Otto's blog

USA! USA! USA! ...China

11月

26日

I went shopping & saw a nice jacket. A lot of clothes nowadays are made in China. Was this jacket made in China? I looked at the label. Hmmm, looks like it was made in the USA; "...USA...New York...American..."

But, finally... "Made in China".

When you read something, it`s a good idea to read to the end - even clothes labels!

Grammar:
- This jacket WAS made in CHINA.
- This jacket IS made of POLYESTER.
- Most jacketS ARE made in China/of polyester.

Local Temple Autumn Festival

11月

25日

I was about to teach a class when I saw this group of about 50 people outside. They were about to cross the road, so I quickly got my camera. I took a photo as they crossed the road. The flag says "Autumn Festival." I think they are from a local temple.

Grammar:
- "about" = くらい
- "(be) about to 動詞" = will 動詞 very soon

Removing Rust with Vinegar

11月

15日

I heard that vinegar (酢) can remove rust (錆), so I put this rusty pair of thread scissors in a jar of vinegar for a couple of days. Voilà (フランス語 = Look!) ! As you can see, it was very effective.

Pronunciation:
- To correctly pronounce "V" in English, don`t let your top lip touch your bottom lip - that will make a "B" sound. Only your top teeth should (almost) touch your bottom lip. "V" を正しく発音するためには、上唇と下唇が触れてはいけないのです。触れると "B"の音が出ます。 "V"は上の前歯を少しだけ、下唇に触れるだけでOKです。.
- Remember that `of` is pronounced "OV", not "OFF."

Wakasa-wada Camping & Beachcombing

11月

13日

I went camping at Wakasa-wada beach in Fukui. It`s late autumn now, so the campsite was empty. There were no campsite staff, so I didn`t have to pay. Nice.

I didn`t go swimming, but I enjoyed beachcombing (= looking for stuff on the beach). I found these colourful fishing floats, and some other stuff, which I kept.

Vocabulary:
- stuff ("スタッフ") = 物
- staff ("スターフ") = 部員, 使用人 etc.

#趣味

Mini Apples

11月

2日

I got these small apples from a friend. He said they were for making candy apples, so I thought I would try making candy apples with them, but my son has already eaten one. He told me it tasted like a normal apple. I should hurry up & make candy apples before he eats the other two...

Grammar:
- "They are..." --> He said they were...
- "I think I will..." --> I thought I would...
- "It tastes like..." ---> He told me it tasted like...

Kakamigahara Air Show

11月

1日

On Sunday I took my kids to the airshow at Gifu Air Base in Kakamigahara. First we looked at the planes parked in the hangars & on the runway. Then we watched some of them flying past & overhead. Next we had lunch, and finally we looked at the souvenir (土産) stalls (屋台). My kids wanted to pick up & play with all the toys in the stalls. I had to watch them carefully.

Grammar:
- look at + 動いていない物 (photo, map, house etc.)
- watch + 動いている物 (movie, football, kids playing, etc.)

#飛行機