ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

The weather this week has been so amazing! I had the opportunity to go to the pier in Takamatsu on Monday night at sunset when the wind was strong and it was fantastic! The waves hitting the pier were huge! So many people were paying and photographing the waves! Even I did. There were two guys there who were riding their bikes through the splash zone so they could get hit with a wave on camera! I had a lot of fun there with my best friend! What an amazing time!.



  

The weather this week has been so amazing! I had the opportunity to go to the pier in Takamatsu on Monday night at sunset when the wind was strong and it was fantastic! The waves hitting the pier were huge! So many people were paying and photographing the waves! Even I did. There were two guys there who were riding their bikes through the splash zone so they could get hit with a wave on camera! I had a lot of fun there with my best friend! What an amazing time!.



  

Last week, I finally decided to pay a visit to the Shinto shrine that I pass whenever I go to work in Niihama. I’ve used it as a landmark to get home many times, and when I pass I always look up at the tree-shadowed gate, two solid stone posts strung together with slender rope. I walked through the gate and reached a short path lined with trees, and guarded at the end by snarling stone guardians. I wasn’t sure if they were dogs or lions, but they were beautiful, and I took their picture. Alongside the path was a stone horse carved in mid-gallop. A railing surrounded the statue, destroying the illusion of motion. This puzzled me, but I soon moved on. As I entered the shrine proper, I passed several buildings. The main shrine was sequestered by a construction barrier, but three smaller buildings that looked like tiny wooden houses on stone platforms were lined up in a neat little row. Further into the shrine, I found a board covered with small wooden plaques. I’m nearly certain that these were prayers, and I wondered briefly what the other visitors of the shrine have asked for. Then, looking beyond the prayer board, I saw a bright splash of color. Most of structures in the shrine are made of wood and stone, and have the earthen hues of those materials. But in the back was a red Torii gate. It’s as dazzling as love and audacious as luck. A blaze against the backdrop of the trees, but one that is contained and welcoming, forged into the strong, graceful lines of the gate. I smiled, and let the image of the red gate in dappled sunlight burn into my memory. When I left the shrine some minutes later, I was steadier and at peace.  

Hello!

Wow, the festival hits just keep coming! I promise next month, I'll be talking about something other than all the places I've been visiting for festivals, but it's just so much fun, I'm excited to talk about it! This past weekend, we had the chance to go with a friend to one of the local festivals here in Takamatsu (I believe it was the Kamihayashi town festival, but I could also be very wrong), and it was perfectly lovely. There were so many people in such a small area, it was shoulder to shoulder standing room while the fireworks went off! It was so much fun, I know I keep saying it, but I'm so in love with the summer festival season here, I'm always looking forward to the next one!