2014.8.31

The last day of August.  It used to be the end of summer vacation for primary school, junior high school, and high school students.  But nowadays it seems school starts a little bit earlier.  The summer vacation of universities vary.  Ours is from August 1 to September 19 for students but not for staffs.

It was cloudy but still hot today.

I went grocery shopping in the morning.  After lunch I went to practice Yoga, and machine training.

2014.8.30

It was cloudy.

There was water-related accident in the morning.

I walked to the station.  I got off at Hinodecho and walked to the shrine where I try to visit whenever I go to Kannai area.
I had lunch at my favorite restaurant and went to see a movie and the sand sculpture exhibition which was kind of disappointing.
Then I went to the group art exhibition of my high school classmate, which was small but really impressive.
To my surprise he graduated from the  university where I am working now.
After that I went to attend the small high school class reunion at a Chinese restaurant.  There were 45 students in our class and ten of us attended. We ate more than 10 dishes and enjoyed talking.
It was a nice day.

2018.8.29

It was cloudy.

After work I went to beauty shop in Sugita (杉田) to have my hair cut. They have yen 500 discount for cut and yen 1500 (?) discount for perm if customers visit there again within two months.  Since I had my hair cut two months ago, I had yen 500 discount for cut today.  I felt lucky.

At the station building I happened to find the special sale for kimono goods and decided to make nagajuban (長襦袢), which is underwear of kimono.  Usually tailoring fee costs yen 70,000 or so, but I could make at a very low price and feel very lucky again.

When I got home, there was an envelop for me from Softbank.  Since I changed the provider in May, they sent me yen 5,000 gift coupon which I did not expect anything.
I felt lucky again.

2014.8.28

It was cloudy.  It has been getting cooler these days.  But they say it will be hot again.

Last night there was a blackout and I had to wait at the Shinagawa station for about an hour.  Tonight there was so crowded that the train was delayed for 10 minutes or so.
Both happened in the evening so it was acceptable because I just need to go home after that, but when something irregular happens in the morning, I feel irritated because I have to work and don't want to be late. One minutes in the morning is equivalent to 10 minutes or more in the daytime.
 

2014.8.27

It drizzled all day and was getting cooler.

On my way home at the Shinagawa station Keihin kyuko line trains stopped for nearly one hour because of partially electric power failure between Shinagawa and Heiwajima.  So I came home nearly 9 pm tonight.

2014.8.26

It was cloudy in the morning, and rained heavily in the afternoon.  It was still hot and humid but became cool in the evening.  Fall is approaching for sure.

The 17 years old high school wrestler, Mayu Mukaida (向田真優) became a champion at Youth Olympic in China.  Congratulations!

At the US open tennis, Kurumi Nara (奈良くるみ) won the game today.  Unfortunately Kimiko Date-Krumm (クルム伊達公子) could not win to Venus Williams though she won one the first set.
 

2014.8.25

It was cloudy today.

There was the final match of the 96th high school baseball tournament from 13:00.  My lunch time is usually from 12:30 to 13:30, watching NHK's 15 minutes drama from 12:45 to 13:00.
When I turned on smart phone's TV, the announcer said the final match would start at 13:00.  I was wondering if the drama would not be shown, but it was just a preview.
 I could not see the game directly but knew the result by news.
Osakatoin (大阪桐蔭) became a champion again after two years.  This was their 4th victory in total.  Congratulations!

2014.8.24

It was fine.

I went grocery shopping in the morning.  The road was rather crowded and I came home later than I expected.  Therefore I was late for the Yoga lesson, after that I did training with machines in the afternoon.

I was looking forward to seeing the sunset, which is close to the Diamond Fuji,
but it was cloudy around that time.

At night there was a meeting talking about the Love Patrol during summer vacation at night.

 

2014.8.23

It was cloudy in the morning, but started raining with thunder and lightening before noon, and it stopped in the afternoon.

 

I went to Yokohama to attend a seminar with my friend from 13:30.  I thought it would be over within two hours, but it ended around 16:30.  The lecturer was very interesting and we learned a lot.

 

I went to Kimono-Style Miya to be a Kimono model.  Since my appointed time was from 16:30, I did not have time to be taken pictures at the studio.  We moved to the Osanbashi pier and boarded to the big ship for dinner cruise at 19:30.  We were a group of about 20 ladies wearing Kimono and there was a photographer attending, therefore we were very outstanding and attracted people's eyes.

To our very lucky, there was a fireworks festival nearby, we could enjoy viewing them from the boat.

Dinner was a Chinese course and so delicious.

This was the invitation from Miya.  I met a friend from the trip last year and got to know some people today.  We enjoyed chatting and eating for 2 hours.

I feel very fortunate to have a relation with this Kimono company.

 

After the cruise I went back to Miya and changed the clothes so that I could leave Kimono for cleaning which is also done by service.

 

It was a nice day.

 

 

2014.8.22

It was fine and very hot.

I could see the beautiful Mt. Fuji this morning. They say the fall season of the Diamond Fuji started.  I hope to take a picture of the Diamond Fuji someday.

At the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Mr. Kosuke Hagino (萩野公介), 20 years old bronze medalist of London Olympic, became a champion for men's 400 meters individual medley relay at 4:8.31. Congratulations!


 

2014.8.21

It was fine and hot.

Today was my colleague's birthday.  We planned a surprise lunch party.  It was successful I think.  I really like to give a surprise party and to be given too.

Today Japanese young swimmers got gold medals and silver medals at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia.  Congratulations!

2014.8.20

It is fine and very hot.

 

Today was the first working day after the summer vacation.  Since we had 10 days official off some people traveled around here and there and others including me just stayed home and did something we usually can't do.
Some people who traveled brought souvenirs and we had some sweets today.
Souvenir is omiyage (お土産) in Japanese.  We like to give and take souvenirs.

 

At the lunch time news I knew the oldest man in the world is a Japanese man who is 111 years old who used to be a Principle of high school, and the oldest woman in the world is a Japanese woman who is 116 years old.  The average life expectancy of Japanese men became 80 years old this year, and of Japanese women is 86 years old.

 

Another news are disasters caused by heavy rain in Hiroshima.  The death toll from the landslide disaster climbed to 36 and 7 people are still missing.

2014.8.19

Today is the last day of my summer vacation this year.  I had 10 days off, but did not travel this time.

It was fine and very hot today.

I went to Yokohama to have lunch with a friend.  On my way there on the train, I happened to see my student with her baby.  It's been so many years since I saw her last.  I enjoyed talking with her.  She went to the same high school as I did, and majored in English at the prestigious college in Tokyo after that.  I am very glad to hear that because I was the teacher who taught her English at junior high school.  When she went to junior high school for practice teaching when she was a senior at college, an English teacher said to her that her way of teaching was very similar to the one of mine.  So it was interesting to hear that.  I am glad to have been a teacher as my first career.

After having lunch with my friend, I went to Kimono-style Miya in the afternoon.  I had a good time there.

2014.8.18

It was fine and hot.

 

I went to an office in  Omotesando today. It is a fashionable town and there are many nice restaurants.  I went out for lunch at a Chinese restaurant named Fumin.  The name comes from the name of the Mother owner who has a cooking book of her own.  They say it is a very famous restaurant, and many cerebrities come and it often appears in the magazines thogh I did not know about it at all.  I went there because I was recommended to go.  And it was a right choice. There was a line waiting before I enter, and there was another longer line when I came out.

2014.8.17

It was fine and hot here, but it seems to have rained very heavily in Tokai, Hokuriku, and Kinki area.  In Kyoto, Gifu and Ishikawa prefectures, it was a record making rain and there are flood, landslide and many accidents here and there.

Besides going to grocery shopping, I did not do anything special today.

At night I watched a Japanese movie "Shonen H (少年H: Boy H)" on TV which was released last summer.  I wanted to see that at the theater but missed it at that time.  It is a family movie of war time in Kobe.  The couple is actually the married couple in their private lives.  And it was a big hit.

2014.8.16

It was cloudy and rainy.

I went to Shinjuku to attend a lecture. 
Before that I had lunch with my friend at my favorite restaurant.  It's been more than three or four years since we met each other last.  We worked together in 1997 for a very short time.  For the past year or two, we both happened to work in Shinjuku, very close but did not have a chance to see each other at all. 
At the lecture I met some other friends and had tea after that.

At night there was Love Patrol in my community.  This was the last duty.  It was slightly raining at first, so I was wondering if we would patrol or not.  But we did. 

2014.8.15

It was fine, hot and windy today.

Today is the 69th anniversary of the end of World War II.  There were many ceremonies here and there, and there were many TV programs dealing with war and peace.

I went to the shrine, grocery shopping, and filled my car up in the morning. The road was so crowded that it took more than three hours to do everything.

2014.8.14

It was fine.

From August 13 to 15 is the time called obon (お盆) in Japan.  It is when the spirits of ancestors come back home.  Many companies have a vacation called obon yasumi (お盆休み) around this time.  People go back to their home country and visit family graveyards.  Depends on the place obon is either in July or in August.

I went to my mother's graveyard with my father in the morning today.

In the afternoon we had a visitor. 

2014.8.13

At this time of the year we can see the Perseid meteor shower.  However unfortunately the weather these days is not so good.
I expected to see the Super moon on August 10, but it was cloudy and I could not see it.  Both of my best friends in Spain and the USA uploaded the moon picture on that day.
Last night it was also cloudy and I could not see the Perseid meteor shower.

When I was in Florida, I used to go to see meteor showers in the middle of nowhere at the National Parks.  There was no light there, and it was suitable to watch the stars there.  The best thing to bring there was a sleeping bag.

There are some pictures I want to take.  One of them is stars around the Polaris.The other is the mid night sun.  Another is the northern lights.  All are natural beauty.

2014.8.12

It was cloudy and windy.

I stayed at home all day long.  There were guests in the afternoon.

It's been 29 years since the JAL airplane No. 123 was crashed into the mountain Osutaka (御巣鷹) and 520 people were killed. 

2014.8.11

It was fine and windy after the typhoon has gone.   We call this weather taifu ikka (台風一過).

The 96th high school baseball tournament (zenkoku kotogakko yakyu senshuken taikai:　全国高等学校野球選手権大会) has begun.  Because of the typhoon No. 11, the opening ceremony has postponed for two days, this was the first experience in the almost 100 years' history.  Since I am on the summer vacation, I watched it on TV from 9 am this morning, this was my first experience.  The stadium is called Koshien (甲子園), which is 90 years old.  There were three games today.

2014.8.10

It was rainy.  A big typhoon No. 11 hit Japan.

I went grocery shopping in the morning.  I was caught in a shower when I came out from the store.  It was such a heavy rain coming suddenly that I got wet.  When I was driving, the rain was so strong that I could not see front well.  This reminded me of Florida weather.

After coming back, I prepared lunch for my father.

In the afternoon I went for Yoga lesson.  It's been a long time since I went there last.  After that I have exercised at the training center for two hours.

2014.8.9

It was cloudy and rainy.

I went to massage in the morning, had lunch with a friend at a Vietnamese restaurant, visited the shrine, attended a monthly meeting, visited the Kimono-style Miya in the afternoon, and attended a class reunion in the evening.   All of this took place in Yokohama within walking distance.

At the reunion there were about 16 people which was more than half of class member and we enjoyed talking, eating and drinking.  At the second party there were 12 people.
We started studying about a year ago and finished the course in the end of January.  Now every one got a job and have their own life, but we felt like we were still studying together.

It was a nice day.

2014.8.8

It was cloudy and rainy today.  The new typhoon No. 11 is nearing.  In Kyushu, Shikoku, and Chugoku area it is already raining heavily.

Since I took a  day off yesterday and from tomorrow the summer vacation will start from tomorrow, I was rather busy and overworked a little bit.

2014.8.7

It was fine and very hot.

 

Today is risshu （立秋）, one of nijyushisekki （二十四節季） 24 solar terms. The last one was taisho （大暑） on July 23, and the next one is shosho（処暑）on August 23.
Risshu literally means stand fall, and it is the first day of fall.
From today our greeting becomes "Zansho omimai  moushiagemasu　（残暑お見舞い申し上げます）" instead of "Shochu omimai moushiagemasu　（暑中お見舞い申し上げます）."

 

I took a day off to take my father to hospital for once a month check up.  We went out for lunch after going to one department and went back to hospital again to go to another department.

 

There was a guest to our house in the afternoon and after that I took my father to barbershop and we went to pharmacy to get medicines later.

 

After dinner I went to see the 34th fireworks festival at Miurakaigan.  There were so many people at the beach and station.  It started at 7:30 pm and lasted for 40 minutes or so.  There were 3000 fireworks.  I saw some new fireworks related to Miura such as radish or watermelon.  The finale was really great and so impressive.  I am glad to see them this year too.

2014.8.6

It was very fine and hot.

 

I walked to the station in the morning because I had an appointment to have dinner at my favorite Spanish restaurant in Shibuya tonight. There were four people.  We really enjoyed having delicious foods and talking.  This was the first time gathering, but we had many things in common and felt as if we have been good friends for a long time.
We made a promise to travel Spain together someday.  It must be fun.

 

Today is 69th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped to Hiroshima.

 

I hope the world peace.

2014.8.5

It was fine and hot.

There was a big fireworks festival in Yokohama.  It started at 7 pm and lasted for more than one hour.  There were 15,000 fireworks and they were so beautiful and gorgeous.  Last year there were about 190,000 people viewing.  I saw some new fireworks.
In the morning I sent four ex-colleagues who live around Yokohama and invited to see together.  One of them replied soon and we went to see together.  I arrived earlier and found the place and waited for her coming.  I was standing.  Girls nearby offered me to sit on the sheet they provided because if I keep standing, they can't see the fireworks well.  But I was very glad and thanked them.  My friend came later and joined.  We enjoyed this beautiful event in comfortable sea breeze.
After that we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner.

2014.8.4

It was fine and hot.  I could see the Mt. Fuji this morning.

There was a train accident in the morning, and my train was delayed.  It usually takes two hours and a half to go but today it took more than three hours.
There was an open campus event today and there were so many high school students and their parents at campus.

Since the summer vacation began last week, and we are allowed to leave one hour earlier than usual.  I left there at 5 pm and arrived home before 7:30 pm.

At night I could see the beautiful half moon.  It was jyogen no tsuki (上弦の月) waxing moon,  the moon in its first quarter.  Jyogen literally means upper gunwale. The opposite is kagen no tsuki (下弦の月), the moon in its last quarter, which literally means lower gunwale.  It will be on August 17.

2014.8.3

It was fine and hot and windy.

I went grocery shopping and took a nap in the afternoon.
At night there was a monthly meeting of community representatives and after that we had to patrol around the school area for one hour and a half.
 

2014.8.2

It was very hot.

I went to Shinjuku to attend Morinda's monthly meeting.  There were about 590 people today.  Since there was a train accident, I needed to take the different route as usual and was late for half an hour or so. 

After coming home I had to leave for community work in the evening.  We needed to cut the grasses around the community center.  My sickle was already rusty so that I went to buy it before joining.  It is a strange feeling because I do not cut the grasses of my garden but ask the gardener to do that by paying money.  I chose to rake and did not use the new sickle after all.

I like to apply for the presents.  Today I was surprised to see the envelop when I got home.  It was rice coupon from my favorite rice cracker company.

It's been just a year since I went to the vocational school for Business English and Business Administration in Yokohama.  I have learned many things there for 6 months and got new friends.  We will have a reunion next week.  I am looking forward to seeing them.

2014.8.1

A new month has started.  August is hachigatsu (八月), its old name is hazuki (葉月), in Japanese.  Hazuki means leaf month.

It was fine and very hot today, and it rained at night.  The typhoon is nearing again.

Since today is the first day, I went to shrine before going to work. 

There was an announcement of average life expectancy of Japanese people.  Japanese women's average life expectancy is 86.61 years old and the longest in the world for two years.  Japanese men's average life expectancy became 80.21 years old, and this is the first time for them to exceed 80 years old since 1891 research.  After the World War II, both men and women only lived up to their 50s. 
To live long is not enough.  We should live long healthy and happily.
My solution is Morinda.  Please check truage.com/2891884/en-us