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I took a day off and enjoyed driving my Jeep all day. The total mileage I accumulated today was 150 miles (240km), but I didn't feel I drove that much at all. Maybe because there was no traffic jam. Also because the driving itself is so fun in Seattle, accompanied by beautiful scenery and perfect weather. In fact, Seattle is having perfect weather these days. I haven’t seen rain (or even cloud) for almost 10 days. In other words, I haven’t closed the soft top for 10 days:-) I really love this!!! I was listening to the hiphop / rap songs while driving - I do not know why but this genre best fits as the background music for the full open Jeep...
Four years ago on July 3rd, I started living in the US. So many things happend during the four years. However, I like living / working in this country, and I am proud of being part of this great community. Tomorrow I will have party with my co-worker (Eric, his family, and his neighbors) and later enjoy the cruise on the Lake Washington, watching the fireworks on Independence Day. Great summer in Seattle...
• 窓際の席になった。日本で窓際族というとネガティブな意味合いが強いが、アメリカでは正反対である。目の前に池があり、ガチョウやカモの家族がほのぼのと日向ぼっこをしている。欠点は、長時間仕事している気がしないことだ。夏至の日に入社以来初めて徹夜をしてしまったのだが、午後10時でもそれなりまだ明るく、午前4時ごろにはほんのりと明るくなっていた。夏至の頃から8月中旬まで、シアトル最高の季節が続く。ジープも全開、湖際のジョギングも至福。
早朝に草をついばむ鳥の家族たち  • ワールドカップが面白くなってきた。ベスト16くらいからサッカーの試合は俄然面白くなる。一瞬のチャンスを逃さず獰猛なシュートを打つストライカー、味方さえ戸惑うほどの早いテンポのパスを決めるミッドフィルダー、ここぞというタイミングでタックルを決めて攻撃を止める鉄壁のようなディフェンダー、、、サッカーの醍醐味は強豪同士の戦いの中にある。 • 今週末の東京への小旅行はキャンセルした。 • 英語でブログを綴るか、日本語にするか、少し迷っている。英語は漢字への変換が要らないため、書くスピードは日本語より早いのである。また普段、脳の言語モードが英語なので、そのまま綴ることができる。ただ日本語の方が読みやすいという声も聞くので、暫くは両方の言語を使うと思う。
I noticed that I can spend only 3 business days (July 6, 7, 17) in my office next month. What a bummer.
June 30 - July 5 (Tokyo) July 10 - July 14 (Boston, MA) July 18 - July 23 (Orlando, FL) July 24 - July 28 (downtown Seattle - meaning out of office) Why do I leave Seattle while it is going to be the best season in Seattle:-( ?
It's 7:25pm. I'm so sleepy. I woke up at 3am this morning, jogged for 8km, worked intensively, and just got back home.
By the way, my monetary value is estimated to be 220 million yen (2 oku yen), according to this dubious website. Ridiculously cheap!! However, the interesting thing is that I belong to the highest group among all 42 categories. The max might be capped, or I am just overestimating my value - who knows?! P.S. This section is intriguing too.
Nike Free 5.0 (Japanese, English) is the must-have item for me at gym every morning. This shoe is designed to train the muscle that is not heavily used with the typical shoes. Setting the state of the barefoot as 0 and the complete shoe as 10, the Nike Free 5.0 is positioned right in the middle. That is why it is called 5.0. When I run with it, I can feel I am “grasping” the ground with my feet, while being properly protected. And the running experience is really comfortable and fun. With the replaceable sole (4.5), this shoes can be turned into Nike Free 4.5 too. This way I can enjoy more closer-to-barefoot experience. If you like jogging, you might want to consider buying one! You can configure the color on this site as well.
This model is exactly the same as mine.  Look at this soft, flexible sole. 
People sometimes ask me what I miss about Japan, and here are the top 5 things I'm really missing the most.
5th: Japanese language In Japan everything is written in Japanese. Everyone speaks in Japanese. I miss speaking, writing, doing business in Japanese. 4th: Karaoke There are no good karaoke places in Seattle. I am missing the fantastic karaoke nights with friends and coworkers until the midnight (or sometimes till the next morning). 3rd: Onsen ryokan Gorakadan in Hakone, Asaba in Shuzenji onsen, Murata in Yufuin... They offer supreme experience and world-class service - roten buro, delicious food, massage... definitely no such things in the US or other countries. 2nd: Some Japanese food Almost all kinds of foods are available in Seattle - expect delicious Unagi, Ofukuro's gyoza, top-notch Kaiseki ryori, Sukiyaki at my friend's house, Sugakiya ramen, etc. 1st: Family & friends living in Japan This is absolutely what I miss the most. Then, how about the list of what I miss Seattle when I am outside of the US? Here we go. 5th: Smoke-free environment Washington State is enforcing very stringent law on the smoking. No smoke in public space, restaurants, office, which means the heaven to me. 4th: Beautiful nature Gorgeous view of Mt. Rainer, beautiful lake view, jogging on the lakeshore reflecting the strong sunshine. In my view, Seattle is one of the most beautiful areas in the US especially during the summer time. 3rd: Friends, co-workers Super smart, friendly, and forward-looking people. They motivate me, and I encourage them - there is good virtuous circle. 2nd: Work-life balance / Quality of life Reasonable and flexible work hour, inexpensive cost of living, spacious room, kingsize bed:-), fun Jeep, short commuting time, spelendid salad bar, delicious Asian food / seafood restaurant, etc. People enjoy their life here. The quality of life is high. No doubt about it. 1st: Job I am climbing the steep learning curve every day. I like what I am driving. This is the best job ever. Its social / economic impact is huge. I am confident that I am advancing my career steadily.
Today I was officially elected as President of the Toastmasters that I belong to. I am excited about this opportunity, and I feel that I passed a milestone today. Since I moved to the US, I was somehow trying to run away from the leadership roles. In hindsight, I was just too sensitive or naïve about my language skill. Now that I am getting more comfortable with living, working, and socializing in the different country and in different language, I am going back to who I was in Japan four years ago in a sense. Anyway, it should be a fun job:-)
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