Each country’s culture is so interesting and the differences between any two countries are so amazing.  In the U.S. there are two significant graduations in a student’s life. The first is their high school graduation and the other is graduating from a university.  In Japan the formal graduations begin in kindergarten. Recently, my son graduated from kindergarten. It sounds funny even saying that.  For most Americans graduation is the last thing that comes to our minds when we think about a child finishing kindergarten and moving on to first grade.

On the other hand it is a very important ceremony here in Japan. The ceremony begins at home. Both parents put on their best clothes, check to see they have the video camera and take plenty of tissues for the occasion. There are always a lot of tears.

You arrive at kindergarten, enter the large hall or gymnasium and feel like you are getting ready for a university graduation. The walls are decorated with the traditional colors; beautiful flowers are arranged just right. The podium is placed on stage to be the center of everything. The parents are seated twenty minutes early. All the dignitaries are ushered into the hall at the last minute. Finally the music starts and the children march in with their arms and hands swinging perfectly. They have been practicing for 2 weeks. Each child sits and waits to receive their diploma and other certificates. The mothers are starting to shed tears by now. The headmistress, elementary school principal, PTA chairwoman and one other person all give their speeches. The kids sit patiently through it all. The kids sing a couple of songs and finally there is a wonderful slide show of the year’s activities.  The kids finally march out of the hall and go to their room.

No, it is not over yet. Now it is time for their teacher to say goodbye to her children. By this time the teacher and over half the children are crying. A lot of the mothers are crying, too. Each kid gives their teacher a rose. They thank her for a wonderful year. The headmistress brings closure to the year. The graduation ceremony is finally over after 2 hours.

It really was wonderful!

1. What's the coolest wedding you have been to in Japan? And why?
2. What was your wedding like?
3. How much is a 100kg tuna?
4. What does the average wedding cost in Japan?
5. Want to talk with us? Then just leave us a comment.

This week in our “Cool Japan” series we will look at the growing popularity of the manga cafés. We all know that Japanese comic books are very popular not only in Japan, but throughout the world. My high school students recently started reading their favorite comic series in English. Now that is exciting!

However, the popularity doesn’t stop with the manga. Did you know you can now find manga cafés not only in Japan, but also in Korea, China, Taiwan and even Europe? What are these cafés like? Have you ever been to a manga café?

I have read that they are places where you pay for the time you are in the café. It is usually around 400 yen per hour. Manga cafés have a variety of services. Many have comfortable reading seats, sofas, massage chairs and party rooms. Most cafés have computers with internet access, TVs, and other services and activities.

The video in today’s blog will actually take you into a manga café here in Japan. The following link,
http://www.chayateahouse.com/chaya/home.html will take you to a manga café near my hometown in the states. It is much different than the one in the video. Which type do you prefer? Would you ever go to a manga café? Tell us why or why not. Let us know what you think about these manga cafés. Leave us a comment on the audio message board or email us here at the school.

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We know many of you are saying, “bathrooms can not be cool”.  However, in general Japanese bathrooms are really cool for the foreigner. Japanese bathrooms are very different from a normal western-style bathroom. The toilet is always separate from the bathtub and changing room. When bathing Japanese style, you always wash and rinse yourself outside the bathtub. Once you are finished washing, you get into the tub to relax after a busy day. You leave the water in the tub for the next family member and therefore you conserve water. It really is great! We have a really good video for you this week showing you a real Japanese bathroom.

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This is the first week of another 4 week series. I will be looking at articles from the Los Angeles Time’s, “Travel Section” on their website. The article this week is about the town, Angels Camp in Northern, California. It’s the home of the annual Calaveras County Fair and the Jumping Frog Jubilee. People from California and the United States, as well as Germany and Japan come to see the event. The fair is the third weekend in May.

Yes, people come to watch frogs jump. Did you know the largest jump by a frog is 21 feet and 5 ¾ inches? In 1865 the famous author, Mark Twain wrote the story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”

Click "Here" to see the original article from the Los Angeles Times.
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This week we will be going to one of my favorite cities in California. San Diego is a beautiful city with wonderful weather and lots of things to do with the family. There are lovely beaches, fine restaurants and fantastic entertainment for everyone. Most tourist go to Los Angeles, however I would recommend San Diego.

It is the place of this week’s travel spot. We will look at the Wild Animal Park of San Diego. The park opened up in 1972. It is 1,800 acres. There are usually lots of new born babies to see in the spring every year. The park has a few really unique ways to view the animals in their natural habitat. Make sure you watch the video. At one time some of the animals were on the endangered list, but through the park’s effort some of the animals have flourished because of the breeding program. If you get enjoyment at watching giant animals, then this is a park you must visit.

Is the Wild Animal Park in California too far to travel? Did you know that the Tohoku Safari Park opened up recently in Fukushima Prefecture? I have provided a link of their website for those of you who are interested. So, if you are animal enthusiasts and you can’t travel to California, you can always go to the Safari Park in Tohoku.

Click "Here" to see the original article from the Los Angeles Times.
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This week in the travel series, our travel article takes us to Nara, Japan. Many tourists visit the ancient city for mainly two reasons. The first is to learn and see the ancient capital of Japan which includes the largest wooden building and the biggest wooden statue of Buddha in the world. The second reason is feeding the Nara deer. Don’t be surprise when you visit the small city because you might meet more deer than you will people. Nara is a beautiful city that will take you back into the past. It is a must visit for people interested in history.

Click "Here" to see the original article from the Los Angeles Times
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In this week’s travel blog we are visiting Shikoku, Japan. The island is well known for the spiritual pilgrimage to 88 Buddhist temples. The article is written by a Dutchman for the Japan Times. He tells about his experience bicycling to the temples. During his pilgrimage, he received lots of kindness from many different people. Don’t forget to watch the video. The English is easy to understand because the narrator speaks slowly. We hope you enjoy this week’s blog.

Click "Here" to see the original article from the Japan Times.

We finished the 4 week travel series last week, so for this week’s blog entry I have inserted a new game that we are testing for our game center. It is really easy to play and it will help you to distinguish from the different short vowel sounds in English. The first thing to do is to click the Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu buttons and listen to the short vowel sounds. You will see them at the bottom of the game. Then, click an object that is moving across the screen and drag it into the correct cage. The object will disappear, if you are correct and you will receive 10 points. If you are wrong, you will receive -10 points and the object will continue across the screen. A perfect score is 240 points. Good luck!

We would love to hear what you think about the game. Leave us a comment on the voice recorder or send us an e-mail. Below are some questions to make your comments from?

Was the game easy to understand and play?
Do you think it is good practice to distinguish the short vowel sounds in English?
Do you think the game is fun for both adults and children?
Do you have any suggestions to make a better game?
Please leave us a comment about anything concerning the game.

Well, that is all for this week. We hope to hear from some of you. Until next time, have a good week!