A Grave Phone Call

It is the phone call that always comes on the days I feel like I'm hitting rock bottom. On the days when I feel unwell, misunderstood, forgotten...
On days like today as I am sweeping away the mounds of dust after 春一番 (I believe) whipped up the whole top layer of dry dust in the field next door and dumped it on us. I am coughing from a cold that I can't get rid of and from the dust catching in my throat and then the phone rings.
"Moshi moshi"
Do I need a grave?
It's the grave phone call!!!!
Not just a stone, but a nice plot. They are developing a nice new memorial garden near here and I can reserve my plot with only a few million yen and a nice smile.
Now I wonder when exactly would I be needing this grave? It does feel like today actually. Should I go and view the plot and measure it up and say something like, "Yes, I can imagine myself feeling very happy in here if you could just perhaps lengthen it by a few millimetres, please?"
The grave phone call. And about time, too. I haven't had one in at least a month.
But no, I won't be needing one quite yet, thank you.
"今回必要がありませんが、又どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。”
| Books, events and activities (past and upcoming) | 23:28 | comments(4) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |

Don't tempt fate

On Monday I told my colleagues at the high school that I hadn't had a cold for a year.
"I think it's because I go to hot springs regularly. I think my body has built up a resistance to colds," I proudly said.

The next day I woke up with a sore throat, the day after that I developed a cough and now I have a fever...

I was reminded of the saying "Don't tempt fate" that people often say in England. We say it when are too sure of ourselves, when we believe we are immune to danger or that something bad won't happen to us. When we're too positive perhaps. This sentence reminds us that we are mere humans and can't control everything. If you are over-confident, "fate" will be listening to you and will be tempted to show you that you are not in control of everything.

This morning the Japanese high school teachers were trying to think of the equivalent expression in Japanese.
「うわさをすれば、影」?One of them asked. 「ちょっと違いますね。」 Another answered.
"I've got it!" Another teacher said. 「たかをくくるな!」
So thinking of these words "tempting fate" and たかをくくるな I am sipping hot lemon and honey and thinking I will be very careful what I say in future...



| Books, events and activities (past and upcoming) | 17:13 | comments(2) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |

Apologies, apologies...

I'd like to apologize to anyone who has tried to write a comment on my blog. It was misakenly set up not to accept comments using alphabet characters.
Thank you for letting me know, Judith!
All is fine now...I think...
| Books, events and activities (past and upcoming) | 13:59 | comments(2) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |

I don't like winter

It's not so much that I don't like winter, it's more that I don't like the cold.
“But isn't it cold in winter in England?" I'm often asked by Japanese people.
When I reply that, yes, it is cold in winter in England they often look puzzled. "So why do you dislike cold weather?"
But even when I lived in England I didn't like the cold.
A similar reaction occurs when I say I like hot springs or natto or even kanji.
People often have preconceived ideas of what others should like or be like based on where they were born.
But I like the saying 住めば都。
To me, that means making the most of wherever I live.
| Books, events and activities (past and upcoming) | 01:12 | comments(1) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |

My blog

I set up this blog recently because I thought it might be the best way to let people know about some of the events I'm running or participating in.
Please look under UPCOMING EVENTS for news of book readings or presentations I'll be doing in the near future and under PAST EVENTS for reports on some of the events I've done during the past year.

I also thought this may be a good place to write a short diary in English several times a week and other thoughts I have about language, particularly English and Japanese, that may be of interest to others.

Well, let's see how it goes...Please feel free to write any comments you have. Nobody has actually written me a comment yet but it's still early days!

| Books, events and activities (past and upcoming) | 22:07 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |

Hot Springs

I adore Japanese hot springs. Surely they must be one of the best things about Japan. When I first came here I think the nearest hot springs to Tokyo were in Hakone (at least as far as I know) but now they have sprung up (excuse the pun)all over Tokyo. There is one only about five minutes drive from my home.
It has twelve different kinds of indoor and outdoor baths, a lovely garden and only costs 750 yen for unlimited time.
Someone asked me about hot springs in England the other day. Well, there's only one real hot spring and that's in Bath but there are many mineral water spas. However, they cost about 100 pounds for just one day's usage. Over 20,000 yen!
毎日日本のいいところを考えることにしました。
今日は温泉でした。明日は…?
| Books, events and activities (past and upcoming) | 23:09 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |

Spring is in the air

With the thick snow yesterday I felt like it was still the middle of winter.
But there was a warm breeze today melting the snow.
I cycled around Koganei park and saw the first plum blossoms.
春の気配.
| Books, events and activities (past and upcoming) | 16:24 | comments(0) | trackbacks(0) | pookmark |

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