jacki long: Day 5060: A Special Dinner & TBT & A Wet Nose.

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Tuesday turned out to be a doubly special day. In the evening I was invited to dinner with the Sakai family at Kagura Tonkatsu Restaurant in Costa Mesa. They specializes in Tonkatsu, which I love. A very popular venue with great revues.

688 Baker Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (714) 760-4728

We each took a picture of our selection.

Mika & Soma both ordered Pork Tonkatsu.

Atomu (Chris's) order, chicken katsu

Taigen's order, Wagyu beef.

I ordered Katsu-don: pork, egg, onions on rice, my favorite.

me, Atomu, Mika, Soma, Taigen

As good as it looks, it tasted even better. But, if I had to pick between the meal or the family, I would pick the family. There is a little history behind us. Atomu, the father, was my student over thirty five years ago, can you imagine? I called him Chris back then, and it usually pops out now too. Chris was a very special student who really exemplified what I hoped for in a student. He was especially adept at help other student learn in his own quiet way. I never knew what he did exactly, but who ever he helped got noticeably better that day. It was amazing. I was sorry to lose him when he started high school, but that is often the case, and I wouldn't want any student to miss out on high school activities.

But, some years ago as I was training at our Honbu Dojo with Demura Sensei, and I was asked if I had met a new adult student, Chris? I looked and said what is your last name? He said Sakai, and I said I know you. He smiled and said you taught me about thirty years ago. And so we got to train together as adults and I was so lucky to be there when he earned his black belt.

But there is more! Chris and his beautiful wife, Mika had two great boys, Taigen and Soma, who were little, and sometimes would come to the dojo and sit quietly as we trained. Sometimes they would read, sometimes they would watch and now they are both jr. red belts, which is our highest rank for juniors. At age 15 they can start all over again working towards a black belt. They are both taller than me and just the nicest young men. I love to be around them. Full circle.

The tiny groove under a dog’s nose, known as the philtrum, really does help keep the nose moist. It helps move moisture from the mouth area toward the nose, which supports the damp surface dogs use to smell more effectively. That part is true. A wet nose matters because scent particles in the air stick better to moisture, making it easier for dogs to pick up smells.

That said, it would be an overstatement to say this groove alone is what gives dogs their incredible sense of smell. The philtrum is only a small part of a much larger system. Dogs are able to smell so well mainly because their noses are built for it. They have far more scent receptors than humans, a powerful scent-processing system in the brain, and specialized structures that help them separate and analyze odors in detail.

So the correct explanation is that the line under a dog’s nose helps channel moisture and may help keep the nose wet, which can improve scent detection. But it is not the main source of a dog’s smelling power. Their amazing ability to detect scents comes mostly from their advanced nasal structure and overall biology. In simple words, the groove helps a little, but the dog’s entire smell system is what makes its nose so powerful.

front: Kim Israelson, Rachel Maher, Raquel Friedman, Cheyenne Lopez, Chloe Brown
back: Lius Perez, Tyler Kerce, Brandon Nomura, Brian, me, Michael Keating.

Some of Costa Mesa Dojo after

Demura Sensei's Kangieko (Cold Weather Training)

Huntington Beach, CA

2001