the other day this little frog was hanging out on one of the trees in our garden. this little tree is one of five, four of which yoshi bought, and one that was given to us by the real estate agency. i don't like these trees, i think they're ugly. they're very popular as hedges here in japan, but you have to plant two (or more) close together to make them substantial. the name of these trees roughly translates as 'fire prevention tree', so i guess they don't burn well, and that's a good thing to put around your house, but i don't like their scrawny nature and red leaves.

so imagine my displeasure when yoshi told me (during our trip to oita) that his parents bought *50* of these trees to plant in *our* garden. just another reminder that it's not my house, not my garden. *sigh*