Enjoying Ireland...and fire trucks

I really like Irish music. The mixing of all of the instruments, a fiddle, flute, guitar, and many other is all kind of neat. About music, I like basically all kinds. The only music I don`t like is hard-core heavy metal and hard-core rap. Everything else is OK. Especially I like Jazz I guess. But since I was a child, of course my tastes have changed a little. Also, I like some Japanese artists very much. However, in general, I think the quality of japanese music is very low. It is too main stream, with too many just cute faces.
Fire trucks. Many kids in America dream of being a police man or a fire man. This is a small fire truck on the runway at the very small airport in Aran Isaland. By regulation, maybe a fire truck is required at an airport. Both in America and in Japan, it takes about 5 to 10 minutes after the fire alarm goes off for a fire truck to reach the scene of a fire. That`s pretty fast if you ask me. In Japan though, there are many tall and narrow buildings, like a matchbox. Many of these buidling also have no windows, many bars, restaurants or karaoke shops. Also, there is usually only one set of stairs and also no fire escape door or stairs or ladder. This is pretty dangerous I think. There is no way to escape if there is a fire. So I want the city government to make stricter regulations for these types of buildings.

Shirakawa, the baseball season is officially over

Good morning! All of these photos are from Shirakawa in Japan. Shirakawa is a traditonal town for sightseeing in Japan, with a good mix of nature and scenic views and old-fashioned architecture like the roof in the photo above. I have never been to Shirakawa, but I would like to go there one day soon. It looks like a town which I would like.
Last night I watched the ball game with my friend. As I expected, the Tigers lost. That means for me the baseball season is officially over...It`s a long time til next spring training...
Last week I read in the newspaper that Al Gore, the former Vice-President of the United states, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. I wrote about his environmental movie before on this blog I think. From that movie I saw that he has been involved in the Environment for many years. I was surprised to learn that, but I also enjoyed and learned some things from the movie. I recommend it again.

Yesterday was also the Midosuji Parade. I go to this Parade every year for about an hour to just check it out. There are many interesting floats. It reminds me of my childhood when I went to "The Mummer`s Parade" in Philadelphia. "The Mummers" are a famous parade group in Philadelphia. They were extravagant costumes and dance all around the street. Speaking of costumes, Halloween is coming soon...

Potato Picking

Potato picking...Not a bad idea for a way to spend a Saturday or Sunday I think. Mr. F, (aka The Doctor) took his daughter potato picking last weekend. He said it was a sunny day and loads of fun! In total they picked about 12 or so Potatos, so they have been eating potatos all week...

I like sweet potato very much. But a few years ago I ate one BIG one, it was only 100 yen, and I got heartburn. So I haven`t eaten so many sweet potatos since then. And if I do eat one, I am very careful not to eat too much.
Actaully the Doctor`s daughter was given a choice: go potato picking, or go to an amusement park. I was surprised, but she chose Potato picking. Maybe she wants to be a farmer in the futre ;) But honestly, I think it is great for her and everyone to go out into nature as much as possible. Nature is a beautiful thing.
It`s Sunday...I wonder if The Doctor is potato picking again today...

Ireland notes continued...The Spire

Can you see the needle sticking out into the sky in the above picture. That is called, "The Spire"!? Personally, I didn`t like it nor think it fit in the city, Dublin. Dublin is an old city, and looks a little run-down. Most of the buildings that I saw are not tall buildings. Most of them are about 4 stories high. In general the buildings are low, and so are the clouds...so the city feels small. But The Spire, only The Spire, points up wat into the sky. I read it was built as a millenium project, like modern art, but I just didn`t see the point to it and I didn`t like it. But it does have one good point. It is a good place to meet if you are a tourist because it is very easy to see and find from anywhere in the city.
I took this photo to show two things. First, the rain. It rained at one time at least every day. Two, the yellow and blue double-decker buses. They were everwhere, tons of them...I watched dozens and dozens every morning pass by my hotel`s window. But I never saw so many people in them, so I don`t understand why the City of Dublin needs so many of these buses.
The Temple Bar area is an area filled with bars, all different types of bars. Old ones and new ones are all mixed together. The architecture of many of the old ones is pretty cool, old and nostalgic. The guy in the black pants and jacket is the bouncer. That means that he is the security for the bar. He usually stands outside the bar and checks all the patrons coming in. Usually bouncers and big and not so friendly.

I took this photo during my layover at the airport in Amsterdam. This is a plane of the Irish company. I forget the exact name of the airlines. But the clover on the wing of the plane is neat!! Inside the plane, it was a normal cabin, nothing special, though.

The excursion to The Guiness Beer Factory and museum was great. From the top of the factory, we drank one delicious, creamy, Guiness while looking at the city of Dublin. It was a great view. But as my cousin said, "This is the ugliest city I have ever seen."

Have a good weekend!

The Biggest Steak Ever!!

This was the biggest steak I have ever seen in my life!!! It was 16 to 18 ounces big, I don`t know exactly, but that`s what it said on the menu. I have eaten some pretty big steaks in my life, and always finished, but not this time. The steak beat me. I lost!!! Honestly, on the night of that dinner I felt a little like I had a cold, and I had a little jet lag, and ate a big delicious appetizer, and when I ordered the steak I didn`t know that it would be that BIG! So I wasn`t in my best condition to try to tackle this monster of a steak. I am not making any excuses for not finishing the steak, but if I was in my best condition, I think that maybe I could have finished it. But I would have had to work, work very hard, sweat, to finish it. It was HUGE! And it was a little tough. I prefer more tender steak. Also, it was cooked well-done. I prefer my steaks rare or medium rare. How about you?
This was the appetizer. Some delicious mussels! But I don`t think this is traditional Irish food. You can eat good mussels any place near the ocean I think. But these mussels were really good. Usually mussels are served with red sauce or white sauce. I like both. It was a good starter! And dipping the bread in the sauce was also delicious!

Some traditional Irish food or drinks which I saw or tried are the following: Irish stew, Boloxy(fish or beef or chicken wrapped in a pancake), Fish and chips, Irish coffee...That`s all that I can think of right now.
The portions overseas, especially in America, are really just too big. That`s one of the reasons many of the people are overweight. In Japan, the portions are small. So I think that`s one of the reasons people are small. What do you think?

Ireland notes...

The nature in Northern Ireland was really something! On one hike, I think it was a national park, we had to cross this rope bridge. Even though I am scared of heoghts, I crossed it no problem! But my father was a chicken and too scared to cross it so he decided to wait with all the children and babies as I explored the other side. Situated next to the ocean, the cliffs provided a great view and a pleasant cool breeze.



Speaking of rope bridges, have you ever crossed the high and long and narrow rope bridge in Totsukawa town? I have! That is scary!!! Compared to that, the bridge from Ireland was Nothing!!



Besides heights, I am also scared of tight places=I am claustrophobic. Do you have any phobias?



Norman, the Guide! Norman was a great guy! He was retired, about 65 years old, and very friendly and informative. He really made the tour more interesting with his tid-bits of knowledge. He spoke a lot, but not too much...He was perfect.
The pilot! :) I rode the above plane...a 6-seater propeller plane!!! Above I already said that I am claustrophobic...well, guess what, I am also scared of heights, so being in a small tight plane very high in the sky is not my idea of a good time. But that was the only way I could get to the Aran Islands. So I guess the 15 minutes or so of misery in the plane was worth it...because the Aran Islands were truly beautiful!

It`s a rainy day in Osaka today...Have a good one!

IRELAND-THE COUNTRY, NATURE, AND CULTURE

The above picture might just sum it all up, the original reason I wanted to go to Ireland. GREEN. I wanted to see the green of Ireland, the grass, hills, farms. I took the above pic on the way from Dublon to Northern Ireland. For some reason, the above scenery (the grass, the hills, the blue sky, the houses) just struck me as amazing...
This is my favorite pciture of all. I can`t explain why, but just because it portrays a "normal" life in the country of some family in Ireland. There is a garden, a clothes line, clothes hanging on the line, a little shed, some bushes. Actually the was a big-whitehaired old man in the yard too, and I took a picture, but the picture didn`t come out so well, so I put this one on the blog.
This photo was taken in Northern Ireland at "The Giant Causeway." It might be a worl heritage site, I am not sure. But I walked(light hiking) for about 90 minutes around the cliffs, hills, shore. It was peaceful and calm, truly beautiful.
This photo was taken from Aran`s Island. This area, I forget the name, was unbelievable, breath-taking!! I walked for about 2 hours all around the area, which included cliffs next to the coean and a wide grasslands. The wind was crazy strng, like a typhoon. I will never forget the little time spent there!

My favorite photo of the town. I took this in Galway, a small town/city, on the way back from the Aran Islands to Dublin. A regular passerby, a fiddler, and an old man on a bike. It was quiet, in a small alley off the main strip...

Next week I will put up some more pics from my Ireland trip. Hope you all have a good 3-day weekend!

Airport and Wine

On Friday afternoons I teach at Kansai Airport. It takes a little over and hour to get there door to door, it`s a little bit of a long trip, but it is definitely worth it because all of the students are really enthusiastic and willing, wanting, and ready to learn. Soon many of the students will be bust because the opening of Beaujoulais Nouveau is coming. Every year they are really busy at this time because huge amounts of this wine are imported from France for this day! I like wine and I especially like this wine!! It is a little fruity and every year a like to drink a bottle or two during this season. Luckily for me this wine is red, and I prefer red wine to white wine. I heard that many French people or Europeans drink a glass of wine every day. I also heard that drinking a glass of wine every day is healthy, good for the heart. Now I am thinking to add one glass of red wine to my daily drinking menu...It`s a good idea I think.

October

It is Ocotber. The month of my birthday...I will be 33 years old. Actually many people I know have birthdays in October. Because I travelled last month, I just want to take it east in Ocotber and hopefully train a little for the marathon I plan to run in November. In October, now in Japan, finally it is a little cooler, less humid, so when I go to work every day I don`t have to change clothes every time I go outside. This is good because I don`t have to do so much laundry now, so I will have more time to run :) But if I run more, I will have to wash my running clothes more, so in the end, the quantity of laundry is the same ;( I know a couple that will get married on October 7th. I want to wish Mr. and Mrs. Kosuda a very happy marriage full of smiles and laughs!! :) Good luck!!! Also in October is the playoffs of American and Japanese baseball, also the Japan series and the World Series. I want to watch as many games and highlights as I can, because I am a huge baseball fan and after the season ends it is a long time before spring training begins...And in the end of October, there is also Halloween! Now I am thinking about whether or not I will dress up or not this year.

The Grand Canyon, and the Phillies!!

These are pictures from the Grand Canyon, one place in America where I really want to go. Last week, Ms. R went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon with her friend for a vacation. (I was jealous!!) In Vegas she said she didn`t gamble so much, but she saw two shows. She said they were good, but it was too cold in the theater, like winter, because the air conditioning was too strong. About the Grand Canyon, she said it was truly unbelievable, a MUST see for everyone!!

Near the Grand Canyon is the Rocky Mountains. I went skiing there many times when I was a child. The mountains and scenery in that area are magnificent. Speaking of the Rocky Mountains today theColorada Rockies, a baseball team in America, will play the San Diego Padres in a one-game playoff to go the Playoffs. The winner of the game will play the Philadelphia Phillies, my team!!!
The Phillies were champions of the Divisin this year! Congrats!! It is the first time in 14 years!! A longgggggggggggggggggg 14 years! Iguchi, a japanese player, now plays for the Phils! He is good and will be a key player of the Phils are to go all the way! Little Matsui plays for the Rockies. I hope the Rockies win today, so then Iguchi and Matsui can play against each other. Either way, I will be busy in October watching many Phillies games on TV ;)

Dublin, Ireland, I am back...

I know that you missed me ;)

I got back to Osaka this morning at around 9:30 am. Both flights, going and returning were basically OK. (I watched a total of 5.5 movies on the plane, 4 going, and 1.5 returning) so the time passed quickly. Next week I want to write more about the trip, but for now just some highlights. It was really a wonderfully balanced trip, with a variety of sightseeing in the city, really beauiful nature spots in Northern Ireland and also went to the Aran Islands, which were magnificent. I had to ride a VERY small plane, a 6-seater to get there...I was scared, so I closed my eyes, and my hands were very sweaty...But the beautiful nature was worth the flight!

In Dublin, well, the major theme is BARS...It is really unbelievable, there are just so many bars!!! The Guinness Beer and Murphy`s Stout really does taste delicious and creamy. Most of the bar are really old too so the desing/architecture is cool. I also listened to a bunch of live irish music shows like the one below. I like Irish music so it was cool!
The food was , ah---, just ok. I ate fish and chips, and the fish was huge and meaty, much bigger than in any irish bar in Osaka. I also ordered the biggest steak I have ever seen in my life! It was like half a cow, and I wasn`t even so hungry to begin with so I could`t fnish it...The weather, was, ah--- not good. It was cold. I don`t like cold. And the weather cheanges from cloudy to rainy to sunny many times during the day, almost like every 20 minutes...I`m serious!

I will write more later so hope you check it out next week! Hope you all have a good weekend!

Danjiri Festival and Ireland...

Team "KITA." There are 21 teams or groups in the Danjiri Festival. My friend, Mr. O, is from the "Minami" Group. He said that is is the BADDEST group in all of Kishiwada!!!

I really like the clothes that these guys wear. I would love to get my hands on one of these outfits and wear it while strolling around town.

Two of my friends went to the Danjiri festival last week in Kishiwada. One guy watched, and the other guy participated in the actual festival. He pulled one of the big carriages. I have never been to this festival but I really want to go some day. I heard it is very intense and also dangerous! I heard sometimes people even die in the festival by getting run over by the carriage or getting stuck between the carriage and the wall...terrible...But fortunately this year, no one died. The worst injury people suffered from was heat stroke. That`s a relief!

Tomorrow I will go to Ireland for about a week. It is my first trip to Europe, can you believe it? I will learn about my roots, and check out the sites, see some castles, check out some pubs, and maybe drink a little beer too...When I get back I will tell you all about it! Take care while I am gone!!

Pasta, noodles, and slurping

Mr. M made this delicious looking pasta. It looks like it is a cream sauce with spinach and ham. It is mouth-watering!!!

Just before in class some students and I talked about slurping. In Japan when you eat noodles, for example ramen or soba or udon, it is OK=acceptable=common to slurp when you eat. I heard that slurping is actually a sign to show the chef/cook that the eater thinks the noodles are delicious. In America, slurping is very rude. It is very impolite to slurp anything in America. Soup, coffee, tea, pasta, noodles: It is inappropriate to slurp all of these foods! Some Japanese people also slurp when they eat pasta! This is a big NO-NO in America! Many parents tell children in America "Don`t slurp your food! It`s rude!!!"

It`s interesting how in different countries there are different customs and rules about food and manner. I want to talk more about this in the future. Are there any customs or rules in Japan or foreign countries which you think are strange?

Japanese Wedding

A student of mine, Ms. K, recently got married. She got married in Kyoto and did a traditional-like ceremony and wore the traditional japanese wedding clothes. She and her husband really look great in the photos! In Japan there are a few types of typical weddings. Some people hold a wedding ceremony in a church or chapel, or hotel, or sometimes even a restaurant. More traditionally, some people hold the ceremony at a shrine. You can usually see many wedding ceremonies at shrines on the weekends. After the ceremony, I heard (I have never been to a Japanese wedding so I don`t know from personal experience.) that there is usually a reception or dinner. The bride and groom usually give a small speech and also the bride and groom`s friends and parents also give a speech, or even sing a song like in karaoke ro do a small dance! Japanese style weddings are a little different that American style weddings I think. Walking through the bamboo forest all dressed up really looks cool!
Congrats on your wedding Mr. and Mrs. K! Good Luck!

Track and Field, September 1st, Steeplechase, the clown

Check out Glico`s new uniform! He changed his uniform just for the big Track and Field World Games which are presently being held in Osaka. Tomorrow is the last day, which begins with the women`s marathon first thing in the morning. The course goes right by the classroom, about a block away. So tomorrow morning I am sure it will be noisy with the helicopters hovering overhead to film the race. Women`s marathon is big in Japan, so a lot of people will be outside and also watching on the streets.
My father took these photos while he was in Japan about a month ago. He and I both like the minami area, especially dotombori. All of the neon lights, and tons of people, is kinda mezmorizing. The above Asahi beer neon display is pretty cool, but to be honest, I like Kirin Lager the best!
On the left is the famous crab place. I have never been there but I heard it is pretty good. And it`s a great place to watch all the Hanshin Tiger fans jump off the bridge! On the right is Tsutaya, the biggest dvd/cd rental shop in Japan. It is similar to Blockbuster in America. Some popular American tv series, like 24, Friends, Desperate House wives, are now out on DVD in Japan. Do you watch or like any of them?
There is one event in this track and field competition which I think is ridiculous!! It is called "Steeplechase." It is a 300 meter long race I think. The athletes? run and then jump over hurdles into a small pond of water....they continue doing this the whole course, many times slipping or tripping in the water and injuring themselves. If this was an event in the X-games, maybe I could understand. But in the World Track and Field Championships...Come on! I don`t think so!
Who is that clown?

The city, suburbs, or country...

Which do you live in, the city, suburns or country? In the future, where do you want to live, or what is the ideal place for you to live. When I was a child, I lived in the suburns, right outisde of the city. It was very convenient with supermarkets close by, and also there was a lot of green; trees, grass, and parks and stuff. My hometown city, Philadelphia, is one of the top 5 biggest cities in America I think. Many people say, "Philly is dangerous..." I disagree. Of course there are bad parts, areas, neighborhoods of Philly, but there are many good parts too. I think that the good parts outnumber the bad parts!
This is a photo of Tokyo, one of the bigest cities in the world. I have visited Tokyo a few times. I always get lost on the subway and when I walk around the street. I like Tokyo but I don`t want to live there. I prefer Osaka. My ideal place to live is in the country! I really like being outside and exploring nature. So near a river or the ocean, or in the mountains, or in the middle of many rice fields...anyplace would really be great. How about you? Tell me what your hometown or current house is like.

No words...Just feel.


Who is that Cowboy?