Pumpkin Patch

Many pumpkins were sold at the pumpkin patch for Halloween. I saw it for the first time.

Halloween Party at GRC

We put on a Halloween costume, danced, and ate cake.

Leavenworth: At the Christmas season, there are beautiful Christmas lights around the town. They have many souvenir shops, and the shops have a lot of illumination, too. I really recommend you going there. You can visit there as a school event.

Bellevue Park: The place is lighted up all the seasons. I love the place especially at the Christmas season because the place looks very bright and pretty. The place is safe enough to walk around even at night.

Lunar New Year is traditional Chinese New Year. The day is around February, and it is one of the biggest events in China. My host family celebrates Lunar New Year, when a lot of people came to our house and ate delicious food such as hot pot and fish.

Los Angeles, Colifornia: I went to Los Angeles in California with my friends for 3 days during the winter vacation. On the first day, we enjoyed sightseeing at places such as Santa Monica Beach, Hollywood, and Griffith Observatory. On the second and the third day, we went to Disney California Adventure. The city has a nice cityscape, and it rarely rains and is a warm place. It means they have always great weather. We took a bus or walked to move around. It was hard for us, but we moved around smoothly because the bus drivers and local people were so kind. If you want to know something, you should ask local people for help.

Vancouver, Canada: We also traveled to Vancouver in Canada during the winter vacation. The city is famous for the steam clock, which is lighted up at night, and it made us happy.

Portland, Oregon: We went to Portland in Oregon during the spring vacation. It is an old city, and they have no sales tax. The city is famous for a doughnut shop called “Voodoo Doughnut.” They have many kinds of delicious doughnuts and the cute exterior and interior. Portland has an NBA team and its stadium, and I watched a basketball game there. I was really excited and had a wonderful time.

Great Wheel

We can enjoy Seattle's whole view from its top.

ONE OK ROCK Live

They came to Seattle. The live house was small, so we enjoyed the live from up close.

University of Washington

They have a nice library that became the motif of a Harry Potter movie.

Snoqualmie Falls

It's so big, and we can see it from nearby.

Meals: American food has a lot of coloring, and is high in colories. It means that it isn't as healthy as Japanese food. There are many kinds of religions and nationalities in the US, so American menus tell you about the ingredients of each meal in detail.

Tipping: You need to pay a tip because it's a part of their system. If you don't know how much you should pay, you can use an application for tipping on your phone.

To-Go Box: We don't have a To-Go Box in Japan, but they do in the US. You can take leftovers home when you can't finish the meal in restaurants. It was amazing to me because I had never seen it in Japan.

Buses: There are several major differences about buses between Japan and America. For example, most buses might not run on time, and you have to pull a yellow rope to tell the driver that you want to get off.

Uber, Lift: You can call an Uber and lift, which is like a taxi, by using an application on your phone. I don't think it is cheap, so I recommend taking buses instead.

Barrier Free: They have barrier free doors with a button to open them automatically in schools and some restaurants. They also have a stepping board on buses that can be extended, and the vehicle height can be lower. I think it is easy for everyone to go around.

Homeless People: I saw many homeless people in the US. They often have their signboard saying “I need money.” I don't see them a lot in Japan.

Restrooms: The door of a restroom stall in the US doesn't shut tight as in Japan, and it has clearance gaps all around. The doors are low too. When I used a restroom in America for the first time, I was really surprised about that. I found such American culture interesting.