Bye-bye 2009

I'm keeping to decorate my room with some plants and flowers. I wish I could do that more with a bigger space and enough time.... Anyway, I'm ready for 2010.

This is the last update for my blog in 2009. Thank you very much for visiting and reading my blog. Did you enjoy it??? There are still so many things I want to write about. Maybe next year I'll try.

It is already on 31th of Dec. in Japan. I'm gonna visit my family and dine with them later tonight, but I'll go relax at a super "Sento" (Spa) first now.

The year 2009 was like a year in which I was still nurturing my "Self" and searching something key factors to reach or to be close to my wishes I had had. Maybe I'm still on a progress... for a great future. I hope that it will be the next 2010.

Anyway, I wish you all a wonderful start in 2010.

Messed up and cleaned up for 2010

---BEFORE---

---AFTER---

2 days to go for the New year 2010. I did cleaned up my room to welcome a Happy 2010 today. In Japan, we do traditonary clean up everywhere in house, apartment, office and so on to welcome the New year around the end of the year. Maybe it is a kind of ritual stuff related to Shintoism.

Shinto hates "Kegare" which means the state of being not clean, pure, dirty or whatever bad. By cleaning up, or purifing, we can put the negative enrgy which might have piled up during the passing year away, and welcome the possive energy which might brought us some luck and happiness during the coming year.

I feel now very cleaned up in mind like my room. I do hope that I will be lucky during 2010 as I'm always.

Where am I from?

I live in a city very close to the centre of Osaka. Only 10-15min by train. My town in acctually in Hyogo prefecture, but I can say, I'm from Osaka. Why?

There is a river call "Muko" which devides two cities, Amagasaki (my city) and Nishinomiya. They are both in Hyogo prefecture, but the funny thing is the local code of each telephone number quite differs. Most in Hyogo starts from 07..., but mine starts from 06 which is exactly the same as the centre of Osaka.

Many say, my city belongs almost to Osaka, and the charactaristic of people is resemble to Osaka people. I don't know well about it. Anyway, should I say, I'm from Osaka?, or I'm from Kobe which is the capital city of Hyogo. I prefer Kobe which sounds more sophisticated, and it really does sophisticate in the town itself.

The constraction works are currently going on around Osaka station. A quite a huge constraction. I wonder how different it is from what it was 10 years ago. And how different I am from what I was 10 years ago.

Am I growing up well as the city develops steadly....?

Merry Christmas! 2009

Marry Christmas to you all.

Chacing smiles

I'm not a professional photographer, but I like taking photos which especially make me feel genuine, innocent, joyful....

Well, I always find them in people. We don't dare need to say about nature which are meant to be so from the first beginning, but we are the same. Unfortunatelly outer factors in later life affect us which it makes us difficult to reveal it.

It's fun to encounter the moment of original being us. Smiles tells everything. That's why I'm taking photos.

The best photo of my collection in 2009 is a family from Egypt.

The second is myself. I'm not a self-concious guy, but I'm just surprised that I can smile that much.

The third is guys whom I met in Chesky krumlov, Checz.

FREE WAY

I've just changed the layout of my blog a bit with a new pic and the new title "FREE WAY"

Why did I pic the word? The word "Free Way" sounds to me not only like a toll-free road, but also ways in life to choose with one's free will. Of course, I picked it up for the latter.

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I'm just looking for a Free way.
It's so easy to take a chance.

I can't stop my heart any more.
I'm just looking for, looking for a Free way.

It's so easy, it's so easy, it's so easy to take a chance....... (By Mari Hamada "Free way")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQdsQd14cd4&feature=PlayList&p=5D06294BEBA0FFD4&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8

===============================================

I can be anything if I choose one way or another. I just wanna feel free all the time to choose my ways for anything good to be.

Portugal

My second time to Portugal. I felt more relaxed than the first time, and so I took a couple of photos. In my impression, I like Portugal, and people in Portugal seemed much more friendlier than Spain. They seemed more relaxed.

Anyway, we went through various weathers in Spain, and even on the way to Lisbon, Portugal. And one thing more, an earthquake. Nearly M3.o. It occured during midnight. I woke up feeling the tremble. Wow!

I talked with a portuguese man on the flight to Helsinki. He run a company to organize tours for small gourps in Portugal. Most of his clients from Westerncountries. He gave me many interesting stories, especially about visitting wineries.

Maybe Portugal is a less popular tourist site, but I'm sure that there are so many places worth visitting. I wonder if I could have a oppotunity to visit there on private......

Shivered Weather

The day I left for Spain & Portugal, The departure schedule of a few flights for Euro destinations were messed up. Greatly delayed or cancelled due to the bad weather in Europe. Luckily, my group used Finnair, and it departed as scheduled.

The weather in Europe seems to be still harsh, I hear from news programs. Look at the last 2 pics in Spain. The city of Toledo was covered with unusual snow, and the statue of Don quixote looked so shivered. In Madrid, the temparature went even below minus!!!

I just can't stop thinking of climate changes caused by global warming.

Photo1: A favorite cafe in Sevilla, Photo2: Alhambla palace in Granada, Photo3: A statue of Don quixote, Photo4: A panoramic view of Toledo

Come oooooooooooooooon!

At Osaka station, many people were quing for refunding the tickets they bought. Train service were suspended for a while because somebody commited a suicide, and it took some time for the recovery.

Some people seemed so annoyed, but things had happened. Why keep irritating? I thought that it was better to do something else, not quing with them. So I started listing to music and observing people at the station, and at each platform. Quite fun!!!

And then I found this funny ad. at the station. Hanako, a comedy actress, were disguising Vinus and seducing maybe guys, saying "Come ooooooon!". I kinda like this stuff. Very funny.

Anyway, my point is, it is better to follow the stream, not agains it. It is better not to get involed in hectic situations, but try make a creative way for life. I reached home in quite good state of mind.

What do you think?

Last assignment for the year 2009

8 days in Spain and Portugal is my last assignment for the year 2009.

I'm coming back next Saturday, and can spend Christmas time and New year's eve in Japan. I think that my life as a tour leader has been settled more than the last year.

Youth always battles againt patience of anxiety, but the patience with trials and errors leads us to right directions in life. How many could learn that?

Luminarie and suvivors

A sudden idea led me to Kobe Luminarie, a light illumination festival which started 15 years ago to commemorate the Hanshin great earthquake struck around this area in Jan 17, 1995.

I like this event very much. Of course, we have to line for a while to go through the illumination, but I enjoy not only the beauty, but also watching people's faces filled with joylous emotions which make me feel ease...

I'm also a suvivor from this earth quake like others here. I must have died then, but I'm still alive. I sometimes think that what makes us, sivivors or not suvivors, a difference in a disaster like this or other bad events.

Maybe I'm still alive to experience what I experience right at this moment.

Christmas market

Can you imagine that my group toured 6 Christmas markets in 3 countries in 2 days. 4 in Austria, 1 in Slovakia, and 1 in Hungary???

Anyway, the time is alsomt Christmas. What do you wish to St. Nicholas this year? I wish for Love, smile and Freedom. Maybe I did write about it before., right!? I'm thinking how I could get those in life. Any advice?

A book says, if we want something, we just strongry wish for it, and trust that we would surly get it, and then we just recieve it when it comes in in hand.

Is that so easy?

Those photos above were taken in Butapest, Hungary.