The other day I wrote about Konatsu’s epileptic seizure, and I would like to let you know how she has been doing since then. On that day, my wife and I tried not to push her too hard and kept an eye on her. Konatsu started eating normally that night, and from the next day, she started taking short but cheerful walks. Konatsu is now an old dog, so I will let her spend her time at her own pace without overworking her. Thank you very much for your concern.
Today I am in Gunma Prefecture for work. On the way there, I stopped by Mentai Park, a recently opened food theme park. Mentai is cod ovum slowly marinated in chili pepper sauce. It is usually served hot on rice. Furthermore, Mentai pasta is very popular these days. There are even snacks which are made of spicy cod roe.
It was such a peaceful and beautiful city. The act of aggression such as destroying it is the same as the Islamic State’s destruction of ancient ruins. It is unforgivable. ※ The deadline for distribution is April 28, 03:49.
Ukraine is on day 47. We can know about the devastation in the cities and the people there as it is reported on the news, but I am observing the situation from the perspective of someone who lives with his pets.
The following is from the UAnimals article. Ukrainians who managed to escape shelling and massacres by Russian troops have arrived in Zaporozhye. Even in the most difficult times of their lives, many of these people did not abandon their animals and took refuge with them.
もちろん彼らの気持ちはよく分かるし、このすべての人が無事であってほしい。
Of course I understand how they feel and I hope all of these people are safe.
This ballpark has a long history and is also known as the place where Sawamura pitched a great game when the American baseball team, led by Babe Ruth, came to Japan right after the war. Japanese professional baseball has the Sawamura Award, which is the equivalent of the Cy Young Award in American Major League Baseball.
スタジアムの入り口付近にはその二人の像が立っており、待ち合わせ場所としても有名。
Statues of the two men stand near the entrance to the stadium, which is also a famous meeting place.
And the games begin. This spring tournament also decides the seeded schools for the prefectural qualifying rounds of the summer Koshien Tournament, so the results are very interesting for the alma mater’s supporters like us.
The result was a 19-0 cold game in which they dominated the opposing team. Our team will now qualify for the prefectural tournament, and if they finish in the top 8 in the prefecture, they will be seeded.
楽しい一日を過ごしてきました。
We have had a fun day.
帰ってくるとこなつが「アタシを置いてどこにいってたの！？」という顔してるようにも見えるが､､､
When I came home, Konatsu asked, “Where did you go without me?” I think she’s saying.
I have decided to change the top page image for a while. It has been 36 days since the Russian invasion began in Ukraine, and the lives of many people and many animals are still threatened. I know some of you have been accessing this site from Ukraine, and am praying for your safety !
Here’s another one from the UAnimals article. Berlin is now one of the largest centers for refugees, with thousands of migrants passing through Berlin Station every day. And since many people don’t leave their important dogs behind and travel together, Berlin Station is like a dog show with many dogs.
It was a late-night earthquake. Right after I turned off the TV and got into bed, I thought, “Huh? Earthquake. The shaking gradually increased, and Konatsu seemed surprised to see what was going on.
I hurriedly turned on the TV and saw that another earthquake had hit the Tohoku region, this time measuring 6 on the Japanese seismic scale. I can only hope that the people in that area must have been scared and that the damage was minimal.
I was watching the JMA conference and found this data. They said that the tremor was transmitted to Kamakura, where I live, in 55 seconds after the earthquake warning was issued. The “0” in the center means that the earthquake had already shaken when the warning was issued. If it had been a huge earthquake, we wouldn’t have been able to escape.
This earthquake is said to have a magnitude of 7.4, but even so, the Tohoku Expressway broke ground and the Shinkansen bullet train derailed. This reminds us of how powerful the 2011 earthquake was, which measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.
話は変わって、今朝から近所のお宅で工事が始まり、その音でこなつは何だか落ち着かない。
On a different note, construction began this morning at a neighbor’s house, and the noise made Konatsu somewhat restless.
工事車両を見下ろしているが、大きい音がするたびにこなつの身体がビクッと動く(笑)
Looking down at the construction vehicles, Konatsu’s body jerks when she hears a loud noise (lol).
一方、庭はだんだん春らしくなってきた。
Meanwhile, the garden is gradually becoming more like spring.
私は今日から5連休。こなつを連れてどこかに行こうかと思うが天気が怪しい､､､
I have 5 consecutive holidays starting today. I’m thinking of taking Konatsu somewhere, but the weather is doubtful…
More news from Ukraine today. For 20 days, Ukraine has suffered from the actions of its Russian occupiers. Despite fatigue and all the risks, keepers continue to do their best to help the animals. Today, Team UAnimals provided financial assistance to several shelters to help their animals. Today Kyiv volunteers distributed food to residents who could not afford to buy food for their pets. Some exciting news. At the blockaded Gostomel shelter, today the 78 year old facility owner did a great job and brought a generator that will bring water to the shelter. Together with him we donated 70 liters of gasoline, 500 kg of dog food, and food for the shelter staff. This will help the shelter residents survive.
Day 15 of WAR: Animal rescue status. The war with the Russian invaders has been going on in Ukraine for more than two weeks. In such difficult conditions, UAnimals team continues to rescue animals. Unfortunately, the situation is critical for many shelters. Many of them are still blocked by Russian troops and are in the area of active shelling. It is impossible to get to such shelters, especially since it is not possible to evacuate animals from there. This means that with each passing day, the lives of every animal in blocked shelters are becoming more and more endangered. We try to stay in touch with shelter owners and look for ways to save animals. Today we helped the Kyiv Botanical Garden by providing it with 100 kg of fodder. In the garden, local volunteers sheltered hungry animals from the private sector nearby. They also helped with horse feed at the Kyiv Hippodrome. In addition, our team provided funds to the veterinary clinic “Asti” (Pechenizskaya 35) for the purchase of medicines, equipment and feed for sick animals. This clinic provides free treatment for injured animals. Besides, assistance from UAnimals was sent to Kharkiv Zoo. Another 1,100 kg of feed we sent for the needs of Odessa animals. Today, UAnimals team began evacuating two bears and a wolf from Chernivtsi and Kamianets-Podilskyi to Romania. We do not forget to monitor the situation with animals in small towns and villages and situationally help local shelters. UAnimals team is sincerely grateful to you for your support during these difficult days for Ukraine. Everything will be Ukraine! 🇺🇦
Everyday I look at facebook and see one after another updates on the UAnimals page about the pets. In Japan, the news coverage is rather pro-Ukrainian, but in the rest of the world, I am sure there are many different reports depending on the position of each country. Still, attacks on unarmed civilians are not acceptable, and the pets are only victims.
We can only hope that both the dogs and their owners are safe. This is the least I can do, but I hope it will convey the message that there are people in faraway Japan who care about the dogs and their owners.
My wife had a tough time with adverse reactions both the first and second time, but I’m not sure about this time. She has been home for 3 hours after the vaccination and so far seems to be fine.
12歳と3日のこなつ、頂いたプレゼントで遊んでいます。
Konatsu, 12 years and 3 days old, playing with a gift she received.
I like the towel with her name and initials on it. Konatsu is living comfortably without any worries, but on the other hand, news of pets is coming from Ukraine, and I feel unbearable when I see articles about pets and not being able to evacuate because of them.
UAnimalsのfacebookから写真をお借りしました。
I borrowed the photo from UAnimals facebook.
誰かゴルゴ13の連絡先知らないかな？
Does anyone have contact information for Golgo 13? lol
Today is Konatsu’s 12th birthday. Konatsu became a part of our family when she was a puppy of about 5 months old, but it seems like it was just a while ago. We must be getting older too.
これはこなつが我が家に来て1ヶ月くらいの頃です。
This was about a month after Konatsu came to our house.
最近のこなつは少し足腰が衰え始めたか？と思えるような時もあります。例えば車に乗り降りする際に躊躇して、抱っこされるのを待つように動かずに待っていたり、家の階段で足を踏み外したり。ランでは元気に走るからまだ心配ないとは思うけど、気を付けて見守る必要はありそうだ。 Recently, Konatsu’s legs and feet have started to deteriorate a little. For example, she hesitates when getting in and out of the car. For example, when getting in and out of the car, he hesitates and waits without moving as if she is waiting to be carried, or she steps off the stairs at home. Konatsu runs well at the dogpark, so I don’t think we need to worry about her, but we do need to watch her carefully.
We have the Doll Festival on March 3. It’s the day to pray for healthy growth and happiness for young girls. Most families with girls display dolls called Hina-ningyo. This is my daughter’s doll, but it’s also for Konatsu.
In Japan, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been reported in the news, but many people may feel that it happened far away. I can’t do anything about it myself, but since this is a blog where people from many countries visit, I would like to share at least my voice.
No war! Peace to Ukraine! In Russia, there is a “demand for Putin’s resignation” from within the military. Putin should resign immediately accordingly.
В Японии о российском вторжении в Украину сообщалось в новостях, но многие люди могут считать, что это произошло далеко. Сам я ничего не могу с этим поделать, но поскольку этот блог посещают люди из многих стран, я хотел бы поделиться с ними своим мнением.
Никакой войны! Мир Украине! В России среди военных раздаются требования, чтобы Путин ушел в отставку. Путин должен немедленно уйти в отставку.
I feel uncomfortable by the sudden news from Ukraine. There are several people who access this blog from Ukraine. I pray for your safety. And peace to Ukraine soon!
こなつも同じ気持ちです。
Konatsu is also filled with the same feeling of peace.
This is because my sister’s husband is fighting leukemia, and we are here to visit him. We left our home at 7:30 in the morning and arrived at Anjo at 12:00 in the afternoon.
We had about an hour before our appointment, so we decided to have lunch at Chou & Cream, a café that allows dogs, which we had checked out beforehand.
When we entered the store, there were many bottles of alcohol lined up on the shelves on the wall, which was different from a dog café. The owner told me that there are many people who come here at night with their dogs for a drink.
ワンコ用の食事メニューもあったので、こなつもここで軽く食事にしました。
There was also a food menu for dogs, so Konatsu had a light meal here.
There is a large park here with a nice view where you can take your dog for a walk. It was quite a nice place. It was a bit difficult to go back to Kamakura that day, so we decided to stay in the area. Since our purpose was different from the usual fun trip, we looked for a place to stay, hoping to get some sleep. As a result…
We decided to stay at Hatagoya Fukuroi. The price varies depending on the season, but this time we paid 9,900 yen per room, including tax. Considering it was the day before a national holiday, this was reasonable!
アメリカ映画によく出てくるモーテルみたいなものですね。
It’s like the motels that often appear in American movies.
It was quite comfortable, with two king-sized beds, a bathroom, and most of the other necessities. There are quite a few branches all over the country, and this was something I would be happy to use in the future.
This is because there are a lot of burglaries in this area, and our town’s community association decided to subsidize the installation of security cameras. So I bought this right away.
When it comes time to install it, there are many other difficulties. We have a wifi router on the second floor of our house, but since this security camera works with a network connection, the signal cannot reach us as it is now. So we will install a wifi repeater in two places, one on the stairs and the other at the entrance, so that the signal can reach the camera outside the entrance.
It’s a perfect picture! I can see it on my phone when I’m out and about, and I can talk to it with the microphone. If someone suspicious comes, I can say, “Hey! I’m watching you! (lol)
まあ何も起こらないのが一番良いのだが、これで少しは安心です。
Well, it’s best that nothing happens, but this gives me some peace of mind.
Around 12 o’clock in the middle of the night when I was already asleep, a loud warning sound was heard from my smartphone, and when I looked at the screen thinking it was an earthquake warning, it was a tsunami warning. It says about 50 cm, so I went to bed again. However, after that, the alarm sounds three or four times from both the smartphone and the tablet, so it is extremely disturbing to sleep. I turned off the power and finally slept undisturbed until morning. Looking at the news in the morning, it seems that a submarine volcano exploded in Tonga and a tsunami occurred, and many fishing boats sank in Japan as well. I was convinced that it was a bigger deal than I expected.
I had to go to Shitirigaham in the morning, so I went through the mountain course just in case, but when I saw the sea on the way, no surfer was in the sea today.
When I returned home and watched the news footage, it was said that a fairly large tsunami was flooding in Tonga and the damage was unknown. I have no choice but to pray that the inhabitants will not be damaged.
As many of you may know, there is a site calledFloodmaps, where you can see how many meters of a tsunami will submerge your home. I think it’s a good idea to take a look as a precaution.
My doctor actively recommends a gastrocamera, saying, “When you reach your age, please come to the gastrocamera once a year.” So I went to the stomach examination today.
7:45の予約だったので早起きしてこなつの散歩も済ませ、病院へ､､､
I made a reservation at 7:45, so I got up early and finished Konatsu’s walk, and went to the clinic …
And since the gastrocamera examination uses anesthesia, it was over when I noticed. In addition to collecting blood, he also did various other tests, all of which were normal and healthy!
This clinic also has a cafe like this, where you can have breakfast while you wait for the test results. I didn’t have breakfast this morning so I decided to eat here.
ドクターお薦めのヘルシーメニューだけど美味しかった。
It was a healthy menu recommended by the doctor, but it was delicious.
会計を済ませて外に出たら、雪が降り始めていた。
When I finished the checkout and went outside, it was starting to snow.
西鎌倉の柳川クリニックです。
This is Yanagawa Clinic in Nishikamakura.
家に戻ると、こなつが玄関でスリッパを蹴散らしながらの熱烈歓迎してくれた。
When I got home, Konatsu enthusiastically welcomed me while kicking my slippers at the front door.
So today I went to Katase Suwa Shrine. The other day, I went to Ryukomyō Shrine near my house, and my family has always put the good luck charm of Suwa Shrine on the household shrine. So today is the real visiting.
しめ飾りはまだ出せないかと思ったが、もう大丈夫でした。
We think goodluck charms are holly items. So we bring the old charms to the shrine. At the shrine, Shinto rriests burn those old charms with praying. We call it “Otakiage”
A statue of such a dog was placed right next to the “Otakiage” place, and Konatsu who saw it from a distance rushed in, mistaking it as a real dog. However, when she realized that it was just a statue,she said “What?”
I went to “Hatsumode” in the morning of New Year’s Day. Hatsumode is the first shirine visit of the year. There is “Ryukomyō Shrine”, which is a 3-minute walk from my house, and when I looked it up, it was built in 552 and is the oldest shrine in Kamakura.
Above is the main deity “Five heads dragon”. Legend has it that this “Five heads dragon” and “Benzaiten” at Enoshima Shrine are a married couple. There is a legend that if you visit Benzaiten as a couple, the couple will break up because Benten is jealous, but in the case of Enoshima Shrine, “You are not visiting Benten’s husband Five Heads Dragon, Benten get angry with it and break up the couple. “ Therefore, if you visit Ryukomyō Shrine → Enoshima Shrine in that order, you will not get angry with Benten, but rather the feminine energy of Enoshima Shrine (goddess) and the masculine energy of Ryukomyō Shrine (Ryujin) are combined. It is said that the balance between yin and yang will be adjusted and the power of good luck will increase.
There are only two days left this year. My family is as busy preparing for the New Year as everyone else. My wife is mainly busy …
しめ飾りは末広がりの意味を持つ縁起の良い28日に飾るのが良いようで、そうしました。
This is “Shimekazari” In Japan, New Year is called “oshougatsu”, and the very first day of the year is called “gantan”. New Year’s Day is a very important day for Japanese people. We have many events and customs to celebrate New Year’s Day. “Shimekazari” is decoration of sacred rice-straw rope, and is placed across the top of entrance to a house during New Years holidays. It seems that it is better to decorate on the 28th, which means auspiciousness, and I did so.
松飾りも簡素なものにしましたが、これも一応必要なものだからね。
This is “Matsukazari” the New Year’s decorative pine branches. It is placed on both sides of the front entrance of a houseduring New Year’s holidays. It symbolizes longevity,prosperity and purity.
Konatsu will never know what the New Year is. But do you feel that we are somehow busy doing something? It may be understandable that meals that look more delicious than usual will be lined up on the table during the New Year holidays.
ママはおせち料理の準備に奮闘中。。。
My wife is struggling to prepare Special New Year dishes…
There two poster dogs in the temple here, Monju in the foreground and Ashuku in the back. Both are names related to Buddhism, and Monju seems to symbolize the wisdom of the Buddha, and Ashuku says, “When a lot of people live, it gets frustrating, but don’t get angry, don’t get angry.”
文殊ちゃんはミニチュアダックとチワワのミックスですが、ダックの方が色濃く出ている感じ。可愛いね！
Bunshu is a mongrel dog of miniature duck and chihuahua, but the dachshund seems to be more intense. He’s cute!
藤枝までくる楽しみの一つに、このすぐ近くのお蕎麦屋さん「木むら」へ行く事があります。
One of the pleasures of coming to Fujieda is to go to the soba restaurant “Kimura” near here.
毎回行くたびに蕎麦の種類が変わっていて、それを味わうのも楽しい。
The type of buckwheat flour changes every time I come, and it’s fun to taste it.
From here up the stairs, the grave is on the top of the mountain. It’s still good now, but it’s hard to get to the top of the mountain when we get old.
ママの家のお墓はいちばん高い所にあるのです。でもまあ何とか終了。
The grave of my wife’s family is at the highest point. But somehow we finished visiting the grave.
帰り際にこんなのを見つけました。 怒らない、怒らない､､､(笑)
I found this at the exit of the temple. Budda says, “Forgive and forget. Don’t get angry, don’t get angry.”
