新年明けてから、キンドルが気になって気になってしかたない。

その１.　マスマーケット版（２-３年後）になるまで待たずに、洋書が読める。
その２.　読んだ後始末に困らない。（今は、読み終わった本が山積みになっている。古本屋でも歓迎されない。）
その３.　積ん読本の始末に困らない。
その４.　ある国のある図書館に1冊だけあるというような本も読める、翻訳出来る。

その４は、google bookの恩恵にあずかって、革命的だと思った。だって、怪談の出所を探しているうちに、でっち上げの多いサブカル系著者の創作だと思っていたのが、実は19世紀の少年少女小説に原型があって、しかも現物をネット上で読んで確認できたのだ。本があるのは、アメリカのある大学の図書館だった。文系の研究を根底から覆す可能性がある。今後数年間に、定説がころころひっくり返るかも知れないとまで思った。

ただし、本を出す側に立っている立場として。。。

その５.　編集者やデザイナーなしで出てくる本なんか読めるか、出せるか。
その６.　ブランドがない本は恐くて読めない。（出版社ほどブランドが生きてくるものはないだろう）
その７．確かに出版の機会は増える。しかも時間をかけて人気が出てくるタイプの本には朗報。
その８.　印刷業には壊滅的かも。
その９.　ちょっとマイナーな本も翻訳出来る可能性が広がる。

出版業界全体の構造を変えてしまう可能性があるので楽観は禁物なのだが、携帯小説や情報商材などみても、こっち方面へと動いていくことは間違いないだろう。

たぶん鍵は出版社が握っている。原稿をそのまま電子化してと考えているなら、それはちょっと待て。携帯小説の書籍版の評判を見ても、有料ダウンロードしてまで読んでもらえる出版物は、やっぱり現在のwebコンテンツより高いレベルのものじゃないと、結局じり貧になると思うし、電子ブックの独自デザインがでてこないと、やっぱり出版物をしのぐようにはならないだろう。現状のPDFを見ればわかるが、あれは読書の楽しみとはほど遠い。

それでも、来年はキンドルなり、何なり買っているんじゃないかと思う。「本」と同じレベルなら、魅力的すぎるのだ。「自費出版」は、たぶん買わないだろうけど。

あんまり珍しい話じゃなくて、恐縮なんですが、秋葉原地域は神田明神の氏子になっています。
なので、神田明神はいつのまにか、ＩＴの神様にもなってしまいました。そろそろオタクの神様になるのかしら？　
将門様に怒られちゃいそうです。

まあ、とにかく、神田明神に行くと「クラッシュ除けお守りシール」がありまして、うちの旦那はノートにこれを張っています。うむー。日本の神様も、なかなか大変です。



Many know this, but the violet flag here says, "We are supporting Kanda Myojin Shrine."The place is Akihabara. Kanda Myojin used be a great shrine, protecting whole Tokyo area. It has rather twisted history. About 1000 years ago, there was a samurai named Masakado, who thought about making an independent kingdom in the land of Kanto, where Tokyo is now. His dream had not come true. Emperor ordered another samurai to attack him and Masaskado lost. Since then, his soul has not lest in peace.

Kanda Shrine is one place where we the people of Kanto tell him that he is our god and beg him to use his power to protect us. But still, the most famous supernatural spot in Tokyo is Masaskado Kubizuka, where his head is buried (not in the shrine, but in the middle of Government Offices.) He is a powerful and dangerous spirit.

However, since Kanda Shrine's area(Shrines have their area to protect, while the temples have their contracted families to protect.)include Akihabara, now Kanda Shrine have to protect IT and PC. They have sticker that get crash away from your PC. Man, my husband got one and is stack to his note PC.

Isn't fearful Masakado got confused now? Does he understand Internet?

We Japanese are funny people, I think. I forgot where but there are shrines for airlines and the politicians to win their election.

Japanese deities are busy! And as people says, they only visit shrines when they have troubles.

Our neighborhood is basically the town of temples. Shogunate had a great temple on the hill of Ueno and small temples were gathered adjacent area, here.
So it is our family tradition to go around the temples at the New Years Eve, hearing the sound of heavy temple bells.
谷中は元々寺町なので、大晦日は寺巡りをすることにしています。ただ、歩くだけ。初詣は元旦、明るくなってから根津神社です。


Bon fire to warm people and throw in an year old religious goods. They are basically holy and you can't just put them with garbage, right?


このお寺は鐘は撞き放題です。
The number of gongs on the New Year's Eve is 108. At some temples, priest do it themselves, some gather 107 people and some permit everybody who wants to do it. This temple is free and therefore popular.


甘酒。
They searve people warm Sweet Sake. mmm, it was good.


In another larger temple, priests were singing mantra.
こちらはまだお経を上げている最中でした。


この人たちは何？と思ったら...
I wondered what these people were doing. Almost naked in the middle of winter in front of temple.


水垢離をする若いお坊さんたちでした。
It turned out to be young priests performing cold water ablutions.

Then we walked to Kaneiji Temple on Ueno hill, coming back through the Yanaka Cemetery. It was not scary to us. We are too familiar with the place. The blue moon was so beautiful.
その後、寛永寺まで歩いて、谷中墓地を抜けてかえってきました。灯りの少ない墓地で、元旦の満月はとてもきれいでした。

本年もよろしくお願いします。

正月2日の秋葉原へ、ちょっと福袋を買いに行ってきました。何の福袋かは聞かないでね。
You can go to Akihabara from the JR Akihabara Satation, but this day, Jan.2, we took the root from Ochanomizu. It is one station ride from Ochanmizu, but you can walk along the EL.
The line is very old and the elevated structure is made of bricks. Under the EL are restaurants.

Because the rent is cheep under the EL, here used be shabby bars and diners, but they must have thought the brick-build structure is a kind of fancy and renovated them. Attracting, but feel something is wrong.
以前はいかにも高架下という感じの店ばかりでしたが、急にお洒落になっちゃいました。



昌平橋は変わりなく。
This is a part of Shohei bridge. Doves' favorite. We cross a river and go into the town of Akihabara.


Almost all big electronic shops look like this. They deal from the cellphone to camera to PC to refrigerator to washer to cleaner to Nintendo. You name it, but the food.


UFO catcher is a very popular game machine. Stuffed animals inside are not sold in shopsusually, so you have to be good at the game machine or have a talented friend to get one. This too-shocking-pink is the color of Akihabara.


And inside, tiger! tiger! tiger! This is the year of tiger.
UFOキャッチャーも、トラに模様替え。


So this is Akihabara on the main street.Wait for the back streets view for another day.


I found the "men" making a line on the pedestrian. The placard says "This is the tail." I also found out that they are all fans of a group of idol girls. The line is kind of short, I thought. Oh, but it was around 2pm and the placard says special item sales will start at 9pm! No wonder the line is short. Men, oh men.


This town is always renewing here and there, but the old cheep-build buildings had stayed almost the same. Now a big renovation is going on including the station. Old buildings reflected on the new building's windows.

One good thing, maybe, is we now have all kinds of eating places here, now. Decades ago, going Akihabara meant to starve. No kidding. They even didn't have McDonald's. I still feel uncomfortable when somebody say "Why don't we go Akihabara. I will buy you a drink." Buy me a drink? From an automatic vender?

I am copying Stacy now.
ステイシーの真似です。

December 31,2009, I and kids walked from Roppongi to Shiba and then to Hamamatsucho.
大晦日に六本木から大門、浜松町まで歩きました。


This is a fancy New year's ornament I found in Roppongi.


And bright green bamboo. It was so rush.The land they are planted a so small an area you can't believe it.
目にも鮮やかな竹。ほんの一列の土地に植わっているのが、上空はこんなです。


Small shops and trees from old time.
学生時代は、こんな小さな店が多かった記憶があります。うちの母方の母方の先祖は芝増上寺片門前の尾張屋という、江戸初期から続く商家なのだそうですが、大叔母たちが「六本木なんかただの田舎で」と言っていた、なんとなくそういう名残があります。


This is the wall of Russian Embassy.
ロシア大使館。

Around the corner they look a bit like jail or something. I remember when I was a student and this place was USSR Embassy, I felt the wall was higher and more overwhelming. Situation changes the impression.
学生時代は、異様な絶壁のような壁だと思ったのですが、時代が変わり違って見えます。


This is Tokyo Tower in Shiba, next to Zojoji temple and large Shiba Park.

Isn't this mechanical structure beautiful? They are building new tower now and planning to put this one away. That is the dumbest idea I ever heard.


The orange color is called Universal orange common to all the structure affecting the flight, my kid has taught me.
東京タワーのオレンジ色は、ユニバーサルオレンジだと子どもが教えてくれました。


They even have the tower shaped fence. Aren't they cute?


And this is Daimon, the great gate for Zojoji temple.
芝大門。

Our goal is here, the Pokemon Center. I found foreign Pokemon fan having great fun here.
で、最終目的地はポケモンセンターでした。なんか配布されているデータをもらいに行ったらしいです、子どもら。


So crowded with parents and kids and "grown up kids." My kids are grown up kids because they are 20 and 19, but they had to get something here that I don't quite understand. All I know is Nintendo is very clever.
家族連れでにぎわう中、うちのは「大きなお友達」ですね。いや、育ちすぎの家族連れか。けっこう他にも「大きなお友達」やカップルもいらっしゃいましたが。


Sorry I have promised to introduce Akihabara, but did not have a chance to do so. This is Akihabara station. I found so many travelers from other Asian countries as usual.
で、外国語が溢れる秋葉原駅経由お茶の水経由で帰宅。

Then at night, we went for a New Years eve walk, but will make it another story.
夜バージョンは明日。