Hiroko's Hitokoto

I read news that Hato Bus (you might have seen some of their yellow buses cruising around) is offering a Tokyo Ghost Story Tour from next month. It is a 7-hour tour and costs JPY8,300 for weekdays, and JPY9,300 for weekends. The idea is to visit places which have scary backgrounds, and get a cold sweat on your back as a way to cool down. There are so many awful stories and happenings on our planet already, I wonder why we need even more horror?

On the way to my home last night, I saw 2 BIG FROGS sitting on the street in Tokyo. It was dark and hard to see, and I almost stood on them. I am from the countryside, but I have never seen such huge frogs at home. On the News I heard that there are 2 monkeys running around Tokyo. Hmmm, and I thought Tokyo is a city, but then again maybe not.

Last night was Tanabata. According to a myth from China, a princess (Orihime) and a man (Hikoboshi) can meet once a year, last night. Orihime is the constellation Vega and Hikoboshi is Altair. A funny thing is that they could've met more than one day if they could communicate better. After being commanded by the Sky King to break up, Orihime promise to see her lover "7 days from 7th" (「七日、七日に会いましょう」). Only, Hikoboshi got it wrong and repeated "Let's meet on 7/7" (「七月七日に会いましょう」). Still even a week a year seems too short for a pair of star-crossed lovers....