This week

As you know you, I'm a woman, I spend the half of day as a house wife with some volunteer works, I spend the rest of day (usually from 3, sometimes 1 to 10 o'clock) as an Japanese English teacher.
So the communities I belong to are not so wide or really limited.
But this week, I met some new people who belongs to other communities.

Last Saturday what did I do???? I don't remember. I went to take a health check including a exam of the uterus. Did I tell you? I have a trouble in the uterus, now, it is not getting better but not getting worse. So it's not so bad.
These days my blood pressure is 88 over 58.
The doctor says "low pressure is not illness, you can live longer"
....hmm, until now I don't want to live longer.
And this year a trouble of my mammary adenoma also was found as usual. Probably I also need to take a wait-and-see approach this year.

Last Sunday I attended a Toast Master meeting, I made a speech in Japanese , the title is "my key phrase of this year, let it be or let that happen".
On the day a visitor came to see the meeting. She is just 30 years old, and yes, " a career woman". She reminded me of my younger days. Though it has good meaning, my image to her is "she has her wills while she is in her thirty's.

On Tuesday I attended a City-meeting. And I had a chance to talk with a man personally, who thinks of Japanese education system as a member of Japanese learned person group. I sometimes saw him on TV. He lives, I think, in a completely different world, which is in Japan.
Theses days Yuki sometimes attend a meeting with governess, he always says, government bureaucrats are completely different with businessman.
And after that I also talked with some secretary civil servants. They are actual "civil servants".

the husbands of some of my friends are civil servants, apart from their job, they are usual men, and fathers. But they are different with businessman.

And in every place "I" am a volunteer housewife.

Last year when I went to Augusta, I asked Jan "What is volunteer?"
Probably the definition of volunteer is different for each person.

What can I do? What do I want to do?
Anyway some people invite me to attend a new community, I'm happy.


Well, to tell the truth, last week Yuki bought me a new computer with Windows7, now I'm adjusting to it, though I have still some troubles. Tim, Jan, I can talk with you with SKYPE.

I'm in Japan

Of course, I'm in Japan, but not in old Japan, in modern Japan.Many or some people think Japanese people wear KIMONO, Japanese men have CHONMAGE --- these things are old things. And for me I know these things on books.

So when I have a chance to see such old things, I'm always surprised, and really interested in them. These things are new things for me not only foreign people. They don't give me nostalgic feel. The other day Yuki and I joined a bus tour to go to TOKYO, and we saw some "new" things.

At Meiji shrine, we saw a typical Japanese bride.

Oh, this style is not new thing for me, I had nostalgic feel, because I wore such KIMONO at my wedding.

In Asakusa, some women (probably they were not tourists) were riding JINRIKISYA. In Japan,cabs were not used. I don't know why? Probably the roads were too narrow to run cabs.

And at Sensou temple we saw some Maiko san. I didn't know whether they were Maiko san or Geisha san. But they looked young, so probably they were Maiko san.





We went to TSUKIGI for the first time. Yuki ate UNI-don . I found lots of interesting things, and the most interesting thing is Sushi Cap.

Later, I'll write about food we ate.

I have a question, where are articles?

This is my favorite book in winter, I always enjoy this original version, and Japanese version.

The skies are gray. The rooftops are gray. The whole city is gray.
Then one snowflake.

---in Japanese version, it is translated "HITOHIRA NO YUKI". "HITOHIRA", it sounds really romantic for Japanese.

"It's snowing,"said boy with dog.
"It's only a snowflake" said grandfather with beard.
Then two snowflakes.
"It's snowing,"said boy with dog.
"It's nothing", said man with hat.

--Recently, I noticed, where are articles?
said the boy with his/ a dog
said a man with a hat

Why are they omitted? It is correct ? Is there a special meaning?

Well, it is cloudy today, but not so cold, so it seems to start raining, not snowing.

Another gift

At first, someone gave me a comment on my blog about TAKUAN, but unfortunately the letters were not displayed properly, please write again in English.

Well, as I told you, I got Takuan, and yesterday I got foie gras from a friend. She said, "Sorry, just a little, but I bit you (my husband and ) like it".

And she gave me a small bottle of foie gras and bread which was sold at a popular baker near here.

To tell the truth, I don't like liver,uni( sea urchin eggs, Japanese people like it) , and pate very well. I don't' like the texture.

This time, according her suggestion, I put a little foie gras on the bread, and put sliced onions, parsley, and tomatoes (or dried tomato). Perfect.

As soon as we started to have one bite, my husband said "stop it". And he went out to buy a bottle of wine. I don't drink wine much, so he drank a bottle of wine enjoying the small bottle of foie gras.

I'm so glad that not only she gave me a bottle of foie gras, but also she gave me a set of foie gras.

She is always really thoughtful, ( Is this word suitable to describe her character?)

Takuan of this year has come!

This photo is "Takuan", a kind of Japanese traditional pickles, pickled Japanese radish.

Since I came to this place I've never bought Takuan at shops, every winter some friends give their homemade Takuan.

They are all Takuan, but the color and the taste are different, I always enjoy eating thinking of the person who made it.

Probably this year I'll get one or two more. I'm looking forward to getting them.

Anyway today's breakfast was, homemade TAKUAN, and homemade YUZUKOSYOU (do you remember?) and mushrooms soup and Mochi (mushrooms and Mochi are also homemade of my friends.)

I'm happy to surround by such homemade things, they make me warm, though we have a really cold winter.

The storm? or the event? was finnished.

Now I'm alone in this horse as usual. My mother-in-law and my younger daughter went back to Tokyo, Yuki went to work.

The ceremony of the Coming-of-Age day was finished with fun.

Well, Megumi gave bought a card, it was the New Year Card of her office.

The members of this office won a prize in a architecture design competition. To be surprised, Megumi's name is on the list. (So she brought this card, and the photo was taken by her.) Megumi and Tomomi's characters are completely different, Megumi is afraid to get lots of attention and expectation, so Yuki and I are just watching her.

On the other hand Tomomi steps forward getting attention.

Well, on the day of the Coming-of-Age day, who was the busiest person?

Probably Yuki was. He was a perfect chauffeur, he said "I was busier and more tired than usual working days (because of unusual work)." So I said "You should be proud of this role, because you have daughters.) Actually the parents who have only son, are not so busy. He took her to a beauty salon early morning, and picked her up to home, at noon he went to buy SUSHI, in the afternoon he took her to a place where the cereomony was held, and while the ceremony, he took his mother to some places, and picked her up at the time when the ceremony was finihsed. And he took her mother to the statioin. As soon as he went back to home he took her to a place where the party was held. While the party we had dinner out side, and he picked her up at the time when the party was finished.

Well, usual day in 2010 has started.

lull before the storm

Though it is the big title, it is a suitable title to express my feeling. An exhibition will start tomorrow, my elder daughter will show her works there. Until March, she is going to show her works at three exhibitions.

After that, she graduates from the art college, and --- unfortunately she doesn't get official job offer yet. Now she accepts her current situation positively, it means she doesn't become an office lady. She will go to an illustrator school while she will work part time job. I wanted her to have stable life, but-- it can't be helped. "Thanks of" business depression, she decided to pursue her art world. Now what I can say to her is "Let's try what you can".

Well, this Monday is "Coming-of-Age" day. My younger daughter is going to attend the ceremony that is held on Sunday. So she is going to come home again with my mother-in-law.

-- So, today's title is "lull before the storm"

Now she goes to a college to study architectural design, and also she studies (or works, because sometimes she get some money) at an architect's office. I don't know in which field she will work, but studying at the office seems to give her lots of things. In this depression, it is lucky for her to get such a opportunity. (And it is true, when her teacher in the college heard about this job, he was really surprised, and said "you are lucky")

Both of my daughters live their own life without me.

Happy New Year!

One week has already past since I wrote the last blog in the "last year".

Yes, now it is2010. Happy New Year!

For these 10 days, I could spend quality time with my family.Having family is wonderful, on the other hand I really understand, my mother has her own life, and my mother-in-law has her own life, and each my daughter has started their own life.

So I have to face to my own life by myself, and rethink our (it means Yuki and I) life without kids positively. It is one of my new year's resolution. The key word is "positively".

Well, Well, this is diary for the 10 days.

I "discovered" wonderful spots in TOCHIGI. TOCHIGI is famous for hot spring, but this time I really understand. TOCHIGI's hot spring is as wonderful as other famous hot springs.

After the Christmas, my mother came to stay with us, and we went to a hot spring. Here I tried to "ASHI-YU" for the first time.

ASHI means legs and YU means hot water, or bath.

Not so bad, if you have trouble of chilblains, try to ASHI-YU.

Well, about the legs, my daughter and I look the "same" age, don't they?

On the New Year's Eve, my mother and my daughters went to back to TOKYO. On the other hand Yuki and I spent here while watching TV.

On the New Year, early morning we went to TOKYO by car. We cerebrate the New year with my mother-in-law, Yuki's brothers' family, and my daughters.

After that we went back to TOCHIGI by car with my daughters.

We went to another hot spring. When I thought "4 km more and I'll get there", suddenly the scenery had changed. "SNOW -road".

This year we didn't have snow tires. So the car was slipping, but Yuki drove well, and we got there. (Additionally, when we returned, the owner pulled our car.)

To be correctly, it is not hot spring, it is called mineral spring. The water is warm, so at the inn, they boil the mineral water. Compared usual hot spring, the big difference is not the temperature. According to the owner usually the water of hot springs is pumped out, but this mineral water is leaking up from the ground.

http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~kotaki07/index.html.htm

The dinner was pot dish of wild duck. (KAMO NABE)
And the served some curious kinds of mushrooms.

The white thing is JINENJYO, Japanese yum. It was really sticky, but really delicious. But unfortunately as soon as my younger daughter started to eat, she felt itchy. So though she love it, she couldn't eat.

The breakfast is a typical Japanese breakfast.

We had wonderful meals for ten days.

For ten days I was a daughter, a daughter-in-law, and a mother, but not a good "house wife".

It meas I had really wonderful winter vacation.

Well, today, from early morning I washed clothes, cleaned the rooms, --- I was a "good" housewife.

From tomorrow, my usuald day is going to start.

KOTOSHI MO YOROSHIKU

I hope you enjoy my blog, and I'm looking forward to getting comments from "you" in the world.