We will have orientation sessions every day from Monday April 14 to Friday April 18. Please stop by to learn about the English Lounge!
Mar 12
Welcome to the English Lounge!
この投稿を日本語でも読めます。
Dear new first-year students and returning students,
Welcome to the Hirosaki University English Lounge homepage. Please feel free to explore the website, read the blog, and learn about what we have to offer.
The English Lounge is a “self-access learning center” (SALC), where students can come to study English, take free classes, meet international students, or just hang out. Becoming an “autonomous learner” (自律的学習者) is very important for college students, and we are here to help. Stop by any time during our opening hours, 10:30 – 17:00 every weekday, to meet a teacher, ask questions, or just to find out what the English Lounge is all about. We have a variety of books to borrow (check out our book introductions), movies to watch, small-scale seminars to join, and more.
The keyword of the English Lounge is “freedom.” No homework, no registration, no grades: you are free to come and learn freely here!
Mar 12
EL本棚紹介(98) My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O’Hara
[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]
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You can guess from the title of My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish that this is not a very serious book. It is a very silly book meant for elementary school-aged children to read—especially children who have older brothers or sisters. It is about a boy and his older brother, who is an evil scientist. The brother is a bully, and does a science experiment on a goldfish. When the boy tries to bring it back to life, it becomes a zombie that can hypnotize humans. It is a silly, silly book.
Because this is a book meant for children, the author repeats a lot of words and phrases. This is a good way to learn a language. Also, many of the pictures in the book are visual puns (おやじギャグ), so even just looking at them can be English practice. Finally, there are some puzzles and an interview with the author at the end of the book. These can all be interesting even without reading the whole story.
My two cents: This book was first published in 2013, and I find it interesting to compare with Aliens Ate my Homework, which was written 20 years earlier. While the target readers and general themes are the same, the type of writing, humor, and general feeling of the books are quite different.
Mar 12
EL本棚紹介(97) The Truth Pixie and The Truth Pixie Goes to School, by Matt Haig and Chris Mould
[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]
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The Truth Pixie is a “wacky” character. She is a weird fairy, her hair sticks up in the air, and she can only say the truth. These books contain a lot of funny and strange-looking illustrations that match the weird, funny story. Most importantly, these books are written as long poems (詩). The poems use very easy language, so it is not difficult to understand at all. However, it can be good practice for learning about rhyme (韻) and rhythm in English. Furthermore, if you read aloud, these poems can help you practice speaking with good stress and rhythm (called “prosody”).
To be honest, the content of the stories is nothing very special. These are books written for children, and the lesson is basically “be yourself.” That said, they are fast and easy to read. Furthermore, they use British English, so you can learn a little world English if you have only studied American English before.
My two cents: Although these are children’s books, they are mostly well-written, and remind me of reading Dr. Seuss’s books. Dr. Seuss is very famous for writing crazy books with interesting language, and they are just as fun for adults as children.
Jan 27
EL Competition 2025 – Encouragement-prize: English is a game, by Harada Hidenori
Haratan is a notebook that summarizes mistakes, named in imitation of a reference book called “Yumetan”. For example, I wrote down words or sentences that I got wrong in mock exams or regular tests, or words that appeared for the first time in textbooks. For me, Haratan is like a strategy book for the game of English, and I enjoyed playing the game when I was writing Haratan.
Haratan was helpful in various tests. In fact, the content written on Haratan was also used in the University Entrance common Test and the secondary examination of the Hirosaki University . It is no exaggeration to say that I was able to enter Hirosaki University thanks to Haratan.
After entering the university, I found it difficult to speak English after conversing with international students in the English Lounge.
English is still difficult.
From now on, I want to learn English that I can actually use rather than English for entrance exams.
Jan 27
EL Competition 2025 – Winning Post: Memories that still remain in my heart, by Ishikawa Mika
When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to interact with a student from Taiwan. She was very interested in Japanese culture and asked me questions about it almost every day. One day, she asked me, “What’s the difference between a yukata and a kimono?” I froze for a moment, unsure how to explain it. I could only give her a simple answer, like “Yukata is worn in summer,” but I couldn’t provide any detailed explanation about kimonos. She then asked more questions, such as, “Why is yukata worn in summer?” and “In what situations do people wear kimonos?” With each question, I realized how little I actually knew about my own culture.
This experience motivated me to learn more about Japanese traditions. Through my research, I discovered that yukata is typically worn during casual summer events like festivals and fireworks displays. It is made from light, breathable fabric, making it suitable for the hot season. On the other hand, kimonos are more formal and are often worn on special occasions, with different styles and materials suited to the season or level of formality. Learning this made me feel more confident about explaining the differences to my Taiwanese friend.
From this experience, I realized that being Japanese doesn’t automatically mean I fully understand my culture. Explaining Japanese culture in English not only helped me practice the language but also gave me a chance to rediscover and deepen my knowledge of my own traditions. My interaction with the Taiwanese student was a valuable experience that broadened my perspective and encouraged me to embrace cultural exchange.