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【No. 2322】Fushime (節目 - Milestone)

Feb 29, 2024 12:05
Fushime

Today, February 29, 2024, Lang-8 will end its service.

I have been using this site for about ten years since I registered on December 20, 2014, and that is coming to an end.

Such an important point or moment that marks the end of things is called fushime (節目) in Japanese.

Fushi (節) means "node" or "joint," and me (目) means "point," so fushime means "a point with nodes" like in wood or bamboo.

In particular, bamboo grows strong and tall with nodes created at regular intervals.

The term fushime compares the bamboo nodes to a milestone in one's life.

Going forward, I will move to Nyan-8 using the same account name Toru.

If that is difficult, I will post on X (@kanotown) or on my website (https://blog.kano.ac/archive/).

I would be delighted to continue our relationship in the future.

【No. 2316】Kinniku-tsū (筋肉痛 - Muscle Pain)

Feb 23, 2024 22:31
Kinniku-tsū

Yesterday, I exercised for the first time in a while, and now my whole body is in a state called kinniku-tsū (筋肉痛).

Since kinniku (筋肉) means "muscle," and tsū (痛) means "pain" or "soreness," kinniku-tsū literally means "muscle pain."

Muscle pain often occurs when muscles are used in unusual ways or after unfamiliar exercise, and it can be mainly classified into two types:

・Kyūsei kinniku-tsū (急性筋肉痛 - "acute muscle pain"): This is the muscle pain felt during or immediately after exercise due to a sudden heavy load.

・Chihatusei kinniku-tsū (遅発性筋肉痛 - "delayed onset muscle soreness; DOMS"): This is a muscle pain that is felt strongly one to three days after exercise and can last for several days. Generally, the term kinniku-tsū refers to this type of muscle pain.

To avoid muscle pain, make sure to exercise on a regular basis and remember to stretch before and after exercise.

【No. 2310】Tohoho (とほほ - Alas): Part 1

Feb 17, 2024 23:24
Tohoho: Part 1

I sometimes find myself muttering tohoho (とほほ).

Tohoho is a kind of emotional expression used when feeling sad, ashamed, and pitiful.

This expression originates from tohō (途方), which means "direction" or "means."

The term tohō is often used with the verb kureru (暮れる - "to get dark"), forming the idiom tohō ni kureru (途方に暮れる - "to feel at a loss").

The feeling of being at a loss, as expressed by the idiom tohō ni kureru, is similar to the feeling of saying tohoho.
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【No. 2308】Graduation Research Presentation

Feb 15, 2024 22:38
Graduation Research Presentation

Today, the first graduation research presentation since I joined the current university was held.

It was also the accomplishment presentation day for the first batch of students in my laboratory.

Each of them has been dedicatedly engaged in their research for a year and has practiced their presentations well, making it a very successful session.

I am really proud of them.

After the presentation, we celebrated a year of our research activities with a small pizza party.

Since there are more events, such as academic conferences, coming up in the near future, all of us cannot take a rest. However, we have certainly overcome a significant milestone.

【No. 2307】Valentine's Day

Feb 14, 2024 09:30
Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day.

In many countries on this day, there is a tradition for couples to affirm their love for each other by exchanging cards, flowers, and chocolates.

Meanwhile, in Japan, it is widely recognized as a day when women give chocolates to men to express their love and gratitude.

Despite cultural differences, the custom of giving chocolates on Valentine's Day is common in many countries, and huge amounts of chocolates are consumed worldwide on this day.

Following Valentine's Day, many stores tend to reduce the prices of their chocolate to sell out their stock.

For those who love chocolate and eat it regularly, the day after Valentine's Day might be particularly important.

【No. 2303】Kakuritsuki (確率機 - Crane Game with Probability Control): Part 1

Feb 10, 2024 23:50
Kakuritsuki: Part 1

Today, I played various types of crane games.

It was fun, but I struggled with some kakuritsuki (確率機) quite a bit.

In Japan, many crane games are unofficially known as kakuritsuki.

Since kakuritsu (確率) means "probability,' and ki (機) means "machine," the literal meaning of kakuritsuki is "probability machine."

In other words, it refers to crane game machines where the crane arm's grip strength is controlled to become stronger at a certain probability (or after a certain number of attempts).

When the arm's grip is weak, it is extremely difficult to lift and carry the prize, but after spending a certain amount of money, the arm's grip becomes strong enough, making it easier to obtain the prize.
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【No. 2297】Chiikawa Sensō (ちいかわ戦争 - Chiikawa War)

Feb 5, 2024 03:02
Chiikawa Sensō

Today, a Chiikawa Sensō (ちいかわ戦争) occured.

Chiikawa refers to a manga and its characters that have become explosively popular in Japan.

In addition, sensō (戦争) means "war," so the literal meaning of Chiikawa Sensō is "Chiikawa War."

When new Chiikawa goods are released, fans fight to purchase them, which is sometimes described as a war.

Today, the new Chiikawa merchandise was launched for pre-order in an online store.

As soon as the sales started, the server was immediately down due to a surge in online traffic. After the server was restored, popular items were sold out very quickly.

I also participated in Chiikawa Sensō, but unfortunately, I was not able to get the items I wanted.

【No. 2298】Yuki ya Konko (雪やこんこ - Come, Come, Snow)

Feb 5, 2024 21:58
Yuki ya Konko

It is snowing today.

One of the most famous songs about snow in Japan is Yuki ya Konko (ゆきやこんこ).

Yuki ya Konko is a children's song that has been introduced in elementary school textbooks throughout Japan.

In addition, during the winter season, trucks selling heating oil often drive around towns while playing this song. Therefore, most Japanese have heard this song and can sing it.

Since yuki (雪) means "snow," and konko (こんこ) means "come come," the literal meaning of yuki ya konko is "Come, come, snow."

In other words, it is a song for welcoming the snowfall.

However, some regions or people may not welcome snow.

【No. 2269】Nanakusa no Sekku (七草の節句 - The Festival of Seven Herbs)

Jan 7, 2024 22:00
Nanakusa no Sekku

Today, January 7, is Nanakusa no Sekku (七草の節句).

Since nana (七) means "seven," kusa (草) means "grass" or "herb," and sekku (節句) means "seasonal festival," the literal meaning of Nanakusa no Sekku is "The Seasonal Festival of Seven Herbs."

Here, nanakusa (七草/七種 - "seven herbs") especially represent the seven types of wild herbs and flowers seen in early spring, known as haru no nanakusa (春の七草 - "seven herbs of spring").

On this day, Japanese people have the custom of eating nanakusa gayu (七草粥 - "seven herb rice porridge"), a porridge containing the seven spring herbs, praying for a year of good health.

Let us pray for a healthy and vibrant year ahead.

【No. 2265】Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji (地震、雷、火事、親父): Part 1

Jan 3, 2024 19:33
Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji: Part 1

At the start of the new year, Japan experienced some terrifying events, such as a major earthquake and an airplane fire.

To describe these terrifying things in the world, you can use the traditional Japanese expression jishin, kaminari, kaji, oyaji (地震、雷、火事、親父).

Jishin (地震) means "earthquake," kaminari (雷) means "thunder," kaji (火事) means "fire," and oyaji (親父) means "father." Therefore, the literal meaning of this expression is "earthquake, thunder, fire, and father."

It goes without saying that earthquakes, thunder, and fires are terrifying.

However, you may find it strange to have "father" following these three.
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【No. 2264】Blog Update

Jan 2, 2024 17:54
Blog Update

Yesterday and today, I worked on updating my blog (https://blog.kano.ac/latest/).

I had already created a program to archive my entries on Lang-8 automatically, but turning them into blog posts required some formatting work by humans.

The most tedious part for me was manually specifying categories and tags; about 1600 articles were untouched.

This time, by using Open AI API, I managed to automate the article submission process, and it feels like I have completed a big task.

However, there is still a lot of work left to reflect English corrections and set thumbnail images.

I am now considering whether AI can handle these tasks as well.

【No. 2263】The Dragon in Mandelbrot

Jan 1, 2024 15:57
The Dragon in Mandelbrot

Happy New Year!

As 2024 is the year of the dragon, I drew a dragon using mathematical formulas.

Have you ever heard of a two-dimensional fractal known as the Mandelbrot set?

The Mandelbrot set is a set of complex numbers that do not diverge under a specific condition, and is known to be a self-similar figure.

There is an extension of the Mandelbrot set into three dimensions, which is known as the Mandelbulb.

I created a dragon-like shape by repeatedly fine-tuning the conditions for mathematical sequences and camera positions of the classic Mandelbulb.

It may be a little forced, but I believe that it somehow resembles a dragon.

Please check the images and video from the following link:

https://kano.ac/2024/

【No. 2262】Senrihin (戦利品 - Spoils of Battle)

Dec 31, 2023 15:13
Senrihin

At the end of this year, I went to a huge crane game specialty store and acquired various senrihin (戦利品).

The characters sen (戦), ri (利), and hin (品) mean "battle," "profit," and "goods," respectively, so the literal meaning of senrihin is "battle profit goods."

Originally, this term referred to items obtained from the enemy as a result of victory in war or battle.

Recently, it has come to mean simply "items obtained through effort" and is used in various situations.

Incidentally, my senrihin are various popular character goods, such as Kirby, Chiikawa, and Opanchu Usagi.

【No. 2259】Nōkin (脳筋 - Meathead)

Dec 28, 2023 20:12
Nōkin

I sometimes become a state called nōkin (脳筋) while playing various games.

Nōkin is an Internet slang term that is short for the expression nōmiso made kinniku (脳みそまで筋肉).

Since nōmiso (脳みそ) means "brain," made (まで) means "even," and kinniku (筋肉) means "muscle," the literal meaning of nōkin means "even the brain is muscle."

In other words, nōkin refers to a personality that acts without thinking or a game-playing style that relies on brute force.

When playing games while tired, you will easily become nōkin state.

【No. 2256】Heijō Unten (平常運転 - As Usual)

Dec 26, 2023 15:59
Heijō Unten

Today is Christmas, but I have no special plans besides work; in other words, it is heijō unten (平常運転).

Since heijō (平常) means "normal," and unten (運転) means "operation," the literal meaning of heijō unten (平常運転) is "normal operation."

Originally, the term heijō unten was used to describe that public transportation like buses or trains would operate on schedule without trouble.

Later, young people began to use it to describe people's routines, meaning "as usual."

Sometimes, heijō is replaced with tsūjō (通常 - meaning "usual') to say tsūji unten (通常運転), which means the same as heijō unten.

【No. 2257】Bōtto Suru (ぼーっとする - "Spacing Out")

Dec 26, 2023 17:07
Bōtto Suru

Recently, I have been finding myself in a state referred to as bōtto suru (ぼーっとする) a lot.

The expression bōtto suru describes a state of being in a daze, or being lost in thought.

It is believed that the bō (ぼー) in bōtto suru comes from the terms bonyari (ぼんやり - "absent-minded") or bōzen (呆然 - "dumbfounded"), and it is used like an onomatopoeia by adding a long sound.

In addition, suru (する) means "to do" or "to become," the literal meaning of bōtto suru is "to become absent-minded."

I have to be careful not to become the state of bō while driving to work every day.

【No. 2255】Nengajō (年賀状 - New Year's Greeting Card): Part 2

Dec 24, 2023 17:07
Nengajō: Part 2

On the nengajō (年賀状 - "New Year's greeting card"), the zodiac animal of the year is often included with a New Year's greeting.

Every year, I try to draw the zodiac animal on my nengajō, using my favorite mathematical formulas and programming.

Since 2024 is tatsu-doshi (辰年 - "year of the dragon"), I was considering drawing a fractal figure, the dragon curve.

However, it looked too plain, so I decided to draw a dragon-like picture based on a unique three-dimensional fractal.

It took much time to adjust the parameters, but I managed to finish nengajō.

I will post the three-dimensional fractal dragon on January 1.

【No. 2254】Nengajō (年賀状 - New Year's Greeting Card): Part 1

Dec 23, 2023 23:58
Nengajō: Part 1

Today, I wrote nengajō (年賀状).

Nengajō is a traditional Japanese greeting card for celebrating the New Year.

Nen (年) means "year," ga (賀) means "celebration," and jō (状) means "card," so the literal meaning of nengajō is "year celebration card."

The custom of exchanging nengajō originated from the traditional visits for New Year's greetings.

In the past, many Japanese people used to visit their relatives and those to whom they were indebted at the beginning of the year to give greetings.

However, as times have changed, more and more people have found it difficult to give greetings in person, and they started sending nengajō as an alternative to New Year's greetings.

【No. 2249】Owari no Hajimari (終わりの始まり - The Beginning of the End)

Dec 18, 2023 16:35
Owari no Hajimari

When I heard the announcement of the closure of Lang-8, the phrase owari no hajimari (終わりの始まり) came to my mind.

Since owari (終わり) means "end," and hajimari (始まり) means "beginning," the literal meaning of owari no hajimari is "the beginning of the end."

This phrase is often used in a negative context, to describe situations where something begins to move toward an end or a hopeless state.

After Lang-8 closes, I will continue to post my essays on X and my website at my own pace.

【No. 2239】Hone Yasume (骨休め - Relaxation)

Dec 8, 2023 16:14
Hone Yasume

The concept of resting one's body and healing fatigue is sometimes described as hone yasume (骨休め) in Japanese.

Hone (骨) means "bone," and yasume (休め) means "resting." Thus, the literal meaning of hone yasume is "resting one's bones."

In this context, hone is used as a metaphor for one's entire body.

You can also say kyūkei (休憩) or kyūka (休暇) to mean rest. However, using hone yasume can specifically imply a nuance of resting one's body exhausted from work or daily activities.

Recently, I took some time for hone yasume at a hot spring.