An aircraft captain of JAL, professor cum conductor of an orchestra, chief editorial of the largest economic newspaper, director and member of the board of a major ship manufacturing company, CEO of an architectural firm operating both in …

I knew that the class reunion of our elementary school had been held every year for probably over ten years, because I got its invitation every year. Since I can't hold my liquor, I have avoided those occasions of drinking. But this year w…

Around this time of the year, I live feeling a fight in the sky. The fight is a tug of war between two big air masses; one in the Pacific Ocean and the other in Okhotsk Sea. These two are both high pressure air. So it is more like a "push …

The train I usually rode left the station as I arrived at the platform. I fought my way onto the next train waiting at the other side of the platform. It was already jammed. I squeezed the side of my body first into between a passenger and…

I opened my profile on this blog. It says I have posted 117 entries. Come to think about it, I have never written such amount of English in my life, apart from scientific reports. Speaking a language, and writing for that matter, is a stra…

I have a few words I don't like especially. 熱愛 is one of them. As a Japanese, I feel the word 愛 is already too much. Under the influence of English, we began to unabashedly use the word. But to me this word is still awkward. I have neve…

There is a tree. "Tree" is a word. Tree is tree standing here. Tree is not a word. It has a rough surface when you touch it. It has a lush foliage when you look up. Every leaf has veins symmetric or asymmetric with its shape oblong or rath…

In a vegitable field. A row of vines trailing upward along half-rotten wooden poles. On each, you find fresh-green swords of hulls, richly pregnant. Pick one. Open it up. Whitish green pearls of peas neatly tucked in. Pick one out. Put it …

Since I got a tiny surgery on my boil, I have seen a dermatologist almost every day. The cut is still covered with a bandaid, but inside it almost heals. The problem is I seem to have an allergy to the tape. The parts of my skin where the …

At last it has become quite hard for me to wear a shirt by myself. Yes, because of my frozen shoulder. I used usually to put my right arm through the right sleeve first and then address the left. But now this way, I cannot put my left arm …

It's been cold these days. I felt so cold this morning that I glanced at a digital thermometer on the living-room table. It showed 20 degrees Celsius. 20? It took some time for the number to sink in. I looked again. 20.2. I couldn't believ…

About a month ago, I had an itchy feeling on my back. As I couldn't see what was happening there, I had my wife see it for me. She said "A boil." "Boil? how big is it?" "Quite big, You should have a doctor take a look at it." "It's just a …