Real Reporter Online – Page 12 – We have the courage to make mistakes.

Creepy Crypt Tales

February 17, 2020

Maggots

By Mariko Eguchi

When I was a high school student, I lived in an old house. One night, I studied at night. It was a hot and humid night. I stood up to go to bathroom and walked to the door, when I stepped on something. I looked at the sole of my bare foot and found a maggot stuck on it. The maggot was still alive. I threw it away and shouted, “Mom!”

My mother came to me out of the kitchen. She asked, “What’s the matter?” I said, “There was a maggot on the floor!”

Then I felt something fall on my hair. I stroked my hair. I found a shiny white maggot between my fingers. Horrified, I shook it off madly, shouting “Oh, no!”

Then my mother said, “Look!”

I looked up and I saw a patch of maggots wiggling on the ceiling, just about to fall down. They were extremely disgusting.

She said, “there is something up there.”

Bravely, she opened the closet door and climbed on the upper board. She pushed up the ceiling board, stuck her head in the attic. I followed her. She shone the attic floor with a flashlight. The musty and dusty smell came to my nose.

On the other side of the ceiling, there was a mound of maggots eating a dead rat.

A Centipede

By Riku Nagata

When I was a junior high school student, I came home always tired from my club activities. I used to stay up to midnight, but on that day I slept earlier than usual, because I was really tired.

I went to the bathroom before going to bed. Then I noticed the window was open. So I closed it. Then I went into my bed, plugged my ears with earphones, then tried to sleep listening to music.

After a short time, I was getting sleepy. Then I felt something on my right arm. I thought the earphone cord, and I swung it off. Soon I fell asleep.

After that, I felt something on my neck. I thought the earphone cord hit me again, so I shook it off. However, that think moved from the neck to the mouth. I tried to remove it, but it moved from the mouth to the ear, and then to the nose.

I got annoyed and caught it with my right hand. I turned on the light and was alarmed at the identity of it. It was a big centipede!

I got panicked and tried to throw it out of the window. I tried to open the window near my bed. That centipede is moving to my shoulder!

I shook my arm madly and it was thrown to the wall. As a result, I lost sight of the centipede. It hid itself somewhere in my bedroom. But I heard it moving around.

I was so scared that I ran out of the room. On that night, I slept on the living room sofa.

The next morning, I looked around inside of my bedroom for the centipede. I found a dead centipede. The body was broken into pieces. At first, I was relived. But it was different from the one I saw the previous night. The dead one was smaller. The one I saw was at least 10 centimeter long.

A Spider

By Kazuya Miyashita

In one cold and silent night, I didn’t feel good. So I finished my work earlier and came home. It was two o’clock midnight. My apartment was very old. I went upstairs.

I opened the door. My room was dark and silent. I heard some spooky sounds. It sounded like a rustle of old paper. I was scared, so I immediately turn on the light.

My room was quiet. Nothing was moving. But I certainly heard something. Then I heard the same noise again! Something was there! I got panicked. I said “What was it? What was it?” Fearfully I looked around.

At the corner of the room I saw an enormous spider. It had long legs. It ran toward me!

I really hate spiders! I rushed out of my room.

I must kill the spider, I thought. I took a long broom and got into the room again, trying to kill the spider.

When I tried to poke the spider, it suddenly jumped at me. I madly swung the broom!

The broom that I shook somehow hit the spider. The spider stopped moving. I thought the spider was dead.

Then using the broom, I tried to throw it into a trash box. Suddenly the spider started to move! The spider was pretending to be dead!

In a hurry I knocked it many times… many times… all over the place. The spider was dead. I threw it away in the trush box in a hurry.

When I took a deep breath, I heard another sound from behind.

“Ruffles, ruffles…”

Alone in a Dormitory

By Sayuri Kakuta

I live in a dormitory where a lot of international students live. One summer night I was unable to sleep. It was a quiet night, because all residents went back to their home countries. I was the only person in the building.

So, I started to watch YouTube videos. I found myself watching make-up videos for about 2 hours, but I was so awake that I couldn’t sleep at all. So, I decided to watch something else. Then I was attracted to a war movie, remembering that the end of the World War II came on a hot summer day. I thought I should watch a war movie to learn how people lived during the war. I started to watch the movie in my silent room. I heard only movie sounds.

In the movie, people were killed by guns. I was watching some people without arms or legs or other parts of the body. I was listening to roars of airplanes and shots. Then, suddenly I heard noise. I felt something was moving outside of my room. But I didn’t know what was moving. The noise became bigger and bigger. I couldn’t help remembering a scary scene in the war movie. I couldn’t move and held my stuffed bear. But my stuffed bear couldn’t help me, because it couldn’t move too. I froze on my bed with my teddy bear.

After a while, the sound stopped. I was a little relieved and I went out of my room in order to check the cause of noise. I walked through the dark hallway alone.

In the kitchen water was dropping slowly. Then something moved again with big sounds. I was upset and went back to my room, but I couldn’t open the door of my room, because my hands were so wet with sweat.

At that time, the door of the room next to mine opened slowly with dull sounds. It should not open, because the student in the room was not here. I knew she went back to her country during summer vacation. I cried out for help. Then the student who standing in front of me cried out too.

After that, I learned she came back to Japan earlier and used the washing machine at night.

The Door of my Apartment

By Himeka Fuchi

One day, I went home after my part-time job. It was already dark, so I ran home.

I was panting when I arrived at my apartment. I inserted the key and I tried to open the door.

However, when I grasped the doorknob, the door opened. I was surprised, because I didn’t turn the key, yet. I felt a spine-tingling chill. I thought that someone was in my home.

So, I called my friend who lived next door and entered the room together, but there was no one. I called my mother on the phone and talked about this thing. My mother was afraid.

Two hours later, the bell of my home rang. I thought of a man who wanted to open my house standing with a knife in his hand. I didn’t open the door. The dell rang many times. My heartbeat was faster, but it didn’t stop ringing. So, I reluctantly peek at the peephole and I could see two policemen there. I got quite relieved to discover so and opened the door.

The policeman said it might be a case, but I wanted to believe that I had forgotten closing the door. So, I told the policeman that I thought I just had forgotten locking the door and asked him not to worry about it.

The next day, when I went to university, I double checked the lock with my friend. I thought that everything would be okay.

I went to my part-time job, and came back as usual at night. I said to myself that that day everything would be okay, and I told it to myself again and again.

However, when I grasped the door, the door was not locked. The door was not locked. It was the second time that the door was not locked. I felt a spine-chilling fear. This time I didn’t forget locking the door because I had my friend check the door closed. I thought that my house was in danger and I couldn’t live in this house. So, I stayed at my friend’s house for a while.

Phone calls at Night

By Shusuke Toda

It was a humid and spooky night. I was exhausted in my apartment. On that night at about half past eleven, I got a phone call from the number I didn’t know. I did not answer. Then I just left it and went to bed since I had class the next day, but my phone started to ring again in the mid-night. It made me little scared so I tried to pretend I could not hear.

The phone stopped ringing but after a while I heard the noise of something knocking outside. I listened to the sound since I could not sleep because of the mysterious phone call. I noticed that the sound was the noise of someone or something knocking on my window. I could not believe it because my room had a porch and the porch was about three meters high from the ground! It made me more scared, but the terrible night would not finish.

The phone call came again from the same unknown number. I was freaking out by the phone call and the knocking of the window. I wanted to try to ask my friend for help, but my phone was ringing at the moment and I was afraid my phone was hacked.

I tried to run away out of my house. Just I was about to to get out of my house, I heard another knocking sound knocking on the next door. It came closer and closer to my door. I was locked in my room without a way to get out of the house or to call someone for the help. I was so scared in the house alone.

I went to the bed and crawled inside the bed trying to pass this horrible night and wait for the light of the shining morning, but I heard another sound in the knocking of the window, door, and the phone.

I thought I was going mad because of the noise. Then I found the origin of the sound. It was my alarm. I was just having a horrible nightmare.

My New College Life in America

My New College Life in America

February 17, 2020

By Yui Yoshioka

Wenatchee Valley College

It has been a month since I started my new life in Wenatchee Valley College. I found many differences between Japan and America. Also, there were some difficulties and a lot of great experiences.

One thing I noticed is the difference between the number of courses to take in a week. I have only three courses a week. The three courses are English Writing, Career Life Planning, and English Communication. Each course has a class every day and one class is only for 60 minutes. Although the number of the courses is less, I get a lot of homework after every class.

I was surprised at the number of courses that I must take in the United States, because I used to take ten or more courses while I was in Japan. At the University of Shimae, I had many different courses every day, and one class meeting was 90 minutes.

It is hard for me to speak in class. So far I think that I am not good at group work because my classmates speak very fast and it is difficult to say my opinions quickly. So I raise my hand and answer to the teacher’s questions sometimes. In order not to fail to hear important things, I record my instructor’s voice in every class and listen to it when I come back to my dorm. On Tuesday and Thursday, free tutoring is offered for the international students. I usually ask questions to my tutors about difficult points of my homework.

The life in my dormitory is comfortable and I made many friends there. My roommate Chris is a nice person. He gives me his sodas, apples, and cookies sometimes. There is a common kitchen, and when I cook dishes, I often meet someone who lives in the same floor, and conversation begins. This is my way of making friends. I usually cook some sort of spaghettis such as tomato sauce, and cheese sauce. Recently, we decorated our common area for Halloween. This kind of events make me feel I am really in the American culture.

In my free time and during weekends, I usually go shopping. Fortunately, the students of WVC can ride on every bus for free of charge, so I use the bus to a supermarket. I like to buy fruits. Wenatchee is famous for apples, so if you come here, you should try them. They are very good! When I miss Japanese foods, I buy chicken, teriyaki sauce, and rice which can be cooked with microwave, and cook a bowl of teriyaki chicken. I also like to explore the town. I’ve been to Town Toyota Center, which is the biggest skate rink in Wenatchee, Pybus Market, and Columbia River. I went there by free bus and each place is very good.

My life in Wenatchee, including studying, is extremally enjoyable! I want to try many new things while I am here and I will keep studying hard to be able to use English fluently.

Shimane Students Experience Canadian Culture

Shimane Students Experience Canadian Culture

February 17, 2020

English Lessons and Homestay in Vancouver, Canada Eighteen students of the University of Shimane participated in a cross-cultural understanding course during summer in 2019 by joining an intensive English language program hosted by Langara College in Vancouver, Canada. The students had amazing experiences with their host families and students from other countries.

Overcoming my fear of speaking English

By Kaito Takechi

At the beginning I felt nervous because I was not good at speaking English. And I didn’t know what it was like to live in a house in Canada. However, when I first met my host mother, I felt instantly at ease because when my name was called, my host mother said to me, “Oh blonde hair boy!” and all my classmates and teachers laughed. So I felt relaxed. I thought she was a fantastic lady who had a great sense of humor. She was very nice and made me feel comfortable by talking to me gently on our way to her house.

However, I still had my fear of talking with my host family. So on the first day in Vancouver, as soon as my host mother finished telling me how to use the bathroom, when the dinner starts, and how to go to Langara College, and so on, I immediately went to my room and closed the door so that I did not need to meet my host family.

On the second day and third day, I was still nervous due to the same reason that I had to use English all the time in the house.

But my host mother kept trying to understand what I wanted to say. She was always calm and always cheerful. She laughed a lot. Her kindness gave me a courage to speak English. I started to talk with my host family in English.

While I was in my room and being alone, I asked myself why I paid so much money for coming to Vancouver? I thought hard, but the answer was simple. My answer was that I wanted to improve my English skills through this program! After realizing what I really wanted to do, I always tried to stay in the living room to talk with my host family in English, when I’m in the house.

Two weeks passed, and I realized myself enjoying talking with my host family about host family’s cat Rio, culture, places to visit in Vancouver, where I would go and where I went on the day, what I bought, and so on. I truly enjoyed talking with my host mother and I felt using English improved my English speaking skill.

Gradually the final day in Vancouver approached, and I felt I did not want to go back to Japan, and I wanted to stay in Canada longer like one year or more.

Now I am grateful for my host mother because she made my Canadian life enjoyable. Thanks to my host mother, all the things went well! I think I overcame my fear of speaking English.

On the last day I was sad because I need to say good bye to my host family. So I wrote a letter for each family member. My host mother enjoyed reading my letter and said, “You can come back to our house anytime.” When I have time and money in the future, I would like to go to Canada to meet my host family to say “Long time no see!”

Overcoming my asking for help

By Yuko Madono

I had a scary experience in Vancouver. My homestay family’s house was located in the suburb of Vancouver and I needed to ride on a bus for 45 minutes. One day, I rode on a usual bus and paid attention to the display that showed the bus stop’s name. On that day there were not many passengers on the bus and the bus did not make many stops. I saw the name of my bus stop, so I got off.

However, the place where I got off was not at the usual bus stop. The scenery was completely different.

I managed to confirm my whereabouts, but I did not have Wi-Fi and there are no stores around, so I became anxious. But I kept walking because I was worried of asking people for directions. But after all, it didn’t help. I was completely lost. I was becoming very scared. It was getting late. I decided to ask for help.

I saw a woman and stopped her. I said to her that I was lost. Then, the woman kindly taught me how to go and then I could finally got home after walking about 10 minutes. I felt relieved to see something familiar.

Thanks to the woman, I was helped. It was very scary to get lost in land I don’t know, but I thought it was important to ask people with courage.

While I was in Vancouver, I had some troubles, but people were always very polite. I realized that there were many kind people who would were willing to help.

Bothering others means trusting others

By Kazuki Enomoto

When I woke up in the bed of my host family’s house in the morning of the second day in Canada, I realized that I did not have an important bag with me. The bag contained the important item for overseas travel: my passport. I turned pale. I usually try to solve problems by myself, but I immediately reported to the teacher by LINE because this was serious. Unfortunately, she did not reply.

It was early in the morning, but I wanted to tell this incident to my host family, so I went downstairs and waited in the living room for everyone to wake up.

Then my host father came down. After I greeted good morning, I immediately said to him, ”I lost my important bag, so I would like to go to college.” He said, “Today I was supposed to guide you to Vancouver, but would you like to go to college?” I tried to convey my problem in my own English, but I couldn’t think of good words at all and the silence continued between him and me. I thought that I needed to locate my passport immediately, and I used a translation app to communicate my problem. The host father kindly contacted the college and talked to a teacher instead of me. The teacher found the bag in the classroom where we had an orientation program in the previous night. I got the bag on the next day and found my passport.

Another incident happened on the 15th day of my stay in Vancouver. On that weekend I went to Stanley Park, where I decided to ride on a bike. I rented a bicycle and went along the bike lane around the beach. I approached a small roundabout, and I tried to make a turn, so I just applied a little brake, but I was speeding too much and I lost my balance and my body flew forward.

I was struck to the ground so hard. It was so sudden and violent that I could not tell how things happened.

People came near me immediately. Two men and women who seemed to be old couples and one young woman rushed to me immediately. At first, I heard many things in English quickly, but I did not have the translation app, so I was in trouble. They asked if I was okay with pointing their knees, because I injured my knees. They also asked me where I rented the bicycle and they help me to return the bike. Fortunately, the accident was not very serious and I only hurt my knees a bit. I sweat more in talking to them in English.

After staying in Canada for a month, I was able to experience the warmth and kindness of people overseas. My host family, my teacher and people in Stanley Park were very nice to me. They did not hate my bothering them. I think I learned a lesson that I was able to overcome troubles by trusting people. I usually act alone because I do not want to bother others, but I think it’s okay to bother others.

Goblins and an Old Man with a Lump

February 17, 2020

Kim Seung Mi

University of Ulsan

In Korea, This is a story about goblins.

An old man with a lump on his cheek went walking deep inside a mountain alone one day until eventually darkness came. Being alone in the middle of the mountain made him frightened, so he started to sing a song to get over his fear, and then suddenly, threatening looking goblins appeared.

The old man begged them to save his life then the goblins ordered him to sing the song again. They danced with his song and when it was over, they asked the old man what was the secret for his singing. The old man touched his lump, which was out of habit, but the goblins thought the lump was the secret. He denied it, but the goblins never listened. They gave the man a treasure and took his lump off.

The day after, the story of the old man went through the village, and a greedy old man with a lump on his cheek heard that too. The greedy old man went to the exact same place at night and sang a song. The goblins came again. The greedy old man said, “My lump has all the merry songs in the world. I will give you my lump if you give me enough gold.” But these goblins already knew the truth because the very lump they took off the other day was not the secret for singing well. Then, the main goblin ordered his friends to give the lump they had on the cheek of the greedy old man. Also, they scolded him with their bats. The greedy old man got one more lump on the other cheek instead of getting rid of his old lump.

In this story, the greedy old man tried to take off his lump but he got one more lump instead. “I tried to take it off, but I put it on instead” is one of the well-known old sayings in Korea. Whenever someone uses tricks to take the easy way, but finally has more difficulties, we use it for him or her. This saying is a warning so that we do not cheat others and be honest to each other.

Teahwagang (Teahwa River) National Garden

February 17, 2020

University of Ulsan

Hong Woo Jin

Imagine feeling nature in the middle of the city. In a busy urban life, a park in the city allows us to relax and heal. In Ulsan, there is Taehwagang (Teahwa River) National Garden. On July 11, 2019, Taehwagang Park in Ulsan was selected as a national garden and it is South Korea’s second national garden.

During Japanese occupation, bamboo was planted at the Teahwa River in order to prevent floods and a small park was formed around the bamboo forest. The city of Ulsan has gradually developed Taehwagang Park for its citizens. They built a walkway where citizens could take a walk, rest, and exercise.

But there were some problems at first. Originally, the Taehwa River was a very polluted river. There used to be a bad smell, too. So, the city of Ulsan tried for a long time to improve the water quality of the Taehwa River. As a result, salmon and yellowfin returned into the Teahwa River and it became a ‘river of life.’

Later, the city of Ulsan tried to develop Taehwagang Park, which was finally selected as a national garden. Teahwagang National Garden has an area of 835,452 square meters, and is divided into eight sections: ecological garden, bamboo garden, seasonal garden, aquatic garden, participatory garden, mugunghwa garden, green garden and convenience facilities.

In spring, the flower garden in Taehwagang National Garden offers a splendid scenery created by over 60 million spring flowers including poppies, cornflowers, and golden coreopsis. It is the largest single riverside flower garden in the country.

Taehwagang National Garden, where citizens can relax, take a walk and feel nature in the center of the city, is one of the best tourist attractions to visit when people come to Ulsan. For those who read this article, I recommend visiting Taehwagang National Garden if you come to Ulsan.

The International Students Support Club, HOW.U

February 17, 2020

Somin Im

University of Ulsan

Have you ever experienced studying abroad? These days, the number of international students studying in Korea is increasing every year. Especially, the University of Ulsan is currently interacting with more than 50 universities abroad, so more and more foreign students come to the University of Ulsan to study. However, living in an unfamiliar country with no acquaintances and taking classes in different language can be challenging. To solve these problems, there is a student club called HOW.U which assists international students to adapt to the Korean life.

HOW.U is a club under the University of Ulsan, International office. The name of the club stands for ‘Hang Out with Us’, which means everyone is welcome to visit and hang out. The main function of this club is to help international students who need assistance at school or in their daily lives. For example, students with lack of Korean skills who might have problems reading and filling out documents in Korean, when opening a bank account or registering for an alien registration card.

Another function of HOW.U is planning and organizing events for both international and Korean students. Every semester, members of HOW.U make plans for fresh and enjoyable events for all students to join. One of the best events was the ‘World food festival’, because students from different countries were able to introduce their food and everyone could taste new foods and learn about various cultures. Also, there are events like ‘Welcoming Parties’, ‘Sports Day’, ‘Movie Night’ and ‘Experiencing Korean Holidays’.

With the help of HOW.U, international students can easily make friends and adapt to the Korean culture. At the same time, Korean students in University of Ulsan can experience various foreign cultures through the events and become friends with foreign students. This club gives great opportunities for both international and Korean students who want to communicate with each other, and comes highly recommended for those wishing to settle into life at the University of Ulsan.

Apple’s Latest and Most Popular Items

Apple’s Latest and Most Popular Items

February 17, 2020

Choi Yeji

University of Ulsan

A few weeks ago, Apple released iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. However, which one is better between the two new products? There are several differences between the two iPhones.

First of all, the cameras are different. The iPhone 11 has a dual-camera system with an ultra-wide camera that can zoom out for sweeping landscapes or vast interiors. In contrast, the iPhone 11 Pro has a triple-camera system that is able to add a Telephoto lens for pro-level portraits and the ability to zoom in on distant subjects like wildlife and sporting events.

Second, they have a difference in battery life. The iPhone 11 gives an impressive all-day battery life that can be used for up to 17 hours. The iPhone 11 Pro on the other hand provides 18 hours which represents a major leap forward of up to four more hours of battery life than iPhone XS.

Third, they are different in water resistance. The iPhone 11 is water-resistant to a depth of two meters for 30 minutes. On the other hand, the iPhone 11 Pro works to a depth of four meters for the same minutes.

Lastly, they present different storage spaces. Both of the iPhones supply 64GB and 256GB, but 128GB is only available for the iPhone 11, and 512GB is exclusively for the iPhone 11 Pro. Given these points, consumers should compare different features between the two devices before they purchase them.

Christmas

February 17, 2020

Ko Yoon Hee

On October 1st, I found again that getting ready is essential for success. I got a job offer from the company I will enter after graduation from university this April. The company held a “newbie ceremony” at its building called the Comprehensive Center in Osaka on October 1st for new recruits.

One day, I was given a mission by the human resources employee before the ceremony was held. The mission was to read an address replying beck to the president’s encouragement one for the new recruits. When I got the call, I felt honored, but at the same time, a little nervous, too. Referring to two previous addresses sent to me, I wrote an original one, and sent it to the company to check. After making sure my address was suitable for the ceremony twice, the time when I would have to read it got closer. Not to read it out loud with a shaking voice, I decided to practice reading and to give myself confidence. I went to a karaoke booth alone with my address paper and read it again and again through a microphone. That was the first preparation I did by myself for success.

My second form of preparation happened on the day, October 1st. I arrived at the center two hours earlier than the opening of the ceremony since I planned to practice the actions in the ceremony and read out loud the address. One HR employee and I did it together, and that was helpful because I could imagine how to behave during the ceremony. After having lunch with him, at 1:00 pm, the ceremony finally started. It’s held in a medium-sized hall, 23 new recruits including me were in the hall and 10 board members sat in front of us. After the introduction of each board member, the receiving of the offer confirmation, and then the president’s address, my turn came. I was not nervous but confident because I knew how to walk in the front of the president, read out loud the address, and fold the paper to give him, so I carried out the mission. Practicing those steps was the factor for my success. Without this practice, I would have felt more nervous and would have not been that confident when I was in front of all the participants.

CTherefore, I was able to realize again that to keep practicing is the huge factor for succeeding. Those two steps -reading out loud alone in the karaoke box and practicing with a partner in the real situation- gave me confidence and better understanding of what to do in the ceremony. Getting ready for the actual performance is necessary for the success.

BTS Unites the World with Music

BTS Unites the World with Music

February 13, 2020

Lee Yun Ah

University of Ulsan

It is said by some, that BTS is like the Beatles of the present generation. Of course, there are so many K-pop idols in Korea, but why has the world gone crazy for BTS, and what are the reasons for BTS being considered as one of the biggest and most popular groups in the world?

The first reason is due to their sincere communication with their fans. They usually communicate with each other via SNS and various applications. So, BTS creates a strong emotional bond with fans by sharing their lives and thoughts. Their fandom name is called the ”Army”. It means that BTS and fandom are always with each other because the uniform and army are always together. After all, they have mutually beneficial relationship. When a fan gets good energy from BTS, they give back their love to BTS in various ways.

Secondly, it is due to their good songs and lyrics. Their lyrics are mostly about comforting and touching songs for young people and socially underprivileged people. They also give good messages to people, not only about love songs between men and women. Also, there are many hit songs among them. Moreover, most of the members are good at composing and writing the lyrics, and even producing large portions of the entire album personally. It makes their position shine even higher as true global artists.

Finally, their performance is extraordinary. In fact, the reason for the influx of foreign fans is because of this perfect military dance maneuvers. Most of the songs famous for their perfect military dances can be seen well in strong beat songs such as ”IDOL, DOPE, MIC-Drop, Fake Love, Dionysus and DNA.” Especially, there is a trio called the dance line among them who always center their performances to create perfection with their military dance. In addition, J-Hope, who holds the position as leader of the dance among members, was already famous for dancing in his hometown of Gwangju before his debut. If you are curious about J-Hope’s dance skills, you can watch J-Hope and Becky-G’s remake song of “Chicken Noodle Soup” on YouTube.

Actually, there are many another reasons why BTS is popular. The above are just three reasons why. If you want to know more about BTS, you should join in the “Army”.

Nutrition major students promote health and beauty

Nutrition major students promote health and beauty

January 23, 2020

Students majoring nutrition educated students and citizens at Hamada Campus of the University of Shimane on October 13, 2019, presenting their research results at the University’s school festival open to the public.

Students from the Department of Health and Nutrition presented their research results on the survey of eating habits of college students.

Healthy eating habits

By Ayaka Kawamoto, Moeka Kobayashi, Chihiro Sasaki, Manami Shirao, Rina Sota, and Kanon Tsuji

According to the research conducted by a group of students majoring nutrition, both male and female students look at the energy figure in the label of the nutrition values. They also found boys tended to buy prepared foods at convenience stores more often than girls. Generally speaking, college students tend to consume excessive carbohydrates.

This result is no wonder because many university students live alone in apartments away from their families, feeling cumbersome to cook proper meals every day. College students are busy due to classes and part-time jobs. How can they improve their eating habits? If a student buy a boxed lunch, salad and yogurt at a convenience store, it would be healthier but too expensive.

Based on their research findings, they proposed a wise shopping habit. They suggested that students should buy fruits and dairy products such as oranges, milk and yogurt at a supermarket and keep them in the fridge at home, and that they should eat these when they eat prepared boxed lunch from a convenience store. In this way, students will be able to enjoy a healthier diet with a good balance of nutrition, but it will be still not so expensive.

At the end of their presentation, the young nutrition experts asked the audience which one should combine with spaghetti: potato salad or cut vegetable.

The correct answer is cut vegetable. Thanks to their educational presentation, most of the audience answered correctly. Their educational presentation was a great success!

One male student asked why they were so beautiful, although the answer was obvious. Good food!

The students are aspiring to be certified dietitians when they graduate from college. The Department of Health and Nutrition at the University of Shimane is the first program for registered dietitians in the area.

Beauty from within

By Koharu Ichoda, Saya Sugai and Aiko Maejima

What is beauty? You might think beauty is the result of good make-up and fashion. For young nutrition experts, nutritious foods are the source of beauty. In order to be truly beautiful, you should eat good foods including vegetables and fruits.

The students made a presentation of healthy eating habits using models and panels. They demonstrated how protein contributed to formation of muscles and internal organs in the human body.

They explained to the audience how protein taken into the body from foods were broken down into amino acids in the body and turned into new proteins for the skin, hair and all the parts of the human body. In other words, beauty is the result of this cycle of amino acids.

There are two types of protein. The animal protein is included in meat and fish. The vegetable protein is included in beans and serials. Both types have different health benefits, so it is wise to take in both of them.

They introduced a recipe for beauty as follows:

Tuna toast

Ingredients:

One piece of bread

Half a can of tuna

Half a pack of fermented beans called natto

Appropriate quantity of mayonnaise

1. Apply mayonnaise lightly on bread

2. Spread tuna and natto on the bread

3. Toast it for 3 to 4 minutes

This recipe is easy to prepare. The students hope that male students of Hamada Campus try this recipe. The Hamada Campus has a lot of male students as the major is policy studies.

Natto is a fermented soybean food popular in Japan.

Common purpose and teamwork produce friendship

By Ayaka Joichi, Yu Takayama and Sachika Yashiro

An international collaborative activity between Korean students and Japanese students brought joy of learning and fulfilling relationships among the students majoring in nutrition.

The joint study seminar was conducted in Oki Island, an island off Shimane Prefecture, Japan in July, 2019 by Department of the Department of Health and Nutrition of the University of Shimane.

Three Korean students from Daegu Health College joined in the international study seminar of eating habits in Japan, which was organized in an effort to educate young students to become registered dietitians.

The Korean and Japanese students conducted a survey together to investigate the eating habits of residents in the remote island.

The students had an opportunity to present their results at a local store, but they faced great difficulty of collecting listeners, because they were not able to use a microphone. It was very challenging to gain the attention of shoppers.

The heart-broken students learned to speak louder and to hook the audience with interesting remarks and gestures.

It was very challenging for Korean students to ask questions in Japanese because their spoken Japanese was limited.

Both Korean and Japanese students formed a strong friendship because they stayed under the same roof for three nights. The Korean students cooked breakfast and dinner and they chatted in English and Japanese at night. One night when Japanese students, who were still in the middle of the semester, studied late at night for their final exams, the Korean students brought some fruit for night snack saying “yashoku” which means “meal for night.” The Japanese students were very grateful.

What made the seminar special was the common purpose. The participants in this seminar are young students who want to become nutrition specialists. It was easy for them to overcome linguistic and cultural differences because they were bound together by a common purpose to make the world a better place by promoting health. They felt as if they were part of a team.

The students also visited a facility for disabled people, where they had an opportunity to interact with people of disability, and they were impressed by how people with disabilities contributed to the society.

This joint seminar is part of the international agreement between the University of Shimane and Daegu Health College. The 83 freshmen and sophomores of the Department of Health and Nutrition participated in the exchange with the Korean students.