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.

Manhattan View, From the Sky

We boarded an airplane which was going to leave New York early in the morning.

Luckily, just a few minutes after taking off, the plane flew just near above Manhattan island.

The view from the airplane was marvelous. The scene reminded me of every minute having stayed in the Big Apple. 

Do you know where it is?

Do you know where it is?
It looks like a nightclub but it is not. It is inside a car.
Those pictures are what I wanted to upload but I did not for long time.

I booked a taxi on the last day of my stay in New York City.
The fare that a hotel staff asked me was about 50% higher than a tourist guide book indicating its price of the same distance.

I thought the reason was the time I was going to use it; it was around 2:30 in the morning.

I found, after the ride, that the reason was not only the time we used it but also the taxi itself.

The taxi was so gorgeous, it made me feel as if I were a millionaire and gave us a very comfortable ride for about an hour from a hotel to the airport which was heading back to Japan.

It Is Still Hot in My City

I often play tennis with my friends on weekend unless it rains.
Most of the tennis courts which we usually use are artificial turf surface, but today, it was a clay surface.

A clay court can not be used even it rains very little or it is a freezing day in winter.
So, the courts we used today are scheduled to be changed to artificial turf within a couple of years.

It is sad that the number of clay courts will become nearly zero in my city, even there are still many of them in European countries.

Greg Comes Home

 He used to be a business partner of my wife, but once Greg steps in home, he has become one of our family's best friends.

He is a professional surfer from Hungary, is trying his best efforts to become an athlete to attend Tokyo 2020 Olympics next year.

 We talked just one hour though, the time during his visit became a precious and unforgettable moment.

 He showed us juggling with tennis balls. That reminded us of Péter Frankl who was a famous mathematician and also a juggler from Hungary.

I Go to Kado Tsune Restaurant

 My wife and I went to Kado Tsune restaurant the other day. The restaurant seemed to have opened recently by a young couple. Its building and the interior of the restaurant were quite new.
The taste was excellent and the atmosphere was also nice.

Fried sliced beef with grated daikon radish

Flowers at My Balcony

Do you know the name of the flowers of the picture above?
Maybe, you can not tell the name of the plant, but you must have eaten their leaves.
The name of the plant is 'red leaf lettuce' in English or 'Sunny Lettuce' in Japanese.

We kept it at our balcony for food but it grew far faster than we ate them. Finally it beautifully bloomed.

H8 Microprocessor Is an Excellent Toy For Me

 Having built up H8 microprocessor board, I am enjoying making software in assemble language which runs on the chip.

I used to make software with H8 microprocessor as my work almost 25 years ago.

The term I can use the processor and laboratory's instruments is limited, so every minute is precious to me now. 

Miya Matsuri Summer Festival

 Miya Matsuri summer festival was held last weekend.

Baked apple candies and chocolate coated bananas are the two most kids' favorite sweets in a Japanese summer festival.

Many young girls in Yukata, or summer version of Kimono, were gathering around the Futarasan shrine Torii gate.

Several men were preparing Mikoshi shrine for the night time parade of climax of the festival.

Japanese shrines hold festivals to celebrates Shinto gods, and to pray for prosperity and good harvests.