A Place In the Sun

Today was a fine autumn day. A construction work just started today. I looked Pacific Ocean from the highway on the way to the construction site in Manazuru town. 70 % of my field of vision was the clear, blue sky and deep blue water of the sea for about one hour. I don't know why, but whenever I rush to a construction site to solve difficult matters, they look dull color. But the sea glinted in the sun today. It made me happy.
"A Place In the Sun" is a title track of Miki Imai album. I've been a fan of her since she just made her first appearance on television commercial of a miso-paste "Hanamaruki".
In those days, she had long hair and was not slender as now.
I was sure that she would become a major figure. She stood out from the others.
Probably "A Place In the Sun" is an autumn song. I like this song and also think this album is the best one in her albums. Of course Tomoyasu Hotei wrote songs and Ryuichi Sakamoto composed the tune for a song too. It's a really gorgeous album.
I imagined she wanted to be an actress but she suddenly declared that she was going to be a singer in her radio program. When I listened to her declaration, I paid no attention.
Her singing was terrible when she was young. But she has grown up to a singer. I wish she would appear on television more often. She is attractive. I like her face, voice, and her taste. And I might like her guts hidden under her calm demeanor and sophisticated appearance. I looked a poster about her concert at a 7-Eleven in Manazuru today. She wore a black dress and hardly any makeup. Yeah! She has style.

Writing blog reminds me I really liked writing. Writing gives me rests to think over things. The habit got me. So I'll set up my web site about my speciality and write about architecture, folklore and something cultural. I'd like to form a new plan about my job. I don't know the exact reason why, but I feel I have enough motivation to do it now. For the time being, I will concentrate my energies on it. When I see light at the end of the tunnel, I can have my web site again.
I always enjoyed writing and sometimes I was unconscious of the passage of time.
I know that even though my English was strange, my friends read my blog.
Thank you for coming to "A Place In the Sun".

Born to Be Creative.

Kanazawa

I went Kanazawa city where was my mother's hometown this weekend. A memorial service for my grandmother who died 5 years ago was going to be held. So her daughters' families got together to attend it. After the memorial service, we had a drinking party, called "naorai".
Naorai means that the religious service ends and a daily life starts again. Some ingredients in dishes of the naorai are offerings to a deity.
My grandmother's home is a Japanese-style hotel in Kanazawa. Naturally, the naorai was held at the hotel. It was my first visit to the hotel. I don't pay a compliment to them because of distant relative. Even though the hotel wasn't big, it was really nice.

Kanazawa is sometimes called "small Kyoto in northern Japan". There are a lot of Japanese traditional hotels, restaurants, shops and so on. The competitions are very fierce.
I know a case that a well-known store selling Japanese style sweets lost its reputation because of its bad taste. The store was a highly reputed shop that has continued in business since Edo period and it was once a purveyor of the lord of Kanazawa castle.
I think this case is a matter of course. But I heard an unwelcome change about Kanazawa yesterday.
Nationwide hotel groups have built big hotels around Kanazawa station for last two decade. Once a number of old Japanese hotels which selling point was Japanese traditional dishes was over 100, but now it is only 14.
Why do tourists want to stay at a big hotel? I can't understand. We can't feel the atmosphere of old Japan there.

Dishes of naorai were not only delicious but also beautiful. Some dishes were in shape of a rock arrangement of Kanazawa castle, a chestnut shell, an autumn leaf, and a chrysanthemum. They delighted our eyes.
We stayed at a Japanese room. It had a pillar made of Japanese cedar at an alcove in the room, called "tokonoma". And its ceiling was made of real wooden boards of pine trees. A ceramics vase put on tokonoma was a noted local product, called "kutaniyaki".

The right things in the right places. Good. I really enjoyed them.

If you're going to Kanazawa, please check this site!
http://park10.wakwak.com/~hashimotoya/

Rambling talking

Are my essays too serious?
I can write straight from my heart in English. I feel like letters of the English hide my embarrassment. When I read my blogs, I need not face my real intention in a flash. Because these are wrote in English. Probably I can’t write same contents in Japanese. It’s difficult to explain this feeling …

Are my essays too serious?
So I will write a rambling story today.

Why are BonJovi 's songs almost the same? At first, songs start serious guitar riff. After a while, suddenly they turn the volume up. (Maybe fireworks have to be displayed in exact timing with this moment at their live concert..) For a while, they are worried about their life. But finally, they notice that they should be optimistic and decide to live in hope. ( I'm sorry. This might be a fiction.)
In my opinion, BonJovi's songs are American enka. That's why they are popular in the US. Except for it, I can't find any reason they are salable.
Why was Allie M ‘s boyfriend John Bon Jovi? Why?
This topic is out of date.

I like autumn season. I hope 5/12 of a year is autumn and 1/4 of a year is winter and 5/24 of a year is spring and 1/12 of a year is summer and 1/24 of a year is winter season, called Tsuyu.
But in this autumn, it had been raining for over a week.
I saw the full moon before those rainy days. There are many Japanese old poems that express the moon in autumn.

秋風にたなびく雲の絶え間より漏れ出ずる月の影のさやけさ 　　左京太夫顕輔

月見ればちぢに物こそ悲しけれわが身ひとつの秋にはあらねど 　大江千里

I couldn't enjoy the scent of fragrant –olives well. Fragrant –olives trees snowed blossoms by heavy rains. Too bad.

Today was fine autumn day. There wasn't any cloud in the sky. I went an exhibition of an architect with my friend and took a walk in Omotesando area. I like this town. There are many famous architecture. We could visit a building 　which we looked the presentation of the building in the exhibition in a day. Because I live near Tokyo, I can know the forefront of the movement and enjoy avant-garde architecture. She said
"Sunlight of autumn season makes white walls of buildings show white."
In autumn, buildings look calm and beautiful. We enjoyed our reunion.
She was my best co-worker.

Wrong conclusions based on false premises.

Autumn has come.
I watched TV programs about the Yasukuni Shrine in Obon week in this summer.
Because I noticed I could not only express my opinions but also I could not give my impressions of it My knowledge of it was too poor.

In these TV programs, I found some common subjects.
1. Why did Japanese prisoners want not to be prisoners but to die?
2. Why were soldiers who died on the battle field defied in Yasukuni Shrine?
3. Why was Yasukuni Shrine not be destroyed after the war?

The government of the day forced people to believe the word “虜囚の辱めを受けず”.
It means "Never be prisoners, and never be insulted."( it is too difficult to translate for me.)
A TV program was about the Japanese prisoners who were going to escape from Cowra Prisoner of War Camp in Australia on 5th Aug. in 1944 during the World WarⅡ. There were 1104 prisoners of Japanese, but 247 prisoners died at the escape.
In this war camp, the Geneva Conventions were strictly kept and Japanese prisoners were treated suitably. Some prisoners played sports or cards. They could get enough foods. But as Japanese soldiers who fought in the front line and were taken prisoners increased, they reminded the meaning of the above word.
The TV program reported that there were a few Japanese who hidden themselves under the beds and did not join the escape and some soldiers did not agree with the escape. The word praised the people who were not afraid of death. But which are the brave people?
I think the above word was a false premise. I can imagine it was difficult to have doubts about the word which is generally accepted. I admire a person had spiritual strength which penetrated its foolishness in this extreme situation.

There were two kinds of people who went to the war.
Politicians who incited people to fight and the masses who had no choice but to obey them and keep the word “Never be prisoners, and never be insulted.”
Who did say it? Did the person who said it take the consequences?
"For your God, never be afraid to die!"
Recently, I read this phrase on newspapers many times. I think it is really similar to the word which a man of religion who incites his believers to do acts of terrorism.

Japanese government of the day enshrined soldiers who died on the battlefield in Yasukuni Shrine with demagogic politicians.
The soldiers died believing the above word. So the government on the day couldn't change the story for them and their families. That's why they needed to be defied in Yasukuni Shrine with politicians who they had believed before and Yasukuni Shrine wasn't destroyed after the war. Though we noticed the emperor was not God and the word was a false premise, we had to continue the story to bring them peace of mind.
But now is not postwar era. I cannot agree to continue the story. What do the bereaved families think?
In Class A war criminals, there is Mr.Tojyo who is the general. I think he must explain why he incited the people to fight. So when I know that he was going to suicide when he noticed he was almost caught the end of the war, I got angry.
Do the bereaved families still want that members of the families are enshrined in the same place with the criminals who killed them???

I listened to the news on the radio in this summer.
A movie released. The producer shot this film with the cooperation of The Self-Defense Forces of Japan. Its magnificent scale is advertised as the first of the kind.
The title of the movie is "An Aegis-class warship of sadness". It doesn't have its English title. Because it is a Japanese war film.
Many famous Japanese actors and actress came to see the film preview.
After the preview, an interviewer asked two cool guys who are popular actors in Japan.
"What would you do If the war like this movie were to break out? Will you take part in it and contest on the battlefield to protect your wife?"
Mr, Solimachi and Mr. Shido answered the question.
"Yeah, of course. I will fight against the enemy to protect my wife."
I thought this comment was NOT cool.
The radio disc jockey who spoke the news said. " Yeah, I see. Actually, protecting her would be worthwhile."( he is a Shido’s wife fan.)

Why could not they answer like these?
"We must prevent war at all. We must not make war at any cost to protect my wife. For it, I will work for peace"
"Unfortunately a war broke out, I'll escape from the war to protect my wife."
Recently, they got married to beautiful actresses.
I know that the interviewer wanted to refer indirectly to their marriage. So this topic of the radio news was their love for their wives. I knew. I knew.
So I didn't have to be serious. The movie's story is only a chance to ask them about their wives for the interviewer. I knew the guys understood what the interviewer was interested in, that's why they answered as stated above. But why didn't they need to give lip service? I felt they were manipulated by the interviewer. They looked like being too easygoing. Because I think we never set breaking out a war someday forth as a premise
Because I think we never talk about a war easily in public from false premises which a war will break out someday.
I don't like that this kind of war films would foster nationalism.
If our nation decide to start the war, we have to join it. The comments of the actors depend on this false premise. I hate this premise. I cannot conceive of who incite people to the fight as our leader, at least my leader.

Probably, I've still not got enough knowledge. So I cannot say my opinions yet This is a description of my impressions.
It was heavy work to write this. I am exhausted. But I feel I can finish my home work in this summer. Yeah!

Love and Peace.

TOEIC

I had a hard time on this Sunday. This was the third time I took a TOEIC Test.
The score of the second time = the score of the first time + 100 ( good job!)
But...
The score of the third time = the score of the second time - 50 (too bad!).
The excuses were as follows.
1. I was still suffering from jet lag. I felt sleepy during the examination. As you know, the sleepiness of jet lag is different from it from physical fatigue. I felt not only sleepy but a little worse.
2. I was starving. I knew I would become sleepy if I had a lunch. So I didn't eat anything before the test. During the listening test, I felt a highly charged atmosphere. I thought If my stomach growls, I might be killed. It was really hard to hold my breath (stomach).
3. I expected my ears were better trained than usual because I just came back from Netherlands. The result was ...there are questions about short talks at the end of the listening test. They are always difficult for me. I can't understand some contents of short talks at all. I feel sad.
In my estimation, by jet lag -40, by starving -30, by Netherlands +20 = -50 !

By the way, I experienced culture shock on this Sunday.
When I arrived at the nearest station to the university where the test is to be held, in front of the checking of tickets, a person stood and showed us the way to the university.
1 minutes later, I found another woman stood at the entrance of the station. She showed us the way too. And 1 minutes later, I found another man on the street. And 1 minutes later, I found a man at the point where the road branches into two on the campus. I found 4 people from the station to the university. The station name is "Tamagawagakuen- mae". Tamagawagakuen is university's name and "mae" means "nearby"　Naturally, there were waves of people in direction of the univ. And,moreover,we had an admission tickets for the examination with the map.
If only I can stand in front of the station, we can see direction of the campus.
Are we regarded as fools?

In my opinion, if a person cannot arrive at the place where he/she will take a test, the problem is not he/she cannot be in time for the test. The problem is the person doesn't even have the basic ability as a human. Probably, what the person should study is not English conversation.
In Netherlands, they kept the information to a minimum in town, airport, station, and hotel. I had to get the information I need by myself. But It was really comfortable I need not to feel explanations and announcement were annoying.

I noticed we have gotten used to the overprotective surroundings.
So I experienced culture shock here in Japan.

Every morning, an escalator of Hiratuka station said to me,
"Hold your luggage tightly and never drop it."
"Never run up or run down because it is really dangerous for you."
"Please be standing inside the yellow line." (outside of the yellow line is the air!)
"you will get to the exit in a moment. Be careful."

If an accident happen at an escalator like the revolving door on Roppongi hills, will all escalators in Japan be stopped? I imagine when we have no choice but to use stairs.
"Hold handrail tightly. (you had better think you are walking along a precipitous cliff.)"
"Alternately lift your right and left feet. (if you make mistake, you fall into the abyss.)"

Product Liability Law will protect us. This law is in operation in Europe, the U.S. too.
But probably their ways of thinking are different from Japanese.
We are overprotected children. Don't you think?

In Amsterdam

I am enjoying my vacation now.
Good morning .
It 's a beautiful day. Let's make the most of it.
Autumn has come in Amsterdam.

Seagulls are singing. Ducks are eating pieces of apples which I throw.
The hotel I stay at is like a ship dropping an anchor in a canal. But the room charge is not expencive. I can look the steeples of churchs in the distance. The church bells ring every 30 minutes.

In this nation, there are many kind of races. The Dutch, African, Indonesian, Chinese, and persons of mixed parentage. That's why I don't stand out here in Netherlands.
I was asked by tourists three times.
'' Where is this bus bound for ?'' ''Where can I get the train ticket?''
I didn't know why I was sometimes asked the way by forigners when I tripped to the Italy.

I always have a good posture and walk with long strides just as if I lived in this town.
I think it is necessary for me to guard myself against danger in abroad.

Dutch people is kind but their kindness is not too much. They do not say nice things to me. They do not interfere with me. So I can relax. In 6 hours, I will take a plane. I will be able to be a forigner only for 6 hours. Because inside of the plane of JAL is Japan.

Today's plan is only visiting ''the drawbridge'' and having a lunch with enjoying the sight of it.
Good bye Netherlands. But I don't want to go back home yet.

India

I went an Indian restaurant in Fujisawa with my old friends a week ago.
The first mouthful reminded me about the trip to India about 10 years ago. The taste of a tandoori chicken was almost the same as one I ate in India.
In the airplane of Air India, in the building of Deli Airport, in towns, the air is filled with a smell of spices like curry. It was dry, dusty, spicy smell.
At the top of the buildings, peacocks with their tail feathers spread in a fan looked down us. Monkeys were running on roofs. Sometimes crowds of cows got in our way. In that case, we had no choice but to stop our car and to wait until they passed by.
We must not move them out of the way. Because cow are divine messengers in India.
When we got on a train, our tour guide bought light lunches for us. It was a deep- fried bread in which it has curry. It was just like a Japanese curry pan.
He also bought cups of Chai ( Is this spelling correct?). Chai is a kind of milk tea in India.
I never forget about the cups. It was a beige, thin, unglazed, and reversed cone-shaped cup. It looked just like a Yayoi pottery.
From the bottom of the cup which it was the apex of the cone, the tea slowly leaked out. So we had to drink it quickly. I liked it. During I drank it, I was thinking about a way to bring back it home without breaking.
But the tour guide took the cups away from us and went the vestibule. Then he threw them away from the door to the ground along the railroad track. The doors of train were still opened even if the train was running!
The next moment, the cups were broken and returned to the dust, the earth of India.
Maybe, they will become other cups again someday.
What we need to dispose containers of that first food were only our own arms. We did't need to waste any fossil fuel. I think McDonald’s should learn this recycle system.

By the way, I often make Chai. It's really easy but the taste is real. We can get ingredients of Chai in grocery store.
Cardmon is a spice which I add to Chai. When I went for a walk around the hotel in India,an indian told us that Indian called Cardamon was "the tree of brushing teeth". Indian use its leaf to clean their teeth.

Ingredients
milk, grated ginger, sugar, tea(Darjeeling or Assam)
cardamon, cinnamon, clove
1. Put milk and tea into a milk pan
2. Extract the essence of tea on a low flame ( Never boil.)
3. Add sugar, grated ginger, and spices. Stir them.
4. Filter 3 through tea filter

The first mouthful will lead you to India.
The spices will work magic on you.