Etymology

Match fixing is called 'yaocho' in Japanese. Some people believe the word yaocho comes from sumo game, but it's untrue.

Yaocho means Mr Cho of vegetable store, he often played go games with a sumo stablemaster. Cho lost go games on purpose in an attempt to please a stablemaster. The stablemaster kept on buying vegetables in Mr Cho's store.

That's where the etymology comes from. See nothing has to do with sumo world.

Advanced Math

In binary system the number we use is merely 0 and 1. We count numbers as 0, 1,10,11,100,101,111,1000....

In decimal notation we use ten different figures, which are 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

Chinese people use 5,000 different figures in their writings. If someone try using 5,000 notation and we give 5,000 different figures in each 5, 000 numbers, if it's possible for him to memorize and make the most of them, our arithmetic and maths advance skyrocketingly.

We usually learn by heart up to 9x9. In that case we memorize up to what 5,000x5,000 is.

This seems to be too complicated, but possible for those who learn by heart too many things in much more easily.

Let's start counting up to 5,000 in different each one figure.

Deviation value

That is a score used in TOEFL.

In Japan the score is widely used to determine the rank of various things, most notably in schools.

Deviation value was first introduced when I was in the first grade of junior high school. 75 is highest and 25 is lowest, 50 is average. All the scores of test are not comparable so indicated after its deviation was mended.

Since then as if everything is determined in deviation value. My deviation value was 67 when I entered a high school. It was more than 70 when I entered the university.

I had a chance to look up the deviation value of high schools. My cohabitant is graduated from high school. She said she's interested in knowing whereabouts of her school, so I looked it up.

The deviation value of my alma mater was 70, it rose up more than in the days I attended. The ranking among 6, 000 high schools is 80. Hers is 42 and the ranking is 5,000.

Deviation value or deviation standard index is from its origin a strange term. It indicates how deviating from ordinary normal standard. 70 means it is deviating +20 from average 50 index and 42 means -8 from average.

Deviation value has been criticised as accelerating discrimination among people, and I agree with the opinion. Deviation value is as if dividing in one centimetre out of total length of one kilometre. As if it is comparing 100070 and 100042. There's difference but it's trivial.

Very useless notion indeed. Deviation value is deviated itself. Deviated and valueless.

Match fixing

It was rather hard to write a journal first here in Netlog. But for some reason I must have found a site to write it.

People here talk about match fixing by Sumo wrestlers. Some one revealed it and sumo wrestlers are denying.

I think it's useless to talk about whether match fixings were done. I think it might be done or it might not be done. But I'm saying there's no importance in talking about it.

Let's talk about more useful topics. People ought to know talking about match fixing of sumo wrestlers are a red herring.

Four Seas Watchtower

My cohabitant is from Nagasaki, she is going to see her parents for the first time in three years. I am with her of course. It takes three hours to get there. Five hours will be needed in total from door to door.

I have visited the city two times in the past. But for the first time to see her parents. I am not enthusiastic to see her parents, you see we are not married. I would reply yes I marry her if her parents asked me what to do with their daughter. Her parents are already 72 or 3. 

Aside from that we would enjoy having Chinese dishes in a famous China town. There are three China towns in Japan.  Nagasaki, Kobe, and Yokohama. Most famous Chinese restaurant is Four Seas Watchtower. We plan to go there.

One day in summer

One day in hot shinny summer I decided to be in touring. I went on a short trip by bicycle. I put a bicycle while I was in a very small peninsula and started walking there. After a short time I was amazed to encounter a hunter with two dogs abruptly from bushes.

I was chilled.

Nostalgia

I lived in many cities after I left Kokura at age 20. I moved to Tokyo basically but changed my residence eight times including one year in Kyoto and in US. I lived in Tokyo till age 27. Basically I lived in Musashino and Setagaya.

Back in my home town I have lived in Kyushu area. Till now I changed my residence more than ten times.

Now I can have the similar feeling while I was in respective towns and cities in following satellite photos, that certainly satisfies my nostalgia to be there.

Chocolate II

My cohabitant bought me a Japanese made chocolate. I have noticed the direction changed as just 'Store at a place in less than 28 centigrade degree'.

'Because it's high quality it melts in more than 28 centigrade degree'...was changed. Some one must have noticed it's strange or baseless.

Some one sometimes claims some feature is nothing but a criterion of excellence.

In memory of Professor Abe

It was one day in March. I met him for the first time at age 20 in front of the gate of university. I had sent him my writings beforehand. He replied to me with full of joy as if he were excited to find a young talented poet ie me.. He was then 50. It was just three years after he became an assistant professor of French language. We went to the coffee shop near the university. He glared at me once in his big glasses.

He said we must admit your talent in writing. You wrote a very theoretical one. I was amazed to read your text and my works remain in history though many others disappear.

It was one day in September. At age 30 I saw him at his study in the university. He was 60 just before the retirement. He said it was still not sure which university he would teach next. He was about to leave the university soon. He said it is very unusual for him to find a person like me in that I am very cheerful while I must have had a devastating event. At that time I was totally devastated by hearing the news of her marriage. He said he has two types of guests, one who went to the extreme and ..I forgot the another one.

This became the last time we saw.

Probably I had opportunities to see him around he was 70. He was still teaching at another university.

Few days ago I knew he had been dead in January last year -2007. I lost already two doctors who recognised me in literary world, but he was the best teacher I ever had who understood me correctly.

I knew his wife was a granddaughter of the famous Akiko Yosano, tanka poet for the first time in Wiki. I was talking with her ordinarily.

Yoshio Abe died at age 74 in 2007. He was the only teacher who understood me.
His word appears again and again after I knew his death. Word is immortal.

I wanted to say thank you just one time before he's dead. It is immeasurable the effect he made in my life.

I was about to be overwhelmed by a behemoth I created. I was a Dr Frankenstein. I really had a hunch so.

I was in extreme agony when I was just 20. I had held a couple of my writings that I wrote at age 17, 18, and 19 or more precisely in May 1978, in July 1978, in September 1980. I was born in June 1961.

I think I studied hard in my school days, but that did not certify the value of my writings. Simply it might have been a trash. But it was hard for me to judge only by myself whether it's a trash unless someone says it's nice. Someone must have been the one anyone admit he's somebody.

People surrounding me said they admit my talent but it was not enough to convince me what my writings are.

The role Professor Abe played in my life up until now was tremendous. I've got a confidence no one can easily break, but I must realise right now that he was gone and gone for ever.

Now it's me who must play an important role in a society, I know but it's hard to see how I do.

All my writings were written in Japanese, first of all I must worry whether Japanese language survive in a hundred years time. The number of Japanese speakers and English speakers was almost the same when Perry arrived in Japan in 1853 with four Black Ships. 150 years later English speakers are ten times more.

It was another story..

The case of Los Angeles gunshot incident

Kazuyoshi Miura was arrested for his involvement in Los Angeles gunshot incident. He was already not guilty in a Supreme Court decision.

US court said he was already not guilty because one incident is not argued more than once, but as to conspiracy he would not be charged by this so he ought to be judged in the US. They said arrest is just.

I think US can judge him in murder, or first degree manslaughter. Is US forgetting both US and Japan are different country? US court is acting as if Japan is a part of US even in judicial system. Though I can't deny Japan is already much involved in US political and economic system.

Lay economy

September is a rainy month, but this year it continued to be fine throughout the month.
It's rainy today. One acquaintance is working in a factory, then he said he was forced to have three days off only in this month. 5,000 dispatched automobile workers have been fired. All because of the current recession.

Current perfect unemployment rate is 4.2%,  effective recruitment index is -0.86.

Collapse of Lehman Brothers, sub prime loan..economic turmoils in the US are almost inexplicable.

It's rainy outside because a huge typhoon is near. I can't go out though I took a paid off today

A woman who bought a coffee for me

It was already ten years ago. I dropped by a shop. The shop was a customer for our company. One Korean girl was working there. She was a foreign student, probably she was working there to earn money for her study in a university. I had a couple of words with her in English. It was not long, just two or three minutes. She abruptly said excuse and left the scene went outside. She brought a coffee with her for me saying hi!.

I said thank you and left there.

The cost of coffee was about a dollar, but I changed the attitude toward Koreans in general from that day.
Just a spoonful of sea water is enough to judge the taste of it.

Lost of fatherhood & the right wing thought

Tokyo governor Ishihara lost his father when he was still in the university. He started to support himself and his younger brother. Ishihara had four sons.

J.S.Bach lost his father when still he was a kid. He had three sons.

Tokyo governor is famous for his right wing thought. He had to overdevelop his conservative thought by overcompensating his dependency to his father, that was never fulfiled.

Chocolate

In a chocolate package we always see the statement as ' This chocolate is high quality so it melts in over 28 Celsius degree.'  It tends to melt easier because definitely it contains  more cacao butter than Hershey's and Cadbury. So we think it is high quality because it contains more cacao butter?

This is curious. Traditionally Japanese cuisines contain less oil. We hadn't eat meat of livestock such as pork, beef many years for religious reasons. But fish and chicken can be eaten. Fish that have more oil in them are regarded as high quality.

This tendency still remains in a tradition of making chocolate.

I think this statement is too far to say so, and Japanese chocolate company has got a criticism from European chocolate makers that the chocolate Japanese made is not a chocolate Europeans think.

Now we have lots of oil in our dishes. We need to mull over the way to make chocolate more.

New disease

The term E-coli or Escherichia -coli bacillus was often heard in foreign news in late 20th century, I started hearing the word o-157 in Japan's news soon after that. I hadn't realised both are the same immediately.

Mad cow disease occurred in a country first caused by prion, this disease is also known as Bovine spongeform encephalopathy, believed to be related to human disease Creutzfeldt Jacob disease. There's another disease called Hoof and mouth disease in cattles.

Bird influenza broke out first in a country and later spreaded around the globe. Sudden acute respiratory syndrome or new type influenza is thought to be a human version of bird influenza.

At least less than ten cases of Ciguatera poisoning were reported here in Japan. This poison started being found in edible fish Isaki or Grunt. Noro virus is found among rare oysters.

Beginner's Luck

It was in my late twenties when I started working in a cram school. Everyday I have needed to have many classes so naturally I had been frustrated. It was then I started to visit amusement hall, in Japan we say 'game centre'.

I have never had gambles but then I did blackjack in a game centre.

I didn't know how to do so I just tried clicking without any intention. The figure became astronomical number when I noticed. The figure became less and stable after I realised how to play.

I think it was a beginner's luck. It was a part of just a playing game. The figure didn't reflect any real money.

Giants vs Tigers

Baseball sometimes matters. Giants is a team of Tokyo and Tigers of Osaka, it is East vs West. Japanese people always boil when it comes to East vs West.

We had thought Tigers wins the pennant race. But Giants kept on winning unprecedented 13 consecutive victory.

I don't care whichever wins anyway though.

New queen of blog

She is Shoko Nakagawa. She became famous after the advent of the first queen of blog Kaori Manabe, but only very few know Shoko's father was dead at young in his twenties from bone cancer shortly after he started appearing TV show etc. He was learning in Keio University when he was in TV. He was supposed to be mid forties if he survived.

His same generation is now on the go in TV world. It is his legacy she appears TV show frequently.

Sonne Lagoon

I now live off Seto Inland Sea. The wave is very stable. There's a lagoon from twenty minutes walk of my home, called Sonne Lagoon. It is rare two days off so I went there. Like the first time I visited on the 27th of August nobody was there. It was different from the last visit, the shinning from the lagoon was not so strong.

There are many good lagoons off the coast of Japan, all are protected under the Ramsar treaty.

At a platform

Suppose you are waiting a train in a platform. The train arrived. One person is only on board. Who is the person you see in a train when the door opened?

A perfect number

In a real world 6 is called a perfect number since it is divided by 2, 3 an 6.
7 is not a perfect number of course but in Bible it is regarded as a perfect number.

Perfect number in a real world is not perfect in ethereal world, that proves it a place nowhere.

Memory of condom

15 year old girl and boy were walking on their way home after they finish a cram school. It was already dark after 8 o'clock.

We both stopped in front of the vending machine. She asked what this is. I replied it's condom. She grinned.

Later she became a medical doctor and got married. She had three kids, living in Tokyo. She must have used it with another guy.

Right & duty

Someone said in a TV drama that no one has a right to take someone's life. But in reality many people take someone's life. How do we explain that?

No one has a right to take somone's life but there is some time some one has to take someone's life.

It must be permissible if it's a duty to take someone's life.

Smoker's image in cinema

One fugitive was hiding in a warehouse. He started smoking there. One criminal investigator fires a gun without trying to aim at him. The fugitive was hit by a bullet since it was heat censored.

One criminal investigator arrived at the site a crime was committed. He started smoking there. A smoke censor at the ceiling started detecting it and sprinkled water. Investigators had to evacuate from the site. A criminal was able to flee from there.

The criminal investigator concluded the fugitive must have died when he saw a part of clothes the fugitive wore. The clothes were deliberately cast in an attempt to have them believe he must have died.

Smoker tend to die before the drama ends. Smoker investigators often die before the drama ends and in the last scene of the French connection, at a harbour a drug dealer started smoking some time after he went on board, where he was hit.

'i mode'

iMac, iPod, iphone...there are many 'i's in digital world. All are popular and successful. But I think few know the first one that used the term 'i' in front of some computer product is 'i mode'.

By the way where's ATARI right now? The company was famous when I was a graduate student in mid 80's.

Bipartisanship & Cohabitation

Japan's Prime minister resigned. He had once proposed to his counterpart - leader of the main opposition party to cohabit in the same cabinet. His counterpart declined as a matter of course.

I can't assert whether his attempt was good though in general bipartisanship is effective in some areas as defence, humanitarian issues, but it's not always necessary in various other issues that relate to our ordinary daily life.

Final responsibility

Tsutomu Miyazaki, arrested for allegation of little girl abduction and murder, was hung to death on the 7th of June. He committed his crime in 1987, so it was long ago.

Yasuaki Uwabe sentenced to death finally at the supreme court. He killed 5 people at the local station in 1999. He will be hung sooner or later.

Both two are recognised as mentally insane or similar, yet court admitted that does not affect to their ability to be responsible.

Insanity won't be a reason for them to be acquitted.  I think this is the current in recent judiciary.

Last smile

I believe people are liable to fall in love with someone at first sight when the situations surrounding him changed very drastically. In my case the chance came abruptly when I decided to move to Kokura, my birthplace about a year ago.

I met her in the station I always use. It is a local station so I started talking to her in a very casual way. But she didn't want to talk to me. It was just one time we had a word. It seemed she didn't like to talk to me any more so I stopped trying to get access to her, but there was a public station and I needed to use it one time in a week always on Saturdays to go to part time job at some time past 9. So I always see her around 9 o'clock every Saturday.

I knew it was in last October when I talked to her first and last time.

I found her wearing a marriage ring after that, which was also another reason I stopped talking to her. But we are forced to see one another always on Saturdays since we were using the same train at the same time. I start working at 10 and so does she. And we had several occasions to be near in the station and a train.

On the 15th of March this year I was questioned by two men - railway policemen.

They say she is upset because I am always with her in a train and a station.

This was not a criminal investigation but it was I who got upset.

I promised them not to get access to her any more intentionally from then on. I started using another train twenty minutes earlier. It lasted two or three months.

I tried using the train I used to use after three months. She was not there. Now I use the train I used to. She must have stopped using the train or changed her residence.

I didn't have any chance to ask even her name.

Her one shoe was taken off at the staircase when she was walking in front of me on the day I was questioned and she gave me the mysterious smile when I saw her in a station we always got off.

It was her 'Last smile' thinking back from later on. It turned to a cruel moment.

Hand phase

Life line, fate line..I found strange words in the lyrics of 'Last smile'. I got curious about so-called 'hand phase'. This is mainly used to predict someone's future.

Talking to a hand phase, I recall my cousin.

He didn't come to my wedding ceremony more than ten years ago. I got married to some woman at age 34. At that occasion, I heard from other relatives that he was already dead. He was two years junior to me, so he must have died in his twenties or early thirties.

As my bio suggests I had been always leaving best results in my schools. My evaluation was always 5 or most excellent from 5 stage evaluations in almost all subjects except for a physical education. On the other hand my cousin was always 1 or 2. He was a poor performance pupil.

I'm not sure when but one day I had a chance to see his hand phase in a playful manner. His was something like an explosion of bomb. His didn't show any particular lines.   

Orthodontics

My wife showed me her albums, in which she collects tens of old photos taken in her school days. She was young, needless to say, but she was not only immature. She was ugly.

We used to have a girl who was always a centre of our concern, we have one or two very pretty girls in a class. She was not a kind of person. She was as if always putting a mouth piece in her mouth. She had a couple of irregular teeth, including canines at both sides of her inside lips. She looked in short a gorilla or rather an oran ootang.

But now her mouth is good shape, her front teeth are all tidily arranged. What's happened?

I asked her whether she corrected her teeth, and she said yes. She said it took one year to correct the teeth. Her teeth are now well arranged with the exception of her back four teeth, all are coated in a metal, not a plastic enamel. She said she couldn't afford for them all.

From the third party position, I think she is a fairly pretty woman. We met one another in our mid forties. I wouldn't start talking to her if she had had bad teeth.

Orthodontics is said to be the very first step of so-called cosmetic surgery. Making a nose good shape and upper eyelids two folded are the next step. Chiseling bones of jaws, etc are the third step.

Her eyelids were unfolded, then I asked whether she had her eyelids cosmetic surgery, she said, her eyelids got naturally two folded as she grew up.

We used to have a TV programme called ' Beauty coliseum ' One woman was born to be devastatingly ugly turned to an extremely pretty woman after spending 60,000 US dollars experimentally for a TV project. Of course her sponsors were well known cosmetic surgeons.

She has been always very generous and I wondered a pretty woman is often hubristic, and it had been my question why she was not so.

Probably a woman's appearances and characters not related, but I think I found a very good one from the bottom of my heart.

Aside from that, I asked her when she went to dentist to correct her teeth. Then she replied. 'It was when Yuki was 3 year old, so it was 16 years ago. She is now 48 so she went to dentist at age 32. I asked her again. 'Did your life change after you corrected your teeth?' 'Yes, to the bad phase.' She divorced at age 36. Is she referring to her divorce? I guessed so.

We are in love for 2 year and 3 months. I couldn't say she is lucky because we had love. Because certainly we are in love but that does not guarantee her rest of life. We are not legally wife and husband. We are merely cohabitants.

It is hard to get married to a woman. Because it involves economic matter.

She spent 30 to 50 US dollars each time she visited dental office. It was one time in a week and it lasted 1 year. She must have spent 2,000 to 2,500 US dollars.

I want her to change her metal covered back teeth to ceramics. It must cost $2,800. A piece of ceramic costs $700. I want to spend money for her correction, though I can't marry her.

Her daughter started working last year. She rent her apartment, bought a car. The third big buy was her teeth. She also changed her teeth from metal to ceramics. Useful spend.        

 

Thomas More & a matter of conscience

I recall a very impressive cinema these days.

One day young apprentice paid a visit to Thomas More, asking to find a good job. The man had studied law and seeking for a judicial job. More introduced him a seat of a lower court, adding not to forget ideal.

Time has passed. Thomas More was standing in a trial at a supreme court, waiting for a final judge whether he was guilty of high treason. He didn't admit a divorce of King and a church of England.

He was guilty. Final judge was made by a man More took care of the position of court at first.

His Utopia means nowhere. It is hard for us to live in accordance with our conscience as More's.

Strange story

Have you heard this story before?

One of my coworkers -male 44 years old, who got a middle degree education -diploma, said that Hitler persecuted Jewish people because they were descendants of one of 12 apostles Judas of Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.

I immediately asserted that it is against the historical facts, but later I said in front of him that it might have been one of notorious Hitler's or Goebbels propaganda.

Forged story might have been subject to gaining strong power among ordinary people.

Dream for future, memory for the past

I'm having Bell's Scotch whisky 8 years. This whisky takes me to 8 years ago. 8 years ago I was living with a woman who was 4 years older than I.

I had whisky Johnnie Walker 12 years at age 27 first time. The whisky took me to 12 years before when I was still a junior high school student.

Matured whisky helps me to recall what I was many years ago. The letter 8 meant limitless seeing from the side.

Malfunction

I started blogging again for the first time in three months. My first priority was to adjust new environment both in my new workplace and new land. Kokura is my hometown, but for me like who spend 26 years outside this town here is just a foreign country.

My entry 'Misperception' disappeared from my inbox. This is the second time as to the malfunction related to this journal.

My hypothesis is computer might be taking this word 'Misperception' as command.

This is a strange incident this early spring.

 

Easter holiday

 

People must be busy spending their holiday. I can't hear from many.
I myself will take a rest a while in our Golden week season from 26th of April to 6th of May though I only take three consecutive holidays from 4 to 6 of May.
It is better to take a rest in this spring season. We tend to make a trivial mistake when it gets warmer in this season.

Misperception

Many years ago I tried to carry drinking water in a car. I tried to pick one bottle of whiskey since I kept a lot of vacant bottles of whiskey in my room, but quit doing so. I chose another pet bottle instead.
Because I thought it must be very confusing if someone eye witnessed my having water through whiskey bottle.
Nine out of ten people understand things from their appearance, but that doesn't reflect reality well.

Violator

I found a smoker in a prohibited area.
I quit letting him notice since I found bigger violator which is a chimney in town.

They say animals and babies are not supposed to be used in commercial message.
Some cell company started using a dog a year ago. Today I found a monkey used in other mobile company.

We can accept someone says we can increase convenience if we use it. But we can hardly accept someone says we can get damaged if we don't use it. However sometimes we see some commercial message that uses this negative campaign.

The price of gasoline went down from 150 yen to 130 yen. Politicians start trying to get it back to 150 yen by imposing new gasoline tax. Probably they might have thought that gasoline has to keep its price because all others are getting higher.

Moral hazard never stops.

Running reverse

 

I came back to my hometown Kokura for the first time in 26 years. Then I recalled abruptly some event I saw in my elementary school.

At the athletic party one pupil ran reverse in truck.

With laughing.

 

Then I asked him why he did so.

 

He said he wanted to do something no one does. 

Freedom

People cannot control freedom. 

Dialectic

 

All the prices are higher and higher everyday. On the other hands, yen's appreciation tends to get stronger.
That means we'd better buy things directly from abroad via email in the Internet.
Domestic consumption will decrease whichever.

 

Natural disaster

 

Natural disaster is subject to becoming a trigger to recession in following years.
Japan's dismal recession started after Kobe earthquake in 1995.
They say the root of World War II in Pacific theatre derived from 1923 Tokyo earthquake.
 

 

Love

 

It is difficult to express love. It is even more difficult for the love to be accepted.

 

Lesson

 

Long years ago I found a very old folklore museum in a very rural fish port. I entered and enjoyed there for a while. No entrance fee was necessary.

Several years later I found a newly refurbished folklore museum at the same place. It needed 2 dollars for entrance. I was not enthusiastic enough to drop in at there again paying some money.

Exhibitions must have been the same. We needed to pay some money for facility.

Premise broken

 

Don't sit down on the floor - it's a proper suggestion when all passengers can take a seat. But it's stupid when no seat is available.

 

Pros and amateurs

 

What are you going to say when asked what the difference between pros and amateurs? Some top pros say pros never say any excuse. I thought about it for three days. Here's my answer.

Amateurs merely do their job for money to fulfill their supply. Pros often do their job not for money but for fulfilling their demand that that's what they have to do.

For amateurs, job is given. For pros, job is what they found.

 

Hunger strike

 

Soy sauce 10-17%, milk 3-10%, oil for food up 30 cent per kilogram, beer 3-5%, electricity up 72 cent, gas up 132 cent, wheat 30% so related foods like bread, noodles, confectioneries, solid curry go up too.

Yen's appreciation is sharp. 1 dollar became 100 yen recently. It is hard for me to know the effect of yen's rapid appreciation.

Only the price of gasoline went down from 1.5 dollar to 1.3 dollar per litre. Still very high though.

 

 

Kokura

 

 

Kokura is not a good place to live although I spent here for twenty years in my minor. 400 thousand population, that's a medium size as a city, it is much smaller than my previous residence -Hakata that has 1 million 250 thousand.

Here I can hardly find 'culture'. All people are only busy pursuing the norm of the day. People's mind is harsh. Besides I don't like the atmosphere here. Lots of smokestack cause polluted air.

I want to move again. I will stay here for a year at longest.

I am opposed to the idea

'The road to hell is fully covered with goodwill.'

This cynical paradox contains little truth.

It is OK but some commentator feel as if he knew one side of truth. 

New Bank Tokyo was made by Governor of Tokyo to help small industries and now 40 billion yen was injected from public fund to help New Bank Tokyo.

I think this bank played its role fully.

 

I finally noticed

We've got something is synonymous to we have nothing.  

Nostalgia to my old good days

I went to my birthplace and the place where I spent my childhood till 6 after I was fired.

I did for the first time in 46 years.

Blog disappeared

 

Blog I wrote here was replaced by 'Misperception' first. Now blog I wrote here was disappeared somewhere. I'm looking for it.

 

Here's the cache I found in Google search.

 

Blog	Mar 31, 2008

I am opposed to the idea

'The road to hell is fully covered with goodwill.' This cynical paradox contains little truth. It is OK but some commentator feel as if he knew one side of truth.  New Bank Tokyo was made by Governor of Tokyo to help small... more

Previous blog entries:
Mar 31	-	I finally noticed
Mar 8	-	Nostalgia to my old good days
Jan 8	-	Christmas wreath

 

I couldn't find the blog between Jan 8 to March 8.

 

I think this is a malfunction inexplicable.   
         

 

Christmas wreath

I always wondered what for Christmas wreath is. I guess it was originally used to strangle animal offerings

Tobacco

Many years ago the expression of caution outside the package of tobacco was very ambiguous. 'Be careful to smoke too much.' instead of saying 'Be careful not to smoke too much' Then people would often smoke not being cautioned properly.

Now the caution was very strict. 'The possibility of lung cancer is twice to four times higher'
Smoking exacerbate emphysema' ' It causes stroke' 'It cause angina'

I never smoked but one day I felt like having just one then I stopped in front of the auto vendor of tobacco.

I was overwhelmed by those cautions above.

Riddle of inner sales

One of my friends sometimes complains about his company. He says they always ask of him to buy their products. They call it 'inner sales'.

Inner sales destroy healthy company accounting. Originally company ought to pay benefit to their employees. They not only acquire fines from their employees in a form of profit from their products but also they add the fines to the sum of all sales. They committed racketeering doubly or triply.

Inner sales are impossible. We sell product to others. Selling is essentially from ins to outs.

Secret of rapid growth

I went to a famous labour dispatch company yesterday to register myself. They said no health insurance is available for two months. I had been to less famous ones already but none of them said there's no insurance for two months. Of course I declined to register and left soon.

Many years ago I went to a famous home tutoring company. Immediately after I arrived I was told to have a credit card they issued. I angrily said it's against labour rules and left soon.

There was a secret behind their rapid growth, but I don't think they last forever.      

Is suicide prohibited in Bible?

There're two descriptions of suicide in Bible. One is by Saul and the other is by Judas of Iscariote. Two examples represent most cases. Political or national leader who lost the war ends up in this act and those who lost all hopes and left only despair also do the same thing.

Recently we were amazed to hear one Catholic believer killed two people and committed suicide. I think some Christian church have taught those who killed himself cannot get a key for afterlife, though, I don't think there's direct reference in Bible that prohibits this act.

Have any suggestions ?

Jewish or Christian?

I
Hi, *** Now I read your reply thoroughly.
Your view to Christian faith is very Judaic. I think Christian ought to tolerate even heretical views.
Christianity is a religion of love, acceptance and clemency.
We need to distinguish the features of Jewish God and Christian God
Jewish God wanted us to show exclusive devotion to Him, while Christian God is God for all humans and nationals and He wants us to show exclusive devotion to humans to save themselves, not to God. The difference is clear!
This is just one example.
There are many others. I will show them next time.
Good night!

II   
Okay. Shall we see in Daiei same place at eight in the evening on ninth?
I forgot where but in Hebrew Bible Jehovah called himself a god of jealousy.
Also He is a god of revenge as He says 'Vengeance is mine'
Will you confirm ?
I bring Bible.
See you there!

Disney

30 years ago there was a pinball parlour called 'Disney' in my town Kokura -250 thousand population, small enough to be ignored by Giant company Disney.

This company was sued by Disney and changed the name to Dianey.

Soon the remains of the word that associates with Disney completely banished at all.

At that time I was really amazed to see the consequences.

Now I'm not amazed at all seeing the prosperity Disney established in Tokyo Disney Land.

A fool

Those who think 1 + 1 is always 2.

I mean how important to be able to take a multiple view.

'Tinkash'

When I asked how much for trip to Kyushu for three weeks, someone says it's 'Tinkash'.

This is easier to solve than the dream of Nebuchadnezzar since it was clearly enough to recall here.

Moses & Paul -one common point

Both committed murder one time in their past.

It is well known that Moses once killed Egyptian slave master when Moses witnessed Jewish slaves were beaten. Moses flew away thereafter.

Paul Killed one or some Christians when he was Pharisees during his campaign against Christianity.

Moses learned from his past mistake and later made law for Jewish people.

Paul would repent his act and later he became one of the most adamant preachers.

Both must have learned a lot from their past. 

It is silly to refrain from doing something new while being afraid of making a mistake.

Christianity and its paganistic origin

Two seraphim were guarding the gate of Eden. They were believed to be Assyrian origin. We also find a similar one in Chinese Taoism shrines.

Magi who celebrated the birth of Jesus were said to be Zoroastrian priests.

According to several surveys, actual birthday of Jesus Christ was the same or close date to the date of his death. It's very confusing to celebrate his birth and death at the same date.

The birthday of the Zoroastrian supreme God of light Mithra was 25th of December so it's not completely unimaginable to speculate the worship of two religions merged at some point in history.

Christianity was from its origin paganistic itself. Paganistic from Judaism. It's so natural for Christian faith to tolerate more paganistic views judging from its paganistic origin.

Diamond

I bought a diamond necklace for my steady girlfriend who's been in love with me for one year and a half. This mans I am serious enough to marry her. By the way it's my first time to buy a diamond for my love, any love in the past.

The meaning of diamond is our love is as firm as diamond, which is the most firm material on earth.
I must bear it in my mind that diamond is burnable since it is made from carbon.
I'd better not be enthusiastic too much lest it burnt away.

I made up my mind to moving to her condo and I will work at a new office(now I'm finding)soon.
Diamond can be bearable in moderate human temperature we generate.

Christianity & Crime

Recently we had many crimes that were committed by very faithful Christians.
So I got curious about the relation between Christianity and crime.

Hypothesis
No.1 His false belief he is sure to resurrect or ascend to heaven might have made him feel as if he can do whatever he wants including crimes.

No.2 He had to willingly embrace the moralistic teachings of Christianity to calm down his evil mind.

No.3 He might hide himself behind the Christian church or by wearing a mask of hypocrite to act freely in a wicked world.

Merry Christmas

Christmas is a day for a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  But some people say actually Jesus was not born on the 25th of December. And if you know a little bit about the background how 25th of December has been celebrated, everyone would agree that this day was originally celebrated for the fest of winter solstice.  But I want to say in a loud voice, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ once in a year though we don't know what date exactly Jesus was born. From the day winter solstice the length of day starts longer and longer. So this day is deserved to be the day of his birth.

 

Shotgun killing

At a sports club where he himself is a member.

Masayoshi Magome (37) killed his best friend (36) and young pretty swimming instructor(26) photo above, in a sports club called 'Renaissance' in Sasebo, west end city of Japanese Archipelagoes, belonging to Nagasaki prefecture.

Her name is Mai Kuramoto, apparently very pretty woman.

The reason Murder suspect Magome killed his best friend and Miss Renaissance was uncertain, but I guess as follows.

He wanted to kill himself but he was unable to make up his mind, then he killed his best friend and a flower in a sports club -two must have been occupied in his centre of concern for a long time. He must have been able to make up his mind to kill himself by destructing his objective of friendship and love. He had nothing left in this world after this last ritual.

He killed himself in Catholic church where he baptised at his youth.

After the interview

I took a test for a new job in teaching at a public secondary school. 

One test was held from 10:30 to 11:30 for one hour. It was a thesis test. What does thesis test mean for a professional writer? It is more apparent than watching fire. - Sorry this is based on Japanese expression, means it is completely clear -. It was much easier than others.

I was thinking over the theme for twenty hours and started  writing. It took fifteen minutes to complete it. The rest of 25 minutes I was just sitting.

The theme was how to stabilise the study habit for pupils.

My reply was 1--Not to let them watch telly. 2--To let pupils write some comment about special occasions. 3--Forbid studying at home.

I took interview test from 16:30 to 17:00 exact. Three people were interviewed together.

Thus my busiest day ended, I am exhausted but in a comfortable way.   

Observation II

The number of poor people has been drastically increasing. On the eve of World War II just a handful of people were very rich and overall majority was very poor. Immediately after the War almost all people were just very poor, but now a few became very rich and overall others remain to be very poor.

Rich people start fighting with one another at the mercy of poor people.

Observation

Humans rarely act according to right or not.

Ordinary people act just because they were told to do so or people around them are doing the same thing.

I am happy, because I am not one of them.

 

Unwell

Hi, **..

I had a very bad cold on Thursday night last week. The night was very chilly.
I was unable to attend your important discourse on Sunday, I had to stay at home for keeping my tranquility.
Still I am unwell. I'm afraid I'd better not attend the Tuesday meeting, either.
But please don't worry too much. I might be there tonight :)

I'd like to see you soon when I recovered.

Sincerely yours,

mer

I was working 8 hours everyday and two hours meeting with someone and writing for 5 hours.
Now is time to take a rest :(

Sociology of wearing leggins

Wearing leggins series the third article.

Wearing leggins related to the influence of global warming and current economic recession.

These days winters are not so cold than ten or twenty years ago. Therefore women keep on wearing a mini skirt till late autumn, even in the midst of winter we have much warmer days than before when it's sunny, therefore women doesn't like to buy a long skirt in order for them to just endure a couple of colder days in winter.

So women came upon an idea that they can still wear a mini skirt by wearing leggins in it to spend a little bit colder days in winter.

They don't have to buy a long skirt, it's not useful to buy one since no extra money for it. 

What was the language Jesus spoke in his preachings?

They say it was mainly Aramaic, sometimes Hebrew. But I want to think it Koine. Here's my article based on my mere assumptions.

I think Jesus was able to speak, use, understand workable Koine, not to say standard Greek.

I admit his native tongue was Aramaic, though, he must have understood Hebrew, at least what is written in Scriptures.

The reason he had to establish new religion somehow must have been related to his native tongue. He must have felt alienated from Hebrew dominated Pharisee society and Koine dominated Levant world.

That said, however, I assume his entire preachings were basically held in Koine.

What he wanted must be preaching as many people as possible.

His choice of universal language must have been the reason his teachings had dominated in Levant world, and his teaching itself matches the universality of its language.  

God and the name of him

Hello ***,

 

I was confused myself...  Read especially Acts 2:21 more carefully. Both Acts and Joel 2:32 says ' the name of Jehovah'. I have to check the grammar of 'of' in original language, but it seems not 'the name' is 'Jehovah' and it's more likely that means 'Jehovah's name'  

 

If his name is Jehovah, these passages ought to be written as 'Jehovah, the name of God'.

It seems Jehovah simply means God in these passages. I can read these passages as 'the name of God is unknown but call him in our mind'.

 

Probably more in passages at Joel, Jehovah is used like a proper noun. Basically Jehovah is the name of God in Hebrew scriptures.  I can't believe Jesus used the term Jehovah in early Christianity.  Jesus might not have used the term Jehovah because we can imagine that he wanted to establish a different religion from Judaism in his teachings.  

 

Please examine more on this. Because we've been discussed it many times.

 

 

                                                              Mer

Cause of his death

Pilate asked Jesus only whether he was a son of God. Jesus didn't deny and said as he said so. Virtually he admitted that he was a son of God. At that time a title son of God was only used for Caesar or more specifically for Epiphanes. Pilate must have known Jesus was guilty for high treason judging from the way he replied.

Marriage -its ideal & reality

Many years ago I thought I'd better marry not so pretty woman because I don't have to worry about her being another's love after we married.

Many years later I realised I can't divorce her. If I did so, she would have no another husband. Certainly she has not loved by many guys, but also from now on she will not be loved by others but me. I would divorce a woman if she were very pretty. I wouldn't have married a pretty woman and I would divorce a pretty woman. It was really a right decision to get married to not so pretty woman in many aspects.

Ghost mansion

I went to the university festival near my house. I entered the ghost house by myself. It was a spot so popular that many young couples were waiting for the room. It was very well devised and completely dark. It was a very good place to confirm the love between couples. They must have spent too much money for making a house. The place was one of the main attractions in their school festival.

Devisers know how to nourish love more than how to accumulate their knowledge.

Some university today became certainly a ghost mansion of knowledge.

Divine wind

Many university students were enlisted just before the end of the Pacific war in 1945. Almost all were dead in a desperate attack. One commander of them sent them saying that he surely come after their death. Just too many youngsters around age 21 were dead before the end of war, but the commander survived.

He kept his promise at age 95 long after he made a promise

Automatisation of death penalty

Many inmates are waiting behind the death row, but their penalty has not been carried out yet. It's necessary to have the permission of the Minister of Justice to carry out the execution in each cases.

Also the Minister of Justice Kunio Hatoyama declared that there oughtn't to be any waiting for the permission of the Minister of Justice to carry out the execution.

He said death penalty automatically be carried out.

I think this is insightful.

Friend's friend?

Japan's Minister of Justice! Kunio Hatoyama confessed that his friend's friend is a member of al-Qaeda.
What he wanted to point out was 'probably' that terrorists hide themselves beside us as he clarified today in his constituency, so be careful. But believe me...it's too difficult to interpret so. Just too many people interpreted that he -Minister of Justice Kunio Hatoyama himself is a friend of terrorist group.

Theoretically speaking, neither enemy's enemy nor friend's friend means anything. He was not wrong. Just he should have needed to make allowances for the gap between his intelligent level and that of the general public.

He should have rightly confessed that his enemy's friend is a member of al-Qaeda since many people tend to get an impression that friend's friend must be a friend.

Difference between pro and amateur

Pro tends to think evaluator couldn't evaluate him well when he was not evaluated well.

Poincaré conjecture

The attempt to confirm Poincaré conjecture is a useless act.

Covenant with God

Humans made a covenant with God two times, one time in Moses' times and the second one was made in Jesus's times. Humans have had no success in this world if they exchanged the contract with God.

On the other hands, Faust made a contract with Mephistopheles in exchange for his soul, but he had regained his soul after his death even he succeeded in acquiring tens of interesting experiences in this world.

You know Devil was one of archangels in heaven. He was a fallen angel. Devil symbolises the true figure of ambitious humans who succeeded in this world by opening a new frontier.

Nothing happens if we kept on walking the path someone made.

Art & Porno

One day I thought about what the difference between art and porno. Between art & porno solely depends on how a watcher feels, not a photo itself.

Conversation with a visitor

Religious situation in America is very different from that of other countries. Almost all people believe in Christianity. Almost all people in America are Protestants. But the problem is there are tens of millions of denominations among American Protestants. Episcopal, Presbyterian, Evangelicals, Baptists, Anglican, Mormon, etc. It is somehow taken for granted that all people believe in God, Christianity in America. Which denomination that matters.

You see in a country virtually all people believe in Christianity, people tend to believe in Christianity formally, not substantially. Some need to pretend to believe in God because only somebody next to them supposedly believe in God. I must say some people just pretend to believe in God as a pose.

Jehovah's Witnesses were different among those might be pretending to believe in God as a posture.

Situation here in Japan is very different from that in America. Usually I found almost all Christians here regardless of their denominations are very religious and faithful people. Many Jehovah's Witnesses are true Christians. I agree, but I regret to say that some Jehovah's Witnesses are not. At the same time many Catholic believers, Protestants are true Christians. Again some Catholic, Protestants are not.

You often say there's only one God's earthly organisation, though you don't clearly say which is so. Also you mention lots of times about Apostasy. But what is important is not an organisation. It is very beneficial to learn and keep in touch with organisation as long as it helps strengthen your faith. Most important thing is your relationship to God, not organisation.

Now as to New World Translation. This translation was thought to be the work by one man with the help of other four members of committee in Watch Tower. In other major translations more than 100 scholars involved in the work of translation in order not to be biased in a particular idea. Important thing is Bible is a word of God and this book was written in very old times in ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek. We need some interpretation for that reason. Ancient language must be very different from current language. Of course English is very different form Hebrew and Greek in the first place. So what we need to know is what message God really tried to send us humans. All translation of Bible are a result of how we interpret it from original text. Important thing is what God really wanted to send us, not merely what is written. There are many literal expressions as well as figurative expressions. Prophecy is basically figurative. We need to look into what was His real intention.


It is very acceptable for us to use New World Translation in our daily study, but if we felt some questions as to what really God wanted to say, it is strongly recommended to refer to other version of Bible as well as what original language meant.

You don't salute national flag or sing national anthem. You don't accept transfusion. I think national flag, anthem, transfusion have nothing to do with right or wrong. What matters is whether you feel it sinful or not. Jehovah's Witnesses usually feel those conducts violate God's command. Therefore you ought not to do them. Otherwise those have nothing to do with your faith.

As to God's name. I am not sure whether God has a name though your supreme God, Almighty God is called Jehovah by Jehovah's Witnesses. But if some one who has different faith calls his God in different names like Deus in Catholicism, you ought to admit their God is the same as your God. God Himself is the same, but how to call Him that differs.

These are the impressions that I had through conversations with Sister. 

Acceptance & tolerance. Most important factor in religion.

Whisky & Life

'What does he think deep in his blue eyes? Rimbaud - the highest poet in literal history.'

'Nietzsche or Sartre, Socrates or Plato.. all raised up fighting with their inner trouble. You are a big shot. You and I are big shots.

'Do you like whisky, don't you? Shall we play a little bit more?'

-All are taken from commercial messages of whiskies in TV.'

Meaning of sacrifice

As you know Abraham was about to kill his only son Issac with a request of God to offer as a sacrifice.

Somebody told me his interpretation that Abraham was so staved that he had to ask his God if he could kill his only son to feed himself. God said Ok only anyone can kill their kids on the verge of their starvation. Abraham didn't have to kill his only son only because he was fed by something other than his son.

I don't think it's not likely though anyway Abraham thanked God as a result.

Let me hear your interpretation.

El Alamein

In a movie a young volunteer soldier who is a student of philosophy and history back in Italy abruptly uttered looking at the strange signs scratched on the surface of the big rock asked whether the rock was at the time of Roman rule by his comrade that the ruins then they are dates back to 10,000 years ago before Romans came.

The author probably suggested that El Alamein was neither Briton's, Germans nor Italians.

By the way, no women appeared in the movie.

The result he never imagined

Hess flew to Scotland with the hope of negotiating peace with his counterpart. He was arrested. He was never released till his death at age 93. The last release was done by himself. It was the only freedom he was allowed.

Hess's confession

He said as if all were indicted for nothing but accusation created falsely. Hess was arrested in 1941. Throughout the war he was out of sight. Everything after he was arrested was out of his sight. Hess's analogy Nuremberg trial & Great Purge in Russia interests me a lot. He was inappropriate for Nuremberg trial at all. Yet the reason it was done was pure political, not criminal at all.

War criminals

They ought to be hung, not shot. Why? Because they need to be executed as criminals.

Victim of his fate

A man who killed 33 young guys confessed at the moment of his execution that he will be the 34th victim of his murder.

I am neither a serial killer nor want to know the mind of murderer though presumably what he wanted to say was that he killed 33 people with inevitable force as he is about to be executed by it.

Or inevitable fate I should say.

Hess & Hoess, two different figures

Rudolf Hess and Rudolf Hoess... Rudolf Hess was a deputy Fuehrer and fled to Scotland before Barbarossa to negotiate peace with Britain. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and he kept on custody from 1941 to 1987.  He was not released even in a short time. It was natural if we thought about the position of Russia, Russia was about to face hypothetical German-Britain Allied.  Rudolf Hoess was a commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp. He was sentenced to death in Poland, 1947.

In Japan's phonetic system, two names are completely the same, but the roles in war was very different. We were told not to confuse when we first encounter two names in our school. I took him for another one when I saw first in more than twenty years in a documentary program. I had been not always aware of those two differences.  

 

 

Charisma

After sentenced in 20 year imprisonment, being asked by one of his prosecutors in Allied countries what was the key to succeed, Speer replied that it is to make the most of your charisma.

Speer won the last opportunity whether he was sentenced to death or reduced his charge. Probably his prosecutors started thinking he is too charismatic to be killed.

Photo again in English circle

Farewell party of another member.

Restructure -that leads to war

Restructure ...the word seems nice but in reality it means dismissal from someone's job.

As a result of restructure, the number of the unemployed increases.

War offers perfect situation for the unemployed to a job by becoming a soldier and construction or manufacturing opportunity for the damage. 

War occurs usually after the major change of social strata.

Hornucopia

Hornucopia appeared at the pinnacle of happiness.  

Hornucopia must be representing the moment of happiness.

Chore

Chore...it's not a nice word.

Many people believe usually housewives do chore but I don't believe so. I do chore.

But more and more I've been changing my opinion, especially after I had love with a girlfriend.

Women are usually passive in love affair in our case, I don't know as to your case though.

After the banquet,  I am as if I run through long distance race. Instead she is like a woman who were flown by the very rhythmical tide.  She looks very vigorous. All the more I am exhausted.

She is doing chore, like washing glasses and cleaning tables.

I am temporarily at a lost.

United States of East Asia

I think you know Toshiba is Japanese company. But my Toshiba is made in China.

'Toshiba' was written in Chinese characters. We Japanese think it's because Toshiba is a Japanese company since Japanese use 2000 Chinese characters.

But I think people will learn to think at a glance of 'Toshiba Co, ltd. Made in China'  that 'Toshiba' was written in Chinese characters because it's a Chinese company naturally.

As a matter of fact, right now many office jobs as accounting, etc are transmitted electronically to China and many Chinese people are transacting tens of Japanese office work in China.

They will be forming the United States of East Asia spontaneously.

Militarism & Democracy

Japanese photo journalist Kenji Nagai was shot dead by Burmese security forces in Rangoon. He was one of few people who were shot dead at demonstration. Probably he was shot because he carried a camera, taking some pictures. It is bad to gun unarmed people. It is worse to gun a photo journalist who tried to take pictures of them. 

China and Russia still support the military regime in Burma. Other democratic nations support democratic movement. Peaceful demonstration is not a bad thing, but it often leads to revolution. That's why military regime suppress the demonstrator.

I must reminds you that basically state power established under the strong influence of armed forces. Japan was so, many other nations were also so. It is only a couple of decade ago that the democracy became most important in politics.   

Non nationality pop culture

I am rarely surprised at the sight of any one except Dj Ozma. Beforehand, Gackt and Shiina Ringo was the only musicians that attracted me a lot.

Very borderless? Eh?