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I visited Taiwan alone last month on my winter vacation. I stayed at a hostel that had a lot of people from all over the world. We got to know each other, chatted, and spent time together every night. I made friends, ate delicious food, experienced Taiwan’s culture, and visited many places. The most impressive place I visited was Chiufen. This place was used as a model for a scene in one of the most famous Japanese animation movies by Hayao Miyazaki. I went there with my friends on Christmas night. I saw a hundred lights from the top of a mountain, and the view was totally romantic, beautiful, and amazing. I still feel impressed by it. I had a great time! Why don’t you visit Taiwan?  (written by student Miss Kaneda, edited by Professor Douglas Jarrell)
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▼　Chiufen on Youtube:

Notes:
line up 列に並ぶ;
barbershop 床屋;
public bath 銭湯;
the Red and White Year-end Song Festival 紅白歌会戦;

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It’s almost the end of the year, and in Japan, everyone is cleaning. Workers are cleaning their offices. People are cleaning their houses and washing their windows. Drivers line up at gas stations for a car wash. Men are going to the barbershops to get a haircut. My wife tells me that when she was a child, she used to run to the public bath after watching the Red and White Year-end Song Festival on TV on New Year’s Eve for the last bath of the year. Cleaning is such a big part of the Japanese new year.　(by Professor Douglas Jarrell)
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