Arakawa won the gold medal!!

Japanese figure skater Shizuka Arakawa I was cheering best won the gold medal. I'm very happy!

There were two strong opponents, Russian Irina Slutskayta and American Sasha Cohen, both were from big figure-skating powers, but Arakawa defeated them.

Her skating was very beautiful and perfect. Of course she showed us her best performance "Ina Bauer" (the right photo). Ina Bauer isn't the performance that gets a score but she stuck to beauty.

I also enjoyed the exhibition by top skaters after the competition. They were skating being free tension because they had finished their competition, and I could watch their performance free from anxiety.

Hina-arare

When I came back from my business trip last Thursday night, I found that hina-arares were sold in a convenience store. Oh! Hina-arare.

3rd March is Doll's Festival Day in Japan and hina-arare is sweet food for it.

<== Hina-arare

I like it very much, but unfortunately it is sold just from mid of Feb to 3rd March. Now is only time I can eat it. So I'm eating it every day. Haha. But hina-arare is made of rice so it is high in calories. Don't eat too much. But it's hard to stop!

Lazy day, happy day

Like I wrote on this blog, I was very tired because of the long business trip.

I was in bed all day yesterday... Haha. I was very lazy as usual, but I LOVE sleeping so I spent happy time.

Come back from a business trip

Finally I came back to Tokyo last night. I was really tired. And I caught a cold. Too bad. I got more and more tired during the business trip and the air in hotel room was very dry, and I was full of stress because a manager and a leader of this project were very poor at business control and managing project. It was the situation that welcomes a cold.

This very bad project finished today and I will engage in a new project from next Monday.

I want to be relaxed this weekend but I have many things to do because I was out of Tokyo for a while...

Culture gap - Valentine's Day

I worked in Kyoto today and I came back to Osaka now.
Kyoto is one of most popular tourist spot in Japan. Many foreigners visit there.

But today, I went to Kyoto station and had a lunch at a fast food restaurant, and I rode a subway, then I arrived at the office. After job, I rode a subway again and I came back Osaka. So I didn't see anything in Kyoto. That's what business trip is all about. Haha...

By the way, today is Valentine's Day. In Japan, women give men chocolates for Valentine's Day. But it seems that it's the other way around in other countries. Men give women something. So my friend I met yesterday gave me chocolate. He is a foreigner. Hmm... I envy foreign women because I LOVE chocolate!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Meeting a friend after a long time at Osaka

I'm in Osaka now. Business trip again.
I meet my friend who lives this area last night after a long time. He lived in Tokyo but moved to here because he joined a company that was located here.

Probably I met him for the first time in a year. When he lived in Tokyo, he was a graduate student, and he got a Ph.D. then joined the present company. He looked more adult than ever. I wonder because he isn't a student now.

Today's my working place is Kyoto. I move to Kyoto from now.

TOEIC exam

This is a memorable my 100th contribution on this blog!

I applied for the TOEIC exam that will be held next month. I've tried to take mock exams twice but it's my first real TOEIC exam. TOEIC exam will be change from next time, so the exam I take is the last exam of the old version.

My goal of this year is 730 score. This time, target score is 650.

Olympics opening ceremony

Finally Torino Olympics has started. The opening ceremonies of the Olympics are always so moving. I always think I must see the opening ceremony live before I die. Tokyo intends to run for Olympic host again. I hope Tokyo can win the right to host.

It takes so----- much money to host the Olympics game, so there are only several countries that can host the Olympics game in the world. I realize that I'm very lucky to be born in one of those countries. There are many people who don't know even Olympics in the world. During we are enjoying the Olympics now, many people are suffering, such as in disaster areas, in battle fields, in the starving situation...

Snow runs after me?

I came back from a business trip last night. I'm very tired...

I left for Fukuoka last Sunday and it was fine weather in Fukuoka. But when I woke up next morning, it snowed! I was surprised! I think Fukuoka isn't a snow region.
I came back Tokyo Monday night. And next morning, there were much snow outside a window! What?

I left for Hiroshima on Wednesday and it snowed next day. Why???

I move to Takamatsu Thursday evening and I came back from there. It was very tough week. But I must go on a business trip next week again... I wonder snow follow me again.

Busy week

This week was very busy week because there was big trouble in project of my job. I was tired. So I couldn't have time for writing this blog. And I go to various places in Japan on business next week and the week after next. I must leave from Tokyo tomorrow. Very busy! I will go to Fukuoka (in Kyushu), Hiroshima, Takamatsu (in Shikoku), Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. If I have time, I will put some photos of those places on this blog.

During my business trip, the Torino Olympics will start!