Aya

From today's news paper

Average husband's pocket money are 300$-500$ per month.
Average housewive's pocket money are 300$ per month.

These are average.
My friend(male) have 5$ per day.
He always pondered what he should eat for lunch,and try to raise
the sum of his pocket money.

Today I heard the conversation of women(maybe housewives) in the train.
They talked about expensive bag ,coat and a special artificial teeth.
That bag cost 3000$ .She said it is rare bad,good looking..and so on.
She said she would buy these with a loan.

...I felt something uneasy today.

6 comments

Hospital

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:26:48 AM

My son felt very bad for a few days and couldn't eat anything.
He vomited every 10 minutes during night.
I went to hospital and he had to stay in hospital for 1 day.

We stayed emergency room,so I could see some human drama there.
A couple started having a fight about the problem which of them should stay
in the hospital with their child.
Another old couple were encourage each other.Her illness seemed not good but they
always smiling.

I respect a nurse very much.
They never show unpleasant face,always smile.
They are very punctual too.
When my son's drip would soon finish,they silently appeared and changed it new one.

Nurse and flight attendant are popular job for girls in Japan.
I also wanted to be a nurse when I was young.
The job of nurse seems really hard but very precious job.

7 comments

growing up

Monday, March 13, 2006 3:04:24 AM

Sometimes I feel,there were many worries when I was young.
worries,like relationship with friends,study,future,love and about my personality.

Lately I don't have such night as I can't sleep thinking or worrying about something.
Is it one of the feature of grownup?

6 comments

Hiking

Sunday, March 12, 2006 2:00:17 AM

When I was a college student,I tried to join "The 100km hike".
It was the annual event of my school.

We walked for 100km in a 1 day or bit more.
I started at 8am and walked walked, walked and walked.
At night,we could rest for a few hours at the place like gymnasium.
and early in the morning,we started walking again.

In a first 20km,it was very easy to walk.
I joined that event with my boy friend.　So we talked with smile.
Gradually we became silent,and my legs became like a beer bottle.
My boy friend was very kind and he tried to cheer me up,and talked again about
politics.

Finally we reached goal!Maybe at 3pm of the next day.
I'm sure I was terrible looking.
I joined this event 2 times .At the second time,I hiked with my female friends.

PS
The top of this walking group,there sould be always a man of cheer group of university.
He wore Geta,Japanese wooden clogs and brought heavy school flag.
I felt sympathy for him very much.

cheer group

geta

4 comments

When you have a fever

Friday, March 10, 2006 1:39:55 PM

I rarely have a medicine.
So when my son and my husband got a fever,I always care for them with primitive way.

I use Tofu(soy bean curd).

I drain Tofu at first,and then mix with ginger ,salt and wheat flour.
That's all.
I put that paste on his forehead.
It takes longer until you get well than you have medicines.However it is mild for your health.

But when I told this to my friends,they misunderstood that they thought I had told about cooking.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
　

　
Another one.
You put the leaves of cabbage on your forehead.

The leaves take your fever from marrow of your head.

I often did this to my husband.
But his face were covered with cabbage,so it was a little surreal.

These are folk remedies of Japan.

10 comments

Cherry Blossom

Thursday, March 9, 2006 6:36:24 AM

Before I had a child,I worked at an alternative school as a teacher.
I liked that work very much.

I remember one student every spring.
He had autisum.
He drew animals very livery.
In every his drawing,I could always find "Komusou"
I search dictionary now.

"komusou"
a school of Zen medicant priests who once roamed Japan,
faces hidden by a sedge visor and playing a shakuhachi.

I hope you can image with this explanaton.
this is "Komusou" in his drawing.

We made a book together.
I introduce you one of his poem.

When Spring Comes

A pink cherry tree spread its big branches
Flowers come out one after another
Flowers gradually have its colour

I make cherry rice ball and cherry sushi
I make necklace with cherry for my mother

Cherry blossom is in full bloom
I give cherry rice ball and cherry sweets to my grand mother

Tiny flowers will bloom after cherry blossom bloom
I see chinese milk vetch, rose and violet,azalea with my father

I make a crown with dandelion
A narcissus is beautiful
Sun is shining

I hope it will be fine day

I can't translate his nuance well but I hope you will feel spring from his poem.

7 comments

Talking in his sleep

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 6:21:51 AM

I talked with a friend of mine.
She has a trouble lately.
Her husband has been talking in his sleep so loudly.So she wake up at midnight.

A few days ago,he suddenly stood up and shouted "Hey! Look at this umbrella!!!"
After he shouted this,he slept again.
But she couldn't sleep again because she wanted to know after that words.
I understand her well. I want to know what he would do with that umbrella ..

Today ,It is 18 degree in Tokyo. So many people wear big masks.
They are suffering from hay fever.　More than 20% of Japanese suffer from this.
Now we have huge ceder pollen in the air.
I wonder if the allegy to cedar pollen is only in Japan?
Or your country too?

The scenery that cedar pollen hang in the air.

8 comments

Popular person on Japanese TV

Monday, March 6, 2006 2:45:40 PM

She is the most popular actress 2005 in Japan.
Her name is Hitomi Kuroki.How old do you think she is?
She is 46 years old.So Many middle aged woman admire her and make an effort to be like her.

She is Nanako Matsushima.

The man right side is the most popular personality,Sanma Akashiya.
He is very popular from young people to elderly.
This picture is very old one.
The man left side is Takeshi Kitano. He was "Take chan man" at that time.

This is SMAP. They have been very popular for a long time.
Especially Takuya Kimura(he is at middle position) is always No.1 among women.

I hope these are interesting for you.

11 comments

Nukazuke

Friday, March 3, 2006 9:36:04 AM

I start to make Nukazuke,vegitables pickled in rice-bran paste.
It is traditional Japanese food.
Till last year,my mother-in-law had made this.
So this is the first year for me.

I stir Nukamiso(paste) everyday. If I don't,Nukamiso will soon ferment and
go bad.
Nukamiso has interesting smell.
Someone hate it,but other one like it.

In Japan,there is a words "woman who has smell of Nukamiso"
This meaning is the woman who is very housewifely.
Someone like such woman,other one don't like such woman.

My friend's family has been using the same Nukamiso for 100 years.
She inherited it from her mother ,and her mother had inherited it from her mother....

So every family has their own taste.

I hope I can make it very well.

16 comments

Chinese rock

Thursday, March 2, 2006 6:03:35 AM

10 years ago,I was fascinated by Chinese rock group."Cui Jian"

I was very shy girl and couldn't imagine I tryed to go rock consert alone.

Oneday,I turned on TV and he sang a song.
I fell in love .
He put a bandage over his eyes.His voice was something sorrowful.

One day I heard he would come to Japan!!
I ran into ticket center and bought 2 ticket.

The first day of that consert,I saw strange sight.
There were so many men with a headband.They shouted with wild voice "CUI JIAN!!"
The second day,I joined that group and shouted "CUI JIAN" with not so wild voice.

I told to my colleagues about him and they wanted to listen to his music.
After listening to it,they didn't comment about it.