January 2025 archive

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 …

Continue reading

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 …

Continue reading