Ikimono Gakari: Sakura 桜

One of my favorite songs of Ikimonogakari. I just can't get enough of it.

Chorus
Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite
※さくら　ひらひら　舞い降りて落ちて
Yureru omoi no take wo dakishimeta
揺れる　想いのたけを　抱きしめた
Kimi to haru ni negai shi ano yume wa
君と　春に　願いし　あの夢は
Ima mo miete iru yo sakura maichiru
今も見えているよ　さくら舞い散る※

Densha kara mieta no wa　Itsuka no omokage
電車から　見えたのは　　　いつかのおもかげ
Futari de kayotta haru no oohashi
ふたりで通った　　春の大橋
Sotsugyou no toki ga kite　Kimi wa machi wo deta
卒業の　ときが来て　　　　君は故郷(まち)を出た
Irozuku kawabe ni ano hi wo sagasu no
色づく川辺に　　　あの日を探すの

Sorezore no michi wo erabi　Futari wa haru wo oeta
それぞれの道を選び　　　　ふたりは春を終えた
Sakihokoru mirai wa　　　Atashi wo aserasete
咲き誇る明日(みらい)は　あたしを焦らせて
Odakyuusen no mado ni　Kotoshi mo sakura ga utsuru
小田急線の窓に　　　　　今年もさくらが映る
Kimi no koe ga kono mune ni　Kikoete kuru yo
君の声が　この胸に　　　　　　聞こえてくるよ

(※くり返し)　Repeat Chorus

Kaki kaketa tegami ni wa “Genki de iru yo” to
書きかけた　手紙には　 「元気でいるよ」と
Chiisa na uso wa misukasareru ne
小さな嘘は　見透かされるね
Meguriyuku kono machi mo Haru wo ukeirete
めぐりゆく　この街も　 春を受け入れて
Kotoshi mo ano hana ga tsubomi wo hiraku
今年もあの花が　つぼみをひらく

Kimi ga inai hibi wo koete Atashi mo otona ni natte iku
君がいない日々を超えて　 あたしも大人になっていく
Kouyatte subete wasurete iku no kana
こうやって全て忘れていくのかな
“Hontou ni suki dattan da” Sakura ni te wo nobasu
「本当に好きだったんだ」　 さくらに手を伸ばす
Kono omoi ga ima haru ni tsutsumarete iku yo
この想いが　今　春に　 つつまれていくよ

Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite
さくら　ひらひら　舞い降りて落ちて
Yureru omoi no take wo dakiyoseta
揺れる　想いのたけを　抱き寄せた
Kimi ga kureshi tsuyoki ano kotoba wa
君が　くれし　強き　あの言葉は
Ima mo mune ni nokoru sakura maiyuku
今も　胸に残る　さくら舞いゆく

Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite
さくら　ひらひら　舞い降りて落ちて
Yureru omoi no take wo dakishimeta
揺れる　想いのたけを　抱きしめた
Tooki haru ni yume mi shi ano hibi wa
遠き　春に　夢見し　あの日々は
Sora ni kiete iku yo
空に消えていくよ

Sakura hirahira maiorite ochite
さくら　ひらひら　舞い降りて落ちて
Haru no sono mukou e to aruki dasu
春のその向こうへと歩き出す
Kimi to haru ni chikai shi kono yume wo tsuyoku
君と　春に　誓いし　この夢を　強く
Mune ni daite sakura maichiru
胸に抱いて　さくら舞い散る

English Meaning....

The cherry blossoms fell, fluttering down
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love
Even now, I’m dreaming the dream I prayed for with you that spring
The cherry blossoms scatter

From the train I could see
The traces of one day
The big bridge we crossed together
Graduation time came
And you left town
On the colourful riverbank, I search for that day

We went our separate ways
And brought our spring to an end
My future is in full bloom
But it fills me with panic
This year, once again, the cherry blossoms are reflected
In the window of the Odakyuu train
In my heart
I hear your voice

The cherry blossoms fell, fluttering down
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love
Even now, I’m dreaming the dream I prayed for with you that spring
The cherry blossoms scatter

The start of my letter to you
Says “I’m doing OK”
You’ll see through that little lie, won’t you?
Even the town going past
Is taking in the spring
The flowers are opening their buds again this year

I’ll get through these days without you
And I, too, will grow up
Will I forget everything?
“I really loved you”
I hold out my hands to the cherry blossoms
Now my love is wrapped in the spring

The cherry blossoms fell, fluttering down
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love
Even now, the strong words you gave me
Remain in my heart; the cherry blossoms dance

The cherry blossoms fell, fluttering down
Embracing every bit of my fluttering love
Those days I dreamed of on that distant spring day
Disappear into the sky

The cherry blossoms fall, fluttering down
And I walk out into the spring
I clutch the dream I promised you that spring
Tightly to my chest; the cherry blossoms dance

Ikimono Gakari: Hanabi

Hanabi / 花火 / Fireworks

Kirameite yurameite aoki yume mai hanatsu
煌いて　揺らめいて　蒼き夢　舞い放つ
Hana moe yuku
花　燃えゆく

Seijaku ni ochiru sora futahira no yume hanabi
静寂に　落ちる空　ふたひらの　夢花火
Kanata ni tabidatsu anata mo mieta no? onaji hikariga
彼方に　旅立つ　あなたも　見えたの?　おなじ　光が

Hanarete mo itsu no hi ka deaeru to shinjiteru
離れても　いつの日か　出逢えると　信じてる
Mune saku omoi wo anata ni utau wa koe ga kikoeru?
胸裂く　想いを　あなたに　歌うわ　声が　聴こえる?

Setsuna ni hiraku sore wa HANABI
せつなに　ひらく　それは　花火

Kirameite yurameite aoki yume mai hanatsu
※煌いて　揺らめいて　蒼き夢　舞い放つ
Sakihokore haruka takaku
咲き誇れ　遥か　高く
Mamori yuku sono omoi hitasura nari hibike
守りゆく　その想い　ひたすら　鳴り響け
Hateru made semete tsuyoku
果てるまで　せめて　強く
Kono hana moe yuku
此の花　燃えゆく※

Ikutsu mo no koto no ha wo itazura ni chirakashita
いくつもの　言の葉を　悪戯に　散らかした　
Tachi yuku mayoi wa shizuka ni kieta no asu ga
断ちゆく　迷いは　静かに　消えたの　明日が

Mieteru?
見えてる?

Setsu na ni hiraku sore wa HANABI
せつなに　ひらく　それは　花火

Kirameite yurameite tsukami yuku yume no hana
煌いて　揺らめいて　つかみゆく　幻(ゆめ)の花　
Atashi no te wo kobore ochite
あたしの手を　零れ落ちて
Negau mama kono omoi anata ni nari watare
願うまま　この想い　あなたに　鳴り渡れ　
Hateru nara semete tsuyoku
果てるなら　せめて　強く
Kono hana moe yuku
此の花　燃えゆく

Setsu na ni hiraku sore wa HANABI
せつなに　ひらく　それは　花火

Kirameite yurameite aoki yume mai agare
煌いて　揺らめいて　蒼き夢　舞い上がれ
Itsu no hi ka meguri aete
いつの日か　めぐり逢えて
Tsunagi yuku kono omoi itoshiki kimi watashi
繋ぎゆく　この想い　愛しき　君(きみ)　我(わたし)
Itsu made mo futari tsuyoku
いつまでも　双片(ふたり)　強く

Kirameite yurameite tsukami yuku yume no hana
煌いて　揺らめいて　つかみゆく　幻(ゆめ)の花　
Atashi no te wo kobore ochite
あたしの手を　零れ落ちて
Negau mama kono omoi anata ni nari watare
願うまま　この想い　あなたに　鳴り渡れ　
Hateru nara semete tsuyoku
果てるなら　せめて　強く
Kono hana moe yuku
此の花　燃えゆく

Japan Railway Museum

A visit to Japan's Railway Museum proved that Japan is the undisputed King of Trains all over the world. Despite that the technology came from UK, I personally believe that Japan has the widest and massive collection of anything associated with trains being housed in a very huge museum. Located just a station away from Omiya, Saitama, the Tetsudou-Hakubutsukan (Railway Museum) Station is the stop for the museum. The facility is housed in a 3-storey facility complete with mini train tracks for miniature trains, lots of diorama depicting the developments of Japan's Railway, all trains used in the past, machineries and mechanical aspects of running the train such as tracks, breaks, anything associated with trains. A visit to the museum for the whole family especially the kids will surely be memorable. Anything and everything here are for kids and trains enthusiasts. They also house a facility built with real 2-dimensional simulators. The facility is complete in terms of its historical archives. Videos are being presented in both Japanese and English. The story of the development and improvement of the Shinkansen is almost visible in all of the exhibits especially what engines were used in those trains.

A facade of the train exhibit area.

This card is used as an entrance ticket. A thousand yen for adults.

Station signage of the New Shuttle Train Line.

The toki train. A classic Japanese train in the mid 50s.


Narita Express.

Saikyo Line


Super Asuza

I don't know what train line is this.

Shinkansen E2 Series-type.


Shounan-Shinjuku Line (Takasaki & Utsunomiya Lines)
Keihin Touhoku Line

Musashino Line

The New Shuttle

The New Shuttle Train Line serves from Omiya to Uchijuku Station.
Formerly known as Ina Line.
Line Stations being served by The New Shuttle.
1. Omiya - 大宮
2. Tetsudou-Hakubutsukan - 鉄道博物館
(Railway Museum Station. Formerly known as Oonari Station and renamed after the Railway Museum was built.)
3. Kamonomiya - 鴨宮
4. Higashi-Miyahara - 東宮原
5. Konba - 今羽
6. Yoshinohara - 吉野原
7. Haraichi (Ageo, Saitama) - 原市
8. Shounan - 沼南
9. Maruyama (Ina, Saitama) - 丸山
10. Shiku - 志久
11. Ina-Chuou - 伊奈中央
12. Hanuki - 羽貫
13. Uchijuku - 内宿

Three small and beautifully designed trains service the area. The one in the video is violet. The others are yellow and green combination. This train line is relatively cheap and employs the same technology used in Tama-toshi Monorail and Yurikamome Lines.

Trip to Mt. Fuji and Yamanashi Prefecture

It was Sunday morning and mild rain fell the for about 3 days already. It did not stopped us from travelling to Mt. Fuji despite the bleak chance of seeing the mountain itself. "Shikata ga nai!" That's what most of us uttered during the trip.

This is my first trip together with the Filipino core group in Japan called JANE (Japan-Nueva Ecija) who have been active in civic and other for-a-cause events here in Japan especially in the Kanto Region. I was able to enjoy Filipino food again and felt the warmth of a true Filipino community that is very elusive and hard-to-find here in Japan. I was able to practice a little bit of my Kapampangan (dialect from Pampanga) with my seatmate Nanay Ester and had to talk in Bisaya language with some Filipinos and of course Tagalog (Filipino language) to the rest. Indeed a day of many spoken dialects and languages, interaction with fellow Filipinos and sharing a lot of thoughts about Japan from a Filipino's perspective.

We had a lot of fun. Despite the foggy atmosphere in 5th station in Mt. Fuji, we just took a lot of pictures and bought a lot of omiyage (お土産) for our friends back home. We also stopped by at Kawaguchiko Lake but only managed to take some pictures because of the heavy downpour of rain. The next stop was the Grape and Peach Plantation for 1,000 yen. I got loads of grapes and felt sleepy after. Afterwhich, the group went to a winery nearby and had several sips of red and white wine being processed in the area. Below are the images of the trip.

Kouenji Awadori Festival

Rain did not prevent the different contingents of the Awadori Festival in Kouenji. Kouenji is a town and a JR Chuo Line station. More than 50 entries joined the competition and I was able to witness this very unique dance by the Japanese. Truly Japanese and only in Japan. View the video and see for your self. Children, men and women of all ages and in beautiful yukata and various beautifully crafted costumes filled the streets and danced to the "AWADORI" tune.

Karuizawa Town Road Trip

As summer fades away, me along with Ernest and two fellas from Hanyu BOE went to Karuizawa Town in Nagano Prefecture last August 22, 2008. During that day, it drizzled and the temperature dropped to 16 degrees Centigrade in Karuizawa. I did not bring any jacket of some sort to insulate myself from the chilling cold but I was able to manage. It felt like being in Baguio City.

Some interesting facts about Karuizawa:

1. Most Tokyoites have their resthouses (2nd house) in Karuizawa Town.
2. The Present King and Queen of Japan met in Karuizawa Town's Tennis Court.
3. This town is home to the early Americans and Europeans who settled in Japan.

Destinations in the Photo Album Slide:

1. Manpei Hotel
2. Karuizawa Ginza Street (Shopping District)
3. Shiraito Waterfalls
4. Massive Outlet Shop near JR Karuizawa
5. Nagano Expressway

花は桜君は美しの歌詞

Another last song syndrome. I love this song! Music video was taken infront of Sakuragichou Station in JR East's Yokohama Line.

Ikimono Gakari - Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi

Kanji/Translation

花は桜　君は美し　春のこもれび　君の微笑み
冬が終わり　雪が溶けて　君の心に春が舞い込む
the flowers are cherry blossoms, and you are lovely. the spring's light through green leaves, and your little smile
winter is over, the snow has melted, in your heart spring has arrived

窓をたたく強い雨はまだ続くと　ラジオから流れる声が伝えてきます
電話から聞こえた声は泣いていました　忘れたはずの懐かしい声でした
the voice from the radio is telling me the heavy rain striking the window will continue
the voice i heard on the phone was crying, it was the familiar voice i should have forgotten

君はまた　もう一度　あの頃に戻りたいのでしょうか
春を待つ　蕾のように　僕は今　迷っています
still, won't you like to go back to that time once again?
waiting for spring, just like a flower bud, i have now lost my way

花は桜　君は美し　春のこもれび　君の微笑み
冬が終わり　雪が溶けて　君の心に春が舞い込む
the flowers are cherry blossoms, and you are lovely. the spring's light through green leaves, and your little smile
winter is over, the snow has melted, in your heart spring has arrived

変わらぬ街の景色が　教えるのは　一つだけここに足りないものでした
「いつもの場所」と決めていた駅の前　揺れ動く心が　僕を急がせます
the unchanging scenery of the street has taught me, it was the only thing that was missing here
"our usual place" was decided to be in front of the station, my trembling heart is urging me forward

僕はまた　もう一度　君の手を握りたいのでしょうか
春を抱く　霞のように　僕は今　揺らいでいます
still, do i want to hold your hand once again?
embracing the spring, just like the mist, now, i am shaking

花は香り　君はうるわし　水面に浮かぶ　光が踊る
風が騒ぎ　街は色めく　僕の心は春に戸惑う
the flowers are fragrant and you are lovely, floating on the water's surface the lights are dancing
the wing is roaring the streets are lively, and my heart is mesmerised by the spring

春はまた　もう一度　この花を咲かせたいのでしょうか
僕を待つ　君の傘が　あの駅に開いています
still, will spring let this flower bloom once again?
waiting for me, your umbrella is still open at the station

花は桜　君は美し　春のこもれび　君の微笑み
時に燃える　春の吐息　二人の息が　春に重なる
the flowers are cherry blossoms, and you are lovely. the spring's light through green leaves, and your little smile
burning out sometimes, the spring sighs, the sighs of us both, pile upon the season

花は桜　君は美し　春のこもれび　君の微笑み
冬が終わり　雪が溶けて　僕の心に春が舞い込む
the flowers are cherry blossoms, and you are lovely. the spring's light through green leaves, and your little smile
winter is over, the snow has melted, in my heart spring has arrived

i found additional lines to the lyrics but i took them out to fit the PV.
maybe i'll put them in when i find out why there are those lines.

Romaji

hana wa sakura kimi wa utsukushi haru no komorebi kimi no hohoemi
fuyu ga owari yuki ga tokete kimi no kokoro ni haru ga maikomu

mado wo tataku tsuyoi ame wa mada tsuzuku to RAJIO kara nagareru koe ga tsutaete kimasu
denwa kara kikoeta koe wa naiteimashita wasureta hazu no natsukashii koe deshita

kimi wa mata mouichido ano koro ni modoritai no deshou ka
haru wo matsu tsubomi no you ni boku wa ima mayotteimasu

hana wa sakura kimi wa utsukushi haru no komorebi kimi no hohoemi
fuyu ga owari yuki ga tokete kimi no kokoro ni haru ga maikomu

kawaranu machi no keshiki ga oshieru no wa hitotsu dake koko ni tarinai mono deshita
"itsumo no basho" to kimeteita eki no mae yureugoku kokoro ga boku wo isogasemasu

boku wa mata mouichido kimi no te wo nigiritai no deshou ka
haru wo idaku kasumi no you ni boku wa ima yuraideimasu

hana wa kaori kimi wa uruwashi minamo ni ukabu hikari ga odoru
kaze ga sawagi machi wa iromeku boku no kokoro wa haru ni tomadou

haru wa mata mouichido kono hana wo sakasetai no deshou ka
boku wo matsu kimo no kasa ga ano eki ni hiraiteimasu

hana wa sakura kimi wa utsukushi haru no komorebi kimi no hohoemi
toki ni moeru haru no toiki futari no iki ga haru ni kasanaru

hana wa sakura kimi wa utsukushi haru no komorebi kimi no hohoemi
fuyu ga owari yuki ga tokete boku no kokoro ni haru ga maikomu

Omiya Spark Festival

Embracing the Brazilians' Carnival Parade, Omiya in Saitama is celebrating every last week of July the Spark Festival. A truly foreign yet magnificent extravagance of sexy bodies, sexy bodies and even more sexy bodies. Samba is the official dance of this festival and you would not want to miss those ladies in bare butt outfits wiggling their asses. As my friend exclaims "I love Japan!," just because of seeing this spectacular street dance event. I wonder how it's like to be in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Visit my previous post for the video as the images are in real bad shape.

Wel Sunpia Resort

A perfect getaway in the middle of scorching summer in Japan is this hotel resort in Nikkou, Tochigi Prefecture. Wel Sunpia Resort Hotel is a cool getaway and adventure especially for kids for its nice and refreshing swimming pool.

Obon Sale

All canned fish and seafood products are on-sale for 99 yen per can. Spotted in Aeon Mall in Hanyu City.

Malfunctioning Aircon Message

At Banban Videoke in front of Hanyu Station, the sign in one of their rooms read as:

このエアコンの温度は２２Ｃ以下にしないで下さい。
Kono eakon no ondo wa 22C ni ika shinaide kudasai.
Please do not set the aircon's temperature lower than 22 degrees Celcius.


エアコンの故障の原因になるので２２Ｃ以下に温度を下げないでご協力お願い致します。
Eakon no koshou no genin ni naru node 22C ika ni ondo wo sagenaide gokyoryoku onegai itashimasu.
Please cooperate by not lowering the aircon's temperature lower than 22 degrees Centigrade because it will cause to malfunction.

As a foreigner living in Japan, we tend to presume that all machines in Japan especially in commercial establishments are not malfunctioning and are efficient. I did not bother reading the sign until I have already switched the aircon in a local shop's videoke bar to 18 degrees. The scorching summer heat despite a slight downpour of rain caused me to look for cool air. Thus, made the room hotter than outside temperature.

For Japan to consider itself a FOREIGNER-FRIENDLY country, it would be better if they could provide even short English signs to effectively communicate with their gaijin customers.

1000 Yen Barbershop

What is the worth of your 1000 yen in Japan? Probably the cheapest and worst haircut you could possibly imagine. For those who don't mind their hairstyles settle with this barber shop. A uniform cut would be for 10 minutes only. A perfect rush haircut for the fast-paced Tokyo Salaryman. I personally tried this one and my hairstyle looked and shaped like a coconut scrub. This shop can be found inside the Nishi Kokubunji Train Station in JR Chuo Line in Western Tokyo. QB House are scattered all over the Kantou Area.

Beating the Last Summer Heat

As temperature drops from 35 to 30 degrees Centigrade in Hachioji City in Western part of Tokyo, this man beats the summer heat by taking a typical Sunday afternoon nap infront of JR Chuo Line Station. The last traces of summer heat is slowly fading away and as we end the month of August, we welcome autumn.

Kangkong in Japan

Kangkong as called by Filipinos, potato vine and swamp cabbage in English, was spotted in Odakyu Shop in Kyodou Station. The price? An amazing 298 yen. The vegetable was produced in Chiba Prefecture and sold over Japan. This vegetable is only available during Summer season in Japan.

Cosplay in Bic Camera Tachikawa

A person wears a costume for a promotion of a computer software sold in Bic Camera in Tachikawa City. The boy looks puzzled and unfamiliar to this new character roaming around the shop.

Tachikawa City's Police Box

Read as "As of yesterday's metropolitan area's traffic accident."
昨日の都内交通事故
Saku jitsu no tonai koutsuu jiko.

Died (死亡・しぼう・shibou)　1 person/1 名・mei
Injuries/Wounded (負傷・ふしょう・fushou) 160 persons/160 名・mei

This was as of August 16, 2008.

Chourei 朝礼

Typical Japanese companies practice the Morning Aisatsu or Chourei. In this article, I am showing some of the exact words being used in this traditional office ritual.

Morning Assembly Explained
朝礼説明 (Chourei setsumei)

Leader: おはようございます　（Ohayou gozaimasu）
Everyone: おはようございます。

Leader: 皆さんご朝礼を始めます。ご挨拶を行います。おはよう御座います。
(Minnasan, gochourei o hajimemasu. Goaisatsu o okonaimasu. Ohayou gozaimasu)
Everyone: おはよう御座います。

Leader: お疲れ様でした。(Otsukaresamadeshita.)
Everyone: お疲れ様でした。
(二回にレピートします。Repeat twice)


Leader:　いらっしゃいませ。(Irasshaimase.)
Everyone: いらっしゃいませ。(二回にします。Repeat twice)

Leader: 畏まりました。(Kashikomarimashita.)
Everyone: 畏まりました。(二回にします。Repeat twice)

Leader: 有難う御座いました。(Arigatou gozaimashita)
Everyone: 有難う御座いました。(二回にします。Repeat twice)

Leader: 各本部長報告をお願い致します。営業本部長をお願い致します。管理本部長、販売管理本部長の報告をお願い致します。(Kakuhombu houkoku onegai itashimasu. Eigyouhombucho wo onegai itashimasu. Kanrihombuchou wo onegai itashimasu, hambaikanrihombuchou wo onegai itashimasu.)

Section Chief/部長: 本日は特に御座いません。（Honjitsuwa tokuni gozaimasen）
愛子さんは１０分遅刻になって原因は電車遅延ですから。
(Aikosanwa 10 pun chikokuni natte, geninwa densha chien desu kara.)
それでは、以上です。 (Sore dewa, ijyou desu.)

If there are no significant things to be reported, the section/division chief will say: 本日は特に御座いません。（Honjitsu wa toku ni gozaimasen）

Section Chief: (Will report about who is late/absent and what are the significant activities in their department that will have an impact in the entire office.)

Leader: それでは本日は以で上宜しくお願い申し上げます。(Sore dewa, honjitsuwa ijyou de, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu)

Everyone: 宜しくお願いします。　（Yoroshiku onegai shimasu）



Keywords:
おはよう御座います。 Good morning.
朝礼- Morning Greetings
挨拶　－ Greetings
行います　－ to practice or to carry out
始めます　－to begin
格　－every
本部　－ department
報告　－ report
営業本部 – Sales
管理　－ Administration
販売管理　－ Sales Administration
本日　－　Today. Same as kyou 今日
電車　－　train
遅刻　－　tardiness (pertains to person)
遅延　－　train delay
原因　－ cause or reason of something
以上　－That’s all

Japanese Tradition: Tejime 手締め

Tejime is done after the end of a sucessful enkai, nomikai, bounenkai or any forms of drinking or social gatherings. Like in most occassions, tejime can also be done after a group activity, usually in after celebrations like a parade in festivals, meetings, client parties and the like.

Japanese Tradition: Utage 宴 (Banquet)

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Part 2

Japanese Tradition: Kodomo no Natsuyasumi 子供達の夏休み (Children's Summer Vacation)

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Part 2

Japanese Tradition: Obon Yasumi お盆休み (2nd Week of August)

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Part 2

Affordable Food in Shibuya

Who says that all food in Shibuya are expensive? Well they are wrong. This Chinese ramen house located in the busy central area of Shibuya is an affordable one. No order exceeds 1000 yen for a typical teishoku (定食) and ramen around 700 yen or less. Food is guaranteed freshly cooked right infront of you and really delicious. The cooks are real Chinese so it's a guarantee that you are eating real good Chinese stuff.

Kanto Tetsudo (関東鉄道)

Do you want to see a rare diesel-engine powered train? Go to Ibaraki Prefecture and ride the Kantou Tetsudo train. This track has no electric lines and wires suspended above its tracks no electric posts along it compared with the JR, Tobu, Keio, Chichibu and Odakyu Lines in Kanto Area. It's very classic and there are only 2 coaches serving its stations. Despite being an old-fashioned train, the schedule is almost as frequent as with other train lines compared with Chichibu Tetsudo. Trains are cool and looks clean for me. Unusual thing about this, as with Chichibu Tetsudo is that PASMO, SUICA and the like won't function in their inspection gates. Tickets are still used in this line.

The Kanto Railway Map. Sorry but it is in Japanese.

Filipina Power

Today, news broke in Japan broadsheet and the Internet. One in every 30 children born in Japan are either one of the parents are gaikokujin (外国人)。 Filipinas make the 2nd largest minority after the Chinese mothers. Followed by the South Koreans in the third spot. For the male population, Koreans top the list followed by the Chinese and the Brazilians.

Follow the news at:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/1-out-of-30-babies-born-in-japan-had-non-japanese-parent-in-2006

1 out of 30 babies born in Japan had non-Japanese parent in 2006

Monday 04th August, 06:21 AM JST

TOKYO —

One of every 30 babies born in Japan in 2006 had at least one parent originating from overseas, a recent government survey showed. The survey by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry showed that about 1.1 million babies were born in Japan in 2006. The mother, father or both parents of 35,651 of the babies, or about 3.2%, originated from countries other than Japan.

The survey results indicate that an increasing number of foreign nationals coming to Japan for employment or study are settling in the country, experts said. While the increasing number of children born in Japan with at least one non-Japanese parent will broaden the range of cultural backgrounds among the country’s residents, a lot more needs to be done to accept and provide legal protection for people from different backgrounds, they said.

Around 19,000 of the babies had non-Japanese fathers, 26,000 had non-Japanese mothers, while both parents of 9,000 originated abroad, according to the survey.

North and South Korean nationals formed the largest group among non-Japanese fathers, followed by Chinese and Brazilians. Among the non-Japanese mothers, Chinese formed the largest group, followed by Filipinas, and North and South Koreans.

The trend reflects the increasing number of foreigners marrying Japanese nationals. Of the newly registered marriages in Japan in 2006, 6.6%, or 49,000 involved at least one foreign national.

Of the 49,000 marriages, about 36,000 involved a Japanese husband and a non-Japanese wife. Of the babies with at least one non-Japanese parent, 5.7% were born in Tokyo, followed by 4.9% in Aichi Prefecture and 4.5% in Mie Prefecture.

Papaya Song

The best thing that happened between Poland and the Philippines was probably due to this Polish Jazz artist's song Papaya. The combination of Urszula Dudziak's 1970 song and Philippine's TV Gameshow Host Edu Manzano's choreography, who just made it as a dance gimick in a local TV Game show in ABS-CBN called Game Ka na Ba, was a phenomenal hit around the world. Most people dubbed it as the new Macarena. Choreography is simple and beat is easy to follow. See the video below and dance to its tune.

Urzula Dudziak's public appearance in Poland.

The Original Music from the 1970s.

The US Ambassador to Philippines Kristie Kenney dancing with Edu Manzano in a morning TV Show in the Philippines.

Enoshima Line (江ノ島線)

The Enoshima Line is probably the most elegant, cozy, beautiful old-fashioned train I have ridden. Its tracks are quite slow and old because there some areas that there is only a single track. But despite that, the train has managed to be on time. The ride in Enoshima Line from Kamakura to Fujisawa will bring you to an area of shoreline in the Kanagawa Bay area. Reminds me of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, which is a junction of highway from Davao City to Digos City.

Filipino Food Buffet at Roppongi (六本木でフィリピン食べ放題)

After our taxing transaction at the Philippine Embassy, we were approached by a man outside of the embassy and invited us for a 1k Filipino buffet near the embassy. So me and Ernest were excited to eat Filipino food and without hesitation went with him. It was a makeshift place. The place called Bauhaus at the back of Hardrock Cafe in Roppongi's entertainment district was a bar during the night and a restaurant during the day. Good way to augment the income and help fellow Filipinos relieve the Filipino food which is hard-to-find-and-cook here in Japan. There were some Filipinas who tagged along their Japanese kids and husbands. In a way, I was happy to see from the eyes of those Japanese men that they liked the Filipino food very much despite having too much oil and fats on it. There was even one family who just went there to pay the owner some money and when the kid saw the food, she wanted to eat there. She was crying and begging for her mom and Japanese Dad to eat there because she insisted she wanted to eat Filipino food. Me and Ernest were just smiling at the poor little girl. We were glad to hear that some Japanese children liked Filipino food which, I is very rare here in Japan. We felt sad because they have other plans during that they and opted to eat in an another restaurant. Afritada, ginataang gulay (talong, ampalaya, kalabasa, sitaw), sarciado, bopis, sweet and sour pork, lechon paksiw, pork adobo were the food we devoured and ginataang mais for dessert were just too good for us. Our 1,000k went as far as 8PM without getting hungry.

Chichibu City Festival Museum (秩父市祭博物館)

Last week's visit to Chichibu City's Festival Museum was awesome. Despite being a very quite and serene city in Northernmost Saitama Prefecture, the city has an amazing museum which preserves its culture since the ancient times. In their museum, you can see the their well preserved mikoshi (portable shrine), artifacts that were used in the previous festivals like old mikoshi, sample models of fireworks, model carts, engraved blueprint of the carts used in the festival, cloth decorations, dresses, and even their historical timeline telling the milestones of the city's festival. Their festival is celebrated during December. I had the chance to see a 10-minute video presentation of their previous year's festival. It was a hall with nice audio and flat panel TV screen. Of course it was in Japanese. My boss was kind to in a way explain the different floats of each town who participated in that event. The big ball of fireworks above roughly costs around 100k yen per piece, according to Mr. Kaneko. Chichibu City is accessible via the Chichibu Tetsudou Line (can be accessed through Yorii in JR Hachiko Line) and the Seibu-Chichibu Line from Ikebukuro.

A Visit to Roppongi Hills

My 2nd time in Roppongi Hills (六本木ヒルス) last week. Reminds me of Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. Roppongi Hills resemble that much of Makati's CBD. Great architectural designs and buzzling business people flocking to offices.

What dismayed me was they wall saying ASIAN SUMMER Festival. I could not find any Filipino word there. There were Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Singaporean, Indian and Viet inscriptions but no Filipino Language.

Roppongi Hills houses the Mori Museum of Art and an Sky Observatory, a perfect way to view metropolitan Tokyo. We did not go there because of the hefty cost we have to shell out. We just enjoyed the view and took some pictures.

Fashion in Japan

Many of my friends who visit my blog always ask me, what is Japan's fashion now? Well, here is one. Mostly all women dress this way especially during summer. Mini skirts, shirts and anything that bares their skin is in.

Durian in Japan

Tempting but veeerrryy expensive. Imported Thailand durian at a whooping cost of 2,980 yen. That is around the price of a 10-kilo Japanese rice or a round trip train ride to Yokohama via train from Saitama. It's now August and my hometown is in the mood to feast durian as Kadayawan sa Dabaw is fast approaching. I miss Davao City and especially durian! I hope Davao can export to Japan durian along with our very own bananas, pineapples and papayas. Spotted in Aeon grocery section.

Portable Bicycle

Last night upon going home, we were amazed to see a portable bicycle. A man carrying this also got off in Hanyu Station. Cool.

Omiya 2008 Summer Samba Spark Festival

I have never imagined that Japan would embrace such foreign culture's festival and embed it in their own festivals. Yesterday, we went to Omiya and witnessed the magnificent and lively Spark Festival. A fusion of good old Mikoshi (portable shrines) and dazzling ladies in thong exposing their white toooot. See this video and I am sure you will enjoy it.