Close to my hometown, there is a popular resort palce, NASU.  Emperor would visit there every now and then, remembering the time of his visit, the roads are crowded with people to celebrate the visit with national flags in their hands.

This summer, emperor and Price visited Nasu respectively. Both visits reminded me of those old days I remember as I spent summer time in Nasu after a long time overseas stay.

For me, nothing is so special even if they come, however, the Nasu town looks totally different with exciting atmosphere everytime it happens.

Usually Emperor or Prince spend a week or so here in Nasu for relaxing.

Now we have, what we call, Obon time in Japan, which is one of traditional national events with consecutive national holidays.  Usually people of Japan enjoy holidays from 13th to 15th of August, and many go back to their hometown.  The reason for their retruning home is mainly the memorial service for the dead by the custom of Japan, which should be what Obon is.  Recently this vacation time tends to expand longer, consequently companies often give workers to have discretion for longer vacation time. Now the trains or highways are all crowded in rush.

Origin of this unique tradition of Japan is not known well as it’s not stated clearly in the history documents either.  As one of the analogies, it’s said Obon comes from custom of Buddhism.

In the genesis of historic time of Japan, or maybe before 8th centry or older time, in the sense of ancestor worship, spirits of ancestors are believed to fall down on the world of ours to visit their descendant twice a year. One of the visits became the ceremony of new years day and the other one became Obon we have now. It’s not known when the present formation was completed as such 2 spirit fall down times, New Years Day and Obon time.

Also the influence of Buddhism can’t explain all the origin and history stream of this national custom, some say that it’s also under the shadow of Shinto of Japan, which is also an original religion that was formed in ancient time of Japan.

It seems true that this Obon used to be held on July 15th each year on the lunar calender ( old calender ) before the solar calender or Western calender was adopted in Japan.

Tomorrow, August 15th, will be the last day of Obon vacation time.  People who went back to their hometown are now on their way to their life places and they need to prepare for their work again with refreshed mind.

As a footnote, around the Obon time, there are many firework events, old style festivals called Omatsuri, visiting graves called Hakamairi, and also memorial events of the 2nd world war.  Especially the last one includes the memorial evens for the termination of the war ended together with a prayer for peace in the atomic bomb city of Hiroshima.

This is not just a phenomena seen only in Miyazaki but all over Japan now. Actually real resort islands such as Okinawa or Yoron island are not such cold, but in Tokyo, Osaka, or northern parts of Japan still have low temperature like cold winter days.

Probably this weather will not last long, and it will soon be like spring time.  Just be careful if you are coming to Japan soon.

As a trifle thought of mine,  it’s hard to believe we are heading for the global warming. This theoryof global warming has been denied often by some scientists in the world, and they say the earth is dropping into the ice age !

I can’t really say which is correct, but as a matter of fact, there is a simple problem that governments of the world always go for the global warming without thinking the opposite idea, global freezing or ice age theory.

If the basic idea of global warming was wrong, who could answer about what we are doing for our future really ?  In Japan people are trying to save energy or delete CO2 gas by the strong enlightenment movement made by the government. It brings some industries a new chance for the new business too.

Again, I can’t really say global warming is wedded with such industory benefits.   But at least, politicians need to listen to the different scientists’ idea before deciding “global warming is a fact without a doubt”.

Actually, most famous castle we can see is Edojo Castle, which is a Castle in Tokyo. Emperor of Japan now live in that castle, so nobody can go in now.  Edojo, or Tokyo castle is relatively new among those remaining castles. That was built about 400 years ago by Ieyasu Tokugawa, who dominated Japan over 200 years by his family members.

Also, Kyoto has a castle and Osaka has one. Like them, still there are many castles in cities, for example, Kumamoto city, Nagoya city, Matsumoto city, Aizuwakamatsu city, Sendai city, Hiroshima city, Himeji city….and more.  It’s said there werre about 30,000 castles in total at the maximum mumber in the history. 

It’s nice to know the history through the castles for us too.  As an amazing fact, many of them are still existing nearly in the original form, which means the old builders’ skill were amazing too.

 Please see some of the beautiful castles here.

It’s located just near the Yurakucho station, and the building is a complex with some good cinema theaters.  This is a very famous place in Tokyo and also it’s loved by trendy girls of Tokyo too.

But today’s news says this Yurakucho branch store will have to close this year because of red running situation for a long time.

If this store ran in red for a long time, who could make a department store run in black in this serious economy situation ?

Anyway, it’s a little sad news for us users, and it would be very hard work even if a new store takes place of Seibu Department Store here.

I need to see how it would go from now.

It’s said that the world is facing global warming. However, this year started with heavy snow in my hometown and in the northern parts of Japan.

When we were kids, every year we had heavy snow and we could enjoy skiing and skating. Recent years, the amount of snow in winter of Japan decreased apparently, compared to the time of our childhood.

But this year’s snow reminds me of that old time. 

I had been very busy since December last year, but with this snow, I have to start working again.

Now Japanese skiing season has come !

For the last 4 years, it’s been more than 7 million. This big reduction in numbers is mainly because of the financial crisis, which led higher Japanese Yen rate. The report says so.

Japan’s target of tourist numbers from overseas is, at this stage, 10 million people, and they want to realize it by 2015.

Asian countries are located far from America or Europe, that’s why the increase of tourist number always depends on nighbour Asian countries like China or South Korea, and Taiwan.

Sooner or later it will be more than 10 millon travelers a year because Asian countries will more grow rich. But tourism often depends on promotion or good information to the world. But I don’t know if Japan can create more Japan fans even if they promote Japan more to the world.

Now popular tour purpose of world travelers to Japan are food, pop culture, technology, or sightseeing of old cities.

I like Japan and I think Japan has many things for tourists, but in fact, I’m not sure if Japan has more attractive aspects than Asian popular destinations like China, India, Thai or Indonesia.

I like traveling in Japan, but when compared to them, I don’t think travelers choose Japan first of all for their destination.

As everyone knows, godsent genius John Lennon chose a Japanes for his second wife, Yoko Ono. While John was busy as house husband for his son, Sean, Yoko Ono and John Lennon came to Japan with Sean.

In Japan, John and Yoko visited Karuizawa, a city of resort, each year from 1976 to 1979 before John was shot to death.  Then the hotel they stayed was always MAMPEI HOTEL.

Actually each summer, some often reported with huge surprise that they saw John Lennon in JAPAN!!!!  Often, the first time they see John, they don’t understand who it is, but beside the tall cool guy, they see the one and only unforgettable face of Yoko Ono. Then, they notice it’s John.  Of course, real fans recognized John with jumping joy to the moon. 

One of my friends told me with unbelievable excitement that he saw John at a coffee shop in Karuizawa smoking cigarettte with Yoko.  He was a crazy fan but he could not say anything because something bound all of his body. He just saw the unbelievable scene, and after they two left the coffee shop, he approached to the table and picked up John’s cigarette butt from the ashtray.  As a fact, it became his life time treasure ! 

MAMPEI HOTEL is a traditional & semi modern accommodation in KARUIZAWA. Its old but mixed culture sense of building impresses us with Meiji era atomosphere, when long time of closed country ends and started importing Western cultural influence.

If the video is still available, you can see the foot prints of John Lennon at  MAMPEI HOTEL.

Here in this video, bakery and coffer shop where John used to use, and a hut where John used to sleep are shown. Also beautiful photos of KARUIZAWA and MAMPEI HOTEL will invite you to the real beauty of Japanese resort place.

If you are a fan of John Lennon, without hesitation, we can recommend this hotel and Karuizawa for you to visit.  Even if you are not, this place is a very nice place to choose for your memorial trip.

I love Hawaii just like I love Japan. This is not simple meaning because I really feel like Hawaii is my home town or birth place although I was born and raised in a small country city of Japan.

When I first visited Hawaii, I flew from LA to Honolulu on business. I had a little business meeting there so I needed to.  I didn’t expect Hawaii to be my favourite place, nor I didn’t want to go there. I thought Hawaii was such a childish place because many Japanese girls liked Hawaii for fun and shopping.  That was not my type.

After a little boring flight from LA, I reached my Hotel in Waikiki.  When I poped the window of my room and on seeing the ocean and on breathing the air of Hawaii, my mind was blown away.  The image I had before visiting Hawaii suddenly disappeared from my mind and totally new sight of a paradise covered my eyes.

The first impression of Hawaii was a perfect surprise for me. Then I began to explore the city and began talking with people on business and sometimes at restaurants.  I gradually was impressed by kind heart of local people. They never let me feel any kind of racial difference, or I didn’t feel something like superuority or inferiority of people, which I often feel in traveling the world big cities. So what I felt there was a total comfort as a human.

As a business person, I was always battling with something. That was a kind of sense of win or lose. But in Hawaii, on business or for pleasure, the contact with people were almost like a mind communication based on humanity or friendship.  That amazed me very much.

As I more and more know people, the first impression about Hawaii became a confidence in my mind. I first time in my life encountered a place of harmony of people being out of Japan.

After some conversation with Hawaiians, they taught me it’s ALOHA SPIRIT. They welcome any, they care each other’s heart, and they respect people. When I learned it, I was nearly crying with joy.

In Tokyo, I spent more than 20 year as a student and as a business person. Tokyo is like a competition metropolis. People must live not to be starved. Survival game allows to produce losers with no food for tomorrow. I was rather enjoying it than lamenting it. I was such a miserable guy to be proud of my success in spite of ignoring the losers. I was thinking I was happy if  it’s OK with me only.  That was my Tokyo life.

When I knew Hawaii, flashback memory of small hometown came up in my mind. I was raised in a co-operative community that peopl take care of each other.  There was love rather than a competition, there was hope rather than fear of losing, and there were people like Hawaiians.

I suddenly noticed in Hawaii I already forgot something most precious. I found out then happiness is not always a success of business or wining of money but it’s a heart of peace and love with the people.

What I experienced in my childhood was re-visualized by the time of Hawaii, or by the people of Hawaii. Hawaii reminded me of my best time, and I now know it’s really the same feeling as my hometown  community. 

Now when I come back to Hawaii, I still remember my hometown.

Moreover, Hawaiians let me recall the most important mind of my life, and since then, my life concept totally changed and maybe I could return to the life value of my hometown days. I will always be in debt to Hawaii and people in Hawaii.

Recently when I stay in Hawaii, again I need to see some new aspects of Hawaii. New investment business invades into Hawaii and land price gets higher. Local people consequently lose houses. For total business of Hawaii, it may be a good thing. But for the people living in Hawaii, I’m not sure if they really like it because the local Hawaiian don’t always talk to me about money, they talk more about ALOHA.  If it destroys ALOHA SPIRIT of long cherished Hawaiian mind, I can’t agree much on capitalism even if it brings more money to Hawaii.

Now world is suffering from the result of money game, capitalizm.  It’s just a virtual image of wealth.  Money is digitally produced by financial computer works, and what’s more, money is just a paper. If financial system breaks down, all the money in our hands will turn into REAL PAPER, which makes no value then.

I hope ALOHA SPIRIT will never be faded away by such new waves. Otherwise, I’ll have to lose one of my hometowns.

It’s not fair to decide the NO.1 status only by Michelin because it’s often a judgement of Westerners taste.  However, this could be a good news for Tokyo because this city wants more foreign travelers from all over the world.

Most of the renowned restaurants in this book are Japanese traditional type restaurants but there are small restaurants too. Also this time, Japanese taverns or Yakitori place ( Izakaya ) are also selected.  Izakaya is a really standard Japanese restaurant style. They drink beer or Japanese wine, Sake, at Izakaya and chat with friends all for a long time.  There, the main food is often Yakitori( Grilled Chicken with kebab).  To be honest, as my personal opinion, we don’t think Yakitori bar’s food is always good. Yakitori restaurants are for drinkers or chatting people( sometimes for arguing guys).

Like that, I often thought I’ve had Sushi enough, No more Sushi please ! 

When I talked with Japanese food fans in California, they thought I was lying or joking.  I was serious.

BUT, now I live in foreign places. I do think Izakaya, Yakitori, Sushi, Unagi, Soba, Tempura, Teppanyaki, Udon, Ramen and even Takoyaki or Okonomiyaki are real gourmet food that Japan produced.

Japan has so many kinds of foods. Also, rude restaurants or simple restaurants often must withdraw from competition of food business. They are always battling  with each other targeting the best of the bests.

Even the casual restaurants or fast food stand places must compete to survive.  Competition is on the taste first, then,the quality of the restaurants, staff, or impression will be competition points next.  Probably it’s really hard for food business to win prefect satisfaction from users.

Like this, we are always very objective to restaurants in Japan. That’s why I often say I don’t need Sushi restaurants any more, or No more Yakitori,etc..  Being far away from Japan, I can say with confidence that Tokyo is the NO.1 gourmet city at least for me, and we can recommend this city for gourmet people in the world.

If we go to the restaurants with star(s) of Michelin, we will be able to taste the history, mind and spirit, education, and professionalism in taste by the experience at the places.  As an important note, there are far more fantastic restaurants than shown in the Michelin Guide book Tokyo.  Even if there is no star rank on the other restaurants, I can promise there are uncountable numbers of gourmet taste restaurants in Tokyo.  It’s really amazing.

I understand with no surprise that Tokyo is the world top gourmet city, putting aside Pris or NYC.  And if you feel enough of Tokyo ( maybe the day will not be coming forever if you are gourmet eater), you can explore Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Sendai, Yokohama, Kobe, and more small cities in Japan. They all have really nice restaurants only for local people, and you can expect real tear-dropping experience by the taste of food.

I’ve taken some of my friends from USA or Hawaii to Japanese Soba, Tonkatsu, Yakitori, Tempura, Unagi, or more restaurants in Tokyo or some other cities.  I can’t correctly remember how many times I’ve heard them say  ”This is the best taste I’ve ever had in my life!!!”   It’s not a joke, one of them really got teary when he had melting taste of Unaju ( grilled eel ). He said he was really moved by the taste.

Not all the people know the taste of Japanese food yet. If Michelin could be a help to this new ( or strange) taste world, we are very pleased because food is certainly our history and culture.  If they like it, it means our culture and history are not that bad at all.