skyscrapers

 

There are many things to do just like these windows of this. skyscrapers. However, before anything else please bring the peace on this planet…

The church was made above the destruction of Inca empire

 The church was made above the destruction of Inca empire. The sound of bells rang through the souls of people who were perished. 

Kuo’s Astral Bookshop

 

Although many people say that books are dying out, I am keenly aware that it is in times like these that we must firmly against the stream of the current trend. The Strand Bookstore, which I always visit when I stay in New York, has a mix of old and new books. And when I visit Taipei, I always stop by the Kuo’s Astral Bookshop on Dihua Street, which offers tranquility and peace in a corner of the retro street-lined market.

Today is my last night in Taipei. This year, I am relieved to confirm that these two bookstores are still firmly supported by book lovers. Thinking in analog means being able to see things three-dimensionally, sometimes from the other side. When this ability degenerates, people lose a great deal.

Now, it is better to just enjoy the atmosphere created by a handmade bookshelf, which stimulate your mind and makes you want to contemplate. Bookstores with this kind of individuality, which have largely disappeared in Japan, are now a world heritage.

the small town in Latvia

 

I found this little church in the bush near the old castle. The memory of the small town in Latvia is still vivid. 

the silhouette of Monument Valley

I drove hundreds miles on the country road to find the silhouette of Monument Valley. It was my last trip abroad before pandemic. 

Jecheon Korea

 Bell of old buddhism temple in the deep valley in Jecheon Korea. Jecheon is also known as the center of traditional herb medicine. 

the Strait of Bosporus

 The airplane from Vienna is making the final approach toward Istanbul. We are above the Strait of Bosporus that connect Europe with Asia.

found our books

 

We found our books made in my publisher at a international hotel lounge in Hiroshima. It was the moment when I got the motivation to produce and create products. 

Introduce my hometown to the people of Taiwan

 

It was a pleasure to introduce my hometown to the people of Taiwan. For the past few months, I have been working hard to bring the delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Taoyuan City, just south of Taipei and home to the international airport, to my hometown of Hiji Town in Oita Prefecture to promote business opportunities. 

On Monday, they came to the town hall. We were delighted to be able to introduce them to this small castle town of flounder and distilled liquor called “shochu”, overlooking the scenic Beppu Bay. 

Taoyuan, with a population of 2 million, is a significant metropolis in Taiwan, next to Hsinchu City, where semiconductor giant TSMC and others are located. I am just grateful they took the time to visit this small town in Oita. When we saw them off at Fukuoka Airport the next day on their way back to Taiwan, we shook hands firmly with each other. We promised both of them would work hard to find what we could do together in the future. It was a two-day event in which I enjoyed the real thrill of international exchange.

independence

The word "independence" can be spelled in English as "detachment from dependence.
 

Leona Florentino

 

As I mentioned on my Facebook last year, whenever I travel to the Philippines a few times a year, and whenever I have time, I follow one poet, Leona Florentino,  who died young of tuberculosis in the 19th century.

It all started when I discovered a small church next to the market in the town of Dagupan, where my office is located. There, I met Monsignor Jimmy Espiritu, who served the local people of Dagupan in a pretty modest church, where he has been sleeping on a couch at night instead of a bed in his simple and frugal room.

Then, I found that the church deeply connected with the son of Leona Florentino.

Leona was left behind after she passed from tuberculosis at a young age. Based on her poems, it has been speculated that she might be a lesbian and a pioneer of feminism in the Philippines. But the society of the time did not accept her, and she burned out the flame of life under house arrest.

And her son, Isabelo de los Reyes, one of the founders of this church, introduced her poetry. He threw himself into the Philippine revolutionary movement and continued to work as a writer and journalist despite being imprisoned under Spanish repression. After the Philippines was ceded from Spain to the United States, he continued his activism until he passed away in 1938, just before the Philippines gained sovereignty after World War II.

This church is called the Philippine Independent Church. That church continued its services in Dagupan, with its roof partially broken. Isabelo de los Reyes was a Catholic, but as a Filipino, he was at odds with the papacy in his efforts to establish a Filipino church by abolishing the church system based on European supremacy.

Jimmy told me that in the town of Urdaneta, about 40 minutes drive from my office, there is a library and church that tells the story of his footsteps and is the center of the Philippine Independent Church. So this weekend, I visited there with Jimmy. 

Over there, young people from the Cebu area and Mindanao gathered to study the doctrine while staying in a simple and frugal dormitory.

On a hot and quiet afternoon in central Luzon, I came across a photo of Isabelo de Lo Reyes in his younger days at its library.

The word "independence" can be spelled in English as "detachment from dependence". It means a strong spirit that endures solitude to follow one's path. I could feel the origin of such a human spirit in this simple church.

The photo shows Jimmy (second from the right) with the library staff there and my office partner.

My research will continue. 

New York

 

Bright summer in brownstone New York. please keep it until my arrival sometime in really near future! See you my friends after a long absence due to the pandemic!

old town

Strolling into the old town where countless souls are floating. I want to spend days among them.

Tohoku_University

 

Alley of Kyoto

 Alley of Kyoto with nobody. Silence wrapped old houses right after sunset.

Sagrada Família in Barcelona

 

Beauty of human being is here. Don’t lose our soul and passion that creates such architecture. 

September 11

 Twenty years from September 11. Let’s pray together for the integration of all souls and sprits of our world..

Catalonia is not Spain but Spain

 Catalonia is not Spain but Spain. How people solve this puzzle peacefully. In any case I love the architectures of Barcelona.

Lisbon

 Is Lisbon, where I visited ten years ago, still like this? It was unforgettable memory.

Twilight of Zocalo

 Twilight of Zocalo healed business traveller’s stressful life. It was a few hours before my departure from Mexico to Tokyo. 

slope of Seattle

 From the slope of Seattle,after the autumn rain, silence wrapped the city. 

Singapore

One of my best friends is living in Singapore. He is an Indian who came there as poor immigrant. Now he enjoy his successful life.My friend, see you soon! 

cross-cultural communication

Specialists from around the world gathered in Tokyo this week for a series of innovative workshops about cross-cultural communication. 

Navajo’s trivial dance to worship our nature

 

Heart touching Monument Valley is the sacred place for American Indians and for everybody. Dolls represent Navajo’s trivial dance to worship our nature. 

The past is a foreign country

 

The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. I remembered this phrase when I visited Main Street of this remote town. 

I miss Marseille where diversity exists.

I hope everything will be all right with the reconciliation for everybody among races, nationalities, and economic issues.. I miss Marseille where diversity exists. I visited many years ago.

 

India

 

San Miguel de Allende

 San Miguel de Allende is the place I am missing so much. I shared wonderful time with my American friends over there. Let’s visit again after Covid19 is over! #San_Miguel_de_Allende #travel #world #Mexico #mem

church downtown

I hope my friend in Cebu will recover soon as her house was destroyed by typhoon. This is the church downtown over there. Please regain this beauty and normal life. I am praying with them. 

 

samurai house

Frugal and simple Japan’s samurai house in early 19th century. Minimalism represented the spiritual strength of warriors lived in the feudal era. 

Tower of Belem

Tower of Belem was a symbol of the port toward the unknown opportunity, is the symbol of tourism in Lisbon and will be the symbol of hopes of all of us.

Varanasi

 Right after the sunset, ceremony starts to celebrate the Ganges. Varanasi is the sacred place for human’s spirit. 

アテネの学童

 

Pangasinan

Every day memories accumulate. 

It is already more than a month when I saw this sunset at my second hometown.

Time runs too fast!

Dostoevski spent his life

 I remember this photo when I visited the house once Dostoevski spent his life. More than 140 years ago, he was living in this dark brown house of Saint Petersburg. However, the scene of his neighborhood has been staying same. Yes. I was watching the memory of the great writer.

Stockholm

 

Dear old Stockholm, I miss this narrow streets. 

ChatGPT

 

AI cannot translate communicative gap between cultures! When you use chat bot, do not be passive. Be proactive.

GPT4などAIは異文化の意識や言い回しの違いまでケアしません。相手とのコミュニケーション文化の違いに配慮して使わないと、大きな誤解の原因になるのです！

downtown Taipei

 

Huge cloud on the horizon.

 

cloud

 

Bangkok

 

Daigoji Temple

 

This year’s cherry blossoms are something extraordinary. Daigoji temple has been famous for its beauty since medieval era. 

BOSTON

 

beautiful.

 

Pangacinan Philippine

 

California

 

Barcelona

 

LA.

 

中国湖南省鳳凰古城

 

Santa Monica(above) and Manila(below).