Lang-8にアップしている日記（２０１７年）です。
Here are some excerpts from my diary in Lang-8.
I appreciate it if you correct my English :)
("-chan," which you often see in my diary, is something used when we call or mention someone who is very young. It's also used when you call girls' names in Japan, as in "Hanako-chan," "Fumie-chan." This "-chan" plays an important role in Japanese in that it gives you a vivid image of a little kid instantly in your mind. I may not use "-chan" when I write something in English, but it has become part of my daughters' names when I call their names, so I cannot help but use it :) )
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- January 7
Tenth Anniversary
My family and I enjoyed a short trip in Tokyo to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our wedding. My wife first insisted we go to Hawaii, where we went for our honeymoon trip. But due to financial reasons, we settled for the send best; Tokyo Disney Land. We visited Tokyo Disney Sea on the first day, Tokyo Disney Land on the second day, and on the last day we went to two famous temples and Tokyo Sky Tree.
The first temple, which my wife took me to for a surprise, is said to be the very first place where Japanese famous "Manekineko (Lucky Cat dolls)" were born. My children and I are cat people, so we were overjoyed. In front of the cat statues were "Katsuobushi (shaved dried bonito)" which had probably been donated by some worshipers. We had a good laugh.
- January 11
Oops
"Daddy, it's time to change the Band-Aid."
"Is it? Well, didn't you change it last night?"
"No. I changed it the day before yesterday. 100 percent sure about it."
My second daughter, Haru-chan, helps me to change the Band-Aid on my shoulder every other night. She is a very talented and organized nurse; she has never failed to change my Band-Aid for the last couple of months.
Last night she reminded me of the Band-Aid thing as usual, and I said to her jokingly, "Thanks again. Oh, will you marry me, Haru-chan?"
Later that night I went up to my wife to ask her where my favorite umeshu plum wine was. She replied, "Why don't you ask your new wife?"
- January 23
I'm Proud of You
I'm a teacher at senior high school. In Japan, students clean the classroom after school.
Every three or four days, I ask one of the students to take the bag of the litter in the wastebasket to the dump on the first floor. They usually play janken to decide who will throw it away.
A girl named Kurumi had a slight cold yesterday. She looked a little down, but was willing to join the janken.
Girls in the same cleaners' group asked her not to join the janken, to which she refused.
Then another girl, Mayuka, walked to her and whispered, "Okay then. If you lose your janken, let me take the litter bag for you."
- February 11
Plus One
Last night, my son Yuta asked me to carry him on my shoulders to the bedroom. He always massages my shoulders in return, so I asked him how many times he would massage me.
"Ten." He answered.
"Oh, ten? Come on, show some mercy." I said.
"Eleven." He said.
- February 13
Theory Proven
Tomoka: This cereal is good. Yuta, give me some more.
Yuta: Here you are. But leave some for Haru-chan.
My wife: I'm proud of you, Yuta.
Me: Yeah. How generous of you. I bet that generosity comes from my side of the family.
My Wife: Oh, excuse me? From mine, of course.
(minutes later)
My wife: Oh, please! Stop using my chopsticks, Mom!
- February 14
Gourmet
Haru-chan has never used her monthly allowances, so my mother asked her how much money she had saved so far.
"8,000 yen," she answered.
"Come again? You could buy a, I don't know, a small TV, a bicycle or something. What on earth are you going to buy with that kind of money?" I asked.
"Steak," she answered.
- February 22
Dogs
The other day, my family and I visited an uncle's house. My wife's cousin will get married soon, and we celebrated it with a small gift.
The uncle has a dog, which my family gave many years ago. On arriving at the house, the dog Yuki wagged her tail in a big way and jumped at us. I saw Yuki for the first time in a long, long time, so I was surprised. Yuki became much bigger and fatter than I had expected. Yuki once was a slim dog, but now looks like a little barrel.
In the living room, I asked why. The uncle said Yuki is a popular dog in the neighborhood and gets food very often from the neighbors, or "fans".
He told us something surprising about Yuki; when my mother comes to their house, he can instantly tell because when Yuki whines a lot. Yuki never whines in any other case.
I was once again surprised, because Yuki moved to the uncle's house, Yuki was only 10 days old or so. I wondered Yuki reacted to her mother dog's spirit, Hana, or something. My mother was taking good care of Hana.
This reminded me of something else.
I lost my biological mother 13 years ago. She fell down due to a sudden subarachnoid hemorrhage. On that day, my father was walking our pet dog Mari. Mari usually took a set route for a walk, but somehow, Mari took a different turn for a shortcut to get home earlier. This helped my father to find her wife on the living room floor earlier. (She couldn't make it, though)
Mari had received lots of love from my mother.
I'm a cat person, but I admire dogs because they have something divine in them.
- March 7
Trading
It was a perfect March day last weekend, so my family and I went to the park in the neighborhood. We usually first drop by the convenience store and pick out some afternoon snacks to eat at the park.
My son Yuta is not old enough to open the bag of the snacks, and always comes to me.
He came to me as usual and I opened his bag up. He then thanked me and gave me two gummy candies.
"Oh, thank you. How generous of you." I received the candies.
"Give me two chocolates." Yuta said.
- March 13
Impossible
My students came to the barbecue party at my house yesterday. It was a sunny day, so we had a great time cooking, eating and chatting.
One of the boys carried my little son Yuta on his shoulders in the nearby park. The student is 185 cm tall, and Yuta looked overjoyed. My daughter Haru-chan joined the "super horse-riding" too.
Later in the evening, Haru-chan said to me, "Daddy, can I ask you a favor?"
"Yes. What?" I asked.
"Get taller," she answered.
- March 15
Orders
My son Yuta's nursery serves lunch, but sometimes parents have to prepare lunch. My wife has been very busy preparing for the Cherry Blossom Festival in the town, so I decided to cook yesterday.
At the dinner table Yuta said, "Daddy, put some rolled egg in my lunch box."
In the bathroom he said, "Oh, Daddy? I want to eat strawberries too."
In the bed, he crawled up to me and said, "Daddy, I want rice with furikake."
(furikake: flavorful food additive consisting of dried seaweed, salt, etc, that is sprinkled over steamed rice)
- April 3
He Remembers
I give monthly allowances to Tomo-chan and Haru-chan, who are elementary school students.
The youngest one, Yuta, is still a nursery kid and he doesn't receive any money except for one thing: otoshidama, which is a money gift on New Year's Day.
In Japan, children get otoshidama from grandparents, parents and relatives on New Year's Day. When Yuta received his otoshidama, I took it away promising him that I would give it back to him when he grows up.
Last evening, I gave my daughters monthly allowances. Watching it, Yuta came up to me and asked me something.
"Daddy, can I have my allowance too?"
"No, you can't. You're too young for that," I replied.
"Okay. Uh, by the way, do you still have my otoshidama?" he asked.
- April 4
Getting Smarter
Yuta, three years old;
"Daddy, can you carry me on your shoulders?"
Yuta, five years old;
"Daddy, I'm a bit sleepy. Can you carry me on your shoulders?"
"Daddy, I'll massage you at night. Can you carry me on your shoulders?"
- May 6
Haru-chan Will Be ...
During the Golden Week holidays, my family and I enjoyed going for a drive and eating at a vegetable buffet. On our way home by car, my wife said, "I wonder what Haru-chan will be in the future."
"Beats me. A cake shop owner, maybe?" she replied.
"What do you think?" she asked me then.
"Ah-ah. Don't talk to Daddy behind the wheel. Concentrate." Haru-chan cut in.
"(Reaching out for a coffee can) Well, I bet Haru-chan will be ..." I wondered.
"Oh, Daddy, don't drink coffee while driving! How many times must we go through this?"
(I thought she would become a perfect teacher at a driving school)
- May 15
Being Honest
(I tell my children to be honest and try not to tell a lie)
Yesterday was Mother's Day, and I asked my children what I should cook for my wife and mother. Haru-chan suggested I cook Harumaki spring rolls.
"But that's what we ate the day before yesterday."
"Yep."
"Aren't we supposed to eat something different?"
"Harumaki it is."
"Oh, I get it. YOU want to eat Harumaki, right?"
"Yes."
- June 5
Realist
Last night my family and my daughter's friend went to see fireflies at a river in my town. This year we saw about twice as many fireflies as last year. It was breathtaking.
"Mom, I wish I could fly like this firefly," said Haru-chan.
"Oh, how romantic," replied my wife. "Where would you fly?"
"I'd fly to school every morning," said Haru-chan.
- June 9
Boasting
I lied beside Haru-chan last night to talk a bit. She told me to stay away.
"Daddy, it's hot and cramped. Go to your bed."
"Come on, give some mercy."
"I'm a bit tired too."
"Tired?"
"Uh-huh. You know, being an elementary school kid is tough."
"I don't get it."
"You don't? Hello, where have you been?"
"Name some examples. I mean, what exactly makes you tired?"
"You know, I gotta do my homework, which my teacher often praises. And I read the textbooks aloud in class, which my teacher wows, and I clean the classroom after school, which my teacher praises a lot."
- June 15
Teacher
The other day my family and I went to my uncle's funeral. He was 91.
He took good care of me and my children, so I felt very sad.
At dinner, my brothers, their family and we got together for the first time in years.
My brother's wife's father used to be a school principal. Being a school teacher, I went to him and had a talk over beer.
I asked him for advice. I was in a bit of an identity crisis; I have 16 different positions at work. Besides, I am counselor of my son's nursery school and the chief manager of sport events of the ward where I live. My private time is gone and I have to go to many night meetings, making total work hours well over 16 hours per day. Teaching English, my passion, takes up about one-twentieth of all my work now. I have to admit my lessons are not as exciting or educational as used to be. I asked him how I could manage all this.
He looked me in the eye and answered, "No matter how busy you may be, you have to teach your subject decently."
- June 19
That's What I Was Going to Say
Yesterday my wife took our parents, children and me to the hot spring resort in our town. It was Father's Day yesterday.
I really wanted to be relaxed because I had worked for 15 hours a day on average over the past week. So I really enjoyed the bath.
Back in the car, my 5-year-old son Yuta sat down and said, "Oh, boy! Now my fatigue is gone!"
- June 22
Brotherhood
My son Yuta has rashes on his arms and thighs, so my wife applies some ointment on him these days. Last night, she was busy doing the dishes, so I did it instead.
Haru-chan got out of the bathroom and cut in.
"That's not the way you apply the ointment, Daddy. Look, you're supposed to paste it wider until it looks less white ―"
My wife suggested Haru-chan dry her hair first, which she refused. "My brother is more important than me."
- June 25
Finance Minister
My family and I went to the sushi restaurant yesterday. I received the bonus the other day.
It was a sushi-go-round restaurant, and several kinds of plates went round. You can tell the prices of sushi from the colors of the plates in the restaurant. Haru-chan cut in every time someone picked up the sushi plates.
"That's 180 yen, Daddy."
"That's 100 yen. Go ahead, Yuta."
"Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh! That's 320 yen, sis!"
- August 7
Science Teacher
My family and I enjoyed barbecue for dinner last night. I was busy cutting vegetable, so I asked Haru-chan to make green tea.
She made the tea in a pitcher and opened the fridge. I noticed something and asked her about it.
"Haru-chan, how come the lid is not fully closed? I mean, what if someone knocks it down by accident?"
"This way, the air gets in the pitcher. A little air cools the tea faster."
- August 17
Proud of You
My family and I went to a swimming pool resort last week. We had a great time there.
After lunch, I asked Haru-chan to bring the tray back to the curry shop. She spotted some curry on the tray and asked me to pass her a wet tissue. The curry spot was so tiny that my wife suggested she just leave it. Haru-chan then replied, "I have to wipe it off. That's what my teacher tells me to do."
- August 29
Everyone
My family and I went to a brass band concert the other day. It was held at night, and two of my three kids were sound asleep for the first half of the show.
Wife: Tomo-chan, Yuta-kun, wake up.
Haru-chan: Right. Wake up already.
Tomo-chan: Huh? Where am I?
Haru-chan: In the music hall, sleepy head.
Wife: Come on, Yuta. The show is awesome!
Tomo-chan: Gee, did I miss anything?
Haru-chan: You did miss something, sis. Oh, I can’t believe you people. Sleeping in the great show.
Wife: Haru-chan?
Tomo-chan: But I couldn’t help it.
Haru-chan: I couldn’t help it, you say? Huh. And do you remember that the band is from daddy’s school?
Wife: Ahem, Haru-chan?
Haru-chan: How come you can be so rude to sleep in the middle ―
Wife: Haru, you were snoring.
- September 16
My Laundry Mentor
Haru-chan has started teaching me how to dry the laundry recently.
"Daddy, turn the sock inside out."
"Pinch the toe of the sock, not the other side."
"Hello, you gotta stretch the wrinkle first."
"Pants go with these clothes pins, and socks, those small ones."
"Oh, please. Where have you been for the last 40 years? You need to take lessons from grandma."
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