World Cup Soccer 2010

Are you watching the World Cup Soccer now? I really like watching it and the Japanese team is fairly strong this season.

First, they beat the Cameroons 1-0 and then, they got beaten by The Netherlands 1-0, actually I watched the game at a sports bar in Melbourne and many Japanese gathered there to support the Japanese team! It was very vibrant atmosphere! Though they lost the game, we paid honor to their great performance!! In the third game, they got a victory over Denmark 3-1, thank God!!!

Since they gained 6 winning points, they reached the quarter-finals. I was very happy to hear the news because they had lost every game and took lots of criticism 4 years ago.


My favorite player is Shunsuke Nakamura. He used to be a main player. However, because of his bad condition, he is rarely given the chance to participate in the game and this may be the last world cup for him…. I am dying to watch him playing on the pitch!!


I also supported the Aussie team. Despite them getting 4 winning points, they couldn't reach the quarter-finals because Germany and Ghana, who are in the same group, beat them. As a matter of fact, Ghana got the same number of winning points as Australia but they just outweighed them in total points…what a pity!

Graffiti in Melbourne

Melbourne has a lot of Graffiti. This is one of the surprising things for me! You can see variety of types of Graffiti which are painted on the walls of alleyways. Some of them look like real art, others are hard to understand…..for me.

Actually, Graffiti may become part of tourist attractions due to it being eye-catching, attention-grabbing and unique. At the same time, it can be vandalism because it destroys public property.

When I took a train in Melbourne for the first time, I was shocked and scared as a world of Graffiti was painted with some swear words on the walls and the windows. I have no clue about who could do such an awful thing… In Japan, I have never seen any graffiti inside public transportations.

I think that Graffiti can be art only if it is painted on permitted places and people enjoy looking at it.

Eureka Skydeck 88

I went to Eureka Skydeck 88 with my friend last weekend. This tower is the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere with a height of about 300 meters, similar to Tokyo tower. You get a wonderful view from this tower. I was so excited when I saw the panoramic view of Melbourne. It was so beautiful that I still remember what it’s like!

In addition, we got an experience of “The Edge(=observation deck)”, a glass cube which projects 3 meters out from the building - with you in it - suspended almost 300 meters above the ground!　Actually, I like heights and wasn’t afraid at all of being there. The view from The Edge was wonderful. It was like I was standing in the sky!


I think that Eureka Skydeck 88 is a sightseeing spot worth visiting. If you come to Melbourne, I highly recommend going there.

Am I Chocoholic?

As you know I love sweets!
I have been hooked on chocolate since I came to Melbourne.



One of my favorite chocolates is hot chocolate. It tastes so nice! I can’t help drinking it everyday!!! There are heaps of cafes in Melbourne and every café has hot chocolate on the menu. In Japan, I didn’t have enough chances to drink hot chocolate as it is not so popular and is hard to come by. Even so, it is worth drinking!!!



Another thing for this is Tim Tams. This is a very popular chocolate biscuit made by Arnott’s, Australia. It tastes so yummy! There are a variety of types of Tim Tams in Australia such as Double Coat, Chewy Caramel, Classic Dark…and so on. I want to try to eat all of them while staying here.
For further information, you can check the URL below.
http://www.arnotts.com/our-products/products/arnotts-tim-tam.aspx

Probably, I am getting to be a chocoholic. I think I need to be careful not to eat too much chocolate because of gaining weight.

My favorite place -St.Kilda

I went to St.Kilda with my friend the other day. St Kilda is a famous place known for the beauty of its beach. It is located close to the city, about 20 minutes by tram.

When I saw the beach for the first time, I was very impressed because it was breathtakingly beautiful! We walked on the sandy beach a little bit and then sat down to have meat pies and hot chocolate that we had bought at a bakery along the way. I could definitely relax with this beautiful scenery and delicious lunch!

There are a lot of nice cafés, restaurants and lovely bakeries along the beach. Every bakery displays a large amount of bread in the window! Amazing!!!

It is said that penguins show up at the pier at night. I missed the chance to see penguins because I went there in the morning. Next time, I want to go there at night.

I would say that St.Kilda is one of my favorite places in Melbourne !

The Holiday Plan

I am on vacation now for more than one month!

Actually, I am not going to travel this time as I want to study more in preparation for my next course, Diploma of Interpreting. I have decided to take a General English course at another school for one month to improve my speaking skills.

When I was in the previous school, I found that I was poor at asserting myself when it came to discussions because I never learnt how to express my opinion logically when I was a student in Japan.

I am supposed to take a national qualification for interpreting called NAATI (=The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd) in November. I am very nervous because I heard that it is very difficult to pass the test.

However, I am going to do my best to be one step closer to my dream! Of course, I am going to explore Melbourne during this vacation for fun!!!