早稲田大学校歌 - Alma Mater @ Waseda

都の西北
Northwest of City

相馬御風 作詞　東儀鉄笛 作曲
Lyrics by Gyofu SOMA, Composition by Tetteki TOGI

一、
都の西北　早稲田の森に
Northwest of City great and fair, In the wood of Waseda,
聳ゆる甍は　われらが母校
Rise proudly high up in the air Our old college dome and tower.
われらが日ごろの　抱負を知るや
Our high-aspiring, cherished plan, Fond ambitions, know ye not?
進取の精神　学の独立
The torch of Progress in the van, Glaring fire of freest thought;
現世を忘れぬ　久遠の理想
The infinite Eternal Aim, Careful, too, of present need.
かがやくわれらが　行手を見よや
How brightly onward, at its name, See our steady ranks proceed!
わせだ　わせだ　わせだ　わせだ
Waseda, Waseda, Waseda, Waseda,
わせだ　わせだ　わせだ
Waseda, Waseda, Waseda

二、
東西古今の　文化のうしほ
From east and west, from age to age, All tides of civilization
一つに渦巻く　大島国の
In one huge whirlpool ever surge Round this great island Nation.
大なる使命を　担ひて立てる
Whose lofty mission are we not Carrying on our shoulders strong,
われらが行手は　窮り知らず
Through hardships of the vast untrod, Endless as we march along?
やがても久遠の　理想の影は
Yet soon our hoped Eternal Goal May its gleaming shadow cast
あまねく天下に　輝き布かん
And with its all-embracing soul Illumine the World at last!
わせだ　わせだ　わせだ　わせだ
Waseda, Waseda, Waseda, Waseda,
わせだ　わせだ　わせだ
Waseda, Waseda, Waseda

三、
あれ見よかしこの　常磐の森は
And look on yonder wooded hill Decked with evergreen, for there
心のふるさと　われらが母校
We have our home for heart and will, School, with kind maternal care!
集り散じて　人は変れど
Her students change from year to year, Meet and part with youth's delight,
仰ぐは同じき　理想の光
Yet all alike we seek to share These ideals and their light.
いざ声そろへて　空もとどろに
Come, let us sing in all accord, And with raptures ring the air,
われらが母校の　名をばたたへん
To praise the honored name aloud of our Alma Mater dear!
わせだ　わせだ　わせだ　わせだ
Waseda, Waseda, Waseda, Waseda,
わせだ　わせだ　わせだ
Waseda, Waseda, Waseda

Episode VII

お祝い - Celebration

After the graduation, it is time for a big celebration.

...and of course a big celebration requires big bottles!

皆さん、卒業おめでとう！

卒業式 - Graduation Ceremony

Every year, March 25 is the Graduation Day at Waseda University. It is a great day for the students, after long years of hard working. It is also a good occasion (and a tradition, too) to wear some ceremony dressing, like hakama (in the picture on the left) or kimono (in the two pictures below).
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

It was also a nice occasion for some people to show off, like the two guys here.

Hina-no-sekku - 雛の節句

In Japan there is no celebration of the Women's Day (which, in my opinion, completely lost its original meaning. There is no sense in celebrating it, but this would be another story). Instead, they celebrate "Doll's Day" (Hina-no-sekku, 雛の節句) on March 3rd.

On this day, families with girls wish their daughters a successful and happy life. Dolls are displayed in the house together with peach blossoms. The doll festival has its origin in a Chinese custom in which bad fortune is transferred to dolls and then removed by abandoning the doll on a river. On Hina Matsuri, sweet sake is drunken and chirashi sushi is eaten.

PS: thank you sam for the beautiful Minosa bonsai.

After the snow...

Tokyo, the snow, Shinjuku' skyscrapers, Waseda University,
Mount Fuji, the blue sky... all in a single shot! ^_^

Night and Day

Night...

...and day ^_^

Fireworks

Fireworks? ^_^

Walking in the snow...

早稲田通り Waseda dori

As seen from...

... in front of my building


... baba kuchi (馬場口)


...my balcony

僕の自転車 - my bike

...it's the one on the right

Still snowing...

...and the city is completely different. ^_^

雪だ！

富士山

White Fuji ^_^

明けましておめでとうございます

Happy new year!

In the picture, the Sunshine City Tower in Ikebukuro (Toshima-ku), Tokyo's 2nd tallest building (225m), with all the lights on for the new year.