NO RAMEN. NO LIFE.

デイビッド講師はラーメンが大好きなのです！

One of the main reasons I came to Japan was to try as much food as possible. There are so many choices of food here in Japan. My favorite type of food is soup, so I usually like to eat udon, somen, soba, or…

私が日本に来た一番の理由は、たくさんの日本食にチャレンジしたいからです！好きな食べ物はスープ系なので、うどん、そうめん、そば・・・などいつも食べています。

Of all the foods that are available in Japan, I think the most delicious and easily available is ramen. Ramen is a quick and relatively inexpensive way to eat a very delicious meal. I often eat ramen at least once a week, but occasionally three times a week.

日本食の中で一番おいしくて、手軽なのはラーメンだと思います！・・・

In this article, I will list my “Top 3” Ramen choices in Shunan City. I will rank them in ascending order, from three to one. I realize there are many choices and other people’s choice will be different. These are my personal choices for the best ramen in Shunan.

周南で個人的にトップ３だと思うラーメン屋さんを紹介します！

Number 3: Tori-No-Suke “Tori Paitan”
第3位　とりの助　

I chose Tori-No-Suke as my number three because it is simple and delicious. Most ramen shops in Shunan serve Tonkotsu ramen, but Tori-No-Suke serves something different. The roasted pork at Tori-No-Suke is very soft and full of flavor, but the real star here is the broth, which is made from chicken. The broth is creamy, like Tonkotsu, but does not have a strange smell, and tastes lighter.

とりの助　のラーメンはシンプルでおいしいです。周南のラーメンはほとんどが豚骨ですが、ここのラーメンは違うんです。・・・

Number 2: Yasushiboy “Shoyu-Tonkotsu”

第2位　ヤスシボーイ　

I chose Yasushiboy because it is a very, very delicious soup. The shop is located in Kume and does not look special, but the ramen here is amazing! The double soup gives it an extra savory flavor and the noodles are also unique because they are flat. I also really like the free bowl of rice at Yasushiboy. The price here is also very good.

とってもおいしいスープが決め手です！久米にあり、見た目は普通のラーメン屋さんなんですが、素晴らしいです！・・・

Number 1: Kaoru “Tori Soba”

第1位　カヲル

I chose Kaoru as my number one choice because it is the best ramen I have eaten in Japan (so far). The soup is unique because it is chicken base, but it is not heavy, like Tori-No-Suke. It is available in either a salt base or soy sauce base. The broth tastes like pure chicken flavor and is very clear. After you finish your meal, you do not feel tired like other ramen shops. Another great point is that the chef uses ingredients from Yamaguchi Prefecture, so everything is fresh.

今まで日本で食べたラーメンで1番です！スープが独特で、鶏ベースなのですが、重くないのです。塩ベースや醤油ベースも選べるんです！・・・

Written By David Press-Dawson.

Akiyoshido Cave

Hi everyone, it’s Taz again.

みなさん、こんにちは。タズです！

We decided to go to Akiyoshido Cave in Mine during the Obon break.  It was a lovely, sunny day – there were 3 of us and we drove there.  We managed to find parking with ease as there were a lot of small parking lots with prices stated in big writing.

お盆休みに、秋芳洞にいきました。
天気もよく、3人で車で向かいました。・・・

We went to the ticket office for the cave, looking at the restaurants and gift shops as we passed.  At the ticket office, we asked about the discount for foreigners, but we had forgotten to take our passports!  I had a picture of my passport on my phone, so luckily I received a discount!

チケット売り場では、外国人割引を受けようとしましたが、
皆、パスポートを忘れてしまって・・・。
だけど、私だけはラッキーでした、なぜかというと・・・

As soon as we stepped out of the ticket office the beautiful sights hit us.  We began taking pictures straight away, of course!

The walk up to the cave was amazing, with a beautiful preview of what was waiting for us inside.

Once we stepped inside, it took a short while for our eyes to adjust to the darkness – such a change from the bright and sunny day outside.

洞窟に入ると、目が暗闇に慣れるまで少しかかりました。・・・

We were amazed by the breathtaking sights of the cave – as we walked uphill and downhill inside the caves we were in awe of the sights.

Some parts of the cave had been named – here are some of the ones we found funny…

We came out at the other end of the cave, but didn’t know where we were or how to get back to the car!  We decided to walk back through the cave to get back to the start…

洞窟の別の出口から出たのですが、車まで戻る道がわからなくて、

洞窟をもどって入口まで戻ることにしました。

I would love to go back to the cave with some of the new teachers, and this time maybe explore some of the surrounding areas as well.

また、ＳＥＳの先生たちとこの洞窟に来れたらいいと思います！・・・

Keep an eye out to hear more about my adventures in Japan!

日本での冒険の話を楽しみにしていてくださいね！

Fall in Japan

I enjoy Japan!

Hi everyone! It’s Alex. I’m from Seattle, so I’m really enjoying the colder temperatures recently. I’ve been in Japan for almost 7 months now. I love it here. Japan is so beautiful and I love traveling all around, especially in the Japanese countryside. Every chance I get, I love to surround myself in Japanese nature and look at the beauty.

こんにちは、皆さん！アレックスです。

シアトルから来ました。日本に来て7か月が経ちます。

最近は、寒くなってきましたが、それも楽しんでいます。

私は、日本が大好きで、特に田舎を旅するのがお気に入りです！

I’ve been to Miyajima many times, and recently I went this fall, to see some of the leaves.

Here are some pictures from my nature walking around Miyajima.

宮島へは何度も行きました。最近は、紅葉を見に行きました。

Here are some pictures from my nature walking around Miyajima.

I also hiked to the top of Mt. Misen. I didn’t use the ropeway, I really enjoyed the challenging hike.

弥山（みせん）にも登りました。

ロープウェイは使わず、ハイキングでチャレンジしました！

I also recently went to Mikuradake, a small mountain in Hiroshima Prefecture.

また、広島の小さな山、三倉岳にも行きました。

Here is Mikuradake. I went to the top of the middle peak.

Here is me at the top of Mikuradake. The sun was very bright! And there was a tiny bit of snow falling. The hike was very challenging. It was very steep near the top, so there was a chain that we had to climb to reach the top. It was so fun.

三倉岳の頂上に登った時の写真です。太陽がとても眩しくて、少し雪が降っていました。・・・

Japanese food is so delicious. I love eating sashimi. Since it’s getting colder now, I am really enjoying ramen. I like going to new ramen shops and trying different kinds of ramen. I’m looking forward to trying some winter nabe. 

日本食はとてもおいしいです。刺身が大好きです。その他にも・・・

So far I’m really loving Japan. I hope to do more hiking in the future, trying many more different kinds of food, learning more about Japan, and most of all looking forward to summer when I can go swimming in the seas surrounding Japan. 

ハイキングへ行ったり、もっといろいろなことに挑戦できたらと思います！・・・