This is my very first time that I visit Japan, so I was even more exited for attending my very first school activity at NILS.

For this weeks activity Hirosei-sensei took me to Dazaifu to see the ”Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine”.

First we had to pass a short street filled with tourits (mostly from Korea and China) and wich was surounded by many little souvenir shops.

When we reached the Tenmangu Shrine I was impressed by it’s beauty.

The Tenmangu Shrine is sacred to the memory of Michizane Sugawara wich is also known as ”the god of learning”.

I learned a lot about Michizane Sugawaras life story that day. We also visited the Kyushu National Museum wich I found very interesting.

At the end of the trip we got some mochi [japanese rice cake] (it was still warm wich made it even more delicous than it already was!) and with it a cup of Matcha [japanese green tea] (also very delicous!).

My first activity with Hirosei-sensei was great, I like to learn more about japanese traditions and culture, so I’m already exited for the up coming activitys.

—-Katie

This weeks school activity was Hanami.

Hanami litterally means “flower viewing”. Ever year around this time the cherry blossom trees start blooming, there are different kind of cherry flowers, they can have different shapes and the colors may vary from white to a dark pink (I always thought all the cherry flowers look the same).

We went to the Ohoori park, wich is a beautiful park with a sea, to watch the cherry blossom.

For hanami a lot of people meet and do a picnic while watching the cherry blossom, usally they gather with theyr family or friends to celebrate hanami. Sadly the cherry blossom trees only bloom for 1-2 weeks and than fall of, but that is what makes them so special.

Another thing that I really liked was that there were a lot of food stalls at the Ohoori park, they had all kind of interesting foods. I got to try yakitori, taiyaki, hanami dango and my teacher was even so nice and shared her takoyaki with me so that I could have a try of them. Everything was so delicious !!!

My very first Hanami was a great experience, I got to eat delicious japanese festival food and watched the pretty cherry blossom trees.

-Katie

This weekly activity, cooking Ramen and Gyouza, was really fun!

I got to sit down with 7 other people and we all got our hands dirty making the dough for the gyouza and ramen noodles.

I was surprised with how much I could understand, with a little help from Hirose sensei.

The end result was really delicious too and I’d love to do something like this again.

Please watch this video if you are interested.

Students learning Japanese language in Short Program went to ROBOSQUARE this week.

Q: What did you do in this week’s activity?

A: I visit the ROBOSQUARE and Fukuoka Tower in MOMOCHI.

Q: What kind of place is MOMOCHI?

A: It is an area close to the sea and one of the most expertise areas to live on in Fukuoka. It is very attractive to tourists, especially because of the Fukuoka Tower.

Q: How was the Fukuoka tower?

A: It was very nice to be able to see Fukuoka from such a height. It offered a completely new way to experience the Fukuoka city.

Q: How was the ROBOSQUARE?

A: The ROVOSQURE was very interesting, though smaller than I had anticipated. I liked the diversity of robots for different uses and the stuff was also very friendly and helpful.

Q: What Kind of robot did you see? Which one did you like the most?

A: There were numerous kinds of robots that were intended for various darks. Some were meant for entertainment purpose or as a pet-substitute, others had therapeutic or security functions, I was most impressed by PARO, the seal-robot meant to improve elderly people’s quality of life through the affectionate interaction with the robot.

Students learning Japanese language in Winter Program enjoyed calligraphy this week.

Q: You have arrived in Fukuoka a few days ago.  Is this your first time to visit Japan?

A: No, I went to Japan last year.

Q: Today’s activity is calligraphy.  Have you ever tried it?

A: No, I have never done this before.

Q: I think writing with brush is difficult.  Did you write well?

A: It was very hard at first, but with practice, I got better.

Q: What word did you write and why did you choose it?

A: 「幸福」 Happiness.  I want to have this to remember this happy I was here.

Q: Did you try it again?

A: Yes, it was fun and I would love to do it again!

NILS students taking short term program visited Yusentei Koen Park to enjoy traditional Japanese garden and tea ceremony.  Even Japanese people don’t experience tea ceremony so often, so it must be a good opportunity for our students.

“We visited Yusentei Koen to see a beautiful traditional Japanese Garden.  Visiting Japanese Gardens was not the first time.  I have been to Japanese gardens in Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo and at home in Vancouver. Regardless I always love visiting them.  (Regarding tea ceremony) I love Matcha (Japanese green tea) and find tea ceremony relaxing, so I enjoyed it a lot.  It was nice to have Hirose Sensei there as she knew tea ceremony so well.”  —Maksym-san, from Canada

“We went to the Yusentei Park and had traditional Japanese tea while looking at gorgeous Japanese garden.  We also fed a lot of fish which lives in the park’s pond.  It wasn’t my first time to visit Japanese gardens, but the fact that we got to enjoy tea and feed some fish was unique.  It is a nice place to sit for a while and enjoy a cup of tea.”  —Marek-san, from Canada.

We are so happy that all of our students learning Japanese at NILS enjoy every week’s activity here in Fukuoka!

NILS students attending the fall program enjoyed watching sumo wrestling in Fukuoka.  Sumo matches were held 6 times in a year, and one of them is held in Fukuoka in November every year.  It was a very good opportunity for our students to watch real sumo match.  Even we, the  Japanese don’t go out to watch sumo, but many watch sumo on TV.

At Kokusai Center we first noticed many vendors selling Omiyage, beer and snacks.  We soon learned it was a good idea to go near the entrance to watch the famous Rikishi enter the center.  We then began watching Sumo bouts from our seats inside the center.  If you are coming to watch Sumo you will have fun.  It is a great event.  Matches are quick and there’s lots of action.  Eat beforehand but I think to enjoy the experience more be ready to drink some beer while you watch.  —Marek-san, from Canada.

NILS students in Fall Program enjoyed making ramen and gyoza last week.  It was their first time to cook ramen from the beginning.

I thought this was a fun activity.  It is good for people staying in Fukuoka to experience as ramen culture is so prevalent here.  Making men with the pasta machine was particularly interesting for me and while I knew it would taste ok, I was surprised it was actually restaurant quality good!  I would recommend this activity!  —Marek

I am happy to say that I enjoyed taking part in this activity. It was a good learning experience. The ramen and gyoza came out to taste very good. Overall the activity was very good.  I am thinking of going to that place again.  —Maksym

NILS students learning Japanese language in summer program visited Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, one of the famous shrines in Fukuoka, and Kyushu National Museum. Dazaifu is located close to both Ogori and Ohashi Campus. You can get there by easy access using Nishitetsu Railways.
Here are some comments from our students.
(さらに…)

NILS students had a great time at one of the most famous festivals in Fukuoka, Hojoya (放生会).

The Houjouya Festival activity with NILS class this week was very fantastic!

This “matsuri”is a celebration of food abundance and life. Add for free, “yukata”s, a shrine visit, and happy people. I mean a LOT of happy people walking around, eating, drinking, and taking pictures in a set of alleys where food and drink vendors have their stands.

The top point for me where the cute little kids that had never seen a “gaijin” before. Fearless of talking to strangers, they stare at me as if the time has just stopped. Hey, there you go a great opportunity to practice some Japanese; which of course I did use. Naturally, everybody around get out of their Japanese shell, while the joy spreads around the child and myself. Pictures taken of course!

After two weeks in Japan, if a place is near a subway, or a train, I can go there. If it does not work in the first try, even better, I can ask for directions in Japanese.  Great!  —Jorge

This was my first matsuri!!!!! It was absolutely fun. We got to eat so many different things like takoyaki, yakitori, and even horse meat (ahh!). Hirosei-sensei share some of her yakitori with me and it was so delicious I had to get one myself! I also ate dondurma ice cream! I’ve never had it before. It was very interesting. It tasted like ice cream but it was sticky like mochi. I did some research and found out that it is a Turkish dessert. That was probably one of the best foods that I had at the festival.

Laura and I went to see the Misemono goya! There was the woman who can breathe fire, the cavemen, the sick old man, the man with a sword though his face, and a woman that ate bugs! It was weird but fun to watch! I thought the woman who breathes fire was the coolest.

We also got to watch a play at the shrine! It was a bit hard to understand because they were using Hakozaki ben. I did get some jokes though so it was a good experience!

The festival also had lots of fishing. There was goldfish fishing, crab fishing turtle fishing, even eel fishing! We didn’t try any of it but the turtles were very cute. It was a kind of sad seeing them trapped in there.

I’m happy we got to go!! There was so much good food and fun things to see. I will probably never forget the amazing yakitori I ate and the Misemono goya! I would love to take my family to this some day.  —Stephanie