^{I woke up at 5:15 this morning. I sent mom to a clinic for eye, but she said that she wanted to go to a drugstore, we went to there first. She got into the store, but I got into 100yen shop next door. I bought Jazz CD, Lee Konitz, Clifford Brown, and Art Blakey and the jazz messengers at 200yen each. I saw Lee Konitz CD before I had gone to a few days ago. I wanted to buy that one. I still had a cold medicine of SS that was my only cold medicine, so I did not have to go into the store to buy it today. I hope my sister to eat candy of LOTTE for throat that I gave her one of them in the bag of sweets as New Year present. I sent to mom near the clinic and dropped her off. The woman doctor's name is the same name with her, and she has a daughter who is living in Shizuoka. So she gave mom a box of green tea in Shizuoka at end of every year. Shizuoka is one of places where it is the biggest green tea district. By the way, I give my name as Merchandiskii yesterday, but as you know, I am not a Russian. When Sakazaki made a call in the US, he seemed to be a Russian for them by his name, too. Anyway, I came home at 10:45 a.m. and went to a supermarket again to pick her up at 2 p.m. after picking her call up. (JAN/31)}  

Chinese Restaurant We had for lunch at this restaurant. I ate Chinese noodle of salt taste. This is as we leave.

^{I woke up at 6:30. I went to futon after watching a movie, HERO (2002),Chinese historical movie about 2200 years ago, on TV last night. It was cloudy today. I was at home all day. Mom was cleaning room with a vacuum cleaner at home. By the way, I learned a word "merchandising campaign" on Business English on last September, but I remembered the word even though I forgot the meaning. I like this word "merchandise key" now. I happened to watch NHK before the movie. I like watching historical drama on NHK. I like a ninjya. But it is not motorcycle of Kawasaki. Ninjya is a professional spy in feudal Japan highly trained in stealth and secrecy. It is a kind of mask man in old day's Japan. I wanted to be a ninjya as a child. Do you know Ninjya Turtles? I like a girl who can play with turtle, and it is more better she is ninjya. I saw a lovely girl ninjya on TV last night. This picture is a parking lot of this skiing ground It is pretty small as a parking space of skiing ground. Mainly this skiing ground is made for children. (JAN/30)}  

At Skiing Ground Those girl children are playing with plastic sledges. A signboard says this place is for playing it.
 

^{I woke up at half past 5 this morning despite Sunday morning. I was at home even though it was Sunday in a fine weather, because I drove car almost every day this week. I do not exercise so much that I mean to get MTB (mountain bike) this year to make me do workout, probably this spring. My mom likes working at field, and also likes watching sports on TV at home, so she was watching a women marathon in Osaka from noon in the living room. She also likes watching sumo, a kind of wrestling, one of Japanese traditional sports. She likes football than baseball on TV, because she does not know the rule of baseball that is really difficult for old woman. It is not a rare case that she shouts to he TV often when she is watching sumo. I am surprised by her shouting often from downstairs. Basically she seems to like combative sport. Me? I like doing outside than watching it on TV. I think I want to walk outside from even tomorrow. And I want to touch a sole of marcher to make her laugh, or I want to touch a soul of marcher to know about her more. Anyway, I have to walk with her together for that. My profile, my favorite season is spring and autumn, I like vegetables than meat. I think I am a plant-eating animal that is gently like Bambi.  (JAN/29)} 

^{At Skiing Ground This is Matsurube Ski area where it is one and only in our city. It took a 45-minutes to arrive.}  

^{I woke up at 5:30 despite Saturday morning. There was a memo paper written by mom on the table in the kitchen when I got into the kitchen for breakfast. It said her request on it. "I would like to go to a house of my relation today, would you give me a lift at 10?" I put a can coffee into the pot on the stove to make a hot coffee because I have it in the car before leaving home. We left home at 10, at first, and called at a sweet shop near my house on the way to the house to take it to there as a gift. I already looked into the place completely with a map on the Internet last night, so we were not lost at all. I headed for a 100yen shop after dropping her off. I spent $4 there, and  I  came back home at 11:30 as I was listening to Shiho's FM in the car. It was fine this morning, but it was cloudy in the afternoon. By the way, I have some old PCs, but one of them is Mac, Performer 6260 (1996), I got it at auction site about two years ago at only $1. Of course, it can run rightly until now. I added an Ethernet card to the PC to connect to the Internet with the PC after I got used one on the auction site because it was nothing to use, and also bought a secondhand Mac OS 7 at $5 there, because I needed to update it to use Internet with the PC. I have not used it almost, but I saw my blog with the old PC. I am using Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP for the Internet with my main PC. I updated the latest version for the PC last year, but it was IE 5. So I saw my blog's title was a small and light green on the browser. Blue rectangular that I always saw on IE 6 was not on it. But light green belt was at the top and bottom at right side. I tried to see it on another browser, Netscape, with the PC again, my blog was very poor looking than what I saw always. But one of my guests should see my blog like that. It was very strange designed blog, so you should use to see with the latest version browser of Apple. I have an old laptop PC, IBM 345CS (1995) I got a used one last year, but it is Windows 95.I tried to see my blog by the PC the day before yesterday. But it could not open the page of the site, so I meant, I could not even see the top page of the blog on the latest version of Netscape for the OS. It also has the latest version IE4, but I think it cannot show me my blog and even the top page of tBLOG. That's why both the Mac PC and IBM laptop were too old to update the latest version of browser, so basically I can read a sentence and see a poor picture without design with them. They are used for emergency for main PC, or my test of the Internet.  By the way, a famous Japanese chess player who had a wife who was Japanese idol had stayed in the hotel on the left side of this picture for a big match until yesterday. (JAN/28)}   

At Genbi This is a main street of Genbi town. A match of Japanese chess was held at the hotel on red signboard.

^{I woke up at 5 a.m. My cousin who was mom's niece came to my house with a present for us at 9:30. My mom had a plan to go to a temple for a funeral of her cousin who had just died the other day. The cousin also had to go there before at 10, so she left from my home early than us by her light truck. And we left home at 10 o'clock. First, we called at a store, near the house of mom's little sister to pick her up. And we went to Genbi. My car got at the temple at 10:30 p.m. I dropped the old sisters off there, and I promised to come there to pick them up at 12:30 again, and I went to nearby store and parked the car. I had to spend too much time there until 12:30. Basically it was a fine day, so I put a brought small blanket on my legs to keep warm, I was staying in the car without car's heater for two hours. But a truck that was stopped next to me left the engine running for until we felt from the parking at 1:10 p.m. for 100 minutes! I thought he was sleeping in the car to loaf on the job. It is a rare case that the engine is not running at a parking lot like me in Japan. I went back the temple to pick them up at 12:30, and we went to the parking lot again to have lunch. I ordered Chinese noodles with wonton in soup. It was on my aunt. She and mom ordered a set of mochi, some kinds of rice cakes in a tray. We left the restaurant at 1:10, and dropped the aunt off near her house, and we came back home at 1:30 p.m. Genbi was my grandma's hometown. (JAN/27)}  

VW Beatle My car is heading for Genbi today, too. My sis drives her car on the same this road every day for work.

^{There was a little powerful earthquake at just 3 o'clock this morning. It was a little strong for just a second, but it woke me up. I thought it was happening under here directly. I lay awake from that time because I could not fall asleep again. I fell into the sleep at 11 last nigh, so I slept for only four hours. I sent my mom to a clinic at 9. As soon as I came back home, I did laundry until 10:30. My older sister came here with lunch for us. She was watching TV until she got a call from mom at the clinic. She got it at 2 p.m. She went there to pick her up right away. She gave me two bottle of white sweet-sake, a sweet drink made from fermented rice. She also likes to drink it, but drinking it is for the first time for me. I hope I drink it with her together. The alcoholic drink is called, Yukikko in Japanese, it means Snow Girl. My sis went back home at 4 p.m. (JAN/26)}  

At Isawa I drive on this road once every winter, but I am sure to stop a car here for pee. I turned left over there.
 

^{If I change my blog name, I would change to "I woke up at…". I do not know why, but I woke up earlier than birds this morning, too. It was at 5:30 a.m. It seemed warm morning than usual, according to web site of weather forecast. It was fine weather in the morning, so our turtle in the water tank climbed on the mountain of the tank. But the blue skies turned to a cloudy this afternoon. My aunt, my mom's little sister, walked to my house to visit to give a greeting of New Year for us at 9 a.m. We were a given a padded kimono each by her, they were her handmade winter-wear at home, and she gave mom a under blanket. Mom made a call to Chinese restaurant for our order at 11, and a delivery man brought them to my house by motorbike at 11:30. Mom was about to pay him money, but he said to her he did not have change, so mom paid him money when he came to my house again to take their bowls. They were $25, 14 UK ponds at all. She went back home at half past twelve.(JAN/25)}    

Cat of Farmer This farmer seems to have cattle. This cat was running away on icy ground when I tried to take it.

    1.25 AIR TEMP　40-36 'F (-0.1 – 3.9 'C)　

^{I wonder why I wake up early with no alarm clock like this every morning. It was half past four this morning. When I was outside at 7 a.m. to take a newspaper, there was 3cm (1inch) snow on the ground. My mom meant to go to a temple to pray my dead uncle last month with my uncle by his car today, but it was snowing like that then, so I suggested to her my idea, "Shall I send you and uncle to the temple instead of him?" because he was not good at driving on snowy road. She made a call to his house immediately to suggest my idea, he agreed readily. We left home at 10 with a hot can coffee. I drank it in the car until his house. It was not only the uncle, his wife also got into the car. My car ran on a wet national road for 15km(9.5mile) by melted snow to carry us to there, we got at the temple in a quarter hour. We walked on the snowy narrow uphill slope and got at his grave at last. My uncle in law passed away last month. He was a husband for my dad's younger sister. I have wanted to visit his grave once at least. We gave him some flowers, sweets, a orange, a banana, and offered incense sticks to pray him. The place had a good view. We heard voices of swans there, but we could hear the sounds but we could not see them. I could see there were about ten swans on the white rice field opposite the parking where my car was stopped. We walked on the slippy downhill carefully because if anyone would fall down there, it would have fallen down the slope with no guardrail. My uncle handed me a envelope as the petrol cost before the car left there, I said to him that I do not need it, but he put it into the glove box, I said to him, "Thanks a lot." We left from the snowy parking a lot at 11 a.m. Mom asked them in the car, "Why don't we call at a restaurant for lunch on the way home?" They agreed her suggestion with no doubt, the car got into the parking lot of Chinese restaurant near by his home at 11:15 a.m. My mom got into the restaurant to ask to opening time at first, or whether we may get into or not. After all, we had to wait to open in the car for a quarter hour because the restaurant opened at 11:30.We called her and got into the store as the first customers of the day and sit on the chairs and ordered Chinese some dishes and bowls. We almost ate them with no chat, but we were chatting for 15 minutes after eating them and paid $30, 15 UK ponds, as all our bill, and got out of the store at 12:15, and I dropped them and mom off in front of their house, and came back home at 12:30. I have never eaten out last year, but I already ate out once on January this year. I want to go to a restaurant with her next time. (JAN/24)}   

Downward Slope This road is going to white Maesawa town over there. As you can see the Kitakami River, too.

　　　　1.24 AIR TEMP　34-26 'F (-2.9 – 1.1 'C)

^{I wonder why I can wake up at quarter to five naturally every morning. It was the same time today, too. Today was cold day, daytime, too. It was a fine in the early morning, but when we went to a temple, it started snowing. First, mom and I went to a supermarket where it was meeting place with mom's sister. We got together there to go to the temple, because today was their oldest brother's died day. It was just ten years ago. We got into the supermarket together for shopping at 10 a.m. My aunt bought and gave me a lunch at the store. She said to me in front of packed lunch corner, "What would you like to eat for lunch? Please pick what you want to eat up." Then I chose a sushi pack, US$4, 2 UK ponds. She picked it up and it was put into her basket. And when she got into the car, she handed me it. "Thanks." We go to the temple together to pray their mom and brothers and a sister in law while from November to March five times every year, so I have become their driver for them to visit there every time. We called at a house where it was one of their dead brothers on the way to the dead oldest brother's house after visiting the temple soon. It was second oldest brother's house.  There was an old white cat in the house. I liked cats, so I touched it, the brown forehead and white foot. Especially I love to touch cat sole. What does it say in English?, like meat balls. I love what I hit it to my cheek with a cat sole. I want my cheek to touch her lips, but it may be better that she give me a slap. We visited there for a quarter hour, and I drove them to the house where we had just prayed for the old brother, I dropped them off the car at the backyard, I went back home at 11 a.m. She came back home some time ago. (JAN/23)} 

Downward Slope This is a steep slippy downhill road from top of Mt. Tabashine 596m (1970ft) to Maesawa town.

    1.23 AIR TEMP　27-18 'F (-2.9 –7.5 'C)
   

^{I woke up at 6:30. Mom turned on the switch of a bath to do her laundry before breakfast. I took a bath after meal. Today is Sunday. I went out by car. I also drove last Sunday. I left home at 11:45 a.m. I got at a ski area at 12:30, 30km (19miles) away. I carried a can coffee that I heated on the stove at kitchen into the car, but I could not drink it because it was so hot that my lips could not touch it, so it became a finger-warmer until I could drink it. It was a good idea. There were a lot of skiers there, especially children were a lot. It was -4 (24) degrees and snowing. But I took some pictures of them inside of the car without getting off the car, I wished Erica would ride on the passenger seat next to me. I can ski, but I do not know whether she can ski or not. But she is quick in her movements, so she will be good at skiing soon. I have heard she likes winter and snow. She will be a great skier than me as soon as she started to ski. Anyway, I was happy to drive on the white snow of the road nearby the ski ground. I like driving a car in the snowing and I like listening to CD of Pat Metheny with a car stereo in that weather. Especially, his music, "Are you going with me?" Of course, I was listening to the song in the car again and again. By the way, you will not be able to believe that, but it is true. I remembered what I must not remember in the car. I remembered I have never got a drive with girl friend. I hope to have a girl friend who ride my car with me. I came home at 1:30 p.m. without calling at any place. I also had another hot can coffee in the aluminum coating case, I did not drink it, and came home with it, but it was warm yet to warm 2 hours later. It was a fine weather here, it was similarly when I left home similarly. By the way, I saw a picture of last year around the same month, it was taken at a self service petrol, there was a price of kerosene. It said 900yen at 18 liters. It was 1260 yen now. They are, 1 gallon (USA) $1.64 to $2.30, 1 gallon (UK) 1.11 ponds to 1.55ponds. (JAN/22)}   

Icy Road This is a road to top of Mt. Tabashine. It was too icy road like this. A brake is not almost useful to this. 

     1.22 AIR TEMP　32-24 'F (0.0 –4.0 'C)　

I woke up at quarter to five this morning, too. Today was also cold and cloudy all day long. I have been at home all day today, too. I was fixing my blog with PC all day. I was tired a little. There was almost no plan for me. By the way, I received two post cards from NHK today. I sent two replay-paid postcards last that have been in the drawer for a long time to NHK to enter the hall of NHK karaoke lesson on TV instead of her the end of last year and this month. Of course, she will not sing a song on the stage, she enter the hall as audience next month. I will not go to the TV show, but her face as one of the audiences may be broadcasted on the program all over Japan. You can see her face on TV. To enter NHK program is free. I sent two cards to them, and we get two cards to enter by drawing lots. We are really lucky! Thanks to NHK my mom can enter the TV show. (JAN/21)

Steel Tower I took this picture where I took a picture of my car. I used to climb a steel tower often as student. 

    1.21 AIR TEMP　36-21 'F (1.9 –5.9 'C)
 

I woke up at quarter to five this morning. Basically today was cloudy and cold day. It started a bit snowing like flying powder in the afternoon. My mom went to a temple in this city to practice Buddhism song at 9 a.m. and came home at half past three. I was at home all day long. So there was no news about me that I did not have to write. By the way, I got some CDs at auction site last night. It was mom's request to get one of Japanese male artist. His music was called "New Music" in Japan about from 30 years ago. But she did not know about him until now at all. She said to me in my car the other day when a car radio was listened to by us, his song came out there by chance. She said to me from backseat, "I know his voice! I happened to see him singing on TV for the first time last night. Don't you think his voice is fantastic? I have never heard the voice like his. Would you buy his CD?" because she knew his voice and face, though, she did not know his name. I taught his information I knew to her in the car. That's why I got his used CD instead of her last night. I heard my sister have been to his concert as he belonged to the group when she was young, but he said to audience, "This hall is too poor to give our concert." She got to hate him after the concert. It is true that he has a nasty tongue from as young. Anyway, I got his CD for mom, and got some used CDs of fusion from his store because one is almost the same postage if I would get some CDs there. By the way, today's picture is a road at side of Mt. Tabashine that I took on this Sunday. Whenever winder came to there, I drive on this narrow road once every winter at least. Of course, usually it is snowy road. But this day, it was too icy road like this because it was raining on the last night of that day. I did not find very well, but I got out of the car to take this picture for my diary, I found it was like a mirror for the first time. It was too dangerous to walk on the road. So my car looked like running on the ice. This road was white pushed snowy road usual winter, so I was not glad that road condition was. (JAN/20)

Icy Road My car is stopped on the almost ice. Very slippy! A road like this is called "Eisbahn" in German in Japan. 

    1.20 AIR TEMP　33-17 'F (0.1 –7.9 'C)

I woke up at half past four this morning, but I woke up once last night. I thought it was at 1 a.m. but it was at 11:25 p.m. according to net news. There was a little powerful earthquake. Today was cloudy and cold all day. We were under the freezing point all day long. By the way, my older sister came to my house at 11 a.m. She, mom and I were chatting in the living room, and we had a lunch together that she had bought at convenience store. I gave her a bag filled with a lot of sweet of LOTTE that I bought at New Year sale. Mom was going to go to a supermarket and her relation's house today, my sister drove her to the store at 3 p.m. (JAN/19)  

Kamekiti He is climbing on the hill. He likes to be on a high place. Whenever sunlight comes here, he wants higher.

    1.19 AIR TEMP　30-24 'F (-1.6 –3.9 'C)　　

I woke up at 5 o'clock. Today was a fine day. I was at home all day long as usual. By the way, you, one of regular visitors from old times, seems to know that know I had another digital camera, Polaroid, but you cannot see a picture with the camera these days, can you? I bought it on September 2004, and had been using it for my web page. I may be able to say that I started my web site by what I bought the digital camera. But I did not almost get to use it since I got a secondhand Olympus digital camera on January 2005 at auction site, just a year ago. I tried to use it after a long time on November, but it could not turn on to use. I thought it was almost broken while I did not use. However, I tried to challenge to use it for my site again a few days ago, because I did not drop down it on the ground and it was not soaked in the water. I had some sets of batteries of size AAA I bought at 100yen shop last year and so on. At first, I changed old battery to new one of 100yen shop. But it could not even turn on. Then, I took them off from the camera, and put other new one, Maxell, into the box. And then, it could turn on a green light of the camera at last. Maxell was old batteries, "2005-09" printed on them each, as the time until I can use them. I bought the set of the batteries at DIY store, a little expensive than 100yen shop. Maxell is in Hitachi, one of big Japanese electric companies. But I could take a picture a couple of pictures even with the batteries, and it turned own switch off automatically shortly. When I went to other 100yen shop for the first time, I tried putting Hitachi battery size AAA into the basket, it was twice price than a regular one at the store. As soon as I came home, I put the batteries into the Polaroid camera, but the camera could not light a green light that is a signal as a ready to start. "What?" They were new them that I just bought at store, and there was 2007-04 printed on it. I changed new them to old Maxell, it could turn on the light to start to use with no problem. Maybe I already found the camera did not have a problem and battery did not have a problem, too at that time with changing new them. So I tried to wipe the metal of the lid of the battery case as a test. Then, all batteries of 100yen shop and Hitachi could turn on the light to use. And another reason that it could not run right, I thought it was that it was not used for a long time. So it forgot to wake up with a little electricity. It had no problem with old battery that had a little electricity about when I used it often last winter. You should be able to see a picture you might miss with Polaroid in the near future. (JAN/18)

At Parking I took this picture when I came back here after cutting a thin bamboo down at hill to use Shinto altar.

    1.18 AIR TEMP　35-27 'F (1.4 –2.7 'C)

I woke up at 4:30. It was windy and a little snowy day. My uncle and aunt came to my house at 2 p.m. He was my dad's little brother.  They, mom and me were chatting in the living room until early evening.  They went back home at 5 p.m. It was to be five men whom I told in this year at last, mom, my sister,  nephew, and them . I want to chat with  Erica. It got to be one month since I did not get to see her. I miss her. (JAN/17)

   

My Car I put this plastic sheet on the car not easily, but northern strong wind from left was blowing hard like this.

     1.17 AIR TEMP　36-30 'F (1.9 –1.0 'C)　　　

I read contributions like this on the newspaper.

TELEPHONE NUMBER IS NEXT TIME AGAIN 
My daughter (19) who has never had a boy friend since she was born started working a part time job at a selling box of a public lottery. As soon as she went back to my home town for New Year's vacation, she told me about the story,  "A handsome man came to my selling place, and asked me my age and my birthday."I asked her if she got a boyfriend for the first time at last, though, she said it was a poor story that her data was referred to choose numbers for the public lottery by him.   

[Yamanashi (JA1-17)/ Father who hopes to be a happy goddess (56)]
JAN/14, 2006

[Prefecture/Pen-name (Age)] 

There was a memo paper on the table in the kitchen after mom called me for breakfast after 8 a.m. It was by mom. She wrote it on the paper to want me to send her to supermarket at 10 today. She said to me, "Look at that memo paper. Would you send me there?" I said to here as soon as I wrote it, "Basically there is no problem, it's okay." I drove her to nearby supermarket for her shopping at 10:20. I got into a bookstore next to the store while she was shopping, and bought a textbook of business English. And I was waiting for her in the car without car heater. I bring a can coffee heated in the pan on the stove with me and put it into the soft case, I tried to drink it after taking off from the case, but it did not almost get cool, so my lips could not touch the can to drink easily. I made it take the coat off to get cooler, I could drink it about when she came back to my car at last at 11. We head for the meeting place in front of the bankrupted supermarket and dropped her off. She and three her relations got together once a month at a fish restaurant for a mutual loan association. I went to a supermarket in the suburbs of this town after dropping her off. I heard the store had 100yenshop inside. I like shopping at 100yen shop. I put some things into the basket as I walked around the store. I spend $6 there. I called at a post office on my way home, because one of our New Year's cards won a prize. It was from my sister. I showed him the card, and got a set of postage stamp of dog. This year is dog year in Japan. We got 30 sheets of cards this year, but you are supposed to win the prize once per 50 cards as a probability. One year, we have had two sheets of postage stumps with 30 cards. I came home at 12:30. (JAN/16)  

       　　　

New Tire This new winter tire's name is North Trek N1 I bought them on New Year sale. They ran only 5km (3miles).

     1.16 AIR TEMP　47-25 'F (8.1 –3.8 'C)　

I woke up at 6:30. It was warm this morning. I had a drive by myself today after a long time. I left home at 11, and called at 100yen shop on the way at 12. I spent 1000yen there, and left there at 12:30. I drove snowy road. But it was warm and it was raining at 8 last night. Snow on the road was sloppy, I did not drive it easily than snowy road. I came home at 2 p.m. (JAN/15) 

 Old Snow Tire This tire almost took from the wheel by flat. I dug a hole to put a jack under body. Bridgestone.

   1.15 AIR TEMP　40-36 'F (6.4-2.4 'C)　

I read contributions like this on the newspaper.

A WAGE STRUGGLE (LUNCH UP) 
I am supposed to give a lunch box for my son who will go to a kindergarten from this spring, on Wednesday and Friday. I am talking with him these days,  " I'll put a deep-fried chicken for you." "And wiener, too." His dad who have a lunch box to his work place every day says, "Well, my lunch box will be also a good lunch box on Wednesday and Friday, right?"  He looked very hopefully...

[Akita(JA7-04)/sorry to you, always leftovers (39)]
JAN 14, 2006

 [Prefecture/pen-nam e(age)]

I woke up at 5, and got out of futon at 7 as usual. This morning was warmer morning than usual. There were so dark clouds in the sky from morning that it was cloudy all day. I was at home all day. Today seems to be warmer day, but it is 5(41) degrees in my room now, I certainly feel cold. According to TV news, they said it would start rain from today. There are so much snow that I think you cannot believe it in northern Japan and the side of Japan Sea of Japan. I heard the height of the snow is 14 feet! Those houses around there were built to enter the house and go out from the second floor. I mean, there is a entrance at the second floor, too. It will be rainy there, too, so almost news says a surface snow slide will be moved within a few days to call to people there for warning. Erica would say to me, "There is not much snow here than I thought, isn't it?" Erica is good at riding a horse. I think she has never ridden on the sledge of horse as a driver, but I think she can enrich her experience in the sledge soon like Santa Claus. By the way, I remembered I had got a terrible sore throat last Saturday. My throat is feeling better now. I do not want to get a hurt like that never again.  (JAN/14)  

My Car This is snowy place, so I should drive 4WD like this car. If I have a car like this, she would get into my car.
 

    1.14 AIR TEMP　39-32 'F (3.5 –0.2 'C)　　
 

I also have to write from this today, I woke up at 5 this morning. I must be an early bird. And I got out of futon at 7 a.m. as usual. It was cloudy all day. I was at home all day. But I sent e-mail to the local radio station this morning, too. But I was glad that the message was not read by him on the program. Yesterday, when I was listening to my message on the radio, my mom was on the passage of the second floor next my room to clean therewith the mop. She must not think the message that she heard there the announcer was reading on the radio from son's room was from her son. Anyway, let me show you today's message. "[On a plumber's truck: We repair what your husband fixed.] This is the words on the truck of the piping worker. DIY (do it yourself) is popular in Japan recently, too, but I think there are a lot of persons who are unsuccessful in the repair works. A husband tries to repair water pipe around water line by himself as DIY work, but he fails as the wife thought. That message is what we go to your house, when if you have the accident like that. My dad was a plumber, so he used to repair it at home by himself as a pro in the holiday. So we did not have to call them to repair again. And next one, [Warning! Driver Only Carries $20 In Ammunition] Drivers Only Carries… these words like that are words that we see on the back of the driver's sheet in a bus and cab often in the US. Usually it is Driver Only Carries $20, you know, it means that they did not have a change if you give me a bill of $50 of $100 usual, but it has another meaning that they do not have a lot of money not to get an attack by robbers. I think for only $20 is their nuclear deterrent. The words changes to other version, [Driver carries no cash, He's married] I do not have wife, but I do not have no cash. I wonder how Erica thinks me like that as her… By the way, basically these are from Mr. Sugita who is my teacher on the radio of Business English. "I almost do not take a taxi, I do not know how about the place in Japan, but we have never seen that message like in the US, I think there is a box for service tickets there in Japan. By the way, this picture is taken on the way for the test for a can coffee in the engine room by chance.  (JAN/13)   

     　　　

Cat Walking I happened to see this cat that took a walk around its house. I got enough space to go through cat. 

    1.13 AIR TEMP　34-18 'F (0.9 –7.4 'C)　　　

5 a.m. I woke up naturally. When I was outside to take a newspaper after listening to the radio at 7, there was snow of 1 cm height on the ground this morning, too. It lasts like that recently, but it lasts cold morning. Basically the skies were covered with thin clouds all day, so it was cloudy, but bright. As you know, I was also at home all day today. By the way, my e-mail message that I sent at 11:40 a.m. was read by male announcer on the AM radio at 11:50 a.m. this morning. In fact, I listened to his program yesterday, too. He said, "We give a massage form like this. She says she saw there was a sticker on rear glass of the car the other day." The sticker said, "My wife is getting on the car." He said about the message, "I don't know about the meaning, but do you understand what the sticker mean?" Then, coming today, the wave of his radio was being in the air today, too, so I turned on the PC and wrote a message for him. And then, as you know, my message started hearing from the radio on IBC, our prefecture's local radio station. I could listen to the whole message that I sent just minutes ago. The message was like this. " [If you can read this, I've lost my trailer.]  This is a words of a sticker stuck on the rear bumper you can see. The original words is [If you can read this, you are too close!] It is a warning to tailgating at first, but another variation came out. [If you can read this, you are in range.] These [English words] are from NHK business English I listened to every night." And I sent him e-mail about the same theme again soon. Like this, "[My other car is RR (Rolls Royce).] This words are words on the rear bumper of the car you can see easily now and then. Usually the sticker is stuck on a junk car. I mean, this car is a junk like this, but another one is a luxury automobile, such as, Rolls Royce. [My other car is also a piece of junk.] Ordinary it says on a bumper sticker, but it is a kind of joke that another car is also a junk I have in America. I heard you had a K car (0.66liter) like a little junk, so why don't you stick the sticker on your car's rear bumper? And if your wife takes a wheel of added car, you had better change the second sticker I taught."  We cannot see like these funny stickers in Japan. I have never seen them at least. We do not almost know jokes. Let me teach how to use a joke. One of general stickers on the rear window of the car that we see often is "A baby is in the car." Anyway, sorry, but change the subject, please click to see this picture. This is UCC can coffee that I put inside of the engine room. I am trying to test to make it go hot by the engine heat. I put it on the cover of exhaust mufflers of the steel cover directly. But I thought Erica would not drink it if she would see this, and it was a little loose to drive car on snowy road. That's why I put it into the cover that had been a can coffee for this can coffee that I made and carried. It was just fit like this picture. Basically it does not go unclean by mud and so on. I drove the car during 30 minutes on snowy road with the can in the steel cover, but when I opened the bonnet on the way home, it was not loosen at all, but it did not almost get warm to drink for he than I thought. Cold wind was coming into the engine room more under the body than getting warm. I found I should buy a hot can coffee that Erica wants to drink at a vender machine obediently whenever we go for a drive in the winter. (JAN/12) 

Coffee Testing I used to be here often in the car in 1987. I had no job, I read a book of US job I borrowed here. 

  1.12 AIR TEMP　32-26 'F (-0.2 –3.1 'C)　　

     　　
   

I woke up at 5 o'clock this morning. I turned on the radio immediately as usual. It was warmer morning than yesterday. But it was cold without doubt. It was fine all day. I was at home all day. Basically I was in futon in the morning after breakfast to learn English with a textbook. By the way, please click to see another picture. This is a passage of the second floor that my room was on the same floor, too. From right, this blue water bottle is Thermos Brand by Primo, it said on the bottom of the bottle it was made in England. I bought this pot for mountain climbing when I was in high school in Sendai in 1977. I liked climbing mountain about that time. I got it at only $5 then, but it was great gear for me despite very cheaply gear. So I started using it from a couple of days ago again to get warm for my body at desk. I cannot believe it from then that this water bottle can keep warm for hot water for a long time despite very cheap bottle from England. I used to go to the park in the mountain often where it had no person with the thermos bottle filled with hot tea in the winter by car before I bought PC five years ago. I parked my car at a parking lot of the park on the muddy ground without car's heater to listen to the FM radio of Tatsuro on Sundays afternoon. I took a chestnuts cream bread of my favorite I bought at supermarket to there with the bottle. I sometimes get warm with this bottle to touch and drink. It has the cup on the top. Next one, this is a black soft case I happened to see and bought at 100yen shop the other day, of course, it was for a hot-water bottle for my fingers. And then, I put an aluminum coating sheet between the soft case and the can bottle to keep warm more, and I put the bottle into the pocket of the padded kimono that you saw a couple days ago on this page usually. I put my right hand in gloves into the pocket to get warm often. And, UCC can coffee I bought on New Year sell at drugstore. I put it on the engine after opening the bonnet to make it get warm to drink on the road. Please come here for my page again tomorrow to see the picture. And the left can is only empty can of Dydo can coffee I bought at bender machine a few years ago, it has been left at home from then. And I opened the top of the can with the can opener to use in the bonnet, and I put the UCC can coffee into the can opened the top. It was a kind of holder for becoming a hot can coffee. I heard as soon as she get out of the bed Erica has a cup of coffee, you know, she likes having coffee. So I tried to get hot can coffee anywhere for her whether vender machines of coffee may notbe anywhere for us like in the mountain. (JAN/11)

     

Empty Bottle Left one is my finger warmer now. Right one is not used because it changed the shape by micro.  

 1.11 AIR TEMP　38-23 'F (-2.9 –4.9 'C)

   

This morning was the coldest morning in this winter here. There was a pan on the stove in the kitchen, but water in the pan was frozen this morning. I looked at the thermometer on the fridge door in the kitchen that it was 10 (50) degrees there at 10 p.m. last night. My mom is watching TV in the kitchen about until 10 p.m. every night with kerosene stove. A faucet and a shower tap were frozen in the bathroom, too. She turned the switch of the bath on to heat it to melt iced pipe at 10 a.m. They melted shortly. It was cloudy this morning, but it started snowing from 2 p.m., I was at home all day. Air temperature of my room is 1 (34) degree now. Of course, my legs were rolled with an electric blanket, and an electric foot-warmer was put under my feet in the blanket now without a kerosene fan-heater. There was a potted plant that had yellow pansy etc on the ground under the eaves, but I found they got weak by that cold, so I moved it into my room under the desk the day before yesterday. But the place is warmer a little than the former place because my room was not warmed for whole of the room. The pansy was given for mom from tofu store that have come once a week on her birthday on the last October. Those yellow flowers have been blooming near my feet now, too, despite quite cold place like this. As the sunlight begin coming into my room, the pansy begins opening their yellow flowers. I put dog food I bought yesterday in the bowl near the shed last night for fox, but they were left in the bowl this morning as it had been last night. I thought the fox did not know they were feed to be able to eat. They looked like tablets. Or, the fox did not come there last night. Would you look at another picture? This shed that was built in 1966 is ours, but this snow that has been sliding a little by little on the roof looks like a glacier carries a large number of stones and rocks on the ground to sea. As you can see, this snow includes dead leaves that had been on the roof. That snow catches those leaves and carries them here like a glacier by taking a long time. I already take a gutter off from the place like this picture before snowfall coming because snow like a glacier breaks it usual winter. (JAN/10)
    

Frozen glass This window is at passage of the second floor. This morning like this. Erica loves cold winter like it.  

    1.10 AIR TEMP　29-14 'F (-2.2 –9.5 'C)　

    

I woke up at 6 a.m. naturally as usual. By the way, a headache already went out of my head perfectly at that time. I could not believe it, but it was true there was not a side effect by the painkiller that I took yesterday at all. I was really surprised of that. It was a good medicine to make pain get well soon, but I used to be sure to get swollen on my left eyelid whenever I took the medicine before. I have been sad for a long time because I had not had a painkiller that make me get well since a couple years ago. That's why I found my painkiller at last! It is a really good news foe me. I think it become one of my good news this year. I appreciate my challenging spirit. It is cheap($4/20tablets) and I do not have to take two, adult has to take two usually, but I am enough by one to get well. It was a fine day today, and today was national holiday, Coming-of-Age Day. I think Erica would have become a saint in better times. Anyway, I went out by car noon. I headed for the drugstore at first. There was a new wheelchair at $17 in the store. Erica on TV used to ride it. I miss her. I bought a spray for throat for the first time at $4, and I found there were only two bags of dog food of half price in the basket. I put it into my basket. It was $2 at 4kg (8.8pounds). I do not have dog or cats at home, but I had bought a bag of fish for stray cat at 100yenshop before for as I rode motorcycle on the road. It was for foxes that live at around mountain like Hotaru. I walked to a bookstore opposite the store as my car was parking at the store. I bought a pocket notebook of 2006 because it was good one and half price, too. And then, today was holiday, so I did not went back home soon, I drove the car to the river mouth on snowy road. I checked direction of a compass filled with oil that I bought at 100yen shop the other day in the car, and checked a can coffee warmed up by stove at kitchen before I left whether it kept warm or not. It kept good warm to drink because it was covered with aluminum sheet I rolled. And I tried putting a can coffee that I bought at the drugstore on New Year sell at the engine to make it get hot to drink it in the car. I took some pictures of that trying so I would show you them in the near future. But it did not almost get warm when I stopped the car on the way home to check it. I came back home at 1:30 p.m. (JAN/9) 
  
    

At Entrance Please look at yesterday's picture. This lamp is on it. This is set here when this house was built in 1957.
　　 
    1.9 AIR TEMP　33-23 'F (0.2 –4.8 'C)

I thought I would not be able to sleep last night. But I could fall asleep, but I woke up every ten minutes until this morning. That's why I woke up a lot of times after going sleep, such as at 2:30, 3:40, 5:50 a.m. only when I looked at clock. I was really tired with that this morning from last night. That's because.. Let me tell you about the reason. I ate rice cake for dinner at 5:30 p.m. last night. It was a small one covered with seaweed, but it had a hard corner. I had a lot of rice cakes then. And I started feeling a stomachache from 7 p.m. I was already in futon, I put a disposable portable body warmer, steel powders in paper bag, on my stomach to get warm for that. Then I took a stomach medicine because it did not get well easily, and I got into a bathroom, but anything did not come out, so I wondered if I would have a renal calculus. I returned to my futon soon. But I had a stomach again, I visited a bathroom a couple times with a radio after 8 p.m. I felt better my stomach after that, but next, I get to have a sore throat. It was hurt a few days ago by fried noodles in nose, but this time was really hard pain. My throat got hard. So I could not get to swallow even spit easily suddenly. But my mouse watered by that, I had to swallow watered spit. Whenever I sent it to the gullet, I felt a terrible shock at my skull, of course, harder my throat got terrible pain at the same time. I thought the reason was having that rice cakes for dinner despite hurting throat. I put a candy for sore throat into my mouse, but it was not got effect of anything. The stomache passed over, but terrible sore throat came to me next time, on top of that, I got to have a really cold fit even though I was in futon with an electric blanket of the strong place of the switch. I wondered if I was a flu, but I did not have a fever. Anyway, I felt so cold despite the hot electric blanket. It was at Saturday night, I had to wait to Monday to go to a hospital. I turned on the radio for recreation and was listening to voice of Kchan and Harabo. I turned off the radio at 12 a.m. to sleep, but I found I could not sleep because I could not swallow my spit easily. I noticed we swallow own spit automatically by that. But I could not swallow own spit because it was really painful, so I could not do automatically. My mouse had been watering by spit without exit. So I could fall asleep at last, but I had to swallow filled spit in my mouth whenever it was full, I got a terrible shock and I was awoken up again and again until this morning every 10 minutes. When I woke up 5:50 a.m. at the end, I thought I tried to cover my throat with leek in cloth today, or I thought I went to a drugstore to buy a spray for sore throat. In fact, I had taken a painkiller that I had had side effects on my body before at 2 p.m. yesterday because I had a slight headache and I had no painkiller to get better for my headache any more. So I have picked it up at the store last month at last. I wondered if my cold fit was by that. I would find the reason shortly, because I took the painkiller again at 12:30 p.m. today. It could get well for my headache from half hour later anything could not get well after taking the painkiller. I might be able to find my painkiller at last. (JAN/8) 

    

At Entrance This is a decoration for New Year. You can see there're these like this most Japanese houses now.

  1.8 AIR TEMP　30-20 'F (-1.5 –6.2 'C)　

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. but I kept staying in futon and listening to the radio until 6:45. I do not have textbooks of those basic-English courses,  but I listen to the programs every day. I did laundry for the first time of this year from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. after having meal because I took a bath last night. Mom just also did laundry after me. It was fine weather from this morning, but I heard it was the coldest in this winter here in this morning. I went to a 100yen shop by car this morning. My nail clipper I had been using for a long time was broken recently, and the lighter that I bought at100yen shop, mom had used to light a stove, was broken a few days ago. It could supplement gas, so we had been using it for three years or so despite 100 yen ($0.9). A gas bottle for those gas lighters was 100yen. It was made for outdoor, the nozzle was quite long. But it could not light after putting gas into the lighter, so I was shaking the lighter to raise gas pressure because it was cold in the kitchen, next, the long nozzle was broken from the base of that and dropped on the floor. We used the yellow one when we went to a temple to visit dad's grave and light joss sticks for him. Of course, I bought that type that could supplement gas. I put a set of chopsticks into the basket, too. That's because I have some kinds of chopsticks, but they are an only bar each, not a couple. I mean, there are some chopsticks that have missing partners each in the kitchen. Chopsticks are useful by a couple. It just looks like a married couple. In fact, the one plastic bag had two couple of chopsticks, red and navy, you know, they are for a pair of matching chopsticks for the use of a married couple. But I am a single. So I gave mom a red one instead of my wife in future when we ate cup noodles I bought at supermarket for lunch. Anyway, I left the store and headed for a supermarket on my way home. I bought the cup noodles, bread full with cream in the store, I had a bag from home so I did not need a plastic bag for them. I copied the music words to five pieces of papers at 50 yen before leaving the store because mom asked me to do it. I came home in an hour at 11:30. It was colder winter this year after an interval of 20 years, according to TV news, I have been charging the battery of the car without taking it off from the place as soon as I came home to be on the safe side for the car. By the way, this room on today's picture is a tokonoma (alcove). There is a square bamboo, but I heard it was given my parents, a newly-married couple, from my dad's older brother when this house was built in 1957 before I was born. The dad's brother already died on the road to go to work at age of about 55, about 25 years ago. (JAN/7)   

My Wear This is a Japanese traditional jacket at home. I bought this padded kimono at DIY shop $14 last month. 
 
    1.7 AIR TEMP　30-16 'F (-1.5 –8.6 'C)　

I woke up at 3:40. Whenever I wake up every morning, I look at a digital clock immediately at futon on for my journal. But I had a sore throat a little then. I wondered if I had a cold. No, maybe I thought it was because a fried noodle that I ate for dinner had seemed going into my nose last night. It did not go out of my nose easily. So I made it try to come out again and again, my throat must get a hurt a little. A candy for a sore throat was got into my mouse. I did not feel sleepy at all, I lay awake in futon. I had to go to a hut to take out a trash bag this morning, soI got out of futon at 6 a.m. It was snowing in the dark. There was 2 cm(1inch) snow on the ground. I gave up to ride a scooter to go there, I tried to use a plastic sledge that I picked up at the hut. It was in the hut with rubber chains as junk a couple years ago. It was for the first time that I used a sled to put it out. But it was for children, so the rope was short for me. I was pulling the rope of the sled that the trash bag was on it, but there was not enough snow to pull a sled than I thought, it made a noise to scratch violently on the ground. I thought there I should use a handcart as usual if I knew there was a thin snow like this. I walked there for 5 minutes on snowy road, and put in there, and headed for home soon. It was easier on my way home because the sled was light. But I got wet my body despite easy work. I took off my T shirt and put new one on. I took a cold medicine because I could not wait for meal before having breakfast by way of precaution. I felt sleepy by the medicine and lack of sleep after that, I slept from 7 to 8:30 in futon, and could sleep from 9 to 11 a.m. after having breakfast again. My throat felt better than before. It was snowing in the early morning, but it changed to a fine sky. But it started snowing from 3:30 p.m. again. By the way, I began my blog from last March, I did not know that I had a lot of comments by my guests who visited to mine from last April until yesterday at all. I am sorry about it. Would you visit to my journal to read and see now and then? I really hope you come to my page again, and give me a comment if you like. I was at home all day as usual. (JAN/6) 

   

My Sled I found there was a sled as junk in the hut a couple years ago. I took the sled and rubber chains to home. 

　 1.6 AIR TEMP　30-23 'F (-1.6 –5.0 'C)　　

As I woke up this morning, it was at 7 o'clock. Mom had been sleeping in bed yet as I went to downstairs. It was a sunny day today. I was at home all day. As you know, I wore an electric blanket and an electric foot warmer at the desk to get warm, but they were cheaply warmer. But my fingers that were typing a keyboard for my journal were always cold at the desk. So I gave them hot water in a drink bottle yesterday. It was a good warmer for my finger. I poured hot water into a small aluminum bottle from a pot yesterday, but I put the bottle into the microwave after pouring it into the bottle from the pot because it was tepid water. But I noticed it did not get warm easily. I worried about it was made from aluminum before I put in the microwave. Micro-wave cannot pass through aluminum. I mean, tepid water in the bottle does not get warm even though it was in the microwave. The tepid water was pouring into the small plastic bottle that was for milk tea instead of that, and was put into the micro. It got hot shortly. But I put it on the electric blanket between my thighs at the desk and my finger got warm by it whenever I put them on it. BUT I happened to open the screw of the bottle by my finger there before I knew, next, my finger in the gloves felt wet and warm. The electric blanket got wet by hot water, so I thought I might get a shock, but I kept wearing it because it was put on the under a bed sheet to use, so if we wet my bed, we should get a shock by that. Mom also had got wet by broken hot-water bottle in the bed on New Year Day. And I am putting gloves I got as a present for a box of beer when I bought at store the year before last on except for not using a keyboard, I found them when I tidied in the closet in my room. They are warmer. There is a dog character on them each. This year is the dog year in Japan, China, and Taiwan. It is a good timing I wear them. (JAN/5)  

Erica's Favorite This is a can sweet drink made from fermented, alcohol 1%, and a nandin is in the snow garden.   

    1.5 AIR TEMP　 36-27 'F (1.9 –2.7 'C)　

I woke up at 5:30, and I tuned on the radio to listen to a couple of English courses that began from today in this year until 7 a.m. It was a fine from morning. My sister's family came to my house by her car at 11 a.m. and they went back home at 3 p.m. I drank three can beers there. Mom and I with them watched the video of a New Year's party with mom's relatives at mom's parents home in January 2001. I was singing a song on the video. Of course, mom was, too. Particularly she was enjoying with the video. I watched it for the first time today even though it was in the living room for five years. (JAN/4) 

My Car This is my car covered with plastic blue sheet. I put it on it not to make snow pile on it for the first time.  

I woke up at 7, I watched historical TV drama until 23:30 last night. It was fine this morning, but it started snowing from 9:30 a.m. It has been snowing even now after that. I watched TV for Hakone University Ekiden, it was a long-distance relay road race between Tokyo to Hakone in the mountain. They ran from Tokyo to Hakone at 860m height yesterday, and they went back to Tokyo from Hakone from 8 a.m. today. I went to a drugstore by car at 10:30 after watching the downhill in the road race. I bought a radio control 4WD car there. It was on a leaflet for New Year sell of the store, too. It was only $9. 10 boxes of the cars were left in the store yet. When I went to the store on New Year Day, I saw them in the store, I had thought I wanted it to buy. I came home with the toy car at 11 a.m. As soon as I got into my room, I put batteries into the car. But It did not ran. There was not response at all. I already put a plastic sheet on the car, and I wanted to return it to the store. I tried to put the batteries into there three times, and it could run for the first time. That’s a relief. I have bought a radio control car in Tokyo about 10 years ago for my nephew as his present, but it was for the first time all my life that I had a radio control car. I have wanted that car since as a child. It was one of my dreams about from then. The dream came true at last today. It was too expensive that I had that car as child. I have made it run on the snow in my garden once, my nephew brought it that I had given him about 6 years ago, I borrowed it from him, and I drove the radio control car for the first time. One of my dreams cam true then. The car I gave him about $50 at department store in Tokyo about 10 years ago. I drove my dream car on the passage in the second floor, and next PC room on tatami mat, too. I played a rally driving of PC game last night after a long time because it was New Years, but when I watched the display, I felt sick soon by the game. So I wanted to drive the real toy car last night more. I was really happy I could get it. (JAN/3)

    

New Car This is so big for me. The battery is size D. It can turn on the headlights, blue & red lights on the roof. 

I woke up at 7o'clock. I wrote New Year cards at the desk. I went out by car at 10:30. I drank a hot can coffee warmed in the pan on the stove, I had bought yesterday, in the car when I was driving the car to there. I dropped them into a mailbox and went to DIY store. I bought a hot-water bottle that mom asked me to buy. It was made from plastic with a cloth bag at $4.5. My car wore new tire, so I did not go back home soon, I drove it on the snow road.  It was really fun that driving car on the new snow.  I came home at 11:30. The skies were covered with thin clouds. (JAN/2)  

Rice Cake These dishes were given to god of Shinto by mom. Each all dishes have rice cakes in it. I ate them. 

I woke up at 5:30 as usual. I went to futon at 10:30 last night after taking a bath. I got out of futon at 6:30 and I was reading a newspaper and a lot of leaflets inserted in the newspaper for New Years sell at kotatsu heater in the living room as TV was running. I could ate ozoni, a kind of rice cake in soup, made by mom with her at 10 a.m. at last. And I went to a car shop at 11 a.m. but my plan was at 8 a.m. to go there. So I already gave up to buy new snow tires before got there. But there was a set of snow tires in front of the store yet when I arrived at the store. I thought I could not go into the parking lot, but I was a lucky that my car could park at the only one space. The leaflet said that they had only three set of the snow tires. I found one of the sets was in front of the store outside, so I called a man clerk to get it soon. I paid $223 as the total price there, but it was $160 for the tires, and $55 the wages and $8 for the cost of four old-tires disposal as junk. I was waiting for changing to new snow tires at the store for one hour. Anyway, they were in the New Years sell, so it was crowded by many customers than usual, so I had to wait more time than usual. So I got into the convenience store next to the store because I was boring, but I happened to find a bottle of chewing gum that I had been looking for a long time from last summer at the store. The chewing gum was lemon taste, and it was what my nephew gave me at our driving to sea. I asked him where I could get it often after that, but I went to the store that he asked to me, but there was not that at any stores until now. So I got it two there. I get my car that put new tires on at 12 p.m. at last. After leaving from the store, I saw a signboard that it said 113 yen per a liter soon. I got into the gas station as soon as I saw it. At first I did not believe it because general unleaded gasoline was 130 yen, but I tried to put the gas to fill up the tank at the self service station, the receipt said that it was 113 yen a liter, so total cost was $24 because I put gas 25.5 liter to the tank. I was good shopping by chance. And I called at a drugstore because I saw a leaflet of the store this morning. I bough a box of can coffee (30 cans) for me at $83, and took a bag of sweets of LOTTE for my sister as New Year present because she gave me a present often. And called at another store of the drugstore chain that we went to often. A box of energy drinks that my mom drank usually was left a couple of in the store yet. I did not have doubt about that I bought it. A box had 50 drinks at $165, because I went to the store to get it because I saw a leaflet of the store this morning. I came home at 12:40 p.m.  I went to the New Years sell for the first time in all my life, but it was fun event and not crowded than I thought, so I was going to go next year, too. (JAN/1)

First Sunrise This is the sunrise of New Year's Day from my house. I thought I could not see the sun this year.