Officers' Club at Yokota Air Base

I belong to two English speaking clubs at community
centers here. One meets twice a month on Wednesday
and the other three times a month on Friday.
Teachers of both clubs comes from Yokota Air Base.

Today is Wednesday.
We had lunch at "the Officers' Club" at Yokota Air Base.
It was my fourth time to visit the base. I was surprised
that security checks were very strict this time.

I showed my passport to the officers and they inputted my
information into a computer. Then they took a picture of me.

AT "the Officers' Club" they serve different food each day.
On Monday it is closed. On Tuesday they serve Oriental Buffet
for lunch. On Wednesday (today) they serve Italian Buffet.
On Thursday Mexican Buffet and on Friday Seafood Buffet.

On Saturday they serve Butcher's Choice for dinner.
On Sunday they serve Champagne Sunday Brunch from 10am to 2pm.
We had a great time speaking English and eating Italian food.

Tomorrow I'm going to Shiga-kogen in Shinshu.
I will enjoy trekking until the last day of this month.

See you again in October.



(on the way home, around 2pm, today)

it has been raining

I've just been to a supermarket in the rain
to buy dry cells for my radio.

Each rain will cool the air.　
I hope we will not have a very wet autumn.
I hope we will have a crisp autumn.

We are now in the early autumn.
I am now in the autumn of life.

(flowers in the rain)


(What flower is this?)

school festival

Yesterday I visited a nearby senior high school
and enjoyed their annual school festival for the first time.

Their slogan was "community oriented FESTIVAL."
All visitors seemed to be welcomed. I wrote down my name
and address at the entrance.

The school was full of a lot of people--people of different
generations. Everybody looked happy.

Every class had planned an event. I enjoyed their drama,
their movies, chorus, their rock music and darts.

Every class adopted some wonderful idea.

I enjoyed the festival a lot.
Thank you, Students.

to Mt. Takao

Yesterday was a nice autumn day.
Ms.Y and I met at Takao Station.
We began to walk from there.

We made a plan to walk along the Asa-kawa River,
enjoying the plants on its banks.

Then we climbed Mt. Takao by way of Jataki,
and the 3rd route---long, long way to the top of
the mountain. We had lunch at Momii-dai.

We walked 24000 steps. What a happy day!

(higan-bana, cluster amaryllis, on the bank
of the Asa-kawa River)




(I call this place 'Kami-kochi in Takao.')

Kurohime-kogen and Togakushi-kogen (2)

(flowers of soba in Togakushi)




(the sky I saw from my bus window---on my way to Tokyo)