HIROSHIMA

Today is the New Year's eve! I can't believe how fast time goes by!!

It seems like only a couple months ago when we saw last year's Kohaku.



Anyway, I went to Hiroshima last weekend. It was my second visit there.
I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the museum.
At the center of the park, there is a monument that covers a Cenotaph holding the names of the people killed by the atomic bomb.


The Cenotaph says, "Repose ye in Peace, for the error shall not be repeated."

There is another monument called Peace Flame. You can see through the flame and the A-bomb dome on the picture.
The peace flame has burned continuously since 1964, and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed. When would that be???
I hope very soon....

I wish everyone in the world a happy new year of 2009. LOVE

Beautiful!

Yesterday, I went to see a play of which I wrote a script.

It was going pretty well. I am glad that the audience seemed to enjoy it very much.

There was a beautiful Christmas tree near the theater. How pretty!!

Today, every decoration in the city has been changed from Christmas to New Year! It sure is the busy time of the year...

Meryy Christmas!

Well, sorry guys...it's been a long time since I last wrote my blog...

Thank you for sending messages to me anyway.

Last three month, I was very busy and stressed out mainly by working on a computer. Whenever I work on a computer for a long time, I get a bad headache... (It might be something to do with my getting the lasik eye surgery. )

So, my doctor recommended me not to look at a computer screen as much as possible.

Now, I finally finished writing two scripts and am back to this blog!!

(^^) I will try to update this blog more often.

Well, it's Christmas eve! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. Me?? I am busy writing new year cards...(^^;)

Below is the sign inside of the showcase at a noodle restaurant. It says "Table SHEETS upstairs"....

Yokohama

Last week, I had a job in Yokohama for 4 days. So, I stayed at a hotel close to the site.

This is the night view from my room. It's pretty, isn't it?

This area is known as a romantic place. I saw many young couples enjoying the night view on the weekend...while I was working...

New family

In Japan, there is a saying "Atusa samusa mo higan made" means after "higan", the summer heat or the winter cold ends and start the next season.

It is so true!! It got much cooler after September 23rd,the autumnal equinox.

During "higan" or "other shore", memorial services take place at temples and people make visits to graves to comfort the sprits of their ancestors.

I went to my hometown and visited my ancestors' grave since I couldn't do that during Obon season.

It was nice to get together with my family and see our big cat still being big...(^^;)

And one of my elder brothers now have a puppy!!

He is soooo cute!!!!

His name is Win, a three month old Welsh Corgi. I love dogs!! I wish I could keep one at my apartment in Tokyo...

Birthday

As Takashi mentioned, my birthday used to be always "Respect for the Aged Day" until 5 years ago but because of the Happy Monday system, it hadn't been a holiday for a while.

Although this year, since the 15th was Monday, I could enjoy a day off on my birthday.

So, I went to see a movie called "Okuribito" which won the top jury prize at the Montreal World Film Festival. It was very good. I don't know how many times my tears rolled down my cheeks...

The film is about an out-of-work cellist who returns to his hometown, Yamagata prefecture, and becomes an undertaker...to be precise, a profession who cleans, dresses, and puts make up on remains. It was interesting enough to learn about that job and rituals. All of the actors are great except Ryoko Hirosue...she seems too young as a wife of the main charactor.

Anyway, if you get a chance, please watch the film!!

Sorry...

I was being lazy and so as my computer! It was on strike for a while...
Now it's back ! Thanks god!

Here are some pictures from the play. I'm glad it received quite nice remarks. Now that it's over, I feel a bit lonely ...as a common saying "The lull after the festival"

Anyway, last night, some of the cast from the play went to a Okonomiyaki restaurant, owned by a family of one of our members. The food there was excellent! We enjoyed it so much.

And after we finished eating, they surprised me with a birthday cake! Yes, my birthday is tomorrow the 15th! It was great birthday eve eve for me!

Play

Wow! It's been a while... I was tied up with the play rehearsals and writing a script for another play. Sorry!

So, the Olympics is over! Did you enjoy it? I couldn't watch most of the games on live but I enjoyed watching the highlight scenes every night. It's great to see the athletes from all over the world get together for this special event.

But I felt so sorry for a Japanese marathon runner Mizuki Noguchi, a gold medalist of the Athens Olympics, who had to give up on joining the event at the last minute due to the injury... I can't imagine how hard her decision was for her... She had practiced for 4 years just for this 2 week event. Well, maybe she can try for the London Olympics!! I hope so!

Anyway, yesterday was the opening night of our play. The audience seemed to enjoy it so I am pretty much relieved now.

The drama takes place at an old hotel of 1970s.

I will take pictures of the stage and me today and put them up tomorrow!
GANBARIMASU!

Matsuri!

It is summer festival season!

A lot of places in Japan have Matsuri this time of the year, close to Obon.

Asagaya where my theater company have rehearsals has Tanabata matsuri this week. You may think tanabata is in July but some regions have the festival based on the Japanese lunisolar calendar, which is about a month behind the current calendar.

Inside of the shopping arcade, colorful decorations and lantern are hung. There are also some unique figures, like the one in the picture.

]It is Ponyo, a popular charactor of the new Hayao Miyazaki's animation film.

The street was so crowded that I could hardly walk! But it was fun looking at stands and decorations!

HOT!!!

Since I was asked to write a play script for a major production, I have been quite busy these days...

Anyway, it's been really hot in Tokyo!! I have started to carry a parasol a couple years ago and I am amazed how much it works!
Wearing a hat is better than nothing but it makes me sweat. A parasol keeps me cool and it doesn't mess my hair up.
So many women use parasols in Japan just like the picture...but not men.
Why don't they make summer parasols for men???
If they change the image of parasols, men can use them without hesitation.
What do you think?

Wedding party

Yesterday, I went to my friend's wedding party.

It was one of the most exciting party I had ever attended. So much fun!! Since both bride and groom are actors, they know how to entertain people.

Congratulations, Sayuri and Shige! (^o^)

I love going to wedding parties.

When I was younger, I worked at wedding reception hall for a while. And even though I knew nothing about them, I was moved and cried at each reception...

It is one of the greatest moment of people's lives!

Play

Yes, I am a stage actress and a playwrite. And the performance is coming up next month! We are now busy getting ready for the play.
I will put more information later!

Anyway, I forgot to mention that I saw Kimie the other day. We had dinner and saw a performance together. It was a lot of fun! As Kimie mentioned in the radio, she will perform in Ginza this Friday and I will go to see her. Can't wait!

It's been almost 4 month since I left the show...time flies!! (>_<)

The Winds of God

It's been really hot for a few days in Tokyo although "tsuyu" or the rainy season hasn't been over yet...

Anyway, I saw a play called "The Winds of God" the other day.
It is a story of two young comedians.
One day they were hit by a truck and when they woke up, it was a whole different world...They were back in August 1945 as Kamikaze pilots!!
It is not a story that praises kamikaze pilots but it appeals how futile wars are. How much it brings sadness to everyone.

The play was written by an actor Masayuki Imai 20 years ago and even became a movie.
The one I watched recently was played by young actors who toured around the country to show the play to high school students.
It was the 4th time for me to watch the same play but I still enjoy it.

At first, the students were busy talking to their fellows and not concentrating on the play, but towards the end, they were drawn to it and many of them were even sobbing.

I believe it is important to send anti-war message to younger generations NOT to make same awful mistakes!!

sign

This is my relative's neighborhood.

The sign says "Dad, please don't fight with mom."

Well. . . . (^_^ ;)

It has been there for ages.

Why??????? I wonder...

I am back!

Hey guys! Sorry it took me a while to update this blog.
I was in Kyushu last week and Osaka on weekend.










In Kyushu island, I visited Ohita and Kumamoto prefectures.
They have good hot spring spots and the nature in Aso area is just beautiful!! I truly fell in love.

By the way, I have a question.
In your country, which side of an escalator do people stand? In Japan, we usually keep one side open for those who wants to walk up an escalator (especially in big cities with many people).
In Tokyo, people stand on the left side while in Osaka, people stand on the right side! I always get confused when I go to Osaka...

Long night

Two nights ago, after I enjoyed dinner with my friends, I took the last train to go home. It usually takes me about 45 minutes to my home but on that day, it took me 3 and a half hours...

I left the restaurant 11:50 at night. The train was late but I wasn't worried about it too much because the last train tends to be late. Anyway, I got on the train around 12:20, and it was 1:30am when I got to the transfer station. I found out that the last train from that station had left way before we got there. The train was late not because of an accident with casualties but a trouble of a signal or something.

JR staffs kept saying they are trying to run a special train but didn't know when. I was told that it would come in about 10 minutes but ended up waiting for more than 1 hour. It was already around 2:40am when a train came although that train didn't go all the way to my station. So after I got off at the closer station, I had to wait for a taxi...
It was at 3:40am when I finally got home.

Can you imagine how tired we were?? When the last train came, so many people were lying on the seats or the floor and sleeping...

While waiting for the train, some people were screaming at station attendants asking for taxi fare, some people were logically explaining how JR violated the law, and many others were just waiting for a train to come quietly.

I personally came to enjoyed the situation. Being an actress and a playwright, I like watching people and learning their behavior. The situation like that is a perfect drama setting!! ...Although I wouldn't want to be in the situation again...

Good luck!

Yesterday, I woke up with a small tremor. When I turned on TV, there was a big earthquake in northern region. 6 people died and 11 others are still missing... Hope they will be found alive very soon...


Hoshide san is back from the space today. I am glad he came back safely. Can't wait to hear about his experience!!

Anyway, I saw my friends the other day at Izakaya! Izakaya is like a Japanese style pub. Nowadays, there are many small semi-private rooms so that we can enjoy our conversation without a disturbance.

It was great seeing them-- Ben, Kenji, and Amy! Amy is leaving for the States soon. Since she has been a great supportive friend, I will miss her a lot... Good luck Amy! (^^)

How sad...

Did you hear about yesterday's murder case in Akihabara? It was an awful incident... The murderer drove into a crowd by a truck and hit 3 people, then stabbed randomly with a big knife. 7 people were killed and 10 others were injured.
I'd like to extend my deep condolences to those victims.

According to the news, the criminal said he just wanted to commit murder, it didn't matter who he killed.
The news also said he was a good student in junior high school but after becoming a student of a prestigious high school, he couldn't keep up with other students--that was when he started to see himself as a looser.

What does a "good student" mean in this society? It means a student who can get high scores on tests, get in a good college, and work at a big company...at least that's what he and his parents thought...
Maybe he couldn't follow the ideal pass of his own, but he is only 25 years old. He could have had many many other dreams.
Why did he had to kill so many innocent people??? Why did he give up so easily??

I don't know... but only if he had someone close who could've listen to his problem, things might have been different...

Veteran's interview

Hoshide san is doing a great job in space. I am happy to see his smiling face on TV! I can't wait to hear about his mission when he gets back.

A few days ago, I interviewed Mr. Masazumi Utada, an 88-year-old veteran of World War II. It was part of my volunteer work. I have been a member of NGO called "Senjyo taiken eizo hozon kai"--an organization which tries to preserve videos of ex-soldiers' interviews.

Mr. Utada was sent to New Guinea in 1944 and survived in the severe condition. Since the Japanese military had no way to send food, medicine, nor weapons to the soldiers, so many people died in the jungle due to the starvation and malaria. He said they ate anything that looked edible, such as weed, frogs, snakes, grasshoppers, maggot, even their own shoes...

He also told us how they had killed native people and how sorry he was.

After two hours of interview, Mr. Utada said, "We must not go into war again. Never!" I believe we the younger generations must learn from the history and carry on the messages.

Exotic Japan?

I found these dolls at a shop in Nice.

I think they supposed to be Japanese geisha but ...hmmm... When I watched a Hollywood movie "Sayuri" I felt the same way.

It is great that people in other countries are interested in Japanese culture but I think it is important to let them know the REAL culture.

So many foreign people can't tell the differences of Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. After all, we are all Asian. Maybe it is the same everywhere. I can't recognize cultural differences of African countries, to be honest.

But if I decided to make a movie or a doll of that country, I would research them and try to make them with much respect. What do you think?

Anyway, in early morning of June 1st Japan time, Japanese astronaut Mr. Akihiko Hoshide is going to the space!! I am quite excited because he is my friend. When I was hosting a TV show about 5 years ago, he was one of our guest. Mr. Hoshide and I got along pretty well and have kept in touch ever since. He invited me to the Kennedy Space Center to see him off but I couldn't arrange the schedule...

So, I am getting up early tomorrow morning to watch his shuttle to launch on TV. Ganbatte!!

My trip to Cannes

At the film festival, if you wanted to see the movie at the main hall in the evening, there was a dress code for everyone. Men needed to wear suits & bow ties while women needed to wear dresses. It was a unique and fun experience to dress up and watch movies!

Anyway, I love movies so I never got tired of watching them. But I found that many movies of the Cannes' competition section are quite depressing...

So, one day I decided to watch a movie which was not in the competition of Cannes' but in the Berlin's.

It was a German film called "Cherry Blossoms -Hanami-" which I enjoyed very much. I was in tears throughout the whole movie. If it ever come to your countries, please watch it.

Bonjour!

I am back from Cannes! It was a great trip.

I enjoyed great food, nice view, and the atmosphere of the International Film Festival.

Although it rained for several days but when it cleared up it was just beautiful with the blue skies and clear ocean. (The French Riviera is called "Cote d'Azur" in French which means "the Blue Seaside".)

In the area, there are many small villages. The buildings there are old and pretty like the picture on the left. It was fun walking around the village.

This is a view from Eze Village which is about 20 minutes bus ride from Nice. We ate French cuisine there.

More reports on Cannes will be up soon! (^^)

And the International Film Festival!!

I am going to Cannes

I am leaving for Cannes in Southern France on Wednesday! It is part of my job but I am quite excited!
I have been to Nice before, but never been to Cannes. Has anybody been there? If yes, please let me know good places to visit there!

Japanese dance

I have studied Japanese Dance ("Nihon buyo" or "Nichibu") quite a while. We had a performance the other day. I danced "Urashima", a dance based on Japanese old tale "Urashima Taro", and "Tsukiji Akashicho" which is based on a picture of Geisha painted by Kiyokata Kaburaki.
"Urashima" is Otoko Odori (a male dance) and "Tsukiji Akashicho" is a female dance.
It was difficult dancing totally opposite kinds of dance....But my friends who came to see the performance seemed to enjoy them.

Now I feel sore all over my body!!

Golden Week

Today is "Greenery day" or "Midori no hi" in Japan. So, I went to Shinjuku Gyoen (my favorite park in Tokyo) to enjoy fresh green. The photo on the left was taken at Japanese garden.

It usually costs 200 yen to get in the park, but today was free of charge.

It was drizzling for a while so I also enjoyed the smell of green.

I like to be in Tokyo during the Golden Week. It is much less crowded here.

Karaoke

Today, I went to karaoke with the members of Radio Japan. Some of you may know Yuriko and Kaori--the hosts of "What's Up Japan".

It was a lot of fun!! Karaoke is a good way to relieve the stress. (^^)

Lions for Lambs

Yesterday, I saw a movie "Lions for Lambs" (the Japanese title is "Ooinaru Inbo" which means the "great conspiracy").

I didn't know much about the movie beforehand, so I was imagining it would be like one of those Hollywood type movies with many action scenes and sentimental story but...it wasn't. It was more like a movie of Robert Redford, a director , telling us to stop and think on your own about the war.
There are no good guys nor bad guys in the movie. Each charactor has their own stance and they try to convence the audience through their debates.

http://www.lionsforlambsmovie.com/

After I watched the movie, I have been thinking about it over and over.

I am a volunteer member of a NPO which supports children in Iraq suffering from leukemia. They became ill due to the cluster bombs. So many people including children have lost their lives all over the world because of war and terror...

What can we do?? What do we need to do now?? ..............

Beautiful flowers

Although I am still suffering from allergy, I enjoy this season very much.

Azaleas (Tsutsuji in Japanese) are beautifully blooming now!!!

PS. Chindon-ya gives out fliers of shops to people while playing music.

Nice day!!

What a beautiful day!!

"Kimochi ii desu" which means "it feels good"!

Yesterday, I saw Chindon-ya on the street. Chindon-ya is a Japanese marching band wearing eccentric costumes which advertises for shops and special events. It used be quite popular but nowadays we rarely see them on the street.

So, while I was taking a picture, some of elderly people came out of their houses to watch them, saying "natsukashii". I think the Chindon-ya brought them back old memories...

Mie chan

This is a caw... I mean a cat in my parents' home. Her name is mie chan. She used to be very skinny when she first came to my house...but now...as you can see, she has a metabolic syndrome...

My mother loves pets and we have had many dogs, cats, rabbits, and birds...but they have all tended to get rather... BIG!

I wonder why none of my brothers and sister get fat...

English class

Today, I gave a lecture about learning English for the recruits of a company. It was fun and exciting for me to spend some time with freshmen!! Hope they enjoyed my presentation as much as I did!

Here is a beautiful flower of camellia and exotic looking fish with flowers on the head...(^^;)

Kobe

Thank you guys for asking me when you can hear my voice at Radio Japan again.
The answer is...I don't know.
If there are many letters and e-mail to NHK requesting for me, I might get an offer as a host for some other program. But who knows?? They are trying to minimize the shortwave radio...

Anyway, I am on a business trip and have been staying in Kobe since yesterday.
This is the second time for me to visit the city. It is a nice place with both sea & mountains and international atmosphere.
It's too bad I don't have much free time to explore! (;_;)
But the hotel is very nice at least...

I am going back to Tokyo tomorrow night.

Rainy

It is wet and chilly in Tokyo today...

Well, some of you may be wondering why I spell my name Kay, not Kei in this blog. Let me explain that.
Kay is not my real name. My real name is Akiko. When I started working as an announcer, my ex-manager suggested me to use somewhat "international name". So, I became Kay since them.
That is why I don't care if it is spelled Kay or Kei! I thought it is easier for English speakers to remember when it's spelled Kay. But you can also call me Aki! (^^)
No...that would be too confusing. Let's stick with Kay in this blog. How about that?

Thank you guys!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog!! I am glad to hear from many of you. (^^)


I listened to the new World Interactive program with Sumiko. Her English is way better than mine!! I think the listeners would like it. But honestly, I was a bit sad listening to it and not being in the studio...


Well, I enjoyed the last ohanami on Saturday in Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo. It was such a nice day and my friends and I enjoyed it's sakura so much!! I love that park. You have to pay 200 yen to get in but it is worth going there. Even after someiyoshino (the most popular kind of sakura in Japan) have fallen, you can enjoy many different kinds of cherry blossoms there.


Anyway, here is my picture with kimono. I practice nihon-buyo (Japanese traditional dance) twice a week now. We have a performance in May!! Gotta practice more!!!

Hello!

I changed the blog site because I learned that with Yahoo the viewers also have to sign up to write a comment.

This is how Japanese hanami (flower viewing party) is like. So many people place blue sheets under the trees and enjoy eating, drinking, sleeping, and sometimes singing karaoke. (^^;)

Well, I was away for two days going to the hot spring in Shizuoka prefecture. The weather wasn't very good but I really enjoyed taking bath several times and the relaxed atmosphere.

I love ONSEN!!