Happy Easter!

Yesterday the members of my group came to my house, so we tried to make Easter Eggs.

My friend sent all kids to me, so it would have been easy, ---- we were too lazy to calculate to change Fahrenheit to Celsius. So they were a little bit burned.

All's well that ends well. We really enjoyed them, and the members took them as a souvenir for their kids.

In the morning I "did" walking and "did" house choirs, I went to a bank, a post office, a pharmacy, and a supermarket on foot.

Anyway I did walking today.

As you know (probably), I don't like doing any sports. And I know it is the reason why I have a weak constitution. I'm afraid of being tired because it seems to take up my power of having lesson from evening to night, it is an exaggerated expression though.

Now I have no lesson this week, I have nothing to be afraid. So I "have to" do some sport to keep or improve my health. So today "anyway" I did walking.

Why I added "anyway" was -----

As soon as I finished my morning daily routine (cooking, washing, cleaning, checking e-mails, etc), I started to "prepare" for walking. First I recorded some English radio programs into my MP3 recorder. Next I looked for a sunscreen. About 30 minutes already passed. I opened the entrance door, and started walking. Then I met my neighbor next to door. We talked "for a while". And finally I started walking.

Though I wore grasses, it was a little bit windy, so pollens attacked on my eyes. My eyes were watering during my walking, so I gave up walking for a long distance. And actually it was almost at noon. In the afternoon I had something to do, mainly preparing for lessons in April.

And now I'm writing this dairy. I hope walking wouldn't not give up easily, not quit after three days, tomorrow in the morning some friends will come so that I will not able to do walking.

My spring vacation

My fiscal year is finished. I made a declaration for last year, though I wouldn't have needed it because my income was not much last year.

Until next week I'm in the spring vacation, no lessons, and nothing special. Usually I go to TOKYO or meet some friends, but this time, "nothing".
And my husband will be not here in Japan.
I'm alone. What will I do????

Clean the house???? Jan, sorry, I try to do it only a little.
First I 'll classify the books,and make the book list.
Next I 'll start walking regularly.

Since my two daughters left home approximate two years passed. Since then I didn't need to take them somewhere by car, to cook constantly for them including daily lunchbox. So I got lots of "free" or "my " time.
But I didn't get used to free time, free time made boring, and I felt guilty.
So I re-started some volunteer activities, and try to organize a grope, and to improve my skill I went to Tokyo once a week.
And now I'm a little feeling out of breath.

I was got after by myself to do something if I didn't earn money more.
Everybody around me seems to like to say "I'm busy".
Yes, actually they are busy.
Even my mother, and my mother-in-law say "I'm busy".

"Busy", this word is not bad. On the other hand, "Slow" life is not bad either.

Easter eggs, and White day

This week is the last week of my lesson in this fiscal year.

So students take spring homework, new materials, and "the egg".

Do you remember a photo of eggs rapped with stockings?

And some students requested "where's sweets? where's a real food?"So I decided to make another Easter eggs using boiled "real" eggs.

I told to Yuki that the breakfast in this week is always with a boiled egg.

To tell the truth, I don't like a boiled egg much, it's dry, isn't it?

I like egg sandwiches, but to make egg sandwiches one boiled egg is not enough. (I boil about ten eggs for my students every day in this week.)

Well, do you know what the day of March 14 is called in Japan? It is White Day.

Yesterday I went to KARAKU to play the piano, and I got handmade orange marmalade, and wonderful HASAMI plate.

Last night we had snow, it's really cold today. But I enjoy March.

HIKIDEMONO

HIKIDEMONO means thank-you-for-coming gifts, is it right?
The other day Yuki attend a wedding party of his subordinate. And he came back home with HIKIDEMONO.

There were three boxes.
KATSUOBUSHI is considered as a kind of good luck charm, so I thought One of box would be KATSUOBUSHI. It's half true. The box is UDON and KATSUOBUSHI. When we saw it, we reminded that the prefecture he went to was famous for UDON. What a fancy way! You can see Udon curled into hart shape.



And the thick black thing is a gift catalog. Well, well, what should "I" choose instead of Yuki?????
Unfortunately they don't have a page for tennis goods, a page for music instruments, and a page for golf goods page.
So this is my catalog book.

Last two weeks

My lessons of this (fiscal) year is the end by next week. So this week is the craft week of Easter.We made felt eggs, now I'm drying them,I hope all of them are "wonderful" and "perfect" felt eggs.

Well, the other day I went to "GINZA" in Tokyo on (a kind of) business. "Shinjyuku", "Harajyuku", "Shibuya" and "Roppongi" are probably famous for foreigners, on the other hand "GINZA" is a little higher ranked town for "middle" aged Japanese people. (or it might be better to describe "Ginza used to be ---" ).

Even when I lived in Tokyo , I seldom went to GINZA. When I went to Ginza probably with my mother or my grand mother, they took me to Shiseido Parlour. There was an old gentleman having some sweets alone, and the server was a middle aged man. The scenery was really suitable to the tearoom. I was there with my friend, and we said "If our husbands had been here .........."

There we had tea, but I wanted to coffee additionally, but we had no enough time to enter another tea room. Suddenly we saw a sign "free cafe".What??? Free??? in GINZA??????

Can you guess where it was? It was a free cafe with rice crackers organized a famous rice crackers shop. It was crowded with middle aged men and women. This scenery is another face of Ginza.

Anyway one event was done. Next Sunday I have another big event. And .. this (fiscal) year will be finished. What happens in the next (fiscal) year?

I can't wait for coming May. This year, May is special year for me.

.

March has come

It is Monday, and March has started. My 2009 lessons are almost finished. Some students graduated from my class. "Congratulations!".
And some new students will join us in April. "Welcome!"

This season many people seem to be restless.
And these days the earth seems to be restless, too.
Big earthquakes, Tsunami, What is going to happen on the earth?

I don't know which way our government want to go?
I don't know what influence we'll suffer on the diplomatic front -- Toyota cars problem, U.S military base.
On the other hand in the domestic affairs, the tuition of public high schools is going to be free, and our government is going to pay parents a child allowance. Unfortunately I don't get any profit. I know many students and many parents are glad.

But seniors are left somewhere. A friend came to my house today, and said "Fortunately we found another hospital to accept our mother."
The lack of numbers of senior nursery centers are one of important problem, but I think it's to difficult for the government to discuss .
I just hope "public" senior nursery centers should increased more.

Well, Well, on the previous blog , I mentioned about audience materials.
Are you interested in Japanese classical stories?
I found a NHK WORD RADIO PROGRAM. Here, you can listen a short story of "This Child" written by Higuchi Ichiyou. To tell the truth, I didn't know the story. And for me, it was a little bit to understand the story in English. So I bought a paper book written in "modern " Japanese. The original is written by "Classical" Japanese, and it is more difficult to understand it than simple English.
This Listening Library section is going to finish in the next month.

So I have a question. Do you know that each KANJI (or HIRAGANA) of Japanese person's name has meaning. For example Mieko, my name, is written with three Kanji --Mi, means beauty, E, means full and Ko means a girl.
So when Japanese people hear the name of Mieko, everybody understands that the person is a girl(or a woman) and her parents wish their girl will become a beautiful girl.

Now I try to translate two boys name into English.
One is "Shokichi", "Sho" means honest, and "Kichi" means a boy. So I want to name the boy "Honest ****", How about "Honest Jack"?
The other is "Usokichi", "Uso" means a lie. How about Lair Peter?
I'm happy to get some ideas.

Oh! It's Friday.

Well, this afternoon at about one o'clock PM (Japan time) , Mao-chan appears to the TV, but I will not be able to watch her, watch the live of final competition in Olympics Figure skating. I'll have to go out. That's too bad. Are you interested in this Olympics show? what fields are you interested in?

Since this new computer with Windows 7, more than 2 weeks have passed. Now it almost seems to adjust to our life. While we got this new computer, we restructured our LAN system.
And it gets easier to listen and watch English web-site.

I'm really surprised at recent progress in the audio world very much.
When I was born, the main material to listen to music was records, and listen to English conversation was ,probably, radio, or expensive "open reel tapes". My father would used to listen to them.
And cassette tapes were popular, though I don't know since when. My mother in-law still uses them to practice KARAOKE.

And CDs and Videos appeared.
( for a while laserdiscs appeared, Yuki loved them, but unfortunately they have gone somewhere.)
We have lots of Videos tapes of our children we took by ourselves.

And MDs appeared, though in only Japan.

Now CDs, DVDs, and i-pots are popular.
So lots of audio books appear inexpensively or free.

For me, English conversation programs or News programs are difficult to understand, but story shows are easier .
For example, storynory website, BBC story web site.
But I don't know where these audible sites are clear or not, it means I can understand whether some one's Japanese is standard Japanese , kid's Japanese or something.

If you know some programs you recommends, please let me know them.

the last student life

Her (my elder daughter) last work was completed, and fortunately it got a prize at a exhibition. My family went to see it yesterday to Yokohama.

The work is going to exhibited at three places in turn.

One exhibition is hold at the national art center in Tokyo. This exhibition is organized by five art schools. For students it might be one of a dream that their woks are exhibited at such a famous big public art museum.

I really thought this year was really an important and valuable year for them. All senior or graduated students must have pursed their times to make their works including my daughter.

And, I hear that most of students will not work at companies as businessmen or businesswomen. The word of "the most" might be exaggerated, but at least "half of " is right. And to be more correctly, at least half of students couldn't get official decision, though they tried to work at companies including my daughter.

We , of course, backup her. But yesterday I thought "What a many eggs of artist there are!"

They have manage to live their own life. I can't imagine their life because I was a steady business woman. And Yuki has been a steady business man. (These days even business men are not steady.)

And the works are great though, they can make their work because they have a place to make in their school, they can get material easily and inexpensively because their school support them.

After they graduate from their school, where?? How???

Fortunately, my daughter get part time job at her collage.

In my brain, various difficulties floats in turn, but it can't be helped. It is the life she chose.

What we can do as her parents are, being a big fan and doing a slight financial support with an IOU.

Happy Valentine!

This week all students made a balloon card with a lottery ticket, and today I got a wonderful package from U.S.A with lots of awards. I didn't prepare the awards to students who would draw the first prize. Tomorrow we are going to go to YOKOHAMA, so I was going to get something there. What a coincidence! I got wonderful awards to students and wonderful Valentine.

And another coincidence happened, in the package we got "special" ingredients. The ingredients are suitable to bagels that I bought this week at a special store.

These days bagels become popular in Japan. But among kids they are not so popular.

But in their English picture dictionary ( organised by my franchise English school company) there is a photo of bagels. In this picture dictionary, there are some interesting foods, Jelly beans, biscuits, and pretzels. I served Jelly Beans in summer, and served pretzels in fall, and "biscuits" can be got by KFC, so the last food was "bagels". So I served bagels this week with sweet cream cheese.

And some bagels were left for Yuki, probably he cannot have known bagels. Even though he has seen bagels, he considers them just as bread.

For today's supper I made spacial beagle sandwiches.

Valentine's Week

This week in my lesson we make a Valentine craft, the craft is --- heart balloon card.
Inside of them we put a lottery ticket, the red triangle sheet.
When the balloons go down, or are broken , and they open the tickets, and "if" they found the sign of first prize, I'll give"special" chocolate to them instead of "giri - choco" (obligation chocolate).

In Japan, though I often write about Japanese Valentine, women present chocolate to lovers with love, and to friends to show their thanks, to co-workers ( or husbands ) as a custom (or out of sense of social obligation)

.

Well, I've already send some sweets to my "friends" to show my grate "thanks", not "giri".

This Sunday, my family and my mother are going to go to YOKOHAMA to see my elder daughter's works that won a prize, and after that we are going to go to China town to eat Chinese food.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant is here.
I hope it will be fine day.





Oops, I found a spelling errors on a balloon. It's my fault as a teacher.

Mexican?? dishes

The other day "we", it means Yuki and I joined a cooking lesson.
Did Yuki join to " a cooking lesson"?
Yes, we were invited to it by my friend, saying " A "man" show some Mexican dishes.
So Yuki joined to see a man, and "eat" some spicy real Mexican dishes.

But unfortunately it was cooking lesson, I took our aprons secretly, and I passed one to him, but --- while we were cooking, he was ???? where????? I don't know.
And he came back in time to taste the dishes.
In the cooking lesson some men joined it too, and all of them wanted hot, spicy taste.
(Well, the members separated into four groups)
So the dishes of our members were chosen as "hot spicy taste table".
So Yuki and some people who "love" hot spicy taste, came to have our dishes.

Well the dishes we made were
fresh salsa, cooked salsa, guisado (pork dish) and Arroz con Leche (it looks like rice pudding)
Do you know these dishes??

This time we use flour tortillas. In Japan they are easier to get than corn tortillas.
But I think corn tortillas are common, aren't they?

February

Now February has started. It is getting colder and colder,and start raining. According to the weather report, tonight it "is going to" snow. I hope, it won't snow stay around, this winter our cars don't "wear" snow tires yet.

In Japan the first event in February is SETSUBUN. The day is not holiday, but probably in school lunch beans will be served, though I don't know kids like them or not.
The other day Yuki got this set at a gas station.
At least more than 100 beans are in the bag, so for us the set is enough.

The next event for me was supposed to go to a kindergarten on this Saturday, where my daughters graduated from. But the day was changed into next Tuesday, so unfortunately I can't go because of my work. When my younger daughter graduated from the kindergarten, they buried a time capsule in which they put their favourite things. And all kids became 20 years old, it is the time to dig it up. Unfortunately most of them including kids can't go because of being a weekday, so some mothers will go to dig it up, and later we will open it with kids, their mothers and fathers. I'm looking forward to a big kindergarten class reunion.

Well, finally I almost complete to adjust this new computer. It works much faster than the old one, though it is why I bought this new one. But unfortunately some my favorite HP site address has gone. I'm waiting for your comments.

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.

I'm ready for the New Year

How are you doing? We already changed decorations in to the New Year.

Yesterday, though Yuki went to work, he came back early and "anyway" cleaned most of the windows in the house. "Anyway" means "instantly", "quickly", and "roughly". It's OK, for "us" (probably when my mother and my mother-in-law come, they will not notice the windows were cleaned.)

Next year, it is called TORA (it means tiger)-DOSHI on the Japanese (or Chinese) zodiac calender. So I put a book which main character is tiger on the shelf of the entrance hall.

And I put some Japanese things on the other shelf and on the wall. ( Can miss-nippon-daze see them?), the right thing on the wall is Japanese kite, the left thing is a picture of Japanese straw sandal, WARA ZOURI. WARA ZOURI has nothing with the New Year goods, but just I love the picture my daughter draw.

Yesterday, I got a box of sweets from NAGOYA. It is called "KAERU-MANJYU". You can see the label of a frog. Frogs are called "KAERU" in Japanese, and "KAERU" has some other meanings. One meaning is "to return". So I'm really happy to get it, because "my daughters are going to return here for a while" (though it means my busiest week in "this" year starts.)

Tomorrow, my daughters will come back.

The day after tomorrow, my mother will come, and we will go to hot spring and stay a hotel. And my mother and my daughters will go back to TOKYO.

On the Eve of New year, Yuki and I will stay here. And on the first day of New year, we will go to TOKYO to meet Yuki's relatives.

book 4 in Christmas

Yesterday, a friend presented this book to me. Do you know Robert Sabuda? His pop-up books are really famous, I have some, but I didn't have this book. So I'm really happy. Robert Sabuda is introduced as a paper engineer. Actually his paper "technique" is wonderful.

At the night, one junior high school girl came to take the extra lesson. So I unwrapped this book with her.

When we opened the first page, --"c, candle."

The next page --"h, home".

Yes, this book has 9 pages with Christmas"

So I asked her?

What is the next picture???

R -- rain deer.

Yes, wonderful answer, but false.

I -- "difficult". so she said "ink". Why ink? I understand, because "ink " is a typical word that starts with i in my phonics lesson.

S -- sweet.

Yes, good answer, but false.

T -- tree.

I thought it was right, but false

M -- it is difficult for her, so she said a typical phonics word "monkey".

A -- America, she said --- no, no, this book is word-famous.

S --"sleepy" -- I understand her feeling.

If she had paid attention more on this book, it would have been easier to guess the last answer.

She often makes careless miss because of her lack of observations skills, so she came yesterday night. though it is same for me.

From today, each student go back with the apple pinata. Let's enjoyg this Christmas week!

Christmas nowadays -2-

The other day a letter was published on the newspaper.

"These days in December, here and there Santa appears, And every kid think --Santa presents something to me, I can get something from him. -- It makes me a little uncomfortable. I think we need to tell them for what day is Christmas, and a split of service and sharing."

Actually Santa is popular on a comical basis, and Santa is not religious man. But it's difficult to spend this season without the word "Santa". I understand the letter, and I agree with the letter partly. But anyway the remarkable thing to me is, most kids believe Santa. These days a called "dry" or "machinery" period. But kids are always kids.

They believe something with pure childish feeling. I like the feeling. I don't want to argue whether we believe got of not. I think it is not bad to looking forward to coming Santa. Of course these days kids or my students are good at balancing the losses and profits. So they count the presents like this, one is from my grandparents, one is from my parents, and the last one is from Santa. Additionally, in the Japanese traditional way , they can get "OTOSHIDANA, new year's monetary gift". They are completely different from Christmas presents. Some kids think that "On Christmas, I get something from Santa, and on the new year I get money from my relatives." So we need to tell the kids for what is the Christmas and the Hew Year's day in Japan.

Probably while I'm alive, Santa is alive, and the custom of getting OTOSHIDAMA continues supported commercial bases. On the other hand, Santa will never die supported pure childish feeling, and Christmas is celebrated as a family event in Japan. and the New year's ceremony continue as a Japanese family relation event.

On the 2nd my daughters will come back to Utsunomiya after we will celebrate the new year's ceremony in Tokyo. I like this book, I put a photo of this book in Japanese version.

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

Christmas nowadays -1-

This is notes for tomorrow, though I'll make a speech in Japanese.
Christmas is just around the corner, I call this week "Christmas week". This time I'll re-think the Christmas week in Japan, to the past, nowadays and in the future.
Long, Long time ago, oh, it's a joke, when I was a child, I was looking forward to eating a round decorated cake with my family, and getting some presents. When my mother cut it into some pieces, my brothers and I would argue always about the size. Cake was special sweet, and especially a whole round cake was special. And butter cream was common, now fresh cream is usual. We had big (but Japanese-sized) gas oven so my mother grilled chicken. Cake and chicken were the perfect feast for us. But I don't remember the phrase " Santa will come tonight!". We were not Christians, but I went to a Christian kindergarten at that time. So I remember playing Christmas pageant, singing some Christmas carols. But they were not strict Christian kindergarten. I think, at that time, Santa was not popular.

I'm not sure, since when Santa has got so popular like nowadays. But I had told to my daughters "You've been good girls, so Santa will come tonight. Let's make big socks of newspaper". Newspaper was enough big, and and really suitable to make socks easily, quickly with glue for them. The scenes were recorded on the video. On 25th morning as soon as they got up, they ran down to check the socks with joy. And on 25th, I baked a round cake and decorated it with fresh cream. And my husband bought chicken at KFC. (At that time, KFC was really popular. Additionally, when my daughters were high school students, some of their friends word part time job at KFC, so we had to have KFC chicken murmuring about the calorie.)

Anyway Christmas was a family event, now my daughters enjoy their Christmas with their friends now, and hew year celebration has been our relation's event.

poahced egg2

Are you enjoying counting days to Christmas?

Well, first I "should to " show the correct way of the poachpod.

Jan sent the photos.

And I put my breakfast photo on my photo page, a lady told the intereseting site of "eggs 4 breatfast".

If you are intereseted in it, drop it by.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1099204@N23/

a vending machine

Most of foreign people are surprised at lots of vending machines when they come to Japan.
We can find vending machines everywhere, and they have cold drinks when it's hot, and they have hot drinks when it's cold.
I'm used to the scenery, but yesterday I was really surprised.
I found ramen(noodel) cans, not cup noodels.
I'm not sure, whether they have cold ramen can when it's hot???

poachpod

Mr.Santa already came to Yuki and me. This morning "he" enjoyed the sauce of RHINo PERI-PERI with vegetable dishes. And I tried to use "poachpods".

Are they usual in your country?

Probably I worte before, in Japan "ONSEN TAMAGO" is populer, looks like poached eggs. I sometimes make them using rice cooker. It is easy to make because while we(not we, the rice cooker) cook rice, we can make ONSEN TAMAGO in the same rice cooker.

According to the direction, I tried to use it.

Put a little oil in the pod, break an egg into it, season -- with parsley, and
place in a small pan with about an inch of water in it. When the water starts to create a steam, cover the pan and allow to cook for about 5 minutes

And the directions says
"you will have a perfectly poaced egg (yes, perfectly) that will easily slip out of the pod." --yes, it was easily. but I failed.

in December

At first, now our living room is like that.

Lots of --- can you guess? --- apple pinatas. Last week every student made one own pinata. And this week they put something into each of them. And the last week in December, they will take it back as a Christmas present. We don't break it open, though some will do at their home.

I don't know what they put in them. Anyway I told them and their parents to prepare 30 little things for them.

And in the kitchen, I always use this old heater. Of course we also use usual heater. Though I often write or tell you, we don't have central heating system, and in this area electric kerosene fan heaters are usual. So we put an electric kerosene fan heater in each room. On the other hand I stick to use this old heater.

Yes, it's December. Yuki and I don't have special thing to celebrate Christmas. But this month at my reading shows at nursery school, and at piano shows at KARAKU, I'm going to read Christmas books and play Christmas songs. So I enjoy Christmas by myself.

Well, yesterday Yuki and I had really interesting experience, and we thought " How foolish we are!". Now we try to Skype. So yesterday we called to my friend in America on the computer. The line connected, we heard a recorded message. It didn't tell the name. So we thought it was wrong number, I got panicked, so I click the cross mark on the computer before we heard the recording buzzer.
Mieko "it didn't say ***".

Yuki " Of course, it's her name, what is her family name?"

Mieko "Oh, yes, yes, this phone is for *** and *****. Wait a minute, her family name is, oh, ******, but I seldom use her family name except sending something from the post office. Yes, I understand, it must have told her family name. How foolish we (Yuki said, "you") are!".

10 minutes later, we tried again.

And at that time, we noticed, the line was still on, though I clicked the cross mark on the "Skype" screen.

I turned off the line, and called again.

I could hear her family name, and I tried to leave message,

but this time I wasn't used to speaking to someone in English especially on the phone, so I got panicked again, so Yuki said "hi ----"

and we "turned off " the line.

And immediately I e-mailed to her, saying sorry we left strange message.

This computer quality is not so good, so it might be difficult to talk smoothly on the Skype. But I 'm going to talk to her on the Skype.

The problem is an time difference.