My Friend

One of my Japanese friends! At Chicago!

A Scallop

Um...Looks good! I am hungry!

"Flight Plan"

Yesterday I watched the movie "Flight Plan." When I saw the advertisement about the movie on TV, I thought it was interesting and I wanted to see it. One of my friends told me that its story was not realistic and not interesting. Though actually I did not care about his opinion then, I wanted to check out his saying.
The story is that a woman's daughter is kidnapped on an airplane by one of passengers. Then, the woman tries to find her. As to the story, there are something unreal; for instance, the crews on the airplane say, "We have never seen your daughter." However, does it really happen? Some of the crews are supposed to see the passengers at the entrance of the airplane. Though I still have a question about the story, I enjoyed that movie anyway!

Holy cow!

Articles!

English is very different from Japanese. It takes a lot of time for Japanese people to learn English because of that. Especially, articles often confuse me since Japanese does not have them. One of my American friend said to me, " How can you speak without articles?" I do not know! Speaking without articles is very natural for me. Consequently, if native English speakers study Japanese, they will be puzzled. Anyway, when I speak English, I really care about articles. Nevertheless, if I make a mistake about them, please correct me!

A Curry!!!

Today I hung out with my American friend, Brett. Though he had been sick lately, he recovered from his sickness. However, he was still coughing. I hope that he will get better completely.
Tonight I made a curry for him. A curry is one of the foods that are very easy to make. Thus, it did not take a long time to finish it. Unfortunately, the curry that I made had weak taste because I put too much water into the curry. I am sorry, Brett. I swear to make the best curry next time!

The Karate Club at KSU

Yesterday I had a Karate practice. I belong to the Karate club at KSU. Have I ever done any martial arts? Actually I have never done. However, most of the people besides Japanese think Japanese people have done martial arts such as Karate and Judo because they are very famous and traditional Japanese martial arts. Would you like to know why I started Karate at KSU? The first reason is to make American friends. Actually, since the members of the Karate club are very friendly, I am getting along with them. I am very glad about it. The next reason is that I wanted to work out regularly to keep fit. I think I have been healthy since I began Karate.
I am supposed to take a test to make progress sometime. I need to work out more to prepare for it! I will do my best!

Freaky Buildings!

This is the picture that I took in Chicago.

What Are You Going to Do?

Valentine day is just around the corner. Correctly, it is today! When I talked about Valentine day with my American friend, I was able to know that there was the opposite idea toward that day between American and Japanese people. In the United States, guys tend to propose to thier girl friends on that day with an engagement ring; on the other hand, girls are likely to confess thier love to guys with a chocolate in Japan. Thus, chocolate companies become very busy around that day because it is the best time to sell chocolates. Since there was a possibility that one girl would give me a chocolate, Valentine day used to be a very exciting day for me. Now I do not expect anything... Just because! Anyway, the difference is very interesting. Have great Valentine day!

A Japanese Movie

Yesterday I watched a Japanese movie "Spirited away" with my American friend. His name is John. The movie is very popular in Japan, and the directer of the movie, Hayao Miyazaki, is very famous. There are a lot of Japanese matters such as bathtubs, tatamis, and soot. I think it is difficult for American people to imagine those. Therefore, I was not sure whether he was able to enjoy that movie before we watched. However, after finishing watching, he told me that he really enjoyed it and the story impressed him. I was very glad about his saying. If he was a Japanese, he would understand the movie deeply. I would like to introduce some Japanese movies to my American friends to have fun!

Dear Friend

Hey, buddy! Are you allright? One of my close friends, Brett, is terribly sick. When I met him last week, he coughed a lot; thus, I think it is related to his sickness. I am really worried about him. He is a really nice man. I owe what I am to him because he teaches me lots of English matters and American culture. If he was not my friend, I would not be familiar with those things. At first, he was not interested in Japan much, but he is very concerned with it now. He likes Japanese food and is getting much better at using chopsticks. To my surprise, he told me that he had practiced using them. It is very interesting. I would like to make Japanese food for him as soon as he gets over being sick. I hope to see him soon!

A Korean Market

Today I went to a Korean market with my friend, Shawn. I really appreciate his taking me there. There is the Korean market here. When I came here, I did not know it is here at first, but my Asian friends told me about the korean market. I was very glad about it then. It is very helpful for me bacause I can buy Japanese stuff there; therefore, when it comes to Japanese food, I do not miss it. However, I miss the food that my mom makes. Anyway, the korean market is very popular among Asian people here. I hope it will not go out of business!

My Indian Friend

My Indian friend left for New York this morning. He will be there the day after tomorrow because he is taking not a plane but a train "Amtrak". I met him when one of my Korean froends introduced him to me. I was very surprised at him then because he spoke Japanese very well. Actually, He has lived in Japan for around 8 years. Since he had a good time in Japan, he really likes there. Therefore, we became good friends. Amazingly, he can speak three languages such as English, Indian, and Japanese. I think I cannot do that because I am very busy studying one foreign language. Also, he is a very nice man, and all of the people who are getting along with him say so. He is older than I and has more experiences than I; thus, he really influenced me, and I enjoyed hanging out with him. The reason he left for New York is to get a job. He is hoping to work there. I would like to say to him, " Lots of luck!"

Speaking English

"Am I getting better?" I am always thinking about it. Speaking English is the most difficult skill for me. Listening and writing English are easier. It is typical of Japanese people because we are taught listening and writing English from junior high school. When it comes to speaking, we are not taught very much. As a result, we are not used to it. The people who came from other countries such as Russia, the Czech Republic, and Saudi Arabia are good at speaking English, but they are bad at other skills. Though probably I have been getting better since I came to the United States, I do not feel that. I must learn speaking English by the time I go back to Japan; otherwise, I will waste my parents' money. Since my parents have spent lots of money for me, I do not want to waste it. I really owe what I am to them. That is why I will try to make much more effort at English!