Summer Gift Campaign 2011

This summer we are having a special gift campaign. From the 15th of July until the 15th of September all students* will receive one free lesson point for every three group lessons taken. So if a student takes a group lesson on July 20th, a group lesson on July 27th and another group lesson on August 2nd the next group lesson will be free. There is no limit to the number of free lessons you can get this way. Man to man students can gain one lesson point for every man to man lesson they take. They can then use this point for a free group lesson or toward the cost of another man to man lesson.

Let's all study together this summer!

Gavin.

*Does not include students in the E.L.I. KIDS program.

My first trip to Kusatsu Hot Spring

Hello everybody! This is my first ever blog post! So, I thought I would tell you all about my recent trip to Kusatsu Hot Spring.

I was invited by my landlady to join her, her friend and granddaughter on a trip to the onsen. I'd never been to Kusatsu before so i jumped at the chance. We left Takasaki on Monday morning and stopped off at a beautiful soba restaurant perched on a cliff over a river. In Kusatsu we stayed in an eleventh floor apartment owned by a friend of my landlady. The air was so fresh and cool in Kusatsu I felt instantly refreshed and relaxed! Almost as soon as we arrived, we went straight to the hot spring. It was so nice! I stayed in the outdoor bath for a long time. That outdoor pool was exactly my image of what a hot spring should be! In the evening we ate out and had another bath before bed.

The following day we woke early (7am?? crazy!) and enjoyed our final hot spring, followed by breakfast. We left the apartment around 10am and our first stop was the Lily park in Tsumagoi. There were so many beautiful lilies in all kinds of colours. The smell was amazing. The park was situated on a ski slope so we rode the ski lift to the top, and walked back down through the flowers. Of course I had to buy a cabbage while I was there as well!

After the Lily park we went to the Onioshidashi (a stream of solidified lava and rocks thrown out of Mount Asama in an eruption) in Karuizawa. We only had enough time to look at it from a distance though before the rain started. I definitely want to go back when I have more time.

Finally, we had a quick look around Karuizawa outlet mall before returning to Takasaki. I had a really good time on the trip. It was really good to get away from the humidity of Takasaki, even for a little while.

Book Review: Echoes Of The Great Song

Title: Echoes Of The Great Song

Author: David Gemmell

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended E.L.I. 高崎 level: Intermediate plus and above.

Echoes Of The Great Song tells the story of a fantasy world ruled by a race of immortals called Avatar. The Avatar live in great comfort and use the other races on their world as slaves until a great catastrophe destroys their power source. After the disaster, the Avatar struggle to keep their place as the rulers of the world, fighting with other tribes for control of land. Then, a mysterious event happens and the world of the Avatars is invaded by a race that are even more powerful than the Avatar themselves. They must fight together with the other tribes to protect their homeland.

I really enjoyed Echoes Of The Great Song. It's fast-paced and has some great characters. David Gemmell often writes about characters that are neither good nor bad but somewhere in the middle. I always find these types of characters interesting and I've enjoyed several of Gemmell's books. If you enjoy heroic fantasy such as The Lord Of The Rings, then I recommend this book.

Echoes Of The Great Song is available in the E.L.I. lending Library.

New Location

Hello,

In mid July E.L.I. 高崎 moved to a new location. We have closed the old school and we are now closer to the station. Click here for a map. We are now just a few minutes walk from Takasaki station. The new school is about 5-10 minutes walk from Aramachi car park so we will be using the car park tickets that we had before. Here are some pictures of the new school.

New Homepage

We have a new homepage. You can now find us at

http://www.eli-takasaki.jp

Music Lounge: August

Iggy and The Stooges



The Stooges were formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The original line up was Ron Asheton (guitar) and his brother Scott (drums), their friend Dave Alexander (bass guitar) and vocalist Iggy Pop. The Band played their first concert in 1967 and were originally known as The Psychedelic Stooges.


Early in the band's career they were keen to experiment with new kinds of music. Iggy Pop used a blender and a vacuum cleaner to create feedback on stage. Iggy also became famous for his strange behaviour on stage. He would sometimes rub raw hamburger meat and peanut butter on his bare chest and also cut himself with broken glass.


In 1969 The Stooges released their debut album, The Stooges, but the album was not very successful and most music critics were unimpressed. A year later the band fired Dave Alexander because he arrived at a music festival too drunk to play his instrument. The band hired a new bass player and also added a saxophonist to the group. Around this time all of the band members except Ron Asheton had started using drugs. This led to The Stooges being dropped by their record label and the break up of the band.


In 1972, Iggy met David Bowie and the two became friends. Bowie helped The Stooges get a new record deal and they reformed as Iggy and The Stooges. Using this new name the band released their third album Raw Power, which became one of the major influences in early punk rock. Unfortunately, by 1974, Pop's drug problem had again become uncontrollable and the band broke up for the second time.


Following the break up of the band, Iggy began a solo career while the other band members played or worked with various other bands. In 2003 Iggy reunited with the Asheton brothers to play a series of live shows across the United States and Europe. In 2007 the band released a new album, The Weirdness, and continued touring until 2008. In 2009, Ron Asheton died in his home of a heart attack. He was sixty years old.


August's music lounge will be on Saturday the 29th of August at 16:00.


See you there,


Gavin.

Music Lounge

Good Evening,

After the success of the last few special lounge sessions, we have decided to make them a regular part of the lounge schedule.

Starting from August, the last Saturday of every month will have music lounge at four o' clock. The first will be on Saturday the 29th of August.

Every week I'll choose a different artist or band to discuss. We'll talk about the history of the band/artist and their impact on popular culture. We'll also listen to a couple of songs.

I'm also going to start a new feature on the blog to give you more information about Music Lounge. Every month I'm going to write a 'primer' to give you some information about the featured artist of that months lounge. I'll tell you a little about the artist and post some links to some interesting websites.

See you there,

Gavin.