Japan, the cool, and myself

Summer has come!

gravitino — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:36:44 +0000

Summer has come! It is very hot today. The last summer was so hot that the highest tempareture was recorded in Japan. I fear that this summer is as hot as the last….

I am playing a ipod touch with installing some apps which became available for download last night. To be honest, there are few nice apps for me now, however I think ‘Remote’ is good. This is because I can control itunes on my imac, lying on my bed.

Akiyoshido 秋吉洞

gravitino — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:23:54 +0000

On the last day of the short trip, I visited Akiyoshido. It is a giant calcareous cave. You can walk about 1km along a river in the cave. I felt like being in a maze of fantasy RPG. It is very dark inside and you cannot see a face of someone next to you.

The Japanese horror movie ‘八つ墓村（The village of 8 tombs ）’ based on the novel by Seishi Yokomizo was said to be shot in the cave. This movie is one of the detective Kindaichi series.

By the way, do you know ‘cave diving’? It is a kind of sports or adventure. I read about it on the national geographic a few years ago. The article is a story of the cave diver who went deepest on the earth then. When I walked in the Akiyoshido cave, I think someone can dive deeper because there are some hole there. Not me.

After the adventure, it is important to have a launch. There is a special meal in Akiyoshido which is called Kappa soba. Sort of Japanese noodle.

Rain Man Returns

gravitino — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:38:37 +0000

It rained all day long… There is a funny word ‘Ame-otoko(rain man)’ in Japanese. Ame-otoko means someone who always come upon a rainy day during a trip. I didn’t think I was an ame-otoko but now I remembered that I had sometimes rain when I went somewhere, especially in Japan.

Anyway, I got to Izumo where is famous for the Izumo taisha shrine. It is one of the most important shrine in Japan. ‘Daikoku-sama’(the upper picture) is enshrined there. You find a little rabbit beside Daikoku-sama on the picture. It is called ‘Inaba no shirousagi’. We have the myth of them. Daikoku-sama found the rabbit was peeled by a shark or crocodile and he helped it. The rabbit made a prophecy that he would marry the princess of Yakami in return.

So, this shrine is known as ‘marriage tie’. I didn’t know that before I visited there…
When I waited for a bus, I found the sign of the tomb of ‘Izumo no Okuni’ who is the founder of Kabuki. There were 10 minutes for bus to come and I went to the tomb quickly.

Take a night train

gravitino — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:58:13 +0000

At 10 p.m. The night train ‘Sunrise Izumo’ started at Tokyo station. My room isn’t large but comfortable. I bought a chocolate and an apple tea at a kiosk just before getting on.

After I fell asleep, my mobile phone’s mail service called urgent news twice both of which was about earthquake.
I got up at about 7 a.m. next morning when the train was running along Setonaikai sea.

I reached Izumo-shi station, Shimane prefecture at 10:10 a.m.

Mario Kart or Bike?

gravitino — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:59:21 +0000

I bought Mario Kart Wii yesterday at the Bic Camera, Tokyo when I was on the way home from my office. I have played only Superfamicon version and DS version and not so enthusiastic before. However it is very nice game. You find a funny handle (steering wheel) in the box of the software. You can use it, attaching a wii controller in it. I feel it useful. I mean playing with the handle is easier than a wii controller. And one more thing. You can choose a motor bike in stead of a kart. I tried to do and I remembered a good old game ‘excite bike’.

I won some gradprix or cups, competing with CPU but it is most interesting to play with Wi-Fi. You can play randomly with people all over the world. I chased with some German and French players yesterday night. It’s a pity that I couldn’t talk to them about the race in the game like other on-line games.

There is a rating system in the Wi-Fi VS mode like chess. You start with 5000 points. Now my rating become lower than it…

Anyway, I am not a good racer or rider but enjoy Mario Kart Wii. I like Mario and Yosshi. And now I wonder which is better, a kart or a bike.

Sakura Saku

gravitino — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:50:25 +0000

Cherry blossoms are very beautiful now in Tokyo. I walked around my flat and found these trees in a small park. I havn’t gone to ‘hanami’ picnic this year. I want to go to Akasaka Sakasu which is the newest site of Tokyo because there are a lot of cherry blossoms and I heard that one of them is from Miharu, Fukushima prifecture.

I lived in Fukushima city until 2 years ago. I went to see the famous cherry blossoms of Miharu once then with my parents.

Hay fever has come

gravitino — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:10:06 +0000

Hay fever season has come around here. I had never been suffered from hay fever but I may have it now….

A major league opening game will be held in Tokyo tomorrow. I want to watch Matsuzaka pitch in the Tokyo Dome but the ticket was sold out yet..

Okajima won the game!

From Google document

gravitino — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:00:38 +0000

It is practice. I tried to upload this entry from google document. Well done. I used ‘journler’ and ‘ecto’ before but I think google doc is more convenient. I goof off on my blog recently.. I will write more entries again!

twinity

gravitino — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:40:57 +0000

I got an invitation from twinity tonight. But it is only for windows…. I am a mac user. I have a windows XP PC which I bought 4 years ago.

Koyo 紅葉

gravitino — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 07:06:41 +0000

On the ginkgo trees along a famous stree, Jingu Gaien, Tokyo.The leaves have turned yellow.