Kamakura

Today, I went to Kamakura with my mother. Although it was Friday, there were so many people! I also saw many foreigners and they ware enjoying Jinrikisha! Kamakura Hachimangu is the first place we went to. People who came there, including us paid homage at a shirine. In new year's day, there are so many people we can' t imagine!! After that we had lunch and ate Japanese omlet. It was so soft and fluffy and... so delicious! Besides, we also ate Kamakura sausage, crape, and Anmitsu. Now, my stomach is full of these foods and about to burst............!!! Anyway, I enjoyed very much!

Report: Multicultural and Antiracism Education

Yesterday, there was a lecture made by professor of Canada. Culture is a system for differentiating between in-group and out-group people and is changing. They are so different that they become conflict sometimes. Each country has own tradition and rule called culture coat. Culture coat is including like humor, silence, gender roles, physical touch, individual and gruop etc........ I was amazed to hear that Canada is a mix nation or a nation of immigrant and so many people come to live there from other country every year. Therefore, in school or university of Canada, Coelho's activity which helps immigrants know the structure or rule of there is often done. Their goal is to accept immigrants actively.
As for racism, there are often many stereotypes. For example, Japanese are good at math or science, Chinese are quitet and peacable etc...... However, it is really important to see things from many point of views. The professor told us Cinderella story as an example of this idea. Cinderella is really romantic story when we read this by Dinsney style. However, in the Grimm Broithers' fairy tales, it becomes horrible story. Like this, we should not depend on our own stereotypes. It was really interesting lecture and I was made to think about these things seriously.

Essay 2

Fashion




No matter which periods it is, there is a matter of fashion. It means that fashion is not only the identity of people, but also the symbol of the history. No one lives without clothes. Let’s take a look at this important subject.
Usually, the age of fashion is divided into four, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. These four periods have many reactions or resistances to fashion, so it is useful to understand fashion.
50’s was a period which began culture of consumption after the war. In 1947, Christian Dior released “New Look”. It is feminine style which has roundish shoulder, thin west. This “New Look” made fashion current of 50’s. The main entertainment of 50’s was movies, so the fashion appeared in movies also came in. Audrey Hepburn is good example of this. As for men’s fashion, “Taiyozoku” was popular. This is quoted by a Japanese movie, “Season of the Sun”. This fashion was like musician. 50’s fashion was made by young independent people who had hope for new age and liberation from the war.
As rapid economic growth continuing, fashion of 60’s expanded greatly. Symbolic style of this age is “Ivy Look”. This style was originally a fashion descended from eight prestige colleges of America. The features are natural shoulder, silhouette of having no west and straight line. In 1964, Tokyo Olympic was held. That year, sudden trend occurred, “Miyukizoku”. It is named by “Miyuki Street”, Ginza. Men had big paper bags and women put on long skirt and wore handkerchief over their head. However, “Miyukizoku” disappeared soon, because police admonished them in order to regulate public moral for Olympic.
In 70’s, jeans came in. From latter 60’s, jeans were spread by campus activism and hippie. Jeans which stands for freedom, resistance or antiestablishment became popular among young people. Because of jeans, casual and practical items like down jackets, sneakers and trainers also came in. This current began from the end of the Vietnam War. It is also the feature of 70’s to start publishing fashion magazines. By using fashion models, big fashion boom occurred.
Fashion of 80’s was the age of DC Brand. DC Brand is an abbreviation of designer and character brand. Representative brands are “Y’s” by Yohji Yamamoto and “Comme des Garcons” by Rei Kawakubo. Because of the beginning of the bubble economy, young people could have money to use freely, so they could use the money for fashion. In latter 80’s, women who could not be satisfied with DC Brand began to wear “Body Conscious”. It was first released by Azzedine Alaia. Women who wore Body Conscious would often go to disco after working.
Fashion is said to revive. Actually, there are people who take in 60’s or 70’s fashion for modern fashion pretty well. It is interesting to know the history of fashion, because it makes our view much larger. We can express our identity more clearly if we know the knowledge of fashion history.

Essay 1

Differences between Ryokan and Hotel




If you were a foreigner who travels Japan, you may be puzzled which to stay hotel or ryokan, because both have attractions which are really different.
First of all, the greatest difference between hotel and ryokan is the fee system with the ryokan charging for one night’s stay with two meals. The two meals are the evening meal on the day of your arrival, and breakfast served the following morning. At the majority of ryokans, these meals are served in the guest room. However, at some ryokans, the meals are taken in a large dining room or private room specially for the purpose. As for hotel, meals are special rates. You can choose time and restaurants as you like. Besides hotel especially in western, guests often hand tip to the staff as gratitude, which is not normal at ryokan.
Secondly, constructions and features of rooms are really contrastive. For example, while you have to take off your shoes in ryokan, you need not to do that in hotel. At ryokan, you stay at room with Tatami flooring, changing into a typical Yukata after taking an Onsen hot-spring bath, sleeping on a Futon put down directly on the Tatami floor. At a hotel, however, you relax in a large bed, viewing beautiful night scene, and you can take your own bath whenever you like. What is more, interestingly, the staffs of ryokan are always women including Okami, the representative of Ryokan, but the main staffs of hotel are always men. The reason is that the rooms of hotel are really private, so staffs rarely come in to the guest’s room. However, at ryokan, staffs have many jobs like greeting, binging food, spreading out the futon and so on, so lots of considerations like mother are needed.
Finally, how about people? Of course most foreigners who visit Japan first time long to stay at ryokan to feel Japanese culture more. In Japan however, surprisingly, sixty five-percent of people under forty tend to choose ryokan and seventy-percent of people over forty tend to choose hotel according to the statistics. I was really amazed because I thought it would be opposite. It represents that ryokan is popular among families having little children because staffs are really kind to them and parents can lie by the side of their babies. While hotel is popular among business persons or the old couples because they can spend their time as they like. You can swim in a pool, drink in a bar….. whatever.
Considering these aspects, it can be said that both hotel and ryokan represent custom of culture. I think that hotel considers the practicability which is peculiar to the western culture, and ryokan emphasize the hospitability which is peculiar to the Japanese culture. However, both have the element of “relaxation” no matter which kind of place you stay. What’s more, nowadays, there is fusion of hotel and ryokan, like hotel which has unique Onsens. Therefore, you can enjoy your relaxation in various ways.

Night view

Minatomirai is one of my favorite spots in Yokohama, especially night!! I always go there with my friends for dinner, because its night view is wonderful. Their view is best for date course! I hate the ferris wheel because of the height, but I like to see that very much. In the weekend or holiday, there are so many people, so going there in weekday is much better. I feel like going there now............!!

Costco

Today, I went to Costco to procure dinner. Costco is big american supermarket and now expanding stores in Japan. I always go to Torihama store, near Sea Paradise. It takes about only 10 or 15 minutes by the car. In the store, there are many things, not only foods but also clothes, books, CDs, detergent, high brand bag or accessory, stationary, and even refrigerator!! Everything is big or has so much quantity, but cheap. This picture is shrimp salad and I like it very much! The left one is Mango and it's really juicy! Only ￥1200!! At lunch time or dinner time, we can taste some foods. So, in the weekend , so many people come to Costco! I have to mind not to overeat......!

Sushi..........!

Do you like sushi? Of course, I like it very much, especially salmon!! These days, sushi is really popular not only among Japanese but also among foreigners. We can see some unique sushi in other countries. Each country has own sushi style like California roll. If I had a chance, I want to try to make sushi! However, it could be terrible if I make..............!!

KATE!

Kate Moss is my favorite model. I love her fashion style very much, so of course I like her brand, Top Shop!! She is now doing so many advertisements of brand like Burberry, Longchamp, RIMMEL, Chanel and so on. People can see her everywhere. Now, she is fashion icon! Actually, she was selected as an ad model of H&M, but was changed for Madonna, because of the disclosure of cocaine. However, soon she got many offers from brands, even much more before cocaine affair! I was really amazed by her success. I think she has attractions which other models don't have. She is one of the causes of my shopping addiction.....!

Under picture is her first perfume, and it is really good! You should try it!

My favorite candle!

This is my favorite candle, Milena! I bought this in Hawaii, because it's cheaper than in Japan. It costs 13000 yen in Japan.....! However, it has wonderful smell. Mine is rose, bud there are many kinds. It is made of soy, so it is really good for enviroment. Besides, after using, it can be rubbed for body! So, although it's expensive a little, it has popularity among people!

My dog!

It's rainy today.....! Anyway, I'll talk about my dog. Now, I have a dog, called Cookie. She is a miniature dachshund. She is really cute, however, she got weight recently...! So, I began to walk with my dog in the morning. Gradually, she began to slim! I have to continue this exercise!!

Hawaii Trip Part3

On the way to the North Shore, we went to Dole Plantation: upper picture. Here is the home of pineapple, mango, orange and so on. There, I drank pineapple juice with sherbet. It was so juicy and fantastic!! Lots of pineapple are grown there, full of sunshine and clear water.
Also, we went to China town. I didn't felt I was in Hawaii, because there were many homeless and it was not clean. However, I felt this is the real life of the original inhabitants. We ate Chinese food there: under picture. Chimaki was especially nice! Anyway we had a very precious and good time in Hawaii trip! I'll go there soon!!

Hawaii Trip Part2

One of the days of trip, we went to Hanauma Bay: upper picture. It is pretty famous beach in Hawaii. When I arrived there, I was really impressed and surprised, because it was the most beautiful beach ever seen for me!! Clear sky, so many fishies, coconuts......like heaven!! I want to go there again now! Also, we went to North shore for snokel. It was also wonderful, and there we had a lunch at Kua Aina!: under picture. I can' t believe this SMALL size even now!! However, hamberger was really delicious, much more delicious than Mac!!!

Hawaii Trip Part1

What's up? This picture is Alamoana Sunset! This August, my family and I went to Hawaii! It wasn't first time to go there, but it was especially fantastic! From now on, I'll tell the detail of my trip for Hawaii with pictures!

Part time job

This summer, I started a part time job as a teacher of cram school, juku in Japanese. This school is one-to-one basis, not group basis. So, I'm doing all right. I'm only teaching an English, but it is much more difficult to teach than I thought! They ask me many questions, so I have to explain these plainly. Of course it is interesting to teach them, so I'll try hard!

Weeeeeeekend!

This morning, I tried hard to write an essay of IE writing. It was much more difficult than before. It took me 3 hours to write! After that I went to shopping to Bayside Marina with my mother. I often go there, because there are many great shops! I bought some clothes and cosmetics. It was really nice weather today, so I was very excited. Now I am a little tired.......... So, I may better go to bed early!!