Cold wave

Japan is hit by a cold wave since the middle of January. The northern parts of Japan have mountains of snow. News reported tens of people who shoveled snow on a roof of their house were dead by falling from the roof. It is a tough and dangerous work for people living in snowy regions.

My area is one of the warmest parts of Japan. I rarely see snow on the ground. Instead, the air is so dry and gale sometimes hits. When I looked at a humidity meter at my office today, it indicated 28%. I think the figure is quite low. I felt my eyes dry and put in eye drops a few times.

When I walked a path between a park and a high rise building yesterday, a strong opposing wind blew against me. I was hardly able to head straight. It’s a rare case I came across the gale recently because these several years have been relatively warm.

I wonder if this stiff cold wave would be caused by the global warming. We are weak against changes in nature. And we don’t have any good ideas except staying in a warm room. While staying still, we wait for spring.

High school joint concert

A high school my son attends is one of the strongest brass bands in this prefecture. When the band takes part in a contest, they always win somewhat prize. The band held a joint concert with neighboring high schools at the high school hall today. It had been notified through a message board, I went to see it with my wife.

When we entered the hall, another school band was playing before the band. It was good as the meaning as they were able to play without wrong note. I’m afraid that the whole sound was not so rich and dynamic. I thought I wanted to hear more powerful performance because they are enough young. Yet, they might not have made a practice enough of playing tunes. If they don’t have a room to play tunes with thinking of the dynamics or sound balance, they get to play tunes just reading the music scores.

After this band, the main band performed. The first tone was very impressive. The moment I heard the sound, I found the difference from the previous band. The dynamic range, the sonic pallet and the understanding of the tune. Although I was touched by the performance, the following tunes had me disappointed.

They are a brass band. But they sang in chorus at the next song. Chorus itself was not so bad. However, why did they have to sing a song despite they are a brass band? The next songs were “Bellavia” by Chuck Mangione, “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder and “Shake A Tailfeather.” Maybe these choices must be favorites of the teacher. The announcement told us that they were aiming to play with dancing. So they played them with dancing like standing up and down, swinging their neck and hips. At last, the members run to the access aisles and danced and clapped. Of course, the quality of performance was going down.

I have watched a TV program the other school bands performed like this. I wondered whether it’s necessary to do that. It may be prevalent. I can’t complain so much because I was able to enjoy them without charge.

Supper with foods of stalls

Today is a festival of a neighboring shrine, where people in this region bring New Year’s decoration or talismans and burn them here. This shrine enshrines a guardian deity of fire. We pray for family’s secure every year.

There are many stalls selling varieties of foods like Taiyaki, Okonomiyaki and so on. I came up with an idea a few days before that we eat foods sold at these stalls for supper. So we chose favorites. My son chose Fujinomiya Yakisoba and a skewer of grilled pork. My wife was Modan-yaki. I bought Hiroshima Okonomiyaki. And she bought Takoyaki and Ikayaki, too.

As peeking at stalls, we were getting to want to eat every food. Eventually we got them too much. We ate them after returning home. My son and wife told that they ate too much and didn’t feel well. It’s obvious because these kinds of foods put a strain on stomach.

However we were able to enjoy the atmosphere of the festival.

English or Japanese

I’m planning a training course program held in Japan for managers of our overseas affiliated companies. While most of major Japanese corporations have their own global programs, medium-sized companies like ours may be making such a plan at present.

As we are creating the plan, one of problems is which language we should use at the training. Trainees will come from all over the world including Southeast Asia, India, China and the US. On the other hand, most of Japanese employees are not able to speak English, so Japanese trainers will tell them in Japanese.

I’ve taken part in some seminars on a human resource development. This is one of the passes we have to overcome for the globalization. It’s called as the internal globalization. Although there are many overseas factories, managements aren’t caring about it. A top management goes to the length of saying that employees working at factories abroad should use Japanese because they are hired by Japanese corporation.

Actually, I think it’s hard or impossible to force them to speak Japanese as considering the difficulty of learning it and the minority of using it in the world. English is a common language in world. Besides countries that native English speakers live in, many countries use it as the second public language. Eventually, we can’t help but accept English even in facilities in Japan when we communicate with foreign colleagues..

I called a sales rep of a seminar provider to inquire training programs for them. He recommended two open seminars offered by English. And he suggested Japanese employees should take the program with them. It might be a good idea. I wondered how many Japanese object employees could attended to it.

Anyway, I can’t decide which language the training program should take until now.

Valuable things

I heard that a TV program aired last month provided a ranking of countries where nations value the time having with their family. The first is the USA 83% followed by the Dominican Republic and Canada. Japan is the thirtieth by 36.3%. Reversely, Japan is the top position by 45% in which they value work more than family. At present after a few years Lehman’s fall happened, Japanese workers work overtime a lot.

Times which final persons left the office recorded have nearly been midnights. They work hard. I’m a sedentary person. After I watch a PC screen all day, my eyes become dry and I feel very tired. I can’t stand for stuck behind a desk. So I come home the moment the dismissal bell rings.

A head of my section changed on this month. Persons appointed to the head of this section have been promoted to directors in the past. This head will be a director next year. Of course they have worked hard especially at overseas factories, and then are recognized and assessed as directors. I don’t have any complaints. They are part of 45% Japanese thinking work is the most important.

I love my family. I always make effort to have a dinner with my family. My son is a teenager, feel me annoying. I’m a bit sad. However, I’m in the 36.3% valuing the family.

CD; Libertango in Tokyo

This album is a live recording of Richard Galliane and Naoko Terai at Tokyo Jazz Festival 2011, which was held on last September. I watched their tunes on TV last December. Tokyo Jazz Festival itself has a sort of experimental factor. Musicians, who had never had a chance to play on a same stage, have been collaborating. Some of the combinations seem to have not been matched, though. Nonetheless, the collaboration between a beautiful violinist Naoko Terai and a gifted bandoneon player Richard Galliano was amazing. When I watched their music first on TV, I was impressed and got goose bumps.

Performance of Naoko Terai was emotional and gave us warmth of her heart. Moreover, I thought Richard Galliano was superb. In the concert, she played mostly sole performance. In fact, most tunes of this album were composed by Richard Galliano. Terai played lively on his tunes.

In particular, I was deeply moved by the “Opera Concerto” composed by Richard. The splendor of a composition was distinguished. It has a tense feeling and a sense of release. I enjoyed it to my heart’s content. Excellent players gleam more richly in an excellent composition.

The weak Janken

We enter the tennis court in order of arrival at the tennis club I take part in, and usually enjoy a doubles match. If some people wait their turn, players who finish the previous match do Janken to decide the next turn. When I do Janken, I mostly lose, and I have to wait the next match.

My defeat rate is quite high probably as much as 90%. Considering the high rate, it’s a kind of amazing figure. If it were the winning rate in reverse, my life would be totally different. If I come across the cases I would get a fortune, I will decide everything by doing Janken.

All of the club members know my poor Janken skill. While they do Janken with me for form’s sake, they don’t count me as a winner of Janken. I lost today, too. It might show my life.

In a jam-packed train

I went to Tokyo yesterday and took a jam-packed subway during the morning rush hours. I’m not used to getting on the crowded train because I drive to my office every day. I was freshly surprised to see that station staff pushed passengers into a train. And it had me worried if I could get out when the train went into my station.

In the packed train, my right thigh touched a woman’s back, and my upper arm touched a man’s chest. It was strange sense that a several parts of my body touched parts of others. It seemed that a lot of strings tangled and formed a fluff ball. Like the ball changes its shape if it’s pressed, we felt pressure while the train was decelerating.

I’ve heard that any creatures have their own territories where they can feel secure from enemies. But in the packed train, we can’t help but give up the secure zone. I thought it might be equivalent that we give up an individual. We can not run, walk and move even in a small distance. We have to take care to breathe. Therefore I had a sense that we give up independent creatures and fuse to others.

Thought the condition is surely uncomfortable, it made me felt that we are alive. Nonetheless it makes sure that I can bear to be in it for a long period.

Book: Learning about China

This book “Chugoku o Shiru” or learning about China is the second edition revised in 2010. It’s too slow to stay on the first issue in 2007 in view of a quick change of China. It includes the economic aspect, the policy, the political system, the business fields and the matters concerning these aspects. Author Kazuo Yukawa explains the current situation of China in detail with plain expression.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it has transformed its policies. These revolutionary changes have made strain including the regional income gap, the structural disparity between urban and rural, the unfair among the generations and so on.

The author likens the political system like a corporation system. That means China has to run the communist government with the premise of a going concern. The head of the communist party is decided by the discussion or appointment as same as that of a corporation.

We can’t regard Chinese as a stereotype. The land of China is vast. There are a variety of people in terms of race, religion, economy, registered etc. Moreover they have history in which the rulers have changed. In such a condition, they rely on the human relationship more than the legal binding force which is possible to be changed if an authority changes. So the business in China is different from that of Japan.

I learned a lot about China from this book. I’m afraid that it’s too easy and comfortable to read. At any rate, I think this is one of the best books to learn rightly about the present China.

CD: Tricoroll by Kazumi Watanabe

I received a CD I had ordered at an online shop on Saturday. It’s a new album “Tricoroll” by Kazumi Watanabe, a Jazz Fusion guitarist. When I started to listen to his play, I was a school boy and he was popular very much because Fusion music was becoming very popular at that time in late 1970s to early 1980s. His accurate picking was praised by many fans. I have had some opportunities to hear his sound afterward.

I got an e-mail noticing his new album last month. I was able to hear his tunes by an Internet radio. A few tunes brought me back some memories. He plays the tunes which he had performed in 1980s. When we were young, I felt his play was a sort of aggressive compared to other fusion guitarists. In this album, his technique is the same or more than it used to, and the tunes create comfort. It’s pleasure to hear them for me. I think he might become wiser as he becomes old.

There are numerous musicians in the world. A few of them can survive in the harsh world. One of the tips to survive is to have a personality. That doesn’t mean to play well. The moment we listen to a performance, we can see who is playing. Such individual character even in short phrase is necessary. So I enjoy his performance with a sense of nostalgia.

Downtown scenery

I went for a walk in the downtown of this city today. Though it’s a downtown, quite a lot of stores have been closing in a several years, so window shoppers are fewer than they used to be.

I dropped by a musical instrumental store and bought a set of guitar strings. At the corner of the store, a group of the elderly performed harmonicas with a glittery uniform. The number of audience was not so many. But I assure it’s important for them to get an opportunity to play harmonica.

As I passed by an open space between department store buildings, a band played their tunes. This band is a local fusion band and a bit known by some people who are fond of this kind of music like me. I should say it was lucky to hear their music without any charge. However, strong chilly west winds blew through the buildings. It was so cold. Their faces were frozen. I thought they were unable to move their fingers enough to play well.

In the front of the train station, a girl sang with karaoke equipment. Her voice was soft and well trained. She must be an aspiring singer. A several people heard her songs. But it was so cold by winds that I could not stop there.

I think it’s a good thing for the city which has been aiming to revitalize it with music. However places should be altered in case of such a chilly season.

Dry condition

A dry air warning has been reported for 27 days in a row. I don’t remember when it rained at the last time in this region. Perhaps it rained on last November. So we don’t see the rain for about two months. The humidity is low. As wind blows, bull-dust is kicked out. A windshield of my car is covered with dust.

In common with the outside condition, my heart seems to be a bit dry. It passed one week when my work began after winter holidays. Compared to the delightful holidays, I feel the sedentary occupation is more boring.

As the same way as plants don’t grow without rain, my heart without any moisture isn’t creative and it requires something. On the occasion, if I read a book from which I can receive impressive story or enlightenment or listened to somewhat music give me moisture, my heart could bring back to life. Unfortunately I have neither now.

Although I want to go to book or CD stores, they have decreased and I have to go to farther stores. That’s why I was reluctant to go. Moreover there are few I desire to read or listen to in the stores.

Anyway I want to fill my heart up with something. So I will go to an online store to see books or music from now.

A hot-water bottle

When my feet were so cold that I wasn’t able to fall in sleep in my futon last week, my wife brought a little hot-water bottle into my foot’s part of the futon. She had bought the hot-water bottle a month ago, but we haven’t used it until last week.

My mother had my futon warm by a hot-water bottle when I was young. It was a bigger one made of tin. The hot-water bottle my wife got was a small size one made of plastic, a white fluffy bag attached. I can feel being in heaven when I go into a warm futon.

My office is cold because the temperature is restricted at 18 degree Celsius. Sitting at a desk all day in such temperature is unbearable. So after taking a warm bath, sleeping well at a warm futon is ultimate.

Book; Undefeated investment

A profile on the spine of this book “Makenai Toushi” or undefeated investment shows the author Yuko Uchida is an economics journalist. I’m unfamiliar with her, but she is likely to be popular among a kind of people who seek to get tips on an investment.

This book seems to have been written for a beginner or the young. She accounts for several factors of anxieties in the current Japan. They includes the unemployment, the collapse of Japanese style life-time employment system, the low birth rate and aging society, the pension issue etc. We are facing a lot of concerns. If we had cash, we could have room to deal with these anxieties.

We don’t have to be afraid of the investment, if we keep cardinal rules. It’s to buy at low price and to sell at a high price. Don’t see the stock prices, but see the value of a company. The investment should be judged by an individual oneself who well understands the future value of the company. Eventually we should not aim to the investment that makes us cliff-hanging.

Humans are emotional creatures. People who live in a capitalism society are always hoping to get money. No matter how we are encouraged by someone who tells right logic, we occasionally take a risk of mistakes. Everyone could follow her advice.

An art exhibition on Tokugawa Ieyasu

The Hamamatsu art museum is holding an art exhibition on “Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hamamatsu” until tomorrow. My son had been interested in the exhibit because he likes Japanese history. We visited it today.

I think the museum is small considering the city population of 800-thousand. Though I’ve been to it several times at varieties of exhibits, I’ve never seen such a packed condition. Visitors waited in a long line out of the gate to obtain a ticket.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the lord of Hamamatsu for 17 years from 29 years old to 45. During the period, it was said to he fought many opponents and built the basis of latter Tokugawa era. Therefore, the Hamamatsu castle is called as “the castle of success.” 

The exhibits were divided by three themes of 1. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the winner in the Warring States period, 2. Ieyasu and his children related to Hamamatsu and 3. Hidetada, the second Shogun born in Hamamatsu. There were precious arts, calligraphies, armors, swords and so on. I wasn’t able to see them carefully because of the crowd.

A few pictures drawing famous battles with brilliant color were great. I was attracted by swords some of which were designated as national important properties. A hot-water bottle of a dog shape was cute.

I was surprised to see these many people come to the exhibition. It’s a good thing for the city and the museum.

The globalization

It was the first day I went to my office this year. As same as every year, the president of my company delivered a beginning of the year speech. He showed the outlook of Japanese auto parts industry would be tough under the current condition including a hollowing out of Japan thanks to the yen appreciation.

What we should do now is to promote our products to more customers over the world and to come up with manufacturing with cheaper cost, he said. That’s right. We have a lot of potential customers in the world. However, it’s necessary to take a long period to be accepted by new customers in auto industry. The developing period needs about four to five years. If a customer began to think our product now, they would adopt it four years later. That’s problem.

I think manufacturing with low cost is the basis of the capitalism. If we depend on lower labor cost, we have to continue to explore a new undeveloped place. The labor wage in China is expected to double in these five years because it’s risen 10 to 15% every year. It’s the same with India. Hence many companies are seeking the next place like poor Asia or Africa. Earth is getting narrower and narrower.

It was a bit regrettable that he didn’t tell about human resources. Selling products or creating new ideas to reduce the costs are achieved by trained and aspiring staff. At least, it was essential for the strength of past manufacturing in Japan.

Anyway, this is the globalization for Japanese makers.

Anyone is eager to do something new.

As spending calm and cozy time while these holidays, I think anyone gets to be eager to do something new. Some may spring up in their mind to start learning a qualification. It can be a good opportunity.

I’ve kept this blog for three years. I thought it should be done some small changes and tried to make one at another blog provider’s site. The current blog site is organized by a Japanese provider. For I’ve written it by broken English, I made a same blog at one of the biggest blog sites in the US. The blog site provides many services. I’ve not been able to arrange a format enough until now. If I were able to manage the new blog well, I could refresh my mind by changing it to the new one.

I don’t know what would change by shifting a blog provider to a new one. However it must be a small change. It fits the objective that is to change something new at the beginning of the year. Change begins from a small thing.

I gained weight during this holidays.

As it’s the same as annual New Year’s holidays, I put on weight while I’ve just eaten during the holidays. We eat O-Zouni or Japanese traditional soup with rice cakes on New Year’s three days from January1st to 3rd. I remember I ate nearly ten rice-cakes in the O-Zouni at my school days. It was something of special meal we can only taste on New Year’s days at that time. I don’t think young people of today like this dish. My son has had just one rice cake. He says it’s enough.

We can eat more tasty foods. My family actually ate Sushi, Soba, hamburger, Unagi (Broiled eel rice) and so on in these days. And we have been watching TV. Eventually I had small amount of activity. Eventually I gained weight.

I’m keeping recording my weight every day. I gained about one kilogram in these holidays. It needs one or two months to lose this weight in case of a usual year. To lose weight is tough as far as we keep living as same as we used to do. I think we can’t win temptation to eat something which is put on a place where we can reach. After all we can’t lose weight unless we voluntarily practice something exercise or abstain from eating.

At any rate, this is holidays. To enjoy eating, chatting with relatives or watching TV programs may be the normal way spending holidays.

Things that come to my mind as a new year begins

Happy New Year!

I wish this year would bring us good fortune. There were miserable incidents around the world last year. I expect worse incidents may not happen this year.

Elections in major countries are waiting in 2012. First, the election of the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is held on January. Other President elections will be held in Yemen on February, in Russia on March, in the USA on November, in France and Korea on undefined date. Many leaders will change this year. Policy change by new leaders will be able to drive the nation to the different way from that the former leaders did.

We know worrisome issues lie in all over the world. Though we are not able to foresee a future, human beings have an optimistic aspect and we are partly thinking we’ll get by. Reversely a lot of chances may be available.

As many books indicate, we can see the future by spending everyday life with hard work. So I hope I could work as best I can. And I hope I could see everything wider and deeper, including geographical view and human relationship.