High-school baseball @ Koshien (off Tokyo): March 29, 2015

I went to Koshien baseball stadium in Nishinomiya, near Osaka, to see a high-school baseball game and shout out for my old school. 

It was a quarterfinal game of the Spring National Baseball Tournament (official name is “The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament”, which nobody knows) or “Senbatsu” tournament.

It was my first visit to the stadium in 41 years. The last visit was to see the Summer National Tournament. 

I found that the facilities as well as the mood of the stadium had changed a lot.

It was rainy. We watched the game in rain coats or with umbrellas. The game stopped when the rain was heavy. Ground keepers worked hard to restart the game.

There were part-time students selling beer. The sales was … terrible.

The fortune was not upon us. However, my juniors played a good game. I hope today’s game would become a good step towards summer tournament.

I had a good time. Thanks, my high school juniors.

Hanami@ walking paths, parks: March 28, 2015

Cherry blossom started a few days ago in Tokyo. I visited walking paths and parks in Setagaya Ward, western Tokyo, to enjoy the flowers.

There are hundreds of cherry trees along Kitazawagawa walking path. Many families and groups were enjoying foods, drinks and talks under the trees.

The butterflies flied and the birds sang.

The Hanegi Park was also crowded with families and other people.

Spring ＠Roka Park: March 22, 2015

We had the Spring Equinox Day this weekend. I visited Roka Park in western Tokyo to find spring scenes.

Many flowers were open. They included (early blossom) cherry, field mustard (or rapeseed), saxifrage, magnolia, violet, pansy and dandelion.

The combination of white, yellow, pink and green (saxifrage, field mustard, cherry and leaves) was impressive. (The top photo)

Japanese nightingale　(warbler)　began to sing.

People enjoyed the spring day. Some were enjoying picnic while others were jogging.  The dog-run field were crowded with various dogs and their owners.

Miho @ Shimizu (Off Tokyo): March 7, 2015

Mt. Fuji has become a World Cultural Heritage site in 2013. Exactly speaking, the site’s name is “Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration” (I did not know). I visited Miho no Matsubara, a part of the World Heritage site, in Shimizu district of Shizuoka City today.

Miho no Matsubara lies in a small peninsula (Miho Peninsula). There are thousands of pine trees in the sand beach. We can see a good panorama of Mr. Fuji when the weather is fine. It was unfortunately cloudy today.

Many pine trees do not stand perpendicularly, but incline to the north, the direction of the land. It is because the wind from the sea is strong.

There is a legend of an angel and her cloths in the region. A pine tree which related to the story is preserved.

There were many tourists from all over Japan.

The walk path which connect Miho no Matsubara and the Miho Shrine was also wonderful.

Shimizu is also famous for its football team “Shimizu Spuls” and a nationwide famous cartoon girl “Chibimaruko-chan”. Both were displayed in the wall of the JR railway Shimizu station.

Chinese tourists@Ginza:Feb. 14, 2015

Chinese New Year started today and many tourists arrived in Japan.

I visited Ginza, one of Tokyo’s busiest commercial areas and a popular place for Chinese visitors, and indeed, found many tourist there.

A parade of buses stopped at the corner of Ginza and tourists got off. They walked straight to shops like Laox (electronics good owned by a Chinese company) and Uniqlo fashion store.

Some of them dropped in Ginza Karen bag shop and bought big suitcases (to carry what they bought).

The main road is vehicle free. Families, couples and other tourist were sitting in the chairs after their shopping (top photo). Some of they were playing games with their smart phones. kids were running behind.

One corner of the area is under construction for redevelopment. The place will be change into a new commercial, business and cultural complex. A tourist office for foreigners is planned to be open in it.

With consumption by Japanese people decreasing, Japanese shops are keen on expanding their business for foreign tourists.

After enjoying shopping, the tourist got on the buses and moved to next places.

Signs of Spring @ Tamagawa River: Feb. 11, 2015

It is still winter, but signs of spring appear. The daytime is getting longer. Ume (Japanese apricot) blossom began.

I walked the riversides of Tamagawa River today.

It was a sunny day. Many people enjoyed walking, jogging and cycling.

I saw boys playing baseball and football games(the top photo). Baseball moms and succor moms looked more excited than their kids.

Ground staff members were doing ground-keeping jobs for busy season.

I also find people operating a drone flying machine. 

Others were flying kites and enjoying fishing.

Ume season staeted@ Hanegi park: Jan. 17&24, 2015

It is still mid-winter and cold days continue. Still the daytime is getting longer.

I walked to Hanegi Park in Umegaoka and found Ume (Japanese apricot) flowers started to open.

The park has red, white and yellow ume trees. Only a few of hundreds trees had flowers open.

They have “Ume festival” from early February to early March.

Life and Society @Myanmar: Dec.27, 2014-Jan. 1, 2015

Following the story of "Pagodas, temples and landscape", I write a story on the "life and the society" of Myanmar.

It was interesting to see how the country was rapidly changing.

The economy was still less-developed and the old lifestyle remained. The monks and temples played important roles. 

Still, new economic development started and the waves of new life style began to creep into the society. The mobile phones were already popular. 

I felt strong energy of the people and the society for future changes.

There is a view that Myanmar is 20-30 years behind China and Vietnam in economic development. I agree to the idea. The cities and towns were messy. 

Automobiles were old and trucks were used for public transportation. People rode on the rear decks (See also the photo 2nd from the top). 

People shop in the local markets and at the open-air stools along the streets. 

Yangon’s Bogyoke Aung San Market, the city’s largest market, looked old.

The presence of the temples and the pagodas is big. There are stalls in and around the temples and the pagodas. I saw people buying tanaka, a tree trunk used for cosmetics, at the stalls in the Kaungmudaw Paya in Sagain, near Mandalay. Families gathered in the building of Shwethalyaung Buddha and enjoyed picnic and daytime sleep(the 3rd photo from the top).

Monks and nuns were everywhere. Monks walked around the cities in the early morning to do their morning services. Kids were taking courses to learn the teaching of Buddha in the temples using their winter holidays (See also the top photo).

The waves of IT (information technology) revolution swept into the traditional lives. People used mobile phones and smart phones everywhere (even in the praying places). 

The monks also used IT goods in sacred places.

Electronic shops opened one after another in central Yangon.

I met the pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi in many places including the open-air shops in the street, local markets, souvenir shops in the airport and restaurants. 

I also visited her house in Yangon. She was absent in the day, but I found some visitors gathering in front of the gate. 

I could connect any internet sites from Yangon although the data transmission speed was slow. The bookshop I visited in Yangon had various books in
both English and Myanmar language. They sold George Owell's 1984, too.