The Third Round of 1st July

 This late three months I have been busy but it's just as usual. Moreover that, I've been having a thing that I have to think deeply and struggling.
 This day 1st July, 2013, the second round of the BLOG has finished and the third round has just started. Then I will post more than the last year's as alway I said. haha.


And Happy Canada Day et Fête du Canada!!

GOLDEN Week

 "Golden Week" is coming to you from 27th April to 6th May, 2013, with max of 10 days straight. Japan has the "Golden Week" which is a series of national holidays and many people takes about 7 or 9 days off, up on year, every year. Then around the Tokyo area there will be a lot of events. Lately Golden-Week becomes a huge festival for Japanese because of this late spring break. Many people gets out from Japan to foreign countries, others go across Japan. Especially Tokyo is such a popular place to go, because every time you visit, you may see new things.

 So, if you haven't had any plans for Golden-Week yet, just come visit to Tokyo.

Hawaii Festival at Odaiba

 Hawaii, U.S.A., is the most famous and popular place Japanese tourists to go. In 2011, 1,176,546 tourists went to Hawaii and the number is about 16% of all tourist to the America, 7,284,069. When talking about New Years day or weddings, actually many people mentions Hawaii is for a place to spend at those term of a year. Such Hawaiian lovers Japanese is.
 At Odaiba, Tokyo, from 27th April to 6th May, there will be the 11th annual Hawaii Festival. For whom not to have any plans for golden-week it's really fun to go instead paying massive money on plain tickets. And also you may check how Japanese loves Hawaii.


Official WEB-Site(Japanese Only) : http://www.venusfort.co.jp/hawaii/index.html

Enthusiastic Invitations

 7th March, 2013, IOC, International Olympic Committee, had finished their 4 days inspection for Japan.    A lot of athletes including gold medal winners at London this past games, politicians and prime-minister himself welcomed the committees with V.I.P. treatment. The inspection should be treated like that? I think too much tax money was wasted for taking points from the committee as like Madrid people thinking for their inspection. Now the committees is in Istanbul, I watched Turkish folk's enthusiasm on TV. Then I just think Turkey is the most reasonable choice among the three, because we need more changes around the world for the each other's relationships for good. Even we Japan better to do something for the Tohoku region more than any events or anything indeed, just after 2 years anniversary of.

Official Japanese WEB-Site : http://tokyo2020.jp/en/

Early Spring

 Spring already has come this past week-end at Tokyo. Cherry-blossoms have fully bloomed and reminded us how great living
 in Japan is. The pink sky through us warmth, with bit chilly winds put some sentiment into our heart and spring rain shower makes flawless pink flower shower that makes pink ways. Yes, in Japan, spring is for saying good-bye and hello. That makes us to love cherry-blossoms strongly.

Golden Left Foot

The Golden Foot

 The living legend, the most valuable and simply no-matter-what the best football player in the world, is really famous and populer here in Japan. That's of-course Lionel Andres Messi without any shadow of a doubt.From 7th March, 2013 to 6th June, 2013, his golden left-leg, actually pure gold, is on sale for $5,000,000. It's perfectly real size as his. 50 limmited his pure gold left-foot-print plate for $90,000 and the half sized golden-left-foot for $40,000 are also on sale. At the term it goes around 8 famous jewelry shop which sells the golds called "Ginza Tanaka". Those benefits goes to charity for the aftermath of 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tunami.

It's just gigantic idea. I'd see the real one at Ginza... I just think the actual real one is much wealth it.


Leo Messi X Ginza Tanaka The Golden Foot Official WEB-Site : http://www.thegoldenfoot.jp/en/

 

Not on a Table here Yet

 England and Wales's Commons voted in favour of Same Sex Marriage this week. France is also battling about the same issue in National Assembly.

 Here Japan, there is nothing about it, indeed. No argument at all. Actually Japan gets in a strange situation. When you turn TV on, you may notice a lot, actually a lot, of TV stars who are gays, trans-genders, drug-queens and every kinds of things amazingly. Then Tokyo Disney Land allows to hold a wedding ceremony despite the both gender is the same. However, on the contrary, a system of marrige is too old-fashioned and conservative and then still majority believes in the system. Whether you are right or left, it should be on a table for considering at least taht's healthy I reckon.

Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2013 List

 4th January, 2013, the Economist Intelligence Unit released an annual list of the most expensive cities for living "Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2013". This year's number one spot is taken by Tokyo where I'm living and my home Osaka takes number two spot. Tokyo regains its number one spot, actually in these 20 years only three cities seized the number one spot. Wow, Japan's cities get 1-2-finished. Thinking about Zurich, Switzerland, which last year's number one, the government controversially intervening its exchange makes its own civilian's living cheaper. At that point, the government has made good decision for the people and I think that's what a government should do, whether they'd been called "Western China" or not. On the contrary, Japanese government... Anyway, following is the top ten list and the opposite side, the least expensive, top ten cities.

The 10 Most Expensive Cities in the World

 1. Tokyo, Japan
 2. Osaka, Japan
 3. Sydney, Australia
 4. Oslo, Norway
 4. Melbourne, Australia
 6. Singapore
 7. Zurich, Switzerland
 8. Paris, France
 9. Caracas, Venezuela
10. Geneva, Switzerland


The 10 Least Expensive Cities in the World

 1. Karachi, Pakistan
 1. Mumbai, India
 3. Delhi, India
 4. Kathmandu, Nepal
 5. Algiers, Algeria
 5. Bucharest, Romania
 7. Colombo, Sri Lanka
 8. Panama City, Panama
 9. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
10. Tehran, Iran

the Economist Intelligence Unit WEB-Site : https://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=WCol2013

By A Canal

 This past week-end Tokyo had amazingly warm days like spring. Temperatures in daytime were over 15 degree Celsius that you didn't need down-jacket or coat. So, I headed to one of my favourite place especially with this tropical sea like blue sky and the sun with smile. A restaurant is by a canal river and serves beer which brewed at its compound with breads also baked at the same compound.

 Sunny Saturday afternoon, sitting in a chair by the water with beer on tap was just a heaven despite it's in massive concrete jungle Tokyo.

"She & Him" Volume 3

 Music matters always for me, whatever situations I'm in. "She & Him" will release a new full length album at 7th May, 2013 in North America and also they announce their North America summer 2013 tour. I wish they will come to Japan. I just can't wait!!

Calm Beginning of 2013

 A day is so fast and I reckon I never get used it. One month flies away so quick just like a fragment of snow in a hand melts. News papers have reported horrific things about all over the world, politics, economy and non-true-or-without-truth stories yet. Besides all of them, for "people" really calm days have passed through so far in Japan, I think. That sounds nice to me, because whether I feel reluctant to do something or not, the thing goes to normal. So, I do clean up my room. haha!

One Day in 365

 This past Monday, 14th January, 2013, was an annual holiday for celebrating age of 20-years-old that's called "Coming of Age Day" in Japan. The festivity is to celebrate a person becoming an adult and to be realized a person taking its own responsibility. And the same day, this year, Tokyo, also Kanto area, got huge amount of snow. Japan is a small country as size but not small like weather is all the same at any places in the country. At north part of Japan like Hokaido, Aomori, Nigata, there's snowing in winter season but at the south it' not much. At Tokyo, snowing normally is only one day in 365 days and even its amount is usually just a few, like 1 cm deep or around. However this year's snowfall was a 8cm deep that's been 17 years. Just a 8 centimeter but in Tokyo that's totally big deal! It matters a lot, especially transportation. Actually at the day, there were delays and cancellation for every kind of transportation. Tokyo is so weak for snowing. So, if you come Japan in winter, you'd better check a day for snowfall has been coming already.

Tokyo Olympic 2020

 This year's late summer, there will be a final decision which affects a lot of people who believes in 2020. Tokyo has been qualified as last three contenders for 2020 Olympic host city. Newly elected Governor of Tokyo, also ex-governor too, has spent too many tax for its enticement despite many habitants are not interested in it. Actually, the rate of its support was just around 50 percent which was the worst in the three cities. The rivals has following percentage like Madrid 78 percent and Istanbul 73 percent. So, Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee, which literally a committee for the bid for 2020 Olympic game, has cashed for advertisement raising interest in Tokyo. And this week-head, their plan released. The plan is based on London's, it means Tokyo Olympic would be compact. Every games and facilities would be within a radius of 8 kilometers of the city central. And even many facilities will be renewed as like London did. Tokyo has the same problem London had and the same reason London also had. The problem and the reason are that Tokyo's infrastructure now is getting old and need to fix it all over the city. Tokyo's situation looks like London, that the reason why I think Tokyo doesn't need the Olympic because of the London's aftermath. What do you think?

 

 

Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee Official WEB-Site : http://tokyo2020.jp/en/

Christmas Illumination 2012 Summery

 This past year 2012's Christmas Illumination around Tokyo was actually really good. Many illumination was decorated more light than before and spent more money seemingly. Just one disappointment was Tokyo station's lighting-up-show with Projection Mapping had cancelled just after opening day due to safety reason, but still it's really impressive therefore it's fun going out into winter's chilly air.

 There are summery pictures of 2012 Christmas illumination.

 ( Abave at Roppongi, mid at Ebisu and Yokohama, bottom at Marunouchi and Omotesando.)

Happy New Year 2013

 To fix my broken computer again made me nothing to do even with Japanese traditional new year's holidays, especially this year's very good calendar mede majorities having 9 days-off, it made me complicating to do things that I have to do. I still couldn't post some articles that I wrote last year, so I will. And this year 2013, I will post more than this past year 2012, that's my will for 2013.