In Okinawa I went snorkeling & saw a lot of nice fish, but it was a bit difficult to take photos of them because they kept moving (of course!) But I kept trying & managed to get some decent (= pretty good) pictures. The water was clear but a bit cold, so after I got out of the water, I kept shivering (震えた) on the beach for a long time - a bit embarrassing! But it was worth it. I really enjoyed snorkeling in Okinawa.
Grammar:
keep/kept + ____ing = continue/d ____ing = _____つづける/つづけた
If you look at these photos, I think you can guess where I went during the Golden Week holidays.
Yes, I went to Okinawa.
It was cloudy & windy for the first 3 days, but then it was sunny. I tried various kinds of Okinawan food, for example Okinawan-style noodles, which are really tasty. I also tried pig`s feet, which were okay but really fatty & oily - not good if you`re on a diet.
I also tried Habushu - snake liquor, but not the one in this photo, which cost 50,000 yen (about $500) - a bit pricey for me.
Grammar:
In English, we can change many nouns (名詞) to adjectives (形容詞) by adding "y" e.g.
cloud (くも) > cloudy (くもり),
fat (脂肪太り) > fatty(油っこい)
price (値段) > pricey/pricy (高価い)
taste (味) > tasty (美味しい)
Iwato`s annual (= every year) festival was on Sunday. It was overcast (= cloudy) but fortunately it didn`t rain until the end of the festival.
My sons wanted to catch goldfish. It cost 300yen for a normal paper scooper (ポイ) or 500yen for a metal mesh spatula. Paper ones are hard to use, so I chose spatulas, which are easier for kids to use. The 3 of us manages to catch 7 goldfish. My sons were thrilled (= very happy) but my wife wasn`t thrilled; "1500yen for 7 goldfish?! Expensive!"
Grammar:
- easy (for 人) to + [verb動詞] = ____やすい
- hard/difficult (for 人) to + [verb動詞] = ____にくい
During my kids class, a fire engine suddenly pulled up (=stopped) outside, & firefighters ran across the road to a nearby building. I didn`t see or smell any smoke, & the fire engine left (出た) soon after, so I don`t think it was anything serious. The kids in my class really wanted to look. While they were watching, I took this photo.
Grammar:
- during + [noun名詞] e.g. during the night, during Golden Week etc.
- while + [verb動詞] e.g. while waiting, while I was living in NZ etc.
A kind friend gave me tickets to an art exhibition (展示会) at Matsuzakaya Department store in Nagoya. I went to look at it before work today. I didn`t want to be late for work, so I was kind of hurrying. However the paintings were very relaxing to look at, & gradually (だんだん) I became relaxed & slowed down. Actually, it was necessary to slow down anyway, because there were so many old people there.
By the way (ところで), I didn`t take this photo. I got it from the internet. Usually you can`t take photos in museums, so I didn`t.
Grammar:
- The paintings were relaxing/boring/exciting/amazing etc.
- I felt relaxed/bored/excited/amazed etc.
This is one of the 3 floats (だし) that will feature in this (April 20) Sunday`s Iwato Shrine festival in Ichinomiya. Last year there were heaps (= lots) of people, but the weather forecast (よほう) for this Sunday is rain, so I think there will be fewer people than last year. Anyway, whatever the weather, I`m gonna go. If you wanna go, Iwato Shrine is near Meitetsu Iwato Station, between Gifu & Ichinomiya. Come on!
Grammar:
- fewer/more + [countable noun 加算名刺] e.g. fewer people/cars, more kids/shops
- less/more + [uncountable noun 不加算名刺] e.g. less noise/time, more beer/smoke
I saw this guy fishing in a canal (うんが) near my house. I could see lots of carp (こい) in the water, so I think he was trying to catch them. However, he was using a sinker (おもり) on his line, & when I asked him what bait (えさ) he was using, I didn`t understand his answer. I told him he should try using a ball of bread, & no sinker. A long time ago I easily caught a big carp using that method.
Did he understand my advice? I don`t know. Did he want my advice? Probably not.
I`ve never eaten carp. How about you?
Grammar:
- try to + [verb動詞] = __しようとする
- try + [verb動詞]ing = __してみる
Imaginary Friend: What`s that? You gonna make something?
Me: Yeh - wanna know what?
I: Yeh, I wanna know.
Me: I thought you`d wanna know
I: ...
Me: ...
I: So tell me what you`re gonna make!!!
Me: Sorry - you gotta wait a couple of weeks.
I: I don`t wanna wait - tell me now!
Me: Sorry, first I wanna let students guess what I`m gonna make.
I: So they gotta write their ideas in comments?
Me: That`s right. Then in 2 weeks I`m gonna tell them the answer.
I: Sounds fun!
Grammar:
We don`t usually write 'gonna', 'gotta' & 'wanna', but we often use them in spoken English.
- gonna + [verb動詞] = going to
- gotta + [verb動詞] = have got to / have to / must
- wanna +[verb動詞] = want to
UPDATE:
The answer is in comments. Well done Andrew, who guessed correctly!
At my friends` wedding, they gave traditional Japanese `masu` cups to everybody as gifts. I`d wanted one for a long time, so I was glad to get one.
In return, I made one for them, from beach wood. They were surprised & happy (they said...) to get it.
I wonder what they will do with it? I hope they don`t drink sake from it - it must taste bad. Also, my cup has holes.
Do you have a `masu` cup? Where did you get it?
Grammar:
- give [thing] TO [somebody]
- make [thing] FOR [somebody]
There are some sakura trees at my local shrine, so this morning I went there to look at them & paint this small (100x150cm) picture. As usual I wrote the place & date at the bottom of the picture.
I hope to go to a cherry blossom viewing party this Sunday in Gifu. Maybe see you there!
Grammar:
- DRAW a picture/circle/map (with pen or pencil) OK
- PAINT a picture (with paint) OK
- WRITE a letter/the date/your name OK
- [write a picture/circle/map] X!
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内倉憲一 
bokushi 
KUMA 
mokomoko 
yukio 
エメラルド 
birdy 
田仲なお美 
PSPINC JP