Month: June 2017

A pair of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) made a nest on the light box.  The light kept the nest warm at night.  There is a large pond nearby; therefore, plenty of insects are available to feed nestlings.  Incubating the eggs about two weeks, five fledglings appeared from the nest.  The pair kept busy feeding the fledglings.  Finally, yesterday morning they left the nest.  At night, the five fledglings and their parents rest and sleep under the eaves of the house.  It is believed that having a swallow nesting in a house brings good luck in Japan.

Barn Swallows, Nagasaka, Yamanashi, 6/26/2017

Three weeks ago, in the evening, a kitten was crying in the shade somewhere.  It was a three weeks-to-one-month-old kitten.  A pretty one, black and white, but it was oiled and the left side was covered with silicone glue.  The condition was nasty, apparently abused.  I worried about not only her physical damage, but also her psychological damage.  However, she ate well and played well, so she recovered very quickly.  Today, there was an adoption event for needed cats and dogs organized by the local animal-rescue association.  Although my little one did not like the location and the atmosphere and she was so nervous, but she caught attention instantly from several people.  Two families showed interest in adoption.  I chose the family in the next town.  I hope that she will make a new life there with full of love and care.

A Kitten, Nagasaka, Yamanashi, 6/18/2017

A short Aokigahara Woodland-Trail walk in the village of Narusawa in Yamanashi Prefecture was conducted for an Australian couple (Refer to GALLERY and previous posts).  It was a little cloudy in the morning, but it became fine around noon.  It was an almost perfect day for a woodland walk.  We met a large group of school children in the wood.  They were very energetic and all of them greeted us.  We walked to the Wild Bird’s Forest Park and to the Ryugu Lava Cave.  In the middle of the trail, rather large colonies of chlorophyll-less saprophyte, Monotropastrum humile were observed.

Aokigahara Woodland, Narusawa-village, Yamanashi, 6/06/2017

A workshop for the duty to be assigned at the Mount Fuji 5th Way-point Management Center was conducted at the Fujisan (Mount Fuji) World Heritage Center in the town of Fujikawaguchiko (https://www.fujisan-whc.jp/en/).  Every year, there are a great number of cases that the climbers and visitors need medical attention.  In this workshop, the participants learned how to assist the nurse at the First Aid Room in English practicing the case which had actually happened in the previous years.  Native English speakers took the roles of the patients.  Most likely scenarios using the basic medical terms which dealt with the medical symptoms and physical conditions were discussed.  Since there are a lot of Chinese-speaking visitors, the point and speak in Chinese was practiced in the last session.

The second factory tour was conducted at Ishitomo Co., Ltd. (http://www.ishitomo.co.jp/).  Ishitomo applies the in-house integrated production system.  All the production procedures from the designing to the final production are conducted in Ishitomo.  This policy materializes the flexible production depending upon the clients’ needs.  Also, in Ishitomo, each craftsman is responsible for all the production processes from the initial molding through the final polishing.  Ishitomo sets the standard of quality control extremely high.  In this way, Ishitomo can maintain the superb quality of its products.  Furthermore, the company accepts OEM and ODM requests, making it more attractive for its clientele. Ishitomo Co., Ltd. and Lucky Co., Ltd. are going to participate in the JUNE Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center during 22-25 June 2017.

Jewelry making processes, Ishitomo Co. Ltd., Kofu, Yamanashi, 6/02/2017