Sept. 16, 2022 - Sunrise over the Edo River in Tokyo, Japan
Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, 5:48 am
Sept. 14, 2022 - Engineering Student Leadership Service Award
In 1970 the Student Engineering Council of the University of Texas at
Austin established the Student Leadership Award in Engineering. Each
year 6 awards are presented and each recipient receives a framed
certificate and a $200 check, which is presented at a luncheon ceremony
during Engineering Week.
Their names are recorded on a permanent plaque displayed in the
Engineering Student Services office in the Engineering Education and
Research Center on the UT Austin campus.
Aug. 11, 2022 - Peak season for Obanazawa Suika watermelons in Yamagata
In this photo, watermelons in the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives
facility in Obanazawa, Yamagata Prefecture, are being inspected for
quality before being shipped out across the country. This is the
busiest time of the year when up to 40,000
Obanazawa Suika watermelons are being shipped every day. WOW!! This
city is one of the largest watermelon growing regions in Japan.
July 31, 2022 - Big Bear's
new CD released July 10th!
Congrats to my musician friend Mr. Hidekazu Okuma (大熊秀和), whom we
affectionately refer to as Big Bear (the English translation of his
family name Okuma), on the release of his band's latest CD on July
10th.
I’ve been following and supporting Big Bear's music for the past 15
years and his "Big Bears" group is without question one of the hottest
rock bands in Katsushika, Tokyo.
He is the lead singer and guitarist of his band and wrote 5 of the 7
songs on their new CD. He also sings 4 of the CD's songs in English,
including an excellent rendition of “Crossroads," the classic hit from
the 60s by Eric Clapton and his band Cream.
Way to go, Big Bear! I hope you sell lots of CDs…
"The Freedom" CD by Big Bears, released July 10, 2022
(If player above is not visible, you can view Big Bear's entire YouTube playlist here.)
0:00 I Love Southbay
5:41 We're The Child of God
9:16 Freedom
12:57 Working Man
19:05 Crossroads
23:30 Everyday I Have The Blues
28:01 I Love Southbay (Bossa Nova)
July 17,
2022 - Ruy Ueda sets new world record for running up and down Mt.
Fuji’s 4 trails in less than 10 hours
"28-year-old Japanese athlete Ruy Ueda has set a new Fastest Known
Time (FKT)
for running all of Mount Fuji’s four trails non-stop, a total distance
of 57.06km with 6,772m of ascent. He completed the feat in nine hours,
55 minutes and 41 seconds, a world record when ratified....
....He finished third in the 2021 Skyrunning World Championships. That
same year he became the first Asian Skyrunning World Champion after
winning the Men’s Vertical Kilometer in Lleida, Spain. To prepare his
body for this challenge, Ueda travelled to the Alps and trained with
ultrarunner Florian Neuschwander, competing in Austria’s Hochkönigman,
where he won the downhill race, and France’s Mont Blanc marathon, where
he came in third."
Ruy Ueda sets new world record for running up and down
Mt. Fuji’s 4 trails in less than 10 hours
(photo credit: Suguru
Saito/Red Bull Content Pool)
July 9,
2022 - Rest in peace, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三首相)
As we come to grips with yesterday's appalling tragedy here in Japan
and reflect back on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's many
accolades, including becoming the youngest post-war Prime Minister and
being the longest serving Japanese Prime Minister in history, I was
reminded of his tireless efforts thru the years to promote and
solidify the special friendship between Japan and the U.S., including
his address 7 years ago to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in
nearly flawless English. R.I.P, Abe-san…
Prime Minister
Abe's Address to the U.S. Congress in May 2015
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
July
2, 2022 - Mt. Fuji's 2022 climbing season opens on July 1!
SHOW TIME! The Yoshida trail on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of Mount
Fuji opened yesterday on July 1, a day known as Yamabiraki (山開き),
marking the beginning of the summer Mt. Fuji mountain climbing season
that will continue through Sept. 10.
Mt. Fuji climbers enjoyed sunrise from its summit on July 1, 2022.
(photo credit: The Mainichi
Newspaper)
Having recently celebrated 31 years in Japan, I can definitely relate
to a number of these responses by other foreigners in Japan to that
very important question.
- 55% of people stated that they loved their life in Japan.
- 35% of people said that safety was a big factor in why they are still
living in Japan.
- 35% of people said that they stayed in Japan due to COVID-19
restricting their options to move back home or abroad.
- 20% of people interviewed said that they had more job opportunities
in Japan than in their home country or another country.
- 11% of people felt that Japan was their home now.
Why are you still in Japan?
Click here to read individual responses from foreigners
in Japan.
(image credit:
Metropolis Japan magazine)
June
17, 2022 - Success is built by what you do, not by what limits you.
Did you know that:
— Albert Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak.
— Issac Newton did poorly in grade school.
— Beethoven’s music teacher once said of him, “as a composer he is
hopeless.”
— When Thomas Edison was a boy, his teacher told him he was too stupid
to learn anything.
— F.W. Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21, but his
employer would not let him wait on customers because he “didn’t have
enough sense.”
— Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
— A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had “no good ideas.”
— Winston Churchill failed the 6th grade.
— Steven Spielberg dropped out of high school in his sophomore year. He
was persuaded to come back and placed in a learning disabled class. He
lasted a month and dropped out of school forever.
I don't think we'd consider any of these people a failure. So what
allowed them to be successful even amidst struggles?
The answer to that question may be less in what they did do and more in
what they didn't do.
(courtesy of Dan
Miller, Career Coach & Author of 48 Days to the Work You Love)
Success is built by what you do, not by what limits you.
(photo credit: 48days.com)
June
2, 2022 - Top Gun: Maverick
Without question one of the best movies I’ve seen in years, especially
since the onset of the covid plandemic began a couple years ago, was
last weekend when I watched Top Gun: Maverick, which opened in Japan
last Friday 5/27.
I don’t know what Tom Cruise's secret is, but he’s obviously found the
Fountain of Youth as he doesn’t seem to have really aged that much
since the original Top Gun movie back in 1986… that’s right… a
remarkable THIRTY-SIX YEARS AGO!!
If you’re a Tom Cruise fan, an airplane fan (especially F-14 fighter
jets), a U.S. Navy fan, or a fan of action/suspense flicks, you will
love this movie. I was on the edge of my seat most of the movie, and I
just can’t stop thinking about it.
If you'd like a real adrenaline rush, you owe it to yourself to go see
it!
Top Gun: Maverick
trailer
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
[click on CC button for English subtitles (英語字幕)]
The 30,000 m2 (7.4 acre), award-winning Keisei Rose Garden in Yachiyo,
Chiba, Japan accommodates 10,000 roses of 1,600 varieties. The full
blossom seasons are mid-May through early June and mid-October through
early November. The most magnificent display of roses I've ever seen in
my entire lifetime.
May 9, 2022
- Burger King Japan's new Salsa & Avocado Smoky
Whopper
On the occasion of the May 5th Children’s Day national holiday, I’d
like to tip my hat to Burger King founders Jim McLamore and Dave
Edgerton, who I feel deserve at least partial credit for the amazing
Salsa & Avocado Smoky Whopper I had for lunch, helping make my
holiday a smashing success! 美味しかったです
(it was delicious)!!
Burger King Japan's new Salsa & Avocado Smoky Whopper
Burger King founders Jim McLamore and Dave Edgerton
April 30,
2022 - World's oldest person dies at age 119
Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person, died
on Tues. 4/19 at age 119.
She was born on Jan. 2, 1903, the same year of the Wright Brothers’
first powered flight, and was recognized by Guinness World Records in
2019 as the world's oldest living person.
Tanaka had been living in an elderly care facility in Fukuoka City,
Fukuoka Prefecture in western Japan and died at a local hospital.
Tanaka loved playing the board game Othello and her favorite food items
were chocolate and soda drinks. She had reportedly hoped to stay
healthy until she was 120, but passed away just a few months short of
her goal.
Japan has a dwindling and rapidly aging population. As of Sept. 2021,
the country had 86,510 centenarians, and 9 out of every 10 were women.
With Tanaka's death, the world’s oldest human is now Lucile Randon, a
French nun known as Sister Andre, aged 118, according to The
Gerontology Research Group.
Kane Tanaka, the world's oldest person, dies at age 119
Jan. 2, 1903 - April 19, 2022
(photo credit:
Canada.com)
April 3,
2022 - Spring has sprung!!
The springtime flowers in Japan bring a non-stop exhilarating display
of brilliant colors and sweet fragrances to titillate the senses. The
plum blossoms begin in mid-February, followed by the absolutely
breathtaking cherry blossoms, and then a continuous overlapping of
blooming periods for azaleas, camellias, wisteria, magnolias, peonies,
roses, tulips, pansies, irises, hydrangeas, etc. that last well into
mid-summer.
What you see now in the album linked below is just the start, so
I'm planning to add more pics to it in the weeks ahead! Stay tuned and
check
back soon!
April
1, 2022 - Spring 2022 rape blossoms in Tokyo
Of all the beautiful, stunning spring flowers at their peak in
Tokyo right now, the breathtaking cherry blossoms always seem to get
all the attention, and for good reason, but I think the brilliant,
yellow rape blossoms (Nanohana, 菜の花) are just as beautiful. May
the force & uplifting spirit of spring be with you…
In 1970 the Student Engineering Council of the University of Texas at Austin established the Student Leadership Award in Engineering. Each year 6 awards are presented and each recipient receives a framed certificate and a $200 check, which is presented at a luncheon ceremony during Engineering Week.
Their names are recorded on a permanent plaque displayed in the Engineering Student Services office in the Engineering Education and Research Center on the UT Austin campus.
Page 2 of the most frequently asked questions about climbing Mt. Fuji, including info on routes, maps, videos, transport access, weather, and climber stories.
I climbed Mt. Fuji Aug. 13, 2022 during a typhoon!
I climbed Mt. Fuji 2 times. One time was August 3, 2019. In that time, we started from 5th station of Subashiri trail to summit and it took about 11 hours.
Peak season for Obanazawa Suika watermelons in Yamagata
In this photo, watermelons in the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives facility in Obanazawa, Yamagata Prefecture, are being inspected for quality before being shipped out across the country. This is the busiest time of the year when up to 40,000 Obanazawa Suika watermelons are being shipped every day. WOW!! This city is one of the largest watermelon growing regions in Japan.
The most frequently asked questions about climbing Mt. Fuji, including info on routes, maps, videos, transport access, traffic stats, weather, and climber stories.
I am planning to do bullet climbing, but I don't want to get cold by remaining still at the top. Therefore, is it possible to do the climbing at 10 pm?
Congrats to my musician friend Mr. Hidekazu Okuma (大熊秀和), whom we affectionately refer to as Big Bear (the English translation of his family name Okuma), on the release of his band's latest CD on July 10th.
I’ve been following and supporting Big Bear's music for the past 15 years and his "Big Bears" group is without question one of the hottest rock bands in Katsushika, Tokyo.
He is the lead singer and guitarist of his band and wrote 5 of the 7 songs on their new CD. He also sings 4 of the CD's songs in English, including an excellent rendition of “Crossroads," the classic hit from the 60s by Eric Clapton and his band Cream.
This summer, I successfully reached the summit of Mt. Fuji, which I had longed to do! The view from above the clouds, which I saw for the first time after
Ever thought about making your own paper soccer ball? Follow these quick, easy steps to create your own colorful design. A free, fun activity for kids!
Ruy Ueda sets new world record for running up and down Mt. Fuji’s 4 trails in less than 10 hours
"28-year-old Japanese athlete Ruy Ueda has set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) for running all of Mount Fuji’s four trails non-stop, a total distance of 57.06km with 6,772m of ascent. He completed the feat in nine hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds, a world record when ratified....
....He finished third in the 2021 Skyrunning World Championships. That same year he became the first Asian Skyrunning World Champion after winning the Men’s Vertical Kilometer in Lleida, Spain. To prepare his body for this challenge, Ueda travelled to the Alps and trained with ultrarunner Florian Neuschwander, competing in Austria’s Hochkönigman, where he won the downhill race, and France’s Mont Blanc marathon, where he came in third."
Rest in peace, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三首相)
As we come to grips with yesterday's appalling tragedy here in Japan and reflect back on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's many accolades, including becoming the youngest post-war Prime Minister and being the longest serving Japanese Prime Minister in history, I was reminded of his tireless efforts thru the years to promote and solidify the special friendship between Japan and the U.S., including his address 7 years ago to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in nearly flawless English. R.I.P, Abe-san…
(click link to see video of Abe-san's address to Congress)
Listing of Mt. Fuji Yoshida Trail mountain huts, including website URLs, phone numbers, elevations, and sleeping capacities, as well as links to the Fujinomiya trail hut sites.
SHOW TIME! The Yoshida trail on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of Mount Fuji opened yesterday on July 1, a day known as Yamabiraki (山開き), marking the beginning of the summer Mt. Fuji mountain climbing season that will continue through Sept. 10.
Until the other 3 trails from Shizuoka Prefecture open on 7/10, the Yoshida downhill trail from the top of the trail to the junction near the Gansomuro mountain hut is still closed, so downhill climbers will be required to go down the uphill trail, sharing it with uphill climbers.
Also, the Ohachimeguri (お鉢めぐり) loop trail around the summit crater remains closed till 7/10... and access to Kengamine, Japan's actual highpoint, is also off-limits due to remaining snow in the area.
Having recently celebrated 31 years in Japan, I can definitely relate to a number of these responses by other foreigners in Japan to that very important question.
- 55% of people stated that they loved their life in Japan.
- 35% of people said that safety was a big factor in why they are still living in Japan.
- 35% of people said that they stayed in Japan due to COVID-19 restricting their options to move back home or abroad.
- 20% of people interviewed said that they had more job opportunities in Japan than in their home country or another country.
- 11% of people felt that Japan was their home now.
Source: Metropolis Japan magazine, Summer 2022 issue
(click link to read individual responses from foreigners in Japan)
How long is the historic Mt. Fuji Yoshidaguchi Trail?
I know that starting at the 5th station makes it an 11.6 mile loop, but if you were to start and end at the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine following
Success is built by what you do, not by what limits you.
Did you know that:
— Albert Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak.
— Issac Newton did poorly in grade school.
— Beethoven’s music teacher once said of him, “as a composer he ishopeless.”
— When Thomas Edison was a boy, his teacher told him he was too stupidto learn anything.
— F.W. Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21, but his employer would not let him wait on customers because he “didn’t have enough sense.”
— Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
— A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had “no good ideas.”
— Winston Churchill failed the 6th grade.
— Steven Spielberg dropped out of high school in his sophomore year. He was persuaded to come back and placed in a learning disabled class. He lasted a month and dropped out of school forever.
I don't think we'd consider any of these people a failure. So what allowed them to be successful even amidst struggles?
The answer to that question may be less in what they did do and more in what they didn't do.
(courtesy of Dan Miller, Career Coach & Author of 48 Days to the Work You Love)
For the first time in 3 years, I was able to visit my home state of Texas. It was an action-packed experience and very culturally rewarding. :-) I hope you enjoy my pics! If you have time, you can vie…
In 1970 the Student Engineering Council of the University of Texas at Austin established the Student Leadership Award in Engineering. Each year 6 awards are presented and each recipient receives a fra…
If you've found value on
this website,
please consider sending a donation of any amount
to help cover my web hosting expenses. I have intentionally limited ads,
have never used pop-ups, and do not collect email addresses
in order to provide visitors a pleasant, hassle-free experience. Thank
you!
(Please rest assured that when you click
the 'Donate' button,
your transaction will be encrypted and secure.
Your information is safe with PayPal,
one of the largest payment processors on the Internet.)
美味しかったです
(it was delicious)!! 
New! Add your comment
Have your say about this page! Feel free to comment in the box below: