Have you seen the new Star Wars movie? A couple of weeks ago I saw it with my two sons & a couple of friends. I enjoyed it, though my youngest son got restless (もぞもぞ) after a while (the movie is over 2 hours).
When I was a kid, my father took me & my younger brother to see `Star Wars - Return of the Jedi`, so I was happy for the chance to take my own sons to see a Star Wars movie too.
Vocabulary:
- "a couple" = one boy & one girl, BUT "a couple of ___s" = about two or maybe three ___s. It`s not exact.
What are your hobbies? One of my hobbies is collecting stamps, so when my brother was in Thailand recently, he used big, colorful stamps on these packages that he sent to my kids. So nice!
My brother collects stamps too.
So does my dad.
I guess I have a kind of geeky ( オタッキー ) family.
Natural English:
- People often have more than one hobby, so: "What are your hobbies?" is better than "What is your hobby?"
My kids wanted to make a cardboard (段ボール) house, so I asked my wife to get some cardboard boxes from the supermarket. However, we didn`t make a house. I decided to make a cardboard caboose (車掌車), like the one in my kids` book. I used a goods trolley (台車) as the base, so this caboose can move. I pushed it along the street outside my house, with my kids riding inside it. My kids were excited. My wife was embarrassed. I was satisfied. It was a fun holiday project.
Vocabulary:
- Be careful: 段ボール is a Japanese word, not English. (It sounds kind of like English, but it`s not!).
Merry Christmas, everybody! It`s a busy time in Japan - people are busy attending end-of-year parties (忘年会), buying presents, preparing new year`s cards (年賀状), or busy working, like me! But I hope you`re not too busy to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, & think about his message.
I`ve been too busy to do my blog recently, but I will try to post more often in future.
This is a painting of Jesus` birth by Gauguin - `Nativity` (1896). In this painting, Jesus, Mary, the midwife (?) & the angel are Tahitian. Interesting!
Grammar:
- "busy + __ing" = ___ing a lot, ___ing hard
- "too busy to ___" = can`t ___ because too busy
I heard today that Japanese footballer Homare Sawa has finally retired. She had a fantastic career (実績, not Korea 朝鮮!). I think she`s my favourite Japanese sportsperson.
Pronunciation:
- Be careful: hear = ヒーア but heard = ハード (not ヒーアド)
On Sunday my family visited the Ninja Museum [ http://iganinja.jp/en/ ] in Iga City in Mie Prefecture. We looked at a ninja house with* secret doors etc. then we watched a show with* performers in ninja costumes. There was also an outside area with* targets where you can practice throwing `shiraken` throwing stars.
I think my two young sons would enjoy being ninjas, because at home they like to fight, throw things, jump on & off furniture (家具), & hide when it`s bathtime. Unfortunately they`re not silent (= quiet) like ninjas.
Anyway, my wife laughed when she noticed this ninja mannequin with* blue eyes. How odd!
Vocabulary:
- * In these sentences, `with` means `...that has/have...", so `a room with a view` = a room that has a view
![The Scary But Convenient Tunnel]()
After a cup of coffee for breakfast, I continued north along the east shore of Lake Biwa. Soon I came to a big, busy tunnel. There was a lot of traffic (交通量). I couldn`t see a footpath (歩道). It looked a bit scary for cycling. Fortunately I had my smart phone. I pressed a button & instantly I could check a map & find another road & tunnel. Isn`t technology great?
Anyway, I took this photo of the tunnel that I used. It also looks a little scary, right? But there was no traffic when I went through it, so I was happy. I worry about cycling through tunnels. I also worry about getting a flat tyre when I go cycling, so I always take a pump. Fortunately I didn`t need it this trip.
I wonder how old this tunnel is? It looks scary, but it was convenient.
Pronunciation:
- For some reason, In Japanese, the `U` in these words - cup, tunnel, button, pump - is pronounced `‘オ` but In English, it`s `ア`. So be careful:
- cup = " カップ", (NOT コップ) (Actually, `コップ` = `glass` in English)
- tunnel = "タネル", (NOT トンネル)
- button = "バトン", (NOT ボタン)
- pump = "パンプ", (NOT ポンプ)
Q: What did you get up to last week, Teragoya Otto?
T: I cycled from Ichinomiya to Tsuruga last Thursday.
Q: Oh - that`s a long way! Did you get up early?
T: Yes, I got up at 2am & left my house at 2:30. I got to Lake Biwa at about 8:30.
Q: What did you get up to there?
T: Nothing much. I just got coffee, relaxed a little, took this photo, then continued riding.
Q: Sounds tough.
T: Yes, pretty tough, especially as I`m not in good shape. I`ve got to improve my fitness.
Vocabulary:
- `get up to` = do
- `get up` = 起きる
- `get to` = reach, arrive, 着く
- `have got to` = must, ないと行けない
Last week I cycled to Tsuruga. As (= because) it was a long trip, I left Ichinomiya very early - 2:30am. As (= while) I was passing through a small town near Maibara, I stopped to take off my jacket, as (= because) I was getting hot. As (= while) I was taking off my jacket, I noticed a group of students going to school. As (= while) they crossed the bridge, I took this photo. As you know (知っての通り), I like taking photos.
Vocabluary:
- "As" has various meanings in English e.g. 乍ら、とき、から、のように、の通り
Earlier this year, I went with my family to The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya:
http://jp.bloguru.com/otto/232181/toyota-technology-museum
We listened to a talk about cotton & we were given some free cotton seeds. When we got home, we planted (植えた) them. I watered (水をやった) them often. They grew quite well, & finally produced fluffy ( フワフワ ) white cotton. I was pleased & my kids were excited. What a cool plant!
Now I`m researching how to spin the cotton so I can use it.
Vocabulary:
- plant (名詞) = 植物 plant (動詞) = 植える
- water (名詞) = 水 water (動詞) = 水をやる
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