Christmas game

In this game, the players wore a blindfold and had to stick the red nose on Rudolph the reindeer. Well done Keita who was the nearest; he won a special prize from London.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful day.

How's the weather?

Early morning was a bit nippy, by 9am it was mild and now it's warmed up. We are experiencing unseasonably warm weather in Tokyo. Meanwhile, the UK is experiencing Arctic-like conditions.

Crazy party game

We played some games at the Christmas party. One of the games was rather crazy! We had to pass a ball to each other without using our hands; it was very intimate.

They are not a couple! The ball was passed by holding it below our chin and against our neck.

Christmas party photos

Some people are missing from the photo because they were late - sorry. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Cheers everybody!

Are they playing cards or is it another magic trick?

Christmas magic

This year's Christmas party proved to be a great success! Thank you everybody who attended. We were treated to a magic show by resident magician, Hiroyuki and his delectable assistant, Aya. Here they are preparing prior to the party.

One of the tricks was performed using an iPhone!

Christmas in Bath

Ai has written about Christmas in the city of Bath, UK.
http://bath-diary.blogspot.com/

プレゼント

Christmas is a time for giving as we say in England. English people enjoy exchanging presents at this time of year. In Japan, people seem to regularly give presents; it is an essential part of the culture. This time of year is no exception. The presents may not be for Christmas but for the end of the year. Japanese people are very generous about presenting gifts for various occasions; more than English people!

Thank you to Michiko and Chisato for these lovely presents!

ケーキ

During my breaktime today, I went for a walk down the town and I heard something calling my name. As I homed in, I discovered these three little darlings waiting to be devoured. They went down nicely with a bottle of Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. うまい！

Slaughtered

While my friend was visiting Japan, he took this intriguing photo. Does anyone know what the animals are?

Click to enlarge the photo

I cut this from the original photo



Not an everyday site in the city but perhaps not unsusual in rural locations where this was snapped.

Bless this house

An interesting part of Japanese culture is the blessing of land before building on it. I once witnessed a Shinto ceremony of blessing a building plot prior to a new house being built. I had never seen anything like it before. In England, a ceremony is usually held for important new public buildings whereby a VIP is invited to lay the first brick or stone. There is also an official opening ceremony whereby a VIP may cut a ribbon to "open" the building.

Chocoholic

I love chocolate. I usually eat some chocolate everyday. Sometimes, I call myself a chocoholic.

The suffix -holic can be applied to words to describe a person who enjoys something excessively. Here are some common examples which you can hear in everyday conversation.

Workaholic: "Mr Sato is such a workaholic; he spends 80 hours a week at the office."

Shopaholic: "Haruna goes shopping in Shibuya every weekend; she is a real shopaholic."

Alcoholic: "Mr Kimura is suffering from gout. It's not surprising because he's an alcoholic."

Chocoholic: "My teacher eats a bar of chocolate every day; he's a chocoholic!"

日本酒

In English, there are two ways to express 日本酒 (nihonshu): Rice wine or sake, pronounced /sʌ:kɪ:/ or /sækɪ/. Sake is not a popular drink in England and is difficult to buy. We can usually find sake in restaurants serving east Asian or south-east Asian cuisine. Sake in such restaurants is not always from Japan despite using the Japanese word sake 「酒」。 In fact, the first time I drank sake was in a Thai restaurant and the sake was from California!

I took these photos in May 2007. Can you guess where?

The barrels in the left photo look like wine barrels but I am not sure of the contents.

The staff are alive

Japan is full of the English language. Almost everywhere we go, we can see English signs and messages. There is so much English that getting around major places is generally quite easy; many foreigners really appreciate this.

However, sometimes the English we see is rather quirky and confusing.

I am glad they are not dead!

Christmas music

I have made a selection of Christmas music for the office. The selection is rather eclectic but they are definitely all Christmas songs. The genres differ widely so I hope there is something for everyone. The Christmas spirit has definitely arrived at London Bridge English!

Beer

The other day, Rumiko gave me a present from Iwaki: Two bottles of beer. It's great beer; I recommend it. Unfortunately, I can't find this beer in any shops around here. If you see it, please tell me.

Thank you Rumiko!

Ai and Toshi

Recently, I went to London for a few days. While I was there, I met Ai and Toshi for lunch. After lunch, we went for a stroll around some very famous sights. The weather was rather cold so we stopped for afternoon tea before Ai and Toshi went back to Bath, where they are living for a year.

http://bath-diary.blogspot.com/

English humour

Yesterday evening, I was talking to Daisuke about English humour. The other day, Jun told me that Mr Bean is very popular in Japan; Daisuke confirmed that. Jun also mentioned he likes Red Dwarf which is a popular sitcom produced by the BBC.

English humour is frequently sardonic and ironic which can sometimes cause offence if you do not understand. English people are known to be sarcastic and witty. Humour is an important part of daily life in England and can seem droll. English people love to crack jokes and tell anecdotes. If you want to live in England, you need to have a good sense of humour.

A pint of beer

England is full of pubs. Most English people say they miss the English pub when they go abroad. Many foreigners say they miss the English pub when they leave England. Beer is the most popular drink in pubs and we usually order it by the pint.

Interestingly, I ordered the same beer twice but got two differently shaped glasses. I prefer the shape of the left glass.
One UK pint = 568ml but in the USA, one pint = 473ml. Some foreign style pubs in Japan offer pints of beer so you need to check whether it is a UK pint or a US pint; A UK pint is bigger!

Cake

This afternoon, I enjoyed tea and cake as I usually do on my day off. Today's cake was one of my favourites: Teacake. It is a kind of fruitcake made with tea. This style of cake is traditional and popular in England.

Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips is the most popular dish in England; it is the national dish. Before returning to Japan, I ate Fish and Chips at the airport with a pint of Fuller's London Pride. I was replete!

Selfridges department store

Selfridges is a department store on Oxford Street in central London. It was founded in 1909 and is the second biggest after Harrods. Selfridges innovated the modern shopping experience and has been much copied the world over.

Selfridges website

Regent Street on Sunday morning

I went to Regent Street on Sunday morning and was surprised to find the shops were closed. Most of the shops on Regent Street were open from 12pm to 6pm. Regent Street is in central London and is famous for stores like Burberry, Barbour and Hamleys.

Looking north towards Oxford Circus.

Looking south towards Piccadilly Circus.

Aquascutum

There are lots of great shops on Regent Street. Other famous shopping streets nearby are Oxford Street, Savile Row, Bond Street, Carnaby Street and Piccadilly.

Afternoon tea

Naughty but nice.

パブのランチ

 It isn't healthy but it makes me happy.

Any or some? Part 2

As I explained previously, we use any for questions. However, we can use some for questions too. It depends on the type of question. Compare the following:

"Is there any tea left in the pot?" This question is asking for information (I want to know about the tea).
"Can I have some more tea please?" This question is a request (I want some more tea).

"Are there any nice restaurants around here?" (Information)
"Can you recommend some restaurants around here?" (Request)

サッカー

Last night, I went to a football match with Takashi and Ko. The match was the ACL (Asian Champions League) final and it was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric. The fans were chanting and cheering. Some people were waving flags. Some people were blowing vuvuzelas and other types of horn; it was so noisy! Some people drank a lot of beer. The whole experience was very exciting.

Any or some?

Kimie and Kazue have asked me about any and some.

We use any in negative sentences, for example:

"There aren't any cockroaches in my house."
"There isn't any coffee in my office."

We use any in questions, for example:

"Are there any chopsticks on the table?"
"Is there any beer in your fridge?"

We use some for affirmative sentences, for example:

"There are some roses in my garden."
"There is some cake in the cupboard."

近所

Recently, Keita forgot his key and when he got home, nobody was there so he was locked out. Luckily, one of his neighbours invited him in until his mother arrived. But, which neighbour was it? How do we describe the position of our neighbours' houses?

Here are some common ways to describe the position of your neighbours' houses:

Let's say you live in a house at number 3.

Next door = number 2 or number 4
Next door but one = number 1 or number 5
Three doors away = number 6
The house opposite = number 10
The house diagonally opposite = number 9 or number 11

We can also refer to the house by its number:

• "Mr Nakamura lives at number 8."
• "The Yamadas live at number 5."
• "Number 12 is empty - nobody lives there."

Keita's kind neighbour was next door but one.

Apple Biting

A very popular Halloween party game is Apple Biting: An apple is hung from above using string and we must try to bite a piece. Two people usually compete at the same time and the winner is the first person to bite a piece of apple. Here is a video from the London Bridge English Halloween party.

You can see the same video on YouTube.

Orange bobbing

One of the games at the Halloween party was called Orange Bobbing: There was a bucket of water with some Satsuma oranges in it and we had to get an orange using only our mouth; it was difficult but three people managed to do it. Here is a video of one partygoer's attempt.

In England, we usually use small or medium-sized apples and call it Apple Bobbing. The game is a very traditional and popular Halloween party game.

The video is also on YouTube.

More Halloween party photos

Halloween party photos

Halloween party game

Bite the apple game at the Halloween party.

More photos later.

Bonfire Night

This evening in England, there is a festival of bonfires, fireworks and parties. The festival has three different names:

• Bonfire Night
• Guy Fawkes Night
• Fireworks Night

The festival's official day is 5th November but if it is a weekday, most people celebrate it at the weekend instead. Bonfire Night is not a public holiday so we go to work or school as usual. However, Bonfire Night is a very popular festival and most people celebrate it. Many people combine a Halloween party with a bonfire/fireworks party.

In the year 1605, a group of men conspired to kill the king of England and many lords. They put 36 barrels of gunpowder under the House of Lords in London; this is called the Gunpowder Plot. One of the gang members was assigned to guard the gunpowder and ignite it at the right time; his name was Guy Fawkes. Luckily, the plot was discovered and stopped and the gang members were captured. They were all executed for treason.

England still remembers the Gunpowder plot today and celebrates its failure. In modern times there are firework displays all over the country. The weather is usually cold at night in November so we stand around a bonfire and eat hot food such as jacket potato, soup and barbecue meat.

Children are taught this traditional rhyme: Remember, remember the fifth of November!

The clocks have gone back

Last Sunday, the clocks went back in England. This means that the time changed from BST (British Summer Time) to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).

Every year on the last Sunday in March, the clocks go forward one hour from 01:00 GMT to 02:00 BST so we must change our clocks. On the last Sunday in October, the clocks go back one hour from 02:00 BST to 01:00 GMT so we must change our clocks again. Some people forget and get confused.

On the last Saturday in October, you might hear people say "Remember the clocks go back tonight."

On the last Saturday in March, you can hear people say "Remember the clocks go forward tonight."

Many countries operate such a system and call it daylight saving time.

トルコの料理

Yesterday evening, I was talking to Kanako about Turkish food. I said that I had never seen a Turkish restaurant in Japan. Kanako said she had been to a Turkish restaurant in Shibuya and she had heard of another in Yokohama.

Later yesterday evening, Aya tweeted about Turkish food and said "I love Turkish food!" Well Aya, so do I!

Does anyone else like Turkish food? Do you know of a good Turkish restaurant? Let's go!

Oh dear!

Atsuko has asked me about the expression Oh dear! We use Oh dear! to express our sympathy or disappointment upon hearing some bad news, for example:

• "Hanako failed her driving test again." "Oh dear!"
• "I've caught a cold." "Oh dear!"
• "I've forgotten my lesson fee." "Oh dear!"

We do not use Oh dear! for very serious situations; it is better to say "I'm sorry to hear that."

Hotchpotch

During Daisuke's lesson today, we had the word hotchpotch. We were discussing urban sprawl and how Tokyo is a hotchpotch of homes and businesses. Hotchpotch means an unplanned mix or jumble.

Old-fashioned

Toru has asked me about the word old-fashioned. He wondered whether old-fashioned had a positive or negative meaning. I can tell you that old fashioned can be positive, negative or neutral. Consider the following examples:

• "Look at that old-fashioned car!" (The car is very old - neutral nuance.)
• "We had an old-fashioned white wedding." (The wedding was traditional - neutral or positive nuance.)
• "Her father is old-fashioned." (Her father does not accept modern culture - negative.)
• "She made a good old-fashioned lard cake." (The cake was traditional and nostalgic - positive.)

The word good is often used to emphasize a positive meaning.
good old-fashioned

The words so, very or too are sometimes used to emphasize a negative meaning.
so old-fashioned / very old-fashioned / too old-fashioned

Quaint

In today's morning group lesson, we had the word quaint.

Quaint is a very unique word and peculiar to the English language, not having a direct translation in any other language. You can find the word quaint in your dictionary but the definition will not be accurate.

Quaint describes a feeling; an impression; an atmosphere. Quaint can include elements of other words, for example: charming, pretty, old-fashioned, nostalgic, rustic, nice, unusual, amusing, picturesque.

"What a quaint village!" (rustic, picturesque, old-fashioned)

"She told me a quaint story about her childhood." (amusing, nostalgic)

"That souvenir shop is really quaint." (the goods are unusual, nice, pretty, amusing, nostalgic, maybe old-fashioned)

"He gave me a red rose on our first date." "How quaint!" (charming, nice, amusing)

I have avoided the etymology of quaint and focused on the modern meaning.

Allusion

Etsuko has asked me about allusion. (verb = allude)

Allusion is a kind of reference; it is usually indirect and esoteric. Recently, President Obama was heard saying "They talk about me like a dog!" Many people said he was alluding to Jimi Henrix who wrote those words in his famous song Stone Free. President Obama's words could have easily been construed as a quote (direct reference) as he said them verbatim. However, President Obama denied any deliberate reference. In fact, if President Obama was a fan of Jimi Hendrix, some people might have said he was also paying homage to the rock star.

Many allusions are literary, such as:

• "He's a Don Juan." (a womaniser; a playboy - especially from Spanish literature)
• "She's a Jezebel." (a bad or loose woman; a slut; a manipulator of men - from the Bible)
• "It was a case of David and Goliath." (a smaller, weaker person defeats a bigger, stronger person - from the Bible)

Many allusions refer to historic characters or events, for example:

• He met his Waterloo. (a person's downfall caused by adverse forces/people/events - Napoleon lost power due to his defeat at the battle of Waterloo, 1815)
• He's a Casanova. (a womaniser/playboy - Venetian aristocrat and writer Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt, 1725 – 1798)
• "Five score years ago..." (opening words of Martin Luther King Jr's civil rights speech, Washington, 1963, alluding to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, 1863)

As you can see, allusions can be highly esoteric and often display a person's erudition. So, if you are not familiar with the source, an allusion might be confusing or meaningless.

Please compare reference, quotation, homage, paraphrase.

Euphemism

Today, I was talking about euphemisms with Sachiyo. Sometimes we use a euphemism, which is a substitute word or phrase, because it sounds nicer or it is more polite. For example:

She has big bones. (She is fat.)
I had a few drinks. (I was drunk.)
It has an unusual taste. (I don't like the taste.)
He likes his food. (He eats too much.)

Ideophone

Yesterday, I wrote about onomatopoeia. Today, I will introduce ideophones which are words that describe a particular situation or feeling. Ideophones are highly idiomatic; they can be difficult to understand but they often sound funny.

Japanese is full of ideophones; we can hear them in almost every conversation. Japanese ideophones usually function as adjectives or adverbs and are often identical rhyming repeaters, for example:

fuwa-fuwa (something soft)
atsu-atsu (passionate lovers)
doki-doki (fluttering heart)
iro-iro (various types)

English has ideophones too, though far fewer than Japanese. In English, ideophones usually function as adjectives or nouns and are often non-identical rhyming repeaters, for example:

topsy-turvy (upside down)
lovey-dovey (being in love)
wishy-washy (weak character)
itsy-bitsy (very small)
hanky-panky

The list goes on. Ideophones often begin as slang then become common usage, so you can find them in your dictionary.

Tomoko, please tell your friend again!

Please note that many people confuse ideophones with onomatopoeia.

Onomatopoeia

Tomoko has asked me about onomatopoeia. Her friend told her that English does not have onomatopoeia. English does have onomatopoeia, of course. Here are some common examples that you can hear in everyday-conversation:

ding dong = a doorbell
woof = a dog barking
bang = a gun shot or any sudden loud noise
beep = a car horn or a (high-pitch) digital monotone
glug glug = drinking quickly
splish splash = water being moved around
slurp = a loud sucking noise (drink, noodles etc.)
tick tock = an analogue clock

The list is endless! Interestingly, onomatopoeia varies from language to language which means we hear sounds differently.

Tomoko, please tell your friend!

Please note that many people confuse onomatopoeia with ideophones. I will write about ideophones later.

秋

Do we need the article the with season names?

Without the

• It is cold in winter and hot in summer. This case is generally speaking and is not about a particular time; it could be written as follows: Winter is usually cold and summer is usually hot. 
• Cherry blossom blooms in spring and persimmons are harvested in autumn. (usually)

With the

• The summer was hot but the winter will be cold. This case refers to a particular time (only this year) and could be written as follows: This year, the summer was hot but the winter will be cold. 
• The summer of 2003 was the hottest on record. (only in 2003)

頂きます！

I'm often asked how to say 「頂きます」 in English, and the truth is we don't have any such expression. Some pious Christians say grace but generally there is no expression before eating (or drinking).

Furthermore, there is no equivalent expression for 「御馳走様でした」 in English. The best way is to say thank you and praise the cook, chef or host.

For example: Thank you, that was a lovely meal! or Thank you, you're a great cook! or What a wonderful meal, thank you so much!

ビール

Last night, I went to a British style pub called the Trafalgar. The pub is on the opposite side of Machida town centre to my office but well worth the walk. I especially recommend Yona Yona ale which is brewed in Nagano; I visited the brewery last year. Yona Yona ale is an English style ale, low on hops, slightly sweet and floral. In England, we commonly call this type of beer real ale; it doesn't contain gas like most popular draught beer so the bar tender must hand pump the ale into your glass. In my opinion, Yona Yona is the best draught beer available in Japan. I don't recommend the canned version, indeed I don't recommend any canned beer. Real ale is fresh beer and should be drunk straight from the cask. Cheers!
http://www.camra.org.uk/

西遊記

Do you remember the TV series Saiyuuki 「西遊記」 or was it called Songoku 「孫梧空」？ Well, in England, it was called Monkey and I really enjoyed it as a child. I was surprised to see two of the main actors still appearing on TV in Japan. The monk was called Tripitaka (in the English version) and I thought it strange that a beautiful girl had a shaven head, what I didn't realise was that the character was a boy! Do you know what other films or shows she has appeared in?

You can read about Monkey here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_(TV_series)

Radio wedding

Today, I was talking to Kyoko about the radio wedding in Language to go intermediate (Lesson 14). Did you know it's a true story? In fact, many of the lessons in the book contain true stories and events. The radio station is BRMB and it stands for Birmingham Radio Midlands Broadcasting. You can read about the radio station on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brmb
and you can read about the radio wedding, also on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Strangers_and_a_Wedding
And here is a link to the radio station's website:
http://www.brmb.co.uk/home.asp

New blog

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