Thank You 2006!

タイトル：ありがとう２００６！

Finishing off the day watching TV... watching the annual contest between male and female singers, "The Kohaku Utagassen" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dhaku_Uta_Gassen)...
Ah, it's New Year's Eve and this is how I shall spend it...

テレビを見ながら一日が終わった…「紅白歌合戦」を見て…
ああ、大晦日はこうやって過ごすんだよ…。

There were so many things this year. I chose to spend the last moments the cozy way! Yeah, at my parents' home in Osaka!

taking the Shinkansen in the afternoon...
so many people at Tokyo Station!
even the first-class cars were full!

今年はたくさんのことがあった。最後のひとときは居心地がよい感じで過ごすことにした！そう、大阪の両親宅でね！
写真：午後に新幹線に乗っかって…
東京駅にはたくさんの人たちが！
グリーン車でさえ満席だったよ！

a modest decoration on just one tree here at the open space in front of Izumigaoka Station... simple... feeling the suburban way...

泉ヶ丘駅前の広場にはたった１つの木に質素なデコレーションが…シンプルだ…郊外って感じがするね…

a hot-pot with ??
...I think it's duck meat, Mom!

？？の鍋物
…たぶん鴨やで、おかん！

Watching the recording of...

the last episode of "The Man Who Can't Get Married" (http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kekkon_Dekinai_Otoko), which was rebroadcasted this week... I'd missed the latter half of the episodes when it was first broadcasted in the third-quarter season of this year... a well-made comedy, and somewhat similar to "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (http://www.the40yearoldvirgin.com/)

録画を見た…
写真：今週再放送されてた「結婚できない男」の最終話を…今年の第３四半期に最初に放送されてたときに後半を見損ねたんだよね…よくできたコメディー、ちょっと「４０歳の童貞男」に似てるね

Less than 2 days to go...

タイトル：あと２日未満で…

In 2006... THE MAN is executed...

so be it... THE TYRANT is gone...
but has the world become a better place!?

２００６年に…あの男が処刑された…
写真：仕方ないか…あの独裁者はいなくなった…
でも世界はより良い場所になったのだろうか！？

After finishing off 48 more greeting cards, I went out to Shinjuku to have dinner at an Italian restaurant and some Scotch at a lounge...
Have I done the right thing at the end of the year? I'm not sure... but I sure hope I could get some kind of answer in the New Year!

さらに４８枚年賀状を書き終えた後、新宿に出てイタリアンレストランで晩飯を食べて、ラウンジでスコッチを少々…。
年の最後に正しいことができたのだろうか？分からない…でも新年に何らかの答えがでることを祈るよ！

Changing my mind!

タイトル：方針転換！

It was nearly eleven o'clock when I woke up! I've only written 18 greeting cards and though I was ready to scramble to Oi Race Course in South Tokyo to watch the year-end GI dirt race, the Tokyo Daishoten (=Tokyo Grand Prix), I decided not to.
When I started to the metro, it was so freezing, I felt some kind of chill, and I had to finish off at least some of the greeting cards.
So after taking the metro, I just went to Shinjuku to buy reserved tickets to Osaka, and went home eating lunch!

I just watched the race at home... the 3rd favorite Blue Concord was the winner... if I had been to Oi, I wouldn't have won!

１１時近くに起きた！まだ１８枚の年賀状しか書いてなかったんで、年末のＧＩダートレースの東京大賞典を見るために東京南部の大井競馬場へ急発進する準備はできていたが、止めることにした。
地下鉄に向かったとき、凄く寒くて、寒気がしたし、いくつかは年賀状を書かなきゃいけなかったし。
地下鉄に乗った後、大阪への指定席切符を買うために新宿へ行くだけにして、ランチを食べてから帰った！
写真：家でレースを見るだけにした…３番人気のブルーコンコルドが勝った…大井に言ってたら、外してたな！

After writing nearly 150 greeting cards and dropping them into the mailbox at Shinjuku PO, I headed to Ikebukuro to meet two old friends from my crammer school days.

eating Mexican!

Ah, I still have more than 130 cards to write...
Can I finish them till New Year's Eve!?

１５０枚近く年賀状を書いて、新宿郵便局のポストに落としてから、予備校時代の旧友２人に会うために池袋に向かった。
写真：メキシカン食べて！
ああ、まだ１３０枚書かないといけない…
大晦日まで終わるかな！？

After midnight...

the strap on my mobile phone was torn... woo... ominous...

真夜中を超えたあと…
写真：携帯電話に付いているストラップが破れた…うー…不吉だ…

Luxurious...

タイトル：贅沢だ…

In the afternoon, I went out to Central Tokyo to meet a plaintiff of a civil suit to hear her side of the story, and burrowed some materials to read over vacation. It was another warm day to walk in the streets!

And at night, I went to Azabu-Juban to spend a pleasant time with my old friends from my college years, a year-end party of only four members!

hmm... am I being too extravagant these several days!?
nah... eating splendid food with acquaintances is a smart way to use my money!

午後には、都心に出かけて、民事訴訟の原告に会って話を聞きに行った。そして休暇中に読むための資料をいくつか借りた。またまた街を歩くには暖かく日だったよ！
夜になって、大学時代の旧友たちと楽しい時間を過ごすために麻布十番に出た。４人のメンバーだけの忘年会だ！
写真：ふむ…ここ数日浪費しすぎてるかな！？
いや…知り合いと美味いものを食べるっていうのは賢明な金の使い方だよね！

Comfortable!

タイトル：快適だ！

A year-end party with my former colleagues from my Kobe-era. Some kind of reunion!

eating a hot-pot of yellowtail fish...

I'm in vacation, but there's no pain in drinking with colleagues I can share the same value with! My colleagues who spend their tough years at Kobe!!

神戸時代の元同僚たちと忘年会。同窓会みたいなもんやね！
写真：ぶり鍋…
休暇中だけど、同じ価値観を共有する同僚たちと飲むのはイヤじゃないね！神戸で厳しい月日を過ごした同僚たちとなら！！

While I took a hot bath and watched "The Last Samurai" I'd recoreded weeks ago...

my printer was doing its job!

and just minutes ago, at 4:05AM, the heavy rain and flood warning has finally been called off.

熱い風呂に入って、何週間も前に録画していた「ラストサムライ」を見ている間…
写真：プリンターが仕事をしていた！
そしてちょうど数分前の午前４時５分にようやく大雨・洪水警報が解かれた。

Heavy rain in the winter...

タイトル：冬の強雨…

Raining all day long. There were even heavy rain and flood warnings given out at night. It's a warm winter this year, as the low pressure from the south has brought rain rather than snow.
It was still very cold to walk to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to meet some people at noon and then to the Shinjuku Post Office to buy 300 Nengajo cards (=New Year Greeting cards).

Back at home, I just slept for hours and hours again, hearing the rain getting stronger each hour.

一日じゅう雨が降った。夜になっても大雨・洪水警報が出されていたくらいだ。今年は暖冬だ。南からの低気圧で雪ではなく、雨になってるぐらいだから。
正午に東京都庁へ人と会いに行って、その後、新宿郵便局に３００枚の年賀状を買いに行ったけど、かなり寒かったよ。
家に帰って、何時間も何時間もとにかく寝た。雨が時間ごとに強くなるのを耳にしながら。

And meanwhile, the news I wasn't able to cover because I'm taking this week off...

he's sentenced to five years without a stay of exectution...

そしてその間に、今週休んでるために取材ができなかったニュースが…
写真：５年の実刑判決を言い渡された…
（以下、共同の英文記事：和訳は略）

article about the judgement from Kyodo...

◆Architect Aneha sentenced to 5 years over building data fabrication
TOKYO, Dec. 26 KYODO
The main player in the earthquake-resistance data fabrication scandal was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 1.8 million yen on Tuesday at the Tokyo District Court.
Disqualified architect Hidetsugu Aneha, 49, was indicted for fabricating structural engineering data for four condominiums and two hotels in the planning stages between February 2003 and February 2004, which resulted in buildings with substandard quake resistance.
He was also accused of committing perjury before a Diet committee in December last year over the question of when he began engaging in data fabrication, and of abetting an architectural designer in violating the registered architect law by allowing the designer to use his name as a state-licensed architect.
Prosecutors demanded the court sentence Aneha to five years in prison and a fine of 1.8 million yen, arguing the defendant ''gained 20 million yen of illegal profits annually through the fabrication and jeopardized many human lives.''
Aneha pleaded guilty at the first court hearing on Sept. 6, seeking a suspended sentence.
Aneha, who was arrested on April 26, was freed on a 5 million yen bond on Thursday.
==Kyodo

Designing my card, late at night.

hmm... this seems to be all right for this year!

夜遅くに、カードをデザインした。
写真：ふむ…今年はこれで良さそうだな！

Merry Christmas!

タイトル：メリークリスマス！

In this country, Christmas is just another weekday (unless it accidently ends up in a weekend). But for me, this year, it was a start of vacation time!

Starting slowly!

sleeping till 4PM, and reading books... a rare way to spend a weekday!

この国では、クリスマスは単なる平日だ（たまたま週末にでもならない限り）。でも俺にとっては、今年は、休暇の始まりだ！
ゆっくり始まった！
写真：午後４時まで寝て、本を読んで…滅多にない平日の過ごし方だ！

At night, I went out to Shinjuku to have dinner with my old friends!

Chinese was the dish of the day! hot-pot of mutton served with vegees

Saying things... blah blah... about yesterday, about today, about tomorrow... is the best way to spend a day off for me!

夜には、旧友たちと晩飯を食べるために新宿に出た！
写真：今日は中華料理！羊の鍋物
色々話した…ああだこうだ…昨日のこと、今日のこと、明日のこと…休日を過ごす最良の方法だな！

A customary event for me on Xmas Eve...

to watch San-chan's special program!

俺にとってクリスマスイブ恒例の行事…
写真：さんちゃんの特番を見て！

End of Legend Chapter One

タイトル：伝説第１章の最後

Only with about an hour and a half of sleep, I hopped on the train eastward to Funabashi City.

First of all to see this colt I own a 500th part!

Chelsea the Best squeezed into the 3rd position from the inside at his debut race (4th race at Nakayama RC)

Not bad!!
Happy to have something to look forward to next year!!

たったの１時間半ぐらいの睡眠で、東向きに船橋市へ向かう電車に飛び乗った。
第一には５００分の１口所有している若駒を見るために！
写真：チェルシーザベストはTheデビュー戦で３着に入り込んだ（中山競馬４レース）

悪くないね！！
来年楽しみにできることがあって良かった！！

NAKAYAMA 4R 2000m, Turf Firm, Fine
2-Year-Olds, Newcomer, Value of race: 13,400,000 Yen

FP	Bk	Hs	Horse	Sex Age	Finish (1/10s)	Margin
1st	6	11	La Scala(JPN)	F2	2:05.1
2nd	8	17	King of Chad(JPN)	C2	2:05.1	NK
3rd	1	1	Chelsea the Best(USA)	C2	2:05.2	1/2
4th	6	12	Saratoga Tipton(USA)	C2	2:05.3	1/2
5th	7	13	Rock the Casbah(JPN)	C2	2:05.4	3/4
6th	5	9	Joysrus(JPN)	C2	2:05.5	3/4
7th	2	4	Kurofune Mambo(JPN)	F2	2:05.6	NK
8th	8	18	Platina Black(JPN)	C2	2:05.6	NK
9th	7	15	Brilliant Time(JPN)	C2	2:05.7	1/2
10th	1	2	Orambo(JPN)	C2	2:05.8	1/2
11th	3	5	El Soldado(JPN)	C2	2:05.9	1/2
11th	4	8	Seiun Dragon(JPN)	C2	2:05.9	DH
13th	8	16	I Am Poseidon(JPN)	C2	2:05.9	NK
14th	2	3	Friendly M(JPN)	C2	2:06.0	1/2
15th	4	7	High Position(JPN)	C2	2:06.5	3
16th	3	6	Ladro Primer(JPN)	C2	2:06.7	1 1/4
17th	5	10	Hatsukari(JPN)	C2	2:07.7	6
18th	7	14	Marine Chacha(JPN)	F2	2:10.3	DS

After nearly 4 hours, I waited for the legend to run his last race.
Tons of people were at the race cource to witness the ending of Legend Chapter One.

he started slow as always running from behind...

４時間近く経った後、伝説が最後のレースを走るのを待っていた。
伝説第１章の終わりを見届けるために大量の人が競馬場にいた。
写真：いつもようにスロースタートで後ろからついて行った…

And at the last corner... He flew...

he was too fast and I hit the shutter too early as I was afraid to lose him inside the frame!

そして最後のコーナーで…彼は飛んだ…
写真：あまりにも速いんで、フレームにちゃんと入るか不安になっちゃってシャッターを速く切ってしまった！

And at the ceremony of his retirement after the race...

he looked so energetic he could run another race!

Jockey Yutaka Take said it was Deep Impact's best race today.
Many were crying out words of grief, believing the Legend could continue on the turf... but there's nothing to be sad of.
The Second Chapter of The Legend will start... to be a sire of a Prix De L'Arc de Triomphe horse!

レース後の引退式で…
写真：もう１つレース走られるぐらい元気いっぱいに見えた！
武豊騎手はきょうがディープインパクトのベストレースだと言っていた。
たくさんから悲痛の声が挙がった。ターフの上で伝説が続くことができると信じて…でも悲しむことはない。
伝説の第２章が始まる…凱旋門賞馬の種牡馬になるという！

Before going home, taking a look at the tree in front of the main gate of the race course...

Merry Christmas Eve!

家に帰る前に、競馬場の正門前のツリーを見てから…
メリークリスマスイブ！

Watching the recording at home! Wow what a race it was!!

just only three horse lengths between the runner-up!?
it looks like thirty horse lengths worth a gap there!

家で録画を見た！本当に凄いレースだったんだな！！
写真：２着馬と３馬身の差しかないの！？
３０馬身分もあるぐらいのギャップがあるみたいだね！

NAKAYAMA 9R
THE ARIMA KINEN(THE GRAND PRIX)(G1)
2500m, Turf Firm, Fine
3-Year-Olds & Up, Open Class, Value of race: 346,320,000 Yen

FP	Bk	Hs	Horse	Sex Age	Finish (1/10s)	Margin
1st	3	4	Deep Impact	C4	2:31.9
2nd	1	1	Pop Rock	H5	2:32.4	3
3rd	4	5	Daiwa Major	H5	2:32.5	3/4
4th	3	3	Dream Passport	C3	2:32.5	NS
5th	5	8	Meisho Samson	C3	2:32.7	1 1/4
6th	2	2	Delta Blues	H5	2:32.7	NK
7th	6	9	Tosho Knight	H5	2:32.8	3/4
8th	7	12	Admire Fuji	C4	2:32.8	NK
9th	6	10	Admire Main	C3	2:32.8	NS
10th	4	6	Sweep Tosho	M5	2:32.9	NK
11th	5	7	Cosmo Bulk	H5	2:33.2	2
12th	7	11	Swift Current	H5	2:33.3	NK
13th	8	13	Win Generale	H6	2:33.6	1 3/4
14th	8	14	Tosen Shana O	C3	2:34.0	2 1/2

I moved on to my old office to clean up more work I had to do...

I took home this Christmas present home I'd left in my office!

Merry Christmas!
Oh yeah, I'm not sad I'm spending Christmas Eve alone!
Blah!

I worked till 3:30AM... and at home I had to study for the upcoming event today!
uh-oh... it's 7 o'clock already!!

さらにやらなきゃいけない仕事を片付けるために旧オフィスに移った…
写真：職場に置いていたこのクリスマスプレゼントを持って帰った！
メリークリスマス！
そうだ。クリスマスイブを独りで過ごすのは悲しくないよ！
へへーんだ！
午前３時半まで働いて…家に帰って来たるべきイベントの仕事をしなければならなかった！

ヤベ…もう７時だよ！！