(*^-^)db(^-^*)

I continue to my blog here. It is difficult for me to express my real feeling in English because I only know easy word and formal word such as I can learn from text books.. In fact, I also feel hard to express my thought as words even in Japanese(><) But!I hope I can have my own way of saying things and own special expressions, someday(^^)! If you have your own blog, please let me know it. I want to learn everyday American expressions from your blog( '') o"

( ・ω・？

When I went to U.K. in this summer vacation, I was surprised that some people didn't know their blood groups. I have never met Japanese who don't know their blood groups. In Japan, It isn't too much to say that blood types is a part of person's character. For example, most Japanese will agree the idea that "A" blood type person is fussy but punctual, "B" blood type person is egoistic but has a strong will, "O" blood type person is optimistic, broad-minded but wishy-washy and "AB" blood type person has a double character and individual idea. I know we can't say that same blood type people have the same characters because each person has individual speciality. But it is also true that there are researchers who study seriously about relationship between characters and blood types. I have watched the TV program which tested kindergartners behaviors dividing into blood types. We could see characteristic behaviors of each blood type. I know there are people who will say our behaviors don't make these characters but stereotypes might influence with our behaviors. But, I still partly believe these stereotypes.
We sometimes use these characters when we excused our errors. For example, if I leave a decision to someone and they complain about my ambiguity, I can say my this fault can be attributed to O blood type as a joke.
If you visit Japan, please try to judge whether these stereotypes are true or not ( ' ' ?

Time flies when I'm having fun =(/*^▽)/

　I have 20 classes in a week (4 classes in a day on average). 1st period starts 8:45am. 6 st period finishes 19:45pm. I have 6st periods every weekday except Thursday. Around 8:00pm, it is so cold because it is winter now. When I go back to my house after a 6st period by motorbike, I froze to death... Friday is a hardest day for me because I have 6 classes from 1st period to 6st period. Most of classes are English classes. I have at least one English class every day. I like English very much, so I enjoy these classes. On Friday, I take 2 classes of other university. Yamanashi University ties up with some other universities in Yamanashi. We can register some particular lessons in those universities for free. And we can get a grade if we pass a exam. This system isn't so familiar among students . I think this system is very interesting. Because of joining classes in other university, I can experience atmosphere of other university. Furthermore, I can make friends with other university's students. I take classes more than average. So, I sometimes feel tired, but I often enjoy my school life. My favorite phrase is " Time flies when you're having fun!" I feel passing through a week is very fast. It means I have a fruitful life!!

Most of the weekends, you know, I work part-time as a waitress. Sometimes I go out for dinner with my family. My father and my older sister have a full-time job. So，they come back home late. My younger sister also busy because of her club activities. She is keen on basketball now. She practices basketball as one of members of her basketball team in her junior high school. Even though we live together, there are less chances to gather all members in weekdays. On the other hand, in weekend, it is easier to fit our schedules. We enjoy weekend's dinner together( ^^)八(^^*)

(-UωU-)♪

I work as a part-time job as a waitress in a coffee shop named Art coffee. It is one of the coffee chains in Japan. So, you can also find Art coffee in other prefectures. I have worked at this coffee shop in Kofu for about one and a half year. I like staff members and shop's atmosphere. It isn't so large and not so crowded. So, I bet you can enjoy the taste of coffee and your conversation to the full as listening to nice jazz( ~o~)♪



We change menues depend on time. In the morning, there are three types of morning sets. In the left side, there is a picture of these sets replicas. Don't you think these look so real ? These sets cost only 500yen with drink( coffee, tea or orange juice) I think these sets are reasonable. Actually, we have many patrons to eat these sets. Most of them come to our coffee shop every day. Indeed, some of them have their special menu. I remembered all these special menues. One of them is old woman. She is over 90. I think she thrives on coming to our shop and to meet staff members. I am happy to meet her too.
　There is a discount prices for staff members. We can eat any kind of food on the menu for 300yen and drink for 50yen. This system is very very helpful for me. I think it is common that there are some discount prices in food shops in Japan.
Our coffee shop opens from 7:30am to 9:00pm. Sometimes, I work from 7:00. It is early, but like working the early morning except in the middle of winter, because I can feel refreshed. I work about three times in a week, especially weekend. I usually work for 8 or 9 hours per a day. I have worked from 7:00 to 9:30 one time. It means I worked for 12 and a half hours in a day.(I had one and a half hours free time.) It was very hard, but I felt a sense of achievement when I did it.
I enjoy working at this coffee shop. If there is oppotunity to come to Kofu, please drop on my coffee shop(●＾□＾）ｐ”

☆(ノ^^)八(^^ )ノ☆

There was a school festival in Yamanashi University last weekend, from November 2nd to November 4th to be exact. This festival is held once a year in our university around the beginning of November and it is a good opportunity for us to chum with many students beyond grades.
In the first day, my juniors who belong to the same department as mine took part in a costume parade. This parade is an annual event in the festival and bout 10 groups takes part in this parade every year and contend for precedence. In my department, it is first year students' custom to participate in the parade. Actually, I joined it last year with the same grade students in my department. We made various kinds of traditional clothes in the world . I wore Chima-chogori which is a Korean traditional cloth. I used sheets to make it! This year, my juniors pretended characters of One-piece. Do you know this comic? It is one of famous comics among the young Japanese.
After the parade, I prepared sweets for the next day. In my volunteer club, we were going to open the sweets booth. So, we made sweets that day. We used about 800g of sweet potatoes. At first, we peeled all sweet potatoes. After that, we cut them in pieces. Then,steam and strained them. After adding sugar, eggs, butter etc, we kneaded them. At last, we baked them. It took about 7 hours. This is the picture of the sweet. We could make them very well but... even though what I did was only making sweets, I had muscular pain ..and I didn't want to see sweet potetoes no more for the time being....

The second day, we sold these sweets. Our sweets had a good reputation. In addition to the club, I sold octopus flitters with my department students. Octopus flitters are nommally baked and soft , but we fried them and they were crisp. It tastes yummy. InYamanashi University, there are about 200 international students. And some of them opened food boothes. For example, Malaysian sold curry noodle and chocolate cakes, and chinese studensts sold chinese meat dumplings. They were very very delicious!!

The last day, Japanese comedians and musisian came to our university. Through the festival, it wasn't jummed so much, but when they came, it was crowded. I had a good time with my friend in the last day as not a seller but a buyer. There were many food boothes, so I ｇave way to the temptation to eat these food... I have to try to keep ia a diet from now on...( 　>△)o"
　We ended the festival off with a drinking party. Drinking parties after the events are common in Japan. Especially, nomi-houdai(飲み放題）is very common when we drink with "a lot of" members. Nimi-houdai means that we can drink as much as we want for about 3000yen in pubs within 2hours. But.. there are some problem if we drink in a pub in "Yamanashi". Recently, the traffic rule is becoming very strict. Even though I commute to school by motorbike everyday, I have to go back by train instead of motorbike. We can't go back by "bicycle". In Yamanashi, public facilities for travel such as train , bus are not convenient because the last train or bus is very early and they don't come frequently, once in hour or so at night. Thinking how to go back to home after a drinking party is tiresome for me. But, of course, I pretty enjoined this drinking party and talked a lot with friends.
Do you have any festival in your university? How about a drinking party in your country?

(*^-^)db(^-^*)

I live in Kofu. Kofu is the seat of the prefectural government of Yamanashi, but it is a kind of countryside, so it's a very calm city. I like this calm atmosphere very much. But, actually, I hope that Kofu became more lively city.　In fact, many people try to make Kofu better.
At first, I want to explain the location of Kofu. Do you know Tokyo? Yamanashi is next to Tokyo. It takes about two or three hours from Kofu to Tokyo by train. Kofu is located not so far and not so near from Tokyo, so I think Kofu is good place to sightseeing as a day trip for urban inhabitants who feel little tired of their tight life. And for foreigners, Kofu is also nice place to visit, because people in Kofu is kind, in my opinion. Indeed, many people have welcoming feeling to accept foreign visitors.
As I said before, it holds campaigns constantly for visitors. One of them is Fuurinkazan fair. It is involved in Takeda Shingen who is famous as a historical character of Kofu even of Yamanashi. He died because of illness, but some people believe that if he could survive longer, he would have dominated in Japan during one period. Recently, his life was dramatized for television. So, many people came to Kofu to visit places which remembered in connection with Takeda Shingen. One of goods is a Shingen Kitty which only sells in Yamanashi. The right side of picture is a Shingen Kitty. This kitty wears armor, because Takeda Shingen was a sumurai. There are many kinds of Kitty goods in Japan. Each prefecture designs limited sale kitty goods involved in each prefecture's speciality. There is a web site which introduce . If you want to know specialities of each prefecture in Japan, please see it. Kitty-chan!

Then, I want to introduce speciality of Kofu. I think Shingen- mochi is a most famous sweet as a souvenir of KofuYamanashi. It is rice cake covered with soybean flour and we eat it with syrup mixed water and brown sugar. I think it isn't elaborate sweet compared to other prefectures' specialities, but it enjoys long-standing popularity for visitors. I think it is difficult to eat it because a white plastice vessel full of rice cake and soybean flour and easy to spill soybean flour from the vessel. There is a web page to introduce a perfect way to eat Shingen-mochi. Prease learn how to eat it before you come to Kofu.

If you ever come Kofu, please look for Shingen kitty and try to eat Shingen-mochi m(_ _)m

( ^-^)つ旦~

I belong to a kind of volunteer club in Yamanashi University . There are about 20 members who are interested in International affair. We meet twice a week . We disscuss what we are going to every month or do volunteer work at club days. The university festival is coming soon so we prepare for the festival. we are going to sell Fair Trade stuff at the festival.

When I was a first years student, I belonged to a classic guitar club. There are a concert once a year around the beginning of December and it is a big event for club members. This picture is taken at last year's concert. I played Nadasoso singed by Rimi Nathukawa. I think her song make us nostalgic. After the concert finished, I quit the club because I want more time to study English in order to study abroad. I wanted to continue a guitar club but I didn't have enough time to spend practicing guitar as one of club members. Instead of taking part in the club, I play a guitar just for fun \( ^o^)/

（＊＾＾＊）

My mane is Kanako Murase. I am a second grade student in Yamanashi University. I belong to International Culture Department and I study Culture and language. Especially, I like literature.

There are five members in my family, my father , mother, older sister, younger sister and me. All we live in Yamanashi together. My father is an office worker and mother is a house worker. Older sister is bank clerk. Younger sister is Junior high school student. Everyone is busy in weekday because of work, club, part-time job etc. So, there are little time to meet to talk with each other and sometimes, we eat dinner respectively. But, every weekend, we go out dinner together. It is an important time for us.

My hobby is reading. One of my favorite writers is Sakura Momoko. She is famous as a author of Chibimaruko-chan which is a popular comic in Japan.

This picture is Chibimaruko-chan who is a main character of this comic.I try to read various kinds of books as possible as I can ，especially fiction.

I have worked at part-time job as a waitress in a coffee shop for about one and half year. Most weekends, I work there. It is a part of my life! There are some opportunities to meet new people. I enjoy this part-time job.