いよいよですね！

皆さん、今日は。いよいよ、あと数日でインディ・ジャパンが開催されますね。僕は日本に戻り、イベントやスポンサーへのご挨拶等でかなりドタバタしています。日本はやっぱり暑いですね〜。ロスはなんだか夏が来ないまま、秋に突入した感じなので、さすがにこの蒸し暑さにはまいります・・・。（笑）

I hope all you guys are doing well.I am back in Japan now, and the Indy Japan race is just days away from now. I have been doing several appearances since I have been back to Japan, seeing the fans as well as the sponsors. It is extremely hot here! It seems as if we never had summer in LA this year, so this heat and humidity really kills me...

日本に戻るまでは、スーツやヘルメット、自分が着るスポンサーロゴ入りのウェアー等の作成や、チームとのアレンジで大忙し。日本に着いたら、今度はゲスト・パスのアレンジでドタバタです。が、6月から始めた仕事のお陰で色んなノウハウが増え、全てがなるべくスムーズに行く様にできるように準備もOK！今まではモテギの前はかなり切羽詰まっている様に感じましたが、今回はかなりリラックスして挑めそうです！

I was flat out trying to get the suits, helmet, team wear ready before the departure. Than when I got here, I still have to arrange all the passes for the guests which takes a lot of time and communication. Luckily, the new job I started in June has give me extra knowledge on how to handle this smoothly. Usually, it is a chaos just before the race, but seems like I am more relaxed for this race which is a good thing as a driver!

今回は本当に急な参戦ですが、チャンスをくれたチーム、僕の事をサポートしてくれるCWEやVIDA、そしてファンの皆様には心から感謝しています！しっかりと良い結果を残して、皆さんの期待に応えれる様に頑張ります！！

I could not thank more and really appreciate all the support and opportunity I got from the team, my sponsor CWE and VIDA, and all of my fans. Hopefully I can maximize this opportunity to lead in to something for the future.

ちなみに、今回のマシンはこんな感じになります！

Here is the pict of the car I will be driving this week!

それと、僕が発表する前日にIndyCar.comで佐藤琢磨選手をインタビューした動画です。なんだか、２人で英語で話してるのに違和感を感じるのは僕だけ！？！（笑）

Meanwhile, here is a video of an interview I did with Takuma at Kentucky. It seems strange interviewing him in English since I usually talk to him in Japanese...lol

これから日本に向かいます！

さて、いよいよこれから日本に向けて出発します。今は荷物のパッキング中。参戦が急遽決まったので、今回は新しいスーツが間に合いそうも無かったので、昨年着用したスーツを使う事にしました。

Well, finally it is the day to head towards Japan. I am just doing the final pack up for my luggage. Since it was such a last minute deal, I have decided to use my suit from last year, since I only wore it once.

とはいっても、新しいスポンサーのロゴの刺繍をいれたり、出発直前まで色々なアレンジで大変でした。到着ぎりぎりでスーツが戻ってきたので、これで荷物の準備も万端。今からかるくジムに行って汗をながしてから飛行場へと向かいます！アディオス・アミーゴス！！

I still had to get some sponsor logo embroidered so it was real hassle to get everything arranged on time. My suit just arrived and my stuff is all ready to go! Before heading towards the airport, I am going to a quick work out and off to Japan!! Adios Amigos!!

インディ・ジャパン参戦決定！

皆さんご無沙汰しております！突然ですが、インディ・ジャパンの参戦が決まりました！！

Hi Guys, hope all is well with all of you. I have a great news! I just signed a deal to race in the Indy Japan 300 coming up next week!!

土壇場での参戦ですが、ぶっつけ本番には慣れているので、決勝は全力で頑張ります！一年振りのインディのレース、今から楽しみです。ぜひツインリンクもてぎまで応援しにきて下さいね！宜しくお願いします！！

The last minute deal has become my routine, so I am not so worried about getting up to speed but it certainly is going to be challenging. I am really looking forward to being back in the car and hope to see you all there at the Twinring Motegi!!

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=440532619864

タイムアタック

気がついたら、もう8月ですね・・・。インディカー・シリーズも後半戦に入り、インディ・ジャパンももう来月って事？レース参戦に向けては引き続き交渉をしていますが、今月が勝負ですね。頑張らないと！！

I can't believe it's already August... Indy Car Series is already past half way through, and we are about 6 weeks away from the Indy Japan race, which I am still working hard to be in. Keeping my fingers crossed...

さて、今回もまたビデオをアップします。先日のビデオの続編で今回はサーキットでのタイムアタック！が、いきなりぶっつけ本番だったので、100％攻め切れなかったのは残念。でもコースで走れるのはやっぱり気持ちいですね～！！

Well, here is another video I have done recently. It is a time attack video at the track in an Evo X. Since I didn't get any practice run, I wasn't able to push to the max, and had some technical issues with the car that avoided me to go fast...but it's always fun to be on track!! Enjoy!!!

ご無沙汰してます。

皆さん、ご無沙汰しています。６月に入ってから新しい仕事を始めて、色々とドタバタしていたら、あっと言う間に７月に入ってしまいました。忙しい事は良い事なんですが、家族と過ごせる時間が少なくなって寂しい今日この頃です・・・。

Hey guys. It's been a while since I have posted something new. I have took up this new job and that kept me busy 24/7. I can't believe we are already in to July...It's good to be busy and have things to do, but I wished if I can have a bit more time to spend with kids.

仕事の一つとして、先日MITSUBISHIランエボのスペシャル・エディションを使って撮影をしてきました。なかなか格好良くし上がったので、ぜひ見て下さい！ちなみに、ドリフト・シーンは友人でもあり、アメリカで行なわれてるフォミューラーDに参戦するYoshihara Daiちゃんです！！自分もドリフト上手くなる練習しよっと！？！

As part of my new job, we went out and shot a teaser video of the new Lancer Evo Special Edition. It turned out to be really cool and it was a lot of fun filming this. All the cool drift seen is done by my buddy Dai Yoshihara who runs in the Formula Drift series here in US. After watching him drift the car, I think I am going to practice drifting although it goes against what I have learned in the past. Having said that, it's always fun to spend time sideways!?!

父の日

皆さん、ご無沙汰してます。テキサスのレースが終わって、あっと言う間に２週間が経ってしまい、今はアイオワに来ています。テキサスが終わった翌日からロスで新しい仕事を始め、なんだか連日ドタバタです。毎日が新しいチャレンジで忙しい日々を送っていますが、新しい仕事をエンジョイしています。

Hi guys, sorry for not keeping up with you guys. After the race in Texas, the two weeks went by so fast and I am currently in Iowa. I have took up a new job in LA which kept me really busy the last two weeks. This new challenge is really exciting and I am enjoying my time at work although I'm still getting acquainted with everything out there.

昨日からアイオワで走行が始まっていますが、僕は職場を出発してからコースまで着くのに２０時間かかりました！？！（笑）フライトがキャンセルしたりディレイで本当に散々。でもアイオワに着いてみると以外と優雅な所で、心が落ち着きます。

I am in Iowa now spotting for Takuma. It was such a hassle to get here since, I left the office on Friday and it literally took me 20hrs to get here with all the flight cancellations and delays. It was a long day for me but I was rewarded with a nice sunset view when I was driving back to the hotel.

今日は、父の日ですね。気がついたら僕も父親になってから、早３年。今年は息子が幼稚園で作った、ペンケースを頂きました。子供から貰うプレゼントは嬉しいですね！早速オフィッスのデスクで使っています！

Today is Father's day. I can't believe it has been more than 3yrs since I have become a father. I got a father's day gift from my son, who made this pen stand at preschool. Just what I needed at my office desk!!

さてさて、アイオワではこれからレースです。天気大丈夫かな・・・？！？今回は琢磨選手も調子良いのでレースでは良い結果を期待できそう！ヒデキも頑張れ〜！！

Well, it is almost time for the race here at Iowa. I hope the weather will hold up...!?! Taku has a strong car this week end and wish him all the best for the race. Hideki seems to be struggling and hope he found a solution to their car set up.

今はテキサス

今はテキサスに来ています。インディ５００が終わって、ロスに戻り、気がついたらもうテキサス。場所は違っても、チームの人やシリーズのスタッフ等、メディアの方々も含めてずっと同じ顔ぶれなので、まさに大衆サーカスみたいなもんですね。

I'm in Texas now for the Indy Car race spotting for Takuma again. After the 500, I was able to return home for several days and here I am in Texas. It really feels like a big circus since I'm spending time with the same people including the team member, series staff, and medias...but at a different location.

インディのルーキーオリエンテーションから数えると４週連続でサーキットにいるので、そろそろ休みが欲しい・・・。（泣）来週末は久しぶりの休みなので、子供達と沢山遊んであげないとって感じです。

I've been at a track 4 week ends in a row starting from the rookie orientation at Indy. I am really looking forward to having an off week end next week and plan to spend some quality time with my kids!

さてさて、明日はテキサスでのレースがあります。ヒデキにも琢磨選手にも頑張ってもらいましょう！！

Well, tomorrow should be an exciting day for all the drivers. I really missed racing here..but I'll be up at the top helping for Takuma as well as rooting for both Hideki and Taku!!

インディ５００これから決勝！

皆さんお早うございます。これからインディ５００が始まります。って言っても僕はスポッターでの参戦ですが・・・。（泣）今年も出れないのは本当に残念。でも、今は頭を切り替えてIndyJapanに参戦できる様に、色々と頑張りたいと思います。

Good morning all! Finally the big day is here!! The Indy 500!!! Well...I'll be a spotter instead of the driver this year. Pretty gutted to be watching from outside again, but now I should focus real hard on trying to find a seat for the Indy Japan race in Sept.

今日のレースは３時間にかけて、ターン３で琢磨選手のスポッターをやってきます。今までとはまた違う角度で見るインディ５００となりますが、色んな事を経験して自分がシートを獲得した時の為になるように頑張ります！ヒデキ＆Taku頑張れ〜〜！！

I'll be watching the race from Turn 3 today spotting for Takuma. I'll be seeing the race from a different angle this year, and I should have a different perspective after the race which should help me when I get back in to the car next. Meanwhile, I wish the best of luck to Hideki and Taku today!!

所で昨日のパレード終了後に、モニュメントサークルで写真を撮ろうとしたら、ファンの人に撮ってもらっちゃいました。インディには８年目ですが、初めてインディアナポリス観光しちゃいました。（笑）

Here is a pict of me at Monument Circle in downtown taken by a fan. It was my first time sightseeing in Indianapolis after coming hear for 8 years.lol

インディ５００

皆さんご無沙汰しております。今はインディアナポリスに来ています。現場では予選が行なわれている最中です。

Hope you are all doing well. I am currently in Indianapolis as always during month of May. The qualifying is going on right now as I write this blog.

スポッターをしながら、就職活動。（笑）シートを獲得できる可能性は非常に低いのですが、なんとか明日のバンプデーが終わるまでは、現場で頑張りたいとも思います！

I am spotting for Taku while job hunting to find a seat. The chances are real slim...but you never know what can happen so I will keep knocking the doors until end of Bump Day.

今日は琢磨選手がクラッシュしてしまって、本当に残念・・・。その分も、ヒデキに頑張ってもらいましょう！！ヒデキのマシンはかなりいい感じですよ〜！！

Takuma had a big crash this morning so I am a bit gutted about that, but hope good qualifying run for Hideki! I think he has a really good car and am sure he will be fast!!

子供の日

昨日は子供の日だったので、子供達を連れてダウンタウンの近くにある公園で、一緒にシャボン玉を作って遊びました。子供達は大はしゃぎで、一緒にいるだけで癒される時間を作れました。

Since it was Children's Day, a national holiday in Japan yesterday for kids, I took my kids to the park and played making soap bubble. The kids were really excited and had a great time with them!

レースで転戦が増えると、どうしても週末が仕事になってしまうので、普通のウィーク・エンド・パパはできませんが、なんとか平日でも時間を作って子供達と触れ合わないと、あっという間に成長しちゃうなと最近考えちゃいます。

As the racing season kicked in and traveling almost every week end to the race, it is very hard spending time with kids during week end like a regular dad, so I somehow must find some time to spend valuable time with them during the week days.

来週末からはインディ入りするので、また子供達に会えなくなるのは寂しいな〜・・・。しかも、息子はインディ５００見たいと言ってるだけに、何とかシートを獲得してマシンに乗っている姿を見せてあげたいと思う今日この頃です！

I'll be leaving to Indianapolis next week so will miss my kids for two weeks. My son really wants to see the Indy 500 in person, so hopefully I can find a seat to drive so my son will be excited!!Keeping my fingers crossed and gotta keep pushing!!

スポッター

カンサスでのレースもあっという間に終わってしまい、今はロスに戻ってます。日本はゴールデンウィークの真っ最中かな？！？休日が続くとスポンサーとの交渉も進まないから困っちゃうな〜・・・。

The Kansas race week end went by so fast and I am back home in LA already. It is Golden Week Holiday in Japan,which doesn't really help me because I need to speak with all the prospects for Indy 500 and Indy Japan.

もう既にご存知だと思いますが、カンサスから佐藤琢磨選手のスポッターを勤める事になりました。オーバルレースでのスポッターってかなり重要な役割を果たすので、チーム＆琢磨選手からお誘いを受けた事は本当に嬉しく思います。

I suppose most of you already know but I will be going to help Takuma Sato this year on all the oval races as his spotter. Spotter is a real important for driver as they can get all kind of information that will benefit the driver during the race. I am glad that they called me in to help Takuma out and hope I can help his learning process on the ovals.

って言っても、スポッターやるのもけっこうプレッシャーなんですよ！適切な情報を教えなくてはいけないので、レーす中はずっと目が離せません。ドライバーの為になる情報も、レーす中に色々と話さなくてはいけないのでチェッカーが振られるまでは、気を抜く事ができません。

Being a spotter is not an easy task. You'll have always watch your driver but also surrounding that driver including any incidents on track etc. Your just as focused through out the race as the driver and it kills you mentally since you really don't have much time to catch breath especially on high banked ovals.

今回のレースは最後は残念な形で終わってしまいました・・・。ある意味がっかり。と言うより、琢磨選手は一緒に戦っているから情が入ってるし、ヒデキは弟の様に可愛がっているので、その二人が接触してリタイヤした時は、何だか複雑な状況。でも、これもレースだよね！？！

The race this week end was real disappointing. It was real awkward, since working with Takuma, I really wanted him to do well, but Hideki is like my lil'bro so went they tangled, I had nothing I could say, other than being heartbroken. Well, it's racing accident...

しかし、スポッタースタンドからの景色は良いのですが、高所恐怖症の人は絶対できないよね。（笑）

Well, here's the view from the Spotter Stand. It's not the job for you id you are scared of height!lol

Drifter

なんだか、４月も今週で終わってしまい、気がついたら５月ですね。ってか、毎月の終わりに同じ事を言っているような気がするのは年をとったせいかな？！？（笑）

I can't believe we are already approaching end of April, and will see Month of May in a hurry. Well..I suppose I say this every time towards end of the month so I must be getting old!?!

今週末はカンザスで今季初のオーバルレーすが行なわれますね。ある意味レースがどうなるか楽しみです。同時にインディの方の活動も急ピッチで進めないと・・・。今年も色々と厳しい状況ですが、なんとか乗れる様に全力で頑張りたいと思います。

The first oval race for the IZOD Indy Car Series is coming up this week end and I am very excited to see the race. At the same time, Indy 500 is coming up so fast that things are looking very difficult as usual. Having said that, I'll be on sight and ready to drive if any opportunity comes up! Never say Never I suppose...

所で先週、僕の友人が勤めるアパレルブランドのDrifter
に行って、たくさん洋服を貰って帰ってきちゃいました！商品はSaks Fifth Aveとで売っているらしくて、素材も良くて着心地が良く内容は◎です！！！

I went to visit my buddy who works at Drifter clothing and did a quick photo shoot wearing their product. Their product is sold at Saks Fifth Ave, and the material is really comfortable to wear!

かなりお気に入り！ちなみに、クルマのドリフトとは全く関係のないネーミングらしい！最初にブランド名を聞いた時は・・・と思いましたがある意味良かった〜。

I'm actually really enjoying the product and I was surprised to hear that the naming had nothing to do with the Car Drifting. Than god since I prefer to spend less time sliding!?!lol

ロングビーチGP

先週末はロングビーチでのレースでしたね。やっぱり地元のレースは楽でいいですね〜。自宅から通えるし！なんだか、久しぶりにロングビーチのレースに行けたのですが（毎年フェラーリ・チャレンジの仕事があるので）ロングビーチは盛り上がりますね！！

I had a fantastic week end at Long Beach this past week end. It's always great to have a local race especially if you can commute from home. I haven't attended the LBGP for a while since I was always away coaching a driver in Ferrari Challenge this past several years. Long Beach is always packed with people and it's a great race to see!!

息子はインディ大好きなので、妻が頑張って予選日に子供達を連れてきました！さすがに、二人を連れてサーキットに来るのは大変と、妻は嘆いていましたが、子供達がはしゃぐ姿を見ると良かったなと思います。

My son loves Indy Car so my wife decided to take two kids to see the car on Fri. It's certainly handful to carry two kids at the track and my wife had a hard time, but the kids seemed to really enjoy it being there.

息子が喜ぶ様に近い将来、またサーキットでの晴れ姿を見せれる様に頑張らないとっ！

After seeing my son cheering for all the drivers, it's time for me to step up the program so my son my son can cheer for me too!!

息子＆ヒデキ

今日からインディ第３戦ロングビーチGPが始まりました。地元でのレースは、家から通えるからいいですね〜。ちなみに、ダウンタウン〜ロングビーチまでは地下鉄で通っています。市街地レースだと駐車場とかも面倒なので、地下鉄通勤する事に決めました。

I'm here at Long Beach GP this week end. It's good to have a home race since you can stay at your own house and sleep in your own bed. I am actually taking the Subway to the track this week end since the traffic and parking can be hectic for the street races.

家の真下が地下鉄の駅で、ロングビーチの駅はクレデンシャルゲートの目の前なのでけっこう便利です。ダウンタウンに住んでるとやっぱり便利ですね！

Since the Subway station is just below my apartment, and the station in Long Beach is in right front of the credential gate, it is actually not a bad ride to Long Beach. I must say it is pretty convenient living in Downtown LA sometimes.

昨日はコースに行って、かるく下見をしました。ヒデキとも火曜日にトレーニングを一緒にして、息子はその日の夕食でヒデキのクルマに乗せてもらう交渉を成功。早速コースに行って、ヒデキにあってマシンに乗せてもらった息子は大喜び！

Yesterday, I came to the track to check things out and catch up with people. When Hideki came to town on Tuesday, we trained together and went to dinner. My son wanted to sit in an Indy Car so he asked if that would be OK and Hideki happily accepted his favor. When we got to the track, Hideki took my son and placed him in to the cockpit!

ってか目がかなりまじです！本人はインディ・ドライバーになった気分満々でハッピーな一日だったみたいです。（笑）

You can see from his eyes that he is pretty serious about this! He thinks he is an Indy Car Series driver now and was a great day for my son!!lol

バーバー・ミュージアム

今日インディ第２戦が終わりました。今回も両日本人選手は残念な結果に終わってしまいましたが、次回のロングビーチでの結果に期待しましょう！

The 2nd race of the IZOD Indy Car Series race has just finished. It was not a great day for the two Japanese drivers but I'm sure they will do well at the next race in Long Beach,CA.

さて、今回はバーバーモータースポーツ・パークでのレースでしたが、このコースの持ち主はジョージ・バーバーさん。敷地内には世界最大のバイクとロータスのコレクションを誇るモータースポーツ・ヴィンテージ・ミュージアムがあります。

The race at Barber Motorsports Park was exciting, but the Motorspors Vintage Museum just outside the track is just as exciting. It is the largest Motorcycle and Lotus Car collection in the world, and Mr.George Barber owns the whole facility as well as the cars and motorcycles.

この中がまた、すっごいコレクションでビックリです。１台１台のコンディションが素晴らしい上に、ディスプレーの仕方がアーティスティック！クルマやバイク好きにとってはたまらない場所ですね！アラバマ州に来る時は、ぜひ立ち寄ってみて下さい！って滅多にアラバマに来る事なんかないか・・・？！？（笑）

The collection is astonishing! Every car and bikes are in great condition and also displayed artistically! It's a man's dream to own and have such a place like this. Well, if you are ever in Birmingham,AL, this certainly is a must-see spot! That's if you are ever in Alabama....

しかし、これだけの土地とコレクションを所有するバーバーさん。一体何者だと思ってリサーチしてみたら、なんと乳業屋さんでした！？！乳製品ってそんなに儲かるっけ？？？

BTW, I wonder how Mr.Barber became so successful and did some research. I was surprised to see that he owned a dairy business which was his primary business. May be I should start milking cows to go racing!?!lol

アラバマでバーベキュー

今はアラバマ州に来ています。今週末はインディの第３戦。昨日から走行が始まりましたが、両日本人選手（琢磨＆ヒデキ）は好調なので、良い結果が期待できそうです。しかし、相変わらずドライバーにインタビューするのって何だか変な感じですね。（笑）

I am in the sweet home Alabama now. There is the Rd.3 on the Indy Car Series race here at Barber Motorsports Park. The Japanese drivers(Hideki and Takuma) both did well during the practice session yesterday so we are expecting a great results from them. Having said all that, it is still awkward for me to be interviewing the drivers...

昨晩はホテルの側にある、バーベキューレストランに行ってきました。南部のバーベキューは豪快です！しか〜し、昨日はメニューを見て、何にしようか決めている時に油断をしてしまいました・・・。本当にはスペアーリブが食べたかったんですが、メニューにあたかもそのお店のスペシャルと言う感じで、豚マークの品目があったので迷わずそれをオーダー。

We went to this barbeque restaurant last night right next to the hotel we are staying at. The Southern Style BBQ is really good and gotta have some while I'm here. I really love the ribs and was planning to order them but saw this pig mark on the menu which I thought it was the store's favorite...so I ended up ordering that without hesitation.

頼んでフードが出てきたら、な〜んとソーセージでした。Pork Linksって書いてあった様な気はしたので当然の事ですが、豚ちゃんマークだけを見て判断しちゃったんですよね。まっ、ソーセージも好きなので、がつがつ食べちゃいましたが。（笑）明日からダイエットしないとやばいな〜！？！（笑）

Well,,,when the food arrived, it turned out to be Sausages and not ribs. Sorta disappointed but remember seeing something like Pork Links on the menu so no shit it turned out to be a Sausage.lol Anyhow, the food was great and I almost ate the whole thing. I think I'll need to work on my diet when I get home as we approach month of May real soon!?!

明日からバーバー

気がついたら、あっと言う間に時間が経ち、もう４月ですね。先週末はなんだか久しぶりに休みがあったかんじで、もう今週末はアラバマでインディ第３戦が行なわれます。

Well, it's already April as we all know...and time just keeps flying by as always. I had last week end off and was able to spend some quality time with my family before heading to Alabama this week end for Rd.3 of the IZOD Indy Car Series.

バーミンガムに向けて、明日出発する予定です。開幕２連戦で色々と、ハプニングがあったので、今回は普通にレースがスケジュール通りに行なわれる事を祈りたい所です。（笑）

I will be leaving to Barber Motorsports Park tomorrow and am looking forward to seeing the race again. The first two rounds was a bit crazy with weather issues so hopefully we will get through this week end without any issues.

さて、今日はまた週末の間ピットを預かってもらわなくてはいけないので、その前にお風呂に入れないと。出発前は色々と日用品の買い出しがあったり、いつもドタバタです・・・。

Since I will be leaving tomorrow, I need to wash Pit today and drop him off at my friend's who always takes care of him when I am away. Than off to the store to buy stuff for the house so my wife doesn't have to do heavy shopping while I am out of town. Going to be a busy day...

ピットが帰宅

ようやく、フロリダから帰ってきました。先週末のレースは、大雨で月曜に延期となり、滞在が一日延びちゃいました。なんとか予備のパンツとかシャツを持っていてラッキーでしたよ。一緒に同行していたUS Racingスタッフは、洗面台で洗濯をしてました。（笑）

Finally back home from Florida. Since the race was postponed till Monday, it really felt like a long week end to us. Fortunately I brought some extra underwear and shirts, I had no problems staying for another day but my companion, US Racing staff brought just enough till Sunday so he had to wash his cloth in a hotel sink!lol

今週末は、なんだか久しぶりの休みです。とは言っても、もう４月なのでインディ５００に向けてのスポンサー活動を全力でやらないと。インディジャパンの方も同時進行でやらなくてはいけないな〜。色々と大変だけど頑張るぞ〜！！

I finally have a week end off away from the race track this coming week end. Having said that, there are lots to do since Month of May is coming up and will need to speed up the process on the talks with prospects sponsors for Indy 500 as well as the Indy Japan race in September. Things aren't easy but gotta keep trying!!

さてさて、今日はピットが帰宅。ブラジル〜セントピーターズバーグに行っている間は知り合いに預かって頂いていました。久しぶりの帰宅で大喜び！！でも、ピットは子供達が更にパワフルに暴れているので、落ち着かないようです・・・・。

Since I was away for couple of weeks while I was in Brazil and St.Pete, Pit was at my friends house since my wife had her hands full taking care of the kids. I was glad to see Pit, but I think Pit is not so excited being home since the kids are even loud and crazier!?!

セント・ピーターズバーグ

皆さん今日は。今はインディカー・シリーズ第２戦でセントピーターズバーグに来ています。

Hello to all my friends out there. I am currently in St.Petersburg for the Rd.2 of the Indy Car Series race.

今回もUS Racingでレポートやっています。ラジオでのトークがメインですが、ぜひ聞いて下さいね！！

As usual, I am reporting for US Racing website in Japan. Please check it out if you can understand Japanese.

しかし、クルマを走っているのを見ていると自分も乗りたくなりますね〜！チームやシリーズのスタッフからも、“５００は乗れそう？”って皆に聞かれるし、何とかスポンサーを獲得してインディ５００に再チャレンジしたい所です。インディ５００は僕にとっても、本当に特別な意味のあるレースなので、絶対にでるぞ！！

Well...it's tough being at the track and not driving the cars. Everyone is kind to ask me the question about the possibility to drive the car again this year during Month of May, and that actually gives me extra energy to work harder to be back in the car soon. Indy 500 is a special race for me and hope to have another go at it!!

ではでは、明日はいよいよ決勝ですが、レポート引き続き頑張りま〜す！！

Well...I gotta get back to work so stay tuned!!

春ですね！

皆さん、日本もでも桜の開花しはじめたみたいで、いよいよ春がきましたね。ロスでは週末に、ダウンタウンから３０分程の所にあるBalboaParkに行き、花見をしてきました。

I guess the spring is officially here with the blooming of the Cherry Blossom trees. On Sunday, we decided to go to Balboa Park to check out the Cherry Blossom's.

ロス界隈では、唯一の桜の花見スポットですかね？！？週末は多くの人が桜を見に来ていました。来週末には散ってしまいそうなので、今年は見に行けて良かった〜。日本の桜並木通りのような迫力はありませんが、桜をみるのはなんだかいいものですね〜。

Balboa Park is just about the only park with Cherry Blossom trees near LA that you can go casually with your friends and family to enjoy. There were many people at the park on the week end because the tree was close to being full bloom. It is unlike the Japanese Cherry Blossom Streets...but nevertheless it's always to have an opportunity to see the tree blooming when they only do that for a short time of period during a year.

ちなみに、桜の花が咲いているかTwitterで検索して、状況をチェックしました。便利ですよね〜、知りたい情報がすぐにわかると。色んな活用法があるなと改めて実感！

BTW, I was able to check the status of the trees whether if it was blooming or not on Twitter. What an great tool to have when you need an immediate answer!

ロスに戻りました。

昨日、無事にロスに戻ってきました。レースが終わった晩は朝の3時まで仕事をして、翌日はユックリしようと思っていたのですが、せっかくブラジルに来ていたので、夜のフライト時間までは時間があったので、市内観光をする事にしました。

I am finally back in LA. After the race on Sunday, I had to work until 3am and was thinking to just chill at the hotel on Monday but decided to tour the town before my flight.

ブラジルは治安が危ないと皆に言われていたので、恐れ恐れ街にでたのですが・・・。でも、新たな発見や経験が色々とできて、ある意味ハングリーさがよみがえった感じで、ブラジルに行けて良かったです！

I heard that Sao Paolo is not a safe city to stroll around by your self so I was extra cautious when I went in town. I was real happy to have an opportunity to see different places of the town as I love learning about different cultures. It gives me another angle of perspective to life and sometimes makes me grow as a person.

また来年もぜひ行きたいな〜って思ってます。でも、次回行くまでにはもうちょっとポルトガル語を覚えてからいきたいな〜！

I would love to have an opportunity to visit Brazil again next year. Except, I would like to learn a bit more Portuguese when I go there next...

ではちょっとですが、ブラジル観光の写真もアップしちゃいます。

Here are some pict of my trip.

サンパオロの渋滞は最悪です・・・。東京の渋滞なんてもんじゃないです。

The traffic in Sao Paolo is miserable, not even close to the traffic in Japan.

でも、高速道路のど真ん中で充電器や飲み物が売っているので便利？！？(笑）

Good thing is, when you're cell phone battery is out, you can buy a charger in the middle of highway traffic!?!lol

この雰囲気はロスとあまり変わらないな〜。

This looks like I'm in LA.

サンパオロには日本人移民がたくさん住んでいます。リベルダージと言う地域は、今では東洋人地域と言われているみたいですが、とりあえず行って鳥居の写真をカシャ。ついでにブラジル土産のプロポリスも買っちゃいました。

Here is a pict of Liberdade area which is a huge asian community in Brazil. There is a huge Japanse presence in City on Sao Paolo and I didn't feel like a foreigner being in this town.I also bought some Propolis which is health supplement which can be extracted in Brazil.

ブラジル開拓者(バンデイランティス）の記念像です。観光スポットだろうと思って行ったら、誰もいませんでした・・・。（笑）

Went to see the Monumento as Bandeiras. Thought it would be a big tourist spot but we were the only one there....

スナックにはサウガード。ブラジルのピロシキみたいなもんですかね。

Had Salgado for snack.

最終日のランチは現地の人達が集まる食堂で食べました。お米に豆や、肉の煮込みです。メチャ美味しい〜！ブラジルに住めるわ〜！！

Went to have lunch at a joint where local goes to. The rice and beans and all kinds of meat were just fantastic! I really think I can live in Brazil!!

開幕戦終了

今日はブラジル・サンパウロで、インディカー・シリーズの開幕戦が行なわれました。今年は全戦US Racingの仕事で現場に行く事になり、現場からはビデオレポートとして、色んな情報をお届けする事になっています。週末の間は、気になる情報を探して色々と撮ってアップしてみましたが、如何だったでしょうか？

The Indy Car Series opener from Brazil has just finished and I am back in the media center making the video footage for US Racing website from Japan. I try to find as much interesting stuff that you can't see unless you actually get here in order for the viewers to have more idea on what's going on during the race week end.

さすがにドライバーの立場として、他のドライバーにインタビューするのはちょっぴり気まずいです・・・。（泣）でも、現場にいかないとわからない面白い内容をもっといっぱいアップしていこうと思います！

It is bit difficult for me to interview drivers...I'll say it's awkward. Especially since I know how they feel when things are not going well, but I still try my best to find the right time to talk to the drivers, so the viewers in Japan can have speedy information.

レースはかならいあれましたね〜。日本人選手はリタイヤで終わってしまって残念。でも、Ryan Hunter-ReayとVitor Meiraが表彰台に乗ったのは、元チームメートとしてなんだか嬉しかったですね。

The race was real crazy! Both of the Japanese drivers race ended prematurely but I was happy to see Ryan Hunter-Reay and Vitor Meira finish on the podium especially that I was there team mate in the past.

さてさて、これから決勝の動画も仕上げないと。昨晩はアップ途中に自分が横になっていたら、コンピューターもスリープしてしまい、気がついたらデータのロードが途中で中断していました。仕方なく再度アップして寝れたのが２時・・・。

Well, time to get back to work now. I had a miserable sleep last night because I fell a sleep for few minutes when I was uploading the file using Internet, and my PC also fell in to sleep mode...and I ended up having to re-upload everything. I ended up getting to sleep at 2am so hopefully we get things done earlier tonight.

ん〜この生活は辛い・・・。早くドライバーの立場としてサーキットに戻るぞぃ！！

All in all...it sucks being at the track not driving! I hope to be able to get back in to the seat real soon!!

ブラジル到着

ロスを出発して、凡そ１５時間でサンパウロに到着しました！いや〜長旅だったな・・・。ブラジルは暖かいですよ〜！！初めてブラジルに来ているのでワクワクしています。が、治安の問題はあるので、あまりサーキットの回りは出歩かない方がいいよと言われています。

Left LA and it was just about 15hr trip to Sao Paolo, and I have made it safely to Brazil. It was a long trip but the weather is great and I am happy to be able to visit Brazil for first time of my life.

今日はサーキット内にあるホテルにチェックインして、サーキットの下見をしてきました。まだ作業中で土曜までに間に合うのかが心配・・・。それ以上にサーキットはメチャメチャバンピーでグリップもしなさそうなので、ドライバーにとってはかなりトリッキーなコースとなるでしょう。

After checking in to the hotel, we went to check out the track. They are still working on the grand stands and corners and am a bit worried if they would really get everything done before Saturday AM. The track looks real bumpy and slippery and looks to be handfuls to the drivers!

見て下さい！このコンクリートでカマボコ状態のフロントストレート！！

Look at the front straight with made out of concrete!

ちなみに、こちらはホテルのフロントに停めてあった、マリオ・モラエス号のスマート。

Here is Mario Moraes Smart car that was parked in front of the hotel.

夕飯はUS Racingのスタッフと、ヒデキと一緒に早速シュラスコを食べに行きました！美味かった〜！！毎日食べれますね。（笑）

Well, for dinner, I went out with the staff from US Racing and also Hideki Mutoh to a Chuhascarria Restaurant. The food was excellent and I am really looking forward to the weekend!

今週末に開幕

３月に入り、レースシーズンもいよいよ今週末から再会ですね！今週末はブラジルでのインディカーの開幕戦に、バーレーンではF1の開幕戦。どっちも楽しみですね〜！！

We are finally starting to kick off the 2010 racing season this week end. There is the Indy Car season opener from Brazil and also the F1 race in Bahrain.

僕は水曜日にブラジルに出発し、今回もUS Racingのレポートで行ってきます。今回はブラジル初めてですが、ちょっぴり楽しみです。コロンビアには２００５年に行ったのですが、南米はご飯も美味しいですし、本当に楽しみです。でも、仕事で忙しくなりそうだから、エンジョイしている暇もなさそう・・・。（泣）

I will be leaving to Brazil on Tuesday and will be reporting for US Racing again. It will be my first time going to Brazil and am really looking forward to it. I've been to Colombia in 2005 and food and people are so great in S.America that I can't wait to get there. Having said that, sounds like I'll be real busy all week end so there may not be a lot of time for me to enjoy the stay much.

大根の葉

今朝は６時起き。なんだか、歳をとったせいか、時差ボケなのか、最近は起きる時間が徐々に早くなっています！？！もうオヤジだな・・・。（笑）

Woke up at 6am. I'm wondering if it's jet-lag or is it me getting older...as I keep waking up earlier by the day.

さて、朝っぱらから“食”についての話ですが、皆さん大根の葉っぱはどうしてますか？アメリカではなかなか質の良い大根が買えないのに、去年だったか日本のニュースで大根が大量に収穫しすぎて捨てている、と言うニュースを見た時はおったまげました！

Well...I'm going to talk about food although it's still early in the morning. Today's theme is about Daikon which is a Japanese radish. It's very hard to find a good quality daikon here in US and I was very surprised when I saw a news in Japan last year, that said the farmers were throwing away tons of Daikon because they have harvested a lot more than needed...

こちらの日系スーパーで大根を買う時は、あえて葉っぱが沢山付いていて鮮度が良さそうなのを選びます。んで、その葉っぱをどうするかと言うと、フライパンで煎って水分を飛ばし、鰹節と胡麻油をいれて、最後に醤油をかけて、「大根の葉ふりかけ」を作っています。

When I but Daikon here at the Japanese Super Market here in LA, I look for not only a fresh quality daikon, I also make sure that there is a lots of leaves on it. The reason why I choose the ones with lots of daikon leaves is because I love making daikon furikake, which you can make by pan frying the leaves and adding bonito flakes and some sesame oil and soy sauce.

このふりかけでご飯３杯はいけちゃいますよ〜！（笑）ぜひ葉っぱは、捨てずに食べましょ〜！

You can eat at least 3bowls of rice with the Daikon Leaves furikake! It's hard to explain how it tastes but definitely worth a try!!

もう３月

今日で３月に突入しましたね。あれっ、２月は何処に行ったんだ〜って感じです。（笑）
日本からアラバマに行き、２日間のテストを視察して、ようやくロスに戻ってきました。

I can't believe it's already March. Whatever happened to February?? The time just flew when I was back in Japan...than to Alabama to watch the Indy Car test...and finally glad to be back home in LA.

アラバマではテストを見ながら、原稿を書いたり、仕事の合間を縫ってチームと交渉したりで大忙しでした。インディ５００まであと２ヶ月と考えると、急ピッチで色んな交渉を進めないといけません。

The test in Alabama was real busy. Although I was not driving...I had to do a lot of media work while I talked to several team owners to discuss about the possibilities for the 500 and Indy Japan race. Month of May is coming in a hurry so I better up my pace on negotiations with my sponsor and teams.

今月は修羅場だな〜。って何時も修羅場ですが・・・。（笑）では、今月も全力で頑張っていきます！！

It's a tough time as always...but will be giving my best on trying to get secured as usual!!

今はアラバマにいます。

皆さん今日は。日本での滞在もあっと言う間に終わってしまい、今はアラバマ州にあるバーバーモータースポーツパークに来ています。今年はUS Racingのウェブサイトの仕事でIRLのレースを全戦回る事になったので、早速オープンテストにも来ています。現場にいる事によって、チームオーナーとの交渉もできますし、生の情報が入って来るので個人的には助かっています。

My trip to Japan went by real fast and I am back in US now. Actually...I am in Alabama as we speaking watching the IRL Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park. I am going to work with US Racing through out the season attending all the races which helps me to be at the track in order to talk to the team owners to get all the recent information as well as negotiation for the future races.

アラバマ州は異常気象で、今朝の温度はマイナス４℃・・・。日本より寒いので驚きです。

It is freezing cold here in Alabama. The temp was about 27 this morning...that is colder than when it was snowing in Tokyo last week!?!

今回のテストでは琢磨選手が初の合同テストに参加。ヒデキは移籍先のニューマンハースでのテストが開始します。今日はテスト２日目でまだ数時間残っていますが、琢磨は３位。ヒデキは５位につけていて、両日本人選手が活躍しています！

The test is going real well for both Japanese drivers. It is the first big test for Takuma and for Hideki with Newman Haas team. Although there is some time left in the session, Takuma is currently placed 3rd and Hideki is 5th.

インディカーシリーズは今年は日本でも盛り上がりそうですね！自分も何とか５００とモテギには参戦できるように頑張ります！応援して下さいね！！

Looks like these two drivers will raise the awareness of Indy Car Series in Japan this year by performing well which also helps me obtain sponsors. Never the less...whatching car is painful and hope I can get something lined up for the 500 and Motegi realX2 soon!!

滞在もあとちょっと

今週末はなんだか春を感じさせる天気でしたね。ちょっとだけ暖かくなってきて、ホッとしています。とは言っても、日本滞在もあと２日ですが・・・。今回はちょっと長めの滞在ですがあっと言う間に時間が経ってしまいました。

It was a pretty nice week end here in Japan. Definitely seems as if the Spring is approaching and I am relieved to see that since I don't like cold weather. Having said that, I am only here for another two days...and looking forward to heading home since it was a pretty lengthy stay.

先週は挨拶回りでかなり、ドタバタしていました。そして、金曜日に久しぶりに紅月に行ってきました。いや〜久しぶりに食べれてメチャ美味しかったです。しかも、裏メニューで頂いたサバの干物が絶品でした！

Last week was pretty busy visiting my sponsors. I finally had time on Friday to visit my favorite restaurant Kougetsu in Tokyo. The meal was astonishing especially the Dried Mackeral!!

土曜はお世話になっている富士見ラジエターへご挨拶。デイトナの報告と、今期のレース活動の予定をお伝えしに行ってきました。毎年１戦〜２戦しか参戦していないにも関わらず、僕をずっと支援し続けてくれているスポンサーの皆さんには、心から感謝です！もちろん、ファンの皆さんにも感謝しています！だからこそ、早く今年のインディ５００とインディジャパンの話も何とか決めたい所です。

On Saturday, I visited Fujimi Radiator, who is one of my personal sponsor to report what happened at Daytona and also to talk about my future plans. I have to thank all my supporters on being so kind to me even if I only race once or twice a year. I also appreciate the support from my fans as well!! Therefore, I better work really hard on getting a sponsorship deal lined up to race at the 500 or Indy Japan again this season!

明後日にロスに戻り、一泊だけして翌朝アラバマ州に飛んでバーバーで行われるテスとをレポートしに行きます！琢磨選手がどんな走りをするかが楽しみですね！

Well, I'm here for another two days, and back to LA for a day...and off to Alabama to watch the open test at Barber Motorsports Park. It will be interesting to see ho well Takuma Sato would do during the first test with all other drivers.

日本は寒いですね。

日本は寒いですね〜。カリフォルニア育ちの僕としては、寒さに弱いです・・・。と言うか、冬服あまりもっていません・・・。（泣）

Wow...it's freezing out here in Tokyo. Being a Californian... It's hard to handle this cold temperature. I also have to get more winter clothing to keep me warm...lol

日本では連日大忙しです。着いてすぐに鈴鹿に行き、フェデラルタイヤのテストを行いました。初めて鈴鹿のフルコースを走ったのですが、めちゃめちゃ面白いですね。天気は残念ながら雨でしたが。今度はぜひドライで走ってみたいです。

I have been real busy during the stay here. During the first couple of days, I went to Suzuka to test some tires for Federal Tire Company. It was the first time I ever drove at the Suzuka Circuit and that track is wicked! Unfortunately it was raining so I wasn't able to run at full speed but would love to have another try in the future when it's dry.

東京に戻ってきてからは、スポンサーへのご挨拶や、今年のインディジャパンと５００の営業活動でドタバタしています。今が修羅場ですからね！

Since when I got back from Tokyo, I have been busy visiting the sponsors as well as trying to put things together for the Indy 500 and Indy Japan race this year. This is the most crucial time because we are approaching the decision time for most companies who may be interested.

さて、昨日インディカーシリーズにとっては、ビッグなニュースがありましたね。なんと琢磨選手がKVレーシングからフル参戦する事になりました！どんな走りをするか、楽しみですね。

You all probably know already but there was a huge news yesterday here in Japan for the motorsports enthusiasts. Takuma Sato has announced that he will be driving for KV racing. It will be interesting to see how well he is going to run. I'm sure he will be strong on road coarses.

ちなみに、僕も全戦レースに行く事になりました（フル参戦？！？）。残念ながらドライバーとしてではなく、メディアとしての立場ですが・・・。しかしながら、引き続きインディ５００とインディジャパン参戦へ向けての活動は続けておりますので、応援宜しくお願い致します！

BTW. I will be attending all the Indy Car races this year. Unfortunately not as a driver...but will be there as a media. At the same time, I'm still trying to get things worked out for the Indy Japan and Indy 500 so that will be a wicked busy week end for me, talking, writing, and racing!lol... But as I said, it's good to be busy!!

これから日本です。

これから久しぶりに日本に戻ります。日本はめちゃんこ寒いみたいなので、ちょっとブルーですが・・・。今回はデイトナ２４時間のお礼はインディー参戦の為の活動等で大忙しになりそうです。

Getting ready to fly back to Japan this afternoon. Apparently it is freezing out there so I am not looking forward to that. I am going back there to thank the guys for all the support for the Daytona 24hr race as well as work on some prospects deal to run more Indy Car races this year.

着いたら翌日は、鈴鹿にメディアの仕事で行ってきます。冬場の日本行きのフライトは向かい風だから長いんですよね〜・・・。ん〜面白い映画がやってるといいけど。では、行ってきます！

When I land, I will need to head to Suzuka to do some media work for couple of days...it will probably be another busy trip. Well, the flights are long during the winter since we are going against the jet stream so I'll be able to watch quite a few movies. Hopefully something good is on to see!

ロスに戻ってきました。

デイトナ２４時間のレースも終わり、ロスに戻ってきました。既に結果はご存知だと思われますが、デイトナ２４時間レースは色々とあって、決勝に進出する事はできませんでした。レースに参戦するのは楽しみだったので、本当に残念です。

Just got back from Daytona. I'm sure most of you are aware of the results from the Daytona 24hr race but my race never even started. I was very upset about not being able to make the race since I was really looking forward to it.

今回フェラーリ４３０チャレンジでレースに参戦する事になったのですが、フェラーリのマシンがデイトナ２４時間のGTクラスに参戦するには、ルール上に適合する為に色々と改造をしなくてはいけません。どちらかと言うと、クルマをダウングレードする感じです。

We were due to race the Ferrari 430 Challenge car and to comply with the Grand Am GT rules, the team had to make several modification to the car in order to be eligible. More or less, it was about downgrading the car to level the playing field for all the manufactures that are involved in that series.

が、もはやそれが原因で今回は色んな改造パーツにトラブルに見舞われてしまいました。チームとしては、一生懸命頑張っていましたが、実際に走行テストをした上でレースに挑まないと危ないと、チームは判断したので今回はレースを棄権する事になってしまいました。

However, those modification that the team needed to do have created a huge complication and issue on the car when we hit the track. Unfortunately we needed to withdraw from the race since there was not a immediate solution to fix the car in time for the race.I would say it was the right decision from the team to keep the safety of the drivers and vehicle.

本当に泣きたくなるくらい、残念でした・・・。ま〜人生は経験ですね〜。今回の経験は来年のデイトナに活かせるように、またリベンジしにくるぞっ！！

Having said that, I was real gutted when I learnt that we we were not going to race. I suppose you live and learn but this was one of the toughest decision that the team had to make and hopefully we will come back much stronger for next year's race.

チームに支援をしてくれたスポンサーや、結果を楽しみにしていたファンの皆様には決勝に参戦できなくて本当に申し訳ないと思っています。今は次のレースに向けて、また色々と交渉活動を再開しています！ネバーギブアップ精神で今後も頑張りますので引き続き応援して下さい！！

I felt real bad for the team's sponsor and all my fans who were looking forward to the race results since we let all of you down. Nevertheless, I am already working on possibility to participate in the future race, whether in Indy Car or Sports Cars and hope to have something put together real soon. I'm not going to give up! That's for sure!!

デイトナ２４時間レースに参戦決定！

皆さん突然ですが、今週末に行われるデイトナ２４時間レースへの参戦が決まりました。今回はGTクラスにエントリーしているシーガルスポーツがメンテナンスするフェラーリ４３０でレースに出場します。チームのメインスポンサーには、2008年に僕がインディジャパンに参戦した時にスポンサーしてくれた、Interushがつくことになりました。

I am real happy to report you that I will be racing at the Daytona 24hr race coming up this week end. I will be driving the Sigal Sport Ferrari F-430 entry. The primary sponsor will be Interush who was also on my car during the 2008 Indy Japan race.

チームメートには、オーナーのジーン・シーガル、ラスティ・ウェストとフレッド・ポーダッドの４名で戦う事が決まっています。実はこの話はだいぶ前から交渉をしていたのですが、話が決まるまでは山あり谷ありで、レース直前にようやく纏まったので今はほっとしています。

My team mates will be the team owner Gene Sigal, Rusty West who owns the car, and Fred Poordad. I have been talking about this deal for a while, and it really was up and down until everything was sealed but I am happy now that we are all on the way and ready to race!

気がついたらレースはもう今週末なので、今は荷造りをしています。久しぶりのレースなので、忘れ物をしないように気をつけないと・・・。長いレースになると思いますが、ぜひ応援して下さいね！

Well, since the race is already this week end, I better pack my stuff since I am leaving tomorrow night on a red eye! Since I haven't done this for a while, I need to triple check everything in order not to forget any important items. It should be a fun race and I am really looking forward to racing again!

ハリウッドデビュー！？！

ハリウッドデビューしました！？！

I made it in to the Hollywood Film scenes!?!

先週とつぜんフェラーリチャレンジのチームから連絡があり、明日からダウンタウンでCSI NYと言う人気テレビドラマの撮影があるから、仕事を手伝ってくれないかと依頼があり、今は忙しいけどOKしました。

I got a call from my Ferrrari Challenge team and they have asked to work for them this past week to help them film the CSI NY episode here in downtown parking lot. Although I was going to be busy, I decided to take up the work since it was not to far from my place.

状況が良くわからなく撮影現場にいくと、ダウンタウンの駐車場がNYのストリートコースとなっていて、そこでレース中に起きた事件を捜査すると言うエピソードだそうです。

I had no idea what we were going to do, but when I got to the film location, I was amazed with the set. They have turned one of the parking lot into a street course in NY and the CSI episode was going to be featured around a race.

そこで登場するのはダニカなのです。最初はトランスポーターやレーシングカーのセットアップを手伝ってくれと言う事だったのですが、現場についたらいきなり、スタントのリザーブドライバーになっちゃったり、ダニカのクルーとしてエキストラ出演したりで・・・、脇役ですがハリウッドデビューしました。（笑）

Danica was one of the cast in the episode and I ended up being her team member!?!lol Initially, I was only supposed to help them set up the transporter and cars, but I ended up being their reserve stunt driver as well as extra cast on the set! Danica was obviously really surprised to see me but it was great working with her.

ま〜脇役ですが、今回は収録に３日間以上いたので、ハリウッドでキャスティングの仕事をする時に必要なSAGカードと言う、組合のカードをゲットする事ができます。このカードはブラッド・ピット等ほとんどの役者も持っているカードで、逆にこのカードがないとハリウッドで仕事を貰う事はできないのです。

I was on the set for more than 3days and now I qualify to apply for a SAG card. I think I will apply for the card so I can perhaps get more work for something like Car TV commercials and etc. Perhaps, I can also brag about having something common with Brad Pitt!?!lol

脇役での出演は微妙でしたが、SAGカードをゲットできるのでまっいいか！？！しかし、撮影隊の人達はタフですね〜・・・。やっぱレーシングドライバーでいるのが一番です！！

Well, being on the set as Extra was weird...but it might have been worth it because I now qualify for a SAG card. Overall, I will say that I rather be a race car driver though...

仕事始め

年が明けてから、あっと言う間に１週間が過ぎてしまいましたね。今週から仕事も始まり、心を入れ替えて全力で色々と頑張っております。

I can't believe that it's been a week already since we welcomed 2010. Everybody is back in the office working now with a fresh start to this season.

去年の末から話があがっていた、レース活動内容がようやく前進してきたので、近日中に皆さんに良いお知らせができると思います。

I've been negotiating on this deal for couple of weeks now for one of my racing plans for this season and hope to have some good news to deliver in the next few days.

にしても、なんとなくこの２〜３週間は山あり、谷ありの日々だったな。でも、年が明けてから今の所は色々と順調です。まだ始まったばかりだけど、今年は良い年にしないとなっ！頑張ります！！

It really was a roller coaster this couple of weeks to get this worked out but I'm happy that it is finally headed to the right direction. You never know what can happen until you are actually in the car driving...but so far 2010 has treated me well and I need to make it a fantastic year for me and my family and all my sponsors and fans who has been supporting me through out my career!

賀正

新年明けましておめでとうございます。
本年も宜しくお願い致します。

Happy New Year's to all my friends, family, and fans!

皆さんは年末年始どう過ごされましたか？

Hope you are all enjoying the Holiday Season.

僕はクリスマスが終わってからは、家の大掃除で大変でした。窓ふきやらブラインドのそうじやらで、１週間かけてなんとか大晦日の日にフィニッシュ。インディ５００に参戦する指輪も奇麗にして、ちゃっかり６個目のスペースも空けておきました。（笑）なので今年は絶対に５００に参戦するぞっ！！

I've been so busy after Christmas to clean my house. It's a full time job just to get the windows, windows blind dusted off, and cleaned. I've also cleaned all my Indy 500 rings and made some rooms for the 6th in my cabinet. Therefore, I definitely have to give it another go this year at it!

で大晦日の晩は友人の家で、皆でカウントダウンしました。本業は美容師さんなんですが、毎年NewYear'sパーティーではダウンタウンの市場から新鮮な魚を買って捌き、刺身＆寿司パーティーをやっています。手が器用なだけに、魚を切るのも板前並みです。

For the New Year's Eve, I was invited to my friends place for the Count Down Party. He is a hair stylist but has excellent skills on not only cutting hairs, but also some fish to make Sashimi and Sushi. The fish was all fresh as he purchased them from Fish Market directly where all the sushi restaurant goes to get their stuff.

０８年の年越しは体調がわるくて、年が明ける前に寝てしまいましたが、今年はしっかりカウントダウンもできて順調な滑り出しです。

During the 08 countdown, I wasn't feeling so well and went to sleep before the new year but this year, I was able to enjoy the night and count down with friends which is already a good start to 2010!

元旦の日は、お昼前にリトル東京にあるお寺で初詣。ここ数年は２日か３日に初詣に行っていたので、今年は元旦にいけてしっかり心も引き締まっている感じです！

On New Year's Day, I went to the temple with my family to pray for good health, and of course some luck in racing. I usually go to the temple on 2nd or 3rd day after the New Year so I am ahead of the game already in 2010!

で、おみくじもしっかり引いてきました。が、その時に息子にちょっとした事を改めて教えてもらいました。おみくじを引く時に、自分は躊躇しながら選び抜いた物をピックアップ。息子は一番上にあるくじを迷わず手に取りました。

At the temple, we decided to do the [Omikuji] to see our fortune for this season. When picking up the fortune paper from the draw box, I ended up learning something from my son. All the adults including my self will dip their hands deep into the box trying to find the best fortune, while my son without any hesitation went and picked up the top fortune roll.

その瞬間、“あっ、もしかした良いくじが欲しいと思う、大人の悪い欲がこういう所にでるのかも・・・”って思って、案の定お寺の外に行ってくじを開くと、僕は“吉”で息子は“大吉”！

We went out side and unrolled the paper to see our fortune, and with out any surprise, I've got "blessing" and my son's pick was "Great Blessing" for this year's fortune. It just showed that the fortune will come to you, if you don't become greedy and also not to hesitate,

と言う事で新年早々、初心に戻ると言うライフレッスンを３歳の息子から受けた感じでした。（笑）

A lesson from a 3yr old, but sometimes you have to go back to the beginner's mind in order to succeed!

メリークリスマス！

今日はクリスマスイブですね。皆さんメリークリスマス！日本は休日ではないので、ほとんどの人は仕事納めをしている頃かな・・・。

Merry Christmas! Hope you all are having a great holiday season. I assume people in Japan are still working since it's not an national holiday out there...

こちらはすっかり冬休みモードに入っています。まだ、クリスマスプレゼントを買っていないので、今朝ダッシュで買いに行かないとな・・・。子供にばれないようにタイミングを見計らって買うのは難しいですね〜。（笑）

In US, everyone is already in holiday spirit and I haven't even started my Christmas shopping. I better hit the store early this morning...It's so hard to get the presents for the kids without getting caught on what you intend to buy.

ではでは、これから急いでショッピング行ってきます。混んでないといいけど・・・。

Well...I hope people have already finished there Christmas shopping and the store is not so crowded...

娘の誕生日です。

今日は娘の１歳の誕生日。ちょうど１年前に産まれたんだ〜って考えるとなんだかビックリだな。ちなみに、息子を連れて自宅待機していたので、娘の出産の立ち会いにはあと１歩間に合わずと言う状況でした。

Today's my daughter's 1st B-Day. I can't believe she is already one years old. That means, I am not even going to think about what can happen in 20years... When she was born, since it was during middle of the night, I was at home with my son waiting for the phone call, but unfortunately we missed the delivery since she came out so fast.

そんな娘はしっかりでかくなり、今は一生懸命お兄ちゃんと張り合っています。神経の図太さからしたら、もしかしたらレーサー向き？！？（笑）今日は親父が日本から来ているので、家族でお祝い誕生会です！

She is real healthy and big for her age! Therefore, she is almost as strong as her big brother...she probably fits more in to the racing driver category from the characteristics stand point.lol Well, my dad is in town for her B-Day party today and will be celebrating her important day!!

もう金曜？！？

１週間はあっと言う間ですね。今週はやる事が沢山あって、本当にあっと言うまでした。が、今週中にと思っていた事が半分くらいしか達成できなくて、なんだかイライラ。まっ、一番重要な事はできたのでよしとするかな？！？（笑）

This week went by so fast. Can't believe it's already Fri. I had a lot of stuff to get done with this week and may be the time goes by faster when you are busy. I got half of what I needed to get accomplished but still have things to finish up. Having said that, I got the important things out of the way so am a bit relieved.

今日はこれから息子が幼稚園。今日は終業式で明日から冬休みに入ります。幼稚園が無いと、色々と外に遊びに連れて行かないとストレスが溜まるみたいなので、休みの間は大変だ〜・・・。

Today is my son's last day at pre-school for this year. It's tough during the holidays since you have to take your kids to places otherwise they get crazy if they stay home all day. Having said that, I hate crowded places and I'll turn crazy during the holiday season...

日曜は娘の１歳の誕生日です。クリスマスと日程が近いと親としては辛いですね・・・。（泣）盛大なパーティーをする予定はありませんが、沢山の幸せを届けてくれた事を、神様と娘に感謝して、祝ってあげる日ですね！！

This Sunday is my daughter's 1yr old B-Day. No big plans for a party but would like to celebrate her B-Day and thank her and god for giving us all the happiness!

もうちょいでクリスマス。

今日は月曜日。今週も張り切っていきましょ〜。今年もあと残りわずかですし・・・。アメリカは来週に入ったらクリスマスウィークなので、今週が勝負ですね。

I can't believe it's already Monday. The week end went by so fast! It's not raining anymore here in LA so at least a bright start to the week. I guess this will be the final week at work since it is going to be Christmas next week. I better pick up my pace and get all the work done this week.

しかし、週末もあっと言う間だったな〜。土曜は友人の誕生パーティーに行って，皆でわいわいガヤガヤ鍋をつっついて楽しみました。皆で食事すると美味しいですね〜！

On Saturday, I went to my B-Day party and celebrated with bunch of friends eating Shabu-Shabu Hot Pot. It's always fun to have dinner with friends and talk about silly stuff!lol

んで、今日は午前中に息子が幼稚園でクリスマス会です。去年に比べるとどのくらい成長したか楽しみです。

Well, this morning, I'm taking my son to preschool. They will have a Christmas Party at preschool today and should be fun!

ロスに戻ってきました。

無事にロスに帰宅しました。日本も寒かったけど、ロスも寒いです。雨もふっていて、ロスっぽくない天気です。

Made it back to LA safely. It was quite cold in Japan but it is just as bad here in LA and to make things worse...it is raining. This is so unLA....

前回は子供と一緒に帰国したので、時差ボケにそうとうやられましたが、今回は時差ボケはほとんどなさそうです。

I traveled back with my kids during previous trip to Japan,and the jet-lag was really bad but this time, since I was alone, the time adjustment was piece a cake.

が、今朝は４時半に起きてしまいました。ゴロゴロ寝ていても仕方がないので、起きて仕事をすませて早速これからジムに行ってきます。日本滞在中は色々と美味しい物を食べて呑んでしまったので、そのぶんのカロリーも燃焼しないと・・・。（泣）

Having said that, this morning, I woke up at 4:30am and since I had a lot of work to get done, rather than staying in bed...I jumped out and got some work done, and it is time to hit the gym. I ate so much great food and had good drinks that will need to burn off all the calories before Christmas!!

今日ロスに戻ります。

日本での１週間の滞在も超あっと言うまでした。週の始まりは家での仕事が多かったのですが、ここ２〜３日は挨拶回りで大忙しでした。短い期間に色々と良いお話ができて、なんとか無事に年は越せそうです。（笑）

1 week stay in Japan went by so fast. My week started off some what mellow but it really got busy this last couple of days meeting with people. Had good meetings and things are looking bright for next season. At least I hope...

ロスに戻ったら友人の誕生日、そして２０日は娘の誕生日。もう１歳だから驚いちゃますよね。そんで、もってクリスマス・・・。懐が寒くなる時期ですね。頑張らんと！

Once I return to LA, there is my buddy's B-Day party, than my daughter's 1year B-Day. Can't believe she is already one year old. Time just flies. Than Christmas...it's that time of the year when your wallet gets emptied.

寒いですね〜。

日本は寒いですね〜。でも、ロスも寒いみたいです。いったい地球温暖化はどうなっちゃってるのかな・・・？エコ対策が効いてるのかな・・・？？とにかく寒いのは苦手です。皆さんも風邪を引かない様に気をつけてくださいね。

It is way too cold here in Japan for me. Coming from LA, it feels like there was never an Autumn. Having said that, apparently it is also cold in LA. Whatever happened to the global warming?? Or are all the ECO strategy working out so far...?? Nevertheless, I hate being cold....

今夜は久しぶりに紅月に行きます。めちゃめちゃ楽しみだな〜。しかし、ロスに戻ったらがっつりトレーニングしないと、やばいかも。寒いと身体が動かないから嫌ですね〜。

I going to Kougetsu for dinner tonight. I am really looking forward to the meal, especially because it's cold today. However, I'm need to train real hard when I get back to LA to get back in racing shape.

さて、頑張るぞっ！

Well, time to meet people! See you guys later

日本にいるよ〜

先週はスーパー忙しかったです。LAオートショーが開幕して、プレスデー初日に現場に行き取材。締め切りの都合で、その日のうちに原稿の入稿があり、大忙し。ほぼ徹夜状態で違う仕事をこなし、飛行機の飛び乗り今は日本です。

It was a real busy week for me this past week. Went to the LA Auto Show Press Day and had to write an article that night to make the deadline for this Japanese Magazine. Than had more work to do that night before catching my flight back to Japan.

久しぶりの長旅で、エコノミーの席でもグッスリ寝ちゃいました。映画も観てフライとを満喫。

I was so tired, the 12hr flight felt so quick even in a economy seat. I was able to watch a movie and chilled.

土曜はモテギに行ってidler'sの３時間耐久レースに出場。実は夏に１２時間耐久に出た時は優勝してしまい、今回も出場し優勝狙ってました。“子供の喧嘩に大人がきてる・・・”と回りにいわれておりますが、久しぶりのサーキット走行をエンジョイ。

Yesterday, I was at Motegi again racing in this 3hr endurance race. I actually raced with same guys during the summer for the 12hr race which we ended up winning. Since it's more of a friendly race, I'm just out there having fun but some serious racers probably thought it wasn't fair for me to be out there...lol

レースは燃料ポンプのトラブルで、一時ストップ。なんとか修復して完走はしましたが、とりあえず久しぶりの走行で楽しめませた。それよりも、年明けに耐久レースに出場する可能性があるので、トレーニングになりました！（笑）

Nevertheless, we had a fuel pump issue during the race and was able to barely finish at the end. I have some plan on running a big endurance race at end of Jan, so it was a good training session after all. Any day on track is a good day!!

今回の日本滞在は金曜までです。短い滞在ですが、お仕事ミッチリ頑張らんと！！

Well, I'm only here till Friday so better get a lot of work done!!

長い週末。

皆さん、週末は如何過ごされましたか？アメリカはThanksGivingWeekEndで基本的には４連休。なんだか、ものすご〜く長い週末に感じます。

Hope all your Thanks Giving Week End was a great one. The 4 day week end is a bit too long for me trying to find something to do.

金曜日はブラックフライデーといい、様々な小売店が大特価セールをする日です。懐が寒くて、人ごみが嫌いな僕としては無縁な日です。（笑）なので、今週末は家でユックリでした。

The economy seemed to be better looking at all the shoppers on black Friday, but since my wallet is empty as well as I'm not a big fan of crowded places, I literally stayed home all 4 days.

しかし、アメリカのレースも全て終わってしまって、なんだかレースがない週末は暇ですね。

I hope the racing season will start soon because I am bored to death during the week end. Any other interesting news other than Tiger's crash??

Thanks Giving Day

うひゃ〜気がついたら、もう少しで１２月ですね。アメリカは明日はThanksGivingDayです。七面鳥をロースとして、ラズベリーソースとかをかけて食べるのが儀式ですが、家の妻は七面鳥がパサパサしていて好きではないので、あんまりビッグな行事ではありません。（泣）

Man...I can't believe it's almost Dec. It is going to be Thanks Giving tomorrow and since my wife is not a big fan of Turkey...or raspberry sauce, nor stuffing, we are not going to be celebrating big...

来週はLAオートショーがあります。東京モーターショーは不況のせいで、めちゃ寒かったと言う話は聞いていますが、ロスショーはどうなるんだろう・・・。今アメリカメーカーはかなり頑張っているので色々と車を見るのが楽しみです！！

I'm kinda looking forward to the LA Auto Show next week here in downtown LA. I heard that the Tokyo Motor Show was dead so hoping that there would be more manufacture involved in this show. The US manufacture is finally back to their feet and it is time to prove what they can make!

シーズンオフは嫌だな。

なんだか、１週間が経つのは本当に早い。ロスも完全に冬日和になってきて、朝お布団から出るのが大変な時期になってきました。日本はもう寒いのかな？

This week went by so fast! Can't even remember what I did this past week. It is turning in to winter here in LA and it's a bit chilly during the morning which makes it harder to get up. I'm wondering if it's already cold in Japan...since I am going to make another trip soon.

ここ最近は、来季のプランに関して色々と動いています。が、なかなか話が進まなくていらいらする日々が続きます。でも、慎重に尚かつひっつこく攻めないと話も進まないし。本当に髪の毛が薄くなる時期です。（笑）が、何事も持続が大切！引き続き頑張りますよ〜！！

I've been working real hard for next year's program but nothing seems to be moving forward at this time which is really frustrating... Having said that, I need to keep pushing on the deals and I'm sure something will come through if I try hard enough. It's that time of the year when I start losing some hair!?! Don't worry, I still have plenty so rogaine will not be needed!!lol

今週もがんばるぞい。

なんだかあっと言う間に１週間が過ぎてしまいましたね。最近は家の中で風邪が流行っていて、息子〜娘〜妻と交互の風邪を引いちゃっています。幸い季節風邪ですんでいますが・・・。が、やっぱりインフルエンザは怖いですね。

Last week went by so fast I can't even remember what I did. There are flu going around in my house between my son, daughter, and wife. Fortunately it's just a seasonal flu and not H1N1...but I have not time to be catching cold.

もう１１月半ばになってしまったと言う事で急ピッチで来季の話を進めないとやばいですね〜。時間が経つのは本当に早い。んでもって、来月は娘の誕生日、クリスマス、年越し・・・、で年が明けたら今度は息子の誕生日でイベント続きだ。また懐が究極に冷え込む時期がやってきましたね。

Since it's already mid-Nov, I really need to pick up the pace to get deals done for next season. Time just keeps flying. Speaking of time, my daughter would be 1yr old next month just before Christmas. And than there is new years and my son's 3rd B-Day in mid Jan. It's time of that year when my pocket goes empty...as usual!?! lol

そうそう、娘が早くも歩き始めました。あっちこっち言ってしまうので恐ろしいや〜。これからが大変な時期ですね。パパも頑張らんと〜！じゃ〜皆さん今週も頑張って行きましょ。

Speaking of my daughter, she started to walk already. I really need to put my attention on her now as she is fearless. Well, it's just keeps getting busier by the day!! But that's life I guess...

IZOD Indy Car Series

気がついたらあっと言う間に金曜日。日本から戻って２週間ちかく経ちますが、ようやく時差ボケがとれてきました。が、BSのF１撤退からはじまり、TOYOTAも撤退発表・・・。づいでに米失業率が１０％超えで暗いニュースが飛び立っていますね。

I can't believe it's already Fri. This week went by so fast. It's been almost two weeks since I got back from Japan and the jet-lag is finally gone. However, the news of the Bridgestone and Toyota's withdrawal as well as the US unemployment rate is not making our life any easier...

が、そんななか昨日インディカーが冠スポンサーにIZODと契約したニュースが発表されました。こんな不況の中でインディカーをマーケティングの基盤に使ってくれるなんて、本当に嬉しい話です！これでもっとインディカーもアメリカで盛り上がってくれると良いのですが・・・。

Meanwhile, Indy Car Series has just announced their partnership with IZOD to become the title sponsor of the series. It's great to have a partner that wants to use the series as the marketing platform and I'm sure there is more good things to come from the league over the winter.

来季のドライバーのシートも徐々にうまってきているみたいなので、自分もユックリしていられませんね。さて、今日も頑張るぞ〜！！

Some rumors has started to boil about driver and team negotiations and I better accelerate my pace on getting the deals together if I want to be in the car again next season!!

Toyota F1撤退。

お早うございま〜す。清々しい朝です。が、目覚めて一番最初のニュースはTOYOTA F1撤退。ずっと来季のドライバーを契約しない所をみると、怪しいなとは思っていましたが、発表を聞いて本当にがっかりです。

Good morning! Wonderful day here in LA. But woke up and the first news I saw was the Toyota's withdrawal from F1. I was suspecting something bad to happen when they haven't signed any driver yet...but am really bummed to see the news.

っていうか、撤退発表の時だけ大胆にニュースとして取り上げる、日本のメディアもどうなのかと思ってしまう今日この頃。だったら、普通にレース結果もニュースにしてくれぃ！！

Having said that, I not impressed with the major Japanese media outlet when they only cover bad news about F1. Why don't they at least show some race results! I'm sure that will give more attention to the people and might have changed the decision for Toyota's pullout.

いや〜しかし、レースを撤退するのは、経費節約もありますが、やはりエコマインド的の方が大きいのかな？TOYOTAはLexus LF−AやFT−８６コンセプトを発表したりして、スポーツカーには活気的に取り組んでいただけに今回のニュースは本当に残念。

As for Toyota, I'm sure that they needed to cut the costs/expense and had no choice. At the same time, I think all this eco-driven marketing strategy is not helping the racing world. Having said that, I was real impressed when Lexus has announced the LF-A and also the Toyota FT-86 concept at Tokyo Motor Show since they still looked enthusiastic about sports cars therefore I was really disappointed about the news.

それ以上に、今は日系のクルマメーカーがハイブリッド車に力を入れている事がメチャメチャ心配です。確かにエコ的な部分では大事なことですが、なんとなくハイブリは短期的な解決案にしかすぎないような気がしてしまいます。逆にハイブリッド車に専念している事によって、クルマが本来ある姿から離れていき、若者もクルマ＝足というイメージになっている所が本当に寂しい。

And as for Hybrid cars...I am not a big fan. I think it's just a short term solution for eco driven world. By making Hybrid cars, it is changing the dynamics of the car and I have yet to come across a hybrid car that was fun to drive. Most importantly people are started to think car as a tool to get around places, and are not looking at it as part of culture, fashion, identity. Especially the young people in Japan has no interest about cars anymore...and all they car is if it moves!?!

だからこそ、日系メーカーには頑張って欲しいなと思います！ドライブを楽しませてくれるクルマをもっと出して欲しいなと思う今日この頃です。

Therefore, I really hope that Nikkei Manufacture would step up the program and make a car that is fun and cool to drive!!

もう１１月だよ・・・。

時差ボケがようやく治りつつある今日この頃です。でも、今朝も６時前には目が覚め（子供に起こされ）、かなり健康的な生活を過ごしています。

Finally getting rid of the jet-lag. Having said that, I've been up since 6am since my kids were awake and been living a healthy life last couple of days.lol

気がついたらもう１１月ですね。一昨日まではアメリカのスーパーはハロウィーンモードだったのが、昨日の早朝に行ったら既にThanksGivingモードに入っていて、もうちょいしたらクリスマスになっちゃいますね。

I can't believe it's already Nov. The store was decorated with full of Halloween goods until two days ago, and it is all transferred to Thanksgiving stuff as of yesterday. Than to Christmas real soon....Time keeps flying!

そう考えると来季の話も急ピッチで話を進めないと、また今年の二の舞になってしまう・・・。だから頑張らないとっ！時差ボケなんかには負けてられないぞっ！！

Well that all means that I will need to pick up my pace on work process for next year's sponsors hunt. This week would be a important week for me just because I really need to get the balls rolling. So much for jet-lag and back to real work!!

まだまだ時差ボケ。

日本から戻って数日たちましたが、時差ボケが悪化しています！？！（笑）毎朝目が覚める時間が１時間ずつ早くなっています。この調子じゃ〜時差が治るまで、まだ２週間もかかりそう。（泣）いや〜辛いです。恐るべし、時差ボケ。

It's been couple of days since I've got back from Japan. Jet-lag is getting worse every day, and I've been waking up 1hr earlier every day!?! I guess that means it will take another two weeks to get back to the pacific time zone...going back to the regular time this Sunday doesn't really help I guess...fighting with jet-lag has never been this difficult.

今日は弁護士とミーティングです。別に悪い話ではなくて、妻のグリーンカードの件についてです。すでにグリーンカードはでているのですが、最初は２年間の期限のもので、その後からは４年間ものになるらしいです。が、毎回グリーンカードの延長申請をすると＄４００くらいかかるので、国はボロ儲けですね〜。でも、永住するのに年間＄１００って考えれば安いもんかな？！？

Today I have a meeting with a lawyer.Not in regards to anything bad...but to file a removal of conditional resident for my wide since it has been two years since she has been approved. I can't believe we have to pay $400 just to get the conditional residence status removed to a permanent residence. On top of that, we'll need to pay $400 every 4 years! I suppose National Home Land security figured out a way to make good profit out of foreigners who lives in US. Having said that, I guess it's not too bad if you can live in US for $100/year!?!

めちゃ時差ボケ。

ロスに戻ってきました。が、超時差ボケです。子供が完全に時差ボケっているので、ついつい自分も時差調整をするのが大変です。子供の方が時差調整をするのは大変なのかな・・・？でも、なんとなく２０代前半の時が一番時差なんてへっちゃらだったような気もする。

Made it back to LA safely. However, the whole family is struggling with jet-lag this time. I guess the time difference is harder on kids. It is getting harder for me each year, and I am guessing that you have the most energy in mid-20's because the jet-lag didn't affect me at all during those years!?!

ロスに戻って家族で普段の生活に戻り、なんとなくほっとしている今日この頃です。早く時差を治して、フル回転で仕事をしないと・・・。

Well,back to real life living at my home with my wife and kids, which is not a bad thing to get back to your ordinary life. Will need to recover from the time difference quickly to work on the plan for next season!

酸素カプセル＆紅月

昨日は午前中に隅田川テラスでジョギング。午後一でミーティングに行き、夕方はエアープレス上野に行き、酸素カプセルに入って疲労回復。色々と溜まっていた疲れがとれてスッキリ！

Went for a run near the river yesterday and had a quick lunch meeting. Than I was off to Air Press Ueno to spend some time in the hyperbaric chamber. It definitely was relaxing and refreshing!!

夜はO2 Styleの社長と、日本のトップドライバーでもある本山選手と、本山さんのマネージャーと紅月で食事しました。

Than off to dinner with the owner of O2 Style. I also met up with Satoshi Motoyama who is the top driver in Japan as well as his agent. We ended up going to Kougetsu which is my favorite restaurant as you may already know.

紅月は久しぶりでしたが、やっぱり美味いですね〜！本山さんとも色々と国内のレースの話から、プライベートの話ができて楽しかったです。

The food at Kougetsu was great as usual and had a good talk with Motoyama-san chatting about racing and private life.

今回は日曜日に戻ってしまうので、明日は辻堂の方へ行って子供達と合流します。今日が色々と活動できる最終日なので、午後は大忙しです！来季に繋がる話をしっかりできるように残り少ない時間を全力で頑張ります！

Well, I am going back to LA on Sunday so tonight will be the last night in order to meet with people in regards to next season. I have to use my time efficiently tonight and looking forward to catching up with my kids tomorrow!

富士見ラジエター

週末は子供達とユックリ凄し、今週はメチャ忙しのウィークです。昨日は立川に行って、USレーシングのスタッフとミーティング。スタッフとは今後の動向について話し合い、久しぶりにインディカーについて、語っていたらあっという間に時間が経ってしまいました。

Had a pretty good quite week end with my kids and off to work since Monday. I was meeting with the staff from US Racing yesterday afternoon and talked about my future plans. Haven't talked about racing for a while so it was a lengthy meeting.

話が一段落して、今度は富士見市に移動して、今回のレースで色々と応援して頂いた富士見ラジエターへご挨拶に行ってきました。社長やスタッフの皆さんがとても良くしてくれて、色んな話ができて楽しかったです！やっぱりビジネスに成功している方のビジョンが見れると僕自身としても勉強になる所が沢山あります！

Than off to Fujimi City to meet with my sponsors. The guys from Fujimi Radiator came on board as our partner just before the race and I really appreciate their support! The owner and the employees at the company are such a great people and I really admire the owner's vision on his business plans!

レースに応援して頂いて、今後も一緒に戦おうと思って頂ける事が本当に嬉しいです！今後も引き続き宜しくお願い致します！！

I am happy that they are willing to continue the relationship and I hope it will be a long relationship with them!!

今日も，夕方にミーティングがあり、夜は銀座でディナーです。美味しい物ばかり食べちゃって、気まずくて食べている内容が妻に言えない今日この頃です・・・。

Well, off to another meeting this afternoon and than to dinner in Ginza. I've been eating so much great food that I've been awful quite to my wife lately...lol

これから羽田です。

今日はこれから羽田に妻と子供達を迎えに行ってきます。久しぶりの再会なのでなんだか、どきどき。子供に無視をされたらどうしよう・・・。なんちゃって。（笑）

Going to pick up my wife and kids at the airport. I haven't seen them for a month so I am really looking forward to it. Hope my kids will remember my face...lol

いや〜しかし、１ヶ月近くも家族と離れると、家族と一緒にいる大切さがわかりますね〜。まっ、でももともと僕は一人暮らしが長いんですが・・・。歳をとるにつれて寂しがりやになるんですかね？！？

Well, being lonely for a month really reminded me how important it is to be together as a family. I used to live by my self since I was 15 so I always thought it was not a big deal. I guess you turn emotional as you get older and I was definitely feeling lonely by my self at home.

日本での滞在はあと7日か〜。滞在中はモテギでのお礼と来年の営業活動もしなくてはいけないけど、合間を縫って子供達が喜ぶ事もしてあげないとなって考えてしまうな。アメリカではできない事は日本には沢山ありますからね！

We have another week here in Japan. Will definitely need to stop by and thank all the sponsors as well as work on the program for next year. Meanwhile, I will need to bring the kids somewhere to experience stuff that you can't do in LA! It should be a busy but fun week!!

In ジャパン

無事に日本に戻ってきました。昨日のフライトではけっきょく、映画を３本くらい見ちゃったかな・・・？ずっと気になっていた、The Hangoverって言う映画が見れてメチャうけ！機内で微妙な笑みを抱いていたので、キャビンアテンダントに変態と思われなかったかな・・・？いや〜本当に面白かったです！

Made it back to Japan safely. Had a pretty good flight and was able to watch several films. I was happy to see The Hangover. That movie was hilarious and I hope the flight attendant didn't think I was a stranger smiling while watch the movie.

あ〜あと、Woody Allenが主演＆プロデュースした映画もタイトルは忘れちゃってけど、いがいと面白かった。途中でNYのユニクロもでてたし。（笑）

I also saw the movie that was produced by Woody Allen. I can't remember the title but was a good story and was impressed when UNIQLO store, one of the leading apparel brand of Japan was actually used for filming.

今回の日本の滞在は１０日間です。本当は月頭にすぐに戻ってきたかったのですが、まとめて２５日まで滞在する事に決めました。滞在中はインディジャパンのお礼＆ご挨拶。そして、来季に向けての活動等をする予定です。

Well, I'll be here for 10days. I was supposed to be back by first week of Oct but wanted to be able to stay here long enough so I can thank my sponsors as well as work on stuff for next year!

シーズンは終わったばかりですが、来季の話はもう始まっています。ユックリしてる暇はありませんね〜。

The season has just ended...but next year is just around the corner and there is no time to relax!

これから日本です。

およそ３週間のロスでの一人暮らしも今日でおしまいです。最初は一人でゆっくりできたものの、やっぱり子供に会えないのは寂しいですね。久しぶりに家族に会うのは楽しみです！

My life being single again for 3 weeks is just about to end. I sort of enjoyed the quite time for couple of days...but I think having a noise around the house is not a bad thing. I especially missed my kids...and looking forward to catching up with them,

さて、これから飛行機に乗って日本に帰りま〜す。ボン・ヴォヤージュ！？！（笑）

Well...I guess time to board already! Bon Voyage!?!lol

今週末は忙しい・・・？！？

さて、今週末は忙しくなりそうです！何故って、そりゃ〜僕のバースデーだからですよ！！って言うのは嘘です・・・。（笑）実は久しぶりに寂しいローンリーバースデーを凄しそうです。忙しい理由は、レース観戦でテレビに釘付けになりそうだからです！？！（苦笑）

It's going to be a busy week end for me! Why, because it is my Birthday tomorrow and I am expecting some surprises!! Just kidding...I think I am going to have a lonely and quite birthday which I haven't had for a while. The reason why I would be so busy is because there are so many races on TV to watch!!

まずは、インディカーの最終戦。GrandAmシリーズの最終戦。フォンタナで行われているNASCARとラグーナセカでやっているALMSの最終戦。完璧テレビをフル活用ですね！？！ん〜これでケーブル代金もモトは取れそうです。（笑）

Obviously I'll be watching the last race of Indy Car from Homestead but will start my day with the Grand Am race. And than will be checking out the ALMS race from Laguna Seca, as I will flip flop the channel watching the NASCAR race from Fontana. I will definitely get my month worth of subscription through my cable company!?!lol

んで、今夜の夕飯にはなかなか撤去できないモヤシちゃんをつかって、もやし炒め。揚げと豆腐も一緒にいれて、シンプルに作りました。いや〜これこそシンプルisベストって感じですね。

Well, for dinner, I needed to get rid of the bean sprouts in my fridge so decided to make a simple stir fried bean sprouts with Tofu. You call this simple is best...not bad for an appetizer.

メインには明太子スパゲッティー。実は明太子は何時も成田で買って来るのです。それも、「あごおとし」っていうブランド。これ、めちゃ美味いです。ちなみに、僕の明太スパゲッティーは、Aglio Olio Mentaiです。オリーブオイルにニンニク、そして明太子を入れて最後にシソをトッピングでのせます。やっぱクリームをいれる明太パスタは邪道だな・・・。何時もどおりに美味しかったです！！

Than off to the main course which is Mentai Spaghetti. It is a Spaghetti with spicy cod roe which I always get before catching my flight in Japan. The spicy cod roe is great with just plain white rice, but it goes well with the spaghetti. I actually make mine as Aglio Olio Spicy Cod Roe Spaghetti with some Shiso leafs on top. Some people like it with butter and cream, but I take it Italian Style since there must be some Italian blood in me somewhere...

ビーフカレー

今日は午前中にクルマのメンテナンスをだしに、ディーラーに持っていき、その間に色々と仕事をすませてお昼前に戻ってきました。ランチは近所にある、最近できたちょっとこ洒落たメキシカン料理屋さんでブリトーを買って、広場で食べちゃいました。

Took my car to the dealer to get it serviced. While I waited their, got some work done and came home just in time for lunch. I went to this new modern Mexican restaurant that opened couple of months ago. I ended up getting an Al Pastor Burrito and it was pretty good!

家に戻って色々と作業をして、夕方から夕飯の準備。今日はやたらカレーが食べて買ったので、カルビを使ったカレー。サウンドは微妙かもしれませんが、これなかなか美味いんですよね〜。今夜も一人で寂しくがっつきました。（笑）

Than came home and got more work done. The day went by so quick and it was time to be back in kitchen to make tonight's dinner. I was craving for Beef Curry tonight so ended up making a short rib Beef Curry. It was actually really good and I think I am going to finish off the bowl of curry tomorrow at lunch! I had enough of eating lonely though...

一人鍋

昨日は、久しぶりに焼き鳥を食べにいきました。ガーデナという地域にある、鳥松と言うお店です。新橋のお店で修行をした大将が焼いてくれる焼き鳥は、日本その物です。つくねに大根おろしを乗せて食べると美味いんですよね〜！

Went out to dinner last night to this Yakitori place in Gardena. The place is called Torimatsu, and it is the most authentic Yakitori place you can find in US. You would think cooking on a chicken on a grill doesn't take much skills, but wait till you try this place! There chicken balls are wicked good with the grained daikon on the side.

んで、今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。午後は来季に向けてのミーティング。色々と良い話ができたので、だんだんエキサイトしてきましたよ！

For today, I worked out in the morning as usual, and went to a meeting in afternoon to talk about some plans for next season. Had a good meeting and I am definitely motivated to get something worked out soon!

夜は外食が続いていたので、今夜は自炊。ロスも少し肌寒くなったので、一人鍋をする事にしました。冷蔵庫にキャベツが残っていたので、あえて豚団子キャベツ鍋です。味はボチボチ。でも、鍋はやっぱり皆でつっつくから美味しいんだなと改めて実感。

As for dinner, since I have gone out two nights in a row, I decided to cook home tonight. Made a Pork Meat Ball Nabe. The flavor was good, but felt lonely making the nabe by my self since it is usually a family meal...

酒のつまみに、友人に美味しいよと薦められて今日スーパーで買った雲丹酒盗も食べちゃいました。サンタバーバラ産の雲丹の甘みがでててこれははまりますね！〆には、韓国インスタントラーメンをぶっ込んで、ちょっとピリ辛ラーメンを汗をかきながら、がっつきました。

I bought some Uni-Shuto at the market since I've been hearing good things about the product. It goes well with the Sake and Santa Barbara Sea Urchin is definitely sweet!! Than for the desert...I needed something to satisfy my stomach so I opted for the Korean Ramen noodle!?!lol It was good though...

所で皆さん台風は大丈夫でしたか？

I hope everyone is doing OK in Japan with that big typhoon...

寿司くったよ〜ん！

今日は午前中にミッチリジムでトレーニング。ついでに家の掃除もしてから、お家でランチ。なんだか、今日は涼しくて完全に秋になったって感じです。

Went to the gym in the morning and usual and cleaned the house including the cat litter... Than had a lunch at home. The weather was cooling in the morning and there is definitely some sign of autumn here in LA.

夕方まで家でがっつり仕事をしてから、夜は念願のお寿司を食べにいってきました！今夜たべに行ったお店は、いぜん僕のルームメート＆応援団長だったカズさんのお店です。ビバリーヒルズにあるお店で、江戸前＆創作寿司はメチャメチャ美味しいです！ロスに来られる際はぜひ立ち寄ってみて下さい！お店の名前はBoss Sushiです！

For dinner, I went to Boss Sushi which is one of my favorite sushi restaurant in LA. My buddy work their as Sushi Chef and his meal was fantastic.

んで、ご飯が始まり何時もの調子で写真をカシャ。プロの仕事は、やっぱり違いますね〜。うまいっ！！

Here is the pict of the appetizer he made for us! The food was phenomenal and the presentation is much different from my home made food...

この後にも色々と握りも含めて堪能したのですが、誘惑にまけて写真を撮る前にがっついちゃいました！カズさん、本当に美味かったです！ごっつぁんで〜す！！

As for the rest of the excellent nigiri...unfortunately it was down through my throat before I had any chance of take a photo of it...sorry! Thanks Kaz for the great meal!!

まったりデー。

今日は日曜なので、基本的には朝はユックリ。お昼前にちょこっと仕事をして、ランチを食べる前にジムに行ってランニング。お昼は昨晩の残りのスープを食べて、午後はNASCARのレースをテレビで観戦。ファン・パブロがオーバルレースでも活躍してて、今年はチャンピオン争いに食い込んでます。やっぱ凄いな〜。

Since it was Sunday...my day started a bit slow this morning.Went to my desk and got some work done and was off the the gym before lunch for some running. For lunch, I finished the Minestrone I made last night and was just about ready to become a couch potato and watch the NASCAR race. Juan Pablo is doing a such a great job in the chase that I certainly admire his talent!!

夜は、なんだかレイジーで何を作ろうか考えた結果、このあいだ作って冷凍をしといたハンバーグがあったので、ハンバーグデミグラスソースにしました。

Since I was so lazy today...I decided to make a quick fix for my dinner. I had some burgers that I put in the freezer couple a week a go, so I got the bun defrosted and made some mushroom demi-glaces sauce for it.

今夜は、
１）キュウリと大根のサラダ
２）ハンバーグ・デミグラスソース withマッシュルーム
３）白米と大根の味噌汁
でした。

The menu for the day was
1)Cucumber and Daikon Salad
2)Hamburger Steak with mushroom in Demi-Glaces Sauce
3)Rice and Miso Soup with Daikon.

そろそろ魚が食べたい気分・・・。実はうちにあった魚焼きグリル・・・収納場所がなくて、オーブンの中に収納していたら，間違えてオーブンを暖めている時に、魚屋機グリルを、グリルしちゃったんです・・・。そんな感じで、今は魚屋機グリルが無いから魚が焼けないのです。（泣）体がDHA欲しがってます・・・。

I think I had enough beef last couple of days...and craving for some fish now. Unfortunately, I broke my fish grill...well, to be exact, I ended up grilling the fish grill. We didn't have any storage space for the fish grill so we always stored the grill in the oven. One day when I was warming up the oven, I totally forgot about the fish grill and that was the end of the story for my fish life until I get a replacement... May be I'll go out for sushi. My body is in need for some DHA!!

今日は鈴鹿F1GP

今日はこれから、鈴鹿のF1GPをテレビで観戦します。そう言えば、色んなコースを走っているけど、実は鈴鹿のコースを走った事はないんですよね・・・。が、８７年に初めて鈴鹿に行った時に、お爺ちゃんと一緒にレースを見に行って、帰りは駅までの遠い道のりを歩いた記憶はあります。（笑）

Watched the F1 Qualifying last night. Some what a weird session with various incidents. I just realized that I never driven at Suzuka and definitely is one of the track I would like to drive before I retire... Although I still remember going to Suzuka in 1987 with my grandpa to watch the race. It was a long walk to the train station after the race...

いや〜しかし、テレビでレース観戦していると、ついつい自分も燃えて来ちゃいますね。今朝はジムでガッツリトレーニング。そして、午後は来季のインディ５００向けのプレゼン資料を集めたり、あっと言う間の一日でした。

Well...it definitely gets me motivated when I watch races on TV. I went to the gym in the morning and than gathered some info to make next year's Indy 500 proposal. Yep it's that time of the year already.

なんだか疲れがどっと出て，エアープレス上野に行って酸素カプセルに入ってリラックスしたい所です。実は今年のインディジャパンでは、酸素カプセルを貸して頂き、現場に持ち込んでいたんですよね！だから、毎晩カプセルに入ってました！

Well...I am kind of tired and wished if I can go to Air Press Ueno and hop in to a hyperbaric chamber. They actually loaned me a capsule for this year's Indy Japan race and was in it every night during my stay! It really got me prepped for the race!!

レース決勝日には、エアープレス上野で酸素カプセルに入っている、本山選手も応援に来てくれました！決勝前にワンショット！実は今回のレースではニスモで本山選手のエンジニアを務めている方が、サポートして頂いて本当に助かりました。

During the race day, the owner of Air Press Ueno came to watch the race with All Nippon GT and F.Nippon driver Satoshi Motoyama. He is a great guy and actually had his engineer help me out during the race week end. He was able to give me valuable information which certainly helped me during the race.

色々と作業が終わって、夕飯をどうしようかと冷蔵庫を開けた所、撤去に困っている材料はセロリ、パンチェッタ（イタリア風ベーコン）です。さて、何を作るかと考えた結果、スープスパゲッティーにしました。まっ、ようするにミネストローネスープを作ってスパゲッティーをぶっ込んだんですが、イタリア人はこれは納得いけないでしょうね・・・。（笑）

Well...time for dinner again. I opened up the fridge and learnt that I needed to get rid of celery and Pancetta real soon. After giving a hard thought...I decided to make a Soup Spaghetti. Well...basically a Minetrone Soup with Pasta in it. Obviously the Italians won't be happy but...what the heck...?!?

普段は固形のパルメザンチーズを削るのですが、今日は手抜きにクラフトのチーズ。逆にこれがあう！？！んで、サラダはルッコロとトマト＆コーンサラダ。サワードーのパンと赤ワインです。毎日うまいもん食えて幸せですね！！でも、一人の晩餐は寂しいの〜・・・。

I usually shave some fresh Parmesan for pasta but was lazy today and used the Kraft Cheese. Actually turned about to be perfect!! Also made some Arugola,Tomato and Corn Salad, and Sourdough Bread from La Brea Bakery. Not bad at all...except feeling lonely having the meal.Can't wait till my kids and wife are back from Japan...

テンション上げる為にこれからF1GP見ます！！

OK...time for the F1 race now!!

ステーキ丼ディナー

今週末は鈴鹿でF1ですね。IndyJapanが終わってからすぐに、F1って感じで、何だか日本のモータースポーツファンも大忙しですね。今日は天気も良さそうなので、これから予選をテレビで見るのが楽しみ！ちなみに、一人でロンリー観戦です・・・。（泣）

The Suzuka F1 GP is this week end and I am just about ready to watch the qualifying. The racing fans in Japan must be busy getting to the track because the Indy race was only about two weeks ago... Well, I'll be watching the race alone at home this week end.

さて、今日は夕飯にステーキ丼を作ってみました。昨日のステーキが半分残っていたので、和風にアレンジ。ステーキを焼くのには、ひっくり返すタイミングが重要ですよね！じっくり集中して、タイミングを見計らって、よっこらしょ〜！ナイスな感じです！！

In order to watch the qualifying, I needed to get done with dinner quickly. I had the other half of the steak from last night, so I decided to make a Japanese Style Steak Bowl. The hardest thing about cooking a steak is when to turn the meat around.I put all my focus on it...and it was perfectly done!!

んで、出来上がった今日のディナーは、
１）叩きキュウリwith鮪の削り節
２）ステーキ丼（海苔と韓国風ネギサラダ添え）
３）ふんわり卵スープwithコーン
でした。ついでに、今夜は昨日あけた白ワイン。親父に勧められてハマっている、スペイン産のAlbarino。コストパフォーマンス◎です！！

Here's my dinner for tonight.
1)Cucumber with Dried Tuna Flakes
2)Steak Bowl with Korean Style Green Onion and Rice bedded with Sea Weed
3)Egg Soup with Corn.
Dinner was fantastic! I also had a Spanish white wine that was recommended by my father. The Albarino is sooooOO cheap but good!! I think it beat's the CA Chardonnay!!

もう１０月です。

いや〜気がついたら、もう１０月ですね！と言う事は、あと１０日で誕生日。となると、今年で３２・・・。ん〜なんだか嬉しいんだか寂しいんだか・・・。

Can you believe it's already Oct?!? That means my B-Day is coming in a week...which means I'll be turning 32...should I be happy about this?!?

まっ、そんな事を考えても仕方ないので、若さを保つ為に今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。体調はバッチリですよ！！ん〜でも、次のレースがまだだいぶ先だと思うと、なんだか寂しい・・・。

Well...so much for aging. Trying to stay young, I decided to hit the gym as usual. I'm feeling well but I just wished I was getting in any kind of car sometimes real soon...

昼は家で食べて、昼過ぎにスーパーに行って夕食の買い出し。今夜はどうしても、スパゲッティーカルボナーラとステーキが食べたかったので、ほんのちょっと奮発して買っちゃいました！

Had lunch at home and went to high end grocery store to buy some steak for dinner and planned to make Spaghetti Carbonara for the first plate.

カルボナーラは、本格的に卵黄オンリーと、パルメザンチーズ＆ブラックペッパーで作りました。初めての試みでしたが、なかなかシンプルなだけに難しい・・・。オーバルレースみたいですね！？！（笑）でも美味かった〜！

For Carbonara, I only used the egg yolk, parmesan cheese, and black pepper, which is the genuine ingredients in Italy. They actually don't put cream or milk in it...It is really simple to make, but it is really tough to make it perfect. Kind a like oval racing. Mt first carbonara attempt was successful though.

んで、メインにはステーキを焼いてスライスして、ルッコラとトマト＆コーンのサラダ添え。お肉は塩こしょうとオリーブオイルを馴染ませて、常温の状態でマリネート。がっつり焼いてから、アルミホイルに包んで３分間寝かしてからスライスしました。うみゃ〜！！でも、肉が半分残っちゃったから明日はステーキ丼かな？！？

As for main dish, I had Tagliata Steak with Rucola,Tomato, and Corn Salad. I marinated the steak with salt,black pepper, and olive oil...and let it sit at room temp for 1hr. Than on the grill and once it's cooked, wrapped it in a aluminum foil and let it rest for 3min. Sliced up the beef and on to the plate. Man this beef was addicting!! Well money spent!!! I still have the other half of the steak so may be I'll make Steak Bowl tomorrow night.

リベンジ of 豆板醤

昨日の激辛麻婆豆腐にやられて、朝起きたら胃がもんもんとしてました・・・。が、起きて早速コーヒーを入れて、フルーツを切って朝ご飯。ピットの散歩に行ってからメールチェックをして、ジムに行きました。これが基本的に日課です。

My stomach was not feeling all that great this morning from the super hot and spicy Mapo-Tofu that I made last night. Nevertheless, I needed to get my day started to cut some fruit and had a cup of coffee. Than checked some e-mails and off to the gym which is my routine for the AM.

お昼は、白米と納豆＆明太子と味噌汁。これだけでご飯が２杯いけちゃうから、我が輩はジャパニーズだと改めて実感。

Had lunch at home. Some Spicy Cod Roe, Natto, Rice and Miso Soup. Being able to eat 2 bowls of rice just with Natto and Spicy Cod Roe definitely shows that I have Japanese heritage in me.

午後は家で、０８年度のレシートの整理。来週中まで申告を済ませないといけないので、今週は大忙しです。ん〜・・・、何だか使ったお金の処理をするのは、寂しいもんですね〜。（泣）

In the PM, I needed to get all the receipts sorted for 08 TAX year. I am usually busy during April so ends up filing an extension every year...which is due in two weeks. It's always depressing to go through the money you've already spent...I guess I am not so good at looking behind but rather focus on what's in the future!?!

んで、夕飯は胃に易しいものと思い、先日テレビの料理番組で見た、トマきゅう卵に挑戦。が、レシピを確認したら、な〜んと昨日イタイ目にあった豆板醤が入っているじゃないですか・・・。でも、頭の中はトマきゅう卵になっていたので、今夜は豆板醤にリベンジ！？！

As for dinner...I wanted to make something veggie and light. Saw a recipe on TV with Tomato Cucumber and Eggs...which sounded good so decided to give that a try. However, while I was checking out the recipe, I learnt that I needed to put the same spicy sauce that I used last night...I guess I will be easy with that sauce tonight.

今夜の夕食は
１）めげずにセロリとトマトのサラダ（和風ドレッシング）
２）とろとろトマきゅう卵
３）白米＆茄子の味噌汁
あれっ、気がついたらサラダとメインディッシュが同じ色してるな・・・。まっ、いいか。いっただきま〜す。

Here's my dinner,
1)Yet again...Celery and Tomato Salad with Soy Dressing
2)Pan-Fried Tomato,Cucumber and Eggs
3)White Rice, Miso Soup with Eggplant

さて、今日アップするモテギの写真は、ダルマちゃんです！毎年ご家族で応援に来てくれているファンから頂きました！本当に有り難うございます！！チームメートのシェクターやコンウェイが羨ましがっていました。

I wanted to show you the Daruma I received from my fan at Motegi! I really appreciate their support and look forward to seeing them next year!! I'm sure my teammates Sheckter and Conway wanted get this as well!!

辛っ！

今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。８km走って気分もスッキリ。午後は家で色々と書類の整理をして、夕方にスーパーに行ってきました。

Went to the gym in the morning and ran 5miles. I am ready to drive the car again anytime! In the afternoon, I needed to get a lot of paper work done at home.

モテギが終わってからもう２週間近く経つと考えると、何だかぞっとするな・・・。

I can't believe it's almost 2weeks since the Motegi race...time just keep flying.

そうそう、皆から沢山もらったモテギの思いで写真をちょこちょこアップしていきます！まず最初は毎年レースの時に、僕と同じスーツを着て応援に来てくれる兄弟です！何時も応援有り難うね！！

Speaking of Motegi, I am going to post some picture that I received from my fans. The first picture is two kids that comes to the race every year with the exact same suits that I wear! Aren't they cute!!

今日の夕飯は豆腐があまっていたので、麻婆豆腐を作りました。一人だと食材がなかなか減らなくてメニューに困っちゃいます。セロリもなかなか減ってくれないから、とりあえず食べまくってます。セロリはすきなんですが、嫌いになりそう・・・！？！（笑）

Well...getting back to real life, since I had a lot of tofu left in the fridge, I made some Mapo-Tofu for dinner. Since I'm alone...it's hard to get through all the ingredients when you cook just for your self. I'v been eating celery everyday...and the thing is still in the fridge! I love celery...but it definitely is getting old!?!

麻婆豆腐は豆板醤を入れすぎて激辛になっちゃいました！まだ、汗かいてます。（泣）でも、美味かった！今日は辛かったので、いつもよりゆっくりご飯を食べる事ができました。

As for my first venture of making Mapo-Tofu...It was real HOT! I am still sweating!! I think I put too much spice in it...however, I was able to eat it slowly and enjoy the flavor. It was pretty good, other than being just a bit too hot.

んで、今日の夕食は、
１）セロリ、ラディッシュ＆トマトのサラダ（和風おろしドレッシング）
２）単純に激辛麻婆豆腐
３）大根の味噌汁
でした。明日は何にしようかな〜。

Here's my meal for tonight.
1)Celery,Radish, and Tomato Salad with Japanese Style Dressing
2)Super Hot & Spicy Mapo-Tofu
3)Miso Soup with Daikon

グルメブログ？！？

今日は早目に起きて、まずはピットの散歩。なんだか気候は完全に秋って感じで清々しい朝でした。時差ボケもようやく治り、体調もバッチリです。

Woke up early today and went to walk Pit. The weather is much cooler in LA today and feels like autumn is here. I am fully recovered from the jet-lag now.

午前中にジムに行って、久しぶりにガッツリトレーニング。時差ボケが治ったからトレーニングにも気合いが入ります。

Went to the gym after having a quick breakfast. Trained really hard today. Good to be back on the right time zone since it was so hard to focus when your brain was not functioning right.

お昼はスーパーのフードコートにある山頭火でラーメンを食べて、夕飯の買い出し。ランチを食べながら、夕飯の献立を考えて、悩んだ結果ディナーはハンバーグにする事にしました。

Had lunch at Santouka Ramen place at the Japanese market and bought some grocery for dinner. I was thinking about dinner, while I had lunch, and my conclusion for dinner was to make hamburger steak.

午後は家で色々と作業をして、夕方から夕飯の仕込みを開始。和食は仕込みの時間がかかるから大変ですよね〜。いつも妻が作ってくれるからあまり考えてなかったけど、改めて一日３食を作る大変さを実感してます。

Got some work done in the afternoon and started to prep dinner just past 5. Japanese food in general takes so much time for preparation...that all the wife and mom should be awarded just to be cooking 3 times a day. It definitely is a full time job!!

で、今夜のメニューは
１）ルッコラ、セロリ、＆ラディッシュの山盛りサラダ（ドレッシングはオリーブオイル、レモン＆塩こしょう）
２）シャキシャキいんげんのお浸し
３）ストロガノフ風ハンバーグ
４）白米＆豆腐と油揚げの味噌汁
５）最近ハマっているスペイン産赤ワイン
でした。美味かった〜！これまた数分で食べ尽くしました。（笑）超贅沢だけど、ハンバーグに松茸をいれたら、よりベターだったかも・・・！？！

Well, here's my menu for the day
1)Arugola,Celery, and Radish Salad with Olive Oil+Lemon Dressing
2)Boiled Green Beans with Bonito Flakes
3)Hamburger Steak Stroganoff Style
4)Rice and Miso Soup with Tofu
5)Spanish Red Wine
I must say that the meal was really good!

しかし、最近はめっきりグルメブログになっちゃっててすいません。そうそう、さっき急にデンワがあって、来年のデイトナ２４時間の話に興味がある？？なんて話がでてきました。０７年に一度出たけど、あの時は納得のいく走りができなかったから、また来年にリベンジするかな？！？

I just realized that my blog is turning in to a gourmet blog...instead of racing. Speaking of racing, I got a call today about a possible interest at the Daytona 24hr next year. I raced the 24hr in 07, which I was really not satisfied with my drive and may worth another shot at it!! You never know what can happen but I am looking forward to being back in the car again real soon!!

Pupusa

今日は日曜だったので午前中は家でまったり。シンガポールGPをテレビで見てから、ついつい２度寝しちゃいました。（笑）起きて、軽くカップうどんを食べて、ピットをお風呂に居れてから、風呂場の掃除。

Since it was Sunday, had a slow morning and watched the Singapore GP on TV. And than went back to bed for more sleep. Woke up again, had a udon for breakfast, and bathed Pit before lunch.

２時過ぎになって、なんだかお腹がすいたので、近くの市場の中にあるエルサルバドル料理屋に行って、ププサをテイクアウトして食べました。最近ハマってるんですよね。これ、たぶん日本じゃ食べれませんね・・・。

I got done cleaning the bathroom at 2pm, and realized I was starving so decided to take a walk down the Grand Central Market for a snack. There is a famous Salvadorian joint there that apparently serves the best Pupusa's in town so I gave it a try.

なんだか、癖があるのですが、トウモロコシでできたトルティーヤの様な物の中にチーズや豆が入っている食べ物です。ついでに、上に塩漬けされたピリ辛キャベツとホットソースをのせて食べるとなかなか美味いんですよね〜！！おやつにはピッタリでした。

You definitely can't get Pupusas in Japan...The cabbage and the sauce, and the Pupusa was wicked good!! Good snack if you want to satisfy your hunger in the late afternoon.

それにしても、ププサって変な名前！？！

I still wonder...who cam up with the name Pupusa?!?

Red Bull Soap Box Race

今日は家の裏でやっている、RedBull Soap Box Raceを見に行ってきました！さすが、Red Bull。イベントをうつのが上手ですね〜。メチャメチャ面白かったです。

Went to the Red Bull Soap Box Race today. I was amazed and impressed with how many people that were out there! Red Bull really knows how to throw a good event and a party!!

イベントが始まる前に、家のビル前にある駐車場で腹ごしらえ。駐車場にフードスタンドになっていて、色んなケータリングトラックが来てましたよ。ちなみに、裏に見えるビルが家のビルです。

Just before the event, I stopped at the concession stands in parking lot front of my apartment.

ランチで食べたのは、さいきん話題になっているMarked5と言うトラックでトラックで販売しているライスバーガー。

I always wanted to try the Marked5 rice burgers and finally found an opportunity today.

僕が頼んだのはトンカツライスバーガー。味はボチボチ。モスバーガーにはかなわないな・・・。

I ordered the Tonkatsu Burger. It was alright...not as good as the Mos Burger from Japan.

イベントは徐々に盛り上がり、まずは国歌斉唱。それからスカイダーバーがダウンタウンのビルの間を縫って降りてきました。無事に着陸して盛大な拍手！

People started to get crazy as the event started with National Anthem, followed by the Red Bull Sky Divers coming down through the downtown buildings. Lots of cheers when they came down from the crowds!

そして、今度はNASCARのデモラン。これは、本当のNASCARですよ〜。石鹸箱ではありません・・・。（笑）ちゃんとドーナッツターンしてかなり盛り上げてました！！

There was a brief NASCAR demo run. Yes this is a real NASCAR and not a soap box car...and no S.Speed nor B.Vickers was not in this car!?!

いよいよソーブボックスレースが開始。最初に走ったのは、ホットソースのボトルの形をしたマシン。

Finally the Soap Box Race has started. The first run was by a Hot Sauce Bottle car.

次に出走したのは船の形をしたマシン。

And than a Boat...

ついでにバイクも。

And a Bike...

んでもって、ピアノ。

Piano also...

途中でクラッシュしたけど、無事に完走するマシンも。

Some wrecked machine...but made it to the finish line.

一言で言えばギャグで始まったイベントですが、なかなか笑えます。ギャグを理由に市街地を閉鎖してイベントできちゃう所がアメリカンですよね！？！日本でもこういうイベントやったら面白いかも！！

ピット＆生姜焼きディナー

今日は午前中にピットをピックアップ。久しぶりの会って大喜び！でも、いつも預かって頂いている、ご家族を離れるのは少し寂しそうだったな・・・。今日からピットとネコのマリモとの生活が始まります。（笑）

Went to pick up Pit in the morning. He was happy to see me, but I guess he is going to miss the family who takes care of him when we are away. The treat him like a king...but I guess he'll be getting good attention for the next couple of weeks since my kids aren't here.

夕飯には豚の生姜焼き定食を作りました。ついでに、インゲンのお浸しと、豆腐のお味噌汁。生姜焼きと一緒に山盛りキャベツの千切り。白米と一緒にがっついちゃいました！色々と試した結果、やっぱ定食屋風に作るのは、タマネギをすりおろすのがベストですね！！数分で完食。ごっちゃんです。

Made some pork ginger tonight with steamed green beans and miso soup with tofu. It was really good. I have a special recipe for pork ginger which I grind the onions down for the sauce instead of slicing them. It was a healthy dinner and was done with it in minutes! Yummy...

自炊

ロスに戻り、昨晩は爆睡！１２時間くらい寝ちゃいました。ここ数週間の、ストレスが一気にどっとでた感じですが、寝たらだいぶすっきりしました。昨日はあまりにも疲れていたので夕飯は宅配ピザ。

Slept for almost 12hrs last night. I definitely was able to catch up with all the sleepless nights during last month. I was so tired that I just ordered a pizza for dinner before hitting the bed.

今日はランチに素うどんを作ったのですが、ダシをしっかりとって作ったのに味はいまさん・・・。これじゃ〜いかんと思い夕飯は気合いを入れてパスタを作りました。ん〜、ボチボチだったかかな？

For today's lunch, I made some Udon. Made it properly by making some Dashi...but the flavor was not enough. I figured I really need to get on with my cooking program if I wanted to stay healthy and made some Pasta tonight. Dinner was alright.

夕飯はルッコラ＆トマトのサラダとトマトスパゲッティーでした。

I had Arugola and Tomato salad with Spaghetti with Tomato sauce.

とうぶんは、一人だから自炊頑張らないと！！妻がいなくなると改めて、毎日ご飯を作ってくれる有り難さがわかるな〜・・・。

I'll have to keep cooking for a month and hopefully I will not run out of recipes... I definitely missed my wife's cooking.

ロスに帰って来たよ！

今日のフライトでロスに戻ってきました。２週間の滞在もあっと言うまで、昨日までドタバタ忙しかったのが嘘みたいです。妻と子供達は実家に戻り（別居じゃないですよ！？！（笑））日本をもう少し堪能。僕はペットちゃんの世話をしに、自宅に戻ってきました。

Just got back to LA. The two weeks stay in Japan went really fast and it is hard to believe that my schedule was so hectic until yesterday. My wife and kids are staying in Japan for another month and I am already feeling somewhat lonely by my self. I needed to make sure that our pets were doing OK so I'll be here couple of weeks by my self.

しかしここ数ヶ月は本当にインディジャパン参戦に向けての、プレッシャー＆ストレスがあり、無事にレースが終わった事によって、色々と解放された気分ですが、次なる目標がだいぶ先だな〜って思うと何だかテンションが上がらないな〜。

Well, the last couple of weeks getting ready for Indy Japan was full of stress and pressure for me. It was great to be back in the car, but was a lot of work to get everything together for the race. I feel like off the hook now with all the stress...and very tough to stay motivated to the next race since it's at least good 6months away!?!

今回のレースは本当にしょぼい走りをしたら、最後だぞと言い聞かせて走り、レース前からも皆に“ずっと続けて下さいね！”って声をかけられて、メチャメチャモチベーションが上がりました。次のレースは既に来年になってしまうけど、明日からジムに行ってトレーニングするぞ！＆スポンサー活動も年中無休で頑張らないと！！

I was committed to make this my last race if I had a poor run. The result was not what we wanted...but I truly think I still have what it takes to hang in with all the guys out there and decided to give another try. Besides, all my fans kept asking me to come back again, so I will definitely need to stay motivated and hit the gym starting tomorrow!! And the sponsorship hunt which is an endless job for the racing drivers.

では、皆さん引き続き応援宜しくお願い致します！！

Well, I appreciate all your support and will see you soon at the track again!!

皆さん有り難うございました！

レースも終わり、無事に東京に戻って来た所です。

Done with raceing and just checked in to my hotel in Tokyo.

皆さん、インディジャパンでは最後まで応援有り難うございました。結果は２０位と決して胸を張って言えるリザルトではありませんが、個人的には納得のいく内容になったと思います。

I want to thank all my fans for coming out to the race and cheering for me. The 20th place finish is nothing to be proud of...but I had a great run at the end and I am somewhat satisfied with the overall run.

レース序盤戦にダンパーが壊れてしまい、ピットで修復作業をしたために、３０ラップ近くも遅れをとってしまいました。しかし、最後まで諦めずに頑張って走り、ラストスティントはAGR勢と同じペースで走る事ができてました。

My damper broke right after my first pit stops which put me down 30 laps. We were able to fix the car and go back out and the car was handling great! I was able to keep up with AGR boys during the last stint and it's a pity on what happened to my damper...since I think we had a top 10 car.

今日のレースは自分でもレースをしている感があって、とても楽しかったです。色々と大変でしたが、頑張ったかいがありました。ここまでこれたのも、応援してくれた皆様のお陰です。本当に色々と有り難うございました！！

I haven't raced for year and a half and my skill was still there so I guess I'll have to give another go at this! Nevertheless, I really want to thank all my sponsors,fans, friends, and family who was cheering for me and have made it possible for me to race this week end! Thank you guys!!

モテギに到着

いよいよモテギに入りました！いや〜色々とあった数日間でしたが、何とかここまで来れて一件落着。しかし、本当の勝負は明後日からです。明日はしっかり、その勝負に挑める様にチームと色々と話し合って体制を整えたいと思います！週末を通していっぱい応援して下さいね。

Just arrived at my hotel in Motegi. Was a real hectic weeks but I am so glad to be here!! The real work is going to start on Friday so I better get my head together and go through all the scenario for the race with my team tomorrow. Well, wish me luck guys at see you at the track!!

スーツ到着

皆さん。レースはいよいよ今週末ですね。だんだん緊張してきたぞ〜！さてさて、今日スーツが届きました。先週の金曜に発注して、月曜に到着！しかも、イタリアから。恐るべしAlpinestars。

Hey guys, I can't believe that the race is already this week end... I just received my suit! I ordered the suit on Friday and it is here on Monday from Italy. Isn't that amazing??

今まで色んなスーツ会社と取引してきましたが、これだけ早い対応には僕も驚きです！本当に有り難うございました！！

I have been dealing with Alpinestars for years and they are definitely one of the best on being able to get the suit made and delivered quickly. The quality is also top notch!

ご覧の通りにメーンスポンサーはまだ募集中です！！興味がある方はぜひご連絡ください！！

As you can see, we are still working on the primary sponsor. Whoever interested can send me a message and we can talk!! For time being, the deal is a steal!!

ロジャー安川応援ファンドの方も引き続き宜しくお願い致します！

もう来週レース

皆さん、ご無沙汰してます。本当に・・・。気がついたらもう、１週間でレースですね！既に，US Racingのコラムを読んで頂いていればご存知だと思われますが、この１ヶ月は本当に大変でした。ストレスが溜まりまくって、一時はどうしようとパニクっちゃいました。が、なんとか話を前に進める事ができて、マシンもモテギまで送ってもらえる事になりました！

Hi Guys...it's been a while since I last posted an update. I can't believe that the Indy Japan race is only a week away. It was a real hectic month for me since the sponsor we were talking to has pulled the plug and I had to look for an alternate sponsor to do this race. I was able to put everything together barely...and the team was kind enough to proceed with the program.

まさかの自体で最後になって土壇場のスポンサー集めでしたが、まだまだ油断できる状態ではないので、レース当日までは資金集めをしなくてはいけない状態です・・・。色々と大変ですが、最後まで頑張りたいと思います！

We are still short to make this in to something worthwhile so will have to keep pushing until the race day. It's not going to be easy...but can't give up until the race is over!

僕は日本に戻って来て、今はスポンサー活動＆トレーニングに連日励んでいます。残り少ない時間を大切に使わなくてはいけません。レースではファンの皆さんにお会いできるのが楽しみです！全力で頑張りますので、ぜひ最後まで応援して下さいね〜！！

I really want to thank my personal sponsors and fans for helping me out for this race! I am looking forward to seeing each fans and will do my absolute best to kick some axx during the race!!

NACK5 イベント　in 　越谷

皆さん、ご無沙汰しております。ついついツィッターしてると、ブログの更新をさぼってしまいます・・・。既にご存知だと思いますが、今は日本に居ます。インディジャパンへの資金集めで、連日飛び回っていました。

Hey guys. Sorry for not keeping up to date with my blog. Once you start tweeting...it's so hard to make a time to update your blog because it's all up there already. As you all know,I am back in Japan trying to scramble for last minute funding.

日本は８月なのに、なんだか秋日和ですね。このくらいレースの週末も涼しければ良いけど、逆にメチャ暑だったりして！？！日本には、火曜までの滞在です。それまでに全力で頑張って、色々な細かい事を決めないと。

It's still end of August but pretty cool here in Japan and almost feels like it's autumn. I hope the race week end would be just as cool, but it can turn out to be real hot & humid. I'll be staying here until Tuesday and have to get things nailed down in next few days. Keeping my fingers crossed.

これから越谷にあるNACK5のイベントに行ってきます。久しぶりのイベントだからちょっと緊張するな・・・。ご近所に住んでいる方はぜひ遊びにきてね〜！！

Well, I am off to an radio event in Koshigaya. I am really looking forward to meeting my fans!!

NAOKICK

皆さん、最近はめっきりブログをさぼっちゃっててごめんなさい・・・。ちゃんと Twitter の方でフォローしてくれてるかな？ Twitter は比較的ひんぱんにアップデートしているので、しっかりフォローして下さいね。

Sorry for not keeping up with my blog guys. Hope you guys have been following me on Twitter . I guess I have been doing OK posting comments on Twitter if you have checked!?!lol

さて、昨日は久しぶりに朝方まで起きてしまいました。その理由は親戚のキックボクサーの石川直生君の試合があったからです。前回の滞在でもトレーナーの方を紹介してくれたり、いろいろと格闘の話を聞いていてかなり過酷だなと刺激を受けただけに、昨日のトーナメントの結果は気になっちゃいました。

Well, last night, I was up until 5am. No, not because I partied but because I was concerned about my relative who was going to fight in a 60kg K-1 style tournament in Japan. Naoki Ishikawa is a All Japan Kick Boxing Super Featherlite Champion and I was chatting with him during my last stay in Japan and was very curious about today's fight.

直君が今回でているのは、Krushライト級GP2009。６０kg級がかなり盛り上がっているみたいで、なんどか試合を見に行かせてもらいましたが、メチャメチャ面白いです。

I actually went to couple of Naoki's fight before and it is really exciting. I guess the 60kg ranks are pretty hot right now in Japan because the Japanese can do pretty well in it obviously because it fits the average weight of a Japanese person.

その直君は、昨日は２試合ありました。両試合とも手強い相手だったようで、１ダウンをもらってからの逆転KO勝利を成し遂げました！結果を聞いた時は自分の事の様に嬉しかったです！

Naoki had to do two fights last night in order to advance in to the final tournament which will be held in October. During the two fights, he ended up getting down on both fights but was able to win in style with two knock outs in the last seconds.

試合内容を従兄弟から聞いてから、エクサイトしたまま寝て、朝起きたらトレーニングに気合いが入りました。身近に頑張っている人がいると、自分も気合いが入ります。モテギまであと１ヶ月、これからが追い込みだ〜！

I had my cousin text me with the latest updates and could not fall a sleep after hearing the news about the two fights! I am really proud and hope he wins the tournament in October. I went back to sleep for 2hrs, and was fully refreshed and pumped to hit the gym! I guess it's my turn now to show some power at Motegi!!

ロスに戻ってすでに１週間。

気がついたらロスに戻って、あっと言う間に１週間が過ぎてしまいました。日本での滞在もあっという間だったな〜。が、色々な人にあえて、良いミーティングが沢山できました。

I can't believe it's already been more than a week since I came back from Japan. The trip was real busy but went well and was able to have numerous meetings that could lead to something beneficial for the future.

今はインディジャパンの準備に向けてラストスパートです。レースはもう１ヶ月チョイだと考えるとクルマに乗るのがワクワクしてきます。する事はまだまだ沢山ありますが、頑張ります！！

Well...it's only about 5weeks away from the Indy Japan race and I really need to pick up the pace on getting things done. I can't wait to hop in the race car and it sounds like we will have a very competitive car there!!

エアープレス上野

日本の滞在はかなりドタバタで、気がついたらもう月曜で帰国です。滞在中には色々とお世話になっている方にあったり、スポンサー活動等で大忙しでしたが、今回の滞在はかなりプラスです！

It has been a real hectic week...having said that, it was a great stay since I was able to meet with various sponsors and prospects.

昨晩は紅月で、夕食。相変わらず美味しかったです！西麻布から骨董通りに移転しまして、雰囲気もめちゃめちゃいいですよ〜。昨日は久しぶりにUFCで戦う秋山選手にお会いして、色々とUFCの話を聞く事ができました。格闘選手は本当に大変ですね・・・。色んな意味で良い刺激になりました。

I went to dinner last night with a UFC fighter at Kougetsu. The food was great as usual and their new location is fantastic! There were a lot of celebs at the restaurant! After talking to the UFC fighter...I am so glad that I don't have to kick and punch other people for living...!?!

今日は、明日のレース（？）に備えてユックリしています。実は明日はモテギで行われるidlers主催の１２時間耐久レースに出場するのです！インディーに向けてのトレーニングですね。（笑）久しぶりのレースなので、楽しみです！！

Well, today was a quite day for me so I spent majority of the day relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow's race. Yes, I am racing tomorrow at Motegi in my buddy's car. It's going to be a 12hr endurance race and should be a lot of fun. Plus it should be good for my training!?!

１２時間耐久と言う事で、今日は疲労回復するためにエアープレス上野い行って、酸素カプセルに入り、ばっちりリラックス。O2 Styleも沢山もらって、レース中はばっちり酸素補強ができそうです！！酸素があると、集中力が増すので今では必需品です。まだ、試された事がない方はぜひ試してみて下さい！！

Since I needed to recover from a busy week, I went to Air Press Ueno and recharged my self with a lot of oxygen. I also stocked my self up with 12hr worth of O2 Style to keep me oxygenated during the race.Believe it or not, oxygen keeps your concentration level high during the race and it's a must for me to drink during the race as well as when I'm training.

では、残り少ない滞在をエンジョイさせて頂きます。

Well...I guess I'm going to enjoy my week end and back to work on Monday!

ロジャー安川応援ファンドの方も引き続き宜しくお願い致します！

JAPAN

昨日のフライトで、日本に戻ってきました。日本はやっぱり蒸し暑いですね・・・。さっき家の近所の隅田川テラスを走ってきました。汗がビチャビチャです・・・。（泣）

I am back in Japan now. Yep...it is hot and humid here. Just went for a 10km run and I sweated like crazy...Hope it doesn't get any hotter than this during my stay.

昨晩は従兄弟とおじさん、そして親戚のキックボクシングのチャンピオンの石川直生君と一緒にご飯に行ってきました。やっぱ色々と格闘家の話を聞くと刺激がありますね〜！自分も頑張らないと！では、今からメディアインタビューで６時間缶詰です・・・。楽しみ！？！（笑）

Last night I went to dinner with my uncle and cousins, as well as one of my relative who is the Kick Boxing Champ in Japan. His name is Naoki Ishikawa and it really amazes me every time I talk to martial artists. He is a heck of a fighter and has a match coming up next month. Well...I am off to a 6hr media interviews...oh yeah I am looking forward to that!!

優弥選手がトップ４入り！

昨日のK-1 World Maxの試合で、知人の山本優弥選手が勝ち、トーナメントトップ４入りが決定しました！優弥おめでとう！！今朝スタバで原稿を書いていたら従兄弟から報告があり、早速デンワで祝福させていただきました。しかし、日本人唯一のトップ８入りで、準決勝までいくのは本当に凄い！皆さん、準決勝と決勝トーナメントではぜひ応援しましょう！

I want to congratulate my buddy Yuya Yamamoto who won the fight last night to be in top 4 for the K-1 World Max Finals. My cousin called me while I was working this morning and told me the news while they were celebrating. I was able to chat with him for couple of minutes and congratulated him for his success. He is the only Japanese in the Top4 and all of Japan would be watching him during the final fight.

彼は本当に人柄が良くて、ビックリします！でも、努力が彼の強さなのだと改めて実感しました。自分もモテギに向けて全力で頑張らないと！！良い刺激になりました！！早速さっきジムでがっつりトレーニングしてきました。

Yuya is such a kind person that you will never think he will kick your butt. But he does spend a lot of time training and that's something I really admire. It certainly made me think twice about my training routine and I was quickly back in the gym getting more work out for the day!!

GM

日本はもう真夏日和みたいですね。来週から日本に戻る予定なので、じめじめしてるのは嫌だな〜・・・。ロスの家ではほとんど蚊がでないのに、昨晩はなぜか部屋に出没。寝ようとしているのに、耳障りの“ビッ〜〜〜〜〜〜〜”っと言う音にイライラしてぜんぜん寝れませんでした。

I am planning for a trip back to Japan next week and I heard it is stinking hot out there. I am not really looking forward to that although it would be a business trip for me...an I certainly have a lot of work to get done. Speaking of hot...there was a mosquito in my bed room last night and it was really annoying!! I spent 20min trying to kill that sucker....

さてさて、今日はGMが再生復帰したニュースがありましたね。破産申請からあっと言う間の復帰。もともと、GMもゼネラル・モータースと言うよりガヴァメント・モータースの略だと言われる程に国家企業になっているだけに、今後のうごきが楽しみです。良いクルマをぜひ作って欲しいですね。これで、いよいよアメリカの景気回復の兆しも見えて来た所かな・・・！？！

Well, it's good to hear that GM is back on there feet. Although GM still probably stands as Government Motors... It must be a sign of the economy to pick up in the near future. They certainly need to make a car that sells...but their ability to make an unique car can't be copied by the Japanese Auto Manufactures.

引き続きロジャー安川応援ファンドの方のご協力宜しくお願い致します！！

Well, it is already July and I better get everything sorted for the Motegi race in Sept.

ヒデキとトレーニング。

皆さんお久しぶりです。週末はフェラーリチャレンジのレースに行って、連日朝６時起きで９時までサーキットにいたので、ブログをアップする事はできませんでした。今はロスに戻ってようやく落ち着いた所です。

Hey guys, sorry for not updating my blog for a while. I figured you will all be in tuned through Twitter. I was real busy last week end at the Ferrari Challenge race week end and finally have some time for my self...

月曜から後輩のヒデキが家に来ているので、一緒にトレーニングをしました！ヒデキはアイオワでは３位、リッチモンドでは４位とかなりノリノリなレースが続いています！今週末のレースに向けて、リラックス＆猛トレーニングでレース後半戦に向けてパワーを蓄えています。プラス普段は独身で食べれない、家庭料理を家の妻に作ってもらい、がっつり食べてくれるヒデキの姿を見て、妻も大喜び！次は表彰台の頂点を目指してもらえる様に皆で応援しましょう！

My buddy Hideki is in town from Monday and we've been training together for the last two days. He finished 3rd at Iowa and 4th at Richmond so he is really in a good groove. I think he was able to relax and have some good home made food from my wife so I'm sure he will go to Watkins Glen this week end in much better shape!!

昨日はヒデキとUS Racingラジオで対談インタビュー。なかなか面白い内容なので、ぜひ聴いてみて下さい！

I did a quick radio interview with Hideki yesterday and it was kind of weird interviewing him as driver/interviewer stand point....

気がついたら７月ですね。モテギの準備も急ピッチに進めないと！
引き続きロジャー安川応援ファンドの方のご協力宜しくお願い致します！！

Well, it is already July and I better get everything sorted for the Motegi race in Sept.

ヒデキおめでとう！

昨日のアイオワのレースでヒデキが３位に入りましたね！２年連続の表彰台ゲットおめでとう！！昔から弟の様に可愛がっているだけあって、本当に嬉しかったな〜。この調子でこれからの４連戦も頑張ってもらいたい所です。

I was so happy to see my bro Hideki finish 3rd yesterday. He had a great run and seems like he is just hooked at Iowa since it is his second consecutive podium finish.

自分は数日間の間は親父が来ていたので、色々とモールに行ったり買い物にいったりでした。日曜は父の日だったので、家で妻がディナーを作りました。自分は息子から幼稚園で作成したプレゼントをもらい感動！Twitterでプレゼントの写真が見れますよ！！

Well...since it was father's day yesterday, we cooked some dinner for my dad who happened to be in town and took him around town picking up souvenirs. I was also able to get a gift from my son which made my day!!

気がついたらもう６月末にさしかかってます。急ピッチでモテギのプランを立てないと！

Well...I can't believe it's already end of June..Better pick up my pace to get things together for the Motegi race!

引き続きロジャー安川応援ファンドの方やUS Racingのコラムの方も宜しくお願い致します！

体調不良

ここんとこブログをさぼっちゃってごめんなさい・・・。ツィッターの方ばっかりやってしまって、ブログは手抜きになっちゃいました。ツィッターはつぶやきブログだから便利ですよね。なんか、日本では堀江元社長も始めたりけっこう話題になってるみたいです。

Sorry for not updating my blog for the last couple of days... I've been so in to Twitter recently and figured you will all know what I was going to be up to. Twitter is so nice because you can make it really short but frequent. Apparently it's finally getting around in Japan as well!!

さてさて、自分はここ数日間は風邪でダウンしてます。H1N1でない事は確かですが、身体が痺れてます・・・。息子が恐らく幼稚園でもらった風邪が、娘→妻→僕と言うパターンでうつり、完全にやられています。来週はフェラーリチャレンジの仕事でミルウォーキーだから早く復活しないと！！

Well...as for me, I have been sick for last couple of days. I think my son brought a cold from Preschool that was passed on to my daughter, wife, and my self. Good news is...it's not H1N1 Swine Flu. Bad news is...I am sore! Anyhow, I am off to Milwaukee next week for some Ferrari Challenge work so I better recover fast!!

トレーニング行ってきました。

今日はロスで久しぶりに雨が降っています。気象が激しく雷もなっていて、どうやら落雷事故で２人もなくなってしまったみたいです・・・。怖い怖い。天気が悪い日に外を歩くのは、レースよりも危ないですね！？！

I can't believe it's raining today here in LA. Apparently two people are dead being hit by the thunder...how scary! I guess it's more risky walking down the street than driving a race car at 220+!?!

天気が悪いとやるきがなくなりますが、さっき気合いを入れる為にジムでトレーニング。マラソンが終わってから１週間振りのトレーニングだったので、身体がたるんでました。こんな事じゃだめだ〜と言い聞かせ、気合いでやったきました！！

Well...when the weather is bad, it makes you feel lazy, but I decided to hit the gym to get refreshed. I haven't worked out since the LA Marathon and was in time to get back in to racing shape!! I feel good now and really want to drive a race car badly right now!!

もう６月。

気がついたらもう６月ですね。この１週間は車の試乗＆原稿の締め切りに追われて、かなりドタバタしていました。今日になって、ようやくユックリできました。

Well...I can't believe that it's already June. This week went by so fast for me since I had to test drive several car as well as finish up couple of articles at the same time. I finally had time to relax today.

今日はロスで最近はやっている、韓国風タコストラックが家の近くに来ていると言う情報をつかんだので、早速言ってみました。Kogis bbqと言う名前でやっていて、トラックで色んな所へ移動して韓国風タコスを販売しています。僕が最近はまってるTwitterで、その日に行く場所やスケジュールを教えてくれます。まさに口コミ情報ではやっているお店です。LAっ子だったら知らないと時代遅れと言われてしまう程のお店です！？！（笑）

Through Twitter, I have learned that there is a Korean Style Taco Truck called Kogi bbq that is really popular here in LA. They used Twitter to announce the place and time where they are going to serve that day and since they were just couple of blocks away from my house today, I figured I will need to give it a try!

場所に行ってみると、予想通りに長蛇の列。オーダーするまでに１時間かかりました。オーダーしたのは、カルビタコス、スパイシーボークタコス、そしてチキンタコス。どれもコチュジャンがまざったレタスや葱などにあえた野菜のトッピングが付き、以外と美味しい！皆が並んで食べるのが納得！！ぜひロスに来た時は、トラックの場所を突き止めて、行ってみて下さい！！ちなみに、あまりにもお腹が空いていたので写真を撮りそびれました・・・。ごめんなさい。

When I got there, the line was really long. It ended up being an 1hour wait. But I must tell you that it is worth the wait, I got the short ribs, Spicy Pork, and Chicken tacos. They were all good!! It was like mexican food refined with touch of Korean food and since I love them both, it was really tasty!! I can see why they have such a big following here in LA!! Since I was really starving after 1hr of waiting, I had to have my tacos while hot and was not able to take any pict...but you can see there meal on their website which can be found from my Twitter page!

Twitter

TWITTERこんな感じで見れますよ！皆もはじめてみると面白いですよ〜。

明日はいよいよ５００の決勝！

今日は午前中ロスアンゼルス・コンベンション・センターへ行き、マラソンの受付をしてきました。出走するとTシャツなど色んなグッヅが貰えます。本当はもっと前にゲットしておきたかったのですが、前回はしったマラソンからずっと同じシューズをトレーニングでも使用していたので、今日は新しいシューズをアシックスのブースでゲット。マラソンの準備はバッチリです。

Went to the LA Convention Center in the morning to pick up my bib and goodie bag after finishing up the registration procedure. I also ended up getting my new ASICS shoes since I've been wearing the same running shoes for more than two years. I think I am just about ready for the marathon.

明日はテレビに釘付けです。朝一で起きてモナコGPを見て、その後はIndy500。そして最後にCocaCola600です。総合すると最低１０時間はテレビを見てる事になります。しかし、インディー５００をテレビで見るのは何だか寂しいです・・・。が、レース前になると全米最大ネットワークのチャンネルでもある、ABCでばしばしCMをやっているので、イベントの偉大さを感じます。

Well, tomorrow would be a long day in front of the TV since I'll have to start early for the Monaco GP, than Indy 500....and finally the Coca Cola 600. I figured it's going to be at least more than 10hrs watching races. I hope my wife has given up on idea on having to share the TV for tomorrow... It's really sad to watch the 500 from home, but there's always next year!!

ツィッターの方で僕の最新情報をゲットしてね！
http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa

You Can follow my day at http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa !

茂木へ向けてのミーティング

今日は息子を幼稚園に連れて行き、午前中は茂木についてのミーティング。まだ、３ヶ月あるっていっても、時間はあっと言う間に経ってしまいますからね。さて、いよいよ今週末はIndy500決勝ですね。IndyCarにデビューしてから５００の決勝を家で見るのは初めてです。なんだか、切ないな〜・・・。（泣）

Took my son to Preschool in the morning and had a great meeting in the morning talking about some plans to add value through different events leading up to the Motegi race.I can disclose all the details yet but should be real fun if we can make it happen. The Indy Japan race is only about 3.5months away and time will fly!! Speaking of racing...it will be painful watching the 500 at home. This is my first time watching that race from home since I debuted in 2003!!

ツィッターの方も見に来て下さいね！ http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa

You can follow me on http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa !!

ジョギング

今日は子供を幼稚園に連れて行き、待っている間に公園に行きランニングをしてきました。２時間近く走ってストレッチ。久しぶりに外を２時間走ったら、けっこう足にきてますね〜・・・。月曜のLAマラソンは大丈夫かな？！？

What a nice day in LA. You can't beat the weather here in SoCal. Went to drop my son off at the PreSchool and than I was off to a long run at the near by park. I usually run on the treadmill so my legs are a bit tired today...Hopefully I can last the full marathon distance on Monday.

ツィッターけっこうはまってます。 http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa 遊びにきてね！

You can follow me on http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa !!

ロスに戻ってきました！

昨日ロスに戻ってきました。決勝までいたかったのですが、ホテル代等がかかってしまうので、ここは経費削減と言う事で一日でも早く家に戻って来るしかないですね・・・。

Came home yesterday. Wanted to stick around for the race, but the hotel bill and all the costs keeps adding up and decided to head home.

久しぶりに家に戻って、子供達に会ってなんだかほっとします。そうそう、今週末はロスマラソンがあるので、インディーにでれなかったストレス解消として走ってきます。

I'm real happy to see the kids as my son started to speak more now. Oh, by the way, since I wasn't able to race in the 500...I'll be shaking off all the stress by running the LA Marathon!!

それと、Twitter始めたので、遊びに来て下さいね！
http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa

Also, I have finally started to Twitt! Come by http://twitter.com/rogeryasukawa

残念・・・。

今日は最後まで一生懸命ガレージで交渉を続けましたが、残念ながらシートを獲得する事ができませんでした。ずっと応援してくれていた方々には本当に申し訳ないと思っています。僕としても、悔しい気持ちでいっぱいです。しかし、そのぶんも茂木に向けて頑張りたいと思います！！

It was a long day today...walking between the media center, pit lane and the garage to tale to the team owners. Obviously, I could not get in the car and turn the wheel at all this month and very disappointed about that. However, the drama during the Bump Day was spectacular and made me more eager to get back in the car ASAP!! I'll definitely be back next year giving it another go!! See you guys at Motegi!!

ロジャー安川応援ファンドの方でも短い期間で、たくさんの支援を頂き本当に有り難うございます！茂木に向けて頑張りますので、引き続き応援宜しくお願い致します！！

Also, Thanks again for all your support for the Roger Yasukawa cheering funds through the US Racing website! The funds would be utilized for the Indy Japan race and am very confident that we will have a strong car there!!

厳しい〜・・・。

今日もサーキットで交渉。昨晩は色々と良い話があったのですが、朝サーキットに行ってみたらなかなか難しい状況です。タイムリミットは明日です・・・。かな〜り難しい状況ですが頑張ります！！

Was at the track again today. I thought I had something promising going yesterday but wasn't enough to strike the deal... The time limit is tomorrow but still haven't given up!! You never know in this world what can happen with in 24hrs!!! Good night.

ロジャー安川応援ファンドでは、クレジットカード決済もできる様にして頂けました。何度もお願いをして大変恐縮ですが、引き続き宜しくお願い致します！

前向き

今日は午前中はジムで１時間のランニング。お昼前にサーキットに行き、早速チームと交渉。日曜までは何が起きるのかわからないので、全力で頑張っています。御陰さまで、ロジャー安川応援ファンドの方からの資金も集まり、シートを獲得できる土台に立てるまであとちょっとの所まできています。日曜までは何が起きるかわかりませんが、全力で頑張りたいと思います！！協賛して頂いた皆様には心から感謝しております。ありがとうございます。

Got up early to hit the gym for an hour run. Came back and straight off to the speedway. I chatted with couple of teams offering for some help setting up the car and also about possibility on being able to get in the car perhaps by Sunday. I've got some funds put together through my Roger Yasukawa Cheering Funds and I am getting closer for the figure on what it would take to get a last minute deal. You never know what can happen on Sunday so I am crossing my fingers!!

夕飯は英紀と焼き肉を食べにいきました。同じサーキットに居るのに、ぜんぜん会わないんですよね・・・？！？（笑）

Went to dinner with my buddy Hideki and it's really weird not bumping in to each other for a week although being in the same track and garage area...he seems to be pretty happy with his car so I wish him luck.

それでは、ロジャー安川応援ファンド引き続き宜しくお願い致します！

スポンサー活動

今日もジムに行ってがっつりトレーニング。お昼からはスポンサー活動の資料や連絡の取り合いであっという間に一日が終わってしまいました。週末の間から交渉をしていた所との話はNGになってしまい、ちょっとがっくり・・・。が、まだまだ諦めませんよ〜！

Another day at the gym. Worked on a lot of proposal and on the phone for couple of hours trying to get some kind of deals out there. I'm sure there must be someone who may be interested...you never know. However, the guys we were negotiating over the week end fell through so we need to find another prospect and time is clicking....

ロジャー安川応援ファンド宜しくお願い致します。

ホテルの回りをランニング

今日はホテルの回りをジョギングしました。天気がメチャメチャよくて、トレーニング日和です。ジョギングを終えてからはジムに行って有酸素運動をして、ホテルに戻ってデンワでスポンサー活動の件に関して、色々と連絡を取り合いました。午後はサーキットでチームにご挨拶。みんな一生懸命仕事中の所をちょこちょこセッティングの情報を聞いたり、回りの動きに関して話を教えてくれるので助かります！

Woke up and went for a run around the hotel. The Weather is pretty nice today here in Indy and was a great for outdoor activity. I still went to the gym after the jog for more Cardio exercise, and came home for a quick conference call with an agency in Toronto. Went to the track in the afternoon to speak with some team members to gather the set up data as well as what other teams are doing. Those info would become valuable once I hop in to the car!!

ロジャー安川応援ファンドよろしくおねがいします！

ジムでトレーニング

今日は走行がないので、ホテルの側のジムでがっつりトレーニングをしました。スッキリです！色々と交渉事でストレスが溜まっていたので発散。午後はサーキットでガレージをうろうろして、チームと話しをしました。スポンサー獲得次第ですが、まだまだどうなるかわかりません。引き続き頑張ります！！

There were no track activity at the track today so I decided to go to the gym across a street from my hotel. I was somewhat frustrated with all the negotiations from last couple of days and was able to release my stress by having a good quality work out. Than off to the track again to talk to the teams. Still waiting to hear back from a prospect sponsor...but I need to keep doing what ever I can to make this happen!!

ロジャー安川応援ファンドよろしくおねがいします！

今日もサーキットで交渉

今日も一日中メディアーセンターでスポンサー候補と連絡をとりあったり、ガレージに行ってチームの交渉をしたり等であっと言う間に終わってしまいました。走行中には何人かのドライバーがクラッシュして、交渉しているチームとの状況が変わって来てしまうの困ったX2。まだまだどうなるか、わかりませんが全力で頑張っています！

It was a long day at the track again, working out of the media center talking to some prospect sponsors, as well as going through the garage and chatting with the team owners. There were some crashes on track today which changes the dynamic of what I have been discussing for the 2nd week program. I hope it's not going to affect the deal too much if something comes up...either way, I gotta keep pounding the pavement!!

引き続きロジャー安川応援ファンド宜しくお願い致します！

企画書

今日はポールデー。少し肌寒く＆風も強くてなんだから２００３年のポールデーを思い出します。今の所はペンスキー＆ガナッシ勢は上位を独占してます。頑張れ英紀！！

It is Pole Day already and it's chilly and windy here at the Speedway. It reminds me of 2003 Pole day which was a difficult day to set the car up. As usual Penske and Ganassi guys are up front but you never know what can happened at the end. I'm cheering for my buddy Hideki though...

時分は昨晩から作っている企画書の作業をメディアセンターで行い、色々とグラフィックの作業等でいっぱいいっぱいです。どうなるか、わからないけどビッグチャンスに繋がるかもしれないので！チャンスは掴むもので待っていてもなかなかやってきませんからね！！

I spent the majority of the day working on the proposal that needs to be out by tonight. I'm working on graphics as well....I'm not that great at it but it is good to learn about the software. It may pay off at the end but still a very long shot and being able to strike a deal. You can't wait for opportunities but you have to find it!! Hope I will get some good response by Monday.

引き続き頑張ります！！
Wish me luck guys!!

ロジャー安川応援ファンドよろしくおねがいいたします。

今日からサーキット入り

今日からサーキット入りしました。今にも雨が降りそうな一日でしたが、なんとかドライで走行は無事に終了。時分は１月にこれなかったので、インフィールドにあるメディカルセンターに行き、体力測定＆身体検査を行い無事にパス。ライセンスも獲得して何時でも車に乗る準備はできています。

Just arrived to the track today. It seemed like it was going to rain but it stayed away from us and the cars were on track through out the day. I had to get my license and physical done today so I can be ready to hop in the car anytime. Everything went well and I am clear to drive!

午後はガレージをうろちょろして、ピットレーンを歩き色々とチームの動きを観察。すると、以前からインディーに来ると噂をされている琢磨選手とばったり遭遇。ちょこっと立ち話をして、そのまま仕事に戻りチームとの交渉。あっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました・・・。

In the afternoon, I was in the garage talking to the teams and waking around the pit lane. I bumped in to Takuma Sato who is rumored to be coming this way. It seems like he is interested and would look forward to having him in he series.

まだまだ、交渉はこれからです。しかし、１年振りにやってきたのにファンの人達に覚えてもらってた事はちょこっと嬉しかったな！（笑）

Well, I still have a lot of work to do and phone calls to make. Besides all that, I was very happy to get all the greetings from the fans who hasn't forgotten about me even after a year of not being in the car!!

それでは、引き続きロジャー安川応援ファンドを宜しくお願い致します！

Thanks again for all your support and would appreciate every little donations through the Roger Yasukawa Cheering Funds!!

インディーに到着

皆さん１週間の間もブログをさぼってしまって、すみません・・・。今はインディアナポリスにいますが、出発までにできる限りの事をLAでしようと、必死になっていましたら、インディーではあっと言う間に走行が開始してしまいました。今の時点ではまだ決まっているものはありませんが、何がおきるかわからないので、サーキットに行き交渉を続けたいと思います。

Sorry for not updating my info for a week. I've been real busy in LA trying to do as much as I can in order to raise funds as well as sending out offers to possible sponsors. There is nothing lined up at this point...but will have to wait to hear back from couple of other prospects. I just landed in Indy and will be going to the track from tomorrow morning.

しかし、１年振りのインディアナポリス。去年から１年経つと思うと、なんだか恐ろしい・・・。昨年は本当に苦い＆屈辱的な思いをしたので、なんとか今年はリベンジしたい所です！

I can't believe it's been almost an year since I was here last. The Bump Day last year must have been the worst day of my life...so far... And hope to be back here for a revenge.

すでに、皆さんはご存知かもしれませんが、最近コラムを書かせて頂いてるUS Racingのサイトでロジャー安川応援ファンドを立ち上げて頂きました！不況でスポンサー獲得に困難していますが、ぜひ応援して下さい！なんとかシート獲得できる様に全力で頑張ります！！詳しい内容に関しましては下記のサイトをご覧下さい。宜しくお願い致します。
http://www.us-racing.net/modules/weblog0/details.php?blog_id=2215

By the way, I have started to write a column in US Racing website although it is all in Japanese. They have set up a Roger Yasukawa Cheering Funds for me in order to get my deal a bit closer. I will be writing blogs and updating all my info through their website so please check it out!

http://www.us-racing.net/modules/weblog0/details.php?blog_id=2215

フェラーリチャレンジ＆友人の結婚

いや〜いよいよ５月に突入しましたね。僕はいまソノマに着ています。今週末は営業活動＆フェラーリチャレンジの仕事で大忙しです・・・。そんななか、昨日はワイハで友人が結婚をしました！ミラノ時代の友達で今はニューヨークに住んでいます。結婚式を行くつもりでいたのですが、未だに５００の話が進まないのでドタキャンをしてしまって本当に申し訳ない・・・。ワオウカイ君（友達のニックネーム）ごめんよ〜！！でも、結婚おめでと〜！！Indy500にでてNY遊びにいくからね〜〜！！

Well...Month of May is finally here. I am in Sonoma now working at the Ferrari Challenge Week End and have been super busy trying to get things done for the 500. As always, things are real difficult, but it's even tougher now with the economy taking a slump. Meanwhile, I was supposed to attend to a wedding this week end in Hawaii and I had to cancel out from that. I feel really bad for my buddy as I wanted to celebrate his special day... He is one of my best friend from my High School Days in Milan and lives in NY now. Well, I guess I just have to secure a deal for the 500 and visit him in NY before the race!!

もう４月末

いや〜週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまい、気がついたら４月末。もうインディー５００は目前ですね。今週はラストスパート＆２４時間態勢でインディーに向けてスポンサー活動やチームとの交渉。どこのチームもやはり不況のせいで、スポンサー獲得を困難のようで、その負担をドライバーで補おうとしているので、大変な状況です。
が、スポンサーを獲得しないと状況はかわらないので、全力で頑張ってます！！なんだか、毎日がどきどき。緊張感あり過ぎの今日このごろです。

Wow...the week end passed by so fast and we are approaching month of May in a hurry. This week would be a critical week for me since it can be a deal or no deal week for me with a sponsor that we are currently discussing. If things don't happen this week, I have to opt for Plan B which is trying to find a second week ride...which is obviously not ideal. Anyhow, I gotta keep trying!! Wish me luck guys!!

気がついたら週末

気がついたらあっと言う間に週末に入りましたね。昨日と今日はジムでがっつりトレーニングをしてから、家で色々とスポンサー活動の為の連絡の取り合いであったり、チームとの交渉。今の時点で凡そ３０台は確定していて、残りのレースに参戦できる枠は３台。エントリーしている枠もいれると８台ありますが、ちゃんとしたシートは残り３つくらいなので、早くスポンサーを決めてシートを獲得しないと。色々と大変でプレッシャーかかっています・・・。

I can't believe that we are already headed in to the week end. I was at the gym today and yesterday for majority of the day to get me well prepared for the 500. As I got back home, I was straight back on to my desk to get things moving forward for the 500 talking to possible sponsors and seeing what's out there for a possible ride. There are 30 driver/car combination now which leaves 3 more drivers to make the show. Realistically, there are 8 more cars that are entered in to the race of which 3 seats are with a pretty good team. Time is running out and I will have to raise enough funds real quickly in order to run in this year's 500. I'm stressed out this last couple of days, but will need to keep working hard at it as things are moving forward slowly but surely.

交渉ノンストップ

いや〜気がついたらもうちょっと５月ですね。いよいよやってきましたよ〜Month of Mayが！！自分にとっては年に一度の稼ぎ時のチャンス。色んなチームと交渉してシートを獲得して、良い体制で５００に参戦しないとって毎年必死に動いている時期です。

I can't believe it's time of the year again! Month of May!! Obviously it's the only time where I can depend on a decent income if I run the 500. Well...I should say more than decent!?! Well, it gets really busy during this time of the year in order to secure a seat for the race.

このトレーニングが終わると一日中、メールや電話でシートがありそうなチームと連絡の取り合い。その上に色んな口コミ情報で回りがどういう動きをしてるかって言うのもしっておかないといけないので、情報集めが大変です。しかし、今年は今まで以上にスポンサーを確保して、お土産をもってチームと交渉をしなくてはいけないので、大変ですが全力で頑張ります！！

This year will be even tougher because all the teams are expecting reasonable funds to go racing. In order to find a seat, it's a full time job being on the phone and exchanging e-mails with prospect sponsors, team owners, and etc.... And it is hardest part of racing. To find a ride is a lot harder than the actual race!?! Well, I really have some unfinished business at the 500 and I am going to give my best shot again for this year's race!!

ロスは暑いです！

今朝ロスに戻ってきました。飛行場についてターミナルからでたら、まず“暑っ”！！なんと、今日はレコードヒートで４０℃を超える猛暑でした。アトランタにいた時はどちらかというと肌寒かったので、体調を崩してしまいそうないきおいです・・・。

Just got back home from Atlanta. As I got out of the terminal, I couldn't believe how hot it is here in LA. The weather in Atlanta wasn't too bad and the tem difference is outrageous.

なんだか、日本から戻ってきてやっとほっと一息する事ができました。が、それも束の間で明日は原稿を書き、今週中はずっと５００に向けての交渉でかなり忙しくなりそうです。エントリーリストもでて、参戦決定組が２８台。残りの５台のシートを獲得しないと！！頑張るぞ〜〜！！

Well, I was able to get some rest today and play with my son.It seemed like everything was non-stop for the last 15days...and was finally able to get my own time today. I will need to get back to work tomorrow, as I have to finish up some article for the Japanese Media as well as work on couple of prospect sponsors for the 500. The entry list for the 500 is out and 28 driver is confirmed. I will definitely need to get in to the last 5 available slots to make the show!! It's not going to be easy but I'm going to give my best shot!!

アトランタに到着

さっきアトランタに着きました。昨日は午前中にミーティングがあり、午後は英紀が家に到着し、髪をカットしたいと言うので、知り合いの美容室にいき、夜は家でお好み焼きディナー。息子はかなり英紀になついて、喜んでました！

Just checked in to my hotel in Atlanta. It was a real busy day yesterday having a quick meeting in the morning and meeting up with my buddy Hideki Mutoh in the afternoon. Hideki wanted to cut his hair so I took him to the hair salon that I usually go to in Beverly Hills. Than back home for dinner with my family. My son really enjoyed having Hideki around!!

そして、今朝は早起きして午前中に一緒にジムにいきトレーニング。お昼前に空港に連れてってもらい、自分はアトランタに出発。短い時間ですが、久しぶりに弟の様に可愛がってる英紀と時間を過ごせて良かったです！今週末がんばれよっ！！僕はアトランタでお仕事頑張ります・・・。

This morning, I woke up early and took Hideki to my gym and worked out together. It's always good to have some on who you can compete with when your training and it was a great work out. Before lunch, I got Hideki to give me a ride to LAX and off to Atlanta. It was really nice to spend time with Hideki since he is like my little bro and I really hope he will have a successful week end at Long Beach while...I will be working in Atlanta!?!

まだ朝の５時です。

今は朝の５時です。バッチリ目が覚めてしまいました。今日もこれからジムに行き、御前中は明日からアトランタに行ってしまうので、家族の食料品をスーパーに行って買い、午後からは英紀が家に来る予定です。なんだか、今までは弟の様に可愛がっていて、今も弟の様に可愛がっていますが・・・、同じ舞台で戦っている事が未だに信じられないです。（笑）今週末のロングビーチではぜひ頑張って欲しいのですね！！

It's still 5am in the morning here in LA. I am just getting ready to hit the gym again, and will be off to the grocery store before lunch since I need to pick up a lot of stuff because I am going away again for a week. In the afternoon, my buddy Hideki is coming in town and will be staying at my place tonight. I've know Hideki since he was a little kid, and he is like my little bro. I still have hard time realizing that we are racing in the same league. Well, I wish him best of luck this week end at Long Beach!!

ロスに戻ってきました

昨日ロスに戻ってきました。飛行機の中では４時間くらい寝れたのですが、着陸寸前になって突然体調がわるくなり、挙げ句の果てには鼻血がでてきて・・・？！？家に戻っても体調がすぐれなかったので、そのままユックリしていました。が、息子と娘の顔を見るとだいぶ元気になりますね！！

I came home safely and am delighted to see my kids. I was able to sleep for about 4-5hrs...but as we came close to time to land, I started to feel ill, and for some reason my nose started to bleed. I got home and needed some rest so I ended up not doing anything yesterday afternoon which I felt bad for my son who was ready to go out somewhere to have fun.

今はバッチリ時差ボケで３時には目が覚めて、これからジムに行く所です。まだ朝の４時半ですが。どちらにしても、明後日からアトランタで東時間になっちゃうから、今のうちからならしておかないと。

Well...I am 100% jetlagged right now and was up from 3am. It's still 4:30am here but I figured I will hit the gym and mind as well get used to the east coast time since I am traveling out there in two days.

これからロスに戻ります。

１０日間の日本滞在もあっと言うまで今は空港にいます。チェックインしてからやたらたこ焼きが食べたくなったので、銀ダコに行って腹ごしらえをしてから、飛行機に搭乗。ロスに戻って久しぶりに子供に会うのが楽しみです。が、水曜からはアトランタに移動して、フェラーリチャレンジのレース・・・。ユックリしてる暇もなさそうです。

I am at the airport already getting ready to board my flight back to LAX. 10 days has passed by so fast... But I am looking forward to getting home and being able to see my kids. At the airport, I was starving...so I ate some Takoyaki which is Octopus Balls...which is very delicious. When I get back in LA, I will be there for 3 days and off to Atlanta again for the Ferrari Challenge Race. I guess I will not have much time to relax...

１０日の滞在もあっと言う間に終了

気がついたら１０日の滞在もあっと言う間に終了。今回の滞在はかなりドタバタしていて、ブログをアップする事ができませんでした・・・。ごめんなさい。が、先に繋がりそうな話が何個かできたので良かったです。５００はもう来月なので、後は一か八かと言う所ですが、最後まで全力で頑張らないと！！

I can't believe my 10 days stay is almost over. It was a real busy trip meeting people and I wasn't able to update my blog for a week. Sorry guys... However, the meeting went really well and I have good confident that it will lead to something. However, the time is ticking for the 500 and I will need to keep my fingers crossed in order to make something happen out there.

さてさて、滞在中は色んな美味しいご飯が食べれました！もちろん、出て来た物を速攻で食べてしまう僕は写真撮ってません・・・。ごめんなさい〜・・・。まず、一番最初に行ったのは、久しぶりに花籠味。和食の美味しさと、色んなレース話ができて本当に楽しかったです！！

Well...it was very busy during the day and I also had dinner meeting every night here in Tokyo. Thanks to all my sponsors, they always take me to great restaurants and it was a gourmet week for me. On Monday, I went to Kakomi which is a small Traditional Japanese Restaurant in Ginza. I haven't been there for a while and the owner Kakomi is a big fan of racing and we always talk about racing while having dinner. Even the Ross Brawn, who owns Brawn GP, the team who won the first 2 races of F1 this season goes there.

滞在中にちょっと花粉症がヤバく、疲れがたまって来たのでエアープレス上野に行って、酸素カプセルに入りリラックス！かなりリフレッシュして、またスポンサー活動を再開。

During my stay, I was pretty tired with jetlag as well as struggled with sinus allergy, so I decided to make a visit to Air Press Ueno.I was able to totally refresh my self, and I swear that adding more oxygen in your blood stream cures the sinus allergy...at least temporarily for me!!

水曜の夜には久しぶりに紅月に行ってきました。ここでは、マヨ嫌いの僕が伊勢エビマヨに挑戦。マヨ嫌いの僕でも食べれるくらいに、まろやかで美味しかったです。メインには贅沢にアワビのシャブシャブ。美味しい物を食べると元気がでますね！！

And than off to Kougetsu. I always stop by here and usual have Pork ShabuX2, but this time I tried Ise-Shrimp with Mayo(basically Lobster Mayo). I am not a big fan of Mayonnaise...in fact I hate it...but the Ise-Ebi Mayo was so mild and delicious. Got a give this try if you have chance in Japan!! The main course was Abalone Shabu Shabu.

そして、木曜の晩はずっとお世話になっているUp Startの社長夫妻と代官山でお食事。ここで食べたイタリアン・・・とくにウニのパスタがメチャ美味しかったです！！

On Thursday night, I visited Up Start a clothing company in Daikanyama district. They've been a part of my program for last couple of years and we talked about my future plans. Than off to dinner at this great Italian Restaurant. The Urchin Pasta was phenomenal here!!

金曜は地元の下町に戻り、昨晩はO2 Styleの社長と蔵前にある天婦羅いせやでお食事。やっぱり下町もアットホームでいい感じですね。ちなみに、いせやで天かすをお土産でもらい、ロスに戻ったら早速お好み＆焼きそばを作る予定です！！（笑）

Finally last night...I was back in downtown near my house. I was with the owner of O2 Style and went eat Tempura at Iseya in Kuramae. They've been serving Tempura for 100 years in downtown district of Tokyo. I picked up some Tempura Crumbs to go and will bring this back to LA so my wife can make some Yakisoba with it. Tempura Crumb is a secret ingredients on being able to make good Yakisoba.

そんなこんなで、日中は忙しく夜はグルメな滞在を過ごさせて頂きました。（笑）美味しい物を色々とご馳走してくれて皆さん本当に有り難うございます！！しか〜し、家に帰って妻に自慢するのは少し後ろめたい今日この頃です。なんとか、５００に出てしっかり稼いで家族にも美味しい物を食わせてあげるぞ〜！！

Well...it was a gourmet trip as much as a business but I really appreciate all the guys who took to me to these great restaurants. I kind of feel guilty telling my wife about all these great meals.... But I guess I am gonna have to race in the 500 and make some serious cash to take my family out to a great dinner after the race!!

結婚式

日本に戻ってきました！そして、昨晩はミラノ時代からの友人の結婚式に出席してきました！！久しぶりに友達と会って、友人の結婚を祝えて良かったです。やっぱり結婚式はいいですね〜〜、感動的で！！いや〜、Y君＆Yちゃんおめでとう！！末永くお幸せに！！桜満開のなかで結婚式を挙げれるのは本当に良かったです。

Got back to Japan on Friday and attended to my friends wedding last night. I haven't seen him for a while and it was great to reunite with all my friends from Milan. But more importantly we were all happy to celebrate my buddy's wedding. It's always great to attend to a wedding and it certainly was a long nigh in Tokyo because we only see each other every 2-3years.

そして、僕は明日からメチャメチャ忙しい日々が続きそうです。インディ−５００に参戦する為の予算集めとしてはラストチャンス。気合いを入れていかないと！！

Well...my stay is going to get real busy now since I have several meetings during this week on trying to finalize a deal raise some funds to run Indy!! Wish me luck guys!!

これから日本です。

今はロスの空港にいます。この間ロスに戻って来たばかりなのに、また今から日本に戻ります。今回は５００の前に最後に帰れるチャンスなので営業活動を気合い入れて頑張らないと！！

I am in LAX right now getting ready to board the flight back to Japan. Seems like I was there couple of days ago!?! This would be the last trip before Month of May so I really need to work hard to raise the funds in order to race in the 500 this year.

日本はもう暖かいのかな・・・？これから長いフライトが苦痛だな〜。まだ見えない映画が上映されているといいけど・・・。

I hope it's warm in Japan....I am not looking forward to the long flight and I hope the movie they are going to air today is not the one I have already watched.

明後日から日本です

今日は朝一でジムに行きトレーニング。午後は明後日から日本に行くので、色々と頼まれ物等をゲット。基本的には行きはスーツケースガラガラなのですが、帰りはお土産でパンパン。しかも、最近はスーツケースが２３kgまでに規制されているので、よく考えてパッキングしないと追加料金を取られてしまいます・・・。海外旅行をされる方は大きなスーツケースを一個よりも、中くらいのサイズを２つ持っている方が効率性良いですよ！！

Woke up early to go to the gym. Worked out all morning and got some work done in the afternoon as well as went to couple of stores to pick things up for my coming trip to Japan. I am leaving on Thursday and will be there for almost a week. I usually go there with an empty suits case and come back full of souvenir for my kids and wife. It is getting real strict with 23kg weight limit on the check in bags and it is almost better to have two medium size suits case rather than one large suit case to stay with in the limit. I will have to use my head when I'm packing to avoid those extra charges!!

朝食

昨晩は運動会で息子も疲れていたのか早く寝てしまい、今朝は７時前に起床。強引に起こされた自分も気合いでジムに行き１０kmのランニング。久しぶりの日曜をレース観戦しながら満喫する事ができました。

I guess my son was real tired last night and went to be early. The bad news for that is, he was up before 7am and obviously would do everything to wake me up. Since I was able to get up early, I went to the gym for 10km run and spend majority of the day watching the F1 and NASCAR race on TV.

最近はまっている物があります。それは朝食に食べる、山盛りフルーツ、プレーンヨーグルトに、グラノラをかける事です。さくさくと食感があって、全体的にヘルシー！！しかし、色んな所を転戦してきましたが、朝からサラダを食べるの習慣が日本にはあるのですかね！？！（笑）

Just before I hit the gym, I had my power breakfast which is a huge bowl of fruits, plain yogurt, and granola. I eat this every morning before I go to the gym and it gives me all the energy I need for the whole day!! On the other note, some people in Japan eats salad for breakfast but I am not a salad guy for breakfast!?!

運動会

今日は、息子が通う幼稚園で運動会がありました！息子がでる種目はリレー、親子と一緒にチキンダンス、そして親子でゲームリレーでした。ダンスは僕と似て不得意の様です・・・。

There was an Athletic event today at the pre-school where my son goes to. It's a Japanese tradition to host an athletic day once a year at the school and they make the kids dance and run sometimes together with the parents. My son participated in a sprint run, dance with your parents, and a game relay with your parents. Obviously my son didn't do so well in dancing...and I really know now that he has got my blood!?!

が、リレーは余裕でトップでゴール！しかも、親子と一緒のゲームリレーの前では妻から耳元にボソッと“気合いを入れて行けよ”と一言。（笑）そんな緊張感の高まる雰囲気のなか、息子は協議をみて集中力を高める。

However, he was really fast in the sprint run and beat all other kids!! He also had to do the Game Relay Run with me...and my wife just needed to add the extra pressure on us to win that event. Look how serious and concentrated my boy is before the run!?! Lol...

そして、ゲームリレーもブッチギリのトップでゴール！！とりあえず、運動能力は高そうなので男としては一安心です！！

Well...we came in first for the Game Relay as well!! I am relieved to know that his athletic ability is high but will need to work on his dancing skills if he wants to find a girl friend....may be in 15years!?!

いよいよF1開幕

今週末にいよいよF1が開幕しますね。今年はルールの変更で、車のデザインやKERSシステムの導入で何処がレースに勝つかわからないので、最初の何戦かは面白くなりそうですね。しかし、低くと大きいフロントウィングは気になりませんが、高くて細いリアウィングはなんだか違和感ありますね。後ろから見るとフォーミュラールノーが走ってるみたいで・・・。車載カメラを見る限りでは、車の操作が難しくなってそうですね。今からレースを見るのが楽しみです！！

Finally the F1 season is starting this week end in Australia. There were many rule changes over the winter and the cars are much different this year. The KERS System and the rear diffuser is causing a lot of controversy this week end and it is really hard to predict who will win the race. Also, the new front wings looks alright, but the tall and narrow rear wing is really ugly...it looks like bunch of Formula Renault going around the track!?! Well, it certainly is making the car more difficult to drive from looking at the in-car camera feed. It probably would be the most interesting season in many years!!

WBC

昨日は急遽WBCの決勝を見に行ってきました！ドジャーススタジアムから５分の所に住んでいるので、チケットを頂いて、いざ観戦へGo！！試合はかなり盛り上がっていました。が、韓国タウンが近い事もあって、雰囲気は完全にアウェーゲーム・・・。途中でヤバい雰囲気になりましたが、最後はやってくれましたね！！

I went to see the World Baseball Classic final last night. Japan was playing against Korea and it was a very good game. I had a seat all the way at the top so we had pretty good viewing. It must have felt like an away game for the Japan team with so many Korean's cheering for there country since K-Town is huge here in LA. Japan ended up winning and was able to hold on to their title. It certainly was worth going out there!! Well...off to the regular season now. I may stop by the stadium again to watch the Dodger's play since they may have a good year this season.

ロスに戻ってきました

長い週末がおわり、ようやくロスに戻ってきました。飛行機が１時間ディレイして、到着時間が遅れた為に、いくはずのミーティングは明日に延期・・・。家に戻って久しぶりに息子＆娘と遊んでいました。

My long week is finally over and I am back in LA. My flight was delayed one hour so I ended up missing a meeting that I was planning to attend to...but will have another one tomorrow at lunch time. I was able to get home and spend some quality time with my son and daughter who I missed seeing because I was pretty much away for two weeks.

マイアミにいる時は雨が降ったりやんだり。その合間に虹がでたので、スナップショット。なんだか、心が癒されますね。

While I was in Miami, it would rain and dry and rain and dry....I guess it's usual in Miami but was able to take a quick snap at a rainbow that popped up while we were packing up yesterday. Hopefully this is sign of good things to come!!

あち〜・・・。

今日のレースは、自分ドライバーは予選は６位。決勝は２ラップ目にラジエターが壊れてしまい、リタイヤ・・・。表彰台を狙っていたのに、残念です・・・。まっ、明日があるか。なんだか自分のレースの様に悔しいです。

It was not a great day for my driver today. We qualified 6th, and than DNF from the race after 2laps because of a radiator failure.We were hoping for a podium finish so I am gutted just as my driver.

しかし、今日のマイアミは暑い。しかも、湿気ているから、あまり清々しくはないですね・・・。早くロスに帰りたいっす。

It is pretty hot out here in Miami today although we are expecting some rain real soon...

エンジニアに昇格？！？

今日はホームステッドで走行２日目。本当はデータエンジニアの仕事をするはずが、突然ドライバーのコーチも掛け持ちでやってくれてお願いされて、仕事が増えてしまいました。同時に色々とセットアップの変更もしていたら、エンジニアの仕事までしはじめてしまい、完全にマルチタスク状態です。でも、自分のドライバーがチームの中でトップタイム。総合でも４位のタイムなのでまずまずのできでしょう！？！

Today is the second day at the Homestead Ferrari Challenge Race Week End. I was supposed only do the data logging but turned out to be a coach/data logger. Than as my driver picked up some speed, I started to engineer the car for him and I guess I am officially a Engineer/Coach/Dag guy for the team. The multi tasking thing is not what I want to do...but my driver ended up being the fastest in our team as well as 4th overall so not so bad day for us.

ドライバーをコーチしているとき以外の時間はPCのデータの管理と、セッティングを良くする為の研究でにらめっこです。ちなみに、こんな様なグラフをみてセッティングを考えます。

Here is a pict of what we look at when we download the data. We go through all the graphs to distinguish what the problem is, and how we can improve on the set up.

セットアップデー

今日はサーキットでセットアップデー。トランスポーターから荷物や車を降ろし、テントをはったりの作業です。以外とシステマチックになっているので、そんなに時間がかかるわけではありませんが、久しぶりの作業で疲れました。（笑）

It was a set up day today at the track. We needed to unload the car and the goods out of the transporter and put the tent up for the hospitality. Everything is systematic so it doesn't take a lot of time to get everything prepped...but it was definitely a lot of work...to get my hands dirty.

トランスポーターも今年カラーに塗り替えられていました。

The transporter has a new look this year and it definitely looks cool!

自分は無線機＆コンピューターのセットアップ担当。その他にも色々と頼まれて、仕事をしながらギャラアップを交渉！？！（笑）ま〜このご時世に仕事をもらえるだけでも感謝しないと。

I was in charge of the radios and the computer for the data logger. I was able to get things done pretty quickly and had to work on other stuff...may be I deserve a raise!?! Well, I guess I am fortunate to have a job with the way things are right now with the economy.

マイアミに着きました。

マイアミにつきました。フライトはロスから４時間半。音楽を聴きながらウトウトしていたらあっと言うまでした。マイアミは暑くもなく、寒くもなく緩って感じです。今回泊まるホテルはCoralGablesにあるブティックホテル。メカニックと一緒に部屋をシェアーしていますが、2ベッドルームにリビング付きなので苦痛ではありません。部屋もいい感じなので、とりあえずは寛げそうです！？！が、明日から仕事で忙しくなりそう・・・。

Just arrived to Miami. The flight from LA was about 4.5hrs. I got to sleep a bit and listened to some music and the flight seemed real short. The weather in Miami is OK...not too hot nor cold but sounds like we may get some shower here and there during the week end. The hotel we are staying is a boutique hotel in Coral Gables and it is pretty nice. I have to share a room with a mechanic but the room is a 2bd room with a living room so it is not all that bad.

ベランダからの景色とリビングルームです。

Here is a pict of the view from my room and the living room,

これからマイアミです。

昨日は４時に起床。今朝はなんと３時半に目が覚めしまい、今はマイアミに行く準備をしています。５時にはタクシーが迎えに来るのですが、完全に時差ボケ状態です！？！（笑）歳ですかね・・・？！？

I woke up at 4am yesterday and was up at 3:30AM this morning. Although I was supposed to get up at 4am since I am leaving to Miami this morning....I really didn't need an alarm because of the jet lag. My cab is going to pick me up at 5am so I am packing all my stuff now.

今日はマイアミへの移動日。チームスタッフと一緒ですが、なんとかんく団体行動が嫌いな自分・・・。ちょっと面倒だな。今回はフェラーリチャレンジのコーチの仕事で行ってきます。去年までは専属ドライバーがいましたが、今年はチームからの依頼でチームのドライバー全体の面倒を見なくてはいけないので、大変そうです。では、行ってきま〜す。アリベデルチ！！

I am traveling with the team today and I must admit that I don't really like traveling as a group because it takes so long to gather all the people to go anywhere. However, I guess I can't complain for having a job during this tough economic time. I will not be working with a particular driver this year but I will be doing some data logger/coaching this year for all team drivers so things would probably become busy during the race week end. Well...about time to leave now!! Arrivederci!!!

ロスに帰宅

さっき無事にロスに戻ってきました。今回の日本の滞在は本当にあっと言うまでしたが、休み暇もなく色んな人に会えて、とても貴重な時間が過ごせました。

Just got back from Japan. The stay was real quick but was able to spend some valuable time meeting people who may be able to help put things together for my race program.

滞在最終日には、親戚の石川直生君が出場した試合を後楽園ホールに見に行きました！全てK-1ルールでかなり面白い試合が続きました。残念ながら、直君は負けてしまいましたが、かなり不利な相手にメチャメチャ良い戦いをしていて、自分にとっても良い刺激となりました！！

During the last night of my stay, I went to see a Kick Boxing Match under the K-1 Rule since my relative Naoki Ishikawa was going to be in the main fight. Naoki(we call him Nao-kun) did well but unfortunately he lost the match. I would say it was not a fair match for him because his style really doesn't suit the K-1 rule...nevertheless, it was good to see him giving his best as I always get inspired by watching him fight!!

戻ってくる前には、久しぶりに美味しいお寿司を食べに連れてって頂きました！お茶の水にある誠鮨と言うお店ですが、お薦めです！！やはりお寿司を食べると日本に来た〜って感じです。とうぶんは、おいしいお寿司が食べれないので、次回までの我慢ですね・・・。

During my stay, I also went to this new Sushi Restaurant in Tokyo called Makoto Sushi, and the food there was great!! It will definitely be my must stop during my trip to Japan from now on.

紅月

気がついたらもう土曜日。滞在も明日までと、今回は本当にあっと言う間です。一昨日行われたIndyJapan記者発表会も無事に終わり、久しぶりのステージに若干緊張。後輩の英紀にもあえて、色々と話をしました。今年は自信たっぷりあふれているので、良い結果が期待できそうです！自分はひたすらIndy500参戦を目指して頑張らないと！！

I can't believe that it's already Saturday. Today is my last day here in Japan before I return to LA. The press conference that was held the other day went really well and I had lots of catching up to do with Hideki since I haven't seen him for a while. He looked pretty confident this year so I think he will deliver good results during the season. As for my self, now that most work is done for Indy Japan, I will have to focus on trying to get the 500 deal moving forward!!

一昨日の夜は久しぶりに紅月に行って豚シャブを食べてきました！！やっぱり美味しいですね〜！！そう言えばいつも、ご飯の写真を載せた方がよいなと思いつつ、撮る前に食べ終わってしまってまいます。（笑）

For dinner, I went to Kougetsu my favorite ShabuX2 joint in Nishiazabu. I always want to take the pict of the food but the food is so good that I end up finishing the plate before I take my camera out of the pocket...may be next time.

今日はIndyJapanの記者発表会

日本での滞在はかなりドタバタです。昨日は朝一から車の試乗、そして取材・・・、お昼にミーティング、そして夕方はエアープレス上野に、行き酸素カプセルに入ってきました。３日前は飛行機の中で寝れなくて、日本についてからの睡眠時間は４時間、一昨日の晩は時差ボケ＆花粉症で２時間しか寝れなかったので、メチャメチャ辛かったです。しか〜し、酸素カプセルに入ったら時差ボケも体調もすっかり治って、昨晩はバッチリ寝れました。とくに、カプセルから出た時の視界の良さにはビックリします！！まだ、トライをした事ない人はぜひお試しを！！

As usual, pretty hectic trip so far already in Japan. I had several media interviews yesterday with couple of sponsor meeting. I was so exhausted last night that I needed to make my way to Air Press Ueno to get my self in to the Oxygen Capsule.I only got 6hr of total sleep during the last 3 days so first of all, I needed some sleep...but also had a bad headache from the allergy which is pretty bad here in Japan from all the trees. Anyhow, I have fully recovered after spending 2hrs in the capsule and what amazes me the most is how clear you vision becomes after couple of hours in the capsule!

さてさて、今日はこれからIndyJapanの記者発表会があります。ちゃんとしたイベントに出席するのは久しぶりだからなんだか、緊張するな！？！（笑）

I am just off to the Indy Japan Press Conference now and looking forward to being up on the stage again!!

日本に到着！

さっき日本に着きました！サンフランからのフライトは以外と長かったです。機内では一睡もできず映画を５本も見てしまいました！？！（笑）一番気に入ったのは色んな部門でアカデミー賞を受賞したSlumdog Millionaireです。インドのスラムで育った子がミリオネアに出演すると言うストーリーでしたが、なかなか面白かったです。在米インド人には、賛否両論の評価で、インドのスラムはあんなに酷くないとコメントしている人もいましたが・・・。日本ではもう上映しているのかな？？

Just arrived to Japan. It was a pretty long flight from SFO. I couldn't sleep at all during the flight and ended up watching 5 movies. The best one was Slumdog Millionaire. I was curious about the film since it has won so many awards during the academy. I guess the people from India didn't really agree with how bad they expressed the slum...but in terms of the story it was pretty good. Anyhow, I have a pretty heavy task during next couple of days here in Japan so I better adjust to the time zone real quick!!

明日から日本です。

今日もスクールでの仕事は無事に終了。今はホテルに戻り、明日から日本なので日本での滞在中で使う書類等を作成。しかし、日本はまだ寒いのかな・・・？モントレーは天気はメチャメチャ良かったのですが、少し肌寒くて身体が冷えて風邪をひきそうなので、今はホテルの部屋に戻って暖房をつけちゃってます。いや〜明日の日本への１１時間フライトは苦痛だな・・・。面白い映画がやっているといいけど。

The second day at the school just finished and back to the hotel room now. The weather was really nice but it still is a bit chilly out here in Monterey and when I got back to my hotel room, I had to warm my self up with a nice hot shower. I hope the weather is nice in Japan... I need to get some work done tonight and in the plane to make sure all my meetings will go well during my stay. I am not really looking forward to the long flight and hope that they will air a movie that is decent enough to watch.

今はモントレー

皆さんご無沙汰しています。気がついたら１週間近くも書き込みをさぼっちゃいました・・・。ここ数日間はメチャ忙しかったです。で、今はモントレーに来ています。２日間だけでスクールの仕事をして、日曜のフライトで日本に戻ります。日本ではスポンサー活動や、メディアインタビュー、そして１２日に行われるIndyJapanの記者発表会に出席します。久しぶりの日本なので楽しみです！！

Hey guys, sorry for not updating my blog for couple of days. I was really tied up this week and I am in Monterey right now working at Laguna for couple of days. On Sunday, I will be traveling to Japan for a week and due to have several sponsor meeting as well as media interview. I am also attending the Indy Japan Press Conference and should be a real busy trip. I haven't been back to Japan for almost 6months now so am really looking forward to seeing my family there as well!

ロスで雪？

週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまって、気がついたら３月ですね。今月はメチャメチャ忙しいんですよね・・・。週末はラグーナセカで、中旬はずっとフェラーリチャレンジの仕事でマイアミに行かなくてはいけません・・・。

The weekend went by pretty fast and I didn't realize that we are already in March. I will be real busy this month going to Laguna this week end and than off to Miami middle of the month to work at Ferrari Challenge Race week end.

家族でユックリ過ごせる週末もとうぶんないので、今週末は息子となるべくいっぱい遊んで上げました。昨日は幼稚園のイベントで雪を敷地内に降らせてくれたので、なんとロスで雪遊び！？！息子が雪を触るのは初めてだったので大興奮。ずっと雪山を作っていました。（笑）

I figured that I may not be able to spend some time with my family for a while so I was home spending as much time as I can with my son during this week end. We actually went to his pre-school yesterday which they have hosted a snow event. It was my son's first encounter with the snow and seemed like he really enjoyed playing with it. We spent couple of hours there and made Mt.Blanc!?!

DRRが好調！

今ホームステッドでテスト２日目が終わった所ですね。タイムチャートを見ると茂木で走るDreyer&Reinboldのマイクが良いタイムを出してきましたね！テストとは言えども、最後にしっかり纏めて来た所を見ると、チームの戦闘力がアップしている所を感じます！！今から茂木が楽しみです！！

Just ended the second day of testing at Homestead. I was really surprised to see the DRR driver Mike Conway in 8th. I think the team has really stepped up during the winter and I can' wait to get back in to the car!!

去年走ったBECKは３Gと言うチーム名に変更して、ドライバーには知り合いのスタントンが走っています。最初のテストは無事に終わり、最下位に終わってしまいましたが、今後はどんどん伸びて行くでしょう。でも改めてエンジニアの力によってチーム力が変わる事を実感する一日でした。ここだけの話、去年は助っ人で日本から某GTチャンピオンチームのエンジニアがお手伝いに来てくれたのですが、もう一日あれば予選も余裕でクリアーできる車が作れたんですよね。そんな悔しい思いも今年のレースにぶつけるぞ〜！！

The team I drove last year Beck Motorsports is now called 3G Racing and my buddy Stanton is driving for them. They safely ended their two...or three days of testing and although they are at the bottom of the speed chart, I'm sure they will get better as he they get more acquainted with the car. It just shows how competitive the IRL is and how important the engineering staff is to the team. I actually had one of my buddy who is an engineer for the Best All Japan GT team in Japan come to the 500 last year day before the bump day. He has helped so much that I'm sure I would have made the field if we had another day. I guess that's an excuse for not making the field but I will just need to go out there again and prove that we can get the job done!!

テスト開始

ついにホームステッドでのオープンテストが始まりましたね！ながい、オフシーズンも終わりようやくスタートって感じです。で、自分もこのテストに足を運びたかったのですが、懐が寒い＆５００の営業活動に専念しなくてはいけなかったので、今回は断念・・・。

Finally the Indy Car season is on the way! I can't believe it's almost been 6 months since the Indy Car has been on track all at once. Very excited to see the car on track although I am not there physically... I really wanted to attend the test but decided not to since I have more work to do trying to put deals together for the 500.

でも、やっぱりインディーカーが動いているのを見ちゃうと身体がムズムズしちゃいますね！！しかも、IndyJapanを一緒に戦うDreyer&Reinboldのドライバーのマイクはボチボチの滑り出し！！できるだけ、現場に行ってチームの動きをみたいな〜・・・。（泣）

It's pretty interesting with all the shuffling of the drivers. I'm also happy to see that the DRR driver Mike Conway is doing well first time on the oval. I'm sure they are being some what conservative now since he is a rookie on an oval. I regret not being there watching the car on my computer monitor...but will have to give my best effort getting things moving forward for 500 since thing are real tough these days,...

山本優弥選手

昨日のIndyJapanの正式な参戦発表をしてから、沢山のファンからの応援メールが届いて朝から気合いが入ってしまいました！ジムに行ってがっつりトレーニングして体調もバッチリです。

After the the official announcement for the Indy Japan race, I started to receive tons of fan mails congratulating me for being able to get back in the car. It certainly makes me happy and was really hyped up when I hit the gym first thing in the morning!

昨日は日本でK-1 World Maxの試合が行われたみたいですね。僕の知っている山本優弥先週は決勝まで行き、最後は残念ながら小比類巻選手に負けてしまいましたが、かなりのガッツを感じました！！試合にいきたかったな〜！でも、知り合いが頑張っているのを見ると、良い意味で刺激されますね！！自分も改めて気合いが入りました！！

When I got home, I searched on line to see the results from the K-1 World Max tournament that was held last night. My buddy Yuya Yamamoto made to the final but lost the tournament to Kohiruimaki who has been around for a while... Obviously I was bummed to see the results but I think he really did great going in to the tournament as an underdog and to come out as vice champ! I will definitely look forward to seeing his next match!!

Indy Japan参戦決定！

皆さん、ようやく茂木の参戦が決定しました！去年の５００が終わってから、ず〜っと交渉してようやくIndyJapanの参戦は同意ができました。まだ５００の話はこれからで、茂木に向けてもする事は沢山ありますが、９月のレースに向けて早い時期に参戦がきまって何よりです！！

I finally have some great news for you guys!! I have been negotiating for a drive since after the 500 last year and we are finally signed a deal for the Indy Japan race in Sept. The 500 is coming up shortly and I still have a lot of work for the Indy Japan race but I am just really happy to secure a deal this early for a race later in the season.

去年は茂木＆５００両方とも悔しいレースの内容だったので、今年は楽しみです！参戦するチームは０５年と０７年に走ったDreyer&Reinbold。このチームとは仲も良くチームオーナーは自分に取ってインディアナポリスのパパみたいなもんです。今年はエンジニアリングスタッフも強化して、去年のIndyJapanで良い走りをみせていたVisionRacingのデータも持って来ているので、茂木は期待できると思います！！その前に５００があるので、ホッとしているのも束の間でまだまだする事がいっぱいあります！しかし、何よりも今年もファンの皆さんにお会いできるのが楽しみです！！

Since the results from last year was not what I was hoping for nor doesn't show my ability as a driver...I really wanted to go back with a competitive team this year and I am sooOO happy that I am back with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing who I drove for in 05 and 07. The team has strengthen the engineering staff over the winter and I think they will be pretty strong at Motegi since they have some good data from last year with the new engineer that is on board. I really want to thank Dennis Reinbold on being able to give me this opportunity and he is like my father in Indianapolis. Again, there are a yet a lot of work to be done before the race but I am really looking forward to being back in the car as well as getting things sorted for Month of May!!

辛っ！

今日は午前中はミーティング。午後はジムでトレーニング。家に戻って来て夕方まで色々と仕事をしていたらあっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。今は小腹がすいたので、母親が買ってきてくれたお煎餅を堪能。柿の種に唐辛子がまぶされていて、メチャ辛だけど、激ウマです！これ、お薦めです！！

I had a meeting in the morning to discuss about some future plans, and than came home and off to the gym after lunch. I needed to get some work done all afternoon and this week is already over...!?! I'm a bit hungry so decided to get a quick snack to satisfy my stomach. My mom brought me some rice cracker with chili powder and these are really hot but reallyX2 good!!

あとちょいです。

ず〜っと続けて来た交渉がようやく纏まりそうです。連日チームとの連絡を取り合い、ようやく細かい部分の話し合いまで前進しました。今の時点ではIndyJapanは纏まりあとは引き続き５００に向けての交渉＆スポンサー活動を続行しないと。が、まずIndyJapanの参戦については近日中に発表できそうです！今年もまた応援しに来て下さいね！！＆待ちに待った発表も楽しみにしてて下さい！！

Things are moving forward rapidly and I think we will have a good announcement to make by Monday. I have been in touch with the team the last couple of days working out the details and we are in the final touches. Indy Japan is looking good but still working on the 500 program and will have some serious work to do on that end. Nevertheless, I am very happy to get something on to the plate that we can proceed with. Well for now, stay tuned for my racing plans which will be announced shortly!!

ブログサボっちゃいました・・・。

３日前に朝起きてネットをしようとしたら、何故か繋がらない・・・。メールチェックをしても、アカウントがおかしい・・・。早速プロバイダーの電話番号を調べて電話をしようと思ったら、な〜んとプロバイダーのサイトがなくなったる〜！？！色々と調べて電話番号をゲットしても、回線が繋がらず夜逃げか〜と思いパニクり状態。が、翌日になるとネットは普通に回復してメールも使えるようになりました。あれは、いったいなんだったんだろう！？！ちなみにまだ、プロバイダーの電話は繋がりません。

I woke couple of days ago and the internet was down. I tried to check my e-mail and something was going crazy with my e-mail account. I went on line using my iPhone and tried to check the phone number for my internet provider and found out that their website was also down!?! I found their phone number and called them but the phone line was disconnected. For a second I though the company went belly up...but decided to wait a day to find out what was going on. Woke up the next day and the service was back up and their website is back up too...but the phone line still disconnected. I don't know what happened but am content for now for having the service back on.

と言う事を理由にここ数日間の間はブログをさぼってしまいました。が、色々と話は順調に進んでいます。でも、ネットがダウンすると本当に困りますね。仕事が進まなくなってしまうので。そろそろ、違う所と契約しようかな・・・？！？

Well, that is my excuse for not updating last couple of days. The good news is, all this time that I have been of the line, I managed to get things moving forward and I am really close on getting a deal secured. May be it's a good thing not to rely on internet so much huh?!?

交渉は順調

今日も朝一にジムでトレーニング。お昼は家で食べて、午後は電話でチームと連絡を取り合って、交渉はスムーズに進んでいます。が、今年はインディ−５００の方が先で茂木が後なので、今までとは違う形での話の進め方となるのでちょっと苦戦しています。が、話は前進しているので一安心です！

As usual, went to the gym in the morning for 2hr circuit training, and back home for lunch. I spent most of the afternoon on the phone talking and negotiating the race deal for this season. Since the Motegi race has been pushed back to Sept now...the dynamic has changed quite a bit on trying to make the 500 and Japan race as a package deal. However, things are moving forward smoothly and hope to be able to have things wrapped up in next 10 days!!

また冬？

１月中旬からは夏日和だったロスも、ここ数日間はメチャメチャ寒いです。今日も朝一でジムに行ってトレーニング。寒いとウォームアップをしっかりしないと怪我をしてしまうので、入念にウォームアップ。

Although we had great weather during Jan, it feels like we are back to winter again with the rain and the chilly weather during last couple of days. I guess the forecast is not so great during this week... The weather doesn't affect my excuse to be away from the gym and was there first thing in the morning. You really need to warm up well when it's cold because you can get injured from working out with out being ready!!

午後は息子を公園に連れて行き、スーパーによって帰宅。子供が寝ている間にガッツリ仕事をして、今から夕飯です！今夜はミーティングがあります・・・。２月もあっと言う間に終わってしまいそうなので、急ピッチで話を進めないと！！

Was back from the gym before lunch and went to the park with my son and picked up some groceries after lunch. While my son is napping, I had to get a lot of work done and off to a dinner meeting now. Seems like a real busy day...

ジムでトレーニング

週末からロスは天気が崩れて、今日も雨。珍しくジャケットを着ないと寒いくらいです・・・。今日は朝一でジムに行き１０kmのランニング。１月中のトレーニングはちょっとサボリ気味だったのですが、体調は良くて１０kmもあっと言う間に走りにいてしまいました。

The weather here in LA has been bad for last couple of days and it is still raining...well actually snowing in the higher elevation. I guess we needed some rain so that's a good thing for the city. Anyhow, I started my day early at the gym for a 10km run and came home just in time for lunch.

午後は試乗で借りていた日産マキシマを返却して家に戻って来てから仕事をしました。インディー５００と茂木参戦に向けて引き続き交渉をしていますが、ようやく茂木の方は具体化してきそうです。が、個人的には何が何でも５００の話をまとめなくてはいけないので、全力で頑張らないと！！

After lunch, I went to drop off the Nissam Maxima which I had over the week end for test drive to write an article which I had to finish last night. Once I got home, I started to make some phone calls to negotiate my deal for 500 and Motegi. Things for Motegi is looking great but I really need to lock the 500 in since it is just around the corner... It will take some work but I am 100% committed to race there again and hope to be able to lock something in real soon!!

イタリアン

この３日間は親父が来ていました。息子も大喜び。しかも、親父が来ると家でイタリア料理を作ってくれるので、美味しいご飯も沢山食べちゃいました。家の親父はイタリアン大好きで、以前GQの雑誌に年間３００日イタリアンを食べる男と特集された事もあります。（笑）でも、食べるだけではなくて美味しいレストラン並みに料理ができる所が凄いんです！！自分も最近は料理をしていないから、また久しぶりに包丁を持たないと感覚が鈍るな・・・。

My dad was in town for last 3days so I was pretty busy taking him around to get all his shopping done. He has 6 Grand Children now including my son and daughter so that keeps him busy going to the mall and buying all the clothing for the kids since they grow so fast. The best part of having my dad in town is that he cooks great Italian food for us while his stay. He loves Italian food so much that he got an interview from GQ Japan last year as a person who eats Italian 300days per year. I got some recipe from him while trying to cook Italian food and will need to return to the kitchen one of these days to horn my cooking skills!!

妻のグリーンカード

今日は長い一日でした。朝６時に起きて、８時から妻のグリーンカードの事についてオフィッスに行ってきました。１年前に申請のインタビューも終わり、グリーンカードを認可されたのにも関わらず、肝心なカードが１年経っても届かないので、いったいどうなっているのか確認に行ってきました。

It was a long day today. It started at 6am since we had to go to the Federal Building to get an update on my wife's Green Card. For some reason, we were approved a year a go but still waiting for the actual card and it was about time to see what was going on. I bet they lost all the paper work which is a common thing I hear. It is quite amazing to see how disorganized they are and they are really in need to for some budgets to update their system as well as people....

しかし、本当に政府のオフィッスはモタモタしていていらいらします。しかも、妻のケースに関してはどうなっているのか、向こうもわからないみたいで・・・。恐らく書類をなくしたんでしょうけど・・・、それを認めない所がまたムカッ！？！とりあえず、弾丸トークでどうにかしてくれと、頼み込み大至急チェックしてもらっています。いや〜しかし、２時間待たされて子供もイライラしてきて、自分もイライラしてきて精神的に疲れる１日でした。

Well...it was a real long wait and my son was frustrated and I was irritated and was a very very stressful day. On a good note, my dad is coming in town tomorrow so my son will have someone to play with!!

豆まき

今朝は息子を幼稚園におくりにいき、その時に今日は豆まきをする事を発覚。親も見学できるイベントで、妻に話をしたらぜひ見たいと言う事で、ダッシュで家に戻り妻と娘を連れて息子の豆まきを見学。大きな庭の真ん中で地味〜に豆まきをしていましたが、楽しんでいました。

Got up early in the morning and took my son to the pre-school. I found out that there was an event today at the school in which the parents can watch their child. I phoned my wife and she wanted to see my son so I had to drive all the way back to Downtown and back to Torrance to see my son throw beans at the devils. It's an event called Setsubun in which the kids gets to throw beans at the devils to wish an maintain good health.

午後は家に戻り仕事をし、夕方はジムでトレーニング。ここ数日間は日本からの、問い合わせで色々とサーチをしたり大変でしたがようやく話が落ち着きそうです。しかし、色んな所に電話をして交渉をするのは慣れているので、レースで鍛えられたノウハウは違う仕事でも活躍しています！？！（笑）

Came back home for the afternoon to get some work done. I have been searching for a car to export in Japan which has been taking up much of my work time lately. The negotiation tactics calling and talking to the teams has certainly helped me getting the deal done with the car dealers!?! I think the deal is done where I can put the project to rest now...

もう２月ですね。

うひゃー、気がついたら２月ですね。１月って何したっけ・・・？って思ってしまう程に時間が経つのは早い。しかも、週末はあっと言う間に終わってしまった〜・・・。（泣）

Wow...it's already Feb!?! Can you believe that?? It feels like there was no Jan.... The time just keeps flying huh?!? Well, may be that's what we need so the economy may pick up faster!!

今日はピットをお風呂にいれて、お風呂掃除をして午後はずっと息子と遊んであげました。大きくなるに連れてアクティブになり、体力もありあまっているので、沢山遊ばないとストレスがたまるみたいです。が、そうすると、なかなか仕事に手がつかないので大変・・・。子育てって大変ですね。

Today, I bathed Pit since it was about time and cleaned the Bathroom since my dad is coming in town this week. Through out the afternoon, I played with my son. As my son gets older and bigger, he is getting active and the play time seems to expand where it is turning out as an work out for me!?! It's great to spend some time with my son, but the downside is, it is hard to work especially if you are in middle of work....may be I need an office away from home soon!?!

デモ

いま家の回りが凄い事になっています。ロスの公立学区の教師のデモが行われています！いまカリフォルニア州は予算問題のニュースが毎日とりあがられていますが、その中でも学校の先生をカットしたり、教育予算を減らす方針になっていて、先生達がデモをしています。確かに将来の為を考えると、学問に予算カットをする前に他にカットした方が良い所はたくさんあるのでは・・・、と思ってしまいますが。

Downtown is going crazy right now! There is a demonstration going on I guess from the workers at Unified School District complaining about budget cuts... Obviously the stimulus package has been passed yesterday but the California needs to consider well on how to spend those funds.... Nevertheless, being around the world, I must say that California in general probably has the lowest level of standards in education and I don't think it would be a good idea to cut costs on education especially now that I will have to send my kids to school here in LAUSD.

自分は今日は家で仕事をして、夕方にジムに行ってトレーニング。最近はレースの交渉の話がずっと中断していたのですが、ここへきてまた再開。勢いが乗っている時に一挙に話を畳み込まないとって感じですね！！

Well, it was a busy day for me working out at the gym and getting work done at home. The negotiation for the racing part has been at halt for a little while but things are kicking back in. I really need to pick up the pace now since it is already Feb!!

1月ももう終わり・・・？

気がついたらもう１月末。あれっ、このあいだ年明け下ばっかりじゃないっけ・・・って感んじですね。今朝は息子と娘の検診。娘は至って順調。ミルクを飲み過ぎで少しぽっちゃりしてきました。（笑）とにかく健康で何より。

I can't believe it's already end of Jan. It feels like we were just celebrating the new years couple of days ago... This morning we took our son and daughter for a check up. They were both doing great and our new baby was growing rapidly and we will need to watch her weight since she is a girl...!?!

病院から戻って自分は原稿を、書いたり仕事で大忙しでした。昨晩は日本からスポンサー関連の話での連絡を取り合い、話がようやくまた前進してきました。しかし、この不況の中で話を決めるのは本当に大変です。が、諦めたらおしまい。なので、ひたすら頑張ります！！

For the afternoon, I had tons of things to get done between finishing writing up an article as well as getting the racing program moving forward. I had had some contacts with sponsor inquiry from Japan and hope to make things move forward real soon. The recession all over the world is certainly making things difficult but I gotta keep trying to lock things up! It may take a little more time than I anticipated but slowly and surely I feel like we are moving forward!!

極真空手

今日は知り合いがやっている極真空手のアメリカ大会に招待されて、見に行ってきました。久しぶりに格闘技を見て興奮しました！！息子も泊力にビックリ！！でも、息子には格闘はむいてないだろうな〜・・・。（笑）でも、身体と精神を鍛える為に空手か柔道はやるといいんでないかなと思っちゃいます。

Today, I was invited to the Kyokushin Karate N.American Championship. It was my first time seeing a Karate tournament and I was real impressed with it. Obviously it is a great way of training physically and mentally which could be good for racing as long as I don't get punched too many time...!?! My son really enjoyed seeing the fights but I don't think it's his kind of sports.

気がついたら週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまい、明日からはまた現実に戻り仕事で大忙しです。

Well, the week end is already over and back to real life from next week...

いよいよシーズン開幕

昨日まで妻のご両親がアメリカに来ていて、昨日のフライトで帰ってしまいました。息子は寂しがっていて、家もなんだか静かです・・・。

My parents in law was in town for a week and went back to Japan yesterday. My son definitely has missed them already and the house is pretty quite after having so many guests over the last couple of weeks.

さてさて、今日からデイトナ２４時間のレースがスタートし、レースシーズンも開幕しましたね！また毎週末レースを見れるのは楽しみ！！でも、自分の話を決めないとムズムズしてきちゃいます・・・。

The race season has officially started today with the Daytona 24hr. The race is still going on and would be interesting to see who wins the race. It's great to have something to watch over the week end but certainly makes me some what frustrated on not being able to secure the deal to be back in the car...

ミーティング

ここ数日間は、日本から来ている妻のご両親と一緒に色々な所に行ってきました。昨日はユニバーサルスタジオに行って息子も大はしゃぎ。やはり妻と二人で、連れてくるのは、なかなか大変なのでラッキーって感じでした。

Last couple of days have been busy taking my parents in law to all the places with my wife and kids. With 4 adults and 2 child on board, it certainly takes more time to move... Having said that, we went to the Universal Studio yesterday and my son really enjoyed the park. It was great since it is mutually impossible to take the kids there with just me and my wife....

今夜はこれからフェーラーリチャレンジに参戦しているドライバーとミーティングがあります。やはり不景気と言う事もあって、今年の参戦は悩んでいるみたいです・・・。早く景気が良くなる事を願う毎日です！（笑）って言ってもオバマ大統領が演説した様に、待ってるだけじゃ変わらないんですよね！！動かないと！！

I am off to dinner tonight with my driver from Ferrari Challenge. Thing has been tough and he has not committed to race yet...but I really hope he will since we have some unfinished business in that series as well.

息子の誕生会

今日は息子の誕生日です。産まれてから早２歳！時間が経つのは早いですね〜。昨日は夕方から家で息子の誕生会を行いました。沢山の友達が来てくれて、プレゼントももらい大喜びで息子は１２時過ぎまで興奮してました。大好きなバスケのミニゴールももらい、ずっとバスケの練習！!

Today is my son's Birthday. We held his 2nd B-Day part at our place last night and had a lot friends over in our small apartment... My son was really excited to open up all the presents and he was able to get his long waited mini basket ball goal. He was shooting ball until midnight and I finally managed to take the ball away from him.

そして、今日がバースデーなのですが、出産クラスで一緒だった友達の誕生会が行われているのでそちらの方に顔出し。バースデーパーティー続きでパパも疲れちゃいました。（笑）

For today, we went to my son's friend's Birthday Party. It's great to celebrate the kids B-Day but I think I just had enough of partying and will need to get back to work tomorrow...back to real life.

今週末は息子のパーティー

さっき、ニュースを見ていたらNYで飛行機が墜落したニュースを聞いてビックリ。幸いハドソン川に無事水着したので、ケガ人はいないみたいですが、乗ってた人は怖いでしょうね〜。今から妻の両親がアメリカに来ますが、このニュースを聞いたら飛行機に乗りたくないだろうな〜・・・。

I just saw the news about the US Scairways flight making an emergency landing on Hudson River. Fortunately no one was injured but it must have been pretty scary for the passenger. My parents in law are just about getting ready to board a plane from Japan and probably is better not to tell them about that incident.

今日は午前中はジムでトレーニング。午後は土曜日に家の息子の誕生会を行うので、その準備の為の買い出し。ずいぶんとドタバタした一日です。今夜はこれからお食事会／ミーティング。忙しいけど、天気も良くて暖かいから文句は言えないな！？！

Well, it was a busy day for me hitting the gym early in the morning and than doing some grocery shopping for my son's second B-Day party coming up this Saturday. My wife is probably more excited about the party than my son...but gotta keep her happy too...

iMIEV

今日はTOYOTAヴェンザと三菱iMIEVの試乗に行ってきました。ヴェンザは子供がいる家族にはピッタリな車かと思いました。去年のデトロイトショーで見た時よりもなんとかんく格好良く感じ、なかなか良かったです。

It was a busy day test driving the new Toyota Venza as well as the Mitsubishi iMIEV. The Venza was pretty nice especially if you have kids..which fits in to my needs right now. For some reason, I didn't like it so much when I saw the car first at the Detroit Show one year a go but it actually looks OK on the streets.

午後は場所を移動してiMIEVの試乗。EV車に乗ったのは初めてですが、以外とトルクもあってしっかり走るのでビックリしました。高速道路も問題なく走行して、これであれば十分に満足できます。走行距離をもう少し伸ばす事ができれば全く支障はないですね。が、車からエグゾーストサウンドが聴こえてこないのはなんだか寂しい感じもします。

In the afternoon, we drove down to Cypress and test drove the iMIEV. It was my first time driving an EV Vehicle and I was really impressed with the performance. The car runs great and I even took it out on to the 605FWY. It runs really well and only thing it needs now is a little more range in which I would think the technology of the battery will advance by the time everyone has an EV vehicle in there garage. However, it's kind of sad not hearing any exhaust sounds from the engine...

ようやく復帰

昨日からロスはメチャメチャ暖かく御陰さまでようやく体調が良くなってきました。まだ、夜になると咳はでますが日中は仕事＆トレーニングができるレベルまで復活。まだ、油断はできませんが・・・。

While it is freezing out in the Mid West...we have summer like weather here in LA. My health condition is much better today and I am only coughing during the night which allows me to get some work done during the day.

今日はインディアナポリスでセーフティーミーティング。自分も出席予定だったのですが、体調が悪かったのでデトロイトショーと引き続きキャンセル。とりあえず家で安静にしていました。が、インディーカーシリーズはシーズン開幕を前に色々と移籍話があって凄い事になってます。しかも、F1と同様チームのスポンサー獲得が困難で数人のトップドライバーはシートがない状態。世界中で大変な年になりそうですが、だからこそ頑張り時ですね！！

There was a safety meeting in Indianapolis today which I was supposed to attend. Unfortunately, I had to cancel the trip due to my health condition since I thought it was better not to spread the virus. I would have if it was couple of days before the race!?! Well, it sounds like the silly season is forming up and there are few drivers still up on air as well as some surprise announcement that were made today. It certainly is tough for everyone out there during this season but I am hoping to put things together real soon!!

Hyundai Genesis

日本は幕張でオートサロンが行われていますが、今日からデトロイトでオートショーが開催。自分は行く予定だったのですが、体調不良で断念・・・。だいぶ良くなって来た物の、まだ咳がとまらず大事をとって今年はオヤスミしてしまいました。

While the Tokyo Auto Salon is going on in Japan, the Detroit Auto Show has begun. I have attended both shows last year which was pretty hectic but I decided to stay home to recover from my health condition for this year's event. I am still coughing a bit and it has been hard to breath so have not gone back to the gym....

今朝は３週間の滞在もあっと言うまで母親が日本へ帰国。飛行場に家族で母親を送りに行って帰宅。母親を送る時は息子が物凄く寂しがって、口をへの字に曲げて泣きそうになっていました。しかし、母親には散々お世話になって本当に来てくれて助かりました。親の有り難みを実感。

It was the final day for my mom's 3weeks visit which went by so fast and we went to the airport to salute her. My son really enjoyed having his Grand Ma for weeks and he was about to cry when my mom passed through the security gate. I couldn't thank more to my Mom who helped us a lot while our stay. I will definitely need to get back to the gym now after eating all the great home made food cooked by my mom.

さてさて、今日から開催されたデトロイトショーを見ていたらビックリ！アメリカのカーオブザイヤーにHyundaiのGenesisが受賞！確かに最初にGenesisを見た時はスタイリングを含めて驚く物がありました。色んなメーカーのパクリちっくな部分もありましたが、このままだと日本メーカーも油断できないぞっと言う内容だったので、今回の受賞はある意味納得いくかもしれません。おめでとうHyundaiと言いたい所ですが、それ以上に頑張れ日本メーカーって感じです！！

Well, getting back to the Detroit Show, I was really surprised to see that the Hyundai Genesis being nominated for American Car Of the Year. I must say that they have done a great job making that car since the styling looks great although it looks like it is a little bit of every luxury car manufacture put together. Nevertheless, they have won the award and have put tremendous amount of pressure to the Japanese Manufacture! I think it will make the Japanese Manufacture even better trying to exceed there level of performance, quality, and design!! I hope the auto makers will continue to build high performance cars and not only focus on Hybrid cars for birds....

年始からやられちゃいました・・・。

年越しにひいた風邪がいったんは良くなった物の、３日からまた振り返してしまいずっと調子が悪くてゴロゴロしていました。咳が酷くて熱が上がったり下がったりという状況で、残念ながらデトロイトショーに行くのは断念してしまいました。いや〜しかし、体調が悪いと本当に辛いです。

I've been sick last couple of days and wasn't able to get anything done...I thought I recovered right after the new year but I must have gotten a different virus again..I keep coughing real bad and decided not to go to the Detroit show since my health condition is not so well... Probably better to stay in somewhat warm S.California.

こんな時に母親が居てくれて本当にラッキーでした。しかし、週末までには良くして復帰しないと！！する事がいっぱいあるから！！ん〜しかし咳がとまらず胸が痛いとトレーニングもできないからイライラする〜・・・。

I was lucky to have my mom in town to cook all the healthy food since my wife is busy feeding our new baby, I have a lot of work to do during this week end so I better recover by tomorrow. What is most frustrating is not being able to got to the gym for last few days....I hope I can get back to my normal training regime by this week end.

今日が初仕事

今日から仕事を開始しました。本当はトレーニングに行きたかったのですが、咳が止まらず、喉も痛かったのでジムはお預け。ま〜咳をしながらトレーニングをしたら回りにも顰蹙なので。

Today was the first day back at work since the new year. I wanted to go to the gym but I haven't fully recovered from my illness so I decided to wait a little more until I am back normal. I'm sure people at the gym wouldn't appreciate if I cough and trained at the same time trying to spread the virus...

ジムに行けない分、家ではチームと連絡を取り合ったり、原稿を書いたりで忙しい一日でした。そうそう、今書店で販売しているXaCarに出ていますよ〜！！機会があれば買って読んで下さいね。

Instead of going to the gym, I spent better part of the day at home getting a lot of work done as well as contacting the teams for this year's deal. I also had to finish up an article that I write weekly so the day went by so fast. Oh yeah, by the way, the new XaCar is out at the Japanese Book Store. Check it out if you have time!!

体調不良で寝正月

年越しに崩した体調が元旦の日は回復した物の、２日からまた振り返して、２００９年の穝所の３日間はダラダラ過ごす寝正月となってしまいました・・・。が、そろそろ気合いを入れて明日からはジムに行ってトレーニングして、体調も復帰しないと！！

How's your 2009 so far? Mine has been uneventful so far....I was able to recover from illness for a day and turned sick again for last two days so I stayed home and pretty much stayed in bed. I couldn't ask for a better timing to be sick because there isn't much going on this couple of days anyways...but I better hit the gym tomorrow and recover from my cold since I will have a lot to settle during next week.

明けましておめでとうございます！

新年あけましておめでとうございます！今年も宜しくお願い致します。

Happy New Years!

気がついたらもう０９年ですね〜。なんだか、０８年は色々とあった年で、娘が産まれた事以外は本当に大変な年でした。たぶん、一生忘れないだろうな〜・・・。でも、そんな年の最後に日に、いきなり体調を崩して９時から布団の入って寝てしまいました。

I can't believe, it's already 2009. Last year was a tough year for me especially as a racing stand point. I think I will remember the 08 year for rest of my life....but gotta move on and better things are to come. To put an end to one of my worst season....apart from having a baby girl, I was sick yesterday and decided to go to bed before 9PM and missed all the countdown stuff.

年を越して朝起きたらスッキリ！なんだか色んな意味での厄を振り払ってから年越しをできたような気がしましたので、ある意味良かったかな？！？今年は気合いを入れ直して頑張らないと！そして、皆さんにとっても良い年でありますように！！では、
改めて今年も宜しくお願い致します。

However, I woke up and felt real good! I must have got rid of all the evils in my body and let's hope for a much better 09 season on and off the track! Thanks again for all your support during the 08 season and let's all hope for an exciting and prosperous 09 season!! Enjoy rest of your holidays!!

いよいよ０９年

もう日本は大晦日ですね。ロスはまだ３０日ですが、今日は６時に起きてダウンタウンにある魚市場に母親とでかけ、お正月に食べる食材をゲット。家に戻り朝ご飯を食べてからジムに出かけ１０kmのランニング。家に戻ってランチを食べてから、家で仕事納め。

I had a early start this morning going to the Fish Market in Downtown with my Mom. We wanted to get some fish for the new year and you couldn't get any fresher fish than going to the Fish Market. After getting all our ingredients, my Mom started to prep the food while I went to the gym for 10km run. I came home and got some final work done for the year.

日本との交渉事は前向きに進んでいるのに対し、US再度は残念ながら話がうまくいかず、また毎年恒例の１歩進んで２歩下がる状態ですが、着実に前進しているので我が身値を進むべく頑張らないと！今年は色々と苦労した年だったから、来年は良い年にしないとな！では、皆さん良いお年を迎えて下さい！！

The negotiations for the Japan side went well over night, but things that was being negotiated here took a dive so that was a bad news... However, things are moving forward steadily and hope to have things locked up soon. It really was a tough year this year for me but I hope next season would be a great year for me and all my sponsors, family, and friends!!

今日も忙しかった〜！

今日もメチャメチャ忙しかった〜！朝はジムでガッツリトレーニング。今日は久しぶりのサーキットトレーニングで（走行をしたわけではないですよ！？！）、心拍数を上げまくりでヘトヘト・・・。年を越す前に気合いの入ったトレーニングができました。

It was a real busy day today. I went to the gym in the morning and did a real intensive circuit training. My heart rate was real high for almost one hour and was a good cardio work out as well! I am sooOOOO ready for 09 season and most importantly, I can't wait to get back in to the car!!

ジムから戻ってシャワーのついでにシャワー室の掃除。お昼は家で食べて、午後は母親と息子を連れて公園＆スーパーでお買い物。家に戻ってこれから来季の交渉で日本との連絡の取り合いです・・・。これこそまさに貧乏暇無し！でもこのご時世、暇でない事は良い事ですね！

After I was done with training, I came home and since I had to jump in the shower, I decided to clean the shower at the same time to use all the minutes and water efficiently!! Than took my son to the park and my Mom to the grocery store. I am finally home and will have to make several phone calls to Japan to finalize couple of deals for next season.

ランニング＆大掃除

今日も朝から大掃除。家の窓を拭いたりブラインドの掃除をしたり大変でした。手も荒れまくっています・・・。しかし、ブラインドの掃除は面倒くさいですね。何かブラインドの掃除がしやすいシステムはないんですかね・・・？！？

Woke up early this morning to start wiping the windows and blinds. It took ages to clean all the windows as well as going through all the dust on the blinds....There must be a tool or a system to clean the window blinds because I am on the verge of changing all the blinds to curtain next year just so I don't have to clean them again!?!

掃除が一段落した時点でジムに行き１０kmのランニング。家に戻ってランチを食べてからは母親とスーパーやターゲットに行き日用品等をゲッツ。なんだかノンストップな一日でしたが、年をユックリ迎えれる様に明日で何とか部屋中の掃除を終わらすぞ！！

Once I got all the windows finished, I went to the gym for 10km run. Came home for a quick lunch and was off to the store to get some grocery shopping as well as to Target. It just felt like an endless without any rest but I think I am just about ready to start a fresh new year!!

大掃除＆散髪

今日は午前中にジムに行き、トレーニング。お昼前に家の大掃除を開始。一日ですますのには、時間がかかるので今日はキッチン回りの掃除。明日はリビングのキャビネットのホコリをとらないと・・・。ヘルメットのディスプレイも汚れて来ているので奇麗に磨いたろう！！

Went to the gym in the morning and had a great work out. Than I started to clean the house as it is a Japanese tradition to clean and dust off the house before the new year. Since it was going to take me the whole day to do all the rooms...I decided to focus on the kitchen and part of the living room today. I will have to clean all my helmet cabinets tomorrow since it is getting pretty dusty in there. Last year...we were pretty lazy and decided to hire a molly maids...but this year I decided to take time to clean all my precious collections.

お昼を食べた後は年を越す前にすっきりしようと、息子と二人でヘアーサロンに行き散髪。息子の髪も自分の髪も伸びてボサボサだったので、がっつり切ってきました！息子はサーファー風なロンゲからキムタクカットにアレンジしてもらいました！！（笑）これで、スッキリ。家に帰る途中に公園によって、息子とバスケットボールをしてきました。って言っても息子はシュートを抱っこしてさせるかんじですが・・・。明日は残りの部分の掃除を終わらせれば無事に年を越せるぞ〜〜！！

After lunch, I went to cut my hair with my son since both of our hair was growing beyond our control. I trimmed my hair to the usual cut and my son got a surfer style hair cut. We had some time after the hair cut so decided to go to the park and play basket ball...although my son can't should the ball quite like Kobe yet.... Well...overall it was a good day and I just have to finish cleaning up the other part of the rooms tomorrow in order to be fully ready to begin an exciting 2009 season!!

今年もあとわずか。

クリスマスも終わり、今年もあとわずかですね。ロスのクリスマスはLAらしからぬ温度で冷え込み、クリスマスな雰囲気を満喫できました。昨日から母親が家に来てくれているので妻にとってもようやく産後の休みが取れる様です。

We had a pretty nice Christmas staying at home and having a great dinner.It was unusually chilly for LA standard which made it feel like a real Christmas. My mom have arrived yesterday in town to spend the new year with us and my wife can finally get some rest after delivering the baby.

年末年始は家でユックリするかなって感じですが、１０日からはデトロイトショーに行ったりまた忙しくなりそうなので、その時の為に体力を温存しておかないと。しかし、年末年始となると今までは“正月には酒が呑める、酒が呑めるぞ〜”なんてやっていましたが、さすがに子供ができると夜中に起きたりしなくてはいけないので、それどころではありませんね！？！（笑）でも、家族４人＋母親で過ごす年末をユックリ満期させて頂きます！！

I think I will stay quite for rest of the new year, but sounds like Jan would be another busy month for me having to go to Detroit as well as Indy and to Japan by end of the month. Usually, New year celebration in Japanese Style is all about drinking lots of Sake....but this year I think couple of beers would do it since I will most likely have to get up every couple of hours for our baby!?! Well, I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and best wishes for rest of the year and to 2009!!

メリークリスマス！

皆さんメリークリスマス！今日はクリスマスイブですね！！なんだか、ロスは珍しく寒くてクリスマスの雰囲気が出ています。僕は今日は黄疸のチェックをしに年の為に娘をまた病院に連れて行き、とりあえず問題はなさそうなので一安心。

Merry Christmas! It really feels like Christmas out here in LA with chilly weather which makes this night a little more moody. My day started with another trip to the hospital and making sure that our daughter was OK from Jaundice. Everything seems to be OK for now and we stopped by the Supermarket and came home to have some lunch.

家に戻ってランチをして、息子を連れてデパート＆オモチャ屋さんに行ってプレゼントを購入。娘の出産等で買い物に行くタイミングを逃してしまい、なんだかちょっと可哀想な形のプレゼントになってしまいました・・・。息子は満足げな顔でウキウキで歩いて帰って来ている途中にグッスリ寝てしまいましたが、こっそり買いに行って渡せなかった所は父親失格だな・・・と思ってしまいました。でも、素直に喜んでくれる子供は本当に純粋ですね！！

After lunch, I tool my son to the Toy Store to get him a Christmas present. Unfortunately, I didn't have time this past week end to pick something up for him since we were going back and forth to the hospital.... I still wanted to get something to him to see his smile. I really felt bad since I should have gotten something for him a lot earlier....but nevertheless, he was able to spend some good time at the store trying to pick his favorite toy!!

さてさて、それでは皆さんもクリスマスをエンジョイして下さい！！

Well, I hope you all enjoy your Christmas!! Happy Holidays!!

来季に向けて前向きな一日

今日はアメリカがクリスマス休暇に入る前日だったのでメチャメチャ忙しかったです。午前中は病院に行き、娘の検診。ちょっと黄疸の心配があるから、日光浴をさせなくてはいけないくらい、他は至って健康でした。

Since today was the last day before the Christmas Holiday...it was a real busy day for me. I had to take my daughter for a check up and she is doing real well so far. Everything seems so much smoother for the second child sine you seem know what to do already.

自分は家に戻り、お昼は色んなチームと連絡をとって、交渉を進めました。同時進行で日本から来季の活動の件で問い合わせが入ったり、色んな面で物事が前向きに進んでいます。この不況の中で協力してくれている方やスポンサーには本当に感謝です！気合いが入りまくって夕方はジムに行ってきました！！明日も午前中は日本と連絡を取り合わなくてはいけないので、今夜は早めに寝ようっと！！

For lunch I was at home making several phone calls. I was just updating things with several teams and things are going real well. It seems as if the world has turned around since my daughter was born and hopefully she is bringing a lot of luck to me!! Well...in reality, I have to thank my supporter as well as sponsor who has been part of my program and are willing to help in this economic state. Hopefully things will come through soon where I can make more exciting announcement as for racing program!! To make things happen, I have to get up early tomorrow morning to make some calls to Japan so I better get some good sleep tonight!!

ネーミング

赤ちゃんが産まれて、昨日のお昼に退院して、昨晩は家でユックリできました。今日は朝からジムに行って、ここ数日間の間は病院通いで動かしていなかった身体をがっつり鍛えてきました。

After spending couple of days going back and forth to the hospital, I finally got some time to hit the gym this morning and had a great work out! My wife was also able to relax being home with our daughter and son. Hospital is not exactly the best place to get some rest....

所で産まれて来て女の子の名前はCapri（香風里）ちゃんになりました。ミドルネームはKaede(楓）で決定。産まれる前からどうしようかと悩んでいましたが、息子の時は僕が名前を決める権限があったので、今回は妻が決めました。イタリアのカプリ島をイメージした名前で、漢字も友達のカメラマンの斉藤ヒロ君に相談して決定！実は息子の漢字も考えてくれたんです。命名は本当に悩みますよね。でも、子供は一生その名前の背負って生きていくので、しっかりと考えなくてはいけませんね。親として一番最初にすることですもんね。そうそう、日本は産後２週間以内に出生届を出せば宵みたいですが、アメリカは退院前に決めないと、出生届を作成してくれないんですよね！なので、アメリカで生む場合は事前に考えておく様に！？！（笑）

Well...after a lot of debate with my wife, we ended up naming our girl Capri and her middle name is Kaede. Since I got to chose the name for my son, my wife wanted to have the say this time and she liked the sounds of Capri as from the island in Italy. It was hard to come up with a Kanji Character to fit her name in Japanese but my friend gave us some thoughts and I was happy with her name after all! I actually chose Kaede for her middle name because I wanted something that was more Japanese with in her name to be proud of our heritage. Obviously naming a child is not exactly ease especially if you have to come up with something that suits in English as well as Japanese. Capri may be a bit uncommon as a name, but the meaning in Kanji would be "Bringing the odor of your country through the wind" which I thought it was pretty cool!!

ビッグニュース！

皆さん！突然ですがビッグニュースです！！１２月２０日の午前３：４２分になる女の子の赤ちゃんが産まれました！！息子とは二つは慣れた長女です。女の子が産まれて、かなり喜んでいます！!

I have a big announcement to make! We just had our second baby!! It was a girl and she was born on Dec 20 at about 3:42am!! I couldn't be a happier to see a healthy baby just in time for Christmas!!

予定日は２８日だったのですが、二人目なので早く産まれました。最初は金曜の検診で、恐らく先生がクリスマス休暇をとりたいから、促進剤を打って産ませるつもりだったっぽいのが、実際に入院したら陣痛がきてあっと言う間に産まれました！！

The due date was about the 28th, but we were expecting her earlier than that since it was our second child. I thought it would be just around Christmas but our doctor probably wanted to take a Christmas Vacation and suggested us to go to the hospital and opt for induced labor. We took his advice and went to the hospital on Friday and surprisingly, the contraction has started during that night.

残念ながら今回の出産は立ち会う事ができませんでした・・・。（泣）息子のお守りをしながら、まだ産まれる気配がないから家に戻って横になってたら、あっと言う間に赤ちゃんがおりて来て産まれたそうです。本当にあっと言うまでビックリ！！病院にダッシュしてギリギリセーフで間に合いませんでした！でも、無事に産まれて何よりです。

Unfortunately, I was not able to see the baby when she was coming out since I was home taking care of my son. Well...actually, I was at sleep since we all thought that she was going to be due sometime next day. We all guessed it wrong and the girl was ready to come out in a hurry! I got the call and I dashed to the hospital but just missed all the good part...however, I am real happy to see a healthy baby and a wife!

しかし、この数日間は息子の世話をしながら、食事＆洗濯などして、かな〜り主婦の辛さを実感しました。ある意味、男に産まれて良かったないう漢字です！が、やっぱり子供が産まれると言う事は良い事ですね！！今年は家族４人で年越しです！！

Well...the last couple of days was really tough taking care of my son, cleaning the house, making foods, while going to the hospital. I am relieved to have my wife back and couldn't be happier to be born as a man!! It was a great couple of days and I think we are going to enjoy our rather quite Holiday with a lot of happiness!!

今日は忙しい・・・。（泣）

今日はめちゃんこ忙しい一日でした。朝は早起きして、今日の午後に締め切りの原稿を書き上げました。今回は長めの原稿だったので苦労しました。ボキャブラのカズが少ない事になんだか、情けないなと思いつつ・・・、もっと色んな本を読んだりして勉強しなくてはと思う日でした。

It was a super busy day today! I got up early to finish up an article that was due this afternoon. It was a lengthy article so it took me some time to write the conclusion. It took me 3days to write the article but I think it came out pretty good. However, I realized that I will need to read more Japanese books to get my vocabulary up since I am running out of them when I write an article.

お昼には子供を幼稚園にピックアップして、今年は今日で終了なので明日からは冬休みです。いちおう、先生にご挨拶をして、家に戻り午後からはドタバタです。が、僕に取ってはかなりグッドニュースの出来事があり、明日か明後日までには報告できると思います！！と言う事で今夜は早めに寝ます！！zzzz

For lunch, I went to pick up my son who finished the last day of the pre-school today. He has matures so much by going to pre-school just in last two months and I am really proud of his growth as well as being healthy. The business kept going through rest of the day but I am really excited since I have something good to announce in next two days! Well...at least it is good and exciting for me!! So stay tuned guys!!

＄１＝¥８７

今朝起きて、日課になっている為替相場のチェック。するとな〜んと＄１＝８７円って、見て驚いちゃいました！しかも、８７円台で安定しちゃってるのでビックリ。ある意味、まだまだ今後の景気が怖いですね。この円相場だと、今月書いた原稿料を前倒しで欲しいなと思ってしまうくらいです！？！（笑）

Woke up this morning and did my routine Net Surfing checking the exchange rate. I was surprise to see it is down to 87Yen/Dollar. What's more shocking is that it is stabling at that range, It is scary because by all means, the economy in Japan is definitely getting worse but yet the Dollar keeps weakening versus the yen.I just wished if I was getting my check for the articles right now based on the exchange rate!?!

日本はもう忘年会シーズンですね。身体を壊さないように皆さん頑張りましょう！僕はおとなしくしっぽりやってます・・・！？！

Now, we are approaching the Holiday Season and feels like the whole city is just about ready for Christmas. For me...it will be a rather quite and busy holiday with some good news to come...at least hopefully!?!

ロスも寒いです

今日もロスは寒いです。冬とは言ってもこの寒さは異常気象かな・・・？家で一日中暖房を付けているのは珍しいくらいです。寒いからと思って朝は気合いを入れてジムに行って運動をしてきました。トレーニングをしていたらしっかり身体は温まり、絶好調。

It was a real cold day here in LA. It is a lot cooler than our average winter temp and we had the heater on all day which is unusual for our house...since my wife is not a big fan of AC. Well, to get me warmed up, I went to the gym and had a nice work out in the morning.

家に戻ってからは仕事や来季の交渉等も含めて色々と連絡の取り合い。もう来週でクリスマスに入ってしまうので、チームやアメリカサイドとの交渉先とはできる限り今週中に話を進めないとって感じです。アメリカはクリスマスから年越しまで休んでしまい、日本は逆に年越しから１週間の間が休みなので、この２週間が自分にとっては一番嫌な期間です・・・。

I came home for lunch and than got to work through out the afternoon. I had to negotiate with several prospects sponsors as well as teams since with the Christmas approaching, we really need to get things moving before next week. Unfortunately everything is at halt between Christmas and New Year here in US, and than Japan is in Holiday for a week after the New Year. Therefore, it is my least favorite time of the year since nothing really moves forward during those two weeks. Well, I just need to keep doing my job and hopefully good things will come soon!!

息子のクリスマス会

昨晩は夜中から大雨。しかも、急に寒くなって、改めて冬の到来を実感。今日は午前中に息子の幼稚園でクリスマス会があり、子供の出し物を見に行ってきました。しかし、息子の成長っぷりにビックリしました。

It is raining here in Cali. And really cold... At least it's not snowing but I rather see some snow if it's going to be this cold. Anyhow, we had a early start to the day because my wife and I needed to drop our son off to his pre-school and than wait couple of at nearby coffee shop to return to the school to watch the Christmas Party.

クリスマス会を見に行って、一番の心配は子供に見つかった時に泣いて寄ってくるのでは・・・と思っていたのですが、子供は知らないうちに成長しているんですね。出し物もしっかりとやって、あえて途中に勝手にアドリブでヒップホップ調のダンスをしていました！？！（笑）本人も楽しんでいたみたいで一安心。まだまだ、これからが大変なんでしょうが、子供がしっかりと成長している事ができホッとした一日でした。

Each class had their own play to do, and my son's class danced to Christmas songs. I was surprise how well my son did during the dance and he even had his own hip hop style moves that he learned by him self!?! Nevertheless, it was a good day for me to learn more about my son and how mature he has gotten...well he is still young... But I was happy to see him enjoy the class!! I guess I can't complain about the high tuition fee...!?!

息子のハコ乗り

今日は朝から天気が悪くてロスも本格的に冬になった感じです。自分は朝早めに起きて、ジムで１０kmのランニング。お昼は妻と一緒に韓国料理の豆腐チゲを食べにいき、帰りにスーパーによってきたく。

It really feels like winter even here in LA now. It was hard to get out of the nice & warm confy bed this morning but had to hit the gym early so got up and went for 10km run. Since it was cold, my wife and I decided to go to Korean Restaurant to eat some spicy tofu soup for lunch. It was really good and was actually sweating after the meal!!

そういえば、昨日たまたま試乗会で使用していたGT-Rをロスの業者に返しに行く時に息子をシートに座らせたら大喜びでハコ乗りしたいました！！車が好きそうで父親としてはちょっと安心です！？！（笑）

Here is a quick snap of my son a in the GT-R seat. I think he is ready to drive and started to practice "Hako-Nori" doughnuts driving style by him self!?!

LAに戻ってきました。

この数日間はメチャメチャ忙しくてブログの更新サボっちゃいました。と言うか、べガスで連日忙しくなりそうだったので、あえてコンピューターは持って行きませんでした・・・。

It was a real busy couple of days for me and was not able to update my blog. Well....I didn't plan to since I left my computer home knowing that things were going to be busy in Vegas.

さて、昨日まではべガスに行ってきました。今回はZの試乗会で自分は特別企画でGT-Rと３７０Zの比較対決を行いました。その内容に関しては今度販売されるXaCarを呼んで下さいね！！

Anyhow, the trip to Vegas was great and everything went well. The Media Event for Nissan 370Z was great and we actually spent most of the time early in the morning at the track testing out the GT-R VS the new Z. You can read the article in regards to this in the next XaCar issue...if you can read Japanese.

こんかいべガスで泊まったホテルは新しく建ったばかりのトランプタワー。べガスのストリップからは一本入った所ですが、静かでグッド。しかも、カジノがないので賭け事をしない僕としては煩くなくて良いかな？！？って言うかギャンプルしないんだったらべガスに行くなって話ですが・・・。（笑）

Well...we stayed at the newly built Trump Tower at Vegas thanks to Nissan, and the room was great. The hotel is located just a block behind the Strip and there is no casino so it is rather quite. But I don't gamble so I prefer not here the slot machines going crazy...

ホテルは新しかったので良かったです！部屋は広くて、プチキッチンもあり、一人で快適でした。お手洗いの鏡の中にはTVが内蔵されていてジャクジーバスに入りながら、テレビをみてゆっくり風呂につかっちゃいました！！

The room I stayed in had a small kitchen, Jacuzzi bath, and a built in TV in your bathroom mirror! My usual 5min shower time became 30min relaxing bath but needed that after long day of driving!!

しかも、３７０Zのイベントで部屋に奇麗にデコレーションされたチョコが用意されていました。写真を撮る前に一番右上のチョコは食べちゃいました！！

Than a quick bite of a chocolate to get my sugar level up before dinner!?!

トレーニング＆べガスに向けての準備

今日は早起きてして、午前中はジムでトレーニング。お昼は子供を幼稚園にピックアップに行き、ご飯を食べて戻って来て、午後はずっと家で仕事。明日からは１泊２日でべガスに行くので、その準備もしていました。

Woke up early today to hit the gym before it got crowded. I was able to make it back home before lunch and went to pick up my son at the pre-school. Went for a quick lunch and back home to get some work done before leaving to Vegas tomorrow.

今回のべガスはZの試乗会です。が、今回は特別企画でGT-RとZをサーキットで走ります。もちろんGT-Rの方が速い事は間違いないと思いますが、新しくなったZがサーキットではどんな走りをするかが楽しみです！！

I am going to Vegas this time to test drive the new Z at the track. I will also be comparing the Z against the GT-R at LVMS. Obviously the GT-R is probably going to be much quicker...but I am very curious how well the Z would do against more powerful GT-R! Should be a good fun day for me and it can't hurt to get paid for having fun!?!

週末もあっと言う間に終了。

気がついたらあっと言う間に週末が終わってしまいましたね。今週末は久しぶりに家でユックリする事ができました。来週は火曜日にまたべガスに行かなくてはいけないので、忙しくなりそうです。年末年始に向けて今週末はエネルギーを蓄える週末でした！！

It was a rather quite week end for me. I am going to Vegas again this Tuesday so I was happy to be able to spend some time with my family during the day. It would be my 5th trip to Vegas this year...but would like to take my family there sometime soon to have some fun. Well...time to get back to real life starting tomorrow!?!

HONDAのF1撤退

昨日の電撃ニュースはHONDAのF1撤退。アメリカでは朝から噂の報道がながれていましたが、夕方までには確実と聞いた時は本当に驚きました。このご時世メチャメチャ不景気だと言う事は間違いありませんが、やはり北米マーケットの販売台数が減った事は決断へと繋がったのかもしれませんね。とくに、来年からは北米でのF1レースはなくなってしまったので、予算の有効活用的にも色々と困難があったのかなと感じます。

I was really shocked to hear about the announcement of Honda F1 team pulling the plug immediately. The rumor was out yesterday morning and I thought they were going to put pressure on the team to find sponsors or else pulling a plug after next year but it certainly was a huge surprise when they announced that they will not even supply engines!! I'm sure the US economy didn't help as well as losing a race in N.America. At this point, I'm sure there is not much point for Honda America to help out the F1 Budget if we have IRL and ALMS in US.

しかし、色んな所で解雇のニュースばっかり報道されて、だんだん不況を改めて実感していきますね。今までは株の最安値だったり、ガソリン価格の高騰・・・って言うので不安要素はありましたが、こう続いて解雇が続くと今後の景気がさらに心配になります。だからこそ、自分は頑張って来年の話を決めて、少しはレース会に華やかなニュースをプレゼントしないと！！って勢いで頑張ります！！

Not only the Honda F1 program...the news in Japan is all about who is going to lay off people today!?! Which is a bad news for all the workers who has been putting there hard effort on to making great products. By now, there is now surprise that we are really in recession... It will be tough but I am going to keep working hard to strike my deal so at least there is some great news to talk about in Motorsports industry!!

だんだん寒くなってきました。

ロスもようやく冬らしい気候になってきて、朝と夕方は長袖の洋服を着ないと寒くなってきました。なんだか寒いと朝布団からでるのが嫌になりますよね・・・。そんな誘惑にも負けず、今朝も早起きしてジムでトレーニング。お昼は蕎麦を食べて、帰りにスーパーで買い物をして午後はずっと家で仕事。気がついたら明日はもう金曜だ〜！？！時間が経つのは本当に早いですね〜・・・。

It is getting cooler out here in LA and feels like the winter is here just in time for Christmas. As it gets cold over night, it is harder to get out of bed... But I got up early to go to the gym and had a good 10km run as usual. For lunch, we went to a Soba Noodle Restaurant and came home to do some more work. Looking at the calendar and I can't believe it's already Friday tomorrow!!

123

今日が１２月３日。１、２、３・・・・だっ〜って感じですね！？！すいません、最初から飛ばしてしまいました！？！（笑）今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。お昼は家でご飯を食べて、吉野家で牛皿だけ買ってきて、ご飯に乗せて堪能。日本産のおいしいお米の上に乗せて食べると、旨いんだな〜！！午後はずっと家で仕事をして、夕方になってクローゼットに保管してある、クリスマスツリーを出してデコレーション。息子はなんだこれって驚いていました！！

Today is 12/3. It feels like start of something when you see 1...2...and 3 on the date. I was off to a good start hitting the gym early in the morning and doing my routine training. For lunch, I made some rice and went out and bought beef only at Yoshinoya. It actually tastes much better if you place the beef on the rice that you cooked your self. It turns out to be a gourmet beef bowl!?! After lunch, I got the Christmas Tree out and I decorated the tree with my son. My son seemed to enjoy decorating the tree but I just realized that it is about time to go out and shop some Christmas present for my son...

来年に向けての交渉

今日は比較的忙しい一日でした。朝一でジムに行き１０kmのランニングをして、すっきり朝のスタート！朝から原稿を書き、お昼は来季のついての事に関してミーティング。午後も色々と来年の活動について、スポンサーと連絡をとっていたらあっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。気がついたらクリスマスも終わってそうで怖いですね・・・。（笑）

It was another busy day for me today. I got off to a fresh start with a 10km run in the gym. Than came home to finish off the article I have been working on since yesterday. For lunch, I went to meet with couple of group of people who are interested on being part of my program for next season and came home to make more calls to my partners to discuss about how we can get things sorted for next year. It really is a difficult time of the year and I will probably start losing some hair again!?! It's scary to think that Christmas is already around the corner...

もう１２月

いよいよ１２月に入ってしまいましたね。今年も残すは後わずか・・・。１年が経つのは本当に早い。今日は午前中に息子が幼稚園に行っている間はジムで筋トレ＆ランニング。お昼に迎えに行って、帰りに日系スーパーの中に入ってるラーメン屋でランチ。息子はラーメンを食べ「ウマっX2]って大喜び！（笑）麺類が好きみたいです。自分は家に戻り、午後はずっと来季に活動についての連絡をしていました。今日もあっと言う間の一日だったな〜。

I can't believe that we are already in December. Time just keeps flying by as you get older. The weather was pretty nice today when we woke up and while my wife took our son to the pre-school, I hit the gym to do some weight training/running. As we picked up our son from the school just in time for lunch, we stopped at the super market to grab a quick bite at the ramen store. My son really loves noodle and he ended up eating most of my wife's ramen!! We were all stuffed and satisfied when we left the place and I was back at work contacting couple of people for next year's deal. It sounds like it would be a pretty busy week again for me.

今日もお家で仕事

今日も朝早く起きて、午前中はジムでランニング。僕がもくもくと走っていると、となりのトレックマシンで運動しているオッサンが妙にチラチラ見てきて、どうやらランニングマシンが使いたい様子。しかし、自分は１時間のランニングでまだ半分も終わっていない・・・。オッサンの視線のプレッシャーに負けずしっかりと１時間走りきって、自分はスッキリ！？！（笑）レース中をシュミレーとして性格の悪さを発揮しちゃいました！？！

As usual, I woke up at 7am and was in the gym by 9am after checking some e-mails. I was on the treadmill and planned to run for 1hr. As I reached the 30min point, the dude who was on the trekking machine kept staring at me and the machine. Obviously he wanted to use the running machine...I didn't like getting peaked at every 30sec...but I figured I can use this to simulate the race situation where you need to run with some pressure!?! I managed to hold him off for 30min and successfully ended my 1hr run!!!lol

午後は家で原稿を書いて、来週の締め切りに追い込まれない様にしっかりとお仕事。気がついたらもう６時であっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。

After eating lunch, I was back to work writing some articles again. Writing in Japanese is not as simple as writing in English and it takes a lot of time to think about using the right Kanji Character as well as how you want to phrase the sentence as you have to be polite...even when you write. Well, it's already 6pm and time to bath my son.

歯が痛い・・・。

今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。午後はずっと家で原稿を書いていました。来週締め切りの原稿がけっこうあるので、早目に作業にとりかからないと・・・。って原稿を書いていたら夕方から歯が痛くて集中できず、やめました。そろそろ歯医者に行く頃かな？！？（泣）

Went to the gym in the morning and spend most of the afternoon writing articles that are due next week. It's always good to get a head start. However, just I was about to finish working...my tooth started to ache and I just couldn't concentrate anymore to finish up the article. I guess it's time for a dentist visit...which is my least favorite thing because it costs money and it hurts!?!

ランニング

昨晩はサンクスギビングだったので七面鳥を食べると思いきや、北京ダックをがっつり食べて感謝祭を祝いました！？！今日も基本的には４連休だったので、街は静かでした。BlackFridayと言い、クリスマス前のスーパーセールで沢山の人がショッピングをしていたみたいですが、例年に比べるとアメリカの景気が良くないので、控えてる家庭もいっぱいいるみたいです。勿論家は後者で今日はずっとお家に居ました。買い物できないストレスを解消する為に今日は１０kmのランニング。ストレス発散ですっきりな一日でした！！

Last night, we went to our friend's house to have the Thanks Giving Dinner. Well...we ended up eating Peking Duck instead of a Turkey...but what the heck...they are both birds right?!? Although the Black Friday is very attempting to go out and shop the sale merchandise getting ready for Christmas...we opted to stay home and avoid the chaos. Well, I guess there were less shoppers today because of the economy but we definitely need to stay in budget for the holiday season. Since we were home all day...I spent couple of hours at the gym and went for 10km run to shrug off some stress on not being able to spend money!?!

Thanks Giving Day

今日はサンクスギビングでアメリカは休日。今週末は長い週末になりそうです。自分はいつも通りに起きて、午前中はジムでトレーニング。午後は昨日のうちに原稿を仕上げる事ができたので、息子とユックリしていました。これから知り合いの家のパーティーに顔を出しに行って来ま〜す。

The Thanks Giving Day is here....and it was a quite day. It would be interesting to see how the consumer will react to the Black Friday with the way economy is. I was up for the usual routine going to the gym in the morning and than since I was able to get all my work done last night, I spent most of the afternoon just relaxing with my son. We will be off to our friend's party tonight and hopefully we will be getting some great meal there!!

LAは雨

LAでは珍しく昨晩から雨が降っています。１０月末には何時もちょこっと降るんですが、今年は春が終わってからほとんど雨がふらずようやく降ったって感じです。が、雨が降るとカリフォルニア州の人は本当に運転が下手で事故したり、渋滞だらけで最悪です。しかし、世界で一番雨の運転な下手な国って何処かな？ちなみに、カートのレースでは、昔はカリフォルニア州のレースで雨が降るとタイヤが無いので、中止って事もありましたが！？！雨の運転は練習しないと上手くなりませんからね・・・。（笑）

We are finally getting some rain here in Los Angeles. It seems like we had no rain in Summer and Autumn...and here comes the winter. I don't like driving in the rain here in California because people are pretty slow driving in the wet as well as traffic...and accidents...and it's just frustrating. I wonder where is the worst place to drive in the rain?? As from racing stand point, when I used to race Karts here in California...they used to cancel the race when it rained because no body had wet tires for Karts. I must say it takes a lot of practice to go fast in the wet which I learned when I lived in England for short period of time...and it is always wet there!!

今週末はThanks Giving

今週末アメリカはThanks Giving(感謝祭）で４連休の週末です。となると、明日までには色々な仕事をすませないと・・・。今日も親父が日本から頼まれた物の買い物で一日が過ぎてしまいました。冬が近づくと日が暮れるのも早いのでなんだか一日が早く終わってしまう気がしますね。

Since the Thanks Giving is coming up this week end...I didn't realize that tomorrow is kind of like Friday...I've been running around the town for my dad picking up all kind of stuff for his souvenirs for our family. It's kind of funny that we ask to get the clothes from Japan for our kids and my sister wants us to get them clothes from US. I don't think the kids don't mind but I think it's about satisfying the Mom's to make them think that they are diverse..!?!

今週末のThanks Givingデーは何をするのかな・・・？またフライドターキーかな？？

As we approach the winter, the day is getting shorter and shorter. We better plan things for Thanks Giving Day. Perhaps, we may attend to our friend's part for another Fried Turkey?!?

原稿におわれまくり・・・。

LAショーが終わってからちょっと落ち着くのかと思ったのも束の間で、昨日から親父がロスに来ていて、買い物ツアーをいきながら原稿の締め切りと格闘をしています！？！仕事があるのは嬉しい事ですけどね。しかし、気がついたらもうちょいで１２月！？！今年も終わっちゃいますね〜。怖い怖い・・・。

LA Auto Show is finally over but am busy again since my dad is in town for couple of days as well as having to finish up couple of articles that I was requested to write about just after the show. The deadline is coming up so I better pick up my pace!?! I will probably get some rest of over the Thanks Giving week end so I will have to stay full throttle till than.

ラスベガス＆ニューZ

ここ数日間はメチャメチャ忙しくて、久しぶりに数日間ブログをサボっちゃいました。LAショーの初日はショーの会場で色々と発表される車をみて、その日は夕方に家に戻り原稿を書き上げ、夜中のフライトでべガスに移動。木曜は一日中べガスでYOKOHAMAタイヤさんの試乗会で色んな車を運転して、夜にLAに戻り夜中まで毎年恒例の車業界の人達が集まる、Road&Trackの編集部に勤めるサムさんが主催するSam'sNightに出席。

It was a real busy week for me and didn't have any time to update my blog... It got real busy once the LA Auto Show started on Weds since I had to finish couple of articles that day by 9PM. I got everything done by 7PM and went to LAX to catch my flight to go to Vegas. On Thurs, I was at the Speedway all day giving hot laps to the Yokohama Tires clients who are introducing their new high performance tires. Than back to LA that night to join the get together of all the people from Japan who is in car business and that party is called Sam's night because it is hosted by Sam Mitani who is the Intl Editor at Road & Track.

昨日はショーの内容を纏めて夕方はミーティング。週末に入ってようやく落ち着いた所です。で、このあいだのZの写真です！写真より現物の方が格好いいですよ！！

Well...here is a pict of the new 370Z which I took on Thursday. I think it looks better in real life!!

370Z

今日でLAオートショーが開幕されました。ずっと記者発表会を回りまくって、夕方に家を戻り夜までに締め切りだった原稿をしあげて、今はラスベガスに向かう所です。明日はYOKOHAMAタイヤさんの試乗会でべガスのスピードウェイで走行しています！戻って来て落ち着いたらZの写真アップします。写真より現実の方が格好良いのですが、走りもレベルアップしています！！

Just got back from the LA Auto Show. I was pretty busy going through all the press conference and was back home by 4PM to finish the article on several cars that were announced today. I just had dinner and I am off to Vegas to do some hot laps tomorrow for Yokohama tires and their clients at LVMS. Good to be busy but was too busy the last couple of days...at least I will get to have some fun tomorrow!!

Acura TL & Mazda 6を試乗＆撮影

今日は朝一で子供を幼稚園に預け、自分はそのまま仕事に直行。今日はAcura TLとMazda 6の試乗＆撮影。６は既に乗っていたので、TLに乗るのは楽しみでした。同じ3.7Lのエンジンを積んでいて良い比較対象かなと思いつつも以外と違う内容なので比較が難しそう。しかし、結論からすると、TLの中身と6のルックスが欲しいなと言う感じです。

Got up early today and dropped off my son at the pre-school. Than I was off to work right away testing the new Acura TL and the Mazda 6. I already drove the 6 so I was looking forward to driving the new TL. They both have 3.7L engines and I thought it would be a good comparison but they both seems to be in a different class where it is relatively difficult to compare against each other. Having said that, I like both cars for sure. But would be ideal to have the looks of the 6 and the performance of the TL.

明日はな〜んとニューZを試乗する予定です。しかも、今夜はお食事会で、今週はLAショーもあるので連日大忙しになりそうです！

I am off to dinner meeting now but I am really looking forward to tomorrow since I get a sneak preview test drive on the new Nissan Z!

凄い山火事！

ここ数時間のLA郊外の山火事はまじでヤバいです！高速道路は閉鎖されて、今朝起きると空の色が夕方みたいで変な色してました。それに加え、夕方になったら今度は風向きが変わったのか、空から灰がふってきて車もホコリを被った様に汚れています。改めて、山火事の恐ろしさを感じますね。

I didn't realize how bad the wild fire was until I woke up this morning. I opened up the window and the color of the sky looked like as if it was already 3pm!?! In the afternoon, it seems as if the wind direction has shifted and my car got covered with ash when we went to the grocery store!?! I hope the fire is going to be put out real soon...

今日はNASCARの最終戦も終わり、マカオのF3のレースも終わり、これでいよいよレーシングシーズン終了ですね。それより、マカオでの国本選手の勝利には感心します。セッションのリザルト／タイムしか見ていないけど、彼の才能は凄いかもしれませんね！若手が頑張っている以上も自分も頑張らないと！！

The racing season is finally over with the Homestead NASCAR race and Macau race being over. I was real impressed with Carl Edwards spirit as a racing driver but was more impressed by Kunimoto who won the Macau F3 race. I think he is a natural talent that may become the first Japanese driver to win a F1 race. Although the season being over...I will have a lot of work to do to get things settled for next season and I better keep working at it!!

息子のイタズラ

最近になって家の息子はイタズラがエスカレート。色んなスペースに変な物をいれたがります。今日はビデオデッキの中に強引にテレビのリモコンを突っ込もうとし、入らない事に気がついたら、飽きてそのまま差し逃げ・・・。ま〜ビデオを見る事は最近はほとんどないので、壊れても良いかなと思ってしまいますが、頼むからDVDのデッキは壊さんでくれ〜！？！

My son learned a new trick today. He learned how to stick a remote in the the VCR!?! Obviously not what he needs to learn but seems like he is learning how to stick everything in to things that you are not supposed to do. I don't mind him playing with the VCR since we hardly use the machine but I just hope that he doesn't brake the DVD player!!

ピットの容態

ここの３日間ピットが元気がなくちょっと心配です。なんだか、抱きかかえる時に痛いみたいでジャンプするのも嫌がっています。足腰を触ったり身体を触っても痛がらないので、どこが悪いのか原因不明・・・。しかし、本当にブルーな感じでおとなしくしているので、ちょっと心配です。明日にでも病院に連れていいこうかな・・・。

My dog Pit isn't feeling so well this last three days. He doesn't seem be to be sick...but sounds like something is hurting. He doesn't want to jump on the bed but can walk and doesn't seem to hurt when I examine his legs an body... He may have a hip injury...but I am a bit concerned with his symptom and may be time to go for a medical check at the Vet....which I am not looking forward to because the medical bill seems more expensive then the human bills at the Veterinarians. Having said that, Pit's health is our priority so I better book an appointment as we speak.

Veteran's Day

今日はVeteran's Dayで、復員軍人の日です。いちおう祝日なのですが、会社はやっていたり、なんだか休みの様なそうじゃないような・・・。しかし、もともと復員軍人を称えるためのもので、自分が休む日ではないんですよね！？！

Since it was Veteran's Day today, the city was pretty quite although most of the business was still functioning. It felt like a Sat since it was such a slow day, but I suppose it is a day to honor the military veterans rather than getting us some rest.

が、街はなんだかガラ〜ンとしていて、土曜日みたいな感じでなんとなく気合いの入らない一日でした。

I still managed to spend good quality time in the gym today and back to work getting things prepared for next week's LA Auto Show.

トレーニング＆ミーティング

日曜はなんだか体調が悪くて家でユックリしていました。息子も鼻水をたらして、調子が悪そうだったので二人でゴロゴロ。今日は朝から元気に自分はジムへ、息子は幼稚園に行ってきました。幼稚園にはだいぶ慣れてきたみたいで、もう泣かなくなったみたいです。

I was not feeling so well yesterday and my son wasn't doing so well either so we both stayed quite in the house through out the day. I felt like a LAZY Boy but I guess we are allowed to do that on Sunday. I was back up full throttle this morning and off to the gym, My son was at pre-school today and he seems to understand the system and looks comfortable attending to the classes which is a bit of a relieve since I was worried about him not wanting to go to schools...!?!

自分はトレーニングを終えてから、お昼過ぎから来季に向けてへのミーティング。良い話ができて、あとは前進するのみ！！引き続きフル加速で頑張ります！！

Well, I had a great work out and had to go to meeting to talk about prospects for next season. I think the meeting went great and we just need to keep moving forward to make the deal happen!!

気がついたら週末

気がついたらもう週末。今週もあっと言う間に終わってしまったな〜。自分は原稿を書いたり、トレーニングしたりで、さっきは家でナスカーのレースを観戦していました。

This week went by so fast that I can't even remember what I did. Since it was Saturday...I slept in a bit this morning and took my son to the park. Came home, got some work done and watched the NASCAR Nationwide race from Phoenix.

お昼は相変わらず、家族でブームではまっている、フォーを食べに行きました。ダウンタウンにまた違うお店を発見！しかも、外から見た感じだと絶対に行かないな〜って感じの雰囲気ですが、中に入って食べるとメチャ美味！スープに入れる焦がしニンニクのチリソースがめちゃウマっ！！

As for lunch, my wife and I hit up another Pho joint in Chinatown. The place looks like a hole in a wall from outside...and it actually is even when you enter the restaurant. But the Pho is one of the best in town for sure!! It will probably be our weekly lunch spot since you can get the noodles and egg rolls for under $10!!

トレーニング

今日も朝はジムでトレーニング。筋トレ＆ランニングで家に着いた頃には腹ぺこ。最近は妻とベトナム料理のフォーにはまっていて、家の近くにベトナム料理を発見して早速トライ。以外とヒッピー＆モダン（ってどんな感じだよ？！？笑）な雰囲気のお店でフォーも、そこそこ美味しくて満足。家に帰って来てからは、仕事をして気がついたらもう５時半。一日が経つのは早いですね〜。

My wife and I have been craving Pho Noodles lately and I ended up finding a Vietnamese Restaurant just couple of blocks away from our building so we decided to give it a try for our lunch today. The Pho was pretty good as well as the Egg Rolls. And it is pretty cheap so you can beat the deal all around. I still must say that my favorite place is Golden Deli in Rosemead though...

来年からはオバマ大統領

いや〜ようやく大統領選挙も終わってしまいましたね。昨晩はずっとテレビに釘付け状態でしたが、オバマ氏の圧勝でしたね！個人的にはヴァージニア、オハイオ、フロリダを制した事にビックリ！！

Well, the election is finally over and it was an historical night last night with soon to be President Obama's victory.I was real surprised to see him win in Virginia, Ohio, and Florida. He literally dominated the election and I think the whole US is feeling much better now that it is over.

しかし何より、選挙が終わって良い所は、州のさまざまなPropisition（命題？）のCMをTVで見なくてすむのは本当に安心します。確かに同性愛の結婚についてなど、色んな重要な命題はありましたが、CMの内容がくだらなすぎて・・・、しかもそれを宣伝する莫大な予算もかかっていて、なんとなくあきれる毎日でした。（笑）

The best thing about the election being over is not having to watch all those silly TV commercials about Propositions. Sure they are all important issues...but it seems like they can resolve all that if they don't spend all that money advertising on TV!?!

いよいよ投票日

日本では小室哲哉氏のニュースで大騒ぎの中、アメリカではいよいよ大統領選挙の投票日がやってきました。ほとんど結果が見えている様なきもするなか、基本的には絶対数と言うより、どの州で勝つと言うのが投票システムなので、最後まで結果はわかりません。しかし、オバマ候補が当選されると歴史的瞬間となりますね！最後まで気になるので、今日はニュースに釘付けですね！！

While a famous music producer is getting arrested for allegedly unlawfully selling the copy rights to his music in Japan.... The biggest news here in US is the Presidential Campaign/Vote result. It seems as if the result is already out...you never know what can happen until we see the results from the battle ground states. If Obama wins, it will be a historical moment for the US History and the day it self can be a huge turning point for this country. Therefore, I am going to be watching the news until I see the confirmation on who ended up getting elected!!

カーグラ/YOKOHAMA DVD

気がついたら週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまいましたね。今日から息子が幼稚園に入園。名目上では幼稚園ですが、どちらかと言うと保育園かな？最初は泣いていたようですが、途中からは楽しんでいたみたいなので、一安心。しかし、次回からは置いて行かれると思い、嫌がらなければいいけど・・・。

I can't believe that the week end is over. Today was my son's first day at the pre-school. Apparently he was crying once he realized that my wife and I was no longer there...but seemed to enjoy the class once he made some friends. I'm just a bit worried for the next drop off since now he knows that he will have to attend the class by him self....

そう言えば、８月にモントレーで収録したYokohamaタイヤさんのDVDが１２月号のカーグラフィックに付録として入っています！本屋に行かれた際はぜひ、ゲットしてみて下さいね。しかし、今回はナビゲーター役を勤めたのが初めてで、本当に難しかったです・・・。逆に台本があると、緊張しちゃうタイプなので、最初の場面では噛みまくってしまいました！？！（笑）でも、個人的には物凄い楽しい時間が過ごせて、アメリカをさらに好きになる旅だったので機会があれば見て下さい！！

Speaking of November, the DVD that I filmed for Yokohama Tire in Monterey during the Historic Week End is out. You can see the DVD if you purchase the actual DVD or it comes in the latest(DEC issue) issue of Car Graphic magazine in Japan. It really was hard to host your own show since I am used to being the one who gets interviewed. I am more of a free talk guy rather than having to read scripts...but that trip was a lot of fun. If you ever happen to stop by a Japanese Book Store, don't forget to check it out!!

ブラジルGP

今日は早目に起きてブラジルGPをTV観戦。途中までは、淡々と行われているレースでしたが、最終ラップはドラマチックでしたね〜！予選から見ていると、エンジンが２レース目であまり負担をかけないように、走っている為に恐らくダウンフォースは少なめだったのかなと思い、雨が降り始めた時はちょっと心配でした。

I got up early this morning to watch the Brazilian GP. The race was just awesome at the end. It gored bored mid way through the race but the rain at the end made it totally unpredictable on who was going to win the title. I knew it was going to be tough for Lewis Hamilton since he seemed to be running less downforce to gain some straight speed in order to gain a bit from having to run under safe mode.

しかし、最後のラップは一瞬ひやっとしましたが、タイトルが取れて良かったですね〜！朝から興奮する一日でした！！

I thought he may loose the title, but fortunately he was able to finish 5th and win the title! It was an exciting start to my day！！

Angel's Flight

家のすぐ隣の公園に、世界最短距離の電車でAngel'sFlightと言う観光名所があります。この電車は５年前くらいに事故があり、その時から閉鎖されて線路だけ残っている形でしたが、今日は電車が乗せられ近い将来また運行が再開されるみたいです！ん〜でも、やっぱり乗るのは怖いかな・・・。実際どのくらいの距離かと言うと恐らく１００mくらいです。でも、急な坂（階段）を昇らずにすむので、オフィッスビルで働く人達は、便利なのかな？でも、１００mだったら歩いた方が早いですね！？！

The Angel's Flight is back! I live right next to it and they were installing the train today. I know there was a deadly accident couple of year's ago and the operation has been at halt since then but it is good to see Downtown attraction getting revived. I just hope that the train is going to be safe since my son would probably enjoy riding in it. Or at least watch the train go up and down.

ハロウィーンパーティー

昨晩は家のロビーで行われたハロウィーンパーティーに行ってきました。テーマはベネチアン仮面でしたが、家は完全に仮装パーティー状態で息子を連れていました！？！家の建物は１９２５年に経ったビルで、色々とデコレーションをされたら、本当にお化け屋敷みたいである意味こわいです！？！

There was a Halloween Party at the lobby area of my apartment building. The theme of the part was Masque but we attended the party with an usual Halloween costume. My building was built in 1925 and with the right decoration, it really looks like an haunted mansion!?!

一番人気にマスクはやはり、オバマ＆マケイン。オバマのマスクを被った人は、素振りまで練習したのか握手の仕方までそっくりでした！？！（笑）

The hottest masque of the party was definitely either one soon to be elected Obama/McCain! The guy with the Obama masque did a real good job imitating him!!

家の息子はスーパーマンの衣装を着て出席。なぜか最近は写真を撮る時にB-Boyチックなポーズを勝手にとります。（笑）

My son with Superman costume and posed B-Boy style....

明日はハロウィーン

明日はハロウィーン。あまりパーティー行事が得意でない僕ですが、息子の為には何かしないとって悩んでいる今日この頃です。所で最近息子がはまっている物は風船です。スーパーに行くとかならず風船をみて大騒ぎ！？！そして、買ってきた風船を持って、“お母さんと一緒”を見ながら風船がでてくるシーンになると、自分の風船を持ち出して同じダンスをしています。その姿を見て、家の息子は可愛いなと親ばかを発揮してしまいます！？！（笑）

Tomorrow is the Halloween night. I am not so excited about it and am not much of a party man...but will need to do something to keep my son happy...well perhaps my wife happy!?! Recently my son's favorite thing is balloon. I can't walk out of grocery store without purchasing a $4 balloon which adds up!?! I quickly figured out that he is trying to copy a scene from the TV show that he watches every morning. Some one needs to create a ever lasting balloon so I don't have to buy one every other day...

来月はLAオートショー

もうちょいで１１月ですね。来月は中旬にLAオートショーがあります。そこでは、日産が新型のZを公開します。もうすでに、写真はネットで公開されていますが、現物を見るのが楽しみ！！GT-Rとの区別をしっかりつけて、モデルチェンジをしているので、その辺のマーケティングは日産は上手だなと実感。LAオートショーは環境がテーマなのでそれ以外にも色んなエコカーの発表があると思います。今から行くのが楽しみです！！

I can't believe that Oct is almost over... And comes Nov. Speaking of November, the LA Auto Show is on during middle of the month. I am going to be busy interviewing the designers as well as finishing up articles on the new cars. One of the feature car that is going to be announced is the new Nissan Z. The picture of the car is already out and I think it looks pretty cool. Nissan did a great job differentiating the car from the GT-R and they have a good marketing strategy. Apart from the Z, the theme of the show is Environment/Green so we expect to see many environmentally friendly car being introduced at the show. I guess I will be busy but will try to give you guys some sneak peak before the actual show starts.

投票日まであと１週間

気がついたらあと１週間で大統領選挙の投票日ですね。今の所はオバマ有利な気もしますが、ヒラリー候補がいなくなってから、なんとなく話題性にかける要素になっていますが、アメリカの景気を見るとどちらになっても、なんとなく不安な今日この頃です。

I can't believe it just one week away from the presidential voting day. It seems as if with out Hilary running for president, the campaign is not as exciting anymore. I am not so sure if either one of the candidates would be able to turn the current economy around so I am rather concerned than excited about the situation...

所で、アメリカでの予備選挙などで言われるスーパーTuesdayも含め、なんで投票日は火曜日だかご存知ですか？それは、１８４５年に決まったらしいのですが、以外と単純な理由です。その頃は色んな所から集まって投票するのに、移動日だけで丸一日かかり、投票日も長い列に並ぶので、郊外に住む農民には最低でも２日がかりのプロセスだったそうです。そうなると、週末は休み＆教会にいかなくてはいかないのでNG。水曜日は市場の日だったのNG。と言う事で火曜日に決定したらしいです。休みの日を大事にするアメリカ人らしいエピソードですね。（笑）

Speaking of election date. I just found out why they chose Tuesday as the voting day. Apparently in 1845, it took the people a day to get to the county seat, a day to vote, and a day to get back. Obviously they needed to take the week end off to attend to the church as well as Wednesday since it was the Market day, that left Tuesday as there only option. Pretty simple back than...bust must have been a hassle just to vote. Now days, we have multiple ways of voting and people are still complaining about the process!?! Well...I guess at least it doesn't interfere with the Football game?!?

ジムにミーティング

今日は朝からドタバタな一日でした。朝は早めに起きて８時からジムでトレーニング。お昼前に息子をお遊戯クラスに連れて行き、自分はランチ前にミーティング。クラスが終わってから妻と息子をピックアップして家に戻り、午後は家で原稿の書き上げ。あっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。そう言えば今はMLBのワールドシリーズが行われていますね。今回はあえて岩村選手のいる、レイズに勝ってもらいたい物です！！

It was a busy day to start the week. I got up early so I can hit the gym before 8am. I was done by 10am and went to drop off my son and wife for Mommy and Me class. Than had a quick meeting before picking my family up and stopping by couple of stores to get things for my son's Pre-School items. When I finally got home, I was off finishing off couple of articles for Japanese media and I finally have some time for break. Hopefully I can watch the World Series and cheer for the Ray's who Iwamura plays for!!

ロックアウト

今日は日曜日なので、朝はユックリ。お昼前になってから、息子の幼稚園に通うグッヅを買いにスーパーに行ったのですが、その際に家のドアーを閉めた瞬間、鍵を持つのを忘れてショ〜ック！？！けっきょくロックアウトしてしまい、仕方なくロビーに行き部屋をあけてもらいました・・・。幸い、ロビーにいる２４時間態勢の警備スタッフが部屋をあけてくれるので、助かりましたがなんだかついてない一日でした・・・。

It was rather a quite Sunday. We went to get some school goods for my son since he is starting his pre-school in a week. As we walked out of the room, we realized that we forgot to bring the keys....I had to go downstairs and luckily we had the building manager open the door for us but was not a good start to our day. We managed to get all the stuff we needed for my son so we decided to go home and stay quietly since I didn't think it was my lucky day today...!?!

ピットのバースデイ

今日はピットの誕生日。今日で家のピットは５歳になりました。人間の歳でいくと、もうオッサンですね！！ピットが家にきてから５年と考えると、あっという間だったな〜。しかも、最初に来た時はメチャチビで、一緒に寝るのも怖いくらいでした。

Today is Pit's 5th B-Day. I can't believe he is already 5 years old. I guess he is older than me now relative to the human age. When he first came to our house, he was a tiny Chihuahua!!

それが、今は成長して息子の遊び友達！？！（何時もいじめられてますが・・・）なんだか、歳をとるにつれて頑固になってきてるのが心配ですが・・・。誕生日だと言う事だったので今日はお風呂にいれてあげて、さっぱりなピットでした。

Now he is a Giant Chihuahua....not!?! Still tiny but is a good boy. He certainly is turning in to a good playing mate for my son and happy to have him as part of our family!! For his B-Day present, I got a lengthy aroma therapy bath....which he didn't enjoy!?! But he is refreshed now and happy as usual.

本当に不景気・・・。

今日は朝起きてジムに行って、猛トレーニング。筋トレをがっつりして、１０km走ったので、終わって部屋に戻ったらクタクタ。が、一日はこれから。コンピューターで企画書の作業をして、お昼を食べてからTargetに行って日用品の買い物。息子が来月から保育園に通うので色々と、用意しなくてはいけないものもあるみたいで、家で大騒ぎ！？！

Went to the gym in the morning as usual and had a thorough work out. I did a lot of weight lifting today and finished off with a 10km run. I was pretty tired when I got home but the day is just starting!?! I had to work on couple of proposals and went to Target to get some stuff for my son who is going to Japanese Pre-School starting next month. It will be interesting to see how mature he may become after couple of classes.

しかし、Targetに行った時に人の少なさにビックリ！不景気さを感じましたわ・・・。金曜日なのにガラガラって事はいかに、消費者がセービングしてるかって事ですね。家も節約は頑張ってしていますが、家族を持つと出費は大変ですね・・・。そのぶん色んな仕事を頑張らないとっ！！

What surprised me today was the amount of people at Target. It felt like a National Holiday...the place was empty!! I guess that means all the consumers are being conservative. Well...it goes same with me since we are trying to save every penny to make all the payments. It sounds like we are going to go thorough some tough times for couple of months but I guess I am already used it after not making the field at Indy!?! Hopefully things will get better soon.

企画書の作成

今日は朝早くから、日本向けのスポンサー企画書を作成。気がついたら昼を過ぎていて、ビックリ。しかし、日本サイドで沢山の方が来季の活動に向けて応援してくれているので、僕も２００％の力をだして頑張らないと！！レースは本当にシート獲得までが大変です。（笑）実際に乗っている間は戦っていますが、あるいみバカンスですね！？！（笑）

Got up early in the morning today to finish up working on the sponsorship proposal for Japan. I really appreciate all my supporters in Japan helping me trying to put deals together. It is so hard to get a ride now days that all the work is done when you sign the deal. Once your in the car, it's like a vacation, although we're flat out all the time!!

昼過ぎは、まと日本への輸出へのアレンジの仕事でオフィッスに行き、色々とミーティング。今日も日中は暑かったのでピットはベッドでぐったり！？！明日も原稿を書いたり忙しい一日になりそうだ〜！！

After lunch, I was back in San Pedro area to meet in regards to the exporting goods that I am working on. I think my duty is finally done today...at least I hope. Well I will have another busy day tomorrow since I need to get couple of articles done.

インディアンサマー

週末はなんだか涼しかったのに、今日のLAはメチャ暑かったです。まさしくインディアーンサマーですね。この時期になると、サンタアナ・ウィンドと言う暖かい乾燥した風がふいて、空気は乾燥して山火事を起こすシーズンです。今日はレコードヒートに近づく暑さで、案の定この間スクールの仕事で行ったカリフォルニアスピードウェイの地域では山火事が起きているみたいです。しかし、１０年前と比べるとちょっと乾燥しただけですぐに、山火事がおきているのような気がするけど、これもやはり地球温暖化のせいなのかな・・・？

I can't believe how hot it was out here in LA. Definitely the Santa Ana wind is bringing the Indian Summer back considering it was some what cool over the week end. Obviously there were some wildfires over night near California Speedway where I was working last week. I don't recall getting so many wildfires 10 years ago and it must be due to the global warming...

子供のしつけ

今日も午前中はトレーニング。最近は毎日走り込んでいるので、足首にちょっと負担がかかっているような気もしますが、色々とストレスがあり走りまくってストレス解消ですね！？！

As usual, went to the gym in the morning and had a great work out. I've been running a lot lately and I think I may need to rest a bit for my ankle...I guess that is my weak point of my body.

午後は日本へ物を輸出のアレンジの依頼があるので、その仕事をしに行ってました。夕方は家に戻り、子供と遊んだりお風呂にいれたりしましたが、日に日に子供のしつけに関して悩まされました。もちろん怒る時は怒らなくてはいけないのですが、子供もかなり物心が付いて来ているので逆切れする時もあります！？！その辺は妻に似たのかな・・・？！？

For the afternoon, I was out arranging exporting some goods to Japan for my sponsor. I've been working on it for a couple of weeks and I can finally take that off my shoulder by end of this week end if all goes well. When I got home, I played with my son a bit since I didn't have much time to play with him lately. He has grown so much lately that he even started to show some anger if I get mad at him for doing something bad, He certainly acts like my wife when there is things that he doesn't like....!?!

ロスの夏も終わり・・・。

今日も朝はジムでトレーニング。ロスも夏も終わったかの様に、最近は朝目が覚めると少し肌寒いです。寝起きは悪い方ではありませんが、布団からでるのが嫌になってしまいますね！？！（笑）週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまったので、今日から気合いを入れ直してまた１週間頑張らないと！今週末のオーストラリアのレースでインディーは終わってしまいますが、自分は急ピッチで来季の話を進めないとっ！！

Got up early to go to the gym today since I had a quick meeting during lunch time. It is getting cool over night and into the morning lately which makes it harder to get out of the bed... Although I usually don't have a problem waking up as long as I set the alarm on right time. The week end went by so fast and we are on to another week. The Indy Car season will officially end this week at Australia but I better pick up my pace on getting the deals sorted for next season!!

家でトレーニング

今日は日曜日。午前中は家のジムでミッチリトレーニング。ナスカーのレースを見ながら、ランニングをしてもう少しでレースシーズンも終わっちゃうな〜と実感。そして、気がついたら再来週はハロウィーン。妻は息子のマミー＆ミーの教室で行われるパーティーに行くのにコスチュームを買わなきゃと大騒ぎ・・・。いい大人になってからクリスマスやハロウィーンの行事にはあまりノラナイ僕としては、また微妙な時期がやってきたなと実感・・・。が、息子の為を思うと何かしてやらないと・・・。

Went to the gym in the morning and worked out as I watched the NASCAR race from Matinsville on TV. I can't believe that the racing season is almost over... After lunch, my wife wanted to check out some Halloween costumes for my son since he is going to have a party next week at his Mommy & Me class. I am not a big fan of Halloween nor Christmas season since out of pocket expense is beyond my imagination once I became a family man... But I guess I will need to do something to keep my son and especially my wife happy!?!

パーキングメーター

最近ダウンタウン界隈の路駐用のパーキングメーターが全部故障しているなと、思ったら新しいメーターに交換している事が今日発覚。今まではなんだかレトロなメーターで、コインを入れるに連れて残り駐車時間が表示される、いかにもアメリカのパーキングメーターって感じですが、新しいタイプの物はなんだか普通・・・って感じですね。従来の物と一緒で、コインをいれるだけで駐車券が発行されますが、カードや携帯電話からの支払いも可能になりました。確かにコインが無い時は日本みたいに回りに、自動販売機等が少ないアメリカとしては困っていたのですが、これならだいぶ便利。

The city has been putting some new parking meter machines all over downtown area. I kind of prefer the looks of the old school ones but this new machine allows you to pay with Credit Card or even by calling in from your cell phone. Unlike Japan, it's hard to find a vending machine to get some change if you need some coins to park on the street here in US so it is a good idea on allowing to pay with credit cards. Having said that...with all the city's budget cuts...I wonder if this was really necessary to do since most of these street parking spaces are usually occupied by a car with handicap tag here in Downtown.

ついでだから、新しいマシンをiPhoneで撮ってアップで見たら・・・・マシンの後ろに人の頭が！？！心霊写真・・・？！？と思ったらたまたま後ろに走っていたバスの広告でした。（笑）

While I took a quick snap of the machine...and I just uploaded the pict on to my computer...the picture looks as if the machine is already haunted with a person's face in the background!?! Well, it happened to be the ad on the bus that was passing through but it was perfect timing for Halloween to have a scary story!?!

Infiniti FX35

今日は新しくなった、Infiniti FX35の試乗をしてきました。メチャメチャいい車ですね〜！SUVの中では見た目No.1だと以前から思っていましたが、モデルチェンジをしてさらに迫力のあるデザインになってます。日本には並行輸入でしか入っていない所が残念ですね・・・。

Today I was out test driving the new Infitniti FX35.The FX is one of my favorite SUV in terms of the design but this new ride is really sweet! I like the design but the it drives really nice and I think it certainly is a step up from the previous models. Too bad they don't sell these in Japan...

仕事も無事に終了

今日も朝５時起き。６時過ぎに家を出発。その際にたまたま息子が目覚めてドアまで一人で見送りに来てくれました。（妻は寝てましたが・・・。）そんな息子の姿を見て、なんだかハッピーな一日の始まり。フォンタナでの仕事も順調に終わり、さっき家に戻った所です。

Woke up at 5am again and headed out to Cal Speedway for the second day. As I was leaving the house, my son was up to say byeX2 and that alone made up my day!! It was pretty hot out at the track today but everything went smooth and I was able to get home by 6PM.

さて〜明日は少しユックリできるかなと思ったのも束の間で、明日も色々と車の試乗などありドタバタしちゃいそうです・・・。

I was hoping for some rest tomorrow but will have more car to test and shoot and will be busy until the week end...

山火事

今日はフォンタナでスクールの仕事があったので、５時起き・・・。朝から夕方までミッチリ仕事をしてやっと帰宅。早目にお風呂に入って寝たい所です。しかし、先週はメチャメチャ暑かったのが、いきなり涼しくなりメチャメチャ空気が乾燥して、また温度が上がったらあちらこちらで山火事が発生！？！今日もサーキットに向かう途中に山火事が見えて、自然の力は恐るべしですね。皆さん、この時期の火遊びや煙草のポイ捨ては本当に気をつけましょうね！

I was working out at Cal Speedway all day today. Got up at 5am and just got home...I am ready to take a shower and have a quick bite and off to sleep. I couldn't believe how dry it was out in the valley and no wonder we are getting all these wild fires. It was hot and humid last week and all the sudden it cooled off and turned really dry during the week end...and back to hot but very very dry which is a scary season if you live up in the mountains. Fortunately, I don't have to worry so much about wild fires around my place but feel bad for the guys living near the mountain areas....

車の試乗

今日は朝から車の試乗をしてきました。まずはHONDAのFit。アメリカ仕様は５MTのオプションがあって、久しぶりにコンパクト＆マニュアル車をエンジョイしました。ガソリンの価格と共にアメリカでも小さい車が増えてますからね〜。お昼からはMITSUBISHIランサー・ラリアート。こちらはスポーティーで、ランエボと比較してもかなりお買い得間の高い内容でビックリ！！

I was out all day today test driving the new Honda Fit as well as the Mitsubish Lancer Ralliart. Honda Fit is a fun car to drive with the 5MT gearbox and it actually is a lot sportier than it looks. Than I got in to the Lancer Ralliart which is a real sports car! That thing certainly is worth the money and I was surprised how close the performance was to the Evo. Obviously Mitsubishi is going to make sure that the performance level is high with any car that has a Ralliart badge on it.

明日からフォンタナでお仕事です・・・。明日の朝は早いので今夜は早めに寝ないと・・・。

Well...I am working at California Speedway tomorrow and will have to get up early so better get to bed now...

日本車旧車会

今日はロスアンゼルス郊外にあるIrvineで行われた、日本車のクラッシックカーショーに取材でいってきました。たくさんの日本の名車が並んでいて、多くの日本車ファンが集まり、想像していたい以上のイベントでした！とくにDATSUNファンがいっぱいいました！！今となると日本車はトヨタやHONDAというイメージが強いですが、アメリカで日本車のイメージを向上したDATSUNは本当にパイオニア的な存在ですね！！

I went to the Japanese Classic Car Show in Irvine today for some media work that I needed to do.I was surprised with the turn out as well as all the classic car that showed up to that event! Obviously I was amazed with all the great car that has been restored more nicely but was more surprised with some of the DATSUN enthusiasts! I must say that DATSUN certainly played a big role of the Japanese car manufacture in US market. I am already looking forward to attending the event again next year!!

B-Day Party

昨日でとうとう３１になってしまいました・・・。（泣）幸いロスの仲間が誕生日を祝ってくれ楽しい時間が過ごせました！久しぶりに中華料理を食べに行って、皆からもプレゼントを頂いて本当に嬉しかったです！！

I can't believe I am already 31 years old... Fortunately I had some friends celebrate my B-Day yesterday and I had great fun with them.

昨日もらったプレゼントはな〜んとマッサージクッション！マッサージ機をもらって嬉しいな〜って思うのはやっぱり歳なんですかね・・・。でも、このマシン色んな所に持ち歩けるのでいい感じです！！とうぶん妻と取り合いになりそう・・・！？！今日は妻の誕生日です。２日連続の外食は辛いので今夜は自分が腕を振る舞う番かな？！？

I got a portable massage cushion for my B-Day present.It works pretty good and I am sure I will be sitting on that cushion every day!! It makes you feel old when you appreciate a massage cushion!?! However, I have been having some back pain earlier this year and I was in need for one so I am very happy!! Today is actually my wife's B-Day so I think I am going to cook something for her tonight.

何処まで落ちるんだ〜

今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。お昼はサンペドロと言う港町まで行き、頼まれている物を手配に行き、帰りがけに息子を公園に連れて少し遊ばせ戻って来た所です。しかし、今日も株価は落ちまくり・・・。ドルも１＄＝９８円台まで突入していますね〜。いや〜本当に今後の景気は怖い怖い・・・。とは言っても、明日は誕生日。ケーキを食べて景気付けよ〜・・・、ってオヤジへの第一歩ですね！？！（笑）

Went to the early in the morning and than had to go to San Pedro to arrange some stuff that I am helping out for business in Japan. I have been really busy arranging this matter and things were all finalized today which is good. Now, we just have to wait for the money!?! Speaking of money, the stocks just took another slump today and I don't know when this is going to end. Well...I guess I better not talk about this so much anymore but instead celebrate my B-Day tomorrow with my family and will be my wife's B-Day the following day. I thought it was great when we started to date...but not so much now since we really don't know who is being celebrated?!?

また真夏？！？

今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。妻は息子を連れて幼稚園の面接に行ったのですが、いまいち気に入らず帰って来て、とりあえず今ウェイティングの幼稚園に行く事がほぼ決定。しかし、幼稚園探しとかも大変ですね〜。個人的にはなんでもかんでも独学派だった僕としては、何処でもいいんじゃないって・・・、って思ってしまう所もありますが、やはりちょっとでも良い地域で行かせたい気持ちもあり難しい所です。何よりもベビーラッシュだけあって何処のデイケアーセンターや、幼稚園も待たないと入れません・・・。子育ての大変さを改めて実感致しました。（泣）

Went to the gym in the morning and worked out for couple of hours. My wife took my son to check out the pre school in Torrance and apparently she didn't like the one she visited today. I really never relied anything from school and learned everything at home my self...so never prioritized going to school since racing has been a big part of my life but the situation is a bit different for my son. I would certainly like to have him go through a good school and pre-school but it seems like it is just as hard to be allowed to go there as much as finding a ride in Indy Cars!?! Well, I guess with the baby boom...the number of child is exceeding relative to the schools... So we better make a decision soon and put our names on the waiting list.

今週末は・・・

今週末は富士でF1GPですね。去年は雨で散々だったのを思い出しますが、今年の天候は如何かな・・・？そう言えば快走した富士には、実はまだ行った事がないんですよね！？！どんな施設なのか興味津々です。今週末はな〜んと自分のバースデイ・・・。気がついたら３１か〜。しかし、男はまだまだこれからと言う事で、格好いいオッチャン目指して頑張ります！！

The F1 race in Fuji, Japan is on this week end and will be interesting to see who ends up winning the race. Obviously it is the home race for Honda and Toyota boys so I'm sure they are upbeat about it but at the same time, I'm sure everyone in Japan is crossing there fingers for a great weather this week end since it down poured last year. Speaking of this week end...I am turning 31 on Fri...I hope it will be a fun week end for me.

１ドル１００円？！？

今朝起きて外貨レートを見たらビックリ！なんと、＄１＝１００円じゃないですか〜！？！景気が悪いのは承知していますが、ここまでドルが落ちるとは・・・。世界的に株価は落ちていますが、今日のアメリカの株価も先日の下落の記録を更新した日よりも最安値で終わっていて、本当に先行きが心配ですね。しか〜し、日本からアメリカに来る場合は、今がお得ですね！！と言う事は、レースのスポンサーさんもお得ですよ！！“今だったらフル参戦するとな〜んと１０％引き”って家電屋の営業みたいですね・・・。（笑）

I got up in the morning and checked the exchange rate and my jaw just dropped... Not from talking so much over the week end but from the dollar getting so week to the yen. The stock has fallen even more and it is pretty scary to think about the future with all the good things that was supposed to come after signing the bail out plan. I guess it takes time for things to settle... Well, the exchange rate works in to the favor for the tourists that are coming to US as well as the sponsors that are based out side of US. I guess it is almost like getting 10% discount on the deal if you sign and pay now!?! It's kind of like car sales after all...!?!

オートショーがやっと終了

今日の夕方にやっとオレンジカウンティーオートショーが終了しました。金曜から毎朝６時起きで出勤し、７時頃までづっと走りっぱなし・・・。かなりハードなスケジュールでした。おまけに車の内容も説明しなくてはいけないので、喋りっぱなしで顎が痛いです！？！もともと、喋るのは嫌いではないのですが、今週末は喋りすぎて今は“無”になりたいじょうきょうです・・・。

Finally the work at the Orange County Auto Show is over. It was a real busy 3 days...I was working 8-7PM every day and getting up before 6am each day. I was literally driving the customers around for the whole day and talking at the same time and my jaw actually hurts from talking so much. I think I am going to try to hibernate for a week and rest my jaw so I can talk again... Well hopefully I can get a day off tomorrow.

Mazda 6

今日からアナハイム（ディズニーランドの向かい）にあるコンベンションセンターでオートショーが始まり、そこで仕事をしています。今回はパリサロと日程が被っているので、目玉商品はありませんが、自分はニューMazda 6（日本ではアテンザ）の仕事を手伝っています。日本のオートサロンでは急遽アテンザのトークショーに飛び入り参加した事もあり、なんだかこの車とは縁があるな〜と思ってしまいます。ちなみに、新しくなったアテンザを初めて乗りましたが、メチャメチャ良くできてます。コストパフォーマンスはかなりグ〜ですね！！

I was at Anaheim all day today working for Mazda at the convention center. They have the Orange County Auto Show going on this week end and we are expected to see a lot of crowds...although the car sales are going down. I am helping giving rides in the new Mazda 6 which just hit the showroom recently and the car is really really nice! It certainly is worth the money and more and is a good buy!! Well, I am working out there all week end and have a early morning tomorrow so I better hit the bed soon...zzz

レコードヒート

いや〜今日もメチャ暑の一日でした。どうやら、今日の最高気温をロスアンゼルスの１０月１日の最高気温の記録タイだそうです・・・。どうりで暑い訳だ・・・。今日もジムに行ってトレーニング。今日は筋トレにフォーカス。

It was another hot day today here in LA. Apparently we tied the record heat of the day....no wonder it was so hot!! Being hot is a perfect scenario for me to train at the gym to simulate the actual heat in the cockpit. I mainly focused on the weight training today and I was done after 1.5hr of work out...

家に戻ってきて、週末にかけて行われるオレンジカウンティーオートショーでの仕事の為に色々と下準備・・・。週末は涼しくなってくれるみたいなので、唯一のすくいです。といっても、仕事はインドアーだから関係ないかな？！？

In the afternoon,I went through all the notes for this week end's work at the OC Auto Show. I am kind of looking forward to being there this week end to drive the new Mazda 6's. Well at least the weather is supposed to cool down a bit by the week end.

仕事ドタバタ〜

今日もしっかりジムに行って１０kmのランニング。日本に行って美味しい物を食べ過ぎて、ちょこっと増量したのがやっともとに戻りました。今シーズンはレースで走った距離が少なかった分も、シーズンオフはがっつりとトレーニングを続けないと。いや〜しかし、乗ってない時に体力を維持するのが本当に大変です。あるいみ、フル参戦で毎週の様にレースをしてる方がよっぽど楽ちんです。

Started off the day with a 10km run in the gym. After eating all the great food in Japan, it literally took me 3 weeks to get back to the shape I needed to be in... Tell you what, it's much easier racing full time since you need to work twice as hard in the gym to maintain your shape as well as fitness level.

家に戻ってからお昼（焼きそば）を食べて、夕方までは家で仕事。今週末は仕事が入ってるので、家でできる事は週末に入る前に終わらせないとって感じです。しかし、今日のロスはメチャメチャ暑かったですよ〜！！真夏日和でビックリです！！日本はもう涼しくなってるのかな？？

After lunch, I came home and had a lot of work to get done since I am away for the week end working in Orange County. It was a really hot day today here in LA! I was going to take my son to the park but thought better of it and decided not to since it was over 90! Hopefully it will cool off tomorrow otherwise I will need to take him to the pool!!

景気回復してくれるかな・・・？

いや〜今日はアメリカ景気にとっては、とてもさむ〜い日になりましたね。とくにNY株式市場には・・・。アメリカの金融安定化法案も否決されてしまい、今後の景気の行方が気になっていく所です。しかし、アメリカの銀行もどんどん破産していって、残るのはバンクオブアメリカだけだったりして・・・！？！でも、そう考えるとなおさら、金利は悪くなるのかな・・・・？！？

It was a cold day for the Wall Street today...Obviously the bail out plan was not approved and the stock just seemed to plunge today. It certainly is affecting the market globally and it really is a bad thing for all of us. It also seems as if all the banks are going bankrupt.... May be we will only have one Bank in 10years...!?! Well I'm certain that Bank of America will survive but who knows what can happen in this scary economy!?!

週末もあっと言う間に終了。

気がついたら、週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまいましたね・・・。しかし、今朝行われた、シンガポールでのナイトレースはメチャメチャ面白かったですね！！日本でも是非ストリート＆ナイトレースが行われるといいなとつくづく思います。シンガポールには空港だけは行った事があるのですが、市内には入った事がないので、来年はぜひ行ってみたいです。

I can't believe the week end is already over... The Night race in Singapore was spectacular to watch! I wish if I was there...I definitely think the night/street race is the way to go in Asia since the night life is pretty active through all the Asian countries. I have only been to the airport in Singapore so I hope to be able to make that trip sometimes next year.

ストーブリーグ

今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。１０kmランニングしてから家に戻って来て仕事。ネットでニュースを見ていると、来季の体制が次々と決まっていって、まさにストーブリーグ真っ最中ですね。何よりも来月オーストラリアで行われるIndyCarのレースに向けて、沢山のチームが来年一緒に戦うドライバーとの参戦が発表されています。

As usual, went to the gym in the morning and went for a 10km run. Came home and had to get a lot of work done today since it was Friday. As I got some free time, I started to surf the net and I am very impressed with all the announcement that has been happening over the last couple of weeks.

まずは、Ganassiにダリオが戻って来て、Danがパンサーに移籍。シートを失ったVitorはフォイトに移籍。その上に今日は、茂木でスポンサーをしてくれたInterush Racingで知り合ったStantonがIRLに移籍する事を発表！アメリカの景気が悪い中、エントリー台数が増える事は物凄く良い事ですね！自分も負けずに早めに体制を決めれる様に頑張らないと！！ではでは、引き続き応援宜しくお願い致します！！

It must be a good thing in this economy to have more cars and drivers entering the series. I think having the Australia race is a bit weird because most of the team is using that to prepare for next year with their drivers that is going to be in the car next season. We will see a lot of changes with Dario in at Ganassi, Dan moving to Panther, and Vitor going to Foyt Enterprises. The big news today was that Stanton Barrett joining the Indy Car Series. I was able to meet him through Interush Racing and he is a great guy! I'm sure he would do well!! Speaking of racing, I better accelerate my pace on getting the deals together because the time is just flying by so fast!!

９月も終わり・・・？

さっき冷静に考えていたら、もう来週で１０月じゃないですか〜！？！９月はあっと言う間に終わってしまう感じですね・・・。夏も正式に終わって、もう秋ですね。１０月に入ると嬉しいのは、な〜んと自分の誕生日が１０日です。でも、３０を超えてからちっとも嬉しくなくなってきました・・・。（笑）今は来年の話を早く決めれる様に、ファイトですね！！

I was just thinking that September is almost over. I guess the summer is officially over and we are in to the fall season. I was always excited to welcome October since my birthday is on 10th...but not so much anymore once I turned 30. At this point, only thing for me to look forward is to get the deals done for next season and I hope to meet with couple of prospect sponsors that we have been working on in the next few weeks!!

ドタバタな一日

この２日間はなんだか、メチャメチャ忙しかったです。さっきようやく落ち着きましたが・・・。仕事が溜まっていたので、そのキャッチアップ。そうしたらエンジンがかかってしまい、だいぶ先の締め切りの仕事までやっちゃいました！！

I've been real busy the last two days trying to catch up with all the work as well as getting some last minute request on getting things done late Sunday night. I have finally got caught up and have some time to update my blog.

明日からはちょこっと落ち着くので、また息子と時間を過ごさないと。色々とネットで調べていたら、最近はインドアパークの様な子供の遊び場が流行っているみたいです。外の公園だと、知らない怪しい人がいたりしますが、インドアの施設だと安全って言うのもあるからかもしれませんが・・・。施設の設備もしっかりしていて、ネットで見る限りでは面白そうなので、今度連れて行ってみようかと考えています。

I wasn't able to spend much time with my son the last two days so I probably would need to take him somewhere before this week end. I have done some search on line and heard about indoor playground/park that seems like a place to take the kids now days. I guess most of the city parks are not so safe...especially in downtown area with strangers as well as the outdated amenities... And the new indoor places are actually pretty good although they charge minor entry fee. Apparently most of those places actually have PS3 and WII so I could probably spend the whole day there!!

ユックリサンデー

今日は日曜日だったので、朝は少し寝坊気味。９時前までベッドでゴロゴロしてしまいました。お昼前にはジムに行って、NASCARとRyder Cupのゴルフををモニターで見ながら１０kmのランニング。お昼過ぎは息子と家でゴロゴロゆっくりと凄しました。なんだか週末もあっと言う間に過ぎちゃったな〜・・・。

Since it was a Sunday, I slept in until close to 9am. Got up and had some fruits for breakfast and off to gym for 10km run. While at the gym, I watched the NASCAR race from Dover and flipping through Ryder Cup every other minutes. I wished if I can split the monitor while running... As for the afternoon, we decided to stay home and just kick back in order to store some energy for rest of the week.

家の前で撮影

今日は朝起きてピットの散歩で家の前の公園に行こうとしたら、な〜んと家の前で撮影を行っていました。恐らく何かのワンシーンって言う感じで、そんなに大掛かりな撮影ではありませんでしたが、リハーサル中に家をでてしまったので、ちょっと顰蹙かっちゃいました。撮影のスタッフさんごめんなさ〜いって感じで気まずく道を渡って散歩を続行。

Got up in the morning and took pit for a walk to the park in front of my apartments. As we were walking out of the apartment gate, our street was getting used to film a commercial or a movie and we happened to step out while they were rehearsing the scene... We had to wait until they finished filming so our long was longer than usual but I suppose Pit was satisfied from the extra walk!?!

あっと言う間に週末。

気がついたら金曜日であっと言う間に週末になってしまいましたね。今日も朝起きて昼前にジムでトレーニング。午後は家に戻って、車のインプレの原稿を書いていました。今日書いたインプレ原稿はLEXUS LX 570でこれからAcura RLの原稿に取りかかろうとしている所です。

I can't believe it's already Friday. As usual, my day started at the gym working out for couple of hours. I definitely need to burn off all the calories and fats from all the fast food that I had while my cousin was here... After the gym, I got home and had to finish up couple of articles on the car that I drove while a go. I had to write about the LX 570 and the Acura RL in which both cars were really nice!

週末の間も仕事漬けになりそうです・・・。夕方は子供を公園に連れていきました。息子はバスケが好きみたいで、他の人がバスケをプレーしてるコートに乱入したり、ボールを渡すと一生懸命バスケットの中にボールを入れようとしています。身長は高くなりそうなので、バスケの選手を目指すのかな・・・？！？

I probably will have a lot of catch up to do over the week end with desk work and will be busy. Once I got most of work done today, I tool my son to the park. He seems to like playing basket ball since he always try to join the big boys in the court and today since the park was empty, I handed him the ball and he was already trying to shoot at the hoop!! May be he is off to become a NBA star rather than a Race Car Driver....!?!

家のジム

日本は９月なのに台風がきてるみたいで、変な気象ですね・・・。アメリカの経済も不安定が続き今後はどうなる事やら。そんな事を考えながら今日も午前中にジムに行ってトレーニング。ジムでトレーニングをしながら、モニターでニュースを見たりしているので以外と家に居るより世界状勢には敏感になってしまいます！？！（笑）

It's already September but apparently they are still getting Typhoon in Japan...the weather pattern seems to be weird with global warming but the American economy is just as shaky as the stock keeps going up and down for last couple of days. Well...at least that is all they talk about on the news channel for the last couple of days. It doesn't help when the economy is down...but I think that is a sign of opportunity for things to get better. I must say...money doesn't disappear by it self and it must be going some where..right!?! Well, I guess I will be a genius if I can figure out where the money is at right now.,,,

所で何時もどんなジムでトレーニングしてるのかなと、思っている方へ今日は家のジムを大公開してしまいます！！と言ってもそんな豪華なジムではありませんが、必要な機材は揃っているのでとても便利です。

I spend a lot of time watching the news at the gym while on the treadmill. Therefore, I thought to give you guys a quick glance of the gym in my apartment building. I guess...it's a cozy gym!?! It's not fancy at all, but it has pretty much what I need to keep me fit and the best part is,there is now waiting or sharing machines like at the Bally's or 24hr Fitness that is not really opened 24hr!?!

結婚２周年！

今日は９月１７日で妻との結婚記念日です。結婚をしてからもう２年経つのかと思うと、驚きですね〜！結婚してから相変わらずこりずに、自分についてきてくれる妻には本当に感謝です。やっぱり家を空ける事が続くから、息子の世話だったり色々と苦労していると思いますが、本当に良く頑張ってくれてます。

Today is our wedding anniversary day. I can't believe it's been two years since we've been married. I must thank my wife for hanging with me through all the tough time and she certainly is doing a great job as a wife and a mom.

今日は何時もの様に午前中にジムに行って、家でランチ。お昼過ぎは色々と仕事をしたのですが、息子がチョコチョコ邪魔をしにきて、仕事が進みませんでした・・・。怒りたいけど、一緒に遊んであげたい自分もいて、複雑な状況でした。子育ては難しいですね〜。

As usual, I went to the gym in the AM and than had a quick lunch at home. I needed to get some work done afternoon but my son kept coming into the room asking me to play with him. It was frustrating because I wanted to get the work done, but yet spend some time with my son.... I thought twice and figured it would be best to keep my wife happy today so I ended up putting the work away until my son took a nap. Hopefully we can have a peaceful dinner to celebrate our anniversary.

車のメンテ

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。家でランチを食べてから、１時に車をディーラーに持って行ってもらって、オイル交換＆メンテナンス。１時間くらいで終わるとの事だったので、ディーラーで仕事をしながら待っていました。色々とショールームに飾られている車を見ていたら、だんだん欲しくなって来てしまいちゃかり試乗までしちゃいました！？！（笑）が、今は懐が寒いので断念・・・。ちくしょ〜色々と頑張って、近い将来ぜったいにゲットしてやる！！

Went to the gym in the morning and had a quick lunch before taking my car to service at the local dealer. I was going to wait at the dealer and get some work done...but started to check the cars out that was displayed on the show room. I am almost in time for a new car,...but I think I need to get my savings up before considering to get a new car... Nevertheless, I couldn't resist and had to take couple of vehicles for a spin!?!

大相撲

今日は従兄弟が日本に戻り、家も静かになってちょっと寂しい感じです。一番寂しがっているのは、沢山遊んでもらった息子みたいですが・・・。そう言えば色んな騒動があった中、大相撲の秋場所が始まりましたね。これから毎晩徹夜コースで見ないと！？！最近は規則正しい生活で１２時前に寝てしまうのでライブで見るのは辛そうです・・・。

My house turned quite today since my cousin went back to Japan this afternoon. It was great having him around because he would play a lot with my son and I'm sure my son will miss him a lot... I am finally back to real life and was able to get some work done this afternoon. I will have a lot of work to catch up this week so it would be busy for rest of the week.

フライドチキン

今日は従兄弟がLA滞在の最終日。日本では食べれないアメリカンな物を食べようと、今日はフライドチキンを食べに行きました。ケンチキだったら、日本にもあるので、ロスでも口コミで美味しいと有名なHoney's Kettle Fried Chickenに行ってきました！ここのフライドチキンはクリスピーで中はジューシュー。アメリカンって感じですが、以外とヤミツキになっちゃいます。本店はコンプトンと言うコンバット地域にあって行くのが怖いのですが、味的に場所的にもスリル満点ですね！？！（笑）

Today was the final day for my cousin's visit. He wanted to get some American Food today so I decided to take him to eat some Fried Chicken. I figured he can get KFC's in Japan so we went to the Honey's Kettle in Culver City. There original store is in Compton but I was not brave enough to go there.... The Fried Chicken was crispy on outside and juicy inside! One of the best fried chicken I ever had!! I think this place is going to turn in to a once a month place to hit for lunch!!

もう週末。

気がついたら、もう週末ですね。今日は午前中は家で軽くお仕事。お昼からは従兄弟と息子を連れてLA界隈でショッピング。今日は金曜で帰り道が混んでいたので家に戻って来たら疲れてしまいました。家に戻れてホッとしたものの、疲れが溜まっていて気を抜いたら寝込んでしまいそうです・・・。今夜は早めに寝とこ〜！？！

I can't believe it's already Fri! I got some work done this morning since I had a lot to catch up with and took my cousin to shopping in the afternoon. The traffic was bad on the way home since it was Friday afternoon...I'm just glad I am home now. Well...I will have to be a tour guide for another couple of days but should be able to have some time next week to relax which I am looking forward to!!

山羊が出没！？！

今朝起きてピットを散歩に連れて行くと、何時も行く公園が動物園状態になっていました！？！なんと、数十匹もの山羊を斜面に放牧し、枯れ木や雑草を食べてもらうと言うエコプロジェクト！！息子は沢山の山羊を見て大喜び！！そして、ピットはハッスルしてトイレのタイミングを逃していました・・・。（笑）

I got up and took Pit and my son for a walk to the park next door. All of the sudden the park has turned into a zoo!?! The have released some goats to clean up all the brush on the hills and I must say they have done a good job since there isn't anything else to eat from that park!?!

いや〜しかし、山羊が居ると家の窓からの景色もなんだか和みますね〜。ダウンタウンなのに・・・！？！

Having goats around was good for my son who was very excited to see them! I guess that must be a good sign for me to take him out to the zoo again because he didn't seem to interact much when he saw the animals at San Diego Zoo couple of months ago...

ロスに帰ってきました

昨日のフライトでロスに戻ってきました。今回の日本での滞在は少しハードでしたが、家に戻ってなんとなくホッとしました。息子とあって息子も大喜び。やっぱり１週間あわないと寂しいもんですね。

I am finally back in LA for good. The 1 week stay in Japan was pretty hectic and I am relieved to be back in LA and being able to spend some time with my son since I was out most of August.

今回は従兄弟がロスに遊びに来ていて一緒のフライトで戻ってきました。今週１週間は従兄弟のツアーガイドになりそうです・・・。８月中はずっと仕事で忙しかったので、今週はリラックスできそうです。

My cousin is in town for a week and I caught the same flight with him from Narita so he flight was pretty quick. I will probably be end up being a tour guide to my cousin this week but it would be good to get some relaxing time during the week end.

今日のフライトでアメリカに戻ります。

今回の滞在もあっと言う間で、今日のフライトでロスに戻ります。何時もよりちょっと短かったので、あまり満喫する事はできなかったです・・・。それ以上に時差が最後ボケが最後まで治らず、昨日は開き直ってこのままロス時間で帰ってやろうと決心して、昨晩は２時頃に寝たのに今朝は４時過ぎに目が覚めました・・・。（笑）今日はこれから朝一で挨拶回りがあり、お昼過ぎに成田に向かいます。

I can't believe my trip here in Japan is over. It was a busy trip but what made it really challenging was the jetlag. I was not able to adjust the time zone at all during this trip and as of yesterday, I decided to stay in LA time zone since there was no need to adjust time since I am already heading to the airport this afternoon. I will have several meetings this morning before heading to the airport and I'm sure I will be knocked out in the plane for the 9hr flight...

昨日は久しぶりにエアープレス上野に行き酸素カプセルに入ってきました！ランチタイムの時間に行って、がっつり９０分入ったので昼寝もできて、かなりリラックスできました！時差ボケ＆ドタバタの滞在で疲れが溜まっていたのですが、一挙に吹き飛んだ感じでした！！疲労回復にもぜひぜひお薦めです！！

Yesterday, I managed to sneak in some time to go to Air Press Ueno to go in to the Oxygen Capsule for 90 min. Since I was really tired, it was a good peaceful and relaxing 90 min to heal from the real world!! I really wished if I had one of those capsules in handy all the time so I can have my own 90 min every day!?!

滞在もあと２日

日本滞在もあと２日となってしまいました。１週間の滞在なので今回もドタバタです。先日は楽しみにしていた紅月に行ってきました！今回はピリ辛もつ鍋に挑戦！いや〜めちゃめちゃ美味しかったです！！アメリカに居る時からずっとホームページを見て気になっていたので、食べれて大満足でした！！

I can't believe there are only two days left to my visit this time. Since I am only here for a week, it has been really busy for the last couple of days. Meanwhile, I had a chance to go to my favorite restaurant Kougetsu. The food was as always "Excellent"!!

土曜は母親の誕生日だったので、皆でお祝い。９月と１０月は誕生日ラッシュです。ちなみに、親父の誕生日、自分の誕生日、そして妻の誕生日が連続で続きます。しかし、来月で３１と考えるとぞっとしますね・・・。

On Saturday, I went to see my mom since it was her B-Day. It is going to be a B-Day rush during the next month since I have my dad' B-Day, My B-Day, and my wife's B-Day all coming up in about month time... I can't believe I am going to turn 31 already...

日本に到着

日本に戻ってきました。昨日のフライトでは映画を見ていたら寝れなくなってしまい、けっきょく成田に着くまで一睡もできませんでした・・・。うわ〜時差ボケコースだと思いつつも家に戻ってすぐに爆睡。

Made it safely back to Japan. My flight was good but I started to watch various movies and could not sleep at all in the plane... I was so tired when I got home that I was knocked out right when I got to my bed room.

今朝はしっかり５時に目が覚めてしまい、朝一で隅田川のテラスをランニング。１０km近く走りましたが、日本は思った程には暑くないものの湿気が凄いので汗だくでランニング終了。今日はこれから挨拶回りに行ってきます！

I was up at 5am already and went for 10km jog by the Sumida River. It is not as hot as I thought it would be...but it certainly is humid out here and I sweated like crazy after the run. Well I am off to a busy couple of days meeting all my prospect sponsor for next season!!

今からフライトです。

今日も朝一でジムに行き飛行機に乗る前にガッツリトレーニング。ジムから戻って仕事をして、銀行に行きお昼前に家を出発。先月はほとんど家に居なかったのに、また１週間いなくなるのはなんだか寂しいです。

Woke up early this morning in order to hit the gym before leaving to Japan. Had a good work out, got some work done and went to the bank before heading to the airport. It was a busy morning but was able to get everything done before the departure.

今回の日本の滞在も１週間でドタバタしそうですが、来年の活動の為にも頑張らないと！！

I was almost away through out the month during August and it's sad to leave home for another week since I haven't been able to spend quality time with my son...Having said that, I will really need to get things moving forward for next year and I hope this trip to Japan will pay off!!

明日から日本

今日は朝一でジム。お昼までは家で仕事をして、午後は軽くビーチの側にある公園に行き子供と一緒に遊びました。今日はLaborDayでアメリカは３連休。夏休み最後の日曜日と言う事で海も混んでいました。今日はこれから仕事が山積みで、明日のフライトで日本に帰ります！！

Woke up and went to the gym first thing in the morning. Came home and got some work done before lunch and took my son and wife to the park near the beach after lunch. Since it was Labor Day week end as well as last week end during the summer vacation for the kids...the beach was packed! The weather was great and it was a good day for me all though I still have tons of work to do before heading to Japan tomorrow...

ロスに戻ってきました！

今日の仕事も２時までには終わり、７時過ぎにはロスに戻ってきました。久しぶりに息子とが自分を見かけたら大喜び！やっぱり息子の笑顔を見ると嬉しいですね！！しかし、明後日からまた日本に行ってしまうのでちょっと寂しいです・・・。

I was done working by 2pm today and was able to get home before 7pm. I was happy to see my son and he seemed to be excited when he saw me back at home. I spent some quality time playing with him and just about ready to hit the bed now...

明日はアメリカは休日。午前中はジムでがっつりトレーニングをしないと・・・。では、今日は疲れてるので早めに寝ま〜す。zzz

I will need to have a good work out tomorrow morning before heading to Japan on Tuesday. It will be another busy week for me but it looks like I will be able to relax for a while once I get back from Japan.

来週から日本

今日も８時前にサーキット入り。９時まで霧がかかっていたので、走行が開始できなかったものの、仕事は２時前に終了。ホテルに戻って原稿を書いたりしてました。突然ですが、来週の火曜から１週間の帰国が決定。前からプランをしていたのですが、９月の下旬に使用か悩んだんですが、来季の交渉も含めてあまり遅くなるのも良くないので来週帰る事を決断。しかし、飛行機代が高くて参っちゃいますね・・・。（泣）

I arrived at the track before 8am as usual and the fog was pretty dense until 9am. It was another easy day and was finished with all the session by 2pm. I came back to the hotel and worked on getting caught up with all the articles that I needed to finish by next week. I also got a head start on other stuff since I am going back to Japan next week and I will not be able to write anything while my stay in Japan. I was thinking about going to Japan end of this month instead...but I feel it's very important that I get back there ASAP and to start the talks early for next season.

今週末は楽ちん

今日は朝早くからサーキット入り。今週末はスクールではなく、MX-5のレースの講師＆監視員をしています。今日は３０分のセッションが４つあっただけだったので、３時前には仕事が終わったので早目にホテルに戻って仕事をしていました。

Went to track early and was done early today which was good for me since I wanted to get back to the hotel early to get some work done. I am not working on the school program this week and rather doing the observer for the MX-5 race week end. Since there were only two groups and 4 30min session, I was back at the hotel by 3PM.

明日も明後日も昼過ぎには終わりそうなので、ラッキーって感じです。が、日曜は５時間のドライブがありますが・・・。

It sounds like it will be an easy week end for us but I still will have the 5hr drive home on Sunday....

またまたモントレー。

今日は午前中は家で仕事を済ませて、午後はモントレーに向けて出発。さっきようやくホテルに着きました。途中で事故渋滞で１時間近くたらたら走る状態に落ち入りましたが、無事に着いて何より。明日からはラグーナで３日間のお仕事です。

I am back in Monterey....again. The drive was miserable today since I got stuck in couple of accident on 5fwy and 101fwy heading up. It ended up being almost a 6hr drive today and I am glad I am checked in to the hotel now.

今夜はホテルで妻の作ってくれたお弁当を食べて、早目に寝るかな・・・。

Since I am up here for 3days, my wife made me some Japanese Obento Box for dinner today so I will not have to eat out tonight. I think I am just going to pick up some drinks at the gas station and hit the bed early tonight since we start early tomorrow.

明日からまた移動

今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。お昼はスーパーに買い物に行き、ランチはがっつりカツ丼を食べてしまいました。夕方は子供を公園に連れて行って、家に戻って仕事を終わらせてなんだかあっと言う間に１日が経ってしまいました・・・。

As usual, I went to the gym in the morning and came home just in time for lunch. We had Katsu-Don for lunch and it was pretty good. We also went to the store today since I am going away for the week end...and came back and got a lot of work done.

明日からまた移動です。しかも、５時間のドライブ・・・。今月はずっと運転してる感じがして、たまにはレーシングカーの様な緊張感をもったドライブがしたいです！！

I am not looking forward to the drive tomorrow since it feels like I am spending too much time in a car going 70mph this month... I wouldn't mind so much if we can drive a bit faster so it won't be as boring!?!

散髪

昨日は家に戻ったのが遅かったのですが、今朝も７時に起床。午前中はジムでトレーニングをしてから、お昼過ぎに髪を切りに行ってきました。前切ってから既に１ヶ月もたっているのですが、先週きったばかりな気がします。でも、暑いなかトレーニングで髪がモサモサしてるのも鬱陶しいので、何時もの様にバッサリ＆サッパリ切ってきました！！

Although I got home really late after dinner last night...I was up at 7am this morning and went to the gym before lunch so I can go cut my hair in the afternoon. My hair was just getting out of control and since I will be out of town for a while again...I figured today would be the only day to get that done. I will have more work to catch up tomorrow and will probably be a busy day for me....

大忙しな一日

今日は時差ボケで７時前に起きてしまいました。午前中はジムに行ってトレーニング。移動中はほとんどトレーニングできていなかったので、久しぶりにスッキリ運動する事ができました。お昼は息子と妻を連れてラーメンを食べにいき、昼過ぎからは家でお仕事。

Woke up before 7am this morning since I am still on East Coast time. I decided to hit the gym early since I haven't been working out with all the travel. I was able to have a good work out and took my son and wife to lunch to eat some Ramen Noodles in Little Tokyo.

車の試乗レポートや、請求書を作成したり色々とやっていたらあっと言う間に５時になってしまいました。今夜はこれからお食事会です・・・。寝不足で夜まで持つか不安です！？！（笑）

In the afternoon, I had to get a bunch of work done and I was on my computer for more than 4hrs finishing up car articles as well as making sure the invoices are going out for all the work I did. I am off to dinner meeting now and I am not sure if I can last beyond 10pm tonight...

そうそう、この間シャーロットでNASCARのチームに行った時の写真をアップします。NASCARのチームはほとんどが見学に行けて、こうやってチームの作業をしている所を見る事ができます。他のチームのスパイとかこないなか〜・・・？！？

Here is a pict from one our NASCAR team visit. I was very surprised to see that many teams will allow the fans to see the shop and watch the crew working on the cars. I guess all the secret is in the engine and anything beyond doesn't really matter because other teams can see the cars at the track and wouldn't do much sending a spy to the shop!?!

やっとこ帰宅

ようやく家に戻ってきました。モントレーから帰って来て１日だけ家に居ましたが、なんだか２週間ぶっ通しで戻ってない気がするので、家について息子＆妻にあってホッとしています。

Just got back from Charlotte. After being in Monterey for a week and back home for a day,,,than off to Charlotte for 5 days, it felt like I was away for more than two weeks. I was definitely relieved to see my wife and son.

今回のシャーロットの旅は収穫が沢山ありました。色んな人にあえて、自分のプログラムにスポンサー活動にむけて協力してくれそうです。しかし、今まではアメリカ南部の人達はアジア人に閉鎖的だろうなと思っていましたが、それはかなりの勘違いでした！NASCARでも日本のメーカーが入って行く時は、色んな所でバッシングもあったようですが、西海岸と変わらないくらいで既に日本メーカーの車が走っていました。改めて色んな所に行って、色んな物を見ないと駄目だな〜って思う１週間でした。

The trip to Charlotte turned out to be a great trip being able to meet a lot of great people who can give me wonderful advice for the future. What surprised me the most was the people from the South. They are really genuine and nice. I was just as surprised to see as many Japanese car in N. and S.Carolina as you see in here Cali. I would definitely like to make a trip out to Charlotte and Charleston in the near future again and perhaps be able to take my wife and son to see more about US History!!

今はチャールストン

今日は９時にホテルを出発して色々とNASCARのチームを回ってきました。思った以上にレベルが高くて、ビックリ！！ショップの大きさや、車のメンテの仕方はペンスキーとGanassiのインディーのチーム以外は顔負けですね・・・。

Left the hotel at 9am and went to visit couple of NASCAR teams in the morning. I was very impressed with the operation and I must say that only Penske in Ganassi can match the level of the quality on how they operate the team compare to Indy Cars.

お昼はなんと、もう既に引退されてしまいましたが、NASCARの大御所ドライバーのRicky Rudd選手とランチ。色々とアドバイスをもらえて物凄く良かったです！いや〜でもある意味あこがれのドライバーだったのでメチャメチャ嬉しかったです。しかも、引退の仕方も格好良かったし、その後の生活スタイルも格好いい！！レーシングドライバーの鏡です。でも、Rickyに会って色々と話をして、もっともっと頑張ろうと思いました！！シャーロットに来て良い収穫があったと思います。

For lunch, I was able to meet up with NASCAR legendary driver Ricky Rudd. I always admired him as a driver but after getting to know him even more and having an opportunity to speak with him, he is just a phenomenal. He is a real gentlemen but a true racer and couldn't thank more for him to make his time available to meet with me.This trip is valuable already just being able to meet and speak with Ricky!!

お昼を食べてからチャールストンに移動。明日はここでミーティングがあるので、今夜はチャールストンに泊まります。なんだか、ヨーロッパの様な南米の様な、アメリカの歴史を語る街って感じですが、明日の朝は早起きしてランニングをしながら観光でもしようかと考えています。

Well, after lunch we headed down to Charleston where we will have a lunch meeting tomorrow. It is my first time out here and I really like this town. It feels like Europe meets S.America but you can learn about the depths of the American History and I am glad that I was able to make it out here.

シャーロットに到着

無事にシャーロットに到着しました。深夜フライトでほとんど徹夜状態だったので今はメチャ眠いです。着いてから色々とナスカーチーム巡りをして、お昼はスタントン・バレット選手とランチをしました。スタントンはIndyJapanのレースでスポンサーをしてくれたInterush社のスポンサーを受けてNationwideSeriesに参戦しています。来季の話に関して、色々と話し合ってホテルに戻って一休み。

Arrived to Charlotte safely. Obviously the redeye flight was not so great being a full flight and only being able to sleep for couple of hours. When we landed, we picked up the rental car and did a quick tour looking at several NASCAR teams, and had a lunch with Stanton Barrett who is also sponsored by Interush who was our primary sponsor for the Indy Japan race. We talked about some prospects for next season and would be great if I can be his team mate. Stanton is a great driver and I admire him on what he does running his own team in NASCAR.

これからディナーをして、明日のお昼はチャールストンに移動します。実は長年アメリカに住んでいるのに、今回シャーロットに来るのが初めてです。色々と探索が楽しみです！

Well...I am just about ready to go to dinner and will head down to Charleston tomorrow morning.Although I have been living in US for over 20years...I have never been to Charlotte nor Charleston and I am looking forward to explore a new land!!

今からシャーロット

昨日やっと家に戻って来たのに、これからシャーロットに向けて出発します。シャーロットでは来季に向けての活動をしたいと思います。しかし、今日は久しぶりに深夜フライトで明日はお昼からミーティングがあります。辛いな〜・・・。

Although I just got back home last night, I am just getting ready to catch my flight going up to Charlotte. We will be having some meetings out there in regards to next year's program. I hope I will be able to catch some sleep in during the red eye flight...

今日は午前中に子供を検診に連れて行き、昼過ぎまでは家でずっと仕事をしていました。小児科の先生によると家の子は平均の子より身長が高くて１８０cm台まではいくのでは、と言われました。レーシングドライバーとしてはちょっとでかすぎるから、やっぱりゴルフかバスケの選手を目指してもらうのかな・・・？！？

It was a busy day for me today catching up with e-mails as well as making invoices for all the media work I just did recently. I also took my son to see the doctor to do his routine check up. Apparently he is pretty tall for his age and there is a good chance where he may get as tall as 5'9". Obviously not ideal for a race car driver if he gets any taller than that...therefore he may be better off to play golf perhaps?!?

やっと家に帰ってきました！

さっきやっと家に帰ってきました！久しぶりに家に戻って来たら息子が大喜びでちょっとホッとしました！いきなり、警戒されたら寂しいですもんね・・・。（笑）いや〜しかし、充実した１週間でしたが家に戻ったら疲れがドッとでたのか、今日はもうサクッと夕食を食べて寝たい所です。

I just got home couple of hours ago. I felt like a long trip although I certainly enjoyed the time filming the DVD with the crew. I was happy to see my son and wife when I got home and looking forward to some home made cooking food by my wife.

ユックリしたい所ですが、明日の夜からはシャーロットです・・・。（泣）できれば、日中は息子とユックリ遊んであげないと！？！

Although I want to relax for couple of days...I have to catch a flight to Charlotte tomorrow and will not have so much time to spend with my family for another couple of days...

撮影終了！

今日で無事に撮影が終了しました。優秀な撮影スタッフがいっぱい居てくれた事によって、スムーズに終了致しました！本当にスタッフの皆様には感謝です！！

We finally finished shooting the film for the DVD. I really appreciate all the film crew for being patient with me while the shoot and I think I learned a lot during this shoot how to speak in front of the camera.

今日はずっとペブルビーチで行われたコンクール・デレガンスの会場に行ってました！物凄いレアーな車が沢山並んでいて見ている僕もドキドキしてきます。って言っても半分以上は存在すら知らなかった車ですが、オーラでそれぞれの車の凄さを感じました。明日はいよいよロスに帰宅です。久しぶりに家に戻って日本食をガッツリ食べたい所です！！

We spent the whole day today at the Pebble Beach covering the Concours D'Elegance. It was real amazing to see all the historic cars that could cost easily over $1Mill... Although I couldn't recognize more than half of the car on display, I can still tell the effort,time, and money involved on restoring the cars. Well, I am just about ready to go home and see my wife and my son. I am also looking forward to go home and eat some of my wife's home made cooking food...

Monterey Historics

今回はYOKOHAMAタイヤさんのDVDの収録でモントレーに来ていて、今日はラグーナセカで行われているヒストリックレースの撮影に行ってきました。サーキットには超レアーなレーシングカーが沢山走っていてワクワクしてきちゃいます！

Still in Monterey shooting some footage for the Yokohama Tire Corp. It was a fun day for me being out at Laguna looking at all the historic race cars running around!

しかも、夕食の収録をしている時に、隣のテーブルにあの元F１ドライバーのアラン・ジョーンズさんが来ていて色々と話しちゃいました！いや〜やっぱレジェンドと言われるドライバーは違いますね！！でも、メチャメチャ話がしやすいいい人でした！！

We had a dinner shoot tonight and ended up sitting right next to the ex F1 Champ Alan Jones! He was a great person to speak with and I admire him a lot more since I got to know him more today.

今回のイベントで目にとまったのは、イベントブースに展示されていた飛行機の様なヘリコプターのような、折りたたみしき飛行機です！？！いがいと値段もセスナ機と変わらず、パイロットライセンスを取りに行きたいな〜と思っちゃいました・・・。（笑）

I had an opportunity to have a look at the vendor booth today just like a race fan and I saw a weird plane! It acts like a Heli and Cessna...but you can fold the wings and toe the plane...!?! I'm not so sure about the safety stand point but it made me want to obtain a pilot license!?!

Tour D'Elegance

今日は朝６時にホテルを出発して撮影スタート。ペブルビーチからスタートするTourD'eleganceに出走する車に同乗させて頂きました！しかもその車は１９３９年式のメルセデス！！詳しい内容はDVDが出るまで内密ですが、かなり感動です！！いや〜クラッシックカーもいいですね！！なんだか貫禄を感じました！！

We had a early start to the morning leaving the hotel at 6am today. I was able to ride with one of the car that was in the Tour D'Elegance! The car I had an opportunity to ride in was a 1939 Mercedes. I can't provide much info until the DVD is out...but it was a blast riding in that car!!

明日はラグーナセカのコースに行ってヒストリックレースの下見をしてきます！！

Well...I will have another early morning tomorrow going to Laguna Seca to check out all the historic race cars!!

モントレーに戻ってきました

さっきモントレーのホテルに到着しました！撮影で来ているので途中で色んなポイントでストップして、何時もより長旅でした。明日は朝一でトゥール・デレガンスに出走する車に同乗する予定なので楽しみです。おっともう１２時・・・明日は５時起きなのでそろそろ寝ますzzzz

Just arrived in Monterey. We had to stop at couple of venues on the way for filming so it took us a lot longer to get up here than my usual drive. Tomorrow, I will be riding in one of the classic car that will be in the Tour D'Elegance and since I don't have to drive....I am looking forward to it!?! Well...it is already 12am and since I need to get up by 5am...I think I will hit the bed ASAP!!

明日からまたラグーナ・・・？！？

今朝は８時までグッスリ寝てしまいました。午前中はジムに行ってガッツリトレーニング。オリンピックを見ながら運動していると自分も燃えてきますね〜！！１０kmのランニングもあっと言う間に終わってしまいました。

Woke up at 8am this morning and had a good night sleep. Went to the gym in the morning and worked out while watching the Olympic Games. I was amazed my Michael Phelps performance...no surprise with his results but he certainly is one of the best athlete in the world! It made my 10km run feel like nothing compare to what he does!?!

お昼過ぎに色々と、また１週間分の食料品を買いに行ってきました。明日から自分はまたモントレーに行き、家を空けるのでスーパーにあまり行かなくていい様にタップリ食材をゲット。妻も子供を連れて２人で買い物をするのは大変ですからね・・・。明日からモントレーに向かう為に撮影があるので今夜はこれから打ち合わせをしてきます。

After lunch, I had to go to the store to pick up a week worth of grocery. Since I am going out of town for a week again, my wife wanted me to get as much stuff so she doesn't have to make the trip with our son which can get real hectic since he wants to grab everything from the shelves. Well..I am just off to a meeting to discuss about the trip coming up to Monterey,

ようやく帰宅

今日はフェラーリチャレンジのレースがお昼に終わり、さっきようやく家に戻った所です。いや〜長い週末だった〜・・・。＆忙しかった・・・。最後のレースでは自分がコーチするドライバーはなんとか９位でトップ１０フィニッシュ。本当は表彰台に乗せてあげたかったので、それができなかった事は本当に残念です。また来年かな・・・？ではでは、今夜はメッチャ疲れているのでそろそろ寝ます。

Just got back from Monterey for the Ferrari Challenge week end. It turned out to be a pretty busy week end for me and we finished fairly well for the last race of the season. My driver brought the car home in 9th, one of his best finish of the season so we are all happy...but I really wanted him to finish on the podium and that will be our goal for next season. Well...I'm pretty tired after the 5hr drive and I think I am just about ready to hit the sack!!

明日から走行

今日は午前中はホテルで比較的ユックリ過ごして、お昼からサーキットに行きました。昼過ぎに僕のコーチするドライバーがプライベートジェットで到着。そして、夕方にスキップバーバーのMAXDA MX-5を借りてサーキットを走行。ラグーナは自分のホームコースでもあるので、まんべんなく秘密を教えてあげて終了。今週末のレースはぜひ頑張って欲しいですね！！

It was a slow morning today for me and spent most of the morning at the hotel room getting a lot of work done. Had a quick lunch with my wife and my son and headed to the track to meet my driver who just got in with his private jet. We were able to do some lapping in a Skip Barber MX-5 cars and was able to give out all my pointers since this is my home track. I really hope we are going to have a great week end since this will be the final race for my driver during this season.

さて、いよいおオリンピックが開幕しましたね。時差のせいで寝れない夜が続きそうです・・・。

Well...the Olympics Opening Ceremony is going on now and I'm sure I will have a lot of sleepless night during the games for couple of weeks.

モントレーに到着

さっき無事にモントレーに到着しました。今回のレースは自分のドライバーの今年の最終戦なので、自分の家族もモントレーに連れて来ております。車で普段は４時間半のドライブですが、今日は息子が長い間シートに座っているのが辛くて、ちょこちょこストップしたので５時間半コースでした。無事に着いてこれからカーメルで夕食を食べてきます！

Just arrived in Monterey. Since this will be the final race for my driver, I decided to bring my family up as well since I was driving rather than flying up. It usually takes me 4.5hrs to get here but today was a real long one since I had to stop every other hour to keep my son happy. I made it here just under 6hrs...and good things I left early to avoid traffic. Well...I am just about ready to go to dinner in Carmel!!

明日からラグーナセカ

今日は午前中にジムに行き、午後はピットを知り合いの所に預けに行ったり、洗車をしたりで大忙しでした・・・。明日からフェラーリチャレンジの仕事で、ラグーナセカに行きます。日曜の夜に戻ってまた来週もヒストリックスの週末に仕事が入ったのでラグーナに戻ります。今月は最後の週もラグーナに行かなくては行けないので、ラグーナ漬けになってしまいそうです！？！（笑）

Went to the gym in the AM and had to go drop Pit off to my friends since we are going out of town until Sunday. I will be working up at Laguna coaching my driver in the Ferrari Challenge. I will be home Sunday but back up at Laguna on Tuesday since I also have to work during the historic week end... I should almost get a place up there so I don't have to commute!?!

帰って来てからは来季に向けての企画書の最終段階の打ち合わせ。来年のスケジュールも発表されていよいよ形が整ったので、８月＆９月は営業活動で忙しくなりそうです！！

In the afternoon, I was going through all the proposal decks that we have been working on. The schedule was finally announced for next year and I think we have all the ingredients ready to start hitting up our target sponsors. I think August and September is going to be a real busy months for us but I am looking forward to working on deals for next year!!

原稿

昨日と今日は、車のインプレ原稿を書くのに大忙しでした！頭が回転してる時はどんどん表現も浮かんでくるのですが、いちど止まってしまうとなかなか進まなくなってしまうんですよね。でも、無事に締め切りに間に合って終了。

Yesterday and today was a busy day writing up all the car impression articles. Once you get going I can zip through the article real quick but if my brain stops working...I just can't think about what to write anymore. Fortunately I didn't run out of gas in order to make the dead line for the publisher....!?!

次号のXaCarに色々と載ってると思うのでチェックして下さいね〜！！

I think the article will come out pretty good and it will be on the next issue of the XaCar! And for those folks that lives here in US, you can check me out in the latest issue of the Road & Track!!

Getty Center

今日は日曜日。今月は毎週末サーキットに行ったり仕事が続くので、今日はユックリ過ごす事に決めました。なんだかんだで２度寝をして、９時頃までベッドでゴロゴロ。朝ご飯を食べて、息子と妻を連れてゲッティーセンターに連れて行く事にしました。

Since it was Sunday, I slept in until 9am. Had a late breakfast and headed to Getty Center with my wife and my son.

美術館があったり、庭園があったり、景色が良かったりで個人的には好きなスポットです。しかも、駐車場代の$8以外は入場料はなし。園内のレストランも以外と美味しいのでユックリと日曜を満喫できました。ロスに来る機会があればぜひ立ち寄ってみて下さい！！

It was a beautiful day again and the view from Getty Center was fantastic! Getty Center is amazing not only because of the building, museum, and the garden, but the fact that you can get in and see all that just for the parking fee of $8!! It was an overall good relaxing day before getting busy for rest of the month...

久しぶりのゴルフ

昨日は夜中まで車のインプレ記事を書いてました。夜になって友達から連絡があり、ゴルフに誘われたので、久しぶりに行く事にしました。ゴルフは茂木前にやったのが最後でずっと封印していたのですが、久しぶりにいいかなと思って行ってきました。

I was up late last night getting most of the car impression article that I had to get done by mid next week. I was asked to play golf today since one of their friends had to cancel...I thought twice about it and decided to enjoy beautiful weather being outdoor. Besides, I had a good excuse to go play since my wife was going out to lunch with her friends.

久しぶりにプレーしたわりには玉があたったのですが、やっぱり練習してないとぜんぜんだめですね・・・。１００切るのはまだまだって感じです・・・。でも、またこれから忙しくなりそうなのでとうぶんの間は練習できそうにありません。ん〜仕事が落ち着いたら猛練習をしてなんとか１００を切ってやる！！

I was a bit nervous since I hadn't hit the ball since before the Motegi race which is at least about 5months. I was able to hit the ball OK considering not playing for a while and it was a good day at the course if I can ignore the score. I had couple of good holes but obviously a lot of bad holes when I couldn't get things together...my score wasn't even close to hitting under 100...but the most important thing is that I had fun and good day at the course! Hopefully I can get my work to settle down a bit so I can practice more!!

節約

引っ越し騒動はなくなり、予定していた引っ越し代も浮いたとは言えども、妻と色々と話をして最近は節約をしようと二人で頑張っております。昨日はシュワ州知事がリストラ＆給料のカットの発表があり、今後は景気がどんどん悪くなりそうだから、ちゃんとお金の管理をしっかりしようという風に話は盛り上がりました。

Since I don't have to worry about moving anymore, I am happy that I didn't have to dig in to my savings for the movers. Having said that, after seeing the news yesterday about the state layoffs and wages cut that was signed by governor.... It started concern me and my wife on may be we should work harder to save our money especially thinking that the economy was going to get worse.

今まではスーパーにちょこちょこ行っていたのを、アメリカンスタイルで週１でガッツリまとめて必要な食材を買った方が安くあがるのでは・・・と言う事でチャレンジしてみました。やっぱりちょこちょこ行くと、あれだこれだと買ってしまいますからね。今月はどのくらい節約できるか、今から楽しみです！？！

Our first conclusion on trying to save our money is through grocery...we go to the supermarket every other day and we figured that we may be able to save some money by going American style and buy 1week worth of stuff rather than going to the market couple of times a week. Every time you go to the store, you end up picking up things that you don't really need and may be that will cut that habit at least for now. I'm not sure if this strategy will work but I guess at least I have to give it a try...plus it will save some costs of fuel for making multiple trips since we shop often in Gardena/Torrance area which is at least 15miles drive...

もう８月！

気がついたらもう８月！ビックリですね〜・・・。今日もジムでガッツリランニングをしてから、家に戻って軽くランチ。そのままHONDA米本社に行って新しいパイロットをピックアップ。カナダに行く前に試乗するチャンスがなかったので、来週まで締め切りの記事の為に車を借りて試乗しています。

I can't believe it's already August. As usual, I went for a 10km run in the morning and came home to do a quick lunch. Than I had to go to Honda US HQ to pick up the new Honda Pilot. I actually like the new model since it looks more robust!!

子供が居るとストローラーなど荷物が増えるので、大きいトランクスペースやゆったりした空間はいいんですね〜！！今度ゲットする車の候補としてはバッチリな車です！！日本では販売されないのは残念ですね。

I have to finish some article by tonight and will be working until midnight... Having said that, it's always easier to write about good cars and I must say that there are lots of good things to talk about in the New Honda Pilot. It's definitely on my list of cars I should get since we need more spaces as well as trunk spaces,..

来年のIndyJapanは９月

今日は２００９年のIndyCarのスケジュールが発表されましたね！その中でも気になるのが、IndyJapanの日程。噂では聞いていましたが、なんと来年は９月に行われるみたいです！！F1の日程に近いのは気になりますが、９月の方が年が明けてから準備の期間も増えるし、天候も良さそうなので今から楽しみです。レースに参戦できる様にしっかりと営業活動頑張らないといけませんが・・・。でも、スケジュールが早目に発表してくれた事によって、営業ツールもようやくできあがりそうなので、９月１０月は営業活動を全力で頑張ります！！

There was an announcement for the Indy Car 2009 Schedule this morning. I was surprised to see the Indy Japan date being moved to September. Obviously it concerns me a bit being relatively close to the F1 GP date, but I think it's a good thing overall for me since it gives me more time to prepare for the race as well as having a better weather for the race day especially after what happened this year. Now the schedule is set...I will have to focus getting all the funds in place so we can go racing. We are pretty close on getting the proposal plans worked out for next year and I am really looking forward to meeting our prospect partners for next year! Obviously I will have to hustle in September and October to really get my project moving forward!!

地震

今日は朝起きてジムでランニング。１０km走ってからクールダウンをしている最中に突然ドッカンという騒音＆いきなり１０cm近く下に落ちる感じに地面が揺れてビックリ！ロスから５０km離れた場所でマグニチュード５．８の地震が発生！！

Went to the gym in the morning and did my usual 10km run. As I was finishing up my cool down walk, all the sudden I heard a big "BOOM" and the building started to shake. Obviously we haven't had a big earthquake for a while and I couldn't believe it was only 5.8magunitude since it definitely felt big when it first came,

ランニングマシンで歩いていたのですが、こけそうになりました！最初はトラックがビルにぶつかったのかと思う程の音でビックリしました。ランニングが終わって、余震等の心配もあったので急いで自分の部屋に戻る事にしました。・・・、が、安全のためエレベーターはストップ！？！１０kmランニングした後に１１階まで駆け上がるのは辛かった〜！でも、いいトレーニングになりました！？！（笑）

Since I was done running, I rushed back to my room. However, because of the safety reason, the elevator was shut off and I had run up to 11th floors which was just as hard as running 10km!?! Everyone was safe but certainly caught our attention today. I guess we were due for a big one and I hope this was it...

引っ越し却下！

悩みに悩んで引っ越しは却下しました。色々と皆からアドバイスももらい、風水のサイトも行って色々と研究していたら、まず入る予定の部屋が風水上では玄関が最悪な向きに向いてるではないですか〜！？！それだけでも、却下の理由ですが昨日アパートのオフィッスと色々とごたごたあって対応の悪さを考えると、とりあえず縁がなかったんだとまとめて、今のアパートと再契約します。

After having a long thought about my apartment, we decided to stay where we are at. We had some issues with the new room where the agent has misunderstood the floor plans and the cabinet color in which the room we were supposed to get in was not we were looking for. On top of that, I had some advice from my fans as well as people around me and the entry to the new apartment room was facing the absolute wrong direction in Feng Shui. Obviously that gave me good enough reasons not to move although I am not too superstitious.

いちおう、入る予定だったアパートがもう一部屋見て欲しいとの事ですが、明日の午前中に行って一応見ておいて低調のお断りしてデポジットを返金してもらいに行く予定です。やっぱ引っ越しは大変ですね・・・。ただ、今のアパートに残る事になったら妻と話して気分を一新する為に８月の目標は整理・整頓＆節約です！！（笑）

Apparently there is another room that they want us to look at but I am pretty much committed to my current place and I will probably have a glance tomorrow and get my deposit check back. Obviously it never hurts to have a look around to see all your options and I am pretty happy with my decision!!

まだ悩んでます

今日はジムを休んで、子供のお守り。妻が髪を染めに行きたいと言って、日中は家に居なかったので自分は子供と遊んで、息子が昼寝をしている間にエドモントンで行われているインディーのレースをテレビで見ました。今年は本当にディックソンの年って感じですね！！

It was a day off for me from the gym. Not intentionally but I had to stay home since my wife wanted to go to the hair salon to get her hair done... I was able to spend some quality time with my son playing and while he was sleeping...I managed to watch the Indy race from Edmonton. It was a pretty good race and it seems like it is a year for Dixie!!

さてさて、まだ引っ越しをしような悩んでます。って言っても８割は決めていますが。明日までには今のアパートに結論を出す予定です。さ〜どうしよ〜！？！珍しく優柔不断な自分がなんだか納得いけない・・・。なんだか歳をとるにつれて、新しい環境ってものを嫌がるのは気のせいですかね・・・？！？昔は新しい所に行く事は常にウキウキだったのに。改めて歳をとったのかなと実感してしまいました。（笑）

Well...I haven't decided whether I am going to move or not...but I think I have decided 80% on it. I will have to let my current landlord know by tomorrow. It makes me angry not to be able to commit to this decision for days...but it's a hard choice. Having said that, it makes me feel old yet again not being too excited on going in to a new environment. I used to be exited about that all the time wanting to find and go to a new place. Well...I think this new place would be a start to another chapter for my life and it may after all be a good timing to move since I was thinking to move either this year or next year.

引っ越し？！？

今日もしっかり朝一で、ジムに行ってトレーニング。お昼からは子供を公園に連れて行って帰りがけに引っ越しを検討中のアパートに行ってとりあえず書類を提出。入居するのに、書類だけは先に済ませておこうと思ったら、速攻でOKがでました！！と、言う事で月曜までに引っ越しをするかどうかを決めなくてはいけません・・・。

As usual, went to work out in the morning! Had a great work out and was home before lunch. In the afternoon, I took my son to the park and went to drop off my application for at the place where we looked at yesterday. We just wanted to be ready if we decided to move out. We were approved in minutes and we definitely would need to make a decision by Monday whether if we want to move or not.

究極の決断ですね。なんだか、今の家には馴染みがあるからな〜。でも、冷静に考えるとここに引っ越してから色んな試練を乗り越える事になっている・・・。気分転換で引っ越すのも良いかもしれませんね！でも、以前と違ってやっぱり引っ越すにあたって一番気にするのは子供や妻の安全ですね。自分は家を出る事が多いのでその辺が引っ越しを決める重要なポイントです！とりあえず、月曜までに決めないと！

It's a hard decision to make since the place we are in right now is pretty nice. Having said that, since I moved here...I have been going through some rough time in my career and it may not be a bad thing to move to turn things around!?! Well...I better think real hard over the week end!! The most important thing more me is my wife and my son's safety while I'm not home. The place is pretty secured but I also have to think about Pit who needs to be walked everyday... Well...I guess I have 72hrs to think about it!!

またまた、アパート探し

今日も朝一でトレーニング。お昼は家で仕事をすませて、午後はまたアパートを探索。妻と子供を連れて昨日チラッと見たアパートに行ったらかなり気に入ってくれたので、引っ越しをしようか考え中です・・・。

Went to the gym in the morning and spent most of the afternoon searching for apartments. I decided to take my wife and son to the place I checked out yesterday and surprisingly my wife liked it more than I thought!!

今の家とはかんり雰囲気が違うのですが、近くには新しくできた公園があり、ダウンタウンを見渡す景色も悪くない・・・。ん〜悩むな〜〜。しかも、引っ越すと２ヶ月家賃が無料と言うのも引かれるポイントだ。とりあえず、一晩考える事にしました！

It's a different downtown area then where we are, but a new park was just opened last week right next to it and the environment isn't too bad...the best part about it is that you get 2 months free rent when you move in... I better think real hard about it tonight and make a decision by tomorrow morning!!

トレーニング

今日は起きてから朝一でジムに行ってきました。１週間ぶりの運動だったのでスッキリ！やっぱ１週間もトレーニングをあけてしまうと、ストレスが溜まって小さい事でもイライラしてきちゃいます・・・。

Woke up in the morning and went to the gym first thing in the morning. Since I was out of town for almost a week...it was frustrating not being able to put a good work out in. It always feel good after a good couple of hours of work out.

午後は会計士とミーティングがあり、夕方はアパート探索。実は今月で家のアパートの契約がきれるのですが、また引っ越しをしようか検討中。あまり、引っ越しはしたくないのですが、色々と検討せずに再契約もなんとなくすっきりしないので、とりあえずみるだけ見てみようと思って、明日も何件か見に行ってきます！

In the afternoon, I had a quick meeting and I started to search around a bit for a new apartment. My lease is up this month and I am trying to asses whether I should stay here or not. It's hard to find a place that will beet my current apartment but I thought it never hurts to look around!!

ラスベガス

日曜の夜中にミルウォーキーから戻ってから月曜に昼過ぎにべガスに移動。今日はべガスでスポンサーイベントがあり、LAに戻ってから食事会にも参加しなくてはいけなかったので、やっと家に戻って落ち着いた所です。

After getting back from Milwaukee on Sunday night..I was off to Vegas on Monday afternoon to do an appearance for my sponsor today. We were done with the event at 3pm and back to LA to do a dinner function and I finally came home.

いや〜なんだかドタバタで忙しい１週間でした。明日からはまた猛トレーニングですね！１週間近くジムをサボってしまったので、明日からガッツリやりますよ〜〜！！

I have about a week off but I am going to be busy at the gym trying to take off all the weight I gained by drinking nice wine and eating great meals in Mt.Tremblant and Vegas!?!

プライベートジェット

今日もメチャ長い一日でした・・・。朝６時半に起きて８時にホテルを出発。９時に予選がスタートして、予選はいまいちで２１位。しか〜し、決勝はドライバーが最後まで諦めず頑張ってくれました！あとちょっとでトップ１０と言う所でしたが１１位でゴール。自分もコーチングに熱くなって無線機でずっと“プッシュプッシュ！”と言いまくってドライバーを盛り上げちゃいました。最後まで諦めずに全力で走ってくれたので、見てて気持ち良いレースでした！

Today was another long day for me at the track. I was up at 6:30am and we checked out from the hotel at 8am to head to the track. The qualifying was underway at 9am and my driver qualified 21st. We were not able to maximize the new tires as well as the cool condition to improve on the time...but we were still able to do our fastest lap of the week end. However, He did excellent in the race and worked him self up to 11th. He kept charging until the end and I was really proud of him pushing all the way till the checkered flag!

レースが終わり３０分後にサーキットを出て、Mont-Tremblantの飛行場に到着。セキュリティーもなく飛行場に到着して５分後に離陸。ドライバーのお母さんをペンシルバニアに降ろしてからミルウォーキーに向けて出発。しかし、プライベートジェットを持ってる人の感覚は違いますね〜・・・。僕らが“駅前まで送って行くよ”って感覚で飛行機を飛ばしてますからね。

Well...30min after the race, we were out of the track and headed to Mont-Tremblant Airport to catch our flight. On the return flight, we had to drop my driver's mom in Harrisuburg, Pennsylvania and I had a fairly tight transit time driving from Racine,WI to the Milwaukee Airport.

さて、ペンシルバニアを出発しようと思ったらハプニングが発生！飛行場の回りが悪天候で急にグラウンドストップ。自分はミルウォーキーから８時のフライトに乗らなくてはいけなかったので、どうするかと大パニック！？！しかも、プライベートジェットはミルウォーキー郊外にある、自宅の側の飛行場に着陸予定で、そこから３０分かかるではないか・・・。すると、“ミルウォーキーの飛行場まで行って降ろしてあげるよ！”と、やっぱり億万長者がする事は違いますね！？！ちなみに、僕がコーチするドライバーはミルォーキーから自宅までも飛行機を飛ばして帰りました。距離にすると東京から横浜くらいかな・・・！？！（笑）

We got to Pennsylvania in 1hr and we were ready to head back up to Wisconsin when the storm started to head to our way and there was a ground stop from the control tower which stopped our plane from departing. I was really nervous since it definitely looked like I was going to miss my flight back to LAX. However, my driver was kind enough to divert the plane to Milwaukee Airport and had a car ready for me at the airport to take me to the terminal. My flight back to LA was at 8:30PM and I landed in Milwaukee at 8:05PM. I zipped through the security and I was already boarded on to the aircraft by 8:18PM. I made it safely on to my flight but I am back to real life from flying a luxurious private jet to going through security and sitting in coach class paying $5 for a beer.By the way, my driver obviously flew back to Racine,WI from Milwaukee which is a 15miles flight.....

長い一日

今日は長い一日だった〜・・・。午前中に行われた予選は、開始直後にクラッシュがあり、ガードレールを破損してしまった為に予選のセッションは中止。本来２時にレースをする予定が急遽スケジュール変更で２時に予選を行い、５時からのレース。

It turned out to be a long day today. The qualifying session started at 11am but it a crash brought a red flag situation and the session ended up getting cancelled due to a broken guard rail. However, they made some changes to the schedules, and the race time was changed to a qualifying session at 2pm and the race was postponed to 5pm.

自分がコーチするドライバーはいまいちリズムを掴めず、予選は１８位。決勝でポジションアップに期待・・・と思っていたらレース直前に大雨！？！大パニックでレースはウェットでスタートしたものの、途中で路面が乾き始めたのでレース中断しドライタイヤに変更！？！色々とあってとりあえずレースは１４位でゴール・・・。明日はもっと頑張ってもらわないと！！いや〜しかし本当に長い一日だった。

My driver didn't get the best run in qualifying and ended up 18th, We had a lot of catch up to do during the race and I was looking forward to the race. 5min before the race, it started to rain heavily and it started as a wet race. Half way in to the race, the sun came out and the track was drying so they stopped the race and made us all change to slick tires. Than the race restarted and was finally over by 6pm. My driver finished 14th...obviously not what we expected but we all had a good fun day so we just have to hope for a better finish tomorrow!!

今日は雨・・・。

今日はフリー走行初日。が、残念ながら一日中サーキットは雨。しかもレインタイヤは週末を通して１セットしかないと言う事で今日の練習は３ラップのみ・・・。何にもしないで待ち疲れてしまう一日でした。

Today was the first day on track but unfortunately it rained all day and we spend most of the day waiting around trying to decide whether to go out or not. We ended up doing 3laps but needed to conserve the tires for the weekend since they were the only wet tires we had...just 1set for two races so we decided to park the car after scrubbing them in.

早目にホテルに戻って来れたのでジムで軽く運動。そして、部屋のバスタブにユックリ入って、ベランダで湖を眺めてなんだかんだ、リゾートを満喫しちゃってます！？！（笑）

Since we were back at the hotel before 4PM,...I spent some time in the room exercising and was in the bath tub for a while. I was also able to spend some time in the patio looking at the lake doing nothing so it certainly was not too bad of a day for relaxing other than I feel guilty not doing anything all day...

Mont-Tremblant

今日はミルォーキーからカナダのMont-Tremblantに移動してきました。自分がコーチするドライバーのプライベートジェットに乗って１時間半で到着。冬はスキーリゾートで有名な所で、夏も日本で言えば軽井沢って感じで観光客が沢山集まる所です。

I am in Mont-Tremblant, Canada. I traveled with my driver on his private jet from Milwaukee and it was only 1.5hr flight. The beauty of the flight was that I didn't have to not only check in for the flight and go through the security...we mutually didn't have to go through the customs since all the paper work was done before the departure.

リゾート地だからホテルやレストランはいまさんだろうな〜・・・、って思っていたら大間違えでした。恐らく今まで泊まったリゾートの中でもトップランクのホテル＆レストランがあり関心し続けています！？！と言ってもレースに来ているのであまりリゾートを満喫する時間はありませんが・・・。ではでは、明日からの走行も早いのでそろそろ寝ま〜す。

I am amazed about the Mont-Tremblant resort. The hotel we are staying at is just fantastic and I would definitely love to come back here on my private vacation! The food is really good which is very had to imagine being far away from all the fish and produce market...but it was actually really really good!! I am looking forward to this week end but we definitely need to focus on racing in order to collect some points!!

ミルウォーキー

今日はミルウォーキーに移動。僕がコーチするドライバーの街へ移動してきて、明日プライベートジェットでカナダに移動します。ミルウォーキーまでは幸い直行便だったので、楽でした。

My day went by so fats doing nothing today. That's because I had to travel to Milwaukee today. I am going to catch a flight with my driver tomorrow on his private jet up to Canada and I decided to meet up with him tonight to talk about the strategy for this week end.

ミルウォーキーは２００２年にフォーミュラーアトランティックで優勝した街なので個人的には思い出深い所です。このレースで勝っていなかったら恐らくインディーカードライバーになる事もなかっただろうな〜って言うレースでした。色々と考えていたらまたハングリー精神がわいてきました！またレースしたいな〜〜！！

Milwaukee is a town that I feel is very important for me. That's not only because I like beer...but mainly because I won the F.Atlantic race here in 2002. I don't think I would have been racing in Indy Car Series if I didn't win that race. It's good to be back here and think about that moment in order to refocus on trying to improve my self even more and go racing some time real soon!!

明日から移動

今週末はカナダでフェラーリチャレンジの仕事があるので、明日からの移動です。移動前にトレーニングをがっつりしておきたかったので、今日は追い込みトレーニング。メチャメチャ疲れましたが、かなりスッキリ。

Since I will be working up at Canada this weekend for my Ferrari Challenge driver...I wanted to spend quality time at the gym today because it is tough to work out when you are on the road.

午後は移動前なので銀行に行ったり、必要な書類を揃えたりなどなど、あっと作業をしていたらあっと言う間に終わってしまいました。今週末のサーキットは自分も行った事がないので、ネット上でできるだけの知識を覚えて行かないと役たたず・・・、になってしまいますからね！？！（笑）

In the afternoon, I needed to make the run to the bank and get all the work done before my travel. I also needed to do a lot of searching for the track since I haven't been to the track we are at this week end. It is supposed to be a real nice track and I wished if I can drive on it...

車の試乗

今日は車の試乗＆撮影をしていました。今日乗った車は、Acura RL（時期レジェンド）とScion Xb。RLは以前ダウンタウンでCM撮影中のを見た事はありますが、乗ったのは初めてでした。Xbは一回り大きくなった感じで、久しぶりに今日はマニュアル車を運転しました。

It was a pretty busy day for me out driving and doing photo shoot all day. The two cars that I drove today was the new Acura RL and the Scion Xb. The RL was pretty impressive in a way that you enjoy the car the more you drive it. On the other hand, Xb was very spacious and with the 6 Speed Manual Transmission, it really made you feel like you were driving a CAR. They were both thumbs up from in opinion.

撮影もしていたらあっと言う間に夕方になってしまい、ダッシュで帰宅してピットの散歩。これから軽く仕事をして、子供を風呂にいれて夕食です。一日が経つのはあっと言う間ですね・・・。

After the photo shoot, I rushed home trying to avoid traffic and will need to get some work done tonight. The day went by so fast...I wished if I can get 2 more hours per day...

夏祭り

今日は、日本人街で夏祭りが行われました。妻と息子は友達とお祭りに遊びに行って、自分は家でトレーニング・・・。お祭りに行きたかったのですが、来週は移動が多くてガッツリトレーニングができそうにないので、今日は追い込みトレーニングしてきました！

There was a Summer Festival in Torrance area today which my wife and son went to with their friends. I didn't make it out since I wanted to go the gym and train hard. It will be a busy week for me traveling so I didn't want to get behind my training program since I had couple of days off already when I was in San Diego...

息子はお祭りは楽しんだみたいです。行く前に甚平を着せてピットに攻撃！？！（笑）自分は甚平が全く似合いませんが、息子には妙に似合ってたので良かったX2!?!

I think my son enjoyed being at the festival and we made him wear the "Jimbei" which is a kimono style clothes that you wear to summer festival(Omatsuri). He was definitely showing off the Jimbei to Pit!?!

家でNashvilleレース観戦。

今日は朝ジムに行ってトレーニング。お昼過ぎに髪を切りに行ってばっしり切ってきました！やっぱり短いとメンテが楽ですね。トレーニング中に髪が短い方が気にならなくて楽です。

As usual, went to the gym in the morning and had a pretty good work out. The only downside of the week end being at they gym is that I don't get to see "The View"...not that I care what they are talking about but it's far better than watching Power Rangers on the monitors on the treadmill....

髪を切ってから子供を公園に連れて行って遊ばせて夕方からはNashvilleのIndyのレースを観戦。なんだか淡々と行われてる感じで、雨が途中から降って終了・・・。レースを見るとやっぱり乗りて〜って気持ちでいっぱいになります。と言う事で明日もストレス発散の為にジムでガッツリトレーニングですね！

After lunch, I went to cut my hair since it was getting out of control. I get irritated training when my hair gets long and it was about time to trim my hair. I took my son to the park again to wear him out before I got home and watched the IRL Nashville race peacefully. The race was OK...just like all the fans...I don't really enjoy seeing Yellow/Red flag finishes whether in or out of the car.

もう週末・・・。

昨日の晩にサンディエゴから帰宅。リラックスした様な、疲れた様なって感じです。３日間の間も仕事をしていなかったので、今日は大忙し。トレーニングもさぼってしまったので、今日は朝からジムでトレーニング。

Came back from San Diego last night and was home by 8PM. It was a good trip for my wife and son...but wasn't quite relaxing for me since we walked around so much and had to chase my son all over the place at the Zoo.

午後からはミーティング。あっと言う間に一日が終わってしまった〜って感じです。と言うより、火曜から木曜まで休みを取るとなんだか１週間が空白状態になってしまう感じです・・・。来週はカナダに行くので忙しい１週間になりそうです。

Since I was away for 3days, I had lots of catching up to do with my work as well as at the gym today! The day went by so fast...well actually the week went by so fast being away during middle of week. I will be traveling to Canada next week and will be a busy couple of days again for me.

サンディエゴ

今サンディエゴに居ます。昨日はCoronadoIslandにあるホテルに泊まって、シーワールドに行ってきました。息子にはシーワールドはいまいちまだ早すぎたみたいで、あまり反応していませんでした！？！しかし、ホテルのプールに入れたら大喜び！とりあえず、水嫌いではないみたいで良かった！？！実は自分は子供の頃は水が大嫌いで、小学校の時はほとんど泳げなかったんです・・・。

I am in San Diego now with my family. We stayed at the Coronado Island last night and went to Sea World. My son didn't seem to enjoy much being at Sea World....but definitely was having a lot of fun in the pool! Since it was his first time in the pool, I was worried if he would get scared but after a little while, he seemed to be enjoying being in the water!

今日はLaJolla地域に移動して、ユックリしています。明日はサンディエゴ動物園に行ってきます。

I am in La Jolla now and will go to San Diego Zoo tomorrow before we head home. Hopefully he will like the Zoo more than the Sea World...

明日からサンディエゴ

３連休も終わり、今日は月曜日。連休明けはダラダラしてしまいそうだったので、今日は朝からジムに行ってトレーニング。お昼は妻が会食をしに行っていたので、子供と一緒にお留守番。

After a long week end, I was back in the gym first thing in the morning to refresh my self. My wife had to go to lunch with her friends so I was at home playing with my kid until his nap time and off to work as soon as he went sleep.

明日からファミリーサービスでサンディエゴに行く予定です。８月中は基本的に毎週末仕事が入っているので、空いている今週中にサンディエゴに行って、シーワールドや動物園に息子を連れて行こうと思います。

I needed to get a lot of work done today since I will be going to San Diego for couple of days. I looked at my schedule and I am working almost every week end in August. I thought this week may be the best time to take a summer vacation with my family and take them down to Sea World and San Diego Zoo. I hope my kid is old enough to have fun there!!

RHR初優勝！

今日は午前中はジムで１０kmのランニング。モニターでF1イギリスGPを見ながらランニングをしていたら、１０kmもあっという間でした。家に戻って来て軽くランチをしてから、WatkinsGlenで行われたインディーカーのレースを観戦。

Went for a 10km run in the morning while I watched the British F1GP on the monitor. The 10km run was easy compare to those guys running F1 cars in fully wet condition!

インディーのレースは２００２年にチームメートだったらRyan Hunter-Reayが優勝！友達が勝つのは本当に嬉しいです！Team Rahalも２００４年に走ったチームで、実は茂木前にインディー５００をTeam Rahalで参戦する可能性が浮上してきたのですが、残念ながら話を実らせる事ができませんでした・・・。でも、来季に向けてまた交渉しにいかないとって感じですね！！やっぱ家でレースを見てると身体がムズムズしてきちゃいます。

After lunch, I watched the Indy Car race from Watkins Glen which was won by my friend Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ryan was my team mate in 2002 and I am happy to see him win. Also it was a win for Team Rahal, whom I was talking with for possibly running the Indy 500 with them this year. Unfortunately things did not materialize...but after today's win,I certainly would love to have an opportunity to drive for that team again.

独立記念日

昨日は米国独立記念日。朝はジムに行って１０kmのランニンング。お昼にスーパーに行って、夕方からは家のベランダで七輪を使ってバーベキュー。葱タン塩から始まり、エビ、ホタテをやいてメチャ美味しかったです！

It was a quite day yesterday for my family. I went for another 10km run in the morning and went to the grocery store before lunch to pick up some food to put on the grill. We barbequed some Beef Tongue, Shrimp, and Scallops and it all turned out pretty good.

これから暑くなりそうなので、今日は髪の毛でも切りに行こうか悩んでます・・・。

Since it seems like it is going to be hot for a while...I am debating whether I should go cut my hair today,..

３連休

昨日は朝一でジムに行って１０kmのランニング。日本で美味しい物を食べ過ぎて、少し肥ってしまったので今は減量モードです。お昼は軽くミーティングをして午後は親父に付き添って買い物に行ってきました。

Went to the gym first thing in the morning yesterday and did a 10km run. I definitely need to shove some weight off that I gained from my visit in Japan after eating all the great food. Than in the afternoon. I had to take my dad all over the town to finish his shopping.

今週末はインディペンデンス・デー（July4th)で明日から３連休。家ではバーベキューでもしようか・・・と行っていますが、七輪を買ってきてベランダでやろうか悩んでます。（笑）やっぱ夏はBBQですよね〜！？！

Well, we are off to a 3day week end. We may plan to do a BBQ tomorrow but have not decided yet. I will have to go to the fish market now and see if there is any good ingredients to put on the grill!?!

買い物

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。久しぶりに走り込む事ができて、気分も爽快。お昼は親父、妻＆息子を連れてWestHollywoodにあるフレンチカフェでランチ。その後は夕方まで色々と買い物に行ってました。親父がアメリカに来た時は何時もビタミン剤等をゲットして帰ります。ついでに甥っ子や姪っ子のお土産で洋服を買う時にどさくさまぎれに、息子の洋服も買ってもらっちゃってます！？！（笑）

Went to the gym in the morning and was able to get a good 1hr cardio work out. My back was aching last week and I was finally able to get back in to my regular training regime. After the training, I took my dad, wife and son to lunch in West Hollywood at a French Caffe. The food there was pretty good. Than we were off to shopping...I didn't buy anything my self but my dad bought my Son some clothes just in time for Summer.

朝からミーティング

昨日は知り合いの誕生日会に行ってきました。なんと１００人以上も来て盛大にお祝い！かなりのビッグパーティーでした！！夜は日曜だったので家でユックリ。

I attended to my friend's B-Day Party last night. There were over 100 friends and family members there and we all had a great time there!! I hope I will have 100 friends showing up for my Birthday bash when I turn 50....

週末もあっと言う間に終わって、今日は月曜日。朝からミーティングがありお昼に親父が日本から来るので飛行場にピックアップに行ってきます。今週も忙しくなりそうですが、頑張ります！！

Well,..the weekend just flew by and it is already Mon. I have a quick meeting in the morning today and will have to pick up my dad at the airport who will be coming in town for couple of days. It looks like it will be a busy week for me being a tour guide...!?!

腰痛

日本から戻って来て、長旅でまだ身体が堅くなってる時に調子にのってトレーニングをしたせいか、腰が突然激痛・・・。今日はあまりにも痛かったのでトレーニングはお休みして、カイロの先生に見てもらいました。

Since I got back from Japan, my back started to ache a bit and I guess doing weight training didn't help the situation. I had hard time getting up from the bed so I had to see a doctor today. It's much better now...but I will have to take a week end off from training in general.

色々と治療をしてだいぶ良くなりました。今週末はユックリリラックスして来週からまたトレーニングに復帰ですね・・・。

I will have a lot to catch up during next week and I hope I can recover by Mon!!

水素

昨日LAでカリフォルニア初の水素を供給するスタンドができました！場所はWest LAにあるShell。実のこのスタンドはサンタモニカに住んでいた時によくいれていたスタンドです。しかし、水素が一般的に供給されるようになれば、燃料電池車も増えるのでは期待できますね！

Yesterday, we saw the first opening of the fuel station that supplies Hydrogen for the Fuel Cell Vehicle in California. The station is located in West LA and it is actually at the Shell station that I used to fill up in when I lived in Santa Monica. I think this will allow many car manufacture to further develop fuel cell vehicle now that Hydrogen is accessible to the users.

ガソリンの値段が連日最高値を更新している中、燃料電池車が早く実用的になって、環境にもお財布的にも優しくなって欲しいですね！！！

Since we are seeing record price for barrel of oil on almost daily basis...I think the Fuel Cell Vehicle would be way to go not only environmentally but economically as well!!

無事に帰宅

昨晩やっとロスの家に戻ってきました。長いフライトでした。今回は台北経由。台北の飛行場は以外とモダンで奇麗だったからビックリ。しかも、台北からのシンガポール航空の飛行機も快適で、長旅でしたがいがいと楽ちん。日本からの直行のフライトよりも、LAに着くと夜なので以外と時差ボケもなく楽でした！！

Just got back home after long flight transferring through Taipei. It was actually not so bad since the Singapore Air flight from Taipei was actually pretty good. I was some what surprised with how modern and clean the Taipe Airport was....it actually makes it easier once you land to LAX going through Taipei with jetlag because you arrive in LA at 8PM and all you have to do when you get home is sleep.

今日は久しぶりにジムに行って身体を動かさないと！！しかも、仕事がいっぱい溜まっているので、忙しい一日になりそうです・・・。

Well...I will be going to the gym today and will have a lot of work to cath up with...

最終日

昨日はあまりにも疲れが溜まっていたので、ミーティングが終わった夕方にエアープレス上野に行って酸素カプセルに入ってきました。１時間半バッチリ入ったら完全復活！改めて疲労回復の効果を実感しました。その上にかなりリラックスできるのでやっぱり家に１台完備したい所です・・・。

Since I was tired from all the meetings one after another for a week, I decided to stop by Air Press Ueno to get oxygenated. I can tell you that the capsule do really work because I am back to full throttle now!! I wished if I had one of those machines at home....

今日は日本最終日。午前中に数件ミーティングがあって、６時のフライトで成田を出発します。が、今回はマイレージ切符で予約したので台北経由なのでかなり遠回り・・・。かなりの長旅になりそうですが、“無”になってゆっくりと寝る予定です！！

Well, I will go to several meetings in the morning and head to the airport to catch my flight this evening. Since I ended up getting an award ticket using my miles this time...I will have to go through Taipei rather than direct back to LAX. It's going to be a long trip but I think I will just sleep through the whole trip.

いせやの天婦羅

今回の日本の滞在はいよいよ明日まで。昨晩は蔵前にある“いせや”の天婦羅を食べに行ってきました！サクッと揚がっていてメチャ美味しいです！！かなりお薦めなので浅草界隈に行かれた時はぜひ立ち寄ってみて下さい。

I have one more day left for my trip here in Japan. Last night I went to dinner with my sponsors to have Tempura at Iseya in Kuramae which is only couple of minutes away from my house. The Tempura there was really good and it definitely is a must go place if you are in this part of town.

いや〜しかし、なんだか疲れが溜まっていて、帰る前になんとかエアープレス上野に行って酸素カプセルに入りたい所です・・・。今日も忙しくなりそうですが残り少ない日本での滞在時間を頑張ります！！

Well...I my energy is getting drowned and will need to go to Air Press Ueno to relax and inhale some high compressed oxygen!!

キックボクシング

さっき後楽園ホールで行われたキックボクシングの試合を見に行ってきました。今回の“野良犬電撃作戦”にでる、石川直生選手は僕の親戚で今回はグッドタイミングで日本に帰って来れたので応援に駆け付けました！いや〜やっぱり格闘の試合は凄いですね・・・。直生選手以外にも今回はなお君の友達の山本優弥選手や寺戸選手が出ていたので皆を応援！！しかし、やっぱり面識がある選手を応援するのは辛いですね〜・・・。パンチやキックが痛々しくて。でもプロの厳しい世界を感じて、ある意味いい刺激になりました！自分も頑張らないと！！

I went to see a Kickboxing match today at Kouraku-en Hall. My relative is actually a champion in Japan and the timing was just right to make a visit to cheer him! I have been to an K1 fight but the Kickboxing match was actually really exciting.

試合内容は、優弥選手もナオ君も負けてしまいましたが、内容はメチャメチャ濃かってです！試合後に一緒に会食に行けて色々と話せて本当に良かったです！試合結果は善男ですが、皆も頑張ってるから自分ももっともっと頑張らないとって思える良い一日でした！！

My buddy Naoki Ishikawa, and Yuuya Yamamoto have both ended up losing the fight but I must say that they fought really well! It really made me think twice that how lucky I am racing in Indy Car Series and not getting kicked and punched....but most importantly it reminded me how hungry you needed to stay as an athlete!!

石川直生選手の試合前

山本優弥選手の入場！

試合後に皆でワンショット

紅月

いや〜久しぶりの日本は忙しい・・・。しかも暑いんだか緩いんだかって微妙な天気が続きますね〜。そんな中、昨晩はMyFavoriteレストランの紅月に行ってきました！

It's been a real busy trip so far... I can't get enough sleep during the night. To make things worse it's hot and somewhat humid but seems as if it's going to rain!?! I am enjoying the great food and drinks here but not the weather for sure!?!

やっぱ美味いっすね〜〜！しかも昨日はな〜んとアワビシャブX２を食べちゃいました！あまりにも美味しすぎて無言で食べてしまいました！！昨晩はK1ファイターの秋山選手と食事を同席させてもらいました。来月の試合に向けて気合いが入ってるのを感じました！！K1の試合をまたちかじか見に行きたい所です。

I had a chance to eat at my favorite restaurants Kougetsu last night. The food was fantastic as usual! We had Abalone ShabuX2 last night. It was real tasty!! I wished they would open a restaurant in LA... I joined the dinner with one of the K1 fighter Mr.Akiyama. He is huge...definitely I would hate to get in to a fist fight with him....I wouldn't fight him even if I had a gun!?! I bet he can kick my before I can pull the trigger...lol

名古屋

昨日は夕方に急遽、名古屋に行く事になり、さっき東京に戻ってきました。厳密には多治見ですが・・・。夜に会食をしてホテルに泊まり、今朝はお昼に親父と名古屋駅で待ち合わせをして、味噌煮込みうどんを食べて帰ってきました！味噌煮込みうどんレストランをロスでやったら流行りそう！？！

I had a last minute meeting come up last night in Nagoya and was there for a night. The meeting went well and I just got back to Tokyo. I hope I don't have to travel much anymore because I am pretty tired of traveling... Anyhow, met with my dad for lunch today in Nagoya and had Miso-Nikomi Udon for lunch. It's basically a Udon with Red Miso soup. It is really good and I'm sure it would be popular if someone opens up a restaurant just specializing Miso-Nikomi Udon in LA!?!

日本に到着

昨日の夕方、無事に日本に着きました。飛行機の中ではそこそこ寝れたのですが、やっぱり時差ボケ・・・。今朝は６時前に起きてしまいました！？！日本はまだ蒸し暑くなくてちょうど良い温度ですね。

Got to Tokyo last night and still somewhat jetlagged. I was able to sleep in the plane and was knocked out before 12:30am last night...and was up before 6am this morning. It's still not hot and humid here so at least that's good for the stay.

家に帰って来たら、週末のラグーナでの仕事でずっとサングラスをつけたまま外にいたので、日焼けで目の回りがパンダ状態・・・。アメリカだとあまり気にならないけど、日本だとなんだか恥ずかしいですね・・・！？！（笑）

When I got home, I was greeted by my uncle and cousins and all they talked about was my sun tan from being at the track all week end. Obviously the I was out working and not golfing...but people here in Japan think that you are out playing when you get too dark...!?!

これから日本です

昨日は作業を１時まで終わらせて、なんとか１時半までに寝る事ができました。今朝は７時前に起床。ってか、息子に起こされました！？！（笑）９時前にジムに行って軽くトレーニング。家に戻ってダッシュでパッキングをして、今は飛行場です。これから飛行機に乗って日本に戻ります。

I was able to get all the work done before 1am last night and was at sleep by 1:30am. My son woke me up before 7am and I wasn't able to catch a good sleep. Since I was going to catch an afternoon flight today, I was planning on sleeping in the plane and get some work out done in the morning.

飛行機の中では爆睡できそうです。しかし、インディーから戻って来て、一度も週末を家族と過ごしてない事が今日発覚・・・。日本から戻って来たら少しファミリーサービスをしないとって感じです。

I am at the lounge now getting ready for the flight. I am ready to sleep anytime now. I was just going through my schedule and realized that I haven't spent any time with my son during the week end since I got home from Indy. I better plan something out when I get back in town to keep my wife happy....

帰宅

さっき家に帰ってきました。今日は珍しく早目に終わったので、９時前には家に着く事ができました。明日は昼過ぎのフライトで日本に向けて出発なので、今から洗濯＆荷造りで大変です・・・。今夜は徹夜かな？！？

Just got home from Monterey. It was a good day at work and we were able to get done fairly quickly. The drive was smooth coming back down and I was home by 9pm. I still have to do my laundry and pack up my stuff for tomorrow so I will probably be up all night to catch my flight tomorrow afternoon...

スクール２日目

今日はスクール２日目。昨日よりはサーキットを何セッションも走るので、忙しい一日でした。明日の夕方には帰れるので、家に戻るのが楽しみ。が・・・、５時間のドライブは辛そう。

Today was the 2nd day at the school. The 2nd day is actually pretty busy because you are going in to the pit lane and out to a corner to observe the drivers. It was a good day at work and I am really looking forward to getting home tomorrow night although not so much with the 5hr drive...

暇つぶし用にiTunesに入ってる音楽をCDに焼いて、帰りは新曲を歌いながらカラオケの練習ですね！？！（笑）明日の夜は１０時頃に帰って、夜中の間に洗濯をして月曜のお昼には日本に向けて出発です。

It will be a busy day for me tomorrow since I will have to work until 5PM and have a 5hr drive home...than will have to do my laundry and get ready for my flight on Monday Afternoon... I guess I will have a good sleep in the plane!!

山火事

今日はスクールの初日。基本的に初日の走行はほとんどパドックの中で行われるのでけっこう楽です。午前中は天気が良かったのですが、午後からはサンフラン界隈での山火事からでる煙のせいで、そらが薄暗い感じで奇妙な感じです・・・。

Today was the first day at the Racing School. The first day is actually pretty easy since most of the exercise is done in the paddock. It certainly gets busier during the next two days though...The weather was really nice in the morning, but the wild fires in the bay area brought some dark clouds on top of the track. The sky was really weird and it seem like something was coming especially considering it was Friday the 13th today...!?!

週末はずっと天気が良さそうなので何より。日曜にLAに戻ったらもしかしたら、月曜に日本に向けて出発しないといけないかもしれません・・・。今回はマイレージを使って予約しようと思っているのですが、月曜以外は予約が取れそうにないです。しかも、帰りのフライトはもしかしたら、台湾経由・・・。直行便が空くかまだ様子を見ている状況です。

I am looking forward to get back home in Sunday night. However, I may have to travel to Japan on Monday if I can book a flight. I am trying to get an award flight using my miles and there is only availability leaving on Monday. I may also have to connect through Taiwan for my return flight so I may wait until Sunday to see if something will open up...

週末はラグーナセカ

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。お昼をさっと食べてから、モントレーに向けて出発しました。今週末はラグーナセカでスクールの仕事があるので、日曜までモントレーに居ます。

Went to the gym in the morning and had a quick lunch at home before I headed up north towards Monterey. I will be working at the racing school this week end up at Laguna Seca until Sunday.

久しぶりのロングドライブはかなり退屈でした・・・。やっぱり一人で５時間は辛いですね。

I haven't done this drive for a while so it was really boring...I had nothing to do other than listen to the music and practice my Karaoke skills....!?!

フリマ

今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。ガッツリトレーニングをしてからお昼前にスポンサーとカンファレンスコール。来季に向けてのプラン等に関して話し合って、その直後にまたまた別件で連絡の取り合い。なかなか忙しい一日でした。

Went to the gym in the morning and had a good work out. I had several conference call before lunch to talk about some plans for next year. There are couple of things building up as we speak and I am really looking forward to it. I definitely need to move the conversation forward while the topic is hot. It's always hard to do it once the season is over and when people are looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas....

お昼の合間を縫って、毎週水曜にダウンタウンで行われるフリーマーケットに行ってきました。妻がはまってて、毎水にお花や、野菜そして果物等を買いに行ってます。以外と新鮮でスーパーよりも安いのでお得です！！

After lunch, my wife and I went to the Farmers Market which is held every Weds in downtown area. My wife started to get flowers, Fruits, and Veggies from there every Weds because it is fresh and cheaper than buying at the Supermarket. It's always fun to stroll around and look at fresh fruits...it makes you feel like you are in resort...!?!

週末はモントレー

今日も日中はジムでガッツリトレーニング。やっぱりジムに行って身体をしっかり動かさないと駄目ですね。２〜３日開けると逆に身体の調子が悪くなります・・・。ある意味、動いてないとストレスも溜まるし！？！

Went to the gym in the morning and was able to spend some quality time there. Obviously it's been real good being able to work out every day. For some reason, my back hurts if I don' work out every day...which means good for me because that will keep me in shape!?!

午後は色々と電話で連絡の取り合い。面白い事に良い話がある時って、いっぺんに来るもんなんですよね。来季に向けてのプログラムで色々と検討をしなくてはいけない事が沢山あるので、よく考えて行かないと！今年はレースの結果がぜんぜん出ていないので、来季に向けての活動は今までの倍以上頑張らないとって思ってます！

In the afternoon, I was on the phone for couple of hours. I had couple of discussion about some prospects for next year. It's still talks at this point but it's always strange because good things always comes at the same time when you have to make difficult decision. I guess I'm lucky that getting married with my wife was an easy decision!?!

トレーニング＆リラックス

昨日はLAに戻って来て、家についてご飯を食べて寝る準備をしたら既に１時でした。朝は子供に起こされて６時に起床・・・。午前中はジムでガッツリトレーニングをしてきました。お昼に素麺を食べて午後はお家でお仕事。

Since I got home pretty late last night...I was planning to sleep in today but my boy woke me up really early... It wasn't much of an issue since I was already on the East Coast time but sure would have liked to have couple of more hours of sleep. Since I was up early, I went to the gym to train and was home before lunch. I got some work done in the afternoon since I had couple of articles that I needed to finish up.

夕方にスーパーに買い物に行ってついでにガソリンをいれたら、値段にビックリ！ついに、１ガロン＄５だいに突入してしまいました！？！車を満タンにしたら＄８０！！！本当にバッドなニュースです。

Went to the market to buy some waters and needed to get some fuel. I was amazed by the gas prices! Guess what...it's $5/Gallon.... I was going crazy when it above the $4 mark....this is all bad news for all of us...

モントリオールレース

さっきLAに帰ってきました。今日は決勝日で凡そ１０万人の観客がレースに来るので早目にサーキット入りしました。自分のドライバーは２０分のレースでポジションをあまり上げる事ができず、けっきょく２３位でゴール・・・。

Just got back to LA. Since there was supposed to be 100,000 spectators at the track today, I drove in early to be ready for the race. The Ferrari Challenge race was shortened to 20min and my driver was only able to get up to 23rd...

F１のレースは、自分のドライバーと一緒にスタンドから観戦しました！久しぶりにスタンドからのレース観戦でなんとなく新鮮でした！？！（笑）レース内容は面白かったですね〜〜！！金曜からコーナーで見てたら、HamiltonとKubicaの動きが良かったのでどっちかが勝つだろうな〜って思ってたら予想が的中。

Obviously we were all disappointed with the results but watching the F1 race from the grand stands certainly made our day.By watching from the turns, I knew either Hamilton or Kubica was going to win the race. It really was an exciting race and I'm glad I stayed to watch the race.

さてさて、今日はユックリ寝て、明日からまたLAでガッツリトレーニングです！！また現実的な生活に逆戻りです・・・。（笑）

Well...back in LA and will be back to real life for another couple of weeks...

モントリオール予選

今日のモントリオールは夏日和でかなり暑いです！今日も朝早くサーキットに着いてドライバーとミーティング。残念ながら僕のドライバーは予選２周目に前の車と接触してしまい、速攻で終了・・・。明日は後ろからの追い上げになると思います。

It was a real nice day out at the track today! It was cold yesterday...but was really hot and humid today. Got to the track early to meet with my driver to discuss about qualifying strategy... However, my driver got in to an accident during his second lap and we will have to start last tomorrow and will have a lot of catch up to do in the race.

しかし、サーキットの人の数には驚きです！昨日は金曜なのにスタンドはほとんど満席！やっぱりこう言う雰囲気でレースをできるのは嬉しいですね！！

The track here is great and I am amazed with the fans! The stands were full already yesterday and I can't imagine how it's going to be tomorrow!!

F1走行開始！

今日はフェラーリチャレンジ走行初日。チャレンジの走行は夕方４時からだったので日中はかなり暇でした。自分のドライバーと一緒にF１の走行をコーナーに見に行ってきました！やっぱF1はコンパクトで速いですね〜！音も格好いいし！！久しぶりにF1を見て、だんだん乗りたいオーラが出てイライラしてきちゃいました・・・！？！（笑）

The Ferrari Challenge Session was at 4PM and we had nothing to do all day until that session. My driver and I went out to the stands to watch the F1 cars. They are much smaller than the Indy Cars and obviously super fast out of the corners!! It's great to watch the cars...but it made me eager to get back in to a car!

夕方の走行では自分のドライバーはなかなか納得いくラップを重ねる事ができず、タイムもいまいち・・・。色々とアドバイスをしたので、明日はしっかりタイムアップをしてもらわないと！！

The session for my driver went OK. We couldn't put together a good lap and the time was not what we have hoped for...but I'm sure we should be much better tomorrow!! I went through the data real thoroughly tonight so we should be able to make some real gains for tomorrow!!

サーキットの下見

今日は朝一でサーキットに行ってコースの下見をしてきました。モントリオールのサーキットに来るのは初めてだったので、去年のデータをみたりドライバーの車載カメラを見て色々と研究をしました。インディーでも痛い目にあいましたが、レースで買えない物は時間・・・。だからこそ、準備が大切なので少ない走行時間をフルに使える様にドライバーと入念にミーティングを行いました。

Got up early to go to the track. I walked the track with my driver and went through all the data and the in-camera videos from last year to be well prepared. I have learned big time in Indy this year that time is the only thing you can' buy...therefore, preparation is key to success!!

いよいよ明日から走行です！今回のレースは楽しみです！！

I think my driver will do well here this week end! I am looking forward to the first session tomorrow!!

モントリオールに到着

さっきモントリオールに到着しました。今週末はカナダF1GPの前座で行われる、フェラーリチャレンジのレースのお仕事できています。今回はモントリオールまでAirCanadaの直行便。エコノミークラスでも各席にモニターが着いて映画や音楽を楽しめたのでけっこう快適でした！！

Just arrived to Montreal. I am here for the Ferrari Challenge race that will take place before the F1GP. I took the direct Air Canada flight to Montreal and I was pretty impressed with the service. Yes...they do charge for the meals but every seat had a monitor to see the movies and listen to the music and the 5hr flight just went real quick! I hope all the US carrier had the same service....

明日はサーキットに行って、ドライバーとコースを下見。久しぶりにF1の車が走るのを見れるので楽しみです！！

I will be going to the track tomorrow to check out the course. I am looking forward to seeing the F1 cars since last time I saw a F1 car run was in 04 at Indianapolis.

ファミリーサービス

ここ１ヶ月間はずっと週末は家にいなくて、子供を何処にも連れて行く事ができなかったので、今日は海に行ってきました。午前中はジムでガッツリトレーニングをして、海に行ったと言っても、お弁当を作ってランチを食べに行ったって感じですが・・・。（笑）

I went to the gym in the morning and took my son to the beach today for lunch. Since I was away most of the week end and will be away during the next two week ends...I figured that should keep my wife happy temporarily...!?!

息子はどうやら、砂浜や水辺がまだ怖いみたいで、あまりエンジョイしてなかったので１時間半くらいで帰って来ちゃいました！？！（笑）そろそろプール教室に連れてって泳ぎを覚えさせないと、自分みたいに泳げなくなっちゃうからな〜。そうなんです・・・、今はちょっとなら泳げますが昔は泳げませんでした！？！

It was the first time for my son walking on the beach. He was scared of the sand and the water...and didn't seem to enjoy much!?! I guess it's about time to take him to the swimming class. I used to hate swimming and I hope he will turn cooler than me being able to surf the wave!!

TOYOTA博物館

今日はお昼からお仕事。まずは、新しいAcura TSXに乗って試乗＆撮影。デザインがかなり変わって、フロントはアメリカンって感じです！今後のAcura車の展開が楽しみです。

I went to test the new Acura TSX today. The car looks a lot different from the previous model and I am optimistic about all the new upcoming Acura models since they have been awful quite during the last 12months...

試乗が終わってからTOYOTA本社の側にあるTOYOTA博物館に行ってきました！って言っても一般公開はされていません。もちろん２０００GTを始め、歴代のTOYOTA車がおかれていて、ここにあったの〜って言う程ビックリなロケーションでした。なんだか穴場を見つけた感じでちょっとラッキーな一日でした。

After the test drive, we stopped in to visit the Toyota Automobile Collection/Museum located near the Toyota HQ. I never thought that there would be such a place since I passed through that building at least twice a week going to the grocery store. The place was really cool with all the historic Toyota and Lexus cars being displayed. Obviously the 2000GT was the sweetest one to look at!! I wished if I brought my cam with me....

息子とお仕事

今日は午前中に髪を切りに行ってきました。本当はインディーに行く前に切りたかったのですが、時間がなくて残念ながらレース後まで切る事はできませんでした。インディーに居る時にだいぶイライラしてきて、後輩の英紀に電話をしてインディアナポリスにお薦めの散髪屋しらないって聞いたら、“インディーでは切った事ありません。絶対やめた方がいいですよ〜・・・”って言われたのでやめておきました！？！（笑）

I went to cut my hair in the morning. I wanted to get it done before leaving to Indianapolis but I didn't have any time to go the hair salon and the only day I could have gone was Monday when they were closed. I thought about getting a hair cut while my stay in Indy and asked my buddy Hideki if he knew any good place to cut my hair. His answer was "NO, and I don't recommend you to do it when you get back in LA...." Obviously I am glad I waited until I was back home.

家に戻ってきて、たまっていた仕事を方付けました。昨日のRoad&Trackの試乗も色んな車を乗ったので忘れる前に色々とメモを書きました。色々と仕事をしていたら息子が一緒に遊んでくれ〜ってよってきたので、コンピューターデスクの椅子に座らせたらいきなり、インディーで被っていたスポンサーの帽子を被ってニコニコ。あまりにも可愛かったのでワンスナップ！？！完璧親ばかですね！！（笑）

I got home and needed to get a lot of work done. I also wanted to make some notes about the car I drover yesterday. There were about 10cars and I thought it would be best to make a note before I forget!?! While I was working, my son wanted to play with me so I had him help me organize all the files. He ended up grabbing the hat that I was wearing during this month and was trying to pretend being like me!?! His taking the first step to become a race car driver....

Road & Track スーパーカーをオーバルでテスト

今日はRoad & Trackのお仕事でカリフォルニアスピードウェイに行ってきました。色んなスーパーカーをオーバルで走るという企画。最初に聞いた時に、“エッ・・・”て思いましたが、やってみると以外と面白い！？！

I was at California Speedway working for Road & Track today. We tested many high performance exotic cars on an oval! Yes on an Oval!?! When I was offered to do this first...I didn't know what to expect but it turned out to be pretty good day at the track.

乗ったのはランボルギーニ、GT-R,Audi R8、Viper、ポルシェGT２等のスーパーカー。どれを乗ってもワクワクしてしまう内容！しかも、２マイルオーバルを３００km／h近いスピードで走るのはある意味インディーカーよりすりりんぐでした！？！（笑）GT-Rに乗ったのも初めてでかなり感心しました。５００には出れませんでしたが、今日は色んな車に乗ってその分のストレスもぶっ飛びました！！（笑）

I can't tell you all the cars that I drove today but some of them included the Lambo, GT-R, Audi R(, Viper, and Porsche GT2. I was smiling through out the day driving the cars because it certainly was not an every day driver and I don't think I will have another day of being able to drive all the exotic sports cars that I got to drive today. It was nerve racking driving those cars on a 2mile oval exceeding speeds of 160mph.... But was real fun! It certainly gave me some stress relieve after not being able to race the 500!?! I must say that I was particularly impressed with the GT-R.

Indy500

昨日で今年のIndy500も完全に終わりましたね。レースはDixonの独走状態でIndy500初優勝。自分は現場で今年のレースにスポンサーをしてくれたお客さんの接待や、来季に向けての交渉で現場に行ってました。

I can't believe the Indy 500 is already over. It's hard to say if it was a long or a short month... The race was pretty much dominated by Scot Dixon who ended up winning the race. I was at the track making appearance as well as meeting all my sponsors who was on board for this year's program.

合併もあり、例年よりもお客さんが入っていてかなり盛り上がるレースになっていました。やっぱりグリッドにたって自分がレースにでないんだ・・・って思うと本当にガッカリ。悔しい思いでいっぱいです。今年の５００が終わってしまった以上、今日から来年のプログラムに向けて全力で頑張ります！！

I was amazed by the amount of people who came to the race this year! I'm sure that the merger have created a lots of interest and buzz and the fans were really excited to see the race. Obviously I wished if I was part of the field instead on watching the race from the side line...but at least I got a head start working on deals for next season! I can't wait to come back again to the Greatest Spectacle of Racing again!!

明日はいよいよ決勝

明日はいよいよ決勝です！自分はインディーカーにデビューしてから始めて、観客としてみるインディー５００です。今日のパレードにも参加できず、なんだかメチャメチャ悔しいです・・・。でも色々と考えると、毎年バンプアウトされる以外にも一回も車に乗れずに帰って行くドライバーも沢山居ると考えると、まだ乗れただけラッキーだったのかもしれませんね！？！

Finally the Indy 500 will take place tomorrow. It is my first Indy 500 watching from the side line. I was not able attend the parade today and was real gutted about that too...However, I still was able to land a ride and I should lucky compare the guys who never got to steer the wheel at all!?!

でも、だからこそは来年の体制は人生をかけてもでも勝てる体制を作って帰ってこないと駄目ですね！！その為にはかなり大変な試練を乗り越えなくてはいけないかもしれませんが、全力で頑張ります！！

Having said that, I must work 500 times harder next year in order to come back stronger and I need to work on the deal that is able to be very very competitive so I don't even have to be thinking about making the show or not... I'm sure that is going to be a huge challenge but I have good people around me trying very hard on trying to get this program and I am looking forward to the challenges that we as a team will have to overcome!!

サイン会

今日はカーブデー。決勝前に最後に走れるセッション。ほんの１０ラップ前後ですが、５００に参戦するドライバーからすると物凄く緊張感の高まるセッションです。今日は初めてカーブデーをドライバーとしてでは無い立場で見ましたが、やっぱり緊張しますね。英紀は調子が良さそうなのでレースはかなり期待できそうです！！

Today was the Carb Day. It is the last session before the race and it is really intense as a driver getting all the final details checked up before the race. It was my first time watching Carb Day from the sidelines and it really hurt me seeing the cars go around!! I can't wait to get back in to the car and the race and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen!!

夕方は今回の５００にスポンサーをしてくれたHH Greggのお店に行ってサイン会。たくさんのファンが訪れてくれて、しかもお店の方々も喜んでくれたので何よりです。予選落ちはしてしまいましたが、今回のレースで今後に向けての収穫はまた増えたと思います！！

In the afternoon, I went to the HH Gregg store up at 96th St. to do an autograph session. I really appreciated all the fans who turned up for that event and most importantly, I really appreciate everyone HH Gregg to be part of our program!! They were certainly a great partner to work with and I really hope to have an opportunity to work with them in the future!! And for any of you guys who are planning to buy any electronic/appliances, HH Gregg is definitely the place to go! There customer service is just fantastic and their quality of service is by far the best that I have seen! I really hope that they will open up a store in LA in the near future!!

コミュニティーデー

今日はサーキットでコミュニティーデーがありました。今回のインディーにスポンサーについてくれたHH GreggのロゴはDreyer&Reinboldの１５号車に貼ってもらう事で話が成立して、夕方はサーキットでサイン会。予選通過をしていないドライバーはオプショナルですが、毎年スピードウェイで応援をしてくれるインディアナポリスのあついファンの皆さんのお陰でHH Greggの様はスポンサーが着く事ができたので１時間みっちりサインしてきました！！

Today was the community day at the track. I got to the track and met with the Dreyer & Reinbold team owner to discuss about having the HH Gregg logo placed on the #15 car. Everything is good to go and I really appreciate their help on making this happen!! In the afternoon, I had an Autograph session. After the bump day, I wanted to spend as much time appreciating all the fans in Indianapolis for the support when I was in line getting ready to qualify! Indy is a special place...I always knew the speedway is a special place but I was able to realize how special this place was, especially after the bump day on how great all the people are here in Indianapolis!! It just makes me more eager on wanting to come back next year and show how strong we can be as a team!!

明日もまたサーキットに行く予定です。レースに参戦しない・・・って言うのはなんだか不思議な感じですが、まだカーブデーに何が起きるかわかりませんからね！？！だから頑張ります！！

I will be at the track tomorrow again. You never know what's going to happen until the race day. As a racing driver, you have to be ready all the time!!

カート大会

今日はスポンサーのロゴを貼る交渉をしに、去年のインディー５００に参戦した時のチームに行ってきました。ちょうどチームスポンサーの為のカート大会をやっていたので、飛び入り参加！かなりファミリーのように僕の事を歓迎してくれているので、本当に嬉しいです！！

Today I was going around the town thanking the sponsors for their support as well as making sure that I can get some of the logo on the car that will be racing this Sunday. I was able to catch up with Dreyer & Reinbold team for their Go-Kart event and was able to have some fun driving the Karts.They treat my like a family there and I really appreciate their kindness!!

今週末のIndy500は来年に向けての営業活動になりそうです。他の選手よりも一足先に活動ができるからラッキーって感じです。でも、やっぱりレースにでれないのは本当に辛いっす・・・。

Well, I will be at the track this Sunday trying to get things moving for next year. I'm sure good things will come in the future and I am looking forward to being back in the car very very soon!!

予選を終えて・・・

今日は朝起きてサーキットに向かい、ガレージで荷物の整理。ガレージ内で方付けを始めたら改めて、今年のIndy500は終わっちゃったんだな・・・と実感。悔しいです。（泣）でも、今から来季に向けての話を進めないと。

After getting some sleep last night...I must confess, I was pretty nervous the previous night and wasn't able to get any sleep... I headed to the garage and needed to pack up my stuff. Obviously that reaffirmed in to my brain that we were not in the show and it was pretty sad putting all my race gears back in to my bag. However, I need to start working really hard for 09 season starting today!!

チームと色々とまた話し合い、他の複数のガレージに行って、色々とセットアップの相談に乗ってくれたエンジニアさんに挨拶回り。皆からの情報があったからこそ、助けられたので本当に感謝です。そして、何よりも人とのネットワークの重要さを感じました！

Once I was done cleaning up, I strolled through the garage and thanked all the team and the engineers who was able to give me some advice on the set ups. With limited time on track, it was very important to have some numbers to compare and it certainly gave us some direction to work with. I really appreciated all their help. Having a good relationship with all the guys you have worked with in the past is my asset on being able to come back every year and do well here at Indy with limited time.

一段落したら、今度はスポンサーのアレンジ。決勝前にイベント等はそのまま続行で、でも残念ながら自分の車は決勝に走る事ができないので、他のチームにロゴを貼ってもらう交渉。契約外の事ですが、やっぱりスポンサーに応援してあげて良かったと思って頂けるようにしたいので、全力で交渉中です。でも、ここでも回りの協力に本当に感謝です！！困った時に助けてくれる・・・、だからこそ自分に余裕ができた時には必ず恩返しをしないとって、なんだか今回のインディー５００は人生の勉強になった気がします！

Than I needed to arrange some sponsorship details for this week. Obviously not being able to be in the race will change a lot of things, but we are still planning to have couple of appearances during this week. I also would like to negotiate with other teams on being able to have some signage space for our sponsor in the race and I really appreciate the cooperation with the teams that we are talking to. We as a team will like all our partners to feel good about the experience and I want to do my absolute best on making sure not regretting being on board with us. I must say, that this year's Indy 500 was more of a lesson for me about life than racing. I have many people who are willing to help me when I'm struggling but that means I definitely need to help them out when they are in need of hands!! I am really looking forward to next year's 500 and I must say that there is nothing more satisfying than being part of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Indy500

今日Indy500の予選がありました。残念ながら最後にバンプアウトされて、予選通過をする事ができませんでした。メチャメチャ悔しいです。昨日の予選タイムの時点で２１９Mphを出さないと難しいなとは思っていたので、その為に準備をしていたつもりが、最後は風向きにやられてしまいました・・・。

The qualifying is over and the grid for the 500 is set. Unfortunately I will not be one of the driver in the field. I am very disappointed on not being able to make the race... I knew going in to to day that I needed to do 219mph to make the field and we were prepared to take that task.

残り１時間が勝負だと思って、ウィングを下げて準備をして予選シュミレーションをしたら余裕で決勝進出できるタイムが出たのでよしよしと思ったのも束の間。自分が走行をし始めたら風向きがちょっとだけ変わって、裏ストレートでのスピードが全くのびなくなってしまいました。タイムは残念ながら219mphを超える事ができなくて、最後に改めてチャレンジしましたが、決勝に進出するタイムを出す事はできませんでした。本当に悔しいです。

Looking at the wind speeds, we all knew that we needed to wait until the happy hour to be able to post the fast time. We made couple of qualification simulation runs and was able to run well above 219mph. I was very confident on being able to make the field and we went out just at the end. I thought the wind was going to get calm and we were going to easily back up the time that we ran. Well...I guessed it wrong...the wind direction changed on us and I was not able to pull my gear down the back straight. We lost all our speed and our average speed was just not enough to make the race.

今回の５００は改めて色々と勉強になりました。やっぱりレースにでれないのは、本当に悔しい気持ちでいっぱいです。しかし、チームと一体になって最後まで諦めずに力を出し切ったと自信を持って言えると思います。風向きさえ変わらなければ・・・とタラレバも言えますが、それがこのインディー５００の歴史を変えるポイントなんだなと実感しました。過去にはペンスキーの車が予選落ちした事もありますしね。

I think I have learned a lot during this year's Indy 500. I am obviously gutted on not being able to make the field...but I think we worked very hard as a team to make this deal happen. I want to thank my sponsor HH Gregg, Curb Records, Real Power, Wellman Racing and all my management team who was working very very hard on making this happen. It is easy to say "If the wind direction hasn't change..." but that's all could of or could have. The history of Indy 500 is so deep that there is reason why top teams who weren't able to make the show in the past. What really makes me feel gutted is that we were not lost with the set up. Actually we had a pretty good car at the end and I think it would have been a good car for the race.

しかし、何よりも予選通過できなかった事が応援していてくれたスポンサーの皆さんの本当に申し訳ないと思っています。そして、ファンの皆さんにも申し訳ないと思っています。来年も頑張りますのでぜひ応援して下さい！！

Again, I feel very very bad for the fans and the sponsors who have made this happen. I will try my best on being able to make the field next year and I better start now!!

レースには参戦できなくてとっても残念です。しかし、バンプアウトされてから、また再アタックする時に車は車検台に乗せて準備をする時に、インディーのグランドスタンドのお客さんから拍手＆声援をもらえた時は本当に嬉しかったです！グランドスタンド全体が予選通過に頑張ってるドライバー全員に応援してあげようという一体感は本当に凄かったです！！

Not being able to run the race is certainly heartbreaking...but crying all night long doesn't help the situation. However, one thing that I can say is the fan at the Speedway was just absolutely phenomenal. Their cheering for all the drivers and the pit crew who were trying to make the race was just amazing!! Although I was not able to make the race, I think I still need to appreciate the fact that I was able be part of one of the best bump days in the year. And although I am not happy with the outcome, I certainly did give my best that I could.

決勝には出れませんが、何がなんでもまた５００に戻ってくるぞと思っています！本当の所を言うとかなり凹んでいますが、でも今から来年に向けて今から活動を全力で頑張りたいと思います！！なのでこれからもずっとずっと応援宜しくお願いします！！

At this point, my focus is for next year! I will start working very very hard now so I can well prepare my self for next season!! Thanks again guys for all your support!! I will promise that I will be back!!

ちょっとだけスピードアップ。

今日は明日の予選に備えて引き続き車のセットアップに専念。コースのコンディションがあまりにも変わってるので、車のセットがなかなか決まらず色々と苦戦していますが、ようやく方向性は見えて来た様な気がします。明日はいよいよ予選です。準備万全とは言えませんが全力で頑張ります！！応援して下さい！！

Today was the last day to test the car before the Qualifying. We tried many several different set ups to make the car better and I think we were able to make some gains today. However, we still need to find a little more out of the car and will have to try to have a good run in the morning, It's tough couple of days trying to get the car worked out and will do my best to have a great run to make it in the show!

走行２日目

今日は走行２日目。幸い、雨が降らなかったので、夕方まで走る事ができました。車のセットアップの根本性の部分にちょっとトラブルがあったので、今日は早目に切り上げて明日に向けて準備を進める事にしました。

Today was the 2nd day of practice. Fortunately it didn't rain out and was able to get about 50laps in. However, the set up is not exactly where I would like to be and we decided to cut the day short to spend more time making improvements to the car.

今日は思った様にはいかなったのは、残念ですが明日に向けてスピードアップできるようにチームとミーティングしてしっかりと準備します！！では、明日の走行も頑張ります！！

The day didn't go as well as I thought but we will keep working hard at gaining more speed. I don't think it's going to take much to make the car where it needs and I am really looking forward to tomorrow!!

シートゲット！

やりました！シートゲットしました！！９８号車に乗る事が決定です！！昨日の晩にほとんど決まって、夜中に電話がいろいろとなって、しかも興奮気味で４時まで寝れませんでした・・・。（笑）

I finally got the deal done!! I will be driving the #98 Beck Motorsports for for this year's Indy 500. I was on the phone till really late last night and I was really excited to hear that I was going to drive the car and I couldn't sleep until 4am...

午前中に発表をして、さ〜乗るぞーと思ったらあいまいな天気。けっきょく最後の１時間だけは走行をする事ができました。今日はシェークダウンで終了。まだプッシュするにはエアロバランスが完璧ではないので、明日の走行が晴れるといいなって感じです。とりあえず、準備はできているので早く車に乗り込むのが楽しみです！！では、週末の予選に備えてバッチリ準備して余裕で予選通過できる様に頑張りますので応援して下さい！！

I thought it was going to rain out today and wasn't expecting much from running for fortunately we were able to get 1hr session at the end. I did about 15laps and it ended up being a shake down session. We are still a conservative with all the set up figures but we should be fine by tomorrow. I am just keeping my finger crossed to be dry all day so we can get some track time in!! I am looking forward to another great day!!

明日から走行・・・。

今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。お昼過ぎからサーキットに行き、念のために車に乗り込んでペダルの調整をしました。方向はかなり前向きですが、まだ明日から走行できるかは全くわかりません・・・。いきなり、“ロジャー乗れ〜”って言う状況になる可能性がメチャメチャ高いです。

Went to the gym in the morning again to get a good work out. I was at the track again after lunch and I got in to the car and made sure that the pedal position was all good to go. We are getting very very close on getting everything sorted out and I am looking forward for tomorrow!! Although the weather is not looking so good...

後一息で話が決まるので、全力で頑張りたいと思います！！いや〜しかし、ここまで話が引っ張られるとは思わなかった・・・。

We are just working on last minute things and I didn't think it was going to take this long to get to this point. This year's Indy 500 will be the most exciting 500 in a long time and I am looking forward to being part of the race!!

いよいよ大詰め

今日は午前中はジムでトレーニング。お昼過ぎにサーキットに行ってガレージでチームと話をしたり、契約に向けて交渉を進めています。だいたいの話は進んでいますが、サインはまだできていません。むしろ、最後の最後までどうなるかわからない・・・と言うのがインディーのスポット参戦のドライバーの難しさですね。明日も引き続き交渉を頑張ります！

Went to the gym in the morning and worked out for couple of hours. Than was at the track again visiting the team and just making this sure that things are moving forward. The car is ready, I am ready, and we are just making sure all the details on the paper work is right. Obviously anything can happen during the month of May here in Indy so I am just working as hard as I can to get this thing locked up so we can be on track by Weds 12pm.

今夜はこれから英紀と一緒にご飯に行ってきます。なんかインディアナポリスに居るのに、一緒にご飯に行くのは久々です。インディアナポリスに来てまだ１週間しか経っていませんが、お米が食べたい〜〜って状況です。今日は和食屋さんは休みなので韓国焼き肉に行ってきます！！

I will be going to dinner with buddy Hideki who drives for AGR. Although we are both in Indianapolis, I haven't seen him for a while and it should be a good evening catching up with him. Although I have only been here for a week...I missed eating Japanese food. Unfortunately the Japanese Restaurant that we usually go to is closed on Monday so we will be eating some Korean BBQ tonight here in town which is not too bad!?!

今日の予選は中止

今日もサーキットは雨。幸い２週目から参戦ができそうな自分からしてみると、他者の走行時間が少ない分、データがとれないからラッキーって言う状況です。しかも、今日の予選がなかった為に、来週から出走してもまだ１２位で予選を通過できるチャンスもでてきているので、これはかなり前向きな流れかな？！？

Another rainy day here in Indianapolis. It works out better for us as a second week deal if we can make it happen because all the other guys are not able to get on track and make the car better by gathering more data. On top of that, it will give us more chance on being able to start further up front now that today's qualifying was cancelled which was supposed to decide 12-21postion. At this point, things are definitely looking positive for us!!

今日もサーキットに行ってチームと交渉。連日ガレージで粘ってチームとの交流を深めて、とにかく“俺を乗せろアピール”出してます！ここまで来ると、スポンサーや金銭的な問題より、情熱＝パッション＆信頼問題になってくると思うので、その部分を誰よりもアピールする事が自分の仕事だと思ってます！もちろん、スポンサーへの営業買うどうもフルスロットルで頑張っていますが！！ではでは、明日も明後日もとにかく決まるまで全力で頑張ります！！

I was at the track again today strolling through the garage and chatting with the team owner. I guess at this point, money and sponsorship deal is very important but being able to show your passion on being able to drive and having the trust on working together is just as important as finding sponsors. I am obviously working on a lot of sponsorship deals but at the track, it is important to keep the bond with the team so once we are on track, we are 100% focused on just going fast!! Well, I will have to work a little more to strike this deal but I think I am getting closer & closer. I will have to keep my finger crossed in order to make everything happen!!

ポールデー

今日はポールデー。トップ１１のグリッドが決まりました。予選の流れを見ているとGanassiとPenske勢が圧倒的な強さを見せている気がします。英紀も９位からのスタート。初日の予選に通過できているので、後はレースセットに専念できると思うので、レースは期待できそうですね。

Today was the Pole Day. The weather was great and I think it was a good day for the driver to qualify. The first 11 spots are decided now and it is no surprise to see the Ganassi, Penske, and AGR guys up front. My buddy Hideki also qualified 9th which I was happy to see. I'm sure he can focus on race set up now so I would think he should have a good race.

自分は今日もサーキットで交渉。既に週末に入ってしまったので、大きな動きはありませんが、リーグのスタッフを捕まえてなんとか話を固めれる様に頑張っています！！まだまだ、油断はできませんが来週の走行が開始する前には発表できる様に頑張りたいと思います！！

As for my self, since we are already in a week end, nothing is moving at the pace I want but I am trying to do every little think possible to speed up the process. I just hope we can sort the deal out before the practice session starts next week....

まだまだ決まらず・・・。

今日は午前中にずっと交渉を続けているスポンサーとのミーティング。スポンサーからのOKは出ているので後はチームとの話を決めるだけです。チームが予算のほとんどはカバーできていて、あと一歩と言う所です！ん〜あとちょっと〜って言う所で話が滞ってるので本当に悔しいです・・・。しかし、ここで諦めたらおしまい。明日もガレージで粘りまくって交渉してきます。

I had a meeting with our sponsor in the morning and everything went really well. We just need to work everything out with the team and the team is very very close on being able to put the whole deal together. However, I am really gutted not being able to strike this deal today since everything being so close. I am still confidant that things will be going to happen really soon and I just need to keep pushing hard on making things moving forward. I guess I was lucky to be born facing forward all the time, and not looking back because I would have given up many times if I even glanced at what happened to be where we are at now. Although it may not be ideal, I know we had made huge progress and I am sure things will pay off!!

今日も雨

今日も雨で走行は中止。急いでサーキットに行く必要はなかったので、午前中はジムでがっつりトレーニング。お昼にミーティングがあり、午後はガレージに行って引き続きチームとの交渉を続行。交渉と言っても、ずっとガレージにへばりついて“乗せろ〜”アピールを出すだけですが・・・！？！（笑）と言うのは嘘ですが、何よりもガレージにずっと居て他のどのドライバーよりも乗る気があるアピールを出しとかないといけないので、雨の中でも営業頑張ってます！！（笑）

Another rainy day here in Indy. There was no rush to get to the track this morning so I was at the gym in the morning and had a good work out. I had to do a quick lunch meeting and was off to the garage to talk to the team. The car is all ready to go and it's just matter of making sure we get all the finance taken care of which is obviously the most important part for the team. However, I am very confidant that we will have some kind of news by tomorrow afternoon or by the week end at the latest.

明日はいよいよ、スポンサーとのミーティング。その方向で色々と決まるので頑張らないと！！とにかく早く話を決めて車に乗る事だけに集中したいです・・・。

I will have a meeting with my sponsor tomorrow and will head back to the track in order to try to finalize all the details. I just hope we can get this sorted out quickly so I can just focus on driving the car and going fast!!

今日は雨で走行中止

昨日は疲れきってて、今朝は９時まで爆睡。２日振りにベッドで寝れたのでグッスリでした。午前中はホテルの向かいにあるジムに行ってトレーニング。お昼を食べてサーキットに入って早速交渉を続行。

I was so tired last night that I was knocked out until 9am this morning. I got up and went to the gym across the street from my hotel and had a good work out. I had a bagel sandwich for lunch and was at the track for rest of the afternoon.

今日の走行は雨で中止になってしまったので、ずっとガレージで何時でも乗れる様にスタンバイしてました！？！（笑）まだ、話は決まってませんがヘルメットの汚れを拭き取ったり、とりあえず何時でも乗れるよ〜って言うアピールをだしまくり！！後はスポンサーしだいです！！今の流れだとどちらにしても２週目からのプログラムになってしまいそうですが、全力で交渉を頑張ります！！

The session was cancelled today due to the rain and I had all day to walk around the garage area and to negotiate the deal for the race. I think we are making baby steps every day but I think I should have a clear direction by Friday. Unfortunately I am probably be going to have a 2nd week deal as like yesterday but I feel very confidant on being able to get the job done even with less track time! Keep wishing me luck guys!!

Indyに到着

インディアナポリスに到着しました。今日は天気も良くて暖かくて、走行にはベストな気候です。明日からは天気が崩れるみたいなので、沢山の車が走行をしていました。自分は早速チームのガレージに行って交渉開始。２日以内には方向が見えてくる様な気がします。

Just arrived to Indianapolis. The weather is nice out here and it's actually warm here in Indy. It's a perfect day to be testing and a lot of cars are out on the track. The weather is supposed to get bad tomorrow so I'm sure the team is doing a lot of testing done today. As I got to the garage, I went straight to the garage to negotiate with the teams. I think I should have a clear picture in two days in regards to my plans.

昨日は深夜のフライトで来たのであまり寝てなくて、今はかなり眠いです・・・。今日は早目にホテルに戻って、ベッドの上でユックリ寝たい所です。

Since I caught a red-eye flight out to here...I am pretty tired. I am looking forward to sleeping on the bed tonight...

これからIndy

今日は交渉でドタバタの一日。こんなに交渉で緊張する一日を送ったのは久しぶりです・・・。また円形脱毛症になりそう・・・。交渉はまだ続いていますが、ようやくトンネルの先から灯りが見えて来た状態です。まだまだ油断はできませんが、明日は現場に入って直談判ですね！！では、頑張りますので引き続き応援して下さいね！！

It was another tough day on the phone...!?! I much rather have a tough day in the car on track than on the phone waiting for a call or e-mail!! Well, I think things are finally moving to the right direction and I think I should know more details by mid week. I will have to keep pushing this deal in order to secure the seat and will be in Indy so I can physically work on this face to face!! Wish me luck guys...

LA帰宅。明日からインディー

さっきサンフランから帰ってきました。今日のレースは自分のドライバーは９位でゴール。スタートからポジションは落としてしまいましたが、エンジントラブルが後半戦に発生して、そんななかトップ１０でのゴールは立派。

Just got back from SF. My driver finished 9th today. He had some engine trouble at the end so to finish in top 10 under that circumstances were pretty good.

自分はレースが終わってからダッシュで飛行場に向かい早いフライトで戻ろうとしましたが、残念ながら間に合わずオリジナルのフライトから１時間あったので、その時間はミッチリお仕事。明日の夜にはインディアナポリスに出発するのでそれまでに色々と済ませないといけない仕事でいっぱいです・・・。

After the race, I rushed back to the airport trying to catch an earlier flight but I just missed the flight. I had 1hr at the airport so I took my computer out and got some work done to use the time most efficiently. I will be leaving to Indy tomorrow and will have a lot of things that I need to get done during the day.

いよいよインディアナポリスに乗り込みです。もうこの時期には話が決まってるかなと思っていたのに、色々とスポンサーの話が決まらず残念ながら今回もチームに直談判状態です・・・。でも、諦めず現場でしっかり交渉してなんとかシートゲットして＆少しでも良い結果を残せる体制で戦えるように頑張ります！！皆さんの茂木での応援を思い出すと、気合いが入ります！！ではでは、頑張りますのでいっぱい応援して下さいね！！

I can’t believe the Month of May is already starting. However, I am most disappointed that I am not able to secure a deal yet. Unfortunately the sponsor negotiations is still on going and will need to know real quickly in order to secure a seat. Having said all that, I have a great support from the fans and the management group that I am very confident that I will secure a seat in couple days. The are still a lot of things to sort out but after seeing all the cheering from the fans at Motegi, I really need to get in the car again for Indy and deliver the results that my fans are waiting for!! Wish me luck for the next couple of days and I will keep working hard at it!!

フェラーリチャレンジレース１

今日はフェラーリチャレンジのレース１が行われました。自分がコーチするドライバーは予選１０位。レースは７位でゴール！自分がコーチするようになってからのベストフィニッシュだったのでドライバーも大喜び！自分もやっと結果がではじめたと言う感じで一安心。明日はもう１レースあるのでトップ５狙いですね！？！（笑）

Today was a real busy day. We had a practice and qualifying session in the morning and the first race of the week end in the afternoon. My driver ended up qualifying 10th and finished the race 7th. It was his best finish since I started to coach him and I was happy to see him see the results that we were aiming for. Now we have to work on finishing in top 5 but I'm sure with right time and strategy!

しかし、レースやドライバーとのミーティングの合間を縫って５００の交渉を電話でしてかなりドタバタ・・・。もう明日からルーキーオリエンテーションの走行が始まりますからね。自分は月曜にフライトでインディー入りです！！

Well what kept me busy is making phone calls to talk about the 500 program in between all the times. I can't believe the Rookie Orientation is starting tomorrow and I will be flying to Indy on Monday to be ready to hop in the car anytime!!

フェラーリチャレンジ初日

今日はフェラーリチャレンジの練習走行初日。２月にテストに来ていたので自分のドライバーは今日はずっとトップ１０。このレベルのレースでも、事前テストがどれだけ大切で打っ付け本番がどれだけ大変だか改めて実感しました・・・。

Today was the first practice day for the Ferrari Challenge Race Weekend. Since we were here on Feb testing for two days, my driver did well right off the bat. It just shows how important it is to test even at this level of racing...obviously I was up for a huge challenge when I had to race in Motegi with just 50laps under my belt before the race!?!

でも、自分のドライバーはトップ５のタイムを出してニコニコ。気合いがかなり入ってるので、自分ももっとデータを解析して速く走れる様にコーチしないと。しかし、この仕事を初めて受け持ったのがちょうど１年前。その頃から比べると自分のドライバーはかなりレベルアップしてるので嬉しい事です！明日のレースはお客さんがいっぱいくるみたいので、ぜひぜひトップ１０に入ってもらいたいと思います！！

My driver was running top 5 this morning and ended the day in top 10. We certainly have improved over the races and I am really happy to see him closer to top of the chart sheet. We still have a little more work to do but I am happy to dedicate my time to look at the data and video to make him go faster!! Apparently, we are supposed to have a few guests coming tomorrow so we would definitely need a good top 10 finish again!!

ソノマに到着

さっきやっとソノマに到着しました。今週末はフェラーリチャレンジのレースでお仕事です。自分のレースも同時進行で交渉を続けないといけない状態なので大変です・・・。

I just arrived to Sonoma. I will be working for my Ferrari Challenge driver this week end for the 3rd round of the series. I will have to keep my negotiations moving forward for the 500 so I am going to be pretty busy this week end!?!

本当は夕飯を食べてから飛行場に向かおうと思っていたのですが、色々とドタバタしていてご飯は食べれず・・・。仕方ないので飛行場でサラダを食べて飛行機に乗り込み、さっきホテルに到着。もう１１時なのでそろそろ寝ないと。

I was planning to have a dinner on the way to the airport but I was so busy that I was not able to stop for food. I grabbed a salad at the airport and caught my flight. Here I am at the hotel and ready to hit the bed... It's already 11pm so after couple of e-mails...I should hit the bed!!

もう５月！？！

気がついたらもう５月！？！時間が経つのはメチャ早いな〜〜・・・。今日はずっと止まらない咳が心配なので、病院に行って軽く検査。もしかしたら、花粉症のせいでは・・・とかなりいい加減な判断をくだされましたが、あまりふかいりせずに咳止めの薬をもらって帰ってきました。

I can't believe it's already May. Time just keeps flying by when you need more time... Since I keep coughing, I went to the doctor to get a check up. He couldn't find anything major and thinks it may have to do with the allergies... I'm not sure if that's the cause but I was happy to just get a prescription for the medicine and head home so I can get back working.

家に戻ってからはず〜〜っと５００の交渉でデンワ。喉がかれる勢いです・・・。早く決めないと今週末から走行開始ですからね。ん〜早く決めて乗りたい〜〜って思うくらいムズムズしてます・・・。

When I got home...I was on the phone all day to work the 500 deal. We are not quite there yet and I must say I am a bit frustrated about this especially if the car is going to start running this week end. I better get on it and work 24/7 to get this deal wrapped up!!

忙しい〜。（泣）

ここ数日間のLAはメチャ暑っ！今日になって少し涼しくなって一安心。が、５００の交渉も前進していますが、勢いで決め込みたい所ですが今は慎重モード。なんだか、茂木が終わってドタバタで疲れがたまってるのか、体調のあんばいはあまり良くないです。咳がとまらないので、明日は病院に行って薬をもらって５００に乗り込むのにベストな体調に整えないと！！

Last couple of days here in LA has been really hot! It started to cool off a bit so I am bit relieved. The negotiations for the 500 is moving forward but there are couple of things that we have to make sure at this point which we are waiting for...I hope to know something real quick. It's been a real busy couple of days, and I am not feeling to well. I may be a bit tired after the Japan race...but I can't stop coughing so I am going to see a doctor tomorrow in order to get a medicine so I can at least stop coughing in front of the people!!

ミーティング

今日は日曜でしたが、午前中にIndyについてのミーティング。アメリカに戻ってきて話し合う事が沢山あったのでかなり時間が長引いてしまいました。ミーティングを終えて家にダッシュで帰ってきてカンザスで行われているIRLのレースをTV観戦。今回はGanassi勢の独走のレースでしたね！！最後は英紀も頑張って６位完走！！立派な走りをしていたので、今後の活躍も期待できそうですね！！いやはや、もう来週からは５月。いよいよ５００の話も急ピッチで進めないと、って感じです。

Although it was a Sunday, I had a meeting in the morning to talk about my 500 program. Since I was away for couple of weeks, the meeting went longer than I expected but there were a lot to catch up. After the meeting, I came hope quickly to watch the Kansas race on TV. It was a Ganassi domination all day long but my buddy Hideki did well at the end. I think he will be a top 5 contender as the season goes on. Well...I can't believe that we are already getting in to Month of May next week!! That means I will need to pick up my pace to strike a deal for the 500. It just shows how competitive it's going to be even to strike a deal this year when you can't get it sealed with a sponsorship in place!?! However, I really fell there are many good things to come and I hope to know something by mid this week!!

もうレース！？！

今日のLAはメチャ暑いです！真夏日和でした。が、自分は時差ボケでなんだかだる〜って言う一日。日本に行ってる間に冷蔵庫はすっからかん状態だったのでスーパーに行き、午後は家でユックリ。明日はカンザスでIRLのレースが行われますね。つい、先週末は茂木でレースが終わったばかりなのに、もうカンザスでレースって感じです。いや〜回りが走ってるのを見てしまうと自分も早くレースしたいな〜〜！！

It was a real hot day here in LA today! It definitely felt like being a record heat day!! I am still trying to recover from jetlag and it's getting better. Since the fridge was empty since we were away for weeks, we went to the grocery store today to stock up with food again. I got home and watched the Indy Car qualifying on computer. I can't believe those guys a racing already this week end. Watching the car go around made me want to get back in to the car again!! I hope to get my deal sorted out real quickly!!

ミニ・ロジャー

相変わらず時差ボケで辛いっす・・・。夜中はぜんぜん寝れなくて、日中は気合いでお仕事。なんとか週末の間には時差ボケを治さないとって感じです。今日は日中はずっと溜まっていたメールの返信へのキャッチアップ。多くのファンメールも届いていました！皆さん本当に有り難うございました！！

I am still jetlagged from the trip. I couldn't sleep much last night and had to work through out the day to catch up with all the e-mails as well as responding to as much fan mails.

そしてその中から毎年IndyJapanでは、僕と全く同じスーツを作成して作って来て頂いてるお子さんが今年もニュースーツで登場！しかも、僕が２年間オヤスミをしている間に、もう一人のお子さんを出産してミニ・ロジャーが２人になって登場！！メチャメチャ可愛くて一緒に写真を撮ってしまいました！！こんなにリアルに作れるのは本当に凄いです！！かなり大変な作業だったと思うので、一生懸命つくっていただいたご両親には心から感謝です！！

I was going through all the fan mails and found a pict that I took with the Mini Roger kids. The older boy always comes to the race with the identical designed suits that the second child was on the way while I was not racing in Motegi and now I have two Mini Roger. The suit was identical to the one I was wearing and I must say that the mom and dad had some long nights making the suit!! I really appreciated their support and I had to take some time to take picture with them as well as giving them a quick tour to my car.

色々と振り返ってみると残念な結果に終わってしまいましたが、皆から力強い声援を頂いて、来年もまた頑張るぞ〜って気合いが入ります！！

After thinking about the whole race week end...yes the result was not ideal but I feel a lot stronger now wanting to go back to perform well next season for all my fans!!

またまた交渉

今日の午前中はお家でユックリ。風邪が少し悪化しているのか体調がわるく、とりあえず安静にしています。しかし、５００の交渉を急ピッチで進めないといけないので、お昼からはメール＆電話でドタバタしてました。

I was able to get a good sleep last night but still feel a bit jetlagged. I also think I caught a cold which I am trying to get rid of very quickly since I have Month of May coming up. I was in the bed all morning trying to recover but I needed to get working in order to finalize everything for the 500.

そんな中インディーから良いニュースが飛び込んできました。以前から交渉していて、５００へスポンサーが決まっているHH Gregg社の本店でレース前のサイン会が決定。しかも、５月の間はインディアナポリスの新聞へ自分の写真を広告掲載するなど露出への協力もしてくれるとの事なので今後の営業にもかなりプラスになると思います！！

I received some updates from Indy today where my management team is working with hhgregg on their Indy 500 sponsorship. Tentatively, I'll be doing an apppearance with the showcar at their headquarters on May 23 from 5:00-6:00. It sounds like they'll be promoting this in all of their advertising leading up to the race.

さらにさらに、マイクロソフト社とも交渉開始。レース前のイベント等に参加をする方向で話を進めていて、２週間以内にまたミーティングを行う予定です。

I also received some fantastic news that Microsoft has requested me to be involved in their Month of May plans as well. It's in the early stages, but we've got a meeting with them in 2 weeks.

まだまだ決めなくてはいけない事が沢山ありますが、色々と良い方向に動いています！早く発表できる様に全力で頑張ります！！

We still have some work to do in order to get all the deal done but I feel confidant that we are making progress and we are days away from being able to confirm our deal. Stay tuned...

無事に帰宅

今日は無事に家に着きました。飛行機の中では相変わらず息子がしぶとくグヅって、なかなか寝れませんでした。家に戻ったら子供も安心したのか昼寝のつもりがグッスリ寝ています。自分も疲れがドッと出たせいか、爆睡してしまいました。これは完璧時差ボケですね・・・。さて、明日から気合いを入れ直してお仕事だゼイ！！

Just got home. The flight was pretty nice, but my son was up for a while and I had to chase him around in the plane since he was tired with just sitting in the same seat. When we got home, we all fell a sleep and we are definitely jetlagged!?! I was pretty tired from the trip and will need to get some rest today and tomorrow and get back to work by tomorrow afternoon!!

これからアメリカに戻ります。

これからアメリカに戻ります。日本での滞在もあっと言う間に終わって、レースも終わり思い出に残り２週間になりました。レースは本当に悔しい結果に終わってしまいましたが、皆の応援で気合いが入り５００に向けてのファンメールもいっぱい届き、５００の話も早く決めて今度こそは良いレースがしたいと思ってます！！

I am just getting ready to catch my flight back to LA. The stay in Japan was great and everything went by so fast... The race was not what I was hoping for, but I couldn't be happier about all the fans cheering for me and sending me kind e-mails after the race.I am focused now on trying to get the Month of May deal sorted out and be competitive during the 500.

レースが終わってからは月曜は紅月に行って、今回は豚のシャブスキを食べてきました！メチャメチャ美味しかったです！！数週間のあいだレースに向けて我慢していた、おいしいお酒も呑めて楽しい時間が過ごせました。

After the race on Mon, I went to Kougetsu and enjoyed some great food there with awesome wine. I haven't been drinking for couple of weeks getting ready for the race and it certainly was great to taste the ice cold beer after the race!

そして、昨日は午前中に箱根に行って、XaCarの車の試乗をしに行ってきました！お昼には東京に戻り、夕方は上野に移動してエアープレス上野に行き酸素カプセルに入ってきました。疲れもバッチリとれてアメリカに戻る準備もバッチリです！！

Than yesterday, I had to go to Hakone to do a photo shoot for the XaCar magazine and doing a quick road test in the morning. I got on to the bullet train and was back in Tokyo by lunch time. Than in the afternoon, I went to Air Press Ueno and got in to the oxygen capsule. I was able to relax and got refreshed going back to LA and getting ready for the 500!!

ではでは、これからアメリカに戻りますが、引き続き５００の応援も宜しくお願いします！！

I will be heading back to US now and hope to see you all at the 500!!

ファンメール有り難う！

皆さん、お疲れさまです！さっきホテルにチェックインして、メールチェックをしたら数えきれない程のファンメールが送られていてビックリです！お忙しい中メッセージを送ってくれて本当に有り難うございます！！メチャメチャ嬉しくて涙がでそうです！！この勢いで５００も頑張ります！！

I just checked in to my hotel I Tokyo, I just checked my e-mails and I couldn't believe how many fan mails I got over the week end!! Thanks for the kind message!! I will keep trying my best and I hope I have something good to announce in couple of weeks!!

応援有り難うございました！

今日は無事に路面も乾きレースをする事ができました。延期になってしまっても多くのファンが今日も現場に来てくれて本当に嬉しかったです！！レースはもう結果はご存知かと思いますがとても残念な事にリタイヤで終わってしまいました・・・。

The track was dried up and we were able to get the race started! I was surprised to see many fans come back today and I was relieved the get the race in for the fans!!

レーススタートでは車のバランスが少し悪く、フラフラしててちょっと危ない状態だったので、ここは何とか辛抱・・・。２スティント目からは車を微調整していってようやく走れる状態になって、ラスト５０ラップまでにはなんとかみんなについていけるレベルで戦えるかな・・・と思ったのも束の間。

The race was a bit disappointing...as you may already know. The car was a bit handful during the first stint but the we made some adjustments during the race and the car was getting better and better. I thought I was going to have pretty good car by last 50 laps.

ピット作業が終わった後にブレーキがロックし余儀なく車をウォール近くまでもっていって停車。ブレーキが焼き付いて動けない状態なってしまい残念ながらレースはリタイヤすることになってしまいました。とりあえず壁にぶつけずにすみましたが、皆の前で最後まで走れなかった事は本当に悔しかったです。

Unfortunately, after our 3rd stop,,,, for some reason, my front brakes locked up completely and the car came to a stop. I have no idea what happened with the brakes and I had no choice but to park the car next to the wall. I felt very sorry for the fans who were cheering me through out the race and I wished if I could have finished the race.

茂木まで連日応援に来て下さった皆さん本当に有り難うございます！！このままじゃ悔しいので、また来年もリベンジしに戻ってくるので、ぜひまた応援しにきて下さい！！

I want to thank all the fans for coming out to the race. I definitely will try my best to come back next year for another round and wish me luck at the 500!! I think we will be strong there from what we have learned here!! I will be back guys!!!

明日に延期

今日のレースは残念ながら、サーキット上から湧き出る水の為レースは明日に延期されてしまいました・・・。たくさんのファンに応援に来て頂いたのに、レースができなくてとても残念です。できる限り、多くのファンが明日来てくれる事を期待してます！宜しくお願いします！！明日のレース頑張ります！！

Today's race was unfortunately postponed due to the weeper on track. I went to check out the leak and it didn't look good at all to race. I felt really bad for the fans who waited for a while and I just hope we can get the race in tomorrow. I am looking forward for the race tomorrow and I hope the fans will be coming back to see us race!!

雨で残念・・・

今日は残念ながら雨で走行は中止。せっかくセットアップの変更をした車を乗れると思ったのに、セットを試す事ができなくて残念・・・。色んな所から情報を収集して方向は間違っていない事は確認できたので、レース前に向けて少し安心しています。

Unfortunately today's session and qualifying was cancelled due to the rain. I was some what disappointed because I wanted to check if we were able to make any gains in our set up. Talking with other team members, I think we are headed towards the right direction and I just wished if we could have done couple of laps to check the ride height.

何よりも雨の中たくさんのファンがトークショーや、サイン会に訪れてくれたのが本当に嬉しかったです！！皆からエールも頂いて明日のレースは気合いが入ります！！明日の決勝は全力を尽くして頑張るので応援して下さい！！

However, I felt really bad for all the fans out there and I want to thank every fan that came to the autograph session today as well as the talk show.I really hope that the weather will get better tomorrow so we can get the race in. I am looking forward to seeing all my fans tomorrow and I will do my best to finish the race in top 10!!

走行初日

今日はついに走行ができました。１時間半のセッションが２回あったのですが、残念ながら２セッション目は途中で雨が降ってきて中断。今回は車がシェークダウン状態だったので、初日の走行に色んなトラブル発生・・・。電気系統のトラブルだったり、セットアップだったり色々と試したい事がいっぱいあったのですが、まだまだスピードを出せるレベルではありません・・・。

I finally got to drive the car! We had two 1.5hr session today but the 2nd session was cut short due to the rain. Since it was pretty much a shakedown day for us since we never got to test before this event. The car is running but we have a lot of work to do needing to fix the telemetry system as well as the car set up in general. The track has changed quite a bit over the last two years and we need to change the set up accordingly. I wished if we had more track time but I think we were at least able to find the direction for the race.

走行が終わってから長いミーティングをチームとして、明日に向けてセットアップの向上についてずっと話をしました。方向性は見えてきてるので、レースではボチボチいけると思うのですが、残念ながら明日は雨みたいで走れなかったら厳しい・・・。とにかく明日は晴れて欲しいです！！

Obviously I needed to do a lengthy meeting with the team to make the car best as possible and I think we have a plan for tomorrow now. However, the forecast is rain all day tomorrow and that is not going to help our situation...I will need to keep my finger crossed in order to gain more track time and speed!!

いよいよ茂木に到着

今日は午前中に同愛記念病院を訪問。たくさんの子供達と会えて、僕が元気をもらっちゃいました！！訪問は１時間半くらいで終わり、茂木に入って早速いろんな準備。チームも現場での最終確認で今もまだ作業中です。今夜は明日に備えて早目に寝ないと・・・。

I went to Doai Hospital this morning for the Racing For Kids visit. Seeing the kids were great and I certainly enjoyed the visit!! The visit went on for 1.5hr and I headed to Motegi right after the visit. I am finally glad to be here. I had to sort out a lot of things when I arrived at the track and the team is still getting the car ready for tomorrow's session. Well...I better get to sleep early tonight to be 100% ready for tomorrow.

腹ごしらえ

今日も何だか、ドタバタの一日。昨日の夜は母親の家に行って、お袋の味を堪能してきました。がっつり食べて、夕飯後に髪をカットしてきました。さっぱりしてレースに向けて準備万端！

It was another busy day for me... I went to my mom's house last night to pick up my wife and my son. I was able to enjoy my mom's home made cooking and went to cut my hair after dinner.

今日はお昼にトレーニング。トレーナーにみてもらって身体の調子も絶好調です！！色々とできる事はやったと言う感じで後は車に乗るのみって感じです。が、天気予報が少し心配です。

I got up really early this morning and went to the gym. I was able to get a great training program through my trainer and I am just about ready to race!! However, I am a bit worried about the weather for the week end.

今夜は出発前に紅月に行って、最後の腹ごしらえをしてこようと思います！今日はお昼抜きなのでがっつり食べちゃう予定です！！

For dinner tonight, I will be going to Kougetsu which is my favorite restaurant in Tokyo.

明日はいよいよ茂木入り。朝は同愛記念病院にRacing For Kidsの小児科訪問をしてからサーキット入りです！とにかく車に乗るのが楽しみです！！

I will finally be heading to Motegi tomorrow but in the morning, I will have to do my Racing For Kids visit at Doai Hospital. I am really looking forward to seeing the kids there!!

ファンの皆さん有り難うございました！

昨日は大宮に行き、NACK５が行ってるINDY CAFEでのイベントのトークショーにも出演してきました。２日連続で来てくれたファンや生後２ヶ月のお子さんを連れてきてくれたファンもいて、個人的には凄く嬉しかったです！昨日も色んなトークで盛り上がり楽しかったです！！夜はジムでトレーナーにしっかりみてもらったのガッツリトレーニング。身体の体調も絶好調でレースが楽しみ！！

I went to Oomiya yesterday for another talk show that was hosted by the NACK5 radio station. I was really happy to see a lot of fans there. Some fans attended two days in a row and I was surprised to see one of my fan who brought just a 2months old baby to the talk show!?! In the evening I went to the gym and had a good work out and I am just about ready for the race.

いや〜でも何よりも数日間のイベントや取材で、自分が想像していた以上のメディアさんやファンが訪れたので心から感謝です！！本当に有り難うございます。そのぶんレースで頑張ります！！でも、天気が心配ですね・・・。

The last couple days were busy...but really enjoyable. I must thank my fans as well as all the medias for participating the Indy Japan event as well as the interview since the amount of people have certainly exceeded my expectations!! As for now, I am a bit concern for the weather since it is not looking too good as of now.

ではでは、今日は昼過ぎにエアープレス上野に行って酸素補強をして、それからグッヅ関連の商品の最後のつめをしないと！！

I will be going to Air Press Ueno today to relax and recover from tiredness and will need to sort out the final details of my merchandise goods later tonight.

Indy Cafe & Interush Event

昨日は午前中は宇都宮でまずは、クラシックラリーのスターター。かなりレアなクラシックカーがあり、個人的にはビックリ！自分もがっつり稼いで６０年代のクラシックカーが欲しいな・・・と思ってしまいました！？！（笑）

I was at the Classic Car Rally yesterday in Utsunomiya. I was the Grand Marshall for that race and was honor to start the field. There were some real nice classic cars and I really would like to get one of the cars from the 60's...if I make enough money in the future!?!lol

その後はオリオン商店街に行って、簡単なご挨拶。そして、IndyCafeに移動してトークショーのイベント。現場に着いたときはオープン前からカフェの前に並んで待っていたファンがたくさん居たので本当に嬉しかったです！！トークも盛り上がり、沢山のオフレコトークをしまくり。来れなかった方は本当に残念ですね・・・・！？！（笑）ぜひぜひ来年もIndyCafeに行きたいと思います。

After the event, I had to do couple of stops visiting the local mayor and went to Indy Café to do my talk show. There were a lot of fan waiting outside even before the café opening and I really appreciate my fans coming to all of my events!! The talk show was great and I was able to talk about some secret stuff...in which for all you fans that couldn't make it out there...I'm sorry but you missed out!?! May be next year...

夜はInterushのイベントが渋谷であり、その後に１０時にまたミーティング。今日はこれから大宮に行き、今度はNACK5のIndyCafeでトークショー。連日イベント続きで大忙しですが、今日の夕方からはレースに集中できる様にミッチリトレーニング＆リラックスタイムです。

In the evening, I attended to the Interush event and had a late night meeting at 10pm. I was up at 8am this morning and will have to head to Oomiya today to do another talk show event at another Indy Café location. All my appearances will calm down after today and I will finally be able to train and relax and prepare my self for the race!!

NATS訪問

今日は朝一に成田へ行き、NATS（日本自動車大学校）へ公演に行ってきました！９００人以上もの生徒の前で色々とレースであったり、インディーカードライバーとしてのチャレンジングな部分を話して内容の濃い１時間以上のトークができて楽しかったです！！

It has been busy couple of days for me. I had an event today near Narita Airport to talk to more than 900 students at NATS(one of the biggest school in Japan specializing teaching Automibile / engineering & mechanic degree) in regards to Indy Car Racing as well as being a Racing Driver. The talk went on over 1hr and I certainly enjoyed the time there.

最後の質問ではかなりハイレベルでテクニカルな質問には、個人的にも驚かされました。日本人のメカさんやエンジニアさんの器用な仕事内容は、個人的にも高く評価しているのでもっと沢山の若い日本人のメカニックやエンジニアが国内のレースだけでなく海外のレースにも挑戦して行って欲しいと思ってます。

We held a Q&A session at the end and couple of the student asked some interesting question which I was very impressed with. I really hope these students will be interested in working for an Indy Car in the near future and I hope I was able to teach them the importance of the communication and the bond with mechanic/engineer to be successful in racing as a driver.

今は宇都宮に移動してきてホテルに着いて少しリラックスをしている所です。明日は朝早くにクラッシック&スーパースポーツ2&4のスターターを行ってから、インタビューがあり、お昼前にはIndyCafeに行ってラジオインタビュー。久しぶりに多くのファンの皆さんと交流できるので本当に楽しみです！！近くに住んでいる方はぜひぜひ遊びにきて声をかけてくださいね！！そして夜はInterush社のイベントがあります！！色々とドタバタしてはいますが、色んなイベントで皆さんから嬉しいメッセージを沢山頂けて充実した時間が過ごせてます！！何よりも来週のレースが楽しみです！！！

After the event, I took the train to Utsunomiya and will be spending a night here for couple of events tomorrow morning. I will be the starter for the Classic Rally in the morning and will go to a live Radio Show at the Indy Café. I really look forward to seeing my fans there and will also attend to the Interush event in the evening. It will be another busy day, but I am very excited to see all the fans and can't wait to drive the car next week!!

酸素カプセル

昨日はインタビューや挨拶回りがあり、夜は上野にあるエアープレス上野に行って酸素カプセルに入りリラックス。時差ボケも解消されて、今日は午前中にトレーニングに行って、午後はまたずっとインタビューです。週末は宇都宮でイベントがったりでドタバタですが、ようやくイベントで皆さんにお会いできるのが楽しみです！！宇都宮の側に住んでいられる方は、ぜひぜひIndyJapanクラッシックラリーのスタート＆Indyカフェのイベントに来て下さいね！！

I had couple of media interview and appearances yesterday. I was really tired by the evening especially with the jetlag so I decided to go to Air Press Ueno to get some time in the oxygen chamber for 1hr. It was definitely relaxing and I was able to refresh getting ready for more interview and some time at the gym today. Unfortunately the weather is not so nice today and I hope it will clear up all next week....

日本に到着

昨日のフライトで無事に日本に到着しました。機内では子供が歩き回り＆ぐづりまくりでちょっと大変でした・・・。同じフライトに２００５年に自分のデータエンジニアが乗っていたのでビックリ！？！どうやら上海で行われるA1 GPのレースに行くみたいです。どさくさまぎれに、茂木のデータをこっそり聞けたのでラッキ〜！！（笑）しかし、昨日の強風は凄かったですね。おかげさまで、飛行機が１時間も遅れて大変でした。

Made it to Japan safely. Surprisingly, I was on the same flight with my data engineer from 2005 who was headed to Shanghai for the A1 GP race. It was great to see him and I was able to get some valuable information that I can use for the Motegi race. It was really windy yesterday here in Japan and the flight was delayed for an hour because of the traffic hold up at the airport.

今日はこれから挨拶回りでドタバタ。グッヅ関連の段取りもあったりで、今週中は忙しそうです。

Well...I will be doing a lot of media interview for next couple of days and it's going to be a hectic 2weeks leading up to the race. I can wait to get to Motegi when I can finally just think about racing!!

明日から日本

今日はメチャメチャ忙しかった。昨日の飛行機の中で仕事をして、夕飯を食べて帰ってきてからまた仕事・・・。疲れたのでそのまま寝て今朝起きたのは７時前。８時前にミーティングがあり、茂木で着るウェアーをピックアップ。お昼も色々と頼まれ物をピックアップして、家に戻ったら６時過ぎ。これから荷造りがあるので大変です。

It was an extremely busy day today...I got a lot of work done last night in the plane but still needed to finish everything off when I got home. I was really tired last night and went to sleep at midnight. I had to get up early for an 8am meeting this morning and picked up the team wear that I will be wearing at Motegi as well as some of my Silver Jewelry collection that I got. It really looks cool and I appreciate the SteelFlame guys on making these products.

今夜は早めに寝て明日は５時起きでトレーニングをして、９時ピッタリに銀行に行ってから飛行場へ向かいます。かなりドタバタの数日ですが、レースまでさらに忙しくなると思うと今のうちに気合いを入れ直して頑張らないと！！ではでは、日本で皆さんにお会いするのを楽しみにしていま〜す！！

I was pretty much running around the town today picking up the stuff I need for the trip to Japan. Since I will be leaving tomorrow, I will need to pack up everything tonight and head to LAX at 10am tomorrow. I am trying to get everything sorted early tonight to so I can get to the gym and the bank before departing to the airport tomorrow morning. All in all, I am really excited about the race and I can't wait to get to Motegi and see all the fans cheering for me!!

シート合わせ

今日は朝起きて、スタバによりコーヒーをゲットし、チームに行ってシート合わせをしてきました！ショップについて、スタッフに会ったら思った以上にベテランの優秀なメカがいたのでビックリ！車のカラーリングもかなりいい感じにあがってるので、レースが楽しみになってきました！！

Got up early in the morning and went to Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee. Than I headed to the team to get my seat fittings done. I was surprised to see couple of crews at the shop since the team hired some well experienced mechanics!! The car paint scheme looks great and I am really looking forward to the race now!!!

シート合わせも無事に終わり、茂木のセットアップや作戦に関して簡単に事前のミーティング。茂木に入るとイベント等々でドタバタで、できるだけ事前に話し合える様にしたので、なかなか良いミーティングができたと思います！！何より、車に座るとやっぱりワクワクしますね〜〜！！レースカーに座ったドキドキ感はなんとも言えません。とにかくレースが楽しみです！！

The seat fitting went well and I am good to go for the Motegi race. I talked a lot with the team owner in regards to the set up as well as the strategy for the session since we will not have a lot of time to discuss about those items when we get to track since I will be attending to many events... All in all, I am very happy about the whole program and I think we are going to have a good stable car and I can't wait to drive the car now!!

インディアナポリスに到着

今日は６時のフライトだったので、４時起き。ほとんど徹夜状態で飛行場に向かいました。デンバー経由でインディーに着いたの３時。そのままIRLのオフィッスに行って茂木のクレデンシャルをピックアップしてホテルにチェックイン。

Since I had to catch a 6am flight, I was up before 4am today. I couldn't get much sleep in the plane so I am a bit tired now. When I landed, I stopped by the IRL office to pick up the credentials for Motegi race and I just checked in to the Hotel.

これから、チームオーナーと一緒にご飯に行って茂木の話をしてきます。いや〜しかし、寝てないから疲れた・・・。明日はいよいよシート合わせ！車を見るのが楽しみだ！！

I will be going to dinner tonight with my team owner and we will be discussing a lot of things in regards to Motegi race. I am also looking forward to the seat fitting tomorrow!!

明日からインディアナポリス

今日も午前中にジムでしっかり運動。お昼は外でラーメンを食べ、途中に旅行代理店に行って、来週の日本に戻るチケットをピックアップ。その後はTargetにより日用品をゲットし、家に戻ってきました。

As usual, went to the gym in the morning before lunch. I had to head to Torrance to pick up my air ticket for next week's flight back to Japan. I also had to do some running around to pick up stuff before going to Indy tomorrow and Japan on Monday.

家に戻ってまずはピットを洗い、それからお風呂掃除。来週からピットを知り合いに預けるのでちゃんといい臭いにしておかないと・・・。明日からはインディアナポリスに行ってシート合わせをしてきます！その他にインディー５００の交渉もあったりでかなり大変です！忙しい３日間になると思いますが、全力でお仕事してきます！！何よりも茂木で走る車を見れるのが楽しみです！！

When I got home, I bathed Pit since I need to have my friend to look after him and I didn't want to take him as stinky as he was. Than, I needed to clean the bathroom before I bathed my son.... It's been really busy week but I am really looking forward to going to Indy tomorrow to do my seat fitting!!

500に向けての交渉

今日もめちゃくちゃ忙しい一日でした。午前中はジムでトレーニング。プログラムも順調に進んでいますが、追い込みは日本に帰ってから来週しないと。午後はずっと電話での連絡の取り合い＆交渉。５００に向けてはかなり良い方向に動いております。と、言ってもいっつも１歩進んで２歩下がり・・・って感じですが。が、それにも慣れてきて交渉も順調です。早いうちに話が決めれる様に頑張らないと！！

Another busy day today. I was at the gym in the morning getting the work out done. I will have an extensive program when I meet up with my trainer in Japan next week, but I better be ready for that or else half of that time is going to be recovering from muscle ache!?! After lunch, I was on the phone and computer all afternoon discussing about the Indy 500. I think I made some good progress today and am feeling good about the situation!! I sure hope to be able to announce something before or right after the Motegi race in couple of weeks!!

あっと言う間の一日

今日はメチャX２忙しい一日でした。午前中は家で仕事。インディー５００のアソシエートスポンサーの話が決まったので、その手配等でかなり大忙し。お昼は茂木に備えて国際免許の手続きをして、午後一は日産Altimaのハイブリッドを試乗。夕方は茂木＆５００についてミーティング。気がついたら５時過ぎで、なんだかあっと言う間の一日でした。

It was a super busy day today. I got up early to get a lot of work done in the morning and on a good note, we were able to sign an associate sponsorship deal for the 500 and there was lots to sort out getting ready for that. During lunch time, I had to go to AAA to renew my Intl Driving Permit so I can drive in Japan. I had to skip lunch and go off to a road test driving the Nissan Altima Hybrid. Right after that, I was off to a meeting to talk about Motegi & 500. When I realized it was already 5pm... What a busy day!!

まったり休日

今日は日曜だったのでお家でユックリ。ずっと息子と遊んで一緒に昼寝までしちゃいました。夕方にジムに行って今日は軽めのトレーニング。なんだか、週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまい、気がついたらもう４月に入っちゃう勢いですね・・・。

Since it was a Sunday,,,I slept in and relaxed through out the day, I managed to spend a lot of time playing with my son and I was able to take a nap with him too!! Went to the gym in the late afternoon and had a light work out. I can't believe we are already going to be in April...that means 1/3 of the year is already over!?! Time just flies doesn't it...

開幕戦

今日は待ちに待ったIndyCarシリーズの開幕戦。一日中楽しみにして、子供の入浴も早目に済まして、夕方５時前にテレビの前でスタンバイ。今回のレースからHD（ハイビジョン放送）だったので、楽しみにてました！！レースの内容は思っていた以上に荒れなかったのでビックリ・・・。しかし、それ以上に驚いたのはIRLとChampCarから来るチームの差・・・。どれだけ、IRLのチーム（オーバルレース）でのレベルが高いのかが証明されたレースで、だからこそスポットで茂木参戦する時の大変さを感じる内容だった気がします・・・・。だからこそ、いかに準備をしっかしてレースに備える重要さを実感しました。

Just got done watching the IRL race.I was looking forward for the broadcast since it was the first HD broadcast for the IRL race. The race was rather uneventful than I though it was going to be. Obviously the team and the drivers new that they were in short of parts and couldn't risk any crash damage... However, the most surprise was the speed difference between the IRL and ex-Champ Car teams. It just shows how competitive the series is and how difficult it is for the one off guys to show up and do well... Therefore, I will have a lot of preparation and homework to do before going to Motegi race.

後輩の英紀は残念ながらリタイヤ・・・。色々と難しい事はあると思いますが、ルーキードライバーとして、覚えて行く事を着実に経験していってるので今後は楽しみになると思います。開幕から期待したい所ですが、英紀は絶対にやってくれると思うので皆で応援しましょう！！って・・・、前に自分が頑張らないと！！今日のレースを見て、改めてIndyCarの難しさを実感しますが、全力で頑張りますので茂木ではいっぱいX100応援して下さいね！！

As for my buddy Hideki...it may have been rather disappointing race. However, I am sure he is going through learning curves that every drive has to go through and he is definitely in good hands at AGR. I'm sure he will be storing by mid season and I wish him the best for this season. But more importantly...I really need to get behind my program to be competitive at Motegi and Indy 500 based on the race from today at Homestead!!

春休み

今日は朝一にジムに行ってガッツリトレーニング。お昼から夕方までは家でお仕事。今週末は世の中が春休みだからどっか連れてってと言う妻のプレッシャーに負け、夕方からディズニーランドに行き、ディズニーパレードを見て帰ってきました。とりえず、息子も喜んでくれたので（むしろ妻の方が喜んでいた！？！）良かったX2!!

I went to the gym first thing in the morning and came home and finished couple of articles that I needed to get done. Since I was feeling the pressure to take my family somewhere during the spring break...I decided to take them to Disneyland for the parade tonight. I figured most people should be in Miami or Daytona Beach during Spring Break...but I totally forgot all the kids are going to be in Disneyland during this time. Obviously it was reallyX2 crowded but still managed to take couple of rides and see the parade. My son definitely seemed to enjoy being there but perhaps my wife seemed to enjoy it more. With Motegi and 500 coming up...I better keep my family happy!!

インタビュー

今日は午前中にラジオと雑誌のインタビュー。久しぶりのインタビューだったので気合いが入っちゃいました。インタビューが終わってからはインディージャパンでパートナーを組むInterush Racingのスタッフと茂木についてのミーティング。スケジュールやイベントの事を話し合い、気がついたらあっと言う間に２時。茂木の事を考えながら同時進行に５００の方もそろそろ感がなくてはいけないので、大変です。

I had a magazine and radio interview in the morning. I was excited about the interview and I think it will turn in to a great article!! After the interview, I had a lunch meeting with the guys from Interush Racing to talk about the plans for Motegi. We definitely need to get everything sorted out so all the fans and guests can have a good time at the Indy Japan race. At the same time, we have to move forward with the talks for the 500 and I hope to have something sorted out pretty soon!!

今日はこのまま、息子をお風呂にいれてご飯を食べてユックリって感じかな？明日はまた朝一からトレーニングで〜す！

I just bathed my son, will have an early dinner tonight to prepare for a good work out tomorrow morning!!

ピットの散歩

今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。今日は筋トレがメイン。お昼過ぎからは家で仕事をして夕方に子供を連れて家の前にある公園でピットの散歩。息子は最近テクテク歩き回りで、手を繋ぐのも嫌がられます・・・。その上にピットのリーシも持ちたがるので、ピットは何とも不愉快な感じみたいです・・・！？！（笑）しかし、日に日にピットとも遊ぶ様になって、息子が育って行くのをピットを通して感じるときがあります。

This week has been a good week so fat being able to get to the gym when I wanted. I did a lot of weight lifting today and my training schedule is just on time preparing for the race. After the gym, I came home...had lunch and got a lot of work done. In the late afternoon, I went to walk pit with my son to the park in front of my house. My son is walking everywhere now...and he doesn't like to get any assistance like holding hands...which makes it a bit scary if you don't have your eye on him all the time. He actually demands to hold Pit's leash...and Pit is definitely not enjoying the walk being pulled by my son!?! It seems as if it won't be long until my son will be taking Pit for a walk by him self.

チームウェアー

今日は午前中は家でお仕事。色々と連絡を取り合ったり、メールの返信をしていたらあっと言う間にお昼になってしまいました。お昼は家で食べてすぐに、ダウンタウンにある、洋服の問屋街でチームウェアーで使用する洋服をゲット。それに、シルクスクリーンや刺繍をしてもらうのに、業者にもっていきました。かなり格好良くし上がると思うので着るのが楽しみです！！

Woke up early this morning since I managed to get to be at about 10pm last night!?! I had to get a lot of work done in the morning making calls and replying e-mails. I had lunch at home and went to the Fashion District in Downtown LA to pick up some shirts for the team wear...the actual shirts that I will be wearing during the press conference and the race day. The shirt should turn out great and I am looking forward to seeing the actual product after getting embroidery and silkscreen.

スーパーに戻ってきたく。夕方はガッツリトレーニングをしてきました。身体の体調もバッチリ！！レースに向けて着々と準備が進んでます。

I was able to hit the gym in the late afternoon and had a great work out. I am ready to race anytime and too bad I can't be in the car this week end at Homestead...

QX 56 & Sequoiaの試乗

今日は朝一にジムに行ってトレーニング。月曜の朝だった事もあって、ジムはガラガラ！充実したトレーニングができました。ランニングマシンを使って走りながら３日前から家の前で行ってるCM撮影を見ていたら、ようやくChryslerのCMだって事にきがつきました。３日前から封鎖されてる道に止まってる車が全部DODGEとChrlyserだって事に気がついて、これは間違いなくChryslerのCMですね。

Got up early and went to the gym first thing in the morning. The gym was empty and was able to get a good work out done. While I was on the treadmill, I was watching the TV CM filming that has been going on for last three days. I finally realized that it was a Dodge/Chrysler commercial since all the cars that was parked on the side street was either Dodge or Chrysler. I could never figure out what the commercial was all about because the whole setting was a water slide going down the hill on 4th street...with people cheering!?!

トレーニングが終わって家に戻りさっとお昼を食べて午後はInfiniti QX56とTOYOTA　Sequoiaの試乗。QX56はなかなかのできで、個人的には好きです。が、でかいのでトラックを運転している気分。家に戻って仕事をして、今夜も早目の寝る予定です。zzzz

Well, after getting done with my work out, I had a quick lunch at home and needed to do a car road impression test of the new Infiniti QX56 and the Toyota Sequoia. I though the QX was a real nice car but it certainly was huge and it felt like driving a truck!! I just got home and just about ready to hit the bed to get ready for another hard day at the gym! zzzzz

イースターサンデー

今日はイースター・サンデーでアメリカは休日。今日も家の前で撮影をやっていたので、夕方まで家を出歩けませんでした・・・。午前中はジムでガッツリトレーニング。お昼は抜きで夕方から知り合いの家でバーベキューに招待されたので行ってガッツリ食べて帰ってきました！！明日もまた車の試乗＆撮影です。忙しい日々が続きますが、気合いを入れ直して頑張ります！！

Although it was Easter Sunday today...my street was blocked off for commercial filming again and was locked in to the house through out the day. Therefore, I went to the gym in the morning and had a good work out and skipped lunch since I was invited for a Barb-Q party late afternoon. The Southern Style Ribs were just fantastic!! It was a good relaxing Sunday and I am ready to start another week!! I will have a road test for the new Infiniti QX as well as Toyota Sequoia tomorrow.I am looking forward to driving both cars!!

車の試乗＆撮影

今日は早目に起きた物の、ピットの散歩に行こうと思ったら家の目の前でCMの撮影・・・。道が封鎖されてて公園まで行くのが大変でした。１０時に家にピックアップをしてもらい、お昼過ぎまでNissan Muranoの試乗。最近乗ったSUVの中ではダントツに作りが良くてビックリ！！

Got up in the morning and took Pit to the park. Since there was a filming going on in front of my house...it was really hard to just cross the street to get to the park. The downside of living in downtown LA is that the streets gets blocked off almost every week end for some kind of filming... Anyhow, I had to do a photo shoot my self with the new Nissan Murano which I was quite impressed with!! It was one of the best SUV that I have driven in a long time!!

午後はカメラマンのお家でニュースーツ＆ヘルメットの撮影。夕食も一緒に食べてさっきお家に戻った所です。なんだか今日もドタバタな一日・・・。明日はユックリできそうです。

In the afternoon, I went to do a photo shoot with my new suit and helmet. I just got back from having the shoot and dinner and I think I will watch the F1 race...and rest well tomorrow since it is Easter Sunday!!

もう金曜

うわ〜もう金曜だ・・・。あっと言う間に１週間が過ぎてしまい、しかもIndyJapan決勝まで１ヶ月をきっている〜。本当に時間が経つのは早くて怖いです。

I can't believe it's already Friday. Furthermore...I can't believe the Indy Japan race is less than a month away. Time just flies!!

今日は午前中に仕事を方付け、お昼にジムでトレーニング。がっつりトレーニングをしてから妻と子供を連れて遅めのランチ。明日は色々と新しいスーツ＆ヘルメットを使って撮影があるので、今夜は早めに寝る予定です。

In the AM, I went to the gym and was able to have a good work out. I was up early this morning getting a lot of work done so after the gym, I took my wife and son for a late lunch. I will have a photo shoot tomorrow with my new suit and helmet so I better get to sleep early tonight.

スーツが届きました！

昨日IndyJapanで使うスーツが届きました！思った以上に格好良くできていたので、現場で着るのが楽しみです！！自分は去年からイタリア製のAlpinsetars社のスーツを使っています。多くのF1ドライバーも使用していて、クォリティーは抜群！作りがしっかりしていると言うか細かいと言うか本当に良く考えて作ってるスーツだなと思います。個人的に一番驚いている点は、ドライバーが乗った体制に対して一番、心地の良いカットになってるんですよね。２輪のライダーのスーツからきているノウハウだと思われますが、これに関しては本当に感心します。

I just received the suit that I will be wearing at Motegi this year. The design is really cool and I am really looking forward to wearing this at the event. I started to use Alpinestars Suits from last Indy 500 and I must say I am amazed with their product. Not only that the suit is well maid...they have a lot of technology that has been applied from Motorcycle racing suit to further enhance the comfort level while your driving.

逆に撮影とかの時は少し猫勢になったりしちゃうから変な風に見えちゃうんですけどね・・・。（笑）下の写真を見てもらえるとわかりやすいと思いますが、他社のスーツの腕は基本的に真っすぐなのに対して、Alpinestarsのスーツは腕が若干曲がってますよね！？！このカットがドライビングをしている状態をコンフォタブルにしてくれるんですよね！！って相変わらずスーツ＆ヘルメットへの拘りを発揮させてしまいました！！

As you can see from the pict compares the Alpinestars suit to a different manufacyture, the suit is cut to fit perfect while at the position when you are in the cockpit. Therefore, it feels really weird when you are standing up or doing a photo shoot. However, the it is so comfortable while your driving...you can literally fall a sleep in the car!?! Obviously I don't sleep during the race but it is very important to be comfortable while your driving and I spend a lot more time making sure everything is right when I'm in the car.

グッヅ

今日は午前中にジムに行く予定が、色んな事でメチャメチャ忙しくて、お昼も食べれずけっきょくジムに行けたのは夕方でした・・・。しかし、茂木に向けて気合いのいれまくり、ジムではガッツリトレーニングをしてテンション高めておきました！

I was planning to hit the gym in the morning but since there were so many things that I needed to take care...I didn't end up going to the gym until late afternoon. The main thing I wanted to get done today was the ordering and the cost for the merchandise.

基本的に今日中にプランを作りたかったのは、グッヅに関してです。これに関しては自分も拘って、ファンの皆さんが一体になって応援してくれる様に、コストもできるだけさげれるようにアレンジできるように頑張りました！！なので、ぜひぜひロジャーグッヅを備えて応援して下さいね！！やっぱり皆さんの大声援がスタンドから見えると走るのも気合いがはいりますからね！！ん〜レースが楽しみだ！！

My management team and my self has put tons of hours thinking about the product and I wanted to make something real nice that the fans can enjoy but more importantly...have something with in reasonable range of pricing so all of my fans can get a product.I really hope everyone of you will enjoy my goods and more importantly I am really looking forward to seeing you guys at Motegi!!

ミーティング

今日は去年のインディー５００にスポンサーをしてくれた会社とミーティング。今年のプログラムに関して話し合い、茂木＆５００に向けての話し合い。５００の話も具体化しなくてはいけないので、かなりドタバタ状態です。さらに、茂木のグッヅの準備などもあったりでメチャメチャ忙しい日々が続いてます・・・。

I had a meeting in BH today with a sponsor that we had last year. We talked about some possibilities on working together again this year to further enhance our program and I think we were able to talk about good things. Although the Motegi race has been locked in...I really need to get everything sorted out for the 500 as well as the Motegi merchandise program and things has been really hectic the last couple of days. Things should calm down after this week and hopefully I can concentrate more towards racing,

花見

今日も午前中にジムに行ってガッツリトレーニング。お昼前に色々と連絡を取り合っていたらあっと言う間に夕方。週末までに新しいスーツでの撮影を行う予定なのでそのアレンジでドタバタしておりました。

Went to the gym in the morning and was back at work in front of my computer desk until 2pm. I couldn't go anywhere until than because there was a St.Patick's Day walk and my home was in the middle of that route... Luckily, I had to get a lot done at home today so I had no plans to leave the house until the parade was ended.

夕方になって、先週から妻にお願いされていたので、妻の友人とお花見会。息子＆ピットも連れてお花見に行ってきました。家から３０分くらい北上した所にある公園ですが、桜はばっちり咲いてました。来週になったらだいぶ散ってしまってたかもしれないのでベストタイミングでした！日本もそろそろお花見シーズンかな・・・？

Late in the afternoon, I took my wife and my son, as well as Pit to Balboa Park. We had our annual Cherry Blossom picnic with my wife's friend...in which I am obligated to go... My son seemed to enjoy playing at the park as well as Pit and it turned out to be a great day to be outside!!

花粉症

昨日は花粉症にやられました・・・。花粉症は辛いですよね。しかし、体調がわるかったのか、軽く怠くて寒気がして、息子とF１の開幕戦を見ながら途中で辛くなり１０時には寝ちゃいました。

The allergy season is back and I am really not looking forward to this. I have to take Zyrtek,Claritin, Flonase all at once just to make sure that I can breath!?! Really that bad.... Yesterday was one of the worse day for my sinus allergy and I ended up getting to bed at 10pm and couldn't even watch the F1 race until the end...

今日もなんだかダルい・・・。とりあえず、今日は日曜なのでユックリして、気合いを入れ直して明日からはまた猛トレーニングですね！！

The weather is much better today and since it was a Sunday, I spend majority of the day relaxing and playing with my son. I really have to get back to my hard routine training starting tomorrow!!

iPhone　日本語使用

今日はお昼にマーチャンダイズやチームウェアーに関してのミーティング。外出先に自分のiPhoneからのメールを日本語で返信できないのにイライラして我慢ができず、ソフトウェアーアップデートでもなかなか日本語のキーボードが有効にならないので、頭にきて日本語が使える様になるソフトウェアーダウンロードして、iPhoneのOSの設定変更をして日本語可能にしてしまいました！以外と簡単にできて、しかも日本語が使える様になってかなり便利！！今後はPCをほとんど使わなくなりそう・・・。

I had a lunch meeting today in regards to my merchandising material as well as the team wear. I think everything is moving forward but I really need to pick up the pace since I may have to be back in Japan in couple of weeks time for the race. At the meeting, I had an e-mail that I wanted to respond quickly in Japanes...but since the US iPhone doesn't have the Japanese Keyboard...I was really frustrated on not being able to respond in timely manner. I was hoping to have a software update by now to have a Japanese Typing capabilities but I had enough of waiting and went to the website and downloaded a software that will allow me to type in Japanese character using my iPhone. It actually was a lot easier than I thought to install everything and I am probably going to be using my iPhone a lot more than my PC now since I will be able to write in Japanese!!

夜は家でもんじゃ＆焼きそばを食べて、これから車の試乗記事を書かなくてはいけません・・・。締め切りは明日なので気合いを入れて書かないと！！では、これからまたお仕事頑張ります！！

Well, I just got done with dinner but I have an article to write about again by tomorrow so I guess I will have a late night tonight...zzzz

今日もがっつりトレーニング

今日も午前中はジムでトレーニング。久しぶりに窒息する寸前まで追い込んで、辛いけど清々しいトレーニングができました！身体の体調の準備も着々と進んでます。お昼はお家でランチ。

I worked out for good couple of hours today. I was almost out of breath at the end for pushing really hard but it all feels good after all.I think I am just about ready to go racing.

午後は家でずっとお仕事。色々とグッヅやチームウェアーに関してのやり取りがあって、話をしていたらあっと言う間に夕方。夜は子供と一緒に遊んで時間を作ってあげないと。日中は家に居たものの、あまりかまってあげられなかったので・・・。

After the gym, I had lunch at my house and got a lot of work done. We still have to finalize the order for our merchandise line up as well as creating other stuff which really takes time from design stand point as deciding on the quantity to produce and etc... I will have a lot more meetings to do tomorrow so I better get some rest tonight.

車＆スーツのデザイン

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。お昼は家で食べて、メールや電話で連絡の取り合い。茂木のグッヅなどの件に関してのやり取りがたくさんあり、やっと一段落着いた所です。しかし、合併の話で１ヶ月以上も茂木の話がペンディング状態になってしまったので、ここへきて色々とアレンジする事がたくさんあって大変です。

そうそう、茂木で走る車のカラーリングとスーツのカラーリングをここで公表しちゃいます！！いや〜いまからIndyJapanのレースが楽しみだな〜〜！！

トレーニング。

今日は早目に起きてお家のジムで猛トレーニング。茂木に向けて気合いも入っていて体調もバッチリです！今週と来週に追い込みをかけて、レースに備えてきっちりと準備をしないと。

I woke up early this morning and spent a good quality time at the gym. I am preparing my self for the Motegi race and I really need to get on it during this week and next week to get my physical shape back to 100%. I feel pretty good after the work out today and I makes it that much more motivating when you know you are going to be in the car.

しかし、息子が日本から戻ってきて気がついたら物凄く成長している事にビックリ！まず、普通に歩いてるのであっちこっちウロウロすること。それから大人のする事を良く観察していて、最近はドアの開け閉めを覚えたのである意味イタズラのレベルがさらにエスカレートして怖い所です。が、その反面いろんなリアクションも面白いので、子供の成長には改めて感心します。しかし、家の掃除をしてもどんどん散らかすのできりがないですね・・・。（笑）

After the gym, I spent good amount of time playing with my son. He has grown so much in last three weeks that it really is impressive. He is walking now and learned how to open and close the door. That means...many more concerns from parent stand point because he could just get to anywhere. However, I am really happy to see him learning a lot of things and it's almost scary to realize how quickly they can observe and absolve a lot of things!!

サイトのメンテ

今日はサイトのメンテをしていたので、一時的に僕のブログのページが見れなくなってしまう瞬間がありましたが、無事に工事も修理しました。色々とサイトの方をアップデートしたりする事ができて、今はとりあえずはマイナーチェンジをしています！？！近い将来サイト自体をフルモデルチェンジをしようと思っています。

Sorry for the inconvenience if you were not able to see my blog page yesterday. I making sure about getting some updates done and it took us a while to maintain the server. Fortunately we were able to fix everything now and it is up and running. I have done a minor changes to my site but I am planning to do a full renovation to my site in the near future!

LAに帰ってきました

さっきようやく家に戻ってきました。今日からアメリカはサマータイム。１時間時間が早くなり、普通だったら７時起きだったのが今朝は６時起き・・・。が、既に何処時間で生活しているのかよくわからない状態だったので、自分はへっちゃらでした！？！今日はフェラーリチャレンジの第２レースが行われ、自分がコーチするドライバーは９位でゴール。色々とぶつけられたりして、車にダメージをおってのトップ１０フィニッシュだったのでボチボチだったのでは。

I just came back from Florida. I had to wake up early this morning because of the time change to Summer Time. Since I had to travel quite a bit last couple of weeks, my brain didn't know which time zone I was in so it was no biggy waking up early this morning. Today was the final day at Homestead coaching my Ferrari Challenge driver. Today's race was OK and my driver finished 9th. He got in to several incident which damaged his car, but to be able to finish top 10 was pretty good considering his damage to his car.

家に帰ってきてほっとするのも束の間。しかし、息子の顔が見れてなんだか一安心。久しぶりにあったので、またパパっこにさせる為に頑張らないと！？！（笑）どことなくママッ子になり、それを勝ち程こった様に妻にアピールされるのはちょっと悔しい今日この頃です。

I am really happy being home now. I hope to spend some good time with my family for at least next two weeks and will have to hit the gym pretty hard everyday getting ready for Motegi!!

フェラーリチェレンジレース１

今日はフェラーリチャレンジ最初のレースが行われました。自分がコーチしたドライバーは１０位からスタートして９位でゴール！ボチボチの成績でした。自分が色々と教え始めた頃からはかなりステップアップしているので本人も喜んでいます。が、個人的には自分が乗っていても自分が教えてるドライバーでも勝って欲しいのでかなりアツクなってしまいます。

Today was the first race of the Ferrari Challenge. My driver started 10th and finished 9th. I must say that he has stepped up quite a bit since I first started to coach him but I sure would love to see on the top of the podium. It is my passion to win races even if it's with a driver who I am coaching and I think I get a bit too excited about trying to make him go faster. Everyone works at different pace and I am sure by end of this year, my driver would be a threat to win races!!

夕飯はエリオやトニーがお薦めのブラジリアン料理を食べて今夜はホテルでユックリ。明日の晩には家に戻れるので楽しみです。早く戻って息子と遊んであげないと！！

Anyhow, I am so ready to go home. I missed my son and family and can't wait to get home tomorrow!! However, I am not looking forward for the time change though....

応援メッセージ有り難う！

さっき仕事を終えてホテルに戻ってきた所です。フロリダはメチャメチャ暖かくて、今日だけでかなり日焼けをしてしまいました・・・。身体がヒリヒリしてちょっと痛めです。

Just got back from work. It was a pretty hot day today and I was able to get sun tanned... And I look like a surfer now!?!

それより、今朝メールをチェックしたら１００通以上もの応援メールが届いていてビックリ！仕事中にニコニコしながら読んでしまいました！！本当に有り難うございます！！皆さんからのメッセージでさらに気合いが入りました！！LAに帰ったら猛トレーニングをしてレースに備えないと！！皆にもあうのが楽しみです！！

When I woke up this morning, I was really happy and surprised to see over 100 fan e-mails congratulating me for the Motegi race!! I downloaded all the e-mails on to my iPhone and I spent better part of my days going through all the kind message!! I am really excited for the race now and I can't wait to race!! I am also looking forward to see all the fans at the track and I'm sure I will have fun racing in front of the crowds!! Well...for tonight, I will need to refocus on to my driver so he can do well tomorrow.

Indy Japan参戦決定！

皆さん、もうご存知だと思いますが、４月１９日にツインリンク茂木で行われるIndyJapan３００に参戦する事が決まりました！！また日本で走れる事がメチャメチャ嬉しいです！！現場にはぜひぜひ応援しにきてくださいね！！！ファンの皆さんにお会いするのもメッチャ楽しみです！！！

I have great news to deliver today! I have just signed a deal to drive for Beck Motorsports for the Interush/Wellman Racing entry at the Twin Ring Motegi race on April 19.I have worked really hard to put this deal together and I couldn't be happier especially to be able to race in front of my family, friends, and most importantly front of my fans and sponsors!!

体制はメンテはベックモータースポーツでチーム名はInterush/WellmanRacingです。InterushはNASCAR　Nationwideシリーズに参戦するスタントン・バレット選手もサポートしていて、去年のフォンタナのレースに招待して頂きました！早い時期から、茂木へのプログラムをコミットしてくれたので本当に心から感謝です。逆にシリーズ合併の話で交渉が長引いてしまった事が本当に待ちに待っていてスポンサーそしてファンの皆さんにもご迷惑をかけてしまい申し訳ないと思ってます・・・。その分レースでは頑張りますのでぜひぜひいっぱい応援して下さいね！！

Interush also sponsors Stanton Barret who drives in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I was invited to watch the race at Fontana last year and I am happy to have them on board as their partner for the Indy Japan race!! I definitely appreciate their commitment and the support and I am glad that the deal is done now and I can just focus on racing!!

しかし、ここへの道のりは長かった〜。円形脱毛症になり、白髪が増え・・・、って状況ですが今はレースに集中できるので何よりです。詳しい詳細はまたユックリブログで書いちゃいますね！！（笑）では、明日もまたここマイアミでフェラーリチェレンジの仕事があるので、今夜は早目に寝ます・・・。とりあえず、今夜はユックリ寝れそうです。

Well...I must say it was a long road to get this deal done. I thought I was close 2months ago...but we were at halt for a while because of the merger and finally got it done after 1 week of the announcement from the merger. I will say that I lost some hair...I gained grey hair... But I am ready to race!! For tonight...since I have to work tomorrow at Homestead, I think I will hit the bed early. I think I will be able to sleep well tonight...

マイアミに到着

さっきマイアミに着きました。こっちは深夜２時。今日はメチャメチャ忙しい一日でした。７時前に起きて、９時に飛行場に行って息子と妻をピックアップ。久しぶりに息子にあったら、なんだか恥ずかしがってて挙げ句の果てに抱っこをしたら泣かれました・・・。ちょっとショックです・・・！？！で、家に戻ったらそのままタクシーに乗って自分は空港に戻りやっとこマイアミに着いたって感じです。明日は朝早くから仕事なのでそろそろ寝ます。

It was a long day for me and I finally arrived at my hotel in Miami. It is already about 2am here. My day started off early and went to pick up my wife and son who just got back from Japan. I haven't seen my son for almost a month and he didn't seem to forget me...but he definitely became a Mommy's boy now. I went home with them to help them unload the bag and jumped in the cab immediately to go back to the airport to catch my flight. I am ready to hit the bed now...

小学校を訪問

今日の朝は家でずっと交渉。本格的に最終段階って感じなのでかなり、ドタバタしております。お昼はミーティングに行き、夕方はトーランスにある小学校を訪問しました。

I had to get a lot of work done this morning since we are getting to the final stages of the negotiations. Things are going really well and I really feel like I was able to make a huge stride in last couple of days. I had a lunch meeting today in Torrance and discussed about all the arrangements that needed to be taken care of.

訪問したのはJoseph Arnold小学校のGATEと言う優等生が集まる放課後のクラスで、Alleycat Gazetteと言う学校新聞の次号の記事としてのインタビューの依頼がきました。さすがに、優等生ばかりなので小学４〜５年生と思えない程に、大人な質問ばかりでビックリしています。が、インタビューとQ&Aセッションが終わり、ではサイン会・・・ってなったら皆は大喜びで子供の素顔がみれて嬉しかったです！！

After the meeting, I went to the Joseph Arnold Elementary school and visited the GATE(Gifted And Talented Education) class for an interview for the next issue of the Alleycat Gazzette which is published by the GATE class students. The students were very intelligent and I am very happy to meet all the kids. At one point I was a bit concerned since all the kids seemed to be too mature for their age, but once I started signing the autograph cards, they seemed to brake loose and definitely seemed like they were all active kids!! I really enjoyed the time there and I appreciate their interest on interviewing me and I hope to have some time to visit them in the near future again. It was also my pleasure to meet the son of Stuart Ross and his wife, who is being deployed to Iraq next week. I am extremely grateful for the sacrifices he and all of the soldiers in Iraq make so we can lead safe everyday lives.

夜に家に戻ってきて、まずは家の掃除。明日の朝に妻と息子がいよいよ日本から戻ってくるので独身生活は今日まで・・・！？！夕飯は恐らく二人は時差ボケで外にでるのが辛いだろうからハヤシライスを作ってます。自分は明日LAの空港に妻と子供を迎えに行って、家に戻りすぐにまた空港に行ってマイアミに向かいます。今週末はフェラーリチェレンジに仕事なのでせっかく息子と会えたと思いきや、一緒にいれるのは日曜日までお預けなので少し寂しいです・・・。でも、息子の為にも仕事は頑張らないと！！

I came home at about 5pm and I had to clean up the house since my wife and my son is coming home tomorrow from Japan. It will be the last night of being single again which I did enjoy for couple of weeks...although I definitely missed seeing my family. However, I will need to pick them up at the airport, drop them off at the house....and will have to leave immediately back to the airport to catch my flight to Miami. I will be working at Homestead for the Ferrari Challenge race week end and will not be able to spend much time with my son really until Monday. To celebrate my last evening by my self...I am cooking some Japanese style Beef Stroganoff..we call it the Hayashi Rice. I figured my wife would be tired from the flight and it would be good to have something to eat when they get home without her having to cook anything.

ハヤシライスも良い感じにできたのでこれから夕食です。今日のハヤシの隠し味は赤ワインとマスカルポーネチーズ・・・！？！美味しいかちょっと心配です・・・？！？（笑）

Here is the Hayashi Rice with a secret ingredient...well not so secret if I'm telling everyone but I added a bit of Red Wine and Mascarpone Cheese to give a mild and bold taste.

もう一息！

今朝は早目に起きて朝は車をディーラーに持っていて、オイル交換。待っている間にパソコンを持っていて仕事をしていました。色々とインディージャパンの参戦に関して話を詰めていたらあっという間に、車はできあがり家に帰宅。お昼過ぎにはカイロプラクティックに行って身体のメンテ。ここ数週間でだいぶ腰の調子も良くなりました！！

I woke up fairly early this morning to take my car to the dealer to get an oil change. While I waited for my car, I brought my computer there so I can get some work done. The negotiations with the team is going really well and my car was done in an hour although it felt like 10min when I had lot to get done. I was able to get a lot of work done in the morning and went to see my Chiropractor after lunch. My back is feeling much better now and I am ready to race anytime!!

午後はジムで走り込み。今日は久しぶりに１０kmのランニングができて気分も爽快！色々と交渉が前向きなので、トレーニングの時も車に乗れる事をイメージすると全く苦痛ではありません！！って、油断してると何がおきるかわかりませんが、必ず近い将来に良いニュースを届ける事ができると思いますので、楽しみに待っていて下さい！！

I went to the gym when I got home for a 10km run. I think I am still at 90% back to where I need to be... But with all the talks moving forward, I better get on to my training program to be 120% ready for the race!! Well, I am really anxious to get this deal wrapped up and I really hope I can deliver a good news in the very near future!! Stay tuned...

ピットが帰宅

今日は日曜日。比較的リラックスのできる一日でした。朝起きてまずは色々とお仕事。来週末はホームステッドに行ってしまうので、その前にしておきたい事が山ほどあったので、朝はミッチリお仕事。お昼はお家でスパゲッティーを作って食べ、午後はNASCARのレースをみながらジムでトレーニング。

Since it was Sunday... I had a slow start to the date and I think I was able to get a good rest in the morning. I still had to get some work done before going to Homestead again from Weds so I got to work before lunch and went to the gym while I watched the NASCAR race from Vegas on the TV monitor.

そして、夜はピットを知り合いの家に預けていたので迎えに行ってきました。夕飯もご地層になってしまいラッキー！ピットも家に戻ってきたピットは甘えまくりで、自分がコンピューターに向かって仕事をしている下でずっとガン見しています・・・！？！

In the evening, I had to go pick up Pit was my friend's house. He seemed to enjoy staying over at my friend's since he is well treated there.... I guess he wants to get some attention and just keeps staring at my from under the computer desk while I try to get some work done....

リラックスしたい・・・。

今日は週末でゆっくりできると思ったのも束の間。先週ホームステッドから戻ってきたばかりなのに、来週末はまたフェラーリチャレンジの仕事で行かなくてはいけません。それに備えて、ドライバーの車載カメラのテープを見て、ライン取りや運転の癖を見極めてノートに書き取り、色々とまとめてレース前に事前にメールをします。自分も基本的にはレースに行く前に、前年度のレースを見て他のチームが何をしていたかや、自分の反省点等もチェックしています。いやはや、もっとユックリできる週末だと思ったので、せめて明日の御前中は家でユックリしているつもりです。

I thought I was able to get a relaxing week end but I was really busy working on couple of things today. I just came back from Homestead but I will be headed out to that direction again on Weds. I will be working for my driver in Ferrari Challenge and I watched his in-car camera tape from last year's race. It is always good to review the tape to understand his driving style and point out things for the driver to make improvements. If you note things down before the race and if you input that in to your brain...chances of driving better would be higher since you are better prepared. Well...anyhow, I guess I will take a day off tomorrow.

ロス疑惑

さっきフロリダから戻ってきました。昨日は遅くまでホテルで仕事をしていて、目覚ましをかけてと思いきや、スィッチをオンにするのを忘れていてまんまと寝坊。出発時間にパッと目が覚めてダッシュで用意して無事に飛行機に乗る事ができました。

Just got back from Florida. I was up until late last night and I thought I have set the alarm but I must have forgotten to turn the switch off. Luckily, I got a phone call at the time of departure so I jumped out of the bed and got ready made my flight!!

家に戻ってきてからも色々と交渉の事についてのフォローアップ。気がついたら週末・・・、週明けには色んな動きが取れる様に準備をしておきました。

The flight was OK and I am back home now working on couple of follow ups from the meeting. I can't believe we are already in to the week end and I better have a lot of thing ready so we can move the whole process forward early next week.

そうそう、最近はテレビをつけると何かとロス疑惑（三浦元社長）のニュースがでてきます。しかし、話によるとアメリカ政府は三浦氏のブログを見て動きをさぐっていたと言う話だからビックリする。しかし、それ以上にビックリするのは、三浦元社長の弁護士の発言！？！どうやら捕まるまではサイパンはアメリカだと思っていなかったらしい！？！とにかく、ブログに色々と書くのは怖いな〜思う今日この頃。って言っても自分は完全にクリーンなので隠す事はないから、毎日ガッツリ書いちゃってますけどね！！（笑）

I was just watching the TV and saw couple of updates on the Cold Case that supposedly LAPD has an additional witness info about an murder case from 27 years ago. The guy was arrested in Saipan last week and he is due to be brought back in LA next week to see if he will be convicted. Anyhow, the funny story to this is that LAPD was able to track him down through his personal blog where he was traveling and it gave them and golden opportunity to arrest the guy when he entered the US soil. Well....guess what...the guy didn't think Saipan was an US soil and he thought it would be a no brainer going in and out of the country. Anyhow, I better watch what I write in my blog from now on... Well not really because I really don't have anything to hide!?! Believe me, you guys are always the first one to hear my updates here at rogeryasukawa.com and I am always happy to share my up coming news!!

ホームステッド２日目

今日はホームステッドテスト２日目。と言っても自分はテストでなくて交渉ですが・・・。現場に来て話をするのが一番速いのですが、チームやマネージャー＆オーナーの都合を見計らったタイミングを見つけて話し合うのでメチャメチャ気を使うんですよね。ま〜正直に言うとあまり好きなプロセスではありませんが、長年やっていてひっつこいくらいがちょうど良いと言う事を覚えたので今は朝飯前です！？！（笑）

Today was the second day at the Open Test. Although it really is not a test for me...but more of a negotiation time to get all the details worked out. I must say that I really hate doing this because you have to pick the right time to approach the team manager and owner to get the talk moving forward because if you do pick a wrong time to talk (ie:when the team is struggling or after a shunt), the negotiations can go down south!?!

しかし、サーキットに来て色々と走ってるのを見ると早く車にのりて〜〜！！テンションがかなり上がってきました！！明日からはまたLAに戻りますが、具体的な話を決めれる様に全力がんばります！！

Nevertheless, I can't wait to get back in the car after watching all the car going out today!! I think my deal is really moving forward and I feel safe to say that there is a big announcement coming really soon!! So stay tuned guys!!

ホームステッド

今日はお昼にホームステッドに到着。ようやくIRL&CCWSの正式な合併の会見があったので、それを覗きチームなどと色々と話し合い。合併の話もこれで正式に発表されて、ようやく方向性が見えてきたので何よりです。でも、細かい事をまだまだ決める事が沢山あるので大変です・・・。明日もサーキットに行って頑張らないと！！

I went to the track today. There was finally a formal press conference about the IRL & CCWS merger today and I was surprised to see so many medias out there!! It definitely is a good thing for the sports!! It certainly have opened up a lot of opportunity for me and I feel pretty close on getting all the detail worked out. I have a lot more things to get done tomorrow so I better get to sleep early tonight.

マイアミに到着

今日はお昼過ぎにロスを出発して、デンバー経由でマイアミに到着。ホテルに着いたのは２時を回っていました・・・。眠っ・・・。そんなこんなで今から明日に備えてユックリ寝ます。

Just arrived to my hotel in Miami. I left LA after lunch...and went through Denver. It is already past 2am...and I better get to sleep so I can get some serious work done tomorrow morning.

明日からホームステッド

今日は午前中から連絡の取り合い。お昼前に車の原稿を書いて、夕方にジムでトレーニング。明日のお昼にホームステッドに出発するので、ピットを知人に預けて、猫のキャット・シッターへの段取り・・・。一人だと家を出るのにも色々と準備があって大変です。

Woke up in the morning and had to contact couple of people before I head to Homestead tomorrow. I also had to finish up an article about a car that I drove about a month a go... Than I had to drop off Pit to my friend's house who always look after him, and had to arrange a cat sitter for my cat. It certainly is a lot of work arranging everything for a trip when you are alone!?!

そうそう、掲載された記事の雑誌が届きました！色んな所に記事を書かせてもらえるチャンスを頂いて自分はラッキーだなと思います！！その分もこれからも頑張らないと！！そうそう、アメリカでは現在発売中にRoad&Trackにも出てます！！

Here is a pict of couple of articles that I wrote in a Japanese Magazine. I certainly appreciate the opportunity that I was given to write and I really hope I can keep doing a good job for the medias providing nice articles about new up coming cars. I am also in the latest Road & Track magazine but it may be selling quick so you may want to hit the stand quickly!?!

雨

昨晩は物凄い雨が降ってました。友達の家に誕生日パーティーのお祝いで行ったのですが、帰りは雨のドライビング。アメリカの道は水履けがわるいので、高速道路ではアクアプレーンしまくり・・・。ちょっとビビリながらの運転でした！？！（笑）

It rained pretty heavily last night. I was at my friend's house celebrating his birthday but the drive home was pretty miserable. The roads here aren't designed to accommodate the rain and when it rains...the freeway literally turns in to a river!?! Obviously it was a rough drive home doing some aqua plane on 110fwy but was able to get home safely with all my years of training as a race driver!?!

今日も雨はなんだか降ったり止んだり。フォンタナで行われてるレースも中断したりでなかなか終わらず大変です・・・。レースを見ながらトレーニングしようと思って行ったのですが、レースが始まる前にトレーニングは終わってしまいました！？！（笑）なんだか、雨で延期や中断になるレースってドライバーにとったらけっこう大変なんですよね。心の準備がしにくいと言うか・・・、トイレのタイミングを調整するのが大変と言うか。今日はNASCARの選手が大変だな〜って人ごとの様に思っていながら、去年のIndy500の事を思い出す一日でした。

The weather was slightly better in LA but not in Fontana area where the NASCAR race was held. It was delayed...stopped...resume...stopped...and still waiting to finish. It really is tough for the driver when you have that kind of situation because you don't know when to be ready and you certainly have to pace your self on the hydration and plan your restroom before you get back in to the car. It's probably the only time I was happy actually not racing today...seeing all the NASCAR drivers trying to figure out what the plan was. However, it definitely reminded me of the 500 from last year when we had to deal with similar weather situation.

Pitの友達

今日のLAは日中は久しぶりに天気が良かったので、その隙を狙ってピットを散歩に連れて行きました。家の隣に公園があるので、その公園に行くのが毎日の散歩コースになっていますが、今日はたまたまもう一匹チワワが居て、ピットは大興奮！！初めて会った犬ですが早速お友達になり、走り回って最近の運動不足も解消！？！

Finally...there was some sunshine today so I took Pit for a walk. Fortunately there is a park right next to my apartment...although being in Downtown, it is daily routine to walk through the park. He was able to meet a new friend, a Chihuahua, a dog more of his size and was able to run around a play together for a while.

晴れたかなと思ったのも束の間で、夕方からはまた雨が降ってなんだか微妙な天気。今週末はフォンタナでNASCARのレースが行われてますが、なかなか雨のせいでスケジュールがずれこんで大変みたいです・・・。さてさて、明日はどんなレースになるか楽しみです。

I thought the weather was going to stay nice for rest of the day....but I guessed it wrong. It is raining again and it certainly is creating a lot of problems where the NASCAR boys are racing this week end. I hope at least it will be nice tomorrow so I can watch the CUP race.

合併！

今日の夕方についにIRLとCCWSが、合併する事に合意ができたと言う発表がありました。詳しい詳細に関しては週末の間にまた話し合って決めて、正式な記者会見は近日中に行うみたいですが、とりあえず決まって何よりです！！

Just heard about the announcement of the merger between IRL & CCWS! All I have to say is "Great! Let's go RACING now!!". I think the details are still being worked out and a formal press conference should be held some time soon.

今年はインディー・カーが盛り上がりそうですね！！台数も増えそうですし、レベルも上がりそう！！なので、インディー５００のバンプ・デーもスリリングになりそう！！って事は自分も競争率が高くなるから、ここ数年の様にギリギリに出てって余裕で予選を通過するのは難しくなるかも！？！ん〜と言う事は今まで以上に頑張らないといけないな！！つまり、良いプログラムを組んでもらえる様にチームとも交渉しないと。そんなこんなで今日はアメリカン・モータースポーツにとっては歴史的な日になりました！！

Again, this is great news for the American Open Wheel Racing community, fans, and etc. We were all hoping for this to happen and although it may not be an ideal time do it considering the season opener being around the corner...it was now or never!?! Well, the competition level is going to be high this year and getting in the field for the Indianapolis 500 will be tougher than ever!! I am really looking forward for the challenge and I will have to work that much harder to get better results!! Anyhow, today is a history for American Motorsports and there should be many good things to come once everything gets sorted.

もうチョイで発表・・・？！？

今日もLAの天気は微妙です・・・。日本はまだ寒いのかな？ちなみに、電話で話をした所、インディアナポリスは雪みたいなので、LAの天気に文句は言えませんね！？！（笑）

Another weird day here in LA....it was overcast and some drop from the sky. I guess I can' complain too much about the weather since apparently it is still cold in Japan and is snowing in Indianapolis.

さてさて、今日もずっと電話とメールで色々とやり取りで終わってしまう一日。IRL & CCWSの合併話もかなり前進しているみたいで、噂では明日のお昼に何らかの発表があるみたいです！色々と噂を聞くと合併をする事は間違いなさそうです。個人的にはそっちの話が早く決まってくれないと自分の話も進まないから、“どうでもいいから・・・、早くしてくれ〜”って言いたくなっちゃう所です。（笑）とにかく明日の会見でどういう事が発表されるのか待ち遠しいです！！

It was another day at work today getting on the phone and working through the e-mails. Apparently, there is supposed to be some kind of announcement tomorrow about the IRL & CCWS merger. It better be good since we all had to wait for this for a while, and it certainly has put all the teams at halt for deciding on their program. However, I have good faith in this merger talk and I certainly am looking forward for a stronger series! Well, let's keep our ear and eyes wide open for tomorrow's announcement.

ミーティング

今日はなんだか物凄く忙しい一日でした。朝からずっとメール＆電話でのやり取り。合併話はまだ決まってはいませんが、金曜日に何らかの発表があると言う噂。どちらにしても合併をする方向で話は動いてるので、色々と考えると良い方向に話が進んでると思います。

It was a pretty busy day for me. I was working all morning going through the e-mails and making phone calls to talk about the racing program. There is no official announcement as of yet...but the words on the street is that the League is preparing for some kind of announcement on Friday morning, Either way it sounds like this merger is going to happen which is a great thing for American Open Wheel racing.

夕方はIndyJapanに関してのミーティング。この合併話で色々と遅れをとっているので、この数日間で挽回しないと！！夜もミーティングでなんだか忙しい一日でした。LAの天気も悪くて＆寒くて・・・、早く天気が良くならないかな〜〜！！

In the afternoon, I had several meetings to talk about the Indy Japan race. We are so behind on organizing everything because of this merger talk...I will have a lot of catch up work to do once we know what will happen with the series. Unfortunately the weather is not so nice and it's pretty cold here in LA....I hope at least the weather will get better for this week end since there is NASCAR race at Fontana!!

合併・・・？！？

今日は朝起きて午前中はメールのやり取りと電話で色々と話をしていたらあっと言う間にお昼になってしまいました。昨晩からIRLとCCWSが合併成立・・・と言うニュースが飛び立って早ければ木曜までに発表があるとの噂。しか〜し、色んなハチャメチャな噂ばっかりでていて、何が本当で何が嘘なのかは意味不明な状態。とりあえず、今は発表を待つしかないって状況です。

Woke up in the morning and went straight to my computer. There were rumors last night that IRL & CCWS have come to an agreement for a merger and I was reluctant to see if there would be any formal announcement to be made today. Sounds like there will not be any kind of announcement until Thurs...but since there are so many speculations out on Internet that I don't know what and who to believe now!?!

昼過ぎからはジムでトレーニング。トレーニング後にまた家でパスタを作って食べて、夕方まではまたお仕事。ん〜なんだか意味不明に忙しい今日この頃です・・・！？！

Well...so much for the gossip, I went to the gym to train during lunch time and came home and made my own lunch(Pasta) again. Than I was back on my computer for rest of the day. What really feels weird is that there are so many things I have to do while it feels like we are not getting anything done...

スパゲッティー

今日は午前中にカイロに行って、身体のメンテナンス。ここの所ずっと腰が痛かったので、見てもらったらだいぶ楽になりました！！どうやら、右足と左足に４cmちかいズレがあったみたいです！？！しかし、ほんとちょっとした事で身体の調子が悪くなるから不思議なもんですよね・・・。とりあえず、金曜にも見てもらう事になりましたが、今日の治療でかなり腰もスッキリ。

I went to see the chiropractor this morning since my back has been aching for a while. I found out that my left and right leg differed in length(almost 1inch)! I was able to get my body fixed up and my back feels much better now. I will need to go back on Fri to get another check up but it made me realize that I need to get a maintenance just like a car every now and than,

家に戻ってきて色々とチームで電話で喋って今週中に色んな動きがありそうと確認。チーム側もペンディング状態で困っている模様。早く合併話の結末がどうなるかが知りたい所です。

I came home and was on the phone for a while trying to figure out what was going on. Seems like all the teams are anxiously waiting to hear back from the two series on the outcome about the merger solution. I really hope to have some serious development by end of this week...

お昼には家で一人なのでパスタを作りました。今日はニンニクとトマトのスパゲッティーにルッコラを添えたもの。できはボチボチでした・・・。

Well...as for lunch, I ended up making a Tomato Spaghetti with Arugola. It turned out to be pretty good.

ランチを食べてからジムで軽めのトレーニング。今日からガッツリ行きたかったのですが、ペースコントロールで今日は軽め。明日はいよいよがっつり行くぞ〜〜！？！

After lunch I was off to the gym for light training, I wanted to lift some heavy stuff but I figure I will need to pace my self since I am no longer young...!?! I will definitely be doing harder training tomorrow so I better get some good rest tonight!!

Daytona 500

今日は午前中はユックリでお昼前からジムでトレーニング。久しぶりのトレーニングで身体もスッキリ！明日からもずっとハードなトレーニングを続けないと！！で、さっきまでやっていたDaytona500をテレビ観戦していました。

Had a slow start to the morning and went to the gym just before lunch. I finally was able to get some good quality time at the gym and should have an intense training program for the next 10 days. After the work out, I watched the Daytona 500 which was an excellent race!!

いや〜NASCARのレースも面白かった〜。最後の最後まで誰が勝つの〜〜って状態でしたが、蓋を開けるとペンスキーの１−２フィニッシュ。あれは、完璧チームワークですね。やっぱりドラフティングが重要なレースだと、チームメート同士の戦略も大事ってことですね！！

It was hard to guess who was going to win and I was thinking one of the Toyota may end up at the top. Well...I guessed it wrong and the two Penske cars ended up on the top at very last lap. It just showed how important the team work is at the drafting track as well as with this new COT cars.

さてさて、自分はこれからピットを預けている知り合いの家にピックアップに行ってきます。会うのが久しぶりだから楽しみだな〜。が、最近は家でプライオリティーが息子なのでピットはヘソを曲げて、他の家に居るときの方がゲスト扱いだから嬉しそうです・・・！？！（笑）

Tonight, I will need to pick up "Pit" who was staying at my friend's house for 10days. "Pit" actually enjoys being taken cared by other family since he can get all the attention...unlike being home where my son was getting all the priority!?! He may not want to come home now....

LAでまったり

今日はLAで一日中ユックリする事ができました。やっぱLAは気候がいいから良いですね！昨晩は特別遅くに寝た訳ではないのに、疲れがたまっていたせいか今朝は１１時頃まで爆睡してしまいました！？！こんなに寝たのは１年半振り・・・かな？基本的には７〜８時前に起きてしまう日課が続いていたので、なんだか久しぶりに家で一人でユックリできると思ったらグッスリ寝てしまいました！

I was able to relax through out the day today. I didn't get to bed that late last night...but was able to sleep through until 11am this morning which is odd for me. I usually get up before 7 or 8am...but I guess I must have been tired with all the travels this last 10days. Besides, I am home my self and I figured I need to maximize this time with out getting any distraction from my wife or my son!?!

今日はテレビでNASCAR Nationwideシリーズのレースを見ていました。明日はデイトナ５００ですが、TOYOTA勢は調子が良さそうですね〜。ようやくレースシーズンが始まったって感じで楽しみです！！

I watched the Nationwide Race today and I am really looking forward to the Daytona 500 tomorrow. The Toyota seems to be strong this year and would be interesting to see who will come out on top tomorrow!!

やっと帰宅

今サンフランから戻りました。今日は３時までソノマでフェラーリチェレンジのドライバーのコーチをして、空港には５時に着いてました。早目にフライとにスタンバイしたのですが、月曜はプレジデント・デーで３連休の週末なので飛行機はゲロ混み。残念ながらフライトには乗れず、仕方ないのでターミナルで夕食を食べて予定通りの８時のフライとで帰ってきました。

Just got back from San Francisco. I was done with the Ferrari Challenge driver’s coaching duty at 3pm and got to the aiport at 5pm. I was on Stand By for an earlier flight but unfortunately due the President’s Day week end, the flight was over sold and I had to take my original flight at 8pm. Heck…I was in no rush so I decided to eat dinner at the terminal so I can get to sleep right when I get home.

とりあえず、家に戻って来れてホッとしてます。週末は猛トレーニングの予定です！来週は体調をしっかり整えて、しかも平行にIRL&CCWS合併話で滞ってる交渉を急ピッチで進めないと。本当にこのお陰で沢山のチームがペンディング状態なので大変です・・・。とりあえず、今日は早目に寝とこっと。

Well…I am relieved to be back home. I can relax for a week now but will need to do some intense training during next two weeks getting ready for the season. I will also need to push really hard on getting the deal moving forward. The merger talk between IRL&CCWS is putting a lot of teams on pending mode in which making it really hard for the drivers to get the deal moving forward. Having said all that…I think I will need to get a good night rest tonight and be ready for upcoming week.

時差ボケ・・・？！？

昨日は時差ボケのせいかなかなか寝付けず状態・・・。気がついたら３時頃になってました。７時頃になってだる〜って起きて、朝からサーキットでお仕事。フェラーリチェレンジのドライバーもだいぶ自分のコーチングと息があってきたのか、去年と比べると恐るべしタイムアップ！！本人も喜んでるみたいなので、何よりです。

I am still jet lagged from the trip...I couldn't sleep until 3am last night and was up at 7am this morning. I was still sleepy but at least the weather was nice and turned out to be a good day at the track. My driver is getting better every time we work together and I am really looking forward for his first race!

しかし、相変わらずアメリカは合併話で色んな噂が飛び回ってます。どうなる事やらって感じです・・・、が早く方向性が決まらないと自分の話も進まないので困った所です。アメリカン・オープン・ホイールを考えると合併は不可欠ですが、慎重に話し合って決めないと、あとあとまた面倒な事になりそうです。とにかく来週までは動きはなさそうな感じです。

Well...the talk about the US motorsports this past week has all been about Open Wheel unification and not so much about the Daytona 500. There are lots of rumors going around and it certainly would be a great thing for American Motorsports if they can merge. However, I really hope they don't rush in to the decision since there are so many obstacle that they have to overcome and more or likely...I feel it it better off to prepare the merge for next year. Well...who knows what will happen?!?...but seems as if nothing will happen until next week.

サンフランに到着

さっき無事にサンフランに到着しました。今朝LAに着いて家に戻ってお仕事。ちょこっと昼寝をしてから、６時に家を出て夕飯を食べてからサンフランに出発。ホテルに着いたのは１２時過ぎでした。かなり疲れましたね・・・。

Just arrived to SF. I was in LA this morning and got some work done....than took a nap for a little while, had a dinner meeting and was off to SF at 9pm. It is already past 12am here...and I am pretty tired.

明日と明後日はソノマでフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事。思ったよりも暖かいので良かった・・・。って言っても日本ほど寒くないだけど、普通に涼しいですけどね！？！（笑）では、明日の仕事も早いのでそろそろ寝ます。

Well, I will be here for next two days coaching a driver in Ferrari Challenge. It is warmer than I thought here so at least that would be nice working out door. I better get to sleep now...

これから出発

今は成田でこれからアメリカに戻ります。いや〜今回の滞在はタフでした。家族を連れての帰国は本当に大変ですね。もともと、子供の頃から飛行機は一人で乗るもんだと思っていたので・・・！？！（笑）そうそう、空港でファンの方に声をかけてもらってなんだかメッチャ嬉しかったです。色々と考えて行くと茂木が楽しみです！！あっ、その前に早目に話をパパット決めてこないと！！もう１ヶ月程もうちょいと言ってますが、あと一息です。帰ってからも忙しくなりそうだ〜〜〜！！

I am at the airport now getting ready to catch my flight back to LA. It certainly was a busy trip and I am really looking forward to getting home. I usually travel by my self so arranging everything for my wife, son, a pet sitter for my dog and cat was just too much. However, the highpoint of my trip was when I bumped in to my fan at the airport who wished me the best for this season!! I really hope I can get the deal done really soon to give great news to all my fans in the near future!!

酸素カプセルで復活！

今日はもうアメリカに戻る日。１週間の滞在もあっと言うまでした・・・。昨日は滞在中の疲れ＆体調不良を治す為に午前中はエアープレス上野に行って酸素カプセルに入ってきました。１時間半ミッチリ入って、残りの２０分はマッサージチェアーでマッサージ。これ、かなり快適でそうとうリラックスができました。カプセルから出たらいきなり生き返った感じで、改めて効果の実感を得る事ができた感じです。

I can't believe I am already going back to LA today. Usually my 7day stay here in Japan feels a little bit longer...but this time it was so hectic that I never even had time to think about anything. Well, since I needed some time to recover as well as to relax, I decided to go to AirPress Ueno to get oxgynated. I was in the oxygen capsule for 1.5hr and than sat on the massage chair for 20min. I will say that I felt really refreshed after being in the capsule for 1.5hr and definitely can say that those thing work well!!

さてさて、今から午前中に数件ミーティングがあり、お昼過ぎに成田に向かい今晩のフライトでアメリカに戻ります。早く戻らないと、インディアナポリスではIRL＆Champ Car合併の話で色々と噂が飛び回っているので情報収集しないと・・・！？！

I am off to several meetings this morning before I head back to US. I better get home in a hurry since there are a lot of rumors going around about the IRL & Champ Car merger....

久しぶりにアップ

皆さんお久しぶりです。数日間ブログアップをしていなくてごめんなさい・・・。日本に戻ってきてから、挨拶回りでドタバタでした。週末は妻の実家がある岡山に行き、妻と息子はそのまま岡山に滞在して自分だっけさっき東京に戻ってきました。自分一人の行動だったら楽なのですが、今回は息子と妻も一緒でしかも移動のときは大荷物だったので、残念ながらPCは持てずブログのあっぷもできず・・・、携帯からのメール確認だけの数日間でした。

Sorry for not updating my blog for couple of days... I have been traveling the last couple of days with my family here in Japan while trying to have some meeting at the same time. It has been a hectic couple of days. During the weekend, I took my wife and son to Okayama where my wife's family live and just came back to Tokyo. My wife and son will be there for couple of weeks while I will be working hard...!?!

明日は東京でお仕事。明後日のフライトで戻り、LAに着いたらその日の晩にサンフランに移動してソノマでフェラールチェレンジにお仕事。引き続き大忙しな毎日が続きそうです・・・。

I will have multiple meetings tomorrow and will fly to LA on Weds, Than I am off to SFO and to Sonoma that night for a coaching duty for my Ferrari Challenge driver....I better get some rest tonight...zzzzz

日本も寒いですね〜・・・。

まだ時差ボケ状態・・・。でも、今日は７時前まで息子が寝てくれたので、なんとかグッスリ寝れました！昨日は実家に両国にある親父の実家に行って、親戚勢に息子のお披露目。皆と会って、息子はちょっとビックリしてましたが、最後には大興奮。本人も大喜びみたいです！！（笑）

Obviously I am still jet lagged...however, my son was able to sleep in until 7am so I was able to get some decent sleep last night. Last night I went to see my father's family relatives and had a big dinner. Today, I will have to do some work in the morning and than off to see my mom's family relative. The schedule is just as tough for my son just like all my pre race event date before the Motegi race or Indy 500!?!

今日は何カ所か挨拶回りをしてから、午後は母親の方の実家に行って、またまた息子の息子のお披露目大会。自分の茂木＆５００前の様に息子にとってはハードスケジュールですね！？！（笑）しかし、日本はやっぱり寒いですね。週末は雪・・・？！？でもLAでは見れないから息子も喜ぶかな？！？

Since I am only here until the 13th...it will really be a busy trip and there is no time to waste...but certainly enjoying the great food here!! It is definitely really cold here and it is supposed to snow during the week end which I am not looking forward to. However, it will be the first snow experience for my son and he may enjoy...but I hope he doesn't catch a cold during this stay.

日本に到着

昨日の夜、無事に日本に着きました。着いたら雪が降っていたのでビックリ！？！この間インディアナポリスに行った時に寒さに比べればヘッチャラですが、日本も寒いですね〜。

Arrived in Japan safely. I was surprised to see the snow when I arrived at the airport! Since I was in Indianapolis last week where it was much colder...this feels like nothing but it definitely is cold enough!?!

飛行中は息子も静かにしてくれていたのですが、さすがに何時起きるかわからないので、なかなかユックリくつろぐ事はできませんね・・・。息子は機内でグッスリ寝て、もちろん今は完璧に時差ボケで４時前から起きてます！？！そんなこんなで自分も目が覚めてしまい、早速メールチェックにお仕事です！！

During the flight, my son was really quite and behaved well. Although he slept through the flight so well, he is still jet lagged and was up from 4am this morning. Obviously I was up too so I figured it would be best to get all my work done in the morning so I can visit some people during the day and make the most use of it!!

これから日本

今はLAの空港に居ます。今回は妻＆息子も一緒なので荷物が大変・・・。無事にチェックインも終わり、今はラウンジに居ます。１歳になった息子も意志が強くなって、１１時間のフライとを我慢できるか不安です。何時もはフライと中に爆睡ですが、今回は寝れなそう・・・。では、そろそろ出発の時間なので行ってきます！！

I am at the airport now. Since I am traveling with my wife and my son this time, I had quite a few luggage to check in. Everything went smoothly and I am at the lounge now waiting for the flight. I usually sleep through the flight to Japan but I am not sure how my son will take the 11hr flight... I guess it will be a long journey for me! Well...it's time to fly!!

スーパーボール

今日はスーパーボール・サンデー。NFLの優勝決定戦が行われ、NYジャイアンツの優勝。New England Patriotsが勝つと思っていたのでビックリ！日本では以外と知られていませんが、アメリカではアメフトが人気１位のスポーツなんですよね。日本的にはメジャーリーグが一番・・・って思われてる方も多いと思いますが、このスーパーボールは全米中が注目するイベントです。

Since it was the Super Bowl Sunday...I decided to stay home to watch the game. My wife and my dad doesn't understand the game at all since football in Japan is not so popular so I had lots of explaining to do during the game. I was kind of surprised to see the Patriots loosing the game...

スーパーボールが終わってからは夕食前にジムで軽くトレーニング。最近はずっと風邪がひどくてやすんでいたので、久しぶりに身体を動かしに行ってきました。風邪のせいか少しパワーダウンした気もしますが・・・、とにかく２月はハードトレーニングで体調管理するぞい！！

After the bowl game, I went to the gym for about an hour for light training. I haven't been to the gym since I was trying to recover from the cold but this month will definitely need to be a good training month for me!! Good thing my wife and son is going to be back in Japan since I can concentrate on being at the gym all day long!!

ブランチ

今日は久しぶりに親父が日本から来ているので、ブランチをしにサンタモニカにあるHuntley Hotelに行きました。このホテルには以前Infiniti EX35の試乗会の時にディナーをしに行った事があり、景色も良く今日は天気も良かったので行く事に決めました。

Since my dad is in town, we went out to Brunch in Santa Monica today. We ended up going to this restaurant in The Huntley Hotel. I went there couple of month a go for an Infiniti EX35 Media Preview dinner. The place has awesome view and since the weather was so nice today, I figured that will be the ideal location to have brunch.

自分と妻、そして親父と息子をつれてランチをして、自分は本日のスペシャルのロブスターサンドウィッチをチャレンジ。よっしゃーサンドも写真でおさめてブラグにあっぷしてやら〜〜って思ったのも束の間。それまでグッスリ昼寝をしていた息子がバッチリ起きてしまい、仕方ないのでサンドウィッチは飲み込む様に食べてしまったので写真はありません・・・。しか〜し、せめて景色でもと思い写真は撮ってきました！？！（笑）

I ordered the Today's Special which was the Lobster Sandwich. I was going to take a pict and uploaded on to my blog....however my son ended up waking up just in time when the food was delivered. I must say that the Sandwich was fantastic!! I was not able to take the pict of the Sandwich but I took the view out of the restaurant which was just as tasteful as the food!?!

LAに無事到着

今日は朝７時のフライト。インディアナポリスは昨晩から雪がガンガン降り、朝起きたら１０cmほど積もってました！４駆の車にしといて良かった〜！！有り難う〜SUBARUフォレスター〜〜〜って感じでした！！（笑）空港に到着して飛行機も無事に飛び立ち、予定通りにLAに到着。

I had to catch a 7am flight this morning and was up at 4am. I was conerned about the snow that started to fall last night and by the time I got up...snow was up to 6in!! I really had to than having the Subaru Forester for my rental otherwise I would have never made it to the airport!?! The flight was on time and was able to get back to sunny LA on time.

飛行場についてからは、今年からチームを立ち上げたいと言う投資家とミーティング。まだ、３０代半ばでかなり成功しているビジネスマン。テンションもめっちゃ高くて３０分で終わるかなと思ったミーティングが３時間近く続いちゃいました。

I was due to have a meeting with an Investor who is interested to start his own team so I met with him in Beverly Hills. I thought it was just going to be a quick meeting...but that turned in to a 3hr talk!! I guess that's a good sign...or at least a good start to the relationship. Nothing is firm yet but things could develop real quickly!! That's the thing about this business (Racing)... You think you are really close to a deal only to realize next morning that you are still far away!?! However, once you stop trying, that's end of the story. Therefore I have to keep pedaling!!

インディーでのミーティング

今日は午前中にスピードウェイに行って、身体検査。何も問題なくチェックが終わり、午後はチーム等々とプログラムのミーティング。話が右に行ったり左に行ったりしつつ、前進している事は確かです。が、既に１０日間くらい遅れをとっているので、何とか話が固まる様に頑張って交渉してきました。

Went to the Speedway in the morning to do my Medical Check. Everything went smoothly and I was off to several meetings in the afternoon. The negotiations keeps going left and right....but we are certainly making progress. It always becomes a waiting game at last...however, we will have a lot to catch up with once the deal is done since I feel like we are 10days behind the program.

明日の朝一のフライトでLAに帰る予定ですが、今夜は吹雪くみたいで飛行機がとぶかどうか心配です・・・。早く暖かい所に帰りて〜・・・。

I will be flying back to LA early tomorrow morning but there supposed to be a winter storm coming in tonight...and hopefully my flight will be OK tomorrow. I am so ready to head back to the Sunshine State!!

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!!

今年もあと１日。

今年もあと１日ですね。日本はすでに大晦日。昨日は家に戻ってきたのが１１時頃だったので、今朝は８時頃までゴロゴロ。９時には起きて家を掃除して、年末の買い出しに行きました。早目にと思ってお昼前に日系のスーパーに行ったのですが、駐車場はめちゃ混み！？！あらためて混んでる所は嫌いだ・・・と思いました。

I can't believe there is just one more day to go for 2007. Since I got home late last night... I slept in until 8am and I got up and start cleaning the house. We had to do some grocery shopping since we were out of town for a while and the Japanese Super Market was packed!?! I tried to make the shopping as quickly as I can which did not make my wife happy....I think I had enough of waiting in cashier line for Christmas Shopping.

夜は寒いのでお家で蟹すき鍋。子供が居るのでカウンターで立ち喰いスタイル。最近流行りとはいえ、やっぱり座って食べる方が落ち着きますね。ではでは、日本に居る皆さん、良い年を迎えて下さい！！今年も一年間応援有り難うございました！！

Just had dinner at home. We had Crab ShabuX2 for dinner. It was pretty good although we had to leave the pot on the counter and eat standing since we were afraid that our son my touch the hot pot. The food was still great and I am looking forward to tomorrow's new year eve!!

無事に帰宅

さっき無事に帰宅しました。今日はスクール最終日。自分が講師をしていたクラスは無事に終了していたのですが、違うカリキュラムを行っていたクラスでちょっとしたアクシデントがあり、スクールが終わってから長いミーティング。早く帰れると思ったのに残念・・・。けっきょくLAに戻ってきたのは１０時。妻＆息子を連れててそのまま韓国料理店に行き夕飯を食べてさっき帰ってきました。めちゃ疲れました。今年もあとちょっとですね・・・。

Just got home...I thought we were going to have an early day today but unfortunately there was a minor incident on other class and all the instructor had to stay extra 20min for a quick meeting. I was back in LA by 10pm, but my wife and I decided to eat in K-Town since we didn't have the energy to cook and I finally just got home. It was a long day...happy to be home though! There is two more day for 2007...I can't believe the year is ending!?!

スクール２日目

今日はスクール２日目。今朝も６時起き。天気予報では雨の予定でしたが、とりあえず雨も降る事もなく順調にスクールも終了。相変わらず寒いですが・・・。明日で家族の小旅行も終了。息子と妻は水族館に行ったみたいで、自分も行きたかったな・・・。とりあえず、明日は仕事納めって感じです。気合いを入れて仕事をしてきます！！

2nd day working at the school today. I got up at 6am as usual and was at the track by 7am. The forecast was rain but fortunately it was dry all day. It was still cold out there though... Tomorrow will be the last day and I will be driving home with my family, It would be the last day at work for me this year so I am looking forward to it. I wished if I could have joined my wife and son at the aquarium today but seems like they enjoyed their time there.

スクール初日

今日はスクール初日。朝起きたらメチャ寒っ！！サーキットに着いたら氷点下だったので、ビックリ！？！天気が良かったのが唯一の救いですが、明日は雨みたいでちょっとブルー。仕事は順調に終わり、これから妻と子供と夕食です。モントレー＆カーメルには可愛らしいレストランがたくさんあるので、食べに行くのが楽しみです。普段は一人でいけないので・・・。

It was the first day of the school today. I couldn't believe how cold it was this morning...it was freezing when I got to the track. At least the weather was nice and it was good day at work although it's supposed to rain tomorrow which I am not looking forward to at all!?! I just got done with work and just about to go to dinner with my family. There are quite of few great restaurants here in town and I am enjoying the time with my family. Usually I don't eat at good restaurants when I'm here working by my self so at least I get to enjoy my private time here in Monterey with my family!!

小旅行

今日は午前１０時に家を出発して先程モントレーに到着。明日から自分はスキップバーバーでのお仕事がありますが、家族を一緒に連れてきて子供と妻はモントレー＆カーメルエリアで小旅行。自分も日中は一緒に水族館に連れて行きたいのですが、自分はしっかりお仕事。が、普段は一人でするロングドライブも家族が一緒だったのでぜんぜん苦痛ではありませんでした。しかも、途中でメチャメチャ吹雪いてビックリ！！今日は無事に到着できて何よりって感じですかね！？！

I left the house at about 10am today to get to Monterey. I will be working for the next 3days, by decided to take my family up there so they can spend some time in Monterey and Carmel. I wished if I can join them at the aquarium...but I will have to work all three days. Nevertheless, they kept me a companied for the boring long hour drive today. At one point, it started to snow really hard and got me worried for a second. Well, it's good to be here and I'm sure we will enjoy it here for the next 3days!!

ついにiPhoneゲット！

ちょっと遅らせながら、ついにプレゼントでiPhoneをゲット！前から欲しかったので、めちゃ嬉しいです。以前使っていた携帯もしっかりと使い切ったって感じなので！！この電話は大事に使わないと。落としたらすぐに壊れそうだから・・・。

I finally got the iPhone for my Christmas Present! I have wanted to get this phone for a while...and I was just waiting to use up my old phone which was just about to break. I really need to take care of this iPhone since I don't think it's durably especially if I drop it every week like I used to with my old phone....

しかし、時代は進化しますね〜！！このiPhoneはメチャ使いやすいし、機能はシンプルでルックスも良くてお薦めです。日本ではまだ発売されてないみたいですが、発売したら売れそうです。

I must say that this phone is really sweet! It's easy to use and it has everything you need from a phone!! I don't think iPhone is not out yet in Japan so it will certainly be a show off product when I get back there after the new year.

メリークリスマス

今日はクリスマス・イブ。日本ではクリスマス（とくにイブ）は盛り上がりますが、こちらでは完全に家族とマッタリ過ごすと言う感じなので、街はかなり静かです。こっちのクリスマスは日本で言う年越しみたいな感じですね。

I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve. This year went by so fast...and I am not sure if I am ready to celebrate. Well...unlike being in Japan, I like the Christmas here in US because it is more quite. For some reason, Christmas in Japan is a huge function for the couples...and it really is a pain in the rear to arrange the restaurant reservation and etc.

明日になると町中は休みになってしまうので、今日中にスーパーやターゲットで買い物。クリスマスショッパーでかなり混雑してましたが、道がすいてたのが唯一のすくいです。今夜は妻と息子と３人で家出食事をしてユックリと過ごしま〜す！メリクリ！！

I was out today finishing the last minute shopping. Obviously the store was busy but at least there was no traffic getting to places. Tonight I will be having a dinner with my wife and son at home. It should be a quite and peaceful dinner...may be not with my son though!?!

フライドターキー

昨晩は以前ルームメートをしていたカズさんの家でクリスマスパーティーがあったので、親子＆ピットも参加。大勢の人がきてわいわいがやがや！プレゼント交換もして楽しい夜でした！皆がちょっとずつ食事＆ドリンクを持ち込み食べて飲んで騒ぎまくりです。

I went out last nigh for a Christmas Party at my friend's house who used to be my room mate. A lot of people came to the party and I had a great time there. We all brought some food and drinks and were there past midnight.

夕飯のメインディッシュはフライドターキー。ターキーは普通ThanksGivingDayに食べるのですが、今年は友達で集まって食べれなかったのであえて、クリスマスに食べました。普通はオーブン焼きなのですが、素揚げの方がターキーのパサパサ感がなくてメチャ美味しいです！！かなり大きい鍋が必要ですが、実際には４０分でやけるし特に味付けの必要はないので、ある意味オーブン焼きよりも楽かも。ぜひトライしてみて下さい。

The main dish for the night was Fried Turkey. It is kind of odd to have turkey for Christmas...but we figured Turkey would be the best to feed more people. Normally, Turkey is cooked in the oven but we have tried the Fried Turkey last year and it tasted so good that we opted to do that again. It will take a large pot to deep fry the turkey...but it certainly is worth it. It's actually easier to fry the turkey since you just have to drop the bird in the oil and done with it in 40 min!! For those of you who never had Fried Turkey...it's definitely worth a try!

自家製ピザ

今日は妻が美容院に行くので、自分は子供のお守り。妻はカット＆カラーをすると４時間コースなので、今日は家で子供と一緒に遊ぶ事にしました。が、一人でいるとお腹がすいてもランチを作る事ができないので大変・・・。子供が寝てすきに、昨日の夜の前菜で妻が作ったピザの生地の残りを使って、手作りピザを作りました！！

Since my wife was getting her hair done today at the beauty salon...which usually takes her about 4hr for her hair cut and color... I decided to stay home with my son. I was getting hungry before lunch but I had to wait until my son was at sleep. He decided to take his routine nap at 12pm...so I was at work in the Kitchen making pizza from the left over dough that my wife made last night.

けっこう奇麗に円く＆薄くするの大変なんですよね・・・。オーブンで約より石釜で焼いた方がやっぱり美味しい気がしますが、自家製として考えれば上出来！トマトソース、モッツァレラチーズ、にバジルをたっぷり入れて食べちゃいました！！美味っ〜〜！！

It certainly is really difficult to make the dough completely round and thin like the Italian Pizza...but I think I did a pretty good job. Well, at least the oven did!?! I put tomato sauce, Mozzarella, and basil to make it simple Margherita Pizza. I must say that it turned out pretty good!!

クリスマス休み

今日はクリスマス休みに入り前の最後の金曜日。街は既にクリスマスモードで家の近所のビジネス街はなんだか殺風景。自分は休みに入る前に色々とPCで仕事を終わらせたり、デスクの整理。

Since it was the last day before the Christmas Week End...the office building around my apt was pretty quite. I figured most people were rushing into store trying to do the last minute Christmas Shopping. I was at home making sure getting all the work done, and cleaned up my computer desk.

明日は妻が美容院に行くので自分は息子のお守りです。夜は友達の家にパーティーに行くので少し楽しみ！！ではでは、皆さんも良い週末を！！

Tomorrow, I am going to be baby sitting my son all day since my wife is going to beauty salon. I guess she needs some time for her...and I am actual thinking to go somewhere with my son. I am embarrassed to say that I have never been out just with my son so tomorrow would be a good day to do so. We also are going to a party at my friend's house which I am really looking forward to!!

大掃除

今日は家の大掃除をしました。一年分の汚れをしっかりとらないと・・・。クリスマス後はSkipBarberの仕事でまたモントレーに行かなくてはいけないので、今日のうちにやっておこうと思って。やはり部屋が奇麗になるとすっきりしますね！！これで、しっかりと年明けを迎えれます！！

I spent all morning cleaning the house today. It's a Japanese tradition to dust off your house before the new year, and since I will be going to Monterey after Christmas...I decided to get it done today. It certainly feels great when the house is clean and I hope to stay this way!?! Well...may be not so long with my son making a mess everywhere!?!

仕事が終わってからはお仕事。ん〜週末前に終わらせたい物がたくさんあるので、かなりドタバタです。クリスマスが楽しみだな〜〜！？！

After getting the house clean, I spent the whole day in front of my computer getting a lot of work done. Tomorrow will be the final day before the holidays and will definitely need to get things done before that!!

Crocs

今日は午前中はお家で記事を書き、お昼直前にサンタモニカで妻とクリスマスショッピング。息子にはベビーシートを購入して、妻は洋服をちょこちょこゲット。自分はいまさら・・・ですが、部屋用にクロックスをゲットしました！冬バージョンで中の素材は温くていい感じです！！

Woke up early again so I decided to write the article that I needed to get done by the 25th. Than went to Christmas Shopping with my wife to Santa Monica. Since I have already bought a preset for Leica, my wife wanted to get some cloth and I wanted to get a pair of Crocs. I found a pair that would be perfect for my in house needs!!

しかし、街は完璧にクリスマス気分ですね〜。皆もショッピングに必死。自分は今年は節約モードなのでおとなしくしてま〜す・・・。（泣）

Well...just couple of days away from Christmas, people are definitely trying to rush in to the store to get the last minute shopping done. Since I am in the saving mode this year...it certainly is not a fun time for me!?!

今日ゲットしたCrocsです。
The Crocs I bought today...

久しぶりに登場のピット君です！
Pit was not happy about the rain since he couldn't go to the park today...

ランエボ VS STI

今日はRoad&Trackのお仕事で、LA郊外にあるWillowSpringsRacewayでMITSUBISHIランエボVSスバルインプレッサSTIの走行をしてきました！ランエボは先週サーキットで乗ったのですが、STIはどんな走りをするのが楽しみでした。結果は雑誌が発売されるまで言えませんが、どっちも良い車です。個人的にはランエボのSSTのギヤはかなりお気に入りです！！

I was out at Willow Springs today working for Road & Track magazine. We were testing the new Mitsubishi Lance Evo and the Subaru Impreza STI. I had a chance to drive the Evo on track last week but I was looking forward to see how the STI would do against the Evo on track. I can't say and write much until the Road & Track issue is out...but I can definitely say that the new Evo's SST gearbox is fantastic!! They are both sweet cars!!

帰ってきたらもう１０時近く・・・。まだ仕事がいっぱいあるのに。しかも懐が寒い中、明日は妻とクリスマスショッピングにいかないと・・・。

I just got home and it is already 10pm... I have lot to get done...and apparently I have to do some last minute Christmas shopping with my wife...which I am not looking forward to at all!?!

年末に向けてラストスパート

いよいよ年末ですね〜！週末はユックリできた事だし、仕事を全力疾走で頑張らないと！！ここ数週間は色々と頑張ったかいがあって、話はだいぶ進んでます。やはり今週の金曜までに具体化しないと、もうクリスマスになってしまいますからね・・・。年末までに記事も何個か書かないといけないし。

I can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner. I was able to relax during the week end and now it is time to work flat out before the holidays! Things are definitely moving forward and I am hoping to have some ideas by this week end for the program for next season. I am keeping my finger crossed.... I also have to write up couple of articles from the car road test so that will also keep me busy!!

明日はWillowSpringsに行ってRoad&Trackの試乗テストでSubaru Impreza STI VS MitsubishiエボⅩです！サーキット走行で真っ向対決！ちょっと楽しみです。

Tomorrow, I will be out at Willow Springs Raceway to do a test on Subaru Impreza STI VS Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. I am really looking forward and definitely any kind of track time is important for me during the off season to keep me sharp!!

体調回復

昨日からの風邪はだいぶ良くなりましたが、今日は安静の為に家でおとなしくしてました・・・。妻と息子は友人の家に遊びに行ったので、自分は一人でピットとのびのび。子供が産まれてから家はずっと騒がしかったのに、なんだか変な感じです。

Trying to recover from the cold...I stayed quite today at home. Since my wife and my son was out visiting friend's, I had the house all by my self...well actually with Pit. Since my son was born, the house was always noisy...but it certainly was peaceful today.

さてさて、クリスマスまであと２週間。来週はラストスパートって感じで気合いをいれて頑張らないと！！

Well...I rested well and I will need to really get on it this week trying to get a lot of work done before Christmas!!

風邪だ〜。

今日はお昼過ぎから体調が絶不調。仕事の方が一段落した所でついに、気が抜けて風邪をひいったっぽいです・・・。喉も痛くて身体もしびれる・・・。今夜と明日はユックリ寝る事にしときます。

I am not feeling so well today. After being able to get a lot of work done this past week, I will finally be able to get some good rest this week end, but seems like I caught a cold. Well, if anything it may be a good time to get the cold out of the way since I will have a lot more things happening before Christmas!!

インプSTI&S2000CRを試乗

今日ももの凄く忙しい一日でした。朝一で来年のスポンサーシップの件に関してのミーティング。５００歩くらい進んだ気がするので少しは一安心。方向性は見えてきたのであと一息です。

Another real busy day for me... Got up really early and had a early morning meeting for next year's sponsorship program. I think I was able to make a big stride today and I am very happy with everything. We certainly have more work to do...but at least I feel that we have got the platform covered to get our work done!!

１０時頃はニューポートビーチに行き、スバルインプレッサSTIを試乗とHONDAS2000CRを試乗＆撮影。色々とやっていたらあっと言う間に夕方になってしまい、一日も終わってしまいました。話が落ち着いてきて少しは安心しできますが、最近はジムにろくにいけてなくてイライラ・・・。明日は絶対に行ってやる！！

At 10am, I was at Newport Beach doing the test drive for the Subaru Impreza STI and the Honda S2000CR. It turned out to be a longer day than I thought...and I just came home. I am pretty frustrated not being able to get to the gym the last two days since I was really busy...but I definitely need to get back to my regular training regime starting tomorrow...especially if I want to celebrate during the holiday season!?!

忙しい〜。

今日は早目に起床。動画を撮る仕事があったので、朝一で髪の毛をカットに行ってきました。かなりのびててイメージ的にも良くないと思ったので、短くしてサッパリ！何時もと同じショートカットですが。

Got up early this morning since I wanted get my hair cut done before taping a 20sec comment video that I needed to get done. I was getting frustrated with my funky hair...and it wasn't looking professional so it was time for a hair cut!!I had my usual cut done but I certainly didn't pick the right day for it because it is really chilly today and short hair doesn't help the situation...

お昼過ぎには撮影現場に行って、凡そ２０秒のコメントを日本語＆英語で撮影。帰ってきてからは色々と溜まっているお仕事。スポンサーとの交渉に関しては順調。しか〜し、日本からの以来で色々と頼まれてる商品の取引のトラブルがあって大変。いい事があったり、悪い事があったり・・・。が、何よりも本業のレースの話が前向きなので何よりです！！

After lunch, I went out to film the 20sec comment in English and Japanese. I had to do several re-takes but I am so glad that I am not an actor. Everything is going well in regards to the sponsor negotiations for next season, but had some small issues that I had to take care of in regards to other business that I am consulting for. For me, main thing is to make sure that racing part is going well and so far everything is moving forward as planned!! I think it's matter of time to be able to have all the deals squared out and being focused 100% back to racing!!!

ようやく帰宅

本当は昨日の夜中に帰宅する予定が、昨日の天気が悪くてあまり良い写真が撮れなかったので今日は居残りで車の撮影。朝一で現場に行って、撮影をすませて９時にはフェニックスを出発。途中で一回給油して、LAまで直行。凡そ５時間のドライブでしたね。帰り際に一緒に同行したカメラマンをアメリカHONDAの本社にドロップ。金曜はHONDAS2000CRを試乗するので車をピックアップ。

I was supposed to get home last night, but since we couldn't get great pict of the car yesterday because of the rain, we decided to stay overnight and take more still shots of the car this morning. Luckily, the weather was great and our photographer was able to get what he needed. We left the sight at about 9am and headed home. Made a quick stop for fuel and was able to get back to LA with in 5hr. Not bad as a drive but would have been bad if I was alone!?! On the way home, I needed to drop off the Photographer at Honda US HQ to pick up a S2000CR for the test drive and shoot on Fri.

今日はやっと家に戻って来れたのでとりあえず、これから息子と遊んでリラックスです。が、仕事が山のようにたまってる・・・。来季の交渉もあるし、休み暇はないな。

Finally got home and I hope to have some time to relax and play with my son. Unfortunately, I have ton of work to catch up with and probably won't be able to get any rest tonight...

MITSUBISHIランサー・エボ

今日はフェニックス郊外にある、ファイヤーバードレースウェイで新型MITSUBISHIランサー・エボルーションの試乗会。朝一から車の説明を聞いてお昼前からサーキット走行。あいにく天気が悪く午後から雨は降ってしまいましたが、サーキット走行は無事に終了。想像していた以上にSSTと言われる6MTの２ペダルミッションの性能が良くてビックリ。本当は今日の夜に帰る予定が、午後は雨が降ってしまったので今夜は居残りで明日の朝一にまた車の撮影をして帰ります。ん〜早くお家に帰りたい・・・。

I was at the media preview day at the Firebird Raceway just out side of Phoenix today for the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The day started early and we got the details of the car info in the morning...and off to track by 10am. The new Evo was certainly impressive especially with the new SST transmission that they came out with which is a 2 pedal 6MT. I was supposed to go home tonight...but since the weather was not so cooperative this morning, we will have to stay another night for more photo shoot tomorrow morning. I am really looking forward to getting home tomorrow.

フェニックスに到着

今日は午前中は銀行に行ったり、色々とドタバタ。お昼前にフェニックスに向けて出発。夕食会に間に合わなくてはいけなかったので、ちょっと飛ばしてフェニックスに到着。５時間半のドライブだったのでボチボチ。

Pretty busy day today. Before heading to Phoenix for the Mitsubishi Evo media day, I had to do some running around to the bank and etc...Since I was a bit behind for the dinner, so I had to make it out to Phoenix with in 5hr...which I successful did.

今回はMITSUBISHIのランサー・エボの試乗会できてるので泊まりはScottsdaleにあるValley Ho Hotel。ちょっとはやりのブティックのホテルに滞在。超高級モーテルって感じで個人的に嫌いではないです。が、さっき皆と飲んでてルームサービスでシャンパンを頼んだら“２０分以内で宅配します”って自信を持って言われてなんだかビックリ！？！ピザ屋じゃないんだからダッシュで持ってきてよ〜〜〜ってねごっちゃいました・・・！？！（笑）

Since I am here for the Mitsubishi Lance Evo preview, I am staying at the Valley Ho Hotel in Scottsdale. It is an old school boutique motel...kind of like The Standard in LA. Not bad as a room but I was really surprised when I called for room service...they told me it will take up to 20min for a bottle of Champaign. Well...I don't have anything to celebrate about, but it' still funny when the service guys give you a time reference kind of like the pizza delivery man...!?!

明日からフェニックス

今日は日曜日。明日からフェニックスに行ってMITSUBISHIランサー・エボの試乗会があります。ずっと前から乗ってみたかったのでちょっと楽しみです。一昨日から少し風邪気味の息子から移されたのか自分もちょっと喉が痛くてだるい・・・。ん〜ここは気合いで乗り越えないとな〜〜！！ではでは、明日からも頑張るぞ〜！！

Nothing exiting today since it was Sun. I will have to go to Phoenix tomorrow for media day of the New Mitsubishi Lancer Evo which I am looking forward to drive. I have heard great thing about the car especially the gearbox. Other than that, I tried to stay quite today as my son was trying to recover from his cold...I think he managed to pass it on to me.... Well I better get better for tomorrow since I will have a 6hr drive to AZ.

子供が風邪気味

なんだかLAはここ２日間でメチャ寒っ。って言っても日本程ではないと思いますが・・・。息子は鼻水をたらして、少し風邪気味っぽいので午前中は子供の看病。あっと言う間に午後になってしまい、子供が寝てる間にジムでトレーニング。今日はみっちり走り込んできました！自分も少し風邪気味かな・・・って弱気モードに入ってしまったので気合いを入れ直したら体調は絶好調！！

It's been pretty cold last two days here in LA. I'm sure it's colder in Japan or places in Mid-West...but this is all I can handle!?! My son is sneezing and have runny nose so I went to the pharmacy this morning to get him some medicine. I spent majority of the AM with my son since he was not happy with the runny nose.... Well once he finally got to nap for couple of hours, I went running for 1hr to catch up with my training as well. I was almost not feeling so well either...but after 1hr run, I think I fought off all the cold that was just about to hit me!?!

同時に昨日のミーティング内容を色々とまとめてグッヅ関連に関しても早めに話を進行できる様に動いたりしたらあっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。なんとか２０日前後までに色々と決めて行かないと、年末になるとなかなか話が進まなくなってしまいますからね。ではでは、皆さん良い週末を！！

Well...in the afternoon, I reviewed all the e-mails and stuffs for next season's merchandise plan. Thinking about time line and trying to back track everything...I will definitely need to have a good idea by sometime next week and have things pretty much locked up by the 20th since once we go past that, everything will slow down for the Holidays. I am finally done working today and I hope to enjoy my rest of the week end!!

スポンサーと交渉

今日は朝からミーティング。来季の話がいよいよ具体化してきたのでグッヅ制作などに関してミーティングをしていたらあっと言う間に午後になってしまいました。同時に来季に向けてのスポンサーと交渉している所から連絡が入りかなり大忙し。茂木の話も具体化してきたなか、こういう時に限って色んな所から興味のある話が舞い込んでくるので人生って不思議ですよね・・・。が、メインは１カ所としか契約できないので、今まで話を続けてきた会社との交渉を続行。早く話が決まるといいな〜と思いつつ、グッヅ選びも集中できない・・！？！しかし、作るならイケてるグッヅを作るぞと気合いをいれなおして、夕方までミーティング。

It was a real busy day with various meeting through out the day. I had to meet up to discuss about the merchandising items for next year and I really think we are going to have great line up. I can't wait to see the actual sample. Meanwhile, I received a call from a prospect sponsor for next year who is interested to joining our program. I must say life is weird since finding a sponsor is kind of like when you are searching for a "girlfriend".You can never find one that you are looking for when you are single...but than you come across many opportunity when you are locked in with someone else....life is a challenge!?! The good news is, there are interests out there and I have to maximize this opportunity since you don't get many chances like this!!

これからジムに行ってランニングです！！いや〜今日は忙しい・・・。

Well...I've got to hit the gym now while my kid is at sleep!!

サミ〜

今日のLAはなんだか寒い一日でした。午前中はジムに行ってみっちりトレーニング。この数日間は原稿の記事だったり来季の交渉でなんだかちゃんとトレーニングをできてなかったので、今日はがっちりやっときました！夕方は家でお仕事。今週末は家にいれますが、来週の月曜はフェニックスに移動して、火曜日に試乗会。試乗してその日の夕方に原稿を書かなくてはいけないので、心の準備をしておかないと！？！ん〜早くレースする事だけを考える生活に戻りたいな・・・！？！

It was a pretty cold day here in LA. I guess it's supposed to rain tomorrow... Since I haven't had time to do proper training past couple of days with overloaded work writing car impression article as well as trying to get all the deals done for next year, I spent quality time at the gym today. I still had to get home and work on couple of things in the afternoon since I will be out of town again next week heading to Phoenix. I will be test driving the new Lancer Evo which I am looking forward to...but I will have to write up an article that night which means I better be ready for that!! Things are definitely moving forward but I really hope I can get to a stage where I am focused on just racing rather than trying to figure out the numbers to go racing....

子供のイタズラ

今日は一日中お家でお仕事。一生懸命に集中して仕事をしようとするのですが、息子のいたずらが凄くて、５分おきに中断・・・。これじゃ〜仕事が進まないって子供のせいにするのも良くはありませんが・・・。しかし、雑誌をグッシャX２にしたり、電気のコードをいじったり、危なくて目が離せません。最近はイタズラがもの凄くエスカレートした気がして本当に大変です。ま〜自分が出張で出かけてる時に、妻が子供と二人きりになる時の大変さを実感する一日でした！？！

Was at home all day getting some work done. I am trying to focus getting all the articles done...but my son will come in to my room every five minutes and make a disaster throwing the magazines everywhere and playing with the electronic cords... Obviously I can't take my eyes off from him so I can't get any work done, and need to make most out of the 1hr nap time he usually gets every 3hr. Well...I can't blame my son for not getting all the work done, but it definitely made me realize how tough it was for my wife to be home just with him when I am out of town!?! I certainly need to appreciate more for my wife's support...

HONDAアコードを試乗

日曜日に突然HONDAアコードの記事の以来があったので、今日はトーランスに行きアコードのセダンとクーペを借りて試乗。２週間前にセダンの３．５Lを乗ったのですが、一応２．４Lとクーペも試乗したかったので、突然のお願いに応えてくれて米HONDA広報部に感謝です。やっぱり記事はしっかり乗ってみないと実際に書こうと思うとなかなか書く事が頭に浮かびませんからね。ただでさえ、最近はボキャブラが減ってますから・・・。（笑）

Since I got a request to write about the new Honda Accord, I went to test drive the new sedan as well as the coupe. I definitely liked the coupe especially with the 3.5l engine. Real nice car. I certainly appreciate the Honda guys for getting the car on such a short notice!! I think I will have more to write about now that I have driven all the Accord models.

家に戻ってきてからは来季の件に関して電話で打ち合わせ。色々とスポンサーとの話もかなり具体化してきて良いニュース！ちかい将来には発表できると思うので楽しみに待ってて下さいね！！そうそう、自分の中にはさらに驚きのニュース。まだ、しっかり立てませんが、今日抱っこから子供を降ろした時に数秒だけど自力で立ちました！歩き始めるのも時間の問題ですね！！

I got home and worked on things for next season. Had a great news from our prospect sponsor today and we are definitely moving forward with everything. I am hoping to be able to announce the deal in the very near future. I also have a big news today! Well...at least for me... My son was able to stand on his own for couple of seconds! Well...it will be a race between me putting the deals together or my son starting to walk!?!I hope I win..

クリスマスまで３週間

昨日はなんだか夜あまり寝れなくて、今日はちょっと寝不足・・・。しかし、最近は息子のイタズラが凄すぎて家を片付けてもすぐに散らかす・・・。なんなんでしょうね、子供の心理。とりあえずDVDとか出しまくって散らかすと満足そうに何処か違うものを探しに行く姿を見ると、怒りたくなるのですが可愛くてなんだか許しちゃいます。

Couldn't sleep well last night and my brain is not functioning well today. My son woke me up bright and early this morning...and I really would mind a nap now. My son is definitely turning in to a monster lately...and although he can't drive a race car yet...he is definitely driving me and my wife crazy already!?!

さてさて、今日は朝から色々と記事を書いたりのお仕事。最近は色々と書いてきたので少しは書き慣れてきたのかなと調子にのってるのも束の間でボキャブラーリーの少なさに最近は苦戦中・・・。が、来季のレース活動の件に関してのスポンサー活動の方面では前向きに進んでます。よく考えたらあと３週間でクリスマス。その前に話を決めないと！！

I got some work done this morning and had a quick meeting after lunch. I had to write some article in Japan and I feel like I'm getting in to the groove for writing in Japanese but at the same time I quickly found out that I am running out for the vocabulary that I can use...!?! The racing side is moving forward and we also got some good news from our prospect sponsors today. I can't believe it's 3weeks away till Christmas and that means I still need to work flat out to keep things moving forward!!

さむいなー

なんだか、最近は寒くて風邪引きそうです・・・。今日はなんだか忙しい一日でした。本当は今週中に１週間くらい日本に帰りたいなと思っていたのが、色んな仕事が増えてしまって難しそうです。（泣）でも、仕事が増えるのはいい事！来年の話も進めなくてはいけないので、今が執念場ですね！しかし、明日は車の記事を幾つか書かなくてはいけなさそうなので、また忙しくなりそうです。

It's getting cold out here...and I am not feeling too well. I was thinking about going back to Japan this week but unfortunately I will have to stay in US and get a lot of work done. I guess I can always go back there if I wanted so for now I should focus on getting the deal done for next year. The good news is...I am getting a lot of request to test drive a road car and write an article in Japanese Media.

Evil Knievel

昨日はアメリカでショッキングなニュースがありました。スタントマンとして世界的にも有名なイーブル・クニーブル氏が亡くなってしまいました・・・。ある意味アメリカンヒーローだったので、こっちではかなり大きなニュースになってます。ドキュメンタリー等をやってて、最後のジャンプをした後に引退を表明して、足の骨等を折ってるのにも関わらず、グランドスタンドに昇ってファンの声援に応えたいと言う映像を見た時は本当に感動しました！！自分もファンの皆さんの声援にしっかり応えれる様に頑張らないとって感じです。その為には早く話を決めないとって感じです！！

Bad news yesterday about the death of Evil Knievel. He certainly was an American Hero and he certainly showed a way of the meaning of "No Fear". I was watching his documentary today and I certainly was moved when he announced his retirement but still walking up to the grand stand with broken leg to see his fans cheering at him. That is a true Hero to me!! Rest in Peace...

コンピューターが・・・。

今朝はPCを開いて色々とピコピコしていたら突然、画面が真っ暗になりビックリ・・・。ACアダプターをつけてなかったのですが、バッテリーはそこそこ残ってたのにおかしいな・・・と恐れ恐れ電源を出して立ち上げたら何とかコンピューターは立ち上がり一安心。が、そんな事がありちょっとビビって色んなファイルのバックアップ。

Woke up in the morning and was online when the computer just went dark...I have no idea what happened and the battery was supposed to be good to operate...but I had a feeling if I connected the power cable it will turn back on. My guess was right and the computer is just working fine now...however, I went to back up all my file on .mac just in case if something happens in near future. Good to be safe than to regret later...

ここ数日間にあった色んなミーティングで来季の話は確実に前進してます。しかし、営業活動は常に１歩進んで２０歩下がるって感じなので、まだ安心はできません。とにかく早く話を決めて発表ができるといいなと思う今日この頃です。

Well, the good news is that we had several great meeting during last several days in regards to next year's program and I feel like we did take big couple of steps forward. Having said that, it's always 2steps forward and 3steps backwards...but at least we are moving along in the right direction! I just wished if I can get all this out of the way and focus on my training and getting ready to be back in the car again but with no surprise this is the worst part of being a race car driver....

もう１２月？

なんだか冬って感じになってきましたね。って気がついたらもう今週末で１２月ですからね！？！今年もあと１ヶ月ではないか〜・・・。ついこの間１１月になったばかりだと思ったのに、うっかりしてる場合ではないですね。来年の話も早めに進めないと、クリスマスになるとアメリカ側がほとんど休みに入り、クリスマスを過ぎてから年始までは日本側が休みに入っちゃいますからね。て、事は１２月２０日頃までには方向性を決めて動かないとって感じです！！頑張るぞ〜〜！！

It definitely feels like winter now. No surprise since we will be in Dec this week end. Obviously the year just flew by...I thought we were just barely in Nov couple of days a go. Well...that means that I really need to pace up all the talks for next year. As we all know, all the talks will come to halt once it goes past 20th here in the US for the Holidays...and to make the situation worse...things in Japan will be quite until Jan 5, that means that we definitely will need to get our direction set by the 20th and perhaps be able to have a verbal commitment. That's at least the goal...which is not a easy task but I must work flat out in order to make that happen so I can have fun during the Holidays!!

ロボットダンス

今日も５時起きで６時にサーキットに向けて出発。眠っ・・・。昨日の夜はDancing With The Stars を見てしまい、少し寝不足。しか〜し、エリオが優勝した事にビックリ！！ダンスの上手さにもビックリ！！自分はダンスの才能は全くゼロですからね。唯一できるのはロボットダンス！？！（笑）

Woke up at 5am again and left the house at 6am to get to the track. Since I watched the Dancing with the Stars last night...I didn't get enough sleep. However, I was thrilled to see Helio win the contest and I'm sure he did a lot of good things to Indy Racing League in general!! Speaking of dancing...I have no talent and only thing I can do is probably "Mr.Roboto"!?!

スクールは無事に終わり、さっき帰宅。今夜は日本から戻ってきてる妻の友達が家に来る予定で夜遅くまでがやがや盛り上がりそう。自分はすぐに寝ちゃいそうですが・・・。

Well,,,the event at the track went well and I just got home. Surprisingly I didn't hit any traffic home and was able to get home smoothly!Tonight we will have some guests at my home...my wife's friend is in town from Japan and I'm assuming it's going to be a noisy night...Nevertheless I'm going to sleep early.

Fonataでお仕事

今日は５時に起きてシャワーを浴びて、６時にフォンタナに向けて出発。渋滞もなく７時前に到着。今日と明日はスキップバーバーの下請けのお仕事で色々と車業界の方々を呼んでフォーミュラーカーの走行が楽しめるイベントです。自分は乗用車（レンタカー）で他のフォミュラーカーを先導するのが仕事でしたが、一日が終わる頃にはタイヤをつるつるにしてしまいました・・・。レンタカー屋さんごめんなさい！？！

Woke up at 5am and dived straight in to the shower. I left the house at about 6am and didn't hit the traffic at all and was at California Speedway by 7am. I will be working for Skip Barber today and tomorrow for a corp event with many guest from car industry. Only thing I had to do was lead follow driving in a rental car. Obviously to get it up to good speed...I had to drive pretty fast and ended up wearing out the tire...felt bad for the guy who will have to return the car tomorrow.

明日も５時起きだ〜。しかし、昔より早起きが辛くないのは歳のせいかな？！？

Well...I will have another early day tomorrow so I better get to bed early again tonight. Having said that...it's scary to think that getting to bed early and getting up early doesn't bother me at all now day....I must be getting old again.

原稿デー

４連休も終わり、今週は忙しくなりそうです。明日からはほとんど家に居ないので、今日はずっと家で試乗した車の原稿等を書き上げてました。息子はお昼に病院に行って検診。順調に育っているみたいで何よりです。しかし、最近は意志も強くなってきて色々と気に入らない事があると訴えてくるので大変です・・・。原稿を書いたりするのも寝てる時間を見計らって仕事をしないとなかなか終わりません。

The long week end is over and back to real life. Since I am going to be out of the house through out the week... I needed to write up several articles that I needed to get done before this week end. My son had a check up at the hospital and I was happy to here that he was doing well with his growth rate. At the same time...I had to maximize the peaceful time to be able to be creative with my writing while he was doing his check up.

夕方はジムに行ってトレーニング。しっかり運動もしとかないと、週末まであまりトレーニングする時間がなさそうなので・・・。明日は５時に起きてカリフォルニアスピードウェイに行かなくてはいけないので、今夜は早めに寝ないと。

Just went to the gym for my training and ready to have dinner. I have to get up at 5am tomorrow...so I better go to sleep early tonight!!

クリスマス・・・？！？

今日は日曜日。４連休の最後の日で、今日もユックリできました。しかし、寒いな〜・・・。サンクスギビングが終わって、街はクリスマスの音楽も流れ始めてもうクリスマス気分。昔はクリスマスは嬉しい次期したが、歳をとるにつれなんだか寂しい時期に感じますね〜！？！

It was a quite Sunday for me. Since it was the final day of the Thanks Giving week end, nothing much was going on and I was able to relax again. Went to Target to get some stuff for the house and couldn't believe that Christmas goods were out on the store already... Christmas was always fun when you were young...but as you get older...it gets less exciting since your wallet keeps going loose during that time of the year!?!

さて、明日からは忙しくなるぞ〜！まずは、LAショーの原稿を書き上げないと・・・。火曜と水曜はフォンタナでお仕事があるし、週末はインディーで大事なミーティングもあるし、忙しくなりそうです！！

Well...I have really busy week coming up so I better be ready for it. I will have to do couple of articles from the LA Auto Show and will have to work at Fontana on Tue and Weds. Than we will have a big meeting on Thurs and I really hope that one will go well since that will allow us to really make a huge step forward on our program next year!!

ピクニック

やはり４連休はなんだか長いですね〜。自分は、昨日は９時に寝ちゃいました・・・。（笑）今日はさすがに、サンクスギビングでいっぱい食べたターキーのカロリーを燃やしに朝からジムでトレーニング。やっぱり運動をしないとスッキリしませんね。

It really feels like a long weekend. I can't believe it's still Sat... I had nothing to do last night so went to bed at 9pm together with my son. I got up this morning and I certainly have to burn off all the calories from the turkey, so I went to the gym to work out.

お昼は妻がお弁当を作って、海岸に行ってピクニック。芝生の上にタオルを敷いてランチを食べて息子もなんだか大喜び。ん〜たまにファミリーサービスをしないと！明日は久しぶりにD-1を見にいこうかな・・・？！？

For lunch, my wife made an Obento and we decided to go to the beach and picnic near the beach. My son was definitely having fun and so far so good for the family entertainment of the week end before I get busy for next week.

Happy Thanks Giving

昨日からアメリカはサンクスギビング・デーで４連休。街は静かでしかも今日は少し暖かくていい天気です。来週はドタバタ忙しいので今週末はユックリ休憩して、息子と沢山遊んであげないと！！

Happy Thanks Giving everyone! The Weather was great today and I got to relax and play with my son today. I will be busy next week so I better refuel my energy during this week end...

とうとう冬・・・？

明日はサンクスギビングで連休に入るので、今日はその前に色々と仕事をすませようとかなりドタバタ・・・。連絡を取ったり、資料を作ったりでかなり忙しい一日でした。途中で銀行に行ったりしていたらあっと言う間に暗くなってしまいました。なんだか風が冷たくて冬だな〜って季節になってしまいましたね。日本ももう寒いみたいだし。なんだか切ない季節。そうそう、それより相変わらず携帯電話の調子が変です。復活したり壊れたり・・・、この際だから完全に潰れるまで使ってやる〜って粘ってますがそろそろ買い時ですね。で、iPhoneをEbayで調べたら$150前後で市場に出回ってるじゃないですか〜！？！これは検討の余地ですね！！

Since we are going in to Thanks Giving Week End, I wanted to get a lot of things done today in regards to contacting people and making sure all the plans were moving forward since we have another big meeting coming up next week. I had to run to the bank before 5pm and I couldn't believe it was dark already. It was a bit chilly through out the day and I'm not so sure about the global warming being in effect today!?! Anyhow...I'm still fighting with my cell phone. It turns on & off by it self and I have decided to use up the phone until it completely goes dead!?! However, I just checked the iPhone price on ebay and they were going from $150. That certainly fits into my budget so I am in high consideration now to obtain a new iPhone!!!

なんだか忙しい一日。

いや〜今日は忙しい一日でした〜。色々と同時進行で話が進んでたり、日本からお願いされた調べ物があったりで、色んな所との連絡の取り合いであっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。なんとか合間縫って午前中にジムに行く事ができましたが・・・。

It was a pretty busy day for me trying to do several things at once which usually doesn't work out and can barely get one thing done. Luckily, I stayed on top of things all day and was able to get all the work done that I needed to. I even managed to go to the gym and work out for 1.5hr,

木曜日はThanksGivingで週末まで連休です。今週末はユックリできそうかな？！？
Well...with Thanks Giving coming up, it looks like I can have some relaxing time with my family this week end.

ミーティング

今日は週末のあいだ溜まっていた仕事をまとめて午前中に終了。午後はトーランスに行き、来季のプログラムの内容に関してのミーティング。色々とグッズ展開の話もあったりでかなり大変です。話をまとめるのは本当に時間、体力、あんどアイディアがたくさん必要なので脳も疲れます・・・！？！が、良いプランがあってこそスポンサーさんにとっても意味のあるプログラムになるので、今が一番需要です。実際に車が走り始めると走りにしか自分は集中できなくなってしまうので・・・。

Got all the work done during the morning. I had many things that needed to get done since I was busy with LA Auto Show last week...and with Racing School during the weekend. Than I had a lunch meeting to talk about some plans for next year. There are many things to talk about such as the racing program in general, merchandise, appearances and etc. Putting a program takes time, man power, and definitely will need to come up with great ideas which will eat up your brain. However, it is our priority to make sure that we have a attractive plans for the sponsors and it is the busiest time of the year trying to put everything together before Christmas. And especially for me, it really is the only time to get to know the details of the program since once the car starts running...my priority becomes racing fast!!

さてさて、今夜はこれからお家でお鍋です。が、子供が寝てからじゃないと最近はテーブルに手を出すので危なくて・・・。御陰さまで鍋＆鉄板料理の回数が最近減りました！？！

Well...need to get ready for dinner now. We will be having ShabuX2 tonight...but will have to put my son to sleep before we eat because he will reach over the table and try to make a mess!! Therefore, I came to a conclusion that ShabuX2 is a contemporary adult food!?!

家に到着

さっきお家に着きました。今日はスクール最終日で、仕事が終わったのが４時半。５時にサーキットをでてかっ飛ばして帰ってきたらなんとか４時間半で家に到着。９時半に帰ってきた時にちょうど寝付いた息子が、自分が家に帰った事で目が覚めてしまったみたいで、大はしゃぎ！！自分を見て喜んで寝れなくなっちゃったみたいです！！（笑）

Just got back from Laguna. The last day of school went smoothly and I was back home by 9:30pm. The traffic wasn't too bad and was able to make it in 4.5hr. When I got home, apparently my son just got to sleep but ended up waking up when he saw me coming in to the room. I got him excited and had to play with him for 30min before putting him to the bed, but it's always good to see him!

それより、ついに携帯電話が壊れました・・・。１週間前は画面が壊れただけかと思いきや勝手に復活してくれましたが、今回はだめそうです・・・。（泣）

Bad news....at least for me. My cell phone broke. When the display went bad last week...it somehow fixed it self but I don't think that will happen this time. I might have to get a new phone now....

ラグーナでお仕事

今日は朝からスクール。ホテルを出た時は霧がひどっかったのに、サーキットに着いたら天気はよくて、９時から順調に走行スタート。今日はなんだか自分の担当するコーナーでスピンが続出・・・。お陰さまでハラハラドキドキ続く一日でした。お仕事は明日で終了。しかし、一日中仕事をした後に５時間のドライブは辛いな〜！？！（泣）

Another day at work today. It was foggy when I left the track but it was totally clear by the time I got to the track. The weather was great and the session got started on time at 9am. However, there were many spins and incidents at my corner which kept me really busy all day. Just got back to the hotel and I will probably get to bed early tonight since I have a long day tomorrow especially the 5hr drive after working all day...

Lagunaに到着

先ほど無事にラグーナに到着。今日は金曜日だったので夕方に出発したら少し渋滞に巻き込まれ５時間半のドライブ。途中でメチャ眠くて辛かったです・・・。今週末はスクールのインストラクターです。今回は２日間だけのお仕事なので、日曜の夜には戻れま〜す。

Just arrived at the hotel in Monterey. Since it was Friday...and wasn't able to leave the house until 3pm...I got stuck in traffic for about an hour. It turned in to 5hr30min drive. Wanted to take a quick nap...but drove all the way up here with out any stops. Luckily, I will only be working for two days and will be back home by Sun night.

LAオートショー２日目

今日はオートショーの２日目。朝一から会場に入り、まずはMITSUBISHIのランサー・エボの発表。そこからSUBARUに移動してインプ・STIの発表を見届けてから色々と会場を回って車のチェック。午後一にマツダのコンフェランスを覗いて帰宅。家に戻ってちょっと仕事をしてから夕方はジムでトレーニング。ここの所はトレーニングする時間があまり無かったので身体がなまり気味・・・。明日からラグーナに行かなくてはいけないので、明日もミッチリトレーニングしないと！！

2nd day at the auto show. Got the convention center by 9am and saw the press conference for Mitsubishi which announced the new Lancer Evo and went over to the Subaru conference afterwards to check out the new Imprezza STI. The both were announced previously so it really was not news to me...however, it's good to check out the car live. After lunch, I glanced through the Mazda conference and headed home. I had to hit the gym before dinner since I haven't been working out lately. Since the deal is coming closer for me to get back in to racing seat, I will need to get back to my regular season training regime since I never had a season this year...!?!

最初に見たのはランサー・エボルーション。イタリアンなデザインでフォルムは格好いいですね！
The first car of the day was Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. I like the Italian looks of the car!

SUBARUはインプレッツアSTIを発表。日本は２リッターに対してUSは２．５リッターのエンジンだそうです！
Subaru announced their new Imprezza WRC STI. THe STI version in Japan is 2L and the US version will be 2.5L!

初めて実車を見たBMWの１シリーズ。かなり良い感じ！現実的に手が出せそう・・・と思う反面クーペだと子供が乗せずらい・・・。
FIrst time seeing a BMW 1Series. Very nice car. I must say it's a car that I can realistically consider...however will need a sedan if I were to put my kid in the back seat!?!

近い将来ゲットできるといいな〜。
Hopefully...will be my car one day..the Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

最後に今日ショーの中で一番アレって目にとまったのがジャガーXFスーパーチャージャー。外観けっこう好きです。シンプルなルックスなのにラグジュアリーな雰囲気はある所が気に入りします！ん〜新しい車をいっぱい見ると欲しくなっちゃいますね！！
The car that stood out the most today at the show for me was the new Jaguar XF Supercharger. The design was simple but luxurious. Well...after looking at all the cool cars...I must consider getting a new one in the near future!?!

LAオートショー

今日からLAオートショーがスタート。今日と明日はプレスデーで色々とドタバタ。今日はHONDA、日産、TOYOTAのプレスコンファランスに顔を出してきました。HONDAは燃料電池車のFCX Clarity,日産はMuranoとアメリカで初めて販売をするGT-R、そしてTOYOTAはモデルチェンジをしたSeqoiaを発表！正直いちばん自分の目にとまったのは今年の中旬に試乗をしたFordのSUVのEdgeのEdgeTurboでした・・・。ま〜ぜんぜんエコとはかけ離れた車ではありますが、なんかアメリカンバッドボ〜イって感じで個人的には欲しいなと思う一台でした。

First day at the LA Auto Show. It was a busy day since it was just a media preview day today. I went to the Honda,Nissan, and Toyota press conference. Honda came out with the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, and Nissan had Murano as well as the long waited GT-R, and finally Toyota introduced their new Sequoia. Having said all that, what caught my eye the most was the Ford Edge Turbo which was souped up. Obviously it was not by all means any eco friendly car...but it certainly represents the bad boy American image!!

しかし、HONDAのFCX Clarityは今後の燃料電池車の未来を変えて行くだろうなと思う一日でした。今まではまだだいぶ先の話かなと思う反面、ハイブリ車が発表されてから約１０年。近い将来水素を供給するスタンドがそこら中に増えたら、気がついたらエンジン音の無い車社会になってそうです！？！

At the same time, I'm sure the new Honda FCX Clarity will set the new standard on fuel cell vehicle. It's been almost 10years since the first hybrid cars have been introduced and I really feel that in the near future we will have Hydrogen re-fuelling station at every corner. That means not so long from soundless car(Zero Emission) community....

午後からはオレンジカウンティーに行って、以前から交渉をしている会社を訪問。ミーティングはかなり良い方向に進み、来季の話にむけて３歩くらい進んだ気持ちです。明日もオートショーで色々とドタバタしておりますが、仕事を頑張ります！！

In the afternoon, I had to run to Irvine to have a meeting about next year. I think I was able to make 3steps forward today and I feel strong about being able to announce my future plans in the very near future!!

ではでは、久しぶりに自分が撮った写真をアップしま〜す。

Well...here are some Pict from the show today.

HONDAの燃料電池車FCX Clarity
HONDA FCX Clarity

個人的にはいいなと思ったFord Edge Turbo
The Ford Edge Turbo which was one of my favourite car at the show

GT-Rから下車するゴーン社長
The new GT-R

新型の日産Murano
The New Nissan Murano

まだコンセプトだけどクライスラーのNASSAU
Still a concept but I thought it looked cool. The Chrysler NASSAU

でもやっぱり一番良いのは帰ってきて笑顔で迎えてくれる息子ですね！？！（笑）
Well...finally the best looking concept "Roger" my little boy. Nothing beats his smile!?!

なんだか忙しい一日

今日はちょっと忙しい一日でした・・・・。朝起きてハリウッド＆ビバリーヒルズ方面へ行って買い物。ガーデナに移動をして１時間のミーティング。３時過ぎに今日唯一の食事をとっていったん帰宅。

Bit of a busy day today...or will be this week for me. In the morning, I had to take my dad to Hollywood and Beverly Hills to get some last minute shopping done...and than had an 1hr meeting before having a brunch/dinner.

今夜はこれから親父を飛行場におくって、戻ってきたら今夜は早目に寝ないと。明日から２日間はダウンタウンのコンベンションセンターでLAオートショーで〜す！！

I will have to take my dad to the airport later tonight and will be busy next two days at the LA Auto Show.

車の試乗

今日は久しぶりに車の試乗のお仕事。今回は新型のHONDAアコードとTOYOTAランドクルーザーに試乗。全く違うタイプの車ですが、どちらも良い車ですね。新しいアコードの外見はレジェンドっぽくてなかなか格好いい！！

Had a road car test drive today. I drove Honda Accord and the Toyota Landcruiser. Two completely different cars but both were great! The new Accord actually looks like an Acura RL and I think they did a pretty good job on the exterior design.

試乗の仕事は３時前に終わり、夕方は日本から来ている親父と妻＆息子と買い物・・・。さっき家に戻ってきて今夜の夕食は親父がパスタを作ります！そうなんです、親父はイタリアンに関してはグレートなシェフ！？！そこいらのイタリアンレストランに行くよりぜんぜん美味しいので家で作ってもらう事になりました！！

After the road test, I met up with my family and went to shopping since my dad needed to get lots of stuff for my niece and nephew. Luckily, I was able to pick up some stuff for my son which made my wife happy!?! Since we went out to dinner last night, we decided to eat in tonight. We are having my dad make some pasta since he is a great Italian chef!! I really think he should open up a restaurant once he retires...

体調不良・・・？！？

いや〜昨日は久々に日記をサボっちゃいました・・・。なんだか、熱はなかったのですが身体はしびれてメッチャ体調が悪くて一日ユックリしてました。今日になってだいぶ調子は良くなって今日は親父を飛行場にピックアップ。日曜日だったので今日はユックリ過ごしちゃいました！

For some reason..I was not feeling well all day yesterday so I stayed home and tried to relax. I guess my son has passed the cold on to me....!?! I am feeling better today and went to pick up my dad at the airport. Since it was Sun, spent the whole day relaxing and will be busy tomorrow shopping around for my dad's to buy list!?!

もう週末だ〜

今日もLAは寒〜い！日中は思ったよりも天気は良く、温度も少しは上がったのですが夕方になったら風邪もふいて北風〜って感じです・・・。今日も連絡をとったりで忙しい一日。週末前なのでかなりドタバタしてしまいました。今週末は親父が日本から来る予定。食材等を持ってきてもらえるのでちょっと楽しみ！！

Another chilly day today. It wasn't bad during the day...but the wind seemed to pick up late in the afternoon and it was definitely cold when I was walking Pit. It was a busy day for me before the week end trying to get in touch with everyone in regards to next year's program. I think it will be a quite week end for me, except my dad is coming in town for two days and I am looking forward to getting some good food items delivered from Japan!!

早く決めたいな〜・・・。

あっと言う間に週末ですね。今日のLAもいまいち天気が悪くてしっくりしない一日ででした・・・。なんだか冬って感じですね！と言ってももう１１月中旬ですもんね。今日もなんだか色々と連絡の取り合いで忙しい一日。チームやシリーズ等との電話やメールであっと言う間に１日が終わってしまいました。なんだか早く話が決まって欲しいなと思う毎日です・・・。

I can't believe we are almost at end of the week. Another cool and cloudy day here in LA...No question about Summer being over now. It was a busy day for me being in touch with prospect sponsor,teams, and the series for next year. The day went by real quick...I hope things will get settled before Christmas since I haven't been getting good sleep last couple of weeks thinking about the deals....

冬の訪れ・・・？！？

昨日からなんだか寒くなって、朝は天気があまり良くないしちょっと憂鬱な感じです。子供の風邪は完全に治ったので今日は朝から色々とお仕事。夕方まで色々と連絡をとったりしていたらあっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。これからジムに行かないと・・・。なんだかサマータイムが終わって日が暮れるのも早いので少し寂しい感じです。

It's been getting cooler here in LA last two days and finally showing some sign of winter. My son seems as he fully recovered from the cold and I was able to a lot of work done today. I can't believe it's 5pm and dark already...I better get to the gym since I didn't get a chance to go there yet today....

携帯が・・・。

最悪な自体が発生・・・。今日は朝起きて午前中にジム。トレーニングをしている間に来季の件で色々と電話があったので話が終わって電話を切ったら何故か電源が勝手に切れてしまいました。ん〜と思い、電源を付けてみましたがつかない・・・。色々と調べてみたら液晶に問題があるみたいです！ついに携帯が壊れた〜〜！！しか〜し、こわれただけだったらまだ良いのですが最悪な事に液晶が壊れてるのでSimカードじゃなくて電話機に入ってる番号がわからない〜〜！！最悪な事態です。数時間経ったらなんとか携帯は少し復活の兆しが感じられますが・・・、でも新しい携帯を買わないと駄目みたいです。iPhone欲しいな〜〜！？！

A real bad day. I went to the gym in the morning and talked on the phone while I was on the bike machine.I got off the phone and realized something funky going on with my cell phone. First I thought it turned it's self off...but than I realized that something was wrong with the monitor. What makes the situation worse is that...since the monitor is not working, I can't get all the numbers from the phonebook in the actual phone!?! I was not happy at all with the situation. I guess it's time to get a new phone...may be an iPhone.

看病Day

今日は昨日から風邪気味だった息子の看病で一日が終わってしまいました。ようやく具合は良くなってきたみたいですが油断は禁物・・・。昨日の夜は夜中に妻が熱を測ったら、体温計がおかしいのかいきなり４６℃の熱が〜って騒ぎ始めて、驚いて病院の先生の緊急ライン連絡をしたら、“そんな事はありえませんね〜”って普通に応えられて、３日感熱が下がらなかったら病院に連れてきてと言われました。落ち着いて熱を測り直したら３８℃前後の熱。ま〜熱がある事にはかわりませんが、一安心。そんなこんなで今日は寝不足なので今夜は寝れるといいな〜。

Since I was away for few days, and my boy was not feeling well today. I spent pretty much the whole day looking after him while my wife went to the grocery store and pet shop as well as to get some fresh air outside. My son is finally feeling better and the temperature is back to normal. Last night...we were in a slight panic when the thermometer read 111°F　when we measure his temp and we called the doctor right away. Obviously the doctor told us that there is no way for him to be above 110°F and told us to measure again and make sure it's the right temp. Well, I guess my wife was measuring a tire temp or brake temp since he was only at about 97°F which certainly was a bit of a relieve to see...but at the same time I was embarrassed about the emergency call I made to the doctor...Sorry Doc for making the call at 2am in the morning,

息子が風邪・・・。

今日も天気が良く＆暖かくてレースには絶好日和でした。レースは９時にスタート。途中に大きなクラッシュがあり、一時中断になりヒヤッとしましたが、２時には仕事が終了。妻から連絡があり、息子が風邪を引いてるっぽいと聞いて心配だったのでダッシュで帰宅。家に着いて熱を計ったらやはり、熱があり・・・心配。病院に連れて行こうか悩んでます。しかしながら、息子が自分の顔を見て一生懸命ニコニコする姿をみたら少しホッとしました。明日まで様子を見て病院に連れて行くか検討しないと。

The weather was beautiful again today...very unlike Monterey weather for this time of the year but definitely perfect racing condition. The race got started at 9am and there was a huge crash during one of the race which delayed the schedule...but we were all done by 2pm. My wife text messaged me about our son not feeling well...and I was concerned so I dashed home. I just got home and he certainly have a fever...will have to wait until tomorrow to see if he needs a doctor visit. However, his smiling face is a relieve for now. I really hope he will be feeling better tomorrow...

今夜でサマータイム終了

今日も早めに起きて７時半にサーキット入り。９時から走行が始まり、全てのグループのレースは３時半には終了。天気もメチャメチャ良くてよい一日でした。が、自分が担当していたコーナーでクラッシュがあり一瞬ヒヤッてしちゃいました。ドライバーは幸い無事でしたが、自分の担当していたコーナーだったのでクラッシュダメージ代の請求書にサインをもらいに行かなくてはいけなくて気まずかったです・・・。ま〜仕事なので仕方ないか？！？

As usual, went to the track at 7:30am and the session started at 9am. The weather was even better today and we were done with racing by 3:30pm. Everything went really well except there was an accident at my corner and fortunately the driver was OK. The bad thing about having an accident in the corner your in is that you will have to get the crash damage report signed by the driver who crashed the car and break the bad news on how much it will going to cost. Luckily most clients are nice and they will sign with out arguing!?!

そうそう、いよいよ明日でサマータイムは終わりです。冬時間に入る時は時間が１時間遅くなるのでイコール普段より１時間寝れるからラッキー！しかも、今回は３グループしかないので明日は早めに終わって家に帰れそうです！！

Well, today is the last day for Summer time and we will go back to normal time tonight. At least we are rewinding an hour and will be able to sleep in tomorrow. It looks like we should be done with racing early afternoon and I am looking forward to getting home before 8pm!!

良い天気

今日はうってかわって、メチャメチャよい天気。この時期のモントレーにしたら珍しく朝から天気が良くてずっと短パンで過ごしてしまいました！！朝は少し肌寒い気もしますが・・・。

Unlike yesterday, the weather was awesome today and I was able to just wear shorts all day! It was a bit chilly in the morning but much better being sunny can cold rather than foggy and cold.

走行２日目も無事に終了。今週末のレースは３グループしかないので、何時もよりは楽な気がします。走行が終わったのは２時半でその後にスタッフミーティング。４時にはホテルに戻ってくる事ができたのでラッキー！！日曜も早めに終わって帰れるといいな〜！？！

Well...the second day at track went well. No big incidents and since there are only 3 groups for the week end, it makes our life as an instructor easier since we can get done with work sooner. The session was over by 2:30pm and had a staff meeting and was back at the hotel by 4pm. Well, I hope the weather will stay up for the week end that way we can get home early on Sun!!

スクール初日

今日は朝からサーキット。午前中は天気が悪くてず〜っと霧がひどかったので、１１時までは走行がなく、午後から走行スタート。今回はスクールと言うより、SkipBarberが主催するWesternSeriesのレースの開幕戦で今日は走行初日でした。このWesternSeriesは自分が１０年前に走ってチャンピオンをとったレースです。あれからすでに１０年と考えると恐ろしい・・・！？！ついこの間のような気がします。

Arrived at the track early as usual but since the weather was not great and it was too foggy to start the session so we sat and waited pretty much all morning for the fog to clear up. This week end is the first race series week end for the Skip Barber Western Series, which is the series I won 10years ago! I can't believe it's 10years since then... Another element to make me feel old!?!

モントレーは後３日間・・・。天気が良くなるといいな〜〜。

Well, I will be here for another 3days. I hope the weather gets better over the week end.

武藤　英紀

今日はメチャ忙しい一日でした。朝起きてまずはガーデナに書類を届けに行って、戻ってきてからはジムに直行してトレーニング。お昼を食べてからすぐにラグーナに向けて出発。今回はガソリンを近所で入れて行ったので本当にノンストップの５時間ドライブ！？！さっき無事にホテルに着きましたがメチャ疲れました・・・。

It was another busy day today. Woke up in the morning and had to go to Gardena to drop off some paper work and came home and went straight to the gym for a work out, Had lunch with my wife and headed straight to Laguna. Since I fuelled the car in LA, I didn't have to stop at all and had a straight 5hr drive...and obviously I am pretty tired now.

それより、今日のビッグニュースは弟分の武藤英紀が来季AGRから参戦のニュースです！同じドライバーとして羨ましい反面、後輩が素晴らしい体制で乗れる事はなんだか嬉しいニュースです。自分も頑張らないとなと刺激をうけました！！そんなこんなで自分の来季の話も良い方向に進んでます。ラグーナに向かいながら車の中ではずっと色々とデンワをしたり来季のチームの件等について話をしていたらあっと言う間についてしまいました。明日から日曜までの仕事も頑張らないと！！

The biggest news of the day was my buddy Hideki Mutoh signing with AGR. The rumor was going around in Indianapolis and I figured that it was going to happen but I am really happy for him to land with a top notch ride!! Well...I have to keep working hard in order to land a ride too but I think I am headed to the right directions. A lot of prospects are moving forward and although we may not hit it with all of them, I'm sure we can find a way to put a great program together for next year and I am excited about it. Well, I better get some rest for tomorrow, will have to work all day until Sun...

忙しい一日

今日は昨日と違って、忙しい一日でした。来季のスポンサーシップに関してランチミーティング。今回は始めて顔を出す企業だったので、今日はご挨拶程度。具体的な話にはまだなってませんが、色々と興味をもって頂いてるので、このままスポンサーシップを実行してもらえるプランを作らないとって感じです！

Unlike yesterday...it was a busy day today. I had a lunch meeting with another one of my prospect sponsor for next year and I think we had a pretty good meeting. Since it was my first visit/meeting, it was more about getting to know each other but I'm sure we can come up with a program that will benefit everybody and I really hope to be they can come on board and to be part of our program!!

夕方は色々とお家で仕事や書類の整理。なんだか忙しい一日です。これからジムに行ってトレーニングで帰ってきたら明日のラグーナの準備をしないと。昨日と違って天気が良かったのは唯一の救いかな・・・？！？

Came off and had to do a little bit of running around before I take off to Laguna tomorrow for the week end again. I finally have time to breath now but it looks like I better go to the gym!! Well...at least the weather is nice today!!

なんだかしっくりしない・・・一日

なんだか最近は天気も悪くぱっとしない日が続きます。朝起きて快晴じゃないとなんだかやる気がおきませんよね・・・。今日も窓を開けると曇り空でだる〜っと思いつつ気合いで起きて、ピットの散歩。そしてお昼過ぎにジムに行ってトレーニング。

Not really an exciting day for me... Woke up in the morning and didn't feel like getting out of the bed sine it was cloudy outside. However, I had to take Pit for a walk so I got up and went for a walk and to the gym.

気がつくと１０月ももう終わりですね・・・。今年もあと２ヶ月で終わっちゃうのは信じられませんね〜・・・！？！明日は営業活動のミーティングで明後日からLagunaと今週もまた忙しくなりそうです。

I can't believe it's already end of Oct and we have just 2months left for this year. Time really flies!! Well...I have a meeting tomorrow and need to get ready to go to Laguna on Weds...better get ready for another busy week!!

子供の脳

今日は日曜日だったので家でユックリして子供と遊んでました。気がつけばなんだか子供もあっと言う間に大きくなって、オモチャなど大人が気がつかない遊び方やボタン等を発見したりして、やっぱり子供の脳は柔らかいな〜と思う今日この頃です。

Since it was Sunday...I spent majority of the day play with my kid. I'm amazed by his growth on last two weeks. He is defiantly heavier and taller...but what impresses me the most is his ability to think when playing with toys. He was able to discover the way to play and new buttons to push which I had no idea about it!?! The brain absorb so much more when your young...where I am getting to the stage now where I forget more things than to remember new things!?!

お昼前からはNASCARのレースを見てさっき終わった所です。NASCARも残り３戦・・・。シーズンが終わったら毎週末テレビがつまらなくなるな〜・・・。

I just got finished watching the NASCAR race. 3 more race to go and would be interesting to see who comes out on top...It seems obvious that it will go to either the Hendrick duo. I am definitely not looking forward to the season end since than I will not have anything good to watch during the week end.

マッタリDay

今日はなんだか変な一日です。山火事のせいか、天気はずっと曇り空。LAっぽくない空でなんだかすっきりしません・・・。土曜日なので今日はユックリって感じです。日本はもう寒くなってるのかな〜？！？最近は忙しくて、なかなか日本に帰るプランがたてられないな。日本に帰る前に来季のプランの話も進めないといけないし。頑張らないとな〜〜！！

It was a weird day today. It was overcast through out the day and some rain...very unlike LA. I'm not sure if the wild fire has caused this funky weather but I really hope it clears before next week. Nothing exciting today other than trying to plan things for next two weeks. I really wanted to go back to Japan for couple of weeks during Oct but I'm not even sure if I can go back there during Nov. I figured I better get thing sorted out for next season before I plan my trip!!

もう週末

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。お昼は家で色々と先月の仕事の請求書などを作って、夕方はスーパーに行って食材の買い物。あっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。山火事もだいぶ落ち着いてきたみたいですが、かなりの家が焼けたみたいでとくにサンディエゴの方は大変そうです・・・。

Went to the gym in the morning and came home before lunch and had to make several invoices for the work I did last month. I must say that I miss racing since you really don't have to make any invoices in order to receive you pay check...well I guess this is real life!?!

気がついたらあっと言う間の週末です。来週はハロウィーンですね。残念ながら自分はまたラグーナで仕事なので子供の仮装パーティーの姿が見えないのは残念・・・！？！

I can't believe it's already Fri today! My apartment just had an Halloween party last night which we missed and I will be back up at Laguna again next week so I will not be able to put on any costume this year...and even worse I am gutted about not being able to see my baby at the costume party...

お仕事終了

今日は８時からサーキットでお仕事。今回もまたLexusのIS-Fの試乗会。いや〜しかしIS-Fは何度乗っても面白い車だな〜と思います。遊べるラグジュアリー車・・・って感じです。

Went to work at 8am today for another media preview for the new Lexus IS-F. The car is real fun to drive especially on race track and I wish if I can own for for my personal use. It is a fun luxurious car to drive!!

仕事は４時まで続き終わってからはダッシュで帰宅。とは言っても５時間のドライブですが・・・。２日間で計１０時間も運転してると思うとなんだかぞっとしますね。しかも、来週末もまたラグーナだし！？！仕事の合間を縫って来季の話をしたりでドタバタです。

I was done with work at 4pm and flew home....well not quite...I drove home(5hr). I can't believe I drove 10hrs during last two days and am going back to Laguna next week end again.I wish if I had my own private plane to get to places...one of these days for sure!! That means...I better get omy deals moving forward for next season!!

ラグーナに到着

今日は朝早めに起きて、１０時までは家出お仕事。明日からはラグーナで仕事があるので、１０時半に家を出発して先ほどホテルに到着。今日は道も混む事もなくスムーズに到着。今回はお仕事が１日だけなので明日またロングドライブと考えると少し恐ろしい・・・。

Since I was leaving to Monterey today to work for Skip Barber tomorrow...I woke up early and got some work done. I left the house at 10:30am to avoid traffic and was able to get to the hotel smoothly. It's great to be here...but I can't believe that I will have to go home again tomorrow after just one day of work.

しかし、今日も異常気象な勢いで暑いです。モントレーもこの時期にしたら暑いし・・・。なんだか大きな自信がくるのか妙な感じがします。

It was another hot day in LA. It's even hot here in Monterey which is very unusual this time of the year... This strange weather almost makes it feel like if something big is coming...like earthquake. Having said that I guess we got the wild fire going on now and we really don't need any other disaster!!

夏・・・・？！？

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。ジムに行ってもず〜っとテレビのニュースでは山火事の事について報道。半端じゃないほどの範囲が燃えてて、しかもLAも温度は真夏日和！？！空は煙のせいかもの凄く濁ってて変な一日でした。

Went to the gym in the morning and watched the news about the fire since that was pretty much on all I can watch on TV. Obviously the fire is getting intense and it has damaged more homes and burned more areas than many of us thought. I really feel bad for those people who lost their homes, and really hope the government will step up to help those people for speedy recovery. I am not sure if it's hot because of the fire...but it really was a hot day here in LA!!

お昼は息子がミュージッククラスに行って、自分は家でお仕事。夕方に妻の永住権申請の書類等の準備をしたりドタバタ・・・・。明日からはラグーナに行くので今日は大忙しでした。

It was a busy day for me doing a lot of work at home and taking my son to the class as well as getting all the paper work ready for my wife's green card application which should almost done. Well, I am off to Laguna tomorrow and I hope the weather is much nicer out there.

ミーティング

今日はお昼に先日のインディアナポリスのミーティングから次へ物事を進める為に、お昼に現地のスポンサー活動を手伝ってくれているスタッフとミーティング。この間の話し合った内容からさらに企画書を煮詰めて２週間後に新たにプレゼンって感じです。いや〜この時期は本当に忙しいです。が、予算を決める時期なのでなるべく早く、しかも確実に話を進めていかないと！！

Had a lunch meeting in regards to our follow up plans for the meetings we had in Indianapolis. Obviously it's budgeting time for most of the company and we certainly need to make sure we have the plan that fits there needs as well as making sure that it is an attractive deal for them. We are hoping to have another meeting in two weeks and being ready and prepared is the most important thing when you are trying to hunt for some money!!

そうそう、今日は久しぶりに洗車してきました。車がかなり汚れてきたのでセルフ洗車に行ってしっかり磨いてあげました！！水曜からはまたラグーナで忙しいし、時間がある時にやっておかないと・・・って思って。しかし、今週もラグーナ、来週末もラグーナで忙しくなりそうです。

I was also able to finally wash my car today. It was getting really dirty, and was about time to be washed. Fortunately, no body wrote "Wash ME" on my windshield but it was a matter of time. I like going to the self washing facility because you can make sure it will be spotless for $5. Well...I am off to Laguna again this Weds and would probably need another car wash by the time I get back!!

山火事

今日は朝起きてからかなりテレビではほぼ一日中マリブ近辺での山火事のニュース。かなりの面積が火事で燃えてしまい、アメリカではビッグニュースです。先週は涼しくなった物の、この時期はサンタナウィンドと言う陸の方から吹く乾いた風で気温も上昇して火事がおきやすいみたいです。ん〜マリブは豪邸もたくさんあって住みたいなと思う物の、雨が降ると地滑りで乾燥すると山火事でって感じでやっぱりダウンタウンが一番あんぜんなのかな？！？

Got up in the morning and flipped on the TV to watch the F1 race. Kimi ended up dominating the race and I am happy to see him win the Championship. Other than that, the fire in Malibu area was the headline all day on TV. I assuming it was partly caused by the Santa Ana wind coming from the hills. I always thought Malibu was great place to live with all the nice houses but with the land slide when it rains, and the fire in the dry season...I'm thinking Downtown may be the safest place to live now days!?!

ヘアーカット

今日は朝起きて一番にヘアーカットの予約。髪が伸びてきてかなりイライラしてきたので、バッサリ切ってきました。帰る途中に犬や猫の餌をゲットして、スーパーによって夕飯の食材を買ってきたく。夕方にはばっちりジムでトレーニングして体調もベリーグッド！！

As expected, I got out of my bed this morning and the first thing I did was to book an appointment to cut my hair. I was really getting frustrated about my lengthy hair that was just going out of control and I finally managed to get them trimmed out to my usual length. On my way home, I had to stop by the pet shop to gram some dog & cat food and came home and went straight to the gym for a work out.

明日はF1の最終戦ですね〜！朝から起きてレースを見ないと！！マクラーレンとフェラーリのどちらが勝つのが見物です！！Lewisが勝ったらイギリスはすごい事になりそうですね〜。カート時代から両選手のレース内容を見た事がありますが、Lewisは安定していた尚かつスピーディー、Fernandoは勝つか負けるかの走りをするタイプなのでどちらが勝つか本当に楽しみ！！

Tomorrow will be the final race of the season for the Formula 1 GP. I will need to get up and spend the whole morning in front of the TV flipping through F1 and NASCAR at Martinsville. It really would be interesting to see who comes out on top at the end. It was a great battle all season against McLaren and Ferrari as well as Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. I have watched both of those guys race from Karting days and Lewis is more of a calm and fast driver where Fernando is all or nothing, win or lose driver. It's hard to decide who to cheer for but I'm sure it will be one heck of a race!!

お家に戻ってきました。

今日は朝一のフライトで無事に家に帰宅。飛行場では偶然スポンサーイベントでラスベガスに向かう、サラ・フィッシャーと遭遇。朝食を食べながら数分のあいだ世間話。サラも来季に向けて交渉でドタバタしてるみたいです。

Took the first flight from IN back to LA. I bumped in to Sarah Fisher who was on her way to Las Vegas to do a sponsor appearance. We chatted for few minutes about future prospects and she too sounded busy trying to put the deals together for next season.

家に帰ってきてからは、今週あったミーティングの復習。それから次へ向けてのプランニング。今回は色々とミーティングができたので宿題が増えて大忙し。とにかく全力で頑張り続けないと！！夕方はジムでがっつりランニング。やっぱり運動するとスッキリしますね〜〜！！

Got home by 10am and reviewed through all the meetings to follow up in the near future. We had great meetings which lead us to be doing a lot of home work before the next meeting but I really appreciate my support team who are working together on trying to put this deal together. I went to the gym just before dinner and worked out for about an hour. I really was getting frustrated with not having time to cut my hair and go to the gym so going to trim my hair to be on the priority on my "to do list"!

インディアナポリス最終日

今日はもの凄い忙しい一日でした！ミーティングが４個あり、かなりドタバタ。なんとか全てのミーティングもうまく行き話もようやく動き始めてる気がするので、今回はインディアナポリスにきて本当に良かったと思います。ま〜ずっと言ってる様にようやく可能性が見え始めてレベルなので具体化するまではまだまだこれからですが・・・、頑張り続けないと。

It was a real busy day today with numerous meetings. I think they all were successful meetings and although we are just getting our foot in the door with our sponsor prospects...I feel real good about being able to provide them with great program. Mainly for me, I am really looking forward to being back in the car!!

明日は朝一のフライトでLAに帰宅。ん〜久しぶりに子供に会うのが楽しみだ！！

Well, I finally get to go home tomorrow night. I am looking forward to seeing my boy because he is definitely growing rapidly and he is learning a new thing every day!!

ミーティング初日

今日は午前中はホテルのレストランでミーティングについての打ち合わせ。お昼にインディアナポリスの北にある街のレストランで、スポンサー候補の会社とランチミーティング。ミーティングはそこそこうまくいき、来季に向けてようやく歩き始めてかなって感じです。まだまだ最初のステップを踏み始めただけなので、どうなるかわかりませんがチャレンジし続けるしかないですもんね！！

I had a breakfast at the hotel and had a brief meeting before we met with our prospect sponsors for lunch. We met at this place in North side of Indianapolis and I was surprised with how new and clean that community was. The lunch meeting went pretty well and we were able to introduce each other and we finally were able to get the first step away. However, we still have a lot of work to do in order to make the deal happen and we need to make sure that we can tailor a program that will fit everyone's need especially when we are dealing big money from sponsors.

夕方は今年インディー５００に参戦したDreyer&Reinboldチームに顔をだしました。来季に向けての準備やスタッフのリクルートなどかなりドタバタしてましたが、色んな噂話をして帰ってきました。いや〜しかし、久しぶりにレーシングカーを見ると乗りたくなっちゃいますね！！身体がムズムズしてきたのでホテルで筋トレですね！！

After the meeting, I stopped by the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing shop who I raced for at this year's Indy 500. They are remodeling the office and trying to work on the plan for next season and looked really busy. I think they are definitely headed to the right direction and will come back next year even stronger. I talked with my engineer from this year and we chatted about several gossips about next year. It's that time for silly season again...!?!

インディアナポリスに到着

今日は６時に起きて９時半のフライトでインディアナポリスに向けて出発。幸い今回はノースウェストのフライトで直行便だったので楽々。夕方に着いて、夕飯は今年のインディー５００のスポンサーをしてくれたDerekと夕食。ちなみに、明日ミーティングがあるスポンサー候補の企業についてのミーティング。

Just got to Indianapolis. I was able to get a direct flight this time with Northwest so it wasn’t too much of an hassle getting here. After all the prospects meetings that I may have in the future…I may have to start racking up frequent flier miles with Northwest!?! I had dinner with Derek Wellman from Wellman Custom Homes who was our primary sponsor for this year’s Indy 500 and we have talked about the possibilities for next year. We also have several meetings with possible sponsors for next season so we are all excited about the plans for next year although nothing is set yet…

さっきようやくホテルに戻ってきて一息。明日はお昼からのミーティングですが、なるべく早く起きて頭の回転を良くさせておかないと。お昼からといってもLA時間だと朝一ですからね。それでは、早く来年の話を具体化させれる様に頑張ります！！

I just got back to the hotel and trying to get some rest before tomorrows meeting. Although it will be a lunch meeting, it will be an early meeting morning LA time zone(9am) so I should get up early and make sure that my brain is functional! I really hope to get thing materialized in the near future so I can just focus on driving a race car!!

ピットのウォッシング

今日は朝からジムでトレーニング。なんだか、最近は追い込みトレーニングをあまりしてないので、来季に向けてそろそろ気合いの入ったトレーニングをしないと・・・。お昼からは明日からインディアナポリスに行くプラニング。夕方はピットがあまりにも臭くなってきたので、洗うしかないと思って自分で洗っちゃいました。久しぶりに洗ってピットも大喜び。それ以上に喜んでいるのはお風呂好きな息子・・・。ピットと一緒にお風呂に入ろうとしてて困っちゃいました！？！（笑）

Went to the gym in the morning and had a pretty good work out. The training program has not been intense enough last couple of weeks and I definately need to get back to my daily training regmie when I get back from IN. After the trainig, I had to do some running around picking up stuff before my trip to IN and just got home. Than I realized that I needed to wash Pit(Chihuahua) who started to actually smell like a dog recently... I haven't bathed him for a while and it was just about time. Obviously Pit doesn't enjoy bathing as much as my son and my son was trying to jump in to the bath tub while I was washing Pit!?! Well.... I need to make sure the bath tub is cleaned up now before I bath my baby... Busy day trying to be a father!?!

今日はユックリ

今日は日曜日で外は秋晴れ！なんだか冬に近づいてきたな〜って感じがする肌寒い一日でした。けっきょく今日はお家でリラックス。来週はインディアナポリスに行かなくてはいけないので、今日は家でユックリしてました。いや〜しかし、秋になると色々と美味しい物があるので、ご飯を食べるのが楽しみになってきますね！！久しく松茸も食べてないから食べたいな〜〜・・・，と思う今日この頃でした。

It was a nice day today. I stayed home all day and played with my kid since I will be away pretty much all next week. It was a sunny day but I can feel that winter is just around the corner. The fall season is great with gourmet foods especially in Japan. I hope to have a chance to go back to Japan in next couple of weeks since it's prime time to eat Matsutake mushroom which is very expensive mushrooms...kind of like truffle I guess!?!

誕生日パーティーパート２

今日は一日中お家でお仕事。先日乗ったInfiniti EX35の車の記事を書かなくてはいけなかったり、他にも仕事が盛りだくさんあったのでかなりドタバタ・・・。なんだか忙しい一日でしたが、デスクワークばかりでなんかストレスが溜まりますね。ストレスと言えばさらに頭に白髪を発見・・・！？！歳を取ってる事ですね。（泣）

Busy day at home working in front of the PC. I had to finish up the article about the car I test drove about a month ago and had several other stuff that I needed to get done. After couple of hours...I realized that I am not suited for desk work and need to get back in to racing seat where I really belong!?! Talking about stress from work...I just found couple of more grey hairs...tough to stay young!?!

今夜はカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君や友人のカズさんとお食事会。かるく誕生パーティーパート２って感じです！？！いや〜しかし昔のようにどんちゃん騒ぎをしなくなったのは本当に大人になった感じですね！？！これからご飯に行きますが、LAも最近は寒くなってきてお鍋の季節がやってきました！！お鍋と言えば今やたら紅月のシャブスキ鍋が食べたい〜〜！！早く日本に帰るのが楽しみです！！

I will be going to dinner tonight with my buddy Hiro and Kaz. I guess it will be my B-Day party part 3...!?! However, I won't be partying as hard as I used to since I have matured a bit now. We will　be going to the restaurant in Torrance. Speaking of food, since it started to get cooler here in LA, ShabuX2 season has begun. I really like the "Shabusuki" at Kougetsu, one of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo, and I can't wait to go back there and to get some great food!!

来週はインディー

昨日と一昨日は自分と妻の誕生日が続いて、今日はようやく現実に戻る日・・・。さっそく来季に向けての交渉を再開。昨日は朝一でインディーにある企業とデンワでコンフェランスコール。来週は現場でミーティングをする事になったので、来週は２泊３日でインディーに行ってきます。現場で色々と状況も把握してこないと。それと同時に、２週間前に試乗した車の記事も書かなくてはいけないし・・・。ん〜かなり忙しい週末になりそう。

After two consecutive B-Day parties with me and my wife, back to real life today but just being a year older. Now I have turned 30...I really need to act mature!?! Well, I had a conference call last night with IN based company and we will have a face to face meeting next week. Things are finally moving forward and I really have to thank all my team of guys who always helps me put the deals together. I will have to get all the travel details before this week end and at the same time, will have to get all the articles done for the cars that I have driven couple of weeks ago. Looks like it will be a busy week end for me...

今日は妻の誕生日・・・。

昨日は自分の誕生日を祝い、今日は妻の誕生日です・・・。そうです、僕ら夫婦の誕生日は実は１日違い！？！よく考えるとこの１日違いの誕生日が二人を仲良くさせるきっかけだったのですが。実は誕生日が近いから一緒に祝っちゃおうってノリで仲良くなったのです。最初は良かったのですが、実に結婚してみるとあまりにも誕生日が近すぎて自分のお祝いをしてもらってすぐ直後に妻のお祝いなのでなんとも微妙。が、一緒にいっぺんにお祝いできるから楽ではあります。

It was my B-Day yesterday and today is my wife's B-Day... Yes our B-Day is back to back and that is reason why became friends in first place. We celebrated our birthday together couple of years ago and now we are hear married with children!?! It was all good when we were just going out since we can just party together...but now with a kid, we have matured and had a private and relaxing back to back B-Day parties.

自分の誕生日には妻が食事に連れてってくれて、手作りケーキも作ってもらい“ハッピーバースデイ”。今日は自分が何時もお礼にスパゲッティー・ボロネーゼを作ってあげて質素にお祝い・・・！？！久しぶりに手料理なので気合いを入れて作らないと！！

My wife took me out to dinner last night and made a cake for me and in return, I am making her some pasta tonight and I hope she will enjoy since I haven't cooked for sometimes...

たくさんのメッセージ有り難うございます！

今日は自分の誕生日。ついに３０になってしまいました・・・。って言っても全く実感はありませんが。昨日の夜中から多くの友達や、ファンの皆さんから誕生日メールが届いて、本当に嬉しいです！！ありがとうございます！！皆からもパワーももらいこれからジムでトレーニングです！！ではでは、引き続き頑張り続けます！！

It's my 30th B-Day today. I still can't believe I'm 30...!?! I started to recieve a lot of e-mails from friends and fans since last night and pretty much through out the day today and I really appreciate it!! After beeing gutted to become 30yrs old, all the e-mails have cheered me up and I am just about on the way to the gym for some work out!! Thanks again for all the message and your support and will keep working hard at getting the deals for next season!!

３０前の最後の晩餐・・・。

今日はお昼から息子もミュージッククラス。妻と子供が授業を受けている間に、自分はTargetとスーパーに行って食材や日用品をゲット。２時間後のクラスも終了して、かなり楽しかったみたいで家に戻ったら子供は爆睡。自分はそのすきにジムに行ってトレーニング。久しぶりにしっかりとランニングもできて気分爽快！！

My son had a musical class today so I took my wife and kid to the class and went to Target and the grocery store while they were in class. I guess my son had a lot of fun and when he got home, he had a lengthy nap. While my son was sleeping, I went to the gym to get some work out done and it felt great to be back in the gym since I haven't worked out for a week.

さて、いよいよ今日は３０前の最後の夜です。ん〜なんだか自分の気分はまだ２１歳・・・。って言ってる場合ではないですね〜！？！（笑）もう脂ものる時期・・・、色んな意味で・・・。体脂肪の方じゃなくて、しっかり仕事の方でも成功できる様に頑張らないと！！

Well...today will be the last night before turning 30. I still feel like I'm 21...and I sure do look like it!?! I am so not looking forward to join the 30's club... although Asian always looks younger than his age and ofcourse I will look 30 when I turn 50!?!

ノリック

今日は朝起きてから残念なニュースを知りました。２輪のライダーでも誰もが知りノリックが事故死。しかも、公道で・・・。ノリック選手とは以前所属していたDesporterと言うスポーツ選手のNPO団体の忘年会でで会ってから、２輪選手の集まりでも何度か遭遇した事があったので、今回のニュースをしってとても悲しい気持ちです。事故の原因はどうやら、トラックがUターン禁止の所でUターンをして衝突。サーキットではなくて、公道での事故死と聞くと悔やむにも悔やみきれないです・・・。今まで多くのレースファンを盛り上げてきてくれたノリック選手へのご冥福をお祈りしたいと思います。

Woke up in the morning and went online to find a sad news. One of the best motorcycle rider from Japan, Norick Abe was killed last night in an accident on streets. I was able to meet Norick couple of times through gathering and he was a great guy. We had drinks together couple of times...and I am really sad to hear the story today. Apparently, a truck made an U-Turn where he was not suppposed to and got in to a collision. As a racer....that really gets me upset....there are so many regrets when killed on street and not on track. My deepest sympathy goes to Norick's family and I am sure he will rest in peace after giving many exciting races for me and all of the fans to see.

ようやく帰宅

さっきやっと家に戻ってきました。今日はスクール最終日。朝６時に起きて７時にサーキット入り。午前中の走行が終わって、最終日の午後はローリングスタートの練習をしてから、２０分のセッションが２回行われます。今回は始めて、クラスルームでのレクチャーを頼まれて生徒にスタート時のテクニックや気をつけなくては行けない事、さらにルールなどを厳しくレクチャー。今日のスクールも無事に終わり、ダッシュで帰宅。４時間半の運転はさすがに仕事後にするのは辛いです・・・。

Just got back from Laguna. It was the last day of Racing School and as usual,woke up at 6am and got to the track by 7am. I actually started to lecture the students in the class room today in regards to the race start procedure. It was my first time lecturing in the class room and I was some what nervous...but it was peace a cake!?! The practice start went really well and we were done with school by 4pm. RIght after I got done working...I rushed back home and it still was 4.5hr drive...feels pretty long after working through out the day.

家に着いたらやっぱり息子は既に爆睡・・・。でも、寝顔を見てなんだかほっとします。いや〜しかし、冷静に考えたらな〜んと・・・、あと３日で自分の誕生日！！が・・・、今年で３０！？！ついに三十路ゾーンです・・・。（泣）

When I got home, my son was already at sleep but it feels good to be home with your family. I was just looking at my schedule and I can't believe that my birthday is coming up this week! Even worse...I will be turning 30 this Weds...that's really bad news!?!

スクール２日目終了

今日はスクールの２日目が終了。昨日よりも暖かくて気候が良かったのでボチボチデした。が、生徒はハプニング続出。スピンをした後に逆走したり、あり得ない事件が何回か起きてインストラクターが揃って驚き・・・。こういう場合はどうしたら良いのかわからなくなっちゃうので本当に困ります！？！（笑）とりあえず、けが人は出ずに無事に終わったので何より。

Just got done with 2nd day of the Racing School. The weather was much nicer today and it was not a bad day at work. Except, the students were going wild today spinning out and running wrong direction on track... That really scares the instructors because that may create a huge head on crash with other cars. Anyhow, no body was hurt and the day ended safely. I'm still tired from the day though...

ホテルに戻ってきてシャワーを浴びた所です。いや〜しかしなんだか今日は疲れた。明日の夜には家に戻れるので楽しみ。残り１日だ〜・・・。そう言えばNASCAR　NEXTEL Cupの予選はトヨタがポールを取り、しかも上位を独占してるみたいです。Talladegaの予選で前に来ると言う事はエンジンのパワーはかなりでてるって事ですね。しかもJacques Villenueveが予選６位。明日の決勝が楽しみだ！！

Just got back to the hotel and took a shower getting ready to eat dinner. I can't wait to go home tomorrow and see my little boy. Speaking of racing, I am really impressed from the NEXTEL Cup qualifying resutls. Toyota looks really strong and they must be making good power in order to qualify up front at Talladega. Jacques Villenueve also qualified well in the Toyota and it will be interesting to see how the race goes on tomorrow!!

Lagunaは寒ッ！

今朝も６時起き。スタブによってコーヒーを買って、サーキットに着いたら寒さに驚き！短パンできたのは失敗だった・・・。が、気合いで仕事をしました。今日は３Dayスクールの初日。生徒も１８人の大きめのクラスですが、無事にスクールも終了。

As usual during the school days...got up at 6am and stopped by Starbucks to get a cup of coffee and arrived at the track by 7am. I was suprised by how cool it was out here today. It was a chilly day and not so great working out on the track since it was also windy. The class was reasonably sized(18 Students) and it was a good day.

今週末はAtlantaでプチ・ルマン、TalladegaではNASCARのレースが行われます。どっちも気になるな〜、レースをテレビでライブで見れないのが残念・・・。実はIndyが終わってから、このTalladegaのレースは出たいな〜って思ってたのですが参戦は断念・・・。残念ですが来季に向けて頑張らないと！！しかし、今週末おこなわれる、NASCARの下のクラスのARCAシリーズではToroRossoを放れたScott Speed、そしてダリオのデビューレースです。二人にはぜひ頑張ってもらいたいです！！

Speaking of racing, I can't believe missing the Petit Le Mans at Atlanta, as well as the NASCAR and ARCA race at Talladega on TV. To tell you the truth, I was thinking to do the Talladega race soon after Indy but was not able to materialize any sponsorship deals which would enable me to do. It would have been a good place to get the stock car career started especially after Scott Speed and Dario's debut this week end in the ARCA series. I really hope that both drivers do well and I will have to keep working hard at being able to get a ride!!

スクール初日

今日はスクール初日で１日だけのプログラムでした。午前中はコースをグルグル回り、午後は駐車場を使って、オートクロスをしたり、ブレーキングの練習＆スキッドパッドでドリフトの練習。最悪な事にドリフトの講師担当になり、色んな生徒の隣に座って教えなくてはいけません・・・。もちろん上手い人と下手な人はいますが、１時間半くらい乱暴な運転を耐えなくてはいけないので、途中からメチャ気持ち悪くなります。いや〜昨日はお酒を呑まなくて良かった〜って感じです。スクールも無事に終わり、今はホテルに戻った所です。明日からは３日間のスクールです。早起きが続くので今夜も早目に寝ないと！！

I had to work for a 1day corp Racing Shool Program today. We started the day by driving around on course in the AM and did Skip Pad, Autocross, and Braking Exercise in the afternoon in the paddock area. Unfortunately I was assigned to do the skid pad making the drivers go sideways. Skid pad is worse part of the job because you are stuck in the car for 1.5hr going sideways....good thing I didn't drink at all yesterday otherwise I would be sick through out the session. I was still feeling sick after couple of runs though... Anyhow, just got back to the hotel and chilling. I will have 3 more days here before I head back home..

ラグーナに戻ってきました

今日は朝起きてから午前中はジムでトレーニング。お昼にカレーうどんを食べて、３時前にラグーナに向けて家を出発。今日はそんなに渋滞がなかったので４時間半でホテルに到着。先週もきてたのに、またラグーナか・・・って感じですね！？！ん〜でも、お仕事なんで仕方ないですね。

Went to the gym in the morning and had a great work out before leaving to Monterey. I had lunch at home and left the house about 3pm. Luckily, I didn't have any traffic and was at the hotel in 4.5hrs. I was just here last week...and being in Monterey/Carmel is getting old...but I guess i've gotta work. I wish if I was here for leisure...

それより、今日のビッグニュースはダリオがNASCARへの参戦発表！以前から噂はされてましたが、いざ発表されるとダリオがNASCARを走ってるのはイメージしずらいですね・・・。いや〜しかし、恐るべしNASCAR！Juan Pablo、ビルニューブ、そしてダリオまで転向ってなったら自分も頑張って時代についていかないと！！

The biggest news of the day was Dario's announcement to joing Ganassi to race in NASCAR. No suprise there since the rumours were going around for couple of weeks...but it's hard to imagine him driving a stock cars. However, with Juan Pablo, Jacques Villenueve and now Dario making a move...I better get things moving because NASCAR is the place to be now!!

Infant/Toddler Class

今日はお昼から子供の幼稚園まではいきませんが、ローカルの学校でやってる赤ちゃんクラスがあったので、妻と息子を学校にドロップ。他の子供達と一緒に遊んで楽しかったみたいです。疲れたのか家に戻ってきてからはずっと爆睡。ん〜やっぱりいろんな赤ちゃんとふれあったり遊んだり友達を作るのは良い事ですね。自分は子供がクラスを受けている間は来季のスポンサー活動の為のミーティング。色々としなくては行けない事がたくさんあって少し忙しいです・・・。明日からはラグーナ。なんだかロングドライブが苦痛だな〜・・・。

My wife wanted to enroll our kid into a Infant/Toddler school to make friends so we decided to give this class a try today. The school was in Torrance and I guess my boy had a good time there since he was knocked out through when he got home. I guess it's better for the kid to have him play around with others and make friends. As for me...while my kid was in class, I went to have a lunch meeting to discuss about the updates and prospects for next year. Gotta keep working...while so my kid can play!?! Anyhow, I'm off to Laguna tomorrow...I am so not looking forward for the long drive.

今週末もラグーナ

今日は朝起きて午前中に色々と、来季の話について連絡の取り合い。スポンサー活動も１歩進んで２歩下がるって感じの繰り返しですが、一生懸命やって前進あるのみですね！！いや〜しかし、今週末のラグーナでお仕事。なんだかインストラクターの仕事がフルタイムになりつつある感じですね・・・！？！ん〜講師するのはいいけど、早く自分もレーシングカーに乗りたいな〜！！身体がムズムズしてます。

Got up in the morning and got in touch with some people for next season. It's always tough getting the deals done since it feels like you take one step forward and go 3 step backwards...but I guess we just need to keep moving forward in order to make things happen. I can't believe I have to go to Laguna again this week end...it's turning in to a full gig deal for me. Well, it's good to be busy but I much rather be racing my self than teaching the students...

もう１０月・・・。

今日は日曜日だったので、朝はユックリめに起床。といってもバッチリ子供が７時頃から騒ぎ始めるので８時には起きてピットの散歩。日課のスタバに行ってコーヒーをゲットしてから、家に戻って朝食。今日はお昼前にジムに行ってトレーニング。久しぶりにがっつり筋トレをして昼過ぎは日系スーパーに買い物に行って、帰ってきてからは息子と遊んで今は昼寝をしているので自分はPCでお仕事中・・・。

I was hoping to sleep in tonight...but ofcourse...my kid was up at 7am making all the big noise therfore I was up before 8am. We took Pit to walk and stopped by Starbucks which has become our daily routiine for the last 1yr every morning. Went training before lunch and had to go to Gardena to get some Japanese grocery. I just got back and getting some work done...

いや〜しかし、もう１０月って考えると恐ろしい・・・。あと２ヶ月で今年も終わりですからね・・・。来季の話も急ピッチで進めないと！！

I can't believe that were in Oct already starting tomorrow...this year will be over in 2 months. That means I have to get all the talks for next year in quicker pace to get the deals done before the year end!?!

日本GP

今日は朝起きて午前中にPCでお仕事をしてから、お昼前に妻と子供を連れて家をでて、お昼にサンドウィッチを食べて帰りにTargetによって日用品をゲット。しかし、子供のおむつやミルク、お尻拭きなど買っても買っても足りない気がするのは気のせいですかね・・・。

Woke up in the morning and got some work done. Went out to lunch with my kid and wife at this sandwich place in Alhambra which is very good, and stopped by at Target on the way home to get some diaper and wipes for the baby. It just seems endless when buying the diapers, wipes, and milk for the baby. I sure hope he won't be needing them soon...

家に戻ってきてからはユックリしながら、NASCAR Buschのレースを見て今夜は妻が友達とお食事に行くので、自分は子供のお守り。夜は富士で行われる日本GPを見てユックリしてる予定です。

Got home, relaxed and whatched the Nascar Busch race. My wife's going to have dinner with her friend tonight so I will have to baby sit my son while I whatch the Fuji F1 GP race tonight on SPEED.

今日はお家でユックリ

今日は久しぶりにお家でユックリする事ができました。午前中は子供と遊んで午後からは溜まっていたお仕事などなど。あっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。LAはなんだかずっと曇ってて、夏はもう終わったなって感じです。よく考えたらあと数日で１０月じゃないですか〜・・・。ん〜３０になるまで秒読み・・・。自分が３０になるなんて信じられないっす！？！昔は誕生日がくるのが楽しみだったのに、今は恐ろしいですね〜・・・。（泣）

I got to relax at home today. Spent time playing with my kid in the morning and did some work in the afternoon. The weather was not so good today and it really is end of summer now. I can't believe it will be Oct in 3 days....and speaking of Oct, it's my birthday on the 10th. I really don't have much to look forward to since I'm turning 30 and I still feel like I'm 21...

ようやく帰宅

今日はお昼からLEXUS IS-Fの試乗会。午前中はモントレーの街を試乗した後に、午後はサーキットでの試乗会。アメリカの色んな媒体の記者がコースを走るのに、自分たちはインストラクターとしてテクニックやラインのアドバイス。意外と初心者のようなドライビングをする記者も多いのでちょっとビックリ・・・。自分も実際に乗ってみましたが、車は思っていた以上のパフォーマンスでかなり良いです。詳しい詳細は書けませんが・・・、かな〜り良い車ですよ！！

Today, I was at the track working all day for the LEXUS Media Preview for the new IS-F. The car is excellent. I am not allow to speak too much about the car...but all I can say is that it is awesome!! I was there as an instructor to teach them some tecniques as well as the line around the track. Some of the medias can write a great article....but have really bad skills in terms of driving. However, all the great safety functions on the car kept everyone safe and it was a good day!!

仕事が終わって先ほど家に帰宅。子供は疲れて寝ちゃったみたいで残念・・・。これからお風呂につかって、久しぶりに家での和食。美味しいものを食べるのが楽しみです！！

I just got home after a long driver. I was bummed to see my son at sleep already but I think I will take a long bath and have a peaceful dinner with my wife!!

明日で帰宅

今日は急遽お仕事が入ったので、朝一でコースに到着。今日は１日のプログラムだったので、忙しい１日でした。それより、昨日の夜にテレビを見ていたら、エリオがDancing With the Starsと言う社交ダンスの番組に出演していたのでチェックして見ました。するとやはりラテンの血をひいてるせいか、かなり良いステップで、ダントツトップで予選通過！？！いや〜しかし、エリオがスーツを切ると洋服の青山のCMにでてきそうな雰囲気で少し笑えちゃいますが、ダンスも上手いので少しビックリ。

Since I got a last minute fill in work today, I was at the track all day and it turned out to be a busy day for me. Got back to the hotel, and whatched the Dancing WIth the Stars since Helio was dancing in it. I must say that I am impressed with his dancing skills...but thinking about it, it's no suprise since he must be used to dancing 24hr straight at the Rio Carnival!?!

明日はサーキットでLexus IS-Fの試乗会の仕事です。今日はほんのちょっと車を見てみましたがかなりBMW M3を意識した車で走りがどんな感じなのか乗ってみるのが楽しみです。それ以上に明日の夜にようやくLAに帰宅。たったの１週間ですが、息子がどれだけ成長したか見るのが楽しみ！！

Tomorrow, I will be at the track again working for the Lexus IS-F media preview day. I had a quick glance at the car today and it is a fantastic car that will go head to head with the BMW M3. However, at this point...I am more looking forward to getting home and seeing my baby who I haven't seen for almost a week.

今日はリラックス

今日は７時に起きてワイナリーを持つ友達インストラクターの家を８時に出発。自分は今日は休みだったのでホテルに戻ってユックリして、午後はコンピューターでお仕事。だいぶ、リラックスする事ができました。夕方にスクールから連絡が入って、明日のクラスの仕事ができるかとのリクエストがあったので、迷わずOK。どうせ、ホテルにいてもする事がないので、せっかく居るので仕事をして稼ぐぞって感じです！！ん〜ラグーナ滞在もあと２日・・・、もう一息ですね。

Got up at 7am today and left my friend's place in Portola Valley at 8am. Since my friend had to work today, I just went back to the hotel and relaxed in the morning, and did some work in the afternoon. I got a call from one of the instructor just now to fill in for him for tomorrow's school so I will have to work tomorrow. I guess, it would be better to work and earn some money rather than not do anything all day and spend money. Two more days here and will get to go home...

スクール終了

今日も６時起き・・・。スクール３日目で無事に終了。明日はオヤスミなので、今日は昔から良く知ってるインストラクター友達のトミーの家にお泊まり。サンフランから１時間くらい南に家があり、実家はワイナリ〜。家はメチャ豪邸でビックリ！葡萄畑の中にある家です！！もちろんディナーにCabernet SauvignonとPinot Noirを頂いてメチャ美味！！なんとも羨ましい〜！！セスナ機を所有して美味しいワイン飲んで・・・、自分も頑張らないとってつくづく思っちゃいました！！

Got up at 6am and the last day at school went really well. Since I don't have to work tomorrow, I am staying at my friend's in Portola Valley tonight who also instructs at Skip Barber. His family own a winery here and I was able to drink there Cabernet and Pinot Noir which was fantastic!! The house is gorgeous and I really have to rethink about relocating once my apartment lease is up!!

明日の早朝にラグーナに戻って、明日はホテルでユックリって感じです。なんだか久しぶりのオヤスミを満喫するかな・・・？！？

Anyhow, I will have to return to the track tomorrow and back to real life... I will have day off tomorrow so will try to relax. I'm not good enough to play gold at Pebble Beach yet...so may be I will go practice some...

スクール２日目

今日も６時起きで、スクールは８時からスタート。幸い天気が良かったので、仕事中の気分はグッド。今日もスクールは無事に終わり、忙しい一日でした・・・。が、着いてからまだ３日目なので早くお家に帰りたいな〜・・・。木曜までの滞在でまだ日曜だと思うと先が長いです。

Woke up at 6am again and the 2nd day of school started ay 8am. Fortunately, the weather was really nice today and it was good day at work. The school went well today and I just got back to the hotel. I can't believe it's still Sunday and I have to b here until Thurs.... I am really looking forward to going home.

来週末はいよいよ富士でのF1GP開催ですね〜。最近はIRLのレースも終わってしまい、少し週末のレースが少ないので楽しみが減った感じです。ではでは、これから夕飯を食べてホテルでユックリしま〜す。

Speaking of racing, it will be the Fuji F1GP next week end. It will be interesting to see who does well there first time being there. With less races during the week end...I really don't have nothing to look forward to on TV during the week end now... Well, I should hop in the shower now and get to bed early again.

スクール初日

今日は６時に起きて７時にサーキット入り。スクールは８時にスタート。・・・が、午前中はずっと雨で最悪。駐車場を使ってオートクロスを走行する時は、ずぶ濡れ状態！ん〜これじゃ〜給料と割があわないな〜・・・、なんて思っていたら午後は晴れてくれてラッキー！！今日の仕事も無事に終わりホテルに戻った所です。今回はスクール３日間に中２日空いて来週の木曜日にLagunaでSkipBarber下請けの試乗会があるので、ほぼ１週間の滞在です。ん〜もう家に帰りたい・・・。（泣）

Was up at 6am and went to the track at 7am. The shool started at 8am and it was raining all morning. I thought it was going to clear up had a shorts on which happened to be a bad call. I guess I really earn the money today standing on puddles getting wet. Luckily it cleared up in the afternoon and turned out to be great day. I am back in the hotel now and doing some work. I will have two more days with the school and will have to stay until Thursday for an OEM event. I am already looking forward to go back home...

モントレーに到着

今日は朝起きて午前中にジムでトレーニング。ここ数日またジムに行く時間があまりなかったので、今日はガッツリトレーニング。お昼過ぎに仕事を少ししてから３時過ぎにLagunaに向けて出発。金曜日の夕方に出たので、家を出た瞬間から渋滞・・・。普段は４時間半で着くのに、今日はけっきょく５時間半もかかりました・・・。昨日もず〜っと運転してたのでかなり腰が疲れちゃいました。明日からは３日間スクールの講師です。また早起きが続くのでそろそろ寝ま〜す。

Got up in the AM and went to the gym. I wasn't able to spend time in the gym recently so I had a good work out today before heading up to Monterey. Had lunch at home, and did some work...and left the house at about 3pm. It usually takes 4.5hr to get to Monterey, since it was Fri, the traffic was pretty bad and it took me 5.5hr to get to the hotel. I think I had enough driving last two days...and for next three days, I get to whatch other drive and critcize them!?! Well...since it's going to be an early morning start tomorrow, I better get to sleep!zzzzzzzzz

Infiniti試乗

今日は朝８時からInfinitiのニューモデルの試乗会があったので、家を７時前に出発。渋滞があっても十分の時間を読んで出発したのに、家を出た瞬間から高速道路は以上な渋滞。まったく動かず、普段だったら３０分で着く所が２時間かかってしまい、試乗になんとかギリギリで間に合いました。

Since I had a media preview test drive with Infiniti today, I got up at 6am and drove to Santa Monica to get there before 8am. I left the house just before 7am...and it normally takes only 30min max from my house to get to Santa Monica. For some reason, there must have been an accident or some sort because it literally took me 2hr to get there today!! I bare made it on time for the test drive and I had enough of driving by the time I got there...

新しいInfinitiの車は意外と良くて個人的にはかなり気に入りました!今年Indy500で走ったチームのDreyer&ReinboldもIndianapolisでInfinitiのディーラーを経営してるのでInfnitiにも頑張ってもらわないと！？！それより、今日はず〜っと運転のしっぱなしでかなり疲れました。明日からはほぼ１週間LagunaSecaでお仕事です。なんだか、家でユックリできないな〜って感じのする今日この頃です・・・。

Well the new Infiniti was a great car. I can't mention too much about it now since I have to write an article but I think it will be a good sell. Also the team that I drove for this year(Dreyer & Reinbold) owns an Infiniti dealer in IN so I hope they do well since that may lead to a seat for next year's Indy 500!?! I'm pretty tired from all the driving today... I can't believe that I have to head up to Laguna tomorrow. I wouldn't mind spending some more relaxing time with my family...

車のメンテ＆試乗

今日は早めに起きて、午前中は昨日メンテに出していた自分の車をピックアップして、昼過ぎに今度は妻の車をメンテにだしました。ちょうど同じ時期にメンテのランプがついたので、一気にだしちゃえ〜って感じで行いました。お昼過ぎからは日産のAltima Coupeの試乗をして、夕方に車のディーラーに戻って妻の車をピックアップ。なんだかドタバタして忙しい一日です。明日はInfinitiの新車の試乗のお仕事。ちょっと楽しみです！！

Got up in the morning and went to pick up my car from the dealer for the maintenance. Than I had to drop off my wife's car which was also due and it worked out where we get both done at the same time. While I was waiting for my wife's car to get done, I had to test drive the New Nissan Altima Coupe for a Japanese Media. The car was pretty good and we spent about 1.5hr around Elysian Park. My wife's car was just done by the time I got back to the dealer and it worked out really well. Tomorrow, I will be testing the new Infiniti which I am looking forward to!!

久しぶりのゴルフ

今日は７時前に起きて、ピットの散歩に行き９時半から久しぶりにカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君＆竹内さんとゴルフをしに行く事になったので、８時に出発。クラブを振るのはけっこう久しぶりだったのでちょっと緊張気味。が、思ったよりも調子は悪くはなく前半のスコアーは５６、後半は５１で自分としてはボチボチ。何回かしょぼいホールはありましたが、スィングも固まってきてもっと定期的にやれば１００を切るのも時間の問題では・・・！？！

Got up at 7am. I was supposed to play gold today with my Buddy Hiro and Mr.Takeuchi since our season has ended... I left the house at 8am. Our tee time was at 9:30am, and we were done by 1:30pm. Alhough I haven't played for a while, I still managed to hit 56 in the front half, and 51 in back. It wasn't too bad but I still have to work on the wedge shot that is just about 100yds.

１時半にはゴルフも終わり、２時には帰宅。家に戻って少し仕事をして、夕方に車をサービスにだしてきました。今週末はLagunaSecaにお仕事で行くので、念のためにロングドライブに備えてオイル交換。明日と明後日も車の試乗があったりで、忙しい１週間になりそうです。

I was home by 2pm and needed to get some work done. Than I took my car to the dealer for a service. I will be driving up to Laguna this week and I don't need the service light blinking through out the drive. It will be an another busy week for me...

疲れ・・・？

今日は妻との結婚記念日。先週末のお仕事で早起きが続いていたので、今朝も７時前には起床。朝起きてピットの散歩をしてから、ソルトレークに言ってる間に仕事が溜まっていたのでメールや色んな作業のキャッチアップ。お昼は家で銀ダラの味噌漬けを食べ、昼過ぎになったらなんだか疲れがたまってるのか、頭がボ〜ッてしてたので少し休憩する事にしました。

Today is my 1yr wedding anniversary with my wife. I got up early since I have been getting up early when I had to work up at Salt Lake. I spent all morning trying to catch up with all my e-mails and some work. Had lunch and for some reason I was feeling really down so I decided to get some rest in the afternoon.

夕方には少し復活したので妻と子供とスーパーに行って色々と食材を買って今日はお家でディナーです。近所のスーパーで今日はめでたい日だからステーキにするかって話になりましたが、二人で話をした結果おおきめのステーキ１枚を焼いて二人で分けて食べる事になりました。いや〜歳を感じますね〜！？！２年前までは大きめのステーキでもぺろっと食べれたのに・・・、寂しいもんですね〜。

I was able to recover after some rest and we went the super market to buy some steaks for our dinner to celebrate. We had a lengthy chat on how many steaks we should get and we decided to share a big piece. It's really weird thinking back two years ago...I would have had no problems eating a Porterhouse. But now...I must really be getting old even hesitating to eat a 12oz NY Steak. Anyhow, I should got spend some time with my wife and kid now!

ユックリサンデー

昨日は家に戻って夕飯を食べ終わったら１２時過ぎ。あまりにも疲れたのでバタンキュー状態で爆睡。朝は８時までグッスリねて朝は長めの散歩。さて、仕事をするかなと思ったらPCの調子が不調で何もできず、色々とリセットしたりなどしたら午後になって調子が復活。

It was already past 12am when I got home last night and was done with dinner. Went to sleep right away and got up at 8am. Wanted to sleep in a bit more but ofcourse my kid had to wake me up. I wanted to get some work done in the morning but my PC wasn't working so well and I finally was able to reboot everything and get back to work now.

明日９月１７日は妻との結婚記念日。もう結婚してから１年かと思うと時が立つのはやはり早い。本当はディナーでも食べに行こうかとは行ってたのですが、とりあえず今日のランチを食べに行こうという事になり、今日はBeverlyHillsにあるChaya Brasserieでランチ。その後はかるくRobertson Blvd沿いをプラプラして帰宅。とりあえずユックリできる日曜日でした。

Tomorrow is me and my wife's 1st Anniversary. I can't believe it's been a year since we got married. We thought about going to dinner tomorrow but we decided to go to lunch today instead. I took my wife and kid to Chaya Brasserie in BH. The food was pretty good and we were both happy with their service. Than we shopped around Robertson Blvd for a little while and just came home. It was a relaxing Sunday which just what I needed.

ようやくLAに帰宅

今日は８時にサーキット入り。９時から３０分のレースがあって、レース終了後に担当のドライバーとミーティングをして１０時には仕事終了。フライトが７時前なのでそれまで、なにをしよ〜って思いながら街をフラフラして、今は飛行場で飛行機を待ってる所です。いや〜なんだか、長い４日間だったな・・・。まっ、お仕事だから仕方ないか。何よりも家に帰って自分のベッドで寝て、おいしい和食を食べて息子に会うのが楽しみです！！

Got to the track at 8am this morning and the 30min race started at 9am. After the race, I debriefed with my designated drivers about there future races and I was done with my job by 10am. It's good to be done early but that left me with nothing to do other than touring the city and getting to the airport and waiting for my flight. It seemed like pretty long 4 days but I am so looking forward to getting home. I really missed seeing my kid and can't wait to have some Japanese food. I have been eating too much fast food stuff...and need to get back on prpoer diet menu!!

ソルトレーク３日目

昨日セスナ機で一緒に乗せたくれた友達から朝早く電話があって、今日の朝も一緒に飛びに行くからいこうぜ〜って誘われたので７時に起きて、約１時間のフライトでサーキットの上空を飛行。１０時半までにはサーキットに着いて、１時からの３０分のレースをコーナーから監視して、レースが終わってから各ドライバーにアドバイス。今日は意外と楽な一日でした。明日はいよいよ最終日。レースが１０時頃に終わってしまうのに、飛行機は７時前・・・。ソルトレーク観光でもするかな？！？

I got a call from my friend who let me fly yesterday and he asked me if I wanted to fly again this morning. I didn't hesitate to take the offer and we went flying around the track for couple of hours. We were at the track by 10:30am and the race was on at 1:30pm. Since it's such a long course and the race is only 30min...it turned out to be a real easy day for me. Tomorrow will be the last day and I am really looking forward to get home. Although, the race is done by 10am, my flight is not until 7pm so I will have to find a way to kill some time. May be I will think about touring the city tomorrow.

ソルトレーク２日目

今日は８時からの走行だったので、７時前にはサーキット入り。メチャ眠の状態で気合いで起きてサーキットに行きました。今日は３０分の走行が午前中に一回で３０分の予選セッションが２回あって、仕事が終わったのは７時過ぎ。長い一日でした。仕事が終わってからホテルに戻る前に、友達のインストラクターが自分のセスナ機を乗ってきてるから一緒にフライト行かない〜って誘われたので、迷わずOKして行ってきました！！

Since we had a 30min practice session starting at 8am today...I was at the track before 7am. Obviously way too early for me and it's pretty hard to get up not being motivated when you are not going to drive a race car. Neverthelss, it's work so I got up and made sure I gave good feedbacks. There were two more qualifying session in the afternoon and I was done with work at about 7pm. Pretty long day at the track. After leaving the track, my friend who also instructs at Skip Barber asked me if I was intersted to join flying in his airplane and I was totally up for it!!

セスナ機に乗るのは始めてでかなりワクワク！意外とあっと言う間に飛び立って身軽の動きでいいじゃんって感じです。が〜飛行速度はあまり早くないので長時間乗るのは辛そう・・・。離陸して落ち着いたらとつぜん、操縦してもいいよ〜って友達が言うので迷わずスティックを握って操縦開始。思ってた以上に難しいのでビックリ。色々と飛行免許の取得の話を聞いたら自分もゲットしたいな〜って思ってきちゃいました。ん〜その前に自分の飛行機が買える様に頑張って稼がないと・・・。（泣）

It was my first time in a small plane and I was really excited abou the flight. The plane is a lot more compact than I thought but it took off the ground really quickly. However, I'm not sure if I can handle more than 2-3hr on flight. Once up on air, my friend let me fly his plane and that was a real good experience for me! It was a lot harder than I have imagined and I certainly have more respect for the pilots now!! After all the talks on how to get an aviation license... I think I may consider getting one but first I must make more money...

ソルトレーク初日

さっきサーキットから戻りました。今日はメッチャ疲れました。昨日ホテルに着いたのは夜中の１時半で今日は８時からサーキット入り。５０分のセッションが２回あって、その合間にドライバーとディブリーフィング。長い一日でした。しかし、今回は始めて訪れるMiller Motorsportspark。３年前くらいにできたサーキットでアメリカにしたら施設も奇麗でサーキットも長くてめちゃくちゃ面白そうです！！いや〜自分もレースがしたかった〜〜！！場所が場所なので観客をよぶのは難しそうですが、ここでIRLのレースをやったら走り的には面白いのでは・・・！？！

Just got back from the track. It was a long day and I am pretty tired. My flight was delayed last night and I got to the hotel about 1:30am. I had to be up by 7am to get to the track and I don't mind getting some sleep tonight. The day was mellow with two 50min sessions and some debriefing with the drivers. It's my first time here at Miller Motorsportpark and am really impressed with the track as well as the facitility! It will be really cool if they can host an IRL race here, but I guess it will be hard to gather the crowds to come to the race. Nevertheless, I would love to have an oppurtunity to drive on this track!!

それより、昨日の夜に安倍総理大臣が辞任をしたのがビックリ！？！ある意味きたいしてたのに・・・。なんだか、ヤジを飛ばしたり、すぐに諦めて辞任をしてしまう日本の政治にはあきれる一方。ま〜良い悪いは別としても、クリントンの様に開き直る図太さ＆ひっこさが政治家には必要なのでは？！？

On another note, I was really suprised to see the news about Japan's Prime Minister resigning. I am very dissapointed with the politicians in Japan and I think that country almost needs a dictator who have the gutts to speak out to the public. It will be intersting to see how the future will hold in Japan...

ソルトレークシティー

今日は朝一で電話で来季に向けてのミーティング。１０時には終わり、朝食を食べてからジムで２時間のトレーニング。お昼過ぎに妻と子供を連れて昼食をとり、帰りにスーパーによって帰宅。今日は８時のフライトでそるとレークシティーに行くので今は荷造り中。今週末はSkipBarber National Seriesの仕事で土曜までソルトレークに居ます。ソルトレークと言えば、冬季オリンピック。と言ってもトリノの前のオリンピックって考えるともう５〜６年も前の事・・・。ん〜時間が経つのはメチャ早ですね〜！？！

Had a early morning conference call today so I was up early. I was done with the call by 10am and had breakfast and went to the gym for 2hr work out. Than I took my wife and baby to lunch and stopped at the grocery store on the way home to stock up the food while I was gone. I am catching a 8pm flight tonight to go to Salt Lake City instructing for Skip Barber National Series Race week end. Speaking of Salt Lake City, it's my first time there and I am really looking forward to the trip. I really don't know much about the city except it held the winter olympics 5 or 6 years ago...Hopefully I can find some spare time to tour the city.

家が静か・・・。

今日はお昼過ぎのフライトで従兄弟が日本に戻ったので、１２時に空港まで送りに行ってきました。もう夏休みが終わったからだいぶ空いてるかなと思ったのも束の間で意外と混んでる挙げ句の果てに9/11の前日と言う事で警備もかなり警戒しててメチャ混みでした。従兄弟はなんとか飛行機に乗って日本に戻りました。

Tool my cousin to LAX since he was flying home today. I thought the plane would be empty after the summer holiday was over but I guessed it wrong. Being day before 9/11 didn't help the situation since the security seemed to tighten and the line was a lot worse than I thought. My cousing was able to get on the plane with a lot of time to spare and he seemed really happy with this trip!

空港の帰りに息子用のプレイングケージを買い、帰宅して夕方はジムでランニング。１週間程ジムを休んでたせいか身体がにぶってる気がして運動をしたらスッキリ。従兄弟が帰って、なんだかお家が静かで寂しいね〜って妻としきりに話してます。従兄弟が息子の相手をして遊んでくれたり、息子＆ピットも寂しがってます。またの来客が楽しみです。

After the airport, we stopped by Babies R'us to get a playing cage for my son since my wife has been asking me for ages...I guess it helps her when I'm away working and needs couple of minutes with out keeping an eye on him. Right when we got home, I went straight to the gym for a work out. I wasn't able to train for a while and it felt very good being back in the gym and sweating out! I was just talking with my wife and we are very suprised how quite the house is with out my cousin. He spent a lot of time with my baby playing and I'm sure my son will miss him...but I guess Pit is the one who will miss him the most becuase he was sleeping with him everynight!?!

祝ダリオ

今日はIRLの最終戦。午前中から従兄弟の買い物でサンタモニカに出かけていましたが、レースが終わる直前に帰宅。最後はドラマティックなフィニッシュでダリオの優勝！アメリカに来てからようやくチャンピオン獲得って感じでダリオもかなり喜んでましたね！！それより、デビューで８位でゴールした弟分の英紀はよく頑張った。レース中にファステストラップも出して、来季はレースクラフトをもう少し経験したらさらに良い結果が出ると思います。彼にはぜひ来季頑張って欲しいですね〜！！

I just got done whatching the season finale at Chicago. It was a great race with a dramatic ending! Congrats to Dario, it was well deserved and I'm sure him and his wife's a re really happy with the result. I was also impressed with my buddy Hideki's debut race. He did excellent during the race and may be with more experience with the race craft...he could be a finsihing in the top 5.

気がついたらIRLのシーズンも終了。本当に１シーズンあっと言う間ですね〜。チームも来季に向けての交渉でこれからがたがた動きがありそうです。来週末はソルトレークシティーのサーキットに行ってSkipBarberのレースのインストラクターをしなくてはいけませんが、同時に交渉の連絡の取り合いとかで忙しくなりそうです。

I can't believe the IRL season is over already... Now we've all gotta work on next season. I will be at Salt Lake City next week end for the Skip Barber Race Series, but will have to get the negotiations forward with my sponsors and teams...

なかなかない。

このあいだ家でご飯を食べた時にカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君に、焼酎を買ってきてと頼んだら買ってきてもらったのは“なかなか・・・ない”。焼酎の“中々”と言えば有名ですが、あれ・・・、“中々”ってこんな“吉四六”みたいなボトルしてたっけ〜ってよく見たら“なかなかない”と書いてあって爆笑。最近ちょっと受けた事だったので、ダイアリーに書いちゃいました。（笑）

Had dinner at my house with my photographer friend Hiro. I asked him to get me some Soju at the store and he ended up getting a Soju called "Nakanaka-nai". There is a real famous soju calle "Nakanaka" and I thought it was "Nakanaka" until I took a real close look and found out that it was "Nakanaka-nai". "Nakanaka-nai" means...hard to find in Japanese. I'm not sure about that if you can find them in Torrance,CA but it still was a good soju.

今日も従兄弟のツアーコンダクターとしてLAの街を色々と動き回り、さっき帰ってきた所です。戻ってシカゴの予選結果を見たら弟分の武藤英紀が予選１３位。チームメートを上回ってるので大した物です。レースの結果が重要ですが、とにかく完走を目指して頑張って欲しい物です。明日の最終戦は本当に楽しみ！！しかし、ダリオがNASCAR移籍の話が勃発したり、Jacques VillenueveがToyotaでNASCAR参戦の方向の話がでたり、来季のNASCARもだいぶ面白くなりそうです。

It was another day as a tour conductor for my cousin. We went shopping all around the town. Just came home and looked at the IRL qualifying result and was happy to see my buddy Hideki doing well. Of course the race is the most important part and I hope he finishes well tomorrow. It is important for him to understand that to finish firts, firt you must finish. You can gain so much experience and confindece by finishing the race and I think that would be his goal for tomorrow's race. Speaking of racing, NASCAR seems to be the hot place to be now with Dario rumoured to be negotiating with Ganassi for the Cup ride as well as Jacques Villenueve talking to do some races this year to prepare him for next season.

アウトレット

今日は来週の月曜に従兄弟が日本に戻ってしまうので、その前にパームスプリングスの側にあるアウトレットに行ってきました。家から約１時間半くらいの所にありますが、午前中に出発して途中で給油をしてランチを食べてから、１時前にアウトレットに到着。従兄弟は色々と気に入った物があったみたいですが、自分は節約モードに入ってるので“見てるダケ〜！”状態・・・。が・・・、妻がどうしても欲しいと言う靴を発見してしまい、最近は色々と頑張ってくれてるので購入。とりあえず、それで当分の間は上機嫌になってくれる事を祈るのみ！？！帰りはさすがに金曜日の夕方だったので渋滞。戻るのに２時間半もかかり、息子も車の中に座りっぱで少しご機嫌斜め。今日はファミリーサービスデーって感じでした。

Since my cousing is going back to Japan next monday, we decided to go to the Desert Hills Outlet in Cabazon. It took us about 1.5hr to get there and we stopped for fuel and lunch on the way. My cousing was able to find things that he wanted but I had no plans on buying anything so it really wasn't an exciting day for me. However, my wife managed to find a shoes that she really wanted and after couple of minutes of negotiations....I had to give it up and buy the shoes for her. Lately she has been working hard when I'm away and I think she deserved this one!?! The trip home was really bad with traffic. My baby was getting angry sitting on the safety seat for 2+hours and I'm just happy to be home now...

あっと言う間の１週間

今日は午前中に家から１時間の所にアーバインと言う街にいき、先週末のフォンタナのレースで招待して頂いたInterush社の方々と来季の事についてミーティング。色々と前向けなお話ができて、今後の動向が楽しみです！！お昼はトーランスでランチをして、３時には帰宅。家に戻って早速いろいろt仕事をしていたらあっと言う間に夕方。気がついたらもう明日は金曜日じゃないですか？１週間が経つのがメチャ早すぎてビックリ！？！

Had a meeting in Irvine today with the guys from Interush who invited me to see the race in California Speedway this past week end. We talked about the possibilities for next season and I really think we were able to have productive meeting. Than I had lunch in Torrance and when I got home, it was almost 3pm. I got straight to work and I couldn't believe the day was over so fast. More so, I can't believe it's Fri tomorrow. When I was young I really used think "Than god it's Fri" but now it's more like "Holly CXXp it's already Fri?!?".

夏も終わり・・・。

昨日まではメチャ暑だったLAも今日は普通の温度に下がり、だいぶ凄しやすい気候に戻りました。今日も来季の話に関して、色々と電話でドタバタミーティング。もう今週末でIndyも最終戦なので、来季に向けての交渉も急ピッチに進めないと。シーズンが終わると、最初の２週間はほとんどのチームが休みに入ったり、まだ時間があるからって余裕をこいてしまうので、連絡が取り合えなくなる事が良くあるんですよ。だから、大事な話はシーズンが終わる前に進めないとって感じです。ま〜まだ具体化してる物はありませんが、一日でも早く決めれるように頑張ります！！

After the craze heat storm that we had last couple of days, it ended up being a real nice day today. I guess it's end of summer now. For me it was a busy day on the phone all morning trying to sort things out for next year. As you know, it's always chicken first or egg first but gotta keep moving! The IRL season is going to end this week and it is important to get as much info for next year by this week because the IRL teams goes quite for couple of weeks once the season ends. There are several prospects that have high chances of happening next year and I am really looking forward to making this deal happen so we can be 100% prepared comes race time. It's still a long way to go, but now is the right time to start!! I hope I can have things lined up by Christmas time.

吉野家

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。トレーニングが終わってから従兄弟とやたら、吉牛が食いたいな〜って話になって家の近所にある吉野家で牛丼を買い持ち帰って家で味噌汁を作ってごリ食い！！いや〜久しぶりに食べる吉牛は美味しいですね〜。お腹がすいてたからって噂もありますが・・・！？！

Went to the gym in the morning with my cousing and as soon as we were done training...we were starving and decided we wanted to have Yoshinoya's beef bowl for lunch. Luckily there is a Yoshinoya just a block away from my house so we walked over there and did Beef Bowl take out while my wife made miso soup. I wouldn't eat that everyday but it is actually pretty good if you eat them once in a while. My cousin actually said it tastes better than the one in Japan. Needless to say, they haven't served beef bowl at Yoshinoya in Japan because of the BSE at one point.

午後はリトル東京にあるショップをちょこちょこ周り、家に戻ってからスムージーを作って現在はビデオ屋でレンタルしてきたSmapXSmap見てます。ここ数日はLAも連日を超える猛暑で家に居るのがいちばんです。

After lunch, we went to Little Tokyo to look around the shops...nothing interesting so we came home and made a smoothie that was pretty good. It's been really hot in LA and my baby doesn't like the heat I guess so we've been trying to keep him cool as much as we can.

今日は休日

今日はLaborDayで休日だったので午前中は家でユックリ。本当は従兄弟と家のジムに行ったのですが、メチャ混んでたのでそのまま帰宅。お昼には最近はまってるFatBurgerでランチ。日本にできたら人気がでると思うのにな〜・・・。その後は従兄弟の買い物でBeverlyCenterに行ってショッピング。休日なのでやなり、メチャ混み。混んでる所が嫌いな自分からすると、せっかく休日がぜんぜんリラックスできないな〜。ストレス発散の為に夕方は打ちっぱに行って、これから夕飯です！！

Since it was Labor Day today...had a pretty quite morning. I went to the gym with my cousing but the place was so packed that we came straigh back and went to Fat Burger for lunch. My cousin definately enjoyed the burgers there and I really think they can be a hit in Japan!! Than I had to take him and my wife and baby to Beverly Center to get more souvenirs. The mall was packed and with the heat...I think the best thing was to stay home in the AC. Late in the afternoon, I went to the driving range to get some stress relief.

Fontana写真

今日は日曜日なので家でリラックス。本当はフォンタナに行って、NEXTEL Cupのレースも見に行きたかったのですが、メチャ混みになりそう＆家族サービスもしなくてはいかないなと言う事でお昼に妻と息子と従兄弟を連れてパサデナ方面でランチ。Targetによって日用品をゲットして帰宅。デトロイトのレースをテレビ観戦したらあっと言う間に夕方。明日はLaborDayでお休みなので明日もユックリできそう。が、ここ２日間はジムに行く時間がなかったので、明日はミッチリトレーニングしてこないと！！

そうそう、自分のデジカメで撮った写真をアップしま〜す。

今回はInterush Racingの招待でレース観戦。
I was invited by the Interush Racingto whatch the race.

Interush Racingの車
Interush Racing Busch Car

近い将来NASCARの車も乗ってみたいですね〜。
I hope I will have a chance to drive these car one of these days!

今回の冠スポンサーはシャープ・アクオス。日に日に日系企業のスポンサーがNASCARのパドックに増えてます！
The title sponsor for this week end's race was Sharp Aquos. I see more and more Japansese sponsor's involvement in the NASCAR paddock!

たまたまNASCARの件で色々と以前に話をした事のある人と会い立ち話。
I ran into the guy I have talked to who put the Smith & Wesson deal for Stanton this week end.

California Speedway

昨日は深夜に家に戻ったので今日の午前中は家でユックリ。お昼過ぎに家を出てフォンタナに向かいました。フォンタナに着いたらメチャ暑くてビックリ！！今回はInterush RacingのStanton Barrett選手の招待でNASCAR Buschシリーズのレースを観戦。Stantonは有名なスタントマンで、色んなハリウッド映画のスタントをこなしてきたり、ボブスレッドのレースに参戦したりで面白いキャラクターです。いや〜しかし、何よりもけっこうイケメンの所が羨ましい・・・！？！（笑）

Since I got home late last night...slept in this morning, or at least I tried to before my baby started to ask to play. I headed out to Fontana right after lunch and was really suprised how hot it was out there!! I was invited to see the race from Interush Racing driver Stanton Barrett. Stanton is a quite a character with bobsledding and stunt driver background!! He definately is a multi-talented driver!!

レースは夜７時にスタート！日中に比べてだいぶ涼しくなってたので、なんとか乾涸びなくてすみました！？！（笑）スタントンも無事にレース完走！！レースの内容はクラッシュフェスティバルみたいで、多重クラッシュが続出。でも、内容はけっこう面白かったです。写真もちょこっと撮ってきたので明日にでもアップします！！

The race started at 7pm and it has already started to cool off that time so the heat wasn't too bad whatching the race. It certainly was a crash fest...but was a good race to see. Stanton was able to finish the race and overall it was a good day. Just got back home, and I think I will need some rest tonight. I took some photo's from the week end so I will try to up those soon!!

日帰りでデトロイト

いや〜今日は長い一にでした。さっきデトロイトから帰宅した所です。昨晩は１０時のフライトで出発。今回は経費削減の為に、普段使ってるユナイテッド航空を使わず、ディスカウント・エアラインのSpirit航空を挑戦！？！いや〜このエアラインは微妙でした。まっ、この値段だったら文句は言えないなって言う反面、ドリンクはお水の他は有料だし・・・、今回は手ぶらだったから良かったものの、荷物をチェックインする場合は＄１０のチャージがあるみたいだし。ん〜２度とこの航空会社を使う事はないだろうな。

It was a real long day for me and just got back from Detroit. I caught a red-eye flight last night and to save some cost, I used Spirit Air instead of United who I usually fly with. The price for the trip was cheap so may be I can’t complain, but the service was not all that great!?! I couldn’t believe that you had to pay for drinks except for water, as well as $10 per checked bags. Luckily it was a short trip for me and I had nothing to check in but I pretty much have no intention on using this airline again and I would probably stick to racking up miles with UA.

デトロイトに着いたのは現地時間の５時半・・・、って言ってもLA時間の２時半。メチャメチャ眠いのを我慢してサーキットの直行。８時にはサーキット入りして、早速いろいろとミーティング。午前中にはロジャー・ペンスケ氏と少し話をすることができて、午後はALMSのチームとも立ち話。出る前にDreyer&Reinoldとも長いミーティングをして飛行場に向けて出発。かなりドタバタでしたが、そこそこ内容のあるミーティングができたと思います。

I landed in Detroit at about 5:30am…which still was 2:30am LA time so I was really sleepy. I went to the track straight from the airport and started to talk with several team owners right from 8am. I was able to talk briefly with Mr.Roger Penske who I really admire and also made several contacts in ALMS paddock. Than had a lengthy meeting with Dreyer & Reinbold for possible scenarios for next year and left the track at 5pm to head back to the airport. Real quick trip but was able to get a lot done I think!!

明日はお昼からフォンタナでBuschのレース観戦です。忙しいけど、フォンタナも楽しみです。

Well, I am going to Fontana tomorrow to see the Busch race. I’m really looking forward to that and more so…getting some sleep on my bed!!

８月も終了・・・。

いや〜もう８月も終わりですね！って今年も残るは４ヶ月・・・。あっと言う間に時間が経ちますね〜！今日は朝起きて午前中に先日のった車のインプレションの記事を書きお昼前にジムに行ってトレーニング。午後一で従兄弟が到着したので飛行場に行ってピックアップ。今は今夜のデトロイトに向けての準備。深夜フライトでデトロイトに行って早朝に着き、明日の夜のフライトで戻ってこないと行けないので、かなり弾丸です。いや〜しかし話が出てくる時はあっちからもこっちからも色々とでてくるので大忙しです。交渉も頑張らないと！！ではでは、夜のフライトに向けて少し一休みしときま〜す。

I can't believe it's already end of Aug. We only have 4 months left for this year and time just flies by!! Today, I had to get the article done for the car I drove last month and went to the gym just before lunch. Than I had to go to LAX to pick up my cousing who is visiting from Japan and just got home getting ready to go back to LAX tonight again to catch the flight to Detroit. It will be a hectic trip since I have to catch a red-eye and fly back next evening. However, I've got good propects in line that I have to negotiate with and hopefully I can get the deal moving forward. Well...for now, I better get some rest so my brain would be 100% funcitional when I meet the team owners tomorrow.

今週は忙しい・・・。

いや〜今日も忙しい一日でした。朝起きてからメールチェック。来季にスポンサー獲得やチームとの連絡の取り合いであっと言う間に昼前。昼直前にジムに行ってランニングをしてから、午後一で妻とダウンタウンでやってるフリーマーケットに行き、夕方は美容室に行って髪を切ってきました。しかもLAは今日はメチャ暑です！明日も忙しくなりそうです。明日は従兄弟が日本から来るので飛行場にピックアップして夜は一人で深夜便でデトロイトへ向かいます。忙しいのは良い事ですが、これこそ貧乏暇無し・・・ですかね！？！（笑）

It was another busy day. Got up and checked e-mails. I had to get in touch with several team owners as well as prospect sponsors for next year and that burned all the time this morning. Than went to the gym for a quick run and than went to the Farmer's Market which is held every Weds here in Downtown. They actually have real fresh fruits,veggies, and flowers. Than I had to go cut my hair...so I look appropriate during all the meetings at Detroit this Fri. Tomorrow looks to be another hectic day since I will have to pick my cousing up from LAX who will be visiting LA for 10days...and than return to LAX at night to catch a red-eye flight to Detroit. Well...it's good to be busy but you've gotta make sure that the money is rolling...!!!

ブートキャンプの次は・・・。

今日は朝起きて午前中にジムでトレーニング。先週末のレースで溜まったストレスを解放する為にがっつりやってきたら少しハッピーになりました。ジムでトレーニング中にテレビを見ていたら、どうやらビリー‘sブートキャンプの次に流行りそうなダイエット法はディスコ道場クラスらしいです！？！ブートキャンプは家でテレビを見ながらできて手軽ではありますが、アメリカ人はジムに行ってエアロビなどのクラスを受けるのがすきなので、このディスコ道場は流行りそうです！ま〜ようはダンスと格闘の動きを会わせて踊る感じで、キックボクシングやTaeboの前進ですね。でも、ちょっと楽しそう・・・。いつも黙々と一人でジムでトレーニングしてる自分からすると今度はディスコ道場に挑戦してみようかなって思っちゃいました！？！（笑）

Went to the gym in the morning. Since I was still stressed after the race this past week end, I was able to release some of that stress out by doing a hard work out which just what I needed. As I was on the treadmill, I saw a new fitness class on TV that's probably coming in after the Billy's Boot Camp. The class is called Disco Dojo, and it's basically a dance with the moves from martial arts. It definately looked like a great work out and I would love to give it a try!! I have to say that I have no talent in dancing and that strained me from joining the aerobics class...may be the Disco Dojo could be a good way to go for an interactive work out!!

週末はデトロイト＆フォンタナ

今日は午前中は親父を飛行場におくっていき、午後は家で色々と週末にできなかったお仕事。ソノマでIRLの社長と話した内容について、スポンサーやチームオーナーとの連絡の取り合い。今は同時進行にいごいてる話が色々とありますが、しっかりと具体化するまで頑張らないと！！

Dropped off my dad at LAX in the morning and came home and did some work through out the afternoon. I was able to get in touch and talk briefly with the CEO of IRL and had a talk with my sponsor and team owners about next year's prospects. There are many things that are moving forward and it's really about time to get all the deals moving forward!!

今週末は忙しくなりそう。木曜は従兄弟が日本からきて、夜のフライトでデトロイトに向かい、金曜にミーティングがあってその日の夕方のフライトで帰宅。翌日の土曜はフォンタナでNASCAR Buschのレースを観戦してミーティング。かなり忙しくなりそうですが、それに向けて色々と準備もしておかないと〜〜！！でも、こうやってちょくちょくレースの現場に行けるのは楽しいです。考えてみるとIndy500が終わってからずっと家に居ましたからね・・・。（笑）

It looks like it will be busy week for me. On Thurs, I have to pick up my cousing who is coming in town from Japan fow a week and than go back to LAX to catch a flight to Detroit that night. I will have a meeting on Fri and have to fly home that night again. Than on next day I will go to the NASCAR Busch race to see tha race and meet some people there so it will be a tough one. Although I kind of like the NASCAR schedule where you can sleep in... It's really hectic and busy but I much rather be visiting all the race track and talking to people than just staying home and working out at the gym.... I had a long off season after Indy 500 I guess so it's back to work time for next year!! It's kind of funny if you think about it because as a race driver...your real season is when you are looking for a ride during the season! Once you are in the car...it's like holiday every week!?!

買い物デー

昨日はソノマから戻ったのが１１時。ご飯を食べて寝たのが１時半で今朝はユックリすごしました。午後からは親父がアメリカにきていて明日の朝のフライトで戻ってしまうので色々とお土産の買い物ツアー。買い物と言っても自分の物は何も買ってませんが・・・。可愛い息子の顔を見てホッとする反面、昨日のレースがあまりにも納得いけずなんだか微妙な一日。ま〜気を取り直して次のレースに向けて活動を頑張らないと！！ではでは、来週末もデトロイトに色々と交渉に行かないと。移動費がバカにならないな〜・・・。（泣）

Since I got home really late last night...I slept in this morning and just relaxed through out the AM although I only did handful of laps yesterday. My dad is in town and he is flying home tomorrow so we decided to go shopping for souvenirs. Shopping is great if you are getting something for your self...but it really sucks just floating around seeing other people spend money. Oh well...I am still gutted about the week end and only thing that makes me happy is my son's smile. I guess I just have to keep working hard for the next race!! I will be going to Detroit on Fri and will have to fly home that night to make the Busch race in Fontana. It looks like it will be another busy week!!

Sonoma決勝

いや〜今週末は散々な週末でした。今日は朝からトラブル続き。朝のセッションではチームメートのTomasがセットの確認で２０分走行をして、自分が残りの１０分を走る予定でしたが、Tomasが降りた時点でクラッチが故障して走れず・・・。これこそぶっつけ本番状態でレースに挑む状況になりましたが、さらに最悪な事にクラッチ交換をしている時にエンジンにトラブルがある事が発覚。レース直前にエンジンを載せ変える事になりましたがシリーズのルールで決勝前にエンジン交換をするとピットからのスタートとなってしまい最悪の状況。色々とチームと話あったなか、最適の作戦は序盤戦の早いうちにピットに戻りTomasとドライバー交換をすまし、他車のドライバーが交換してる間にキャッチアップをして運の良いイエローを待つのみって言う事になりました。現実的にトップから３０秒はなされた時点でのドライバー交換が最適・・・、みたいな状況ですが”それってピットからスタートしてる時点で３０秒じゃ〜ん！“てな事になってしまいました。ま〜前戦もその作戦を使ってトップ１０入りしたようなので今回も同じ作戦にする事になりました。

It was a miserable day today. Everything has gone bad to worse… In the morning session, My team mate Tomas went out for first 20min to baseline the car and I was supposed to get the last 10min. Unfortunately, we lost the clutch at end of Tomas’s run and I was not able to go back out to feel the car. Than while we were changing the clutch, we discovered an engine failure that needed to replace the engine. By Grand Am rules, if you change the engine, you will have to start from the pit lane. We had a meeting with the team in regards to the strategy and we concluded that it would be best to change drivers early on if we catch several lucky yellows where we don’t have to pit and do the driver change. However, in order for that strategy to work, I needed to pit as soon as I got 30sec behind the leader!! That means…I am already 15sec+ behind starting from the pit!?! Well…obviously I just needed to bring the car safely back in order for them to finish the race and apparently the strategy worked out for them during the last race when they were able to move up to top 10 range.

そんなこんなで決勝のスタート。レース前にはわずか５周しか走ってない中、ミスを起こさないように＆車のフィーリングをつかみながら走行。だんだん車の動きをつかんだ所（凡そ１０周）でトップと３０秒開いており止む得なくピットイン＆ドライバー交換。なんだかしっくりこね〜なって感じですが、今回はあくまで助っ人としての参戦なので、代役は果たせた感じです。チームからは有り難うと感謝された物の、自分はちゃんと乗った気がしないから納得がいかないぞ〜〜！？！

After the start I was pretty conservative after what happened yesterday and took the first several laps to feel the car out. Just as I started to get in to the rythm(about 10laps)…I was already 30sec behind which is no surprise after having to start from the pit and the team called me in for a driver change. I really wished if I was able to do more laps but obviously I was only here this week end to help the team get through the race and I guess it was mission accomplished for me. As a racing driver, I was gutted because we were just not prepared enough and it’s not easy to do just 5laps and do well right in the race.

レースは４５分した所でエンジントラブルがまた起きて残念ながらリタイヤ。いや〜本当に今週末は自分にとってもチームにとってもトラブル続きの最悪な週末でした。ただ、こんな状況の中でチームからオファーがきて乗れた事は本当に感謝していますしラッキーだったと思います。また乗れるチャンスを作って頑張りたいと思います！！いや〜これこそLast Minuteって感じのレースでした。今回のレースは本当に土壇場での参戦で個人的にはまったく納得のいけない結果に終わってしまいましたが、何時も応援してくれてるスポンサー、ファンの皆さん、そしてメディアの方々にも心から感謝しています。また早く次のレースに参戦できるように全力を尽くして頑張ります！！

After the driver change, we were running pretty well until the engine broke again at 45min point which put us out of the race. I guess not only for me but a real bad day/week end for the team. The crew had worked so hard to fix the car and the engine and I was really disappointed not being able to reward them with a good finish. Nevertheless, I really want to thank the team for this opportunity as well as all my sponsor, fans, and media who are my biggest supporters! Hopefully I will get in to the car again in the near future and I sure want to perform much better!!

Sonoma

今日はなんだかもの凄い一日でした。昨日の１１時半にSAMAX Motorsportsのオーナーから電話が入り、急遽きてくれとお願いされもう寝る気満々だった所から飛行機の予約や荷物のパッキング・・・、レンタカーの予約等をして寝床に着いたのは１時近く。朝６時の飛行機だったので３時半に起きて飛行場に出発。サンフランに７時半について９時にサーキット入り！なんとか最初のセッションに走行できるかなと思ったら、ドライブシャフトが壊れてしまったみたいで走行できず・・・。色々とチームの作戦面を考えて何故か自分が予選アタッカーへと抜擢！？！“あの〜・・・、まだ１周も走ってないのに予選アタッカー”って聞きたい所ですが、１５分の予選走行時間でも少しでも走行をしなくてはいけないので止む得なく予選は捨てモード！？！１５分のうちに車も慣れてアタックなんてと思いつつ、予選中にペースが上がった所でちょっと調子をこいたらスピンをしてしまい、後ろに走っていた車から衝突されてそのままセッション終了・・・。ガックリです。しかもGrandAmのルールでは予選中に赤旗中断の原因を起こすと最後尾からのスタート・・・。まっ、ある意味作戦通りと言う事で明日のレースは頑張ります。チームメートのTomasEngeともデータ比較しても５周の間にドライビングの部分もかなりぴっくあっぷ！！このDaytonaPrototypeの車はけっこう癖があるんでね・・・。どちらにせよぶっつけ本番のレース頑張ります！！

It was a real strange day! I got a call last night at around 11:30PM from the team owner of SAMAX Motorsport and he has asked me to drive his car during this week end’s race at Sonoma. I obviously was eager to drive so I immediately said yes and went online to check for the flights and rental car reservations. By the time I got done with packing it was already 1am…and had to get up at 3:30am to make the 6am flight. Fortunately I was at the track by 9am and thought I was going to make the practice session but the drive shaft was broken and was not able to get out. Although I haven’t done any lap yet…I had to go out for qualifying to get some track time…so I was the qualifying driver for that 15min session. As the session has started, I took the first several laps to get acquainted with the car and the track and towards end of the session, I started to drive harder. And than oops…I got too greedy with the throttle and ended up spinning at turn 2. What was even worse was that the guy behind me had no where to go and ended up shoving my tail end of the car which I felt bad for that driver and my crew who have to fix the car overnight. Nevertheless, for causing yellow, we will have to start last. Oh well, we just have to play catch up tomorrow. Looking at the data, I think I know what to do when I get back in to the car tomorrow! I will do my best and hopefully we will be in top 10 by end of the day.

家の掃除＆交渉

今日の午前中は家の掃除。明日から親父が家に来るのでゲストルームとトイレのお掃除。お昼は家でサンドウィッチを食べて午後はずっと電話でチームとの連絡の取り合い。今週末のGrandAmのレースでずっとスタンバしててくれって言われてるチームにどうなってんだ〜〜って感じで話が進まずけっきょく今の所は相変わらずスタンバモード。ま〜オファーがある限りは乗りますけどね！！ん〜でも、何処のシリーズもスポンサー探しや持ち込みドライバーを見つけるので苦労してるみたいです。その中でも色々とオファーをもらえる事は嬉しいですけどね！！ぶっちあけ、個人的には乗りたくてムズムズしておりますが！！そんなこんなの一日でした。

Got up in the morning and cleaned my guestroom since my dad is coming in for the week end. After I got done with cleaning, my wife made me a sandwich and got to the phone talking to the Grand Am team for this week end. I really don't know what is going to happen since I am kind of in a stand by mode now. It really seems like every team in all series is struggling to find sponsors and drivers with funding. I really appreciate getting the offers to drive and I really hope this oppurtunity will come through!! Tell you the truth...I really can't wait to get back in to the car again in any circumstances!!

交渉でゴタゴタ・・・。

今日は午前中に妻のグリーンカードの取得に向けて、指紋を取りに行くアポがありダウンタウンの側のオフィッスに一緒に行ってきました。指紋を採るだけだったのですぐに終わると思ったら、１時間も待たされて息子が泣き出して大変・・・。自分は気合いで子供のお守りをして午前中はあっと言う間に終わってしまいました。そうこうしてる間に来季に向けてのスポンサー獲得の電話やチームとの交渉・・・とつぜん今週末のGrandAmのレースにもしかしたらスタンバイしててくれとの要望が会ったり等でドタバタ。なんだか忙しい一日でした。

Since my wife had a appointment to get her finger prints for the Green Card, I had a babysit my child all morning. Luckily the office where the appointment was booked was only couple of blocks away from my apartment, and since it was only a finger print...I though it would only take couple of minutes...I guessed it wrong and it literaly took all morning to get it done!! No suprise for the government work.... Anyhow, It was a busy day on the phone talking about next year's sponsor prospects and the team situation as well as a possible ride for a Grand Am this week end at Sonoma which is reallly last minute!?!

hanage

食事中の方はすみません・・・。いや〜今日はふと思った事があります。最近はずっとレースに出てないので鼻毛の伸びが遅いと言う事です！？！（笑）レースに毎戦参戦していた時は、しょっちゅうカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君に注意されたものの、最近はトリミングも不要なくらい。レースで前の車の排気をいっぱいすってると伸びも早いのかな？！？

I had a strange thoughts today. Since I haven't been racing full time lately... my nostrils aren't growing as fast as it used to. When I did the full season in 2003 & 2005, my photographer buddy Hiro stopped in my trailer all the time to tell me that I should get it trimmed. And lately, I don't even have to worry about it!! Well...I guess all the fumes out of the car is not doing all that well for you!?!

そう言えば高校生の時にかなり話題になったのですが、鼻毛“HANAGE"って痛みの単位だって話題になりましたが・・・。国際標準化機構(ISO)にも制定されたと言ってたので今日の今日まで信じていたのですが、よくよく調べてみたら９０年代後半にネットが普及した際にはやったジョークのチェーンメールだったみたいです。今までネタとして採用してたのにガックリ・・・。詳しい詳細はWikipedia鼻毛でご覧になってください。　

Speaking of nostrils...there was a rumor going around when I was back in High School stating that nostrils in Japanese "Hanage" will become the unit to measure pain. I thought it was all true since it stated that it has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization. It was supposed to be measured as if you pulled one nostril at 1N of force that will be 1 Hanage...Guess what...I just found out that it was just a choke chain mail that went through during late 90's. I guess it got so far, that many people including me still believes that measure!?!

今日はくらだらないネタでごめんなさい！？！（笑）
Well...sorry if you were having lunch or dinner....

Baby Safing the House

今日は午前中にジムでみっちりトレーニング。朝に妻が焼いたレーズブレッドをがっつり食べてしまったのでランチは抜き・・・。お昼過ぎにはベビーザラスに行って、子供の為の部屋の安全対策グッヅを購入。とくに、コンセント周りをプロテクトするものが必要かなと思い色々と見てみましたがなかなか良いのがなくて。とりあえずたこ足カバーを一つゲット。家に戻って取り付けてみるとよさげだったので、もう少し買いにいかないと。いや〜しかし、子供のハイハイも凄くなって行動範囲も広がって本当に心配事が増えました！！

Went to the gym in the morning and had a great work out. Since I had a pretty big breakfast, I skipped lunch and went to Babies R'Us to get some stuff to baby safe the house. My baby is crawling a lot more now, and he is able to get anywhere he wants. I am really concerned about the power plugs and the extension cords, and we ended up getting a cover for that. It's great to see him grow rapidly, but as a parent, I will have to really make the house safe before something happens.

家の方はさておき、今日はあっちこっちから連絡がありかなりドタバタ。そろそろ来年の話に関しても色んなチームも考え始めてる所で、自分も仕事をしっかり頑張らないと！！他のシリーズのシーズン末のレース参戦の話もちらほらでたりで嬉しいのですが早く話を具体化させないと！！

It turned out to be a real busy day today talking to several different teams. Obviously it's that time of the year already...can't Aug is almost over...

今日も家でユックリ

今日は日曜日。とくに予定はなかったので、お昼にターゲットに行って日用品をゲットした後に、ペットショップで犬と猫の餌を買った意外は家でユックリ。今週末はIRLのレースもChampCarのレースもなく、唯一予定されていたミシガンのNASCARのレースは雨で延期になり、珍しくレースを見ない週末になってしまいました。が、レースがないと日曜のテレビってつまらないですね〜〜〜！！まったく見るものがなくて、PCでネットサーフィンしてたらあっと言う間に一日が過ぎてしまいました。ん〜なんだかもったいない一日でした。なんだか、ダラダラな週末になってしまったな〜。日本も夏休みも終了って感じですね。自分も仕事に気合いをいれないと！！再来週からは色々と移動で忙しくなる事だし！！

It was a real quite sunday. I went to Target to buy some detergent and etc...and stopped by the pet store to get some pet foods...and that was pretty much it for the day. I was able to get some good rest but really felt lazy all day. What's even worse...was that there is absolutley nothing to whatch on TV during Sunday! Usually there is either IRL, Champ Car, or NASCAR on TV...but the only race that was supposed to be at Michigan was rained out and that left me with nothing other than surf the net through out the day. Well...I guess I can't complain too much about a nice quite week end since I will get busy with travel at end of this month.

LAも暑い・・・。

日本もめちゃ暑いみたいですが、LAも今日は暑かった〜・・・！！家の子はあまり暑いのが好きではないみたいで不機嫌。どうやら安川家の血筋が強いみたいでエアコン好きみたいです。今日は天気も良かったので、とりあえず午前中は子供と妻とショッピングセンターに行って、Farmsと言うレストランでランチ。デパートで妻が化粧品を買って帰宅。しかし、なんで女物の化粧品ってあんなに高いんですかね？！？世界の七不思議です。ま〜お肌のケアーが大切とは言えども、化粧品だけで月々３万円もかかってるのでは・・・と思っちゃうくらいです。ま〜仕方ないか。最近の夜泣きの時はほとんど妻が起きて子供の面倒をみているので、今日の化粧品を買う時には文句を言わず購入・・・。

It was a pretty hot day here in LA today. I guess not as bad as Japan...but my son definately doesn't like the heat and prefers the AC....just like me. Well, since it was a nice day, I went to lunch with my son and wife to The Farm at the Grove. The food there was pretty good and since we were at the mall, my wife asked to stop by the department store to get some make ups. I couldn't believe how expensice the make ups were. Well...I kind a had some ideas but all put together, it will be well over $300/month!?! I guess those make ups better work!?! Well, since my wife's been doing all the hard work middle of the night taking care of the baby, I couldn't argue with her and I stayed silent while she purchased the items.

夜泣き

いや〜最近の息子の夜泣きはやばいです・・・。歯が生えてきて痛くて夜中おきてしまうのか・・・、原因が不明ですがこの時期は仕方がないのかな？！？ん〜でも産まれたばかりの感じで最近は少し寝不足続きです。自分は気合いで寝てしまいますが妻は頑張って起きてミルクをあげたりするのは本当に大変そう。この時だけは本当に男に産まれて良かった〜って感じです。いやはや、早く息子が立って歩けるようになる日が楽しみだな〜！！それより、もう少ししたら子供のベッドをゲストルームに移さないと。じゃないと、なかなか親離れできませんからね〜！！そう言う所はアメリカンスタイルでいきます！？！（笑）

Lately my baby started to teeth...or at least I think and he is getting up every 2hr during the night. I guess it's bothering him just enough where he can't sleep through out the night. Obviously...I don't get up every 2hr...and I feel really bad for my wife but that's when I realize how great being born as a men!?! Still...I wouldn't mind to have at least a 4hr straight sleep. Well, I'm sure my boy will mature in a hurry but we will definately have to move his bed in to the guest room sooner or later.

４０℃・・・？

今日も午前中に家のジムでトレーニング。お昼過ぎに日系のスーパーに食材を買いに行って、家に戻ってきてからは夕方まで家でお仕事。ニュースを見ていたら日本は連日の猛暑で４０℃越えと聞いて驚き・・・。LAも暑い方ですが湿度がないだけましですね。いや〜でも日本にいたら本当に大変そう。

Went to the gym in the AM and did some weight training. Went to the Japanese Supermarket to get some groceries and came home and worked. While I was whatching the NHK news on TV...I heard that it was record hot in Japan!! It's pretty hot here in LA but nothing beats the humidity like being in Japan.

それより、最近の円高には驚きですね〜！？！１週間で１０円も差があるとビックリ。これがスポンサー交渉の時に本当に困るんですよね〜・・・。１０円の差があると、予算がえらい変わってくる場合もありますからね・・・。ん〜為替は怖いなとつくづく思います。でも、日本とアメリカの株が両方落ちてる事を考えると何に連動してるんだ〜って感じですかね！？！

Speaking of Japan...the exchange rate has been really crazy lately! Dollar is definately getting week and it's amazing to see difference up to 10yen just in 7days! It really is scary for me when negotiation with sponsor because that can fluctuate up to and more than 10% budget that you have originally quoted!! Good thing there is nothing going on with money transaction as we speak...although right now the yen is strong so it could have been good for me!!

ランニング

今日は午前中にジムでランニング。久しぶりに１０kmのランニングをしたらスッキリ。が、歳のせいか久しぶりにロングランをしたら少し膝が痛い・・・。ん〜膝の関節にオイルを注入しないとって感じです！？！お昼は妻と子供と行きつけの洋食屋さんでランチ。どうしても、ハンバーグとミートソーススパゲッティーが食べたかったので、ハンバーグミートソーススパゲッティーをオーダー。昼からガッツリ食べちゃいました。いやはや、日本はお盆休みのUターンラッシュですね。この頃の高速道路は平気で４０kmとか５０kmの渋滞・・・。あり得ないですよね〜〜〜。なんか、せっかくの休みをリラックスしにでかけるのに逆に渋滞でストレスが溜まりそう。そう考えるとアメリカは日本ほどの渋滞はないので生活はしやすいです。

Got up in the morning and went to the gym. I haven't been running long distance for a while so I decided to go fo a 10km run today. It was pretty good run for me...but I guess I am getting old since my knee hurts a bit after the run. I think I need to lubricate my knee joint with some oil!?! Anyhow went to lunch with my wife and baby and has some meat sauce spaghetti with hamburger patty...I guess I will call that meat-lover pasta!?! I will have to find a way to burn the calories this afternoon from all the food I had during lunch. Anyhow, a pretty quite day for me today...

Food Channel

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。最近は家のアパートに色んな人が引っ越してきて家のジムが混む事があるので、すこしトレーニングのリズムが乱れる・・・。まっ、仕方ないが今日は思うようにランニングができず少しイライラ！？！お昼には部屋に戻って仕事。

Went to the gym in the morning and had a pretty good work out. The apartment is getting crowded now, therefore there is always people in the gym now which isn't the best for my training program because it screws up the rythm when you have to use multiple machines at once. However, still better than going to Bally's though...

夕方は子供のお守りをしながらテレビを見ました。家でテレビを見る時は、ニュース、SPEED（レースチャンネル）、かFoodChannel(料理番組）をず〜っと見てます。しかも、最近はもっぱらFoodチャンネルばっかり見てます。美味しそうなものから、そりゃね〜べってのもいっぱい作ってて妻と二人でブツブツいいながら見ています。そうそう、アメリカ版の料理の鉄人などもかなりはまってますね〜！！そうそう、料理と言えばNHKの番組のキヨシこの夜の中のグッチ裕三のお料理コーナーのレシピはかなり活用させて頂いてます！？！（笑）

Came back for lunch and did some work and started to whatch TV while I played with my baby. I have cable program with 100's of channels, but only thing we whatch is the News, Speed, and Food Channel. My wife and I always talk about the great food and sometimes not so tasting looking foods.I still have to say that French and Japanese foods are most complex in making but obviously the rewards are tasty!! Speaking of foods, I am getting hungry now...need to plan for dinner!!

夏休み

週末はずっとお仕事だったので今日はとりあえずユックリする事にしました。いや〜しかし夏休み〜って感じですね。LAはめちゃ暑いです！！まっ、日本の蒸し暑さにはかないませんが・・・。ちょうど日本はお盆の時期で夏休み〜って感じですね。今はまだ息子は小さいから何処か行くとかはないけど、もう少し大きくなって物心がついたら夏休みとかを使って色々と連れて行かなくてはいけないんだな〜・・・。ん〜大変だ！なんせ混んでる所が大嫌いで、混んでるディズニーランドとかは絶対に行きたくない派です！？！でも子供の事を考えると仕方ないのかな？！？やっぱり休みの日は家でユックリするのが一番です！！

Since I had work all weekend, I decided to relax today. It certainly was a hot day and now it really feels like summer vacation!! Speaking of summer vacation, my kid is too small to go anwhere yet, but I figured once he get old enough...we will have to take him to place like Disneyland and will have to plan travels during the holiday season. Obviously I am not a big fan of going to a crowded place and I will try to avoid as much as I can...but I guess I will have to pleasure my kid too. However, the luxury of not having a real job is that you can do your holiday travel not during the crowded season. Having said that, I still prefer to just relax at home during my holiday since I travel quite often...

フェーラーリチャレンジ最終日

今日はフェラ−リチャレンジの最終日。自分がコーチしてるドライバーもかなり早くなって自信がついたのか、ず〜っと苦戦していた高速シケインも前回で走り抜ける事ができるようになり、タイムもかなりアップ！！昨日レースは９位でゴールしたので今日の決勝は９位スタート！作戦もバッチリで、抜群のスタートをし７位までジャンプアップ。が〜５位争いをしている時にスピン・・・。ん〜それだけ頑張ってくれたのかなと思うと何も言えませんが、レース中のラップは全体でも２位！！初日に比較すると３秒ものタイムアップ！！コーチが良かった事にしておきましょう！？！（笑）

It was the final day of the Ferrari Challenge week end. The driver who I was coaching improved a lot during the week end and was able to take flat through the corner where he was struggling, so I was really happy to see the progress. In the race he got a great start and was looking to finish in the top5...but unfortunately had a spin and ended up 10th. However, his fastest lap in the race was 2nd quick and he made a vast improvement from the first session so he was really happy with everything! I guess my coaching is working!?!

今日は子供と妻もサーキットに連れて行って子供も車・・・よりもゴルフカートを見て大喜び。何故だかゴルフカートが今日のツボちゃんだったみたいです！？！しかし、今日はメチャメチャ暑かったです！！帰りにアウトレットによって帰る予定だったのですが、あまりにも暑かったのでそれは断念・・・。そのまま帰ってきました。個人的には無駄な出費がなくてラッキーって感じです！！

I brought my wife and baby to the track and we were going to stop by the outlet on the way home. Since it was a really hot day at the track, we were all tired and exhausted that we decided to go home instead of stopping by the Ontario Mills. It ended up being better for me since I didn't have to spend any extra cash there...overall it was a good week end!!

フォンタナ２日目

今日も７時に家を出て８時にサーキット入り。午前中に１時間のセッションがあり、午後に予選＆夕方に決勝。自分がコーチを務めてるドライバーは午前中にかなりのタイムアップを果たした物の、予選はトラフィックにひっかかり１８位スタート・・・。決勝はパーフェクトなコーチング・・・、じゃなくて本人がしっかり頑張ってくれて９位でゴール！彼にとっての初のシングルフィニッシュだったからかなり喜んでたみたいです！！ん〜自分のコーチの方の才能もしっかり開拓されてきました！！明日はいよいよ最終日。午後一でお仕事が終わるので、息子とも妻も連れてオンタリオにあるアウトレットに行こうか考え中・・・！？！たまにはファミリーサービスをしないとです。

Left the house at 7am again to be at the track by 8am. We had two sessions in the morning, qualifying after lunch and race at 5pm. It was a really long day at the track, but it definately payed off when my driver had a best race of the season. I guess my coaching is working!?! There will be another race tomorrow and I hope to get him towards top5. It's always nice to see your client go faster and happy at the same time. Well...tomorrow will be the last race of the season for these guys and last day for me at Fontana. Since we get done racing by 2pm, I might have to bring my baby and wife so we can stop by the Outlet in Ontario...so I can be a good dad on the week end once in a while.

フェラーリチャレンジ初日

今日はフォンタナでフェラーリチャレンジの初日。朝６時に起きてシャワーを浴びてピットの散歩に行ってから、サーキットに出発。およそ５０分で到着。今日はメチャ忙しいスケジュールで１時間近いセッションが４回もありました！自分がコーチしたドライバーも一日で１．５秒アップして、トップ１０入り！！明日の予選と第一レースが楽しみです！！ではでは、明日も早起きなのでこれからお風呂に入って早めに寝ます。

It was the first day at Fontana for the Ferrari Challenge week end. I got up at 6am and hopped in to the shower and took Pit for a walk. I got a cup of coffee and headed to Fontana. Luckily, I didn't have to go through any traffic so I was there in 50min. It was a really hectic schedule today with almost 4 1hr sessions. I was able to help my driver improve 1.5sec and he broke in to top 10. It should be a fun race tomorrow to see and I hope he can get a top 5 finish. Well...since I have to get up early again tomorrow...I will have dinner and hit the bed soon.

明日からフォンタナ

今日は午前中に家でお仕事。午後はフォンタナに行き、今週末のお仕事に向けて下見＆レジストレーション。今週末はフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事で、ソノマでもコーチしたドライバーのコーチをします。しか〜し、フォンタナのロードコースは走った事がないので、はたしてどうなることやら〜！？！そんなこんなのあっという間の一日でした。日本もめちゃ暑いみたいですが、フォンタナもすっごく暑くなりそうです・・・。

As usual...got up in the morning and did some work before I headed to Fonatana. I went there to check out the track as well as got all the registration done for this week end. I will be working with a driver who I helped at Sonoma during the Ferrari Challenge races. Although it is my first time here coaching for the Fontana Road Course....I'm sure we will have a good week end. I just wished if I can take some laps in those F430 Challenge cars since they are really wicked!! Well...it's going to be another very hot week end.

僕のスィング

今日はピットが少し臭くなってきたので、グルーマーに洗ってもらいました。しっかり奇麗になり、いい匂いがするのですが、本人は自分の匂いがなくなってしまって少しブル〜みたいです！？！（笑）朝一にケーブル会社の人がきて、チューナーも変えてもらいベッドルームのテレビもしっかり映るようになりました！！幸先の良いスタートがきれ良い一日になりそう！？！

Got up in the morning and immediately called the groomer to pick Pit up for a wash. He really needed one badly and he came home nice and clean. I suppose he doesn't like getting puffed up since his odor goes away...and I think that's all important for the "Dog's World"!?! We also got the cable box fixed and it seemed to be a good start to the day!!

午前中はジムでトレーニング。昼過ぎに妻が産後ダイエットを始めると言いジムに行く事になったので子供のお守り。子供を遊ばせながらゴルフチャンネルを見て、部屋の中でかるく素振りの様なスィングをしたら、子供が大爆笑！！笑ってくれたのは嬉しいのだが、ゴルフのスィングに笑われてるみたいでなんだか微妙な気分。自分のスィングが今日のツボちゃんみたいで、ず〜っと大爆笑！！あまりにも笑われすぎてなんだか悔しい一日・・・！？！

Went to the gym in the morning and worked out really hard. Came home...and my wife apparently is on diet and she too wanted to go the gym so I had to baby sit all afternoon which was not bad at all since my baby boy was really good. I was whatching Golf Channel and started to do some pratice swing in the room. That's when my baby started to laugh out loud!! I was happy to see hime laughing, but it sure seemed like he was making fun of my swing!! Well...I guess I will let him laugh on my swing but he won't be laughing at my driving skills!?!

ケーブルテレビ

昨晩からどうやらベッドルームのケーブルテレビのチューナーがおかしい・・・。リビングのテレビは問題なく見れるのですが、ベッドルームはお昼から映らなくなりとうとう頭にきて夜にケーブル会社に苦情の電話！電話をすると“あ〜それはチューナーを変えないといけませんね〜・・・”との事で水曜日にきてもらう事になりました。が、頭にくるのがアポの予約が取れた瞬間にいきなり、ケーブルテレビのパッケージの売り込みやハイスピードインターネットとのパッケージの売り込み！？！自分もついに半切れ状態で“新しいもんの売り込みする前に、既に使用してる商品のクォリティーを上げろと”と激怒。以前からも、ちょくちょく画面が途切れたり、テレビ番組の内容が気になる時に切れたりする事がしょっちゅうあったので、ついに爆発してしまいしました。クレームをつけはじめたら、メッチャ電話を急いで切ろうとしている所もなんだか気に入らん・・・！？！

For some reason...my TV cable box in the bedroom is having some technical problems. Eversince Comcast and Timer Waner Cable has merged, the reception of the TV has been really crappy and I was always on the verge on getting on the phone with them to complain because we will always miss the most important part of the TV show. Therefore, I called in to Time Warner Cable to see if they can reset the box. Unfortunately that didn't work and they will be sending out a technician to my house. However, after we were done with booking the apointment, they started to sell me more service of TV package and High Speed Internet. That's when I really lost my temper and obviously had to tell them that "You guys should improve your quality of the service before trying to sell another product"!! I mean it really doesn't make any sense if you think about it because who the hell in this world would like to get more service from them if you are just calling in about the trouble you have with them already!! Once I started to go off on them...they were off the phone in a hurry!!

電話を切った後に寝るちょいまえに“もしかしたら”、と思い半信半疑でテレビをつけたら、“よっしゃ〜ついた”！！ってハッピーな気分。文句は言ってみるもんだなと思いきや、何時も見ているチャンネルに変えたらまたテレビが映らずじまい・・・。テレビも見れず、なんだか不服な思いで寝る事にしました。朝起きてもまだ映らないのでなんだか今日もブル〜な一日でした。

Well...I got off the phone and just wanted to try one more time to see if the TV will work. Than BOOM...the service was back on!! For a slight moment, I had a sign of glory only until I switched to another channel and the service was again shut down. Well so much for TV, I went to be really frustrated. Than I got up this AM, and with no suprise switched the TV on again. Yep...didn't work and was not a happy camper all day today!?!

今月のスケジューリング

今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。足首の調子は完全回復してさっそく今日からランニング。筋トレもしっかりして気分爽快！！お昼はお家で素麺。夏だ〜〜って感じですね！！（笑）自分は葱が大好きなのでタップリ入れて食べちゃいます。午後は家で色々と仕事をして、今月のスケジューリング。週末はフォンタナでフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事。月末はデトロイトのレースの現場に行ってミーティング。９月は中旬にソルトレークシティでSkipBarberの仕事があって、月末にまたフォンタナでお仕事。

Got up in the morning and went to the gym as usual. Since it was a hot day, I had some cold So-men noodles for lunch. I really like to put a lot of green onions in my soup and makes the noodle even better. After having lunch, I went back on to my computer desk to work out the schedules for this and next month. I will be working at Fontana this week end, than off to Detroit at end of the month...back to LA and off to Salt Lake City to work for Skip Barber during mid Sept...and again at Fonatana for two days working for Skip again at end of Sept. It's great to be busy...but it's always an hassle trying to get travel plans panned out.

それより、驚きです！！ついに家の息子がハイハイを開始しました！！まだ、ユックリ匍匐前進状態ですが・・・。いや〜確実に成長してます。歩く日が楽しみだな〜〜。

Oh yeah...more important note...my baby finally started to crawl!! He will really get him into some trouble now, if I don't completely baby-safe the house!! I really can't wait to see him walk!!

ミシガン

今日は日曜日。昨日は早めに寝てしまったので、朝早くから目が覚めてしまい、最近は早起きの息子と布団の上でお遊び。午前中はごろごろしながらミシガンのレースを見ようと思ったら、雨でDelay・・・。ことしのIRLのレースは天候にやられっぱなしですね〜。仕方ないのでお昼からNASCAR Poconoでのレースを観戦しながらLAで行われてるX GameをTV観戦。ミシガンでは雨が止んでレース開始と思いきや、TVの放映時間の枠をこえてしまってテレビでは観戦できず・・・。しかたないので　PCでライブタイミング観戦。ん〜ESPN,ESPN2,ABCの何処でも放映されないのは完全にIRLは後回しになってますね・・・。今も観戦中ですが、レース内容はひっちゃかめっちゃかになってるみたいですね。ある意味きになる〜！？！ではでは、これから残り５０周！！現在コウスケが２位〜〜！！ん〜アメリカのレースも日本で盛り上げる為にも頑張ってもらいましょう！！！

Since it was a Sunday...I was going to sleep in....but like an old man, I was up by 7:30am. Since I had nothing to do, I played with my baby all morning and was going to whatch the IRL race from Michigan but it was delayed due to rain. I waited until lunch time to see the NASCAR race from Pocono while I flipped the channel to see the X Games from Home Depot Center. While all that was going on, it cleared up in Michigan and race has started. Unfortunately, I was not able to see the race because it wasn't on ESPN,ESPN 2, nor ABC. Therefore I had no choice other than to see the race on live timing through my PC. I guess it's another crash fest...but it will be interesting to see who will win the race now since there is 50laps to go!! My buddy Kousuke is running 2nd right now so I guess I will be cheering for him!!

家でレース観戦

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。痛めた足首がまだ完全復帰してなかったのでランニングの変わりに２０kmのサイクリングにウェイトトレーニング。自家製の食パンを使ってお昼にサンドウィッチを食べて、午後はテレビでMontrealで行われてるBuschのレースを観戦。前半戦は淡々と走っていましたが、後半戦はメチャメチャ面白い内容でした〜〜！！ん〜この面白いレースの内容をもっと日本でも伝える事ができたらいいのにな〜・・・。あれこそが、バトルって感じですね！！ん〜ぜひ機会があればBuschのレースに出てみたい！！

Went to the gym in the morning and cycled for 20km. My ankle injury haven't recovered fully so I skipped on the treadmill and went straight to weight training. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.. I came home and had a sandwich and saw the Busch race from Montreal. What an awesome race!! First half wasn't all that exciting but the last 20laps were great!! I really should work hard to find an oppurturnity to driver those cars!!

夕方から妻は友達と一緒にご飯に行くとの事で、今夜は息子のお守り＆一人でご飯です。一人の時は毎回おなじみの冷やし中華。妻はあまり冷やし中華が好きじゃないみたいので、一人の時がチャ〜ンスって感じでキュウリタップリの冷やし中華を作ってこれから食べます。いや〜しかし、一人で子供をお風呂にいれたりご飯の支度をするのは大変だ・・・。ふだん何も言わずやってくれてる妻に改めて感謝ですね。

My wife is going out dinner with her friends tonight...so I will be looking after the baby and will have to make my own dinner. It's not easy taking care of the baby....bathing him...cooking at the same time and I guess I will have to show a bit more appreciation to my wife in the future. Nevertheless, it's good to be able to spend quality time with my baby since I will be busy next week again.

Busch Race in Montreal

昨日の夜シャワーから出る時に、シャワーウィンドウを明けて勢いよく出ようとしたら、そのまま扉が帰ってきて足首に強打！モ凄い勢いで出血して、しかも軽い打撲をしたっぽく・・・今日はメチャ痛かったのでジムはオヤスミ。仕方ないのでお家で色々とお仕事。今週末はMontrelaでNASCAR Buschのレースが行われてます。　PoconoではNEXTEL Cupのレースが行われるので、CUPのドライバーはあまり出てませんが、NASCARとしては初のカナダのレース。しかも、今回はカナダでのレースと言う事もあって、カナダ人の友達でもあり良きライバルのMichael ValianteがJuanPabloの車で参戦。けっこう活躍してるので明日のレースが楽しみです。ん〜リザルトを見ると自分もBuschのレースにもぜひ出てみたいです・・・。

I took a shower before going to sleep last night...and since I was really nacked, I rushed out of the shower room to hit the bed. I guess my brain must of been dead when I pushed the door too hard and it came back to hime my ankle really hard!! I started to bleed...and it's all bruised up....and that gave me a good excuse to skip the gym today since I could not cycle or run at all. It gave me good time to catch up with couple of work that I had to get done for a while. It will be an interesting week end with Busch race from Montreal. I believe it will be the first NASCAR race in Canada and my buddy Michael Valiante is driving the #42 car which was reguraly driven by Juan Pablo, who will be racing in Pocono this week end. Looking at the drivers, I really would like to have an oppurunity to race the Busch cars in real near future!!

仲良くお昼ねzzzz

今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。終わってから来週のフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事で色々と電話での連絡の取り合い・・・。ホッと一息ついて、ベッドルームに行ったら息子とピットが仲良く気持ち良さそうにお昼ね・・・・。ついつい、自分も寝たくなっちゃいました。が可愛いのでデジカメでワンショット！！

As usual..got up and went to the gym in the AM. Than I had to plan things for next week end where I will be coaching a driver in Ferrari Challenge. After being on the phone for a while...I went to the bedroom to check on my baby and he was having a nap with Pit. I guess they are good buddies now...!?! I wished if I could joing them for a nap, but decided just to take a snap shot and back to work.

そうそう、この間ず〜っと妻にねだられて半強制的にミニベーカリー（パン焼き機）を買いました。意外とリーズナブルな価格でゲットする事ができるのですが、さっそく昨日から妻が食パン作りにチャレンジ！！機会を買ったからには、もうパンは外で買わないよ〜って勢いで言ってしまいましたが、作ってみると実際にメチャ美味しい！！色々と分量をしっかりあわせて作るのは大変そうですが、とにかく焼きたてのホカホカパンはおいしいですね〜〜！！とうぶん、パン屋に行く事はなさそうなので、これで少し食費削減ですね！？！（笑）

Couple of days ago, I bought a mini-bakery for my wife since she has been on my tails to buy the machine so she could bake some bread at home. I told her that I will buy the machine as long as we don't buy bread at the store any more. Obviously I just wanted to put some pressure on her so the machine will not get used once a year. However, we ended up baking a bread last night and it was just great!! Nothing beats bread just out of the oven!! It is definately way better than buying them from the store and I'm sure we will be able to save some cost here and there...!?!

ミーティング

今日は午前中にジムに行って１０kmのランニング。お昼はトーランスでミーティング。今後の件に関して前向きなミーティングができたと思います。ま〜色々といま動いてる物はすぐには具体化する話ではありませんが、頑張り続ければロングタームにプラスになる話だと思うので全力で頑張り続けないと！！

Went to the gym in the morning for 10km run. I had a lunch meeting in Torrance and it all went pretty good. All these meetings that I am having now may not be an immediate deals but I think there are many prospects for the long term future/relationship that will do good for me. It may turn in to something or even nothing...but nothing will come to you if you don't keep trying.

いや〜今日でついに８月ですね〜。日本はもうメチャメチャ暑いのかな〜〜？？自分は先週末はラグーナでメチャメチャ日焼けをして、肌がボロボロ。まだ６ヶ月の息子の肌に比べるとぜんぜん艶が違いますね〜〜！！でも、本当に男で産まれて良かった〜って感じです。肌のケア〜の事なんか考えれないほど、アウトドアーの時間が長い仕事ですからね・・・！？！（笑）何時も寝る前にしっかりお肌のケアーをする女性の人達には本当に感心する限りです。

Man...I can't beleive it's already Aug!?! I'm wondering if it's really hot already in Japan. I am glad I am here in So-Cal since at least it's not humid out here. However, I think my skin is getting old after getting major sun tanned this past week end at Laguna. I have to say that I am really happy being man instead of a woman since I don't have to worry about these skin cares before going to sleep as well as putting all these UV Block when going outdoor.... Thinking about that, may be I have to show some respect to my wife when she is taking time to put make up on!?!

書類の整理

今日は午前中にジムで１０kmのランニング。お昼はカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君とランチ。昨日からどうしてもそのお店のハンバーグが食べたくて、昨日はお店が休みだったので今日はリベンジ。しっかり食べて満足した上にヒロ君にご馳走してもらっちゃってラッキ〜〜！！帰りがけに日系のスーパーによって、食材をゲット。家に戻ってきてからはずっと書類の整理をしていたらあっと言う間に一日が経ってしまいました。これからは息子をお風呂にいれて、色々とお願いしている仕事の資料に目を通さないと・・・。ん〜なんだかやる事がエンドレスにあるな〜！？！

Got up in the morning and went straight to the gym for 10km run. Than had lunch with my buddy Hiro at this place in Gardena. I was there yesterday since I wanted to eat there Japanese style hanburger for lunch but they were closed!! I still wanted to have that hanburger for lunch and I was so satisfied after eating the whole thing today!! Stopped by the supermarket to pick up some groceries for tonight and went straight home. I had to go through many paper works today...I guess I really need a secratary for this... and just about ready to bath my baby. Than I will have to go through more paper work today. I hope this paper work stuff turns in to money maker in the near future because it sure seems like it's all endless work to do...!?!

もう８月・・・？！？

やばいです！明後日でもう８月ではないですか〜・・・？！？いや〜本当に年が経つに連れて時間が過ぎるのがメチャ早い！！早すぎます！！！そう考えるとあっという間に家の子供も６ヶ月になっちゃうような〜。そうそう、昨日は歩行器デビューをさせました。もちろん、まだ経ったり歩く事はできませんが、座ってオモチャと遊びながらニコニコしています！！（笑）とりあえず、キックは得意としているみたいなので、後ろ方向に進む事はできますが・・・。しかし、そろそろ家を赤ちゃん対策しないと、なんでもかんでも口に入れたり触ったりするので心配です。アメリカではBaby Safe the houseって言いますが、本当に何か起きる前に家の安全対策をとらないと。

I can't believe that we will be in Aug in two days. Time just goes by so fast as you get older... but I guess no wonder I will already be 30 in two months time. My baby is already 6months old and in a hurry he will start walking and put everything in his mouth. I think it's about time to baby safe the house and I should definately get it done before it's too late. I guess I will have to make a trip over to Babie's R Us to get all the baby safe merchandise in store!?!

今日は午前中でミッチリジムでトレーニング。１週間もずっと移動でしっかりジムでトレーニングができなかったので、メチャメチャスッキリです！！今週はずっと家にいますが、１週間空けていた分のお仕事でかなりドタバタしそう・・・。

Well, I finally got to go to the gym in the morning. Since I was away all week, I wasn't able to burn enough calories and was really getting frustrated. Nothing feels better than having a great meal and a beer after a hard sweaty work out!!

家でユックリ

今日は日曜日。１週間の疲れをリカバーする為に今日は家でユックリしてました。お昼からはIndianapolisで行われてる、NASCARのレースを観戦。夕方はSanJoseで行われたChampCarのレースを観戦。一日レース三昧でした！！しかし、あとちょっとでJuanPabloオーバルNASCAR初優勝でしたね！！テレビの中継をみたらますます、IndianapolisでNASCARのレースもしたくなってきました・・・。

Since it was a Sun...I turned to a couch potato to recover from the hectic week I just had. I saw the NASCAR race at the Brickyard, and than whatched the Champ Car race from San Jose. Both were good race and I really was rooting for Juan Pablo to win the Brickyard 400 since that would be his maiden win on an oval in NASCAR. After seeing the race there, it made me eager to race those car at Indy!!

夕方はダウンタウンに新しくできたRalphsのスーパーに行ってきました。今までは近所にはリトル東京にある日系のスーパーしかなかったのでできてかなり嬉しいです。ワインセクションを覗いたら、品ぞろいも安くて意外と安い！！シャトームートンが＄４００で売ってるのは安い！！が、懐が寒いので勿論ボトルに拝んで帰ってきました・・・。（泣）

After the race, I went to the new Ralph's store that just opened last week here in Downtown. Since the Mituwa Market in Little Tokyo was the only supermarket around my house, I am pretty excited about this store!! I went to check the wine section and they really had some good stuff!! The Chateau Mouton was going for $400...which is a great deal...I was just going to reach over my hands and quit when I saw a scary face from my wife...!?! I hope that bottle will still be there when I win my next race....

やっと帰宅

今日はスクール最終日。５時には仕事が終わり、５時半にサーキットを出発。今日もかな〜り日焼けをして、かなり疲れましたが５時間のドライブも順調！１０時過ぎには家に着く事ができました。久しぶりに息子の顔をみたら、なんだか男前になった感じ！！まだ寝顔しか見てませんが・・・。（笑）ピットも大喜びで、帰宅してとりあえず一安心。これから夕飯を食べてバタンキュ〜で寝ちゃいそうです。本当に忙しい一週間だったな〜・・・。

Just got home from being in Monterey. The last day of the racing school went really smooth and I was able to leave the track just after 5pm. The drive wasn't too bad, but I was really tired after a full day of work. Since I have been out of town pretty much for the whole week, I immediately went to check my baby when I got home. His face has matured just in one week and I was really suprised to see that!! I think I better dedicate some time for my wife and the baby tomorrow...and perhaps get some rest!! It really was a hectic week.

スクール２日目

スクール２日目も無事に終了。午前中は少し霧がでて肌寒かったのですが、午後になったらメチャ暑くて思いっきり日焼けをしてしまいました。サングラスをかけていたので、またパンダ化してます・・・！？！明日でLAに帰るのが楽しみです！！今週はずっと家に戻ってない感じがするので、早く家に戻ってユックリしたい所です。が・・・、家に戻っても色々とドタバタする事があって忙しくなりそうです。

Just got done with 2nd day of the school and everything went smoothly. It was a bit foggy and chilly in the morning but things cleared up for the afternoon and ended up getting a mega sun tanned and turning me in to a Panda, since I was wearing my Ray-Ban sunglass all day. I can't wait to get home tomorrow since I've been out of my house for the whole week. Having said that, I will have a lot of work to do once I get home though... Anyhow, I am just looking forward to getting home tomorrow and have a nice meal and get some good rest on my bed!!

MX-5 Cup School

今日はスクール初日。６時に起きてスタバによってから、７時頃にサーキット入り。何時もはフォミューラーカーのスクールのインストラクターをしていますが、今回はSkipBarberRacingSchoolの新しいメニューでもある、MX-5 Cup School。MazdaのMX-5を使用して、内容はフォミューラーカーと同じカリキュラム。お昼にMX-5のCup Carを運転するチャンスがありましたが、意外と面白いです！！けっこう滑らしたり、乗ってて楽しい車です！！アメリカではMX-5Cupのレースはアマチュアレベルで人気なのでこのスクールもけっこう忙しくなるのでは・・・って感じです。今回は始まったばかりなので１０人だけのクラスですが、コンパクトでやりやすいです。今はホテルに戻ってきて、これからサンホゼに向かったる斎藤カメラマンが途中にモントレーに立ち寄ってくれる事になったので、一緒に夕食を食べてきま〜す！！

Just got done with the first day working up here. I was assigned towards the Mazda MX-5 Cup School. This new school was just introduced recently and obviously it uses the MX-5 Cup car and running the same curriculum as the Formula school. I got to drive those MX-5 Cup cars during lunch time and it is actually a fun car to drive since you can't slide and throw the car around as you like and being under control. Since the MX-5Cup race being so popular in US...I think this school can become a hit!! Well...just got out of the shower and off to dinner. I will be having dinner with my buddy Hiro Saito who is heading to San Jose for the Champ Car race this week end.

ロングドライブ

昨日は夜に家に戻って、ほぼ寝不足だったので朝９時まで爆睡！午前中は家で仕事をして、お昼を食べてから３時頃にLagunaSecaに向けて出発！出た瞬間さっそくダウンタウンから３０分の渋滞・・・。先が長くなるような渋滞でした。しかも頭にくることに、渋滞の原因は反対車線の事故見物渋滞！！ヤジ馬するのはいいけど、減速するな〜〜〜ってマジ切れ寸前でした。ウトウトし、眠いのを我慢してなんとか５時間半でLagunaに到着。妻に作ってもらった弁当をホテルで食べて今夜は早めに寝ます。zzzzz

Since I got home after a busy trip...I slept in until 9am this morning. Got up and did some catching up with e-mails in the morning and had lunch before I headed to Monterey. I left the house at about 3pm and immediately had to go through some traffic on 101fwy. What really got me frustrated was the cause of the traffic was an accident on other lane which had nothing to do with the direction I was heading! I don't mind people peeking in to the accident...but I don't get all those people who slows down to see the incident because that is just like asking for another one....getting hit from behind!?! Nevertheless, I was in Monterey in 5.5hrs. Took me 30min more the usual.... Just checked into the hotel and since my wife made me an Obento dinner, I was able to eat in the room and hit the bed pretty soon!!

乗り換え中

昨日は夜遅くまでインディープロに参戦する武藤英紀と話をして、挙げ句の果てに時差ボケでなかなか寝に付けなかったのに、６時半で今朝はメチャメチャ眠かったです！英紀には最終戦でのインディーデビュー戦にも頑張って欲しいと思い、色々とできる限りのアドバイスをして、喋りすぎてテンションが上がって寝れなかったのかな？！？（笑）朝起きてからは８時にインディアナポリスに本社がある、モータースポーツのマーケティング会社では世界一と言われる所と自分の今後の事でミーティング。なかなか良い方向に話が進んでると思います。

I had a lengthy chat with my buddy Hideki Mutoh last night who races in the Indy Pro Series last night. I think I got really excited talking about Indy Car racing in general...that I couldn't fall a sleep until late and had to get up at 6:30am. It really was tough getting up since it was like 3:30am LA time... However, I was able to have good meeting with one of the biggest motorosport marketing firm out of Indianapolis which may lead to something in the future.

そこから、Dreyer&ReinboldRacingのショップに顔を出して、スタッフの皆さんに挨拶。そこから、Dreyer&Reinboldのオナーが経営してるInfinitiのディーラーに行ってオーナーとミーティング。お昼は今年のIndyでサポートしてもらったWellman-Corbier Custom Homesの社長とランチを今後のプランを検討。お昼後はMilkaDuno選手を走らせる、SAMAX Motorsportsに顔をだして簡単にミーティング。飛行機がギリギリだったので、ダッシュで飛行場に向かいなんとか飛行機に乗る事ができて、今はシカゴで乗り換え中・・・。いや〜本当にめちゃめちゃ忙しい一日でしたが、内容がつまった良いミーティングが沢山できたと思います。

After the fist meeting, I stopped by the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing shop to say hello to the staff, and went over to the Dreyer & Reinbold Infiniti to talk with the owner about future propect busuiness. Than I had a lunch with Derek Wellman who owns Wellman-Corbier Custom Homes, who supported me for this year's Indy 500 and we were able to talk about the plans for next year. After the lunch, I had a quick meeting at SAMAX Motorsports before heading to the airport to make my flight. It was a real busy day, but I think I was able to get a lot done today and made this trip worhwhile!!

それよりも、時間がギリギリでガソリンをレンタカーに入れずに返してしまったので、ガソリン代として＄１５も取られてしまった〜・・・。せっかく経費削減で＄２５でレンタカーを借りたのにもったいない事をしてしまったので反戦・・・！？！

Since I was runnuing late for the plane...I couldn't refill the tank for my rental car(although I didn't use too much fuel), I was charged $15 just for 3gallons of fuel!! Obviously I was not able to maximize the great rental rate that I was able to get from my friend and will need to plan things better for the next trip. Nevertheless, it may have costed me $15 extra, the trip still was a success!!

インディーに到着

さっき無事にインディーに到着！LAからの飛行機が１時間も遅れてシカゴでの乗り換えに間に合うかどうかヒヤヒヤでしたが、なんとかオンタイムに着く事ができました。飛行場についてから、去年のIndy500でPRを努めてくれた友達に電話をしてNationalレンタカーでの特別レートの交渉！？！なんとか一日＄２５でレンタカーできることができました！！もつものは友達ですね〜！？！今回の滞在では友達のインディープロシリーズに参戦する武藤英紀の家にも泊まらせてもらえるし、色んな意味で経費を削減できてラッキ〜！！

Just landed in Indianapolis. As soon as I got off the plane, I called my buddy who was the PR assistant for the team I drove for last year and he hooked me up with great rate at National Rent-a-car. I am really greatful of getting an excellent rate!! I will be staying with my buddy who races in Indy Pro Series, Hideki Mutoh who kindly let me stay over night so this trip ended up being economical for me!?! It's great to have cool friends...but you have to make sure that you pay them back when they are in your town which I obviously will be looking to see both of them in the near future!!

しかし、明日は８時（LA時間は５時）からのミーティングで、３時のフライトまでミーティングが３つ・・・。忙しい一日になりそうです！！

Well...I got a 8am meeting tomorrow which is 5am LA time...I hope my head will be awake. I will have 3 meetings in the morning tomorrow so I should probably get to bed early tonight!!

明日からはインディー

今日は朝起きてF1のレースをテレビ観戦。雨が降ったりで、ひっちゃかめっちゃかのレースで意外と面白い内容でしたね！！最終ラップのアロンソのバトルも燃えましたね〜〜！！レースが終わってからはジムに行って１０kmのランニングをしながら、ジムのモニターでIRLのMid-Ohioのレース観戦。スタートでAGR同士のクラッシュがおきましたが、それ以外の内容はどちらかと言うと淡々としていて、Dixonの３連勝。最近のロードのレースの中では一番面白かったかもしれませんが・・・。

Got up in the morning and see the F1 race. It was a bit of a disaster with rain and etc...but that all made it interesting to watch. It also was a great win for Fenando Alonso with the late pass at end of the race. After the F1 race, I went to the gym and saw the IRL race on the treadmill monitor. I must say that it was a usual IRL race on road course with Dixon & Franchitti dominating...but the start was intersting when Tony ran in to Danica. It would be interesting to hear what Danica had to say...especially after the misshap in the pits at Kansas race with Tony and Danica.

レースが終わってからは、ガーデナの喫茶店に子供と妻と行ってランチ。そこで、大人げないランチで洋風のカツ＆ハンバーグを食べちゃいました！！帰りにTargetによって日用品を買って、日系のスーパーに行って食料品も購入して家に戻ってきました。明日からはインディアナポリスです。１日だけの滞在で翌晩に戻ってきたら、水曜からLaguna Secaです。忙しい１週間なりますがお仕事頑張ってきま〜す！！

After seeing the race, I went to lunch with my wife and the baby. We stopped by Target and the grocery store to stock up for the week. I will be going to Indy tomorrow for a day, but will be going to Laguna as soon as I get back so definately needed to be well stocked to make my wife's life easier. I guess it's going to be a busy week for me....

Mid-Ohio

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。午後からは美容室に行って、髪をばっさり切ってもらいサッパリ！ついでに、帰りにセルフの洗車屋によって、車をピカピカにして戻ってきました！！夕方からは妻が友人に会いに行くので、サッカーのChelsea VS LA Galaxy戦（ベッカムのデビュー戦）を見ながら子供のお守り。

Went to the gym in the AM and was done before lunch. I didn't have time to eat lunch and went straight to cut my hair. I also stopped by the car wash place and got my car cleaned. I just got home and since my wife is going out with her friend this afternoon, I will be whatching the Chelsea VS LA Galaxy soccer game with my baby tonight.

しかし、今日のMid-Ohioの予選は面白かった。ずっとPCのモニターで見ていましたが、まずはダニカがかなり頑張っていました！！２位ですもんね！！トニーにもダリオにもマルコもを上回ったのは凄いです。そして、今回から参戦するシモンズの変わりに急遽レイホールに乗ってるRyan Hunter-ReayはF.Altlantic時代の友達でもあり友人でもあるので、ぜひ頑張って欲しいですね！！そして、何よりものビッグニュースは武藤英紀が最終戦に参戦する事です！！来季に向けてよい経験になるとは思いますが、デビュー戦でも良い結果がでるように、弟分としてはなんとか協力してあげたいなと思う所です。って人の事の前に自分の事も頑張らないと〜〜！！月曜に色々とミーティングがあるので、頑張ってきま〜す！！

The qualifying was really exciting today from Mid-Ohio. I am really impressed with Danica qualifying 2nd beating all of her teammates including Kannan, Marco, and Franchitti. I was also happy to see my ex-teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay get the ride for Rahal Letterman Racing after Simmons was let go. I hope he does well in the race too. And finally I am happy for my buddy Hideki who races in Indy Pro Series to get a ride for the ultimate race in Chicago with Panther. I think he will do good and I am just hoping to be able to assist him in any ways to make that transition smoother. There are many things that you have to learn by your self as a driver but any sources of info will help from experienced driver as a coach. If you think about it...even the pro golf players have a coach who looks after the swing to keep the player on the right track on daily basis. And I truly believe that racing is the same way if you want to make it to the top.

来季に向けてのミーティング

今日は午前中に来季に向けての活動に関してのミーティング。良い方向に話を進める事ができた気はしますが、話を決めるまでにはまだまだこれからです。引き続き頑張らないと！！

I had a meeting in regards to the future program this morning and I think it turned out be a good meeting. It may still take a lot of time to proceed but you gotta start somewhere and I want to thank all the guys who made the time available for me to talk about my program. I just need to keep pedalling until the deal is done!!

それよりも、さっき子供をお風呂に入れてお風呂上がりで髪を見たらふと気がついたのは白髪が生えてる〜〜！！ショ〜〜〜〜っク！！インディー前も白髪が２〜３本はえてましたが、あらためて発見すると寂しいです。ストレス・・・、それともただの老化か・・・？！？明日は美容室でカットしてもらうので、カラーするか悩み中です。

I have a shocking news...I just got out of bathing my baby and I looked in to the mirror and just found couple of grey hairs!! Stress...or just getting old...?!? I had several grey hair before Indy but I hope I don't turn all grey before I land my next ride!! Speaking of hair, I am going to the salon tomorrow so may be I should consider coloring my hair.

怖っ・・・。

今日は朝起きて午前中にトレーニング。体調ももとに戻り、ばっちりでした！！ランニング中にニュースを見ていたら、上海からサンフランシスコに着いた飛行機の車輪の所に死体が発見と言うニュースを目撃。しかも何時も使っているユナイテッド航空。どうやら上海からアメリカに逃げてこようと試みた人が亡くなってしまったんだろうが、離陸中もランディングギアにしがみついていたのか七不思議。いや〜でも、ユナイテッドのジャンボに乗るのはなんだか嫌だな・・・！？！

Got up in the morning and went to the gym. Since I had a day off from the gym yesterday, my body has fully recovered and was able to get a good work out in. As I was on the treadmill whatching the news...I saw a news about body found on United Airline landing gear on a flight from Shanghai-SFO. Obviously it was a dead body...but he must of had real gutts to even attempt to try what he has done. It has nothing to do with the airline...but I guess I am not too keen on flying with United's 747...after hearing the news.

しかし、今日もナイスな天気。もう夏ですね〜！！日本はもう梅雨明けしたのかな？？
It was a nother beutiful day here in LA. Speaking of weather, I hope the rain season is over in Japan since after the big earthquake...the rain will definately not help the situation with mudslide etc...

来週のスケジュール

今日は午前中は家でお仕事。なんだか、今日は体調不良だったのでトレーニングはオヤスミ・・・。朝から電話で色々とコンフェランスコールをして、午後は来週のスケジューリング。来週は忙しくなりそうです！まず、月曜にIndianapolisに行って火曜の早朝にミーティング。火曜の夕方のフライトでロスに戻って、水曜のお昼に車を運転してLagunaSecaに向かい土曜までお仕事。ん〜貧乏暇なしってこの事ですかね・・・！？！

Since I wasn't feeling all that well today, I had to skip the trainig and worked out of my house pretty much through out the day. I had to do a conference call in the morning for possible sponsorship hunt/deals and needed to plan some stuff for next week. I will need to fly to Indianapolis next monday for a meeting on Tuesday, and back on plane to return to LA that afternoon. Than I will drive to Monterey on Weds to work for Skip Barber Racing School until Sat. It's better to be busy than not....as long as you keep earning some $$$.

赤ちゃん検診

今日は朝に赤ちゃん検診。６ヶ月検診で、久しぶりに病院に一緒に動向しました。順調に育っていて、身長もアメリカ人の平均。大きい子になりそうです。しか〜し、注射を２本打って夜は不機嫌になりそう・・・。でも、注射を打っても泣かなかったので偉い！！“さすが我が子”って感じでバカ親ぶりを発揮してます！？！そうそう、今週末はLagunaSecaでMotoGPのレースですネ！！行きたかったな〜・・・。とりあえず、週末はテレビで玉やんを応援する事になりそうです！！

I had to take my baby to the hospital for check up. He is doing really well and I think he is going to become a tall boy! He had to take 2shots today but didn't cry at all and was a really good boy. However, I think he will not be too happy about it tonight...

There is a Moto GP race this week end in Laguna. I really wished if I could have gone to cheer for my buddy Tamayan, but I will have to whatch the race from home...

車の試乗

今日は車の試乗があったので、午前中はジムでトレーニング。と、思いきや１０時の約束を前日の電話で１２時と聞き間違えて、トレーニング中に“いまどこ〜”って電話が入りダッシュで現場に向かいました。今日はずいぶんユックリスタートだな〜って思っていた自分の勘違いでした・・・。（泣）

I had to work today to test drive several cars and since I thought the meeting time was noon...I went to the gym in the morning. As I was working out...I got a call and figured out that the meeting time was 10am rather than 12pm.... Obviously I ran out of the gym and went straight to Gardena to test drive the cars.

さて、今日は３台の車を試乗しました。最初に乗ったのはSCIONのXd。その後にImprezzaの４ドアと５ドア。とくに新しくなったImprezzaに乗るのは楽しみでした。新しい車の試乗のお仕事は、ディーラーで販売される前に乗れるからかなりラッキーですよね！！車の詳しい詳細に関しては記事を楽しみにしててくださいね！！

I drove 3 cars today in which I was looking forward to drive the 2 Imprezza's. I drove the 4door and the 5door Imprezza. I also drove the new SCION Xd. They were all good cars although I expected a bit more from the Imprezza. However, it's always cool to drive new cars that aren't even in the showroom!!

夕方に家に戻って、さっき赤ちゃんをお風呂に入れて夕飯を食べる前に軽くお仕事です・・・。

I got home, bathed my baby...and back to work on my computer before supper time.

のんびりサンデー

昨日のIRLのレースが雨で延期になったので、今日は朝起きて１０時から延期になったレースをテレビ観戦。レースは色々とあったけど、最近のIRLの中では面白い方だったかな・・・。しかし、コウスケがSimmonsのミスに絡まれてくラッシュしてかわいそう・・・！？！なんだか今年は本当についてないな〜って感じですね。ずっと応援してる英紀も今回のレースでは車のバランスがいまいちで６位。気がついたら最終戦のシカゴが最後のオーバルになっちゃうのかな？！？ん〜なんとか、オーバルでの勝利に協力してあげたいなと思い、家で一人でムズムズ・・・！？！

Since the Nashville race got rained out last night...I woke up in the morning and went straight on ESPN to whatch the IRL race. The race it self wasn't bad for recent IRL showing...and I felt pretty bad for Kousuke who got hit by Simmons. It was 3rd incident this year where they got in to eachother and I'm sure Kousuke wasn't too happy about the situation either. The IPS race result was also interesting, however, my buddy Hideki only managed to finish 6th. I talked to him before the race and didn't seem like the car balance was there...but I really hope he can win on an oval in the near future. I coud only wish if I can assist him at the track in order for him to perform better....

レースはお昼前に終わり、妻と一緒にランチをしてスーパーで買い物をして帰宅。日曜だったので、今日はずっと家でユックリしてました。週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまい、明日からも１週間頑張らないと〜〜！！

After the race, I went to lunch with my wife and baby and stopped by the grocery store to pick up some food. Got home and relaxed for the rest of the evening. I can't believe the week end is already over!!

Buschレースを見ながらトレーニング

昨日も早く寝てしまい、今朝は早朝に起床。完全に老人生活になってます・・・。健康的で良いのですが。午前中は家でお仕事。お昼に家でサンドウィッチを食べて、昼過ぎからジムでトレーニング。ランニングしながら、NASCAR Buschのレースを見てしまいました。いや〜NASCARのレースも最初から最後まで見ると面白いんですよね〜〜！！でも、何よりもアメリカのTVの解説や実況の人のクレバーな説明には感心します。経験者が語るって感じで納得いけますからね！！でも、グラフィックを使ってわかりやすく説明するので無知のファンの人も理解しやすいと思います。夕方は早めにピットの散歩に行ってこれからIRL NashvilleのレースをTV観戦します！！

Since I went to be early last night...got up early like an old man. It's healthly living but I think I'm still too young for that!?! I did a lot of work in the morning and went to the gym in the afternoon. I whatched the NASCAR Busch race on TV as I was running on the treadmill. I'm really impressed with the NASCAR TV broadcast where they always have good coverage with right people talking about the race. They have ex-drivers as guest and tried to be precise as they can on how to explaing turbulence...and etc. I think it really is good for the fan and even I enjoy it my self since a lot of things are new to me compare to open wheel racing. Well...I have just got out of showere and ready to whatch the IRL race from Nashville on TV.

来季に向けて

今日も午前中にジムに行ってトレーニング。お昼過ぎから家でIRLナッシュビル戦の予選をライブタイミングでチラ見しながら、仕事の続きを終わらせてから来季の活動に向けてのプラニング。もう年の半分も終わってしまった事だし、来年に向けて今から動き出さないとスポンサーも取れませんからね〜〜！！今年もまだ終わった訳ではありませんが、残りの時間は来年に繋がるプログラムを組まないとって感じです！！が、色んな所から話がでてきてるので、これからしっかり具体化していかないと・・・。気がついたらあっと言う間に週末ですね〜！！では、皆さんも良い週末を！！と言っても日本は梅雨で大変そうですね・・・！？！

Just like yesterday...went to the gym in the AM and came home and sat in front of the computer to whatch IRL live timing from Nashville. Nothing seems exciting as you see the usual guys up front. Than I got on working some stuff for next season. Pretty much half the season is over and I really have to start pushing on trying to settle the deal for next season. Nothing firm yet...but there are many talks that may lead in to something and I just need to kee pushing on every prospect!! Well...I hope you all have a great week end!!

書類の整理

今日は朝起きて、午前中はジムでトレーニング。ガッツリトレーニングをして、お昼はサンドイッチを食べて、Targetに行き日用品の買い出し。家に戻ってからは色々と書類の整理・・・。インディーが終わってホッと落ち着いた物の色々と整理しないと行けない物が沢山あって大変です。気がついたら明日はもう金曜日でもう週末ですね！本当に１週間が経つのは早いな〜〜！？！今週末はNASHVILLEでのナイトレース。自分は家でまたTV観戦かな？そろそろ久しぶりに現場にも顔を出さないと・・・。

Got up in the morning and went straight to the gym and had a good work out. Came home and had sandwich for lunch and went to Target to buy some stuff. I got home and needed to sort out a lots of paper work... After Indy, I finally have some time to go through everything but it will definately take me several days to get through everything. I can't believe it's already Fri tomorrow!! A week goes by so quick.... I guess I will be whatch the IRL race at Nashville on TV again. I really need to start thinking about popping back in to one of these races thinking about getting deals for next season.

7党党首討論会

昨日は寝る前に、７党党首討論会を見てしまいました。ちらっと見ましたが、内容にイライラ・・・。政治の事に関しては僕もよくわからないけど、討論会とは言えどもほとんどの党首が総理のバッシングをするのはどうよ・・・、って思ってしまいました。ま〜アメリカの政治家も完璧とは言えませんが、少なくとも“あなたの政治は間違ってる！”って言う討論ではなくて、“わたしの考え方が正しい”って言い方をするので、少なくとも説得力はありますね。ま〜今の政治の内容じゃ〜国民年金のトラブルが出てもおかしくないですね・・・。それに色々と改善しなくてはいけない事が沢山あるとは言っても、個人的には国会でヤジをとばすスタンスから変えなくては、根本的には何も変わらないのではと思っちゃいますね。って、党首討論会を見て、色々とつぶやくなんて、自分も親父になったな〜って思う今日この頃でした！？！（笑）

I watched the Japan's 7 political parties debate last night on TV. It was really frustrating to whatch. All the political leader was just trying to bash on Mr.Abe(Primeminister) and half of the stuff there were going for was all non sense. It's really dissapointing to see that kind of debate since I really don't think it will resolve all the problem Japan is facing right now. Obviously, I am not an expert on polics by all means...but I can clearly feel that there needs to be a serious change in Japan in order to get better. Yes the economy is picking up...but I really hope there is a change for good that will allow the economy to boom even more so it may become a bit easier to obtain sponsor to go racing!! Well so much for the politics...I guess I must be getting old to see political debate on TV and not just SPEED TV anymore!?!

年末のレースに向けての交渉

今日は午前中に色々と家でお仕事。年内中にもう１レース参戦できるように、色々とチームと交渉を開始。そう簡単には話を決めるのは難しそうですが、とにかくトライし続けます！！諦めたらそこでおしまいですからね。しかし、また毎日ひっつこくチームに電話＆メールをする日々が続きそう・・・。けっこう大変なプロセスなんですよね〜！？！

Got up in the morning and still had to do some desk work that needed to be done. Since I am working on a deal to race before the end of the season, I started to do some research and called some teams to talk about it. It really is a tough and frustrating process...unless if you have sponsor lined up, but you still need to keep working hard at it as we all know, nothing will come to you for free. However, I think I was able to get some valuable information and hopefully I can proceed from here.

ランチは斎藤ヒロ君と一緒にガーデナでハンバークカレーを食べて、帰りにスーパーによって帰宅。夕方にミッチリトレーニングして完全に頭も身体もレースモードに戻ってます！！あ〜早く車に乗りたいな〜〜！！夕方IndyProに参戦する武藤英紀と話をして色々とできる限りのアドバイスもしたつもりですが、残りのレースをガンガン勝って欲しい所ですね！！って人の心配する以上に自分も全力で頑張らないと！！

Than I went to lunch with my buddy Hiro and had Hanburger Curry. I know you all think "YUK"....but it's actually pretty good! Should definitely try it if you at a casual Japanese Restaurants especially for lunch. Than I came home and went straight to the gym. More and more I think about the race, I am eager to get back in to the car, and I feel I am mentally and physically ready to get back in anytime!!

年末のレースに向けての交渉

今日は午前中に色々と家でお仕事。年内中にもう１レース参戦できるように、色々とチームと交渉を開始。そう簡単には話を決めるのは難しそうですが、とにかくトライし続けます！！諦めたらそこでおしまいですからね。しかし、また毎日ひっつこくチームに電話＆メールをする日々が続きそう・・・。けっこう大変なプロセスなんですよね〜！？！

Got up in the morning and still had to do some desk work that needed to be done. Since I am working on a deal to race before the end of the season, I started to do some research and called some teams to talk about it. It really is a tough and frustrating process...unless if you have sponsor lined up, but you still need to keep working hard at it as we all know, nothing will come to you for free. However, I think I was able to get some valuable information and hopefully I can proceed from here.

ランチは斎藤ヒロ君と一緒にガーデナでハンバークカレーを食べて、帰りにスーパーによって帰宅。夕方にミッチリトレーニングして完全に頭も身体もレースモードに戻ってます！！あ〜早く車に乗りたいな〜〜！！夕方IndyProに参戦する武藤英紀と話をして色々とできる限りのアドバイスもしたつもりですが、残りのレースをガンガン勝って欲しい所ですね！！って人の心配する以上に自分も全力で頑張らないと！！

Than I went to lunch with my buddy Hiro and had Hanburger Curry. I know you all think "YUK"....but it's actually pretty good! Should definitely try it if you at a casual Japanese Restaurants especially for lunch. Than I came home and went straight to the gym. More and more I think about the race, I am eager to get back in to the car, and I feel I am mentally and physically ready to get back in anytime!!

お家でリラックス

昨日は家に帰って１２時過ぎには爆睡！ご飯を食べながら頭がボ〜ッとしてて、かなり疲れてたみたいです。が、朝は７時頃までには目が覚めてしまい、なんだか寝た気がしませんでした・・・。今日は午前中は家で色んな書類のお仕事。かなり溜まってて大忙しです。お昼に妻と子供を連れてランチして午後は家でリラックスしてました。明日からはまたトレーニングモードに戻らないと！！

Since I was so tired last night....I went to bed right after midnight. I was a bit dizzy while eating dinner...so I must have been tired. However, I got up at 7am and didn't feel like I slept that well. Nevertheless, I needed to get up and do some work at home this morning so I went into my office room and started the work. I got half of the stuff done, and went to lunch with my wife and baby. Than came home to relax for a little while....but I have to go back to work again. All these desk work is making me frustrated and I think I need to go back to my training mode and shake some stress out of me!!

LAに帰宅

今日はスクール最終日があり、無事に終わりさっき家に戻ってきました。ドライブは途中まではスムーズだったのに、LA近郊で渋滞・・・。今週末はIndependenceDayから連休を取ってる人も多く、バカンスからの帰りで渋滞してたみたいです。朝からずっと仕事をした上の５時間越えのドライブは辛かった〜・・・。とりあえず、今から夕飯を食べてそっこう寝ちゃいそうです！！zzzzz

Just got home. The last day of instructing went well and we were done by 5pm. I headed straight home and I was hoping to get home by 10pm...but as I got closer to LA, I ran into some traffic. I guess it was an extended week end from July 4th, and many people were driving back from holiday. I was stuck in traffic for 30min but I got home and I am just about ready to eat something and hit the bed ASAP!!

スクール２日目

今日はスクール２日目。朝６時に起きて、スタバによってからサーキット入り。昨日は暖かってので、今日は短パンだな〜って余裕こいて短パンで行ったら今日はずっと曇りで少し肌寒い一日でした・・・。が、ずっと外にいるので変に日焼けしないですんだのでとりあえずラッキーかな？！？が、明日は天気はよくなって欲しいな。今日は仕事が終わってから軽くトレーニング。これから夕飯を食べて早めに寝ないと。３日間はあっと言う間ですが、早くLAに戻って赤ちゃんの顔を見るのが楽しみだな〜〜。

Today was the 2nd day of the Skip Barber School. As usual...got up at 6am and stopped by Starbuks to get a cup of coffee and went straight to the track. Since the weather was so nice, I put my shorts on today anticipating the weather being nice like yesterday. My prediction was wrong and it was a cloudy overcast cool day....definately too cool for shorts. At least I didn't get any sun tanned....but I hope the weather will get better tomorrow. Tomorrow will be the finaly day here...I am looking forward to getting back to LA and seeing my baby although I am not looking forward to the 5hr drive home tomorrow!!

スクール初日

今日は朝６時に起きて、スタバによってコーヒーをゲットしてから７時にサーキット入り。８時からクラスは開始して、５時半までミッチリお仕事！！長い一日でした〜。しかも、天気も良くてバッチリ路肩焼け・・・。仕事が終わってからなんと、便利な事にゴルフコースがサーキットの隣にあり、ついでにゴルフバックもトランクに入れっぱなし！？！こんな偶然があっていいのか〜〜って感じで、ゴルフレンジで軽く練習してホテルに戻ってきました！ホテルに戻ったらネットで仕事をして、色々とレースの結果チェック。今週末はF1,Indy,ChampCarと気になるレースがたくさんありますね〜〜！！ライブで見れないのは残念・・・。

Got up at 6am and went to the track at 7am. Stopped by Starbucks to get my daily coffee. The Skip Barber Racing School classes starts at 8am and I was working until 5:30PM today. Pretty long day out on the track. The weather was gorgeous though!! After work, it was such a coincidence with golf course right next to the track...and my golf bags in the trunk... I had to stop by and practice hitting balls at the range. Just got back to the hotel and ready to take a shower and have a quick bite before going to bed early.

Lagunaに到着

さっき無事にLagunaSecaに到着しました。久しぶりのロングドライブはかなり疲れました。一番驚いたのは、途中で給油した時の街の温度です。なんと華氏で１１３°F（４５℃）です！乾燥してるから普通にカラッと暑いのかなと思ったら大間違い！！もうサウナに入ってるくらい、ボワ〜ってメチャメチャ暑かったです！！が、LagunaSecaに着いたら今度は５８°F（１４℃）・・・、今日経験した最高気温から半分です。この温度変化はさすがに具合が悪くなりそう。Lagunaは気候が良くて今週末の天気も良さそうなので、仕事も快適にできそうです！！ではでは、明日からミッチリお仕事してきま〜す！！

Just arrived in Monterey. The drive wasn’t too bad and I was able to get here in 5hr. When I refueled the car at mid-point, the temp was 113°F! It was definitely stinking HOT!! It was like being in sauna… However, when I arrived here in Monterey, the temp was down to 58°F which is almost too cool. The weather here is pretty nice this time of the year so I don’t think I can’t complain. Well…I gotta work pretty hard for next three days so I can play more golf when I get back in town!?!

やっぱり・・・。

今日はお昼からゴルフ。昨日はバッチリ練習したのでかなり期待できそうで、向かう途中はワクワクでした！しか〜し、世の中はそんなに甘くない・・・。昨日から満振りで振るスィングは実際にコースにでるとなかなかうまくいかず・・・。しかも、今日のコースはFonatanaの側にあるOak Quarryと言う少し難しめなコース。　ほとんど砂漠ちたいにある、メチャメチャ暑いコースで、華氏で１００°Fはは超えてたのでは？と言う事でコースに向かうまではスコアーの方が上か、温度の方が上かなんて偉そうな事を言ってましたが、終わってみたらぜんぜんスコアーの方が上ですね。当たった時はボチボチですが、それ以外は内容＆過程がひどすぎて公開できるようなスコアーではありませんでした。でも、今日は奇麗なコースでユックリできて楽しかったです！！明日からはLagunaSecaでお仕事・・・。今週は遊んだ分もしっかり稼いでこないと・・・今日なくしたゴルフボールをかえませんからね！？！（笑）

Went to golf in the afternoon. Since I practiced well yesterday...I thought I would do well today. We went to Oak Quarry Golf Course in Riverside today. It was really hot today and I believe we were in triple digit temp. I was hoping at least for my score to be under triple digit... However, all my practice didn't pay off as much as I thought. Although it was a difficult course, I am too embarassed to say my score so I will keep it confidential. I still think I got much better and just need more experience! Well...I am off to Laguna Seca tomorrow...after all that playing, I will need to work hard to earn some money to buy all the golf balls I lost today!?!

景色の奇麗な１４番ホールです！
The signature 14th hole!

ゴルフ復活！？！

明日はIndependence Dayでお休みなので、カメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君と竹内さんとゴルフに行ってきます！最後に日本で回った時はボロボロだったので、明日行く前にレッスンプロに見てもらいました！！スィングした瞬間に早速“あ〜・・・・”っと言うコメント。スィングが病気にかかってますね〜〜って言われちゃいました！？！が、色々と話を聞いてると問題は恐れ恐れスィングしているからだとの結論！！レースと一緒ですね。ビビって走っていると、とくにIndianapolisとかでは全開で走らないと車が安定しないのと一緒で、中途半端にアクセルを抜くと逆にフラフラ走ってしまう感じで、ゴルフも中途半端なスィングをするからボールにあたらなかったり、真っすぐ飛ばなくなるのだなと言う事でした！！んで、満振りをしてみたら、ビックリ！！！飛ぶじゃ〜ないですか〜〜。まっ、これからしっかりまとめてこなくては、スコアーは上がりそうにありませんが、とりあえずゴルフを楽しみながらできそうです。そんなこんなで明日は楽しみ！！今夜は妻はお友達とお食事会なので自分は家で赤ちゃんのお守。最近はインゲンのお浸しにはまってますが、夕飯は冷やし中華です！！

Since it's 4th of July tomorrow and a day off...I am going to play gold with my friends. I had a louzy round last time in Japan and I really lost all my condidence in my swing, I took a quick lesson the other day. My conclusion was...just like racing at Indianapolis, youv'e got to be flat all the time!?! Basically what that mean is that at Indy...if you are not up to the right speed and probably being flat, the car is not going to be stable because it is set up to be driven that way. When you lift, the car becomes unstable and it's no fun. I found out that the gold was the same way. When you start wimping with your swing, you don't actually hit the ball right and ends up slicing or hooking...or shanking. Therefore, after the lesson, I started to swing really hard but most importantly knowing when to applicate the power!! I think I still need the consistancy to get a good score but at least I feel like I am playing golf now!! Well...we will see how I do tomorrow!!

引っ越し・・・。

昨日は１０時半に寝てしまい、今朝は朝早く目が覚めてしまいました・・・。歳ですね。起きてまずはピットの散歩。それからスーパーに買い物に行って、戻ってきてからは家のオフィッスに行って家賃の交渉。が、マネージャーがいないので、仕方ないのでメールを送って明日までに返答を待つのみ。しか〜し、返事を待つだけではなんだか落ち着かないので、新しいアパートをネットで検索。するとPasadena地域に気になる所を発見！！善は急げと言う事でさっそく見に行ってきました！場所は最高で部屋もま〜ま〜ですが、今の家よりも面積が狭い所が少し難点。が、最初の２ヶ月は家賃が無料と言う所に心が動かされてしまいそう・・・。ん〜明日の返事次第ですが、急に引っ越しが決まりそう！？！

Since I went to sleep at 10:30PM last night...I was up really early this morning. Must be getting old... It was another nice sunny & hot day here in LA. I took my dog to a walk, than went to my apartment management office to speak with the manager. Unfortunately the manager was out today so I decided to e-mail him my situation. Hopefully I will get a good reply from him tomorrow. Meanwhile, I couldn't resisit from searching for a new place so I went on line and found a good place in Pasadena. I thought "sooner the better" in terms of viewing the place so I went straight to see the unit. The place was great but the only downside was that the actual size is smaller than my current place. Otherwise, they had a great offer...as free 2month rent!! Well, at this point...it will all depend on what my manager will decide on what to day with my new price but I may have to do a real quick turn around to pack this up!?!

平和な一日

昨日は散々な一日でしたが、今日はとくに何もなく平和でした。とりあえず、日曜だったので朝起きて妻と赤ちゃんとPasadena方面でランチ。ついでにずっと気になってたアパートの物件があったのでチェックしてきました！！場所は最高の所で、隣にドッグラン付きの公園だったり、色んなレストランやカフェまで歩いてすぐだったり、子供が大きくなった時の事も考えて色んな意味で良い環境だなと思いました。しか〜し、部屋の中はなんとなくなっとくいけずに結論の無いまま家に戻ってきてしまいました。明日は家の大家と交渉で値段次第では引っ越しを真面目に考えないと・・・。いや〜しかし、今の物件より良い所を探すのは本当に難しそうだな！？！

Since it was a miserable day for me yesterday...I was hoping it will just be an oridnary day for me today. Since it was a beutiful Sunday, I went to Brunch with my wife and baby to a cozy restaurant in Pasadena. The food was great and since there was no cilantro involved in my meal...I was pretty happy. Than we went to look at this apartment in Pasadena which I always wanted to see. The place is really cool with a park next to the building and just a block away from old town Pasadena where all the cool caffe and restaurants are. However, we were not really impress with the room settings although the price was some what attractive. I guess it will all depend on how my negotiation will go with my current building manager whether we will end up moving or not. I still have to say that it will be hard to find a better place than my current apartment....

ついてない一日・・・。

今日は本当についてない一日でした・・・。朝起きて、天気も良かったので妻と息子とベニスビーチに行って、ランチをしてプラプラとショップ巡りをしようと思い、ベニスビーチに向かいました。が、ランチしようと思っていたお店は何故かやってなくて、近所のローズカフェでランチ。そこで、BBQ Steak Sandwichを頼んだのですが、なぜか意味不明にサンドの中にパクチーが入っててマジ切れ！とりあえず、食わず嫌いなのかなと思い改めてチャレンジしてみましたが、やっぱり嫌いでした・・・。家に戻る前にスーパーで買い物をして、駐車場から出ようと車を動かしたら斜め横から完全に見てない車にどか〜んとぶつけられ、軽い事故・・・。止まってるような速度だったので、自分の車には全くダメージはありませんでしたが、パクチーでイライラしていたのに、ついに爆発寸前。なんとか頭に来る気持ちを最大限に押さえて帰宅したのに、スーパーで買った物の方付けをしていたら、飲み物類が入っていたビニール袋がやぶれてウーロン茶が足の上に落下！さらに、冷蔵庫を明けたら今度は納豆が落下・・・。（怒）もう今日は何もしない方が良いなと言う結論にたし、今はビールを片手にリッチモンドで行われてるIRLのレースを見てます。

It was a very frustrating day today.... I went to lunch with my wife and baby to Venice Beach. The place I was thinking about to have lunch was closed so we decided to go to Rose Caffe. I ordered BBQ Steak Sandwich since it was today's special but I was not impressed with Cilantro in the sandwich. I really hate cilantro...and who would put cilantro in a BBQ Sandwich!?! I was so hungry and didn't want to make a big issue about it so I decided to eat the food and get going. We stopped by the super market on the way home...than we got hit by another car in parking lot!! Fortunately it was at slow speed so there was no damage to my car...but I was really pXXsed off especially after the cilantro in my sandwich!! Since I am a father now.....I needed to be calm and made sure to take care of this issue calmly. I got home and started to put all the groceries in the fridge. And to make things worse, the plastic bags ripped and the bottle of Oolong tea just dropped on my toes!! Yap...I was really pXXsed but I still maitained my temper. But when I opened the fridge...I had things fall on my toe again...and that's when I decided not to do anything today anymore!! I guess it's one of those days...

ダウンタウンを開拓

今日は朝起きて朝一でトレーニング。きっちり筋トレもして走り込みもして、体調はバッチリ！お昼からは少し新たにダウンタウンを開拓しようと思って、家の近所を赤ちゃんと妻と散歩をしながら、レストラン等の探索。基本的にはビジネス街なので、色んなカフェやレストラン等もあります。けっきょくランチで入ったお店が、ディズニーコンサートホールの近所にあるKendall's Brasserie。ランチとしてはボチボチのお店でした。意外とダウンタウンは面白いなと改めて実感。家に戻ってきたらいよいよ、新しい家賃が含まれた新しいリースについての情報がドアにはってありました。すると予想通りに家賃は少しの値上がり・・・。月曜にオフィッスに行って値段交渉次第で、このままいるか引っ越しするかの検討ですね！？！まっ、交渉はレースの為にチームとの交渉で慣れてるんで、ここで力が発揮するといいですね！！（笑）

Got up in the morning and went straight to the gym. Had a good weight training and cardio training and got done just in time for lunch. My wife and I decided to take a walk around Downtown today since there are many restaurants and caffe in our neighborhood that we are unaware of...and I though it would be good to stroll around today since the weather was so nice. We decided to have a lunch at Kendall's Brasserie which was right next to the Disney Concert Hall. The food there was pretty good and I would definately go back there for lunch. When I got back...I recieved an evelope from my apartment office and it was in regards to my new rent. As expected...the rent is going up and I will have to negotiate with the manager about the price. If it's out of range...I will definately I have to find a new place but I really hope that the building managemet company is flexible with our needs.

ランチミーティング

今日は自分の今後の活動等に関しての為にお昼にランチミーティングを行いました。自分と同じビジョンを持った会社で、アメリカンモータースポーツを日本でもっと盛り上げれるような気がするので一緒に仕事ができたら良いなと思います！！詳しい詳細は言えませんが・・・、近い将来いろいろと活動について発表できるといいなと思っているので皆さんも楽しみにしててくださいね！！まだX２時間はかかりそうですが・・・。（泣）努力あるのみです！！

I had a lunch meeting in Orange County today. I haven't been in OC area for a while, and it really made me think if I should consider living there since everything is so much different from here in Downtown LA. I was able to have a very good meeting with the company who I have met today and since we share the same vision and goal, I hope it will lead to something in the future. Unfortunately...all the detailed info is confidential but all I can say is that we may be able to change the popularity of American Motorsports in Japan. It definately will take time and I will definately need a lot of support in able to accomplish my goal but I really love the challenge and I am looking forward to getting the deal done in the near future!!

いやはや、しかし乗ってないと本当に体調管理が大変です・・・。日本に１０日間いて好きな物を食べて飲んで・・・、アメリカに戻ってきて必死にトレーニングをしないとって感じです！！天候も良いのでレースの話を決める事とハードなトレーニングの日々が続きそうです！！

Since I have got back from Japan...I really need to get back to good shape. By all means, I am still in good shape ready to drive, but all the great food and drinks have spoiled me from my stay in Japan and I will have to go back to strict diet for next couple of weeks!! Really...it is tough being an part time racer!?!

引っ越し・・・検討

今日は引っ越しを検討する一日でした・・・。今のアパートに不満があるわけでは、ありませんが８月でリースアップします。もし家賃があがるのなら引っ越しをしようか悩んでて、ダウンタウンの他のアパートをちらっと見に行ってしまいました。LAの中央駅（Union Station)の隣にあるアパートが気になっていたので早速チェック！本当のダウンタウンからは少し離れている為に、家よりは静かな感じで悪くはないのですが、部屋の中がなんだか殺風景・・・！？！しかし、敷金＆礼金＄５００で最初の月の家賃がタダ！！こんな美味しい話があっていいのかと思う反面、いろんな意味で今の家より良い所を探すのは難しそうだなと思う一日でした。まっ、アパート探しもあるいみ楽しいので、またちょくちょく見に行く予定です。ってまだまだ引っ越す事が決まった訳ではないけど・・・。

Since my apartment lease is up this August...I am thinking about moving out of my apartment if my lease goes up. I really like living at this apartment building but I thought it doesn't hurt to do a little bit of research. The place we went to look today was right next to the Union Station. I thought it was going to be busy there... but actually it was really quiet and seemed like a nice community. However, the room was a bit smaller than my place although the squre footage was more or less the same. They had move in specials where you get first month free and that really popped my eyes open... but thinking really hard, I should probably wait to see if there will be any raise to my current rent since I am happy with my room now and it will be a tough transition for our cat and dog....

お洒落なスタンド

今日は用事があってBeverly Hillsの方に行ってきました。途中ガソリンがなくなったので、今はショッピング等で流行ってるロバートソン沿いにあるガソリンスタンドで給油しました。そのガソリンスタンドは以前から気になっていたのですが、かなりハイテクなデザイン。BPがやってるスタンドですが、環境保護もテーマにしてるスタンドみたいですが、何よりも新しくて奇麗＆ユニークなデザイン！環境をテーマにしてるせいか、レギュラー〜ハイオクの表示が普通なら８９−９１−９３とオクタン数を表示されますが、ここのスタンドはGood-Great-Betterと表示されていて結構面白いです！（笑）一番気になるガソリンの値段は・・・、普通でした！？！LAも最近はガソリンが値上がりしていますが、他のスタンドと相場は変わらないので、気持ちよく入れれるスタンドの方が良いですよね！！

I needed to pick some stuff up at Beverly Hills today so I left my house after lunch. I was running short on gas so I decided to refuel at the BP station that has been catching my eye. It is on the corner of Robertson and Olympic and it's a newly designed gas station. Apparently their whole theme is environmentally friendly station....it's hard to figure out how it's environmental by their design but I have to say it is cool looking. The way they list their octane is interesting! It usually states 89,91, or 93...but at this station they classify as Good, Great, Better!?! The price of the gas is more or less the same as other station so I will definately fill up at that station again!!

仕事でドタバタ

今日は朝からなんだか忙しい一日でした。昨晩から仕事で１泊２日でインディアナポリスに行こうか悩んでましたが、航空券が高すぎて断念・・・。その他の仕事で色々と資料等をネットで調べたりしていたら目がチカチカ・・・。そして、締め切りが近づいてきたので、このあいだ試乗した車の記事も下記ドタバタした一日でした。しかも、日本語の記事だと文章的に最後にまとめるのが下手でなかなか難しい！？！こんな時にゴーストライターは欲しいなとも思っちゃいますが、でも自分が書く事によって気持ちが伝わる重要さも実感。ま〜、僕の活字の酷さは既にこのダイアリーでバレているとは思いますが！？！（笑）なんだか、改めて日本語を勉強しないとなって思う一日でした。

It turned out ot be a busy day for me. I was planning to go to Indy for a busuiness for two days, but since the airfare was so high...we decided to postpone the trip. I still have other stuff that I needed to search over the internet in regards to a new busuiness and at the same time, I had to finish the car impression article that was due by this week. I really wished if I had an assistance who can help me with it...since my Japanese writing skills are probably equivalent to an 10yr old. Having said that...I guess my English skill needs some improvement!?! Well...I guess it's good enough to get through. After a long day in front of my PC...I really wished if I was playing golf where I really need to improve my playing skills!!!

レース三昧

今日は朝起きてからテレビでレース三昧でした。起きてから早速IRLのIowaでのレース。レース内容はクラッシュだらけで、完走した車も１０台もいなく、なんだか微妙な内容・・・。Iowaのレースを見ながら同時にChampCarのレースもCMの合間を縫って見ちゃいました。ChampCarのレースも淡々としてて、最後はPaulTracyが勝ちましたが内容はなんだかイマイチ・・・。それに比べて、Sonomaで行われてたNASCARのレースは面白かった〜！！最終的には燃料作戦で成功したJuanPabloの勝利！！でも、今回はぜひJuanPabloに勝って欲しかった！！オーバルで勝は難しい分、やっぱりロードはちゃんすだったし！！でも、車載カメラを見てみると、NASCARをロードで走らせるのは本当に難しそう・・・。でも、レースを見ていたら一回は乗ってみたいなと思う内容でした！！

It was a busy day being a couch potato today. I started off the day whatching the IRL race in Iowa and at the same time flipping through the Champ Car race in Cleveland during the TV Commercials. IRL race was interesting...but the car count is not helping the situation when there is a huge accidents that takes half the field out. The Champ Car race was not that great either in my perspective...but on other hand the NASCAR race at Sonoma was excellent!! It ended up being a fuel mileage race but Juan Pablo drove really well and I was happy to see him in the victory lane. It definately looks like a fun car to drive but very difficult with a lot of body roll with high powered/torque engine. I sure would love to have an oppurtunity to drive one of those cars in the near future!!

時差ボケ・・・？！？

日本から戻ってきて既に２日目。日本ではなんだか時差ボケがなおらないうちに、アメリカに戻ってきたつもりなのに、アメリカに戻ってきたら今度は何処時間で生活してるのかいまいちわからず、脳が混乱状態・・・。ジムでトレーニングに行っても脳が動いてないせいか、パワーが出ない感じ！？！週末の間までにはしっかり時差調整をしないと！！今日はトーランスに行って今後の動きに関して等のミーティング。スポンサーの可能性がある所はところんあたらないとって感じですね！！ではでは、今夜は早めに寝て、明日は早目に起きてジムに行ってIowaで行われるIndyのレース観戦してま〜す。

It has been two days since I got back from Japan but my brain is still confused on which time zone I am in. It's weird because I had such a strugge adjusting the time zone while my stay and I though I would be perfectly fine if I came home but I guess it doesn' work that way!?! I thought going to the gym may help but may be not if your brain is at sleep. Nevertheless, I should hit the bed early tonight to get up early tomorrow morning to go to the gym before the Iowa race!!

ワイヤレス

昨日から家に戻って、コンピューターでネットサーフィンをしようとしたら、何故かワイヤレスで接続する事ができず、色々と試したのですが、どうやらワイヤレスモデムの故障と判断・・・。もう２年以上つかってるMacのAirportですが、なんだかMac商品の寿命は２年なのかなと考えさせられる一日でした。仕方ないので、新しいワイヤレスモデムをゲット！！以前の物よりも速度が増してネットサーフィンも速くなり、テクノロジーの進歩は凄いなと改めて実感！！さてさて、明日からは週末ですね。今週末もIowaのレースから始まり、ChampCarのCleveland、そしてNASCARのソノマもあり、テレビの前で釘付けになりそうな週末です！

I got home yesterday and tried to surf the net but found out there was a problem trying to connect to the internet. I diagnosed several components and figured out that it was the Wireless Modem that was causing the problem. It was a weird symptom but I guess I just have to blame it on Mac products which only last for 2years on average... Well, I needed a way to connect to the internet so I went to the store to purchase a new modem and I am up and running again!! I am ameazed with the new wireless speed. Just like a racing car gettting faster every year... the wireless speed is up with the same provider!! I am happy with the connection and now I can concentrate on my work!! I can believe we are already in to the week end...it will be a busy one in front of the TV since we have IRL at Iowa, Champ Car at Cleveland, and NASCAR at Sonoma!!

LAに帰宅

さっきLAに帰宅。フライトは５時間くらい寝れましたが、家に戻ってきても時差ボケでめちゃねむ・・・。戻ってきてからはIowaのテストの件でチームと連絡の取り合い。結論としては、土壇場すぎてテストのセッションの時間に間に合うかわからないのと、明日の天気予報は雨っぽいとの事で行く事を断念。個人的には車に乗れるチャンスがあったので、またのチャンスが作れるように頑張ります！！ではでは、今日は早めに寝てリラックスしま〜す！！そうそう、久しぶりに赤ちゃんに会って、また成長しててビックリ！！もう寝返りをうって、はいはいで進み始めてます！！

Just got home. I was able to sleep in the flight for about 5hrs... but I am still tired from the trip. As soon as I got home...I talked to the Indy Car team who wanted me to be there for the test tomorrow. Looking at the schedule, it looks really difficult to arrange the flight and at the same time the weather wasn't looking good so we decided to look in to the future test days. I am gutted for not being able to drive but at the same time it was better for both parties because if I was going to drive, I wanted to make sure that everything was going to be well planned. That means I will have more time with the family this week end. I am amazed with the growth rate of my baby!! He is almost crawling now!! At the same time, we will need to make sure our eyes on him all time since you never know where he is going to end up!!

これからフライト

これからLAに向けてのフライトです。今は成田のラウンジでお仕事中。突然IRLの某チームから連絡があって、今週末のIowaでのレースの練習中に車に乗って、セットを出してくれないかとの要望・・・。乗りたい気持ちはやまやまですが、金曜の練習走行までに間に合うのはちょっと難しそう！？！それに、同時進行の他シリーズに参戦へ向けての交渉も始まったりしてるので、どこにフォーカスするかも決めないとって感じで究極の選択ですね。でも、オファーが来る事は嬉しい事です。個人的には将来的に自分にとってプラスになる話であれば、なんでも乗りたい所ですね。ただ焦って乗るのも良くないと思うので、今後の判断はしっかり見極めないといけないなと思います。ではでは、今から飛行機に乗ってきま〜す！！

I'm in the lounge at Narita Airport getting ready to board on to my flight. I got a last minute call from an Indy Car team that wanted me to be in Iowa this Friday to test their car and do the base line set up. I really would like to drive the car...but I am not sure if I can't make it because I would have to catch the red-eye flight to make the test. It's great to get the offer...but we have just started to talk about having an oppurtunity to drive in a different series car and I would need to make the right decision in order to be successful with my carreer. Tough call but that's what makes racing exciting as a driver. Well...I gotta catch my flight now!! See you guys back in US!!

ゴルフ

今日は日本での滞在は最終日。何時もお世話になってる紅月の高橋会長と、始めて一緒にゴルフに行ってきました。高橋会長はメチャメチャうまいと聞いていたので、プレイする前からかなりの緊張。コースに着いていざ練習をすると、玉が当たらず＆上がらず嫌な予感・・・。実際にラウンド中もボロボロで１２８もたたいちゃいました！？！（泣）インディーカーだったら飛び入り参加でも余裕ですが、ゴルフは才能が無い事を改めて実感！？！いや才能ではなく経験かな・・・？！？って言う事にしておきます。でも、今日のゴルフじゃ〜納得いけないので、いっぱいアメリカで練習して、また戻ってきてリベンジですね！！

It was my last day in Japan before I head home tomorrow. Since I have never played golf with Mr.Takahashi from Kougetsu, I finally got a chance to play with him today. I heard from numerous sources about his skills playing golf and I was really nervous playing with him since I am not that good at it yet. Well...I haven't played for weeks and when I went to the driving range to pratice...I thought about getting back in the car to go home. I couldn't hit the ball straight...and would not go up in the air at all!! I guess it's unlike Indy...I can't just show up and do well. Neverthless, we started to play and it was a horrible round for me. My score was 128...one of the worst score for a while. Well...I guess I don't have any talent but will definately need to gain more experience playing.

昨日の夜からインディーの某チームからベースセットを出してくれないかと言う話があったりで連絡の取り合いでもドタバタ。同時進行に違うシリーズの方でも色々と話が前進し始めてて、アメリカに戻ったら戻ったで忙しくなりそうです。でも、やっぱり今回のインディーでは結果は胸をはって言える結果ではありませんが、内容はとても評価されて今後につながる事は間違いないと思います。ではでは、戻って早く話が決めれるように全力で頑張ります！！

After playing golf, I needed to do some work contacting the teams from Indy Cars. I have got some offer to test for some team to help out with their set up. I am not sure if it will lead to anything yet...but I think I was able to show my skills and potential during this year's Indy 500 and I really think it is paying off now. I really hope to be back in the car by end of the year and it is time now to work on sponsorship deals for 08!!

滞在もあと２日

昨日は午前中に写真のプリント等をしてから、お昼はXaCarを訪問。何時もお世話になってる城市さんとランチ。お昼に鯛茶漬けを食べましたが、これまためちゃ美味でした！そこからダッシュで上野に移動してエアープレス上野に行き、みっちり酸素カプセルに２時間もはいってきました！！完璧に披露も回復して、カプセルの中では爆睡！！かなりリラックスもする事ができました。

I went to print some photos from the race yesterday morning and had lunch with Mr.Jouichi who publishes XaCar Magazine in Japan. We talked about several things that I can be invoveld in for his future stories and I really like working with him since I get to drive all the new cars that are still not in the show rooms. After lunch, I went to Air-Press Ueno and got in to the oxygen capsule for 2hrs. I really think that oxygen capsule makes you feel better and gets rid of all the tiredness. I was also able to take a nap for 2hr...and was able to relax which is just what I needed.

今日もこれからドタバタで忙しくなりそうです・・・。ではでは、ダッシュで用意してから出かけます。

Well...I am going to be doing lots of running around today....better get ready now.

YONG

昨日ヨンに行ってきました！青山の骨董通り沿いにできて、場所的にもとても便利。ご飯は想像してた以上に美味しかったです！！韓国料理は、個人的にも大好きで、とくにシメで食べたユッケジャンクッパには感動！！ぜひぜひお薦めなので行ってみてください！！お店の雰囲気も良くて、とくにトイレはなんとも言えない開放感があります！男性でないと確認できませんが・・・！？！（笑）

I went to YONG Restaurant last night. I really love Korean food and the meal there was excellent. They had a lot of hot stuff and every plate was great!! I really admire Mr.Takahashi because he definately make sure that every plate is as good as it can get. It certainly is my recommended restaurant in Tokyo!! The WC is actually very interesting...it's like doing it in the forest...if you know what I mean. Only a Man can understand what I am trying to explain...

今日は家で色々と仕事をしたり、カメラ屋さんに行って写真のプリントをしたりなどなどでドタバタしてそうです。いや〜そろそろエアープレス上野に行って、酸素カプセルで疲労回復をしたい所です・・・。しかも、時差ボケがいまもなおらず、毎朝５時に目が覚めてしまいます！？！ん〜三十路ゾーンに突入するまであと数ヶ月・・・、やっぱ歳ですかね！？！（笑）

I will be busy today doing some work at home and going to print out a lot of pictures. I think it's about time to go to Air Press Ueno to get an oxygen treatment to recover from tiredness. I haven't been sleeping well since I got here and it must be because of the jetlag. I guess I am just getting old as I will be turning 30 in couple of months...

そうそう、インディープロで英紀は２戦目は３位だったそうで。２連勝できなかったのは残念・・・。北米のステップアップカテゴリーで日本人が優勝したのは自分以来かな？？彼が勝つのは自分が勝ったかのように嬉しいですね。後はオーバルでの勝利かな？実力では問題ないと思うので、それ以外の部分でも彼がアメリカでのトップドライバーになる協力を少しでもしてあげたいなと思う今日この頃です。

Speaking of racing, my buddy Hideki Mutoh finished 3rd in his second race this week end. It's a bummer he wasn't able to do the double...since if he would have done it, he would be able to show his true talent. It makes me feel good about his win since he is like my little brother. I think he needs a little more work at the oval races but I'm sure he will be fine.

英紀が初優勝！

さっき、辻堂から帰ってきました。父の日と言う事でお爺ちゃんのお墓参りにも行ってから帰宅。家に戻ってきてからPCでチェックをすると武藤英紀がIndyProSeriesで初優勝のニュースを聞いてハッピ〜！出る前に色々と電話で話はしてかけど、ここで勝てて何より。明日のレースもぜひ頑張って欲しいです！！

Came back from my mom's place. Ended up being a quick visit but it was good to be able to see my mom & grand ma. As soon as I got home...I surfed the net and quickly found out the my buddy Hideki Mutoh won his firt Indy Pro Series race. I was happy to hear the news since I had a lengthly chat with him before my trip here. I hope he can do the double tomorrow as well.

今夜は父の日と言う事もあるので、父と一緒に紅月の高橋会長が新しくオープンしたヨンに行ってきます！！昨日は久しぶりに“オフクロの味”のご飯が食べれて、日本に居ると毎日おいしいご飯が食べれて肥っちゃいますね・・・！？！（笑）

Since it is Father's Day today... I will take my dad out to dinner tonight. We will try YONG which just has been opened by Mr.Takahashi who owns Kougetsu. It's hard to stay in shape in Japan with all the good meals I've been having. Looks like I have to go in serious diet...when I get back to LA.

これから辻堂

昨日は久しぶりに焼き肉を食べに行きました！ずっと行きつけの東海亭に行ってきました。いや〜やっぱり日本の焼き肉は美味しいですね！！西麻布の交差点からすぐの所にありますが、ぜひおすすめです。

I went to dinner last night with couple of guys from Honda. We ended up going to my favourite Yakiniku Restaurant in Tokyo called Toukaitei. They probably have the best yakiniku in town since everything there is really good!! It's in Nishi-Azabu...one of the hip area for dining in Tokyo.

今日はこれから辻堂の母親の実家に行きます。明日のお昼までは辻堂でユックリして、明日の午後までには東京に戻ってくる予定です。色々と赤ちゃん用品等をゲットしたりしなくてはいけないので・・・！？！ではでは、これから行ってきま〜す！！

I am now headed to Tsujidou to visit my mom. I hope to have some relaxing time this week end...but I have to be back in Tokyo by tomorrow afternoon. I also have to do some shopping for my baby!?! Well, I gotta catch my train....

あっと言う間に週末

日本に着いたのは火曜日。今日は金曜日であっと言う間に週末に入ってしまいました・・・。いや〜時間が経つのは早い。昨日は名古屋へ日帰りコースでかなりお疲れモードだったので家に戻ったら即寝でした。新幹線に乗る前に味噌煮込みうどんをゲットできたので満足X2!!今日はHONDA本社を訪問。今日も急がしい一日になりそうです。本当は火曜日までの滞在予定でしたが、色々と忙しくて滞在中に全ての用事をすますことができなさそうなので、木曜まで滞在を延期・・・。ん〜アメリカに戻って赤ちゃんの顔を見るのが楽しみです！！

Got to Japan on Tuesday and it is already Friday today going in to the week end. The time goes by so fast during my stay here in Japan...I didn't think I could get all the busuiness done so I extended my stay until Thursday. Today I will be visiting Honda HQ and will be doing lots of running around. It's going to be another busy day for me...and I can't wait to get back to LA and to see my baby!!

これから名古屋

昨日は早速、紅月に行ってきました！いや〜やっぱり紅月はメチャメチャ美味しいですね〜！！夕飯は何時もサポートして頂いてる紅月の高橋会長とDokyun.jpの達也さんと会食。お店では一瞬K１の秋山選手とも会えて楽しい時間が過ごせました。

Went out to dinner to my favourite restaunrant Kougetsu last night with the owner of the restaurant and Mr.Kato from Dokyun.jp who has been supporting me every race for last two years. As usual, the meal at Kougetsu was just fantastic and I really wish if they will open a restaunt in LA. I have also run in to the K1 fighter Mr.Akiyama who also happened to be there. Very big guy...would definately not get in a fight with him!?!

今日はこれから名古屋です。日帰りなのでちょっとハードなスケジュール・・・。色々とネットでニュースを見たら、アメリカはNASCARのDale Jrの移籍話で大盛り上がりみたいですね。しかも移籍先が、Hendrick・・・。Jeff GordonやJimmie Johnsonが居るチームに移籍はちょっと驚きです。おっと〜もうこんな時間だ！？！今からダッシュで東京駅に向かいま〜す。

For today...I have to head out to Nagoya. It will be a quick day trip and will be a busy day for me. I was just surfing the net and found out about Dale Jr's news which I asssume is making the headline in US racing world. It will be interesting to see how he team mates with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson!! Well I got a head to Tokyo Station now to catch my train!!

無事に日本に到着

さっき無事に東京に着きました！いや〜東京は蒸し暑いですね〜。今日は機内の中ではあまり寝れなくて映画を３本も見ちゃいました！その中の一本はけっこう好きな女優のMarisa Tomeiが出てたので、ついつい見入っちゃいました！！！（笑）成田についてからは税関もスムーズで５時半には家に帰宅。よく考えるとドアーToドアーで言ったら、マイアミより近く感じます。が、歳をとったせいか時差対応がだんだんできなくなり、ちょっと眠いです。今夜は早めに寝るかな・・・！？！

Just arrived to Tokyo. It's pretty humid and hot out here. I couldn't sleep in the plane so I ended up seeing 3 films of which one of them had my favourite actress Marisa Tomei. Once I arrived to Narita, the immigration process went really smooth and I was home with in 1.5hr of landing!! It shure seems closer to get to my house in Tokyo than Miami now days since United doesn't fly there directly. As I started to get older...I am not doing too well with jetlag...so I will probably hit the bed early tonight.

日本に向けて出発

今は日本行きのフライト待ちです。飛行機が３０分程遅れてるので、ラウンジでお仕事。インディアナポリスで知り合った新たのスポンサーのポテンシャルがある話の連絡等が入って、フライトが遅れてる物の上機嫌。ま〜ポテンシャルがあるって、所から実際にスポンサーしてもらえるまでの日時も長いし、決まるまでは油断できませんが今年のIndy500では色々と良い走りができて色んな人とも新たに知り合えて今後に繋がるレースになった気がします。さてさて、ではそろそろゲートに行って飛行機に乗ってきま〜す！！

Currently, I am in the United Lounge doing some work at the airport. My flight got delayed about 30min and have some time to kill. Although I was not happy about the flight being delayed, I was imformed about a possible sponsors for future races which made me excited about working hard to get back in to the car!! It still is a lot of work to convince a sponsor but I have good people around me and I feel it can turn in to a success!! After all, the resutls from this year's Indianapolis 500 was not what we expected...but I think we were still able to meet good people that may expand in to future!! I am really looking forward to coming back to US in a week time to get the talk hyped up!!

明日からは日本

明日はいよいよ日本。２月ぶりなんで、なんだかかなり久しぶりに感じます。今日は午前中にRobertsonBlvdに行って、お気に入りのカフェ（Newsroom)でブランチ。オーガニックの食品だけ扱ってて、そこそこ美味しいです。お昼過ぎからは、ゴルフじょうでアンダー１００を目指しました。同じ時期にゴルフを始めて、カメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君は１００をきったと思いきや、既に９０もきってしまったので、自分も焦り気味。・・・が、焦ってもぜんぜん駄目で今日も１１０オーバー・・・。帰ってきたらレッスンかな。さてさて、これから日本に戻る準備をしないと！！

I am going back to Japan tomorrow. My last trip was Februrary and it seems like it has been a while since my last trip there. I am really looking forward to seeing my family, friends, and all my sponsors during my stay. Before the trip...I had to entertain my family so I took them to Newsroom on Robertson Blvd for Brunch. I got home and went straight to play golf with my friends. Since my friend who started about the same time alredy scored under 90 and I really need to pick up the game to play par with them. Obviously...all that thoughts doesn't help while on course, and I was off to more or less the same score...just above 110. I need to take some golf lessons to break in to the 100's. Well so much for golf...I need to pack my stuff up for tomorrow now.

写真館

今日はお昼にベビーザラスにある写真館で息子の写真を撮ってきました〜！いや〜赤ちゃんの写真を撮るのを手慣れているのか、スーパースマイルばかり！！でも、冷静に考えたら某カメラメーカーの名前を付けたから実はカメラ好きなのかも・・・！？！（笑）なかなか良い写真を撮れて自分も妻も満足。家に戻ってきて色々とPCでお仕事。明後日から日本なので少しドタバタです・・・。今夜はTexasのレース。今日は家でビールを飲みながら観戦かな？！？

Went to take our babies photo today. Since they deal with small childs and newborns everyday, the photographer handled the baby just perfect and we were able o get many good pictures from the shoot today. May be my kid likes camera in general since we named him after a company that specializing in making camera!?! Came home and did some work and needed to get ready to pack my stuff for my Japan trip this Monday. I will be watching the Texas race on TV with beer in my hand!! I have to say...that's the best thing other than actually being in the car!!

記念撮影

今日は朝起きてからトーランスに向かい、妻と赤ちゃんと自分とのちゃんとした写真がないので、記念撮影をしに行きました。が・・・、アポをとっていなくて１時間以上待たされる事になったので明日の予約を入れて帰宅・・・。帰りは１週間分の食材をスーパーでゲットしてきました。また月曜から自分は日本に行ってしまうので・・・。しかし、家の赤ちゃんはだんだん感情も増えてきたのか、笑う量も増えましたが泣く量も増えて着実に育ってる事を実感します！！ん〜でもやっぱり一緒にパドックを歩けるようになるのが楽しみだな〜〜！！

Since we had our baby...we didn't have any family picture all together so we decided to get a family shot today. Unfortunetly the place we went to was a bit busy and we just decided to make an appointment for tomorrow and went grocery shopping. I will be back to Japan for a week so I have to make sure that things are stocked up well for my wife and the baby. My baby boy seems like he is maturing everyday...seems to laugh more but cry more with some serious anger time 2 time. I am really looking forward to see him walk in the near future!!

パリス・ヒルトン

今日は一日中パリス・ヒルトンのニュースでLAは大騒ぎ。飲酒運転＆無免許で捕まったパリスが牢屋から急遽でてきたので、皆もビックリ。どうやら精神状態が安定しないから特別の理由で釈放してもらったみたいです・・・。もともと精神状態がおかしいから牢屋に入るんだろう〜って討論になってます！？！（笑）

It was a day all about Paris Hilton who just got out of the jail. Everytime I turned the TV on...she was there. No doubt she is a big icon here in LA!?! I kind of suspected that this was going to happen...and it seems like the judge should have given her a sentence with celebrity treatment...because it was due to happen anyhow.

自分は今日はジムで軽くトレーニング。ん〜次なるレースの参戦のターゲットを決めないと今ひとつモチベーションがあがらない・・・。でも、何処でどういうチャンスで乗れる話が決まるかわからないので、万全の体制でいないと！！今週末はTVの前で忙しくなりそうです。土曜はIndyCarのTexas,日曜はF1 Canada GPそしてChamp CarのPortland・・・、日本に帰る前にテレビに釘付けになりそうです。

So much for Paris...I went to the gym and worked out today. It's hard to stay motivated if you don't know when you are going to be in a race car next...but you never know when the oppurtunity is going to come and you better be ready when it presents it's self. Seems like it will be a busy week end in front of the TV Indy race in Texas, Champ Car race from Portland as well as F1 race from Montreal!!

冷やし中華

今日のLAは暖かくて、なんだか夏を感じされる日和です。日本はもう暖かいのかな？？暖かいといいな〜。大好きな冷やし中華の季節にもなってきたので、さっそく今夜の夕飯は冷や中です！！（笑）キュウリたっぷりの冷やし中華がまた大好きなんですよね〜。しかし、今日はなんだかリラックスできる一日だったな〜。妻は今夜はお友達と夕食会。なので息子と二人でお家でお留守番です。

It was a awesome day today in LA. I suppose summer is here!! I hope it's going to be warm in Japan too when I go there next week. Speaking of summer season, I am going to have Hiyashi-Chuka for dinner tonight. It's a cold noodle with veggies on top. I guess it originated in China but the Japanese people have arranged the meal cold for summer season and it' really good. Since my wife is out to dinner with her Friends...I will be staying home quitely with my baby boy!!

久しぶりのゴルフ

今日は久しぶりにゴルフに行ってきました！１ヶ月半くらいはレースを決める事に集中していたのでなかなか決めれませんでしたが、今日はレースも終わって落ち着いたので行ってきました。長い間クラブを握ってなかったのに、調子はボチボチ。が、スコアーは１１２・・・。１００切りは遠いな〜〜！！でも、久しぶりにやったわりには心のゆとりもあったのか、思ったよりもうまくいったかんじです！？！（笑）今夜はカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君と竹内夫妻、そして自分の妻と子供を連れてお食事です。レースで勝てなかったので祝勝会ではなく、チクショウ会だそうです・・・！？！（笑）

Went playing golf today. I wasn't able to play golf for a while since I needed to get a ride for Indy but it's great to be back on course again. May be since it was after the race and the only pay day of the year for me...I was relaxed and was able to make some good shots!! I still hit 112...but not too bad for being out for a long time. With a little more practice, I may get under 100. Now I am off to dinner with my photographer friend's...not too much to celebrate but we should still have some fun after good month of work!!

ポロシャツ

今日は朝起きてから、午前中は色々とお仕事。お昼前になってから妻と息子を連れて軽くショッピング。ちょうど賞金も入った事だし、セールもやったことだし前から欲しかったJ.Lindebergのポロシャツが５０％オフだったのでゲット！！ちょっとした自分のご褒美ですね！！（笑）

Got up in the morning and since I finally recieved my prize money from the race..really my only pay day of the year...I went shopping with my wife and my baby. I always wanted to get some J.Lindeberg Polo shirts and since they were 50% off...I didn't hesitate to buy them!! It was a bit of a treat for my self I guess.

家に帰ってきてからは夕方はジムでランニング。レースが終わってから１週間ほどはトレーニングはあまりしてなかったので、今週からはまた体調をレースモードに戻さないと！！夕方は日本に戻るプラニング。しかし、飛行機代が高くてビックリ・・・。６月中のフライトを毎日の値段チェックしましたが、どれも高いので一番安い来週の月曜のフライトをおさえました。日本に帰るのも楽しみだな〜〜！！何よりも紅月にいくのが楽しみですが、新しくオープンした、韓国料理のヨンにいくのも楽しみです！！

Came back home and went running for 5km. After the race, I haven't worked out much and I really need to get back to racing shape again to be ready anytime. Than I had to plan my trip back to Japan next week. The flights are so expensive and I had to check everyday in June to get the best rate. I am really looking forward to this trip but mainly I can't wait to go to my favorite restaurant Kougetsu. I am also looking forward to trying out there new restaurant that just opened couple of months ago that serves Korean cuisine YONG!!

今日は家でユックリ

今日は午前中に母親を飛行場に送ってきて、お昼には帰宅。ずっとお母さんが居てくれて、赤ちゃんのお守りをしてくれたりかなり助かりました。泣いたら抱っこをしてくれて、かなり息子もお婆ちゃん子になったし・・・。午後は家でIRL Milwaukeeのレースを観戦。なかなか面白い内容でしたね〜〜！！しかし、今年はかなりAGRが頑張ってる気がします。レースを見たらまた自分の乗りたいな〜ってオーラがでまくりです。とりあえず、今日はお家でユックリできたので、明日はジムに行ってガッツリ運動をしないと！！

Went to the airport in the morning to drop off my mom who was in town for a week. It was great having her since she could look after our baby boy. I think my son is going to miss my mom... Came home just in time for lunch and whatched the IRL Milwaukee race on TV. It was a pretty good race to whatch. The AGR boys seems like they have there car together this year and they are consistantly strong. After seeing the race...it makese me more eager to get back in to the car!! Well...after having a day off, I need to get back to the gym tomorrow to be ready to be in the car any day!!

買い物Day

明日のお昼に母が日本に戻ってしまうので、今日は色々と買い物に行ってきました。とは言ってもお土産だったり頼まれ物ですが・・・。（笑）途中でワイン屋によって、今夜は家で夕食です。昨日の朝に魚市場で買ったホタテをバター焼きにして、アサリをボンゴレにしちゃいます！！いや〜でも５月の間はずっと外食ばかりだったので胃が疲れちゃいましたね。本当に歳を感じる今日この頃です・・・。

Since it was last day for my mom before going back to Japan, we went shopping all over the town to buy some gifts. We stopped by the wine shop and picked up some wine to go with our dinner. We will be having some Scallops for apetizer and spaghetti vongole for the main course. I have been eating all month and I really think I need to get back to a healthy diet with home made cooking!!

魚市場

今日は妻も息子も旅の疲れもあったせいか、ちょっと体調が悪かったのでほとんど家でユックリ。自分と母は近所の魚市場に行って、アサリやホタテと鯵を買って夕飯の準備。夕方にジムに行って軽く運動をしてから、ラジオのインタビュー。メールのやり取り等で、もうシーズン終わりや来年に向けての活動を開始。なんだか、レースが終わったばかりではありますが、一日でも早く次のレースに向けて色々と活動を頑張らないと！！

Since my wife and the baby was not feeling so well...we didn't do too much today. My mom and I went to the fish market in downtown LA to buy some clams and fish for dinner. Went to the gym in the afternoon and came back to do some radio interview. Although the race was just over this past week end, we are already working on finding sponsors for additional races this year and more so for next year. I really hope that I can get back in to the car really soon!!

Back to real life...

色々と考え直すと今月は色々とあったな〜。まず、インディアナポリスに行った時点では、まだ話が何も決まってなかったので、パドック内では観客の一人でもある状況。節約する為にレンタカーも借りてなかったので、足に関しては何時もお世話になってるメディアさんにお願いしたサーキットとホテルの間をヒッチハイク！？！話が決まったと思ったら、チームから車も支給されパドック内でもドライバーの３３人の中の一人の扱い！！サインもしたり、沢山のファンに応援してもらいました。が、レースが終わりLAに戻ったら、また現実的な生活に戻ってま〜す・・・。（笑）

Thinking back about this mont...it really was an exciting month for me with lots of changes. When I first went to Indy, I didn't have a deal and was treated as one of the spectator in the garage area. Once the deal was signed, I had many fans cheering for me and I even had a luxury car from the team!! However, once the race is over an back to LA...it's all back to my ordinary life again!!

今日は朝起きて車の試乗のお仕事。今日は日産のSentra-SERとLexusのLS600Hybridを試乗しました。LSに関しては本当にビックリでした！！お昼に戻ってからは色々と買い物等でドタバタ。いや〜本当に現実的な生活に戻ったって感じですね！！！（泣）

Got up in the morning and went straight to work today. I had to test drive the Nissan Sentra-SER and the Lexus LS600Hybrid. I will tell you what...the Lexus is amazing. It was more than expected and I was well impressed with the car!! Than in the afternoon, I had to take my mom around the town to get some stuff. Well so much for the glamorous life from Indy...

ピットのお迎え

今日はお昼から色々とドタバタで夕方にはピットを迎えに行ってきました！久しぶりにあったピットは大喜び！！預かって頂いたお家の方々にはかなり懐いてて、自分の居ない間もエンジョイしていた様子・・・！？！（笑）でも久しぶりに会えて嬉しいですね〜〜！！赤ちゃんがいて、ピット、そしてマリモ（猫）もいてまた慌ただしい日々が続きそうです。

Got home last night and turned out to be a busy day today running around. I went to pick up Pit in the afternoon and he seemed happy to see me. However, it sure seemed like Pit enjoyed being with the people this past two weeks!?! Well, I too was glad to see him and for me, it's back to real life with my wife, kid, Pit, and Marimo the cat...!!

LAに帰宅

昨日の夜に無事にLAに帰宅。昨日はランチにIndyProSeriesに参戦する武藤英紀と会い、アメリカ生活やレースにおいてできるアドバイスを色々としてあげました。いや〜本当に英紀には早く勝って欲しいし、活躍して欲しいからな！！そしてホテルに戻り夕方のフライトでLAに帰宅。今回はフェニックス経由で帰り、LAの家に着いたのは１０時。お腹がすいていたのでKoreaTownに行って豆腐チゲを食べて帰ってきて速攻で寝ました。やっぱり自宅はいいですね〜〜！！あっ、そうだ・・・、これからピットを迎えに行かないと！！ピットに会うのも久しぶりで楽しみです！！

Finally got home from Indy last night. I went to lunch yesterday with my buddy Hideki Mutoh who races in the Indy Pro Series. I really want him to do well and I gave him some pointers to help his career. Went back to the hotel and straight to the airport to catch my flight back to LA. We were home by 10pm, and since we were still hungry, we decided to go to K-Town to get some Tofu Soup for dinner!! It's great to be back home and I have totally forgot about my little dog PIT!! I will need to pick him up today and am looking really forward to seeing him!!

レースを振り返って

昨日は色々とドタバタして、ホテルに戻って寝たのは２時。なんだかまだレース後で興奮していたせいか、朝７時には目が覚めてしまいました。９時過ぎにサーキットに行ってスーツやヘルメット等をピックアップ、日中はずっとユックリして夕方にサーキットに戻って表彰式です。

It was really busy after the race last night and I finally was able to get back to hotel and hit the bed at 2am. I must have been still excited about the race since I was already up at 7am this morning. Went to the track to pick up my gear and came back to the hotel and relaxed rest of the day. I am just about getting ready for the victory celebration dinner now.

しかし、今年のIndy500もあっと言う間に終わってしまった様な気がします。ず〜〜〜っと交渉していた時間が今から考えると長かった〜・・・。実際の所、Indyの最初の予選が終わるまでは４〜５チームと交渉してましたからね。交渉のテクニックや、今回サポートしてくれたWellmanCustomHomesとのやり取りも色々と勉強になった事はたくさんあると思います！でも、本当に話が決まるか不安な日々が続いて、今年は円形はできなかったけど白髪が３本も生えてきましたからね〜！？！（笑）でも、今回改めて思いましたが、“諦めたらおしまい”・・・、そしてそれ以上に交渉しているドライバーは山ほどいるなか“しっつこくしてちょうど良い”って感じですね。チームもまたお前かよ〜ってくらい恐らく思っていた反面、実際にポールでーに近づいてきたら全チームが裏返すように“家で走らないか？”ってオファーがきましたからね！？！でも、その中でも一番走りたかった、Dreyer&Reinboldに決めれて本当に良かったと思います。

Thinking back to it...the race went so quickly although the month's of negotiations felt really long. I was talking to 4-5 teams about the deals and I think I learned a lot on negotiations and trying to put together sponsors for the race. At one point, I was really worried if I wasn't going to get the deal but I just kept pushing on trying to get this deal happen and I am sooo Happy I was able to drive for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing!!

レースの内容は確かに、２１位は少し納得いけないかなって感じです。後半戦はピットのタイミングの作戦ミスも少しあり、周回遅れグループの中でも最後尾になってしまったので、本来だったら１６位前後でゴールできてるはずが２１位になってしまいました。でも、それ以上にピット中に給油のトラブルがあってタイムロスをしてしまったのが何よりもの敗因ですね。レース全体のペースを考えたら、同一周回に食い込んで最後まで走っていればトップ１０に入ってもおかしくないなと思うので本当に悔しいです。まっ、今から何を言ってもタラレバですからね・・・。でも、自分の目標としては予選では２周目グループのトップ、決勝もしっかり最後まで走りきると言う部分では上出来だったと思います。

The finishing position for the race was some what dissapointing and I think we could have done a lot better than 21st place. I think we might have miss judged the last pit stop and lost some position where we should have finished near 16th or 17th...Nevertheless the miss hap in the pit with fueling system has really screwed our race and with all the consideration, I think we did a pretty good job. I still think we could have done top 10 finish if all things went our way but it is what it is.... It's always could of could have in racing unless if you have won it. I still think we achieved most of our goals from this Indy 500.

今回のレースは自分の人脈を使い切り、メカニック等も集めて自分も満足のできる体制が整えれたので本当に良かったと思います。結果は２１位ですが、チームも改めて僕の事を評価してもらえたので良かったなと思います。スポット参戦では実際に決勝になるまで、色々とわからない事は沢山ありますが、与えられた状況の中では皆でベストを尽くせたので、今後もまた一緒にレースしたいねってスタッフ全員に言ってもらった事は本当に嬉しかったです！！やはり、レースはチームワークですね！！また近いうちにレースに参戦できるように今後も頑張りますので、今後も応援宜しくお願いいたします！！！

This year's Indy was all about my knowledge of people and gathering them to work out the best package available. I was really happy to hear from all the mechanics that they enjoyed working with me and are happy to do more races in the future!! I think the team was happy with the performance and we will be trying hard to make things happen may be towards end of the year!! Another lesson in life...about team work!! Well, I really hope I can put a deal together to run more races in the future and thanks again for all of your continuing support!!!

決勝終了

レース終わりました。途中は雨で中断だったり、長い一日でしたが、２１位でゴール。色々とピット内でトラブルはありましたが、なんとか完走！！個人的には納得のいく結果ではありませんが、無事に完走できて何より！！でも、この結果じゃ〜来年もリベンジですね・・・！？！（笑）とりあえず、無事に終わった事だけを報告させて頂けます。そして、レースずっと応援して頂いたファンの皆さん、チームの皆さん、そしてスポンサーに感謝したいと思います！！

The race is over. It was a hectic day with the rain delay and etc... but good to finish the race with the car in one piece. We finished 21st...not ideal but I think we did our best with what we could!! Well...I must go for a revenge again next year... I just wanted to drop a quick note to thank all your fans, team members, and our sponsors for this oppurtunity!! I am off to some sponsor appeareances...

パレード

今日は９時からサーキットでサイン会。１１時からドライバーズミーティングがあり、そのままダウンタウンに向かいパレードを行いました！ドライバーズミーティング中は雨が降ってしまいましたが、パレード中は晴れてラッキ〜！たくさんのファンに会えて声もかけてもらえて本当に嬉しいです！！＆今年は息子も車に乗せてパレードデビュ〜！！が、パレード中はしっかり爆睡・・・。きっと大きくなっても何も覚えてないでしょうね！？！さて、いよいよ明日はレースです！！万全の体制で戦えるように今日は早目にホテルに戻ってユックリしたいと思います。

I was up early today and had to go to the autograph session from 9am. Than we had public divers meeting at 11am and went straight to downtown for the parade. Although it was raining during the drivers meeting, things got better for the parade and was able to see lots of fans cheering for us!! It was a first time experience for my baby to be in the parade too!! Although, he was at sleep the whole time and probably will not remember much when he grows up...!?! Well...it's race day tomorrow!! I think I'm going to hit the bed early tonight to be 100% ready for tomorrow!!

カーブデー終了

今日はカーブデー。決勝前に３３台全車がコースインするのは今日が最初で最後。今まではBuddyRiceのピットスタンドを使用していた、今日は始めて自分用のピットスタンドを使っての走行。色々と、テレメタリーの電子系＆無線形の物がしっかり作動するかの確認が今日の目標でした。セッション中は速いグループのドラフトに入れなかったので、タイム的には２４位でしたが、車のバランスはわるくないです！！決勝は長いレースだし、車は安定してるし、今からレースが楽しみです！！しかし、今日は大忙し。走行が終わってからインテビューや記者会見・・・、これからダウンタウンに移動してFrestoneのサイン会。夜はそのままチームのイベントです！！早くホテルに戻ってユックリ寝たいな・・・。

It was the carb day today. FIrst and last time all 33 cars gets to go on to the track before the race. Since we were using Buddy Rice's pit stand up to now...we had a new stand that we needed to sort out for the race and our aim today was to be able to make sure all the telemetry stuff is working for the race. Unfortunately I didn't get to run with good guys to post a fast times but the car handling is very good and it is really stable. The race is long and as long as we keep having a consistant car, I think we will be working our self towards the front during the race. It's a pretty busy day with interviews and autograph session. I am off to a Firestone event...and I am looking forward to go back to the hotel and hit the bed...since I am pretty tired today.

いよいよ明日はカーブデー

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。ミッチリ１０km走り込んで気分も爽快！しかし、インディアナポリスは暑いです！！午後はサーキットに行ってメディアインタビュー。夕方にショッピングセンター内でサイン会。メッチャ忙しい一日でした〜！！昨日の夜に妻と母親がIndyにきたので今日はホテルの部屋で夕食を作る事になりました。キッチン付きのホテルに滞在なので、ご飯も手作り料理が食べれてラッキー！！これで、パワーも出そうですね！！

Went to the gym in the morning for 10km run. It definately feels great to get some stress out after doing numerous media interview and events past several days. I went to the track in the afternoon for more media interview and had an autograph session up at Keystone mall for our sponsor Bachrach. Finally back to the hotel room...since my mom and my wife flew in last night, they are cooking dinner for me. It's great to have homemade food before the race since usually we get stuck with steaks for dinner here in Mid-West.

さてさて、いよいよ明日はカーブデー！決勝前の最後の走行を頑張りたいと思います。

Well...finally we get to go back in to the car tomorrow. It will be our final run before the race, but I am sure we will be strong!!

ラジコンレース

今日は午前中はラジオのインタビューをしてからジムでトレーニング。お昼からはサーキットでラジコンレース。ラジコンの才能は無い事が判明・・・。（笑）ガレージに行って決勝で使用するヘルメットバイザーの用意。２時半からはステージでトークショー。その直後に１時間のサイン会。かなりドタバタした一日でした。

Got up in the AM had a quick radio interview. Than off to the gym for a quick work out. Got to the track by noon for a remote control car race...and realized I had not talent in driving the RC cars. Went back to the garage and sorted out the helmet visor that I am planning to use in the race. At 2:30pm we had a Q&A talk show on the stage and straight in to 1hr autograph session. Another busy day...

夕方は飛行場に行って息子と妻と、母親をピックアップ。赤ちゃんは初のフライト体験。けっこう良い子にしてたみたいですよ〜！？！なんだか、レースが今週末ってのも驚きですね〜〜！！去年のインディーからもう一年経ったんだな〜って思うとビックリですね！！

Late in the afternoon, I went to pick up my baby,wife, and my mom who flew in from LA. It was my first flight for my baby and I suppose he did a good job!?! I can't believe it's already been a year from last year's 500. No wonder I am turning 30 this year....time goes by fast!?!

今日ガレージで問った自分の車のスナップ写真です。
Took a photo of my car using my cell phone.

決勝へ向けてのイベントで大忙し

今日はイベントだらけの忙しい一日でした。朝は８時半からラジオに生出演。１０時からは子供病院の訪問で、ランチをしてからいったんホテルへ戻り、２時半からはチームのスポンサーイベントでインドアーカート。１時間の耐久レースをチーム分けして、ロジャーチームは４位でゴール！！夜はチームのスポンサーでもある106グリルでサイン会。夕飯を食べてようやく帰ってきた所です。イベントが続く一日でしたが、明日の午前中はユックリできるのでまずはジムでトレーニング。お昼からはサーキットでまたイベントです・・・。

Real busy day with multiple appearances. Started off the day brigh and early with a live radio interview at 8:30am. Than we had a Children Hospital visit and had a quick bite before I dropped back into my hotel room for a brief moment. I was back out at 2:30pm for a team's sponsors indoor karting event. My team ended up finishing 4th...it was a 1hr endurance race and definately a work out!?! For dinner, we had a autograph session at our sponsor's restaurant 106th Street Grill. Had dinner and finally back in to my room. Tomorrow will be mellow in the morning but I am eager to go to the gym and work out to get some energy burned!! Than in the PM will have more events at the track....

NYでプロモ撮影

今日は６時に起床。８時にIRLのプライベートジェットに全３３ドライバーを乗せてNYに出発。今年もタイムススクェアーで撮影があり、その後にホテルでメディアランチ。実は去年は目覚ましの設定の時間を間違えてしまい、この飛行機に乗り遅れても凄いハプニングだったので今年は２時間も前に起きてスタンバってました！？！（笑）露出を考えると重要ですが、日帰りでNYってのもけっこうきついんですよね・・・。明日はインディアナポリスでスポンサーイベント続きです。ん〜早く車に乗るのが楽しみだな！！

Got up at 6am. We had a media trip to NY today. Got to the airport in time for the IRL Private jet flight that departed at 8am. I decided to get up well early this year since I made a mistake on setting my alarm clock and missed this flight last year...!?! We got to NY and had a quick photo shoot with all 33 drivers at Time Square. Than we had a media luncheon at the hotel and came back to Indy. It really is a quick trip back and forth...I wished if we could have spent more time there in NY. I will have more sponsor event tomorrow in Indianapolis which will keep me busy. I am really looking forwaard to getting back in to the car again.

練習走行の最終日

先ほど練習走行の最終日が終了しました。今日のプログラムは６０周程レースシュミレーションをして、最後にピットストップの練習。１セット目のタイヤではAGR勢とドラフティングする事ができ、車のバランスもチェックする事ができました。スティント後半戦のバランスを良くする為に、セットを少し変えて２セット目のタイヤでまたロングラン。セットの変更があたりで車のバランスはスティントを通して良くなりました！！

Got done with all the runnings today getting ready for the race. It was the last day before the Carb Day so we tried to get as much done today. Fortunately I was able to find good drafting partners with AGR so I had good runs during the first set of tires. For the second sets, we tried some set up changes which certainly was an improvement for the long run and I think we are just about ready for the race!!

ロングランが終えてからピットストップの練習。自分にクルーにとっては久しぶりのピットストップ練習なのでまだ完璧とは言えませんが、今日のプログラムを順調にこなす事ができました！！車の仕上がりもバッチリですね。もうチョイスピードが欲しいなと思う反面、欲を出さずに車のバランスを重視したセットにしたので、レースは期待できると思います。明日は全ドライバーがNYに行きタイムススクェアーで記念撮影があります。次の走行は金曜日のCarbDayですが、また車に乗るのが楽しみです！！何よりも、車の調子もいいのでレースが楽しみです！！

After the long runs, we practiced some pit stops. It has been a while for me and the crews to do some pit stops and we needed to get some rust off...but I'm sure we will be fine for the race. I think we were able to acomplish what we needed to get done and I think we are ahead of what we have planned so far. If I was greedy...I would like to have a little more speed but I think our car is solid enough where the balance is consistant through out the run and I think that will be the key to success during the race. I will be flying to NY with all other Indy Car drivers for a Photo shoot in Time Square tomorrow. I won't be in the car until next Friday but I am already looking forward to the race!!

３日目の予選はトップで通過！

予選も無事に終わりました！午前中に予選シュミレーションをして、ダウンフォースを減る度に車のバランス調整。今日のトップグリッドを争うJohnAndrettiはなぜか練習走行は出走せず、その時点で今日のトップは頂きだなと確信！恐らく、パンサーチームはうちらのタイムを見てから判断しようと思ってたのでは・・・？！？確かに、JohnAndrettiは昨日は予選セットに集中してたっぽいのであなどれないなとは思っていましたが、練習しなかったのはビックリ！？！

Done with the qualifying and we are in the field! In the morning we had 1hr to get ready for the qualifying run. We trimmed the car out a bit and adjusted to make the car work on today's condition. My biggest competition for the top spot was John Andretti and I was suprise he was not out there to practice. At that time, I had good confidence on being the quickest guy out there today. I figured Panther Racing guys didn't want to show us too much speed before qualifying and wanted to figure out what we can run out there.

練習走行で自分の納得いくスピードが出たので、すぐに予選アタック！コンディションもばっちりで、走り始めてから自己ベストのタイムもたたき出し、２２２．６マイルで今日の予選のトップ通過！トップって言っても２３位からのスタートですが・・・。でも、先週から出てれば間違いなくトップ１５に食い込めるスピードは持っていたと思うのでちょっと残念。でも、タラレバを言っても仕方ないので、今日の結果には満足！！車のバランスもいいので、決勝は本当に期待できると思います！！何よりも今日は一番で通過できたって事は本当に良かったと思います。明日はレースのシュミレーションをしてからピットストップの練習です。レースに備えて準備万端な状態で挑めれるように、明日も頑張ります！！

After several runs, I was pretty happy with the car and decided to give it a run. The condition was perfect when I went out and was able to post my fastest lap of the month and average of 222.6mph! It was well enough for the top spot of the day. Although being the quickest today...I will have to start from 23rd but I think we did an excellent job planning things and I am really happy with everything from the run. Only regret is...if we have started a week earlier, we could have been in top 15 for qualifying. Nevertheless, the car balance is good and I am really happy with how things are going. Tomorrow we will do more race sim runnings and will need to practice pit stops. We will try to get as much done tomorrow in order to be 100% prepared for the race!!

明日は予選！

３日目の走行も無事に終了しました！今日のプランは４０周程レースセットやトラフィックの走行に専念。そして、夕方に軽く予選のシュミレーション。レースセットは順調に仕上がってます。完璧とは言えませんが、十分戦えるレベルまではきてるとおもいます。後はレースペースを把握する所ですかね・・・。午後の予選シュミレーションもバッチリプラン通りで２２２．５マイルを出し今日のトップ１０入り。明日はいよいよ予選ですね〜！John Andrettihがパンサーから参戦し、けっこう調子が良さそうなのであなどれませんが、予選はトップ通過を目指して頑張ります！！

The 3rd day on track really went well. Our plan was to run about 40laps in race trim and to see how the car will react in the traffic. I think our platform is really good and I would say where we are right now in terms of set up is definately will be good in the race. We still have some fine tunings to do but we will worry about that once we make the show tomorrow. We also did a brief qualifying sim at end of the day and managed to pop 222.5mph average which was good enough to place us top10 in the time chart. Seems like J.Andretti is running pretty good with Panther and we will have to work for being the quickest tomorrow but I'm sure we will have a good qualifying car!! I really hope we are going to be the quickest of the 3rd day qualifier and I will give my best!!!

2日目走行終了

今日の走行も無事に終わりました。今日の目標はロングランとトラフィックでの車の動きのチェックでしたが、残念ながら今日は寒くて風が強かった為にほとんどのチームが走行せず・・・。仕方なく一人で走行して若干ロングランをして車のフィーリングチェック。１セットのタイヤで色々とセットも試して車のバランスも良くなってきてます。今のダウンフォースの量でボチボチのタイムがでてるので、予選通過はまず問題ないと思います！！明日は他のチーム／ドライバーも走行すると思うのでトラフィックでの車のバランスもチェックしないと。しかし、インディーに乗れる事は本当に幸せですね〜〜！！走行中はちょっとルーズな車になってもヘルメットの中でニヤニヤしちゃってます！！（笑）走りながらエンジョイできてるので何よりです！！！

Just got done with running. My goal today was to do some long runs and perhaps get some drafting practice. However, since the weather being so cool and windy, not too many drivers were out there and I really couldn't find any drafting partners. Therefore, we decided to focus on fine tuning the car for race set up in which I think we have made some gains doing so. With the amount of downforce we have right now, I think we are running pretty well and I'm sure we have got enough speed to put the car in the show. Tomorrow, we will definately have to get some running in traffic but at least the weather is supposed to be nice. It's just so much fun driving Indy Cars again!! I am smiling even when the car is loose....!?! Well, I hope we will have a better day tomorrow and I'm sure we will go even faster!!

走行開始！

いよいよ走行が始まりました！今日は朝一からテレビのインタビューだったので、早起き。インタビューが終わってから。ガレージに向かい車の準備の手伝い。時間をかけてもしっかりと仕上げる方向をチームに指示して、夕方セッション終了直前に車が出来上がりました。既に他のチームメートが走行していたのでベースセットはでていたので、今日は軽いシェークダウン。ヘッドレストの位置等を調整しないと少々視界が悪くて走りに集中できませんが、たったの数週で２１６マイルがでたので悪くないとは思います。明日は細かい部分をなおして、レースセットに専念したいと思います。

Finally I got to run today. I had a TV interview early in the morning and got to the track pretty early. We just recieved our engine and we made sure to take time to put the car together right, rather than rushing things before we go out. The mechanics did a fantastic job getting the car ready and I was able to go out just minutes from end of the session. The base line set up was really good and I was able to get it up to speed pretty quickly!! Just with in few laps, we were up to 216mph when we recieved the checker.I still need to fine tune my head rest and etc, but I think I have a pretty good car under my belt!!

しかし、何よりIndyCarにまた乗ってる事がメチャメチャ嬉しいです。今回チャンスを与えてくれたチーム、そして一緒にパートナーを組んでくれたWellman-Corbier Custom Homesには心から感謝したいと思います！！そしてそして、何時も応援してくれてるファンの皆様も有り難うございます！！明日も走行頑張ります！！

All in all, a pretty good day for me and I really want to thank the crew for doing a such a great job putting the car together. It's great to be back in Indy Cars and I want to thank our partner Wellman-Corbier Custom Homes for their support and obviously all the fans for their continuous support!!

明日の走行に向けての準備

今日はまず朝起きてメールチェック。すると発表のニュースを見てたくさんのファンメールが届き、涙が出る程に嬉しくて感動！！本当に皆さん応援有り難うございます！！ウキウキになり、その直後にジムに行って１５kmのランニング。ホテルに戻ってシャワーを浴びたら今度はサーキットに行って、色々と明日の準備。シートは２００５年に使った物があるので、後はペダルやシートベルトの調整のみ。しかし、インディーカーのコックピットはやっぱいいですね〜〜！！だんだんウキウキになってきました！！明日から走行です。明日は基本的にトラブりシューティングの日になると思いますが、しっかり走れる所までに仕上げれればベストです。今夜は緊張して寝れなかったりして・・・！？！（笑）

Got up in the morming and checked e-mails. I recieved tons of fan mails congratulating me for the deal and I really appreciate the cheering! It really got me hyped up and the 15km at the gym felt like nothing! After the run, I went straight to the track to get fitted in the car. Luckily, I had my seat from 2005 so we only had to fiddle with the pedal positions and seat belts. I am really looking forward to running tomorrow, but in which it would probably be a trouble shooting. Nevertheless...I'm so excited that I may not be able to sleep tonight....!?!

Indy500参戦決定！

皆さん、ついに発表です！！Indy５００参戦が決まりました〜！！！チームはWellman-Corbier/Dreyer&Reinbold Racingです。Dreyer&Reinboldは一昨年フル参戦した時に走ったチーム、そして現在はFernandezRacingからスタッフを加えてかなりレベルアップしています。Fernandezのスタッフも中が良く、自分のメカニック担当は去年一緒に仕事をしたスタッフ、色んな意味で自分にはベストな体制を築く事ができました！！色んなプランニングなどとかかな〜り大変ですが。話が決まってほっとしました！！後は、レースに集中ですね！！とりあえず、今回で５回目ですし、全力で頑張りますので応援宜しくお願いします！！

Finally...I got a good news!! You may guessed it, but the deal is done!! I'm sure you all figured out for which team if you see my Japanese part but it's a team tha I have worked with in the past and I think the whole chemistry is great!! I am really looking forward for this!! More details to come tomorrow...

クライスラー

今日はついにクライスラーが、ダイムラーから米金融／投資会社に売却が発表！これが一日中アメリカではビックニュースですね！！せっかくクライスラーの車が良くなってきたのに（ダイムラーからの協力によって）今後はどうなっていくのかなって心配・・・。とくに最近のダッジの車はバッドボーイなイメージで格好いいですよね！？！

The announcement to sell Chrysler to private equity company had been the biggest news of the day. I hope that is not going to affect too much for the future models from Chrysler since they have made a big improvement since they have merged with Daimler. The new Dodge are really cool and in a way it kind of its in to a BAD BOY image...at least I like it!!

自分の交渉の方は前進してます！あと一息です！！なんとしてでも話を決めたる〜って感じで頑張ってます！！しかし、今年のインディアナポリスは暑いな・・・。

My negotiation is definately moving forward. I think we are just minutes away... I'm going to be flat out until it's all done deal!! Having said that...it really has been hot here in Indianapolis...hopefully it will cool off a bit.

緊張・・・。

今日は予選２日目が終了。なんだか緊張の一日でしたね〜。自分が予選をするよりも緊張・・・。ま〜色んな意味で今週末の予選の結果が今後の自分の交渉に左右してくるので！？！予選もスムーズに終わり、とりあえずチームと交渉。良い方向に話は進んでますが、まだまだ色んな処理があります・・・。良いニュースが皆さんに早く届けるように頑張らないと！！ではでは、そう言う事で早速、ガレージに行って色々と話が進めれるように頑張ります！！

2nd day of qualifying...the qulifying result will affect my negotiations...and I am really nervous today. Everything did go smoothly as expected for qualifying and I am some what relieved. Now I can focus on getting into the details and I feel I can secure a deal really soon!! Well...I still have lots of work to do but I better run to the garage to speak with all the team owners to get the deal done!!

エリオのポール

今日は予選があり、エリオがポールを獲得。制限時間ギリギリのタイミングに出てまずはエリオがポールをもぎ取り、その直後に最終走者のトニー・カナーンが出走して最終ラップまでポールのスピードだったのですが、最後に失速。結局トニーは２位。最近のPoleDayの中では一番面白い内容だったと思います！！

The Pole day is over now and Helio won the pole position for this year's Indy 500. It was a interesting shoot out when Helio went out at late stage to grab the pole away from Dario. Than Tony Kannan was back out and was on the pole until last lap when he slew down a bit. It certainly was the best Pole Day I've seen from last 5 years of my experience!!

自分は予選の状況を見つつ、他のチームのセットをスパイしながら、チームと交渉。話を決める方向性は明日の晩までに決めないとって感じです！！まだ、どうなるかわかりませんが、緊張して寝れなさそ・・・！？！

I was pretty much just floating around to see what other cars are doing and what kind of set ups they are experimenting. Seems like tomorrow will be the BIG day for me on deciding on what to do. I don't think I will get to sleep much tonight...!?!

明日から予選

今日はお昼からサーキット入り。走行を見ながら現在交渉中にチームとミーティング。いや〜しかし色々と悩みますね・・・。が、自分にとってベストのチームを選ばないと！！でも、実際にサーキットに来て話をすると早く決めないとって焦っちゃいますね・・・。なんとか週末までに話を具体化させないと来週の水曜から走れませんからね。さすがに去年のようにギリチョンまでわからないのは簡便ですし！？！でも、色々と準備の事を考えるとできるだけ早く決めないと。

Got to the speedway just in times for the fast friday practice session. Whatched the car go around and met with couple of the teams that I have been discussing with. Being at the track makes me eager to sign a deal ASAP but should really make sure that it's the best deal available out in the market. To be able be 100% prepared..it's better to make a commitment sooner but I really thing it may pay off to wait until last minute to decide.

明日はいよいよ予選ですね〜！この結果次第で自分の交渉してるチームとの動きもだいぶかわるからちょっと楽しみです！ではでは、早く良いニュースを伝えれるように全開で頑張ります！！

It's going to be the Pole Day tomorrow. How the qualifying goes may affect my negotiations so I will be looking forward to see how it plays out!!

Indyに到着

先ほど、ようやくインディーのホテルに到着。飛行場にはIndyProSeriesに参戦する友達の武藤英紀に迎えにきてもらってホテルまで送ってもらいました。サーキットに着いたら早速色んなチームと話をしたり、様子をチェックアウト・・・。ここへきて色んなチームから新たなオファーがきたりで、やっぱり現場にこないとって改めて実感！！“事件は現場で起きてるんだ〜〜”って感じですね！？！（笑）

Just arrived to Indy. I had my buddy who races in Indy Pro Series Hideki Mutoh to pick me up from the airport and juct checked in to my room. Dropped my luggage off and went straigh to the track. It's good to be at the speedway with all the excitement. I have also started to get numerous calls for other offers and I think it will take several more days to make the right decision. All in all, you really need to be at the track to find out what's going on since that's where all the talks are at!!

とりあえず、さっきホテルについて今は荷物の整理。２週間分の洋服や荷物があるので色々と整理するのに時間がかかります・・・。昨日はあんまり寝れなかったので今夜は早目に寝ないと。

Got back to the hotel and need to organize all my stuff since I'm here for 2 weeks..Since I didn't get much sleep last night...I think I will hit the bed early tonight.

明日からインディー

明日からインディー出発なので今日はメチャドタバタ！去年までは自分の用意だけでOKだったのが、今年からは結婚をして赤ちゃんも居るので、妻と赤ちゃんの為に食料品だったり日用品の買い出し・・・、それに自分の準備だったらもの凄〜く慌ただしい一日でした！！しかも同時進行にレーシングスーツのロゴを用意したり、かなり忙しかったです。やっぱり土壇場で決まる話は大変ですね〜〜。でも、こういう時の持つのは友達。イタリアで高校を一緒に通った友達で、今はNYでグラフィックデザインの仕事をしている友達に、色々とロゴの編集を頼んだら速攻で仕上げてもらいました！！本当に助かりましたわ〜！！まっ、そんなこんなで今も大急ぎで明日の用意をしてます。でも、久しぶりにサーキットに行くのが楽しみです！！

Since I'm leaving to Indianapolis tomorrow, it turned out to be a realy busy day today. Until last year, all I needed to do was just get my self ready for it, but now married with children... I must orgranize everything in order for them to be Ok while I'm away. Obviously I needed to go to the groceries while I was still working on my racing suit logos. I was fortunate to have my friend who I went to High School with, help me rearrange some of the sponsor logos that I needed desperately. Well...I still have to pack things up so better get back to work. I'm really looking forward to Indy and being at the speedway again!! Hopefully the deal will come very soon...

今日もドタバタ

今日も朝からドタバタ。何時からインディー入りするかの予定をたてているうちにあっと言う間に一日も終了。ついでにレーシングスーツの手配もしたい所ですが、具体的な話がまだ決まらないのでどうお願いすればよいのか困難・・・。しかも飛行機代は高いし・・・、なんだか納得のいけない一日。そうそう、いよいよ今日から全ドライバーの走行が始まりましたが、やっぱりGanassi,Penske,AGR勢の独占ですね〜。今後はどういう風にスピードがのびて行くか楽しみ！！

Another busy day trying to plan my travel to Indy. I needed to order my suit but with a certain deal...I really don't know what to order in terms of embroidery and etc. On top of that, the flight is so expensive...and I am not having a good day so far. Nevertheless, all cars did start to run today and Ganassi,Penske, and AGR are definately on top of the chart. It will be interesting to see how the speed if going to increase from here on!!

現場に直行

今日も朝から交渉。しか〜し、話がぜ〜んぜ〜ん進まないので、ここへきたら最後の手段！！もう明日か明後日までに現場に直行ですね！！一応、バックアッププランなども色々と考えてはおりますが、自分にとってベストなシートをゲットしなくてはいけないので・・・。色々といちかばちかですが、頑張ります！！と言う事で現在は若干、“開き直りモード”！？！（笑）まっ、去年もそうだったけど、人間は開き直った時の方が強かったりしますからね！？！

As my routine for last couple of weeks, got up and straight to the phone and e-mails for the Indy 500 negotiations. Things didn't materialize in a way that I was hoping to...and pretty much decided that I will head towards Indianapolis in next 48hr to speed up the process. Hopefully that will lock things down quickly so we can start moving forward.

今日は話が一段落ついたらジムに行ってトレーニング。飛行機の予約等をしたりドタバタしていたら一日もあっという間に終了・・・。しかし、インディーに行く準備でドタバタだな。

Once done with talking, I went to the gym to work out to release some of the stress from past couple of days... Needed to reserve my flight and etc... ended up being a pretty busy day!!

お宮参り

今日はお昼過ぎに赤ちゃんをお宮参りに連れて行きました！お守りも頂いて無事に終わり家に帰宅。今日は日曜日でとくに動きはありませんでしたが、IndianapolisではオープニングDayでルーキーオリエンテーションの開始。思ったよりも今年はDallaraとPanozの差が出そう。スピードを見る限りではやはり、Dallaraの方が圧倒的に有利ですね・・・。ん〜自分も話を早く決めないと。

Got up in the morning and took my baby to the temple to pray for his good health and promising future. Everything went smoothly and we were back home with in 30min. Nothing went on too much in terms of my deal for the 500, but looking at the speed from the rookie orientation, I think the Dallara will have an edge on Panoz this year again. Therefore, I better look for a deal with Dallara chassis. Hopefully I will have an direction by tomorrow!!

子供の日

今日はこどもの日ですね。今までは違い今は子供が居るので、なんだか重要な日のような気がします。初節句と言う事もあって、リトル東京にお参りしに行ったらアポがないと・・・って言われてしまい、明日のお昼にまた戻る事になりました。お参りにアポって・・・と思いつつとりあえず仕方ないかと帰宅。

Today is a Kid's day in Japan. I suppose not a big national holiday but certainly a special day for the children. Since now I have a baby... I guess it's more meaningful now to me. To celebrate our baby my wife and I decided to take him to the temple to pray for his good health. However, we needed an appointment to do so...I suppose since when you need and appointment to pray. Nevertheless, I will go back tomorrow...

今日はとくに話は進展が無かったのでジムでトレーニング。今夜はグッチ裕三がテレビで作ってた“イバリ子豚”に挑戦します！！（笑）

Nothing new today with the negotiations. Went to the gym and run trained pretty hard. Tonight we are going to make a pork chop from a recipe that we learned off a japanese tv show!!

ちょっと進展・・・。

今日も交渉の事でゴタゴタ・・・。粘りに粘ってごねてX2ようやくまた話が進展しました。でも、今回はなんとしてでも出たいので、諦めませんよ！！でも進展して何より。しかしながら、今週末の間に同意ができなかったら、違う所との交渉を進めないと・・・。いやっ絶対に決めます！？！（笑）話が一段落してからはジムに行って１０kmのランニング。帰ってきてこれから夕食で返事がくるのをず〜っとPC＆携帯の前でスタンバイですね！！“ずっ〜っと待〜つは・・・、”♫って感じですかね！？！

I think the negotiation is finally moving forward. Hopefully there is nothing more to negotiate about and just getting the paper work done. I hope the team doesn't think I'm a pshycho guy going through all this stuff because I really think I have been a pain in a bXXt!! Well once the talk seemed to be in good place, I finally had time to go to the gym and run 10km. Came back and just about to have dinner. After that I will be back in front of my PC and cell phone to wait for an answer from the team!?!

サボリ・・・．

いや〜昨日は交渉の話であまりにもドタバタしすぎてて、ダイアリーを更新する時間もありませんでした・・・。ジムに行く予定が交渉の話が右に行ったり左にいったり・・・、けっきょくジムにもいけずイライラ！？！でも、ここは落ち着いてなんとか対象をしないと！！いや〜本当に交渉は大変です。でも、仕方ないですね！！インディ−５００に出る事の大変さを今年も改めて実感って感じです。でも、今年もなんとしてでも出ないと！！

It turned out to be a really busy day yesterday... the negotiation is going forward if not it keeps going left and right. I was just heading to the gym but had to skip that in order for this to happen. Really frustrating...but I need to calm down. Well, it just shows how hard it is to get in to Indy 500 the greatest spectacle of racing...I figured the driving is the easiest part for me!!

Alpinestars

今日は朝起きて用事があってエアーポートに行き、その帰りにトーランスでカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君とランチ。そこからトーランスにあるAlpinestarsのオフィッスに行って、レースの時に使うグローブや下着をピックアップ。まだ、乗る事は決まってませんが、何時でも乗れるように準備をしておかないとと思って。しかし、Alpinestarの人達はメチャメチャいい人で色々と貰って帰ってきちゃいました！！何時もサポート有り難うございます！！

Got up in the morning and went to the airport. On the way home, I had lunch with my buddy Hiro in Torrance. After that I went to Alpinestar's office which is in Torrance to pick up some gloves and underwears to be ready for Indy 500. The guys there are really cool and their product is awesome!! I really appreciate their support and for any of you are looking for racing gears...they really make the best stuff in the market!!

家に戻って交渉の話がまた２歩進んで１歩下がる状態・・・。ん〜イライラだ〜。早く決まらないかな！？！

Got home and back to the negotiation. I thought we made some head ways yesterday...but I think we may have back stepped today...really frustrating but that is part of the negotiations. I need to keep pushing as always!!

あとチョイ

今日もインディー５００に向けて交渉。後チョイって所ですね。基本的な事には合意できてるので後は、契約書だけかな・・・。でも、それが一番大事な所でサインするまでは油断は禁物ですね。しかし、なんとか近日中には発表したい・・・！？！今は家の外ではイミグレのデモをやってます。家から出る事はできないので、今日もジムでガッツリトレーニング。でも、去年よりは少ないみたいですが、道が閉鎖されてるので少し面倒・・・。

I think we are inches away from announcing the deal for this year's 500. I think we were able to agree on the basics so it's pretty much about getting all the paper work done now...which is the most important part. I think the announcement will be made during the next two days. Since there is an immigration demo going on around my house...we are pretty much locked up in the house all day. I decided to go to the gym and run for 15km. I guess there isn't as much people as last year for this demo...but enough to shut the street down which is very inconvenient for me...

明日はLAでデモ

今日も朝からインディー５００の交渉。なんだか同じ事で話がいったりきたりしてる気もするが、明日までには決めないと。今日は少しは進んで気がします。話が落ち着いて、お昼時間にペットマートに行って、ピットとマリモ（猫）の餌を購入。家に戻ってから書かなくては行けない記事が締め切り日になってしまった事にきがついてダッシュで書きました。それからジムに行ってガッツリトレーニング。

As the past several days...got up and immediately to PC and phone to try to seal the deal for Indy 500. Seems like we are going back and forth regarding to the contract but I think we have made some move today and hopefully we can get some decision tomorrow. At lunch time...I went to Pets Mart to get Pit and Marimo(cat) some pet foods while the pet food is getting recall...hopefully the stuff I bought is not contaminated. Came home and straight to the gym!!

明日は午前中からほぼ一日中、家の近所でImmigrationのデモがあります。去年同様に家の周りの道は完全に封鎖される予定なので、明日は家から身動きが取れそうにありません・・・。仕方ないので明日もジム＆インディー５００の話を決めれる事に専念しないと！！

There will be an Immigration Demonstartion tomorrow pretty much through out the day. That means, I will not be able to go in and out of my house...therefore, I will probably just concentrate on trying to lock the ride for Indy and to train to be 100% ready...while people are going to be marching about legal rights to stay in US....

つまらんレース・・・？！？

今日はカンザスでレースがありましたね。結果はダンのぶっちぎり優勝。と言うよりTargetGanassi勢のブッチギリ優勝でしたね。Ganassiを抜いたら、他のチームはセットから戦略やら色々とひっちゃっかめっちゃか・・・、ある意味Ganassiがいなければ面白いレースになってたかもしれませんが、Danが勝っても新鮮味の無い内容でしたね。終わってみて“ん〜・・・・”って言う内容。デビューレースを完走できたMilkaDunoも何とか１４位でゴール。が、本当の勝負はこれからですね。

Whatched the IRL race from Kansas. It was a dominating win by Dan Wheldon...or I should say by the Target Chip Ganassi boys. The race actually would have been exciting if you eliminate those two since many were struggling with car handling as well as strategy. However, after all there is nothing new about the race by having either Penske or Ganassi guys dominate. It was also good to see Milka finishing the race although I think she will face a steep learning curve from here on.

レースが終わってからジムでランニング。１０km走って家に帰宅。明後日はいよいよ５月ですね！！明日中になんとかIndy500の話は決まらないかな・・・。

After the race, I went to the gym for 10km run. Well...we're just about in to month of May. I really hope I can get my Indy 500 deal locked in by tomorrow!!

今日もトレーニング。

今日は朝起きて、まずは妻がホットヨガにいきたいとの事だったので、自分は家で赤ちゃんのお守。１０時にスタバにコーヒーを買いに行って、お昼時間にジムに行ってガッツリトレーニング。身体は絶好調です！！いや〜本当に早くレーシングカーに乗りたい・・・。トレーニングをしながら、NASCAR Busch SeriesのTalladegaでのレースをtv観戦。やっぱりハイバンクのスーパースピードウェイのレースは面白いですね〜〜！！家に戻ってIRLの予選をチェック。今回もどことなくAGR勢が調子いいですね〜〜。しかし、差が小さいので明日のレースがどうなるか楽しみです。明日はIRLのKansasとNASCARのTalladegaで忙しくなりそうです！！（笑）

Got up in the morning and since my wife went to do Hot Yoga...I slept in with my baby and went to buy some coffee at 10am. Than off to the gym for training while I whatched the NASCAR Busch race from Talladega. The highbanked restictor plate racing is definately cool to watch!! Than got home to check the qualifying results for the IRL race in Kansas. Looks like the AGR boys did a lot of home work during the winter to get their car up to speed again!! It will be an interesting race since the speed difference is so small. I will be busy on TV tomorrow whatching the IRL & NASCAR race!!

契約は来週かな・・・？

今日も朝から交渉。なかなか前に進みませんが気合いでプッシュ。今週末のカンザスのレースが終わったら、次はIndy500だし、さすがに５月に入ったら台数の心配もあると思うので、話はババって決まる様な気もします。今週末までに色々と話を煮詰めて、後はなんとか勢いで押し倒さないと！！

Got up in the morning and another day for nego to run the 500. Nothing much took place today but since there is a race in Kansas this week end and after that it is Indy 500...on top of that we are going in to Month of May... I am sure people will start to get eagered to lock the deals. I think I can get a clear picture by this week end and hopefully I will be able to announce the deal next week.

今日も夕方にジムに行ってトレーニング。１０kmのランニングもして身体の体調はバッチリ！！そうそう、昨日IRL３人目の女性ドライバーと言われてるMilkaDunoがルーキーテスとをパス。今週末にいよいよデビュー！！アメリカのメディアでは実力に関してはかなりバッシングされてますが、どのくらい走るか楽しみ。・・・が、彼女とは昔BarberDodgeProSeriesに出ている時に一緒にレースをした事はありますが、当時に実力でいくと・・・・。そう考えるとDanicaは凄いなって感じです！！

Went to the gym again for 10km run. I am just about ready physical wise and just can't wait to get back in to the car.Speaking of the race this week end...it will be Milka Duno's debut race since she was able to pass the rookie test. However, it will be interesting to see how she does in the race. She has got many critics from the media about her driving skills...and since I have raced against her in Barber Dodge Pro Series many years ago... I think she will have a tough time. Considering all that, I must say that Danica really is quite a talent!!

赤ちゃんの検診

今日も朝からチームと交渉。ここ数日間に話が少し失速してるのでイライラ・・・。なんとか前進できるように頑張らないと！！午前中は赤ちゃんを３ヶ月検診に連れて行きました！！順調に育っていて、もう６kg近くなってました！！大きくなるのはあっと言う間ですね〜〜！！注射も一本打って、一瞬ウギャ〜って泣きましたが、すぐに泣き止んで良いこしてました！！

Got up in the morning and started to talk to the guys in Indy again. We haven't made any advancement during last two days and I am getting a bit frustrated... hopefully we can make this happen in next two days. Took my baby to the hospital for 3rd month check up. He is doing well and had a shot. He cried for a brief moment but he was being a real good boy!!

病院から家に戻って引き続きメールやデンワ等で色々とやり取り。ん〜早く話が決まってくれないとまた円形脱毛症になりそう〜〜！？！

Came back home and immediately to the PC and my phone. Hopefully I can get this locked up before going bold with all the stress...

交渉・・・。

今日は朝起きてまずはインディアナポリスのチーム等に電話をして交渉。ついでにあっちこっちのエンジニアに電話をして、Panozシャーシーのテストの結果を聞いて回りました。まだ、わかりませんが５００の落ち着き先がPanozを保有するチーム場合の為にもデータを先取り。今年の５００はタイヤのコンパウンドが２００５年度に使った物に戻るそうなので、去年よりはPanozとのマッチングも悪くないみたいです。しかし、なんとかDallaraチームで走れるように交渉を頑張らないと。

Got up in the morning and went immediately to my PC and cell phone to speak with the guys in Indy. I needed to speak with several engineers to find out about the Panoz test that just happened recently. I guess there was no issue with the heating which was my big concern. Apparently, Firestone is going back to the 2005 compounds for the 500 which matches the Panoz a little better than the one was used last year. But all in all...I am hoping to land a deal with a Dallara chassis.

お昼は飛行場に行き、茂木から戻ってきたカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君をピックアップ。ついでにランチもおごってもらってラッキ〜！！ヒロ君ご地層さんで〜す！！家に戻ってからはガッツリトレーニング。よく考えたら５月まであと１週間ですもんね！！さてさて、色々と頑張らないと。

For lunch, I went to the airport to pick up my friend Hiro Saito the photographer who was returning from the trip to Motegi. We went to lunch in Torrance and he was kind enough to buy me lunch!! Got home and went straight to the gym for 10km run. I can't believe we are going to be in May with in a week time...I better get going with the training and negotiations to be fully prepared once I'm in the car!!

もう一息

今日は朝起きてから早速、電話でIndy500の交渉。なんだか毎日１歩進んで３歩下がる状態が続いてるのでプッシュし続けないと。しかしながら、今日は良い方向に話は流れてます。あと一息かな〜〜・・・！？！基本面では合意できてる気がするのは自分だけだったりして！？！（笑）

Got up in the morning and immediately was on the phone to talk about the 500. I think we are making some advances...but it seems like we will take a step forward and back two everytime with negotiate things. I hope we are all in the same page and it's not only me thinking that we have agreed up on general principals.

話が一段落した所でジムでトレーニング。が、ランニング中に次から次へ電話がかかってきて、話にならないので５km走った時点でランニングは中止。ん〜集中してトレーニングをしたい所ですが、大事な話かもしれないし・・・。早く５００の話を決めて集中したトレーニングに入りたいな〜〜！！

Once the negotiation was over...of to the gym. However, I kept recieving calls while running that Iiteraly quit after 5km because I was not able to concentrate. You never know if it's an important call... I really need to lock the 500 deal ASAP so I can just concentrate on my training and being 120% ready for the race!!

トレーニング・デー

今日は午前中に親父をLAの飛行場におくっていって、家に戻って来てからまずはお仕事。茂木からチームのスタッフは戻ってきましたが、今日は残念ながらほとんどの人達が着いたばかりみたいでオヤスミ・・・。思うように話が進まずイライラ。でも、明日からは急ピッチで交渉を進めないと今週末はカンザスでレースだし！？！しかし、Indyのスタッフも大忙しですね。

Took my dad to LAX in the morning and came home to do some work. Most of the IRL team members are back today...but since they have just got home, they were pretty much all off today and could not advance as much as I wanted for the negotiations talk for the 500. However, I really need to speed things up since they are racing in Kansas this week end and hopefully we will have things locked up by than.

昼過ぎからはジムに行ってトレーニング。ここ２〜３日はアテンド等でジムに行く事ができなかったので、がっつりトレーニング！！やっぱトレーニングをしっかりするとスッキリしますね〜〜！！これからスーパーに行って買い物をしないと。そうそう、最近うちの赤ちゃんは良く笑うようになり、色んな表情を作るようになりました！！声を出して笑うとメチャ可愛いです！！って相変わらず親ばかしてます！？！（笑）

Went to the gym in the afternoon. It always feels great working out after skipping several days out of the gym!! I definately need to be in 100% shape for the 500 since the races are 3hrs long!! Went to the supermarket to get the groceries for dinner and now off to bathing the baby. My baby recently started to show numerous facial expressions and it really cathes your heart when he laughs with his voice!! I can't wait for him to start speaking.... I suppose it will still be over a year till that...

お買い物

今日は親父がLAに居たので、色々と頼まれ物等のお買い物であっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。インディー関連のチームも日本からの移動日でとくに動きがなかったので、今日はできるだけメールで話を前進できるように少しお仕事。今夜はイタリアンを家族で食べに行く事になりました。なんだか週末もあっと言う間に過ぎて明日からは１週間以内にインディーの話を急ピッチで決めれるように頑張らないと！！グッドニュースを待っていてくださいね！！

Since my dad was in town, we were out all day shopping for goods. Since all the IRL team is travelling back to US today...nothing much was going on except to get a head start on the negotiations, I have e-mailed several guys today and that was pretty much it for today's work. We are just about to head to Dinner now. I better get everything sorted out by this week for the 500 and please do expect for a great announcement in the near future!!!

フェニックス

昨日はドタバタしていて、久しぶりにダイアリーをサボっちゃいました・・・。今朝は６時前に起きて、朝一のフライトでフェニックスに行きました。日本から来ているお客さんのアテンドのお仕事で、日帰りで行ってきました。フェニックスではNASCARのレースが行われ、今後の活動について色々と下見。同時にIndianapolisベースの大手マーケティング会社の社長ともあい、５００で何か良いクライエントがいないか商談。早く５００の話を決めないとな〜〜！！しかし、フェニックスのレースの人の数にもビックリ！！１マイルオーバルで８万人もお客がきてるみたいです！！エンターテイメントとしては、IndyもNASCARを見らなう所はたくさんあるのかな・・・、と実感する一日でした。

It was a busy day yesterday...and I had to skip on my blog. I got up really early and catch the first flight to Phoenix. I have attended the NASCAR race with a client from Japan. I hope it will do me good for future career and I was also able to meet several people who may be able to get some help for Indy 500. The deal is getting closer everyday and I hope to have something locked up this week. The race in Phoenix was really exciting. I think there were closed to 80,000 people at the track...IRL definately has some work to do to match the NASCAR guys in terms of entertainment...and marketing aspect.

いい感じに話が進んでます！

今日は朝からIndy500に向けて交渉！ここ２日間でかなり話も進展してあと一息って所です。なるべく早く発表できるように頑張ります！！しかし、茂木のリザルトが気になる〜〜。もちろんライブタイミングでは見てますが・・・。コウスケは調子良さそうですが,AGR勢が揃って調子が良い所が気になりますね。レースの内容はかなり面白くなりそう。結構タイム差がないから、ターン３〜４の争いでクラッシュが続出しそうな予感・・・。

It was a pretty busy day negotiating for the Indy 500 program. There was big progress during the last two days and I think we are just days away from signing the deal. I hope to have things locked up by next week end and to be able to announce the deal. While I check my e-mails... I can resist being home whatching the Indy Japan race live through my PC. The AGR boys look pretty competetive but it will be interesting to see the race because with all the time being so close...I wouldn't be suprised if they are numerous shunts through turn 3-4.

しかし、現場に行けなくて皆さんにお会いできないのは本当に残念です・・・。僕が行けない分も、ぜひコウスケを応援してあげてください！！あっ、でももしIndy500の参戦が決まったら僕だけを応援してくださいね！！（笑）

I really missed being at Motegi and seeing all your fans. However, I really hope everyone can cheer for my buddy Kousuke for some good results this week end.Oh...but don't forget to cheer just for me at Indy 500 once the deal is signed!?!

今日からIndyJapan開幕

いよいよ、今日からIndyJapanが開幕ですね。現地に居る人からのメールによると、今日はあいにく天気が悪いみたいですね・・・。しかも、寒いと聞いていますが。アメリカサイドでは、Indy500に向けての話がだいぶ煮詰まってきました！！ま〜話が決まるまでは油断できませんが、なんとかエントリーが決めれるといいな〜〜！！茂木に行けなかった分もこっちで頑張らないと！！

The Indy Japan race week end is starting today with two practice sessions.I heard the weather is not so great and it's cold... may be not bad of a decision to stay home and work on the deal for Indy. Until it's locked up, never say never...but I think we are headed to the right direction and I hope to have something locked in pretty soon!!

今日も午前中にジムに行きミッチリトレーニング。お昼からは家で色々とIndy500に関して連絡の取り合い。すぽっと参戦するのに何が大変かと言うと人材のリクルートなんですよね。ちゃんとしたスタッフ、メカやエンジニアを集めないと良い結果を望めないので。もちろん契約の話もあるしかなりドタバタしてますが、なんとか２週間以内には話を決めないと！！って言っても２週間たったらもう５月ですが・・・。

I got up in the morning and went to the gym. I came home and got in touch with several guys for Indy. It's hard to get the deal but it is just as hard to find the right staff, mechanics, and the engineer to be in you team if it's a temporarily program. However, I really feel like this deal is going to happen and I hope I can have it announced in two weeks time. Well, having said that, in two weeks it's already in May so I really need to get this moving!!

Virginia Tech

昨日はViginia Techの大学での発砲事件で３０人以上の生徒やスタッフが射殺され、今日もそのニュースがしきりにやっています。犯人は２３歳の韓国人らしく、まだ動機は判明してないみたいです・・・。いや〜しかし本当にアメリカは怖いですね！！自分も中学の時は治安があまり良くない所を挟んだ学校に通っていたので、学校に入る時に金属探知機を通らされたりしてました。にしても、今回の事件は本当に怖い怖い。息子が大きくなった時の学校選びも色々と考えないとなって改めて実感しました。

The shooting at Virginia Tech yesterday was astonishing. Obviously a bad news for the whole nation and it was the top news for today as well. It is really scary since this happened at a well established school with good students. It really made me think on which school I should take my son once he gets bigger....

今日は午前中にジムに行ってトレーニング。午後はまたインディアナポリスのチームの人と話し合い、色々とドタバタしていました。そろそろ話も大詰めなので具体化させないと・・・。

Another busy day today. Went to the gym in the morning and was talking to numerous teams in Indianapolis. I better get everyhing sorted really soon since Month of May is just right around the corner.

今日はお家でお仕事

昨日は１０時過ぎに帰宅。１１時に軽く夜食を食べて１時前には熟睡。今日は７時に起きて、１０時にカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君を飛行場へ送って行き帰宅。今週末は茂木ですね。ん〜今年もIndyJapanに参戦できなくて本当に申し訳ないです・・・。しかも、現場に行って応援してくれているファンの皆さんにもお会いする事ができないので、本当に寂しいです。しかしながら、今週はIndyに向けて大事な交渉が色々とあります！！なので、話を早く決めれるように全力で頑張ります！！

Got home after 10pm last night. Had a snack and was knocked out before 1am. Than I was back up at 7am... went to pick up my friend Hiro to take him to the airport since he is going back to Japan for the Indy Japan race. I am really gutted for not being able to race there this week end, and I truly feel sorry for my fans not only being able to race there but for not being able to stop by there and see all of you!! However, this week will be a pretty important week for me to negotiate the Indy 500 and I figured it was going to be best for me to stay here in LA and get that done.

飛行場から家に戻ってきてからは色んな所と電話で交渉。今年のIndy500はDallaraで参戦したいのですが、この時点ではやはりPanozチームの方が多かったりコストパフォーマンスが良いので悩む所です。もう少し粘って少しでも良い体制に乗れるように交渉をしないとっ！！

After getting back from the airport, I talked to several teams for the Indy deals. I am working really hard to get in to a Dallara than a Panoz... however there are more Panoz teams this year that can do the deal for better price.... I will wait a little more to try to get a Dallara deal and I hope to be in a good car to perform well in the race!!!

これから帰宅

今日も６時に起きて８時前にサーキット入り。４５分の練習走行があってから、２時半に４５分のレースがスタート。昨日のレースのデータを解析して、ドライバーに色々とアドバイスをあげたので、今日のレースでは３秒近くのタイムアップ！！しかも、９位と１２位でドライバー一人はトップ１０入り！！予想以上にレベルアップしたので自分もビックリ。本人達もチームも喜んでくれてるので今後もコーチとして使った貰えそう！！

Got up at 6am again and was at the track by 8am. There was a 45min practice session in the morning and 45min race that started at 2:30pm. After analyzing the data from yesterday, I was able to give few advice to the drivers and they were able to pick up almost 3secs off their time!! Even better they have finished 9th and 12th and I was really impressed and happy with the result!! I hope they will hire me again as a coach and help them achieve better results for the future races.

５時にサーキットをでて、飛行場へ直行！！今は早い飛行機に乗れるようにスタンバイ中です。早く帰って赤ちゃんの顔を見るのが楽しみです！！

I left the track at about 5pm and I am currently on stanby for an earlier flight. I am hoping to get home sooner to see my little baby!!

ステーキ

昨日はソノマにあるステーキ屋で夕飯を食べました。アメリカで食べたステーキの中で一番美味かったと思うほどの美味しいステーキでした。頼んだのはNYSteakでブルーチーズソースが少しかかってて、めちゃ美味しかったです！！ん〜２日連続で食べてもいいくらいです！？！（笑）

Went to the stake joint in Sonoma last night and the NY steak was excellent. It was cooked too perfection and had some blue cheese saucae on it and it was Yum-O!! I don't mind going back there two days in a row!!

今日はフェラーリチャレンジの第１戦目があり、自分は見ているドライバーも無事に完走。昨日からタイムも２秒アップ！！かなり喜んでくれてるみたいです！！明日ももう１レースあるので、もっとタイムアップさせれるように頑張ります！！

The Ferrari Challenge race went well today. The 2 drivers that I was coaching both finished the race and I was happy to see them going 2sec quicker. Hopefully they will do even better tomorrow!!

Sonomaでお仕事

昨日はレンタカーを借りる時に、トラブルがあり飛行場を出てホテルに着いたのが１２時半・・・。今朝は６時に起きて、サーキットに７時入り。今週末のレースでコーチングするドライバー２人と会って、色々と話し合い。今日は３回のセッションがあり、明日の第１レースの予選が夕方ありました。SkipBarberの時は４０人近いドライバーを同時に見なくてはいけないので、かなり大変ですが今週末は２人のドライバーに集中できるのでだいぶ楽です。

I got to the rental place last night and there was an issue with rental car reservation..by the time I got to the hotel, it was already passed midnight and I was not too happy about that. Got up this morning at 6am and was at the track by 7. Met with the two drivers who I am coaching this week end and went through all the basics for the week end. There was 3 practice sessions and qualifying session for tomorrow's race. It's much easier to work with two guys compare to being at Skip Barber where you have to look after 40 drivers during their race week end.

そして、何よりもガレージにある新しいフェラーリFXXは格好いいですね〜〜〜！！ぜひ乗ってみたい！！今回のドライバーの結果が良ければ今後もコーチとして使ってもらえるかもしれないのでお仕事がんばらないと！！

The new Ferrari FXX is really cool looking!! Hopefully I can have a go one day in them. Well...if I do a good job this week end and if my drivers do finish well, I may be back again in the future to work with these guys so I better work hard all weekend!!

LAは強風

今日は朝起きて早速LongBeachに行ってきました。シリーズコーディネーターにパスも用意してもらっていたので、とりあえず現場にいて昔から知ってるメカやエンジニアやチームのオーナーなどと会って話をしてきました。今日はセットアップDayだったので、走行はなく静かでしたがChampCar、F.Atlantic,そしてALMSのパドックを渡り歩きありとあらゆる知り合いに遭遇したのでなかなか楽しかったです。ついでに、子供と妻も連れて行き、なんだか赤ちゃんは嬉しいのか・・・、爆睡してました！？！（笑）

I took my baby and my wife to Long Beach today. It was only a set up day and it was quite but that allowed me to run in to some of my old friends that are working in ALMS, Champ Car, and F.Atlantic paddock. I got some work done today and we decided to leave at 2pm when the wind was getting stronger. I guess my baby liked being at the track because he was a sleep most of the time!?!

が、お昼から強風・・・。家に帰る途中にあと５分と言う所で道に気が強風に倒され通行止め！！もの凄い渋滞にはまって５分で戻れる所を２０分もかけて帰宅しました！！さたさて、これから荷物の準備をしてソノマにいかないと・・・。

When the return home was awful...I was just 2 blocks away from my home when a tree fell from strong wind and shut down the street. It took my 20 min to get home from there.... No I need to get ready to go to Sonoma!!

携帯で撮ったのでややピンボケしてますが、倒れてる木を撮ってみました。

ジムでガッツリトレーニング！

今日は朝起きて犬臭が気になるピットをまずグルーマーへ連れて行き、洗ってもらいました。その間にジムでガッツリトレーニング！！ランニングも１０kmして気分爽快。家に戻ってシャワーを浴びてから、明日の夜からソノマに行くプラニング。同時に一昨日Indy500のエントリーの締め切りがあったせいか、色んなチームから連絡がありドタバタしていたらあっと言う間に時間がすぎてしまいました。今の所は色んなエントリーはありますが、確実なのは２５台。あと８台は必要な中スポンサー探しを頑張ってなんとか近日中に話を決めないと・・・。全力で頑張ります！！

Got up in the morning and took my dog to the groomer since he actually started to smell like an actual dog...!?! While I wait for him, I went to the gym and ran 10km. Got home took a showere and had to plan all the travels for this week end. I will leave tomorrow night and will be back on Sunday. While I was working on that, I started to get numerous calls about Indy. After the entry deadline, I am sure many teams are looking for driver with some $$$!!

明日はロングビーチに午前中に行って、色んなチームと話をする予定です。なんだか忙しい一日になりそう・・・。

Well...I'll be off to Long Beach tomorrow to speak with some teams. It looks like it will be a busy day....

週末はInfineon?!?

今日はお昼に子育て教室が一緒だった、夫妻と赤ちゃんとランチ。お互いに赤ちゃんが産まれて日も近くて、息子にとっても始めてのお友達って感じですね！！いや〜ダウンタウンにすんでるとなかなか、他の家族や赤ちゃんと接する機会がないので仲良くなってもらわないと！！

I took my family to Lunch today with our friends who we met during the pre-natal lessons we took last year. Both of our babies were born 3 months ago and I am sure they will become good friends. Since it is very hard to find a friend/family who can grow up together with my son in Downtown, I really hope they will be become good friends.

そうこうしてるうちに、週末のお仕事が急遽はいって大忙し・・・。本当はLongBeachに行くはずのが、なんとInfineonでFerrariChallengeのドライバーのコーチングのお仕事が入っちゃいました・・・。ん〜息子にレースに連れて行くのを謝りつつ・・・、今週末はお仕事に行ってきます！？！

During lunch...I have started to get some phone calls for the work during this week end. I was planning to go to Long Beach but so much for that and I will be in Sonoma to coach a driver who is racing in Ferrari Challenge. I had to apoligize my baby for not being able to take him to Long Beach...in return I will have to work pretty hard during the weekend and buy him a toy!?!

今週末はLong Beach

今日のLAは久しぶりに天気が良かったです。昨日はTargetでオムツ等をゲットできなかったので、今日は早朝からTargetに行って日用品をゲット。それからIndyのチームとコンタクトを取ってなんとか５００の話をまとめれるように交渉。平行に色んなチームから連絡があり、自分の頭の中も少し混乱状態・・・。そんなこんなで今週末はLongBeachのレース。そこでも色々と今後の為に交渉する事もあるので少し忙しくなりそうです。

It was a great day today here in LA. Since Target was closed yesterday and we missed out on buying diapers, I was the first one to enter the store this morning!! I came home and talked to several teams regarding to the Indy 500 deals in order to make it happen. However, there are so many prospects out there and it is hard to make up your mind with just one team.... This week end, I will be at Long Beach talking to several teams as well...looks like it will be a busy week end.

Easter Sunday

今日はイースターで全米は祝日。スーパーぐらいはやってるだろうと思って、赤ちゃんのオムツを買いにTargetまで行ったら、な〜んとお休み・・・。最近はThanksGivingでもChristmasでもやっていたのに恐るべし、EasterDay！？！仕方ないのでサンドウィッチを買って、家に戻りべガスで行われてるChampCarのレースを観戦。１７台中８台完走のレースで、やはり新車のデビューレースとの事で色々とトラブルが続出。ギヤボックスや、給油等の問題はまだ色々とあるそうです。しかしながらも、Will　Powerの初優勝！！今年のChampCarは誰が勝つかわららなそうな内容なのである意味おもしろそうですが、ドライバーからすると色んな細かいドラブルが出て少しイライラしてそうな感じです！？！

Since it was Easter Sunday, I just ended up chiliing in the house. We went to buy some diapers to Target, however we didn't realize it was going to be close today since it was open on Thanks Giving day as well as Christmas. At that time, my wife and I have pretty much given up of going anywhere and decided to get a sandwich for lunch and headed home to whatch the Champ Car season opener in Vegas. It was an interesting race since only 8 cars finished out of 17. Since it was a debut race for the new chassis, there are still several mechanical glitches such as gear box and refuelling problems. Having said that it was a great win for Will Power and I really think it will be an exciting season since you really can't predict who will win the race this year. At the same time it must be frustrating for the drivers with all the mechanical issue...

New Car試乗

今日は雑誌のお仕事で新しい車を試乗してきました。最初はMitsubishiのOutlander。その後にMazda MX-9。どちらともSUVで比較するのには面白い車です。とくにMX-9にはかなり興味があったので乗れてラッキー！！Outlanderはイメージのままの車かなって感じです。乗った瞬間にパワーはそこそこあるなと思いましたが。が、Mazda MX-9に乗ったらビックリ！！よくできた車ですね〜〜！！MX−７といい、最近のMazdaは本当にコストパフォーマンスの良い車を作るなって改めて実感しました。いや〜しかしLAは相変わらず天気が曇り空なのでスッキリしませんね・・・。

I had to work today doing some driving for magazine impressions. The car I drove today was the new Mitsubishi Outlander, and the Mazda MX-9. The Outlander was pretty much what I expected and the power of the engine was pretty good for the class. However, the MX-9 was rather impressive. For the cost of the car, I am impressed how well the car is built. Betwee the MX-7 and all other models that they came up with, they are probably the best manufacture in terms of cost performance wise. The weather was no to so cooperative today for the photoshoot...but we got everything done and that's what's important.

あっという間に週末

あっと言う間に週末ですね！今日はインディーや今後の活動に向けてのミーティングをして、同時にチームと連絡の取り合い。インディー以外でもALMSやGrandAmの話もちょくちょく出てるので頭がひっちゃかめっちゃかです。が、やっぱり何が何でもIndy500には参戦したいですね！！

I can't believe it's already week end...this week went by so fast! It was another busy day today having a meeting and getting in touch with some teams. I have som interest from ALMS and Grand Am side and it's hard to focus on just one thing. However, I really would like to make the Indy 500 deal happen!!

今日からいよいよChampCarの開幕戦ですね！LasVegasのダウンタウンで行われてるレースは見たかったな〜〜！！何よりも今年からデビューしてる新しい車の格好いいですね！！そろそろ、Indyも車を新しくしないとなんだかかっちょわるいですね。（笑）今週末はF1にChampCar・・・、またTVに釘付けですね！？！

The new Champ Car looks excellent!! They are racing in downtown Las Vegas this week end and the new Panoz is definately a much better looking cars than the IRL. Hopefully the IRL will come up with a new car soon since there current car is getting out of date. It looks like it will be another busy week end in front of the TV with the F1 and Champ Car race!!!

曇り空

ここ数日はLAにしたら珍しく、空が曇ってます・・・。やはり快晴が似合うLAの空が曇ってるとなんだかムード全体が暗くなりますね。今日は早起きして午前中にジムでトレーニング！ここの所は身体の調子は絶好調で、車に乗る準備は何時もでOKってかんじです！！午後は色々とスーパーに行ったりして食材をゲット。夕方に赤ちゃんをお風呂に入れて、今夜はユックリ。最近は赤ちゃんをお風呂に入れるのも慣れてきました。赤ちゃんもお風呂が好きみたいで、入浴中はおとなしいです！！いや〜でも一緒に温泉とか行けるようになると楽しみですね〜〜！！ちなみに、僕は赤ちゃんの時に始めて温泉に行って溺れてそれから水恐怖症ですが・・・！？！（笑）

It was another cloudy day today in LA. It's always better to have a shiny day especially here in SoCal!! Although I was not in a good mood...I went to the gym in the morning and worked out pretty hard. My condition is really good and I am ready any day to get back in to the car!! I just need to find a ride I guess...!?! In the PM, went to the grocery store to pick up some food for the week end and came home and bathed my baby. He is getting used to bathing and seems like he is enjoying it. I can't wait for him to get older so we can go to hot springs together in Japan. However, I have a bad experience at the Japanese hot springs when I was a child since I nearly drowned in one of those places...!?!

日焼けで真っ黒

今日も家で仕事をしていたらあっという間に一日が終了・・・。Indyのチームと色々と話をしたりプランを立てているとあっと言う間に時間がすぎてしまいます。来週はLongBeachでChampCarの開幕戦がありますが、もしかしたらFerrariChallengeのお客さんのドライバーコーチでソノマに行かなくてはならないかも・・・。ん〜またドライブで行くとなったら気が遠いな〜〜。でも仕事をしないとだし・・・。しかし、先週末のLagunaSecaの仕事で日焼けをして顔が真っ黒になってしまいました・・・。もう３０歳を目前に日焼けをすると肌が昔のように対応してくれないのを感じる所がトシですね〜！？！（笑）

Another day at home working and getting in touch with many Indy teams. The day went by so quick. I want to go to the Long Beach race next week end but I may have to drive up to Sonoma and work for an client in Ferrari Challenge driver coaching. Hopefully I will be able to fly up there... I have got so much sun tanned last week that as I get older, my skin is not taking the sunshine so well!?! I will definately need some sunblocks next time at the track!!

Superleague Formula

昨日２００８年からシリーズ開始予定のSuperleague Formulaの発表がありましたね。このシリーズは以前からも噂はされていましたが、モータースポーツとサッカークラブが融合して行われるシリーズ。とくにヨーロッパではモータースポーツもサッカーも人気なので、面白いシリーズになるかもしれませんね！！・・・と言う事はベッカムが移籍してジダンも移籍を噂されているLA Galaxyも参戦するのかな？！？しかし、このシリーズが立ち上がったらますますA1GPの人気は下がる気配がしますね。

There was an announcement of Superleague Formula starting mid 2008. It will be an interesting series since it will be a joint venture between motorsports teams and soccer clubs. In Europe, Soccer and Motorsports are the most two popular sports and I can see the popularity raising if we can hace the cars colored as the same way as the soccer teams team wear. Speaking of Soccer, I am curious if LA Galaxy will have a team with Beckham joining the team as well as Zidane rumorued to be joining the team!! Well, if this series does happen...it will certainly be an upset to the A1GP boys!!

今日は家で仕事をして夕方にジムでトレーニング。Indy500参戦に向けてスポンサー活動でもあっちこっちに連絡をとったり大忙しです。時間はあっと言う間にたっちゃいますね・・・。

It was a pretty busy day today working all day and going to the gym in the afternoon. I really have to get on it for the sponsorship hunt for the 500 as the time is clicking really quickly.

今週末はChampCarの開幕戦

昨日は家に戻ってご飯を食べて寝たのは１時過ぎ・・・。さすがに、仕事をして４時間半の運転の後だったので疲れました。今日の午前中はユックリしようかなと思いつつ、ずっと早起きしてたので朝しっかり目が覚めてしまったので早速インディーのチームとコンタクト。先週はホームステッドからセントピーターズバーグに移動があったので連絡を取ってなかったので状況をアップデート。

Since I got home late last night, after having dinner and a shower, it was already past 1am. After whole day of work and 4.5hr drive home, I was definately nacked!! I was planning to sleep in but all the early wake up calls during the past 3 days got me up when the sun was bright and shiny!! I could not sleep in so I ended up getting up early and touching basis with all the Indy teams since I couldn't do much when they were travelling from Homestead to St.Pete.

色々とスケジュールを見ていたら今週末はラスベガスでChampCarの開幕戦ですね。いったい何台集まるんだろう・・・。今年のChampCarは新しい車でのレースなのでどんな状況になるのか楽しみです。そして、その翌週はLongBeachで第２戦目。せっかくなので顔を出そうかなと思ってます！！ちなみに、息子も連れて行こうかなと検討中。考えてみると自分も産まれて始めて親父にレースに連れてってもらったのが凡そ６ヶ月の時のロングビーチで行われてたF1のレースでした！！大きくなっても記憶は無いだろうけど話のネタにはなるかな・・・！？！（笑）

I was glancing through the schedule and there is going to be a Champ Car opening round race this week end in Vegas. I really wanted to go whatch that, however since there is Long Beach next week end, I decided to stay home and whatch the race at home. I am considering to take my baby to the race next week end. My first ever race I have been to is when my dad took me to the Long Beach F1 race when I was just 6 months old. Although my son will probably won't remember much from it, I think it would be a good thing for him since he can brag about it when he gets old!!

やっと帰宅

今日は６時に起きて、７時半にコース入り。４時半までサーキットで仕事をして、そのままダッシュで家に戻り４時間半のドライブで９時にLAの自宅に着。日曜日だったので道もすいていて、思ったよりも早く戻れてラッキ〜！が、家に戻ってリラックスもつかの間・・・。赤ちゃんがもう少しで３ヶ月に入る所ですが、どうやらこの時期は感情も色々と覚え始め一時的に泣きまくったりするみたいです。なので家に戻ったらすぐ赤ちゃんの抱っこ。でもやっぱり自分の子供は可愛いですね！！仕事で疲れても子供の顔を見るとホッとします。

Got up at 6AM and arrived to the track at 7:30am. I was working until 4:30PM and headed straigh back home. Since it was a Sunday, the traffic was fairly light and I was able to get home in 4.5hrs. After the long drive, I was pretty tired but so much for resting since my baby was crying big time when I got home. Apparently he is in the period of time when the baby has a tendency to cry a lot for a little while. Nevertheless, after not seeing him for 3 days my tiredness just went away when I saw his big smile on his face!!

Laguna２日目終了

LagunaSecaでの２日目の仕事が終わりました。いや〜今日も日差しが強くて顔が真っ赤です！！（笑）今日も５時までが走行があり、午後は４グループのレースがありました。その中で毎年この最終戦に参加する日本人の選手が優勝！！もの凄く優しい方で、インストラクターの皆からも人気で今回は初優勝だったのでパドックに戻った時にはバケツで水を被されてました！！（笑）

The 2nd day here in Laguna Seca just ended. Another long and sunny day. My face is actually turning red with the sun burn!! The racing was really exciting today with all 4 groups. One of the Japanese driver ended up winning his race and since it was his first win and being popular with all the mechanics, he celebrated the victory with the instructor dumping bucket of water on to him!! Since it was a warm day, I'm sure he didn't mind that after the race!!

あれれ、気がついたら４月ですね。色々とウトウトしている間に、茂木までもう３週間・・・。残念ながら現時点では実りそうな話はありません・・・。ただ、明日はセントピーターズバーグでレースがありますし、どのタイミングでドライバーが怪我をしたりクビになったりするかわからないので、まだ可能性は１００％無いとは言い切れません。最後まで諦めてはいけないと思う反面、人の不幸を待つの際どい心境です・・・。しかしながらファンの皆様からもメールを頂いて、IndyJapan参戦を楽しみにして頂いてるのに参戦できないのは本当に悔しいですしファンの皆さんにも申し訳ないです。何があってもIndy500には参戦できるように頑張りますので引き続き応援してください！！しかし、仕事でLagunaにいながらやっぱりセントピーターズバーグの結果＆状況が気になります・・・。

I can't believe it's already April. And 3weeks to Motegi Indy Japan race. At this time I don't have any prospect of likelyhood of sponsorship deals to race in Motegi, but in Indy Cars you never know what's gonna happen. There is a race this week end and some one may get injured....or fired after the race. You can't give up until the end...but it is also weird to hope for an incident like that to happen inorder for you to get a ride. Nevertheless, I feel really bad and gutted for all the fans who were looking forward to see me race in Motegi and at worse case scenario I hope I can make the Indy 500 deal happen. I really appreciate the conituing support from all your fans with fan mails!!

日焼けしまくり・・・。

今日は一日中サーキットでインストラクターの仕事。凡そ１０人のグループが４つあり、３０分のセッションを各グループが２セッションずつの走行。セッション中は色んなコーナーに行って、走行ライン等を見るのでずっと外にいたせいかもの凄く日焼けをしちゃいました。サングラスも付けっぱなしなのでパンダ状態です。今回は日本人の選手が２人参加してます。

I was at the track all day today. There were 4 groups with approx 10 drivers in each group and each group had two 30min sessions today. I was out on the corners pretty much all day and I got a good sun tan by the end of the last session.... Also there are two Japanese drivers this week end which makes the job more exciting for me.

セッションが４時半にようやく終わり、そこからミーティング。レーシングスクールが最近MAZDAと契約したので新しいカリキュラム等の事で色々とミーティング。気がついたらサーキットを出たの７時半・・・。長い一日でした。明日もまた頑張りま〜す！！

All the session was done by 4:30pm but we had a meeting that lasted til 7:30pm. With the MAZDA involvement, there are many good things to come in the near future and I am looking forward to be part of the school new currculum. It's going to be another long day tomorrow...

Laguna Secaに到着

今日は朝起きて、ジムでトレーニング。お昼に家でラーメンを食べて、１時半に家を出発。LagunaSecaまでは凡そ５時間のドライブ。久しぶりのドライブでかなり疲れました・・・。ホテルに着いたら６時チョイすぎ。今日はホテルでご飯を食べて早目に寝ないと明日は６時起きです。明日からの３日間はLagunaSecaでSkipBarberRacingSchoolのレースのインストラクター。自分も卒業したシリーズですが、意外と思っていた以上にインストラクターするのって難しいんですよね。ドライバー一人のインストラクターであればその選手に集中できますが、１グループ１０人で４グループあるので４０人以上のドライバーに細かくアドバイスするのは難しいのでどうしても大雑把になっちゃいます・・・。でも、とりあえず週末の間は天気は良さそうなので、何よりです！！

Got up in the morning and went to the gym. Had ra-men for luch and off to Monterey. Left the house at 1:30PM and was in the hotel room at 6:30PM so it took me about 5hr with only one fuel stop. I will be here for next 3 days instructing for the Skip Barber Racing School Western Series Race. It is a lot harder to instruct at the school because there as about 40+ students and 10 in each group. Coaching for just one driver is not so hard because you can put all your attention into just that driver, but when you have multiple cars going through at the same time...it's almost impossible to give them precise advice. Nevertheless, the weather is looking good all week end and I am looking forward for that!!

ピットがブルー・・・。

最近は赤ちゃんが産まれてから、あまりピットにかまってあげれてないから、今日はなんだかピットはブルーです！？！しかも、今アメリカではペットフードの中にネズミを殺す毒が入ってる騒動で、ほとんどの柔らかい缶詰やパウチに入ってるタイプのドッグフードは売られてません・・・。勿論ピットが好きなタイプも買えなくて、昨日ペットショップへ行って新しいタイプを購入してみましたが、どうやらそれをお気に召さないようです。普通の犬だったらガッツクはずなのに・・・。

Since my focus has been to our baby lately, Pit has been really jealous for not getting any attention. And even worse, with all the pet food recalls that have been going on, one Pit's favourite food is not in the store and I had to go out an purchase a different kind of pouch food for him..which he didn't like.

しかも、外が寒いので妻が洋服を着させたらさらにブルー！不機嫌な所でワンショット撮ってみました！？！（笑）

Since it was a bit chilly...my wife put a sweater on him and he really didn't like that and stopped moving. It made it easier for the photo opp though...

今週末はLaguna Seca

今日は朝起きて午前中にジムでトレーニング。週末はLagunaSecaに行ってSkipBarberRacingSchoolのWestern Series Race最終戦でインストラクターのお仕事・・・。本当はセントピーターズバーグに行きたかったのに残念。ま〜先週末ホームステッドで色々と話をしているチームとは話せたからOKかな？！？

Got up in the morning and went to the gym. I am going to work for Skip Barber Racing School this week end as an instructor for the last round of Western Series race. I really wanted to go to St.Petersburg but I needed to work and earn some $$ for the baby... However, I did get to speak with the people that I needed to last week and there is not much point going to St.Pete.

しかし、先週末はサーキットで今週末もサーキット。やっぱりサーキットに行ったら車に乗りたくなっちゃいますね〜・・・。とりあえず、Lagunaではスクールカーをガンガンに走らせる事ができるけど・・・、でもやっぱりパワーある車に乗りたいっす！！！そうそう、最近は赤ちゃんが泣いた時にIndyのエンジン音の真似をすると泣き止むので、それを使ってイメトレしてます！？！（笑）

Being at the track two weeks in a row is painful not actually racing. But..working for Skippy, we get to put the school cars around the track which is fun although it's nothing like driving a high horsepoweres car. I am anxious to drive, but I have been doing a lot of image/mental training when my baby is crying!?! For some reason, he really likes the sound of an Indy engine when I imitate the sound!?!

Mongolian BBQ

今日はランチでMongolian BBQを食べました。思ったよりも美味しくてビックリ！！ファーストフードみたいな所ですが、好きな具材を選んで面と一緒に焼いて出してくれる所です。見た目はいたって微妙・・・、って思いましたが実際に食べてみたらなかなかいけてました！！Mongolian BBQって感じよりもジンギスカン風の焼きそばって感じでしたね！？！（笑）そう言えば日本でのジンギスカンブームってもうさっていっちゃったんですかね？！？

I had Mongolian BBQ for lunch today. It was actually pretty good...much better than it's appearance. I went to this joint in the mall, kind a like the fast food place which let's you pick your own ingredients and have them fried together on a round teppan plate. I was really amazed on how well it was made for the price...the place was actually called gingees kahn!?!

Indy開幕戦

昨日のIndyの開幕戦はつまらなかった〜・・・。コウスケは運悪くスピンしたSimmonsに絡まれクラッシュ・・・。Danのぶっちぎり優勝。あまり見所のあるレースではなかったな〜。しかし、Danicaがなんかピリピリしている様子。トップチームへ移籍したプレッシャーかな？！？

The IRL season opener was pretyy boring... Kousuke crashed his car getting collected by spinning Jeff Simmons and Dan was just unbeatable. Not many interesting points about the race. However, Danica must be in lots of pressure moving to AGR and with no excuse of not running up front.

今日は日曜日。ジムに行ってトレーニングをしながら、NASCARのCars Of Tomorrowのレースを観戦。なんか車の形は少しモダンになったかな〜って感じです。でも車に関してはちょっと賛否両論みたいです。しかし、NASCARのレースを改めて見るとコメントをしてる人の知識や、トラブル等が起こるとそのパーツをすぐに持ってきてわかりやすく説明する所はいいな〜って思いました。その辺もファンに馴染みやすい理由なのかな・・・？？

Went to the gym today and whatched the NASCAR'S Cars of Tomorrow debut race. It was an interesting race although I guess there are still in need for some rule improvements before they go full time with that car. Whatching the NASCAR race, I was amazed by the knoledge of the TV analyst and the announcers about the cars. And duing the broadcast, when there is a problem with a car's certain parts, they bring out the actual parts and explain the problem on camera so the viewers can visualize what's going on. May be that is the reason why the NASCAR fans are more familiar with the car, driver, and etc...

何とか無事に帰宅

昨日は１時過ぎまでサーキットに居て、夕飯を食べたのは２時頃・・・。ホテルの側のInternational House Of Pancakes(IHOP)しかやってなかったので、そこでベーコンエッグチーズバーガーを食べました。昨晩はけっきょくホテルの部屋がとれなかったので、カメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君の部屋に野宿。ヒロ君ありがとう〜〜！！

I was at the track until 1am last night. Since it was so late, we could only find IHOP that was opend to have dinner so we decided to eat there and I had a whopping bacon egg cheese burger!! Fortunately my friend Hiro let me stay in his hotel room and I was able to rest for about 1hr before I head to the airport.

部屋に戻って３時半頃にウトウト・・・。１時間くらい寝てそのまま起きて飛行場に向かいお昼過ぎに無事に家に着きました！！いや〜しかし今回は本当に弾丸だったな〜〜！！ぜんぜん寝れなかった・・・。さてさて、これからお家でテレビでINDYの開幕戦を観戦しま〜す！！

I finally got to sleeo at 3:30am for about an hour and off to the airport. Back in LA at noon and home now. It really was a hectic trip today.... Well I am going to whatch the season opener on TV, best seat other than the actual race car!!

今夜は徹夜？！？

今まだホームステッドのスピードウェイに居ます。現在はインディーの予選中。今年のホームステッドのレースは面白くなりそうです！まずは、IndyProSeriesで英記が予選３位！まずまずの滑り出しでしょう！！そして、インディーは今年から１００％エタノールになった事になり、エンジンは３．５Lにアップ。トルクが増えた分、多少のギヤ比の選択ミスでも差が出なかったり、今回のホームステッドのウィング角度は去年よりもあがってる為にダウンフォースの量も増えてるので明日の決勝はかなりのサイド・バイ・サイドのレースが見れそうです！！

Still in Homestead Speedway. The Indy Car qualifying is going on now.... It looks like it is going to be an interesting race tomorrow. Firt of all, my bro Hideki is staring 3rd for tomorrow's race. And than because of all the rule changes in Indy Car with 100% ethanol fuel, More rear wing angle, 3.5l engines with more torque, it will definately create close side by side racing!!

今日は予選が終わってからどうしよう・・・。実は今夜のホテルはとれてませ〜ん・・・。明日の朝のフライトは早いし、ホテルをとっても数時間しかないから何処かで野宿をするかって感じです！？！とりあえず頑張って徹夜ですね。（泣）

I don't really know what to do after the qualifying though. I could not find a hotel room tonight that was reasonable and since my flight is leaving so early tomorrow morning, I will have to camp out somewhere... I will probably crash in to my friend's hotel room.

マイアミに到着

昨日は飛行機が少し遅れながら、マイアミに到着。ホテルに着いてネットに接続しようとしたら、サーバーがおかしかったのか、ネットに接続できず・・・。仕方ないな〜と思い、１２時頃に寝床についたのですがなかなか寝付けずけっきょく、３時半頃まで寝れませんでした。

The flight was delayed in to Miami last night and I was finally in my room at 11pm. There was a problem with the Internet server and I was not able to connect to the net so I have given up and decided to hit the bed after midnight. However, I could not fall a sleep until 3:30am and that was frustrating....

今日は久しぶりにサーキットにきてます。いや〜やっぱり車を見ると乗りたくなっちゃいますね。今日は早速サーキットに着いてIRLの社長と話し合い。色々とアイディアをもらって某チームとIndy500について交渉。可能性がある所はどんどんつっつかないと！！パドックを歩いて、昔から自分の弟みたいに可愛がってる武藤英記に会って立ち話！彼にはぜひ頑張って欲しいですね！！皆も応援してやってください！！

Came to Homestead this morning...haven't been here for a while... but it's painful being at the track not driving. Since I am only here today, I waisted no time and chatted briefly with the COO of IRL. I also talked to several team owners about possible Indy 500 rides. I also bumped in to my friend Hideki Mutoh who I almost see as my younger bro since I know him since he was like 8years old. He will be racing in the Indy Pro Series and I think he will be very strong!!

さてさて、これからまたパドックをうろうろと歩いて色々と情報をゲットしてこないと！！

Well...I better go back to the paddock to speak with all the people to search for what is out on the market!!

明日からマイアミ

いよいよ明日からマイアミです！今日はかなりのびてきた髪の毛が鬱陶しくなってきたので、ばっさりカット！！やっぱ、ショートは楽で清々しくていいですね〜〜。しかし、飛行機の乗るのはなんだか久しぶりだな〜。明日も早朝フライトでマイアミに向かいますが、今回はやや弾丸のスケジュールです。久しぶりにサーキットへ行くのはちょっと楽しみです。

I am off to Miami tomorrow. Since my hair is getting longer and annoying...I decided to go for a hair cut today. Having a short hair really is easy and I have been getting same kind of hair cut for nearly 5years... may be time for a new hair style!?! Anyhow, I am looking forward to the trip this week end and to meet the teams to talk about some future plans.

今週末はマイアミでIRLの開幕戦。NASCARはBristolでCars of Tomorrowのデビューレース。このCars Of Tomorrowは色々と新しくなったルールによってデザイン＆制作された車で今年はこの新レギュレーションの車で何戦か戦います。色々とメーカーが力をかけてある意味TOYOTA的にはイコールコンディションになるので面白いかもしれませんね！？！

Speaking of racing, there will be a NASCAR race this week end using the Cars of Tomorrow. It should be an interesting race with the debut of the new cars with new regulations and it should definately level the playing field which should be a good thing for Toyota. Let's see how those car will react during the race!!

LAは雨

今日は久しぶりにロスで雨が降りました。今年は異常気象で降水量がかなり少ないみたいです。雨が降らなすぎて水不足になるのは良くありませんが、やはりロスは晴れてないとって感じですね。天気が悪いと不思議に憂鬱になってしまいますね。

It was a rainy day today in LA. We haven't been getting much rain this season and this should be a little bit of a break from the dry weather that we have been getting. Although... the raind doesn't match the LA atmosphere at all...

そうそう、最近は日本でBombardierの飛行機のタイヤがでなくて胴体着陸するニュースが多いですね〜！ん〜このBombardier社はIndianapolis Speedwayのコントロールタワーのスポンサーで以前はテキサスのレースの冠もスポンサーもやってましたが・・・。まっ、胴体着陸を問題なくできるって考えれば飛行機は一応安全ですかね！？！（笑）飛行機と言えば昨日LAXの空港に新しいAirBus380がきたみたいですね！！テレビでしか見てませんが驚きの大きさです！！早く乗ってみたいな〜〜！！

Last couple of days, there have been an airplane accidents specifically with Bombardier aircraft not being able to get the landing gear out. Fortunately, the plane has landed safely with out any incident but being familiar with the Bombardier name from the Pagoda Tower in Indianapolis Speedway and the title sponsor for the Texas race.... it's a bit of a bad news for the league. Speaking of aircraft, that new AirBus 380 is just wicked big!! I can't wait to board on that plane in the near future!!

大相撲

突然ですが最近は大相撲の春場所にはまってます！アメリカでもNHKの衛星放送で毎晩テレビで見てますが、今場所は面白いですね〜〜！！朝青龍が２連敗した事によって、だいぶ後半戦が見物ですね！！何よりも新人の栃煌山がいい相撲を取りますね〜〜！！眠いのを我慢して最近は毎晩見ちゃってます！！（笑）

Lately I've been in to whatching the Sumo spring tournament! I can whatch the torunament on the NHK sattelite channel here in US, and since it's broadcasted at midnight... I have been staying up pretty late to whatch the end of it when all the good wrestler comes out. Since the Yokozuna Asashoryu lost the first two battles, it has been an interesting tournament. Also the new comer Tochiouzan is really good and I wouldn't be suprise if he becomes the next Yokozuna in the near future!

週も明けて、今週末のマイアミ行きの為に今日は色々とプラニング。週末はレースの現場でなるべく多くの人と会って話ができるようにアポ取りなどなど・・・、あっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。

It ended up being a quick day today...I talked to several teams and people to set up an appointment to see while I was in Miami to make all the time efficient during my stay. I hope something will go forward from the meeting!!

週末もあっと言う間に終了・・・。

今週末もあっと言う間に終わってしまいましたね。いや〜しかし、本当にレース三昧でした！！Sebring１２時間はAudiの優勝！！F1はKimi、そしてNASCARはJimmie Johnsonが２週連続での勝利。週末を通して一番に印象に残ったのはLewis HamiltonとJuan Pabloのレース内容かな！？！

It was a real quick week end with all the races!! The Sebring 12hr was won by an Audi, F1 was no suprise...a domination by Kimi, and Jimmie Johnson ended up winning the NASCAR race two weeks in a row. What really caught my eye during the week end was performance of Lewis Hamilton and improvement by Juan Pablo!!

Juan Pabloはレース後半戦にずっと上位争いをしていて、１．５マイルオーバルもかなり極めてきたので今後の結果が楽しみです！！Lewis Hamiltonに関しては７〜８年くらい前に茂木で行われてたカートの世界大会にチラって会った事がありますが、その時も凄いインパクトでした。モータースポーツ版のTiger Woodsになるのは間違いないですね。でも、彼をDevelopment Programとして育てたマクラーレンが凄いな〜って思います。ドライバーとしての素質は勿論ですが、レース後のインタビューの受け答えに関しても、スポーツマン＆レーシングドライバーとしては完璧ですね！！もちろん英語が母国語って所もありますが、表彰台に乗ったKimi, Fernandoよりもインタビューの答えは賢いし本当に感心しました！！今後のF1のレースが楽しみですね！！

Juan Pablo had an excellent race today and being fast on 1.5mile oval is a good sign for more results in the near future!! Bit of an irony with Lewis because he was the one who replaced Juan Pablo's seat at McLaren.... but he was the most impressive over the week end. I had a pleasure to meet him in Motegi several years ago during the GoKarting World Cup event and I was really impressed with his attitude. It really shows the professionalism of McLaren to be behind his development program and I would not be suprise if he becomes the Tiger Woods of Motorsports!! Not only he is fast but he is smart and speaks really well! His post race interview was almost more intelectual than Kimi and Fernando...although he does have a bit of an advantage as English being his mother language. Nevertheless, he is the one to whatch during this season and I wish if I can have an oppurtunity to develop a type of driver like him once I get old... May be my son!?!

Sebring１２時間

今日はSebring１２時間のレースがやってます。朝起きてから早速テレビに釘付け。出だしからポルシェ勢はトラブルに見舞われAGRのAcura車がLMP2クラスのトップ！いや〜さすが、HPDが開発した車。レース前にもしっかり１２時間のデモレースをテスとで行った成果はしっかり出てますね！！レースも残り、３時間。最後がどうなるか楽しみ！！

The Sebring 12hr race is on the way and spent most of the day whatching TV today. The Porsche boys seemed to have some battery problems and AGR Acura is leading the LMP2 so far! All the testing and development that HPD has been doing is paying off especially with the mock 12hr race they had during the test couple of weeks ago. There is 3hr's left and it will be interesting to see how they finish!!

お昼過ぎはジムに行ってトレーニング。トレーニングをしながらジムのテレビでNASCAR Buschのレースを観戦。２週間連続でJeff Burtonの優勝！！今年はChildressのチームが調子いいですね〜〜。そしてそして、夜はF1の開幕戦！！マクラーレンVSフェラーリの戦いが楽しみです！！家の赤ちゃんもF1の音が好きみたいで、目を大きくしてみてます！！（笑）が、一日中レースを見てるので妻が・・・怒り気味！？！

I went to the gym after lunch and whatched the NASCAR Busch race in the gym monitor. Jeff Burton won the race 2 weeks in a row and Childress's team seems to have the package this year!! I am going to whatch the F1 race tonight and it will be interesting to see who wins the race with McLaren VS Ferrari battle!! My baby likes the sound of F1 engines...although my wife is getting tired of me whatching the race all day...!?!

Grand Central Market

今日はフルーツを買いに家の近くのGrand Central Marketに行ってきました。Grand Central Marketは家の近所にある市場。食料品はここで買うのは衛生上、少し怖いな〜って思っていましたが、前にトマトを買いに行ったら思った以上に美味しかったので今日はフルーツをゲットしに行ってきました。いや〜しかし安さに驚き！！オレンジ、苺、葱、マッシュールーム、葡萄にトマトを山盛り買ってな〜んと＄１５！！冷静に考えたらスーパーで買うより激安ですね！！

I went to the Grand Central Market to buy some fruits today. The Grand Central Market is just a block away from my house, and although I always hesitated to get produces there due to the fact of poor hygeine... I bought some tomatoes the other day and it was actually really good!! Therefore, I decided to try out there fruits today. I bought oranges, strawberries, green onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, and some grapes and it all came out to be just $15!! It is a mega deal!!

さてさて、いよいよ週末ですね〜！よく考えたらSebring12時間＆F1のレースと同時にNASCARのレースがアトランタで行われるので、今週末はテレビに釘付けですね！！（笑）

I can't believe it's already into the week end... There is going to be the Sebring 12hr race and F1 as well as NASCAR race in Atlanta!! I am going to be a busy man in front of the TV all week end!?!

マイアミ行き決定

今日もLAは快晴。今日はいよいよ来週のマイアミ行きのプランをする為にネットで一番コストパフォーマンスの良い方法を検索。とりあえず、飛行機はマイレージでゲット。それからホテルはカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君と同じホテルを予約。なんとかマイアミに行く事は決めました。いや〜しかし何でマイアミは最近高いのかな・・・？飛行機もホテルも・・・。カリフォルニア育ちの自分としては、フロリダは蒸し暑いし台風はくるし、何処がいいのか疑問！？！

Great weather again...you can beat that right!?! Today, I finally made my plan for the trip next week. I surfed the net and found the best way to do this trip. I bought my flight ticket using my miles and booked the same hotel as my buddy Hiro so we can share rental car. I'm still supried with how expensive Miami is with the hotel and everything. I guess they must be attracting more tourists now... coming from CA, I really don't understand what's so nice about FL being humid and etc...

そうそう、最近は赤ちゃんをお風呂に入れる事にチャレンジしてます。首がすわるまでは怖かったので遠慮して妻にやってもらっていたのですが、そろそろ安定してきたので自分もチャレンジ。昔は大泣きだったのが最近は気持ちいいのかずいぶんおとなしくしてます。ここ数日間でさらに大きくなって、目もよく見てるのかキョロキョロ周りを見たり、ニコニコ笑ったり、改めて人間だな〜って実感がわいてきます・・・、って人間ですからね！？！（笑）

Yesterday, I started to bath my baby. I was scared to do so until his neck was going to settle down. I thought it would be just about time to give it a try and he was being a very good boy!! I grew so much in last couple of days and it appears as he can see much more now. He looks around for many objects now and smiles a lot!! He really acts like an human being now needless to say it's no suprise!!!

今週末はSebring１２時間レース

今日もLAは快晴でした。今日も午前中にジムに行ってトレーニング。それから家に戻ってお仕事。５月も近づいてきて、IRLの開幕戦もついに来週なので色んな動きがでてきましたね。自分も急いで話を進めないと！！色々と情報をとりながら、ネットで今週末FloridaのSebringで行われてる１２時間の練習走行の情報をチェック。このレースでAcuraがLMP2クラスでデビューしますからね。やはりライバルはポルシェ・・・。耐久レースの経験が豊富な上に、走らせてるのがPenskeとDysonRacingなので面白い戦いになりそうです。シーズンが始まって毎週末に何かのレースが行われてるので、家に居ても楽しみです！！そう言えばF１も開幕ですね！！

Another great day with spectacular weather!! I hope it stays this way for a while. As usual went to the gym in the morning and came home to do some work. Since Month of May is coming up shortly and the IRL season opener is just next week, there are lots going on in Indianapolis although many of them is still in process of making the deal to happen. Speaking of racing, there is Sebring 12hr this week end. It will be the first race for the Acura LMP2 car and it will be interesting to see how they will do against the Porsche teams like Penske and Dyson Racing. Now the racing season is on the way, it's great to have races on TV every weekend!! By the way it's going to be a busy week end in front of the TV with the first F1 race too!!!

LAは相変わらず暑いです！

今日もLAは暑いです！ここ２日間は観測史上の最高温度を記録。今日は少し涼しくなりましたが、それでも３０℃を超える暑さ・・・。ま〜乾燥してからっとしてるぶん怠さはありませんが、花粉症が飛びまくりで目が少々つらいです。今日も午前中はジムでがっつりトレーニング！！身体の調子は相変わらずいいですね〜〜。それから、午後は家に戻ってちょこちょこお仕事。来週末のプランをたてないと。でも、飛行機代も高いしホテル代も高いし・・・、色々と悩んでます。ん〜効率よくコストをかっとする為に深夜のフライトで行って一泊し、翌日に戻ってくるってプランもありますが、これだと弾丸です。ま〜コストパフォーマンスを考えるとこのプランでいくかな・・・！？！

It was another warm day in LA today! The last two days were record temp and today it started to cool down a little...but still hot enough for me. Fortunately the humidity is not high so it's not all that bad but that is creating wildfires in Orange Co. Well, as usual I went to the gym in the morning and came home to do some work in the afternoon. Still need to plan everything for next week end's Miami trip but everything is so expensive with travel that I may have to do a very quick trip and back to save some costs. Worse comes worse...I could always take the red eye there, and stay one night and back next day!!

ちょっと早い桜？！？

今日は８時半から朝食ミーティングだったので、７時前に起きてピットの散歩。ミーティングの場所が少し離れていたので１時間前に出発。予想通りに渋滞にはまり、ミーティングにはバッチリのタイミングに到着。１時間半のミーティングを終えてきたく。インディーのシリーズの社長とメールをして、午後からは天気が良かったので家から３０分の所にあるBalboa Parkへ赤ちゃんを連れてお散歩をしに行く事にしました。が、今日もLAでは連日のRecord Heat！！今日も３０℃を余裕で超える暑さでした！！

Had a 8:30am meeting today so got up before 7am and took my dog for a walk. I anticipated to have some traffic so left the house penty early. My prediction was right and the traffic was pretty bad... but I made it to the meeting just on time. I came home, did some walk and since the weather was so nice, I took my baby for a walk around the Balboa Park and the lake. Although it turned out to be a record heat day!!

公園に着いたら、すこし早目ですが桜の花が咲いてました！！なので、携帯電話でスナップショットを撮ってみました。日本もそろそろお花見シーズンですが、と言う事は花粉シーズンの到来ですね！！LAも最近は花粉がひどくて花粉症の薬を飲んでます・・・。

Got to the park and saw the cherry blossom tree at almost full bloom!! Took a quick shot using my cell phone. Speaking of this time of the year...allergy season is here!! I really struggle with allergies and I am not looking foreward to that at all....

LAは夏？！？

今日はメチャ暑でした。まだ、３月だと言うのに、気温は３０℃オーバー！！しかも、なんと今年は２週間も早く夏時間の調整があり、今朝の２時に１時間時間が早く進んでサマータイムに突入！！って考えたらもう夏でもおかしくないですね。しかし朝から清々しかったので、ピットの散歩に行って午前中はジムでトレーニング。午後はスーパーに買い物に行って、そこでばったりBoss Sushiのカズさんに遭遇！！家に戻ってから、NASCAR Nextel Cupのレースを観戦して、今夜の夕飯は家ですき焼きで〜す。

It was a pretty hot day today!! I can't believe it's till march and we are getting over 90F!! Having said that, we have gone into summer time early this morning and we are some what in summer now I suppose.... Since it was a great day, I took Pit to a walk in the AM and went to the gym for some work out. Than went to the grocery store and bumped in to Kaz from Boss Sushi!! Came home and whatched the NASCAR Cup race and just about ready for a Sukiyaki Dinner...what a quick day!!

NASCAR Busch Race

今日は午前中に妻がホット・ヨガをやりに行ってしまったので、自分は家で子供のお守り。ミルクをあげて、さ〜寝たと一安心をしたりまたぐずりまくりで大変でした・・・。でも、子供は可愛いですね〜〜！！ようやく寝かせ付ける事ができたと思い、テレビをつけたら、Las Vegasで行われてるNASCAR BuschのレースがやっていたのでTV観戦。コースの路面を舗装し直したばかりでやけに滑るみたいでクラッシュだらけのレースでした！！

Since my wife went to try out the Hot Yoga this morning, I had to take care of the baby. I gave him milk but for some reason he was not satisfied with it and just couldn't stop crying... I finally got him to sleep and flicked on the TV to whatch the NASCAR Busch race from Vegas. Apparently the track just has been resurfaced and it was slick as an ice link and the race turned out to be a crash fest!!

その中でもLas Vegas出身のBusch兄弟が大活躍！しかもNASCARの面白いルールで、残り１０周の所でフルコーションがでたので、赤旗中断で全車を４コーナーの所で停止。こうする事によって、最後１０周を全力で戦えるからです。やっぱり見に来たお客さんからすると、イエローコーションで終わってしまうレース程、むっとする終わり方はないですからね〜！？！そう考えるとNASCARは本当にエンターテイメント性を考えてますね。ドライバー的にもフルコース・イエローでゴールするより、全速力でレースを終えれる方が気分もいいですしね！！

The race it self was dominated by the Kurt and Kyle Busch bros. NASCAR has a great rule that can stop the race temporarily at the end to avoid full course caution finish. That way it allows the driver to race hard until the finish. It's great for the spectators too because it really is dissapoining to whatch a full course yellow finish. Because of the heating issue, it is hard to implement this rule for the Indy Cars but I really think it can make the race more exiting at the end time to time.

あっと言う間に週末！？！

今日で金曜日。あっと言う間に１週間も終わってしまいましたね！！今日は午前中は色々とチームとコンタクトを取り合ってお仕事。銀行にささっと言って、それから昨日メンテに出した車をピックアップ。家に戻って、LagunaSecaで行われてるChampCarのテストの情報を集めながら、テレビでLasVegasのNASCARのテストを観戦。いや〜しかし、ChampCarは大丈夫かな？？シーズンが始まる前は２０台近くのエントリー予想だったのが、ふたを開いたら今回のテストでは１０台チョイしか、居ない状態・・・。新しい車も格好いいのにもったいないですね〜。ん〜そう考えるとIRLと合併する事がベストなのでは・・・！？！

I can't believe it's already Fri today!! It was a real fast week... Well I must be getting old. Anyhow, in the morning I contacted several teams to find out the latest and went to pick my car up to the car dealer. Than I surfed the net to get the info from the Champ Car test in Laguna while I whatched the NASCAR practice on TV from Las Vegas. Champ Car seems like they are still struggling to field the grid. I guess so far there are only about 10+ cars.... As we all are wishing for, I hope the merger will come through soon with the IRL.

今週末はとくに予定はないので、リラックスかな？？あれれ、そう言えばもう３月中旬に入りますが、東京はけっきょく今年は雪は降らなかったのかな・・・？そうなるとLAでは降ったのに、東京で降ってないなんてモロ異常気象ですね！？！（笑）

Hopefully I will have a relaxing week end. I was wondering if it ever snowed in Tokyo during this winter... It snowed in LA so if it didn't in Tokyo... that really means that we are up to a strange weather!!

車のメンテ

今日は朝起きて車を久しぶりにメンテしにディーラーに持って行きました。ずっとライトのアラームランプがついてるな〜って気になったので持っていたら、フォグランプが切れていたそうです・・・。まっ、LAではフォグランプを使う事はまずないので、いいかなと思いつつ、オイル交換も含めてメンテしてもらいました。ついでに、洗車もしてもらえてラッキー！！

Took my car for a maintenance check today. I had a alarm lamp going for awhile and discored that my fog lamp was out!! Not that you need a fog lamp in LA...but it's good to know that it wasn't anything major. I got a free car wash and a cofee...the dealer service is getting better and better!!

お昼はディーラーの側のサンドウィッチ屋で食べてから家に戻って色々とお仕事。茂木とインディーに向けても色々と資料を作ったりしないと。なんだか、いっぱい花粉が飛んでるのか目がチカチカ・・・。IRLの開幕戦に行くプランニングも少し大変。飛行機代は$900もするではないか〜〜・・・。今回も最後まで粘って最悪の場合はマイレージを使用するしかないですね。ん〜しかし、なんで飛行機代はこんなに高いのかな？？燃料が高いからな？？なんならジェットエンジンもエタノールを使って将来的にはコストダウンにならないかな〜・・・？？そうそう、エタノールと言えば最近はトウモロコシだけではなくて、他のプランとなどからも作る事ができる技術が開発されてるみたいです。トウモロコシだけに頼らずにすめば世界中の需要に応える事ができるようになるかもしれないのですね。

For lunch, I had a sandwich near the car dealer and came home to do some work in order to obtain some sponsorship for the Motegi and Indy race. I was trying to plan everything for the Homestead race and discovered that the air flight fare is over $900!! That's way too much for my budget... I hope that the jet engine's can soon use ethanol for fuel if that will reduce the fuel cost!?! Speaking of ethanol, I have read on the paper today that said ethanol can be made out of most plans and not only from corn starch. If that is the case...I don't think it wil be too long in oreder to supply enough ethanol for the world's demand which will be a good move especially for the environment!!

カイロ

今日はマラソン後の身体をメンテする為にカイロに行ってきました！実はマラソン前日に予約していたカイロが僕の勘違いで２日前だったみたいで、前回は予約をすっぽかしちゃったんです・・・（Jo先生ごめんなさい）。とりあえず、先生に低調に謝りつつ、今日はマラソンで痛めた右太股をみてもらったら、家に戻ってだいぶ楽になりました！！

I went to see my chiropractor today for the after care of my body from the marathon. Actually, I thought I had a reservation day before the marathon which happened to be 2 days before and I ended up skipping the appointment. Sorry Dr.Jo..... Anyhow, after the visit my thigh is almost back to normal condition and I think I am just about ready to do some hard training again.

カイロの帰りには近くのW.LAのイタリアンでパスタを食べて帰宅。赤ちゃんも一緒だったので、６時前にさっとご飯を食べてそのまま帰ってきました。いや〜でも子供ができると本当に生活のリズムが変わりますね〜〜！！前は８時前にご飯を食べる事があり得なかったのに！！でも、いい事ですね！！おっと、噂をすれば赤ちゃんが泣いてるので見てきま〜す！！

After the Dr Visit, I went to dinner to a near by Italian Restaurant in W.LA to miss the traffic. It's a big change in life style when you have a baby because I could have never imagine that I will be eating dinner at 6PM. In a way, as I get older I am going in to a healthier diet which must be good anyways. Well...my baby is crying now so I better go check him out!!

近所で爆弾

今日は昨日メッチャ早く寝てしまった為に、かな〜り早くから目が覚めてしまいました・・・。（笑）もう寝れんと思い、赤ちゃんのオムツを買えたりピットの散歩に行ったりして、午前１０時からは家族の健康保険に関してアドバイザーとのアポに行きました。いや〜しかし保険は高いですね・・・。でも、赤ちゃんの最初の１年は何かとかかりそうなので、ちゃんとしたプランに入らないといけませんからね。

I went to sleep so early last night that I ended up waking up way too early this morning. Since I could not fall a sleep any more, I changed my baby's diaper and plaed with him for a little while and took Pit for a walk. Than I had a 10am meeting with a insurance advisor about our health insurance plan. I think I need something that will cover enough for the baby...although we all hope that he will not be needing it, usually the baby will have a few doctor visits the us adults.

保険屋さんを出てから銀行に行って、その帰りに家に戻ろうとしたら隣の道が閉鎖！しかも、よく見ると警察がいっぱい居て、BombSquad(爆弾検査隊）もいて、どうやら隣のビルに不振な荷物があったのか、爆弾がある疑惑があったみたいで大騒ぎ。けょきょく何もなかったみたいで、終わりましたがでもある意味怖いですね・・・。まっ、何も怒らす一安心。

After the meeting, I went to the bank to deposit some money. While walking back to my house...the next street was closed due to a speculation of bomb in a building. Obviously the bomb squad was there but I guess there was nothing in the building that was harmful and the street did clear up pretty quickly. We are all relieved to hear that the zone was safe....but it's pretty scary to think about a possible bomb in your neighborhood!?!

リカバリーモード

今日は昨日のマラソンからリカバリーモードです。マラソン中に痛めて太股の回復の為に午前中は家でリラックス。午後から色々とPCでお仕事。あっと言う間に３月になってしまい、茂木やIndy500までもうチョイですもんね！！しかも、開幕戦に行くプランを立てようと思って、飛行機の値段を調べると激高！！ん〜今回もマイレージを使って行く事になりそう・・・。

Today was a recovery day from yesterday's marathon. My thigh is still in pain but it is much better now. In the PM, I started to check the price for the Miami flight to attend to the season opener. I was suprised with the price of the flight ticket...it costs me more to fly to MIA than Tokyo!! I guess I am going to have to use up my mileage for that ticket...

今夜は久しぶりにLA応援団長のカズさんが勤めるBoss Sushiに行こうと思います。お寿司を食べるのも久しぶりだから楽しみです！！今夜は美味しいお寿司をガッツリ食べて、早く回復して明日からまた猛トレーニングですね！！

Tonight I am off to Boss Sushi one of my favourite sushi joint where my friend Kaz works at. I haven't had sushi for a while so I am looking forward to it!! Hopefully, it's going to help me recover faster to get back in to my training mode for the race!!

マラソン完走

今日はLAマラソンの日です！朝は４時半に起きて、まずはユックリ入浴。それからフルーツをどっさり食べてクロワッサンを食べ、ピットを散歩に連れて行ってから、スタート地点へ出発。家の下の地下鉄の駅からUniversal Studioに行き、スタート地点で１時間待機。完璧な状況でスタート準備が整いました。しか〜し、去年は途中で何回もトイレに行きたくなってしまったので、今回はレース３０分前にしっかりすませておきました！！そして、８時３６分にマラソンスタート！！

It's marathon day today and got up at 4:30am. I took a lengthy bath, had loads of fruit with a croissant for breakfast, took Pit for a walk...than off to Universal Studio where the starting point is. Got there plenty early and had to wait there for about a 1hr. Made sure to go to the toilet just before the start since I had to stop several times last year for that. And at 8:36AM, the race began!!

今年も多くのランナーが参加しているので（凡そ４万人）、スタート直後の１kmはほとんど障害物競走。１kmを超えた時点でようやくマイペースで走れると思ったら、突然後ろから“ロジャー”って声をかけられて、こんな所で誰やねん・・・って思ったら、毎年LAマラソンに出走している米HONDAの高見さんでした！（笑）かるくご挨拶をして、そのままマイペースで走り続け、気がついたらあっと言う間にHollywoodに到着。今日はメチャメチャペースがいいじゃんって気分はノリノリでした。昨晩から少し足首の痛みが気にはなっていましたが、最初の１０kは50分を切るペース、ハーフは１時間50分前後・・・、３０km地点でも２時間４0分くらいで到達していたと思うので、これは余裕で４時間を切れるな〜と思っていました！！

As like every year, there were plenty of people running the marathon today(Approx 40,000). Therefore, the first 1km will be almost as tyring to pass all the walkers. As I just got through with running at my steady pace, I bumped in to Mr.Takami from American Honda!! He also runs the marathon every year and it was great to see him!! I had a great pace going at early stages and when I realized, I was already passed Hollywood just in several minutes... My first 10km was done in approx 45min, Half at 1hr 45min, and 30km at well below 2hr 45 min. I was sure that I was going to make it under 4hr!!

が３０kmを超えた瞬間、突然の悪夢・・・。いきなり右太股の筋肉がつってしまい、急遽ストレッチの為にストップ。軽くストレッチをして、改めて走り始めようと思いましたが、太股の筋肉はつったままで走りたくても走れず・・・。が、ここで諦めたら男じゃない！！なんとか、足を引きづりながら歩き続け、太股の筋肉が解されてきた時点でまたランニング再開。とは言っても５km以上は歩いてしまったので、タイムも大幅にロス。本当に残念・・・。マラソンはやはり３０kmからですね〜。でも、いじでも去年の記録を更新しようと最後は気合いで走り（止まる様な速度で・・・）最終的には４時間２５分くらいでした。まっ、去年よりは４分くらい速かったからよしとするかな〜〜？！？でも、３０kmまでは本当に良いペースだったので残念です。来年はまたリベンジだな！！

Unfortunately, as I got passed the 30km mark, I ended up pulling my right thigh mussle and was in real pain. I had to stop to strech out my muscle but had to walk for over 5km to be able to run again. I was gutted since my pace was really good until that point. However, we all know that the last 10km is the most hard and painful part of the marathon.... At that point, I figured the leat I have to do is do a better time than last year. I crossed the line 4min better than my previous run and I had done 26.2miles in 4hr and 25min!! I am coming back next year to get under 4hr!!

しかし、色々と考えると今年のコースは去年のコースより過酷だったのかな・・・？タイムを見ていても皆かなり落ちてるし・・・。そう考えたらまだ良い方かな？？ってプラス思考に考えさせて頂きます！！（笑）それより、今日メキシコで行われたNASCAR BuschのレースでJuan Pabloが勝ちましたね〜！！さすが、元F１ドライバー！！余裕とはまでいいませんが、Juan Pablo的には他のドライバーは“out of 眼中”だったのでは！？！

Looking at the result. I think this year's course was a bit tougher... since most people did slow down compare to last year's time. Well...that will make me feel better at least. By the way, Juan Pablo ended up sweeping the field in Mexico today for the NASCAR Busch race!! It was obvious that he was going to be quick but I think that turned a lot of attention from the US NASCAR fans to look at open wheel drivers!!!

いよいよ明日はマラソン

今日は起きてからピットをグルーマーへ連れて行き、洗ってもらいました。ピットもすっきりして帰宅。ランチはガーデナの喫茶店でカレーライス。意外と美味しかったのでビックリ！！明日はマラソンで家の側のゴールラインでは着々と準備が進んでます。ゴールラインでは無料でマッサージをしてくれたり、色んな出店があったりするのでそのテントをはったりしています。

Took my dog "Pit" to the groomer today since it's been a month since I last washed him. Than went to Gardena to have lunch. I had curry for lunch and it was actually pretty good!! As I came home, the streets were getting shut down for tomorrow's marathon where they provide free massage as well as setting up tents for the vendors.

いよいよ２回目のマラソン。今日は家でリラックスして明日の朝に備えて早目に寝ないと・・・。明日は６時半頃に出発なので、４時頃には起きないと！去年は走ってる途中にトイレに行きたくなってしまったので、今年は早目に起きてトイレコントロールをしないと！！ある意味レースの体調管理と一緒ですからね！！（笑）では、明日のマラソン頑張ります！！

For my 2nd marathon, I must prepare my self just like a race. I need to get to bed early, get up early, and I need to make sure that I get down with using the bathroom before the start of the race since I ended up losing some time last year for going to the toilet. Well, I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow and I am looking forward for a good run!!

週末はLAマラソン

今週末はLAマラソンです。それに向けて今日は２０kmのランニング。午後はコンベンションセンターに行って、受付もすませてきました。本当はスタート地点がUniversalStudioに移動して面倒だからやめようかと思っていましたが、冷静に考えたら地下鉄ですぐにスタート地点まで行けて、ゴールは家の近所なので出走する事に決めました。

Since there is LA marathon this sunday, I went for 20km run today. Than I went to the convention center to do my registration for the marathon. I wasn't going to run this year until I found out that getting to universal studio was no brainer with subway. And the finish line is just a block away from my house I figured I should give it another try!!

最近は走り込んでて、少し足首の痛みもありますが、今年もがっつり走ります。去年は３０kmの地点からちょっと歩いちゃったので・・・、今年は去年得た経験をいかしてタイムアップできるように頑張ります！！しかし、去年のマラソンから早１年。ビックリですね〜〜！！明日はカイロに行って足腰のフルチューンアップを行ってこないと！！（笑）

Although my ankle is still in some pain when I go for long runs... I will do me best this week end. Last year everything was going well until the 30km point, than it went sour after when my ankle started to hurt really bad. Hopefully I can reduce my time from last year by not stopping!! I am off to chiropractic tomorrow to give my body a full tune up to be 100% ready for the marathon!!

あっと言う間に３月

今日でもう３月ですね〜。年が明けてから既に２ヶ月が経ってる事に驚き！！年々時間が経つのは本当に早くなってきますね〜〜！！ん〜とくに年をとったな〜って思うのが、コンピューターのワイヤレス・マウスの電池がなくなった時・・・。あれ、つい最近取り替えたばかりなのに、も〜ないのかよ〜〜って思いつつ、最後に取り替えたのは実は３ヶ月くらい前なんですよね！？！

I can't believe it's already March. That means 2 months have been passed by since the new year...obviously!?! I feel like getting old especially when I'm changing the batteries of my wireless mouse for my PC. I would always think..."gosh I just changed this couple of weeks a go", but realize that it has been almost 3 month when I last changed them.

今日はジムで５km軽くながしのランニングで終了。あと１０分くらい走ろうかなと思いつつ、急に腹痛に襲われジムから部屋まではダッシュでした！？！（笑）今夜は妻が友達と会食に行くので一人で赤ちゃんのお守り・・・。ん〜グッスリ寝てるといいけど。でも、毎日一緒に居られるのも今のうちだし、茂木やインディーの時期になったら大忙しだから今のうちに色々と一緒に居てあげようっと！！

Went to the gym as usual but after 5km of running, my stomach started to ache so I came home and relaxed for he whole afternoon. My wife is going out to dinner tonight with her friend and I will be looking after the baby by my self tonight... Having said that, I guess it will get busy in couple of weeks with all the travel and now would be the best time to dedicate my time towards him!!

眠ッ・・・。

昨晩は赤ちゃんの期限が悪かったのか、ずっと泣いたり起きてたりでやや睡眠不足です・・・。ん〜眠いです。ここへきて、子育ての大変さを改めて実感。でも、本当に赤ちゃんは大きくなったな〜〜！いつのまにか家のピットやマリモ（猫）よりも重くなってるから長時間ダッコしていると腰にきますね〜！？！

The baby was up crying almost all night and didn't get as much sleep as I wanted... Tough night...but I'm sure things will just get better as time passes. Having said all that, the baby is getting bigger every day and he weighs more than our dog & cat now!!

そうそう、話はぜんぜん変わりますが、Nintendo DSのMario Kartで最近はタイムアタックにはまってます。つい最近ファンメールを頂いて、そこの息子さんはマリオが琢磨でルイジが僕だそうです。ついでに、ピーチはダニカで、ヨッシーは緑だからカナーン、今まで自分もずっと使っていたキャラのワリオはエリオだそうです！子供の発想って面白いですよね〜！！が、そのアドバイスを聞いて早速ルイジを使って猛特訓！！すると、な〜んとルイジを使うとどんどんコースレコードを更新！！アドバイスありがとうございました！！！

I have been playing the Nintendo DS Mario Kart lately when I go to the bathroom and trying to break the track record in the time attack mode. I just recieved and fan mail several days a go stating that their kid is playing Mario Kart as if Mario was Takuma Sato, Luigi will be me, Peach as Danika, Yoshi as Tony Kanaan and Wario as Helio. It's amazing what kid has in mind but I took that advice and played the game using Luigi. Suprisingly, I started to break all the track record using Luigi and it happened to be the best character that fits my style!! I guess I have to thank the fan as always for such a great advice!!!

ニューシューズ

今日は新しくゲットしたスニーカーでランニング。お店に行って色々と試してもらい、軽くデモランまでさせてもらいました！！選んだのはASICSのGEL-Ohana Racer！ついでに、靴下もゲット！ASICS製のKAYANOモデルの靴下ですが、これが履き心地が最高！！今日は１５kmのランニングをしましたが、足が軽くなった感じで絶好調です！！

I went and bought a new sneaker yesterday. I ended up trying several different models but I decided on the ASICS GEL-Ohana Racer. It's light and confy!! I also got some socks made by ASICS and they are fantastic too!! I went running with them today for 15km and my legs didn't even get tired!!

夕方はスーパーに行って、夕飯の食材をゲットして、その後は３月の予定のプランニング。Indyの開幕戦に行ったり、Las Vegasで行われるNASCARのレースにも行こうと検討中。色々とドタバタしそうですが、早目に予定を決めないと飛行機代も高くなっちゃうし・・・。しかし、昨晩からLAもまた寒くなりましたが、日本はまだ寒いのかな？！？

In the PM..went to the supermarket to buy some grocery and came home to do some work. I need to plan things out for March for all the trips before the flight fare goes up. I am thinking to go to the IRL season opener as well as the NASCAR race in Vegas!! It's pretty chilly here in LA... I hope it get's warmer...

零戦

今日は雑誌の企画で、子供の頃に住んでいたLAから１時間くらいした所のChinoHillsにある、Planes Of Fameと言う戦闘機がたくさん置いてあるミュージアムに行ってきました。今日の一番の目的は零戦を撮影する事。ここに置いてある零戦は未だエアーショー等では使われてるみたいで、実際に映画Pearl Harbourでは使われたみたいです。零戦の他にも桜花などもおいてあり、ん〜格好いいですね！！でも、歴史を感じますね！！でも、当時の戦闘機の乗るにはかなり根性が必要だなと改めて思いました・・・。

Went to the Planes of Fame in Chino Hills today to see the Zero Fighterjet. It definately is the coolest fighterjet during the WW2 and I think it it one of the only one that still is in good condition and been used for airshows. The plane we saw today was actually used in the movie Pearl Harbour!! Although it probably was the most high tech plane at that time...looking at it now, it must take a lot of balls to fly those plane!!

Planes Of Fame入り口

零戦はやっぱり格好いいですね〜〜！！

Suicidle Planeと言われた桜花

ピットのいたずら・・・。

今日は日曜日。最近は完全に老人生活で、早寝早起き！！まっ、いい事ですね〜！！まずは、ピットの散歩。それからジムで２５kmのランニング。さすがに、ハーフを走ると足腰にきますね〜〜。でも、スッキリ。ランチは妻と赤ちゃんを連れて、サンドウィッチを食べに行き、帰りに赤ちゃんの洋服をチラ見して帰ってきました。

Living like an old man lately sleeping and getting up early. Took Pit for a walk and than off to gym today for 25km run. As soon as you reach the half marathon distance, it really gets your legs. For lunch, I took my wife and the baby to eat salad & sandwich in BH than on the way home we stopped by Fred Segal for some baby clothing.

帰ってきたら、デスクの上にピットがよじ上っていたずらをした形跡が・・・。昨日はハイチュウをベッドまで運んで、その前は竹の子の里を食べて・・・、最近は赤ちゃんばかり相手にしてるのか少し犯行気味です！が、一番困るのが、PCの上に乗ってキーボードを色々とピコピコ押してる事です。間違えて誰かにメールを送ってないか少し心配！？！（笑）

Got home and found out that Pit has been playing on my desk. I hope he didn't send any weird e-mails to anyone... I suppose he really wants to get more attention since we have been giving full attention to our baby.

そうそう、今夜はOSCAR賞です。そう言えば最近見た映画と言えば飛行機の中でBABELを見ました。ハリウッド的には評価の高い映画ですが、個人的には“ウ〜ン”っていまいち納得のいけない内容・・・。今夜ハリウッド近辺はアフターパーティー等で大盛り上がりになると思います。

It's the Oscar night tonight. Speaking of movies... I whatched Babel on the plane and I had some mix feelings about that movies. The hollywood critics gives that movie high remarks...but it wasn't great as I expected to be. Well so much for the movies, Hollywood will be busy tonight with all the after parties!!

Fonataでミーティング

今日も早起きしてピットの散歩。それから午前中にフォンタナに行って、NASCARの視察をかるくしつつ、ミーティング。色々とアドバイスを受けたり、今後の活動に少し協力してもらえそうな感じなので、行っといて良かった。が、帰り道はなんでか渋滞・・・。久しぶりのドライブだったのでちょっとイライラ！？！

Got up in the morning and took my dog to walk. Than off to Fontata to see visit the NASCAR garage as well as meeting several people. I might be able to get some help and advice and it was definately worth a trip today. However, the traffic was pretty bad coming home and the drive was a bit frustrating...

家に戻ってきて、今日はリラックス。そうそう、そろそろ税金申告の書類を用意しないとと思い、レシートの整理などなど・・・。これが面倒なんですよね〜〜。まっ仕方ないかな！？！夜は家でかき揚げ丼で〜す！！そう言えばBuschのレースでトヨタがポールと取ったみたいですね！！

Got back home and worked on my tax filing for the rest of the PM. It's that time of the year...organizing the reciept and trying to figure out why I ended up spending so much money!?! Can't wait for dinner now since I haven't eaten much all day!! Oh by the way, it looks like Toyota is on the pole for tonight's Busch race!!

久しぶりのカイロプタクティック

昨晩は久しぶりの外食で、家に戻ってきて１２時前にはグッスリ！？！朝は早めに起きたので早朝から赤ちゃんのオムツの交換。午前中はインディーのチーム等とコンタクトをとってお昼前にはジムに行って１０kmのランニング。午後になったら久しぶりにカイロプタクティックに行ってきました！最近はずっと走り込んでるので身体のチューンアップをこなしてきました！？！でも、やっぱり久しぶりに行くと身体の調子がいいですね〜〜！！車のメンテと一緒ですね・・・。（笑）

Went out to dinner last night and was a sleep by midnight. Got up early and started to change my baby's diaper. Worked a little bit in the morning and went to the gym for a 10km run. In the PM, I went to see my chiropractor who I have not seen for a while. Since I have been running quite a bit lately, I thought it would be just about time to see him and get all my body fixed up!?!

カイロが終わってからあまりにもお腹がすいていたので、小腹を満たす為にBeard Papa's（そうです、LAにもお店があるんです！）のシュークリームをがっついちゃいました。久しぶりに食べるシュークリームは美味しいですね〜。さてさて、明日はフォンタナに行って、NASCARをかるく視察に行こうかなと思ってる所です。

After Chiro...I was a bit hungry so I stopped by Beard Papa's where they have the world greatest Cream Puffs. They have originated in Japan but have several stores in US. It really is a must try!! Well... I think I will be going to Fontana tomorrow to see the NASCAR race. It will be interesting to see how much people there will be over the week end.

赤ちゃんの一ヶ月検診

今日は午前中は赤ちゃんを小児科に連れて行って、一ヶ月検診をしてもらいました。ベイビーちゃんは元気に育ってるみたいで、小さく産まれたのに既にアメリカ人の赤ちゃんの平均の大きさまで育ってるみたいです！！それを聞いて一安心。が、色々と妻が入ってる保険から赤ちゃんも入れる保険に移動したりでその手配で午前中はドタバタ・・・。

Took my baby to the first month check up at the hospital. Although he was born tiny...he is growing very well and he is up to an average size of an American baby, which I was really relieved to hear about!! However, since it's been a month now..I have to change the insurance plan for my wife that includes the baby which is going to cost me more....

午後はジムにいって１５kmのランニング。家に戻ってからは今週末CaliforniaSpeedwayで行われるNASCAR Buschのレースを視察に行くプラン等々、なんだか忙しい一日でした。今夜は赤ちゃんも連れて家族でレストランデビューをしようと思います。ようやく１ヶ月も経って、赤ちゃんを外に連れ出していいと先生にOKをもらったので、早速チャレンジ。が、ご飯途中に泣き出したりしないか心配・・・。ではでは、久しぶりの外食を堪能してきま〜す！！（笑）

Right after lunch, I went to the gym for 15km run and back home to organize a plan for this week end to attend the Busch race that is held in California Speedway. With all the plannings...the day went by really fast. Tonight will be the debut night as a family to dine out with the baby. Since it's been a month now, my wife and I decided to take the baby out to dinner!! Ofcourse we will be eating all the good stuff!?! I hope the baby is not going to cry during middle of the dinner...but I'm sure it will happen at one point. Nevertheless, I am really looking forward for the dinner!!

あっと言う間に一ヶ月

今日も早目に起きて午前中にジムで筋トレ。昨晩はグッスリ寝れたので朝からスッキリでした。赤ちゃんも産まれてから早１ヶ月！今までは１時間おきに起きてたのが、ここ２〜３日は３時間はグッスリ寝てくれるから身体の調子も絶好調です！！いや〜しかし、あっと言う間に産まれてから１ヶ月たったな〜。新生児用の洋服やおむつがあっと言う間にきつくなってきたし。赤ちゃんの成長には驚きですね！！

Got up in the morning and went straight to the gym for some weight training. Since it's been almost a month now since the baby is born, he is waking up every 3hrs instead of every hour which allow us to get deeper sleep during the night. The baby is doing really well and I am amaze to see him grow rapidly! All the newborn clothing and diapers are getting tight and I think he is almost ready for the next size!!

そうそう、午後に家を出た時にな〜んとピットがいたずらをして、机の上に置いてあった竹の子の里をがっつり食べちゃいました！！最近はあまりかまってあげれてないから、軽い嫌がらせかな・・・？！？アピッてることは間違いないですね！！（笑）でも、竹の子の里は美味しいから、気持ちはわからないではないな・・・。

Meanwhile, my dog Pit is trying to get some attention lately. While I was out, he climbed on to the table and ate the chocolate that I got from my wife... I am a bit worried since chocolate may make him to hyper all night with all the sugars and cacao... Well I don't blame Pit for mooching on the chocolate because it's a great snack!?!

Indy Pro Series オープンテスト

今日はジムで２０km近くのランニング。身体の調子は絶好調ですね〜！！午後からはまた赤ちゃんをチェックアップに連れて行ってその帰りにスーパーで食料品をゲット。日中は色々と合間を縫ってIndy Pro Seriesのテストをライブタイミングでチェック。今年からパンサー・レーシングで武藤　英記が参戦してます。英記は子供の頃から知っていて、弟のようにかわいがってるドライバーなのでぜひ良い成績を残してもらいたいなと思います。

Got up in the moring and went to the gym for 20km run today. I have been steadily picking up the pace and doing really well!! Than off to a check up for my baby for the cirumsision surgery he had last week. Got home and checked on the Indy Pro Series test results. My buddy Hideki Mutoh is running for Panther Racing this year and I hope he does well this season since he is like a younger bro to me!!

テストの結果を見たら英記が最終ラップのトップタイムをだして終了。さすが、パンサー・レーシングで準備やテストをしっかりこなして入ってきてるので滑り出しは良さそうですね。後はオーバル経験だけかな・・・？でも、今年のIndy Proのエントリーリストを見ると、SamSchmidtで走るAlex Lloyd以外はそんなにオーバル経験がないので英記も頑張ればチャンピオン狙えそうですね〜。そうそう、イタリアのカート時代からの友達でCheever Racingから参戦するRichard Antinucci（以前は全日本F3にも参戦）もいたり、けっこう面白いシーズンになりそうですね〜。明日からはIndyのテスと。ん〜現場に見に行きたいんだけど、行ったら行ったで身体がムズムズしそう・・・！？！

Hideki actually ended up quickest today! No suprise with Panther Racing with their preparation coming in to this event. I think he will need to learn a bit on oval racing/drfating but I am sure he will do just fine. I suppose Alex Lloyd who is driving for Sam Schmidt will be his biggest competition. I was also suprised to see Richard Antinucci who I have raced against in Karts in Italy is driving for Cheever Racing. I am sure Indy Pro Series will be a competetive season this year. Well... it will be interesting to see how the Indy Car does tomorrow.

President's Day

今日はPresident's Dayで休日。ほとんどの会社も休みなのでオフィッス街の家の近所は静かです。昨日の夜から降っていた雨も午前中でやんで、なんとか朝ピットをぬれずに散歩に連れて行く事ができました。朝ご飯を食べてからジム。今日も１０kmのランニング。最近は身体の調子が絶好調ですね！！

Since it's President's Day today and my apt is surronded by office builduings...it's pretty quite around my place. It also stopped raining just in time for my dog's walk so I was able to take him out with out both of us getting wet. Than off to the gym for another 10km run.

ジムから戻ってきて家で色々と作業。今日はほとんどのチームもお休みか、インディー系だとホームステッドのテストに向けて移動中なので、チームとのコンタクトはほとんどなし。そうそう、昨日で赤ちゃんが産まれて１ヶ月です。もう、そろそろ外に出し始めてもいい頃かなって感じです。赤ちゃんを産んだ周りの友達からは、外食したりするのは今がチャンスだから今のうちに行った方がいいよと言われ、妻とそうだな〜って検討中。しかしながら、意外と座敷とかないと大変ですよね〜・・・。座敷だと和食に限られちゃうし・・・、LAに座敷のある和食レストランはすくないからな〜〜・・・。ん〜そう考えるとぜひぜひ、座敷＆個室のある紅月LosAngeles店を作って欲しいな〜〜！！

After the gym, back to a little bit of desk work, although most of the teams are taking days off or travelling to Homestead for open test so not so much talking over the phone today. Since it's been a month since my baby was born, my wife and I started to chat about going out for dinner since all of our friends with baby tells us that now is the only timing to have peacefull dine out... which I can picture what will happen in couple of months. However, it would be much easier to go to a Japanese Restaurant that has Tatami room so we can lay the baby on the tatami floor using a cushion. After all that thought...I figured it would be awesome if there is a Kougetsuin LA with Tatami/Private room. It would definately be a hip to all the celebs here in US. By the way...for those of you who live in Macau... Kougetsuwill be opening at the Venetian soon!!

Daytona500

今日は日曜日。朝起きてピットの散歩。そのまま、ジムに行ってランニングをしながらデイトナ５００をTVで観戦。今年のNASCARの初戦で色々と面白そうな内容があります。正式には去年の最終戦にNEXTEL CUPにはデビューしてますが、JuanPabloMontoyaの初戦、トヨタのデビューレース等・・・。しかし、予選後にトヨタのエースでもあるMichaelWaltripがルール違反で失格になったり、その他のドライバーも色々とつっつかれたり、NASCARもかなり厳しくなってるみたいです。

Since it's Sunday, I slept in until 9am and went to walk my doggy. Than off to the gym for a long run while whatching the Daytona 500 on TV. Thi year's Daytona 500 is quite interesting with addition of Juan Pablo Montoya as well as the Toyota 's in the field. However, Toyota seems to be struggling still and the diqualification of Michael Waltrp has certainly stirred a lot of talks in the paddock. I assume NASCAR is getting really strict with monitoring the cars.

レース前のトピックとして意外と面白いな〜と思ったのが、オールアメリカンレース・・・ってイメージのNASCARですが、トヨタ・カムリ以外の車は（Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Dodge Charger)はカナダやメキシコの工場で生産されてるみたいで、本当にアメ車はトヨタ・カムリだけだとアナウンサーが指摘してました・・・！？！（笑）レースはKevin Harvickの優勝。大ベテランで半引退済みのMark Martinが２位。Kevin Harvickはカリフォルニア州の出身で、カート場で良くあいました。彼の方が一つ上のカテゴリーで走っていたので一緒にレースをする事はありませんでしたが。JuanPabloは１９位。初戦としてはボチボチだったのではと思います。いや〜でも、レースを見ていたら難しいレースだと思いますが、あの団子の中に一緒に入って勝負したいな〜ってとことん思うレースですね！！早い所いっかい乗ってみたいですね〜〜、NASCARの車に！！

It was pretty funny when the announcer actually pointed out that Toyota Camry's are the only american made car in the field since other manufactures cars are made either in Canada or Mexico.... Nevertheless, the race was won by Kevin Harvick who I used to whatch him race in So Cal. I never raced against him in the same category but he was definately one of the driver that I would look up to. As for Juan Pablo...I guess 19th is not bad of a start. The race looks a lot more difficutl than it appears in terms of stratigics and skills...but I would love to have a chance to drive and race the NASCAR in the very near future!!

３連休

昨日は１時頃に寝てしまい、今朝は４時頃に目が覚めてしまいました。ちょうど赤ちゃんが起きていたので、１時間近く赤ちゃんをダッコしてから２度寝。午前中は１１時頃からまた赤ちゃんの検診があったので病院に行き、その帰りにサンドウィッチを食べて帰宅。Alhambraと言う街にある、LOVEBIRDと言う人気のサンドウィッチ店をチャレンジ。そこのReubenサンドの美味しさにビックリ！！これは発見ですね！！

Last night, I went to bed at 11pm...therefore I ended up waking up at 4am when my baby was up and I was trying to get him back to sleep again for 1hr. When he finally fell a sleep, I went back to bed for couple of hours. Than I had to take the baby for a check up again, and on the way home we decided to eat lunch at this popular sandwich place in Alhambra. The place is called LOVEBIRD and their Reuben Sand was phenomenal!! It's definately must try!!

来週の月曜はPresident'sDayで休日なので今週末は３連休です。なんだか、朝から静かだな〜って思いました。でも、デイトナが終わって日本に帰ってかなりドタバタしていたので、なんだか今週末はユックリできそう。あ〜久しぶりに友達とゴルフに行きたいなと思う今日この頃・・・。

Since it's a President's Day weekend...the city is pretty quite. However, it worked out pretty good for me to have relaxing time after the race at Daytona and coming back from Japan. I haven't played golf for a while...and I hope I can find some time to get back to the course again!!

LAの地下鉄

今日は産まれて始めてLAで地下鉄に乗りました！って、言っても駅は家の真下にあるんですけどね・・・。（笑）もともと、家のアパートも駅ビルだったらしく、本当に家の地下に駅があるのです。今日は昼過ぎにUniversal Studioの前にオフィッスを構える知人にインディー５００へ向けてのスポンサー探し協力でミーティングがありました。今日は金曜日だし、夕方は道が混みそうだから地下鉄の方が便利かなと思って乗る事にしました。

First time ever in my life, I got on the Metro today in LA. The Pershing Square station is actually right below my apartment and it is really convenient. Matter of fact, my apartment builduing used to be a metro station building. I decided to catch the metro since I had a meeting at Universal Studio today and I figured that would be the best way to avoid the Fri traffic.

まず、驚いたのは意外と駅が奇麗なこと。が、メチャメチャ殺風景。駅構内や電車の中には広告がなく、ましては駅員さんや改札口もありません！！いちおう、ホームに降りる手前に切符を購入する機械はありますが、ただ乗りもできちゃう勢いですね。実際に誰もチェックしにこなかったし・・・。家からUniversal Studioまでは約２５分。RedLineに乗って行かなくてはいけないのですが、Hollywood方向は途中で２つに別れる路線があって最初は間違った方に乗っちゃいました！！ん〜東京的に言うなら、丸ノ内線で荻窪に行きたかったのに、間違えて中野坂上行きに乗っちゃった〜って感じですね！！（笑）途中で気がついたので電車を乗り換えて無事にミーティングに到着。帰りも渋滞に巻き込まれずすんだので、スムーズに帰宅。ん〜LAの地下鉄も悪くないですね！！

I am used to the Japanese trains and subways where there is a lot of ad in the train and the station platform. Instead here in LA...it's all plane. I was really suprised with some what self service ticket purchase. You could almost ride for free...since there is no gate nor people checking for tickets when you ride. I guess they some time monitor the people time to time... Since it was my first time... I just hopped on to a train that was headed towards Hollywood but I didn't realize I was on the wrong one until I found out that there were two destinations on Red Line. Luckily I figured that out on time and made to the meeting. Everything went well during the meeting and came back home with out any traffic. I guess the metro is not a bad way to get around in LA especially if you live in Downtown.

MDX

今日は朝起きて久しぶりにスッキリ寝れた感じ！ピットを散歩に連れつつ、ご近所さんと立ち話。家に戻ってフルーツを食パンを朝食に食べてからジムに行って１０kmのランニング。やっぱりしっかり寝るとパワーも出ますね〜〜！！そうそう、そしてついに２００５年から乗っていたHONDAからかりているMDXの返却日がやってきてしまいました・・・。（泣）メチャメチャお気に入りなので返すのが寂しいっす〜〜・・・。でも、長い間MDXを貸してくれていたHONDAさんに感謝しないと！いや〜でも、MDXは本当にいい車です。新しいMDXはさらにレベルアップしてるし。かなりお薦めの車ですよ〜〜！！

Got up in the morning and after a good night sleep I felt well refreshed since I haven't got one of those for a while. Went to a walk with my dog and had a lengthy chat with my neighbor. Than had a slice of toast and fruits for breakfast and off to the gym for 10km run. When I got back...I realized that the return date for the Honda loan car was due pretty soon. I have been driving that MDX since 2005 and it is a fantastic car!! I am really in love with that car and I will miss it for sure...however, I should be thankful for Honda for lending me the car and I certainly would recomend everyone to consider getting the MDX if you are looking for a SUV since the new model is even better!!

これから病院に行って赤ちゃんの検診です。今まではダイアリーは夕方ご飯前に書いていたのですが、最近は妻が食事の用意中は自分が赤ちゃんを見てないといけないので、アップの時間を変えないとって感じです・・・。子供にずっとかまってばっかりにピットがちょっとジェラってる感じです！？！（笑）いや〜平等に愛情を配るのは大変ですね・・・。

I have to take the baby for a check up again. I have been updating my diary before dinner but I have to do this in the afternoon so I can look after the baby while my wife prepares the dinner. Meanwhile. my dog "Pit" has been really quite and I think he is showing a bit of jelousy not getting any attention lately. I guess it's always tough to give equal love...

やや時差ボケ・・・？

昨日は予想通りに赤ちゃんが１時間おきに起床。今回は赤ちゃん時間での時差ボケって感じですね！？！（笑）午前中はジムでトレーニング。寝不足か時差ボケのせいでいまいちパワーがでない・・・。家に戻ってきて午後は家で仕事。日本に居る１週間分のメールのリスポンス。かなり大忙しです。

With no suprise...the baby was getting up every hour last night. So much for jetlag...!?! In the AM, I decided to go to the gym, but without good night sleep, I felt pretty tired. Got back home and worked for couple of hours catching up e-mails.

今日はバレンタインですね〜。日本だとバレンタインは女の子が好きな男子にチョコをあげて告白するってイメージが強いですが、こっちではお互いに感謝しあう日って感じですね。が、今夜の夕飯は妻にパスタを作ってもらいます！！（笑）そうそう、チョコと言えばこの間テレビでやってましたが、チョコとブルーチーズを一緒に食べると美味しいらしいですよ！！お酒のおつまみにトライしてみよう。

Since it's Valentine's Day today, my wife will be cooking pasta for me. I guess it more of a day to appreciate each other...but in Japan it's a day where the girl has to give much more than the boys. I should say it's more of an event that allows the girls to confess to the boys that they like. By the way, speaking of Valentine's Day, and chocolate, I was whatching a TV show last week in Japan, kind of like a gourmet show and they were eating Chocolate and Blue Cheese which is supposed to be really good together. I guess it will match well with the wine too...

無事に帰宅

昨日のフライトで日本を出発して、今朝LosAngelesに戻ってきました。フライトは９時間くらいで予定時刻よりは早く着きましたが、機内ではあまり寝れなくて家に戻ってきました。家について赤ちゃんが見るのが楽しみでした。予想通りわずか１週間で赤ちゃんは成長してました！！１週間前にきていたユルユルな洋服がピッタリなくらい！！想定以上に成長のスピードは早いかもしれませんね〜。これこそ“小さく産んで、大きく育つ”って事ですかね？？

Got on the plane last night out of Narita...but could not fall a sleep during the flight. Luckily the flight was only 9hr and landed a bit earlier than expected. I was looking forward to getting home and seeing my baby. He definately have grown quite a bit just in 1 week!! He is definately bigger and stronger...and much louder when he cries!! Anyhow, I am relieved to see him doing well.

今日は日本でドタバタしてたぶんも、少しリラックスしてリカバリーモードに入ろうと思っていましたが、それもつかの間・・・。帰ってきて早々、赤ちゃんのオムツ替え。ま〜１週間も子育てを放棄していたので居る時はしっかりやらないと！！が、３０分〜１時間おきに起きるのでリラックスしてる暇もなくあっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。夜はユックリ寝れるといいけど・・・。

I was hoping to relax during the afternoon today to recover from the hectic trip...however, my son was pretty active this afternoon and I had no time to relax. Since I was not able to do anything with my baby this past week, I have changed diapers and at least attempted to put him to a sleep which definately was not too succesful... Nevertheless I don't even feel tired when I see him smile!! Well...I hope he will sleep well tonight because I needed it for sure.

Final Day in Tokyo

今日は日本で最終日。今日はスーパーハードスケジュールでした！まずは、午後のハードスケジュールに備えて午前中はエアープレス上野へ行って、酸素カプセルに２時間近くたっぴり入って、疲労回復。やっぱり酸素カプセルに入ると違いますね〜〜！！カプセルに入る前にもしっかり、O2 Styleを水に入れて酸素を注入！！ベストな体制で午後から挨拶回り。今日は西麻布近辺で３件のミーティング＆挨拶回り！！

Since it was my final day in Tokyo, it really was a busy day for me. To recover from the hectic schedule and prepare for a busy day, I have decided to go to AirPress Ueno to get oxygen treatment in the air capsule. It really makes you feel better after the treatment and even after a busy day today...I am still good to go at 2:00am!! Considering having a flat out meeting for the whole afternoon... I really think that oxygen capsule do work for extra energy!!

夜は紅月で、デイトナ２４時間でも応援して頂いた紅月の高橋会長とDokyun.jpの加藤社長と会食！紅月の豚シャブは何時も通りに絶品！！最近は妻と鍋ブームになってるなか、自分だけ美味しい鍋を堪能するのも少し気まずいなかしっかり美味しくいただきました！！が・・・、そうだ紅月でポン酢を少し頂戴できないかとお願いするのを忘れた〜〜〜！？！最近のマイブームはポン酢で美味しいポン酢にこだわってるんですよ・・・。そんなこんなで、今は家に戻って明日の帰宅の準備。明日は午前中にミーティングがあるので少し忙しくなりそう・・・。でも何よりも赤ちゃんに会うのが楽しみですね！！

I had dinner with Mr.Takahashi from Kougetsuand Mr. Kato from Dokyun.jp. I really want to thank both of them for their support at Daytona 24hr and their kindness to be part of my team!! The food at Kougetsu great as usual!! Oh yeah...I forgot to ask for Ponzu sauce to go... My wife and I have been searching for home made Ponzu Sauce which is very hard to buy in US!! Well... I have got a early meeting tomorrow AM...and off to Japan. I am really looking forward to seeing my baby in couple of hours!!

DETOX

昨日はお昼過ぎに辻堂の母親の実家をでて、そのまま帰宅。夜はエアープレス上野に行って、DETOXコースをチャレンジ。足しから、もの凄い毒素が出てそうでビックリ。が、終わってみると足がスッキリして軽くなった感じ。現に今日ランニングに行ってきたら、足取りも軽くてランニングも楽勝！！これは是非おすすめです。女性の皆さんにはダイエット効果もあるみたいだし！！ぜひ行って試してみてください。

After visiting my mom's house, I went back to drop off my stuff to my house in Ryo-goku and went straight to AirPress Ueno. Usually I go their to get Oxygen treatment in the capsule but this time I went to try the DETOX treatment course. It is amazing how much stuff that comes out of your foot... however it really feels great after the treatment. I actually went running today and my foot didn't even get tired!! It's a must try treatment!!

今日は表参道でランチミーティング。AW Diningと言う所でランチをして、とくに京野菜がメチャメチャ美味かったですね〜〜！！今夜はこれから、家の近所の居酒屋（駒形近辺にある稲垣）と言うお店で、皆で集まる予定です。この居酒屋、外から見たイメージとお店の中に入って実際にご飯を食べると驚きの美味しさ！！しかも、メチャ安いです。いや〜しかし、滞在もあとちょっと・・・。今回は本当にドタバタだな。

I had a lunch meeting today at AW Dining in Omotesando. The food was excellent especially the vegies from Kyoto. I am now off to dinner party at this Izakaya calle Inagaki near my house. It's cheap and food is excellent. Although it is not a clean and tredny spot...I wish if there was an Izakay like this in LA. Two more days...till back to LA. It's been really busy, but I am really looking forward to see my baby soon!!

ドタバタ

昨日は名古屋へ午後一に出発。デイトナ２４時間でお世話になった、スポンサーの方と夕食。楽しい時間もあっと言う間にすぎて最終の新幹線で品川まで行き、そこから辻堂に戻り母親の家で一泊。今回の滞在はほとんどユックリする間もなく、唯一母親の家に行けそうな日だったので、顔出し。今回の滞在は本当にドタバタです・・・。

I went to Nagoya yesterday to have dinner meeting with my sponsor who supported me at the Daytona 24hr. This trip to Japan has been really busy...and I figured last night was the only night I was able to stop by my mom's house so I decided to spend the night there. Going to Nagoya was fun...but it was really short and I could not enjoy as much as I wanted....

隅田川テラスをランニング

昨日も今朝も時差ボケで早起きをしてしまうので、早朝に隅田川テラスを１０kmのランニング。日本はやっぱり寒いですね〜。でも冷やってしてて、朝から気合いが入ります。昨晩は日本へ戻ってきたHONDA社の山本さんと紅月で、会食。久しぶりの紅月はやっぱり美味しかったです！！紅月で食べるスペシャル茶碗蒸しが大好物です！！

With the jetlag...got up so early that I decided to go running at Sumida-River terrace. Usually it's a 10km run. Although it's a bit chilly here in Japan, it's a prefect running condition for me. I also went to dinner last night to Kougetsu to have pork Shabu-shabu. It was fantastic as usual!!

今夜は名古屋に行って、スポンサーへのご挨拶。久しぶりの名古屋で楽しみです。夜は辻堂の母親の家によって明日のお昼に帰宅する予定です。今回の日本の滞在は本当にドタバタしそうです・・・。

Tonight I am off to Nagoya to meet with my sponsor. I am looking forward to going to Nagoya...haven't been there for awhile. Than I will probably stop by my mom's house tonight. This week is going to be really hectic since it's a very short trip...

日本に到着

無事に日本に戻ってきました。機内ではバッチリ熟睡。成田に着いた頃にはしっかりリフレッシュ！！が、荷物を待っていたら見覚えのあるバッグがプラスチックの容器に乗せられてグルグル回転板の上を回っている。バッグは凄い勢いで壊れてて、中身も丸見え・・・、“うわ〜ひどいな〜”って思いながら近づいてくるバッグをみると、“ゲッ、俺のジャ〜ん”！？！バッグをピックアップして速攻でUnited航空の添乗員を捕まえマジ切れ！！

Arrived to Tokyo just fine. Had a great nap in the plane and I feel really refreshed. Got though the immigration really quickly and when I arrived at the baggage claim, I see a very familiar bag in a plastic container going around the conveyor belt. When it came close to me, I could not believe it was my bag totally damaged!! I was furious about what happened and got a United agent to talk abou the situation.

どうやら、飛行機から荷物をおろしてカートで運んでる途中に、バッグが落ちてしまいそのままカートが引いてしまったみたいです・・・。中の洋服は半分くらい、切れたりしてしまったり、破損してしまった物があったりでがっかり・・・。とくにジーパンとベルトは愛用していた物だったので本当にマジ切れ！！なんとか、部分的には弁償してもらえそうですが、何かと手がかかるのが面倒。着いてそうそう、少し不機嫌です！！

Apparently the bag was dropped and run over by a cart while travelling to the baggage claim area. The bag was completely destroyed and also som of my expensive cloth. What really pissed me off is the jeans and the belt that has been part of me for a while!! I guess they will compensate part of the loss but I am sure it is not going to be the full amount... Again I am really pissed off with this situation!!

が、これから急いで六本木に移動して会食です。

Well...so much for the bag issue...I better head to dinner meeting in Roppongi.

今からフライト

今から日本行きのフライトです。どうやら、追い風で日本に着くのは１時間くらい早くなりそう！！日本に着いたらそのまま荷物を置いてすぐに、出ないといけないので早いにこしたことはないけど・・・。日本は寒いのかな？？LAはここ数日間は夏場の暖かさなので寒い所に行くのはちょっと厳しそう。

I am just getting ready to catch my plane to Japan. Because of the wind direction, I think I will get there 1hr earlier than planned time which is good for me since I have to go to a dinner meeting when I get to Japan. I hope it's not too cold in Japan. We have been getting nice weather in LA and I am certainly going to miss this.

しかし、１週間も赤ちゃんと会えないのはちょっと心配・・・。妻は何かと慣れてきてはいるみたいだけど。まっ、お母さんが居れば子は育つと言うし！？！（笑）１週間の間でどのくらい大きくなるかが楽しみです！！

I am also going to miss my baby for a week. I suppose he doesn't need me if the mommy is there for him!?!

明日から日本

明日から日本なので今日はドタバタ・・・。朝ご飯を食べてから、ジムに行って筋トレ。午後は明日の日本出発に向けて色々と準備。色々と物をピックアップしながら、携帯電話でIndy500の件やNASCARの事に関しての人達＆チームとコンタクト。色々と動きはありそうですが、もうあとちょっとで３月なのでウトウトしていられませんね・・・。

It was a busy day today since I am goig to Japan tomorrow. I had some breakfast and went straight to the gym for daily work out. Than off to picking things up before my trip and talking to Indy teams to get the latest status. Since the race is coming up quikly...I really have to get on it to land a ride.

そうそう、昨日の夜中に家の隣の通りのオフィッスビルが火事。昼まで消火作業を続けてて大変でした。ビルは全損だそうです・・・。幸いな事にけが人はいなかったみたいですが・・・。でも、そのお陰で家の前の通りは封鎖されて道がゲロ混み！！さてさて、今夜はハンバーガーにスパゲッティー・ナポレタン。喫茶店風なディナーです！？！（笑）

Oh yeah...there was a big office building fire started early this morning that lasted through mid day... and it was just a block away from my house!! No body was hurt so that's good but because of that fire, the streets were shut down and it really created a big traffic jam around my house!! Welll, off to dinner now.

祝Indianapolis Colts

今日は早起きしてまずはピットの散歩。それから家でピットを入浴。ついでに爪を切ってあげたら、切る瞬間にピットが動いて深爪させてしまいました・・・。ピットはキャインと泣いて、血がダラ〜・・・。ぴっとごめんよ〜〜・・・。（泣）ピットをすっきりさせてからは今度はジムに行って１０kmのランニング。家に戻って軽く部屋を掃除してから、日本に行く前に妻と赤ちゃんの為に食材を溜買い。スーパーボールが３時半から始まるのでダッシュで帰宅！！

Got up in the morning and took my dog "Pit" for a walk, and than I decided to bath him since it was about time. While I was cutting his nails...he moved and I ended up cutting too much out of one of his nails...I guess that was painful and he didn't like it. Sorry Pit..... Than off to the gym for 10km run. Came back home to do a quick cleaning of my room and off to grocery store to buy a week stuff of food fore my wife and baby.

家に戻ってきてからは片手にビール＆スーパーボール観戦！応援していたIndianapolis Coltsの勝利！！いや〜良かった〜〜！！最後は余裕勝ちでしたが・・・。しかし、Coltsのクォーターバックのペイトン・マニングは凄かった。今年のIndy500はもしかしたら彼がグランドマーシャルをするんじゃないのかな？！？（笑）試合を見ながら、今夜は家で鉄板です。なんだか以上にタン塩を食べたかったので今日は家でネギタン塩に挑戦で〜す！！

I was home just in time to whatch the Super Bowl with beer in one hand!! I was happy to see the Colts win!! I woudn't be suprised if Payton Manning will be the grand marshall of Indy 500 this year!?! After whatching the game, I am making some Teppanyaki tonight!! Can't ask for anything better...beer...super bowl...and Teppanyaki!?!

日本行きの準備

昨日は赤ちゃんが夜中からグズリまくりで、ちょっと寝不足。午前中は日本へ戻る準備で色々と頼まれ物をピックアップ等々。ついでに、髪の毛もばっさりカット。いや〜ずっと切りたかったのでスッキリですね〜〜！！帰ってきてからは赤ちゃんの面倒を見たり今日はユックリ。

The baby was active last night and I could get as much sleep as I would have liked.... But it's not all that bad when you see your baby smile!! Since I am going back to Japan on Tue, I had to do a bit of running around picking up stuff for my friends and I also when to cut my hair. As usual, I had my hair done really short because it's easy in the morning and I guess it suits me!?!

明日はNFLのスーパーボール！今年はインディアナポリス・コルツvsシカゴ・ベアーズ。やはり、インディードライバーとしてはコルツを応援してしまいますね〜〜！！去年はずっと負け無しだったのに、プレイオフで負けちゃってスーパーボール進出ならずだったので・・・。アメリカ中が明日はスーパーボールに熱狂する日になりそうです！！

It's Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow!! I am actually cheering for the Indianapoli Colts since I'm an Indy Car Driver... They were unbeatable last year until they lost against the Steeler and this year they have made it to the Super Bowl. It definately is going to be an interesting game and I think I will follor the US tradition whatching the game with Miller Lite!?!

Baby検診

今日は１１時から赤ちゃんと妻の検診だったので、早起きして朝食の前にジム！朝から筋トレはちょい辛ですが、気合いを入れてガッツリトレーニング。朝食に昨日の残りの唐揚げを食べて、１１時に病院。赤ちゃんも妻の回復も順調みたいで何より。お昼には飛行場に行って、カメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君をピックアップ。デイトナの写真を見せてもらい、途中で今夜の夕飯の材料を買ってきて帰宅。今日は金曜日だったので道がゲロ混み・・・。

Since my wife and our baby had a hospital visit this morning, I got up early to do the training before brekfast. Obviously it was pretty hard to lift weights early in the morning but I pushed pretty hard as usual. I had fried chiken that was left over from last night and took my wife and the baby to the hospital. I was relieved to hear that both my wife and the baby is doing well! Than straight to LAX to pick up my photographer who took my pict at the race last week end. Than a quick stop at the grocery store and back home in heavy Fri traffic...

移動の途中の合間を縫って、色んなインディーのチームと連絡の取り合い。色々と最新情報をゲット！日本に帰るまでに、状況を把握して、滞在中にフルにスポンサー活動ができるようにしないと・・・。さてさて、今夜は家でポークカレー。昨日“ためしてガッテン”でみた作り方をぱくってチャレンジしてみま〜す！！（笑）

While I was on the go...I made several phone calls to catch up with the status with all the Indy Car teams. It is really important to find out the latest in the padock in order to use the most of the time in Japan. Well...I'm off to dinner now...we are making pork curry tonight.

ランニング

今日もジムでトレーニング。昨日は筋トレをしたので、今日は１０kmのランニング＋有酸素運動。身体の調子は絶好調ですね！！家に戻ってきてからはIndyの資料等を見直して複数のチームにコンタクト。去年とは状況が違い、今年はチームの数が圧倒的にすくないですね・・・。出走予定のチームはたくさんあるみたいですが、車やスタッフのプランがまだまだ未定だったり・・・。だからこそチーム選びは慎重にしないと。

Since I did heavy weight training yesterday, I have focused on doing lots of cardio work today at the gym. It always feels great after doing 10km jogging!! Than I came home and started to work on the Indy deals. It's really hard to find a team this season since most of the teams that is planning to run Indy is still non existant in terms of cars, and personel. Therefore I really have to look hard in to which can be the best program.

夕方になってオヤツで午前中にふかしておいたサツマイモを試食。でも、日本で寒い時に食べる焼き芋は美味しいですよね〜〜！！日本と言えば帰って紅月の豚シャブを食べるのが楽しみ！！昨日も家でお鍋をしたけれども、紅月のシメで食べるラーメンがまた美味しいんだよな〜！！おっと、そろそろ夕飯の時間なので妻が作ってる間に赤ちゃんのお世話をしに行ってきま〜す！！

In the PM... I had some sweet potato for snack. It was pretty good but I missed having the charcoaled/grilled sweet potatoes that sells on streets in Japan. And speaking of Japan, I am really looking forward to go to Kougetsu, which is one of my favourite restaurant. There pork shabu-shabu is awesome and for the finish, the ramen using the shabu-shabu broth is just fantastic!! Whoops...it's time for dinner now....while my wife needs to cook, I better look after the baby!!

赤ちゃんを入浴

今日は朝起きてピットの散歩。午前中にジムに行ってガッツリトレーニング。デイトナで使い切れなかったエナジーをしっかり消耗・・・。身体の調子はすこぶるいいですね〜！！体調もバッチリ！！次は何時でもレースできるようにしとかないと！！

As usual, got up in the morning and walked my dog. Than off to the gym. I had so much energy left over from Daytona that it really felt good to burn calories!! I think I am in real good shape and should be ready to drive anytime!!

ジムが終わってからはスーパーに行って買い出し。最近はずっと妻が鍋をしたがるので、鍋の食材をゲット。家に戻ってきてからは今度は赤ちゃんを入浴。しかし、やっぱりお風呂に入るのは怖いみたいです・・・。入浴中は大泣き！？！レースしてると家に居ない事がおおいので、子育てをやや放棄してる所もあるので、家に居る間はできるだけ色々としとかないと！！いや〜しかし、本当に可愛いですね〜〜。

After the gym, I went to the supermarket to get all the groceries for dinner. Than back home to bath my baby. I think the baby is scared of bathing and was crying through out which is usual... since I am travelling all the time, I should enjoy every moment that I get to spend with my baby!!

一段落をしてから、今度はPCでお仕事。今度は茂木やIndy500に向けてスポンサー活動やチーム探し。今日はデイトナでIndyCarの合同テストが行われてますね〜。相変わらず、Penske＆Ganassiが強そうですが・・・、今年はAGRもリベンジで気合いは入ってるかもしれませんね！！自分も早くIndyCar乗れるように頑張ります！！

Once everything was settled down...off to work. I think my next target is to race at Motegi or Indy 500. I need to put together sponsors and find out which team will be the best to run with. And as we speak, they are testing at Daytona right now. I guess it will be another strong year for the Penske and Ganassi boys but I could see some revenge from the AGR drivers. I can't wait to get back in to the car again!!

LAは雨・・・。

今日はずっと自分がデイトナに行ってる間に色々と手伝ってくれてた、親父が日本に戻るので飛行場までお見送り。自分がレースに行ってる間は、親父や妻のお母さんが色々と手伝ってくれていたので本当に助かりました！親のありがたみを改めて実感・・・。

I got up in the morning and took my father to LAX. I really have to thank my dad and my mother in law who were here to support us when I was away racing at Daytona!!

今日は朝から天気が悪くて、雨もポツポツ。LAらしい天気じゃありませんが、冷静に考えたらもうちょいで２月。ロスのレインシーズンの始まりです。とは言っても雨が降るのはほんのちょっとですが・・・。でも、なんだか寒いのは嫌だな〜〜。

Unlike LA weather..it was cold and raining today. I just realized that it is almost Feb now and start of short rain season for us. However, the rain season in LA is almost non existant but we usually get one week of rain during this time of the year.

デイトナから帰ってきて、色々と日本に帰国するプラニング。赤ちゃんがちょっと落ち着いてから帰ろうと思います。しかも、赤ちゃんの映像を撮ったDVDをコンピューターにおとそうと色々と格闘しているのですが、なかなかうまくいかず・・・、違うファイヤーウォールのケーブルが必要そう・・・。そんなこんなであっと言う間に一日が終わってしまいました。

Since I got home, I needed to plan out my trip back to Japan for thanking my sponsors for their support. At the same time, I want to make sure my baby is settled down and my wife is completely used to everything. Once the travel plan has been made, I was off to PC to figure out how to download DVD video that I have been taking onto my computer. I guess I will be needing a Firewall cable... I still can't get it working and it's almost dinner time...what a quick day.

今日は家でリラックス。

昨日は家に帰りたいので強引に飛行機の予約を変更してもらって、深夜に帰宅。レースの朝起きてからおよそ４４時間くらいで床に着く事ができました。さすがに家に戻ってきたら疲れてましたね・・・。帰ってきて、赤ちゃんを見たらビックリ！！ちょっと見ないうちにちょこっと大きくなって顔立ちもしっかりしてて本当に驚きです！！でも、元気そうで一安心。

I was able to negotiate my way in to changing flights last night and I was home at mid night. I guess I was up for 44HR from the race morning. Pretty long day.... I was really tired but as soon as I saw my baby, I was really suprised to see him grow a little!! I was relieved to see him doing well and the baby is really cool!!

今日は午前中はユックリして、午後からは親父と色々と買い物。お昼にMelroseに新しくてできたピザ屋をチャレンジ。そこが想像していた以上に美味しくてビックリ！！Highland　AveとMelrose Aveの角にあるMozzaって言うピザ屋ですが、かなりおすすめ！！帰ってきて今夜は家で豚団子鍋です！いや〜久しぶりの和食は楽しみです！！家に帰ってきても赤ちゃんのオムツ替え等といろいろとやらない事はたくさんありますが、やっぱり子供は可愛いですね〜〜！！

This morning I slept in well and tried to catch up with my sleeping. And in the afternoon, I went shopping with my dad who is flying back to Japan tomorrow. We went to lunch at this Pizza place on Highland Ave and Melrose called Pizza Mozza and it was actually really good!! My dad is making dinner tonight while I have to change my baby's diaper...!?! Everything with my baby is a new experience but I am thoroughly enjoying every moment of it because it really is cool to have your own baby!!

デイトナ２４時間レース無事に６位でゴール！

さっきデイトナ２４時間のレースが終わって、今はダッシュで飛行場に向かってきて飛行機に乗れるかスタンバイ中。レースは６位でゴールできました！！序盤にチームメートがバスストップシケインで飛び出して、フロントカウルを壊してしまい３ラップおくれになってしまいましたが、そこから皆で頑張ってガンガン追い上げました！！自分の出番は夜の９時からと、今日の１０時頃からのスティントです。途中は大雨が降ったりしたので、スポーツカーで雨の走行の経験が豊富なTomas Engeをメインにスティントをこなされ、ぼくらはチームの指示を従うのみ。

The race is over and we finished 6th overall!! I am now at the aiport standing bye for the flight...if I can make it. At the start of the race, my team mate had an issue at the bus stop chicane and broke the front nose but we quickly replace that parts and off racing!! We made up lots of ground and was up to 5th at end of the race. Since it started to rain hard mid race.... we rotated the stints based on Tomas who has vast experience in Sports car wet conditions. I've got to go out about 9pm last night and 10am this morning.

昨晩のスティントは色々と状況に慣れるのみであっと言う間に終わってしまいました。そして、今朝のスティントは待ちに待ってやっときた〜って感じでした！が、車に乗り込んで２周目にいきなり４速のギヤが壊れてしまいました。必殺飛びギヤシフトをしてなんとか走行。しかし、シーケンシャルのギヤボックスは一つのギヤが壊れると、中の破片が他のギヤにもダメージを与えてしまいます。４０分くらい走行した所で、いよいよダウンシフトもできなくなってしまったので、ピットイン。ダッシュでギヤを交換して最後まで走りきって６位でゴール！！

The stint last night was just getting used to things and it went by quickly. When I finally got to get back in to the car this morning, my 4th gear broke on the 2nd lap and I had to jump gears to keep going. With the sequential gearbox, if you break one gear, it will eventually get to all other gears in the box. Although I tried my best to get the car to the end, the gearbox didn't allow me to downshift towards end of my stint and I had to come back in to the pit to replace the gear box and hand the car back to Tomas. With all the problems, we still finished 6th which is not too bad for my first outing!!

なんとか６位にゴールできてハッピー！しか〜し、天候が悪かったりしてなかなか自分の出番が回ってこなかったのは残念・・・。スポーツカーの動きも特徴もようやく感触をつかんできた所で終わってしまった様な気がしますが、今後の自分のキャリアにとってはもの凄いよい経験になったと思います。いや〜２４時間レースは長いですね〜〜！！終わってみるとあっと言う間だけど・・・。でも、耐久レースも面白いなと実感しました！来年はリベンジしてロレックスゲットするぞ〜〜！！それでは、皆さん応援有り難うございました！！ではでは、次のレースに向けてまた色々と頑張ります！！

I am pretty happy to be able to finish 6th on my first sports car race, however I would have liked to run more during the race. I think I am finally getting the grips of sports car racing and how to handle the car. Overall, the experience from last two days should help my career tremendously especially now I know what it takes to finish and win a 24hr race. I guess I will have to keep trying until I win that Rolex Daytona with my name on it....! Thanks for all your support and I hope to be able to announce my future racing plan soon.

いよいよ明日決勝です。

今日の午前中はレース用のエンジンを乗せ変える為に走行はなし。決勝前には午後の４５分のセッションのみ・・・。午前中はホテルでユックリして体力を温存。そして、サーキットに行ってスケジュールをみたら、３番目に走行する予定と書いてありました。が、４５分の３番目となるとほとんど走れない可能性もあるな〜・・・と心配。昨日のデータを見る限り、ブレーキの不具合があったものの、他の部分では問題なかったので他のドライバーが今日は走行する事になりました。

Since the team needed to change the engine during the morning, I slept in and saved some energy for tomorrow. When I got to the track before lunch, I found out that I was the 3rd driver in the car for the last 45min session. I was a bit concern since there was only 45min, if something happened I will not have the chance to drive. Although I was not happy with the run last night, I looked at the data and I think I will be just fine once we resolve the brake problem.

セッションがスタートして、最初はTomasEngeが走行。新しいブレーキパッドを装着するとなぜか空気が入ってしまいスカスカ。昨日の自分の症状と一緒だったのんで一度ピットインしてエア抜き。そこに時間を使ってしまい、途中で２人目のドライバーに交換した物の、最終的にほとんど時間がないので今日の自分の走行は断念・・・。ん〜決勝前にちょっと走りたかったのでがっかりですが、イメージはできているので問題はないと思います。

We started the session with Tomas Enge in the car. For some reason with a new brake pad, the pedal is very soft and long like what happened last night so Tomas needed to come back in to the pits to bleed the brakes. The 2nd driver got in the car but had only 15min left in the session, and therefore I needed to give up my practice time today. I was a little dissapointed for not being able to drive but I think I've got a good picture on what to do out there tomorrow during the race.

夕方にはドライバーチェンジの練習をしました。自分は身体が小柄なのでチームメートの中では一番早かったです。ってそんな理由で明日は５番目のドライバーになりそう・・・！？！チームメートのイタリア人のドライバーが違うシートを使用するのでそれを差し替えたりする時間を考えると、彼の後に順番をまわされそうです。しかも、彼は英語がバッチリではないので何かあった時は無線で自分がイタリア語で指示できるようにってドライバー権／通訳をやらされそうです！？！（笑）

Before leaving the track, we practiced pit stop　driver changes. Since I am a little bit smaller than other guys, I was one of the quickest in and out of the car. That means I will most likely be driving after Christian Montanari, since he have to use a seat insert. Also that will help just in case if he has hard time understanding english since I can help him out on the radio speaking Italian. I guess I will be a driver/translator during tomorrow's race!?!

今はホテルに戻ってきてご飯も食べて、明日のレースに備えて早目に寝る所です。しかし、２４時間レース・・・、色々と道の世界ですが明日のレースが楽しみです！！全力で頑張りますので、応援宜しくお願いいたします！！！

I'm back in the hotel now and just about getting ready to sleep. The 24hr will be a whole new experience for me and I am looking forward for the race tomorow. My first goal is to finish the race and keep concentrating until we see the chequered flag!! Wish me luck guys!!

Dayotna予選

今日は朝起きて窓の外を見ると雨がザ〜ザ〜・・・。しかも、外に出たら寒ッ！！フロリダらしくない天気です。今日は午前中に１時間半と１時間の練習走行に２０分の予選、そして夜に１時間半の練習走行があります。サーキットに行って、誰がどのセッションに乗るかミーティング。今回は全部で５人ドライバーがいるので、全員を乗せるプラニングが大変です。自分は前回のテスとは日中で１０周だけだったので、今回はナイトセッションで２０分程走る事に決定。予選はスポーツカーの経験が豊富なTomasEngeが行う事になりました。

Jumped out of the bed in the morning and glanced through the window to find out it was raining... and also very cold which is unusual for Florida. Got to the track and we had meeting on who is going to drive in which session. Since we have 5 drivers, it's pretty tight and difficult to plan everything inorder to accomodate all the drivers. Since I tested here in the daylights, I was going to try out the night session for about 20mins. Since Tomas Enge has most experience in sports car racing, he was due to qualify the car.

最初のセッションは路面がぬれていたので、Tomasが数周して車のチェック。２セッション目には他のチームメートが３０分ずつの走行。そして、あっと言う間に予選。デイトナ２４時間の予選は、２０分の間にタイムを出さなくてはいけなくて、セッション中は車の調整はできません。セッションがスタートした直後に１コーナーで車が飛び出して中断。残り５分の所で再開したら今度はTomasが１コーナーで飛び出し、ラジエターに芝生をたくさんつけてオーバーヒート寸前だったのでその時点でストップ・・・。けっきょく予選は１周もできず、２２位くらいからのスタート・・・。ま〜２４時間レースなのでスタート順位は気にする必要はありませんが、Tomasの予選には期待してたのでちょっとガックリ。

The firt session got rained out and Tomas went out for couple of laps to make sure the car was OK. During the 2nd session, the other two drivers got 30 min each to drive and the car was running reasonably well. Comes qulifying, the procedure is kind of strange and you get 20 min to post your time and you are not allowed to change anything on the car during the session. Well the session starts and it immediately goes to hault with a crash in turn 1. Than back to green with 5min to go...however, Tomas goes off at turn 1 due to a puddle from the morning rain. He had just enough grass on the radiator to almost overheat the engine so we shut the motor off and that was it for qualifying. I think we are about 22nd....but I guess the qulfying position doesn't really matter in a 24hr race.

そして、６時半にやっとナイトセッションの開始。走行は自分から。ナイト走行をするのは始めてですが、オーバルの灯りで思っていたよりもサーキットは見やすいです。しか〜し、全車がいっぺんにでていたタイミングに走っていたのでコースは大混み。しかも、ブレーキを踏んだらスカスカ・・・！？！後から聞いたら新しいブレーキパッドを装着してエア抜きがちゃんとできてなかったみたいです。これじゃ〜まともに走れんぞ〜って感じでしたが、時間がないのでここは我慢して走行。まだ、フィーリングをつかんでる状況ですが、やはりトラフィックのタイミングを見計らいつつ走るのは難しいですね。耐久レースでも色々と経験が必要だなと実感しました。

FInally, I got to driver the car at 6:30PM. I was the first driver in the #7 car, and the track was really busy when I got out since it was the start of the session. Unfortunately, with the new brake pads...the brake pedal was really long and soft so I had hard time feeling out the brakes. I didn't want to pus too much with the brake condition so I focused on getting reacquainted with the car and getting used to the night vision. It's really hard to judge when your passing the slower cars and it certainly an experience that you have to learn during the race and sessions.

今日の１０分のみの走行にはかなり不満ですが、ここでイライラしてもしょうがない。耐久レースは精神勝負ですからね！！なので、今夜はリラックスして寝る事にしま〜す。

I am bit disspaointed with the session and with my driving today, however it's going to be a long race and a big mental game. Therfore, I should relax tonight and refocus tomorrow when I get back in to the car!!

エアコン

ホテルに着いて一眠りをしてから、サーキットに行ってきました。ガレージ内では明日の走行の準備でスタッフが慌ただしくしていました。早速チームのガレージに行ってチェック。今回は始めてのスポーツカーレースなので、色々と情報をゲットする為にエンジニアと喋りました。そして、ヘルメットやスーツのチェック。何時も乗ってるフォーミュラーカーとは違ってスポーツカーの中は暑くなるので熱対策がされています。今回レースをするチームはヘルメットの中に冷たい空気をパイプを通して入れるエアコンシステムを使ってます。その為に事前にヘルメットを郵送して必要なパーツを装着してもりました。夕方はドライバーチェンジの練習。レース中はピットに戻ったら５秒で車から降りて、２０秒以内に乗り込んでシートベルトなどをつけないといけません・・・。あの、狭いコクピットに２５秒でドライバー交換はけっこう難しいですよ〜〜！！そんなこんなで気がついたらもう１０時・・・。明日の為に今夜は早く寝よっと！！

Once I got some rest at the hotel, I headed to the garage to talk with the mechanics and engineer to learn more about the car and the race in general since it's my first ever sports car race. I also had to check all my helmet and suits are in place since I had to send in my helmet earlier to get A/C intake kit put on to my helmet. It really is strange looking at big tube coming out of my helmet but I'm sure we are going to be needing that during the race when it gets real hot in the car. Before leaving the track, we practiced several driver change. It's pretty tough considering you have to get out of the car in 5sec, and into the car in 20sec with all the buckled tighted up and ready to go!! Well...it's already 10PM so I better catch up with my sleep...

スポーツカー用の新しいヘルメット。フロント下部にドリンクチューブの差し込み口がついてます。
My new helmet for Sports Car with the drink hose tube!

左横についてるのがエアコン用のチューブです。
The tube on the left side is for the AC!

デイトナに到着！

さっきデイトナに到着しました！飛行機の中では爆睡！！しかし、４時間半のフライトでまだ寝たりない・・・。ホテルに着いて、チェックインは今日の夕方ですがネゴってなんとか部屋に入れさせてもらいました。レースの受付も完了して、お昼過ぎまでとくに予定はないので、一眠りするかな・・・。いや〜しかし、出てまだまもないのに、赤ちゃんが気になる〜〜。でも、今週末はしっかりいい仕事をしてこないと！！ではでは、これから一眠りしてからサーキットに行ってきます。

Just arrived in Daytona. I was knocked out through out the flight...but 4 and half hours of sleep is not enough to satisfy my desire! I came straight to the hotel and I had to negotiate my way into the room since my check in time is this afternoon, but luckily the hotel was kind enough to provide me a room. I don't think there is much going on until PM today so I should take a quick nap and go to the track later.

これからデイトナです。

いや〜今日は忙しかった。時差調整の為に朝６時起き。７時からジムに行って、さっと朝食を食べてから飛行場に行って親父をピックアップ。まだ、妻や息子が出歩けない為に自分がデイトナ行ってる間に助っ人としてきてもらいました。午後は今夜の出発の為に色々と準備をしていたら休憩もする暇のなく、あっと言う間に終わってしまいました。でも、久しぶりにレースができると思うとワクワクです！！ではでは、これからダッシュでご飯を食べてからシャワーを浴びて出発です。今回も深夜フライトで寝れるといいな・・・。

It was another busy day today. Got up at 6:00AM and went to the gym. I needed to adjust to east coast time so I thought it will be a good way for me to get the day started. Than I needed to go to the airport to pick up my dad who was going to look after my son and wife during the week end while I'm racing in Daytona. It has been a hectic day but I am really excited about the race. I need to grab dinner really quickly and jump in the shower and catch the plane. I hope I can sleep tonight on the plane...

デイトナ参戦決定！

皆さん、赤ちゃんの出産に続いて良いニュースがあります！デイトナ参戦が決まりました！！良い感じで交渉が続いて発表ができるまでに時間がかかりましたが、ようやく決定です！！って今週末だから決まらなかったら大変だ・・・！？！（笑）チームはSAMAX Motorsportで、年明けのテストで１０周だけのポテンシャルをかってもらい、ドライバーラインアップに加えてもらえる事になりました。今回のレースを応援してくれるスポンサーの皆さん、そしてず〜っとこの発表を待ち遠しく待っていてくれたファンの皆さんにも心から感謝したいと思います！！

I've got good news for you guys! Finally the deal for Daytona 24hr is confirmed. I have been negotiating for a while and finally it's a done deal!! I guess it's obvious now since the race is coming up this week end. The team will be SAMAX Motorsport and I was able to run about 10 laps with them during Jan Test. I really want to thank my sponsor and the team for this oppurtunity as well as all the fans that has been waiting for this news!!

やっと発表ができて、赤ちゃんも産まれてダブルで一安心。ほっとするのも束の間で午前中は小児科に行って赤ちゃんの検診。順調に育っていて、しかも検診中はかなりおとなしくてスーパー良い子です。車に乗るのが好きみたいで、乗るとかなりおとなしいです！？！って今から洗脳モード・・・。（笑）そうそう、１月１８日生まれを色々とチェックしたら、なんと息子はケビン・コスナーやビン・ディーゼルと同じ誕生日。他にもタケシや、な〜んと僕も親父も大好きなドライバーだったGilles Villenueveと一緒。微妙な所で言えばオスギとピーコとも一緒らしいです！？！（笑）

I am relieved now that I am able to announce the deal but there is still a lot to do! I had to take the baby to the hospital to do check up in the morning. He was doing just fine and was very quite during the check up. I guess he likes being in the car too...or may be it's just me trying to force him to like cars!?! I went on the web last night and checked on 1/18...apparently Kevin Costner and Vin Diesel was born on the same day. Also it was the same B-Day as Gilles Villenueve who is my father and also my favourite driver.

午後は自分のレーシングライセンスの為の健康診断。そして夕方はジムでガッツリトレーニング。よく考えたら明日の夜にはデイトナ出発です。体調はバッチリ！！かなりハイパー状態です！！今週末のレースが楽しみ！！頑張って、ロレックス・デイトナをゲットしてやる！！

In the PM, I had to get a medical check up my self for the racing license. And than straight off to the gym. I am off to Daytona tomorrow night and I am all geared up and ready to go!! I am looking forward for this week end. And with all the luck, I may end up with a Rolex Daytona after the race!!

デイトナレースに向けてトレーニング！

今日は早目に起きてガッツリトレーニング！赤ちゃんの出産や、病院の行き来でこの２日間はジムに行けませんでしたが、暇な時間に部屋で腕立てや腹筋。今日は久しぶりにジムでしっかりトレーニングができてスッキリです。しかも、レースに備えて体調もばっちりで、体重もしっかりベストな状態！！

Got up in the morning and went straight to the gym for hard work out. With going to the hospital last two days, I was only able to do some sit ups and push ups in the room... I finally had time to get back in to the gym and it felt really good!! My condition is very good and I think I am just about ready for the race!!

午後は赤ちゃんの物で必要な物をゲットしに行ったり、デイトナに行ってる時に妻が買い物にいかなくてもすむように、お水や食料品のストックアップ。そして、赤ちゃんのベッドに猫が飛び乗れないように、色々と工夫したり・・・、などなどドタバタしていたらあっと言う間に一日が経ってしまいました。色んな疲れを取る為に久しぶりにお風呂を溜めて入浴剤を入れてリラックス。さてさて、これからもっと忙しくなるからさらに気合いをいれないと！！

In the PM, I had to get extra things for the baby and also needed to stock up with food and drinks for my wife and baby while I am in Daytona. Since our cat "Marimon" could jump on the baby crib... I had to do some arrangement so he will not be jumping on my baby. The day went by pretty quickly and was somewhat tired so I decided to fill the bath tub with hot water and take a lengthy bath for relaxation. It's going to get much busier for next couple weeks so I better be ready!!

無事に退院

昨晩も病院にとまりました。夜中に何度も赤ちゃんが起きて、その度に気になって一緒に目が覚めてしまいます。しか〜し、めちゃめちゃ眠いのを我慢して妻はしっかりと赤ちゃんの所にワンツーで行くのは女の強さを感じますね！！赤ちゃんも妻も元気に今日の午前中に退院する事ができました。

Spent another night at the hospital. The baby started to cry several times for diapers and milk and obviously I would get up everytime I hear him move. Since I have been really tired from last two days, it was really hard to actually get up but I am impressed with my wife how she jumps out of the bed to take care of the baby! They all say that women do change when they give birth and that really is true!!

家に戻ってきてからは久しぶりにリラックス。来週末のデイトナに向けて引き続きチームとコンタクト。あれ〜、レースまでもう１週間じゃん！？！やばいやばい・・・、明日は朝早くおきてガッツリトレーニングしないと！！ではでは、今夜は早目に寝て時差調整もしておかないと！！

We came back home and I finally got some time to relax. However, I still had to finalize a lot of stuff for Daytona so back to work for a little bit. I didn't realize Daytona was only 7days away.... I better get up early tomorrow morning to hit the gym. Well... I'm really tired now so I should get to sleep.

ニュースです！

皆さん、ビッグニュースです！一日ブログをサボってしまいましたが、その理由はな〜んと昨日の夕方に赤ちゃんが産まれました！！可愛い男の子の赤ちゃんです！！いや〜めちゃくちゃ感動！！本当にビックリ＆嬉しくて、言葉にできない状況です。

I have a big news for everyone! I wasn't able to update my blog yesterday since my wife and I had our first child yesterday afternoon!! We are so excited and speachless!! I am so happy that I don't even know how to explain my feelings!!

一昨日の夜中から妻が陣痛きてるかも・・・、と言う状況。とりあえず、まだ病院に行っても返らされる可能性が高いので、もう少し陣痛が強くなるまで家で待機。朝の５時半になって妻もそろそろ行った方が良いと思うとの事で病院へダッシュ！診察をうけたら子宮口は既に３cm開いていたのでそのまま入院。そこからが長かった〜・・・。赤ちゃんがおりてくるのをまって、８時間。しか〜し、赤ちゃんの頭が見えてからは意外とすぐに産まれました！！かなりスムーズな作業ではありましたが、産まれてからオギャーと泣いて最初の息を吸うまでは数秒なのに凄〜く長く感じました。いや〜でも、無事に産まれて良かったX２！。

Two nights ago, my wife started to feel the contraction but we decided to wait a little bit before we go to the hospital just in case we don't get sent back right away. At about 5:30AM, my wife started to get concern so we decided to go the hospital. We still needed to wait 8HR for the baby to come down, but as soon as we started to see his head, it really was a piece of cake!! For me...but I guess not for my wife.

自分に取ってはじめての子供で、まだ入院中なので１００％の実感はありませんが、でもなんだかパパになった感がありますね〜。でも、妻が妊娠中に１０ヶ月は本当にあっという間だったな〜。おっと〜そろそろ、病院に戻ってベイビーちゃんの出生届の書類を出さないと。名前はまだ検討中です・・・！？！

It's my first child and although everything still hasn't sunk in yet.... I am really excited about the baby coming home and starting a new chapter of my life. The 10 months pregnancy went by really quickly and it's hard to believe that we already have a baby. Ooops, I better get back to hospital now to finish up the birth cirtificate form. I need to decide on the name quickly.... any good suggestions guys??

LAで雪・・・！？！

今日朝起きるとまたなんだか寒っ！しかも、なぜだか目覚ましがならず・・・、気がついたら８時過ぎ！？！おかしいな〜・・・。今日はアパートのガレージをスチームクリーンするみたいで、全部の車を出さなくては行けなく、近所の駐車場に車を移動。家に戻って、ニュースを見るとな〜んとMalibuの方では雪・・・？！？車を移動した時にぽつぽつ雨が降ってましたが、雪が降るのは異常気象ですね！！どうりで寒いはずです。

Woke up in the morning and found out that my alarm didn't go on!?! I was supposed to get up at 7AM since I had to move my car out the garage since there were going to steam clean the garage today. As I was walking home, it just started to sprinkle and when I got home and whatched the news....they said it was snowing in Malibu!?! That is really unsual this time of the year...no wonder it's so cold!!

雪が降って驚きながら、今度はチームにコンタクト。色々と良い方向に進んでて今は交渉の最終段階ですね！頑張らないと！！午後からはジムでガッツリトレーニング。それに、デイトナに向けて必要な書類やライセンスなどのチェック。明日は健康診断にも行かないと。しかし、レースまでよく考えたらあと１週間・・・。本当に早く決めて発表したい所です！！

After the being suprised by the snow... I started to contact the team and I think we are in the final stage of negotiations. I really hope to be able to announce the deal soon!! I need to get ready for Daytona since it's only a week away with all the licensing stuff and perhaps I need to get my medical check done tomorrow. And most importantly, I need to be 100% fit for the race which I actually feel good about!! I am really looking forward to this!!

交渉

今日は朝起きてから今夜の夕飯のスパゲッティーボンゴレに使う、パスタ等を調達。そのまま、家でチームと電話で話をして交渉。交渉はかなり前向き！近日中には発表できるかな・・・。今からレースが楽しみですが、赤ちゃんが産まれるのもそろそろとの事で、色々とドタバタしそう！？！

Got up in the morning and went to the market to buy some pastas for tonight Spaghetti Vongole. Came back home and several phone calls with the team to talk about Daytona 24hr. It really is looking good at this stage and I am hoping to be able to announce my deal really soon. Between the baby and the race, I will be a busy man for next 10 days!!

夕方は友達のオフィッスに行ってミーティング。レースを交えたシステムで新しいテクノロジーに関して色々と話し合い＆アドバイス。かなり凄い技術を開発してる会社ですが、今の時点では内密みたいです・・・。F1-Indy-NASCARなどさまざまのシリーズで今後レースの見方が変わるテクノロジーでビックリ！！

In the afternoon, I had a meeting with my friend who is in process of making a new system/technology for the racing industries. It really is an amazing technology and I was well impressed!! I guess it's still a secret so I can't tell you much about it.

これから交渉の最終段階でドタバタ。仕事を終えてからパスタを美味しく食べようかな！？！

I still have several things to do inorder to secure the ride for Daytona. However, I am hoping to have everything locked in before dinner that way I can enjoy my dinner!!

赤ちゃんがそろそろ！？！

今日は朝起きて、まずは産婦人科の検診の付き添い。もう予定日２週間いないのなので、検診が週２になりました。今日は超音波で覗いてみたらもうかなりおりてきてるみたいです！！先生が暇そうだったので、促進剤うって産んじゃう・・・、と聞かれましたが妻の心の準備ができてなかったので、とりあえず陣痛がくるまで待つ事にしました。

Got up in the morning and took my wife to the doctor for check up. Since she is due in a week, we have to see the doctor twice a week now. Apparently, the baby has come down quite a bit and he is almost ready! The doctor asked my wife if she wanted to induce the baby birth but obviously she wasn't quite ready for that so we decided to wait couple of more days.

産まれてくると改めて実感をして、名前もそろそろ決めないと思いました。候補は何個かあるのですが、産まれてきた時の雰囲気で決めようと思います。

Now, that the baby is just about ready to come out, we really need to decide on his name. We have several names in mind and I guess we will decide once we see his face.

病院の帰りに魚市場によって、アサリと蟹をゲット！最近は妻がやたら水炊きや鍋物を食べたがるので今夜の夕食は海鮮鍋。アサリは明日のボンゴレ用もゲットして、蟹もアラスカン・キングクラブの足をいっぱい買って、なんと＄１５！！ビックリ価格ですね〜〜！！さてさて、これからモミジおろしを作らないと。メチャメチャ寒いので鍋料理はいいですね〜〜！！

After the doctor visit, we went to sea food market in downtown to buy some clams and King Crab legs. My wife has been craving for Shabu-Shabu type of dinner lately and we decided to have sea food verion tonight. We bought enough clams for tomorrow's Spaghetti Vongole and whole bunch of Alaskan King Crab and it only cost us $15!! That's a deal!!

メチャ寒っ〜〜！！

今日は朝起きて窓を開けるとメチャ寒っ！！天気は冬晴れで快晴ですが・・・。なんと、昨晩はLAでの１月１４日の史上最低温度だったそうで、気温は２℃。ま〜日本にくらべたら大した事はありませんが。しか〜し、LAにとっては寒すぎリ。布団から出るのが相変わらず憂鬱でした。

I had hard time getting out of the bed since it was soooOOOO cold this morning. I guess it was record breaking temp of 35F in downtown and all over LA!! Compare to Japan or Indy...I guess it's nothing but us people in LA aren't ready for this cold weather!?!

午前中は家の掃除で午後はスーパーに行って食材をゲット。妻のお腹の赤ちゃんは最近うごきがおとなしくなってきたのかなと、思う反面まだ１週間は産まれそうにないなと言う気もします。ま〜何があってもいいように食材を貯買い。夕方にはジムに行ってトレーニング。今晩はこれから家でコロッケで〜す。

After breakfast, I had to clean the house which took me just over an hour and off to supermarket. My wife 's baby is quite last couple of days and we should expect him soon but it doesn't seem like he is coming out for another week. Nevertheless, we should stock up with foods so my wife doesn't have to go to the market everyday... As usual went to the gym in the afternoon and we are making croquette for dinner tonight.

新しいカフェ発見

今日は朝起きて、妻がサンドウィッチを食べたいと言うので、ダウンタウンにあるカフェに挑戦。前から行ってみたかった、老舗のフレンチカフェでAngelique Caffeと言う場所があるので、ブランチとして早速チャレンジ。お店は小さいので、すぐ満席になってしまい、行った時はたまたまテラスの２人席が空いていたのでラッキ〜！僕はオムレツ、妻はチキンサンドを食べて、ともに美味しかったです。ちょっとしたダウンタウンの穴場を発見ですね！！

We had a bit of a lazy start to the day and my wife wanted to have sandwich for brunch so we decided to try out a new caffe in downtown LA. I always wanted to try this place and it is called Angelique Caffe. It's a small place and it fills up people pretty quickly but we were fortunate to get a terrace seat right away. I had an omelletes and my wife ordered the Chicken Sandwich and both were really really good!! Another hideway restaurant in downtown LA!!

お昼頃はチームと少し連絡を取りました。ようやく前向きに動き始めてここからは交渉ですね！！あと２〜３日以内には決めないと。夕方にはジムでガッツリ運動！話が前向きになるとトレーニングも清々しくなりますね！？！（笑）夕飯は妻が友人とイタリアンを食べに行くため、自分は一人で家で生姜焼きでも作ろうと思います。久しぶりの自炊・・・、面倒くさい反面ちょっと楽しみ。

After the lunch, I had some discussion with the teams for the 24hr and it certainly is moving forward. I really need to decide with in 2-3days....! I went to the gym in the afternoon and all that hard training is nothing when you know that you are going to be in the car soon!! And for dinner, my wife is off to Italian Restaurant with her friends so I am left home lonenly... I guess I will make my self some pork with ginger sauce which is one of my favourite Japanese dishes!!

ロナウドもアメリカ・・・？？

今日は朝起きて、昨日の残りのおかずと塩鮭で朝食。ご飯を食べてからは、水を買いに行ったり、Targetに行って日用品を調達。赤ちゃんが産まれたら色々と買いに行く時間がなさそうなので、溜買い！家に戻ってからはチームと連絡を取り合えって、交渉。いや〜何処も渋いですね〜〜！！ここは粘るしかないって感じです。

Nice shiny morning but it was pretty cold today... I had the left over from last night with grilled salmon for breakfast. Than we went to buy water, paper towels, and all the stuff we need at Target to stock up since I figured it will be hard for my wife to go shopping once the baby is born. When I got home, I called several teams for the Daytona race.... everyone is waiting tilll the last minute to decide I presume.

夕方はジムに行ってトレーニング。ニュースを見ていたら昨日のベッカムのニュースに続いて今度はロナウドがMLS(メジャーリーグサッカー）に来るのではと言う噂。チームはNYのチームだそうですが、もしきたら楽しみですね。アメリカでのサッカー人気もあがりそう！！さてさて、今夜は家で鉄板焼き＆お好み焼きで〜す！！

I went to the gym late in the afternoon. As I was working out, I heard about the news of Ronaldo possibly coming to MLS after the shocking news of David Beckham yesterday. That will be really cool...although I think that's a long shot. Anyhow, I am off to dinner...at home we are going to make "Okonomiyaki" which I should say it's kind of like a Japanese pizza!?!

ベッカムがLA?!?

今日は朝起きて妻と産婦人科に行って検診。赤ちゃんは順調ですが、予定日１週間前と考えると少し小ぶり・・・。もっと食べなさいとお医者さんに注意され、妻も少し不機嫌！？！冷静に考えたら朝一の診察だったので朝食を食べずに行ったのも問題かも。がっ、超音波で赤ちゃんを覗いたらお腹がすいてるのか、メチャメチャふてくされた顔をしてました・・・。（笑）ある意味かなり素直＆リアルでビックリしました。

Got up in the morning and went straight to the hospital to see the doctor for a regular check up of our baby. Although the due date is in a week, the size of the baby seems to be on the small end and the doctor has adviced my wife to eat more...which my wife was not so happy about. She has been eating a lot more than I have...so I too was suprised. However, since the check up was first thing in the morning, we didn't have any breakfast and that may be the cause. When we looked at the baby through sonogram, he　actually looked as if he was moaning for food!?!

お昼はパロスバーデスの方まで行って、FordのEDGEを試乗。新しく発売されたSUVです。ルックス（外見＆内装）に関してはけっこう格好いいじゃん、と思ったのですがエンジンルームを覗いたら少し・・・・って感じです。走りもそこそこで、値段を考えたらコストパフォーマンスはわるくないのではと思います。

For lunch, I went to Palos Verdes area to test drive the new Ford EDGE SUV car. I actually like the looks(Exterioir & Interior) but when I peaked in to the engine room, I thought they could have done it better.... The actually driveability isn't too bad and the value for the money is pretty good.

家に戻って、夕方はジムでトレーニング。ランニングしながらニュースを見ていたらな〜んとベッカムがLA Galaxyに入団！？！メチャメチャビックリですね。Galaxyのホームスタジアムも家の近所なので、これでサッカー観戦の数も増えそう！？！今から楽しみです！！

I came home at about 3PM and went to the gym. I was wathcing the news on the treadmill and quickly learned that David Beckham is going to play for the LA Galaxy!! I was really suprised to hear that but I am looking forward to going to the game since their home stadium isn't too far from my house!

連絡待ち

今日は朝起きてからフレンチトーストを朝食に食べてからはずっとPCで作業しながらチームの連絡待ち・・・。ちょっと休憩する時間を有効的に使う為にベッドの上で首のトレーニングをやったり、腹筋＆背筋。そうそう、スポーツカーのゲームを持ってたからXBOXでデイトナに備えてイメトレしようと思ったら、ず〜っとやっていなかったせいか本体が壊れてる〜〜〜！？！（怒）ショックです・・・。

I had french toast for breakfast and off to my computer desk for some work and waiting to hear from the teams.... With some break time, to use all the time efficiently, I do my neck training on the bed and some sit ups. Than I realized I had a sports car game on my XBOX so I decided to give it a try for image training. However, since I haven't played the game for a while that my XBOX was not working....I guess I got too much dust in the console!?!

イメトレはあきらめPCに戻って作業開始。今夜はトーランスまで食事に行かなくてはいけないので、その準備。なんだか一日が経つのはあっと言うまだな・・・。

I guess I gave up with the image training and back to the reality work with my PC. Since I have to go to dinner tonight out to Torrance...I better start getting ready. I can't believe how quick the day went today....

企画書

昨日は夜中まで相撲の中継を見てしまいました。ずっと勝ちまくっていた、朝青龍が出島に負けて“オ〜ッ”って騒いだらなんだか寝付けませんでした。（笑）朝起きて、昨日の夕飯の残りの雑炊を朝食で食べて、お昼からジム。今日は筋トレをメインに行いました。

Last night, I was up late whatching the sumo tournament. I was excited to see the Yokozuna "Asashouryu" lose against Dejima since the yokozuna has not lost for awhile. Had a pretty good sleep and was up early this morning. I had the porridge left over from last night for my breakfast and went to the gym. I concentrated mainly on weight training today since I did a lot of cadio exercise yesterday.

午後はまたコンピューターの前で企画書作り。デイトナとその後のプランも考えて色んな資料作りで大変です。今は目がちかちかしてます・・・。午後から昨日話をしたNASCARのチームオーナーとまた話をして、色々とロングタームでのプランの話し合い。時間はかかると思いますが、今まで話をしたアメリカン・モータスポーツ絡みの人の中では一番ビジネスプランもしっかりしていて現実的で良さげです！！

I was back in my computer desk for the afternoon making the proposal for Daytona as well as all the future plans. My eye is a bit dizzy from all staring in to the PC. I have also got to talk with a NASCAR Busch team owner who may be able to help me in to NASCAR. Out of all the people I met, I think he can make a good long term busuiness plans and although it will take a lot of time and effort, I truly believe things can be done!!

今日も妻の調子はイマイチみたいです・・・。家で作るのもなんだし、今夜は外食かな・・・？？
My wife is still not feeling so well today....I guess we might eat out tonight...

トレーニング

今日も起きてからピットの散歩。朝から妻の調子があまりよくなかったので、朝ご飯にはご飯にお正月の残りのイクラをのせてイクラ丼。そのまま、メールチェック等をしてお昼にジムに行ってガッツリトレーニング。移動日から一日あけてリラックスできたので身体の調子も快調！！

Got up in the morning and took my dog Pit for a walk as my daily routine. Since my wife was not feeling so well...I made my self a SalmonCaviar Bowl for breakfast since we still had some SalmonCaviar...we call it "Ikura", in the fridge. Than off to the gym. Since I had a day to relax, my body condition felt really good and I am eager to get back in to a race car any time soon.

午後はデイトナで会った知人の紹介でNASCARの事に関してなど色んな情報をゲット。色々と考えるとロングタームのプランになるとは思いますが、時間をかけてでも成功させないと！！って思ってます。しかも、デイトナ２４時間に向けての資料作り。なんとか夕方にまで終えて、リトル東京の日系スーパーにお買い物。妻と今夜は家で水炊きをする事にしたので、材料をゲッツ！！これからモミジおろしを作ってきま〜す！？！

I got to speak with a guy who may be able to help me lead to NASCAR. He gave me many valuable info and I will be speaking to him again tomorrow more in details. I think it is going to be a long term plan but I certainly want to keep trying and give my best effort to be able to get to NASCAR. I also had to make some presentation material for the Daytona 24Hr....my eye's are bit tyred from staring at PC. My wife and I decided to have ShabuX2 for dinner so I went to the Japanese super market in Little Tokyo to buy all the ingredients. And as of now...I am off to help her make the dinner!?!

家でリラックス

昨日は夜遅くに家に着いたので、今日はずっと家でリラックスしてました。日曜日なのでテレビもつまらなく、午前中はダラダラ・・・。お昼前になってから、デイトナのスポンサー集めの為に色々と写真や画像の修正等々・・・、しか〜しグラフィックデザイナーではないので、色々と時間がかかりまくり！？！

Since I got home late last night, I stayed in bed for a while and relaxed in the AM. Since it is Sunday, there is nothing to whatch on TV and I started to get bored so I decided to work on some graphic arrangement for possible sponsors for Daytona. However, since I am not a graphic artist...it takes me ages to get anything done on Photoshop.

お昼過ぎからデイトナであったNASCAR関係の人を紹介してくれる人から電話があって色々とアドバイスを受けました。それから、その人から頂いたコンタクトにメールを送り、デイトナ２４時間の他のチームにも色々とコンタクト。日曜日だけど、明日の朝一でチームが見てくれればLA時間で目が覚めた頃にはリスポンスが来ると思うので。

In the PM, I got a phone call from a guy who I met in Daytona who may be able to lead me to the right person to guide me towards NASCAR. After the phone call, I immediately sent e-mails to the contact information that I got, and I also decided to send e-mails to possible teams for Daytona 24hr. Although today is an off work day, it will be good to have sent the e-mails today that way they will see it first thing in the morning and possibly reply by when I get up in LA time.

夜の予定はとくにありませんが、明日は早目に起きてトレーニングに行きたいので今夜は早目にオヤスミですね！
Since I have no plans for the evening...I should probably have an early dinner and get to the bed early that way I will be up nice & fresh tomorrow morning in order to hit the gym!!Good night....zzzzzzz

ようやくテスとができました！

今日は朝一でサーキットに突入。ガレージに着いたら本当に一番乗りで誰もいないので、これはちょっと格好わるいぞ〜って思って一度朝ご飯を食べてからサーキットに戻りました。昨日のナイトセッションで終わるのが遅かったから今日は始まるのもユックリだそうです・・・。

I got up early and decided to get to the track early.... got to the track and quickly found out that I was the only one there so I decided to go get some breakfast. Apparently, the crew had a late night last night with the night session and had a later start this morning.

ガレージに行ってから早速SamaxMotorsportsのオーナーとお話。今日は一番に乗らせてくれるとの事でラッキ〜。しか〜し、残念ながらSamaxの７号車は資金が少し不足している為に、スポンサー持ち込みドライバーで参戦するようです・・・。なんとかレース前にスポンサーが見つかればいいけど。が、デイトナの後やシリーズ後半戦でのロングレース等では起用する事を考えてくれてるみたいなので、今回のテストに参加させてもらえる事になりました。状況を考えるとかなりラッキーだったと思います。

Once I got to the garagae, I talked with the owner of Samax Motorsports and was told that I was going to be in the car first today! Unfortunately, they will have to pick a driver who can bring in some funding for the Daytona race but I think there can be a possibility in the future especially later part of the season to race for his team and I am greatful of the oppurtunity for the test in such circumstances.

10時に走行開始。よ〜く考えたら、レーシングカーは５月のIndy500ぶり、ロードコースで走るのは一昨年のWatkinsGlenぶり、デイトナのコースも始めてそしてスポーツカーは始めて・・・。かなり久しぶり続きでちょっと緊張しちゃいました！今回のテスとは車のフィールを感じてきてとの事で古いタイヤを履いて１０周くらい走行しました。やはりスポーツカーはインディーカーと大違いですね！何より重いので車を止めて曲げるのが大変です。タイヤのコンディションも良くなかったので、あまりプッシュはしませんでしたが、短い時間に車の感覚をつかむ事もできて、久しぶりに乗れてめちゃめちゃ楽しかったです！！車のフィールを得ただけのテストだったので、トップとのタイム比較にはなりませんが、スポーツカーを始めて乗ったドライバーの中では最初の８周までのタイムはベストだったみたいなので、内容は悪くなかったと思います。

The Session started at 10:00am. As I settled into the car, I realized that the last time I was in a racing car was last May at Indy, the last time I have been on road coarse　was nearly two years ago at Watkins Glen, I have never driven here at Daytona and it was going to be my first try in a tintop car.... As it all went through my mind, I would be lying if I didn't say if I was a bit nervous. The whole point of the test was for me to get feel the car and not crash the car since they needed to test with couple of other drivers. I was able to do about 10 laps in total and since I didn't push too hard, it would not be fair to compare the time with the top runners....but I still did fairly well considering the time against the guys who never been in that car.

10ラップはあっと言う間に終わってしまいましたが、乗れて本当に良かったです。とりあえず、フィールがつかめたので、次回乗った時にはもっとガンガン攻めれる様な気がします！セッションを終えてデータを見る限りも自分が想像していた通りだったのである意味スポーツカーでもやって行ける自信がつきましたね！！ん〜だからこそ２４時間はでたいな〜〜！！なんとかしてスポンサーをゲットしてレースにでれるように頑張ります！！

10Laps went by really quickly but I really want to thank the team for giving me this oppurunity. I was able to get a feel of the car and I think I know what to do when I get back next time. I looked at the data after the session and where I was lacking was exactly where I was not pushing, that means it will be easy to get back on track to fix the problem. The test certainly gave me the confidence that I can do a good job in Sports Car racing and I want race the 24hr even more.... I guess I really have to work harder now to be able to find some sponsors for that race.

今はオーランドの飛行場でこれから家に帰ります！まだ、レースにでれるかはわかりませんがなんとかスポンサーを取れるように頑張りますので引き続き応援宜しくお願いします！テストの写真もアップしま〜す！！

車に乗り込み前に少し緊張気味・・・！？！（笑）
I don't look nervous do I...?!?

テスト走行は明日・・・！？！

今日も午前中からサーキット。ず〜〜っとピットやガレージで何時でも乗れる様にスタンバイ状態でかなり疲れました。夜に行われたナイトセッションまで粘りましたが、残念ながら出番はなく明日は何とか乗れる様にするよとチームオーナーからの一言・・・。

I was at the track from the morning all the way until end of the session for the night practice. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to drive today, however, the team owner did promise me that I will have some time tomorrow...

交渉していた片方のチームは残念ながら他のドライバーがクラッシュをして全損・・・。乗るチャンスがなくなってしまいましたが、レースには新車を買うみたいでうまくいけばそこで乗れる可能性はありそう。もう片方のチームの車は意地でも明日乗らないと！しか〜し、スポンサーを持ってるドライバーが他にも２〜３人居るみたいで、そのシートは競争率が高そう・・・。

One of the team that I was negotiating with had an incidednt today on track and the car was totalled... obviously I did not get a chance to try out their car but since they are buying a new car for the race, it may turn into a good oppurtunity if I get to race with them. I really need to get in to the car and do well tomorrow for the other team that I have been talking with.

どちらにしても明日乗るのはかなり楽しみ＆ちょっと緊張気味！なんだかんだ言ってもレーシングカーに乗れるのは去年のIndy500いらいですもんね！！ではでは、早く寝ないと〜〜！！

I guess I am both excited & nervous about tomorrow's test. I haven't driven a race car since last May at Indy 500.... Anyhow it's getting late and I better hit the bed!!

Daytonaに到着

深夜のフライトでLAを出発して、４時間半でオーランドに到着。飛行機の中ではなかなか寝付けなくて、映画を見始めたら最後が気になってけっきょく機内では２時間くらいしか寝る事ができませんでした・・・。オーランドに着いてからはレンタカーをピックアップして、デイトナまで１時間のドライブ。９時にサーキットに着いて受付をして、ガレージへ直行！話をしてる２チームと状況調査。

Caught a Red-Eye flight last night to Orlando. Since it was only a 4.5Hr flight, I planned the day so I can sleep in the plane. Usually the plan doesn't work out and I could not fall a sleep during the flight so I decided to watch the inflight movie until the end. After about 2Hr sleep, I landed in Orlando and picked up the rent-a-car and off to Daytona. It only took me 1Hr which was not bad of a drive! Once I arrived at the track, I had to stop by the registration to pick up the credentials and off to garage to meet the teams.

現場についてみると思った以上に、２４時間参戦に向けて交渉にきているドライバーがいてビックリ・・・。話をしていた片方のチームはスポンサー持ち込みの選手で行くみたいで、望みはもう１チームですね。今日は少しトラブルがあったみたいですが、明日はタイミングを見計らって乗せてもらう事ができると思います。短時間の中で良い走りをしないと！！始めてのデイトナプロトタイプの車の運転ですが頑張ります！！

I was suprised by amount of drivers walking around in the padock who are looking for rides. Of the two teams that I was talking to...one if opting for a driver with funding therefore it looks like I will have to concentrate with just one team. Although the car seemed to have minor problems today, I think I will have a chance to drive the car tomorrow and if not on Saturday. It's my firt run in the Daytona Prototype cars but I must show my ability in short time!! I really can't wait to drive the car!!!

Getting ready for Daytona

今日は時差調整の為に早起き。あまりにも早く起きすぎてまだ暗いので少し布団の中で考え事・・・。朝起きてからはピットの散歩。そして、午前中にトレーニング。テスト目前に体調もばっちり回復！！良かったX2！！いや〜しかし久しぶりに車に乗るのが楽しみだな〜！！

I woke up really early this morning to avid jetlag when I get to Daytona tomorrow AM since I am taking a red eye flight tonight. I waled my little chihuahua "Pit"　as usual and hit the gym in the mornning. I worked up pretty hard today and my condition is 100% now for the test. I am really looking forward to the test since I haven't driven a proper race car since May when I raced in Indy 500.

午後は３日遅れの初詣に行ってきました。テスト前だし、妻の出産もあるしお参りに行こうって話になり、LittleTokyoにある高野山と言うお寺に行きテスト時に身につけるお守りもゲット！そして妻と一緒におみくじも引いて帰ってきました。これからデイトナの荷造りをしてご飯を食べてから出発です！テスト頑張ってきま〜す！！

In the afternoon, my wife and I decided to go the temple in Little Tokyo to pray for our good health and all the best for our expecting baby...and ofcourse a little bit of luck! It's a japanese tradition called "Hatsu-moude" to visit a temple during the 1st several days of the year which I have not done for awhile.
Now, I have to get ready to go to the test! I will do my best and I hope I will have a good news to report in couple of days!!

アメリカは今日から営業

昨日は１２時前にはポックリ寝てしまって、今朝は朝早くに目が覚めてしまいました・・・。日本は３日まで休日ですよね・・・？アメリカは２日からほぼ普通営業。今日はフォード前大統領のお葬式があったので郵便局などは休日になりましたが、ほとんどの会社は既に営業してたみたいです。ん〜アメリカは年が明けたら本当に１〜２で仕事ですね！！

I hit the bed so early last night that I ended up getting up way too early....I feel like I am turning in to an old man!?! Although in Japan usually the first 3 days of the year is a national holiday, here in US we start to work and back to real life from the 2nd day.

今日は午前中にジムに行ってトレーニング。病み上がりのせいかなんだかパワーが足りない気がします。しか〜し今週のテストに備えてそんな事は言ってられない！！今日はガッツリトレーニングしときました。明日は深夜フライトなので明日もしっかり運動して体調を整えないと。レース目前になってチーム／ドライバーの動きも色々とあるみたいで、話していたチームもスポンサー持ち込みドライバーと色々と話したりでテストが重要になりそう。現時点で２チームと話をしてますが、片方は持ち金ドライバーに目がいっちゃってるみたい・・・。ん〜なんとかこのテストで気合いで話を決めてこないと！！全力で頑張るんで応援してくださいね！！

I went to the gym in the AM... finally recovered from the cold but I still feel like I don't have the maximum strength. I definately need to get back in to 100% racing mode since I have a real important test coming up this week at Daytona. The race is only couple of weeks away and there are many shifts going around with the teams and drivers. I have been talking to 2 teams and I hope to be able to show my ability to get the drive. However, as anything...money talks and the teams are in a situation that prefers a driver with sponsorship. I'm gonna give my best during the test inorder to get the ride for the Daytona 24HRs.

Happy New Year!

皆さん、明けましたおめでとうございます！いや〜２００６年もあっと言う間に終わって、もう２００７年ですね。昨日は家でユックリと過ごして、朝起きたらなんだか身体が痺れていたので元旦から寝正月状態になってしまいました・・・。皆さんはどうすごされましたか？？今日はユックリして、明日からは気合い入れていけるよ〜にしないと！！

そうそう、年明け早々ブログスタイルを少し変えます！って言っても日本語＆英語を両方で書こうと思って。ん〜実は結婚式の時にMCを努めてくれたトシ君のブログを見て面白いからパクロ〜って思って書いてみます。ではでは、英語バージョンも楽しんでくださいね！！

Happy New Year guys! I wish you all had great holiday and count down to 2007!! I had a nice quite dinner with my wife and had some "toshikoshi soba"....soba noodles that we eat to greet the new year and was off to bed at 2 am. I was not feelig so well today so I decided to sleep through out the day to recover from the cold that I've been struggling for last couple of days. Starting tomorrow...back to real life after the holidays and I better start training for the coming test at Daytona which I hope I will able to land a ride soon!!

日本はもう明けおめ。

日本はもう既に年が明けてますね。日本の皆さん明けましておめでとうございます！LAはまだ大晦日で、これから年越しをする所です。今日は午前中にスーパーに行って、色々と買い出し。家でプチおせち料理を作る事になったので、色々と食料品をゲットしに行ってきました。帰ってきてからは家の掃除！！夜まではユックリしつつ、紅白歌合戦を見ながらご飯を食べようと思います。

しか〜し、朝起きてネットサーフィンしていたら既に紅白の結果を見てしまった〜・・・。まっ、しーと言えば白が勝とうが赤が勝とうがどうでも良いのですが・・・！？！それよりもK1の結果が気になる〜・・・。しかし、なんでK1の結果ってオンタイムでネットにのせないのかな・・・。秋山選手は勝ったかな？？メチャメチャ気になってます・・・。

2006年を振り返って

今日は日本では既に大晦日な？僕は家に帰ってきて風邪で調子がいまいち良くないので、今日はユックリしてました。ふと色々と２００６年を振り返ってみました。いや〜今年はなんだか色んな事がある年だったな・・・。ある意味タフな年でした。
プライベートでは結婚をして、年明けには子供も産まれる予定で生活環境の変化はかなりあった気がします。その反面、レースではIndy500しか参戦できず、本当に悔しい１年でした。Indy500も危うい所、かな〜り土壇場で乗って、そのわりには個人的には納得のいく結果がだせたので良かったです。しかし、何よりも茂木に参戦する事もできず応援してくれている皆さんの期待も裏切っちゃった事に関しては本当にごめんなさい・・・。

そうそう、今年一番サーキットで思い出に残ってるのは、スポッターを勤めていたのに急遽PlayaDelRacingにロジャー乗ってくれって言われてレーシングスーツを着てピットレーンに向かった時に多くのファンに“Welcome Back Roger!”って言われ拍手をしてもらった事です。ぶっちゃけ嬉しくて涙がでそうでした！？！ある意味、アメリカの人たちにも認めてもらって喜んでもらったと言う気がして自分も本当のプロになったかなと思えました。

さてさて、いよいよ２００７年。まずはデイトナ２４時間参戦が目標ですね。今回も土壇場でレース参戦って感じですが意地でも乗らないと！！気合いで頑張ります。始めての耐久レースですが、全力で頑張ります！！そして、その後はまたIndy500も目指しますが、NASCARも視野にいれて新たなチャレンジをして行きたいと思います！！実は数ヶ月前は日本に戻ってレースをしようかと悩んだ時期もありましたが、その時にふとインディアナポリスでの“Welcome Back”って一言を思い出してアメリカで頑張って行こうと決めました！！これから全開で頑張って行きますので応援宜しくお願いします！

今年もお世話になったスポンサーそしてファンの皆様、応援を心から感謝します！今年は１戦だけのレースでしたが来年ももっと色んなレースに参戦できる様に頑張りますので引き続き応援宜しくお願いします！！それでは、皆さん良いお年を！！

ようやく帰宅

今日も６時起きで、サーキット。いや〜朝はめちゃめちゃ寒かったです。１℃くらいしかなくて、かなり冷え込んでました！カリフォルニアとは思えないくらい・・・。今日も一日中サーキットでスクールインストラクター。夕方５時に仕事を終えて約５時間のドライブで帰宅。本当に長いドライブでした。今日で仕事納めって感じです。

日本はもうちょいで大晦日ですね〜。今年の年末年始は家でマッタリって感じになりそうです。Lagunaに行く前から少し風邪気味なのでデイトナのテストに向けて体調を整えないと・・・！！ではでは、今日はロングドライブでチョイ疲れなのでそろそろ寝ます。zzzzzzzzz

Skip Barber Racing School 2日目

今日は午前中は少し寒かったのですが、午後からはだいぶ暖かくなりました。今日も順調に一日が終わり、ホテルに戻ってきました。いや〜しかし、体調は相変わらずイマイチ・・・。昨日はホテルのレストランでさくっと食べて寝ようと思ったのに、他のインストラクターと遭遇してしまい、メキシカンレストランへ一緒に行って部屋に戻ったのが１１時頃になってしまったので、今夜は早目に食べて寝よっ！！

ようやく明日LAに帰れる。しか〜し、４時間半の一人ドライブは本当に憂鬱ですわ〜・・・。家に帰って暖かいご飯を食べるのが楽しみ！あれれ、冷静に考えたら今週末でもう今年は終わりじゃ〜ん！？！本当にあっと言う間でしたね〜・・・。ではでは、残りちょっとの２００６年を思いっきり楽しみましょう！！