The Hallstatter lake

I took this shot from a sightseeing ship on Hallstatter Lake which is about two
hours by bus from Salzburg. Hallstatter Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in
Europe and is loved by many summer visitors from around the world.
There are many beautiful spots around the lake. The tour conductor explained that
the scenery from the ship would be better than what we could see from the bus.
We walked to the lake side and boarded the sightseeing ship. It was only a five minute
cruise, but the scenery from the ship was truly the best. The day’s weather was perfectly
fine and took a happy but short rest enjoying the breeze. After lunch we had 40 minutes
of free time so I went to a souvenir shop to buy some salt which is produced in this
district. By the way, the bus from the tour from Frankfurt to Wien had 14,000
kilometers of mileage. We traveled on the sightseeing bus for about five or six hours
daily for four days.
I think sightseeing on the Romantic Road might be hard and tiring for those older than
middle age. Before traveling to our last destination, Wien, we took a good rest beside
this beautiful lake to recuperate a little from our fatigue.

About Asashoryu Problem

The sumo wrestling is the traditional sport in Japan.
And the sumo wrestling society has been feudalistic and established by decorum.
But these days, the people who try to be the sumo wrestler are not only Japanese but many foreigners. Every thing is now moving and changing in a global situation.
So, the Sumo wrestling association should consider this problem with having more flexibility. It would be abnormal situation in our Japanese society now. The broad casting company would be better not to talk and not to write so many about this news and they should take some summer holidays concerning this news.
I want to each editorial conference of big broadcasting companies to keep their companies value by using good sense.
I wish that the time would surely solve this problem on the end of this summer.
I think a happy conclusion would be the comeback of Asasyoryu who have a heart, technque, strong power, as the great Yokozuna.

My thinking ： Asasyoryu! Don’t cut the limb you are standing on.
It's easy to solve your problem.It is a only ceremony to see a happy end.
1. at first, Asasyoryu and Oyakata have to apology their mistakes to Japan sumo Association.
2.next, Asasyoryu should promise to do efforts to establish himself as the great Yokozuna.
3.the sumo wrestling association have to consider with flexibility.

Asashoryu’s Suspension from Sumo

I was disappointed to learn recently that my favourite sumo wrestler, Asashoryu, has been banned from the next 2 sumo grand tournaments. Also, his salary has been cut by 30% for the rest of the year.

I was surprised to hear that Asashoryu is under virtual house arrest and is prohibited from traveling anywhere (including to his native Mongolia). While plenty of North American professional athletes get disciplined every year, I have never heard of one being put under house-arrest and being prohibited from traveling.

I will not be watching the next 2 sumo tournaments due to the absence of Asashoryu. I hope that he can recover from his current state and go on to break the career championships record of 32. On the way Asashoryu will pass the man who handed him his recent suspension, Kitanoumi.

Saltzburg

Saltzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria with a population of 145,000.
This city is famous for being Mozart’s birthplace. It is known as “The Music City”.
The day’s weather was perfect. After breakfast I took a morning walk of about one hour with my wife. This photo was taken from a spot near the Saltzach river which was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel.
We visited the house of Mozart’s birth and saw his childhood room and his memorial exhibit. The rooms that we were allowed to see were three rooms on the fourth
floor of a five story apartment. He lived in this apartment until he was seven years old.The color of the apartment was yellowish, but the tour conductor told me
that it is called the “Maria Theresa” color. The apartment was located in the center of the city. Salzburg has many churches, as well as the famous concert hall in which Mozart’s 200th anniversary concert will be held at the end of this year. There were seven children in Mozart’s family, but only two, Mozart and his sister, survived to adulthood. In that age many people in Europe died prematurely from pestilence.

Neuschwanstein　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　
It rained early on this morning, but we left the hotel early to catch a glance of the famous and beautiful Neuschwanstein castle. There was some mist over the mountain, so we worried about not having a good view because of heavy rain. The tour conductor advised us on the best position for a photo.It was from a uspension bridge. But almost all of our tour mates stood there and took sveral shots while holding their umbrellas.
This snapshot was one of my best pictures of the day. After the photos we entered the castle and viewed its many rooms.　I was not impressed by the Austrian Royal family’s regalia, but I was interested in the story of the demise of the ruling family.
The Austrian people of that age must have been quite disillusioned with their king, as he spent an inordinate amount of time and money on art, music, construction of castles and proliferate spending than in the daily affairs of his countrymen.
We have also visited many historical places in Japan that have experienced the cycle of prosperity and ruin. As I walked down the mountain I was thinking of these words:
“Even wealthy or great people eventually pass away.”

Romantic Road

On the third day of our tour in Germany, we traveled along the by bus from Rothenburg to Fussen. I heard that this road was called the“Romantic Road”. This road is well loved, especially by Japanese people. The beautiful old towns of the middle ages on the Romantic Road fascinate many tourists, and perhaps heal their spirits. There were many old buildings, old churches and old stone streets which were built over 800 years ago. Germans still use
those old buildings and stone structures in their everyday lives. I thought they were preserved beautifully. I walked around the old streets and had a good time making memories with my wife. She told me her impression of the Romantic Road.
It was so colorful that it could heal our hearts and make us feel nostalgic for old buildings.