Bonsai

I happened to encounter this lovely exhibition of Bonsai! But the exhibition was going to close and I had only fifteen minutes. I took the photos quickly. Bonsai  are trees or plants which would normally grow large, but which have been trained to grow into the small shapes resembling large trees or plants in nature.

How small are they?

In front of a man,  there are three bonsai in the circle in the first photo.

  A pine tree.　Evergreen trees are very popular.

Kaki or persimmon.

 Kaki and pine tree

When I found this exhibition, many of the name tugs of the trees or plants had been already removed as closing time was approaching.

A kind of fern.

It takes a lot of time to grow ideal Bonsai, maybe a few years, decades or even hundreds. It is amazing that a tiny tree or plant has the same  shape of a big tree or plant in nature. In Bonsai which are just a few tens of centimeters tall, the beauty and dynamism of nature is compressed.

The basic techniques of Bonsai are to wire, prune  and transplant trees.

Why is Bonsai so popular in Japan? I think it is because Japan has a large population but a small land. And most of population is concentrated in big cities. So it is difficult for  many of us to live in a  house with a big garden. We can raise Bonsai on shelves in front of our houses or on the balconies.

Cosmos is passing the best time・・・

 　Autumn leaves are falling・・・

Visit "Our World" and learn more !!

Let's Talk About World Heritage in English ! Todai-ji Temple!

On a beautiful autumn day,  high school students visit Todai-ji Temple which is famous for Great Buddha (大仏-Daibutsu) and designated as World Heritage Site. There they enjoy guiding in English.

This is part of the English lesson of Ikuei High School.  Away from textbook English, the students study living English through this lesson by serving as the temporary guides for foreign travelers. 

Before the lesson, in school  they make their own sentences to guide  Todai-ji Temple  based on  those copies given to them.

 They are advised to heed the three important things while their guiding.

1. Big smile
2. Eye contact
3. Clear voice

Now, they are ready to go.

The  students  ask foreign travellers to listen to their explanations. .

Student: "I'm a 2nd grade high school student. Would you give me 5 minutes? I would like to tell you about Todai-ji Temple."
As soon as the  English speaking travellers know this is part of English class, all of them  instantly answer "Sure!"
 They  listen to the students with smiles, encouraging them to speak English. We appreciate their generous kindness. But, the students are very nervous.

Student:  "This is Great South Gate, the entrance to Todai-ji Temple."
Traveller:  "It's huge!"

S: "The gate is supported by 18 solid ・・・・."
T: "Would you tell me again?"

S: "They are a pair of guardian deities, made of more than 3000 wooden pieces."
T: "Amazing!"




S: "He is one of the four directional guardians."
T: "He is very scary!"

S: "In Nara Park there are about 1100 wild deer."
T: "Oh, they are wild!"
The students  give a thank-you note with their messages to express their hearty thanks.


 Time flies. Now the students finish the exciting English class and  look relieved, relaxed with confidence and satisfaction.


Our groupe helps the students study spoken English and  accompanies them in Todai -ji Temple to make the lesson go smoothly.This is our annual event.

 We are the first students who graduated from the three-month "English Guide Course for Adult Students" held by Tezukayama University. Now the fifth students are studying in the university.