11月 2018 ~ お茶の間留学

2018年11月30日金曜日

2018年11月30日金曜日 -

Kyle: Himeji Castle

My parents were in town last week, from the 5th to the 12th. I was a little nervous before their visit - neither of them have done much traveling outside of the United States, and I was worried that they would find Osaka a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, my fears were completely unfounded; they both seemed to immensely enjoy their time in Japan.

During the week that they were here, my parents and I split our time between Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Himeji. We briefly visited Kobe, but only for a quick meal to satisfy my father's near-obsessive need to eat Kobe beef "straight from the source". He liked everything he ate here - from famous foods like ramen and sushi to things uncommon in the US, like natto and mentaiko. My mother developed a healthy appetite for okonomiyaki - she's promised to make it for me the next time we see each other. They both loved onigiri, as well.

Of course, any time not spent eating was consumed by sightseeing. We visited a variety of beautiful sites across four cities. The highlight of the week for the four of us, I think, was Himeji Castle. I had never been there before, so I appreciated the fact that my parents and I were able to visit it for the first time together. It was wonderful to see such a well-preserved, well-cared-for example of old Japanese architecture - and at such a great size! Walking from Himeji station to the castle was incredible by itself - a long, straight walk towards an immense castle, growing larger and larger with each step. Seeing the inside of the castle was my personal favorite part of the day. Such excellent craftsmanship. On a side note, a trip to Himeji gave us a great reason to take a bullet train (shinkansen), which I always love doing. My parents were very impressed as well, and came away bemoaning the absence of such a train in the United States. Even better, we ended up on a Hello Kitty-branded train, much to my father's delight.

overwhelming：圧倒される

unfounded：見当たらなかった

immensely：非常に

near-obsessive：執着にも似た

straight from the source：産地直送の

well-preserved：保存状態の良い

immense：広大な

bemoaning：嘆き悲しむ

Even better：更に良いことに

2018年11月23日金曜日

2018年11月23日金曜日 -

Philip - Visit Dublin

The amount of tourism in Ireland is increasing year on year and it's now the most popular place for North American visitors to visit on vacation, overtaking the previous top place of Paris, France.

Although this fact may be surprising to people who have never been to Dublin, it won't be to anyone who has had the chance to experience the many interesting sightseeing spots and try out the local food and drink.

Let’s talk about the sightseeing first. There are many things to see but as Dublin has a fairly small city center, you only need a weekend to see most of what it has to offer. One of the best ways to see the city is take the sightseeing buses, which you can buy a one-day or two-day pass for. Not only are these buses convenient, but the bus drivers are very entertaining with lots of information about the different sightseeing spots, and occasionally they might even sing an old Irish folk song.

One of the things Dublin is most famous for is its alcohol so if you're a fan of whiskey then the Irish Whiskey Museum is a must. The museum can be found right in the centre of Dublin, opposite the famous Trinity College grounds. (The college itself is worth a look as it's free to enter and has nice parks to relax in.) The Whiskey Museum tour takes about one hour and is followed by a tasting of three different Irish whiskeys. There is also a bar downstairs if you want to try more of your new favorite whiskey.

You can’t talk about Dublin without thinking of Guinness: the world’s most famous stout/black beer. The tour of the storehouse and museum is a must even if you aren’t a big drinker. It gives a really interesting insight into how the beer is made and ends at the top of a tower with 360-degree views of Dublin city.

If alcohol isn’t your thing, then there are plenty of great art museums to visit such as the National Gallery of Ireland and beautiful parks such as Saint Stephen’s Green. Also in the city centre is Dublin Castle, which has lovely interiors and is definitely worth a visit.

If you're a fan of music and in particular the popular Irish rock group U2, then you have to visit the Irish Rock 'N' Roll Museum. The video at the start of the tour goes through lots of important musicians and then you can have a look around the U2 collection room, which is a treat for any fans of the band. The tour also includes a look at the venue where they still occasionally perform live shows and a recording studio where many famous records were recorded. Unfortunately, the recording studio is no longer in use but it still gives a good insight into the recording process.

For evening entertainment, the Temple Bar street is a must do. There is an actual bar called the Temple Bar but the whole street itself has been named after this one bar. Every bar you go into will have live musicians, ranging from traditional Irish folk musicians to solo singer songwriters to indie rock bands. The live music everywhere gives the area a lively vibe and the cobbled street and old buildings look stunning at night time.

In terms of local food, a full Irish breakfast is the only way to start the day. The bacon, sausage and breads (such as potato bread and soda bread) are so fresh. You'll be so full that you won't feel like eating lunch. For dinner Irish stew is a must try as it's the most traditional Irish dish, with potatoes and carrots and real chunky and fresh beef.

Dublin is a great place to visit. Even if you're only there for a short stay you'll be able to experience so much. It's a compact city and the locals are friendly. They're always willing to help or just have a nice conversation with you.

However long you decide to stay in Dublin, you're bound to have an unforgettable experience and want to go back again in the future.

overtaking：追い越す

fairly：かなり

Not only～but…：～だけでなく…も

occasionally：時折

a must：絶対に必要なこと

worth a look：一見の価値有り

stout：ローストした大麦で作った苦味・酸味の強い黒ビール

insight：見識

venue：開催地

ranging：並んでいる

vibe：空気感

cobbled：丸石を敷き詰めた

stunning：素敵な

In terms of：～に関しては

chunky：分厚い

bound to：～する運命にある

2018年11月16日金曜日

2018年11月16日金曜日 -

William M - Playing the Tour Guide in Japan

Since I've always been interested in living in Japan, my love of this country is something I have a hard time containing. So whenever I get the chance to convince a friend to come here to Osaka, I always have a set list of things I'd like to show them. These stem from my three most favorite things about Japan: anime/video games, Shinto, and food!

To satisfy my otaku streak, I always show my friends Nippombashi, nicknamed Denden Town. For my friends who don't know it, but who love anime, I describe it as a “mini-Akiba”. It's only a single street, but it's packed with a couple dozen stores catering to anime and video game geeks. Tiny stores – with aisles way too narrow for a chubby foreigner like myself – lined from wall to wall with anime figurines, plush dolls of famous video game characters, and various other little trinkets from the anime and video game industry are enough to keep me occupied for hours. I can spend an entire day on this single street, and only get halfway through, but if you're going to go to a single store there, the Animate is the best one. Several floors, conveniently divided into different sections, cater to multiple genres in a single building, and if you know what sort of thing you're looking for – a comic book, a figure, a poster – it's pretty easy to go to the appropriate section.

Most of my friends who want to visit Japan do so for the anime culture. However, those who are interested in more than just current pop culture will usually love being shown local temples or shrines. There are plenty of them in Osaka – Sumiyoshi Taisha is the latest one I've visited – but my favorite ones are in Kyoto, and it's only a simple train ride away. By far, Fushimi Inari is the one I've visited the most. It provides a huge array of statues and buildings to examine and compare, with multiple styles drawn from purely Shinto traditions, as well as Buddhist ones. Street vendors and tourists clog the way from the Keihan station to the shrine itself, but I can't help but grab some grilled pork belly each time I'm there! My friends are always caught off guard as we make our way up the mountain, no matter how often I warn them of how difficult it is for those who aren't in shape. But getting to the top is a great achievement, and the views of Kyoto along the way are unparalleled!

Lastly, the thing I must introduce to people when they're here is the food, both Japanese and Osaka-specific. I always take my friends to my favorite restaurant, Torikizoku, and while these are all over the place in Japan, it's usually the first time they've experienced it. The same goes for Ichiran Ramen, with cheap, customizable ramen that can cater to anyone's tastes. But my favorite Osaka-style food to show them is kushikatsu. My favorite kushikatsu joint is near Umeda station, and while it's a literal maze trying to get from the subway to the restaurant, the confused wandering is always worth it. However, I find I need to watch my hapless friends like a hawk to make sure they don't dip their skewer twice!

There are only three things I don't like about Japan; natto, the summer heat, and takoyaki (and I live in Osaka! What a nightmare!). For everything else, it's easily accessible here in Osaka, and I can't think of a better city in Japan to be based in in order to share my passion for living here and – hopefully –infect some of my friends with that same love!

convince：説得する

stem：軸

streak：傾向

catering：調達する

geeks：オタク

chubby：ぽっちゃりした

plush dolls：ぬいぐるみ

trinkets：小さな装身具

By far：圧倒的に

array：ずらりと並んだもの

Street vendors：露天商

clog：（道を）詰まらせる

caught off guard：（予期せぬ出来事に）驚かされる

unparalleled：他では味わえない

customizable：カスタマイズできる

maze：迷路

hapless：哀れな

skewer：串

infect：影響を与える

2018年11月9日金曜日

2018年11月9日金曜日 -

ハロウィンコスチュームコンテスト　結果発表

今年も大変盛り上がったハロウィンコスチュームコンテスト。
たくさんのご参加ありがとうございました！

今年の優勝者は、金髪とほくろがとってもセクシーだった、
ドイツ語のAndy先生のマリリンモンロー💋に決定しました！
おめでとうございます🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

優勝したAndy先生にはNOVAインスタントラーメンとNOVAうさぎの湯たんぽを
プレゼントさせていただきました！
Andy先生大喜びです♪