Tokyo Sky Tree

I stayed in Tokyo on the day of the college reunion party. Then, the next day, I went to "Tokyo Sky Tree" with three former photography club members who had come to the party.

"Tokyo Sky Tree" is now under construction in Sumida Ward, located about 1km east of Asakusa, Tokyo.

It will be completed in 2011. The height of the tower is said to become 634m and will be the world's tallest.

According to the notification showed at the construction site, the tower was a little shorter than 200m when we visited.

Even it was one-third of the final height, its huge skirts of the building impressed us very much.

Many tourists were posing before the tower to be taken a picture.

Mr. Yamamoto (center) and Mr. Nakahigashi (right) in the subway.

College Reunion Party

After walking together with Michel and Keita to the area near Utsunomiya station, I hopped on a train heading to Tokyo to join a reunion party of college photography club.




I was a member of photography club in my college.
It was five years ago that the club reunion party was held last time.

Twenty people gathered to the party that was held in Ochanomiz. One of campuses of my alma mater is located in Ochanomizu about a five-minute train ride from Tokyo station.

Most people joined the party had come to the party five years ago. They looked far different from they looked in college days, but amazingly not changed from five years ago.

To think about their characters, either good or strange, I felt that most of them had not lost their own characters that they had in their youth, even about thirty years had passed.

I met some of the members for the first time at the party.

I was very happy that I could talk with those who were once in the same college photography club and never talked with in my adolescence, since they had already graduated before I entered the college.

We were really enjoyed eating, drinking, talking, laughing, singing, exchanging ideas and, of course, taking pictures at the party.

We all promised to keep our health good and have a party five years later again.

Michel and Keita Come My Home.

My friend Michel and his son Keita who live in Canada have come home for the first time since one and half year ago. They are staying in his wife’s parents’ home in Tochigi and their one-month-trip will end in few more days.

They’ve traveled from Nikko, Gifu, Nara, Osaka and many places in Japan, I heard.

I really envied both his energy to go such many places in Japan and being able to take four weeks off from his work.

In my case, I made trips in Japan to Tochigi, Tokyo and my hometown Shimane. Those were my only destinations of traveling in Japan for the past several years.

My wife Kiyono and two children Emi, Rina and I, all enjoyed talking with Michel and were happy to see Keita becoming such a cheerful nice boy.

Tennis Tournament

We won the beginner’s level of Mohka Tennis Club Tournament title last week.

Our team consists of five members, 5th grade of elementary school student Takeru, freshman of junior high student Hikaru, third grade of junior high Rina, Takeru’s mam and I.

We got the certificate of the winner and small gifts.

Though Takeru and Hikaru, already taller than my daughter Rina, are quite young, they played tennis very well. I thought they were very prospective.

We were very happy both getting the tile and being able to enjoy playing tennis in the tennis court located in such a beautiful autumn forest.

My Wife's Birthday

My wife Kiyono became forty three years old two days ago on October 17.  I gave a red rose to her on the day.

I usually play tennis on the top of the building on Saturday afternoon. After finishing the tennis, I went to a flower shop located on the basement floor in the same building and bought it.

I don’t think I’m such a romanticist as a guy who buys 43 roses to his wife. But even it is only one rose, it can brighten and change atmosphere of our small condominium.

Our rabbit was watching the rose enviously for a long time.

Hot Spring and Table Tennis

I went to a spa located half an hour drive away from my home with my family. It was the first time since we had been there exactly one year before.

When my children were smaller, to be exact , early elementary school kids, we often went to various hot springs in Tochigi or even Ibaraki prefecture. At times, it took us more than a few hours driving.

But now, we don't go to spas so often as my daughters have their own pastimes and want to spend holidays for their own ways.

Anyway, I relaxed and refreshed myself in the outdoor hot spring, watching colored leaves of the trees in the twilight for long time.

The hot spring resort has table tennis equipments for free; it's quite common in Japan. Every time we go there, we make it a rule to play table tennis together before bathing.

Indian Restaurant in My Town

We moved here in Utsunomiya from Tokyo about thirteen years ago. In the year we moved, every weekend, curiosity made me walking various places in the city. Seeing those places, like parks, shops and restaurants were really exciting memory.

I found a small Indian restaurant ‘Taj Mahal’ near my condominium at that time. I have been thinking that I will go there some day next time. For more than ten years, I’ve never been to the restaurant.

Finally, I went to the restaurant with my wife for lunch last week. Needless to say the delicious authentic dishes, everything in the restaurant, music, displays and its atmosphere, were very nice.

I promise you also have a wonderful moment while having fine Indian cuisine there.

My Hometown Matsue

I uploaded a new video on YouTube. I made the video spending my spare time for about one week. I like it. Please take a look. (^^)

Kuri Gohan / Autumnal Equinox Day

September 23, it's Autumnal Equinox Day today and Japanese national holiday.

My tennis friend, Mr. Kobayashi gave me dozens of chestnuts the day before yesterday.
So, I cooked Kuri Gohan or 'boiled rice with chestnuts' with my wife Kiyono.

I had bought peeled chestnuts when I cooked Kuri Gohan last time. But this time, chestnuts wore hard skin.
Though it took longer time for preparing or peeling chestnuts' skin, cooking delicious food was fun to me.

My family members all enjoyed the beginning of the autumn season by eating autumn delight.

The recipe of Kuri Gohan

Peel the chestnuts.

Cut some vegetables.

Rinse four cups of rice.

Put them into a rice cooker with water.

Put some soy sauce, sugar and one spoon of liquor.

Turn the cooker's switch ON.

Wait for about an hour.

Then, yummy Kuri Gohan will be ready.

Business Trip to Mizonokuchi

I went to CANON Mizonokuchi Training Center for taking lectures of management skills last Wednesday and Thursday.
The lectures were, to say the least, not exciting nor interesting to me, but I could have been able to refresh myself by forgetting about daily routines.
It was a crispy sunny day on Wednesday. I took pictures near the Training Center at the afternoon break, as I did when I went there three years ago.
I walked along a small stream, looking flowers and butterflies for ten to fifteen minutes.

The view from the 7th floor of the Training Center

Miami Little Habana/Havana

The final part of our trip to Florida, 2009 is visiting a downtown in Miami.
To tell the truth, I hadn't expected much for the Miami downtown, but Little Havana was a really wonderful town worth visiting.

Southwest 8th street or Calle Ochos is a Little Havana’s main street.

Once you go to Calle Ochos, you almost feel like you've been transported to a Hispanic and Caribbean culture island.

It is said that, since the Revolution, more than 300.000 Cubans have emigrated in Miami area.

You can hear Cuban music from colourful stores and restaurants. There are Cuban grocery stores where you can buy not only local foods and tropical drinks but also hand rolled cigars.

I drank a cup of coffee in a souvenir shop: the taste was strong and too sweet for my wife Kiyono, but it was very nice for me.

The Maximo Gomez Park (or Domino Park) is where the older generation of Cubans meets to play dominoes.

Local farmers opened a tropical fruits shop at the street.

Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum

I visited the Ernest Hemingway House with my family in Key West, Florida in early April this year.
The Hemingway Home & Museum is located near a prominent lighthouse close to the Southern coast of the island.
It's a wonderful crisp sunny day for both driving 129 miles (207 km) from Miami and visiting several tourists' spots there.

We joined a guide tour in the museum.

I've never met Ernest Hemingway before, of course, but my image of him was very close to the tour guide himself.

The way of his explanation of Ernest and the stories of the site were worth the admission fees.

Key West was one of the top priority places in my trip to Florida.
We enjoyed great views while driving and visiting the beautiful Key West island very much.

Tennis Tournament in Kiyohara Industrial Park

I took part in the Kiyohara Industrial Park Tennis Tournament yesterday. The tournament this year is different from the past ones in several points.

First, it is usually held on the first Saturday in September, but it's held in August this year.

Our company, CANON offers part of employees to take promotional examinations on the first Saturday in September. One of my tennis friends had been unable to participate in the tournament because he should take the exams. I was happy to ask him to attend the tournament this year.

Second, my closest tennis friend Mr. Ogata was transferred to Tokyo Head Office in the end of August. Our branch has been targeted to reduce the number of employees as a part of our company's slim down policy to fight against the world wide economic recession. I feel sad that we have to compete the tournament without him this year.

The result was that we became a runner-up. We won the tournament two years ago, but all three doubles teams were defeated by the winner's three teams at the final this year.

We promised to win next year.

After coming back home, my wife advised me that the shorted way to win the tournament next year is to ask the winner's team to become one of their members, lol.

"Robert Is Here Fruit Stand" in Florida

For visiting the Everglades National Park, we stayed three nights in Homestead, Florida in early April.
It took a couple of hours from our hotel to Whitewater Bay area of the Everglades where wild dolphins were living.
On our way to the park, we found a cozy fruits shop called “Robert Is Here Fruit Stand.”

They offer various tropical fruits, vegetables and milkshakes made from their fruits. We had a cup of Canestel or egg fruit milkshake which was completely unfamiliar to us. The taste was very nice: I promise you can enjoy it!

They also featured a mini petting zoo where there were emus, donkeys, goats, parrots, ducks, chickens, geese, tortoises and more. Amazingly they lived in the same area together! The staff members were feeding animals with fresh tomatoes and watermelons there.