In Japan, tomorrow is the start of the Golden Week. During this Golden Week, there are four national holidays in combination with well placed weekends.
Trains, airports and sightseeing spots tend to get very crowded during Golden Week, and accommodation in tourist areas are fully booked out well in advance. Passengers going through security checks at both international and domestic Airports may be asked to take off their shoes for X-ray inspection as Japan beefs up her anti-terrorism measures.
The national holidays making up the Golden Week are:
April 29 "Green Day" (Midori no hi):
April 29 used to be the birthday of Emperor Showa who died in the year 1989. After his death, the day was changed into a national holiday for environment and nature since the Emperor loved nature.
May 3 "Constitution Day" (Kenpo kinenbi):
On this day in 1947, the new post war constitution was put into effect.
May 4 "Between Day" (Kokumin no kyujitsu):
A recently introduced national holiday to make the Golden Week a continuous holiday.
May 5 "Children's Day" (Kodomo no hi):
The Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) is celebrated on this day. Families pray for the health and future success of their sons by hanging up carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success in life. The Girl's Festival, by the way, is celebrated on March 3.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Friday, April 23, 2004
Panoramic night views of Seto, Japan
The night views of western Japan as captured by M Murakami using the panoramic photography technique. Those who have been to Hakodate-yama, Hokkaido, will appreciate these night views of Seto. The night scenery from Hakodate-yama is said to be as beautiful as the ones in Naples and Hong Kong.
Check out some night scenes here.
Check out some night scenes here.
Monday, April 19, 2004
Search Box
Some day I hope to have tabs on this site so that you will be able to find specific things like Members, Ex-co and Alumni. For now, I am pleased to announce the addition of a Search Box.
On the right hand column just below Babel Fish and above Archives, you can now enter any search term you like. For example, if you want to find Keiko Imai that I posted back on 13 April, just enter Keiko, and lo and behold, every post that mentions Keiko will appear.
It's by no means perfect, but I think this works rather well. I hope you find it useful!
Cheers,
On the right hand column just below Babel Fish and above Archives, you can now enter any search term you like. For example, if you want to find Keiko Imai that I posted back on 13 April, just enter Keiko, and lo and behold, every post that mentions Keiko will appear.
It's by no means perfect, but I think this works rather well. I hope you find it useful!
Cheers,
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Blog's background colour
Received feedback from "Keiko Imai" ( not related to Noriaki Imai .... the one that is being held hostage in Iraq ) that the blog's background colour is not so viewer-friendly . He says :
"Tuan pakai warna kuning, kita orang tua susah bacha-lah. Minta maafkan saya, boleh ka pakai warna lain ta?
Terima kasih banyak lah. "
Well, how about this new color ? Appreciate your feedback in the "Comments" section.
"Tuan pakai warna kuning, kita orang tua susah bacha-lah. Minta maafkan saya, boleh ka pakai warna lain ta?
Terima kasih banyak lah. "
Well, how about this new color ? Appreciate your feedback in the "Comments" section.
Saturday, April 10, 2004
Take care of your balls first.
It's not often that I post something here that I had received from a chain-email, but I like this one and would like fellow kenshuins to understand that health is important.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So, the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full, They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course , the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-- your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff".
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness".
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will ALWAYS be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal.
Take care of your balls first, the things that really matter.
Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no
matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
beers."
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So, the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full, They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course , the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-- your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff".
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness".
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will ALWAYS be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal.
Take care of your balls first, the things that really matter.
Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no
matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
beers."
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
If you're reading this, you've
answered the invite and logged on.
Subarashi desu ! ..... care to write some "comments" in reply to this and greet the group. Arigato gozaimasu....
Subarashi desu ! ..... care to write some "comments" in reply to this and greet the group. Arigato gozaimasu....
Saturday, April 03, 2004
LP Wong in Vanuatu
Vanuatu, the "Timeless Islands" comprises a group of approx. 80 islands, situated some 2,250 kilometres north-east of Sydney, Australia, and 800 kilometres west of Fiji. It was formerly known as "New Hebrides"
Len Poh had just returned back from this "paradise island" last month, (March). He will never forget this trip as he had experienced first hand the fury of a cyclone.
Len Poh braving the cyclone in Vanuatu
I did some trawling on the web and learned that Vanuatu is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sudden tidal movements (tsunami), tropical storms and cyclones. The Pacific cyclone season lasts from November through March each year.
Going there anyone ?
Len Poh had just returned back from this "paradise island" last month, (March). He will never forget this trip as he had experienced first hand the fury of a cyclone.
Len Poh braving the cyclone in Vanuatu
I did some trawling on the web and learned that Vanuatu is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sudden tidal movements (tsunami), tropical storms and cyclones. The Pacific cyclone season lasts from November through March each year.
Going there anyone ?
Omedetou!
Hi Ee-san, Congratulations on the birth of yet another cyberspace innovations. Now, we shall do the blogging .. and collectively, I think we have centuries of varied expertise and experiences. Maybe, we should offer our services! (^^) Just heard from my retired Japanese colleague that he is heading for Bhutan for senior voluntary work. Ii desu ne. Ja mata.
Victor
Victor
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Kenshuin blog hatched today !
First post ...... new blog !
I've been thinking of starting a blog for quite awhile but couldn't find the time to develop it.
When I found "BLOGGER", it was just what I needed and so here we are !
I've been thinking of starting a blog for quite awhile but couldn't find the time to develop it.
When I found "BLOGGER", it was just what I needed and so here we are !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
