Hello, Friend!!
Latest issue
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.27 (2024.1.1)
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the world of HELLO, FRIENDS!!
Happy New Year!! “2024” is the Year of the Dragon according to the Japanese Zodiac.
The Dragon looks fierce, but it is traditionally said to bring good luck.
I hope every one of you will climb high like the Dragon, catch your dream, and contribute to society by applying your learnings at Shimane University to help needy people globally.
Back numbers
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.26 (2023.10.1)
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Not only me but also everyone else must have thought, “Will the autumn come this year?” Although it is still unusually warm now, it has surely come, given the varieties of seasonal delicacies in the supermarket and some autumn flowers blooming finally. I just hope that the extremely hot summer won’t be the norm. Some scientists say that it wouldn’t have happened without the global warming. Let’s do what we can do to prevent the fierce heat from coming again next year.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.25 (2023.7.1)
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From “once every two months” to “once every three months”, the paper is now published quarterly in accordance with the Japanese four seasons. We will have the high summer season soon, but before that, let’s go out and enjoy the beauty of colorful hydrangea blooming here and there around the campus.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.24 (2023.4.1)
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I’m writing this in the middle of March, and yesterday it was announced that the sakura flowers (cherry blossoms) have bloomed in Tokyo at the earliest time ever with a tie record. According to the news report, the timing closely links how cold it was in the winter and how rapidly it got warm in early spring. When this is issued at the beginning of April, maybe the cherry trees in Shimane will also have bloomed. Welcome to the new students! How precious it is to be able to travel freely across borders now! Enjoy the beautiful nature around you, and enjoy the new life which has just started.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.23 (2023.2.1)
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We say “Ichigatsu (January) wa iku (goes), Nigatsu (February) wa nigeru (flees), Sangatsu (March) wa saru (leaves)” to describe how busy we are from January through March. There are lots of things we have to do before the new academic or fiscal year begins on Apr.1. Actually, January has gone by in the blink of an eye. When turning my eyes to the cherry trees near my house, I can see they are surely preparing to bud. So, nature is also busy. The cherry blossom season seems to start earlier year by year because of global warming. Don’t miss the precious chance to view the lovely flowers.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.22 (2022.12.01)
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I always feel the same thing around this time of the year. “How quickly a year is passing!”. The daytime is getting shorter and it’s the winter solstice on Dec.22 this year. We have the custom of eating pumpkin and taking yuzu-yu, the bath in which several pieces of yuzu (a small citrus fruit) are floating on the hot water, on this day. I love pumpkin and my bento lunchbox always has grilled pumpkin in it. I also love yuzu-yu. The aroma of the fruit is filled in the bathroom and it is very refreshing. If you have a chance, please try it.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.21 (2022.10.01)
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I was worried whether the autumn will really come this year in time because the days’ highest temperatures reached almost 30 ℃ every day until recently. In the wake of typhoon No.14, however, it suddenly got much cooler and the right weather has finally come. Now, it’s time to sow the seeds, give fertilizer to the seedlings, move the grown saplings to larger areas, and … sorry, again!! When it comes to gardening, I cannot stop talking. I hope you can enjoy the very best season of the year in your own way. If you find delicious food, beautiful foliage, or an art exhibition worth a visit, please let me know.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.20 (2022.08.01)
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The rainy season has gone in the blink of an eye this year. It’s so short that I was really scared of the water shortage. Then, lengthy rainy days came in the first half of July as if it was like a second rainy season. I also noticed that Higurashi, a kind of cicada, started singing far earlier this summer. Meanwhile, the infection numbers have skyrocketed in Shimane from June to July, ushering in the nationwide 7th wave. On top of these, many worrisome things are now occurring around the globe. Let’s stay calm and be prepared no matter what happens as this world is full of unpredictable things.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.19 (2022.06.01)
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International students who had to wait for such a long time, welcome to Japan!! How did you find living and studying here in Izumo? I hope you love it. The pandemic is still affecting our daily lives and I cannot help but check the new cases of infection daily in Shimane, but I think things are moving forward steadily. Shimane is blessed with beautiful, abundant nature. Please enjoy it as much as the circumstances allow, and let me know if you find your favorite.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.18 (2022.04.01)
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Spring has come. Trees are budding and flowers are blooming. Hopefully, the international students who can finally enter Japan after a long, long wait will see and enjoy the beauty of sakura with their own eyes in time. I also hope that the unbelievable things happening far away from Japan will end, and that the affected people can return to their normal lives as soon as possible.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.17 (2022.02.01)
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One month has already passed since the beginning of the new year. What makes me excited the most now is … “Beijing Winter Olympics”. As a big fan of figure skating (never do, just watch) and as my favorite figure skater is to compete, I’m looking forward to the days when I can immerse myself in the big sports event. Hopefully the competitions will be held safe and sound with near-zero infections.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.16 (2021.12.01)
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We had another turbulent year in 2021. Thanks to the vaccines and thorough anti-infection measures, however, the entry ban has finally been lifted. That was the case until only a few days ago. I just want the international students who are still waiting in their home countries to come and see the scenery of Izumo with their own eyes and taste real Japanese food on their own tongues and feel the air flowing through the campus on their own skins, soon.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.15 (2021.10.01)
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It’s October, the midst of my favorite season, autumn. Getting through the torrential rains and extreme heat in summer, I can now fully enjoy the soothing moments while listening to the orchestra by crickets at night. Autumn is the perfect season to savor various foods including our staple food, rice, because it’s the time of harvest. Some of us are very picky about the taste of rice. I’m not one of them but I surely believe Shinmai (新米: newly harvested rice) tastes different from Komai(古米:old rice). If you have a chance, please try!!.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.14 (2021.08.01)
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If you are from a warmer country, maybe you are all right. If not, you must be getting through the toughest time of the year. It’s in the middle of the summer. Not just hot, but also humid. How many times have I wished there would be no summer in Japan!!
Well, I know. Japan can maintain its natural beauty thanks to the four distinct seasons.
So, let’s forget about its toughness and just focus on the brighter side of this formidable time of year.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.13 (2021.06.01)
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Not only cherry blossoms but also the rainy season started far earlier this year. Speaking of the rainy season, hydrangea can be said to be the flower of the time. The scene of their standing quietly in the drizzling rain shows calm beauty and heals me even in the humid air of the rainy season. By the way, do you know the language of Hydrangea? It’s “fickle”. Do you know it blooms blue on acidic soil and pink on alkaline. Oh, sorry, again!! I cannot stop talking when it comes to flowers…
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.12 (2021.04.01)
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Spring has sprung!! This year, the cherry blossom front has passed through far earlier than usual. So, I bet you have already enjoyed viewing the beautiful flowers in your own way while avoiding the three Cs. They are so beautiful that I can’t help but be awed by the power of nature as our daily lives have been badly affected by the coronavirus. Now, it’s the beginning of the new academic year. Those who are experiencing your first spring here or in your home countries, I hope you will eventually come to find that your decision to study here has been the right one.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.11 (2021.2.01)
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Now it’s the coldest time of the year but what makes me feel good is that the daytime is getting longer day by day. When you look close, you will find the branches of some trees having small buds. They are surely the sign of the arrival of spring and it should be the thing everyone has been looking forward to all the more for an unusually great amount of snow we had this winter.
HELLO, FRIENDS!! vol.10 (2020.12.01)
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the world of “HELLO, FRIENDS!!”. What? Yeah, you are quick!!
From now on, please call this paper “HELLO, FRIENDS!!”. Easy to remember, isn’t it?
Well, it’s almost the end of 2020, a year of turbulence, due to COVID-19. Who could have imagined this situation a year earlier? Hopefully 2021 will be a bright year and all of us can look back on it with joyful memories.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the world of HIPIS.
It’s October!! Autumn!! Look at the sky. What beautiful clouds they are. We call them “Iwashi-gumo” , which literally means “Sardine clouds”. I’ve learned they are called “mackerel sky” in English. The same idea, isn’t it? Just seeing the small fragments of clouds looking like the scales of sardines makes me happy that my favorite season has finally arrived.
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It’s the middle of Summer. Some love Summer and others don’t. Me? I’m one of the latter persons, definitely because Summer in Japan, which is hot and humid, doesn’t fit most of the beautiful flowers, trees or other plants used for gardening. As an enthusiastic gardener who especially loves herbs, now is the toughest time. Morning sunshine and afternoon shadow with less humidity are the best conditions for most plants in this season. Sorry, once the topic turns to gardening, I cannot stop talking….
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All of us are now going through the “once in a lifetime” or even “once in a hundred years” event. I hadn’t realized how precious the normal life is until the pandemic happened. Those who have small children must feel much more anxiety. I really hope that we can see the end of the tunnel when this is issued (I’m writing this at the end of April.)
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the world of HIPIS.
The new academic year has started!! First year students must
be excited and a bit nervous in the completely new environment.
But rest assured. If you need any help, please ask someone
around you. Izumo jin (people in Izumo) are very kind and they
will spare no effort to give you a helping hand. You will find
yourself at home before you know it !!
To see earlier editions of "Hello, Friends!!"