September 2009 Archives

Washoi Washoi Washoi........

 

On September 23rd, Mikoshi Matsuri was held at Hatagaya area.

Unfortunately, I could not join coz I worked at Ikebukuro on that day ... TEARS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see more photos, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/36733168@N04/sets/72157622448919916/

P.S. photos by Kikuchi-san (Sakura House / advertising)

with Sariko (left) and Kayoko (right) at Ikebukuro

 

Guess what I just found out!

Sariko and I graduated from same school, St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

 

 

What a small world!  A big surprise!

She is the only one I can share my experience in Minnesota, such as severely cold winter (minus 30 degrees Celsius ... freezing my butt off), 'well-reputed' school cafeteria, 'mixed' dormitory, 'packed' library, dark room at Art Building, huge local supermarket ...

 

It is not too much to say that I had the best time of my life when I was a university student. I had the passion for study (journalism), romance and photography. I didn't have enough time to sleep because I was too busy with 3 things.

 

Good old days ...

You will see frozen Mississippi River soon, which runs beside the university.

Today was my first day of work at Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro.

 

This is my new home 'Ikebukuro'

 

I walked through 'Romance Street' on my way to work.

Am I going to have a new romance at Ikebukuro???

 

     Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro!

     There are 2 buildings ...

     mail building and annex.

     Please come to nice cozy cafe.

 

 

 

First 'impressive' guests ... Alex from Chicago (viking) and Jason from Adelaide.

 

 

I love Minnesota Vikings

 

 

 

My heart is still at Hatagaya ...

Yesterday, Ichiro became the first player in major league history to reach 200 hits in nine straight seasons.

 

 

JR Shinjuku station

 

I was thrilled and got goose bumps when Ichiro broke the George Sisler's single-season record of 257 hits and set a new record 'No. 258 'on October 1, 2004. Once again I realized the greatness of Ichiro yesterday. There is no doubt about that he is one of the best players in the world and has already become a legend.

 

I want to see Ichiro play at the ballpark again. I used to go to see every game that Seattle Mariners came to play against Toronto Blue Jays at Sky Dome in Toronto when I lived there.

I was completely riveted by every movement of Ichiro and actually I did not pay attention to other players, nor care about the scores.

 

Ichiro has the charisma and his performance is charismatic.

 

Above all, Ichiro is 'professional' and I admire his mental strength and efforts.

 

 

 

This is a short notice ... I will be transferred to work at Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro starting from tomorrow.

 

Sayonara ...

 

 

 

Congratulations on the 100th anniversary ! It has been 100 years since Yamanote line was named on October 12th, 1909.

I bet you have used JR Yamanote line once if you have ever visited Tokyo.

Yamanote line is one of the world's crowded rail lines and it runs in the center of Tokyo as a circle in which the clockwise is known as soto-mawari (outer circle) and the counter-clockwise is called uchi-mawari (inner circle). It takes about an hour to go around the Yamanote loop line.

 

 

Yamanote line has 29 Tokyo's major stations:

Tokyo-Yurakucho-Shinbashi-Hamamatsucho-Tamachi-Shinagawa-Osaki-Gotanda-Meguro-Ebisu-Shibuya-Harajuku-Yoyogi-Shinjuku-Shin-Okubo-Takadanobaba-Mejiro-Ikebukuro-Otsuka-Sugamo-Komagome-Tabata-Nishi-Nippori-Nippori-Uguisudani-Ueno-Okachimachi-Akihabara-Kanda

 

 

COOL T-shirt !

 

Speaking of T-shirt, would you like to buy our Sakura group T-shirt?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is September 11th today.

8 years have passed since the September 11 Attacks on the United States in 2001.

I was in Toronto, Canada on that day and I saw a lot of airplanes in the sky that attempted an emergency landing to Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Fear, anger, desperation ... the emotions in the shock were beyond description.

   With Hiro (left) and Ai (right)

 

Ai made the special cheesecake. Was it my birthday cake?

 

Every year, we get older and have 'happy birthday' ...

 

We have five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes in a year.

How would you measure a year in the life?

 

It does not matter how old we are.

It matters what we do, what we think, what we believe and what we dream.

 

19th July 2009 local summer festival in hatagaya with guests and children( wearing yukata )

 

 

 

 

 

  When  When you have a summer what would you like to do?

Go for swimming and go for a trip ...

 

When you come to Japan in summer, please join us local summer festival.

You can see, eat and feel something new experience there.

 

 

 

 

( He is joining our summer festival tour )

 

In your country what is the typical food in summer?

 

If you ask for Japanese people,

A　lot of Japanese will answer

It is watermelon!

We put some salt on it to make it sweeter.

Please try it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ( She is join our summer festival tour )

 

 

 When we had a summer festival in hatagaya ( 19th July 2009 ),

it was very hot and temperature was over 30℃.

 

We need to have something cold!!

She had a cup of Japanese sorbet (green color one).

Can you guess what it tastes?

For example red is strawberry, yellow is Lemon so...

 

 

Answer is ...................................  melon

 

 

 

 

( He is joining our summer festival tour )

 

What is he taking for ...?

 

 

 

                   .

Is it he or ...?

 

He has a cucumber'pickled,we ate it but it wasn't popular to our guests.

 

 

He has a Japanese lemonede.

 

It is very popular to drink for all generation.

When I was a child, I used to drink it a lot.(still drink it ...)

It reminds me of my childhood...i don't konw why...

 

 

During the summer festa, we had a beautiful rainbow !

 

 

 

After summer festa we went Japanese style pub with our guest.

 

If you are intrested in Japanese festival.

Let's bear a Mkoshi and enjoy many stands at Hatagaya local festival. 

 

http://www.sakura-hotel-hatagaya.com/blog/2009/09/hatagaya-local-festival-2009.html

 

And we still have room avaialble around 23 Sep when Hatagaya local festival is held.

Come & join us!  Let's carry a mikoshi portable shrine in the festival on September 23rd.

You can wear Matsuri costume 'Happi' 

 

'Break'  at our hotel. You can get free cold drinks after getting sweaty.

 

 

 

You can enjoy many kinds of games, toys, foods and drinks at the stands.

 

 

 

  We are looking forward to seeing you and having fun together! 

I feel the fall breeze in the morning and evening.

Every year, at the end of summer, I feel melancholy.

One thing I regret that I did not go to any Summer Fes ...  

 

Matterson and Kobi from Australia went to Summer Sonic 09

 

Anna and Vicki from New Zealand went to Fuji Rock Festival '09

 

 

I hope they will come back to Japan next year and have a good time in Summer Fes 2010.

See you next year!