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The first half of this Golden Week holidays filled with drone work

2018.05.08

Random thoughts

BGM: Music Library [ MusMus ]

 

Since I began using drone for shooting videos,
I became involved in various businesses related to drone.

 

And the first half of this (2018) Golden Week holidays was filled with drone work.

 

As an instructor of the drone school on April 29th,

 

on 30th, I worked as a staff member of the drone experiential session for parents and children which was held at a university,

 

and on May 1st and 2nd, I sprayed pesticide by an agricultural drone in wheat fields.

 

In those few days, I used various type of drones.
Medium sized one often used for aerial photography in the school,
tiny toy drone which is smaller than a palm in the experiential session,
and a large one bigger than your open both arms for agricultural chemical spraying.

 

Though there are various kinds of drones as above, actually the smaller is more difficult to control.
However, the small one is safe if it hits something or people and it rarely breaks even if it crashes.
Bigger one cannot do that, so I often practice with a toy drone even now.
T.S

Visiting Echizen Great Buddha of Seidai-ji Temple

2018.05.04

Places to visit

seidai-ji temple

In our previous blog, I mentioned that I visited Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum with Mr. Ugyen Dorji and his family. Today, I would like to introduce Echizen Great Buddha of Seidai-ji Temple which I went with them after visiting the dinosaur museum.

 

Echizen Great Buddha is located in Seidai-ji Temple in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture. It is 17 meter tall in a sitting position and it is 2 meter taller than the Great Buddha of Nara. Echizen Great Buddha is so large that I get scared by its powerful presence.

 

 

Mr. Ugen Dorji's son who is 2 years old running around in front of the Echizen Great Buddha of Seidai-ji temple

Around the large and tall buddha, there are 4 wakiji-butsu (attendant statues of images of Buddha) and there are 1281 buddha statues. And the recorded sutra keeps playing over and over in a loop in the main hall, it creates solemn atmosphere. I felt weak at the knees there.

 

 

Mr. Ugen Dorji and his family are praying
Mr. Ugyen Dorji's sister is on her knees and praying
Mr. Ugyen Dorji's son who is only two years old is praying in front of Echizen Great Buddha of Seidai-ji Temple

Mr. Ugyen Dorji and his family, even his son who is only 2 years old prayed silently. I was impressed by his son’s respectful attitude.

 

 

a five story pagoda with the height of 75 meters, a stone fence with gorgeous dragons drawn on it, and a beautiful Japanese garden

Outside of the main hall, there is a five-story pagoda with the height of 75 meters, a stone fence with gorgeous dragons drawn on it, and a beautiful Japanese garden.

 

Since the temple was founded in 1987, it doesn’t have that long history as much as many other temples in Japan. Even with a short history, the large Great Buddha and many buddha statues make me feel calm and peaceful.

 

If you have a chance, how about visiting Seidai-ji Temple in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture to see Echizen Great Buddha?

 

 

T.F

Talk show about Japanese solitary confidential agent Kei Wakaizumi

2018.05.01

Festivals and events

The other day, I went to listen to a talk show about a scholar in international politics, Kei Wakaizumi(1930 – 1996) , who was born in Fukui Prefecture. Mr. Ryuichi Teshima, who is a foreign diplomacy journalist and knew Wakaizumi, gave a talk.

 


Mr. Teshima during the talk

 

At the opening of the show, the host gave a talk that 21 years passed after the death of Wakaizumi and the numbers of people who know his achievement have declined, also four years later, it will mark the 50th anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan, so he wanted to spread Wakaizumi’s thoughts much more widely for the occasion. He said that Wakaizumi was just like Kissinger in Japan but Mr. Teshima objected to only about it because the two men’s personality was very different.

 

As I wrote about Wakaizumi on our blog before, Japanese confidential agent for Okinawa’s reversion, he looked quiet, calm and humble despite he was under immeasurable pressure.

 

Also, there is an exhibit like this related to Wakaizumi in Fukui International Activities Plaza.

 

Mr. Teshima said that Wakaizumi is not history and he still shows a controversy which we should face, and Okinawa’s reversion to Japan would be delayed so badly without Wakaizumi. Also, his thought has been handed down through Mr. Shotaro Yachi, who is an early disciple of Wakaizumi and the first head of Japan’s National Security Council.

 

Coincidentally, a North-South summit was held for the first time in 11 years. If Wakaizumi were alive, what would he think about the situation? What will happen to the U.S. military bases in Okinawa, which Wakaizumi was deeply distressed? I want to see the transition period of this rare international situation carefully. (H.S)

 

[Profile of Mr. Ryuichi Teshima]
Former NHK political correspondent. During the Gulf War, he reported from the front line.
When 9.11 occurred, he had a live at the site for 11 days night and day. He retired from NHK in 2005 and the following year, he published Japan's first intelligence novel which was a big hit. Now, he teaches younger people about foreign diplomacy and security at a university and a foreign diplomacy research institution. 68 years old.

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