ESS

Hi everybody :D 

This is my final post and I'd like to write about ESS! First of all, do you know ESS? This stands for English Speaking Society. It's been about two months since we initiated this society. When I was a first grade student, I was looking for a society that I'm interested in but I couldn't find anything. Then, I began to wonder if our school had a club related to English.  Last winter, I noticed one of my friends was thinking about the same things as me. It is a still precious moment for me and makes me feel I have a peer who has same motivation towards English. So, we started ESS with great support from Andy.

We normally have a session on Wednesday at 12:00-13:00 on zoom. The main activities are talking casually, playing games or having debates.

Each session has its original activity so it would make you excited. The topics we talk about are different in each session. We discussed what are the good points and downsides of Japan and the news about Yuya Tegoshi last month. Due to this pandemic, we cannot meet face to face but we can stay connected through this club and enhance our speaking skills as well. Now we have almost 30 members who specialize in various fields such as English, Japanese and sociology.  After this pandemic, we will hold a meet-and-greet!

We'll appreciate it if you participate in ESS!

If you're interested in, please send us an e-mail (huess2020@gmail.com). Also, we have an official instagram account (@huess.2020).

(Keika)

My favorite Place in the East of Sapporo Vol.3

Hello! I’m Ayano.

This is my final blog post and I will write about my favorite sushi restaurant in the east of Sapporo. It is located near my house, so it is easy for me to go there. It is named ‘Kaitenmaru’ and there are five stores in Hokkaido, two stores are in Sapporo and one store is in Asahikawa, Tomakomai and Chitose. I work part-time there four times a week. The reason why I decided to work part-time there is that the wage is 900 yen per hour.

Favorite menu

I like ‘Nakaoti Salmon’ which is categorized as Gunkan. It is topped with salmon. It is 120 yen, so it is reasonable.　

Moreover, I like Deep-fried octopus. It cost 340 yen, so I think it is a little expensive. However it is very delicious, so it’s worth paying money for this.

My favorite sweet is Pot Cream Caramel. Cream caramel is in a container like a pot. It is not too soft and too firm.

I recommend you a 500 yen lunch. It is a set menu and we can order this menu on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. We can eat 10 pieces of sushi and drink miso soup and coffee for 500 yen. It is very reasonable!

Kaitenmaru is a very good restaurant, so you should go there!

That's it for blog posts. Thank you for reading my blog posts.

Ayano

Fossils in Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the land  where precious fossils are excavated. The fossils are including dinosaurs, pterosaurs, ammonites, and other animals. Let me please introduce some fossils discovered in Hokkaido.

1. Kamuysaurus japonicus

Kamuysaurus japonicus is a new hadrosauridae which is a type of dinosaur that lived from 105 million to 66 million years ago. It was presented as a new species of dinosaurs in 2019. It is a herbivore living in the sea and its length was about 8 meters. The fossils were first found in 2003 in Mukawa-town. Its complete skeleton is the largest in Japan and was discovered from 2013 to 2014. A big earthquake hit Mukawa-town last year, but fossils of Kamuysaurus japonicus were miraculously safe. For this reason, the replica of Kamuysaurus japonicus is made as a symbol of reconstruction from this earthquake. This product was funded through crowdfunding.

2. Ammonites

Hokkaido is known as an area where there are an abundance of ammonites for the last 200 years ago. There were a lot of ammonites discovered in Mikasa-town and some of them are named from names of town in Hokkaido. In Mikasa City Museum, about 600 ammonites are exhibited. Nipponites mirabilis which has a strange shape and one of the largest ammonites in Japan which has a diameter is about 1.3 meters are main features in this museum.

3. Taniwhasaurus mikasaensis

Taniwhasaurus mikasaensis were found in Mikasa-town. It is one of Mosasaurus which was carnivore reptilia living in the sea. The fossil of its head is designated as a national monument. Its complete replica is exhibited in Mikasa City Museum.

There are more fossils, like Tyrannosaurus Rex, pterosaurs, a whale ancestor, etc. were excavated and exhibited in various parts of Hokkaido. You should try to visit museums where you can see ancient creatures.

Hobetu Museum in Mukawa-town : https://mukawaryu.com/

Mikasa City Museum : https://www.city.mikasa.hokkaido.jp/museum/index_sp.html

Event information about dinosaurs and fossils : http://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ss/ckk/dinosaur.htm

(Mifuyu)

Starbucks

Hello, I’m Momono.

I work part-time job at Starbucks coffee japan. I love Starbucks, so today, I want you to know the wonderful points of Starbucks coffee.

Starbucks coffee is a big company around the world. I think many people go and enjoy drinks at Starbucks everyday.  The reason why everyone loves Starbucks is Starbucks not only serves delicious drinks but also provides high-quality service. PTR (staff working at Starbucks) always think “the customer is first”. I was impressed with PTR's spirit of caring for customers. The service for customers at Starbucks is called “the Starbucks experiences”. Please check the Instagram account “starbucks.stories” you would see wonderful “Starbucks experiences”.

The next topic is the menu!

There are a lot of kinds of drinks, so you must find your favorite drink!!

The menu is divided into 3 categories. They are espresso drinks, tea drinks and frappuccino drinks.

 

Espresso drinks are so-called coffee drinks. These drinks taste bitter, so they are recommended for adults and those who like coffee.

menu) Drip coffee, Latte, Cappuccino, Caramel macchiato….

Tea drinks are tea-based drinks. They taste different depending on the tea leaves.

menu) Yuzu citrus tea, tea latte….

Frappuccino drinks are made by crushing ice. So these drinks are very cold. I like Frappuccinos in summer.

The menu: vanilla cream frappuccino, dark mocha chip frappuccino, green tea frappuccino, mango frappuccino.

Please come and enjoy Starbucks!!!!

https://product.starbucks.co.jp/beverage/

Now on sale!!!!!!!

Seicomart is a Good Convenience Store in Hokkaido!!

Hi, I am Miyu.

In Japan, there are three famous convenience store chains Seven-Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson. But people who live in Hokkaido like another local convenience store chain, Seicomart! I am one of them, so today, I will introduce Seicomart!!

Seicomarts operates 1079 outlets in Hokkaido. It is the biggest number of convenience store

outlets in Hokkaido. Seicomarts are in only three prefectures, Hokkaido, Ibaraki and Saitama. Surprisingly, Seicomart is one of the oldest convenience store chains in Japan! So, if you come to Hokkaido, you should drop in to Seicomart!!

Next, I will introduce my favorite points of Seicomart.

1) Hot Chef

Hot Chef has some of Seicomart’s famous products which are made in each store, for example, boxed meals, bread, fried potatoes, big rice balls and so on…. The products are very hot and very delicious! They are a little expensive, but they are worth eating! Especially, I like half-melon shaped buns and sausage bread!

2) Low-priced products

I think Seicomart’s products are more inexpensive than other convenience store’s products. Most of the rice balls are 100yen, though there are a lot of kinds of ingredients. Also, bread is also low-priced. In addition, they sell 100 yen spaghetti! Seicomart’s products are suitable for lunch!

3) Reward card

In Seicomart, you can get a reward card for free, and collect points by shopping. You can get some gifts using these points. It is a very good system for us, so you should get a reward card!

←The design is very cute♡

In conclusion, Seicomart is a very good convenience store, so you should go there for daily shopping!!（Miyu) You can get more detailed information by checking the site!!→　セイコーマート

My Favorite Park

Hiraoka Park is a big park in Sapporo. It isn’t a well-known park, but it’s an attractive park.

It’s located 11 km southeast of central Sapporo. It takes about 30 minutes by bus from Sapporo station or about 25 minutes by bus from Oyachi station. There are large parking areas, so you can go there by car too.

 

There are a lot of sports grounds in the park whose size is 66.4 hectare. For example, a ballpark, 6 tennis courts, 2 golf courses and 3 gateball courses. Many children and old people enjoy games there every day. If you don’t have rackets and balls, you can rent them there. So you can enjoy it too!

 

There is an artificial wetland which recreates the former plains of Ishikari. It’s a rare wetland in Japan. It has a lot of hygrophytes and insects. You can enjoy watching them. Besides, many tours are held and you can hear a technical explanation. My recommendation is “the watching fireflies tour”. You must check it out!

 

Hiraoka ume maturi is the best event of Hiraoka Park. This festival is held about 2 weeks in the middle of May. Ume is called Japanese plum in English. You can enjoy 1200 Japanese plum trees. It’s very beautiful!! And you can eat Ume-ice cream there. The taste is very unusual, but I think it’s very delicious. You should try it!!

 

 

You can check the information about the hygrophytes which grow in Hiraoka Park on their website.

Please check this link!

↓　　↓　　↓

https://hiraoka-park.jp/nature/wet_plants/

Kanami

My P.E. Class

2020 July 22th

Hi everyone, I’m Rika! 

Today I’d like to talk to you about my major - P.E. 

I want you to know how it is organized, what I learn, the annual schedule and other points.

 

This class is composed of 41 members (Freshman:11 Sophomore:10 Junior:10 Senior:10). Fewer than the other classes, but we are all close regardless of age or gender. Everyone is good at playing sports and loves them!

 

Do you want to know about what we learn? I’ll tell you about it.

First, we learn about general subjects that students have to take, too.

Next, we practice a wide variety of major and minor sports. For example, Judo, Volleyball, Dance and Recreational sports. Recreational sports’ rules are very easy and clear so everyone can enjoy them!

What is more, we acquire knowledge connected with sports. For example, exercise physiology and sports sociology.

P.E. class’s original events

We study during each grade, but we carried out a few events in the last year. One is a social gathering between freshmen and sophomores. This event is for 2 days and 1 night in Sintotsukawa every spring and people can enjoy sports and get to know each other. I planned to go there this year but we couldn’t go there because of COVID-19. I was very sad.😢

Everyone in my class are nice guys, so please get along with us! And if you want to know about my class, please tell me. I’ll tell you a lot of information!!

☝️☝️the social gathering(1 year ago)☝️☝️

My Favorite Place in the East of Sapporo Vol.2

Hello! I’m Ayano.

I wrote about my favorite place before, today I will introduce another place. It is a park named Moerenuma Park which is located near Satoland. I went there many times when I was an elementary school student. There are a lot of good points to enjoy, so I will write about these.

First, I want you to look at its map. ↓

As you can see, this park is very big. It is as big as Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea so it is very hard for visitors to walk around the whole park. What is there in the park?

Mt. Moere

It is a mountain in the park which is made from non-burnable rubbish and surplus soil. Visitors can overlook the city of Sapporo from the top of the mountain because the elevation of Mt. Moere is about 60 meters and there are no high buildings around the park. In summer, we can enjoy picnics, and in winter, we can enjoy going sledding. 

The Glass Pyramid “Hidamari”

It is a monument which symbolizes Moerenuma Park. It is made of glass, so it reflects the sunshine and it looks very beautiful. There are restaurants and shops in Glass Pyramid.

The Fountain

It is located in the center of the park. It is a very big fountain. Visitors can see the water show and the fountain is illuminated during the show, it looks fantastic. I haven’t seen the show so I would like to see it once.

Moreover, there is playground equipment which is in unique shape. ↓

I’m happy if you are interested in the park.

See you next blog!

https://xn--28ja8db.net/moere-park-rental-bicycle/

https://moerenumapark.jp/pyramid/

https://www.travel.co.jp/guide/article/3791/

Ayano

Sea Butterflies

Sea Butterflies

Kaori

Hi everyone. Did you enjoy my third blog? Today, I will talk about sea butterflies! 

Do you know about sea butterflies? They are called “Clione” in Japanese. You are able to see them in Abashiri or Shiretoko, because in winter, they come to the east of Hokkaido with the drift ice. So, they are often called “Drift ice angels!”

    

       1.What are sea butterflies?

The sea butterfly is a member of the spiral shell family. It has a shell when it is born. However, the sea butterfly loses its shell as it matures. The maximum size is about 1cm to 3cm. In addition, they only live in clean water, so it is difficult to keep them in a house. As you know, sea butterflies are also famous for their predatory behavior. It’s really frightening. So, if you watch the movie, please be careful.

2.Let's watch sea butterflies!

In Okhotsk sea ice museum Giza, you are able to watch sea butterflies whenever you come. Surprisingly, there are some big sea butterflies in the museum. Look at the picture, the size is about 4cm! It looks like a plump fairy doesn’t it? You can also learn about drift ice in the museum.

If you are interested in sea butterflies or the museum, you can check the website!

 http://giza-ryuhyo.com/

https://hokkaidofan.com/clione/

Takino-Suzuran Park

Today, I will introduce you to Takino-Suzuran park.

Takino-Suzuran park is one of the big parks in Sapporo. There is a lot of playground equipment and play areas. So anyone from children to adults can enjoy it.

takino-suzuran-hillside-park

1. Access

You can use a bus or a car. If you use the bus, you can get on from Makomanai station bus stop or Fukuzumi station. Of course, the park has parking areas. But it cost 420 yen per car. You have to pay over 420 yen when you ride the bus and it takes over 30 minutes, so I recommend using a car if you can.

I lack of sense of direction, so this map is very difficult for me ......

2. Many attractive areas

There are many areas in Takino-suzuran park, so we can enjoy various activities.

・Takino-no-mori (east area)

Here everybody can enjoy playing in the forest. There is a high tower, a long slide and a kitchen. Especially, forest-yoga is held on the forest’s wooden deck. We can spend time feeling nature.

 

・Kodomo-no-tani

There is much big play equipment so a lot of children can feel fun. I loved “the Rainbow nest dome” when I was a child. A lot of nets are extended across a vast space so children can hang, pass through, or jump on them. This is just dreamland for young people.

 

Takino-suzuran park has other many great points, so I’ll tell you about them in my next blog.

国営滝野すずらん丘陵公園オフィシャルウェブサイト

Music Festival in Hokkaido Vol.1

Hello! I'm Yuno. 

I like to see live performances of Japanese rock bands and I also like music festivals, so next two times I'll introduce them. There are two big music festivals in Hokkaido.

Today, I'll write about “Join Alive”.

What is Join Alive?

It is held in July in Iwamizawa Park. It was held in 2010 for the first time, so last year was the 10 year anniversary. The venue includes the amusement park ”Hokkaido Green Land” and an outdoor concert hall “Kitaon”, so a lot of people including children can enjoy not only seeing live performances but also riding attractions. And there is a campground in the park, so a lot of visitors take full pleasure in Iwamizawa Park. 

So, I’ll write about some features of this festival.

The amusement park

As I wrote above, this is the biggest feature of Join Alive.  Actually last year I went to Join Alive, but I didn't ride any attractions because I and my friend were busy seeing all the live performances which each of us wanted to see. And, one of the stages is in the hall of the amusement park, which is usually used for special shows like circuses. My favorite band Go! Go! Vanillas appeared on this stage last year. I saw them from the second or third row.

Next, I’ll pick up the other feature of this festival.

Alternative Garden

This is an area conducted by students of Hokkaido University of Education in Iwamizawa. In this area, you can enjoy some other culture except music, like arts or nature and people who don’t have the ticket can enter into this area. Furthermore,  children can enjoy playing protected by students of sports education major.

I think this is very precious experience for students because they can take part in planning and managing for a big event. I want to join!

The workshop project Animalive is held every year. In this project, a big animal object is made by the audience and artists. Last year, a big flamingo was made. The theme of this object is “memory” because last year was the 10th anniversary of Join Alive.

Here are links of Join Alive and the Twitter account of Alternative Garden.

https://joinalive.jp/2020/

https://twitter.com/JOINAlternative?s=21

This year, as you know, Join Alive wasn’t held because of COVID-19. I strongly hope that this event will be held next year. (Yuno)