インディアナポリスに到着

さっき、インディアナポリスのホテルに到着。とりあえず、寒っ！！今マイナス６℃しかありません・・・。いや〜寒い所には住めませんね。飛行場を出ると道が真っ白！雪が積もってる訳ではないのですが、塩をまいて路面の雪がとけて白くなってるのです。

Just arrived at the hotel in Indy. It is freezing out here...my iPhone shows 21F.... It felt like it was cold this morning in LA but I would take the LA worse cold weather any day over the ordinary winter day here in Indianapolis. Apparently there was a real bad storm ripping through IN last night and there is more coming tonight.

ホテルの辺りは雪が少し残ってました！明日はけっこう降るみたいです・・・。レンタカーを借りる時にアップグレードして４駆に変えるって聞かれた時、迷わずOKしちゃいました！？！（笑）

There are some snow around the hotel but the weather forecast calls for some snow overnight. I usually don't go for the upgrades for the rental car, but when they offered me to upgrade to a AWD car today...I didn't hesitate and took the offer since I didn't want to be stuck in the snow!?!

ホテルに着く前には薬局によって薬をゲット！しかも、今回は２泊しかしないので、荷物はチェックインせず、機内持ち込みの規制があるのでシャンプー等を持ってきていなかったので、薬局で携帯用をゲッツ！これ以外と便利ですね！！

Since it will be a short trip, I didn't check in my luggage and didn't bring any amenity kits so I had to stop by the pharmacy and pick up some travel size shampoo and etc. I also got a NyQuil so I can be fully recovered by tomorrow morning.

今夜はこれから今年の茂木＆インディー５００参戦を一緒に目指すWellman Custom HomesのWellman社長と夕食＆今年のプランについてのミーティングです！！

Well, I am off to dinner with Derek from Wellman Custom Homes/Racing to talk about the plans for this years Indy Japan & Indy 500 races!!

ヘアーカット

今日は髪がメチャのびてきたのでカットをしに行ってきました。最近はもう歳だし・・・と思いつつ、カラーはしていなかったのですが妙に横の辺りに生えてくる白髪が気になったのでカラーもして若返ってみました！？！（笑）

Since it was just about time for another hair cut...I decided to go to my regular hair salon in BH and get a hair cut done. I stopped coloring my hair since I thought it was time to mature....but since I have been getting some grey hair, I figured I should color my hair so I can look younger again!! I swear it works!?! Lol....

明日からインディアナポリス！って言っても一日だけですけど。話はほぼ具体化してますが、ラストスパートをかける為にも直談判してきます！！ではでは、ウィッシュ・ミー・ラック！！

Well, I will be going off to Indy tomorrow although I can only be there for 2days. We are getting pretty close with everything and hopefully my trip will finalize the deal put the ink on the paper!!

振り返し・・・？

風邪が振り返した様子です・・・。昨日は調子が良かったのに・・・、昨晩は寝てる間に息子に布団をもぎ取られ・・・、気がついたら寒って起きたらバッチリ体調不良。気合いで今夜中になおさないとって感じです。なので、今日は午前中は仕事をささっと仕上げ、午後はユックリ休んでました。う〜〜〜辛ッ！？！

Looked like I totally didn't get rid of the cold. I thought I recovered fully yesterday but when my son took the blanket away from me last night...I was freezing to death during middle of the night. I can't blame it on my son though... Anyhow, I am feeling pretty ill again so I stayed quite today and just got some work done in the morning. I really hope to get better real soon since I have trip to Indy coming up on Weds.

デイトナ２４時間

今日はデイトナ２４時間が終了しました。ついに、レーシングシーズンのスタートって気がしますね！去年はこの２４時間レースに自分も参戦して６位でゴールしましたが、今年は残念ながらお家からの参戦・・・。リベンジで出たかったのですが、IndyJapanと５００の交渉が大詰めになってきたので、家に残って交渉に専念する事にしました。なんと言ってもインディーのプログラムをしっかりとした物にしたいからね！！かなり長引いてますが、ぜひぜひ発表を楽しみにしてて下さい！！

Great! The racing season has begun!! The Daytona 24hr race was held over last two days and Chip Ganassi Racing ended up three-peat!! I can't believe it's already been a year since I raced there last year. I ended up finishing 6th last year but I definitely have some unfinished business there!! Unfortunately I couldn't race there this year since I wanted to put all my focus on getting the deal done for this year's Indy Car program but I am certain that I will have something done real soon. I must say I am about 10days behind where I like to be...so we have lots of catch up to do!!

そんなこんなで、レースシーズンが始まって何よりです！これから家に居るときでも週末のテレビが面白くなりそう！！

Well...I'm just happy since now I have something to look forward to on TV during the week end when I'm home. I must say that nothing beats actually being in the race car cockpit though...

風邪から復活！

昨晩は数日間完全にノックアウトするかな・・・と思うくらい具合が悪かったのですが、協力なビタミン剤をいっぱい投与したら今日のお昼までには復活して治りました！いちおう安静にする為に今日はトレーニングをお休みして、急にたくさんの依頼がきたの原稿の記事を書いてました。締め切り日は来週末ですが、来週はインディアナポリスに行ったりするので今のうちに仕上げとかないとって感じです。

I thought I was going to be knocked out for couple of days last night when I started to feel bad, but thanks to the powerful Airborne...I was able to maintain my form. I didn't go to the gym to stay on the safe side today but ended up getting couple of short articles out of the way since I am traveling to Indianapolis next week.

相変わらずロスは変な天気ですが、天気が良くならないとなんだか調子がでてきませんね・・・。
The weather is still weird here in LA and I hope it gets better soon!!

ついに風邪。

数種間前からちょっと風邪気味だな〜っと思っていた物の、気合いで乗り越えてきましたが、今日になって身体が痺れてついにやられてしまいました・・・。一日中ベッドの中で身体が震える状態で今日はおとなしくしてました。

I started to feel sick couple of weeks ago but thanks to the Elementary School Teacher who invented Airborne...I was able to avoid being stuck in the bed until today. I got up and all of the sudden I started to feel chilly and my bone started to hurt and I decided I needed to stay warm in the bed.

そんな中、記事の依頼が〜・・・。しかも、締め切りが来週末まで。このまま寝てらんないとさっき気合いで起きて今はまた仕事中です・・・。とにかく今は気合いあるのみですね！？！

I was able to recover a bit...but checked my e-mails and found out that I needed to get write the articles about the car I test drove last week in couple of days!! Therefore, I needed to bring my blanket in to the office room...turn up the A/C and off to work...!?!

寒っ〜〜〜〜。

今日もLAは寒っ〜。雨も降ったりやんだりで変な天気です。一昨日テストに行ったコースの方は雪が降ってるみたいで高速道路も閉鎖。今日じゃなくて良かった〜！？！しかも、何時もピットを連れて行く公園の木は倒れてるし・・・、かなり大変な状況になってます。

It was another cold day here in LA. It was raining on and off and the weather isn't supposed to get better until next week. On a good note, the track I was at two days a go is snowing and apparently the 5fwy is shut down!?! Good thing the test wasn't today otherwise I would have been stranded on the road!!

今日はお家でお仕事。夕方にジムに行って、これから息子をお風呂にいれて、夕食タイムです。今夜は自家製春巻き。家は揚げ物が大好きファミリーですが、コレストロールをそろそろ気にしなくてはいけない年頃ですね・・・。

Today was another day at work,,,,well working at home. Went to the gym in the afternoon and will be bathing my son just now. We are going to have some homemade spring rolls tonight. My wife and I love fried foods...we definitely use new oil every time we cook fried foods but we are getting to the stage where we certainly have to be very conscious about the cholesterol level...

レイニー・ブルー・・・。

今日はお昼から雨が降っていて、寒くてかなりブルー・・・。午前中はずっと家でメールをしたり、コンファレンス・コールをしてチームと色々と交渉。現在は最終段階まできているので、後一息って感じです！！

Since it was raining today...it really didn't seem like a productive day for me...However, I was able to get a lot of work done in the morning including a conference call in the morning. We are getting to the final stages before striking the deal although we are almost a week behind where I would like to be.

しかし、雨がずっ〜っと降ってるとやる気をなくしますね・・・。とくにLAには雨は似合わないので・・・。とりあえず、午後は来週＆再来週のプラニング。来週はインディアナポリスに行く事になったので、飛行機やホテルの予約。ドタバタしていたらあっという間に一日が終わってしまいました。

Well...since it was raining and wasn't able go outside, I stayed home and planned on my travel for next week's Indy trip. I am going to be there for a medical and meetings next week so I had to arrange my Hotel, Flights, and etc. It's becoming a hassle to actually search through the website to find the best deal....hopefully I will be able to fly private soon!?!

フェラーリチャレンジ

今日はフェラーリチャレンジに参戦するお客さんのテストがあったので、LA郊外にあるサーキットに行ってコーチを務めました。去年から見違える様にドライバーもレベルアップしていたので仕事もやりがいがありました。今期のレースにできるだけ来てくれとお願いされちゃったので、ただいま検討中です。その前に自分の話を先に決めないといけないからな〜・・・。

I was working up at Buttonwillow Raceway(2hr north of LA) for my client who races in Ferrari Challenge. He improved a bunch from last year and I was really pleased to see the progress. He definitely would like to work for with me at the races he will participate in and I was also happy to hear that! However, that means I will really need to get my schedule sorted for my races!!

そうそう、それより家の息子がようやく立って歩き始めました！！といってもまだ２〜３歩しか進めませんが・・・。本人も立てる事が嬉しいみたいで立つとケラケラわらってます！？！（笑）しかし、ここからまた急ピッチにイタズラが激しくなるんだろうな〜・・・。（泣）

I was actually more excited when I got home because my son actually started to walk! He could only take couple of steps but looks like he is having fun!! Well...I'm sure he will destroy the house even more now since he can reach things better...!?!

天気悪っ！

今日は朝は大雨。雨が降っている中、気合いでピットの散歩に連れて行った物の、ちょうど家に戻った頃に晴れてムカッ！！最近は普段の行いは良いはずなのにな・・・。が、一日中降ったり止んだりで微妙な天気。午前中は家で色々とメールや電話でお仕事。

It was raining today here in LA. I got up...took Pit for a walk while it was raining hard...and it stopped raining right when I got home. I was not too impressed with that, and I don't recall doing anything bad lately...!?! Well, it was a miserable weather through out the day raining on and off so I can't blame it on me?!?

午後はジムに行ってミッチリトレーニング。明日はLA郊外にあるサーキットでフェラーリ・チャレンジに出るドライバーのコーチがあるので今日は早目に寝ないと！！

I got some work done in the AM making calls and responding e-mails and went to the gym in PM. I will be coaching a Ferrari Challenge driver tomorrow up at Buttonwillow so I better get to sleep early tonight!!

パパ活動

今日は日曜日。昨日はかなりユックリできて、早くに寝てしまったので今朝は早起きしてしまいました。午前中に締め切りが近かった車の原稿を書いて、お昼前にジムに行ってトレーニング。お昼過ぎには息子の友達のバースデイ・パーティーに参加。頑張ってパパやってました！？！（笑）

Since I was able to rest well yesterday...I was up early this morning. I spent the morning getting some work done finishing up couple of articles that is due really soon. Than off to the gym for some good training. In the afternoon, I had to attend to my son's friend's B-Day party and be a good dad...I think my son had some fun and overall it was a good week end for me!!

何もしない一日

今日は久しぶりに一日あまり何も考えず、ユックリする事ができました。お昼過ぎには日本で買ってきた“人志松本のすべらない話３”を観賞。たまに見るとうけますよね〜。（笑）午後までずっと家族とまったりしてこれから夕食です。なんだか、胃に優しい物が食べたいな〜って感じなので、今日はうどん好き鍋に決定しました。子供もうどんは大好物なのでちょうどいいですね！！

I was able to spend a whole day literally doing nothing today! I really was in a mood to get some relaxing time and was able to spend valuable time with my son. I didn't make any cell phone calls today and that alone is very unusual for me. Instead I watched a comedy DVD that I bought in Japan which was hilarious!! Well...time for dinner now. We are going to have Udon tonight since we wanted to have something healthy and light. Actually Udon is my son's favorite food so it works out well for him too!!

今日は息子のB-Day!

今日で息子は１歳です。いや〜１年が経つのはメチャ早いってまた言ってますが・・・。ぶっちあけた話、去年の今頃は子供が産まれるのに、今年のレースはどうなっちゃうの〜って状況にありましたが、なんとか１年を乗り越えて今に至るって感じです。

Today is my son's 1st B-Day. I can't believe it's already been 1 year. To tell you the truth, one year a go, I was scrambling to find funds to race at the 24hr of Daytona and Indy 500 while my wife was delivering our baby. Fortunately with all the support from the sponsors, fans, and my family members...I was able to get through last year and my kid is strong & healthy.

色々とサポートをしてくれた皆さんのお陰で今年の話もかなり前向きですし！レースも頑張らなくちゃいけないけど、１歳になった息子の事を考えるともっともっと息子が自慢できるパパにならないとって気合いが入ります！！でも、やっぱりここまでこれたのはスポンサー、ファン、＆家族の皆さんのお陰です。息子には理解するまではまだ早いかもしれませんが、何時か必ず判るときは来る様な気がします！！

I really want to thank everyone who has been supporting me to make this happen and I am so happy that things are looking positive for this season. However, thinking 10years from now, I will have to keep trying hard to be a proud father who my son can admire me for what I do!! Obviously I will not be able to do that with out all the support from all you guys, so again I really appreciate your support and I'm sure my son will appreciate it too and realize the importance of that in few years to come!!

少しはリラックス

今日は日本＆デトロイトの疲れがたまっていた為に午前中はリラックス。午後はスポンサー活動の為に色々と営業活動。話が決まるまでは全力で、いや・・・決まってからも常に全力で頑張らないと！！

I spent this morning trying to relax and recover from all the traveling I had to do from last 10days. In the afternoon, I worked on couple of prospect sponsorship deals for this year and I will have to keep pushing until the deal is done...as well as even when we get on to the track.

そうそう、明日は息子の誕生日です。もう産まれてから一年経つと思うと驚きです・・・。でも、無事に元気で育ってくれてるのが何よりの事です！！！

Tomorrow is a special day for my son. It is actually his 1st B-Day!! I can't believe it has been already one year since he was born. I am very lucky to have him and I am happy for him to be healthy for many many years!!

LAでも忙しい・・・。

今日は車の試乗のお仕事。まずは、スバル・トライベッカに乗り、その後にLexus LX570を試乗。どっちも良い車ですね〜。色んな車を見て乗ってると新しい車が欲しくなってしまいますね・・・。

I had to test drive two different cars today to write an article for the Japanese Media. One was the Subaru Tribeca and the other one was Lexus LX570. They were both great cars. After seeing all the new models in Detroit and driving the actual cars...it makes me want to get a new car soon!?!

午後からはミーティング。１時間で終わると思った物が３時間コースに・・・。さっきダッシュでいったん家に戻り、これから夕食会です。LAに戻ってきたら落ち着くとおもいきや、休み暇もないですね・・・。（泣）

In the afternoon, I had a lengthy meeting to talk about plans for next year. Although things are moving forward slowly... We are still in process of taking several steps forward and backwards trying to secure the deal. The good news is...we are way still ahead of where we were last year so I feel pretty good about getting the deal done soon. Well...I am off to a dinner function now, I thought I would be able to get some rest back in LA but I guessed it wrong....

デトロイトショー３日目

今日は朝起きて窓を明けると、外は真っ白！夜中の間にかなりの雪が降ったので、車にたくさんの雪が積もってました。車のエンジンをかけてまずは雪かきからのスタート。寒い所に住むとこれが大変ですね・・・。

Woke up this morning and open the curtain and it was all whit outside! It must have snowed heavily last night and I had to spend at least 10min getting all the snow off the car window. I guess that's the down side of living in places where it snows....you will have to get up 10min early just to do that!?!

会場には８時に到着して、今日になったらメディアの人がかなり減ったのでゆっくりと車を見る事ができました。

I was at the Cobo Center by 8am and was able to get a thorough look through the show and the cars. Most of the media has gone home today so it was a good day for the photographer to take detailed pict.

と言う事で、iPhoneで撮った写真をアップします。

Well, here are some pict that I took from my iPhone.

まずは、一昨日の日に当日締め切りで記事を書かなくては行けなかった、三菱Concpet-RA! これはクリーン・ディーゼルエンジン搭載で結構格好いいです！！

Here is the Mitsubishi Concept-RA which I had to write an article about on the same day that it was announced. It will include Clean Diesel Engine and it looks pretty cool!!

現実的にファミリーカートして欲しいなと思ったのはワーゲンのPassat CC。

My favorite realistic car including the price tag was the VW Passat CC.

昨日発表があったマツダの風籟。

Here is the Mazda Furai concept car which was announced yesterday.

アメ車のコンセプトカーBuick Riviera。見た目は以外とナイスです。

The Buick Riviera concept was actually not too bad looking.

デトロイトショー２日目

今日はショー２日目。昨日は日本の締め切りにあわせて、１２時過ぎまで記事を書かなくてはいけない状態でしたが、夜はバッチリ寝て今日は短い記事がちょっとしかなかったので、少しは楽でした。マツダの発表会にも顔をだして笑談したり、ようやく落ち着いて車が見れる一日でした。

Today was the 2nd day at the show. Since majority of the work had to be done yesterday to meet the deadline in Japan...today was an easier day. I just had a brief article to write up at end of the day and I was able to spend majority of the day looking at the cars and talking to my friends at Mazda booth.

今回の気になるブースはAudiですね。新しく発表された、R8 TdiとA4ともに格好いいです。他にもMitsubishiのConcept-RAだったりマツダの風籟などなどエコ・スポーツ・カーがたくさん出展されています！色んな車がみれるとなんだかワクワクしてきますね〜〜。

The Audi booth was probably the most interesting booth with the new R8 Tdi as well as the A4. They are both cool design and I'm sure the A4 will sell a lot here in US. There are couple of concept cars that caught my eye including the Mitsubishi Concept-RA as well as the Mazda Furai. The trend of the world is becoming to have an eco-sports car which is definitely a good thing to save the environment. All in all it's definitely a good fun looking at all the new cars!!

デトロイトショー

今日はやばいです・・・。昨日は深夜フライトでデトロイトに向けて出発。今日着いたのは朝５時。そのまま会場に直行して、会場ではメチャ忙しい〜〜・・・。ついでに、今夜までに締め切りの記事が２つあって、やっと書き終わった所です。ほぼ徹夜状態・・・。こんなに疲れたのは久しぶりです。と言う事で今日は寝ますzzzzz

I am ultra tired today... I wasn't able to sleep much last night in the plane so it was really a tough day. I landed at the airport at about 5am...and went straight to the Cobo Center. The place is pretty big but it's easy to get around since there is really just one big hall unlike LA Convention Center where you have three or four. I had to article deadline that I needed to make tonight so I just barely got done as we speak. And it's already 1am....I think I need some sleep now zzzzz

LAに帰宅、これからデトロイト

今日はLAに無事に着いて、お昼を食べて時差ボケの為に日中はゴロゴロ息子と寝てました。夕方になってジムに行ってランニング。今お風呂に入った所でこれからダッシュで空港に戻ってデトロイトに向かいます。タフですわ〜〜・・・。（泣）

Got back from Japan and I was able to spend some time with my family this afternoon...although I spent most of the time sleeping!?! Went to the gym right before dinner and just got out of the shower and reading to head back to the airport to go to Detroit. Tough day for me...and would be tougher tomorrow since I will have to get couple of article out tomorrow right after the show!?!

酸素カプセル

いや〜昨日は東京オートサロンでメチャ忙しくてかなり疲れました。今回はメチャX2短い滞在で、これからアメリカに戻ります。LAに着いたら深夜のフライトでデトロイトに移動して１５日まではデトロイトのオートショーに行きます。

It was an extremely busy trip and this time and I am just getting ready to head to the airport. I will be in LA for half a day, and will have to catch a redeye out to Detroit for the Auto show tomorrow...

このまま行ったら疲れがたまって、倒れちゃいそうだったので疲労回復＆リラックスの為に今日は エアープレス上野へ行って酸素カプセルに入ってきました！！かなりリラックスできて、体調も万全！！なんだか、年末年始は食べ過ぎ＆飲み過ぎで身体の毒素が全部でた感じです！！

I was really tired today and I needed some time for relaxation so I decided to go to the oxygen chamber capsule at Air Press Ueno. I was able to just do nothing and sleep for 2hr while I breath dense oxygen. I am totally recovered now and just about ready to head home.

そうそう、犬が入れる酸素カプセルもできたのご存知ですか？代々木上原にあるみたいで、OWND cafe にあるみたいで、ペットがカプセルに入ってる間に、飼い主はお茶をして待っていられるのです。ペットもバッチリリラックスできて、ストレス解消！！家の息子にいじめられている、ピット君にはかなり必要かもしれませんね〜〜！？！近い将来お家にカプセルを１台完備できるように頑張ろう！！

By the way, did you guys know that there is an Oxygen chamber capsule for Pets now? I think this is a perfect fit for Pit(My Chihuahua) who is stressed from getting beat by my son. The place is actually in Tokyo and called OWND cafe. You can actually bring you pet and have a quick snack and coffee while you wait for your pet getting oxygenated. I guess sooner or later...I'm going to have to buy my own capsule that I can place in my house so I can get in with Pit.

東京オートサロン

今日は朝一で東京オートサロンに出発。一番最寄りの駅は幕張と勘違いして、総武線に乗ってしまい駅に気がついたら海浜幕張の存在を思い出してショ〜ック。が、気合いで歩いて幕張メッセまで行ってきました。３０分ちかくかかりましたが・・・・。現場では色んな人に挨拶をして、お昼過ぎは飛び入り参加でMazdaブースでのトークショ〜。あまりの急の以来だったのでちょっと緊張しちゃいました！？！（笑）いや〜今日はメッチャ疲れちゃいました。明日は帰る日です。今回の旅はあっと言う間だったな。

Woke up early to go to the Tokyo Auto Salon. It was a press day today but the place was packed. I actually got on the wrong train and ended up getting to the train station which was 2miles away from the Auto Salon sight. What a hec....I decided to walk to the venue which took me 30min but it was a good morning exercise. It was a super busy day since I had a meet a lot of people as well as joining the talk show at Mazda booth which was last minute request. I really didn't know what to say but the talk show went really well. I am not a good talker...but I am pretty good at coming up with things so it all worked out. Well, all in all....I am exhausted and ready to sleep...zzzzzzz

蕎麦

今日は時差ボケでバッチリ６時前には、目が覚めしまいました。もう寝れないぞと思ったので早速メールチェックをしてアメリカとの連絡の取り合い。この時期になると日本に居る場合は何時も徹夜状態でのやり取りなので大変です。

I was up at 6am today because of the jetlag I couldn't sleep anymore so I got on line and checked my e-mail. Usually this is the busiest time of the year for negotiation and it is very important to stay in touch with the team and etc. Things are definitely moving forward and I think we are going to the final stages now....I know I have been saying this for a while but it is true!?!

午前中は色々と連絡を取り合って、明日のプランを作りお昼は母親＆姉と合流してランチ。鮫洲の方にあるお蕎麦屋さんに行ったのですが、ここがメチャ美味っ！！やっぱ日本の食べ物はおいしいですね〜〜。蕎麦の前に頼んだ生牡蠣もプリプリでおいしかった〜〜。アメリカではたべれませんからね。とりあえず、プチ滞在を満喫してます！！

For lunch, I went to visit my mom and my sister and had a lunch at this great Soba Restaurant. It was really classy but the food was phenomenal!! The Tempura Soba was to crave for but what impressed me the most was the oyster I had for the appetizer. The food in LA is good...but nothing beats eating a traditional Japanese food in Japan.

鮫洲にある吉田家
The place was called Yoshidaya

この牡蠣がメチャ美味でした〜！蕎麦も撮りたかったのですが、食べるのを待ちきれず撮る前に食べてしまいました！？！（笑）
This is the oyster I had. The soba was also good but I forgot to take the pict...!?!

日本に到着

さっき無事に日本に戻ってきました。この２日間はメッチャ忙しくてかなりドタバタ。出発前にあった妻のグリーンカードのインタビューも無事に終わり、来月には家族揃って日本に戻れそうです。色々と取得するのにプロセスがあって大変でしたが、子供がアメリカ生まれと言う事もあってインタビューをするスタッフとはほとんど世間話と余談で終わりました！？！

Just landed in Japan. It was a real hectic two days…I had to go to my wife’s Green card Interview and she successfully passed through all the process and now she is legally a permanent resident here in US. It really took a lot of time and process and I am happy it is over now. I think having our baby here in US and bringing him to the interview pretty much locked everything in. When she receives the actual card we will plan to go back to Japan sometime in Feb!! I’m sure all of my family is looking forward to meet my son.

でもって、今日は飛行機に乗り込み日本へ出発。久しぶりのロングフライとで疲れました・・・。が、久しぶりの日本でもあるので美味しい物を食べるのが楽しみです！！今回はわずか３日間の滞在で忙しくなりそうですが、仕事を頑張って滞在もエンジョイしないと！！

I will be here in Japan for just 3days. This is one of my shortest trip back to Japan. I haven’t been flying much last year and the flight definitely felt long today. Well, I am happy to be here and although I will be busy attending the Tokyo Auto Salon, I sure hope to enjoy my time here!!

忙しい〜・・・。

今週はメッチャ忙しくなるぞ〜！自分は明日から日本です。日本に戻ったら東京オートサロンに顔をだして、１２日にはLA経由でデトロイト。デトロイトショーでもお仕事をして、１５日に帰宅です。同時進行で今年のIndyJapanと５００の契約事の話も進めないといけないので、メチャ大変です。ここから話が決まるまでは２４時間態勢で頑張らないと！！

It's going to be a busy week for me. I had to do lots of running run today since I have to go to Japan tomorrow. I will be there for the Tokyo Auto Salon...than straight off to the Detroit Show. I will be able to get home on the 15th...but will have to finalize my deal with the team in conjunction with all my other plans. Obviously my priority is to get the deal done really soon!!! I think I will be on call 24/7 this week until I get everything firmed up....

今日はマッタリ

今日は日曜日だったので、お家でまったり。相変わらず天気が悪くて気分が浮かないですね〜・・・。とりあえず、ランチはバーニーズの上にあるカフェで食べて、プラプラ街を歩いて帰ってきました。ある意味リラックスできる一日でした。

Since it was Sun, we slept in until 9am today. I haven't done that for a while so it really felt good! The weather if still iffy...but I took my family out to Brunch at the restaurant in Barneys NY. It was actually pretty good!!

さて、明日はいよいよ妻のグリーンカードのインタビュー。待ちに待った日が来るって感じです。これで、グリーンカードがおりれば、妻も息子を連れて日本に戻れるので楽しみにしてるみたいです。日本に戻るのは２月を予定してますが、子供を連れて帰るのが楽しみです。その時までには暖かくなってるといいな〜・・・。

Tomorrow, my wife will have a greencard interview at the INS office. We have been waiting for this date and I'm sure my wife is really looking forward to it. She is a bit nervous because she is not used to these kind of things...but it's a peace a cake for me!?! After the approval, I am planning to take my family back to Japan so my relatives can finally see my son!!

嫌な天気

昨日からの雨もやみ、今日はずっと曇ってました。なんだか晴れてないとやる気の起きない天気ですね。しかも、土曜日なので街は静か。お昼にミーティングをした以外は何もしない一日になってしまいました・・・。ん〜せめて明日は天気が良くなるといいな〜〜！！やっぱ天気が悪いと憂鬱になります。

The rain has stopped but the it's cloudy out side. It certainly is un-LA like weather.... I had a meeting during lunch today and seems like that was all I did today. I hope it will be sunny tomorrow at least to get some great weather before heading to cold and snowy Japan and Detroit next week...

LAは雨

今日は午前中から天気が悪くて、ほとんどずっと家で留守番。珍しくLAは土砂降りです・・・。日中は妻が日用品の買い物にでかけたので、息子のお守り。夕方からは仕事をしてあっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。気がついたら金曜日・・・。なんだか、曜日感覚のない一週間でしたね。来週からはかなり忙しくなるので気合いを入れ直していかないと！！

Since it was raining today...I opted to stay home with my son while my wife went out to the shops. It hasn't rain hard here in LA so I guess it must be a good thing for the people living near the mountain...however, let's hope not to have any mudslide though!?! I can't believe it is already Fri. This week just zipped by because of the holiday. Well, I think I rested well and ready for some serious work next week!!

初詣

今日はちょっと遅めの初詣に行ってきました。家の近所（リトル東京）にお寺があるので、行ってお参りしてきました。おみくじもしっかり引いてきてきたく。新年にやらなくてはいけない行事はこれでしっかりこなせた感じです。家に戻ってからは今期の話でチームとの連絡の取り合い。もう大詰めなので話をもっと急ピッチで進めないと！！時間が経つのは早いですからね・・・。ついさっきカウントダウンしてたと思いきやもう３日ですからね。ではでは、話が一日で早く決めれる様に全力で頑張ります！！

Went to the temple in Little Tokyo today to pray for best wishes and good health for my family during this season.It's a Japanese tradition called "Hatsumoude" to visit the temple during the first three days after celebrating the new year. I got home and started to call around to finalize the deals for this season. Things are definitely moving forward and I think we are days away before having things announced. I really need to get on it now since it is already the 3rd. Time do fly...and will need to have things locked in before I make my trip back to Japan next week...

お節料理

昨日は元旦と言う事で妻は頑張ってお節料理を作ってくれました。３０日にダウンタウンにある魚市場に行って、エビや蟹もゲットしといたので今年はちょっと豪華。やっぱり新鮮なので美味って感じです！！しかし、昔はあまりお節料理がすきじゃなかったのに、最近はけっこう好きなのは歳をとったと言う事なんですかね・・・！？！とくに黒豆は大好物です。お節の唯一のネックの所は毎日たべなくてはいけない所ですね〜！？！

We went to the fish market in Downtown LA on the 30th...and my wife made traditional new year feast called "Osechi". When I was young... I never used to like the Osechi food, but as I got older...I started to like eating them. It goes well with the sake!! I especially like the sweet black beans!! We were also able to pick up some shrimp and crab at the fish market and the food was great!! Good stat to the new year!!

昨日食べたお節の一部です！美味かった〜。
Here is the pict of the part of the Osechi.

明けましておめでとうございます！

新年明けましておめでとうございます。今年も宜しくお願いします！！皆さんは元旦はいかがすごされましたか？自分は今朝は早起きしてパサデナで行われる全米最大のパレードでもあるローズパレードに行ってきました。アメリカ流での元旦の儀式をしっかりしたって感じです。本当はリトル東京にあるお寺に初詣にいこうと思っていたのですが、妻は二日酔いで倒れてるので明日になりそうです・・・。（笑）

Happy New Year! I hope everyone's new year's eve was great and resting well today getting ready for the long 2008 season!!! I was up early this morning to see the Rose Parade. I was fortunate to get the VIP pass and was able to be home by 9:20am after glancing through the parade. In the afternoon, I wanted to visit the temple in little Tokyo but since my wife was still recovering from the hangover from all the drinks last night...we decided to go to the temple tomorrow. Well the rest of the afternoon will be all relaxing time for me!!

RoseパレードのスポンサーをするHONDA!
Honda is the official vehicle of the parade!

パレードにはDodgersの斎藤選手もきてました！！
There were several players from the Dodgers too!!

一年を振り返って

日本はもう年が明けましたね。おめでとうございます！アメリカはまだ大晦日です。いや〜しかし１年も、もう終わってしまうと考えると驚いちゃいますね。今年も色々とあったな〜・・・。でも、自分にとっては色んな新しいチャレンジの年でもあったような気がします。

I have been saying it the last few days...but yet again...I can't believe that 2007 is over. It's already 2008 in Japan with the time difference!?! A lot of things happened this year in my life and it certainly was another challenging year for me.

まずは、１月１８日に息子が産まれた事。これは人生のビッグイベントでしたからね！？！息子も順調に育ってくれて、何よりです。今から一緒にカートを乗りに行くのが楽しみです・・・って既に親馬鹿っぷりを発揮してます！？！

The biggest news for me was the birth of my son on Jan 18. Obviously it was expected sooner or later....but I think I was able to accomplish one of my goals which was to have a son or daughter by age 30. My son is getting bigger and bigger by the day and I am just happy to see him living healthy! I am really looking forward till that day that he may show some interest in racing and being at the Kart track together!?!

子供が産まれて速攻で、デイトナに行き初めての耐久レースに参戦。それもデイトナ２４時間レース！無事に６位でゴールして、耐久レースのシステムを理解する事ができました。まだ、スポーツカー（ハコ車）の動きを完全に理解する前に終わってしまったのでまた近い将来リベンジですね！

Soon after the birth of my son, I was off to Daytona to do my first every sports car race(Daytona 24hr). We were able to finish 6th...but I still need to learn a little more on how to drive those cars. In the near future, I would love to have another shot on racing the 24hr though...

そして５月は５回目のIndy500に参戦。車の調子も良かったのですが、ちょっとしたトラブルで２１位。しかし、自分なり＆チームなりに頑張った結果なので食いはありません。こっちもまた来年リベンジですね。しかし、５年連続で５００に参戦できた事は、応援してくれてるスポンサー、ファン、そして家族の皆さんに心から感謝です！！

Well...during month of May, I raced in my 5th straight Indianapolis 500. The car was running great but we had some minor misshap and finished 21st. It was not an ideal finishing position for the team, but we all tried our best and I was satisfied about the whole program. Most importantly I want to thank the Sponsors, Fans, and my family on the support for the last 5years and I am really looking forward for next year!

で、いよいよ２００８年！ここだけの話ですが色々と前向きです。過去２年間はIndyJapanのレースはオヤスミしてしまいましたが、ほぼ来年はIndyJapan＆Indy500に参戦できる様に頑張ってます！！だいぶ話が具体化していますので、近日中に発表できるとおもいます。楽しみにまっていてくださいね！！ではでは、２００８年も引き続き応援宜しくお願い致します！！

Now, on to 2008, things are definitely looking bright! I think we should be able to announce our deal on the Indy Car program in which at minimum it should include the Indy Japan race in Motegi as well as Indianapolis 500. I am looking forward to another exciting year, and also to seeing you all of you guys at the track in the near future!!