My favourite mountain-top

When I was a child, I often went to the top of Small Mountain with my friend who lives near my house. There was a shrine in the mid of the mountain. It was easy to go there as we go to the shrine 3 to 4 times per year for taking part in the annual event with our family. There were steps from the bottom of the mountain to the shrines, one is the small one and another is the big one.

In order to go up to the top of the mountain, we have to climb a trail without maintained. Although it was not maintained, we could enjoy to climb up as it doesn’t long way. The mountain has a lot of pine trees and the other trees, but there were small space without trees in the top of the mountain. It was filled with the silky white sand there. We could play with the sand, find some strange shape of stones and enjoy beautiful scenery. Sometimes my mother stopped me to go there as there was some cliffs, but I often went there as I could see a lot of sceneries in four seasons.

Posted for Reiko

Lost in the Mist - after reading The Rainbow Girl

This is a kind of lost story on the way to Ueda city although it is not lost in the mist and the completely lost.I went to a hotel in Ueda city to attend a seminar by my car. It was the first time to get there by myself, so I used the car navigation system to find the route. My plan is to use two toll tunnels, not high way. I set up the car navigation system without using the toll road because I believed it meant high way, but it was wrong. The system showed the route without using not only high way but also toll tunnels. I should have realized it before I left my house.

I was still confident that I could get to the destination on time as the car navigation system showed that the arriving time was still good for me. I followed the route that the system showed. I drove through the mountain road and it was harder than expected as I wasn’t good at driving such a road. In addition, there were very narrow roads and a few tunnels without lights. I was worried if I could get to the destination and Fortunately, I could arrive at the destination on time, but I was exhausted. I learned that I should check the overall route before the departure.
Posted for Chinasa

After reading The Rainbow Girl - a similar story from my culture

In Japan, calligrapher "Shoko Kanazawa" is famous and she has a Down syndrome. There are 50 thousands of patients of Down syndrome patients in Japan. I have image that their understanding is slow and limited, but they have supple mind and special ability in one field. Some of them has special ability especially in the art/music field.

Ms. Shoko Kanazawa is active on calligraphy field and her special ability is as per my image/understanding.

Nowadays, she wrote the title "平清盛" of annual famous drama played by NHK which is public television. Her calligraphy doesn't pretend to ingratiate to people (=to be famous? to make money?) and her supple mind is shown on calligraphy. I have never seen her calligraphy, but I saw a article that most of people who saw her calligraphy, were moved and her pernal exhibition or events were increasing.

At a feature segments of Mr. Shoko Kanazawa, I found that I had incorrect understanding and prejudice for Down syndrome. There are so many patients of Down syndrome, so incorrect understanding causes big problem. I think that various success of people having Down syndrome will decrease people like me.

Posted for Ritsuko

Lost & Found - after reading The Rainbow Girl

I am bad at directions. Therefore I often get lost. The latest was two month ago. It was happened when I drove my car to my parents’ home for two hours at night. At that time, I was very tired after work, and very sleepy. So I had to go to convenience store a few times to rest and to buy some foods to open my eyes. Because of that, I could wipe the sleep at last. But next, I had been lost in thought about our work. I have driven same way to my parents’ home many times, so I got careless. “Where am I?” The next thing I knew I drove on an unfamiliar road. I noticed I had to turn left the previous crossroad. But I thought when I would turn left the next crossroad, I also would be able to get home. But it was too naïve. I completely got lost. I tried to use navigation of cellphone, but that area is too poor cellphone reception to work well. I started to feel heat. “Don’t freak.” I said to myself. When I got a main street, the navigation of my cellphone started to work. And then I could get my parents’ home 30 minutes late. I thought even if we would used to do something, I would have to be alert.
Mio

The Rainbow Girl - after reading, share your favourite mountain

My favourite mountain-top view is from the Mountain Jonen. It was the highest mountain I have climbed. I had never known there were no trees before I climbed the Jonen. When I climbed the Jonen and into the top, I was scared. Because there were no trees, so I could look down into the valley below. I had never looked down at the mountains. It was sunny day, so I could see clearly.
The view was beautiful and so wonderful. I could see mountain next to the Jonen very nearly. And I could see people climbed the next mountain.

 Mount Jonen from Mount Yari (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was hard for me to climb the Jonen. Nearby the top, I was extremely short of breath as I climbed a little. But it was harder for me climbing down than climbing up.

When I climbed down from the top, I was so scared that I didn’t know how could I climb down. I didn’t know where should I placed my foot. An experienced person told me where my right foot on and then where left side on. He told me that all the way from the top to the mountain cottage. So I could climbed down.

I can see Jonen every day and I like it. Sometimes I remember this experience.

Posted for Yuri

After reading of "The Rainbow Girl" - A special rainbow

A sports festival is scheduled every September at my son’s nursery school . But September is the season of typhoon in Japan.

Two years ago, it was postponed due to the bad weather. I don’t remember clearly, but the typhoon was coming towards to Japan at that time. This year, the typhoon came again.

I checked the weather forecast every day, but it told me it would rain due to typhoon on that date. On the day before the sports festival, the weather forecast said it would be 80% chance of rain. I almost gave up and didn’t prepare anything for the sports festival. However, I got a message from nursery school in the morning and it said the sports festival would go ahead as scheduled. I was so surprised, but I prepared quickly then went to nursery school with my husband and son.

When we arrived, we found a beautiful rainbow in the sky. As the typhoon had passed in early morning, it became a sunny day. The rainbow stayed in the sky for about an hour even when the sports festival started with a happy song. The rainbow brought me a lot of happy things on that day. My son won the foot race and I could see his big smiles.