Weekly Topics/Archive
March 2009
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The season for cherry-blossom viewing has come in Japan.
On last Saturday afternoon，I visited four temples in north Kamakura to
see the cherry blossoms.
They were Kencho-ji, Ennou-ji, Chozyu-ji and Jochi-ji temple.
First，I visited the Kencho-ji temple.
It took about 15 minutes to walk on Kamakura Road from JR Kita-kamakura
station to there.
As it was Saturday on that day, the sidewalk was crowded with a string
of people.
I could understand at a glance that they were holidaymakers leading to
the temple.
I finished visiting these temples after taking about four hours.
According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency reports，this year cherry blossoms were expected
to come out about a week earlier than usual in many parts of Japan.
But at every temple，only a few branches had blossomed.
It might be because it has been cold for these seven days.
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| The cherry trees at the Kencho-ji temple only a few branches had blossomed |
Instead of cherry trees，the magnolia，spiraea and forward azalea trees were
at their best.
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| Magnolia trees |
Spiraea |
Forward azalea |
The cherry blossoms will be in full bloom soon.
After several days, I'm going to see them again with my daughter around
Ooka river near Gumyouji
station of Keikyu line.
［Note］ the season for cherry-blossom viewing ； お花見の季節
Kamakura Road； 鎌倉街道、 sidewalk ；歩道、 a string of 〜 ； 数珠つなぎの〜
at a glance ； 一見して、 holidaymaker ； 行楽客、 Japanese Meteorological Agency
； 気象庁
come out/ blossom ； (花が) 咲く、 magnolia ； モクレン、 forward ； 早咲きの、 spiraea
； 雪柳(花)
azalea； ツツジ、 be at their best / be in full bloom ； 満開である
Hi，Ms．Hachiya，congratulations on your engagement.
Last Saturday，I enjoyed yacht sailing with some crew members of our yacht club to celebrate
the engagement of one of our crew members, Ms.Hachiya.
It was my first yacht sailing this year.
And also it happeened to be the first yacht race of the SMYC Yacht Club
this year.
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| The view of the opening SMYC Regatta in 2009 |
It was very fine and warm but a little bit windy.
So，it was an ideal day for yachting.
Happily，my team won the second place out of eight teams.
After that，we went to Atami to have her engagement party at my friend's
condominium.
We relaxed taking a hot spring bath and then enjoyed the happy party.
We had a toast to her happiness with a glass of champagne.
Two fresh replacement girls for her came to the party and so it was the
wild engagement party.
It was very noisy，cheerful and pleasant till midnight.
Mr.Kawashima and Mr.Shimohori, thank you for your providing a room for
the party and your
arranging a guest room for us.
Anyway, I had nice two days.
[Note] engagement ； 婚約、 replacement ---for 〜 ； 〜の替わりの---
have a toast to 〜； 〜を祝って乾杯する、 wild ； (パ−ティ−などが)すてきな、楽しい
Picture Picture / Yacht Sailing / 「2009年度SMYCオプニングレガッタ」
I have a routine housework of bringing the garbage or the trash from our
home to their pickup site
in the morning.
In our town, the garbage truck comes to the pickup site to collect garbages
by type in the morning
on the four collection days every week.
It takes only one minute on foot from home to the pickup site.
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| One of the garbage picup site in my town |
Some time ago，one of my friends advised me to dress in an appropriate manner
when I go to take
the garbage out，even though it's not far from home to the pickup site.
And then he advised me not to do that in pajamas because it looks ugly.
I've kept his advice because I also felt so.
Around 10 a.m. on last Monday，I took the garbage out as usual taking my
dog for a walk.
When I looked up at the sky to check the weather condition, some feathers
were fluttering down.
And so, when I looked around the sky, much to my surprise, a dove was just
being hunted by a big
crow.
However，the dove narrowly escaped from its attack and flied away to its
group.
Hi，dove，how lucky you are!
The dove is a symbol of peace，so I just have to stand for the dove rather
than the crow.
And it's because the crow is such a hateful bird that forage through the
garbage for food and litter the
street with thier garbages.
Yokohama City changed the colour of the garbage protection net from blue
to yellow as the preventive
measure against the crow's forage.
But it hasn't been effective due to crow's learning effect.
After all, we just have to insulate garbage firmly with nets from the
crows when we take the garbage
out.
But if we neglected it，we might see the same scene again.
Maybe people became strongly aware of the right manner of taking the garbage
out.
These days，we rarely see such kind of scene.
Since the crows can't get enough food to live，they are now in trouble.
So there might have been such a scene that the crow attacked the dove.
Crows may croak，saying "Crows are free to do as we please."
In the human society，the number of the unemployed is increasing due to
the deep slump of
the century.
I hear some workers who lost their jobs don't have both their home to live
and enough money to eat.
Anyway, as Worker Dispatch Law has an acute institutional fatigue, I think we need to do away with
the current Law immediately or to amend it and build a safety net for unemployment.
We could escape seeing and hearing the scene like that in the human society
by doing so.
［Note］ routine housework ； 日課、 garbage truck ； ごみ収集車
collect garbages by type ； ごみを分別収集する、 some time ago ； いつだつたか，いつぞや
dress in an appropriate manner ； それ相応の服装をする、 take the garbage out ； ごみ出しする
in pajamas ； パジャマ姿で、 ugly ； 見苦しい、 weather condition ； 空模様
flutter down ； ひらひら舞い落ちる、 narrowly； かろうじて
just have to do 〜； どうしても〜せざるを得ない、〜せずにはおれない、〜するしかない
forage for 〜 ； (引っかき回して)〜を探す、漁る、 litter O with 〜 ； O を〜で散らかす
insulate A from B ； A をB から保護する，遮断する
become strongly aware of 〜 ； 〜を強く意識するようになる、 croak ； (カラスなどが)カ−カ−鳴く
as you please ； 好きなように、 Crows are free to do as they please．； カラスの勝手でしょう。
the 〜 of the century ； 100 年に1 度の，the unemployed ； 失業者、 Worker Dispatch
Law； 労働者派遣法
acute； 急性の、 institutional fatigue； 制度疲労、 do away with 〜 ； 〜を廃止する、 amend ； 改正する
Japanese Diary / No.132−2009.03.14 / 「異様な光景」
We had only a week to go till the deadline for the submission of the final
income-tax return
for the 2008 tax year.
I had only to make up my tax return because I've already had all necessary documents like various
certificates of income and withholding tax，and for deduction.
And so，I did that yesterday.
As I referred to the guidance sent from the tax office and a duplicate of the last year's
tax return，I finished doing that faster than usual.
As a matter of course，both my gross income and net income was just the
same as
last year's ones.
As a result，I saw I would be refunded about forty thousand yen by The National Tax Administration
Agency.
It stayed at the almost same amount as last year.
I'm sure this refund would vanish like a bubble as money to drink or green
fee.
When I have something with a time deadline，for example，a closing date
for submission of
the finished manuscript of the miscellany "Wakasugi" by alumnus
which was published this month, I feel
uncomfortable as if there were a small fish bone got struck somewhere in
the back of my mind.
I felt relieved to mail the tax return with some necessary documents for
Yokohama-minami tax office
on the way to take my dog for a walk.
All the pensioners，have you already submitted your tax return to the tax
office?
［Note］ final income−tax return ； 所得税の確定申告、 tax return ； 納税申告(書)
have only to do 〜 ； ただ〜しさえすればよい、 deduction ； 控除
certificate of income and withholding tax ； 源泉徴収票、 refer to 〜 ； 〜を参考にする
as a matter of course ； 当り前のことですが、 refund ； 還付する
The National Tax Administration Agency ； 国税庁、 tax refund ； 税金の還付金
vanish like a bubble； 泡のように消える、 closing date ； 締切日、 manuscript ； 原稿
miscellany ； 文集、 alumnus ； 同窓生、 get struck in 〜 ； (-が)〜に刺さる
in the back of one's mind； 心の片隅に、 feel relieved ； (気分が)清清する、すっきりする
Japanese Diary / No.129−2009.03.08 / 「所得税の確定申告」
Today，March 3rd is the Japanese Doll Festival，Hina Matsuri.
It's a traditional event held to pray for girl's healthy growth.
Families with girls display a set of ornamental dolls called hina dolls
at home and make offerings of
white sake and Hina-arare.
It is said the Doll Festival started sometime during the 9th century，over
1,000 years ago.
And it is also believed hina dolls protect girls from bad luck.
I happened to have an opportunity to go to the department store in Kami−ooka.
It was very crowded with customers at the cake corners and the corner for
childhood product.
They must celebrate this day with their girls.
At the cake corner，they were buying some cakes in the shape of hina dolls.
When I went to the corner for childhood product on the fifth floor，various
sets of hina dolls were
on display.
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| A set of hina dolls on display at the corner for childhood products |
I took some photos of them because they were really beautiful.
By the way, I have such a set of hina dolls that my late father-in-law
bought to my daughter about 30
years ago.
But I've never displayed it at home for the past 20 years.
It's because it was too troublesome for me to put the dolls away after
the Doll Festival.
Anyway, I'm happy because my daughter has already been age.
［Note］ the Japanese Doll Festival/Girl's Festival ； ひな祭り、 ornamental ； 飾りの
hina dolls ； ひな人形、 make offerings of 〜 ； 〜を供える、 Hina-arare ； ひなあられ
the cake corner ； ケ−キ売場、 childhood product ； 子供用品、 be on display ；
展示されている
be of age ； 成人している、 troublesome ； 面倒な、手間がかかる、 put away ； 片付ける、しまう
Japanese Diary / No127−2009.03.03 / 「今日はひな祭り」
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