You should do as everyone does? I stayed abroad for a year and I felt the difference of culture between the US and Japan. In the US, when I walked on the street and met someone walking down the street, we looked at our faces, smiled and said "Hello". It was not always but mostly always. I felt it was good for me to make me feel good and positive. So I thought I would try it when I go back to Japan! However, in Japan, we don't look at the face of people who we don't know each other. No smiling and no saying hello. Yes, this is the culture of Japan. It is not a good thing and also not a bad thing. Just after moving back to Japan, I felt a little sad when I couldn't do this, but I also thought if I said hello to everyone I met on the street, I would be seen as a strange guy because of the culture. Every country has their cultures, and visitors enjoy the difference of cultures. So "when in Rome, do as Romans do" might be an one of good thoughts to live where you are. I think that it's difficult to tell you what I think about. So you might not understand me. But if you read this notebook entry and give me comments or corrections, I would appreciate it!

Mindset when you try something When you work, practice something, study etc, you sometimes might face dozens of walls that you have to overcome. It might be physically and mentally and it is hard time to you. As you've been through them, I've ever experienced such situations. But I recently found that these walls came from your trying something new. So people who don't try or aren't so motivative cannot have the situation. Which kind of people would you like to be? Therefore, now I'm thinking that facing the wall is telling you're trying to improve yourself or things like that, and it's pretty good thing because it's a result of your challenge. So I try not to be afraid of making mistakes and I keep trying new things, but it's also important to try not to make same mistakes. I have to learn from my experiences. Thank you for reading my notebook entry! I appreciate any comments and corrections. Have a nice day.

Santa Claus is using... As mentioned previous notebook entry, I try talking with my son in English. When we were talking about Santa Claus, I explained that Santa Claus uses a chimney and goes into the house. Then my son asked me where he stick the chimney. After talking, I looked up Santa Claus on the Internet and found out that there were expressions "Santa Claus comes down/gets down/fits down/climbs down the chimney".So I should not have used "use", and I should have said kind of "Santa Clause gets down a chimney to get in the house". *I couldn't find the meaning of "fit down" though... Thank you my son for give me a new finding! And how do you say about this? Is my understanding OK? Thank you for your corrections and comments in advance. They are really welcome! Have a great day!

English expressions 1 I am trying talking with my son in English, and I have some expressions that I often use but I'm not sure if they are often used in real life in English world. 1. Be careful, car is coming. I say this sentence when I cross roads or walk in parking lots with my son. 2. Don't hit him. I say this words when my son hit someone. Is smack preferable? 3. Return it. I say this words when my son takes candies or things like that to me in a store. 4. Look forward I say this words when my son rides bike and see somewhere carelessly. Is 'Look ahead' preferable or is there any common expressions? Though I have more questionable expressions, that's it today. I'm really welcome to your comments, advice, and corrections. Thank you.

Summer in Japan is uncomfortable Now summer in Japan. The summer of Japan is really uncomfortable because of high temperature and humidity. My office doesn't tune AC enough to get the room cool, and the ice coffee of my cup gets warmer immediately. I can't stand it anymore. So, I picked up a new cup made out of stainless steel which has the function of keeping temperature of the liquid inside the cup. I used the cup yesterday, and it worked awesome! The cup kept the cold ice coffee for enough time to me. Finally I could make the work condition a little better. I'm looking forward to having an ice coffee with the cup today too. OK I am leaving for work, you have a great day!

Be careful I live in eastern Japan near Tokyo, but I came to southwest Japan 2 days ago because of work for a week. I have to change hotels everyday and I noticed in this morning that I forgot my razor in the hotel where I stayed yesterday. My razor was a little bit expensive, which was $10. So I asked the hotel if they kept it. The hotel staff said to me "Yes we keep it, and also your pants too." Oh my goodness. I didn't notice I forget my pants in the hotel. (Of course I had several pants though.) I know I am busy recently, but I should be much careful especially when I leave a hotel. Fortunately I am in the hotel again (it's as planned) and writing this notebook, so my razor and my pants returned to me.

Heavy rain fell in southwest Japan In early July, unprecedented heavy rain fell in southern Japan and it made land slides and floods in some area of southwest Japan. Moreover the rain destroyed roads running aside rivers and it caused some isolated communities. This scary disaster killed over twenty people and several tens people are still lost. I'm going to go to the southwest Japan for my work to support people working on the response to this disaster. I have to stay different hotels day by day, it will be tough. I hope I get my work done well.

About talk with international people My office had international people who participated in a training course of some technics, and we held a welcome party. In the party, I talked with some people who came from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Philippines. It was good opportunity for me to know their countries, and I surprised to know that Bangladesh has 6 (or 8?: I forgot a little bit) seasons. I didn't have time to ask how they divide and define the seasons into 6, but it was really interesting. A man coming from Bhutan wore a traditional clothes called 'Go'. According to him, he always wear Go at work. Since this training course is the first time to come to Japan for some people, I hope they enjoy the Japan's life and food as well as the work.

The feeling when you are tickled Recently I try looking up English dictionary when I have some English words that I want to know the meaning, or I want to know how I should say something in English. For example, when I made my son laugh by touching and softly scratching his body with my fingers, firstly I didn't know the word of my behavior so I looked up it on the Internet dictionary and knew it was "tickle". But I don't know how you say when you are tickled. Is that ""I'm ticklish!"? According to the dictionary, ticklish is "sensitive to being tickled". I think it is people's nature already they have since they were born, and so "I'm ticklish!" is not suitable to say when you are tickled. What do you say when you are tickled? Have a great day!