Marriage in Japan

Three of my friends engaged. Two of them are Ukrainian and the other was Vietnamese. Of all girls are under 23 years old. I was asked so many times, "when does Japanese get married?" from Ukrainian students so many times when I was Ivano-Frankivsk. As for them, average age is 20 years old. However Japanese women who has job do not get married so early, the average is around 28.
Some Japanese girls think about work after getting married or child when they search job. So the firm that does not have good environment for the women, married and have baby, is not seen as a good company. In fact, most of women quit their work after marriage or getting child. I don't know the reason depends on the system of the company(they are quited) or their own decision(they quit).
I told students about Japanese marriage culture at that time. I should add more subjects about marriage if I have opportunity to teach them again. That is "Kon-Katsu" and "grass-eating animal".
"Kon-Katsu" means activity for marriage, finding good husband. Some women who has not married yet start looking for "Good guy as husband" like searching jobs. I don't know the specific way of it. Maybe taking part in the party for "Kon-Katsu" or hold small drinking party with some guys. There are some firms that arrange the party or find best husband for a women. Some women even pay for it.
Girls are serious to get good husband but how about boys? On the other hand, Japanese boys are said "grass-eating animal" sometimes. It means they are not positive to get girls. Girls are changing to "meat eating animal" in Japan, very positive to get good husband. One of my friend, she always complains about a guy she likes. "I invited him to dinner after work sometimes but...yes, he is "glass-eating" . How can I get him?" She is completely "meat-eating".
These new culture in Japan are strange or same with another countries?

Broken Strings

I often heard this song "Broken strings" on TV when I was in Portugal. I had forgotten the title of this song's after coming back to Tokyo. However my cousins sang it in Karaoke one day and I remembered I had listened to it before. Now, it becomes one of my favorite song.

This is a love song. Yes, the sentences about love is good.
But for me, especially, this is best part of this song.

You can't play on broken strings
You can't feel anything
That your heart don't want to feel

弦の切れた楽器では演奏できない
心が感じようと望まなければ
何も感じられない


Oh what are we doing
We are turning into dust
Playing house in the ruins of us


私たちは何をしているのだろう
塵に帰るというのに
自らの廃墟の中でままごとをしている




Just Keep mind as a string which can make beautiful beat,
go out from ruins and play under the big sky.

Thanks, my dear friend :)

YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO SOMEBODY

A girl asked a guy if he thought she was pretty, he said...no.
She asked him if he would want to be with her forever....and he said no.

She then asked him if she were to leave would he cry, and once again he replied with a no.

She had heard enough.

As she walked away, tears streaming down her face the boy grabbed her arm and said.....

You're not pretty you're beautiful.

I dont want to be with you forever. I NEED to be with you forever.

And I wouldnt cry if you walked away...I'd die...

Send this to everyone on your list.......isn't that sweet?

You are Everything To Somebody
Right now at this very minute-----------


someone is very proud of you

someone is thinking of you

someone cares about you

someone misses you

someone wants to talk to you

someone wants to be with you

someone hopes you aren't in trouble

someone is thankful for the support you have provided

someone wants to hold your hand

someone hopes everything turns out all right

someone wants you to be happy

someone wants you to find them

someone is celebrating your successes

someone wants to give you a gift

someone think you ARE a gift

someone hopes you are not too cold, or too hot

someone wants to hug you

someone loves you

someone wants to lavish you with small gifts

someone admires your strength

someone is thinking of you and smiling

someone wants to be your shoulder to cry on

someone wants to go out with you and have a lot of fun

someone thinks the world of you

someone wants to protect you

someone would do anything for you

someone wants to be forgiven

someone is grateful for your forgiveness

someone wants to laugh with you about old times

someone remembers you and wishes you were there

someone needs to know that your love is unconditional

somebody values your advice

someone wants to tell you how much they care

someone wants to stay up watching old movies with you

someone wants to share their dreams with you

someone wants to hold you in their arms

someone wants YOU to hold them in your arms

someone treasures your spirit

someone wishes they could STOP time because of you

someone can't wait to see you

someone wishes that things didn't have to change

someone loves you for who you are

someone loves the way you make them feel

someone wants to be with you

someone hears a song that reminds them of you

someone wants you to know they are there for you

someone is glad that you're their friend

someone wants to be your friend

someone stayed up all night thinking about you

someone is alive because of you

someone is wishing that you would notice them

someone wants to get to know you better

someone believes that you are their soul mate

someone wants to be near you

someone misses your guidance and advice

someone values your guidance and advice

someone has faith in you

someone trusts you

someone needs you to send them this letter

someone needs your support

someone needs you to have faith in them

someone needs you to let them be your friend

someone will cry when they read this

Plan a Round-World Itinerary

...Planning planning...

One World "Plan a Round World Itinerary" helps me to make good route of my long trip.
And already sent an email to a company to ask the detail of this travel. Hmm...looking forward to getting answer.

Well, when can I start this charange? ...hope by next spring, wanna walk on the beach in Bangladesh, Koks bazar!

kiwi!

Visited a friend in Hokkaido

13 years ago, When I was 12 years old, I visited Hokkaido. This place is north area in Japan. I visited there again to see my best friend. She doesn't like Tokyo because there is too busy to live in. Yes, Hokkaido has wonderful landscapes and fresh air. Caws, many vegetable, flowers..this place consists mostly of green earth and blue sky.







Obihiro, Biei, Naka-Furano, Asahikawa, we had a few hundred of kilometers driving. Sometimes, took a rest on green grasses. We went out for drink at night and walking around the small city. My mind was liberated during these days.

Then I came back to here, Tokyo. The differences, between Hokkaido and Tokyo will make a new change, I hope so.

Swallowed in the sea

This summer has gone when I had finised to watch the game and gone out from the bar with my friends. Cool breeze had come from somewhere in Tokyo and made me notice this summer was just ended.
I could make nothing last two monthes. Just feeling I should do something and walking around but I could find nothing. Or I have saved something in my heart insensibility and it will get meaning someday?
Time does fly fast. I notice it when my friends tell me some changes about themselves by emails or call. Yes, it has already been a few monthes or years since I met them last time. People around me is changing so fast.
An Ukrainian girl, who was our leader of the program I participated in three years ago, is in Chicago now. Another friend, a Viernamese girl also moved to Canada from her small home city. Even my Japanese friend was out from Japan this year.
Time passed so fast. I should also make changes in my life because I am on the stream of this time.

My summer

...has been already ended in Phuket?

I have been to Phuket island in Thailand for 4 days. It was second trip to Thailand but this place was totally different from city area like Bangkok. Basically,the weather is very hot in day time but breeze from the sea brings cool night. Many tourist are from Europe or Russia so I forgot that I was in Thailand sometimes. The whole days were nice without third day in PiPi island. Because I brought Black berry given by company that's why I could get call or email wherever I was. The week I took trip was after "Obon" which is long vacation most of Japanese had. So Japanese company started working at once at that week. Then I had to get work from them through Black berry...Yes, I had to work even in PiPi island. OMG...

Anyway,the slowly time stream and delicious food, warm and shy people were nice.
I hope bad things like Sumatra earthquake will never come to this peace place.

Born into brothels

"Born into brothels" is a documentary film about children in India, Calcutta.


They were born into brothels. There are a lot of children and lead same way of their parents because never chance to go to school or get freedom. A photographer lady from abroad lived in brothel to shot photos and films of their life for one year. Then she started to teach how to take pics for children. They enjoyed walking around their town with camera and expressed something they felt and saw in daily life. The lady tried to make them enter school, she believed education was a way to change their life. Some of them could be given chance to learn about the world and made their way by themselves.
The movie is great and tell us about hope. The children is just "children", not different from another children we usually see in our country, so energetic, especially, the smiles are so nice even in terrible environment.
After the film had been spread to some countries, many people agreed with their work and noticed the reality of life in brothels,Calcutta. A boy who was talented to make photos studied hard by the support of NGO and got a chance to learn in high school in US. Some of them were cut the chance to keep learning in school because of their family or decided to go back to brothels by their own decision. The result described it's not easy to get away from life in brothels. But the boy said, this is not hopeless film, they were given opportunities to make their life but chose their life of each by themselves. Most important thing is to be free and given opportunity to learn about the world for children. I agree with him, it's not good to decide someone's happiness from only our point of view but all people must be given a chance to make decision of our life regardless of environment we were born.

Wating for vacation in Phuket!!

I try to take new type of trip this time, means the theme is "Resort" this time. Decide hotel before leaving and with my friend from Japan this time. God...how hard to choose a hotel to stay. There are so many beautiful hotels in Phuket. We were confused to choose one and took 4 days. That's crazy...travel must be simple like life. We will stay in just 4 nights there. It's short because we must be tired of such type of trip.
Actually, I have many countries wanna visit but just one or two weeks vacation makes it impossible to enjoy there enough. Adventure, visiting South America or Africa, is postponed later. I must stand it...!!