Haru Ichiban / Year's First Warm Gales

The Meteorological Agency announced that the wind we had yesterday was Haru Ichiban or the year's first warm gales. It indicates the arrival of spring.
I feel happy that the warm spring will come soon and that I will be able to enjoy the scenery of spring flowers.
Because we went to the United States in the top season of cherry blossoms last year, I could not see the most beautiful part of Utsunomiya city last year. I’m really looking forward to seeing and taking pictures of cherry blossoms this year.

I played tennis in a very strong wind yesterday. I had been suffering from my right wrist pain for few months, but now it has almost disappeared. Even in the strong wind, I have to thank God for being able to play tennis without pain.

I show you pictures of flowers in Igashira park near my favorite tennis court. I took those pictures two to three years ago.
Please clock here.
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Construction of a New Condominium Starts

We had a very noisy day from morning till late evening on the last Saturday. Since, construction workers began building a new condominium across our home. We are living on the 4th flour in a condo. I heard that the new condo would be a 14 stories building. Currently, we have enough sunlight but I am afraid we will not be able to have enough of it.
My company subsidizes employees’ housing cost up to 90 percent for 15 years. I have been working for my current company, CANON since 11 years ago. So, I have more 4 years being able to get subsidy from the company.
I am thinking to move for a nicer place in 4 years. I understand that buying a house is not an easy work, so I decided to look for new places if I have a chance.
Living in Utsunomiya is the highest possible choice, because my office is in Utsunomiya. But I think it’s better to look for a variety of places including Tokyo, Omiya and Oyama.
It must take a very long time to decide where and which type of house we will live in.

National Foundation Day

It’s National Foundation Day today in Japan, commemorating the founding of the nation. I’ve had a three-day holiday since last Saturday. It snowed on Saturday and Sunday. So, I wasn’t able to play tennis this weekend. I spent this holiday, firstly, on making a video featuring shrines in Shimane prefecture.
Please take a look.



It was a sunny and calm day today. I went to see a nearby newly built condominium for just viewing the scenery from the height. It was fun. Though I don’t have any plans to buy it, the salesman explained about the condo in detail to us.
I show you some pictures I took there.

It Snowed in Utsunomiya

It snowed heavily in Utsunomiya today, for the first time since last winter. It is not so cold that the snow melted in a short time.

I go to my office by bike everyday. Riding a bike and seeing natural scenery while going to my office are fun to me. But, how do I go to my office if it snows again tomorrow morning?
Whether I go by bike, bus or car, I have to get up and leave earlier than usual.
When it is in summer I miss winter. I like skiing but I don’t hope it snows on weekdays.

I go to bed earlier… good night. (-_-) zzz

Ekiden Race in Tochigi Prefecture

The Tochigi Ekiden race was held today.
An Ekiden, usually referred to as a marathon relay, is a long-distance road race relay. Twenty-seven teams took part in the race. They ran between Utsunomiya city and Tochigi city about thirty kilometers distance.

Each team has ten members including junior high students, high school students, college students and office workers, both men and women. Those team members were chosen by local cities in Tochigi prefecture.

My younger daughter Rina had been chosen as a reserve member of the Utsunoiya city team and practiced for the race several times.
Rina got up early today and went to the 7th part of the racing course. Two hours after Rina left home, I went to the starting place, Tochigi prefectural office.
First runners of the race were female junior high school students. They ran so fast that I could take only 10 seconds video and two pictures.
Rina told me that she wanted to be chosen as a regular team member, not a reserve.
I hope someday her dream will come true.

Day of Taking a Rest

I have spent this weekend just relaxing. I stayed home all day long today. One thing I did today is downloading a “.gif file editor” and made several animation files with pictures I took these days. I wanted to show some of them, but the quality is not good enough to show. So, I can't show you.
It’s totally unproductive day today.

I’ve been suffering from wrist pain since the end of last December. I twisted while playing tennis at the local tennis tournament.
I think today is a good rest for me.
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Five Fact Tag Game on YouTube

There is a “Five Fact Tag Game” or a “Random 5 Facts Game” on YouTube.
It’s like a video chain mail.
The rule is simple.
If you have been tagged or asked by someone, you are supposed to say five random facts about yourself on a video. Then, you upload the video on YouTube. When making a video or after uploading the video, you tag or ask five more people. If you don’t want to do it, it’s OK not to accept it. The game does not have a malicious intention.
I got tagged about ten days ago. I accepted it and made a video yesterday. It was my first attempt to make a video of myself.
It was tough job but I enjoyed making it. Please take a look.

2008 New Year's Card

I had made three 2008 New Year's Cards last month and sent them by mail.
Please take a look. :-)

#1
Up, Left: Emi wears Yukata.
Up, 2nd from the left: Rina attends truck and field competitions.
Up, 3rd from the left: Emi is in Nara on Junior High excursion.
Up, Right: Rina plays tennis.
Down: Monument Valley in Arizona.


#2
Down, Left: Grand Canyon, Arizona.
Down, Right: Disney Land, Anaheim.


#3
Down, Left: Moqui Dugway, Utah.
Down, Right: Rina attends a Junior High Entrance Ceremony.

Happy New Year! From Utsunomiya

A Happy New Year.
How do you guys spend your holidays? I have stayed in Utsunomiya and been relaxed since Dec. 29, 2007. I sleep more than eight hours a day, eat a lot of junk foods and spend long hours lazily.

I usually go on a trip if I have enough days off. Why have I stayed home during this vacation?
Since Emi, one of my daughters, has to take an entrance exam to a high school on this coming January 6th. For preparing the entrance exam, she has classes in a cram school during this winter vacation except January 1st.

One of my colleagues from Osaka who has a son of the same age also spends this holiday season in Utsunomiya because of his son’s entrance exam. Many Japanese spend New Year's holiday in their hometown, but most families having examinee(s) are the exceptions.

On January 1st, the day Emi didn’t have a class, we went to Fukudaya department store to buy Fukubukuro (Japanese: 福袋, lucky bag, mystery bag).
Buying Fukubukuro is a Japanese New Year's Day custom. Shop owners make bags filled with random contents and sell them for a substantial discount, usually 50% or more of the list price of the items. My family members except me like buying Fukubukuro very much. Buying Fukubukuro was the only pastime of this New Year’s vacation for them, especially for Emi.

Today, on January second, I went to a gym to exercise and to attend a Yoga lesson. It was good for my loosened body. I check my weight and found myself 2 Kg heavier than usual. I’ll resume working on January 8th. I may gain more if I continue spending days without any exercise. lol

Emperor's birthday / Christmas Eve

December 23 is the national holiday to celebrate the present Emperor's birthday. The day fell on Sunday this year. So, the next Monday has turned to a holiday today.

I again prepared New Year’s postcards spending for a whole day. Choosing pictures, fixing layouts on PC and refilling color ink in the printer ink cartridge were all tough but interesting seasonal works to me. It takes few more hours to print out all one hundred cards.

I don’t upload 2008 New Year’s postcard lest I spoil those who are waiting for it. So, instead the card pictures, I upload our pet or a bunny rabbit video. Please enjoy watching it.

New Year’s postcards

The time I should prepare New Year’s postcards has come.
Most Japanese have a custom of sending them to their friends and relatives. This is similar to the Western practice of exchanging Christmas cards.

The post office guarantees to deliver the greeting postcards on the first of January if they are posted within the time limit, from December 15th to 24th.

I have made it a rule to send those postcards printed with family pictures since I got married. I heard some of my friends were looking forward to receiving a New Year’s postcard with our family pictures every year. I’m glad to hear such comments.

Today, I looked into the year 2007 pictures’ folder of my PC to select appropriate pictures for the New Year’s postcards. I haven’t decided what pictures I would use yet. I have one more weekend before the due day. I can spend hectic but exciting season to design the postcard for waiting everyone.

I show you the year 2007 New Year’s postcard.

It says, "I wish you a Happy New Year" in Japanese.

Igashira Park in Mohka

I attended a tennis tournament again last Sunday. The tennis court is located next to a big park, called Igashira Kouen. It was held at the same place as I attended two months ago.
After being defeated at the quarterfinal, I walked around the pond alone and took pictures of the blue sky, colored leaves and birds. I upload a few pictures of the beautiful scenery of the park instead of those of tennis matches this time. :-)

Sunny Day in the Park.

When I was taking a picture of my daughter Emi and bunny rabbit Nobi, a scene of a couple talking each other caught my eyes. They looked so happy that I wanted to take a few pictures of them together with Emi and Nobi. I always think that sometimes a picture tells far more things than words do. Those two pictures are examples of that.
You can imagine many happy stories of them.
What did they talking about?
Can the couple be happier in future than they are now?
Of course, it’s none of my business. But, they seem to be enjoying the happiest moment.
Far more happier than the couple I took pictures posted on this blog on August 26, 2006.

Hot Air Balloon International Championship

“Tochigi Hot Air Balloon International Championship” was held from November 21st to 25th in Utsunomiya city.
I got up early in the morning yesterday, even on Sunday and went to the taking-off place of the race, Kinu River with two daughters, Emi and Rina. The taking-off place is just 15 minutes away from home by car. It was sunny but freezing cold morning.

When I lived in Tokyo, about 20 years ago, I once rode a hot air balloon with my colleagues. I remember that it was also freezing cold in the morning.
I had come all the way from Tokyo to Watarase Swamp in Tochigi prefecture midnight. In the next morning, we prepared the flight before dawn and lifted off just when it was dawning. We watched the sunrise from the sky. It was amazingly beautiful.
I thought it was cold when we were flying because of the wind. But I could not feel the wind blowing while flying. Do you know why? The reason is simple. The hot air balloon flew at the same speed as that of the air or the wind.
Anyway, I was just a spectator of the race this time. I could not enjoy the view from the sky, though I enjoyed watching colorful balloons in the beautiful autumn sky. It’s worth getting up early on Sunday morning!

Business Trip to Tokyo

I went on a business trip to Tokyo last week to attend a seminar on semiconductor production process engineering. I’m a member of software development department of semiconductor equipment in my company, CANON.

Even being on the wrong side of forty, I feel satisfied with learning something new. I like playing tennis, web surfing, taking pictures, biking, camping, … Last but not least, learning new things or acquiring new knowledge always gives me great satisfaction.

I can’t post pictures of the seminar but instead, post the pictures of Tokyo in which I lived for eighteen years.

Hijiribashi bridge from the platform of Ochanomizu Station

View from Kanda station

Locomotive park in front of Shinbashi station

Kamosu Jinjya in Matsue

Hi guys, I've uploaded my favorite pictures on this site again. I took those pics in Matsue during my trip from Oct. 17 to Oct. 23. No need to say about the beautiful lake, the castle and the quadricentennial drum festivals, there are wonderful old shrines and temples in Matsue.
Pictures of Kamosu Jinjya(Shrine) follow,

Kamosu Jinjya(Shrine) is about half an hour bike ride away from my family’s home. I went there on sunny Thursday. There were few tourists. I walked in the site of the shrine alone. They were holding an autumnal harvest rite.
Kamosu Jinjya is written ‘神魂神社’ in Japanese.
The meaning of Japanese charactors ‘神魂神社’ is ‘the Spirits of God Shrine.’
---神 :God, ---魂 :spirits, ---神社:shrine
Isn’t it cool?

Halloween Party

I usually go to a pub, Lion’s Head to drink beer with my friends on Wednesday. But it was too crowded for eight members at pm 9:30 on October 31, the day of Halloween. The owner of Lion’s Head made it a special day for the pub; a customer who wears Halloween clothes gets a chance to draw a lottery for presents.

We wanted to go there but changed our mind to go to a nearby pub to have a small Halloween party. We enjoyed drinking beer and talking. I upload some pictures at the party.

It’s becoming colder and colder in Utsunomiya these days. I’ll wear gloves while going to my office by bike in the morning soon. Ski season is coming closer to Utunomiya. :-)

Drum Festival in Matsue, Japan

'Water City', Matsue

I was able to spend a wonderful autumn vacation in Shimane prefecture for the first time in 25 years. I met my family members, visited historic places and autumn festivals.
I've uploaded pictures I took in Matsue city during my trip, from Oct. 17 to Oct. 23.
In the picture follows, a construction workers' boat and a pleasure boat in which several travelers are on board are cruising slowly on the castle moat.

About an hour pleasure boat trip takes you around Matsue Castle. As you float along the canal, you can see beautiful sights of Matsue Castle, old Samurai Residence and pine tree streets. You will also travel under 16 famous bridges that span the castle moat.

Matsue Castle is nicknamed the "plover castle", it is one of the few remaining medieval castles remaining in their original wooden form, and not a modern reconstruction in concrete.

Most Japanese castles have been damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, or other causes. Since a large part of their construction was wooden, fire was a major hazard. Matsue castle was built after the last great war of feudal Japan, so it never saw a battle.

The construction of Matsue Castle began in 1607 and finished in 1611, under the local lord Horio Yoshiharu. In this year 2007, the local government celebrates four hundred year anniversary of the beginning of the construction of Matsue Castle. Next weekend, I'll upload pictures of Dou Gyoretsu drum festival commemorating the anniversary.

Staying in My Hometown Shimane

I took a week off and came back to my hometown Matsue city, Shimane prefecture last Wednesday. I'm staying in the house in which my mother, my brother and my sister live. It's the top season for autumn festivals here in Matsue. I bought a bike right after arriving at Matuse station. I rode the bike, went many places and took a lot of pictures of the festivals last five days.
To my regret, I haven't brought back a data connector between a camera and a PC, so I can't upload those pictures now.
I'll go back to Tochigi tomorrow and show you them on the blog in a week or two.