2012年12月28日金曜日

2012年12月28日金曜日 -

Tony - Christmas in Canada

This year my family will have two big holiday celebrations. Christmas in Canada and Japanese New Year.  We had Christmas at my parent's house near Vancouver and it was great! My son, Max, is only eleven months old so it was his first Christmas. He loved the colored lights and brightly wrapped gifts but his favorite thing was the Christmas tree at his grandparents' house.


My most cherished and eagerly anticipated part of Christmas is the roast turkey dinner. My mother is an amazing cook and this year she made all of our favorites. Roast turkey with apple, sage and rosemary stuffing. Roast potatoes AND mashed potatoes! Cranberry sauce and gravy! It was so good that we almost didn't have enough room for dessert; my aunt's homemade apple pie.  Some years she bakes pecan pie, other years it is pumpkin, but this year it was apple.  Apple pie is one of my all time favorite foods, so it was fun to give Max his first taste, and he loved it! Smart kid! 


It was hard to say goodbye, but we packed up our things and flew back to Osaka. To our surprise it was colder in Osaka than it was in Vancouver! It was freezing when we got off the plane! Brrrrr!!

My wife and I have a New Year tradition of ordering a different style of osechi-ryoori every year.  Last year we had a very conventional one, which was great because we all love datemaki – sweet rolled omelet.  This year my wife chose a Chinese food themed osechi-ryoori.  I don't know what to expect, but it should be great! It will be a perfect New Year's Eve if my family is healthy and we can enjoy "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" together.

Happy Holidays!

Tony

cherished =大事にしている
eagerly anticipated = 待ち望んでいる
stuffing =詰め物
cranberry sauce = クランベリーソース
pecan =ペカンナッツ
...is one of my all time favorite ～=お気に入りの～の一つです
packed up = 荷造りした
freezing = 凍えるほど寒い
Brrrrr!! =ブルブルブル!!
tradition =長年の習慣
conventional =お決まりの
themed =テーマにした
 

2012年12月21日金曜日

2012年12月21日金曜日 -

Liz - Kakunodate, Akita


                                                                 Liz                                                               
Last month, I went on a trip to Akita Prefecture. I along with around 20 international women visited Kakunodate which is a city famous for its old Samurai homes. Since we went in the Fall it was a bit chilly, but the city was beautiful. When we arrived we were taken to a Kimono house where they dressed each of us up in our own kimono. I always thought traditional Japanese clothing was pretty but I never thought it would look good on me. That was my first time wearing a real kimono, it was a fun experience but I feel I looked a bit strange. Walking around Kakunodate was definitely interesting.


I think it must have been the first time that 20 foreign women all dressed up in traditional Japanese garb walkedthrough the town. While in Kakunodate we visited a traditional tea house and participated in our own tea ceremony. It was the first time many of us tried traditional Japanese Tea, it was delicious! After visiting the tea house we went to many samurai homes and learned about how traditional families use to live in Japan. I had an amazing time and I will remember this trip for the rest of my life.

famous for : ～で有名な
chilly　：肌寒い
dressed up　：～の衣装を着せる
look good on me　：似合う
clothing　：衣服・服装
experience　：経験
a bit strange：違和感・変
definitely：　絶対に・本当に・間違いなく
garb ：服装
participated in ：参加する
for the rest of my life　：一生
 

                    Liz                          

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2012年12月14日金曜日

2012年12月14日金曜日 -

Darin - Gero Onsen, Gifu



　　　　　　　　       Darin                          
Last week, my wife and I went to Gero Onsen in Gifu prefecture. We caught an early morning bus from Shin Osaka and it took us about six hours to make it there. Our journey was unexpectedly delayed because of heavy snowfall, and our bus was forced stop on multiple occasions on the highway. We enjoyed watching the winter wonderland pass by, and were able to eat some rice balls, sandwiches and tea we had prepared the night before.

Gero was constructed on the banks of the Hida River, and situated in a deep valley surrounded by picturesque mountains. After we checked into our hotel, we decided to go exploring around the town to see if we could find anything interesting. The town itself is quite dense, with many hotels and hot springs located in a central area on either side of the crystal clear waters of the river.


　　　　　　Gero Frog                
The motif in Gero Onsen is a frog, and you can see many frogs in shops, restaurants and on the streets. I enjoyed taking some photos and we found some interesting souvenirs to take home with us. But I decided not to buy the seasoned grasshopper snack I found in one souvenir shop! We bought some locally brewed craft beer, and returned to the hotel for some karaoke before dinner.



After walking around the snow-covered streets and enduring the cold air, the hot spring was very warm and relaxing. And after a good soak, we enjoyed a delicious dinner which included Hida beef and fresh crab from the Sea of Japan.

to make it there = たどり着くのに
unexpectedly =  予想に反して
delayed = 遅れました
forced =  強制的に
multiple occasions =　複数回
winter wonderland =  素敵な冬景色
constructed = ～に築かれた
situated = （特別な場所に）位置している
picturesque = 絵のような
dense = 密集している
located = 位置している
crystal clear =  澄み切った
motif = モチーフ
souvenirs = お土産
seasoned grasshopper =  イナゴの佃煮
locally brewed =  地元で醸造された
craft beer = クラフトビール
snow-covered =  雪に覆われた
enduring =  耐える
good soak = 気持ちよくお湯に浸かる


　　　            　　　Gero Mountains                                   

2012年12月7日金曜日

2012年12月7日金曜日 -

Kaya - Todai-ji, Nara

Kaya
On Tuesday, I went to Nara, with some friends. Although we planned to leave around 10am, we spent the first 20 minutes in Namba Station lost and unable to find each other. After finally meeting up, we hopped on the express train to Nara on the Kintesu line and arrived at our destination in a mere thirty minutes! Our first stop was the Kofuku-ji temple. Though the five-story pagoda was impressive, it did not compare to what we saw next… the magnificent Todai-ji . The Daibustu-den was truly breathtaking. Standing against a backdrop of vibrant blue skies and gorgeous autumn leaves, I and about fifty other tourists, eagerly snapped photos of the enormous wooden structure. As we walked down the path leading to the building’s entrance, we were greeted by many hungry deer, all which were peculiarly accustomed to humans. After some more awestruck moments inside the Daibutsu-den, we hiked through Nara Park, enjoying the fresh air and scenery. Eventually, our stomachs began to growl and we headed back towards the train station for some ramen noodles and gyoza. On our way, we were stopped by a group of elementary school students who wanted to practice their English on foreigners. The children, in their uniforms and adorable matching red caps, asked us for our names and where we were from. When asked what we thought of Nara, we all confidently answered, “we LOVE Nara!”.


around 10am = 10時前後
hopped = 飛び乗った
destination = 行き先
mere = たったの
the five-story pagoda = 五重の塔
magnificent = 壮大な
breathtaking = 息を呑むような
vibrant = 鮮やかな
eagerly = 熱心に
enormous = 巨大な
peculiarly = 妙に
accustomed = 慣れている
awestruck = 威厳に打たれた
stomachs began to growl = お腹がグーグー鳴り始めた
adorable = 愛らしい
confidently = 自信を持って




                                                                                              Daibutsu-den                                                                                           
 



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