A ｇood news for ME and also YOU☆

This time, I made my own blog!!I will continue to write many things as a diary. My typing is reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally slow, and also my English grammar will have lots of mistakes I think.However, as a good tool and opportunity to contact with each other, I will do my best.Please come to my own blog and then laugh a lot "How crazy she is!!" because I'm really happy to be read my favorite blog by YOU!!And also I want to read your blogs and leave some comments, especially next year.Thank you for many kind and nice comments.I want to say that sincerely.

See you soon!!

My new blog is this→http://shiho07.blogspot.com/

At the last day of the year……

The last month of 2007 started!!Wow……it's 5th on December today.Too fast!!I'm really surprised about the time passing.Before this class I heard from my professor that there's a kind of pre-Christmas in Netherlands on 5th December, so the children can get presents!!Sounds really nice because there're 2 oppotunities to get PRESENTS!!!!I really envy them. If I can get something I really want, I want Nintendo DS like many children.

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By the way, today's topic is "At the last day of the year……". What do you do in the U.S. or another places??In Japan, we eat "年越しそば（toshikoshisoba）"　with my family at night. It's one of the popular Japanese meals, and a kind of noodle dish. The soup of it is based on the soysauce, so it tastes really delicate and light. There are tempura, spinach,green onion and so on as a ingredient.It's really healthy dish!! However, this isn't just normal "soba"."年越しそば" has important meaning of its name. You know soba is thin and long. By eating soba at the last night of the year, we hope that our lives will continue long and healthily like soba. The special soba is more delicious than nomal one!!I want to eat it soon!!

How hard English teacher is!!

Is it common for university students to do part time job in the U.S. ?? In Japan, it's very common to do it. Almost all Japanese students have some part time jobs or have done them before. Among the students, these kinds of jobs are very popular, restaurants like McDonald's, tutors, and temporary jobs just for one day like advertising something new (cell phone, food). In my case, I have two jobs. One is teaching English as a tutor, and the other is working at Starbucks coffee. Both of them are very interesting and worthwhile!! I love them.


Today, I will talk about my tutor job. I started it last September, so I've taught English to my student, who is a junior high school student, for 15 months.The occasion I got the suitable job was that my professor asked me to teach English for EIKEN(英語　検定　eigo kentei) which is one of the world's most widely administered language tests, and also popular in Japan as a official exam to his acquaintance's daughter.

Immediately, I answered "Yes!", I started to go her house to teach English for its 2nd grade test. At first, I taught mainly grammar and vocabulary to her, after that we tried some workbooks that was made an examination in the past. Her English skill dramatically improved, and in last January, she passed it! And also, I passed pre-first grade exam at the same time!! We did well, especially my student, I think.Now she is challenging to pass pre-first grade, so we are struggling with EIKEN together.


By the way, I go her house in once a week so far.But from next month, it's going to change the date into twice a week . An hourly wage of 1500yen, I teach English to her for 2~3 hours. Her house is close to my apartment, so it's easy to go. I really enjoy this part time job!!

The memorial 3 days with TARAKO & YAKITORI

Do you know these Japanese food, "TARAKO & YAKITORI" ??The former means "cod roe" (tiny red eggs, we often eat them without boiling.) and the latter means "barbecued chicken". Both of them taste good, and also they are very popular among Japanese people. Especially, last year, TARAKO was trendy food because TV commercial of the cream pasta sauce of "TARAKO" was come up by the mass media as funny and cute advertisement. The reason why it was so entertaining was that two young girls were dancing with wearing TARAKO's costume and singing "the TARAKO song" .Therefore, the unique melody and dance became so popular!!

I found the TV commercial♪♪Please check it!I think it's very cute,and also we did same thing!!

Last weekend, our university held the annual festival from Nov 1 to 3. In the first day, we had a coscumey parade. And at that time……(did you notice yet??) we became "the TARAKO girls" ! Of course, there ware boys like Kakeru, but it was no problem. They wore one-piece dresses. At that day, we were wearing "TARAKO" and wallking around our area with dancing and singing for almost 4 hours!!!Everyone looked tired, but we did our best I think, so I really enjoyed our first day of the event.

Also, on the 2nd day, we opened a "YAKITORI shop". We prepared "YAKITORI" early in the morning, and sold them. At first, we guessed that the amount of "YAKITORI" was enough to do, however, they were sold out in a flash, so we were very surprised!! It resulted in supplying "YAKITORI" left for 3rd day, so we succeeded to run own shop. Of course, we ate them secretly during grilling☆

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Throughout 3 days, we really cooperated with the costumey parade and running our shop, so I felt that my peers were bright. Ummmmm~~~~GREAT！！

What's "Yaizu"??

It's the place where I was born. In my last post, I told you that I lived in Kofu City in Yamanashi Prefecture. So, today, I'd like to talk about my hometown, Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture which is next to Yamanashi. Especially, I want you know about its good weather, local industry, and my favorite place

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First of all, throughout a year, it is warm and comfortable to live!! Even in winter, it doesn't snow , conversely sometimes it happens, it will cause lots of car accidents everywhere.

Then our city, Yaizu is famous for fishing!! There are two ports, Kogawa port and Yaizu port. Especially Yaizu port is more known by nation-wide. This is because it's No.1 to catch bonitoes in Japan. And also our city have a big fish center(It has lots of shops!). It is often picked up on TV, as a good place which sells fresh and reasonable fish. In the end of the year, many people visit there and it looks very mirthful. Of course, I love there because I can eat various kinds of fish for free!!(to think buying it or not!) It's my happy time♪♪

In Yaizu, there is my favorite place!! The name of it is "Discovery Yaizu". It's a combined facility that has an astronomical facility and an inside pool, and some small parks. In the astronomical facility, there is a big planetarium. I really like it, so I often go there to see lots of stars in the day, listen to the stories of the constellation, and feel good……it makes us good, doesn't it??

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At last, today I talked about my hometown. I wish you could know some good points, good weather, fresh fish, and my favorite planetarium. If you can get a opportunity to go to Japan, you should go to Shizuoka Prefecture and Yaizu city at first!!

My club activity♪♪

I belong to the wind orchestra of Yamanashi University as a clarinet player. Usually we have practices three times in a week, but often our weekend is used by extended practices. (So recently 5 times in a week!!!!) It is hard for me to continue this club with combining my part time job and going to the language school, but there are precious peers, my fovorite clarinet, and of course, music. So I can't quit it!!

I have played the clarinet since I was a junior high school student, so for about 8 years. It is one of my important hobbies. The reason why I chose it is that the teacher who taught me at elementary school had played it and showed me how to do it. At that time, I was impressed by its sound!!「Wow... It's great!!So sweeｔ sound it can make...」So I decided to play the clarinet at junior high school. I think it's a simple but big reason.

Last weekend, we were invited to the festival held by the hospital which is near from our university. We performed 4 tunes. The one was a march and others were pop music. Many people listened to them with a smile, so I was happy!!And at the same time, I felt how cool music is!!

P.S. Miho who is taking part in this blog plays the percussion in the same club, and also best friend to me♪♪

☆NICE TO MEET YOU☆

Hello!! My name is Shiho Katano. I am a second grade student in Yamanashi University. I am majoring in English education for jounior high school students. I am from Shizuoka Prefecture, but now I live alone in Yamanashi Prefecture to go to the university. It is hard for me to do housework by myself , however, thanks for living on my own, I can contrive my lifestyle freely (making meals, arranging my room and so on ), it is also fun!!

My hobbies is watching movies. I like love romance, historical and fantasy movies. I love Disney animation, too. I love "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" . When I was a little child, my mother often showed them to me, so I can understand what they're talking mostly, even English. But just these!! Also, I like to listening to music, too. My favorite musicians are "Avril Lavigne", "Good Charlotte" and "KT Tunstall". Of all others, KT is great!! Her husky voice is very comfortable to me. I recommend that "Suddenly I see", "Hold on","Hopeless". They're so good!!But I don't know well about songs spoken by English and singers. If you know something or someone good, please tell me.

This summer, I went to Indiana state in America to improve my English skill and enjoy my long vacation. It was my homestay tour. I had stayed there for a month. We went to the local language school which is next to the unversitry in the morning, after that, we went to many places (fire station, court, chocolate factory, public library, shopping mall, etc.) as our activities. At the school, I met many students who were mainly from South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Africa, South America and talked a lot about our love, culture&customs, country and future, of course, in English. It was really interesting and important time to know each other. Also my hostfamily was so good to me!! They're my real family in America. I had a good time and got precious experiences there. Several years later, I wish to come back to America!!