I previously mentioned my last name, "Abe", is quite common. I like my first name, "Namiko", because it is not very common, though it is not unusual. It is also nice that it seems to be easy to pronounce for westerners. People sometime ask about the meaning of my name. I wish I could tell them something interesting! Unfortunately my name doesn’t mean anything by itself. The Japanese word "nami" means, "wave," but it is written with a different kanji character from mine. The kanji character "na" is often used phonetically for a girl's name. "Mi" is the character for "beautiful" and "ko" is for "child."

My last name, "Abe", is quite common in Japan. It is ranked 23rd among a hundred thousand Japanese surnames. In North America, I am often called "Abe" like Abraham, but in Japanese it is pronounced as "a-be" with two syllables. There was a Prime Minister Abe a few years ago, though the kanji characters for his name were different from mine. I didn't like my last name much when I was young because it is too ordinary. However, I liked the fact that I was usually the first on the list of names at school. (The Japanese alphabet order goes as "a, i, u, e, o, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko ..., therefore, unless there are names like "Aoki" or "Aihara," "Abe" would be the first. )

My mom recently visited Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido. She said that she enjoyed it very much. Asahiyama Zoo is the northernmost and one of the most popular zoos in Japan. It is known for its unique facilities where visitors can observe and interact with animals. Despite being a small country, Japan has many zoos. Some people might not agree with animals being kept in small cages. However, I do have good memories of visiting zoo's in my childhood. I think the way Asahiyama Zoo is designed is a great way to see animals in a more natural environment. I found interesting to read the comment, of the zoo's director, Masao Kosuge. He says, "I don't want to hear people saying, 'Kawaii! (Cute!)'; I want to hear them saying, 'Sugoi! (Amazing!)'.” Japanese translation

Although September is not cool yet in Japan, I feel autumn has arrived when I hear the sounds of insects in the evening. Compared to the piercing sound of cicadas in summer, many fall insects have such a nice soothing chirp. Fall insects include, "suzumushi (bell-ring insect)," "koorogi (cricket)" "kutsuwamushi (giant katydid)" and so on. There is a children song called, "mushi no koe", which is cute. I wasn’t crazy about insects when I was little, but collecting insects (a beetle and a stag beetle are popular ones) is a fun activity for kids, especially for boys. Japanese translation