Weekly Topics/Archive
September 2009
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I joined in the friendly mah-jong competition a week ago last Wednesday
and won the first place
after a long interval．
It was the second time I won the competion.
But it was in the past five years.
The number of players was 12，who were eleven regular customers of a Japanese-style
restaurant ”Shinobu” and its owner.
We played four games under the rule that each game has to be stopped just
after an hour.
The order of the game was determined by the total score of four games for
each player.
I won by a nose with a total score of plus 85 points.
The reason I won in this competition was because I never ended in a minus
score in every game.
I focused first on trying not to discard my opponent's winning tile as
my tactics.
Anyway, even if I had a good hand, I had the patience not to discard any
dangerous tiles while my
opponent declared completing a ready hand or held a ready hand.
Consequently, I had few chance to win the round.
But one of the keys to my success was to have made the most use of the
few chances I had.
It seemed to me this tactics was just like that of golf.
In golf, whenever I happen to hit a ball into the trees, I have two choices
as the tactics I use.
One of them is to hit a ball aggressively toward green through the gap
between trees.
Another one is to hit a ball into the nearby fairway out of trees to avoid
trouble.
In any case，high-risk activity produce a high return and low-risk activity
produce only low return.
In this competition, I chose the latter option and succeeded.
Thanks to this, I earned 20,000 yen as my pocket money.
[Note] a week ago last Wednesday ； 先々週の水曜日、 won by a nose ； 僅差で勝つ
end in 〜 ； 〜の結果になる、〜になる、 focus on 〜 ； 〜に集中する、 tactics ； 戦術
opponent ； 対戦相手、 tile ； 牌(麻雀用語)
discard opponent's winning tile ； 他家に放銃（振込）する(麻雀用語)
have the patience to 〜； 忍耐強く〜する
declare completing a ready hand； 立直(リ−チ)する(麻雀用語)
hold a ready hand/get a winning hand； 聴牌する(麻雀用語)、 consequently ；その結果
win the round； 和了する(麻雀用語)、 make the most use of 〜；〜を最大限に生かす
thanks to this ；このおかげで
 Diary / No.183−2009.09.17 / 「久し振りの優勝」
Last Thursday，it was a fine ，clear autumn day.
So I visited some temples in Kamakura for the first time since this April,
while taking a walk.
I researched "temples in Kamakura" on the internet and found
two web pages, "How to walk in
Kamakura." and "Some courses to visit temples in Kamakura."
As there was a nice course for visiting temples, I chose it as a course
for walking and printed.
I started from the east exit of Kamakura station after 11 a.m. with the printed copy and visited
temples in the following order.
The east exit of Kamakura station−−−→Daigyo-ji−−−→Myoryu-ji−−−→
Hokai-ji−−−→Kaizo-ji−−−→Yakuo-ji−−−→Zyo-koumyo-ji−−−→
−−−→The east exit of Kamakura station
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| Daigyo-ji |
Myoryu-ji |
Hokai-ji |
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| Kaizo-ji |
Yakuo-ji |
Zyo-koumyo-ji |
I surely noticed that there were many forign visitors in front of Kamakura
station.
The streets to temples weren't very crowded because of weekday.
Sometimes, I met only some group of women who were probably visiting temples
and elderly
people slinging a single-lens reflex camera over their shoulder to take
photos of temples.
I enjoyed visiting six temples taking about four hours.
One of the most impressive temple was Hokai-ji temple, otherwise as known
a floral temple.
In the grounds of the temple, there were full of white and pink flowers
called "Hagi" in Japanese.
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Bush clover or Japanese clover called "Hagi" in Japanese blooming
in the grounds of Hokai−ji temple |
When I finished the visit to last temple，Zyo-koumyo-ji，it was around 3
p.m.
I walked along the JR Yokosuka-Line and passed through Komachi-street for
JR Kamakura station.
The Komachi-street was lined with shops full of Kamakura's atomosphere.
They were soubenir shops, restaurants, cafes, folk art shops and so on.
As might have been expected, it was crowded with many visitors.
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| The Komachi-street in Kamakura crowded with many visitors |
I had a late lunch at a restaurant near the station because I was very
hungry.
Anyway, I was thirsty, so a glass of cold draft beer was really nice.
[Note] in the following order ； 次の順で、 printed copy ； ハ−ドコピ−
Daigyo−ji ； 大巧寺、 Myoryu−ji ； 妙隆寺、 Hokai−ji ； 宝戒寺、 Kaizo−ji ； 海蔵寺
Yakuo−ji ； 薬王寺、 Zyo-koumyo−ji ； 浄光明寺、 notice that 〜； 〜であるのに気づく
sling over 〜 ； 〜に掛ける、 single−lens reflex camera ； 一眼レフカメラ、 floral ；
花の
otherwise known as 〜；別名〜として知られる、 be lined with 〜 ； 〜が軒を連ねる
souvenir shop ； お土産屋、 as might have been expected ； さすがに
bush clover / Japanese clover ； 萩( ハギ )
Japanese Diary / No.182−2009.09.11 / 鎌倉古寺巡礼(2)
It's been just one month since I quitted smoking on Aug 04.
I'm very glad that I can inform you of it.
But I've still suffered from withdrawal symptoms.
Whenever I smell cigarette smoke wafting from customers at Izakaya or smoker on the street,
I have a craving to smoke again，feeling ” How good it smells!”
But I only just stop short of smoking because my patience or effort to quit smoking is down the
crapper.
In other word, I'm still in cautionary zone, where I can't get my mind
off cigarette.
Anyway, I want to be out of the zone as soon as possible.
［Note] withdrawal symptoms ； 禁断症状、 waft from 〜 ； 〜から漂ってくる，〜からふわふわと飛ぶ
have( get ) a craving to do 〜 ； 〜したくてたまらない、〜を熱望する、 only just ； 何とか
stop short of 〜 ； 〜するのを思いとどまる、〜の寸前でやめる
be down the crapper ； (今までやってきた努力が) トイレに流れる、台無しになる、 crapper ； (米俗) トイレ
cautionary zone ； 危険水域、 can't get one's mind off 〜 ； 〜について頭から離れない
Japanese Diary / No.180−2009.09.08 / 「禁煙して1 ケ月経過」
Last Sunday, the Housing of Representatives election took place.
That morning, I went to preschool near my home where served as polling place to cast a vote
in the election with my wife.
This time, it was a memorable election.
It's because it was an election that revolved around the issue of a change
of power in the Japanese
government from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party(LDP) to the Democratic
Party(DP), the largest
of the opposition parties.
From consolidation of conservative factions in 1955 until now, the LDP
has been ruling as
a one-party government for a long time，and there has not been a change
of regime.
Also, no change has come about due to the single regime of the LDP, whoever may have been
prime minister.
I watched early returns from the election on TV closely until midnight.
The election ended in a landslide victory for the DP far beyond my expectation.
So change of power in the government took place.
The photo below is an article reported sensationally on the front-page of the evening edition of
Mainichi Newspapers on the August 31st，2009.
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| On the August 31st, 2009, the evening edition of Mainichi Newspapers reported
sensationally that a change of power in the Japanese government took place |
After the DP made remarkable gains in the House of Councillors election
two years ago,
a two-paty system like that in the US and UK has appeared.
In this election, a change of power took place.
I'd like to expect a lot that Japanese politics would regain vitality and
become much healthier
by having a two-party system that makes a change of regimes possible.
With a two-party system, when one side misrules, it must go out of office and there is a smooth
transfer of power.
On the other hand，the manifesto election has gradually taken root in Japanese
society
since 2003.
The political parties expressed their policies in concrete terms and published
manifestos setting out
specific policy details such as time schedule，funding and numerical goals.
It was very good that manifestos made it easier for voters to judge which is the best party
for them.
Anyway, it's probably fair to say that Japanese politic might have reached a historical turning point
in this election.
[Note] the House of Representatives ； 衆議院、 preschool ； 幼稚園
polling place ； 投票所、 serve as 〜 ； (物・事が)〜として役立つ、〜の役目をする
cast a vote in the election ； 選挙で一票を投じる、 memorable ； 記念すべき
revolve around 〜 ； 〜を中心に展開する、 issue ； (緊急の)問題、論争点、 ruling ； 与党の
Liberal Democratic Party ； 自由民主党、 Democratic Party ； 民主党、 opposition
party ； 野党
consolidation ； 合同、 conservative faction ； 保守勢力、 rule ； 統治する、支配する
one-party government ； 一党だけで構成される政府、 regime ； 政治制度
come about ；(事が)起こる、生じる、 early returns from the election ； 開票速報
landslide victory ； (選挙などの) 圧勝
far beyond one's expectation ； (人の)予想をはるかに超えて、 front-page ； 一面
evening edition ； 夕刊、 make gains ； (選挙で)議席を増やす、躍進する
the House of Councillors ； 参議院、 regain ； 取り戻す、 misrule ； 失政をする，統治を誤る
go out of office ； 政権を離れる、退陣する、辞職する、 take root in 〜 ； 〜に定着する、根付く
concrete ； 具体的な、 set out 〜 ； 〜を提示する、 specific ； はっきりした、具体的な、 voter ；
有権者
it's probably fair to say that 〜 ； 〜と言っても過言ではないでしょう
Japanese Diary / No.179−2009.09.01 / 「政権交代」
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