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!