First of all, Steve mentioned the green belt in Tsuzuki ward that is close to where we live. So, he enjoys walking, listening to podcasts when walking alone. There are maps of the green belt that you can get from the Tsuzuki ward office, showing the various pathways. Because the green belt is quite wide, those on bicycles and others walking dogs can enjoy it at the same time.

Steve then mentioned footpaths in the Kamakura area, an old capital of Japan facing the sea.S Those footpaths usually run behind temples and shrines, more resembling hiking trails with ups and downs.

Thirdly, Steve mentioned the Minato-Mirai area, walking along the sea from one park to another.

As for me, I would like to recommend the board walks in Oze national park, which partly covers three prefectures: Gunma, Fukushima and Niigata. It’s a popular hiking destination from Spring to Autumn, but in winter it is  mostly closed because of snow and ice.

　　　　　　　This photo from Oze Preservation Foundation

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Steve mentioned that he doesn’t use AI very much. A few useful usages have been in creating lesson plans and providing ideas (such as for Easter events). AI is a useful tool to summarize a vast amount of information and then make recommendations when asked, perhaps in a way that pleases most people. But as Steve pointed out, we have to be careful and wary of AI outputs, especially facts and numbers.

I do feel that jumping into AI outputs will subordinate the importance of process, such as gathering and sorting out related information, analyzing causes and results, making hypothesis and so on. I fear a situation where people will become content to keep hopping from one AI output to another.

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Steve said that any season is acceptable to him. Having said that he seems to prefer summer the most. Woo! According to Steve, heat and high humidity do not bother him. It was quite a surprise to know that he sleeps without the AC. The season is also comfortable for riding his motorcycle. Autumn comes next for him like many others. What about spring time? Well, it used to be his worst season because of hay fever. But now, Steve said that he has overcome it through the practice of yoga.

For me, I do not like summer at all. It’s too uncomfortable. At night I have to use the AC otherwise I can’t go to sleep. So, my best season is either spring or autumn. If I have money, I could avoid the summer heat by staying at a mountain resort. During winter, I could stay in Okinawa for a few months.

What a dream!         

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Being an atheist, Steve is adamant that he does not seek religion in his everyday life. So, he cautions that his view on religion tends to be biased in this respect. However, Steve does accept that religion played an important part in the early stages of mankind. One aspect of religion directs people to follow norms and moral conduct that are required in any society to sustain the lives of people.

History tells us that religion tends to coexist with secular rulers, be them kings or emperors, by authenticating the prerogative power of latter in exchange for receiving financial assistance and protection. It had also become a tool for controlling people by means of dogma and constraints. On the other hand, religion had an important function of providing solace, salvation, relief to people especially in times of despair and grief.

Today, it’s more than evident that people have become less and less religious for various reasons. But people do suffer emotionally from personal tragedies, their work environment, difficulties related to family or personal relations among many others. Would we be really happy and satisfied without religion at all?       

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Steve, first of all, mentioned that because Australia is such a big country, weather varies greatly between tropical north and temperate south. So, he would like to focus on the latter where there are four seasons. Please be reminded that if you are in the southern hemisphere, weather is in reversal of what you would experience in the northern hemisphere.

Summer is usually from December to February. Steve mentioned “sizzling”, “coastal” and “festive” as the key words for the season. Heat is tense especially in the outback and along the coast. Because of the hot weather, life evolves around the beach. It’s the time for Christmas, BBQs, cricket, the New Year, Australia Day (January 26) among other festive occasions. 

Bondi Beach east of Sydney is famous for its white sandy

beach and surfing.  

Autunm comes next from March to May. Steve used “golden” as a key word for the season, referring to leaves turning orange and yellow in many regions. “Mellow” is another word depicting crisp mornings and mild days following the harsh summer. “Vintage” is a word indicating harvest time for wine regions.

Now winter that runs from June to August. It’s the season for “bracing”, not exactly cold; but wind from the Southern Ocean can be sharp and chilly. “Rugged” is another word to characterize the season. It’s the best time for hiking at places like the Red Center on desert plains or up in the Dusty Blue mountains which are quite close to Sydney. Winter is the season for “Football.” Did you know that there are two types of rugby? One is rugby league and the other rugby union. Australia also has its own distinctive football called the Australian Football League (AFL). 

 Ayers Rock (the photo by CK)

Then Spring from September to November. Like many other places, it’s the season of “blooming”: the bush comes alive with unique flowers and fragrant wattles (Australia’s national flowers). “Enthusiastic” is another word for the season. People flock back to their outdoor lives. “Vibrant” is a word that also describes the season well in that the world outside turns lush and green.   

                                   Golden wattles (the photo by Bidgee)

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Steve selected “F1” as a film which he enjoyed. It was “very entertaining, fun, a kind of light entertainment,” he said. The film features Brad Pitt as a well-seasoned F1 driver. I also liked the same movie. Incidentally, it reminded me of an old movie from 1966 entitled “Grand Prix”, featuring four F1 drivers including James Garner and Yves Montant, a French singer and actor.

Then, Steve mentioned an Apple TV series about the unification of Hawaii, “Chief of War”. Taking this opportunity, I would like to digress to talk about an American who became a minister in Japan for the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was Robert Walker Irwin, who was responsible for arranging an official immigration scheme between Japan and Hawaii. Under this scheme about 29,000 Japanese were sent to Hawaii between 1885 and 1894. When I went to Ikaho hot spring resort in Gunma prefecture a few years back, I was quite surprised to come across a villa once owned by Irwin.

For books, Steve admitted that because of the Internet, Podcasts and so on, he couldn’t read as many books as he used to. Having said that Steve mentioned “The Great Siege of Malta” by Ernle Bradford. This is about the Ottoman attack on Malta in 1565: how Knights of St. John as defenders fought against numerically superior Ottomans.

For me, I have watched several movies, including some on CATV: while many were interesting, but I can’t remember any that were truly exceptional. As for books, I enjoyed a paperback about the history of the Meiji Restoration. It focuses on the different versions of specific events as seen in standard textbooks versus community narratives.    

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