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As a child, I belonged to an astronomy club. I like the stars very much. I always longed to see shooting stars, and often went to the observatory and the planetarium. I was very interested in stars even as a little child, more than weather at that time.
I think that weather forecasting is more an technology than a science. It does not follow strict laws like science, and that's more the reason I find it very interesting. Astronomy is fascinating to me, too, because a new discovery can instantly change an old theory.
My dream would be to travel to space and see the Earth from beyond the planet. I hear that it changes your view of life. As everything looks so tiny, even looking at the Earth on satellite images makes me wonder, "Do we really live on such a small place?" or "Are wars really happening on this planet?" So, looking at the Earth from space must be truly a life-changing experience. |
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| It's a big surprise to look at images even from 20 years ago, because you can clearly see things like clouds, snow covering the ground, the wake from ships, and smoke from forest fires, thinking, "This is how things look from 36,000 kilometers up in the sky?" I would like JAXA to share more surprises with the public. Even such old images can impress people, so there must be even more interesting stuff available now. This shouldn't be shared only among scientists. Using such images, I would love to do commentary for the public, too. Researchers might be able to get satisfaction from digital data, but I would like people to have a chance to be exposed to fascinating images. Also, I want astonishing images, like lightning seen from space, to be more accessible, so that people can find them and stimulate their curiosity and fascination. |
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Printed image from Himawari(GMS)
(Snow over the Kanto Plain)
As shown in white, the Kanto Plain is covered in snow. Also, we can see snow over Mt. Fuji and Mt. Paektu on the Korean Peninsula. |
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Weather Chart
TV "weathermen" used to draw the forecast by hand on a printed weather chart. These images were so precise that you could distinguish cloud formations, snow on the ground, the wake from ships, yellow sand, ice floes and volcanic ash. |
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