2015.8.31

The last day of August, that means two thirds of 2015 are over.
For me this year is already an  unforgettable year because of my father. 

It was a rainy day.

After work I went to see my friends from Expo 92. There were 35 Japanese attendants at the Japanese pavilion of Expo 92 and some of them now live abroad and one of them happened to be in Tokyo on her way back to Spain tonight and seven of us got together.
It's been a while since we got together last.
We enjoyed talking old memories.
To my surprise today was her birthday and three of us  including me lost our father this year.
We look forward to having another reunion in Seville in 2017 for its 25th anniversary.

2015.8.30

It was a rainy day.

I went to see my friends to return the present for monetary offering to my father when he passed away. The money given at the funeral is called koden (香典), and the return gift is called koden gaeshi (香典返し).
In Japan when people get married or die,  the present is usually money.
It is wrapped with an envelope called noshibukuro (熨斗袋). For the happy events they are edged with red, and for the unhappy events they are edged with black or green.

2015.8.29

It was rainy.

I stayed home and cleaned my father's room, shredding many personal documents.

In the evening the car dealer came and explained about the result of the car inspection and car insurance.

2015.8.28

It was cloudy in the daytime but started raining in the evening.

Today was the first working day after the summer vacation and the mourning leave.

After work I went to see a doctor after a long time. He confirmed that I completely recovered from pneumonia.

Then I went out for dinner at a Cambodian restaurant with my friend. We ordered a course dinner but we finished eating within one hour. There were eight dishes or so and very reasonable, but service was not so good because the dishes were served one after another and we needed to eat in a hurry.

2015.8.27

It was fine.

The last day of kibiki(忌引き), absent due to mourning.

I went to the Environmental Center to clear the old clothes and linens for my father. The reception was just to tell that I brought them.
Since it is very close from my mother's graveyard, I visited there on my way back.

In the afternoon there was a visitor from the day care center and I donated many nursing care products. My father had been there once or twice in a week for the past five years or so. They took care of my father well. So we talked many memories.

While talking, the delivery service came to pick up the boxes I put my father's unused clothes for my uncle.

So I could clear many things of my father today.

In the evening I read the notebooks which helpers have written for the last eight years of my father's daily lives. There were something I did not know. I felt he cared of me a lot.

2015.8.26

It was raining in the morning but stopped raining. It was rather cool.

I tried to clean my father's room. There are so many things we need to throw away.  I will bring them to the environment center tomorrow.

At night there was a delivery from my ex-colleagues. They sent me a box of stick scents and gift cards for flowers. I have never seen the gift cards for flowers before.

2015.8.25

It was cloudy and rather cool at this time of the year. The big typhoon hit Japan.

I am still working for my father's room.

In the afternoon, I went to the grave yard then paid for the additional name carving and painting.
I went to see the Environmental Center after that to see how to bring the old clothes There are so many stuffs. I wish I could do anything with those clothes.

I went to grocery shopping too.

2015.8.24

It was cloudy and not too hot.

I tried to clean my father's room again but I could not finish yet.
I found many interesting records such as academic transcripts of my brother and myself, my mother's family history, and my parents' family tree during cleaning.

In the afternoon I called two offices of Japan Pension Service and Federation of National Public Services and Affiliated Personnel Mutual Aid Associations to report about my father's death to stop issuance.
Since my father had two pensions and some savings he could manage his life after the retirement. 
However I won't have retirement allowances, I need to think of something for my future. My solution is Morinda Business.  I hope to be successful by Morinda Business which makes people live younger, longer and healthier.

2015.8.23

It was fine and hot but windy too which makes us feel less uncomfortable.

In the daytime I tried to clean up my father's room, but it is still under the way.  I found some letters and diaries which made my work delay.  There was my birthday card to him 10 years ago.  I was worried about my father's drinking habit because I would go to live in Nagoya for 7 months and I could not take care of him.
In his 5 year diary, there were some records that he sent me airmail and he received my airmail during my stay in the USA.

At night there was a reflection meeting for Ai pato (愛パト), patrol during summer.  It started at 7:30 PM.  Meeting itself ended soon but there was chatting time after that and it finished after 9 PM.


 

2015.8.22

It was fine and hot.

I cleared father's clothings again but there are still many things to be cleared.

At night I was able to watch fireworks festival from the veranda.

2015.8.21

It was fine and hot.

I stayed home and started clearing father's goods. It will take a while to finish.

In the morning on newspaper I knew that Tokaidai Sagami high school (東海大相模高校) of Kanagawa prefecture  became a champion at the high school baseball championships after 45 years.
Congratulations!

2015.8.20

It was  a rainy day.

Today we had a funeral for my father from 11am at  home then we went to cremate.
While waiting we had lunch there.
After picking up the bones, we came home around  3 pm.
His bones will be here until the next ceremony called shijyuku nichi, 49th day.

I wore summer black kimono. 

All relatives went back home.

2015.8.19

It was rainy in the morning but became fine and hot.

In the morning people from the funeral company came and set up the alter. Then a basket of fruits arrived and flowers arrived.
The room of six tatami floor mats has been decorated in a few hours.

In the afternoon there were some visitors to say good bye to my father. Since they came to see him a week ago at the hospital, they were so surprised at this sudden happening.

Around four my father's younger brother & his wife and younger sister arrived.
It's been 12 years or so since I met them last time at my mother's first year memorial service.

At six pm tsuya (通夜: wake) started with priest's sutra recitation and lasted for an hour.

We have names of this world and we asked the priest to think of my father's new name of the other world.
Usually one character is picked up from one's name of this world. My father's name is Asao (朝男), so asa (朝) is used and it was made as Shaku Docho (釈道朝). Shaku is surname of Jyodoshinshu sect and Docho means to show the people way.
My father used to be an official servant of the Marine Self Defense Force and he has been very rigorous and serious nature, so the priest named so. It is called homyo (法名), Buddhist  name.
In other sect it is called Kaimyo (戒名), posthumous.

2015.8.18

It was a strange weather again.
Since two typhoons are coming, it was rather windy.

Today we put my father into the coffin which we call nokan (納棺). There are certain manners for each religion. Our religion is jyodoshinshu (浄土真宗). Therefore we did not need to put him white clothing because they believe people become Buddha as soon as they passed away and there is no need to travel with white costume.
However after all we covered him with white futon and could not see what he wore.
Other religion put a knife on the chest or coffin but ours does not and put something else.
The way to use the stick scent is also different. We do not stand them but lay them on the ash. 

2015.8.17

It rained, sometimes very heavily like a storm, but other times the sun was shining.

The last day of my father has come. He has been in the hospital since June 10. He was alive this morning but they say his heart stopped at 11:01 am.
Unfortunately I was not able to be with him when he passed away.

We decided to do family funeral (家族葬:kazokuso), just with relatives.

I hope he will be happy with his wife again after about 13 years.

Thank you, Dad. I am honored to be your daughter. I will love you forever.

2015.8.16

It was fine and hot.

I tried to make an online album, but it was not so easy as before.  
In the evening I went to see my father.
Then I went to grocery shopping.

2015.8.15

It was fine and hot.

It's been 70 years since the World War II ended. Therefore there was a memorial service and there were many war-related TV programs today.

I went to the local shrine,  to my mother's graveyard and to see my father at the hospital in the afternoon.
From his room we can see the Mt. Fuji. The sun set in the Mt. Fuji tonight.

2015.8 .14

It was fine and hot.

It's already Friday.

There were many things I wanted to do during summer vacation but I have not done yet.

2015.8.13

It rained but became fine.

While clearing documents I watched a movie and a drama I recorded long time ago.
The drama was about an actress Mitsuko Mori (森光子) whose life until she got the main character of her life work "Horoki (放浪記):A Wonderer's Notebook " by Fumiko Hayashi (林芙美子). There were many things I did not know about her.

2015.8.12

It was fine and hot.

It's been 30 years since the JAL No. 123 plane crashed on the top of Mt. Osutaka and 520 passengers were killed. There were only four passengers saved.  And this is the worst plane accident ever happened.
It happened at 6:56 pm.

There are many historical events which exact times are recorded.
For example, Hiroshima Atomic Bombing at 8:15am on August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki Atomic Bombing at 11:02 am on August 9, 1945.

How many things do you remember the exact time?

2015.8.11

It was fine and hot.

Two gardeners came and cleaned around the house. They started around 7:15 am and finished around 2:15 pm.
One of them cut the tree of persimmon by mistake.

There was a visitor in the afternoon.

I went to dentist. I thought I would need to go there sevral times so that I could not go. But I did not have to and I thought that I should go earlier.

I went to see my father and helped him to eat. But it was not a help.

2015.8.10

The weather was strange, rainy and sunny.

Last night the bus arrived about one hour later than schedule and I could not get the last train and stayed at Shinjuku.

I went to see a movie "Jurrasic World."

I got a call from the hispital and went to see a doctor. I have  stayed there for four hours.

2015.8.9

It was fine and hot.

Today is another Atomic Bombing anniversary. It happened in Nagasaki.
This was also 70th anniversary.

There was the Expo 2005 memorial Event Day 2.
Two of my cousins and a relative came to see me.
There were four presenters again and a telephone interview to Nepali.

After the event a person came to me to share the feeling of Expo. I was so surprised to know we have a mutual friend in Kobe.

After the event my cousins and a relative and I went to Nagoya station to have lunch.
I am glad that I came to the event.

2015.8.8

It was fine and hot.

I came to Nagoya by night bus. We were supposed to arrive at 5:55 but it  arrived about one hour later.

I went to the hotel first to leave the carrybag, then headed for the Expo memorial park.
After arriving at the station, I happened to see my friends from peaceboat.

The Expo 2005 memorial event started at 10:00 and lasted for two hours. We watched the video first and there were presentations of selected compositions and I was the first presenter.
There were four presenters and one interview to the person working in Florida.
They are all doing fine.

After that my friends and I went out for lunch and ate shabushabu. Then I visited the place I lived for seven months.
After that I had a reunion and had a good time.

2015.8.7

It was fine and hot.

Today is the last day before summer vacation.

Tonight I head for Nagoya by night bus because tomorrow I will attend the 10th year memorial event of Expo 2005.

The bus leaves after midnight, so I went to see a movie in Shinjuku.  It was ゛Mission Impossible Rogue Nation " and today was the first day of its release. It was thrilling and  interesting. I have been wondering when the MI-1 was released and how many of the have been released.
It was 1996 when I was in the U.S.A. and this was the fifth series.  I thought I can't depend on my memory.

2015.8.6

It was fine and very hot today.

August 6 is the anniversary of atomic bombing to Hiroshima. It's been 70 years. They say there were participants from 100 countries to this year's event.

After work I dropped at Miurakaigan to see a fireworks festival.
Japanese summer is very hot and humid and it is not comfortable.
But I really like to see fireworks festival as a summer event.

2015.8.5

It was fine and hot from the morning.
There was a global open campus event today and there were so many high school students visiting our campus.

One of our colleagues birthday is tomorrow and she only comes three days in a week, so we went out for lunch to a Chinese restaurant in a hotel today.
Since we booked, we were ushered to a private room and she was served with a plate of chocolate written "Happy Birthday!" for dessert.
They took a picture of us and gave her the picture.
She was surprised and pleased with the service.

2015.8.4

It was fine and hot.

It's been a month since I was diagnosed as pneumonia. I became fine though I still take medicines.
I have not used the health insurance card for a long time, but since June I have used it many times. And I spent lots of money for medicines too.

I hope to be healthy always.

2015.8.3

It was fine and hot.

Since the summer vacation for students has started since August 1, we can leave one hour earlier than usual during the summer vacation.

So I could be in time for visiting my father.
Meeting time is until 8 pm.

2015.8.2

It was fine and very hot.

There was a community service for the area representatives.  We cleaned around the community hall by cutting grasses and weeding.  It started at 8 am.  After that we had once a month meeting. And I delivered the newspaper and other notice to 6 households.

In the afternoon I went grocery shopping after a long time.

In the evening I went to see my father at hospital.

At night there was another aipato (愛パト), and this was the last for me this summer.  At first I was assigned to patrol on August 9 for the third time, but since I will go to Nagoya next weekend to attend the 10th anniversary event of Expo 2005, I asked somebody to change the schedule.

The moon was red and big tonight.


 

2015.8.1

A new month has started. August is hachigatsu (八月) and its old name is hazuki (葉月).

I went to the nearby shrine and visited my father. It was almost lunch time, so I helped him to eat jello.

Then I went to beauty salon to have my hair cut and went to Kimono-style Miya to ask for loundry.
Since I could not attend Hokkaido tour last month, they gave me souvenirs.
I wish I could have attended!

After that I went to see a Japanese movie which entried at Cannes Film Festival.

At night there is the second aipato (愛パト), patrol for the area .

I had rather busy day.