A bear

Yesterday morning, I met a bear in the mountain near my house.

I took for a walk with my dog.  About 10 minutes after leaving home, just entering  a steep slope, I heard something walking.  I saw a animal climbing approximately 20m away from us.  At first I thought It was a big  monkey.
But it was too big for monkey and whole black. I recognized it was a round shape black bear and it walked away behind the ridge and then I couldn't see it anymore.
Fortunately my dog didn't noticed it as she was too short to see over the bushes.

It was my first time to see a bear in about three years near my home.
The bear I saw last time was just a little calf and looked like a stuffed animal while this time bear was about one meter long and didn't seem like a child.  They may be the same bear.

Chase

Yesterday morning, I was chased by a big golden retriever in the snow mountain.
It was about one hour after leaving home, when I almost reached the summit of Mt. Shiroyama, I heard something.  A big dog and a man caught us up on the snow path. Then the golden started to chase me.  First she got me up to the summit.
Next she got me down from the summit while the man and my owner were talking.  I kept running and running, barking and barking on the steep snow covered slope. May be I forgot I left my owner on the top.
Actually the golden went down other side of the ridge, but I didn't noticed that, so I kept running. I got separated from my owner. I thought I had to be looked for more than half day. Finally, I was able to meet my owner around a lower shallow stream after a half of hour.

Frost Bite

Last week I had eight days sick leave. I have been suffering from frost bite in my right foot since around the new year period. Unfortunately it infected on wednesday 2 weeks ago. My right foot swelled and really hurt.
Now I came back to work and feel much better. But I still have a wound　in my foot which is about 3 cm big and I felt severely pain especially when changing boots. Since yesterday I turned the bandage for the wound into a food plastic wrap instead of the conventional gauze patch. That's so called a moisture treatment which dose not dry the wound.
Now I feel less pain. It seems like very good. May be because the wound doesn't dry and some dried solid thing doesn't stab my inner foots tissues.

This morning dog Mary went up to Mt.Siroyama  located next to my home for her first time ever.  She is only seven months old, but she was so lively and run up and down steep mounten path, reliesing her enagic power. And at last It was very hard to cach her and I couldn't until ariving at home, since she enjoyed free so much without her leash. It's in the middle of autum. I realy enjoyed autum mouten's color.

Actually I climed the mouten for the first time since I felt pain badly in my knee this july and , of course , since my knee surgery last month end.

I wondered if I could go to Mt.Siroyama again. But it seems to be almost O.K.

I feel no pain when go up,  a little pain when go down though. So I have to be very carful to discend steep path.

Menisucus

It's been 3 days since I got out of the hospital and 4 days since my right knee meniscus endoscopic surgery. Now I feel almost no pain in my knee and I can walk slowly and carefully. Maybe I can return to my work soon, but must be more carful and sould to see the situation of where I got the surgery for a moument. My brother took a video of the surgery by his camera through the VTR in next room of the operation at that time.  As the doctor had said befor the surgery, throuh that video,  I can see that the front part of my right insaid menisucus had partly peeled off.  The picture showed the scene that peeled part was cut off  little by little by a narrow tool like nippers. There had been made three little hole around my right knee, one for a camera, anther for a tool like nepper, and maybe the last for something like a bacuum which clean the segment left.

Surgery

This is my fiest time to get a surgery and to be hospitalized.
My right knee meniscus injury's surgery has just finished now. I'm writing this text on the bed, wearing oxygen musk and urinal pipe under my bottom.

I was given a general anesthetic.  On the operation table Just after It came from the infusion, I fall asleep. I was feeling like having a very short dream untill the doctor tapped my shoulder letting me know its over. It took just one hour but l knew nothing about what happend.
My brother came there and watched the whole operation through the video camera. He told me that my meniscus had been  partly tore and that was removed.
I heared from the patient in the room that  Dr. Nawata  who operated me is very noted about knees, so many people come from far places.
 
My body is connected to a lot of thing such as the infusion, pulse and blood pressure guage and urinal pipe. I can't move from the bed untill tomorrow morning. Particuraly this my under pipe is bothering me now. It's difficult for me to express this feeling.


My brother gave me a drive here to Marunouchi Hospital yesterday at 10 a.m. The operation was 9 to 10 a.m. today. And I am to be out of the hospital at 10 a.m. tomorrow. All is to be three days and two night.

Hot Spring

                                                                                                       (Jan 2015 in Siga, Nagano)

Nagano prefecture has a lot of good hot springs.  I live in Kiso and l also have nearby hot springs a lot.  Among those,  My most friquently visiting hot spring is Ina City's Miharasi-no-yu .

It is located in high place in the city, so I can get a great view of moutens such as The South Alps and Yatsugatake when the sky is clear. During even stormy wether, it's enjoyable to see the clowds drifting the sky while you are dipping in the comfortable warm hot spring.

Autumn leaves

Today Mt.Ontake's restriction was lifted partly from 10 a.m. So far we were able to go up to the 8th grade but from now we can crimb up to the 9th grade in Krosawa course.  Just in time, the mounten's autumn leaves colors are getting really beautiful this week, especially around the 8th grade.

Dog Lily

It's more than five months since the dog Lily passed away. She was ten years and five months old.
She had not been good since around this January. We took her to nearby animal hospital.  Her uterus was infected. The veterinarian gave same medicine but we were told just to see her for a while.

In this May, she hadn't got better than before and also she was bleeding from her bottom. Then we brought her to another hospital in Ina city.
The vet there said she would die soon without surgery and her uterus have to be removed immediately. We were told that probably she would be able to get out of the hospital in about a week, so we decided to leave her there.
In a few days later, when we were expecting that it's about time to take her back home, my cell-phone rang.
The vet sounded difficult to say that the dog died. After the surgery her nearly 40 degrees Celsius fever never went down in spite of their efforts.

Golden Retrievers are said to especially stick to their owners. Lily was usually near one of my family all the time.
Still now I can't  forget her back figure when she was walking  into the room after the nurse without knowing being left there. May be she believed we would obviously follow her at the moment, so she never turned around to us. That was her last figure for us.

Writing

It's been almost three years since I started studying English earnestly. But why can't even easy English  come from me naturally?  I know of course it's  because I seldom have a chance to speak peaple in English.

So far,  I have been studying mainly for listening and reading.  There is no one to speak English for now. When I think about how I can use it,  writing English by myself is one of good approachs to that.  May be it's inferior to speaking for improving my ability of needed speed. But writing helps me polish my accuracy and expression.

Seasons change

When seasons change,  I always recall what I have done during the season. Particularly in the fields I like- which mountens I have climbed,  which places I have traveled. But for over the half of this year,  unfortunately I haven't been able to do such activities ever. Therfore now I value keeping my stady all the more. I appreciate my curiosity.  It keeps me up. Otherwise I might have got depression.
I think a sence of accomplishment is always important.  In terms of learning, we can't easly to see its progress, so it could be good way to keep one's study record.

Tourists

We can see overseas's travelers more and more in any japanese sightseeing spots. But why can we hardly see them at Ontake Ropeway. I think It's mainly because of its hard to access. Plus its lack of English infomation online.
At now it may be difficult to do so, but making easy Ontake Bus's English infomation could be really essential. Many travelers want to refrain from driving outside of their country. If I travel oversea, I may find using rocal transportations is really difficult - how to read the timetable where you are not familiar with the name of the places, where to get on, how to pay. You may not even know getting to your destination.

Sheltie

Hi!  I'm Mary. I was born in Ina City this mid march.
I was taken to this house this May.
I'm only 5 months old.
I feel my energy more and more recently. And I tend to see my host famly members as old slow moving sheeps. My first task of the day is to get up all the members by biting one's  toe out from the blanket or jumpig on their body.

Ontake Ropeway

Mt.Ontake is the second highest volcano (3067m) after Mt.Fuji(3776m) in japan. It is located in about center of japan mainland.

The gondola of Ontake Ropeway takes you up to its level,2150m quickly. On the top station's rooftop observertory,you can get specutacular views of the mountens. Northern Alps, Central Alps, Southern Alps.


2015's  infomation.

Operation---------

June 6th through November 8th.
Hours for Gondra. 8:30 ～ 16:15 (last ride down at 16:30)

Ticket--------
                  Adult      Child (under high school)
Round trip  2600yen  1300yen
One way       1400yen    700yen

Infant is free.
A group of over 20 and 20 people can get 10% discount.



Climbing----------

The mounten erupted on September 27th,2014. Considering its danger, there is a off-limit area.
Ontake Ropeway top station is at 7th grade, 2150m. From there we can climb up to 8rh grade,2450m,at present. It's about 3- hour walk for round trip from the top station.
The 8th grade area is aroud forest line where especially the autum leaves are specutacular in the fall. Its best period is usually between late September and early October.

                                                                                                

This in my first time.
First it's my practice.