Animals in New Zealand


A lot of animals live in New Zealand. Do you know that the bird named moa lived in New Zealand? To our regret, moa has become extinct. Probably, about 500 years ago!

Moa were the biggest birds in earth, but could not fly. Moa were over 2 meters tall, and weights were 250 kilograms. Moa did not have foreign enemies. Therefore, moa were the only birds in the world to lack any vestige of a wing. There are various opinions about the bodily shape of moa. It is said that moa probably had a domed back like emus, and their neck were very short.

Though this is my opinion, I think, ratite (include moa) were not the birds that can’t fly, but the birds that stopped flying. Certainly, ratite can’t fly. But, I think, for some reasons, ratite intentionally have not come to fly.

←（emu)

History of Tamatina
　

The origin of this festival has various theories. It is said that Tomatina has been a strong tradition in Buñol since 1944 or 1945, but no one knows completely how this event originated and became a large holiday. Therefore, I want to introduce a typical theory to everyone.

It is said that Tomatina started from the young person’s fight. A group of young people began to throw tomatoes from a near vegetables stall to their enemies. At that time, policeman put down a disturbance. But same day in August next year, same people gathered, and the fight started again.

At the beginning of 1950’s, Buñol city office banned the event. But it didn’t stop. Therefore, some people were arrested, other were confined to barracks. But arrested people were released because local people terribly opposed it. Then Buñol city office accepted demands of local people and allowed to celebrate the event under some rules Buñol city office made. In 1980’s, Buñol city office began to manage the event. After that, the number of people who participate in the event and amount of tomato have increased. In this way, the event became a worldwide festival is known as tomato festival.

Festival

Do you like festival? I like festival though it depends on festival. I don’t like dancing very much, but I like eating at street stalls. When I go to any festival, I always make the rounds of street stalls, and I eat delicious food. It is how to enjoy festival in my own way!

Have you heard tomato festival? Maybe you have known about it by TV program, such as news and educational program. I will introduce tomato festival to everyone. This is Spanish festival. This festival is called ‘’La Tomatina’’ in Spain. (Also, it is called tomato battle) Tomatina is held on the last Wednesday August each year in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region of Spain. As you know, this is festival in which people throw tomato mutually. Some people who participate in it are injured. Therefore, there is a rule tomatoes will be squashed before they will be thrown in order not to hurt any person. After Tomatina, although fire trucks spray down the street, the whole town smells of tomato.

Do you like tomato? If you like tomato, I will recommend you to go Spain and participate in Tomato battle! By the way, I dislike tomato!

Movie


Do you like watching movies? I like watching them. Movies are very exciting and moving.

I saw some movies during this summer vacation, but I felt these movies not good, so I will recommend a movie that I saw several years ago to everyone. I will introduce The Shawshank Redemption to everyone. The film is now one of the most famous movies in America, but when this movie was released, this movie was not popular with people for some time. Therefore many people haven’t watched the film in Japan. So, if you have time, I think, you should watch this movie.

The story is about a man named Andy who was imprisoned to notorious Shawshank Prison. In 1947, Andy was convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, though he was innocence. Andy was put into Shawshank Prison. Andy despaired, but he had hopes. At the prison, Andy met inmate Elli Boyd “Red” Redding who was known for cleverly smuggling various things into the prison. Andy got a rock hammer, posters and so on from him, and Andy was frank with him. Andy, who was an excellent banker before, improved the environment in the prison with his faculty. Therefore, not only prisoners but also prison guard admitted him. After that, Andy had contacted to not only process taxation business in the prison, but also hide the head’s income. But he had an idea.
If you want to know the rest of the story, I will recommend you to watch the movie.

Summer Vacation

I went to Izu in Shizuoka during this vacation with my friends. I drove alternatively to this place with my friends. It spent three hours to get to Shizuoka. Before I checked in at a hotel, I went sightseeing spots in Shizuoka. I went to the Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden. There are many alligators and plants in that garden. But many of alligators slept, so I was bored. After that I went to Jyougasaki coast. This place is precipitous cliff, but I could have a superb view.


After that I ate a lunch in cafeteria, and I checked in at a hotel. As soon as I checked in, I took a hot spring bath. I could command a panoramic view of the ocean of Shizuoka. I ate a delicious dinner at the hotel, and I went an izakaya near the hotel. I backed to the hotel, I played mah-jongg until midnight.

The next morning I take a breakfast at a buffet-style restaurant in the hotel. After I checked out of the hotel, I went to Lake Ippeki where is in the east part of Shizuoka. I enjoyed fishing and walking there. Afterwards I came home in my friends driving.

Diet

1. Diet

Do you want to diet? Dou you have a correct knowledge about diet? Perhaps, you misunderstand about diet. For example, you think alcohol is high in calories so can lead to weight gain, don’t’ you? It is not true. Actually, alcohol is not high in calories. Really something to eat with your alcohol makes you overweight! Let’s check this site!

Misunderstandings


There are many foods makes you grow fat. For example, peanut, beef, fried food and so on. These foods contain much fat. But you must not worry about fat only. You also have to worry about excessive consumption of carbohydrate. Ramen, rice, pasta and bread, etc contain much carbohydrate. Check this site and let’s do low-carbohydrate diet!

Diet-recipe

1. Benefits of laughter

We always laugh when we are playing or happy. It is said that laughter is barometer or symbol that show happiness. But laughter is not only that. There are various effects in laughter.

What effect do exists in laughter? This site explains those effects.

effects of laughter

Do you think that laughter can be measured? The machine that can measure laughter was developed for the first time in the world. Mr.Kimura, professor of Kansai University, developed it. His specialty is sociology, and now he investigates how laughter influence people.

Laughter can be measured?


2. Comedy and other funny stuff

This is my favorite one. Do you have a pet? Does your pet make you laugh? I think that the owner don’t expect their pet to make the owner laugh. But dogs in this site can do it.

Funny movie of dogs!


Do you trust a conversion function of computer (or mobile phone) completely? Computer is not necessarily perfect. Language is very complicated, particularly Japanese is so. There are hiragana, katakana and kanji in Japanese. When you convert hiragana into kanji by conversion function of computer, hiragana is not correctly converted into kanji occasionally. There are many examples (mis-conversion) that make you laugh

hennkann!