Valentine’s Day and Halloween

My favorite is Valentine’s Day. It is romantic! Valentine’s Day is February 14^th. But that’s for men only. So women give chocolate to men. However, in America, Valentine’s Day is for sweethearts. People who care about each other exchange gift like candy, cards, and flowers. And some tomes even jewelry. I do not know that. Do you know White Day? It is kind of like Valentine’s Day. But on White Day, the man gets the chocolate to respond to a girl he likes. That’s interesting. In America, Halloween is a festival that takes place on October 31^st. It is the day before All Saints Day. Children go from door to door, house to house, shouting, “Trick or Treat!” They collect candy, apples and other treats. They dress in scary costumes, tell ghost stories. And they cut faces into pumpkins and place candles inside. They are called jack-o-lanterns. Adults also go to Halloween parties in costume. It is really a lot of fun. It sounds like fun. I want to have Halloween in Japan!!

 

178/8678

Baking a cake

Yesterday, I made a cake for myself. I like cake! First, I have to grease the cake pan. Then, I beat the butter and sugar until they are mixed well. Then I sift the flour. Next, I mix together the eggs, milk. cocoa, and flour into one bowl. And pour the butter into the pan, and put it in the oven. I bake it for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. That was fun. If you have free time, pleas try this.

 

85/8984

Shopping style of Japan

Most Japanese people go grocery shopping every day. In Japanese, most markets are just a few minutes’ walk or bike ride from home. We go shopping on a bicycle. Things have been changing. Shopping is still mostly done by housewives. We don’t see many men shopping in supermarkets. Japanese people like to buy their meat and vegetables fresh every day. Meat, fish, and vegetables shops are everywhere, in every neighborhood. In America, they buy meat and fish and freeze them. Then, they defrost what they need. They have room to. But I don’t think we need such a big fridge. Fresh foods are healthier than frozen foods. But people in Japan are beginning to use bigger refrigerators now.

 

122/8899

Sumo, Noh and Kabuki

Last night, I read about Sumo, Noh, and Kabuki. I really want to go to a tournament sometime. That would be fun. And I also want to go to see Kabuki sometime. Sumo is an ancient sport. It started as a ritual about thirteen thousand years ago. It was a dedication to the gods in hopes of a good harvest. During the Nara period in the eighth century, it became part of the Imperial ceremonies. There were held autumn. Then, during the Edo period, professional Sumo groups were organized. It became the national sport of Japan. The Sumo ring is called the dohyo. The ring is on a square atage that’s eighteen feet wide, and two feet high. A bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle. The Sumo wrestler can’t have any part of his body touch the ground. Except his feet, of course! If he does, he loses. There are 6 ground tournaments a year. Three of them are held in Tokyo. And there is one in Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyushu. Box seats are from twenty-eight thousand to forty-five thousand yen for four people. Regular seats are from thirty-one hundred to forty-seven hundred per person.

 Noh is a very old form of drama. The style of it is very symbolic. The stories are not acted out literally. It is more mythological. It is the only kind of drama in Japan that uses masks. Because you can not see the actor’s facial expressions, the emotions need to be expressed symbolic actions. It sounds interesting.

 Finality, first of all, Kabuki is only about four hundred years old. It has wonderful stage sets and costumes. There is live music, singing and dancing mixed in with the acting. Kabuki is like a Japanese musical. The most interesting thing sbout Kanuki is the Onnagata, also called Oyama. They are male actors who play female roles. Traditionally, females are not allowes to perform in Kabuki theatres. So there is special training for the Onnagata. They try to capture the essence of femininity through gestures and glances. Dramatic moments are highlighted by exaggerated poses, with the actors giving intense looks. This makes the actor look more dynamic. I want to go Kabuki stage.

 

377/8777

In summer vacation

In summer vacation, I am going to Kyoto and Nara. It will be my twice time. I have been there when I was high school student. Kyoto is full of traditional Japanese culture. There’s a so much to see. There are the temples, shrines, and castles. There is all kinds of history. There are quite a few that you should see. For example, there is Kinkaku-ji. In English it means “Golden Pavilion.” I remember the first time I saw it. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Kinkaku-ji was originally completed in 1397. It is three stories high, in a brilliant gold color. It is beautiful in any season. It sits elegantly by a large pond. It is so mystical. The third Shogun of the Ashikaga family had it built. The first two levels are based on traditional Japanese architecture. But gold top story shows the strong influence of the Chinese Zen School. The gold adds a luxurious touch the simple Buddhist style. The garden is huge. There are different things to see in it each season. That’s exactly what he tried to do. He built a beautiful home in the mountains, surrounded by nature. It is great shape for a six hundred-year-old temple. Actually, it is not the original. The Golden Pavilion today is a reproduction that was built in 1955. The original was deliberately burnt down by a priest in 1950. The priest probably thought such extravagance wasn’t appropriate for a temple.

Do you know Kiyomizu? Kiyomizu means “clear spring” in English. There is a huge wooden stage. It has a great view of the city and its surrounding hills. Its style is very walking paths in the area. And the whole area around the temple is famous for ceramics. It’s also famous for its cherry blossoms in the spring, and maple leaves in the fall. I can’t wait to go. I’m looking forward to seeing Nara, too. In the middle of the sight century, Emperor Shomu commissioned the building of the Big Buddaha. Naandaimon, the huge main gate, has two stories. It’s supports by eighteen pillars that are over sixty feet tall. The Daibutu-den, or ‘Big Buddaha Hall,” is surrounded by a pillared corridor. It’s the largest wooden structure in the world. It’s very huge. It’s about a handed andsixty feet high, a hundred and eighty-five feet long, and a hundred and sixty-five feet wide.

 

400/8400

Adventure of Huckleberry Finn

Do you know the novel “Adventure of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain? I knew this novel by a class recently. This novel is very interesting. First published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. The story of this novel is that Huck thinks of about racial discrimination. Huck makes friend with black slave, Jim. They become a close friend. I was impressed by the scene with this novel. Huck decided that he save caught Jim. Next sentence is at that scene.

 

~”All right, then, I’ll GO to hell”-and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never though no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head, and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being bring up to it, and steal Jim out of slavery again: and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I wish in, and for good, I might as well go the whole log.~

 

I can read a gentle heart of Huck from this sentence. This story excited me. I like Huck’s character. He is a brave, free, and very kind person.

 

221/8000

My country, New Savonie!

  Today, I will introduce about my country. It's name is New Savonie. It located on the Pacific ocean. It's a small country. The population of this country is about 3000. There are 3000 people in this country. Most of all people are the Savonie. They are divide two tribes, tree tribe and camp tribe. Camp tribe lives in the West. Tree tribe lives in the East. The weather of New Savonie isusually sunny. The temperature is from 28 to 32 degrees. It's little bit hot. The famous food in this country is Mohican fish. Mohican fish is caught in the sea around the island. There is a king of Mohican fish in the lake. In this island, people eat coconuts dishes because They can get a lot of them. Traditional foods are coconuts curry and coconut milk. They use coconut shells as plates. Men and women wear a hemp cloth. Women cover them bust with the shells of coconut. There are many sexy girls. Camp tribeg has a head of a village and a Gods messenger. Camp tribe hold festival ones a month. They like dancing and singing. Tree tribe live in a big tree. They are good friends with Mohican birds. They are smart because they like reading books. The symbol of this country is coconut tree. Tree house is located to the East in this island. Camp located to the West in this island. Savonie altar located to the North. To the South, There are many coconut tree. Nearby beach is called Milky way beach because there are lot of star sands. In the heart of island, there is a big volcano. Below the volcano, there is a lake. That's all! Thank you.

284/7779