2016年10月29日土曜日

2016年10月29日土曜日 -

Eugene & Maria: Happy Halloween!

Hello everyone!

Halloween is soon upon us. During the month of October, I love to watch horror movies!
In the US, many horror movie characters have become iconic to the Halloween holiday. People love to dress up as Freddy Kreuger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. They also decorate their homes and parties with recognizable scenes from those movies.

Did you know Japanese horror movie character Sadako is also famous in the US? Many people are terrified of seeing the woman with long, dark hair and white dress. Will you try a costume this year? Let's dress up as horror movie icons!

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With Halloween fast approaching it strikes me how different the holidays are in Japan compared to America. In Japan, Halloween is most certainly a festival for adults where the children's activities are an afterthought and the opposite is true in America. 

One of my favorite aspects of Japan is the commitment people make to simple causes. It's what I love about hipsters in America who throw away six-figure jobs to make the best artisan cheeses. People in Japan and the culture of cosplay has led to the flamboyant, vibrant display every year on October 31st. 

There are other aspects to consider, however. An Osakan Halloween may be different than a Tokyo Halloween, according to rumors. The history of Osaka may have led to a public that is more willing to rock out wearing fake blood and a cape when the speakers start playing Michael Jackson's Thriller.

upon：迫っている
iconic：象徴的に
A Nightmare on Elm Street：エルム街の悪夢（８０年代の映画の名前）
Friday the 13th：１３日の金曜日（８０年代の映画の名前）
decorate：飾り付ける
recognizable：見覚えのある
scenes：場面
terrified：怖がった
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fast approaching：近づいてきた
strikes：気になる
afterthought：つけ足し
aspects：側面
commitment：のめり込み
hipsters：新しがり屋
six-figure jobs：６桁（年収１０万ドル）の仕事
flamboyant：ケバケバしい
vibrant：キラキラした
according to rumors：噂によると

rock out：思いきり楽しむ

2016年10月21日金曜日

2016年10月21日金曜日 -

Anna:　Halloween season and autumn in America


In Japan, hundreds of tourists go to Kyoto to see the red leaves. In America the leaves also turn red, but one of the biggest and most exciting autumn activities is definitely Halloween. Recently it's become much more popular in Japan as well. Some of my favorite childhood memories of autumn are about Halloween.

When I was in elementary school, Halloween was one of the most fun times of the year. That day in class, we would have a party and everyone could wear their costumes to school. There were usually a lot of games and snacks, and regular lessons weren't held that day. Until I was about eleven or twelve years old, my school had a Halloween parade where all the students in the school would walk around outside so we could see each others' costumes. These days, many schools no longer allow Halloween costumes in class, but being able to have fun with my friends and not study was always something I looked forward to.

Halloween season and autumn in America is also the time for horror movies and haunted houses, which are usually popular in Japan in the summertime. Many new horror movies are released in theaters in America in October, and many Halloween parties for teenagers or adults involve watching them. While children's Halloween parties and costumes are usually cute, older kids and adults often like scarier costumes or activities. I not a big fan though!

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Now I've lived in Japan for three years. When I first arrived Halloween wasn't really popular here in Osaka. Even though only three years have passed, however, Halloween is getting to be bigger and bigger and I see much more advertising for it once October arrives every year. Last year I even saw it on the news! I've gone to a Halloween event every year that I've lived here, and I'm really looking forward to this year's events as well. I just have to decide what I want my costume to be!

hundreds of：たくさんの
red leaves：紅葉           
turn red：赤くなる
definitely：間違いなく
elementary school：小学校
costumes：衣装
walk around：歩き回る
no longer：もう～でなくなっている
looked forward to：楽しみにしていた
haunted houses：お化け屋敷
released：公開される
involve：夢中になる
scarier costumes：恐目の衣装
advertising：広告
even：～でさえ

2016年10月14日金曜日

2016年10月14日金曜日 -

Aurélien: Self-introduction

Bonjour,
Je m'appelle Aurélien, j'ai 25 ans et je suis professeur chez NOVA depuis 6 mois. En France j'habitais dans une petite ville appelée Sancerre, populaire pour son vin.  J'ai étudié les sciences, l'informatique et désormais je suis assistant dessinateur. J'aime étudier les langues, dessiner, écrire des scénarios, jouer aux jeux vidéos, lire et sortir avec mes amis.

Hello.
My name is Aurelien. I'm twenty five years old and I've been a teacher at NOVA for six months. In France, I lived in a little city called Sancerre, popular for its wine. I studied sciences, computing and now I am an assistant drawer. I like studying languages, drawing, writing scripts, playing video games, reading and hanging out with my friends.

Si je suis venu au Japon c'est parce que j'adore la culture japonaise, les mangas, découvrir de nouveaux horizons et de nouvelles personnes. J'ai voyagé un mois au Japon l'an dernier pour rendre visite a mon frère jumeau qui habitais à Matsuyama. La France et le Japon sont deux pays différents culturellement et c'est probablement pour cette raison que chacun de ces pays s'intèresse à l'autre.

Why did I come to Japan? It's because I love Japanese culture, manga, and discovering new places and new people. I traveled for one month in Japan last year to visit my twin brother who lived in Matsuyama. France and Japan are two culturally different countries and it's probably for this reason that each country is interested in the other.

En ce qui concerne mon travail de dessinateur, je suis autodidacte et j'ai commencé à l'âge de 22 ans. Ensuite, j'ai rencontré un dessinateur professionnel et j'allais environ 15 heures par jour chez lui pour apprendre à dessiner. Apprendre le dessin par moi-même me permet de pouvoir créer mon propre style et je pense que c'est vraiment important de se démarquer dans ce domaine. Le dessin est un moyen de s'exprimer librement et je respecte les artistes japonais et j'espère un jour faire de grandes choses.

Regarding my drawing work, I am self-taught and I started at the age of twenty two years old. Then I met a professional drawer and I spent around fifteen hours a day at his home in order to learn how to draw. Learning to draw by myself allows me to create my own style and I think it's really important to distinguish yourself in this area. Drawing is a way to express yourself freely and I respect Japanese artists and one day I hope to do great things.

Dessiner：drawing：絵を書くこと
écrire des scénarios：writing scripts：スクリプトを書く事
sortir：hanging out：遊びに行くこと
frère jumeau：twin brother：双子の兄弟
probablement：probably：おそらく
autodidacte：self-taught：独学で
démarquer：distinguish：目立つ


2016年10月7日金曜日

2016年10月7日金曜日 -

Valerie: Moving to Japan


I've been interested in Japanese pop culture since I first started reading manga when I was fourteen years old. As a college student I studied in Nagoya for two semesters, and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Japanese and linguistics. After graduation, I searched for work in Japan and in a few months I was hired by Nova. In August I packed all my suits and I moved to Osaka.
For someone like myself who has lived in the U.S. her whole life, learning to live in Japan has its difficulties. After one month, I've learned how to separate my garbage, navigate the subway system, and to ride my bicycle on the left side of the side walk. My Japanese has already improved greatly, especially when it comes to asking for directions. I've purchased a cell phone, opened a bank account, and applied for health insurance in Japanese. I've even made friends with the elderly couple who own the bread shop next to my apartment building. Before I came to Japan, I thought I was prepared for the challenge of living in a foreign country and speaking a foreign language. There was, however, another challenge that I hardly considered before I arrived in Osaka. It hit me the moment I set foot in my new apartment. I'm going to be living alone for the first time.
There's probably a time in many people's lives, perhaps when they're in their early twenties, when they finally appreciate just how much their parents did for them, and how little they know about the world themselves. Now, certainly some people have had more independent or responsible childhoods than others, but I think that it's safe to say that my parents did nearly everything for me when I was growing up.

I had learned to cook a few things in college, but more often than not I had my meals in a cafeteria. At home, my parents always cooked dinner. I never ironed my clothes, because I had a dryer. I always kept my bedroom clean, but my parents always took care of the bathroom and kitchen. What I've realized in the past several weeks is that not only have I been learning to live in Japan, but also how to be a working adult. I've learned that while cooking three meals a day is tiring, eating out can be expensive. I've learned how to iron shirts, how to marinate chicken, and how to pick out tomatoes at the grocery store. In the past month I have become the most level-headed and responsible version of myself, but I still have a long way to go. Every day I learn a new recipe, find a new shop in my town, or make a new friend at work. I hope to keep growing in this way, becoming a better Japanese resident and a more wholesome human being.
Degree：学位
Linguistics：言語学
Navigate：うまく通る
side walk：歩道
when it comes to：～に関して言えば
applied for：申し込んだ
hardly：ほとんどない
set foot：地を踏む
twenties：二十代
independent：独立している
dryer：乾燥機
pick out：選ぶ
grocery store：食料品店
level-headed：しっかりした
wholesome：健全な


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