respirar

The annular solar eclipse, a rare phenomenon when the moon blocks all but a ring of the sun's light, is expected to be observed by 83 million people along the Pacific Ocean side of Japan, from southern Kyushu to southern Tohoku, on the morning of May 21.

The date will mark a remarkable event, observed in Japan for the first time in 25 years since the last occurrence which was seen in Okinawa Prefecture in September 1987. In Tokyo, it will be viewed for the first time in 173 years, while in Osaka and Nagoya it will be spotted after a long interval of 282 and 932 years, respectively.

Mitsuru Soma, an assistant professor at Japan's National Astronomical Observatory, further estimates that this will be the first time since 1080 -- in the late Heian Period -- that the phenomenon will be seen on such a massive scale across the country.

The eclipse will begin at sunrise in southern China on May 21, and will swiftly travel eastward toward Japan, after passing through Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In Japan, it will begin in the southern part of Kyushu, and will be observed in the order of Shikoku, the Kinki region, the Tokai district, and the Kanto area. Apart from the abovementioned regions, a partial eclipse will also be observed in almost every region within the country.

Even though the phenomenon is expected to take place across Japan on a regular Monday morning, its occurrence at around 7:30 a.m. will most likely not interfere with people's daily routines, such as commuting to school or to workplaces, to a large extent.

In order to answer the question of how an annular solar eclipse evolves, let us make a simulation with Tokyo as an example.

According to officials at the National Astronomical Observatory's calendar calculating department, the sun on May 21 will rise at 4:32 a.m. It will initially rise above the horizon in its regular round shape, but at 6:19 a.m., when it will have risen to a height of 20 degrees, it will gradually become obstructed, starting from its top right side.

The full annular eclipse phase will take place when the sun is around 35 degrees above the horizon, eastward, at 7:31 a.m. The natural "Sun Ring" creation will then last for the next approximately five minutes.

Starting from there, the sun will gradually begin restoring its shape, once again from the top right side, leading to a completion of the astronomical show at 9:02 a.m.

Although the eclipse phases will take place at a different time according to the location, the flow of the event will be the same for all observers.

Unlike total solar eclipses, when the sun is entirely blocked by the moon, thereby creating darkness, the annular solar eclipse will not darken the country, says Masaya Kawaguchi, 52, of the monthly astronomy magazine "Hoshi Navi," who has observed annular solar eclipses three times in his life.

"It will not get dark, but the more the sun gets obstructed, the more the scenery around you will begin to appear in grey tones, slightly dark," Kawaguchi says, adding that air temperatures may also decrease during the eclipse.

As for places from where the phenomenon will be observed at its best, Kawaguchi advises viewers to check the position of the sun in advance, in order to be sure that they will not miss out on the rare event.

"To be sure that buildings will not obstruct the sight of this rare occurrence, be sure to check in advance where the sun will be at 7:30 a.m.," Kawaguchi says. "Try to find places which will offer a clear view of the eastern sky."

Meanwhile, medical authorities warn people to use special sunglasses when viewing the eclipse, because observing it with the naked eye may be harmful. (By Shimpei Torii, Science & Environment News Department and Hiroko Saito, Health News Office)
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May 19, 2012(Mainichi Japan)

Today, I got an eclipse glasses not to miss this event, and I am sure that buildings will not obstruct it and where the sun will be at 7:30 a.m. using an iphone's app. !(^^)!
But what if the weather is not fine? Do I have to keep that glasses for a long time?

Spring has came to my living room.






And I went to a sushi restaurant with my friend to celebrate the Girls' Day.

I was not always in a good mood these days, but after writing an e-mail to my friend, I felt good for some reason. Then I had a pleasant afternoon while watching films on DVD and listening music.

The films are “The King's Speech” and “The kids are all right.” Both of them were made in 2010, and each of them is completely different in many ways. But they are full of moments that are completely original.
I like classical music used in “The King's Speech”, Beethoven, Symphony No 7, and I think that it is soooooo interesting to know people who are gays from “The kids are all right”.
When I lived in CA, the same-sex marriages were legalized and one day my husband said that his man-colleague showed up at the office in lady’s outfit. He had big breasts, did a makeup beautifully and acted like he had been a lady.

Even though they happened close at hand, but still I feel uncomfortable with same-sex couples. I don’t keep pace with the changing times. In comparison, according to the article of Wikipedia;
The film was released to near universal acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 94% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 204 reviews. The site's consensus is that "Worthwhile as both a well-acted dramedy and as a smart, warm statement on family values, The Kids Are All Right is remarkable." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 1–100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 86 based on 38 reviews, with the film in the "universal acclaim" category. The film appeared on 39 critics' top ten movie lists for the year 2010. Anthony Quinn of The Independent and Elizabeth Weitzman of the Daily News both listed it as the best film of the year, while four other critics picked it as the second best movie of the year.

This is just the real world.

I have learned about his name, Isamu Noguchi, when I lived in Sapporo.
There is a black stone slide for kids in Sapporo's Odori Park, and it was the sculpture of him.
One of my friends said that she knew the fact after growing up, and she had never imagined of the slide that she always went down was made by, including the famous “Isamu Noguchi”.

The movie’s title, “Leonie” is Isamu’s mother. She met Isamu’s father in New York, they felt in love, and had a baby.

You don’t need a reason to love something. It is said of all other things around me, like art.
I like Isamu Noguchi’s art works very much, lamp shades made of washi, Japanese paper, of course, sculptures and the park in the suburbs of Sapporo.

Someday I will be in “the Noguchi museum” in New York and “the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan”, and receive a lot of satisfaction from all of his works.
http://www.noguchi.org/
http://www.isamunoguchi.or.jp/gamen/home.htm

Now I am planning to hold an exhibition with my two friends this May in Aichi.
I am not great, but my friends are great to make art works.

One of my friends is a potter, who was born and grew up in Mashiko. Her father is a famous potter, so she has received a big influence from him, and working with clay seems to be parts of her life. Two times a year, she is in Mashiko pottery festival, sets up a booth and sells potteries. She also has a private exhibition every year in Tokyo.

Another friend is a teacher of bead art, and she has been an exhibition with her students every other year for long periods.

I rent a nice place to hold our exhibition at my friend’s house. The garage has been converted into a kind of gallery, where she has a gardening program for everyone, mainly for kid. The space always use as a sort of classes, but it’s cozy and comfortable to stay in. One day, someone says that it’s a shame you don’t use the space here for something exciting.

Our exhibition will be held during Golden Week, for two days.
We are expecting to see many people come and enjoy our works and the atmosphere.