The EXPO

By Tetsuya INOUE

I went to the EXPO on August with my cousins. The EXPO is like a big exhibition. It was held in Aichi prefecture. The theme of the Expo was saving the earth. The sponsors were big Japanese companies like Toyota.

First, my cousins and I went to the Egyptian pavillion because it had a historical theme. I learnt about Egyptian pyramids. Pyramids are very interesting because they have many tricks to fool thieves.

Next, we went to the Chinese and Korean pavillions to learn about their traditions. There were a lot of people at the TOYOTA pavillion. My favorite place was the "Mitsubish" pavillion.

Then we went to the American and Australian pavillions. The security at the American pavillion was very strict, they even had a metal detector!

I liked the Australian pavillion because they introduced a lot of nature and it was very interesting. They taught us about their traditions for example aborigine dances and so on. I like Australian nature because they have a lot of forests, so it is cool.

I wanted to visit the Toyota pavillion but we couldn't go there because of we were so late and we had to leave. I wanted to go to all the pavillions but I couldn't.

At the Expo, I experienced learnt about many countries and cultures for example: food, food culture and so on. I have many good memories from the Expo and I am glad I went.

My Thoughts About Terrorism

By Tsuyoshi MIZUTANI

On July 7th, 2005 at 9:00am four terrorist bomb attacks took place in London, England. The bombs went off on the underground trains and on the London buses. More than 50 people are dead and many hundreds are injured. A lot of people in the world are feeling sad, angry and scared now. I think maybe Japan will be the next target of terrorism because we supported the USA in the Iraq war. I hope London will recover soon.

What is this KOSUPURE thing?

By Mai ONODA

Kosupure is the Japanese word made from combining "costume" and "play". It is about imitating animation characters and bands. It seems very showy and distinct. It's like wearing a costume at Halloween, except it isn't Halloween. I think everyone who does kosupure wants to be unique. Kosupure is nice but for me, it's a little scary. Maybe other people who don't do kosupure think so too.

Third year student Marika Kamina, 17, started kosupure whe she was in the 1st year of high school. Marika said: "I wanted
to be different so I started kosupure."

Normally,people who do kosupure wear it when they go out with a friend or go to a concert. Their clothes are usually hand-made. I asked Marika why she didn't buy her clothes. She said that the reason is because the clothes are too expensive and they want to have original clothes.

Some kosupure fans who imitate bands have nicknames, for example, Dir en gray's fans are called "Toriko". Marika is a "Toriko".

I asked Marika who her favorite kosupure person was and she said it is lead singer, Kyou, from the band 'Dir en grey'. She said, the reason why is because his fashion is individual.

I think Marika is an individual, like Kyou, I'm sure she will probably she will follow kosupure forever!

My Kosupure Hobby

By Marika KAMINA



In this picture, I made the costume that I am wearing. It is a 'Dir en grey' costume. 'Dir en grey' is a Japanese music group.

It is a copy of 'Dir en grey' lead singer, kyo's costume. I saw it on the cover of a music magazine.

When I saw it, I thought: "That costume is very cool! I want to copy this costume!" So, this costume in the picture is made by me. It is too expensive to buy in a shop, that is why I make my own clothes. It does not take a long time to make. I finished it in a month, but if I am slow, it can take up to two months. I want to be satisfied with the end result, so I try my best. I enjoy Kosupure.

Meet Mr Chris Brown

By Ikuko ISHII

Christopher Henry Brown, 28, is a new teacher at this school. He likes to be called Chris-sensei. He is from Boston, USA and likes basketball and tennis. His birthday is September 15th. He has a fiancee. I saw her, she is very beautiful. He likes this school and he said, with a smile: "this school is big."

Chris-sensei is half Japanese,but he can't speak Japanese so much, even though mother is Japanese. His Japanese name is Matsushima. He came to Japan because he wanted to play basketball. His brother is a professional basketball player in Nagoya. Chris-sensei's funny basketball story was when he was about 10 years old, he shot into his own team's basket. His message to students who want to be professional sports stars is: "Practice very hard!"

My Internship Experience

By Machiko MARUYAMA

I did an internship at the Japanzine office. Japanzine is a magazine for foreigners. Why did I do that? Because I'm interested in Journalism and wanted to know about it.

The people in the office were thoughtful and kind, so I enjoyed working and learning a lot there. But not all of my experiences were easy.

On the first day of work, I was so nervous, because I thought I would have to speak in English all the time and I worried about whether I could do the work correctly and also.. there were many dogs. I don't like dogs.

At first, my work was to call the information centers, museums and so on to check about their opening times,holidays and their phone numbers. It was just calling and asking, but I was so nervous. However I got used to working day by day.

My main work at the office was to make the Tokyo map. I translated the Japanese names into English with "Acrobat software". It is very useful software and one of the members of staff taught me how to use it. He said that it will be good for my career in the future to be able to use this software. So I was excited even though it was difficult.

I translated other things as well. When the boss instructed me to translate the questionnaire into English, I thought "I can't do this!" but I tried and he praised me for that.

When I realized I was really working, I felt good. But I did make mistakes and I had no excuse for them. However, each time I did, it made me work harder.

When the last day came, I thought I will work harder than ever. But... on of the big dogs bit my arm in the morning at the
office! I couldn't believe it. I wanted to cry and I felt scared. Looking back on the experience, the dog bite was only
bad memory. I still feel scared when I look at the scar on my arm. But the work experience was wonderful.

I've never done work like that before. So everyday I learnt something new and I had real responsibilities. I think it's a great thing to experience something in society while we're young. It'll help our career in the future.

I did this internship for one month, I think it was a short time. But I really learnt many things and want to learn more.
If you're interested in something, I recommend an internship as a good way to get an idea about the type of job you want to do. Now, I want to be a journalist more than ever! Lastly, I want to say thanks our teachers Taeko and Chris P and especially, everyone at Japanzine.

Full Time Students with Part Time Jobs

By Chika YOSHIDA

Teenagers need money for many things. For example, they save money to go to college, to go shopping with friends and for other leisure activities. So, many teenagers have part time jobs.

I interviewed some teachers at this school about their part-time jobs when they were students. Do you know almost all Japanese teachers who had part time jobs when they were students were "home teachers" or tutors for senior high school students? They worked about two to five times a week. They earned about 20,000 yen ~ 50,000 yen a month.

The foreign teachers' jobs were very interesting. They worked in supermarkets, delivered newspapers or were waiters. Anton-sensei was a piano teacher. He worked three times a week and got about AU$ 20~30 per hour. Douglas-sensei rode an ice cream bicycle with a bell over the summer. He sold ice cream to children. The most interesting answer was Headmaster, George Pruitt's job. He was a waiter. He worked three times a week and he got $300 a week. Can you believe it? I asked him: "Why did you get so much money?" He answered: "Beacause in America, we get tips." I wanted to go to America to earn money when I heard that.

I have a part time job. I have been working at a 100 yen shop for about two years. I work about 20 hours a week on Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays. I like my part time job because the people I work with are kind. There is a nice atmosphere at work.

I was interested in "How many other students have part time jobs in this school?" So, I made a survey and asked 50 students about part time jobs. The result was very interesting.

About half of the students have a part time job and the other half don't have a part time job. I expected more students to have part time jobs.

Most students who have a part time jobs work in the food industry, like McDonalds. The other students work in amusement places such as karaoke rooms. One student works as a dental assistant. This was very interesting! I was surprised and I want to ask that student "Why did you decide to work there?"

Most of the students who have part time jobs, work 15~20 hours a week. The rest work about 20~30 hours a week. I think this is very hard. Most students earn between 10,000~50,000 yen a month. Only seven students earn between 60,000~100,000 yen a month.

They use the money for savings. Some of them use the money for leisure activities with their friends. A few people who did not have part time jobs said "I don't want to work." They gave reasons such as club activities, wanting to study or just because they don't want to have a job yet.

I think doing a part time job is good because we can get pocket money for our free time and learn a little about the real world. It is important because when we leave school, we will become members of society and part of the working world. Having a part-time job teaches us the value of money and about responsibility.

Summer Festivals in Japan

By Eri MIYATA

In summer, there are a lot of festivals in Japan. They are different all over Japan and it is very interesting. For example, Kasugai has fireworks near the river every summer. Many people go to watch the fireworks.
On July 25th, one of the most famous summer festivals is in Nagasaki. It has about two thousand to three thousand fireworks. It is really amazing.
In Kyoto, there are summer festivals for about one month in July. They are very busy because the people in the festival carry Mikoshis through the town. A Mikoshi is a portable shrine so it is very heavy.
In Yamanashi,they have a big summer festival by Kawagi lake from August 4th until August 5th. It has about eight thousand fireworks. On the fourth day of the festival they have about five hundred fireworks.
In Akita, they have a fireworks convention for Japan. This summer it was held on August 27th. About 30 companies from Akita joined it and they had over one thousand fireworks during the afternoon and night. The night fireworks have a theme every summer so it changes every year.
I was very suprised because, I have never been to festivals in different parts of Japan. If I can go to any summer festival in Japan, I would chose the ones in Akita and Kyoto.

EDITORIAL: Radiohead Rocks

By Yuki KAINUMA

Do ya know Radiohead? They are a kind of rock band from the UK. Their first album, called "Pablo Honey", came out in 1993. Surprisingly, the first single "Creep" made high sales in the US. "Creep" is a very self-depreciating song and also it's one of their most famous songs from the 1990's. Here's part of the lyrics:

"Wish I were special, so f***ing special but I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here. I don't belong here."

How do you feel about these words? It is impressive for me. I think they speak for people who have no confidence about themselves and have troubles or just seeking some ideal music of their own.

They show a big impovement in their second album called "The Bends". Actually, they weren't satisfied with "Pablo Honey". It didn't seem like their own music. They felt it was made by producers and other people. On "The Bends" you can hear a lot of great songs such as "The Bends", "High and Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Just".

In the beginning of the 1990's, the world of rock lost Kurt Cobain from Nirvana. He was a charismatic person and the most famous grundge muscician. Radiohead saved rock by their third album called "OK Computer". It's said that "OK Computer" is the greatest album from the 1990's. It's right up there with Nirvana's "Nevermind", Green Day's "Dookie", Oasis's "Morning Glory" and Beck's "Mellow Gold".

They used electronic musical instruments so their sound changed dramatically. They started to make long-ranged songs that last longer than five minutes. "Paranoid Android", "Exit Music", "Karma Police" are famous songs from "OK Computer".

Their fourth and fifth albums called "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" are really strange. Most songs are like electronic music. Their latest album called "Hail to the Chief" seems like they've returned to rock.

Our class teacher, Chris Pickering said: "I have listened to Radiohead since their first album. I think they have become a great band. Thom Yorke's voice and lyrics are amazing. I like "The Bends" and "Hail to the Thief" but "OK Computer" is fantastic. However, they are best when they are live." He loves Radiohead more than I do!

If you are down, you should listen to Radiohead. They will make you feel better but sometimes make you more down and negative but anyway they are a the most awesome band in the world. You oughta check 'em out!

Korean Student In Japan

By Kunteku YUKU

I came to Japan four years ago from Seoul, Korea. My family moved to Japan because of my father's job. I couldn't speak any Japanese when I came. I only spoke Korean.

Korea is different from Japan. Not just the language, food and architecture but also the people. Korean people are tough and easily irritated. I think Korean people fight more than Japanese people.

In Korea we have National Service which means that all 18-19 year old boys must join the army from two and a half to four years. If a student goes to univesrity, he will do his National Service anytime after he finishes. Korean women don't have to do this. There is no National Service in Japan. I don't think National Service is bad because it is for the country. I'll have to do this when I go back to Korea next year.

During my time in Japan I learnt Japanese and made many friends. The hardest part of my life here was the culture. I think Japanese people have a deliberate way of thinking. It is not always exciting. When I go back to Korea, I'll never forget Japan.