九月二十八日（kugatsu nijyuhachi nichi）： September 28

I went to The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens after 2 years. How nice to see old colleagues! Some left, but others are still working at the same position and remembered me and welcomed me.
I walked in the gardens, visited the renewed Yamato kan, had a luncheon with Education Staff, visited many people working there, and took pictures.
In the afternoon my old office room mate came to see me there and we enjoyed the reunion.
I stayed at my first and last host family and the neighbors got together and had a wonderful dinner. It was raining heavily at night and to my interesting one family came there by car though their house is just across the road.
I really had a good time today.

九月二十七日（kugatsu nijyushichi nichi）： September 27

I was surprised to know that to check in the baggage for the domestic flights it costs $25. In Japan up to 20kg it is free. In flight service also costs these days.
I miss old days.
After arriving at Miami, I took a shuttle to go to the station and rid on the Tri-rail for the first time. I have wanted to ride on it while I was in Florida, but I had a car and did not have a chance to do so. When my Japanese friend came to visit me, they used that train and it was very cheap. But it seemed they raised the fare. It took about 1 hour 24 minutes to go to Delray Beach. And I took a bus. This was also my first experience in Delray Beach.
It was rain in Atlanta, but it was fine in Delray Beach.
I had dinner with my third host parents and went to see the beach.

九月二十六日（kugatsu nijyuroku nichi）： September 26

The car broke again and we went to the garage in Macon. How we felt lucky to know the garage is open on Sunday!
However, after they repaired the fan belt and it seemed fine, after a few minutes drive we found the alarm light was on and went back to the garage to ask the repair.
We waited and waited but they could not repair and the closing time has come.
By that time the heavy rain was pouring. We did not know what to do. After all we called a cab and went to the shuttle bus station to Atlanta Airport. There we had to use another cab to the hotel. The driver could not read the map and he took a wrong way. What a waste!
I hoped to have a southern dinner, but the restaurant was just closed and had to end up in the Chinese restaurant. Usually Chinese dishes are delicious but this time they were not so tasty unfortunately. Misfortunes never come alone.
But I liked the message of the fortune cookie.

九月二十五日（kugatsu nijyugo nichi）： September 25

I have booked the flight ticket from Atlanta to Miami for Monday. I thought weekends rate is more expensive than weekday rate, but it was not. If you fly on Sunday it was something like $106 one way, but on Monday it costs $133 + tax.
There were 3 possible airports I could use when I go to the place I used to live; West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. Miami is the biggest and there are more flights back and forth, so it is cheaper and I chose Miami though it is the furtherest.

九月二十四日（kugatsu nijyuyokka）： September 24

This trip is a series of adventure.
I have planned everything regarding the Argentina trip because I travel by myself, but in the USA the main reason is to see old friends, everything is up to them.
I am now traveling in Georgia by car. And it broke down suddenly in the midnight last night and we had to call AAA.
I used to be a member of AAA but have never used the service during my membership. I just liked to get the maps.
To go to the garage this morning we rid on a taxi. To my surprise the driver was a lady with a 3-year old boy. I have seen women drivers before, but I have never seen the one with a kid. At the garage, the boy went to the other taxi, so I asked her what happened. She said "He went home with Dad." Both of them were taxi drivers.
At the garage I saw many people waiting for their car repaired. One of the families was going to Fort Lauderdale to have a cruise from tomorrow. The other man has lived in Japan for 4 years and he said he liked living in Japan. All of them become happy after their cars have been fixed.
Thank you very much for mechanics!

九月二十三日（kugatsu nijyusan nichi）： September 23

September 23 is shubun no hi (秋分の日), the Autumn Equinox Day. The length of day and night is the same.
In Japan a week between the Equinox Day is called o higan (お彼岸) and we visit the ancestors graves around this time. The sweets offered to them is called o hagi (お萩) this time, and botamochi (牡丹餅) in spring time. Both are same sweets but called differently in season.
There is a saying "atsusa samusa mo higan made (暑さ寒さも彼岸まで)" which means the heat and the cold will last until the Equinox Day.
This summer was extremely hot in Japan. So everybody is looking forward to the autumn.

九月二十二日（kugatsu nijyuni nichi）： September 22

Yesterday I did not pay attention to my suitcase when I picked it up at the airport. But when I opened it, I noticed one of the wheels was broken. I was so shocked to find it out at that time. I should have taken a look at the airport. It was too late to call last night, so I waited until today.
I called the airline and talked about the damage. I just told them the baggage claim number and an email address. They said they cannot repair it but will send me the $100 coupon for the airline ticket by email.
I have had bad luck regarding the suitcase. This was the third time my suitcase was broken by the delivery services. It happened last time in August 2006 just before leaving Japan for the USA for 2 years. I needed the suitcase for sure, they offered me the new one. I really liked my suitcase because of the color and style, but without wheels it was not good and I accepted it.
And this new one was broken this time. I thought I would get the new one again, but the treatment was different.

九月二十一日（kugatsu nijyuichi nichi）： September 21

I came back to the USA again. First I arrived at Washington DC. I had to wait for about 6 hours there for the next flight to Miami. After 2 hours and 15 minutes flight I arrived at Miami International Airport. It's been 3 years since I came here last when I went to Venezuela to see the Angel Falls.
At that time I felt this is not America because the first announcement was not English but Spanish. But this time when I was in Washington DC for Argentina, I also hear Spanish but did not feel like that.
This time in Miami I did not have enough time to hear any Spanish nor English. I just got off and went to pick up my things.
There my best friend was waiting for me. That is very nice to have somebody like that. We enjoyed the reunion after 2 years.

九月二十日（kugatsu hatsuka）： September 20

It is a national holiday called keiro no hi (敬老の日), Respect-for-the-Aged Day, which was used to be on September 15. But now it has become the third Monday of September. So many people in Japan are having a three-day weekend.
Since I am traveling, I sometimes forget what day is today.
I am in Buenos Aires again. It has been 6 years since I was here before. I have visited the main touristic places last time, I decided to take Tigre Tour which my Argentine friend recommended me. It is a half day tour cost $31. It is a boat tour. I felt I have experienced this kind of tour but I could not remember exactly where it was.
After coming back to Buenos Aires, I walked around the town and enjoyed some shopping. I happened to see the Tango dancing on the street.
The travel agency picked me up at the hotel, and I went to the airport. It was rather earlier, but the security check was so severe, it took time.
I really enjoyed my days in Argentina this time.

九月十九日（kugatsu jyuku nichi）： September 19

I did not see any Japanese while I was in El Calafate but this morning at the dining room of the hotel, I happened to see some Japanese people. We noticed each other as Japanese and greeted in Japanese.
I checked out the hotel and the travel agency picked me up. I totally forgot about the tax I had to pay at the airport. Since it is Sunday and banks are closed, I paid it in US dollars.
I left El Calafate around noon and arrived at Buenos Aires around 3 PM. I headed for the hotel and checked in. I am glad to find I could use the Internet. I took a nap for a while.
At night I went to see the Tango show which included the dinner. The beef steak was too big to eat everything. The show was wonderful.
I came back to the hotel after midnight.

九月十八日（kugatsu jyuhachi nichi）： September 18

I joined the "Todo Glaciares" tour. They picked me up at the hotel at 7:15 AM and came back around 5:30 PM.
It is the sailing tour of visiting the Upsala Glacier, the largest one in Argentina with 800　k㎡, Spegazzini Glacier with walls up to 135 meters high, and the world famous Perito Moreno Glacier.
It was very cold and windy on the boat. But the scenery was so wonderful. Glaciers were so beautiful.
After coming back I walked around the town. El Calafate is a small town. The shops and restaurants are open until late which is good for tourists.
I enjoyed the local food and Mate tea at the restaurant where the travel agency included the coupon of the welcome drink and 10% off.

九月十七日（kugatsu jyushichi nichi）： September 17

I took a tour of the Glaciar Perito Moreno. It started at 9 AM and came back before 5:00 PM. It is the place I have wanted to visit for nearly 7 years. When I traveled around the world by Peace Boat from December 25, 2003 to March 31, 2004, I chose to go to the Antarctic and I missed visiting Patagonia. Therefore I have wanted to come here someday.
Finally one of my 100 bucket lists was completed. There are still many places I want to visit such as the Himalayas, Santorini in Greece and Egypt.
How about your dreams?

九月十六日（kugatsu jyuroku nichi）： September 16

I left home around 11:00 AM of September 15. It takes about 3 hours to go to the Narita Airport. It was so crowded that I could not have enough free time to spend there.
I took the first flight from Narita to San Francisco which takes about 9 hours, the second flight was from San Francisco to Washington DC which takes about 5 hours, the third flight was from Washington DC to Buenos Aires which takes about 10 hours and a half, and the fourth flight was from Buenos Aires to El Calafate which takes about 3 hours. In total I was on board for more than 27 hours!
There are time differences from one place to another. After all the time difference between Japan and Argentina is 12 hours.
So I had a very long September 15.
The weather has been very nice. It was not cold in Buenos Aires. It is rather cold here in El Calafate. I have not seen the place yet, but the landscape from the airport was so beautiful.

九月十五日（kugatsu jyugo nichi）： September 15

September 15 had been a national holiday called keiro no hi (敬老の日), Respect-for-the-Aged day until 2003. But it's been moved to the third Monday of September since 2004 because of the happy Monday system.
There are two national holidays in September, therefore this time is called silver week compared to the long weekend in May which is called the golden week.
I decided to take the summer vacation at this time to make it longer to use these two holidays. I will travel to Argentina and the USA for about 2 weeks. It's been a long time dream for me to go to Patagonia since I could not visit there while I was in Argentina last time in 2004. I am very looking forward to this trip.

九月十四日(kugatsu jyuyokka) ： September 14

It was fine in the morning, but has started raining.

Today's big news was the presidential election of the Democratic Party of Japan. After all Naoto Kan (菅直人) scored the landslide victory and reelected as a Prime Minister.
For the past four years there were 6 Prime Ministers, Junichiro Koizumi (小泉純一郎), Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三), Yasuo Fukuda (福田康夫), Taro Aso (麻生太郎), Yukio Hatoyama (鳩山由紀夫), and Naoto Kan.
That is too much.
I hope the new cabinet will last longer to make a better society.

九月十二日(kugatsu jyuni nichi) ： September 12

It was another hot day.

There was a festival in my town from yesterday but I had to go to Tokyo I did not have a chance to see the festival. But I could hear the piquant sound of Japanese flutes and drums.
Yesterday it seems there were sumo tournaments among children. Today there was a parade of floats called dashi (山車) and a sacred portable shrine called omikoshi (御神輿). There were some street stalls and flags near the shrine.

九月十三日(kugatsu jyusan nichi) ： September 13

I went to buy some SD cards for my digital cameras for my trip from this week. My favorite camera is Panasonic's D snap which was given by my ex-colleagues when I left Panasonic in December 2003. It is very small, thin, and light. So it is very handy and I can bring it with me always.
I wanted to buy 1 GB SD card, however there were no 1 GB cards anymore. When I got the camera, it was quite cutting-edge compact camera but it's been nearly 7 years and it became too old to have accessories.
I like to buy the best one of the time and keep it long. So I will use my D snap as long as it works. But I felt the advancement of technology today.

九月十一日（kugatsu jyuichi nichi）： September 11

It's been 9 years since the 9.11 happened. I still remember the scenes. The world has been changed a lot since this terrorism.
As a world traveler, I feel the most difference at the security check at the airport. We cannot bring liquid nor sharp items into the airplane. Sometimes we have to take off shoes to be screened.
When there happened the sarin terrorism in Tokyo on March 20, 1995, all the garbage bins at the station were closed and we could not use the coin lockers too. These days we can use them but still there is an announcement regarding unknown bags on the train.
There are 365 or 366 days in a year, but 9.11 is one of the remarkable days people around the world will remember forever.

九月十日（kugatsu toka）： September 10

I went to the department stores in Shinjuku. There are two big ones at the station. At the first one, I went to the higher floor where dealt with special products from Hokkaido (北海道), the north Island of Japan. There are many delicious seafoods and sweets in Hokkaido. There were so many people there today waiting in line to buy some obento (お弁当), boxed dish or cakes. I was just looking, but one of the staff gave me a sample of seaweed mix with rice, and onion slices with that seaweed mix, and soup with seaweed later. It was just a sample, but he served generously so that people there felt rather full.
After that I went to the other department store and found the advertisement saying they also had a special sale of Hokkaido products.
I am not sure why they both had the same events, but I feel like going to Hokkaido to eat delicious foods.

九月九日（kugatsu kokonoka）： September 9

September 9 is known as choyo (重陽). It is one of the five seasonal festivals and a festival for chrysanthemum. Other festivals are jinjitsu (人日) on January 7, jyoshi (上巳) on March 3, tango (端午) on May 5, and tanabata (七夕) on July 7.

It became a little bit cooler than before but still hot.

There was a good news. A Japanese actress Eri Fukatsu (深津絵里) received the Best Actress Award for Akunin (悪人), the wicked person at The 34th Montreal World Film Festival. Congratulations!
The movie will be released on September 11. I am looking forward to watching the movie.

九月八日（kugatsu yoka）： September 8

It rained and rained very heavily because of the typhoon No.9 which turned into the torpical cyclone. It's been hot until yesterday so this rain was after a very long time.
I was supposed to walk around the area called Yanesen (谷根千), which means Yanaka (谷中), Nedu (根津) and Sendagi (千駄木) near Ueno (上野), but because of this rain the schedule has been slightly changed. But still I walked in the heavy rain and the water was flooding. After 20 minutes or so the rain was almost stopped. And the flood disappeared soon.
It was so strange.

九月七日（kugatsu nanoka）： September 7

It was another hot day. In Tokyo it went up to 35.7 degrees centigrade and became another moshobi (猛暑日). There are 13 moshobi and it is the tied record as 1995. 21 places out of 154 they renewed the number of moshobi of this summer.
But the tyhoon No. 9 is coming and it may rain in the evening tomorrow this area too.

There were something which did not go on time today, but after all they turned out to be a better way.
There is a saying wazawai tenjite fukutonasu (災い転じて福となす), meaning bad luck often brings good luck. So we should not give up anything soon even if it does not seem good at first.

九月六日（kugatsu muika）： September 6

It was another hot day.

It was fourth birthday of the Prince Hisahito (悠仁親王： hisahito shinno), the only son of Prince Akishino (秋篠宮文仁親王：akishinomiya fumihito shinno) and Princess Kiko (文仁親王妃紀子：fumihito shinno hi kiko) today. He was born to the Imperial family after 12 years of his older sister Princess Kako (佳子内親王：kako nai shinno)'s birth. It's been 41 years since the boy was born to the Imperial Family, that is his father Prince Akishino. He is the 3rd in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne after Crown Prince Naruhito (皇太子徳仁親王：kotaishi naruhito shinno) and his father Prince Akishino.
He was the first baby in the Imperial Family that was born by the Caesarean Section (帝王切開： teio sekkai).

When I walked near the Shinjuku Station, there were many lanterns, and I was wondering if there is a festival today around that area　or not. There were some people who were celebrating his birthday, and I realized that that was a celebration for his 4th birthday.

Happy Birthday!

九月五日（kugatsu itsuka）： September 5

Another record was renewed today. The hottest temperature was 39.9 degrees centigrade in Kyoto, which is the hottest in Japan this year and the hottest in September since the measurement started.
In 128 points it became moshobi (猛暑日), and in 653 points out of 921 it became manatsubi (真夏日).
In Osaka it went up to 36.2 degrees centigrade. And this is the 28th days which became moshobi this summer. This is the tied record with 1994.
The highest temperature in September used to be 39.7 degrees centigrade on September 2, 2000 in Kumagaya, Saitama(埼玉県熊谷市: saitama ken kumagaya shi).

九月四日（kugatsu yokka）： September 4

Another record was made. In 213 points out of 930 in nationwide they recorded as moshobi (猛暑日) which is over 35 degrees centigrade. The highest temperature of today went up to 39.1 degrees centigrade in Hachiman (八幡) in Gifu (岐阜).
In my town it also went up to 35.9 degrees centigrade which was the highest record in September.

Another record was made. That was shut out game by 45 years old pitcher Masa Yamamoto(山本昌) of the Chunichi Dragons(中日ドラゴンズ). He became the oldest pitcher who blanked the game. It's been 58 years since Tadashi Wakabayashi (若林忠志) made the shut out game at the age of 42 years and 8 months old in 1952. Congratulations!

九月三日（kugatsu mikka）： September 3

They say September 3 is the anniversary of home run. In 1977 on this day the professional baseball player Sadaharu Oh(王貞治) hit the 756th home run and broke the world record of Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron.
Two days later the Japanese government decided to give him the first People's Honour Award (国民栄誉賞：kokumin eiyo sho).
He has hit 868 home runs in his player's life for 21 years. His uniform number was one, and he has used that number for 30 years straight as a player and a manager. This is the longest record for Japanese players. Now the number 1 was retired by the Giants in honor of him.

九月二日（kugatsu futsuka）： September 2

It was another hot day. The average temperature between June to August was the highest for 113 years since 1898 when the first measurement was held in Japan.
It was 1.64 degrees centigrade higher than the usual year, and that of August only was 2.25 degrees centigrade higher than the usual year.
Yesterday the temperature became the highest of September in the history in 242 points among 921 points in Japan, and in 157 points it reached above 35 degrees centigrades which is called mosho bi (猛暑日), heat wave day, and in 789 points it reached above 30 degrees centigrade which is called manatsu bi (真夏日), midsummer day.
The highest year before was 1994.
The Meteorological Agency (気象庁：kishocho) admitted this is the extraordinary weather (異常気象: ijo kisho) in once in 30 years. This heat will continue for a while.

九月一日（kugatsu tsuitachi）： September 1

A new month has started. September is kugatsu (九月) in Japanese. The old name is nagatsuki (長月), literally means long moon.
September 1 is known as bosai no hi(防災の日), Day of Disaster Prevention. It was established in 1960 for the Kanto dai shinsai(関東大震災), Great Kanto earthquake occurred in 1923.
And today is nihyakutoka(二百十日), 210th day since risshun (立春), the first day of spring. Around this time there often comes a typhoon.
There is a saying Tensai wa wasuretakoroni yattekuru (天災は忘れたころにやってくる), meaning "Disaster strikes when it is least expected."