Tokyo Special (Part 3)

Hi!
The weather is nice and the temperature is low. Today I am going to blog about day 2 in Tokyo.

The Lightning Gate
We had a good night's sleep in a fluffy bed; the hotel was great, nice toilets and a plasma TV. We had our breakfast downstairs, and it was almost full already.
It was a rainy day. I thought it would never stop because of the typhoon. But it stopped! There was a place we wanted to go. That place is called the "Lightning Gate","Kaminari mon" in Japanese. You can see my Dad standing below the big red lantern. It was in the morning so it was not too crowded. My Mom bought us delicious sweet bean pastries. There was all kinds of nice looking stuff, like japanese umbrellas and key holders.
Hours past and we headed back to Tokyo Station. We went underground where there are a lot of food shops. It's called "chika gai". Every time we go to Tokyo we stop by there. Well, it was time to go and we got on the bus and saw the famous spots.
So, this is the end of the special series about Tokyo.
The next blog, I am going to blog normally.
That's all for today! See ya!

Tokyo Special (Part 2)

Hi!
A nice day here in Japan! It was a little cloudy in the morning.
Today is part 2 from the last time's blog.

My Autographed T-shirt.
While the lower class wrestlers were fighting, we went where the wrestlers come in and out, to get pictures and autographs. That day I had on a T-shirt with a picture of me and one of the Russian wrestlers that my father took last time. I wanted to get his autograph on it, so I waited there. Before he came his younger brother came. So I got his autograph on the back of my T-shirt. After that, his apprentice said, looking at the picture, "Hey! That's your brother!". And I waited a little longer and he came! But, it is really hard to get an autograph before their match. So, the first time I couldn't get it because his apprentice said no. But, as he pasted by, he saw the picture on my T-shirt and said, "Oh!". So, after his match was over I went outside and got his autograph on my shirt.
(The picture on the right is his younger brother "Hakurozan" and on the bottom is him, "Rohou")
That's all for today! Next is Day 2 in Tokyo (part 3).
See ya!

Tokyo Special (Part 1)

Hi Guys!
The weather is beautiful. The typhoon didn't hit us. But, unluckily, it still rained.
For the next few days, I am going to blog about the trip to Tokyo, with some pictures that I took.

Trip To Sumo
The main reason for going to Tokyo was to watch some Sumo. Since it was a weekend there were a lot of people lined up to get their tickets. We had to wait for an hour. When we got in, they were already doing sumo. But, the people playing were the lower class wrestlers. But, even if they are lower class it is interesting to watch. One of bouts was about 3 minutes long. Some were ties and were played one more time!
That's all for today! The next blog is part 2. See ya!

Viva Sumo!

Hi!
The temperature is falling like a rock. My Dad is not getting much sleep because of that. But, the weather is beautiful. I'm composing this outside. Well, what do you know, it's starting to rain! Not that much.
Sunday to Monday we are going to Tokyo! On Sunday, we are going to "Sumo". And we are going to stay for the night. On Monday we are going to do some sight seeing. But, the problem is, a typhoon might meet us there.
I shouldn't brag about the weather. It's cloudy now!
In the afternoon, we are going to watch some american football. My Dad is happy because of the sports. We have sumo and football and baseball playoffs coming!
That's all for now. I'm going to lunch! I'm hungry!!!!!!
See Ya!

This is Not "Boaring"!

Hi!
I was wrong about the weather; it's not getting cool! It's 93 at Tokyo! But we can hear the autumn insects. Typhoon #12 is coming but, I don't think it's coming here. The weather is beautiful. We can see the stars clearly. We have a telescope, but it does not work very well.
My Dad's on a diet AGAIN! He says that alot, and it does not last long. He just told me that New Years is the tough part because the food is so good! Well, we started to do "road work" ( running ) in the morning. Last time, I put weights on my wrist! We also play "DDR" (Dance Dance Revolution) on my "Game Cube". It's fun and, very exhausting!
Sometime, when we come back home from our "road work", we go through rice paddies and some vegetable gardens. The people there often give us some very good looking vegetables! And on Monday, my music teacher brought us some wild boar! It was GOOOD- a lot of nice people around Japan! Our workout is not working because of all the food we get! LOL
But, a lot of it is healthy.
That's all for today!

End of Summer Vacation

Hello out there!
My short summer vacation has ended, and back to school for me!
Some of the leaves are starting to change color, and the hot, hot and hot temperature is gradually getting cool. Yes, Fall is coming! It's almost "sports day" for a lot of schools in Japan. I think I blogged about sports day when I was in elementary school.
Sports day is a event for a lot of schools in Japan.
Most popular is the "ohtama corogashi".
It means "roll the BIG ball" in Japanese. It's a race rolling a big, big ball.
When I was in Hojo elementry school, this sports day made teachers crazy! We had to stay late there for a long time just to do something! And I hated the "kumitaisou", you have to make a pyramid with 8 kids. I was all ways at the bottom! I'm glad I'm in home schooling now!
That's all for today! See ya!

Movie Time!!

Hi guys!
We had a weak "typhoon" (A storm not as strong as a hurricane) and we had
three of them! But, no problem! One was weak, one was stuck on Taiwan! The one we had was called "Maria". It will clear for a while now. Oh boy.
Last week, we went to the beach to do some beachcombing. It was a nice and hot day, the tide was not dangerous at all. The problem was that there were no shells! And the tide didn't seem to go out. But, we had a good time.
The day after that, we went to see"Pirates of the Caribbean/Dead Man's Chest"! I can't tell you about the story because it will spoil the movie! But one thing I want to say is that it's a great, great, GREAT movie! And you have to see the first movie to enjoy the second one! There is going to be a third "Pirates" too! I can't wait to see it!!
Yesterday, my Dad and I had our own "film festival". We saw "the Matrix Revolutions" and "i,Robot"
"Matrix" is famous for action scenes. Good graphics too! "i,Robot" is based on a story in Chicago year 2035. It's a good movie too!
Well this weekend we are going to watch flamenco. Every year we have a flamenco festival of university students from all over Japan. This is the 5th time we will go there.
It is a beautiful concert. I wish you could see it!

That's all for today! See ya!

Summer is Here!

Hey, hey, hey!
Summer vacation has started! But, I still have home schooling to do!
Rainy season is finally over. It might rain some more but the hard weather is gone.
It might rain this weekend.
The picture is from my Dad's friend in West Virginia, they are baby geese.
The women here are giving up their umbrellas for sun shade umbrellas called "higasa"
It is geting hot and the A.C. is on most of the time. We can hear the cicada, or as they say "Katydids". My Father can't hear them but, we can!
That's all for today! See ya!
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Sea Day

Hello world!
The rain just let up and the hot sun is coming out!
We had a three day weekend. Monday was "Sea Day
Why do we have Sea Day? Well, in America the land is
big and some of the people can't see the 'sea'! And some
people get to eat fish occasionally. We eat a lot of fish , here in Japan , like three or four times a week. We love the sea( If it's not so windy)! So, Japan made a day to celebrate the sea. The picture is a fishing boat and the flag means that they caught a lot of fish.
It's geting hot! We got a 95 F last week. I went to Aikido that day ! We don't have any AC at the practice hall! But, today we have a little break (77 F).
That's all for today! See Ya!

Duke's Robots

Hi!
Long time since the last blog.
We want to cook out but, every weekend the weatherman
says it's going to rain. The bad thing is, it didn't rain a bit! Give us a break!
Remember I was talking about my "Lego Mindstorms". The first time I got that set, I was about 7 years old. The set was for 12 years up. So, I didn't know what was going on! I gave up on it . Then we moved to Japan and brought the set with us. I wanted to restart again. I finally understood it! Then a motor didn't work. I gave up again. Then one day I saw a robot show and there was the "Lego Mindstorms" robot running around. Then again I wanted to play with it. So I ordered a motor, and it arrived. We tested the motor but, the motor went backwords! Give me a break! We send it back and finally got a new one that does work! HOORAY, HOORAY! Above is a picture of the robot.
That's all for today!

Crow Wars 4

Hi everyone!
It's raining, but not cold.
I'm waiting for a delivery. I ordered a motor for my "Lego Mindstorms".
Lego Mindstorms is a kit that you can make your oun robot and program it.
I had two motors working but when I wanted to play with it, one of the motors
was jammed and didn't work. So I'm waiting, and waiting.
Tokyo is still invaded by crows. But, a force to fight down the crows has
arrived. They are "BEES"! Yesterday we saw a animal show on television.
They are makeing honey in central Tokyo. A few days later, a lot of the crows disappeared!
Why? Bees attack any thing that is black. So they attack the black crows!
I can hear the crows complaining now.
Well that's all for today! Don't wear anything black! see ya!

Japan's loss!

Hi! The weather is sunny and a little warmer than yesterday.
Last night's World Cup's (Japan vs. Australia) result was too bad.
They were winning for first half of the game. Then in the second half, Australia got a goal.
Tying up is no problem but, 1 minute after they got another goal, and another one!
Gee! Oh well. Japan's next opponent is Croatia! I hope thay can win this time.
We got a new bbq and smoker set! It's getting warmer so we want to eat outside.
A LOT! But, here we have "A LOT" of wind! Food flying all over the place!
After home school, my Dad and I always play my new flying game "Star Wars " (I can't
spell the rest!). We get really excited playing it.
I'M GOING TO CRASH! BOOM! CABOOM! SMACK!
Well that's all for today! See Ya!

World Cup Started!

Hello! The weather is fine but, a little cool.
The guitar performance was a great success, my Dad said.
I think the same way too!
My neck is getting better. I need to move to get better.
I'm back in home school now. I have another test tomorrow,
spelling and Arabic. Spelling is OK but the Arabic is , Uhuu!
But, I'm learning little by little my Dad says. It's tough but, when
I get it, it's fun!
Tonight is a big night! (morning in America.)
World cup Japan vs. Australia!
We slept in the afternoon so I get to see it. It's on at 10 pm here.
Most games are on at 2 am! Australia has a lot of tall athletes so I'm nervous.
Well that's all for today! See you!

Guitar Performance!

Hi! It's raining but, it looks like it's going to stop.
Well, today I had an Arabic writing test and I had 98%! Good score.
I think tests are bad for your heart!
I also made an Arabic movie with my Legos.
I'm still working on it so I'm excited about finishing it.
Tomorow I have a guitar performance. I'm going to do a solo, and a duet with my teacher.
My legs are shaking just typing this. But I'm going to be O.K.
I remember the time that I did a performance at school.
I have had a neck strain for 4 days. I still feel some pain now. But, I'm getting better!!
That's all! See you!

Morning Haiku

Hi! It's a beautiful day. We ate breakfast outside and we composed "haiku"
because it was so beautiful.
My Dad's haiku is;
　　　　　　　　 夏の朝
　　　　　　　　　　　ごはんを食べて
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　とんび鳴く　　

A summer morning
while eating breakfast
seahawks song.

My haiku is;

　　　　　　　　　朝の空
　　　　　　　　　　　かすかに見える
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　飛ぶとんび

　　The morning sky
　　you can barely see
　　the seahawks fly.

I hope you have a beautiful day too,
　　　try to write a haiku！

Outside is Great!

Hi and "T.G.I.F."!
Yes, it's Friday in Japan. We are having some good weather too.
Did you recognize on the last blog that I made a bilingual blog? The Japanese
was for the people that gave me the "tatejiku" - hanging scroll. I might write another Japanese
blog for my friends!
The weather cleared up so we started to do a class outside. It's a bit windy, but
It was better than inside! We eat outside too. I can't wait until SUMMER!!!!!
Well that's all for today. See you at Monday!

Japanese poetry 日本の短歌（日本語つき）

Hi readers!
We have a sunny day today! Yahoooooooooo!
Today's news is about Japanese poetry.
When I was in the 6th grade, we had a Japanese poetry
contest for all kids in Japan. It was homework for the winter break.
So, I just made an easy poem;
"My father, even though he is American,
the things he likes
are Japanese.
Martial arts and food"
and submitted it.
Then a few weeks past and I forgot all about the contest. Then I was sent a message by one
of the teachers. I went in the teachers room and I handed him the message.
Then another teacher said that I won 4th place in the contest! I could not
believe it. I got a prize for it (not money!!). Yesterday I got a "tatejiku",
a Japanese way hanging a poem, written it beautiful calligraphy.
I was very surprised to get it from Mrs Hoshino and the Shikinami no kai;
the organization that sponsors the contest each year.
You can see it in the picture to the right.
I hope to write more poetry in the future.
Well that's all !

日本語
「マイファーザー　アメリカ人　でも　好きなもの　日本の武道　日本の食事」
という短歌を「しきなみ子供短歌　コンテスト」にだして４位をとりました。
昨日、ほしのさんから、たてじくをもらいました。すごくうれしかたです。
これからも、短歌を書きたいです。ほんとに、ありがとうございました。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Crow Wars 3

Hi guys! It was raining AGAIN until lunch time. Actually, now I can see the sun! HOORAY!
But if I look at my weather wigit on "Google Desktop" it will rain AGAIN tomorow.
My Mom and Dad are getting crazy. Actually I am too. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!
Well, I will stop goofing and go on with the blog.
Remember when I blogged about the crows? I don't know, but I think they are trying to conquer
Japan! I saw on the news that the population of crows, in Japan, is going to be bigger than the
population of people! Talk about OH, NO!!!! What should we do?!Oh well.
Yesterday I had Tai Chi and it was FUN! I also make silly movies that plays on Windows movie player!
Well, that's all for today! Watch out for the crows!

Mars is Cool!

Hi everyone! It's still raining, and for the next few days too! I wish it would stop soon.
Today I studied about Mars. It has 2 moons Phobos and Deimos. They say that they
are asteroids that have been captured by the Martian gravity. In 50,000 years Phobos
will crash into Mars. We don't care! Phobos means "fear" and Demios means "panic"
in Greek.
There is a mountain, volcano actually, called "Olympus Mons". It is 88,000 feet (27,000 meters)high!
It is the biggest mountain in the solar system! Also there is a canyon so long it can go from California to New York!
Thats all! See Ya!

Tai Chi is Great!

Hello! The weather is little better than yesterday, and it got
a little warmer too. But a tropical storm is coming this way!
But do not worry, it's not like a hurricane.
Today I'd like to talk about "Tai Chi". Tai Chi is a Chinese
martial art, but it is very slow and good for all ages.
I started three weeks ago. It is very strange because
when you move, you can feel something in your hand.
That is "Ki"! I also study Aikido. It also has Ki. That's
why I'm studying Tai Chi. I hope I get good at it.
People in China do it until they are very old!
That's all for today! See Ya!