クロサギ Black Heron

It was another chilly day here today. I went to the cinema with one of my grandsons in his early teens. He wanted to see the film version of クロサギ Black Heron. The film is made from a comic book “ クロサギ”. I know that there are a white egret, a snowy heron, a grey heron, and a night heron, but I don’t know about クロサぎa black heron. I suppose this word is made in Japan, but I’m not sure.

According to the film commentary, White Egrets mean common swindlers in the film. And Black Heron means a super swindler who swindles money out of many common swindlers. You may think Black Heron is much worse than White Egrets. Actually, Black Heron is a super hero who knocks down many bad White Herons and save weak victims. Black Heron isn’t a super hero like Spider-Man and Superman. He has weakness. His character is not totally good or bad. He does some good things, but he does some bad things as well.



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Cherry-blossom Chill

It's been raining since this morning. It's very chilly. It feels like cold winter is still lingering here. This chilly weather is called 花冷え cherry-blossom chill during the cherry-blossom season.

My daughter's family will come to my house soon and stay overnight. I cooked chirashi-zushi for them. I really enjoyed cooking, expecting to see her family members for the first time in two months. My grandsons will bring their school reports to me. I hope they have gotten good results. Anyway, I'm glad to see them spending their school days happily even if they haven't had good school reports.




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Cherry Petal

Cherry blossoms began to come out a few days ago in Kobe. I won't be able to stay home leisurely from now on because I want to go out for sakura viewing as often as possible.



startled

a bird flies away

cherry petals falling



驚いて　/　鳥が飛び去る　/ 　桜の花びら散る




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PC and Book

Although I liked reading books before, I haven’t read many books since I was into a PC a few years ago. To my regret, I don’t have enough skills to handle a PC yet, though. I can know many things, talk with many people, read many diaries or messages, and even be advised to correct my English sentences through the Internet.
However, I know well that I have to read as many books written in English as possible so that I can have a wide range of vocabulary.
One of the books I read in the recent years is “Great Gatsby” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is a very difficult book for me to read through without much effort. Actually, I gave up reading it halfway. Thanks to a nice translation by 村上春樹, I could read through till the end.

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter---tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further…… And one fine morning--
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
( Fitzgerald)

ギャツビーは緑の灯火を信じていた。年を追うごとに我々の前からどんどん遠のいていく、陶酔に満ちた未来を。それはあのとき我々の手からすり抜けていった。でもまだ大丈夫。明日はもっと速く走ろう。両腕をもっと先まで差し出そう。-----そうすればある晴れた朝にー
だからこそ我々は、前へ前へと進み続けるのだ。流れに立ち向かうボートのように、絶え間なく過去へと押し戻されながらも。　　　　　　(村上春樹)



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Easy Cooking "Orange Chicken"

I learned this dish from an American woman some years ago. This orange-flavored chicken is very delicious.

ORANGE CHICKEN

4~5 SERVINGS

chicken wing or leg meat(鶏手羽肉)-------4 pieces


onion---one

butter---tbsp (大匙）1





ア. flour---c 1/2

paprika---tsp(小匙) 1/2

salt, pepper----a little



イ . orange juice(100%pure)-----c 1

sugar(三温糖)-----tbsp 2



ウ. grated ginger plant(おろし生姜)----tsp 2

soy sauce-----tbsp 2




1. Cut meat properly

2. Add ア. to meat. Saute meat till its color becomes brown

3. Slice onion and put it on the meat. Add イ. and boil up

4. Add ウ. and simmer until tender on low heat for 30minutes.





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A Sports Center

I went to a sports center this afternoon. It was sunny and I was a little bit afraid if I got sunburned. Ultraviolet rays seemed strong enough to make stains on my skin. Some were walking with parasols and some were wearing hats.

The sports center was congested with many members, including new retired people from companies. Most of the male members exercise using some training machines or swim in the pool. Only a few male members join the floor exercise like Balance Ball or Step Exercise. The ratio of men to women in the floor exercise is one to five. The male members tend to be at the back of the room. They seem kind of modest. I’m so sorry for them that there is something reserved in their manner toward female members. Female members are greater in numbers than male members in this sports center.



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White Magnolia

magnolia sways

gathering light

scattering it

モクレン揺れる/光を集め/散らしつつ


White magnolias are now in full bloom in my neighboring garden. The sky cleared up today, so white flowers were so beautiful against a background of the blue sky. I asked my neighbor to allow me to take a picture of the tree. To my regret, I don’t get used to taking a picture with a digital camera yet. Most of my pictures are out of focus.

Today the closing ceremony of elementary school and middle school was held in Hyogo Prefecture. Spring break has started! This is the best season for children to spend the time freely. I met a young mom with her little son at a traffic light. The little boy was about to go on in spite of red light. The young mom cried, “Be careful!!! Wait until the light turns green!!! You couldn’t be a first grader!” Some young moms tend to be somewhat nervous because brand new life for them will begin soon.



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The Heartwarming Film

Tsutaya Discas delivered two DVDs to me last week. One is “ The OC” and the other is” A Love Song for Bobby Long”. I make it a rule to watch one ＤＶＤ three times if I have enough time to watch so as to improve my listening comprehension ability. Firstly, I watch it with Japanese subtitles. Secondly, with English ones. Thirdly, with no ones.

A love Song for Bobby Long(ママの遺したラヴソング) is a heartwarming film, starring Travolta and Johansson. Parslane(Johansson) is a girl in her late teens. She has no memories about her mother as well as her father, because she was brought up by her grandmother. Her mother was a singer-songwriter and she didn’t tell anybody who her daughter’s father was. I was moved to tears when Parslane said, “ I want to know about my mother. I have no memories about her, so I’ve made fake memories about her by myself” I felt so happy to have my parents' memories. As the time goes by, it turns out to be true that Bobby Long(Travolta) is her real father. The dancing scene of a father and a daughter is really warm-hearted.



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Nano-hana

rape blossoms drop

petal after petal

each time I pass



菜の花落ちる/ひとひらひとひら/通り過ぎるたび


The weather got better by this morning. It is much warmer today than yesterday. Many children were playing happily in the nearby park. While some boys were playing baseball. one boy said, "Alas! There is only one hour left before the cram school begins." It's a pity that today's children can't play forgetting themselves until the sun sets.



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Vernal Equnoix Day

Today is Vernal Equinox Day. It is the exact day the sun passes over the equator(赤道). On this day, day and night are the same length. Around this time, the season changes. The cold winter ends and spring begins. We say that no cold or heat lasts through the equinox, however it is very cold today. It feels like cold winter has come back here. Today’s temperature is probably 5 degrees or so lower than yesterday’s.

We have a habit of eating traditional sweets, ohagi, or rice dumplings covered with adzuki bean jam. Olden people thought the adzuki been was a food that purges noxious vapors(邪気を払う).

I couldn’t visit my family grave today, because it is far away from here. Instead, I offered flowers, incense, and ohagi to my butsudan, my family Buddhist altar.



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"Little Prince"

I saw a small article about “Little Prince”(星の王子さま) in the newspaper a few days ago. Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) is a well- known fairy tale written by a French writer, Saint-Exupery. It’s been 64 years since he disappeared while flying above the Mediterranean Sea. More recently, an ex-soldier of German Air Force confessed the fact that he had shot down a plane which Saint-Exupery had piloted. He himself is a great fan of Saint- Exupery’s works, so he had been hoping for a long time that the pilot wasn’t the author.

I like “Little Prince” very much and read it again and again. There are a number of impressive phrases throughout the book. Those phrases make me think about what is important in my life. A musical “Little Prince” is also absolutely wonderful. I was attracted to some of the dancing scenes and music by the snake and the fox while watching the DVD.



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Spring Cruise

spring cruise

each cabin embraces

each dream



春の船旅/それぞれの船室に/それぞれの夢


NHK radio program The English Tidbits Club 英語ものしり倶楽部 will broadcast about "haiku in English" on April 5 and April 6. Happy Blue Bird-san kindly informed me about that the other day. I am looking forward to listening to the program.




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Itchy Leg

It was sunny and very warm here. I see many people wearing masks to prevent them from getting hay fever these days.

I visited a friend in hospital in Osaka. She broke her ankle about two weeks ago. Although she was wearing a plaster cast, she looked fine this morning. However, she couldn’t sleep well last night, because her leg within the plaster cast itched very much. She couldn’t scratch her itchy leg so her heart pounded wildly because she irritated so much. This morning her doctor made a hole on her plaster cast so that she could scratch her leg. Anyway, I am relieved to know that she will be able to leave hospital in a few days.

a plaster cast----ギブス




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A Mountain Laughs

I attended the Japanese haiku club yesterday afternoon. Ten members and two teachers were present. Unfortunately, this club will be closed from April because the number of the members is less than 15. So, it was the last time we got together. Each of us has to find a new club to study haiku. I wonder which club I should join. I am now thinking it may be better for me to study it through a service by mail which provides corrections and comments(通信添削) for the time being. The result yesterday was not so bad. I got 8 points out of 60 points.

As you know well, “A mountain laughs”(山笑ふ) is a season word of spring. On the other hand, “A mountain sleeps”(山眠る) is the one of winter.

山笑ふ棚田はいまだ放置され-----2 points

鳥雲に入りて虚空の広さかな-----3 points

入り船に心ときめく春の湾--------2 points

白色をさっとひと筆春の山--------1point

春の寺青年ひたすら祈りおり-----0 point




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Convenient On Line DVD Rental

One of the members in the English conversation club is in her middle thirties. She has four-year-old twin girls and one and a half-year-old boy. She uses child-care system supported by Coop(生協) when attending the club. She is now very busy raising her three little children. Nevertheless, she is eager to learn English. She says that although it may seem paradoxical to learn something during such a busy time in her life, she hopes that her study will help her reduce stress. Of course, in a sense, raising children is stressful. Having motivation to study something or having some hobbies is very important to survive in this stressful society, I guess.

Her English pronunciation is very beautiful. She often watches DVDs. She recommended me to use a convenient on line DVD rental, TSUTAYA DISCAS, yesterday. So, I signed the register at the shop on a PC. I’m looking forward to receiving some DVDs I like.


paradoxical---逆説的





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Farewell Party

My teacher of the English conversation club is going to leave Japan for the U.S.A. next Wednesday. So, we had a farewell party for her after the lesson. We went to a Japanese restaurant in the recreation facilities. It is only 10-minute ride. We talked and talked for about three hours. She is a pastor’s wife. I learned English conversation and the Bible from her for three and a half years. I’ve never seen her in a bad temper since I met her. I have been impressed by her well-trained, matured and cheerful personality. She left the following words for us:

“You must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive the person who offends you. Remember God forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in unity.”



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Break a Bone

I have a cell phone, but I don’t use it very often in my daily life. When meeting my friends or my children, I carry it with me so as to contact them whenever something wrong happens. This time, my cell phone had been sleeping in my bag which I used when taking a trip to Shikoku last Saturday. I happened to find it this morning. There was one record of an incoming call from one of my friends. Immediately I called her. Surprisingly, she is now hospitalized because she twisted and broke her ankle. A slight difference in level(段差) caused her to break her ankle. I realize that my muscles also are getting weaker without noticing. I have to strengthen my muscles to protect my bones through walking, dancing and doing some exercises.



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RED LEI

It was sunny with cloudy spells here. It is much warmer this week than last week. Yes, here is warm spring I was waiting anxiously for. I went to a sports center this afternoon. I didn’t have to wear my thick jacket any longer.

I was glad to get a red lei I had asked my teacher to order three weeks ago. I am now learning hula dancing “RED LEI”. So, I had been looking forward eagerly to having it for three weeks. The lyrics and music for this song were both written by 大橋節夫.　It is a very beautiful song. I wish I could translate this Japanese song into English one nicely!



月白い浜辺に　赤いレイかけて
歌たたっけ　君と二人
聞こえてきたね　なつかしい歌が
椰子の葉揺れてる　島影から

君の瞳　なぜか潤む
星降る浜辺に　赤いレイかけて
楽しかったね　君とふたり



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Bullying in the Working Place

From a TV program, I now know that bullying is increasing not only at schools but also in the working place. Bullying is done by co-workers in hospitals, schools, companies, and so on. Some bullied teachers get mentally sick and can’t teach. Depressed nurses can’t deal with patients. Bullied employees in companies tend to leave their job very soon. The companies suffer heavy losses because of bullying. Our society demands that workers work more efficiently and don’t make mistakes. Stressed workers may bully their co-workers. I feel very sad that our society is now sick. We forget to be kind and gentle.



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The 88 Temple Pilgrimage

I took part in the third bus trip as part of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage of Shikoku yesterday. It was fine and mild and I could enjoy viewing plum blossoms in full bloom. I visited five temples in Tokushima Prefecture. It was a very busy trip as before. The most impressive temple of the five was 焼山寺 Shouzanji Temple. It is located on a high ground in a mountain, say 700 meters above sea level. I climbed up the mountain in a microbus. There are so many hairpin turns that I felt a little bit uneasy about if the bus skidded off the mountain road and plummeted down the mountainside, though the bus driver was very skillful to drive. After getting off the bus, I had to walk for a while. Some snow remained on the mountain path and I had to be careful not to slip down.
I saw a young man in his thirties or so praying zealously at one of the temples. He might have some problems in his life.





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Sand eel (Ikanago) Fishing

A three-ship collision occurred in the Akashi Strait on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 2. The Belize-registered cargo ship sank after it was involved in collision with a Japan-registered vessel and a tanker. Oil has leaked out over the Inland Sea. Local people are anxious about bad influence on ikanago sand eel fishing(いかなご漁). Sand eel fishing is in season now. Local fishermen say that ikanago is all right because they go fishing to the ocean far from the Akashi Strait where the ship collision happened.

Ikanago is a small, thin fish. A large amount of ikanago is boiled with soy sauce, sugar, ginger and so on. Each home or each store has its own taste.

(Today’s picture was taken by my husband last year.)


spring tide
seagulls chasing fishing boat
for sand eels

春の潮 / いかなご漁船を追いかけて / かもめ達



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As you like

I received a catalogue gift “AS YOU LIKE” from a distant relative this morning. It was sent to me as a return gift of a wedding present which I sent to the relative the other day. I can choose my favorite thing from a wide variety of products listed in the catalogue. I turn the pages of the catalogue several times expecting I can find a good thing I like. After a while, I chose a mini hot- plate (a kitchen electrical appliance) to broil meat, fish or vegetables. I already have an ordinary size of hot- plate for gathering, but it is too big to use handily because my family members are two, including me. I am happier to receive a catalogue gift than being given some things I don’t like to have.



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Spring break is coming soon.

The weather is getting better. The sky clears up, but the wind is very chilly here.

It seems that a term-end examination is over in high school. I saw some schoolchildren were taking lunch at some shops chatting merrily. Some couples of students were walking, hand in hand, I giggled to see a male student wearing so loose-fitting pants. The bottoms of pants almost reach the ground. On the contrary, when I saw a lonely student sitting down on a bench behind a tree in a park, I was so concerned about him.

Spring break is coming soon. Many bullied children at school must feel relieved. They could have a valid reason to stay away from school. I feel sad to see some news reports about children committing suicide on TV or in the newspapers. How deeply their parents are mourning about their lost children!



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day after day

I’ve had a slight stomachache since exercising in a sports center last Tuesday. I didn’t go to the center today. No doubt, I feel so refreshed and have much better appetite after hula dancing and bike exercising. I tend to eat too much after that. Some problem in my stomach may be caused by eating too much. I am ageing day after day. And my stomach also is getting weaker day after day. I have to think of this inevitable fact, though I am apt to be into what I am interested in. There is something that an older person shouldn’t try to do, isn’t there?


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Doll's Festival Day

March 3 is Doll’s Festival Day, which is a festival for girls. We usually make chirashizushi and soup of clams on this day. My mother was very good at making chirashizushi so I also like to make it. However, today my husband didn’t stay home and I didn’t have to prepare dinner for him. I felt a little bit troublesome to make it only for me. It takes time to make it from scratch. So I skipped to make it this year. Instead, I enjoyed eating a cake. I hope this cake looks like a hina doll.

There are many recipes for making sushi-meshi vinegared rice. Each home or each store has its own recipe. Ingredients in chirashizushi are chosen according to each person’s taste. I use shiitake mushrooms, burdocks, lotus roots, kanpyo dried gourd strips, koya-tofu freeze-dried tofu, carrots, bamboo shoots and some seasonal vegetables. In the area along the coast of the Inland Sea, anago conger eels are added to the mixture. In my hometown in Shiga prefecture, chirimenj
ako dried young sardines are used. Chirashizushi is very colorful and beautiful to see and we can enjoy the harmonious taste of the mixture of many ingredients.


burdock---ごぼう
lotus root---蓮根
dried gourd strip---かんぴょう
freeze-dried tofu---高野豆腐
bamboo shoot---たけのこ
conger eel---あなご
dried young sardine---ちりめんじゃこ




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Smell of a pencil

Needless to say, a mechanical pencil is more convenient than a pencil. I don’t use a pencil so often recently. I use it only in my haiku club. When I submit my haikus, I have to write each haiku on a rectangle strip in a thick black pencil like a 6B pencil. My teacher tells us to use a 6B pencil so as to be seen clearly.

I had thought that young people liked a mechanical pencil better than a pencil. However, surprisingly, one of the regular members in an English conversation club likes a pencil and a pencil cap very much. She is in her forties and teaches Japanese language to foreign people. I was influenced by her and bought a pencil cap at a supermarket the other day. It’s very useful to keep a pencil case clean.



smell of pencil
memories of youth
far beyond spring clouds

鉛筆の匂い/ 青春の思い出/ 遥か春の雲の向こうに



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