にいがたはきれいなです。それからおもしろいです。にいがたのしまのおなまえはさど。にいがたりょうりわシフダやすしです。にいがたはさむいです。たからにいがたは"Ski Area"です。

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Translation: Niigata is a beautiful place. It is also a very interesting place. Niigata has an island called Sado Island. Niigata's cuisine consists of seafood, and sushi. It is a cold place. That's why it's a skiing area.

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Niigata is a prefecture on the western side of Japan, It is known for it's seafood, aquariums, and skiing. It is the fifth largest prefecture with a population of over 2.1 million people. It's major cities include: Niigata city, Nagaoka, Joetsu, and Sanjo. It is a cold and snowy region during the winter hence the ski resorts and contains many tall mountains.

Port of Niigata City:

                                                    Mount Myoko:  

Rinsenji Temple, the family temple of Uesugi:

Japanese Iaido

     Iaido is a non-combative Japanese martial arts form. Users if Iaido preform patterns called "Kata" which represent situations in which the user is confronted by one or more opponenets. Iaido is deeply philosophical, focusing less on actual physical combat and more on mental and physical toughness. Seito Bugei Juku a Iaido dojo states: "The true essence of Iaido is in its emphasis on fostering peace within an individual by learning to use the sword as a tool for self-realization".

Kanji & Family Composition Practice

私はアニメの「いちごさんのかぞく」がすきです。

　いちごさんは四人かぞくです。いちごさんとおとうさんといもとさん二人です。いちごさんは十八さいです。たんじょうびは七月です。こうこうの四ねんせいです。おとうさんは四十六さいです。いもとさんは八さいと十三さいです。いちごさんはまいにち八じごろおきます。それから九じごろこうこうにいきます。ごご八じにいちごのうちにかえります。いちごさんのおとさんのおなまえはいっしんです。いちごさんのいもとさんのおなまえはかりんとゆずです。

Translation：

I like Ichigo's family in anime

    Ichigo has 4 family members. These members include: himself, his father, and his two younger sisters. Ichicgo is 18 years old. His birthday is in July. He is a senior in high school. His dad is 45 years old. His younger sisters are eight and thirteen years old respectively. Everyday Ichigo wakes up around eight o'clock. Then he leaves for school around nine o'clock. At eight o'clock at night Ichigo returns home. Ichigo's dad's name is Isshin. His sister's names are Karin and Yuzu respectively.

(いちごのかぞく -- Ichigo's Family)

Katakana Uses

In scouring the internet for different examples of katakana being used I came across several different interesting websites. I found numerous different uses for Katakana, such as: Loan words, Onomatopoeia, Animal names, Used for emphasis, and Personal names. Below I put together a collage of some of the katakana I came across: