Before we went to Ishigaki Island I bought some magnets at the 100yen ($1) store. We glued them onto the back of shells which we collected on the beach. Then we painted them. We also stuck eyes on a couple (I bought them at the 100yen store too). I will use these magnets on the refrigerator at home & on my whiteboard at school. I hope they don`t break easily.
I enjoyed watching, chasing, catching & taking photos of Ishigaki Island`s animals. I also had the chance to drink one of them!
This is `habushu`, which is made using awamori (a kind of rice whisky made in Okinawa), herbs, honey, & `habu` snake - similar to an American rattlesnake. I saw a bottle in the shop with a full snake inside, but it was expensive - 12,000yen ($120). This bottle only cost 750yen ($7.50).
It actually tasted pretty good. I was surprised.
When I went for a walk on Ishigaki Island, I found something interesting. It`s in this photo. Can you see it?
The answer is in comments.
The beach & sea are not the only places to see interesting things on Ishigaki Island. I went walking in the jungle & fields, & found various interesting plants & animals, as you can see. I was especially impressed by the many kinds of butterfly there.
I could also hear pheasants [きじ], & I found some wild boar [いのしし] footprints, but I didn`t see them.
This Golden Week holiday, I went to Ishigaki Island, in the far south of Japan. I came here for Golden Week last year too.
Now there is a new airport on Ishigaki Island, so it`s more convenient to fly there than before. Last year we had to transfer in Naha, which was a hassle [= troublesome].
Anyway, on the beach & in the water, I saw various interesting creatures [= animals]. I have a waterproof camera, but the water was pretty cold, so I couldn`t stay in the water very long, & I couldn`t take so many pictures of fish. I still had fun though.
Have you ever been to Ishigaki Island? How about Okinawa?
Wisteria [ふじ] flowers are blooming now, so it`s a good time to show you this acrylic [アクリルえのぐ] painting I did a few years ago.
I should hang this picture in my classroom now, shouldn`t I? But I think wisteria flowers don`t last long, so soon I have to bring it home again... I can`t be bothered [めんどくさい].
Near my house there is a wild [shizen na しぜんな] pheasant [kiji きじ]. I have seen it a few times, but I couldn`t take a photo - it always ran away & hid [kakurenda かくれんだ]. Finally yesterday I got close enough to take a photo.
It`s a gorgeous bird, isn`t it? I`m glad there is one living near my house.
Have you ever seen one? Did you take a photo of it?
Yesterday was festival day in Iwato, where I live. Last year the weather wasn`t so good, so not so many people came. Yesterday the weather was sunny & there were a lot of people!
As usual, there were 3 floats [dashi だし], some decorated horses, & various stalls [yatai やたい].
I breed [hanshoku suru?] killi fish [medaka めだか] at home, but I`m not so interested in goldfish. However my son really wanted to catch one at the goldfish stall at the festival. He couldn`t catch one himself, so the stall owner just gave him one. When we got home, I put it in a fish tank [suisouすいそう] & today it`s still alive, but I wonder how long it will survive [ikirareru]. How long do you think?
This week I started working 3 days a week at our Ginan school. I go there by bicycle. Riding to Ichinomiya school from my home used to take 20 minutes. Ginan is much further but I was surprised to find it only takes me 10 minutes longer to get there. Also, on the way I can enjoy some new sights, such as a nice, wide view when I cross The Kiso River.
I like riding - it`s good exercise & less stressful, for me, than driving. But it`s not much fun when it rains, & rainy season is coming soon...
Do you like riding? Why/Why not?
I forgot to tell you about Teragoya`s new mascot, `Tera` (or `Tera-chan`). Students, staff & teachers created designs, & this was the winning one. It`s by Ichinomiya staff member, Erina. Nice work, Erina!
Now you can see Tera-chan on various Teragoya signs, notices & goods. He looks great, doesn`t he?
But I`m still a little disappointed my design wasn`t chosen as the winner. Do you want to see my design? Really? Oh, okay. I`ll put it in `Comments` for you to look at.
Which do you prefer? My design or Erina`s?
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yukio 
birdy 
内倉憲一 
田仲なお美 
PSPINC JP 
mokomoko 
エメラルド 
KUMA 
bokushi