6)Saturday, March 22, 2008 Weather: Fine Flowers in spring

• I was staying in Germany last weekend for business trip and could not run.
• After an interval of 2 weeks, I intended to run alongside Ochiai and Kurome Rivers for 30 km.
• The weatherman said it would be fine and the temperature would be the same as that of Mid-April.
• I left home at 6:30 AM. It was still chilly in early morning.
• However, the temperature was gradually rising as the sun rose.
• I could see a various kinds of flowers were blossoming out owing to the scent of spring.
• The buds of cherry flowers are getting bigger and are to be blossoming out shortly.
• It is funs to run while enjoy looking for spring flowers. Of course, I shoot beautiful flowers with digital camera. The fascinatingly elegant pink flowers of peach were attractive.
• I could see clusters of horsetails on the bank of Kurome River.
  
  
  Forsythia Magnolia Peach Flowers
  
  
  
• I have an exhilarating feeling when running in spring. However, no thanks for anther dust.
• Today's running distance is 30 km.

5)Saturday, March 8, 2008 Weather: Sunny Spring has come! Pollen season has also come!

• Last weekend, I ran to the bank of Tama River and thus I headed to the bank of Arakawa River.
• It was fine and I left home at 9:00 AM. The temperature was rising, but cold wind was still blowing.
• I reached the bank via Ohizumi Central Park.
• On the way, I fond that the flowers of mitsumata plant were full bloom.
• The cold wind was blowing on the bank of Arakawa River. I felt chilly.
• Since the newspaper reported that the horsetails already appeared on the bank of Arakawa River, I struggled to look for horsetails while running. However, to my regret, I couldn't.
• While looking for horsetails, a young gal passed me jauntily.
• Instead of horsetails, I could found dandelions right and left. white cabbage butterflies were also flying. The spring has come!
  
  
  Mitsumata plant Dandelion
  
  
  Horsetail
  
  
  
• Pollen allergen has also come. It seemed pollen-heavy season started. I couldn't stop sneezing while running.
• On one's return route, I finally found horsetails on the bank of Kurome River.
• Following to the previous Saturday, I could manage to complete 40-km run. But I was tired.

4)Saturday, February 23, 2008 Weather: Sunny then cloudy First spring storm

• I have been busy since the beginning of this year and thus I have no time to run weekday.
• Therefore, I try to my best to run at least 50 km at every weekend.
• It has been cold this winter, but it was getting warmer this week. According to the weather forecast, the temperature would be up to 15 degrees Centigrade.
• I started for 30-km running to Tamako Lake at 9:45 AM.
• It was already warm enough. The wind was no cold.
• I could see Ume-flowers were coming out alongside Tamako Lake Cycling Road.
• I dropped in the Higashi-murayama Central Park and I found both white and red Ume-flowers were full bloom. I appreciated flowers for a while.
  
  
  Red-Ume Mitsumata plant White-Ume
  
  
  
• I also found the flowers of Mitsumata plant were coming out.
• I managed to run 30 km. I have to run 20 km next day.
• Within a few hours after return to my home, the first spring storm had come. It was 9-day delay compared with that of last year.
• I was lucky that I was not attacked by storm while I was running.

3)Sunday, February 10, 2008 Weather: Sunny Flowers of wintersweet and UME

• This year, we had snow a lot. Following the previous weekend, we had snow from the Saturday night. Thus my running distance in February is so short so far.
• The snow continued until early Sunday. When I waked up, I saw silvery landscape. The depth of snow was 3 cm.
• It was cloudy in the morning, and then the sun appeared. The snow started to melt. However, I gave up running in the morning owing to snow cover.
• I left home around 1:00 PM to Koganei Park to see the flowers of wintersweets.
• The snow still remained in the Koganei Park. I could see the flowers of wintersweets, however, it was almost over.
• At the entrance, it was said that the UME flower festival would start from February 17, I went to UME trees area.
• I found some UME trees already had flowers, then I took photos.
• The running distance so far was only 10 km.
• I had to run into the Tamako Lake Cycling Road to continue to run.
• I could run only 16 km last weekend owing to snow. Thus my running pace drastically slowed down owing to lack of training after 20 km point.
  
  
  Winter sweets UME flowers UME flowers
  
  
  
• Anyway, I could run 28 km after a long interval. It was cold after the half owing to north wind.
• The total running distance in February was only 44 km. I have to recover a loss in late February.

2)Sunday, January 6, 2008 Weather: Fine 2008 New-year Running Part II

• Today is the last day of the consecutive end-year/new-year holidays. I tried to make the rust run during the holidays.
• I left home at 7:00 AM. It was fine and frosted. It was freezing outside.
• I noticed the glare of the rising sun. The running course was alongside Karabori/Yanase Rivers.
• It was breezing. It was gradually getting warmer as the sun rose.
• Owing to contunued sunny weather, the volume of water at Karabori River was so little.
• On the way, I found the flowers of wintersweets.
• The flowers of narcissus started to blossom out at the Kanayama Grren Park of Kiyose City.
• I could see Mt. Fuji fully covered with snow from the foot of the Jozen Bridge of Yanase River under the fine weather.
  
  
  Wintersweet Narcissus Mt. Fuji
  
  
  
• The running distance of today was 28 km although I planned to run 30 km.

1)Saturday, January 5, 2008 Weather: Cloudy 2008 New-year Running

• January 1, Weather: Sunny
  
  
  • I went back to my home country, Okayama, since December 28, 2007.
  • As usual, I made New Year's visit to Inari Shrine by running. (The one-way distance to be 10 km)
  • It was so cold, because cold north wind was blowing. It seemed that the worshippers were less than usual owing to coldness.

• January 2, Weather: Sunny
  
  
  • Again, I made New Year's visit to shrines by running. The destinations were Kibitsu Shrine and Kibitsuhiko Shrine.
  • It was still cold like previous day, but a lot of worshippers were visiting Kibitsu Shrine.
  • I could see lion dance at Kibitsuhiko Shrine. After the dance, for good luck, my head could be bitten by lion, then a long-nosed goblin stroked my back with lucky mallet. I believe I could have good luck this year.
  • Along the way, I visited the Kurozumi Shinto Shrine in the vicinity. I visited there for the first time. I was surprised that the main shrine was so gorgeous.
  • Today's running distance was 15 km.

• January 3, Weather: Sunny occasionally cloudy
  
  
  • I went to Kyoto with my relatives by local train using discount ticket.
  • We left Okayama around 7:00 AM. We changed to rapid train at Himeji and arrived in Kyoto past 10:00 AM.
  • I was surprised to see the long lines of passengers in front of Kyoto station waiting buses. We waited more than 30 minutes to get on the bus bound for Ginkakuji Temple. The bus was full of passengers.
  • The first destination was Ohtoyo Shrine famous for shrine rat. (Location: Miyanomae cho, Shishigadani, Sakyo-ku)
  • Since 2008 is a year of rat, when we visited the shrine, a lot of worshippers already made lone line in the precinct.
  • It took much time to reach the shrine since every worshipper took photo in front of shrine rat.
    
    
    SHRINE RAT
    
    
    
  • Then we walked alongside Biwako-lake artificial ditch to Eikando Temple.
  • I wanted to visit Eikando Temple since it is famous for "Turn-round Amitabha Tathagata".
  • The temple was so large and gorgeous. The Amitabha Tathagata was in the Amitabha Temple.
  • A small and golden Amitabha Tathagata surely turned round.
  • It was possible to take a side view of the Amitabha Tathagata. I stood face to face for a while.
  • From the pagoda located on the hill, you command a panoramic view of Kyoto City.
    
    
    �@Western part of Kyoto City
    
    
    
  • Finally we visited Marishiten Shrine, where Marishiten is enshrined. There were shrine wild bores at the entrance.
  • We went back to Kyoto Station by bus with cramped conditions. We reached the station around 16:00. 6-hour worshipping tour in Kyoto. I walked approx. 20,000 steps. I was tired!

• January 5, Weather: Cloudy
  
  
  • I went back from Okayama last night.
  • I left home around 9:30 AM. After visiting Hikawa Shrine, I started to run for 20 km. It was cloudy and cold.
  • I ran along side Ochiai and Kurome Rivers. While I was running around Heirinji Temple, I happened to meet my running mate, Mr. O. I was surprised. He was training so that he could win the coming race of Niiza City.
  • We ran together for 5 km while chatting.
  • Although I took digital camera to shoot flowers, there was no good object today. I took no photo.
  • I could ran 20 km anyway as planned.