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| One Day in Sep., 2008 |
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Today is Tuesday, Oct. 15th, 2013.
I am working to dispose of unnecessary files from my PC, listening to
the radio news which says the large-scale typhoon 26, Wipha, may hit the
Kanto area directly tomorrow.
I find a small essay burried in Memorundom Square. The date of Sep., 2008
shows it was written five years ago. Supposedly I must have thought to
make some essay works that time, adding several others.
I am going to report it in this "Short Story Square" as a note. |
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| 1. A Long Novel and Reading Struggle |
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You are transported back to five years ago. It is now September 13th,
2008.
There is the following haiku, or a short poem, in today's morning paper
of Mainichi. |
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| 〝Hagi saite yachin 5 yen no ieni sumu." (by Shiki) |
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"What a nice blossam of bushclovers!
I live in a house of 5 yen rent."
Shiki Masaoka |
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| This haiku is said to have been made in September, 1901, when Shiki, the
poet, lived at Negishi, Tokyo. And also the paper says bushclovers were
in their bloom in the backyard. |
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| "Kaki kueba kanega narunari Horyuji" |
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"I am eating kaki (a persimmon), while
the bell is ringing at the temple Horyuji"
Shiki Masaoka |
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Yes, I like kaki much more than bushclovers.
The season of kaki is near at hand. I could hardly wait for it. We have
had a long spell of intense heat this summer, and even today is like in
midsummer. For sure, kaki will be simply delicious in the season.
I wrote the following in the novel, sometime back. |
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A lot of kaki are over the shop counter. They are Fuyu-gaki, Jiro-gaki, Tone-gaki, Nishimura-gaki, etc., and are from various producing areas such as Gifu, Wakayama, Fukuoka, Nara, etc.
Ryohei Tsubune's pleasure is to walk on the road lined with cherry trees
along Sakai River to the seaside of Urayasu, biting an appetizing kaki.
He is tasting happiness this year too.
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| I traveled in Italy six years ago. What town was it? In the suburbs of
Rome? I bought a couple of temple bell kaki, and took a bite of one at
the hotel room. Its strong astringency made my eyes rolled in near panic.
The inside of my mouth had a pain the next whole day.
The following poor haiku is the confession of my feeling at the time. |
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| 〝Kaki kuute yokuzo Nihonni umarekeri〟 |
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| The taste of kaki makes me homesick to Japan. |
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| The next year when Emiko, my wife, and I traveled around Eastern Europe,
I bought the same kind of kaki at Dresden, Germany and Vienna, Austria.
I tried to eat one of them carefully at each town, and found this time
both of them were terrific! I wrote in my travel book, "Kaki is the
best in Eastern Europe." |
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This intense-heat summer was especially severe to me. Let me talk about
why.
Four years ago, I finished the novel based on my precious experience with
Mr. N, ahead of me in university. He published the private printing book
in memory of his eighty-eighth birthday, in which my novel was included.
He passed away just after that. (..... I owe my life to him since 60 years
of my age, when I met him for the first time.) |
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Two years afterward at the beginning of this August, I decided to revise
the novel, and finally finished it yesterday. It confined me one month
and a half.
The title was renewed to "The Story of the Auditorium Where Monsters
Live". There is something left for fine tuning, however, I ended its
reading through and uploaded to the internet.
The reading in midsummer was harder than any other time to me. In the morning my voice needs something, and at night it's more important to drink. This means there is no chance except in the hot daytime under the intense heat from fine weather everyday.
More than that, reading has three merits to me.
First, it is a strong helper to polish sentences.
Second, I may be remembered in coming age by my wonderful voice.
Third and the best, it contributes to my health of mind.
It was in the middle of August to begin reading, while adding the last
revision of the contents including expressions and basic grammar.
To avoid any noise outside and inside all the windows were shut with no
air conditioning, so that what could be heard was only my voice. Then I
am ready for the voice recorder. As the endurance for reading makes me
so nervous, two hours are the maximum limit each time. On the way many
times, I have to stop reading by telephones and bells at the entrance and
to start it over again. Though it makes me angry, I devote myself solely
to reading and re-reading. I don't know how to edit reading process. Therefore
I have to read each section through. The length is about 15-20 minutes,
which is the balance for re-reading.
It would supposedly consist of two volumes in paperback if it were published,
considering the total reading time is nearly ten hours. The real reading
time might have been far over a whole day.
Dripping with sweat, jumping into the water bath after each reading, I
just managed to reach the end, without losing my health.
As mentioned before, I newly named the title of the novel "The Story
of the Auditorium Where Monsters Live". It is placed in "Essay,
Travel and Novel Square" divided into the stories 46, 47 and 48. The
contents will be made clear while you read or listen to, however, I doubt
you will do it through, anyway. I know it quite well myself, as it is the
novel by an amateur, also super long, and moreover it is not very exciting
nor a disconsolate love story, though a lot of monsters appear in and out
the auditorium.
The reading itself has its own problems. It doesn't come out under Apple
system nor Windows 8, as well as each downloading sometimes takes 15 minutes
or so. I really feel awkward and impatient.
Therefore, I have to surrender and admit this novel is my milestone of
68 years old. It is surely the product of self-satisfaction.
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| Shiki's haiku (short poem) appears in a certain paragraph in the novel
where the hero visits Okura Shukokan (Museum) designed by Chuta Ito, the
giant of architecture. |
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| "Yuku akino karasumo tonde shimaikeri." |
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"Autumn is going away.
Crows have already flied away." |
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Did Shiki make this haiku in the bed at Negishi?
At noon, Ryohei Tsubune, Eriko Fukami and Mari Nomizo got together at
the lobby on the 5th floor of Hotel Okura, Minato-Ward. This hotel has
kept the same at-ease and relaxing atmosphere for forty years, since it
was opened by Kishichiro Okura, the son of Kihachiro. Three of them lost
themselves in an elegant quietness in a moment at the sofa. |
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| ２．Everyday Meal |
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My every morning starts early. I wake up at 4:00am and get up at 5:00.
It is the same this morning.
I walk around the apartment just after getting up. Then follow mail check and watching TV news. I prepare breakfast at 6:00, while Emiko, my wife, is sleeping in peace.
My bread is one 10th sliced piece. Ketchup, onion, tabasco and easy-melt
cheese are topped. The bread with toppings is baked for 4 minutes in the
oven toaster.
I drink milk tea this morning instead of coffee, and a glass of vegetable
juice with black vinegar.
My yogart is special. It is the mixture of on-sale yogart and milk by
1:5. It is matured in the yogart maker for seven hours. I put three spoonfuls
of my home-made yogart in the plate, topped by fig jam. Half of a pear
is for dessert.. |
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| I am accustomed to eat Japanese noodle like soba, somen, udon, or spaghetti
for lunch. As the timing is not matched with Emiko, I make my lunch myself.
Sometimes it is the turn of curry and rice, which is my pride and really
so delicious that every time Emiko cries joyfully in admiration.
Every dinner is Emiko's home cooking. The main dish is mostly fish. I
choose drinks like beer, sake, shochu, whisky, whatever, adjusting to the
dish. I start an alone-drinking bout around 6:00pm, seeing TV.
I go to bed at 8:00pm, and then read the evening paper, listening to rakugo
in the iPod......
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What a good example of a day!, nonetheless.....
In the result of the latest senior medical checkup, I found three items
of worry and uneasiness, though I don't like to open them. I hope my subjective
symptoms will prove groundless.
"You are always exaggerated!", I wish Emko's advice will be
true. |
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| ３．Photo in Sep. 13th, 2008 |
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I visited "Exhibition of Ippeki-kai" by the amateur painter
group, and took most of their pictures. Then I worked making its photo
collection in order to add it to my homepage afterward.
I informed Mr. S of my tentative works. He invited me to the exhibition.
We were classmates in high school.
He replied OK for opening on the internet by return mail, attaching the
photo shown below.
The white and black hair is a matter of fact, however, I found my forehead
has been spread out. It's my habit to apply hair cream a little bit when
I join this kind of meeting. But usually I never apply anything but water
to my head nor face. Although a little too late, I am going to buy hair
tonic. |
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The black T-shirt is my favorite, bought in Egypt this June. The "hieroglyph"
letters of KOSHIBA are encircled by the "cartouche" which was
used only by Pharaoh, the king, during the Pyramid era. "I am Pharaoh
Koshiba" is my poor joke to everybody. The cloth is surely Egyptian
cotten with a guarantee of comfortability.
The three pictures behind are Mr. S's works. Both of us are 68 years old.
He said, "I am young among the members." Such being the case,
his painter group is the one of "Viva, Seniors!" A 91-year-old
gentleman, a couple of over 80 ladies......
It is the 14th this year, the proof of their continuation in high spirits.
You can see their masterpieces in the "Someday@Somewhere Square"
as "The Exhibition of Ippeki-kai 2008." |
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| Reading (21:16) on |
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