2014年8月29日金曜日

2014年8月29日金曜日 -

Andrew: Kyoto's Kimonos

Every so often I visit Kyoto, and a few weeks ago I went there and had a really special day. One of my friends took me to visit some historical kimono manufacturers. It was a very unusual tourist activity so I really enjoyed the chance to have such a unique experience.

We went to two different places. The first one produced Nishijin-ori (a style of textile manufacturing), although they had progressed to making all sorts of different things and didn't seem to actually produce kimonos nowadays. We met the owner, whose business had been in his family for generations, and he showed us around. The company had a really impressive client list – they had made kimonos for the Tokugawa Shoguns and the Thai Royal Family. More recently, they have made a renowned American pop star’s shoes, fabric for a certain famous designer, and furniture used in two of Kyoto’s fanciest hotels.


While viewing the female pop star's shoes, we were told that Caroline Kennedy, the current US Ambassador to Japan, had visited last month. Our guide then took us to the showroom and let us look around. It was all so impressive! The fabric they displayed costs around 30,000 yen per square meter. We were also shown furniture, some of which was used in the hotels. Apparently it is only found in the best suites, and one night’s stay would set you back more than a million yen – a bit beyond my price range. The last thing we saw was the factory. Even though it was just a room full of machines, I wasn't let down; the experience was actually quite fascinating.

Next we went to a place that uses the Yuzen-zome technique for dying its cloth. Although they primarily manufacture kimonos, they have also started to make things like tumblers and iPhone cases, which I thought was really interesting. They showed us the dyeing process and we got to watch people making kimonos. It was all quite fun. Something else I found interesting was that all of the employees there are women. (According to the owner, this is pretty rare as most of the workers are usually men.)

Afterwards, the owner showed us finished kimonos, including some that Princess Mako had bought. We then spent some time talking about the economics of kimono production. Apparently the market has shrunk dramatically. The owner told us that she sells kimonos to a distributor for around 500,000 yen each, and then they get marked up so that consumers pay around 3 million yen each. I asked her if she sold kimonos directly to people and she said of course they did, and not for 3 million yen!

I wanted to pay back my friend for such a great experience, so we went to Inayoshi for lunch. This restaurant, which is owned by our company’s president, specializes in Kyoto beef. Inayoshi is next to the Kamo River and has a great atmosphere. We decided to splurge and got the most expensive sets on the menu. It wound up being really nice, and was the perfect end to our day in Kyoto.

nowadays：昨今
for generations：何世代にもわたって
Ambassador：大使
per square meter：平方メートルあたり
set ～ back：～に費用がかかる
let down：がっかりさせる
shrunk：縮小している
marked up：値上げされる
pay back：お返しする
atmosphere：雰囲気
splurge：散財する
It wound up being ～：結局～になる

2014年8月22日金曜日

2014年8月22日金曜日 -

Thibaud : Annecy

Je souhaite vous présenter ma ville natale, Annecy, où ma famille vit encore actuellement. Annecy est située dans le sud-est de la France, dans les Alpes plus précisément. Cette ville de taille moyenne est le chef-lieu du département de la Haute-Savoie situé dans la région Rhône-Alpes.

 I would like to introduce Annecy, my hometown and the place where my family still lives. Annecy is located in south-eastern France, or more precisely in the French Alps. This mid-sized city is the capital of the department of Haute-Savoie located in the Rhône-Alpes region.

Historiquement Annecy faisait partie de la Savoie, un duché indépendant qui fut rattaché à la France en 1860. La ville est actuellement un site touristique majeur en France pour plusieurs raisons.

 Annecy was historically part of Savoy, an independent duchy, which was attached to France in 1860. Nowadays, this town is a major tourist site in France for several reasons.


Tout d’abord Annecy a été construite au bord d’un lac entouré de montagnes, appellé « lac d’Annecy ». L’eau de ce lac est réputée comme une des plus pures d’Europe, c’est pourquoi beaucoup de touristes français et européens viennent s’y baigner l’été. De plus la construction de grands bâtiments au bord du lac est interdite, ce qui préserve la beauté des lieux.

 Firstly, the city was built next to its namesake the beautiful Lake Annecy, which is surrounded by mountains. The water of this lake is known as some of the cleanest in Europe, so many French and other European tourists go there to swim in the summertime. Moreover, the construction of large buildings on the lakeside is forbidden, which preserves the natural charm of the site.

Ensuite, Annecy est une jolie ville historique qui a été construite au Moyen-Age. Le château a été construit au XII ème siècle, et la construction de la  vieille ville a été influencée par l'Italie voisine. Plusieurs canaux traversent cette vieille ville, c’est pour cette raison qu’Annecy est parfois appelée « la petite Venise des Alpes ».

 Annecy is also a beautiful, historic city established during the Middle-Ages. The castle was built during the twelfth century, and the architecture of the old town has been influenced by neighboring Italy. Several canals flow through that district, so Annecy is sometimes called “Little Venice of the Alps”.

Enfin plusieurs évènements intéressants ont lieu chaque année à Annecy. Le plus important est le Festival International du Film d’Animation qui a lieu pendant une semaine en juin. Il s'agit du plus grand festival au monde dans le domaine du film d'animation, c'est pourquoi chaque année des milliers de professionnels et d'amateurs du monde entier y participent ainsi que des personnalités telles que Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton ou Matt Groening, le créateur des Simpsons. La « Fête du Lac » est célébrée en août avec un grand spectacle qui mélange musique, éclairages et un grand feu d'artifice. Les autres évènements notables sont « la Fête des Alpages » lorsque les troupeaux de vaches redescendent dans les vallées en octobre, ainsi que le « Carnaval Vénitien » à la fin de l’hiver.

 Finally, several interesting events take place annually in the city. The most important one is the Annecy International Animation Film Festival which is held for one week in June. It is the world’s biggest festival in its field; thousands of professionals and amateurs from all over the world participate, as well as many famous people such as Miyazaki Hayao, Tim Burton and Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons. The “Lake Festival” is celebrated every August with a show that mixes music, lighting and big fireworks. Other notable events are “The Festival of Alpine Pasture” in October, when herds of alpine cows are led down into the valleys, and the “Venetian Carnival” which is held at the end of winter.

L'été est bien sûr la saison la plus touristique à Annecy étant donné qu'on peut se baigner dans le lac, mais la ville et sa région sont aussi charmantes pendant les autres saisons, si vous aimez les couleurs de l'automne, la neige hivernale ou la verdure printanière.

 Summer is obviously the most tourist friendly season, since people can enjoy Lake Annecy, but the city and its surrounding area are also charming during other seasons if you like fall foliage, winter snow or spring greenery.

             
précisément ： precisely ： ちょうど
chef-lieu ：capital ：首都
duché ： duchy： 公国
réputé ： known as： とみなされた
influencé ： influenced：影響された
monde ： world：世界
notable ： notable ：注目すべき
bien sûr ： obviously：もちろん
verdure ： greenery：緑樹

2014年8月15日金曜日

2014年8月15日金曜日 -

Tony　：　Summer: 1980 - 2014

When I was 10 years old a heatwave hit my hometown. There was no rain for weeks and weeks and weeks. Dogs slept on dead grass wherever there was shade. Sunburned kids shambled to the corner store for frozen treats. The heat was powerful. Mirages gained strength until we could look across the water to Vancouver and see a mirror image of the city hanging inverted and shimmering in the sky.


 The heat intensified and people stopped going outside. Cars were ovens, and their seats were frying pans that eagerly burned the tender skin of children who wore shorts. 

Wildfires raged across the country. Smoke hung in the air, a choking mockery of clouds that stung our eyes as we dreamt of rain. I couldn't have imagined a worse summer. It seemed like the end of days.
 
I moved to Japan when I was 30. Twenty years had passed since that fiery summer of my youth and still it remained my benchmark for terrible weather.

I was naive. I knew nothing of humidity. I'd never lived in the heat island of a huge city, a concrete behemoth, like Osaka. My childhood reminiscence was exactly that, a child's story. Now that I lived in Japan, I realized that Japanese people endure summers like the one from my childhood every single year!

Thank goodness for air conditioning.


shambled：よろよろ歩いていた
Mirages：蜃気楼
inverted：逆さにした
shimmering：(陽炎などが)ゆらめく
intensified：増強する
raged：猛威を振るう
choking：息苦しくさせる
mockery：嘲る
stung：チクリと刺した
end of days：この世の終わり
fiery：火のような
benchmark：基準
naive：世間知らず
behemoth：巨大なもの（聖書ヨブ記に出てくる巨獣から）
reminiscence：思い出

2014年8月8日金曜日

2014年8月8日金曜日 -

Susana : My biggest hobby

Como muchos de mis alumnos ya saben, una de mis grandes aficiones es asistir a conciertos, especialmente de mi grupo favorito (no es necesario que diga el nombre, verdad?). Por supuesto el objetivo principal de asistir a conciertos es apoyar al grupo del que soy fan, pero tambien pasarlo bien con mis amigas disfrutando de la musica que tanto nos gusta.

As many of my students already know, one of my favorite hobbies is going to concerts, especially those of my favorite group (no need to say the name, right?). Of course, the main reason why I go to concerts is to support the group, but I also go to have fun with my friends and enjoy the music.

Pero ademas, gracias a esta aficion he podido viajar a diferentes lugares de Japon donde no habia estado nunca y, lo mejor de todo, probar la comida tan diferente y deliciosa de cada uno de estos lugares. Si no fuese por los conciertos probablemente aun no habria visitado algunas de estas ciudades, principalmente por falta de tiempo.
De estos lugares, especialmente dos se han convertido en mis favoritos: Fukuoka y Sendai.

On top of that, I've been able to travel to different parts of Japan and try many delicious local foods. If it weren't for the concerts, I probably wouldn't have visited many of those cities.
Out of these places, two in particular have become my favorites: Fukuoka and Sendai.

Cada vez que voy a Fukuoka, aunque lamentablemente el tiempo no suele acompanyar, siempre espero con impaciencia el momento en que pueda volver a comer tonkotsu ramen. Ya sea verano o invierno, SIEMPRE que voy a Fukuoka como tonkotsu ramen, y ultimamente siempre en el mismo lugar en la estacion de Hakata. Probablemente habra mejores restaurante en Fukuoka, pero este esta en un lugar muy conveniente y ademas el ramen esta muy rico. Estoy segura de que aqui en Osaka hay restaurantes donde se puede comer este tipo de ramen, pero en mi opinion no es lo mismo que comerlo en la ciudad de Fukuoka.

Every time I go to Fukuoka, I eagerly anticipate the moment when I can eat tonkotsu ramen again. Lately, I've been going to the same spot at Hakata Station. There are probably better restaurants in Fukuoka, but this one is very conveniently located and the ramen there is very good.

Mi experiencia en Sendai es muy reciente, exactamente del fin de semana pasado. Nunca habia estado mas al norte de Tokio hasta ahora asi que este viaje fue muy interesante para mi. Por supuesto, el objetivo principal fue asistir a un concierto pero ya desde antes de salir de Osaka la idea de comer gyu-tan (lengua de vaca) no se iba de mi mente. Asi que el primer dia de mi estancia en Sendai comi gyu-tan para cenar. Para ser sincera, originalmente la idea no me agradaba mucho y pensaba que no me gustaria la lengua de vaca, pero la verdad es que me encanto.

My Sendai trip was just last weekend. Of course, the main purpose of my trip was to attend a concert, but I also wanted to try gyu-tan (beef tongue). So, on my first night there I had it for dinner. To be honest, at the beginning I wasn't very enthusiastic about it and I thought I wasn't going to like it, but I must say that I loved it!

Y como otra de mis pasiones son los dulces, no podia irme de Sendai sin comprar algunos tipicos de alli. Varios alumnos me recomendaron dulces tipicos de Sendai asi que el ultimo dia en el aeropuerto los busque y los compre. Seguramente ya habreis adivinado de que dulces estoy hablando, pero por si acaso escribire los nombres. Se trata de zunda-mochi y Hagi no Tsuki.
Solamente con verlo ya sabia que me gustaria el sabor de Hagi no Tsuki, ya que en general cualquier dulce que este relleno de crema me gusta. Y asi fue. Me gusto tanto que me costo mucho no comerme todos los dulces de la caja de una sentada. En el caso de zunda-mochi fue un poco diferente. Como habia escuchado opiniones diferentes de personas a las que les gustaba y a las que no, la verdad es que lo probe con algo de reticencia, en parte tambien debido al color verde de la “salsa” que lleva. Sin embargo su sabor me sorprendio por ser mas dulce de lo que esperaba. Asimismo me sorprendio la textura del mochi, que pensaba que seria mas suave como la de los “daifuku” y sin embargo era mas dura y se hacia necesario masticar bastante.

And since sweets are another of my passions, I couldn't leave Sendai without buying some of its typical sweets which several of my students recommended. You've probably already figured out what sweets I'm talking about - zunda-mochi and Hagi no Tsuki. With just one look, I already knew I would like Hagi no Tsuki since I tend to like sweets with cream inside. I had to make a big effort not to eat the whole box in a single sitting. It was a little different with zunda-mochi. I had heard differing opinions from people and I was a little put off by its green “sauce.” However, I was surprised by the flavor, which was sweeter than I had expected. I was also surprised by the texture, since I thought it would be soft like “daifuku,” but instead it was harder and more chewy.

Lamentablemente, en Sendai el tiempo tampoco acompanyo y llovio los dos dias que estuve alli, asi que no pude hacer nada de turismo. Pero solamente con la experienca de los conciertos a los que asisti y la rica comida que pude probar volvi a Osaka la mar de contenta.

Sadly, in Sendai the weather wasn't good and it rained both days I was there, so I couldn't go sightseeing. But with the awesome memories of the concerts and the amazing food, I came back to Osaka really happy and satisfied.

Asi que estoy deseando que surja la ocasion de viajar a otros lugares de Japon a los que todavia no he ido para descubrir mas platos y dulces tipicos. De nuevo se admiten sugerencias!

And this is why I can't wait for new opportunities to travel around Japan, visit new places and discover their food and their sweets. So, let me know if you have any suggestions!

aficiones：hobbies：趣味
verdad?：right?：でしょう?
Por supuesto：Of course：もちろん
amigas：friends：（女性の）友達
viajar：travel：旅行
ciudades：cities：街
fin de semana pasado：last weekend：先週末
Para ser sincera：To be honest：実は
me encanto：I loved it：大好きだ
dulces：sweets：お菓子
verde：green：緑の
esperaba：had expected：想像していた
Lamentablemente：Sadly：残念ながら
turismo：sightseeing：観光



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