Otto's blog

Maizuru Red Brick Park

Nov

13

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I`ve visited old red brick buildings in Handa & Tsuruga, but this collection of buildings in Maizuru is much bigger. It was interesting - I like these kinds of places. Also, because Maizuru is a JMSDF (Japan Marine Self-Defense Force) port, you can see their ships nearby. If you`re into that kind of thing, you should visit Maizuru.

Vocabulary
- What kind of...? = どんな...?
- This/That kind of... = こんな, この種な / あんな, その様な...

Remote & Relaxing

Sep

4

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I spent a few nights on this remote farm with my two sons & two older brothers. It`s about 5 hours west of Brisbane by car. We saw a lot of native wildlife e.g. kangaroos, wallabies & emus, and at night the stars were very bright - we could see the Milky Way (天の川) clearly. Every day we cooked our meals on a campfire next to this shack (= small, basic house). We all had a great time.

Vocabulary
- remote = 遥か, 人里離れた remote control = リモコン*
* テレビ などを 離れたところから操作する

Lodekka Curry & Noodle Restaurant

Mar

26

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At this restaurant in Ichinomiya, you can eat your meal inside this London double-decker bus. You can choose upstairs or downstairs. It`s interesting, isn`t it? Of course my kids loved it. Geeky dad enjoyed it too.

This is their website: http://www.lodekka501bta39.com/

Pronunciation:
- In English, 'London' is usually pronounced ランダン or ランデン (not ロンドン )

Handa Red Brick Building

Mar

8

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On Sunday I went to see this old building in Handa, Aichi. It used to be a brewery (beer factory) but now it`s a museum. It`s an interesting building - you can still see machine-gun bullet (銃弾) holes in one outside wall, caused during World War 2. They don`t make Kabuto beer here anymore, but you can still buy it - it is made by a nearby brewery. It`s good!

Their site: http://handa-akarenga.jp/

Grammar:
- ...still ____ = まだ___
- ...not ____ anymore = もう___ない

Renovated Ichinomiya Bank

Aug

4

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When I was in Ichinomiya last Thursday, I noticed this bank had been renovated and was open to the public (公共), so I went inside. It looks nice. I especially enjoyed looking at the safe (金庫) at the back. Good job, renovators!

Vocabulary:
Be careful: 'リフォーム' is Japanese English!
- WRONG: "They will reform (改革する, 変革する) the shop/house/building."
- OKAY: "They will renovate (改修する), restore ( 元に戻す), refurbish (改装する) the shop/house/building."

Tetsumei Gallery, Gifu

Apr

13

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This lovely old building is in Gifu City, near my school. It used to be a bank, but now it is a gallery.

http://www.juroku.co.jp/aboutus/tetsumei_gallery/

The other day I popped out to buy lunch, and noticed that there was an exhibition there, so I popped in to take a look. It was interesting. The event organisers were friendly & kind.

If you pass that building & there is an exhibition on, please pop in. Also, if you pass Gifu Teragoya, please pop in & say hi to me!

Vocabulary:
- pop + 前置詞 e.g. pop in, pop out, pop up = do/happen/appear quickly, so 飛び出す絵本 = a pop-up book

Kura Restaurant

Mar

2

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Today I went to Inuyama Castle. After looking at the castle, I had lunch in this restaurant nearby. It`s interesting - it`s a converted* `kura`, which is a traditional, thick-walled storehouse. I like this kind of (こんな) building.

Grammar:
*convert = change, so:
オーペンカー (Japanese English) = a convertible (English) because you can change it from `roof on` to `roof off`

Shikoku Henro 2012, Day 2

Nov

12

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Day 2 was the toughest day of our trip - we had to climb a big mountain. Sometimes we rode, sometimes we walked, and sometimes I just sat down by the side of the road, ate a mandarin [mikan] (Ehime prefecture is famous for mandarins) and cried for a while. It was hard work.

But coming down the other side was fun.

As you can see, the leaves have started changing colour in some places.

Shikoku Henro 2012, Day 1

Nov

11

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We were on Shikoku for four days altogether. These are some photos from the first day. If you have any questions, please ask me in Comments. For example:

- What kind of flowers are those in the second picture? A: They`re cosmos.
- What kind of crab is that? A: Sorry, I don`t know. I saw a few of them on one mountain road we were on.
- How big was it? A: About 7cm across.
- Did you pick it up? A: Yes.
- Did you keep it? A: No.
- Did you cook it & eat it? A: No!

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Olympics Report #1

Aug

9

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Have you been watching the Olympics? I`ve watched some events, but I`m only really interested in the football. Japan`s men`s & women`s teams have both done well. I`m really excited about the women`s final between Japan & The U.S. later tonight. The U.S. are desperate for revenge for their World Cup loss to Japan last year, so it`s going to be an emotional, physical game. Come on, Japan!

I also watched a bit of archery. I was really impressed by the venue - Lord`s Cricket Ground. The archers standing on the neat, green grass in front of the beautiful 120 year old Pavilion was a wonderful sight.

Australia isn`t doing so well these Olympics. Even though we sent 410 athletes, we have only won 27 medals so far. Japan sent 305 athletes, but has won 31 medals.

Come on, Australia - get off facebook & twitter! Focus!