A big holiday has started.

10-days holiday has started, for Yuki. Unusual week  has started for me.
Anyway, today Yuki was gaven his own holiday, so he has already has gone out to play golf.
Well, I am doing usual morning chores and making pre cooks dishes , though it is less than usual while I am writing this  log.

In one hour a high school boy will come to take my extra lesson. He was called to me becaus he didn't complete his assignment. So I decided that to give vilunteary lesson to his thgotun without his will. 

I the afternoon, I am free. So I'm planning on going out to a place. It is one and a half our drive. For me it is a little bit far. So I haven't decided it yet.

Lunch outside in April

How many times do you usually go out for lunch alone?
In a few years, the number deceased because I have no work in the morning.

However, as a custom, I sometimes have lunch outside. I need to tight my budget, so to have lunch outside, some excuse are necessary.

This month (in April) I have some errands to do at city hall or another place. So it was a good excuse.

The first week in April, I got curry. To my surprise they serve this lich at 650 yen with coffee.

 

 

The second week, I dropped at a café. The café opened one year ago, at that time Yuki and I visited there. They are still open.

I had lunch there --- at 650 yen. It is a café, so after having lunch I read through a book.

--- it means, though it is lunch time it is not crowded. I hope this shop survives.

And the third week, I dropped by at this café. It is one of my favorite café. Since I knew this café 15 years passed. It is also my mother's favorite.

It costs 1080 yen with coffee.

 

And last week I dropped at this "music" café. I need to talk to the master of this café.

It costs 850 yen with coffee.

 

White clover

White clovers "were" very popular in the field in this season. However we have little field around here now.

Naturally , start weaving a garland, of white clovers

Seeing white clovers, purify our sprits, with its fresh and tidy feeling 

aroma


 

Since I started to use aroma, probably one and a half year has passed

Though I used a little bit lots of money than I expected, anyway I still enjoyed aroma, and I and Yuki are accustomed to use aroma.

Additionally nowadays I know what is necessary, so I don't use too much money for aroma.

 

Mainly we use aroma in our usual life.

The photos are bottles of aroma I refilled.

Deodorants of shoes, toilets, and Yuki's room --- oh, sorry the last one is wrong.

Add aroma effect to Yuki's room to release his stress.

Bath aroma, and energy aroma instead of perfume (for Yuki).

Moreover I use one bottle of aroma against runny nose caused by pollen allergy.

 

Blending aroma  is a nice leisure,  isn't it?

And it sometimes become a small good present to my friends.

When I get something from my friends, I sometimes present a small bottle of aroma, which is against runny nose, and bugs outside.

 

 

 

A gardener came

This year "he" who is a gardener came and treated our garden. He came once a year.

Probably in this size of garden, not so many people have a trees in the garden trimmed nowadays.
When this house was built, it means about 30 years ago, many houses with any sizes used to use trees as their fence. At that time KAIZUKA-IBUKI was very popular, so without doubts we used the trees for our fence. It was necessary to trimmed by someone. Usually residents used to do it.  However we had no skill, knowledge and time. We let them grow as they want.
And --- most of KAIZUKA-IBUKI in other houses have gone. Some one says it was difficult to care by ourselves, so the fence was changed into block fence. Some one says it was difficult to care and they died naturally, so the fence was changed into low shrubs fence.
In our case, it was too tall for armature to trim them. But they got very superb as a fence tree.  We have to do something. And I meet the gardener.  It took 2 days to trim them. And the cost was not so cheap. So he asked us to change the trees to easy one.
So we changed the trees into AKAMANSAKU. It took 3 years, now it bloomed.
It is easy to trim. Probably "Yuki" can do it. However to keep with the gardener, I still ask him to trim  them once a year.
Probably ( I seem to like this word), not only in this size of garden, house  but also in this standard living, hiring a gardener is very luxury thing.
I know we spend money for unseeing places. (does it make sense?)
  

Laughter yoga is introduced on a textbook for high school students

a new week has started. Tomorrow I held the second meeting of laughter yoga at home.

 

From  the version of this spring laughter yoga is introduced on a textbooks for high school students. I'm very surprised, and I'm proud of it. Thanks to it, it's easy to share my activity to others.

 

Last week I bought to buy one at a special bookstore which deals with school textbooks.

Probably 15 years passed since I went there --- to buy M's textbooks. She left her "textbooks" with a bag somewhere.

 

As I bought one, I entered into a café to read it. I wanted to read it as soon as possible--- and had a good teatime.

So far three ladies are going to come to my house. One lady is the second time.

Hot yoga and rental video

It is the last weekday of this week. Do you have a plan o this weekend?
We are going to go somewhere.

Last weekend-- it was a lazy weekend.
last Sunday, after doing house chores (discarding 10 things) , I went to a sturdily to do hot yoga.
Have you done hot Yoga?

The studio I sometimes go serves three level course, active course, usual course, and relaxing course. Of course I always choose relaxing course in which "all exercises " are done in a sitting posture or a lying one.

Compared to usual yoga, probably it costs higher. One course costs 3200 yen.
However if it is a kind of massage, it costs reasonable.  I heard not one person but also some people cured their frozen shoulders or curbed backs due to age by the means of hot yoga.

Sometimes my neck or back hurt. And these days it seems to be a little difficult to raise my left hand straight up, though it doesn't matter to do usual life.

We can enter the room before 30 minutes before a course starts. After finishing it, we can take shower.
So compared go getting massage, it is very reasonable. Usually each yoga-course is one-hour course.

However there is one good or bad point for me.
Usually people who take yoga-lesson, feel refresh and move to the next activity.
However, for me, I can't do anything.
Because my body becomes too hot to do thing. Once I went out after hot yoga, and in 2 hours I suddenly felt chilly and --- was caught a cold.
I need to long time to cool myself down.
So, though it is a good point, I spent the lest of the day in the bed reading books.

And at night I rent a video from the internet (it means without going) watch it.
It was lazy day last weekend.

Onboarding

When and where did you participate in on boarding?

My onboarding was done --- 35 years ago, it was the time before the bubble. And it was very rare to hold an onboarding for lady engineers.

I learnt some business manners at Hotel Okura.
I used the word learn, but I don't remember what things I was taught and I got.
However I remember, I was very in high mode to go out on barding wearing a good suits and low-heal shoes. Additionally the suits and shoes were used for more than  30 years. I used them for my daughters ceremonies. About four years ago, I bought new good suit -- for ??? what? I forgot. Probably I attended a party wearing them. And at the same time I bought new low-heal black shoes.

wearing low-heal black shoes, mentally fresh , onboarding
 

Discarding and konmari-book

I continue discarding 10 things once a week.
This week, I discarded one ( a little bit vintage) mug cup, --- was not discarded, was gone to the garden as one of decoration.
I discarded 9 books,---- were not discarded, were going to be brought to a used book shop next week.
I discarded 1 connector???? without asking Yuki, because it was not in Yuki's drawer.

 

After just one mug cup discarding, the cupboard in the living room finally ended up being in a tidy state and being able for anyone to help himself to use them.

 

 

Yesterday two ladies came and read this book together.
It was the second book club meeting. We read the chapter two of this book.
I've already read through it in Japanese and in English, however it never fails to interest me.

It made me rethink again.

" As you continue to explore the reason behind your ideal lifestyle, you will come to a simple realization. -- Before you start tidying, look at the lifestyle you aspire to and ask yourself; "why do I want to tidy?"

 

Well, I haven't found the answer. Anyway while I'm asking to my self why I want to tidy, I continue to discard 10 things.

 

For the meeting I baked this biscotti.

 

 

Of course I served Yuki for our breakfast.

 

high school students' opinions 0420

Do you think your parents are traditional?
A girl said
Though the definition of traditional is different depending on what we focus.
Regarding an academic background, my father doesn't seem to be traditional. He used to work as an engineer at a big company, but now he works as a school janitor to stay with his parents and us in the same house. He doesn't care about promotion.
On other hand, on the surface  my mother doesn't care academic scores and academic backgrounds, however she really cares about  my scores.  I know she wants me to get into a solid occupation, like a teacher, a doctor, a nurse, or an employee for a big company.

Additional question is, do you think it's acceptable to live together before marriage?
The same girl said.
I consider myself as conservative. However, if I'm caught in such a situation, I'll accept living together before marriage. But a mutual assumption is necessary. It is that we are going to marry.
Through living together before marriage, we know our real good points and bad points and it will bring us more understanding of each other. Well, if we broke up, it probably would be very miserable.


Mieko's opinion
In her talking, the word "miserable" is used.  I know breaking up is not always miserable. And I learned  such saying "you doge a bullet", meaning a temporary hurt is better than long-term one. It's definitely right. However here in Japan, divorcing might be an unhappy thing, the record is remained in a family register, which might be called " a bad point". Moreover if the woman chooses her single life with her child or children, it seems not to be easy here in Japan for her and their children.
However divorcing is considered  "it can't be helped". It is not denied ethically.
On the other hand living together before marriage is even now considered as immoral by some people in Japan. And if their living together ends without marriage, it is not recorded in a family register, but some people consider her immoral. Of course these days such people are a few, but there are. So from this point, the girl seems to be "traditional",( she said she is conservative), even though she doesn't realize it. Because she uses the word "miserable".



Another topic

Provided you have the opportunity to run your family business, would you rather take it over or do something different?

 A boy said (in his case, his father owns his small electric engineering firm.)

I'm interested in his business. Even if I might be expected to take over my family business, I'll do it. However before doing it, I'd work somewhere to gain experience as a businessman. Employers need to know the feeling of employees.


A girl said
If my family ran a restaurant, I'd prefer to take it over. I'm interested in becoming an owner of a restaurant. I know it is difficult to start up a new restaurant without the necessary background.
And if the restaurant had a long tradition , I'd continue to keep the history, and I'd like to leave my name in the family history as one of successive owners.

Last weekend

before this weekend comes,let me tell you about last weekend.

Last Friday night, A-chan was with me. 

There is such a saying, it is so sweet to welcome grandchildren, and also relieving to see them off.

Unfortunately, last weekend they were not a nice day, cold and almost raining. Though we were going to enjoy cheery blossoms, we couldn't. However "of course", we went shopping. There is a big mall in Utsunomiya, and there (I don't know why) anyway in the garden, they have three alpacas, they are really trained and friendly with people. Ah-chan enjoyed talking? with them.

It was held a big hand-made craft workshop in a golf course which is not used at present ( it is being constructed to change into a  sola system plant.) Though it was rainy, Yuki, Ah-chan and I enjoyed listening to music ( can you see the bagpipe? For me it was the first time to listen to the live sound)) , eating something -- while M was doing shopping outside with her umbrella.)

 

And Ah-chan had her hair cut at my friend's beauty salon. It was the first time  for herto go to beauty salon.

Though it was rainy, we had lots of places to go out!!!!

 

Well, contrarily to last weekend, this weekend I'm completely alone. --- I'm thinking about what to do. 

First paycheck

First paycheck, all has gone to "her" saving account, a person of firm character

First paycheck, treat "lunch" , as a sum ok of "her" appreciation

We didn't get a present from The first salary of our elder daughter, we except when some of her works  are sold hi high price, we will get something from her.

Our younger fdaughter treated us with reasonable lunch when she got her fist paycheck, we were glad at that time. However she has been telling us about it still now. I regret why I wasn.t treated with special dinner.

Additionally I didn't do that to my parents. When I got 50, finally I could afford to gray her with special lunch or dinner. However I wonder if I will continue doing it when our retirement live starts. Her pension is higher than mine, so, probably I will be treated by her again.( or we split the bill equally)

High school students' opinions 0407

Are you always on time?
I'm usually on time for meeting with people. Because I don't want to let them down or make them irritated.
So I usually set an alarm on my IPhone for the time to leave home or sometimes for 10 minutes ahead of time to leave home.
However, sometimes I'm late for ECC, let me make an excuse for it. Usually our dinner time is on time, and after dinner I come to ECC, so I don't need to set my alarm.



Do you think friendship can exist between men and women?
A boy said
In my opinion, there can be friendship between men and women, because men and women are definitely the same human beings. Additionally I believe not only among human begins, friendship between dogs or cats and us can exist.

A girl said
It depends on the individual. The important thing is what is friendship. The definitions are different for each one. I think when we are in a group, we consider men and women as the same, so we call the good relationship in the group friendship. However I wonder that once a man and a woman contacts face to face each other individually , we might feel a bond but it isn't friendship. Because they naturally realize that they are completely different sex. On the other hand if a man and a woman grew up as childhood friends, friendship could exist because they grew up without being conscious of their different sex.  

Artificial flowers

Though this year Easter is April 16 , in my house and class Easter has already finished.
Cherry blossoms season is going north. This weekend was the best season for viewing cherry blossoms in Utsunomiya, though we can still enjoy it in this week.

 

Here in Utsunomiya, May is strawberry season. Usually at farm market December is the highest season, so in winter strawberries were grown in green houses and taken lots of care. In May green houses are removed and they grow under the sun directly  -- they are out-grown. Some become big and the others are not so big even though all of them are sweet. Not big ones are not dealt with  by high prices, so in Utusnomiya there are lots of strawberry farms and they sell them in very reasonable price (very low price) or I often get lots of strawberries from my friends.

So I decorate strawberries small articles with a artificial cheery branch.

 

Easter's flowers are probably lilies and tulips.

I also put artificial tulips in the living room. Tulips are very popular for year-ones at kindergarten and elementary school. Tulips has "pretty" atmosphere. 

I also decorate this wreath. In my garden herbs have not appeared yet, however rosemary has survived so I add rosemary to the fake wreath.

 

Another coupon

This is a kind of discount train ticket. It is a set of five train tickets.  It allows us unlimited travel on JR train  for a day.  We can use it from March 10 to April 10. Yuki and I went CHIBA using this ticket. And I went to TOKYO to visit my father's grave using it.

And there were two tickets left.

So Last Sunday I went to see an exhibition organized by my elder daughter and her friends in Tokyo with my neighbor.

(On the day Yuki was too busy in golfing to go there with me, instead of the day he goes to see it today while he goes to Tokyo on business.)

 

The exhibition was held at Jimbocho

 

There are some things which make the town keep the popularity.

 

The curry is one thing, so of course we had one at one of popular curry restruants.

Luckily, as soon as we arrived there, we entered into the restaurant. We were the last person to do that. After we entered into it, a long line was been making.

 

 

Stationery shop, and used book stores are also popular.

We dropped by at an old stationery shop.

Of course , I didn't forget my "favorite thing". --- had a great tea at a popular Jazz café.

Though it was very busy day, we had a good time.
This weekend, Ah-chan comes. It will make us busy and entertaining again.

Entrance ceremoney

Don't cry.  A new world is open.  the day of entrance ceremoney.

I'm proud of you  What a wonderful smile! The day the day of entrance ceremoney.

Coupons

April has started, here in Japan April is the first month of new school year and fiscal year.
Finally I used up my coupons until the end of March

 

In March I had still three kinds of coupons.

The one is kind of money, I bought a set of coupons by 10000yen, and I could do 12000 yen shopping at registered shops. In the registered shops there is a farmer market I often use. So this set was very worthy.

 

Another one is not a coupon, kind of discount ticket.   It was a set of discount tickets which was given away  to newspaper subscribers.  I used it "partly". One of discount ticket was be able to use at a nice café in a hotel. Yuki and I had a nice café time there at about 500 yen instead of paying 1000 yen.

 

And the last one was --- discount coffee ticket.

Yuki and I attended a workshop to introduce how to blew good coffee, and I got a discount ticket of the café. So I went there alone the end of March, and I had a good time there with chatting with the owner.

 

 

Do you buy coupons? Do you collect discount tickets? Do you use them effectively?

high school students' opinions 0331

What is the most important role of advertising in society?

I think advertising plays an important role in our society. There are many ways to advertise things like that by newspapers, by TV or radio, or by internet, and additionally passing from mouth to mouth is one way to advertise things. We learn new information from advertising. New information about products, news, social communities, and so on, always makes people proceed forward and go to the next stage. Some advertising might be exaggerated or wrong, however there is still useful advertising.

To keep advertising worthy and sensible, we have to continue to learn new things by ourselves and to be intelligent. We shouldn't rely on advertising too much. we have to be good judges of advertising.

In this point, the most important of role of advertising might keep us being intelligent.

Fewer people are buying or subscribing to newspapers nowadays. What do you think will become of newspapers in the future?

I partially admit it. However, I believe newspapers will never disappear. We get news easily and quickly from the Internet, however there are too many companies or people involved in updating online news, so it is difficult to know which is reliable.

Focusing on newspaper companies except ones which usually deal with gossips, they still have keep prestige because of their long history, though in some countries with dictatorships, newspapers might be just propaganda paper. So unless the newspaper companies don't lose their trust, they keep their authority, and publish newspaper and update online news. Paper is a good record what they issued. So newspaper will not disappear.

Another reason is the following Newspaper is an easy way to share the news with people around us. When we see online news, usually we use a tablet, a PC , or something only by ourselves and tend to confine ourselves into our own world. So the others don't know what kinds of news we see then. On the other hand, the newspaper is easier to show what we are reading now, or ask some one to read the news you are interested in. When we see online news, we tend to choose what we want to see because we are in our own world. So online news might make us narrow-minded. Sharing the newspaper might be one way of good comminution to others and helps us expand our horizons.

=====

We discussed them in Japanese at first, because it was very difficult to put our minds together, and we tried to translate them in English using suitable words and phrases.

Then, my friend Ms.J  proof read this script. She threw some questions to me and suggested advanced discussion. Because our premise ( it means among Japanese people or high school students) seemed to be very veigue or ambiguous.
I really appreciate her cooperation.
 

Laughter yoga in my residential community

 

Last Tuesday I hold Laugher yoga club at home, and two couple of neighbors came.

The first step was done.

Probably the husband of a couple of neighbor came into my house for the first time.

 

When we bought this house and started to live, we were the youngest couple. Most of neighbors were busy in bringing up their children.

 33 years have passed since then.

 

Some members moved out and some new members came into.

Anyway all of them got old. Just one neighbor is younger than us, because his parents moved out to much warmer place and he has still lives there. (He divorced himself, and lives alone there.)

Some members still live with their children, however most of members live themselves.

It means usually there are two members in the house.

Some of them have grandchildren who lives near. The others have no grand children, or even they have grand children, the grand children lives a little bit far like us.

 

Additionally some elder ladies started to stop driving.

So the two who came to my house were very pleased to join the event.

 

I was going to serve this sweets after yoga,

 

 

they politely denied --- because they are wife and husband. So I let them take my sweet to home.

 

This sweets is very easy to cook

cheesecake