Hey y’all!

I am sad to say that I have recently lost my family dog, Dude. Although his passing is incredibly sad, he was over 14 years old. That is about 98 years old in dog years. Crazy! I know. Dude enjoyed many things such as sleeping, sitting, laying in the sun and eating. I will miss Dude greatly. Make sure you hug your cat, dog, bird, goldfish, etc. extra hard tonight to let them know that they are very much appreciated and loved. 

See y’all in class!

Japan may not have The Great Lakes, but she does have a pretty great lake of her own: Lake Biwa. Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan, and you can see it from space, nestled in central Japan near Kyoto and many other very famous cities. I’ve been to the lake a few times, and it’s always breathtaking. It’s kind of shocking to see this flat lake hemmed in by towering mountains so close to the shore. Lake Biwa is a place of contrasts, and I’m here for it.

On the particular trip pictured below, we summited a small mountain via cable car, which is always a treat. At the top of the mountain, we were treated to this amazing view. Not pictured was the small colony of shockingly tame wild cats that are quite happy to be fed, pet, and pampered by any and all visiting tourists. Or the love temple haha. If you aren’t recognizing all these little details, I’ll just say it out loud: this trip was to Omi-Hachiman. The lead-up to the ropeway was also lined with all these old-timey Japanese buildings housing famous wagashi shops, a pickled goods shop, souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants, micro-breweries, and so much more. It’s a really cool place. The part that most captures my attention, though, is that view at the top of the mountain. When I think back on that trip, I always fall into the memory of the brisk wind, the looming mountains, the breathtaking vistas… I can feel my heart slowing as I settle into my happy place.

Travelling is so much fun, especially when you can spend your time perched on mountain tops admiring the natural geography of a place. Such a venture is always worthwhile, in my opinion. Go see Japan, go see the world, go see everything. You won’t regret it.

突然ですが皆さんは「少しの〜」という英語をしっかり理解していますか。

思い浮かぶものとしては “a few” や “a little”があると思います。学校でも習うこの表現ですが使い方に違いがあります。

“a few” は数えられる名詞（可算名詞）に、”a little” は数えられない名詞（不可算名詞）に用いられます。

I have a few friends. 私には少し友達がいます。（friendは数えられる名詞）

I have a little money. 私には少しお金があります。(moneyは数えられない名詞）

同じ意味でも、適切な使い分けができるようになりたいですね。また、可算名詞と不可算名詞についても新たな単語を学習する時に合わせて覚えるとさらに良いと思います。コツコツ勉強を続けていきましょう！

Hey y’all! 

One of the things that COVID has taken from us all are festivals and festival food. Well, as time goes by, even Japan is starting to bring the fun back. Although this wasn’t a festival necessarily, the streets around Chiyoho Inari Shrine had a bunch of food stalls for the new year. 

My favorite thing to eat by far is candied fruit! I just love this stuff, but I don’t really know why… Maybe it’s a texture thing. I ate three kinds! Strawberry, tangerine, and my favorite, pineapple! If you haven’t tried pineapple, I highly recommend it! 

See y’all in class! 

I had the privilege of visiting Nagano recently. It was fantastic. Nagano’s a gorgeous city, surrounded on all sides by majestic mountains. It’s also not super big, so you can walk pretty much the whole city, given a day set aside to that end. The walk from Nagano Station to Zenko-ji was only about an hour, and it was a nice walk along snowy but well-maintained streets lined with cute small businesses and interesting architecture. The temple complex itself was massive. We didn’t have time to see the whole place, as it was getting dark and the shops and such were closing, but even from the outside in it was a real treat to look at all the old temple buildings.

I’d love another chance to visit Zenko-ji in the future. There was so much more to see. I’d especially like to go inside the temple buildings and say a prayer for world peace or something. I’ve just got to make a point to go earlier in the day next time, so I can properly appreciate the sheer number of outbuildings. If you ever get a chance to go to Nagano, make sure your itinerary includes a visit to Zenko-ji. It’s huge, it’s beautiful, and it’s surrounded by shops and restaurants. It’s worth many visits.

Pictured below is a pagoda retrofitted to act as a museum for the temple. It was closed by the time we discovered it nestled in the trees behind the main temple, but it sure looks like it hosts a lot of interesting tidbits about the place and its history!