Having majored in Criminology at University I have always been interested in the field of corrections. So of course I was filled enormous excitement during my visit to the Abashiri prison Museum a couple of days ago. The Japanese approach to rehabilitation included a lot of hard labor and reflection. Walking around the grounds and seeing all the exhibits of this open air museum, it was clear that prisoners who served time here had plenty of opportunity for both.

Abahiri Prison museum: The main gate

Believe or not, I had never been to the capital of my country before this summer.
I live in the easten capital-東京, but I had never been to the northern capital-北京...
I thought it was a big shame, so this summer, I took a little trip to Beijing, a city which was busy preparing for the 29th Olympic Games.

i go to beijing

Hi friends,

はじめまして、YAOです.
First of all, thank you KEN for inviting me to this awesome CAFE. Can I have a cup of latte please?

Secondly, I would like to do a brief self-introduction to all new friends.

I am YAO, from a city called Hangzhou in China. (Ken knows it is really beautiful place)

Currently, I am working with an international accounting firm as a risk-management consultant. (yes, i know this job sounds confusing...Actually, I have tried many times to explain to my mum what i am doing for live, but she could never understand that...)

In the beginning of last month my friend Saki were sitting around and just having a small chat about what our friends from kindergarten are doing now.

Hi! I am now in Romania. I came Romania as a exchange student from Shizuoka University. I have interest in multicultual education so that i thought I should go abroad.

Why I choose Romania?

because I wanted to go to a country which I do not know at all .Plus, I have avery good friend in Romania.That caught me the attention to go to Romania.

Why I named my user name "Romanian Apartment"?

Watch a movie called "Spanish Apartment".I will stay in dormitaly for foreigners from Octber. I hope to meet good people and have fun alot.

How is Romania?

Hi, everyone. Welcome to "Miz the SPORTS Whiz"

First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Miz. I'm a sports newspaper reporter at shizuoka branch for a part-time job. I cover various kinds of sports like baseball, soccer, volleyball, martial arts and so on.
I write articles and take pictures, too. I don't have any speciality, so I'm a reserve reporter.My dream is to cover Major League baseball(MLB) in the future.

I had practiced karate for 13 years, baseball for 6 years, swimming for 6 years, and boxing for 2 years.

二湖　 Shiretoko's second　of five lakes: 森に包まれて。

We went today to Shiretoko five lakes and the Kamui wakka waterfalls.
Three of the lakes were closed due to recent bear sightings.
The ones that were open provided a feast for the eyes with striders, small fishes, a variety of insects, and the occasional deer.
Just being around these lakes inspired in me a whole new sense of reflection about how vital water is to all living things.

Things can get really interesting on the road. There have been so many kinds of various accommodations for us. Take for example the youth hostel we stayed at yesterday in Shireteko national park.

Iwaobetsu Youth Hostel: Located in the World heritage national park

Hi Monika, penpalchrissie, cecilia and everyone else.
Wecome to the cafe and I hope you enjoy following my travel blog.

What a beautiful sunny day it was here in Hokkaido!
We took a boat cruise and checked out some really cool rock formations.
We also saw bears and dolphins along the way.

Shireteko bear: Out for a stroll along the beach

知床半島の、ウトロの町から書き込んでるよ。
今日は船で知床半島を一望してきた。
熊やイルカ、シャチ、たくさんの水鳥たちと出会うことができた。
そして海と大地と空のコラボレーションは、まさに神様が創造したとしか思えないほどの
素晴らしいものだった。

私達人間も彼らの一部のはずなのに、

霧が晴れた摩周湖: 朝日が湖面に反射していて奇麗

早起きは三文のとく。

この夏の時期は霧に包まれている事の多い、霧の摩周湖。
今日はたまたま早起きした私たちは、窓の外を見てスカッと空が晴れているのをみてビックリした。

昨夜は土砂降りの雨で、「明日はきっと摩周湖は見れないかな」
と思っていたからだ。

朝のお散歩がてら、摩周湖の展望台まで１０分ほど車を走らせる。

展望台への階段を登って行くと、わーっと視界が開けた。

摩周湖が目の前一面に広がっている。

昔、アイヌの人たちも何か儀式やお祈りのようなものがある時は、
摩周湖に訪れることもあったという。

周りには自然があふれ、たくさんの虫や鳥たちが住んでいる。
美しかった。