2013.6.30

The end of June.  The end of half of 2013.  How was your first half of 2013?
For me the first three months were extremely busy for my job.  I enjoyed traveling abroad (Hawaii, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macao) for a month after that.  Then I have been trying many things such as journalism lesson, small ball exercise, yoga lesson, tea ceremony lesson, kimono model, and so on.  Learning is interesting, so as knowing new people.

2013.6.29

It was fine and hot.
I went out for dinner with my friends.  We ate very delicious Italian dishes and enjoyed chatting.
These days I often watch the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.  There are time differences between Japan and Wimbledon.  It is on air after midnight.  There are two Japanese players who are active this tournament.  One is Mr. Kei Nishikori (錦織圭), the other is Ms. Kimiko Date-Krumm (クルム伊達公子).  I like both of them.
I watched Nishikori's first international victory game in February 2008 in Delray Beach, Florida.  Since that time I am his fan.  He is a very nice person.  Now he is No. 11 in the world ranking. I hope he wins more.
Date-Krumm is the oldest, 42 years old, who proceeded to the third match in Wimbledon.  She has the same name as mine.  So I feel affinity.
Because of these two players, I think there are many Japanese spectators in this events.

2013.6.28

Today was the day of collecting old clothing at the community center.  There are three days in a year when they collect old clothing.  I brought some old sweaters, shirts, skirts and so on.  They will be recycled for somebody.
At night I went to attend the seminar.  I met a friend from primary school there after 4 months or so.

2013.6.27

It was fine and hot, and the sunset was so beautiful.
I stayed home all day long . 
I read a book about A.G.E. (Advaced Glycation End Products) which I bought last week at the A.G.E. seminar.  There were some suggestions to reduce A.G.E. such as what to eat or how to eat and what to do nor what not to do.
Regarding A.G.E, please refer the following site.
http://truage.com/2891884/en-us/

2013.6.26

It's been raining.

I went to yoga class in the morning. Then I went to a journalism lesson in the afternoon.  We were supposed to learn how to take a photo outside but since it was raining we gave up going outside.  Instead we tried to interview each other. Knowing someone is interesting.  After the lesson about ten people enjoyed chatting at a meeting room of a coffee shop. 

Then I went to an explanation meeting at the Imperial hotel with my friend from high school.  It is nice to see old friends.

2013.6.25

It was fine.
I went to Yokosuka (横須賀) by car today.  Usually I go there by train, but I needed to take Father to a hospital.  It's been a long time since I went there by car.  It took more than 1 hour to get there and we had to wait for nearly 30 minutes for the parking lot and another 1 hour waiting before examination. 
After that we went to my favorite restaurant so lunch was good.
Then we went to see furniture but we could not find the good one.

2013.6.24

It was cloudy today.
I went to Yokosuka to attend a seminar.  There were very few participants but because of that we could practice.
Then I went to Yokohama to do many things.  After everything was over, I visited the newly opened big shopping center "Mark is Minatomirai" because my friends mentioned here and there today.  They say it opened last Friday and there came more than 70,000 people on that day.  In spite of being Monday today, there were still so many people there, and at some restaurants people were waiting in a long line.  I was wondering why there are so many people.  There I happened to see my old friend from Expo '92.  It's nice to see old friend.  We enjoyed chatting thinking of 21 years ago.
At night I went to small ball exercise.

2013.6.23

It was fine today.
I went grocery shopping in the afternoon and filled up my car too.  It's been a long time since I did it last and this time I ran more than 500km.  I usually fill up my car after running 300km, so this is the longest record.  I could fill up about 40L for nearly yen 6000.  In Japan we use km and liter not mile nor gallon.
I cooked hiyashichuka (冷し中華), cold noodle for lunch.  This is one of Japanese summer menu.

2013.6.22

It was cloudy but partially fine.
I went to Kamioooka (上大岡) to see three movies.  Two Japanese and one American.  All were good.
The first one was "Hyakkai naku koto (百回泣くこと): Crying 100 times"  There were many young women and couples at the theater.  It was a story of a young couple.  Many people were crying.
The second one was "Oblivion."  Since when I watched Tom Cruise at an interview TV program I have wanted to see it.  It was a complex movie.
The third one was "Kiseki no ringo (奇跡のリンゴ): Miracle apple" which was based on a true story.
Today's biggest news is the adoption of the World Heritage of Mt. Fuji.  I am so proud of the news because I can see Mt. Fuji from my house.

2013.6.21

Today is geshi (夏至), one of nijyushisekki (二十四節季), the 24 solar terms.  The last one was boshu (芒種) on June 5, and the next one is shosho (小暑) on July 7.  Geshi literally means summer reach, actually means the summer solstice.  It is the time when the daytime is the longest.  Unfortunately it was raining today.
I went to Shinagawa (品川) to attend a meeting.  We had nice lunch bringing something to eat and drink though I did not bring anything because I did not have any idea we would have lunch like that....　Maybe next time.

2013.6.20

It rained today.  The typhoon No. 4 is nearing to the west part of Japan.
I went to Kamata (蒲田) to attend the A.G.E. seminar.  Do you know A.G.E.?  It stands for Advanced Glycation End Products.  That is a cause of aging.  There were about 1,500 audience and two speakers, one is a doctor, the other is a chef of a raw food restaurant in Sapporo (札幌).
My friends and I had lunch together at a Chinese restaurant and after the seminar some of us went to have tea and cake.  We could measure our A.G.E. score before the seminar.  This was the 5th time for me to measure it.  When I measured in Hawaii, it was terrible.  However after that my true age score is younger than my physical age.
They say tomorrow will be the Day of International Awareness of A.G.E.
For further information, please check the following site.
http://truage.com/2891884/en-us/

At night I went to learn tea ceremony.

2013.6.19

It was windy today.
In the morning I went to Yoga lesson and in the afternoon I went to the 6th journalism lesson in Yokosuka.  Today it was consisted of the two parts and in the latter part we had a guest who is a real journalist and we had a chance to interview him to ask many questions.  Next week we will learn how to take a picture for the newspaper article.

2013.6.18

It was cloudy but warm today.  The breeze was refreshing.

Finally the gardeners came to trim the garden.  They came very early.  They started working at 7 in the morning. I asked them to leave mountain lilies and some other flowers but trim every other plant.  Since I had to leave around 2:30 PM, I am not sure how long more they stayed,  but when I came back around 4:30 PM, they have already left.  Anyway I am glad to see the neat garden.

The early bird catches the worm.  (早起きは三文の得: haya oki wa sanmon no toku.)

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

2013.6.17

It was fine today.
I went to attend the seminar in Yokosuka in the morning.   This was the second one of three lectures.  There will be the last one next Monday morning.
After that I did some errands such as shopping and banking.

2013.6.16

It rained in the morning but became fine in the afternoon.

I went to Kamakura (鎌倉) to meet my ex-colleagues to have nice French lunch.  Before that we visited some temples to see hydrangea (紫陽花: ajisai).  There are so many shrines and temples in Kamakura.  In June many people go to see hydrangea in certain temples in Kamakura.  My friend and I got together at the JR Kita Kamakura (北鎌倉) Station and started visiting the Engakuji (円覚寺), then went to Meigetsuin (明月院) where is known as "Temple of hydrangea ( アジサイ寺: ajisai dera)"  Meigetsu literally means bright moon.  Here are some pictures.  We could get entered smoothly, but when we got out, there were so many people waiting for entering.  I felt lucky.  We visited the Museum of Yo Shomei (葉祥明) and I found a very nice post card with an encouraging message.  After that we visited Kenchoji (建長寺) and Tsurugaoka hachimangu (鶴岡八幡宮) where we happened to see the wedding ceremony.  Here again I felt lucky.   Lunch was very delicious.  We walked around the Komachidori (小町通り).  After saying good-bye to them, I met another friend.  It's been more than a year since I saw her last.  But I did not feel like that.  Maybe because we are connected with Facebook.  I walked nearly 15000 steps today.

Since today is Father's Day, I presented something to my father.  Did you do anything?

2013.6.15

It was cloudy and very hot today.
I went to Yokohama to be a kimono model again in the afternoon.  I went there with my friends.  For them this was the first time, and they chose the kimono they liked.  For me it was the second time and I wore my own kimono which I made.  I wore two different kimono.  One is awase  (袷 ) which can be worn for three seasons, the other is ro (絽) which can be worn during the summer time.
After that we went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant where is cheap and delicious.

 

2013.6.14

It was cloudy.  They say in Okinawa the rainy season was over.  In other places the temperature went up to  very high again.  This year it seems we have a hot summer again.
I went to aerobics lesson and got sweat.  There are three lessons per week.   But since I am not sure if I can go to the lesson every time, I decided to pay one by one for yen 1000.  If you want to become a member, you need to pay entrance fee and yen 3500 for monthly lesson fee and you can attend as much as you want to.  And insurance fee is optional.  There are about 20 pupils.  All are women.

2013.6.13

It has been raining here and rather cool, however in Kansai area and other places the temperature exceeded more than 37 degrees centigrade and it became the hottest day in June in history.
I went to learn tea ceremony.  There was nobody before me so it did not take long to practice making tea and drinking tea.  Today's sweet was named Isuzugawa (五十鈴川 : Isuzu river).  It was like flowing water with a water bird.  Isuzu river flows in Ise where I went to last weekend.  I happened to bring souvenir from Ise.  So after the lesson I enjoyed talking with my master.
At night I went shopping for Father's Day which is the next Sunday.  Do you have a Father's Day in your country?  If so, how do you celebrate it?

2013.6.12

It rained and was rather cool today.
I went to Yokosuka in the morning.   There was the 5th journalism lesson in the afternoon.  Between the first business and the lesson there were about 4 hours and I visited the shrines where I have wanted to visit.
Then I went to a restaurant where I was introduced by someone I met last week.
Do you know the Yokosuka Navy Burger?  I wrote about it as follows on January 30, 2009.

"On Nov. 19, 2008 Commander US Naval Forces Japan, Rear Admiral James D. Kelly gave the recipe of typical hamburgers produced aboard U.S. Navy ships and bases in Japan to the Mayor of Yokosuka City, Ryoichi Kabaya. Promoting the "Navy Burger" as a symbolic food of Yokosuka represents the strong and friendly relations between the U.S. Navy and Yokosuka citizens."

It's been more than three years since the Yokosuka Navy Burger was introduced but I have never tasted.  But finally I tried it.  It was really big and I could not eat it all.  Even in the USA, I have never eaten such a big burger.  It cost yen 1280 with French fries.  I wish they had with a drink set.  The restaurant has Mega burger which is about 4 times thicker.  They say some men could eat them. 

2013.6.11

It rained today.   The typhoon No. 3 is nearing, so it will rain tomorrow.
It's been two years and 3 months sine the Great Earthquake happened.
I had an appointment with my friend to visit a company however she could not join me for the sudden schedule change.  I was thinking to visit there by myself or not but I am glad to visit there. 
I finished reading a book on the train, so I bought some books.

2013.6.10

June 10 is toki no kinenbi (時の記念日), Anniversary of Time, in Japan.  It was established in 1920 to observe the time to improve and rationalize the lives like European and American societies.  There is nothing special to do in this day. 
There are some proverbs regarding time:
Time is difficult to gain and easily lost. (時は得難くして失いやすし：toki wa egatakushite ushinai yasushi）
Time is money. （時は金なり：toki wa kane nari）
Time and tide wait for no man.　（歳月人を待たず： saigetsu hito wo matazu）
Time flies.　（光陰矢のごとし：koin ya no gotoshi）

2013.6.9

My friend and I went to Ise jingu (伊勢神宮).  Ise jingu is a general term of the 125 shrines in Ise.  There are two main shrines named Naigu (内宮) and Gegu (外宮).  Usually we should visit Gegu first and Naigu second. There were so many visitors today.  Ise Jingu changes the shrines every 20 years and this is the year of the changing.  So we could see the new one next to the current one.  There was the festival of dedication goods today and we enjoyed tasting them.

2013.6.8

I left Nagoya for Ise in the morning.

I had very nice lunch today.

After checking in the hotel my friend and I  went to Futamigaura (二見浦) by train and visited some shrines. The most famous place here must be couple's rocks (夫婦岩: meoto iwa), see the picture. 

This is the place where I want to come to see the first sun rise of the year. But if you come here at the time of geshi (夏至) around June 21, you can see the sun rise over the top of the Mt. Fuji.  Don't you think it is nice？

2013.6.7

I came to Nagoya after half year or so, but it looked quite different.

I had lunch with 4 friends from the 44th Peace Boat Cruise. It's been nearly 10 years since we traveled together. They say they still travel together once a year or so.

After lunch we went to the bookstore to see my book.  I am glad to find it on the "Best Seller" shelf. Ｉhope it will really become a best seller.

After that we went to Atsuta Shrine (熱田神宮: atsuta jingu) which has 1900 years history.

On the sacred tree we found two snakes and I felt lucky.

In the evening it rained a little bit.

2013.6.6

In the morning I stayed at home  to prepare many things.  In the afternoon I went to Yokosuka to submit them.
I hoped to buy souvenirs for my friends whom I will meet tomorrow in Nagoya, but what I thought were already sold out and I gave up.  On Monday when I went to the shop, there were many of them.  I should have bought them at that time.....
In the evening I went to tea ceremony lesson. Today's sweet was biwa (枇杷),loquat.  But the color was too bright and looked like persimmon.

2013.6.5

I went to Yokohama to visit the Japan Newspaper Museum which has a special exhibition of The Great East Japan Earthquake 2011 and Kanagawa Shimbun to learn about newspaper company with classmates of the journalism cram school.  It was an interesting field work.  At Kanagawa Shimbun I tried to input my name on the headline of today's newspaper.  Then they gave me the front page which my name was in as a present.  Our picture will be appeared tomorrow's paper.
At lunch time 5 of us enjoyed at a Greek restaurant nearby.  We enjoyed chatting.
After that I visited the Kimono shop and chose the kimono for being a model in the magazine.

2013.6.4

It was fine and hot today.
There was a big football game in Saitama tonight.   The result was 1 vs 1.  But this was a happy result because Japanese team got a ticket to attend the World Cup in Brazil.  This is the first country besides host to become a participant.  And this is the fifth time straight for Japanese team to attend World Cup.  Congratulations!

2013.6.3

It was fine.
I was rather busy today.  In the morning I went to Yokosuka to attend a seminar till noon, then went to Yokohama to attend an explanation meeting, then visited a Kimono Shop, then  went to see an exhibition of textiles at the gallery of a department store in the afternoon, and after coming back home, went to exercise at night.
The exhibition "Tatsumura Heizo 'toki' wo oru ten (「龍村平蔵『時』を織る。」展)" (Mr. Heizo Takimura weaves "Time") was really nice.  I saw many beautiful kimono (着物)  and obi (帯). I got invitation tickets when I participated in Yokosuka Kaido Walk (Yokosuka海道ウォーク) last Sunday.  I was not interested in at all because I did not know anything about it, but I am glad to visit there.  There were so many beautiful things.

2013.6.2

It was fine and hot today.
In the morning we had a visitor who was the sales man of the water system.  It's been nearly one year since he visited here last.   After checking he changed the filter of the water purifier.  It was rather expensive, but as long as we use it, someday we need to change it, so we asked to change.   He recommended us to install the accumulator.  It seemed this was the main reason he visited us.  There are some reasons to install it now not later, so we decided to do it.

2013.6.1

A new month has begun.  June is rokugatsu (六月), its old name is minazuki (水無月).  Minazuki literally means water without month.  However June in the solar calendar is known as a rainy season. 
Today I went to Shinjuku to attend a monthly meeting in the morning, had my late birthday lunch with ex-colleagues, and had dinner with my teacher from graduate school.
It's been about 2 months since I left the office. So as most of my ex-colleagues.  Seven of us got together, only one is still working at the same department, the other working in the different department.  Other five members left the company.  While we were working together, we really had a good time.  We are so proud of our job, and it was so enjoyable to meet new people.  We have worked together for four years.  Almost every day when we were at the office, we had lunch together.  Every one is so capable, inspiring, and outgoing.  And we love to know other culture and often go abroad and know many things about outside Japan.  Actually six of us have lived abroad several times.  So they know some foreign languages.  I am so glad that I have worked with them.