Message from the Editor
Autumn is here for good. The first chills of cold have struck you by surprise, announcing much colder days in a few weeks. Some of you do not especially like autumn for this reason. It is sad, tree leaves are dead. This is the end of a cycle. Nature will be freezing for a few months and you will neither be able to enjoy all the greenery nor to listen to all these happy birds that were chanting the glory of spring and summer.
Or maybe it is just time to sit down on a bench, a stone or to walk in the middle of forests and mountains, parks. What for? Well, autumn may plunge some of us in a state of distress; it also has a very soothing effect on certain occasions. Did you enjoy like crazy last spring and last summer? Maybe it is time for your body to relax a while. Autumn trees viewing will certainly help you feel a deep connection with Mother Nature. Mother Nature is tired and cannot stand the cold. So are you. The Nature is shedding its skin. You are shedding your mind. Very soon it will sleep, hibernate before next spring comes and you will have nothing to do but listen to its quietness.
One of the greatest events before wishing sweet dreams to Mother Nature is the Daisuki Ibaraki Festival. Organized last year in Tsukuba, this important date will be in Kasamatsu Sports Park (}ผ^ฎ๖ or Kasamatsu Undō Kōenjin Hitachinaka (ะฝฟศฉ). If you have nothing to do on October 7th and 8th (Saturday and Sunday), and if you are not planning a three-day huge trip somewhere else (may I remind you that October 9th is the Health and Sports Day, so a holiday), then you have no excuse for not going to this giant festival.
The location is a beautiful park, situated near Mito Hollyhocks Stadium if you knew a bit about local soccer/football AND you will probably get to eat a lot of local specialties, meet different sorts of people and organizations that present their activities there. It is a great opportunity to get a better grasp of Ibaraki, its people, its party spirit. Go and visit as many booths/stands/stalls as you can. Stop by the international exchange area to see people from different horizons perform on stage!
To give you another idea of this event, please refer to this link. It will lead you to last year's Festival.
I wish you a good October.
New articles for October 2006
- October 2006 events at a glance
- Zuru zuru - Making soba
- Omiyage of Ibaraki - Specialty crafts as well as food omiyage from Ibaraki
- Yūki geta - One of Yūki's less-well-known crafts
- Disaster message board services - A disaster service from NTT and the three cell phone companies
Voices from the archives (recently resurrected articles from the paper Ibaraki Report)
- Modern historical events - A brief timetable of events since the Meiji Restoration
- Superstitions and taboos in Ibaraki and Japan - Age-old secrets of warding away misfortune!
- The Legend of the Demons' Mound - The conquerer of the demons of Kashima
- Toyoda Castle - A beautiful scenic spot of Yūki
- Falling for autumn in Ibaraki - A past JET waxes poetic about Ibaraki's most colorful season
- Internationalization equals entertainment! - Interview with the winner of a Japanese Speech Contest
- Tesfaye Gelaye throws pots, helps his native Ethiopia - A visual artist working in Kasama
