Parking Lot

We have to pay some amount of money per hour for parking our cars at parking lots especially in downtown areas.

One man in Osaka parked his two cars at the parking lots in a convenience store for two years, and he is now required to pay 9 million yen for his parking fee.

Until now, the shop owner orders the man to move the cars and pay the fee, but he continuously refuses it.

Finally, the court ordered him to pay the amount to the shop.

I wonder if he will pay the money, though.

The best way to save parking fee is to use public transportation.

TOEIC

I took a TOEIC exam yesterday.

The exam is one of the major English exams taken by especially business people.

One may get promoted in the company if they achieve the targeted score.

Getting high score can be an advantage in many occasions for job hunting in Japan.

I have taken it many times but it has been a year since I last took it.

I was aware of the damage of the approaching typhoon, but fortunately, we didn’t have any.

There were a lot of examinees at the venue and most of them looked like business people not students.

We need to answer 200 listening and reading questions within two hours.

I was not able to read the last two questions because of my poor time management.

I will take it again in September, so I will prepare enough to get a better score next time.

Concert

I went to see a concert yesterday.

A lot of orchestras from schools such as elementary, junior high, and high school students participated in the contest.

There were several kinds of division depending on the length of their performance and the number of its member.

Each school performed two songs.

The first one is an assigned song for the contest, and the other one was chosen from classic music.

I was overwhelmed by their performance and enthusiastic.

The winners can proceed to the regional contest.

The result will be announced today.

I hope their effort will come into fruition.

I have got motivated by them, so I will focus on what I have to do more.

Cram School During Vacation

We are in the middle of the summer vacation now.

There will be no classes until September 3rd.

By the way, a third year student is going to participate in an English speech contest after the summer vacation, so the ALT and I are helping him compose a speech and practicing his pronunciation.

I asked the student about his schedule after the practice in the morning, and he said that he will go to a cram school from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Although he is going back home to have dinner for short time, I was really surprised with the long hours of studying.

I wonder if he can really focus on his study that long.

The ALT said “this is not a vacation.”

We, teachers, need to make our classes more meaningful so they don't have to spend a lot of time studying outside of school.

Trainer

Doing workout in a gym is getting popular in Japan.

24/7 gyms are opening at many places.

As the number of gym increases, the more trainers are needed.

But according to an article of a magazine, the number of skillful and experienced trainers are not enough to meet the demand of trainers.

Even “trainers” who don’t have sufficient knowledge can work in a gym.

Women are also getting interested in training for weight lifting.

Previously, doing workout with a personal trainer was not common, but nowadays, you can apply for a personal trainer easily.

It is good that more people care about their body and health, but we need to have an eye to distinguish good trainers from people who work as a trainer.

Foreigners

I see many foreigners inside this city these days such as boys from some South East country who work out in the gym and girls from China who ride bicycles.

They don’t look like students of college, so I wonder where they work.

There are ship factories along the seashore in the next city, so I guess they work for the companies.

I want to talk with them, but I cannot find such events where non-Japanese people gather.

There is an assistant language teacher in our school.

I like talking with him and the time to make a conversation with him is my favorite moment while I am in the campus.

I hope I can make more foreign friends in this city.

Bananas

If I am asked “What image do you have for the Philippines?”, I will answer that “It is the country where a lot of bananas export to Japan.”

The fruit comes up first when I think about the image of the country.

I actually bought a hand of bananas made in the Philippines yesterday.

The following images of the countries are “beautiful beaches” and “an English speaking country.”

I was planning to visit Manila this summer, but it turned out difficult with my limited days-off.

I have heard that the bananas sold at streets in the country and the bananas we see at supermarkets are different, so I want to taste the local bananas.

Also, dropping by historical sites in Manila and Vigan is also included in my bucket list.

I hope I can visit there next year.

40 Degrees

The temperature sored up over 40 degrees Celsius in Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture.

My grandparents said that they didn’t have such summer days when they were young.

Students in junior high school go to school for their club activity, but it is dangerous to play sports under the heat.

The accidents of heat stroke are spreading throughout Japan.

Some of the students died in the middle of practice.

The first priority is to keep students fine.

Teachers may need to make a decision to stop their activity to avoid serious cases.

By the way, I checked the weather in Bangkok, Thailand and it was 30 degrees Celsius.

I cannot understand why Japan is much hotter than the country located closer to Equator.

Long Queue

I went to Starbucks at around 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

There was a long line of customers waiting to order their drinks or food.

Since it was very hot during the day time, people thought of the same thing to spend at an air-conditioned café.

I waited for about 10 minutes until making an order.

The summer vacation started, so there were children and parents as well.

I read a book at the café for about 90 minutes.

I couldn't focus on reading at home because it was too quiet to read books.

If it is too silent, I will be sleepy soon.

So I would like to read with some noise of people studying and reading.

I will definitely go to the Starbucks this week again.

Hot Spring

I went to a theme park called "Reoma World" yesterday and enjoyed the hot spring facility.

Since the summer vacation began yesterday, there were many families that visited the hotel and the hot spring inside the theme park.

Aside from the hot spring, there are restaurants and indoor pools as well.

The place is ideal for children to enjoy.

For adults, honestly, the hotel is not so romantic.

Now I understand why Tokyo Disney Resort is more famous for young people to visit.

That is because they can have more fun in the resort because they get to meet famous Disney characters and enjoy the rides.

I wish I can visit such theme parks with my partner in the future.

Beginning of Vacation

The first semester was over yesterday.

The students are in the middle of the summer vacation now, although they have to do their homework and come to school for club activity even during the break.

We, teachers, have to go to school every day in order to prepare for the next semester.

In the second semester, the students are going to have work experiences outside school.

They go to a working place and learn about the job.

Beforehand, we need to call each office to ask if they can accept students from our school.

I need to complete the task during the break, but I feel less pressure compared to the regular semester because I don’t need to conduct classes.

I will make use of the time to prepare for the next semester in both classes and other jobs.

Priority

When I think about relationship, what I need to do is not to look for a partner but to earn more money spending less time.

I get paid enough to live on, but I cannot afford to support my partner.

Also, I don’t have enough time to be with her after work in current situation.

Therefore, my priority for relationship is to earn more money with less time.

If I get more income with less working hours, I’ll think about marriage more seriously.

What I need to do is to study English and other things more.

I believe new kinds of skill can give me an opportunity to change my life in a good way.

Hair

I went to a barber shop yesterday.

The owner said to me that my front side hair is getting thinner.

I didn’t realized the fact until he said it to me.

Thin hair would come off at the end, and no hair would grow at the same spot.

There are some measures to stop the on-going situation.

He adviced me to go to a hospital and get a medicine.

Although it costs around 7,000 yen per month, this is the most reliable way to protect my hair.

There are shampoos and treatments which contain hair or head skin friendly ingredients.

I am planning to see a doctor in the near future.

End of First Semester

The summer vacation is now coming in Japan.

Meetings between the homeroom teacher, the student, and the parent are being held during the afternoon for three consecutive days.

So, all the afternoon classes are cancelled.

The students can leave school or go to club activity at 1:30 p.m.

This week is the last week of the first semester.

Since there are less number of classes now compared to the regular weeks because of the meetings, this week is less stressful for both the teachers and students.

The summer vacation lasts for five weeks.

The teachers have to come to school every weekday, but we can take a couple of days off.

I still don't have any plans for the summer break, but I want to go somewhere, a place I cannot visit on regular school days.

Hiking

I hiked up a mountain alone yesterday.

The mountain is located in the center of Marugame City and we can see it from anywhere inside the city.

Its name is Sanuki-Fuji; Sanuki stands for the old name of this prefecture and Fuji stands for Mt. Fuji.

It is the symbol of this prefecture just like Mt. Fuji is the symbol of Japan.

Sanuki-Fuji is not as tall as Mt. Fuji.

We can reach the top within one hour.

The temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius, so I drank a lot of water.

The view from the top let the fatigue away.

I want to visit more famous places in this city.

Sports Tournaments

I went to see several sports tournaments yesterday such as kendo, basketball, tennis, and volleyball.

Soccer, baseball, and table tennis tournaments were also held.

During the three consecutive day-offs, these sports competitions are being held at different places in our city.

The winners in each competition can proceed to the prefectural competition.

Junior high school teachers organize these competitions and they play the role of referees as well.

I enjoyed seeing the students’ different sides when they are outside classroom.

At the same time, I felt that the teachers have to do a lot of work.

They are required to work even on day-offs with little salary.

Since I am a part-time teacher, I don’t belong to any club activities.

I wonder if I can continue the job if I am hired as a full time teacher.

When I think about the time and money, this job doesn't seem to be a good choice.

The teachers who can devote most of their life working in school are better for this job.

Heavy Rain

It rained heavily last week in our area.

One of my friends lives in an area where the damages were more serious than the others.

Water is not available in their area, so they need to go and get water provided by the government.

The constant heavy rain reminded me of the rain which I saw in America.

It poured continuously for a couple of days and the lake in the campus which I stayed at overflowed.

I didn’t imagine that the same thing can happen in Japan.

The prefectures which had serious damages are not far from my home.

I didn't know that these disasters can happen anywhere in Japan.

Exam

I took an exam this morning to become a high school teacher.

If I pass the exam, I will be hired as a public teacher.

Unlike the Philippines, we don’t have a national exam, so we need to take an exam in each prefecture to get hired as a permanent teacher.

Private schools hold exams by themselves to examine the applicants.

The salary between public and private schools don’t vary that much, but I assume the benefits of public schools are better than privates’.

However, the workload is too much, because the teachers are required to complete tasks such as surveys and writing reports for the government.

I need to think about my future career more seriously.

Human Watching

I went to Starbucks last night.

Although I got there at 8:30 p.m., the shop is still full of customers.

The reason why I like the place is I can see people mostly about my age.

Most of my colleagues are older than I.

Since we meet every weekday, I come to see people whom I've never met.

In the shop, many kinds of customers come such as couples, foreigners, office ladies, and business people.

I study English in the shop, but for a change, I look around and do human watching.

The place is a gateway to know the town outside our school.

Retirement Age

People in business usually retire at the age of 60 or 65 in Japan.

They use their time for themselves by doing anything they want with their savings.

But a journal article said that those people get old faster than those who work above 60 years old without thinking of their retirement age.

Once people think that they are retired, their mind will be set that they are old.

However, people who work continuously don’t have an idea of retirement can keep themselves younger than retired people.

Our working style is changing, more and more people don’t belong to a company and people earn money by themselves.

I also want to be a business person who can run my own business and work until as long as I want to.

Cleaning Stadium

At the stadium of Soccer World Cup, Japanese people pick up trash scattered around the seats after the matches of Japan.

I don’t know why they started cleaning the stadium.

A newspaper article said that the movement is spreading to other countries.

To be honest, I don’t think all the Japanese people welcome the movement.

There must be cleaning staff for the stadium, so the Japanese were taking their jobs.

Furthermore, audiences went to the stadium to see the games not to clean the place.

They should leave the cleaning for the stadium staff.

I think the Japanese want to be praised by people from other counties by cleaning the stadium.

I cannot understand their idea, though.

Original Stickers

I put a sticker on each student’s notebook after checking their homework.

I used to buy a set of sticker at a stationary shop, but it costs much to buy it every day.

Making my original stickers is my current interest.

I buy a sticker sheet and make a design on my laptop.

After that, I print the design with the sheet at the convenience store which allows me to use their photocopy machine as I want to.

Making stickers by myself costs less than buying stickers at store.

I want to see how the students react for my stickers today.

I will revise the designs reflecting their opinions.

Starbucks

I was studying about educational engineering last evening at Starbucks.
I went there at 6:30 p.m. and left at 10 p.m.
There were many customers even late on Sunday.
New beverages were available such as soda with citruses and a kind of Japanese tea.
I don’t drink coffee so ordering something outside coffee is my routine.
I know I spoil myself while studying if there are nobody around me.
Therefore the shop is an ideal place for me to study because there are people around me and being inside the shop is cozy.
I am planning go there again this evening after work for studying.

Muddy Pond

I went fishing this morning with my friend.

It rained heavily in the past few days, so the water of the pond got muddy.

We didn’t catch anything in three hours.

We will try again when the water is clearer.

By the way, this week from Monday to Friday seems to be busy for me.

I work for a public junior high school as an assistant English teacher.

I have at least four classes every day this week.

There are two English teachers in an English class, the main teacher and me.

My role is to support the students who are behind the class.

I sit down next to them, and give some advice in person.

I will plan something fun after work in order to enjoy the week.

Pilates

All the classes were canceled because a heavy rain warning was issued yesterday.

I was able to leave school earlier so I went to the gym to take a lesson.

I have wanted to take a Pilates lesson at the gym.

The lessons starts at 2:50 p.m. on weekdays, so I usually cannot take it because of work.

There was a female instructor and about twenty elderly people in the class.

It was my first time to do Pilates and I didn’t do well.

Breathing and relaxing are important to relieve the stress, but I put unnecessary pressure in my muscles.

I felt it would take time to get used to the exercise.

However I am satisfied that I was able to join the lesson.

Classes Canceled

The afternoon classes were canceled yesterday because the heavy rain warning was issued in our city.

The students left school at 1:15 p.m.; three hours earlier than the regular days.

It was the second time in this school year that students had to go home earlier because of bad weather.

The students looked very happy when they heard the classes would be canceled.

This bad weather will be continuing until this afternoon.

Since there was an advisory issued, the morning classes will be canceled.

If there's another advisory later at 10 a.m., the rest of the classes will be canceled.

In any case, we, the teachers have to go to school, though.

Accidents at Famous Places

A Japanese elderly man died while climbing up Australia’s Uluru monolith.

At least 36 people have died so far at the site and also many people have got injured.

The place is basically a sacred place for Aborigine people, so outsiders should not enter the place to respect their worship.

Japanese people tend to climb even dangerous places.

I have heard that a Japanese person fell from the fence at the top of Iguazu Falls in Argentine.

In order to take a good picture with the beautiful sceneries, they forget the risks.

I agree that visiting foreign counties makes us excited, but we need to keep in mind that we can face problems anytime and anywhere.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/japanese-tourist-dies-climbing-australia's-uluru

New Measurement

The students have to study for at least one page of their notebook besides their homework every day.

I also do the same style study like the students do, and I sometimes feel the assignment is tiring.

Not all the students submit the notebook because there are some students who don’t have a studying habit at home.

I was thinking of the measurement for the students.

I will ask them to improvise a speech today.

Based on their speech, I will make some English sentences to memorize.

If the students can say the sentences without reading it on the paper, it means they pass the assignment.

To be honest, those students are low graders and they are good at exercising than studying.

I hope this way would work well today.

Mixer

I bought a new mixer last month.

I realized that the machine is very useful for cooking.

It is very easy to make smoothie with it.

The ingredients I used yesterday were soy milk, tomatoes, spinach, a kiwi, and a scoop of protein powder.

The taste was very good and furthermore it was very nutritious.

Today, I made pasta sauce with the mixer.

There is a YouTube video that shows a bodybuilder put frozen chicken breast and a cup of water in his mixer and drank the liquid.

He said the drink was full of protein, but I wonder if the taste was good.

I may make and try the strange juice someday.

Dream

What is my dream?

I thought about it while eating dinner last night.

The first thing which came up in my mind was to live in a foreign country.

I recently don’t feel excited when I talk with Japanese people.

I also want to be a minority in the group.

There is an assistant language teacher from America in our school.

I respect him very much because he works at the school surrounded by only Japanese.

Not all the teachers can speak English and the students are still learning basic English expressions.

I want to experience to live in a different society among the people who have different origins.

I remember that one of my friends said that “You only live once.”

Park by the Sea

There is a beautiful park by the sea in this city.

I often go there in the evening to see the sunset.

There are playground equipment and a large field in the park.

I see many people there who play musical instruments, play Pokemon-Go, and take walks.

The park is the nearest place to visit when I want to relax.

I like gazing at the sky, sea, islands, and the Seto-Ohashi bridge while I look back at the things I have experienced since starting my job two months ago.

The conclusion is that I think that I need to study more, without being swayed by anything, and gain more knowledge and experience.