ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

One of my favorite devices to watch movies and video content on is my Roku device. Before moving to Japan and learning Japanese, I didn't realize that Roku is 6 in Japanese. I still don't know why the name Roku for the device, but it's interesting to know that something that I like so much shares something in common with Japanese culture. What's your favorite viewing service?


  

In America and Europe, most coins have a human head on one side. This is called the 'heads' side, and the other side is 'tails'.

When we need to decide randomly between two options, we will flip a coin in the air. Someone will 'call' heads or tails while the coin is still in the air, and which side is facing up when it lands is the decision. This is at the root of several English idioms, such as "it's a toss-up" or "a toss of a coin", to indicate a situation with two equally-likely outcomes.




The technical term for the heads side of a coin is 'obverse' and tails is 'reverse'. Japanese coins don't have heads on them, so coin collectors call the side with the plants or buildings the obverse side.

My students tell me that coin flipping is not a common practice in Japan. Any situation that an American would resolve with a coin toss, a Japanese person would resolve with 'rock-paper-scissors'. Although rock-paper-scissors is now common around the world, apparently it didn't spread outside Asia until the early 1900's.

Thanks for reading!  

One thing I love about Japanese fruits and vegetables (and rice) is that you always know where they are coming from, and every region (or Prefecture) seems to have it's own special agricultural products. One of these products is the Iyokan, which I recently discovered and I think they are so delicious. They are like a slightly more sour version of an orange.

While apparently the Iyokan was discovered in Yamaguchi, Iyokan is named after Iyo Province, the former name of Ehime Prefecture, because they were grown in large quantities here after their discovery. In the United States, to many people an orange fruit is just an orange, but here in Japan, I love the variety of orange citrus and their association with the various regions. I can't wait to try more orange fruits while they are still in season this winter.  

About a month ago, I went to New Reoma World. It was my first time visiting a Japanese amusement park. I was there primarily to see the illuminations, which were extremely enchanting.

I did get to ride the holiday train, which was really fun because it reminded me of the Polar Express, but I wish that I was able to ride more rides. I love amusement park rides, but there was too much to see and not enough time. I guess that means I'll just have to go back, right?
  

I got a new coffee maker! It's amazing! It uses this cute little pods of coffee. Each one is a different strength, so I'm keeping away from the level 13. The machine came with lots of different flavors too. So far, the chocolate truffle has been my favorite.

The pods are very slippery though, and I keep dropping them. It's also easy to accidentally jam the machine and lose a pod in the process. I'm having a good time trying out the machine. The coffee is SO much better than what I was drinking before!  

I recently obtained the Genki 1 book along with the workbook. I'm super excited, because I can finally begin to study japanese in a structured way; I plan on purchasing a kanji book next week that utilizes mnemonics to aid in learning.
The new teacher James also bought the Genki 1 book, and we have agreed to study together. Our current goal is one chapter per week, so we do not end up burning ourselves out mentally by trying to do too much too quickly. If we have actually studied during the week, we meet up at a local restaurant on Saturday after work to practice what we learned.

Today begins the first day of our study routine!





  

Over Christmas we had my wife's friends visit. When it was time to say goodbye, I drove my wife and her friends to the train station. Before they left we went to a ramen restaurant. The beef ramen came with a side of Kobe beef. It was delicious! It's really cool to say I got to try Kobe beef!





  

As a licensed Cosmetologist in the US, I've had the opportunity to experience many kinds of trends and ideas concerning hair and beauty. As a person with naturally curl/kinky textured hair, I've found that I have the ability to wear many different hair styles. One of my favorites is known as a "protective" hairstyle. Protective hairstyles don't require much heat, combing, or brushing--and are intended to avoid the need for excessive heat from styling tools like curling irons, flat irons, and blow dryers. This is supposed to support hair health and growth while providing convenience in rainy, humid, or snowy weather. My favorite protect style is " box braids". In the US, braiders can be found everywhere. Although I can braid, I hate braiding my own hair. Since living in Japan, I have had no choice but to braid it myself. I am learning to appreciate the experience. My braiding skills are improving and I am relieved to have more choices.

  

In your mind is a map of the world. Near your home is big and detailed. Far away places are small and vague.

I was coming to teach in Kagawa in April 2011, shortly after the Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear incident. All of my American friends were very worried that I would be going into a radioactive disaster area. They didn't understand that Kagawa is very, very far from the area that was affected. In their mind, Japan is just one 'place', a small spot on their mental map.

The same is true for my Japanese friends, students, and co-workers. It's hard to understand just how big the United States is. They would hear about events happening in America and be concerned that my family would be affected. Usually, no. Idaho and California may look close on a map, but it would take a four hour trip by airplane for my family to see the forest fires. They're watching it on the news, but they're not affected by it, same as you.

For most of my life, I've lived far away from where the news is happening. Events in New York or Los Angeles might as well be happening in London or Beijing. I see things on the news, and I wash the dishes and go to the supermarket like any other day.

Now I live near Baltimore, about 55km from Washington, D.C. It's the same distance from Takamatsu to Kanonji. The things I usually only see on the news, I see happening on my way to the supermarket. History is happening around me, "in my backyard".




The past few weeks have been very tense. On the day of the presidential inauguration all the trains in my area were shut down and police were stationed at major intersections. I hope soon everything will go back to normal.  

Here in Niihama, it surprises me that while some trees' leaves are now falling off, most trees and other plants are still full of their usual green leaves. I haven't seen how it is up in the mountains, but here in the city there's still plenty of green to enjoy even though it's the middle of winter.

Where I'm from in the USA, Wisconsin, it's colder and all the leaves fall off of the trees much earlier. The leaves start changing color in October, and by the middle of November, there are no trees with any leaves at all! The pine trees still keep their pine needles though.  

There's a building around the corner from me. A few weeks ago, some people put up bars and cloths. A week later, they took them down. The building had disappeared like a magic trick!

The building had been demolished and nothing was left. There's an empty lot there now. Every day I pass by it and I wonder what it's going to be. I really hope it's a good restaurant or cafe. It would be nice to have someplace to go often.

When I was in America, I could often be found at my bookstore. It was only about 10 minutes away by car. I would order expensive coffee and read magazines, write papers, or study.   

On my way to Hiroshima, I stopped by the Kousanji Temple. It was so big and it was by far one of the most beautiful temples that I have ever seen. There were so many intricate details and the colors were so vivid.

In stark contrast, once you get past the main temple there is a portion of the landscape almost totally devoid of color. This portion was entirely constructed of white marble. It was really a fascinating sight. If you have an interest in temples, then this is one that you should definitely add to the itinerary.  

One fun thing I did over Christmas break was going to Naruto to see the whirlpools! It was really fun to watch the water dance. Have you been to naruto?


  

The new year is here. Time for cheer and time for bee-...being nice

This restaurant takes the charge head on and refuses to lie. The quality of the ramen is down-right awful. I agree! Even if it's free, I'm still not sure I'll be going there. Keep your "bad ramen" to yourself hahaha.

  

As Monday, January 18th 2021 approaches, many Americans prepare to observe MLK holiday. This is the observance of Martin Luther KIng's birthday. Martin Luther King has been labeled as a Civil Rights leader, but her was more than than that. Dr. KIng sought to bring understanding that all people were equal without excluding or diminishing anyone else's value. He was a pioneer who was willing to die for what he believed in--even while being misunderstood by others. Dr. King was a man full of wisdom, love, and faith. His legacy lives on. Happy Birthday, King.


  

With a long drive to take my wife to work, we've been listening to a lot of audiobooks on CD this year. Mostly, I have been choosing books that will interest my children. Here are a few that I remember:

• The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit by Octavia Spencer
• The Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians series by Brandon Sanderson
• The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
• The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Recently, we started The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. It's a much longer book written for adults, but my kids like the talking cats.




I've liked Butcher's other books, and I'm a big fan of steampunk, so this is pretty much my favorite book of his.

What's the best book you've read lately?

Thanks for reading!  

A shark in the pond?! No, as you can see, it's only a spider!

On some of my very first visits to Takinomiya Park in Niihama, I was surpirsed to find LITERALLY HUNDREDS of these GIANT yellow and black spiders EVERYWHERE. I thought they were so scary at first, but now I am getting used to them. Why do I call them "GIANT"? Well, where I'm from in the North of the United States we usually only see little spiders. I've never seen a spider as big as these in Niihama back at my home in the United States. But here in Niihama, there's even some of these big yellow and black spiders in the stairwell at my apartment!

Have you seen these spiders around your home or at the park? Do you think they are scary?

P.S. I saw wild boars again at the park, but this time I saw two of them in the same spot as last time. I made a whistling noise and they ran away, so maybe they are not so scary after all. However, we should all continue to be careful!  

I went to a salon in Kanonji. The place was small and called Sakura. There were two girls working there who were excited to meet me. It was nerve-wracking because I had to speak Japanese and they couldn't speak English. What if it went wrong? My hair is my pride and joy!

I brought in some pictures and chose some colors. I wanted low-lights put in. Low lights are where the hairstylist ads dark color to already light hair.

They washed my hair, cut my bangs, and styled it. Then they said we were done. I was so confused! I hadn't explained the dying of my hair well enough. It was so embarrassing.

A friend who lived by sent her Japanese husband into the salon. He talked to the girl and me. Together we figured out what to do. I was SO embarrassed. I wanted to run out of the shop and never go back.

In the end, the girls added one color of low-lights to my hair, and it turned out great. Because I stuck it out (and didn't run away) I now have a place nearby to go to. I can't WAIT to go back and change up my style again! I know what to do to communicate better next time.   

Before I left Imabari, I visited the Imabari Towel Museum. When I was in university, I majored in Textiles & Apparel for a while so seeing the process of how these beautiful towels were created brought back a few memories for me.

In addition to seeing the textile production process, there was a ton of cutesy exhibitions, one of which was for Winnie the Pooh. When I was 4, I was obsessed with him. Luckily, I was able to take a picture in the lap of a giant stuffed Winnie the Pooh. It made me feel like a little kid again and is definitely one of my favorite memories from the visit.  

Last week here on Shikoku, was the coldest and windiest that I have seen in Japan in the 4 winters I have been here! The ducks and other birds that live on the lake I run around have been huddled in a corner of the lake, out of the wind, for over a week. It was so nice to see "calm" waters return to the lake and the birds once again just "floating' around the lake and not trying to survive in a corner! Better still, I am able to run around the lake again, instead of being blown into it!