Otto's blog

Gift & Challenge!

Sep

8

I`m not just a teacher at Teragoya. I am also the designated `Teragoya Handyman`, which means I have to fix things which are broken or damaged. I am the natural choice for this position because I`m good at fixing things ...and I`m often the person responsible for breaking & damaging those things in the first place!

The husband of one of our staff, Yumi, knows this, so he bought this tool set for me as a gift. What a nice guy!

But what is the item I have circled? What`s it for? Challenge!

UPDATE:

Answer is in comments!

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Sony Cybershot Panorama Shots

Sep

3

My friend Christoph`s new camera is a Sony Cybershot. It has a really cool 180 degree (?) panorama shot feature. He took the above pictures using it.

Top: Mihama Beach, Fukui Prefecture
Middle: Soupon Turtle Ramen Restaurant, in front of Ichinomiya Station
Bottom: F.C.Gifu versus JEF United at Nagaragawa Stadium

Have you been to any of these places? If you like camping illegally, eating turtle, or watching your team lose, I recommend them!

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Swiss Chris Quizz

Sep

3

My good friend Christoph from Switzerland came to visit me during Obon holidays. How much can you guess about him? Let`s find out!

Christoph used to be:
a) my student
b) my sharemate (we shared the same house)
c) thinner
d) all of the above

Christoph came to Japan:
a) for a holiday
b) to meet me
c) to meet Japanese girls
d) all of the above

Christoph is good at speaking:
a) English
b) about business
c) to Japanese girls
d) all of the above

Chris doesn`t like:
a) raw squid
b) Japanese summer
c) exercise
d) all of the above

Of course, the answer to all of the above questions is... `all of the above`!

It was great to see him again. I hope he had a good time.

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Updated Categories

Sep

1

I`ve added new categories to a lot of my old posts, so here is the updated Categories list:

ブログ - blog
音楽 - music
グルメ - food
趣味 - hobbies
スポーツ - sports
車・バイク - cars + bikes
旅行 - travel
芸術・アート - art
アウトドア - outdoor
パーティー - parties
レシピ - recipes

I`ve put my `One Man`s Trash` series (stuff I`ve collected, made, repaired, or recycled) in the `Hobbies` category.

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Yukata Week at Ichinomiya Teragoya

Aug

2

It was great to see so many kids wearing yukatas to school last week - it really brightened the place up.

Of course teachers & staff also wore yukatas. Some people - especially girls - complain that yukatas are uncomfortable, but in the middle of summer, most clothing is uncomfortable, right?

I quite like wearing mine, but I guess men`s yukatas are easier than women`s to put on & take off.

That`s important in emergencies.

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Ichinomiya Tanabata (Star) Festival

Aug

2

The biggest festival in Ichinomiya is the annual Tanabata Festival. There are lots of decorations, stalls [yatai], parades & stage shows such as hula dancing & taiko drums. And of course there are always lots of people, with many girls wearing colourful yukatas [summer kimonos].

I took Owen to Masumida Shrine first. We watched a couple of stage shows & ate kaki-gori [shaved ice]. There was a haunted house in the shrine grounds too, but of course I didn`t take Owen there. Next we went to Honmachi to watch a couple of parades.

Unfortunately I missed seeing "Miss Tanabata" go past because I was changing someone`s nappy(Aus)/diaper(US) [mutsu] in the toilet (while an old lady tried persistently to open the door. I said "I`m in here!" but she still tried to open the door. I forgot that in Japan, if someone knocks on your toilet door, you should knock back, from the inside). Anyway, I was disappointed not to see Miss Tanabata 2011.

Did you go to Tanabata this year? Did you see Miss Tanabata 2011? Was she smoking hot?

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Challenge

Jul

20

What is it? Can you guess?

I`ll tell you the answer in 2 weeks.

UPDATE:

The answer is in Comments!

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Raspberries

Jul

11

Earlier this year, a student gave me a small raspberry plant, which I planted in my garden. It grew very fast & very big, & now it has lots of black raspberries on it, as you can see. If I can get enough (& stop Owen eating them), I might try to make some jam.

Thanks Makie!

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