Japanese mums work too much - After reading of JAPAN

Japanese working mum is very busy every day, especially mum with kindergarten or elementary school age children is. Japanese women desire to share of child rearing and housework with their husband. But, their husbands do not go back home early and Japanese women need to all tasks by herself.
Japanese men are not fully aware that they should do all the child rearing and housework.
I personally think that it was caused that old Japanese family divided wife/husband or mother/father’s responsibility. Thus, a lot of older people and their son may become dependent on young mums. And young mums may think that mums should do everything right/perfectly as her mother did though young mums work.
Now Japan government proceeds with the Realization of Work Style Reform. I already realized my work style reform and changed my mind to taking care of my nephew and usually leave at the fixing time after finish my tasks. I strongly suggest all workers to prioritize and control the tasks efficiently before ever with aim of leaving at the fixed time and to take paid holiday more. The people can enjoy hobby and relax, and can do the child rearing and housework after the hours and during paid holiday. Please give Japanese mums rest more.

My Emergency Pack

When I think about disaster, the earthquake is coming up. Nagano prefecture is the one of most famous area which earthquake happened in Japan. People who live in Nagano used to experience the earthquake. In case I would experience the big earthquake and need to survive independently, I would need the following items:  Water bag or water  Food  Rope  Scissors  Blanket - as much as thin  Sanitary goods  Underwear  Towel  Battery charger  Mobile battery  Mobile phone Maybe some foods/water and blankets would be provided from local governments. Therefore, it is most important things are mobile phone and batteries. If I have mobile phone, I can use it as a flashlight. Sanitary goods is also important for women because the local governments would not provide or found easily due to lower priority than food or water.

post card from Komagane city

Hello, all
I go back to one’s home town Komagane city. I watch the program which I recorded in parents' house. And I eat my mother’s home cooking.
I cleaned my apartment in Matsumoto city yesterday. I cleaned the fan and filter for air conditioning equipment. Because I don’t clean there usually.
I’m going to get up on 6:00 am tomorrow. Because I’m going to watch first sunrise of new year and pray for happiness new year. And I’m going to eat sushi and rice cake with my  family. Thank you for your reading.
Momoko Kurata

Post card from Disney Land

Hi, I am in Tokyo Disney Land with my sister's family. We are enjoying parades and shows of Disney Halloween. This is the first visit for the mother-in-law of my sister and my nephew. They are happy to see Mickey Mouse and his friends actually.
We left Matsumoto at A.M.3:00 to arrive here before opening and because it had an annoucement to restrict entry to this park. We didn't sleep much last night, but we will stay here until seeing night parade.
Tomorrow, we are going to go Ueno zoo. I hope to have a chance to see a Giant Panda named Shanshan.
Let's see photos at Disney Land next weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you next weekend !
Ritsuko Takeuchi

My favorite character and animal - After reading of The Jungle Book

My favorite characters in the story “The Jungle Book” are a bear named Baloo and a panther named Bagheera. They are one of the strongest animals in Jungle, but they are very kind and have a strong sense of justice.
A point I laughed was that Baloo’s very soft slap on the Mowgli’s cheek was quite hard for the human child.
My favorite animal in real life is dog. I had ever had 2 dogs for pet. The days with them were always happy for me and I sometimes got fed up of taking them walk. During I lived with them for a long time, I could know a little how they were feeling and what they wanted us to do.
But, after they died, I saw a movie “10 promises to My dog” and found a lot of points which I should had done for their happy life. If there is a change for having a dog for pet again, I will exercise/communicate a lot with him/her and will think more what makes him/her happy.

My Wish - After reading of Five Children and It

If we can have one wish from the Psammead, I will wish to change all nuclear power facilities in the world to power facilities of natural energy. I understand well that the nuclear power facilities can generate electric power with stability and with effect and stable electric power may be necessary for economic growth. But, people have not found any solution to render free from highly radioactive nuclear waste and there has been an increase in the amount of highly radioactive nuclear wast. I think all nuclear power facilities should be stopped all over the world even though our life becomes inconvenience or economic stagnation is caused by unstable supply of electric power.
Also, I think that natural disaster including massive earthquake will increase in the future. By natural disaster, we need to concern if all nuclear power facilities operate without trouble and if there is radioactive contamination. I think it will be too late to change current energy policy when a similar trouble happened in the nuclear power facilities in Fukushima in 2011, happens in the future. The radioactivity impact may suffer children who born 100 years later.
I think that people who are living in Earth should bring safe environment to the future.

Rudyard Kipling - after reading The Jungle Book

He had been to Japan twice in 1889 and 1892. He wrote the traveling in『From Sea to Sea and Other Sketches, Letters of Travel』(1899).  He had arranged trip using World traveling by Thomas Cook. He left from India and Singapore, Hong Kong and finally arrived at Nagasaki, in Japan. He visited famous places in Japan (Nagasaki, Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, Nikko, Yokohama etc) for one month. He saw beautiful Mt. Fuji as well as growing modernism in Japan. 

According to the English magazine Masonic Illustrated, Kipling became a Freemason in about 1885, before the usual minimum age of 21. He was initiated into Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782 in Lahore. He very loved experience at Freemason. He wrote the experience in his novel “The Man Who Would Be King”.

Hero Frederick Douglass - After reading

Douglass published some newspaper like the “North Star” with the motto "Right is of no sex, Truth is of no color, God is the Father of us all, and we are all Brethren." At that time, some leaders urged changes in black people’s life with forces, but that way did not advance black people’s life well. Therefore, he urged changes in black people’s life with words. He described his experiences as a slave in his book “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”. At that time, African American was thought that they had no education and it was rarely to publish a book by African American. It had impact and became a bestseller, and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition. After the Civil War, Douglass remained an active campaigner against slavery and wrote his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.
However, he worked toughly, but the situation for black people did not become well. He said to black people not to give up with famous phrases “Without struggle, there is no progress” and “Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its many waters”.
In his last stage of life, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ticket.

Five Children and it - what I would wish for

You can have one wish from the Psammead yourself - what would you wish for, and why?

If I meet the Psammead, I would like to wish to have a lot of current Japanese money. (1 billion yen!!) The wish is gone the sun goes down, so I want to buy, eat, drink as much as possible!

First, I am going to Tokyo and then I am going to go famous department. I’ll check clothes for my family. If there are nice clothes, I’ll buy everything, because I don’t care money. In addition, I’ll go to high brand shop and buy nice bags, jewels, watches.

At lunchtime, I’ll have Italian food with wine. After eating, I’ll go to Spa and get a massage. It will be relax for me and forget busy lifetime.

Before sunset, I’ll go to eat sushi at Ginza with beer or Sake. If I have a wish from the Psammead, I would like to spend luxury time.

Life Choice_Marriage

I agree that Marrying for Love is a good thing. I think that it is miracle and very happy to meet a person who wants to marry and to actually marry the person.
Even if you marry a person who falls in love with, it will be necessary to gradually change mutual course of action to life together and happily because he/she has a difference in value and has a different life style.Also, by a marriage, a life may be changed especially for Japanese woman because woman usually becomes a part of a partner’s family. It may not be easy, but will be possible with a person who falls in love with.
Your life is yours and one time. If you can find a person who you want to live with forever, you must marry the person even if you need to make some sacrifices to regret nothing.

After reading_Missing in sydney

When I stayed in Fiji, I went to beautiful island as one-day trip. (I forgot the name of island.)
The sea was extremely beautiful. The water was clear and I could see tropical fish in the water. I did snorkeling in the sea. It was really fantastic!! I saw fishes called Amphiprion which became a model for Disney movie of Nimo. They were really cute and tiny.I did not expect to watch the Nimo in the sea, so I was very impressed.
As the water was very clean, there were corals. It was first time for me to see real corals. And I did not know that corals were dangerous. When I was snorkeling, I wore sandals to protect my feet, but I did not were anything for my shins.. So, my shins were bloody and it was like horror movie when I got out from the sea. There was a happening, but it’s good experience.

After reading- Miami Police File: the O'Nell Case

We are going to have a Halloween party.
The Halloween party is held in Buenavista where near Matsumoto station. Food and drink including alcohol are prepared by the hotel. We will request the hotel to provide Halloween food. The room will be putting up Halloween decorations. We will arrange a lot of jack-o’-lantern to decollate the room. The light is little bit dark.
We offer to our colleague a dress code. It is important things to success the Halloween party! We need to wear Halloween costume to go this party. 
We are planning to have a game in the party. In our plan, we will do bingo game and winner will get a gorgeous gift. In the end, we will take a picture for our memory.

My relationship with my phone - After reading

I use my mobile phone every day to see Instagram and twitter and to send text message like LINE. And I rarely talk on the phone to contact someone except for emergency case because the text message can be read at receiver’s convenient timing. Before I make phone calls, I always worry that she/he may be at silent space where talking on the mobile phone is not allowed like train, hospital, and she/he or her/his baby may stay in bed or may be busy now.It is my reason that I prefer sending text message to contact someone. When I contact hospitals, hair care salon, restaurant etc, I usually use my mobile phone, not fixed line.
I phone the most to my sister to do video chat with my nephew though he is 15 month olds and cannot say any words.
My mobile phone is always set in “Silent mode”, so vibration makes me find that I get a phone call. My ring tong has never been changed after I bought my mobile phone 3 years ago, but when I was high school or university students, I changed the ring tone downloaded by application called “Chaku-melo” and “Chaku-uta” every month.

Welcome to Matsumoto, Japan - City Profile

City profile – Matsumoto, Japan

If you’re interested in Japan, then you must visit Matsumoto in Nagano prefecture.  Along with Tokyo, it’s one of the most fascinating cities in Japan.  You’ll find an ancient temple, rich natural, the changing seasons, excellent views of mountains in Matsumoto.

Geography and history

Matsumoto Castle - over 400 years old

Do you know Nagano prefecture where Winter Olympic was held in 1998? Matsumoto is in the central part of Nagano and Japan’s main island Honshu and you can visit it by 2-3 hours traveling from Tokyo, Nagoya.  Many tourists and climbers are pleased to visit here to cool off in summer, to enjoy the autumn colors, to enjoy winter sports, and to climb mountains like Yarigatake all year.

When to go

Matsumoto has four clear seasons and we recommend to visit it in summer.In summer, daytime is as hot as Tokyo, but is comfortable because it is less humid, and feel cool well before the sun rises and after sun goes down. Many people are surprised to know that there is big range in temperature within a day.

What to see

serene hiking in Kamikochi

Matsumoto has a lot of interesting places to visit and to do:

• Matsumoto castle is a national treasure.  You will be able to take amazing photos of the beautiful black castle against the Northern Japanese Alps.
• Trekking in Kamikochi National Park  
• Kappa Bridge, Taisho Pond, Myojin Pond in Kamikochi National Park
• Matsumoto Art Museum

What to eat

If you’re feeling tired from climbing the 6 flights of stairs to the top of the castle, or bored, I recommend eating Tempura Soba, mushrooms, or apples. Try the local speciality – a bowl of traditional soba Hot or cold, it’s really delicious.

Kasumi Yoyoi's signature spots

Where to stay

There are many hotels with hot springs.  You will fell refreshed and relaxed after a good soak in a hot pool.