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500 yen lunch passport; the best thing ever!

2013年7月4日 (木)

Today I discovered that there is a special 500 yen lunch meal book!! As someone who loves cooking, I always feel disappointed that I can`t eat out more. These books are perfect for me because I can eat lunch out for only 500 yen and then cook my dinner!!!! I am super excited and am going to make it my mission to visit as many restaurants as possible.
Today I went for “Taco rice” in the Odori area. The restaurant was great, very indie. I paid my 500 yen and got my meal (the usual price is 730 yen). The meal was pretty delicious; I would give it 6/10. However the atmosphere of the restaurant I would give 8/10 and I will definitely go to that area again!!! If any of you want to know which restaurant I went to, please ask me. I will keep everyone updated on my 500 yen lunch passport adventures. There is a picture of me and taco rice, as you can see, I am very happy to be eating it and it was only 500 yen!!!

Summer!

2013年6月20日 (木)

Hello everyone! As I am sure you know, I have just bought a new bicycle. It is a road bike, so recently I have been cycling everywhere I can. Last weekend I went to Jozankei. It was so beautiful. Usually I go to Jozankei by car so I miss all the beautiful scenery and nature. The ride wasn`t so difficult and took about an hour and 10 minutes. I would totally recommend it to anyone who is interested in riding (beginner to intermediate level). On the way back I saw something that REALLY scared me, out of nowhere there was a MASSIVE snake!!! I didn`t know that Hokkaido had snakes. I was really shocked.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Paris!

2013年6月20日 (木)

Recently my husband and I went to Paris to visit a friend of ours. Our friend’s apartment is in the 16th Arondissement (district) of Paris, which is a very chic neighborhood. “Chic” (pronounced “sheek”) means elegant, stylish and fashionable. It is a quiet neighborhood away from the bustle of busier areas of Paris. We were a short walk from the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysees.

I went to Paris by myself two years ago. It was my first time in Paris and I didn’t know the city, so I stayed in a very touristy area and took a tour bus to see the sights.

But this time it was different because I was with my husband, Philippe. Philippe knows the city well because he lived there when he was young. We still went to a lot of typical tourist places, but we also went to less well-known parts of the city. Furthermore, we explored Paris on foot, so I was able to see a lot more of the city. Luckily, the weather was really nice!

One of my favorite places we went to was Luxembourg Palace and the gardens surrounding it. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were many people and families out enjoying the sunshine. In the gardens by the palace there was a huge basin of water where children were sailing small model sailboats. It was a perfect day in Paris!

Regions in France

2013年5月31日 (金)

One of the things I like about France is that it has such a diversity of culture. There are many small regions with different cultures and traditions, and even traditional languages that are different from French.

I live in the Southwest of France in a region called Ariege. Here the regional language is Occitan. Occitan is an old language that is not spoken much anymore. Some older people still speak it, but the number of people who can speak or understand it is becoming fewer and fewer. Here in Ariege there are traditional dishes that are special to this region, and traditional houses are made of stone.

Recently my husband and I took a trip to the Atlantic coast of France to visit a friend. The town, Capbreton, was about a 3-hour drive west of where we live. I was surprised to see that the architecture was quite different from that in Ariege. The traditional style of house in that part of France is made of painted white wood with red window shutters and red stripes painted down the sides of the house (sometimes the shutters and stripes are blue or green). They are really pretty! There are also unique traditions and cuisine in that area that we do not have in Ariege. And the seafood is delicious!

A little north of our friend’s house is French Basque Country. (There is also Basque Country in Spain.) The Basque people have their own culture, and a language that has no relation to any other language in Europe. The Basque people are very proud of their heritage and they speak both French and the Basque languages fluently. We went to a lovely seaside town in Basque Country called Saint Jean de Luz. I have included a photo below. Saint Jean de Luz is only a 30-minute drive from our friend’s house, but the culture, language and cuisine are very different!

These are only a few examples of the diversity in culture you can find in France. There are many more regional languages and unique traditions. It is really interesting!

砂糖菓子の弾丸は撃ちぬけない

2013年5月25日 (土)

I just finished reading a book which I really enjoyed.
I like reading very much, but now that I’m working I don’t have as much time to read as I would like. Still, on my break time sometimes I read novels and newspapers.

The book that I finished today is 砂糖菓子の弾丸は撃ちぬけないby Kazuki Sakuraba.
It was published in 2004, and I got the paperback version earlier this year.

The story is kind of a mystery, but I think it is mostly about children growing up.  There are many battles that children have to fight while they are growing up, and I think this novel is a metaphor for those battles. But, because children don’t have much power in society, they only can fight with lollypops, not real bullets.

I think that a good book should change you, and this book changed my thinking a little bit.  The ideas about adulthood and how people react to difficult situations moved me.
I thought the characters were very interesting.

I read the book in Japanese, and on every page there were two or three new words.  I think it was the perfect level for me.  I learned lots of new and useful words and kanji while enjoying this book.  If you have time, I recommend reading a book in English to help you practice.  It’s a fun way to study.

Also, if you like short novels, I recommend reading this book in Japanese, too!