† SB Lunch †

Yesterday(11/29), after Reading class on 2nd period, I went to SB in Machida with my friend to have lunch. I enjoy going to SB even at private when I don't have work. My friend said he has never been and have a chance to go to SB, so as an employee I decided to guide show how SB is like. I demonstrated about the Holiday Promotion beverages, foods and the coffee beans and products we sell. He ordered Dark Cherry Mocha, and I ordered Crème Brûlée Late customized with soy milk. Customizing your beverage with soy milk, you can enjoy a rich and smooth taste of your beverage. By the way, today I worked again at my store and one of my seniors made me a Hot chocolate with soy milk, it was very delicious!! X-9 First, I didn't like soy milk at all, but I really like it now!! Though the calories are the same as ordinary milk, I think it's still healthy than that. And when you heat soy milk, it gets hot faster than ordinary milk, so be careful when you heat soy milk at home!! X-( Also, I order my hot drinks with a mug when I eat-in. It's Eco-friendly to use mugs, and as I said before, SB is my third place, so I try to feel as if I 'm at home. :-)

Anyway, my friend and I had chatted for a long time. We chatted about our class, friends, hobbies, future, etc. I usually have lunch at the cafeteria with my IE2 friends, so I had a different and a nice afternoon.

† Holy Evening †

Yesterday(11/28), I went to the Christmas lightning festival with Miho at Fuchinobe Campus after 4th period class. Advent has started from this week. It is the period to prepare the celebration of Christ's birth which is 4weeks later from now. We all celebrate Christmas, but my Christian Education teacher, Mr. Ito said that some people don't know the real meaning of Christmas. I remember that I used to have a Christmas service like yesterday's festival every year when I was in junior high and senior high school. It is my favorite service of all the seasons.

I was surprised with the number of people participating. We managed to get a seat to service and watch the lighting. The hand bell and the gospel performances were very beautiful. Though it was cold, I thought it was wonderful to have prayers outside. The prayers make me calm and is the time to listen to my inner voice. I usually go to the chapel of Fuchinobe campus at least once a week to sing the hymns, read the bible, listen to the priest's words and have my prayers. I'm very happy that I could continue the services even at university.

I remember Mr. Takasago's prayers saying, "Japan and the world is getting darker each day because of the cruel crimes, economic crisis, terrorism which is happening right now. But Lord, you have gave us light to guide the way out of the darkness. We are grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate Christ's birth which all of us were waiting for."

The candles and the tree was lighten up when we all sung "Silent Night, Holy Night ". It was the most beautiful scene in the festival.

The candles that Miho and I lighted during the festival.

The lighted Christmas tree. It was smaller than I thought. :-(

It was a wonderful time. What a romantic and holy evening it was!!

† IE2 Writing #2 †

Quebec City and Montreal

1B4　Anna Inaba

Quebec City and Montreal are both located in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Both cities use French as their official language and few people use English. They have many similar and different points.

For example, a French explorer, Samuel de Champlain cannot be excluded when talking about the history of these cities. Champlain founded Quebec on July 3, 1608, at the sight of a long abandoned St. Lawrence Iroquoian settlement called Stadacona. To this settlement, the name of the city refers to “Canada”. While in Montreal, 70 years after a French explorer, Jacques Cartier visited the village of Hochelaga insisting the St. Lawrence “The Valley for France” in October 2, 1535, Champlain reported that the St. Lawrence Iroquoians had disappeared from the St. Lawrence Valleys due to the fact that there were inter-tribal wars, European diseases and out-migration. In 1611, Champlain instituted a fur trading post on the Island of Montreal, on the site initially named La Place Royal.

Another similar point is their historical buildings which are the beauty of both cities. In Quebec City, the Château Frontenac Hotel is the most famous historic hotel in Canada. Near the Château Frontenac is the Notre-Dame de Quebec Cathedral which is the mother church of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec and the premarital church of Canada.　Beside the hotel, there is Terrasse Dufferin which is a walkway along the edge of the cliff giving beautiful views of the St. Lawrence. It leads to the Plains of Abraham, the Citadelle of Quebec and the National Assembly are some places where you can see the history of the city with your own eyes. Near the Citadelle of Quebec, the Ramparts which surround most of Old Quebec were declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the “Historic District of Old Quebec”. Montreal was the industrial and financial center of Canada for over a century and a half. The variety of buildings including factories, warehouses, mills and refineries provides a legacy of historic and architectural interest, especially in the downtown and the Old Port area. Today there are still many historical buildings such as the Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Bonsecoures Market and the 19th century headquarters of Canadian banks located in Saint Jacques Street. In 2006, Montreal was also recognized as a UNESCO City of Design, one of the three world design capitals.

Both cities have many beautiful places to see but each city has original festivals which are different points. Quebec City is well known for its Winter Carnival and Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations. The Montmorency Falls and the Basilica of Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré are also the attractions for tourists. The Winter Carnival was established by the idea from the climate of Quebec which is characterized as cold and snowy winters. In Montreal, many festivals are held as it is the heart of classical art and the cultural center of Quebec. The Place des Arts is compounded by different concert and theatre halls surrounding a large open-spaced square in the downtown. Many concerts are held here and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra is well-known. The plaza of the Place des Arts is the home of the most important events during several musical festivals such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Montreal Francofolies. In addition, Just for Laughs Festival, a comedy festival held in French and English and the Montreal Fireworks Festival is the most popular festival in terms of attendance. There are many festivals and parades which men and women of all ages can enjoy in Montreal.

Though there are many similar and different points between Quebec City and Montreal, both cities attract many tourists around the world by their beauty of historical buildings, modern landscapes which are recognized as a world heritage and their mixture of French and Canadian culture. These are the most common points you can enjoy and discover when visiting these two cities.

The landscape of Quebec City and the Château Frontenac Hotel

The landscape of Montreal City

† Lunch@Ginza †

Today, I went to Ginza with Aoi after working at SB.

We first went to Uniqlo, Zara, H&M and window shopped.
I want new winter clothes, so I checked many items. I especially want winter coats because I've only have 2. X-(

After window shopping, we went to Ginza Bairin, a restaurant which serves delicious breaded pork cutlets and other breaded fried dishes. This restaurant is located only in Ginza and Honolulu(Hawaii!!). We both ordered Pork cutlet-rice lunch set. The crust of the cutlet was very crispy, and the pork was very tender and juicy. Very delicious!!!!! I recommend you going to this restaurant. http://www.ginzabairin.com/

After lunch, we walked to Yurakucho and looked at many clothes and window shopped more. We both got tired so we stopped to have some tea-break. We went to my favorite French cafe, Paul. We ordered a cake set. You can chose your favorite cake, tarts and a drink for 840yen!! A very reasonable price for a cake-lover like me!! X-9 You can also have lunch and buy various types of bread since it's a bakery. The sandwiches and bread are very delicious. I like Paul very much because it makes me feel like being in another space from the busy city of Tokyo. Also the cafe is a French style interior, which I very like. I also recommend you going here. Boy, we sure chatted a lot, and time sure flied!!!!

http://www.pasconet.co.jp/paul/index.html

I usually enjoy going to many shops in Ginza after my job. Please let me know when you visit Ginza, Yurakucho or Tokyo. I'll take you to my favorite shops and cafes. ;-)

† IE2 Book Report †

１B4　Anna Inaba

Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a Geisha: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 428 pages, 1997

Summary: Sakamoto Chiyo was born in Yoroido, a poor fishing village. Since she was poor and her parents couldn’t　take care of her and her sister, a wealthy man named Tanaka Ichiro sold Chiyo to an okiya, a geisha house in Kyoto for slavery.　　Tanaka thought that leaving a beautiful girl like Chiyo in a poor village was nothing for her life. Her sister was also sold to another okiya and Chiyo was forced to work as a maid of Hatsumomo, the cruel and selfish geisha in the Nitta Okiya. Later then, she receives a letter from Mr. Tanaka noticing that her parents passed away. Chiyo was desprate and alone, nothing to live on until she meets Iwamura Ken, the Chairman of Iwamura Electric who changes Chiyo’s life to become one of the top geishas in Gion. After she meets Iwamura, she becomes a “Younger Sister” of Mameha, one of the most famous geishas in Japan and trains her skills even though Hatsumomo still does cruel things to her. As she becomes a successful geisha by the age of 16, Chiyo’s name was changed to Nitta Sayuri. Sayuri never forgot about Iwamura and secretly fell in love for 18 years since her encounter with him. Coincidently, Sayuri had many chances to entertain at parties of Iwamura Electric. During W.W.Ⅱ, Sayuri lived and worked sewing parachutes with a family called Arashino. Also, she had two “Danna”s but couldn’t give up loving Iwamura. After W.W.Ⅱ, Iwamura confessed that he was the one who asked Mameha to make her become one of the top geishas and waited Sayuri for 18 years to be her “Danna”. After his proposal, Sayuri spent the rest of her life living in New York City, opening her teahouse for Japanese businessmen and politicians.

Setting: Kyoto, Japan. During the Great Depression to the end of W.W.Ⅱ

Point of View: This story is told from the first person.

Conflict: Sayuri vs. Hatsumomo
Hatsumomo hated Sayuri ever since Sayuri came to the Nitta Okiya. She always thought what would make Sayuri’s life miserable and drive her out from Gion.

Climax: After Mameha, one of the most known geisha in Japan becomes Chiyo‘s “Older Sister”, Chiyo success to become one of the top geishas and changes her name to Nitta Sayuri, and drives Hatsumomo out from Gion.

Symbol: Kimono, tea ceremony, dance, shamisen, nagauta, tsutsumi.
These are the skills maids learn at school to become a geisha which represents some of the Japanese culture.

Irony: Sayuri couldn’t reach to Iwamura who she was secretly in love with for 18 years, even though she met and entertained him at many parties. Other men propose Sayuri to be her “Danna”, but not Iwamura.

Theme: The theme of the book is “To overcome problems by bearing and improving your skills and make the best use of your ability and charm.” At first, Chiyo was always tricked by Hatsumomo and got into trouble during her days as a maid in the okiya, and even after becoming a geisha, Sayuri was bothered by Hatsumomo with her make-up stories to worsen Sayuri’s reputation. But in the end, thanks to Mameha, Sayuri endured and improved her skills to become the top geishas, which made Mother decide to adopt Sayuri and drive Hatsumomo out from Gion.

Evaluation: Though the story is very long, the vocabularies were not difficult than I expected so I did not have any difficulties reading it. The expressions were beautiful and there were many figures of speech to picture the scenes easily. Also, reading this book was a wonderful opportunity to know what a geisha’s life is like. As the author of the book is American, it was written precisely so that foreign people can image and understand the Japanese culture even if they have not been to Japan before. My favorite scene which is the ending when Iwamura confessed that he was the one who asked Mameha to be Sayuri’s “Older Sister” to train her to become one of the top geishas and waited Sayuri for 18 years to be her “Danna”, which was when Sayuri finally reached to Iwamura. From this scene, I was surprised how pure Sayuri’s heart was for wishing her love to come true for many years. I would recommend this book especially who likes Japanese culture and girls who are wishing for their love would come true someday like Sayuri.

† IE2 Writing †

The Sphinx of Delft

1B4 Anna Inaba

Johannes Vermeer (Jan Vermeer) was one of the famous Dutch painters in the 17th century. Relatively little is known about his life. Some registers and a few official documents are the only sources of information. This is why Vermeer was named “The Sphinx of Delft” by Thoré-Bürger, a French art critic.

Vermeer was born in 1632, in Delft the Netherlands. The precise date of his birth is unknown but it is known that he was baptized on October 31st 1632 in the Reformed Church in Delft. In 1652, after his father, Reynier Vermeer died, Johannes inherited the Mechelen, a large inn which the Vermeer family bought in Delft, and became a merchant of paintings as his father.

Vermeer became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, a trade association for painters in 1653. Though he was apprenticed as a painter, it is not certain where or whom he studied with. It is generally believed that he learned in Delft and he was taught by either Carel Fabritius (1622-1654) or Leonaert Bramer (1596-1674).

In 1662 he was elected as the head of the guild and reelected in 1663, 1670 and 1671, evidence that he was considered as an established craftsman among his peers, and a respectable middle-class citizen.

Despite the fact that Vermeer was a successful painter in Delft, it is said that he had many financial difficulties. After a severe economic downturn which demands for luxurious items such as paintings decreased struck the Netherlands in 1672 (so-called rampjaar), Vermeer’s both businesses as a painter and an art dealer damaged consequently. Vermeer got into dept for this tragedy and died in 1675, leaving his wife and eleven children with very little money and several debts.

Vermeer has left paintings which are well-known today. Most of his works are mostly about ordinary life of Dutch society in the 17th century, from the portrayal of a milkmaid at work to the luxury and splendor of notables and merchants. Religious and scientific connotations can also be found in his works. The most famous paintings may be the “Milkmaid” (1658-1660) and the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (1665). Vermeer mainly paints many women as a model but the “Milkmaid” is the only painting which portrays a woman who works. This painting was exhibited in Ueno, Japan in 2007. “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is also called the “Mona Lisa of the North”. It became famous by the novel “Girl with a Pearl Earring” written by Tracy Chevalier in 2000. This painting does not have any stories or lessons, unlike the other paintings. It was also exhibited in Osaka, Japan in 2000.

Even though Vermeer is now famous all over the world, he was virtually forgotten for nearly 200 years. In 1866, Thoré-Bürger published an essay attributing 66 pictures to Vermeer. Today 35 are only firmly attributed. Since that time, Vermeer’s reputation has grown and now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age, and is particularly renowned for his masterly treatment and use of light in his work. His marvelous works inspire us and will inspire the next generations.

† Lovely Gift from Kyoto †

Yesterday(11/21), I met my friend since there was no class on 3rd period. He belongs to a different department of AGU but a classmate of Education Psychology and Jurisprudence class that we have on 3rd and 4th period of Friday.

2weeks passed since I last met him so we chatted for a long time. He said he went to Kyoto with his friend last Friday and gave me a lovely souvenir!! It's a Furoshiki. (I've folded into 1/4 to take this picture.)

I have been to Kyoto once when I was 2years old (my parents say), but it's better to say I've never been there because I don't remember anything. I didn't go to Kyoto even at a school trip!! So I want to go there someday.

I was very happy but also surprised that he chose a design that I really like, even though I didn't say anything about my favorite color or design.
Thank you very much!!

† Perfume †

Do you know Perfume?? They are one of the popular idols in Japan right now!! Today, I'm going to write about them. :-)

The members of Perfume are (from the top) Ayaka Nishiwaki (西脇綾香), Ayano Omoto (大本彩乃) and Yuka Kashino (樫野有香).
Each member has a nickname; A-chan(あ～ちゃん), Nocchi(のっち) and Kashiyuka(かしゆか).

They have major debuted in 2005. At first,their songs were well-known via the Internet .
When Perfume released "Polirythm" last year, they became famous widely in Japan. Since then, they have released singles such as "Baby Cruising Love", "Secret, secret", "Love the World", which all songs are smash hit songs. They have participated in music festivals such as "Summer Sonic 2008" and "ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2008" and also succeeded preforming their individual live at Nihon Budoukan on 11/6, 7. (『森永乳業 エスキモー pino presents BUDOUKaaaaaaaaaaN!!!!!』 )
I wanted to go to "BUDOUKaaaaaaaaaaN!!!!!", but my schedule was full with class ;-(

To tell the truth, I do not like idols except for Arashi and Perfume.
It was a simple reason why I started listening to Perfume's songs.
"They are seniors of Porno Graffitti in the talent production; Amuse."
(Amuse is famous for Southern All Stars, Masaharu Fukuyama, Flow, Haruma Myuura, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Eri Fukatsu and many other musicians and talents!! :-D )

I like Perfume because they are not just an ordinary idol; they are techno-pop idols!! The chorus of each song get stuck into your mind. I felt something new when I first listened to their music.
All songs are produced by Yasutaka Nakata, who is a musician. He has his own group called "Capsule", which is also techno music.

In addition, Perfume has a particular dance performances which is another fascinating point. Since I used to take jazz dance lessons when I was little, I like to dance and try to imitate Perfume's or other dancer's (just for fun).
Even though Perfume's dance steps look easy, it's a little difficult because the steps are pretty fast!!! I need to play the MV a few times to copy. Now I'm copying the steps of "Secret, secret" and "Dream Fighter" which are my favorite Perfume songs!!

Lastly, it may be weird for me to say that I think they are cute!! I want to be pretty and cute like them. I especially like Kashiyuka.
I hope I can go to their lives someday!! Actually, I'm planing to go next year with my friend.

Keep up the good work Perfume!!! :-D

† Beautiful Days †

On Wednesday(11/5), after working at SB as usual, I went to HMV at Toyosu to buy Arashi's latest single which was released that day. The new song is called "Beautiful Days" which is the theme song of the drama, "Ryusei no Kizuna". I also bought a TV guide because they were on the front page!!

I'm happy that Arashi is working a lot. I can often see them on media. Now,they are on tour and their stage in Shanghai will be preformed on 11/15,16. After they finish their Asia Tour, they will have a 10th anniversary concert in Japan.

† Happy Halloween!! †

Yesterday(10/31), I went to Tokyo Disneyland with my AGU friends. It has been a while since I went to TDL, so I was very excited from the day before!!

Because I love Disney and my house is near from Tokyo Disney Resort, I try to go at least once a year. It takes only about 10~15 minutes by train.

It was the last day for the event "Disney's Halloween 2008". It was my first time to go during the Halloween period. It was crowded than I thought!!

Since it's Halloween, you can dress up into your favorite Disney character!!(only 10/25~31)Many people were dressed up and I was surprised that the costumes were made very well!!
Next year when I go to Disney's Halloween, I want to dress up too!!

We went from the opening and stayed until the closure so we rode many attractions and saw many parades!! I love to watch the shows and parades than riding many rides.

This is the parade that we saw in the afternoon. It's called "Let's go Villains".The Disney Villains try to take over Halloween, but Mickey and his friends fight to save the Halloween party!! The audience's participation is also the power to save Halloween from the Villains!!! XD I enjoyed this parade and it was fun participating too!!

"Let's go Villains!" #1

"Let's Go Villains!"#2 (Continuing from #1)

The dancer's costumes were all very stylish. I like, the spotted costume, which is designed like Cruella De Vil, the red and black one designed like a devil, the pink one which Minnie was wearing, the guards of the Queen of Hearts and the one Mickey was wearing.

Here are some pictures I have taken. I forgot to bring my camera, so I took these with my cell phone. I wanted to take more, but the batteries of my phone run out fast, so I couldn't.X(

The Haunted Mansion turns into a special version during the Halloween season, a collaboration Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and the main characters appear in the attraction. It was cute rather than spooky. ;) My favorite characters in this film are Jack and Zero.

These pictures are from an another parade that we saw after lunch. The parade is called "Jubilation", celebrating Tokyo Disneyland's 25th anniversary!!

I also took pictures of "Let's go Villains!" But most of them are not beautiful enough to upload. Since I couldn't get a good place to watch the parade, I had to zoom my camera as possible. Can you see Daisy, Cruella De Vil and the dancer ??

I love to buy souvenirs!! I can't leave TDR without the shopping and I don't even care how much I spend as long as could find something that I really want!!

Unfortunately, the popular Halloween souvenirs were mostly sold out (since it was the last day of the event) and I couldn't get what I really wanted to buy. :( Instead, I bought these Halloween souvenirs. They are ornaments and have candies or biscuits inside. (Sorry to say this, but) Though they were left-overs, I think they are cute!! Don't you think so?? :)

This one below is the 25th anniversary souvenir. I going to give this to my IE classmates!! :)
I can't tell you what it is for now!! Or…Do you already know????!!!!

It was my first time to go to TDR with my AGU friends and had a lot of fun. I want to go with the same members again. If it's possible, I also want to go with my IE classmates as a class meeting someday!! :D

By the way, what's your favorite attraction or show in Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Disney Sea?? I want to hear your comments♥♥