Ten things I want to do

1. Go to the three best traveling spot in Japan 2. Go to a really good Onsen(hot spring) 3. Go to the North east Japan for volunteering 4. Join a club (a easy going sport club) in ICU 5. Find a part time job that gives me learning and satisfaction 6. Clean my room 7. Find a partner 8. Read "Les Miserable" 9. Read more novels 10. Go to the Chofu stadium and cheer for F.C. Tokyo These are the ten things that I want to do. Doing these will help me make my life a lot more enjoyable, so I would like them to come true.

The Reason I Study

I study because it will help me to know things better, understand things that I have not know before. University academics is, for me, a chance to discover what I really know for myself, which is in a sense something to do with the unavoidable curiosity within myself. I do get tired sometimes, especially at the end of the term, but I really hope to finish what I have started and get to a higher point of understanding on the topic after the term. That is why I spend a lot of energy in studying and putting the priority first. I am sleepy, tired, and lazy, but I really want to fight this fatigue and accomplish my goal in academics this term.

Weekend in Jindaiji

I spent my last Saturday going to Jindaiji. It was really great to be there when the leaves on the trees are colorful and starting to fall down which make me feel that the season is now autumn. I ate Soba at one of the shops there, and while I waited, I read the starting line of Basho's "Okunohosomichi". When I finished eating, I went out of the shop and went for a walk to where all the temples are, walking along the old fashioned street, the main feature of Jindaiji. I went up the stares of the street and entered a botanical park there. It cost me 500 yen. I thought it was a bit expensive for me to pay, but it was actually really nice being there with so many kinds of plants and trees in one of the best seasons in the year. I breathed the clean air, pondered on many thoughts as I walked, ate some ice cream, and out of all, I really enjoyed the nature. In the end, I thought it was worth the price. I went out of the park, and got some baked sweet potato and went home. It was a great way to spend my weekend.

How was SE? What did I learn/discover during this course?

I think I got a lot familiar with writing my thoughts freely in English. Before, I think I would have rather chosen to write my thoughts in Japanese, but now I think I can do the same in English. I even realized that there are feelings that are easier to express in English. I think my thoughts and feelings have become more closely attached to English thought process through this course. I also got used to using a blog. I had the experience of using a blog before, but I had never tried one as a blog owner. In this class, I had to run my own blog, and I was the one fully responsible for posting blog articles to proceed my blog. So I think it has become a good experience that might be useful in the future. Finally, I think out of all, the greatest thing I might have learned from this course is to write about myself in whatever way it feels comfortable for me. It is great to show a writing to other people, but first, writing is for yourself. This means that you don't really need to be so curious what other people may look at it. Writing is first for your own pleasure and to understand yourself better. Publishing is a different step, but I think writing something that you really want to write will eventually result to something that other people also find a value. These are the three things I learned from this class.

ICU Fes Symposium "Differences between the new dorms and the old dorms on ICU campus"

I participated in a symposium about "the difference between new dorms and old dorms in ICU campus" during the ICU festival. There were one panelist from each dorms to discuss with each other on the difference between the old and the new, and I participated as a representative from the 2nd Men's Dormitory. The discussion was mainly about the problem of 2 years system or 4 years system. In the current system, the residents in the new dorms can only stay at the dorm for 2 years, but in the old dorms, residents can live there for four years (basically until they graduate). There are merits and demerits for each system. If you can stay at one dorm for four years, there will be interaction with many generations, either elder or younger, and the residents get to learn a lot from that kind hybrid dorm. In 2 years system, you will have more interaction with peers in your same grade, but you will have less time to build up relationships, traditions within the dorm, and etc. It is required to look at this issue from many perspectives in making a decision of what kind of system to apply to the new dorms that ICU is planning to build in the future. I thought it was a really important issued since I am getting a lot out of living in a dorm, and I personally think whether or not the dorm is 2 years system or 4 years system makes a whole lot of difference.

Midnight City