Asahikawa American English Conversation School
NOTE: The OBJECTIVE of this BLOG is to help my students with their study of English.
AND
For all of you, out there, around the world to;
SEE HOKKAIDO
2012 January 2 Sunday thru January 31 Tuesday.
The
first month of 2012 is already finished, and Asahikawa is heading into the
coldest month of the year, February.
This year during my 3 week winter vacation, I did something totally different than I have ever done before.
I went to Okinawa for the very first time.
I had been thinking about going to Okinawa for many years, but I always thought about going during summer vacation.
Then when summer vacation was getting close, and Asahikawa was getting hotter and hotter, I would reconsider the Okinawa trip, and not go.
Finally this year, I decided to go during winter vacation, because then I knew for sure that it would not be too hot for me.
We went to Okinawa from January 10 thru January 15.
The daytime temperature was about 20 degrees C., and the nighttime temp. was about 15 C.
Not too hot and not too cold. Sort of like spring time in Asahikawa.
We stayed one night in Naha City, then rented a car and drove up to Nago City where we stayed for two nights.
The photo above was taken from the balcony of our 9th Floor room at the Resonex Hotel in Nago City.
The ocean color, as you can see is a beautiful turquoise blue, even when the sky is cloudy, as it was every day.
On
the 3rd day, we went to the Churaumi Aquarium, and spent most of the day there.
If you ever go to Okinawa, this aquarium is a must see.
I even made friends with one of the dolphins who lives there.
Not the one you can see in the photo on the left, but another one in an outside pool.
On the 4th day, we checked out of the beach front hotel in Nago City, and drove along the East China Sea coastline road, all the way up to the northernmost point on the Okinawa Main Island at Cape Hedo.
Cape Hedo is basically a steep cliff with a scary view from the edge.
We continued to drive along the coast road to the Pacific Ocean side of the island, and than back towards Nago City.
At Nago City we got onto the High Speed Expressway, and were able to arrive back in Naha City by about 18:00.
We checked into the same hotel that we did the first night, and went out to have dinner.
On Saturday January 15 at about 14:30, we boarded an ANA flight to take us back to Tokyo Haneda, change planes there for the final flight back to Asahikawa.
The temperature in Naha when we left was about 20 degrees C.
The temperature in Asahikawa when we arrived was - 12 degrees C.
Indeed, Japan has many climates and many faces.
To see more photos that I took in Okinawa, click here.
To see the many videos that I took in Okinawa, click here.
I gotta go back again sometime during the summer, so I can swim with the dolphins. It's one of my big dreams in life.
2012 January 1 Sunday.
HAPPY
NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!
This year is the Year of the Dragon 辰年.
The Golden Dragon, to be more specific.
The photo on the left is of my New Year Card for 2012.
I used Macromedia (Adobe) Fireworks to make the Dragon illustration.
I used Macromedia Freehand to make the Snowman and Red Ball illustration.
I used Microsoft Photo Draw to make the 2012 type and the greetings type.
The other graphics I found on the internet.
I especially like the graphic of AmaTerasuOomiKami, in the upper left corner of the card.
I wish I too, could make a graphic that beautiful.
But I can't so, I borrowed this one from the web.
Today is an overcast but partly sunny day with no snow falling as of 7:52 a.m.
There is a good feeling in the air.
The new year is getting off to a good start.
2011 December 17 Saturday thru December 31 Saturday.
Another
year has come and gone.
It was a good year.
The best ever.
Just like every year before it.
I closed my classroom on December 23 for a 3 week winter vacation.
Winter vacation is a busy time of the year in Japan with the writing of New Year Cards 年賀状 and the Big Clean Up 大掃除.
In Asahikawa City, Hokkaido Japan, it is also the season of the Big Snow 大雪.
A world of white crystal light and beauty all around.
The last day of the year on December 31, New Year's Eve, is one of my favorite days of the year.
In Japan, New Year's Eve is a quiet time at home with immediate family members gathered together for good food and drink.
A popular television show on New Year's Eve is the annual NHK KouHakuUtaGassen 紅白歌合戦.
This is one of the very few TV shows that I watch during the year.
My favorite part of the show, is right after the show is finished, shortly after midnight.
That is the time when NHK shows the Ringing of the Midnight Bell, Joya No Kane 除夜の鐘, from various locations in Japan.
The bell is rung 108 times, and it has an exquisite deep meditative tone, that cannot be adequately described in words.
It is so moving for me, that I sometimes get teary-eyed.
Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR to each and everybody, all around the world.
Live in PEACE and be PROSPEROUS.
2011 November 1 Tuesday thru December 16 Friday.
Only
one more week of classes before I shut down my classroom for a 3 week winter
vacation.
There is a lot of snow on the ground, and it just keeps on falling and piling up, everyday.
Santa Present Park is already open for business! Go for it!
Since the beginning of November, I have been doing some translation work for a couple of local companies.
One of the companies is a large organic farm, and the other is the oldest Sake Brewery in Asahikawa.
They have made a special Premium Grade of Sake, which will be sold in the USA.
During the process of translating the documents for the pamphlets and internet web pages, I have learned a lot about the process of making Sake.
Not only am I earning money doing the translations, but I am educating myself in the process.
The photo in today's blog is of the seasonal Sake from Otoko Yama that is called Nama GenShu Shibori Tate. This is NOT the company that I am doing the translation for, but Otokoyama also makes some damn fine Sake.
In the case of this bottle, it is the Raw Sake that has been squeezed out from the main mash もろみ and put directly into a bottle, with out any heat processing for pasteurization.
It is not Pure Rice Wine 純米酒 because brewers alcohol was added to it in the final stage, just before the squeezing of the main mash.
The reason that brewer's alcohol is added in the last stage, is to draw out even more of the rice aromas and flavors that remain in the main mash.
In other words, it tastes like the rice you eat with your meals, while it is still cooking.
Delicious!
Another brand of Sake that I have been drinking recently, is the Kunmare Hokkai Nigori Zake 国稀 北海にごり酒 which is made in the Hokkaido seaside town of Mashike 増毛.
Nigori Zake is a milky color because it has some of the Sake Lees 麹 still in the brew.
However, the bottle of Hokkai Nigori Zake has the label of SeiShuu 清酒 which means it is totally filtered, Clear Sake.
How can this be???
During my study while translating the documents from Japanese to English, I discovered that when Sake is completely filtered and made clear, it can be labeled as 清酒. However, after that, the Sake Lees 麹 can be re-introduced into the mixture to make it milky cloudy again, which is what Hokkai Nigori Zake is.
Other types of Nigori Zake are bottled before the final filtering, to leave the Sake Lees in the mixture, just as they are squeezed from the main mash.
Interesting.
There are so many different ways to make Japanese Rice Wine, and it produces a wide variety of delicious and enjoyable drinks.
Kampai!
2011 October 1 Saturday thru October 31 Monday.
Another
month has come and gone.
A lot of beautiful flowers bloom during the autumn months in Hokkaido.
I took a Sunday drive with my new compact digital camera to take some photos.
You can see one of them on the left.
The new camera I bought was the CANON PowerShot SX 150 IS.
Looking at the specs alone, it is more powerful than my CANON Kiss X3 DSLR camera.
It does take excellent photos.
The only downside is that is burns up batteries very quickly.
Fortunately it uses AA dry cell batteries that can be purchased anywhere.
The new camera also has some special digital functions such as a fish eye lens simulation.
It is very easy to hold in just one hand and the price too, was very easy on the wallet.
To see more photos and a video that I shot with this new camera, click here.
Finally, a small sized camera that takes large professional quality photographs.
Might make a good Xmas present for someone on your shopping list.
2011 September 1 Thursday thru September 30 Friday.
The
beautiful month of September in Hokkaido.
My favorite month of the year.
Not too hot, not too cold, lots of delicious foods coming from the local farms.
HEAVEN.
Lots of new students joining my classroom, and lots of new learning taking place.
Two of the most interesting students, coming back to my classroom after two years in the USA, are the 8 years old and 10 years old sisters, whom I haven't seen for more than two years.
A bit more than two years ago, their mother, who was a student in my English class at a Nursing School, many years ago, came to my classroom with her two daughters for a crash course in spoken American English.
Reason being that the whole family would be going to Atlanta Georgia for two years, because of the father's medical research studies.
When the girls came to my classroom for the first time way back then, they couldn't speak any English at all.
I used photo flash cards to teach them basic everyday vocabulary and everyday action words. They learned quite quickly and I felt good about all of the lessons, when they left for the USA some two years ago.
This month, they came back to my classroom after two years of living in the USA while going to a regular public school. As expected, they can speak American English just like any kid who was born and raised in the USA!
Yep! No big surprise there. KIDS DO LEARN FASTER!
Another cool thing that happened this month was my discovery of the COMPLETE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC on 6 DVDs.
When I say complete, I do mean complete.
Every page of every issue from 1888 until the present day, scanned in high resolution, all advertisements included!
Yes, even the advertisement are a learning experience in an of themselves.
Talk about the Ultimate TIME CAPSULE, this is it!
CLICK ON THE PHOTO ABOVE for more information on how you too can get your hands on this treasure of Time Travel.
2011 August 1 Monday thru August 31 Wednesday.
Summer
vacation ended on August 21 Sunday, and I reopened my classroom on Monday August
22.
First class of the day started at 10:00 at くりの木幼稚園.
I used some big colorful flash cards that show typical summer vacation activities, along with playing the guitar and making up songs, on the spot.
My singing voice is still not back into its proper shape, and I got a sore throat again.
In fact, I had to cancel another scheduled Acoustic Guitar Live appearance with LiBERTY on August 1, at the Kaimono Koen Outdoor Beer Garden for the Miwa Summer Festival.
Even though I couldn't play my songs, as I have done in years past, I did go and watch the show. I enjoyed it very much.
The trip Ikuko and I had planned for August 10 to 初山別 was canceled because of heavy rains.
Same goes for the trip to Lake Akan on August 17 and 18.
Damn!
It didn't really pay to make vacation plans in advance, this year. In fact, I had to pay a $50 cancellation fee to the hotel at Lake Akan!
Best thing to do, is just get up and go, when the weather is nice, and then camp out where you are at sunset time.
However, despite the double disappointment during summer vacation, we got our revenge on Sunday August 28 when the weather was clear and sunny.
We
drove from Asahikawa to Rumoi, then north along Route 232 to Shosanbetsu.
I was able to to take some really good video and some pretty good photos along the way.
One of the videos I took while driving along the Sea of Japan coastline is perfect for a multi instrument song that I have already recorded, about 6 months ago.
I will call the song "Route 232 Hokkaido" and post it on my North Island Music website, as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow.
Because my singing voice has become crap since about mid June of this year, I have been spending most of my free time, playing piano instrumentals.
Both my own original songs and some of my favorite standards.
Come to think of it, I started taking piano lesson when I was 6 years old, and continued until I was 12 years old.
Then, at the age of about 13, I started to teach myself how to play the acoustic guitar.
In my opinion, the piano is much easier to play, because the keyboard is clearly laid out before you, in black and white.
One certain note can only be played from one certain place on the keyboard.
It is very easy to know what note you are playing at any given time.
Plus, the left hand and the right hand can be playing different notes and chords, all at the same time.
The guitar is much different, and much more difficult, in my opinion.
Anyway, I am in my "get back to basics on the keyboard" mode for now, and into the foreseeable future.
Still, I can't wait until, I can once again, finger pick the six string guitar and sing along with it.
When that will again become possible, only time will tell.
CLICK on the Torii in the Ocean PHOTO above to see a 7 minute relaxation video of the same scene.
2011 July 1 Friday thru July 31 Sunday.
I
finally started my 3 week summer vacation on Saturday July 30, at about 12:30
p.m. YAHOO!
My biggest project for this summer vacation is to take lots of Full High Definition Video 1920 X 1080 with my new Panasonic HDC-HS60 digital video camera.
Unlike my previous SONY video camera, this camera doesn't use video tapes. Instead, it records to videos on a Hard Disc Drive or and SD card.
In other words, downloading video from the camera to the PC takes only a few minutes, rather than several hours.
This fact alone, has encouraged me to take my video camera everywhere I go, and shoot as much video as I like.
I also upgraded my video editing software to Adobe Premiere 9, which can handle AVCHD files and mix sound, like music tracks, very well.
Along with all of the video that I am shooting, I am putting my original music on the sound tracks and making them in MUSIC VIDEOs.
I just uploaded the first one yesterday.
It is a video of a water fountain in a park behind SAIPAL.
The music track is my original Piano Solo called: Fountain of Life.
You can see the video and listen to the music by clicking on the photo in today's blog.
Be sure to watch it in 1080p HD for best viewing experience.
ENJOY!
2011 June 1 Wednesday thru June 30 Thursday.
It
has happened again!
For the 2nd month in a row!
No writing in this blog for more than 30 days!
Not that it really matters that much, but just noting the facts.
June has been a good month for the most part. Lots of good weather and lots of new students coming to my classroom.
Another new addition to my musical instruments collection has also arrived.
It is the YAMAHA PSR-E423 Digital Keyboard, as can be seen in the photo above.
I have had a YAMAHA PSR-195 digital keyboard in my classroom for about 15 years, and the students and I have enjoyed playing around on it and making music together. However, the PSR-195 keyboard is not touch sensitive, and the grand piano sound is not really suitable for professional quality recording. That's why I got the new PSR-E423. It sounds just like a real grand piano, and with over 700 different instrument sounds, including the SHAKUHACHI, I can create fantastic recordings of many types of music, all by myself.
Of course, I keep this new keyboard set hidden away from the kids during classroom hours, but when classes are finished for the day, I bring it out and get back into making music on the keyboards, that feel and sound just like a real grand piano.
The downside of this is, that I haven't played the guitar or drums for about one month.
I gotta figure out a way to play everything else, more often too.
2011 May 1 Sunday thru May 31 Tuesday.
What?
It has been a full month since I last wrote in this blog?
Yep! Here is the evidence.
It's not that I just totally forgot about this blog, but I was busy working on some new projects.
One of them is a new series of learning materials in the form of question cards centered around TOPICs of discussion.
As usual, I make these cards at the same size as a standard business card, and laminate them so that they will last for many years.
So far I have made about 300 new cards.
One topic might have anywhere from 25 to 50 cards, depending upon how many questions I can think up while I am making the cards.
Of course after typing them on the PC, I have to print them out on A4 sized sheets of paper.
Then I need to cut them into the business card sized pieces, and finally laminate each and every card by hand.
Just like it says in my TOWN PAGES advertisement for this classroom スノーマン先生の手作り教材使用. We use Snowman Teacher's hand made learning materials.
Yes, it really is true. See the photo above for proof of that.
I will be making hundreds more of them, in the coming months and years, when the weather outside is not so nice.
With
the summer weather coming day by day, I have been spending a lot more time
outdoors.
If summer in Hokkaido could be described by one word, it would be GREEN.
Everywhere you go, it is non-stop GREEN. Beautiful.
Oh! I almost forgot.
We went to an excellent rock concert on Thursday May 19, here in Asahikawa at the 市民文化会館.
It was SPITZ!
This is their 20th year in business as a best selling rock band, and the last time they came to Asahikawa was 8 years ago. We were at that show too.
This year's show was much better in every way.
I hope they come again sometime, sooner than 8 years from now.
If you don't know who SPITZ is you can click on the photo at the left side of this web page, and it will take you to the SPITZ OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
There is also a SPITZ OFFICIAL YOU TUBE Channel which you can visit by CLICKING HERE.
I think you might enjoy their music too.
2011 April 11 Monday thru April 30 Saturday.
Just
when you thought it was safe to change your car's tires from winter to summer
tires, it snows again.
I haven't changed my tires yet.
I never change to summer tires until after Golden Week.
After living in Asahikawa for more than 21 years, I know better.
I have seen it snow as late as May 18th, before.
No hurry to change those tires until then.
On Saturday April 30, I got another chance to play my acoustic guitar and sing some songs in front of a live audience.
It was at the 木楽輪 right next door to my classroom here in the Kagura District of Asahikawa.
Along with me, there were 3 other groups that played songs that day.
It was a lot of fun, as usual.
I tried to take a video of my performance, but the camera didn't do it's job properly.
Damn!
It's a good thing I also used my ZOOM H4n Handy Recorder, so I could listen to myself objectively after the gig.
In a word, I think I did pretty well, with very few mistakes.
If you missed the show, and want to listen to the songs I sang, you can do so at the link below.
http://northislandmusic.net/about.htm#20110430haru
I'm looking forward to my next gig, coming up in a few months.
I hope to see you all at the next music festa.
2011 April 1 Friday thru April 10 Sunday.
April
is getting off to a good start with a new school year and good smells in the
air.
It is also the start of a new musical adventure for me.
Since many years ago, I have been interested in learning how to play the drums.
While listening to music that I like, I often beat my hands on a table top to simulate the sounds of the drums.
The reasons I have never bought a drum set to practice on before are: 1. Not enough space in my house to set it up, and: 2. It would make far too much noise and disturb my neighbors.
Those excuses are no longer valid.
Introducing the YAMAHA DD-65 Digital Percussion Kit.
When I first found out about this on the internet, it blew my mind.
Finally, a complete drums set that is small enough to fit on a table top, and can be played almost silently while listening through headphones.
It was my dream come true!
I bought it with one click shopping on Amazon, and about 4 days later it arrived at my front door.
As you can see from the photos in today's blog, I am using a regular snare drum stand to support the drum set, so that I can keep the table top open for my Multi Track Recorder.
Also, you can see that the drum set includes two foot pedals, one for the big bass drum and one for the hi-hat cymbals.
How does it sound?
Well,
considering the fact that it has a total of 50 different preprogrammed drum kits
in it, and considering the huge variety of different types of music you can play
on it, I would say that it sounds very realistic.
Especially when plugged directly into my Multi Track Recorder, it is almost impossible to distinguish it from a real drum set. In fact, it probably sounds better, because you must use stand alone microphones to record a set of real drums, and that presents another set of problems, in and of itself.
As I wrote above, I have never had the chance to learn how to play the drums, until now.
Do I need to take drum lessons?
No, I don't.
The YAMAHA DD-65 has 100 songs and drum patterns preprogrammed inside of it, that I can use to listen to and play along with.
I can even mute the melody and hear only the drum parts. I can also mute the drum parts and listen to the melody only.
If the tempo of the song is too fast, I can slow it down, and learn it much more easily. Then, after I have learned it, I can speed it up, and play along at the regular speed.
Another thing that I have discovered, the drums are a lot more difficult to play well, than I had previously imagined.
Especially when it comes to using the foot pedals, in conjunction with the hand held drum sticks.
I am getting better at it, the more I practice, but now I have a new respect for professional drummers who really know what they are doing.
Anyway, I am having a total blast learning this new, and perhaps most basic of all musical instruments.
If you too have ever seriously wanted to start learning how to play the drums, I most highly recommend this digital percussion kit. The YAMAHA DD-65.
It's not expensive, it's very easy to use, it's totally mobile, and it is very educational.
What are you waiting for? Go for it! Give it a try for yourself!
2011 March 26 Saturday thru March 31 Thursday.
We
had some beautiful sunny days during this, the last week of March.
Went for a drive to Shirogane Onsen 白金温泉 on Sunday March 27.
Along the way, I spotted some Ezo Shika Deer grazing for food along the side of the road.
When I stopped the van to get out and take photos of them, they got spooked and ran across the road to the other side.
It was very lucky for them and everybody else, that there were no other cars on the road, at that time.
Their running across the road and jumping up onto the other side, provided me with the opportunity to get some good stop-action photos of them.
Click on the photo above to see the rest of the photos on FLICKR.
2011 March 16 Wednesday thru March 25 Friday.
Monday,
March 21 was a National Holiday in Japan, because it was the Spring Equinox
春分の日。
The Spring Equinox is one of my favorite days of the year, because it marks a major tuning point in the relationship between the Earth and the Sun.
From now on, the days get longer, the nights get shorter, and It feels good to get up early in the morning.
However, the situation here in Japan, especially in the Northeast part along the Pacific Ocean, continues to be very difficult. See photo on the left for details.
In this photo, you can see that the devastation caused by the Tsunami (Tidal Wave) was much, much worse than just the shaking of the earthquake, by itself.
How sad can it be, to come back to your home, and discover that it is not there anymore.
My HEART goes out to these people. What a shock! What a total Life Changer, an event like this, most certainly is.
I myself, have experienced a feeling very similar to this.
Not because of a Natural Disaster, but because of a failure in Human Relationships, that caused an un-natural, and un-necessary disaster of life changing proportions. An American family that wasn't really a family at all, but merely a group of old age, self-centered children, with no sense of communal living. Selfish babies, that never grew up. Shining assholes, ridiculous to the core. Thank God they are dead and gone. Good riddance, white trash!
It was a life changing disaster, that I turned into a life changing opportunity, for the better.
I hope that these Japanese people too, can make the most of this unfortunate situation, and rebuild their lives, for the better.
A positive mental attitude is the most important thing, in a situation like this.
Is the glass half empty, OR, is the glass half full?
If you always look at the glass as being half full, you can overcome any adversity.
I know this to be true, because I have experienced it for myself.
頑張れ日本！
2011 March 1 Tuesday thru March 15 Tuesday.
The
snow is still falling from time to time, but during the day, it is warm enough
to melt off all the new snow, along with some of the old snow.
March 11 was my wife's birthday but, all of our plans for the evening changed when we heard the news of the massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake off of the coast near Sendai.
In fact, I felt the quake when it happened at about 14:41.
I was sitting in my van, parked along the curb in front of Mizuho Bank in downtown Asahikawa, when suddenly the van started shaking from side to side.
It lasted for about 2 minutes, and at first I thought that I was having a mini heart attack or something, because I was feeling very uncomfortable.
However, I could not see anything else shaking along the street, and I didn't know for sure that it was an earthquake, until I heard the news on the radio a few minutes later.
It was by far the longest tremor that I have ever felt, especially here in Asahikawa where they happen very seldom.
Nonetheless, I had no idea how bad the damage really was until about 18:00 that evening when I finally had time to get back on the internet and connect with twitter.
Talk about a TWEET STORM! All kinds of people I had never heard of before were posting up-to-the-second reports on the damage, especially that caused by the huge tidal wave that followed the quake.
Also, there were a lot of websites streaming live video of the unbelievable damage caused by everything that was going on, all at the same time.
I have never felt so sad in my life, while I watched with disbelief the total destruction of several coastal towns and villages.
At first, the reports of the deaths and missing persons were in the hundreds, but I knew deep in my heart that it would reach into the tens of thousands.
It was obvious from the videos and photographs that many thousands of people had no chance to escape the waters rushing inland from the sea.
Not only that, but a nuclear power plant was damaged and started leaking radiation!
Wait, there's more!
On Tuesday March 15, a volcano erupted again in Kyushu!
I have a bad feeling that there is more to come, but for now I will focus my attention on the photo of the baby who was saved by the JGSDF.
There is still hope for a better tomorrow.
2011 February 7 Monday thru February 28 Monday.
The
coldest month of the year in Asahikawa has come to an end.
Don't get me wrong, it can still get very cold on any given day in March or April, but the trend is that it will gradually get warmer and the snow will begin to melt.
The first big festival of this year, the Asahikawa Winter Festival, was held from February 8 thru February 13.
This year, there was no activity inside Tokiwa Park itself. It didn't feel right. In fact it sucked! Inside Tokiwa Park at night is my favorite spot for the Winter Festival. I guess they couldn't get enough volunteers to help out with the various preparations necessary to set up the place.
I have volunteered in the past, but now at 54 years old, the cold feels a lot colder than it used to, and I tend to stay indoors much more during winter than in past years.
However, I did go to the Winter Festival on February 13, Sunday morning at about 9:30 a.m. to see LiBERTY play a 30 minute set on the Snow Stage, that is located along the banks of the Ishikari River.
The wind wasn't too strong, but it was very cold. I took about 250 photos of the band performing on stage, and later gave a DVD ROM to the guy with the Fender Stratocaster (red jacket), who is also a regular student at my classroom. Click on the photo above for details.
Other than that, I have been spending most of my free time recording some original music with my Multi Track Recorder.
I feel like a kid in a candy store when I use my MTR.
I
can play guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica, alto recorder, shakuhachi
and sing, putting them all on different tracks, and then fine tune the music any
way that I want to. The MTR has about 300 different drum patterns built
in, and I can change the tempo of them to suit the song I am playing.
Loads of Fun!!!
I can also play the electric guitar thru an effects box (FX) and record directly into the MTR with out using a guitar amplifier.
This means that even if it is midnight or early morning, I can still lay down rock and roll guitar tracks, and not disturb anybody.
The effects box that I use can be seen in the photo on the left. It sounds great and was not so expensive.
Click on the photo itself to read about the SPECs of this totally cool FX box, in English (or Japanese).
I'm Looking forward to making more original music in the months ahead.
Will release the new songs on my new music website North Island Music, as they come together to my satisfaction.
Also, I'm looking forward to spring time, in a big way.
In my opinion, we've had enough snow for one season.
I know a lot of skiers and snowboarders will disagree with me, but the snow in the high mountains will still be with us until about mid June so, go for it dudes! Give the city streets back to the rest of us.
2011 February 2 Wednesday thru February 6 Sunday.
On
Sunday at about 13:00, I went to the General Gymnasium 総合体育館 to watch the final
four games of the All Hokkaido High School Basketball Championship.
I was only able to watch two of the four games, but I enjoyed it immensely.
I used to play basketball myself almost every day, until I became a 2nd year student in high school. I wasn't good enough to make the varsity high school team, so I switched from playing basketball to playing the guitar.
Anyway, I took my Canon X3 DSLR camera with me, in my first ever attempt at sports photography.
Sports photography is rather difficult, I discovered, as only about 10 out of the 300 photographs that I took, were any good.
I didn't use the Continuous Shooting Function because I wanted to see how well I could do without it.
The two games I was able to watch were; the girls basketball teams from 札幌創成高等学校 (white and blue uniforms) and 北星学園女子高等学校 (pink and white uniforms), and the boys basket ball teams from 札幌山の手高等学校 (white and sky blue uniforms) and 帯広南商業高等学校 (blue and yellow uniforms).
I spent most of my time watching the girls basket ball game, because it was a much closer and more exciting contest.
At
half time, the girls game was tied at 32 points each, but the boys game was very
lopsided with 札山の手 having about a 40 point lead.
During the second half, the girls game continued to be close until the 4th period, when 札幌創成 began to pull away and lead by about 10 or 12 points.
One thing that I noticed was that 札幌創成 was taking a lot of 3 point shots, and making about 50% of them.
On the other hand, 北星女子 almost never tried to take 3 point shots.
I don't know if the coach had told them not to take the 3 point shots, or whether the girls had no confidence in making the 3 point shots, but in the end, it cost them the game, with the final score being 札幌創成 74 vs. 北星女子 59.
As for the boys game, the final score was 札山の手 119 vs. 帯広商南 41. A very lopsided contest indeed.
I left the gym at about 14:30 before the start of the final 2 championship games because I was hungry and tired from standing up during the whole time.
All in all, is was a very enjoyable experience, and I learned about how difficult good sports photography can be.
2011 February 1 Tuesday.
It
has arrived.
My new 6 string bass guitar.
After all of my lessons were finished at 20:00, I got out my bass amplifier and Multi Track Recorder, and started learning how to play this new instrument.
At first, I thought that it should be tuned like a regular six string guitar with E A D G B E.
However, after doing some research on the internet, I discovered that most professionals tune their six string bass guitars with B E A D G C.
Doing it this way, preserves the way a 4 string bass guitar has its strings tuned in fourths at E A D G, by adding a forth lower at B, and a fourth higher at C. This makes it easy for 4 string bass players to quickly adapt to a new 5 string or 6 string bass guitar.
When I first picked up the new six string bass and tried to play some basic scales, my first impression was that the fingerboard was too wide.
However, after playing it for about 2 hours, my fingers had completely adjusted to the new feel of the instrument, and it felt comfortable. Very comfortable.
I continued to play it until about 1:00 a.m., a total of about 5 hours.
I recorded about 5 new bass tracks on my MTR, and I must admit, they sounded pretty damn good.
Another thing I discovered about this new bass guitar, is that you can play chords on it as well.
This is especially nice for a person like myself who started out playing the regular 6 string folk guitar, some 40 years ago.
The sound produced by this six string bass guitar is excellent.
It even has a small pre-amplifier built inside, so you can boost the sound right there from the instrument itself.
This is very helpful if you want to plug the guitar directly into the MTR, when recording.
The pre-amplifier can be turned on or turned off, as you choose.
Another thing that is amazing about this 6 string bass guitar, is the price.
I bought it on the internet, and it was delivered to my door by FedEx for a total price of only ￥28,209.
Yes, you read that correctly. About $249 USD.
What are you waiting for?
If you have ever thought about playing a 6 string bass guitar, this is the product for you.
The 4 string Yamaha bass guitar that you can see in the photo above, cost me about ￥20,000.
It was my very first bass guitar which I bought about 6 or 7 years ago.
It is a very good musical instrument, and it is not heavy.
The new six string bass is not heavy either, but sounds so much better.
I LOVE MUSIC. Even more than ever before, starting again today.
2011 January 17 Monday thru January 31 Monday.
It
just keeps getting colder and colder every day.
Tomorrow is the start of the coldest month of the year in Asahikawa, February.
The 52nd annual Asahikawa Winter Festival will be held from February 8 thru February 13.
I will be going to it, as I do every year.
Ski wear is required if you want to be anywhere near comfortable while visiting the event.
I have finished up all of my morning classes at the university and nursing schools, and have given the final exams.
Lots of free time in the mornings now to have private lessons at my classroom.
When I don't have private lessons in the morning, I can do many other things, as I have so many hobbies.
I should be getting my new six string bass guitar very soon.
On New Year's Eve, while watching the year end countdown on NHK, the well known band, Dreams Come True appeared on the TV.
As I was watching them play some songs, I noticed that the bass player was playing a 6 string bass guitar.
I have seen 5 string bass guitars before, but this was the first time I had ever seen a six string bass.
So, I looked around on the internet to see where I could buy one for about $300 or $400 USD.
I found a company in the USA that had what I was looking for, and they even ship to Japan!
Lucky for me.
I ordered one about one week ago, and it should be here soon.
Imagine the possibilities with a 6 string bass guitar, when I plug it into my Multi Track Recorder and make some new music with it.
I'm totally pumped up and looking forward to it.
The photo in today's blog, shows what I ordered. If you click on the photo, it will take you to the website where I bought it.
They sell all kinds of musical instruments at very reasonable prices.
Click on the photo above, and see for yourself.
2011 January 1 Saturday thru January 16 Sunday.
Happy New Year everybody!
This year is the Year of the Rabbit.
My wife was born in the Year of the Rabbit.
So was my sister.
They are both very honest and gentle persons.
I was born in the year of the Monkey.
Although I am very honest, I am not always gentle.
However, I am becoming much more gentle, year by year, as I grow older.
That's a good thing for everybody, including myself.
During my classroom's 3 week winter vacation, I spent most of my time cleaning up the classroom and the living room.
The first job was to use my electric floor polisher, MISS BUFFY, to clean up the living room floor.
So, everything on the floor of the living room gets carried over into the classroom. That was a big job just in and of itself.
There were many boxes of old books and magazines to sort through. All of them purchased by my wife throughout the past several years.
Then, it was time to clean up the classroom floor. The big tank wet/dry vacuum cleaner was a big help in getting the job done as fast as possible.
We were able to get all of this BIG CLEAN UP finished by January 6.
The next day on January 7, we went to 層雲峡温泉 for 2 nights and stayed one night at 朝陽亭 and one night at 朝陽リゾート・ホテル.
The hotel 朝陽亭 is built upon a rather high hill. As a result, the wind is strong and noisy all night long. The bathing area is big, but the hot spring water is nothing special.
On the other hand, the hotel 朝陽リゾート・ホテル is down lower on the highway and not hit as hard by the wind. Also, the quality of the hot spring water is completely different. It has the distinct smell of sulpher, but not too strong, and the water is slippery and smooth to the skin. Very nice and relaxing hot spring, not to mention the White Japanese Cedar Bath Tubs sitting just outside near the snow.
I opened my classroom again on January 11, and was very glad to see all of my students again.
The coldest part of the year is coming soon, and there will be much more snow to fall, in the coming months.
Maybe next year's winter vacation will be spent in Okinawa.
I have never been there before and neither has my lovely wife.
This might be the year to go and see it first hand.
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