Christmas

Christmas in New Zealand

In New Zealand, like its neighbour Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of Summer holidays. My distant relation, that live in New Zealand tell me that there are lots of people out camping or at their Baches(holiday homes) for Christmas. Many towns have a Santa parade with decorated floats, bands and marching girls. This can be any time from mid November and is really a commercial event but much enjoyed by all. Many people have a Christmas Tree in their homes and decorate it in the USA or Britain. Many New Zealanders have a barbecue for Christmas lunch and this is becoming more popular. The food cooked on the barbecue is often be hot food such as roast chicken, roast lamb, cold ham, hot shrimps and other fish are also barbecued!Desserts are also very popular! Many still have a hot fruit pudding with castard and ice cream but cold desserts are popular. These including pavlova and whipped cream, meringues, cold fruit salad, jelly and ice cream. Here is some recipes. People who like drink often over do the alcoholic drinks too. They open their presents on Christmas day once the whole family is all together. This is usually before the Chriatmas lunch. In the Maori language Merry Christmas is "Meri Kirihimete".

Christmas in Japan

Christmas is not widely celebrated in Japan as not many people there are Christians. However, several customs have come to Japan from the USA such as sending and receiving Christmas cards and presents.
In Japan, Christmas is known as more of a time to spread happiness rather than a religious celebration. Christmas Eve is often celebrated more than Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is thought of as a romantic day, in which couples spend together and exchange presents. In many ways it resembles valentines day celebrations in the UK. and the USA.
In Japanese Merry Christmas is 'Meri Kurisumasu'. Parties are often held for children, with games and dancing. Japanese Christmas Cake is a sponge cake decorated with trees, flowers and a figure of Santa Claus.
Fried chicken is often the traditional meal of Christmas day. It is the busiest time of year for restaurants such as KFC and people can order at their local fast food restaurant in advance!!!

NZ

National Holidays in Japan

1/1 New Year's Day
Second Monday of January Coming of Age Day
2/11 National Foundation Day(Kenkoku kinenbi)
3/21 Vernal Equinox Day(Shunbun no hi)
4/29 Showa Day
5/3 Constitution Memorial Day(Kenpo Kinenbi)
5/4 Greenery Day
5/5 Children's Day
Third Monday of July Marine Day
Third Monday of September Respect for the Age Day(Keiro no hi )
9/23 Autumnal Equinox Day(Shubun no hi)
Second Monday of October Health Sports Day
11/3 Culture Day
11/23 Labor Thanksgiving Day
12/23 The Emperor's Birthday(Tenno birthday)

National holiday in NewZealand

1/1 New Year's Day (like Oshogatu)
1/2 New Year's Day (like Oshogatu)
2/6 Waitangi Day (Maoli and England became signatory)
3/21 Good Friday(Christ was caught and put Christ on the cross)
3/24 Easter Monday(the next day the aresurrection of Jesus Christ)
4/25 ANZAC Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps)
6/2 Queen's Birthday(Elizabeth Ⅱ's birthday)
10/27 Labor Day(like Labor Thanksgiving Day)
12/25 Christmas Day
12/26 Boxing Day(send Christmas Box to employee or mailman)

Speech

Halloween

Hi! I'm going talk about Jack o' Lantern.Do you know Jack o’ Lantern?Look at this slide. Maybe you have seen it.Halloween is celebrated in many different ways now. Jack o’ Lantern is one of them. People say that bad spirits come out that night to do bad things to people. So people make Jack o’ Lanterns from pumpkin to keep these bad spirits away. They believe that if you put a Jack o’ Lantern in front of your house, it will scare away the bad spirits.

Why we call it “Jack o’ Lantern”? Jack is a boy’s name from one story in Ireland. In brief, Jack and devil make a promise that devil never take his soul. Jack is happy. But after a while he died, devil keep his promise, so Jack had nowhere to go now. Jack is walking with lantern of turnip forever. Now turnip changes to pumpkin because making lantern with pumpkin is easier than turnip.

I will show you how to make a Jack o’ Lantern.
First, find a nice pumpkin.
1, cut a large hole around the top.
2, take out the seeds.
3, sketch the scary face on pumpkin.
4, cut out eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
Put a candle in the pumpkin.
5 this is Jack o’ Lantern!!

Try to make it!!
Thank you!!

Oktoberfest in Munich

Oktoberfest is a sixteen-days festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria,Germany during late September and ruuning to early October. It is one of the most famous evens in the city and world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an enjoable event with an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

There are beers that have been served at the event in Munich since 1818.Since 1950, there has been a traditional festival opening: A twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the current Mayor of Munich with the cry "It's tapped!!" .

JIDAI Festival in Kyoto

More than two hundred people in samurai attire of the Edo period parade around the city. There are noble ladies wearing traditional kimono, too. JIDAI festival began in 1895, on the 1100th aniversary of the transference of the capital to Kyoto. The festival features a huge spectacular parade with over 2000 costumed marchers. The procession depicts Japan''s history and culture from the Meiji era back through the ages to the Heian era. The parade leaves the Kyoto Imperial Palace at noon and takes about three hours to reach the Heian shrine.

My favorite movie

Ratatouille
This is Disney animation. Japanese title is "Remy no Oishii Restaurant". During this summer vacation, I wached it on DVD with my friends. I like disney movies since I was child. ”Ratatouille" means vegetable stewed food in french. (Ratatouille) In France, a rat named Remy dreams becoming great French chef, but he is rat, so his family oppose he want to be chef. He respect Gusteau who is great chef in Paris. One day, he droped from window into restaurant that Gusteau's famous restaurant in Paris. He met a young man, Linguini. This meeting makes his future dramatically changed.

This movie's food looks like real food. I wanted to go this restaurant if it exsits real world. I watched this movie twice. First time I watched it in sub-titled, next time in dubbed. Because my favorite Japanese actor, Satou Ryuta dubbed Linguini's voice. I think adult and child, anybody who watches it will enjoy so much. You should watch it!



LAPUTA: Castle in the Sky

I think most of people know GHIBLI movies. Miyazaki Hayao is famous director in the world. I like GHIBLI movies very much!! Especially my best of them is "Laputa". I watched it first time when I was a child. I had believed this story is true, and Laputa castle exsits in the sky. I would often look up into the sky and find Laputa. "Laputa" comes from "Gulliver's Travels". This is fictional castle.

In the end of 19 century, in Europe, oneday, a young boy named Pazu who works in coal factory helped a young girl Sheeta who fell from the sky. It is amazing!! She has pendant, this stone of pendant has marvelous power. Sky pirates and government know this stone tells us way to Laputa castle which has a lot of treasure and power that defeats the world. They go to Laputa.Pazu and sheeta try to stop it!!

I watch this movie several times. It is so nice each time. It is not too much to say that GHIBLI movie is Japanese representation. Japanese animation industry gradually spread in the world. Recentry, people in foreign country can watch GHIBLI movie. I am glad to hear this!!

Summer vacation

Summer vacation
I enjoyed myself very much in this summer vacation!! I tell you about them.
I’m belonging to basketball club in NUFS. During this summer vacation, we played basketball tournament. We played 5 games, but we won 1 game. Because our team is not many people, so we could not do practice much. I missed very much and I could not run much. But we enjoyed game because our purpose is not only winning but enjoying!!
After last game, we had lunch with chatting.

I went 3 summer festivals, and I watched fireworks. I went Oiden festival in Toyota and Okazaki festival, these are famous in Aichi. This is big festival, so there were a lot of people. I wore yukata so I could not eat very much. And I went local festival with my friend. There were a few people, so I could watch firework clearly. I met many local friends. It is really good to see them again.

I went to Nagara River in Gifu with my friends. We had a barbecue in there. At night, there were a lot stars in the sky. It is amazing that I have never seen. We kept watching them for some time. After that, we took a hot spring. I like hot spring so I took it long time. And I bought some souvenirs there. We stayed overnight in cottage. We talked and took alcohol all night. Next morning, we climbed mountain. When we got to the top, I said “Yoo-hoo!!” After that, I played rafting on the river. This is my first time so it is big event for me!! I wore lifejacket and helmet because rafting is very danger sport. We put name seal on helmet, nickname is ok. We rowed a boat, but it is difficult than I think. Strong wave attacked us!! It is exciting so much. And instructor said “Let’s try to jump off the precipice of 5 meters into the river.” At first, I thought I can’t do that. But gradually I decided to take this on just for the experience. I jumped with screaming. As a result, water went into my nose and ears and I don’t remember clearly.

I took the course that qualification as travel agent. During last summer vacation, I enjoyed vacation, but I hardly studied. So I set my objective. I ‘m interested in world, travel. So I decided take this course. But it is hard for me than I think. There are two kinds of test. These are about my country (Japan) and world. Pass rate of this test is about 20 %. But I don’t give up because my friend also takes this course. So we encourage each other. I took test of my country, but I didn’t co my best. So I take next world test on October. This chance, for sure, I’m going to study really hard.

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☆Diet sites☆

○●Healthy Diet○●

Some people check calories of food. It is important to check it for health. This is calorie lists and calorie intake lists. So you click it.


Most of people do diet such as having a lot of breakfast, having three meals a day, having light supper. But!! you make a mistake!! on the contrary, if you do this diet, you will be fat!! In order to not be fat, click this site quickly!!


This site introduce how to cook diet meals.When you cook, Do you use microwave? Maybe most of people use it. It is useful to cook. All these recipe can be cooked about twenty minutes!! It is very easy!! So you try it!!


It is important to know about own body, health. Everyone want to be perfect body, so in order to be perfect, first you should look your body. So you check the average weight and your weight and your BMI(Body Mass Index)!! Click here to know your body!!


Have you ever eaten hamburger of McDonald? Probably most of people have eaten at least once. I think fast food has high calorie, so I like it, but I don't eat too much. This site is McDonald homepage, and you can check material of hamburger. McDonald homepage

☆Laughter sites☆

○●Laughter●○

This site is about The Laughter Network. It is non-benefit organization. they spread and promote the increase of laughter and expansion of joy! They tell us to touch everyone lives with laughter, for health, happiness and work-life balance.
The Laughter Network acts as starting laughter work and for specialist to be promoted, accessed and easily contacted. They held many kind of laughter event in Europe, for example, “Laughter Medicine”, “Laughter Yoga Leader Training”, “Laugh instead of Smoke”, “Baby Laugh”. If you are interested in, click this site.
1, laughternetwork

This is comedy animation. Do you know Golden Eggs? It likes that. In America, Japanese director make a film using American actor. Japanese and American comedies are mixed. But it is difficult for American to play Japanese comedy. So Interpreter explains what director want to tell. It is very funny, so click this site!!
2, workworkwatching

This is Japanese comedy TV program. It is difficult to tell because it is too details.
This woman imitate girl of high school student who take test of “Takarazuka” music school and she like gorilla. I have not seen Takarazuka's test, but I laughed very much. You should watch this!!
3, Japanese comedy