Blog #4: Iseshima (Nao Murakami)

Hello, this is Nao Murakami. How is your summer break? I'm really busy with my club activity and part time job, but enjoyed some trips too. So, this time I'm going to introduce my trip to Iseshima in Mie prefecture.
Do you know Iseshima? It is very popular sightseeing place in Japan. First place I visited is Ise-jinguu, the most famous sightseeing place in Iseshima. It's composed of 125 shrines, and there are two main shrines, Naiku and Geku. Every 20 years, they build a new shrine and replace Honden, the main hall. This year is going to be the year, so if you are interested in it, please visit there.

 

Next place I visited is Toba aquarium. This aquarium housing more than 1000 species, and the total length of the aisle is about 1.5 kilometers. It is really huge as indoor aquarium, and housing the biggest number of species in Japan. There are some species which you can't see in other aquarium in Japan. If you have chance to visit here, I recommend you to watch walrus show. walrus act like human, and it's really cute and funny, and at last you can touch walrus too. 

I stayed 3 days in Iseshima, and I really enjoyed it, but there were more interesting places to visit. I really want to go again. So, I deeply recommend you to visit Iseshima someday.

Blog#4: Trip to Izu (Yurina Mori)

 Hi, this is Yurina Mori. I enjoy dancing and doing part-time job in my vacation.
 I could make so many memories, especially in my circle. So I am going to tell you about trip to Izu with my circle members from August 25th to 26th.

 We stay at Atagawa Grand Hotel. We could see beautiful sea from window of our rooms! And we could go swimming in the sea soon because this hotel is very near there.  If you stay this hotel, you can enjoy swimming not only in the sea but also in some pools. Actually, I enjoyed in the pool with my friends. The hotel lend us floats at the front desk, so people who can't swim also can take pleasure in the pools. After that, we take a hot spring bath. We feel so relaxed because there was open-air bath! We could see the sea from the bath,too.

 Although we didn't stay so long, I could enjoy many places to the full and talking with my circle members a lot! That two days is so fun for me and one of the best memories of my vacation. I want to stay this hotel with my other friends someday. So I want you to go there as soon as possible! There are a lot of amusement there especially in summer!

Blog#4:Harry Potter The Exhibition (Misaki Yoshida)

  Hi, this is Misaki Yoshida. How is your vacation? I am really enjoying mine.
  By the way, do you know Harry Potter The Exhibition  is held at Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi Hills?

 

It is displaying clothes and props which were actually used in the movies. I went this exhibition with my friend because I wanted to go to after watched Harry Potter movie on TV. This exhibition is popular too much all over the world and has been holding since June 22 in Japan. Of course, it is popular in Japan. I heard that 20,000 people have already gone to this exhibition. I went to there August 22 when is weekday, but it was too crowded because of summer vacation.  When I walked in the inside, I was really excited the atmosphere because view of the world of Harry Potter was recreated faithfully. There is also the experience-based display that I really touch it, and can play.
You can sit down big chair in Hagrid hut, throw a ball at a corner of Quidditch and pull up Mandrake in a classroom of the medical herb.

I don't tell you all things I watched because when you'll go to, you can't enjoy. If you want to fun more, you should rent voice guide device. It tells you commentary and secret stories concerning filming. After you watch, you can buy goods at the shop. My recommend good is Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

I think that you should eat it with your friends. When I ate it with my friend, she ate booger flavour. She screamed that she had never eaten such an awful taste befoure!

   This exhibition is too crowded any time, so I recommend you that you buy advance ticket at Lawson. This exhibition will finish September 16, so if you want to go, you must go as soon as possible.

 

Blog#3：My City(Misaki Yoshida)

Hi, this is Misaki. I'd like to introduce my city. I live in Satte, Saitama. Satte is located next to Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, and the shape is like a dog.


My city is famous for cherry blossoms. There are about 1,000 cherry trees on bank named Gongendotutumi. Its long is 1 kilometer. Cherry trees are planted in both sides of the bank, and it is like a tunnel of flowers. At the same time, rape blossoms bloom, so yellow flowers  make a beautiful contrast with pink cherry blossoms. During this period, both sides of the street are lined with 100 stalls, and millions of people come to here. Of course, you can enjoy in the daytime, but my recommend time is at night. Image that 1,000 cherry trees are lit up. It is marvelous view.

You may think that the best time to visit is spring, but you can visit any season, because Gongendoututumi is not only cherry blossoms. Many volunteers planted various kinds of flowers under the slogun of  "The flower which blooms seasonally even after the season of the cherry tree is over". In early summer, about 100 kinds of hydrangeas come out. Surprisingly, there are 15,000 hydrangeas. In autum, million cluster amaryllis make big red carpet. It's really beautiful. You can enjoy flowers even winter. Its flower is Narcissus.

 

My city places grest stress on cherry blossoms, so flag of satte is based on cherry blossom.

The other thing you should see in my city is handprints. When Satte is written in kanji, it is "happy hand", so Satte has many famous people's handprints. Every year people who play active part in the year are elected by vote, and some of them donate their handprints. These monument are placed at city hall.

 

Satte once flourished as important area of the traffic, because Nikko highway and Nikko onari highway join at here. There used to be a castle, and the remains still be left. If you came to Satte, you should do town walking. Satte has many historic temples and shrines. Why don't you walk while you feel and study history? Here is a  good town walking course.

 

 Please enjoy my city, Satte!

 

Blog#3: My City (Yurina Mori)

 

Hi,this is Yurina Mori. I want to tell you about my city. My city is Koshigaya in Saitama. It has a lot of nice place to visit. First of all, tourists can be amused in Shirakobato especially in summer. Shirakobato is a synthetic recreation park.  In summer, tourists can enjoy swimming in nine different kinds of pools. For example, flowing pool,slider pool and rippled pool. The park's name Shirakobato come from  prefecture's bird "しらこばと". In addition, they can enjoy fishing, playing a miniature golf and riding battery cars. So they can be amused from children to adults through the four seasons.

                            

Second, tourists can enjoy shopping in Koshigaya Laketown. The nearest station is Koshigaya Laketown station, JR Musashino Line. Tourists can go there soon when they arrive the station. Laketown has AEON, VIVRE, Maruetsu and 710 specialty stores. The total site is 393,916m² , it is the largest shopping center in Japan.




Third, tourists can enjoy Kyuizujinjya. It is famous for quiz shrine because the name "kyuizu" is similar to quiz. Also, the wisteria blossom in the precincts of a shrine is protected plant by prefecture. They can see beautiful scenery.

I hope to enjoy my city, Koshigaya!

Blog#3:My City(Momoko Watanabe)

Hello, I'm Momoko Watanabe.  I'm going to introduce you my city.  I live in Kisarazu, Chiba. Kisarazu is a rural city, but a few people may have heard Kisarazu because "Kisarazu Cat's Eye" which is a series of TV drama and movies set here about 10 years ago.

This movie is the theme song which is sang by actors appeared in the drama.  They are popular, so even now some people visit shooting places.  The song has phrase, "Yassai Mossai".  It is a traditional dance of Kisarazu. Every summer, Yassai Mossai Festival is held and many groups compete by their dance.  The festival is full of activity, so you can enjoy seeing it.

Also, Kisarazu is a seaside city and famous for short-neck clams.  In summer, a lot of people visit here to gather shellfish.  If you find a clam painted gold, you can receive toasted lavers from Kisarazu as a prize.  Furthermore, last year Mitsui outlet Park Kisarazu opened.  This facility has 220 stores, and it is the largest outlet mall of Japan.  Therefore, everyone will find favorite things.  Please enjoy my city, Kisarazu!