Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is not a special thing for me because I am originally from Osaka where Okonomiyaki is very popular. A lot foreign guests are interested in this stuff and actually love it when they try one. But when they see one for the first time soon after we serve it, the bonito flakes at the top look like dancing because of the heat. Most people ask me why they dance????? - I always tell them they don't need to worry about it, they are just bonito flakes and dancing because of the heat. I guess probably they are affraid if the bonito flakes were something still alive!

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MP gear system?

Checked a EF58

I think it's a motor which is described at the center of the explanation sheet above.



Is this what they call "power track" ?

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Daylight saving

Japan does not have daylight saving and I'm comfortable with it. Nothing complicated, no confusion. Now U.S.A seemed to make their clock 1 hour earlier on March 11th this year, 3 weeks earlier than before. I'm really not sure how daylight saving works. I hear it was created to save candles at night as people was able to have longer daylight if they made their clock 1 hour earlier when sun came out earlier and set latter in summer. Also people was able to get more sunshine with it.
It seems that Japan used to have daylight saving for a while but now we don't. I think it'll be very complicated if Japan has daylight saving again because when countries in the northern hemisphere make their clocks 1 hour earlier, countries in the south hemisphere do the opposite.

March 15th 2007 (today)
****North hemisphere ****
Japan --- 21:00
New York --- 8:00 (Daylight saving)
Chicago --- 7:00 (DS)
Saltlake city --- 6:00 (DS)
Los Angels --- 5:00 (DS)
Europe is still in winter time
Helsinki, Kiev,Athens,Istanbul --- 14:00
Rome,Paris,Berlin,Madrid,Prague --- 13:00
London,Dublin,Lisbon --- 12:00
****South Hemisphere ****
Welington --- 24:00 (DS)
Sydney --- 23:00(DS)
Perth --- 21:00(DS)


It'll be like below in this coming May
****North hemisphere ****
Japan --- 21:00
New York --- 8:00 (Daylight saving)
Chicago --- 7:00 (DS)
Saltlake city --- 6:00 (DS)
Los Angels --- 5:00 (DS)
Helsinki, Kiev,Athens,Istanbul --- 15:00(DS)
Rome,Paris,Berlin,Madrid,Prague --- 14:00(DS)
London,Dublin,Lisbon --- 13:00(DS)
****South Hemisphere ****
Welington --- 23:00
Sydney --- 22:00
Perth --- 20:00


And when countries in the north hemisphere make thier clocks 1 hour back, they do the opposite in the south hemisphere
****North hemisphere ****
Japan --- 21:00
New York --- 7:00
Chicago --- 6:00
Saltlake city --- 5:00
Los Angels --- 4:00
Helsinki, Kiev,Athens,Istanbul --- 14:00
Rome,Paris,Berlin,Madrid,Prague --- 13:00
London,Dublin,Lisbon --- 12:00
****South Hemisphere ****
Welington --- 24:00 (DS)
Sydney --- 23:00(DS)
Perth --- 21:00(DS)


When we see what's going on from Japan, Japan is 14 hours forward from New York in summer, 13 hours in winter. 1 hour backward from Sydney in summer ( in Japan), 2 hours in winter ( in Japan ). But if people see this in any countries that have daylight saving, time in the opposite hemisphere might be horrible lol.... Sydney is 14 hours forward from New York in summer ( in the north hemisphere ), 16 hours in winter. Additionally, each and every country that has daylight saving doesn't make their clocks forward/backward at the same time. Every country does that when it's convenient to them.
How do they describe the flight schedule for a flight that connects Europe and Australia via U.S.A TODAY!?!?!?!?!?!? lol.....
If Japan took daylight saving, I think people have to work by minding the time difference would have hard time for a while until they get used to it.

Hayaokidori website

Biggest snow

...in this season but it's already in the second half of March.

This is not a big snow which they predicted in weather forcast last night. In my opinion, a big snow is like 50cms in a night.

But ski slopes got more snow!!

Just a tiny bit of distance from our place to ski slope but sometimes it makes big difference as to snow.
I usually wonder when I need to play my snowblower when we have some snowfalls but this time I collect snow in our parking by a snowdump.


And put them onto a flowerbed.

Now I can make some holes for candles to get in. Candles with fire looks so nice at night which I really love. Maybe making holes and stuff is the work for tomorrow, not for today. When you get older, you can't do this and that so much at a time or you'll have problems here and there e.g. sore muscles, be careful :-)

Hayaokidori website

Kiha 58 series express train "Daisen"

Connected Osaka and Hamada, Masuda and Taisha in San-in region.
This picture below was probably taken in 1976.

"Daisen" was exactly a long distance express train which kept leaving Osaka at 9:50 for long time. Trains for San-in region were usually in service via Fukuchiyama line e.g. limited express train "Matsukaze" which connected Osaka to Hakata all the way along the San-in main line. Also, limited express "Hamakaze" and express "Tajima" were available via Bantan line.
"Daisen" had some cars for Hamada or Masuda, and some others for Taisha. Cars for Taisha were devided from others at Izumoshi station. If I remember correctly there were some other cars which were left at Yonago, Tottori or Toyooka.
If I dare say, we could fantasize some trips when we find that many destination signboards in one train. Pay attention, the last diesel car you see now don't have aircondition machine at its ceiling. Didn't know there were still some non aircondition diesel cars for that south regions at that time. 101 series commutor train cars are also visible in this picture.

Hayaokidori website

Footprint

Hummmmhhh! Found some mysterious footprints.


Keeps going on....


It keeps going on and on and on but I can not follow all the way to the end. No time for it!!! It's nice to live in a snowy deep mountain to find this kind of nature stuff.
By the way, in English they call them above "footprint". But why singler not plural? Wonder if they don't say "feetprints" as the plural form of "foot" is "feet".
Am going to ask it to my guests now staying in our place lol....

Hayaokidori website

One snowy day and the next fine day

When it snows, it feels a bit depressed.


The next fine day looks like this.


Hayaokidori website