徒然横浜生活 Since 2003
本文へジャンプ

Weekly Topics/Archive
March 2009


Pilgrimage to the old temples in north Kamakura    No.74-Mar.31, 2009

 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.


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.


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



The yacht sailing commemorating the engagement of Ms.Hachiya
                                                
No.73-Mar.25, 2009
          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.


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」


Unusual scene                                 No.72-Mar.20, 2009  

 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.



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」


Filing my final income-tax return                 No.71-Mar.9, 2009 

 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.
Tax form.


 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 is the Japanese Doll Festival,Hina Matsuri      No.70-Mar.3, 2009

 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.


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」




                         TOPペ-ジへ戻る