A Reserved Seat...

Recently, I had a friend from Paris visiting me.

He loves taking pictures around and he wanted visit somewhere not too touristic. So I took him around the places I love.

First of all, we walked through 2 woods near our flat then went into a path, which used to be used as a railway.

It was incredibly nice day and in summer time, the path is generally covered with full of green.

So it was a bit of surprise to find this chair all in sudden.

What is it for? I don't know.

But in any case, it was brilliant contrast of this white in the deep green.

Hope the chair is still there, even if it is totally meaningless.

The very first water melon in UK!

I've lived in London for nearly 16 years and it is probably the very first water melon I have bought in UK.

How lucky! I found a little heart in it!

It may be weird to the Westerners but Japanese people actually put salt on water melon as it makes the natural sweetness stand out better.

It really works! Try it at home!

Does North really have to be the top?

When I started living in London, I really didn't have any idea why you need to know which direction is the North, South etc., why tube stations have to indicate 'Southbound', 'Northbound' instead of name of the destination.

In Japan, we rarely use North or South to indicate directions to get somewhere. Usually it should be which station, and when you come out from the station, right or left and 3rd corner at convenient store right and so on. You really don't have to know where is the North.

In Japan even maps are not necessarily pointing the North. If you see a map on a wall around a station, for example, it is most likely pointing the direction you stand rather than North, which is very confusing for non-Japanese.

So, it is not only me but quite often, Japanese people do turn around a map to point the direction you stand (otherwise you have to turn to face the North all the time). And this is one of those things Westerners do not understand at all!

When I get lost somewhere in UK with map in my hand and if I ask English people for direction, then they always say:

You got lost because you turn the map in that strange way!

Not really! OK, I got lost but it is not because I turn the map in 'your' strange way. It is perfectly reasonable for me...

Happy Big 70!

I've just been to My friend's big 70 party the other day.
He is a Japanese journalist always with a very fair viewpoint and I have learnt quite a lot from him.

For long time, nobody knew how old he was. Since he had a red pass for London Transport, it was obvious that he is over 60, but I was not sure if he is early 60s or late 60s or even older than that...in fact I did not care, it doesn't really matter, does it?

At the party, he gave a speech. He said 'I never told anybody about my age apart from my wife'.

He got a point. In Japan, people are really age conscious. All the interview pages in a magazine usually indicate 'John Smith (45) said blah blah blah...', and the number in the brackets is the age.

My friend carried on 'If Japanese people get to know your age, they start looking at you as the age rather than who you are. If you say you are 36 years old, then people start looking at you as a 36 years old man. If you do not state how old you are, then people will look at you who and what you are, not a 36 years old man, or a 45 years old man but just as you are'

The age of 70 is something my dad really wanted but could not go beyond and I always thought that it is really really far away like some other planets.

But if this friend of mine is 70, and apparently he is, it may not be so far. It may not be another planet, but it may be somewhere like zone 5, I could go quite easy by my Oyster.

And seeing him, I don't feel too bad about going there now.

It was really a lovely party and I felt quite happy with the balloons on the way home.

Fish Easter Monday

I understand that in Britain, or any other Christianity countries, 'Fish Friday' is generally known.

However, for us Japanese, it is 'Fish Everyday'!

So we went to our local pub to have fish & chips today, on Easter Monday.

The food was beautiful as usual and the weather was gorgeous.

But I found a group of little ones protesting to me having fish on Easter Monday...

mmmmmm.......

Let's Picnic

Something I hardly did when I lived in Tokyo and I do quite often in Summer in London is picnic.

It does not have to be proper eating or drinking but just take some drink and picnic sheet to our local park and literary put up your feet.






















Yes, just chill out...till you get....

extremely poor football players kicking the ball towards you...

Kate M?

One day a lady I work together at my client's office was putting those little frags up.

OK, Royal wedding is coming very soon, and we share a bit of celebrating mood.

But still now, if somebody says 'Kate M', I automatically think 'Kate Moss'! I know I am not trendy at all!