2023.11.30

It was fine.

I worked at home.

At lunch time I went to banks, post office, and supermarket. 

I got the mail order delivery goods.

These are good things working at home.

I heard that my neighbor passed away at the age of 82 on November 12, and his wife has been hospitalized until recently. I visited her for condolence in the evening.

Today is the last day of November. There are something I do on the last day of the month.

One of them is to order Nohana photo album.Every month I choose 20 pictures and make a small photo album which only cost the postage.

It's been 5 years and 6 months I have used Nohana, and there 89 photo albums so far.

The other is to have a zoom meeting with friends who want to practice speaking English to share good things happened this month.

There were four members tonight, and it was so interesting everyone's stories.

2023.11.29

It was fine.

I heard that the air conditioning of the dining room would start on December 1, but to my surprise it was working today. 

After work I went to Kurihama to have dinner and shop. 

To my surprise the parking lot introduced the new system. They do not issue the ticket but control by the car number. When we leave we input the 4 digit of the car number, and the machine shows the picture of the car and the parking fare. We have to leave within 15 minutes from checking out.

After coming home there was the re-delivery of the heater I ordered the other day. It was rather small, but strong.

2023.11.28

It was fine but windy.

 

Since today is the day of tiger when is a good timing to spend money, after work I went to the ATM to withdraw money and did grocery shopping.

There was a group consulting session after a long time at night. It was a good opportunity to remember what I have learnt two years ago and what I can use for what I have paid.

I would like to plan the event in January using the application.

I received three mochu hagaki (喪中はがき) mourning postcard today. All of them were information of death of somebody's mother.  They were at the age of 85, 88, and 89. 

2023.11.27

It was fine.

At lunch time there were bowl of persimmons for dessert. They were presents from Chef's sister-in-law’s family in Fukushima. It was very rare to have take home desserts.

When we returned the tray, there were still some persimmons, and he offered me to have more, so I did and gave to my colleagues who do not use the cafeteria.

At dinner I ate one of them. It was so tasty.

I distributed the souvenir from my trip to Nikko which were also delicious.

Today I received a mochu hagaki (喪中はがき) which informed me of the death of my high school classmate who had been suffering from cancer.

It is the fullmoon tonight. I saw the beautiful one.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

2023.11.26

It was a cold rainy day.

In the morning I attended a zoom seminar about AI from 8:30 to 12:30.

I was going out after that but it was rainy and cold so I decided to stay at home all day long.

In the afternoon I watched the Exhibition of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2023/24 NHK Trophy on TV.

In the evening I watched Senshuraku (千秋楽) of the Grand Sumo Wrestling Tournament in Kyushu. Ozeki Kirishima became the champion by 13-2.  This was the second time for him to be the champion this year. Congratulations!

2023.11.25

It was fine and cloudy.

There were some places I felt like going, but I decided to stay home all day long and did some clearance.

At night I watched the NHK Trophy Figure Skating. No.1 was Yuma Kagiyama and No.2 was Shoma Uno. Congratulations!

There were some friends whose birthday was today. I sent messages through messenger and email. Some replied soon.

Happy Birthday!

After dinner I ate the sweets I bought at the Kusaki Drive in on Thursday. There are two different red bean tastes for 5 pieces each. I was going to eat them for 5 days but it was tasty and I ate 6 of them at a time.

2023.11.24

It was fine.

I worked at home.

I saw the beautiful sunset.

This is another merit of working at home because it is already dark when I finish working and I canot see the sunset these days.

From October the new invoice system has been introduced. I applied for the examination and asked about the invoice. It seems they have not introduced the system. I asked the HR section and knew it would be OK to submit the regular invoice to be reimbursed.

I fell asleep while watching TV at night.

2023.11.23

Today is a national holiday called Kinro kansha no hi (勤労感謝の日), Labour Thanksgiving Day.

I got up early to get on the first train to attend one day bus tour to Gunma and Tochigi from Shinjuku.

 

The meeting time was 6:45 am and the bus left at 7 am and came back around 18:45 pm. 

First we visited Omama and walked around the town including the soy sauce factory and enjoyed some Japanese sweets.

Next we took the Trolly train about 45 minutes enjoying the beautiful autumn of Watarase Vally.

 

We stopped at Kusaki lake for a short break and headed for Nikko.

There were two hours and a half free time. At first I was going to see the waterfalls I missed this summer. But after all I visited Nikko Futarasan jinja shrine where I have wanted to visit but missed this summer and Shiraito waterfalls and Takinoo jinja shrine after a long time.

After coming back to Shinjuku, I visited Hanazono Inari jinja shrine for the second cock market. It was so crowded.

I ate the noodle dinner.

I came back before 11pm.

It was a fruitful day.

 

2023.11.22

It was fine and rather warm.

Today is shosetsu (小雪), one of nijushisekki (二十四節気), the 24 solar terms. The last one was ritto (立冬) on November 8, and the next one is taisetsu (大雪) on December 7.

Shosetsu literally means little snow but it was warm like Indian summer though I did not enjoy this warmth.

Today is known as ii fufu no hi (いい夫婦の日), Day of Good couples because of the pronunciation of November 22 which is written as 1122.

It seems there are many wedding anniversaries.

Tomorrow is a national holiday called kinro kansha no hi (勤労感謝の日) Labour Thanksgiving Day.

I watched some useful YouTube.

2023.11.21

It was fine.

It was cold at the dining room and I asked about air conditioning. They say it will be possible to use heater from December because it is central heating. 

It is inconvenient, isn't it?

 

I came home straight again so that around 18:10 I was at home and finished dinner before 19:00.

At night I read ebooks, watched YouTube and TV programs but fell asleep.

 

I am not a gamer but was recommended to play the one. I have played it every day for a week or so. I checked the page and found the good information. To know or not is quite a big difference, isn't it?

2023.11.20

It was fine.

From 7 AM the reservation site of the Afternoon Tea at the Akasaka State Guest House was open but while inputting the data it became full and closed.

I hope to try next spring when it is warm because it is open air cafeteria.

I came home directly so I ate dinner around 18:30.

When I worked in Tokyo, I usually came home around 20:30.

I have been saving commuting time.

I watched some YouTube videos at night.

These days it is rare to receive postcards or letters besides direct mails. But from the middle of November to December we receive so called mochu hagaki (喪中はがき) to announce of their family loss and excuse of new year's greeting.

I received two of them today.

2023.11.19

It was fine.

I went to Yokohama to see a Japanese movie in the morning. It was a heavy movie based on the real story.

After that I went to Sugita and ate lunch and to have my hair cut and permed. This is once in two months refreshing event for me.

I cooked curry at night.

At night there was a zoom session.

2023.11.18

It was cloudy and fine.

I wore Kimono and went to Kimono Style Miya to have my hair set and dressed up.

I went to the Meiji jingu shrine to attend the official visit. There were many wedding couples, families with nexly born babies and children with the age of three, five, and seven.

We got together at 14:00 and the ceremony started a 15:00.

After the event six of us went have something.

I came home around 21:30.

2023.11.17

It was rainy in the morning, but became fine and windy in the late afternoon.

At lunch time after eating I stayed in the lounge to watch TV. The main purpose was NHK's 15 minutes morning drama. Before that there was a cooking program. I appreciate the easy delicious cooking.

After work I went grocery shopping.

At night I attended two zoom seminars.

I hope it will be fine tomorrow.

2023.11.16

It was fine.

Snow of Mt.Fuji looked thinner, so it must have been warm for a while.

Last night I fell asleep while watching TV. So I watched the missed programs by NHK plus. It is a convenient service and I like it.

Since I came home straight today, I could finish dinner by 8 PM. Until last year I commuted to Tokyo and came home around 8:30 PM. So I have been saving time.

It is one of the good things at the work place now.

I enjoyed cooking and eating tonight.

2023.11.15

It was fine and cloudy and cold.

November 15 is known as shichi go san which means 753. It is the day to celebrate the healthy growth of the girls of seven and three years old and boys of five years old.

Before going to work I visited the nearby shrine as a ritual of the 15th of the month.

After work I visited the car dealer to have my car repaired.

After uhat I went grocery shopping.

2023.11.14

It was fine and cold.

Mt. Fuji looked so beautiful covered with snow.

I started using a heater.

Today was the first day at work after my trip to Izumo and Hiroshima, and I  distributed some souvenirs. 

I heard some people have never visited Izumo and they want to visit some day.

I felt lucky to have visited there several times.This was the fifth year to have visited both Izumo and Hiroshima.

2023.11.13

It was fine but very cold. It was the coldest day. 

They say Kogarashi No.1 blew.

I worked at home.

I saw the beautiful sunset.

It is the new moon tonight. It is a good time to write wishes. What kinds of wishes do you have?

2023.11.12

It was fine and cloudy but rather cool.

I checked out the hotel around 9:20 and left the suitcase.

My uncle and aunt came to pick me up, and we headed for the family graveyard.

After that we ate very delicious crab lunch.

This is our once a year event. 

I am glad to hear about the family history.

After that I went to Shukkeien and enjoyed the garden walk and tea ceremony.

After that I visited three shrines.

I took the 19:21 Shinkansen and arrived at 23:05, took 23:14 last train for Miurakaigan, and took a taxi and came home after midnight.

2023.11.11

It was fine, cloudy, slightly rained, and became fine again.

I left the hotel after watching the TV drama about Kure Hiroshima.

I went to Miyajima to visit shrines and temples, and climbed up to Mt. Misen.

There were so many people here and there.

Though I could not eat dinner in Miyajima, but ate the speciality of Hiroshima at Miyajimaguchi.

At night I attended a zoom seminar.

It was a nice holiday.

2023.11.10

It was a rainy day.

It seemed to have rained during the night.

I got up early and visited Izumo oyashiro　shrine again. It seems l walked 3km.

After having breakfast I wore kimono and went to Miho jinja shrine. After the formal visit it started raining. 

We had lunch and headed for Bukkokuji temple. Talk by the priest was very interesting.

After that we came back to Izumo city, and I took a bus to Hiroshima at 17:00.

I arrived at Hiroshima around 20:19 and tried to eat something but there are long lines here and there and I gave up and checked in the hotel.

I attended a zoom event.

It was another eventful day.

2023.11.9

It was cloudy in Hiroshima, but fine in Izumo.

I left Hiroshima at 7:45 AM, arrived at Izumo city around 11:07 AM, and took a train to Izumo taisha shrine.

I went to see the kind person who helped me a few years ago, and went to the accommodation to leave a suitcase and headed for the Inasa beach, the graveyard of the first Kabuki actress, and the great torii gate.

We got together at 14:00 and officially visited the Izumo Oyashiro shrine and visited many shrines inside.

After coming back to the accommodation we had delicious dinner and lectures until late at night.

It was a long day.

2023.11.8

It was fine and rather warm.

Today is ritto (立冬) one of nijushisekki (二十四節気), 24 solar terms. The last one was soko (霜降) on October 24, and the next one is shosetsu (小雪) on November 22. Ritto literally means stand winter which means the first day of winter.

I worked at home.

In the evening I walked to the station and got on the earlier train than I scheduled.

After arriving at Shinagawa, I took a Shinkansan bound for Hiroshima. Since my destination is also Hiroshima tonight, I felt lucky.

I arrived at Hiroshima at 23:32 and checked in the hotel before midnight.

2023.11.7

It was rainy and windy in the morning,and  became fine later. 

It went up to 27.5 degrees centigrade or so in Tokyo. They say it is the record of 100 years.

After work I went shopping to buy souvenirs. I usually buy cooked tuna because Miura is famous for tuna.

After eating supper I prepared for the trip tomorrow.

I hope weather will be fine during my trip.

2023.11.6

It was rather warm today.

It seemed to have rained during night.

I hoped to see the rainbow and I did on my way to work place!

After coming home, I ironed and put haneri (half collar) to juban (underwear) for this week trip.

I listened to the program I missed last night and the one for the preparation for the trip.

2023.11.5

It was fine.

I wore kimono and went to Kojimachi to attend an art exhibition and movie watching event.

At lunch place I happened to see my friend from Power Spot Meister and Calendar reading.

The movie is a documentary film which dealt with birth and death. After the movie there was a talk show by the director who has a special ability to feel the message from the unseen world. It was interesting.

After that I went to Kimono Style Miya to have my hair set, dressed up, and pictures taken.

2023.11.4

It was fine.

I listened to the radio which my Facebook friend debuted.

In the afternoon I attended a zoom seminar.

In the evening I went to the car dealer to ask repair. To my surprise the person in charge was transferred to another shop. So that I had to go there.

I just asked the estimation. They need to get the parts, so I need to wait for a while. 

I'd better buy the new car before the next mandatory inspection.

I went grocery shopping later.

2023.11.3

It was fine.

I got up early, wore kimono and went to Kimono style Miya to have my hair set and dressed up.

I went to Iseyama kotai jingu shrine and Naritasan Yokohama betsuin temple after a long time. Construction was over, and the new shrine was completed.

After that I went to the National Museum of Japanese History in Sakura, Chiba. There was a special exhibition of Onmyoji (陰陽師) which I have been interested in. I did not have enough time to see all so that I hope to visit there again.

My friend and I had sushi dinner.

2023.11.2

It was fine. 

Weather forecast said it would go up to 25 degrees centigrade, and it must have been, but inside the building it was so cold that I could not feel the warmth.

Today is the day of Koshi (甲子) which is the first day of 60 days cycle. It is a good time to start something.

So I changed the cover of the smart phone. This is the third time to change it.

From tomorrow we have three day weekend.

2023.11.1

A new month has started. November is juichigatsu (11月 or  十一月) or Shimotsuki (霜月) in Japanese.

Shimotsuki literally means frost month.

On the first day of the month there are something I do.

One of them is to change plant, rice, and salt of the inside house shrine called Kamidana (神棚).

The other is to visit the shrine which is called Otsuitachi mairi (お朔日参り).

I cleared the newspaper of October.

On the first of day of the month, I feel like doing something new.

I started using cosmetic cream I got the other day at jbj COLLECTION.

I started eating Kefir yogurt I made using powder I got at jbj COLLECTION.

I listened to the CD of Tango I got at jbj COLLECTION.

If my KDP account is available, I would have published the photobook of Sunlight of October.

Are there anything you do on the first day of the month?