August

This will be the last blog of August.
How was August for you?
For me, it wasn't so bad. Pretty good actually.
Even though I was sick (being sick uskcs!!) in the beginning of the month, I recovered.
And I learned many lessons from being sick.
And since then, I have been exercising a little more than before, and I changed my eating and drinking habits a little (specifically I cut down on drinking) and I feel in pretty good shape. As a result of this effort, I lost 2~3 kg and have been able to keep it off with no problem, so as of this morning when I got on the scale, I now weigh 75.2kg. I know many of you will not believe me, but 73.0kg is just around the corner.

I also visited Kyushu again, went out to some nice dinners(in ), and spent some good times with a few friends.
Anyway, enough about the past, I want to talk about the future.

Do you have any plans in September?
I do. But I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch(jinx myself) so I will tell you all about it after it happens.

The below article is interesting. Check it out if you want to.

Ofunato: Why have you come to Tohoku to help out?
from "The Japan Times Online"
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110802vf.html

Noda, Irene, Bolt

First, as he promised, Mr. Kan resigned last Friday, and then yesterday Noda became the new Prime Minister of Japan. (Actually, he is not officially the Prime Minister yet, but it should become official sometime today.)

Then, last weekend, there was a powerful hurricane, specifically Hurricane Irene, which tore up the East Coast of America last week. The storm even hit New York City. The storm caused a lot of flooding, and left many people without electricity, and even took 10 peoples lives. Fortunately, my parents and their house in Philadelphia was left unharmed...When I spoke to my father Sunday night Osaka time, around 6:40am Philadelphia time, he said "We were lucky. Everything is alright." And I got an email from my mother on last Saturday saying, "An earthquake and a hurricane, in the same month...What an August!!"

But again, we are all reminded again of the force of Mother Nature...

And some sports news... Last Sunday, I waited all day to watch the 100m Final of the World Championships in Track and Field. I am a fan of Usain Bolt because I like Jamaica (I have been there once, for about one week, when I was about 19 years old ) and I like Bolt's flamboyant style. Plus, he is an awesome runner! He is one of a kind! He is above all the rest and in a totally different league than the other runners. And, when he runs, he is beautiful. There are very few athletes who can do this, look beautiful when they perform. Well, in my opinion, Bolt is one of those athletes. I was expecting to watch him become a legend that day...Everyone on the world was expecting him to win the 100m Final that day...
But, as well all know now, that is not what happened.
Bolt was disqualified(knocked out of the competition) for jumping the gun (leaving the blocks before the starting gun was fired). Actually, he was disqualified due to the very controversial zero-tolerance false start rule which was enacted in the World Championships from this year!!
I was really disappointed because I wanted to see his "beauty." But to be honest, I was also a little lucky, because I got to see Bolt angry, like an angry lion. I have never seen him angry before, because he is always smiling and laughing and dancing and joking around. It was a shame that the world couldn't see his performance on last Sunday night, but I am looking forward to watch him run in the 200m Finals later this week. He is gonna explode!


Below are some peaceful "healing" waterfall shots from Ms. e. Thanks.

Obon Dance Festival

Tonight and tomorrow, an Obon Dance Festival will be held at Minami-Mido Kaikan in Honmachi. The festivities will begin around 5pm and finish about 9pm. If it rains, the show is off! Cancelled! Not postponed! There will be many outside food stalls, and there will be many people, old and young, small and big, all dancing to the tunes of Kawachi-Ondo, which is an Osaka-style of Obon Dance Music. This is my favorite festival in Japan, and I look forward to it every year. If you have the time, I recommend you check it out!

Below are some photos from Ms. H. She is also from Ehime and went back to visit her relatives during her summer vacation. The beach photo was taken right in front of her grand-mother's house. What a gorgeous view!! And she also went to a bull fighting event. But I can't imagine Ms. H going to a bull fighting event...That is a definite mismatch!

Summer Vacation Report

Let me give you a brief report of my Summer Vacation.

I took 3 days off, from August 14th to the 16th, and went to my wife's hometown in Kyushu. She is from Kumamoto Prefecture, specifically the town of Arao. Arao used to be a mining town, and actually her grandfather worked in the mines. Now, the most famous site in Arao is the Arao Horse Track. When I go there, I always look forward to eating the Mentai-ko, which are red fish eggs and called "seasoned cod roe." Luckily, this time I could also eat a lot of them!! Not including the funeral I attended a month ago, it was the first time I had been to Arao in about one year and a half.

I took the Bullet train to Kyushu after class on Saturday and arrived late at night. My mother-in-law picked me up at the station. It is a small station, and it was around 11pm, so the train station was "manless," that means there were not any train officers there because their working shifts finished and everybody already went home.

It rained the whole day on Sunday. It was literally like a monsoon. But there was a first. I went jogging with my wife. We never go jogging together, so it was a first! In all we jogged around 10k, and half of the time it was pouring. For a few minutes there was even thunder and lightening. My wife is scared of lightening so I had to protect her. I was a good husband. While we were running my wife turned to me and said, "Wow, this is so much fun. I have never rain in the rain before...I am soaking wet, but this is cool!" At that moment, I knew she had changed. She would never have said that to me 5 years ago when we were dating.

On Monday, we had dinner at an Izakaya with my sister-in-law, and brother-in-law, and nephew Yuta. He is now 2 years and about 4 months old. He just began to talk a lot and he is very cute. I enjoyed spending time with everyone, and expecially enjoyed playign with him. If you want to see his cute pic, just ask me and I will show you. I have some photos saved in my cell. Speaking of my cell, it broke (because of my sweat!) just before Obon Vacation, so I got a new one. I am not used to it yet, but I like it.

Then, on the 16th, I came back to Osaka on the Bullet Train. But this time, I got a "Green Seat." It was my first time to sit in a "Green Seat" and I liked it. The seats were much more comfortable and bigger than the regular seats. In addition, there was a lot more leg room, and I got a free face/hand wipe too from the train attendant.

Anyway, I really enjoyed myself in Arao with everyone. It was a lot of fun, and also relaxing.

Below are some great photos from Ehime. Ms. K's hometown is Ehime, and she went back to her hometown, like many people do in Japan during the Obon Holidays. She lives near the beach and went swimming and fishing and spent time with her neices and nephews and dogs. She also said she had a great time. (Tomorrow I will put some more photos of Ehime on the blog, but these photos are from Ms. H. She is also from Ehime and also went back to visit her family. Now that I think of it, many students are from Ehime...it's strange)

Breaking news

There was an earthquake in Virginia (which is where Washington D.C., the capital of America with the White House, etc. is!)
I got this email from my mother this morning:
"Hi G. Can u believe we had an earthquake today on the east coast.? 5.8 in Va.
Philly buildings Lots evacuated. No damage..we felt nothing!!!!"

As far as I remember, when I lived in Philly (which is on the East Coast of America) we never had any earthquakes. Mother Nature is strange (angry?) recently...

And, as I am sure many of you in Japan know, the entertainer Shimada Shinsuke suddenly retired from the entertainment industry late last night. He announced his retirement and the reason for his retirement (he had some links to the mob) in a press conference. I like him, and I enjoyed watching many of the shows he was involved with...also, he made me laugh a lot! (But my wife doesn't like his sarcastic humor...) So, I am going to miss him...
What did you think of him? Did you like him or not? What do you think of his retirement?

Anyway, life goes on...So let's enjoy the sunny day in Osaka!

Fireworks, Mosquitoes, Obon Vacation, and more...

Last Saturday was the Yodogawa fireworks. I know many people that went and enjoyed the festivities. Some people wore yukatas (which is like a lighter, summer-version of a kimono), and other people just wore casual clothes. Everyone said the fireworks were beautiful, but everyone also had the same complaint. They all said, "It was very crowded." Oh well, you can't win them all!!!

To change the subject, there is a hole in the screen door in my place. And last night, a big mosquito bit me on the back of my knee. How do I know it was a big mosquito? Well, let me tell you. Because the mosquito bite is big!! So the little bugger must also be big. And now the bite mark is big and red and itchy!!

Many people have already begun, or are going to begin very soon, Obon Vacation, or Summer Vacation. Do you have any plans over the vacation?

I do. I will go to my mother-in-law's house in Kyushu, and I am very much looking forward to the R&R(=rest and relaxation). I am going to do some light exercise like walking, jogging, and cycling, and also do some harder exercise like sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. After that I am sure that I will be sore, so I plan to go to a hot spring every day to soak my hurting muscles. Next, I will probably be exhausted (but a GOOD exhausted) so then I want to read some books, watch a DVD or two and take a nap.

And, I almost forgot. Because I got my driver's license, I hope to borrow my mother-in-law's car and go for a short drive once or twice. That is, if she lets me...

Speaking of driving, if you are interested in driving and cars in Japan, the below opinions are helpful.

"Kamakura, Kanagawa: Is it better to own a car or not in Japan?"

from The Japan Times Online
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110719vf.html

Cute deck ornaments from my brother's great house!!

Statues in Red dresses?

I am sure most of you already heard about this news, but just in case you didn't, let me give you a brief summary. If you want the whole, in-depth story, please read the link attached below.
Basically, the other day somebody dressed most of the statues on Midosuji street in red dresses. Is this art? Was it a joke or a prank? I don't know. Last Thursday in class, Ms. N and I had the following conversation. (FYI, Ms. N works for a company on Midosuji Street.)

Ms. N: When I was walking to work the other day, a foreigner came up to my husband and I and asked me, 'Do you like the red dresses on the statues? Do you think they are good!?' And she replied, ' No, I don't think they are good, but...'

Glenn: Are you going to contact the police? This could be an important lead..."

Ms. N: No, I am not gonna inform the police.

Glenn: Why not?

Ms. N: Because mysteries are good.

I think Ms. N is right. She is an intelligent woman and yes, mysteries are good. And most importantly, whoever dressed the statues in these red dresses didn't hurt anyone. So I agree, we should just forget about it and let it be...

"Osaka tries to find out who dressed statues"
from The Japan Times Online
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110809f1.html

The below photos are courtesy of Ms. K. She said "The statues look really hot in the dresses. I bet they prefer to wear no clothes in the hot and humid Osaka summer."

Useful Summer Words

Here is my typical summer morning in Osaka.

I wake up to hear the beautiful singing of the cicadas. Fortunately, they sing much better than they look. Because they are some nasty, scary looking creatures! The first time I saw one I almost wet my pants!!!

Then I walk outside and I usually say "Good morning" to my landlord, who then replies, "Good morning. It sure is hot, isn't it?" And I say with a smile, "Yes, it's hot." But in my head, I am thinking, "What a stupid question! Maybe he thought that I didn't notice it is 35 degrees Celsius outside and the sun is shining!! Everyone who has a pulse knows it is hot!! I don't need anyone to point out the already obvious fact that YES, IT IS UNBELIEVABLY HOT!!!"
(FYI, in the winter, many people also say "It's cold, isn't it?" Go figure...)

Then I walk to the station, get on the train, then get off the train, and walk to the school. In all, the commute takes about one hour door-to-door; a twenty minute train ride and about forty minutes of walking. By the time I arrive at the classroom, I am dripping with sweat.

Many people complain about “summer heat fatigue”, but fortunately this year it is not a problem for me so far. The exact cause of "summer heat fatigue" is unknown, but some say it is because of too much sweating, and also the constant change between cold air-conditioned rooms to the hot and humid outside air. A few years ago, I remember when "summer heat fatigue" simply treated me like a child. I was exhausted every day, and my whole body felt heavy and strange: sometimes I had an appetite, but at other times I didn't...It was confusing and miserable. But I guess I have gotten used to it over the years, plus, maybe all of the "cool goods" which I bought are helping me to beat the heat!

One good food to combat "summer heat fatigue" is eel. I love eel(otherwise known as "the river snake"), especially a big bowl of eel over rice! Eel is full of protein and a bunch of vitamins and minerals. It is said that if you eat eel, you will get stamina. And let me tell you, that is true! Cause after I eat some of that eel, I have enough stamina to go three or four rounds with the Middle Weight Champion of the world!

And after all of that exercise, I like to sip on some plum wine on the rocks. Plum wine is generally a summer drink made from green plums fermented in alcohol. Did you know that the Japanese plum is known for it’s cooling properties. Yes, it is true.

Can you think of any more "useful summer words"?! If you can, please don't be shy and let me know!