what a beautiful day!

What a beautiful day here in Tokyo!

I did the washing---a sheet, two bath towels and
a large towel blanket.

I gave each of my rooms a quick clean.

I've just called my sister in Tochio,Niigata,
and she said, “It's very cold and sleet is falling now.”

She was wondering if they would soon have a heavy snow.

Her husband went to a nursing home to accept ‘day service.’
He goes there three times a week.

Now it's noon, and I’ll have lunch, though I don't have
an appetite.

I'm sure I'll soon be all right.

(near my apartment)

See you soon.

Early tomorrow morning, I'm going back
to my home in Niigata City.

It occurred to me that I had something urgent
to do there.

I'll say some greetings to the neighbors too.

On the way back to Tokyo, I'm planning to visit
my sister and her husband who live in our hometown
Tochio.

See you soon, everybody!

on my 73rd birthday

I was born on November 17, 1942.
It was snowing, my mother used to say.

73 years have passed since then
and I am still alive to live another year.

I am grateful to Something great
for keeping me alive.

My husband is gone at the age of 33.
My father is gone at the age of 69.
My mother is gone at the age of 83.
My brother is gone at the age of 66.

Oh, how deeply I miss them all!

I took care of Mom in her last 17 years.

She said nothing but showed me
how a human being would be getting old.

She said nothing but showed me
how to live my later years.

On my birthday,
I can’t help saying
to everybody I saw in my life,
“Thank you so much for everything.”


(at my daughter's house, on Nov.15)


(at a surprise party by my friends, yesterday)

to an exhibition of Airy photographs

The day before yesterday, on Nov. 10,
it went on raining all day.

My daughter could not hang out the washing
and I didn’t have to take the washing in!
Yes, I was free in the afternoon.

I visited haruchan’s blog in the morning
and knew her daughter’s Photo Exhibition
was held at Sony Imaging Gallery on the 6th floor
of Sony Building in front of Yurakucho-Station.

Her name is Mariko Yamamoto.
She is a professional photographer.
I have ever seen her on the program of NHK.

The title of her photo exhibition was 「言の葉　airy.」
“airy” means “plenty of fresh air.”
She says 「風通しのよい」in Japanese.

All of her photos were full of
“fresh,cozy and friendly air”.

A young lady there said to me,
“She is very famous especially among us young ladies
and she is my teacher.”

I love her airy photos, which look like paintings
rather than photos.

Her photos and 葉　祥明’s paintings
have something in common, I felt.

I didn’t enjoy 銀ブラ but went home
as soon as I enjoyed 山本まりこさんの「言の葉　airy」.

Thank you, Mariko-san.
You are an airy poet and photographer.

(Sony Building)






I bought a 2016 photo calendar by Mariko Yamamoto.

Amaryllis Annual Autumn Concert 2015

The 28th Amaryllis Annual Autumn Concert
was held at 府中の森芸術劇場　ウイーンホール
today.





My daughter and her husband have been
members of Amaryllis Ensembles for over 20 years.

My daughter played the alto saxophone and
her husband the soprano saxophone.

Their three friends joined them.

The quintet played

El Gato Montes, Paso Doble Torero and
My Favorite Rhythm (Bossa Afro Cuban Medley)

on the saxophone.

koharu, my granddaughter, played the oboe
when all the members performed 木管十七重奏
ハイブラ賛歌（アマリリス合奏団結成３０周年委嘱編曲作品）
composed by 織茂　学.

It was koharu's first time to play the oboe
as a member of Amaryllis Ensembles.

Every year I went there with koharu by taxi,
but today I went there alone by bus.

I could easily found the concert hall by following
the signs.







Here I am!



It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon concert.