Pollen doesn't circulate so much this year????

For me today it is not so "warm" , it is April though. But everyboday say it seems to be cold this April. I don't know , but it is the reason why this year I don't suffer a bad pollen allergy fortunately or unfortunately.

So blooming of cherry brossomes could cerebrate entrance ceremonies of schools. This weekend it will be the best to appreciate cherry brossomes in Utsunimoya."If" it isn't rain, and it isn't cold (for me) , we will go to see cherry brossomes near the small mound.

In my garden , which it is in a shaded area, some flowers finaly started to open, narcissuses, muscaris,etc.

But tulips that I planted from the bulbs, .... OH, I'm sorry, I dropped big boxes on them, so they were broken.

April has started

Every morning on the news we hear that "Today cherry blossoms started to bloom in ****". Unfortunately here in Utsunomiya they don't yet. Probably this weekend.
Anyway April has started. Today it is raining and very cold like winter.

Our elder daughter started to work at the art school where she graduated this March. She works there 4 days in a week, from 9 to 6 or 8. Though she is hired as a part time worker, the work is the same as the full time work. The big difference is an insurance system. It can't be helped.
And May she is going to go to another art school as a student once a week.

Younger daughter became a third grade student in a women's university. On the other hand she worked a part time jog at an architectural firm two days in a week.

My husband works as usual. Now in Japan we are in a big economic recession, so fortunately or unfortunately he can (has to) come back at around 10, not at midnight.

Me, --- the number of students decreased a little bit, but my schedule is not changed. In the morning twice a week I do volunteer to read English picture books at nursery schools. And about 4 o'clock, my lessons start every day. And every night from 8 to 10 junior high school students or high school students come. I don't have many students, and the room is not big. So my classes are like tutorial classes.
And probably once a month I go to a child's center and a public library to read English picture books. Additionally I go to KARAKU to play the piano once a month.

Yesterday Yuki and I went to TOKYO to listen to a KARAOKE recital. My mother-in-law sang there. She is now 84 years old, but she doesn't seem old at the place ----- many many many--- elder people in wonderful dress for the recital was enjoying there. And many family came to "see" them like us. The recital was supported by Suginami award as a project, so it was a kind of public concert. The theme of the project is making a bright ( lively?) society (for elder people).

These days our government seems to focus on children service more than elder people's. And everybody knows that it is necessary to bolster at nursing service to weakened elder people. On the other hand it is really important to get places for fine elder people to do something in public. So this project is really good, I think.

I'm happy to see that everybody enjoys their life, they are grumbling sometimes though.
And the person who is grumbling the most is ---me. What should I do?????

Finally?

Finally --- I want to tell you two things.
The first thing is that, just , my new fiscal year has started. in 20 minutes two girls are going to come.
And the second thing is, that my daughter came back here until tomorrow and we were waiting a phone calling, and finally we got a call from the art university where she graduated about a week ago. She got a part time job there as an assistant. So she could get a toehold in the art industry.

If she didn't get the job, her main job would be a waitress at a restaurant. Now he main job is an assistant, it is a part time job though.

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?)