ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

One of my adult students recently returned from a trip to the United States. She brought me back a gift...Cracker Jacks!

If I'm being honest, it has probably been fifteen years since I have eaten them. They are very symbolic of classic Americana. So simple yet so tasty, basically just caramel corn and peanuts.

When I was younger, there was a small toy in each package, sadly there isn't anymore. Still worth it though, and it definitely brings me a warm, nostalgic feeling.  

In addition to buying new glasses, I also had to buy another new phone. The battery inside was already acting up, but when I used it to look for the glasses shop, it overheated in the hot sun and completely died.

I got a new one soon enough, but it isn't set in English. My entire phone's settings are in Japanese only, and changing things the way I like has been a very tedious process. I also have to get used to seeing certain apps in English, like my train times app or google maps.

In the long run, it's probably very good practice for me, and will help my reading comprehension, but it makes me feel impatient. I like to be able to fix anything with my electronics.

I hope that if I am a little more careful, that this phone will last longer than the previous one. Maybe I will try to get a contract phone next time, instead of something used.  

Last weekend Cami and I were feeling very cooped up in our apartment and decided to go for a walk. We made our way to the beach and it was very pretty. We love the beach here in Kanonji, its one of our favorite places to hang out and relax. But even though we like going to the beach we don't prepare well for the beach. We left the apartment with the goal of seeing the beach. But neither one of us thought about bringing a swimsuit, a towel or the brand new beach toys we had bought.

So we arrive at the beach and sit down and it's very relaxing to be out in the air, listening to the waves crash on the beach. Cami gets up and starts looking for sea shells to collect and I find a rock and begin digging a hole. Cami comes back and says that she wants to build a sand castle. So without any tools we set about making a castle. Cami would run down near the water to grab wet sand and I would start building up the sand into a little mound that would eventually become the castle. After Cami decided that we hand enough sand she began making a moat and a bridge to go across.

We carved out a door, used sea shells as the windows and made a little flag out of a stick and seaweed. And thus our castle was complete. And we were very happy with what we managed to make without a shovel, bucket or other tools.

After our castle was complete we ran down to the water, waded into the water and then realized that we didn't have a towel to dry our feet. But we laughed that off and decided to walk down the beach. We talked about what our experience has been like so far in Japan and what places we'd like to go see next weekend. As we were walking we looked up and saw a man riding a horse up and down the beach. It was spectacular and we were quite envious because it looked like so much fun.

We turned back around as it started raining and bid farewell to our castle and called it a day.
  

This weekend I went to Kochi! It was so much fun. I went to the Sunday market and upon arriving in Kochi I was suddenly very hungry. My friend Fran and I went inside and I had katsuo no tataki and whale for the first time! I was so surprised that the fried whale was the same texture as chicken and the same color as grilled steak! The katsuo was delicious! I tried both the salt and sauce flavors and salt was my favorite. After eating we literally ran up Kochi castle because it closed at 5. We made it to the castle, but they wouldn't let us inside because we wouldn't have enough time to go up and come down and truly enjoy the castle. We still were able to take beautiful pictures and have a nice stroll along the castle walls. now I can finally say that I've been to all four prefectures on Shikoku!



  

Hello All! On Monday my wife and I was taking care of some business in Takamatsu. After that we decided to walk around and get some food. I always visit a nice ramen shop outside of the train station. I'm not sure of the name but this shop serves thick broth ramen that's apparently a Kyoto specialty. After food we decided to walk around in a near by park called Takamatsu Tamamo Park. It was very calm and beautiful. The history of Takamatsu was very interesting. The castle was a little smaller then I expected though but I could be wrong.  

This week's puzzle:






These islands couldn't be more different! One island is located in a strait that is famous for its whirlpools. The other island is famous for its abandoned prison. What's more, if you look for these islands on a map, you will see that one is located in the USA and one is in Japan, but which is which?

Answer to last week's puzzle:



The reflecting pool on the left is located in the Yoshima Parking Area. The Great Seto Bridge is reflected in its waters. The pool on the right is on the grounds of the Getty, an art museum in Los Angeles, California.

Did you guess correctly?

  

One of my favorite things since coming to Japan is watching the sun set on the ocean. There is something about seeing the sunset reflected off the ocean, when the sun kisses the water. I've never seen the sunset quite as big or beautiful as it is on the ocean. I've wanted to get a good photo, but I haven't had my camera out at the right time. I'm sharing one of the photos I took recently. Though it seems like, when I do take a photo I feel like it's only a fraction of the beauty that it was in person. For now, the full view will be something for me to enjoy in the moment.

If there is one view that I've seen that is just as beautiful as the sunset here, if not more, it's the starts back home. I'm from North Idaho. My home is mountains and valleys. The view of the stars when you are deep in the woods and all light from towns is blocked out by mountains is indescribable. You can sit at a campfire look up and, there are nights where, it feels like you can see all of the stars. The only noise is the crackle of the campfire. It is an incredibly peaceful place to be. I'm hoping to find a place to watch the stars while I'm in Japan. Maybe I'll even find some good places to go camping. If I do I'll share about with all of you.
  

Summer in Japan is synonymous with festivals, good food and fireworks. I was so happy to be able to see Takamatsu's firework show this year. I heard great things about their fireworks, but I was unable to go last year because I was traveling. This year, I was able to see the fireworks and I was so pleasantly pleased! The fireworks were the biggest ones I had ever seen!! America likes to do fireworks as well for the Fourth of July (America's Independence Day) and on New Year's Eve. They do fairly large fireworks for these events. However, I had never seen such big fireworks until seeing Japan's fireworks at Takmatsu festival. All I have to say is "WOW!" They were incredible. Hoorah for summer!


  

Apparently I am allergic to sandals. Yes, you read that right. Sandals. Fortunately, I am not allergic to all sandals, just one pair. I bought them earlier this month to wear with yukata. They’re zori, actually. And I am not allergic to the whole sandal. Just the part that goes between your toes. I wore them for the first time yesterday. They were very comfortable. But my toes started to itch. Then they hurt a little. When I took them off, I had two itchy little bumps. I thought I had been bitten by mosquitoes. But they must be very precise, dedicated mosquitoes to bite the exact same places on two different feet. I suppose Japanese mosquitoes could do it. But I still suspect allergies. Ridiculous. Now excuse me while I DIY a fix for my sandals. I still want to wear them, after all.  

Last Sunday was my birthday! Yay! So some friends took me out to eat and then we went on a road trip...to Aeon Mall in Imabari.

It was very interesting. First, I hardly ever go that direction. It was my first time in Imabari, when I wasn't on the train. Second, the mall is very strangely placed. Difficult to find and it feels as if you have left the city. It was a pretty cool place.

Primarily we went because they have a big size clothing store. There was a good selection and I found lots of things that fit (too bad it is so far away). They also had a crazy amount of gacha machines!  

I've had a very old pair of glasses for over 4 years now. I wear them at night, in my house where no one can see me because they look pretty ugly. I didn't buy a good style for my face. I like contacts more, but sometimes my eyes need a rest from them.

If I had my prescription (how strong the glasses are) then I can order a pair online. It would be a better price, and I would find many more styles that way. I have a few facial features that are different than a Japanese girl's.

I went to an EYE HOSPITAL for this, and they surprisingly told me that they only did contact lenses. On Saturday, I went to a glasses shop, and they told me that they only MADE glasses, and couldn't tell me my prescription. They told me to go to a clinic. I was really surprised and embarrassed.

That's 3 places!! In America, I would have gone to only one place for an eye test, prescriptions, lenses AND glasses. I used my old pair to have a new pair made at the shop, and they seem kind of nice.

I don't know if I am ever going to get my prescription any time soon, I'm afraid another place will tell me "sorry, I can't help you."  

Last Wednesday I went to Miyoshi in Tokushima! It was so much fun! In spite of all the rain, I went to Iya valley and walked across the beautiful vine bridge. Going across the bridge was kind of scary, especially with the rain and the wind, but I made it across in one piece. I also went on a boat ride around one of Miyoshi's rivers. That night I went to the Awa Odori festival and had a blast. I even got to dance in the festival! The Miyoshi City Hall group showed me the general moves and allowed me to dance with them. I was SUUUUUPER nervous, but once we started dancing and moving down the street I felt better. It was an absolutely delightful day, one that I will never forget.





  

Hello All! Do you prefer your food cold or hot? Eating cold food is something I had to get use to in Asia but I enjoy it none the less. Even though I have no problem eating a cold bowl of cereal in the morning or cold pizza after a night of fun. I prefer a nice hot plate of food. What about drinks? I like ice cold drinks over hot ones. I do enjoy hot tea, cocoa, and coffee, but I also like the cold ones.   

This week's puzzle:




It's summer and the temperatures are soaring, but please don't jump in these pools for a dip. These shallow water features are only meant to create a scenic reflection of their surroundings. If you have travelled a bit, you may recognize the places where I shot these photos. One reflecting pool mirrors its American environment, while the other one mirrors Japan, but which is which?

Answer to last week's puzzle:




The cat on the left was photographed near Chicago. The cat on the right was spotted in Tokyo. Notice the sliding doors behind the Japanese cat. While it is common to see sliding doors at the back of an American house, it would be rather unusual to find them at the entrance to a home in the USA. Did you guess correctly?

  

The rice plants have grown a lot over the summer. Soon enough, it will be time to harvest them. I love the way the tall plants look in the wind. It looks like the rice field is dancing to nature's music. I think it's so calming, beautiful and mesmerizing. When I think of summer in Japan, rice fields are something that comes to mind. I'm glad I can witness it in person.


  

Yesterday I tried a Clear Latte. It was exactly as disappointing as I expected. If you have never tried it, I will do my best to describe it. Have you ever gotten an iced latte from Starbucks and then forgotten about it overnight? Naturally, Starbucks fills the cup with 75% ice so what you find in the morning is a 3:1 water to latte ratio. Now, have you ever taken a sip and liked it so much you started watering down all of your lattes? If you answered yes, then you will be happy to know that you can now buy a Clear Latte from a vending machine instead of taking the extra time to water down your latte yourself. And, it has the added bonus of a slight chemical aftertaste, most likely from whatever they used to turn its original brownish color clear. The only explanation I can think of for why a company would decide to make such a thing is for people like me: those of us that know it will be bad but buy it anyway for the “experience.” Totally worth it.  

I went swimming. Well, let me clarify, I went to the swimming pool, but I don't actually swim. Basically I just relaxed poolside and got my feet wet in the baby pool.

It made me think back, and I'm pretty sure I haven't been to a public pool since Junior High. I don't own any swim trunks and I can barely stay afloat. It was an interesting experience though. The chemical smell is much less noticable...and the life guards wear pink.  

Hello All! One of my favorite things to buy when I was younger was sneakers. To this day, I currently have over 20 pairs of sneakers back home at my Mother's house. It's always a treat when I go home and can shuffle the pairs I have now with the pairs I have stored. My favorite brands were Air Jordan, Nike and Adidas to name a few. I don't collect as much as I use to and my size is hard to find in Japan.  

Look at us! Dressed all pretty in yukata, waiting for the Takamatsu fireworks! They were incredible as always and really impressive!

After Summer Tour was over, Rose came to stay at my place during Golden week. We didn't have much money so we did a little shopping, karaoke, and watched a lot of TV. I started watching a show called Terrance Housebecause of it's easy tone. I think I learned some more Japanese from watching so much of it.

We happily found that the trains were running again, but we experienced confusing delays and mistakes as the railway works out the kinks. Rose and I unfortunately found out what happens when someone pukes on the train (sitting next to us!!!) and saw an incredible sunset.

A chill and interesting Obon  

I finally made it to Koyasan! I almost have no words for how beautiful the enclosure is. The whole area is peaceful with beautiful plants and amazing temples. My favorite part of the complex was the Danjo Garan. After getting my new cedar wood Goshuin-cho book I went to the Danjo Garan and walked around soaking in the thousand year old beauty. It was very calm and peaceful there in spite of all the people. I really enjoyed the Konpon Daito with it's Vermillion painted exterior and it's giant blue haired Buddha's. While in the Garan I also got to watch the monk ring the Koyashiro Bell and I spun the Rokkaku Kyuzo which means I have read all the sutras inside.