I found this 4WD (Four-Wheel-Drive) toy car in a second-hand shop. I had an idea, so I bought it (it was only 50yen). At home, I drilled holes in the black plastic spotlights, inserted (入れる) small lights, & connected (繋ぐ) them to a watch battery inside the body. Now my 4WD has working spotlights! Unfortunately they only stay on for about 3 seconds, then die. That`s a bit disappointing. But I enjoyed showing & explaining it to my kids, & also to my wife while she pretended (ふりをした) to be asleep.
Pronunciation
- Writing '4WD' is okay, but when speaking, it is always pronounced "Four Wheel Drive" (not 'four double-u dee'). Similarly, 'BBQ' is often written, but always pronounced "BARbeque" (not 'beebeeque')
I recorded another podcast about another of my childhood hobbies - butterfly collecting.
https://bohmeenglish.podbean.com/e/the-bohme-english-podcast-18-ottos-hobby/
I don`t collect butterflies anymore - I have other hobbies now. However, one of my Japanese friends does - he gave me the ones in this photo. He has a lot of other kinds in his collection - it`s pretty impressive.
Grammar:
- another __ = 1 other __
- other ___s = 2/3/4/many other ___s
I bought a cheap lot (lot = まとめ) of model plane kits on 'Yahoo-Oku' (an online auction site) & gave my kids one each to make during their summer holidays. Just for fun, I put a battery & small electric motor in this one. When you touch the wires, the propeller turns. My kids were impressed. (My wife wasn't. She rolled her eyes).
Japanese English (和製英語):
- In English, nobody says プラモデル or プラレール
- プラモデル --> Plastic model, Model plane/car/etc.
- プラレール --> Tomy/Thomas (blue plastic) train tracks
I was surprised when I saw this Jeep pass our school. Old (Mitsubishi) Jeeps are not so rare in Japan, but this is the first time I`ve seen a station wagon version. What do you think? Is it cool? It`s interesting, but is it stylish? Hmmm.
Grammar
- 「どう」 is usually 'How' in English, but 「どう思いますか」 = 'WHAT do you think?'
My workmate James moved* to a new house just north of Gifu City recently. He said the garden was overgrown, so I went there to help him clear it. We cut & pulled a lot of weeds, & moved** them all to a big pile in the centre of his yard. It was hot & sweaty work, but it was nice to get outside & move*** around; recently I`ve been spending most of my time indoors.
It`s a really nice place - very natural, with a beautiful view. Nice choice, James!
Vocabulary:
* 引っ越す
** 動かす
*** 動く
After getting a haircut at Horie`s Barbershop (you can see his barber`s pole on the left of this photo), I discovered this new shop, called 'Gifu Spice House', nearby. I could actually smell it before I reached it - Mmmm!
I went inside & looked around, then, after I chatted a little with the staff, I bought some instant noodles (for my kids), & some lime-coconut-chilli chutney (for me). That night, after I got home, I tried some with my dinner. It was gooooood!
Grammar
- "After/Before + 動詞ing" OK
- "After/Before + 主語 + 動詞" OK
- "After/Before + 動詞" WRONG
There were lots of ripe (熟している) berries on my blackberry bush, so my daughter and I made jam. It`s pretty easy & fun:
1. Pick heaps of berries
2. Loads of bugs, ants, etc? No problem - just wash them off
3. Blend berries in a blender
4. Blackberries have tons of small seeds - Use a strainer to remove them
5. Put the berry juice and stacks of sugar in a saucepan
6. Boil it for ages (= a long time) while stirring*
7. Put it in clean jars. Finished!
*Actually, this part wasn`t fun; it was pretty boring.
Vocabulary:
- There are many slang (俗語) ways to say 'lots of ___' (たくさん), e.g. heaps/loads/tons/stacks/piles of ___. These are not usually used in written English, apart from (別として) maybe advertising.
Something strange happened the other day. I wanted to cool down some beer quickly, so I opened the the ice-compartment of our refrigerator and put a can in.
Bad decision.
A second or two after the can touched the ice, it exploded. Wow. I didn`t expect that to happen. It seems the can couldn`t stand the sudden cold. My wife asked, "What happened...?!" I said, "Nothing! Just relax and keep watching TV..." so she did.
Good decision.
Japanese English:
- 'a happening' (名詞) is rare in English. The word 'happen' is almost always used as a verb (動詞).
It was easy to notice this car - the back sticks out of the parking space & into the street! American cars, especially old ones, tend to be pretty big - not just long but also wide - not suitable for Japan`s narrow roads & small parking spaces, I think. Also, they`re pretty heavy. Cars like this were made using 1.2mm thick sheet metal panels; a Camaro like this weighs about 1,600kg. Modern cars use thinner metal - only 0.8mm, so weigh less - on average about 1,300kg.
Vocabulary:
- narrow 狭い wide 幅の広い, 広い
- thin 細い thick 厚い, 太い
My 2nd son used to be into (= interested in) the Japanese superhero Ultraman, so we bought him a book & some figures. Nowadays most Ultraman figures are made in China, but they used to be made in Japan. Little by little, I started to enjoy looking for made-in-Japan Ultraman figures in thrift stores. When I buy a new one, I give it to my son to I.D. (= identify 指す) in his Ultraman book & play with it, then I display it with the others.
Vocabulary:
- Overseas, at bars or nightclubs, staff may ask you for “I.D. please” before you can enter or buy alcohol. In this case, I.D. = passport, driver`s license etc. that shows your age.
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