karin's English Writing

karin's English Writing

the Bon Festival

2011-08-14 08:43:00 | ノンジャンル
I feel very lonely at this time of the Bon Festival.

Did you prepare 盆だな to welcome the spirits of
your ancestors?

Did you prepare おはぎ to welcome them?

Did you make a cucumber-horse so that the spirits can
come back to you as quickly as possible?

Did you make an eggplant-cow so that the spirits will
go back to another world slowly?

Are you enjoying 盆踊り to welcome the spirits?

There used to be several 盆踊り大会 in our neighborhood
when my daughter was a little girl.

Oh, I remember my daughter loved the　盆踊り so much
when she was as young as her daughter!

Is it because I've done nothing of these things
that I feel so lonely?




clear and hot days!

2011-08-10 22:56:00 | ノンジャンル
What clear and hot days we have!

The summer heat is increasing after 立秋.

It's difficult for us to stand such heat as this.
But we have to.

(at 8:30, this morning)


On August 8 I took the Joetsu Shinkansen for Niigata
and got off the Shinkansen at Nagaoka Station.

(from the Shinkansen)


I met a good old friend of mine in my elementary school days.
She lives in Nagaoka City. We enjoyed talking a lot.

I stayed overnight at Hotel New Otani in front of Nagaoka
Station.

(from my hotel window)




The next morning I hurried to Tochio by taxi.

(rice field--from my taxi window)


There were still some signs of the damage caused
by the 新潟・福島集中豪雨　here and there.

I was surprised to see very few people.
I'm sorry to say depopulation is increasing in Tochio.



3rd harmonica volunteering in 2011

2011-08-04 23:10:00 | ノンジャンル
Every Thursday I attend Harmonica Circle.

It was Thursday today and I hurried
to the community center.

Five members were absent today. I missed them.

In the morning we nine members practiced 16 songs
on the harmonica until half past 11:00.

Then some of us went home to have lunch.

I went to a restaurant with the others
and had Thursday lunch pasta.

We all gathered at a nursing home for the aged by 1:15.

16 elderly people were waiting for us and we played 16
songs on the harmonica. They were--

うみ・海・夕やけこやけ・かもめの水兵さん・蛍

浦島太郎・ゆりかごの歌・朝はどこから・埴生の宿

山小舎の灯・青葉の笛・影を慕いて・港が見える丘

あの丘越えて・東京ラプソディ・ふるさと

The elderly people sang these songs to our harmonica.

They sang 影を慕いて and ふるさと in a larger voice.

They looked tired in a rather hot room.

Some were wiping the sweat from their faces.

Isn't the air-conditioning working? I wondered.

They didn't look very happy today.


(at 9:00, this morning)