On June 26, I visited the Obihiro Centennial Museum with JICA soil diagnosis course participants. This is the mammoth elephant which lived in Tokachi 20,000 years ago. Mammoth was hunted by the ancestors of Ainu people.
On June 27, in the field, potato flowers have started to bloom. Lower photo is the soil profile which appeared during the water-supply construction near the field.
These days, temperature in Obihiro rised to nearly 30C, and we feel as if we are in the tropics. Plants in the garden are also withered in the mid-daytime. Photos in this picture were taken in the morning of July 7. Strawberry and purple, flower of mini-tomato, iris japonica, mini-rose, lavender, and silene are shown. I have treated Silene as a weed, because it is too strong and spreads everywhere, but some plants were allowed to grow in the nook of the garden.
Excursion to Tsukuba Botanic Garden with JICA participants
During the training in Tsukuba, I visited the National Botanic Garden in Tsukuba on July 19. On that day, we could see the flower of Tigar orchid very luckily, because the flower blooms very rarely, and in the Tsukuba Botanic Garden it bloomed after eight years of interval. The interview by NHK was also carried out in the greenhouse and the staffs seemed very busy for it.
On the way back from Utsunomiya to Obihiro, I dropped at Tokyo National Museum of Science in Ueno on July 20. The botanic garden in Tsukuba is also a branch facility of this museum.
I have seen the exhibition of deep sea creatures there. One of the main attractions in the exhibition was a giant deep sea squid, Architeuthis dux. I did not take the photo of it, but I have now three quizes about the squid.
1) The squid has three pieces of very important organ which most of other creatures have only one. What is that?
2) What is the color of the blood of the squid?
3) The giant squid was originally a small squid living in a shallow sea. A characteristic which is still remaining on it's body proves that. What is it?
The above photo is a shark and a deep sea explorer ship. With the ship, Japanese staffs made success in taking the film of giant squid in the deep sea.
Answers were given in "My monologues" page.
answer
Today, July 25, we had a Interim Report Presentation Meeting of Soil Diagonsis Course of JICA. This meeting is called "Interim Report Presentaion Meeting" because participants are expected to carry out their project in their country to extend the knowledge and technique learned in this training course after they return back to their country. Final reports are to be submitted after they complete their project.
All the participants performed very well not only in the today's meeting but also in the whole program. They have also cooperated together very well.
I hope that they will bring home the good memories during their stay in Obihiro, and keep the friendship with us.
This evening, I visited the house of the one of my graduated students. He is engaging in agriculture with his family. His garden is very beautifully decorated with flowers. His grandfather is arranging and taking care of this garden. The Chinese characters made of the low hedge-row in the center means the year of snake according to Chinese astrology.
On the way to and from his house, I have seen the fields of wheat, which have been lodged in wide area due to the long rain in these days. My former student said that he starts harvesting the wheat from this evening, because the rain has stopped. I hope that the damage of wheat will be minimum.
Other two photos are dahlia flowers which I am growing in the field of junior course.
Though it is a little early for the normal harvesting time, we harvested the potato in the student practice of junior course, because we have soon summer vacation period for students. Students cooked the potato in the field in lunch time. I could not join them to eat the potato, because I had another appointment.
Now we can find many bugs in the crop field and flower garden. In the crop field, soybean is attacked most. In my garden, dahlia, zinnia, beefsteak plant and grape are the victim of bugs. Bugs eat not only crops, but they also eat weeds. Knotweed, Persicaria longiseta may be the most favorite grass for bugs. Weeds are sometimes attracting harmful insects and mitigate the damage to crops.
Yesterday, we had a visitor from Tokyo. The guest, Mr. K. A., graduated from the same high school as I and my wife, and also was a classmate of my wife. He is also the person who gave me the first comment to my home-page. He had a business in Sapporo for one week, and on a free day visited us in Obihiro.
We guided him to the observatory in Tokachi-gawa Spa, Horse racing field in Obihiro, and to my office and crop field in my university. The horse race, called Ban-ei Keiba, in Obihiro is a very special one. Very big horses, Percheron, pull a heavy sleigh , and should pass through two obstacles in the course.
It has the origin in the entertainment of farmers in agricultural off-season who competed the strength and power of their own horses which were used for labor force in the agricultural field.
In the race, due to the very heavy load, horses do not reach the goal in the shortest time, but they take rest two or three times during the race.
In the race which we watched, the horse No. 7 was fastest until 10 m before the goal but slowed down there, then the horse No. 8 took the first goal. In this race, a horse No. 1 collapsed on the top of obstacle, and we were afraid that he could not stand up again, but he could stand up at last and could continue the race to the goal point.
This week (August 22), I accompanied the field survey of the members of wild animal research laboratory to the forest of Taisetsu national park. We went deep into the forest. The ground was very rocky and dangerous. There were many cavities between rocks and the surface was covered by mosses, and our foots were often trapped by those holes. The climbing was very hard, because we climbed directly the mossy slope, and there was no footpath. On the way to the survey point, however, I could see many rare plants and mushrooms.
I first saw soil monolith in the institute of soil science of Hamburg University ca. 30 years ago where I was studying as a research fellow of Alexander von Humboldt foundation. I was very much impressed by those beautiful soil monolith. They gave me the manual of preparing the soil monolith, and also a small soil monolith of Podsol soil as a souvenir. I tried to make it by myself after I returned to Nagoya University. I prepared some soil monoliths and left them there. In those days, lacquer soluble in organic solvent was used and we had to dry the soil profile well before we apply the lacquer to the surface of soil profile.
Now, a new lacquer which reacts with water and become hardened has been developed, and it has become very easy to prepare the soil monolith, because we can apply the lacquer immediately after preparing the soil profile. Since last year, I have prepared some soil monoliths in the practice field of the junior course.
Recently, I have finished preparing the two soil monoliths of the soil profiles dug in the field practice of junior course students on June 3. The two photos on the right side show the monoliths prepared this year. The two photo from the left side show the monoliths prepared last year. Soil profiles look considerably different to each other though they are located very near in the field of junior course. I can use these soil monoliths to explain soil layers in my lecture. I have also used them in the practice for high school teachers last week.
On August 21, I took the role in guiding a laboratory practice for high school teachers. High school teachers are teaching science and in summer vacation they come voluntarily to college to experience laboratory practice in various subjects. Eight teachers attended the practice this year. The photos were taken by the administrative staff of my university.
I introduced them the laboratory experiment to test the adsorption of fertilizer constituents (ammonium and phosphate) in soils. We packed a small amount of soil in a plastic column, and passed ammonium and phosphate solutions. The concentrations of these ions in the eluted solutions were determined by colorimetric methods.
I introduced them also how soil profiles look like by using my soil monolith prepared recently and explained the contribution of different volcanic ash layers and alluvial layers in the soil profile.
On October 4, I harvested the adzuki bean which has been grown in the experiment field with my laboratory students. I sowed the seeds on May 29, and it took four month until harvest. It was my first experience to grow adzuki bean in relatively large scale in the experiment field. I am happy that I could harvest the adzuki bean without suffering from any damage from pest insects or plant disease though I did not apply any pesticides.
The first photo; on May 29 when I seeded the adzuki bean, the second photo: on June 25; around ten days after germinating, the third photo; on August 6 when flower of the bean bloomed, the fourth photo; on the same day when the plant was growing vividly, fifth photo; on October 2, when beans were already ripe on two days before harvesting, the last photo on October 6. Beans harvested on October 4 were packed into nylon bags on October 6. Beans should be threshed hereafter.
Big typhoon No. 26 passed along islands of Japan yesterday. Many people in Japan have suffered from serious damages due to this typhoon. Finally it visited also Hokkaido island. However, the typhoon attracted cold air from the north, which made a collision with warm air over the Pacific side of Hokkaido, and it brought the first snow to our place. As the time of first snow, it is too early compared with normal years. Thirty-three days earlier than last year and 22 days earlier than the average year in Obihiro. The snow was very heavy, so that trunks and twigs of many trees were broken due to the heaviness of the snow.
This morning, after the storm passed during last night, the weather became fine, but much snow still remained on the ground. Cosmos, dahlia and colchicum were broken, but zinnia survived the cold snow fall. Grape was protected from snow thanks to the cloth which had been put on the grape vines to prevent the attack of crows.
Two days after the irregular snow, we had a calm weather again. Survived flowers show us their last beauty. Spinach seedlings are still small, but they will survive under snow, and provide us the first vegetable next year. Clematis is about to open its second flower in spite of the coldness.
It was freezingly cold this morning. When I walked in the garden this morning, I heard a strange sound on my foot. It was the sound crushing ice on the ground. I found frost columns there. Flowers which survived the snow could not endure the frost this morning. Dahlia, cosmos, and zinnia were withered. Until yesterday, zinnia flowers were colored fresh white, yellow or orange, but they looked like dried flowers this morning. I had to cut them, chop into small pieces and scatter the residue on the soil surface. Clematis flower endured the coldness, but it did not fully open.
From November 20 to 23, I visited Saga university to attend the annual meeting of Japanese Humic Substances Society. I also met the professor of soil microbiology at the same university on the first day.
I enjoyed not only the meeting, but also the walking around the city park seeing beautiful trees with red and yellow autumn leaves. I visited also some historical places (museums) and learned the history of Saga.
Saga is a famous place where many important people in the age of change from Edo era to Meiji era were born.
The most famous people among them are the founder and the first president of Waseda University, Mr. Shigenobu Ohkuma, Mr. Giyuh Shima who designed the outline of Sapporo city, Mr. Shimpei Etoh who contributed to the foundation of legal system of the new Meiji government, Mr. Tsunetami Sano, the founder of Japanese Red Cross Society, and Mr. Taneomi Soejima who was also an important politician in Meiji era.
It was due to the excellent feudal lord of Saga, Mr. Naomasa Nabeshima, who established a education system for the sons of warrior class in his territory. He supported the students without considering the high or low status of their born family.
He also considered it important to introduce the scientific and cultural knowledges from Europe. Due to his encouragement, high quality steel refining factory was established and powerful cannon guns were prepared in this place. In the medical aspect, vaccination was introduced in the earliest period in Japan to prevent smallpox disease.
However, some of the people from Saga were too radical that they were expelled from the new government of Meiji era.
The city of Saga was also very beautiful. Many big trees, especially camphor trees, were remaining along the moat of castle area. Small dikes were running all over in the city, and many green area and parks were found along the dikes.
There was an open air jazz concert along the main street on the third day evening during my stay and I could enjoy it.
On the final day when I left Saga, I visited the Yoshinogari archaeological site, around 20 km apart from Saga city. It is a remain of the ancient village from ca 5 centuries BC to 3 centuries AD. It is the largest archaeological site of Yayoi era in Japan.
The exhibitions in the archaeological site were also very attractive, and my allowed time was too short to see all of them.
I have been very busy since last January. Besides my lectures, I was responsible for the student practice for soil analysis for two weeks
in early weeks of January, then I had a soil diagnosis practice for JICA participants on January 29 (as shown in the above photo), then, my students had presentation
of their graduate thesis on January 31.
Yesterday, I had an examination for my lecture of soil science. Today, on February 5, junior course students had
a presentation meeting for their graduate research. In the meantime, I carried out the analysis of phenolic compounds in the methane fermentation residue
by myself. This coming Saturday, my former student will have a wedding ceremony somewhere in western Japan and I will fly over there to attend it.
I have to mark the student examinations by the middle of this month. I will also make trips to Sapporo two times in the middle of this month.
By the end of this month, I have to prepare reports for my collaborative researches, and edit the graduate thesis of my students.
Then, there is an entrance examination of our university in the end of this month. It is good that I am busy, and I can fix my schedules one by one.
Though the first snow was very early in Obihiro, we have had very little snow in this winter. Until 10 days ago we could see the soil surface in the field. Now, the surface of the ground is covered with snow, but the amount of snow is still very little compared with the normal years. The temperature is, however, cold enough. Due to the little snow, it is easier to walk outside. I often walk to and from my university through the campus of Ohihiro Agricultural High School. The avenue of larch trees is very beautiful, and safe to walk due to the very few traffics.
On the second day (Friday), I attended the seminar of Prefectural Agricultural Experiment Station of Fukushima, and learned the advances made in the field of decontamination of agricultural fields and the techniques to reduce the transfer of radio active cesium from soil to crops. After the seminar I also visited the Tohoku Experiment Station at Fukushima. They showed me advanced facilities to analyze radio activity in soil and plants.
On the third day, I visited Minami-Soma city located to the north of the exploded atomic power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company. I have observed the agricultural field where the decontamination work is carried out. I also passed Iidate village and Kawamata village which were also seriously affected by radio activity. In Minami-Soma city, I also visited the natural history museum. I learned the respectful history of the city.
On the fourth day, I visited Iwaki city located to the south of the atomic power plant.
I visited Toyoma village which was destroyed by the Tsunami, and observed the reconstruction work. I also visited the archaeological museum and “Coal and Fossil” museum in the Iwaki city. I learned many things there. Iwaki city was inhabited by Johmon people since 8,000 years ago and many archaeological sites have been found in the city. Iwaki city is also famous for the Johban coal mine, the largest and oldest one in the main island of Japan. Therefore, it can be said that Fukushima prefecture has been the energy source of Japan.
The feudal lords in Fukushima prefecture were most faithful to the old Edo shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until they were defeated completely. Therefore, the new Meiji government treated Fukushima prefecture coldly for a long time after the Meiji era. The construction of the atomic power plant seems to be one of such cold treatments against the neglected region. This is only my feeling.
On the fifth day (Monday, March 10), I visited Tohoku university and met the staffs of soil science laboratory. They have been working seriously to contribute to the rehabilitation of damaged lands due the Tsunami. They have found thick sand layers in the soil profiles along the coast of Sendai plain. It was the record of the gigantic Tsunami and earthquake occurred in AD 869. In the afternoon, I came back from Sendai via Sapporo to Obihiro. It was a long trip but very fruitful for me.
These photos were taken on my way to central agricultural experiment station at Naganuma, Hokkaido on February 19.
These photos were taken when I walked from Obihiro station to my house in Kawanishi on February 23. I passed Green Park and Obihiro agricultural high school for short catch.
These photos were taken on March 2 in Aikoku town, the neighboring town to my residence area. The town is beyond Satsunai river, a quiet agricultural village.
Upper photos shows the elm tree growing near the water purification plant of Obihiro city at Inada town. The tree is very big and old. Our city protects this tree as one of the memorial trees of the city.
Upper photos were taken along a small stream named Kikanko river flowing in our town. The origin of water is ground water and it will not freeze in winter. The name "Kikanko" came from the history that it flew through a locomotive switch yard of a sugar beet company.
On March 25 and 26, the temperature in Obihiro rose nearly to 15 degree C, and the snow is melting rapidly. After lunch, I walked to the experiment field of my university for my exercise. There I saw students of horse riding circle practicing horse ride together. From tomorrow, the temperature is expected to decrease again.
Snow is melting rapidly in Obihiro, as well as in my garden which was fully covered with snow until last weekend.(March 27)
With snowmelt, sprouts of various plants appeared on the black soil. Crocus, spinach, and strawberry were distinguished. Lower right photo is unknown yet. (March 27)
Only very little snow is remaining in my garden, and I found snowdrops just started blooming this morning (March 30). Snowdrops are marker flowers which notice the change from winter to spring here. It remembers the blooming time very punctually. I was also surprised to see the strong power of snowdrop sprouts which bored holes on the covering fallen oak leaf to come out.
I visited a brewery museum of Hakushika Co. in Nishinomiya on February 9 after attending the wedding ceremony of my former student. Though I like rice wine, I learned here for the first time that rice wine is brewed once a year during winter season. February is the month when new rice wine is shipped.
I also visited another brewery in Kuriyama, Hokkaido after visiting the agricultural experiment station on February 19. The name of the brewery is Kobayashi brewery. They had also a small museum using their old stock house. Breweries are proud of their history.
I visited Tokyo to attend a scientific meeting on April 5. On the next day, I could enjoy walking along the old Tokaido road near Shinagawa where I stayed. There were many temples and shrines along the road. Cherry was just in full bloom in the yards of temples as well as along the bank of Meguro river.
Almost all snow has melted and black soil has come out. Hidaka mountain range can be seen very clearly and beautiful these days. Adonis, snowdrops and crocus have started to bloom, but we have to wait still one more month before the bloom of cherry in Obihiro.
Two JICA training courses have started almost the same time. One is “Soil Diagnosis” course, and another is “Farmer-led Extension” course, to both of which I am participating as a lecturer. In the “Soil Diagnosis” course, I am a course leader, and I am engaged in the schedule planning, guidance for interim report preparation, and also in teaching some topics in the history of agriculture in Tokachi and Hokkaido, as well as the role and utilization of organic matter in agriculture.
In the “Farmer-led Extension” course, I take the role in teaching soil diagnosis and soil profile observation.
On May 12, participants of both groups visited the city office of Obihiro to pay the courtesy call to the mayor.
When I will retire from the university, these duties will come to end, until then I will do my best.
Soil diagnosis practice in the "Farmer-led Extension" course
“Farmer-led Extension” course of JICA are held two times a year, first in a midwinter and the second in May or June. As in the mid-winter, we can not go to field, the contents of my lecture and practice are soil and plant analysis. In the early summer course, my curriculum is the lecture of soil diagnosis, the observation of soil profile, and the rapid soil test. On May 21, I have finished my curriculum on soil diagnosis in the field and laboratory.
I accompanied the excursion trip of JICA Soil Diagnosis Course to Tsukuba from July 8 to 12. We visited the National Institute of Agriculture and Environment, and had lectures from Dr. K. and Dr. T., both of whom I know many years. Dr. T. is a graduate of Soil Science Laboratory of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. We also had lectures from Dr. S. and Dr. Y. who have profound experience in the extension activity in foreign countries. Dr. Y. was my colleague while we were studying in Nagoya University. I was very happy that Dr. Y. recovered from his sickness for three years and could start his lecture again. In the JICA Tsukuba center, I could meet my former teacher during my undergraduate and graduate school age in Nagoya University. Dr. A., my former teacher has an experience of JICA long term expert in the National Soils Bureau of the Philippines, and one of our trainees in this year was an assistant to him while he was in the Philippines. The JICA trainees had further training in Tokyo until July 14, but I had to come back earlier to give my classes in the university.
Interim report presentation meeting and the closing ceremony of the "JICA Soil Diagnosis Course in Obihiro, 2014" was held on July 25 at JICA Obihiro.
When you arrived here in Obihiro, farmers in this region have just finished sowing the seeds of beans, planting the seedlings of sugar beet and seed potatoes in the field, and now, harvest of wheat and potatoes are already going on.
The three months you have spent here were so productive season for the earth of Tokachi. However, I am sure that these three months were also very fruitful for you.
During your stay, you could enjoy the friendship with the participants from various other countries and also with the people in Obihiro.
I hope this friendship and the understanding between different peoples in the world will be kept for long time.
On the other hand, these three months might have been also too long for the families waiting for you in your country.
Please have a safe and comfortable return trip, and have an active and happy life in your home countries.
See you again!
Private excursion to Mt. Takao and Showa Memorial Park after the JSSPN meeting
From September 9 to 11, I attended the annual meeting of Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition held at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Tokyo. Of course my duty was to present my research and to attend some meetings, I also enjoyed extra things.
On September 12 for my return trip, I had enough time before my return flight. Therefore, I made a short excursion to Mt. Takao. From Tachikawa where I stayed, Mt. Takao was very near. I left Tachikawa at 8:00 in the morning, rode JR Chuo line, Keio line, and Mt. Takao cable car successively, arrived at the mountain top station at 8:50 already. From the mountain top station of cable car to the summit of Mt. Takao was around 50 minutes walk. The walking way was thoroughly paved and easy to walk. I enjoyed watching the wild flowers along the walk way. The flowers I could see were Tama-ajisai (Hydrangea involucrata), Yamaji-no-hototogisu (Tricyrtis affinis), and Shuhkaido (Begonia grandis). I saw the last two flowers for the first time. They are not so common in Hokkaido.
At noon, I came down to the mountain foot station of cable car already. Then I went to Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa and enjoyed walking in the park until 13:40, because I had to ride the train at 14:09 at Tachikawa station to the airport. The Showa memorila park was very wide and fantastic. I liked the Japanese garden and the childrens park. Tokyo is a very crowded city, but it has many parks and green areas from place to place. Maybe, they are the heritages from Edo era when people enjoyed relatively peaceful life.
Soil profile in the experiment farm of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
Recently, in the end of October, I made a soil profile in the experiment farm of our university. The area of the university farm is very wide, and soil profiles may change from place to place. This time, I dug the pit in the “Seimitsu-Hojou”, where we grow crops for the study carried out in each laboratory.
As it was a good chance to dig the soil after clearing the crops, and cold winter is approaching very soon, I hurried making the profile. Because I wanted to show the remaining crop roots on the profile, I selected the site where I grew sweetcorn.
The problem of this field is the occurrence of very hard B layer beneath the Ap layer. It originates from the very fine textured “Tarumae c” volcanic ash (3000 years B. P.) which is ca. 50 cm thick here.
Below the “Tarumae c” layer, there was a thin humic layer on the red-brown colored “Tarumae d” layer (9000 years B. P.). Humic layer might have been formed after the fall of “Tarumae d”, but it was very thin and seems like to be scraped by the “Tarumae c” layer.
Below “Tarumae d” layer, there was a lighter colored layer, which may correspond to “Eniwa a loam”.
I dug the profile up to 130 cm until the bottom of“Eniwa a loam”. I checked the soil below this depth using a soil boring stick. There was a sandy soil between 145 – 160 cm, which may correspond to “Eniwa a sand” layer fell 17,000 years B. P.
I made also two soil monoliths from this profile, and now I am fixing the surface of soil monolith with Bond glue and clear lacquer. It will take still some days until I can complete the soil monolith.
Japanese Humic Substances Society Meeting at Nippon University in Fujisawa
I am uploading the photos which I took during my trip to Nippon University in Fujisawa, Kanagawa prefecture, on the occasion of the 30th meeting of Japanese Humic Substances Society held from November 21 to 23, 2014. I have been very busy officially and privately in these months, and already one month has passed since the meeting. Time flies like an arrow, and it is already the end of year.
I contributed to the establishment of the Japanese Humic Substances Society since it was planned more than 30 years ago. I was still an assistant professor at Nagoya University. My professor, Dr. Shozo Kuwatsuka, was very much enthusiastic to establish and organize this society, and I helped him. I also helped him to hold the 5th International Humic Substances Society Meeting at Nagoya in 1990.
In 2016, the International Meeting of IHSS is planned again in Kanazawa, Japan. I am happy that Japanese Humic Substances Society has lasted 30 years, developed larger, and is now inviting the international meeting for the second time in Japan. It will be also the year when I will retire and leave the Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.
Anyway, Nippon University was a beautiful and majestic university. It is the largest private university in Japan. The campus had many green trees, and the building was very beautiful. It had also a university museum. From the window of the fourth floor, I could see Mt. Fuji. I understood why this place is called "Fujisawa".
After the meeting on November 23, I visited Kamakura and Enoshima, very famous tourist sites in Japan. I visited here very long ago (around 50 years) when I was a middle school student for the study tour organized by the school. These places were very crowded by tourists because it was the mid-day in the three continuous national holidays. I could see a wedding ceremony held in the open air stage of "Tsurugaoka shrine". Kamakura is the place where Kamakura shogunate was established in 1192 AD.
When I reached Enoshima, it was already dark because I started the tour 15:30 in the afternoon. I walked through a long bridge connecting the Enoshima island and the shore of the land. I just visited the shrine in the island, and it was nice that very few tourists were there because it was late already.
I bought a book on earthworm paying respect to the animal which have plowed soil for more than 400,000,000 years and of course to the author who has published his life work.
Since plants proceeded from sea to terra earth 4 hundred millions years ago, earthworms accompanied the history of plants from its initial stage.
I myself carried out the study on earthworms two times. One is the contribution of earthworms on the bioturbation of chernozem (Mollisols) in Germany. Second one is the contribution of earthworms on the bioremediation of Cd-contaminated soil.
This book is the first illustrated book on earthworms in Japan. The species listed in this book are mainly Megascolecidae which are popular in main and southern islands of Japan. Lumbricidae species which are common in Hokkaido are not described in detail in this book. However, this book will be a good guideline also for studying Lumbricidae species.
There are so many species of earthworms that even a specialist knows less than 10 percent of their names, or 90 percent of them do not have their names yet. They are so much diversified that each country or state may need its own earthworm book.
I prepared miniatures of soil profiles which I dug in the field of my college last year and two years ago.
The miniature is 1/5 scale, 1 m is reduced to 20 cm. On a plywood, I marked the boundaries of soil layers by pencil and put bond glue layer by layer.
Then I placed the soil samples which had not been crushed on the glue. After leaving it overnight, I removed the excess soil, and I put transparent varnish on the surface of soil using a pipette. The varnish is the one mixable with water.
It is not heavy, and easy to hang or easy to carry. It is useful to explain the difference in soil profiles to students.
I am going to use it in my next practice lesson for students.
Photos of the four profiles are also shown. It is difficult to represent the original color of the soil.
There was a TV program "Kokoro-tabi" (Spiritual trip) on April 15, in which the actor, Mr. Hino, visits various places by bicycle, introduced by the letter from the audience.
In the yesterday's program, he visited the water supply pump station in my home town.
The house where I was born is located just 100 m below the pump station.
The Atago elementary school, where I learned was also intorduced.
I had photos of my home town taken when I returned there in August, 2011.
Photos of the water pump station, gates of my elementary school and middle school are uploaded above.
I had six continuous holidays since last Saturday. In Japan, we call this a golden week in May.
Next continuous holidays are in September, in which we can have 5 holidays including Saturday and Sunday.
The family of my first son was with us since last Thursday, because he could have leaves from his company even before the golden week.
For five days until Tuesday, I was with three grandchildren. I did not go out so much with grandchildren, but could have a nice time with them.
My wife and the son of my daughter had cold (flu) since the beginning of the golden week, and I had the same since two days ago.
Fortunately, I had a medicine for flu (the remaining one which was prescribed from the doctor last year), and I could recover in one day,
though I have a slight pain in my throat. It was lucky that the flu was not transferred to the family of my first son.
Today, my daughter went out with his son, therefore, I needed not to spend time with my grandson.
I went to my college this morning, and planted the bulbs of gladiolus, which were kept in my laboratory during the winter,
in the flower garden of junior course. The remaining bulbs were brought to my house and I planted them in my garden.
I also transplanted the flower plants in the room to the pots placed outside in the garden.
After reading a book for some hours, I made a short walk around my house. There is a small stream and nice park near my house,
and I could enjoy various wild flowers blooming in this season.
Not only the wild plants, I could find tulips and narcissus in the bush, which were planted there many years ago and forgotten.
It is no more “recent article”, but I visited Iwaki city in Fukushima prefecture again after one year from March 22 - 24.
I visited many places in Iwaki in two days. Toyoma was the most severely damaged place due to the Tsunami on March 11, 2011.
Most of the remains of damaged houses have been removed. Only the building of middle school was remaining. Bulldozer also removed my soil-sampling site that I found last year, so I looked for another place for sample collection.
In the seriously damaged area, re-construction work is very actively carried out, but it is still at the stage of clearing.
The city was very active with construction workers. They go also to the area very near to the Fukushima Daiichi Exploded Atomic Power Station.
It was difficult to find a room in any business hotel; I used a capsule hotel, whose main function is to provide only an enough space for sleeping.
On the day when I arrived at Iwaki, I visited the two important museums and a very old temple, Hakusui Amida-do.
One of the museums was a coalmine and fossil museum, which I also visited last year. Another museum was “Aqua-marine Fukushima”.
It was not only a facility to show rare fish, but it was a complete museum showing us the aquatic ecosystem from mountain forest to sea.
This aquarium was also damaged severely by Tsunami, and lost 90 % of the fish in the aquarium. I praised the recovery of this amazing museum.
The temple, which I visited, was constructed in Heian era, around 1100 years ago. It had a very beautiful water garden, making people imagine the view of heaven.
The lady who founded the temple was a daughter of Oushu Fujiwara family, which ruled the northeastern Japan in the age. Their capital place was in Hira-izumi in Iwate prefecture, and the lady was also born there.
For the memory of her birth place, she named the place “Haku-sui”. If you separate the Chinese character for “Izumi” in two parts, they will be “Haku” and “Sui”.
A neighboring city of Iwaki is also named Izumi city.There are many cities, towns, and villages named “Izumi” in Japan. The distribution of “Izumi” communities is related to Azumi people, who were very good at sailing, fishery, and various technologies imported from China and Korea.
Originally they migrated to Japan from the continent, and always explored the front line of Yayoi people. Therefore, I suspect that Iwaki was one of the front outposts of Azumi people.
In Iwaki, there are many shrines. Almost every fisher village has “Suwa shrine”. I also visited one of them in Ena village, neighboring to Toyoma village. Toyoma village also had its own Suwa shrine.
The main “Suwa shrine” is located in Nagano prefecture in central Japan. Suwa shrine is dedicated to the ancient god “Take-minakata”, who was the second son of “Ohkuninushi”, the first king of Japan in the mythological age.
After “Ohkuninushi” gave up his country to “Amaterasu”, his son “Take-minakata” fled to Nagano prefecture and fought against “Take-mikadzuchi”, the general of “Amaterasu”, and was defeated. However, he swore to “Take-mikadzuchi”, that he shall never go out from Nagano
Prefecture, and for this reason, the life of “Take-minakata” was spared.
His shrine was maintained by Azumi people who contributed the foundation of ancient Japanese country in the very early age.
I think “Suwa shrines” in Iwaki area had been overlooked by the central force of Japan, because they were located very far from the ancient capital of Japan, Nara and Kyoto.
On April 11, 2015, I attended a committee meeting for soil education in Tsukuba. As Obihiro is very far from Tsukuba, I stayed in Tsukuba on the day. In the morning of next day, I visited the museum of map and survey attached to Japanese Geological Survey Authority for the first time. Then I visited also the Tsukuba Botanical garden, which I have visited several times.
In the yard of the museum of map and survey, there was a model of earth, which covers the territory of Japan. Therefore, it was a part of spherical shape. There were also miniature models of earth and moon, which were placed in the actual distance in a reduced scale.
Diameter of earth is 12,756 km, moon 3,476 km. Their distance is 384,400 km. If the diameter of earth is reduced to 1 m, that of moon is 27 cm, and the distance is 30 m. I could learn these relationships by the models in the museum. Even in this reduced scale, the distance between the sun and the earth, 149,600,000 km, will be 11,728 km. We have to place the miniature model of sun with a diameter of 109 m somewhere around Sakhaline Island.
In the museum, we could learn the history and technology of maps. There were also exhibitions related to the earthquake on 3.11, 2011. There was also a special exhibition on the recovery of Japan from the World War II, so that we could compare the landscape of Japanese cities before the war, just after the war and in the present by the photos and maps.
On April 12, 2015, after visiting the museum of map and survey, I proceeded to the Tsukuba Botanic Garden, by bicycle. I rented it at Tsukuba Express Station.
In the greenhouse, it was also mid-spring, and I could see many flowers blooming. I could see the flowers of Banana for the first time.
The photos above show the flowers seen along the walkway outside. It was the season of the end of cherry and camellia flowers. Pieces of flowers were scattered on the ground. I felt that it was also beautiful. I could see these flowers after on month in Obihiro.
After visiting Botanic Garden, I took a highway bus to Haneda airport and came back to Obihiro. On the same day, there was an accident in JR Yamanote line, and trains in Tokyo stopped for more than 11 hours. If I took the train, I could not come back on the same day. It was lucky that I took the highway bus.
Farmer led extension course by JICA Obihiro in May, 2015
I have guided the "Farmer-led extension course" of JICA Obihiro on May 27, 2015.
My topic was soil diagnosis and soil profile observation.
It was very lucky for us that the weather was very fine.
We went to the junior course experiment farm, and studied the soil profile there.
Soil profiles had been dug by the junior course students on Monday.
JICA trainees dug the soil pit further, and shaped it up.
We practiced soil color, soil texture, soil hardness determination.
We took also some soil samples and tested simple soil chemical characteristics by the rapid method, "Midori-kun".
The time was not enough to test the soil samples with pH meter and EC meter.
I checked them after the trainees left.
Anyway, it was a nice practice.
After the practice of JICA and junior course students, I prepared the soil-monoliths from the two soil profiles made during the practice.
For completing the soil monolith, I have to do still many procedures, but for the moment I do not have enough time. For soil-monolith preparation, we should not be hurry.
Four soil profiles dug in the student experiment field
This year, I dug four soil profiles in the student experiment field with my laboratory students.
It is a part of the graduate thesis study for one of the students.
The detailed explanation of the soil profiles will be done in the thesis.
Soil profiles looked extremely different to each other even though they were dug in a relatively small area (ca. 4 ha).
For the comparison, I also uploaded the photo of the soil profile dug in the central part
of the same field 10 years ago in June, 2005. I was interested in the thin humic layer at ca. 80 cm depth.
Yamagasa festival at Hakata, Fukuoka prefecture in the second week of July.
Hakata port has been the entrance gate for the trade to and from Korea and China since the ancient age.
Sumiyoshi shrine and Japanese garden, "Rakusui-en"
In early July, I made a trip to Hakata.
It was an official trip to attend the ICOBTE meeting held at Hakata International Convention Center.
During my stay in Hakata, I could enjoy the Yamagasa festival by the people of Hakata. It was a very active festival held one week long.
I could see Prof. Yoshimura of Kyushu university (Plant breeder) after 30 years of absence. We were the scholars at IRRI together in 1980 - 1982. Prof. Inubushi of Chiba university was also with us on the occasion.
Ginkakuji and Hounen-in along the "Tetsugaku no michi (Philosophers walk way)"
Around the Koudai-in temple
Around the Kamogawa river and Takasegawa river
In September, I made a trip to Kyoto.
Though it was an official trip to attend the JSSPN meeting held at Kyoto university, in the free time and in the early morning,
I made a walk to famous temples and to Kamogawa-river which was just flowing beside the hotel which I stayed.
Hidaka mountains, Mt. Tokachi-Poroshir, Tsurugi-san, Mt. Memuro, and unknown peaks seen from the pasture field of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine on September 27, 2017.
Hidaka mountains seen from the fields near Obihiro airport.
Hidaka mountains seen from the field of Obihiro Agricultural high school.
Hidaka mountains seen from the farm field of Obihiro University of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine.
Hidaka mountains seen from the window of airplane
Hidaka mountains, Mt. Tokachi-Poroshiri, Mt. Satsunai, Mt. Poroshiri, etc. on November 13.
Hidaka mountains, unknown peaks and Mt. Tsurugi-san, Mt. Memuro, in the centeral part on November 13.
Hidaka mountains, Mt. Memuro and unknown peaks in the northern part on November 13.
Hidaka mountains look also beautiful in autumn.
I have not climbed Hidaka mountains except "Mt. Apoi" in the southern end of the Hidaka mountain range.
It will be a extremely hard work to climb any one of the mountains. I am satisfied to see only the beautiful view of the mountains.
Aerial views of Kanto plain and Tokachi plain from the airplane.
Upper photo: Kanto plane seen from Chiba prefecture. Lower photo: Tokachi plain seen from the Pacific Ocean side.
Last Monday (October 26, 2015), I made a short trip to Tokyo. The weather was fine through the both voyages to and from Tokyo.
Before landing at Haneda airport, I could see Mt. Fuji very clearly beyond the Tokyo bay from the Bousou peninsula in Chiba prefecture.
In the return trip on the next day (Tuesday), I could see Rekifune river and southern coast of Tokachi plain.
The view of Hidaka mountain range was also very beautiful as seen in the previous article.
For the return flight, I took the early morning flight arriving at Obihiro airport at 9:10, but the airplane repeated the landing due to the irregular wind around the airport. Thanks to the extra flight for ca. 20 minutes, I could enjoy the splendid scenery of Tokachi plain and mountains in the morning.
Time and snow wait for no man in the north country.
Upper photos: Before the snow, November 7.
Lower photos: After the snow this morning, November 8, 2015.
Last week, we had rather warmer days for this season.
We have anticipated when we have the first snow. Actually we had it last Sunday, but it was very slight.
Yesterday, the madam of our neighbor gave us many radish grown in her crop field, and I dug a hole in my garden to store the radish for some time.
Digging soil makes fun for me.
This morning on November 8, we had the first snow at last.
We have to endure and sometimes enjoy the long winter from today.
The soil monolith in the left hand was taken from the soil profile dug in the student experiment field on October 14.
The central and the right hand soil monoliths were taken from the field of junior course in the end of May this year.
These soil profiles look considerably different to each other, even though they were located not so far.
I have cut the both sides of soil monolith to adjust the width to 39 cm to fit them the size of plywood cut in half.
The soil monolith in the center has been finished preparation about two months ago with my three students (all ladies).
I want to finish the preparation of the other two before it becomes too cold, but I can not find enough time.
Soil-monoliths have been prepared
On November 12, it was a very fine day. I had no class for students in the morning, and my laboratory students come from the afternoon.
Therefore, I made up my mind to finish the preparation of soil monoliths. I have cut the plywood, and pasted the soil monolith on the plywood board with a bond glue. Then, pressed them with water tanks. Maybe they are ready after a week.
Wind break trees in Tokachi plain are mainly Larch.
In autumn, leaves turn brown and all fall in winter.
Wind break trees are used to protect crops from the wind damage and for preventing wind erosion of soils.
However, wind break trees have been cut and are decreasing, because they disturb the operation of agricultural machinery.
These very small spiders came into my room, when I brought one of my soil monoliths from the outside.
They might have wanted to pass the very cold winter hiding behind my soil monolith. They were very tiny, with 1 mm - 2 mm length, like a dust particle.
However, the photos taken in the close-up mode of my digital camera showed me that they have a complete structure and a fine design on their back.
I released one of them, which was staying on a black double clip, outside the building, but lost the sight of another one on a office table after a while.
This radish was first grown in a soil pot. The radish was still very small, when the radish sown in the field had grown very big and was harvested. Then, I pulled the radish from the soil pot and transferred into a conical flask filled with water. Fine roots came out from the small radish, and it is still growing in my office window.
Heavy snow visited us a little earlier this year, and the mountains are shining white with snow. In the daily life, we have hard time to remove the snow around our house.
Upper five photos were taken at Kohfuku park on November 30, 2015. The lower two photos were taken from the road along the farm of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine on February 24, 2016. I added one more photo (the lowest one) which was taken on November 19, 2017.
Exhibition of the works of Mr. Takeshirou Matsuura
Two weeks ago, there was an exhibition of the works of Mr. Takeshirou Matsuura, a prominent explorer who traveled and investigated Hokkaido island in the end of Edo era. I went to the exhibition held in the Obihiro centennial museum on December 20. He traveled five times all over in Hokkaido, and recorded the life of aboriginal people “Ainu”, names of every small mountains and rivers on his map. He wrote many reports of his trips in Hokkaido, and made a very detailed map of Hokkaido. Later, he proposed the new Japanese government in Meiji era to use the name of “Hokkaido” for the northern big island of Japan.
He was very friendly and sympathetic to “Ainu” people, and criticized the local Hokkaido government of Matsumae feudal clan which has depressed Ainu people.
There might have been many other Japanese who were interested in Hokkaido, but Mr. Matsuura was the first man who respected Ainu people and got profound information and knowledge from them.
In his travel reports and maps, he often refers to the edible soils used by Ainu people. Ainu people used special soils for cooking wild grass and meats, and Mr. Matsuura ate the dishes with Ainu people. I have been interested in the edible soils in Hokkaido, and the classical documents by Mr. Matsuura helped me very much.
The year 2015 has been the international year of soils, and the 2016 will be the year of beans by FAO.
Adzuki-bean (upper-left), brown soy bean (upper right), Murasaki-hanamame, purple flower bean (lower left) and Taisho-kintoki (kidney bean) are shown in the left photo. These beans are gift from my graduated student, Mr. S.. These are the special products of Tokachi (Obihiro).
The next photo shows the cooked and sweetened "Murasaki-hanamame" by my wife. Beans are nutritious to human, and friendly to soils due to nitrogen fixation.
Farmer led extension course by JICA Obihiro in January, 2016
JICA Farmer-led Extension Course on January 21, 2016.
It is mid-winterin Japan, and we could not go out to field.
I guided them how to check soil color, texture, pH, EC, and nitrate. We checked also the nitrate concentration in vegetables (cabbage and spinach).
Upper photo is the group photo after the practice course. Lower left is the scene of EC measurement.
Lower right is the scene of nitrate measurement in vegetables.
Because my university is "Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine",
I can see horses frequently in the campus.
Horses live relatively relaxed compared with cows which have to produce milk.
Some horses are trained for horse riding sports or competition, but they are taken care tenderly by students.
My research has nothing to do with horses, but I like to see them to feel relaxed.
Visiting the Centennial Museum of Obihiro （帯広百年記念館の見学）
Last Sunday (March 6), I visited the Centennial Museum of Obihiro city, and watched the exhibition of the museum. I visited the museum room since one year and a half ago, though I often visited there for the other purposes. Exhibitions have been partially renewed, and I appreciated the efforts of the museum staffs.
There was an exhibition showing the volcanic ash layers in Tokachi plain. Though I know the volcanic ash layers in the shallow depth, I am not so familiar with the volcanic ashes in the deep layers. I could learn much from the exhibition.
It was also shown that human activity in Tokachi plain started since 30,000 years ago as wild animal hunters. It is a long time, but even this long period corresponds only to the very shallow part of the volcanic ash layers.
There was also another exhibition, comparing the whole history of the earth to one year.
According to the explanation, higher plants and higher animals appeared on the terra in December, and the mankind extremely increased experiencing the rise and fall of civilization, the peace and war, as well as the serious destruction of the global environment only in the last minute of the year.
I thought that human is a troublesome and serious threat to the earth.
Tsunami deposits in the coastal marsh of Tokachi plain.
（十勝平野沿岸の津波の痕跡）
There are many exhibitions in the Hokkaido museum, but I was interested in the replica of a soil profile collected in the coastal marsh in the Tokachi area.
The soil profile covered the period of around 3,000 years. In the replica, four volcanic ash layers, 10 Tsunami mud layers, and 10 peat layers were observed, which means Tsunami occurred more often than volcanic ash falls.
It clearly shows that the construction of atomic power plant near the coast is too dangerous in Japan.
Three cranes flied into to the field of our university
（畜大の圃場にツルが飛んできました）
Crow and crane flied into to the field.
In the afternoon of May 13, I plowed the field with a handy tractor to make ridges for the rows of potato.
A crow flied to the field and picked earthworms. The crow did not worry about me though I was operating the small machine.
At the same time, staffs of the university plowed the large field to grow dent-corn using a big tractor. Here, three cranes came and also picked earthworms.
It was first found by my wife, when she came to my office to pick me up by our family car. First, I did not believe her, but it was true. She showed me the birds while she drove the car home.
Cranes are very rare, and I saw them for the first time in the field of our university.
Their main habitat of cranes is wetland area.
Swans can be seen more often also in the field of our university.
They usually come in the fall to eat the fallen corns remaining in the field after harvest.
Crows are too popular, and many people do not like them. They are adapted to human environments, and can eat many kinds of foods.
Comment from my friend:
Nice experimental field preparation and layout. Usually these birds migrate during winter and come back during spring when the weather warms up.....
My answer:
Thank you, my friend. The crane in Japan (Tancho dzuru, crane with the red head) remains within Hokkaido island through the whole year. They live mainly in the wetland area. The number of cranes decreased remarkably as a result of the decrease in the wetland area. Swans migrate between Japan and Siberia, living in Japan during the winter and go back to Siberia during the summer season.
Every year, from the end of May to the beginning of June, I conduct a soil profile survey practice for Junior course students and JICA farmer-led extension course participants.
I am using the soil profile made for the J2 students also for the JICA participants, because I have not enough time for the JICA course practice.
The profile was made near the central part of the experiment field for student practices.
The profile was nice, though the interpretation was a little difficult.
Today, I hanged a briefing board of soil monoliths on the wall of my research building. It is written in Japanese (of course). If I have time, I will translate it into English also.
On June 26 (Sunday afternoon), I went to a small marsh near Bansei hot spring in the Pacific coast of Tokachi. It was the full blooming season of wetland flowers.
Visit to Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia to attend the International Peat Congress
（国際泥炭学会出席のためマレーシア、サラワク州、クチン市を訪問）
Excursion to see peat profiles in the plantations.
We visited the district of Kota Samarahan, around 30 km to the east of Kuching. Upper photo shows the well decomposed peat in the peripheral area of the peat dome. The land was used for the oil palm plantation. The lower photo shows the less decomposed peat in the near central part of the peat dome. The land was used for pineapple plantation. Tropical peat is formed from the woods of rain forest.
River views in Kuching
Upper photos shows the monumental buildings in the northern part of Kuching city. Northern part is a religious and political (islamic) center of the city. The lower photo (left) is a Malay fisher people village near the entrance of Bako national park. The lower photo (right) is the withered mangrove forest in the Bako national park. The land use change in the upper stream might have affected the life of mangrove forest.
Symbols of Kuching (Cats)
"Kuching" means Cat in Malay language. Therefore, there were many cat statues in the city.
Market in Kuching
Upper 2 photos were taken in the fish market near the entrance of Bako national park. The lower photos were taken in the weekend "Satok" market of Kuching. The head of cow killed in the early morning was sold. The lower right photo shows the young banana shoot used for cooking..
Bako National Park near Kuching
I visited Bako National Park with other three Japanese researchers. The geological rock of the park is sand stone, and it is very poor in nutrients. On the top of hill, we could see various belly plants (insect eating plants).
People whom I met in the conference
The upper left photo shows Dr. Lulie Melling and myself. She was the congress general of the IPC2016. One of the reason why I attended the conference is to pay respect to her who organized such an important and big scale peat conference for the first time in Asia. The upper right photo shows Dr. Lulie Melling, Prof. K. Inubushi, and Prof. H. Furukawa. I met Prof. Furukawa almost after 30 years. While I was a post doctoral fellow at IRRI, Prof. Furukawa was a senior visiting scientist at the same institute. Prof. Inubushi belonged to Soil Microbiology Department while I was doing research in the Soil Chemistry Department. The lower left photo was taken in front of my poster with Prof. A. Watanabe. The lower right photo shows the four Japanese soil scientists including me who made an outing to Bako National park together. Dr. Maie and Dr. Kawahiashi are in the photo.
Typhoon 11
I departed Kuching in the afternoon of August 20. I took the night flight from Kuala Lumpur to Nariata of Malaysia Airline. Then, I flied from Haneda to Obihiro in the afternoon of August 21. From the flight flying to Obihiro, I could see the typhoon 11 proceeding to north in the offshore of north-eastern Japan. We flied over the typhoon, and arrived at Obihiro earlier than the typhoon. Typhoon 11 landed on Hokkaido on August 21. Typhoon 10 wandered around the southern see of Japan, and arrived to Japan later than the Typhoon 11 on August 30. Though it landed Japan at Iwate prefecture, it exerted severe damage to the area of eastern and central Hokkaido.
From August 13 to 21, I made a trip to Kuching, Malaysia, to attend the International Peat Congress. My last trip to Kuching was in August, 2008, and the trip this time was after 8 years.
Visit to Kanazawa to attend the International Humic Substances Society Meeting
（国際腐植物質学会出席のため金沢市を訪問）
Kanazawa castle and Oyama shrine
The upper left photo shows the "Gyokusen-in-maru garden". It was newly reconstructed, but it was originally made for the wife "Matsu" of the first lord of Kanazawa castle, "Maeda Toshiie". The upper right photo shows a stone bridge in the garden of Oyama shrine. The lower photos shows the fort of Kanazawa castle. Though it is beautiful, it had been constructed to defend the main castle tower. The main castle tower was burnt down due to lightning, and had never been reconstructed.
Castle gardens
The upper left photo shows the "Kotoji" lantern stone in the Kenrokuen garden with three Japanese ladies in Kimono. The upper right photo shows the stone wall in the "Gyokusen-in-maru garden". The stones are beautifully cut and piled up. The lower photos shows the gate building of the Oyama shrine in the morning and in the evening.
Visit Shirakawagou in the excursion
A view of Shirakawa-gou, from the observatory, where I visited in the excursion of IHSS18 meeting on 14 September. Shirakawa-gou in Gifu prefecture is famous for the traditional old thatched houses of the villagers. Each house is a triangle shaped, three storied very high building. Villagers raised silk worm in the higher stories, and produced the ingredient for gun powder by fermenting the soil in the basement. Shirakawa-gou had been an isolated village deep in high mountains. It had been one of the hidden villages in Japan. These years, however, millions of peaple visit there thanks to the construction of a highway, though only a thousands of people are living there.
Shirakawagou_2
The house behind the paddy field was the house of the lord of the Shirakawagou village, "Wada family". Lower photo shows the spin used for silk weaving. The lower right photo shows the Japanese pampas grass used for thatching the roof of houses.
Visit Takayama city in the excursion
Takayama city was ruled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate government during the Edo era, and local office was placed here. The upper right photo shows the place where the suspected criminals were inspected and judged. The lower right photo shows the ball made from cedar leaves (Sugi-dama). It is the symbol of a Japanese rice wine brewery. It is prepared newly every year. When the color of the ball turns from green to brown, it is the sign that the rice wine has become ripe.
Old streets in the soldier town of Kanazawa
The upper left photo shows the dining room of the lowest class warriors (Ashigaru). In Kanazawa, even the Ashigaru class warriors were allowed to have their independent house. The upper right photo shows one of the creeks flowing in Kanazawa town. The water of the canal was introduced into the garden of each house, and used for every day life. The lower left photo shows the street in the town of higher class warriors. The lower right photo shows the district of Ashigaru warriors.
Night garden and castle in Kanazawa
Usually the garden of the castle and the Kenrokuen garden are closed at night time. However, from 16 to 18 September, we were allowed to enter the garden in the evening to admire the full moon in September, which is said to be the most beautiful moon in the year. I could enjoy this special occasion.
From September 11 to 17, I made a trip to Kanazawa, to attend the International Humic Substances Society. My last trip to Kanazawa was in November, 2011 and the trip this time was after 5 years. Explanations will be added later.
Visit to Saga to attend the Japanese SSPN Meeting
（日本土壌肥料学会出席のため佐賀市を訪問）
Campus of Saga University
After coming back home from Kanazawa, I spent only two weekend holidays at home, then flied again to Saga to attend the Japanese SSPN meeting. The campus of Saga University was very beautiful with the trees of "Taxodium distichum" which is adapted to very wet land and has special root for respiration. In many places in the city, especially around the Saga castle area, many big camphor trees were growing.
Saga castle
Saga castle was a castle of the feudal lord "Nabeshima family", who ruled the prefectures of Saga and Nagasaki for nearly 300 years during the Edo era. For the castle building, only the main gate is remaining. Recently, the residence of the feudal lord was reconstructed, and used as a museum of the history of Saga presently. I visited there just before leaving Saga. It is amazing that many museums in Saga can be visited free of charge.
Moat around the Saga castle
Saga castle is surrounded by the big moats. In the ancient age, the area inside the moat was a limited area only for the soldiers, servants and priests, but presently it is also used for local prefectural office, park and normal citizens housings. On the water surface of the moat, lotus and water chestnuts were growing. Lotus was once damaged severely several years ago due to the eating damage by the green turtle (foreign species) released by the careless citizens, but has recovered now by purging the turtles. The walk map around the Saga castle was attached, in which my walk paths were drawn with ball point pen.
Old town in Saga
As Saga was not destroyed during the world war II, many historic houses are remaining. I visited the building of "Koga" bank and the house of "Fukuda" family, who was a successful businessman during the Meiji era.
Bronze statues in the castle park
I could see many bronze statues made by Mr. Tadao Koga along the moat in the castle park as well as in the city museum.
Excursion of the SSPN meeting. Visited lotus root farm, mandarine orange farm, soy bean farm, and rice wine brewery.
Lotus farm, where we visited, was organic farming, and it suffered from the damage by jumbo snails. The upper right photo shows the eggs of jumbo snails. Jumbo snail was introduced from tropical country for aquatic farming by some Japanese company, but it failed and only the harmful snails were left. Lower left photo shows the farm of mandarine orange. They were growing the orange under the limited controlled supply of irrigation water. By this method, they can expect the fruit with high sugar content.
From September 19 to 24, I made a trip to Saga, to attend the Japanses SSPN meeting. My last trip to Saga was in November, 2013 and the trip this time was after 3 years. After visiting Kanazawa and Saga continuously, I found the similarity between the two cities. Both cities had beautiful castles, but castle towers were missing in both castles. Both castle towers were burnt down already in Edo era, and were not reconstructed. Maybe Edo era was so peaceful that there was no need of castle tower. Permission from the Tokugawa Shogunate government was necessary to construct or repair the castle buildings. The feudal lord of Kanazawa was Maeda family and that of Saga was Nabeshima family. Both lords were so clever that they could maintain their ruling throughout the Edo era for nearly 270 years. There were moats and canals in both cities because both cities were located on wet lowlands. Both cities did not suffer from the bombardment during the world war II, and old town and houses were preserved. Both cities were calm and comfortable. I had uploaded the impression of my previous visit to Saga in my homepage. Please see also the following article. http://timetraveler.html.xdomain.jp/special.html#special21
In my university, there is a white birch road connecting the campus area and field area. I like to walk the road, and found four photos of this road taken almost from the same position. The dates of photo taking were January 20 in 2017 and October 15, July 1, and June 6 in 2016 from the top to the bottom. I can feel the change in season from these photos and also feel that our summer is too short.
I have trimmed both sides of soil monolith, and attached it to the frame made from plywood board and timber. The monolith had been left outside for more than 4 months, just because I was lazy. If possible, I want to prepare another one before snow comes.
Heavy snow in early November, the record after 44 years.（11月3日の大雪。44年ぶりの記録）
We had a heavy snow on November 3, Japanese national holiday as a day of culture, in Obihiro. The season entered into mid-winter suddenly. So early visit of winter is said to be the record after 44 years. Field work has become very difficult now.
Scenes of soil survey and field work with my students in 2015. （学生さんたちとの土壌断面調査の風景 2015）
On November 29, 2016, I will have a poster presentation at the scientific meeting of the Hokkaido branch of Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. The poster presentation summarizes the soil survey carried out with my students (all ladies) in 2015. I showed here the photos taken during the field works. These ladies became my last students in the Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.
In the week end of middle November, I and my wife visited a museum in Miyanomori, Sapporo just for relaxation.
The bronze statue behind me is the statue named “Wadatsumi-no-koe” made by a famous artist, Mr. Shin Hongo in 1950. The first statue of this form was made for the memory of students sent to the war field of World War II and died.
The statue expresses the anger, sadness, and worried struggle of the young man.
It was intended to be placed in the campus of the Tokyo University, but the president and the board of council rejected to place it in the campus.
They explained the reason that naked figure of man is not advisable because lady students might be embarrassed, or the statue which has no relation with Tokyo University had not been placed in the campus. However, the actual reason was that they did not want to take any action which is not in harmony with the anti-communistic tendency of Japanese government and GHQ, USA.
Instead, a private university in Kyoto, Ritsumeikan, offered to accept the statue in its campus. However, in 1969 during the wave of student movement, an extremely-left and violent student group destroyed this statue.
In the same year of 1969, the second copy of this statue was planned to be placed in the campus of Hokkaido University, but this university also rejected to place the statue in the campus. Therefore, the statue is now placed in front of the museum in Sapporo, constructed for the memory of the artist, Mr. Shin Hongo.
These stories proved that Japanese universities were very obedient to the authority and the intention of the government. Before the war, they could not resist to the government which decided to send the students to war field. Even after the war, they could not accept the statue which reminds the people of the students who had to die in the war.
IRRI was a place where I conducted my post-doctoral research in the Soil Chemistry Department from November 1980 to March 1983, the place where I met many kind and lovely people, and the place where I started my married life and got my first baby. I had many unforgettable memories here.
Above left: With Corinta and Tess who welcomed me in the restaurant of SEARCA., Above right: In front of the apartment house where my wife and I lived 34 - 36 years ago. It remained the same as before.
Below left: Reunion assembly of my friends from Soil Chemistry and Soil Microbiology departments while I was a post-doctoral fellow at IRRI. We have forgotten the ages which passed since I left IRRI when I was still 31 years old. I enjoyed the meeting., Below right: Behind the nice view restaurant in Tagay Tay where Mrs. Corinta brought me on Sunday.
Above left: Giant Fertility Tree in the UPLB campus., Above right: Statue of Philippino farmer and carabao. Below left: main gate of UPLB., Below right: a fallen flower of Magnolia on the rotten trunk.
Buildings of IRRI in the central area beyond the experiment farm. The building behind the "IRRI" sign is a ladies dorm where my wife and I stayed several months. The photo below right shows the gene bank of IRRI, where rice seeds can be preserved several tens of years.
Above left: Mt Makiling, above right: Taal lake where Mrs. Corinta Quijano brought me on 18. Below left: Pilli road which connects IRRI campus and UPLB campus., Below right: On February 19, I moved from IRRI to Quezon to visit Ateneo University, where my former Ph. D student is teaching. Last night, my old IRRI friends, Connie, Nida and their husbands who are living in Manila invited me to a welcome dinner. They had been the most talkative ladies in the Soil Chemistry department, and were still unchanged.
On March 14 in Amsterdam, we visited Van Gogh Museum in the morning (Photo with my wife below left).
Walked to House of Anne Franck at around noon (abandoned to enter due to too many visitors).
Visited Botanic Garden (De Hortus) in the afternoon, and also the Historic museum of Jewish people in the Netherlands.
Traveled from Amsterdam to Ahnem by train in the evening.
Kröller Müller Open Air Museum in the suburbs of Arnhem.
World Soil Museum in Wageningen.
National Water Museum in Arnhem.
On March 15 in Ahnem, we visited Kröller Müller Open Air Museum (by bus, walk, bicycle, bus).
Visited World Soil Museum in Wageningen (by bus and on foot) in the afternoon.
On March 16, we visited Rhein river bank on foot, then walked further to Sonsbeek City park.
Visited Water Museum of the Netherlands in the park.
Traveled from Arnhem to Bremen via Duisburg by train in the afternoon. It took around 5 hours.
Main Bremen Station and Universum Museum in Bremen.
Visiting the area around city hall, and the apartment in the Elisabeth street where we lived in 1983.
Visiting the forest and museums in the wetland area in Worpswede.
Visiting Bremen-Huchting and the harbor area of Bremen.
On March 17, we visited Universum Bremen by S-bahn, then visited City center with the old city hall and churches in the afternoon, and further to the Elisabeth street where we lived 34 years ago.
On March 18 in Bremen, we visited Worpswede by bus. In the evening, we went to the Glocke concert hall to attend the Wiener classic concert.
On March 19 in Bremen, we visited Huchting by S-Bahn, and walked along the Weser river bank in rain, then visited Oversees Musenum in the afternoon.
Traveled from Bremen to Hamburg by train in the evening.
On March 20, I visited Dr. Peter Becker Heidmann in the laboratory of Soil Scinece of Hamburg University in the morning. I was also a post-doctoral fellow in 1983 - 1984. We passed by the Guest house of Hamburg University where we stayed during my post-doctoral fellowship by the Humboldt Foundation. Then we visited the house of Prof. Dr. Neue, who has been my friend since our IRRI age.
On March 21, we walked along the Alster shore area in the morning and then visited the main building of the university and the Institute of Soil Science in the afternoon guided by Dr. Peter Becker Heidmann. We enjoyed dinner together.
In the morning of March 22, we left Hamburg from the airport, forwarded to Amsterdam airport, then took the return flight to Narita. We slept in the plane, and arrived in Narita on March 23, forwarded to Haneda airport by bus, then took the flight to Obihiro on the same day.
April is the season, when crocus and daffodil start to bloom. It still snowed in the middle of April. I was busy clearing my office and laboratory in the university during the early half of April. Even after clearing the laboratory, I had to treat the remained chemicals for disposal. It took also another two weeks.
May is the season of cherry and tulip. In the first week of May, families of my daughter and first son visited my house and spent the "golden week" holidays with us. I had classes of soil science practice for the junior course students as a part time lecturer.
In the early June, I had a lecture and practice of soil science for the JICA Farmer-led extension course. I made a one day trip to visit the art and science museums in Kushiro with my wife. I prepared also the soil monolith of the soil profile made for junior course students and JICA training participants. June is also the season of clematis.
"Photos of July, 2017 - Travel to Kiritappu. (2017. July)
On July 7-8, I made a two days trip to Kiritappu, where I visited often for investigation of wetland peat and water with my students. It was a best season with beautiful flowers in the wetland. I could also see the fisher ships which started forward to the harvesting sites of sea tangle (kelp).
"Photos of August, 2017 - Outing to Cape Erimo and Shikaribetsu lake. (2017. August)
In August, we welcomed the families of our daughter and first son during their summer vacation. We visited cape Erimo and Shikaribetsu lake. The cape Erimo became very famous recently, after North Korea launched their missiles already two times over this cape through Tsugaru strait. Two roses
"Photos of September, 2017 - Completed the preparation of the soil monolith. (2017. September)
I have finished preparing the soil monolith. During July and August, it was too hot to work in the vinyl house, where I placed the soil monolith under preparation. I have also prepared the powerpoint file (in Japanese) explaining the significance of soil monolith and the method of preparing lack-film soil monolith. 博物館資料論ー土壌断面標本の作製（2017.11.9）
Colchicum autumnale is a messenger of autumn. Its flower directly comes out from the ground. I observed its coming out on September 16 and the flower attained its full bloom on September 24. Though it is a toxic plant, it attracts butterflies. Maybe the flower is not toxic.
Mushrooms found in nearby fields and the dishes cooked from the mushroom. (2017. September)
In my garden and also in the forest near my house, we can find mushrooms in autumn. My wife has cooked delicious dishes using these mushrooms.
Please read also Mushroom from my garden
Kikanko river (upper 2) and Urikai river (lower 2). Lower left photo shows the place where Kikank river flows into Urikai river.
Urikai river
Urikai river
Satsunai river
Small stream, Kikanko river and Urikai river are flowing near my house and the campus of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Medicine. These small streams flow down and join Satsunai river, which is a big river flowing from Hidaka mountains. I like to walk along the river banks and in the riparian forests beside these rivers.
Aikoku and Tobetsu towns are located in the eastern side of Satsunai river. I visited there by bicycle in the end of September, 2017, to see the fields after harvest of wheat and potato, while beans and sugar beets were still remaining in the fields. New seedlings of winter wheat have also germinated in the fields on September 30.
Yachidamo trees (Fraxinus mandshurica var. japonica Maxim.)
along Kikanko and Urikai rivers.
Yachidamo (Manchurian ash, Fraxinus mandshurica var. japonica) is a beautiful and tall tree growing near river streams, because it likes wet place. It is a strong and hard wood, and used for many purposes. Ainu people used this wood for carving boats.
Full moon in autumn from end of September to early October is very beautiful and admired by Japanese people. On October 4, 2017, I went out to see the moon on the river bank of Satsunai river. It was already very cold in the evening.
Red and yellow leaves and autumn sceneries in Tokachi on October 8-10, 2017.
Views around On-ne-toh lake.
Mossess along the way between On-ne-toh lake and Me-akan hot spring park place.
Fungi along the way between On-ne-toh lake and Me-akan hot spring park place.
Views around Shikaribetsu lake.
Views along the going-up way to Mt. Haku-un-san.
Views along the coming-down way from Mt. Haku-un-san.
Plants and mosses along the way to and from the summit of Mt. Haku-un-san.
Red and yellow tree leaves in Iwanai hidden valley.
I visited On-ne-toh lake in Akan national park, Shikaribetsu lake and Mt. Haku-un-san in Taisetsu national park, and Iwanai hidden valley in the suburbs of Obihiro city during 8-10, October, to enjoy the autumn sceneries with red and yellow tree leaves.
Red and yellow leaves and autumn sceneries in the Obihiro city area on October 13, 2017.
Views in my living town, Seiryu-cho.
Views along Toteppo passageway 1
Views along Toteppo passageway 2
Views along Toteppo passageway 3
Views along Toteppo passageway 4
Views in the green park of Obihiro 1
Views in the green park of Obihiro 2.
Views in the green park of Obihiro 3.
Views in the wild grass garden of Obihiro.
It was a fine and nice day on October 13. I started already in the morning from my house by bicycle. I passed along Kikanko river, entered the Toteppo passage way and passed from the southern end to the northern end of the passageway. In the northern end of the passage, there was a nice sweets shop, "Toteppo factory", where I took rest enjoying coffee and soft cream. Then I forwarded to the green park. While enjoying the red and yellow leaves, I also visited the art museum of Obihiro and the wild grass garden of Obihiro. I took lunch at "Budo-ya (Grape house)", then came back passing the southern half of Toteppo passage and the way along Urikai river.
It is the time to expect first snow in my place, Obihiro. In the mountainous area in Tokachi, considerable amount of snow has fallen already, but in the plain area not yet. Instead, on October 19, we had a severe frost in the morning of October 19. Leaves of grapes and hydrangea have turned brown. Rose and strawberry are relatively tolerable to the frost, and we can still enjoy the flowers and fruits. Apples are not ripe yet, and we can harvest them after November.
Views around my house in the end of October, 2017.
Views along Toteppo passageway. October 21, 2017.
Views in the green park of Obihiro, 1. October 21, 2017.
Views in the green park of Obihiro, 2. October 21, 2017.
Fields of winter wheet, sugar beet, and bare field after harvest. October 24, 2017.
Views from the two bridges (Nan-tai bridge and Aikoku bridge) on Satsunai river. October 24, 2017.
Oak trees with changing leaf colors. Changes between October 18 and 24. October 24, 2017.
Big elm trees and trees on terrace cliff. October 24, 2017.
Red and yellow maple leaves around the Nanabe conifer garden in Obihiro. October 24, 2017.
Aphids found below a big willow tree in Inada water pump station. October 24, 2017.
Around 1 km south along the bank from the Nantai bridge on Satsunai river, there was a pasture for horses. Horses noticed me and gathered together. Soon after watching me they have spread again. October 25, 2017.
Around the pasture for horses, there remained wind break tree stands. October 25, 2017.
This is the view of winter wheat field and trees along a small stream. The land is undulated (waved) due to the volcanic ash which accumulated here 17,000 - 40,000 years ago. October 25, 2017.
Harvest of sugar beet has just started in Tokachi. October 26, 2017.
Winter wheat field and a bare field after harvest in Kawanishi town on October 26, 2017.
Remaining autumn colored leaves in the Green Park of Obihiro and Toteppo passage way on October 27, 2017.
View of Satsunai river on October 31, 2017. Water is increasing due to the rain on 29 and 30, October.
Beet harvest in a near-by farmer's field on October 31, 2017.
We had a stormy and snowy day on October 23 due to the typhoon No. 21. However, it became a very fine day on October 24. I went out in the afternoon to see the views after typhoon around my house by bicycle. I forwarded to the south direction, passed the Nantai bridge on Satsunai river, and ran along the eastern bank of Satsunai river to the north direction to Aikoku bridge. Next day (October 25), I went to the south direction from the Nantai bridge. I found there a pasture field for horses. On the way of cycling, I could enjoy the views of fields and still remaining autumn colored leaves.
The site where we could observe the activity of squirrels. エゾリスを確認できた地点。西24条のさらに西側の林。右上：チョウセンゴヨウ。左下：カラマツ。右下：チョウセンゴヨウの実。
Views of Obihiro city communal forest which we surveyed. 西２４条の東側の森。左下：ハルニレ。右下：ミズナラ。
Views of Obihiro city communal forest which we surveyed. 左上：中央はウダイカンバ、左はダケカンバ。
Plants in the forest floor. 林床の植物。左上：イチイ。右上：フッキソウ。左下：サイハイラン。右下：ツリバナ。
Plants in the forest floor.林床の植物。左上：カラハナソウ。右上：オオウバユリ。左下：コウライテンナンショウ。右下：ミツバ。
Activities of small animals (wood-peckers, rats and Japanese original fresh water shrimps in the forest. 生物の活動。右上：アカゲラが崩した木の幹。右上：アカネズミの穴。左下：森の中の水路、ニホンザリガニの住処。右下：ニホンザリガニを探しているところ。
Various mushrooms found in the forest. 森の中で見つけたキノコ。右上はツチスギタケ。その他は不詳。
Views along the Kikanko river during the walk in the evening on the same day. 夕方の散歩中の機関庫川沿いの風景。
Due to the courtesy of the curator of the centennial museum of Obihiro, Mr. Ikeda, I could join the survey of the habitat density of Ezorisu (indigenous squirrel in Hokkaido) and the seed production of a special pine (Chosen-goyou) in the Obihiro city communal forest, which have been carried out two times a year (spring and autumn) for many years. I just followed the Mr. curator and learned many things about the wild lives (plants and animals) not only the squirrels in the forest.
In the evening of my arrival, I walked around the streets of Kuramae and Asakusa.
On Novwmber 2, I visited the National Science Museum in Ueno to see the special exhibitions of Andes civilizations. Clay statue of lama made during the Wari (pre-Inca) civilization (A.D. 500 - 1000), flutes made of the bone of Pelican found in the remains of Caral civilization (B.C. 3000-1500), lacework made during the Inca civilization (A.D. 1400 - 1572), Quipu ropes used through the Andes civilizations for recording and transferring informations.
In the third floor of "Japan building" in the National Science Museum, I could see many soil monoliths prepared in various places under different climates in Japan. Above photo shows the non-allophanic volcanic ash soil at Naruko, Miyagi prefecture and a peat soil in Bibai, Hokkaido.
View of Tokyo city from the building of National Science Museum. Lower photo shows the famous "Tokyo Sky Tree".
In Kawasaki, I visited a small shrine (Suwa shrine) with my family to celebrate the 7-5-3 festival for our grandson.
After visiting the shrine, we went to an amusement park, Yomiuri-land, to enjoy the family time.
View from the airplane in the northern part of main island of Japan. Chiba prefecture near Tokyo bay, Ibaraki airport in Kanto plain, surrounding area of Shirakawa city in Fukushima prefecture, surrounding area of Miyako city in Iwate prefecture are shown.
View from the airplane in the Tokachi area, Hokkaido, just before landing. Rekifune river in Taiki town, Mt. Maruyama with an observatory on the top in Churui town, Tokachi Speed Way in Sarabetsu town, and agricultural fields in Nakasatsunai town are shown.
From November 2 to 5, I made a private time to Tokyo and Kawasaki, to visit the National Science Museum in Ueno, Tokyo, and to enjoy the family time with my daughter's family and my wife.
Before leaving Okazaki, I visited Okazaki park and Okazaki castle, where "Tokugawa Ieyasu", the first Shogun in Edo era, was born.
A clean river, "Sugou river", is flowing to the south of castle.
The flowers in November in Okazaki are shown here. These flowers are not seen in Hokkaido where I live now.
View of Japanese garden in Anjo, Jozan-en", which was built for the memory of "Ishikawa Jozan" in early Edo era, who was a man of braveness in his youth and a man of culture in his later years. I visited here after placing the ashes of my mother into the tomb.
From November 13 to 17, I made a private trip to Okazaki and Anjo, to place the ashes of my mother who passed away in last March into the tomb of my family in Anjo, as well as to clean my born house in Okazaki.
Forest of Obihiro, Maintenance work, November 19, 2017
On the way forwarding to the forest of Obihiro, I took the photo of Hidaka mountain range from the field of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. It snowed on November 18, and the scenery of winter was brought about in one night.
I joined the volunteer work of maintaining the forest of Obihiro. During the work, I saw a rotten wood with many mushrooms and a swarm of dormant eggs of aphids on a tree bark.
We removed the vine trees of "Tsuru-ume-modoki" which coil around the young trees in the park and choke them.
During the work, the group leader found a nest of vespine wasp, in which wasps were already dead due to coldness. We dissected the nest to see the inside of the nest.
On November 19, I joined the volunteer work of "Ezorisu no Kai" to maintain the environment of the forest of Obihiro. We removed the vine plants which disturb the growth of young trees in the park.
View of Kawanishi town in early winter, November 25, 2017
On November 25, I walked to a gallery "Wood Sound" in Kawanishi town to see the exhibitions of water color paintings by two lady artists. On the way I enjoyed the rural views in the village.
A walk to the museum of Japan Beet Sugar Industry Company along the Kikanko river, November 26, 2017
今日（11月26日）は１週間ぶりに雪が降ったので午前中は除雪をし、午後は雪の中を散歩に行ってきました。いつも行き当たりばったりに歩いているのですが、今日はビート資料館に入って説明を聞いてきました。機関庫川沿いに歩いていくとビート資料館に着くのです。10年ぶりくらいではないかと思いますが、展示内容も刷新されており、館長さんに詳しくマンツーマンで説明をして頂き大変勉強になりました。日本甜菜糖株式会社はかつて十勝鉄道という鉄道路線と蒸気機関車を所有しており、農村部で収穫された甜菜を運搬すると同時に、市民の通勤通学の足としても貢献していました。館内には十勝鉄道が運行していた当時の写真や蒸気機関車の模型が展示してあり、また敷地内にはかつての線路の一部と駅名表示板が残してありました。かつて工場の機械を動かしていた蒸気機関発電機も構内に展示してありました。十勝鉄道が走っていた軌道敷地の市街地部分は帯広市に寄贈され、今では「トテッポ通り」という愛称のもとに、市内を南北に結ぶ遊歩道兼サイクリング道になっています。
It snowed again on November 26 after one week. I removed snow around my house in the morning. In the afternoon, I visited a sugar beet museum of “Nitten” sugar company, walking around 7 km to and from the museum in the snow. The director of the museum kindly guided me privately explaining the exhibitions in the museum. It was a very nice experience for me.
“Nitten” sugar company is one of the three large sugar industry companies in Hokkaido and also the oldest among them. It operated rail ways connecting the factory and the rural area in Tokachi area to transport the harvested sugar beet by locomotive trains. The locomotive trains also transported not only the sugar beet and employees but also passengers who worked or studied in the city area and lived in the rural area.
Visiting the Sapporo Beer Museum, December 1, 2017
On December 1, the next day of the symposium of the Hokkaido branch of the Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, I walked to the Sapporo Beer Museum, around 2 km east of the Japan Rail Sapporo station. Sapporo Beer Museum was located at the site of former second factory of Sapporo Beer Brewery Company, which was established in 1876. The second factory was built at this site in 1890 after succeeding the factory building of Sapporo Sugar Beet Sugar Industry Company. A complex of large beer restaurants is also operated here, where people can enjoy nice meat dishes and beer.
The first brewery master of Sapporo Beer Company was Mr. Nakagawa/Seibei, who traveled alone secretly to Europe when he was still 17 years old in 1865. At that time Japan was still closing the country and traveling abroad was forbidden under Tokugawa regime. After working as a house servant for 7 years in England, he moved to Germany, where he studied the technique of Beer Brewing in Berlin. He mastered the brewery technique in two years and was awarded a certificate of completing the brewery course. After returning to Japan, he was employed by new Japanese government as an engineer to establish a new beer brewing factory in Sapporo, Hokkaido. He brewed a German style non sterilized beer. After contributing to the start-up of the factory for around 15 years he resigned from the company in 1891, because he did not like to introduce the new beer sterilization technique.
The photo above left shows many beer barrels, on which it is written, "From barley and hop, a spirit named Beer is brewed.". It replicates the scene of the opening day of Sapporo Beer company in 1876. The brick in the above right photo was the original one imported from England and used in the second factory of the company in 1890. The photo below left shows a boiler for the malt extract, which could contain 100 tones of malt liquid and had been used until 2003. If you want to drink this amount of beer, it will take more than 500 years even if you drink 0.5 liter every day. The photo below right shows two types beers. The right one in a smaller glass is the beer brewed in the same manner as Mr. Nakagawa brewed in 1877. Fine yeasts are still suspending in the beer and it tasted very nice. The left one in the taller glass is the Sapporo Black label beer, which is the brand now sold in market. It is filtered clear, but has a very thick and tough foam to keep the flavor of the beer. It also tasted very nice.
Scenes after a heavy snow around my house, December 9, 2017
My garden, and objects in the park covered with snow.
Children's park with still no footprints after the snow.; Someone's trail in a park.; Footprints of squirrel.; Footprints of myself.
Twilight scenes along my walk way in the afternoon.
１２月８日にはまたたくさんの雪が降りました。家の周りの歩道や通路の除雪をするのに２時間以上かかりました。午後には散歩に行ったのですが、雪が深くて、今までのように歩き回ることはもう困難になっていました。
It snowed a lot on December 8. It took two hours for me to remove the snow around my house. Anyway I have enough time to play with snow after retirement. In the afternoon, I went out for walking. It has become very difficult to walk in the parks and river banks due to the heavy and thick snow, but it was still nice to walk in the snow.
Walk along the Satsunai river bank, December 10, 2017
I walked on the Satsunai river bank. I could see many footprints of wild animals. The photo in the above left shows a pile of sugar beet which was still remained in the field.
I approached the river shore, which was also covered with snow. Someone has already walked in advance to me on the shore with his dog.
I could see the flight of swans and geeses.
今日の午後は、久しぶりに札内川の堤防を歩いてきました。大きなトラックが走ったようで、そのわだちを歩きました。色々な動物の足跡を見れて面白かったです。また、白鳥や鴨(鴨くらいの大きさの鳥で実体は不明)などの群を見ることもできました。イトーヨーカドーの本屋さんに寄り、帰りは機関庫川沿いの道を帰ってきましたが、雪が積もって3日になるのにまだほとんど足跡のついていないような部分もありました。
This afternoon, I walked along the bank of Satsunai river, which flows to the east of Obihiro city. In spite of the deep snow, some truck ran on the bank and left ruts, on which I could walk easily. I could find many footprints of wild animals on the snow. I walked down near to the river shore, where I could find the foot prints of a man and a dog who passed here in advance to me. I could see also the flights of swans and geese which stay here during winter season.
After walking around 4 km on the bank, I dropped at a shopping center in the city, then came home. For return way, I took the path along the Kikanko river, a small stream leading to my living town "Seiryu". From place to place, it was difficult to walk on the deep snow along the river bank, as nobody has ever walked on it since the last big snow fall.
Bird watching in the forest of Obihiro, December 17, 2017
Survey of wild birds is carried out routinely by a voluntary group "Ezorisu no kai" four times a year. I joined the opportunity for the first time. We met together very early at 7:30 in the morning, in the forest of Obihiro. We had to wear snow shoes so that we can walk on the deep snow.
We could see and hear many birds. The leader can identify the birds only by their voices. We could see also an eagle flying over us.
Undisturbed small river was flowing in the forest. On the snow, we could also observe many foot prints of wild animals.
Above left: With Corinta and Tess who welcomed me in the restaurant of SEARCA., Above right: In front of the apartment house where my wife and I lived 34 - 36 years ago. It remained the same as before. 
Above left: Giant Fertility Tree in the UPLB campus., Above right: Statue of Philippino farmer and carabao. Below left: main gate of UPLB., Below right: a fallen flower of Magnolia on the rotten trunk. 
Buildings of IRRI in the central area beyond the experiment farm. The building behind the "IRRI" sign is a ladies dorm where my wife and I stayed several months. The photo below right shows the gene bank of IRRI, where rice seeds can be preserved several tens of years. 
Above left: Mt Makiling, above right: Taal lake where Mrs. Corinta Quijano brought me on 18. Below left: Pilli road which connects IRRI campus and UPLB campus., Below right: On February 19, I moved from IRRI to Quezon to visit Ateneo University, where my former Ph. D student is teaching. Last night, my old IRRI friends, Connie, Nida and their husbands who are living in Manila invited me to a welcome dinner. They had been the most talkative ladies in the Soil Chemistry department, and were still unchanged. 
Kröller Müller Open Air Museum in the suburbs of Arnhem.
World Soil Museum in Wageningen.
National Water Museum in Arnhem.
Main Bremen Station and Universum Museum in Bremen.
Visiting the area around city hall, and the apartment in the Elisabeth street where we lived in 1983.
Visiting the forest and museums in the wetland area in Worpswede.
Visiting Bremen-Huchting and the harbor area of Bremen.
On March 20, I visited Dr. Peter Becker Heidmann in the laboratory of Soil Scinece of Hamburg University in the morning. I was also a post-doctoral fellow in 1983 - 1984. We passed by the Guest house of Hamburg University where we stayed during my post-doctoral fellowship by the Humboldt Foundation. Then we visited the house of Prof. Dr. Neue, who has been my friend since our IRRI age.
On March 21, we walked along the Alster shore area in the morning and then visited the main building of the university and the Institute of Soil Science in the afternoon guided by Dr. Peter Becker Heidmann. We enjoyed dinner together.
