Obon....America

Recently, students have asked me if there is an obon holiday/festival in America.

No. There is nothing similar to obon that I can think of. Actually, we really don't have a custom to visit graves (at least at a specific time of the year). Some people visit the graves of friends/family at various times throughout the year. For example, on the dead persons birthday, or wedding anniversary if the deceased is a spouse. If a person is Christian, they will most likely pray at home or in church, to their dead loved ones rather than take a trip to the cemetery. The good thing is- they can do this anytime! In general, the grave itself is not so important.

Also, often a person is buried far away from home, or the relatives are all in different places. Some people have "famliy" graves, but some do not. Some people are cremated, others buried.

And...there are many different belief systems and religions in the US, so there are various ways to honor the dead. This is often a private matter to people.

We do have fireworks on the 4th of July (Independence Day). Some towns have summer events- things like strawberry festivals or jazz festivals.
And we have a lot of barbecues and family gatherings throughout the summer. Students have 2 or 3 months off from school, so they have a lot of time to see family, take a vacation, or a day trip to the beach or mountains. Adults will often take a week off of work sometime during the summer.

楽しみ！

～（すろの）を楽しみにする
 I'm looking forward to～

    examples (with a verb):
I'm looking forward to seeing the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
I'm looking forward to studying French.
I'm looking forward to going out with you this weekend.
    or (with a noun)...
I'm looking forward to the weekend.
I'm looking forward to Sunday night.
I'm looking forward to dessert.

Try it!! 

Book Off!!!

Strange name for a bookstore...
Anyway, I went there last night and they have many good English books (easy level books too). Some of them are very cheap. Lots of books for adults and children, and some magazines too. So if you can't afford those high-priced Maruzen books, go check out Book Off!

English times

Noon= 12 o'clock in the afternoon

For example: "Let's meet at the station at noon." 

Midnight= 12 o'clock at night

You cannot use midnight if you are talking about 2 am, or 4 am, or any other random time during the night. It is ONLY for 12:00.
For example:"The new Harry Potter movie starts at midnight." or "I fell asleep at midnight."

So use it carefully. ^-^