Tuesday: A new private class today. One man who wants some intensive brushing up on his English over the next couple weeks. The textbook is too easy for him so it’s mostly just conversation. A rather interesting guy. This is his
company; it’s a kind of health food thing based on brown rice.
I made Thai green curry for dinner. But I didn’t take a picture, so you’ll just have to imagine how beautiful it looked.
Then I spent a lot of time getting frustrated at typing on my phone as I carried on several conversations at once in part broken Japanese and part English. AAAAH. No spell-correction for Japanese. めんどくさい!
I’m just tired. Even without elementary schools, there’s just so much to do. I unclogged my fridge drain today. (I hope. I guess I’ll see if it keeps leaking.)
Wednesday: Business class was fun. But the class leader was missing, as his son was born (a few weeks prematurely). They have a couple of mock-tests to complete over the next week so I hope he does ok though he probably has no time to study!
Then I went shopping for fun and necessary stuff.
Then I finally took proof of how loud these bugs are — whatever they are (I think semi, cicada). Keep in mind this is one. Just. One. See the video
here.
Thursday: The little kids in the morning drained whatever energy I had. I spent the rest of the day trying not to fall asleep.
Friday: Meeting. Dance. From the dance studio we could almost see the fireworks from the festival. Today we learned... Tango!!
Saturday: I made the bestest breakfast — behold...
All my classes went fairly well and drained me fairly well. I’d wanted to go to Fukui to see the festival, but since I was feeling sick, I didn’t. Thank goodness. Relaxing evening.
Sunday: Fun day! Activities in the morning, then we did a collaborative lunch with Hugh and Mako: chickpea salad, avocado dip (with baguette), corn, sausages (for those of us who eat meat), and veggie juice. After this feast, I showed them the koto and let them try. Like I thought, it was a new experience for them :)
Nathan joined us for a Japanese lesson from our dai-sensei Kaori. It was difficult! But really good.
We watched some anime, then headed out for a BBQ at Yuka’s and Ralph’s (restaurant). Turned out to be Ralph’s birthday. So I ate a lot again — sausages, cucumber, tomato, rolls, potato salad (with eggplant), kusukusu (? like quinoa, very tasty), chicken, and fajitas with any of those ingredients.
A group of musicians (but everyone is a musician in Japan, really) also joined us, so we were serenaded (and sometimes got to play with) various drums, ukulele, guitars, and bass. Fun.
Monday: I’m definitely sick. Please let it go away.
But I had a nice tkd lesson, and koto (/tea ceremony) lesson in the afternoon.
Spent the rest of the day getting stuff done — cleaning, lesson-planning, laundry etc.
Recent Japanese:
chatsuke (茶漬) = rice with tea (lit. tea-soaked)
takuan = pickled radish (OR, takuwan — the Murata guys were all surprised when they were about half-and-half what to call them!).
masui = anesthesia
namako = sea cucumber
semi shigure = shower of cicadas (sound of many cicadas)
kakushu (各種) = every kind, all sorts
kurage (海月) = jellyfish (note this is another sea word where the kanji has absolutely nothing to do with the pronunciation of the word, i.e. umi is never read ‘kura’ and ‘tsuki’ is not read ‘ge’ [though it is getsu]).
omoiukaberu (思い浮かべる) = to imagine, to be reminded of, called to mind
kyodai (巨大) = huge, gigantic
touji (当時) = at that time, those days
doukou (同行) = accompany
toumeido (透明度) = transparency
yubiori (指折り) = leading, prominent (top 10) — comes from counting on fingers
shi (氏) = Mr. (or Mrs. maybe — for prominent people; e.g. Clinton-shi).
tairitsu (対立) = conflict, opposition, confrontation
dokusai seiken (独裁政治) = dictatorship (dokusaisha = dictator)
minshu (民主) = democracy, democratic
senkyo (選挙) = election
ichinen no uchi (一年のうち) = within a year
chuumoku (注目) = focus, notice
shitsugyou (失業) = unemployment
zouka (増加) = increase
bukkadaka (物価高) = high prices; (inflation)
shitsubou (失望) = disappointment, despair; (shitsubou suru = to disappoint)
toumorokoshi = corn (tomorrow for sure!)
fuman (不満) = dissatisfied
binjou (便乗) = free riding (taking advantage of ~)
shinsou (真相) = truth
goku = some, a little ; or quite, very ??
oozappa (大ざっぱ) = in simple terms, roughly, basically
haikei (背景) = background
dan (団) = group
seijika (政治家) = politician
shuukyou (宗教) = religion
gokai = misunderstanding
fukushi (福祉) = common welfare, social good, (volunteer)
jisseki = results, accomplishments
shiji (支持) = support
hirogeru (広げる) = to expand (so shiji o hirogete = to expand support)
sukkiri / assari = refreshing (e.g. assari shita aji = a refreshing taste)
guchagucha = sloppy, messy
issai ue (一才上) = one year older (sansai ue = 3 years older etc.)
(~nai) hodo (~) = to the extent that; e.g. taberarenai hodo ippai = there’s so much food I can’t eat it; wasurerarenai hodo tsurai = so painful I can’t forget; kikenai hodo urusai = so bad I can’t listen.
~(i) you (desu/ni) = seems like, is like; e.g. dono you desuka ? = how is it like? ; sono you desu = like that.
ano kumo wa nani ni miemasu ka? = what does that cloud look like? (pyramid ni miemasu.)
deru kugi wa uttareru (出る釘打たれる) = the nail that sticks out is hammered down
darui (怠い) = sluggish
Waa, am I going to remember all of that? ~(ºoº)’/
