BON VOYAGE ! ENGLISH

20110531

Today's Rainbow

Looked up the sky as I walked around a little town for work, I found a rainbow, brightly colored but it was straight line.
Nowadays, in Japan, we can't see a rainbow as much as we could before... when I was a child, we often saw the rainbow which was perfectly form into an arch.
I hope we can make clear sky like before and see the arched rainbow once again.

20110522

smile

SMILE!

I made a perfectly rounded OKONOMIYAKI (Japanese Vege pancake) for my share mate !

She wrote smile on it by sauce and mayo, and ate it with her full smile ：）

We only have cabbages in our fridge for almost a week, shortage of food.... but who cares !! we can eat OKONOMIYAKI everyday !! Why not !! :P It's okay if we can smile with it !! well....only for now...：（　

20110521

Peony flower and a guitar

It has been busy days.

After a long day, Birds chirping, smelling green and looking up the moon on the way to my home from a bus stop, it all help me wind down my busy mind.

Gorgeous peony welcomed me at home as if it's saying "Look at me! am i beautiful??"

yes,you are ：）

My share mate, she is practicing a guitar these days.
We sing in the night..... nature and music, makes me feel much LOVE !!

20110505

Golden Week !

Golden Week refers to the period from April 29th to May 5th when there are four national holidays in Japan.

There are two great events going on in my area.
This is how we enjoy Golden Week !

Number 1:
Hayama Art & Music festival

Many Art galleries, cafes, workshops, live concerts are going on at more than 100 places in all around Hayama/Zushi area.

I went to a gallery of a pro-photographer Mr. Nirei.
He opened portraits display with an very interesting idea...
The display event named ''Let's make World laugh !!''
He took portraits of about 300 people's funny faces.

the entrance of the studio


funny faces welcomed us.....

Hilarious, hilarious, hilarious !!!!!
It's awesome !! only using a face, we can make people this much laugh !!
Yeah ! so, YOU ! you can make your partner, friends and family, Japan, or whole world smile and laugh !!! How wonderful is that !!!!!
Why don't we use this face more for making people happier !!　Live expressively !!!
wow.... I got happy powers so much !! Thank you !! awesome photographer Nirei !!

Number 2:
CINEMA CARAVAN @ Zushi beach

It was an awesome event !!! I didn't know Zushi has, well Japan has this kind of cool outdoor event !!

There are ecological talk sessions, great live concerts, relaxation space with hammocks, food&drink booths and movies in the end.
And It happened all at the beach ! what else u need !?

We had a great time at the beach !
Rickie G's Live concert with wave sound back-ground...
His music brought touching messages.
The beach was filled with a sense of oneness with his songs.

Life is Wonderful !! By Rickie G

Yes, it is ... We have life, that is just wonderful thing... !!

After the live, the movie was screened.

The film was ''BE KIND REWIND'' starring Jack Black.

It was good movie !!
It told us, as if we have something we got to cherish no matter how much the time flows in our lives.

After the devastated earth quack happened, I heard that the staff of this event was really considered that they should do this event or not... but They decided that they hold the event. They want to bring back all the energy which Japanese people had, through the event. They confront to this reality in Japan, and thought the event is one of the things what they can do for people in Japan.

I want to thank for opening this event.
I am sure we were inspired many things by all the art, music and movies in our usual life so much, and this time at the beach, all the things make people feel really peaceful... and gave us power !!
I hope the peace energy spread to others !
Spread peace and Love !!

sun-set time @ Zushi beach !

20110423

GARAGE -Congrats for second shop-

GARAGE DM drawn by her brother Ryota

One of my best friend Mai has had her own shop. She closed a previous shop in Kamakura which ran for 6years, and reopened the shop in Hayama, near my house.

Mai and I went to the same high school. She hates me at first, cause I am loud and she isn't. But we gradually hit it off each other. I guess it's because our adventurous spirit. We both have lots dreams and hopes, wanted to see the world, and love being free.

So I traveled many countries after graduate, and she traveled and starts buying some antiques and junk stuff from around Europe which she loves collecting. Then her early 20's, She opened her first store with all the her collections, the shop named ''GARAGE''.
Our high school friendship is not much changed, feel so close and we support each other no matter where we go.

Look back across time, I think I fell in love with her first. It's her strong but hidden individuality, great taste of clothing, food and housing, have an unique but simple way of looking at things, and also she is very charming.
Anyway, I am not the only one fall under a spell of what she has, am sure many people do.

We celebrated for her second shop last night with the cake her friend made, it was so good !

Congrats !! Mai !! and please always just the way you are !! Love ya !!!

GARAGE Web site
http://garageline.exblog.jp/

April 20th

April 20th is my mom and dad's birthday. Yes,they share the same birthday since they met for the first time!!

It's been 3years I haven't celebrated their birthday together while i was in overseas.
My brother and I bought a birthday cake together....nothing very special present from us, but we were very happy 3 of us together!
My dad always makes my mom smile, here's my mom on the pic, couldn't stop laughing. I am hoping this continue forever!!
In my age, I finally could think that I want to be like them if I found someone spend rest of life together...

20110409

Ishinomaki

I was in Ishinomaki, Miyagi for one week (Mar26-Apr2) as part of a PEACE BOAT emergency relief volunteer efforts.

I had no words the first day I saw the area completely devastated.
We are overwhelmed by a feeling of powerlessness.
Cars and Houses tripped and went headlong everywhere.
There is a town which seized with a sense of powerlessness.
It's hard to believe this continue to hundreds of kilometers on the coast of Tohoku.
But this is a reality.

There is something that can't be known by TV. Looked with my eyes, felt in my bones, the dust and dirt, smelled mixed everything ... the reality was in there...
There is a life, There is people who trying to get back things they had before.
Everyone is trying to arise from the devastated land as if they say It happened, That can't be changed, have to moving on. so Everyone strongly started moving forward now.
There are people who need to stay at an evacuation center, people who need to stay the house half wrecked, They are prepared it's going to be a long term. They're all trying to put the pieces together, joining hands and working together to stand up.

Here's some pictures of Ishinomaki. please take a look and feel .....

Self-Defense Force supply water and food at evacuation centers

【Volunteer efforts】
We, PEACE BOAT emergency relief volunteers assist the local community or evacuating center by cooking hot meals, distributing supplies, and shoveling the mud swept in. and not the only PEACEBOAT, now more than 40 civil society organizations from everywhere in Japan and all over the world are taking part in the relief efforts in Ishinomaki.

I was in a warehouse which all the relief supplies arrive from all over and I coordinate what sufferers need and pass to other teams which they bring it to the places for distributions. They came back with the people request for next distributions.

The needs are changing day by day. Flowing supplies shows that their life has changed little by little....
Couple days, I went out and joined other teams to distributions and shoveling the mud outside of a elementary school.
At the elementary school, I just stood in the school building, covered with mud and sandy dust all around the places.....cars and houses are stacking in the back of the building... I tried hard to hold back full of emotion inside of me...

It's almost one month since the earthquake, but the area still need more people to help cleaning and recovering.