Monthly Archives: June 2011

It will get cooler

In the morning, I took Maya-san out before it got hot. It was a bit cooler today with clouds.  The highest temperature was 33 C. I cut grass outside in the garden of my office building. I payed to the landlord my parking-place fee.  She was wearing a cooling belt around her neck.  I thought it was a good idea. Tonight, we are expecting rain.  The rain may continue for a couple of days according to the weather forecast. I ordered TEXAS SELECT. There is a shortage of electric fans in the northeastern part of Japan.  I hope the summer is not too severe this year.

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Hottest Places in Japan

Students told me that the temperature in Kofu had been the highest yesterday in Japan, although it was only some 37 degree. Today, we felt a bit warmer with 38.1 C.  Too bad that we were #2 in Japan; the hottest place was Koshu city, a city by Kofu, with 38.5 degree C.  Those records are the records in June, so we probably have to be satisfied. I was in my office without an air conditioner, calling and mailing to find new participants from schools and companies. Katya had no classes today and went to the Yatsugatake area with a friend of hers, where the temperature was only 30 C. … Continue reading

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Sending e-mails, Making phone calls

I am organizing a scientific seminar held at the end of August. Today, I was sending e-mails to look for participants to the  seminar. I was expecting 50 participants, but there are only 30 registrations till today, June 28, and the deadline is July 1! It was hot today, and I was in my office with only an electric fan, sending e-mails and making telephone calls. Asian students and scientists are coming, but Americans, Europeans, and Japaneses seem to hesitate to join the meeting. Some more decided to come after my calls, but I want more people.  So tomorrow, I will do the same.

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Mosquitoes bite me in my office

It is hot everyday, but we do not use air conditioners for saving electricity.  An electric fan was provided in every office. In my office, I widely open the windows and the door. Mosquitoes come in in spite of the anti-mosquito incense, mainly from the door. I might buy another machine to put in front of the door.

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Fujimi Panorama Resort Area in Mount Nyukasa

I am a Starbucks stock holder.  The company gives me two complimentary drink tickets per year. In the morning, we went to Starbucks for breakfast.  I had ordered a booklet of Tanka, a form of Japanese poem, written by a French poet, and it arrived yesterday.  I started reading it. It was more interesting than I expected.  I will read through and will write about it. It was a hot day again.  We drove to Fujimi Panorama Resort Aria in Mt. Nyukasa in Nagano prefecture. From the foot of the mountain, we took a gondola. The gondolas are used for skiers during winter.  It ran very fast up near to … Continue reading

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Another Hot Day, Yanase, Cell Phone, Tokube, Fireflies

I called to Yanase. They told us that Katya can use a latest model of Smart from July 5, so our SmartForFour will be finally checked and inspected. After lunch, Katya and I went to an au shop at Yumura.  The temperature was 34 degree C.  It was another hot day. Katya’s cell phone will not function from July 22 because of a technical modification of the radio mode, so she has to change her cell phone to a new one.  With a catalog, she had already chosen one at home. That one she chose was not in shop, so she will wait for it till July 2.  The battery … Continue reading

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37 degree C is high enough for June

It is June 24 today, and the highest temperature in Kofu was 37 C. The highest temperature in Japan was 38 C in Kumagaya, so Kofu is a good competitor. I did not use the air conditioner in the office. I do not know how Katya survived. On the internet, TEPCO, or Tokyo Electric Power Company, is showing how the electricity is being used.  The bar on the screen shows that 90% of the current limit toward the blackout was used in the afternoon today; we were close to the blackout. The summer has just started.  It should be a challenging task to peacefully  live without a blackout. In the evening, … Continue reading

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Jingisukan BBQ Party

An ex-PhD student of mine from Hokkaido was graduated from the university last March.  Fortunately, he found the job before the earthquake struck. His enrollment to the company was very fortunately not canceled.  And more (or the most) fortunately, he earns 70% of his salary without working for the company, because it was the company that asked him to wait for the recovery of the factories from the damage by the earthquake; beauty of a traditional Japanese company management. Anyway the ex-students, presently staying with his parents in Hokkaido, sent us 10 kg of meat for Jingisukan (check AdelaideBen’s site, whose post is more precise and practical about Jingisukan than … Continue reading

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Hottest Day This Year

It  got 35 degree C in Kofu.  Today is the hottest day this year. Katya had a cold; she was using an electric fan all day in the apartment. In my office, I opened the windows widely, producing anti-mosquito incense by a small electric machine.  It was decided that an electric fan will be provided in each office, meaning no air conditioning this summer. In the afternoon, it started raining, and it got a bit cooler.  Katya and I took Maya-san out for a walk.

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Business Trip to Kyoto – 2nd day –

Today, I left the hotel to Yoshida Campus of  Kyoto University.  It is one of the best universities in Japan. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology has constructed a research network, and Kyoto University has been equipped with various instruments to be used by universities and companies.  A researcher and I checked the possibility of coming to Kyoto for experiments. Unfortunately, the apparatuses they have might not be adequate for our research. I took a bullet train from Kyoto to Nagoya. In Nagoya, I changed trains to Shiojiri, and from Shirojiri, to Kofu. It took nearly five hours. On the way from Kofu station to our apartment, Katya, … Continue reading

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