Tsure ga Utsu ni Narimasite ツレがうつになりまして

"Tsure ga Utsu ni Narimasite" ツレがうつになりまして is title of Japanese film. This means “my husband has got a depression” Depression is a sickness that office workers especially tend to get and is increasing now in Japan.

Depression うつ病 (Utsubyo) is one of social problems. There are some reasons why office workers get sick. Off course, the personality is a reason of this sickness. Perfectionist or methodical person tends to be sick. However, I think Japanese people always work too much every day.
Also human relations in a company, crammed train (満員電車) in the morning and overtime work is stressful in Japan.

Being hardworking, accuracy for work or earnest originally regards as good thing in Japanese society. It is usual to be serious. However, the social environment is sometimes very uneasy for us. Responsibility and obligation for their work give pressure to us.
And crammed train every morning is also so stressful. It is not easy to have holiday and long vacation in Japan.
What do we do if a member of family gets a depression? This film expresses the bond of a couple, daily life and society in Japan. Japanese often say "Ganbatte！ "  (keep up) がんばって！to cheer up someone. However, this is taboo word for a patient. The catchphrase of this film, "Ganbaranaizo" がんばらないぞ "I don't have to do my best. " is a phrase that the patient advises himself.

Masato Sakai and Aoi Miyazaki play a Japanese couple in the film. I like one of my favorite actors, Masato Sakai 堺　雅人 and his performance is excellent.  His film "Golden Slumber " is very interesting film.

Tsure ga utsu ni narimasite wiki 

ツレがうつになりまして official site  

Itadakimasu and Gochisousama いただきます、ごちそうさま

Before and after we eat each meal, almost Japanese say a word. We learn these words at first as compliment or discipline when we are childhood. We say “Itadakimasu” before meal and “Gochisousama” after meal.

Both words express appreciation for being able to eat foods and a person who cooks meals. A verb, "Itadaku" いただく in Japanese means polite way of saying for eat or get something. So Itadakimasu expresses thanks for bless of nature and foods. Gochisosama express thanks for all people who are concerned with foods, especially a person who cooks meal, bot include of producers or farmers.

They are simple words, however, very important to think about appreciation of foods. I think they are good words. When I was a small child, I didn’t know much the meaning of words and why we should say before and after meal. I just said as a custom. However, I really know about the importance of using this word. We can’t live without all of nature. And eating is fundamental to our life. These words remind us of blessing of foods and my present happy situation.

Eating delicious food is my pressure of my life. I always want to say Itadakimasu and Gochisousama appreciating all of nature.

Green and Deep Breath

I will write my trip for Takamatsu City.

After breakfast I went to Ritsurin Garden. This place was Japanese style garden and very beautiful. I have been to some Japanese gardens in Japan. It is one of my favorite garden. Pine tree (Matsu) 松 is typical Japanese tree. A lot of pine trees planted and there are some ponds and bridges. I walked around in the garden watching green and felt relaxed.   

I could drink green tea and Japanese cakes (Wagashi) 和菓子 at tea house, Kikugetsutei.

View from tatami room.    

The view from tatami room was aesthetic. It was very calm and quite. I forgot time passing. I ate green tea and cake.

green tea and wagashi

Wagashi's shape expresses nature, especially flowers for each seasons. This expresses Kikyo 桔梗. Kikyo is one of typical Japanese flowers. I love wagashi and it was very delicious.
Sitting without nothing, only deep breath... I could relaxed.

I ate Sanuki Udon for lunch after visiting this garden. It was so delicious, too.  
Delicious foods and feeling nature is my pleasure of trip ! There are a lot of places in Japan that I never been to. However, I could know again Japanese beautiful culture and scenery at this trip.
I want to visit many places in Japan. 

Trip for Takamatsu 高松 and Nao shima 直島

I went for a trip in Takamatsu and Naoshima (island) in Kagawa prefecture. Kagawa prefecture is one on Shikoku island 四国. There are four prefectures, Kagawa, Ehime, Tokushima and Kochi in Shikoku.

Kagawa 香川 is famous for Sanuki Udon (noodle). I love Udon and eating Sanuki Udon is on of my aim for this trip. It takes one and a half hour by airplane or four hours and a half by Shinkansen from Tokyo to Takamatsu.

I went to Naoshima to see modern art museums. Art Setouchi is an art project. I heard from my co-worker that it was interesting. And I've never seen to Setouchi (Seto island sea). So I decided this trip.
I went to Naoshima by ferry. There are some art works at the island. I could see an red and dot big pumpkin at the port. Artist of this work is Yayoi Kusama.  Her dot painting is famous.

Big Red dot Pumpkin

And another art work of pumpkin is exhibited in the island. It is yellow dot pumpkin. 

Yellow Dot Pumpkin

Benesse House is some museums and Hotel. This establishments are designed by famous Japanese architect, Tadao Ando. He designed a lot of buildings or establishments. Omotesando Hills in Tokyo is one of his works. I especially like Chichu Art Museum. I could feel harmony of space, light, and quiet for art works and musiam.
Ie project (Art House Project) is interesting. One art work is exhibited in old Japanese style houses.
Naoshima is very small island, however I could relax and feel fusion of nature and art.   

 Benesse Art Site Naoshima  

I will introduce my trip in Takamatsu City next time.                 　

Lupin III (Lupan Sansei) ルパン三世

I saw a movie of Lupin III ルパン三世 on TV yesterday. Lupin III is my favorite Japanese animation series. The movie was so interesting and I thought Lupin III was excellent animation. The story is interesting for even adults.

When I was a child, I saw first TV series again and again on TV. Interesting animations were rebroad casted in my childhood in Japan. Lupin III is one of them. All of contents, the plot, character or story are perfect. And soundtrack was so stylish at that time.  Main characters,Lupin III, Jigen Daisuke, Ishikawa Goemon, Mine Fujiko, Zenigata Keibu (detective) are unique and comical. Lupin III is cool and so gentle for women. Jigen and Goemon are good friends for Lupin. Fujiko is very cute, sexy and cunning. It is interesting that Lupin is always at her mercy. And Zenigata and Lupin's relationship is funny. The model of their relationship is Tom and Jerry, American animated cartoon. (I love Tom and Jerry.)

This year is 40th anniversary.  Lupin III will be interesting even present time. If you have a chance to see it, you can enjoy this animation.                        

Owaraigeinin お笑い芸人 (Japanese Comedian)

Laughing is essential in our life. When I am depressed or can't keep energy, I can relax after laughing.

Rakugo is traditional comedy. It is performance of story telling by one person (rakugoka) who is sitting on the cushion (Zabuton). Manzai (Stand up comedy) or comic skit is popular. A lot of comedians who called "Owarai geinin" appear every day in TV show now. "Owarai" means generic name of performance for comedy like Rakugo or Manzai and "geinin" means comedian in Japanese. A unit of a trio has a name. Geinin originally plays comic skit or manzai, however, appear in various situations. For example, Downtown is well-known unit. Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada is duo. They have a lot of own TV programs as hosts and these programs are very popular. Off coarse one comedian exists and they who are called "pin geinin" have a special own gag. These gags or phrases in there performance get vogue-word "ryukougo" 流行語 every year.

Japanese comedians belong to agencies. There are a lot of agencies. The biggest agency "Yoshimoto Kougyo" employs a lot of popular comedians. Popular geinin are genius for the art of storytelling. They are used in all of genres, TV, TV commercial, drama, quiz show, radio personality, movies or theater. Yoshimoto is an agency in Osaka, west area in Japan . So these comedians are almost from Osaka and they speak a special dialect "Osaka ben". Yoshimoto has some schools for people want to "owaraigeinin" in each area in Japan. Geinin of Yoshimoto play in theater in Osaka and Shinjuku (in Tokyo).

I like to see "Owarai" in TV. When I want to forget sad or bad news and feel negative, I can relax after having a lot of laugh. Laughing is an important prescription in my life.

Kokurikozaka kara コクリコ坂から From Up On Poppy Hill

I saw new Studio Ghibli film "Kokurikozaka kara"  It is beautiful and I felt nostalgic. The period in this film is early '60 . I wasn't born, however, the background and people's life style remind me of nostalgia. 
I have seem Ghibli film on big screen first time. Also pictures and color is so exquisite on the screen. The details of person, light and shadow, nature... all of them are fantastic. The story has no adventure or spectacle. The film describes normal life in early '60, calm and peaceful. Life is not convenient and there is no exciting materials. However, everyone is peaceful. I was touched. I love ending theme, "Sayonara no natsu" さよならの夏.

Today is memorial day of Hiroshima. We live in invisible fear, it is radioactivity. We can't feel and see radioactivity. Materials are abundant in our life, however, are we happy ?  We have to change our future.  

コクリコ坂から