Less Cold Winter

Compared with regular winter seasons, this winter is very warm. Ski resorts have difficulties in operating their businesses because they have much less snow this year. Yesterday, it was warm enough to be outside in a short sleeve shirt. Although the temperatures before sunrise and after dawn get cold, the temperature during daytime is comfortable. Usually, February is the coldest month in Japan. However, half of the winter season is almost over because warmer days will be felt in March before springtime. The world needs to pay attention to climate change and people should help in improving our environment. Helping us a comfortable temperature during the winter is more favorable for us. I am excited for the spring season because of a comfy feeling we have due to the nice weather, and color of nature that brightens our daily life.

Endurance

Last Saturday, when I went to the gym early in the morning and ate lunch after workout, I felt really satisfied. Being able to do exercises in the morning is a big pleasure for me. I’m not interested in drinking alcohol and buying products of expensive brands. The rest of the things I need to achieve is to get Ph. D and living abroad. To get the degree and to relocate myself to another country, I need to make more money as a programmer. Working as a programmer allows me to work anywhere using the Internet and to get a good salary. I’ll become a programmer this April and by the age of 34, I will get the lifestyle as a freelancer who works in a foreign country studying for Ph. D.

Living Costs in Tokyo

I am planning to move to Tokyo this April because I want to start a new life as a programmer. There are job openings even outside Tokyo, but the number is the largest in the capital city. Living costs in Tokyo is much higher than the current one. I am considering how I can save the expenditure for rent. I don’t want to buy the set of house appliances, so the best option is to live in a shared house with basic appliances installed. Fortunately, there are many shared houses in Tokyo, so I will look for a reasonable one after being told about my new working location.

End of January

January is almost over. Looking back, the days seem to pass away very quickly. It feels like New Year’s Day was only yesterday. The school year closes at the end of March. I am planning to change my job from teaching to programming because the job is in demand and programmers earn more than teachers do. On the other hand, becoming a freelance engineer is another option.  As such, I can work anywhere using my laptop.  Working anywhere and at my own pace is my ideal workstyle.  My earnings would totally depend on me, on how much time I will pour in.  I shall devote the rest of the school year to carve this new life; hopefully, by April.

Custom

In Japan, the divorcing rate is still very high. Almost 30 percent of couples get divorced every year. I have several single-mother acquaintances. They look very tired because of their jobs, housework, and raising their kids. This situation tells me that there are something wrong in the customs of getting married and having children. I think the main reasons are their income and workload. If parents have time to communicate every day with enough income to enjoy their daily lives, the parents won’t think about divorce. However, if a husband has to work so hard for a not so decent salary, his stress will go up and the relationship will get worst. In order not to pave the sad carrier, my priority is to get a programming job, because the job allows me to get a good salary and to work only shorter days in a week, for example three days or four days, earning enough. After getting the job, I’ll think about having a relationship more seriously.

Minimalist

Yesterday, I watched a Netflix documentary titled “Minimalist.” A lot of minimalists in America appeared in the documentary and explained about their perspectives in life, comparing before and after becoming a minimalist. Some live in very tiny cottages and others possess only the things which can be packed in backpacks. Most Americans still believe "bigger is better." People buy even unnecessary things enticed by fancy advertisements and also live in  way too big houses with some rooms left unused. The minimalists said that you should own only necessary things without being tempted by ads and live your life as you need. Personally, I don’t buy things that much and I wear only a few clothes I like. However, I’m not a minimalist but I just cannot afford to buy expensive products. I want to increase my income and see if I can do a shopping spree or spend money on other things.

Tender Chicken

I went out for dinner with my grandfather last night. We went to a restaurant located near his house. I ordered Fried Chicken with vinegar and tartar sauce. I was amazed at the first bite because the chicken was very tender. It was the most tender chicken breast I have ever had. Because of my curiosity, I asked the waitress how they made the chicken breast so tender. However, she didn’t know how to do it. I thought this kind of skill can make a difference between regular people and professional chefs. It is important to see, watch, and eat sophisticated things created by professionals to learn something new from them.

Spaces for One-Person

In urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka, unique services for one-person are provided. For example, a ramen shop called Ichiran has installed dividers in between each customer’s seat so that a customer can focus on the taste of the ramen. Another example, would be karaoke rooms good for one person because of the increasing popularity of single-customer use. It is said that Japanese people prefer to be surrounded by walls and not to be seen by others for privacy compared to European and American people. Most elderlies whose spouses died, and those who are single for life prefer to live alone. Thanks to the increase of effective medicines and safe diet food, life span of most are longer. I felt that connecting to those loners like them can be good business in the future.

Matchmaking Agency

For the first time in my life, I went to a matchmaking agency yesterday. I don't have plans of getting married yet, but I was curious as to what kind of service they provide. On February 11th, an event is going to be held by the agency. Both male and female participants will make bread together and talk while making and eating. I have never attended such an event, so I signed up for the event to see how matchmaking events were organized. The agency also has a partner introduction service. If you pay and register your profile, you can choose anyone from the list, and go on a date with them. You can see pictures and profiles of people online, and then you can ask the person if they want to go on a date with you. I will not be using the service in the near future, but it was a good experience, knowing about the match making agencies’ services.

Smoking at School

Yesterday, a lecture was held by a pharmacist in our elementary school about smoking. He explained how bad for your health and how addictive smoking is. One of the surprising things I found at first at the elementary school was there are many teachers who smoke. It’s not allowed to smoke in the campus, but the teachers go to the parking space next to the campus, and smoke during breaks. The students know which teachers smoke because you can see the smoking space from inside the school building. I wonder how the teachers who smoke can explain to the students that smoking is bad. I personally don’t smoke at all. I’ll see if the teachers who smoke will act to stop smoking or not after the lecture.

Sauna

I went to a hot spring facility on Sunday. Yesterday, after waking up, I realized that I felt really refreshed and didn’t feel any fatigue. The reason was I bathed in the hot water, but additionally, I think using the sauna was the biggest factor for distressing. In winter, it is common to use a sauna in hot spring, and after leaving the sauna, you bath in a very cold bathtub. By repeating the process, you can release your stress. I did the process three times on Sunday. Being in an extremely hot room and then extremely cold water was very refreshing. I want to visit the facility again to relax.

Hot Spring

I went to a hot spring facility last evening. It has several kinds of bathtubs, Jacuzzi, and saunas. I was really refreshed after immersing myself in those space. Massages and scrubbing services are also available if you pay extra. I tried to take the service, but unfortunately, it was full. Next time I visit the facility, I will ask them again if I can take it. Also, on the second floor, you can enjoy reading comics, lie on a long chair, and take a nap under blankets. There is a restaurant on the first floor as well. You can stay in the facility all day long if you pay 13 dollars for entrance. I will visit it again to release my stress in the hot water.

Workout with My Friend

I went to Okayama Prefecture to meet my friend and to do workout with him at a gym. After picking him up at Okayama Station, we headed to a gym which is at the outskirts of Okayama City. There were more users in the gym than I expected, but we enjoyed lifting weights for two hours. My friend has his own YouTube channel which talks about different techniques for working out. I was satisfied with his coaching because I learned some new tips to stimulate my muscles. After the workout, we went to a yakiniku restaurant to eat a lot of protein for energy recovery. He motivated me to make my own YouTube channel. I want to get more subscribers than him in the near future.

Necessity of English

In our daily lives in this city, it’s not necessary to speak English. The only place you are required to speak English is in school. Students have to learn English as a subject, although they don’t use it outside the classroom. I also work as an assistant teacher at school and it is difficult to explain why we should study English. Apparently, English is useful to talk with foreigners but there aren’t many occasions for them to meet with non-Japanese people. I have foreign friends and I understand how important being able to speak English is. I recently think about how I can make an environment where the students think of English as a required skill to be learned for their future.

Low Carbohydrate

I want to try to eat noodles which has no carbohydrate. A Japanese company Kibun produces zero carbohydrate noodle products. There are wide variety of noodles for pasta, ramen, and udon. Recently, I’m afraid of being suffered from diabetes in the future because I eat a lot of noodles and rice. Even people who are not fat can get the disease. The biggest reason to suffer from the disease is to eat too much carbohydrate day by day. By doing so, your sugar level in blood will increase and the amount of insulin will decrease. Diabetes can trigger other diseases, so I’m afraid of it. I want to take such low carbohydrate products to satisfy my appetite and to live healthy.

https://www.kibun.co.jp/brand/toshitsuzerogmen/

Carbohydrate

I read a book on carbohydrate diet yesterday. The author is a doctor and introduces us a low-carbohydrate diet. He says you should eat carbohydrate less than 130 grams and eat a lot of protein and fat. If you eat a lot of carbohydrate every day, blood sugar level will increase and you will suffer from serious diseases such as diabetes. The book made me think that I need to care about my diet more seriously to live healthy for long years. I eat rice and noodles every day, but to decrease the intake of carbohydrate, I need to eat more meat than carbohydrates. To live healthy, I will care about the amount of carbohydrate intake.

Job Openings at University

My father texted me a few days ago with a piece of information about a job opening at Kagawa University. The job consists of organizing events held for both Japanese students and exchange students and conducting English lessons. My biggest dream is to be a teacher in university, so I applied for the post yesterday. If I pass the document screening process, I’ll be joining an interview and conducting a mock lesson. I know about the university well because I graduated from that school. I like the atmosphere of university because students seem to do anything they want to do unlike elementary and high school students who have to follow any instructions from teachers. I hope to get the dream job.

Second-Hand Shop

I got a pressure cooker for free a year ago but I’ve used it only once. That was because the chicken breast didn’t become tender as I thought it would. I went to a second-hand shop yesterday to sell it off. Fortunately, it was sold at 1,000 yen. Honestly, I didn’t expect that it would be sold, for it was slightly used. I appreciate the shop which bought my pressure cooker. By the way, I’m going to leave this room in two months because I am thinking of moving to another city to find a job. I’m not sure where I’ll be moving in, but I need to get rid and discard a lot of my things by then. I have a lot of clothes that I don’t wear anymore that are occupying to much space in my drawer. I’ll inquire from this shop again if they buy used clothes.

Package Delivery Service

Online shopping is becoming more common these days. In the U.S., 90,000 packages are stolen or lost daily in New York City according to a CNBC web article. To prevent “porch pirates” from stealing packages, people, for example, have their package delivered to their work or  held at their local post office for pickup. This reality in the U.S. made me realize how safe Japan is in terms of package delivery. I ordered supplements a few days ago. When I came back home yesterday, there was a notice that a delivery person came to my room to deliver the package. Soon after I found the notice, I called him and told I would go pick up my package at the pickup point tomorrow by myself because I don’t need to wait for him to come to my place and I can pick up my package anytime I want. I know this service is already common in big cities overseas, but the article and my experience made me realize how convenient and safe the delivery service is in Japan.

10 Years from Now

I thought about my future yesterday. “What will I regret not to do in my life after ten years from now?” Now that I’m 31 years old, in ten years, I will be 41. Not to regret my past after ten years, I thought about what I should do from today. First, I should read more books, visit more places, meet more people, and experience new things to increase my knowledge. Second, I should study programming to catch up with the trend of modern society. Third, I should be physically healthy by caring about my diet and doing exercises daily. Fourth, I should find a partner to share my happiness in life. All these four things are the things I can do starting today. I can read books, visit a new place, meet new people, study programming, have daily exercises, eat healthy food, and try to find a partner. In order not to regret my life in ten years when I look back on my past, I will keep doing them day by day.

Airports

There is an airport in our prefecture. It is the smallest prefecture out of the 47, so the airport is not that big. This is called Takamatsu airport. However, you can directly go to Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Hong Kong from the airport. 
Kansai International Airport in Osaka is the nearest international airport from here. You can fly to many countries from this airport. Takamasu city have accredited direct buses to transport their passengers to the airport from the heart of Takamatsu. Therefore, travelling to Osaka is not a hassle these days.
The fare for a round trip from KIX to Manila is within $200. I want to visit many countries by using weekends or long holidays to learn more about their culture and to know different perspectives of the people about their lives and traditions.

Dream Job

I like to study English with elementary school students. Compared to being with high school students, for me, talking with and eating lunch with elementary school students is more fun. However, I don’t think I want to become a homeroom teacher because those teachers need to conduct lessons of almost all subjects and to do other tasks besides having lessons such as planning for a school trip, attending many meetings on their assigned tasks, and handling delinquent students. I just like to teach English to the elementary students, so in the future, I want to work part-time at a school. Although the job is a calling for me, the salary is not enough. This is why I’m studying programming to get a well-paying job. After getting the job, I’ll work as a part-timer at school by using my free time after work as a programmer. 

Relay Marathon

I’m going to join a relay marathon competition this weekend. Each group runs 42km in total cooperating with their members. The number of member in each group is different, so the more the group has members, the less distance each person runs. There are five members in our group. Therefore, each one runs about 8km. One lap is about 2km, so we need to run the course four times each. We can take a rest after running a lap. I’ve joined a full marathon competition, so this relay marathon is not hard for me. Our members are my colleagues in our school. I hope we can complete the 42km marathon without any injuries.

Boarding Pass

I booked round-trip flights from Osaka to Incheon International Airport in Korea. I’m going to leave Osaka on March 20th and come back to Osaka on 22nd. The fare was 20 thousand yen in total. Besides the boarding pass, I need to book bus tickets from here to Osaka and hotels in Korea. Although the trip might be pricey, it is a reward for me given at the end of school year. The biggest purpose of the trip is to meet my American friend who lives in Korea. We don’t have any plans so far, but we still have time to organize our reunion. I hope I can make good memories with her in Korea.

Friend in South Korea

I was exchanging messages on Messenger with an American friend who lives in South Korea now. She came to our university as an exchange student when I was a graduate student. She and her colleague from America visited several schools in Matsuyama City and we, some Japanese students, helped them to conduct lessons by translating. I checked flights from Osaka to Incheon Airport and the fare was much reasonable than I expected. If she is available on some weekends in January or February, I’ll go see her just to say hello. I want to make good memories in the foreign country.

Documentary on Netflix

There is a Japanese idol group, Arashi. The group is going to be on hiatus starting on December, 2020. I watched a TV ad about Netflix program. The program is a documentary of Arashi. I watched the first episode of it. In the first episode, there were interviews of them and reviews of their songs. They have released more than 400 songs so far. At the end of the episode, there was a digest of the episode two. However, the next episode is still not available. I realized that Netflix is not released the episode two on purpose to make time for the users to look around other works in the streaming service. If all episodes are available right after being advertised, new users may stop subscription after only watching the Arashi’s documentary programs. However, in order to keep users on Netflix, users need find that other programs are also fun and it is worth to keep using the service. Netflix shoots commercial of the documentary on TV using huge budget. Releasing new episodes little by little is a good marketing method to acquire users. I thought about it after watching the first episode.

Rich Canadian

I played tennis yesterday. The tennis courts were owned not by the city but a Canadian businessman. He has a huge house in this city and there are two tennis courts inside his premises. He lives in Takamatsu City and works as an executive for a foreign company. I don’t know about his details though. He has a beautiful Japanese wife, a daughter, and several luxury cars. I’ve never seen such a rich person in my life. I thought the building next to the tennis courts was a hotel or something, but one of the tennis club members told me that it is his family’s house. I didn’t have any chance to talk with him, but I’m really curious about his personality. He made me realize that if you earn a lot, you can play tennis inside your premises every day. The private tennis courts and big house motivated me to work harder to be like him.

Pictures at The Cafe

I’m a big fan of Mr.Children, a Japanese rock band. I’m a member of their fan club. Once in a few months, the fan club members receive a booklet that introduces their recent activities and interviews. I got the latest one on January first. The book cover was the picture of the four members smiling at the café. I was really curious where the café is. I looked very closely at each picture which was taken at the café. Finally, I found the name of the café and it turned out that the café is Shirokane Lounge in Tokyo. I live very far from Tokyo, so it’s difficult to get there soon. However, I’ll definitely take a picture at the café just like the band members do on the booklet. I want to pursue my interests without being swayed by trends and by what everybody likes.

Job Application

I’m looking for a new job for the next fiscal year. The online programming school where I studied programming provide its job introduction service. The users can apply for jobs through the online school. It’s not 100% guaranteed that the users can get a job from the first choice, but it is easier to look for a job by using other websites. Since I completed the two curriculum in the school, I believe I can give a good image for the companies on the list. I applied one of them yesterday. It is an IT company and it has headquarters in Tokyo. Also, there is a branch in Makati, Philippines. The website says “if you hope to work in the Philippines, you can work there.” I thought the job is for me, because I can work as a programmer in a foreign country, especially an English speaking country. I’ll be getting a reply from the person in charge of the company soon. I hope to get the job and to work in the Philippines.

Environment

When you are in a challenging environment, you will work harder. A famous author said that in his book. His sentence made me realize that I need to put myself in a more challenging environment than the place where I am now. Making an appropriate environment is the first and the most important step to keep effort continuously. In my case, starting to work for an IT company will be the ideal step for my career. Once I join a new company, all I have to do is to catch up the colleagues and contribute for the company. I hope that I can hone my skills at a new company in 2020.

Resolution

This year’s resolution of mine is to become an engineer. While working for the school, I realized that I like to study English with elementary school students, but as long as I don’t earn enough money to live without being worried about money, I can’t have confidence in myself. In other words, only doing what I like is not the best way to pursue my ideal life. I will look for a job and study programming for the rest of school year. Once I can have confidence in myself, I believe I will be able to make better relationships with friends and expanding my relationships worldwide.