had to sneak out the back door when he was returning.
After that little adventure we found a few friends, most of them working at sony Ericsson. Except for Jean and Oliver. Jean though is married to Mats, who works at Sony Ericsson. And Oliver has a father that works at Sony Ericsson and is named Mats. So pretty much everyone was somewhat related to Sony Ericsson, including Björn, BA, Chie and me.
We had a Swedish bento with meat balls (of course), daim and ballerina, and some other stuff too. Chie used her charm to get all the daims from everyone. I just got one ballerina cookie which was not a ballerina cookie because it was jam instead of chocolate 🙁
We also had time to play with Oliver. Driving his toy cars. Or just running around.
The others were mainly talking or showing of for the camera 😉
