Laughter yoga 1128

Today  it was the forth Tuesday, so I hold a laughter yoga club. Three women came. It was very fun.
Three of them, now they are friend, but when they came to my house at the first time, they didn't know each other. And even now they don't know each other well, because anyway we are laughing, laughing and laughing while we are doing laughter yoga.

There are three way to laugh.
One is letting out our voice "hahaha, hohoho, etc -- they are laughing voice" while doing some yoga poses instead of breathing silently.
Next one is reading finny (picture) books, poems, or jokes while adding laughing voice
And when we are getting used to letting out laughing voice, we try to do some funny actions.

Can you see toy stethoscopes?
I got them at a 100 shop. Toys sometimes easy us to laugh.
We made a pair, and one asked to the other "how's your stomach? , how's your back?", and a women asked "How's your brain?"
Everyone did this funny action while having a big laugh.

I know a woman is a very serious woman. However she laughed (not smile) while this laughter yoga.
Of course I laughed.

While laughing we can forget begin annoyed, being depressed, being worried.
Through laughing we can communicate without complaining.

At noon, they go back home without having lunch together, because their retirement husband are waiting? for them.
And they don't need more deeply communication. They are very good at measuring the distance between each of them. (Does it make sense?)

just a random thought, but

I'm not sure the title is suitable for this article, what I want to say is "DOUDODEMO IIKOTO DAKEDO".

In the case of my (younger) daughter and me
She says:"Look at mine, ( me, or what I've done), it is super!( why don't you praise me?)
I say "Oh, yes, it is wonderful, however look at mine ( me, or what I've done). it is super! ( or more super!)
we tend to compete each other without accepting each of them well.

In the case of a father in-law (Yuki) , and a son in-law(my daughter's husband)
He (my daughter's husband) says: I have to go to the office at 7:00 AM even though it is Sunday.
Yuki says: Oh, you are busy, and you work very hard. You are great!
I think but never say that "You had to get to the office at 6;30 the other day, so "I" woke up at 5, and made breakfast for you"

He says: recently our overwork is eliminated very severally, however workload is as same as before, so it is very difficult to manage all tasks.
Yuki says: Yes, it is too bad.
I think but never say ( it is usual. it must be hard for you to manage all tasks, and for housewives it is also hard to manage our house budget.)

Yuki seldom ( or never) compete with his son in-law.
He says "I am already mature, I've already experienced such things. why don't I need to show myself off to him?

Though I understand what he say, I'm  not mature as a mother.


On the other hand,
I accept every thing my grand daughter acquired.
I say ; Wow, you did it. ( though I heard a quiet voice from the behind  -- though I taught it to her, I ignore it)
I say:  Wow, you did it. ( though I heard a quiet voice from the behind -- though I made most of it, I ignore it)


Well, well, the relation ship between a mother and a daughter is complicated.

season word 1123 grey starling

 

Is the bird familiar in your country? It belongs to a sparrow group, (though I've just known it.)

I'm not familiar with birds.

 

yes actually I've seen them --- according to my best recollection.

In Haiku word, migrant birds or just small birds is a season word.

coming small birds, where are your beds, keen chilly night

Grey starlings are not migrant birds, they are called drifting birds. Because they live within the country, and usually live in mountains. however in autumn they drift into towns.

Coming drifting birds, where you'll go back, your home mountain getting less.

Voluntary activites at the library

This month I have three voluntary work at the library. And two of them are finished.

One was hold this Sunday. Until two years ago this activity was hold by four people in turn.

However two of them moved to another prefecture, and one got busy. So only me is left.

Doing this activity is fun, but I feel a little bit loneliness.

So I asked Yuki to help me. He doesn't like to be involved such activities with others, but it's OK to do something with only me.

And on Sundays usually fathers &kids join it. It seems to make Yuki easier to join my activity.

 

 

Another one was hold yesterday. I was wondering whether some helper would come or not.

Fortunately Ms.W came and did the activities together. And some mothers & kids joined it.

We had a relaxed calm time, though after the activity Ms.W came back immediately.

 

And the last one is going to be held this Sunday.

It is a big event, and I'll just take part in it as one of volunteers.

 

The way of Japanese education

I found an interesting article in Japanese which was written by a Japanese writer.
It is written about Japanese education.

Our way of education stands on the way "Every one get a good score or a pass mark even if they study hard. If they don't do that it is because of their lack of morale or surroundings.
So most of activities are don by a group at school. And we don't usually separate class by their grade,.
(About Japanese clam schools are completely different)
So we tend to be recognized for groups' activities.

And, Japanese children (or even adults) tend to be motivated by their mistakes or failure. Because they think their failure caused from lack of their efforts.
American children seem to consider that intelligence is built up by 36% their efforts and 64% their natural gift, on the other hand Japanese children seem to consider it fifty-fifty. It is interesting, isn't it?


I think it is why too smart children tend to be picked up their buds of their morale, however there are not so illiteracy children in Japan.

frog card -2-

Though I'm making my "frog cards" in English, it is really difficult. Because not only by my poor English skill, but also by very vague Japanese phrases or general-purpose Japanese phrases it is difficult to translate one Japanese phrase into one English suitable phrase.
Anyway I'll continue to do it supported by my friend.

I changed one phrase getting advice and again. How about it?

 

Season word 1116 dried mullet roe

It is said "dried millet roe", "salted sea urchin", and "salted sea cucumber" are three of the most delicious delicacies in Japan. However I don't understand these value, though I have had them.
Anyway my deceased father liked them. Among them, "salted sea cucumber" is very expensive and was not so easy to get when he was alive (about 40 years ago.)
My mother was born in Kyoto. But it is different from "the" Kyoto which is a very famous city. She was born in a village on the outskirts of Kyoto prefecture. The village ( now it is a town) is near the sea. So in winter my deceased grandmother would send "salted sea cucumber" to my father. He was always looking forward to coming it.

Salted sea cucumber, reminds me of, my father's grinning
Dried mullet roe,  without understanding the tasty, 60 years old is just around the corner.


Well I found this youtube.

Karaku and an article

This Tuesday, it was the day of Karaku, I had good time to play the piano and to have a good tea and sweet.

Thankfully, even this time some constant people came to Karaku, a group of women came to listen to us ( I play the piano and Ms.U reads some poems).

There are many people, of course I know, and there are also many (or some ) people surrounded me.

I read this article. It was very interesting.

It might be a way of Japanese thinking, let me introduce it to you in my English.

This is an article posted to the Life Guide Corner by a reader who is in her 50's.
She seem to have some troubles to communicate with one of her friends who is in the same generation.

The adviser says:
You seem to be something wrong. Until now you and your friends seemed to share merits each other, but you seem to feel something unfair recently. It is the time to reconsider your relationship.
You should list up what are merits and what are demerits, and compare them. If merits are more you keep your relationship without any changes, if not you dare not to need to keep it. You shouldn't try to let her character changed. Some people can easily say good-bye, the other people try to fade out their relationship naturally by the way to decrease the number of meeting.
You can find like-minded friends anytime, any age. In a few years when you meet her again, she might be different from she was.
On a moment-to-moment basis considering the merits you should decide whether to keep the relation ship or not.


I tend to adhere to the relation ship once I built, I know it sometimes change to be a one-way communication. This advice is very interesting to me, though I don't like the way of using the words merits and demerits.

Japanese apples

Last week I bother going to an apple orchard on the outskirts of Utsumomiya.

It takes about (just) 30 minutes from my house by car.

In Japan, Aomori, Yamagata, and Iwate are the three famous prefectures for apples.

And here in Tochigi, we have some apple orchards.

They usually get their apples on the market.

However some orchards sell their all products on the spot.

Usually Japanese people prefer hard and sweet apples to eat directly.

Such apples like Fuji and --- I don't remember are on sale at markets.

And a little bit soft and sour apples are gone to factories to be processed for jam or juice.

However I want such a little bit sour and "cheap" apples. So I went there.

Of course they are fresh. 

This is an English site about apples.

http://www.pickyourown.org/apples.htm

This is a Japanese site about apples.

http://foodslink.jp/syokuzaihyakka/syun/fruit/Apple3.htm

What do I make out of them?

Just eat as morning fruits. And of course I might make some apple sweets.

What was the aim?

As you know, this is Japan. so many people enjoy autumn leaves in this month.

And here in Tochigi we have one of the most famous spots for enjoying autumn leaves. It is NIKKOU.

It means in this season the roads to NIKKO are very crowded.

So --

we avoided Nikko and went to KARASUYAMA to enjoy autumn leaves

However, it was too early to enjoy autumn leaves.

We didn't mind. In Karasuyam  there is a small fall, though in Nikkou there are some big falls.

Some trees changed the color.

We knew the roads were not crowded, however we left home around 7 without having our breakfast.

Because on the way to Karasuyam, there is an interesting café which only serves breakfast from 7 to 11.

Of course on the way home we dropped by at the café.

What is on the toast?  Though you might dislike it, it is sweet beans paste called OGURA ANN.

This style seems to be very popular in Nagoya which is between Tokyo and Osaka.
When the owner's couple went to Nagoya, they were into this style, and decided to serve this type of breakfast in Utsunomiya.
When the owner retired, he and his wife renovated their house and opened this café.

In November

Halloween has gone.

 

I put away all things and decorate these things on the self in the entrance hall.

 

This Tuesday I hold a meeting "let's enjoy this autumn" at a café.

Three members came.

We read these books

 

For me it was the first time Macintosh is a kind of apple's names.

And after talking with them, the main came.

 
 

 This meeting is not my job, however I organize it. So I always thing how much attendance fee is suitable. I open the meeting at my house, because I won't let members pay much money but I will serve or treat something delicious or interesting.

 

This time I thought, it was only me not to pay much money to this meeting.

The value of attendance fee is different according to people, I know it. It is OK, but what made me surprised was the person who won't pay money much seemed to be only me.



 

season word 1109 master brewer

I'll tell you more about "touji". Begin a brewer is usually a seasonal job. So mainly they are or would be farmers or fishermen.



So usually in Haiku world, TOJI or TOJI comes is used as a winter word.

Toji comes, severe coldness, they are looking forward to,

On the other hand "the first sake" is used as an autumn word.

The first sake, even though I'm a lightweight drinker, brings smile.

And Toji is a traditional Japanese word, however my high school students didn't know it.

Without knowing the word of Toji   Japanese adolescents, they are still "green youth"

Two art museums

Last week we had a national holiday which is called "culture day".

Though Yuki went to work as usual, and I had lessons from the afternoon as usual, I was free in the morning. BECAUSE the gym I go was closed.

And it is "culture day", so the entrance fee of public museums  were free.

I visited two museums ( there are two public museums here in Utsunomiya), even though they were short visits.

 

At Tochigi prefectural museum, two artists both of whom were born in Tochigi, and were not so famous, were introduced. The museum is in downtown, and it has enough parking lot. However not so many people visited there. And the people who visited there were mainly elderly and wearing casual wears Most of them seemed to drop by there on the way of their walking. 

 

 

 

 

Another museum is Utsunomiya city museum.

This museum seems to be evaluated high in the art world (according to my daughter.)

And now they hold an exhibit of Edward Gorey. The reason why I visited there was the entrance fee was free, however some people seem to go out of their way to see this exhibition paying entrance fee.

This place is a little bit far from Utsunomiya station, so, I'm very surprised some people came wearing neat clothes from other prefectures.

 

The author is also famous as an illustrator  of picture books. So some families also visited there.

People who love arts go out to their way to visit museums in Tokyo in neat clothes.

Here in Tochigi --

It was interesting not only to see works but also to watch people.

 

Near this museum, Karaku is there. So I dropped by Karaku to eat lunch.

The photo is just toast, but of course, the master served salad, sweets and coffee with it.

Lucky me!

This is a book written by my favorite author

I sometimes borrow books from the library. How about you?

And now I'm into an author.

She is almost the same age as I am.

At the library, the books which the library hold are usually not the latest books.  And this author is popular, so I have seldom found her latest books even if they are bought by the library. So the books usually I'm able to borrow are written ten years ago.

However they are very interesting and make me surprised that she could write like this on such a stance when she was in her late 40's.

She has eyes to see the next 10 years. So now I can easily understand the books which were written about 10 years. She already wrote about the elderly people.

Last time I met my mother, I had to hold her hands. It made me very surprised.

And even though she is strong, I feel her loneliness a little.

Nowadays the decline of birthrate is a big problem in Japan.

And the lack of nursery schools is also another problem.

And I know the increasing elderly care center is constituting a burden for our government budget. So Our government proceed to recommend to spend days at home by themselves.

I understand the way, and it is producing "lonely problem".

In this ten years, lots of mother and child play center are open to prevent from mother's depressing from no friends surround them.

Actually my daughter noticed it was really difficult to someone to talk nearby, so she used to go a play center when my grand daughter was a baby.

Probably in ten years, play and chat centers for the elderly will open, or I hope.

While I'm thinking about such a thing, I read her books.

frog cards -1-

I bought an interesting set of cards. It is called "kaeru(frog) cards".

In Japanese "kaeru" is a frog, and it also have different meaning with the same sound (Kanji is of course different.), its another meaning is "change.

 A negative phrase is written on the face of each card. And the positive phrase is written on the revers.

We  or Japanese people tend to mention negative words without conscious.

It was interesting. When I showed the 6 cards of these to Yuki, he was just able to say two suitable positive phrase and I also just two phrases. How negative both of us!

I tried translating these words in English, of course supported by a friend.

It is not completed, I'll continue it.

season word maple

How to pronounce Aceraceae?

Here in Japan Japanese maple leaves are  main leaves which bring joy to our lives in autumn.
Japanese maple which is called MOMIJI is smaller than maple.

The hands of Ah-chan (my grand daughter), got bigger, compared with MOMIJI

The three most popular places to enjoy momiji-gari are: 1. mountains and rivers, 2. locations with traditional Japanese architecture, 3. on the street or in a park
The three most popular places to enjoy momiji-gari are: 1. mountains and rivers, 2. locations with traditional Japanese architecture, 3. on the street or in a park

Visit a park nearby, enjoy momigi-gari, it's good, too (instead of  visiting a mountain)

Than usual, the taste gets thicker, Maple syrup

Of course the taste is the same, and bottles of Maple syrup are imported from mainly Canada.
However "tasting Maple syrup in autumn " sounds "to enjoy autumn more" for us.

November !!

In a two weeks, a new year will come.
Yesterday this article was introduced on students' newspaper.

The source is here .

When I saw it, the first question is "what is Fido?". Now I learnt it is a dog's name and it was very faithful like "HACHIKOU" which is another dog's name and is very famous for his faithfulness.

Well, however, well, in my opinion, next year is just a the year of the Dog, like this year is the year of the Rooster.

Anyway we have started to prepare for next year.

Additionally, my friend introduced this site to me. thanks.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201110/why-are-dogs-so-frequently-called-fido



visiting my mother in Octorber

The day before yesterday I went to Tokyo to visit my mother.  This time I took her to Shinjyuku. This time I wanted her to go out, but it was uncertain , because typhoon had came. Fortunately typhoon had gone, so I took her to Shinjuuku.
For a half of this year, even though she is still before 85, she is getting weak. Her legs are fine but she is really afraid of congestion and gaps. It means she doesn't like the congestion at station, and she is afraid of the gap between a train and a platform.

On the other hand going to town is a good opportunity for "us" to put on neat outfits.  (if I added some more words, they would be beautiful expensive.)

In her opinion, pants-style is very casual, so it is not suitable to go to NAKAMURA restaurant ( it was the restaurant we went to on the day), so she wore a little bit longer skirt. Usually when she takes a walk, she wears pants. Wearing pants gives her a good footwork --- she says. So wearing skirts seem to have her a bad foot work and it made her more afraid of getting on a train.

Anyway we finally got to the restaurant. To my surprise instead of being a week day, there were many elderly people (not only women but also men) to have lunch. And they were wearing neat outfits. (I've never seen such elderly people here in Utsunomiya). She seemed very satisfied with her outfits and had lunch there.

Nakamuraya restaurant is a very old and very famous restaurant.
When I was a child, my "grandmother" would often take me there (for me it was a just restaurant without no kids lunch), and my father in-law sometimes took me there (not Yuki), when we met at Tokyo. (When I worked as a business woman, sometimes I went to Tokyo on business, and had an opportunity to meet him.)

They have a own building. The restaurant is on the 8th floor. The gallery is on the 3rd floor, and the shopping area is on the first floor. She enjoyed all floors.


Well, well, to go there I ironed my dress, and put on an old coat.
Though I want a new coat in this season, but when I go to Tokyo next time by train, it will be more cold so I wouldn't wear the new coat if I bought.  However I want a new coat just for this short period.