My language exchange partner (a foreigner) told me that foreigners can't say them have Japanese mind unless Japanese allow them to say so.
The idea was new to me.

What's necessary condition for Japanese mind?
Thinking about some foreign commentates in Japan, their knowledge about Japanese language and our culture is excellent. But I've not thought them as Japanese (I don't think they also want to be Japanese).
I don't think how much they love Japan is necessary either.

Then I came up with this idea;
"national origin" is where your heart is.
If you feel you can live here naturally, you'll be welcomed as Japanese.

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The Whispering Knights / Penelope Lively / YL3.8 / 16,000words Total 1,980,052 / ★★★★☆

The Whispering Knights (Oxford Bookworms Library) (2000/03/23) Penelope Lively 商品詳細を見る

日本語訳はこちら
　↓

▽Open more.

先日、外国の人との会話の中で、"日本人のほうから「あなた日本人みたいね」と言われるまでは自分から「私は日本人の心を持っています」と言うべきじゃない"という意見を聞いてちょっと考えてしまいました。

テレビで活躍している外国人コメンテーターなどを見ていると、どんなに日本語や日本の習慣に関する知識が豊富でも「私は日本人です」と言われるとしっくりこない人もいます（本人も望んでないでしょうが）。
どれだけ日本が好きかとか、生涯ずっと日本に住み続ける覚悟とかも関係ない気がします。

私などは楽天的だから、自分が日本人じゃないかと思うぐらい日本が好き、なんて言われるとうれしくなっちゃうのですが、結構真剣に考えてしまって（笑）。

普段はメンバーだと意識しなくても、自分の帰属する場所、戻ってくる場所はここしかないと思えるのが心の国籍なのかな。
自然の自分でいられる場所が日本だと思えるなら「心は日本人」で大歓迎です(笑

Close.△

"Musenmai" is one of the ways to milling rice.
You don't need to wash rice, which is milled with the way.
It is expensive than traditional one. You can avoid one step preparing for boiling rice but I used to think "Musenmai" is for lazy people (sorry).
Since our district is one of the major rice productions there are many rice milling stations here. I found a sign in front of the station. It was read "You can save your time and also can reduce both wash water and waste water".
Oh, that's true. I know waste water, after wash rice, includes a lot of phosphorus. But I couldn't come up with those merits.
I shouldn't have refused new way before I search it by myself, though it's difficult to keep up with the advances of technologies.


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Chemical Secret/ Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 / YL3.1 / 10,000 words Total 1,867,402 / ★★★★☆

Chemical Secret: Stage 3: 1,000 Headwords (Oxford Bookworms) (2000/08/03) Tim VicaryJennifer Basset 商品詳細を見る

In any age, adults tend to reject any popular fashion among boys and girls.
When I look back in my teens, girls always dressed in all black and people called us "Karasu-zoku (Crow-people)".
Adults in those days saw us ghastly as if we were on a way to a funeral. So we should allow new fashions in gentle mind, shouldn't we?
Even if boys wear their trousers loosely and show us their under pants we have to accept it... maybe..
By the way, I recently see girls in balloon skirt and they make my feel weird. The skirt reminds me of "Kabocha Pants", babies' diaper covers.
Hey girls! Ten years later, your kids will see your photos and will ask you, "Mom, how old were you when you stopped wetting your pants?"

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Skyjack! / Tim Vickery / OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY / STAGE3 / ISDN: 0-19-423015-5/ 9300words TOTAL 1,825,336 / ★★★★★

Skyjack! (Oxford Bookworms Library) (2000/10/18) Tim Vickery 商品詳細を見る

CORRECTED
My husband's coworker is going to be transfered in two weeks.
My husband has to take over his work so it was a very hard week for him. He slept only three or four hours a day during the week. He went to a farewell party, and came home at three a.m. last night.
He didn't wake up this morning. We skipped breakfast. I waited for him to wake up for lunch but he didn't.
He sometimes oversleeps or takes a nap. However, he has never skipped lunch, but he hasn't woken up even for the bathroom! Should I have woken him up? But I let him sleep on.
At last he woke up at six p.m., 15 hours after he went to bed.
He wouldn't sleep tonight.


ORIGINAL
My husband's coworker is going to transfer in two weeks.
My husband has to take over his work so it was a very hard week for him. He slept only three or four hours a day during the week. He joined a farewell party, and came back home three a.m. last night.
He didn't wake up in the morning. We skipped breakfast, I was waiting him to wake up for lunch but he didn't.
He sometimes oversleeps or takes a nap, however he had never skip lunch. He didn't wake up even for the bathroom. Did I have to wake him up? But I kept him sleeping.
At last he woke up at six p.m. 15 hours later since he went to bed.
He wouldn't sleep tonight

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The Railway Children / Edith Nesbit / YL3.2 / 10,000words Total 1,636,897 / ★★★★★

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The Railway Children: Stage 3: 1,000 Headwords (Oxford Bookworms) (2000/11/09) Edith Nesbit 商品詳細を見る

I enjoy learning English except building up vocabulary. Text books for words make me sleep. I learn some words little by little though reading and talking. However, I rarely look back on the note for review.
I had decided that I won't buy any English textbook until I finish every textbooks that I already have.
However, I bought Information cards for memorise today. They are as small as business cards. I'll write one word on each card and try to memorise them.
I have to look over them as my routine work. Although the cards were not expensive I shouldn't waste money.

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Jane Eyre / 4-89684-041-0 / 27,540words Total 1,626,897 / ★★★★☆

ジェーン・エア (洋販ラダーシリーズ) (2005/07) シャーロット ブロンテ 商品詳細を見る

I take ballet lesson on Mondays after work. I have over one hour free time until the lesson. And I found it was difficult to spend time comfortablely.
There are some cafes around the station but they are always crowded so it's uncomfortable to stay long time. I also don't want to spend a lot of money for my dinner at restaurants, and the portions at restaurants are big just before sports.
Anyway, I browsed shops today and I had Udon in a food court. The taste and portions were OK, and the price was surprisingly cheap, 280yen. It was cheaper than fine coffee. Wow!
I was satisfied to spend time at the food court, I'll be there next week too.

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The Last Sherlock Holmes story / Michael Dibdion / YL3.2 / 10,000words Total 1,599,357 / ★★★☆☆

The Last Sherlock Holmes Story (Oxford Bookworms Library) (2000/03/09) Michael Dibdin 商品詳細を見る

This is another story of my name.

CORRECTED
I used to believe that my name was the commonest in my generation.
A few years ago I discovered it was not so. My name is very common but it isn't the commonest.
It isn't even in the top 10.

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The Scarlet Letter / Nathaniel Hawthorne / YL3.8 / 15,942words TOTAL 1,565,357/ ★★★★★

Oxford Bookworms Library Scarlet Letter: Oxford Bookworms Scarlet Letter (Oxford Bookworms) (2005/10/20) Nathaniel HawthorneJohn Escott 商品詳細を見る

I grew up in a big familly but after I had married it had become three member. So my parents had given us their dining table with six chairs.
We hadn't needed such a big table either, but I hadn't been able to throw it away because it was valued and my parents believed we had been glad having it.
Some years later, we found a familly who wanted the table by chance and we bought a new one with two chairs.
Since then we can use the room spaciously.
However, we can't find any place for putting on jeans and bags. We had put them on the extra chairs but now we put them on the washing machine.
Where do you put on them? Any idea?

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Tales of mystery and imagination / Edgar Allan Poe / YL3.2 / 11,000words Total 1,428,415 / ★★☆☆☆

Tales of Mystery And Imagination: Stage 3: 1,000 Headwords (Oxford Bookworms) (2000/08/21) Edgar Allan Poe 商品詳細を見る

One of my friends who lives in Hong-kong comes back at this time every year, the Chinese New Year holidays and we and another friend meet up.
However, the weather forecast had said it's going to be snowy. Not again!
We hadn't meet up in good weather, we always had rain, storm and once the train stopped by an earthquake!

There is a Japanese word, 雨女. It means rain woman, when the lady plans to go outside it will always rain. We blame someone as a rain woman because the rain would cause by the person's bad behavior.
Actually, I don't believe in this kind of superstition but calling others as a rain woman is fun.

It was a very cold day but fortunately it was spatter of snow. We enjoyed walking around Asakusa and drinking.
Thank you for asking me out. I look forward to see you next year.

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The Secret Garden / Frances Hodgson Burnett / 9,600words Total 1,395,415 / YL3.2 / ★★★☆☆

The Secret Garden (Oxford Bookworms Library) (2000/08) Frances Hodgson Burnett 商品詳細を見る

My husband went shopping although it snowed yesterday.
He kindly offered to buy some foods for dinner. He rarely buys foods by himself, so I suggested to eat Oden because it would be easy to image the ingredients.
In the evening, he called me and said he got craving for Sukiyaki.
I gave the name of the ingredients and added I usually buy 200g of beaf. Actually, I usually buy 300g but I was sure if I say it's 300g he will buy 400g.
And then my imagination was correct, he bought 330g of beaf.
However, I had forgotten telling him of the cost.
"Ok.. It's a special day" I mumbled in my mind.
And we enjoyed the expensive Sukiyaki.

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A Dubious Legacy / Mary Wesley / 15,643words TOTAL 1,385,815 / YL3.8 / ★★★★☆

A Dubious Legacy(Oxford Bookworms Library) (2003/06/05) Mary WesleyRosalie Kerr 商品詳細を見る