佐賀市｜英語多読で本を読む楽しさと考える力を育てる｜英語教室 Happy Balloons

Happy New Year!  I hope 2024 will be a great year for everyone especially those who have been affected by the earthquake. I would like to introduce Yutoku Inari Shrine in Kashima City in Saga Prefecture because it is perfect to begin the new year. The shrine was built in 1687 and attracts about 3 million visitors every year. It is known as one of the powerful spiritual sites in Japan. Inari Shrine enshrines the god of business. I went there on January 8, expecting there would be not so many people since the first three days of the new year were already passed when most people visit shrines. However, the shrine was more crowded than my expectation. I had to wait in a line for my turn to pray at the main hall. I also visited the inner sanctuary for the first time which is located on the top of a mountain behind the main hall. Although there were handrails, the stone steps leading up to it were quite steep and uneven. I rested for a while at a bench on the way. I was surprised to find...

Many people visit Japan to enjoy cherry blossoms but I guess only a few may know what they turn out to be. After the full bloom, they leave subtle yet beautiful marks - paths covered with the petals. There are various kinds of pink, making a mosaic on the ground. Now azaleas have started to bloom along the moat.  Enjoy the spring:)

I wish you the happy and fruitful new year! How are you doing, dear readers? I hope you have enjoyed new year holidays even though we are still in the pandemic. In the late December, I visited Karatsu City, a castle town in Saga Prefecture. Since Omicron cases have already found in Japan, I thought a short trip within the prefecture would be the safest. This time I went to Karatsu by bus which took more than two hours. Going by train or car is faster but I wanted to do something different for a change. It was not that bad because I enjoyed scenery as the bus went through local towns and mountains. The bus ride gave me a chance to see the familiar places from a different angle. Here are some pictures I took in Karatsu.  Karatsu Shrine A wooden plaque,  ema,  to write down a wish offered to God Wishes on the plate: good luck and safety of a family.  Karatsu Castle over a wisteria trellis View from the castle Inside the castle: photo spot Authentic Japanese cuisine at M...

Today, the state of emergency is lifted in the all applied prefectures in Japan. This is good news but still face masks seem to remain a must in daily life. Recently, I got a Saga Nishiki (brocade) face mask charm. It can be attached with magnets, then there's no hole in a mask.  Saga Nishiki brocade uses paper threads covered with gold, silver or lacquer along with silk threads. Created in Edo Period, it is traditional local craft but very time consuming to make, then very expensive. I once visited the old Fukuda House in Saga City during Hina Doll Festival where I saw some people making the brocade. There, a preservation group of the brocade have offered workshops for visitors.   Putting on a face mask is annoying but decorating it with something special might make you feel better. Also, I hope visitors from other countries can enjoy the workshops in Saga soon. Take a good care of yourself:)    

Happy New Year 2021!  I hope you had wonderful and relaxing new year holidays.  I went to Ise Shrine in Saga city to make wishes for the new year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, things were bit different this year.  First, at the gate, a special path was made for visitors to walk through which filled with disinfectant spray. Second, at the washing area where visitors usually wash hands and a mouth before praying, a disinfectant spray bottle was set to sanitize hands. Lastly, all bells of the main building were moved up. This was to prevent visitors from touching ropes attached to the bells to ring. Thanks to the counter-virus measures, I was able to make the first visit to the shrine safely. The year 2021 is the year of the ox. Since vaccine comes from a Latin word vacca meaning an ox, I hope we will overcome the Covid-19 virus with newly developed vaccines.        Let's make the year 2021 a better and peaceful one!

Usually this time of year, more than 100 hot air balloons participate in competitions in Saga. However, everything was cancelled this year due to the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. Instead, about 30 balloons flew on October 31 and November 1 in the morning over Saga City in order to encourage people to continue to fight against the virus. The organizers paid special attention to the event. Not informing departure places to prevent crowds is one example.  I saw balloons flying lower than usual so I even could hear one of the burners burning. I waved to the pilots to thank them. Watching them flowing in the morning sun, I had an uplifting feeling.  Because of the pandemic, it is not easy to go out but I hope you are safe and enjoy the still beautiful autumn:)

Ryofumaru (凌風丸) from Wikipedia What happened in China has affected the rest of the world. In the 19th century, a similar thing occurred in Saga Domain, current Saga Prefecture. In 1804, Napoléon Bonaparte became the emperor of French Empire and eventually took over the Netherlands, the only European trading partner allowed by Tokugawa Shogunate. In 1808, Phaeton Incident took place where a British frigate ship, HMS Phaeton, entered the Nagasaki harbor disguising itself as a Dutch ship. It captured Dutch officials working in Nagasaki and then demanded water, fuel and food in exchange for their return. Tokugawa Shogunate gave all the ship wanted; thus, it released the hostages and left the harbor. Saga Domain was supposed to protect the harbor but failed. Tokugawa Shogunate punished Saga Domain severely; high officials of Saga Domain had to kill themselves to take responsibility. Awaken by the incident, Saga Domain started to learn Western technology. It built reverberatory ...

How have you been, dear readers? I believe many of you are living under enormous stress cased by the new coronavirus. As of April 8, eleven people are infected in Saga; most of them recently went to more affected areas such as France, Tokyo, Fukuoka and Fukui Prefectures. Even though local schools, from elementary to high schools, were closed in March except for graduation ceremonies, the students started going to school from April 6. Despite the virus, Sakura cherry blossoms bloomed from mid-March this year in Saga. They begin to fall from the trees now. The picture above shows Tamashima River in Karatsu, Saga. In summer, lots of children play in the river. The second picture shows a park surrounded by cherry trees in Saga. The park is used for rugby practice. Humans have overcome unknown viruses throughout history and we will win eventually. So let's continue to hope. From the bottom of my heart, I hope we can enjoy Sakura cherry blossoms next year without a...

Whenever I buy cakes, I always go to テテ（TeTe）, a cake shop in  Kono, Saga City. Their cakes are beautifully decorated and irresistibly tasty. The pastry chef trained in Spain and its official name Pasteleria TeTe is Spanish. They offer roll cakes, macarons etc. but what I love most is shortcakes. Last week, I bought cakes there. They prepared them in a box this way (see the below). Paper rings were taped on the box to prevent the cakes from moving. The clerk asked how long it took to bring them home and put an ice pack in the box accordingly. Left: モンブラン（Mont Blanc Cake), chestnut cream cake, 400 yen Middle: グロシージャ（ Guroshija) , black currant & chocolate cream cake, 360 yen Right: 利休 （Rikyuu) , maccha green tea cream cake, 360 yen The 8% consumption tax is added at the cashier. The cakes were not too sweet and the chef made the most of each ingredient. The shop is on the first floor of an apart...

It is the time for balloons! Saga International Balloon Fiesta 2017 will be held in Saga City from this Wednesday, November 1 for five days. I believe many are looking forward to beautiful hot air balloons in the sky but if you would like to enjoy a bit more of Saga's local charm, Karatsu Kunchi Festival in Karatsu City from Thursday, November 2 to Saturday, November 4 can be your choice. It is a festival of the Karatsu Shrine which started in the 17th century. In the festival 14 floats decorated with samurai armor, lions and fish etc. go around the city. All the floats gather at Otabisho  on West Beach on November 3 as its climax. Karatsu City is not so far from Saga City and can go by train easily. Though trains will be crowded, I strongly recommend using trains because they are fast without traffic jams. Here is my suggested itinerary on N...

Enjoying Japanese food is one of the highlights of visiting Japan, isn't it? Nakamura（那かむら）in the Yume Town Saga shopping mall is perfect for those who want to enjoy tempura reasonably. To make customers enjoy crunchy tempura, the restaurant serves each tempura every time it is deep fried. Menus are written in both English and Japanese. I recommend Variety Set B, 896 yen tax included. While waiting for tempura, customers can pick pickled radish and Japanese apricot flavored  enoki mushroom from containers on the table. Rice, sauce, miso soup, tea and a rectangle plate are on the tray. On the plate, there are pink rock salt, lemon flavored salt to eat with tempuras, along with grated radish and ginger to put into the sauce. Chopsticks are in a wooden box on the table. Free refills on rice. Dipping tempura in the sauce is a common way to eat but with salt is also delicious....