May 5, 2017 with class 603

Today is a special day in Japan. Yes, it is Japan’s Children's Day, but it is also the Dragon Boat Festival, which is quite different from  Taiwan.   For most festivals, we go by solar calendar in Japan, while here in Taiwan, they go by lunar calendar.

In Japan, we will hang carp flags (Koinobori) outside the house,  we put dolls in the niche inside the house,   and we will eat kashiwamochi and chimaki. No kashiwamochi and chimaki can be found in Taiwan, but there are many similar foods. For example, the kashiwamochi, inside which we put some fillings like bean paste,  is like Taiwan's Caozaiguo(草仔粿). It is sticky and chewy.   The food is green, too.  I feel that kashiwamochi tastes good.   It is a filling food.   Only one or two will stuff me.

Today is  May 5.  It is Children's Day in Japan. I talked to  Andy about what we do in Japan on Children's Day.  Andy  talked to me about Children's Day in Taiwan in return.  In Taiwan, Children's Day is on April 4^th.  He said the elementary school would give a piece of cake and presents to students to celebrate Children's Day. When Andy was 7 years old to 9 years old , the school gave the cake and presents to him. The school didn’t give him presents and cakes  any longer after he was 10 years old. Children's Day is a  holiday for elementary school students.   They don’t have to go to school.   Andy held Taiwan’s Children's Day for me to experience the holiday.

We ate cakes and celebrated  Taiwan’s Children's Day. We felt funny because we are not children any more. But today we are happy.  It is  a wonderful memory. Andy  will graduate from Jinshun high school on June 6.    I am getting ready to get back to my hometown, Hiroshima, too.   The principal and two teachers of Jinshan high school will visit Kenritsu Kouchi High School(河內高校), starting on June 13^th.  They will take me along.  I am looking forward to it.