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  Movie review #6 "Whale Rider"

  Posted: January 12th, 2010, 9:35am PST

  This is story about the problem of a tribal inheritor. I was impressed by a girl who tried to make a way for herself, though her grandfather treated her coolly just because she was a girl. The story was a little difficult, but interesting.
  
  The heroine is Paikea who is a granddaughter of the head of Maori. She is a hard worker with a strong mind. She works hard everyday to be approved her grandfather. Koro is her grandfather. He is very stubborn and he never approves Paikea as his inheritor. It is because there is a tradition that the head of the tribe must be a man. He believes that he has to follow a tradition.
  
  Story
  A girl who was born as granddaughter was named Paikea after the forefather hero. But her grandfather Koro didn’t approve her and treated her coolly. One day Paikea didn’t obey him at the meeting. It made Koro enraged and told Paikea not to have the education to be an inheritor. Paikea was not discouraged by this. She worked as hard as the boys. For example, she attended Koro’s lecture secretly or learned the art of fitting with a cudgel called Taiaha by her uncle. Could she be approved by her grandfather?
  
  Paikea invited her grandfather to her school play but he didn’t come. He was at the beach at that time. Many whales were stranded there. They were growing weaker. All the people tried to return the whale to the sea, but they couldn’t. When the people almost gave up, Paikea approached to a whale. She prayed to God and ride on the whale. The whale began to swim, and other whales followed it. Paikea saved whales! When Paikea is riding on the whale, she looked exactly like the forefather hero Paikea. Koro was sorry for behavior to Paikea and approved her as his real inheritor.
  
  Feeling
  There are difficulties in the problems of the tribes. Traditions are considered very important and people are exclusive to the new ideas. I got the impression Maori has a same problem by this movie. Paikea made a desperate effort for her future in such a bad environment. She looked like a shining a hope for my future.
  
  
  (372 words / total 10314 words)
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  Book review #10 "Beauty & the Beast"

  Posted: January 11th, 2010, 4:10am PST

  
  There was a man who has three daughters. He was very rich. His name was Pierre. He gave his daughters everything they wanted. His eldest daughters wanted the jewelry or dresses, but his youngest daughter Beauty wanted a rose.
  
  One day, Pierre went out to get the present for his daughters. On his way, a thick fog filled the air and he lost his way. Suddenly, a castle appeared in front of him. He opened the door and called out, but there was no answer. There was a feast on the table. He ate it because he was starving. There was a rosebush in the garden. When Pierre plucked a rose for Beauty, a huge shadow appeared and grabbed him. It was the Beast. The Beast was enraged and tried to kill him. Pierre explained that the rose was for his daughter Beauty. Then the Beast wanted Beauty instead of his life. Pierre consented unwillingly. After he went back home, he was anxious about the promise with the Beast. Beauty worried about her father and asked him what happened, but he did not say anything.
  
  One morning, Beauty found a letter in front of sleeping Pierre. The promise with the Beast was written on it. The letter said Pierre would go to the castle in her place. Beauty left a note and went to the castle by her father’s horse. When Beauty arrived at the castle, she noticed the sweet-smelling. It was from the garden. She went into the garden and met the Beast there. At first, the Beast threaten her with his grow! But he shed tears when he knew the girl was Pierre’s daughter Beauty. Beauty asked him why he was crying, and he told that he had been alone for a long time. Beauty sympathized with him and decided to stay with him.
  
  At that evening, they enjoyed talking together. The Beast liked very much, so he asked her to marry him. But she refused. The next day, Beauty explored the castle. There were rooms where fairies were performing a play, a library which has great many books, and so on. In the garden, there were exotic flowers and magic animals. After dinner, the Beast proposed to Beauty again, but she said no. That night, Beauty had a strange dream. She had dinner with a hand some prince in the dream. Next morning, she found a portrait at the library. It was a picture of the prince she saw in the dream. She asked the Beast about him at the dinner time. The Beast told her he knew the prince, but he had not seen him for years. Next day, Beauty told the Beast that she missed her family. The beast gave her a ring. It was a magic ring which took her home. She promised the Beast to come back within two weeks.
  
  Her father was very happy to see Beauty again, but her sisters were not. They were afraid that their shares of their fathers property would be harm her if Beauty would not go back to the castle within two weeks. So they tried to keep her longer Beauty stayed one more night unwillingly.
  That night, Beauty had a dream that the Beast was lying in his garden. She woke up in surprise and harried back to the castle. The Beast was lying in the garden and dying. Beauty kissed him wishing for his recover. Suddenly, the Beast flashed and disappeared. Then a handsome prince appeared with a flash. It was a prince Beauty saw in her dream. He explained that he was turned to the Beast by a fairy because he refused to marry her. Beauty and the Prince got married the next day. Her sisters complained about their marriage. Then they were changed to the stone by the fairy.
  
  
  Feeling
  It was a very interesting story. I think it is rare that the beast is the hero, though the scene that a kiss broke a spell was stereotyped. But it was something fresh for me because I did not know the story well as “Snow White” or “Cinderella”. It was cruel that Beauty’s sisters were turned to the stone by a fairy at last. To my surprise, the endings of the fairy tales are often cruel. I realized that recently.
  
  
  (718 words / total 9942 words)
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  Whiskey Coke

  Posted: January 11th, 2010, 2:58am PST

  
  Now, my favorite alcoholic drink is whiskey. I began to drink it under the influence of a song. Eikichi Yazawa is one of my favorite singers. Though he’ll be 60 this year, he is still cool. ‘Whiskey Coke’ is one of his songs. ‘Whiskey Coke’ means ‘mixed whiskey with cola’ literally. When I listened to this song, I wanted to drink it. Soon I tried it. It was very good!! I was enslaved by its taste. I respect the person who made it first. Whiskey is strong liquor, but it becomes easier to drink by mixing with cola. I drink it every time I go to the bar or somewhere after I knew it, I also make it with whiskey and cola at home. My favorite whiskey is ‘Kaku’ made by Suntry. It is because Koyuki who appears on TV commercial of ‘Kaku’ is very cute.
  
  I drink it alone at night after my part time job. When I’m tried, I’m a lonely man. Looking back I drank alone on Christmas Day or at the end and the beginning of the year. When I talked about this to my friend, he said “Are you a middle-age man?” “You live just like 40 years old man.” Yes, he is right I’m a lonely middle-aged man… Someone give me love, anyone!!
  
  
  (219 words / 9224 words)
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  Book review #9 "Cinderella"

  Posted: January 5th, 2010, 3:23am PST

  
  Cinderella lived with her stepmother and stepsisters. She was overworked by them like a servant.
  
  One day, the invitation to a Christmas Ball held by Prince arrived. Cinderella’s stepmother and sisters were excited. Cinderella heard the news and wanted to go with them. But her stepmother did not allow. She looked at her father to ask to help her, but he looked the other way. Her stepmother told her to make her stepsisters more beautiful. Cinderella helped them choose their dresses, hats, and so on. She worked hard to make their outfits.
  
  At the night of the Ball, Cinderella was left alone. When she was crying, her godmother came out from the fireplace. Cinderella explained the reason of her tears to her godmother Felicity. Felicity told Cinderella to bring a large pumpkin and waved her wand uttering an incantation. Then, the pumpkin changed into beautiful golden coach. Felicity changed a rat, mice and lizard to a coachman, the houses and footman. She also touched Cinderella with her wand to dress her up. When Cinderella left her house, Felicity told her to leave the palace before twelve.
  
  At the ballroom everyone paid attention to Cinderella. She danced with the Prince. She was enjoying the Ball. Then, she noticed that it was almost midnight. Cinderella rushed out of the dance palace. The Prince tried to call her to stop, but Cinderella did not stop. When the Prince looked for her, he found her glass slipper.
  
  The next morning, a messenger from the palace came. He has a message that said the Prince will marry with the true owner of the glass slipper. Cinderella’s stepsisters tried it, but their felt were too big to fit it. The messenger told Cinderella to try on. The glass slipper fitted her foot perfectly. The messenger took off his hat and coat. It was the Prince. He asked Cinderella to marry him. Cinderella and the Prince were married and lived happily for long long time.
  
  
  Feeling
  I think “Cinderella” is one of the most famous fairy tales. Reading “Cinderella” or “Snow White”, many girls may imagine themselves as the heroines and dream to fall in love with the Prince.
  
  I suppose that most of people know this story by Disney film. I’m one of them. It was really a sweet pleasure to read this book. By the way, I have a doubt about this story. The glass shoes are impractical. They must be dangerous to walk.
  
  
  (409 words / total 9005 words)
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  Book review #8 "The Three Little Pigs"

  Posted: January 4th, 2010, 4:59pm PST

  
  Once upon a time, three little pigs –Pinky, Percy and Poppy – lived with their mother. Their house was too small for four big pigs. They wanted their own houses. So, they left home to build their houses. A wolf was watching them behind the bushes. Pinky built his house with straw. Percy made his house with sticks. Then Poppy made her house with bricks.
  The next day, the Big Bad Wolf visit Pinky and wanted to get into his house, but Pinky refused. Then the wolf got angry and blew the house off with his breath. Pinky ran away and went to Percy’s house. The wolf ran after him and wanted to get into the stick house. But Percy also refused that. The wolf blew the house off again.
  Pinky and Percy ran away and went to Poppy’s brick house. The wolf came there and wanted to get in. Of cause Poppy refused that, so the wolf tried to blew the house off. The wolf huffed and puffed again and again. But the brick house was strong and heavy and the wolf could not blow it off. At last, the wolf gave up blowing it off and jumped onto the roof to get into the house from the chimney. He slid down the chimney and landed in Poppy’s cooking pot. There was hot water in it. The three pigs put the lid on the pot and the wolf died.
  
  Feeling
  I have read this story many times when I was a child. I enjoyed the ending that the pigs beat the wolf simply. But this time, I felt brutality a little in description. I wonder if this story is suitable for children.
  
  (282 words / total 8596 words)
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  Movie Review #5 "Mrs. Doubtfire"

  Posted: December 15th, 2009, 10:22am PST

  This movie is a heart warming comedy. The subject of it is “Love for his (her) family”. You can enjoy it more by watching with your family. The hero and heroine of this movie felt the difference of sense of values between them. Then they divorced. This sometimes happens in the real married lives. I was deep impressed by the tone of voice and acting ability of Robin Williams.
  
  The hero is Daniel Hillard. He is an innocent and doting father. But he doesn’t have a fixed job and always has quarrels with his wife. He was divorced by his wife. The heroine is Daniel’s wife Miranda. She is a reliable and realistic person. She’s the exact opposite of her husband. She finally washed her hands of Daniel and decided to divorce him. Mrs. Doubtfire is a housekeeper. She was hired by Miranda, and came to the Hillard’s home. She does her work – cooking, cleaning and nursing while Miranda is working at her office. Mrs. Doubtfire is a skilled housekeeper. To tell the truth, Daniel disguised himself as Mrs. Doubtfire.
  
  Story
  Daniel didn’t have a fixed job and led a free and uninhibited life. So, Daniel and Miranda didn’t get along with each other though Daniel was loved by his children. At last, Daniel was divorced by Miranda. He lost his right to bring up his children and he had to live away from them. When he lost all hope, he knew that Miranda was looking for a housekeeper. He called her with imitating a woman’s voice, and succeeded to be hired. He has a brother who is a makeup artist. He made Daniel up specially and Daniel became “Mrs. Doubtfire”.
  
  Mrs. Doubtfire did a good job. She did good home education and cooked well. She was also a kind woman. So, she was gaining generous support by Miranda and her children. One day, Miranda and her children were invited to dinner by Stu who was Daniel’s rival in love. Mrs. Doubtfire went to dinner with them. At dinner, Daniel’s disguise was exposed. There was quite in an uproar over the affair. When Mrs. Doubtfire had gone, Miranda and her children found her a valuable person. Then, a new housekeeper came to their house. When they open the door after the doorbell rang, they saw Daniel there!
  
  Feeling
  I had seen this movie when I was a little child. But I can enjoy it every time I see it. It is an original idea that Daniel went back his home by dressing himself as a woman. I want a father like him. (Though I want him to have a fixed job) This movie tells us that “The way to express his (her) love to his (her) family is not only one.” Please see this movie by all means.
  P.S. “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” by Aero Smith was used in this movie. This is one of the songs I like the best. Why don’t you listen to it?
  
  
  (498 words / total 8314 words)
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  Presentation

  Posted: December 13th, 2009, 1:57am PST

  This is the results of the questionnaires. We asked 130 students, 59 males and 71 females, of KGU.
  
  First, I’ll tell you about the results of the personal questions.
  The age groups are like this,
  Age 18 19 20 21 Over 22
  Number 13 30 55 24 8
  
  The departments are;
  Foreign Language 33
  Economics 31
  Commercial Science 54
  Social Welfare 12
  
  The blood types are
  A B O AB
  51 43 22 14
  
  Secondly, I’ll tell you about the results of the Yes / No questions. The first question was “Do you eat breakfast?” The answers were Yes – 53, No – 77. The more students don’t eat breakfast. Then, I asked “Do you need more eating place?” and “Are you satisfied with the present students’ dining hall?” Most of students think they need more eating place and they aren’t satisfied with the present situation. Most of male students answered “Yes” to the question “Do you need seats in the smoking section?” It shows the high percentage of the students who smoke. Many students want a café and a half of the students want a new convenience store.
  
  Thirdly, I’ll tell you about the results of the ABCD questions. Mac is by far the most popular fast food restaurant. KFC is the second. About 50 more students selected Mac than KFC. I think it is because we can eat cheaply at Mac. We have to pay more at Mos Burger. Only 11 students selected Mos. Mac is reasonable for student, isn’t it? The students like Japanese food and Italian food better than French and Chinese food. I suppose they have less chance to eat French or Chinese food. The place where the students eat lunch the most is the students’ dining hall. The bakery or Lawson are the next.
  
  Lastly, I’ll tell you about the results of the Open question. Most of the students pay about 350yen or 400yen for lunch. Maybe they eat lunch at the reasonable place like the students’ dining hall or bakery. I asked them “How much can you pay for lunch the maximum?” Most of the students answered between 700yen and 900yen. But there was a rich man who can pay about 1,500yen! The most popular food is pasta. Udon, Chinese Noodle, curry and rice, or bowls of rice are also popular. There were some students who wrote unique answers. For example, “Umai-bo” or “Nori-ben” The students wants various kinds of restaurants. A café, an internet café, a fast food shop, a set meal restaurant, an Italian restaurant, a family restaurant, a buffet, a curry restaurant and so on.
  
  (433 words / total 7816 words)
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  Movie review #4 "Drum Line"

  Posted: November 24th, 2009, 9:47am PST

  This is a movie about a marching band. The young people practice hard and play the music. It expresses youthfulness itself. Their play is powerful and attractive. Even the people who don’t know much about marching bands would be charmed by this movie. We can enjoy it with our friends or family.
  
  The hero is Devon who is an able drummer. He is a little selfish and a show-off. Though his ability is perfect, he can’t read music. The heroine is Devon’s girl friend Leila. She belongs to a dance team. Sean is a leader of the drum line. At first, he didn’t like Devon because of Devon’s self-centeredness. But, they understood each other.
  
  Story
  The gifted drummer Devon was admitted to Atlanta A&T College on the recommendation system. He was selected as a member of P1 class (the best class) of the marching band as soon as he entered the college. He was liked by the president and hoped to bring the championship. On the other hand, he was kept at a distance by the manager and the team leader because of his selfish behavior. One day, Devon provoked the drummer of another college and it caused a scuffle. As a result, he was dismissed from the marching band.
  
  He changed his way by this. By doing battle with the drums, Devon and Sean reached an understanding. The manager allowed Devon to return to the band after he saw them. In that year, A&T College competed with MB College for the championship of marching bands. Devon was selected for a center player of the drum line. He played very well and A&T College won.
  
  Feeling
  It was a very interesting movie. I was excited by the play of the drum line. The well organized movement, the play of high quality and their passion for music… all of them were the first rank. I realized again that I like music. I recommend to watching this movie to like music or not.
  
  (331 words / total 7383 words)
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  Survey Question and Answers Data

  Posted: November 23rd, 2009, 12:02pm PST

  Personal Questions
  1.How old are you?
  2.Are you a male or female?
  3.What is your blood type?
  4.What department are you in?
  
  Yes / No Questions
  1.Do you eat breakfast?
  2.Do you need more eating place?
  3.Do you like take out?
  4.Do you want to open on Sundays?
  5.Do you need seats in a smoking section?
  6.Do you need any convenience stores besides Lawson?
  7.Are you satisfied with the present student’s dining hall?
  8.Do you need a café?
  9.Do you usually eat lunch at school?
  10.Do you need vending machines of food?
  
  ABCD questions
  1.What fast food shop do you like best?
  A.McDonald B. MOS BURGER C. KFC D. Mr. Doughnuts
  2.What kind of food do you like?
  A.Japanese B. Italian C. French D. Chinese
  3.At which building do you want a restaurant?
  A.No.14 building B. No.11 Building C. No.3 building D. No.4 building
  4.What time is the best to open the restaurant?
  A.8:00 a.m. B. 8:30 a.m. C. 9:00 a.m. D. 9:30 a.m.
  5.What time is the best to close the restaurant?
  A.7:00 p.m. B. 8:00 p.m. C. 9:00 p.m. D. 10:00 p.m.
  6.How many seats do you want?
  A.100 B. 200 C. 300 D. 400
  7.Where do you usually eat lunch?
  A.The students’ dining hole B. LAWSON C. Bakery D. Other
  
  Open Questions
  1.What is your favorite food?
  2.How much do you usually use for lunch?
  3.How much can you use for lunch to the maximum?
  4.What kind of restaurant do you want?
  
  
  Answers Data
  *Total answers (130)
  
  A1. 18(13), 19(30), 20(55), 21(24), 22~(8)
  A2. M(59), F(71)
  A3. F (33), E (31), C (54), SW (12)
  A4. A (51), B (43), O (22), AB (14)
  A5. Y (53), N (77)
  A6. Y (85), N (45)
  A7. Y (71), N (59)
  A8. Y (68), N (62)
  A9. Y (78), N (52)
  A10. Y (61), N (69)
  A11. Y (42), N (88)
  A12. Y (84), N (46)
  A13. Y (92), N (38)
  A14. Y (103), N (27)
  A15. A (79), B (11), C (30), D (10)
  A16. A (63), B (42), C (7), D (18)
  A17. A (43), B (48), C (8), D (31)
  A18. A (25), B (36), C (34), D (35)
  A19. A (17), B (31), C (42), D (40)
  A20. A (40), B (43), C (34), D (13)
  A21. A (52), B (31), C (33), D (14)
  A22. Ex: Pasta, Udon, Chinese Noodle, Gyudon, Katsudon, Curry, Hamburger…
  Unique answer: Umaibo
  A23. ~350 (46), ~400 (48), ~500 (26), over 500 (10)
  A24. ~500 (27), ~700 (56), ~900 (34), over 900 (13)
  A25. Ex: Café, Internet Café, McDonald (Fast food), Teisyokuya (Japanese restaurant)
  Italian restaurant, Buffet, Family restaurant, Curry shop
• 

  Book review #7 "Black Beauty"

  Posted: November 18th, 2009, 1:52pm PST

  
  This is a story about a life full of ups and downs of a black horse.
  
  The storyteller of it is the black horse. When he was four, he was sold and he had to live apart from his mother.
  
  The new owner Square Gordon liked his black coat and white spots on his forehead and back. He named the horse “Black Beauty”. At Gordon’s stable, there was a pony. His name was Merrylegs. He said both Gordon and his groom John were good, so Beauty would be happy.
  
  There was another horse there. Her name was Ginger. She had cruel treatment by her first owner. She also said Gordon, John and his pupil Joe were so kind that she was happy.
  Soon, Mrs. Gordon became seriously ill. John rode on Beauty to bring a doctor. It was a stormy night. The trees fell down and the bridge was washed away. Beauty ran as fast as he could with the doctor and John. When he got home, he had a high fever. But he recovered with John and John’s nursing.
  
  Mrs. Gordon got better too, but the doctor suggested a change of air. Merrylegs went to the priest, and Ginger and Beauty were sold to Lord and Lady Richmore. Lady wanted to tighten the reins. Ginger could not bear broken and Lady fell on the street. After that, Ginger disappeared.
  
  Richmore’s groom Reuben often drank too much. One evening, he rode beauty and passed on a gravel road. Reuben was too drunk to notice that Beauty’s shoe was loose. Beauty’s hoof spilt and he could not stand the pain. At last he fell onto his knees. Reuben shot to the ground and he did not move any more.
  
  Lord and Lady Richmore decided to sell beauty. At a horse sale, no one wanted Beauty whose knees got hurt and black coat was not beautiful then. Finally a kind-looking man bought him cheep. His name was Jerry Baker. He named his new horse Jack. Jack (Beauty) became a carriage horse. The job was a little hard, but Beauty was satisfied with his new life. Because Jerry never forced to go faster and he was very kind.
  
  Once time Beauty saw an old scrawny horse on the street. It was Ginger. She was also a carriage horse, but her driver was cruel. Soon, beauty saw a cart carrying dead Ginger.
  One day, Jerry’s customer came and asked Jerry to be her groom. He had to part with Beauty. Beauty’s new master was cruel and worked him very hard. Beauty became weaker by overwork, and collapsed in the street at last. Though his master deserted him, a kind man took him home. He was a horse doctor. Thanks to him, Beauty was getting better. The doctor took Beauty to his new master. They were two grown-up sisters. Who should Beauty meet there but Joe! He was their groom. He noticed the horse was Black Beauty. Now he lives happily with good masters and the groom.
  
  
  Feeling
  A proverb says “Inscrutable are the ways of heaven.” It means “god alone knows what will happen.”
  Good things and bad things happen over and over in our lives. I was keenly aware of that by reading this book. I thought about life deeply. I think it is an excellent book.
  
  
  (554 words / total 6579 words)
• 

  Movie review #3 "Cars"

  Posted: November 10th, 2009, 9:53am PST

  
  
  This is an animation film using computer graphics. The pictures are of great quality, the same as “Mr. Incredible”. I felt the pictures are attached greater importance to quality of the actions than to reality. It may be because the characters are not humans but cars. This film expresses car races. So it is suitable for adults than children.
  
  The hero is McQueen who is a little selfish. He is the rookie who everyone expected to be the next winner. He is aiming for the Piston Cup championship. The heroine is Sally. She is a luxury car and very beautiful. She wishes to revive “Radiator Springs”. McQueen and Sally seem to be in love each other. But every time they meet, an old jalopy Mater interrupts them. Doc is a car who is treated as the town mayor of Radiator Springs. He doesn’t like McQueen who broke the town. To tell the truth, he is a master car who won the Piston Cup championship in three consecutive seasons.
  
  Story
  At the final race of Piston Cup championship, the biggest car race in America, the three reached the goal at the same instant. The race would be held in California again to decide a champion. He was heading for California. On his way, he lost his way and wandered into Radiator Springs. It was a deserted country town. He broke a road in that town by mistake. He ended up having to repair it taking responsibility. Can he get to California on time?
  
  McQueen and people (cars?) in town soon opened up to each other. The day of the race came after repairing the road. Doc and other companions in the town became the crew for McQueen. Thanks to them, he was in the lead. At the last lap, a veteran car King crashed. McQueen turned back to help him. Though McQueen couldn’t win, he received the highest praise for his behavior. He decided to live in Radiator Springs. After that, the town recovered its liveliness.
  
  Feeling
  On the whole, this movie is ordinary. There aren’t any impressive scenes. I’ll give it a mark of 60. I felt unfamiliar with the personification of the cars. However, I was impressed the scene that McQueen helped King. In addition, the inserted songs were very good. Anyway, this movie had little to make me want to recommend it.
  
  
  (394 words / total 6025 words)
• 

  Book review #6 "The Dinosaur Who Lost His Roar"

  Posted: November 4th, 2009, 1:48pm PST

  
  This is a story about five dinosaurs Sid, Spike, Ross, Ollie and Rex.
  
  Sid lived in the middle of a big forest. He liked crashing through bushes, climbing tall trees and splashing in the river. But, most of all, Sid liked scaring other dinosaurs. He had the loudest roar of all.
  
  One day, Sid went for a walk. He saw Spike, Ross and Ollie on his way. He gave a roar one by one. When he saw they were frightened, he laughed very hard. That night, Sid felt his throat hurt.
  
  The next day, Sid went for another walk. When he saw Spike, he tried to roar again. But only a croak came out of his throat. Spike laughed him. He tried to roar at Ross and Ollie, but he could not. Ross and Ollie also laughed at him. Sid went red and ran all the way home. He ate a spoonful of honey, drunk some worm water and went to bed.
  
  The next day, Sid’s throat was better. He decided to visit Spike, Ross and Ollie to say sorry for scaring them. But they were not anywhere. Then he found some footprints. They were not Spike’s, Ross’s and Ollie’s. Sid followed the footprints. The footprints led to a huge dinosaur called Rex. Rex had taken Spike, Ross and Ollie home for dinner. Sid crept up behind Rex and gave him his biggest, strongest, loudest roar. Rex was terrified and ran off without looking back. Spike, Ross and Ollie thanked Sid and they became good friends.
  
  Feeling
  When we hear the word ‘dinosaur’ we feel a little scary. But the dinosaurs have unique shape and they are all colorful and cute.
  
  Rex was a little scary because he caught Spike, Ross and Ollie and wanted to eat them. But it was funny to see that Rex was running away in a panic Sid’s roar.
  
  ‘Bad boy’ Sid is not so bad. He just scares other dinosaurs by his loud roar. The children who read this book will laugh with Sid to see other dinosaurs are frightened at his roar and fall into the river or drop eggs. It was the heartwarming scene of Sid eating honey or drinking hot water when he lost his voice. Some children may want to eat honey.
  
  At the end of this story, three dinosaurs were saved by Sid and they became good friends. The children will relieved and close the book. I want to read this book to my children in the future.
  
  
  (419 words / total 5631 words)
• 

  Movie reviews #2 "Groundhog Day"

  Posted: October 27th, 2009, 10:33am PDT

  
  Though this film is belongs to comedy, I don’t think so. There are many points which let us think them over. I felt dizzy by the expressions that repeat same time on and on. I empathized with the hero Phil, and I often thought “If I were him…” in spite of myself. It was because Bill Murray’s performance was excellent.
  
  The main character is Phil who is a weather forecaster. He isn’t liked by everyone because he is selfish. He came across a strange occurrence where he went to cover. After that, he had changed little by little. His co-star is Rita who is director of the program. She went to Pennsylvania with Phil. She hates selfish man like Phil. She is considerably beautiful.
  
  Story
  Phil who calls himself a ‘popular’ weather forecaster went to Pennsylvania with a beautiful director Rita and cameraman Larry. They visit there to cover Grandhog Day which was held once a year on February 2. Phil finished his job unwillingly and went to bed at the cottage. When he woke up next morning, he noticed that he had gone back to Grandhog Day morning. He went back to February 2 day after day. He lost his mind and killed himself. But he went back to Grandhog Day morning again every time he killed himself. At last, he gave up dying and decided to enjoy ‘February 2’ forever.
  
  Phil has spent Grandhog Day more than half a year. He has learned everything about the people in the town. He can play the piano and fix a flat tire. He is not selfish now. He holds out a helping hand to the people who have troubles. His half a year of trial for love with Rita bore good result. They fell asleep at the night of the party. When they woke up next morning, it was not ‘February 2’ but ‘February 3’.
  
  Feeling
  I felt very happy after I finished watching this film. I don’t like him at first, but I have a food feeling for him now. The eternal youth is expressed in this film. It is human’s earnest wish to live forever. But how many people can stand the repetition of the same day? I can’t stand it. I was impressed that Phil tried to enjoy that situation. I respect him.
  
  
  (386 words / total 5212 words)
• 

  Book review #5 "A Little Princess"

  Posted: October 26th, 2009, 5:08pm PDT

  
  Sara lived in India with her father, Captain Crewe. He thought the heat in India was not good for Sara and the schools were better in London. He decided to send his daughter to a boarding school in London. The name of school was Miss Minchin’s Boarding School for Young Ladies.
  
  Miss Minchin welcomed Sara because she was the richest pupil. She gave Sara the prettiest bed room, a pony and carriage and her own maid. It was displeasing to Lavinia. Until Sara arrived, Lavinia had been Miss Minchin’s best pupil, and Sara took her place. The other girls had heard that Sara was as rich as a princess, and they soon adored her. Sara was kind to everyone, even to her maid Becky.
  
  Captain Crewe wrote to Sara that his old friend had offered him a share in his diamond mines, and they would be rich beyond his wildest dreams. Miss Minchin knew that and organized an amazing birthday party for Sara. But during the party, a solicitor came to Miss Minchin and told her that Captain Crewe died of jungle fever and he had lost all his money.
  
  Miss Minchin was enraged by the news. She told Sara to clear her bed room and move to the attic. Everything in Sara’s life changed at once. Lavinia had taken her place next to Miss Minchin. Every day, Sara was sent on errand after errand. She was expected to go out in all weathers and to dust and scrub the rooms. The other pupils stopped talking to her. Her only friend was Becky.
  
  One morning, someone moved to the empty house next door. Becky told her that it was an English gentleman whose name was Mr. Carrisford. He came from India. He was rich but he had been very ill. When Sara looked out of her window, she saw an Indian man-servant with a small monkey at the window of the house next door.
  
  A few months later, Sara heard a scratching sound at her window. It was the monkey from the next door. Sara took it to Mr. Carrisford’s house. Mr. Carrisford was surprised to hear that Sara called a man-servant Lascar. He asked why she knew he was a Lascar. Sara explained that she was born in India. Mr. Carrisford asked Sara her father’s name. When he heard the name –Ralph Crewe– he shouted “It’s her!” He was Captain Crewe’s friend and he had spent two years looking for his daughter. He thought he’d lost Captain Crew’s money, and that made him ill, but he had not. When he got well and want to tell the truth to Sara’s father, he had already died. He was very glad to see her and promised that he would take care of her.
  
  Feeling
  Through this story, I thought people were mean. When Sara was rich, everyone made a fess over her, but after she lost her money, they treated her coolly.
  
  There are many people like them not only in the stories but also in real world. However, there are good people too. Most of the people I’ve met in my life were good-natured persons. I feel I’ve been happy all over again.
  
  My mother told me that this is a very famous story and everyone read it, but I had not heard even the title. Is it the generation gap??
  
  
  (561 words / total 4826 words)
• 

  My new motorcycle

  Posted: October 20th, 2009, 1:07am PDT

  
  I got a motorcycle in September. Before then, I used a bicycle. I had used it more than six years. So it became rather old. The metallic parts got rusty and its saddle was torn.
  
  One day, my mother said to my father “It’s time to buy new one. But I think it better to buy a motorcycle than a bicycle. He comes home late at night because of his part-time job. He has a driver’s licence so he can ride a motorcycle. A secondhand motorcycle is not expensive. It is as much as a new good bicycle.” My father thinking for a while, then said “OK.”
  
  My mother asked her father (my grandfather) where to buy. He took us a bicycle shop near his house. He is on good terms with the owner of the shop. The owner showed us some secondhand motorcycles kindly. We decided to buy one he recommended. Now I ride it every day.
  
  
  (158 words / total 4265 words)
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  Book reviews #4 "The Flog Prince"

  Posted: October 20th, 2009, 5:34pm PDT

  
  Princess Poppy did not want to marry her fiancé Prince Humperdink. Because she hated him. She said “I will find another prince to marry!” “You can have until tomorrow morning,” said King. Princess Poppy picked up her golden ball and stomped into the garden. She ran down the palace pond, throwing and catching her ball as she went. On her way, there was the wobbly stone. She slipped and fell into the pond. Her beautiful golden ball flew out of her hands and disappeared into the deep dark pond. It was a birthday present from King. Then a frog appeared and said “I can fetch your ball for you.” “But you must promise me something first,” he added. “Anything, anything!” agreed Poppy. He said “Promise that you will let me live in your palace.” “In your dreams,” thought Poppy. But she said “I promise.” The frog found her golden ball and held it above his head. Poppy snatched up the ball and raced back to the palace. “Hey!” the frog called after her and said, “What about your promise?” Poppy disappeared without hearing his words.
  
  Poppy arrived just in time to charge for dinner. When she sat down her seat, there was a faint topping sound. Poppy rushed the door, opened it and saw a frog. “Hello,” said the frog. Poppy slammed the door in his face. “Who was that?” asked King. “No one,” Poppy answered quickly. The tapping noise came again. “Poppy, I really do think someone’s there,” said the Queen. So Poppy told the truth against her will. “Then you must keep your word,” bellowed the King. “Let the frog in.” The frog enjoyed the dinner. After dinner, the frog wanted to go to bed. But Poppy said “You are not coming anywhere near my bedroom.” “Princess does not break promises,” said King sternly. Poppy took a deep breath and picked up the frog by one foot to take him to her bedroom. The frog wanted to sleep in her bed, but she did not want to. When the frog said “I will tell your father,” Poppy picked up and threw him out of the window. There was a long silence, followed by a loud splat. Poppy suddenly realized what she had done. “I hope I have not killed him,” she prayed, and raced down the stairs. The frog was lying sprawled on the palace lawn. Poppy picked up him gently and said “I’m so sorry.” She bent down and kissed him. There was a loud crash of thunder, followed by a shower of sparks. The frog became a handsome young prince. “A wicked witch cast an evil spell on me,” he said. “I could only become human again if a princess kissed me.” Then he asked Poppy “How can I make it up to you?” She answered, “Well… you could marry me.” Then she said to King “Daddy, you did say I could find my own prince.” “That’s true.” said the King with a sigh. The Prince said “Princess Poppy, will you marry me?” “I will” said Poppy.
  
  Feeling
  I’d heard the title, but I did not know the story. This is a story with a happy ending and I like these kinds of stories. But I felt a sense of incongruity in this story. Because in this kind of stories like “Snow White” or “Sleeping Beauty” the Princess woke up with the Prince’s kiss. In this story Princess kissed the Prince on the contrary. I was a little surprised.
  
  Anyway, Princess Poppy is very selfish, isn’t she? The King said to her “You’ve been pampered by mother and spoiled by your sisters.” I think he is right. I don’t want to marry a woman like her. Incidentally, I want to know the whole story of what has happened to Prince Humperdink who was a fiancé of Princess Poppy since then.
  
  
  (644 words / total 4107 words)
• 

  Book review #3 "A KISS FOR LITTLE BEAR"

  Posted: October 18th, 2009, 3:54pm PDT

  
  Little Bear draw a picture and wanted to send it his Grandmother. He asked Hen to take it to her. Grandmother liked it so much and she asked Hen to take him a thank-you kiss. But hen passed the kiss to Frog, the Frog passed it to Cat, and the Cat passed it Little Skunk. Then Little Skunk saw another Little Skunk. She was very pretty. He gave the kiss to her. And she gave it back. Hen saw them and got the Grandmother’s kiss back. She ran to Little Bear and she gave him the kiss. The Skunks decided to get married.
  
  Feeling
  This is a heartwarming story. We feel that Little Bear and his Grandmother love each other. The kiss from Grandmother passed one after another. This kind of repetition is often used in children’s stories. Children like it. By the way, I hope the Skunks to be happy.
  
  
  (151 words / total 3463 words)
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  Book Review #2 "RUNAWAY PANCAKE"

  Posted: October 13th, 2009, 1:31am PDT

  There was once a family with seven children, and they were always hungry. One day, their mother made pancakes for breakfast. But a pancake did not want to be eaten and run away. All of the family ran after it. The pancake was too fast to catch it. When the pancake rolled past by a kennel, a dog finds it and began to run after it. A rabbit in a field saw the pancake rolling past. The rabbit began to race with it. A duck on the stream began to chase it too. A cat in the farmyard, goat in s meadow, and a fox in some bushes also joined them. The pancake hitched a ride on a kite to escape the fox. It landed at the edge of a forest. There was a pig in a pen. The pig wanted to eat the pancake too, but he was too clever to say so. “What’s the hurry, Mr. Pancake?” he asked. “Let me walk through the forest with you. It’s a dangerous place.” The pancake said “Quickly! Don’t let them catch me!” The pig pretended not to hear and asked “What did you say?” again and again. At last the pig said “I can’t here you. You’ll have to come closer.” So the pancake jumped over the fence and into pen. The pig snapped it up and swallowed it…in one gulp.
  
  Feeling
  I felt that the cunning persons always benefit. I wonder this story is good for children. It might be better if the pig had retaliation. Anyway, the story is fun, and the children may like it. …By the way, everyone likes pancake, doesn’t he?
  
  
  (276 words / total 3312 words)
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  Movie reviews #1 "Mr. Incredible"

  Posted: October 12th, 2009, 12:02pm PDT

  
  This movie is so-called “the hero story.” It describes not only the activities of heroes but also the difficulties to be heroes or the love for family. The pictures with computer graphics are so realistic that they look like the pictures of actual events, but on the other hands there were many actions which are possible only by using computer graphics. The quality of this movie is very good.
  
  The main character is Bob Parr who is called Mr. Incredible. He is a gentle and strong man. He has a job and lives an ordinary life but he can’t forget the glorious days when he was a hero. The second character is his wife Helen Parr who is called Elasti Girl. She can grow her arms and legs at will. She is the exact opposite of her husband. She wants to be ordinary. She can’t handle her children. The third character is Syndrome. He was an Incredi Boy who admired Mr. Incredible when he was a little boy. But he became a anti-hero because he was estranged from Mr. Incredible. He tried to make himself to be a hero with a robot he made.
  
  Fifteen years ago, there were many heroes like Mr. Incredible. They were thanked by people. But people began to criticize them after an event. At last the government authorities said “Heroes are unnecessary.” Fifteen years later, Bob Parr who was just a run-of-the-mill insurance company employee received a request from a woman. She wanted Bob t work as a hero.
  
  At the climax of this movie, Syndrome tried to be an only hero by killing heroes all over the world. His robot was destroying the town. The Mr. Incredible’s family had fallen into enemy hands. They could escape from Syndrome’s hiding place and went to the robot to fight. Their friend Frozone helped them. They succeed to defeat the robot after a hand struggle. Their family ties became strong.
  
  
  Feeling
  Thought, I don’t like animation films like Disney’s Films, I enjoyed this movie. It expressed various feelings or thoughts of people about heroes. In Japan, there was a hero “Ultra man”. He had beaten the monsters which broke the towns. But Ultra man also broke the towns when he was fighting with the monsters. People would have complains about his behavior if their houses were broken, even if it was un-escapable to defeat the enemy. The people in this movie were exactly like that. I think this movie is good because it expresses heroes from a different angle.
  
  (422 words / total 3036 words)
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  The Expedition to Kansai ~ 4 days memorial trip~ #3 (Speaking 4 vacation)

  Posted: October 9th, 2009, 6:09pm PDT

  
  We woke up in good health at the spa in Okayama. We discussed the plans for our trip and decided to go to the sea. On the way to the sea, we dropped into a convenience store and had breakfast.
  
  The way to the sea was very crowded, so we changed the route and used the highway. We arrived at Sami Bathing Place before noon. We had looked at the place on the map. It was summer the season of the sea! We went to the beach with excitement. But the beach was almost deserted to our surprise. Besides, most of the people there were parents and their children or couples. Two men on the summer beach…..the lonely wind was blowing… Pulling ourselves together, we jumped in the sea and swam furiously with the floats. After that, we shot at each other with water pistols which we had bought in Kumamoto, and took a walk on the seashore. About an hour later, we felt hungry and ate yakisoba at the seaside cottage. Then, we left the beach.
  
  Hiroshima was our next goal. On the way, we were in trouble. The brakes of our car did not work! I thought it was dangerous. I stopped the car in the parking space and took a rest. Though the brakes began to work again, I drove very carefully.
  
  We arrived at Hiroshima on August 15. Yes, it was the anniversary of the end of World War Ⅱ. We visited the Atomic Bomb Dome. It was smaller than I had expected. But there was a strange stillness around it. We prayed from the bottom of our hearts.
  
  Then we dropped to the former Hiroshima Civic Stadium. We had dinner at a eating house in the shopping mall.
  
  At the night we stayed at the Net café again. The café was great. The room where we stayed was very large. It seemed that five men could sleep there and I had a best night’s rest in this trip.
  
  Well at last, we would go back to Kumamoto tomorrow.
  
  To be continued…
  
  (347 words / total 2614 words)
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  Book revies #1 "Pinocchio"

  Posted: October 6th, 2009, 6:10pm PDT

  
  Once upon a time, there was a piece of wood in the carpenter’s workshop. The carpenter’s name was Mr. Cherry. When he picked up a chisel, the wood cried “Don’t hurt me!” Just then, his friend Gepetto came and said “I want to make a puppet.” Mr. Cherry was happy to get rid of the strange piece of wood.
  
  Gepetto got the piece of wood and went home. First, he chipped at the wood to make a head with hair. Then he gave the puppet two eyes. Gepetto did not notice that one of them winked. He made the nose. As he smoothed it down, the nose began to grow. After he finished the mouth, it laughed. When the legs and arms were finished, the puppet jumped up and ran out the house. Gepetto ran after him and cried “Stop Pinocchio!!” The policeman saw Gepetto and said “You are under arrest for threatening a puppet.” Pinocchio went back home and relaxed. A cricket came to him and said, “Respect your father. Only good sons have a chance of becoming real boys.” But Pinocchio ignored him. Pinocchio was cold and tired. So he rested his legs on the fireplace and fell a sleep. Gepetto came back home and found that the fire had burned off Pinocchio’s feet.
  
  With a new pair of feet Pinocchio became happy. He said Gepetto “You are great Dad and I’ve been a rotten son, but I promise to be good from now on.” Gepetto decided to send Pinocchio to school. The next morning, Pinocchio found a brightly painted building on his way to school. A puppet show was held there. Pinocchio thought “I will go to school tomorrow.” and he got into the building. Pinocchio was dragged on stage and surrounded by puppets. Then the manager came and yelled “You’ve ruined my show. I’m going to use you for firewood.” But at last the manager said “Take these five gold coins back home to your father.”
  
  On his way home, Pinocchio met a fox and a cat. They said “Why not double or triple your money?”　“Come with us to the field of miracles.” Pinocchio followed them and stayed at an inn. The next morning, the innkeeper shouted “Wake up!! Your friends have gone without you and they have not paid.” Pinocchio handed him a gold coin and rushed outside. He looked for a fox and a cat, but he could not find them. Then “Foolish puppet. Now take those coins home.” buzzed a faint voice. It was a cricket. Pinocchio cried “I’m going to triple my money at the field of miracles!” the cricket said “There’s no such place. This lane will only take you to madmen and murders.” But Pinocchio went on walking. After a while, he saw to figures. They look like murders. They sais “Bring us your gold.” Pinocchio ran into the thick trees and manged to escape.
  
  Pinocchio saw a little cottage out of the woods. He was invited in by a very polite poodle. The next morning, Pinocchio met a silvery fairy at breakfast. Pinocchio told her about his adventure. She asked him to show coins. Pinocchio said that he lost his coins in the wood. Then his nose doubled in length. “Or maybe I swallowed them,” he added. His nose grew enough to touch the wall. “You will never be a real boy if you do not tell the truth,” the fairy said. She opened the window and called for three woodpeckers. They had pecked Pinocchio’s nose back to its original size. The fairy said, “your father is in these woods looking for you.” Pinocchio raced outside.
  
  Before Pinocchio could find Gepeto, he met the fox and cat. They said “Let’s go to the field of miracles!” Though he refused them at first, he followed them after all. They said “You must bury your gold in the middle of the field. Them take this pebble and throw it in the rive. When you come back, your gold will have multiplied.” When he got back, the fox and cat disappeared and his coins were gone.
  
  After a few hours, a huge pigeon came to him and said “Gepetto is in great danger.” The pigeon scooped him onto her back and sored into the sky. They saw a small boat struggling in the rough sea. Pinocchio dived into the water. He swam and swam, but he could not find his father’s boat. Soon he was washed onto the sandy beach.
  
  It was Toyland. “Here we only have fun. We will cheer you up!” shouted the toys. Then “Watch out.” said a twinkling voice. “They will make a fool of you.” Over the next few days, Pinocchio tried very hard not to have fun. But there was so much to do. It was so exciting that he completely forget about Gepetto. One morning he was surprised at himself in the mirror. He was turning into a donkey. He ran to the beach and swam away.
  
  It was hard for Pinocchio to swim as a donkey. Soon Pinocchio became a puppet again. But a huge shark swallowed him. He found Gepetto in the darkness. Pinocchio said “Let’s get out.” and led Gepetto to the shark’s mouth. Suddenly, the shark let out a giant burp, throwing Pinocchio and Gepetto in to the sea. Pinocchio towed Gepetto to the shore and they were home again. That night the fairy appeared to Pinocchio in a dream. “Well done,” she said and kissed him. The next morning, Pinocchio became a real boy. “Son,” Gepetto cried with joy.
  
  
  Feeling
  I have seen Pinocchio as a Disney Movie. I remembered the outline of the story, but I did not remember how Pinocchio became a real boy. Pinocchio was so pure that he was deceived easily. I think human boys are dupe like him. If they keep bad companies in their boyhood, they gradually fall into evil ways. Gepetto might be overprotection. In other words, he had deep paternal love. I was impressed by the depth of his love.
  
  By the way, I have doubt about this story. I had thought that Pinocchio and Gepetto were eaten by a whale not a shark. Is it my misunderstanding?
  
  
  (1037 words / total 2267 words)
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  The Expedition to Kansai ~ 4 days memorial trip~ #2

  Posted: October 2nd, 2009, 6:13pm PDT

  
  
  On the second day we got up at eight and left for Koshien Stadium. We got breakfast at a convenience store and took the superhighway. We got to Nishinomiya City after an hour’s drive. Nishinomiya was a big City and we were impressed by its bigness. When we saw a part of Koshien Stadium from the City Highway, I thought “At last, we reached our goal!” But there was a problem. There was no parking area at Koshien Stadium. We had to look for a pay parking lot. It was not easy to find, it because more than ten thousand people were coming there to watch baseball games. The parking areas near Koshien Stadium were full, so we had to park a few kilometers away from there. We walked to the stadium and went into the outfield blenches. We could watch the game free at the outfield blenches. There were so many people there that we could not find our sitting space easily. We barely sat down and watched the game. Thought we watched only one game, we enjoyed very much. The team of the big-name school (Chiben Wakayama High School) played the game, and they won.
  
  After the game, we went to the stand to buy some souvenirs of Koshien Stadium. We met Mr. Tsukita who was a pitching ace of Kumamoto Technical High School there. They were eliminated in the first game the previous day. Mr. Tsukita and I live in the same town. We graduated the same elementary school and junior high school. I had my photograph taken with him. After that we had lunch at the Koshien branch of Daiei next to Koshien Stadium. We left for Kumamoto after lunch. We did not use the superhighway and ran slowly to enjoy the seascape and other beautiful sceneries.
  
  
  When we arrived at Okayama, we decided to stay there that night. We went to the police box to ask where to stay. The police officer suggested us to stay at the Kenko-Land (spa). He was so kind that he drew a map of and showed us how to get there. We enjoyed the large bath and played Shogi. Then we fell asleep.
  
  To be continued……
  
  
  (367 words total 1230 words)
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  My new idenify

  Posted: September 30th, 2009, 9:00pm PDT

  Hello, my name is Dimetorio Alveltini. I am from Milan, Italy. I am 38 years old. I have 6 members in my family… father, mother, my wife, 2 boys and me. The boys are 10 and 7. My job is police officer. I like playing table tennis and I hate smoking. I also like watching soccer. I am fan of the Intel Milan. So, I am intelista. I do not like AC Milan. I want to watch Milan Derby in stadium someday.
  
  
  (82 words / 863 words)
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  The Expedition to Kansai ~ 4 days memorial trip~

  Posted: September 27th, 2009, 4:42pm PDT

  
  I took a trip to Kansai from August 13 to 16 with my close friend Boo-chan. Before the summer vacation, Boo-chan said “Let’s go to some distant place.” and I agreed. The reason why we decided to visit Kansai was we wanted to watch the All-Japan High School Baseball Championship Tournament at Koshien stadium. Then we talked about the way to go there. We thought that going by car was the most convenient, so I asked my mother to lend me her car. Koshien stadium is in Nishinomiya city, Hyogo. It is about 700 kilometers from Kumamoto. It was a mind-boggling distance for me because I had never drove outside of Kyusyu. But our aim of the trip was to go to some distant place so I decided to go there. Before the trip I bought ETC and installed it in my mother’s car to use the highway. The expressway toll was only 1,000 yen during Bon holidays when we paid by ETC.
  
  The First day
  On August 13, I went to Boo-chan’s house to pick him up and left for Kumamoto Interchange. We got a map of Kyusyu area at the first rest area. The map showed all rest areas in Kyusyu. (Later we got same kind of maps of Cyugoku and Kinki area) Though we were afraid that the highway might be very crowded because it was the first day of Bon holidays, we could run smoothly. The opposite lanes were a little crowded. It was heavy schedule to get Hyogo and back in four days. So we planned to go as far as we could on the first day.
  
  We made merry when we left Honsyu and made merry again every time we crossed borders to another prefectures. We tried to go as far as we could as I mentioned above. However, we sometimes took rest at the rest areas to recover from the fatigue of our trip. On the way, we saw the root of the rainbow and the beautiful mountain with clouds. Those fantastic sceneries made us happy.
  
  We arrived at Himeji city, Hyogo on the first day. I was surprised when I noticed that I had driven for twelve hours. (We left Kumamoto at eight in the morning and arrived at Himeji at eight in the evening.) Then we decided to stay there tonight. We stayed at an Internet Café because it was expensive for us to stay a hotel. We went to a police station to ask where the Internet Café was. (We did not want to waste money. We set aside forty thousand yen for our trip including gasoline charge.) At the Internet Café, we took a shower and slept in the pair booth. Then an unforgettable event occurred. Suddenly, a clerk of the café came into our booth and said to me, “Excuse me. Your friend’s snoring is too loud and other customer can not sleep well.” I apologized to the clerk and wake up Boo-Chan. He went out the café and slept in the car.
  
  To be continued…….
  
  (508 words / total 781 words)
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  “Boubra ...

  Posted: September 12th, 2009, 1:07am PDT

  
  
  “Boubra Matsri” was held at Kasuga Elementary School on Saturday, August 8. “Boubura Matsuri” is the local festival sponsored by Kasuga community. “Boubra” means pumpkins in Kumamoto dialect. In the old days, many pumpkins called Boubura were grown in Kasuga and they were feature of this district. There are words “Kasuga Boubradon” in “Otemoyan” a traditional folk song in Kumamoto.
  
  Boubura Matsuri is held on the second Saturday in August every year. It started in 2003. I have joined it as a volunteer staff since three years ago. I made yakisoba this year. It was the first time for me to work at a food stall, so I was excited and a little uneasy.
  
  I will show you how to make yakisoba. First, oil on the iron plate and grill meat, then, add cut cabbages and been sprouts. Shake pepper and salt when the vegetables became soft. After that, put noodles and sauce and mix well. The taste was….. just so-so.
  
  Making yakisoba was fun for me, but I felt very very hot. Because the fat often spat while I was making yakisoba. I wore a T-shirt and a short pants then. I made a bad choice in my clothes.
  
  When I put off my clothes at home after the festival, I found my skin turned red with sunburn. It was to have been expected because I worked under the burning sun in a tank top many hours to prepare for the festival. I experienced the tortures of hell. The pain continued for a week.
  
  Anyway, I enjoyed the festival. I am planning to appear on the stage and perform something next year.
  
  
  
  (273 words)
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  Our New House

  Posted: July 14th, 2009, 10:01am PDT

  On Saturday, July 4 we moved into a new house. The new house is in the municipal apartment with twelve floors. It is not so far from our old house. We live on the tenth floor. Thought the view from our house is splendid, there are some drawbacks.
  
  First of all, it is very noisy. My house is close to Kumamoto station which is under construction for Kyusyu Shinkansen. Around the station many houses and buildings are being taken down and built. New roads are being built too. More over our house is next to the railroads. Various trains run all day. The freight trains are more the most troublesome. They are very very very long and it takes so much time to pass by. They often run late at night. We can not sleep well everyday. (To tell the truth I sleep enough.)
  
  The second drawbacks are wind and rain. The winds blow hard and it is hard for us to open the front door. Sometimes we are almost blown away by the strong wind. The rainy days are miserable. The winds drive the rain and inundate the outside of the front door. The umbrella is useless when the wind is strong. I feel like crying on rainy days.
  
  Thirdly our house is hard to reach by public transportation. Bus service is available in our neighborhood, but buses do not run frequently. So we usually use streetcars. It takes about ten minutes to near by streetcar stop. It took about five minutes to Kumamoto station from our old house, but it takes about 15 minutes from our new house. The road in front of our new house is always very crowded. We can not leave home easily by car. We become impatient when we do not have much time.
  
  I hope we will acclimate ourselves to the new house soon.
  
  (311 words / total 9985 words)
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  Our New House

  Posted: July 14th, 2009, 10:01am PDT

  On Saturday, July 4 we moved into a new house. The new house is in the municipal apartment with twelve floors. It is not so far from our old house. We live on the tenth floor. Thought the view from our house is splendid, there are some drawbacks.
  
  First of all, it is very noisy. My house is close to Kumamoto station which is under construction for Kyusyu Shinkansen. Around the station many houses and buildings are being taken down and built. New roads are being built too. More over our house is next to the railroads. Various trains run all day. The freight trains are more the most troublesome. They are very very very long and it takes so much time to pass by. They often run late at night. We can not sleep well everyday. (To tell the truth I sleep enough.)
  
  The second drawbacks are wind and rain. The winds blow hard and it is hard for us to open the front door. Sometimes we are almost blown away by the strong wind. The rainy days are miserable. The winds drive the rain and inundate the outside of the front door. The umbrella is useless when the wind is strong. I feel like crying on rainy days.
  
  Thirdly our house is hard to reach by public transportation. Bus service is available in our neighborhood, but buses do not run frequently. So we usually use streetcars. It takes about ten minutes to near by streetcar stop. It took about five minutes to Kumamoto station from our old house, but it takes about 15 minutes from our new house. The road in front of our new house is always very crowded. We can not leave home easily by car. We become impatient when we do not have much time.
  
  I hope we will acclimate ourselves to the new house soon.
  
  (311 words / total 9985 words)
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  Book review # 14 "Miss Rumphius"

  Posted: July 7th, 2009, 10:43am PDT

  
  Once upon a time there was a little girl named Alice. Her grandfather was an artist. When he was very busy, Alice helped his drawing.
  
  In the evening, Alice sat on her grandfather’s knee and said “When I grow up, I will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I will live besides the sea like you.” Her grandfather said “That is very well, but you must do one more think, it’s doing something to make the world more beautiful.” “All right,” said Alice.
  
  When she grew up, she lived a city far from her hometown. She also went to various places. She visited a tropical island, climbed tall mountains or went through jungle. After that she lived a house by the sea.
  
  In spring, the flowers bloomed that she had planted. They were Lupines. She loved Lupines the best. She wanted to plant more. She bought large quantities of lupine seed and planted them everywhere. The next spring, field and hillsides were covered with beautiful. She was called Lupine Lady.
  
  Feeling
  This story is expressed as it was told by Alice’s great niece. She heard the story of her great aunt’s life and she long to live like her. Alice’s grandfather said to Alice “You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” Alice kept her promise by growing beautiful flowers. Alice also said to her great niece the same words. Her great niece does not know yet what that can be. If someone said me “You must do something to make the world beautiful,” what shall we do? I don’t know how to grow the flowers. I can’t paint beautiful pictures. The illustrations are colorful and very beautiful. The story is unique. This is a very attractive book.
  
  
  (293 words / total 9674 words)
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  Book review # 13 "MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS"

  Posted: July 7th, 2009, 10:06am PDT

  
  Mr. and Mrs. Mallard had been looking for a good place for raising a family of ducklings. At first, it was hard to find safety place without foxes, turtles or dashing bikes. At, last they found the perfect place. It was a quiet island in the Charles River. There was a kind policeman called Michel at the police booth near the island. They built their nest there and Mrs. Mallard laid eight eggs. Soon the duckling hatched out.
  
  One day, Mrs. Mallard and eight ducklings wanted to walk to the Public Garden, where Mr. Mallard was waiting. On their way to the Public Garden, there was a highway. They could not cross it because so many cars were running there. Then, Michel came running, waving his arms and blowing his whistle. He stopped traffic so Mrs. Mallard and ducklings could cross the highway. After that Michel rushed back to send a police car. The policemen held back the traffic so Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings could march across the street and they could arrive the Public Garden safely.
  
  Felling
  This is a heart-warming story. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard had a long trip to find a best place to live. They went to many places before they decided to live a quiet island in the Charles River. It was because parents’ love for their children. In this story, the mallards are coexistent with human beings. Michel and other policemen helped the Mallards and the people of Boston cooperated with them. It seemed very natural. Both the Mallards and human beings look happy. Not only the story but also the illustrations are great. They were drown by the writer. They are pencil sketches using a brown pencil with a delicate touch. The scenery of Boston is beautiful and the ducklings are very cute. I like the illustration. When Mrs. Mallard and ducklings arrived at the Public Garden, they all turned round to say thank you to the policemen. The policemen smiled and waved good-by. I smiled unconsciously when I read this scene.
  
  I have seen the Japanese TV news that the spot-billed duck family was crossing a busy street and many cars stopped and waited until they finished crossing. I think the people become gentle when they see lovely things. Besides they feel happy by helping such things.
  
  
  (386 words / total 9381 words)
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  Book review # 12 "GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU"

  Posted: June 30th, 2009, 12:53am PDT

  
  One day, Little Nut-brown Hare said to Big Nut-brown Hare “Guess how much I love you.” Big Hare said “Oh, I do not think I could guess that.” “This much.” said Little Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go. Then, Big Hare stretched his even longer arms and said, “But I love YOU this much.” Little Hare thought, “That is a lot.”
  
  Next, “I love you as high as I can reach,” said Little Hare stretching himself. Big Hare did the same, it was quite high. Little Hare tried various ways, a handstand, hopping, bouncing up and down to express his love.
  
  Meanwhile, it became dark and Little Hare felt sleepy. He looked up the dark sky. “I love you right up to the MOON,” he said and close his eyes. “Oh, that’s very very far,” said Big Hare talking Little Hare up in his arms. Then he whispered with a smile “I love you right up to the moon, AND BACK.”
  
  
  Feeling
  Little Hare was very lovely. The scenes that he was trying to express how much he loved big Hare were heart-worming.
  
  Love is invisible. So, it is hard to express the size in words or forms. I learned about it from this book. I wish I could express my love like them to my lover someday.
  
  
  (223 words / total 8995 words)
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  Essay #5 The worst days in my life

  Posted: June 30th, 2009, 12:46am PDT

  
  There were two worst days for me.
  
  The first one was the day the Hanshin Tigers was overtaken the leader and won the championship by the Yomiuri Giants although the tigers had a 13 games lead. It was October 10 in 2008, an unforgettable day for me. The Tigers played very well from the early stages to the middle stages last year, but it lost games in a row after August. At last the Giants won “historical upset victory”. It made many Tigers’ fans sad and despondent. I was one of them. I felt as if I was strangled with a cord every time the Giants narrowed the gap. I still remember the pain I felt then.
  
  On October 10, I shed tears when the Giants won the championship. I was so sad that my voice failed me. At the same time, I said to the Tigers “You did a great job. Thank you for the dream to win.” in my heart. We the Tigers’ fans never give up. We will go on supporting. We are sure that the Tigers will win again someday. I will remain a fan of the Tigers forever. This year, the Tigers is for from the winner but I hope that the Tigers will be stronger for next year.
  
  The second one was the day that Southern All Stars stopped their music activities. Last year was the thirtieth anniversary since they made the debut. Southern All Stars announced to stop their music activities for the time being. I have been a fan of Southern All Stars since I was a junior high school student. I have been fascinated by the songs written by Mr. Keisuke Kuwata. He is the main vocal of Southern All Stars. His songs have various sides, some songs are sad and others are delightful or passionate. When I first heard that Southern All Stars would stop their activities, I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked by the news. I was very sad because I had listened and sang their songs almost every day.
  
  However, they didn’t break up. They decided to take a rest for a while. Even if they won’t resume their activities, they will continue their activities in my mind. I wish they will start their activities again someday.
  
  
  (379 words / total 8772 words)
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  My grandfather's sweet corns

  Posted: June 29th, 2009, 2:14am PDT

  
  My grandfather was a high school teacher. Though he retired more than 20 years ago, his former students or parents still send him the crops or marine products which they grew.
  
  A few days ago, he calls me. He said “A lot of sweet corns were sent to me. They are too many to eat for grandmother and me. I would like to share with your family. Please come to my house.” I went to his house by car and got many corns. He said “The best way to eat them is eat row corns.”
  
  At home, I ate a row corn as he said. He was true. It was very good. The next day, my mother seasoned the corns with a pirch of salt and wrapped them in plastic wrap. Then, she cooked them with a microwave. I ate one, it was also good. I will eat the corn with butter and soy sauce next.
  
  
  (156 words / total 8393 words)
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  Co-Co-Ichi

  Posted: June 23rd, 2009, 6:19am PDT

  
  The other day, I went to “Co-Co-Ichi” to eat curry and rice with my close friend Boo-chan. We can choose the degree of the hotness of the curry, the various kinds of topping or the volume of the rice.
  
  I ate the first level of hotness (it had normal hotness) with fried chickens and bacons as toppings. But Boo-chan was a challenger. He ordered the fifth level of hotness curry!! Oh my goodness! It had twelve times as hot as the first level curry. Can you believe it? He was dripping with sweat when he was eating it. He managed to eat it up and said, “It was not hard for me to eat fifth level of hotness though I feel as if it made a hole in my stomach.” His eyes filled with tears…
  
  
  (135 words / total 8237 words)
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  My grandfather's hat

  Posted: June 23rd, 2009, 6:16am PDT

  
  My grandfather likes hats and caps. He has many. He often wears a cap when he goes fishing, plays sports or works. When he takes a trip or goes shopping, he wears a hat. Of course, he wears a hat to shade his head from the sun or to dress up himself. But there is another reason. He always says, “I looks ten years younger when I wears a hat.” Maybe it is because a hat covers his thin hair.
  
  He leaves his hat everywhere. He has left it at my house many times. The other day, he joined a meeting at a hotel near my house and left his not there. He called my sister and told about it. She went to the hotel by bike. She will take it to grandfather’s house by car tomorrow, because she will take a day off. Oh no! Not again!
  
  
  (148 words / total 8102 words)
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  Book review # 11 (LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE)

  Posted: June 22nd, 2009, 1:54am PDT

  
  Lilly, a girl mouse, loved school, because she loved her teacher Mr. Slinger. She wanted to be a teacher like him in the future.
  
  One day, Lilly went shopping with her grandmother and got a new pair of movie star sunglasses, three shiny coins and a purple plastic purse that played music when it was opened. That next morning, Lilly went school with them. She was so happy and she wanted to show them everyone. Mr. Slinger told her to wait until sharing time, but she could not wait. At last Mr. Slinger said to her “I’ll just keep your things at my desk until the end of day.”
  
  At first, Lilly was very sad. And then she became angry. She drew a picture of FAT Mr. Slinger with bad things about him. Then, she sneaked it into his bag. After school, Mr. Slinger gave Lilly her purple plastic purse back. On the way home, Lilly opened her purse and found a note from Mr. Slinger. It said, “Today was a difficult day. Tomorrow will be better.” There was also a small bag of tasty snacks. Lilly felt awful. She ran all the way home and told her parents everything. That night, Lilly drew a new picture of Mr. Slinger and wrote a good story about him. Her mother wrote a note and her father baked some tasty snacks.
  
  The next morning Lilly got to school early and handed the story with a picture, her mother’s note and her father’s snacks. She said, “I’m really really …………… really sorry.” During sharing time, Lilly did a little performance using her sunglasses, shiny coins and purple plastic purse. Mr. Slinger joined in. After school, Mr. Slinger served Lilly’s snacks to everyone. Lilly was very happy. Mr. Slinger was right. It had been a better day.
  
  
  Feeling
  Lilly is innocent and simpleminded a tipycal child. She was in high spirits with her new things and she couldn’t control her desire to show off them to everyone. It was just like a child.
  
  She got angry about Mr. Slinger’s discipline although she loved him. It was also childish. Probably everybody has experience that they felt repelled by their parents or teachers. It is difficult for us to reflect and apologize even if we had known our falt. Lilly knew her mistake by Mr. Slinger’s warm note. She was very sorry about her behavior and apologized to Mr. Slinger from the bottom of her heart. Then she could enjoy her school life again.
  
  There are proverbs “To err is human.” And “It is never too late to mend one’s ways.” I remember them after I read this story.
  
  
  (443 words / total 7954 words)
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  speaking presentation

  Posted: June 16th, 2009, 10:13am PDT

  
  
  my presentation
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  Manuscript of My Introduction

  Posted: June 16th, 2009, 6:49pm PDT

  About myself
  My name is Shinichiro T. Please call me “Hammer”. I’m 20 years old. My blood type is “B”. I was born on November 4. So, my zodiac sign is Scorpio. My hometown is Kasuga which lies near by Kumamoto station. I have lived there for about 20 years. I love my town.
  
  
  My family
  There are four members in my family. They are my father, my mother, my older sister and me. My father is a high school teacher. His specialty is metallic engineering. He likes classical music. He can play the cello and the piano. My mother is housewife. She is around 50. she always says “Don’t tell my age to anyone!” So, it’s a secret OK?” My older sister is 24 years old. She works at cake shop. She is very unique. Her action makes us laugh.
  
  A part time job
  I have worked at Daiei Kumamoto store for three years. It’s a part time job. I sell daily necessities, beddings, bikes, stationeries and so on. I work on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Please come to Daiei. I’ll welcome to you with a beautiful smile.
  
  
  My hometown
  My hometown Kasuga is surrounded by nature though it lies near the city area. The people are friendly and kind. It’s a good place to live. However, it has changed in these days because of the construction of Shinkansen. It may be good for the growth of Kumamoto City, but I feel a little sad to see that my memorial places are changing. Anyway, I love Kasuga and I want to live here forever.
  
  
  My favorite sports
  I like baseball. I belonged to the baseball team when I was a high school student. I like not only playing but also watching baseball. I’ve been a fan of the Hanshin Tigers since I was a junior high school student. My favorite players are Mr. Hamanaka, Mr. Kanemoto and Mr. Hiyama.
  
  One of my hobbies
  I like collecting comic books. I began to collect them when I was a high school student. There are about 1,500 comic books at my house. It is my dream to collect more than 10,000 comic books. The comics are one of the Japanese cultures which we are proud of.
  
  
  My favorite cartoonists
  My favorite cartoonists are Adachi Mitsuru and Takahashi Rumiko. My father likes them too. So, we have most of their series. Adachi’s works won my heart. They are full of human feelings and humor. I love all his works but I like “H2” the best. Please read it by all means. Takahashi’s works are rich in variety. “Urusei-Yatsutra” and “Ranma” are eccentric and “Mezon- Ikkoku” is a little tender. I am always surprised at her various ideas.
  
  
  My favorite movies
  The Godzilla movies are my favorite. Among all works, the early ones have high quality, I think. I began to watch Godzilla movies before I entered an elementary school. So, I have been a Godzilla fan for about fifteen years. My recommended works were made from 1989 to 1996.
  
  
  My favorite music
  I love singing or listening to music. As for classical music, I like Chopin’s music. His NO.7 waltz is wonderful. I like pop music too. My favorite singer is Keisuke Kuwata. A happy felling pervade my heart whenever I listen to his songs his music is marvelous.
  
  My favorite places
  I have three favorite places. The first one is the narrow wooden deck at my house. I sometimes enjoy sitting there just gazing vacantly at the drifting clouds. I feel as if the time stops. The second one is the top of Mt. Hanaoka. I live at the foot of Mt. Hanaoka and I have climbed it many times. The view from the top is splendid. I have a feeling that I am in the center of the world when I stand there. The third one is Boo-chan’s house. Boo-chan is the nickname of my close friend. We have been good friends for more than ten years. We often visit each other. His room is always in a mess but it’s comfortable for me.
  
  
  
  (684 words / total 7511 words)
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  Book review # 10 "Corduroy"

  Posted: June 15th, 2009, 1:01pm PDT

  
  "Corduroy" is a name of a teddy bear. He wears corduroy overalls. He had been on the department store shelf for a long time. He had waited for somebody come along and take him home.
  
  One day, a little girl found Corduroy and wanted him. Her name was Lisa. But, Lisa’s mother did not allow to buy him because she had spent too much and Corduroy had lost the button to one of his shoulder stops. Corduroy felt sadness, and tried to find the lost button. At night on that day, he began to search everywhere in the department store for his lost button. However, he was found by the night watchman and taken back to the shelf before he found the button.
  
  The next morning, Lisa came to buy him with her savings and took him her home. She sew a new button on his overalls. Lisa and Corduroy became good friends.
  
  Feeling
  I read this story for the first time, Corduroy was very cute. He looked old and he lost a button, so the adults did not like him. But, he became a precious friend for a girl. I remember that I had many toys of Ultraman or Godzilla as my treasures. Of course, this book is good for children. But, I recommend it to adults. If they read it, they might remember “something important” which they left on their childhoods.
  
  
  (233words / total 6827 words)
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  Dance Party

  Posted: June 14th, 2009, 1:44am PDT

  
  There was a dance party on Wednesday, June 10. It was a costume party held by many clubs of our university. Each club had decided a theme. Then the members of the clubs prepared to disguise themselves with the theme. The theme of our club was “Shinseiki Evangelion” I disguised myself as “Rei Ayanami”. (Do you know her?) When I looked myself with the costume in a mirror, I felt very repulsive.
  Anyway, the party was very exciting and I enjoyed it very much. The captain of our club won the Personal Prize. I was very glad as if I got it. Because I knew that he spent many days to make his costume. There will be a dance party in autumn again. I’m looking forward to joyining it. How will I disguise myself next?
  
  
  (135 words / total 6594 words)
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  Book review # 9 "THE LITTLE HOUSE"

  Posted: June 9th, 2009, 6:11pm PDT

  
  Once upon a time, a little pretty house was built on a hill in the country. It was a strong and well built. The man who built it said, “This Little House will live to see our great-great-grandchildren’s great-great-grandchildren living in it.”
  
  The Little House had lived happily for a long time. It had enjoyed watching the natures and people around it in all seasons. However, the land development had begun around the house. A big road was built and cars took the place of the carriages pulled by horses. Many houses were built, then they were reconstructed the buildings.
  
  Before long, trolley cars began to run, and the elevated railroad was constructed. At last, the subway began to run underneath the Little House. The buildings around the Little House grew higher and higher, and the house was left all alone and felt lonely. It could not see well the sky, to say nothing of trees or flowers. People were too busy to notice it.
  
  One day, the great-great-granddaughter of the man who built the Little House saw the house. She said to her husband, “That Little House looks just like the Little House my grandmother lived in when she was a little girl.” Later, they found out it was the very same house. They decided to move it to the country side. They looked for the place where the house used to be built, and at last they found. The house was repaired, and lived happily with the nature as before.
  
  
  Felling
  This story was written by Virginia Lee Burton. She also drew illustrations.
  
  In the early pages, the scenery of the seasons around the Little House is expressed by the sentences like a poem. We can enjoy the changes of the seasons with the sentences and the colorful illustrations. After that, we have to see how the neighborhood of the Little House has changed. I felt choking and became sad as the Little House did. I was quite relieved and happy when the Little House was moved to the peaceful place in country.
  
  This book seems to be a story for adults. My mother says, “When I read in my childhood, I thought it was just a story. But I was very impressed when I read it again later. This is one of my favorite picture books.” People made land development for their convenience. But it often leads to environmental destruction. In addition, people are losing their hearts by getting convenience, I think. In this book, the people who live in the country look happier than the people who live in the city. Most of people feel comfortable when they see beautiful trees or flowers. There are quite a few people who want to live in the suburbs after their retirement. I suppose that the reasons why this book is popular among the adults is the dream to live in the house like the Little House is common to all of us.
  
  
  (494 words / total 6459 words)
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  Play Cards

  Posted: June 7th, 2009, 1:16am PDT

  
  My family enjoys playing cards at the hotel while we are traveling or at my home after dinner. We play various games, but in most cases we play “Seven Bridge”. When we play “Seven Bridge”, we contend for precedence. My father makes a list of scores with Excel and input the score. The person who wins gets 0 point, and another person get total scores of their own cards. We play ten games in one time. The parson who gets fewest scores wins. Our feelings swung back and forth between joy and despair during the games. My sister is excitable the most.
  
  
  (102 words / total 5965 words)
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  A Sports Day

  Posted: June 2nd, 2009, 10:25am PDT

  
  The sports day of Kasuga Elementary School was held on Sunday, May 31. Kasuga Elementary school is my old school and my house was cheek by jowl with it. My father and older sister also finished this school.
  
  The school is close to Kumamoto Station. There were many students in the old days because many staff members of the national railroad in Kasuga area. But the railroad became a private enterprise and the staff members were reduced. As a result, there are only about 200 students now.
  
  
  The sports day of Kasuga Elementary School is held by not only school but also a community. The people who live in Kasuga area join competitions or management of it. This project started ten years ago. I join the sports day with a costume every year. Last year, I wore the costume of Mr. Nokubo who is a member of “Shu-Chi-Shin”, and I wore the uniform of Ichiro of Seattle Mariners this year. I joined the entrance march with the uniform, and took the oath as player. I also ran the relay race. My performance appealed to the participants. I became very popular among the school children. They called me “Ichiro!”, “Ichiro!” Now, I am planning the costume for next year.
  
  
  (208 words / total 5863 words)
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  Essay # 4 The memorial days in my life

  Posted: June 2nd, 2009, 8:46am PDT

  
  I have three memorial days.
  
  The first one was the day when the Hanshin Tigers won the pennant race in 2003. It had been 18 years since the Tigers won the championship in 1985. I was born in 1988. So, I didn’t know then. As I mentioned before, I’m a Tigers fan. The victory in 2003 made me to be more fan. Mr. Hoshino who was manager of the Tigers in those days was really excellent. His impression was he lost his temper easily. His anger made the players so afraid but it raised the morale of the team. He was a stubborn old man like typical Japanese father. This character appealed to me.
  
  
  The second one was the day when the Tigers won the pennant race in 2005 again. Luckily for me, I could watch the moment of the victory on TV. At that time I cried out for joy. It was the very exciting game. When Mr. Kanemoto(left fielder) caught the winning ball, I burst into tears. The Tigers played an active part in 2005. Both the batters and the pitchers did a wonderful job. Among of all, Mr. Imaoka, Mr. Kanemoto and Mr. Akahoshi played marvelous role as the batters. As the pitchers, Mr. Shimoyanagi, Mr. Fujikawa and Mr. Williams were excellent. I felt that I was happy to be a fan of the Tigers all over again on that day.
  
  
  The third day was the day when Japanese Team won the WBC in March this year. The people all over Japan rejoiced at the victory. They were impressed by the winning hit of Mr. Ichiro or the moment when Mr. Darbish struck out the last batter. So was I. in addition, there were some more scenes impressed me. Especially the moderate play of Mr. Uchikawa of Baystars fascinated me. I watched all of the games from the elimination match to the finals. The victory of Japanese team made me very happy. There was a special implication that Japanese “Yakyu” dominated the world.
  
  All of my memorial days were on baseball. That’s because I have an ardent love of baseball. I’m deeply grateful to meet with baseball.
  
  
  (360 words / total 5655 words)
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  My mother's new electronic dictionary

  Posted: May 30th, 2009, 1:48am PDT

  
  The other day, the electronic dictionary which my mother had used for a long time was broken. She had to buy a new one. She looked for the dictionary which was fit for her on the internet, and compared the prices at some mass home electronics retails.
  
  The new dictionary contains 100 dictionaries! We can listen to the pronunciation by sound or we can input the words by writing on the touch pad with an attached pen. There are four colors: silver, white, black and red. She bought the red one. She says “It is cute, isn’t it?” she is satisfied with it.
  
  
  (103 words / total 5295 words)
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  A kitchen garden

  Posted: May 29th, 2009, 12:42am PDT

  
  My aunt (my father’s older sister) lives in a suburb of Kumamoto City. She has a kitchen garden and her husband grows various flowers and vegetables there. Sometimes my aunt brings crops to my house.
  
  The other day, she brought a cabbage, garlic, and some onions. One of the onions was very big. She said “this is as big as my granddaughter’s head!” My mother can not decide how to cook it. We will keep it and enjoy looking at it for the time being.
  
  
  (85 words / total 5192 words)
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  Mahjong

  Posted: May 28th, 2009, 1:28am PDT

  
  I love mahjong very much. I play it with my friends. I started to play it when I was a junior high school student. At first, I only played with the computer game. One day, one of my friends found a set of mahjong tiles at my home. It was my grandmother’s. She played with her children. My friend asked me “Do you play mahjong?” “No, but I want to play it.” Then, he said “Why don’t you play with me?” This was the beginning of my mahjong life.
  
  Mahjong is intellectual game. So, it is good to prevent people becoming senile.
  
  Let’s play mahjong with me!
  
  
  (107 words / total 5107 words)
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  Book review #8 (Gulliver's travels)

  Posted: May 26th, 2009, 1:22am PDT

  
  Lemuel Gulliver loved to travel and adventures. This is the story of his strange adventure.
  
  Once Gulliver boarded a ship for the Far East, it was a difficult and dangerous one. The ship was sank and all the passengers drawn except for Gulliver. He swam and could get to island. When he woke up after a deep asleep, he found he was tied to the ground. There were a lot of tiny men around him. The name of the country was Lilliput. At first, Gulliver could not understand the language there, and the people scared him. But soon Gulliver learned the language and people became friendly. Lilliput had some problems. First, there were two groups of the people in Lilliput. One group wear high heels and the other group wear low ones. They are bitter enemies. There was possible the civil war would break out. Secondly, there was an island Blefescu near Lilliput. Lilliput had a law that said “Eggs always had to be eaten from the smaller end”. Some people who did not want to obey this law fled to Blefescu. Then the war broke out between two countries. The emperor asked Gulliver to help Lilliput, and Gulliver did. Thanks to Gulliver Lilliput won. The people pleased. But the man who was in charge of the emperor’s money did not like Gulliver because, Gulliver cost too much. So, the man tried to kill him and Gulliver left Lilliput. He found a full-sized boat was floating upside down in the sea. He fixed it and rowed it. Then a big ship picked him up and took him home.
  
  
  Feeling
  This story is very famous and everyone knows the title. But no one knew the contents in exactly. If I ask someone “Do you know Gulliver’s Travels?”, he or she might answer. “Yes, of course. Gulliver visited the country of very small people or something, right?” I did not know the story in detail as well as them.
  
  Actually, Gulliver draft ashore to the island of small people. But, this story is not only a fantasy. The small people went to war with trivial causes. And after the war, they tried to kill Gulliver even though they were helped by him. It is a satire of the human society. It was a very interesting.
  
  
  
  (383 words / total 5000 words)
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  Dictionaries

  Posted: May 24th, 2009, 2:35am PDT

  
  At my home, there are various kinds of dictionaries. There are some English-Japanese dictionaries, some Japanese-English dictionaries, Japanese dictionaries, Kanji dictionary, a proverb dictionary, a French-Japanese dictionary, a history dictionary and so on. Some of them are in the dining room. When my parents hear the unfamiliar words on TV, they use the dictionaries to know the meaning of the words or their origin.
  
  I have an electronic dictionary. Usually I use it to study English, but sometimes my parents want to use it. It covers about 20 kinds of dictionaries. Especially an encyclopedia is useful to look up the people or places.
  
  My mother also has an electronic dictionary. It covers only three dictionaries (an English-Japanese, a Japanese-English and an English-English). She has used it regularly for a long time. A few days ago, it was broken suddenly. She pushed the power button as usual. But, she could see only some black lines on the screen. At first, she thought it was caused by shortage of the battery. So, she changed the batteries. But, it did not work. She could not give up using it, and she tried to turn on the switch or changed the batteries again and again. Even now, it did not work. Finally, she gave up and decided to buy a new one.
  
  
  (218 words / total 4617 words)
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  My favorite classic music

  Posted: May 20th, 2009, 1:46am PDT

  
  I like to listen to classical music very much. When I am so tired, I often listen to it to relax. My father often enjoys CDs or TV programs of classical music. He is a member of Kumamoto Symphony Orchestra. He plays the cello and sometimes practice to it at home. He can play the piano too. My mother belonged to the brass band club when she was a junior high school and high school student. She played the flute. My sister can play the piano and the clarinet. I had many chance to listen to classical music. This is why I like it.
  
  Chopin is composer I like the best. I am well impressed by his work. The melody of his music played with the piano is very sensitive and profound. It is very comfortable for me. I think that he is genius and he is one of the best composers in the world.
  
  My favorite classical music lists
  Chopin’s work
  ・Waltz No.6 in D-flat major, op.64-1 “Petit Chien”
  ・Waltz No.7 in C-sharp minor, op.64-2 (I think the best of work in his all works!)
  ・Prelude No.15 in D-flat major, op.28-15 “Raindrop”
  ・Fantasie impromptu in C-sharp minor, op.66
  ・Nocturne No.2 in E-flat major, op.9-2
  ・Etude No.3 in E major, op.10-3 “Chanson de L’adie”
  Beethoven’s work
  ・Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor, op.27 No.2 “Moonlight”
  ・Piano Sonata No.8 in C-minor, op.13 “Pathetique”: Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
  ・Piano Sonata No.8 in C-minor, op.13 “Pathetique”: Adagio cantabile
  ・Piano Sonata No.8 in C-minor, op.13 “Pathetique”: Rondo Allegro
  
  
  (267 words / total 4399 words)
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  My zodiac sign and blood type

  Posted: May 19th, 2009, 4:24am PDT

  
  My zodiac sign is Scorpio. People of Scorpio are said “You like meeting members of the opposite sex.” When I first heard it, I do not think so. I think that the people who have Scorpio sign are not exceptional. Other people also like to meet with the opposite sex. But, I suppose the people who have Scorpio might be attracted each other. Both of my mother and father’s signs are Scorpio. Besides, also my grand father’s sign are. Are these coincidence? I do not know.
  
  My blood type is “B”. B often fell small. When someone asks me the blood type, I do not want to answer it. Because, almost all the people looks me as if I am unusual to know that my blood type is “B”. The people whose blood types are B are thought they are selfish and optimistic. It is on the right track actually. My sister often says to my father “You are really selfish!” He is very optimistic. So, his blood type is also B.
  
  
  (172 words / total 4132 words)
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  Book review # 7 (A Christmas Carol)

  Posted: May 17th, 2009, 1:30am PDT

  
  This is the story about a money lender. His name is Scrooge. He was a grasping old man. He had no friends. He hate Christmas, he thought it was ridiculous. He had never said “Merry Christmas” to anyone.
  
  One Christmas Eve, Marley’s ghost appeared in Scrooge’s house. Scrooge and Marley had managed a firm together before Marley died. Marley’s ghost said to Scrooge “You will be haunted by three spirits.” It was true.
  
  The first spirit was the Ghost of Christmas Past. The ghost showed Scrooge his lonely childhood days or his old love who married to another man.
  
  The second spirit was the Ghost of Christmas Present. The ghost showed Bob’s family. Though they were poor, they were enjoying their Christmas, and they thanked Scrooge. Then ghost took Scrooge to his nephew Fred’s house. At the Christmas dinner party, Fred said “I feel sorry for Scrooge and I wish him a Merry Christmas whatever he is.”
  
  The last spirit is the Ghost of Future. Scrooge saw a dead man lay on the bed alone. Scrooge knew who the dead man was. No one except Bob’s family sorrowed his death. Some people stole things from dead man’s house and tried to sell them. Some people looked happy because they owed Scrooge much money.
  
  Scrooge thought about himself and wanted to change. Next morning, he waked up with joy. He bought a big turkey and sent to Bob’s family. He went out side and said “Merry Christmas” to everyone. He visited Fred and enjoyed the party. Scrooge promised to take care of Bob and his family, and he was as good as his word. He never saw the spirit again and lived happily.
  
  
  Feelings
  I remember that I had read this story when I was a little child. But I could not remember it content. So, I felt as if it was my first time read it.
  
  Three ghost showed Scrooge his past, present and future life. They taught him why he was not happy even though he was rich and what he should do to enjoy the rest of his life. Of course, Scrooge is a rather extreme case. But I think it is not a special case.
  
  In those days, we tend to think that we can live happily if we have much money. This story tells us what is more important than money for our happy life. Though this picture book is written for little children, it is good enough for adults.
  
  
  (414 words / total 3960 words)
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  My friend

  Posted: May 13th, 2009, 12:44am PDT

  
  
  I have a friend whose name is Raishin. His name is unique and sounds like a general in Edo Period. We call him “Raishin”.
  
  We have been good friends for five years. We went to the same high school. He was a member of baseball team. His physical strength was greater than any other players. Especially, his power of pitch is great. It is as great as professional baseball player. His dream was to be a professional baseball player. Now, he works at amusement center, but he has not give up his dream yet. He is still keep training for it.
  
  
  He is interesting in a different way. His behavior is beyond the boundary of human knowledge. I will show you some example.
  
  One high school day, I was surprised when I found his face out of the window of our classroom. Can you imagine that it was in the math class and own classroom was on the second floor? He said “It is a short-cut to the classroom”. He tried to go into the classroom, but he failed and fell down! I looked down from the window in a hurry. He lay on the ground. Fortunately, his he was not seriously injured.
  
  Other day, he called me with his cell phone. “Hey! Why don’t you come and play with me?” I asked him “Where are you now?” He answered “I am on my way home.” “Are you riding on your bike?” “Yes,” “Oh, no! It is dangerous. And we are not allowed to call when we are driving or riding.” “I know, but I do not care! ….. Oh, hello….. I… I’m sorry.” He abruptly dropped his voice. “What is the matter?” I asked him. He answered in low voice, “Sorry, I will call you again later, I caught by a policeman.” Then, he hung up.
  
  His stupidly always amazed me and makes me laugh. I have never bored with him. That is why I have been his friend.
  
  
  (330 words / total 3546 words)
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  Essay #3 My favorite animals

  Posted: May 12th, 2009, 9:05am PDT

  
  My favorite animals are tigers and dogs. I will talk about them.
  
  I like tigers the best of all animals. Because, I am an enthusiastic fan of Hanshin Tigers. I am excited very much, when I see Tigers’s trademark. So, my favorite colors are yarrow and black. I think that tigers look like very strong and brave.
  
  In Japan, tigers are expressed as symbols of strength. For example, Kiyomasa Kato who was a famous general in Kumamoto became a hero by knocking tiger down. In addition, there is a professional wrestler whose name is “Tiger Mask”. He always wears mask of tiger and nobody knows his real face. He is so strong that he is very popular. He became a hero of the animation. It was also popular. So, I like tigers.
  
  But then, tigers are expressed as agreeable animals. For example, Winnie the Pooh’s friend “Tiger” is very friendly. My mother said “There was a story about an little black boy and tigers. Though I can not remember the title of it, I loved it very much when I was a little child. I asked my mother to read it many times. At the end of the story, a few tigers hold their tails each other. At last, the tigers changed into butter! The boy’s mother made pancakes with butter made from tigers. The pancakes looked very delicious. I still remember this story whenever I eat pancakes.”
  
  Dogs are typical pets in Japan. Dogs have devotion to their masters. Dogs are loved by many people because they are easily attached and very cute. Many dogs have become very famous and popular after they appeared on TV commercial. The dog in the commercial of SoftBank has been popular lately.
  
  There are various kinds of dogs. Some dogs help disabled people. They are called “Assistant Dogs”. Three types of Assistant Dogs (Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs and Service Dogs) help the people with visual defect, auditory difficulties, or other disabilities. I think dogs are great.
  
  
  (333 words / total 3216 words)
  
• 

  Book review # 6 "PELE"

  Posted: May 11th, 2009, 1:33am PDT

  
  This book is life story of “Pele”. I will introduce about this book. His real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento but people call him “Pele”. I do not know where the name comes from. According to this book, he does not know either.
  
  Pele was born on October 23, 1940 in Brazil. When he was a little child, his father said, “Dico has soccer player’s legs.” (His family called him “Dico”) But, Dico’s mother did not want to be a soccer player because his father was a soccer player, but he did not make much money.
  
  Dico liked soccer very much. Evenings and weekends, he played soccer with his friends. In the afternoons, he was with his father, Dondinho. Dondinho was his soccer teacher. Dico was a very good soccer player.
  
  In 1958, when he was 17 years old, he became a member of Brazilian World Cup team. Pele scored six goals in his first World Cup, and Brazil won. Then, he became famous in the world not only in Brazil. In 1962 and 1970, Brazil won the World Cup too.
  
  He stopped playing in 1977. After that, he worked for UNISEF, and started to work for the Brazilian government.
  
  
  Feelings
  When I went to the library to look for reading book, I found this book. I decided to borrow it immediately. Because, I love soccer and I respect Pele very much. I think he is the best soccer player of all players I know. I could know about him more by this book. After reading this book, I like him better than before.
  
  
  (265 words / total 2883 words)
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  A Celebration

  Posted: May 6th, 2009, 1:16am PDT

  
  This year, my grandfather will be 80, and my great-grand uncle (my grandmother’s uncle) will be 90. So, we had a party to celebrate them. In Japan, 80th birthday is called “San-ju (仐寿)” and 90th birthday is called “Sotsu-ju (卆寿)”. Because, the Chinese character “仐” is consist of “八”(eight) and “十”(ten), and “卆” is consist of “九”(nine) and “十”(ten).
  
  Forty-four relatives joined the party on May 4th. The party had begun, we were taken a picture by professional photographer. The photographer was very funny. He amused us with tricks. So, most of us smile in the picture. At the party, we compliment for my grandfather and great-grand uncle and gave them bouquet. They looked very happy.
  
  Some families came from Fukuoka, Miyazaki, Saga and Tokyo. They came to the party by car, bus or train. The day of celebration was middle of the “Golden Week” holidays. My grand uncle who lives in Fukuoka called the next day and said “It took four hours from Kumamoto to Fukuoka by bus. We were delayed by the heavy traffic of highway.”
  
  Anyway, the party was great success. Everybody enjoyed it, of course so did I. We had a very good time.
  
  
  (216 words / total 2618 words)
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  Book revie # 5 "Badger's Parting Gifts"

  Posted: May 3rd, 2009, 2:27am PDT

  
  There was an old badger. He was loved by other animals. He knew almost everything. He was so old the he thought he must soon die. One night, he had a strange yet wonderful dream like none he had ever had before. The dream was like this: He was in front of the very long tunnel. He felt that his legs became strong and he could run! Actually, he could not walk without a walking stick.
  
  The next morning his friends found he was dead. Everyone was very sad.
  
  Winter came and the snow covered the countryside, but it did not conceal the sadness that the badger’s friends felt. The animals often gathered together and talked about him. Each animal had a good memory with him. A mole learned from him how to cut out a chain of the moles from a piece of folded paper. A flog became an excellent skater thanks to him. A fox could knot his tie and a rabbit got his special recipe for gingerbread.
  
  The memories are the badger’s parting gifts.
  
  Feelings
  It is a heart-worming story. The death of our close friends or family makes us so sad. But, we must get over our sorrow because, the dead people dose not want us to be unhappy. The badger did not want either. The badger was not afraid of death but he worried about his friends. He thought they would fell very sad when he died.
  
  He wrote a letter on the even of his death. It said “Gone down the Long Tunnel. Bye Bye, Badger”. I think that it is very simple but filled with love.
  
  I stated the above a sentence, we must get over our sorrow. We have the power that we can do it. I believe.
  
  
  (296 words / total 2402 words)
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  The move

  Posted: May 2nd, 2009, 11:55pm PDT

  
  I have to move until next month. I began to prepare for it.
  
  I live near Kumamoto station. Railroad construction is moving forward at fever pitch. As you know, Kyusyu shinkansen will be opened soon. The new roads will be constructed. So, we have to take down our house and build again in another place. We will live in municipal apartment until the construction will be finished.
  
  Today, we carried a small part of our things. It was backbreaking work.
  
  
  (80 words / total 2106 words)
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  My older sister - Part 3

  Posted: May 2nd, 2009, 11:47pm PDT

  
  She likes travel very much. She has been to foreign countries several times. I will talk about her trips.
  
  Three years ago, she went to the U.S. as an exchange student. She stayed in Washington states for six months. She studied English there and had some Korean friends. They were exchange students too. She learned Korean from them. So, she can speak Korean a little. She can say “I did not eat breakfast because I got up late. So, I am hungry now.” in Korean.
  
  By the way, it took about one hour by bus from her town to Seattle. Sometimes, she went to Seattle for shopping with her friends. Because, there were few place to play or to shop.
  
  During her stay, she went to Safeco field to watch a baseball game. As you know, Safeco field is the home of Seattle Mariners. She watched Ichiro Suzuki there. She said “Ichiro looked like a little bean because my seat was too far from the ground.” Anyway, she enjoyed this game and bought a T-shirt of Mariners as a souvenir for me. She knew that I like baseball so much. I liked it very much. Someday, I want to go to the U.S. and watch the major leagues.
  
  To be continued…..
  
  
  (211 words / total 2026 words)
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  My family - grandfather

  Posted: April 30th, 2009, 12:59am PDT

  
  I will introduce about my grandfather. He is my mother’s father. He is eighty years old now and active for his age. He is as tall as I. He is a man of strong frame. He often wears check shirt and cotton pants. He also wears a hat to hide his bald head.
  
  He likes driving so much. He often takes grandmother and her friends to various places by minivan. For example, he visits many places where are famous for cherry blossoms or azaleas in spring.
  
  He also likes fishing. He usually gets up late in the morning, but he gets up very early when he goes fishing. He keeps fishing tackles; rods and lines, bucket, landing net, waders, cooler and so on in his minivan to go fishing anytime. My grandmother does not want him to go fishing. There are two reasons. First, she worries about his health because he is old. He often goes to far places and fishes at dangerous places. Second, she has to cook so many small fish. She always says “It is troublesome and they smell bad”.
  
  Every winter, my father, mother, older sister and I go skiing to Hokkaido. My grandfather goes with us sometimes. He is a best skier in my family. He tries to harder course. One day, he skied on the mogul course by mistake. He said “I did not know it was a mogul course. I thought it was too rough.” All of us laughed to hear that.
  
  I love grandfather very much. I want him to live long.
  
  
  (260 words / total 1810 words)
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  Book review #4 "Harry the Dirty Dog"

  Posted: April 27th, 2009, 1:12am PDT

  
  Harry was a white dog with black spots. He does not like having a bath. One day, he buried scrubbing brush in the back yard and he run away from home. He played where he got very dirty. For example, the road was being worked on. After all, he changed to a black dog with white spots. He wondered if his family would not recognize his face. When he got back home, his family did not notice he was Harry as he had expected. He was so sad. He almost gave up. Then, he got a good idea. He dug a back yard and he found the scrubbing brush. He run into the house with it. The children washed Harry, and shouted “It’s Harry!” He was very happy.
  
  Feelings
  The story reminded me my childhood. When I was a little boy, I played outside and became dirty every day like Harry though I liked taking a bath. I thought that the expression “he changed from a white dog with black spots, to a black dog with white spots” was very interesting. Harry is very cute. I want to have a dog like Harry. He had be a good dog if only he liked taking a bath.
  
  Recently, most of children play inside. I want them to play outside more like Harry. I believe it is good for their health.
  
  I like this story very much.
  
  
  (235 words / total 1555 words)
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  My older sister - Part 2

  Posted: April 26th, 2009, 2:14am PDT

  
  
  She likes sweets very much. When she sees sweets, she always smiles. Even she is in a bad mood after a quarrel with me, she becomes cheerful when I give sweets to her. As soon as she sees new sweets on TV commercial, she buys them. Yesterday, she found insert of the paper. It said that “Hokkaido fair” is held at a department store. Many kind of sweets are sold there! She was very excited. Immediately, she decided go there. This morning she got up early, and she went to the department store. She was satisfied by getting sweets which she wanted. After she ate them, she said “Oh my god!! I will put on weight again!!”
  To be continued……
  
  (120 words / total 1320 wards)
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  Vacation

  Posted: April 25th, 2009, 1:33am PDT

  I played mahjong with my friends (Boo-chan, Syo, Yuzo) at my friends house once a week during spring vacation. We have a very good time. I worked at Daiei Kumamoto as a part time job.
  
  Ayaka went to the movie theater with her friends to watch “Watch Men” last Sunday. And, she tried to read an English book with dictionary.
  
  Yui went to Mitsui Green Land with lots of her friends last Saturday. She read an English book and wrote a book review.
  
  I did not study at all during my vacation. I did not know that other students study on their holidays. I was amazed. I was decided to study like them.
  
  
  (113 words / total 1200 words)
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  Book review #3 (Big Grag the Firefighter)

  Posted: April 22nd, 2009, 12:14am PDT

  
  This book is story of a firefighter. A firefighter whose name is Big Greg likes to fight fire. This book tells about his job; since he got the news of fire to the fire is out.
  
  Feelings
  I think this book is good for little children. There are some reasons.
  First, the pictures are painted by vivid colors.
  Second, the documents are very simple. They are written in very short sentences.
  Third, the repetitions are used effectively. For example, “Go, Big, Go”, “He gots ~ ” and “Go! Go! Go!” The children may imitate and enjoy.
  
  By the way, one of my friends wants to be a firefighter. I think he is suited to firefighter because he has good strength and the sense of justice. Though, it is hard to work as a firefighter, I believe he can do it! I want to him to be a great firefighter like Big Greg…...
  
  (152 words / total 1087 words)
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  My older sister - Part 1

  Posted: April 21st, 2009, 10:50pm PDT

  
  I have an older sister. She is very unique. She has eaten up with curiosity.
  
  The other day, a house lizard came into our house. She caught it and put into a bottle. She liked it very much, and took many pictures.
  
  Now, she absorbs “Wii Fit”. She plays it everyday. She is excites when she plays it. She shouts “I am genius! I am a champion!” when she hits a new high. I don’t bore with my sister.
  
  To be continued…….
  

  (82 words / total 935 words)

  
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  Essay#2 My treasures

  Posted: April 16th, 2009, 11:45am PDT

  
  
  
  
  
  I have three treasures. Now, I will introduce about them.
  
  First treasure is a baseball cap of my old high school baseball club. When I was a high school student, I had belonged to the baseball club. At first, that cap was not mine. It was ace pitcher’s cap. We exchanged our caps for the proof of our friendships. We practiced hard everyday. Our dream was to play at Koshien stadium. Though, our dream had not come true, it was one of precious memories in my high school life. The cap may looks old and junk, but it is a treasure for me.
  
  Second treasure is “Monchhichi”. It is a monkey doll. One day, I went to a convenience store near my house. When I went to into store, I found it on the counter. I fell in love with it. I decided to buy it immediately. It has been my lover since then.
  
  Third treasure is my friends. I have many friends. Above all, Boo-chan, Syo and Yuzo are my best friends. We have been good friends since we were primary school student.
  Boo-chan’s name is Yoichi Takaki. Why do we call him “Boo- chan”? There is a comedian whose name is Takaki Boo. Boo-chan looks like him and his family name is Takaki. His character is very funny. I always laugh with him. He is loved by everyone. He is good man but I am worry about his weight.
  Syo is baby faced. He has not change since his younger days. He is unique. His saying and doing are beyond our expectations.
  Yuzo is very handsome. He is very popular with women. So, we always feel jealousy. The bottom line is that he is also funny like Boo-chan or Syo. So, we are good friends. I hope our friendship will go on forever.
  
  These are my treasures.(309 words / total 853 words)
• 

  Book review #2 (Giraffe Goes Skating)

  Posted: April 14th, 2009, 11:12am PDT

  
  As the title says, this is the story giraffe goes skating. When giraffe was skating, some animals gave her advices for her safety. For example, “Put your helmet on”, “Get your kneepads” and so on. But she did not pay attention to what they said. As a result, she struck the tree and injured.
  
  Feelings
  I think that the book says “You should listen to others”. Young people will not listen to adult people. I am one of the young like this. But, I understand that the advices by elder people are usually right. There is a proverb “Years bring wisdom”.
  

  (101 words / total 544 words)

  
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  Went to a curry shop

  Posted: April 14th, 2009, 1:50am PDT

  I went to a curry shop “Saga” this afternoon with my friend.
  I wanted to eat mild taste curry because I knew the curry at this shop is much hotter than other curry shop.
  But, my friend said “You should eat hot one.”
  I was amazed.
  Then, shop keeper said “Are you really OK?”
  I said immediately “No, I want to eat mild one.”Even the mild one is very hot for me.
• 

  Book review

  Posted: April 12th, 2009, 1:43am PDT

  I read “Clever Rabbit and the Lion”.
  I’ll introduce about outline of this book.
  Once upon a time, a great big lion lived in a jungle.
  Lion thought that he was strongest in a jungle.
  He wanted to eat other animals.
  He thought it was easy for him because they are small and weak.
  But, he couldn’t any animals.
  A clever rabbit had a good idea.
  The rabbit saved all animals.
  
  Feeling
  I couldn’t imagine the story from the title.
  I think the story says “Even small and weak animals can defeat the stronger animals if they use their brain.”
  I like this story.
• 

  Introduction for host family

  Posted: April 7th, 2009, 11:16am PDT

  Hello, my name is Shinichiro Takahama. I’m KGU student.
  I’m 20 years old.
  
  Now, I like music so much. My favorite singers are “Aerosmith”, “Bon Jovi”,
  “Southern All Stars”; they are a famous group in Japan and “going steady”; they are a
  punk rock group in Japan but they have broken up.
  So, I like rock music Rock music excites me. How about you? Do you like music?
  If you do, what kind of music do you like?
  
  By the way, I like watching and playing sports very much. Especially, I like baseball. I will play catch together if you like.
  
  What are the popular foods in your country? It is most important question because, eating is my job. It is just kidding.
  
  By the way, are there famous sightseeing places and or historical places in your country? I want to go to there. I have a passionate interest for history.
  
  What is your hobby? My hobbies are singing songs, play mahjong(do you know?), playing sports and watching movies. Especially, I like to watch movies. My favorite movies are “the 007 series”( James Bond is very cool!), “Star Wars”, “the Godzilla series”(I think that the greatest movie in Japan!) and “Independence Day”. The movie is wonderful. There are various emotions in one story. Those are anger, sadness, pleasure and more. Such emotions give impression and power to us. So, I like movies.
  
  Now, I’m preparing for this trip. I’ll bring a present for you. What kind of Japanese things do you like? Please give me some hints for the present. I’m looking forward to see you. Bye-bye.
• 

  [nt]

  Posted: April 1st, 2009, 3:03pm PDT

  
• 

  Writing III My tresure

  Posted: April 14th, 2008, 4:40am PDT

  My tresure is friends.
  
  My freiends are very kind.
  
  When I sad or feel down , they always encoureged me.
  
  
  We let loose together.
  
  
  I always with them.
  
  
  Without them , I wasn't.
  
  They are all in all to me.
  
  I hope bound to them by ties of friendship go on.
  
  I want to returun them favor.
  
  I owe god gratitude to meet them.
  
  I think , you have best friends is one of most important things in your life.
• 

  Speaking - Final Presentation

  Posted: December 8th, 2007, 1:44pm PST

  We discussed about "10 years later News".
  
  We desided to make about sports news , entertainment news , wether and etc.
  
  I take charge of sports cast.
  
  This is 10 years later news , so it is difficult for me to make news.
  
  But , I have to do this thing.
  
  I will do my best.
• 

  Speaking - Presentaition

  Posted: December 2nd, 2007, 12:29am PST

  I learned about important of thinking.
  
  When we did prsentaion about "make new country" , we thought it's history , culture and etc.
  
  On the other hand , I learned about important of teamwork.
  
  It was very pleasant that I drew a graph or a picture on the paper together.
  
  By the way , There is one thing having been surprised at me.
  
  It is that everybody has a different thought each.
  
  I met many minds.
  
  So , It is good for me.
• 

  Speaking - Ten Years Ago

  Posted: November 26th, 2007, 12:11am PST

  I think the future technorogy will be high.
  
  There are many high-tech industrise.
  
  Cellphone , TV and cars will be more facility.
  
  For example the day may come that cars fly high in the sky.
  
  On the other hand , some islands will be sinking to the bottom of the sea ten years later.
  
  The environment is being destroyed.
  
  Someone may invent weapons which have improved out of all recognition since ten years ago
  by technorogy progress.
  
  People should be thinking about the environment problem and peace more serious than now.
• 

  Favorite Fall Foods

  Posted: November 21st, 2007, 3:46pm PST

  My favorite Fall foods are Pacific saury , Matsutake , chestnut and baked sweet potato.
  
  Pacific saury especially like in those.
  
  For example , I ate Pacific saury once a week when I was 18 years old.
• 

  Speaking - future

  Posted: November 19th, 2007, 12:15am PST

  1)
  I'd like to go over abroud.
  
  And I want to learn history of various countries.
  
  I want to be a English teacher or a world history teacher.
  
  Therefore , I have to study English more.
  
  By the way, I want to marry when I am twenty-seven years old.
  
  I want to have three or four children.
  
  The proportion is three or two boys and one girl.
  
  I want to have happy family.
  
  2)
  I want to be a teacher.
  
  So , I have to study.
  
  I want to study about education , English and world history.
  
  I will do my best!
• 

  New Fall classwork

  Posted: November 14th, 2007, 3:21pm PST

  My Speaking classwork is presntation about "Make new restaurant".
  
  We made group and discussed about "What's kind of restaurant ?".
  
  We decided to make Itarian restaurant.
  
  First , we discussed about our restaurant's name , and we decided "Buono Viaggio".
  
  It's means "good travel" in English.
  
  Secound , we talked about our restaurn's menu.
  
  That this determines did not take time so much becouse , it was easy for us.
  
  Third , we discussed about our restauran's atmosphere.
  
  On the presentation day, I became it tense very much.
  
  I did my best.
• 

  Presentation

  Posted: November 11th, 2007, 8:26am PST

  We were presented about " Our Restaurant ".
  
  I worked about history of our restaurant and menu.
  
  I felt nurvous in my presentation.
  
  But, I did my best I think.
  
  Another group's presentation were very good.
  
  I had a good time.
• 

  Group Discussion

  Posted: October 20th, 2007, 10:09pm PDT

  We met in study room at library to discuss "Our Restaurant".
  
  First , we thought this restaurant's name.
  
  Second , we talked menu.
  
  Third , we discussed about the atmosphere of this resutaurant.
  
  Finally , we thought about history of this restaurant.
• 

  Blackbird

  Posted: October 13th, 2007, 11:59am PDT

  "Blackbird" means human's life.
  
  And learn to way to live.
  
  Wating go out in to the world.
  
  Blackbird fly , like a human crimb a stair of life.
  
  Into the light of a dark black night.
  
  So , this song means independency.
  
  I think.
• 

  Movie Reviews

  Posted: July 11th, 2007, 4:44pm PDT

  I watched "007".
  
  
  
  TITLE　… "LIVE AND LET DIE"
  
  
  
  -Characers
  
  
  
  James Bond (007) …
  

  A British intelligence agent .

  A chief character of this story.

  Very "Play Boy".

  He has "License of Kill"
  

  
  Maney Penny …
  

  A secretary of "M".

  A good partner of Bond.
  
  "M" …

  A Director General of MI-6.

  The boss of Bond.

  Kananga …

  A man for the monopoly of the drug market.

  A villain's part of Bond.

  
  Samidy …
  
  A subordinate of Kananga. A weird magician.
  
  "An immortal man".
  
  Solitale …
  
  Bond girl.
  
  A fortune-teller.
  
  
  
  -Story
  

  A British intelligence agent was killed in succession.

  James Bond starts investigation with an old friend of CIA and confronts African Kananga for the monopoly of the drug market.
  
  -My review

  I like this story very much.
  

  Roger Moore starring is cool.

  In addition, the theme song is splendid, too.

  After all 007 movies are good.

  There is not the movie excited so much.
  

  
• 

  A heavy rain

  Posted: July 10th, 2007, 1:45am PDT

  A heavy rain continues recently, and I am troubled very much.
  
  I get wet through even if I put up my umbrella.
  
  It is not gone out above all.
  
  Kumamoto has many such a heavy rains.
  
  So,I thought that the rain of Kumamoto was fearful some other time.
• 

  5 Days Tour (Speaking)

  Posted: July 8th, 2007, 12:24am PDT

  Place …Laity（A　little country near Italy.）
  
  1th day
  We visit Legtear Beach.
  
  This beach is very beautiful.
  
  Tourists flood into the place during summer.
  
  This place is well-known for snorkeling.
  
  2th day
  We visit Church San-Crus.
  
  There is the church in a small village of a loser of a country.
  
  The fresco and the stained glass in there，delight a tourist.
  
  3th day
  We go back to Legtear, and we will see football game.
  
  It will be that we are excited with an enthusiastic supporter very much at a stadium.
  
  4th day
  We go to Vazeno.
  
  Vazeno is a historic town lined with traditional buildings.
  
  The atmosphere feeling nostalgic for slightly heals our heart.
  
  The old-fashioned row of houses along a city street is made give an illusion of I'm into a past town.
  
  5th day
  We visit A waterfall of Ferrarna.
  
  There is the waterfall in a mountain near Vazeno.
  
  In the grandeur of the waterfall, the fatigue of the trip will vanish.
  
  
  The tour is the end in this.
• 

  Classes I had Today

  Posted: July 4th, 2007, 4:52pm PDT

  I wrote about "my university life" on Writing Class.
  
  I was troubled, but I was able to write that I was various somehow.
  
  My university life wrote very pleasant,that but it was hard as for the study.
  
  Today's Class isvery fun.
• 

  My favorite breakfast

  Posted: July 2nd, 2007, 1:05am PDT

  My favorite breakfast is cheese and bacon on the bread.
  
  At the age of a high school student, I ate every morning.
  
  Though it is simple, very delicious.
  
  However, it is hard to throw away the rice, too.
  
  If it is a Japanese, as for the breakfast, rice is smart.
  
  It is my special favorite breakfast both after all.
• 

  The most unusual food

  Posted: July 2nd, 2007, 12:58am PDT

  The strangest food is "mustard lotus root" in the thing which I ate.
  
  The shock when I came across it is not still forgotten.
  
  It is very hot.
  
  But,It is very delicious.
  
  I have not watched such the terrible food.
• 

  Ｍｙ favorite food

  Posted: July 1st, 2007, 2:09am PDT

  My favorite food is "Buta-Kimchi".
  
  This is griled pork and kimchi.
  
  It is hot, and it is very delicious.
  
  When there is not an appetite, I can eat.
  
  It is the food which is most suitable for summer.
• 

  Free time activities

  Posted: June 27th, 2007, 3:29am PDT

  When I am free, I usually sleep in a house.
  
  Becouse, I heal the fatigue such as a school or the part-time job.
  
  Sometimes,I play with a friend.
  
  This is sake of the changes.
  
  So,my free time is time for rest.
• 

  Examinations

  Posted: June 27th, 2007, 3:22am PDT

  I am anxious.
  
  Because the reason is it does not study.
  
  I am very anxious whether a unit is removed.
  
  Therefore I must study.
  
  I want to take the good point by the next examination.
• 

  Rainy Season

  Posted: June 20th, 2007, 3:52pm PDT

  I don't like the rainy season.
  
  Because it is humid in the rainy season.
  
  As for the food, mold is easy to come to spread.
  
  When it rains, I can't go out to play outside.
  
  Anyway, I dislike the rainy season.
• 

  Dear Syotaro

  Posted: June 13th, 2007, 4:51pm PDT

  Syotaro,You are my best friend.
  
  But, I can't talk to you anymore.
  
  Though I became friend, it will be too early.
  
  We went for a dance pirty together last time.
  
  Though I intended to go for live of your band this time.
  
  I was not able to go.
  
  I wanted to listen to the guitar which you played.
  
  I wanted to play more with you.
  
  I wanted to talk more with you.
• 

  Right Brain or Left Brain?

  Posted: June 12th, 2007, 11:40pm PDT

  I am a right-handed person.
  
  I think that the left brain develops.
  
  But I am very weak in mathematics.
  
  Therefore the development of the right brain and the development of the left brain may be unrelated to human ability.
  
  I think so.
• 

  June 9th blog

  Posted: June 12th, 2007, 11:39pm PDT

  I am not the situation that can update blog today.
  
  Because I am depressed very much now.
• 

  SUMMER VACATION PLANS

  Posted: May 30th, 2007, 4:33pm PDT

  I will go to Okinawa with the circle menbers.
  
  Although I went to Okinawa repeatedly, it is pleasure too.
  
  I want to eat "Taco-rice" in Okinawa.
  
  "Taco-rice" is ingredients of taco,cheese,lettuce and Salsa sauce on the rice.
  
  This is very delicious.
  
  And, I want to swim the beach.