ホトトギス

山野に咲く変わった形の秋のお花
素敵です♬

Some more photos I took at Todaiji Temple. The first statue is of Vaisravana (多聞天/毘沙門天), another of the Four Heavenly Kings, holding a staff and some sort of small pagoda,. The second statue is Cintamanicakra (如意輪観音), a bodhisattva. The third photo is a (unfortunately poor quality) photo of Vairocana, the Cosmic Buddha from my understanding. The rest of the photos are models of Todaiji's Great Buddha Hall from 800 and 300 years ago, and Nandai-mon, the Great South Gate. The pagoda is, from my understanding, a replica of one of the lost pagodas that used to be located at Todaiji Temple, but I believe was burnt down? I could be wrong about that though. Then last is a photo of the heads of Virudhaka (増長天)(left), and Dhrtarastra (持国天)(right), two of the Four Heavenly Kings. Lots of cool stuff to be seen at Todaiji! Definitely recommend it. My photos don't do it justice at all.

彼岸花が咲いていて秋を感じました！
とても綺麗で見惚れちゃいました！?

I found some photos of when I visited Todaiji Temple. I took a photo of the bronze lantern out front of the temple because I thought it looked really cool, but it's pretty crazy to think that the lantern is around 1,300 years old at this point. I also took some photos of a few of the statues inside the temple, the first being Akasagarbha (虚空蔵菩薩), one of the Eight Great Bodhisattva, and the second (which took me forever to find the name of...) being Virupaksa (広目天), one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I'm not sure what Virupaksa is made of but I think this statue is made of wood, although I could be wrong. It looks like a different material from the other statues inside the temple, although it's been quite a while since I visited and I can't recall exactly. All the statues are really awesome though. I'll have to upload some more photos later!

ヒガンバナ
秋を感じる日となりました

朝露光る稲穂
もうじき稲刈りが盛んに
実りの秋
感謝です

茨城県常陸太田市
午後の光芒

Some photos I took at Nijo Castle in spring 2018. You can see the cherry blossoms in some of the photos just starting to bloom, but not quite in full bloom, and the rest of the gardens were really enjoyable as well. I really liked the gold decorations/designs on the buildings. The gate was also really cool. I believe it's called Karamon Gate although I'm not 100% sure on that. The moat around the castle was pretty neat as well, I can imagine it was a strong fortification, especially since it belonged to Tokugawa Ieyasu, although I'm not entirely sure about the rest of the castle's history. The photos of the moat and surrounding area were taken from on top of a small vantage point, and I wonder if it was originally some sort of turret, but I'm not sure about that either. Either way, I definitely recommend giving it a visit to anyone in Kyoto or anyone planning to visit Kyoto. I believe it was relatively close to the Golden Pavilion as well, so if you have the chance, why not?

日本の秋

メタセコイア並木

日本一と言われている秋の並木で、トンネル並木が約2.2ｋｍ続きます。
関西スポットにも認定されている場所です。
滋賀県にて

八重の秋桜とダリア
花は綺麗でいいな

茨城県ひたちなか市 大荒神磯の鳥居
荒波であればあるほどエモーショナル

A photo I took a few years ago during a trip to Osaka! A waterfall at Mino Park during late spring/early winter. I'd like to visit here again during autumn, as I imagine that the leaves around the waterfall and the rest of the area would look really beautiful. One thing I really liked about Osaka was the contrast of the city to this national park. Also there is tons of cool stuff to see near Dotonbori, especially with all the food vendors and stuff in the area. From my understanding, Mino Park is apparently one of Japan's smallest national parks but it was actually a pretty long walk to get to the waterfall. If I remember correctly it took about 40 minutes and we were moving at a pretty good pace. It was a good workout though lol! Hope I can visit again soon after the pandemic ends!

蔦七沼、青森県十和田市

[English／日本語]
Continuing from last week, I would like to introduce the rules of Japanese companies.

(1) Is everyone wearing the same clothes? Job hunting
When international students are looking for a job, the first thing they do is to buy a recruiting suit. This is because the suits that foreign students bring from their home countries are all shiny and cannot be used for job hunting. When looking for a job in Japan, a black suit with a white shirt is the standard. In addition to this, students who dye their hair should make it the same color as their natural hair, and students with beards should shave their beards. Accessories should be removed and shoes should be low heeled. Women should wear light makeup and wear their hair in a bun. If you do all of these things, all job hunters will look like the same person. Job hunters use the same appearance to show off their individuality. Some students from foreign countries think that their appearance is also their personality and refuse to shave their beards. Depending on the type of business, you may not have to wear a recruiting suit, but most companies will first look at your appearance to see if you can follow Japanese rules. You should polish your Japanese language skills so that you can appeal your personality in your speech.

(2)Japanese companies are still old-fashioned.
For a long time, Japanese people have had a negative image of working too much, working too much overtime, increasing salary with age, male dominated society, and difficulty in taking vacations. In modern times, this is gradually improving, but there are still many companies that have this tendency. For example, let's say you have plans to go on a trip on your day off. You tell the people at work about it. Do you know what you should do the next time you go to the office? Usually, Japanese people buy as many souvenirs as the number of employees in the company (the number of employees in the department). Also, when you give out souvenirs, you give them out to the people with the highest positions first. Furthermore, if the trip was not on a holiday, but on a paid holiday, you would say to the other employees, "I apologize for the inconvenience." It is very difficult to understand the unique culture within a company from the beginning. First of all, you should look at the Japanese people around you and observe what they are doing. Also, many Japanese companies have a system where senior employees teach newcomers their jobs when they join the company. As a newcomer, you may want to ask your senior employees a lot of questions.

(3) On and off
I once heard this story from an international student. "I was invited to a drinking party at my part-time job. I don't drink alcohol, so I refused, but they kept inviting me, so I went. I was able to have a good time at the party. Some of us became good friends. The next day at my part-time job, I was talked to in a fun way as I had been at the drinking party, but I was given a cold attitude. Did I do something wrong?" Why do you think this happened to her? Japanese people don't chat much during work, but after work, they sometimes communicate over drinks. This is called "Nominication". It is a word coined from the Japanese words "のむ（drink）" and "communication. At drinking parties, people drink happily regardless of age or position. However, this is only for drinking parties. Also, when we meet at work, we switch to work mode. It is considered bad to go to the office in the same atmosphere of a drinking party. Try to think of it as a clear distinction between on and off, not a sudden coldness.

This is only a small part of what I have covered in this blog. The unique culture of the company is something that even Japanese people have to get used to. Let's learn them little by little. Don't forget to keep a "memo" in your pocket when you learn. This is also a part of Japanese culture.

先週から引き続き、日本の会社のルールについて紹介します。

①みんな同じ服？就職活動
留学生が就職活動をするときは、まずはリクルートスーツを買うことから始めます。留学生が国から持って来たスーツは光沢のあるものばかりで、就職活動に使えないからです。日本で就職をするときは白いシャツに黒いスーツが基本になっています。また、このこと以外にも、髪を染めている学生は地毛と同じ色にしたり、ひげがある学生はひげをそらせたりします。アクセサリーは外し、靴もヒールが低いものにします。女性はメイクも薄くして、まとめ髪にします。これらすべてを整えると、就活生はすべて同じ人に見えてしまいます。就活生は同じような外見で自分の個性をアピールします。留学生からは見た目も自分の個性だと考え、ひげをそることを拒んだりする学生もいます。業種によってはリクルートスーツを着なくてもいい場合がありますが、ほとんどの会社はまずは外見で日本のルールについてこられるか見定めることもあります。自分の個性はスピーチでアピールできるように、日本語力を磨きましょう。

②まだまだ古い日本の会社
昔から日本人は「働きすぎる」「残業が多い」「年齢とともに給料があがる」「男性社会」「休暇が取りづらい」などマイナスのイメージがあります。現代では少しずつ改善はされていますが、まだこの傾向がある会社も多いです。例えば、あなたが休日に旅行に行く予定があったとします。そのことを会社の人に話しました。次に会社に行く時には何をすればいいかわかりますか。普通、日本人なら会社の社員の数（部署の社員の数）だけお土産を買ってきます。また、お土産を配るときは、役職順から配ります。さらに旅行へ行ったのが休日ではなく、有給を使った場合は「ご迷惑をおかけしました」と一言添えてお土産を配ります。会社の中にある独特な文化を最初から理解するのはとても難しいです。まずは、まわりの日本人を見て、何をしているのか観察してみてくださいね。また、日本の会社は入社すると先輩社員が新人に仕事を教えるシステムになっていることが多いです。新人のうちは先輩社員に色々聞いてみてもいいかもしれません。

③オンとオフ
留学生からこんな話を聞いたことがあります。「アルバイトで飲み会に誘われました。私はお酒が飲めないので、断っていましたが、何度も誘われるので行きました。飲み会では楽しい時間を過ごすことができました。仲が良くなった人もいます。次の日、アルバイトで飲み会のときのように楽しく話しかけられたら、冷たい態度をとられました。私は何か悪いことをしたのでしょうか。」みなさんはどうしてこのようなことがあったと思いますか。日本人は仕事中に雑談をあまりしませんが仕事が終わったあとに、お酒を飲みながらコミュニケーションをとることがあります。これを「ノミニケーション」と言います。日本語の「飲む」と「コミュニケーション」を合わせた造語です。飲み会では年齢も役職も関係なく楽しく飲みます。ただ、これは飲み会だけの話です。また、会社で会うときは仕事モードに切り替わります。飲み会の雰囲気のまま会社に行くことはよくないこととされています。急に冷たくなったわけではなく、オンとオフがはっきり分けられていると割り切って考えるようにしましょう。

今回ブログに載せたものはほんの一部でしかありません。会社の中にある独特な文化は日本人でもなれないとわからないことばかりです。少しずつ覚えていきましょう。覚える際にはポケットに「メモ」をお忘れなく。これも日本の文化です。

日本の秋

嵐山ならではのリフレッシュ

京都府にね

茨城県常陸大宮市
横川の下滝

普段何気なく通ってる工場も夜になると…

A photo I took of Tatsuko, the golden lady of the lake at Lake Tazawa in Semboku, Akita 4 years ago. I really love everything about Akita, there's so much natural beauty in the area, especially around this lake. I'd like to go back during the summer (this was taken in early fall) and try some kayaking on the lake. I'd also like to go cycling around the lake if possible, it'd be some good exercise at the very least. Anyways, for those unfamiliar with the legend of Tatsuko, from my understanding, she was a girl who wished for eternal beauty but was turned into a dragon, and so she drowned herself in the lake. It sounds kind of dark, but apparently she and another dragon fell in love with one another and together they keep the lake from freezing during winter. Considering how cold it gets during winter in Akita, or at least that year in Akita, that's a pretty impressive feat!

茨城県大子町 月待の滝
雨続きで水量マックスの迫力

Went to a nearby waterfront park area and saw some yakatabune and other nice views. Got some nice fresh air together and even saw someone catch a fish. It looked like a pretty decent size fish too, but I couldn’t take a photo of it. We realized the planters on the way back were shaped like small boats so I took a photo of one. Thought it was kind of neat

秋田県湯沢市にある小安峡の紅葉風景です。
ここは皆瀬川の急流が長年にわたり両岸を深く浸食してできた峡谷です。岩づたいの階段を降りると、その先には遊歩道が続いていて、その先に98℃の熱湯と蒸気が激しく噴出している「大噴湯」があります。
春は新緑、秋は紅葉。そして冬は峡谷に下がる大きなつらら「しがっこ」を楽しむことができます。
この写真は河原湯橋から紅葉風景を見下ろして撮影したものです。

秋田県湯沢市にある小安峡の紅葉風景です。
ここは皆瀬川の急流が長年にわたり両岸を深く浸食してできた峡谷です。岩づたいの階段を降りると、その先には遊歩道が続いていて、その先に98℃の熱湯と蒸気が激しく噴出している「大噴湯」があります。
春は新緑、秋は紅葉。そして冬は峡谷に下がる大きなつらら「しがっこ」を楽しむことができます。
この写真は河原湯橋から紅葉風景を見下ろして撮影したものです。

岩手県一関市の猊鼻渓の紅葉風景です。猊鼻渓は日本百景のひとつで、砂鉄川が石灰岩を浸食してできた約２ｋｍほどの渓谷です。両岸にはおよそ100mほどの高さの断崖がそびえて立っていて、渓流の流れはとても静かです。舟下りでは船頭さんが竿一本で巧みに舟を操りながら「げいび追分」を聞かせてくれます。秋の紅葉はもちろん見事ですが、新緑の季節の藤の花が咲く頃も趣が深く情緒があって素敵です。

岩手県花巻市にある葛丸川渓流の紅葉風景です。奥羽山脈の山懐から流れだす葛丸川の上流は、四季を通じて美しい景観が魅力的なスポットです。ここは宮沢賢治の童話の中にも登場するのですが、どこかしらノスタルジックな雰囲気が漂って見えます。
左端に滝の飛沫が光って写りこんでしまっていますが、童話チックな雰囲気が気に入っているので投稿します。

岩手県花巻市にある葛丸川渓流の紅葉風景です。奥羽山脈の山懐から流れだす葛丸川の上流は、四季を通じて美しい景観が魅力的なスポットです。ここは宮沢賢治の童話の中にも登場するのですが、どこかしらノスタルジックな雰囲気が漂って見えます。

青森県十和田市にある蔦赤沼の紅葉風景です。蔦赤沼は青森県八甲田エリアに蔦七沼の中のひとつです。透明度の高い水と周囲の景観が美しい沼で、八甲田連峰の赤倉岳を望むことができます。登山道は最初の登りはキツいですが、あとは比較的歩きやすい道が続きます。

コスモス畑！

綺麗なコスモスがたくさん！

コスモス畑に行ってきましたー！

湖にコスモスの花が咲いていて、とても綺麗でした！

出羽三山のひとつ、湯殿山。山中で修行を行う山伏が生まれかわりを果たす聖地といわれる。錦秋に同化する大鳥居にただならぬ荘厳を感じます。

Mt. Yudono, one of the three mountains of Dewa, in Tohoku region. It is said to be a sacred place where Yamabushi (mountain priest), who practices in the mountains with the belief in reincarnation. Standing there alone, I felt the overwhelming majesty of the Otorii (the giant gate) that blends in the autumn colors.