Thanks to the direct flight, I am possible to get to London in 12 hours. だと思われましたか。
possibleは何かの行為や状況が可能であるという意味であり、人が主語にはなりません。
人を主語にするときは、canなどを使います。 Thanks to the direct flight, I can get to London in 12 hours.
possibleを使う場合は、「私がロンドンまで12時間で行くこと」を主語にして、そのことが可能だという文にします。仮主語のitで始めて、Thanks to the direct flight, it is possible (for me) to get to London in 12 hours.とします。
あるいは、主語を直行便にして、直行便が「私がロンドンまで12時間で行くこと」を可能にする、という文にします。「Oを可能にする」は、make O possibleですが、ここではO（目的語）が長くなるので、仮目的語itを使います。
The direct flight makes it possible (for me) to get to London in 12 hours.
Away from Main Street, it was quiet again. There are narrow streets running parallel with and perpendicular to Main Street. Each of them has a different atmosphere, but they all look traditional.
This is the Oryu Lantern, made of wood. It was used as a beacon for ships in the Edo period.
Finally, I arrived at the Eirakukan Theater, which was established in 1901. It is the oldest drama theater in the northern Kansai region. It is still used for kabuki performances.
It was fun to walk around the building. I was able to see the theater from every angle. I was especially interested in the stage mechanism.
StageAdvertisementsFirst floorView from the second floorNumbered seatsBattensRevolving stageRevolving stage viewed from trap roomDressing room
Izushi is definitely my favorite place! I am looking forward to my next visit.
After leaving Sukyoji Temple, I walked toward Main Street. On the way, I saw a beautiful sake brewery.
As I approached Main Street, I saw more and more people. Main Street was bustling with shops and restaurants. There were many people waiting in line for soba (buckwheat noodles). Izushi is famous for its soba. My mother had recommended a couple of restaurants, and I was planning to have lunch at one of them. However, I wanted to explore the town as much as possible within a limited time. Accordingly, I decided to give up my lunch and continued walking, promising myself I would definitely come back to eat soba some day.
This is Izushi’s landmark, Shinkoro Clock Tower, built in 1871.
In the moat, I saw beautiful carp.
Out of curiosity, I dropped in at the Samurai House. It used to be a chief retainer’s residence in the late Edo period. This building looks one story high, but it is actually not. The building structure has some tricks to protect the residents from their enemies.
I walked down a pathway called History and Academy Walk at the foot of Mt. Ariko. I found some historic sites. The first one I found was the site of a clan school, Kodokan, established in 1775.
Across from it, I found the birthplace of Tsutomu Sakurai (1843-1931), who contributed to the development of weather forecasting.
Past Kyooji Temple, I crossed the bridge. I saw an elegant heron in the brook.
I finally reached the birthplace of Hiroyuki Kato (1836-1916). He was one of the first Japanese who went to Europe to study. He studied the German language and philosophy. He introduced Western ideas to Japan, and contributed to establishing the university system in Japan.
The pathway was very inspiring. I was motivated to study hard, when I was thinking about those passionate and diligent people a long time ago.
After leaving the pathway and walking for a while, I found a beautiful building, Izushi Meijikan. The pseudo-Western style building was built as the county hall in 1887. Now it is used as a museum. Unfortunately, it was closed on that day. I hope to go back.
One of the most impressive places in Izushi was Sukyoji Temple (or Takuan Temple). It was restored in 1616 by a Zen priest Takuan Soho. The crane-and-tortoise garden and the pond were designed and created by him. They were stunning. I loved all the gardens in the temple. They must be beautiful in other seasons, too. I look forward to my next visit.
South GardenBell tower
Photography was not allowed in the inside gardens. They were even more beautiful. They are really worth visiting!
I went on a trip to Izushi. My mother and my maternal ancestors were from this region, so I would often go there when I was young. I felt nostalgic when I got in.
I took the Konotori Express and got off at Yoka Station. Then I took the bus to Izushi.
Getting off at Izushi Bus Station, I passed by two temples. One of them was Fukujoji Temple.
Temple bell
Then, I caught sight of a magnificent view of Izushi Castle Ruins.
On the top of the ruins, there is a shrine called Arikoyama Inari Shrine. I climbed the stone steps through the vermillion gates and reached the shrine. I was all alone at the shrine. It was silent and the air was cool and clear. I really liked the place.
I went down the steps and went further to another shrine called Morosugi Shrine. I found an omikuji box and drew one. Omikuji is a fortune-telling paper strip. Mine was “a little luck.” It said I should study hard, which was very convincing.
Just before Christmas, one of my students’ mother gave me a beautiful bouquet. It is full of fresh flowers and green leaves. The flowers are enchanting, and their charm is beyond description.
I enjoyed taking photos of the flowers. I was especially fascinated by the velvety texture of the petals.
Everyone visiting my home is enjoying talking around the lovely flowers on the table. Thank you very much!
I visited my parents. In their house, there are many watercolor paintings my mother painted as well as many oil paintings my father painted.
My father took up a new hobby last April. It is oil painting. The truth was, one of my sisters bought some painting tools for my mother. My father mistook them for his. He tried using them while my mother was out. He realized that it was what he had long wanted to do!
When he was young, he wanted to be an artist. However, he did not realize his dream because he had to succeed to his father’s business. Now that he is retired, he has got around to working on paintings. He has never taken lessons, so he has developed his own style.
Last summer, he painted a landscape of Salzburg for me. Although I liked it, he did not like it and painted another one last month. I received the new one and hung it on the wall today.
I spent a whole academic year in Salzburg in my early 20s. I went to college, crossing the bridge over the Salzach River, sometimes by bus and at other times on foot. Looking at the painting brings back my happy memories in Salzburg.
On the way to D.C., my BFF, Miss Fairy, and I dropped in at Five Guys and I had a yummy cheeseburger.
We arrived at our hotel in the evening. Entering the guest room, we found everything the same as eight days before. (No wonder! We stayed at the same hotel.) This made me think that the whole trip might have been a dream! Indeed, everything seemed too good to be true. Perhaps, I might have taken a nap in the room eight days before and had a dream of traveling with my BFF and Miss Fairy.
We went to the lounge and had a chat over a cup of tea. We looked back at what we had done during my stay in Virginia. I was surprised at how many things we had done.
The next morning, I found letters on the desk. They were from my BFF. One was for my father and the other was for me. I put them in my bag.
We had breakfast downstairs and went to the airport. We entered a café near the check-in counter and kept chatting until the last minute.
It was really hard to say goodbye to my BFF and Miss Fairy, but I had to. (Even now, just remembering the scene makes me sad.) When I was walking toward the gate, I found a message from Mr. M on my smartphone. Even though I couldn’t see the family, I felt protected by them.
I read the letter from my BFF on the airplane. It was encouraging. I remembered my BFF had always encouraged me since I was a student, and had always been my role model. Her words had always been my treasure.
On the plane, I watched Spiderman movies which Miss Fairy had recommended. The time passed quickly. Before I knew it, I was flying over Hokkaido.
East coast of HokkaidoThe Hidaka mountain rangeTomakomaiFunka Bay and Lake ToyaHakodate was barely visible.
I arrived in Japan. My husband picked me up at the airport. At home, Tiffany was waiting. My husband had prepared dinner for me. During dinner and after that, I was busy talking about all the experiences I had during the trip.
Since the trip, I have always been dreaming of the day when my BFF and her family will come and visit us in Japan. Now I’m enjoying looking for attractive locations and experiences for them!
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