ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

I enjoy running and recently tried a 100-kilometer challenge race. The race was called the Ebisu Daikoku Ultra Marathon. It began at 5:30AM at Miho Shrine in Tottori and finished at 7:30PM in Shimane at the Izumo Shrine.

There were about 600 individual runners (who ran the complete 100 kilometers) along with a group of teams that ran separate portions of the race. The weather was very hot throughout the day (the high temperature was about 28 Celsius), and the race was definitely a challenge for all who ran. Only about 45 percent of the individual runners actually completed the race in the 14 hours. The heat and distance were major factors for those who did not finish.

I made it to 80 kilometers in about 12 hours, but severe dehydration and sore legs caused me to stop in order to prevent any further injury to my body. Overall, I enjoyed the race, and the scenery and race support staff were great. I am glad I tried. I think I will try it again in the future!
  

Here's a popular sci-fi show that is very famous in American culture. Star Trek is another show that started in the 1960's and is still running in various forms today. It is about people in the future exploring and living in space. My mom watched this when she was a kid, and she enjoyed it a lot then. I discovered it as an adult, and I quickly became obsessed with this show! There are many different Star Trek TV shows and movies. Sadly, I haven't been able to see all the different ones yet, but I'd like to someday! I like the movies a lot, but the TV shows are my favorites.



I've seen the original Star Trek TV show, and I also watched the animated Star Trek cartoon that had the original characters too. These shows are a little campy sometimes, but I think they're a lot of fun!

The next series, Star Trek Next Generation, was really great too. My one complaint is that the episodes' stories are very action-driven, so we don't always get a lot of character development. Since there was so very little, whenever we did get some character development, it felt a little forced and unnatural.

After that was the series Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I loved this series too, but my complaint was the opposite. Since the show was set on a space station rather than a spaceship, there was very little action and adventure to be had since they never went anywhere. Even when they found an awesome new place to explore, it was quickly sealed off so the characters couldn't go there anymore. This made the episodes' plots very character-driven, so we at least got a ton of character development!

The next show, Star Trek Voyager, is my favorite of them all. It has plenty of action and character development both. It's set on a spaceship, so they go lots of places and have many adventures. But their spaceship is isolated from everyone else, so you really get to know each character very well and they have lots of growth. I recommend this series the most!

Have you ever seen any of the Star Trek TV shows or movies? Do you like sci-fi?  

I did something from my bucket list! A bucket list is a list of things that you want to do before you die. I got tickets to Team Labs Planets! It was a really fun experience. You go in barefoot and the exhibits have water, lights, and mirrors. There was so much beauty to see. They let you take pictures but I tried to immerse myself in the experience. I really liked the music in each room. I enjoyed taking my time as well. I can't pick a favorite room! I want to take my friends and family and go again!   

Hello everyone!

I find it easy to talk to my students about hobbies because I have so many. Writing, reading, watching, collecting, listening, creating…I dabble in many art forms. Today I present one of my true artistic passions: instant photography.

Many of us are familiar with Polaroid cameras, which have resurged in popularity in recently. I have loved instant photography since taking my first Polaroid in the early 2000s. Since then I have taken hundreds of instant photographs in a large album I regret not bringing with me to Japan. Thankfully, I digitized a few shots before moving.

This photo was shot in the fall of 2023 at a county fair. I used a vintage Polaroid 600 camera purchased from a thrift store. Do you like the muted colors of this photo? What about the light leaks at the bottom of the frame? It's these quirks and aesthetics that draw me to the art form.

This was taken with the same camera at a Christmas tree farm a few months later. I like the color contrast of red and green, however, this photo is overexposed at the top, despite my attempt to lower the exposure on the camera. Alas, learning to embrace these imperfections is at the heart of instant photography.

I will return with more photographs and insights next week. Thank you for reading!
  

On one of my many trips to Japan, I frequently stayed in hostels around Japan. However, this one particular hostel had a unique feature. For only 1000 yen, you had the opportunity to try on a full samurai armor. It was one of the best decisions I could've made as I met a lot of awesome people at the hostel and also made a lot of memories along the way. I don't know if this hostel is still around as it was literally called the Samurai Hostel. I hope it is as it as I had an amazing time there.












  

Hello everyone, Benson here. How is everyone doing? The month of June is really flying by! Summer is a great time to get your hands dirty, specifically starting some sort of garden. I hear that gardening teaches valuable lessons about responsibility, nurturing life, and the joy of harvesting your own fruits and vegetables, but I guess it depends on the person.

One popular thing to grow seems to be cherry tomatoes. These compact plants are easy to care for and produce delicious cherry tomatoes throughout the summer, providing a sense of accomplishment as you watch them grow.

Sunflowers are another fun option. These tall, bright flowers are a beautiful addition to any garden and provide endless entertainment as they grow, towering over your children and other small creatures. I wonder where you can source sunflowers? Can you simply plant a bag of sunflower seeds? I guess not, most of the time they are roasted I think.

Finally, try planting herbs like basil, mint, or parsley. Using fresh herbs in cooking adds a delightful touch to summer meals, and you will take unfathomable pride in knowing you helped grow the ingredients.

Gardening can be a rewarding and educational experience, let me know if you all have tried it because I certainly won’t. See you all next week, take care!


  

Hello Everyone It's Sensei Bear!


I never get tired of saying that Japan is a gorgeous country. Not too long ago, I had an opportunity to go to one of the parks in Zentsuji city. The landscapes were awe-inspiring and so green like a gem If you have a chance to go visit more parks you'll be mesmerized by the beauty that Japan offers. See you all next time!




  

Something I like to do when I'm composing music is try and imagine a scene for what I'm writing. I'll either look at a part of a book that I like, or try and imagine a film or show scene and think of what I'd pair with it. If I'm writing music that would be performed live, I try and start with the instrumentation. Am I writing for a full orchestra, or for a small ensemble? The type of music I struggle with the most is electronic music. I'm not good at creating drum beats, so I have to improvise, or use bass instruments to help with the rhythm. I love using French Horn in my pieces when I can, the tone of the French Horn is so beautiful and I think it heightens the elegance of music when I compose for it. Some of my favorite pieces I've composed in the past are for flute ensembles. Since I play the flute myself, I always think about what I enjoy playing the most on my flute and start there when I write for flute ensembles. Writing about this has made me want to go and compose some more music!  

Over the weekend, I picked up some fresh ume (Japanese plums) from a small vegetable stand. With these vibrant fruits, I decided to make a mini batch of homemade umeshu (plum liqueur).

Now, it’s a waiting game. Umeshu typically takes six months to a year to develop its full flavor. I’ll need to get a bigger jar since I have plenty of ume left over. I look forward to a taste test in a year!

Making umeshu is a rewarding experience and a great way to enjoy the taste of ume year-round. If you have access to fresh ume, give it a try!

  

The amount of screen time that I have has been bothering me lately as I am an active person, and I do not like to feel like I have wasted my time. Recently I have decided to set my own time limit for social media apps, pc usage, and television. It has really helped me a lot to refocus and even improve my mood.   

When my mother was visiting we decided to go to Matsuyama Castle. The history was so interesting and the architecture inside and out of the castle was stunning! Eventually we made it to the top of the castle and my mother took this cool picture! The shot reminded me of like an artsy movie. The foreground is the past while the background is the present. Everything about the trip was awesome and I would definitely go again.  

Have you ever eaten vegan food before? I enjoy eating meat and dairy too much to make it a regular part of my life, but having vegan friends has opened me up to trying it from time to time. Recently I went to a vegan restaurant in Busan with a friend and we ordered a vegan omakase style dinner. It was one of the best meals of my life- I'm still dreaming about it!  

I went to Osaka! This is right outside Osaka station. I really liked the design of this building, as well as the other architecture of Osaka in general!  

I recently went to my first Japanese festival! It was at a cozy little shrine that I had driven past many times and I had never noticed it was there! It was a lot of fun!


  

I went to Tokyo for Golden week. It was only my second time but this time was super fun and I went to Tokyo Skytree. It was so cool and so tall! Definitely an awesome experience!
  

Whether on foot or by car, I try to take a new route to explore my city more deeply every week. These excursions have led me to beautiful gardens, questionable walkways, charming hidden shrines, and kind Kanonji citizens.

As spring melts into summer and plants reach their peak, I am enamored by the many gardens and farms that dot the landscape. I find it incredible how people make space in their lives and residences for plants here.

A modern mansion may have a small rice field in the backyard. An old home along the railroad tracks may boast dozens of thriving succulents growing out of water bottles.

Life finds a way, and I quite enjoy how it is lived here. I am grateful for my life in Japan.   

Hello!

So, I started to about 6 months ago. I love it! I love taking care of my pokemon and battling trainers!

Today, I beat the Elite Four Champion in Pokemon SoulSilver! It took me 7 tries to finally win. Also, my name is “Amai,” in Japanese because Pamela means, “sweet,” in German.

What’s your English/Japanese name?  

Every August in Kochi, Japan there is a festival called the Yosakoi. Local Kochi teams from all over the city and prefecture dance down a main avenue in Kochi City using wooden hand clappers to maintain the beat of their dance.

There is no set way dance, so teams can create and dance to whatever music and style that they want. Teams are formed from local businesses, pubs, etc. The atmosphere is very electric and full of festival booths to enjoy local foods and items. Teams are judged and the winners get a prize.

There is also a Yosakoi Museum in the downtown Kochi City area to visit anytime of the year. However, if you are in Kochi in early August, I recommend checking out this festival. It will be a lot of fun!!
  

There is a show called Doctor Who that has been very popular with some people in America. It's a British TV show, but many people in many different countries like it. It's been running off and on since the 1960's. The show is about a mysterious alien called The Doctor. He is from an alien race called the Time Lords. The Doctor goes on many adventures in his machine called the Tardis. The Tardis is a spaceship that can also travel through time. The Doctor makes friends with humans and often takes them on adventures with him.



I really like watching the older episodes of this show. Some of the newer episodes are very good, but sadly, some are written very poorly. So with the newer episodes, it's very hit-or-miss if you'll get a good episode or a bad one. Also, it's a little difficult to classify this show. I think the older episodes could be classified as sci-fi adventure. But with the new episodes, I feel like they want to be sci-fi episodes, but they're not, they're often really mild horror episodes. I don't really like horror, so I haven't watched Doctor Who in a long time.  

Anime continues to surprise me. I found yet another series that was a joy to watch. Apothecary Diaries tells the story of a poor pharmacist who is kidnapped and becomes a maid. Despite trying to lay low, she is found out to be very smart and rises to higher ranks. The stories are interesting, funny, and beautiful. The historical setting is fake but the show makes it feel very real. I'm sure they were inspired by real events and people. The humor reminds me of Fruits Basket or Oran Host Club (but with less screaming).