ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Alongside the books I have been using to get into cyber security, I have also been using this amazing website which acts as a sort of virtual training ground. The website is TryHackMe. There are various rooms, developed by both users and company employees, that utilize a virtual machine to allow you to practice things like looking at network traffic, getting used to the Linux command line, search a server directory, etc. All this practice is wrapped up in a security version of Capture the Flag (CTF) - the goal of which is to find a string with the format thm{xxxxx} hidden in a file or server somewhere.

There are even pre-made training paths that take you from the very basics to how to do pentesting or OS privilege escalation. So far, the cost of a monthly subscription for the premium has been well worth it, and I find myself learning new things every day. When I get to the more difficult CTF challenges, I will definitely start doing solution write ups and add them to my GitHub; these write ups can be helpful when looking for jobs, because they help display/showcase your skills/accomplishments.


  

The Japanese train system is world renowned for being high-tech. And when compared to the U.S., it is light years ahead. But, I did realize that the train system on Shikoku is less extensive than on Honshu. With so many people relying on cars in Kagawa, I wonder what it is like not to own one in one of the more car-dependant prefectures.
Driving to work, I see people, especially old people, walking in the brutally hot sun to get wherever they need to go, and always feel bad. Since cars are an expensive purchase, and on top of that, the space to even store cars in Japan is limited, I really do wish that the train system in Kagawa and on Shikoku was more convenient and extensive. It would make a lot of people's lives a lot better.


  

Where I'm from in America, New Orleans, we don't have any mountains, so I've never gone hiking until I moved to Japan. Even after 2 years of living here I've only gone hiking once. But now I have a friend who likes to go hiking and it's really fun exploring the mountains of Shikoku. The last mountain we hiked was Mt Miune and it was really fun!

What's your favorite mountain?  

Who ordered the the pacific parmesan? The Takamatsu Sunport has many secrets, but I will find the answer to this one day.





This is my last blog for now. Thank you for your time.   

A few weeks ago, my wife and I took a drive. We came across this beautiful little sunflower garden.




I love just going out and wandering, I always find fun little hidden gems like this. I’m looking forward to exploring the Philippines, I wonder what little hidden things I will see!

Right now it is august 13 and I have to get up in three hours to fly out. I am going to go to sleep. I will see you all soon! I am looking forward to sharing my stories from wandering soon!  

Anton Webern was a 20th century Austrian
composer. His later music has been described as
"radical." Like his friend, Arnold Schoenberg,
Weber used atonality and a 12 note system that
would have been unfamiliar to listeners in his own day. He was often ostracized for his innovative
compositions. However, he became quite highly regarded after his death in 1945.  

Bamboo always fascinated me. There’s not a lot of greenery where I’m from (Wyoming) and bamboo gets so tall!  

Takamatsu truly is a beautiful place. I mean, just look at this sunset! I’m truly blessed to live in Japan!  

Miyajima Island in southern Hiroshima Prefecture is well-known for the picturesque red torii gate located in the water at the entrance to the island harbor with Itsukushima Shrine right in front of it. It is an iconic Japanese cultural symbol.

However, there are quite a few other attractions on the island along with the main shrine and torii gate. Of particular note is the Hokoku (Senjokaku) Shrine on a small hill just adjacent to the Itsukushima Shrine. The name Senjokaku means “pavilion of 1000 mats.” This is because of the spacious area located inside the shrine area.

The origin of the shrine goes back to around 1587 when Toyotomi Hideyoshi (a prominent samurai leader who fought to unify the clans of Japan) ordered to have the shrine built in honor of fallen soldiers from the ongoing civil war in Japan at the time. The building was never completed however. This is because Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in 1598, and the next government regime decided not to finish the work.

The shrine is of a very simple design with sparse adornments, lots of empty space, and no front entrance. I recently visited the shrine on a trip to Miyajima. I was quite taken in by its enormously open space, quiet surroundings, and calm atmosphere. The panoramic view of Miyajima is very pleasant from the shrine. It is a cool, shaded area with lots of floor space to roam around in. It is very serene and a peaceful place to just sit and relax, meditate, or reflect. It had a very simple but soothing effect on me as I sat there and took in all the surroundings.

For me, it was a serendipitous and very pleasant discovery. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area the Miyajima area – it will not disappoint!
  

This picture came up on my facebook. It was from a website where people talk about childhood things. This is a wooden playstructure that I used to play on! Even as a child, I thought it was amazing. I didn't know that it was built anywhere else. I just knew from the park near my grandma's house. It's really cool, isn't it?

You could climb all over that thing. It felt very sturdy. It had a zip line and swings. It had slides and bridges. It was a wonderful childhood castle.   

These are small Japanese amber jack fish washed up on shore. There was a huge school of fish near the beach and lots of birds flying down and catching the fish. It was quite interesting to watch.  

Another good introductory certification that one will find recommended very often, especially on various subreddits, is CompTIA's Network+. The exam covers the various types of computer networks and how to set them up as well as troubleshoot them. Considering the later exam topics do in fact make use of the information covered on this one, I thought it was best to knock this one right after A+. So far, I have found that I have some knowledge already, but that I definitely need some dedicated studying.


  

Air conditioning in Japan is different than in the U.S.
In general, U.S. houses have "central air", in which air is pumped throughout the house through a heating/cooling system built into the walls.
In Japan, however, in general, every room has its own AC unit, which also works as heating. In general, these units don't cool more than the span of one room.
Since I only have one A/C unit in my house, I basically contain myself to one room in the house on super hot days.
When I first moved in, I was naive enough to think that this one AC box could cool the whole house if I left the doors open. I was wrong.


  

Fall is almost here! Fall is the most beautiful season in my opinion. The forest and mountains are gorgeous when the leaves are changing from green to orange, yellow, and red. I love to take pictures and have barbecues in the fall. What's your favorite season and what do you like to do?   

I rode the Shimanami Kaido and got super duper sweaty.

70km all together. 50 on the first day, which was a real challenge for me. I should have gotten more sleep but you work with what you have. I was weak in the knees and way probably having a mild heat stroke. I'm all better now but I was a grumpy guy.

I ate some really great stuff at a Ryoukan (Japanese travel hotel), and had a nice bath at the onsen. Like I said before, I was really sweaty, but how much sweat did I actually lose? Let me tell ya: I lost 2.5kg in sweat alone that day. I was shocked.

I drank 3 liters of water, 2 or mugi-cha, and 1 power drink and still lost so much water. Wow.



  

I am writing this blog in the before leaving Japan. I’ll be back soon with all of my new stories, but I’m the mean time please let me share about where I will be living:


(Not my photo)

This is a photo of tabuk city. It is my wife’s home town and the town I will be living in soon! It’s a beautiful city in the mountains. It sounds like just my type of place! I love the mountains! I’m excited to share all about it with you soon!  

Another famous "minimalist" composer is Philip
Glass. Glass defines his music as being based on
"repetitive structures." Glass's father was a
self-taught musician who owned a record store and Glass learned a lot about esoteric music from
his father. Although his music is somewhat
different from Bach and Mozart, Glass cites these
two composers as having greatly influenced him.
Glass studied Music at The University of Chicago and at the famous Juilliard School.  

Kanonji is a great city, but have you heard of Toyohama’s Ichinomiya Park? It’s got incredible sunsets—some that rival even Chichibugahama!  

This is the lighthouse at Takamatsu port! Did you know it’s the world’s first lighthouse made entirely of glass? Kagawa truly is a special place.   

There is an interesting bridge located in nearby Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan called the Tsunoshima Bridge. It is close by to the city of Shimonoseki at the bottom of Honshu Island. It connects the main island of Honshu with the island of Tsunoshima. A small, quiet and scenic island. I visited it last year in 2021, and the views from both the Honshu side and the island of Tsunoshima were stunning!

The Tsunoshima Bridge is 1,780 meters long, and is the second largest bridge in Japan after the Akashi Kaikyou Bridge (1,911 meters). It has a distinctive curved shape that is unique and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. The bridge passes by the uninhabited island of Hatoshima (located in the strait) on its way from Honshu to Tsunoshima. The bridge was specifically made into a curved shape to pass through Hatoshima to preserve the natural landscape of the island.

The simple but wonderful view of the bridge, ocean, island, and surrounding area make the bridge crossing a pleasant and satisfying visual experience. The photo opportunities on the Honshu side at Amagase Park, with a viewing platform, are quite beautiful.

On the island of Tsunoshima there is the Shiokaze Cobalt Blue Beach with white sand, clear water, and a wonderful background of rolling mountains. There is also a place to find local vegetables and seafood called the Shiokaze-no-Sato Tsunoshima. There are many interesting local souvenirs to purchase there also.

So, if you are ever in Yamaguchi, near Shimonoseki, I recommend stopping by the Tsunoshima Bridge to take in a simple but beautiful site!