Anna Matsushita

 In 1990, I came back to Japan from the UK, in an attempt to go to a university in Tokyo. Back in those days, high school diplomas given by scholls in abroad were not really accepted by universities in Japan, Even though you finished A-level or SAT, you still have to go through an entrance examination. Not many universities let students who studied abroad, so we were left with very few choices.   I failed my first university examination. I have not used Japanese for a while, and I was not familiar with essay writing in Japanese. It was pressurising to write these Kanji characters in handwriting, hoping that I didn’t make much mistakes – which, probably I did.   I took summer course for students who graduated from high schools abroad, to brush up English and Japanese languages, as well as essay writing, Withing two months intense course, I became much more confident using the both languages.   I took another entrance examination at a university in Tokyo. I recall there mus

 It must have been about twenty-five years ago. Our colleagues and I had just graduated from university that year and landed jobs at a small travel agency. Specializing in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, the company thoroughly immersed us in the geography, history, tourist attractions, and various local cuisines of Europe through our work.   Among our colleagues were those who, during their student days, embarked on budget travels abroad, boldly exploring various countries. We exchanged experiences, learning from each other, and absorbed knowledge like sponges from our seniors, as we navigated through our daily routines.   At that time, my role involved researching travel ideas for sales outside by obtaining information from overseas branches. Information available domestically required my personal research, compilation, and storage. Despite the bursting of the economic bubble about five to six years earlier, Japan still had a thriving population eager for information on l

Many years ago, during my stay in the UK, I was aware that pubs offered cidre, known as "cider" in English. However, for some reason, my British acquaintances strongly discouraged me from ordering apple cider. They claimed it was not something young people should drink, that it wouldn't suit Japanese taste buds, and that Japanese people were not accustomed to strong alcohol, which they believed apple cider to be. Their opinions, particularly the insistence that "it doesn't suit Japanese palates," left me puzzled. Despite their claimed familiarity with Japan, it seemed they were determined to prevent me from trying apple cider. Looking back, I suspect they may have had a negative experience recommending it to a Japanese person in the past, perhaps to avoid disappointing me. After several decades, I finally had the opportunity to savor British-made apple cider. A Tokyo-based restaurant had a menu featuring about eight types of apple cider. Recalling my past en

On a family trip to Scotland many years ago, we found ourselves venturing into the crisp embrace of the Scottish Highlands. Despite the late-August timing, the weather was already chilly, rendering our summer attire woefully inadequate.   Our journey commenced in Edinburgh, and after some sightseeing, we boarded a train to the vicinity of Inverness, where a recently established hotel awaited our arrival. The manager, a gracious woman, went above and beyond, sharing a plethora of information about the hotel's offerings from our arrival to settling into our rooms. Eager to shake off the travel stiffness after the train journey to Inverness, we took a refreshing dip in the hotel's pool.   Arriving at dinner time, we were led to the hotel's restaurant where a three-course meal awaited us. The manager continued her attentive service, highlighting the freshness of the salad vegetables harvested that very morning from a nearby farm.   As the main course was served, our

Once there was a lady called Mrs. P.  She had been working at a Japanese company in London for long time, and everyone loved her personality – humorous and fun-loving, relaxed and never swaggering during her long career at the company. One day, a staff of the company organized BBQ at her house, and many guests enjoyed the BBQ including Mrs. P. There were about twenty of us, including children. Drinks for toast have been served, and host of the BBQ worked on the BBQ grill, and people started eating meat and vegetable. On the day, the host prepared may drinks, including wine, beer, soft drinks and whiskey, and each of us picked and enjoyed our favourite drinks with BBQ. It must have been around the middle of BBQ when I was chatting with Mrs, P, I became curious with what she was drinking. It was transparent drink in a whiskey glass, with a slice of lime on the edge of the glass. I asked her what she was drinking, “Gin and Tonic” was her answer.   Gin and Tonic is a popular cock

 On a Spring long time ago, I stayed in Ireland for a month with a group of my friends. We travelled around Ireland, and stayed in Dublin for about a week. As we had a plenty of time, some of us went to Inishmore on the west coast.   The Aran islands are the group of three islands off the west coast of Ireland, including Inishmore, Inisheer, and Inishmaan. They may be popular place for those who knit as the islands of Aran Jumpers, with iconic cable patterns.   We took a long distant coach from Dublin to Galway, a gateway to Aran Island where the ferry to the islands departs. Galway is known as a birthplace of cladder ring, one of the popular souvenir of Ireland. The design of the ring is a combination of crown-topped heart held by two hands. This design may be well-known for Irish accessories. The heart represents love, the crown represents faith, and the hands represents friendship. I heard that the rings are used as an engage ring. We saw this impressive cladder pattern on o

  Our local shrine’s festival resumed for the first time in three years. Streets were once again jolly with illuminated lanterns. Kids were playing wood flute and drums to add festive feeling. They were performing the music in front of train station. People enjoyed the music in the evening.   I assume that the shrine must have planned the festival when the number of corona patients were decreasing daily – at least until June 2022. People must have put much effort into the preparation, looking forward once again to practice the music, drew out the portable shrine (Omikoshi) ready to be carried around the town, and float to carry the music bands.   Before COVID-19, the festival was like these;   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oWNuFH-CIg https://youtu.be/97cu-n3QXrc I watched the children playing music with somewhat mixed feeling. By the time the festival started, the number of COVID-19 patients were increasing at tremendous speed. I was tracking only the daily figure