2018年7月27日金曜日

2018年7月27日金曜日 -

Albert： Yakiniku


One of my favorite things to eat in Japan is yakiniku, and I usually have it at least once a week. Being a fairly big eater, I tend to prefer all-you-can-eat (AYCE) places. This was true even when I was back in the States, though most of the places I frequented in LA were of the Korean variety. Nevertheless, here are a few differences that I noticed, generally speaking of course.

First and foremost, as is typically the case, the portion sizes are smaller in Japan. However, they remain consistent throughout the service. In LA, serving sizes of plates start off bigger, but tend to gradually get smaller as you put in more and more orders. This seems to be a strategy to reduce wasted meat. In terms of the menu, I feel places in LA offer more variety in the cuts of meat especially as you move up in price range, whereas Japan offers more in way of different flavors and side items.

Strangely enough, while free refills (drink bars) are more common in the US restaurant dining experience overall, Korean barbeque restaurants in LA tend not to include the option on their menu, especially in cheaper places. I


n contrast to this, all Japanese AYCE restaurants I've been to so far not only allow you to have unlimited soft drinks, but alcohol as well. 

The thing that surprised me most about AYCE yakiniku places here though, is that you can go to them alone. Before coming to Japan, all of these kinds of restaurants that I had been to in the US required groups of at least two people.

Being a fairly big eater：かなり大食いなので
all-you-can-eat：食べ放題
Nevertheless：そうは言っても
First and foremost：いの一番に
Consistent：首尾一貫した
start off：始まる
In terms of：～に関して
Whereas：ところが
Strangely enough：不思議なことに
tend：傾向がある
required：必須である

2018年7月21日土曜日

2018年7月21日土曜日 -

Anna: A trip to Chiba


I took my vacation in June this year. Since it's the middle of the rainy season and prices are a little lower, it's a good time to travel, and there aren't as many large crowds. This year I visited Nara, Chiba, and Nagoya, though I didn't get much time to sightsee since the main reason I went was to go to concerts and events!
This was my first time visiting Chiba and I was really surprised at how different it is compared to how I imagined it would be. Since Chiba is so close to Tokyo, and many people who work in Tokyo live in Chiba, I thought all of Chiba was just a small version of Tokyo. I didn't expect there to be so many fields and so much open space, as well as forests. I took a train from Narita Airport to Chiba City, and almost all of the ride was through green grass and trees. I've lived in Osaka City for five years now, so I'm not used to seeing so much green anymore. It was a nice change.
Whenever I travel in Japan, I almost always travel alone. I don't mind traveling with other people, but solo travel is the most comfortable for me because you can do whatever you want with your time and money. You can make any choice you want, at any time, and don't have to worry about matching your schedule with someone else or when you sleep or wake up. It can sometimes be lonely, but I think the experience of going to so many different places and meeting people makes up for it. There are some things you can only fully experience alone, I feel.
I hadn't traveled in Japan for a while until this year, so I was really glad for the chance to finally see new places again. I hope to be able to see even more places in the future. I don't know if it will work out yet, but I'm planning on visiting Okinawa later this year, and if I get to go, it will be my first time going there. I've wanted to visit Okinawa ever since I came to Japan, since so many people have told me about how nice it is, so I'm really excited to go. I'm not good at swimming, but I love beaches and the ocean, so even if I only get to take some nice photos, I'll be happy.
I wonder where I'll go next year!

crowds：人ごみ
compared to：～に比べて
close to：～に近い
fields：田畑
open space：空き地
I'm not used to seeing：～を見慣れていない
makes up：埋め合わせをする
work out：うまくいく
even if：たとえ～でも

2018年7月14日土曜日

2018年7月14日土曜日 -

Phil: Holiday destinations

Nelson bay - wiki


Like Japan, my home country Australia has plenty of hot weather in summer. One of my favourite things to do in Australia in summer is to hit the beach for an hour or two of body surfing. In my home town of Nelson bay there are a number of coastal beaches to visit. I prefer to visit the protected bays where the surf is smaller but you can still get a long ride on the waves. Body surfing can be done using a body board or just your body to slide down the front of the waves. It`s a lot of fun. People often take a packed lunch and

a beach umbrella to the beach.
       In Japan there a lot of lovely coastal areas, too. This summer I’m planning on going to Amanohashidate on the Sea of Japan coast in Kyoto prefecture. I’m hoping to do some swimming there and eat some local seafood. In June this year, I had a visit from family members coming from Australia. We had a ball of fun and they were able to see the recently renovated Osaka Castle. They ate eel, did some sightseeing and souvenir shopping, too. I think Japan makes a lovely holiday destination for foreign visitors because it has lots of interesting food and cultural differences to experience.

plenty of：たくさんの
hit the beach：海に行く
coastal beaches：海辺の砂浜
renovated：改装された
destination：行先

2018年7月7日土曜日

2018年7月7日土曜日 -

Hugh :Fushimi-Inari Taisha – Kyoto – The Return


Did you read my last story about my first time I went to Fushimi-Inari Shrine? Crazy right? Well, this story is about the second time I went there.

So, just before Golden Week 2018, I went back to Fushimi-Inari Shrine. This time, I arrived in the morning which was contrary to the last time.

I arrived there and it hit me that I had forgotten just how amazing it is. I found myself thinking about how somebody could have designed something like this!

I actually went there with a mate from the UK and he's well into doing ultramarathons. He had no problems running up the mountain between the red gates. He did, however, pause to wait for me during different stages so we could have an energy drink as a trip down memory lane. (Do you remember my first story?)

There were so many red gates and it was hard to find a time when there were no other tourists around to take some shots. However, I was able to take some (in my opinion) gems. It was a really nice vibe walking around the mountain but it was a little taxing on the body, being that it's 4.2 kilometers on a round trip. We eventually made it to the top and took the chance to take pause.

All in all, the weather was great and we had an excellent time. If you happen to be in Kyoto one day, I would 100% recommend that you visit this place.

contrary ： the opposite of another time
mate ： friend (British English)
well into ： very interested in something
ultramarathon ： a cross country foot race, around 100 kilometers long
trip down memory lane ： remembering a previous, good memory
gems ： something which is valued because of its success or perfection
taxing ： demanding or tough
being that ： since or because
vibe ： atmosphere
take pause ： relax for a short time
all in all ： completely
happen to ： if something occurs
found myself  ：come upon something unexpectedly
shots ： photos
hit me ： sudden realization about something
round trip ： a journey to a certain place then back again, to where one first started

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