12/29/2008
12/26/2008
12/25/2008
12/15/2008
Doshisha Reunion, winter 2008
After the annual reunion dinner, we went to a coffee shop near
Jiyugaoka station for chatting, chatting, chatting . . . forever. . . .
Jiyugaoka station for chatting, chatting, chatting . . . forever. . . .
Fall (Winter ) Colors 2008
Because of warm autumn, colors this year are not as deep as usual.
I cannot believe it is already December and we still have colored trees --
a bit scary to realize the global warming is surely croaching in . . . .
Here are some pretty colors I found.
I cannot believe it is already December and we still have colored trees --
a bit scary to realize the global warming is surely croaching in . . . .
Here are some pretty colors I found.
11/24/2008
Beaujolais Nouveau 2008
Here are two bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau 2008 from
Kinokuniya's wine selection. Both were pretty good
for visitors to enjoy relaxing time on this long weekend.
Kinokuniya's wine selection. Both were pretty good
for visitors to enjoy relaxing time on this long weekend.
11/21/2008
Taro Okamoto in Shibuya
Taro Okamoto's art work is now on permanent display in Shibuya Station.
Here are some photos of his grand masterpiece which used to be in
Mexico City.
Here are some photos of his grand masterpiece which used to be in
Mexico City.
Billy Joel in Tokyo Dome, Nov. 18, 2008
A friend of mine invited me to the Billy Joel concert at the Tokyo Dome
on Tuesday, Nov. 18. This was his only performance in Japan during
this year's world tour and attracted a large number of fans in spite of
scheduling on Tuesday night. About 30,000 mostly over thirty adult
crowd gathered to swing together with this great piano-man singer.
Here is the lights near the Dome after the concert. Sorry that I cannot
post photos because photo taking was prohibited. BJ was very
energetic throughout the concert which went for about 2 and
half hours.
on Tuesday, Nov. 18. This was his only performance in Japan during
this year's world tour and attracted a large number of fans in spite of
scheduling on Tuesday night. About 30,000 mostly over thirty adult
crowd gathered to swing together with this great piano-man singer.
Here is the lights near the Dome after the concert. Sorry that I cannot
post photos because photo taking was prohibited. BJ was very
energetic throughout the concert which went for about 2 and
half hours.
11/07/2008
Let America Be America Again
Nina sent me a wonderful poem from the US.
Congratulations to America and to the world!
The nightmare is almost over at last --.
..........
Let America Be Amerca Again
by Langston Hughes
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me. )
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed --
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me. )
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")
Say, who are you that mumbles inthe dark?
And who are you that draws your viel across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the rest man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek --
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!
I am the farmer, bodsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean --
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today -- O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dream a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yeat its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home --
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, a d England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."
The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay --
Except the dream that's almost dead today.
O, let America be America again --
The land that never has been yet --
And yet must be -- the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine -- the poor man's, Indian's, Negor's, ME --
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose --
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath --
America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain --
All, all the stretch of these great green states --
And make America again!
Congratulations to America and to the world!
The nightmare is almost over at last --.
..........
Let America Be Amerca Again
by Langston Hughes
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me. )
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed --
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me. )
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")
Say, who are you that mumbles inthe dark?
And who are you that draws your viel across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the rest man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek --
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!
I am the farmer, bodsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean --
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today -- O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dream a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yeat its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home --
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, a d England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."
The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay --
Except the dream that's almost dead today.
O, let America be America again --
The land that never has been yet --
And yet must be -- the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine -- the poor man's, Indian's, Negor's, ME --
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose --
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath --
America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain --
All, all the stretch of these great green states --
And make America again!
10/03/2008
A Green Path to Tsuda
It was such a beautiful autumn day. I took this green path for
the first class of the Fall semester. Every Friday afternoon, I come here
for a lecture in an auditorium in the building down below.
the first class of the Fall semester. Every Friday afternoon, I come here
for a lecture in an auditorium in the building down below.
9/19/2008
Farewell dinner in Asakusa
We went to "三角(sankaku)," a blowfish restaurant in Asakusa for
Alan and Emily's farewell dinner.
Prof. Onishi (ICU)
Blowfish sashimi
Alan Taylor's first bite of a blowfish sashimi
Emily and Alan
Appetizer
Everyone (except Wanibuchi-kun) at the dinner table
Alan and Emily's farewell dinner.
Prof. Onishi (ICU)
Blowfish sashimi
Alan Taylor's first bite of a blowfish sashimi
Emily and Alan
Appetizer
Everyone (except Wanibuchi-kun) at the dinner table
Alan Taylor's lecture and dinner
Alan Taylor's lecture on Thursday, September 18th was "Squaring
the Circle: Colonial and Native Spaces."
Circles are both spiritual and physical symbols which indicate
tribal communities of the Indian people. Alan introduced two
important material cultural objects, the Indian map of 1721 and
Powahatan's gift to the governor of Jamestown. "Circles "(Indian
communities) tried to integrate "Squares" (English colonies) to
keep peaceful relationships. His ethno-hisotorical reading and
interpretation led us to understand colonial Virginia from a Native
people's point of view.
Here are some pictures from dinner at 稲富 (Inatomi) after the lecture:
Alan and Emily
Kenryu, Alan and Emily
Prof. Furuya was the main host of the dinner at this
Okonomi-yaki restaurant.
the Circle: Colonial and Native Spaces."
Circles are both spiritual and physical symbols which indicate
tribal communities of the Indian people. Alan introduced two
important material cultural objects, the Indian map of 1721 and
Powahatan's gift to the governor of Jamestown. "Circles "(Indian
communities) tried to integrate "Squares" (English colonies) to
keep peaceful relationships. His ethno-hisotorical reading and
interpretation led us to understand colonial Virginia from a Native
people's point of view.
Here are some pictures from dinner at 稲富 (Inatomi) after the lecture:
Alan and Emily
Kenryu, Alan and Emily
Prof. Furuya was the main host of the dinner at thisOkonomi-yaki restaurant.
9/13/2008
Alan Taylor at Komaba
Alan Taylor (UC Davis) gave a lecture for the Japanese Association
of Early Americanists at Komaba. The lecture title was
"The Migration Revolution in British North America."
It was interesting to view the colonial history in social historical
perspectives focused upon population growth.
Alan (left) Endo-san (right)
9/10/2008
Thanks to the Londoners
My two-week stay in London was for my research on the 16th
to the 18th century English construction of public sphere. Besides
searching historical materials at the British Library, I was able to
explore the contemporary city of London with helps from people
who currently live in London.
What impressed me the most about London was its inherent
historical continuities such as ethnic diversity, constantly moving
people and goods, and the effective formation of shared public spheres
from the Tudor England to the present day. I have never seen such an
ethnically and culturally diverse city like London. New York is not
in comparison for the US society requires people to be integrated into
THE American value and become Americans (or like Americans) even
in a city like Big Apple, whereas London allows each group to keep its
own identity. It is quite intriguing to realize again that the "empire"
first adopted and allowed cultural and ethnic diversities not to
celebrate but to control. In London today, a civilian control seems
to be very much in operation in spite of the city's diversity.
My thanks are extended to the following people:
Peter, my great guardian, at the Imperial College, London
Beautiful Asuka at the Regent Park
Prof. Ikeda at the King's College, London
to the 18th century English construction of public sphere. Besides
searching historical materials at the British Library, I was able to
explore the contemporary city of London with helps from people
who currently live in London.
What impressed me the most about London was its inherent
historical continuities such as ethnic diversity, constantly moving
people and goods, and the effective formation of shared public spheres
from the Tudor England to the present day. I have never seen such an
ethnically and culturally diverse city like London. New York is not
in comparison for the US society requires people to be integrated into
THE American value and become Americans (or like Americans) even
in a city like Big Apple, whereas London allows each group to keep its
own identity. It is quite intriguing to realize again that the "empire"
first adopted and allowed cultural and ethnic diversities not to
celebrate but to control. In London today, a civilian control seems
to be very much in operation in spite of the city's diversity.
My thanks are extended to the following people:
Peter, my great guardian, at the Imperial College, London
Beautiful Asuka at the Regent Park
Prof. Ikeda at the King's College, London
From Westminster Abbey to Trafargar Square
After a Sunday organ concert at the Westminster Abbey, we took a walk
from the Abbey to the Trafargar Square.
The Lion contemplating at dusk
The Whitehall
The Parliament Square
The Westminster Abbey
Asuka and Yukimi after a Sunday organ concert at the Westminster Abbey
from the Abbey to the Trafargar Square.
The Lion contemplating at dusk
The Whitehall
The Parliament Square
The Westminster Abbey
Asuka and Yukimi after a Sunday organ concert at the Westminster Abbey
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