Even though it rained yesterday, and is cloudy today, the heat of summer has finally hit Akita.  I went swimming to Oga last Saturday, all day.  The hour long climb back to the car just drained me of all my energy. Hear is a list of things to be careful of during the hot Summer.

1. Sun burn:   日焼け
2. Heat rash:  発疹
3. Heat cramps: 熱痙攣
4. Heat exhaustion: 熱中症
5. Sun stroke:  日射病

Have a cool and safe summer!

Did you celebrate Marine Day yesterday?  I went to beautiful Oga Peninsula.  The water was colder than normal this year, so we only swam for 90 minutes or so, but the scenery was as wonderful as always! Marine Day was originally called Marine Memorial Day, (海の記念日, umi no kinen bi), in 1941.  It was to commemorate the voyage of the Meiji Emperor in 1876 to the Tohoku region. It became a national holiday in 1996, on July 20th.  It was moved to the 3rd Monday in July in 2003. A few quick phrases to use at the beach:

1. Don't forget the sunscreen or you'll end up looking like a lobster.  It's also very dangerous (skin cancer).
2. Let's build  a sandcastle.
3. Hey, surf's up!
4. I love searching for sea life in the tide pools.
5. Watch out for the undertow!  It will grab you before you know it!

As a follow up to last week's post, this week I will give you a few phrases about lemons. If I am very angry at someone, I might say "Go suck a lemon!" If someone gives me an answer I don't like or agree with, I might say "that answer's a lemon!" Any product with many problems or breakdowns is called "a lemon".  Most often used for cars.  That car's a real lemon! I also found this Russian idiom that I think works well in English too.  Как выжатый лимон “Like a squeezed lemon”  This is used when you feel exhausted after working for a long time.  "I feel like a squeezed lemon!" And finally, the most famous phrase:  "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  This just means make the best out of whatever comes in  life.  This is good advice for all of us.  

In America, the long (3 month) summer vacation has begun for students.  My students in Japan often say they want an American summer vacation.  I always tell them that although we didn't have any homework, many children fill the summer with part-time jobs.  I started doing various jobs around 8 years-old. Here is a partial list of jobs I was paid for as a child:

1. Cherry picker
2. lawn mower
3. weeder
4. baby sitter
5. worm seller
6. corn planter
7. and of course, lemonade stand

The last few weeks, I've been enjoying spring in Akita.  The days have been sunny, not too hot, and great for the outdoors. How many of us realize how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place as Akita?  Saturday, I went on a 60 kilometer bicycle ride to Funoshi Waterfall.  I was exhausted, but rejuvenated by the beauty of the countryside. Can you talk about Akita's scenery in English?  Here are a few phrases.  I hope you can come up with many more.  These are from internet sites about Akita for foreigners.

1. Among Akita's main attractions are its natural beauty of mountains and the sea, and hot springs.
2. Nyuto Onsen, wonderful rustic hot spring resort.
3. Shirakami Sanchi (白神山地) is an extensive mountain range straddling the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures in the northern Tohoku Region of Japan.
4. The best way to enjoy Akita is simply to go outside and be among it.
5. Just north of the city is the axe-shaped Oga peninsula, offering far-reaching views from Mount Kampu and at Nyudo-zaki Point on the peninsula’s tip – on clear days, you can see the edge of North Korea. 

One of my favorite TV programs is 劇的ビフォーアフター .  Everytime I watched it, it made me want to try something new. Japan is in the beginning of Reiwa (Beautiful Harmony).  How will this "before-after" turn out for Japan, I wonder? I haven't posted anything here for a month.  Sorry!  I was very busy before, during , and after Golden Week, with different projects around my house. Here are a few photos of my before and afters. My yard before after My Mother's back porch before After My walk-in closet, Before After Perhaps, the least dramatic, but most difficult, replanting our tree. Before After Changing my wife's car, turning signal, last Sunday. Before After And finally, ME! Before (1987) After (2016) What happened to my life??? What are some of your before and afters?      

Did you have a chance to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms this year?  The weather was perfect yesterday and the blossoms were at their peak.  I went cycling down Taihei River, Hitotsumori Park and through Senshu Park. Today, I want you to become a poet.  Using "like" or "as", compare the cherry blossoms to something.  This is very common in Haiku.  Here are a few of my tries. The blossoms looked like popcorn popping on the trees. It was like a gentle snowfall of petals. The blossoms were as white as snow. The tree looked like a great big dandelion puff.   It looked as delicious as the cotton candy if the hands of the child below.   Here are a few photos from yesterday.  I look forward to hearing about your cherry blossom viewing this year.  I'll add some of the best comparisons from my students here next week.