Election, Black Friday, and Hokkaido

Did you vote in the election last Sunday in Osaka?

If yes, which candidate did you vote for?

Who did you vote for for mayor? How about governor?

Since I don't have the right to vote in Japan, I couldn't cast my ballot. It is a shame. But, I heard that about 17% more people turned out to vote for the election this time compared to last time.

FYI, only Japanese citizens, in other words those people with Japanese nationality, have the right to vote. I am a resident of Japan, but my nationality and citizenship in American.

Here is an article about the winners!

"Hashimoto, Matsui win twin Osaka polls"

from The Japan Times online

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111128a1.html

To change the subject, I read a positive headline, "Americans set record for shopping on Black Friday weekend," about the economy on Yahoo.com yesterday.

Two main points of the article were:

1. For retailers, it was a robust start to the holiday season

2. It seems that many consumers saved up all year and decided to splurge a little

For the full article, click here:

http://news.yahoo.com/retailers-robust-start-holiday-season-225348430.html

Below are some photos from Mr. S. He went to Hokkaido last week. I am jealous of him because I have never been to Hokkaido, but I really want to go there one day...

He also gave me a hand-made wooden letter opener, which was made by Ainu People, who are "Native Japanese," kinda like "Native Americans."

Ohotsuku Sea

According to Mr. S, "On a clear day you can can see Russia...

maybe the coast is about 100km from Russia, but don't quote me on that."

"I took this photo from the room in the hotel. It is Daisetsu National Park."

"This is Abashiri City. It was the first time I have seen snow this winter.

There is a prison (jail) in this city, but none of my friends are there :)!"

"This is Lake Akan. It is famous for "marimo," which is like a beautiful green ball of moss which rests on the bottom of the lake. You can see marimo because Lake Akan is the clearest lake in the world!!! If you can't understand my explanation of marimo, just google it!"

Raul vs Luis (blog by Luis)

The other day I was on my way home by train and I heard some school kids commenting about me.

Situations such as this happen quite often with foreigners especially when you go to the countryside.

In this case I could understand they were comparing me with a famous spanish soccer player, Raul Gonzales. It wasn't the first time I have been told about my similarities with him. I was just surprised to see small children on the opposite side of the world recognizing slight differences between Westerners.

I wish I was that good at playing football (this is how "soccer" in Europe is called), and could earn so much money, but I would never exchange my wife with his :)

Am I that similar?

Can you distinguish the differences between Europeans and Americans?
How about between Asians?

To change the topic. the below is interesting.

I asked Glenn for his answer and he said:

"The Emperor. I would really like to sit down with him, and talk face to face about many things. I would ask him such questions as:

What do you eat for breakfast every day?

Have you ever gone out by yourself, without any security?

If not, then if you could, where would you go?

Was it love at first sight when you met your wife?

Do you drink alcohol? If yes, what kind do you like?

I could go on and on... "

"If you could meet any living Japanese person, who would it be?"

from The Japan Times Online

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20111115vf.html

The below photos are courtesy of Ms. e and from her trip to Kumano-Kodo.

Have you ever been there?

kumano-koudo

Beaujolais

Did you uncork a bottle of this year's Beaujolais last Thursday night, which marked the "2011 opening"?

I didn't. But I bought a bottle and I plan to pop it open tonight, while watching Game 6 of the Japan Series. As of now, the Softbank Hawks are leading the series versus the Chunichi Dragons 3-2.

My wife is from Kyushu so she is rooting for the Hawks.

I like the manager of the Dragons, Mr. Ochiai, who is in the last year of his contract and will not return as manager next year. So I am rooting for the Dragons. (But I have Softbank stock, and if the Hawks win, then maybe the stock will go up a little, so I am thinking about changing my team...Sorry, I am not so loyal when it comes to Japanese Baseball.)

As many of you know, I really love baseball. So, because this will be the last weekend of baseball for a long time until next year's spring training, I hope that Chunichi wins Game 6,　and then the Hawks win Game 7. If that happens, then my wife will be happy, and the stock will go up, and I can watch two more game of baseball, so a Triple Winner!!!

Anyway, I will let you know how the Beaujolais is next week!

Hope everyone has a good rainy weekend!

"Beaujolais fans toast new vintage"

from The Japan Times Online

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111118a3.html

Below are photos courtesy of Ms. R. They are from her trip to London.

Cosmos and population

Good morning everyone.

Last Sunday I went to see Cosmos flowers near my house. There is a Cosmos Garden which opens every year along the Mukogawa River in Nishinomiya, I have gone there for the past 5 years in a row. For me too, it is an annual event.

Also, I watched two DVDs last weekend. "The Fighter," which was produced by and also stars Mark Walhberg and "Here After," which was directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Matt Damon. They were both OK, but I liked "The Fighter" more. I haven't watched a DVD in a while so it was nice.

Have you seen any movies or watched any DVDs recently? If yes, anything good?

To change the subject, the other day I heard on the radio about the population of different countries in the world.

The country with the largest population in the world is China. Number two is India. And I forget what number Japan is, but the population in Japan is 120,000,000 people(=one hundred and twenty million.)

That's a lot of people for such a small Island...I guess that is why real estate prices are so high.

The below photos are courtesy of Ms. e.

She lives in Amagasaki, which is right around the corner from the Cosmos field, and also goes to walk along Mukogawa River and see these amazing Cosmos every year.

Social Networking + Women's expectations of men

The other day I had a conversation with Luis about social networking. He knows quite a bit about this kind of stuff, and much more than I do. So he made up a list of questions for class. Here they are:

What social networking websites do you use?

What are some good and bad points about social networking?

Do you have a Facebook? Do you use Twitter? How about Mixi?

What information do you have on your page/blog?

What type of information are you comfortable releasing and showing online?

Does your family also use social networking sites?

If you don't use, what kind of information would/should you put on social networking sites?

Are you afraid to lose your privacy by using social networking sites?

Then I remembered that I have a Mixi site. Mixi is one of the big social networking systems in Japan. Actually, it is becoming less and less popular recently due to the bigger and badder sites like Facebook and Twitter. I also have a Facebook site, but like my Mixi site, I rarely use it. So I decided to open up my Mixi site for the first time in a while. Then, I found an interesting blog and I did a rough translation of it. The title was, "What do women expect men to be able to do?"

Here are 9 expectations which women have of us guys

Women expect me to be able to:

1. hook up a computer or TV,Cable TV!, blue ray recorder, etc.

2. be able to drive (and be a good river and have a nice car!

No walking or cycling on dates guys! Girls want to be driven around in style!)

3. kill cockroaches (No panicking or screaming or whining or running away!!!)

4. assemble furniture (like the kind you buy at IKEA) patiently and confidently, without getting irritated.

5. open lids on jars easily and on the first try (No wincing or sweating or grunting allowed!!! )

6. be able to read a map and not get lost (both when walking and driving in places we have never been before!)

7. give a girl a piggy back without any problems (even if you have a bad back like I do!!)

8. pull out the cork of a wine bottle with ease and grace

9. light the fire to a barbecue without any trouble (No heavy blowing or dark clouds of smoke!!)

Can you think of any other?

And, can any of you men tell me, what do you expect women to be able to do?

Halloween Facts

I know it is a little late, but I found out some interesting facts about Halloween which I wanted to share with everyone.

1. Halloween began about 2000 years ago. It was created by the Kelts and was originally like "New Year's Eve," as the Kelt Calendar begins on November 1st, and ends on October 31st.

2. In the 19th Century, Halloween was "imported" to America from Europe. At that time, it changed from a religious type event, to a "delicious and interesting" type of event with sweets and costumes getting in the mix.

3. Originally in Europe, a turnip, not a pumpkin was used.

4. The carved out pumpkin, called "Jack-o-lantern," represents the spirit "Jack" carrying a light. Kinda like "Obon" in Japan!!

5. In 1983, in Harajuku, the first Halloween Parade was held in Japan. About 100 people, mostly foreigners, attended.

6. In Kawasaki City this year, 3500 people participated in the Halloween Parade. This was the 15th year in a row the parade has been held in Kawasaki.

7. Recently in Japan, Halloween is becoming more and more popular. One of the reasons is:　There are no other significant events (except for my birthday! ;) in October in Japan.

8. It is said that the economic effect of Halloween will become bigger than that of Christmas, Valentine's Day, and White Day in Japan.

That's about all for now folks. Did you know all of that?

Hope everyone enjoy the National Holiday tomorrow!

Kuroshima, and Imaginary Osaka Marathon Answers by yours truly!

I pretended that I ran the Osaka Marathon this year and answered the questions just like Ms. T and Mr. S did.

Look below for my answers!

What was your time?

My time was 4 hours and 42 minutes.

Did you hit "the wall" at around the 30km point?

Yes, I did. I hit it hard!!

I watched some of the marathon on TV, and it looked very tough to run smoothly cause=because there were so many people...around 30,000 people I think. How was it?

It was alright. In the beginning, because there were so many people, it was difficult to run smoothly.But, in the second half, it was easier to run.

What did you think about all of the supporters?

They were wonderful!! Without their support, I couldn’t have done it!!

Did you drink and eat a lot of the stuff which the volunteers at the "rest stations" offer?

Yes, of course. I drank a lot of water and sports drinks, and I ate some bananas, calorie mate bars, Japanese rice cakes, and chocolate and candy.

How was the weather?

It was cloudy, with off and on showers.

Did any friends or family come out to cheer you on from the sidelines?

Yes, they did. I was very fortunate.

How do you feel today? Are your muscles; knees, achilles tendons, groin, joints...sore?

My whole body hurts, and especially my groin is sore. I can’t even walk up the stairs normally! I need an elevator!

Do you want to run another marathon? :)

Pass! Instead, I want to go to my favorite Island in the world!!! Kuroshima!! (See the below shots!!)