Flowers Blooming By The Roadside

It’s still in the middle of the rainy season in Tochigi prefecture.

I think it takes more two to three weeks before we have hot summer days.

Even these sultry rainy days, just short walking near my home brought me a nice discovery or tiny flowers blooming by the roadside.

Poppy Field

The local meteorological agency declared last week that this year’s rainy season in Tochigi prefecture had started.

It was sunny and sultry day today.

I went to a poppy field located northern part of Utsunomiya city with Rina today.
It took us about thirty minutes by car.

The top season of the flowers seemed to have passed, but still we could enjoy seeing colorful flowers.

After coming back home, Rina immediately went to a shopping mall alone to buy her favorite serial comic book scheduled to sell today and a small father’s day present to me.

The present was frozen sweets. That was delicious. Thanks Rina.

But, the main reason she instantly left home for the shopping mall was, doubtlessly, the comic book … lol

Rain, Rain and Rain

We had another rainy Sunday today in Tochigi area.
I know this rainy season is necessary for the plants in Japan. But, I always wish the sky would clear at least for Sunday and Saturday so that I could enjoy biking around.

I upload photos of hydrangea flowers that I took last week because I stayed home all day long today. Those flowers are blooming only few blocks away from my home.

Tomorrow is the last day of the first half of the year 2008. Time really flies quickly. Sigh.

Rainy Season and Hydrangea

I got up late today on Sunday. It’s been raining since last evening in Utsunomiya. I booked company’s tennis court but it’s impossible to play in the rain today.

Here we are in the middle of the rainy season in Kanto area.
I did nothing special today except taking a walk nearby my condominium with an umbrella.

Flowers of hydrangea are blooming beautifully in several places, a public park, a private house yard and corners of streets.
Hydrangea suits very well with rainy Utsunomiya city.

Even In the Rainy Season...

It’s drizzling in the morning. A bunch of morning glory in the balcony keeps growing in the rain. Its vine has grown more than one meter so for.
I planed to play tennis with my colleagues, Yuzu Tennis members and my drinking friend Anthony at my company’s tennis courts. But, due to the bad weather, I had to cancel the plan. I sent cancellation mail to my friends in the early morning.
After that, the drizzle had stopped and the weather turned better. The feeling I wanted to play tennis grew bigger and bigger, then I asked Ms. Kaneda if they play tennis at indoor tennis courts or better condition outdoor courts today. My company’s courts are next to tall trees, so once it rains it takes a whole day to dry up the surface.
My goodness, she answered YES. So, I called Anthony again and rushed to join Mr. and Ms. Kaneda’s group or Smile Tennis Team. Thanks Mr. and Ms. Kaneda very much again! We had a wonderful Sunday.
I knew that Anthony kept practicing tennis for long years, but it was the first time to play tennis with him. His shots are pretty fast. He hits a ball with a small quick motion. His play style is rare among my friends. Sometimes, he loses the game by missed shots. I think that it's because he doesn’t practice regular basis after coming to Japan. If he keeps practicing regularly, he’ll become far strong a player than he is now.
Right: Anthony

Rain, Rain, Rain...Business Trip to Tokyo

I went to Tokyo on business yesterday and the day before yesterday. I attended a seminar of software development: that is about the standard of communication protocol between semiconductor production equipment. Learning new things is always fun to me and gives me power.

I’m working as a system engineer in my company. I had been in charge of a new project that would be completed in early 2008. But it was discontinued, judged by company’s top executives few months ago. It was sad not only for me but also for other members. Though, thanks to the cancellation of the project, I’m able to spend my working time more for learning, doing research and writing patents at my discretion.

Anyway, after the two-day-long fruitful lectures, I went to a photo gallery in Shinjuku one day and bookstores in Ochanomizu the other day. Those two towns are among my most favorites.
I took several pictures of rainy Tokyo.

A Bud of Morning Glory

I live on the 4th floor of a condo having a small balcony, where I keep several flowerpots. I can’t say I have green fingers, though I can grow plants all the year around: I love to see flowers there no matter how small and shabby they may be. Every year in this rainy season, morning glories put out their buds even I haven’t seeded at all. It’s really surprising. They have grown bigger and bigger as if they grow by 1cm per night since few weeks ago.

Morning glories have funnel-shaped flowers, open them in the morning. The flowers usually start to fade a couple of hours, last for a single morning and die in the afternoon.
New flowers bloom in each morning.

They’ll not only have beautiful flowers, but also have excellent vines for creating summer shade on the fence of our balcony.
I can’t wait for the clear blue sky summer and beautiful flowers in my balcony.

I promise every visitor on this site see pictures of beautiful flowers in August!

Clear Sky in the Middle of the Rainy Season

Meteorological Agency said last Thursday that Kanto area had been in rainy season.
Ironically, it has been fine since then. Thanks to the good weather, I played tennis yesterday with Yuzu Tennis members as usual and today with Smile Tennis Team members. It was the first time for me to play with Smile Tennis Team members.
One of my Yuzu Tennis members introduced me to Smile Tennis Team. Thanks Ms Kaneda! I enjoyed a lot today.

I felt somehow nostalgic when I found an azalea flower falling nearby the court. It’s the end of the spring.

Most of Yuzu Tennis members are very young. It is safe to say that more than half of them are high school students or younger kids. They like a powerful play style.
On the contrary, most of Smile Tennis Team members are senior. Some are already retired and the others are few years to their retirement. They rather enjoy the atmosphere of playing tennis and a conversation of their daily happenings than playing tennis itself.

My backache has almost gone but not perfectly. So, the play style of Smile Tennis Team is better to me right now than that of Yuzu Tennis.