Friday, April 19th, 2024
Hello everyone!
School is back in full swing this week! Classes are getting busier and I’ve met all the new students now!
For the new first graders, welcome to Daitouchu! I hope you have a great junior high school experience. For the second graders and third graders, welcome back! Let’s continue to work hard this year!
One of my favourite parts about meeting new first grade students is finding out that they have siblings in other grades. This year, we have many students that are siblings with our 3年生, who just graduated!
I really miss last year’s 3年生, so I’m happy their siblings are in this school now. I hope we continue to work well together this year!
Good luck with your studies! Do your best, and remember to enjoy this time and have fun! You deserve it!
-D
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Wednesday, April 10th, 2024
The sakura are out in full bloom! Have you seen them? They’re very beautiful! It makes me very happy to see sakura and other blossoms around. But, they don’t last for long. So, we have to see them before they fall!
I think sakura season is very popular overseas. Many people know about Japan’s cherry blossoms, and lots of people come to see them each year! This year, they bloomed quite late. This made it hard for people who came in March to see them! Some of my friends came in March, but they didn’t see any cherry blossoms.
It’s one of my favourite times of the year. I think cherry blossom season is very beautiful. But, it’s not my favourite season. My favourite season in Japan is autumn! I think Japan looks so beautiful in autumn. When I leave Japan, I want to come back and visit in autumn! And in spring! I’ll miss seeing the sakura and the kōyō.
Blooming blossoms!
A multi-coloured flower!
Fallen sakura from Daitouchu’s school trees!
Midori’s famous Godo station!
My friends and I did hanami at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo! It was very busy, but very beautiful!
That’s all from me now!
-D
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Thursday, April 4th, 2024
During the first week of spring break, I went to Singapore to visit my friend. She lives in Singapore with her husband. It was very nice to see her again! We did many fun things in Singapore. Singapore is a very small country. Did you know that Singapore is 525 times smaller than Japan? I think that’s very interesting!
Singapore is inside the red circle!
In Singapore, we did a lot of sightseeing. We went to Lau Pa Sat (a ‘hawker’ [open air restaurant]), Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Raffles (a famous hotel in Singapore), and saw the famous Merlion statue. We also had a pool day because the weather was warm! It was 35 degrees Celsius most days!
I ate some delicious dumplings!
I had a high tea with my friend at Raffles!
We saw Gardens by the Bay at night!
Ate more delicious food!
The lookout from Marina Bay Sands Observation Deck!
Marina Bay Sands at night!
The Merlion and Marina Bay Sands!
The pool for our pool day!
‘The Jewel’. A water feature at Changi Airport!
Do you want to visit Singapore too?
-D
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Friday, March 22nd, 2024
I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.
On the weekend, I went to the Warner Bros. The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour in Tokyo. It was so fun!
I have always loved Harry Potter. I read the books recently again. I’ve read all the books about 5 times now I think.
I didn’t know what to expect in the Studio Tour. But, it took us through how the movies were made! It was so interesting. We saw some of the real sets used in the movies, we got to see how CGI is used, we saw their costumes, props, wigs, hair, everything! There was even smaller Hogwarts castle that took up a whole room! It was incredible to see. We spent about 5 hours in the tour.
They even sold Butterbeer! I have wanted to try Butterbeer for so long! So, I was so happy to try it!
My favourite part of the tour was the sound section. In one part, they talk about how sound is used to make a movie better. They discussed music, and showed how the orchestra portrays different feelings. They showed us how they make noises of fantasy animals too! For example, they use leather for the sound of dragon wings when they’re flying!
I had so much fun. I bought many goods too! Too many I think! If you like Harry Potter, you should go!
They build these houses before building sets!
This is Hermione’s dress from The Yule Ball.
The Weasley’s car in the Forbidden Forest (they made a life version of the Forbidden Forest)!
Hagrid’s Hut!
Butterbeer!!!
Harry’s Hogwarts letters!
That’s all from me!
Mischief managed.
-D
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Friday, March 15th, 2024
Did you feel the earthquake last night? It wasn’t a big one in Gunma, but it woke me up from sleep! It happened at 12.14am. It struck near Fukushima.
I don’t like earthquakes. They really scare me. There’s only been three bigger ones since I’ve lived here, so I’ve been lucky. The smaller ones still scare me though. I had never experienced earthquakes until I came to live in Japan.
I remember feeling my first earthquake. I was in quarantine in Tokyo when I felt it. I had just moved to Japan. It was only small, but it was scary for me. Now I’m used to them, but I still don’t like them.
On Monday, it was the anniversary of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. This 9.0 magnitude earthquake created a tsunami, which destroyed a nuclear power plant, leading to a nuclear disaster. This earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster had a devastating impact on Japan. Thousands of people lost their lives, and it created billions of dollars’ worth of damage. The effects of this disaster can still be seen around today.
But did you know, that before this earthquake struck, there were many foreshocks? Foreshocks are smaller earthquakes that happen near the epicentre of the mainshock (biggest earthquake). Only days before the magnitude 9 earthquake hit, several bigger earthquakes, around 6-7 magnitude were recorded.
Unfortunately, earthquakes like this one reoccur. These high magnitude mainshocks are called ‘megathrust earthquakes’. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake was predicted to occur; however, seismologists were unable to pinpoint an exact time or date. This is common, as earthquakes are hard to track.
There are many other places around Japan (and the world) that megathrust earthquakes are predicted to occur in the near future. It’s important for us to be prepared! We may not know when it will happen, but let’s stay safe and help each other when it does.
-D
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Friday, March 8th, 2024
Hey everyone!
This week was a stressful week for 3年生. They had their high school announcement. I know some didn’t get the result they wanted. They were very sad. But, it’s okay to be sad! Just make sure you don’t let the sadness take over. There are more good times coming!
This year has gone by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I was moving to Japan and meeting all of you for the first time. I met the current 3年生 as 1年生! That was almost two and a half years ago now! Next week, 3年生 will graduate. I’m very sad about it. They were my first 1年生. I have many good memories with them.
So, I have a little message to them!
Please keep doing your best in your futures! Remember to stay happy and healthy, as these are two very important things in life! You will have happy times and sad times, but remember that’s just life. I will miss you very much. You brought so much joy to my life here in Japan, and I’ll always remember just how glad I was to have met you. We may not meet again, but I wish you the best for the rest of your journey!
今までありがとうございました。これからも頑張ってください。
-D
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Thursday, February 29th, 2024 (leap year day!)
1年生 level
We had a long weekend last week! We had Friday off school. Did you do anything fun? I hope students got to relax, it has been very busy at school lately.
I went to Tokyo on the weekend. I go there a lot! I went to see my friend and go to a concert. The concert was for SHINee! Do you know them? They are a KPOP group. They started singing in 2008. So, they have been singing for 16 years now!
It was a lot of fun to see them sing and dance. They are very talented! It was at Tokyo Dome. There were so many people there!
I want to go to another concert soon. But I need to get tickets first!
Talk to you soon!
-D
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Monday, February 19th, 2024
3年生 level
On the weekend, we had a capoeira event! Do you know what capoeira is? Capoeira is an art form that was developed by African slaves in Brazil.
When Brazil was colonised by Portugal, the Portuguese took people from Africa to become slaves for labour. Capoeira was created during these times as a way for African slaves to learn how to defend themselves. These people didn’t have any rights. However, it was illegal for the slaves to learn how to defend themselves, so they added music and dance to disguise what they were really learning.
I think capoeira has a really interesting history. Some Brazilians who live in Oizumi came to teach us. They taught us some moves, some songs, and showed us how a match works. It was so interesting! It’s the most fun I have had in a long time!
Today, my body is very sore. We did a whole hour of dance and learning some basic moves and we used so many muscles! Capoeira is a good way to keep fit and healthy! I want to learn more about capoeira someday.
If you have a chance, please learn about capoeira too! It’s important for us to learn a lot of things about other cultures! The world has so many different things to learn about!
-D
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Monday, February 5th, 2024
1 年生 level
Last weekend, I went to Tokyo. I saw my friend there. We went to a concert! It was our last concert together in Japan. She will leave Japan soon! I’m sad she will leave. She’s a very good friend, so I will miss her a lot.
Do you know what concert we went to? We went to ATEEZ. Do you know them? They are a KPOP band. It was my first time going to their concert. They did very well! All of the members are very talented. They work very hard!
There is a member called Jongho. He is very nice to listen to. I want to go again!
-D
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Thursday, February 1st, 2024
2 年生 level
Do you know Australia Day? It’s a day in Australia that we celebrate being Australian. It’s on the 26th of January. It’s a public holiday. We get this day off work and school.
But, Australia Day isn’t a good day to celebrate. On the 26th of January, 1788, Australia was officially founded by the British. However, people were already living in Australia.
They are called our ‘First Nations’ people. But, they had different languages. They also lived differently to the British. They couldn’t talk with each other. The British decided that they would take over Australia.
They brought convicts (criminals) over on ships. These people brought many diseases with them. They made Australia’s First Nations people very sick. Many of them died. They also fought over food and land.
The British started to kill the First Nations people with guns. This went on for years. Lots of First Nations people died. Their land was taken away for the British to use. This even led to stealing children from First Nations families and raising them ‘white’. It’s a very sad time in Australia’s history.
The 26th January is a sad reminder of death. So, it’s not good to celebrate Australia on this day. Instead, we should change the date so that all Australians can enjoy this day. Australians will continue to fight until the date is changed.
-D
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Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024
Hello again! Welcome back!
Reading is really important for learning a language. Especially natural English! So, I want to try something new! Actually, the ALT at Daichu started this, and I think it’s a good idea too! Each week, I want to change the level of English in these posts. So, it will change each week for each grade! I hope this helps! Remember, if you don’t know a word, that’s okay! Skip and and keep reading!
3 年生 level
Do you know what burnout is? It’s a term to describe a feeling of extended physical, mental, and emotional stress. It leaves you feeling tired all the time, and makes you feel like you can’t do simple things. Burnout is very common. Many people get burnt out in their jobs, from university, and of course, from school. In fact, 82.2% of employees in Japan feel burnout and stress from their job.
Burnout isn’t a nice feeling, but it is something that can be managed. In order to help yourself feel better, take a step back from the things causing your burnout. If that’s study, then take a break from studying all night and come up with a new study plan. Some people work best in 15 minutes increments. So, study for 15 minutes, then have a 5-minute break. Repeat for the duration of the study period.
Other things that can help are simple things like getting enough sleep. I know that many students do not get enough sleep! It is recommended to sleep at least 8 hours a night! It’s really important for our growth and development.
Other helpful strategies include eating a healthy diet, exercising, taking time to yourself, and allowing your mind to relax. Sometimes, this isn’t so easy! But, we have to take care of ourselves, our minds, and our bodies!
Keep fighting and looking after yourself!
-D
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Friday, January 12th, 2024
Hello everyone!
It’s 2024 now! Happy New Year! This is the first week back at school. Did you have a good holiday? I heard that lots of 2年 had fun, but 3年 spent almost all of the break studying! That makes me sad. Holidays are made for us to relax! I hope the students who couldn’t relax on these days can relax sometime soon!
Over the winter holidays, I did many things! Let me show you!
On the 25th of December, my friend and I made some lasagna and roast vegetables for lunch! It was delicious! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
On the 29th of December, I went strawberry picking with my friend! The strawberries were so red and delicious!
On the 31st of December, my friends and I went to Disneyland! Happy New Year’s Eve!!
On the 1st of January, we watched the first sunrise! HAPPY NEW YEAR! It was a relaxing day for me. But then, my phone started alarming. It said, “TAKE COVER. AN EARTHQUAKE IS COMING. TAKE COVER.” It had it written in Japanese and English. It was so scary! I ran to my kitchen table and climbed under. I called my friend. I asked her to stay on the phone with me. I was really scared. Then, the shaking started! But it wasn’t too bad. It didn’t last very long. I looked up the news. There were tsunami warnings. It was telling people to evacuate. But thankfully, Gunma isn’t near the ocean. I felt safe, but sorry for the people who were near the ocean.
On the 2nd of January, we went to Nagano! We visited Togakushi Shrine. It’s very beautiful! It was so snowy!
On the 7th of January, we went to Iwate! We went to Geibikei Gorge. It was supposed to be snowing, but there was no snow! It was hotter than Gunma! How could that be?
This is what we thought it would look like:
This is what it actually looked like:
I wanted to see the snow! But maybe next time. It was still very nice!!
On the 8th of January, we went to Sendai. We saw Matsushima Bay. It was so cold by the ocean! We saw a lot of information about the 2011 tsunami. It felt strange, as we’d just had an earthquake and tsunami the week before. My friends and I talked about what we would do if an earthquake were to hit. We saw many signs for evacuation areas. We made sure to know where to go!
And then we came back home, and came back to school! Let me know if you’ve ever been to any of these places!
That’s all for now! See you next week!
-D
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Friday, December 15th, 2023
This week, we had Christmas lessons! Did you enjoy it? I hope everyone had fun! We played lots of games in English. You’re all getting really good at listening! Keep it up!
Today is the last day of school for this year. So, I hope you have a good winter break and I will see you in the new year! 3年生, I know you need to study for entrance exams, so good luck and study hard!
Everyone, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Stay safe and warm!
-D
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Friday, December 15th, 2023
I’m back! I got home from Australia on Monday. It was so fun!
These are some things that I did! I went swimming everyday! It is summer in Australia right now. I saw my family! I also went to my friend’s wedding. She looked so beautiful! I will show you some photos!
See you later!
-D
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Wednesday, November 29th, 2023
Last week we had a public holiday on Thursday! Did you do anything fun? I talked to a lot of students and they said they had to study or do club activities. I think that’s not very fun.
I went to Yokohama to meet a friend on the weekend. I haven’t seen him since 2019! It was nice to see him again. Actually, we went to university and worked together. It was so interesting to hear what he is now up to. I also told him about Japan! He was interested to hear about what living here is like.
Next week, I’ll be away. Actually, I’m going to Australia! One of my best friends is getting married. I’m so excited! I’ll also see my family, which I’m excited for as well. I haven’t been to Australia in what feels like so long! I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.
These are some pictures I took of Yokohama at night! Enjoy!
-D
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Tuesday, November 14th, 2023
On the weekend, I went shopping for gifts in Takasaki. The gifts are for my friends and family at home. I wanted to get gifts from specifically Gunma too, so I got many daruma to give as omiyage. I hope they’ll enjoy it!
My friend and I started watching a new show. I’ve watched the show before, but my friend hasn’t. It’s called Downton Abbey. Have you heard of it? It’s a good show to watch to get used to hearing different types of English.
This Friday, we have end of semester tests! How do you feel about it? I hope you aren’t too worried and just try your best. But also study as hard as you can! It’s important to try our best, no matter the results.
Good luck on your tests! I hope you do well!
-D
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Wednesday, November 8th, 2023
We had a long weekend this past week! Do you do anything fun? I went to Tokyo to see my friends. It was very enjoyable!
We went shopping for some clothes and some gifts for my family. I’m going home to visit soon! I’m excited to see my family and friends again. It’s been 4 years since I’ve seen my friends!
On the weekend, it was also my friend’s birthday. So, we celebrated that together! It was really nice and fun! We ate lots of delicious food, and then went to karaoke after. I sang so many old songs with my friends. It was so lovely. I tried singing a Japanese song, but it’s still a little fast for me! I’ll keep trying to sing it though!
We also went to Sunshine City to go to the Pokemon store. On our way, we saw a cosplay convention. It was honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Everyone was dressed up as their favourite characters, and they looked incredible! I’ve never cosplayed before but lots of my friends do. Maybe one day I will!
I have another big weekend this weekend. I have a lot to do, and also a lot to study! If you feel like you don’t want to study, remember me! I’m studying too! You can do it, always!
-D
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Tuesday, October 24th, 2023
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed or anxious? I talked to my friend on the weekend, and they told me that they felt overwhelmed. I sometimes do too! I think many of us are busy. Many students have school, juku, club activities, study! You all have a lot of things to do. Feeling overwhelmed and anxious means that sometimes we have so many thoughts or feelings that it makes us unable to think clearly. It’s not a nice feeling.
However, it’s important for us to manage this. If you feel overwhelmed or anxious often, there are things that you can do to help yourself. I like to do breathing exercises. So, that means that for about 1-2 minutes, I will focus on my breathing. I take a deep breath through my nose for 4 seconds, hold my breath for 4 seconds, and then release my breath out of my mouth for 4 seconds. Repeat this until you feel calmer. Trust me, it helps!
If you struggling with feeling anxious or overwhelmed constantly, it’s a good idea to talk to someone you trust about it. Many times, they can give you ideas on how to feel better! Take care of your mental health! It’s very important.
-D
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Monday, October 16th, 2023
On the weekend, I went to an event. I joined a committee recently, and we do lots of events in Gunma. Our goal is to bring more local people from Gunma together. This means Japanese people and foreign people!
Yesterday, we had an event. It was in Maebashi. We met lots of people who live in Gunma. Some were from the Philippines, China, India, Thailand. There were so many people! We also met some high school and university students. They wanted to practice their English with us. They could speak English with us very well! It was lots of fun.
Well, that’s all from me today! I’ll talk to you next week!
-D
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Tuesday, October 10th, 2023
Hello! Yesterday, we had a day off from school! It was nice to have a long weekend. I studied a lot on Monday. I studied Japanese! I learn a lot of grammar points (like …しか…ない/ません and …ながら…), just like you do in English class! It’s very important to learn grammar. If we don’t know grammar, it’s hard to make sentences or understand anything! It makes me tired, but I want to get better at Japanese!
Maybe one day, I will leave Japan. So why am I even learning Japanese? It’s because it helps me to know Japanese now. Knowing a language is so important. Communication is one of the most important skills we can have, so it’s important to put a lot of time and energy into learning it.
Good luck with the languages you’re learning (I hope one of them is English!).
-D
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Wednesday, October 4th, 2023
On the weekend, it was my birthday! So, my friends and I went exploring around Gunma. Because I’ve been here for almost 2 years now, I have seen a lot of Gunma. But, we managed to find more really cool places to see!
First, we went to Renga, a bakery in Kiryu, for breakfast. It was delicious! Then, we went to a shrine in Takasaki. They are famous for having peacocks! It was really beautiful! We then drove to Annaka, and went to a forest that has 47 ronin in a cave. We walked in the forest for about 10 minutes, then came to them. They were really cool!
Next, we went to my favourite place of the day! We went to Megane Bridge, which is a bridge that was built in the 1800s for a railroad between Gunma and Nagano! They built it with the help of a British engineer, so it looks very Western. Now, it is no longer a railroad, so you can walk on it and walk through the tunnels they built too! It was very cool and very nice to walk through! I’m so happy we went.
Finally, on the way home, we had ramen for dinner. I got tonkotsu ramen of course, because it’s my favourite! I got gyoza too! I was so full by the end of it though!
What about you? What do you do on your birthday? Do you want to go exploring around Japan or overseas when you’re older? Exploring is really fun so I hope you can enjoy it too!
-D
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Friday, September 22nd, 2023
Long time no see! Semester 2 has been really busy hasn’t it, there’s been a lot to do! I wish I had more to tell you, but all I have been doing in my free time lately is studying! I’m doing an English course as well as studying Japanese. Most weekends I just study. I feel like I’m back in university again!
But, my friend and I went to the Kiryu 花火 festival last weekend. It was fun and there were so many people! I saw some students and they said hello to me! I also saw an old student from last year. He looked very surprised to see me! I said hello but I think he was too surprised to say hello back! It was funny 😀
Lately, lots of students are becoming more comfortable speaking English with me! I’m very happy to see this. I talk with lots of 3年 students during cleaning time. It’s really fun! I ask them questions in English and most of the time, they understand! It’s nice to see how good they are at using and listening to English! 2年生 and 1年生 are doing well with English too! Some students in 2年 will do an English test, so we practice speaking together. And this year, 1年生 are very confident and like to talk in English with me! I’m happy to see this! Please keep it up 😊
That’s all for now, see you next week!
-D
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Friday, September 1st, 2023
We are back! We have almost finished our first week of school already. We’ve started English classes again and it’s good to see that you studied English over the holidays! That makes me really happy to see 🙂
This semester, English will start getting a little harder. But, it’s building on grammar and vocabulary we learnt in the first semester. That’s why revision is important! Some of the 3 年生 students have told me that the English reading sections in the textbook are getting so hard! I think so too. But to learn a language, we need to study every day. Do you study every day?
With Japanese, I have to study every day too, so I keep learning. Sometimes I don’t though. It’s good to have a break, but if we want to learn anything, it requires lots of effort. So try to make it a daily habit. Good luck! Don’t give up, we all can do it if we try!
-D
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Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023
Wow, summer vacation is almost over! That’s so crazy! Soon, classes will start again! I hope soon, the weather starts cooling down. I’m definitely ready for summer to be over!
On the weekend, I went back to Starbucks! I really like Starbucks as I can study and work on things there for a long time. I was talking to one of the teachers the other day, and they told me that a student saw me at Starbucks! I was surprised to hear this! I didn’t see this student, but I guess I was studying!
-D
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Thursday, August 17th, 2023
Welcome back to school (well club activities)! How was your Obon? I hope it was good!
On the weekend, I went with my friends to Round 1. I love Round 1! It’s so much fun! We played many arcade games, we rollerbladed, we did pool, karaoke, spocha, table tennis, and crane games! It was really fun. But, my friends and I didn’t win anything at the crane games. That made me sad! We had to stop before we lost too much money! Crane games are fun, but we (I) should be careful when I use them! They’re dangerous!
-D
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Wednesday, August 9th, 2023
Last weekend, I went to the Kiryu Yagibushi Festival. It was so much fun! I went at night time, so it wasn’t as hot during the day. It was good weather but after dancing yagibushi, I was so hot and tired!
Yagibushi is a really fun and simple dance. I saw many people dancing and I wanted to learn the dance, so I tried copying them! But then, I was pulled into a circle of people dancing to yagibushi, and some nice people showed me how to do the dance! Later, when the big dance started, my friends and I watched. Somehow, we got pulled into another circle again, so we started dancing again! It was very fun. I’m very happy I went!
I saw lots of students at this festival too! Thanks for saying hello to me, and to the ones who hid from me… I did see you! Hahaha!
Keep cool in this hot weather, and drink lots of water!
-D
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Friday, August 4th, 2023
I told you about the water festival I was going to last week. It was fun, but very hot! I think it was too hot to be outside! I don’t think I would go to it again! The songs were fun though and we saw lots of famous artists! But, it was still too hot!
This week, I went to the Omama Gion festival. It’s the first time in 4 years I think that we’ve had it over three days! I saw so many students! Thank you to all of you who came up and said hello to me! It was really fun seeing you! I saw a lot of old students too that have already graduated Daitoh. But, I didn’t recognise them without a mask on! If I just looked at their eyes, I could tell who it was though! I’m happy to start seeing everyone’s faces again!
This week, some students are participating in the Midori Summer English Camp. It’s over three days. We do a lot of talking in English with lots of ALTs and English teachers! It’s very fun!
My favourite part so far has been canoeing and Stand Up Paddle-boarding (SUP) with the students and teachers yesterday. I was able to stand up on the SUP, but then I fell into the water! I don’t have good balance so I wasn’t surprised that I fell in! Hahaha!
The Australian Coffee Shop booth at the Midori Summer English Festival!
Students of Daitoh and ALTs going to Azuma Elementary and Junior High School!
-D
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Monday, July 24th, 2023
How are you all going in this heat? It’s been hot right! Oh, I really miss spring right now!
I have been using my air conditioner a lot at home! My house gets hot very quickly, but I know that my electricity bill will be very high. Oh well! It is what it is… isn’t it!
This weekend though, I’m doing something exciting. I’m going to the Waterbomb Festival in Tokyo! It’s a festival where Korean singers come and sing, and also you get wet with water throughout the day! I think at least, I’m still not sure! I’ll tell you more about it next week!
Keep cool in this heat!
-D
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Thursday, July 20th, 2023
How was your long weekend? We had Monday off! And today is the last day of school until summer vacation! How exciting! On the long weekend, I went to see my friends in Tokyo! We had a really fun time. We went and did karaoke, and also went to lots of cafes! But, there were so many people! I haven’t seen Tokyo that crowded in a long time.
We also celebrated my friend’s birthday! We went to Outback Steakhouse and had dinner. Do you know Outback Steakhouse? It’s actually an Australian themed restaurant! There were many things on the menu that I’d never heard of before though. Like ‘Bloomin’ Onions’. That isn’t Australian! But it was still delicious food and fun to try. I want to go back and try more of their food!
We also went to a restaurant called ‘Shakey’s’. I loved this restaurant! They have a pizza, hot food, and salad bar. So, you can keep eating until you’re full. It’s really delicious!
Have a safe and happy summer holiday! Make sure to stay cool and hydrated!
-D
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Thursday, July 13th, 2023
On the weekend, I went to Starbucks again! But this time, I went to study by myself. I studied some Japanese and I did some writing in English. It was very fun. Lots of people study at Starbucks. I saw some students studying English! That made me happy.
Actually, I saw some foreigners too. I was surprised to see them! I don’t see many foreigners during my daily life, and the ones I do see are my friends! I think more foreigners are moving to Midori! I have seen some more lately. Some live near me, so I see them often. But I don’t know who they are, so I have never talked to them. I don’t know if they speak English!
I think it is very interesting that more people who aren’t Japanese are moving to Japan. I think that Japan is a good and safe country to live in, but it has a lot of barriers for foreign people, so sometimes it is difficult to do things. For example, sometimes foreigners cannot rent or buy houses or cars, and sometimes they can’t go and do things Japanese people can do. Last year, when I went to Ishikawa, my friends and I wanted to visit the famous park, Kenrokuen, in Kanazawa. We were stopped at the entrance and asked where we lived. We told them Gunma, but they didn’t believe us. They asked for our I.D. so that we could enter the garden. It wasn’t very fun to have that happen. Other situations have happened too that make me feel like it can be difficult to live here. The language can be difficult too!
But Japan also has many good parts. I enjoy living here. It’s very different from living in Australia, and often, different is good! It helps us to grow in many ways. I think all people should experience a different culture to their own, even if it’s just for a holiday. What about you? What do you think?
-D
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Monday, July 3rd, 2023
On the weekend, my friends and I went to Starbucks. My friend was studying for the JLPT. She was taking the N3 (the test was on Sunday)! The JLPT is the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. It has 5 levels. The easiest level is N5. The hardest level is N1. I was very proud of her for studying so hard for the test! My Japanese level is between N5 and N4. I’ll keep studying, and hopefully I become better, just like her!
Whilst my friend was studying, I was writing a story. I really like writing, so I write a lot. This story is different to any writing I’ve done before. I was a little bit worried that I couldn’t write it well. But, it turns out that it isn’t so bad! It isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t need to be! I’m excited to show it to my friends when I’m finished!
We had a break for lunch and went to a gyoza restaurant. The food was so delicious, I want to go back again! Then, we went back to Starbucks to keep studying! But we didn’t do much studying (or writing for me!). You see, my friends and I talk a lot. So, when we’re together, we don’t stop talking! It’s not so good for when we have many things to do! But, I think it’s still okay. Because talking with my friends makes me so happy! I hope that I can always talk with my friends, even when we move away from Japan!
-D
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Friday, June 30th, 2023
It’s been so hot! Summer really has started hasn’t it. A couple nights ago, we had that really big storm. Did you hear it? It was so loud and it rained so much! I love summer storms, so I liked it. But, I was inside my house. It was comfortable for me to watch it. I’m glad I wasn’t outside!
Usually in Australia, I swim all the time in summer. We swim in the ocean, in pools – I really miss swimming. So I looked around for pools in the area, there was only one I could find in Kiryu! But their rules made me sad. They said people with tattoos aren’t allowed to swim there. When I was living in Australia, I got tattoos. They are small but they mean a lot to me. I don’t regret getting tattoos. But, I am sad that just because I have tattoos, I cannot swim in my local area. It doesn’t seem very fair. I don’t like this rule!
Tattoos are slowly becoming more popular with Japan’s younger generation. I think there is nothing wrong with tattoos. In my culture, tattoos signify important things to the person getting them. I think that’s good to remember! I think as Japan becomes more diverse, rules should be altered so people of diverse cultures can enjoy many things in Japan!
What about you? What do you think?
-D
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Thursday, June 22nd, 2023
This week, 3 年生 went to Kyoto! They went to various places and it sounded like lots of fun! But many 3 年生 told me that it was very crowded in Kyoto. I went to Kyoto in November last year, just after the borders had reopened to foreign tourism. At that time, Kyoto was busy. I think it must be even busier now!
I think tourism for Kyoto and Japan is great. But, although tourism is good, it can be bad as well. This is called ‘overtourism’. Overtourism is the term to describe situations where tourism is not enjoyable for tourists and the local community. For example, if roads are too busy and landmarks can’t be seen, that is overtourism. If the local community can no longer rent because too many places have become an overnight space of tourists, that is overtourism.
However, have you heard of the phrase, ‘sustainable tourism’? Sustainable tourism is tourism where tourists can still experience a place, but do it in a way that protects landmarks, and brings money to the local economy. Actually, Kyoto has a sustainable tourism system in place! They ask all tourists to be respectful of landmarks, use public transport, stay overnight, be respectful of the local community, and visit famous areas at a less crowded time. I think all of these are things we can easily do. I hope as Japan gets more popular, tourists who go to Kyoto can continue to make sure Kyoto’s culture is preserved for years to come!
(Also, happy birthday to my nephew who turns 7 today!)
-D
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Thursday, June 15th, 2023
On the weekend, the Daitoh (大東) brass band had a performance in Kasakake. I went with my friend Kei. They are the ALT at Daichu (大中). The brass band was so good and very entertaining! I really enjoyed the songs and the fun quizzes! Lots of students came to support as well, which made me really happy. And, some teachers from last year came to watch the performance as well! It was so good to see them again!
I really enjoyed talking to lots of 3年 students after the performance. Sometimes, school can be very busy, so it’s hard to talk to each other. So, this was nice as we could talk to each other for a long time! Lots of students spoke to us in English too, I was so happy to see you all trying hard! I think lots of students worry that they can’t speak in full sentences in English. But, that’s okay! Communication isn’t just about speaking in full sentences, you can say words and put them together to make meaning. I think it’s a good way to learn a language! After all, that’s what I do with Japanese!
For example, one student asked me a question. They said, “favorite Japan basho”. From this, I asked them if they wanted to ask what my favorite place is Japan is, and they did! It’s a good way to communicate while we are still learning a language. Many times, when I want to ask a student a question, I will say something like, “一番好き色…” which isn’t a full sentence, but you can understand what I am trying to ask! Remember that speaking English isn’t about speaking perfect English, it’s about being about to communicate simply in English! As you learn more words and grammar, it will start to get easier! You got this, don’t give up!
-D
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Friday, June 9th, 2023
Do you know what this month is? It’s Pride Month! This means that the LGBT+ community is celebrated and remembered with many events throughout the month! This month’s English board gives lots of information on Pride Month!
Pride Month started because of a big rebellion that happened in the USA in 1969. During this time, people of all races and genders fought for more equal rights for people in the LGBT+ community. It changed history. But, we are still fighting for equality in the LGBT+ community and will keep fighting until there are equal rights everywhere.
For me, I think anyone can love anyone. I think that love is love. But, many people don’t think this way and this is a big problem. This causes people to put laws in place to stop people from being who they are. This also means that people who are part of the LGBT+ community are targeted, and discriminated against. This is never okay. These are called hate crimes.
Pride Month is also the time where memorials are held for the people in the LGBT+ community who have died due to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. It is very sad to know that some people aren’t safe to be who they are. That’s why we need to change this. We need to stand up for equal rights for everyone. We need to be kind to everyone too. Everyone deserves to love who they want to. I hope soon we can have equal rights for everyone!
-D
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Thursday, June 1st, 2023
I talk to my sister often. She calls me a lot in the morning, before school. There is a 1 hour time difference between Australia and Japan, so she calls me when she has finished dropping her children to school. We talk about lots of things. She is my older sister. She’s very good to talk to.
Actually, she helps me a lot with many things. Sometimes I feel sad, or overwhelmed, or even angry. Sometimes I need to talk to her so she can help me to feel better. She always helps me feel better. She gives good advice and she listens well too. I am very glad to have a sister like her.
But, we never liked each other when we were younger! I am 6 years younger than her, so when she was 15, I was 9. She really annoyed me when I was little, and I really annoyed her. She moved out of our home when she was 17, so for many years I didn’t see her. But as we got older, we started to talk more and do more things together. I moved out of home too when I was 17, and moved to her city. From then, we talked more, saw each other more, and grew closer together. Now, we are very close, and even though I live in a different country to her, we still talk almost every day!
I know many students have brothers or sisters. Some of your siblings (兄弟) might also be at school, or maybe they are in elementary school, or high school, or even university! Maybe right now you wish that you could talk with them more, or maybe you don’t really like them. That’s okay! As you get older, you might get closer to them. Or, you might not. Even if you don’t have siblings, hopefully you can have a good relationship with your family. Sometimes that’s hard too though. But, I hope that you all find good people in your life. Remember, friends can be family too!
-D
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Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023
Mid semester tests are finally finished! They were on Friday last week, I hope they went well. I talked to some 3年生 students and they told me that the English test was hard! I think it was a little difficult too. But, keep studying hard and it will get easier!
On the weekend, I went on a day trip with my friends. We went up to Minakami and Niigata! We saw Doai station. Do you know what that is? It’s the deepest station in Japan! And… it’s located in Minakami, Gunma! It’s still used to this day, but only about 5 trains go through per day. Actually, we were lucky enough to be down the bottom as the train came! It was very fun to watch. Lots of other people were down there, taking pictures with us. Walking down was fun, but walking up…was very hard! And it got more humid as we reached the top, so we sweated a lot!
Then, we went to Kiyotsu Gorge. It’s located in Niigata. Before we went there, we went to a famous temple in Niigata, it had so many beautiful big cedar trees (at least, I think that’s what they’re called!). It was so pretty. The weather was cloudy too, so it felt even more magical.
May is the time when rice farmers start planting their rice. And I’m sure as you know, Niigata is famous for its rice! We saw many farmers planting their rice and tending to their rice paddies. Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen so many rice paddies in my whole life! It was so beautiful, I really want to go again! There were even rice paddies on the side of the mountains. I loved to see it, it felt like what I thought all of Japan looked like before I came for the first time! What about you? Do you like seeing rice paddies?
-D
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Friday, May 19th, 2023
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how I use social media. My friend recently told me a story about bullying on social media. It made me really sad.
Many people around the world have social media (SNS) accounts. In fact, almost 5 billion people use social media of some kind. This is a lot of people. Social media has many good points. Especially for me, I use social media daily to talk with my family and friends. I am very grateful I can call and video call them at anytime and see them. I miss my family a lot!
But, social media can also be harmful to people. Many people get bullied on social media, spread fake news, pretend to be people they are not, and many other bad things. It can be hard for us to protect ourselves.
Even for me, I have used social media for a long time, but I still sometimes feel like it isn’t good. Here are some things I do to protect my mental health when using social media:
- My phone has set timers for how long I can spend on my social media accounts. Once I have used my time up for the day, I cannot use it until the next day.
- I make sure I do not upload personal information online. Even making sure pictures do not have signs that can be easily read to find your location.
- Not adding people I don’t know in real life.
How do you stay safe on social media? Do you think social media is good or bad? Let me know what you think!
-D
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Tuesday, May 9th, 2023
Last week was Golden Week! We had 5 days off together! It was really nice. Did you do anything fun?
I went to Hiroshima, Ehime, and Kagawa! Actually, I rode a bicycle 100 kms from Hiroshima to Ehime. It took us a long time and it was hard! But, we did it and that made me really happy! It’s a famous cycling route, called the Shimanami Kaido. Have you heard of it before? It’s very beautiful and the ocean looks so beautiful! It was nice to be near the ocean again.
Actually, in Hiroshima, we also went to Miyajima. We saw the famous torii in the water! It looked really beautiful. They have just finished construction on it! I was happy to see it! But, because it was Golden Week, it was so busy! There were lots of people around. And also lots of shika. I don’t really like shika, or deer in English, they really scare me! I’m not sure why, they just do!
I hope you had a great Golden Week! I hope you got to do some fun things, even if you didn’t go too far!
-D
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Friday, April 28th, 2023
Next week is Golden Week! Are you excited? Will you be going anywhere fun? I think many people will be staying home…this week so many students are home sick! Actually, I got sick too. I slept all of last weekend to try and get better. It didn’t work! I still feel sick and it’s been a week now! Oh well, I hope everyone gets better soon!
Actually, whenever we get sick in Australia, it’s normal for our parents or our loved ones to make some chicken soup so that we feel better. I didn’t make chicken soup for myself, so maybe that’s why I’m still sick! Sometimes I wish my family was here so that they could make me food when I feel sick…
It’s hard to do anything when you’re sick, but it’s important to still eat something nutritious and drink lots of water! Things like Dakara and Pocari Sweat are good too, they help to give your body vitamins! Take care if you’re sick, and rest well. Take care also if you aren’t sick, being tired or stressed can make you get sick easier!
Take care all, and have a lovely Golden Week break!
-D
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Monday, April 17th, 2023
Have you heard about what’s happening in Afghanistan currently? The Taliban is in control. The Taliban has been in control since 2021. The USA had soldiers in Afghanistan for almost 20 years, following a terrorist attack that’s called ‘9/11’. On the 11th of September, 2001, a terrorist attack on the USA was launched by a terrorist organisation that was based in Afghanistan. This terrorist attack killed many people, and started a 20-year war. After ‘9/11’, American soldiers were sent to Afghanistan to fight more terrorist attacks from happening. Many things happened during this time, but the USA and Afghanistan came to an agreement in 2021 so that USA soldiers could go back to America.
Since then, it has gotten really bad for people living in Afghanistan. There are many rules that harm innocent people. Women especially, can no longer go outside without a man with them. They have been told they cannot go to university or high school, and have lost their jobs. Women have to follow a strict dress code, and are being arrested if they aren’t covering their full bodies. There have been bombings, attacks, and killings happening to the public, for no reason. It’s scary, and like nothing I can even imagine. It’s a good reminder of the privilege we have to live here. In a country that isn’t at war. Where we can come to school and not fear for our lives.
I think we need to know what is happening in other countries, so we can learn more about others, and help them, if we can. It’s easy for us to think that it isn’t important because it doesn’t affect us. But, it does affect us. Powerful people can make decisions that can hurt many others. We must do what we can to stop what is happening in Afghanistan before something worse happens. Let’s help in any way we can.
-D
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Monday, April 10th, 2023
Welcome back (or welcome for the first time) to the first week of Semester 1! It’s nice to see everyone again! 1年生, welcome to Daitouchu! We are very excited to have you! I am very excited to play games and help all of you talk in English 😊
I was thinking about some things that I could do to make English learning really fun! I’m excited to try some new things out ~~
On the weekend, I went to see my sister and her family. They only have 3 days left in Japan before they go back to Australia. They are staying in Karuizawa. It was my first time to visit Karuizawa. But, it was so cold! I was so confused…I left Midori and it was around 20 degrees, but it was 10 degrees there! We went to visit Onioshidashi Park, and saw Mt Asama! Onioshidashi Park is a volcanic park with lots of cool rocks made by an eruption from Mt Asama in 1783. It was -3 degrees there…FREEZING! I did not bring enough warm clothes. I thought, oh it’s spring, it will be nice weather! I was wrong! Mt Asama was steaming from the top too! That was very cool to see.
I’m excited to see you all in classes again soon!
-D
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Monday, April 3rd, 2023
Well here we are! I’m back from Korea and back at school seeing your lovely faces! I hope you get to have some time to relax after bukatsu! We have only 4 days left of spring vacation!
So, let me tell you about Korea… it was amazing and so much fun! We did so many things, we went to Lotte World (they had the best roller coasters!), we went to Han River and rode a bike, we went to the DMZ and saw North Korea (!!!), and of course did lots of shopping in Hongdae, Itaewon, and Myeong-dong! But do you know what the best part was…? The food (and listening to kpop that played everywhere!)!
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much food. We had mandu, hotteok, tteokbokki, huraideu (fried chicken), ramyeon, kimchi, kbbq, bingsu, bibimbap, bibim-guksu, and more! It was so delicious! I want to eat it all again!
I think my favourite part of my trip was learning more about Korean history at the DMZ. I learnt a lot about World War 2 and the Korean War, that I didn’t know before. It was fascinating! We also learnt a lot about conscription (mandatory military service) and why that happens! I think it was really good to learn more about.
I’m adding a lot of pictures of all the food I ate, and of course the beautiful sakura that was blooming everywhere in Seoul! Let me know what you did during spring break when you see me around school!
-D
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Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023
Last weekend, I moved into my new house! It has been so much fun to unpack! Although, it takes lots of time and I got tired very quickly. But so many people helped me, I’m so happy to receive their help!
We have less than a week left before spring break! That means 1 年 will become 2 年, 2 年 to 3年, and new little 1年生! I remember last year’s spring break…it was so weird for me to see 1 年生 and 2年生 change grades so quickly! In Australia, we finish school at the end of the year, usually in November or December. We start the new year in late January, in our new grade level. Last year, seeing the students change grades after 2 weeks was so interesting!
This also means that we’ll lose some of our teachers, and get new ones. I think this will be sad for a lot of us, but we will make connections again with the new teachers! We can’t change what will happen, so we just need to embrace it!
For the spring break, what will you do? I have many fun things planned for the spring break. First of all, I will go to Korea! I’m very excited, it’s my first time to go there. When I get back from Korea, I will see my sister and her family in Japan! They are coming to visit for 2 weeks. I’m so excited to see them! My sister and her husband have 3 children, 2 boys and 1 girl. The 2 boys are 6 and 4, and the girl is 1! It will be so good to see them again, I miss them so much!
I hope you have fun things planned for spring break. If you see me around, let me know what your plans are!
-D
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Friday, March 17th, 2023
And just like that, 3年生 are finished! This year felt like it went by very fast. I’ll miss 3年生 but I hope you all have the best time in high school – keep doing your best!
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about kindness. I have received lots of kindness recently and it’s made me glad that people are kind to others. It also made me think, am I kind to others? How can I help others? How can I show kindness to others?
In English, there are many sayings that we can use to refer to kindness. The one I have been thinking about recently is a saying about being kind to others regardless of whether or not you have received kindness yourself. The saying is ‘paying it forward’. It means that you do something kind for others without expecting anything in return. Then, the person you were kind to can be kind to someone else, and this continues.
So, how can we be kind to others? There are many simple ways to do it. It doesn’t need to be big. It could be just listening to a friend when they want to talk about a problem that’s been happening, or buying someone some food if they can’t afford it. It could even be giving someone a compliment or holding a door open for someone. We can be kind in our everyday life easily. I think it’s good to be kind, because it makes others and ourselves feel good.
Being kind makes a difference. It doesn’t take us much to be kind to others, so we should do our best to continue to show kindness – every day!
How do you show kindness?
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Friday, March 10th, 2023
Last weekend, I went to Starbucks with some friends. We were planning for a trip we are taking together! Can you guess where we might be going? We’ll go in the spring holidays!
On Sunday however, I did some chores around the house. I had to pack lots of things up in my house because I’ll be moving house soon! I also did some Japanese study, although I still have a lot of homework to do! I also kept watching a show that I really like on Netflix, it’s called ‘Physical 100’ in English. It’s about 100 really strong and fit people from Korea who come together to compete in challenges to see who is the ‘strongest’ person. It’s very interesting to watch. It is really incredible to see what the human body can do. I’m very interested to see who will win!
We only have a day left with 3年! It feels sad because I’ve known all of 3 年for a year now, and I have taught them for a full year too! It’s been really fun to play all the games we’ve played together, and I really hope they had fun! I really hope they enjoy high school, and grow into lovely adults! Although, I’m very sure they will!
For 3 年: I’m sure the past three years in junior high school has been difficult. Probably more than I can know! But, I hope it has been more fun than difficult! I think high school will also be difficult. But remember, that even though it feels difficult, you can do it. Sometimes you might need a break, or to just talk to someone if you feel overwhelmed! And remember to have fun! Life is so much more than tests and studying! 来年も頑張ってください！！！
-D
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Tuesday, February 28th, 2023
This weekend, I went to my first concert since 2018! It was Stray Kids. Do you know Stray Kids? They’re a kpop band. They have some really catchy songs. It was so much fun to see them live! They sang many of my favourite songs, and also some songs I didn’t know! They’re from South Korea but they spoke entirely in Japanese! I actually could understand what they were saying…well, most of the time! Two members of the group are from Australia, and at one point, they spoke in English. I think the Australian accent is a very distinct accent, and I don’t hear it often in Japan. So, it was actually really nice to hear an Australian accent again!
I hope I can go to more of their concerts, and also concerts of other singers I like. My friend and I really want to go to a Fujii Kaze concert, so I hope we can do that soon!
What about you? Which concerts do you want to go to?
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Friday, February 24th, 2023
Last weekend, my friends and I went to Yamanashi! I’ve been there about 6 times now. I love it! I really love seeing Mt Fuji! Two of my friends had never seen Mt Fuji with a snow cap before. So it was very exciting for them! But, as soon as we arrived, the clouds wouldn’t go away! So we could only see half of Mt Fuji.
We ate some Mexican food for lunch. I had carnitas, which are made with pulled pork. They were sooo delicious! My friend got Chorizo tacos, but the chef warned us that the chorizo was hot (spicy hot!). I had some of it and it was very spicy! But also so delicious! I want to go back to that restaurant!
Then, we went to some shrines around Mt Fuji. We collected some goushuin too! There were 2 shrines close together that we wanted to go to, but we couldn’t find where to park the car! We found some parking and then walked to the entrance. But, we got lost! We ended up walking through a little forest. There was so much snow and ice! It was so slippery. Thankfully none of us fell!
Then we drove back home. On the way home, my friends and I talked about lots of things. I learnt many new things about my friends. That was surprising! I’m glad to have friends like them here in Japan! They make me very happy!
This weekend, something very exciting is happening. I’ll tell you about it next week!
-D
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Thursday, February 16th, 2023
Did you know…?
Lately, I’ve been reading up on lots of facts about Japan. I find them very interesting. So let me share some with you! Did you know that Mt Asama is the most active volcano on Honshu? I did not! That is crazy to think that we’re so close! Its last eruption was in 2019! I am a little bit scared of volcanos. But I think living in Japan, we can’t be too scared of things we can’t control!
But there’s more facts I want to share! Japan has many mountains, of course. But Japan also has some really dangerous mountains. There is a mountain called Mount Tanigawa located in Minakami. That’s in Gunma! People consider it to be the most dangerous mountain in Japan! It has claimed the lives of many people. It has a lot to do with the weather systems too. Often, extreme weather happens around there, making it even more dangerous to climb. I think anyone who is climbing should make sure they are very careful!
Two weekends ago I went hiking in Midori. It was a small mountain, and quite an easy path to walk. I went with some friends. But, I got very scared because sometimes the pathway narrowed and there was a big drop on one side. I was the most scared, but my friends encouraged me! I also thought we got to the top before we actually did! There was a viewing platform that looked out onto Mt Akagi. It was really beautiful. We stopped talking for a minute and just listened to the sound of the nature. It felt very peaceful. But then, my friend said we should go to the top! Huh? The top? Weren’t we already there?
Turns out it was another 5 minute walk to the top! That wasn’t so bad. Then we took a picture. It was very enjoyable. But my friends are so funny. They are from America so they know a lot about bears. They were scared of seeing a bear! So they told me to make lots of noise. They often yelled ‘BEAR NOISE’ which made me laugh so hard! I don’t think kuma can understand English!
-D
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Monday, February 6th, 2023
My friend taught me a new phrase in Japanese. I’m sure you’ve heard of it before! It’s ‘senri no michi mo ippo kara’ (千里の道も一歩から). It translates into English to mean ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. It’s very similar to other phrases like ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, which I wrote about a couple of months ago!
This made me think, I don’t know about Japanese proverbs! Proverbs are what these sayings are called in English! So, I went and read about more Japanese proverbs. But one really caught my attention.
‘Fall down 7 times, get up 8.’ (七転び八起き). When I was younger, my mum would read lots of books. I would read many books beside her. I liked reading together with her. She always used this one bookmark. On the bookmark, it said, ‘Fall down 7 times, get up 8.’ I remember trying hard to see how you could get up 8 times if you only fell down 7 times. I just didn’t understand.
I think this phrase or proverb is hard to understand for a child. Sometimes, things happen to us that makes us want to quit. For example, for me kanji is really hard. Knowing the different readings is hard, and knowing how to write them is even harder. Sometimes, I just want to quit. I think to myself, ‘It’s okay, you’ll never understand all of the kanji in the world so why not just give up now.’ But, I live in Japan. I see kanji every day. When I understand the meaning of a kanji, I can start to understand the whole sentence. It’s a great feeling. It makes me realise that quitting is to give up. You don’t get anything from giving up. Learning a language is hard. But not impossible.
So this is my advice to you. English is hard. It’s a hard language, but it’s a beautiful and useful language. When we don’t put in effort, we don’t learn anything. Learning a language takes a long time. When you feel like quitting, that’s okay. Your brain probably just needs a study break. So go and watch TV, or listen to music, take a bath, or go to sleep. The next day, try again. Little bits add up. If you don’t study for 2 weeks, or even a whole month, that’s okay too. As long as you come back and keep trying. Don’t give up just because it’s hard. Because nothing that is worth it is ever easy.
-D
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Thursday, February 2nd, 2023
In Japan, I have many American friends. Many of the ALTs in Gunma are American. In Australia, I didn’t have many American friends. So when I came here, I was so surprised. I have learnt many things from my friends here. Actually, many of my American friends here have never had Australian friends. So, I’m happy to be their Australian friend!
I think it’s easy to think that America and Australia are very similar. I also think this. We speak the same language, and our cultures are very similar. But, I realised something. We hear many things about America in the news. From this information, I started to think I knew a lot about America. But, I actually don’t know what it’s like to be American. Does that make sense? Let me try to explain…
America is a great country, but it has many problems, just like Australia does. I remember reading and watching the news about bad things happening, wondering why they were occurring. I thought that Americans must not really care. I thought this until I talked to my friends about it. Actually, our conversation made me sad. My friends are really sad about the bad things that happen in America. They also feel angry and upset that it keeps happening. They want to change it, but it isn’t an easy thing to fix. For example, changing gun policies may sound simple, but it is very difficult. There are many other reasons too.
I feel like my friends taught me something. They taught me to ask questions. I don’t know what it’s like to be American, or even Japanese. They showed me that if I don’t understand, I should ask questions and listen to how they feel. I think we can all learn something from one another, if we listen and are respectful. Education is power.
-D
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Thursday, January 26th, 2023
Today is a public holiday in Australia. It’s known as ‘Australia Day’. But for many people, this day is a sad day. On the 26th January, 1788, British ships arrived in Australia. This was the day Australia was officially ‘founded’. On this day and for many years later, many of our First Nation Australians (also known as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders or Indigenous Australians) were killed or treated badly. So, this day for many Australians is a reminder of the pain that their ancestors went through.
For this reason, I think we should change the date of Australia Day. I love being an Australian, but I cannot celebrate being Australian on this day. We will keep asking the government to change the date, so we can celebrate Australia on a day when many innocent people weren’t killed. I hope the change comes soon.
-D
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Wednesday, January 18th, 2023
Hey hey!
It’s that time again, testing time! Good luck to everyone taking tests! You can do it! And good luck to our 3年 who are finding out about high schools this week! I hope you all get the school you want, but it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t! There are always other options! Remember to be kind to yourself!
The other weekend, my friend and I went to a small music festival in Midori. Actually, my friend is Kei, the Omama Junior High School ALT! Kei’s students were performing for us, so it was really fun to watch. They did so well! It was the brass band, and I could tell that they practiced hard!
There was also a performance of taiko drumming from a high school in Kiryu! This was SO amazing to watch! It was my first time hearing taiko drumming live, and I loved it! In fact, now I want to listen again! Kei told me that usually there is lots of taiko drumming at the festivals, like the Kiryu festival. I hope this year we can listen to them at the festivals!
How about you? What’s your favourite live music to watch and listen to?
-D
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Wednesday, January 11th, 2023
Hey everyone!
School has started again! It’s nice to see your faces again, I missed you! I hope your winter vacation was good, I really enjoyed mine!
For Christmas, I ended up not doing much at all! It might sound sad, but I was really tired so it was nice to just relax. Although, I made scalloped potatoes for lunch, they were so delicious! Scalloped potatoes are just potatoes covered in cream and cheese, and baked in the oven! It’s really delicious. My friend texted me on Christmas Day, wishing me a Merry Christmas. It was her first Christmas here in Japan! She moved here in July. So I asked her if she had any plans, and she said no! So I went and picked her up, and we watched some movies together in the afternoon. Actually, she’s really good at Japanese so we ended up doing lots of Japanese study too! I can’t say I’ve ever studied Japanese on Christmas before!
Then, my friends and I went travelling! Can you guess where we went…?
We went to Osaka! It was my first time ever going there. I had so much fun! I really want to go back! I really like Osaka, the people were very friendly. We got to visit my friend’s host family. We had a takoyaki party together. It was so much fun! It was the most delicious takoyaki I have ever tasted! I am so happy we got to eat such delicious food.
Then, I called my family wish them a Happy New Year! I called them on the 31st of December, at 10pm! There is a 2 hour time difference between Australia and Japan so it was 12am Australian time when I called! It was lovely to see all my family together celebrating, I really miss them! I hope next year I can be with them over the New Year break!
On January 1st, we went to a shrine to pray for the new year. It was a very special shrine we went to, as at this shrine, we prayed to the Nachi no Taki. It felt very magical.
We did lots of walking on this trip! Up lots of stairs to see shrines and temples, and around famous sites when we were exploring. We were so tired after it! But, it was incredible! I will never get tired of seeing Japan. I love it so much here.
How about you? Did you do anything fun over the break?
-D
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Wednesday, December 21st, 2022
We made it! The final week of Semester 2 has come. It’s been busy though! Still many things to do! Christmas is on Sunday (YAY!) and then the New Year is soon after. As much as I love Christmas, the New Year is my favourite time of year! What about you? I know shougatsu is very popular in Japan!
In countries like Australia, America, the UK, Canada, and more, we have a tradition called ‘New Year’s Resolutions’. Have you heard of that before? It’s where we write down things we want to do in the new year. Many people write things like ‘get healthy’ or ‘travel more’. I find it interesting. But did you know only 46% of people who write New Year’s resolutions achieve their goals? That makes me sad.
I don’t write down New Year’s resolutions. Instead I think about what I want my life to look like in the new year. From there I write down ways I can achieve this. For example, this year I wanted to see more of Japan. So, I made a bucket list of places I wanted to go. Actually, many of those places I have now been to! Writing it down helps me remember what I want to achieve. For 2023, I don’t know yet what I want my life to look like. So I’ll keep thinking!
What about you? Do you like the idea of New Year’s Resolutions?
-D
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Wednesday, December 14th, 2022
Welcome back!
Wow, this year went FAST. I was talking to my sister today and her children just finished school last week! In Australia, we start the new school year in January, and finish in December. So now, they have a long summer break! I miss them! I want to go and see them!
Lately, I’ve been reading lots of books. I felt that my English was getting worse because I wasn’t reading enough! Reading is a great way to learn a language. I should read more Japanese books…
Currently, I’m reading Harry Potter. I love those books! I have read them many times before. But, I haven’t read them in a while. So I have started to read them again and I just finished book 2, ‘The Chamber of Secrets’. I think book 3 (‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’) and book 6 (‘The Half-Blood Prince’) are my favourite books. I’m so excited to read them! I think for Christmas, I will watch the movies. They are perfect Christmas movies!
How about you? Have you read Harry Potter? Have you watched the movies?
-D
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Tuesday, December 6th, 2022
Hello everyone!
I talked to some of the 2年 students after lunch last week. I asked them what they will do for the winter break. I was surprised, because none of them were going snowboarding! I think that snow activities are very popular in Japan, but maybe for people who really enjoy sports. I think many students will go bowling, that seems very fun!
Then they asked me what I will do…but I don’t know yet! I will stay in Japan for this Christmas and New Year as I went back to Australia during the summer break. I think maybe I will do something fun with my friends! But, I don’t know if that will be snowboarding. Last time I didn’t do well at snowboarding. In fact, I spent most of my time in the snow, not on it! Oh well, I can only get better…right?
-D
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Monday, November 28th, 2022
Oh, hello again!
It’s exam time, how has it been? I remember exams like it was yesterday, it was always stressful! But remember to stay healthy! Health comes first, always!
Last post I said, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. But do you know what this means? It’s a very popular saying in English. It means that anything great or worth having doesn’t come in just one day. We must have patience. Anything we want, we need to work for and keep working towards it. We may not be successful straight away, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be. It is important for us to always try our hardest and not give up, just because things get hard. Life will be hard at times, but it is worth working towards something, whatever that may be!
Good luck for the rest of your tests, and remember that it’s okay if you don’t get the result you want! Remember that studying hard is important, but it isn’t the most important thing in life! Keep trying hard and remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day!
-Danielle
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Monday, November 21st 2022
Welcome back to the ALT room!
As I said last week, my parents came to school! Did you see them? Thank you for being so welcoming to them, they had a great time! It was their first time in a Japanese school. It could have felt a little overwhelming but you all were so friendly to them! There were so many things that they found interesting; like indoor shoes, bowing, how to greet people for the first time, and many more things! They really had fun, so thank you for speaking English with them! They remind me of how much I didn’t know when I first moved to Japan, but how much I have learnt (and am still learning) each day, being here for 1 year already!
This made me think about the power of ‘reflection’. Do you know what that means? It means that looking back on a period of time, like a year or even a month, can help us see how far we have come. It can be very helpful for us to see how much we have learnt and grown, and also how much we still need to learn. But remember, even small steps are important! After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
-Danielle
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Thursday, November 17th, 2022
Hey hey everybody!
It’s November now!! The leaves are starting to fall and it’s getting cold! I love Autumn so much in Japan. It is so beautiful! Now that Japan’s borders are open, my friends and family are starting to visit Japan! Next week, my parents will visit the school and have class with 3年. I hope it is fun!
But, I wonder, how do Japanese people feel about Japan being open to foreigners again? Sometimes I get frustrated with other foreigners who don’t follow simple rules like wearing a mask inside. But I am a foreigner also, so I can understand how different the rules are in Japan to what foreigners are used to. I think that all cultures should try to be as understanding of other cultures as possible! This sometimes can be difficult, but it is a very good thing to do.
I was thinking about the things that surprised me when I first came to Japan. So I’ll list some below!
- How clean the public toilets are! I wish all public toilets were as clean as Japan’s!
- How quiet public transport is! People don’t talk and it’s so quiet. In Australia, many people will talk loudly, with their friends…on their phones…
- How narrow some roads are! In Australia we have really wide roads everywhere. This scared me at first!
- How many people walk alone at night. In Australia it is very unsafe to walk alone at night. So I was surprised to see many people doing it here!
- How many students are around late at night! In Australia, you would rarely see students out alone without parents. Seeing students leave 塾 (juku) and walk home was so interesting for me!
I wonder, if you have been to another country, what are some things that surprised you? When you see foreigners in Japan, do they do things that surprise you?
That’s all for now!
-Danielle
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Wednesday, October 26th, 2022
Welcome back to the ALT corner 🙂
I hope you’re all going well and staying healthy, both physically and mentally! October is known as Mental Health Month in Australia. So, what is Mental Health Month?
Mental Health Month helps us to think about our mental health. Mental health is so important. It affects our whole body and the people around us. Sometimes when we are struggling, it feels hard and embarrassing to reach out for help. But, it never is! Talking to a trusted adult or friend about your concerns may help you. Professional help is also available.
If you are struggling with your mental health, you do not have to struggle alone. There is always hope.
For anyone struggling, the following link has information on counselling in Japan, if you need it. I do not know 日本語 well enough to be able to find information in Japanese, so I am sorry for that!
I will leave you with one quote that I really love:
“Your mental health is everything – prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.” — Mel Robbins
-Danielle
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Tuesday, October 18th, 2022
Hi, it’s me again!
I’ve been thinking a lot about working. I went to McDonalds the other day and a very young-looking man served me! I am not used to seeing this in Japan!
But, did you know that in Australia, we start working at paid jobs from 14? When I was 13, I got my first job. I was still too young to have a job, but I did it anyway. Since then, I have always worked. Students in Australia usually always have a job. We work after school and on the weekends. We don’t have club activities so we work at our jobs instead of going to club activities. In high school, we also have to work after school and on the weekends. When I went to university, the university was a long way from my parents’ house, so I moved out and had to work three jobs so that I could pay rent and study! It is very interesting to think about the differences between cultures, isn’t it?
What would you rather: club activities or have a job?
-Danielle
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Thursday, October 13th, 2022
Hello everyone!
It’s been a busy new term hasn’t it! I can’t believe October is going so fast! It’s slowly getting colder, which I like, but only because summer was so hot! I have been on a few trips lately, to Shizuoka and Ishikawa. It has been incredible to see more of Japan! When I was in Kanazawa, I got the famous gold ice cream! I took so many photos! The ice cream was so delicious, but gold doesn’t taste like anything!
October 11 was an important day. Do you know what it was? It was National Coming Out Day. This means that people from the LGBTQIA+ community can celebrate being who they truly are with friends and family. It can be very hard to be different. So, it’s important that we are kind to others and to ourselves. This day does not mean people have to tell others about how they truly feel inside. It can take time to feel comfortable. Please remember to treat people kindly! We never know what others are going through.
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Friday, October 7th, 2022
Hi everyone!
I really like October. The weather is nice and cool, you can start to see some of the leaves turning colours, and…it’s my birthday month!
My friend got me a lovely present for my birthday. She got me a diary, but on each day of the year, she wrote a question for me to answer. That must’ve taken so much time! Last night, I answered a great question. It was, ‘if you could write a letter to your younger self, what would you say?’ I really liked this question because it wasn’t easy to answer. It made me think a lot. I think life never works out the way we think it will, does it? I don’t know if my younger self would have ever thought I could have moved to Japan! I think sometimes we focus so much on the future that it can be hard to think about the past and how much we have grown. So, for anyone who’s reading this, let me ask you the same question…
If you could write a letter to your younger self, what would you say?
-Danielle
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Monday, July 4th, 2022
G`day all!
Not long until the summer holidays! I hope you’ve been planning some fun things to do! Did you know that the summer holidays in Australia are in December and January? They last about 8 weeks! We often go to the beach, and of course, celebrate Christmas and the New Year! This year, I hope I can go to some summer festivals in August! I heard that the Omama festival and Kiryu festival will happen this year. I want to go to both!
What are your favorite festivals? Please let me know when you see me around school!
-Danielle
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Friday, June 24th, 2022
Hi everyone!
It’s been a while since I have updated here, so I wanted to give a quick one now! How have you all been? I have been good, although it’s so hot now! I really don’t like humidity, but it’s very humid in Japan! I felt that the change in temperature was quite sudden! Last weekend, my friends and I went to Oze National Park. It was so beautiful, and the weather was lovely! There was still snow on top of the mountains which was amazing to see. We hiked for about 4 hours, but we only made it to the marshland section. Oze National Park is so big! We saw many beautiful flowers and there were many bugs! This weekend, I’m going on another hike in Ota. The nature in Japan is so wonderful! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Good luck for your exams next week!
Talk soon,
D 😊
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Thursday, May 19th, 2022
Hello again everyone!
It’s midterm exam day today, good luck! I hope you all do well. We don’t have midterm exams in Australia in high school (we have no Junior High School in Australia!), but we often have end of term exams. I remember it was stressful taking exams! During university, I realised I just needed to have fun during the exams, so instead of worrying about how many questions I couldn`t answer, I would see how many I could! This helped me a lot!
Last weekend, I went to Round 1 in Maebashi. It was so fun! My favourite games to play were badminton and bubble soccer. My friends and I couldn`t stop laughing because we kept missing the ball. It was a great way to relieve stress! Maybe after the exams you can go and do something fun!
Once again, がんばってください❕
-Danielle
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Thursday, May 12th, 2022
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Golden Week! I went to Nikko and saw the Toshogu Shrine, which was incredible to see. The stories behind it is very interesting too, I learnt many things about the history and culture of Japan there. My favourite part was seeing the sleeping cat and the sparrows, which I heard symbolise hope for a peaceful life. When the ‘Sleeping Cat’ is seen from the side, it seems like it may be ready to catch its prey. This is said to be a reminder to never be careless, as war may begin at any time. I also went to visit Kegon Falls. It was beautiful! But I am scared of heights, so it was a bit scary being up so high. If you see me around school, let me know where you went for Golden Week!
-Danielle
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Monday, April 11th, 2022
Hey again everyone! How was your weekend? I hope you had fun! I had a good weekend, but a very busy one. I went on two hikes! One was at Agatsuma Gorge, and the other was in Kiryu near the Raiden Shrine! Both were very fun, but the hike in Kiryu was quite hard! We got a beautiful view of Kiryu from the top, so it was worth it! We saw many cherry blossom trees and they were starting to lose their petals. It looked like snow! I hope to keep hiking as the weather gets warmer, I really want to hike Mt Fuji!
Until next week, have fun and enjoy the last of the sakura!
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Thursday, April 7th, 2022
Hello everyone! Welcome back to Daitochu, and for our new 一年生, welcome to Daitochu! It is the start of the new year and I am excited to introduce myself (finally!). I am the new ALT from Australia. My name is Danielle (ダニエル) but please call me D! I have been here for five months now and I am excited to keep working with you all this year. If you see me around school, please say hello! I am always happy to help with any English questions you have!
I will update this regularly, so please keep checking back for updates!
-D
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July 15th 2021
This is my last week of classes with everyone. I had fun making the lessons and I hope you all enjoyed it! I’m happy that I could teach everyone English. Even when I’m back in Australia, I will remember all the memories I made here! Also, thank you all for the wonderful letters, I was so surprised! 💖
I will miss you Daitochu! Goodbye!
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June 29th 2021
Hello everyone, how have you been?
This week I didn’t do anything special. But I went to the temple to see hydrangeas (紫陽花)! There were so many different colors and types of hydrangeas. They were in full bloom. My favorite ones were the purple hydrangeas. They also look amazing in the water. I heard that when hydrangeas bloom, it means that the rainy season 🌧️ is starting. I’m not excited for the rainy season but I’m glad that I can see hydrangeas everywhere. You can’t see a lot of kinds of hydrangea in Australia so I’m going to see it as much as I can in Japan!
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June 15th 2021
It’s almost festival season! I remember when I first came to Midori, I went to the Omama Gion Festival. There was delicious foods, parades and fireworks. I had so much fun!! ☺
Did you know we have a Japanese Summer festival in Melbourne too? Actually, we have a lot of festivals. We celebrate the cultures of people from different countries. For example, Chinese New Year festivals, Greek food festivals, Italian food festivals and so on. For the Japanese festival, you can see some traditional Japanese performances such as Taiko drumming, Rakugo and Bon Odori dancing. You can buy yukata and play festival games. Of course, there are a lot of delicious foods too. Japanese summer festivals are very popular overseas.
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June 8th 2021
Do you like art museums? I love them!! ❤
I went to Okawa Art Museum in Kiryu recently. I was surprised to see many paintings by famous people. They had works by European artists such as Picasso and Ernst. But they also had many artworks by Japanese artists such as Shunsuke Matsumoto and Hideo Noda. My favorite exhibit at the museum was Fujishima Takeji’s one hundred sketches. His art style was very diverse. He travelled to different countries and learnt new drawing skills. I was inspired by his oil paintings. After I went to the art museum, I went home and drew a lot. I want to learn more about art. I can’t wait to see more art museums in Gunma!
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May 26th 2021
Hello! It’s been a while.
Lately, it’s been raining everyday in the afternoon. Is it tsuyu already? I guess this means that it’s almost summer. What do you usually do during summer?
When I was in Junior high school, I often made projects to do during summer. For example, I learnt how to knit a scarf or I learnt how to play the piano. In Australia, we have two months of summer holidays. That’s a lot of free time! So it’s always a good idea to learn something new 😊 My favorite thing about summer is having BBQs. I can eat a lot of delicious food and talk to my family or friends. During summer, we also go on family trips in Australia. One time, we even drove from Melbourne to Brisbane! It was so much fun.
Even though we have coronavirus in Japan, you can still do fun things in summer. Be creative. If you can’t have a party, you can do it online. If you can’t travel, you can learn a new skill at home. What will you do this summer?
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May 6th 2021
How was your Golden Week holiday?
It went by so quickly for me. I wish it were longer…
There was coronavirus so I couldn’t go anywhere. But I had a gyoza party with my friend. We bought the ingredients together and I taught my friend how to make Chinese gyoza. We call Chinese gyoza “dumplings” in English.We made pork, shrimp and chive dumplings.
While we were making the dumplings, I realized we fold dumplings differently. In Japan, gyoza is cooked in a pan. So, it is flat on one side. This makes it easier to fry on the pan. In China and Hongkong, we often boil the dumplings in soup so the shape is round. We also add more folds on the dumpling skin. Differences in food culture is so interesting!
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April 20th 2021
This week in English class we talked about Kaitenzushi or sushi train. The closest sushi train for me is Hamazushi in Omama. I was surprised when I found out there’s so many sushi train places near me. In class, a lot of students said they have eaten chawamushi as a side dish. I’ve never tried it before but I really want to! It’s so interesting that you can not only eat sushi but also other dishes at sushi train.
Did you know we have sushi trains in Australia too? It’s very popular these days and many people like to eat it because it’s cheap. But it’s not as cheap and tasty as Japan. There are different dishes too. Do you know California rolls? It actually comes from America. Sushi wasn’t popular because the people there didn’t eat raw fish or seaweed. But the chefs used avocado instead. A lot of people eat it in Australia too.
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April 6th 2021
Hello! It’s the start of the new school year. Time really flies!
Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of cherry blossoms on my way to school. So, I went cherry blossom viewing on the weekend in Azuma! It was my first time to see so many cherry blossoms. I was surprised to see many different types of blossoms too. There were plum blossoms and peach blossoms. But my favorite are the weeping cherry blossoms. They look so pretty when they drape over the trees.
I’ve always wanted to try having a picnic underneath the cherry blossom tree. And I finally got to try it! One of my friends made some traditional Japanese bento too. The cherry blossom onigiri was so yummy! While we were eating, the petals were falling from the tree. I think it’s because it’s the peak season for cherry blossoms to bloom. It was absolutely stunning. I’m so happy I got to see such beautiful views.
How was your spring vacation? Did you go cherry blossom viewing with your family?
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March 16th 2021
Congratulations to all the third graders who graduated last week! I hope you all do your best in the entrance exams!
Speaking of entrance exams, did you know we don’t have junior high school in Australia? That’s right, we only have high school from Year 7 to 12. That means in Year 9, we don’t need to do entrance exams to go to Year 10. But we do have to do semester tests.
Another difference between Australian and Japanese schools is that we can pick subjects we want to study. From Year 7 to 9, we have to take subjects like English, P.E., Math and Science. But we can choose subjects such as Japanese, Italian, Cooking and Design. From Year 10 to 12, we have more freedom. You can study subjects like Psychology, Biology and Physics. You don’t have to take math if you don’t want to. Interesting huh?
If you could pick subjects, what would you choose?
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March 9th 2021
How much time do you spend on your phone or electronic device?
I spend an average of 4.5 hours a day. I was surprised when I saw this. On the weekend, I watched a documentary about social media on Netflix. It’s called “the Social Dilemma”. Social media are apps such as Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. In the documentary, they interviewed workers of those companies. They were worried because younger people are using these apps too much. They’re addicted to these apps. They can’t live without their phones. The workers think it’s their fault because they made the program.
After watching this show, I think that social media can have bad effects on us. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll stop using it. I think what’s important is to know how much time we spend on it and how to safely use it. When you use social media, what do you think is important?
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February 24th 2021
It’s been so cold recently… this morning was -2 degrees?? It’s summer in Australia right now but my friend messaged me and said it’s 9 degrees. In Melbourne, you can get four seasons in a day. So, it’s difficult for travelers to decide what clothes to pack. Even when I was living in Melbourne, I always carried a jacket because you never know when its going to rain or get cold.
Anyway, this weekend I went snowboarding again with some friends! The weather was so sunny and nice, the snow was also really easy to snowboard on. We went to an area with a lot of beginner courses. I practiced my “toe side turns”. I was really scared because I couldn’t see where I was going and I couldn’t see behind me. Next time I go snowboarding, I want to keep practicing it. If you go snowboarding, which one is more difficult, toe side or hill side?
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February 16th 2021
Last week was Lunar New Year! In Chinese culture, we celebrate it with our family and wish everyone good blessings for the year ahead. Usually on Lunar New Year, young people will show respect for the grandparents and older relatives. In return, they get money in red envelopes called “Red pockets”.
Lunar New Year usually lasts for a week. The fourth day is the most important day because we have our reunion dinner with our families. Every year I look forward to this day because I get to see all my family and it’s very lively!
We eat many traditional foods on the day. One of the main dishes is fish because there is a Chinese saying called “may there be many surpluses ( 年年有余 ) ” which can sound like “may there be lots of fish”. There are also other foods such as dumplings, prawns and crispy roast pork. One of my favorite foods is actually “nian gao (年糕) ”. It’s a Chinese New Year’s cake and it tastes sweet like brown sugar mochi.
There are many Lunar New Year activities as well. People have firecrackers which burn and make loud cracking noises. There are street performances such as lion or dragon dancing. There are people playing drums and other traditional Chinese instruments. Every year, I go to China Town in Melbourne to watch it because my friends perform in it! It’s amazing!! Maybe you can see it too if you go to China Town in Yokohama!
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February 2nd 2021
It’s my birthday today! I didn’t do anything special but I will see my friends on the weekend. I can’t wait!
Last year, for my birthday I went to Ikaho with my friends. We walked up the 365 steps in Ikaho and I tried Tama Konnyaku for the first time. It tasted so different to what I imagined. I was even more surprised when I saw people eating it with mustard. My favorite place from the trip was the Ikaho open air hot spring. It was snowing and it was so cold outside but the water was so hot. It was so relaxing!
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January 26th 2021
Today is a public holiday in Australia because it’s Australia Day. It’s a day to celebrate the British people coming to Australia in 1788. For many people, Australia day is about celebrating our values and achievements of our country. People have BBQ’s in their backyards, go to outdoor concerts and so on. However, for Indigenous Australians, their cultures and traditions were taken from them on this day. The government also separated their families. This is why some Australians call this day “Invasion Day” or “Survival Day”.
Australia Day is a painful memory for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. So, people believe we should change the date or cancel Australia Day. Instead, I think that we should try to understand their culture, traditions and their suffering. It is a chance to learn more about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. What do you think?
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January 12th 2021
A few months ago, I went on a hike at Oze Park with friends. It was Autumn so the leaves were turning red. It was such a beautiful sight. We were a little scared because we saw a lot of people using bear bells but we didn’t have any. We don’t have bears in Australia so we didn’t know what to do. One of my friends who is from America, told us to make a lot of noise to scare off the bears. We started singing songs very loudly. It was so funny.
Hiking is actually very popular in Australia too. One of the best places to go hiking in Melbourne is the Grampians National Park. There are waterfalls, mountains and beautiful views. I recommend you try hiking there if you go to Australia. I can’t wait to go hiking again.
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January 7th 2021
Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a fantastic New Years with family and friends. I went snowboarding on New Year’s Eve at Marunuma Kogen Ski Resort. It was snowing on the day so the snow looked like powder. It was so pretty!
It was my first time snowboarding so it was very hard. I didn’t even know how to stand up on the board. It was scary and I kept falling. However, my friend told me the point of snowboarding was to not give up. Even if you fall, you just have to get back up again. I was inspired by these words. I practiced hard and by the end of the day, I could snowboard down the intermediate course. I was so happy that I could do it!
A few days later, I went snowboarding again. I decided to challenge myself this year so I wanted to start with learning a new skill. This is one of my New Year’s resolutions. Do you know what it is? It’s a list of goals that you want to achieve in the new year. It can be a promise to change bad habits or a personal goal to improve yourself. Do you have a New Year’s resolution?
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December 22nd 2020
It’s the last week of school and almost Christmas YAY!
This time of the year is usually very busy for me. I have many things to do such as buying Christmas presents, decorating the Christmas tree and making a lot of yummy food. Every year in Australia, I celebrate Christmas with my family and friends. We do a Christmas gift exchange called Secret Santa. Everyone draws a person’s name from a hat and they have to buy presents for them. On Christmas, we give the presents to each other. It’s very exciting to open the presents.
This year I can’t go back to Australia but I will spend Christmas online with my friends. Recently, I’ve been playing a game called Final Fantasy 14. It’s a MMORPG where you make your own character and you can play with your friends. I took a Christmas photo in the game.
What will you be doing this Christmas? What presents do you want from Santa?
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December 15th 2020
Recently during lunchtime, the teachers have been playing their favourite songs on broadcast. When “Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer” came up, I was so excited! I’ve been a One Ok Rock fan for almost 10 years. One Ok Rock is a Japanese band which is popular all over the world. My first time listening to them was in Year 8 when my friend recommended their song “Keep it real”. I thought Toru Yamashita’s rapping was so cool.
In 2017, I had the chance to go to their concert in Melbourne. It was extremely hard to get the tickets because they were performing at a very small venue. There were only 200 tickets available. Luckily, my friend got the tickets and we were able to go. It was THE BEST!! We had to line up for over two hours in the rain but I was so happy I could see them perform in real life. I hope I can go to their concerts in Japan too.
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December 8th 2020
Hello! It’s been a while. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year. How?? I didn’t do much this weekend because Corona is getting worse.
Instead, I stayed home and made these…
That’s right, Pon de Ring donuts! It’s actually very easy to make and you only need three ingredients, silken tofu, rice flour and pancake mix. You can also make different icing flavors. My favorite is matcha flavor! I’m very happy with how they turned out. If you have time, please try to make them. 😊
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By the way, I realized I never introduced myself properly but here’s a picture of me and my friend. Can you guess who I am? I’m standing on the right. Please look forward to my weekly posts!
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Hello everyone!
My name is Sylvia but you can call me Sylvie (シルビー). I am from Melbourne, Australia. Do you know where that is? I will be posting more next week! Please keep an eye out 🙂
