旭川英会話　Snowman Japan ブログ北海道　旭川市　英会話　スクール WEB LOG Snowman Japan Hokkaido Asahikawa BLOG　Life in Hokkaido Photos　スノーマンジャパンドットネット

www.snowmanjapan.net

for September 2007

NOTE: The OBJECTIVE of this BLOG is to help my students with their study of English.

AND

For all of you, out there, around the world to;

SEE HOKKAIDO

2007 September 30 Sunday.

A much warmer day than I expected. No lessons, time to get back to basics. This time, on the electric bass guitar. What a trip! The books and instructional CDs arrived from AMAZON DOT COM about one week ago, and I'm ready to dig in and learn something new, all over again. Even though I have been playing around on the electric bass guitar for about 3 years, I really can't perform the fundamentals. I can play a small group of selected songs very well, but as far as being a master of the fingerboard, not yet. This revolving autumn and winter season, will change all of that. With below freezing temps outdoors, and hotter than hot bath tubs indoors, it's time to hunker down and really get BASIC. On the bass guitar, that is. And many other things as well. What a TRIP! The photo you can see above/left shows pages 6 and 7 of a book that I just received entitled; Jazz Scales for Bass, ISBN 0-7866-1931-7 an audio CD also comes with it. What I was practicing today is something called the CIRCLE OF 4ths. It is the major scale in all 12 keys beginning with the key of C. After you have played the 8 note scale of C Major backwards and forwards a few times, you jump to the forth note of that scale, which is F, and then play the 8 note scale of F Major backwards and forwards a few times, and then jump to the 4th note of that scale, which is B Flat, and so on and so forth. Until we get to the major scale of G, which will lead us back to C. I spent about 2 hours this evening doing this exercise over and over again, until I gained but a very small insight into it. I need to do this exercise again, in the very near future. After busting my fingers, wrist and hands, I put on a generic JAZZ CD, and just let it flow to where it wants to go. The two hours of hard training today came in useful, and in an instant, as soon as the JAZZ CD began to play. Moving forward is always done, one step at a time. Whether you are crawling, walking, running, jumping, OR FLYING. Your choice. Mine too. Go With the FLOW. A Groove, is NOT a rut. A WAVE will carry all swimmers FORWARD.

2007 September 29 Saturday.

This afternoon I had the first of a series of 30 lessons, with 4 new students from 13:00 until 14:30. These four people all work at the same company here in Asahikawa, which does a lot of import and export type of activities. These 4 new students want to improve their ability in daily conversational English, NOT Business English. I was relieved to hear this because if you can't talk with people in a normal everyday setting, how do expect to go over and discuss lengthy business contracts? Anyway, today among outer things, I used a page from a textbook I am writing about word associations. It goes like this; "What do you think of when you hear the word _________?" There is a list of 30 words on the page, broken down into 6 sections of 5 words each. When it came back around to my turn, I asked one of the young ladies; "What do you think of when you hear the word small?" Her reply both shocked and amused me at the same time. She said; "My HEART." I softly laughed for a moment, and then said; "No, that's not true. You really have a big heart. Here, let me show you." I stood up and walked over to a bookcase where I keep a stack of self-made gifts that I always keep at the ready. The gifts that I made can be seen in the photo above/left. It is my brush calligraphy of the Chinese ideograph for the Japanese word KOKORO. It means HEART, in the spiritual sense of the word. One time every year, usually just after the winter solstice, as the sun is once again rising up from it's lowest point in the winter sky, I get a big bottle of Japanese Rice Wine, a big brush and plenty of black ink, and I draw about 100 of these pages, all using the same word 心. Less than half of them survive the final inspections, and the survivors among them are stamped with my katakana name chop ノーマン・ディレーニ, and then I give them a laminated finish. The only reason I laminate them, is so that it will easy to place them on a bookshelf, a wall, or even on a coffee table. Even if you spill your drink on it, it won't be ruined. Besides, I myself enjoying viewing other peoples' brush strokes, and this is the only kanji that I practice writing with a brush so, what the hey! I can Enjoy myself, and help the other guy have a Happy day. It's simply from the heart. No strings attached, except for that one very thin, red line. 絆

2007 September 28 Friday.

The last Friday in September. It won't be getting any warmer from here on out into late fall and early winter. Time to spend more time indoors, reading books and learning new things. While surfing the web today, I stumbled upon an amazing video. It showed a reunion between some human beings, and a young adult lion in Africa. These human beings had raised this female lion since it was just a baby. As the lion got bigger and bigger over the years, they had to let it back out into the wild so that it could live the way lions are meant to live their lives. Wild and free. About one year after releasing the lion, the humans came back to the spot where they had released it, to see if they could spot the lion among a group of lions that hang around in that same area. Not only did they spot the lion, but the lion spotted them as well, and came over towards them showing signs that she recognized them. As the lioness gets closer, she begins to trot and then run towards the humans. The humans showed absolutely no sign of FEAR, and the lioness proceeded to jump up on to them, in order to give them a BIG HUG of recognition and reunion!!! As if that wasn't enough, another lion came over to see what was going on, and this totally wild lion, who had not been raised by humans, let the people touch and rub it as well!!!! Can you see a common theme running through this story? There was total communication of specific information between humans and lions, that said; WE ARE ALL CONNECTED. We are NOT natural enemies. Think about this for a moment. If the lioness whom was raised by the humans, had not sent a message to the other wild lion, telling it that these humans were her friends, the other lion could have easily ripped them all apart!!! How's that for an example of COURAGE in the face of CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE? You can't get much braver than that. To see this amazing video for yourself, click here.

2007 September 27 Thursday.

At exactly 4 days after the Autumn Equinox, autumn is starting to do its thing, by allowing the air to get noticeably colder day by day. It won't be long now, until I will have to start wearing socks and shoes again. Every year, from about May until October, I never wear socks or shoes at all, during the courses of my daily life. I go everywhere in only bare feet and sandals. Why? Because it feels soooooooo good. That's the main reason why. Another reason why, is because it is warm enough to do so, without loosing the sensation of touch in your feet. Try walking like this in the snow sometime, and you will immediately understand what I am talking about here. Yeah, another season of snow will soon be upon us. I couldn't stop it, even if I used the full power of all my will and intentions. I only have two choices. Stay here and change my wardrobe, or move south to where the snow never falls. I choose to stay here. After all, I AM snowman japan. BROADCASTING DAILY FROM HOKKAIDO. Hokkaido 147.

2007 September 26 Wednesday.

Today was just another regular teaching day from 15:00 until 21:00, but I did have one unique and rather unusual experience. After my 18:00 - 18:50 class with 3 junior high school students was finished, one of the boys who just joined my classroom about one month ago said; "Sensei, I have a request. Will you arm wrestle with me?" No student has ever asked me to do this before so I said; "OK, let's do it. Are you an arm wrestling champion at your school?" He replied, "Yes, I am." So, we engaged our right hands and I said; "3, 2, 1, GO!" He immediately put his full strength into it, and I just held my position, waiting to see how much he had. After about 10 seconds, I decided to fight back, and pinned his hand to the table. Then we repeated the process with our left arms. Same result. After the battle was over he said; "I thought you looked strong, and now I know for sure that you are." Thank you for the compliment, but I am much much stronger in WILL and INTENTIONS, than I am in physical strength. I have been through some really difficult emotional times in the past, and I came out of each and every one, much stronger than I was when the hard times began to happen to me. Knock me down 7 times, I will get up 8 times 七転び八起き. I can't be defeated, because I NEVER GIVE UP. I know this for a fact, because it is COSMIC LAW. If a person is willing to risk their very LIFE to get what it is, that they really want out of LIFE, they will get it for sure, OR they will die trying. It really IS that simple. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. If you really want to do something to change your life, DO IT NOW. You may never get another chance.

2007 September 25 Tuesday.

		Today started off with a BANG. And more than just one. When I got up at about 6:00 this morning, there was a thunder and lightning storm just getting under way. Wow. Good timing for all of those people getting ready to go to school and work in a few minutes, NOT. I didn't have to get on the road until 10:00, so I missed driving through the worst part of the storm. I arrived at AU at about 10:30, and went to room 305 to await the arrival of the 35 or so first year students and other repeaters. Today I used one of my original textbook pages, that is about basic WORD ASSOCIATION. Students are supposed to work in pairs, read 3 words out loud, and wait for their partner to give them the 4th word, which they then write down. For example; RED, YELLOW, GREEN,.... ______________.　　　There are no predetermined "correct" answers, but some answers make a lot more sense than others. Only about 15 of the students showed up today, and many of them are still too immature to sit down and talk to someone they don't know very well, so I was busy rotating around the classroom to work with those students who refused to work with another student. I have been doing this kind of work with young people for almost 20 years, and during that time I have been noticing a gradual "dumbing down" of the students, in general. However, today had to be one of the worst teaching experiences that I have ever had. Some of the students worked in pairs, or on their own, and had the one page print finished in about 30 or 40 minutes. Other students, however, would only work on the printed material IF AND ONLY IF, I sat down right in front of them, and did it with them. Even while I was with one of these non-self motivated students, the other non-self motivated students would just sit there, and play around with their mobile telephones, until I came back around to their position and "forced" them to participate in today's lesson. I never get angry at these "lazy" students, and I never feel as if they are disrespecting me or otherwise ignoring me. I am here to help them in any way that I can, and if they don't want to take advantage of this opportunity, SO BE IT. My EGO is so small, you need an electron microscope to see it.

One of the reasons for this DUMBING DOWN of people in general, is the fact that most people would rather be entertained, than educated. You don't need to go to a school to become educated, you can go to your local library and educate yourself. Nowadays, the biggest library in the world is the INTERNET. Sure, there is a lot of useless nonsense on the world wide web, but there is also a lot of really good stuff out there as well. If a person spends most of their time being entertained, it means that they are constantly looking OUTSIDE of themselves. Why most people feel that they need to have a mobile telephone, I have no idea. I have never had one, and I most likely never will. However, I am spending a lot of time learning how to make entertaining and educational CONTENT for both the PC and MOBILE devices, using mainly FLASH MOVIE producing software. Not only do I enjoy creating something new, I enjoy getting paid to do it by thousands of people who are addicted to pushing buttons for a sense of self-gratification. I NEED YOU ALL!!! Click away.

2007 September 24 Monday.

All public schools are closed today, and so is mine. The National Holiday which was yesterday, the Autumn Equinox, is being observed today. This gives me a lot of free time to do what I want to do. I have so many things that I want to do. Let's see,..... One of the things which I must do today, is to return a bunch of rented JAZZ CDs to the GEO ゲオ rental store in Kamui. I was able to significantly increase my library of Jazz music over the weekend. I even found a CD of the Big Band Music, also known as Swing Jazz. When I listen to that stuff, I really get, In the Mood. After I returned the CDs, I was looking around the store and noticed a movie DVD entitled RAY. It is the story of Ray Charles that was made into a movie in 2004, with the actor Jamie Foxx, brilliantly portraying Ray Charles. Not only is this film well made and interesting to watch, but the music is excellent as well. One of the things that really impressed me about this movie, was a scene where Ray Charles' mother told him; "Don't you never let nobody tell you that you are a cripple. You can become whatever you want to be. You can take care of yourself." This was in response to the fact that Ray Charles went totally blind at the age of 7 years old. I can really relate to this statement, as I too have had some personal experience with someone trying to push me into the "victim mentality." My response to them was; "BULLXIT!" I am NOT a helpless person who needs someone else to take care of me. My mind is much stronger than that. Yours can be too.

2007 September 23 Sunday.

The Autumn Equinox. A National Holiday in Japan, which will be observed tomorrow, meaning that Monday is also a holiday. What to do,... The photo in today's blog was taken yesterday during the last leg of my very enjoyable 3 hour walk. It shows a classic view of the AsahiBashi Bridge 旭橋 with the Taisetsu Mountain Range in the background. As you can see in the foreground, there is a very nice public park, designed especially for the child in all of us. Just to my left and out of view in this photo, is a wedding chapel called Bellco Classic. Today, just as "coincidence" would have it, I was able to observe the final moments of a just got married couple, and their family and friends, as they all stepped outside onto the chapel stairs, leading down to the street level. What a beautiful sight IT was. HAVE MANY CHILDREN, please. There is enough room for everybody in Hokkaido. Everybody who loves peace and prosperity, that is. Off to the right, you can see some of the tall trees within Tokiwa Park. The same place where I took the photos of the GOLDEN CARP as seen in yesterday's blog. Yeah, this place is right inside a city about the same size as Cincinnati Ohio. When it comes to REAL ESTATE, location is everything. Go figure. Lots of water, wide open spaces, and a very broadband connection to the internet. Please come and visit Hokkaido someday. I know you all will LOVE IT!

2007 September 22 Saturday.

		A PERFECT Indian Summer Day. It doesn't get any better than this. At about 14:00, I left my classroom and walked slowly towards the center of Asahikawa City, across the Chubetsu Bridge, and then towards the back entrance of the Chuo Bus Station. Right next door was my first objective. I stopped in at the Matsui Jewelry Shop, to pick up my chunky 27 stone turquoise necklace, that needed a new chain and monster clasp. It was ready as promised and I promptly put it on, and continued my leisurely walk in the warm autumn sun, with a slow cool breeze to make it absolutely excellent. I walked thru Kaimono Koen to Tokiwa Park. It was in Tokiwa Park that I took the photos in today's blog. The light was just perfect, for some very bright pix of the GOLDEN CARP.

I haven't done any alterations on these photos except for a tweek on brightness and contrast, on the first 2 photos only. The other three are printed as taken. I lingered around this area for about 20 minutes or so. There was so much to observe, here.Is that the most amazing looking carp you have ever seen, or what. This is only the second time I have seen one of this 99.9% pure gold color. They seem to be something of a rarity. I continued walking along the Ishikari River line, passing over several bridges, and walking for a total of about 3 hours. Who knows when the weather will be this good again. You've got the time, step out NOW.

2007 September 21 Friday.

Lots to write about today, but no time to write it. 　そうSORRY

2007 September 20 Thursday.

Lots to write about today, but no time to write it. 　そうSORRY

2007 September 19 Wednesday.

Broadcasting From Hokkaido Japan. Hokkaido 147. Snow Radio. Snow TV. NOW ON AIR. Tune in anytime.

Yeah, here I am again, staying indoors on a rainy day. Not cold, but dark and cloudy. As usual, I have straight classes from 15:00 until 20:00, but during the other hours of the day, I can do as I please. Please let me read more of the ShoRinJi KemPo Fukudoku Hon. So, I did. Again and again as I read this book, I reconfirm more and more of how I think about myself and the world around me. Human Potential is AWESOME. But you must become 100% Certain, that you can depend upon yourself. NOT others. YOU yourself. If you can take care of yourself, you most certainly can take care of other people, as well. Self Reliance. Don't wait for someday to come, make it happen NOW.

One of the things that I read again today, is how the human body, and indeed any living body, be it plant or animal, is among many other things, a bio-chemical, electro-magnetic, TRANSMITTER and RECEIVER unit. A water balloon of chemicals, if you will.

I am not making this stuff up off of the top of my head. Countless numbers of people have written about it. This knowledge is everywhere, and all around you, at all times. There are no hidden mysteries when it comes to COSMIC LAW. Only ignorance of, the many complicated and extraordinarily beautiful variations, which ride upon the BASIC LAW. Learn IT and learn to LIVE with IT. Go with the flow, or fight an un-winnable battle forever more. It is your choice, and mine as well.

During my reading and internet research related activities, I stumbled upon one video about ZEN BUDDHISM that said something like; The Mind Must Be Clear. The Mind Must Be Empty. The Mind Must Be Free of INTENTIONS. Say What??? A mind with no intentions, has no PATH upon which to walk. No intentions? NONSENSE. Have Good Intentions at all times, and you will always be in paradise. Even if IT is only the lonely gazing upon the DASHBOARD LIGHTS. A Cheeseburger in Paradise, is also a possible option. Savor your Flavor. It IS happening NOW. And YOU are in control of YOURSELF. That is the TRUE meaning of FREEDOM. Liberty and Justice for ALL.

2007 September 18 Tuesday.

I know I promised myself that I would be reading the Master of Hokkaido Tourism Handbook everyday, until November 23, when I will take the written examination, but today I just couldn't keep myself away from reading more and more, of the first English edition of the Fukudoku Hon 副読本, a basic textbook covering the philosophy of Kongo Zen 金剛禅 which is used as the basis for the training of the practitioners of ShoRinJi KemPo 少林寺拳法. I have never called myself a Buddhist, but the more I read of this book, the more I can see that my way of looking at life and the world around me, is 99.9% the same as these folks. PURE GOLD. It is literally blowing my friggin' mind! Today when I read about the concept of Dharma, I realized that it is just another word for UNIVERSAL LAW. Yes, I know many things about COSMIC LAW and I strictly obey it at all times, but now I have a new name by which to call it. Dharma. The textbook defines Dharma as follows; It is the fundamental source of all order and phenomena in the universe. It is through Dharma that ALL HUMAN BEINGS and EVERYTHING in the UNIVERSE are created, given life, and developed. Makes perfect sense to me. Another way to label it is as; The Life Force. The textbook goes on to say that; Although ultimately we are born of the Dharma, each of us receives our physical body directly from our parents. It is in this physical body where our mind, our spirit 心, dwells. To express the gratitude we feel for having received our spirit through Dharma and our body from our parents, we train ourselves to act with RESPECT for the nature of our spirits. This disciplined training is the PATH to developing an indomitable spirit and a strong and healthy body so that we can gain self-discipline and become capable of serving both others and ourselves. In other words, creating a WIN WIN SITUATION, where NOBODY LOSES. Everybody GAINS. There are no losers. Everybody is happy, and therefore there is NO WAR. Gawwwwd Damn It!!! Why can't everybody on this Tiny Earth SEE and UNDERSTAND that??? The answer is stunningly simple. It is because most sheeple are LOOKING OUTSIDE OF THEMSELVES in a useless attempt to understand themselves, and what is really happening all around them. They have it all,... Ass Backwards. Turn off the TV. Watch less Hollywood Driftwood washed up on the shore beach tar rubbish Movies and DVDs. What is really needed, since long long ago, is A TOTAL RETURN TO THE HEART 心. Especially NOW, in the present state of this 目茶 phucked up world. IT begins with ME, and with YOU and YOU and YOU TOO. The time to look inwards is NOW. It is always NOW. Start TODAY. PLEASE! Help yourself WHILE helping others at the SAME TIME.

2007 September 17 Monday.

Today is a National Holiday in Japan known as KeiRo no Hi 敬老の日. Respect for the Aged Day. Jee, what a novel idea. Respect those who helped build the world we all live in today. Hmmmm,..... The photo you can see above/left is of Kaiso Doshin So (February 10, 1911 - May 12, 1980. In case you don't recognize him, it must be mentioned that he is/was the founder of ShoRinJi Kempo 少林寺拳法. Read more about it in English by clicking here. And Here too. The only reason this photo is in today's blog, is because it is contained in a textbook, brought to me by one of my longtime students. This young lady is only a 2nd year junior high school student, but she has already reached the top level of her basic training in this martial art form. Amazing. She is also the top student in her class at school, and has also passed Level 3 of Eiken. She obviously knows how to set goals, and FOLLOW THRU with them, to ever higher and higher levels. One thing about this book, that just totally blew me away, was the following section which I will quote directly here; The Kongo Zen and Human Existence: Kongo Zen is not a teaching concerned with life in the afterworld, or with questions of whether one finds heaven or hell in the grave. It does not bother with the idea that there are gods who punish us, or that some spirit will reach across the millennia to rescue sinners if only they pray hard enough or with the right words. What Kongo Zen does teach is the essential union of body and mind, and that human beings find all of their joy and happiness in living half for others, and half for themselves. Through the practice of the principles of Ken Zen Ichi Nyo, human beings may shape themselves into people worthy of being relied upon by themselves and others. Through this, people contribute both to their own happiness and to the happiness of others throughout society. Well,.. I guess that sums it up pretty well, doesn't it. Speaking of exercise, I need to get off of my fat arse, and get more of it. Maybe a bicycle ride in the warm autumn sun would be just the ticket.

2007 September 16 Sunday.

Partly sunny, partly cloudy. Warm to the bare skin and no rain. Ikuko and I took advantage of the situation to go out for a long, slow walk at about 16:00. A lot of people were doing the same thing. The photo you can see above/left was taken along the Chubetsu River 忠別川 on the most elevated part of the cycling roads. Down below and to the left side is the newly remodeled Chubetsu Park 忠別公園. Time to enjoy another session of CLOUD THEATER.

In the opposite direction to my back side is the Taisetsu Mountain Range shrouded in a beautifully woven feather quilt of massive proportions.

Coming from that direction was a commercial jetliner having just taken off from the Ashikawa International Airport, about 30 kilometers away. As the airplane came towards us, and as we were walking towards it, the airplane appeared dark and non-reflective, more of a silhouette than a colorful flying machine. I watched it as it turned to the southwest and continued its ascent. As it did so, it caught the full force of the sunlight on its starboard side, and appeared to be a brightly shimmering ball of intense white light. Just behind us, on little bicycles, were a group of three elementary school girls. They noticed that I was gazing skyward and they began to do the same. Then, one of them exclaimed; "Look! A UFO! It's so beautiful!" The two other girls chimed in, and they all became very excited. As they slowly rode past Ikuko and I, they asked me if I could see the UFO. I said, "Yes, I can see it, but this one, is one of ours. It is a passenger jet liner heading southwest and reflecting the light of the sun as a big mirror. I know this for sure because I have been tracking this plane ever since it first appeared on the eastern horizon." They seemed to be satisfied with my explanation, but deep down inside, they really wanted to believe it was a UFO. They should come back out here again at night. Then, they will be able to see the real thing.

2007 September 15 Saturday.

Here comes the rain again. In contrast to yesterday, today was dark and wet, with light to heavy rains. Not a nice day for outdoor activities, not even a drive. Yesterday, while I was walking around in the center of Asahikawa, I stopped by the Shimamura Music store, to see if they had any good Textbook/CD sets for learning the basics of the electric Jazz Bass guitar. I could find none. So today, with time on my hands, I checked Amazon Dot Com, and was able to find four books, two with an accompanying CD, and one with a CD and a DVD, which will provide me with the opportunity to self study the art of Jazz Bass guitar. One of the books I ordered today, is about the History of Jazz and its progression up to the present day. I should be receiving these books within the next two weeks or so. About the only thing I know about Jazz right now, is that it is a uniquely American style of music, that was born in the early 1900s in and around New Orleans. Most likely, it was born out of the Blues that Negro Slaves used to sing in the cotton fields, as they were toiling away under the boiling sun, to pick the cotton for their rich white slave owners. Thank god those bad old days are over now, but the beautiful spirituality of the African people, came shining through during their times of hardest struggle. Compare that musical mentality with the crap they call rap and hip hop of today. You can see a complete shift from spiritualism to materialism. Watching the videos on MTV, one can see paper money falling out of the sky like snow, big gold chains, painted party dolls without a brain in their heads, and lots and lots of profanity. Yeah, man. These abominations are a sure sign of "success". People should be free to express whatever thoughts are on their minds, even if it is total nonsense based on nothing more than the instant gratification of primal sexual urges. The only problem I have with it, is that it can and does, influence the children, teenagers, and other young adults, which are the future of Japan and the world. Such shallow and materialistic thinking, is exactly what this world needs LESS of. The dumbing down of society in general, is only good for the powers that be, because it allows them to keep on doing what they have been doing for thousands and thousands of years. Controlling the masses through divide and conquer, while doing whatever it is that they want to do, with impunity. If you HATE anybody or anything at all, you are playing right into their slimy hands. Wake up. LOVE is the only answer, to fix this crazy world. LOVE and RESPECT every living thing, even if you don't LIKE them very much.

2007 September 14 Friday.

Oh what a beautiful Indian Summer Day 小春日和, it was today. I had a class at the Dokan Nursing School from 9:00 until 10:30, but after that, I had free time until 15:00. I took advantage of it, by walking around on the Pedestrian Mall 買物公園 which runs right through the heart of Asahikawa. The sun was hot, but the breeze was cool. A pair of orange easy-rider sunglasses, and a big floppy hat, made it easy for me, to see what there was to see. One of the things I made it a point to do today, was to look around at all of the record stores, and try to increase my collection of JAZZ MUSIC. To be perfectly honest with you, I only have 4 CDs of Jazz music in my collection as of right now. These are 101 Jazz Standards, as performed by the original artists. A nice starter collection but, something is missing. In one record store, I spotted an old familiar face. That of John Coltrane on his classic album; A Love Supreme. Many years ago, when I first opened my own classroom, one of my elder students gave me a copy of this album on cassette tape. I listened to it many times, but nowadays, I can't remember where I put it. I was about to buy this album on CD, when suddenly I had a bright idea. Why not go on over to the GEO ゲオ store in Kamui 神居, and see if they have it available for rental? So, after my last class of today was finished at 20:00, I did just that. GEO also rents DVDs, Videos and even Game Software. I haven't rented nor watched a DVD movie in over 2 years, so I had to look around in my house to find my GEO Member's Rental Card. Not only did I find my card, but I also found 5 coupons which will give me a 50 yen discount for each CD I rent out. Not only did I find A Love Supreme, but I also found; BALLADS by the John Coltrane Quartet. In addition, I was able to snag a 6 CD set of 100 Best Jazz Piano Standards, and even a Jazz CD of traditional Xmas Songs, all for about 10 bucks. This is for a one week rental, but that will give me plenty of time to listen to, and dub the good music, onto CDs of my own. As I left the GEO shop, I got into my van and immediately put the John Coltrane Quartet CD into the van's CD player. Damn, it sounds good! A feeling like I wanna go for a long night time drive, and that's just what I did. The next thing I need to do in my relationship to music, is to really learn the BASICs of playing the electric JAZZ BASS. I've had enough of the bubble gum rock and roll scene. At 51 years old, it's time for a mental house cleaning, in the music department.

2007 September 13 Thursday.

Yesterday at about 13:20, as I was getting back into my van for the return drive home, after listening to an excellent Jazz Concert by 和島京都, I turned the key in the ignition and the radio came on automatically. What I heard on the radio, was the news that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, will be resigning from his office, in the very near future. At first I couldn't believe my ears, and I said out loud, in a very loud voice; "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???" But as I continued to listen to the NHK broadcast, I was able to reconfirm that my hearing is still OK. What a shocker. I receive the Prime Minister's weekly email newsletter on Thursdays, and you can see for yourself what Mr. Abe has to say about his reasons for resignation by clicking here. Shortly thereafter, he checked into a hospital complaining of intestinal discomfort, and lack of appetite. Yes, the word RESIGNATION has many shades of meaning. Not just political, but psychological and many other nuances, as well. Do you remember how you reacted, when you became extremely disappointed by some event or events in your own life? I do, and very very clearly. In one such instance which happened to me, more than 15 years ago, I got a telephone call from someone in the USA, and after a brief and very heated conversation, I hung up the phone and sat down, fuming about it from deep inside. Less that thirty seconds after sitting down, I quickly got up again, ran to the toilet, and had a huge attack of instant diarrhea 下痢. Yes, sticks and stones can break your bones, BUT WORDS CAN HIT YOU HARDER. Thank you for doing your best to maintain Japan as a truly forward looking, and peaceful country in this crazy world of today, Mr. Abe. And please get well soon. You've got a lot more living to do. It is difficult to fly like an EAGLE, when you are surrounded by TURKEYS. Think GLOBALLY, act LOCALLY. Don't let a CLOWN become the new international representative of Japan on the WORLD STAGE. We need to maintain the LION HEART, and vanquish all of the pussies. This game is for professionals only. No BOZOs allowed on this bus.

2007 September 12 Wednesday.

		Today, I went to the Kamikawa Subprefecture Office 上川支庁, to hear an EXCELLENT Jazz Concert. The Vocalist was Kyoto Wajima 和島京都. Just a very few days ago, I stumbled upon her website and sent her an email. She replied in perfect American English, a few days later, and invited me to come to one of her many gigs. So,... today I did. Accompanying her on piano today was 古川　整. On the upright acoustic bass guitar was 勝本　宜男. The Jazz Trio played eight songs, in this order; Autumn Leaves 枯葉, On the Sunny Side of the Street 明るい表通りで, The Sunshine of Your Smile いそしぎ, Lover Come Back to Me 恋人よ我に帰れ, Tennessee Waltz テネシーワルツ, Bie Mir Bist Du Shone 素敵なあなた, What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life これからの人生, What A Diff'rnce A Day Made 緑は異なもの.
I gotta tell you all, it was well worth the drive out there to see it. I love many many styles of music, but I gotta tell ya the truth, right here and now. JAZZ has got to be my bottom line. In fact, that is the exact reason I first started playing the electric bass guitar, about 2 or 3 years ago. I was listening to an NPR radio interview of some jazz musician, and she had brought in her own bass guitar to the radio studio. When I heard the various riffs that she could play, I immediately asked myself; "Why the hell haven't I tried to play the bass before?" The next day, I went to the Shimamura Music store and bought a bottom of the line Yamaha Electric Bass Guitar. Since that day, I haven't picked up the six string guitar, on very many occasions. The bass is a perfect combination of rhythms and melody lines. I mean, it's like playing the drums and the piano both at the same time. If a really good bass player is also a very good singer, he or she can become a one man band. Can you remember Paul McCartney, STING, etc. etc,.... The bass is were it's at for me. I need to LISTEN TO MORE JAZZ MUSIC. Especially the 101 Greatest Jazz Collection of original songs by the original artists. I am currently enrolled in Jazz 101, my own self-study course. Time to pluck away.

2007 September 11 Tuesday.

Lots to write about today, but no time to write it. 　そうSORRY

2007 September 10 Monday.

Lots to write about today, but no time to write it. そうSORRY

2007 September 9 Sunday.

Lots to write about today, but no time to write it. そうSORRY

2007 September 8 Saturday.

As expected, there was a lot of rain falling out of the sky today, because of Typhoon Number 9, passing this way. While watching JNN News Bird on Sky Perfect TV, I saw live reports from Hakodate and other areas along the Pacific Ocean Coast of Hokkaido. Obviously, I made the right decision yesterday, to NOT drive down to Minami Kayabe and attend the 2007 Jomon no Michi Forum, as I had previously planned to do. I even heard a story on the news, where some man in his 50s, went outside to take a look at the river water level, and never came back home. My Gaaaawd! The only time you go outside during a typhoon, is when you see the river water level coming up towards your house, and then you run for higher ground. Water seeks its own level, and there is nothing that any human being can do about IT. It's a COSMIC LAW, just like all the other universal knowledge that never changes. You can depend upon IT. I had no classes today, so I sat down and read Chapter 4 of the 北海道観光マスター検定　Handbook. It is about the history of Hokkaido, which starts during the stone age, some 21,000 years ago. Civilization doesn't get much older than that, my friends. We know for sure, people were living here because, archaeologists have unearthed some evidence of it near Chitose City 千歳市 and KamiShiHoro Town 上士幌町. Next, they started discovering bows and arrows, and pottery among many other things from the Jomon Era 縄文時代. And then, starting after about 200 B.C., the Yayoi Era 弥生時代 began to flourish. Around the year 600 C.E. the Ohotsk Culture オホーツク文化 was flourishing in Southern Sakhalin and Northern Hokkaido, etc. etc. Finally, in about 1600 C.E. the Ainu Culture アイヌ文化 began to flourish all over Hokkaido. As we get into the late Edo Period 江戸時代 and early Meiji Period 明治時代, we begin to see the "modernization" of Japan, into a more Occidental looking country. As this trend progressed through the Taisho 大正 and into the Meiji 明治, Japan began to get full of itself, and felt the need to project its power all throughout Asia, and even all around the world if possible. We all know about the tragic events that started with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and put into motion, a chain of events that led up to the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9 of the same year. Since that time, Japan has had a peaceful demeanor and a National Constitution, adopted on May 3, 1947 that prohibits Japan from having any military forces at all. That was during the period since the end of the Pacific War on August 14, 1945, until April 28, 1952. On that date, more than 50 years ago, Japan once again became a sovereign nation. A little less than 10 years later, Japan created the JSDF. A defensive military, to protect it from enemies, both real and created. Finally year by year, the JSDF found themselves on PEACE KEEPING MISSIONS, in various Asian countries. Hey! am I starting to see a PATTERN here? A road back to the bad old days, of a new Military Empire? In recent years, there has been much talk about revising the Constitution of Japan, especially Article 9, to allow the JSDF to get even closer to the combat, on forward battle lines, of needless wars. If a nation forgets its own history, it is condemned to repeat it again, and again, and again, and,...... TURN OFF the BOOB TUBE. TURN ON your inner LIGHT. Educate YOURSELF! Use the internet AND all of the books you already have of your own. USE your local LIBRARY. Wake the phuck up, PLEASE!

2007 September 7 Friday.

Since about one month ago, I have been planning to go back to Minami Kayabe 南茅部, which is now a part of Hakodate City 函館市, and attend the 2007 Jomon no Michi Forum, which starts at 13:00 tomorrow. See the photo above/left for details. Unfortunately for me, and a lot of other people as well, Typhoon Number 9 is working its way up to Hokkaido from Southern Japan, and is scheduled to hit Hakodate City at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Bummer. I know enough to respect Mother Nature, and not try to impose my will upon it. The coastal road to Minami Kayabe is very narrow and winding. Not only could a big wave splash up onto that road and pull my van out to sea, but the possibility of landslides 地すべり、土砂崩れ, are also very high during times of heavy rains. So even if I did start my drive towards Hakodate, the chances that I would not make it all the way, are very high. I am by nature, a risk taker, and have lived through some very close calls in the past, but today's decision, to not go as planned, was a no-brainer 考えなくても解るはず. TRIP CANCELLED. The way I was planning to make this trip is as follows: Cancel all of my Friday classes after 17:00 and hit the road soon after that time. Drive as far as I could, about half of the way, and stay overnight at a 道の駅. Then, get up on Saturday morning, and continue my drive to Minami Kayabe. Attend the forum from 13:00 until about 16:00, then drive about half way back to Asahikawa, and stay overnight at one of the many Roadside Rest Stations, along the way. Wake up on Sunday morning, and drive the rest of the way back to my home, arriving at about 12:00 noon. Wonderful plan, bad weather. Maybe next year I can attend this event. I really want to go and participate in the activities, and meet many like-minded people, who will elevate my vibrations, up another notch or two. Life is about Learning. Learning something NEW everyday. I LOVE LIFE. I am not afraid of "death" because "death" is simply a REBIRTH into another WORLD. Or wavelength, or vibration, or however you choose to label IT. Is there really only ONE LIFE and then comes the JUDGMENT DAY? NO WAY. That is total BULLXIT! If you believe in that crap, you most certainly do need to be saved. SAVED FROM YOURSELF. Wake the phuck up.

2007 September 6 Thursday.

I was planning to have two morning classes at my classroom today from 10:00 until 12:00, but as I mentioned in yesterday's blog, nobody signed up for any of the classes, so I wasn't expecting anybody to come unannounced today. However, I did get up and take a shower, in order to open up my classroom door, at the promised time. My shower this morning was something of an ordeal. When I first turned on the water, I discovered that my water heater was broken. I tried resetting the switches but,..... nothing. So,... I took a cold shower, including a shampoo of my rather long hair, and a cold shave of my face. It's a good thing this didn't happen in the middle of February, or I might not have been able to ENDURE the cold water. Most water heaters in Japan, do not have much of a water storage tank. They heat the water as it is needed, while the faucet is turned on. In other words, you never ever run out of hot water, no matter how much you use. When I lived in the USA, I can remember many times, when the hot water heater/tank would run out of hot water, as a result of many people taking a bath or a shower, one after the other. The only thing you can do in such a case, is to wait until the water in the tank heats up again! Stupid idea. Another problem with that system, is that the big tank is always full of water, so it tends to rust out and leak. Again, another not too well thought out, design flaw. At about 15:00, when my first class of today day started, Ikuko went down to the building management office on the first floor, and told the building manager about our broken water heater. About 45 minutes later, a young looking repairman, from the company which makes and maintains these water heaters, in this building, came up to our classroom and fixed the problem. It seems that one of the parts had failed after about 20 years of continual use. No big surprise there. It didn't cost us anything, because we are renters in this building. Of course, in reality, the building owners get it all back in the end, from us landless peasants. One thing that I must say about the building owner and the management team which maintains this place, is that they are all very polite, professional, and FAIR about everything. I consider myself lucky, to be living and working here. I couldn't have a better location for my classroom and residence. UNLESS,..... I will become lucky enough, to buy a piece of land very close to here, and build a new building. Hmmmm,.... I need to think about that, more often. There are some excellent possibilities, happening RIGHT NOW in the KAGURA area. NOW is the time, to FOCUS my intentions, more and more, in that direction. THOUGHTS are THINGS. Look at your own FACE in the MIRROR for details.

2007 September 5 Wednesday.

I was scheduled to resume morning classes at my classroom again, starting today at 10:00, but despite sending out detailed information about it to everyone I know who might be interested in coming, I received no phone calls nor any emails in response, as of last night. This is a pretty good sign that nobody will be coming this morning. However, I got up a 9:00 took a shower, got dressed and opened my classroom door anyway, on the off chance that someone might come by unannounced. Nobody did. Was I disappointed? No, not at all. I have many things to do, so I will use my time in anyway I choose to do so. This morning my first priority was to proofread the 4 pages of translation work that I finished up last night. Then, I printed it out and made copies. Last night while I was doing the translation, I came upon some economy and industry terminology 経済・産業　専門用語, of which I had forgotten the English language equivalents. Terms such as 第三次産業、畜産食料品、民間企業設備投資額、国内総生産、食料供給基地, and so on. I tried using some of the internet based online dictionaries to translate the terms for me, but I was very surprised to find out that most of these terms were not listed. What to do? Suddenly, I remember a textbook that I had bought in Sapporo about 16 years ago, and that I had used to study about, how to read Japanese Financial Newspapers. You can see a photo of the cover of this book, above/left. I haven't used this book in about 10 years, but I found it to be very useful last night. It contained the information that I needed to get the job done, and on time. Holy smokes, I can read the Japanese and know what it means, and I can explain the meaning in both English and Japanese, but these special terms have exact English equivalents that I MUST USE in order to make the meaning of my translation, crystal clear. The English Language. USE IT OR LOSE IT. Same universal law applies to any learned knowledge or skill. Anyway, this book saved my butt last night. You can see my English translation of pages 10, 11 and 12, of the 北海道観光マスター検定ハンドブック by clicking here. Today at 19:00, the student for whose benefit, I made this translation, came for his weekly lesson. His mother and father live here in Asahikawa, but he now lives in Sapporo with his wife, his wife's family and their 5 months old baby boy. He wants to become an English speaking tour guide in Hokkaido, and I am most certainly able to help him achieve his goals. Especially because, he puts forth his own effort to get were he wants to go. These type of students are a teacher's dream come true. There is no limit on what we can do together. After today's lesson was finished at 20:10, he asked me if he could start taking a 2 hour lesson each week from 19:00 until 21:00. The way my classroom system is set up, any lessons starting at 20:00 or thereafter, are considered to be private lessons, and the lesson fee is 4 times more expensive than those lessons which are held between 15:00 and 20:00. However, in this case, I told my ambitious student that two lesson tickets, at the group lesson price, would be good enough as payment for my time. He was very happy to hear this, and I was very happy to make the offer. I want to see this guy turn his life into a self-made dream for himself and his family. I am always glad to bend over backwards and bust my ass for those students who really have a SPECIFIC GOAL in mind. Go for it man! Let's DO IT NOW! You are on the right track. Full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes.

2007 September 4 Tuesday.

Last night after all of my lessons were finished, I was sitting around and reading my Master of Hokkaido Tourism Handbook 北海道観光マスター検定ハンドブック when I suddenly got a bright idea. The student who comes to my classroom every Wednesday at 19:00, just recently graduated from Asahikawa University, and also just came back to Japan from a 2 months long, intensive English study course in Vancouver Canada. He wants to become an English speaking Hokkaido tour guide, and is coming to my classroom for that very reason. So, I thought to myself; He should also take this test together with me, and while we are both studying this handbook, I will translate some of the pages into English, and give them to him as a textbook for use in our classes together! Sound like a good idea? Helping others WHILE helping yourself. So, I sat down tonight and started translating pages 10, 11 and 12. These pages cover the very basic information and statistics of Hokkaido, and you can see a photo of two of these pages in my blog of last Sunday below. The photo in today's blog shows pages 14 and 15 which talk about the 6 natural sightseeing regions in Hokkaido, and how many people come here each year, and from what countries. It also shows the percentage increase of visitors from each country from 2001 until 2005. The good news is that visitors from all countries are on the increase, with people from Australia showing the largest increase over the five year period, with a whooping 1219%!!! Is that cool or what? The second biggest increase is from China at 401%, followed by Korea at 252%, Taiwan at 232%, Hong Kong at 188%, the USA at 126%, and Russia at 72%. Come on America, Get It UP!!! This island ROCKS! It is also an excellent place for winter sports. See ya all real soon.

2007 September 3 Monday.

The cold rains of autumn are starting to fall. A sure sign that summer is over. However, there will be some warm and sunny "Indian Summer Days" 小春日和 still to come. These will be some of the most beautiful days during the year. My first gig of the day started at 10:00 at the Chestnut Tree Kindergarten くりの木幼稚園　with a performance in front of 212 noisy kids. When that was finished at 11:00, I drove back to my classroom, through the rain, and got ready for my next class at 13:00 at the 神楽公民館で英会話を楽しむ会. This was the second to the last class at this old building. Starting on October 15, we will be moving this class to the newly refurbished building, which was formerly the Forestry Management Agency 営林局. This newly remodeled building will open on October 9, and is called the Kagura Citizens (Information) Exchange Center 神楽市民交流センター. It is much larger than the other much older building, and will also have a big public library as well as other useful facilities, along with the local government offices. I am really looking forward to making good use of this new facility. This Kagura Section of Asahikawa City is so much different now, than it was when I first came to live and work here more than 17 years ago. The longer I live here, the better I like it. You will too.

2007 September 2 Sunday.

A very nice, quiet and peaceful day today. No jack hammers rocking my world like they did yesterday. I took advantage of the lull, to get some extra sleep and to read more of my copy of the 北海道観光ハンドブック. In Chapter One of this book, they talk about what it means to be a Master of Hokkaido Tourism and what the word HOSPITALITY 御持て成し really means in its true context of feelings and actions. This really resonated with me, because I run my own little classroom on exactly the same principles. It all boils down to a ONE ON ONE with EVERYBODY, for each and everyone's unique and special needs. Some people call it the personal touch. Everybody is special and unique, and the smart business person will develop the skills necessary to READ that, and respond appropriately in real time. In a more spiritual sense of the concept, it is all about sending and receiving VIBRATIONS 波動 in the form of intentions. Remember, these vibrations are omni-present, and at all times, even if you can't read them. The photo you can see above/left is of the beginning of Chapter 2, which starts on pages 10 and 11. It talks about the total population of Hokkaido being only 5.63 million people who live on an island with the total land area of 83,000 square kilometers. In brief, outside of Sapporo, this place is full of wide open spaces that have plenty of WATER. This chapter also tells us that Hokkaido has 35 Cities, 130 towns, and 15 villages for a total of 180. As recently as just 2 or 3 years ago, Hokkaido had a total of 212 Cities, Towns and Villages, but because of government restructuring, it now has only 180. This particular fact, is not written in this textbook. These pages also show the Red Crested Crane 丹頂鶴 as being the Official Bird, the Ezo Pine 蝦夷松　Picea jezoensis as being the Official Tree and the Japanese Rose ハマナス　Rosa rugosa Thunb, as being the official flower. It is at times like this, when I am so glad that I took the time to learn how to read Japanese, so long ago. NOW, it is extremely useful. So is English.

2007 September 1 Saturday.

What a noisy day it was today! As I have mentioned from time to time during the past two months, this building is getting a complete face lift, on its outside walls. All of them. Today again, it was my turn. What they are doing now, is using mini jack hammers, to remove some of the small bricks that are glued to the outside of the concrete walls. About a month ago, a man was walking around on my balcony, tapping on all of the bricks with a metal rod, to see which ones had come loose during the almost 20 years, since this building was built. If he found a loose brick, he would put a piece of green vinyl tape on it. These are the bricks, which the jack hammers have been removing for the past 3 days. Today, was the heaviest of operations on my walls. Which is good, because I don't have any classes here today. I spent most of my day reading the book, which I talked about in yesterday's blog. Not only is this book interesting from the standpoint of its information on Hokkaido, it is also a BLAST FROM THE PAST 懐かしい思いをすること,　 reminding me in extremely vivid detail, about how I used to study the Japanese Language every day, while I was living in the USA, and while I was, waiting and praying for a job opportunity in Japan, to come my way. Before I began to study the Japanese Language in 1976, the only things I was interested in, were playing my guitars, and running around with pretty girls. I lived in a very small world at that time. Nowadays, I can speak, read and write Japanese sooooooooo much better than I could up until about 17 years ago, but I still need to use a dictionary from time to time, to understand the true meaning of, fuzzy vocabulary. Especially since yesterday, when I bought my new study book. Anyway, the intense noise of the jack hammers, just a few meters away from my ear drums, continued from 8:00 until 11:40, and then again from 13:10 until about 17:30. Geeeez Louise! I hope they have finished that part of their job, on my part of this building. I have NO COMPLAINTS about it. In fact, I was thinking about calling it; The Jack Hammer Symphony in F Sharp Minor. Who knows? Maybe we have a HIT here. Finally, at about 19:30, I walked on over to the Chubetsu Park 忠別公園, to see what was happening at the annual O Kagura Matsuri お神楽祭り, which is held every year on September 1, 2 and 3. The photo which you can see above/left, is the only decent photo out of the total of 21 snapshots that I took today. That is why, I always take a lot of photos. Only about 10% OR LESS of them will be any good. Today, the VIBES were at ONLY 5%. Good enough. I got ONE good photo. Tomorrow will be yet, another day, but at that time also, it too will BE TODAY. It is always NOW. Anyway you slice IT.an't drive faster in order to do this, I just have to focus on the road and go with the flow. I did it, and we made it over the top just as the heaviest rains and winds hit upon the island. We got home safely at about 16:30, and put an end to a wonderful 4 days and 3 nights summer drive course, in Hokkaido. My summer vacation isn't over yet. In fact, it is just getting started. However, I will be staying at home for the next three or four days to stretch out my legs, and wait out the rain. Typhoon Number 5 is still coming this way. As a result, every day is a rainy day, but with sunshine in my heart.