Congratulations to Japanese footballer Yuto Nagatomo on his move to F.C. Internazionale, one of Italy`s biggest & most famous football clubs.
Although he`s small even by Japanese standards, he`s very quick, skillful & hard-working, and I think he`ll do well if he gets enough first-team game time.
Whoa! What`s an imported high-performance speed-machine like this doing in a place like Ichinomiya?
And no, Parren, I`m not talking about you (Parren is my workmate at Ichinomiya Teragoya).
This is a Lamborghini Gallardo (2006?)
To tell the truth, I haven`t really been into this kind of car since I was about 16 years old, but I was still impressed when I noticed this one at a car-dealer called Gulliver, on Route 22, on my way to work.
I`m sad that Australia didn`t win the final of the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar, but I`m glad to hear that the 2015 Asian Cup will be held in Australia. Great!
Of course it`s convenient for Australians like me, but I also think it`s much more convenient for Japanese, Korean & other Asian countries` fans who want to attend the games. I also think most people would rather visit Australia than somewhere like Qatar, right?
See you in Australia in 2015!
Near my house there is a shop called Nodaya which makes & sells Ichigo Daifuku. This is basically a strawberry & some sweet bean paste inside mochi (rice cake). I`m not usually a big fan of Japanese sweets, but I like Ichigo Daifuku. I think everbody does!
I went there with Owen last weekend to buy some.
They don`t have a website, but you can see a map here:
http://naviaichi.com/0120-137280/
Aaargh!!!
Japan beat Australia 1-0 in the final of the Asian Cup. I`m so disappointed...
I thought Australia was stronger, and looked in control for most of the game, but they missed or wasted all their goal-scoring chances. Also, the marking disappeared for Japan`s goal. Where was our defense???
Anyway, congratulations to Japan and the goalscorer, Lee.
Hang on - isn`t `Lee` a Korean name...?
Hehe
Actually, I came across this car in Gifu, not Ichinomiya.
It`s a 1989 Nissan Pao. Not many were made, & now they`re kind of collectors items.
I don`t usually take photos of the inside of strangers` cars, but I was so impressed by the retro dashboard design of this car, I couldn`t resist.
I love it!
26 January is Australia Day. It celebrates the arrival in Sydney of several ships full of English criminals (they used to be sent to America, but the Americans learnt how to make their own).
From The Morning Post, London, 1 November 1786:
“This thief colony might hereafter become a great empire, whose nobles will probably, like the nobles of Rome, boast of their blood.“
Not a great empire yet maybe, but we are in the finals of the Asian Cup - it`s a start!
Happy Australia Day!
Australia & Japan have both won their semi-final matches, so they`ll meet each other in the final on Saturday!
Excellent - I can`t wait!
Hmmm... where did I put my Australia scarf from last year`s world cup...?
![Mount Kinka Speed-Hiking]()
Yesterday I hiked up Mount Kinka in Gifu again. Two weeks ago I hiked up with a friend, but we took our time (went slowly). This time I wanted to try to do it faster.
HIKING LOG:
1:00pm: Finish teaching Bera-Bera class. It was really fun, so I`m in a good mood & motivated to climb Mount Kinka again.
1:10: Chat with my wonderful boss, Akemi:
A: Bye, Otto. Are you going home now?
O: No, I`m going to hike up Mount Kinka
A: Oh, that`s nice.
O: Yes, I went up with a friend 2 weeks ago but we took our time, so I thought, well, I`d like to try it again, but faster, so...
1:30: ...and that`s the reason East Timor is mostly Catholic. Wow - is that the time? I gotta go - Seeya!
A: [sound of snoring]
2:00: Reach foot of Kinka, Nana-Magari (7 tuna???) trail
2:25: Reach the castle at the top. Raise hands, do Rocky impression. Take a photo of the castle. Take a rest.
2:30: That`s enough! Speed-hiking! Come on! Start back down.
2:50: Reach bottom. Try to say "konnichiwa" to an old lady. Sounds like "keeeer-urgh!". Difficult to breathe...
2.55: Think about catching a bus back into town. No! Speed-hiking! Come on!
3:20: Arrive back at Gifu city centre.
I think I can`t do this course any faster without running, and I don`t want to do that.
...well, not alone. If you`re interested in running up Mount Kinka with me, please let me know! Super-speed-hiking! Come on!
Australia & Japan have both reached the semi-finals of the Asian Cup in Qatar. If they win their next matches (on Tuesday), they`ll meet in the final on Saturday - great!
Have you seen any of the games? I think Japan looks quite strong this tournament; they got red cards in 2 games but still won.
Now Australia`s best players are getting old - half of our team is over 30, & our goalkeeper is 38...
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mokomoko 
KUMA 
bokushi 
内倉憲一 
TERAGOYA おとな 
PSPINC JP 
birdy 
田仲なお美 
yukio 
エメラルド