Late last month, Hurricane Harvey hit my hometown hard, with heavy
rains and flooding, and some places in the Houston area getting as much
as 50 inches (1270 mm) of rainfall. My mom's & sister's houses got
hit too, with a foot (~30 cm) of water in their homes. OUCH!
Fortunately, I was able to be there for a short while to help out, but
unfortunately it looks like the recovery will take a long time. Here
are some pics:
And here's a short video I filmed Mon. 9/4, riding around with my mom
& sister in the Southdale neighborhood (south of Bellaire Blvd.
& east of Newcastle St.), one of the hardest hit, flood damaged
parts of Bellaire, a suburb of Houston:
https://youtu.be/4buJyuWKbeM?list=UUi7Jxm2NxfM5LCdkpg3Nhxw
It was a great 15-day trip! Here are 2 of my favorite highlights:
Alaska Arctic Circle, Aug. 23, 2017
Dalton Highway, Latitude 66° 33'
On Aug. 29, 2017, I caught 2 of these silver salmon in the Lower Kenai
River on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula (the daily limit allowed under Alaska
fish & game regulations).
Aug. 13, 2017 - THE BEST LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM IN JAPAN!
Congrats once again to the Tokyo Kitasuna Little League baseball team
(東京北砂リトルリーグ) which will be the 2017 Japan representative in the Little
League Baseball World Series for the 6th time, and 3rd time in the last
4 years.
Tokyo Kitasuna defeated Chiba City, 17-0, in the final game of the
all-Japan regional tournament that lasted 2 days with 16 teams. Tokyo
Kitasuna has already become World Series champs 3 times, having
previously won in 2001, 2012, and 2015, and was runner-up in 2007.
Since 1947, Japanese teams have competed 28 times at the Little League
Baseball World Series, and have become world champions 10 times, 2nd
only to Taiwan, which has won the tourney a remarkable 17 times.
Besides Tokyo Kitasuna, Japanese World Series champs include Tokyo
Musashi Fuchu in 2013 and 2003, Tokyo Edogawa Minami in 2010, Osaka
Hirakata in 1999, Tokyo Chofu in 1976, Wakayama City in 1968, and West
Tokyo in 1967.
The 2017 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania (tournament bracket) runs Aug. 17-27. Tokyo Kitasuna's first game will be this Friday, Aug. 18 vs. Hills Little League of Sydney, Australia.
Little League Baseball and Softball is the largest youth sports
organization in the world, with over 2.5 million participants and 1
million volunteers worldwide.
Go Japan (がんばれ日本)!!
Tokyo Kitasuna 2017 Little League Baseball champs (photo credit: llbws.org)
Aug. 9, 2017 - WHAT COUPLES FIGHT ABOUT ON VACATION
Ha-ha! This reminds me why I enjoy traveling solo...
The Top 10 reasons behind a couple's holiday arguments:
1. Men checking out other women
2. He wants to 'do' something, she wants to lounge
3. Where and what to eat
4. Drinking too much
5. Map reading and other driving rows abroad
6. Packing (he packs too little, she packs too much)
7. Women taking too long to get ready for dinner
8. Spending too much money
9. Getting to the airport in time
10. Currency (how much to get and where to get it)
Aug. 7, 2017 - Edogawa Fireworks Festival (江戸川花火大会)
On the occasion of having attended last Sat. night the 42nd annual
Edogawa Fireworks Festival, I was reminded of this amazing pic taken at
the Aug. 3, 2013 Edogawa fireworks show by Facebook friend Andrew
Parker, whom I met then at a fireworks viewing party I had the pleasure
of attending.
If you're a Facebook user, you can see the other 35 incredible pics taken by Andrew that night in his album here.
The Edogawa fireworks show is one of the largest and most popular in
the Tokyo area, and thus a must-see, rewarding diversion from Japan’s
ungodly hot and humid summer season. This year’s 75-min. Edogawa
fireworks show featured 14,000-plus fireworks, with a new theme every
10 minutes.
Aug. 3, 2013 Edogawa Fireworks pic by Andrew Parker (used with permission)
Aug. 6, 2017 - Japan's latest invention: Non-melting ice cream
Researchers at the Biotherapy Development Research Center in Kanazawa,
Japan trying to create a new kind of confectionery with strawberries
that were not the right shape to be sold have discovered by accident a
way to make non-melting popsicles.
Scientists found out that a polyphenol strawberry extract could be used
to stop ice cream from melting, retaining almost the same shape even if
exposed to the hot air from a hair dryer.
The "Kanazawa Ice" popsicles first went on sale in Kanazawa in April and are now selling in Osaka and Tokyo as well.
Japanese non-melting ice cream
Photo credit: Daily Mail
July 31, 2017 - Houston's famous Beer Can House
The famous Beer Can House in Houston, Texas, covered in
50,000 flattened beer cans, was once the home of John and Mary
Milkovisch, who started adding the empty cans in 1968 as a way to
provide shade for drinking their afternoon beers.
The Beer Can House
is now a historic landmark and is open to the public as a tourist
attraction. If you visit my hometown, this is a must-see!! This summer it's open Wednesdays through Sundays from 12 to 5 pm.
Photo credit: The Washington Times
July 28,
2017 - Now THIS is
real comedy!
I concede that I'm probably a bit old-fashioned, but compared to all
the political silliness that passes for so-called comedy on America's
late-night talk shows nowadays, I believe this old skit with Johnny
Carson and Jack Webb to be REAL COMEDY. Johnny Carson (1925-2005) was
best known for his 30 years as the talk show host of The Tonight Show,
and Jack Webb (1920-1982) was most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe
Friday in the popular TV series Dragnet.
(If player above is not visible,
you can view video @ YouTube here.)
"Cleaning woman Clara Clifford discovered your clean copper clappers,
kept in a closet, which were copped by Claude Cooper the kleptomaniac
from Cleveland."
July 24,
2017 - Google Street
View climbs Mt. Fuji
Want to climb to the top of Japan's tallest mountain without leaving
your desk chair?
If you've ever wondered what the top of Japan's 3776 m (12,389 ft) Mt.
Fuji looks like, Google Maps can now show you. Four years ago this
month,
Google sent a team up Mt. Fuji to get a "Street View" of the summit.
Using the Street View Trekker backpack device, equipped with a
remarkable 15 cameras and carried on the back of team member Jiro Dohi,
the Google team was able to capture a full range of 360-degree
panoramic imagery from atop the mountain, making its visual treasures
available to all for the first time.
They're hoping it will assist climbers who plan to venture up Japan's
highest peak by providing a virtual glimpse into how trekkers make
their way up the rocky terrain.
The Street View collection covers the busiest and most popular
Yoshida trail that takes hikers up the mountain, the full walk around
the crater at the top, and the quick zigzag descent.
The
video below shows the making of the Street View and here is the new
360-degree Street View panorama from the abandoned weather station atop
Japan's actual highpoint: http://goo.gl/maps/0o5Ko
(If player above is not visible,
you can view video @ YouTube here.)
July
22, 2017 - Texas-style beach sandals!!
You can take the cowboy out of the country, but you can't expect him to
get rid of his boots.
Yee hah, ride 'em cowboy!!
Texas-style beach sandals
July
16, 2017 - Do Nothing for 2 Minutes
Need to slow down today? Apparently a lot of people do. In 2011 Alex
Tew introduced a “fun side project” called Donothingfor2minutes.com.
When users clicked on the site, it immediately began a 2-minute
countdown while encouraging them to listen to the sound of the waves –
and do nothing.
If the mouse or keyboard is touched, a red "try again" message appears
and the timer resets. In the first week, the site had over 2 million
visitors.
Check it out – it’s a hoot. See if you can do nothing for 2 minutes.
July 9,
2017 - Never a dull moment in Japan!
Photo courtesy:
Facebook friend Dennis Gunn
So then… What am I supposed to do?
"To touch or not to touch.... that is the question."
Only in Japan...
July
5,
2017 - Creation Calls -- are you listening?
Absolutely
stunning footage from the BBC Planet Earth Series, set to Brian
Doerksen's song, "Creation Calls," and celebrating the wonder and
majesty of God's creations.
It's like taking a trip around the world in just a few minutes. I
believe I'll watch this the first thing every morning to start off the
day...
Creation Calls --
are you listening?
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
June
25, 2017 - Japanese university English speech contest
This university ESS (English speaking society) holds a recitation
speech contest every June just for college freshmen, where they recite
from memory a famous speech from history, like JFK's 1963 inaugural
address, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, Steve Jobs'
2005 Stanford commencement address, etc. These kids were truly
phenomenal! And it was my honor to help judge the contest again this
year for the 8th straight year.
June 18,
2017 - Feeling the Wind
One of my greatest pleasures while residing in the planet's most
populous metropolis is cycling up and down the nearby Edogawa riverside
on sunny days.
Yep, I'm the crazy guy who several years ago started the fad in
Japan of wearing ankle weights on my wrists while cycling along the
riverside. Since cycling exercises primarily the lower body, I felt I
needed to spend that time working my biceps and triceps as well.
A few years ago while I was out on my mountain bike, I took a breather
at the "Kaze o Kanjite" (風を感じて, "Feel the Wind") statue in Junsai-ike
Park (じゅんさい池公園) in Matsudo, Chiba (千葉県松戸市). In the pic below, I'm in my
usual attire, sporting 4 kg (~9 lbs) wrist weights on each arm.
And for some reason, this spring so far I've encountered an above
average number of days with fairly strong headwinds. So I'm hearing the
naked statue lady's message loud and clear, as I'm definitely "feeling
the wind"!
"Kaze o Kanjite" (風を感じて, "Feel the Wind") statue
Junsai-ike Park (じゅんさい池公園), Matsudo, Chiba (千葉県松戸市)
June 13,
2017 - New Guinness World
Record for biggest swimsuit parade
This is old news from a June 11, 2010 post, but it was so noteworthy, I
felt it deserved a replay!
To promote its new Gillette Venus razor, parent company Procter and
Gamble assembled 323 Japanese bikini-clad beauties at the Venus Fort
shopping complex in Odaiba, Tokyo to set a new world record.
June 3,
2017 - Fond Memories of My Favorite Japanese Peaks
Just a quick trip down memory lane today, reflecting back on my
quarter-century of climbing Japan's gorgeous peaks. I hope my many
friends will enjoy the 4-minute video below. I chose Enya's "Caribbean
Blue" as the BGM.
I believe the final frame in the video sums it up well: "Can you see
now why I love Japan so much?!"
Cheers,
Wolffman
Fond Memories of My
Favorite Japanese Peaks
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
June 2,
2017 - Japanese university ESS (English Speaking Society) speech contest
I never cease to be amazed at the ambition of some Japanese university
students who are so passionate in improving their English and public
speaking skills. For the 8th consecutive year, on Sunday, May 21, 2017
I had the pleasure of helping judge a university student English speech
contest sponsored by my university's ESS (English Speaking Society).
These 2nd-year students were truly amazing, sacrificing an entire day
to give by memory in front of 100 people a 7-min. speech which they
composed themselves.
May
28, 2017 -
Tokyo Eco-Toilet, Edogawa River
This totally self-sufficient eco-toilet along the Edogawa
jogging/cycling path in Tokyo is powered by wind and solar energy, and
collects rainwater from the roof for the toilets. Furthermore, it is
covered by
greenery to reduce heat absorption. Click below to view my 3 min.
narrated video...
Tokyo Eco-Toilet,
Edogawa River
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
Tokyo Eco-Toilet, Edogawa River
May
23, 2017 - Japanese man oldest person to scale world's tallest peak
Four years ago today, Yuichiro Miura (三浦 雄一郎), an 80-year-old Japanese
mountaineer, became the oldest person to reach the top of the 29,035-ft
(8,848-m) Mount Everest at 9:05 a.m. local time (just after noon in
Japan).
Miura also conquered the planet's highest peak when he was 70 and 75.
In the photo below, Miura, right, poses with his 43-yr-old son Gota at
the C4 camp (elev. 26,247 ft) en route to the summit.
A noted veteran adventurer, Miura became famous when he was a young man
as a daredevil speed skier. He came to worldwide attention in 1970 when
he became the first person to ski down Everest. The feat was captured
in the Oscar-winning 1975 documentary, "The Man Who Skied Down
Everest." He has also skied down Mount Fuji.
Miura has since skied down the highest mountains on each of the 7
continents, following the tradition of his late father Keizo, who skied
down Europe's Mont Blanc at the age of 99.
Miura conquered Mt. Everest despite undergoing heart surgery in January
2013 for an irregular heartbeat, his 4th heart operation since 2007.
Yuichiro Miura, right, poses with his 43-yr-old son Gota
at the C4 Mt. Everest camp
May
19, 2017 - Australia's jacaranda trees
I'm in LOVE with Australia's jacaranda trees, which bloom in October
(springtime in the southern hemisphere), which were introduced to me by
one of my foreign exchange students from Brisbane who shared this
remarkable story: http://www.garyjwolff.com/jacaranda.html
I first visited this beautiful wisteria festival about 20 years ago,
but I'd forgotten how stunningly gorgeous the wisteria flowers actually
are. Some strands of wisteria blossoms I'm guesstimating were at least
10 feet (~3m) long.
It was a wonderful experience, in spite of the hoardes of people on a
picture-perfect Golden Week national holiday. If you're in Tokyo, the
wisteria festival this year runs through Sunday, May 7th.
Wisteria Festival (藤まつり) at Kameido Tenjin Shrine (亀戸天神社)
April
29, 2017 - Rainbow Cycle Monorail (レインボーサイクルモノレール)
This is just one of the million reasons why I love Japan, where I
routinely stumble unexpectedly upon something really cool, and which I
would likely never, ever see in my own home country...
Rainbow Cycle Monorail (レインボーサイクルモノレール)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
This Saturday, June 16, 2007 adventure with one of my coworkers was,
without question, one of the most awesome fishing trips I've ever been
on. The water and sky that day were the most stunningly beautiful shade
of blue I've ever seen..... ANYWHERE, EVER.
One of the highlights of the day was catching the most amazing Japanese
fish with butterfly wings shown below, but it touched my soul in such a
profound way, I decided to release it back into the Big Blue Pond.
Click open the 25-photo
album to check out the breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji and other pics
of Tokyo Bay's beautiful blue water.
My Miura Kaigan "butterfly fish"
(In Japanese, it's called a hōbō (魴鮄), or red gurnard in English)
April
22, 2017
- MAXINE'S UNIVERSAL LAWS OF NATURE:
Maxine
1. Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, or screw, when dropped, will
roll to the least accessible corner.
2. Law of Probability - The probability of being watched is directly
proportional to the stupidity of your act.
3. Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a
busy signal and someone always answers.
4. Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with
grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.
5. Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you
were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works
every time).
6. Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the
telephone rings.
7. Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you
know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to
be seen with.
8. Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine
won't work, it will.
9. Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely
proportional to the reach.
10. Law of the Theater & Hockey Arena - At any event, the
people whose seats are farthest from the aisle, always arrive last.
They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for
food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the
performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come
early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies and stay
to the bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very
surly folk.
11. The Coffee Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee,
your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee
is cold.
12. Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only 2 people in a locker
room, they will have adjacent lockers.
13. Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly
sandwich landing face down on a floor, are directly correlated to the
newness and cost of the carpet or rug.
14. Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know
what you are talking about.
15. Brown's Law of Physical Appearance - If the clothes fit, they're
ugly.
16. Oliver's Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.
17. Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy - As soon as you find
a product that you really like, they will stop making it (especially in
Japan!).
18. Doctor's Law - If you don't feel well and make an appointment to go
to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. But if you
don't make an appointment, you'll stay sick.
April
13, 2017 - 2017 Tokyo Cherry Blossoms
Even after 26 years, I don't think I'll ever tire of the gorgeous
Japanese cherry blossoms.
2017 Tokyo Cherry Blossoms
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
The cherry blossoms normally peak in Tokyo around the beginning of
April, when both the school year and business year begin in Japan, and
so are symbolic of a fresh start. And from the time the blossoms first
open until they start falling off the tree, they rarely last for more
than 2 weeks, representing the fragility and shortness of life. Now you
see them, now you don't.
And by far one the most stunning aspects of their demise, is the
remarkable way the cherry blossoms fall off the tree and get blown
around in the breeze, resembling a snowstorm. So it is no big surprise
that the Japanese refer to this phenomenon as "sakurafubuki" (桜吹雪,
cherry blossom blizzard).
[If you have time, you can watch 8 more videos of the amazing Tokyo
cherry blossoms I've taken thru the years, including some cherry
blossom blizzards and the stunning Chidorigafuchi nighttime lightup, in
my new "Tokyo Cherry Blossoms" playlist at YouTube.]
April 8,
2017 - Japanese
playground slide with rollers
I want to be a kid again!!
It looks FUN! I wanted to try it, but I guess I'm too big.
[Just after I stopped filming, I saw a dad sliding down with his kid.]
Japanese playground slide with rollers
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
April 5,
2017 - Japanese
"high-jumper" (ハイジャンパー）
This interesting piece of Japanese playground equipment is known as a
"high-jumper" (ハイジャンパー), to measure how high you can jump up and
touch. The little numbers range from 210-280 & indicate height
in cm, e.g. the red "225" represents 2.25 m (~7 ft. 5 in.). Only in
Japan...
Japanese
"high-jumper" (ハイジャンパー）
April
1, 2017 - Japanese bicycle escalator in Tokyo - ONLY in Japan!!
This bicycle escalator starts from the basement bicycle parking garage
in the 45-story i-Link Tower near JR Ichikawa Station.
No, this is NOT an April Fool's joke!
Japanese bicycle escalator in Tokyo
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
@ YouTube here.)
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Website
Updates
Sep 19, 2017
Hurricane Harvey flood damage
Late last month, Hurricane Harvey hit my hometown hard, with heavy rains and flooding, and some places in the Houston area getting as much as 50 inches (1270 mm) of rainfall. My mom's & sister's houses got hit too, with a foot (~30 cm) of water in their homes. OUCH! :-(
It was a great 15-day trip! Click link to see 2 of my favorite highlights, my trip to the Arctic Circle, Latitude 66° 33', and one of the HUGE silver salmon I caught in the Lower Kenai River on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula (the daily limit allowed under Alaska fish & game regulations).
Page 2 of the most frequently asked questions about climbing Mt. Fuji, including info on routes, maps, videos, transport access, weather, and climber stories.
Congrats once again to the Tokyo Kitasuna Little League baseball team (東京北砂リトルリーグ) which will be the 2017 Japan representative in the Little League Baseball World Series for the 6th time, and 3rd time in the last 4 years.
Tokyo Kitasuna defeated Chiba City, 17-0, in the final game of the all-Japan regional tournament that lasted 2 days with 16 teams. Tokyo Kitasuna has already become World Series champs 3 times, having previously won in 2001, 2012, and 2015, and was runner-up in 2007.
Since 1947, Japanese teams have competed 28 times at the Little League Baseball World Series...
Ha-ha! This reminds of some of the reasons why I enjoy traveling solo... :-)
The Top 10 reasons behind a couple's holiday arguments:
1. Men checking out other women2. He wants to 'do' something, she wants to lounge3. Where and what to eat4. Drinking too much5. Map reading and other driving rows abroad6. Packing (he packs too little, she packs too much)7. Women taking too long to get ready for dinner8. Spending too much money9. Getting to the airport in time10. Currency (how much to get and where to get it)
On the occasion of having attended last Sat. night the 42nd annual Edogawa Fireworks Festival, I was reminded of this amazing pic taken at the Aug. 3, 2013 Edogawa fireworks show by Facebook friend Andrew Parker, whom I met then at a fireworks viewing party I had the pleasure of attending.
If you're a Facebook user, you can see the other 35 incredible pics taken by Andrew that night in his album here...
(Click link to read more and to view beautiful fireworks pic.)
Researchers at the Biotherapy Development Research Center in Kanazawa, Japan trying to create a new kind of confectionery with strawberries that were not the right shape to be sold have discovered by accident a way to make non-melting popsicles.
Scientists found out that a polyphenol strawberry extract could be used to stop ice cream from melting, retaining almost the same shape even if exposed to the hot air from a hair dryer.
The "Kanazawa Ice" popsicles first went on sale in Kanazawa in April and are now selling in Osaka and Tokyo as well.
Hi Gary, We are looking to climb Oku hotaka dake at the end of October 2017 (somewhere in the last week). Is there information available on exactly when
The famous Beer Can House in Houston, Texas, covered in 50,000 flattened beer cans, was once the home of John and Mary Milkovisch, who started adding the empty cans in 1968 as a way to provide shade for drinking their afternoon beers.
The Beer Can House is now a historic landmark and is open to the public as a tourist attraction. If you visit my hometown, this is a must-see!! :-) This summer it's open Wednesdays through Sundays from 12-5 pm.
I concede that I'm probably a bit old-fashioned, but compared to all the political silliness that passes for so-called comedy on America's late-night talk shows nowadays, I believe this old skit with Johnny Carson and Jack Webb to be REAL COMEDY. Johnny Carson (1925-2005) was best known for his 30 years as the talk show host of The Tonight Show, and Jack Webb (1920-1982) was most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the popular TV series Dragnet.
Gary J. Wolff's Blog Archives, January-March, 2017
Posts include GW's Wild West Road Trip eBook, my Summer 1974 hitchhiking trip eBook, and pics & video for my Feb. 2017 Ao Nang, Thailand travel adventure.
Photos, videos, & descriptions of my July 2010 Langkawi, Malaysia travel, including the Langkawi cable car, Underwater World, a mangrove river boat cruise, and Kuah Town.
Want to climb to the top of Japan's tallest mountain without leaving your desk chair? If you've ever wondered what the top of Japan's 3776 m (12,389 ft) Mt. Fuji looks like, Google Maps can now show you. Four years ago this month, Google sent a team up Mt. Fuji to get a "Street View" of the summit...
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