While cycling around Lake Biwa, I took photos of any unusual cars that I saw. I saw German cars e.g. the dark green Volkswagen Karmann, French cars e.g. the Citroen 2CV, British cars e.g. the Mini Coopers, and of course Japanese cars such as the white Mitsubishi Galant GTO - I think out of all of them, that`s my favourite. How about you?
Vocabulary:
- Germany (国) --> German (形容詞) ['ドイツ'はドイツ語です]
- France (国) --> French (形容詞)
- Britain (国) --> British (形容詞)
I guess this person doesn`t want their car to smell smoky. Anyway, they shouldn`t be smoking while driving. Actually, they shouldn`t smoke at all - it`s a bad habit.
Grammar:
- If we don`t know if somebody is 'he' or 'she', we can use 'they/them/their etc.' even though it`s only one person.
This trial roundabout is near Shiraito Falls in Fujinomiya. It used to be a normal intersection (交差点). Roundabouts are common in Australia, so I`m used to driving through them, but there aren`t many roundabouts in Japan, so Japanese drivers aren`t used to them. That`s why there are many warning signs for this one. For me, it`s funny - like seeing signs saying,"Warning! Trial Traffic Lights ahead! Drive Carefully!"
Grammar:
- 名詞 + used to + 動詞 = よく～したものだ、昔は～していた、以前は～したものだった
- (be) + used to + 名詞 / 動名詞 = 慣れている
I spotted this car going past my school. It might be an old Nissan Cedric. Or it may be a Gloria. Or it could be a Toyota Crown. Or something else...? Could be!
Vocabulary:
- "Might/May/Could + be + ___" means we are not sure if something is true or not.
Right next to our school is an expensive boutique. Right outside it was this fancy Lamborghini. Right away, I got my camera & took a photo.
What do you think of it? Actually, this is not my kind of car. I prefer older, classic cars. Also, the driver`s seat is right down near the ground. It must be difficult to get in & out of this kind of car.
Vocabulary:
- 'Right' has various meanings e.g. 右, 正しい, 権利 but 'right + 前置詞' usually means 'ちょうど___' or 'すぐ___'
I got a new car. It`s longer, higher, & roomier (roomy = 手広い) than my previous one. Now, with these Star Wars decals on it, it`s way geekier too.
I bought them on ebay ( http://www.ebay.com/ )
Vocabulary:
- 'way ___er' = much ___er e.g. Australia is much bigger than Japan, but Japan`s population (人口) is way higher than Australia`s.
I`ve blogged about this place before - http://en.bloguru.com/otto/98775/cool-caravans-in-ichinomiya - but I thought I would give you an update on their inventory. Nice, aren`t they? I think this is their website: http://www.onyx.dti.ne.jp/~american-trailer/
Trailers aren`t popular in Japan, but they are in Australia, especially with 'grey nomads' - retirees (退職者) who like to travel.
Vocabulary:
- A 'trailer' is called a 'caravan' in the UK, Australia & New Zealand, and a trailer park is called a caravan park
At this restaurant in Ichinomiya, you can eat your meal inside this London double-decker bus. You can choose upstairs or downstairs. It`s interesting, isn`t it? Of course my kids loved it. Geeky dad enjoyed it too.
This is their website: http://www.lodekka501bta39.com/
Pronunciation:
- In English, 'London' is usually pronounced ランダン or ランデン (not ロンドン )
While walking around my neighbourhood, I noticed this car parked in someone`s carport. It`s a Datsun Bluebird from around 1970. It`s nice, isn`t it? I especially like the colour. What`s your favourite car? favourite colour? favourite ice-cream flavour?
Spelling:
Some words spelt 'our' in British English are spelt 'or' in American English:
- UK: neighbour, colour, favourite, flavour
- US: neighbor, color, favorite, flavor
On Sunday I went to Itadori. On the way, we passed a caryard full of cool old cars. As we went past, I quickly took this photo of one of the cars (my wife was driving). It looks like a Chevrolet Nova from about 1970.
Later I looked online & found the place: http://carcass.jp/
Vocabulary:
Be careful: `through` & `pass/past` are different:
(車で) 店の前を通る = go/drive past a shop OR pass a shop
(車で) トンネルを通る = go/drive through a tunnel
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