More English Cultures - Weekly Journal

     New research shows that it is bad for children to watch TV, tablet or mobile phone screens before bedtime. Researchers from the University of Colorado found that "screen time" before sleeping damages children's health. The researchers looked at over 60 different studies on how screen time affects children. They said: "Of more than five dozen studies looking at children aged from 5 to 17 around the world, 90 per cent have found that more screen time is associated with delayed bedtime, fewer hours of sleep, and poorer sleep quality." Screens are becoming smaller and smaller, so children can look at them in bed. More than 75 per cent of children in the study had some kind of screen in their bedroom.  We had better encourage young people to form the habit of not using smart phone just before they sleep.

     Since my group explained the history of Gion festival, I want to give you more introduction about it.           The Gion Festival is a festival of Yasaka Shrine which has a tradition of 1000 years. In the old days, it was called “Gion Goryoe”. When the plague epidemic spread throughout Japan in 869, it is derived from the fact that 66 lances were established, the god of Gion was enshrined, furthermore a Mikoshi was sent, praying for removal of disaster . It has changed year by year, it has become sophisticated, and it has become large scale in the North and South era. After that, it became the current Gion festival in the early Edo period. This is because in that era, people's standard of living had improved and they were able to buy and wear "Nishijinori", which is very luxury clothes even today. They put it on and joined the festival, which has made it more splendid. Over 1000 years have passed since the Gion festiv...

     What kind of jobs do you want to be engaged in? Of course, we have at least 3 years to decide it, but this decision is so important and we must do so carefully.     Yesterday, I thought that to be a journalist may be one of the good choices, because I am interested in many foreign countries' history and various conflicts resulted from the difference in the way of thinking(religion, race, custom and so on). I want to get a lot of current news as soon as possible and report it to as many viewers as I can. to be a journalist, I have to study the world situation more severely.

     Do you like listening music? I like it. I usually bring my iPod with over 2000 musics to school. Music always keeps us not bored. Today, I recommend my favourite artist, namely "The Chainsmokers". They are American EDM(Electronic Dance Music) DJ duo, who won a lot of prizes, (for example American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Grammy Awards, and People's Choice awards and so on). Many EDM players make their own musics high tempo just to enjoy dance for their listeners, but The Chainsmokers is not the case. Their music have a little slower and more comfortable tempo, so they are good not only for dancing and making ourselves excited but also for making ourselves relaxed when we are feeling exhausted. Once you listen their music, you will probably be absorbed in it.

     Do you agree with the idea that English should be made an official language in Japan? I am for it. This is because if Japanese children learn to speak English, they will be able to communicate with foreigners. Today, most Japanese people, of course including me, have trouble in expressing themselves in English, so they tend to be reluctant to speak to native English speakers. If Japanese children master English, this tendency will change. Moreover, official meetings between the prime minister and the leaders of other English-speaking countries will run more smoothly, because they don't need to rely on interpreters. Therefore, the Japanese government should make English an official language as well as Japanese.

     If a doctor said you had 1 year to live, what would you do? I'd move to Italy, namely Rome because Rome has a splendid history and I want to expand my knowledge of Roman history. When I studied world history for the first time, I was surprised to learn that Roman culture was more developed than that of Japan in that era. Then in Japan, people would often eat fruits and hunt animals, but in Rome, Romans built a stadium, public facilities, and the city state. Ancient Roman culture is comparable to our culture today. Moreover, the most famous Christian church is also in Rome, which has greatly influenced people all over the world. Christian values have fascinated countless people since St.Peter and St.Paul started to spread them. I long to experience these historical tings firsthand.

     Last week, a study of new mothers confirmed that mothering self-help books can do more harm than good, which means that baby manuals are not worth reading. I agree with the idea. The baby training manuals can give many mothers stress factors. If a baby can do the thing that it should be able to do at proper weeks, he will be competent, or if he can't do so, his mother will misunderstand that her baby has developmental problem. This is a tragedy. We should encourage many mothers not to form the habit of reading mothering self-help books.