Visiting Temple

Wednesday, January third, two thousands and seven

My family already visited a shinto shrine near our house for our new year's visit the other day, but my master, what is called my wife, asked me to visit another famous place as well. That sounds like kind of a short trip. Today we woke up too late, past 10 am, so we aren't able to go a long way. We discussed which place is the best to visit today; it's OK with me wherever we may go, though.

After all, we visited "Nogoro temple" in Wakayama prefecture, which is one of the most popular places for new year's visit around here. In spite of it's the third day of this year today, there were quite a few people in the temple. To be honest, I wanted to see a large number of young ladies wearing kimonos there as well as typical middle aged men, there were few women wearing them against my wish. I was so disappointed that I lost a huge amount of energy after the visit. Let me eat like a horse and drink tons of alcohol to get over the shock. :p


quite a few something: かなりの数の～
few something: 少ない(ほとんど無い)～
(c.f.) a few something: 少しの(少しはある)～

Yagura fetival

The Yagura festival was held in my city over the last weekend. It's one of the most dangerous festivals in Japan, I suppose. As far as I know, this festival derives from wish for a good harvest as well as the Kishiwada Danjiri festival.

It had been fine for all days of the festival, so we was able to have such a wonderful time. On the last evening of the festival I invited an Australian friend and an American friend to my place for seeing the festival together. Let me upload the picture of the three of us my wife took on the day. But I reduced the image not to be recognized who they are because it's kind of their personal information.

Anyway.... I'm so busy these days, due to the recent festivals - such as PE festivals and the Yagura festival, that I have few time to study English. Those events are killing me! I'm really worried that my English skills have dropped down drastically. Because I couldn't speak English so well with the native English speakers I spent the last evening of the Yagura festival together. :(

Educated Mother

This morning my wife asked me to take our third son and daughter somewhere so that our eldest son could get down to his study and she could look after him. She orders me anything as if she were a teacher of mine anytime she gets our children to study.

Anyway, I took them to a small amusement park in the southern part of Osaka prefecture, whose name is Misaki Park, while our eldest son was studying for the test which he's taking next week. I don't know why most Japanese women tend to be education-minded mothers. :(
On the other hand, we had a good time in the park today :) - such as dolphin show and seeing lots of animals, but we should have prepared swimming wear. Because I noticed that the swimming pool in the park had opened until today when I arrived there.

Speaking of education-minded mother, I saw an interesting English sentence on the Internet the other day, which is how to remember the order of our solar system.
That phrase is "My Very Educated Mother Just Serves Us Nine Pizzas." This is a mnemonic for the order of our solar system(Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto), according to some web sites. Now that Pluto, only one found by American, however, has deleted from the system, so there are eight planets in it as of today. Needless to say, this phrase is needed to change right now - for instance, "My Very Educated Mother Just Serves Us Noodle.", which is actually said by an English teacher of mine this past Saturday. (^_^;)

Here are some videos of the dolphin show I took in the park.

Family Vacation at Amanohashidate

August 18th-19th, 2005

I went to Amanohashidate with my family to have a bathe(swim in the sea) and to do sightseeing.

Amanohashidate is in the north of Kyoto prefecture and one of the 3 most scenic spots in Japan.
The vista from the hilltop is actually beautiful and especially it looks like the bridge over the sky when we see it between our thighs.
"Amanohashidate" means "Heavenly Bridge" in Japanese. ( Probably correct..... :D )







There is a wonder bridge at Amanohashidate. It's called "Kaisenkyo". "Kaisenkyo" means "Rotatory Bridge" in Japanese. When ships go through the bridge, it's rotated on some electric motors.








The beach at Amanohashidate is a little narrow but so beautiful.
But, there was a terrible trouble. I dropped my glasses into the sea. I desperately looked for them. I found out them in the result. I really scared....







This picture is the tourist hotel we stayed. What ? You said "What a funny family ! " ? ha-ha. I agree with you. :-)






Also, I almost got a speeding ticket on our return route. When I was driving my car at 140km/h(about 87.5mph), I found out an unmarked police car by the detector, which I installed in my car when I bought the car. :-p

I got near to the police car and slowed down. When I caught up with it, I said with a smile, "Hello !". Of course, they couldn't hear that.
But they replyed with a smile, "We are discovered... ha-ha", I guessed.
Then I said, "Good bye !", and escaped behind the police car.

I was terrified of the situation....


Anyway, we had a good time !! How was your summer vacation ?

At Kyoto

i went to Kyoto, where is one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Japan, to sightsee KINKAKU temple and GINKAKU temple, with my family.
My first son, an elementary school student, asked me to go to Kyoto for his study.
He's very interested in old Japanese history.
i decided to go to Kyoto for him.
it's pretty good for his study to see real ones of historical construct, i think.

When we visited there, there were crowded with so many tourists. We could hear a couple of languages, Chinese and Korean languages.... i'm unhappy with having no opportunities to have a chat in English. :-p

Anyway, i've got a strange word, "Where's the check point", was talking by lots of students on school trip.
i asked them what the word mean. They taught me it means points to check whether or not they visited there by their teachers.
When i was a highschool student, all the students used to visit any spots with their teachers.
But, now never. They have to make some plans which spots they should make a visit, and which transportation they should take.
it's effective way for their study, isn't it ? and simular to orienteering, you know.

i'm glad to have a good time with them, and of course with my family.