Summer in Niigata

Around this time of the year, there is one thing that I always regret.

“I should have booked a tour for Nagaoka fireworks display.”

When a friend of mine told me that she got a one-day tour ticket for the festival, I was so vexed. I totally forgot about making a reservation for the event again.

The fireworks display in Nagaoka in Niigata prefecture is the largest and most beautiful one in the country and it’s going to be held between 1 and 3 of August this year. The tour tickets with a reserved seat for the fireworks are, as I imagined, already sold out. It’s a shame not to see the spectacle at least once in a lifetime. I definitely see it next year.

I gave up the plan of going to Nagaoka but there is another event in Niigata this summer. It’s Echigo Tsumari Art trianale. It’s an international art festival that was started in 2000 for animating the local area with the power of arts. Nearly 360 art pieces are displayed in Tokamachi and Tsunanmachi, which are both depopulated villages and are buried in heavy snow in winter.

The artists form various regions in the world are staying in the villages, interacting with local people and making their pieces that are rooted in the local history and culture. The project helps villager, artists and visitors get reminded of the beauty of the local people’s life style, which is all about missing as we speak.

The one I’m looking forward to seeing is James Turrell. His “light house” was built on the base of an old farmer’s house in Echigo Tsumari and we can appreciate both modern art and traditional lifestyle in a primary image of local landscape that we oftentimes come across.

↓Thank you very much for your click.

にほんブログ村

One year anniversary

One year has passed since I opened my English language blog. Happy anniversary! Thank you very much for visiting and reading my journals. I’m happy my blog is going on. I have come along way.

I started this blog as an output place for my English study. But there was more to it than that. I met many bloggers who are writing journals in English through my blog and learned many ways of expressing their own interests, such as photo essays, interviews and video movies. It would be very nice if I could interview some people in English and uploaded the video on my blog. It’s my dream project.

Looking back my past entries, the most popular article is “Ghost Mental Arithmetic,” which introduced a young entrepreneur who invented 2-digits × ２-digitsmental multiplication. For real? I’m so amazed that many people are interested in math! The second oneis “AKB48 vs Akihabara back stage pass.” Umm, it’s understandable. The third one is “Can you write down cursive.” Maybe,very few people write on the theme and that is why they ended up finding my entry.

The regions where my visitors come from are various regions. Listing them up form the top, they are The United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Russia, Australia,Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Nepal, Laos and such. However, unfortunately, there is onlysingle access from Mainland China. Maybe people in China are not allowed to access blogger site provided by Google. That’s disappointing.

Now,I’m studying Chinese inaddition to English. I hope I can write some entries in near future in Chinese as well, but I can’t expect any readers from China.

↓Thank you very much for your click.

にほんブログ村

Work and Rest in Balance

I haven’t been feeling very well and have got distracted for nearly 2 months.  It’s not serious but I‘ve been a bit feverish.  How did this situation come about?

Two months ago, I had swollen gums due to my fever.  Maybe, some kind of germs, which became activated in my body, attacked some of my weak parts.    My dentist told me that it was an acute alveolar abscess and he gave me anti-biotic tablets.  Soon, I bounced back.  However, the dentist found another problem of my teeth and I had to have two of my old crowns exchanged with new ones.  Oh my God!  It cost me 200.000 yen!

A month ago, I was still feverish.  I decided to go see my family doctor who is an otolaryngologist.  He examined me and said something like this.  “Your throat looks perfect.  Besides, you are not coughing or sneezing.  You are totally healthy and you don’t need to worry about anything at all.”  I was puzzled.  I didn’t even know whether I should have been glad or sad about what he said.  Anyway, the treatment cost 1,200 yen and he didn’t give me any prescription.

A week ago, I had a fever again after I came back from my mother’s place.  I thought it was the right time to go see another doctor for second opinion.  I carefully singled out a physician in my neighborhood.  And my selection turned out to be right.  The doctor took quite a time to ask me about my physical conditions and the way I spend my daily life these days.  Consequently, the conversation with him made me aware of some changes that I made in my life style this past April. 

I have a lot of things on my plate because I took up something new this spring in addition to my regular work.  Maybe, they are becoming a little too much for me to handle and tiredness has accumulated little by little.  I think I should give up something but the problem is that I don’t know which one.

 ↓Thank you very much for your click.

にほんブログ村

My favorite commercial film

The world is being destroyed as we speak. 

You and me,

We’re being destroyed.

But at the same time, we’re being reborn over and over. 

Everybody talks about what they’ll do the next time they’re born,

but I have no plans for another life.

This is my first and last time to be alive. 

Most likely, I won’t be around 100 years from now.

That thought has made me stronger.

Live this moment, live now.

earth music & ecology

The 90 sec special commercial film is temporary available on the official web site of ”earth music & ecology.”

http://www.earth1999.jp/cm/#!/detail0_5

↓Thank you very much for your click.

にほんブログ村