Sean > Biking In Matsuyama

As many of my students know, I love riding my bicycle anywhere and everywhere. Recently though it has been too hot to enjoy any bike riding.

So, Sunday night I was reading a book, watching TV and relaxing in my room. Since I took a nap Sunday afternoon I wasn't sleepy at all. So...before I knew it, time flew and it was already 5:30 AM. I decided this was the perfect time to ride- it was comfortable, quiet and there were few cars. After a quick shower, I started my ride towards Ishite river with a plan to see Owls (梟) I had heard about in student weekend news. Too bad! I couldn't find them! It was around 6:00- plenty of time to keep going before it got hot. I decided to continue traveling south- I'd never been there before by bike.


I soon saw a sign that told me I was in Iyo. I decided to continue south-east toward the ocean to see the water near Iyo. On my way, I passed a lot of fields with many different things. One had many sunflowers (向日葵), while another had many white herons (さぎ). It was still very early so many of the animals were awake getting their breakfast before any humans were around. Around 7:00 I began to smell a lot of different breakfast smells- some I knew, like bacon- some I had no idea about but I imagine they were fish or soup. Unfortunately at this time I realized my last meal was the night before, around 7 or 8 PM... I very quickly got really really hungry.

Somewhere in Iyo, near the main street with the pachinko shops and book stores, I found a convenience store and grabbed a bite to eat. I took my food and headed East, coming to Iyo city port.



It had been a long time since I saw the ocean, so it was nice to eat my breakfast while listening to the water and watching the boats get ready to fish for the day.

So, that was my morning. I finished up and was back at my apartment before 9 AM.



With all of this, I have one question for you all. I've been to many beaches, but only in Japan have I seen the tons of insects all over the waterside... what the heck are those things? Here's a picture of one- I always see them all over the concrete barriers. Leave me a message here so I can get it!


Vocabulary: Owl (梟), Sunflower (向日葵), Heron (さぎ )

Thanks Michito for some advice on editing!

Sean > At Tobe Zoo with Matsudai!

Yo!

This weekend I went to Tobe Zoo with some students from Matsudai. Part of my class is to speak English in a situation outside of class. Of course, it's for extra credit.

Some of us met at Shieki and went by bus to Tobe Zoo. Others met us later either at Tobe Zoo's gate or inside. In all, there were 14 members of our group including me. It was VERY hot and muggy (Humid, じめじめ) at the zoo, but we had a good time. If any of my Matsudai students want to download the pictures of the event, you can CLICK HERE.

We toured the zoo for a few hours then went top the Tobe Kid's Castle (Kodomo no Shiro). I was surprised by the main sign at the entrance. When you look at it from one direction it says, in Japanese "Kodomo no Shiro" (I think)...from another direction, it says "Kid's Park".

We walked around the park, rode the water-boats and the bobsled. I had a blast ("had fun")- time was flying (時早く過ぎる) by and soon it was time to go home.

After everything, some of us went to Freshness Burger for a bite to eat ("a snack, to eat") and then we called it a day ("finished"). All in all, a fun day...but I was completely exhausted Monday!

Again to any of my Matsudai students, you can download the pictures HERE.See you guys in class!

Vocabulary: Muggy (じめじめ), had a blast ("had fun"), time flies ("時早く過ぎる" ), bite to eat ("To eat"), called it a day ("Finished")

Sean > In a Jam!

That's right! I was "In a Jam" this week. The phrase "In a Jam" means: A person who is in a difficult situation.

I went to a friend's house to help pick Loquat (枇杷), or in Japanese "Biwa". Her grandfather was too old to do it himself and needed help. After we finished picking the fruit, he gave all of it to me- about 2 bags full!

What on earth could I do with 2 bags of loquat... they would go bad (腐る) before I could eat them all!

I had a great idea, I could make jam out of them...but...how do I make jam...?

I checked the internet for a good recipe(レシピ) and found a few good ideas. Finally I made my own recipe, try it if you like!

Ingredients (材料):

16 Cups of unpeeled (剥ける) loquat
1 Cup of water
1 Cup of lemon juice
20 grams of gelatin (ゼラチン)
3 cups of sugar (糖)

You will need:
2 large pots
A electric mixer or potato masher
A plastic or wood spoon to stir (混ぜる) the jam
Glass jars (ジャー, 瓶) for storing the jam
A Plate

This recipe will make 2 jars of jam (about 900cc total)

Ok, now how to make it.
1) Put the water, lemon juice, pectin and sugar in 1 of the pots.

2) Put the plate in your refrigerator (冷蔵庫).

3) Peel (皮) of the fruit and remove the seeds (実). The seeds can make you sick, so make sure to remove them all! Place the fruit into the second pot with a lot of water to keep them fresh.

4) Heat the sugar-water with LOW heat!

5) Drain (干す) the fruit and use a mixer to break the fruit into small pieces, or use the potato masher.

6) After the sugar is all melted(溶かす), add the fruit to the mix.

7) Turn up the heat to medium and cook slowly, letting the water and lemon juice boil (沸かす) away.

8) Keep boiling and stirring. Take that plate from the refrigerator and put some of the jam onto the plate. If the jam turns hard quickly, you know the jam is ready!

9) You're finished! Put the jam into jars or whatever you want.


After you make it, keep it in your refrigerator.

If you plan to keep the jam for a long time (more than 2 months), you should read about canning.

Vocabulary: In a Jam, Loquat (枇杷), Go bad (腐る), recipe (レシピ), ingredients (材料), unpeeled (剥ける), gelatin (ゼラチン), sugar (糖), stir (混ぜる), jar (ジャー, 瓶), refrigerator (冷蔵庫), peel (皮), seed (実), drain (干す), melt (溶かす), boil (沸かす)

Sean > Long Time No See!

Yeah! Long Time No See! (久しぶり)

This month has been busy with events!

My university students turned in their book reports and had a test last week, so I have been busy grading those. In addition to that, Word Up had a summer picnic at Ishite River Park! You can see the pictures of the event here! It has been a fun and exciting three weeks.

So, my news happened on June 1st, about 2 weeks ago.

For fun I went for a long bike ride from Ishite river to Tobe Town, then to Toon and finally Shigenobu. On this trip I had some exciting and interesting experiences.

First I went to a small park near Tobe. The name of this park is, I think, "Jo no Fuchi". I went before and it was very beautiful. This time, though, there was almost no water. Matsuyama has had a very dry spring.

At one of the shrines near Shigenobu, I met a dog whose leash (革紐) was tied (羈縻) to a tree. It looked like he had been left there for a few days- all the grass around him was broken and the area had a bad smell.

I sat with him for about 30 minutes, sharing some snacks I had brought with me- he ate them very quickly and I could tell he was happy. I decided to take a chance and untie (解く) his leash. I knew from his eyes I could trust him. I took him to a nearby pond (池) and let him drink as much water as he could- I was surprised that he could drink for a full three minutes!

After he finished drinking I took off his leash and set him free. I don't know if it was the right thing to do (正しい), but I imagine he is happier now.

After leaving the shrine, I continued my ride towards Shigenobu Fuji and one of the 88 temples near there. I didn't have a lot of time to stay, because it was beginning to get late. I made a plan to goto Ishite river park at dusk (日暮れ) to try and see fireflies (蛍). I had to get to the river before it was too late!

I went back to the red bridge at Ishite river and relaxed, eatting my packed dinner. It was very quiet and relaxing, but I didn't see any fireflies. I imagine it was too soon to see them - maybe I will have better luck near the end of June.

I did get to watch two cats trying to catch fish at the river. One of the cats, larger and pregnant (身重), was doing all the work. Of course, with of the kittens (小猫) inside her she was too slow to catch the fish. The other cat, who I imagine to be the father, just sat and watched and whined (駄々をこねる) about his dinner being late. Eventually the mother cat smacked the father cat and ran off into the bushes (かん木)... he followed slowly and quietly - maybe to say he was sorry for whining.
:-D

I don't know the true story here, but it was fun to watch how animals are a lot like people too.


Vocabulary: Leash (革紐), Tied (羈縻), Untie (解く), Pond (池), Right thing to do (正しい), Dusk (日暮れ), Firefly (蛍), Pregnant (身重), Kitten (小猫), Whine (Whined/Whining) (駄々をこねる), Bushes (かん木)
Review: Shrine, Temple,

Sean > In My Own Backyard

Hello everyone!

That's right, today is about "My Own Backyard". This is a phrase that means "The area near my home". This week, I took a day trip around Matsuyama. I was surprised- there are so many things to see and do!

I decided that I wanted to go out and see Ishite River Park and enjoy the warm sunny day. After riding my bicycle east (東) I found a red bridge and a small park with many carp (鯉). I continued east until I saw a large statue (像) on a hill (丘). I have been living in Matsuyama for over 2 years and it was my first time to see it! I had to find out what it was!

I rode my bike north (北) and found that the statue was near Ishite Temple (寺), "Ishiteji" in Japanese. It had been a long time since I visited, so I decided to take a look.

Ishiteji has a small cave (洞) with many statues inside. It was very dark and quiet inside- I felt like there might be ghosts! I decided I had enough of the cave and wanted to look around the temple area more.

I learned about the big statue by asking people in the area: it is a statue of the man who made the 88 Temples, or the "Hachijuchachi" temples in Japanese. These temples are all over Shikoku and are part of a pilgrimage (巡礼). I want to try it when I have some time! Did you see any of the 88 temples? Leave a comment for me about them!


The last thing I decided to do was to climb the mountain near Ishiteji and take a good look around the city. You would be surprised how much you can enjoy your own home if you'd only go out and take a look.



So, go and take a look in "your own backyard"!

Vocabulary: East (東), Temple (寺), Carp (鯉), Statue (像), Hill (丘), North (北), Cave (洞), Pilgrimage (巡礼)

Douglas > Lions and Tigers and Kids - Oh My!

On April 26, my youngest son’s pre-school (幼稚園) went on a field trip (修学旅行) to Tobe

Zoo. The weather had been warm recently, so we dressed for a nice spring day. Of course, that meant that it was unusually windy and it turned out to be a rather cold day.

Looking at the animals is always fun! But when you go with a group of people, there is a schedule that needs to followed. First, we need to take a class picture. Then it is time to eat (although it is not even lunch time yet). I am not going to argue. Eating is one of my favorite things to do!

After lunch, we worked our way to the elephants and then the monkeys. We wanted to see the orangutan cross the rope bridge, so we waited around for his performance. Another of my kids, Douglas Jr. didn’t want to wait. He wanted to continue walking around the zoo with some of his friends. Off he went, while we waited. The orangutan made his walk extra interesting by slipping for a sec. ("second"; "short time") He recovered without any trouble, but I started to wonder what would happen if he fell? Would he be injured? Would he be angry? Do orangutan’s eat people??

When I was a kid, I used to love going on field trips. But now as a parent, I enjoy them much less. They are hard work! First of all, we have to wake up early on our only day to catch some z’s. (get extra sleep) Then, we have to prepare a boxed lunch (弁当) for the family (and when I say we, I mean my wife).

Finally, when we get back home, the kids are exhausted (疲れ果てる) and need to be carried back into the house. What I want to know is, who is going to carry me??

Vocabulary: Pre-school, field trip, sec, catch some z's, boxed lunch, exhausted

Sean > Golden Week News (Day 2)

Ok, Day 2 of Tokyo!

I woke up around 7 AM and, after a quick breakfast at the hotel, I headed out("to go") to see more of Tokyo. I started my day by going to Asakusa. There is a famous shrine (神社) there and many interesting shops and foods. One of the famous foods that I bought was the steamed red bean bun, or Manjuu (饅頭). The picture I took is a joke for one of my classes: Fuujin (風神), the wind god ; Raijin (雷神), the thunder god, and Gaijin, which means foreigner (外人).

After Asakusa, I went to Akihabara. Akihabara is famous in the world as a place for electronics (家電). I was surprised how many shops there were and at how many of the SAME shops there were... It is my guess that really, there are only about 5 to 10 different kinds of shops in all of Akihabara: Electronics shops, plastic model shops, maid cafes and costume shops were almost everywhere. I enjoyed Akihabara, but after a hour or two I was ready to move on("to leave").

After Akihabara, I went to a few museums (博物館) around Tokyo. The first was the Edo-Tokyo museum, which showed a lot of history and art from the Tokyo area. I also went to the Tokyo Museum of Natural Science in Ueno. I recommend both if you like history and science... or if you just want to see dinosaurs (恐竜).

It was a hard schedule, but I am happy to have seen so many things and experienced so many different places in Tokyo.

Now... to plan my next vacation!

Vocabulary: steamed red bean bun, foreigner, electronics, move on, museum, dinosaur
Review Vocabulary: head out, shrine

Sean > Golden Week News (Day 1)

Hello everyone! This time, I want to tell you about my Golden Week vacation to Tokyo. It was a lot of fun, but very busy! First, I went to Kamakura to see the Big Buddha Statue (大仏). I was surprised at how large it is.

After that, I went to see the Hachimangu Shrine(神社). The shrine area was large, and filled with many tourists(客). I was suprised to hear the sounds of a ceremonial(儀典) dance. I followed the sound to see many people dancing in traditional(伝) costumes(衣装). I don't know the Japanese name for this style of dance, but I heard it was a dance used for religion(宗教).

Next, I relaxed in my hotel room for an hour then headed out ("to go"; "went") to Roppongi and Odaiba for some exciting night life (夜遊び) and shopping. I found a mall called "Venus Fort" in Odaiba which was very beautiful inside- it made me think of a theme park. Take a look at this fountain (泉)!

That's my first day in Toyko!

Day 2 coming soon...!



Vocabulary: Big Buddha Statue, Shrine, Tourist, Ceremony (Ceremonial), Traditon (Traditional), Costume, Religion, Head Out, Night Life, Fountain,

Sean> Weekend Fishing!

Hello everyone!

This weekend I went fishing (釣り) for the first time! I went near Takahama station (駅). The weather was beautiful for a few hours until it became windy. I was able to catch 4 fish, but they were all very small. I'm not sure what they were, but I asked another fisherman (漁師) and he said it was delicious (おいしい) and safe. I used a Japanese style rig to catch my fish, called a "Sabiki".

I really did catch a fish... here is a close picture!

After fishing, I took my fish home and prepared (つくる) them for my dinner!




They were cooked in Soy sauce (醤油), ginger (生姜) and some Japanese cooking sake.

The fisherman was right! They were delicious!
Next time, let's go fishing together!

Vocabulary: Fishing, Station, Fisherman, Delicious, Prepared, Soy Sauce, Ginger

Sean> Trip to Miyajima!

Hello everyone!

This April has been a lot of fun! I could enjoy our Word Up Hanami and a day trip to Miyajima!
Miyajima is famous for the world famous shinto gate (とりい) and it's deer (しか). The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the food was delicious!

I tried many different foods that are famous in Miyajima. The oysters (かき) were great! I also recommend trying the fried maple cakes (もみじ まんじゅ). There were also many shops that sold local (地元) foods, such as fried fish sausages. I want to go to Miyajima again in the fall to see the fall leaves.

After spending the day in Miyajima, I went to Hiroshima see Hiroshima Peace Park. The park is very beautiful and shows us how we can remember history and also plan for a better future.



If you want to see pictures from my trip, come visit our lounge at Word Up or click here! Also, if you have questions you can leave a comment on this blog!

See you at Word Up!
-Sean

Vocabulary: shinto gate, deer, oyster, fried maple cake, local

What's Up at Word Up!

Sean> This is the first post for What's Up at Word Up! We plan to update this blog a few times every month for our friends, students and staff to read and comment on!

Word Up Blog Vocab List

Actions (Verbs)
stir (混ぜる)
boil (沸かす)
peel (皮)
seed (実)
drain (干す)
melt (溶かす)
tie (羈縻)
untie (解く)

Activities/Events
fishing (釣り)
field trip (修学旅行)
pilgrimage (巡礼)
religion (宗教)

Animals
carp (鯉)
deer (しか)
dinosaurs (恐竜)
firefly (蛍)
Heron (さぎ)
kitten (小猫)
Owl (梟)

Around the House (Nouns)
jar (ジャー, 瓶)
refrigerator (冷蔵庫)

Around Town (Nouns)
cave (洞)
shinto gate (とりい)
station (駅)
night life (夜遊び)
fountain (泉)
shrine(神社)
Hill (丘)
temple (寺)
museum (博物館)
pre-school (幼稚園)
Big Buddha Statue (大仏)
statue (像)
pond (池)
bushes (かん木)

Clothes
costume (衣装)

Describing Things (Taste, Feeling, Direction, Image)
local (地元)
delicious (おいしい)
traditional(伝)
ceremonial(儀典)
north (北)
east (東)
Go bad (腐る)
unpeeled (剥ける)
Muggy (じめじめ)

Food
oysters (かき)
fried maple cakes (もみじ まんじゅ)
Soy sauce (醤油)
ginger (生姜)
boxed lunch (弁当)
steamed red bean bun (饅頭)
prepared (つくる)
Loquat (枇杷)
recipe (レシピ)
ingredients (材料)
gelatin (ゼラチン)
sugar (糖)

People
fisherman (漁師)
tourists(客)
foreigner (外人)
pregnant (身重)

Plants / Flowers
Sunflower (向日葵)

Time
dusk (日暮れ)

Useful Expressions
headed out ("to go"; "went")
sec ("second"; "short time")
catch some z’s (get extra sleep)
exhausted (疲れ果てる)
whine (Whined/Whining) (駄々をこねる)
right thing to do (正しい)
In a Jam (In a tough situation)
had a blast ("had fun")
time flies ("時早く過ぎる" )
bite to eat ("To eat")
called it a day ("Finished")
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Other
electronics (家電)
leash (革紐)



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Last Updated by Sean, July 20th 2009
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