Tuesday, December 24, 2013

What the Hell!

Today I'm gonna tell you about a great study tool for language.
And about a unique hot spring resort in Japan, which is famous for the "hells".


<Language Exchange SNS Lang-8>


If you're studying a foreign language and wanna try to make some sentences,
or just wanna find language exchange partner, check out this website.
http://lang-8.com

I started it 2 years ago, to practice writing Persian.
Now I'm focusing on studying Chinese, so I rarely write Persian or English articles.

There're plenty of Japanese users, so if you want to practice writing Japanese,
a lot of Japanese native speakers are willing to help you. : ) So am I!!

Just try it, it's free!!



<the Romantic Hell Tour>

Beppu city in Japan is the best hot spring resort I've ever been.
Beppu city is known for having more hot springs than anywhere in Japan.
You can see steams of hot springs every time and everywhere.


Beppu's top sight is the eight hells (地獄/jigoku/). Traveling around these eight hells is called 地獄めぐり/jigoku-meguri/ which means "the hell tour".

the sea hell
(1)Umi-jigoku (The sea hell) There are big cobalt-blue pond of boiling water.
The steamed eggs in this hell were yummy! You should try one. ; )

Oniishi shaven head hell
(2)Oniishibouzu-jigoku (Oniishi shaven head hell) You can see mud bubbles emerging from boiling mud pools. This hell is named after these bubbles because they look like a shaven heads of monks. It's creepy. :O

(3)Yama-jigoku (The mountain hell) This is a small zoo. I love zoos! XD




There're chimpanzee, flamingos, llamas, a hippo, an elephant...
This hippo is bathing with his mouth opened. He's waiting for tourists to throw his snack into his mouth. This hell must be the heaven for him!!

I'm giving an elephant some biscuits

(4)Kamado-jigoku (The cooking pot hell) There're several boiling ponds, and visitors can drink the hot spring water, enjoy hand and foot baths.

(5)Oniyama-jigoku (The monster mountain hell) You can see a lot of crocodiles and alligators here!! It's very scary sight...



(6)Shiraike-jigoku (The white pond hell) The white milky pond, surrounded by a traditional Japanese garden. There's a small aquarium. There're piranhas!

(7)Chinoike-jigoku (The blood pond hell) This hell has a big red hot pond. You can buy "Chinoike Ointment", which is made from the red clay produced here. It's effective for skin disease.


(8)Tatsumaki-jigoku (The spout hell) This hell is famous for a boiling hot geyser, which erupts every 30-40 minutes for about 6-10 minutes.




Last year on Christmas night, there were fireworks festival at the seaside park.
It's usual to see fireworks in the summer in Japan.
But I thought fireworks in the winter also very beautiful.
1000 children were singing Christmas songs. It was adorable.


I'm going to go back to Japan at the end of this year, and planning to travel around Beppu again. Awww, I can't wait!! XD



*Japanese Word of the Day*
待(ま)ちきれない!!!
/machikirenai/
I can't wait!!


I wish you happy holidays!! :D

Monday, December 23, 2013

The Time of Life

Happy birthday to ME!!! lol I became 25 on 21st Dec!
Don't worry, I still welcome your birthday message and gifts. ;P


Have you ever heard of "the time of life"?
Divide your age by 3, this number tells you what time it is in a life.  :)

As for me, 25/3=8.333... It means I'm at about 8:20 in the morning in my life. 

My father, 59 years old, is already around 19:40. (59/3=19.666...)
Maybe it is time to go back home from his work. 

My older brother is at 10 o'clock. 
It's time everybody starts working in the morning. 

My younger brother is still around 7 in the morning.
He just woke up and needs to wash his face before starting his day. 

Do you get the picture?
So my life has just started. It's maybe time to go to school or work, right?
I haven't decided where to go, but I hope my life will be a great journey for me. 
Fortunately, I could meet good friends (like you!) at the beginning of my life. (*^_^*)

Thank you everybody!



*Japanese Word of the Day*
誕生日(たんじょうび)おめでとう!!!
/tanjoubi omedetou/
Happy Birthday!!

; )

Friday, December 20, 2013

Cozy Cozy Winter :3

It's so cold these days!! :/

I miss Japanese traditional heater こたつ/kotatsu/. Do you know it?



Cats also love the kotatsu.


Japanese people love to eat mandarin oranges while sitting warm under the kotatsu.



When the winter comes, I miss Japanese hot springs, too.
Beppu city is the best hot spring resort in Japan, I think.
I've been there for three or four times.

The most famous tourist attraction in Beppu is "The Hells".
It was amazing. Don't worry, it's not a scary place at all. XD
Well, I'll write about "The Hells" in Beppu city next time.



It's very beautiful, isn't it?


And... YATTA!!! I'll be able to visit Beppu again at the beginning of 2014!!
I'm really really happy and excited to go. XD Yahoo!



*Japanese Word of the Day*
冬(ふゆ)はこたつが恋(こい)しくなるね。
/fuyu wa kotatsu ga koishiku naru ne/
I miss the kotatsu in winter, don't you think so?

* : winter
*(Aが)恋しい : to miss (A)

Be careful to use this word "恋しい" for a person.
If you say あなた(you)が恋しい, it indicates that you love him or her.
It has a romantic meaning.

*
This "ね" at the end of the sentence makes the sentence friendly.
We often use it when we friendly talk to someone, when we want to emphasis the sentence, or when we want to confirm something. It's often translated as "don't you think so?" "isn't it?" or "don't you agree with me?".
It's called sentence ending particles. Japanese has many kinds of sentence ending particles!



What do you miss in winter? :)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Hassle?

Listening to Podcast is a good way to learn foreign languages.
I subscribe many kinds of podcasts. Mainly, to learn English.
Do you ever listen to podcasts to learn foreign languages?

Here's the list I subscribe:
<English Podcast>
*All Ears English Podcast
*English as a Second Language Podcast
*CNN Student News
*TED Talks (audio)
*Let's Master English's Podcast
*www.BreakingNewsEnglish.com

(↓Podcasts for Japanese people learning English)
*毎日ちょこっとリスニング特訓~Podcast~
*ECC 英会話 Podcasting

<Learn Chinese>
*Learn Chinese -The ChinesePod Qingwen Show
*Mandarin Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyk

<Learn Persian>
*Learn Persian with Chai and Conversation
*Learn Persian PersianPod101.com


I usually listen to them on my way to the grocery store,
during my commute, or during I do housework.

Now I have to go shopping for food. I mean, it's time to study.
But... It's really nuisance to have to go out in the rain!!
It's always raining these days in Taiwan. It's not because I am a Rain Bringer.
I've heard that it rains a lot during winter in Taiwan.

Do you remember the Japanese words which have relation to rain?
If not, please check out my previous post below! : )
>Typhoon is coming (again!)
>Rain, Rain, Go Away!



OK, today I'm gonna tell you an useful phrase when you don't feel like doing something.
*Japanese Word of the Day*
めんどくさい!!
/mendokusai/
What a hassle! I can't be bothered! I'm too lazy! What a nuisance!
You know I am very lazy person, I often say it. lol

めんどくさい can be used as an adjective.
A troublesome job : めんどくさい仕事(しごと)
A complicated question : めんどくさい問題(もんだい)


めんどい is an informal term of めんどくさい. It's often used among young people.
Some considers it rude, so be careful when you use it. I sometimes say it though.


買(か)い物(もの)に 行(い)くのが めんどくさい。
/kaimono ni iku noga mendokusai/
*買い物 : shopping
*行く : to go

Let's say "I'm reluctant to go shopping because it's raining." in Japanese.
雨(あめ)が降(ふ)っているから、買い物に行くのがめんどくさい。
*雨が降っている : it is raining
*~から : because...
In Japanese, we usually express the reason at the beginning of the sentence.
It's quite different from English, right? : )



Don't be too lazy to read my blog!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

OH, CRAP! I OVERSLEPT!!

I know I am a long sleeper. 8 hours sleep isn't enough for me!!
I had a Taijiquan class this morning, but I overslept...

My husband must go to work at 7 in the morning. So I wake up (technically he wakes me up) at 6:30 and I prepare our breakfast. Recently I go to bed at 12:30 or 1 at night because he comes home late. That's why I feel really really sleepy. Fortunately I don't have to go to work. I usually go to bed and sleep again after I see him off to his work.

Do you know how to say "go back to sleep after waking up in the morning" in Japanese? There's a verb to express this action.


*Japanese Word of the Day*
二度寝(にどね)する
/nidone suru/

*二度/nido/ twice
*寝/ne/ is from the verb 寝る/reru/, to sleep.

If you 二度寝する(go back to sleep again), you might 寝過ごす (oversleep).
It often happens. Have you done it before?

*寝(ね)過(す)ごす/nesugosu/ to oversleep



What will you say if you overslept?
I would say: やばい!!!!寝坊した!!!!!

*やばい/yabai/ is said when something bad happened.
Well, confusingly, it's also often used as "awesome" or "amazing".

*寝坊(ねぼう)した is past tense of 寝坊する/nebou suru/
It means "to sleep in".



Too many words today? I hope this article isn't too boring to make you sleepy. Lol
I love sleeping!!=)

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Rock Scissors, Paper... one, two, three!!!

The last cookie on the plate. Would you like to take it?
People are reluctant to take it, but I'm not, sorry.

Sometimes my friend also reaches for the last item on the plate at the same time. What will happen next? She shouts "It's mine!!" and I reply "No!! It's mine!!". After glaring at each other, she tries to knock me down but I quickly roll with her punches, and...

No, no. I'm kinda pacifist (maybe), I never get into a fight (maybe).
So, what should we do? I know the fairest way to settle this.

It's じゃんけん /JANKEN/.
Yes, this is Rock Scissors Paper Game in Japan.
Have you played it before? It's very common way to decide something.
I often play Janken with my husband when our opinions are divided.



Of course, children love playing Janken.
I had played it hundreds of times in a primary school.


Some boys stroke a strange pose to choose which one to throw out. They said they could see the sign of what would be thrown next. I tried to imitate that pose a few times, but I didn't understand the logic. Let me know if you know it.



There're many versions of Janken all over Japan.
The most common version is like this:

最初(さいしょ)はグー、じゃんけんポイ!!
/saisho wa guu, janken poi/

Maybe you know Rock Scissors Paper Game's rule, don't you?
So I won't explain it in detail. =P

Rock : グー(ぐー)
Scissors : チョキ(ちょき)
Paper : パー(ぱー)

(1)最初はグー
Every player throw out Rock at first.

(2)じゃんけんポイ!
On "poi!" players show their hands.

(3)あいこでしょ! /aiko de sho!/
If it's a draw, try again with saying あいこでしょ.




No cheating. 後(あと)出(だ)し is against the rules.
*後出し /ato dashi/ or おそだし /oso dashi/ means to throw out your hand after you look at the other player's hand. Here, Super あとだし Janken Machine in Japan. Lol





Janken is not only a good way to decide on something, but it can be also a very exciting game. Play it with your friends or your family! =D I'm sure it would be fun!




I do like it! XD
Ah, I found this video says it's "じゃんけんポ".
But don't worry, both of them (ポン and ポイ) are correct.
Use the one which you like.



*Japanese Word of the Day*
よし、じゃあ、じゃんけんで決めよう。
/yoshi, jaa, janken de kimeyou/
Okay, then, let's play Janken to decide.

わかった。3回(さんかい)勝負(しょうぶ)ね。
/wakatta. san-kai shoubu ne/
Alright. Why don't we play the best of three games?

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Don't Move! There's Something In Your Hair...!

It's already December! But it's still warm in Taiwan! :O

It was rather HOT yesterday. It's very comfortable season for me, but Taiwanese people are too sensitive to cold, I think. Some wear a sweater or a down jackets, on the other hand I roll up my sleeves. I confirmed that I am a foreigner in Taiwan when I was walking among fully equipped people. Or, am I just too fat to sensitive to heat? Lol




















By the way, my husband hates bugs. I can't help laughing when him found a bug and jumped up. I love playing a prank on him. hehehe...



*Japanese Word of the Day*
動(うご)かないで、髪(かみ)に何(なに)かついてるよ。
/ugokanaide, kami ni nani ka tsuiteru yo/
Don't move, there's something in your hair.

取(と)って、取って、取ってえええええええええ!!!
/totte, totte, totteeeeeee!!/
Get it off, get it off, get it ooooffffff!!

Monday, December 2, 2013

It Happens While You Sleep

I slept in! I saw a sad dream, and woke up at noon :'(
Do you often see a strange dream? I do. But I don't remember what I saw very well.
My husband says that I sometimes talk in my sleep and act as if I am awake.
It's creepy, isn't it? lol

I remembered something from long time ago!
When I was small, I slept with my family together. My father shouted aloud at midnight suddenly, which surprised me. I woke up and looked at him.


My younger brother also woke up but didn't understand what happened. He sucked his thumb and went to sleep again. My father... was sleeping with his feet up. He rubbed his feet together as if a fly. It was really weird sight. Sooner or later I fell asleep again.

At the next morning, I thought what I saw was a strange dream.
I asked my dad, "Did you sleep well last night?".
He replied that he had seen a strange dream at that night.

He found that his daughter (it's me!) was, in fact,  a Terminator.
Tomoe (me!) noticed that he found the truth. And she ran after him to kill.
He was far too excited and shouted out, then his dream ended.


Yeah, I understood. That's why he shouted out at midnight. Lol
He didn't remember that he was rubbing his feet together, though.



By the way, is it strange for you to sleep with family together?
In Japanese traditional room, we put futon mattress to sleep.
We used to spread 4 sets of mattresses in a room.


Don't worry, only small kids sleep with parents together. lol
Nowadays many Japanese people like to sleep in a bed, instead of a futon mattress.


*Japanese Word of the Day*
彼(かれ)は寝相(ねぞう)が悪(わる)い。
/kare wa nezou ga warui/
He tosses around in his sleep.

お父(とう)さんのいびきがうるさくて眠(ねむ)れない。
/otousan no ibiki ga urusakute nemurenai/
My father's snores so loudly that it disturb my sleep.

*寝相 one's sleeping posture
寝相が悪い literary means "one's sleeping posture is bad".
You can say 寝相が良(い)い if he sleeps without turning over.


*いびき a snore
いびきをかく (verb) snore
Here I wrote いびきがうるさい. うるさい means noisy or annoying.


*眠る to sleep
眠れない cannot sleep
最近よく眠れない = I cannot sleep well recently.
最近(さいきん)recently + よく well + 眠れない cannot sleep



Are you 寝相が良い, or 寝相が悪い? =)

Thursday, November 28, 2013

How To Tell Someone You Love Him Or Her

I'm thankful for my blog readers!! XD


Of course you know how to say "thank you" in Japanese, right?
ありがとう for everybody (^O^)/


Actually I haven't heard full of this music before... lol
Can you understand its story line?

At the first scene, a man and a woman got off the bus and met their old friend. They were good friends in junior high school. They came back to the school they graduated from. And they remembered their old days. They remembered their teacher.

The scene around 4:00 on this video is their graduation ceremony. Japanese graduation ceremony is like that! But normally, there're more students and teachers in a hall. This story is about a school in rural district, so there were only three students (them).


In Japan, graduation ceremony is in March.
Oh you know what? There's an unique custom in graduation ceremony.
On graduation day at junior high and high schools, a girl junior ask a boy graduate his 第二ボタン/daini botan/, the second button from the top of his uniform.

What should he do if he was asked by several girls?
Then he would give his second button to the girl he cares the most. And then, other buttons to other girls. If you saw a boy wearing a school uniform without any buttons on graduation day, he must be very popular among girls. lol



Well, when I graduated from high school,  several girls junior came to ask my second button. It's true. But you know, I AM A FEMALE.




*Japanese Word of the Day*

先輩(せんぱい)、ずっと好(す)きでした!
/senpai, zutto suki desita!/
I've always loved you.
付(つ)き合(あ)って下(くだ)さい!
/tsukiatte kudasai!/
Can I be your girlfriend?


こ・・・こくられた!!!!??(私女なんだけど)
/ko... kokurareta! (watashi onnna nandakedo)/
Was I asked to be her boyfriend!!?? I am a female, though.



*告白(こくはく)する:a girl tells a boy that she loves him (or a boy tells a girl he loves her)
Young guys often make it short and say こくる.
こくられる is the passive, and こくられた is passive+past tense.

*先輩(せんぱい):Junior students call senior students 先輩.


Monday, November 25, 2013

What a coincidence!!

I didn't do anything last weekend but today was a very good day.
How was your weekend? Did you have any fun?

Today I went to go hang out at my new friend's house.
She's also Japanese, who lives in Taiwan. It was the second time we met,
but we became a good friends. We have many points in common.


You know, I go to foot massage lessons once a week.
The first day, after the lesson my classmates and I went to have lunch.
That was the first and last time we went for lunch together... (-_-;)
Anyway, we introduced ourselves to each other at first.

The lady sat next to me told me that she knows a girl whose name is very similar to me.
Her name is Tomoe, too. And there're many ways to write Tomoe in Kanji characters.
I have met a few people whose name is Tomoe before,
but I haven't met Tomoe which is written in the same Kanji characters as me.

And, my full name has 4 characters in Kanji.
2 are the Kanji of Tomoe, and the other 2 characters are of my family name.
My new friend Tomoe's name's three-fourth are the same characters!! Wow.

The classmate introduced me that girl, and two Tomoe became friends.


Not only our names.
We are the same age, we're from very close cities in Japan,
we got married in the same year, and we came to Taiwan because
our husbands have been transferred here.

You ain't seen nothing yet!
My husband is 6 years older than me, and her husband is also!
I asked her where he is from. And yes, our husbands are from the same city... =O
Have you ever experienced like this? They went to the same high school...

It's amazing to meet the person like her in Taiwan.
The area I live in isn't much popular for Japanese people who live in Taiwan.
But we live in the same area. Oh my...!



*Japanese Word of the Day*
すっごい偶然(ぐうぜん)だね!!
/suggoi guuzen dane/
What a coincidence!! Isn't it?!

*すごい/sugoi/ very, a lot, amazing, cool... etc
*偶然/guuzen/ coincidence, chance


We often say or write like this to emphasis the word すごい.
You also say "verrrrrry" right? It's like that.

It's hard to explain how to pronounce it, so I put an audio file today! Yay!


So, すごい=) → すっごい=D → すっっごいXD

I've forgotten about this audio tool until now. I used to use it to practice speaking a foreign language and to get feedback from native speakers. (But only used for 2 or 3 times..)


Oh, I feel a little embarrassed by my voice...

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Crazy Horse Races

The internet connection of my laptop is really bad recently. : <

Anyway, do you ever watch horse races? I don't, but I like horses.
When I was small, my parents often took me to the park which is surrounded by a race track for horses. There were small ponies, and I loved looking at them.


I was not interested in betting on the horses, but I liked playing computer games of horse racing at that time. I managed a farm, bred horses, made them compete the races. It was fun. : )


I found a video of Japan World Cup.
Ah, don't take it seriously! It's kinda joke. Lol


The commentator speaks really fast, but you'll find it really ridiculous and funny if you understand what he's saying.

This game was released on JRA(Japan Racing Association)'s official website. Anyone could play it. I mean you could bet on the horse you want (of course not paying real money!) and see what would happen. This video shows you several patterns of these race results.


Which horse do you like the best? =)



*Japanese of the Day*
サンコン、手を使わずにチャックを閉めようとしている!
(Watch 8:00~ of the above video)
Sankhon is trying to close a zipper without using both hands!


By the way, if you found someone's zipper is open, what will you do?
Will you directly tell him (or her) "Hey, your zipper's open!"?

In Japanese, we say 社会の窓 to avoid saying direct words.
社会(しゃかい) means "social" and 窓(まど) means "a window".


So, if a girl blushed over her face and bashfully said
あの・・・社会の窓が・・・ (Well... your "social window" is...)
you should check your zipper on pants.



Thursday, November 14, 2013

Be Hooked On Drama

Though I currently live in Taiwan, I watch Japanese TV news every morning.
Oh, you know what? Do you remember the TV drama "Amachan"?
*If you've forgotten, click here!

"Amachan" was so popular in Japan. The drama ended in September, and some people were affected by it. Some became spiritless in the morning because they can't watch Amachan anymore. And some got insomnia. The symptom's just like Pet loss, so it is called あまロス症候群 (Ama loss syndrome). I don't know whether there're still sufferers.


Anyway, it started broadcasting again in Taiwan with Chinese subtitles! XD
I can watch Amachan again! YATTA!!



When it comes to talk about the most popular TV dramas in Japan, "Hanzawa Naoki" is indispensable!! This drama achieved over 50% ratings in Kansai area. It was awesome...!!




Everybody couldn't help watching even though they were in a business hotel. Lol
It was really really really interesting drama. I hope you can also watch it with English subtitles.



*Japanese Word of the Day*
こんなにハマるなんて思わなかったよ!
/konnani hamaru nante omowanakatta yo/
I didn't expect to be into watching dramas!

*ハマる
= to be into, to be crazy about, to be absorbed in, to be hooked in...
*こんなに~なんて
= such, like this, in this way (emphasize the following word)
*思う → 思わない(negative) → 思わなかった(negative + past tense)
= to think, to expect, to feel

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Refresh the Spirit

Hi, there! How was your weekend? =)
I've had muscle pain since yesterday because I went for mountain walking last weekend.
I'm not mountaineer, but like hiking in the mountains. It makes me feel really good.


I started walking at 6 in the gray of the morning. I looked up the mountain which I was gonna walk up, and felt uneasy. It looked very high. (Actually it was high and hard to walk...)

the entrance to the road up a mountain
The path led me to the thick woods. It took about 2 hours from here to the observatory.


It wasn't easy at all. I lost my breath, and my heart had been pounding since I started walking. My legs felt heavy as lead. But, it gave me a big sense of accomplishment when I got to the top of the mountain.



It was awesome. I overlooked the scenery from the observatory. The clouds and haze were just like the sea and the shore.



*Japanese Word of the Day*
気分(きぶん)爽快(そうかい)!!
/kibun sookai/
I feel refreshed! I felt great!

*気分 : feelings
*爽快 : refreshing, crisp

Have you felt 気分爽快! lately? =)

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Speak Foreign Languages Fluently

I'm often surprised that a lot of Taiwanese people can speak Japanese very well!

Last week I went to a convenience store, and the cashier found I am Japanese, so he talked to me in Japanese. It often happens in Taiwan. In Japanese style restaurants like ramen(noodles) shop, they say いらっしゃいませ! when I enter there.

*If you have been to Japan, you would have heard this phrase (いらっしゃいませ) a lot!




This clip was really fun. XD You can enjoy it with English subtitles!
I especially like the last part of it. I hope I also would be able to speak foreign language fluently like them!! Awesome!


*Japanese Word of the Day*
えっ 何(なん)のために持(も)ってるのか?
/eh nan no tame ni motteru noka?/
Wait, why am I carrying this?
(Watch 17:22~ of this video!)

*Yodobashi Camera is a big electronics store.
The man on this video from 17:22 loves shopping at Yodobashi Camera.
He showed his laptop and said he can't do anything without it so he always carrying it.
And he said....


Monday, November 4, 2013

Move To Tears

Did you have a good weekend?

I originally planned to go to the hot springs, but I thought it wasn't good day to take the hot springs bath because it was little hot and humid. I'd like to go to the hot springs in a colder day. It's very comfortable to take a bath in winter =)


After all, my husband and I had traditional Chinese food for lunch and then went shopping. We found a movie theater in the shopping center, so decided to see a movie by the way.


The title of the movie we saw was そして父(ちち)になる /soshite chichi ni naru/.
*そして then, after that, after all
* father
*~になる become, get, turn, grow

The English title is "Like Father, Like Son".
(Official Homepage is HERE!)



It was very sad but a nice movie, I was moved to tears a little bit. =')



*Japanese Word of the Day*
この映画(えいが)、泣(な)ける・・・
/kono eiga, nakeru/
This movie moves to tears...

君(きみ)って、涙(なみだ)もろいよね。
/kimi-tte, namida-moroi yone/
You are easily moved to tears, aren't you?

*涙もろい (adjective) be easily moved to tears, be sensitive,


Are you 涙もろい person? Or have you ever been moved to tears by watching a movie or reading a book? Right, I'm kinda 涙もろい. =P

Friday, November 1, 2013

Knock, Knock, Trick or Treat?!

How was your Halloween night? Had a lot of fun?

I met my Taiwanese friend to practice speaking Chinese and Taiwanese yesterday. I wanted to buy some creepy items to surprise her, but I couldn't find any interesting goods! =( There were some posters which advertise Halloween designed candies, but not so many shops actually sold them.

So I gave up, and bought a pair of glasses with a big nose.


I put on these glasses and prepared to surprise my friend while she left her seat. No one dressed up or put on masks in Taiwan. I needed a bit of courage to put on these silly glasses among people who don't care about Halloween at all. lol

Well, I didn't expect she wouldn't come back for a long time from the bathroom, so I had to sit alone with these glasses...

Anyway, I was successful in making her laugh and making some people feel weird.



On that night, there was an earthquake. It was kinda big quake.

My heart fluttered and wanted to go to the bathroom.
I walked to the bathroom and confirmed the door wasn't locked.

I opened the door and saw...

おばちゃん(a middle-aged woman) was sitting on the toilet.

It was the unexpected, it was the unforgettable big surprise on Halloween night...

like this
Of course I was surprised that the door wasn't locked, but the most shocking thing was that she was sitting on (stooping down) the toilet. You may see what I want to say by seeing the picture above.


I've heard that not a few Taiwanese people use a western-style toilet just like as when they use an Asian-style squat toilet. It's true. I saw it.


*Japanese Word of the Day*
トイレのカギは閉(し)めようね。
/toire no kagi wa shimeyou ne/
You'd better lock the door of the bathroom.

*トイレ : bathroom, lavatory, toilet
*カギ : key
*閉める : to lock

*カギを閉める(=カギをかける) : to lock the door

In this case, I use /wa/ to emphasize the topic of the sentence トイレのカギ.



I should have knock the door...

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Buying Contact Lenses

Since I was a high school student, I've been wearing contact lenses.
To buy contact lenses in Japan costs time and money. How about in your country?

At first you need to find the ophthalmic clinic which sells contact lenses. And you have to wait so long in the boring waiting room. After testing your eyesight and something else, back to the waiting room and wait until your name will be called. Maybe a receptionist says that you have to come to the clinic 1 week later to get your contact lenses.


You have to pay a consultation fee in addition to the price of the contact lenses. It's not a duty, but you're told to come to check your eyes' condition every other months or once in three months.



I found that it's much easier to buy contact lenses in Taiwan. Most optician's shop sells contact lenses without eyesight checking. I just showed him the boxes of my contact lenses which I've been wearing, and I'll get new lenses tomorrow.
And, they're cheaper than ones in Japan! =)





*Japanese Word of the Day*
メガネ、くもってるよ。
/megane, kumotteru yo/
Your glasses get foggy.

*くもる : get fogged up, get foggy

Monday, October 28, 2013

Autumn Color

Today one of my Taiwanese language exchange partner got a day off, and she invited me to hang out. So we went to National Palace Museum in Taiwan. It was a beautiful sunny day.
It's already the end of October, but still warm outside. I was surprised that there were still cicadas. Japan must be much colder now.

You know, Japanese people love viewing scarlet maple leaves in Autumn. Of course I also do love maple-viewing (紅葉狩り /もみじがり).




In this season, many temples or shrines open till night and light up the maple trees. It's so amazing. You should see it with your own eyes ; )


If you're ready to go to Japan, this site will help you to find out where to go.
Autumn Foliage Front Information for the Whole of Japan 2013


I miss Autumn colors in Japan.



*Japanese Word of the Day*
秋(あき)って感(かん)じ!
/aki-tte kanji/
I feel like Autumn!/It seems like Autumn!

春(はる)Spring / 夏(なつ)Summer / 秋(あき)Autumn / 冬(ふゆ)Winter
春夏秋冬(しゅんかしゅうとう) the four seasons

*~って感じ
It's slang among young people. Sometime it's used to soften the sentence tone.


もう、ふざけるな!!って感じ。
I wanna say that don't mess around!

*ふざけるな!/ふざけんな!
Don't be silly! Nonsense! Shut up!Don't f**k with me!



What colors can you see in Autumn in your city? =)
赤とか、黄色って感じ?It's something like red and yellow and so on?

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Creepy Smile =)

What will you be for Halloween this year?


Do you have a party? It's not so common to celebrate Halloween in Taiwan (nor in Japan), but we also enjoy its creepy mood =) I'm meeting my Taiwanese friend to exchange language on 31st. So I'm gonna surprise her somehow! hehe...



*Japanese Word of the Day*
不気味(ぶきみ)・・・
/bukimi/
It's creepy..

*不気味な笑顔(えがお)  a creepy smile
*不気味な絵(え) a creepy picture
*君(きみ)の笑顔(えがお)は不気味だ。 your smile is creepy.



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Cheer Up

It's getting cold in Taiwan. I need to buy a jacket. I thought mosquitoes are  only in summer, but I got bitten by them last night. Though my husband didn't have any mosquitoes bites. It's unfair! (#`3´)


By the way, have you ever heard of Joe Hisaishi? He is a famous musician in Japan. Most of the songs in Studio Ghibli films are made by him. I'm a big fan of him though I don't know about music very well.


I've been to his concert once. It was awesome. I can't express in words how impressed I was.



*Japanese Word of the Day*
これ聞(き)くたびに、元気(げんき)になるよ。
/kore kiku tabini, genki ni naru yo/
It cheers me up whenever I hear it.

これ(を)聞くたびに = whenever I hear it
*~するたびに : whenever I... / every time I... / as often as I...
*元気になる : get better / become fresh / get energetic / gain strength


What is the best way to cheer yourself up? =)

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Is She Pretty or Pitiful?!

Do you remember the difference between かわいい/kawaii/ and こわい/kowai/?
If not, check out my old post ; ) [Excuse me ma'am...]


This time I'm gonna tell you about another common mistake in Japanese.
It's about the difference between かわいい and かわいそう.

Once I wrote about what ~そう means. Look at *Japanese Word of the Day* in this post.
If you say "Aそう", it means "It seems/sounds/looks like A".

e.g.
こわい(scary) → こわそう(seems scary)
優しい/yasashii/(kind) → 優しそう(looks kind)
おいしい(delicious) → おいしそう(looks delicious)
元気/genki/(fine) → 元気そう(seems fine)
大変/taihen/(hard) → 大変そう(seems hard)

Your friend looks very happy, and you'll ask him 元気そうだね、どうしたの?(You look happy, what's up?) =) Or he said he must work from early morning till midnight. Then you'll say 大変そうだね(That sounds hard).

Now, your friend showed you a picture of his girlfriend, who seems cute. What will you say?

Hmm... "cute" is かわいい in Japanese. And I should put そう to express "It seems"...
I got it! It's 「君(きみ)の彼女(かのじょ)、かわいそうだね!!」

The answer is ... NO!!!

If you say this phrase, you might rather make him angry.
Why? Because かわいそう means "poor" or"pity"!! So 君の彼女、かわいそうだね means "your girlfriend is pitiful". In this case, "かわいいね" is enough. Be careful!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

A Misunderstanding

In my previous post, I told you how Kanji works in a sentence.
You can find funny Kanji mistypes when you search 変換ミス or 誤変換.


These are my favorite ones;
はいしゃしんだよ
○ハイ写真だよ /hai, shashin dayo/ Here, it's the picture.
×歯医者死んだよ /haisha shinda yo/ The dentist has dead.

でーとのあいてがいれば… /deeto no aite ga ireba/
○デートの相手がいれば Wish I have a person who can date with...
×デートの相手が入れ歯 The person I date with wear false teeth...

だいがくをそつぎょうしたら、いっしょにすもう
/daigaku wo sotsugyou sitara issho ni sumou/
○大学を卒業したら、一緒に住もう Why don't you live with me after we graduated?
×大学を卒業したら、一緒に相撲 Why don't you do Sumo with me after we graduated?

Let's do Sumo!
Oh, I remembered one. It was my freshman year of high school.
I decided to join the school handball team, and I invited a girl who happened to be there. She wasn't very close friend at that time, if anything, it was the first time I talked with her.

Me "Hey, why don't we join the school handball team!"
Her "Handball team? Well, どうしようかな (=let me think...) あたし、けがおおいから..."

When I heard what she said, I thought she said あたし、毛が多いから.
*毛 hair
*多い many, a lot

So I told her nobody cares whether or not you are hairy. Then she was surprised and laughed out loud. What she said was wasn't that she's hairy.

She said あたし、ケガ多いから.
*ケガ is written as 怪我 in Kanji, which means an injury or a wound. Frankly, I couldn't recall how to write this Kanji though I can read when I see it. Maybe it's not only me! I think not a few people cannot handwrite it.That's why I often see this word written in Katakana, I think.

Do you get the picture about this story? =)
By the way, she decided to join the team as a manager. And from that day on, she became one of my best friends in my high school life.



*Japanese Word of the Day*
毛(け)が多(おお)いんじゃなくて、ケガが多(おお)いの!
/ke ga ooinja nakute, kega ga ooi no!/
I don't mean that I am hairy, but I have many injures!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Let's Learn Kanji Characters!

Are Kanji characters troublesome to learn for you?
The number of common Kanji characters designated for daily use is 2,136. Do you think it's too many or not so much?

We learn 80 Kanji in 1st grade of elementary school in Japan. During 6 years until graduation, students must learn 1006 Kanji characters. The period of 6 years in elementary school and 3 years in junior high school is compulsory education. Students must master 1607 characters at a graduate level. In Japan, more than 97% of the students go on to high school. And then, finally, they master 2,136 characters.

Even Japanese people need 12 years to learn all of them, so why do you need to be impatient? =) Take it easy! And many people forget how to write or read some of them. Just move your fingers, the computer (PC, mobile) will help you find proper Kanji characters. Well, sometimes they show us funny conversions. I'm gonna tell you about it later!


Before the examples of funny Kanji conversions, I show you helpful video for Kanji learners.
If you have hard time to remember them or have interest in them and just want to start learning them, this video would help you out.


The title is "Learn to read Chinese ... with ease!"
She's talking about Chinese but, you know what, Japanese Kanji is from Chinese characters. The characters she introduces (not all of them) are also used in Japan in same meanings.

口 mouth くち
人 person ひと
火 fire ひ
木 wood き
山 mountain やま
日 sun ひ
月 moon つき
門 door, gate もん
囚 to be taken presoner (not so common)
林 woods, grove はやし
森 forest もり
呆 idiot (not so common)
本 book ほん
炎 flame ほのお
晶 shining, crystal (sometimes used as a boy's name)
明 bright, cheerful あかるい*明るい
旦 sunrise (not so common for daily use)
問 ask, question しつもんする*質問する
女 woman おんな
火山 volcano かざん
日本 Japan にほん
日本人 Japanese person/people にほんじん
出口 exit でぐち

This is the list of Kanji characters she showed in the video above which are also used in Japan. Do you have any particular Kanji characters hard to remember? Let me know if you have. I just wonder. =)


Okay, now I let you know the examples of funny Kanji conversions.
Today, this is *Japanese Word of the Day*

きみのかお、なんかいもみたい。

You have a Japanese girlfriend and send her an email. You want to say that you want to see her face many times. Then you'll convert it into the sentence written with Kanji characters.

君の顔、何回も見たい。
/kimi no kao, nankai mo mitai/

*君(きみ) you *an informal, familiar term
*顔(かお) face

君の顔 = your face

*何回(なんかい)も many times

見(み)たい = 見る+~したい
*~したい want to do...


You must be careful not to write as;
君の顔、なんか芋みたい。
/kimi no kao, nanka imo mitai/

*芋(いも) potato
*なんか~みたい look like..., seem to be...


You see, to use proper Kanji is very important. Lol

Friday, October 11, 2013

Are you an optimist?

Have you seen SHREK? The American computer-animated fantasy-comedy film produced by DreamWorks. I like Shrek series and have seen all of them.



The first story was released in 2001. Hey, it's been 12 years since I watched it with my family.
I went to a movie theater near my house. There was a big amusement arcade that included not only a movie theater but also a bowling alley, big swimming pools, a spa and a restaurant. I heard it was closed and only that movie theater has remained.

Anyway, Shrek was awesome for us. The story was funny and the music was also great.
Above all, Princess Fiona was... so ... shocking.

She really resembles my mom. No, She is rather the very my mom.


Sorry, but not this one.



She is. She is my mom... oops, no, she is that Princess Fiona. You'd be surprised if you see my mom. You would think DreamWorks made this character based on her.

My dad was so excited to say "Did you see that? Did you see the princess? Did you see your mom on the screen?!" all the way home, which made her angry.


Like as women in all over the world are, my mom also has a keen interest in beauty.
She often starts the popular method of the diet, but nothing has been kept.
She likes to think about to be thin, but actually doesn't like to go on a diet.

Once she started so called "Cabbage Diet". The method is very simple.
All you have to do is just to eat some cabbage before a meal. To eat some cabbage satisfies your appetite to some extent, and can reduce the quantity of your meal.


Unfortunately, this method couldn't apply to my mom.

She ate lots of cabbage before supper to reduce the quantity of her meal, but on the contrarily, it stimulated her appetite. She had another helping of rice, and furthermore, she had another bowl of cabbage. Gee, this method just added two bowls of cabbage and another cup of rice to her supper.



What makes it difficult for her to continue diet is that she in fact does not mind her weight. She often told me that it would be troublesome if she lose her weight and become more beautiful. If so, a lot of guys would run up to her, and her husband, I mean my dad, would be sad.

I know. She is a genuine optimist.



Well, maybe my optimistic character was inherited from my mom. =P


*Japanese Word of the Day*
ともちゃんって、ほんと悩(なや)み事(ごと)とか無(な)さそうだよね。
/Tomo-chan tte, honto nayamigoto toka nasasou dayone/
Tomoe, you really seem to have no worries, don't you?

I was often told like this by my friends.

*~ちゃん is often attached to girls', children's or cute animals' names. It makes their name sounds cute or girlish. It's used between friendly relationship. If you think of me as young and cute enough, you can call me ともちゃん or ともえちゃん! Lol

*ほんと=本当(ほんとう)に really, indeed, actually

*悩み事=悩み worries, troubles

*~そう  look, sound, seem
良さそうだね。 It sounds good. (We rather say 良いね!between friends.)
彼女、悲しそう。 She looks sad.
無さそう = 無い(no)+~そう

I'm gonna have a trip this weekend! =D YATTA!
Have a sparkling weekend!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

A Partner of My Life

Last weekend I returned to Japan, accompanying with my husband.
He needed to attend his friend's wedding but I had nothing to do in Tokyo.
So I strolled around Tokyo station alone. It was raining, and much colder than Taiwan.
Anyway, I enjoyed window shopping by myself.

What I bought there was a schedule book for 2014.
I've been using a schedule book since I was a student. <Hobonichi techo> is my favorite series. It's a little more expensive than others but really easy to use. It was a kind of partner of my life. I used it for more than scheduling an agenda. It was also used as a sketchbook, a diary, a memo of foreign languages I studied. I wrote down my impressions of books I read or movies I watched. I sometimes look over what I wrote and cheered myself up.


Here are the quotes I wrote down long before.

Aerodynamically the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly,
but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.


べきことはしているか。
/subeki koto wa shite iru ka/
Am I doing what to do?
やるべきことは手(て)を抜(ぬ)かずにしているか。
/yarubeki koto wa te wo nukazuni shite iru ka/
Am I doing what to do without cutting courners?
やりたいことは明確(めいかく)か。
/yaritai koto wa meikaku ka/
Is it clear what I want to do?
そのために何かしているか。
/sono tame ni nanika shite iru ka/
Am I doing something for what I want to do?


(いま)の自分(じぶん)は、過去(かこ)の自分の中(なか)でいちばん年上(としうえ)
/ima no zibun wa, kako no zibun no naka de ichiban toshi-ue/
I am the oldest one than myself in the past.
今の自分は、未来(みらい)の自分の中でいちばん年下(としした)
/ima no zibun wa, mirai no zibun no naka de ichiban toshi-shita/
I am the youngest one than myself in the future.



Last year I didn't use <Hobonichi techo> because I was given another schedule book in my company. And I currently use a schedule app of my ipod touch. A few weeks ago, I heard that an English version of this <Hobonichi techo> series has been published. I recalled the feeling of satisfaction at writing down on it, and I decided to buy it.

<Hobonichi Planner 2014>
This is the official homepage written in English.
<Hobonichi Planner Facebook Page>


I'm really looking forward to using this book in 2014!!

*Japanese Word of the Day*
毎日(まいにち)、明日(あした)が楽(たの)しみです!
/mainichi ashita ga tanoshimi desu/
I'm looking forward to tomorrow everyday.

Indeed! XD

Thursday, October 3, 2013

A Blue Bench

I can see my husband tomorrow! YATTA! XD

He can't speak Chinese at all, so he doesn't dare to take a bus alone in Taiwan.
I'm gonna go to the airport to pick him up because I don't want him to take a taxi.
I have a foot massage class on Fridays. I usually go out to lunch with my classmates but I think I should go home earlier to clean up tomorrow.

He will come back tomorrow, but he has to go to Japan this Saturday, and that very early in the morning. This time isn't for business but for attending a wedding ceremony of his friend. I originally planned to stay in Taiwan this weekend. But, I changed my mind. I'll go with him. I don't need to attend his friend's wedding ceremony, so I'm gonna stroll around Tokyo!


Okay, I'll introduce a romantic song for a change.



The name of song is 青(あお)いベンチ, means a blue bench. It reminds me of my school days
filled with romantic memories...  Well, that's right, I'm just kidding. There was NOTHING romantic. I know.

Anyway, this song was very popular when I was a high school student.
Aah, it's very 懐(なつか)かしい!!

I think this song is good to learn Japanese. He's singing not so fast, and its lyrics are kind of easy. Practice it and sing before a Japanese girl. Trust me, she will have a crush on you. YATTA! Lol


Here is the chorus of this song. I love it.

この声(これ)が かれるくらいに
/kono koe ga  kareru kuraini/
Until made myself hoarse

君(きみ)に好(す)きと 言(い)えばよかった
/kimi ni suki to  ieba yokatta/
I should have shouted out my love for you

逢(あ)いたくて しかたなかった
/aitakute  shikata nakatta/
I was anxious to see you

どこにいても なにをしてても
/dokoni itemo  naniwo shitetemo/
Wherever I was, whatever I was doing



*Japanese Word of the Day*
あ~、キュンとするv
/aaa, kyun to suru/
Aww, my heart twinges a bit. <3

Have you ever felt your heart twinged? Not by a disease!
Do you have any sweet memories? <3

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Do you like playing online games?

I know it's kind of a waste of time, but I started an online game again.

It's me!
This is one of the most famous online SNS games in Japan, called Ameba. The number of its players are more than 30 million! They provide many games, SNS communities, blog and stuff.


You can chat with people using your avatar called Pigg. There're tons of people who want to practice English here, so you'll be welcomed if you want to chat with us!


This is one of Ameba's SNS games. I usually spend my boring hours playing this game.


I harvest crops, plant flours, water them, cook, DIY furniture, or take care of animals... What a peaceful day!


They provide a fishing game, diving game, board games, gambling casino games, and so on.

I was a big fan of games. I've played Pokemon, Monster Hunter, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and other RPG, simulation, action games. I'm relieved that I could graduate from them =P


*Japanese Word of the Day*
それって、時間(じかん)の無駄(むだ)じゃない?
/sorette, jikan no muda ja nai?/
Isn't it a waste of time?

I hope it's not a waste of time for you to read my blog XO

Saturday, September 28, 2013

YATTA!! The Magic Word Makes You Happy

Have you had anything happy with you lately?


I hope you don't hate silly comedians like this. I loved them when I was small. My younger brother and I often imitated their funny dance. This song reminds me of my silly and funny days. Lol
Wait, don't leave this blog! Let me introduce this song.
I'm sure this song will give many people 元気(げんき) /genki/.

At first this group is called はっぱ隊/happa-tai/ (The Team Leaves).
They suddenly appear when a person got depressed or felt blue.
They do nothing but sing a very cheerful (ridiculous) song for him. And go away.

The title of this song is YATTA! Have you heard this word before?
Japanese people say it when something good happened.
It's like "Did it!" "Yeah!" "Great!""Hooray!" "Yaaaay!" and so on.

I like this video because there're many people from all over the world dancing YATTA! The blue colored words at the upper-right corner on this movies shows the name of countries or the places they're dancing. You can see アメリカ(the U.S.A), ケニア共和国(Kenya), フランス,(France),  イギリス(the U.K), スウェーデン(Sweden), カナダ(Canada), スペイン(Spain) and more... Could you find your country? Lol

They all look happy, don't they? That's why I like it.


♪はっぱ一枚(いちまい)あればいい。
/happa ich-imai areba ii/
Just one leaf is enough.

♪生(い)きているからラッキーだ!
/ikite iru kara lakkii da/
We're lucky because we are alive!


Everybody say  YATTA! You passed the exam? Got a promotion? Slept well last night? Say YATTA! The water tasted good? Felt warm under the sun light? Your dog is cute? You can breathe in, you can breathe out, then say YATTA! It possibly seems not special
but it's actually very lucky for you and me.


♪どんないいことあるだろう
/don'na iikoto aru darou/
Where will it take it to? (How happy will it be?)

♪生きていたからラッキーだ!
/ikite ita kara lakkii da/
We're lucky because we've been alive!


The world is filled with YATTA! Or, why don't we fill it with YATTA!
If you also like this song, please share this word (and this blog :P) with your friends.


♪きみが変(か)われば 世界(せかい)が変わる
/kimi ga kawareba, sekai ga kawaru/
The world will change if you changed.


By the way, this video has subtitles in Japanese, so you can study some words from this song. (Yes, say YATTA!) If you don't understand what they say or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

And, I'd love to hear your YATTA! story XD As I asked you first, have you had anything happy with you? Let me know, and share your YATTA! please.

Me? Well, my friend lend me the DVD I've been wanted to watch. YATTA!
I saw some pictures of my nephew, he is so cute! YATTA!


Have a YATTAful weekend! ; )

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Consolation In Sadness

I.. I miss him!! I have to stay alone for 2 weeks. :'<
Yesterday I went out for a walk and found a rainbow under a waterfall.


That scenery made me feel peaceful. I walked only for about 20 or 30 minutes, but I became anemic. So I went into a cafe to take a rest. I didn't have breakfast nor lunch, but I have no appetite. I'm too lazy without him that I even feel bothersome to eat things. I really wanna be a sloth. They live a very peaceful life, I think.

In the cafe, some pics of motorbike on a fridge reminded me of my younger brother. He loves riding a motorbike. I wondered how he's doing.

Strange to say, I got a mail from my mom just now. It was about my brother.
He had an accident on his way home from a motorbike touring and now he's in a hospital. He needs to have a surgery but It was mercy that he wasn't killed in the accident.


*Japanese Word of the Day*
彼(かれ)、バイクで事故(じこ)ったんだって。
/baiku de jiko-ttan'datte/
I heard he got into an motorbike accident.

*事故/jiko/ an accident
*事故る/jikoru/ very frank way to say 事故にあう (have an accident).
事故った is past tense of it.

The word だって at the end of the sentence indicates that the speaker heard it from others.

え!?大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)?
/e!? daijobu?/
What?! Is he alright?

かすり傷(きず)で済(す)んだのが不幸中(ふこうちゅう)の幸(さいわ)い。
/kasurikizu de sunda noga fuko-chu no saiwai/
It's consoling that he got only a few scratches.

*かすり傷/kasurikizu/ scratches; grazes
*~で済む/...de sumu/ be settled; come to an end (with something)
It indicates that something is not worse than expected.

*不幸/fukou/ bad luck; misfortune; disaster
*幸い/saiwai/ good luck
不幸中の幸い literary means "a good luck in a bad luck." The situation is actually bad (不幸), because he got an accident. But it was lucky (幸い) that he got only some scratches.

Friday, September 20, 2013

What are you doing 8 years later?

Did you enjoy seeing the moon yesterday?
Many of my friends in Japan uploaded the pics of the moon on Facebook.

We call the moon 15th August of the old calender 中秋の名月. And this year, we could see the perfect full moon on that day. It would be 8 years later when we can see the perfect full moon on the 15th August again. 8 years later... I wonder where I will be, and what I'll be doing. Do you have any visions?

8 years later, I will have returned Japan, maybe I would have children. I hope I will be keeping on studying English, and still be friends with you all! :P



By the way, my husband has to go to the Philippines the day after tomorrow. He'll stay there for 2 weeks for his business. And I'll stay here (in Taiwan) for 2 weeks!! That must be boring without him...


*Japanese Word of the Day*
はぁ・・・。つまんない。
/haa... tsuman'nai/
*sigh* I'm bored. It's boring.

I hope you won't have to say this phrase this weekend!Lol
Have a good weekend my dear friends!! ; )

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Have you met an alien before?

I've never met aliens, but I've seen a UFO. No kidding!

Tommy Lee Jones is a one of my favorite actor though I'm not so familiar with movies. Many Japanese people also love him. The video I show you today is very famous TV commercial in Japan.


In this series of commercials, he acts as an alien 宇宙人(うちゅうじん)ジョーンズ who comes to the earth. Alien Jones does a lot of jobs in Japan and  researches how human beings are. He works as a teacher, a staff in Karaoke, a store clerk, a restaurant worker, a Sumo referee, a assistant of  shrines ' men, and so on. These series will show you how it is to work in Japan. Lol

Now he's a station staff.

この惑星(わくせい)の、駅(えき)と呼(よ)ばれる場所では、
What is called a station in this planet,

出会(であ)いと別(わか)れが繰(く)り返(かえ)されている。
I can see meeting and parting over and over.

どうしても行(い)くのか・・・?
Do you really have to go?

どうしても行くのね・・・?
(*Same meaning as the above, but it sounds a little feminine)

ごめん。
Sorry.

出発(しゅっぱつ)進行(しんこう)!
All aboard!

私(わたし)なんかより、もっといい人(ひと)見(み)つかるから!
You can find the one who's much better than me!

ひろし・・・!
(*Her boyfriend's name. Actually, he is a Japanese comedian!Lol)

ごめんなー!!
I'm sorry.

ヨシ。
Okay.

ただ、この惑星(わくせい)では・・・
Well, in this planet,

ヨシ。
Okay.

きゃっ
(*Give a shriek)

付(つ)き合(あ)っている人(ひと)は・・・?
Are you seeing anyone?

いません。
No, I'm not.

別(わか)れないと、出会(であ)えない。
They never meet without a parting.



I like its song, too! I'd be very glad if you would leave a comment :D
Or if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! It would be good practice for us. Thank you for reading today! Bye bye

Monday, September 16, 2013

SURVIVE! ~part.2~

I wrote about なんて/nante/ in the previous article. The phrase I will introduce to you today is also includes this word.

今更(いまさら)英語(えいご)なんて・・・。
/imasara eigo nante.../

The meaning (the function) of なんて in this sentence is same as the one in the phrase I introduced in the previous article. It emphasizes the word before it. In this sentence, なんて emphasizes 英語(English).

今更/imasara/ is often translated into "now" in English. But the word for "now " in Japanese is /ima/. 今更 is an adverb which suggest that the speaker feels it's too late for something. Let's look at some examples to make clear the difference between 今/ima/(=now) and 今更.


Your boss told you that he'll sack you and you said...
(1)そんな!今、くびだなんて!!
/sonna! ima, kubi da nante!/
(2)そんな!今更、くびだなんて!!
/sonna! imasara, kubi da nante!/

*くび/kubi/ to be sacked
Both can be translated as; No! It's too severe to fire me now!

(1) In this situation, you are very worried to be fired right now. Maybe you just bought a house and have to pay off your home loan, so it's really hard if he fired now.
(2) Maybe you have been working under the boss for a long time. You are surprised that you are sacked after such a long time.


A boy confessed his love to a girl, but she replied...
(1)今、愛なんていらない。
(2)今更、愛なんていらない。
I don't need love now.

(1) She has something important than love, so love isn't necessary for her right now.
(2) Maybe two of them had been dating before, but broke up the other day. After a long time, the boy confessed his love but it was too late for her.



Did you get it?