The final game of Japan Soccar League Suntory Championship Matches between Kashima and Iwata held last evening was worth seeing. A few days ago I was told by a sales staff of Biccamera that even NHK did not use the latest high performance TV camera for broadcasting soccer games. But yesterday they sent very fine and beautiful pictures in live. I think that it was a trial for broadcasting the World Cup 2002 Games and that they mobilized the latest installations and equipments as their exercise. I could enjoy the good game at my home by looking at the digital hi-vision pictures. I was attracted by games, in which both sides demonstrated their high level technics such as beautiful pass works and also that they concentrated all their energies on offense as well as defense. If they could have such good games constantly now on, the soccer games will definitely become one of the most popular sports in Japan like the baseballs. About the broadcast of yesterday, the timing of replay on the screen was not good enough. For example, I could not get who was responsible for giving a penalty kick to Kashima. Furthermore Ogasawara's v-goal was not replayed in good timing.
It was very fine from morning today. In late afternoon, I left my home before 4:00 pm. and drove westward on Tomei Super Express Highway. I saw the Hakone mountains very clearly and found a black silhouette of Mt. Fuji in orange colored sky. But I came nearer to mountains, heavy clouds appeared in west sky. When I arrived at the Ashigara parking lots, Mt. Fuji was covered completely by heavy clouds. Even though I climbed up to the Otome mountain pass, I could not see Mt. Fuji at all. I drove back to Tokyo immediately. There was a warning that 20 km long traffic congestion was ahead of me. But as I drove down to Tokyo, the congestion disappeared. I could get to my home for one hour and a half as usual. Not so many people went out to the resort areas even on a Sunday in the year end.