Sparkle

Summer is coming soon. I love Summer, so I cannot wait. Actually I don't like to go out for watching fireworks, because there would be a lot of people. Being in the crowds makes me frustrated.

So, I have an alternative way to enjoy summer.

Do you see what this picture is?

This is a picture of a sparkle(senko hanabi), which was taken when I was with my friends.
This picture is really beautiful, isn't it? Every time I see this, I feel melancholy so much. However this makes me think of a lot of things, such as distress, stress, and sorrow. I think it is very important, so why don't you try it and have some time to look back.

Cheering flag

Today I want to introduce one of my best memories in my high school days.
The picture above is the cheering flag. Can you guess what is this?


As the time was drawing near when we would have the last basketball tournament, the flag was prepared to let someone give us messages and make us motivated.

This flag has a lot of cheering messages from people who are in Mishima high school(My school) , mainly students and teachers. Whoever wants to leave message can write down on it.

In school in Japan, it may be an established custom to make such flags. The flag is brought to the the place where we play the game against an opponent, and it is exhibited just above the bench of ones' own team. Maybe it also plays an important role as a kind of lucky charm, because it shows that the team is supported or cheered by a lot of students, and it is full of desires that the team would win.

By the way, I want to introduce some messages from the picture above.
"Do your best"
"Do not stop running, keep running, and smiling!"
"I wanna see your dunk shot!!"
"Show us your 3-year compilation!"
"You have practiced so hard, and don't hasitate, just believe yourself!!"

There are also some interesting message.
"RYUTA, I love you..."
"I wanna watch baseball game."

I want to go back to my high school days...

Baby Hatch

Today I would like to talk about the issue of baby hatch. It is a facility or place where mothers can bring their unwanted or abandoned infants(leave them in a safe place to be found and cared for). In Japan, the facility had been taken out of use, but abolished after some problems happened. In 2006, the Jikei hospital in Kumamoto prefecture announced it was setting up the facility, and in 2007, it began to take use of it. However there were many opinions of both approvals and objections.



1. Baby hatch is not the answer

The writer of this writing agrees with a baby hatch.
She explains her own experience as an example to support her idea; she now works with developmentally disabled adults, so she knew how serious the losses of their parents are. Also, she thinks even though the baby hatch is taken out of use, people will continue to abandon children in other places.

2. Baby hatch beats alternative

The writer of this writing disagrees with a baby hatch.
She uses the factual information about the case that a junior high school student gave birth to a baby, but she abandoned her baby in a nearby temple. Such kind of information sounds really sad, miserable, and unfortunate. So this information will be the feeling that supports her idea and makes us agree with her idea.


My Opinion

My opinion is that baby hatch is not the answer.
It is true that the unwanted or abandoned babies will decrease in number, but it is not so easy to realize the stratagem. There will be some problems if baby hatch is taken out of use, and spread out in Japan. To come to think of the feelings of people who have been abandoned, it is horrible. What would happen if they found they are the ones who were in baby hatch? How would you feel if you are one of them? Maybe this fact will be very unacceptable to believe. Even if they could accept it, the heavily shocked feelings would stay in their minds forever.
Also, I think the more officially recognized baby hatch becomes, the more abandoned babies. I mean if baby hatch is widely recognized and spreads out and becomes in fashion, at last it results in the serious problem of outbreaks of unwanted and abandoned babies. It even promotes the problems. It seems like a solution to have baby hatch, but it is a solution "on the surface".

BJ league

Today I want to introduce professional basketball teams in Japan.

This league is called BJ league. Of cource we can't compare it with NBA though.

Look at this picture.

This is the picture of members of Osaka Evessa.

When I was a high school student, my coach of our team suggested that we should go and see the professional basketball with our own eyes. As it was the first year since the organization of Japanese professinal teams was founded, I was very excited, and all of us agreed to see it. And we went to Moriguchi city(next to Hirakata) to see the game between Osaka Evessa and Sendai. I was very impressed with their fantastic performances; quick dribbles, 3-point shots, alley-oops, and dunks.

Here is the movie of one of the team of BJ league.

You can see what it is like.