Tengu in Takao mountain.

I went to Takao mountain May 4.
Takao is near from Tokyo, and a lot of nature exists.
It's popular leisure venue.
Takao mountain is approximately 600 meter elevation.



A number of Shinto shrines exist on the way.
There was a Tengu in the Shinto shrine.



Tengu is monster or god or apparition.
The definition of those is vague in Japan.
Because about eight million gods exist in Japan.
I have no means of knowing all gods.
A big old tree is a god in a lot of cases.
They are "Goshin-boku" in Japanese.



It can be seen in nationwide various places.

The gods is not acute existence to Japanese people.
The god in Japan doesn't punish us.
They only exists.
However, they are existence that is more naturally nearer than human.

Tengu is an impression between the god and the monster.
The existence between the god and the monster is called an Youkai in Japanese.
I feel comfortable to classification of Tengu into Youkai.

There is a theory that the origin of Tnegu is Caucasian who drifted Japan.
The reason is that body is large and the nose is high.
Tengu's body is red.
Tengu got a tan?
Furthermore, there is a legend that the daughter in the village married Tengu.
The truth has not been clarified.

Nakano MANDARAKE

Long time no see.
I'm ZIPPO.

I went to Nakano MANDARAKE last year.


Used manga shop in MANDARAKE.

Nakano MANDARAKE is OTAKU shopping mall.
That is consist principally of OTAKU junk shop.
Used mangas, figures, games, dressing-up clothes, cards, celluloid pictures, and cosplay cafe.


Card game shop.


Celluloid picture shop.


Figure shop.

This is my war trophy!



This left manga is "THE TOP SECRET" of Reiko Shimizu.
This right manga is perfect selection series of Moto Hagio.
Moto Hagio is my god!
Great!
Post card in near side is "CONAN, THE BOY IN FUTURE".
This backward is figures.
Zaku MS-06S(Gundam), Nurikabe(Kitaro), and Tachikoma(GHOST IN THE SHELL).

STRING

I introduce some songs that I believe very good.
First song is ‘ITO’, which means STRING in English, song by Bank Band (Vo : Kazutoshi SAKURAI (Mr.children)), music and lyrics by Miyuki NAKAJIMA.



A few weeks ago, my friend sung for his bride as the groom at the wedding party.
I love this song's lyrics!
Tears fall.

‘STRING’
‘ITO’

We know nothing why we come across each other.
Naze meguriau no ka wo watashi tachi wa nani mo shiranai.
We don't always know when we come across each other.
Itu meguriau no ka wo watashi tachi wa itsumo shiranai.

Where were you? And were you alive?
Doko ni itano. Ikite kita no.
Faraway under the sky. The two story.
Tooi sora no shita. Hutatsu no monogatari.

A vertical string is you. A horizontal string is me.
Tate no ito wa anata. Yoko no ito wa watashi.
Some day the textile might let someone warm.
Orinasu nuno wa itsuka dareka wo atatame uru kamo shirenai.


A fraying of the vestige of the day when I wonder why to live.
Naze ikite iku no kawo mayotta hi no ato no sasakure.
A fraying of the vestige of the day when I chase a dream.
Yume oikake hashiitte koronda hi no ato no sasakure.

What good will such a string be?
Konna ito ga nanni naruno.
Feeling anxious I trembled in the wind.
Kokoro motonakute hurueteta kaze no naka.

A vertical string is you. A horizontal string is me.
Tate no ito wa anata. Yoko no ito wa watashi.
Some day the textile might heal someone’s hurt.
Orinasu nuno wa ituka dareka no kizu wo kabau kamo shirenai.


A vertical string is you. A horizontal string is me.
Tate no ito wa anata. Yoko no ito wa watashi.
Coming across the other string for you is called basking.
Au beki hito ni deaeru koto wo hito wa shiawase to yobimasu.

His name is Kiyoshiro Imawano.

Great rock singer died on May 2.
His name is Kiyoshiro Imawano.
He was popular in a peculiar voice, an outrageous make-up, and music not conventional.
But cancer deprived him of the life.
He was 58 years old.
It was an untimely passing.
A lot of Japanese laments the passing of him.
I'm very sad...
Very very...
I did not want either to think Kiyoshiro died.
Come back! Kiyoshiro!



The English translation(?).
Zippo worked hard.
Do you understand?

Slow Ballad

I slept in the car yesterday.
Kinou wa kuruma no naka de neta.
I was tying to the hand her.
Anoko to te wo tunaide.
It was in the municipal ground parking lot.
Shiei ground no chuushajoo.
We wrap oneself in a blanket.
Futari de moufu ni kurumatte.

A slow ballade flowed from the car radio.
Car radio kara slow ballade.
Night dew infold the window.
Yotsuyu ga mado wo tutunde.
I do not have a bad presentiment at all.
Warui yokan no kakera mo naisa.
I heard her talk in sleep.
Anoko no negoto kiitayo.
It is true. I certainly heard it.
Hontosa. Tashika ni kiitanda.

A slow ballade flowed from the car radio.
Car radio kara slow ballade.
Night dew infold the window.
Yotsuyu ga mado wo tutunde.
I do not have a bad presentiment at all.
Warui yokan no kakera mo naisa.
We had the dream.
Bokura yume wo mitanosa.
The dream looked like very well.
Tottemo yoku nita yume wo.

Sushi

May 8 was my husband's birthday.
We ate sushi in Kichijoji.





This shop is not high class.
However, it is delicious enough.
It eats two people a full stomach, and the price is about 50 dollars.
However, please note it.
Japanese "full stomach" and Europe and America people's "full stomach" is different.

It is necessary to go to Hokkaido if you want to eat a really delicious sushi.
I want to go to Hokkaido!!
Sushiiiiii!

Reinbow in Tokyo.

Reinbow in Ginza, Tokyo.

Tango-no-sekku

Hi! I'm ZIPPO!
I can't speak English.
Be nice to me!

May 5 is holiday called "Tango-no-sekku" in Japan.
"Tango-no-sekku" is children's day.
It is a day to promote well-being of children.
May 5 is principally boy's day.
Girl's day is March 3, that is "Hina-matsuri".
It is necessary to decorate with the flying carp or the "May doll" on May 5 if there is a boy in your house.

The fly carp streamers outdoors because the carp is a symbol of a successful career.



"May doll" is warrior dolls.
This is principally miniature armor.



Those dolls reflect the wish of parents "Children grow up strong and healthy".

And Kernel Sanders put on armor in Japan on this day.

Hanami

Hi! I'm ZIPPO!
I can't speak English.
Be nice to me!

We Japanese love cherry blossoms.
Cherry blossoms are very beautiful and enbody Japanese spring.
They burst open, and about only one week after, they burst out.
This short period makes us love cherry blossoms, I think.

"Hanami" is a party under cherry blossoms with drinking.
Its literal meaning is "viewing flowers", though.

I was not able to do "Hanami" this year.
However, I went to the nearby park to see cherry blossoms with the husband at night.
We bought the rice ball in a convenience store on the way.
And, I ate the rice ball under the cherry blossoms tree.
Cherry blossoms at night are "Yozakura" in Japanese.
"Yozakura" is very wonderful.
The moon and "Yozakura" were very beautiful.



If you come to Japan someday, I think it good for you to come in the cherry blossom season.

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

Hi! I'm ZIPPO!
I can't speak English.
Be nice to me!

Recently, I am crazy about this book.
An English translation of this book was published last year.

　

Of course, I read the book written in Japanese.
The atmosphere of the cover is considerably different.



"moribito" is a meaning of "Guardian".
Japanese title is "Seirei no moribito".
Kanji is "精霊の守り人".
精霊 = Seirei
の = no
守り人 = moribito
"Seirei" is a meaning of "sprite" or "spirit".
So "精霊の守り人" is a meaning of "Guardian of the Spirit".

Moreover, this work became an animated cartoon.



It is a wonderful make.
Because this is work of "Project IG".




There is a Manga and DVD, too.
↓