Souvenirs from Okinawa

Last weekend my mother went on a school trip to Okinawa as a school nurse.


She's been there so many times that it seemed hard for her to find something new.


But these souvenirs are quite rare, I think.

It's a charm designed Snoopy and Woodstock in Eisa costume, which is a traditional Okinawan dance and music performance.

This is a pack of potato chips flavored with Ishigaki Island's chili oil.


We always keep Ishigaki Island's cayenne pepper at home, and we know the pepper is so hot.


So I'm looking forward to trying this chips.

Have you seen this chips before??


It's flavored with traditional Okinawan dish Goya Champuru (stir-fried bitter squash).


I can't imagine the taste at all!!

Haruki Murakami

Chinese novelist Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in literature, while Japan's Haruki Murakami was thought to be awarded.


Whether he would win the prize or not, there's no doubt that Haruki Murakami is a global-scale writer and his works has captivated millions of people.


I was also impressed so much with his "Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World" when I was a high school student.

His words have a strong power.


At the end of September, Haruki Murakami contributed an article to Asahi Newspaper.


He has shared his point of view on the China-Japan territorial dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.


He concerns about the cultural fallout that is likely to result from the country’s various escalating territorial spats and described the feverish reaction to the disputes like getting drunk on "cheap alcohol."




Soon after publishing the issue, one Chinese writer Yan Lianke wrote his idea on the International Herald Tribune.


It says that Yan Lianke was deeply touched after reading Haruki Murakami's recent commentary warning of the damage caused by the outbursts of nationalism.


He also indicated that he felt ashamed of himself as a Chinese writer for his slow response.




I think there is no "slow" on this topic.


All we Japanese and Chinese have to learn from both writers' respectable messages.


What a writer published may be a possible key to solve the ongoing territorial dispute.




When literature change the political issue beyond borders, Haruki Murakami must be a center as a prize winner.

Yamanaka win Nobel Prize for iPS cells

Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and John Gurdon of Britain have jointly won this year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for development of a multipurpose stem cell that has the potential to grow into any type of body tissue.


Yamanaka and Gurdon discovered that mature and specialized cells "can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body," the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute said.

Yamanaka, 50,  was given the coveted prize only six years after the announcement of his development of the induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, which was successfully produced from mice in 2006 and from human skin cells in 2007.


The iPS cells are believed to have great potential for regenerative medicine and development of new drugs.


Congratulations!! (^o^)

Unfriend your exes

Are you friends with a former lover on Facebook?


Then you could be damaging your health!!


According to a recent study conducted at Brunel University, as many as half of Facebook users are risking psychological damage by using the site to spy on their former flames.

Before Facebook and social networking, keeping tabs on exes was a lot more difficult, and required stalker-like dedication.


These days, however, it is easy to keep up continual surveillance, checking on what they are doing, who they are with, and where they are.


According to psychologist Dr. Tara Marshall, who led the study, it can make it more difficult to move on.

Dr. Marshall and her team found that those who remained Facebook friends with an ex experience more distress and took longer to move on compared to those who immediately clicked “unfriend.”





Fortunately or not, there's nothing wrong with my health... (^o^;)

A Magician "Karakuri-Doll"

I've seen a popular magician "Karakuri-Doll" passing by many times for these two weeks.

Karakuri-Doll, 50, is well-known for not only his magic technique but also his comical character.


Actually, he seems to be from Urawa, and his office is just close to the yakitori shop Riki.




When I saw him, I didn't feel any brightness as an entertainer.


But I'd like to cheer him to bring a lot of laughter to our town. (^^)

Mini-Performance Day

This week is Eigonoie mini-performance days.


This is our annual event that elementary school students perform in front of their parents.


On Wednesday and Thursday, 6 graders in my class showed three different performances: pair conversation, present what he or she did in summer, and a tongue twister "Betty Botter."




The event was almost successful!!


Students must have practiced hard to make their performance better and better.


Especially I was so surprised that some students showed a tongue twister "Betty Botter" perfectly.

"Betty Botter"

 

Betty Botter bought some butter

"But," she said, "the butter' bitter"

If I put it in my butter,

It will make my batter bitter

"But a bit of better butter,

That would make my batter better"

So she bought a bit of butter

Better than her bitter butter

And she put it in her batter

And the batter was not bitter

So 'twas better Betty Botter

Bought a bit of better butter

Can you say perfectly?? (^o^;)





Actually I was much more nervous about this performance than students.


Now I feel relief at their wonderful performance.


I'm so pround of them.

New REGAL Shoes

I bought a new REGAL business shoes yesterday.

This is the fourth shoes that I've ever bought at REGAL store in my life.



I like not only the designs of REGAL shoes but its comfortableness.

The REGAL shoes have never raised any blisters on my feet.

And what I have to refer to REGAL is their perfect high-quality service.

All the staffs seems to be well-inculcated how significant the great deal of hospitality is to satisfy customers.




I believe good shoes takes me to a good place.


My new shoes must motivate me to walk to work in a positive way.