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

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