Wednesday, May 30, 2012

¥2,000 note

Yesterday was a payday of May.


But this time I was so surprised to open my pay envelope.




Four unused 2,000 yen notes!!


So rare, isn't it?

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Tsukiji Yoshinoya

Yoshinoya Urawa-Nakacho branch in front of Eigonoie was reborn last Friday as Tsukiji Yoshinoya.





The menu of Tsukiji Yoshinoya is simpler than that of common one.


No Butadon and no Gyunabedon, but we can enjoy cheaper Gyudon taking us only ¥290 at any time.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Annular Solar Eclipse 2012 in Japan

Thanks to the thin clouds, I could observe the annular solar eclipse, a rare phenomenon the moon blocks all but a ring of the sun's light.











So beautiful!! (^o^)

Chelsea win Champions League 2012

Such a dramatic Champions League final!!


After the extra time and shootout, Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on Saturday to win the European Champions League for the first time.






There's no doubt that the hero striker of the game was 34-year-old Ivorian Didier Drogba, who scored a eqalizer in the 88th minute after Thomas Muller putting Bayern ahead in the 83rd minute.







But what amazed me the most was that Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech showed high-ability performance.


Cech saved Arjen Robben's spot-kick early in extra time, and Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger were also saved by him in the shootout.


Furthermore, Cech always moved the right way as if he had known each of the directions where Bayern players kicked from the spot.


I think he was the man of the match.









And finally, I really hope to say thank you and good job for Frank Lampard, who was the captain instead of suspended John Terry.





Congratulations!!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Strongest La Liga

La Liga of this season amzed me a lot!!



Failing to find the net last weekend, Barcelona's Lionel Messi ended the term on incredible 50 league goals over the campaign.






But Cristiano Ronaldo's total of 46 goals prevented Barcelona from league champions.



Barcelona's rival Real Madrid capped its dominant Spanish league campaign with a 4-1 win over Mallorca to give the champions a record 100 points this season.






Messi scored 50 goals, while Ronaldo did 46 throughout one season.


And Real Madrid won a champion with 100 points, followed by Barcelona's 91 points.




Such strong teams!!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Cat Can't Run

A Japanese comedian will not be eligible to represent Cambodia in athletics at the London Olympics despite a change of nationality.




The Japan-born marathon runner Kuniaki Takizaki, whose stage name is Neko Hiroshi (= Hiroshi The Cat), acquired Cambodian citizenship in October.


The International Association of Athletics Federations said that he could not run for his country until October - one year after he obtained citizenship.


"Even if I'm not able to compete this time, I'll aim to enter the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in four years' time as a Cambodian," the 34-year-old Neko was quoted as saying.




A cat has nine lives, indeed.

Monday, May 07, 2012

Super Moon

Once in a blue moon!!


May 5th was the national holiday of Children's Day in Japan, but that night was too romantic for kids.


When you looked up at the sky, you could find a bigger and lighter moon there.


We call the special one "Super Moon."





That moonlight must have contained over 17 million zeno green spectrum radiation, allowing Saiyans to transform into a Giant Ape.



......Yes, we need to watch out, and to have the proper knowledge about that moon.



The following video created by NASA can be a good help for understanding the Super Moon.




Here are the trascript of this video.


The full Moon has a reputation for trouble. It raises high tides, it makes dogs howl, it wakes you up in the middle of the night with beams of moonlight stealing through drapes. If a moonbeam wakes you up on the night of May 5th, 2012, you might want to get out of bed and take a look. This May’s full Moon is a "super Moon,” as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full Moons of 2012.

The scientific term for the phenomenon is "perigee moon." Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. The Moon follows an elliptical path around Earth with one side ("perigee") about 50,000 km closer than the other ("apogee"). Full Moons that occur on the perigee side of the Moon's orbit seem extra big and bright.

Such is the case on May 5th at 11:34 pm Eastern Daylight Time1 when the Moon reaches perigee. Only one minute later, the Moon will line up with Earth and the sun to become brilliantly full. The timing is almost perfect.

Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger than usual, but can you really tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon can seem much like any other.

The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On May 5th, this Moon illusion will amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with. The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset should seem super indeed.


Folklore holds that all kinds of wacky things happen under the light of a full Moon. Supposedly, hospital admissions increase, the crime rate ticks upward, and people behave strangely. The idea that the full Moon causes mental disorders was widespread in the Middle Ages. Even the word "lunacy," meaning "insanity," comes from the Latin word for "Moon."

The majority of modern studies, however, show no correlation between the phase of the Moon and the incidence of crime, sickness, or human behavior. The truth is, the Moon is less influential than folklore would have us believe.

It's true that a perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this is nothing to worry about. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood.

Super perigee Moons are actually fairly common. The Moon becomes full within a few hours of its closest approach to Earth about once a year on average. The last such coincidence occurred on March 19th, 2011, producing a full Moon that was almost 400 km closer than this one. As usual, no trouble was reported--unless you count a midnight awakening as trouble.

If so, close the drapes on May 5th. Otherwise, enjoy the super-moonlight.

Friday, May 04, 2012

Energy Cola

Being out of shape and sleepy today, I tried drinking a MAD-CROC's Energy Cola.





Not only the package but also its smell and taste can vitalize me!!

Trick Art

A couple of days ago, I dropped into a special event "Masashi Hattori's Trick Art Exhibition", which has been held on the 7th floor of Urawa PARCO.


Trick art is also called Trompe-l'œil, meaning "deceives the eye" in French.


Facing the trick art painting from a certain angle, our optical illusion makes us see it as if it were a 3-dimensional one.




The exhibition is like this.



But as I stand up at the marking point and face the painting....




 


It looks as if it really existed.





And this Mona Lisa always face me wherever I go.







There are more works in this exhibition, but it lasts until May 6th.


It cost you only ¥500.



Don't miss it, and don't forget your camera!! (^^)

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Skrik

Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's masterpiece "The Scream," one of the most recognizable works of art, sold for $119,922,500 (= about ¥9.6 billion) at Sotheby's on Wednesday, setting a new record as the most expensive piece of art ever sold at auction.




Munch created several versions of The Scream, and that is the fourth one (1895) owned by Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen.


It was conservatively estimated to sell for about $80 million, but two determined bidders competed via telephone, then one side won the nearly 15-minute bidding war.


The bidder was not identified.




$120 million......Screaming price, isn't it?? (^o^;)

ONE PIECE Vol.66

ONE PIECE volume 66 is now on sale!!




The story of Fishman Island ends and Straw-hat Pirates make a start of New World adventure at last.



Anyway the SBS of this volume doesn't have enough information to satisfy me.