Happy Hallowe'en - if we must!

No, we don't really 'do' Hallowe'en at Luna apart from as a theme for younger learners. Why would we?! The school is British - be just as weird if we started celebrating Yom Kippur or Eid, Diwali or Bastille Day!

Actually, when I first started trying to talk about cultural stuff with students - pre-internet & all that, even Christmas was not really a big deal (with a lot of my friends back in the day expected to work on Dec 25th...maybe still true for some?). One of my students was so freaked out that a group of gaijin were outside her house singing on Dec 24th, she called the police.

So why the recent big deal about Hallowe'en? A shopping invention, and no more. OK, and a chance to dress up? Can't deny everyone likes to do that...

See how we measure up to the Addams Family in this cool ensemble; our remake of the Monster Mash is spooky; Gloria Gaynor's classic "I will Survive" like you've never seen it before; all of these Things that make you go...Mmm

St. Patrick's Day

The St. Patrick’s Day is the anniversary of a Saint of Patrick's death. This ceremony is held on 17th March. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century. The Saint Patrick’s Day was become public holiday in 1903. Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland.

According to the Confession of Patrick, he was born as a son of landowners in Wales, Britain. He lived in comfort. When he was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland. He lived there for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After becoming a cleric, he returned to northern and western Ireland. He worked to disseminated Christianity in Ireland. People parade in the cerebration and the wearing of green stuff or shamrocks. On the date, people eating, drinking alcohols to celebrate in around the world.

My hobbies - after reading "Alien Alert in Seattle"

I have 2 hobbies. The one is mountain climbing and the other is going to Yamaga's game for give them a boost.

As for the mountain climbing, I started it to get healthy and become strong in physical. The climbing is always quite hard and is needed patience because it takes 4-5 hours to the top of a mountain. I always wanted to give up the climbing, but the landscapes/supernatural of mountain were very very beautiful even if it's not sunny day and I have never seen similar landscapes depends on weather and climbing time. It's one of my motivation for mountain climbing. A climbing with colleagues and former bosses is my another motivation. Talking with them is fun for me. I usually climb 3-4 times every season.

As for going to Yamaga's game, I firstly watched their game in March 2012. The cheering made me excited and as soon as I went home after seeing 1st game for me, I saw YouTube to know Yamaga's chants and past games and many articles to know the team history. Yamaga's team style which plays very tough and hard, touches me emotionally regardless of game's score. Through the Yamaga's games, I felt happiness, sad, angry, frustration etc, but I learn that it is most important not to give up. I think Yamaga's game would be a good education for children. I usually go to Yamaga's game at homeground "Alwin" every 2 weeks and sometimes cheer for Yamaga's team at opposing team's ground with some friends who became friendly at Alwin.

A sixth grader writes...

My favourite day of the week is Friday. In the afternoons I usually sweep the floor, then I sometimes go to the supermarket in the evening.

We're shopping at AEON Mall. My favourite shop is a speciality tea shop & AEON Style. I bought two sweaters. They're so cute!

I'm walking to school. We always have fun. Yesterday, it was rainy. I hung out with my friends. It was fun.

My brother's birthday is October twenty-ninth. I buy a cake and a present with my mum.

Posted for Akane (12)

My favourite day of the week is...

My favourite day of the week is Friday. I the afternoon I always go to brass band, then I usually play with my friends and watch TV in the evening.

We're shopping at the department store. It's the ice cream shop. My aunt is an insurance woman at the insurance company. I have insurance.

I'm walking to school. We always have fun. Yesterday, it was rainy. We were at the gymnasium. How's the weather today? It's sunny! We can go to school grounds.

Tomorrow is October 27th; it's my father's birthday. My sisters, mother and me make cake. I want to have fun.

Posted for Miki (12)

Postcard from...Hong Hong

 Good weather in HK today. I can’t imagine rainy Cold Japan ☔️

Reiko

This is me - a teen intro

Kotone's selfie

I'm a student. I'm studying at Luna.  I'm studying English with Jim. I go to English class on
Thursdays.

It's seven fifteen in the evening. I ate dinner at six o'clock. I'm not hungry. I ate miso soup and rice.

My desk is next to my bed. My favourite subject is art. I like drawing pictures. I draw pictures at school.

My favourite colour is purple. I'm wearing a yellow t-shirt, blue jeans and black socks.

Posted for Kotone, on starting Everybody Up 3

Last summer vacation

Last summer vacation I went to Matsumoto bonbon. I went with my best friend Maki. We ate a lot of foods and met friends. We danced with Luna's dance team. It was really amazing fun and exciting! I thought I want to go next year.

Posted for Karen

Last summer vacation was very interesting. I went to Ogaki to play basketball with my teammates from school. After we practised basketball, we headed to the hotel. We had a good time there. Because we played UNO. If we lost we did a forfeit. For example we call to stranger. It was scary but great fun!!

Posted for Yuta

The Wind in the Willows - A thank you letter

Dear Mrs. Keeper's daughter,

Sorry l haven't written for a while but I've been spent very tough days. I hope you're well. I have no words to express my gratitude. I am writing this letter in my Hall now. I think I was saved by the grace of you.

In prison you heard my rubbish story. At that time, I thought I hadn't been silly at all. Although I was in prison, I had such a foolish thinking. How foolish I was! Now I know I was silly, dangerous and boastful. I want you to know the reason of changing my thinking. Please read my story about escape.

I wore an old washer woman's dress which you bought and I passed the guards of the castle entrance easily. Then I got on the train. In the morning I met a barge -woman who said I was a fat lazy little toad. I stole her horse which I sold to a man later. At that time, I said to myself. What a cleverToad I am! I am ashamed of me in that time. I was just a criminal and an escaped prisoner. How silly I was!

I came to a road and began to walk. Then a terrible thing happened. The person whose car I had stolen recognized me. They chased me through a wood. I dropped into the deep water. When I was too tired to pull myself out of water, the Rat helped me.

The Rat told me about my Hall. The Stoats and the Weasles and the Ferrets - they had taken my Hall. They had been living there.They had got guns knives and sticks. They kept guard round the house night and days.They said they were going to stay there for ever. At first I couldn't believe it. But my good friends, the Rat, the Mole, the Badger and I made a plan to get the Hall back.

When they held a big birthday-party we run into dining hall. W could go there because there was an underground tunnel. They didn't have any guns or sticks with them at the party. So we could chase them and beat them and hit them with our weapons. What a battle it was! But we won the battle. Our attempt was a great success.

I have fortunate to have good friends. I changed my ways and became a sensitive animal. Still now I love to talk. But it isn't only about myself. It is about my likable friends. I am a very different Toad. I'm going to talk if you will visit our river under the Willows. Of course you had better come here in spring. It will be very peaceful and beautiful. Maybe you will like here.

See you again next spring!

Toad

Posted for Hiroko

The Last Sherlock Story - Doyle Sherlock vs Dibdin Sherlock

Sherlock Holmes in this story is very different from the one in Conan Doyle's story.

Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle was one of my favorite books when I was a child. He was very smart, brave, intelligent, and logical, a kind of perfect man. He could find any kind of criminals and he was a hero. He did not take cocaine at all, of course.

Also, he did not get bored by himself. With his intelligence and observational talent, his brain always worked busy. So, he did not need to take cocaine to amuse himself. And he knew how dangerous it was to take drugs. It could destroy a human. He was smart enough to know nobody could be an exception. Also, he never killed innocent women and cut their bodies in pieces. 

Sherlock Holmes in this story takes cocaine and he thinks he can control it, but he can not. He is a criminal, really. He kills women to entertain himself. He looks down poor people. I do not believe it. Sherlock Holmes in this story is also smart, logical and intelligent. But on the other hand, he is selfish, weak and immature. And he can not be a hero.

Posted for Yasumi

Rabbit-Proof Fence - The Long Walk

The Long Walk. This is the true story of Slawomir Rawicz, a Polish Army lieutenant who was arrested by Soviet Army during World War II. He and six others escaped from a Siberian camp. They walked 6500km, Mongolia, Gobi Desert, Tibet, the Himalayas from Siberia for one year.

Rawicz was prisoned and was sent to Siberia although he hadn’t done anything crime. He had to work there for twenty-five years. The weather of Siberia was severe, the labor was tight and the prisoners died one after another. So Rawicz and the others escaped from the camp. They began a long journey to India on foot.

At the time of escape, they had only some bread, an axe and a knife. One died in the severe nature. But the kindness of Mongolian who appeared occasionally helped them. They met the girl who ran away from Kolkhoz on way and calm time came. But a happy time was moment.

They had to cross the Gobi Desert on foot. It was the most terrible time in this trip. They walked in the extreme state. They were robbed of the physical strength and two of them died. But they continued to walk. Finally, they arrived at India.

I was deeply impressed that they had helped each other without losing hope to live even if it had been long severer trip. This story taught me the importance of what I didn’t give up till the last.

Posted for Olga

A Christmal Carol - Bob Cartchit's diary

Today was a Christmas Eve. It was cold and quiet day as past years. Mr. Scrooge looked unhappy and crosses. So it was too cold to work in office as every past year.

His nephew Fred came to the office today to say Merry Christmas to his uncle. But Mr. Scrooge answered to him, “Bah! Humbug! “ Fred said “You are too rich to be unhappy.” But he was not hurt. He said “Christmas is just a time when you spend too much, when you found yourself a year older and not an hour richer, when you have to pay your bills.”

I really hope Mr. Scrooge will be changed. But it would never happen for him. Even if such a thing happens all over the world it will not happen to him. Fred invited Mr. Scrooge to his house in Christmas dinner. He said that he wanted and asked nothing of Mr. Scrooge. But Mr. Scrooge didn’t answer to his nephew, I thought sorry for both of them.

Our little son Tiny Tim looked badly. I am so worried about him. But today, our sweet daughter Martha comes back. We are so happy to see her. We had a happiest time tonight. And we really appreciate God and Mr. Scrooge. My wife wants to say something different, but I think we have to say thank you for Mr. Scrooge. Anyway his money paid for today’s dinner. God bless Mr. Scrooge too.

Posted for Naoko

The Long Tunnel - A holiday with friends

When I was highschool student, my friend asked some of friends to working in Tugaike. My friend's relative ran a guest-house in Tugaike. Tugaike was famous ski earea. They wanted to working students during winter holiday. I imagined we could enjoy in winter after working. My friends thought so. We had pleasure to go there.

But we guessed wrong. We had been swamped with all day long. We were very tired. After working we could not out freely. We were under age. Resort area had many temptations. My friend's relative had a sense of responsibility to us. So during working in Tugaike we could not enjoy. Of course no skiing. But it was important experience for us. "Life isn't as easy as you think"

Posted for Misuzu

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - A letter to your teacher

To Mrs. Douglas

I’m sorry to run away from home without saying. My father locked me in a cabin. But I escaped from the cabin. And I went Jackson’s island on canoe. I met Jim there. I was frightened. Please don’t scold Jim. Jim wanted to be free. Our adventure started from there.

We found a strong raft. And we intended to go to the Free State on the raft. The great Mississippi River was taking us away from St Petersburg. We prepared meals and had a long talk. We were very happy.

Various things happened. Two white men running away to us. They were the Confidence Tricksters. In a small town they pretended to be another person, and cheated the money out of the girls. But I took the money and hided it. So the money was safe. The white man sold Jim. But I could meet Jim again. Surprisingly, I met Tom Sawyer there. The adventures were splendid for me.

Huckleberry Finn

Posted for Yoko

Jane Eyre - A female writer from the Meiji era

Ichiyo Higuchi is a first female author in Meiji era in Japan. Her portrait is printed on 5000 yen bill.

She was born in March in 1872 in Tokyo Uchisaiwaicho—now Chiyoda-ku. She had two sisters and two brothers, and she was the second daughter. When she was a girl her father was rich. She loved reading. When she was seven she finished reading old long stories. Her father educated her to school and other private cram school. But her mother thought girls did not need education. She stopped school.

In 1888 the eldest brother died, next year her father died. She became a head of householder. Her father left a big debt, her family lived poverty. She did some jobs, cram school assistant, needle works, small shop master and so on.

Around in 1890 she tried to be a novelist. To earn a living as a novelist she apprenticed to Tosui Nakarai famous novelist.

In 1895 she published “Takekurabe”. It received high praise. She continued to publish “Nigorie” “Juusanya”. She became a popular writer. She suffered from tuberculosis. She died in November in 1896. She was 24.

Posted for Misako

The Three Musketeers - The true hero

I think D’Artagnan is the hero of the story. In 1625, a young man called D’Artagnan comes to Paris.

D’Artagnan wants to be special soldiers, a King’s musketeer. D’Artagnan is brave and handsome and a man of many loves. I think he is charming.

D’Artagnan is in love with Constance and he loves Milady too in this story. Milady’s maid, Kitty like D’Artagnan . And by a request of Constance, D’Artagnan has to go to England for the Queen’s diamonds. D’Artagnan solves various troubles with his friends, three of the King’s musketeers, Athos, Aramis and Porthos. And D’Artagnan is recognized by Cardinal Richelieu.

Finally D’Artagnan is able to become a lieutenant in the King’s musketeers. D’Artagnan from country fight by a sword bravely and he is in full activity. And D’Artagnan became a lieutenant in the King’s musketeers. I think this story is D’Artagnan’s success story, and D’Artagnan and his friend’s great friendship story.

Posted for Reiko

My favorite photo ーreunion partyー

One of my favorite photos is one that I took with my elementary school classmates and our teacher.

The photo was taken on 17th September in 2017.We asked an other people to take our photos,when our reunion party was over near Matsumoto station.

We have had a reunion party every 3years since 1997,when we were 18years old.The time we can spend together is very valuable because everyone lives in different places.

I love this photos because the reunion party was very fun.We talked about our work,family,relationships,and many different things about our lives.Then my teacher gave us some good life advice.Finally,we promised to meet again three years later,and we took a photo together outside.

I think that we don't forget childhood memories even if we become adults.I have the photo on my phone and on my album with other photos of my childhood.