Sometimes I feel happy when I find a part of another person that I can understand.
I like spending time alone, so very close relationships are difficult for me.
But I enjoy a light and gentle connection with others.
When I read a book and think, “Yes, I feel the same,” I feel warm inside.
Maybe this is one reason why I read books.

I read Never Forget! Imagination Classical Japanese by Kaho Miyake.

I have read some books from the “14-Year-Old Survival Guide” series.
They are written for junior high school students, so they are easy to read.
The topics are very different, so I can always find something interesting.

I have taught classical Japanese for a long time, but I still found many new and fun things in this book.
I could feel this because I already know some classical Japanese.
If I did not know who Sei Shōnagon or Murasaki Shikibu were, I would not enjoy this book.
In the end, things we do not know are not interesting.
This is simple, but I realized it again.

If my life feels boring now, maybe I should start by learning something new.
When I learn, my world slowly becomes brighter.

The most impressive part of the book was the relationship between Sei Shōnagon and Empress Teishi.
They had different social positions, but they cared for each other deeply.
They respected each other and treated each other as special.
Their relationship felt very human and warm.
If they had lived without social class differences, I think they would have been best friends.

The world of the Heian court is one thousand years away from us, but the people there were very similar to us.
They loved something, loved someone, felt jealousy, suffered, and laughed.
People have always lived with the same emotions.

I want to share this kind of “fun” in my classes.
Grammar and vocabulary are not the final goal.
They are keys to enjoy the world of classical Japanese.
I want my students to feel this naturally.
If I can stand in the classroom as a “guide of fun,”
that will be my ideal way of teaching.

This book made me want to learn more.