Tokyo Tower Walk 2015
I suppose these photos are looking a little repetitive, but here's another album from the 2015 walking event to Tokyo Tower. We had eleven participants this time, including a Documentation student and three students from Korea. Click here or on the photo at left for the photo album.
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Namamugi Incident Walk
On Sunday, Nov. 30, Kevin and six students from Tsurumi University walked from JR Higashi Kanagawa Station to Musashikosugi Station via the Namamugi Incident site and via the beautiful park, Mitsuike Koen. Check our our photos here!
Tokyo Tower Walk 2014
On Sunday, April 20, Kevin and six students walked from Tsurumi University to Tokyo Tower, a distance of about 21 km. It took us roughly six hours, including a one-hour lunch break. Check out our photo album by clicking here or on the photo at left. There will be another long walk in the fall, so if you feel like getting some exercise and speaking English, why not join us for the next special edition of English Cafe in December 2014? Otsukaresama to the students who joined the 2014 Tokyo Tower Walk!
View of Mt. Fuji from Building 6 (and elsewhere)
Mt. Fuji can be seen from many places in Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokyo. The photo on the left is from the fourth floor of Building 6 at Tsurumi University. It was taken on April 7, 2014, about 10:00 a.m. It was already a little hazy, so I will try to get a clearer shot in the future. Also, the photo was taken through a window, which can't be opened. I pumped up the contrast a bit with my photo editing software to make the white stand out a little from the blue. Click on the photo for a couple other views of Fuji from Tsurumi and Tokyo. Fuji is beautiful, and even more so now that they removed the weather station from the summit, which used to be an unsightly blemish on this iconic landmark.
Graduation Day - March 14, 2014
Here you will find graduation day photos for the graduating class of March 2014. I entered Tsurumi University as a teacher the same year that these students entered as freshmen, so they are my 'doukyuusei'. Here are just a few photos from the English Dept. graduation ceremony and during the photo-taking that took place afterwards. Mr. Watanabe has also made photos available to graduates who know the scan code, so check with him if you need access. PHOTOS
Misc. Photos 2013
The 2013 school year has come to end, so it's time to upload various photos from my classes and events. Most of these have been published already, either on this site or on the Tsurumi University English Dept. site. Most of the screen captures from my classes are new, however. Basically, the poorest quality photos are screen captures. This year, I taught Screen English, Oral Communication I, II and III, and Communication Skills. I hope you enjoy these photos. Some of the students have left our school, so it's nice to have a record of their presence. PHOTOS
Kamakura Walk - Fall 2013
On Sunday, Dec. 1, Kevin and 13 English Dept. students walked 24 km. from Sakuragicho Station, Yokohama, to Kamakura for a special Sunday edition of English Cafe.
Check out the photos in our photo album of the 2013 Kamakura Walk.
Check out the photos in our photo album of the 2013 Kamakura Walk.
San Francisco Tour - Summer 2013
In late August & early September of 2013, I accompanied 15 students to San Rafael, a suburb of San Francisco, on a short-term study tour. Highlights of the trip were morning classes with ELS teachers and students from many countries, a tour of San Francisco, an MLB game (Oakland Athletics), and a trip to Alcatraz. There were also many shopping excursions and dinner parties. We had a great time! Click on the photo at left or here to be re-directed to photo albums of the trip on the Tsurumi English Dept. website.
Graduation Day - March 14, 2013
The day started out rainy, but it soon cleared up. Click on the photo at lift or here to see pics of the Tsurumi University graduation ceremony, the English Dept. diploma award ceremony, speeches by Takubo-sensei and Mori-sensei, and a few miscellaneous photos of students in suits and kimonos on graduation day. Congratulations to all of our graduates, and good luck with your future jobs (or job hunting) and with your families. Take care, and come visit me sometime at Tsurumi University!
Walk from Sakuragicho Station to Kamakura - Jan. 18, 2013
Daibutsu in Kamakura Jan. 18, 2013
On Friday, Jan. 18, I and two students, Nobuo & Yang, walked from Sakuragicho JR Station to the Daibutsu in Kamakura, a distance of about 24 km. We started at Sakuragicho at 9:30 a.m. and arrived at the Daibutsu at about 15:10. We also had about an hour for lunch along the way. This was a pretty tiring walk, but we had great sunny weather. It was cold in the morning when we started, but by mid-afternoon, it had warmed up quite a bit. We were originally going to walk over the mountain from Kitakamakura to the Daibutsu, but that plan was changed due to snowfall earlier in the week. I was worried that the trail would be either covered in snow or very muddy. As a result, we walked around the mountain, which added to our time and distance. Nice job by Nobuo and Yang to walk all the way! Otsukare-sama! PHOTOS
Misc. Photos 2012
TV commercial skit for Oral Communication I in 2012
Once again, it's time to upload various photos from events that happened during the school year. In these albums, you'll see photos from Oral Communication classes, Communication Skills and Essay Writing, as well as representative pix from events such as English Cafe, English Square, the Tokyo Tower walk, English Movie Club, the English Reader Marathon and a few others. If you notice the photo quality is horrible, it's probably because the photo was a capture from a video. Many of these photos are featured elsewhere on my site, but some of them are unique to these albums. I hope you find some interesting pix from 2012! PHOTOS
Summer Intensive Course 2012
The Summer Intensive Course 2012 is now finished. There were 6 students in the class. We usually chatted a bit in the morning, then began a textbook topic. We used Impact Issues 2, and it was great. The topics, which are opinions about various controversial issues, proved to be stimulating for our class members, The units in the text usually included a section for students to make a brief presentation that required minimal preparation. Photos linked here are mostly from those presentation times. In this class, we also watched video clips, listened to English songs, and did various other activities that cannot be summarized easily! Time passed quickly, and the course finished on Sept. 11, 2012. Otsukare-sama!
Mayo says Hi from Canada!
It's been three months since I left Japan. I really enjoy my life in Canada.This semester will finish on July 27.
I have three exams and one presentation nest week..Everything is hard for me, but I think I improved a little my listening skill. My host parents are so nice and my hostmother is really good at making food!
How is everyone? I love the sky in Canada! - Mayo PHOTOS
I have three exams and one presentation nest week..Everything is hard for me, but I think I improved a little my listening skill. My host parents are so nice and my hostmother is really good at making food!
How is everyone? I love the sky in Canada! - Mayo PHOTOS
100 Words per Mile: Tokyo Tower Walk 2012
Arrived! Tokyo Tower after a 5-hour walk.
I like walking, so it occurred to me during the spring break that some of our students might like to have a walking excursion. I wasn't really sure if people would sign up, but I figured that if even one or two students wanted to go, it would be fine. I announced a 20 km walk from Tsurumi University to Tokyo Tower, a distance of about 20 km. In the end, 5 students (two freshmen and three seniors) chose to come, along with one mother, who took many of our photos. (Thank you Mrs. Miyamoto!)
We set out at 9:30 a.m. on April 22, 2012, and arrived at Tokyo Tower at 3:30 in the afternoon, a total time of 6 hours, but which included a 1-hour lunch break. Click here for photos of our walk.
I'm thinking about another 20 km walk in the fall: Yokohama Station to Kamakura. Anyone interested in that? If so, please talk to me sometime! Let's walk together while speaking English!
We set out at 9:30 a.m. on April 22, 2012, and arrived at Tokyo Tower at 3:30 in the afternoon, a total time of 6 hours, but which included a 1-hour lunch break. Click here for photos of our walk.
I'm thinking about another 20 km walk in the fall: Yokohama Station to Kamakura. Anyone interested in that? If so, please talk to me sometime! Let's walk together while speaking English!
Graduation Day - March 16, 2012
Many photos were taken on this day, but for this site, I'm mainly posting photos of the students I taught myself. I started at Tsurumi University just two years ago, so I actually didn't have a chance to teach many of the students in this graduating class. The ones I did teach were mainly in my Essay Writing and Communication Skills classes, which are electives and open to 3rd and 4th year students. Congratulations to all graduates, and good luck in the future! Click on the photo at left (or here) for more pix.
Misc. Photos 2011
Now that the 2011 school year is about to finish up, it's time to post some photos of my activities from the year. Click on the photo at left (or here) for scenes from my Oral Communication classes and Communication Skills. Many of the photos in this album are captures from videos of students performing dialogs as part of their class activities. Photo quality is not great, but at least we can look back on our performances and laugh about them! There are also photos of the incoming freshmen students. In the short space of one school year, the fashion and hair styles of some of them have changed, and in some cases, unfortunately, students who came early in the year are no longer with us as active students. Nevertheless, they are still with us in spirit in these photos!
English Reader Marathon 2011
_Congratulations to all the winners in the 2011 English Reader Marathon (photos). The purpose of the contest was to introduce students to a great way to improve their English by reading graded readers. Graded readers are meant to be read at a fast pace, and ideally in large numbers (i.e., extensive reading). By reading graded readers at a level appropriate to each reader, students learn new vocabulary and are exposed to English grammar in context. As their English progresses, they are able to go up incrementally to higher level books. Reading English is an essential skill for English majors, and reading figures heavily in standardized tests, such as TOEIC, which are often used by employers to evaluate English proficiency. The students in this contest who read many graded readers have taken a good first step in working to improve their reading speed and their overall understanding of how English works. Nice job English Reader Marathon participants!
San Francisco Tour - Summer 2011
Wow! What an awesome three weeks we had! From Aug. 25 to Sept. 11, twenty-four students from the English Department and the Documentation Department were in San Rafael, a suburb of San Francisco. Students studied English at Dominican University with international students from South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries. On weekends, we took day trips to San Francisco and Sausalito, among other places. Some of our favorite trips were to the Giants game, Alcatraz, Discovery Kingdom, bowling, and of course, shopping near Union Square. Besides the excursions, students stayed with host families for three weeks and got a chance to experience a typical American lifestyle. We all learned how to use the San Francisco public bus system, and soon we were able to go anywhere in San Francisco on our own! The time went by quickly, and now we're back in hot, humid Japan! The weather was so cool and pleasant in San Francisco; we really miss it! We can't wait to go back! For more photos, click the picture at left or here.
Junko Yamanaka's Special Lecture on Extensive Reading 2011
In June of 2011, we were fortunate to have a special lecture on Extensive Reading by educator and author Junko Yamanaka of Nagoya. The title of her lecture, roughly translated, was "The Royal Road to English Proficiency - Reading for Pleasure". After her lecture, she gave a special workshop on teaching reading to ESL students, which was attended by some Tsurumi University teachers, grad students, undergraduates and members of the public. Yamanaka Sensei was my colleague and mentor when I worked at Trident College in Nagoya from 1988 to 2001. She is a well-known author of English course books, having published the popular Impact Issues series (Pearson-Longman) and the Cover to Cover reading course series (Oxford). She is a strong spokesperson for Extensive Reading and a member of the Extensive Reading Foundation. For more photos, visit the English Reader Marathon 2011 photo album page at this site.
Freshman Orientation Activities 2011
On Saturday, April 2, two hours were set aside for special ice breaking activities with the freshman class of 2011. We had lunch together, did a greeting exercise in rotating circles, and finally spent some time in groups doing an activity where students could speak to teachers one and one and then communicate information back to their group. This event was the first opportunity for students to meet each other and hopefully make a friend. It also gave teachers a chance to see their first year students in action before classes begin. For more photos, click the picture at left or here.
Summer Intensive English Course 2010
In September
of 2010, nine students participated in my Tsurumi University Summer Intensive
English Course. This intensive course is famous among
our students for being an all-English learning experience, and it attracts the
students who really want to improve their English. For 10 days every summer, we
actively speak, read, write and listen to English. In the most recent summer
class, we watched English videos, listened to popular English songs, spoke
together in pairs and groups, played English games, presented information to
the whole class, and blogged on the Internet. Check out some of the class photos.
Studying English for 6 hours every day can be tough, but we all enjoyed it, and students said they were happy they joined the class and made some new friends. For those of you who can't join a study abroad program for whatever reason, why not join the Summer Intensive Course? You'll have fun, get class credits, and learn English from a native speaker, all without leaving Kanagawa! Come on, and give it a try! Martin Connolly, from Ireland, will be your teacher next summer!
Studying English for 6 hours every day can be tough, but we all enjoyed it, and students said they were happy they joined the class and made some new friends. For those of you who can't join a study abroad program for whatever reason, why not join the Summer Intensive Course? You'll have fun, get class credits, and learn English from a native speaker, all without leaving Kanagawa! Come on, and give it a try! Martin Connolly, from Ireland, will be your teacher next summer!
Some photos from Kevin's pre-Tsurumi University days
Below are links to albums of Kevin's tours with students from San Francisco, CA and Kona, HI to Japan in 2009, the year before he began working at Tsurumi University.
Tour of Japan in 2009 with students from Castro Valley High School
In July of 2009, I toured Japan with 13 students and 1
teacher from Castro Valley High School. These high school students were
studying Japanese and some of them could sing Japanese karaoke really well! I
was impressed with their great attitude. We had a great time visiting Tokyo,
Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kurashiki, Kyoto, Nara, Okayama and Tokushima. Due
to the flu epidemic that had terrorized Japan that year, the home stay for this
tour was canceled. Fortunately, we had plenty of activities to do, and students
from Shikoku University (where I used to work) spent some time with us. We also
visited Tokushima Kita High
School. This was a great tour and my easiest as a tour guide! Great job, Castro Valley students! And thank you, too, Mrs. Crow, the Castro Valley chaperon and Japanese teacher! If you click the Photos link or the picture at left, you will be redirected to my photo album of the tour on Picasweb.com.
School. This was a great tour and my easiest as a tour guide! Great job, Castro Valley students! And thank you, too, Mrs. Crow, the Castro Valley chaperon and Japanese teacher! If you click the Photos link or the picture at left, you will be redirected to my photo album of the tour on Picasweb.com.
Tour of Japan with 6th, 7th & 8th grade students from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii - April 2009
2009 was a busy year for tours of Japan! In April of 2009, I
brought 12 students from Innovations Public Charter School to Japan along with
2 teachers, Wrayna & Jenn. Our tour was mostly concentrated in the Osaka
and Tokushima areas. We visited Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima and
Tokushima. The home stay in Tokushima was a highlight. In the photo at left,
you can see an IPCS student (in yellow) after making a tie dye handkerchief at
the tie dye studio in Tokushima with one of the Seiko school students. Our IPCS
students brought a little bit of Hawaii with them, as they gave a great hula
performance and taught hula to the Seiko students and staff. This was another
great tour and a fantastic experience for all! Click the Photos link or the picture at left to see
the photo albums on Picasweb.com.