2010/5/29
I registered as a student at community open college 2010
by Bunka-joshi Daigaku.
Bunka-joshi Daigaku in Kodaira stands within an easy walk
from my apartment.
I registered for English Course--11 lessons.
Today I had the first lesson.
Today's title was "Let's learn English from a movie."
The movie was My Fair Lady.
I'll have the second lesson in June.

2010/5/26
Today I noticed that flowers of dokudami came out.
What lovely flowers!
I was looking forward to your coming out, Dokudami-san!
Dokudami is a perennial plant.
Dokudami is a very strong plant.
Dokudami has a strong smell.
Dokudami doesn't mind being disliked by human beings.
Dokudami always looks cheerful.
I saw a tall acacia tree in front of a convenience store.
I like flowers of acacias too.
They are small yellow or white flowers.
They have sweet scents.
There used to be an acacia grove at the back
of my house in Niigata.
Oh, how I miss their sweet scents!


2010/5/23
It has been raining all day--not so heavily in Tokyo.
I went shopping at a far-off supermarket from my apartment.
I enjoyed walking in the rain with my umbrella open.
I was singing English songs without I knew--
of course I was singing out of tune, though.
Those songs reminded me of my English teacher
in my senior high school days.
He often taught us English songs in English class.
He liked movies very much and told us about many movies
in English class.
He belonged to a certain political party and told us about
politiccal things of the time very often during class.
So we were very slow to read our English textbook---
only ten lines or so an English class.
Do you know the following songs?
Mama Look a Boo Boo
Come Back Liza
Diana
They are still my favorite songs.
( on the way to the supermarket)


2010/5/19
Today koharu's school celebrated its 130th birthday.
I attended the ceremony in place of koharu's parents.
All the pupils gathered in the assembly hall.
They learned the history of their school.
They sang their school song.
All the pupils stood up and sang rap music
to celebrate 130th birthday.
The words of the rap music was koharu's poem!
Then in the playground every student released
a balloon with a message at one time.
Where have all those balloons flown on the wind?





2010/5/18
Today was a fine but windy day.
The wind was so strong as to knock down
koharu's bicycle.
The blue sky was beautiful with white clouds.
It was hot but I wanted to go for a walk.
I walked along Tamagawa-josui.
I enjoyed an early summer walk.
I returned to koharu's home before she came back
from school, of course.
I walked 15058 steps today.
(Tamagawa-josui)

(chestnut)

2010/5/15
Today I got up at seven in the morning.
It was a little late to go climbing Mt. Takao.
But I decided to climb Mt. Takao alone.
The weather was so nice.
I had breakfast quickly.
I busily but carefully prepared for climbing.
I bought onigiri for lunch on the way to the station.
I make it a rule to walk Inariyama Trail
when I climb Mt. Takao alone.
Today I went up and down Inariyama Trail
thinking of silver-san.
silver-san was one of my good instructors
who trained me and led me to Mt. Takao.
silver-san used to walk slowly, because I walked slowly.
silver-san smoked a lot.
silver-san enjoyed joking.
silver-san was an economist.
silver-san suddenly passed away last month
--his son wrote to me.
Do you know how sad I am, silver-san?
Do you know how deeply I miss you, silver-san?
I am heartily grateful to you for what you've done for me.
I walked 22551 steps today.
(cable car station)

(I went up along this trai, not cable car)








2010/5/14
On New Year's Eve in 1983, I sang my favorite songs
and recorded them on the cassette tape.
I was 41 years old then.
I always sang songs when I felt lonely and uneasy.
koharu and I listened to the tape today.
koharu was surprised to listen to my young voice,
she said.
koharu said, "Is it really you? I can't believe it!
You had a very good voice when young!
You are singing very well."
Something has been wrong with my vocal cords
since the year of 1997. No doctors find out why.
Now I find it very difficult to sing songs.
koharu seemed to understand there was a time
when I was as young as her mother.

