Hey, it’s Jason.

Throughout June, in our junior high classes, we talked about our hobbies.
６月は中学生クラスで趣味について話したよ。

Some students enjoy collecting different things, other students like idols, but some students don’t have any hobbies. We talked about some strange hobbies around the world. Do you know about extreme ironing? In Japan some people enjoy “drainspotting”. Do you know it?
なにかのコレクターだったり、アイドルのファンだったり。でも何人かは趣味という趣味はないみたいだったね。
世界の変な趣味で盛り上がったよ。「エクストリームアイロン」って知ってる？日本ではマンホールにハマってる人もいるみたいね。知ってた？

One hobby, which I started a few years ago, is hiking.
僕が数年前から始めた趣味はハイキング。

If I have free time on the weekends, I try to go hiking. I like to hike because I enjoy being outdoors, and the quietness in the mountains. Sometimes I go to mountains in Shizuoka, and sometimes I go to mountains which are further away.
週末に時間があるときは、ハイキングに行くよ。外の空気や山の静寂を楽しめてとてもいいよ。
静岡の山や、少し遠く離れた山に行くこともあります。

In June, I went on a hike to Akadake. Akadake is on the border of Yamanashi and Nagano. The mountain is almost 3,000 meters high.
６月は赤岳に行きました。山梨と長野の境にある山だよ。約3000ｍ。

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The hike to the top of the mountain was really tiring. When I arrived at the top, the scenery was so beautiful. I could see Mount Fuji, and the Japanese Northern Alps. It was a long and challenging hike, but the scenery made it worth it.
頂上に行くのはかなりの挑戦。頂上に着いたときの景色はとーっても綺麗だったよ。富士山も見えたし、日本北アルプスも見えた。長くてチャレンジングなハイキングだったけど景色がもう本当に価値のあるものだった。

I’m looking forward to talking to the students more about their hobbies, and I want to tell them about my hobbies too. If we talk about the things that we are interested in using English, I think it’s a good way for students to stay motivated.
こどもたちともっと趣味の話をするのが楽しみだな～！僕の趣味の話もしたいし。英語でこどもたちの興味のあることを話せたら、モチベーションUPにもつながると思うな。