150 steps...about

That`s how many steps I walk up every day from the platform to the street. Today I counted. I t was the first time I ever counted. So if you add the steps to the platform at the station near my house, and the steps to the classroom, there are probably about 200 steps which I walk up every morning. That`s good exercise. I think my legs and lower back must be strong from doing it for about 2 years. Actually, I like exercise and don`t mind walking up the steps at all. I don`t really like escalators so much, and in the summer I usually wear sports sandals, and with all the news about accidents and people feet getting caught in escalators last summer, I decided to totally avois them!

Below are some pictures from Ise. They really look nice, like a dream...

Be careful in the rain today!!

What color is the moon?

Ms. A went to Australia to study for about 6 months. For the first month she will do a homestay and also go to school to study English. In her class, she found something interesting. "What color is the moon?" She thinks yellow. But in her English text book, it says silver. I, who was educated in the U.S.S, thinks white. The next question was "What color is the sun?" She thinks red. The textbook says gold. I think yellow.

What do you think? Please let me know your answers. Below are the pictures of Ms A`s homestay house, and dog. It looks like she is living the "suburban life!"

In the Dog House

In a Seattle newspaper yesterday, there was an article reporting that one player threatened to "knock out" Ichiro at one time during the season. The player was left un-named, anonymous, but I bet that player is now in the Manager`s dog house:
Read this article if you are interested in the details: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8607982/Report:-Teammate-wanted-to-'knock-out'-Ichiro

Enjoy the weekend, it`s a beautiful day today!!

I have some good news!

Finally, I got a new monitor for me computer! Wow! It is really unbelievable! A 19 incher! That`s big :) What a difference! I regretted not buying a new monitor when I bought the new computer 2 years ago. I was (am) cheap!! But I regretted it every day. Because I had a nice new Dell pc, all black...it was a delight! But every day I had to look at a dimpy, yellow(originally it was white, but it became yellow from age and the sun...), small, old, monitor. But now, life is different!

Below is a g-style BBQ. Eat your hearts out!

Sunrise from the top of Mt. Fuji

I climbed Mount Fuji once more than ten years ago. It was a great experience and I highly recommend to try it once. But maybe once is enough. The view of the sunrise from the peak is absolutely breathtaking!!! It is a MUST DO once in your life if you are Japanese I think. On the negative side, on the way down, the scenery really isn`t so special, the bathrooms are really smelly(=they stink!). On the way up, the price of a "stamp" gets more expensive at each stage, and also it is very crowded and sometimes actually have to wait in line, and it is VERY cold. But to be honest the positives outweight the negatives! So try it some time if you can!

Did you hear about the big rice scandal? In Japanese it is translated into "Accident Rice," but I think it should be translated to "Incident Rice."

This is an article about it if you want to read: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20080922a2.html

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan, the Autumn Equinox Day. I don`t really know what that means, but what I do no, is that many people are off, so hope every enjoys!

The Tigers...

The Tigers and Giants play tonight. It is a big game. At one time this year, the Tigers had a 13 game cushion over the Giants. That was in July. Now, today, September 21st, they have a 1 game cushion. Only 1!! For the first time in 16 years, the Giants have won 9 games in a row. The Giants offense is looking strong!! One the other hand, the Tigers look very weak all around...
After tonight, I have a feeling the Tigers and Giants will be tied for first place. The future looks bright for the Giants...But unfortunately, the future looks very bleak for the Tigers. After tonight, all of the fair-weather fans for the Tigers will say "Tigers who?" And the bandwagon for the Giants fans will be very overcrowded with people...I am a die-hard, true, Tigers fan...so I will still believe...
GO TIGERS!!!

Typhoon

According to the weather news, a typhoon has hit the shores of Okinawa. I saw some video footage of the storm on tv...it looked really dangerous. Actually, about two months ago, I was planning to go to Okinawa today, but because it was so expensive, I gave up. On this point, I am a little lucky I think.

A student, Mr. R, will go to Okinawa for scuba diving this Sunday. He really likes scuba diving, and has been to Okinawa several times. This time he said he will go to Iriomote Island, a very small island. He departs on Sunday, and will come back to Osaka on Wednesday. He has a direct flight from Kobe airport to Ishigaki Island, so that is good and convenient. I hope the storm passes by Sunday and no other typhoons come any time soon, so his flight leaves on time and he can have a good "late summer vacation."

Ms. M took her two babies, Ten and Ran, to her home town, Yamaguchi prefecture, the other day. It was Ran`s first time to go to the beach! Ten has been there before, but she doesn`t like water, getting wet, so she just enjoyed the view. The picture below is maybe Ran, but maybe Ten, sorry, I don`t know.

Be careful in the storm later today and tomorrow.

Vanilla Cream puffs

This a called "shu-cream" (pronounced "shoe cream") in Japanese. It is quite a popular sweet here. Sometimes I see people waiting in a long line in order to buy some. Speaking of waiting in long lines, I have noticed that Japanese people seem to like(?) to wait in long lines for famous food, for example, roll-cake, ramen, etc. I don`t like waiting in long lines. Actually, that is an understatement. I HATE waiting in long lines! (=Maybe I am impatient ;)
Do you like sweets? if yes, what is your favorite? Also, do you mind waiting in long lines to buy something, or is it OK with you?

To be honest, I like vanilla cream puffs, but I prefer simple vanilla ice cream if I have a choice.

Can you pronounce "Vanilla"?!

Jump!!

Hey, how was your 3-day weekend? Mine was pretty good...Basically I took it easy and last night I had another BBQ with some freinds. It was fun and I had a good time.

I noticed last night that the sunset is earlier than in the summer-time. This means that it gets dark earlier than before. And it is getting cooler and cooler every day. Fall is here I think!

Here is some of the tops news so far this week is:

1. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.
2.Over the weekend there was a glitch in ANA`s computer system causing hundreds of flights to be delayed or cancelled.
2. A typhoon is heading to Japan later this week

Speaking of typhoons, in September and October a lot of typhoons always come to Japan. I wonder how many typhoons will come this year...The weather has been strange recently all over the world, so I am a little concerned. Let`s hope no big typhoons come...

Below is a picture of canyoning! It looks so fun and exciting! Have you ever been canyoning? If not, I highly recommend it! It is really cool!

A Busy 3-day weekend!!

What are your plans for the 3-day weekend? Me, I got plenty. First I want to go to a Mexican fiesta in Umeda. It will be nostalgic for me, because I went on a trip to Cabo, Mexico a few years. It was my first time to Mexico and I experienced many new and exciting things. One day, I really want to go back

The link to the Mexican Fiesta: http://www.skybldg.co.jp/event/mexico.html

Next, I almost forgot about it, but my friend invited me to the (in)famous? Kishiwada Danjiri Festival. For people who were born in, grew up in, or live in Kishiwada, this festival is the biggest thing on the planet! I have never been there, but I heard it is very wild and exciting and also a little dangerous! For more details check out the below site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danjiri_Matsuri

Last, just a quick question. Recently I am hooked on wine, and usually I drink red, but sometimes I also enjoy white wine. Which do you prefer, red or white wine?

Hope you have a good 3-day weekend!

"Good morning"

The first person that say good morning to me every day is maybe the JR (Japan Railways) officer who stands at the ticket gate to the station. One day it occured to me that he, or she, says "Good morning" probably hundreds of times every morning to many people. When I realized this, I decided to say "Good morning" back to the train officer. The next person who usually says "Good morning" to me is probably the trash guy. We usually arrive outside the classroom at about the same time. He drives the trash truck and jumps out of the truck and always says "Good morning" with a big smile and full of energy. He`s a young guy, slim, with a crew cut.
Another person who I recently exchange greetings with, "Good morning,"
"Good afternoon," "Good evening" is my landlord. He lives in the same building as me, on the floor below me. Saying good morning to a neighbor may sound normal to most of you, BUT for two years this landlord, an old guy about 80 maybe, NEVER said "Good morning" to me. In the beginning I said "Good morning" to him many times, but he ignored me...SILENCE! It was like I was a ghost and he couldn`t see me...it was like I wasn`t even there...I thought it was strange, and impolite, but after some time I just didn`t worry about it. Then recently, in the past few months, we saya "Good morning" or something to each other. We are not best friends or anything now, but I guess we are "semi-friendly neighbors now."
Who is the first person you say "Good morning" to every day.

The pics below are from Indonesia. Mr I said it is a special time in Indonesia now and there are many big sales! Everything is half price, or 30% off! He said it is like the "End of the year Sale" in Japan.

And, if you want to read about the "Sumo Pot" scandal, please check out the two articles below.

"Sumo Boss quits after wrestlers fail pot test":
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200809080342.html

"Wrestlers fail second dope test":
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200809080075.html

American "Bar food"!
What a great combo! Chicken fingers with a nice cold mug of beer!

September in America means the end of the summer, the beginning of the school year, and most importantly, the beginning of the American Football season!! This is big and exciting news for sports fans in America. I am sure that many people went to a sport`s bar and knawed on some chicken wings, chicken fingers, and french fries, and burgers and junk like that. That is one of the reasons why there are so many overweight couch potatos in the States...
And I bet they washed all the stuff down with a nice coldie!
In Osaka, there are also a few Sports Bars, but most of the center around European Soccer or Rugby. They are British or Irish pubs! I like them too...But I really miss an old-fashioned American Sports bar with BIG SCREEN TVS with every game on.

How do you commute to work?
I either walk from my house/classroom to the station. Then I take about a 20 minute train ride. The trains are usually punctual in Japan, but recently the train line I use, JR, is often late or delayed because of various problems.

On my day off, I enjoy riding my bike around the neighborhood. Riding for an hour or even two hours is no problem! I think I am gonna get rid of my "old-mama bike" soon and buy one of those nice sporty mountain bikes!


To change the subject, do you like pottery/ceramics? If yes, then this is for you! From September 7th to the 13th, my friend`s friend will have an exhibition. On Sunday the 7th, from 4pm, I heard that some great food from some famous restaurants in Osaka will be served. FOR FREE! If you are interested, check out this site:
http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~yamakig/

Talk to yall later

Who is gonna be the new top dog?

Breaking news! Prime Minister Fukuda resigns!

Since being elected Prime Minister last September 24th, not even lasting a year, Prime Minister Fukuda announced his resgination last night in a stunning press conference. He has had difficulty passing bills in the Diet until now, and he forecasted the same difficulty arising in the near future. Please read the below article for more on this story:

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200809010348.html

How will this effect Japan and the Japanese economy? What do you think of the timing of his decision? As an American, I can not understand why the Prime Minister of Japan changes so often...Please explain this to me!!

Only one question remains...Who is gonna be the new top dog?

September blues...

I always get a little depressed in September because it means that the summer is over,and it also means that winter is coming...I really like the summer, and I hate the winter! Today is September 1st.
But when I was surfing the net the other day, I came across my friend`s blog, Ms. S, and saw her photos from her recent trip to England. She could try eat genuine=real fish and chips,! It really looks good! And she ate ice cream in a cone! Don`t you think that is a big portion of ice cream!? In general, in America and Europe the food portions are much bigger than the portions in Japan. A typical American will not be full after eating a typical Japanese dinner, and a typical Japanese must share/split a typical American dish with a friend if they eat in a restaurant in the States.

Let`s try to enjoy September...

Pizzeria

Last weekend I went to a great pizzeria, Dal Brigante. It is located in Fukushima, about 1 or 2 minutes by foot from the station. Very convenient! It was my first time to Fukushima, and I was surprised because there is a little community of restaurants there. It`s nice.
On the first floor is the kitchen and a eating bar. On the second floor are some tables. I sat on the second floor. The staff is all male i think, and very friendly, young, and in general good-looking, so I think that shop must be especially popular with ladies. There is a small selection of wine and beer and cocktails, and the atmosphere is nice. However it is a little pricey, around 2300yen for a pizza. But, the pizza is cooked in a special oven and is really delicious!! So I recommend it to everyone.
http://r.tabelog.com/osaka/rstdtl/27004565/

On another topic, below are some more photos from Ms. M`s trip to India. That is THE RIVER, the most famous river in India. The water doesn`t look so clean, but I heard if you enter that water you can be purified, so one day, I want to take a long bath in it all day!

It is raing in Osaka today, and I heard there is a hurricane somewhere in the US. Be careful of the storms!

Learn English, or else...!

According to the following article, in Amercia, the LPGA(=Ladies Professional Golf association) is tepping up the requirements for English ability! Bascially, "If you can`t speak English, go home." There are many foreign players in the LPGA tour, and recently communicating in English during play and in interviews has been a problem. Momoko, and Ai, Sakura and Fudo all better watch out and start improving their English fast! The following is a link ot that article: http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/8490440/LPGA-requiring-players-to-learn-English#

On another topic, did you see the news about the new baby panda that was born in the zoo in Hyogo. It was soooooooooooo small!! Very cute!

Below are some more pictures from Ms. M`s India trip. I wonder if the fella leading the goat herd and the guys on the truck can speak English...

Shoes or sneakers?

Which do you prefer to wear when you go out?
I prefer sneakers or beach/sports sandals every day. But for work, or for going out for a nice dinner, I like to get dressed up and wear some stylish shoes. But for me, buying sneaks/shoes on Japan is not so easy. It is really difficult to find my size, and 29 centimeters, a size 11 in Amercia. In Japan, 27.5 centimeters is usually the max. So, I usually buy my footwear when go back to the States for a vacation. I almost always buy New Balance sneaks, because I have a wide foot, and New Balance specializes in wide sizes.
What size sneak do you wear?
What kind of shoes do you like to wear? When you go out? At work?

Olympics and India

Yesterday the curtain closed on the Olympics. The new fastest man in the world is from Jamaica, and his last name is Bolt. Do you know the meaning of the following sentences:

1. I have to bolt.
=I have to get out of here(leave) now/right away.

2. The boss bolted out of the office.
=The boss suddenly/quickly left(ran out of) the office.

3. Did you just see that lightnening bolt?

Anyway summer feels like it has passed, it is a little cooler every morning and night, and the cicadas have stopped crying/singing every morning!

Enjoy the week!

Below are photos from Ms. M`s trip to India. In the bottom picture, they look like Royalty!! Like a king and queen!!

The High Temperature in my place!!! 42 Degrees Celcius!!

Just before I left for Kyushu last week, that was the temp in my place in the morning with no airconditioning! 42 Degrees Celcius! It was like a sauna! There were puddles on the floor from my sweat!! (Is that a nice image? ;)) Thankfully, when i returned from Kyushu, it seemed like it cooled off a little in Osaka. At least the mornings and nights feel cooler. Probably after a few more weeks, and a few more rain storms, the temp will cool off in the afternoons too.

My Obon vacation was really nice and simple. I ate good food, slept a lot, drank a little too much but to counter the negative effects of the alcohol, I walked in the rice fields for about two hours every day and also went to a local hot spring for about 2 hours a day. The rice fields were everywhere I looked, all a beautiful green. Unexpectedly, it rained almost every day while I was in Kyushu. The rain is good for the rice fields and other vegtables and fruit in the farms, and good to cool off the temperature, but it wasn`t good for my barbecue!! But somehow, the barbecue managed to be a success!

Other than that, I watched a lot of the Olympics and high school baseball. It was fun and exciting, but to be honest I am a little sick of the Olympics now...It is the ONLY thing on tv...So please forgive me, but no Olympics talk today.

Also, I watched some good DVDs, but I will tell you about them next time, so look forward to it!

The Land of Ramen!

That`s where I am going for my Obon vacation. I love ramen! And Kyushu ramen is really the best! It isn`t the best/most healthy food in the world, but it is the best tasting!! Heavy and oily pork-broth soup, fatty pork, and some scallions on top! That pretty much describes Kyushu ramen!

Actually, I plan to eat very healthy and do a lot of walking in nature, and just take it easy. Also, I will watch a lot of the Olympics and the last couple of games of the Japanese High School Baseball tournament. Maybe also visit a couple of bath houses or hot springs if I am lucky.



Other than that, I want to stay out of trouble...watch some of the Olympics... Speaking of the Olympics, it`s a shame that the reigning Olympic gold medalist, Noguchi, had to withdraw from this year`s race. Many people, including me, were really looking forward to watching her run...But she injured herself, so there is nothing she can do about it. Hopefully she can recover and run again sometime in the future. But I was disappointed that there will be no "alternate runner." The Japanese Marathon assosciation should have done a better job of preparing for this situation.



But I don`t want to complain now, because from now I will depart! :) If everything goes as planned, it should be a relaxing and good time over the vacation. Talk to you when I get back!

I also love fried rice!!
And fried dumplings aren`t so bad either!!!

Stress---Rasberry Tart Cake


Yesterday I read on the net an article about stress. The survey targeted Japanese females, and asked a few questions. Question number 1, "Are you stressed now?==Do you feel stress now?"

46.2% of the women said "They are pretty stressed." 36.7% of the women said "I am very stressed." 15.3% said "Not really." And 1.8% said "Not at all...zero!"

And some of the reasons for feeling stressed were the following:



27.7% said "Human relations at the office/job/workplace.=The relationships with my peers/colleagues"

18.5% said "My job itself."

12.6% said "Romance/love"

5.9% said "Family-relative relationships"

5.5% said "Money."


How about you? What do you do to releive/release stress?
For me, exercise and going outside, spending time in Nature, always does it!


However, my image is that many women like to eat sweets or chocolate or cake when they are stressed?

Personally I like to exercise, HARD exercise!!

If you are a cake person, how about the delicious looking tart below!?

Real men cry

Just moments ago, Japanese Olympian swimmer Kitajima won the gold metal in the 100meter breast stroke, and he also broke the world record!!! He was awesome!! His swimming was so impressive!! He blew away all of the other competitors! It wasn`t even close!!
AND I WAS LUCKY because I could watch it LIVE!
And then, in his after-race interview, Kitajima was so emotional that he really could only barely manage to say a few words...He was very choked^up...He was crying. He has been under a lot of pressure over the past few months, from the Speedo swim suit-Mizuno controversey to the many comparisons to Hansen, the strong American swimmer. But he overcame it all, and today he could achieve one of his goals! It was great to watch! Thanks!

So, here`s to Kitajima!! Cheers!!!

Let the Games begin!!

Yesterday was the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics! I watched a little of it, and I was surprised~~Because there were many countries which I had never heard of before! (I was never very good at geography, and I have a terrible sense of direction too...) Actually, some of thew events already started a day or two before the opening ceremony. For example, both the men`s and women`s Japanese Soccer teams already played. The women`s team came back from 2 goals behind to get a draw versus New Zealand. The men`s team were not so fortunate, and lost a crucial match versus America 1-0. America is strong :)
I will be glued to the tv every night watching the highlights of these Olympics! For about 2 weeks, there is a lot to watch on tv...I am busy!!!

After the Olympics, when I have more free time, I want to cool off and go white water rafting! It looks fun!!!

How about some vanilla ice cream with that Shortcake!!

Most Japanese people can NOT pronounce "Vanilla" correctly. Most people say "Ba-nilla," but this is incorrect!!! Can you pronounce "vanilla" correctly?

Please check out the "comments" for Ms. e`s answer to the shortcake question.

Shortcake?

"Why is shortcake called short?" Ms. Mai asked me. She added, "I don`t think that shortcake is very short at all..."
Mai`s question is brilliant! I don`t know why or when or how she thought of such a thing, but she is correct! Why do we call short cake "short"? I tried to find the answer by looking up the word on Wikipedia, a very useful English Internet dictionary, but in the definition, no where idd it mention why it is called "short." Does anyone know the answer? If you do, please let me know, because Mai is dieing to know the answer!!!
In Japan, people say "Fried Potatos." But this is one of the many Japanese-English words. In America, we say "French Fries." After 911, some people referred to the below dish as "American fries," because of some trouble between the French and America, but that was only a phase. After a little while, everyone began calling the below dish "French Fries." But why do we use the word "French"? Was this dish invented in France? Did it originate in France?

The above is today`s food for thought. Enjoy the evening!

Korean Food is good for stamina in the summer!!!

Last night I ate Korean food. I went to a new restaurant which my friend just opened! I ate grilled pork wrapped in a variety of really fresh vegetables! It was my first time to try such Korean food, and I liked it! And today, I feel POWERFUL! :)

I am happy because I like high school baseball and the National High School Baseball tournament, held right around the corner from me at Koshien Stadium, began on Saturday. I am psyched to watch the highlights every night when I get home!

Speaking of Koshien, a high school and pro baseball legend of Japan, Kiyohara, from PL Gakuen High school, a baseball powerhouse which cranks out superstars every year, announced his retirement at the end of this season yesterday. He injured his knee and has been doing rehabilitation for a while now. Tonight he will play in his first game in a very long time...I hope he hits a home run!!

To change the topic, the other day when I was hiking, I saw two snakes!!! Some Japanese people say that to see a snake is good luck...In America, we do NOT say that, BUT...I hope so!!