Otto's blog

I just finished reading this book about Mitsuo Fuchida, lead pilot in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour. After the war he became a Christian and travelled the world telling his story, and encouraging people to accept Christ. It`s a fascinating (= very interesting) and inspiring story. 

 

English Language Point

日本語発音: イエス キリスト 

英語発音: ジーザス クライスト

注意:　外国人の誰かはビックリとか時に「ジーザス！」か「 クライスト！」か「ジーザス クライスト！」と言う　けど　実際は駄目です。良くないです。

 

While walking in Inazawa, I passed a temple complex. The main temple is called Mantokuji, but the pagoda is called Tahoutou. It was built during the Muromachi period (1336 - 1573). Pretty old! I did a sketch of it in my goshuin 御朱印 book. While I was sketching, an old couple walked past and greeted me, but I didn`t see anyone else. It`s a very peaceful & scenic place.

 

English Language Point:

- While __ing... OK

- While + 主語 + was/were + __ing...  OK

- During __ing... WRONG

- During + 主語 + was/were + __ing...  WRONG

- During + 名詞...  OK

While taking a walk in Inazawa, I found this cool old marble. According to a Youtuber, this kind of marble is about 70 years old.  
 
English Language Point;
According to __= __に依ると

Russian cars are rare in Japan, so I was pretty surprised to see this one in Ibigawa.

 

I have a joke for you:

Question: Why do Lada workers make mistakes? 

Answer: Because they`re rushin`. (rushin` = rushing = 急行. ‘rushin’ と ‘Russian’は似ている)

 

English Language Point:

日本語：ロシア

英語：ラシア

I saw this pretty* moth while I was hiking in a forest in Ibigawa. Although the internet says it`s pretty** common, it was the first time I`d seen one. It`s pretty** colourful for a moth, isn`t it?

 

English Language Point:

* pretty (+ 名詞) = きれい, かわいい

** pretty (+ 形容詞) = かなり, けっこう

 

 

I came across these cars in Ichinomiya:

Tokoname is a city in Aichi, near Chubu Airport. It`s famous for ceramics. However, I couldn`t find any information online about a company called Tokoname. Sorry.

 

Also, sorry for posting about squat toilets twice in a row. lol

 

English Language Point:

- row = 列

- in a row = 続けて, 陸続 

- lol = Laugh Out Loud = (笑)

I`ve never seen this logo before. Actually, I`ve never paid attention to squat toilet logos before. One reason is the position; normally when you use a squat toilet, you can`t see this part of the toilet, right?

According to a blog* about toilets in Aichi Prefecture (nice hobby! lol), the Yamahiro Ceramic Company was founded in 1925 in Seto City, and was still around in 1974, but may not exist anymore.

 

* https://aichi-toilet.blog.jp/archives/35944438.html

 

English Language Point:

- I`ve never... = I`ve never...before (私は。。。したことがない)

 

I started this woodblock print 10 years ago. Finally I finished it. I printed and painted several copies. I gave one copy* to my parents, one to my first brother, and one to the head nun at the temple. She was surprised and happy. 

 

English Language Point:

- copy (動詞) = 写し,写す, 倣う

- *copy (名詞) = 複写, 枚

When my son and I were in Komaki, we tried to recreate a funny photo we had seen online. It was tricky. I had to stand on 2 cinder blocks, next to a grave, holding my smartphone above my head. Maybe some drivers were watching me. My son said, "Dad, please hurry up..." lol

 

English Language Point:

cinder block/concrete block =コンクリート建築ブロック

レンガ = brick (レンガは英語ではないです)