MONTH

2022年8月

August 31, 2022
December 6, 2022

Human Comedy in the White Stitches of Maison Margiela

Our greedy appetite for attention Is it the same in your countries? Some people put stickers of the names of their favorite singers or bands on their cars. I didn’t mean to criticize at all, but that looks a little funny and reminds me of the time just before the entry of elementary school. It’s a big event for Japanese kids. Parents buy all kinds of stationary, and a lot of textbooks are provided by the government. At this point, kids receive a harsh welcome from a social system. They are required to put their name and class number to all of items, even to each of pencils. For the same reason, clothing items and bags printed with brand names (in most cases, they’re founding designer names) look funny to me. If someone wears a T-shirt printed with “Issey Miyake” for example, I’ll want to say a joke to him/her […]

Hokkaido Shreds

August 30, 2022
September 7, 2022

Giant Tree Hunt in Hokkaido #1

Giant trees are symbolic of the nature Giant trees are nurtured over a long period of time to be symbolic of the nature or climate of the land. They have been the home of various creatures, the object of people’s faith, and the symbol of the region. Here in Japan we have the world’s oldest wooden building, Horyuji, and the world’s largest wooden buildings, Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji. For Todaiji, people seeked giant red pine trees that has more than 1 meter of diameter with height of 24 meters. It is said people decided to dig at the base of trees rather than cutting down to keep trees from spliting. Since the ascient times, trees have been used as resources like building materials, wood products, and fuel. Whether it is a huge public building or a individual house, trees are one of the most important resources for human life. […]

Hokkaido Shreds

August 30, 2022
September 12, 2022

First Road Racing Experience in Niseko, Hokkaido

What’s the Niseko HANAZONO hill climb? The 11th running of the Niseko HANAZONO hill climb was held on August 7th. This is a road race time trial to Niseko Annupuri Goshiki Onsen (Niseko Town boundary, elevation 796m). The total length is 13.9km; the average gradient approximately 4.6 %. It’s one of the most popular hill climbing event in Hokkaido. In 2022 it was held for the first time after the covid restriction, with more than 400 people taking part the event as runners or spectators. Time table of the race Saturday, August 6, 2022 Registration: 12:00～16:00 at the headquartersPlace: Yukinkokan venue at the Asahigaoka ski resort in Kutchan town The access from my place Asahikawa to Kutchan took 4 hours (231 km) by car. After the long drive, I did not train in order to rest my body. I stayed B&B called Tabitsumugi in front of the event venue, in […]

Japanese culture

August 24, 2022
October 27, 2022

Japanese Anime x Japanese Traditional Crafts

Japanese anime is not only for kids When first learning what “TGI Fridays” stands for, I was glad to know many people even outside Japan have hard time surviving weekdays. At the same time, a question came up in my mind: Do they also feel depression on Sunday evening the same as me? I looked into it right away to find good English words to express the feeling: Sunday Scaries. For your information, the Sunday evening depression is expressed “Sazae-san Syndrome” in Japanese. Sazae-san is the longest-running animated TV series, broadcast every Sunday evening since 1969. From this fact, you can see how common it is to watch animated TV shows in Japan, not only for kids but also for adults. Even adults can enjoy “Attack on Titan” Conforming to the recent trend, I rarely watch any TV shows, though a TV itself stands in the center of my living […]

Japanese culture

August 17, 2022
October 25, 2022

Japanese Culture and Traditions: Japanese Fireworks Festival

Japanese summer ends with fireworks festivals Fireworks festivals tell the end of summer in Japan. Of course, almost all of them had been canceled for these two years because of the COVID, but they are back this year! In my summer holidays, I went to the biggest one in Hokkaido, where more than 20000 fireworks are launched, and about 200000 people are gathered every year. In the festival, I clearly understood the limitations of online activities. There were many people dressed in a casual kimono, kids running and yelling with excitement (and some parents scolding their kids off), teenagers smiling at each other a little awkwardly (because they haven’t seen for a while due to the summer vacation), etc. This is the very Japanese summer scene that I’ve missed for long. A unique firework developed by the latest technology Speaking of the limitations of online activities, the sound wave of […]

_philosophy_

August 8, 2022
October 14, 2022

Marketing Tips: Is a Dyson Vacuum Worth It? How Is It Unique?

Dyson, the only entertaining vacuum cleaner in the world The only vacuum cleaner in the world. This sales copy made me pay for the highest-grade Dyson vacuum cleaner, though I’m not interested at all in home electronics and so much in cleaning itself. Sales copies seem to control our behaviors like this. Anyway, how do I like it? I’m completely satisfied with the product and take off my hat to their innovations. Mind you; it’s not about technical innovations. To be honest, I don’t think it’s very useful or more sophisticated than other vacuum cleaners in terms of functions. What I evaluate most is it’s just fun to use. I believe this is the core achievement of their innovations. In other words, Dyson has re-defined vacuum cleaners. Dyson vacuum clearners are not so good in usability As most of you may know that, Dyson vacuum cleaners don’t have a dust […]

Hokkaido Shreds

August 3, 2022
September 1, 2022

All About Beginner Cyclist’s Preparation for His/Her First Rode Race

Hokkaido is blessed with mountains, and there are so many ways to enjoy them. Climbing, jogging, driving, rafting, bird watching, sightseeing, photograph, skiing and snowboarding, and cycling. Which do you want to do here? The other day, I went cycling to Mt. Tokachi with one of my colleague. Mt. Tokachi is an active volcano accessible from Asahikawa and a popular sightseeing spot where you can enjoy climbing and hot springs. Now, in our case, the cycling meaned a practice-run in preparation for Niseko Hanazono Hill Climb in a week’s time! Below is a cross-section of the course in Mt. Tokachi. As you can see, it’s a killer hill! Good for practicing. As I said before, I was never a very enthusiastic cyclist actually. How did I change my mind even to participate in the hill climbing race… It’s all a mischievous idea by my boss. As soon as he found […]