Yuriko.Net in English

AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G — lightweight single focal length lens –

Yuriko — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:59:52 +0000

AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G

I got a AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G, which is a single focal length lens. With D90, it will be a lightweight camera system. For Nikon DX format, the 35mm focal length means normal length lens, because effective focal length will be 52.5mm (35mm x 1.5 times).

Below is a photo sample near Kawasaki station. This building is “Muza Kawasaki“, a symphony hall. With a wide diameter as f/1.8, I could take a picture at night scene.

(See Japanese article)

Filed under: Camera Tagged: lens, NIKKOR, single focus

Nikon D90 and Japanese folk house museum

Yuriko — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:59:42 +0000

I got a Nikon DSLR “D90“. I has been interested in DSLR, but has no chance to buy one. But, I found a D90 and lens unit as 90,000 JPY at Kawasaki. This is reasonable price.

D90 is an attractive device for photo. There are many photo fan among WordPress users in Kanto area. There are a “Shashinbu” blog at WordPress.com (Japanese site).

Sasaki house on the right. Emukai house on the left.

I went to Nihon Minka-en (Open-Air Japanese folk house museum) at Tama ward of Kawasaki city. There are many folk house build about one to three hundred years ago. They are suitable for the subject of photos.

(See Japanese article)

Filed under: Camera Tagged: D90, DSLR, Nihon Minka-en, Nikon

Mobile Wi-Fi Router by NTT East

Yuriko — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:59:21 +0000

I got a mobile Wi-Fi router “Hikari Portable” which is provided by NTT East. This product has a battery, a 3G mobile communication unit and a Wi-Fi infrastructure. It sets up a private Wi-Fi network and ties the Wi-Fi network with a 3G data link. Users can access the Internet through the private Wi-Fi network, and 3G data link. The battery enables the Internet access on the go!

NTT East offers Hikari Portable only for rental, not for sale. The rental fee is just 315 JPY per month. It is very low price against sales unit. For SIM free version of Hikari Portable, users can insert a favorite SIM card and make a 3G data link.

I use this unit with EMOBILE 3G services (Japanese site). It costs 4,980 JPY a month (New two-year plan).

The Wi-Fi router is very useful. I can connect the Internet from MacBook, iPhone 3GS, and Android smartphones in the train, cafe, etc.

(See Japanese article)

Filed under: Network Tagged: Hikari Portable, NTT

Aichi Torienale 2010 started!

Yuriko — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:59:06 +0000

Flowers That Bloom at Midnight by KUSAMA Yayoi

I went to Nagoya in two weeks intervals since Open Source Conference 2010 Nagoya. This tour is to appreciate Aichi Torienale and attend to a WordPress meetup at Hotta area.

Aichi Torienale 2010 is an international art festival in Nagoya city since 2010. This year is the first exhibition. The art place is Aichi prefecturral museum of art, Nagoya city art museum (Japanese site), and some spot in the city. This art event starts from today to the end of October.
One of the most remarkable works is Flowers That Bloom at Midnight by KUSAMA Yayoi. This art represents a dot-colored flower. I visited Aichi prefecturral museum of art at the first day of Aichi Torienale.

In the afternoon, I moved Hotta area and attend to a WordPress meetup. In this time, the main study is the theme structure of Twenty Ten on WordPress 3.0. The presenter was MATSUSHITa Hiroko (Japanese site). After the study, a staff meeting for WordCamp Nagoya 2010 was taken, and a party was made.

(See Japanese article)

Filed under: Art, Travel Tagged: Aichi Torienale, Nagoya

Open Source Conference 2010 Nagoya

Yuriko — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:59:23 +0000

I participated Open Souce Conference in Nagoya (Japanese Site). This is the sixth attend by WordBench community in 2010, and second attend at Nagoya area of Open Source Conference.

In the booth, we distributed a leaflet (which describe WordPress and the community), and WordPress stickers. Also, Mobile view of WordPress sites using Ktai Style plugin was performed.

A small WordPress seminar was held by Mighty-Works who is a web designer in Nagoya.

Nagoya is located middle area in the main island of Japan. Nagoya city is established in the four hundred years ago by TOKUGAWA Ieyasu. The year 2010 is the 400th memorial year.

WordPress community in Nagoya decided to held a WordCamp Nagoya 2010, and use the same place as Open Source Conference Nagoya. The conference is like a rehearsal for the WordCamp

(See Japanese article)

Filed under: Computer, Events Tagged: Nagoya, Open Source Conference

Bon festival dance

Yuriko — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:59:03 +0000

A Bon festival danding and drum playing was held my local town. Bon festival held at the evening in the summer. The entrants enjoy cool breeze against the hot day. The dancers make a circle around a center tower, and walk circulary. In the center tower, dance music is played with Japanese drum.

In this area, a drum-play was performed. Kids was practicing for the day. Beautiful and powerful melody was broken by drams.

Filed under: Events Tagged: Bon festival dance, drum

Ouchi-Juku — traditional Japanese village –

Yuriko — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:59:25 +0000

I went to Ouchi-Juku which is a traditional Japanese village in Fukushima prefecture.

Ouchi-Juku was a post station at Edo period. The station is in the main road at the age. But, the railway line was missed the road and this station, Ouchi-Juku has been left the ancient street. In the present time, The street was specified to preserve the state. Many tourists visit the village.

Filed under: Travel Tagged: Ouchi-Juku

One Night Geek House at Kyoto

Yuriko — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:59:39 +0000

WordPress/WordBench booth at OSC 2010 Kyoto

I participated Open Souce Conference in Kyoto (Japanese Site). This is the fifth attend by WordBench community in 2010. We made a booth and distributed a leaflet which explains WordPress itself and its community, WordPress stickers. Also, we held a seminar which instroduce WordPress. The seminar was charged by Mr. Koga who is the CEO of Digitalcube Co. Ltd.

By the way, I held an event called “One Night Geek House” at the night of Jul 9th. Nine person get together to a public room at South ward in Kyoto city, and “Write codes” at the night. We aimed a geek house for one night.

The result is that program code is not written, but guitar codes are wriiten!! The song was played at the second day of the conference.

(See Japanese article)

Filed under: Events, Software Tagged: Geek Night, Kyoto, Open Source Conference

Mongolian mutton BBQ at Tama-River

Yuriko — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:59:46 +0000

Genghis Khan is cooked at a pan

I joined a barbecue party at Tama-River. At this party, the meat is lamb and mutton insted of beaf. The cuisine is called “Genghis Khan”, and means Mongolian mutton barbecue. Strictly speaking, Genghis Khan is not a barbecue but a pan foods.

Tama-River is one of the best place to held a barbecue party. The shores are wide, a watering place is fully served, and there are many toilets near the shores. Every weekend in the summer, a number of people gathers at Tama-River and grill, broil, or barbecue various kinds of foods.

We prepared a draft beer server, lamb, vegetables, pans for Genghis Khan. Beer from the server is especially good taste. Twenty persons drunk Thirty litters of beer.

(See Japanese prompt reports)

Filed under: Events, Foods Tagged: BBQ, beer, lamb, mutton

Open Source Conference 2010 Hokkaido

Yuriko — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:59:37 +0000

I participated Open Souce Conference in Sapporo, Hokkaido (Japanese Site). This is the fourth attend by WordBench community in 2010.

We eat sashimi of Hokke at Sapporo.

I went to Hokkaido at Jun 25th, one day before the conference, and met two local WordPress users and two WordPress user from Tokyo. We had a small party with delicious Hokkaido foods like sashimi of Hokke.

At Jun 26th, Hiromasa — a plugin developer at Sapporo — had a seminar about WordPress at the conference. Many people visited the booth of WordPress.

The third day of Hokkaido, I went to Furano and Biei. This is a middle area of Hokkaido. Furano is well-known as a lavendar farm, Biei has wide and beautiful farms. In Hokkaido, there is a boundless view of green fields against the main island of Japan.

A lavender farm at Furano

A tree at Biei farms.

(See Japanese article. See Japanese prompt reports)

Filed under: Computer, Events, Travel Tagged: Biei, farm, Furano, Hokkaido, lavender, Open Source Conference, Sapporo

Tojinbo — rugged cliff facing the sea

Yuriko — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:59:12 +0000

I went to Fukui and attend to a WordPress meetup. Before the meetup, I turned to Tojinbo and watched the rugged cliff facing the sea. This place is the only columnar joint rock near the sea.

At Fukui, the number of WordPress users is growing up and meetup events is increasing. I hope that a WordCamp Fukui will be held!

(See Japanese prompt report)

Filed under: Travel Tagged: Fukui, Tojinbo

WordCamp Yokohama 2010 held!

Yuriko — Sat, 29 May 2010 14:59:27 +0000

The fifth WordCamp in Japan “WordCamp Yokohama 2010” is held on May 29, 2010. Three hundred people has attend the main event and one hundred and fifty people joined the after-party. I felt that WordCamp has been grown up in Japan.

A cake for WordCamp Yokohama party

In the party, We celebrated the seventh birtyday of WordPress. A big cake is served!

Filed under: Events, WordPress Hacks Tagged: WordCamp, Yokohama

Open Source Conference 2010 Sendai

Yuriko — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:59:08 +0000

I participated Open Souce Conference in Sendai (Japanese Site). This is the third attend by WordBench community in 2010.

The WordPress/WordBench booth at the conference

The number of WordPress users in Sendai is not much. The member of WordBench Sendai branch want to spread WordPress. A small party and a study meetings will be held in the future at this city.

Sendai is the biggest city at Tohoku area (north east at Japan main land). This city is founded by Date Masamune about 400 years ago. The city has a sightseeing bus called “Loople Sendai“, this bus runs through some tourist facilities.

Loople Sendai -- a sightseeing bus

(See Japanese article)

Filed under: Computer, Events Tagged: Open Source Conference, Sendai

Ktai Style 2.0.3 — Mobile plugin with pictogram

Yuriko — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:59:33 +0000

Show message at login form if mobile login session has been expired.

I released the stable version 2.0.3 of Ktai Style. This is a plugin to provide lightweight view and simple admin feature for mobile phones, especially for Japanese phones.

Changes from 2.0.0 to 2.0.2 are below:

Fixed HTML syntax error at footer.php of Classic, Default theme.
Fixed bug that ks_term_name() does not show the proper name for some EZweb phones.

DOWNLOAD: ktai-style.2.0.3.zip

(日本語の案内文)

Filed under: Mobile, WordPress Hacks Tagged: Ktai Style, Latest, Plugin, Release

Nonce, Please! 1.2.0 — Spam declining plugin

Yuriko — Sat, 08 May 2010 11:32:32 +0000

I released version 1.2.0 of Nonce, Please!. This plugin declines spam by adding and checking a nonce (random string) to the comment/trackback posting URL. There is no configuration. You just activate the plugin. The change from 1.1.2 is below:

Unified the plugin name to “Nonce, Please!” along the nonce_please.php file. “Nonce! Please” is now a wrong spelling.
Error messages are now translated.
Add Belarusian(be) translation.
Fixed the URL of the Plugin URI.
Change the name of languages resource directory from “lang” into “languages”.
Fix the language resource path to show translated description, author name properly.

Download: nonce-please.1.2.0.zip

From this release, the plugin name is unified to “Nonce, Please!”. This name is used at the PHP file. But, “Nonce! Please” is used in README.txt…

I get a Belarusian translation from Marcis G. Thank you for cooperation!! I can’t read this language…

Belarusian translation

(日本語の案内文)

Filed under: WordPress Hacks Tagged: Latest, Nonce Please!, Plugin, Release, Spam

Infiorata Kobe Kitano-zaka 2010

Yuriko — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:59:44 +0000

'Stylish Kobe Bride' by NAKAHARA Yoko, 2010

'Get Connected From Loving Kobe to the World' by LOVE KOBE Orange Ribbon, 2010

I went to Infiorata Kobe Kitano-zaka 2010 (Link target is Japanese site). This is an event to draw pictures at street by flower pentals of tulip. Kitano-zaka (Kitano slope) is one of the place that Infiorata is held.

There is twelve flower pictures in the slope. These picture describes symbols of Kobe city: jazz, wine, port, movie, and so on.

Stabucks coffee store Kobe Kitano Ijinkan

In Kitano-zaka, there is a Starbucks coffee store in a old western house. This house is built by M.J.Shay in 1907. In 995, it was broken by Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. Six year later, this house is moved and rebuilt at current location and used as a cafe and museum. But, refreshed as a coffee store in 2009.

Filed under: Events, Travel Tagged: Infiorata, Kobe