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College Life in the World

Are Manual Cars Better than Automatic Ones?

Are Manual Cars Better than Automatic Ones?

January 16, 2019

By Takumi Oto, University of Shimane

There are two main types of cars –manual or automatic. You often have to operate a gear lever in a manual car, but in an automatic car you don’t have to. The demand for automatic cars has been increasing these days. Manual cars, however, have advantages over automatic cars. Which do you prefer to choose, manual or automatic cars?

One piece of data in 2011 from JCSA (Japan Car Seller’s Association) showed that 98.5% of cars sold are automatic. As you can see, automatic cars are quite common in Japan while most European countries have different results. You know automatic types are simpler to use than manual types if you have driven both, and that is the well-known reason why a lot of people buy the automatic ones. The gasoline costs of manual cars were less expensive than automatic ones, but car engine technology has been in progress and it has caused the automatics to catch up to the cost efficiency of the manuals. You may not buy manual cars considering this information. Manual cars, however, have some advantages greater than automatic ones.

According to Shuichi Washino, an Environmental Studies professor in Tottori University, most car accidents in Japan were caused by automatic cars and the cars’ rate of accidents per 100 cars is twice as high as those of manual cars. It’s possible to think that tons of people in Japan have bought automatic cars and the fact that the accident rate of automatic cars is high can be taken for granted, but I’d like you to look at the definition of the rate saying “per 100 cars” which is not based on the total number of cars sold. It can be that people have to focus on driving when they drive manual cars and it results in a fewer rate of accidents. On the other hand, people can enjoy driving with manual cars. When driving manual cars you often need to shift a gear lever back and forth, right and left, and a clutch pedal should be depressed every time you change a gear. Those chores might be stressful and keep you pretty busy, but getting used to it you feel what “driving” is and the moves of your car. Feeling them can be called “the exquisite taste of driving manual cars.” Moreover, manual cars prevent car-thieves and children who can’t drive manual types from driving the cars away from their owners. One news story in Japan said that a child got in an automatic car by himself and drove the car for several hundred meters. Fortunately the child didn’t get injured and the car wasn’t broken. Hopefully you’ve learned some information about manual and automatic cars you may have not known and understand those car types have their own advantages and disadvantages which attract you to have one or the other

photo taken from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shanes_stuff/6893514603/in/photolist-bva4J4-pKVVgP-u532J9-qKUSWQ-xr2gEP-FATdi6-RQ9apv-21idUAH-RQChgQ-rU9ABt-CUQPLf-rUhPTd-CukoDm-unbMBb-23nvUBJ-244KXoA-pMSfFL-236couT-27aW3z7-NWnbsK-7aVmu6-dPB5Ky-7d4NX2-561gij-5EJbk7-2djvBRV-dyq9ip-iKrUr5-8W7c3g-p845Lf-2cAbHPQ-qbYjeG-qZp87M-qPMcMj-9a5V8a-qGYjwo-pJwAnQ-22tbJmz-XG4j4y-2bpumaJ-N8hHec-DcoBDS-2789ahu-23ZiWHd-EFSb7c-29Swys2-27e3WYz-28vBaLQ-24tmDJN-23yeaZA

Okunojima: Rabbits’ Paradise

Okunojima: Rabbits’ Paradise

January 16, 2019

Rikuya Takatani
University of Shimane

Hiroshima has an island called Okunojima. There are many rabbits on this island. Many tourists come to see the rabbits. But this island has a sad past.

As I got off the passenger boat and approached the pier, the white and brown “MofMof” quickly crossed my line of sight. Rabbits on the road, rabbits on the plaza, rabbits on the slope. Rabbits live everywhere on this small island, about 4 km around. The island had a former army poison gas plant from 1929 until the end of the war. After being processed and taken over by the US military, it was finally returned to Japan after 57 years. After that, the National Holiday Village opened in 1983, and it was reborn as a resort area. Why are there rabbits on this island? As I walk on the island, I notice there are holes in and around here and there. All the rabbits are wild rabbits. It is an “alien species”. Although there is a theory that they were brought in for poison gas experiments and survived, there is also a theory that eight animals were released by primary school children from off the island in 1971 and they have been breeding ever since.

There are natural enemies of baby rabbits such as crows, owls, and snakes on the island. Looking for the appearance of rabbits, many tourists, including foreigners, are coming now. However, most of them do not know the history of Okunojima. That is a problem of Okunojima. Go through the tunnel at the 2nd pier on the right and there are the remains of a power plant. It supplied heavy fuel oil at the time of poison gas production and was also used for manufacturing balloon bombs. Although you cannot enter,the unique decaying atmosphere is a masterpiece even from the outside. Inside the island there are also the ruins of a fort, citadel, Nagaura Poison Storehouse, gunpowder storehouse, as well as a poison gas museum where you can learn the history of poison gas production.

Some of the tourists coming to Okuno Island seek out the history of this poison gas production. However, families with young people and children do not visit these places so much, but maybe these people

should also learn about the dark history.

Yakushima Trekking

Yakushima Trekking

January 16, 2019

Naoki Shimada
University of Shiman

Last summer, I went to Yakushima with my friend to see Jomonsugi, a famous cypress tree, and nature. We needed a long time to reach Jomonsugi. The round trip hike takes about 8 hours. We were so tired. But this trekking course was so interesting because we could feel great nature. This experience is an important memory for me.

Yakushima is a World Heritage Site. This island was the inspriation for the movie Mononokehime of Studio Ghibli. The island has a lot of nature. My friend and I went there by scooter. It took about 27 hours from Hamada to Kagoshima. It took about 5 hours from Kagoshima to Yakushima by ship. Yakushima’s local food is flying fish. We could see the fish from the ship. We could eat flying fish cuisine. I heard that sea turtles lay eggs on this island, but I did not observe that.

After we arrived at Yakushima, we went toward Siratani Unsuikyo. It was sunny day, so it was easy to walk, and our motivation was enhanced. There are a lot of big cypresses and mosses. I was able to take many beautiful pictures.

The next day, we went toward Jomonsugi. We got up early to take a bus bound for the trailhead. It was cloudy. But a lot of people were trekking on this road. The trekking road is long. It is 20 kilometers there and back. It goes over a truck road, a small river, and rocks, so this road is difficult.

I will introduce cautionary points of Yakushima trekking. First you should use trekking shoes because these shoes are different from normal shoes. Your feet will be protected which will help you walk. Second, you should prepare to respond to changes in temperature and climate. The mountain weather is changeable. Third, if you are worried even a bit, you should take portable toilet because there are few toilets on the trekking road. Forth you should stay hydrated. There is very clean water in Yakushima’s river, so you can drink the water.

It started raining during our trek. We reached Jomonsugi in 4 hours. I felt a great sense of achievement. Jomonsugi is magnificent.

While it is seen as the biggest tree in Yakushima, there are a lot of other big and interesting trees. For example, Kaminarionzisugi, Kugurisugi, Wilsonkabu, and so on. I hear that bigger trees can be found, so we looked for them in the mountains.

I had a lot of good experiences and gained new knowledge on this trip. I appreciate

Yakushima and my friend.

Mysterious Floating Shrine

Mysterious Floating Shrine

January 16, 2019

By Anna Nii, University of Shimane

Have you ever been to Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima? It is one of the world heritage sites and is a very famous place. It is also known as a sea shrine.

November seems to be the best time to see the autumn leaves in Miyajima. I wanted to see the autumn leaves based on this advice. Also, I wanted to see the Otorii of Itsukushima Shrine. So, I went on a trip there on 24th November 2018. To Itsukushima Shrine, we can go by ferry from Miyajimaguchi Station. A lot of tourists visit there every day. And it is also a beautiful place loved by many people. I felt that is a very nice place. So, I will tell you about the charm of Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima.

Itsukushima Shrine was built in 593 during the Heian period. After that, in 1168, Taira no Kiyomori built the main shrine and it became the current shrine. Afterwards the Mori family and Asano family kept the shrine. The red paint is very beautiful, and the appearance conveys the atmosphere of the Heian period. The mysterious appearance was evaluated, and it was registered as a World Heritage site in 1996.

The greatest charm of Itsukushima Shrine is the Otorii which seems to float in the sea. The red Otorii is 16m high and weighs about 60 tons. The feet of the pillars are not buried in the ocean floor, but stand alone with their own weight. The main pillar was made out of a camphor tree and is about 600 years old.

Also, because the Otorii is built in a place full of tides, at low tide you can walk up to it. The reason why it was built in a place where the tide comes in and out is to catch the entire Miyajima as a god and to cut the wood, shave of the soil so as not to hurt the “the object of worship”.

It is also attractive to have different ways of enjoying by changing the atmosphere due to autumn leaves, snow, lighting up at night.

Besides, there are many shops in Miyajima, and you can eat oysters, Momiji-manju and mackerel rice bowls which are special products of Hiroshima. You can also buy souvenirs. Everything is very tasty. But there are wild deer everywhere, so please be careful about your food.

There are many other good points. Please try visiting. And please see it with your own eyes.

School Festival – Brass Band Performance–

School Festival – Brass Band Performance–

January 16, 2019

By Motoki Yamada

The University of Shimane School Festival was held on October 8th. Our brass band played in the cafeteria.

The school festival is held on two days of the year. However, this year it was held on one day due to a typhoon. So, the performance of the brass band changed a little. We invite Hamada Commercial High School and Hamadian Brass as guests every year. But, unfortunately this year we could not because the schedule shifted. Also, we could not use the auditorium. So, the performance was held in the cafeteria.

We practiced from the end of August. The songs were difficult but everyone practiced. So, we were able to do a good performance with everyone.

I started brass band in my second year in high school. When I was in high school I was able to attend the Chugoku Competition. I feel good when I’m playing in the brass band. So, I can do my best. I will try hard in future.

I learned how to respond to unexpected situations when I had to deal with the typhoon disrupting our scheduled performance. I would like to make use of this experience in the future.

How to Make Most of College

How to Make Most of College

June 21, 2018

These days, a high school diploma does not the end people’s education, as more and more people choose to enroll at Universities across the globe. But surviving on campus is becoming increasingly difficult to university students. To understand these difficulties we conducted a survey to see how students feel about their school life. Many classmates say that is so boring, because they have plenty of time but do not know what to do. However, from my point of view, the campus life in university is interesting and can be colorful as long as you make it meaningful. After starting my course roughly one year ago I was surprised to find the vast differences between high school and university. For example, in high school, we always rely on parents and teachers to solve all the problems, but in university, we have to rely on ourselves. More importantly, we must also learn how to do deal with our classmates and roommates. The four years we will spend at university is very important, but it is also very short, so here is some of my advice on how to make the most of your time at University.

The first is to become familiar with all the main buildings on the campus. Students should spend one to two hours on a campus walk, and become familiar with the local library, canteen, post office, classrooms and other important places like the hospital. Next, try to become self-reliant. Learn to make your own decisions, to arrange how to use our time, how to plan your expenses and so on, but also learn to wash your own clothes. Furthermore, develop good study habits through the exchange of student ideas and learn from each other. Finally, students should actively participate in various activities and let themselves be lively, outgoing, and friendly with classmates. All of these factors will make lead to personal growth and make your time at University a bit more bearable. Treasure your college years. Make the best of your free time, become an independent thinker, evolve yourself into a multicultural talent, be bold to experiment, learn and grow through your successes and challenges. Only then will you be able claim that you have made the most of your time at University. After all, we can only be students once.

You Ying, University of Ulsan

Being a college students by living alone

Being a college students by living alone

June 21, 2018

Two years ago, my parents dropped me off at the dorm of the University of Shimane in April. As I watched their car driven off, I felt really sad. My new life so far has been not easy, but my college life experiences helped me grow a lot.

First, I realized the difficulty of housework. I learned how hard it was to do housework because I live in an apartment alone. It took a long time to go shopping, doing laundry, and clean my apartment room. I am very grateful for my family.

Second, I learned how to cook. I had not cooked very much when I lived with my parents. My mother always cooked meals for everyone. But I now cook meals all by myself. My cooking skills improved a lot and I can cook many dishes now.

Third, I grew up to have a strong sense of responsibility. I can manage my life better. For example, I wake up by myself in the morning, because no one wakes me up. Also, I learned to fill out important documents like pension forms or tax forms, which I have never done before.

By Yurina Kuno