"Sono Shini-kata-ha Meiwaku-desu" by HONDA Keiko

Ms. Honda is a Gyousei-syoshi, a person who has qualifications to write public documents in Japan, and she usually advises about inheritances and supports to write testaments. The title of this book means "The way to die causes troubles", and the main topic of this book is about the testaments and three documents which are necessary before the death.

Generally speaking, in Japan talking about the death is taboo. So many people are not concerning about their death, and their knowledge about the testaments have many mistakes. Therefore many troubles tend to be occur after a person's death. This book explains about the mistakes by quoting many examples she encountered in her daily work. She also explains about three documents which are necessary when people become old, and all these documents must be prepared when the person is healthy and has vitality.

I knew a little about the testaments, but didn't know about the three documents. I should think about these things as soon as possible... Of course it is not enough only to think about them, and we have to act (^_^;;;

P.S.
Of course these are valid only in Japan.

(Finished reading on Apr. 13, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* HONDA Keiko : 本田桂子
* Sono Shini-kata-ha Meiwaku-desu : その死に方は迷惑です

"Shio-no Machi" by ARIKAWA Hiro

Suddenly one day huge solids of salt of about 50 m high were fallen near densely populated cities in the world. Then a strange disease called 'salty harm' has spread. The human body is gradually changed into salt...

In Tokyo a former pilot of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and a female high school student began to live together...

This is the first book of 'Jieitai-Sanbusaku' or Japanese Self-Defense Forces three series. And this is also the combination of her first book 'Shio-no Machi' and the sequel to the story 'Shio-no Machi Sono-go'. The story is a science fiction and called light novels in Japan. (also in abroad?) I like her books, and I'd like to continue reading this series.

FYI:
'Jieitai-Sanbusaku' series:
* Shio-no Machi [Salty Town] : 塩の街 <= this book
* Sora-no Naka [In the Sky] : 空の中
* Umi-no Soko [Bottom of the Sea] : 海の底

(Finished reading on Apr. 12, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* ARIKAWA Hiro : 有川浩
* Shio-no Machi : 塩の街

"Poankare-no Okurimono" by MINAMI Miyako and NAGASE Teruo

MINAMI Miyako and NAGASE Teruo are a couple, and both studied mathematics in their universities. After that MINAMI became a mathematical teacher, and NAGASE became a mathematical scholar. The most of this book is written by MINAMI, and the last part is written by NAGASE.

"This is a three-manifold which I realized. It vanishes one circles, but it is not topologically same as a three dimensional sphere."

With these words and a strange solid, Mr. Tachibana has left from Yayoi. So Yayoi began to understand the meaning... This book is a introduction to Poincare's conjecture. Now (in 2008) has the conjecture been solved? Maybe yes. But the publication of this book is 2001, and it has not been solved yet.

(Finished reading on Apr. 12, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* MINAMI Miyako : 南みや子
* NAGASE Teruo : 永瀬輝男
* Poankare-no Okurimono : ポアンカレの贈り物

"Hen-na Rittai" by SUGIHARA Koukichi

SUGIHARA Koukichi is a expert of mathematical engineering, computational geometry, and computer graphics. When he tried to let a computer recognize a solid from a picture, he noticed that some trick pictures can be realized! For example Escher's "Ascending and Descending" and "Belvedere" - these can be made in real! This book (the title means 'Strange Solids') contains unfolded figures of such solids, so we can easily make them! I am going to make them in near future! ^^

* contents of solids *
struggle of horizontal and vertical
master of walls (1)
master of walls (2)
three bars stuck out of a wall
two joking columns
unlimited steps
fun of four columns
four columns and a ring
windows aligned horizontally
three windows aligned horizontally (1)
three windows aligned horizontally (2)
windows aligned vertically
a ring and a bar
a joking V
a V and a bar
hesitation of three columns
hesitation of a ring
three rings

(Finished reading on Apr. 6, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* SUGIHARA Koukichi : 杉原厚吉
* Hen-na Rittai : へんな立体

"Angel Angel Angel" by NASHIKI Kaho

NASHIKI Kaho is a Japanese writer who studied at a children's book writer Betty Morgan Bowen in England. She writes pure and a little strange stories.

This book consists of two parts: one is a story of a female high-school student who started to have tropical fish including angel fish, and the other is a story about a female student in old days maybe the end of 1800s. These two stories are going on parallel, and begin to interact each other, and finally merge at the end. The keyword is 'Angel' and 'Daemon'.

(Finished reading on Apr. 6, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* NASHIKI Kaho : 梨木香歩
* Angel Angel Angel : エンジェル・エンジェル・エンジェル

"Kikinzoku-no Kagaku" by SUGANO Teruzou

SUGANO Teruzou is a elderly Japanese scientist, I guess. His specialty is rust of metals.

The title of this book means 'Science of Novel Metals' and this book is written about novel metals - metals which are chemically stable, difficult to ionize, expensive, and short of resources. It contains eight elements: Au (gold), Ag (silver), Pt (platinum), Ru (ruthenium), Rh (rhodium), Pd (palladium), Os (osmium), and Ir (iridium). Physical, chemical, industrial, cultural, historical, and financial features are explained for these elements as well as Cu (copper), Fe (iron), and Hg (mercury). The descriptions are very easy to read, and the book is something like gatherings of columns.

(Finished reading on Apr. 5, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* SUGANO Teruzou : 菅野照造
* Kikinzoku-no Kagaku : 貴金属の科学

"Akumu-Hakase-no Keizai-Nyumon" by TACHIBANA Akira

TACHIBANA Akira is a Japanese write who mainly writes about economical or financial matters.

Dr. Akumu is a 70-year-old man who have studied philosophy, mathematics, physics, biology, and he established an institute to save public people with his knowledge. Fanfan is a reception clerk, and Lynrei is an assistant of Dr. Akumu. They are brother and sister, and working for him...

The title means "Introduction to Economics by Dr. Akumu". The book separated into 5 sections, and each section explains one item. They are behavioral economics, prisoner's dilemma, network economics, social psychology, and Goedel's incompleteness theorems. The complicated schemes are explained easily by using stories of the Mafia, those who debt large amount of money, and so on. The doctor's name Akumu is the same pronunciation of the Japanese word meaning nightmare, and this book is full of black humors...

(Finished reading on Apr. 2, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* TACHIBANA Akira : 橘玲
* Akumu-Hakase-no Keizai-Nyumon : 亜玖夢博士の経済入門
* KUSE Sanae : 久世早苗

"Guruguru-Zaru-to Utau-Tori" by KANOU Tomoko

KANOU Tomoko is a Japanese writer mainly writing mysteries. Her mysteries usually treat light secrets in daily life, and I like this type of mystery.

TAKAMI Shin moved from Tokyo to north Kyusyu, the western area of Japan, at the beginning of his fifth grade. He lived in a company house with his parents. SAKUMA Shin, who is called Koko-chan, lives next house to TAKAMI Shin's. He is the same grade with TAKAMI Shin. There lives TAKEMOTO five brothers, TOTOKI Aya, and a strange guy called Pack nearby. They found Guruguru-Zaru (Spiral Monkey) and Utau-Tori (Singing bird or Hummingbird), solve the secret codes in the library, and create a ghost, and ...


* Index *
Prolog --- or a monolog before the story
First story: Guruguru-Zaru-to Utau-Tori : A Spiral Monkey and a Hummingbird
Monolog
Second story: The Secret Codes in the Library
Monolog
Third story: The Ghost in a Company House
Epilog


This is a book in 'Mystery Land' series, so very this contains colorful illustrations drawn by KUSE Sanae. This is also easy to read except for the use of dialect of north Kyusyu region. ^^;

(Finished reading on Apr. 1, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* KANOU Tomoko : 加納朋子
* Guruguru-Zaru-to Utau-Tori : ぐるぐる猿と歌う鳥
* KUSE Sanae : 久世早苗

"Jyoshidaisei Kaikeishi-no Jikenbo 6" by YAMADA Shin'ya

This is the sixth and the final book of 'Jyoshidaisei Kaikeishi (A Female College Student Accountant)' series. At last I could read this!

The female college student accountant FUJIWARA Moemi (Moe) and her junior partner KAKIMOTO Kazuma (Kakkii) form a team to audit companies. The contents are very good to know the work of accountants. Moreover, the final result of their love is... ^^

(Finished reading on Mar. 30, 2008)


The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* YAMADA Shin'ya : 山田真哉
* Jyoshidaisei Kaikeishi-no Jikenbo 6: 女子大生会計士の事件簿６

c.f.
* Jyoshidaisei Kaikeishi-no Jikenbo 5

"Moppu-no Sei-ha Shinya-ni Arawareru" by KONDOU Fumie

This is the second book of 'Kiriko' series. An angel of mop changed into a mop nymph, and a main character in the first book, KAJIMOTO Daisuke, does not appear except for the last story. When the author wrote the first book, she seems to have no intention to continue this story. Anyway the contents of this book is as follows:

* Warui Me [Bad Bud] 悪い芽
* Kagi-no Nai Tobira [Door with No Lock] 鍵のない扉
* Over the Rainbow [Over the Rainbow] オーバー・ザ・レインボウ
* Kimi-ni Aitai-to Omou-Koto [Thinking of Eager to Seeing You] きみに会いたいと思うこと

The title of this book means 'A Mop Nymph Appears on Midnight.' Of course the mop nymph shows Kiriko, and she cleans offices on every midnight. The view of the cleaner can help to solve various matters occurred around her.

I like her way of thinking very much. She says, "I don't think I'm wrong, and you must also be correct. I don't intend you feel uncomfortable. So I will fit you some parts which are not important matters for me, if that will make both you and I feel happy."

(Finished reading on Mar.29, 2008)

The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* KONDOU Fumie : 近藤史恵
* Moppu-no Sei-ha Shinya-ni Arawareru : モップの精は深夜に現れる


c.f.
'Kiriko' series:
* Tenshi-ha Moppu-wo Motte : 天使はモップを持って
* Moppu-no Sei-ha Shinya-ni Arawareru : モップの精は深夜に現れる <= this book
* Moppu-no Majyo-ha Jyumon-wo Shitteru : モップの魔女は呪文を知ってる

"Aibou-ni Te-wo Dasuna" by OUSAKA Gou

After beginning to read, I noticed this was a book in a series. The name seems to be 'Aibou' series; 'Aibou' means 'Partner' in English. I read the first book "Aibou-niha Kiwotsukero" in August of 2005, and this book is the second one.

The hero who has five names and occupations (AOYAGI Syuuroku in Micro Hard, AOTSUKA Toru in Posting Z, SHIRAI Jyuuichiro in Kudan Office Supply, KON'NO Hitoshi in Eastern and Western Food Service, TYANOKI Takashi in Edit U) was got into many troubles, and the stories in this series are the memory of the matters. In this book six stories are included:

* Kokoro-Gawari [Change of Mind] 心変わり
* Mukashi-Najimi [Old Friends] 昔なじみ
* Tsuru-no Hitokoe [A Word of Tsuru] ツルの一声
* Shinise-no Neuchi [The Value of Long Standing Shops] 老舗のねうち
* Tsuru-no On-Gaeshi [Repay by Tsuru] ツルの恩返し
* Wakare-Banashi [Talk to Part] 別れ話

'Tsuru-no Hitokoe' and 'Tsuru-no On-Gaeshi' have double meaning. They are also the titles of Japanese old tales.

The title of this book means 'Be careful about the partner', and the partner in this book is a middle-aged woman, SHIMENDOU Haruka, who resembles to the actress Julian.

New character Tsuru is very interesting. She is an old woman whose husband had gone. After his death, she is running the antique shop 'Daimujin' which had been run by him. Mr. Aoyagi came to the shop, and became friends with her. And...

(Finished reading on Mar.28, 2008)

The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* OUSAKA Gou : 逢坂剛
* Aibou-ni Te-wo Dasuna : 相棒に手を出すな

c.f.
'Aibou' series:
* Aibou-niha Kiwotsukero : 相棒には気をつけろ
* Aibou-ni Te-wo Dasuna : 相棒に手を出すな <= this book

"Hiyuuzen" by KITAMORI Kou

This is the third book of the "Hatashi Toukodou" series by Mr. Kitamori. Though I wrote the series' name as "USAMI Touko series" in the review of the previous (the second) book "Kitsune-Yami", it was a mistake. And this book contains four short stories. The titles are:

* Touki [China's Demon] 陶鬼
* 'Towa-Emi'-no Syoujyo [A Girl with 'Eternal Smile'] 「永久笑み」の少女
* Hiyuuzen [Cardinal Fabric - Yuuzen] 緋友禅
* Kienn-Enkuu [Enkuu's Strange Link] 奇縁円空

The title of the third story is the title of this book. All stories contains events occurred around Touko, and she manages to solve these matters...

(Finished reading on Mar.22, 2008)

The more detailed Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* KITAMORI Kou : 北森鴻
* Hiyuuzen : 緋友禅
* Touki : 陶鬼
* 'Towa-Emi'-no Syoujyo : 「永久笑み」の少女
* Kienn-Enkuu : 奇縁円空

c.f.
"Kitsune-Wana"
"Kitsune-Yami"