Japanese Fireworks "Hanabi"

Hanabi means fireworks. [hana=flower, bi(hi)=fire]
Hanabi is very famous and popular event of Japanese people.


Especially summer season,
big and small hanabi festival held on many places in Japan.


Every year ,the last Saturday in July, Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai
(Sumida river fireworks festival) is held.


Sumida_river is one of the mainly river in north east area of Tokyo.
The river runs between big cities.
The point that this fireworks festival is harmony of big fireworks and big cities.


This hanabi festival started about 280 years ago.
Recently, 20,000~22,000 wonderful fireworks are launched.
About one million people visit seeing & enjoy.


when you come to Japan, if the schedule matched, please go to watch hanabi.
It will become a good opportunity that you feel Japanese culture.


You can see the hanabi events information at this site.

http://japan-fireworks.com/eindex.html

Rainy season has passed.

Rainy season has passed already.
Japan is summer now.

This 3~4days , over 30℃.
It's a violent sunshine.

But Japanese summer is a good season for drinking beer.
Do you like drinking beer ?
I like it.

In this season, Japanese people likes cold lager beer.

I will write about Japanese beer other time.
 
 

Japanese rainy season.

Japane is a rainy season(east asian rainy season) now.

(except Hokkaido)

Japanese people called rainy season "tsu yu (梅雨)"　

The rainy season starts in the first ten days of June,
and continues until the end of July.
(almost 40 days or more)

It will rain(or cloudy weather) 4days or more in one week.
It is very sultry. Uncomfortable season.

If you will come to Japan in this season, don't forget umbrella.

But rain falling at this season is very important to the growth of grain.
Japan is a country of rice.

Only beautiful hydrangea(ajisai) improves our feelings.

Great debut of pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

When I was a Junior high school & high school student,
I was a member of school baseball team as a pitcher.
Now, I still love baseball. Especially, I like MLB.

Because MLB's ball park atomosphere is very nice.
Japanese ballpark is too loud(cheereaders) for me.

By the way,
I watched Stephen Strasburg's MLB debut highlight on internet.
That highlight is gethering of his taking strike out scene.

Of course his fastball is very nice.
It's not only that, he can throw good change up, breakingball, 2seams.
His good control gave him strike count easy.
It was especially impressive that his fast ball to out low when he against the left handed batter.
It was a very strong ball.

I heard Strasburg is biggest rookie and good pitcher.
But he's debut pitching was exceeded my imagination.

But his career just started.
I hope he will keep good condition, no injury.

I'm looking forward to watching his good pitch  this season.

Suicide problem of Foxconn and Apple.

Recently I want to buy next generation iPhone.
I like Apple products.

But now , there is a big problem.

The problem is a lot of people suicide in chinese electric company Foxconn.
Foxconn is parts making company for Apple(iPad,iPod,iPhone) and
other big computer company(Dell,Intel,HP).

http://gizmodo.com/5553223/another-foxconn-employee-dies-after-working-34+hours-straight

According to news report,
In this year about15 people died by themselves at Foxconn factory.

15 people.... is too many !

I will stop buying Apple products until this problem will be clear.

A horrible working environment might be concealed in the manufacturing process of
other products that I am using.

However, I have no way to know that.

But I want to do something for the things if I could know.

good beer

I drank good ale beer a few weeks ago.

Lunch at Tamahchi ,Tokyo

A few days ago I went to Japanese food restaurant to eat lunch.

I chose boiled red sea bream head with soy sauce (and sugar).
Red sea bream is called TAI(鯛) in Japanese.

My favorite fish is red sea bream.
Even if it is cooked by any way, I like it.
Rare, boild, grilled, all nice.

I took the photograph of the lunch plate that I had chosen.
It is 950JPY(=10$).
Including rice & japanese style soup fee (eat free).
I was very satisfied with this lunch.
Because good volume and taste was strong and delicious.
Boild fishes with soy sauce is Japanese soul food.

Ramen dinner in Gotanda

Last week Friday night , I went to Gotanda to eat dinner with my friend.
Gotanda is one of a business and residential town in Yamanote line of Tokyo.

This time , we ate Tonkotsu Ramen at Hakata Ippudo.
The origin of Tonkotsu Ramen is Fukuoka prefecture.
I was born in Fukuoka. I like Tonkotsu Ramen.
(Fukuoka is a part of Kyushu.
Kyushu is an island in the west of Japan. )

You can see the detail of Ramen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen

Ippudo is famous Ramen franchise shop.
Ippudo's Tonkotsu Ramen is normal and basic taste.

I think...
When you come to Japan, If you were interested in Tonkotsu Ramen ,
then go to Ippudo is not bad choice.

It was simple but good Ramen dinner night.

Tokyo bar night at Jiyugaoka

Jiyugaoka is one of the famous town in middle west of Tokyo.
It's a very nice town for living.
There are good shopping area and nice food shops, good traffic location,
and safety.
Not a few foreign people are living in this area.

My house is near Jiyugaoka.
(about 2km=1.2miles from Jiyugaoka)
So I go to Jiyugaoka at weekend often.

Last week Saturday night I went to one of Irish pub/bar at Jiyugaoka.
In that bar, the 6th anniversary party was held.
Many people were there.

Then, about 10～25％ people were foreign people.
I talked with American, Dutch, Brazilian and English people.

Usually , that bar is normal Irish pub/bar.
But sometimes, weekend,  Irish music band or dance music DJ playing.

The bar staff and drinking people are always nice.
It was a nice night.
So I had drink too much.

Complex weather of Tokyo

                             
Recently, Tokyo has complex weather.
Today and yesterday was good and warm weather.
If you are the person sensitive to heat,
only wearing T-shirts is ok.

But 2days ago, it was so cold and rainy day.
When I went to chiropractic and body massage place ,
I was wearing a dawnjacket.
I felt, The season returned to winter. (of course not.)

A cold day and a warm day come alternately.
I had never experienced such a changeable weather in April.

In Japan,This April weather is very curious.


postscript 4/15
According to internet news, todays Tokyo is colder than Moscow.