Boys of Summer

This was a fun surprise.

Spent most of the day indoors, but in the afternoon my older son wanted to go out and shoot hoops and play catch, so we went to “Yakuin Park”. About an hour later, a large group of tanned kids in sandals showed up. Judging by the buzz cuts most of them had, I figured they were baseball players, but not from these parts.

After chatting and playing with them for about an hour, I learned that they were from Nakagusuku Village, Okinawa, a small town in the middle of the main island, close to Ginowan and the massive Kadena Air Force Base. As I suspected, most of them had distinctly Okinawan family names—Kinjo, Miyagi, and so on. They also had more brothers and sisters than the typical Japanese family. Okinawans are famous for having larger than average families and none of the kids I talked to were only children; all but one had more than two siblings.

They came to take part in a baseball tournament, something they try to do every year and use the Campfire crowdsourcing to fund the trip. (I will be happily donating to the cause in the future.)

When they left, one of the younger boys hugged me. Another, who had been playing basketball with my younger son, told him to come down to Nakagusuku and play with him there. They were all so sweet.

I guess because they were from Okinawa and used to seeing the mixed-race kids of the US military personnel, they had no qualms about approaching us and talking. So very different from kids here in Fukuoka who can be more standoffish towards outsiders.

Later, I googled their school, Nakagusuku Minami. It’s a new school with over 700 students. Liam’s own school has about 600, but Akasaka Elementary which is in the next district has much fewer. Unlike schools here in Fukuoka which are being merged to maintain enrollment, their school was created due to overcrowding at another school.

Our little park hardly has any kids in it most times—the heaviest users are my own two boys—so it was nice to see it packed with kids, spontaneously playing different games and filling the air with their laughter.

The Palm Springs Air Museum

Americans love air museums and all over Southern California you can find museums featuring collections of military and civilian aircraft. The Palm Springs Air Museum is one of the better ones that I have been to over the years. Most of the airplanes on display are from WWII. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas"), pictured above, was the US Navy’s main carrier-based scout/dive bomber from mid-1940 through mid-1944. It played an instrumental role in the Battle of Midway in June of 1942.

Side view of the Dauntless.

The Vought F4U Corsair (above) was an American fighter-bomber which saw service in WWII and the Korean War. I love the design, particularly the shape of the wings. It was flown by the Navy and Marine Corps.

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed and operated by the United States Air Force. It was the first operational aircraft to be designed with stealth technology.

The F-117 was widely publicized for its role in the Gulf War of 1991. The U.S. Air Force retired the F-117 in April 2008, primarily due to the fielding of the F-22 Raptor.

For an extra twenty dollars you could fly a simulator. Yu-kun managed to shoot down two of three enemy fighter jets, but unfortunately crash-landed his jet.

Rikkun is ready for take off.

The Architecture of Palm Springs

Two main styles of architecture predominate in Palm Springs—Mid-century modern, as I have mentioned in a previous post, and the “hacienda” style. I am a big fan of both.

Homes designed in the Mid-Century fashion in Palm Springs are usually single-story, with geometric rooflines. Most of these houses were built in the 1950s and 60s.

According to Wikipedia, the movement behind mid-century modern architecture (1950s/60s era) in Palm Springs is backed by architecture enthusiasts, designers, and local historians to preserve many of Palm Springs' buildings and homes of famous celebrities, businessmen, and politicians. Stores sell furniture and gifts that feature a mid-century modern theme. The city holds a Modernism Week celebration every February, along with several related smaller events during the year.”

The other style is called hacienda.

Again, Wikipedia, “The term hacienda is imprecise, but usually refers to landed estates of significant size, while smaller holdings were termed estancias or ranchos . . . In Mexico, as of 1910, there were 8,245 haciendas in the country. In Argentina, the term estancia is used for large estates that in Mexico would be termed haciendas.

“In recent decades, [however] the term has been used in the United States for an architectural styleassociated with the traditional estate manor houses.”

The hacienda style that you can find in Palm Springs typically have reddish brown tiled roofs, white or beige stucco wallswith plants growing up them, colorful shuttered windows, and covered patios.

Palm Springs 1

Our first destination on this trip was Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is a small city of about 40,000 people, located about 2 hours east of Los Angeles.

 

When I was a child, my father bought the home pictured below with some of his coworkers who were all in the real estate business (不動産業界). During the spring and autumn months we would spend about one weekend a month at the Palm Spring house, swimming in our pool, playing in the local park, taking walks in the evening, and eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It was truly a happy time for all of us.

About ten years later, my father sold that house and bought another slightly bigger one in the nicer Las Palmas neighborhood of Palm Springs. Here, our neighbors included the famous statesmen Henry Kissinger and actor Rock Hudson. All of the houses, or at least most of them, were designed by the same architectural company, so they have a similar style that is very Mid-Century Modern.

This was the house across the street from ours ↓

Although it may look dry—and to be honest, it is—this view is one I love. Palm trees, Mid-Century Modern architecture, the mountains and blue skies.

When we had the house, most of our neighbors had laws in front of their homes. The drought (干魃) of the past two decades has caused everyone to turn their gardens into desert ones.

Here is a more iconic image of Palm Springs. Golf course, palm trees, blue skies and mountains. As you can see from the photo, there is snow on those mountains. The highest mountain is San Jacinto. It is about 300 meters lower than Mount Fuji and can get a lot of snow. The water in the local springs come from that snow.

There is a tram that goes from Palm Springs all the way up into the mountains. I must confess that I have never been on it.

We meant to go up into the mountains this time, but it was too cold and rainy.

News Eigo Jutsu

NHK’s ニュース英語術 is a great site to help you improve your reading ability, particularly when reading news stories.

Almost every weekday, one short article is uploaded. If you have trouble understanding the sentence, click on the arrow to reveal not only a translation of the sentence, but also grammar and vocabulary pointers.

Christmas in the US and Britain

You may think that just because Americans and the British speak the same language and share a connected history they must also celebrate Christmas the same way.

Well, actually, we don’t.

The customs and traditions are quite different, though, thanks to Hollywood movies and TV shows, the British Christmas is becoming more and more like America’s.

The Seasons of Fukuoka Tower

Fukuoka Tower has really upped its illumination game in recent years.

Teishoku

天神今泉にある「天神わっぱ定食堂」

清川にある田中田という高級居酒屋さんが出された定食屋さんですが

それはそれは美味しくて、たちまち大人気に！

数年前、初めて食べた時、白ご飯とお味噌汁の味が違いすぎて

衝撃だったのを覚えています。

山盛りのごはんと豚汁。

子どもたちにもヘルシー。

おすすめです。

天神わっぱ定食堂　http://teisyoku.net/tenjin/

Will Leather Goods

When we were visiting Portland back in 2015, we needed to buy a backpack for our son who went to the local kindergarten for a few weeks. At first, we thought about buying something reasonable, but then we happened upon a Will Leather Goods store.
The backpack was a bit pricey, but the size, color, and design couldn’t be beat.



2015年にポートランドの小学校に通うために現地で購入したバックパックです。可愛いでしょう！！！

「WILL」 というブランドで、オレゴン州に本社があります。

アメリカにはランドセルの文化がないため、小・中・高・大学生まで、ほとんどの人がバックパックで通学します。バックパック文化なので、デザインも豊富にあるのです。

WILLの子供用のパックパックはおシャレで、頑丈！8000円とそこそこの値段はしますが、生地がしっかりしているので、かなり長持ちします。この質と可愛さ、日本にはこんなリュックないです！

全米に６店舗ありますので、アメリカに旅行の際はぜひ店舗に足を運んでみてはいかがでしょうか。

Tuesday is Soroban/Abacus Day and the boys usually go to their lesson with their Will bags on their backs.

The company donates backpacks to needy kids.

Join us as we kick start our 2019 Give Will campaign. It’s very simple. Right now your purchase of any Oregon Collection bag from Will Leather Goods will result in us donating one of our iconic Dream backpacks this Fall.

It’s that easy… You buy one. We give one!

For more, go here:

https://www.willleathergoods.com

How to Improve Your English 〜英語上達への道！〜

Students often ask me how to improve their English. Here are some quick tips that you can do regularly at home which don’t take a lot of time.

生徒さんによく英語の上達方法を尋ねられます。ここで、お家で簡単にできる、英語上達方法をご紹介します！時間があるときにやってみてください。

A. Watch TV dramas and shows on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

Netflix（ネットフリックス）、Hulu（フル）、 Amazon Prime（アマゾンプライム）で海外テレビドラマやテレビ番組、映画を見てみよう！

1. Watch without Japanese subtitles
　（まずは日本語、英語どちらの字幕もつけずに見てみよう。リスニングに集中です）

2. Watch with English subtitles
　（次に、英語字幕をつけて見てみよう）

3. Watch with Japanese subtitles
　（続いて、日本語字幕をつけて見てみよう）

4. Watch without subtitles
　（最後にもう一度、どちらの字幕もなしで見てみよう！）

B. Read a lot of “graded readers”.
　簡単な英語で書かれた本や絵本をたくさん読もう。音読が大切です。

C. Think in English.
　英語で考えてみよう。What should I make for dinner tonight?（夜ご飯何にしようかな？）とか

D. Keep a simple diary in English
　一行日記を英語で。週に２、３回ぐらい。できたら…

E. Watch NHK English programs.
　NHKの英語番組はよくできているので、好きな番組を録画して勉強してみてください

F. Watch dramas on NHK in English or DLife, etc.
　例えば、NHKのおさるのジョージは二ヶ国語放送なので、英語に変更して見てみよう！我が家の子供たちは、カーズやトイストーリーなどディズニー映画は全て英語で見せます。全て理解できなくても、ヒアリング力を上げるために英語の音を耳に入れることが大切です

G. Preview the textbook before your next lesson.
　教科書の予習…チラッと目を通すだけでも違いますよ

H. Speak up in class. Don’t be shy!
　レッスン中はいっぱい話してください！恥ずかしがらないで

I. Review your notes regularly! And quiz yourself.
　定期的に自分のノートの復習しましょう

I also recommend taking test like the TOEIC or EIKEN. What’s important about these is NOT the score, but the MOTIVATION it will give you to study.

時間がある方には、TOEICや英検に挑戦するのもオススメします。点数にこだわる必要はなく、英語を勉強するためのモチベーションになります。

本庄湯

今泉は天神に近く、非常に便利な場所です。

電化製品が壊れたらビックカメラまで５分、

お客さんに手土産のお菓子を買いたい時は三越デパートまで８分、

と、必要なものはほとんど徒歩で手に入ります。

そんな便利な今泉ですが、今日は５０年以上も前からある老舗銭湯「本庄湯」のご紹介です。
今時のスーパー銭湯ではありません。番台がある昔ながらのお風呂屋さんです。

下駄箱は木製で味があり、脱衣所の体重計はアンティークのレベルです。大浴槽の楕円のお風呂が一つと小さいお風呂が一つ。大浴槽の真ん中は深くて、子供たちは立ち泳ぎです。周りに腰掛がついているので、みんなそこに座ります。

入れ墨だらけのおじちゃんの横に座って、平気で体を洗う我が子。狭い銭湯は裸の付き合いなので、肩書きに関係なくお互いにマナーを守るのが大切ですね。

お風呂の後は冷たい瓶の牛乳を飲んで水分補給うーん、最高です！

月に一回イベントがあって、今日は晩白柚の日。黄色い大きなみかんがプカプカ浮いていて、いい香りです。
今泉にお越しの際はぜひ、タオル持参で！お風呂好きの方には本庄湯、おすすめですよ！！！

ブロートラント

Speak!英会話サロンの近くにある、美味しいパン屋さんをご紹介します。

「ブロートラント」

高校生の時、１年間ドイツに留学していたので、ぼくは少し酸味のきいたドイツパンが大好きです！

お気に入りの一つが「キヌアとひまわりのライ麦パン」

トースターで焼いて、バターといちごジャムを塗って食べると、ほっぺたが落ちるほど美味しいです。少し酸味があるパンに、いちごジャムがピッタリ合います！

もう一つおすすめは「フレンチトースト」フライパンにバターを溶かし、フレンチトーストをもう一度焼いて、メープルシロップをかけて食べると、最高です！幸せなモーニングになること間違いなし。

奥さんのオススメは、いちばん人気の「クリクラ」

クリームチーズとクランベリーのバケットに、Kiriのチーズを塗って食べると美味！

子供たちには「メロンパン」

カリカリで美味しく安いです。お財布に優しく、お腹も満たされますよ！

他にも美味しいパンがいっぱいです！夕方行くとほとんど残っていないので

なるべく早く買いに行ってください。

英会話の前にちょっと腹ごしらえしたい時、または明日の朝食に、ブロートラントのパンをぜひ！

https://www.brotland.jp

Super Bowl Ads

The Super Bowl was this morning. One of the best parts of the game is--believe it or not--the commercials. American TV commercials cannot compete against Japanese ones which are consistently funny, but the ads aired during the NFL championship game can be pretty good.

---

The Super Bowl

全米プロフットボールの王座決定戦

believe it or not

｟話｠信じようが信じまいが, 信じられないかもしれないけれど

ads

｟くだけて｠広告 (advertisementの短縮形; 現在では｟英･米｠｟話･書｠のいずれにおいても短縮形の方が普通)

cannot compete

〖通例否定文で〗 «…に» 匹敵する, «…と» 勝負になる «with»

▸ We cannot compete with foreign companies financially.

外国の企業には資金面で太刀打ちできない.

consistently

1 首尾一貫して, 矛盾なく〈主張する･指示する･無視するなど〉

▸ The athlete consistently denied doping.

その選手は薬物使用を終始一貫して否定した.

2 絶えず, いつも変わりなく〈よい･高い･失敗するなど〉

▸ a consistently high [excellent] standard of service

常に高い[すばらしい]水準のサービス.

Magic Hands

I have been suffering from the worst case of tennis elbow in years, so I had Minagawa Sensei take a look at my arms. Boy, what a difference. Many masseurs in town don’t really seem to know what they are doing. Minagawa, though, does. No wonder he’s got such a good reputation among professional actors and athletes who visit Fukuoka. Unfortunately, he didn’t have his needles on him today, but maybe next time.

今日、スポーツ選手や有名人も治療している鍼灸師のマッサージを受けた。3ヶ月前から悩んできたひじのまわりや腕の痛み。達人に揉んでいただいたら、痛みが取れた！スゴイ！！！

体の痛みに悩んでいる方、絶対に、間違いなく、おススメです。

https://minamassage.wordpress.com

ポークたまごおにぎり本店

木曜日クラスのSさんに美味しいよとすすめられて

さっそく行ってきました

スパムとたまごのおにぎり屋さんです！

冷泉公園近くの空手道場から歩いて２、３分のところにありました。

シンプルでおしゃれな外観です。

色々な種類があって、迷いましたが、それぞれ別の味を注文しました！

ポーたま（ゆっくん）

一番シンプル。一番美味しい！もう一個いい？（また今度ね）

あぶらみそ（オーちゃん）

スパムとたまごに甘い豚みそがマッチして絶妙〜

エビタル（りっくん）

エビフライとタルタルソースが入って贅沢！エビから食べよ。

博多めんたま

ふくやの明太子がたっぷり入っててボリュームがすごい！

これで３８０円は安すぎる！（嬉し涙）

空手の稽古の後に行ったのですが、一人１個でも腹八分で十分に空腹を満たしてくれます。ご飯とおかずをいっぺんに食べる感じです。

お財布に優しいのが嬉しいです。

Yuk-kun said he felt as if he had died and gone to heaven.

スパムはアメリカの会社が作ってソーセージの材料を缶に詰めたものです。第二次世界大戦など米軍の食料品として兵士に配給されていました。沖縄などの米軍基地から広まり、基地の周りの日本の食生活に少しずつ浸透していったようです。

スパムはアメリカ人にはあまり人気がないのですが、料理上手の日本人の手にかかればスパムがこんなに美味しいご馳走になるのがすごい！

塩味がかなり効いているのでそのまま食べるよりご飯やたまごにはさんで食べるとちょうどいいです。

テイクアウトもできますが寒かったので、店内で食べました。

木のテーブルと椅子が心地いい。

できたて熱々で美味しい！

これは、広まりますよー。ヒット間違いなし！

天神にできてくれたらいいですね。

Menus

多くの日本人が旅行中に苦労していることの一つ、レストランでの注文。まず、メニューの読み方。日本と違って、写真がありません。ぼくが読んで、クリエイティブに説明されているけれど、実際にはどんなものが出てくるのか、想像しにくいものが書かれています。もちろん、量も載ってない。(一人では絶対に食べきれない、という前提で注文しなくてはいけない)

もし、この店に行ったら、あなたは何を注文しますか？

One of the first challenges many Japanese have when traveling in America or abroad is how to order food at a restaurant. Unlike Japan, menus do not come with pictures, so you really don't know what you are ordering, or how BIG a dish is going to be. And they usually are HUGE!

If you went to this restaurant in Palm Springs California, what would you order?

Have a nice one!

"Have a nice one!"

The first time I heard that I was taken somewhat by surprise and didn't quite know how to reply. After a moment, I said, "You, too." And that seemed to work.

The longer I was in Portland, the more I heard it--from baristas, from people at the supermarket, from just about everyone.

Years ago, people used to say, "Have a nice day!" or "Have a great weekend!" Now, they just say, "Have a nice one." I guess it's easier and more convenient because it can be used at any time and on any occasion. 

So, . . . 

Have a great one, everybody!