I Go Back to My Hometown, Water City Matsue

After finishing my six-month-long school term, I have come back to my hometown Matsue city for the first time since eight months ago.

Everybody here my family members welcomed me very much.

Mastsue city holds two big lakes and lots and lots of rivers with hundreds of bridges.
That's why it is called 'Water City.'

I feel that the time here is passing slower than that in Utsunomiya city.

School Term Ends

Members of My Robot Programming Team

'Programming and Electrical Circuits' is the category of my six-month-long study in school. The studying term ended on Tuesday last week.
I really enjoyed the study and building up a bug-shape robot that had software programmed by myself.

I Go to Tokyo to Attend a College Reunion Party

I went to Ochanomiyzu in Tokyo to attend a college photography club's reunion party a couple weeks ago for the first time since almost ten years ago.

It was a great fun time; about fifteen people gathered in a small Japanese style restaurant.

We enjoyed drinking, eating, talking and singing a college song.

Three hours party time flew away as if it were in the blink of an eye.

We promised we would have a party again five years later and being healthy till then. 

My Tennis Season This Year Ends

Utsunomiya located compaies' tennis team league competitions ended last weekend.

My team, currently in the 5th team league, got the right of promotion to the 4th league next year.

My team, 4-win and 1-loss, was 2nd results from the top team this year.

We won the replacement match against the 4th league's 2nd from the worst results team. The opponent defaulted the match.

3x3 World Tour / Day Time Session

 Carrying Mikoshi and breakdancing shows attracted many people gathered to the 3x3 basketball court.

I Go to FIBA 3x3 World Tour

3x3 World Tour was held in Utsunomiya the other day.

They showed exciting games with excellent music and narration.

Thanks Utsunomiya city governor for inviting FIBA and having done such a well organized event.

Kikusui-sai Autumn Festival

Many people wearing traditional samurai clothes marched with horses in the central Utsunomiya city. The parade was very beautiful and they held Yabusame practices.

Yabusame is a traditional Japanese mounted archery; an archer on a running horse shoots wooden targets.

Yabusame practices had been held in front of Futarasan shrine, banba-hiroba space before, but this year, it was held in castle park.

Flood Destroys Riverside Houses

Heavy storm destroyed riverside　neighborhood.

On the next day after the typhoon hit, people were very busy to clean up their houses, belongings and the town itself.

Several streets were closed for getting rid of mud and garbage which were brought in by the flood from the Tagawa river.

Ironically, it was a sunny day; the clear sky was spreading above us on just one day after the disastrous rainfall.

Tropical Storm Brings Torrential Rain

Tropical Storm or Typhoon hit us severely in my city Utsunomiya yesterday.

It is reported that many people were injured and several citizens were dead due to floods or landslides.

I went to a department store by bus around 3:30 pm, had only half an hour before the store closing far earlier than usual because of the storm.

I Go to Ukiyo-e Print Sale

My wife and I went to Ukiyo-e Print Sale as for just seeing nice art exhibition.

The day we visited was the last day of the sale.
Ukiyo-e artists made woodblock prints of such subjects as kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; female beauties; travel scenes and landscapes.

It is said that those were produced from 17th through 19th centuries

Some of them were so expensive that I wondered there was a peson who could afford to buy them.