Autumn

Temperatures are dropping, so autumn is really here now. We've started eating hot pot (nabe) at home already. What have you been doing lately? Did you go to the school festival?

Do you have any plans to go and check out the autumn leaves? I'm going to for a walk with my family on the 26th, although I expect next weekend (the 19th and 20th) to be the best time (I have to go to Tokyo for a teacher's conference). If you want to see some good autumn scenes, one of my favorite places is Tofuku-ji temple in Kyoto. I'd recommend you see it sometime. This photo is one of the most famous views. Have you been there?

J-universities

Academics, both Japanese and foreign, often complain about the overall standard of Japanese universities. They describe the situation as one where students are not motivated to study because they know that future employers will judge them by the name of the university they graduate from, not the grades they get.

For a long time there has been an acceptance in Japan that university is a time for students to relax after "exam hell", and that everyone will graduate regardless of how much study they do, or how poor their results.

One foreign professor recently suggested that students who perform badly should fail/ not be allowed to graduate (the same as everywhere else in the world).
What do you think of this idea? How do you feel about the Japanese university system as it is now?

Scary stories

It's only a week until Halloween. Do you do anything for Halloween? It was never a big thing around where I grew up in Australia, although I've enjoyed Halloween parties in fancy dress as an adult with other foreigners and Japanese in Japan. We all see a lot about American activities on that night in movies, but celebrating the night goes back many centuries, at least 800 years, to Britain. It was a prelude to All Souls Day, when people prayed for/respected the memory of their dead relatives (something like O-bon).

Anyway, for your next blog post, please write something with a scary theme, for example something scary that happened to you or that you were told. Another idea would be to write about any fears you have. What are you not afraid of now that you used to be afraid of when you were younger? What are you afraid of now that you were not afraid of when you were younger? How do you overcome your fears? etc.

I've sometimes felt scared in airplanes at night when flying through violent storms, with the plane rocking around in the turbulance. My worst moment was when climbing on a mountain and for a short time being in a unexpected position where if I'd slipped I would have fallen hundreds of meters down to the ground.

My favorite season

Visitors to Japan are sometimes surprised or amused to hear Japanese say "I love Japan because we have four seasons!!". Most countries in the world have four seasons. Probably what people mean to say is "Japan's seasons are so distinct!", which I think is true. It's easy to notice the day when one season ends and the next begins.

Australians of European origin living in northern Australia tend to say that they have two seasons (wet and dry), because it's never cold. On the other hand, aborigines living in the northern countryside say they recognize 7 seasons, based on subtle changes in nature! It reminds me that seasons are a matter of human perception.

Anyway, spring is my favorite season, for several reasons. First of all, I hate winter (because it's cold and everyone gets sick), so it feels great when the days start to get warmer. It's even enjoyable to watch the weather report on TV and hear that the next day will be one degree warmer, and maybe the day after that will be another one or two degrees warmer.

I think our moods are affected by the weather, because winter is the time I'm most likely to feel negative or gloomy, whereas in spring I tend to feel optimistic and enthusiastic about things. As I enjoy going to temples or places in the countryside, or spending time in my own garden, spring is also a good season for seeing various flowers, including cherry blossoms, rhododendrons (tsutsuji), and hydrangeas (ajisai). 

How about you?  What is your favorite season, and why?  Give at least three reasons, and explain them (maybe with examples).

Research essay schedule

This is the plan for how I expect the semester to work out. There may be small adjustments along the way, if necessary.

Print out all Internet sources you use, make photocopies of relevant pages from books you use, and keep all your notes together. They must be submitted with your first draft.

Essay outline due:10/31 (or bring to my office at lunch time or Period 3 on 11/7)
First draft (including sources and notes) due: 11/21
Second draft due: 12/12 (700 words)
Short oral presentation to the class about your topic: 12/19 (speak for 5-6 minutes)

Essay: 40% Presentation: 10% (Total 50%)

My favorite subject

My favorite subject at elementary and high school was history. For example, I was fascinated to hear of the journeys of discovery made by explorers many hundreds of years ago. In the 1400s people still believed the world was flat, so that if you sailed far enough you would sail over the edge (and die). There were also stories about horrible giant creatures that lived under the sea and could destroy ships. Sailing through storms in the small ships of those days was extremely dangerous as well. However, some European men were determined to face any risks in order to find a sea route to India. Do you know why (it would be a good research question)?

Vasco da Gama, of Portugal, was the first to achieve this in 1497. It was the dawning of an era of massive changes. I like history because it explains why the world is the way it is today. As the saying goes, "Those who don't know about the mistakes of history are bound to repeat them".

Anyway, what was your favourite subject at high school, and why? Try to give examples.

Summer

Welcome back to KGU! How was your summer? I hope you were able to do everything you wanted to.

My summer was okay, not so amazing really. I went to Hokkaido for a couple of weeks with my family. We flew into Hakodate at first, and checked out the famous night view of course. Besides that there wasn't much special to see, but it's a pleasant town. At first we thought we'd entered a time warp and gone back to the 1950s (it seems quite innocent and simple compared to Osaka). One day we went to the horse races and lost a bit of money, but it was fun. I was surprised that my wife was so into it.

The part of the trip I enjoyed most was when we stayed in a rented cottage just outside Niseko for 4 days. It was really quiet at night, with starry skies and just the sound of crickets and birds breaking the silence. One day we climbed to the top of a mountain (see the photo). The ropeway took us to near the top, but for the last 1300 meters we had to walk up a steep dirt path over large rocks and tree roots. I was carrying Sophie on my back, so I had to stop several times to catch my breath. It felt satisfying to finally get to the top and take in the view though.

Anyway, for your first post I'd like you to just write about what you did this summer.