There are a few still working steam locomotives in Japan, but we don't have any in urban Tokyo. No wonder they have already disappeared from this super overcrowded and hectic city. It means, there would be no rarer opportunity than today to be able to enjoy their dynamic sound and smoke along with the Yamanote Line, which links cities in central Tokyo circularly. Fortunately, we could look down at it from a building on the railroad. If we were to wait it within other viewers in the cold weather, I would go home before it showed up at last.

I visited the new Kabukiza in Ginza for the first time. It was reconstructed the last year in order to strengthen against the earthquake. It was also aimed to utilize its estate more effectively. So they said it would be a skyscraper having an exterior much like the one of the original Kabukiza theater. I was afraid that any skyscrapers with clean lines shouldn't be match with such a traditional Japanese architecture having rather ornate exterior. However, it seemed to turn up well. From the pathway, in fact, the higher part was almost out of sight and it still looked like the original one.

My wife is now struggling with writing the farewell cards to the baby minders of our son. They have also been his teachers for several years, so we really want to say thanks to them, but it's always difficult to write these cards.

My daughter becomes six months the next week. I feel the time has gone faster than six years ago when we were bringing up our first kid. Back then, we used to wash diapers everyday after coming back home at midnight, while now we are using disposal diapers for our daughter. We must have had more nursing works than now. Nevertheless, time seems to pass through so fast that I hardly be aware of the process of bringing up the newborn, sadly.

I love trailing mountains covered with snow. To my dismay, however, I will not be able to go hiking in snow mountains this winter. Our family have a lot to do this month, especially because it's the last month for our son before his schooldays. In addition to the preparations for which the elementary school asks, there's a series of events relevant to the pre-school. If my wife hadn't been taking maternity leave to care our newborn daughter, we would fail to do something we have to do for him.

We are going to rush to stash the hina-doll into the box as soon as morning comes around, because it's an old saying that daughters whose hina-dolls remain in displays after March 3 must have a hard time to get married. I usually hate superstitions but this one is interesting.

My mom came over and cerebrate the first March 3 for our daughter. The actual March 3 is tomorrow, of course, but there's a kind of festival to cerebrate a growth of a newborn daughter around the day. For guys, like our son and me, it's a day for eating sakura-mochi.