My friend Ms. N sent me these pics! She went to Awajishima with her family. She goes there every year because her cousins and aunt live there. She said it is very "country"! She prefers the city to the country, so she said it was "just OK." The pic of the pigeons chilling out on the electric wires is pretty cool. And below is the bridge that you have to take to get to the Island if you go by car. If you go by sea, there is a ferry though. Have you ever been to Awajishima?
Which do you like more, red roses or white roses? Flowers and plants are nice and add something to a room. In America, some people keep a vase with flowers in it on the kitchen table all the time. I have a few plants in my classroom, but it is difficult to keep them healthy...Because the sun is very strong in the morning, and I think that the air conditioner and heater are not good for plants too. Do you keep flowers or plants in you house or office?
Ms. Ai sent me this pic from Tokyo. She went there last weekend. On August 6th, 61 years ago, Hiroshima was attacked with an atomic bomb... this work was drawn by Taro Okamoto. Do you know who he is? Do you know his work? His work is on display at Banpaku Park in Osaka. It`s called "The Sun Tower". I put a pic of that on my blog a while back..did you see it? What do you think about the above photo?And last night I saw a documentary of a man who experienced both Nagazsaki and Hiroshima...I didn`t catch the gentleman`s name, but his story and character was very moving...He said "Heiwa (peace)" is "All for one, and one for all"...
Look at these two cute girls!! They are adorable and look so pretty in their Yukatas!!! I wonder if they went to a summer festival...? There are many summer festivals and firework festivals in Japan. My friend Mr. K looks like a samurai, doesn`t he? And he acts like a samurai too, he is modest and doesn`t talk so much! Speaking of fireworks, there is a BIG festival tonight in Yodogawa. One of my friends lives in that area, so she will have a party and watch the fireworks with her friends from her balcony! No crowds, cool airconditioning! She is lucky! My hometown, Philadelphia also has HUGE fireworks every year for the Fourth of July. Anyway, I hope I can meet these two cute girls one day!!!
Kameda got the Champion`s belt on an atrocious decision. He got knocked down in the first round on a solid right punch. He was dominatd the whole fight. How dd he win? I`ll tell you the answer...it`s called Boxing (=money)! In the sport of Boxing, sometimes crazy things happen. This wasn`t the first time there has been a horrible decision, and it won`t be the last time either. Read here for more: http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/sports/news/20060803p2a00m0sp009000c.html
Some people love him, some people hate him. But you have to admit, he is a character. He is from and grew up in Osaka. He walks the walk and talks the talk. Some call him "Big mouth." Tonight he gets his wish, a World Title fight. If he wins he says he will put the belt around his father`s waist, because his father never attained that goal. Read here for more about Koki Kameda: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20060802TDY22006.htm
Above at the weigh-in, his opponent, Landaeta, offered Kameda a present: diapers and a pacifier. This is the day after Kameda gave Landaeta a doll at the first day press conference. 
Some people love it, some people hate it. It looks like a snake. It swims in the ocean?river?both? Do you know? Eel is very popular in Japan and there are even "eel farms"!! I like eel over white rice very much! It is delcious, and great when you are tired, because eel helps your STAMINA! In the hot and humid summer like in Osaka, stamina is needed! There is even an "Eel Day" in Japan. Did you know that? In America, eel sushi is very popular too. How about you? Do you like eel?
My student Mrs. N went to an outdoor music festival last weekend. It rained ,but she and her husband didn`t care because they are big fans of the bands that perfromed, such as Santanna, The Doobie Brothers, and more...I really like Sanatana. I think that Sanatana is the best guitarist in the world!!! Also, I like The Doobie Brothers. But I have never been to their concerts so I am envious of Mrs. N. 
Mrs. N gave me this great tee-shirt as a souvenir!! I am going to wear it all the time!! THANK YOU!!!
Can you see some of the people in the pic are wearing rain coats! Rain or shine, sometimes the show must go on!!!
In Japan, lunch boxes are very common. Some people buy them at a convenience store or outside vendor for 500 yen or so, and other people make them every day. Or people`s mother`s make them! I think lunch boxes are delicious. These pics are of my student`s Ms. O`s lunch boxes for last week. She makes a lucnh box every day. They all look so delicious that I can`t decide which one I want to try! Can you name each of these lunches? What do you usually eat for lunch?
These pics are sideways...Sorry! In the pic is one of my students. Her name is Ms. A. She goes to an international high school. In her school they have many interesting events, for examples debates and plays. This time her and her friends did a skit imitating Whoppie Goldberg in the movie, "The Sister Act." They are dressed as nuns. Don`t they look so cute!
Now this guy is one of the most known Japanese names in America. Right up there with Ichiro and Matsui. More Americans probably know this guy`s name than Ken Watanabe. Do you know why?
Check out this eating phenomenon!!! He is the Fastest Easter Champion in America. I think he ate about 54 hot dogs in this competition! Check out this article for the exact details if you want! :http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5758088
What do you think about fast eating competitions? They used to be very popular in Japan and sometimes I still see them on t.v.
Ms. N took this photo for me. She is a freind of mine for a long time. I gave her some souvenirs from my trips; coffee mugs from Philadelphia and Kona coffee from Hawaii. Now she has a set! She uses the cups every morning with her husband. When friends can use the souvenirs that I give them, I always feel happy. I like "useful" souvenirs! How about you? What are some "useful" souvenirs that you have gotten or given?
First I would like to welcome this new cute little healthy girl to the world. Her name is Asuka. She was born on Saturday July 8th, a few days before the due date. I forget how long the labor was, but it lasted about 6 or so hours I think. She was a little above average weight for a new-born, and very healthy. She looks adorable! She is my student Mr. T`s, daughter.
Over the past few months Mr. T told me about many of the things needed to do when a baby is born. For example, picking a name, shopping for clothes, deciding to know or not know the baby`s sex before birth, his wife`s physical condition, and various different thoughts, feelings and emotions...It was very interesting for me to listen.
Asuka`s name means "Tomorrow`s Fragrance" in English. Sort of a hope for a beautifully smelling future like the smell in a summer garden...Good Luck Asuka! And Congrats to Mr. T and his wife (who is a little tired I assume...Get some rest!)
I am sure that you are all sick of all the pics from Hawaii by now. I wanted to post the above pic, because, well...just because I like it. And the below pic is of my father and I having our big night out on the town!! We went to the bar at the Princeville hotel at 10pm maybe. The bar was closing up but the bartender was nice and gave us a beer and took our pic. We were the only two people in the entire first floor of the hotel! What a crazy town! ;)
My mother is an elementary school 3rd grade teacher. She has every summer off. Her summer vacation is about 2 months long. She `s wearing a gorgeous necklace that my aunt made for her for her birthday. It`s an expensive necklace!! (If you want to buy a gorgeous and expensive necklace please tell me and I will get you one! ;)
My first time even on a golf course. At the Princeville Course. It was pretty nice! That`s me with my BIG BERTHA CALLOWAY!!! (Thanks to my friend Gan who gave it to me as a present!) I heard it`s a pretty expensive club!
My dad played one round of golf that day. I just walked with him. Well actually I played just one hole. It was the first hole of my life. It was fun. My dad shot a 101. I think he could have done better, but then again, he could have done worse too. For a big guy, he has a soft swing. But he drives the golf cart too fast!!! I like to drive slowwwwwwww!
Ed and Glenn Gross: First Golf Two-Shot (The caretaker took the pic for us...It`s a pretty dark pic so I guess he isn`t such a good photographer!)
My father putting on the green. NICE SHOT!!!
My father driving from the tee...GOOD SHOT!!!
"The Big Man", my dad`s nickname ;)
My brother and I in separate pics with our folks. My father and I are wearing Aloha style shirts. I really like Aloha shirts and think they are cool. Sometimes I even wear one when I go out in Osaka or even when I am teaching. What do you think about Aloha style shirts?
Also, did you know that aloha=hello, and mahalo=thank you. That`s the only Hawaiin language that I know. Do you knw any more?
Sunset on the balcony before the big BBQ dinner. We ate fresh fish and steak and a seafood pasta dish, and salad and drank some wine. It was delcious.
We rented a convertible car. (A car is necessary on this Island I think!) A Mustang. Most of the time, we drove with the top down, do the view was great and we could feel the wind and sun directly. It was nice!
On the Island, there are also many caves. I saw this cave from a boat. I saw many people also exploring inside the caves. It looked scary... 
One day we went for a long (I don`t like being in a car for a long time...) drive around the Island. The main spot was the "Grand Canyon"..Sorry I forget the real name of the place, but it was like the "Grand Canyon", just a little smaller. These pics really don`t do justice to the place. It was very grand and beautiful. We also stopped at many other good spots and finished with a little swim in the ocean of small town. The current of the ocean was very strong and I almost got pulled out to sea...DANGEROUS!
Can you see the waterfalls in the middle of this pic? It was pretty cool!
My Dad is a Big guy. Look at that tank-top and those pipes (=arms). He must have been tired because he drove a lot that day. The roads on the Island and long and narrow and have great scenery. At this spot, many tourists, I saw one large Japanese group too, took pictures of the scene and themselves.
