Travels Around Yamaguchi and Hiroshima

皆さんこんにちは！ＳＥＳに新たに加わりましたライアンです。周南に来て2ヶ月程たちましたが、

その間に近くの素晴らしい場所を旅してきました。今日はそれを紹介していきます！

Hello everyone! My name is Ryan, one of the new teachers at SES. I've been living in Shunan for about 2 months now, and I've done a lot of traveling to some beautiful places near Shunan. I want to share a few of my experiences with you! Thanks for reading!

最初は岩国です！岩国と言えば錦帯橋ですね！そして山を登ったところには岩国城もあります。そこからの眺めは絶景です。

紅葉の時期に行ってきたので、素晴らしいドライブになりました。

The first place I visited was Iwakuni! Iwakuni is very famous for the 5 arch bridge, Kintaikyou! This bridge was very beautiful. Also, you can see Iwakuni Castle if you take a short tram ride up a mountain. This mountain is very small, but it has great views. I went to Iwakuni when the leaves were starting to turn red and yellow, so it was a very beautiful drive as well.

Iwakuni  Castle
岩国城

5 Arch Bridge
錦帯橋

翌週は広島の宮島に行ってきました。観光にはもってこいの場所ですね！特にシカを見たり有名な鳥居を見たりして楽しみました。

The next weekend, I went to visit Miyajima Island, near Hiroshima. This was a very great place for sightseeing! Miyajima is a beautiful island, with many fun places to see, and delicious food. I especially loved seeing the deer, and seeing the famous Tori gate.

Miyajima at sunset
夕日に映える宮島

その次は秋吉台に行ってきました。洞窟の中を歩いて回ったのですが、素晴らしい岩の造形を見ることができました。

でも中は寒いので気を付けて！

Next I went to Akiyoshidai, the famous cave in northern Yamaguchi. This place was very beautiful! It is a long cave that you can hike through, and in this cave you can see some amazing rock formations. Be careful though, it is very cold inside the cave!

Entrance to the cave
洞窟の入り口

その後は広島の平和記念公園に行きましたが、とても力強く感動しました。広島に来たらここに来ることをお勧めします。

After that, I went to visit Hiroshima, to see the famous Peace Park. This place was very powerful and very moving. I think that everyone should go see Peace Park. You cannot support war after you have been to Peace Park.

Atomic Bomb Dome
原爆ドーム

最後は山口市です。昼食と地ビールをいただきました。瑠璃光寺にも行きましたがここのお寺が大好きです。現在、冬に向けて「雪吊り」の準備をしています。雪吊りを見るとかつて暮らしていた石川県の金沢を思い出しますね。

Finally, I went to see Yamaguchi City. In Yamaguchi City, I ate lunch and Jibiru, which is a delicious craft beer brewery and restaurant. If you like beer and good food, I recommend that you go to this place. After that, I went to see Rurikoji temple. I love temples, so this place was very fun for me. Right now, near the pond, they have Yukizuri set up on the trees in preparation for the winter. It's very beautiful, and the yukizuri reminded me of Kanazawa.

Yukizuri on the trees at Rurikoji
瑠璃光寺の「雪吊り」

以上が観光したところです。何かおすすめの観光スポットがありましたらぜひ教えてください！

That's all of the sightseeing so far. If you have any recommendations of other places I should go to, please tell me! Thanks!

Ryan Myers

LIFE LESSONS IN JAPAN

今回はデイビッド先生が日本で学んだ「３つの教訓」についてお話しします！

As an American staying in Japan, there are many small details we don't know about living here.

In this post I will talk about the "Top 3 Lessons" I have learned while living in Japan.

第3位　いつも「ごめんなさい、すみません」と言うこと

アメリカではこのことがよく知られていますが、全くその通りだと思います。「謙虚になること」や、

「その場にふさわしい最善のことをする」ということ、「自分にとって最善になることはしない」ということを学びました。

No.3 ALWAYS SAY SORRY. It is well known in America, but it is really true. The Japanese culture of bowing and apologizing is something that I have really picked up on. I always make sure to be the last one to apologize if I do something wrong. Throughout my time in Japan, I have learned to humble myself and do what is best for the situation and not do what is best for me.

第2位　「友好的であれ」ということ

アメリカでは知らない人に対して失礼なときがあるにもかかわらず、日本では知らない人に対しても

思いやりの心を見せることが多いのです。私はハイキング中、道行く人に“Hello!”と声掛けをしますが、

そのおかげで日本の人とふれあうことができています。

No.2 BE FRIENDLY Similar to the previous lesson, I have learned to always be friendly to others. In America, we often are rude to strangers, but in Japan, it seems people are a lot nicer to each other, even if they do not mean it. While I am on hikes, I always try to say, "Hello!" to people I meet on the trail. Also, it helps me interact with Japanese people if I am friendly towards them, instead of frustrated because I can't speak Japanese well.

第1位　「ご飯の中に箸を刺さない」こと

アメリカでも「スプーンやフォークを食べ物に刺してはいけない」と言われてはいますが、日本で箸をご飯に刺すことは

より「失礼」にあたります。私がアメリカに帰っても、このようなことは2度としないでしょう。

No.3 NEVER REST CHOPSTICKS IN RICE This lesson is less known to Americans, but it is very important to be a considerate person in Japan. In America, it is common to leave our spoons or forks "stuck" in our food. But in Japan, it is a much more serious "faux pas" to leave your chopsticks in your rice. I won't go into detail because you already know, but it is something I probably will never do again, even when I go back to America.




Written By David Press-Dawson.

Shunan Fun Times

こんにちは！チャールズです！日本に来てはや5ヶ月。今日はこれまで体験したことをお話しします。

Hello,

This is Charles again. I have been here for nearly 5 months now and time has flew by. It has been lots of fun living in Shunan City. I have been able to experience the local life here and meet many different people. Here are some adventures that I have had.

Getting Ready for Fun times with Alex
アレックス先生と

青空公園で行われた「酒祭り」に参加しました！「山縣」、「東洋美人」、「獺祭」などに挑戦して、

なかでも「毛利」というお酒が気に入りました。

I went to a local sake festival in Aozora Park about two months ago. It was amazing because there were 16 different sake breweries from Yamaguchi Prefecture. One of my students owns a brewery and he invited me to enjoy the festival. We tried 13 different types of sake from Yamagata in Shunan, Toyobijin in Hagi, and even Dassai in Iwakuni. My favorite sake was Mori from Yamagata's Brewery. I liked Mori because it tasted much different than the other sake. I also said goodbye to one of my students since he was moving to Singapore for his job.

Cheers with one of my students

一緒に乾杯！

27歳の誕生日をマット先生やＳＥＳの生徒の皆さんがお祝いしてくれました。居酒屋で飲んだり食べたり話したりして、

忘れられない日になりました。

I also celebrated my 27th Birthday here in Shunan. My birthday is on November 23rd. We went to an izakaya near Tokuyama Station. My friend Matt invited some of his company students to come celebrate with me.  They got me a happy birthday sash, a birthday hat, and a fan with lots of Yen on it. It was the best birthday gift. We ate, drank, and laugh throughout the night. I even spoke some Japanese and Chinese.

Quality Fun for Quality People

仲間たちと楽しいひと時

年末もいろんなところに行くのが待ち遠しいなあ・・・

I can't wait for the Christmas Break to go on more adventures. Until next time.