One day, I picked up a Teddy bear. It’s looks like “GISMO” that gremlin’s character. I put it on the drawer near the window. Yesterday it rained. So the bear got very wet. I wondered if it would become a bad bear and fill my house. But it shrunk to half it’s original size. The bear had a wod mark!!
07/08/2007

Yumiko. T

Lilies are in full bloom in Kasui Yuri no Sono in Fukuroi from May to the end of June. It’s like a huge carpet of lilies. There are 1500 kinds of lilies in 30000 tatami-mats. That pictureeque scenery fascinates a lot of people from a distance. The park has a photo contest every year. A winner gets 50,000yen and a small present. Some people with single-lens reflex cameras, others with digital camera, focus on the colorful and angelic flowers. You don’t have to take your cameras. The flowers are so beautiful that you can print them in your heart.
07/08/2007

This is old Japanese story. In Edo period, one man was walking. There was a shop selling many vases. He looked those vases. He said “They are defective products! Because there are no mouth!” Besides he looked them more. He said “ There are hole on there bottom. Defective products!”
07/08/2007

There was a woman that had 3 daughters and oldest daughter, a medium daughter and a younger daughter and she had 3 jewelries too, a necklace, a bracelet and a ring. One day that woman died with these 3 jewelries and the next day her daughters would go to the movie, but they didn’t have much money, and a daughter said: “What if we go to the cemetery to get our mother’s jewelry?” and they went there and took a axe and a saw. When they got there, they dig up the tumulus and opened the coffin. The eldest daughter cut the mother’s neck with saw and get the necklace, after the medium daughter cut the mother’s wrist and get the bracelet and after the youngest daughter cut the mother’s finger and get the ring and after they went to the movie. When they got home the eldest daughter heard a strange noise in the toilet knocking opened and couldn’t see anything. A few minutes passed and the medium daughter heard a strange noise in the toilet, too. Knocking opened and couldn’t see anything either. After the youngest daughter heard a strange noise in the toilet, too Knocking opened and her mother was there with her neck, the wrist and the finger was cut. They looked her mother, and the eldest daughter asked to her: “Mom, what happened with your neck?” “You cut it.” said the mother. “Mom, what happened with your wrist?” asked the medium daughter. “You cut it” said the mother. “Moom, what happened with your finger?” asked the youngest daughter, and the mother said: “SO, YOU CUT IT!!”
07/08/2007

The other day, when I went shopping. My car stopped at a crossing. I was very troubled to try to start my car but could not. So, I called JAF and I told him “There might be no gasoline.” But the staff of JAF said “No, it was trouble of the computer. So, I recommend to exchange your car to a new one.” The truck of JAF brought my car and I to a car dealer. And the staff of the dealer said “There was no gasoline!”
07/08/2007

“Stretching makes our body harder?”
We stretch for softening our body. I listened an explanation from a teacher of civil method of treatment. She is a adjuster of our body. She said “Stretch makes our body harder especially on the hard ground or floor.” If you have a stiff neck, you had better swing your hand holding with another hand instead of turning your head or stretching your neck. We experienced many other things. Turning fingers (foots and hands) is very good for our health instead of stretching.
07/08/2007

Penguin can’t fly. But the young penguin want to fly. Everyday, he looks at the sky. One day, witch appeared front of him. She said, ” Do you want to fly? I grant your wish! ” He was pleased very much. After that, he try to fly. So he can fly! He was very happy.
07/08/2007

When I first decided to go to high school in America, my main purpose was learning English and being a more independent person. But after that I knew there were much more important things there. Friendship and Love. It has been already 23 years since my first visit my host family. But we feel even closer now. Last year, that was my third time to visit them. I brought my family with me. They also had a bigger family. They planned so many things to try to make us happy. I felt their never changed love to me. I talked so many things with my American sister who is also a mother of two kids now. And we made sure our friendship. We call it “Kindred Spirit”. It is special word from “Ann of the green gables”.
07/08/2007

I like taking a trip so much. I have been to some foreign contry. In Hong Kong, I savor deliciously and colorful Chinese food, and I enjoyed the views from the Victoria Park. In Los Angels, I went to Disneyland and the Universal Studio. It was very interesting and fun. Also, I went to the Dodgers Stadium for watching the baseball game. People in L.A. were broad-minded and cheerful. I’m going to go to N.Y. this summer. I will feel different cultures.
07/08/2007

Yuka went to the beauty parlor last Saturday. I had to take Daiki with us.
Daiki always has his hair cut with my husband at a barbar. In fact he likes get his hair cut!!
The price of kid’s hair cut is cheap at the beauty parlor. So I tried getting his hair cut there!
…But the style was made so cute as a girl.
When my husband saw his hair style, he said Daiki looked like a baby monkey!
He has decided to take Daiki to his barbar from this accident.
07/08/2007

Nahoko. Y

One sunny afternoon, a house wife was drinking a cup of tea at living room. She was watching a news program on TV. The news caster said “Early this morning a man was killed by somebody. There was a knife which somebody carved butterfly pattern beside the corpse.” She turned off the TV. And then she did the garden. She loves flowers. After that when she was preparing dinner for her family the door bell rung. She opened the door. A big, stern man was standing there. And he said “ Would you buy some jewelry?” He showed some jewelry that were very expensive. He didn’t go back for an hour. He was an annoying man. She stood up to go back to the kitchen and opened the drawer. There was a knife in the drawer. The knife was curved butterfly pattern. It was the same as the knife beside the corpse.
07/08/2007

Somewhere, there was a little man and a tall man. One day, a little man said, “So I’m little, I can’t watch the great view over the hill.” Then, a tall man said “So I’m tall, I can’t find a little flower at my feet.” Each a man, they have nice character. They find a good comparison for each other. It’s a good way to be friendly.
07/08/2007

Mieko. T

One day, a woman bought a lottery. By accident she won two hundred million yen in the lottery. And she quit her job. She traveled all over the world.
07/08/2007

1. I use 3 colored paper.
2. I make 3 parts and put them together.
3. At first, I decide a front color of a double-faced paper.
�@　Make a mountain fold from the front. ---Open
�A  Make a line from outside to a center line.---Again
�B  A length line, do the same things. ---Open
�C  make a diagonal line from a center point with open and cover.
Open the pocket and pull the corner out and flatten a long the crease.
---Do the same things with the other corner.
�D  Stand the triangular parts and make the Basic Square.
---Do the same with the other pockets.
* From now on, make a Basic crane.
�@  Raise, open and flatten the front sheet.
�A  Fold the right side flap inside along the creases.
---Do the same with the left side.
�B  Turn up 4 corners at the center pointing toward outside.
�C  Turn down 4 flaps.
4. Make the second part.
�@  Fold in half and fold in half again and unfold.
�A  Fold 4 corners up to the center point. ---turn over
�B  Fold 4 corners up to the center point. --- turn over again
�C  Fold 4 corners up to the center point. --- turn over again
�D  Open the center and fold 4 corners toward the outside corner.
5. Make the third part.
�@  Fold in half and fold in half again and unfold.
�A  Fold 4 corners up to the center point.
�B  And one more time, fold it again.
�C  And one more time again. ---turn over
�D  Pick valley parts of around a center with fingers.
6. I put 3 parts together.
7. It should look like this. 　 ★
07/08/2007

Many times I have dreamed about with a new world without wars and poorest, and the people working and living in peace. But on a suddenly I wake up and I think to myself : It’s impossible.
07/08/2007

Masato. N

I forget my homework. Today’s homework is write a one paragraph fiction story. Teacher said that the story must be interesting. Oh no. How can I write interesting story. Everything I did in this week were to and from the office. I have no imagination. This is a difficult work for me. So, I decided to forget my homework.
07/08/2007

Have you used your air conditioner yet?
When I was in Kyoto city, I used it even in June. It’s so humid and hot, because of it’s location. On the other hand, in Shizuoka, it’s comfortable to live. It’s not so humid, not so hot in summer. By the way, I have a 5 years diary book. It has 5 sections each page, so I can see the same day of another year. From the diary, I started using air conditioner at 14^th July last year.
1 week ago or so, it was very hot night. My husband who drunk every night after taking bath felt so hot, told me to turn it on. But I refused it. Because I don’t want to loose what I was in last year… I  felt that maybe he wanted to tear the diary to pieces.
07/08/2007

Kotaro. A

This is Japanese fairy tales.
Once upon a time, there was a small bay. He was called Issun-boushi, because his height was 3.3centimeters.(1 sun is 3.3cm)
At the time some demons appeared in the city and they rampaged around the city. He started to get rid of the demons. He went down a river in a small wooden bowl with chopsticks as a paddle. When he arrived in the city, he fought with demons, and he won the battle. The demons had many treasures. One of them was Uchide no Kozuti. It was a great treasure. So if he wanted to wish for something, it would come true. He wished to be taller. He became a nice tall guy in a moment. He returned to his vallage with his beautiful bride and many treasures.
07/08/2007

Hisayo. M

The man was impatient with his work. He was very busy. He didn’t notice a flower of a roadside. One day he detected a frog. He kicked it away. The next morning he woke up and he looked at himself in a mirror. There was a frog there.
07/08/2007

This is a story of my university life. 4 years ago, I was talking our life in university with my friends. Then we wanted to make a special memory of our student life. And we decided to go trip. But we didn’t have enough money.
So we thought how to save our money and get a happy trip.
We used a car because the pay was only gas.
At first, we arrived at Yokohama Stadium. At there we didn’t park a public parking. Because if we parked there, we should pay the parking charge. So we got down the car as fast as we can, and took a picture quickly. And we got back our car as fast as we can.
Next, we arrived at Odaiba, Rainbow Bridge and Fuji TV. At there also we didn’t park and only took a picture quickly.
We enjoyed the activity. All the day, we arrived many places and took pictures in a short time.
But I had a job. So we had to come back until evening the day. On one’s way to Shizuoka, we found what was smelled.
Smoke came out of our car! We stopped the car and we couldn’t move there. We used the car all time, so it was broken. I hurried very much. The job would start soon. But our car couldn’t move yet.
I decided to return earlier alone. And I had to use a Shinkansen. The cost was expensive.
The story it heard later, the repair charges of the car was very high.
After all, we had to pay very much. Our pocket money was disappeared.
07/08/2007

From a few years ago, I forget something well. For example, I went to the supermarket for shopping by car, and when returning I came back on foot and noticed it on the way. It was a shock very much. I was examined with the mind internal medicine of the hospital. The inspection was started. First, I learned the contents of the drawer of the desk. There were a watch, a thermometer, a ball-point pen and a knife. Next I learned the short story. Next, I was asked about my medical history and my physical condition. Finally I was asked about what I learned some time ago. After all two answers did not come out. The doctor said to me. “Emiko, do not have to worry. Because I never remember the name of the nurses.”
07/08/2007

Can you solve?
My friend likes riddle, quiz and magic. He gave us the problem that was actually not riddle but math question. It is to find out a formula that its answer is 24, using four figures, 3,3,8,8. We have to use each figure exactly once, also we can use +, -, x, / and (  ). I was exhausted, however, another friend figured out a formula. So, he gave us other figures, 4, 4, 6, 6. He told it is tougher than the other, he was thinking it for a whole week. Do you know the answer? I’ve given up thinking it.
07/08/2007

Recently, I saw him shining on my head…I’d never seen him on my head so I shocked. Now, I’m 22 years old. It’s too early for my age?? Anyway, I didn’t know how to deal with him. I should pull him or keep him shining there? Then I remembered that my friend said “When you see him on your head, don’t pull him. If you do it, he will make you even whiter.” I wanted to take the advice but he was sticking out very much so I pulled it after all. Now, I’m worrying if he appears again with his friends or not. Was that a good decision?
After that, when I was playing a game in an amusement arcade, an employee asked me “please let me show your ID.” After 10 pm people under 18 can’t play a game there because of a law. The employee seemed to guess I’m under 18 years old. So I look young for my age. Or childish
07/08/2007

This is a strange story, but it’s true. When I was a high school student, it was during spring vacation, I and my friend went shopping in Tokyo and stayed the night at my friend’s sisters apartment. The next day, we were scheduled to come back early in the morning, we left there for a subway station. When we were walking, the handle of my bag broke suddenly, so we returned her sister’s apartment and I borrowed another bag from her sister. We went to the subway station again. When we almost arrived there, there were so noisy and crowded, some people were confused and ambulance came. We couldn’t understand what happened, however we sensed something unusual. We asked “What’s happened?” A man said “It’s terrorism!” We were very surprised. The terrorism was broken out by a dangerous communion. They sprinkled a nerve gas in the subway and some people died. I was so scared and I thought “If my bag didn’t break, we might have died. Thanks God!” I don’t have any religion, however I believed God then.
07/08/2007

My most interesting thing is my son. He is funny, ridiculous and comical boy. There are many interesting narratives about him. One day he asked me to bring his cellular phone to his junior high. But I didn’t admit. Then he asked again and again.
My son : Why don’t you admit?
Me    : You are extra untidy!! You don’t need to bring cellular phone, because it takes 10-15 min. to go school.
My son : If someone hit me by car on the way to school?
Me    : Borrow the cellular phone from driver.
My son : If driver hit me and run?
Me    : If you are hit by car, neighbor realize by the sound, neighbor help you.
My son: If someone kidnap me?
Me   : Run away and cry out for help.
My son : If I was constrained in the car?
Me   : Cry loud voice and say “Help me!!”. Neighbor call the police.
My son: Then, if I was confined to out of cell phone signal?
Me   : If you were taken out of signal, it is no use bringing cell phone.
07/08/2007

I didn’t write a fictional story. Because many of my friends are living amazing life. So, today, I’d like to talk you my friends’s an interesting story.
He has traveled to Yakushima by bicycle alone to think about oneself. But the bicycle is not sports type. Just a  regular type calls “Mama chari”. And his bags made by himself. They’re terrible big. Because he wanted to bring a bottle of soy sauce, bottle of shampoo, also some plants!
By the way, he finaly arrived in Yakushima. Some days later, he met a little old man who’s live in there. The person said, “Many of young people visit to this island to find oneself, so I often invite them to my home. If you ‘d like, would you drink with me in my home?” Of course he visited and stayed in his house.
Early morning, he got up in the sign of something. The man was kissing him!
He got terrible shock.
After the travel, he could find only one of oneself. “I’m not a gay…”
07/08/2007

I went to famous hot spring in Japan last weekend with my husband family. There were eight in our party. It was our first trip that we enjoyed together.
We looked around some famous sight because we arrived early. But that day was extremery hot. Temperature went up about 33 degree.
So, I wanted to take a bath before dinner. I went to a open-air hot spring with sister-in-law. We took off my clothes and a pendant at the changing room. The pendant put 3 stone diamond was a wedding anniversary present from my husband. I hid in my pocket it carefully in case I lost. If I were more carefully, I would left it in my husband or the cloak room.
And then, we enjoyed relaxing with a comfortable bath. After that, I returned to my room and was napping. On the way, I remembered I put my pendant into my pocket. “Oh,No! I can’t believe it!!” I looked for around and I asked for hotel’s person. But, I couldn’t find my pendant.
I wondered about the truth of unfortunate occurrence. “I’ve lost my pendant, what shall I do?” I doubted that anybody took my pendant when I dropped it at the changing room, however I was wrong to wear a pendant while taking a bath. That night, I couldn’t sleep.
Next day, I met one old lady who was only in a open-air hot spring without my family when I had a breakfast. She wore some diamond rings. I took a seat soon, and I looked back to her for checking her pendant. But she wasn’t there yet. Why??
This unfortunate happening of the day taught me a useful lesson.

The end.
07/08/2007

My granddaughter “Kayla” was laying on a floor cushion “zabuton”.
A tiny ant and a tiny spider came into room, and they came near Kayla and said “Why you don’t play?  You are large, though.” Kayla didn’t think about that until they said so.
Kayla thought “I want to play with them.” I may see Kayla will be playing with an ant and a spider, next time.
07/08/2007

Do you have any nicknames? When I was in elementary school, I was very short compared to other students in my class. Every time we lined up from shortest to tallest, I had to stand at the very beginning of the line. One day a good friend of mine gave me a nickname “ Arinko - chan “ , which means “ small ant “. She came up with this strange nickname for two reasons. First, I was small like an ant, and second, my family name was “ Arimura “. A few years later, I grew up and wasn’t the shortest student in the class anymore. Although more than 20 years have passed, some of my close friends still call me by that nickname.
07/08/2007

I like adventures. I go everywhere everyday like climbing walls, passing through the bush. I have a lot of enemies. I sometimes fight them. But I’m a coward so I am always defeated. I’m a loser, but I have a girlfriend. One day she came to see me. I was very happy. But my owner approach us, so she was very surprised and ran away. They always disturb us. Disgusting! But when they feed me, I cannot help fawning.
07/08/2007

I wake up morning at 7:15 am every weekday without an Alarm clock. I wash my face and brash my teeth. I turn a coffee maker in, then put ground coffee bean in the beans holder, and pour clear water in. sometimes I make green tea for eating Japanese breakfast such as rice and miso- soup and tamago-yaki. Anyway, it is my work at every morning. I and my wife did nor decide this kind of rules, but it’s my duty. It is about 15minutes.

7:30 am. We eat breakfast with listening morning radio. We have a small talk of today’s happening from radio and check our schedule and after work activities also what time we will go home. We reconfirm each other. It’s 7:45 am.

After 15 minutes, I watch news program called “mezamashi-TV” of Fuji Television, because it shows some information of entertainment such as shows, movies, concerts which is very fun and feel comfortable for me compare to another News station which shows sometimes sad stories.

It already 8:00 am. I wear shirts and pants, tie a necktie. At that moment I change business mode. Setting my hair, and check my face.

8:15 am, I leave my apartment and say good-bye to my wife. I walk to a station. it’s 15 minutes. It’s just about time to get on the train 8:30.

Am I typical Japanese?
01/11/2006

I was opposed to having a pet. Because I was very busy with my work everyday and it was hard for me to walk take out for a walk. But when my daughter worked at JA, she got a dog from JA and she took the dog to my house. At first, when the dog was small, we kept the dog in my house. But when the dog grew up to be big, we had the dog outside. We called the dog Lemon. Because as my daughter worked at JA and she was a adviser for Lemon farmers, she named the dog Lemon. ※JA :Japan Agricultural Cooperative Association
One day I took Lemon out for a walk. After a while, suddenly Lemon started to run. So, I tugged the rope of Lemon and I struck the tree on the street. As the tree was sending out long branches, the branches struck my eyes. So, my eyes were stinging and my eyes turned red. And on my way home, Lemon escaped from me. I shouted for Lemon to come right away. And I looked for Lemon around house neighborhood. Then, Lemon played at the house next door.
22/10/2006

We went to shopping at super market. Many new commodity are displayed on the shelf. My daughter find sample yogurt. She eat and said. It tastes good! Buy me this. It law fat yogurt.
I don’t think the new yogurt is indicated in our case.
22/10/2006

Our family went to fishing park to catch trout. Trout were swimming in the pool, then children chased and caught them. Our daughter caught three trout in five minutes. We grilled them by charcoal outside and eat them with other meat and vegetables. It was delicious!
22/10/2006

My husband and I went to Kyoto 2 weeks ago. It was the fifth time for me including a school trip. I have visited famous temples before, so I wanted to visit where I hadn’t been to yet.
My husband is interested in “Shinsengumi” that was group of master less samurai in the edo period. So we toured the relative places. But there were only stone monuments at many places. We were disappointed a little.
The next day we went to Kurama temple. It took 40minutes by train from the center of the city to there. The main building of the temple was in a hillside. So we went up the mountain without a cable car. I usually don’t exercise, so I was tired. But because I walked in nature, I was refreshed.
The 3^rd day we visited Nanzen temple. The building were complicated, so we were puzzled where we should go. When we contemplated looking at a guide book, one young Japanese woman came to us with one non-Japanese man. Then she asked about Nanzen temple. I thought why are you asking us about it? You should ask the information desk. But I answered her questions as much as I could. And she said “ I don’t know the man” I was surprised. I thought they were friends. She continued talking “He said” I want to go to Nanzenji” But we are in Nanzen temple, aren’t we?” I answered “ Yes” and I tried to talk to him in English. “ Where would you like to go?” He said “Nanzenji” “Ah…OK…we are in Nanzenji what would you like to see Garden or picture or statue?” He answered a word that I hadn’t heard yet. So I took out my electronic dictionary from my bag. Then he said “ My English is not good” So we talked at cross purposes for a while. He seemed to give up asking us. He said “Thank you” and went away from us.
After he left I asked my husband that what you think his first language. He said “His guide book cover said “Japon”” He couldn’t speak Japanese and English, and he traveled by himself. How courageous he was!
This summer, I enjoyed surfing. When a big wave came, went into the wave and my surfboard hit my head. I had 14 stitches. Take care.
22/10/2006

This summer, I enjoyed surfing. When a big wave came, went into the wave and my surfboard hit my head. I had 14 stitches. Take care.

22/10/2006

This is a true story. I entered university in Tokyo. I moved to Tokyo to a place called Kichi-joji. It was the first experience to live by myself. At that time, I was really excited about Tokyo life as a university student, because nobody got angry if I hung out till mid-night, and then come back even in the morning. Nobody cared about me. I felt “freedom”.

But something happened in my neighborhood. One week after I moved in, a helicopter flew in the sky outside of my apartment. I was wondering why it was flying in this season. I thought it was a marathon festival or something like that. And also many police men and neighbors were there and neighbors talked to each other quietly.

I was still sleepy, but I had very strange feeling what outside was. After I saw out the window, I turned the TV on. It was a news flash.

The news caster said “This morning, there was a murder in kichi-joji. A victim was found in a Trash box near kichi-joji park. The police said they had not caught anyone. If you know some information, please call us at 000-0000-0000. We should also corporate in this terrible matter.”

Oh my goodness… What a really terrible happening. I remembered my parents’ advice. They said that Tokyo was fun but also a dangerous place. I thought it was true.

This murder case is still a mystery because there were no traces even since 10 years ago.
02/09/2006

My husband is Burmese.  (Myanmar)  Myanmar is known as a Buddhist country.My husband went back to Burma last year because he became a monk for his mother and for his family.  It’s an Asian Buddhist custom that men have to be a monk 3 times in his life for their mother.  I am not a Buddhist, but I thought it is good for our future.  The first time a person becomes a monk should be when they are a boy, the second when they are young and the third time is when they are in the thirties.  It was a great ceremony.  He had his head shaved and he had a monk’s robes put on by another monk while many relatives were watching.  Usually, it takes two weeks, but he didn’t have enough days.  He had only 4 days to live as a monk.  My daughters wrote a New Years card for the principal of their elementary school about that. My one daughter is in the second grade.  After a few days, the principal gave a reply to my daughter.  He wrote, “Your father is a great man and you should think honorable towards your father.  I heard that Asian monks are excellent and that they are believed by many people.  Your father’s mind was probably moved by something strong.  Perhaps, your father wanted to achieve something great in life.  So, he decided to be a monk.”  What the principal was out of kindness and encouragement.  Soon after I read the letter, I visited the principal.  I told him that my husband was returning later that day.  The ceremony was like the 20 age ceremony in Japan.  I still have the letter.
01/03/2005