the last day of September

It is the last day of September and full moon tonight!
The photos were taken a day before, which is the night of Sep. 29th.

Two typhoons were approaching to Japan.
One barely avoided us but another already hit the southwestern part of Japan and is coming up to north.
It will come to Tokyo tomorrow night according to the current weather forecast.
I have to go out tomorrow because I'll attend a ballroom dance party where my mother dances.
She is an amateur dancer but very good!
I really wish it will avoid us again!
Keep my fingers crossed!

These days, I have spent time researching areas I'll visit on tour.
It is a 12-day tour, starting from Oct. 8th.
The tour starts and ends at Osaka, and we travel mostly along the Sea of Japan side.

Before the tour starts, I want to know EVERYTHING like destinations, history, persons, food.......
Once I start researching, I can't stop!
I want to be perfect!!! but I know it's impossible.
Luckily, a Japanese bus guide will accompany us all the time.
I'm usually alone to do everything besides a bus driver.
I hope my tour will be much easier this time.
But I still have to do many things next week.
After the meeting with the travel agent, I'll do more detailed check and pack my suitcase.

I'm looking forward to seeing my guests.
I have known them since 2004 and it is my 5th tour with them.
Members are changed but most familiar members are coming back!

I also love to know things I didn't know.
I am very happy to gain new information and knowledge.

The phases of moon are changing when time passes.

The full moon always help you release your old and unnecessary thoughts, beliefs and customs which can't make you happy anymore.
It has strong power to purify you.
I also love to take a bath with a grasp of salt in it.
Salt has also power of purification.
When you drain water, you imagine those unnecessary things from you are carried away together with water and you are very clean and pure.

Actually, in Japan since we share hot water in a bath tab with family because we don't wash inside the tab, we don't drain water each time.
But I can still imagine that!

Please enjoy the last day of September with a full moon
and get ready for the exciting October!!!


 

Thank you so much, dear Chinese!

This photo was shared by nearly 8,000 Japanese on Facebook by today.

She is a Chinese girl holding a placard during an anti-Japan demonstration.
She was shouted by a middle-aged man and the poster was torn and thrown.
The placard says,

We have experienced wars, earthquakes and flood disasters.
We are no more fascists.
We shouldn't protect our land by beating, destroying and burning.
It is not during the Great China's Cultural revolution.

All the world watched us during the Beijing Olympics.

Please stop hurting.

Please remember our land be filled with love.

 
It was translated into Japanese and many shared it by their Facebook.
She will never know now she is a hero in Japan.
Thank you so much!

(Japanese)

今日のデモで写真のようなポスターを自作して参加した、勇気ある女の子がいました。
デモの途中、文化レベルの低い中年男性に罵声と共に破り捨てられ涙を流していたといいます。
こうした事実は中国でも日本のメディアでも取り上げて欲しいと思います。
ポスターに書いてある中国語は下記のような内容です。

【日本語訳】

私たちは戦争も地震も水害もすべて経験した。
今はファシストじゃない。
私たちの領土は殴ったり、壊したり、燃やしたりすることで守るものではない。
今は文化大革命じゃない。
北京のオリンピックは全世界がみていました。
お願いだから傷つけるのを止めてください。
私たちの祖国は愛で満ち溢れていることを思い出してください。

They are Chinese high school students.
The placard says, "Anti-Violence! Be Rational for Patriotism!"

At first, one student held a placard during an anti-Japan riot.
That photo of him was tweeted by millions of twitters in a moment.
The person who uploaded the photo first said, "He is the Hope of China!"

I'm sorry I don't know which photo the tweet mentioned exactly.
This comment was actually linked to the photo of 3 boys.
But before the photo of 3, the photo of one boy was posted.

(Japanese)
中国のツイッタ―－－「微博」で話題の画像を転載します
一人の高校生が暴徒化したデモ隊の中「暴力反対・愛国には理性を」のプラカードを掲げていた
この画像が微博に載せられた瞬間、瞬く間にリツイートされ、今リツイート数は万を超えた
画像をアップした主のコメントーー「彼こそが中国の希望」

(どの写真のことかよくわかりませんが、このコメントは、３人の高校生の写真の方に書いてありました）

He was at the gate of the area where anti-Japan demonstration was conducted.
The cardboard says, "There's an anti-Japan demo ahead. Made-in Japan cars, please return!"

(Japanese)
昨日、西安市民の写真です！彼が反日デモ隊のある地域の入り口で、「前方反日デモあり、日本製車がUターンしてください！」と自分が書いた段ボール警告板を持って、多くの市民の財産を守った！今インターネットでは、彼を賞賛と感謝するメッセージが殺到してます。暴力を前にしても、良知のある行動です。

Junior high school students cleaned the street after the demo was over.

(Japanese)
組織されたデモ隊が残したゴミを掃除する自発的に集まった中学生

The photo was uploaded at a Chinese twitter and reproduced at a Japanese Facebook.
And it was retweeted by more than 2 million within one day.
This dish was served for Chinese who traveled on business to Japan.
The Japanese chef said to them, "Thank you very much for coming to Japan during this hard time."
The letters on the meal said, "Thank you, China!"

(Japanese)
中国のツイッタ―にアップされた画像を転載します
出張で日本に来た中国人が日本の居酒屋で出された料理らしいです
アップ主は料理長から「こんな時に日本に来てくれてありがとう」と言われたそうです
この画像は今日の午後にアップされ、リツイート数はすでに２万を超えた
本当の平和というのはこういうところから始まるんだね
謝謝　日本

 

 

There are 1.3 billion Chinese in China. We can see only a part of them from Japan.

We can easily guess information by mas media in both countries is manipulated by authorities.

TV and newspaper brings us sad and bad news everyday.

But finally, we started to hear good news by facebook and twitters.

Personally, I don't often use them. But I believe they are great tools to know the truth.

Authorities can never stop us and never hide the truth anymore.

 

Thank you so much, dear brave Chinese!

Your love and thought are delivered to Japan.

Many Japanese know the truth now and appreciate your courageous behaviour.

We love Japan and you love China.

I believe we can understand each other at person-to-person level.

with love and light,
Chiaki

  

 

 

love and compassion for you

My heart and prayer are with Japanese in China.
I'm sending them love and light during this hard time.

I hope more Chinese should be rational and show us.
Whenever I had Chinese tourists in Japan, I treated them with love and respect.
My coworkers and most Japanese did the same things.

I'm in deep sorrow.
Why can't we understand each other?

Hatred can't solve or heal anything.
Only love and compassion save us.

Love,
Chiaki
 

flowerpots later

My father requested flowerpots.
Then I made them for him.

He arranged them nicely.

When he requested, it was May and tiny maple trees could be found everywhere.
But when he was looking for them the day before yesterday, they were all gone.
Instead, he found grass and plants which were usually not received any attention and pulled out.
Moss could be found easily.

While we were eating dinner, he was talking how to keep moss fresh.
He also said, "moss hate air-conditioning" and replaced them.
No reason, he just felt so.
I found his hidden unique sides these days.
He loves growing vegetables and talks how to plow, plant and take care.
This summer, lots of cucumbers, eggplants and potatoes were harvested.
And next, carrots, white radish, Chinese cabbage.....

I used not to talk a lot with Father because of nothing in common, I thought.
But recently, I enjoy talking with him.
Family has been evolving, I guess.

With rabbits I made in the year of Rabbit last year.


 

The Intouchables

My schedule was cancelled today and I went to see a movie.

When I watched the trailer of this movie, I wanted to see it but I forgot.

And I saw the article of a blog which introduced this movie 2 days ago.

Then I remembered and decided to see it but didn't know when.

Today I suddenly had free time and went!

The theater at noon for this movie was full.

 

I laughed a lot from the beginning.

It was based on a true story.

I was moved a lot and those feelings and emotions are still lingering on me.

When you have a chance, please see it!!

 

 



 

 

today's harvests!

Since September has started, the weather is crazily changeable.
Very sunny, suddenly rains, lightning and thunder.....
Instead of cicadas, we hear crickets chirping at night.
Autumn is approaching.....
Before that, we have to go through typhoons.

I went to a pottery class today and found my completed art works.

They are for my father!
He asked me to make flowerpots.

They are as small as my palm.
He likes to put moss and a small maple in it.

No glaze over them.
Instead, they were burnt with charcoal, sawdust and chaff together.
They were carbonized.
I like this unevenness of both color and texture.

My father loves them!
He enjoyed viewing them tonight, eating dinner and drinking beer.

Next art works are....



 

Leaf-shaped plates!

Some were not colored as I expected.
But my most favorite plate is.....

This one!
The leaf started withering.

My father also liked and wanted this one.
But I insisted this was mine!
I promised I would make the same one for him soon.

So today's harvests are......

My father took 3 pots and one blue plate.
3 plates are left for me.
Only 3....

But it's alright!
I made more today.

5 dishes!
It was easy to make them
First, I made the same weight of clay lumps.
Pots are 350g and cups are 200g each.
Then I just shaped them like I played with clay.

I'll scrape them roughly at next class.
At class, there aren't any lists of dishes I have to make.
I just make whatever I like to make and teachers help me.

Although I'm getting busier, I try to make my own time to become myself!

I hope you also have time to return to yourself!
Take time to smell roses!!!