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【No. 0864】Takao-san

Apr 30, 2017 18:59
Now it is a golden week (a cluster of holidays) in Japan.

Today, I climbed at Takao-san in Hachioji city.

The mountain is only 599 meters high, but it is located not far from the center of Tokyo, a lot of people visit there.

There are about five climbing routes, and almost all of them take one and half to two hours.

Since there are also cable cars and lifts, you can arrive at near the mountain's summit easily if you use them.

Although it was the first time for me to climb at this mountain, I chose a relatively hard route.

However, I was really terribly tired because I haven't do exercise recently.
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【No. 0840】Nausea

Apr 7, 2017 08:49
Yesterday, I was feeling nauseous all day since I woke up in the morning.

Although I felt like hell, a convivial gathering between teachers and freshmen was planned, so I managed to go to my university.

However, the symptom gradually worsened, and I vomited all things that I ate and drank.

Even when I was sitting or lying down, it was very painful.

With great disappointment, I decided to give up to participate in the party and go home quietly because I was afraid to transfer my disease or virus to someone.

In this day, I couldn't post my entry on Lang-8.

Fortunately, as a result of not eating anything a day, I am feeling better now.
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【No. 0838】Kakenhi (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research)

Apr 4, 2017 23:59
Yesterday, adoption results of kakenhi were published.

"Kakenhi" is one of the most famous competitive research funds in Japan.

Although my previous application was rejected, I brushed up the it and applied almost the same theme again.

If this application were also rejected, I would receive the fact that my theme has no value, and consider changing the theme.

Therefore, I was pretty nervous.

However, my application was adopted and research funding will be paid, so I am very happy now.

I have been spent poor research life so far, but I will somewhat be better financially in the future.

【No. 0827】Ichigo Ichie

Mar 25, 2017 00:04
Today was the graduation day of a university that I graduated from.

Therefore I went there and met my former teacher and his laboratory's students.

However, it was the first time to meet some students because they came to the laboratory after I graduated.

We talked about various things but we may not meet again in the future.

In Japan, such encounting, and giving importance to such encounters are called "ichigo ichie."

"Ichigo" of "ichigo ichie" is a Budhism term that means "your entire life," and "ichie" means "to meet once."

Since this is a lovely proverb, please remember it.
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【No. 0826】Graduation Ceremony

Mar 23, 2017 20:57
Today a graduation ceremony took place at my university.

Students who would graduate were wearing hakama (Japanese skirts or culottes) or suits, and they looked excited.

The graduation ceremony ended in the morning, and the conferment of degree was conducted at each laboratory from the afternoon.

After that we took pictures with everybody, and each of us made some comments, then my boss and I presented memorabilia to the students.

I was about to cry due to the reaction of the students, but I bit the inside of my cheeks.

The day when students that I taught for one year as a teacher graduated and got out into the world was deeply emotional for me.
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【No. 0822】Close of an Academic Conference

Mar 19, 2017 23:57
Yesterday, an academic conference that was held in Nagoya city was over.

I am very pleased because student's study presentation that contains my name as a co-author earned an encouragement award.

After that, I went sightseeing with students, and stayed overnight at my home, then returned back to Tokyo.

Since today was Sunday, I visited some sightseeing spots in Shizuoka prefecture on my way back from Nagoya to Tokyo.

However, tomorrow is a national holiday, so today was the middle day of three-day weekends.

It is said that sightseeing spots will be the most crowded in the day.

As expected, since I was stuck in major traffic jam, I was very tired.

【No. 0820】Hitsumabushi

Mar 17, 2017 17:12
Yesterday, I ate "hitsumabushi"that is a regional dish of Nagoya city.

I will eat hitsumabushi again tonight.

Hitsumabushi is a dish that is made by dusting rice with finely chopped eels.

This dish is famous for enjoying three different tastes by scooping rice and eels into a bowl three times.

You eat it as normal for the first time, eat it with seasonings such as green onions or wasabi for the second time, and eat it with green tea or soup stock for the third time.

It is said that it came to be known as hitsumabushi because it was made by dusting (called "mabusu" in Japanese) rice in a pot (called "hitsu" in Japanese) with eels.
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【No. 0819】Planetarium

Mar 16, 2017 23:45
Today I went to an academic conference and listened students' presentations.

Sometimes I felt a kind of frightening, but they all somehow finished their presentation, so I was relieved.

After all of today's sessions finished, we went to a museum of science and enjoyed the world's largest planetarium.

Since it was quite beautiful, and I was moved I almost cried.

After that, we ate various local foods like hitsumabushi, tebasaki (chicken wing tips), etc.

They were very delicious.

Hitsumabushi is an eel dish that is mainly eaten in Nagoya city, Aichi prefecture.

Tomorrow, I will write an article about hitsumabushi.

【No. 0818】Kisei

Mar 15, 2017 23:25
An academic conference will be held at a university located in my hometown from tomorrow.

In order to participate in the conference, I went back to my hometown today.

Here, I used the word "帰省 (kisei)" in my sentences of native language version to mean to go back to my hometown.

Currently, it is not a mistake to say something like what I write.

However, '帰 (ki)' of "kisei" means to go back to your hometown, and "省" means to think about your family.

Therefore, thinking based on the original meaning, my sentence would be wrong.

【No. 0817】Heto Heto

Mar 14, 2017 22:56
Today I participated in an academic conference.

Several students that I taught planned to do their poster presentations, and I planned to go the venue as an accompanying person of them.

However, two of them were absent, so I had to do poster presentations on behalf of them.

Since one poster session took one and a half hours, I explained their studies patiently for a total of three hours.

Now I am a state of "heto heto."

"Heto heto" is a term that means an exhausted condition, but the etymology isn't clear.

A theory insists that "heto heto" comes from the last two characters of "i ro ha ni ho he to," which is a traditional Japanese poem called "Iroha Uta."

【No. 0815】Watches

Mar 12, 2017 01:32
I bought a wrist watch at an outlet mall yesterday.

It was a little expensive, but I'm quite satisfied because I could bought my favorite design on sale.

According to the British institution YouGov, more than half of people between 16 to 34 use mobile phones as a way of knowing the time.

Also, according to a questionnaire survey by a Japanese company, about one third business people between 20s to 30s go work without wearing watches.

It is thought that the number of young people who don't wear watches has rapidly increased due to the spread of mobile phones.

In fact, I normally didn't wear a watch very much.

However, recently somehow I came to have an urge of wearing good watches.

Someday I would like to buy a more classy watch.
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【No. 0813】Seminar

Mar 10, 2017 22:25
Today I went to the University of Tokyo to give a seminar.

As it happens, today was a day for the announcement of those who passed the university, so there were many students.

I thought that youth and vigorous energy were nice with a feeling of "shinmiri."

"Shinmiri" is a word that represents a deep feeling or a loneliness feeling.

In the seminar, I presented the results of my study to university teachers and companies.

Since I could get various questions and opinions to my study, it was a very nice opportunity for me.

I will do my study more from now on.
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【No. 0785】Flight Back

Feb 11, 2017 22:27
Today's morning I went to Begijnhof in Leuven, which is a world heritage.

It was very beautiful cityscape, and I felt happy.

After the sightseeing, I did some shopping for chocolates in Leuven, then took a train toward to the airport.

However, I accidentally took a wrong train, so it took an extra one hour to get to the airport.

Since I acted early just to be safe, I was able to arrive in time.

In duty free shops in Brussels National Airport, I bought more chocolates.

After the shopping, I departed for Dubai.

In Dubai International Airport, which is an airline hub, I bought more chocolates.
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【No. 0786】Return Home

Feb 11, 2017 23:31
In the early morning, I left from Dubai International Airport to Narita Airport.

I rode the airplane for about eight hours, then arrived at Narita at just 17 o'clock.

Since I sat for a long time, I was really tired.

After riding the airplane, I rode a bus to back to my apartment.

At last, at around 21 o'clock, I came back.

In the moment when I opened the door of my apartment, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

However, my first thought after entering my room is "Oh, my feet are very stinky."

I immediately took a bus.

Then I put my shoes in ziplock and put them in a freezer.
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【No. 0784】International Conference Day 3

Feb 10, 2017 12:56
Today was the final day of the international conference.

I felt bad from a hangover, but I went to the venue and listened presentations from the morning.

After lunch, I went out to buy chocolates with a small sightseeing.

The shop is "Demeestere" located in an outskirt of Leuven, and I found a rumor that the chocolates are really tasty on the Internet.

It had a very good atmosphere, and I inadvertently bought a lot of chocolates (around 150 euro).

Then I came back to the conference, and after it finished, other Japanese participants and I went to Brussels for sightseeing.

First we went to Grand Place, then saw famous Mannequin Piss, walked around Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, buy chocolates, and ate waffles.

It was a very fulfill day.
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【No. 0783】International Conference Day 2

Feb 9, 2017 07:56
Today was Day 2 of the international conference, and it was the day of my presentation.

I was super nervous and I thought I was going to vomit..

Then finally, the presentation was performed.

Unfortunately, I couldn't speak well.

Furthermore, the question and answer session was really awful.

I was sad.

After the presentation, I acted with other Japanese participants.

In a reception of the conference, cheeses were all-you-can-eat and many kinds of beer were all-you-can-drink.

While listening to live performance of string instruments, we got a lot of delicious beer and cheese.

However, since I drank beer too much, I have a head ache.
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【No. 0782】International Conference Day 1

Feb 8, 2017 01:34
Today I participated in a conference that has been held in Belgium.

Since my presentation is Day 2, I prepared my talk while watching other presenters' talk.

Sadly, I couldn't understand most of the contents of many presentations.

In particular, since people speak quickly in question and answer parts, I became very nervous.

I can't imagine that I survive the question and answer part.

Now I really want to throw out my presentation and run away to somewhere.

However, today I was able to be talk with other Japanese participants for a short time, so I felt a little relieved.
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【No. 0781】Checking in Without Accident

Feb 6, 2017 23:57
Today I was moving almost all day.

It took about twenty-one hours from Tokyo to Brussels via Dubai.

I ate airplane food four times in total.

And now, I finally arrived at Leuven, then checked into a hotel with no accident.

I am very very tired but really relieved.

Unfortunately, I couldn't prepare my presentation in the airplane very much, I have to finish it in this hotel from now.

I walked this town only from the station to the hotel, but I felt Leuven was very beautiful location.

I'd like to go sightseeing slowly after the conference is over.
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【No. 0780】The First Oversea Business Trip by Myself

Feb 5, 2017 19:13
Today I prepared my luggage from the morning and departed for Narita Airport by limousine bus around noon.

After I arrived at Narita Airport around the evening, changed some Japanese yen to euro, then ate seafood rice bowl.

Although here is Japan, it is an airport, so I hear foreign languages from various places.

When I heard a fluent English conversation, I thought that it is impossible for me, then I felt uneasy.

I am nervous whether or not my clumsy English would convey the meaning in Belgium.

By the way, I am now making my presentation material at the airport lounge because there was a lot of time till check-in time of my flight.
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【No. 0779】The First Graduation Research Presentation

Feb 4, 2017 23:21
Today the first graduation research presentations since I became a teacher at a university were held.

The seniors presented their graduation research with all their strength.

It was a very fulfilling day.

At that time, I was feeling a bit happy and a bit sad -- it was complicated.

After the research presentation, we had a job-well-done party.

Actually, I will leave Japan tomorrow in order to participate in an international conference that will held in Belgium.

However, since I haven't finished making my presentation material yet, maybe I shouldn't have joined the party.

The airplane will be a battlefield for me.