Blog #10: Japanese Anime in America

Hello this is Kaori Shimamoto and I apologize for the late publish.

Today I will introduce the difference I have found in Japanese anime shown in America.
While I lived in America for 18 years, my grandmother sent me videos and dvd's to keep me updated to Japanese culture and anime. Since anime became so famous in America, American TV channel, "Adult Swim" started showing Japanese Anime in English dub. By watching both Japanese and English versions, I've thought they would be the same, but I realized one day the something was different.

I was watching a anime film called "Inuyasha", written by Rumiko Takahashi, and it was a scene where a half women, half snake looking monster attacking a girl. In the Japanese version the upper body of the women showed the womanly figure, but in the American version, the upper body was flat, like a mens upper body.

In another anime titled, "Dragon Ball Z", by Akira Toriyama, the scene where the little boy, Goku, jumps into the lake, naked, to catch the fish-monster that had escaped. In the original version, Goku is naked top to bottom, but in America, he had underwear on. Not only that, but this same scene showed a girl trying to catch the fish-monster again by tricking him with a girls underwear. However, in American version, it showed the girl fishing the fish-monster with money.

The difference between these shows the culture of each country and it was very interesting to see this through anime films. America thinks negatively about showing naked people, even if that is a drawn cartoon character, but in Japan they show womanly figure or naked young children in anime. The use of money to catch a fish symbolized how American people think differently to Japan and how money would attract people more then perverted things like girls under wears.

It is interesting to see Japanese anime's shown throughout the world and to hear them in another language. I have only noticed few scenes that were different, but if I would to go and compare other anime, I think there are more anime's that are changed slightly to fit each culture.

Thank you for reading and if anybody has ever found differences like this(not only anime but other films) please share! I would like to see more and if I do find others I will definitely share it in this blog!

Blog #8: The Next Innovation

Hello! Here is another blog I have not been able to publish. 

Hi, this is Kaori Shimamoto. 

Has everybody heard about the big news?! Yes! Apple has announced that they are releasing iPhone 5!! I still use what everybody in Japan calls, "Gara-kei", when many people are switching their phones to a "smart phone".  However, are smart phones really smart?

High-tech devices are now part of peoples lives and have made our living better. This unique and useful tool may be "smart", but people who are using it are not being smart to themselves. There are many risks in using their smart phones too much.

I read a article on the BBC news about how smartphone users are risking health with overuse of devices. This article mentions that people are becoming "screen slaves" and are overworking. Society says that those people being attached to their phones have bad postures which leads to back and neck pain. It is unnatural for people to look down constantly, creating pressure on your neck and backbone. This all becomes a chain reaction and causes stress and make workers physically and mentally ill. Especially in Japan, people already work more then those in other countries. On the train, in the streets, and even at home. Workers and students continue tapping on their smart phones.

Not only that, but the constant usage of phones itself are very dangerous in daily life. For example, there are many people, young and old, who uses their phones while walking. Those people are so focused on texting and using the internet that they are not cautious of what is happening around them. They have risks of getting into car accidents or bumping into poles and injuring themselves. 

Like the saying, "Don't drink and drive", people should start following the new saying, "Don't tap and walk", to reduce the risk of injuries. Smart phones might be convenient, but it would be much better to turn off your smart phones and give your device and yourself a rest.

Blog #7: Summer Boot Camp

Hello! This is Kaori Shimamoto and I am sorry for the late upload.

I thought I have successfully published this blog that was due a long time ago, but I failed to do so, but here it is!!

Hi! This is Kaori Shimamoto and I just came back from a deadly boot camp. 

As some people might know, I'm involved in Gakushuin University's American Football Team, and I work as a manager/ trainer. Every summer the team goes out into the nature to train themselves physically and mentally. This year we went to Iiyama, Nagano, and stayed there for 10 days. It was my first time to be part of this camp and was very excited but it was nothing I've expected. As the lowest grade in the team, I had to get up at four in the morning to clean out the garbage cans that we put on each floor. Then, get ready for practice and head to the kitchen to help the cooks take out the dishes for breakfast. After all that has been done, the upper grade men wakes up and we eat breakfast together. This is how our daily schedule had went.

TIME SCHEDULE

4:00AM-Freshman cleans garbage

5:00-Gets ready for practice

6:00-Helps set breakfast

7:00-Eat breakfast

8:15-Group A gets on bus

8:30-Group B gets on bus

9:00-Morning practice starts

11:30-Morning practice ends

12:00-Lunch Time

1:00PM-Freshman gets ready for afternoon practice

1:15-Group A Bus

1:30-Group B Bus

2:00-Afternoon Practice starts

6:00-Afternoon Practice ends

7:00-Dinner

8:00-Clean up

9:00~12:00-Meeting

It was really hard for us freshmen to do all the work from early in the morning to late at night. The meeting never ended at midnight and we had to plan how to move the water during practice. The menu of practice changes every day, so the movement of water that we, managers, have to give to the players, changes. It has to run smoothly and we cannot make any mistake. 

This is the football field we used at camp.

I took this picture from the hill that managers had to go up to in order to video tape all practice games.

I did not expect camps to be this devastating. Even though the athletes were much more exhausted then us, I really felt like crying. However, there were some good things. During practice, in the hot humid temperature, everybody is about to faint. When I went to one player to give water, he thanked me even when he was out of breath. I felt a great sense of satisfaction during the 10 days of nightmare.

This was my summer break and I came back with a nice tan skin and tan lines from my T-shirt. My friends thought I went to a beach resort but they thought wrong! It was nothing like paradise and I did not want to do it a second time. Next year would be a little better since I would become a sophomore, but it was a really good experience and I was able to know how important it is to work hard for someone or something. It's great to be part of a team and double the happiness and decrease sorrow.

How was everybody else's summer? 

Blog #9: Deceptions

Hello! This is Kaori Shimamoto!

Today I would like to introduce to you one of the TED lecture about lies. The speaker, Jeff Hancock, studies how people interact through the use of text messages, e-mails, and media blips. This lecture was taken place on September 13, 2012 at Winnipeg, Canada.

Here's the link of his speech:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_hancock_3_types_of_digital_lies.html

This lecture caught my attention since I have recently changed my phone to a "smart" phone and have been using the free online chatting application,"Line", to communicate with friends. You look around in the train and you see almost everybody clicking (or should I say, "touching") on their phones, either texting or using the internet. Almost every person in the world use this new technology device to interact with friends. Though this, Hancock analysis how much people can be deceptive in their daily life. The new invention of blogs, chat, and text messages has changed the way people lie. He states that people lie every now and then, and especially on the internet. New types of deception has been developed and Hancock introduces three types of lies; Butlers, sock puppets, and the chinese water army. He uses the example of Facebook profiles and how some of the information's like height and age are somewhat changed to look good.

The interesting part of this lecture was how much communication has changed and how everybody's deceptive comments can be seen throughout the world. We can see who we are by looking back at the massive records we have left. As Hancock has said, from small ones to big ones, people lie. I, myself will admit that I have lied before in my 19 years of life. While texting, your friend might say "I have things to do, gotta go". When you hear this it can be a lie. I suspect it to be untrue because I sometimes use this phrase because I am bored and want to do something else. Small lies wouldn't hurt much, but lies said on the internet can be very dangerous. It is a good thing for people like Hancock who studies peoples deceptive comments but there is never a benefit in lies.

Internet has become a great tool for us, but it has also become the most unreliable source. This lecture has made me rethink about the use of the internet and the comments I make. Hancock made a great point about the relationship between the technological development and human deception. However, his theme about lies were not very clear of how dangerous it can be. He just gave examples of the lies made by his experiment. However, this speech can be recommended to those who are interested in human communication and how they use the newly technology developed in recent years.

Blog #10: Cinema Therapy

Hi, this is Yu Yamanashi.

In this blog, I would like to introduce you a type of therapy called cinema thrapy. Has anyone ever heard of this term? Well, I haven't. I came across for the first time it in my search for a topic on this blog, googling for any relation between films and psychology.

Segen's Medical Dictionary defines the term in this way.

 

Cinema Therapy

A form of therapy or self-help that uses movies, particularly videos, as therapeutic tools. Cinema therapy can be a catalyst for healing and growth for those who are open to learning how movies affect people and to watching certain films with conscious awareness. Cinema therapy allows one to use the effect of imagery, plot, music, etc. in films on the psyche for insight, inspiration, emotional release or relief and natural change. Used as part of psychotherapy, cinema therapy is an innovative method based on traditional therapeutic principles.

Although this type of therapy is not known to the public yet in Japan, there are many books and websites on cinema therapy in the U.S. We all appreciate the benefits films grant us every now and then, therapical or not, and may think of cinema therapy as much of a big deal. In its progressive stage, however, cinema therapy is steadily gaining popularity as a type of therapy that people can perceive eagerly and easily in every day life. Cinema therapy lisence certificates give psychologists, nurses, and social workers special credits, which implies that the therapy is in fact being practiced on the spot of medical and welfare scenes.

If you are interested in cinema therapy, these sites may help you get a clearer view of the therapy;

http://www.cinematherapy.com/index.html
a website made by therapist Birgit Wolz, introducing you to lists of cinema therapy movies and other interesting facts.

http://cinema-therapy.com/index.html
a website introducing you to Dr. Gary Solomon, the first person to term cinema therapy.

Lastly, here is a question I want you to think about. Would you use cinema therapy or introduce it to a friend or family member? Why or why not?

 

Blog #9: TED

 Hello, this is Yu Yamanashi.

The lecture I chose from TED is "The surprising science of happiness", given by Dan Gilbert, Harvard psychologist and author. It took place on Feburary 2004 in Monterey California. I chose this lecture because it was on happiness from a cognitive psychologic aspect, a branch in psychology I happen to be studying right now and am quite interested in.
To jump to the link, click on below:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html

Here is a short summary of the lecture. Dan Gilbert explains the difference between natural happiness, something we get when we get what we wanted, and synthetic happiness, something we make when we don't get what we wanted. Although in our society, we have  a strong bias that synthetic happiness is inferior to natural hapiness, in the lecture we learn that there is actually no difference.

The most interesting thing I learned in this lecture was that you are happier with something you are left no choice with than something you are allowed to change your mind about. Dan used an example of an experiment he did on his students in Harvard, making them take 12 photographs of their favorite things and choose two of their best ones. Then, they were asked to again choose between the one they wanted to keep and the one to submit to school headquarters, which would not be sent back to them. The trick was that half of the students were told that they will not be permitted to change their minds about their choice, and the other half were given opposite directions. Surprisingly, when Dan  asked the students how much they liked the photo that they chose to keep a several days later, the students who were told that they couldn't take back their choice liked their photo better than the students who were able to change their minds.

This was not the first lecture I viewed on Ted, but it was one of the most educating, interesting , and enjoyable. I liked how Dan used body jestures to express key points in his lectures and included simple jokes every now and then. His power point would have been better if it was clearer and more organized, but overall, I enjoyed the lecture very much. I would recommend it to anyone interested in psychology and being happy with your life.

Blog #8: Bouldering

Hello! This is Yu Yamanashi. In this blog, I want to talk about bouldering. Have you ever heard of this sport? It is a special type of climbing mountains, where you clamber up vertical walls with little bumps or holes that become your footage. I started bouldering this April after joining the Alpine club, and am enjoying this thrilling sport very much.

This is an example of a bouldering wall. This is an artificial indoor wall, in a bouldering gym in Shibuya. Anyone can try bouldering in these gyms that are located throughout Tokyo, for prices starting from about 1000yen free time. There, you can borrow special climbing shoes, and experienced climbers will eagerly teach you the basics in bouldering.
There are also outdoor walls, where you climb rocks and mountain faces as tall as a building. This type of bouldering is high level, and requires practice, skill and proper equipment. If you want to try them out, I advise you to get used to bouldering by practicing in gyms several times beforehand.
Here are some bouldering gyms around Tokyo that will be an excellent place to start your bouldering career if you are interested!

• Energy climbing gym (Takatanobaba)
• Gravity Bouldering Gym (Takatanobaba)
• B-Pump Tokyo (Akihabara)
• Vertical Climbing Zone J&S (Ikebukuro)

Here is a question I want to ask you.

  In what kind of situation do you start something new?



The answer could be your own experience, or a general opinion.
I will be waiting for interesting comments!

Blog #7: Simplicity

   Hello! This is Yu Yamanashi. Today, I want to talk about simplicity. I have always been interested in simple ways of life, but when I came across this book, my view of life changed completely.



   This book is called How to Live Simply and it is written by Dominique Loreau, a French woman who has a special view of simple life. (Click on the title to jump to Amazon webpage where you can have a glance at the first few pages of the book!) Before reading this book, I had never felt any guilt in buying things that I wanted until they filled up my room and I lost track of what I had. In a world of mass production and mass consumption, I think we all feel one time or the other, "I wish I had a bigger closet to put my clothes in," or "Why didn't I buy a bigger drawer when I knew I was going to have so much stuff to put in,".  This book tells you that all those way of thinking is nonsense, and simplicity is a richer way of living than having too much possessions. I was shocked to read that people are better off when they own only things that would fit into a suitcase or two. However, when I raised my awareness of keeping my life simple, things actually did start to change. I felt more free and light-hearted.
   What do you think about our life full of things today and making efforts to make it simple? I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions!

Blog #6: My favorite novelist

This is Akane Homma. I'm sorry for posting my blog too late.
Some days ago, I bought a novel written by my favorite novelist. So I'd like to tell you about the book and the novelist.

The title of the book is "Ushinahareru Monogatari"("Being Losted Story"-I'm afraid to be innocent of its spelling.), and  it is written by OTSUICHI.  This novel is omnibus of some stories of his work, and contain 8 stories. My favorite story of this omnibus is "Calling(the first one)".It is a eccentric love story, and story is sad and painful but warm-hearted at last.






 
OTSUICHI makes his own atmosphere in his works. It is sometimes dreamy, sometimes sentimental, and sometimes dreadful. He writes both cruel story and delicate story. If you like horror and mystery novels, you should try his novel. For instance, "GOTH", "ZOO", and so on.
If you want some strange love story, I really recommend "MOMOSE, Kocchi wo muite"("MOMOSE, please look to me"). The novelist name of this book is NAKATA EICHI, but he is the same person as OTSUICHI.
I hope you enjoy his wonderful world in the novels.

*Here is information about him from Wikipedia.

Blog #6: Recipes

Hello, this is Yu Yamanashi.

In this post, I want to introduce you my favorite cooking recipe website. It is called COOKPAD(クックパッド), and you can jump to the website by clicking here. COOKPAD is the largest recipe website in Japan, and you can search from over 1,260,000 recipes by just typing in the name of the dish you want to cook. You can also post your own original recipe on this site, which is why most of the recipes are of easy-to-make homemade dishes.
This is what the website looks like.




As you can see, the website is full of appetizing photos of dishes. One neat thing about this site is that it shows you a list of popular recipes, which were chosen by users for their quick, simple and tasty dishes. My family and I are often inspired by this recipe list when we can't decide what to make for dinner.

Do you cook at home? If you do, COOKPAD will surely make your mealtime more fun and delicious, and it will enrich the variety of dishes you can make. If you don't, summer break is the time to start! COOKPAD recipes will teach you how to make dishes of all kinds.
Please visit this website!

Blog #6: Gakushuin Life

Hi! This is Kaori Shimamoto.
     As everybody knows, I lived in Illinois for my entire life until I recently came back to Japan last summer. I don`t know if I can call it "coming back", since I`ve never really lived here but I consider both countries my home town. It has already been a year and a month since I left America and I have been through a lot of changes.
     First, I am finally a University student! I never knew Gakushuin University until my cram school teacher recommended it to me. At first I didn`t know if I would be able to make friends and adjust to the enviornment. However, from the first day of school I made a lot of new friends and I became to make a good start of college life. Joining club activities helped me expand the bond between upper grade students and it helped me live a full life.

                       Graduating High School                and                        entering College!!

     Second, my fashion has greatly changed. In America, we were able to wear outfits like sweatshirts, sweatpants, and flip flops, but in Japan everybody is so fashionable and cute that I had to push away those sweatpants into a box. My friends in America will probably be suprised to see how I look now!

From THIS                    to THAT

     Lastly, my views of Japan has changed. Being a returnee, I was afraid of being looked differently. But I was wrong. Every students and friends I have met in Gakushuin are all very nice and polite. They were unprejudiced that I myself was prejudice towards everybody! Getting education in Japan not only will help me achieve my dreams of being a teacher, but also help me understand my other homeland that I have never seen or lived.

     Everybody has a life changing experience more then once in a life time. My life changing experience is right now. What were everybody elses? I hope everybody is enjoying their life in Gakushuin and hopefully have a great experience throughout the rest of the year!

Blog 5: Film Introduction

Hi, this is Yu Yamanashi. I am sorry to be late in updating my blog.

Today, I would like to introduce you a film I really adore. It is called Forrest Gump (1994), a heartwarming drama starring Tom Hanks and winning 6 Oscars.

The story unfolds with Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), a man with a low IQ but an innocent, pure heart, telling the story of his life to people waiting at a bus stop in a small town. Despite being poor in intelligence, Forrest's mother raises him to choose his own destiny. Forrest unawaringly achieves many great things in life, obtaining fame, fortune and glory, but his one true love eludes him.

There are two plots in this film: the extraordinary tale of Forrest's life and the heartbreaking romance between Forrest and his only love, Jenny. The message to be passed on to viewers throughout the film is that determination, love, courage and honesty are more important than intelligence. The stories of Forrest's life made me think about how I want to live the rest of my life. Before watching this film, I believed somewhere in my heart that succeeding in society from and gaining fame from an early age was everything. Forrest, however, was never happy even after he captured great fortune. All he wanted in his life was to be with the person he truly loved. Now, I look at life differently. I feel that every person has their own unique goal in their lives, be it large or small, and they have all the time in their life to find that goal and achieve it.

Here is a trailer of Forrest Gump on youtube. It will change your view of life, too!

Blog#5: a movie I saw

 Hi, this is Akane Homma. I'd like to introduce "From up on puppy hill", a movie I watched. This is one of STUDIO GHIBLI movie, shown in 2011 and directed by Goro Miyazaki.

Here is a trailer of the movie.

 The story has two main characters. One is a girl named Umi, and the other is a boy named Shun. They are high school students, and they make every effort for preservation of a old building in their school.
The main theme is that preserving tradition is important. I felt the spirits Japanese people have. I mean the film showed the people took it for granted that they were kind to each other and lived together. Moreover, the time of the story is Showa period, and various scenes reminds us of old Japan, so we can enjoy the  flavor of that era.
 These days, people in Japan are getting used to western style and loosing their own style the people did in the past. lots of new substances are coming from one to another, and many people focus on only such tings. However, there are often important things in the old ones. We must remember that.
 By the way, Story of "From up on puppy hill" has another aspect, in other word it is a kind of love story. Umi and Shun fall in love each other, but they are in strange situation. It becomes obstacle for their relationship... This is also a worth point to watch.

 I enjoyed this movie, so I hope you enjoy it, too!

Blog #4: Chicago Gangsters

Gangster genre has always been a popular theme used in modern movies. I have never watched any gangster movies but my grandfather`s top five gangster movies are as listed below.

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. Goodfellas (1990)
3. The Untouchables (1987)
4. Branded to Kill (1967)

If anybody is intrested in this genre my grandpa recommends it very much, so you should check it out someday.

Now, what I want to share to everyone today is not about gangsters in the movies, but real gangsters that have done many interesting and shocking events in past history. I`m sure everybody has heard of the name Al Capone. The most famous Chicago gangster.

Photo credited to zippycart

His full name is Alphonse Gabriel Capone and is known for the many crime such as, smuggling, bootlegging liquor, and prostitution. He rose to infamy as the leader of the Chicago mafia during the Prohibition era. Born in a poor Italian family, he commited many crimes and robbery for a living. Living in New York, Capone moves to Chicago to start a better life. His biggest crime of all was the big shooting to murder his rival gang group.

Despite all the crimes and murders he has done, he was known to be a generous person. He often came out in public with a bright colorful suit. Flashing off his 11.5 carrot diamond pinky ring, he gave big tips to people and was the first one to open a soup kitchens during the Great Depression.

Capone was arrested in 1931, for tax envasion. The government wanted to use him as an example so they did not let him go off so easily. Sentencing him to 11 years in prison and millions of dollars of fine, it was his end of reign as a crime boss. After a few years in prison, he became increasingly sick and died of teritiary syphilis. He was only 48 years old.

A real gang`s life is full of many extreme events just like in the movies. However, it is really fearsome to think and know that there are real gangs around you.

I have lived in Chicago for 18 years, but I wonder what kind of gangsters there are in Japan? 

Blog #3: Soccer News

   Hi! This is Yu Yamanashi. As we are in the middle of the World Cup Qualifying Tournament, I came across an interesting and possibly shocking news article that I would like to introduce to you. The title is, "Fifa alarmed at widespread 'abuse' of painkillers ".(Matt McGrath, 5 June 2012, BBC News) Please click on the title to jump to the BBC webpage for the full article and to find out what happened to the player in the photo below.

 

   To make the long story short, this article is about the Fifa medical officer and several doctors alerting that too many soccer players are taking too much painkillers too frequently. The article points out that the major factors in the growing use of painkillers in soccer are the pressure on team doctors to get injured players back on the pitch quickly and players to stay on the pitch. Some problems induced by overdose painkillers are damage on the kidney and liver from strong drugs, irreversible destruction of tissue from numbed alarm systems and elevated risk of heart disorder. What concerns the Fifa medical officer the most is the attitude being passed on to younger players.
  
   What do you think about this article? Do you think there is an effective solution to this problem? I was very sad  to hear that so many players were too wrapped up in playing to care about their health. I also felt that with playing being their job, it wouldn't be easy to just take away painkillers from the players. In my opinion, the best way to improve the situation is to act upon supporters and spectators instead of the players and doctors themselves. This is because the major factor in this problem, the pressure to keep playing, is coming from the expectations of supporters and spectators. Also, players wouldn't be able to ignore if the very fans they are supposed to give hope and dreams to pleaded them to stop abusing painkillers. I hope soccer players would soon come to realize that by abusing painkillers, they are hurting the feelings of many soccer fans.


Yu Yamanashi

blog#3 Japanese Major leaguer

Ryo Yonekawa

HIdeki Matsui is Japanese baseball player. Recently, he got promoted to major league from minor league.  He belong to Tampa Bay Rays naw, but, I like him since he has played in Yomiyri Giants.

Blog#3: world news

 Hello, this is Akane Homma.
 I heard the news that some people was shot at the shopping mall in Canada. The shot man was dead, and other people were injured. A criminal of this trouble is still at large.
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/news/120603/amr12060316130000-n1.htm
This above is the web page of the news.


 There are many countries which admit that citizens have their own guns to protect their lives and fortunes, and the trouble with guns are happened one after another. Forexample, a child playing with a toy pistol was shot by a man, because the man mistook the child had a real gun and pointed him. Moreover, ordinary people can get them easily in the countries under warfare and use them for killing. I feel sad when I know the fact like those.
 Guns are useful tool for people in the area which is not safe, but they are also so dangerous tool. We, Japanese people, are not permitted having our own guns for self-protection, so this problem looks unrelated. However it is important to think of it because now that world has been globalization so world peace must be problem, like environmental probrems or economic ones, we humanbeings have jointly.

Blog #2: The Butterfly Effect

Hi everybody! This is Kaori Shimamoto.

Today I would like to share to you all a movie I really enjoyed watching.

The Butterfly Effect is a science fiction psychological thriller movie, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. This was written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. The meaning of the title refers to the chaos theory, butterfly effect, which means a small initial difference can, overtime, lead to large consequences. 

Ashton Kutcher plays the role of a 20-year-old student, Evan, and finds a journal he has kept throughout childhood. As he reads through his journal he finds out that he is able to travel back to his past. Evan had several traumatic experience in his past, so every time he went back to his past, he attempted to change how he had acted before to a different move to make everything better. One little thing may have made that moment better, but that little difference turns out to a unintended consequence in the present time. 

The film draws heavily on Evan's flashback. As audience find out what had happened in Evan's past, we see that the change he has made leads to an unexpected outcome. The new present becomes worst then before so Evan searches for a perfect outcome. 

After watching this movie it really made me think about myself and the past I have lived through. The past can never be changed and you have to live with all the fears and traumas you have gone through. 

Now, I have a question for everybody.

If you are able to change an event in your past what would it be and how do you think that would change your present self and environment? 

The time you live now is only lived once and can never be rewinded back. Life is full of decisions, but whatever outcome it leads to there is no right answer. You learn from your mistakes and it is important to know what you did wrong and how you should act in the future. I made a life changing decision to come back to Japan and there were times I had regret coming here. But all I had to do is change that feeling to something I can be proud of. Now I participate in a lot of school events and extra curricular activities so I enjoy my life now very much. I am proud of the decision I made and there is nothing I would like to change about it because you can change things now to make a better future.

If you ever go to Tsutaya, check out The Butterfly Effect! Even though this film received a poor critical reception I enjoyed it very much. They have made The Butterfly Effect 2 and 3 but I have not seen it yet. So if I ever do I would like to share it again. Thank you!

Last but not least, here is a trailer of this film.

Blog#1: A drink

Hi, this is Koyo. And it is 45 min before deadline!! wow!!

Well, I think I would like to start introducing a drink I like. When I drank it, it was amazing, like floating on air. And it smells of bread baking in the oven.

It is red wine called “ALTER EGO DE PALMER” from Margaux. I have drunk it just once. But I will never and ever forget what the taste like. If you have a chance to drink it, you should try this one. I’m pretty sure that would be a great experience for you!!

Blog #1: You will go WILD!!!

Kaori Shimamoto

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar is one of my favortie restaurants in America!
It`s a sports viewing bar combined with a restaurant so customers can enjoy there time with friends while watching your favortie sports team play!
Of many varieties of food option they have, they are known for their fabulous pieces of wings.
From sweet bbq to blazin` hot, every time you visit, you can choose a different kind of sauce.

It is located almost everywhere in the U.S., but unfortunatly you won`t be able to get a bite on those delicious piece of wings in Japan. Their food are unexpensive so you can bring your friends to eat and chat. Not only for kids, but adults can also enjoy there time there because of the number of beers and beverages they serve.

If you ever have a chance to travel the U.S. you MUSTcheck it out!

Blog #1: Shohoumuga(諸法無我)

Hi, this is Yu Yamanashi. I feel like it's been a long time sence we last had Film Studies class, with Tuesday being a school holiday.

Did you do anything special with the day off?

I met with my friend from highschool in a cafe in Shibuya, and we updated eachother on our new college life. There was an odd nostalgic feeling, seeing my friend right there infront of me, but knowing I wouldn't be able to see her at school the next day. It reminded me that things never stay the same, and that you should saviour every moment in your life.

Speaking of change, the topic I want to talk about today is Shohoumuga. I guess everyone has heard this word before, but I learned the way of viewing yourself with Shohoumuga in an ethics class and was truly fascinated. What would you do if somebody came up to you one day to say that you didn't exist? Not in the physical sense, but in the sense that since your mind changed by the second, there couldn't be a constant "you" as a being, and that it was foolish to be so caught up in yourself. Well, that is exactly what our professor said to us.  And that is exactly what Shohoumuga means.

If everybody in the world could practice Shohoumuga, I think it would make a big difference, leading the world toward world peace. Even in a smaller scale, like talking with your friend during lunchtime, Shohoumuga could help make you less self-conscious and more relaxed. By removing the notion of self attachment, I believe we could lower the barrier we built between ourselves and others and lead a better social life. What do you think?

I would like to end my blog with a photo I took in my visit to Tateyama during Golden Week.
Looking forward to see you all in next class!

Blog #1:A restaurant I like

Hi, this is Akane. I'll introduce a restaurant of Vietnam dishes called Nha Viet Nam on the 8th floor of Shibuya PARCO. I went there yesterday with my friend, and ate pho. This was my meal.

It was really delicious.
It is common that noodle is made from wheat flour, but "pho", Vietnamese noodles are made from rice. It was like ramen, but much lighter than it.
You should try it!! I didn't try, but there were other special menu I'd like to have. I really recommend you this restaurant!!