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
I live in Ichinomiya, Aichi. When I found out about this gin made nearby, in Kiyosu, I was like*, "Cool, I wanna try it!"
I like** gin & tonic, but tonic water is a little difficult to find in Japan, so I don`t often drink it. Also, tonic water in Japan isn`t like*** tonic water from countries like**** America & Australia, which contains a kind of medicine called quinine ( キニーネ ). Japanese tonic water doesn`t contain quinine, so it`s a little sweeter.
I have a friend from Kiyosu. I want to drink this gin with him, so I can be like*, "今清洲人と清洲ジン飲んでいます！"
Vocabulary:
* (be) like, "___" = 「＿＿」と思う/言う [very casual style]
** like = 好き
*** (be) like = 似る
**** like = ような、例えば
I bought an old (1964–76) Pentax Spotmatic camera on Yahoo Auction (ヤフオク). It was pretty cheap, so I wasn`t surprised to find that the internal light meter didn`t work. However, I could fix it. Yay.
I don`t have film yet, so I haven`t taken any photos yet. Actually, I`m not sure how to use this kind of camera yet; I`ve never used one. I will watch some Youtube videos to find out (= learn). Also, the lens is a bit (= a little) dirty inside, which is a common problem in old camera lenses. To clean it, I need to buy some ethanol & purified water, so I haven`t cleaned it yet.
So, I`m not ready to take photos yet, but after I take some, I`ll show you the results.
Grammar
- I`m not sleepy/hungry yet: まだ眠くない / お腹空いていない
- I don`t have/know yet: まだ持ってない / 知らない
- I haven`t decided/finished yet: まだ決めていない / 終わっていない
- I`ve never used...: 使った事がない
- "I`ve never...yet": WRONG
I found an old chisel at the site of a demolished building. It looked in bad shape (= condition) but I took it home, washed it, sandpapered off the rust, spray-painted the metal parts, & put varnish (ニス) on the wooden part.
It looks pretty good & it works well. I`m glad I picked it up.
Vocabulary
ニス is not English, but it comes from the English word 'varnish': バーニッシュ --> ワニス --> ニス
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