on Halloween

My American teacher in Friday English Class
came to Japan five years ago.

She is surprised to find the event of Halloween
in Japan is getting popular year by year.

Halloween is now loved by many people even in Japan,
just as Mother's Day, Father's Day, St. Valentine's Day
or Christmas.

It's good for us to know the real meaning of Halloween.

Halloween is somewhat similar to o-bon, I think.

Anyway enjoy your Halloween!

(today's sky at 11:00a.m.)


(jack-o'-lantern I made 6 years ago)

Kominkan Festival

Another typhoon is coming here to the Kanto
tomorrow evening.

Recently we have had
awful weather on weekends.

It began to rain around 10 this morning.

I was walking to Kominkan nearby to enjoy
Kominkan Festival.

Several foreign people were expected to attend
the festival.

I was looking forward to talking to them in English.

But they didn't come to the festival
because of the rainy weather.

I came back to my apartment before noon.

(today's sky at 9 a.m.)


(origami)


Two ladies were teaching how to do origami
to little children.

(the Mona Lisa by junior high students)


(in the tatami room)

on the morning of Oct.22

We are now in autumn,
but we have few fine clear autumn days.

It has been raining these four days.

What is worse, powerful Typhoon No. 21
is approaching, which is causing a heavy rain
and wind.

Today is a voting day
for the Lower House election.

I hope this bad weather will not lower a turnout
of voters.

I myself went to absentee voting（不在者投票）
last week, as Mrs. M and I had planned to enjoy
a Unkei exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum
on Oct.22, that is, today.

But we cancelled the plan because of this bad weather.

How are you enjoying your Sunday?

I'm writing this message listening to a CD of さだまさし.

I'll go and see my daughter and her husband
in the afternoon.

I am the happiest
when I am enjoying talking to them.

See you around.

(written at 10:00 a.m.)

too cold for autumn

It has been too cold for autumn
these days.

It has been drizzling all day.

Yesterday I went to enjoy the annual festival
in Kodaira City.

Everyone attending there was walking
under an umbrella.

There were a few outdoor shops.

Many entertainments and parades were canceled,
I heard.

I went to a shop from Hokkaido Obira Town,
（北海道小平町・おびら町）which is a sister town
to Kodaira City（こだいら市）in Tokyo.

They sell very good vegetables
and seafood.

I bought potatoes
for my daughter's family.

I walked a lot in spite of bad weather.

I walked 12599 steps in a day.



(acorn どんぐり, near my apartment)

a 48-yen cucumber

I'm careless
and forget things easily.

Every morning I go to my daughter's house
to make sure the house is locked up.

This morning I went to her house around 10
and on the way back to my apartment,
I stopped by a supermarket.

I put seven articles of food into a green basket,
went to the cashier, paid the money
and put them into a bag.

When I came home, I found I had left
a cucumber in the green shopping basket!

I said to myself, "That's Ok. I'll go without the
cucumber. It's only 48 yen. I'm too tired to go
back to the supermarket again.”

But suddenly I felt so sorry for the cucumber.

The cucumber might be waiting for me to come back.

The cucumber might be sad to think I gave up on it.

I hurried to the supermarket again.

One of the cashiers said, “Oh, I remember a cucumber
left in a basket. It was yours!

Thank you for coming back for the cucumber.”

I don't know why
but I was filled with a warm emotion.