Saturday, December 11, 2010

Tetsuwan DASH

This TV program is TOKIO member do various things. To be restored tidal flats, to make dream mascine such as "Takekoputa"(This is one of the most famous secret tool in Doraemon) and so on.
Especially, DASH village is very interesting feature. DASH village have many kinds of crops not only we can eat but also we can use for various scenes but we can't eat. This is the perfect self-sufficiency. In addition, there are very many kinds of animals in DASH village because they also maintain the mountain which is in DASH village. However, where is the DASH village? Rumor has it that DASH village is in Fukushima or three prefectures are in Kitakanto region. I want to go.
By the way, there are some features. For example, TOKIO member visit a place and look for something in this place. We can know the difference of the culture in Japan.
So this TV program is very nice not only the people who want to enjoy watching but also the people who study biology, engineering and so on.

Koichiro Sasaki

Friday, December 10, 2010

MOS BURGER

I living the dorm, and there is a "mos burger" , this is the hamberger shop, near the my dorm. So, I often go to this shop. I want you to eat this shops' dessert. There are many variety and every one is good. Especially, I like "souffle custard pudding". This is limited this season, and 260 yen. This is warm, so, I suggest to eat it when cold day.
Hamburger is good, too. But price is little more higher than another humburger shops' it.
If you have never go to this shop, I want you to go to there. I think, you'll like this shop, too.

Casablanca

The story happened during the Second World War. Rick worked for American Intelligence Agency in Paris. One day he met with Ilsa in Paris. They soon fell in love and planned to marry. However, with the German's march into Paris, they had to give up the plan and wished to get to Marseilles by train and married there. But just before the leaving by train, Rick received a letter from Ilsa, saying that she couldn't go with him. So he had to pass through many places to Casablanca and runs a Cafe there. One night, he met Ilsa at his Cafe, who escaped with her husband to Casablanca. They hoped to obtain exit visas here and escaped to the New World At first, Rick can't forgive that Ilsa's gone back on her word. At first he refuses to help them get the exit visas. Learning this Ilsa determines to go alone to see Rick.

Then Ilsa tells Rick that why she had to leave him without any explanation. In fact when Ilsa met Rick, she had married Laszlo, one of the leaders of French underground Party organization. Shortly after their marriage, Laszlo was apprehended by Gestapo. Soon the word came that Laszlo was shot to death when trying to escape the concentration camp. When she met Rick, she found he is her true love. But when she planed to leave Paris with Rick, her friend came to tell her that Laszlo was alive. He was very sick and needed her. She had no choice but left without saying goodbye. Another important reason is that she dared not tell anybody she had married Laszlo, an important leader of the French Resistance. If Gestapo found out she was Laszlo's wife, it would be dangerous for her and Rick. Learning this Rick forgives Ilsa. When Rick see that Laszlo also loves Ilsa deeply, and for their more important cause, he decided to sacrifice his love. Rick takes a risk to help the Laszlos get the exit visas. At the airport Rick see off his loved women and her husband leave Casablanca。

Thursday, December 09, 2010

How to learn a second language well

I want to say a little about language learning. actually,after I chose japanese as my major,I used to be regret.I didn’t know how to learn a foreign language well.It is like that you drop into the sea,unfortunately,you can’t swim.But fortunately, I met a lot of good teachers.They help me to find 4 effective ways to learn japanese.
First, Spend the time.By far the most important factor is how much time you are immersed in the language. The more time you spend with the language, the faster you will learn. This means listening, reading, writing, speaking, and studying words and phrases. This does not mean sitting in class looking out the window, nor listening to other students who do not speak well, nor getting explanations in your own language about how the language works. This means spending time enjoyably connected to the language you are learning.
Second,Listen and read every day.Listen wherever you are on your MP3 player, this will create you a environment about what you are learning. Read what you are listening to. Listen to and read things that you like, things that you can mostly understand, or even partly understand. If you keep listening and reading you will get used to the language. One hour of listening or reading is more effective than many hours of class time. If you put your heart into.
Third,focus on words, phrases, grammars.Build up your vocabulary, you’ll need lots. Start to notice words and how they come together as phrases. Learn these words and phrases through your listening and reading. Read online, using online dictionaries, and make your own vocabulary lists for review, this would be helpful. Soon you will run into your new words and phrases elsewhere. Gradually you will be able to use them. Do not worry about how accurately you speak until you have accumulated a plenty of words through listening and reading.

Forth,take responsibility for your own learning.If you do not want to learn the language, you won’t. If you do want to learn the language, take control. Choose content of interest, that you want to listen to and read. Seek out the words and phrases that you need to understand your listening and reading. Do not wait for someone else to show you the language, nor to tell you what to do. Discover the language by yourself, like a child growing up. Talk when you feel like it. Write when you feel like it. A teacher cannot teach you to become fluent, but you can learn to become fluent if you want to.
Learning a foreign language is very difficult.And the point is that if you can find some ways to help you. now I found it.And you?

Akatsuki

I'm sorry. This is the previous homework.

Do you know "Akatsuki" ? Akatsuki is a Japanese satellite which investigating the Venus. It was launched from Tanegashima with H-2A rocket on May 21th. But, it failed the orbital injection. I'll talk about this satellite.

The Venus is very similar to the Earth. For example, the Venus is 0.82 times as heavy as the Earth, and its diameter is also 0.95 times as long as that of the Earth. And, it is thought that the inside structure of the Venus is similar to that of th Earth. Therefore, if the Venus is investigated, the birth of the Earth may be revealed. So, the investigation of the Venus is very important.

To investigate the Venus, Japan launched this satellite, Akatsuki, the official name "PLANET-C". It had cruised on the right track. But, on December 7th, it failed to attain the orbital of the Venus. To attain the orbital, Akatsuki's reverse jet must last for 12 minutes, but this time, it lasted only for a few minutes.

Akatsuki has the next chance to attain the orbital after 6 years. But it made for using 4.5 years. So, it is difficult to complete the next chance. Now, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is researching the cause. They succeeded to return "Hayabusa", a satellite to investigate a small planet, from the space miraculously. So, Akatsuki may miraculously succeed the attain the orbital to the Venus after 6 years.

Exercise is important!

Do you exercise? It is cold these days, but you should not be idle long time at home. If you do not exercise, your body saves a lot of fats and your muscles get thin and weak. Muscles are important to keep your body healthy because about 40% of basal metabolism is consumed by muscles. This is the highest consumption of basal metabolism.

If you determine to exercise, I suggest that you do two types of exercise.
First, anaerobic exercise is efficient to get muscles strong and consume a lot of energies. It is also good point of anaerobic exercise that you can finish exercise in short time. But anaerobic exercise is very hard both physically and mentally. Especially you must not do anaerobic exercise if you have a problem of heart or blood vessel of brain.
Differently from anaerobic exercise, aerobic exercise is easy to do. Generally speaking, fats are consumed 20 minutes after starting aerobic exercise, but it is not true. Fats are consumed just after starting exercise. So you do not have to worry about your exercising time. The fault of aerobic exercise is that it is difficult to do that in room.
So you need to change your exercise type to fit into the situation.

If you understand the importance of exercise, let's try some exercises!

University students' everyday lives

These days, university students are becoming busier than before because of the many things that they have to do. For example, studying, doing part-time jobs, taking part in club activities, and living by themselves.

University students are always studying hard to realize their dreams in the future. In contrast to compulsory education, they have to study on their own resonsibilities.

In addition, they do part-time jobs if they have free time. They save a lot of money and spend it buying the things that they use for their everyday lives, enjoying their hobbies, and so on.

They are also joining in club or circle activities. They enjoy their activities with their friends and have a good time.

Some of university students are living by themselves. They have to do a lot of housework, for example, washing clothes, cleaning rooms, preparing meals, and so on.

People often say, "University life is very enjoyable and it is like a paradise." However, it may be true that university life is busier than any other school life.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Zombiepowder

There is Voodoo sorcery in Africa. The religion has a original formality. They punish wrongdoer with "Zombiepowder". Voodoo was brought to haiti in the early 16 century, so their formality had taken place and some people regained in the past.

According to my memory, when a man broke their rules, he would be made to take "Zombiepowder" and killed once and buried in their formality. And after hours, he was dug up and was to be a slave.

I heard that a professor was interested in its powder and studied about ingredients in it. The powder contains two main poisons.
First one is Tetrodotoxin which can be find in blowfish organs. This poison prevent motor nerves from working normally.If he took the drag, his body would be just stiffened.
Another one is stramonium. The plant is the member of eggplant. Ths poison acts on a brain directly and take the self away from the taker.

To sum up, a zombiepowder taker just cannot move the body but the brain. They want him to be a slave, so they bury him and show his family that he has been dead. This is the way they deal with wrongdoer.

I got this information from a TV program namd "Tokumei research "200X" twelve years ago. I have a recollection about it that I did not think that I want to be brought back to life.

High cost of living in HIROSAKI

Having seen Josua’s complainment about the high cost of living in HIROSAKI in her blog, a willing crossed my mind and after checking my wallet I was stunned! 210,000 yen has been spent. That means over a quarter of the whole money I brought from CHINA for this one year’s life. That also means not even another 6 month I will run out of money! Life in HIROSAKI is really expensive!
  Firstly, the food here is very expensive. When I went to the U-MATO the first time, I was surprised to find 10 kg rice with price tag written 3588! At this price in my hometown you can buy 80 kg tasty rice. Besides,  meat and vegetables are also five times of my hometown averagely. However, the most expensive food is fruit, which is almost ten times when compared with my hometown.
  Secondly, the house rent is very high. Although I live in the international house and it is much cheaper than renting house outside, if count in cost of gaswaterinternet fee and electricity it will up to 15,000yen a month. That is as much as I paid in my past university for one year.
  Thirdly, the cost of social contact here is very expensive. Most time I have to decline invites from my friends for the short of money, even though I’m so willing to go with them. However, I need friends and I can't spend all my time in my room.
  I have tried my best to keep the living expense low. I even begin to cook almost every meal by myself ,which is unusual for a man to cook in CHINA. However, the money just burns a hole in my pocket.

Avian influenza

You know, the influenza goes around every year in winter. Have you already been inoculated against it? If you already have done so, you are right. However, maybe you are not always safe. Because, unfortunately, new kinds of influenza viruses is becoming a social problem. I want to tell about one of them "Avian influenza".

What's "Avian influenza"? It is viruses mainly to be infected with birds and increase in their intestinal tracts. Infected waterfowls with it don't appear the symptoms. On the other hand, infected fowls with it often appear the symptoms because the viruses have strong poisons when they infect fowls. For example as their symptoms, subcutaneous hemorrhages of legs, bleeding of cockscombs or crib death.

As the route of infection, the viruses mostly mediate excrements and infect other birds. It is thought that Avian influenza doesn't infect easily from the bird to a person since birds and human beings species are different.

Then, why Avian influenza is so dangerous for human beings? The reason is that viruses often vary in RNA. In other words, there is a possibility that they infect human being. The problem is very serious. In fact, some people have been infected with them. However, fortunately, they can't infect a person to another person as yet.

If the spread of an infection happen, it is expected that many people will die from it. I hope that such bad situations don't happen.



HIROKO NEPUTA

I will talk about a summer event. I graduated from Hirosaki high school. In Hirosaki high school, there are not only lessons but also many events. One of the most exciting events is a school festival. The name of the festival is “HIROKOSAI”. The main is Neputa. It is said "HIROKO NEPUTA".

Neputa is one of the traditional events in Aomori prefecture. It is called “Nebuta” in Aomori, on the other hand, called “Neputa” in Hirosaki. In the event, people parade with big dolls that are made of bamboo, wood, wire, paper, and so on. There are three types of Neputa. The shapes are fan in Hirosaki, doll in Aomori, and standing doll in Goshogawara. The latter is so high and called “Tatinebuta”. In our school, we make a doll Neputa every one class for the annual festival. Students are divided into some groups in class. One group make the frame of dolls out of wire, another group make a car to put the dolls out of wood, and the other group make the electrical wiring to light up the dolls from the inside.

The remarkable point is that the period of preparation is short. We have to finish making it within about ten days.During the period, classes are shortened and all students work after school. In addition, even if it’s holiday, we work as much as we can. Some classes, however, go on working until just before the start every year. Anyway the 21 kinds of Neputa stand in line in front of a school building in the end and we go out to town in evening. At the moment, we forget how tired and our emotion reaches a peak. While we are parading, some people play a Japanese flute, others beat a Japanese drum, and all the others say “ya-yado-.“ It is so hot and exciting time.

Through this event, I found it important to work together and accomplish a common purpose. And by getting experience from beginning to end, I could realize how great the tradition of Aomori is. So, “HIROKO NEPUTA” is one of the most memorable events in summer.

Monday, December 06, 2010

This week, I would like to speak about the cost of living in Hirosaki, especially about my own expenses, which are quite higher than I was expecting them to be.


First, I'm getting lost with all those bills for the electricity, gas and water I receive each 2 or 3 days. Because it's written in Japanese, I don't quite catch the meaning, and always think "Hey! Haven't I already paid for this last week ?" . The only I can read for sure is the price, written much bigger than the rest of the paper, and it often makes me feel so astonished that I have to sit for a while.

There is also the health insurrance to pay, and I just did it today with a korean friend. The lady first told me that, because I was late, I was expected to pay a supplement ! But even if it's the same way in France with any insurance contract, I still don't understand why I had to pay for october and november, which are already finished and when I wasn't even sick !


Next problem is the price of food, especially the meat, in Japan. Before coming here, I was thinking that life in Japan surely had to be much cheaper than in France !!! In my country, I barely complained about the high cost of the products I bought in the supermarket ! I must confess that I'm a bad cook, so I'm used to buying food that is easy to prepare (or already made), and I can tell you that in France the way of living is very expensive ! But if I do the same in japan, I'm often surprised by the total price it can reach. Since I came to Japan, I haven`t been eating breakfast like I used to, and I eat less and less meat (only at the university cafeteria).


Besides food, my other expenses are limited. Sometimes, I spend some 1000 or 2000 yen for a karaoke party, or else, with my friend, but most of the time I have to decline their invite.
Surely, I can't spend all my time in my room, so I get out sometimes for trips too. Thus, I went with some friends to Asamushi by train, to visit the aquarium, go to the onsen, eat at some restaurant, and somehow, even if the price was not so expensive but well-calculated, my wallet was empty after that day.


But I don't think I have much more to complain about, because I live in the International House, Which rent is really low (5900 yen per month), and I must confess that one of my japanese friends always takes me out to some restaurants (maybe 2 or 3 times a week), and elsewhere too, and the person who payes is alway him. And I have found a job, quite easy, very interesting, and well paid so I should consider myself very lucky, compared to other students.


I would really like to know your opinion about the cost of living in hirosaki, my fellow foreign students, and you too of course, dear japanese friends in the same class as me.

see you

visual kei or visual rock

In the 1980's, Japan discovered a new kind of music, harder than rock music. Moreover, bands wore gothic costumes and used make-up. It was the birth of visual kei. Visual kei means a visual movement. At that time, its particularity was a strong kind of visual identity in which music was nearly placed in the second place. If, for a long time, visual kei was specially based in Japan, it had been spred, since few years through out the world.

Due to the indies labels and notably the label of the drummer of the japanese band X Japan, who was the first band to create and use visual kei, this movement grew up quickly. Soon, this recording label had contracts with almost all the visual kei bands of that period.

However, this music was still considered as "post-punk rock music". The term "visual kei" has been used for the first time by one of the guitarist player of X Japan. It shows the obviousness of visual esthetic. In fact, each band is defined by its look: hair colored, extravagant costums, overdone make-up...

Thanks to the label of the drummer of X Japan, Visual kei has been developped through out of the world. This is due to broadcasting of those bands on internet. So, everyone is the world can listen to visual rock.

Nowaday, visual kei has changed tack: a tendency of less overload of effects and a new stronger place for music. Bands think it will be a good mean to enter the international market.

Fibonacci number

Today, I want to introduce a mysterious progression "Fibonacci number" because I thought it is very interesting when I knew it. My mathematics teacher taught it for me last year.



"In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers
are the numbers in the following
integer
sequence
: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34,
55, 89, 144, ...


By definition, the first two Fibonacci numbers are 0 and 1, and each
subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. Some sources omit the
initial 0, instead beginning the sequence with two 1s.In mathematical terms, the
sequence Fn of Fibonacci numbers is defined by the recurrence relation "



A lot of Fibonacci number appear in the phenomena of the natural world. For example, the number of petals is almost Fibonacci number or the number of sunflower seeds is Fibonacci number. They are very mysterious.















Sunday, December 05, 2010

My high school life

I was a member of T&F club and student council in my high school. So this time, I want to write about that.


At first, I want to talk about the club. I was a discus thrower(but no one can guess my event once a time) Although I couldn't leave good result, I had a good time. Sometimes we quarreled and fell out, but it is precious thing to exist friends who can talk true feeling. So we tried practicing hard with encouraging each other and we overcome any difficulties. If I tried only me, I might miscarry. I think the thing which is the most important is not result but connection and process or I COULDN'T think it is a good memory. Although training is very hard then, I want to come back at that time.

Then, I will write about Student Council. Anyway, I must apologize to Student Council members because I work what I want. I examine myself that I should have been more sensible. I am not good at speaking in public so I avoid it. So my work is almost behind work such as making materials, adjustment. But I force Student Council members to work. I think it is natural to have hard feeling about me. That's because I didn't do most important work, speaking in public. Maybe another factors are in hiding. But the vengeance of Heaven comes down on me, I must read the reply.. At first, I am afraid of the failure. But to my surprise, some of he people(not only Student Council) encouraged me. I thought they(Student Council members) bear against me, so I was glad to hear that. Although the reply was not perfect, I didn't mangle our graduation ceremony. Now I can write these sentences thanks to the friends' support. I must appreciate to them.

Koichiro Sasaki