December 25, 2007

Went to the Dream Land


I went to the dream land...eeeer, sea??? It was the first time that I went to Disney resort in this season. I thought there must be lots of Christmas light up, but was not really. The number of the special light up was less than I had thought, however, they were pretty.

I heard that only Japan had Disney sea. It was made only several years ago or so. Disney sea's lighting up at night is beautiful even if it's in normal days. The world of Disney sea consists of 4 or 5 small worlds, and each world has its own colour. Everything which was made up in the world matches in the world, so, they all are very beautiful worlds...and can't exist in the real life maybe.

So, I went there with my sister, my friend, his brother, and his mum. It was fun...especially the fact that I had to carry my translator on me? :P Yeah, but it was really fun...I hope that they enjoyed it too. However, I feel sorry about his mum because I made her walk a lot :s And I couldn't talk to her so much...She should have got very tired. And another thing, my sister told me that I should have walked much slowly. Normally, I walk so fast. Sometimes, my friend tells me that its like walking race...lol. I thought that I was walking slowly...however, it wasn't enough slow. So...I regretted of it after coming back home :(

Anyway, the dream land was pretty. I'm sure that I had written about taking snapshots in the past archive, and about Disney sea, it has lots of spots for taking snapshots. And sometimes it even has a sign for it, lol. It helps people who are not good at taking pictures like me :P Would be able to take better pictures with it, lol.

And about the attraction, I wanted to try the newest one...so, the Tower of the Terror :P I had heard that it was scary as a Disney attraction, but was sure that would be not for me. I'm not even scared of Fujiyama in the Fujikyu High Land (it is the biggest roller coaster in Japan) :D And as I thought, it was not scary...absolutely not. However, my friends were scared of it (a little bit? I dunno), lol.

After the Tower of the terror, we took pictures, saw a show, went to the souvenir shop, and left there. Bye bye, Disney sea. I don't know when I will go there again. However, I will never forget that there were some very FAT SPARROWS that were fed with popcorn around the dream land.

December 15, 2007

本を読むこと


Lately, I found that I write English a lot because of this blog, but haven't written normal Japanese sentences. Of course, I'm writing some Japanese like diary...or mobile mails to my friends, but they are so casual and colloquial styled. Hence, I decided to write something in Japanese this time, lol.



   本を読むこと

 幼いころ、本をたくさん読まされた。よく両親と一緒に週に一回は図書館に通い、多くの本を借りた。いや、読まされたという表現は適当でないかもしれない。自分で好んで読んでいたわけだから。
 本は言葉や知識を得るのにとても有用だと思う。親が私に本を読ませていたのも、その理由があってのことだろう。何気なく日常を生きていても、もちろんある程度のボキャブラリーは身につくだろうが、それは本をたくさん読んだときの比ではない。

 これは私が単に漠然と感じていることだが、本をたくさん読んでいる人の知識は豊富だ。雑学に富んでいて、話をしていて飽きない。だが、話が面白いのは何も知識のせいばかりではないと思う。本を読んでいる人はたくさんの言葉や言い回し、面白い表現を知っている。ボキャブラリーの多さも私が彼らの話を面白いと感じる所以だろう。話が面白ければ会話も弾む。人間関係が円滑になる。

 本を読むことは、想像力を育てることにも繋がる。挿絵のない本を読むのと、漫画を読むのではわけが違う。挿絵も何もない本を読むとき、私たちは書かれている言葉からその世界をイメージする。その表現が細かければ細かいほど、その細部までを隅々にわたって頭の中に思い描く。

 このように、本を読むということを私は賞賛するわけだが、そんな自分はここ何年もまともに教科書以外の活字を読んでいなかった。しかし今年の夏、久しぶりに本を読んだ私は、またその魅力に取り付かれてしまった。これからはまた時間を作って本を読みたいと思う。昔読んだ本を読み返してみるのもいいかもしれない。当時では感じられなかった何かを、成長した今なら感じられることがきっとあるはずだ。

December 11, 2007

Japanese Maples


In Japan, turning color of leaves is called 'kouyou'. It is middle of December now, so, the kouyou season is ending and becoming more winter. Breath is white in the morning and in the night, and I'm wearing dawn jacket when I go out.

My English teacher from UK told me that she liked Japanese kouyou because it looks pretty. She told me that in UK, turning color of leaves are much more yellow there. On the other hand, in Japan, we have red color...yellow, orange...so, colorful. I like kouyou too. I like seasons of Japan. I'm glad that I was born in this small island country which has seasons. I like seeing kouyou very much. Though I live in Tokyo, where I live is a rural area and there are many mountains around here. I can see pretty kouyou of mountains...which look like patchwork from my house. There is a small mountain whose name is Mt. Takao close to my house. It is a little bit famous because it is on some guidebooks of Tokyo, and many Japanese and foreigners come to climb the mountain. The mountain isn't steep and I have been there many times because the distance is enough to walk from my house to the base of the mountain (however, it takes more than 30min or so). This fall, I wanted to go there to see kouyou, but didn't get the chance. Maybe next year :(

I prefer seeing natures rather than going stylish modern restaurants or shops...of course I'm curious to go to places like them too...however too shy at the same time, lol. Haven't been to places like them in my life yet...so, I have to gather my courage if I get a chance. Here is a little bit funny(?) story. When my sister and I went to Canada, we stayed in two hotels. One was a hotel in Niagara Falls, and the other was in Toronto. We chose hotels because of locations and the price. About the hotel in Niagara Falls, it was casual. The room was larger than we thought, but was normal. However, in Toronto, we were embarrassed because we thought that the hotel was too good for us. I was sure that the hotel wasn't very great hotel, however, was too good for rural girls, lol. And another story, when I went to an explanation meeting of a group of hospitals, that was run at a nice hotel in Shinjuku, me and my friend had feelings like feel sorry about ourselves because we just hadn't get used to such a great hotel. We wondered that if it was right that we were there when we got into the hotel. Maybe it will take for a long time until I get used to go such places...and also have to get a lot of chances :S

Anyway, I like kouyou. There was another place where we wanted to go when we were thinking of going to Canada and it was Vancouver. We wanted to see kouyou there because we heard that kouyou in Vancouver is very neat! However, it was too early to kouyou at that time and we chose Niagara Falls. But I hope that I can visit Vancouver in fall one day. In my guide book, there are a lot of places which seem fun in Canada :) And where I want to visit is not only in Canada of course but places in my own county too. Visiting places in Japan is much easier compared to going to Canada, isn't it?! So, I wanna visit some places in Japan when I have time :D

Ah...the topic have been changed again, hahaha. Anyway, I like kouyou in Japan and one of my favorite trees is Japanese maples. Their leaves turn into beautiful orange/red colors. Usually, turned color leaves look pretty from far place, however, you know...if we get close there, they're a little (much??? lol) dirty. But maple leaves don't look dirty. I'm sure that Japanese kouyou can not be talked without maple leaves.

December 9, 2007

Sunday, December 9, 2007


Today, I went to see a movie with my friend. We didn't go to the cinema, but went to the civic hall because it was a past movie and was ran by a newspaper company. The movie's title was '東京タワー オカンとボクと、時々、オトン (Tokyo tower mom, me, and sometimes, dad)'. It was released in April 2007, but was broadcasted on TV in November 2006 as a special program and , was also on air this January until March on Mondays as a serial TV drama. Each program was made by different casts and stuffs. However, I haven't seen any. So, today was the first time that I saw it.

It's author is Lily Franky (I'm not sure how to write in alphabets) and the story is about his mom and himself since he was 3 until his mother dies of cancer. It is like the author's autobiographical novel and has lots of love for his mother. It lets us feel warm human relationships of Showa era which maybe everyone feels nostalgia if they are Japanese. Anyway, it was a emotional movie and my friend and I shed tears sometimes.

After seeing the movie, we ate lunch, and talked a lot. We talked for 6 hours! And had sweets too. Girls' talking doesn't end so easily, so I enjoyed talking to my friend very much. So, it was a nice Sunday because in recent Sundays I was staying home because of exams :s And on next weekend, a happy thing will happen :) The friend told me that she would make a small party to celebrate my getting job with her bf, lol. She is a really good friend, don't you think?

December 7, 2007

Everything is By a Chance


'En' means a chance, fate, a relationship, a connection etc. Everyone has 'en' with someone and something, and can not live without it. I think that I have 'en' too, but always don't think that each of them are strong...maybe I'm afraid of believing something like a destiny. I think, every 'en' comes by a chance. They're not decided things before it happens, just happens accidentally. However, such accidents may make someones fate...I'm sure that what I'm writing is contradictory.

By the way, I like songs of surface. It is an artist from Japan, and I prefer their past songs that were made several years ago or so. I like their lyrics. I think that their songs arouse people's sympathy. Here, it is one of their songs whose title is 'en'.



En / surface

My songs should be listened to like this because of some chances
I'd like to think a great deal of it in the connections with various people

With someone, I can understand each other more than words
However my words didn't touch another one as I thought
I know that all of them are not fate
But I hope my words will reach more far

For example, if I got be unable to sing
How many connection wouldn't break?
'The relationship with them won't break however I try breaking it'
I wanna think like that though it is out of my character

Somehow I remember about you lately
Did the relationship with you end at that time?
I hope that one day I'll meet you by a chance and can say
'Hi, how's going?'

For example, if I was gone involuntarily
Someone would be going to worry about me?
They will wait for me coming back with smile
And will think that I'm as always

For example, if I got be unable to sing
How many connection wouldn't break?
'The relationship with them won't break however I try breaking it'
I wanna think like that though it is out of my character



Making friends like 'them' is not easy. I usually make some walls around me and don't show my real intention. Hmmm...It's better to say my character? Maybe everyone plays a part that people around the person want him/her to be in some degree. The character the person is playing should be not completely different from him/her...maybe it is part of the person. However, it shouldn't be real him too. Making oneself 100% sure to someone is impossible as long as they are different people. However, we can make the distance closer. For me, the person may be my good friend, boyfriend...or...I don't know. But I think if I break up with my boyfriend, and if he can become my Friend again, he will be a good friend who understands me a lot. Once we let each other know deeply he should know me much deeper than other normal friends.

I also think among close friends, there is fellow feeling. It doesn't exist upon the fear like the case of bullying...but exists on trust. I trust one of my ex-bf, lol. We hadn't been keeping in touch for a while, but when I bumped into him, it was easy to say hello. He had helped me when I was dying for a reason...He spent his time and money a lot however I was already not his gf. I thank him. I believe that he will help me again if I am in a really really serious trouble, and ask him to help. And I want to help him if he is involved in a serious trouble too :)

I don't have a lot of friends, but have a few good friends who I can say the names if I am asked to list my good friends. I think that's a happy thing. I can share every thought of mine with them. I'm glad that one of my ex-bf became one of my good friend because there are a lot of couples who don't want to see each other after breaking up (but to tell the truth, there was some while that we were like that). I don't think that it is fate but think that it is some 'en' that relationships with my friends is like this now :)

December 2, 2007

Shiwasu -December-


Shiwasu is an old name of December. I think, most people don't know all of the names of months, however, 'shiwasu' is the most popular one. When it turns to December...on December 1st, news casters on the TV always say 'shiwasu ni narimashita'. So, therefore everyone knows the name of this month. December is one of the special months of the year.

About December...in western countries, maybe Christmas' event is the biggest. However in Japan, new year's event, 'shougatsu' is the biggest event. So, people prepare for it in the end of the year. Of course in December, a lot of places are decorated with Christmas stuffs because of western countries' influence. However, after 25th, it changes soon into end of the year and new year's moods. I feel something Japanese from here, lol. In the end of the year, people clean up their houses, make new year's cards, prepare something for coming new year, and talk about the going year. So...December is the month when people drink a lot. A lot of dinner parties which are called 'bounenkai' are made everywhere.

Bounenkai is 'a year forgetting party'. People think back to the year and talk about it...and drink a lot. So, this month is very busy season for izakaya-restaurants. It is not too much to say that 30% of the sales of a year is made in December. As I am doing a part time job in an izakaya-restaurant, I know how busy it is. Really lots of reservations for bounenkais. And most of the resevertions are larger than other months' because every post of companies makes a bounenkai somewhere. Yeah, bounenkai is such a popular party.

On December 31st, people...maybe especially aged people don't like going out. There are a lot of special TV programs in the end of the year and in the new year season, and maybe people like to watch them in the kotatsu, lol. I think that I wrote about kotatsu in a past contribution of this blog. The general image about the style of spending 'oomisoka' is in kotatsu...watching TV with eating an orange and some senbeis (a rice cracker)...and sip a cup of green tea!! It is VERY JAPANESE style, lol. And for me, 'yukutoshi kurutoshi' (it is a TV program) is necessary to feel the going year and the coming year. If I stay at home without watching the program, it is hard to feel that the year is going and a new year is coming. It is a live broadcast of circumstance of some temples and there are lots of people who are coming there as their first visit of the year to the temples. And, I can hear the watch-night bell through the TV. It makes me feel something I can't tell, and also makes me feel the day real. So, I like the TV program :)

Now, it is already shiwasu. Maybe I have to clean my room and do something that I should do before the year ends. It is a little bit sad that the year 2007 is about to end. It was a busy year. However, I did something new during this year...new experience, lol. Of course I have a few plans of bounenkai with my friends too. I'm really looking forward to the bounenkais. Everyone became busy in the past some years...especially in a few years and we can't meet so often. So, making a bounenkai is a good chance to meet them. I'm sure that we have a lot of things to talk since most of us haven't met each other since this summer :P