http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/rss 愛 mirai's latest journal entries Lang-8 Inc. Tue Jun 18 04:41:42 UTC 2013 Tue Jun 18 04:41:42 UTC 2013 Lang-8 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Lang-8
Lately, I have found myself at a loss about the concept of "privacy."

Although I'm not a person who actively updates Facebook, I am still a member of it and sometimes visit there to see how people are doing, just out of curiosity.

Many of them display their pictures and post comments to let others know about their activities and lives.

I'm confused about how they show their private lives with so easily in public, but at the same time are able to shrewdly keep their privacy. I need to be clever to do that! Recently, I haven't been able to draw a clear line between what I can and cannot display to the public.


Today, while I was talking with a friend from America on Skype, I realized that the concept of privacy itself might be different in each country or for each person.

From what I've seen, in Japan, family matters are a high-priority issue with regard to privacy. People wouldn't interrupt their family issues for other people. Thus, it is rare even for friends to consult with each other about their family problems. People might talk about it casually, or talk after they made their decisions.

In fact, I've talked about my family issues with some of my friends, but they are all from the US. I think I'm very lucky to have such friends whom I can be open with and who help me a lot. I can do that with them because they are open and honest with me. Also, I feel that family problems are not top secret for them. Am I right?


So, what is "privacy" to you? Does it have something to do with your secrets?



Posted at Wed Jun 13 06:17:52 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1528278 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1528278 愛 mirai Wed Jun 13 06:17:52 UTC 2012
I looked up the word "Oriental" today because an American person told me the word "oriental" has an insulting connotation towards Asian people.

My dictionary says that the meaning of "oriental" is "a person from China, Japan or other countries in East Asia."

What's wrong with the word? I don't fully understand.


There are some beautiful phrases using the word in Japanese, such as oriental art, oriental world and oriental beauty.

It is translated as "toyo-no" in Japanese, and I guess that lots of Japanese people are fascinated by the sound of the word as mysterious beauty.

I feel some sort of magic aura from the word.



Posted at Sat Jun 09 14:43:38 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1522135 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1522135 愛 mirai Sat Jun 09 14:43:38 UTC 2012
What a surprise!

I've totally misunderstood the meaning of the word "painkiller."

I have been using it casually and easily so far, like "Since I had a headache, I took a painkiller."


Yesterday, I learned from an American English teacher that a painkiller is a drug that is available only through prescription by doctors. I also learned that it's a potent drug used for serious(sever, acute) pain.

So, I wonder what you call the medicine to reduce your pain in English that you can buy at a drug store without a prescription and take by your own judgement?


You may say that you take Tylenol, which is the name of the article in the US, but we don't have it in Japan.






Posted at Wed Jun 06 22:58:59 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1516728 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1516728 愛 mirai Wed Jun 06 22:58:59 UTC 2012

This is quite a difficult topic to write about in English, but I will try.


Today I learned a new English phrase: "holistic medicine." This subject piqued my interest because this is what the Medical Doctor who owns my gym practices holistic medicine.

The more articles I read about this approach, the more I feel I understand better what I've been doing at the gym.

From what I gather, "holistice medicine" approaches the pursuit of health and wellness from several angles. These angles include the mental, emotional and spiritual element, as well as the physical components of the body.

The doctor at the gym has a way of checking my body that is somewhat different from the usual medical checkup because he examines the production of hormones and his patients'emotional state as well as giving them a physical check . I think it was interesting to know the more hidden condition of my body when I first started going to the gym.


In a way, it's a bit funny that I've been putting effort into something I was not interested in just a year ago.

In fact, I had been having problems with an upset stomach for quite a long time but I feel I've been healed within just a few short weeks of going to the gym, and without medicine either.

Life is amazing and you never know just how much a chance encounter with someone or something might change your life for the better.

（*^_^*）






Posted at Mon Jun 04 22:49:01 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1513110 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1513110 愛 mirai Mon Jun 04 22:49:01 UTC 2012


Today, I was interviewed by a newspaper journalist while I was looking at Japanese calligraphy at a museum.

It was my mother's exhibition that she holds once a year, as she is a calligrapher.


It's kind of funny that I just was on local news last week, because I got interviewed while I was working out at the gym. Although it is said that TV viewing rate has been falling off, maybe because it was the evening news, I received many phone calls from my friends who noticed that it was me.


Back to today's interview by the newspaper, it left me with a bad aftertaste. Finishing the interview, he asked me my name. I answered it.

The problem was the next question.

"How old are you?"

I came up with an idea that lots of people who don't need to know my age will know it!

"Huh? Should I say it?"
"Yes!"
"I don't want to."

After repeated arguments for a short while, he wrote it off. It's alright for me, but I felt kind of bad. Refusing someone, like even towards bell ringers, often makes me feel bad.


I remembered that an American lady, who ran an international school in Japan, got mad because the newspaper revealed her age without asking her about it directly, when the school was in the paper.

I don't fully understand why ages are so important in this case. I was just a viewer of the exhibition..


Is it a Japanese thing that one's age is put in parentheses after his/her name?


You know, mine is my top secret! lol

(^v^) /






Posted at Tue May 29 12:48:47 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1501566 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1501566 愛 mirai Tue May 29 12:48:47 UTC 2012


Good morning, everyone!

Today, I woke up happily from being in a dream of where I was friends with Takuya Kimura, who is one of the coolest singers and actors in Japan.

It took me some time to bring myself back to the earth; I wanted to stay in my dream longer though..

He's been occasionally appearing in my dream, and I wonder why.


I always say that I don't care about men's appearance, but I'm interested in who they are though. It seems like Takuya is an exception for me.



I like the recent commercial clip of his below. It is funny that the grim looking guy next to him says that he wants to give a condominium as a gift to his back-country mom.


Have a wonderful day! Smiles:)





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi0_ntVMfzs&feature=relmfu



Posted at Fri May 25 00:46:08 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1494333 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1494333 愛 mirai Fri May 25 00:46:08 UTC 2012

I have been wondering about the difference between the word "affect" and the phrase "make an effect on~." The Japanese translation for both is "eikyo o oyobosu."

I had thought that those two were the same until my English was corrected, which was from "It made an effect on~~" to " It affected." I am sorry I forgot the complete sentence.


Would you please give me some example sentences to use them?

Then, I will get the hang of it!

Thank you for your help!

^0^

Posted at Mon May 21 01:56:06 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1487104 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1487104 愛 mirai Mon May 21 01:56:06 UTC 2012
　

In Japan, it is often said that " When you are on stage, you should imagine that everyone in the audience is a pumpkin!"


It is a saying to get someone who is nervous of something, like before making a presentation, to ease his tension.


I had no idea why it should be a pumpkin, though I tried to find the reason; meanwhile, I found out that in some Western countries, the object is "naked people" instead of "pumpkins." Is it true? ^0^


There must be lots of alternative therapies that will relieve tensions and nervousness.

Anyway, the idea of pumpkins didn't work for me at all from my experience.


Let me think about the idea of a lump of naked people in front of me. Well, it might wake me up, but I'm not sure if I could get a sense of ease...maybe not!

lol





Posted at Sat May 19 04:02:10 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1483953 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1483953 愛 mirai Sat May 19 04:02:10 UTC 2012


When you receive a gift from someone, is it true that you get a "gift receipt" with an actual gift in your country?

While listening to native English speakers the other day,　I was surprised to learn that you can get it with a present.　

I don't think that Japanese people would put a receipt with a gift.


Does it simply mean that you are officially or morally allowed to change the present to something else if you don't like or don't need it? Even though the price on the receipt will surely be hidden, it is easy to find out how much it is at the store when you go there.


Well, it is a rational approach to reduce unwanted articles inside a home. However, it's a bit uncomfortable for me to exchange it easily while thinking about the feelings of the gift giver. He/she must have considered what I liked or what would have pleased me while they were shopping for it at the store.


Is it a common thing to do in your country? Or, is it done simply as a matter of practical convenience?

^0^



Posted at Thu May 17 07:15:50 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1480946 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1480946 愛 mirai Thu May 17 07:15:50 UTC 2012


Do you believe in friendships between men and women?



When I was younger and single, I didn't think it was possible. I can't count how many times my sister, who was very casual with making male friends, and I argued about it.

Since my sister was so popular among boys from a young age, it was just a natural thing for her to make male friends. On the other hand, I　used to be a very reserved person and had few occasions to make even female friends, let alone male friends.

Since I started learning psychology to enhance my communication skills, I have been changing myself; and also, my ideas about friendships have changed.

From a moral standpoint, as a wife, I might be straying from the right path by making male friends. What do you think? We can't talk about it without thinking of adultery, of course.

As for me, I currently don't have any intention to be a promiscuous woman, and a friendship with a member of the opposite sex is a pleasing and blessed event in my life.

I can come across foreign concepts in many fields while talking with them, and it helps me think and act flexibly.

Being flexible and open minded is one of my desires in life. I truly believe that male friends can help me with that!


Last but not least, I appreciate that you have been keeping friends with me, on Lang-8 and on Skype.


Thank you very much!!! ♪（＾＾）



Posted at Sun May 13 04:35:12 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1473659 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1473659 愛 mirai Sun May 13 04:35:12 UTC 2012




Yesterday, May 5th, was a national holiday called Children's Day in Japan.

It was called "tango no sekku," or "boy's festival" until after World War 2. On "Boy's Day" people used to wish for the healthy growth of the young boys in their family. Now it's called "kodomo no hi," or Children's Day, and we celebrate and hope for health and happiness for both boys and girls.


At this season of the year, you can see lots of carp streamers flowing outside here and there. They are a symbol of strength and courage for children.



Yesterday was another special day for Japanese people. All the nuclear reactors were finally switched off, and thousands of people marched to celebrate it waving carp streamers. It is Japan's first time without electricity from nuclear power in four decades! We made it!

However, it's still controversial. It seems that the government has been eager to restart nuclear reactors. Some of the people living near nuclear reactors have been mixed reactions; some really argue against the idea, but some want to get them back because of their jobs and other benefits to the local economy.

I totally disagree with the idea of using nuclear reactors in Japan, because Japan is so small that an accident will have an effect on a vast area. We've already lost wide areas in Tohoku, where nobody can live anymore. How can we allow the same thing to happen again?

All the children in Japan must want to say that they want to live and play without any worries.

I don't think that it is just a coincidence that Japan shut off nuclear power on Children's Day. It means a lot.



Posted at Sat May 05 23:08:47 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1461670 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1461670 愛 mirai Sat May 05 23:08:47 UTC 2012
I like Sony's commercial below.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhLEikXk-ow&feature=player_embedded





How do you feel while watching it?

It reminds me of the saying, "Life is a journey."

It makes me think that I am not alone. During the long journey, there will inevitably be many things that happen, but I shouldn't forget that I'm always surrounded by people who will help me and whom I can help as well.


We can make our own stories, can't we! ＼(^o^)／










Posted at Fri May 04 05:43:40 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1458787 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1458787 愛 mirai Fri May 04 05:43:40 UTC 2012
Lots of people have said to me that reading English books would help with my English ability. However, I didn't try reading very much before.

One of the reasons is that I really like intercultural communication. When I have free time, I would rather chat with people than read books by myself.


Last month, I finally decided to read Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood" in English. I've reached 109 pages out of the 389 pages. I was amazed that I could do this since my reading speed is really slow.


When I just started reading it, I found out that one of my Lang-8 friends was also reading the same book in Japanese. Of course, since I blabbed to my friend that I would read it, I couldn't give up in the middle.

I think that it was my luck to find him reading the same book. It is good for two people to read the same book in different languages while encouraging each other. Otherwise, I would become lazy easily or worse, I would stop reading and probably give an old song-and-dance-routine excuse as to why.



Having said that, I still have doubts about if it really helps with my Egnlish ability. While reading it, I've found some words and phrases that I don't know. I occasionally check some of the words, but not all of them. Even so, I couldn't memorize them , and moreover, I couldn't use them freely in a conversation.


Do you think that it will really help me with my English?

Do you think if it would help with my speaking ability as well?

Thank you for reading this!

（＾＾）





Posted at Mon Apr 30 13:32:20 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1452295 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1452295 愛 mirai Mon Apr 30 13:32:20 UTC 2012




Performances of Japanese drums, called "wa-daiko" in Japanese, is one of the things that I would like you to watch in Japan.

I like the sound, and moreover, I like the performances of the drummers. The recent art-form of ensemble "taiko" drumming is so amazing that it seems to have attracted to many people in other countries as well.

I am going to introduce "TAO", a group of "wa-daiko," whose home ground is in Oita-prefecture in Khushu.

Have a look at this video. I hope you enjoy it!


＼(^o^)／


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INfssJSuaII




Posted at Wed Apr 25 03:19:26 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1443256 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1443256 愛 mirai Wed Apr 25 03:19:26 UTC 2012



Do you often make contact with your friends? I've been thinking about how to build up great friendships.


Most people around me seem to have an idea that I have lots of friends. I occasionary get questions about it as if they want to see if I have got tons of friends. My answer is always, "No, I only have few friends."

Actually, it is not easy to draw a line between friends and just acquaintances. Speaking of friends, there are various in kinds: some friends are who I can meet or chat with regularly if I try, but some are who I can only meet once a year or so.

I wonder if my sense of friendship would be receded if I didn't get in touch with them at short intervals?

It's difficult to answer because it is always related to mutual feelings and consciousness.


I'm going to Tokyo this Thursday, and planning to meet one of my best friends. She and I met about 10 years ago when she was in my city, at the time we were luckily given lots of chances to meet up in person and also spend long hours to chat on the phone. I think that it paid off, even though we haven't had chances to meet or chat regularly for the last 5 years due to our circumstances, we both think we are still good friends.

I guess that it might be a rare case because I have had some friends who I lost our friendships at times went by. It is really a shame. This is because we have gradually given up staying in close contact with each other.

Maybe we need to make an effort to build up real friendships each other. This is kind of a warning to myself because I seem to be a person who surrenders easily..but, I have a strong feeling now to develop my friendships more.

Thank you for reading!

（^^）





Posted at Mon Apr 16 02:45:29 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1425991 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1425991 愛 mirai Mon Apr 16 02:45:29 UTC 2012


I remembered a day when I got into a handicraft shop several years ago, the shop owner, who was a middle aged man, asked lots of questions to me.

First question was where I was from. I answered which town I lived in. The next was about what my job. I tried to fudge the question because I thought I didn't need to let him know about it, as he was totally a stranger to me. But still, he continued asking if I belonged to some hanicraft groups or not and what kind of fancy work I am interested in. I felt really annoyed by those questions and him who I felt was weird.


Yesterday, I was with an American friend eating out lunch, window-shopping. In a shop, as always, as soon as we entered in it, she got questions from a shop clerk. "Where are you from" is a common question she gets without fail in any places. "Why are you in Japan" is the second one that she usually gets. There, she needed to explain that she got married to a Japanese man. It's private, isn't it? On the second floor, she received the same questions from another staff. She kept smiling while she was answering them.


As quickly as we got off the shop, she sighed. I knew why. That was exactly the same situation that I experienced before. However, the biggest difference from mine is that she has had it over and over again whenever she went for the last three years while living in Japan.

After she let off steam by saying her bad feelings for a short while, we started studying Japanese over tea. It was good that we ended up having a great time together. ＼(^o^)／



Posted at Wed Apr 11 02:25:09 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1416862 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1416862 愛 mirai Wed Apr 11 02:25:09 UTC 2012



Last Sunday, I took part in a cherry blossom viewing party that my Japanese-American friend held. It was a beautiful Sunday and the flowers in the park were in full bloom.


I was waiting for the day not only because I expected the flowers but also because I expected that I could see new people. Yes, it fit the bill.


There were almost 30 participants including some people from other countries, including England, America, the Philipines, Cambodia, Kazakhstan and Mauritania and so on. So, the event turned out to be an international interaction.

We introduced ourselves in turns, played games and chatted with each other over lunch. Although it is not very easy for me to start talking with each of them, I tried.

My Japanese-American friend is so thoughtful that she occassionally asked me if I talked with them and enjoyed the party.


I was quite surprised to learn that she could gather such a lot of great people. It is her attraction, isn't it.

I also felt the difference between our ordinary parties in Japan and the party that my friend held. She let all of her friends bring their own friends. That is why it became more thrilling and exciting for me.

I don't think it　happens so often for Japanese style parties, where we already know about who will be there beforehand. Is it more comfortable for you?


（^^）






Posted at Mon Apr 09 01:20:22 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1412942 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1412942 愛 mirai Mon Apr 09 01:20:22 UTC 2012
How are you doing recently? As for me, I was under the weather for a few days, waiting for the day I can go to a gym. I feel better this evening, and finally went there!


Today, I came up with a question about the difference between the word "participate" and "join."


I remember that when I took an English lesson from an American person long time ago, he corrected my sentence "I will join a meeting" to "I will participate a meeting." I'm afraid that I don't remember the exact sentence, but I am sure that the correction was from "join" to " participate."

He said that when I took part in the meeting for the first time, I could use "join," but I should use "participate" because it was a periodic meeting for me.

Does it make sense?

Is the difference between them just the level of politeness?




Posted at Thu Apr 05 10:49:41 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1406667 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1406667 愛 mirai Thu Apr 05 10:49:41 UTC 2012

I've been teaching Japanese to an American lady, who is actually my friend living nearby my house.

Last week, we went to McDonald's and started studying Japanese together.

I found out something interesting that, at every opportunity, she used the Japanese word "omoshiroi." I've also seen the word in some entries on Lang-8 written by Japanese learners so many times.


For example:" Learning kanji is difficult, but it is interesting." In Japanese, "kanji o benkyo suru no wa muzukashii desu kedo, OMOSHIROI desu." This is what she said.

She also said that "Nihon no rekishi wa OMOSHIROI desu" for "Japanese history is interesting."


Many Japanese people have a knack for overlooking some unusual words and expressions that non-Japanese speakers use. However, I dared to teach her correct ways to say, and she was very impressed with it.

We rather use the expressions "kyomi-bukai desu" or "kanshin ga arimasu" in this situation. I mean that when you have interests to get to know more about a certain thing, in this case "kanji" and "history," you should say, "kanji o benkyo suru no wa kyomi-bukai desu" and "rekishi ni kanshin ga arimasu." It is not "omoshiroi."

When you use the word "omoshiroi," things should be more fun and amusing. Some books, some movies, some stories, some entertainments and also some people could be "omoshiroi," but not all the time.

She was happy to learn the difference between "omoshiroi" and "kyomi-bukai." She also said that all the Japanese learners should know that, otherwise they would sound kind of stupid. Would they?


Since she learned those new expressions, she has happily tried to use them. I'm glad that she came to sound more intelligent and educated. Yes, she actually IS!


＼(^o^)／



参考までに:　　　　There are more ways to express your interests.

日本の歴史に関心があります。

日本の歴史に興味があります。

日本の歴史に興味がわきます。

日本の歴史は　興味深いです。

日本の歴史は　外国人の関心を引きます。

日本の歴史を勉強するのは　楽しいです。







Posted at Sat Mar 31 07:16:47 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1396756 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1396756 愛 mirai Sat Mar 31 07:16:47 UTC 2012
As some of you might know, I've occassionally been updating my voice-blog for over a year. However, the website appears to be closing in three days.

So, I would like to announce my appreciation to the listeners of my blog.

Would you please help me with the message I am going to say in English?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the dear listeners of my voice blog,


Thank you, everyone, for coming by and listening to my English for over a year. I really appreciate that you have come here and listened to me. It pleases me to announce that I've become more determined to improve my reading, and hopefully speaking ability as well.

It's sad to say, that this webside, Kerorogu, will be closing at the end of this month.
I will have to finish my blog soon now.


Showing my reading to the public was a real challenge for me; however, I've received great advice and evaluations from people and this has helped me with my English ability.


Here, I would like to express my love and my deepest thanks to my friend who has been taking time and making efforts to make example recordings for me for such a long time.

Thank you to my dear friends who have come here and continually inspired me.

Thank you so much for supporting me.



Now, I will continue to move forward.

Let me say once again, "Thank you" to all my supporters!


I Wish You well. May Happiness be With You!

All the Best

Smiles:) Mirai

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please make it nicer. If possible, you can make big changes to my sentences.
Thank you!



Posted at Wed Mar 28 11:37:02 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1390725 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1390725 愛 mirai Wed Mar 28 11:37:02 UTC 2012
I've finally decided to go to a gym regularly starting next month.

Around two years ago, I suffered an accident in "Curves," the commercial name of another gym I once attended. I've become a total chicken when it comes to exercising in any gyms since then.


However, the other day, I found a gym run by a medical doctor. He reviews the physical background of each person first, and designs an individual plan for each one. I'm excited to think that I might be able to forget about my traumatic experience soon!

While I was talking with the doctor, I felt happy because he understood my bad experiences well, and he also expressed his understanding of how intimidated I was by needles. I saw him trying to stifle his laughter while listening to me, but it's good to see people enjoying my story, anyway. I may have made his day!


There will be one more good thing: Due to my attempt to do so, one of my friends who hates vegetables promised to eat more veggies from now on as a tribute to my re-starting exercise classes. I will save his life too!

（^^）


Posted at Mon Mar 26 12:44:58 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1386006 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1386006 愛 mirai Mon Mar 26 12:44:58 UTC 2012

Yesterday, I had a chance to talk with a woman who has been working as an AEA ( Assistant teacher of English Activity) at(in?) elementary schools.

In my prefecture, since the Japanese Ministry of Education revised it's course of English education in elementary schools in 2008, they have been asking for some help from Japanese people to be assistants in English classes. Some of my friends have been working as AEAs, but they say it is just volunteer work at low wages.

A friend of mine who I met yesterday seems to have been enjoying working with kids, but she pointed out something that she was frustrated at. This is about the textbook.

When she applied for the job a year ago, she aimed to teach kids how interesting it is to learn different cultures and wonders that Japanese children haven't seen and heard yet, which can be seen in other countries. If I were her, I would have had the same goal for Japanese kids. They would have been motivated to learn foreign languages if they had an interest first.

She was surprised to see the textbook for kids. Lots of pictures and words are Japanese things, for example, there are pictures of "sushi" and "natto"in the English textbook, and kids are made to say "sushi" and "natto" in unison. Strange!

Why don't they teach kids the unique cuisine that exists in foreign countries? It could be big hamburgers that we rarely see. It could be a big bottle of milk too.

She said that she would bring the book for me when we meet next time.

Although I can sense what the government is trying to establish regarding English education, I think they have inconsisitent motives. They seem to want children to hold on to Japanese culture even though they speak English, and moreover, they want kids to introduce Japan abroad in the future.

I understand it, but it will be the most important thing that children have an interest in foreign countries and their cultures and the people in the first place. Then they will start learning English without being forced to.

Something is missing from the strategy that the Japanese board of education is pursuing.


I hope the new textbook published this year will be produced with interesting ideas for kids!



Posted at Sat Mar 24 13:22:52 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1380883 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1380883 愛 mirai Sat Mar 24 13:22:52 UTC 2012

Today, I am going to introduce the song "sayonara no natsu" by Aoi Teshima.

Whenever I hear her song, it brings me nearly to tears. Her voice stirs my heart somehow.

I would like to share her song here with you.


The following video shows scenes from an anime adapted from a Japanese manga series-- Kokuriko-Zaka kara. The anime was filmed by director Goro Miyazaki with a script co-written by Hayao Miyazaki who is the director's father.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5bullGov9M&feature=related

Posted at Sat Mar 24 05:20:19 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1380321 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1380321 愛 mirai Sat Mar 24 05:20:19 UTC 2012
Yesterday, when I got on Skype, I saw one of my Japanese friends online. It was the first time I saw her name light up green, which shows the person is on, in a long while.

I remembered a funny story about her. She is a married woman, who is classic and sophisticated, but she had some problems with her husband at the time. Despite the hard situation, she was still trying to improve herself and seeking challenges.

One day, she started talking to me about English learning, and she seemed to have wanted a teacher who was a native speaker. I set her up with a Canadian teacher, and his one-on-one lesson started at once.


After a while, when I met her, she sounded like she was totally crazy about him. She said that she was too nervous to speak in his lessons because she felt like she was chatting with Brad Pitt! lol She seemed to have been caught up in illusions of being with Brad Pitt during her lessons. I wondered if the Canadian teacher looked like him..


It is funny because most of the time when I introduce Japanese people to Westerners, Japanese people's character and attitudes turn out to be different. Some get to be too intimidated, and some get to be too aggressive.


Now, I try to look back on when I just started learning English. As I was not used to being with native speakers then, maybe I showed a different me in front of them.

I hope I was not too weird!

（^^）





Posted at Wed Mar 21 02:52:05 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1375232 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1375232 愛 mirai Wed Mar 21 02:52:05 UTC 2012
While I was listening to a lecture today, I remembered the time when one of my American friends was upset.

She was angry because lots of Japanese people put the blame on America for the hamburger heaven in Japan. People tend to say the reason Japanese people eat hamburger a lot these days is because it came to Japan from America.


As expected, the lecturer explained that Okinawan people are not as healthy as before because there is an American military base. It seems that some decades ago, the average life expectancy there used to be the top level out of all the Japanese prefectures. Since Americans started living there, dietary habits have been changing, such as people began using canned meat with chemical additives at home and eating fast food outside.

My friend says that it is Japanese people's own responsibility for what they eat.
America wouldn't force Japanese people to eat hamburgers, she claims.

It does make sense!

（^^）



Posted at Fri Mar 16 13:17:10 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1367556 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1367556 愛 mirai Fri Mar 16 13:17:10 UTC 2012

The website that I have made a voice-blog for over a year seems to be closed at the end of this month.

When I received the notification, I was really disappointed. I am not sure if my writings and voice recordings would be kept for a while or would be completely extinguished.

Things bounce in and out of my environment. People also come and go from my life.


I will try to hold on to hope in my new encounters.


Now that I know I have limited amount of time on my voice-blog, I will try to update it as often as I can!

If you don't mind, would you listen to my English? http://www.voiceblog.jp/mirai33

I would highly appreciate if you would send me an evaluation of it.



PS: Would you check, especially the speed, intonation(accent) and rhythm, since I have been trying very hard to make them better.

Thank you!!!

（^^）



Posted at Wed Mar 14 13:18:39 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1364207 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1364207 愛 mirai Wed Mar 14 13:18:39 UTC 2012

Today, I finally went through a dark tunnel, where there were some blockages for me to pass through. I can now see things that have been happening recently more clearly, and I am happy.

I've been trying to find out what my problem was for a couple of weeks. I was totally lost, and I often felt lonely and sometimes angry. As it turned out, it was really simple. I had a misconception about someone's feelings.


I learned that reading other people's minds is harder than I had thought!


＼(^o^)／








Posted at Tue Mar 13 14:46:52 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1362670 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1362670 愛 mirai Tue Mar 13 14:46:52 UTC 2012

How are they different, "Thank you!" and "Why, thank you!"?


When the former President Bush was pointed out his English mistakes, he said "Why, thank you!" Today, I happened to watch a comedy video that someone made up to make fun of him.

I don't know what kind of nuance is included in the word "why."


Thank you for coming here.

Smiles:)



Posted at Wed Mar 07 11:09:34 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1352185 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1352185 愛 mirai Wed Mar 07 11:09:34 UTC 2012

Yesterday, I decided to go to Tokyo alone next month! I've missed Tokyo and have been eager to go back there for I don't know how many years.


This Saturday was my birthday, and in the morning I received an e-mail with a beautiful birthday card from one of my university friends. I was so amazed to get it because I hadn't expected anything from my old friends whom I haven't seen for ages.

I am not the kind of person who looks way back in the past, but I felt nostalgic for the good old days when I read his note. I don't know why I get sentimental easily nowadays, but I notice that I miss people and feel lonely sometimes. Have you ever had such feelings for no reason?


After I replied to his e-mail and thanked him, he sent me a few pictures of our classmates who he caught up with last year. Oh my! I saw one person who might have been my ex. He's totally changed..


Seeing my old friends in the photo made me want to be with them again. I'm not sure if I can meet up with them because I took the liberty to set the dates without asking about their plans. At any rate, his e-mail motivated me to get off my butt to plan my trip!


I am thrilled to visit Tokyo. I may be hanging out around there by myself or, if I'm lucky, someone may offer to see me, but I am not sure. Anyway, I will be there from the 19th to the 22nd next month. yay!


（^^）






Posted at Mon Mar 05 03:51:26 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1347970 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1347970 愛 mirai Mon Mar 05 03:51:26 UTC 2012
Yesterday, I was surfing on Lang-8, and found a journal entry written about "corrections." My curiosity arose all of a sudden, because I have been wondering what kind of corrections people might like or not.

Since the journal was written by a Japanese person, most comments came by from English native speakers.

As you know, Lang-8 has more members from Japan than from any other countries. Thus, as a matter of course, native English speakers receive more corrections than most Japanese people do.

Some of the natives say that they hate getting the same corrections from several Japanese people. I was a little surprised to learn it because I sometimes do the thing in order to let them know that the correction is commonly used by many people.

Having said that, when I see some English speakers receiving tons of corrections from Japanese people, I always wonder if the corrections might confuse them. I also wonder how they learn Japanese language with those too many corrections.


Just so you know, I actually like to get even the same corrections from different people. No matter how many corrections are the same, they teach me which usages are commonly used.


Maybe the situation between you and me is different..


What do you think about our corrections? What kind of corrections do you like to get?





Posted at Wed Feb 29 14:19:59 UTC 2012
]]> http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1340267 http://www.lang-8.com/future/journals/1340267 愛 mirai Wed Feb 29 14:19:59 UTC 2012