ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Hello All! Last week was a very exciting week as my wife and I were finally reunited. It was a long journey for her but we are just grateful we can continue our adventure in Japan together. I was actually surprised that the same week she came back a bad storm was projected to come over Shikoku but a last those fears have been alleviated. Hooray! It's been a nice weekend. Filled with catching up, watching netflix together, playing video games with neighbors and studying Japanese.  

I have a problem. I like music. I like listening to music. I’m also interested in Japan (obviously, since I live here now) and curious what the people are listening to. So, my problem? I can’t find Japanese music. Apple Music and Spotify seem to have only the tiniest collection and give me KPOP recommendations instead. Wrong country guys! Youtube is impossible to navigate unless you know what to look for, which I don’t. I have received exactly two recommendations from Japanese friends. Not really enough to start a collection. So, my search continues. Who knew finding something to listen to would be one of my great challenges!?
  

Was just watching a video on making miso. I learned the difference between soy sauce and tamari sauce just now. I'll have to try the two side-by-side. I'm not sure I know the difference.

Whole channels pretty nice. Check em out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx8pYMkkKXg

So is this place pieces of paper dripped with soy? I'm so curious.   

That is a beefy bug! There is a small grove of bamboo near the parking area for the school and it is full of cicadas. They are much bigger than their American cousins.

Last Saturday I finally got a chance to go to the night market. There were lots of people. I saw so many students...most of them ignored me.

It was still fun to see everyone in their yukatas! It was crazy hot, so I didn't stay very long. Maybe I would be cooler if I had my own yukata.  

Last weekend, I took an expensive train ride to get to the movie theater in Niihama. None of my friends wanted to see this movie with me, because they heard it was bad. I have enjoyed every iteration of the Jurassic Park films, so I was sure that I could forgive this one too.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. The dinosaurs were exciting and scary, but the tone of the movie was all over the place. The leads had even less chemistry than the previous movie, and it was a very predictable plot.

I hope that in time, I will find it as watchable as the other Jurassic Park movies.   

Hello All, Please stay hydrated outside. It's extremely hot. On the wonderful world wide web I saw a video of someone in Japan cooking an egg outside without fire. It was amazing and scary. I miss the days of my youth when my father would take me to the beach and we would cool of in the ocean. Sometime soon I will summon the energy to go to the beach before the infamous jellyfishes appear. Stay cool my friends!  

It may be hot, but at least we have the summer festivals! Last weekend in Niihama there was a mini summer festival at our shotengai! There were vendors and singers and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves. There were lots of little kids in colorful jinbes and yukatas. Everyone looked so nice...I wonder if I can wear a yukata?  

I got a new book this week. Not just any book, a manga. Still in its original, untranslated Japanese form. So, I can’t read it. Yet. Instead, I put it on my shelf as a motivator. I flip through the pages and find a word, sometimes even a phrase, that I understand and I rejoice. I will read this book. It may take a year, maybe more, but I will read it! Little things like this keep me going, keep me learning. It is difficult to keep studying every day, every week. I don't always meet my goals. But I will keep going. I will succeed.
  

Most people see those Tanabatta holiday decorations and think of cute stuff. I only think of the end of spring. It's getting hot now, sure. I'm not going to complain though. I have a lot of plans I want to materialize. Summer starting reminds me of when I first came here a year ago. The rice being planted is so pretty.

Here's to making next year amazing. Stay safe everyone :D  

Sometimes you just want to get out of the house for no reason at all. On hot summer days I like to stay within walking distance of my home. Even though the weather is not polite(Hahahaha), you still can find ways to enjoy your day. Don't let your smile turn in to a frown. You look awesome when you smile. In our neighborhood we have a calm cool restaurant that is great for relaxing. The food is great and the atmosphere is light. We had many dishes to eat but, unfortunately we didn't take too many pictures. Our hunger took over. Here are some of the foods we ate...


I will most definitely eat here again and again. Beat the heat and stay awesome. "When life gives you lemons make lemonade." This weather is to hot to trot in. You can probably fry an egg outside on the ground. But, that's okay because your still awesome. Stay hydrated peeps. See you later...


  

I have done too much driving over the past week. Four and a half hours last Saturday. About four hours yesterday. Lots of sitting on floors. Basically my back has taken a real beating.

Last night I had to use my strongest pain relievers. Generally I don't worry about pain, but I have a family history of back problems. At least it will be a few weeks until I have to do much more driving.  

As I mentioned before, I performed in the Zenigata festival. I knew it was going to be hot, but it was much harder than I expected. I didn't want to be in the sun for even a minute! My costume has two layer of shirts because we reveal the blue and red shirts during our dance. It's a fun effect, but it was just more things making me hot!

I am proud to say that I didn't quit, even though I wanted to. I was drinking a lot but I still felt sick. I danced as many times as I could. I am very good at remembering the entire routine too.

I'm pretty worried about Kochi though, I can't handle this weather.   

Have you ever been to Konpira san? It’s a shrine on top of Mount Zozu in Kotohira. I wouldn’t recommend going during the summer as it’s a bit of a hike to get to the shrine and summers in Japan are crazy hot! I went, but I drank lots and lots of water on the way up and probably sweated it all out and more. I wasn’t able to go all the way to the top of the mountain, but I did make it to the main shrine at the halfway point and had my goshuencho book signed. If I get the chance I would love to go again and try to make it to the top.  

A-TSU-IIIIIIIII

I have never been so hot in all my life! I’ve lived in New York City and there, in the summer, when you step outside it’s not long before you begin to sweat. Here in Japan it’s almost instantaneous. I have to keep several towels on hand and lots of wipes. I think I can’t wait for the fall and cooler weather.  

Hello All, Last weekend was so much fun. Despite it feeling like the sun was right next to you, I had a very eventful weekend. On Saturday we had a GEM school summer barbecue with the teachers, staff, and students. It was really fun having everyone around and having fun. Water balloons was the big thing with the kids and we had a campfire during the evening. After that, across from our apartment we had the Zenigata festival. I was surprised to see so many people in Kanonji at once. I looked like everyone was having fun watching the dancers perform despite the extremely hot weather. I even meant other foreigners around the area! This was a great weekend.  

Lee Ufan, Space: Silence Room


Looking at art is like doing a puzzle but without the picture on the box to guide you. It’s complex and meaningful. It’s basic and silly. No one puts the puzzle together the same way. What did the artist mean? What were they thinking? People spend decades wondering. But no one will ever really know unless the artist explains themself. Even then no one will really know. Because maybe the artist can’t express in words what they already put on canvas. How often, I wonder, do we ponder for hours over a brushstroke or chisel mark that the artist never gave a second thought. No meaning at all. How often do we overlook something significant, a turning point in the whole design? The artist poured hours into getting it just right but we never see. We could do both simultaneously while looking at only one canvas. Art is a paradox like that. A mystery with no reveal, no whodunnit moment, no clarity at the end.   

I passed the driving test in Japan! I'm so excited. I'm so happy to be back in the car where theres always air conditioning ;V

One of the tricky parts wasn't the written test, but the practical driving course. Memorizing a course was pretty tough on me. I had some amazing help from our staff taking me when my permit from America expired. Americans can only drive in Japan for one year after leaving the states. Now I can drive in the US and Japan :0


Good luck next year to our new employees. It was more paperwork than anything :Y   

Have you ever wanted to eat an entire historical and culturally significant landmark? Me too! Thanks to one of my students, I got the chance.



The cookies were very tasty (banana and cinnamon). Surprisingly well made. Often things like these are made to catch the attention of tourists, but they lack quality. Now I wonder what landmark I should eat next.  

My team is all dressed up and ready to go! My yosakoi team and I have been dancing hard in the intense heat, and we look pretty great! I finally feel comfortable using my naruko, I haven't dropped it while practicing yet!

My biggest problems with the dance are still direction. Do I turn to the right or the left? It should be a simple thing, but I often use muscle memory for performances. Muscle memory is the ability to move without thinking about it. It's much harder for me to actively think about the next move but I am trying!

Our costumes look pretty cool, I'm going to be dressed all in white, from head to toe. If you see me on Sunday, wave and say "Hi Katie sensei!"   

Hello All! I remember a few years ago my good friend suggested one night that we go to a karaoke bar in Manhattan. I was skeptical at first but with no better suggestion my other friends and I agreed. Long story short, I turned out to be one of the funnest nights of my life. I haven't turned back since haha. Since that night, I've been doing karaoke back home, China, and finally Japan. In America, we don't have as much private room karaoke as Japan does. How my friends and I liked to do karaoke was at a bar or restaurant with a DJ (KJ is what we called them), and a audience of bar goers. Karaoke for me is freedom to sing or in my case rap your stresses away.