February 15
I visited a temple that I know through a friend to see bantam chickens there. The bantams are unusual chickens and are protected species. They have fluffy white feathers spotted with black dots. We fed them rice and let them sit in our laps. A mother bantam was sitting on eggs in the chicken coop to warm them. I'll be sure to come again when the chicks are born.

December 25
I went to a children's club gathering at the temple. I was excited because the priest was going to demonstrate his trained monkey. The monkey is a two-year-old girl named Fooko. I was amazed that she could jump through hoops even though she was only two years old. The priest told us that training monkeys requires a gentle spirit. I want to meet Fooko again when she's an adult.

October 17
We went to Haigamine Nature Park. Our teacher told us the names of the differentt leaves and trees that we passed as we walked on the hill. We saw leaves that had hair growing on their undersides and leaves that were bigger than my face. At lunchtime, we took a test about the names of the trees, and I earned a "level-three tree expert" ranking. I learned a lot.

November 23
I went to play in a park that has equipment made from bamboo. The park is in a big bamboo grove that has a river running through it. It has an athletic course made from bamboo, swings made from wood, a hammock, and a slide. I like the bamboo athletic course. The bamboo rungs are slippery, and I felt like I was going to fall, but I went over the course again and again. I want to go back in summer and play along the river.

April 18
We went to a park that is sort of far from my house to get some yaezakura double-petal cherry blossoms. We picked lots of other plants and flowers along the way. The long walk made us hungry. For lunch, we had soup that our mothers made in a big pot with miso fermented soybeans, pork, and vegetables. We spread straw mats on the ground to sit on when we ate. Food is extra good when we eat it outside!