[Englsh/Japanese] Continuing from last week, here are some photos from Komagino Garden. The garden was magnificent. There was also a suikinkutsu (a device in which water droplets fall into a hollow created in the ground and reverberate the sound they make), which made a very cool sound. Continuing from last week, here is a photo of Komagino Garden. The gardens were also stunning. There was also a Suikoto Cave (a device that drops water into a cavity created in the ground and reverberated the sound emitted at that time), which made a very cool sound.

[English/Japanese] I went to Komagino Garden in Takao as a preliminary inspection for a field trip. The hydrangeas were still in full bloom. The lotus flowers are about to bloom. I went to Komagino Garden in Takao for a field trip. The hydrangeas were still in full bloom. The lotus is about to bloom.

[English/Japanese] Tanabata decorations appeared in front of Hachioji station. The strips of paper fluttering in the wind are very cool. We are also holding a Tanabata event at our school. Students write their wishes on tanzaku strips and do origami, and it is a popular event. Tanabata decorations appeared in front of Hachioji station. The strips fluttering in the wind are very cool. Our school also holds Tanabata events. It is a popular event where students write wishes on strips of paper and do origami.

[English/Japanese] We went to Hiyoshi-Hachioji Shrine, a 5-minute walk from the school, to see hydrangeas. It was wonderful to see so many different kinds of hydrangeas ✨. I went to Hiyoshi Hachioji Shrine, a 5-minute walk from the school, to see hydrangeas. It was ✨ very nice with all kinds of hydrangeas blooming

Continuing from last week, we discuss Hachioji and subcultures. We visited the famous Ryohoji Temple in Nishi-Hachioji. This temple is known as a "moe temple" and has original anime characters from the temple. It is said that many worshippers come to visit this unusual temple. I got another Goshuin（red seal） this time! moe＝feelings of affection, often towards an ideal anime character Continuing from last week, we talked about Hachioji and subculture. We visited the famous "Ryohoji Temple" in Nishi Hachioji. This temple is called "Moe Temple" and has the original anime characters of the temple. It is said that many worshippers come to see this rare temple. I got a red seal this time too! ※Moe... The feeling of thinking anime characters are cute

[Englsih/Japanese] In front of Hachioji Station, there is animate, a store specializing in anime goods. Here you can buy goods and books of popular anime. There are a lot of international students who like anime. There are many rare items here, so you may be able to show them off to your friends in your country ☺ If you like something related to Japan, you will be able to improve your Japanese quickly. Please try to find something you "like" too. There is an anime goods specialty store "animate" in front of Hachioji Station. Here you can buy popular anime collectibles and books. There are so many international students who like anime. There are a lot of rare things here, so you may be able to brag to your friends in your country Japan If you have something you like related to it, you ☺ will get better at Japanese quickly. Please try ✨ to find something you like.

[Englsih/Japanese] In Hachioji City, you can eat dishes from all over the world's cuisines. The other day, I had Sri Lankan home cooking at "Milis," a Sri Lankan restaurant a 5-minute walk from Hachioji Station. It is a healthy dish that doesn't use oil, and it consists of rice topped with various curries and side dishes. It was a complex combination of "sweet", "spicy", "salty", "sour", and "bitter", which I had never tasted before, but it was very delicious. The service at the restaurant was also warm ☕️I will ask more about Sri Lankan food next time since we sometimes communicate with Sri Lankan agents at our school ?. In Hachioji City, you can eat cuisines from all over the world. The other day, a 5-minute walk from Hachioji Station, I ate Sri Lankan home-cooked food at the Sri Lankan restaurant "Miris". It is a healthy dish that does not use oil, and various curries and side dishes are placed on top of rice. "Sweet", "spicy", "salty", "sour" and "bitter" are intricately combined, and I have never eaten it, but it was ✨ very delicious. The customer service of the restaurant was also warm, and even at our school, I sometimes communicate with Sri Lankan agents, ☕️ so I will ? ask about Sri Lankan cuisine in detail next time.

Wanted to post this earlier this week, but better late than never I suppose. Was walking around Arakawa and they were having a rose festival sort of event it seemed like. Over by Arakawa Amusement Park there was a little area set up with some stalls. I didn't get to check it out but it seemed like there were a lot of people there. The amusement park was also open. I don't think I've seen it open for a while so it was nice to see people are able to visit it again. When I was passing the Arakawa tram I noticed there were tons of roses along the sides of the track that I'd never noticed before so I decided to snap this photo of the pink tram passing by with them.

Great way to enjoy the sakura season. I saw many people spent their day off on pleasure boats and enjoy the view of beautiful parks and garden near the river. At the same time few love to feed birds and fishes. This picture was taken exactly that moment when a pleasure boat was floating near skytree and one family was feeding those seabirds and you can see the blooming sakura in the background too.

[Englsih/Japanese] In Hachioji City, you can eat dishes from all over the world's cuisines. The other day, I had dal bhat at the Nepalese restaurant "Naoya", which is a five-minute walk from the school and is located alongside the Hachioji Central Library. "Daal" means bean soup and "bhaat" means rice, just like a set meal in Japan. Nepal is famous for its curry, but daalbhaat was not spicy at all, and had a gentle taste ?I was glad to finally try this dish, which was introduced to me by a student a few years ago ✨I also tried Ras Malai (cottage cheese dumplings dipped in honey) for dessert for the first time, and was surprised at how sweet it was! In Hachioji City, you can eat cuisines from all over the world. The other day, I ate dalbhat (दालभात) at the Nepalese restaurant "Naoya" next to the Hachioji Central Library, a 5-minute walk from school. Dal means bean soup and baat means rice, which is like a set meal for Japan. Nepal is famous for curry, but dalbhat is not spicy at all and has a gentle tasteIt ? was a dish introduced by a student a few years ago, so I was happy to finally eat it. ✨

Japan has a deep rooted cultural heritage and the ethnicities of this country is versatile and beautiful. When my foreigner friends wore those vibrant and gorgeous kimonos they got so much appreciation from the people around them that was overwhelming. And yes it was also my first hand experience as a photographer too.. On that day we enjoyed a lot.

[English/Japanese] Hachioji City has a market called the Hachioji General Wholesale Center. Here, you can find rare fish, etc. There is also a store specializing in halal foodstuffs, which is convenient for international students to shop. The school plans to visit this market as a field trip. In Hachioji City, there is a market called "Hachioji General Wholesale Center". Rare fish are sold here. There is also a store specializing in halal ingredients, which is convenient for international students to shop. We are planning to visit our school as a field trip.

Had a nice relaxing golden week and to finish it off I saw some carp streamers billowing in the wind at some park along the river near Kita-senju. Had some really nice weather the past couple days too, which was great. Hope everyone had a nice holiday/vacation!

[English/Japanese] May 5th is Children's Day. On Children's Day, people decorate the outside with fish (carp) called Koi Nobori. Koi Noboris" are decorations to wish for the growth of children and their success in life. The Asakawa River in Nishi-Hachioji is decorated with many Koi Noboris (carp streamers). The carp streamers flowing on the river are beautiful and very moving. It takes about 25 minutes to walk from the school, which is a bit far, but please go and see them. May 5 is Children's Day. On Children's Day, we hold a fish called "Koinobori" outside (Koi Koi). "Koinobori" wishes for the growth and advancement of children. At Asakawa in Nishi-Hachioji, many events are held to decorate "koinobori". The streamers flowing over the river are beautiful and very moving. It's about a 25-minute walk from the school, and it's a little far away, but please go see it.

A 300-year-old ginkgo tree at Kotokuji Temple in Akiruno City, Tokyo

Goshawks in Koganei Park. It is less than 20 minutes from the nearest station of the JR Chuo Line to Shinjuku, and although there are many users, there is a rich nature.

[English/Japanese] The Takao Komakino Garden is a 15-minute walk from Takao Station, the next station to Nishi-Hachioji Station where the school is located. Visitors can enjoy traditional Japanese gardens such as karesansui (dry landscape garden) and ponds with Nishikigoi (Nishikigoi carp). The school plans to visit the garden in early summer as a field trip. The school is located next to Nishi Hachioji Station, and it is a 15-minute walk from Takao Station "Takao Komagino Garden". You can enjoy the traditional gardens of the Japan, such as dry landscape water and a pond with Nishikigoi. The school is scheduled to visit as an early summer field trip.

Went to Rikugien Gardens over the weekend! The weather was really nice and the flowers were beautiful. I was hoping to see the yukitsuri, but unfortunately they'd already been taken down. We bought some bikes recently so we decided to ride them to the park. It's been really nice to get a bit of a leg workout in instead of riding trains all the time. It was only about 25-30 minutes too and we were able to avoid all of the packed trains and get some fresh air. I was pretty happy that we got to see the popular view from the top of the hill (3rd photo). I've seen many photos of it before and finally was able to see it for myself. I never knew that the park had turtles in the pond either, so that was pretty cool to see. There were a bunch swimming all over the pond, sitting on rocks, etc. We managed to spot a crane as well, but it was in a spot were we couldn't really take a good photo of it so I decided to pass and just admire it without a photo. We stopped for a short break at one of the small cafes inside the park and got a quick snack. I'm not a fan of manju, but my girlfriend likes them so she got a coffee and one sakura manju. She seemed to like it, but decided to take off the flower from the top as she didn't want to eat the petals. The melon soda float was nice too. Definitely a nice place to visit and hoping to visit again in the fall to see the leaves after they've changed color.

Spring in Tokyo is a symbol of Japan I unintentionally released the shutter, the spring-colored city of Shibuya The pink nature of the city is still beautiful to look at. Location: Sakurazaka, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

This photo was taken in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. The Yae cherry blossoms next to the teahouse stood out and were beautiful.

Found a nice izakaya in Kanda today. The name is Kakuuchi Inagaki (角打 いながき). I think that's the reading for the kanji at least... The place had a really nice atmosphere and some really good food at very reasonable prices. I ordered the Saba no Shioyaki (さばの塩焼き, salt grilled mackerel) and it was really tasty and only cost 750 yen as well. Definitely a nice place to drop by for some after work drinks with a friend or coworker or just for lunch like I did. It seems like they serve nikomi and oden later at night as well, so if you like that I definitely recommend it.

[Englsh/Japanese] Hachioji City, where our school is located, is a city with a rich history. Here you can experience various traditional cultures. 2 students are holding "Kuruma Dolls". School events also offer experiences that expose students to the culture of Hachioji as well as Japan. Hachioji City, where our school is located, is a city with a long history. Here you can experience various traditional cultures. The two students have "car dolls". At school events, we not only Japan but also experience the culture of Hachioji.

Was nice weather over the weekend so I did a little exploring. Found this nice little temple near the Sumida River called Hozoin Temple (寳蔵院) in Arakawa. I wasn't sure where exactly I was allowed to go inside the temple, and I didn't have much time anyways, so I just took a peak through the gates and snapped a photo. It was a really quaint place and apparently it has some landscape paintings and itabi tablets. From what I saw, it looked like there was a garden across the ground. Maybe a rock garden or something of the sort, I wasn't able to get a good look at it though. The area around the temple was the hunting grounds of the Tokugawa Shogunate as well it seems. Pretty amazing to imagine there was enough greenery in the area to hunt in the past. Also managed to stop by a nice udon/soba restaurant for lunch. It was called Sunaba (砂場) I believe. I ordered the kamo (duck) nanban udon and it tasted great. Haven't had duck in a while, but it's always a treat. The lady taking orders was really nice as well. Overall a great place!

【English/Japanese】 These are cherry blossoms at Shinshoin, a temple in Nishi-Hachioji. This temple was opened by the daughter of the famous warlord "Shingen Takeda". Unlike ordinary temples, it is very gorgeous with feminine decorations. Our school goes to visit it once a year. Before the visit, students learn in class about the tragic love story for which this temple was built. There are many historical buildings near the school. It can be said that Nishi-Hachioji is a very good environment for studying Japanese language. It is the cherry blossom of the temple "Shinshoin" in Nishi Hachioji. This temple was opened by the famous warlord "Daughter of Takeda Shingen". Unlike ordinary temples, there are decorations that make you feel feminine, and they are very gorgeous. At our school, we visit once a year. Before the tour, the students learn the story of the tragic love that this temple was built in class. There are many historical buildings near the school. It can be said that Nishi Hachioji is a very good environment for learning Japanese.

One piece at Mejiro Garden Reflection on the surface of the water at dusk

Peeking into the Sky Tree from the cherry blossom frame The water bus that stopped at the Sumida River was also cherry blossom colored. Location: Sumida Park

It's finally starting to feel like spring. Loving the cherry blossoms around Tokyo already, it just needs to get a bit warmer. Temperature feels a lot more up and down this year, but maybe it's just my imagination. Hoping I can get out this weekend and enjoy some more views outside of Tokyo. I'm not sure how much the cherry blossoms have bloomed in Saitama, but I enjoyed seeing all the photos and videos of the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival. It's a bit too far/expensive for a day trip (6 hours on a train doesn't sound fun), but it'd be nice to see them one day. From my knowledge, the cherry blossoms tend to stay in bloom longer there so it'd be nice to see them eventually. Either way, I'm just happy spring is finally here!

[English/Japanese] The day before yesterday, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that cherry blossoms had bloomed in Tokyo. In Japan, the weather forecast at this time of the year tells not only the temperature and weather, but also the cherry blossoms. Hanami, a traditional Japanese event, began 1,300 years ago and is popular among foreign tourists. In this issue, we will introduce the etiquette of Hanami. (1) The star of the show is the cherry blossoms Cherry blossom viewing means eating and drinking under the cherry trees. Cherry trees are very delicate plants. When eating, do not place a sheet at the base of the cherry tree. The base of the cherry tree is where it breathes. Please place the sheet away from it. Also, do not break the branches of cherry trees just because of their beautiful blossoms. Cherry blossoms are a plant that easily decomposes. You may also have to pay a fine for "damage to property" if you break a cherry blossom branch. Please be careful. (2) Rules of the park During the holidays at this time of year, the number of people viewing cherry blossoms in the park increases greatly. Some of them are also lit up at night, making them popular date spots. Each park has different rules, so be sure to check the park's rules before going hanami. For example, some parks prohibit the bringing of alcoholic beverages, while others do not allow the use of fire. Also, be sure to take your trash home with you and clean up properly before you finish your hanami. Even though it is spring, the nights can get very cold, so be sure to take warm clothing. (3) Cherry blossom motif goods Cherry blossom viewing is not limited to parks. During this season, you can see many cherry blossom-inspired decorations in the city and in stores. At cafes, you can enjoy cherry blossom latte art and pink-colored cakes. At general stores, you can find products with pictures of cherry blossoms. Since they are only available during this season, they are popular as souvenirs. Please look for them! Hachioji, where our school is located, has many famous cherry blossom viewing spots. Some parks are lit up at night, so be sure to visit them! The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that cherry blossoms had blossomed in Tokyo the day before yesterday. In Japan, the weather forecast at this time of year tells not only the temperature and weather, but also the state of the cherry blossoms. The traditional event of the Japan, "cherry blossom viewing", began 1300 years ago and is popular with foreign tourists. This time, I will introduce the manners of cherry blossom viewing. (1) The main role is cherry blossoms Cherry blossom viewing refers to eating and drinking under the cherry blossom trees. Cherry is a very delicate plant. When eating, do not put a sheet on the base of the cherry blossoms. The base of the cherry is the place to breathe. Lay a sheet at a distance. Also, you should not break off branches just because the cherry blossoms are beautiful. Cherry is a perishable plant. Also, if you break a cherry tree branch, you may have to pay a fine as a "property damage crime". Let's be careful. (2) Park rules On holidays at this time, the number of people watching cherry blossoms in the park increases a lot. In addition, some places are lit up at night, making it a popular date spot. The rules differ from park to park, so be sure to check the rules of the park before cherry blossom viewing. For example, there are places where alcohol is prohibited and fire is not allowed. Also, take your trash home properly and clean it properly before finishing the cherry blossom viewing. Even in spring, the nights are very cold, so don't forget to take measures to protect yourself from the cold. (3) Goods with cherry blossom motif Cherry blossom viewing is not limited to parks. During this season, you can see many cherry blossom-inspired decorations in the city and shops. At the café, you can eat cherry blossom latte art and pink cakes. In general stores, products with pictures of cherry blossoms are lined up in the store. Since it is limited to this season, it is also popular as a souvenir. Please look for it. Hachioji, where our school is located, has many famous cherry blossom spots. Some parks are lit up at night, so be sure to visit them!

Kawamosan / Tokyo

In the middle of summer, in the Ogasawara Islands, South Island. The contrast between the vivid green and blue is truly paradise. Feeling like you've come to the end of the earth.