2013年12月28日土曜日

2013年12月28日土曜日 -

Happy New Year!!

From all the instructors at Nova: 
"We wish you and your families 
a very safe, prosperous and happy new year!"

Every year at this time, it's customary for us to think of what we want to do to make the new year a bit better than the past year. We asked some of our instructors what they plan to do in 2014, and here's what they said. (Ta -daaaa!!)

 - "我想去海边，我听说冲绳的海边很漂亮，所以2014年我想去那里的海边游泳。" 
- "I love going to the beach. I heard Okinawa has some beautiful beaches. I want to swim at one of their beaches in 2014." (Gao - Chinese Team)

 - "Vorrei andare a vedere un incontro di sumo dal vivo. Inoltre, vorrei vedere il mio primissimo incontro di baseball! Non abbiamo il baseball in Italia." 
- "I want to go to a live Sumo match. Also, I want to see my very first live baseball game. There is no baseball in Italy." (Maria - Italian Team)

 - My hobby is bird watching.In all my years, I have never seen the Siberian Rubythroat. It is a rare bird that migrates through Osaka twice a year. I hope to see it in 2014.  (Bob - English Team)


 - "He estado corriendo por siete años, hace dos años corrí un medio maratón, quiero correr uno completo el próximo año. Espero hacerlo en Osaka si salgo seleccionado." 
- I have been running for seven years, two years ago I ran a half marathon, next year I want to finish a full one. I hope to do it in Osaka if I’m selected. (Humberto - Spanish Team)


 - "Ich möchte nächstes Jahr nach Sado fahren und dort einen Taiko-Kurs machen um Taiko spielen zu können."
- "I really want to go to Sado Island and learn to play the Taiko Drum." (Andy - German Team)


- “문자나 SNS등이 아니라 많은 사람들과 직접 만나 어울리고 싶어요. 온라인 시간을 줄이고 친구들을 직접 만나서 즐거운 시간을 보내고 싶어요.”
- "I'm going to socialize more in person, rather than just texting people. I want to spend less time online and spend more time face to face with my friends." (Daeun - Korean Team)
- "Eu quero aprender a programar e desenvolver aplicações para vários suportes electrónicos, tais como, smartphones e tablets."
- "I'm going to learn how to develop applications for a variety of electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets." (Nuno - Portuguese Team)

 - “저는 '고급한자 1000개 외우기'에 도전할 거예요. 좀 더 능숙한 일본 한자를 사용해 친구에게 편지도 쓰고 문자 메세지도 보내고 싶어요.”
- "I'm going to learn 1,000 new Japanese Kanji. I wish to send a letter to my Japanese friends and send messages using high level Kanji so that they will be impressed" (Heyeun - Korean Team)

 - Je souhaite passer l’examen de niveau 2 du JLPT, je vais donc étudier le japonais très sérieusement.
- "I want to pass Level 2 of the JLPT, so I'm going to study Japanese very hard." (Pierre - French Team)
"What do you plan to do in 2014? We look forward to you telling us all all about it!"
"See you next year!!"


migrates : 移動する（渡る）
socialize : 社交的に活動する
face to face : 顔を合わせて
impressed : 感動する





2013年12月8日日曜日

2013年12月8日日曜日 -

Anna - A Change of Clothes

I've now been living in Osaka for two months. It has been a new experience for me, since this is my first time to live alone in a big city. When I was in college, I always had friends to help me and support me if I had trouble, but now I have to do everything by myself. But I think that this experience is helping me grow and learn more about “real life”.
              
Actually, one of the biggest changes I think I am making is about my fashion choices! When I lived in America, I didn't have time (or money) to think about the clothes I wore. But when I go out in Osaka, I always see people dressed in really nice clothes and I started to think that my American clothes were too plain. 

These days, I've been buying a lot of Japanese clothes. When I go out, I look at the girls on the street or on the train and I look at the clothes they are wearing. Sometimes, I wonder if it might be strange for a foreigner to wear these kinds of clothes, but I think that it looks cute, so I like it. 




Compared to Japan, I think fashion in America is very different. I don't like to show off my body, but women's clothing in America is made to show off. Clothes in Japan cover the body and I like that much better. Also, I think that clothes in America can be very casual, but clothes in Japan feel much more fashionable.
             


Now that it is getting colder, I've been buying a lot of new winter clothes. I'm glad that I have a lot of choices and different stores to go to. I shop at my favorite Japanese chain most often, but close to me there is a branch of another popular chain which has some really great and cheap clothes as well. In the past I never liked to shop for clothes because I didn't like the styles in America, but clothes shopping in Japan is really fun! The only problem sometimes is trying to find things in my size.
a new experience：新しい経験
support ：支える
fashion choices：ファッションの選択
too plain：シンプルすぎる
to show off：(肌を）見せびらかせるために
fashionable：おしゃれ

2013年11月22日金曜日

2013年11月22日金曜日 -

Susana's Homemade Confectionery

Desde que vine a Japón una de las cosas que más me interesan es wagashi, es decir, los dulces japoneses. Desde el principio me atrajeron sus formas, sus colores, su tamaño tan pequeño…

Since coming to Japan one of the things that I find most interesting is wagashi, that is, Japanese confectionery. From the beginning I was attracted to their shapes, their different colors, and their small size

Debo reconocer que me costó un poco acostumbrarme al sabor de las judías rojas azuki, ya que en España no tenemos, pero ahora me encantan todos los tipos de anko: tsubuan, koshian, shiroan. Mi tipo favorito de wagashi es jonamagashi (上生菓子), pero son tan bonitos que da pena comérselos.

I must admit that it took me a while to get used to the flavor of red beans azuki, since we don’t have them in Spain, but now I love all kinds of anko: tsubuan, koshian, shiroan. My favorite type of wagashi is jonamagashi (上生菓子), but they’re so beautiful that it’s such a shame to eat them.

Por suerte, en el supermercado que está cerca de mi casa hay una sección de wagashi, así que desde hace tiempo tengo por costumbre comprar algún tipo nuevo de dulce japonés cada vez que voy a hacer la compra de la semana.

 Luckily for me, the supermarket next to my place has a wagashi section, so I’ve made it a habit to get a new type of Japanese sweet every time I go there to buy my weekly groceries

También he comprado varios libros sobre wagashi para conocer más sobre los diferentes tipos que existen y sus variedades regionales. Además, leer sobre el tema me ha ayudado a aprender vocabulario específico que antes no conocía.

Also, I’ve bought several books about wagashi so that I could learn more about the different types there are and their regional variations. On top of that, reading about them has helped me learn specific vocabulary that I didn’t know before.

Cuanta más informacion leía sobre wagashi más ganas me entraban de aprender a hacerlos por mí misma, así que el año pasado decidí buscar una escuela y en noviembre empecé a ir a clases. Lo que más me sorprendió fue la relativa sencillez con la que se hacen estos dulces. Lo más difícil es darles la forma final para que queden tan bonitos como los de los profesionales.

 The more I read about wagashi the more I wanted to learn how to make them myself, so last year I decided to find a school and in November I started taking lessons. What surprised me the most was that it is actually quite easy to make them. The most difficult part though is to give them their final shape so that they look as beautiful as those made by professionals.

Aunque ya llevo un año aprendiendo, tengo intención de seguir yendo a clase para aprender todo lo que pueda mientras esté viviendo en Japón. Quién sabe, tal vez algún día pueda abrir una tienda de wagashi en España.


Even though I’ve now been taking lessons for a whole year, I feel like I want to keep taking as many as I can for as long as I stay in Japan. Who knows, maybe someday I can even open a wagashi store in Spain.




confectionery ：dulces：お菓子類
it’s such a shame ：es una pena：もったいない
luckily for me ：por suerte ：幸い
habit  ：costumbre：習慣
buy groceries ：hacer la compra：食料を買う
regional variations ：variedades regionales：地域によって違う
even though ：aunque：～なのに

2013年11月12日火曜日

2013年11月12日火曜日 -

Mark - A Passion for Dance



Dance started as my hobby and slowly became one of my greatest passions in life. I started dance about ten years ago. I was a high school student at the time and my dance education was limited to watching other people do the steps and then copying them. Being a New York City native, Hip Hop culture, music, and dance influenced my upbringing, but I didn't have the love of music and dance that I do now. Back then, dance and music were just things I did to pass time. Like most teenagers, I was busy with academic studies and had little time for anything else. Things began to change when I first came to Japan.

Sometime during my first stay in Japan, I took my first dance lesson. I met a dance teacher that changed my perspective on dance forever. His movement was so beautiful and I remember crying during the first master class I observed. He used his body to tell a story and share the meaning that the artist of the song was trying to convey.  The meaning that this teacher put in each of his dance lessons was what moved me most. The purpose of his dance was to help people. He wanted to show the world that everyone is worth something and that anything is possible. Studying under that teacher increased my skills and understanding of music and dance ten times over. I also gained the patience, understanding and diligence needed to further other aspects of my life; like my academic studies and how I interact with people.

I'm back in Japan to continue my academic studies and further my passion of dance. I have continued to study dance whenever and wherever I get the chance to do so. Some of my best friends are people I have met in dance school both in Japan and in New York. I associate Japan with the intelligent, creative, and passionate people who call Japan home. 

 copying: まねをする
influenced:　影響を受けた
to pass time:　時間つぶしのために
perspective:　視点
to convey:　伝えようとする
patience:　我慢強さ
diligence:　勤勉な
interact:　交流する
further my ～:　～を進める
associate:　つきあう
creative:　クリエイティブな
passionate:　情熱的な

2013年11月1日金曜日

2013年11月1日金曜日 -

Luca - November Italian Holidays

Nel mese di Novembre in Italia si celebrano due feste un tempo molto importanti, soprattutto per la comunità cristiana: la Festa di Ognissanti e la Festa dei Morti. La prima si celebra il primo novembre mentre e l’altra il giorno seguente, cioè il 2 novembre.
La Festa di Ognisanti è un giorno di Festa Nazionale e la maggior parte della gente sfrutta questo giorno per fare un’ultima scampagnata fuori porta prima dell’inverno, mentre altri vanno in chiesa per celebrare le messe speciali per i Santi. Quest’anno il primo novembre cade proprio di venerdì e quindi permetterà agli italiani di trascorrere un lungo fine settimana con gli amici o con la famiglia. Gli uffici, le scuole e anche molti negozi saranno chiusi e questo permetterà a molti festeggiare fino a tardi Halloween e magari riprendersi da un'inevitabile sbronza.

In Italy, every November we celebrate two very important Christian Holidays: All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead. The first holiday is celebrated November 1st and the other one is on the following day the 2nd of November. All Saints Day is a national holiday. Most people use this holiday to take one last trip out of the city before winter; while others go to church to celebrate a special mass.This year it falls on a Friday, allowing everyone to have a long three-day weekend to spend with friends and family. Schools, offices and some shops will be closed all day, allowing many to celebrate Halloween late into the night and to to recover from their inevitable hangover.

Il 2 Novembre invece ora non è più una Festa Nazionale. In passato era un giorno importante perché permetteva alle famiglie che lavoravano di visitare la tomba dei parenti al cimitero, a volte anche lontano da casa. Quando ero un bambino, ricordo di essere andato più volte al cimitero Comunale di Bologna e di avere pregato sulle tombe dei bisnonni (che non ho mai incontrato in vita mia). Dopo, di solito si visitavano i parenti (ancora vivi!) che abitavano nelle vicinanze e non si vedevano da tempo.

November the 2nd is no longer a Bank Holiday. Once it was an important day because it allowed working families to visit graveyards far away from home. When I was a kid, I went several times with my parents to the City Cemetery of Bologna and prayed at my Great-grandparents grave (actually I never met them in my whole life). Then, we used to visit our relatives who lived not too far from the Cemetery.

Ora ai giovani e a chi lavora non importa più di tanto di andare al cimitero e chi lo frequenta sono solo le persone anziane che hanno tempo libero quasi ogni giorno. Per questo la Festa dei Morti il 2 Novembre ha perso popolarità. Gli italiani di oggi sono troppo preoccupati dai problemi di ogni giorno con i vivi per passare una giornata in mezzo ai morti (!!).
Il fiore più popolare in questa stagione, il crisantemo, è anche il simbolo di questa festa.

Nowadays, young people or working families have lost interest in visiting graves on the Day of the Dead. It seems to be done now only by elderly people who have sufficient free time.. For this reason, the November 2nd holiday has lost its popularity. Italians today are too preoccupied with everyday problems with the living than spending a day among the dead.
The symbol for this holiday, and also the most popular flower at this time of year, is the chrysanthemum.
falls on a Friday :　cade di venerdì　金曜日に当たる
to recover from :　riprendersi da　～から復活するために
inevitable:　inevitabile　必然的な
is no longer :　non è più　もう～ではない
Great-grandparents : 　i bisnonni　曽祖父母
have lost interest : 　hanno perso interesse　興味を失ってしまった
popularity :　popolarità　人気
preoccupied :　preoccupati　～で頭がいっぱいだ

2013年10月13日日曜日

2013年10月13日日曜日 -

Cristina - First Impressions



Mi experiencia en Japon no puede ser mejor. Todo comenzo en el trayecto Madrid-Osaka. Nunca antes habia viajado tanto tiempo ni tan lejos! Esperaba ver desde el avion el monte Everest, pero habia una capa de nubes cubriendo todo el cielo.

My Japanese experience so far couldn't be better. It all started on my way from Madrid to Osaka. I've never traveled for so long and so far from home before! I was hoping to see Mount Everest from the plane, but the cloud cover prevented me from seeing it.

Lo que mas me gusta de Osaka es la facilidad con la que te puedes mover. Hay muy buenas combinaciones entre tren y metro. Y por supuesto, en bicicleta! En España la gente no suele usar tanto la bicicleta como aqui, Y hasta las señoras de 70 años la usan!.

What I like about Osaka the most is how easy it is to get around the city. The train and subway system is really good. And of course, you can always cycle around the city! In Spain, people don’t ride bicycles as much as people do here; even people in their 70s are cycling here!   

Tambien visite Kioto, una ciudad con mucha historia y tradicion. Personalmente me gusta la historia de Japon y todo lo que ello conlleva, geishas, samurais, castillos y templos. De hecho, fui a un espectaculo de maikos y a la famosa tradicion de como preparar el te en Kioto.

I also visited Kyoto, a very old city steeped in tradition. Personally, I like Japanese history very much and everything that it entails, geishas, samurais, castles, temples, etc. In fact, I went to see a tea ceremony which was hosted by a Maiko.     



Otra ciudad parecida, pero no menos bonita es Nara. Otra de las muchas bellezas de Japon. La tranquilidad del bosque, y espectaculares templos hace de Nara un lugar idoneo para la reflexion y el descanso.


A city similar to Kyoto and just as pretty is Nara; one of the several wonders of Japan. The peaceful woods and the spectacular temples make Nara one of the best places for reflection and relaxation.



cloud cover :  雲に覆われていること　nublado
to get around : あちこち移動すること dar una vuelta
steeped in : ～に包まれた : inmerso 
entails : ～を必然的に伴う : conllevar
reflection : 反省 : reflexionar

2013年9月21日土曜日

2013年9月21日土曜日 -

Rene - Traveling Man

Seit ich angefangen habe zu reisen, habe ich viele Länder und viele typische Touristenziele, wie die Freiheitsstatue, das Kollosseum oder die Christusstatue in Rio de Janeiro gesehen. Manche sogar mehrmals. Nun möchte ich weniger bekannte Orte sehen, die nicht nur typische Sehenswürdigkeiten anbieten, sondern deren Schönheit eher in der Normalität liegt.

Since I started travelling, I have been to many countries and lots of typical tourist destinations like the Statue of Liberty, the Colosseum or the Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro. Some even more than once. Now I want to visit less well-known places, which do not have typical tourist sights and their beauty is their everydayness.   


Letzte Woche bin ich nach Nara, Kyoto und Tottori gefahren. Es war phantastisch! In Deutschland gibt es keine Tempel, Schreine, zahme Rehe und schon gar keine Dünen. Hier in Japan konnte ich alle diese Dinge sehen und sogar erleben.

Last week, I went to Nara, Kyoto and Tottori. It was fantastic! In Germany, there are no temples, shrines, tamed deer and certainly no dunes. Here in Japan I can experience all of those things.

 Nara liegt weniger als eine Stunde von Osaka entfernt, etwa so weit wie Kyoto. Es gibt dort einen wunderschönen Park, dessen Einwohner, Rehe aller Größen, auch gerne mal weiter in die Stadt vordringen. Man kann sie füttern, streicheln und wenn man vorsichtig ist, auch mit ihnen spielen. Man fühlt sich wieder wie ein Kind, das zum ersten Mal im Zoo ist und man erkennt, wie abgenabelt man in seinem täglichen Leben von der Natur eigentlich ist.

Nara is less than an hour from Osaka, much like Kyoto. It has a wonderful park full of deer of all sizes, who sometimes boldly expand their habitat to the city. You can feed them, pet them and if you are careful even play with them. You feel like a kid again who is visiting the zoo for the first time; and then you realize how your daily life keeps you from enjoying nature.
Kyoto konnte mich sehr durch sein Zusammenspiel von Tradition und Moderne beeindrucken. Am meißten gefiel mir Fushimi-Inari. Bei meinem Besuch gab es Wolkenbrüche und Gewitter und deshalb war der Berg beinahe menschenleer. Ein wunderbares Erlebnis, denn das “schlechte Wetter” hat die Schönheit des Ortes noch mehr hervorgehoben.

Kyoto impressed me with its combination of tradition and modernity. I liked Fushimi-Inari the best. When I visited, there were cloudbursts and thunderstorms which meant the mountain quickly became deserted. It truly was a wonderful experience since the “bad weather” kind of highlighted the beauty of the area.

Besonders aber habe ich mich auf die Dünenlandschaft in Tottori gefreut. Ich konnte es mir fast nicht vorstellen, dass es inmitten von Japan eine kleine Wüste gibt. Wie abstrus das doch eigentlich ist, oder?. Die Sonne schien durch den blauen Himmel und die Meerbriese aus dem Westen hat die Wüste fast angenehm erscheinen lassen. Die sechs Stunden lange Zugfahrt hat sich sehr gelohnt. Ich bin sehr froh, dass ich diesen Ort sehen durfte.

However, I was particularly keen on the dune landscape of Tottori. Before I went, I couldn’t imagine a small desert in the midst of Japan. How bizarre it was. The sun was shining through blue skies and the ocean breeze from the west made the temperature pretty comfortable. The six hour train ride was really worth it. I am very happy to have seen this place.

 everydayness : (normalität) : 日常であること
deer : (rehe) :  鹿
combination : (zusammenspiel) : 相互作用
cloudbursts : (wolkenbruch) : どしゃ降り
deserted : (menschenleer) : 人がいない
bizarre: (bizarr) : 深遠な
blue skies : (blauer Himmel) : 青空

2013年9月14日土曜日

2013年9月14日土曜日 -

Yan - Kyushu Trip



来日本这么久了，只到过大阪和东京，但其实我一直想到处玩玩。今年四月，终于有机会离开本州岛去九州岛旅行。

Although I have lived in Japan for a long time, the only places which I have been to are Osaka and Tokyo, but actually I have always wanted to visit other places of Japan.  This year April, I finally had the chance to leave Honshu island and travel to Kyushu island

   首先去了福冈市。福冈的生活方式很休闲，街上没有那么多忙碌的公司职员，还有很多漂亮的咖啡店和西餐厅。我非常喜欢这个城市！我想住在这里的人们一定觉得很幸福！

First, I went to Fukuoka city. The lifestyle in Fukuoka is very laid back.  I didn't see many busy business people in the street as I do in other big cities; it also has many nice coffee shops and western style restaurants.  I really like the city! I think the Fukuoka people must feel very happy to live there.

   以前，我不算特别喜欢吃拉面，来到九州后，爱上吃拉面了。九州的拉面味道很浓，而且吃的时候要配生姜，果然和传说中一样好吃！

Before going to Fukuoka, I was never a big fan of ramen, but now I love the Kyushu Ramen. The Kyushu Ramen has a very strong taste and you eat it with ginger. It really tastes as good as they say.

   我还去了长崎有名的豪斯登堡，那里也很特别，好像在日本造了一座欧洲的小城市，和童话一样！

I also went to the famous Huis Ten Bosch, in Nagasaki. It is also a very nice place.  It looks like they built a small European town in the middle of Japan. It feels like you are in a fairy tale world.

   这次旅行非常愉快，以后有机会我还想去日本更多的地方旅行。

I had a very pleasant time visiting Kyushu. When I have some other chances in the future, I will visit more places in Japan. 

actually : ( 其实  Qíshí ) : 実は
visit : ( 到处玩玩  Dàochù wán wan ) : あちこち遊びに行く
finally : ( 终于 Zhōngyú ) : ついに
travel : ( 旅行 Lǚxíng ) : 旅行
lifestyle : ( 生活方式 Shēnghuó fāngshì ) : ライフスタイル
laid back : ( 休闲 Xiūxián ) : のんびりした
a big fan of : ( 特别喜欢…  Tèbié xǐhuan ) : 特に～が好き
strong taste : ( 味道浓 Wèidào nóng ) : 味がこってりしている
fairy tale : ( 童话 Tónghuà ) : おとぎ話
pleasant : ( 愉快 Yúkuài ) : 楽しい
chances : ( 机会  Jīhuì ) : 機会

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