Late summer Hits and Misses

Looking for an addition to your next Japanese summer experience? One of Tokyo’s most popular summer festivals takes place only a few minutes away from Sacred Heart! Over a span of two days on August 24th and 25th, the Azabu Juban Noryo Summer Festival attracted thousands of people. While its name “noryo”(納涼), meaning “cool breeze”, suggests a refreshing and tranquil scene, the experience was a busy an...

Even in the most secluded streets, Bon is a time of year that fosters joy and festivity in the residents of Japan. Celebrated at the peak of summer, the Bon festival celebrates and honors the spirits of ancestors.  The Bon celebration in the Choenji Temple, Okamoto, Setagaya-Ku, is a very intimate and friendly event. As a foreigner living near the temple, I am often unaware of the dates that the Bon c...

"Weathering With You" (Tenki-no-ko) is Makoto Shinkai’s new movie following his previous successful hit, "Your Name" (Kimi-no-na-wa), which was released last summer. "Weathering With You" tells the story of a teenage boy called Hodaka Morishima (voiced by Kotaro Daigo), a runaway who wants to escape the countryside and see what Tokyo has to offer. There he meets an enthusiastic yet mysterious gir...

Everyone’s familiar with Disney’s timeless classic, "The Lion King". Many of us watched the film as kids, sang along to the soundtrack, and sat wide-eyed as the African savannah came to life through Disney’s beautiful, fluid, hand-drawn animation — but that was ages ago. In August of 2019, Disney released its live-action remake of the movie, with A-list celebrities like Donald Glover as Simba,...

Being so well-known as a BTS fan — an ARMY — I have to admit that I was a little hesitant to write about the second BTS cinematic documentary “Bring The Soul: The Movie.” But then, I remembered the moment I walked into the theater to watch the movie in Korea.  I remembered that moment not because the screening room was filled with overly fanatical ARMYs covered in BTS merchandise, but bec...

As people who live in the 21st century, we often are busy with tons of things on our plates: schoolwork, club meetings, sports, chores. In this never-ending loop of chaotic days, we sometimes need to pause for a moment, filter all the unnecessary rubbish out, and let in fresh air. A perfect place to do so lies in the centre of Roppongi, one of the busiest commercial districts in Tokyo. The Mori...

On July 24, 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before two congressional panels on the investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. After publishing the 448-page report earlier this year with his team, Mueller soon became a ray of hope for Democrats trying to impeach President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice. On February 17, 2018 the president claimed that...

Most students at Sacred Heart will probably tell you that Family Mart is their go-to place. Either they woke up at 8:00 am and didn’t have enough time to eat breakfast at home, or they want a snack for their train ride home. Just a few days ago, Family Mart reopened their new store, something all students were hyped for. Maybe it was all this excitement that made myself and others expect too much from the interior designers of Family Mart. My friend h...

Disney live actions have a bad rap for being cheesy and generic, like the remake of "Beauty and the Beast". However, "Aladdin" was able to stray away from that assumption and was actually a very captivating family-friendly movie. Disney reshaped the movie by addressing some of the criticisms many people had about the 1992 animation, such as the whitewashing of Middle Eastern culture and major gende...