Today April 2021

[thomas]

Members of our bicycle forum will be familiar with the "Today" thread format where people can post whatever's on their mind (forum rules do apply): news (that warrant no discussion thread), thoughts, photos, etc. These threads - started every month - have proven to be quite popular. I'd like to see if they'll gain some traction here, too.


Although not into baseball myself, I'd like to start with yesterday's opening pitch at Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Performing, most elegantly: kabuki actor Ukon Onoe II (photos by Sankei).





More photos:

「血が沸き立つような思いで、わくわく」　歌舞伎の尾上右近さん始球式　

阪神ファンで何度も試合を観戦したことがあるという歌舞伎俳優の尾上右近さんが２日、阪神－中日戦（京セラ）で、歌舞伎の衣装のまま今季最初のホームゲームの始球式に臨…

www.sankei.com

 

[thomas]

 

[mdchachi]

So there's no particular theme? Just free association, posting whatever comes to mind?

 

[thomas]

So there's no particular theme? Just free association, posting whatever comes to mind?

Precisely. Personal and everyday stuff, news of not so serious nature, etc., I'll probably use it to post Japan-related photos found in the news or on social media. It works well on our other forum. JREF is less "chatty", so let's see.

 

[johnnyG]

Today: early coffee, walked the dog, trash day (plastics, PET/cans), bike ride (plus a little cleanup/maintenance), shower and shave, grocery shopping (only ¥4900...), and made dinner (veggie soup, but using some pork stock I had on hand, plus salads and reheated rice). Did the dishes, too. My wife, who has recently retired, got used to me doing the weekday dinners, maybe now we need to alternate a little more. There's leftover soup, so that'll be an easy part of another meal a couple days from now.

It was supposed to be a pushup day (usu. every other day), but I'll count this as a day off and reset to tomorrow, friday, and so on.

 

[mdchachi]

Warmest day of the year so far here. It hit 24 degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to make it up to 28. This is after just 6 days ago the high temperature was 1 degree and we had some snow that day. Global warming? Not necessarily. These weather extreme aren't that unusual around here in the Great Lake State.

 

[thomas]

Brilliant day here today, too. I wish it was like this all year long. Went to explore a few temples in the Ofuna area. Not much left on our Kamakura to-do list.

 

[Petaris]

Yesterday was amazing, looks like today is going to be pretty nice too. Finally some sun and warmth!

 

[mdchachi]

If anybody is missing a big statue sized bowling pin, I think I found it.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

goo.gl

 

[Uncle Frank]

Here it is in the middle of April and we are due to get a Nor'easter "SNOW" storm tomorrow with high winds. I think it's my fault because I moved my snow blowers and snow shovels to the back end of my garage and got my lawnmower ready to mow in the front of my garage. I'm hoping we don't lose power and any snow we get melts soon.

 

[mdchachi]

We actually got a tiny bit of snow today. It didn't stick since high temps made it to 45.

 

[thomas]

This is breaking news for @Uncle Frank:

Coco-chan, a cat living in Toyama, got commended for saving an older person who'd fallen into a ditch. In the course of this year's "spring national traffic safety campaign" (春の全国交通安全運動), Coco-chan was appointed honorary chief constable for a day. I'm not sure the kitty is too pleased about the honours.

 

[mdchachi]

More bowling pins I ran across. But these are fully deployed.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

goo.gl

 

[thomas]

More bowling pins I ran across. But these are fully deployed.

I need to ask... are you planning your next trip to Japan?

 

[thomas]

Stories I love to read.

 

[mdchachi]

I need to ask... are you planning your next trip to Japan?

No. The work I'm doing will in some small part support autonomous driving in Japan someday.
But I must say as I look at these random places I would like to take a Japanese road trip again some day.
All the little restaurants and road side stops. Yum.

 

[thomas]

No. The work I'm doing will in some small part support autonomous driving in Japan someday.
But I must say as I look at these random places I would like to take a Japanese road trip again some day.
All the little restaurants and road side stops. Yum.

Sounds good. Keep them pins posted, lol.

Yesterday, I had the first (and most likely last) Dr Pepper in my life. I wonder how popular it is in Japan.

 

[mdchachi]

Sounds good. Keep them pins posted, lol.

Yesterday, I had the first (and most likely last) Dr Pepper in my life. I wonder how popular it is in Japan.

There's some similarity to Guarana which was popular in Japan for a little while. Do you still see it?

ガラナ at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[thomas]

There's some similarity to Guarana which was popular in Japan for a little while. Do you still see it?

It still seems to be available online. I have never seen it in any supermarket or combini in Kanto.

I found this on a bridge over the Tama today: fish lovers and bird haters, lol.

 

[mdchachi]

No respect for cormorants!

 

[thomas]

No respect for cormorants!

It seems to go deeper than that:

Cormorant culling

In 2013, the Japanese population of great cormorants, Phalacrocorax carbo, was estimated to be over 100,000 birds. The conflict between increasing great cormorant populations and the ayu (or ayu sweetfish Plecoglossus altivelis) has led the Japanese government to implement cormorant culling. The ayu is one of the most popular species for commercial and recreational fisheries in Japan. In Shiga prefecture, great cormorants have been responsible for impacts to forests (through alteration of habitat and guano deposition) and fisheries (through predation). At the Lake Biwa rookeries, between 10,000 and 25,000 cormorants were shot annually between 2004 and 2012 (except 2008, during which no birds were shot). Since 2009, sharpshooters have been employed by the government to undertake the culling, replacing hunters.

And in Europe, too:

The Birds Directive

EU laws and measures to protect Europe’s wild bird species

ec.europa.eu

 

[Uncle Frank]

I always felt bad for them. Kind of like you get a taste of a big juicy steak and they yank it away from you.

 

[Lothor]

OUR fishes? The basic problem with humanity in a nutshell.

 

[thomas]

John 8: 1-11... but seriously, wouldn't throwing stones constitute animal cruelty?