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Sun. 1 Mar. 1997
| It is March now, the time of cheer. The 15th chorus concert of Medieval Music Research Association managed by assistant professor Ms. Takei of Miyazaki university was held at Oita central Catholic church. I joined the concert bringing two pieces of pound cake which were presented to her. This time program was in commemoration of the 400th year of "The 26 martyred Saints." The first score was printed in 1605 at Nagasaki by then Japanese believers. The main selections were of T.S.Victoria and G.P.Palestrina. The chorus echoed very solemnly in the Cathedral. I expect to hear the chorus again in this summer's Yufuin Music Festival. |
Wed. 5 Mar. 1997
| Today is my husband's birthday of 59 yeas old. I went out for shopping of foods and prepared dishes from the afternoon. I first baked a birthday cake, then many favorites of him included were pizza, steak, baked potatoes, onion gratin soup, seaweed salad, fruit dish, and birthday cake. We cheered with beer and red wine. I hoped he would be sound from now on. I presented him a spring color sweater. |
| In late January, I got an E-mail from an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, California USA, saying "I have visited your home page. I gathered information on Oita through the Internet before I made a private trip to there." Today, I met him at a hotel in Oita city and enjoyed a pleasant talk over cup of coffee. He is now developing a state-of-the-art modem equivalent to ADSL(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.) When he first came to Silicon Valley some twenty years ago, there was nothing but muddy trails but now more than 3,800 companies are flourishing by competing each other. Now, there is a good environment for the entrepreneurs who want to raise companies under the support of Stanford University who gives maximum infrastructure to them. I have had a really pleasant time this afternoon. |
| Today, I saw a big astronomical pageant: a partial solar eclipse. Here in Oita, the sun started to dent from the upper left edge. The maximum eclipse rate was about a half at 10:20 a.m. I managed to take picture by a digital camera. I covered the camera with three layers of sun glasses. But as the sun was still so bright, the picture quality was poor. The landscape around me was somewhat unusual. The sky was getting a little bit dimmer, dogs were eerily howling, birds were flying low and chirping noisily in the bush. The cool wind started to blow around me. In a while, the spring sun came back. I realized the warmth of the sun just like the ancient people worshiped it. TV reports that we can see the eclipse and Hale-Bopp comet simultaneously in Mongolia or southern Siberia. It is really unusual day indeed. |
| I had been dazzling for last three days. Just after the rain we went out for driving to the eastern area of Oita city. We first visited Sano botanical garden. There was a pretty green house whose temperature was controlled by the waste heat boiler of the municipal garbage incineration center. Rape blossom, Forsythia were in full bloom on the entrance of the green house. Bougainvillea, colorful orchids, cactuses, palm trees welcomed us. We walked around the garden to enjoy the color and fragrance of the flowers. After leaving the garden, we headed to Sekizaki, the easternmost town of Saganoseki peninsula to visit "Sea and Star Hall", a local astronomical museum. Beyond Hoyo straits, the tip of Sata peninsula of Shikoku island lies 14 kilometers away. A huge suspension bridge is expected to connect the two peninsulas. In the astrodome, we can enjoy star gazing. The person in charge explains we can see the huge Hale-Bopp comet if it is clear in the night. But as it is now in daytime, I observed the prominence of the living sun through the telescope(60 centimeter dia. Newton Casegren reflection type.) In the hall a stationary observation video camera is also set to send out beautiful live picture of the straits through the Internet. Around the light house of Sekizaki, camellia were in full bloom, indeed. |
| It is the vernal equinox, or Higan day(literally, "the river bank of the other world".) The day is regarded as a "good day" for doing happy things. One of young close friends of Yufuin Music Festival got married today. I have been waiting the day with pleasure since I got a invitation post card. The wedding party was held at Sansuikan hotel in Yufuin. When I entered the lobby, I came across with Mr. Amamoto, the groom, who was in full delight dressed in tuxedo. Many guests were pleasantly chatting in the lobby. We sat around a Chinese table together with of Yufuin Music Festival staffs: the secretariat Mr.Masakuni Kato, his wife Mrs.Makiko, Mr.Hironori Sato in charge of finance, Mrs.Misako Fuchino who always supports YMF in the back, Miss.Naoko Ono who treats complicated procedures efficiently, and us. All the staffs were beautifully dressed in special clothes showing their individuality. The go-between were the Nakayas. Mr.Nakaya's formal celebrating speech was followed by many pleasant attractions such as greetings from friends, Noh song, Noh dance, and the final toast. The attendants enjoyed feast as well. The bride was a tall wonderful lady. We celebrated the bride and groom wishing their happy new life. Spring was still a step away here in Yufuin basin but Japanese apricot and peach flowers were already in bloom at the same time. We have had a nice day, indeed. |
Wed. 26 Mar. 1997
| Just after my husband came home, we went up to a nearby hillside to watch Hale-Bopp comet. The sunset gave way to the twilight that allowed the evening star to appear. In the northwest sky, I spotted a dim light point with long faint tail. The comet was shinning at unexpectedly higher angle. The darker the sky became, the brighter the comet shined. I saw the long tail clearly even with my naked eyes. Through the binocular, I could observe the detail of the comet, the front edge of the coma was the brightest and band of the jet stream formed the long tail as if it was drawn by a paint brush. The best view point was at my house. Through the kitchen window, I saw the comet clearly just above the bamboo bush. The comet appeared for the first time in 4,200 yeas, TV said. I have had really a rare experience. |
