Heaven and Hell

I received a mail from my friend.
In the mail, there is a story about heaven and hell.
It's worth a look!

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years.. He wondered where the road was leading them..

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked! ! toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

Of course, sir.. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump..'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind..'

To love life

To love life is to love time. Time is the stuff life is made of.

- Benjamin Franklin

Time is precious because time is limited.
Time is precious because time makes us grow.
Time is precious because time makes our dreams come true.

So, the most important thing is whether we can use time efficiently.

Donkeys in Egypt

I met a lot of donkeys when I stayed in Luxor. They were walking along streets, carrying something. Donkeys play an important role in Luxor. People in Luxor use donkeys rather than cars when they carry something.

By the way, I rode on a donkey when I went to Valley of the Kings. At that time, I joined a local tour which started from Cairo. We started before sunrise, so it was still dark. Each of us rode on a donkey. It was first time for me, like other tour members, to ride on a donkey. I don't know why, but donkeys were competing with each other. So, we had to cling to it.

After a while, the sun started to rise. It was a very beautiful sunrise. I still remember that moment. To be honest, I wanted to take pictures of the sunrise, but I couldn't. That's because the donkey walked so fast that I couldn't take my camera from my backpack. But it was a great experience. I rode on a funny donkey, and saw a beautiful sunrise.

Travel in Finland - part 22

Where I headed was Guesthouse Borealis. I already booked this guesthouse from Japan.

When I finished check-in, a receptionist gave me a map of Rovaniemi, and told me how to go to Santa Claus Village. At the same time, I asked her to book a airport taxi for the next day.

The room was cozy. The fee was 45 euro. It's cheap. I didn't pay at that time, because she said, 'You can pay it when you leave.'

I went to the center of Rovaniemi. Guesthouse was a bit far away from the center. Only 1.5 km, though. I was about to lost my way a few times, but managed to arrived at the center. But it was Saturday. As I mentioned before, few shops were open on Saturday and Sunday in Finland. Rovaniemi was not the exception.

I looked for the shop to eat dinner. At first, I went to McDonald, which is the northernmost one in the world. However, the shop didn't have a good atmosphere. A lot of rogues gathered there. So, I gave up eating here and went another fast food shop. That was Hesburger. It was already 6:30 when I entered the shop, and the shop would close at 7:00. I was afraid if I was refused, but the shop clerk was so kind. When she found that I was confused reading a Finnish menu, she handed me an English menu, and explained it in English. I ordered Double Burger Combo. It was not bad, and big enough.

It was 7:00 when I left the shop, but the sun hadn't set yet.

I returned to the guesthouse, and checked e-mails for the fist time in Finland. In this guesthouse, guests could use the Internet with no charge!!! There were plenty of spam mails...

After checking e-mails, I went to the room and read the novel.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 21

9th September 2009

When I woke up in the morning, almost nothing can be seen outside. I thought I was half asleep, but I was not. Actually, that's' because of fog. I was astonished because before I went to bed the previous night, it was so clear.



Despite this thick fog, I went to the restaurant to eat breakfast. This was the last meal I ate in this restaurant. I enjoyed every meal hear. I love delicious food, and restaurants that serve delicious food.

After dropping by my room, I walked around the hotel. Walking in a heavy fog was somewhat interesting. It was visionary.

The bus to Rovaniemi was to depart at 11:10. Until then, I was reading a novel. By the time the bus departed, a heavy fog almost disappeared. The moment when the fog dispersed was worth a look.

The bus to Rovaniemi was different from that from Rovaniemi. This time, the bus was operated by Lapin Linjet. The bus came almost on time. The driver seemed to unable to speak English. And he even didn't try to speak English. On the way to Rovaniemi, we had to move another bus. If some kind lady who spoke English hadn't teached me, I would have left alone.

A Lapin Linjet's bus was faster because this bus didn't deliver newspapers or mails. But that means I didn't have chance to meat local people. I wanted to see local people.

When we passed Levi, some running event was held. Our bus was caught up in this event, so we arrived at Rovaniemi later. I walked to an inn where I was going to stay.

(to be continued)

Egyptian Railways

Have you ever ridden on trains of Egyptian Railways?

I've ridden on many trains in many countries, such as those in Australia, those in New Zealand, or those in England. However, trains in Egypt were the most impressive in some way.

First, it was the dirtiest restroom. When I traveled from Luxor to Cairo, it is very difficult to use the restroom, because the restroom was soggy. I managed to use it, but my tour mate especially women complained about it. Maybe women put up with going to the toilet until we reached Cairo. It took almost 9 hours from Luxor to Cairo.


(This train was a local one.)


(trains were not punctual in Egypt, so we waited for a long time.)

Second, I couldn't feel relaxed while riding on the trains. I rode on the trains for foreigners. Trains for foreigners were much better than those for local people. They had air conditioners, windows, and relatively good seats. That's why fares were a bit higher. So, local people are unable to get reserved seats. But they rode on the trains, and searched for vacant seats. When they found vacant seats, they sat on the seats. Because they went back and forth in the train, I didn't feel relaxed.

But the scenery from the window was great. Especially sunrise. I still remember that moment when I saw a beautiful sunrise. Although it was a tough travel, I'd like to try again.

the anniversary of the end of the Pacific War

August 15th is the anniversary of the end of the Pacific War. It has passed 64 years since then.

How do you think of wars?

Abraham Lincoln said, 'There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.'

That's true. There's nothing good in war. There are a lot of conflicts around the world. And those living in a war zone suffer from unstable situation. They may be dead tomorrow, or get injured at best.

I hope every war ends and everyone has a peaceful life.

Dorayaki

Dorayaki is a type of Japanese confection which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from kasutera wrapped around a filling of sweet red bean paste. Maybe many foreigners know dorayaki, because of Doraemon. His favorite food is dorayaki.



By the way, dorayaki has many kinds types. It depends on who make it. My favorite dorayaki is the one made by Sougetsu, which is a Japanese confection shop in Tokyo. This dorayaki, called 'Kuromatsu', is quite different from the one that Doraemon loves. So when I saw it for the first time, I was dissapointed. But this dorayaki is much more tasty than normal one.





Do you want to eat Kuromatsu? Then come to Tokyo and visit Sougetsu. For more information, go to this page.

taiyaki

Do you know taiyaki?



Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Taiyaki is made using regular pancake or waffle batter. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown.

There are a lot of taiyaki shops in Tokyo. But personally, I like taiyaki of Wakaba the best. Wakaba is in Yotsuya, 5 minutes by train from Shinjuku. Wakaba's taiyaki is quite different from others' in terms of azuki beans. They have strong taste, but are not too sweet.

By the way, how do you eat taiyaki? From the head or from the tail?
According to the brochure of Wakaba, men eat them from the head while women eat them from the tail? But I don't think it's always so. You can eat them as you want!

herbivorous men - soshokukei danshi?

I read an article about herbivorous men, in Japanese soshokukei danshi.

What does herbivorous men mean?
Herbivorous men are who favor cosmetics over deluxe cars and enjoy eating sweets with their parents at home rather than treating their girlfriends to fancy eateries. Also, according to the article, herbivorous men are not interested in drinking alcohol or smoking, but live in a clean, neatly kept room.



The opposite is carnivorous men, in Japanese nikushokukei danshi.

This distinction is ridiculous!!!
Men are divided into just two categories?
Who comes up with such definitions?

Which group do I belong to?
I like eating sweets. But I also like alcohol.
I'm not interested in smoking. But I don't live in a clean neatly kept room.
I'm not interested in deluxe cars. But I'm very interested in bikes.

It's not so easy to categorize human beings.
Our personalities vary from person to person.
Furthermore, this categorization might cause a misunderstanding.

Think of this example.
I like eating sweets. Someone thinks of me as herbivorous men judging from only one example.
Then he or she assumes I do not like alcohol.
At the drinking party, someone brings me a soft drink, though I want to drink alcohol.
This is just a false assumption.

Herbivorous or carnivorous is one of examples.
Our society likes to categorize phenomena too simply.
This is dangerous and ridiculous.

Then, who am I?
I am panda. This is the only answer.

Yoga

What's the best way to relax in my daily life? That's Yoga.

Almost every Monday, I join a Yoga program in the gym.
Yoga heals our bodies and minds.
In the lesson, I can let everything go. Focusing on my breathing and finding the quiet and stillness in and around me allows for relaxation.

Yoga is also good for my work. Yoga helps me be more productive, because I can concentrate on what I do.

Next lesson? Next Monday night.

MIT

I went to the an information session of MIT sloan business school.
It was not an official one. This session was presented by alumni and current students.

Although I was already interested in MIT, I'm now more interested in MIT than before.
Today, I found another goal for MBA. It is a very long-long-term goal, but I'd like to accomplish it.

A card from Narita Airport

Yesterday, I received a card sent from Narita Airport, which is the biggest international airport in Japan. The card was sent by my friend. She got married last month.

According to the card, she was about to leave for America for honeymoon. Maybe this honeymoon will be a long vacation, because both she and her husband love traveling.

I want to travel again!!! These days, I'm busy for preparing for studying abroad, so I don't have time to travel. It was February when I traveled last time. It has been almost half a year since then.

I'd like to finish this preparation as early as possible, and visit somewhere. Where? A lot of places are in my mind. I'd like to travel to Hokkaido, Onomichi, Oirase, or some South Asian countries.

To do that, I have to study more and more.

Travel in Finland - part 20-3

After stopping by the toilet, I started going down at 12:15.
Scenery was quite different from that I saw on the way to the top.
Although it was not mysterious, it was beyond words.

Because I took a lot of photos while going down, it took more time to go down.
I arrived at the starting point at 14:00.



Before going back to the hotel, I went to the Visitor Centre.
I saw exhibits about the culture and the nature of Kilpisjarvi.
According to the exhibits, the average yearly temperature in Kilpisjarvi is -3 degrees.
And only 90 days in a year, Kilpisjarvi doesn't have snow.
The nature of northern latitude of 69 degrees is very harsh.

At the hotel, I took a shower and went for a walk.
The dinner was as delicious as that of yesterday.
I love this restaurant!



After dinner, I went to the lake to see the beautiful sunset.
It was really beautiful sunset.
(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 20-2

I met several people, climbing by stages. These steps were really challenging.

Since I didn't take a break, there was no one in front of me.
Sight was getting worse.
I relied on the marks when climbing, but it was getting more difficult to find them.
Only sometime I could see the blue sky.

The path was gradually getting flat. Maybe I was approaching the peak.
Also, the light of the sun was getting stronger, although I couldn't still see anything below my steps.



Around 10:30, I maybe reached the top.
However, I was not sure, because I couldn't find the mark of the peak. So I was strolling for a while.
Later I realized that I was walking around a tip of the cliff.
Due to the heavy fog, I was not able to realize where I was walking.
If I had known where I was walking, I surely felt frightened.

Finally, I found the mark of the peak.
The fog gradually dispersed.
When I finish talking with the men who came from Oulu, the fog completely dispersed and a superb view was spread in front of me.
I was so impressed that I took a lot of photos.







(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 20-1

12th September 2009

I woke up at 6 in the morning. But I was careless to fall asleep again until 7:20. When I went to the restaurant, a lot of people were waiting in a queue. Anyway, I had scrambled egg, Vienna sausage, coffee, milk, and so on. They were all delicious!

The weather was not so good, though the weather report said that it would be fine. However, I could see some sunshine a mile off.

I went to the reception to rent a bike. The woman in the reception said, 'It will become fine. The view is very beautiful even if you climb only a little.' At that time, I couldn't see the top of Saana Fell because of heavy fog. I left for Saana Fell at 8.

I arrived at the start point around 9 and began climbing at 9:05. I could possibly see surroundings in spite of fog. After 15 minutes walk, I found a very long steps. It was really long. I wonder how long I walked these steps.

As the woman said, the view from here was magnificent. I met a few climbers. They were all climbing by easy stages. But I climbed so fast that I left other climbers behind. The sight was getting worse. I relied on the marks when climbing, but it was very difficult to find marks. Sometimes I could see a fraction of blue sky. But not a long time.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 19

I rode a bike for 5 km again. It was a tough way, because I was really tired. But I wanted to go to the supermarket which closed 5 o'clock.

I was exhausted when I reached the supermarket. I bought some sweets, pieces of muffin for lunch next day, 2-liter water, and Red Bull(total 8.37 euro). Someone asked me, 'Did you went to three countries border on foot?' I replied, 'Yes. It was fun.' Maybe I met somewhere on the trail. Was he the man I met at the 2k point? Unfortunately, I didn't remember at all.

When I drank Red Bull, I felt better! Red Bull gave me energy.

I went back to the hotel, and took a shower. After organizing my belongings, I headed for the restaurant for dinner. I chose Grilled Beef Steak(18.90 euro) and a glass of wine(6 euro), because this menu included the name 'Saana.' I planned to go to Saana Fell next day. The steak was delicious. The food this restaurant serve is really something.



I asked the way to Sanna Fell at the reception. I was told that there is only one way to get there. This was good information.

By the way, this is the map I used in Kilpisjarvi.



(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 18

I met that three girls when I started to go back.
I asked them, 'Aren't you cold?'
One of three replied, 'No. Why don't you?'
It must be a lie. I ran away, because I thought they might make me try.

The way to Kilpisjarvi was quite different from the way from Kilpisjarvi. Because of the weather, the scenery changed absolutely. I like both. The mysterious one and this blue sky.



Sometimes I was anxious about whether I was on the right way, since the scenery was awesomely different. Walking the trail and taking a lot of photos, I thought of various things - especially, my way of life, my goal, and ...... Compared with immense nature, I was nothing, just a small one. So, I might be much more supple than usual. It was a really precious time.

Wind was getting to blow strongly after 2 o'clock, and I felt a bit cold. When I walked along wide spread land, feeling temperature got chilly because there was nothing that blocked wind. I arrived at the start point at 4 o'clock. Although it was a long way, I felt better because I spent a precious time.

(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 17

I ate Soy Joy and Amino Vital Jelly, which are popular energy food in Japan, near the hut. Since I kept walking three hours, energy sank into my body. The landscape from here was marvelous. I was really happy. This is a picture I took when I took rest near the hut.



After I stopped by a rest room, I looked for the three country border. I couldn't return until I found it. I asked someone who was eating sausage for the way to the border. According to him, it was only 300m to the border.

I found a place where barbed wires were opened. I met husband and wife who stayed next to my room. I confirmed them that I was on the right way. Moreover, I met three girl's party. One of them was soaking wet. As I was surprised and wondering why she was all wet, she said to me, 'It wasn't so cold.' I couldn't say anything. She jumped in the water? It must be cold, because the temperature is only 10 degree C. She was crazy!

By the way, I enjoyed the lovely view at the three country border. It was much more beautiful than I expected. This beauty was brought by this strict nature, I guess. I was very impressed this fragile but majestic nature! It was a long way from Kilpisjarvi. I walked more than 3 hours. However, if I could see this nature, it's nothing.



(to be continued)

Travel in Finland - part 16

11th September 2009

I woke up at 6 in the morning. After I packed what I needed for trekking in my backpack, I went to the restaurant to eat breakfast at 7. A lot of elderly people were in line at the restaurant. Maybe they were in same group. I drank two cups of coffee and ate a lot.

When I passed the reception, a lady asked the receptionist for something with her bottle. So, I brought my bottle from my room and did same thing. Then, the receptionist poured hot water into my bottle.

At 8:50, I rented a bike and left the hotel.



It was cloudy and very cold. After 30 minutes ride, I reached the start point, which was 5 km away from the hotel. It was getting much colder, so I put on rain wear pants. I thought I should have bring more clothe. Actually, I wore warm ski wears, though. When I saw cameras in my backpack, I couldn't help think that clothes were more important than cameras.

Anyway, I started trekking. The beginning of the trail was a little bit difficult. After a few minutes from the start point, there were several ways, and all the paths looked safe. However, I chose the driest path. After a while, I felt a little relieved when I found the sign.

But I still felt uneasy. I met only one person until I reached the sign of '2km.' This trail was mysterious. I could see a soft sunlight in the far distance. Though this scenery made me restless, I also felt holy. Come to think of it, the brochures in Kilpisjarvi used pictures in the cloud weather. They don't use those in the sunny weather. Maybe they try to put an emphasis on this holy atmosphere.

After 2km walk, there was a sign and I met husband and wife. I confirmed that the route was right. 45 minutes passed.

The trail after that sign of '2km' was quite different. The fair view continued for a while. Vegetation in red and yellow was spread both sides of the trail. Although sometimes I saw trees, they were very short because the climate around here is very severe.

I met a group of two Finnish at the highest point of this trail. I tried to speak Finnish using Finnish words book. This time I could!

When I saw the sign of '5.8km', it passed 1 hour and half. Here I found two people smoking. I hurried forward. The numbers of people I met was increasing from here. Every time I happened to see a person, I said, 'Hei, Hei.' After a while, I noticed that the weather was getting better. I could even see blue sky! Blue sky was really beautiful. Though the holy weather was good, blue sky was much better for me. That's why I walked with light steps.

The sky was completely blue when I walked along the border line. No clouds any more. The contrast between the blue sky and the yellow vegetation were really something. I had walked 3 hours since I started walking when I arrived at the hut near the three countries border.



(to be continued)