I went to my first ever concert in Japan this year, at Osaka castle hall.
It was MISIA's “Soul Quest” tour of Japan.

To be honest, I'm not the concert type, but I enjoy listening to MISIA's songs.
However, my friend told me about the concert, and I decided to go,
if not for anything, then just for the experience.

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To be honest  正直に言うと
concert type  コンサートに行くようなタイプ

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It was a good decision, and the concert was simply amazing.
From the dazzling light show and grand entrance by MISIA,
to the fantastic costumes, songs and dances,
and the finale of a giant flying whale in the concert hall.
It was awesome!

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simply amazing  本当に素晴らしい
dazzling light show 輝かしいライトショー
grand entrance  壮大な登場
whale   クジラ

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Although it was a little crowded,
I was lucky to have front row seats in the arena,
and was able to see and hear MISIA clearly.

She has an absolutely fantastic and powerful voice.
I was touched and moved by her singing and vibrant energy.

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a little crowded 少し混雑している
absolutely  間違いなく
be touched   感動した
be moved  心を動かされた
vibrant energy  力強いエネルギー

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Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the concert hall,
so I took some photos of MISIA’s memorabilia,
such as gift bags and CDs to remember the experience.

I’m looking forward to going to another concert in the future.

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be not allowed to 　　　　～する事を許可されていない
memorabilia  　　　　　　　記念品

I can’t ski well, but I can ski.

After Christmas I started to have itchy feet.

I had a few days off and I wanted to go somewhere.

What better place to go than to the snow?

I caught a train from Osaka station and rode it all the way to Shiga prefecture. It didn't take long, about two hours actually.

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have itchy feet         外へ出たくなる

day off                 休み、非番の日

catch a train           電車に（とび）乗る

all the way to ～       ～までずっと、はるばる～まで

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I went skiing at Lake Biwa Valley ski field (びわ湖バレイ).

It is a lot smaller than other ski fields I have been to,

but that didn't matter.

It was great to be out in the open.

The view of Lake Biwa was amazing, but I couldn’t enjoy it for very long.

The weather turned bitterly cold and it started to snow.

To be honest, I think my favourite thing about skiing, is lunchtime.

It is a chance to relax, talk with friends, warm up and grab a bite to eat.

How was your winter vacation? I mean, did you go anywhere?

I look forward to seeing you and hearing your winter stories.

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a lot smaller than ～   ～よりもずっと小さい

bitterly cold           身を切るような寒さ、ひどく寒い

grab a bite             軽い食事をとる

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Did you have a nice holiday? I sure did.

On Christmas Day I met my friends for dinner.  We all had Mexican food!

Mexican food is not really traditional for Christmas dinner,

but we all love Mexican food so much that we decided to have some.

We had nachos, tacos, enchiladas, and many other kinds of Mexican food.

My New Year’s holiday was great! On New Year’s Eve, I ate wild boar (いのしし) nabe.

It’s made with miso and lots of vegetables.

It was very tasty, and I enjoyed it very much.

In the evening I met my friends and we all went to a countdown party.

There were so many people, and we all shouted “Happy New Year!” when the time came.

On New Year’s Day, I had o-sechi in the morning.

I really like o-sechi – especially because we can drink sake with it, and in the morning.  Haha.  For New Year’s dinner I had crab (かに) nabe.  It was actually my first time to have crab nabe, and it was very delicious.

As you can tell, I ate and drank too much over the holidays!  But that’s what the holidays are for – drinking, eating and being merry.  Now, I’m on a diet.  Wish me luck!!

My New Year’s resolution is to study Japanese harder.  What’s your New Year’s resolution?  I hope it’s to study English!  Please come study English with us at Imarge.  We will all do our best to improve your English!

Hope to see you soon!

※単語とフレーズ------------------------------------------------

not really~　　　　　　　　　それほど～ではない

traditional　　　　　　　　　　伝統的な

especially because～     特に～なので

actually                　　　 実は

As you can tell　　　　　　おわかりの通り

that's what ~　　　　　　　それこそが～だ

Wish me luck!!       　　　祈っててね！

resolution            　　 　 抱負

Last weekend I went to Awajishima to play soccer.

My friend from New Zealand invited me to play with his team in a soccer tournament.

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invite     招待する、誘う
soccer tournament   サッカートーナメント
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The weather was atrocious on Saturday.

It was raining cats and dogs and it was blowing a gale.

It was very difficult to play soccer because there were giant puddles on the field.

We played four games on Saturday and we had two wins and two draws.

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atrocious    ひどい、不愉快な
raining cats and dogs   大雨が降る
blow     風が吹く
gale     突風
giant buddles    大きな水たまり
two wins and two draws   2勝2引き分け
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The weather was perfect on Sunday. It was a lot easier to play soccer.

We won our quarterfinal game against Fukuoka,

but we were comprehensively beaten in the semifinal.

We had a fantastic time, but now my body has many aches and pains.

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quarterfinal game   準々決勝
against ～     ～と対戦する
were comprehensively beaten  徹底的に負かされた
semifinal    準決勝
aches and pains    うずきと痛み
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For most of that time, I stayed in London which is where I grew up.

My mom cooked some nice food for me; for example roast lamb.

I really like roast lamb! It smells great. Do you like the smell?

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grow up                 育つ

lamb                    ラム(子羊の肉)

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I also went to Dublin in Ireland for two days.

Dublin is famous for Guinness which is a  kind of black beer.

It's tasty.

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is famous for           ～で有名な

tasty                   風味がある

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During my time in England and Ireland,

I went to see two football matches.

I saw Ireland play Armenia in an international game in Dublin.

In England, I saw Fulham play Stoke city.

The first game was good but the second game wasn't because my team(Fulham) lost.

I had a great trip and  caught up with many old friends.

The only thing I didn't like about it was traveling on the airplane

there and back.

I can't sleep on planes and it takes too long from Japan.

But ... never mind!!

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catch up with           (今まであっていかなかったヒトと)旧友を深める

there and back          往復で

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Last month I went to the Biennale art exhibition in Kobe.

It was only my second time visiting an art exhibition.
I have been to a few art galleries, but this was a new experience for me.

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Biennale art exhibition           ビエンナーレ、２年に１度開催される美術展
exhibition                                展示会
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The art works were the size of a small room.  
Most of the art pieces were interactive. The art can be touched by the viewer.

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art work                                       芸術作品
art piece                                      芸術作品
interactive                                   対話的な
can be touched by the viewer    見物客が触る事ができる
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I had a very enjoyable time.
Some of the concepts were very interesting and others were a little difficult to understand.

The art exhibition finishes on the 23^rd of November, so don’t miss out!

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enjoyable time                                            楽しい時間
concept                                                          コンセプト、構想
difficult to understand                             理解にしにくい
miss out                                                         見逃す、経験しそこなう
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先程、マネージャーに外を見るように促され、ちらっと窓の外をみてみると…

ハッとする景色だったのでブログにアップ致します。。。

 

ハッとしませんでしたか？

こちらもどうぞ↓　↓　↓

お休みを利用して皆様いろいろな場所へ行かれた様です♪

一部ご紹介いたします。

「Tim Tam & Chocolate from Thailand」

お馴染みTim Tamも、ダークチョコは初めてだったので皆大喜び♪

マカダミアチョコレートもおいしくてとまらない…危険！

「Macadamia Chocolate from Bali & うなぎパイ」

マカダミアチョコレート第二弾！嬉しい限りです♪

そして不動のおいしさ、うなぎパイ！

東海出身の私にとって馴染みの強いお土産なのでちょっと懐かしく、嬉しい一品(^^)

旅行に行くたびにお土産を買ってきて下さる生徒様…

なんとありがたいスクールでしょうか。。。

良いレッスンを提供できるように頑張らねばですね！

写真のお菓子たちはドリンクコーナーにおいてありますので、

是非皆さんトライして下さいね！

I'd like to tell you all about my experiences with Natto.

The first time I tried it, I thought it tasted disgusting.

It tasted like something that had been left at the back of the cupboard

in your kitchen, forgotten about and gone moldy.

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disgusting              気持ち悪い

taste like ...          …の様な味がする

had been left           放置されていた

cupboard                食器棚

forgotten               forgetの過去分詞

moldy                   カビの生えた

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After the fifth or sixth time I realized that it was actually not bad.

Quite tasty in fact.

Now I like to eat it with Kimuchee.

 Have you tried that?

It's a good combination.

Another dish I like is tacowasa natto.

It's really nice.

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realize                 気がつく、悟る

quite                   とても、非常に

combination             組み合わせ

-----------------------------------

Many people think that natto is good for your stomach.

I'm not sure if it's true but I hope so.

Several years ago, someone said that natto is a miracle diet food.

...Well, that isn't working in my case.

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stomach                         胃

I'm not sure if it's true       本当かどうかはわからない

in my case                      私の場合は

-----------------------------------

It’s started…

" When it rains, it pours"

meaning that once it starts, it doesn’t stop and the rain becomes very heavy.

Personally, I love the rain. It’s beautiful and magical.

There is something spiritual and heart-warming when it rains.

It’s like the heavens are crying.

----------------------------------------------------
a saying               ことわざ、習わし
pour                     雨が激しく降る
magical                幻想的だ
spiritual                スピリチュアルな、超自然的な
heart-warming       心温まる
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The rain is refreshing, washing away our past and

giving us another chance for a better life, a beginning to a new tomorrow.

I always look forward to the rainy season and the winter in Japan,

as I prefer cool weather rather than the sticky hot sweaty summer.

The heat and humidity is unbearable.

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washing away  ～を洗い流す
the sticky hot sweaty summer   べたべたと汗ばむ夏
Unbearable      耐えられない
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One of my favourite things is my katana-umbrella.

I usually carry it with me when it rains, even when I ride my bike.

It’s really cool and unique, and has its own carrying case that I can strap to my back.

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favourite（イギリス表記）  = favorite（アメリカ表記）
strap to my back 背中にかける
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Many people always give me strange looks when I ride the train with my katana-umbrella.

They think it’s a real sword, but smile in fascination

when they discover it’s just a very special kind of umbrella.

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give me strange looks    変な目でみる
in fascination                興味深げに
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What do you think of my umbrella?

Please come and take a look at it if I am at Imarge when it rains.

One more thing….be careful of ninjas on the trains.

I just returned from my first trip to Europe. 

I went to England and Italy, and had an amazing time! 

Most of the time I spent in England. 

I went there with my friend, who is from there. 

We stayed with his family, and travelled around England a lot! 

One of my favorite places I visited while in England was Brighton.

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travel around                       あちこち旅してまわる

one of my favorite places    お気に入りの場所の一つ

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Brighton is a really fun town. 

There are lots of interesting shops and restaurants there,

and there is a great mix of people in Brighton, too.  

Brighton is home to the oldest pier in the world. 

It was very, very windy the day I was in Brighton. 

We walked on the pier, and we were almost blown away!

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a great mix of people          いろいろな人種の

is home to ～                      ～のある場所、～の所在地

the oldest pier                     最古の桟橋

(be) almost blown away!      もう少しで吹き飛ばされそう

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　ブライトン市内

ブライトン・ピア

I also spent a few days in Italy. 

The town I stayed in is called Ostuni, and it is also known as the “white city”. 

Almost all of the buildings are white, and very old and beautiful. 

The best thing about Ostuni was the food.  

Everything was cheap and delicious. 

I especially enjoyed eating Napoli pizza, and drinking Italian wine. 

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The best thing about ～       ～で最も良かった事は

is known as ～                    ～として知られている

especially                           中でも、特に

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Please check out the pictures, and if you ever have the chance

I definitely recommend a trip to England and Italy.  

Hope to see you at Imarge soon!

ナポリピッツァ

オストゥーニ