Weihnachtsmarkt at Umeda Wondersquare

Today was the opening day of the German Christmas Market in Umeda, Osaka. The German Consulate are hosting it. It was a lovely atmosphere, and I'm sure I'll go back!

It was funny to listen to the opening speeches in Japanese and German. Some of the stalls were being run by Germans. With some of the Japanese owners even, I wasn't sure if they weren't in fact Japanese-German.

More photos at the left link.

CosmoTower, Osaka Bay WTCコズモタワー、大阪

It was a beautiful clear evening, with a full moon, so I decided to have a wander around the Osaka Bay area. I went up to the 55th floor of the Osaka World Trade Centre CosmoTower, and took this picture. And then I went down to the 51st floor which I had all to myself and phoned Mum and Dad. Phone call with a view!

On the way down from the 55th floor, the elevator was glass - strange feeling!

嵐山と嵯峨野 Arashiyama and Sagano

今日嵐山に行った。紅葉がすごく美しい。もっと写真が左リンクにある。

Today I went to Arashiyama. The autumn colours were absolutely beautiful. More photos at the left link.

Many of the pictures are of the landscape garden at Tenryuju Temple. The garden is known as the Sougenchi Garden, and is one of the oldest in Japan, retaining the same form as when it was designed by Musou Soseki in the 14th century. It was the first Special Historical Scenic Area named by the Japanese government, and was designated by the UN as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1994.

Sanda Shopping Mall

Just trying to show that this mall is in the middle of nowhere, but it doesn't give an indication of size, because there is not only a big 4 storey shopping mall, but also an outlet mall behind...

Not such a smart dog...

Really, it doesn't sound like such a smart dog if it meows...

早起き Getting up early

ああ、早起きがたいへんだよ！土日が早初めと長道程、だからちょっと疲れた！でも、三田の道程がとても美しい。仕事に行くがお休みのようだ！毎日山に葉がますます美しいなっている。

Oh, I'm telling you, it's tough getting up early! It's an early start and a long journey on Saturdays and Sundays, so I'm getting somewhat tired! But the trip to Sanda is absolutely beautiful, I might be going to work but it feels like a holiday! Every day, the autumn colours are becoming more and more beautiful in the mountains.

神戸 Kobe

今朝、神戸に行って、餃子レストランに定食をたべた。もっと写真が左リンクに有る。

This morning I went to Kobe and had a set lunch at a gyoza restaurant. More photos at the left link.

淀川 Yodo River

町に歩いて、日本語の試験本を買った。これは淀川。

I walked into town and bought a Japanese test book. This is Yodo River.

京都 Kyoto

今日、京都に行って錦市場と銀閣寺を見て哲学の道を歩いた。美しかった！
写真が左リンクに有る。

I went to Kyoto today, and looked round the food market at Nishiki, went to the Silver Pavilion, and walked along the Philosopher's Path. It was beautiful! More photos at the left link.

大日学校

This is the shopping mall that houses the Osaka Dainichi school. As you can see, the mall goes off the edge of the photo on both sides. It was very big, but actually smaller than the mall in Kobe Kita.

Wow!

Gosh, I'm working in a HUGE shopping centre!

First journey to Sanda

Today is my first day at work here. Sanda is the school north of Kobe, and a bit of a trek. Much of the journey was through whacking great tunnels - the Japanese attitude to building train lines is that if there's a mountain in the way, it's best to bore a hole through it...

In the respite between tunnels, the trees on the mountainside were starting to change colour, should be beautiful soon. At the foot of the mountains were rice fields. And of course, although the countryside, lots of houses still!

This being my first day at a far school, I left plenty of time. Good job as I just missed the half-hourly bus. Bit of a difference from Tokyo! Sanda seems to be a decent-sized town with a department store. I'm working at a school in an out-of-town shopping centre.

Now on the bus...

道頓堀 Doutombori

道頓堀が大阪の有名なレストラン通り。お昼においしお好み焼きを食べた！

Doutombori is Osaka's famous restaurant street. I had delicious okonomiyaki for lunch!

大阪のアパート Osaka flat

これは大阪アパートだ！私のアパートが４階に有る。ドアから梅田スカイビルを見れる。

This is my flat in Osaka! I'm on the 4th floor. I can see the Umeda Sky Building (two towers with a hole in the middle) from my door.

大阪の旅 Osaka trip

さて、今日新幹線で大阪に行っている。晴れから、ちょうどに富士山を見た！

Well now, today I'm on my way to Osaka by shinkansen. Because it's fine, I just saw Mount Fuji!

吉報 Good news!

先週にわかに、一月間大阪に働く機会があった。すごいね！もちろん、この機会をとらえた！だから、来月に、大阪に働く。週4日間制で働いて、3日間の休暇をとる。楽しみ！！！

Last week, completely out of the blue, an opportunity came up to work in Osaka for a month. How fantastically lucky is that?! Naturally I jumped at the chance, so in November I'll be working in Osaka! I'll work a four day week, with 3 days off. I'm really looking forward to this!!!

及ばずながら頑張ります！ I'll do my best!

この間勉強から忙しいだ。だから、ブログに書けない。成功を確信している時、また始める。でも、今試験前に余りの一か月半が有る。今、全部がまだ難しいから、練習の試験に及第点だけ取れる。

I'm really busy at the moment with study, so I can't write the blog. When I feel confident of passing, I'll start again. But now I only have 1.5 months left until the exam and, because everything is still difficult, at the moment I can only just reach the passmark...

子供の新聞 Newspaper for children

さいきん、友だちが子供の新聞をくれた。意味は振り仮名がある。そうかと言って新聞を読みなのにJLPT3が成功してない。でも、子供の新聞やマンガや勉強を読んで楽しい。 これまでは一週で新聞の扉しか読まない！

Recently, a friend gave me a children's newspaper. This means that it is written in kanji with the furigana (Japanese reading) alongside. That said, even though I'm doing lots of reading, it won't help me pass the JLPT3. But it's enjoyable!　So far, I'm only reading the front page each week!

エッシャーの展示、佐倉市 Escher Exhibition, Sakura

日曜日に佐倉の美術館に行きエッシャーの展示に見た。楽しかった。

Went to Sakura to see an Escher exhibition - very enjoyable!

新H&M New H&M store

ああ、ヤッダア！今日新銀座H&M店を見たかったけどすごく長列があった。じゃあ、祝日だよ！

Youch, no chance! I wanted to look at the new H&M shop in Ginza, but there was a VERY long queue. Well, I suppose it is a public holiday, of course!

御宿、月の砂漠 Onjuku, Desert of the Moon

(The camel statues are Onjuku's symbol. They were built in 1969 to commemorate a children's song composed in 1923. They are called 'Desert of the Moon' 月の砂漠

In 1609, a ship en-route from Mexico to the Philippines got shipwrecked and the crew was rescued by the village. This led to Onjuku now being twinned with Acapulco.)










今日早起きだって御宿に行った。

御宿に0830着いてビーチに歩いた。電車で二時半間くらいだった。早くて疲れたけど気持ちがよかった！仕事がない、うれしい！

でも、御宿がまあまあと思った。。。千葉県の海岸は銚子のほうがいいと思う。あちらにきれいで荒海がある。
されでも、御宿でサーファーとか波を見れたからリラックスさせられた。

I got up early today and went to Onjuku. I got there at 0830 and walked to the beach. It took about 2 and a half hours by train including changes. Although it was early, it was a nice feeling to be up and out. No work today, it's good!

However, I did feel that Onjuku wasn't anything special... Within Chiba, I think Choushi is better - more wild and beautiful. Still, watching the surfers and the waves made me feel relaxed...

東京の丸の内の牛 A few cows from the Cow Parade, Marunouchi, Tokyo

Just a few cows from the Cow Parade that's in the Marunouchi area of Tokyo this week (see link to the side). 左リンクを見て下さい。

おはよ！ 'Morning!

さて、約束したから今日日記に書く。今日が休みだ、確か少し勉強をするつもりだ。
今週が会合で満ちて。明日は社長が学科を観察する、そして木金曜日で朝会合がある、めんどくさい！

Well, I did say that I would write more in the blog! Today I have a day off so I'm going to do a bit of study. This week is full of meetings - tomorrow I have a lesson observation and then Thursday and Friday a couple of morning meetings, which is going to be a bit tiring...

Update 最新

Right... It's been way way too long since I posted on this blog properly, so just to let you know that I'm going to start again! これから日本語の勉強新たに始める！ほんとに！(このポストは日本語が終わった、ごめんね！　Apologies, that's it for the Japanese in this post, I have too much to write!)

I had a fantastic time in England with my family in August. It was very relaxing, but as usual, because it was so nice to see everyone, the time went by much too quickly. I also spent a couple of days in London so managed to see a few friends who live in or near London.

To my shame though, I've been far too lax with the blog, and yes, also with the study... It was a mixture of getting side-tracked with the holiday, bogged down with work when I got back, a little run-down, and discovering I could watch Australian soap operas on mobile youtube (should I really admit to that one...!) I've signed up to do the level 3 exam in December, but really am not very confident that I'll pass. I really need to knuckle down to studying again!

I'm now planning a new trip - I want to go back to Okinawa again for some sun and cycling, so probably planning to go there in December again. Probably the Yaeyama Islands again just because they're easiest to get to by plane and ferry and Ishigaki is cheap to stay on as a base. I have a real draw towards Okinawa, even more than the initial draw towards Japan. I think it's because it's so laid-back and unspoilt in many of the places that I've been. It's just a pity that it's too hot most of the year to live there! Planning a trip like this though makes me aware of how much my Japanese has improved over the last few years - still not that good, but it does at least enable me to Google for events, places, restaurants, hotels etc in Japanese - thereby actually getting useful results. But boy, can it mean sometimes that internet browsing takes a lot of time!

When I think about it, I do a lot of internet shopping (including booking hotels) these days in Japanese. When I get to the stage of not having more than a little smug grin at things actually arriving, I will know that my Japanese really has come on!

Talking of lengthy internet browsing in Japanese... I remember my last trip to Okinawa... My hairdresser lived in Naha for a couple of years and had a restaurant recommendation, I know... talking to my hairdresser... Actually, he is the first hairdresser to get me over my fear of hairdressers - I no longer feel that I'm sitting in an electric chair! Anyway, he recommended a restaurant on the outskirts of Naha City, it sounded really nice as it had a garden and the dishes sounded really nice too. But of course, he only knew the name of the restaurant, and it's impossible to search for a restaurant in Japan in English. Moreover, not only are there are many kanji for the same pronunciation, Okinawan Japanese has different pronunciation, so it took some considerable time to find the address of this restaurant on the internet. But, of course, once done, my phone's GPS could take over so that the friend that I went with and I could easily track it down...

Next time I go back to Naha City itself I want to go to this tree house restaurant in Naha that I found whilst 'stumbling'...
http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2008/05/tree-house-restaurant.html
In fact there are so many places I want to try or go back to...!

My study of Japanese Doraemon-style is coming on a treat - it's the one thing that I didn't give up over the holiday - but I am very aware that kiddy comic book Japanese somehow just isn't polite enough... I've also been watching Japanese films - not sure how much it really helps my Japanese, but I do get really into them and at least get the gist and feel as if I've understood it by the end...

Next time, more Japanese... ... ...

東京のさる Wild Tokyo monkey

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/wild-monkey-leads-tokyo-police-on-city-chase

Kobe photos

I've just uploaded my Kobe photos to the link at the left Kobe July 2008. There are also photos of Kobe in the folder Kobe December 2006.

激しい雷雨 Electrical storm

昨晩きれいな雷雨でた。空がすごく赤いなった。電光がすごい。

Last night there was a beautiful storm. The sky turned such a deep red, and was lit up by amazing lightning, like a flickering light for about 1 hour continuously. It was incredible!

Interesting...!

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/stress-most-recognized-loanword-in-japan

Good news! Another Miyazaki animation!

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/miyazaki-releases-first-film-in-four-years

ああ、蒸し暑い！ Hot!

このごろ、すごく蒸し暑い！今ゴヤがまだ育だない。悲しい！

先週、神戸に遊びに行った。楽な気持になった。もうすぐ写真来る！

These days it's really hot and humid! My goya plant still hasn't grown, it's very sad!

Last week I went to Kobe for a short break, very relaxing. Photos to come soon! In the meantime, I've put up some photos of Kobe from 2006 when I went for the first time sightseeing.

よかった！ Success!

じゃあ、とてもうれしい！今ドラえもんが日本語で読める！毎小説は20分をかかるが達成感がすごい！上達かな。。。日本の本また安いからいいだね。

Yes! Now I can read Doraemon in Japanese! OK, so it takes me about 20 minutes per chapter, but the sense of achievement is enormous! I'm making progress! And of course Japanese books are cheaper which has got to be good!

Beginning to understand...

...why the Oxford Circus plan will take 9 months!

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/london-looks-to-shibuya-for-ideas-to-remodel-central-shopping-district

オックスフォードサーカスか渋谷の交差点 Oxford Circus/Shibuya crossing

これはいい考えだらしいが9月間かかるの、なぜ？

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/england/london/7498662.stm

This seems like a good idea... But why will it take them 9 months to complete?

蝉がない！ All quiet on the cicada front!

このごろ蝉がない。今年は天気が少し涼しいから、かな。今週天気がのほうが暑いなる、だから今日はまた蝉聞いた。 久しぶりだ！

Recently there haven't been any cicadas. Maybe it's because the weather has been cooler this year. This week the weather got hotter so I heard the cicadas again today. It's been a long time!

新リンク New links

左側で英語で新リンクがある。便利なインターネットか店かを忘れることがあるから、このブログに加算した。

There is a new link in English on the left side. Because there are times when I forget useful websites or shops, I've added it to this blog.

懐かしい！ Nostalgia heaven!

ああ、インターネットで時間をむだにしているが楽しい！　このページでhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/animalmagic/videoclips/video3.shtml
この歌を見つけた！

この歌がブライアンアダムズで「Everything I do, I do it for you」だ。「Robin Hood - Price of Thieves」のテーマ曲だった。一番縫上16週間1991に16週間のヒットチャートだった。ほんとに綺麗な歌だ。そして、勉強しなきゃ！

Ahhh, the internet is a great time waster, but fun! From the Animal Magic webpage, I found this song. This song is 'Everything I do, I do it for you' by Bryan Adams. It's the theme song from 'Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves'. It was a UK Number 1 hit for 16 weeks in 1991. A really beautiful song.　And now, I really must get on with some study!

Rentaghost

こちらへ「Rentaghost」のテーマ曲の短いフィルムだ。とても懐かしい！

Here is the theme tune clip from Rentaghost. Very nostalgic, and very seventies!

たくさんのテレビの記憶 Lots of TV memories!

さあ、今たくさんのテレビを覚えっている。。。！

こちらへ「The Wombles]の短いフィルムだ。

OK, now I'm remembering lots of TV programmes...!
Here are a couple of clips from The Wombles.

'It's five to five, and it's Crackerjack!'

さて、昨日幼時の友にメールをもらった。それに今朝ちょうど０４５５に起きたから、好きな子供のテレビを覚えた。はい、「Crackerjack」だ。確かにそのはやり言葉が大勢を覚えた。こちらへ短いフィルム。

Well, because yesterday I received an email from an old childhood friend and then this morning I woke up at exactly 5 to 5, it got me thinking about favourite children's TV programmes. Yes, Crackerjack. I'm sure that lots of people remember that catchphrase. Here are some short clips.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/crackerjack/videoclips/index.shtml

Japan ranked 5th most peaceful country in the world

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/japan-ranked-5th-most-peaceful-country-in-the-world

1st tropical day this year

See!

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/1st-tropical-day-this-year-marked-in-tokyo

30C!

今日今年の最初のときは気温が30度に上昇した。それに蒸し暑い！

Today the temperature hit 30C for the 1st time this year. It's also very humid!

派手なイケア電車 Colourful Ikea train

It seems a new Ikea shop opened earlier this year in Kobe, and so to advertise it they decked out the monorail Portliner with Ikea furnishings. I'm sorry to have missed that - it finished in May...

Copy and paste the link to see pictures...
http://www.cluster.eu/2008/04/17/colorful-ikea-kobe-train/

本土時、北小金 Hondoji Temple, Kita Kogane

今日友だちと本土時寺に行き紫陽花を見た。綺麗だったよ。私は本土時に行くことがうれしかった。北小金に住んでいたとき、本土時に行かなかった。しかも三年間ぐらい千葉に住んでいるが本土時に行くことがない。4度目の正直！　昼ご飯においしそばを食べた！　

もっと写真が左リンクに。

Today I went to Hondoji Temple with a friend to see the hydrangeas. It was beautiful. I was really pleased to go there. Even when I lived in Kita Kogane, I never went to Hondoji. What's more, in over three years of living in Chiba, I've never got to Hondoji during opening hours, and not during hydrangea season. Fourth time lucky! And we had delicious soba (buckwheat noodles) for lunch!

More photos at the link to the left.

吹上しょうぶ公園と青梅 Fukiage Iris Garden and Ome

日曜日青梅に行き吹上しょうぶ公園を見た。家から2時間ぐらいかかって土砂降りの雨が降ったが骨折りがいがあった。綺麗だったよ！

でも、携帯から写真をうつすことがとても長い間かかた。

もっと写真が左リンクに。

On Sunday, I went to Ome to see Fukiage Iris Garden. It took about 2 hours to get there and was bucketing down, but it was worth it. It was beautiful.

It's taken a long time to transfer the photos from my phone.

More photos at the link to the left.

一週間 One week duration

ああ、このブログは一週間ぐらい書きなかった。忙しくてちょっとぶしょうだった。今日は写真をつけるつもりである。

Oops, it's been about a week since I've posted to this blog. I've been busy, and also a bit lazy. But today, I'm going to post some pictures...

湘南乃風の純恋歌 Junrenka by Shounannokaze (furigana version)

これはふりがなで純恋歌だ。もうすぐ訳をしてみる。
Furigana version of Junrenka, attempt at translation to follow...

5　純恋歌(じゅんれんか)

※目(め)を閉(と)じれば　億千(おくせん)の星(ほし)　一番(いちばん)光（ひか)るお前(まえ)がいる

初(はじ)めて一途(いちず)になれたよ　夜空(よぞら)へ響(ひび)け愛(あい)のうた

大親友(だいしんゆう)の彼女(かのじょ)の連(つ)れ　おいしいパスタ作(つく)ったお前(まえ)

家庭的(かていてき)な女(おんな)がタイプの俺(おれ)　一目惚(ひとめぼ)れ

大貧民(だいひんみん）負（ま）けてマジ(まじ)切(ぎ)れ　それ見(み)て笑(わら)って楽(たの)しいねって

優(やさ)しい笑顔(えがお)にまた癒(いや)されて　ベタ惚(ぼ)れ

嬉(うれ)しくて嬉(うれ)しくて　柄(がら)にもなくスキップして

「好(す)きって言(い)いてぇ」　おぼろげな月(つき)を見(み)つめる君(きみ)に釘付(くぎづ)け

守(まも)りたい女(おんな)って思(おも)った　初(はじ)めて

まじめな顔(かお)して　ギュッと抱(だ)きしめた

※ Repeat

あれからずっと一緒(いっしょ)だよな　お前(まえ)と俺(おれ)

最近(さいきん)付（き）合(あ)い悪(わる)いと言(い)われるけど

なんだかんだ温(あたた)かく見守(みまも)ってくれてる　優(やさ)しい連(つ)れ

「なぁ」変(へん)なあだ名(な)で呼(よ)ぶなよ　皆(みんな)バカップルだと思(おも)うだろ

でもいつも落(お)ち込(こ)んだ時(とき)

助(たす)けてくれる　お前(まえ)の優(やさ)しい声(こえ)

きっとお似合(にあ)いな二人(ふたり)　共（とも）に解(わか)り合(あ)って　重(かさ)なり合(あ)っても

折(お)り合(あ)いがつかない時(とき)は　自分(じぶん)がってに怒鳴(どな)りまくって

パチンコ屋逃(やに)げ込(こ)み　時間(じかん)つぶし　て気持(きも)ち落(お)ち着(つ)かせて

景品(けいひん)の化粧品持(けしょうひんも)って　謝(あやま)りに行(い)こう

目(め)を閉(と)じれば　大好(だいす)きな星(ほし)　あんなに輝(かがや)いてたのに

今(いま)では雲(くも)がかすめたまま　それが何故(なぜ)かも分からぬまま

会(あ)いに行(よ)くよ...

桜並木照(さくらなみきて)らすおぼろ月(づき)　出逢(であ)った(ふたり)二人(ふたり)の場所(ばしょ)に帰(かえ)りに一人寄(ひとりよ)り道(みち) 変(か)わらぬ景色(けしき)　変(か)わったのは俺(おれ)ら二人(ふたり)　すべて見えてたつもり

目(め)に見(み)えないものなのに．．．

馴(な)れ合(あ)いを求(もと)める俺(おれ)　新鮮(しんせん)さを求(もと)めるお前(まえ)

お前(まえ)は俺(おれ)のために　なのに俺(おれ)はのため

春(はる)の夜風(よかぜ)に打(う)たれ　思(おも)い出(で)に殴(なぐ)られ 傷重(きずかさ)ねて　気付(きづ)かされた大事(だいじ)なもの握(にぎ)りしめ

今(いま)すぐ会(あ)いに行(yu)くよ　手(て)を繫(つな)いで歩(ある)こう

絶対離(ぜったいはな)さない　その手(て)ヨボヨボになっても

白髪(しらが)の数喧嘩(かずけんか)して　しわの分(ぶん)だけの幸(しあわ)せ

二人(ふたり)で感(かん)じて生(い)きて行(い)こうぜ

LOVE SONG　もう一人(ひとり)じゃ生(い)きてけねえよ

側(がわ)に居(い)て当(あ)たり前(まえ)と思(おも)ってたんだ

LOVE SONG　もう悲(かな)しませたりしねえよ

空(そら)に向(む)け俺(おれ)は誓(ちか)ったんだ

LOVE SONG　ヘタクソ(へたくそ)な歌(うた)で愛(あい)を　バカな男(おとこ)が愛(あい)を歌(うた)おう

一生隣(いっしょうとなり)でいいててくれよ

LOVE SONG　何度(なんど)でも何度(なんど)でも

LOVE SONG…　何(なん)でも(ば)話(はな)そう

LOVE SONG…　約束(やくそく)しよう

※ Repeat

目(め)を閉(と)じれば　億千(おくせん)の星(ほし)　一番光(いちばんひか)るおまえが欲(ほ)しいと

ギュッと抱(だ)きしめた夜(よる)はもう二度(にど)と忘(わす)れない　届(とど)け愛(あい)のうた

Japanese man finds woman living in his wardrobe...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/japancrimeoffbeat;_ylt=AqzudlIc4SBKvOB34qDwHcEjr7sF

Strange to think that someone could be living undetected in your home for such a long time...

雀蜂 Sparrow bee/ Asian Giant Hornet/ Yak Killer Hornet

これは大きすぎる！金網は6センチメートルだ。これはちょっとこわいらしいだった。写真は危なさが分からなかった！

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet

Sparrow bee, eh?! No kidding! This was rather big... I took the photos before I discovered on the internet that 70 people die from the sting of these things in Japan each year, although it must be said I did feel a little scared taking close-up photos... But how often do you get the opportunity to see something like this close-up?! To give an idea of scale, this hornet was a tiny bit smaller than my little finger, the wire netting has 6cm square holes...

ホールウイートパン Wholemeal Bread

さて、この特別のぜいたくが160円ぐらいかかった！でもとてもうれしいだ！これを近くのスーパーで見つけた。しあわせ！

Well, this particular luxury set me back by about 80p, but look how brown it is! You have no idea how hard it is to find wholemeal bread! I'm very pleased with this! I found it in a supermarket a few train stops down the line. Oh happy day!

(It's possible to get German-style wholemeal bread in bakeries occasionally, but not wholemeal bread in the style of Tesco or Sainsbury long-life bread! I know, I know what this sounds like, but this is the only product that I get periodic cravings for! I rarely eat bread these days, usually brown rice, but today I fancied brown toast!)

すいか Watermelon

65万円ですいかを買いませんか。

How about buying a watermelon for about £3000?!

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/premium-black-watermelon-auctioned-for-record-y650000

非常時のチョコ Emergency chocolate!

両親をありがとう！おもしろくてとつぜんのプレゼント！すごい！

Many thanks to Mum & Dad for this funny and unexpected present! Fantastic!

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/law-requiring-backseat-passengers-to-wear-seatbelts-takes-effect

Finally, a law that people must wear seatbelts in the back seat. And it will ensure that taxis have to make the seatbelt accessible too! I also liked the addition about urging cyclists not to use mobile phones or umbrellas when they are ride. This is something that struck me when first visiting Japan, I haven't seen people doing this in any other country...

自分の名前の漢字 My name in kanji

土曜日に中学生とうけつけと名前の漢字を見つけた。なかなかよいだ！


On Saturday, a junior high school student and the receptionist found me a kanji name. It's not bad!

Alison: 愛璃楚夢　(love/cute-lapis lazuli-clean-dream)

Cicadas

For the first time this year, I can hear the cicadas this evening. Summer has started. The sound of the cicadas in summer is one of the things I love in Japan. I don't know why but listening to that sound really moves me. I have a feeling you can even hear it on the Studio Ghibli animations but will need to rewatch to check!

Bizarre...

Well, that was bizarre. There were the usual groups of film students on Omotesando today. I didn't take any notice until I was caught by an 'Excuse me, can I take your picture?'outside Gap. Well, I guess... 6 shots through and I imagined she'd finished and was about to go. She looked slightly dismayed and said, 'No, this is a 36 shot film...I want to do portraits of people...' So somewhere, in some photography student's portfolio, there will be a series of photos of Alison ranging through the relaxed phase, through the bemused, and back to relaxed, ignoring the camera and letting it get every possible angle of my face...

No wonder they need a 36exp film!

漢字 Kanji

さいきんに漢字の勉強が読むのだけ。これから書きたい！だから、今日漢字を勉強している！

Recently, my kanji study was just reading. From now on I want to write too! So today I'm studying kanji!

いつまでも Forever

友だちのあっせんで５月12日のブログをなおった!

With the help of a friend, I've improved the entry for 12 May! Look back for the update!

Lastminute undercover performance

Courtesy of Lastminute at Stansted Airport...

事実は小説よりも奇なり

Strange but true!

http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/stray-parrot-talks-its-way-home

雨がはげしくふっている Bucketing down

雨季はまだなり始めないが昨晩雨がはげしくふっていった。すごくうるさいだった! たぶん、ふちの台風４からとおもう。

さいきんこのブログに書いてが下手。漢字のいみが勉強していったから。

The rainy season still hasn't started, but it was bucketing down last night, incredibly noisy! I think probably it's because we're getting the edge of Typhoon 4.

Recently I've been pretty bad at this blog.　It's because I've been studying the English meaning of kanji.

きれいな花 Beautiful flowers

ガーデニングの会話のあとで学生が私にこのきれいな花をくれた。この花が彼女の庭で来た。古風なバラからよい香りがする。やさしすぎるからうれしい。

Following a gardening conversation, a student very kindly gave me these beautiful flowers from her garden. They smell absolutely beautiful because they are old-fashioned roses. It was so kind, I feel really touched.

Useful tricks

I've discovered so many useful tricks recently...

The first is that in Word it is really easy to add the furigana above the kanji. If you highlight the section of text that you want furigana for, and then go to 'Format', Asian Layout', 'Phonetic Guide', then you get the option to add the readings. With the text that I used, the readings were spot-on. I don't know whether that was because Word 'remembers' the hiragana that you type or whether that was just luck... However, when you publish a word document to your blog, it only puts the reading in brackets after the kanji rather than above the kanji - shame.

The second is that you can publish a word document directly from Google Docs to your blog. In Google Docs open the file that you want to publish. Then go to 'Share', 'Publish to webpage', 'Post to blog' and type in your details.

The third is that if you have a Google Pages site as well then you can upload any file to your blog really easily, for example audio. See this page for details http://howcanidothat.blogspot.com/2007/03/putting-voice-or-music-on-your-blog.html
Works a treat!

いつまでも Forever

４　いつまでも

4 Forever

世(よ)の中は今悲(かな)しみや嘆(なげ)きに溢(あふ)れています

The world is now brimming over with sorrow and grief

何が正(ただ)しいかなんての判断(はんだん)がなかなかできない

I can't make a proper judgement

大きく見てもきりがないから今日はひとまず伝(つた)えましょう

Because I can't consider all of the problems, I'll tell you today

いつまでも　いつまでも　ななたを愛(あい)するそう決(き)めました

Forever forever you are my love

だからほら手をとって　どんなことも乗(の)り越(こ)えて行きましょう

So here, let me take your hand, and we can overcome anything

この街(まち)は今どうしようもない矛盾(むじゅん)を抱(かか)えて泣(な)いている

In this town, we can't do anything about the problems, we cry about the contradictions in behaviour

綺麗(きれい)な空を見上(みあ)げればそんなこと微塵(みじん)も感(かん)じないのに

If I look up at the clear blue sky, I never feel the bad things

大きな流(なが)れに飲(の)み込(こ)まれても　揺(ゆ)るがない意志(いし)を持(も)っていて

I'm going against the flow, I won't be influenced by other opinions

いつまでも　いつまでも　あなたと生(い)きてくそう決(き)めました

Forever forever I decided we should be together

だからほら力合(ちからあ)わせ　どんなことも乗(の)り越(こ)えて行きましょう

So together we can overcome anything

大きな流(なが)れに弱(よわ)み見せても　ゆるぎない心捨(こころす)てないで

When I feel I might be influenced, please don't give up on me

いつまでも　いつまでも　あなたを愛(あい)するそう決(き)めてました

Forever forever you are you are my love

だからほら手をとって　どんなことも乗(の)り越(こ)えて行きましょう

So here let me take your hand, we can overcome anything

だから今　力合(ちからあ)わせ　どんあことも乗(の)り越(こ)えて行きましょう

So now together we can overcome anything

歌詞 Lyrics

昨日は好きな歌の歌詞を訳し始めた。先ず漢字からひらがなまでを訳した。歌詞を読みながら歌を聞いてひらがなを書いた。今英語に訳し始めている。

昨日も遅い初めてからレストランでランチセットを食べた。レストランは健康食のレストランと美術館だった。野菜チキンカレーがおいしかった！また行きたい！おばあちゃんとしゃべり始めたからレストランに一時間ぐらいい居た。時々すごくむずかしい。。。特に彼女は宗教のしゃべり始めた！でも、良い練習！

Yesterday, I started translating the lyrics to one of my favourite songs. First, I translated the written lyrics from kanji to hiragana. While reading the lyrics, I listened to the song and wrote down the hiragana. Now I've started translating into English.

Also yesterday, because I had a late start, I had a long lunch at a local restaurant to my school. It was a wholefood restaurant/shop gallery. The vegetable and chicken curry set with coffee and tiramisu was delicious! I want to go again! I was there for about one hour because I got talking to an old lady. It was sometimes a bit tricky, especially when she started talking about religion...　But good practice!

もとの仕事に Back to work

今日は仕事に戻る。長休みが大好き！

I go to back to work today. I love long holidays!

Amazon delivery

My new cookery magazine from Amazon (Healthy Okinawan dishes to enjoy making at home). This should keep me busy and out of mischief for the next couple of days! Aaagggghh!

私の庭

さて、こちらは私の庭だ。今小さくて若いがもうすぐ発達する。クレマチスと小すいかと多いゴーやとマリゴールドとサファイ二アと多いハーブとトウガラシがある。おいしい！

Well then, this is my garden! It's a bit small and young now, but it will grow! I have a clematis, a baby watermelon (like last year), many goya, some marigolds, surfinia, some herbs and a red chilli plant. Delicious!

江ノ島 Enoshima

I went to Enoshima last week. It's about 3 hours away by train.

Enoshima is a small mountain of an island. Some mountains just have a path to the top, others have a cable car, Enoshima has a series of escalators... You can walk up too, but it was late in the day when I got there, so I got the escalator up and walked down.












And the sign in the lift of my hotel. Having reassured me that the white box under the bed is not a bomb, the sign suggests that I rest in peace... Hmmmm!

パラレルワールド Alternate Universe

私はとても日本の町に住んでいる。私の町にたぶんただ一人の西洋人いると思う。さっき10時ごろスパーに行った。開店だったからようこその告知があったが完全な英語であった。。。聞きなかっていたがたぶん初めて日本語であった。英語の告知が1分ごろつづいた。終わりに英語の告知が悟った。珍しい。

I live in a very traditional Japanese town, I think I'm probably the only westerner there. Just now, at about 10am, I went to the supermarket. Because it was opening time, there was a welcome announcement. But it was in perfect English... I wasn't listening, but I would guess that the announcement was first in Japanese. The English announcement was about 1 minute long, I only realised it was strange at the end... Utterly bizarre.

リラックスしている Relaxing

今週についてはすっかりリラックスしている。少し勉強や少し読書やたくさんガーデニングをしている。楽しい！JLPT3の練習のテストをしたが47%だけを達した(T_T)。がんばろう！テストは12月に。だから12月前に言葉を向上しなきゃ。さて、いっしょけんまいに勉強しなきゃ！それはともかく、今ガーデニングをするつもり。。。

This week is all about relaxing. I've been doing a little study, a little reading and a lot of gardening! I took a JLPT3 practice test, but only got 47%. Keep trying! The test is in December, so by December I've got to improve! Well then, I'd better study harder hadn't I?!

Anyway, now I'm going to do some gardening...