Otto's blog

The Biwa beach that I visited was pretty empty - just a handful of people were there, walking their dogs, or sitting on benches. A couple were beachcombing, like me, but I don`t think they were collecting what I collected - walnuts & water chestnut seed pods*. I had an idea, so I gathered a bagful of them. What do you think I`m going to make? Hint: Next month is December. The answer is in comments.

* https://jp.bloguru.com/otto/341395/water-chestnut-seed-pods

Vocabulary:
- a bagful/boxful/mouthful of ___ = 袋/箱/口にいっぱいの＿＿
- a handful of ___ = a small number/amount of ___
- 'A Fistful of Dollars' (Movie name, in Japanese: 荒野の用心棒) = 拳固にいっぱいの金

On Saturday I took a daytrip to Biwa Lake. I went to Maibara Station by train, then rode my folding bike (折りたたみ自転車) down* to a beach near Hikone Castle, where I found a couple of small rubber balls, a lure, a float, & some lighters with a little gas left in them (I was going to use them to make a small fire to make coffee, but there was a convenience store across the road, so I just bought coffee there instead).

I didn`t ride far on Saturday, but when I packed up my bike & carried it up** the stairs at the station, my legs felt tired. I guess I walked a lot without realising it.

Vocabulary:
- 'down' = *南 or 下
- 'up' = 北 or **上

After camping one night in Wakasa-Wada, I packed up & went by train to Mihama, where there is a mountain that I hiked up several years ago. That time, I saw wild deer & wild boar (イノシシ), but this time, I only saw some wild... mushrooms. I don`t know much about mushrooms, so I can`t tell you what kind they are. Do you know?

Anyway, so I didn`t see any wildlife, but the view from the top of the mountain was nice. As you can see, the side facing the sea is very steep, so although I wanted to explore the beach, I didn`t want to climb down.

Vocabulary:
- HIKE UP a mountain: walking on a path, not using hands
- CLIMB a mountain: very steep, using hands, maybe special equipment e.g. carabiners, ropes, etc.
-　岐阜の金華山での「ハイキング」は『hike up』を使った方がいい

In this picture of Wakamiya Beach you can see a row (列) of row (コグ) boats on the right. I guess you can rent them during the summer. But how about late autumn? I didn`t see anybody around to ask. Maybe I could just quietly borrow one for a little while and nobody would mind... Haha, but not this time. As you can see by the length of my shadow (影), it was getting late, so after taking this photo, I headed back to the campsite.

Vocabulary
- rent = 借りる (+ pay money)
- borrow = 借りる (free)
- Be careful: rental: 形容詞. rent/rented: 動詞

At the other end of the beach where I camped, there`s a nice park with a unique view. I took this photo there, then I noticed a sound... someone was playing a violin... playing a violin badly... Haha - I think it was the same guy I heard when I came here last year: https://jp.bloguru.com/otto/posts/2019/11/15 I`m glad he hasn`t given up. It must be a hobby that he really likes. Or his music teacher is very strict (厳しい )?

Grammar
- ____の場所 = [place] where ___
- ____の人 = [person] who/that ___
- ____の物 = [thing] which/that ___
- ____の時 = [time] when/that ___

Last week I went camping in Fukui. I arrived in Wakasa-Wada around midday, set up my tent, then went beachcombing. My main target was fishing floats. As you can see, I managed to (= tried & could) find several, so I was satisfied. I was also pleased with the weather - mainly sunny, with some clouds. Another good point was that the campsite was almost empty - in Japan, people mainly camp in summer only.

Grammar:
- Be careful: 'main' is 形容詞, 'mainly' is 副詞, so 'My main purpose...' OK, but 'The mainly reason...' WRONG

I saw this cool old Delica at Hashima Costco. I actually used to own a Delica like this (in Australia), but eventually it got rusty & needed a lot of repairs, which would have cost a lot of money to fix, so I got rid of it. When I saw this one at Costco, though, I thought, "Hmmm, maybe I should have kept mine & restored it..." I could have put a tyre on the front too... Why? Hey, why not!

Grammar:
- would have + 過去分詞 =　～だっただろう
- should have + 過去分詞 =　～をすればよかった
- could have + 過去分詞 =　～することができたのに

I found this 4WD (Four-Wheel-Drive) toy car in a second-hand shop. I had an idea, so I bought it (it was only 50yen). At home, I drilled holes in the black plastic spotlights, inserted (入れる) small lights, & connected (繋ぐ) them to a watch battery inside the body. Now my 4WD has working spotlights! Unfortunately they only stay on for about 3 seconds, then die. That`s a bit disappointing. But I enjoyed showing & explaining it to my kids, & also to my wife while she pretended (ふりをした) to be asleep.

Pronunciation
- Writing '4WD' is okay, but when speaking, it is always pronounced "Four Wheel Drive" (not 'four double-u dee'). Similarly, 'BBQ' is often written, but always pronounced "BARbeque" (not 'beebeeque')

I recorded another podcast about another of my childhood hobbies - butterfly collecting.

https://bohmeenglish.podbean.com/e/the-bohme-english-podcast-18-ottos-hobby/

I don`t collect butterflies anymore - I have other hobbies now. However, one of my Japanese friends does - he gave me the ones in this photo. He has a lot of other kinds in his collection - it`s pretty impressive.

Grammar:
- another __ = 1 other __
- other ___s = 2/3/4/many other ___s

I bought a cheap lot (lot = まとめ) of model plane kits on 'Yahoo-Oku' (an online auction site) & gave my kids one each to make during their summer holidays. Just for fun, I put a battery & small electric motor in this one. When you touch the wires, the propeller turns. My kids were impressed. (My wife wasn't. She rolled her eyes).


Japanese English (和製英語):
- In English, nobody says プラモデル or プラレール
- プラモデル --> Plastic model, Model plane/car/etc.
- プラレール --> Tomy/Thomas (blue plastic) train tracks