お茶の間留学

2017年6月30日金曜日

2017年6月30日金曜日 -

Luke: What makes the seasons in Japan enjoyable?

It's really rather hot. It's already the kind of hot that would lead most British people to make, with all possible haste, for the nearest beach, paddling pool or garden hose. Twenty five degrees and counting as I write this, and it will be many months before we begin counting down. By which point I may well have melted, returning, without my dignity, to water; from which the human body is apparently predominantly comprised. However, it is not actually my intention to complain about the weather here. Of course I enjoy complaining about the weather, most British people do, and we're good at it. It may in fact be the one thing we're better than average at – our 'special talent,' you could say, that and apologizing for things that aren't our fault. But, no, my plan here is to say a little about what makes the seasons in Japan so enjoyable, and so special – in spite of the frankly sometimes nauseating humidity that we must all endure in summer.

Whenever I’m asked what I enjoy most about Japan, many things come to mind and it's difficult to put my finger on one particular thing. However, near the top of the list is always the seasons here.

Each one is so wonderfully distinct; in spring we can enjoy beautiful and ubiquitous blossom of various hues. Summer brings the aforementioned humidity, and even that has a certain kind of charm and appeal if, like me, you are used to summer being so fleeting it can often feel as though it never really occurred at all. The lush greens of summer here are also such a wonderful transformation. It may be my imagination, but the contrast here between the barrenness of winter and Japan's verdant summer seems more stark than in England. And I will likely never tire of the fact that, here in Japan, I don't need to wear a sweater for five or six months a year. Then autumn brings red foliage that really rivals spring in terms of beauty, as well as some welcome respite from the heat of summer. And winter is cold, and cold is good. Cold is especially good if you like winter sports. I don't particularly, but I do enjoy being cozy inside when it's very cold outside, and I do enjoy wearing scarves.

We don't have this kind of clarity in England, each and every year you can hear the same kind of comments: “Is it spring or summer?” “Has summer finished now?” “Is it winter?” “It was cold yesterday but the weatherman said tomorrow might be warm.” No one is ever really sure in England. There is rarely such confusion in Japan. To my mind, this has a pretty tangible impact on my perception of time, specifically on how I perceive its passing. Such clearly demarcated seasons make the passage of time so much more apparent to me. It's a strange kind of feeling, one that I perhaps have not explained well, but one that I enjoy immensely nonetheless.

rather：幾分

haste：急いで

paddling：水遊びをする

dignity：尊厳

predominantly：圧倒的に

comprised：構成されている

nauseating：不愉快な

distinct：違いがはっきりしている

ubiquitous：至るところにある

various hues：色とりどりの

fleeting：つかの間の

as though：ちょうど

lush：青々とした

barrenness：不毛

verdant：新緑の

stark：際立っている

foliage：木を覆う葉

rivals：張り合う

in terms of：～において

respite：ひと休み

cozy：ほっこりする

tangible：はっきりと感知できる

perceive：知覚する

demarcated：区別される

immensely：非常に

nonetheless：それにもかかわらず

2017年6月23日金曜日

2017年6月23日金曜日 -

Cody:American and Japanese Tongues

I love to cook. My mother started to teach me the basics when I was a little kid and it became a hobby soon after. I've spent decades learning recipes, making my own and perfecting them. Recently, my mother even gave me her recipe book, which had previously belonged to her mother (my grandmother).

So, imagine my surprise when I cooked dinner and desserts for my friends here in Japan for the first time – using my tried and true recipes that are favorites back home – and was told that they were too salty, too sweet or even had too much flavor.

I mean, I know Americans can go a bit crazy with their recipes, but I'd never imagined that such a fundamental difference existed between Japanese and American taste buds.

However, after this disparity was made apparent to me, it started to make sense. I thought about my encounters with Japanese food in America, often at restaurants with my friends.

Americans love to dunk their sushi in soy sauce. They also love sushi rolls that are covered in rich, sweet sauces. Most of the udon and ramen I ate in American had heavy, salty, rich broth and were loaded with things like tempura or grilled meat and seafood – light and refreshing versions were a minority.

Perhaps a better example of the difference between Japanese and American taste preferences can be better illustrated by finding a common ground, in which there should be very little variation: Starbucks.

But, surprise! There's a big difference in one very simple ingredient between Starbucks in America and Japan… the whipped cream. In America, it's very sweet and heavy; it tastes like dessert. Here in Japan, it often tastes like no sugar at all has been added. It's light, fluffy and creamy without being sweet.

So, if you're ever looking to try some authentic American cuisine, you might want to prepare your taste buds for a lot more flavor than you're used to!

decades：数十年

perfecting：完璧にする

belonged to：～のものである

tried：実際に作ってみた

fundamental：根本的な

taste buds：味蕾

disparity：不一致

make sense：理解できる

dunk：どっぷり浸す

broth：煮汁

minority：少数派

ingredient：材料

fluffy：ふわふわの

authentic：本物の

used to：なじみのある