Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Cherry Blossoms are blooming this weekend. 

Usually, it is the symbols of the entrance ceremony in schools, however, in this year, it is earlier than usual and it is the time for the graduation season.

Female students are wearing the combination of "Kimono" and "Hakama", which is never put on besides the graduation ceremony these days.  

"Shunbun no Hi"; the Spring Equinox, a National Holiday

Today is a national holiday, named "Shunbun no Hi", which means the spring equinox.

Today, it is very warm; around noon, its temperature is 17 degree celsius in my area, which means  warmer than usual, in comparison with the average highest temperature for 30 years is 13.3 degree celsius.

A cat is relaxed under the mild sunlights,
some flowers are already blooming,
and cherry blossoms are ready to sprout
through the warmer weather of this year.
Everything seems to enjoy the arrival of Spring.

Cherry blossom in Tokyo area is expected to bloom this weekend.
The right side of two pictures is Japanese quinces, and the left side is Ornamental kale.

Please take a look at my previous post about the Spring Equinox below:

http://ritztalk.blogspot.jp/2015/03/equinox.html

Comparative advantages & Absolute advantages

Someone gave me a famous saying by a novelist;

"There is nothing Noble in being better than others"

This sentence brings me controversial ideas such as the title of today's my blog.

Because this saying recommends to be competitive.

Comparative advantages and Absolute advantages are used in Economics when two countries are compared in the mutual trade relationship.

When a  country has a certain stronger domain among its industries, that domain is said that it has Comparative advantages.  

On the other hand, Absolute advantages mean that a country has stronger  industries than those of another country.

Economics tells us that if a country has the comparatively stronger industry, then that country has a chance to build a trade relationship between a large country even though it has absolute advantages.

Those propositions in Economics reminds me two things:

1. Every country has chances to make trade relationships between larger countries to increase domestic benefits;

2. Large countries have chances to expand their economical control into small countries.

10km-race in Yokohama

Yesterday, Feb. 19, I participated in 10km-race held by FM Yokohama, a radio station.

I finished in 54 minutes, 11km per hour.

Full Marathon is a future target and I need more practices to run by 13km per hour.

I got t-shirt there.

"Voluntainer "

I saw the poster saying a new word "Voluntainer". It sounds good to me in the combination of "volunteer" with "entertainer", just like "applepen" by Pico Taro.

However, I was just wondering if a hyphen is needed after "N".  Otherwise, it's going to be two words.

My father has gone to where my mother belongs

On Monday, January 23, my father passed away in his 89 years life.
We had a funeral ceremony in the Buddhist style at the same place as where my mother's ceremony was done.

See my mother's funeral in the URL below:
http://ritztalk.blogspot.jp/2015/08/a-funeral-in-japanese-style.html

Many people came and prayed for his peace in the wake and funeral. 

Since he lost his wife, my mother, in August 2015, I thought he seemed to loose his motivation to live longer afterwards.

He always said "the rest of my life is no longer".
He had been in hospital from February to July in 2016 and he was back to the first anniversary of my mother's death.

However, he had been alive for only 6 months.

After 49 days from his funeral, he will be in the my mother's place; physically, a urn containing his bones and ash will be aside of my mother's one in their grave, and spiritually, he will be with her in Heaven.

Oyama Afuri Shrine and Oyama Temple

Oyama Afuri Shrine and Oyama temple are Located on Mt. Oyama.

Oyama means "the big mountain" 

Actually, Oyama Afuri Shrine has two venues; one is in the pictures below.

The other venue is the top of the mountain to climb up by long stairs.

Here is the entrance to the other venue.
It is such a long way that I didn't go up there this time, maybe next time.

Taking a cable car and down to Oyama temple, it had cherry blossoms there.

This is a special species of winter-blooming cherry tree.

Oyama temple is located on the steep slope of the mountain.

The famous foods at Oyama are Tofu bowl and wild boar bowl.

The meat of wild boar is just like sticky pork.

Tofu here is very delicious, nothing compete with.

The last picture shows what I bought at Oyama as amulets and prayers for our health, wealth, prosperity, and an achievement.

The left one is "EMA", pictorial tablet; the central one, looking like gold oval (currency at Edo period),  is also an amulet.

The right is a typical amulet with a bow and an arrow.