Volunteer jogging event

I took part in a volunteer jogging event which was held in Shinmaruko.

I like running and I usually run during a lunch time on weekdays.

But,I wondered whether I could finish the course or not?

While I was in China,I didn’t run.

And I was very tired,because I had been in Osaka for 3 days(2 days for business,1 day for perspnal matters).
The day before the event I came back to Tokyo.

However,I decided to take part in this event and it was really good.

I was very surprised that many amateur runners took part in this event.
And the location was very good(near Tama-river).
(but, it was a little cold..)

I usually run 10km within 1 hour,so this time my aim was to run in roughly the same time.

At first,it was very hard,because the road was very muddy and I became tired quickly.

But,many volunteer people cheered us on,so I could finish the course.

I took part in this event with my friends,we were very happy.

Trip to China

I went to Changsha which is the capital of Hunan in China with my friend;Alisa who is a Japanese American.
It’s my second trip to Changsha, and the first time for my friend.

We stayed in China for 11 days.
We worked in the Chinese office for 1 week, and we went sightseeing for the rest of the days.

We enjoyed this trip very much.

Alisa and I stayed at our Chinese coworker’s house by ourselves.

The Chinese coworker and his wife both came back to China at the same time,however they didn’t have enough room to put us up,so they stayed at his parent’s house while we were in China.)

Alisa and I enjoy eating delicious food.

In Changsha,most of the dishes are very hot and spicy.
I like the taste and Alisa did too.

We ate many dishes everyday.

But I was worried about my weight,so I did some stretching and exercise in my room at night.

Is the spicy food good for health?
When I came back to Japan,I weighed myself on the scales.
But,I had only gained 1kg.

In China,Alisa and I talked about many topics every night.
It was a good experience for me.

And I talked with Chinese coworker and exchanged language and culture.
We went to their college,ate together,went to karaoke to sing together,went cycling and so on.

I understood their culture and life style.

This was one of the most precious experiences for me.

In Japan,the problem of China and Tibet increased.
But I think most of the news is one-sided.

I only trust the facts which I can see my own eyes and experience in reality.

Strong patriotism excludes other ways of thinking from our minds.

I want to be liberal and have respect for other opinions.

I am working with many foreigners who come from 7 different counties,and we sometimes argue about our different opinions.

Ultimately,the most important thing is communication.

This time,my coworker’s mother(who can’t speak Japanese) guided us for half a day.

At first,I wondered whether we could communicate well with her?
But,she used body language and expressed herself very well!
So,we could communicate each other!

I felt that the language is only one means of communication.

And There was one surprising for me.

One of the Chinese coworkers likes Japan very much, and he could speak Japanese in short sentences.

While we were in China,he asked us every time”How do you say”___”in Japanese?”.
I admired him and really felt the neck of progress in language is curiosity.

I had many experiences in China.

Pink food

I think that we Japanese love Sakura(cherry blossom).

There are many kinds of Pink food(Sakura iro) in many shops, and we instinctively buy them.

We enjoy this season which only lasts about 2 weeks with all our force.

Many companies develop products,food and services related to Sakura,and we continue to buy them.

In Asagaya I found some examples! How lovely they are!

I bought Sakura-okowa(similar to rice) , and It was delicious!

The season of Sakura is finishing.

Lunch in Nihonbashi

There are many old restaurants near my office.

I usually cook my own lunch box(to save money), but today I went to an old restaurant with my coworker.

I found it on the Internet.

According to some comments on the bush telegraph site, the Kamameshi seems to be delicious.

 I want to eat Kamameshi!(Kamameshi is a famous Japanese dish)

The sign was too high for everyone to see, but I could find it by chance.

The building was very old and  the song of birds is piped in through the speakers.

An old man and woman managed that restaurant, and the restaurant was very small and quiet.

We sat at the counter.

The old man said to us that he was from Shimane, and he loves his hometown,so he uses only fish that are caught in Shimane.

The kamameshi was so delicious!

The old man said to us that he considers the balance of nutrition in his cooking.

I said to him that the Kanameshi had the taste of Kansai（West of Japan).

He laughed.

The taste of west Japan is different to that of the east Japan.The taste of Kansai food is lighter and more delicatte than the taste of Kanto;the east of Japan.

I became to like the restaurant and the Kamameshi which he cooks.

I want to search for such a nice restaurant around Nihonbashi.

The restaurant’s name is Zubora(寿保羅)

Nihonbashi

I am working in Nihonbashi.

Nihonbashi is a famous town and has been the financial center of Tokyo since Edo period.

Many business people who look rich are working around Nihonbashi.

There are many financial institutions near my office.(but my company  is a small web company)

We can walk to Tokyo station within about 10 minutes.

There are so many old shops therefore I like the atmosphere in Nihonbashi.

I took some photos on the way to my house.

Nihonbashi looks wonderful at night!

Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi is one of the most famous department store in Japan.