Have you ever seen a toad? Toads, called "hikigaeru" in Japanese, have very interesting features. Unlike most frogs, they do not live in water, except during the breeding season. However, during the very short breeding season between February and May, after they awaken from hibernation, they congregate in watery areas and engage in breeding behavior. Japanese people call this “kawazu gassen" (frog war) because of the large number of toads riding on each other while fighting for female toads. It is said that toads have an excellent sense of smell and remember the pond where they were born, so they can go back to the same place at the same time every year for breeding. When the breeding season is over, they leave the pond and return to the mountains.

Their movements are so slow. You might wonder how these creatures survive from predators, but they have two strategies for survival. The first method is to secrete a strong poison on their skin when attacked by other animals. This poison is called "toad oil" (“gama no abura” in Japanese) and is sometimes used as a medicine. However, the secretion of the poison is very rare. I have two toads in my house and they have never produced it. The second method to protect themselves is mimicry. Toads in Japan are colored with a brown base with black lines and red spots. This color pattern provides excellent camouflage in mountains with dead leaves, and it is very difficult to find them hiding there.

In the past, most toads lived in the same habitat as humans, so they are often mentioned in stories. The toad is often represented as a symbol of ugliness, but it is also portrayed as a creature with mystical powers, appearing in Naruto and Harry Potter.

Toads are very interesting creatures. However, their numbers are dwindling due to the development of mountainous areas, and it may be difficult to see these creatures near your house. When they appear in your path on a hike or mountain climb, please don't tease them, but cheer them on so that they can reach their goal safely as they move slowly.

Photo credit: Jose Aly Hoyo@Pexels.com

Q1: What is "toad" in Japanese?

a.    Hikigaeru

b.    Kamakiri

c.    Kaeru

Q2: How can toads go back to the pond where they were born every year?

a.    They are smart

b.    They go back to the pond by tracking the smell of the place.

c.    They know the mountains well

Q3: Where do toads usually live?

a.    In the city

b.    On paths near the river

c.    In the mountainous area

Scroll down for answers 

A1: hikigaeru

A2: They go back to the pond by tracking the smell of the place.

A3: They live in mountainous areas.

Do you usually clean up your house at the end of every year? Are you good at arranging your belongings? Simple living is known as dansyari (断捨離) in Japanese, and it is presented in books and TV programs these days.

LAVA International, Inc (1). explains that the goal of simple living is understanding yourself and having more time and energy to do important things, rather than spending time on keeping unnecessary things. Simple living means not only throwing away no-longer-needed objects but also focusing on time, relationships and a way of thinking. It is said that the idea of minimalism originally comes from the three ideas behind yoga, which are discontinuance, abandonment and separation. These ideas are applied to decluttering or dansyari. In other words, you are recommended to cut out unnecessary and unimportant things in your life. According to Mynavi Corporation (2), there are four advantages in simple living:

1. Tidy rooms can make you feel refreshed. There are only necessary things in your room and you can comfortably live there surrounded by essentials.

2. You can reduce wasted time searching for something lost.

3. Having another look at yourself. You can understand your values and hopes by separating things into three groups of Needed, Unneeded or Keep.

4. Being able to put more emphasis on quality rather than quantity.

By living simply, you will naturally be able to think about what you want and how much you need. Mynavi Corporation introduces four steps to start living simply. For starters, you should classify your possessions into three groups of Needed, Unneeded or Keep. Next, you are advised to store the things in Needed in a designated place. Then, the things in Unneeded can be thrown away, sold or transferred to somebody. Lastly, the things in Keep can be considered again if they are needed or not after a certain period of time.

Are you afraid of putting too many things in the group of Keep now? Here is some advice on how to determine if something is Needed, Unneeded or Kept. LAVA International, Inc points out that you can rely on how you feel when you see the target object. Keep it if you feel excited or have a plan to use it in the future. On the other hand, don’t keep it if you have not used it for a long time. For an object you want to keep, think about changing its place or using it in another way if it has not been used for a long time.

(1) https://yogafull.jp/3606

(2) https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20201117-1492848

Photo credit Jonathan Borba @Pexels.com

Q1: Where does the idea of minimalism originally come from?

Q2: What should we do with the things in the group of Keep?

Q3: How can we decide if a thing is needed?

Scroll down for answers

A1: It comes from the three ideas behind yoga.

A2: Rethink about if it is needed or not after a certain period of time.

A3: See if you feel excited or have a plan to use it in the future.

When people abroad think of popular sports from the United States, they usually think of sports that are played in their own countries, such as basketball or baseball. Though these two sports have grown worldwide, neither is the most popular sport in America. People often think baseball is the #1 sport in the U.S. due to it being nicknamed “America’s Pastime”. However, the real king of sports in the U.S. is football.

Usually played in fall and early winter, football is the most-watched sport on TV in America. Every year more than 100 million people tune in to watch the Super Bowl, the National Football League’s (NFL’s) championship game. Not only that, most stadiums that can hold over 90,000 people in the world are football stadiums.

What is football? Football is played on a field that is 120 yards long (around 110 meters). The playing field is 100 yards long with a 10-yard "endzone" (scoring zone) on both sides of the field. The game is played in 4 quarters of 15 minutes. Each team is allowed only 11 players on the field at one time. One team is the offense and one team is the defense. The offense has to get to the opposing team’s endzone and the defense must stop them. The game consists of plays that only last a few seconds. Teams can pass the ball or run the ball down the field during these plays. However, if a pass is dropped or the player with the ball is tackled to the ground, they must pause and restart a new play. Not only is the game about athletic ability, but it is also a strategy game, like chess.

At the start of the offense’s turn, they have four plays (“downs”) to make it 10 yards. If they can make it to the 10-yard mark, they receive a new turn, “set of downs” and can continue. However, if they can not make it to the 10-yard mark, they must give the ball to the other team. Usually, the offence kicks the ball to the other team if it is the 4th play (4th down). This kick is called a punt. After the other team catches the ball, they become the offense.

If the offense team makes it to the endzone, they are awarded 6 points with a chance to run a new play for 2 more points or kick the ball through the “goalposts” for 1 point. Usually, teams kick the “extra point” for +1 points. If the team can not make it down the field but are close, they can kick a “field goal” for 3 points. If the offense gets tackled in their own endzone, the defense is awarded 2 points called a “safety”

Like any sport, the best way to learn is to watch. Luckily, you don’t have to go to America to watch a football game. Ritsumeikan University has its own football team, The Ritsumeikan Panthers! You can check their website to learn more about the team and their schedule. [http://www.ritsumeikanpanthers.com/]

Photo credit David Morris @Pexels.com

Q1. What sport is called "America's Pastime"?

a. Baseball

b. Basketball

c. Football

Q2. How many people watch the Super Bowl every year?

a. 50- 80 million

b. 80 - 100 million

c. 100+ million

Q3. How many points is a "touchdown"?

a. 1

b. 3

c. 6

Scroll down for answers

A1 a

A2 c

A3 c

A frequent question asked by students is how to keep up their English outside the classroom. This is an excellent question because language learning does not begin and end in the classroom. If you want to become a confident speaker of another language, you must create multiple opportunities to encounter the language and use it in your daily life. This blog introduces a few ways that students can use online platforms to habituate their language learning, personalise it, and match it to their wider goals in life.

Making a habit of learning something is a vital part of becoming “good at it”. Think of playing an instrument or practising a sport; the more you do it, the better you get. It is even better if it’s fun and easy to fit into your routine. How many times do you check social media on the train or at the breakfast table? Do you have a Twitter or Instagram account that you regularly post to and share content? Create a new account in English, connect to well-known English language sites and English-speaking celebrities. Post your daily musings and reflections in English. Even if it’s ten minutes of scrolling English content or posting one or two short comments in English, it’s a quality addition to your language learning outside of class and fits smoothly into your daily life.

This can be a motivating thing to do because you can personalise the content you interact with and create. It’s your hobbies, your interests, your world. Do you like European soccer? Follow the players and clubs on English-language social media and comment in English in real-time during a game. Love cinema? Connect to the accounts that do movie reviews, websites that rank movies, and the movie stars themselves. Write regular short movie reviews and share them. Pursue the same interests you have in your native language and find the equivalent platforms for those interests in English.

Perhaps your current interests are inspiring your wider goals in life: the job you want to do in the future or the lifestyle changes you want to make. Podcasts are a great way to practice listening skills AND learn something valuable at the same time. There are English language podcasts on thousands of topics, so find one that matches your life goals (fitness, exercise, cooking, job hunting, saving money). For writing practice, start a blog in English on a topic or cause that you feel passionately about (politics, international relations, climate change, volunteering). If it’s a blog that, over time, you can add rich and interesting content to, and connect with many followers interested in the same topic, you could list this on your resume as a significant achievement during your student days.

The digital world gives us many engaging, free, and easy to use platforms for creating and sharing content on topics that interest us. Use these platforms in the target language in which you want to become better at speaking, listening, reading and writing. Habituate your use of these platforms (a little time every day), personalise it (topics, causes, and people that inspire you), and match it to your broader life goals (job hunting, money, wellness). Tweeting, podcasting, and blogging are great ways to keep up your English outside the classroom.

Photo credit Ivan Samkov @Pexels.com

Q1 Is the following statement true or false? “Habituating something means doing it occasionally.”

Q2 When you personalize something, you do it ___.

a. with one person.

b. only with people who share the same interest.

c. because it's meaningful to you and you like it.

Q3 Is the following statement true or false? “The author recommends tweeting, podcasting and blogging in a language in order to learn it.”

Scroll down for answers

A1 True

A2 C

A3 True

When I was a university student in the United States, I was frequently required to write essays for my exams. We used a small journal called “Blue Books,” which were named because of their blue covers. For four years, I took  “Blue Book exams,” where I had one hour to write a long essay on a given topic. I truly dreaded taking these tests, as my hand would always hurt afterward, and they were paper-based, making it difficult to go back and change paragraphs once I wrote them. However, while I didn’t enjoy writing essays at the time, I can now say that this experience taught me how to write essays quickly. I am now teaching this skill to students taking English proficiency exams. I’d now like to share my technique with you, which includes four steps: brainstorm, introduction, body, and conclusion.

First, it is essential to create the essay’s main ideas before you even start writing. Remember, each paragraph has one main idea, and an essay with around 250 words will have either two or three paragraphs. Therefore, read over the question carefully and consider two to three main ideas that answer that question. Write these down somewhere so that you don’t forget them.

Next, once you have your main ideas, start with the introduction. The first two to three sentences of an introduction include some vague background about the topic. Here, you can rephrase the question into a statement or create entirely new sentences. Just make sure that your sentences have unique words; don’t simply copy and paste the essay question! Now, the next sentence will just be your main ideas. Simply write your main ideas in one sentence as concisely as possible. Now you are finished with your introduction. Congratulations. Let’s move on.

You will now write out the body paragraphs. Remember, one paragraph equals one main idea, and the first sentence of the paragraph explains that main idea. Make sure the first sentence has clearly stated things by avoiding vague words like “he, she, it” or “they.” After writing the first sentence, write a few more supporting sentences and move on to the next paragraph.

Finally, you will complete the conclusion. Here you will summarize the main idea in just a few sentences. It is important that you don’t add any new ideas or arguments, as these are supposed to be in the body paragraphs. The conclusion is the least important part of proficiency exam essays, so if you run out of time and can’t complete it, it’s much better than not being able to complete your body paragraphs. Now you can spend the rest of the time reviewing your ideas, grammar, and vocabulary.

To sum up, while it was tiring to take many Blue Book exams, this process has taught me an important process that I can share with my students now. There are many strategies that can be used for proficiency tests, so this is not the definitive method. Please use my technique if you think it will help, or modify it if that fits your needs better.

Photo credit Zen Chung@Pexels.com

Q1: What is a Blue Book exam?

Q2: Why did the author dislike taking Blue Book exams?

Q3 What are the four steps of writing an essay, according to the author?

Scroll down for answers 

A1: A Blue Book exam is a test where students must write an essay for a given topic. The name comes from the small book having a blue cover.

A2: Blue Book exams are paper-based tests. Therefore, the author’s hand would hurt after writing for an extended amount of time, and it was difficult to change paragraphs once they were written out.

A3: The four steps to essay writing include brainstorming the topic, writing the introduction, writing the body paragraphs, and writing the conclusion.

Would you like to enjoy a comedy drama in English and become a good person at the same time? The Good Place (2016-2020 on Netflix) might help you with that.

The story of The Good Place begins when Eleanor (Kristen Bell – you might recognise her voice: she played Anna in Disney’s Frozen) finds herself in an unknown, office-like location. She is told by Michael (Ted Danson) that she is dead, and she is now in “the good place”. According to Michael, who designed the good place in which Eleanor is now, everyone is put into the good place or the bad place after their death based on their actions on earth. For example, on the one hand, if you remember your friend’s birthday, you earn a couple of points. On the other hand, when you cut in line, you lose some points. People who have a lot of points can be put into the good place. Eleanor, an environmental lawyer who dedicated her entire life to saving others, seems to be a perfect fit in the good place.

The only problem is, however, that there has been a mistake: Eleanor is, in fact, quite selfish. She was not even an environmental lawyer – she worked at a company that sells fake medicine to the elderly. What should Eleanor do to stay in the good place? Should she stay in the good place? Would it be possible for her to become a good person?

One of the important messages in The Good Place is that we cannot exist on our own; we communicate with and depend on each other every day. As one of the characters says, we “choose to be good because of our bonds with other people”. As a member of a community, we should at least try to help other people and make each other better.

The Good Place helps us think about what makes one a “good person”. Being a good person is not always easy - there are countless reasons which make you think that it is okay to be selfish, that you do not have to care about people around you. However, doing even a tiny bit of good action for someone can give you a sense of belonging to a community, and that feeling will brighten your world a little. After watching The Good Place, you will want to go do something good.

Photo credit: cotton bro@pexels

Quiz

Q1. What example is given in the blog as a way of earning points to get into the good place?

Q2. What is Eleanor’s problem in the good place?

Q3. What is one of the important messages in The Good Place?

Scroll down for answers

A1. Remembering your friend's birthday.

A2. She is selfish and does not deserve to be in the good place.

A3. That we cannot exist on our own.

The Japanese TV variety show, "プレバト" (Prebato) has recently become popular, and the haiku segment is one of the most highly regarded.

Haiku are written not only in Japan but also around the world. Many people use words to sketch scenes and convey emotions in a short 5-7-5 phrase along with a seasonal word (Kigo).

In Japanese, it is easy to count the number of sounds in a word. In English, the 5-7-5 patterns must be counted using syllables. It is important to point out that in English haiku, the use of seasonal words and 17 syllables is not required, although recently, a 3-5-3 syllabic pattern has become widely accepted.

One of my best friends, an American who publishes under his full name, Stephen J. DeGuire, is also fascinated by haiku. He seems to spend his life constantly trying to create haiku, sharpening his senses throughout his everyday life.

Here are three of Steve’s original haiku, one of which was acknowledged in a haiku contest.

1  One flower fallen

    the whole field diminished—

    an unsettling sun

    (Asahi Haikuist Network, 2006)

2   Basho’s road

     throughout Tohoku

     hope remains

     (Asahi Haikuist Network/L.A. Times, 2011)

3  Summer moon

    awakens sleeping

    Moonflowers

    (Itoen Haiku Contest N. America, 2016)

Can you visualise the scene of each haiku?

The following is Steve’s explanation:

“The first haiku holds a special place in my heart. It was the first haiku I ever wrote; it was also my first attempt at publication and it became my first published haiku. It is also my only published haiku that, at 16 syllables, comes close to the traditional 5-7-5 syllabic pattern. Everyday haiku words (flower, field and sun) were used to hide a deeper “unsettling” or disturbing meaning. It was written after a breakup with a girlfriend and after reading numerous articles regarding bullying and child suicide. On one level I am the “fallen flower”. More importantly, every lost child or “fallen flower”, is a loss for all mankind and all adults, who are responsible for nurturing the “whole field”.

The second haiku, also dear to my heart due to the subject, was written days after the 3/11 disaster. It refers to Basho’s “Oku no Hosomichi”, the tale of Basho’s wanderings through Tohoku, and relates it to the areas and people affected by the disaster. I longed to see a light at the end of a dark tunnel. So much was lost, both people and places, but “hope” remains.

The third haiku utilises two common haiku themes, the moon and flowers, to turn a very common experience, waking and sleeping, upside down. People and flowers usually wake up with the sun and sleep at night. The moonflower, asleep during the day, blooms in darkness as the moon rises.”

Could you picture the scenes in your mind?

In Japan, we are fortunate to have a wonderful culture and beautiful art forms like haiku. We should continue to proudly pass on these wonderful cultural and artistic treasures to the world.

Photo credit: Suzie@Pexels

Quiz

Q1. What pattern is often used in English haiku?

Q2. How many syllables did he use in his first haiku?

Q3. When did the poet start writing haiku?

Scroll down for answers.

A1: 3-5-3

A2: 16

A3: 2006

I have two major passions in life. One is English education, and the other is baseball. These two passions cross paths quite often, but never more than in one particular individual: Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

If you do not recognize the name, let me introduce him a little. He was born and raised in Hyogo Prefecture and graduated from Ritsumeikan University several decades ago. After being drafted by the Orix BlueWave (who are now the Buffaloes) and having a successful pitching career in Japan (Rookie of the Year, All-Star), he spent nine years playing Major League Baseball for the Anaheim Angels and Seattle Mariners. Because his name is so difficult for many non-Japanese to pronounce, he was given the nickname “Shiggy” which I will use the rest of this article.

Shiggy actually did not go to the major leagues because of his baseball aspirations. He went there because he had a fascination with America, and wanted to live there and experience the culture. During his time there, he gained proficiency in English, but also deepened his understanding of the national culture. As such, he was able to understand his own culture better, too. In fact, he has written several books about his experiences in America, plus his methods of learning English. I have not read all of Shiggy’s books, but what I have read, I have thoroughly enjoyed.

A book called {素晴らしき！メジャーリーガーの人生}. is a collection of the monthly columns he wrote for a Japanese newspaper while he was playing baseball in America. He also has one called {メジャーリーグで覚えた僕の英語勉強法}, and most recently, he put one out called {好かれる英会話}. In fact, last year during the pandemic (and online classes for many of us), he did an exclusive “webinar” for Ritsumeikan students and staff based on this book, which is about how to really enjoy speaking English. The webinar was truly enlightening and helped me see that Shiggy has transcended nationality and culture in his life. He is able to objectively see America for what it is, and the same is true of Japan.

This nation of ours (Japan) has a lot of TV shows that focus on how foreigners view Japan. While I enjoy programs like “YOUは何しに日本へ？” It feels a little superficial at times. It also comes across (to foreigners) as Japan tooting its own horn. The show seems to be declaring, “Look at how awesome the world thinks we are!” Shiggy kind of does the opposite in his writing: how does Japan view America? What I enjoy about Shiggy and his writing is that he does not put his own country OR his adopted country on a pedestal. He promotes understanding and acceptance while encouraging people to learn and love English. Oh, and of course, he loves baseball, too.

I highly recommend that you check out Shiggy’s books and aim to emulate one of your fellow Ritsumeikan graduates.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Quiz

Q1. Which baseball team did Shiggy not play for?

a) Orix BlueWave

b) Orix Buffaloes

c) Anaheim Angels

d) Seattle Mariners

Q2. Why did Shiggy want to play Major League Baseball?

a) He wanted to live in America

b) He wanted to challenge his baseball abilities

c) He wanted to teach Japanese to his teammates

d) He wanted to write books about learning English

Q3. What does the writer of this blog appreciate about Shiggy?

a) He loves Japan so much

b) He loves America so much

c) He can see Japan and America without bias

d) He watches TV shows like YOUは何しに日本へ?

Scroll down for answers

A1. b

A2. a

A3. c

When Matsumoto supermarket opened 20 years ago in my neighbourhood in Kyoto, the store played marching band music to perk up the customers.  It used to annoy me to no end because it was so loud. I’d shop in a hurry just to escape the noise. The other day though I heard a new type of music there.  It was the song “Dynamite” by BTS, but a poor, digitised copy that made it sound like an elementary school playing their keyboard harmonicas.  Even so, I recognized it as my university student daughter’s favourite K-pop dance song. It’s a lot of young people’s favourite song around the world because it is made of positive vibes, energy, hope and love – a feel-good song during the Coronavirus pandemic.  Why do so many people like BTS?

The K-pop superstars from South Korea are loved not just because of their music and dance videos. The Seoul government signed them up as tourism ambassadors as they are the most influential celebrities of Korea.  And the United Nations loves them too: BTS has raised $3.6 million dollars (¥404,113,000) since 2017 with the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, to fight violence, abuse and bullying and to promote self-esteem in young people. On September 20, 2021, BTS made a speech at the UN urging people to “choose kindness”.

The fans love their lyrics that inspire them to be positive and happy. The seven idols are unique because they are very upfront about mental health and their own personal struggles. In the 2016 album Agust D, member Suga talks about depression and self-hate. On the same album, “So Far Away” talks about pain and loneliness. On the 2014 album Skool Luv Affair, “Tomorrow” expresses the hardship of the young generation today and how they are afraid of tomorrow. And finally there are the songs “Answer: Love Myself”, “Not Today” and “On” that are healing to fans because they address self-doubt and encourage them to have more self-esteem.

For a K-pop band to be the messenger of goodwill and hope, they are extremely successful.  Their tour “Permission to Dance” in Los Angeles, California in December 2021 sold out with tickets being sold for thousands of dollars. It is no wonder that even a supermarket likes the idea of piping in their music to lift our spirits, capitalising on their positive energy that is truly global...and cool!

Photo credit Marcello Chagas@Pexels

Quiz

1. Why did the United Nations ask BTS to give a speech?

a) They are tourism ambassadors

b) They raised millions of dollars for UNICEF

c)  They believe in kindness

2. What issue for the young generation is BTS concerned with?

a) goodwill and hope

b) raising money for charity

c) mental health

3. Why did the supermarket choose to play a BTS song for its customers?

a) They can pipe in their music

b) They have positive energy

c) It is a digitised copy

Scroll down for answers

Answers

A1. b

A2. c

A3. b

On April 23, 2021, Bill Gates was one of the speakers at the Leaders Summit on Climate, ahead of the United Nations conference on climate change (COP26) that took place in November in Glasgow, Scotland. Key figures from around the world gathered online to talk about some of the most important challenges in climate change, including reducing emissions, financing new ideas, and creating jobs during the transition to a clean-energy economy.

Most people want to continue to be provided with all the benefits of the modern lifestyle, and many others in poverty want to attain a modern lifestyle. However, continuing to use today’s technologies will prevent us from meeting the goal of achieving what Gates calls ‘a Green Premium of zero’.

These days, there are an increasing variety of zero-carbon technologies available, but most of them are more expensive than their fossil-fuel counterparts. Gates explained that we need new zero-carbon products that are just as affordable. Unfortunately, creating such products is difficult, but it can be done more easily by governments and corporations investing in innovation and building the infrastructure for the transition to a clean economy.

To do this, Gates has proposed three steps to achieve these goals, all requiring international cooperation:

First is the development and distribution of breakthrough technologies that allow us to eliminate carbon emissions.

Second is to use the power of markets to fund and deploy these innovations, such as new ways to finance technologies. This will make it easier for new technologies to have greater appeal to corporations and customers instead of continuing to use fossil fuels.

Third is for governments and corporations to begin using policies and programs such as ‘Mission Innovation’ and ‘Breakthrough Energy Catalyst’ that will make it faster and cheaper to make this transition. This requires leaders to reward those who take difficult steps to choose progress over profits.

So, what can YOU do as an individual in society? Are you reading this article because you are also a climate activist? This doesn’t mean only recycling pet bottles and switching off lights. A climate activist is someone who brings attention to problems by demanding action and change from governments and corporations. If you are old enough to vote, choose a politician who really cares about these issues. You can ‘vote’ with your money too, by supporting companies who are already taking actions to reach zero-emissions.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Quiz

Q1. In which Scottish city was the COP26 held?

Q2. What does Bill Gates call new and affordable zero-carbon products?

Q3. What are the names of the examples of policies/programs that will make it faster and cheaper to make the transition to a clean economy?

Scroll down for the answers

A1. Glasgow

A2. Green Premium products

A3. ‘Mission Innovation’ and ‘Breakthrough Energy Catalyst’