Sunday, February 25, 2024

2024 Spring Semester is underway and Spring Trip to Kyoto, Japan is ready

 In this Spring semester, there have been following classes:

Japanese 1101 (In-Person & Virtual), Japanese 1102 and Japanese 2252.

Spring Trip to Kyoto is ready with 16 students leaving on Friday 3/22/24 and returning to Chicago on Sunday 3/31/24. According to the weather/Sakura blooming forecast, 3/24 will be the full blooming day in Kyoto/Osaka area so we will be there right on time.

Summer Study Abroad is also ready with over a dozen students.  Summer trip will leave on Monday 6/10/24 and return to the U.S. on Friday 7/12/24.

We will be joined by 10 East Los Angeles College students there in Kyoto and spend the program together.

For those who want to accelerate learning, Japanese 1102 will be offered virtually and be ready for the second year program in Fall.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

2023 Fall Semester ended with a few survivors and ready for the year 2024

 For Japanese 1101, total 15 students out of all three classes successfully completed and will move forward to Japanese 1102.  Spring semester 1102 will include these students as well as students from past semesters.

2nd and 3rd semester classes (1102 and 2201) had less than 10 students from the beginning so I decided to open Japanese 2252 which can hold everyone who passed 1102.   

There will be:   Japanese 1101    Mon/Wed  10-12, 1-3 (In-person) and 5-7 (Virtual)

                         Japanese 1102    Tue/Thu 12noon-2

                         Japanese 2252    Tue/Thu  10-11:15

Spring Break Cherry Blossom Trip to Kyoto, Japan has 16 students and we are ready to go! 

Friday, July 21, 2023

2023 Summer Study Abroad has completed and be ready for 2024 program

 Everyone got home safely despite the fact that there were students who suffered a bit from COVID-19.

Students' stamina is getting weaker and weaker, especially after the Pandemic.

The program had to be modified not only because of their stamina but also local weather and global warming.

The excusrion plan will be modified and will be suited to students next year!

Stay tyuned!

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Commencement and Performance and gift from the school

 The commencement was successfully completed and everyone got the Certificate of Merit.

Each class gave the final performance, which is Singing the theme song of Evangerion and Drama act of Peach Boy.  Both were excellent and everyone did well.

Lunch was catered from local Bento place and everyone got the nice gift from the school.  The gift was the Seal (HANKO) which has each student name in Kanji and Katakana.

Everyone is now preparing for the departure tomorrow but do the final shopping, of course.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Finalizing the program at the city zoo after Okazaki Shrine

 COD one month Summer Study Abroad program is about to end.  It was difficult for us to plan daily trip as the weather here has not been very cooperative on top of the historically high temperature.

We, however, somehow survived and visited Okazaki Shrine which has been recently famous for the prospect finding and healty child bearing. 

Rabbit is the symbol of this shrine as you can find Maneki Usagi (usually Maneki Neko, or fotune calling cat, happy cat). It was also timely since year 2023 is the rabbit year which is my zodiac animal.

After Okazaki Shrine, we walked to the city zoo where everyone enjoyed.

Now the commencement is waiting.  

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Monkeys were waiting for everyone under hot and humid weather over 98F

 After school we left Hakubaicho Randen Train Stop to go to Arashiyama where monkeys were waiting for us in Mt. Iwata Monkey Park.

Under the dangerously hot and humid weather everyone climbed up the mountain to meet monkeys and stayed in the cage around which monkeys are watching and asking some food.

The program is getting closer to the end and somehoe all the students have been managed to get to this date.

Few more days!

Friday, July 14, 2023

Finally climbing up the Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine and going down to Tofukuji Temple

 The best cludy weather helped us to climb up the Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine 1000 Torii Gate to the top of Mt. Inari.

Everyoone made it to the top and had a great view of Southern Kyoto from the yop of Mt. Inari.

We went down to other side of the mountain to visit Tofukuji Temple.  

Everyone seems ready for the long weekend to visit here and there before the final week coming up!