Last week I visited Miyako Island with my family. We spent a lot of time in the water; my kids enjoyed playing in their swim rings (浮き輪) & I enjoyed snorkeling. I saw a lot of colorful small fish, but not many big fish. We also collected a lot of shells. I`m thinking of making (作るうと思う) something with them for our school`s craft event in September.
The weather was good - a lot of sunshine & not much rain. As for food, I ate a lot of Okinawa-style noodles, & of course drank a lot of Orion beer. I had a lot of fun.
Natural English:
- In spoken English, it`s usual to use 'many' (with 可算名詞) & 'much' (with 不可算名詞 ) in negative ('not') sentences & questions. BUT! in positive sentences - 可算名詞 OR 不可算名詞 - it`s usual to use 'a lot of', or 'lots of' (casual style) in spoken English.
The final leg of my cycling trip around Biwa Lake was up the left side, from Otsu to Makino. It`s quite a long way, but fortunately there were good bike paths & wide footpaths most of the way. There was also a lot of nice scenery. I enjoyed myself.
My destination was a scenic tree-lined road called Metasequoia Namiki (メタセコイヤ並木), which my wife recommended seeing. Have you ever been there? I reached it just before sunset. After that I caught a train to Tsuruga, on the Japan Sea coast, camped there one night, & returned to Ichinomiya by train the next day.
Vocabulary:
- footpath* (イギリス英語) = sidewalk** (アメリカ英語)
- *foot 足 + path 道/林道 **side 側 + walk 歩く
I camped by Biwa Lake again. Although it was cold, I hardly noticed because I was so tired after riding all day. However, I got up before dawn the next morning. I hardly ever get up so early, so I hardly ever see the sun rise. I took this photo with my phone. Actually, I took a bunch of photos - when I`d finished, I had hardly any power left in my phone battery - oops!
Vocabulary:
- 'hardly' = almost zero, so 'hardly ever' = almost never, 'hardly noticed' = only noticed a little, 'hardly any __' = almost no ___, 'hardly anybody' = almost nobody
I rode my bicycle across Lake Biwa & over the hills to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. It was raining, & I wasn`t wearing* weather-proof clothes, so I bought a cheap raincoat at a convenience store (my old raincoat was worn out**).
When I arrived at Kiyomizu Temple, I saw a lot of people wearing* kimonos. Actually, most of them were Chinese, not Japanese, but they looked nice. I took some photos then went to Kyoto Station to catch a train back to Lake Biwa. I didn`t want to ride my bicycle back over the mountains. After riding all day I was pretty worn out***.
Vocabulary:
*wear = 着る
**wear out = 使い古す, worn out = 使い古した
*** wear out = 疲らす, worn out = 疲れ
![Chat with Cat & Kayak Chap]()
After leaving Hikone, I cycled south for a couple of hours, then stopped at a convenience store to buy food. I hadn`t talked to many people that day, but I talked to a cat outside the convenience store:
"Hello, cat! What`s up? Are you hungry? Nice cat, can I take a photo? Oh, thank you... Say Mee-ow...!" [I took a photo] "Okay, get lost (=失せろ)."
I don`t like cats.
Next I rode a couple of kilometres to a campsite, set up my tent, made a fire, & cooked my dinner. After dinner I went down to the lake to fish & drink beer. About 11pm, a car approached (近寄る).
I thought, "Maybe it`s security."
A man got out & asked, "What are you doing?"
Yes - must be security. I said, "I`m fishing."
He asked, "Where are you staying?"
Yep - definitely security. I said, "I`m camping over there."
He asked me a few more questions, & we chatted a little. Finally he said, "I`m here to go night kayaking."
Haha - he wasn`t security after all (結局). Indeed, he then went back to his car, got a kayak from his car, & went kayaking on the lake ...at 11pm ...in late autumn. What a strange chap (=man)!
Soon after that, I gave up trying to catch a giant Lake Biwa catfish (ビワコオオナマズ) and went back to my tent in the empty campsite to sleep.
I slept well.
Vocabulary:
- go fishing = 釣りに行く, fish (動詞) = 釣りする
- go camping = キャンプに行く, camp (動詞) = キャンプする
- go shopping = 買い物に行く, shop (動詞) = 買い物する
etc.
After arriving in Hikone from Nagahama, I had lunch and fixed my loose bicycle seat, then went to look at Hikone Castle. It was larger than I expected. The autumn leaves hadn`t reached their peak yet, but the grounds & views were nice. I was impressed. After I looked around & took photos, I returned to my bicycle. Before leaving, I checked my bike seat one more time. It was okay, so I left Hikone & continued cycling down the east side of Lake Biwa. I wanted to find a campsite before dark.
Grammar:
- After/Before + 名詞: OK
- After/Before + 動詞ing: OK
- After/Before + 主語 + 動詞 (NOT 動詞ing): OK
- After/Before + 主語 + 動詞ing: WRONG
While riding From Nagahama to Hikone, my bicycle seat became loose. While I was trying to fix it, I looked across the road & noticed this field with several old-fashioned water pumps in it. Cool! I like this kind of pump, especially the curved handle. I popped across the road & took this photo.
Every cloud has a silver lining! [イディオム: すべての雲は銀の裏地を持っています = 不幸中にも幸いあり]
Vocabulary:
Be careful!
- A bicycle has a SEAT, not a saddle (In English, saddle = 鞍)
- A car has a STEERING WHEEL, not a handle (In English, handle = 取っ手)
Last week I went on a cycling trip around Biwa Lake. I started in Nagahama, on the north-east side of the lake. It`s a picturesque town with a castle & lots of traditional buildings. It`s famous for glassware (vases, drinking glasses, jewelry and things like that), but I didn`t buy any glassware. Instead (代わりに) I bought a lunchbox wrapping cloth (風呂敷) as a souvenir of my visit. After about an hour, a big group of students on a school excursion (遠足) arrived, so I decided to get back on my bike & head for Hikone Castle.
Grammar:
- go/be cycling, go/be traveling, go/be camping
- go to/be in Nagahama, go to/be in the bathroom
- go/be ON a trip, go/be ON an excursion, go/be ON a tour
Shiraito Falls is a waterfall (滝) near Mount Fuji. Although the weather was hot, near the waterfall it felt cool. Later we went to a cave (洞窟) called The Fuji Fugaku Wind Cave. That felt REALLY cool; even in summer the temperature falls to 3 degrees inside. After just 5 minutes I felt it was time to leave.
Vocabulary:
- Falls [名詞] = waterfall
- Be careful: fall (落ちる, 落下) の過去形 = fell, BUT feel (感じる) の過去形 = felt
On Sunday, Teragoya kids, teachers & staff went to Higashiyama Zoo. We go every year, but in previous years, I didn`t notice this killifish (メダカ) section. I`m interested in killifish, so I wanted to look. I asked the kids in my group, "Are you interested in looking at killifish?" They said yes, so we looked inside. There were various displays, but they were most interested in this killifish internal organs (内臓) puzzle.
Natural English:
- 'be (not) + interested in + 名詞 / 動詞ing` is more common & natural than ' have an (/no) interest in 名詞 / 動詞ing', though both are correct.
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