I like traveling. I have never been abroad. But I have been to all over Japan except the Tohoku region. When I travel with my family, we always travel by car. For example, we went to Kyoto (2003), Tottori (2004), Hiroshima (2005), and Osaka (2006). It takes many hours for us to reach the destination and makes my father so tired. But I’m comfortable because I can sleep in the car. When I go on a trip alone, I certainly take many pictures and buy souvenirs for my family. I’m very glad to see their happy face when I give them.

I wanted to visit the Tohoku region in this summer vacation. But I have to go back my hometown, Nagoya, because I’m going to take a driver’s license. So I’ll go to Tohoku absolutely next year.

<My favorite place ~Hikone~>

I made a day trip to Hikone Castle alone this spring, when I was still in Nagoya. It was the second time for me to go to Hikone. Hikone is located in northeastern part of Shiga prefecture. In Hikone, there is a castle’s mascot character, which name is Hikonyan. Do you know it? If you know, what do you think about Hikonyan? Before I first visited Hikone, I had thought it was an odd character. But I saw it with my own eyes, I thought it was not so much a lovely character as a healing one. There were many people from the young to the elderly and Hikonyan was very popular among them. I became a slave to it, too, and took many pictures of it. In addition, I bought many souvenirs with Hikonyan, for instance, straps, notepads, mechanical pencils, and so on. I think Hikone is the place in which we’ll never lose interest even if we visit there many times.

If you have never seen Hikonyan actually, I recommend you to go to Hikone Castle and see it. You ought to be healed by it!

<Introduction>

My favorite book is Vessel of Sand (Suna no utsuwa in Japanese) written by Seicho Matsumoto, who was a novelist in Japan, in the early of the 1960s. In a word, this is a detective story. But it also describes the social problem of prejudice against Hansen’s disease at that time in Japan. I think that the keys of this story are dialect and destiny, especially the latter is more important. If you read this book, you’ll be able to understand the meaning of these key words.

<Story>

A man who was murdered was discovered at the switchyard of Kamata Station in Tokyo. The victim was not identified. There were only two clues. One was what he talked in the Tohoku dialect with a certain man before he died. The other was that a word “Kameda” came out in their conversation. Therefore the investigation had rough going.

Finally the victim’s identify became clear, but he was a good policeman and was not a person to be hated by others. However Imanishi and Yoshimura, who belonged to First Criminal Investigation Section, continued investigations hard. Presently, they found out the existence of a certain man. And then they came to know his hidden and sad past….

This story was made into a film in 1974. I think the best part of this film is the last scene. Because of this movie, a monument has been built in Kamedake, Shimane prefecture, which is the setting of this novel.Below is the picture of that place.

In 2004, this novel was also made into a TV drama, whose leading actor was Masahiro Nakai, a member of SMAP. This drama was different from the original in that its theme was not prejudice against Hansen’s disease. But very important key word of this story “destiny”, written at first, doesn’t change.

If you have never watched this movie and TV drama, it might be a good idea to compare these two.

<Sleeping>

I always get up at 7.am on weekdays. This is because I have to prepare for breakfast and wash clothes by myself, though I live near this university now.

I usually go to bed around midnight, but I can’t fall asleep easily. So I sleep for about 6hours except weekend actually.

When I can’t sleep, I always read a book, especially novels (Seicho Matsumoto, Sherlock Holmes, and so on). But sometimes, it’s so interesting that I’m crazy about it and can’t fall asleep more and more.

So, if you have a good idea to sleep easily, please tell me it!

<Dreams>

Even if I have a dream, I don’t remember it so much. I sometimes remember mistily, but I forget it immediately. Last night I had a dream, however it already slips my memory now.

Therefore I intend to write down on paper when I have a dream next time, even though it happens tonight.

<Dealing with stress>

I watch a comedy in order to relieve stress. Its name is Yoshimoto Shinkigeki. When I watch it, I always roar with laughter. And I can not only get rid of stress, but also feel refreshed.

Yoshimoto Shinkigeki is played at Namba Grand Kagetsu, “NGK” for short, in Osaka. Last year, because I was under great stress on university entrance examination, I went to Osaka three times to see it and dealt with stress. I have never been there this year yet, so I’m now planning to go to NGK during the summer vacation.

Also, Yoshimoto Shinkigeki is broadcasted around the Kansai Region mainly, and so is in Nagoya. When I was in Nagoya, I always recorded it on DVD. I brought the DVDs to Tokyo, and watch it sometimes when I’m free or tired from studying. Now I get my parents to record the comedy and send the DVD by mail to my house once a month.

Yoshimoto Shinkigeki is essential for me to live, and its DVDs are my treasures.

There are five in my family, father, mother, grandparents, and me.

<My Parents>

Both my father and my mother work as a school teacher. When I was an elementary school student, they usually helped me with my homework. Then, in my junior high school and senior high school days, we did housework together very occasionally.

My father always reads a book when he is in home. He reads more than 20 books a month. I can’t believe and do it. This is a part of his work, but I am sometimes worried whether his eyes get tired to read too many books.

My mother likes to go shopping. Every Saturday, she went to a local bakery. I liked bread of the shop very much. And when I was a high school student, she got up early in the morning and made a lunch for me without missing even once. I thank her for that.

<My Grandparents>

My grandfather is in his eighties, but he’s still hale and hearty. He grows some flowers in the garden and waters them every day. He also cleans the avenue near the house. I can’t believe that he is in his eighties.

My grandmother cooks dinner for my family every day, for, as written before, both of my parents work from morning till night. Her meal was very delicious. After I passed the entrance examination of this university, she taught me various cooking. Now I’m cooking for myself while remembering her. I want to eat her dishes when I return to my hometown.

I have a dream. It is to go on a long trip with my grandparents. I have traveled with my parents many times, but have never done together with my grandparents. So I want to realize this plan by the end of this year.

<Extended Family>

I have three cousins. One of them is the same age as me. He had lived in Aichi prefecture till this spring, but now he is going to Tsuru University. He lives on his own in the same way as me. So we contact twice or three times a week in order to know each other’s situation.

The others live in Gifu prefecture. They are working adults. But when I go to them during the summer vacation or spring vacation, we have a great time to play baseball together.

<About Nagoya>

My hometown is Nagoya city, Aichi prefecture. Nagoya is about 400 kilometers away from Tokyo. It takes about two and a half hours from Nagoya to Tokyo by Shinkansen. If you use an express bus, it is about five hours. But it costs only 3000 yen!

Nagoya is the fourth largest population in the Japan now (about 2.2 million people). The center of the city is around Nagoya Station and Sakae. People in local area call Nagoya Station “Meieki”. There are not as many tall buildings around Meieki as Tokyo. But in 2006, a very high building was built in front of the station, which is called “Midland Square”. It is taller than any other building in Chubu region. Midland Square has offices of many companies, shopping centers and restaurants. So if you visit there, you will see a lot of people work, or enjoy shopping.

In Sakae, there is a development of the underground shopping mall. Besides, commercial buildings and corporate buildings stand in a row along the street. Because of this, it is said that Sakae is a downtown which leads Nagoya.

<My Memory>

I had lived in Nagoya for 18 years, so I have many memories of my hometown.

When I was a kid, I would often catch cicadas with my friends or my parents in the park near my house. I sometimes made a cicada nymph emerge at home. I could scarcely wait for summer to come. I like the summer the best even now.

As an elementary student, I played baseball after school all the year around. Because I liked Ichiro, I always imitated his batting form. But I couldn’t make a lot of hits like him…..

I have a lot of other memories in my hometown, but I can’t finish writing here. I think I keep them locked in my breast.