Dave-sensei will be on Radio MOMO (79.0FM) with D.J. Chiaki Kamibeppu on Thursday, April 27th (today!), at about 5:40 pm. They will talk in English and Japanese about Dave’s latest home improvement project and Golden Week.
4月27日（木）5時40分ごろにDave先生がRadio MOMO (79.0FM) に出演します（DJは上別府千晶さん）。英語と日本語の両方でディブ先生のDIYプロジェクトとGWについて話します。
新年度が始まり新生活を迎えた人も多くいると思います。岡山市の公立の進学A高校から東大に合格した高校生たちが今年は20名近くいたそうです。全国から3000人強が入学したとはいえ、その中の20人近くが地元の公立高校から行ったとは大したものです。
その東大の入学式の祝辞やスピーチがインターネットにも掲載されています。夢を持つこと、頑張っても報われない社会がある、物事は平等ではないということです。
特に東大に入学できる人の場合は、才能もあるでしょうが環境にも恵まれているであろう場合が多いこと。経済的にゆとりはなくとも東大受験を許してくれた家族がいる、などです。その才能と機会を自分が勝ち抜くためだけに使うのではなく、機会の恵まれなかった人たちのために使ってくださいという行もありました。
私は夢なんて持ったことがないのでその段階で怒られそうです。ですがNEOに来てくれている若い子たちの中には強烈な憧れを持っていてその夢を実現すべく前進している人たちもいます。こういう場合、英会話なので海外であったり日本人以外と話せるようになりたい、という憧れです。とんでもない憧れでも、その憧れが原動力になり、そこから外の世界へ行ってみたいと行動をするからです。そういう人はQuality of life（人生の質）が高くて肯定的になれます。憧れるものがあるなんて羨ましい。憧れたこともなければ夢もなかった私は現実的な学生でした。挑戦心も薄いのです。
そんな凡人な私が生きてきた中で学んだことがあります。興味のないことでも、機会があればしてみること。つまり人から誘われたり、意思に反して何かをしないといけない時です。してみたら意外に好きになるかもしれない。逆に、してみたけれど思った通り嫌いだったと再認識できるかもしれない。
言い換えれば「来るもの拒まず」の姿勢ですが私の様に消極的な人間にはこれがぴったりです。
このことわざですが要注意。後半はイケていないのです。
「来る者拒まず、去る者追わず」
Those who come are welcome, those who leave are not regretted.
いえいえ、去っていく人がいれば是非追いかけましょう。
Until last year, I thought to myself “Why would I ever need a tablet?”. I have been using computers my entire life, and I also have a smart phone. A tablet sounded useless to me. That is until I discovered another use for one.
As some NEO students know, I am a big fan of Japanese comic books. I have been collecting many physical books for a long time. But there are some series out there that are very long, and collecting all the volumes can take up a lot of space. One series I have always been interested in reading is One Piece. Buying 100+ physical volumes is quite intimidating, so I started thinking about reading it digitally.
I started researching and continued to for a while. It was hard to find a clear answer of what would be the best device to invest in it. In the end, for the price range I was looking at Amazon’s Fire HD looked like the best option. And at the start of this year, I decided to take the plunge. All I can say is it is one of the best things I have purchased in a while. The size of the screen is large, it is lightweight, fast, and supports many different apps. Since it is a tablet, it also supports color which is great as there are color digital versions of some comics. I can even watch Youtube or other video apps on it too which is a bonus for me. Finally, the price was reasonable, so I feel like I am getting very good value out of it.
I always enjoy getting a new device or something to play around with. Have you made any purchases recently that have really impressed you? Let me know!
Take a stroll along one of New Jersey’s famous boardwalks on a Saturday afternoon, and you’ll understand why they’re considered one of the state’s premier tourist attractions. On one side is the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, waves rolling in and crashing against the beach; on the other, a line of colorful shops and attractions stretching down the coast as far as you can see. Ocean City, which was a regular weekend destination for my family during the long summer holiday, is home to one of the best boardwalks on the entire East Coast.
Among the amusement park rides, souvenir shops, and minigolf places, you might spot a little red-and-white awning with a line of people out front. The sign has a name scrawled in red cursive, like an autograph. That’s Johnson’s Popcorn, an Ocean City landmark and legendary boardwalk treat.
One of three Johnson’s locations on the boardwalk.
Johnson’s is most famous for its caramel popcorn, which we simply call caramel corn. In fact, the boardwalk is known for quite a few different snacks: funnel cake, saltwater taffy, and fudge, to name a few. But Johnson’s is particularly good in any season and comes in several different flavors, which is why my brothers and I often requested it during our summer weekends at the beach. On Tripadvisor, Johnson’s page is filled with glowing reviews:
“This place has been a cornerstone of every summer vacation. It defines the Jersey shore.”
“The service is great, people are friendly and all the flavors are DELICIOUS!”
“God, we are close to heaven.”
Back in February, my mom sent me an amazing care package: a giant tin full of caramel corn! Of course, I had to open it immediately and have a handful. There was enough to share with friends and family here in Japan, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. As tempting as it was to eat the whole batch at once, I paced myself and managed to make it last about two weeks. The decorative tin will be useful for holding things in the kitchen or living room, but nothing beats the original contents!
Thanks, Mom!
Although I love my life in Japan, I feel a lot of nostalgia for certain places back at home. A little taste of caramel corn brings some of those memories flooding back: the sound of breaking waves and seagulls overhead, the smell of saltwater, and the carnival-like energy of the Ocean City boardwalk.
On Wednesday I went to watch some rugby games in Kobe.
I usually never watch rugby. Actually, I don’t really understand rugby very well. I went to watch the games because my friend’s son was playing in the games. My friend is American. He was my friend when I was in university. His son is now on a very good high school rugby team. In 2022, that team was the US national champion.
The team, coaches, parents and brothers and sisters all came to Japan for a four-game rugby tour. They played games in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe. The group was about 110 people, so they needed 4 buses to get around.
The first game I watched was St. Ignatius vs. Rokko High school. The US team won that game.
The second game was against Kwansei Gakuin High School. Kwansei Gakuin won that game.
I hadn’t seen my friend and his wife for over 20 years, so it was great to catch up with them.
