This page shows archived posts for Gary J. Wolff's blog from
April-June,
2023.
Enjoy...
Cheers,
Gary
June 25,
2023 - Whatever happened to the winter flu seasons in 2021 & 2022?
Influenza detections by
subtype reported to FluNet,
a World Health Organization virological data collection tool
June 22, 2023 - How to make a
small origami box in just 1 minute!
How to make a small
origami box in just 1 minute!
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
June 12,
2023 - Fresh Spring Greenery (新緑) in Tokyo
I'm still busy snapping away at Tokyo's non-stop display of stunning
spring flowers & my ever-growing Flickr album is now
up to 214 pics.
And
I am so blown away every year by the beautiful fresh spring greenery
(shinryoku, 新緑) that I decided to go ahead and start a new album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAGDB4
(as if the 155 albums already on my Flickr page were not enough!)
Related to enjoying fresh spring greenery is the ancient Japanese
healing art known as forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku (森林浴 - shinrin
meaning “forest,” and yoku meaning “bath” in Japanese). By immersing
ourselves in the forest atmosphere and enjoying nature through our
senses, there are many health benefits.
Especially in spring when all the fresh greenery appears, volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) are being emitted by the surrounding trees and
plants, and we can connect with nature by slowly and mindfully walking
in a forest environment to stimulate all 6 senses.
By smelling, touching, listening, looking, and tasting, this total
sensory experience will in turn release our sense of joy and calm,
stimulating the 6th sense, our state of mind.
And in doing so, we can truly connect with nature & hopefully reap
many powerful side benefits including fighting cancer, uplifting our
mood, calming the nervous system, treating illnesses, and strengthening
the immune system.
May 31,
2023 - Jambo Tama River Hike & Party, May 28, 2023
Hiking Course: Kori Station (古里駅) on JR Ōme Line (青梅線) to Okutama
Station (奥多摩駅) plus after-hike Party near Mitake Station (御嶽駅)
(organized & led by the amazing David & Miki Howenstein of
Jambo International: jambointernational.org/en/)
May
20, 2023 - Immigration to the USA by country, 1820-2023
Immigration to the
USA by country, 1820-2023
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
U.S. immigration flows by country, 1820s to 2010s
(Source: metrocosm.com)
May 18,
2023 - A Texan's Map of the United States
As is often said, you can take the boy outta Texas, but you can never
take Texas outta the boy, ha ha.
And we Texicans are very proud folks... after all, EVERYTHING is bigger
in Texas... big houses, big cars, big buildings, big people, big Texas
longhorns... yes, big everything.
And this very old postcard cracks me up every time. Just LOVE the
nicknames given the other states. Funny stuff!
A Texan's map of the United States (photo credit:
etsystatic.com)
May 9, 2023
- Rei Banno, 11-year-old Japanese Girl, Prepares to Climb Mt.
Kilimanjaro
Rei Banno, an 11-year-old Japanese girl, is gearing up to conquer Mount
Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.
For the young climber living in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, central
Japan, climbing the 5,895-meter mountain in Tanzania is what she has
"always dreamed of." Rei and her mother hope to travel to Africa as
early as this summer, if they manage to secure funds for the journey.
Rei became a mountain lover when she participated in a local mountain
climbing event at the age of 4 and completed a 43-kilometer traverse
course along the Yatsugatake mountain range that straddles Yamanashi
and Nagano prefectures at the age of 7.
She spends weekends touring mountains across Japan together with her
48-year-old mother, Naomi, and friends. Rei is currently in the midst
of her challenge to conquer the 300 famous mountains in Japan and has
already conquered the 100 most famous mountains in Yamanashi at the age
of 6.
Rei began voicing her desire to climb Kilimanjaro around the time when
she was 7 years old and has high hopes for the journey, including
communicating with guides and other climbers.
She also wants to eventually complete the 7 summits, the tallest peaks
on each of the 7 continents.
Rei Banno, 11-year-old Japanese mountain climber (photo credit:
nippon.com)
April 29,
2023 - Happy Golden Week!
Yep, it's that magical time of year again. Today,
Showa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi), is a national holiday in Japan and kicks
off the week-long holiday period known as Golden Week, often
abbreviated simply as GW.
Well, GW has another meaning in my life.... not only my initials but
also my nickname, courtesy of my most beloved family and friends since
my childhood days.
Needless to say, GW is one of my favorite times of the year in Japan
because everywhere you look, my nickname is plastered on countless
advertising signs all over the city. It's nice to be so famous, ha ha.
The sign below I spotted a few years ago at the local KFC. Yee hah!
KFC GW sign in Tokyo
And how could we forget about the gorgeous koinobori (鯉幟, carp
streamers)? To celebrate Children's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no hi), May 5,
one of the 4 national holidays during this week-long holiday period,
"koinobori (鯉幟)," or carp streamers, are flown around the country in
honor of Japanese children in the hope that they will grow up healthy,
strong, & happy.
A typical koinobori set consists of, from the top of the pole down, a
pair of arrow-spoked wheels (矢車, yaguruma) with a ball-shaped spinning
vane, a mounting windsock (吹流し, fukinagashi), and finally the
koinobori. For the windsock above the koinobori, one kind is the
5-colored windsock (五色吹流し), based on the 5 elements of Chinese
philosophy.
Nowadays the koinobori typically consist of the biggest (black)
koinobori for the father of the family, next biggest (red or pink) for
the mother, and an additional, smaller carp of a different color for
each child in decreasing order by age.
Koinobori (鯉幟, carp
streamers) for Children's Day, May 5, 2023
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
April
25, 2023 - Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers (チームラボプラネッツ)
"A seasonal year of flowers bloom and change with time, life spreads
out into the universe. Flowers grow, bud, bloom, and in time, the
petals fall, and the flowers wither and die. The cycle of birth and
death continues for perpetuity. The artwork is not a pre-recorded image
that is played back; it is created by a computer program that
continuously renders the artwork in real time. As a whole, it is
continuously changing, and previous visual states are never replicated.
The universe at this moment in time can never be seen again."
Floating in the
Falling Universe of Flowers (チームラボプラネッツ)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
April 16,
2023 - JR Station Booths in Tokyo
JR Station Booth in Tokyo
How 'bout a private work space at a Tokyo JR train station? These
station booths are popping up across Japan's capital, providing
commuters a chance to conduct business too urgent to wait till they get
to the office.
The booths can be reserved from 7:00-21:30 & are rentable for ¥275
per 15 minutes, payable by credit card, Suica transport IC card, etc.
They come equipped with power supply, dedicated Wi-Fi, USB, & a
screen for video calls.
Inside a JR Station Booth
(photo credit:
https://maiuma.com/station-work/)
April
3, 2023 - Retirement speech
Having recently acquired "retired" status, today I was reminded of a
retirement speech I'm so happy I didn't hear from MY boss:
"As a symbol of our gratitude, we'd like to present you this special
gold watch to serve as a reminder of your many years with the company.
It needs a lot of winding up, is always a little late, and every day at
quarter to five, it stops working."
Hi Gary, I love your site as it is so informative. On August 1st, 3 of us will be attempting to climb Mount Fuji. My husband and I are comparatively fit
Hi, I have some questions about reserving a hut on Mt. Fuji. I'll be in Tokyo a few days before climbing season and am attempting to climb on July 1st.
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And we Texicans are very proud folks... after all, EVERYTHING is bigger
in Texas... big houses, big cars, big buildings, big people, big Texas
longhorns... yes, big everything. 
