Saturday, April 30, 2005 Cloudy and hot.

　Mr. Fukui, the well-known TV weather forecast personality, died of aging at 84 yesterday.Picking up my wife at her hospital, we decided to buy some takoyaki as usual and eat it with beer. Our second son joined us in eating takoyaki.　The death toll in the railway accident has reached 107 today.

Friday, April 29, 2005 Fair

　TV coverage of the railroad derailment accident still continues, now focusing on the bereaved families and analysis of the cause. I think the condo complex the train crashed into should be torn down and that a memorial monument should be erected there. If something called "evil" exists, it is human inhumanity, the cruel nature of the management in this case. But this originally comes from the greed of some politicians.

Thursday, April 28, 2005 Fair

　In the train derailment accident the other day, as it turned out, over 100 passengers were killed-most of them instantaneously. I shudder at the mere thought of it. I sent the URL of my Korean diary to Ms. Ii, my Korean teacher, who teaches us Korean every Tuesday. She lives very near the accident site. At work the mood of the consecutive holidays was everywhere.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 Fair

　We had the usual Korean study session in the morning. Before attending it, I studies Korean all the way on my trains and while walking. I prepared the big attendance sheets for Oral �Tand English �Tas the info was available at last. Took care of the succer team. Ate lunch at the ward office restaurant for the first time, drinking coffee.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Fair

　The railway derailment yesterday turned out to have been pandemonium-the worst accident we have had in around 40 years. It killed over 70 people. The excess speed and the curve seem to have caused the train to run off the tracks. The engineer's body is still in the wreckage. The sight is too much to see. Some of the victims are too young to die.

Monday, April 25, 2005 Fair and rainy at night.

　There was a big railway accident on the JR Fukuchiyama Line in Amgasaki City. A packed morning train was derailed at a curve and crashed into a condominium complex. Dozens of passengers were killed and hundreds injured. Rescue work continues as there seem to be some other people left in the wreckage. A tragedy from the blues.

Sunday, April 24, 2005 Fair

　As soon as I got to school, I began to work on the students' records again. Doing this on an off between classes, I anyway made it by today's homeroom school hour. Today I interviewed them one by one, making sure of which subjects they are taking this school year, etc. This took the whole homeroom hour. Then I took care of the soccer club's online registration. What a hectic day! After hours, there was a teachers' union welcome and farewell party.

Saturday, April 23, 2005 Fair

　I went to Shin-Osaka to have my ingrown toenail treated. The treatment ended today because my toenail is so thin it is not likely to get any better. Then I went to Tsuruhashi to participate in some fieldwork. We walked around the area for about four hours and had dinner together at a Korean restaurant.

Friday, April 22, 2005 Cloudy

　I think I will have to check my homeroom students school records all right, but the mere thought of it tires me. For one thing, I have never done that. Another thing is that I have a lot of other work to do. Today the English teachers met and our workloads for this academic year were made known.

Thursday, April 21, 2005 Fair

　The weather was nice when I hung the washing out to dry. I have realized that I will have to trace the school records of each of the transfer students of my homeroom students. This takes time, but I need to do it little by little but as soon as possible.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 Rainy and then cloudy.

　After studying Korean under my my Korean teacher, I was busy doing this and that. While at my desk at work, I was so sleepy and tired, but anyway I straightened out my locker and did a lot of printing, preparing for my English classes and also for the "general study hour." There was a subject rep conference, and the vice-principal gave the final number of part-time teachers' hours was given. I attended this meeting for the real English rep.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 Fair and then cloudy.

　Went to the sign language circle in the morning and then to the Korean language school in the afternoon. Picked up my wife as usual and went shopping. We bought two pairs of jeans respectively at UNIQUE. Watched a documentary about Yun Dong Ju on video.

Monday, April 18, 2005 Fair

　At work those who are allergic to pollen are having a hard time. Wearing a mask, they have eye irritation and a runny nose. I studied Korean a lot today. Also called the other two soccer club members. One girl came, saying she would like to be a 'club manager'.

Sunday, April 17, 2005 Fair

　There was a soccer club advisers' meeting. In the morning, for one hour or so one of the former advisers explained to us about the club. Then the four of this year's advisers, one of whom is myself, discussed what to do with the club this year. There are ten members now in the club, so we started by calling them and told that there would be a club meeting next Sunday.

Saturday, April 16, 2005 Fair

　Our sign language circle is in trouble because we can no longer use the room we have been using for a long time for free. Our new president is having a hard time trying to find a good place. This is due to Koizumi's "trinity" reform. In the morning I enjoyed talking in English for a couple of hours. Picking my wife up at the hospital, I drove to Konan and did some shopping with her. On the way back, we bought some takoyaki again. This shop is reasonable and its takoyaki tastes great. Of course we ate it with beer. Our older son is coming home tonight.

Friday, April 15, 2005 Fair

　It took three days to check all the students' addresses, etc. What a waste of time and energy! This kind of thing should be done in cooperation with each other. My Korean teacher and I went to the International Exchange Center and enjoyed watching Korean dances.

Thursday, April 14, 2005 Fair

　Continued with the tedious checking work, reading out loud students' names, addresses, and telephone numbers. There are around 2,000 students. At today's human rights committee meeting it was decided that I would attend this school year's human rights seminars at the education center.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 Cloudy

　I helped double-check the printouts of students' addresses. At first, this task was given to just one member of the information department, which is unthinkable considering the amount of work. In my opinion, this is the kind of work that all the members do cooperatively. So, anyway I gave this person a hand.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Rainy and a bit cold.

　Today's rain was a rather depressing and cold one. I was also depressed enough not to feel like doing anything, but I went to the Korean language school in the afternoon in this rain. This was the first day of the new six-month course.

Monday, April 11, 2005 Fair

　Reported to work early in the morning. My trains were crowded. I do not often take early-morning trains. The entrance ceremony for the daytime section being over, the gym was brought back to its normal state. It was a hassle to roll up those big, long, and heavy plastic sheets. Took a double check on the registered subjects of my new students. .

Sunday, April 10, 2005 Fair, later cloudy and windy.

　Acted as an usher on the second floor of the gym for the entrance ceremony, which lasted almost until 11:00 a.m. Then hurried to the seventh floor of the main school building to help students do the sign-up procedure. All this ended around 12:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 9, 2005 Sunny

　While taking in the washing on the balcony, a long-legged wasp came flying. Last year they made a hive on the balcony. We ate takoyaki for the first time in many days. It was delicious, especially with beer. Our first-born son is coming home tonight.

Friday, April 8, 2005 Fair

　Last night I finished reading two books. I kept reading almost all night, so I felt tired and sick this morning. I had completely forgotten that the gym would have to be set ready for the entrance ceremonies. Helped a new students' homeroom teacher get ready for the sign-up procedure.

Thursday, April 7, 2005 Fair

　Today's teachers' meeting, the first one of this school year, lasted long as usual-over four hours. Democracy takes time. It is a good thing, however, that everybody says whatever they have to say. Preparing for the coming classes little by little.

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 Fair and rainy late at night.

　So tired last night I went to bed without writing anything in this diary. Early in the morning the three of us studied Korean under our Korean teacher. Two meetings to attend-explanation of new students' sign-up procedure and the first English teachers' conference together with the part-time English teachers.

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Fair

　There being no Korean language class in the afternoon, I ate lunch with some of the sign language circle members for the first time in many days. Cherry blossoms are beginning to come out all of a sudden here and there in the neighborhood.

Monday, April 4, 2005 Cloudy

　Began to prepare for my classes little by little―first schedules for English �Tand Oral �T. While looking over the English �T"reports", I discovered one simple mistake. Too bad. I was on duty in the "report" room. After 7:00 p.m. , called around ten students because they were not done with the sign-up procedure yet.

Sunday, April 3, 2005 Cloudy and then rainy.

　At work I tried to put my desk in order, but it is still a mess because, while doing that, I had to attend to other work as well. Two telephone calls from my ex-homeroom students. On the way back, ate out with my Korean teacher. At home my wife and I watched the last episode of the Korean drama "Tejangum."

Saturday, April 2, 2005 Fair

　Drove around doing shopping for gas(The gas price has gone up. from 116yen a liter to 126-in a day.), cat food, etc. and worked on the Super Crossword in the morning. Watched the past TV Korean program on videotape. Ate out alone for supper. Sent mails to my friend, who was transferred yesterday.

Friday, April 1, 2005 Fair

　Although today was April Fools' Day, I could not afford to tell anybody a lie. The new school year has begun. There were three meetings−a joint teachers' meeting, the first information department conference, and the first English department conference. On the way home, I bought a big Japanese-Korean dictionary for 8.000 yen and also a book written by Kawai Hayao.