Otto's blog

After riding along Shotenkyo Beach, I decided not to carry on along the long & difficult coast road. Instead, I went inland, & reached the coast again near Amanohashidate, a famous sightseeing spot. I wanted to buy souvenirs for my family, but I didn`t have space to carry them in my backpack. From there I carried on along the coast to a small town called Tango-Yuri, where I was surprised to see a 海上自衛隊 aircraft-carrier.

It was getting dark, so I caught the train from Tango-Yuri to Wakasa-Wada, where I camped.

Vocabulary:
carry: 運ぶ
carry on: continue, 続ける
aircraft carrier: 航空母艦

I rose* early & rode to Shotenkyo beach to watch the sun rise**. I found a sea-urchin (うに) shell, a colorful lure, and a float (釣り浮き). It was pretty cold, but as I rode east, the temperature rose** and it was comfortable cycling weather.

Vocabulary
* rise, rose = 起きる, 起きった
** rise, rose = 上がる、上がった
"Rise and shine!" = 「起きってがんばって！」

I got up early, packed up my tent, and rode north, mostly using the footpath. Along the way, I saw a cage & thought, "What`s in there? An animal?" Yes - a wild boar (イノシシ). Wow.

I rode for several hours but then I got a flat tyre (= puncture = パンク). Oh no. I couldn`t fix it, so I caught a train from a nearby town called Hase, to Kumihama, where a kind bike-shop owner picked me up at the station, took me to his shop, & fixed my tyre. What a nice fellow. Thank you very much!

After that I found a nice camping spot next to a river, made a small fire, had dinner, and slept very well.

British versus American English:
- footpath (UK, Aus) = sidewalk, pavement (US)
- wild boar, wild pig, feral pig (UK, Aus, US), wild/feral hog (US)
- tyre (UK, Aus) = tire (US)

I went on a train & cycling & camping trip. First I went to Kobe by train to meet an old friend. After that I took the train north to a small station called Ao. From there I rode to a World War 2 airfield museum called Uzurano. However, the plane in the photo is actually an American-made SNJ-5 'Texan', which was not flown by Japan in WW2...
Finally I went to a campsite by bicycle (folding bicycle 折りたたみ自転車) & stayed there one night.

Grammar
go to ___ by train/bus = take the train/bus to ____
go to ___ by bicycle = ride/drive to ____
go to ___ on foot = walk to ___
go to ___ plane = fly to ___

My previous sleeping bag was pretty big & heavy, so I got a new one. My current one is lighter, more compact, & more suitable for cycling-camping trips. It`s also clean; my old one was pretty dirty...

Vocabulary:
- my old/previous ____ = 私の前の____ ["my before ____" is WRONG]
- my new/current/present ____ = 私の今の ____ ["my now ____" is WRONG]

In addition to adding* small wheels to my folding bike, I also added* a DIY handle, which improves the balance when I pull it. An added** benefit is that it is more comfortable to hold. In addition, it can be moved to fit neatly (きちんと,すっきり) on the rack. I`ve made a few additions*** to my folding bike recently. I`m looking forward to going riding & testing them.

Vocabulary:
- In addition (to ___),... = とは別に
- * to add (動詞) = 付ける, 付け加える
- **added (形容詞) = 追加, おまけ
- *** addition (名詞) = 加算, 付加,追加

Compared with (と比べて) other folding bikes, mine is not so heavy. However, if I have to carry it on my shoulder (肩) to, for example, a distant (遠い) train platform, it`s a hassle (めんどくさい). So I attached small wheels into the bottom of the seat post. They are originally from an old baby stroller.

Vocabulary:
- stroll = そぞろ歩き, あてもなくぶらぶら歩くこと stroller = ベビーカー

The handlebar grips on my folding bicycle looked old & felt bad (& smelled bad? probably), so I replaced them with the black grips from a stretchy exercise thing from Daiso, which fit perfectly. They look like real bicycle grips, don`t they? And they feel good. Nice.

Grammar:
- look/feel/sound/taste/smell + 形容詞
- look/feel/sound/taste/smell + like + (形容詞 +) 名詞

Just in time for Halloween, I found this small orange moth in my classroom. The pattern & contrasting colors are nice, aren`t they? This week my school is celebrating Halloween by giving candy to students who say 'trick or treat' to staff. (In contrast, if I say 'trick or treat' to staff, they tell me to go back to work. It`s not fair.)

Maybe it`s a Light-ribboned Wave moth (Leptostales rubromarginaria), but I`m not sure.

Vocabulary:
contrasting =　対比的
In contrast, =　それに引き替え
(It`s) not fair =　ずるい

I have lots of Japanese Rice Fish (メダカ), and a few goldfish, which I keep in several fish tanks (水槽) outside. The last couple of nights, I`ve been hearing a frog there. Today I spent a couple of minutes looking for it, and found it on the edge of a tank. Haha – he seems to be smiling. I hope that means he`s happy.

Vocabulary:
a couple of ___ = 2 or 3
a few ___s = 3/4/5
several ___s = 4/5/6/7
lots of ___(s) = many