さいきん、また本当の日本語の授業を始まる。まだ一週一回に友だちと勉強するがもう少し練習が必要の感じだ。この授業に文法を勉強しない、会話だけを有る。今日の授業で日本語で英語の新聞の記事を説明しなかればならなかった。難しかったが楽しかった！
そしてから、一緒に電車にのって、話をした。その時にたとえば電車でとか喫茶店でとか居酒屋でとか皆さんは私に集中するらしいかもしれない！だから、その時にいつもあわてる！もうすぐはっきりに考えてあわてずに喋りたい！
Recently, I've started proper Japanese lessons again. I'm still studying once a week with a friend, but I feel that I need a bit more practice. In these lessons I don't study grammar, just focus on conversation. In today's lesson, I had to explain an English news article in Japanese. A touch tricky, but fun!
After that, we took the train together and talked. At those times, for example on the train, in a coffee shop, a bar and so on, I feel that everybody is paying attention to my Japanese! So I usually get a bit lost for words. Soon, I hope that I'll get over this block and be able to think clearly and talk without panicking!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Narita Drum Festival continued
This video shows some of the drumming groups around the town, before the parade started.
This video shows scenes from the parade, including the wrestling drummers (from 58s to 1min36) and the Okinawan style drummers (at the end).
This video shows scenes from the last half of the parade including the final steel drum group (from 18s to the end). If you like these steel drummers, then you're absolutely going to love the steel drumming performance on Mountaincat's blog - I especially appreciated the music from 'My Neighbour Totoro' from 5 minutes until the end!
This final video shows a very lively and happy group of drumming teenagers - absolutely fantastic!
Still photos at the left link...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Narita Drum Festival 成田の太鼓祭り
Today I went to the Narita Taiko Festival... Took loads of pictures and video clips so it might take a while to get them up... I'm not sure how to edit videos yet... In the meantime, here is a unedited clip of one of the acts... Enjoy!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday 聖金曜日
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Weather 天気
このごろ天気がすごいきれい、本当にあたたかい。そして明日は度が22になる。。。いいね！最後の文が「そしてあしたは気温が２２度になる。。。いいね」そうだ。
These days the weather is beautiful, really warm. And tomorrow it's going to get up to 22C - nice eh?! More natural apparently is 気温が２２度になる in the last sentence.
Monday, March 23, 2009
清水公園、千葉県 Shimizu Park, Chiba
北千葉県に東武野田線で清水公園が有る。桜を見たかったがまだ早すぎた. とにかく、今朝早く起きて、午前７時半に家を出かけた。公園に９時に着いた。清水公園に大きな花庭が有る。今桜がまだ出ないですけど別のきれいな花が有る。
桜はまだ咲いていないけれど、別のきれいな花が咲いている。
もっと写真が左リンクに。
Shimizu Park is in northern Chiba, via the Tobu Noda line. I had wanted to see cherry blossom today, but I was still too early. Anyway, I got up early and left the house by 7:30. I got to the park at 9am. Within Shimizu Park there is a big flower garden. Although the cherry blossom isn't out yet, there are many other beautiful flowers in bloom.
More photos at the link to the left.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
It's been a long time!
Aaaggghhh!
It's been a long time again since my last post! The last few weeks have been very busy with work and being a bit run down, and I just haven't had a chance to add to the blog or indeed anything else! Today, luckily I didn't get called out to cover anyone, so at last I have some time to catch up with myself!
Even though I haven't been writing on the blog, I am still studying. Last week, I bought 3 books to add to my frighteningly growing Japanese library - a bilingual cookery book, a Level 3 grammar book (because I still don't feel confident in my grammar) and a Level 2 kanji and reading book. There's no way that I'm going to be able to take Level 2 this year, I will probably re-take Level 3 in December and try and get a better score - but I want to keep studying and improving past this level.
Today is a beautiful day! Recently it's been raining, windy and cold, but today it's a beautiful sunny day! I even got a chance to sit for a while on my balcony, for the 2nd time this year! It looks from the weather forecast this week that Spring might be on its way - supposedly the daytime temperature this week should hover around the 14C mark, fingers crossed eh!
It's been a long time again since my last post! The last few weeks have been very busy with work and being a bit run down, and I just haven't had a chance to add to the blog or indeed anything else! Today, luckily I didn't get called out to cover anyone, so at last I have some time to catch up with myself!
Even though I haven't been writing on the blog, I am still studying. Last week, I bought 3 books to add to my frighteningly growing Japanese library - a bilingual cookery book, a Level 3 grammar book (because I still don't feel confident in my grammar) and a Level 2 kanji and reading book. There's no way that I'm going to be able to take Level 2 this year, I will probably re-take Level 3 in December and try and get a better score - but I want to keep studying and improving past this level.
Today is a beautiful day! Recently it's been raining, windy and cold, but today it's a beautiful sunny day! I even got a chance to sit for a while on my balcony, for the 2nd time this year! It looks from the weather forecast this week that Spring might be on its way - supposedly the daytime temperature this week should hover around the 14C mark, fingers crossed eh!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
New Blog 新ブログ
さいきん、新ブログを作った。このブログが料理だ。左リンクを見て下さい。英語だけで書くつもり。コメントとレシピをするがよい。
I've recently started a new blog focussing on cooking, see link to the left. This will be only in English. Comments and recipes welcome!
I've recently started a new blog focussing on cooking, see link to the left. This will be only in English. Comments and recipes welcome!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Japanese Tradition: Origami 日本の形折り紙
I haven't added one of these for a long time, so here it is - the art of origami!
日本の形のビデオを久しぶり！
日本の形のビデオを久しぶり！
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
JLPT Level 3
まさか！３級を合格した。。。66％。だけ、でもびっくりした！I really don't believe it! I passed JLPT 3! Only 66%, but I'm still surprised! I really didn't expect to pass this one because I wasn't ready for it.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Unseasonally warm!
Rather warm today (23C)...! Top temperatures due to come down to a more usual 8C with a minimum of 1C by Tuesday. They were talking about it being like June/July weather in many parts of Japan. But without the humidity, so it's nice!
Shame I had to work!
http://www.japantoday.com/mobile/view/temperatures-rise-to-june-levels-throughout-japan
Sunday, February 1, 2009
越谷レークタウン Koshigaya Laketown
今日、寒いが晴天だ。越谷レークタウンでウインドーショッピングに行くと決めた。あのショッピングモールがすごく大きい。富士山を全く明らかに見えた。
It was a beautiful but cold day today and I decided to go window shopping at the new Koshigaya Laketown Mall. If you zoom in on the photo, you'll see that I could see Mount Fuji clearly.
Monday, January 26, 2009
遊び Play!
さて、昨日働きたけれども今日休みだ。初めてカメラを遊べる！大町に歩いて往復が２時間ぐらい。もちろん、自然公園で散歩を楽しんだ。田舎ようだ。少し写真を撮った。でも、月曜日に動植物園が閉まったからちょっと失望した。もう一度行くつもり。さらに、もうすぐ花が出る。楽しみ！もっと写真が左リンクに。練習が必要と思う！
Well, I worked yesterday but today was a day off. For the first time I was able to play with my camera! I walked to Omachi, about a 2 hour round trip - of course I also enjoyed walking in the nature observation park there. It felt like the countryside in many parts, rather nice. I took a few pictures．But, because the small animal and botanical garden was closed on Mondays, I was a bit disappointed - I'll have to go again. I'm also looking forward to taking flower photos soon. Should be fun! More photos to the left link (More practice needed, I think!).
新単語 New words
昨日仕事後で、受付と居酒屋に行った。彼女たちは私に日本語を話させたからありがたく思う。大体友だちと英語を喋べるだから、その日本語の練習が良かった！すごく楽しかった！日本語をできるのにまだ口がきけない。流暢の練習をできる。
Yesterday after work, I went out to an izakaya with the receptionists I'm friends with from work. They made me speak Japanese, so I was very grateful! Usually when I'm with my friends we chat in English, so this Japanese practice was good! It was a really fun evening! Even though I can speak some Japanese, I still get very tongue-tied. I could work on fluency practice.
とにかく、この新単語を思い出したい。
以前 いぜん useful for talking about things you used to do
以外 いがい except
意外 いがい unexpected
冗談 じょうだん joke
人格 じんかく personality
失業 しつぎょう unemployment
リストラする to lose your job
Yesterday after work, I went out to an izakaya with the receptionists I'm friends with from work. They made me speak Japanese, so I was very grateful! Usually when I'm with my friends we chat in English, so this Japanese practice was good! It was a really fun evening! Even though I can speak some Japanese, I still get very tongue-tied. I could work on fluency practice.
とにかく、この新単語を思い出したい。
以前 いぜん useful for talking about things you used to do
以外 いがい except
意外 いがい unexpected
冗談 じょうだん joke
人格 じんかく personality
失業 しつぎょう unemployment
リストラする to lose your job
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