Writing Class

February 14th is Valentine's Day, you know. Most of you may not have time to think about it yet because we have the test. I am too. Today, I would like to introduce the origin of Valentine's Day and the meaning behind the sweets. It is said that the word "Valentine" comes from the name of Saint Valentinus, who was a real Christian priest in Rome. At that time, the Roman emperor prohibited young soldiers from marrying. Valentinus felt sorry for them, so he held the wedding in secret. He didn't stop even when the emperor warned him. Valentinus was finally put to death, on February 14. Because of this story, Valentine's Day has become popular as a day for lovers all over the world. Next, I will introduce the meaning behind the sweets. The meaning of chocolate is "the same feeling as you". Many people may give chocolates to express their daily gratitude and trust. Responding with chocolates is said to be a message of "the same feelings as you"....

Which do you like better, dogs or cats? This is a question that is often used as a topic of conversation with people you meet for the first time. But I don't know if it's the same overseas. Today, let's discuss a little about this typical question. Dogs take more cost to take care of than cats. Cats take about 160000 yen for a year, but dogs take 300000 yen more. Dogs also have to be taken for a walk every day, so taking care of them may be more difficult than cats. Don't you think that cats are better than dogs? However, dogs are smart and can learn various tricks. This is one of the great joys for owners of dogs. Cats do not learn tricks. This may make some people feel bored and lonely. Cats and dogs are often used in metaphors as opposites. Have you ever heard of cat-like people or dog-like people? A cat-like person is generally a moody person. She or he is not good at expressing joy and doesn't show his or her affection. On the other hand, a dog-like pe...

     Today I listened to a podcast about the importance of beauty. They talked about the elements of beauty person. They said that personality is also important but the appearance of a person is deeply connected with the first impression. For males,  a curvaceous woman who has a symmetrical cute face looks beautiful. For example,  Emma Watson is so a beautiful woman. She is a British-French actress who starred in the “Harry Potter” series and other movies. On the other hand, for females, a man who has a well-balanced small face and a big frame looks beautiful. 

  Happy New Year everyone! I hope this year will be better for you. By the way, the way of celebrating New Year's Day is different between Japan and other countries. In the U.S., the most favorite is the count down in New York Times Square, I think. There are many people every year, but this year, there may have been fewer people than usual. Because of the coronavirus. However, in the U.S., Thanksgiving Day and Christmas is more mainly event than New Year's Day. I  think this shows the difference in culture and religion. Speaking of New Year's in Japan, there is Osechi! Did you eat it? Osechi is a very traditional dish and it has many meanings. Today, I will introduce some of the meanings of Osechi. "Osechi" is a Japanese word that means "turning point" in English. Originally, it was eaten for celebration in some seasonal turning points. The main reason for eating Osechi is that you do have not to cook. Osechi has many variations of foods and the amount ...

Hello, everyone! How often do you use the Internet? Probably, you use it every day, don't you? Now, we can't live without the Internet. If your smartphones are taken away just for a day, you will be really suffered. It is so stressful for young people like us. The Internet is an essential part of our lives. On the other hand, the Internet also has some dangers. There is so much information on the Internet. Are you able to receive them correctly? Some of you may think you can, but please be careful. Sometimes knowledge interferes with our thinking. Today, I will show you the way to receive information correctly with an example. In Japan, the declining birthrate is becoming a social problem. Look at graph1 below. This is a graph from the Cabinet Office's website. It shows the current status of Japan's declining birthrate. This graph shows the birth rate and the total fertility rate. The total fertility rate means the number of children born from one woman. if...

Hello, everyone! It has been cold lately. I can't live without my kotatsu anymore! Please take care of yourself. By the way, December is Christmas, isn't it? I love Christmas the most all of the events in a year. The town is decorated with lights. The stores are full of vitality. People passing me seem to be enjoying themselves. I love this kind of atmosphere. Of course, the most exciting part of Christmas is getting a present from Santa Claus for children. Their presents arrive in their socks on the morning of the 25th. I used to write letters to Santa Clause when I was a kid. Incidentally, do you know why socks? In fact, it has a deep connection with the story of the origin of Santa Clause. Today, I would like to introduce some trivia about Christmas! The origin of Santa Claus is the legend of St. Nicholas. He was a bishop in the city of Murat in the Eastern Roman Empire around the 4th century. St. He was a compassionate man. He often helped people in need. One day...

     I read an article about climate change. They talked about that if we understand the physics of climate change well enough now. We know what will happen because of global warming. Sea levels will rise, glaciers will melt, and so on. If we continue our business in the same as now, future generations will face great suffering. On the other hand, we don't know well about regional climate changes. It is difficult to predict. 

     One movie which I really liked was Les Miserable. It was made in 2012. Hugh Jackman starred in it. Tom Hooper directed it.      This is the story of a man who ends up living in prison for 19 years because he stole a single loaf of bread. It was set in France in the early 1800s. In the beginning, Jean Valjean was released from prison, but he wondered because he didn't know what should do. Then, he meet a people of a church and vowed to live an honest life. Suddenly, he encountered a police officer who knows about Jean Valjean's past. At the end of the story, Jean Valjean passed away while being watched over by the two persons he loved as if they were his own children.      I liked this movie because it describes the social conditions and people's lives at that time in great detail. It was unique because it is a musical movie. All of the songs in this movie were great. It's also interesting to see how their thinking changes throughout the ...

       This is a picture of people in a swimming pool. There are two girls on a ship made of cardboard. They are trying to row the boat with swords. They are maybe competing because there are some other boats in the pool. There is a woman not on a ship. 

Do you know alchemy? Alchemy is researches whose purpose is refining gold. Some people can imagine "Hagane no Renkinzyutsushi(The Fullmetal Alchemist)" which is a Japanese comic. However, Alchemy is not only the story of fiction. At the time, many alchemist spent his entire life in research. So what is alchemy? What is the difference between scientific research and alchemy? Today, I will introduce about Alchemy! Alchemy's main purpose is to transform the imperfect into the perfect. At the time, It was thought that gold would never rust. If we could make gold which is never rust, we also can make a human who is never die. We may can make a medicine which can  cure any disease. So many people have dreamed of this possibility. You may be wondering why they believe such an impossible thing. The cause was a man whose name is Hermes Trismegitus. At the time, he was thought to have succeeded in refining gold. Moreover, the method was only written in the abstract. Because of that...

  This is an arrangement of the house. Can you find the strangeness of this house? At first glance, you may be thinking this is a very ordinary house. However, if you look everywhere carefully, you will notice there are many strange feelings of discomfort that exist in this house. The discomfort was compounded, it leads to one ”fact” in the end. It is a fact too scary to believe.  Hello, everyone! I will introduce a mystery novel which I want to recommend. It is an introduction to the book that I wrote above. Don't you wonder what kind of secret is hidden in this floor plan? Try to imagine yourself! The book's title is "Henna Ie(Strange House)" which was written by Uketsu. I'm sure many of you have seen it in bookstores. When I find this book for the first time, I think that it is a book introducing a lot of storage arrangements of rooms. I wondered why a book like this could be the best seller. A few days later, I saw a Uketsu movie on YouTube. I was shocked to k...

Hallow everyone! Today, I will introduce about a book. The book is "Mrige-shakai(Society like a game that is impossible to clear)" written by Akira Tachibana. The general contents of the book in that. Modern society looks liberty, but actually it may so unpleasant to live in.  You have to success socially and economically, and to get happiness in dazzling world. It is a game that is impossible to clear, and you have to do it by oneself. This in author's insistence. Everyone be able to success by intelligence and effort. Because of that, society will be divided to highly intelligent senior citizens and low intelligence lower citizens. A best-selling author wrote about these taboos of the intelligence gap. He will reveal the true nature of "unreasonable games" from various angles. The book is divided into eight chapters. Today, I will introduce about the part which is written about dystopia where the world is headed in the future.  First of all, children are force...

Have you ever heard of iPS cells? It became a hot topic a few years ago. It was introduced on TV and in papers, so I think that most people know about it. However, if you are asked what iPS cells are, can you explain? I think that there are many people who know the name but most of them can't explain exactly what it is. So today, I will introduce basic knowledge of iPS cells. iPS cells became famous when Professor Yamanaka of Kyoto University was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2012. iPS cells can be created by body cells that are easy to get. For example, skin, blood, and so on. Before that ES cells were developed. It can be changed to various types of cells. However, ES cells could only get from fertilized eggs. Originally, the fertilized egg was supposed to become a child. So, it makes some ethical issues. iPS cells have solved such ethical problems! What can we do with iPS cells? First, it is expected for regenerative medicine. iPS cells can regenerate all organs by transf...

      Today I listened to "A TRUE STORY". They talked about the plan that a man bought a new bike before the class because the old one was broken. Therefore, I will introduce one of my true stories. My washing machine's function to drain water is not working now. It is not fixable for me. When I wash my clothes, they come out including a lot of water. It obviously makes me exhausting. So I will get it fixed in the near future. 

 Hello everyone! Today I would like to write about the relationship between science and us in the future. The scientific revolution that took place about 500 years ago was a revolution of ignorance. We realized that we didn't know much about our environment, materials, or even our own bodies. This led to an increase in per capita production and a truly rapid growth of the modern economy. However, I would like you to stop and think about this. Most history books focus on the ideas of great thinkers, the bravery of warriors, the deeds of saints, and the creativity of artists. They are also concerned with the formation and dismantling of social structures, the fall of empires, and the discovery of technology. But no one mentions how the growth or decline of such societies affected the happiness or suffering of each and every person! With the development of science and technology, we have become capable of many things. Long-distance travel has become easier. We are no longer frightened...

Hello everyone! I am a university student in Japan. This is my first time creating a blog. My hobby is listening to music. So this time I would like to write about my favorite Japanese pop music.  First, I would like to recommend to everyone Mrs. GREEN APPLE. They are a five-member band group that made their major debut in 2015. "Ao to Natsu (Blue and Summer)" and "Boku no Koto (About me)" are their most famous songs. But my favorite song is Gahouzinn, which is written in Japanese as "I meet people" and means that everything starts when you meet people.  The lyrics are beautiful, not to mention the bright melody and pleasant vocals.  "I hope you meet someone who can heal your wounds, and that your kindness can save the world." This is the meaning of the lyrics used in the main chorus. This song will encourage and cheer up your depressed heart. If you listen to it when you're going through a tough time, it will help you make a positive change!...

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