ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Eating cake for Christmas is not normal in the western world, so it was very fun to order one this year and eat it on Christmas! It was so delicious and it made a lovely Christmas!
  

About a five-minute walk from Okayama Station is a small, trendy restaurant called the Okayama Kitchen. On this past New Years Eve, I was looking for a place to eat dinner, but most restaurants were either closed or you needed reservations.
By chance, this restaurant had two open seats for me and my spouse, so we asked and took the available seats during a very crowded time.

The food was excellent, the drinks delicious and the service very pleasant. They have a number of small tapas-style foods (pizza, soups, sandwiches, fish, etc) as well as sangria and Japanese drinks.

This was a very fortunate or serendipitous find for us, especially during such a crowded time of the year. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to have a good and tasty meal in a pleasant atmosphere.
  

Hello Everyone It's Teacher Bear!



This is part 2 from Iconic Places in Tokyo. As previously stated Tokyo mesmerized and controlled every fiber of my body because it is such an iconic city. I visited many places but the iconic Tokyo Tower stood in front of me and I had to take a marvelous impeccable picture of it. It was such an amazing and unforgettable experience especially since I visited it for the second time. Just take a look at this gorgeous picture isn't it fabulous? Well... That's all for this blog until next time!







  

Hello Everyone It's Teacher Bear!


Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Tokyo for the second time, and as always, it felt magical and breathtaking. It was again an unforgettable experience that made me want to stroll through the beautiful streets of this iconic megalopolis. Of course! I saw the most iconic places but it was your favorite video game franchise Square-Enix that stole the show. If you are as old as I am and grew up playing RPG (Role Playing Games) you will immediately recognize this iconic company and the franchise that it produces "Final Fantasy". I was truly honored to have visited such a spectacular nostalgic site. My eyes were a bit watery from the nostalgia it made me feel. Please visit it if you can the building is a masterpiece!


See you all later!


Teacher Bear






  

I love it when my friends send me winter photos. It's honestly one of my favorite things. Looks like Michigan got a lot of snow as usual. My friend has given up a lot of her small yard to help outside animals. She keeps cat food out there for wild cats, and she has bird seed out for the birds. Other animals come around though, like these squirrels! They're very greedy so they can be annoying if you are expecting birds. But they're really cute and I can't believe there are four of them here!   

If you had told me a year ago that Spongebob Squarepants was relevant in Japan, I wouldn't have believed you. Yet, our bubbly buddy (and bubble buddy) are here in Nihon, making a splash. 5th grade Erin was obsessed with Spongebob. My room was Spongebob, including a lamp, blankets, curtains and posters.

I thought these gacha were super cutie, but I didn't get one. If I see it again, and I'm sure I will, I will get one for my Dad, who is living vicariously through my photos of gacha until I deliver his bundle of capsules when I visit him for his birthday in March. I can't wait!
  

Right before returning home, we stopped at the Ehime Prefectural Science Museum and had some fun looking at the cool exhibitions. I had a conversation with one of the scholars but I didn't quite understand what they were saying and then I had to run away from a T-Rex because it was trying to steal my souvenirs. Oh yeah, I was also almost sucked into a black hole. Just my luck!








  

Hello everyone, Benson here. We are nearing the end of January, how is everyone doing? Are you all busy accomplishing your goals in January? What things have you all been reflecting on recently? For me, it’s been filling my January stomach.

January is a month that calls for simple, comforting meals. After the richness of holiday food, I find myself craving hearty but uncomplicated dishes—soups, stews, and warm bread fresh from the oven. These meals are not only nourishing but also bring a sense of warmth and coziness to the coldest days of the year. There’s something satisfying about preparing a meal that warms both the body and soul, using seasonal ingredients like root vegetables and grains. January invites us to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of a home-cooked meal, filling the house with warmth and delicious aromas. Take care everyone, see you next time!


  

It’s almost my anniversary! January 31st will officially mark two years since I moved to Japan. I’ve learned so much about myself since I moved here, and I’ve gotten to do so many things I never had before. I’ve made some amazing friends, discovered my love of teaching, and grown so much! I can’t wait to see what happens this next year!  

As winter lingers in Japan, a delicate yet powerful fragrance drifts through my neighborhood and quiet streets. This is the scent of Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), a flower so potently sweet that you will often smell it before you see it. Its pale yellow, waxy blossoms cling to bare branches, blooming in the cold months when most plants remain dormant.

Wintersweet has long been cherished in Japan and China for its resilience and beauty. In haiku and poetry, it symbolizes perseverance and the quiet promise of spring. Its fragrance—rich, honeyed, and almost intoxicating—cuts through the crisp winter air, a reminder that warmth is on the horizon.

Beyond its poetic associations, Wintersweet is often planted in traditional homes and gardens, where its scent welcomes visitors with a sense of nostalgia and seasonal change. However, for those sensitive to strong floral scents, it can be overwhelming and may even trigger allergies—I’ve learned this firsthand! A single branch placed in a room can fill the space with its lingering perfume, a natural incense that requires no flame.

For those who love seasonal beauty, spotting (or rather, smelling) Wintersweet is a quiet delight of winter in Japan. Have you ever followed a scent only to discover this hidden gem?  

This morning I woke up to some strong winds blowing outside, but I noticed some of my shirts had been missing from my clothing drying hanger. I went outside to notice 4 of my shirts had been ripped off of the hanger due to the strong winds! There's no way to prevent this so I'm sure it will happen again at some point. The real question is this; my shirts fell to my balcony floor, meaning they touched the ground...do I wash them again or do I just accept what happened and wear a floor shirt? Some secrets are ok to keep.


  

Around the time of the New Year, my family and I visited the Ishizuchi Shrine. It was recommended to me during one of my classes. I feel like I've said this before, but the architecture at many shrines is always amazing. It was nice to also experience this part of Japanese culture. To see how people start their new year at the shrine was interesting.  

The Impact of Hollywood on Global Pop Culture Examine the influence of Hollywood on global entertainment. Discuss how American movies and TV shows have shaped perceptions of American culture and lifestyle around the world. Highlight iconic films and television series that have left a lasting impact.  

My family loves loves loves to play games! Board games, card games, video games- you name it. We spent a lot of time playing dominoes this holiday break- and I mean a lot of time. On the day after Christmas, we had twelve people at our house and we played dominoes for about three or four hours. I`m proud to say that I won second place!  

RUN AMOK

If a person or animal runs amok, they behave in a violent and uncontrolled way.
Synonyms: go wild, turn violent, go berserk, lose control



EXAMPLES

He is like a monster that has escaped its creator and run amok across the schedules.

People were discharged from wards into care homes, where the virus ran amok.




HISTORY

The word amok comes from the Malay language of Indonesia. It was first described in English in the 1516 text The Book of Duarte Barbosa.
The phrase "run amok" means to behave in an uncontrolled and often violent way.
You might use the phrase "run amok" to describe a group of children running around with finger paint on the walls, or a gunman who has entered a building.
In Malay culture, running amok was believed to be an involuntary behavior caused by an evil spirit.
  

This is my dog back home! His name is Spot. He’s a French Bulldog (Frenchie) who loves attention. How can you resist that face?  

I'm feeling so nostalgic for my dogs lately! I miss them so much! I wish that I was able to have pets here!
  

I did something special and new for Christmas this year by making a gingerbread house! It was so fun and it turned out so cute!
  

Japan has a tradition called Kagami Biraki (literally the opening of the mirror). This term is today used when opening a wooden cask of sake with a wooden mallet at a ceremony. This is performed at various times of the year such as New Years, sporting events, business deals, etc.

Over the holidays, I recently witnessed this event on New Years Day at a hotel I was staying at. All guests were invited to watch, while selected guests opened the sake cask using the mallets. Then the guests were offered a small glass of the sake to bring in the new year.

Supposedly, the round, wooded lid of the cask represents harmony, and the breaking of open the cask represents breaking open good fortune for the new year. I have seen this done on TV and in movies, but this was the first time I witnessed it in person. It was an interesting experience of Japanese culture.
  

Mom ended her vacation with 3 days in Tokyo. I had a hard time finding Godzilla, but it was fun to surprise her. There is a hotel hiding inside of that theater, and we looked at old Godzilla posters. Shin Godzilla is very boring to me, but it is the scariest monster.

We also went to Team Lab Planets. I loved it all over again and Mom had a great time. She said room number one was like being in a kaleidoscope. She collects kaleidoscopes.
We had a really hard time with trains in Tokyo. For some reason we would often find ourselves in the subway as opposed to the train. So the platform number would be correct but we would actually be in the wrong section. We did a lot of extra walking because of this and it was very frustrating.
Our hotel was near haneda so it wasn't too hard to transport to the airport. We got up very early and I was sad to say Farewell. She made it back to Michigan safely.