Tennis Tournament and Foggy Morning View from My Condominium

I took part in the Kiyohara Singles Tennis Tournament with my five tennis friends today. The result was terrible. I got beaten in the first round and other two guys did the same.

While thinking why I got beaten and how I had to cope with the opponent, I left the tennis courts before knowing the results of the rest of my friends’ matches.

Spending much time in practicing, I know, could be an answer but It’s not so simple for me. 

Spending too much time in practicing means, at my age, injuries of knees, shoulders or elbows. 

How should I practice effectively within a limited time?  That’s the key.

Maybe, … I haven’t had enough pieces of advice since my tennis club had closed almost two years ago.

I may have to find a good tennis coach or should ask a lot of advice from well-skilled players.

That could be an answer in my case, couldn't be? 

I have decided myself to ask advice from now on. 

The 25th Utsunomiya Marathon

Rina and 351 female runners took part in the 5 km women's long distance race of the 25th Utsunomiya Marathon at Kiyohara Industrial Park (K.I.P.) today.
She won the race.
The Utsunomiya Marathon holds 2 km, 3 km, 5 km, 10 km and 21.1 km races for both men and women.
Congrats Rina! Great job. I'm proud of you!

To tell you the truth, I didn't go to K.I.P. to watch her running. I practiced playing tennis as usual. My wife Kiyono went to Tokyo to meet her parents and elder daughter Emi.
I guess that her two friends, one of them finished 3rd, and her field and track club coach of her high school watched the prize awarding ceremony.

I wish I could have seen the ceremony.

Kikusui-Sai Festival

The other day, I happened to meet an autumn festival called Kikushui-Sai near my condominium. I’ve lived in Utsunomiya city for more than fifteen years, but it’s the first time for me to see the splendid autumn festival.

Many people wearing traditional samurai clothes marched with horses in the central Utsunomiya city. It’s very beautiful and they held mind boggling Yabusame practices.


Yabusame is a traditional Japanese mounted archery in which an archer on a running horse shoots wooden targets.


Why haven’t I seen the festival for years?

Twenty Roses

November 3rd ,three days ago, came to us a bit different from usual year, with this year marking our 20th wedding anniversary.

I married Kiyono at a small church in Chiba prefecture on the national holiday(Culture day in Japan), November 3rd  in 1991.
It’s not too long ago, just twenty years or two decades ago.

We had a party to cerebrate the anniversary at a small restaurant called ‘AG Café’ on the top of a hill viewing Utsunomiya city.
On our way back home, we dropped in a local flower shop and bought big size red roses.

How will 30th anniversary come to us? What will I be thinking of? Where or which country shall we live in?

Maybe, I don’t know. The answer is blowing in the wind.