It was cloudy and windy in the morning,
became fine and warm later.
We attended a half day tour of highlights of Santorini which was really nice.
In the afternoon we went to Oia, anoher touistic place in Santorini
It took a half hour to get there by local bus and cost 1.80 Euroo. The view was magnificent.
I bought a very beautiful pendant head for my birthday present
At farewell dinner we enjoyed talking with Rumania participants.
It was a nice day.
It is a national holiday called Showa no hi (昭和の日), Day of Showa. It used to be Emperor Showa's Birthday, and became Midori no hi (みどりの日), Greenery Day, and now Show wa no hi.
From April 29 the Golden Week starts in Japan. This year if you take May 1 and 2 off you get 8 days off. Many people must travel abroad.
I am now in Santorini, Greece and today I enjoyed the sunset cruise.
It was fine and hot daytime,and became cool in the evening.
I flew from Haneda to Beijing to Istanbul to Athens and to Santorini.
There are two destinations for this trip, and I came to the first one.
On my way I could have a businesss class seat which was really good.
Unfortunately my suitcase did not arrive with me and it is a little bit incenvenience.
But traveling light is one of my dreams. So I should be glad.
It was heavily raining when I left home, but cloudy when I got to Roppongi so that I did not have to use an umbrella.
From April 29 so called Golden Week will start.
I take days off tomorrow, May 1, 2, and 8 and have a longer vacation to visit Europe.
I fly from Haneda to Beijing first, then to Istanbul, then to Athens, and finally to Santorini where is my first destination this time.
I will participate in the Dream Trips of the three nights four days tour there. This is the first time for me to attend this fabulous tour. Therefore I am very excited about it.
It was fine but cool in the morning.
I took a half day off this morning.
Early this year I decided to make an American Express Gold Card according to my travel friend's advice. For the first year they offer the annual fee for free and we can try services they offer for nothing. For those who love traveling to have a gold card is very beneficial. Because they can come to pick up the suitcase before leaving and deliver it home when we come back for free. And you can use the lounge of the airports for free of charge twice a year.
From tomorrow I go to Europe.
I am very looking forward to visiting there after a long time.
It was fine.
There was a big event today and I helped at the reception desk and cleanup. Since there was a reception too, we ate leftovers before cleaning. After all I left the office nearly 8 pm.
One of the keynote speakers was 83 years old or so and appeared by wheel chair. We worried a little bit. But on the stage he looked fine and spoke vigorously and houmorously and I was impressed a lot.
One day is one day even if you spend in bed or outside doing whatever you like. If so, we should do what we want to do until we die. I felt this kind of message from his speech.
It was cloudy.
I wen to a bank and post office in the morning on my way to office.
At lunch time I called three places .
In the late afternoon I had a chance to listen to the lecture about Thai politics.
At night I started packing finally.
It was fine and warm.
I bought Yokohama 1Day Pass again.
Today's first destination was Hinodecho to get massage. This is once a month body maintenance for me. My body was stiff again. I need more exercise.
After that I saw the Noge Daidogei, the 42nd Intetnational Steet Performer's Festival a little bit again, and went shopping.
Today I tried M route of Akaikutsu circulating bus which took about 40 minutes to go round. Then I changed to C route and dropped at Nihon Odori to see the Garden Necklace YOKOHAMA 2017.
Every year at this time I go to see tulips near the Yokohama stadium. But this year it seems a little bit late.
After that I went to Iseyamakotaijingu after a long time. There was a wedding ceremony there today.
Then I went to Kimono-style Miya to pick up kimono and coat.
After coming back to my station, I went grocery shoppping.
It was a nice Sunday.
It was cloudy in the morning and slightly rained in the evening.
I bought Yokohama One Day Ticket which cost yen 1,300 today.
My first destination was Yokohama Sky Building 28th floor to attend Luncheon of Kimono-wearing meeting. I arrived earlier and enjoyed the view. There were 14 participants this time. Lunch menu was Japanese style and I enjoyed many small dishes.
After that I walked to Noge to see the 42 nd Noge Daidogei, The International Street performers Festival. There were many spectators. Some performances were very attractive.
Then I went to Itsukushima shrine after a long time. I used to visit there every month but these days I have not been able to.
After that I tried the Red-shoes-bus. which circulates Yokohama's touristic spots. One ride is yen 220, but I had the pass. So I tried to go around for one hour. There was another big event near the red-brick warehouse. I saw a big ship leaving from the port.
If you have chances to come to Yokohama, I recommend you to buy this kind of discount one day ticket so that you can get on and off buses and trains freely wherever you like.
Bisides this one day ticket, I did not spend anything.
It was a nice day.
It was cloudy.
Tonight there was a reunion of Expo '92 at a Brazilian restaurant in Akasaka. More than 70 people got together.
For some people it's been 5 years, for others it's been 25 years since we met last.
We, attendant group, meet once in a while whenever we have a chance so it was not so long since we met last.
We ate a lot and talked a lot.
I had a good time.
It was fine and warm.
Today is Kokuu(穀雨), one of nijyushisekki(二十四節気), the 24 solar terms. Last one was Seimei (清明) on April 4, and the next one is Rikka (立夏) on May 5. Kokuu literally means grain rain. It is the time that spring rain wet the grain.
It is the 25th anniversary of the opening of Expo '92 in Seville, Spain.
I was a gradeuate school student at that time and took a year leave to be an attendant of Japan pavillion. I had worked for Expo for 7 months and traveled around Europe by Eurail Pass for the next 5 months.
The year from March 20, 1992 to March 20, 1993 is really special for me. I have learned so many things. These experiences inspired me to write a book.
I have not written a book about Europe yet, but my dream to publish a book realized after 20 years.
There will be a reunion to celebrate the 25th anniversary tomorrow, and more than 80 people will attend.
I am very looking forward to seeing them.
It was fine and very hot again.
In the morning I went to Kasumigaseki to have a meeting. After that I was invited to a beef tongue restaurant for early lunch. They were very tasty.
I attended the Lunch Time Seminar about the higher education in the USA.
After that I went to a seminar in Oimachi. This was the third time for me to attend this seminar. At first I was not interested in joining the program at all, but as the third is the charm I decided to commit to this program for a year to make this year my year. I am excited to learn many things from Mr.Robert Allen, No.1 best seller writer.
It was heavily raining and very windy early in the morning. But by the time I arrived at Roppongi, it became fine and very beautiful as if the typhoon has passed.
From today one of the staff who took a maternity leave last year started working again and we had a welcome back luncheon.
It is very difficult to book a restaurant at lunch time in Roppongi. But I could find a very unique restaurant by the Internet site.
It is run by a famous successful ophthalmologist. The restaurant is on the second floor. There are many paintings on the wall. All of them were painted by the Director of the Clinic.
The meals were very healthy by using Kamakura vegetables, fresh meats, and non-agrochemical brown rice.
There are four choices: meat lunch, fish lunch, noodle lunch, and daily special lunch.
If you bring the coupon, you can get free soft drink which regular price is from yen 450 to yen 600 at lunch time.
Lunch menu is yen 1,000 including tax.
There were 12 people attended today and fish lunch and carrot juice were most popular among us.
I chose meat lunch and iced tea because they did not have enough stock of carrot juice.
They were tasty.
After eating we enjoyed looking at the pictures.
To my surprise, the Director of the Clinic is a multi-talented person. First he became a pilot, next ophthalmologist, then artist, and writer not to mention business owner.
I hope to visit there again and have lunch at the terrace on the beautiful day.
It was fine and warm in the morning.
but it was slightly raining when I left the office at night.
My commuter pass expired yesterday. Since I won't commute during the Golden week, I will buy the new one after that.
It takes yen 1,142 for one way, that is yen 2,284 for round trip. But there is one day Tokyo Pass which costs yen 2,000. So I will use this discount ticket for the next 8 days or so.
In the late afternoon I had a chance to listen to the lecture about North Korea. There were much information I did not know at all.
Happy Easter!
It was very fine and warm.
I went to Kimono-Style Miya to attend the special event. First I had my hair done and got dressed. I wore the brand new
kimono, obi, shawl and porch specially made for me.
Then I went to Sakuragicho. Two handsome foreign models came to pick me up by Limousine. This was the first time for me to get on the Limousine. One of them opened a new bottle of champagne for me and three of us toasted.
Three of other kimono model friends joined us one by one and were welcomed by them. We enjoyed taking pictures.
After that we were invited to tea and cake.
There were many events going on here and there and I was wondering which to choose.
After all I decided to see a movie "Jackie" because it will last until this Thursday then I went shopping at many places.
Since I came home later than expected, I joined Zoom meeting on the train back home.
It was a fruitful day.
It was fine.
I went to the nearby shrine in the morning first.
On my way to the station I took pictures of cherry blossoms.
I went to my noni friend's place to learn about the Morinda's new cosmetic products named "Te Mana" which will be released on May 22. I have used them since February 1 because there was Limited Time Offer for the members and I bought three sets of them early this year. They are really great. I like them very much.
If you want to have your skin been brighten, I strongly recomnend them.
Today we tried one hand used the products, the other left as it was.
I was surprised to see the result.
If you are interested in, please let me know.
In the afternoon I went to Shinjuku to attend a seminar of Mr. Makoto Oki, CEO of Morinda Japan with a 44th Peaceboat cruise friend. We circumnavigated the world from Dec.25, 2003 to March 31, 2004. It's been 13 years since we met last.
After the seminar we participated in the company tour.
Then we went to Tahitian Noni Cafe at the first floor. We enjoyed eating curry and drinking Noni tea, and talking many things.
After that I went to buy ear phones. To my lucky, I had yen 500 coupon and points of the shop, so I could get it for nothing.
It was a nice day.
It was fine.
I took one hour off at lunch time to meet a seminar mate of MOVE 500th course held in the first weekend of this month.
He showed interest in my book at the workshop of the first day and I brought my book next day but he was in a hurry on the second day and I could not give it to him.
There is a seminar I wanted to invite him tomorrow, but he will not be available. Instead he had time for lunch today. So we met at my favorite shabu shabu restsurant near my office and we ordered beef, pork, and octopus and shared. There are only 5 portion octopus for a day. Fortunately we could order it.
He is a company owner in Mie and has had many unusual experiences. It might be intertesting to write about his life story.
We have something in common so we enjoyed eating and talking.
I hope he will enjoy my book.
It was fine.
They say it snowed in Hokkaido today.
Usually I buy salad, sandwich, and dessert for lunch at a supermarket on my way to the office. In addition to these I have a cup of soup and tea. There is a rest room which has tatami mats and table, another table and chairs on the floor, and TV. I eat lunch watching TV, especially rebroadcast of the 15 minutes NHK's morning drama.
Sometimes I go out for lunch.
Next week a staff who had maternity leave will come back and we will have a welcome luncheon. Therefore I checked the reasonable restaurants nearby. There are so many restaurants in Roppongi. I hope to try as many as possible.
It was fine.
Petals of cherry blossoms were dancing and very beautiful on my way to the office.
At lunch time there was a live broadcast of press conference of a figure skater, Mao Asada (浅田真央) who announced her retirement from skating recently. She has been a queen of Japanese women's figure skating for more than a decade. She participated in Olyimpics twice, but unfortunately she could not get a gold medal. However she is still Japanese people's idle.
Tonight I got the re-delivered goods along with the new package. I am glad to receive both of them.
It was a cold rainy day. Very cold as if winter came back again.
Today is a Pink moon but unfortunately we cannot see it in the sky tonight. Do you know the Pink moon? I did not know until today. They say the full moon in April is called Pink moon, and it does not mean the moon looks pink.
These days I feel the moon before the full moon is so beautiful and often take pictures, and the next day it becomes cloudy or rain and we cannot see the the full moon.
Last night I took many pictures of the moon.
It was fine, and cherry blossoms were so beautiful in spite of rainy weekend that I took some pictures in the morning.
I was rathet busy today and overworked for more than one hour and took some pictures of the moon and cherry blossoms after work.
There was a welcome reception and we were invited to eat leftovers during overwork.
In addition to that I had a chance to eat dried dorian fruit tips for the first time which were different from my imagination and rather tasty.
It was a cold rainy day.
I did not go out at all.
I stayed at home and did something I have postponed by now. There are still lots of things to do.....
There was a big news about Men's All Japan Championships of Gymnastics. Mr.Kohei Uchimura has become a champion for 10 times straight.
Congratulations!!
It must have been very tough to be the top athlete for 10 years.
At night I watched a two hours TV drama.
It was a rainy day.
I stayed at home all day long.It's been a long time since I did not have any appointments in the weekend.
I could clear some kimono and prepare for the next time.
I could finish reading the book which I half read more than one month ago.
I could receive the redelivered goods.
It was cloudy in the morning but I saw the beautiful sunset.
After work I went to Takanawadai to attend a seminar of communication skill up to get the ideal life.
I have been there to attend seminars for three times this week. Each time the theme is different. I have never attended this one before. There were many pair works and some group works today. One of them was to praise each other for 30 seconds each among four members. Even though today was the first day to see each other for the first time. It was fun.
It was fine in the daytime, but started raining at night.
After work I went to Hibiya to have dinner with ex-colleagues. I found the Spanish restaurant by coupon site. We could order yen 5,500 course dinner by yen 2,750.
We worked for some years together about a quarter century ago at Hamamatsu cho and Ginza. I met one of them about five years ago, and the other a few years ago. But it may have been more than 10 years since we met altogether.
We enjoyed talking and eating.
It was fine, and getting warmer.
The cherry blossoms are becoming more beautiful day after day.
I could book a Spanish bar restaurant for tomorrow night using a coupon site. We will have yen 5,500 course dinner at yen 2,750. I am very looking forward to seeing my friends after a long interval.
The other day I got some instant Vietnam noodle Pho. I thought I needed a pan to cook. But it just needed the hot water and a bowl. Put noodle, soup, and seasoning oil in the bowl, and add hot water and cover with lid. So easy. And very delicious. Thank you!
It was fine.
Today is seimei (清明), one of nijyushisekki (二十四節気), the 24 solar terms. Last one was shunbun (春分) on March 20, and the next one is kokuu (穀雨) on April 20. Seimei literally means clear bright. It is the time the air is clean and clear.
Cherry blossoms are blooming day by day.
I saw the beautiful orange sunset today from the office.
After work I went to another seminar tonight. I have been to this seminar several times but there is still something to learn.
I happened to see the person in front who was next to me last time.
It was fine in the morning, but rained with thunder in the evening. Fortunatey I did not have to use the umbrella.
The cherry blossoms at work were about half in bloom.
After work I went to the explanatory meeting of Reiki. This was the third time for me to attend this meeting.
Before starting the session, there was a warming up time to find common points with the person next to each other for two minutes and a half. There were 8 groups or so. And we found 40 things in common. Since we were the top, they gave us books. How lucky we were!
It was fine but cold.
I attended the Day 2 of MOVE coaching seminar. This is the second time. It's been four months since I took it for the first time. I still remember some of them but forgot others too. So they offer to take seminars again and again for free of charge. I hope to take it again around August.
The nice part of this program is to cheer up each other's dream with full strength.
After coming home, I watchefd the figure skating exhibition on TV.
It was a cold rainy morning, but in the afternoon it stopped raining.
A new month has started. April is shigatsu (４月), the fourth month. Its old name is Uzuki (卯月). It is the new year offiscal year and aademic year in Japan.
I went to the nearby shrine for otsuitachi mairi (お朔参り), on the first day visit to the shrine in the morning.
Then I went to Shinjuku to attend Morinda's monthly meeting. There were a lot of information today.
Accorning to their advice I tried to send a friend's request to Ms. Jackie Lee from Facebook Page, but there was no button.
Therefore I sent her a message. To my surprise, she replied to my message! How nice!
After the meeting, I measured AGE as usual. It was the same age as my actual age.
Then I went to attend the 500th MOVE coaching seminar. This was the second time to attend this seminar. The first time was in early November, so it's been four months since then. It is a two days seminar. After that there was a supper party. I have become Facebook friends with some of them. It is fun to get to know new people.
