Wednesday, February 5, 2003

What I did today Today, I... Went to work; Caught up with lots of things that needed doing at work; Made some more preparations for the Ogiri event; Went to taiko practice.

The Okurokamijima story seems to be coming to an end today, with the Mayor of Okimi Town resigning, and the plan being shelved, according to an article in the Chugoku Shimbun. I think that it's a shame that things have come to this, and so soon. The plan surely merited a period of considered discussion and debate; it seems that all that have been heard are gut reactions. I think too- as I commented yesterday- that, irrespective of the merits or demerits of the plan, the Mayor deserves respect for thinking constructively about the town's problems, and for making concrete attempts to improve things.

Who- or what- is Terry Tate? And what on earth does he have to do with the Breakfast Show? I don't have a clue as to the answers to either of these questions, but what I do know that is that I'm getting around 20 hits a day from searches on Yahoo and Google on this term. Perhaps I use Google myself to find out who the mysterious Terry Tate is... Anyway, thanks, Terry, for the hits!

Japan A-Z Umeboshi Umeboshi are plums pickled in salt (the name actually means 'dried plum'). Umeboshi are sour but refreshing, and are often put in glasses shochu (Japanese spirit) for flavouring. Eating umeboshi is also supposed to protect against hangovers. Umeboshi also taste good with rice, and as such are often used in o-nigiri (rice balls), and as an accompaniment to the rice in box lunches. The umeboshi is often place in the middle of the rice in the box lunch, in a representation of the Japanese flag, the Hi-no-Maru.