December 2007 Archives

High school students from Tokyo visited APU

By Mod on December 6, 2007 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1182) | TrackBacks (0)

Oita Godo Newspaper (Morning Publication on December 3, 2007. Page 11)

In the aspect of consideration of what and where to continue the education, senior high school students from Tokyo chose to visit Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University during November 27-28 in order to do some exchange activities with foreign students and deepen multicultural understanding.

229 second-year students of Josui Senior High School and 39 foreign students from various countries have been spending 2-day time together in the exchange program. The activities consisted of interviewing foreign students in English concerning life in mother countries, their cultures, reasons of choosing APU as a destination of study abroad, etc. Moreover, there were also some presentations about how did they feel after the exchange program and how about their plans hereafter.

This senior high school continued the exchange program with APU in this year as the third time. The teacher taking charge of this event said “it is not only beneficial for studying English, but it is also an opportunity for high school students to share different values, points of view, and to get in touch with foreign students who have high proficiency in purpose establishment in order to reach the goal.”

Within the same Oita prefecture, the number of schools visiting APU has been increasing year by year in addition. For instance, there were 3,500 visitors last year. Thus this university is deemed as a good place to learn about distinctive cultures and life in university, and it seems to actively welcome everyone to discover!

Comment: As you may know, I am also a foreign student of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU). I could not agree more that the number of people visiting APU is skyrocketing since I saw outsiders on campus almost everyday. There are included small and cute students from elementary schools, rather teenage students from middle schools, high schools, up to a lot of elderly. They came to talk with foreigners, watch our ethnic dances or sometimes show their Japanese traditional dances, have lunch in the university’s cafeteria, etc. In my opinion, the university seems to have high popularity among Beppu citizens and others, therefore I have heard an idea to develop it as a new tourist attraction. Hahaha…kind of funny for me. However, ‘Welcome to APU’ anyway!!! :-D

Mod

Get your tiredness eased by exercising eye balls

By Mod on December 6, 2007 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2010) | TrackBacks (0)

Oita Godo Newspaper (Morning Publication on November 26, 2007. Page 15)

While you are using a computer, watching TV, playing games, or etc., your eyes have to work a lot continuously. They seldom wink and mostly there is no movement of the eye balls due to the concentration of what you are participating in front. That triggers your eye muscle into a stressful condition more and more.

An effective means to deal with tried eyes in the case mentioned above is to do an eye-ball exercise.

First, close both of your eyes tightly for about 10 seconds, then open them suddenly. Next, close the right eye as if you are making a wink, then do the same thing with the left one. After that, turn your eyes around in a circle slowly, followed by looking on the right, the left, up to the forehead, and down to the chin respectively. Finally, try to look at the tip of your nose.

In the case if your tiredness has not been eased well after doing this exercise once, you are advised to repeat all the procedure several times.

Comment: I am also a person who has been using my eyes hardly without taking care of them. Therefore, I think they got worse already. Now I cannot see as clearly as before. The eyesight is getting shorter and I guess I need to have a new pair of glasses when I am back to Thailand. That is so bad… All right everyone, let’s start taking care of your eyes with this interesting and easy exercise. Your tiredness will melt away and your eyes will be able to work effectively as long as possible!

Mod

Do you know when “GUM” was widely spread in Japan?

By Mod on December 4, 2007 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2091) | TrackBacks (0)

Oita Godo Newspaper (Evening Publication on December 3, 2007. Page 4)

Column: Articles for Kids

Theme: Do you know when “GUM” was widely spread in Japan?

A rubber balloon filled with hydrogen gas was called “a round kite” or “a light balloon” in the early Meiji era. We can find some records about that kind of balloon such as in the history of Yogohama in 1858 when they were first sold in a shop, or in the open ceremony of Japan’s first railroad in 1872 when they were launched for congratulations, and so on.

In 1875, there was an experiment regarding round-kite launch in a class work at Kaisei – School (Former Tokyo University). Thus a student who had held the experiment sprouted up an idea to stand a stall selling those round kites as a new interesting toy for kids in the following year. The popularity of the new toy spread all over the country, however the government of Kyoto realized its flammable danger hence those round kites seemed to be banned there.

On the other hand, various kinds of product made of rubber became general commodities for children’s daily lives soon after that. For example, rubber combs for girls’ bobbed hair flourished very much around the year 1887, a shop called ‘Adachi’ in Osaka (Former Fuekinori Industry) first manufactured and sold bouncing balls, rubber pens, rubber dolls with the big hit in 1896. Nonetheless, later in 1909, the same company did try to open a new market for “chewing gum”, yet it unfortunately ended up with the failure of unsalable goods and had to close its operation eventually.

At last, the time chewing gum could take root in Japan was between the end of Meiji era and the beginning of Taishou era when the import of it was started seriously. While, the time chewing gum became such a familiar sweet for children like now was when American soldiers of allied occupation brought into Japan with them after the Second World War ended.

Article by: NOBUMICHI UEDA, Associate professor of Okazaki women's college

Illustration by: INOUE CHIHIRO

Translation by: MOD Siripun ^^, 2^nd Year APS student, Asia Pacific University

Comment:

It seems like the culture of chewing gum was globalized by westerners along with their dominance to all around the world including Japan after its surrender of the World War II. To say frankly, it is not that bad to receive those kinds of western culture or traditions but we, all Asians, should be aware of the side effects which are harmful to our own precious cultures as well.

By the way, this story points out again that when we try to do anything, it does not mean that we will be successful easily at the first attempt. It may be a prior failure of course. Still we ought not to give up!! Conversely, we had better keep trying until a day the shinny achievement comes, had not we? Look at many Japanese companies as examples. I know a lot of them have fallen badly before reaching the world’s ranks of the most successful business.

Thank you for reading ^^

Mod

« November 2007 | Main Index | Archives | January 2008 »

December 2007 Archives

High school students from Tokyo visited APU

Get your tiredness eased by exercising eye balls

Do you know when “GUM” was widely spread in Japan?

About this Archive

Search