NOT have a second chance

we went out to lunch, and enjoyed it.
when we got on the car, one of us noticed she forgot to show the coupon that should take 10% off.
she rushed back only to find they refused to use the coupon, because once they process the cash register, they cannot redo.
o.k. great…

Bath salts from 'ONE PIECE'

the cover girl of this bath agent is
BOA HANCOOK, a character from the legendary work of comic,
ONE PIECE .

it makes a rosy bath, which has moisture effect.

green tea bath

on hard day’s night

you can indulge in a warm and relaxing bath at home.
many many kinds of bath agents are available at drugsotres.
they come in dozens of aroma and fregrance,
dads, go for relaxation and women for skincare effects.
a bath improves circulation, which is critical in cold season.

Osaka Castle 2011

Osaka Castle is located in the middle of the city.

the castle keep looked as if floated above the high rise buildings.

can view plum trees nearby and high rise buildings beyond.

storage of water bottles

on the way, used the restroom of the convenience store.
all the restrooms of the building were open to walkers on the night and heartfelt words from the staff pushed him forward to go on　thru fatigue.
at 22:00, got home after 5 hours of walking 12mile.
the lessons he learned the hard way.
we could have been better prepared since the elderly, the disabled, children suffered even more.
the literacy of handheld terminals makes a huge difference.
even when you couldn’t make calls nor text, you were able to access to twitter site.

heading west home

people hit the shelves of convenience stores and emptied the handy foods and mobile chargers. he bought a few pocket warmers(in the photo) for the long walk.
some people go to izakaya pubs, thinking the trains will come back after a couple of drinks.
past 18:00, JR east japan announced they put the service on hold until the next morning, making waiting people one night refugees.
the last stock of mobile chargers and bikes get soon sold out.
places where you can stay overnight such as comic cafes, saunas and karaoke boxes post a sign of ‘full’.
while those who chose to walk go for any walking shoes available.
baggage lockers get occupied as walkers want to leave their baggage in them.
at 19:30 the power of mobile went off and he was no more able to check the info, or get in touch w/ anybody. at 20:00 still walking. at 21:00 still walking.

a jounalist documented

soon after the quake occurred, automatic ticket gates seemed to be out of power　and
the platform got packed with coming-in people.
they took it for granted that the trains start working sooner or later, everything get back to normal
until the monitor switched to the flash reports of quakes and then the tsunami, and then the fire of the refinery.
he decided to walk home around 17:00 to give it a try.
people were making lines as the buses were jampacked, and all the taxies were passing by out of service,

when the whistle blows

just got a whistle at a discount store.
even if I got trapped alive under the debris in a big earthquake, I could let the rescue crew know I am alive and where by this.
the only thing is it is not easy to have it with me 24hours. .
i didn’t feel the quake an inch here,
while in the Tokyo area, transportation are reportedly paralyzed and people are stranded in the office.

o-mikuji, a sacred lot, heart-shaped

when o-mikuji a sacred lot you draw at temples doesn’t turn to be fortunate,
you tie them to branches of trees or fences, instead of bring them home.
this is new to me, put like this, it looks like a tea whisk, and also heart-shaped.

peacock, sitting philosophically

this is what I ran across in the backyard of a temple.
they seemed to contemplate and meditate.
they might be concerned over social issues.

a lavish habit

japan is the biggest consumer of tissue paper.
statistically, they use 17 box of paper a year, and that’s more than 3 times more compared to the second biggest.
right now, 11 boxes are stocked at my place.
whenever we spill something, or dry our eyes, blow our nose, we are sure to whip a few sheets out of the box( I personally not more than one).

the season of tax return

just got these papers from the tax office.
funny, they are sort of a sign of spring.
men and women, young and old seemed to get together to get the extra back.
I started and soon noticed
the figures on the statements are mystery to me.
they are DIFFERENT from usual years.