Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Tuesday 12/31

This is the final day of 2019. Thank you 2019!

Another sunrise

Monday, December 30, 2019

Monday 12/30

Have a lunch date with Kenny this day.
Sunrise Check out the moon!

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Sunday 12/29

Enjoy a drive in Atami and then back home.
Adults playing dominoes
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Saturday, December 28, 2019

Satruday 12/28

No Puzzler. Visiting Atami with family this day.

Okegawa Sun Arena gym

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Christmas Recital NEEDS PIC

I teach at a nursery school in Kawagoe on Wednesday mornings. Last Sunday they had their annual Christmas show. This time they held it at a Public Hall. It has a stage and large hall for plenty of moms and dads to see their little tots performing on stage. Of course, they all performed an English skit with me. The kids are 2, 3, 4 and 5 years old. So, I was on stage four times. It started at 10am and finished around 3:30pm. There was a two hour lunch break. The two year old and I sang the ABC song. They also had to find picture cards that I called out. They ran on stage: that was cute. The three year-olds and I sang "Deck the Halls". I sang the song and they sang the refrain. The four year-olds and I did a skit where I was looking for a dog named "Bongo". The final group and I did a skit where I was a villain (Bad guy) who stole their treasure. I gave it back when they were able to successfully do an English conversation, two by two. Also, each group had to introduce themselves as well as with me. It was a lot of fun and the kids were very, very cute...of course. As for me, I wore three different hats for the four performances. Finally Santa Claus was on stage to give presents to all the kids. I got a ride to Kawagoe station to take the train home. Merry Christmas!  

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

A night out

I went out drinking with a friend, Mark, a couple of Saturdays ago. He's Japanese. I have known Mark since about 2010. He was one of my students when I taught an adult lesson in Omiya. He's a cool guy and he knows so much about everything. We have been out drinking quite a few times. (We went to Daitoryou in Tokyo in October.) This time we met at Ageo station at 6:30pm that Saturday. Our first destination was the Kita-no-Kuni Baru. It has an Italian menu and a lively atmosphere. We had a couple of beers and then some shochu. The food included raw oysters and spicy seafood. We left after an hour or so.  Next we headed to SAKANAYA. This place is pure Japanese. It is down the stairs in a cellar. Dark. We had some Sashimi and sake and shochu. Here everything was delicious. We sat in a corner table in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. Finally we took a taxi to our usual last stop. It is a Bistro (snack). There are a lot of interesting characters here. Many customers sang karaoke. Everybody knows everybody. I drank whiskey here. Mark sang a song. I did not. But I do remember coming home! Thanks, Mark.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Tokyo Adventure on Wheels Part 3

Now I was free to drive to Tokyo station. I looked at my map. Again, it was a piece of cake. I could follow Meiji Douri until it runs into Route 1. That route will go straight to the Imperial Palace. I have discovered that many roads lead to the Imperial Palace. For example: Shinjuku Douri, Yasukuni Douri, Roppongi Douri, Sakurada Douri, Aoyama Douri and  Route 17, just to name a few. The traffic was light. It was not backed up anywhere.  I passed by Tokyo Tower which I knew I would. I arrived at the Palace in no time. Then my two lanes veered right. I followed them. But OMG! I was then in the left turn lane. I had to back up! It was illegal and just a little but I did it. No police. Safe! Then I followed the road to Tokyo station. There I parked in front of Oazo Marunouchi Building. I went in and got a quick lunch at a Soup Restaurant. Then I bought two Shakespeare books at Maruzen. It was time go home. I checked my map. The entrance to the highway was quite nearby. I found it in Nihonbashi and entered. I drove straight home. I celebrated my adventure back home with a beer and some sake. All's well, that ends well.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Puzzler Answers Final 2019

You're next Puzzler will come up on January 4th, 2020. Have a great New Year.
Puzzler Answers: CLICK HERE.

以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.








































PRINCE               PLUMBER/FURY                  TRICK                      OVEN

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Puzzler Hints Final 2019

Yes. That's right. You don't have to stay up late tonight and worry. This is the final Hints page for 2019. Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

Home Project
今月のHome Projectは、「 UP」 です。

UP UP UP!
Get up, wake up , pick up, look up, mix up, get up, close up, back up, clean up, break up, blow up, dress up, hard up, call up, fix up, give up, hang up, hard up, zip up, lock up, pull up, rise up, turn up, warm up.......level up your skills and use these in conversations and in your stories this month.
今月は、これらの、up,  up,などの単語を使って会話をしたり、話の中に取り入れて文章を作ってみましょう! Good luck!

Parked in front of Oazo building Tokyo.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Puzzler Final 2019

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this will be the last Puzzler for this 2019. Whew!
Puzzler: CLICK HERE.

Home Project
今月のHome Projectは、「 UP」 です。

UP UP UP!
Get up, wake up , pick up, look up, mix up, get up, close up, back up, clean up, break up, blow up, dress up, hard up, call up, fix up, give up, hang up, hard up, zip up, lock up, pull up, rise up, turn up, warm up.......level up your skills and use these in conversations and in your stories this month.
今月は、これらの、up,  up,などの単語を使って会話をしたり、話の中に取り入れて文章を作ってみましょう! Good luck!

View on my drive in Tokyo




Friday, December 20, 2019

Tokyo Adventure on Wheels Part 2

I was near Yoyogi Park. I used my phone to locate (find) the bakery. It was difficult. I finally parked in an underground parking and walked to the bakery using my phone. actually, you can park on the streets of Tokyo in many places for free on Sunday. But, many people use those parking spaces. So, it is difficult to find one. Well, I finally found the bakery, got in after a en minute wait and bought some baked goods and a bottle of mikan juice. I walked back to my car and checked my map. The route ot my next destination was simple. Just take the YamaTe Douri and then turn left at Meguro Douri. Simple! I did that and found the TeiEn museum in 20 minutes. I parked in their parking lot and toured the museum. There was an exhibition of artifacts form 1600 to 1700 China. But, the building is very impressive. I love it. It is A-ru Deco which means Art Deco in English. The ceilings, chandeliers, walls, stairways and windows are wonderful. This is my second visit here, I really appreciate its beauty and style. I also walked around the garden. I then set my course for my final destination, Tokyo station.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Tokyo Adventure on Wheels Part 1

My adventure to Tokyo on wheels means by car. It was a beautiful day. There were blue skies and no wind. The temperature rose to 14C. I did some neighborhood cleanup from 8AM to 9AM (See yesterday's BLOG) and then back home to clean up and was on the rode at 9:30. My plan was to drive to Tokyo by car. I would visit the 365days bakery which is in  Tomigaya, Shibuya City. Next I would drive to the Teien Museum in  Shiraganidai, Minato City. Then I would drive to Tokyo station where I would visit the Tokyo International Forum and Maruzen bookstore in Oazo building. WELL! I tried to use only maps and my good(?) sense during this trip. It started out well, as I got on the highway in Yono and drove smoothly on the highway. My first miscue came at the Itabashi junction. When I set the navi on my phone the day before it told me to go left here. But I went straight instead. I knew it wasn't bad because the straight route, highway C2, would take me to my destination. I entered a tunnel. Then the sign said that I was heading to the Toume Highway. OMG! That didn't sound good. I got off as soon as possible. When I did get off, there was a traffic jam. I finally got to my first destination, the 365 days bakery, about 11:30. Continued tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Clean up

There are 130 households (houses) in our 'Fujinami Danchi'. And we are divided into 6 Blocks. Our house belongs to Block 6. And it was Block 6's turn to clean the community building and the grounds surrounding it. I have done this before. There is a Shrine in the area. There are three areas to clean. One is the inside of the community Building. That is where we hold meetings and parties and such. The other was the outside toilet building. Another is the ground outside. 12 people showed up to work. It started at 8AM and was scheduled to end at 9AM. 5 women and one girl went directly to the inside of the center to clean up.  I went straight to the toilet. I have dome this cleanup before. I was on my own. All the other gents began sweeping up all the fallen leaves in the yard. I used a water hose and toilet cleaners and brushes in my effort. It took me about 25 minutes. By that time the ladies had finished so we all joined in the yard cleanup. It was all about raking up the fallen leaves. There were a lot! I worked till just 9:00 and then said goodbye. I wanted to start my Tokyo drive adventure as soon as possible. 

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Aloha by Imamura

 I took a trip to Hawaii with my friend. We flew to Honolulu and arrived on time. A lot of people were waiting in line for the entry procedures. We usually go to an immigration staff directly. But it was different this time. Everyone used a touch panel screen. My first conversation in Hawaii was "Please tell us how to use it." The American staff told us very kindly, so we did it. I think it's for the customs declaration. The sea and the sky were blue as far as the eye could see. "This is Hawaii." we felt. We had two optional tours. 
①Cruising Waikiki beach on a boat. From the hotel balcony we could see a very big and wide sea. But this time form the boat we could see many hotels and Diamond Head. The scenery gave us a very different impression. 
➁We visited "Hitachi Tree.", The Dole plantation and Haleiwa. Hiatchi Tree is a very famous commercial in Japan. "Konoki annoki kininaruki". The symbol tree was very big and awesome. The type is a Monkey Pod tree, the flowers are light pink and soft.
My daughter, who lives in Hawaii, took us on a drive along the seaside. The sea was clear and there was a cool breeze blowing in off the sea. While we were in Hawaii the weather was fine. We had a wonderful time. MAHALO!

Monday, December 16, 2019

Puzzler Answers

I'm counting down. Only two more weeks till some vacation time. We have some plans. Puzzler answers: CLICK HERE 

以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.








































FUSE/MUSE                BALLOON              MONEY             LOTION

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Puzzler Hints

I'm also thinking about next year's New Year Resolution. Hmmm. I'm not decided yet but I'm sure I'll come up with something. Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

Home Project
今月のHome Projectは、「 UP」 です。

UP UP UP!
Get up, wake up , pick up, look up, mix up, get up, close up, back up, clean up, break up, blow up, dress up, hard up, call up, fix up, give up, hang up, hard up, zip up, lock up, pull up, rise up, turn up, warm up.......level up your skills and use these in conversations and in your stories this month.
今月は、これらの、up,  up,などの単語を使って会話をしたり、話の中に取り入れて文章を作ってみましょう! Good luck!

This guy is very serious.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Puzzler

I am free tomorrow as usual. I may just stay home. Tonight I'm gong out for drinks with one buddy. Puzzler: CLICK HERE.

Home Project
今月のHome Projectは、「 UP」 です。

UP UP UP!
Get up, wake up , pick up, look up, mix up, get up, close up, back up, clean up, break up, blow up, dress up, hard up, call up, fix up, give up, hang up, hard up, zip up, lock up, pull up, rise up, turn up, warm up.......level up your skills and use these in conversations and in your stories this month.
今月は、これらの、up,  up,などの単語を使って会話をしたり、話の中に取り入れて文章を作ってみましょう! Good luck!

Autumn colors TeiEn Museum

Friday, December 13, 2019

Happy Birthday

My lovely wife, Miwako, had a birthday last month. She has one every year. Of course we all do until the end. So,as is our custom we go to a restaurant to celebrate the event. Are you familiar with the restaurant WAIZU? It's a  MONJU OKONOMIYAKI place. I looked it up in the net and found that there is one in Ageo, one in Kitamoto and one in Okegawa. We always go to the one in Ageo. When my brother visited in May, we took him and his lovely wife, to a similar restaurant in Ueno. Then we visited there again last month. But we all agree that WAIZU is better than that one. Also, they make the food for you. It is not fun to watch them. We find it more interesting and fun to do it ourselves. Of course, I never do it. There are enough cooks in our family for that. Anyway, we went there a couple of Saturdays ago. And on that Saturday I was not drinking. So I was the designated driver. That means that everyone else can imbibe if they want to. We enjoyed the party their. I am pretty sure there is nothing like that in America. I think I'll ask my brother. 

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Dessert in Ueno

After the visit to the museum I took a walk around the station to get my bearings. That means to understand where I was and what my surroundings were. The weather was excellent so it was enjoyable. There were visitors here and there. I felt most were Japanese. I was getting hungry so decided to have lunch. I went to the station to find one restaurant that I visited earlier this year. It is in Atre on the 1st floor. I found it but it was rather expensive so I gave it up, and decided on a small cafe. I had a quiche. I then went to the 2nd floor and found a nice dessert shop. It is called             AZABO. I saw some yummy desserts in the display case. They included Japanese Azuki. I like Azuki. I went inside. I ordered my treat and then checked out the interior of the place. It was really cool. It is not colorful or flashy. The chairs and tables are wooden. There is a lot of space. The colors are green, brown. And there are black and white photographs in frames all around the walls. They include Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Dean Martin and many Japanese movie stars. What's cool is that they are all so young! The dessert was good too.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Museum of Western Art Ueno

I went to Ueno on a Friday, November 29th. I usually have a kindergarten lesson the AM but it was cancelled. And I usually have an adult lesson in the afternoon at my school. However this was the fifth Friday of the month so there was no lesson. So, I was as free as a bird. I took a trip to Ueno. I took the 8:44 train from Okegawa and arrived Ueno at around 9:10. My goal was to visit the Ueno Museum of Western art. That is right in Ueno park. The exhibition was 'The Hapsburg Dynasty: 600 years of Imperial Collections.’ I bought my ticket at Ueno station. That was very convenient. It was a gorgeous morning as I walked to the museum. I took photos of the sculptures outside and then entered. The exhibit was excellent. There were many fine paintings. And they were a very large scale. I estimate that some were more than two meters, maybe even three meters high. I was inside for over an hour. I did not rent an audio guide. Rather, I examined (looked closely) at the paintings. There were many fine details and paintings that looked like photographs. They were beautiful. From there I had lunch and dessert at Ueno station and was back to my school at 2pm. A splendid morning.  

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

20,000 leagues Under the Sea revisited

I bought a globe. It is an excellent study for me. I use it find different locations and rivers and mountains as well as longitudes and latitudes. One reason I got it was because I read the book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. in that book they travel around the world. It mentions so many countries and seas and straights lakes and islands and positions. The positions are in latitude and longitude. I wanted to find these places. Of course, my smart phone could give me these answers but a globe is so much better because it is round, not flat. I use my globe constantly. It is right next to my seat at the dinner table. So, I decided to read the novel again. And this time I took my time. I found every name they mention in the book. One example is Polynesia. Did yo know there is a Polynesian Triangle? It is located in the area known as Oceania which is in the Pacific ocean. It includes the Hawaiian Island in the north, New Zealand in the south and Easter Island to the east. I starting rereading the novel on December 1st and then finished it up yesterday. It was an excellent study and of course reading the book twice is a good policy. They say "Reading a book once is like reading yesterday's newspaper."

Monday, December 9, 2019

Puzzler Answers

I have a Christmas Party at a Kindergarten pretty soon. It should be fun.
Puzzler Answers: CLICK HERE.

以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.









































QUIZ                  STONE                  PIRATE               AWNIN         COOLANT



Sunday, December 8, 2019

Puzzler Hints

Miwako has decorated the house with Christmas decorations. It looks real nice!
Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

Home Project
今月のHome Projectは、「 UP」 です。

UP UP UP!
Get up, wake up , pick up, look up, mix up, get up, close up, back up, clean up, break up, blow up, dress up, hard up, call up, fix up, give up, hang up, hard up, zip up, lock up, pull up, rise up, turn up, warm up.......level up your skills and use these in conversations and in your stories this month.
今月は、これらの、up,  up,などの単語を使って会話をしたり、話の中に取り入れて文章を作ってみましょう! Good luck!

Ueno station

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Puzzler

The weather has been cold. I really enjoy watching the sunrises from my house.
Puzzler: CLICK HERE.

Home Project
今月のHome Projectは、「 UP」 です。

UP UP UP!
Get up, wake up , pick up, look up, mix up, get up, close up, back up, clean up, break up, blow up, dress up, hard up, call up, fix up, give up, hang up, hard up, zip up, lock up, pull up, rise up, turn up, warm up.......level up your skills and use these in conversations and in your stories this month.
今月は、これらの、up,  up,などの単語を使って会話をしたり、話の中に取り入れて文章を作ってみましょう! Good luck!

Eating Dango Sensoji


Friday, December 6, 2019

Lunch at Chez Machio

So, here is one more lunch date story. I drive to one of my Kindergarten lessons every Thursday morning. The lesson is on Kawagoe. It is right next to the Kawagoe Sports Park (Undo Kouen). To get there, I use Route 57, then turn right to cross the Kaihei Bridge. The Kindergarten is then nearby. We call Route 57 'Cainz Douri' because Cainz Home is on that road. We used road often before the Ageo Bypass was constructed (built) 7 or 8 years ago. On that road I discovered a new restaurant. It is called Chez Machio. I see it every time I drive by. I finally decided to stop on and check it out. I met the owner. His name is Oshima. He opened the restaurant three years ago. It looked nice and has a casual French menu including a fondu and ostrich dishes. I told Miwako about it and we decided to go there last month. And it was very nice. There is a rather big garden outside. Inside there are three different areas that you can sit. All the tables and chairs are a different motif in each section.  There is also a bar. We both got pasta dishes. And the dessert was very good. We also got a coupon for a free fondu for one to celebrate Chez Machio's three-year anniversary. Cool.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Lunch at Adomani

This is another lunch story. Once upon a time there was a not-so-young couple who lived in Japan. They sometimes travel, they sometimes go out and have cocktails, they sometimes have family dinners, they sometimes do activities together such as birdwatching, paying bridge or take a drive. Recently they had a lunch. One day the not-so-young husband said: "I think we should go out for lunch." The not-so-young wife agreed. She said "Good idea. Where shall we go?" The not-so-young husband said "How about Adomani. It's pretty good and we haven't been there in a while." The not-so-young wife said "That sounds good." So, they dressed up one Saturday afternoon as the not-so-young husband (Also a not-so-young teacher) drove to Kitamoto Adomani. It had been a long time. However the restaurant had not changed. They got a table immediately. The place was not so crowded. That was good. And the food was as delicious as always. The dessert was good, too. Our story has a happy ending.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Lunch at Angela

I teach at a kindergarten on Friday mornings. It is almost every week. However they sometimes cancel an English lesson from time to time (once in a while). So, I will have a rare morning off on a Friday. Two Fridays ago that happened. So, in the morning I was at my school working hard at my computer. I was making a Blog or a Puzzle or something. Then I rode my bicycle to Angela's restaurant. It is in Kitamoto. The weather was pleasant. It takes less than 20 minutes. The menu is pasta and pizza and very good desserts. I ordered a pasta dish and a special dessert. It is special because it is not included with the set menu. I finished my meal, which was very good, and then got my dessert (See pic). I can't remember the name of the dish but it was a creamy, soft chocolate treat. When I finished my meal I got up to leave and went to the register. What a surprise! There were two of my students also going up to the register to pay. We said hello and exclaimed "What a small world it is." That was a nice lunch.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

My November

It's the final month of 2019. Christmas is just around the corner and the Olympics happen next year. Are you ready for it all? Me, too. In the meantime, November just ended so I'd like to recap my month here.
1. Read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and saw a movie on YouTube.
2. Read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and saw a movie on YouTube.
3. Taught many English classes this month as usual.
4. Had lunch with Miwako at Adomani, Kitamoto.
5. Did walking tour of Tokyo.
6. Breakfast at Kei Ou Plaza Hotel, Shinjuku.
7. visited Imperial Palace.
8. Bought two books at Maruzen, Tokyo.
9. Visited Meiji Shrine Garden.
10. Visited Ueno zoo to see the giraffes.
11. Had lunch at Angela in Kitamoto.
12. Lunched with Miwako at Chez Machio, Ageo.
13. Visited Enomoto Farm.
14. Took bicycle to Tokyo to explore.
15. Went to KaminariMon, Sensoji, Sky Tree and Sumida Hokusai Museum.
16. Reread Jules Vernes' 20,00 Leagues Under the Sea and followed the adventure on my globe.
17. Visit Ueno Museum of Western Art.
18. Dinner party to celebrate Miwako's 20th birthday.
19. Lined my brother every day.
20. Visited the gym 13 times.



Monday, December 2, 2019

Puzzler Answers

So, it's back to work. This is the final month this year. I'm enjoying the winter, especially the late sunrises.
Puzzler Answers: CLICK HERE

以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.










































FUSE/MUSE                  BELONG                   LOTION                 MONEY     





Sunday, December 1, 2019

Puzzler Hints

It's December. Maybe I should drink today...what do you think?Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

Home Project
今月のHome Projectは、「 UP」 です。

UP UP UP!
Get up, wake up , pick up, look up, mix up, get up, close up, back up, clean up, break up, blow up, dress up, hard up, call up, fix up, give up, hang up, hard up, zip up, lock up, pull up, rise up, turn up, warm up.......level up your skills and use these in conversations and in your stories this month.
今月は、これらの、up,  up,などの単語を使って会話をしたり、話の中に取り入れて文章を作ってみましょう! Good luck!

Hokusai Painting close up