
English language school in the heart of the Japanese Alps, and English language learners sharing their experiences online. Teachers post regular items about teaching, learning tools, events in the school, their day to day experiences living & working in a foreign country. Students post on whatever takes their fancy - book reports, festivals in home towns, postcards from business trips etc. A little Brit of England in the guts of Japan!
Friday, 15 August 2025
A rabbit talks!
Saturday, 9 August 2025
A talking platypus
Friday, 8 August 2025
Ten little fingers - maximizing wordwall
Wordwall keyboard skills |
Rather than push ahead and lose classmates, we circled the wagons and consolidated together :)
Luna's own brand on Wordwall is a dedicated series of materials per text book/readers that our students enjoy enormously; reusing the vocabulary in slightly different contexts/different images...pause for thought, reasons for openning our books & checking each others' spelling...any and every which way to recycle, drill, and thrill!
To polish off our fun, we played a Detective Game about a monster - arms, legs & ears all a bit strange!
Moster time - Study Cat |
Thursday, 7 August 2025
Postcard from - readers in China!
Graded readers on tour!
Wednesday, 6 August 2025
Postcard from... Kata Bay, Mie coast, Japan
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to explore this lesser travelled road down to the south of Nagoya, south of the Ise Peninsula. I took R42 to get south, then bailed onto the more rural R311...slow, windy, and unforgivingly beautiful vistas around every corner. An absolute gem of a coastline road, demanding frequent jaw drops/stops for pictures, and checking the map for shrines and the like.
Asuka Shrine, Katacho
Although steamingly hot, the blue skies reflected the azure sea; the inlets and bays are mostly natural (not the concrete monkey puzzles that blight Niigata's shoreline), alternating rocky headlands and forested scarps, with sandy beaches and tiny fishing ports. Ashamed to say, on this trip I was on camera safari with road to burn, not a culinary exploration (next time, when I slow down to tackle restaurants!).
Despite driving for hours, I barely saw a soul - and not a single influencer with a selfie stick :)
The beaches were bare, the rock pools inviting some snorkelling. Every single bay begging a go-slow vacation, reminding me a lot of the Tokushima coastline, south of the city itself.
I was planning to blast along to see the shrines of Kumano - but decided they could wait for another day. This gorgeous day needed my full ocean-side attention. If you have the chance to drive this way, I couldn't recommend it more strongly. Don't be in a rush like me - stay local, go for a swim, and detox!
Monday, 4 August 2025
Off to the races - confidence booster
Friday, 1 August 2025
Postcard from Oxford, England
Hi :)
Thursday, 31 July 2025
Jim's weekend on the job - Tokyo
Delighted to report that I was involved with another training session for Cambridge Assessment English last weekend, as Team Leader for Kawaijuku JP026. On this occasion I was looking after A2:Key & B1:Preliminary levels
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Speaking Examiner training team, July 2025 |
I was annoyed that a couple of applicants didn't bother turning up (nor contacting us with an excuse/apology) as that robbed other people of the chance to join this otherwise fully booked event.
As it was, we had a very mixed group of English language teaching professonals join the team. Language school teachers,high school teachers, dispatch/ALTs, freelancers & directors of studies. Some people very new to the country, and other old-hands; some dedicated Tokyo-dwellers and others more transient - one participant actually living in Osaka made the trip especially. And six nationalities; more folks from Singapore & Atlanta Georgia than Yorkshire!
As ever, the various experiences of such a group only adds to the eventual outcome, with voices considering how to assess speaking tests vs standardised criteria; noticing different aspects of candidate output, removing personal bias/preferences; gaining exposure to other approaches & ideas...and also picking up best practice off each other in the interlocutor role, learning off each other & giving/recieving feedback.
It is never possible to cover everything an examiner needs to learn in the limited time available to us - a weekend seems like a long time, right? It isn't...Hence the very real need for all Speaking Examiners, globally, to recertify annually in order to build up layers or professional ability, fine tune perfomances and focus in more detail on certain aspects of interlocutor & assessor roles.
My next training session for Kanto area teachers will be Sept 20th, at B1:Preliminary & B2:First, which I'm really looking forward to!
My favorite pets - Bau and Alan
I have had two dogs in my life. The first dog my family owned was named "Bau". Her name came from an animation named “Heisei Dog Bau’s Story”. She was a female Shetland Sheepdog. Although this breed is known for being intelligent and elegant, she often gave us trouble, such as eating mice or running away during walks. She had long curly hair, which made her difficult to spend the hot summers.
The second dog was named "Einstein," but we called her "Allan" for short. She was a female Beagle. Her floppy ears would flap, and her tail would wag every time she moved, making her always look cheerful—but she was actually quite moody. Beagles are the kind of dogs that want to play with others but can't make the first move. "Allan" also sometimes ran away during walks, which caused us trouble. She lived a long life, and we spent 16 years together.
Through my experience of raising animals, I realized how important it is to think about others and to be kind to them. I am truly grateful to our dogs Bau and Allan. That’s why I feel concerned about animals being displayed and sold in pet shops. The small animals you see in such displays are undeniably adorable. Raising animals bring us many joyful moments, but we must take responsibility for their entire life. At the end of their lives, we will need care. I hope people make the decision to become an pet owner only after seriously considering whether they can care / treat it with kindness until the end of their life.
Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Kenshin's platypus project
Yushin's snow animal
Postcard from Sydney, Australia
Hi everyone at Luna!
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Let's talk! Students with after reading projects
Monday, 28 July 2025
Smashing phonics on a desktop!
You know your letter sounds, and your homework was great...letter writing is spot on and your pronunciation is just right. But the other student in the class is absent today & I really do NOT want to move on until they can also get the input to proceed. So instead of doing this at home (which is tough, because you need a parent to help you on a PC (or use their device & find the link from Google Classroom)...lets have some fun in-class, so you can read/spell/pronounce all the words you know, set a high score & gain confidence with not only your English, but peripheral tech skills too!
Check out this task (and you can choose various ways to play & also use a number of print options too) as a review 'game' for CVC words with central /e/ from Oxford Phonics World 2. Piece of cake to make (but no need, I aleady created stuff for all chapters for the first three levels!) and many ways to implement one-to-one, group work, books open or closed, asynchronous, in class or at home!
Sunday, 27 July 2025
Hazuki talks about...her chimpanzee
Milking a glossary with Wordwall
Friday, 25 July 2025
Project Platypus - creative Kana
Thursday, 24 July 2025
Chalk man makes a come back - "This is me!"
Where's my neck? |
Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Yukihi's snow animal
Tuesday, 22 July 2025
The news headlines (late June, 2025)
A feature in The Guardian Weekly news magazine is a round up of global headlines ("Global Report") which I've been using to create a regular quiz on Wordwall - a matchng task which requires skimming and scanning reading techniques, as well as a good grasp of colloquial language & newspaper headline jargon, and flexibility with synonyms & geography. All-in-all, a jolly good challenge.
You, dear reader, do not have the articles to hand - so how well up on the news have you been keeping?
This particular challenge is from the end of June, 2025.
Sunday, 8 June 2025
China's snow bird - a writing & speaking project
You've read the book, and enjoyed the thrills & spills with familiar characters...digested new vocabulary and recycled more; read bits out loud and shown understanding of the text.
Make your own character - a snow animal - including a bit of 'dictadraw' (add a scarf/hat etc), then write a description of your new animal with words from the glossary...and then read your work.
Win win using chatterkids app (students quickl learnt how to manipulate/edit/enhance their own creations!), following up our OUP Read & Imagine graded reader. After reading = fun activity & a legacy moment!
Friday, 6 June 2025
Talking text - Chiharu's Snow Rabbit
Thursday, 5 June 2025
The Scarlet Letter - A brief biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne
His works often focus on history, morality and religion.
He was raised by his mother and relatives after his father died when he was four.
He enrolled Bowdoin College, graduating in 1825.
He published his first novel, "Fanshawe," in 1828 which is based on his experiences at Bowdoin College.
Horatio Bridge offered to cover the risk of collecting these stories in 1837 into Twice-Told Tales, which made Hawthorne known locally.
Regarding to his family, he married Sophia Peabody in 1842.
They had three children: Una, Julia, and Rose.
"The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables," were published in 1850 and 1851, respectively.
He was rewarded in 1853 with the position of United States consul in Liverpool shortly after the publication of Tanglewood Tales.
He died in Plymouth, New Hampshire, on May 19, 1864.
Postcard from...Taipei, Taiwan
Hi! Jim!
I'm visiting Taiwan, just two days.
Taiwan like Japan, so I can't feel like travelling abroad.
But, Taiwanese food is delicious and quite different from japanese foods, so I'm enjoying to eat!
See you next class!
Makiko :)
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
Salem: where Nathaniel was born
The author of this book, The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. Salem is a famous historical place, where The Salem Witch Trials happened. In 1692, some young girls acted strangely, and they claimed they were being hurt by witches. The town of Salem set up a special court to decide who was a witch. Many girls were arrested and put on trial, and 19 girls were executed. Later, people realized the trials were wrong and all those were based on fears. Through the Salem Witch Trials, many girls who didn’t do anything wrong were pulled to the court and wrongly sentenced as a witches. Nathaniel’s great-great-grandfather was the Judge of the Salem court. Nathaniel felt guilt for his family history, and he changed his family name by adding w to be different from his family’s dark past. I think Nathaniel put the ideas from The Salem Witch Trials in his work, like sin, punishment, social criticism, etc.
Wednesday, 23 April 2025
My cute cousin Gouta
Of all my relatives, I like my cousin Gouta the best. He is ten years younger than me. He is a really cute boy and extremely funny for me.
He is now an
elementary school student, and he plays baseball every day. He told me his dream
is to become Ohtani Shohei , so he practices baseball extremely hard. He lives with
his mother and father, and he does not have any sisters or brothers. His father
always takes care of him.
He also studies English, and the last time I
met him he taught me how to say colors in English. He must be an international
person in the near future.
He practices baseball and studies English really hard, so I am looking forward to his future. I believe he will be a successful and quite a rich person. Hahaha.
Posted for Yurina
Friday, 11 April 2025
"Hunting" should be illegal or not
I believe that hunting is a complex issue with both moral and practical considerations.
The first thing I thought was that hunting should be illegal. A lot of people believe that animals have a right to live freely. Actually, some species are facing extinction or have already disappeared from the earth due to humans’ overhunting. It is also one of the reasons for damaging the biological pyramid, which is a problem for humans as a result of its negative effects.
If hunting is illegal, poachers would be punished strictly. It would protect extinct animals, then I believe it may return to us with good effects for humans.
On the other hand, I think it is necessary to hunt, and it shouldn’t be illegal.
Hunting can help manage wildlife populations, preventing overpopulation. It is kept in balance of ecology. Take an example, the number of deer and wild boars has increased, leading them to go to urban areas to search for food. There is a rising number of accidents with trains and cars. Also, they are causing significant damage to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
From the perspective of human culture, hunting is not only a traditional practice but also an important part of way of life. Hunting provides food, clothing, and materials for various traditional crafts. Additionally, it is often relations with ceremonies that celebrate the relationship between humans and nature.
Ultimately, I think whether hunting should be illegal depends on various factors.
Friday, 4 April 2025
The wonderful character in my workplace
Let me introduce you to the member of my workplace!
Tomoko-san is our manager. She is thoughtful. She has a wide perspective and she always helps us when we are in trouble. I think that it is wonderful how she expresses her opinions logically and confidently to anyone.
Miyuki-san is my supervisor. She is bright. Although her jobs seem very hard, she is always cheerful and keep smiling. I am able to get power from her! She thanks people for even the small things. I think she is a really kind person.
Ritsuko-san is my direct supervisor. She is kind and sedulous. She always answers my any question. Thanks to her, I have been able to learn many things about the details of my work. I think she is good at work. I want to be hard-working as Ritsuko-san in future!
There are also many other wonderful, kind, and cool people working at my workplace. I have a lot of respect for all of them!
Chinatsu
Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Postcard from Chicago, USA
Hello from Chicago!
Chinatsu and I had a business trip to the US. On Sunday afternoon we walked around Chicago downtown and took many beautiful pictures. We enjoyed American food with locally brewed beer. We will make efforts to improve our English so that we can communicate with our customers more fluently!
Chinatsu & Tomoko
Friday, 7 March 2025
How do you think about "Hunting"?
We sometimes encounter wild animals due to some reasons. Wild animals may come near human dwellings to search for food as they are unable to find it in their territories due to climate changes and natural disasters. Humans may build their homes in the area where wild animals live.
I think that hunting is not immoral and shouldn't be illegal. Wild animals will face more challenges in finding food in the future due to climate changes and natural disasters. It is common knowledge that wild animals only search for food and do not intend to harm humans. To make wild animals aware of the danger of approaching human dwellings, it's best to return them to their area and to protect wild animals’ lives. However, wild animals have a habit of coming back again if they have tasted once. Thus, we will need to use Hunting continuously to protect people’s lives.
Each community should control land utilization and development plans (also known as land adjustment plans) to distinguish between areas where people and wild animals live. And then, if necessary, I think that hunting should be kept to the minimum needed to protect people's lives, taking into consideration the ecological effect.
These are why Hunting is not immoral and should not be illegal for me.
Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Postcard from the tropical rainforest - Malaysia
How are you?
I'm enjoying my life!
I'm going back to Japan February 17th
See you in the next lesson :)
From Sachiko
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
The pros and cons of getting older
Some people say that getting older is the best time of your life. However, getting older has noth advantages and disadvantages.
On the plus side, you can have more freedom. For example, you can vote, drive a car, drink alcohol, spend money and make decisions for yourslef. Also, you can gain more knowledge and experience.
However, for every plus there is a minus. One disadvantage is that getting poor health, so you have to eat healthy foods and exercise. Also, you become too busy, because you have to work, so you don't have much free time for hobbies and interests. Maybe you will become stressed.
In conclusion, I think that getting older you will have less free time and poor health, but you can gain a lot of experience. Both childhood and getting older have good points.
Posted for Ayumi
Monday, 24 February 2025
Postcard from Maroc - Morocco
My dream came true at last!
I am travelling around Morocco!!
I feel like travelling different countries each day. What a exotic, wonderful country!!
Especially I was really excited to see the sun rise at the Sahara Desert. The colours of the sand and sky were changing every moment. It was a unforgettable experience.
Teruki
Friday, 21 February 2025
Beats Studio 3 - product review
Awesome headphones for any situation
I use my awesome headphones when I simply want to listen to music, or to study, but also on a train or on an airplane. The noise cancelling function it has works very well, so that any noise in a cafe, train or airplane won't bother me at all! However, this function might be dangerous if you use it while you are on a street, since you cannot notice bikes or other vehicles around you.
The quality of sound is also pretty good. It has strong bass, which is great for rock music. I chose the red ones, but there are many other color options. Also, since Beats is an Apple brand, they are very easy to connect to your device by Bluetooth.
Although they are an awesome product, there are some negative points. First, they are expensive - worth it, but at about Y40,000, beyond the pockets of most students. Second, when I wear them for a long time, my ears start to ache. They are not too tight, but somewhere squeezes my ears in an unnatural way.
Apple has released new color collections, as well as updated the product in 2022.
Why don't you try the? I strongly recommend them.
Posted for Yuto...following his final English lesson with Jim, as he is heading off to university.
Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Celebrating New Year in Japan
Praying at our local shrine, New Year's |
public holiday. We celebrate with family in my grandparents' house, because we want to enjoy the start of the year together.
People eat 'osechi' on New Year's Day too. It's a special meal with different foods, and each dish has a meaning. For example, black beans mean good health, and sweetened fish cake means a long life.
New Year's festival is important in Japan because it brings families together to share special wished for health & happiness.
Posted for Ceilidh
Monday, 10 February 2025
I hate it when you leave
Jim, with an absolute "worldy" of a student in 2018 |
The inevitable scribbled note from a mum that your favourite student, who has made such awesome progress since her first lesson, which started & ended in a flood of tears/hiding behind mummy's leg/crayon throwing tantrum/hands in pockets refusal to enjoy a song & dance etc...now quitting to focus on 'juku' (cram school) or 'club activities' (only Despina Deguchi will ever win an Olympic Gold Medal from around here!) from next month.
Of course, all our departing students are welcome back with open arms - by which time 'romaji damage' has been permanently inflicted (you learnt how to read and spell phonetically accurately with me, but then want to end every word with a 'u' on the end...); you'll rely on an electronic dictionary to translate your every thought into incoherent word salads; you'll use AI to write any creative writing ideas you might have; you'll want to translate everything back & forwards through L1 and not even be able to say big numbers properly. You will have lost any idea of reading for fun; your fun intonation will have been flattened like a rib-eye before a BBQ, and you will be wondering why EIKEN is not recognised in the school you want to go to in Canada or Australia...and not be able to get an IELTS score good enough to get you a visa. Can we catch up for the years in juku/club activities? Methinks not.
I hate this time of year...am I young enough to wait for you to come back & rescue your English language learning any more? I'm afraid I don't think so...nor do I want to start another generation of learners from the floor (I'm old enough to be your mother's grandad - and my knees hurt). "I hate it when you leave"
Friday, 7 February 2025
How do we celebrate New Year in Japan?
Many people in Japan go to a shrine on January 1st because it is New Year's Day. This is when we celebrate New Year's Day, which is one of the most important celebrations of the year.
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Osechi |
to dinner for Japanese food. We usually eat 'osechi', which is a famous traditional variety of hot and cold delicacies. 'Osechi' has many dishes, like 'konbu', which means celebration, 'Kuroname' which means being able to live diligently and other things.
On the day, grandparents and relatives give money to me and my brother and sister. We watch 'Kohaku Utagassen', when many singers sing their songs on TV. We watch as a family in our grandparent's house, which is in Aomori. New Year's Day is fun, but it's important to meet and talk with grandparents and relatives. The day makes us enjoy the new year. All in all, it's a wonderful day and a great time for our family.
Posted for Hikari
Thursday, 30 January 2025
Hakamata crime
In the early hours of 30th June 1966, a fire broke out at a miso manufacturing company in Shizuoka city. The accident almost destroyed the building. The bodies of four members of the managing director’s family were found in the burnt-out house. At that time, the police arrested Mr. Hakamata who was a live-in employee for murdering the family, setting fire to the home, and stealing 200,000 yen in cash. He initially denied murdering the family and robbery, but later he confessed following beatings and interrogations that lasted up to 12 hours a day. A year after Hakamata’s arrest, some clothes were found in a miso tank. Those clothes were bloodstained and were used to incriminate him.
During the trial, he maintained his innocence, but he was sentenced to death, and the sentence was finalized in 1980.
For years, however, Hakamata’s lawyer argued that the DNA recovered from the clothes did not match his. They also further suggested that police could fabricate the evidence.
Their argument was enough to persuade the Judge and Hakamata was released from jail in 2014 as remains on confirmed death row as a row prisoner and was granted a retrial.
In March 2023, the Tokyo High Court allowed a retrial to begin, and after a total 15 hearing, the court was acquitted. It had been 58 years and a month passed before he was innocent.
Tuesday, 7 January 2025
Postcard from Kakisa Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada
Hi Jim!
My friend and I participated Northern Lights tour three nights and we could see northern lights every nights!
Actually, northern lights were not green like a calendar first time. I had seen it white colour. But I could see green colour 2nd day. That is it takes some getting used to see northern lights.
Were going to Seattle via Vancouver tomorrow, then I'm visiting the museum of pop culture! I can't wait!
Best wishes,
Makiko
Monday, 6 January 2025
Attack by terrorism in Japan
I still remember the two incidents.There were gas incidents that exploded in Matsumoto and in the Tokyo subway.Both incidents were caused by terrorists in a religious organization named Aum Shinrikyo.
In June 1994, the first one in Matsumoto happened and lawyers were targeted because Aum Shinrikyo was trying to build a branch and there was a dispute over the land contract. The 1st informer Mr. Kono was suspected of murder due to media feeding frenzy and poor investigation by police because we had never heard “Sarin”. At that time, one of his children was a student at same high school and I suspect that she had a really difficult time with an incorrect assumption about his father.
In March 1995, they attacked the Tokyo subway using Sarin. It was called “Tokyo Sarin Attack”. They targeted people in Kasumigaseki, where government ministries and the Metropolitan Police Office are situated.
A lawyer Sakamoto and his family perished prior to the sarin gas incident in Matsumoto. Sakamoto, the lawyer, was in charge of handling matters related to Aum Shinrikyo.Aum Shinrikyo always targets individuals and society that are against Aum Shinrikyo.
The most of criminals was already punished. However, some religious organizations from Aum Shinrikyo are still working. I am afraid what purpose the organizations have and what action they take in the future.