We have a ginkgo tree in the backyard. A little later than others in parks, it is turning into yellow these days. Fortunately, or unfortunately, “he” has no fruit of serious smell – that makes Mei-Shun happy but a little unhappy. She loves ginkgo nuts so much.
Mei-Shun’s favorite figure skater chose Ballade, Chopin for his short program this year. Quadruple- and other jumps must be the most difficult, while the piano music requires the finest techniques to play perfectly. It is honorable to see them accomplished with tough practice and never-give-up mindset.
Nabe-mono, a Japanese cuisine quite similar to stew, is much preferred from late autumn to early spring. We serve ourselves boiled vegetables, meat and fish from a wide-open pot set on a cooking burner in the center of a table.
Botan Nabe by Hata-Kaku, Kyoto must be one of the best experience. Wild boar meat is served like a peony flower, simmered in white miso soup.
We enjoy much kind of “imported” celebrations today; Halloween and Christmas Day seem to join top three of them. On October 1st, all items celebrated the Autumnal Equinox Day are replaced by Halloween ones. Roppongi, Tokyo must have started this illumination from November 1st, representing the same for Christmas.
In the evening, a sudden cacophony of thunder fell, let all lights off. Only cooking fires with which Mei-Shun was preparing dinner left on. Simmering sound and blue gas fire caught our attention until TV voice, microwave alarm, phone recorder, etc. came back to cover them. 5-minute halcyon, old days might be a gift from the nature.
Mei-Shun’s husband Shin sometimes brings home a bouquet, in which orange, meaning Mikan in Japanese, often appears followed by blue and white. It seems any color coordination is available for flowers – we human beings would not look as stylish as this arrangement in these three colors, won’t we?
Last year’s heavy snow destroyed many greenhouses for fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, outdoor trees were powerful enough to survive, allowed Mei-Shun family to enjoy such beautiful products this autumn as well.
A total lunar eclipse could be seen tonight. It begins around 18:00, the time when Mei-Shun start her lesson at the community center. No delay or such a rare natural phenomenon would slip out of the arms.
Tsuchiura Fireworks Competition is held on the first Saturday of October. Yesterday was clear with a bit of clouds, nice weather for the 83th event. “Competition” means that craftsmen of all over Japan bring their best works toward Tsuchiura, aiming to win the best prize of the year. 2014 theme seems a color combination — an amazing technique which gives three colors at once in different directions. One mammoth ball of fire looked like a colorful balloon!
As dancers of all genre know well, slow movement is more difficult than quick one. Muscle power is required to keep each pose beautifully as much as possible. That means weight control is indispensable for Japanese dance — let’s stop here tonight.
meishunkikunoe 