Walking along the beach in Wakasa at about 4:30pm, I was getting a bit cold, so I was surprised to see so many surfers in the cold water. They must love surfing.
Speaking of strange sea creatures, I found an unusual shell, about 15cm long, on the beach. When I got home I researched it. It`s from a kind of octopus called a paper nautilus. It`s the first time I`ve seen this kind of shell.
Vocabulary
- Speaking of ___ = ___ と言えば
I`ve visited old red brick buildings in Handa & Tsuruga, but this collection of buildings in Maizuru is much bigger. It was interesting - I like these kinds of places. Also, because Maizuru is a JMSDF (Japan Marine Self-Defense Force) port, you can see their ships nearby. If you`re into that kind of thing, you should visit Maizuru.
Vocabulary
- What kind of...? = どんな...?
- This/That kind of... = こんな, この種な / あんな, その様な...
I spent a few nights on this remote farm with my two sons & two older brothers. It`s about 5 hours west of Brisbane by car. We saw a lot of native wildlife e.g. kangaroos, wallabies & emus, and at night the stars were very bright - we could see the Milky Way (天の川) clearly. Every day we cooked our meals on a campfire next to this shack (= small, basic house). We all had a great time.
Vocabulary
- remote = 遥か, 人里離れた remote control = リモコン*
* テレビ などを 離れたところから操作する
I found these on the beach at Lake Biwa. They look strange, don`t they? They are seed pods from a water plant called the water chestnut. However, it is not the same as the water chestnuts that are sometimes used in Asian cooking; they are different. And of course, it`s not the same as the chestnuts ( マロン, 栗) that are eaten in Japan in autumn!
Hmmm. What should I do with them?
Have you been to Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture before*? I went there with my family yesterday. It`s very near Lake Biwa, so before** coming home, we went to a lakeside park to play & collect driftwood (漂流木), pine cones, & other junk. I`ll use the wood to make picture frames or display cases or something.
Now I`m at work. I gave the pine cones to my workmate Megumi just before***. She`ll use them for her own craft hobby. I hope she displays it in our lobby!
Vocabulary:
- *before = ever
- **before = 前
- ***before = 先ほど
Have you ever been to Ibigawa Town? It`s famous for its annual marathon. Although there aren`t many famous sights (見物) in the area, there is nice scenery (景色) & a couple of free campsites. I chose one by the Kasu River. I thought I would be the only person there, as it is so late in the year, & it was a weekday (平日), but I was surprised to see that there were a few other people camping there too. This campsite must be packed (=very crowded) in summer! But if you want to go: https://www.town.ibigawa.lg.jp/kankoujyouhou/0000006141.html
Vocabulary
- site = 所 / 敷地 / 用地, --> campsite = キャンプ場 , construction site = 建設地, world heritage site = 世界遺産, website
- sight = 光景, --> sightseeing = 観光
During the Golden Week holidays I went to Miyako Island, in Okinawa. I went snorkelling everyday. Actually, when I go snorkelling, I only use goggles, but no snorkel. A snorkel is a hassle when I dive under the water to take photos of fish, which I did a lot.
This fish has many names e.g.Striped Surgeonfish, Lined Surgeon, Clown Surgeon, & Pyjama Clown.
Pronunciation:
snorkel: "スノーケル" (NOT シュノーケル)
snorkeling: "スノーケリング" (NOT シュノーケリング)
During Golden Week, I did a spot* of sightseeing (観光) in Gifu. I rode my bicycle from Ichinomiya to Gifu, parked it at the bottom of Mount Kinka, then hiked to the top. There is a nice spot** on the roof of a restaurant there which has a great view. Although the weather was warm, I spotted*** this mountain in the distance which still a spot of* snow on it. After taking this photo (& eating ice-cream!), I hiked back down the mountain, walked in Gifu Park, then popped into the Eizo & Toichi Kato Memorial Art Museum - a nice, quiet spot** to relax & recover after my exercise.
Vocabulary:
- 'Spot' has various meanings, e.g. * a small amount ** place, location *** see, notice, find
Last weekend I went camping with my family by the sea (海沿い) in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture. We went there by car (車で), & were delayed by a traffic jam (交通渋滞に) near Sekigahara due to an accident. The weather was hot - by (までに) 10am each day it was already 30 degrees. But that`s fine by me (私はそれで良いですよ) - I like hot weather. And I could cool down by swimming (泳いで).
Vocabulary:
- As you can see, `by` has many meanings & uses.
This is Sunayama Beach on Miyako Island. Beautiful, isn`t it? The water was crystal-clear & the sand was squeaky-clean. It was a picture-perfect scene! After swimming & playing on the beach & in rockpools, we had to walk back up this big sand hill. It was tough. We were dead-tired.
Vocabulary:
- Sometimes we can combine 2 words to make a new adjective (形容詞 ), e.g. crystal = 玉瑛 clear = 清い crystal-clear = 玉瑛くらい 清い
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