本日のチョコ

Today, I tried Almond Peak by Glico. It was OK but I prefer other brands of chocolate almonds, such as Meiji or Lotte.

クリスマスプレゼント

Thank you to Rumi for this Christmas present. It's a nice selection of chocolate.

Merry Christmas!

Thanks to Yuko for this tin of Christmas biscuits; I've been sharing them with LBE members.

Merry Christmas!

クリスマスチョコ

I've received a present of Belgian Christmas chocolates. I had some today with a cup of coffee. Nice.

クリスマス！

See you at our Christmas party!

ヘーゼルナッツ クランチ

I ate Meiji Hazelnut Crunch this afternoon with a cup of coffee. It was delicious!

I like nuts; they make a healthy and tasty snack. Hazelnuts mixed with chocolate are especially delicious.

LED ライティング

There's new LED lighting at London Bridge English. We can change the colour and create a different mood.

MEIJI アーモンド ブラック

Today, I chose dark chocolate almonds with my afternoon tea. Nice.

クランキー ビター

This afternoon, I ate Crunky Bitter chocolate with some coffee. It's very light and contains puffed rice. Nice afternoon snack.

カルヴァドスチョコ

I recently discovered this chocolate; it's nice. I like chocolate and I like calvados and together they make a great combination. I ate some after dinner with a cup of tea.

チョコアーモンド

I like chocolate almonds. I probably eat too many. They go well with tea or coffee. There are several types of chocolate almonds available in most shops. I usually buy Lotte or Meiji.

秋の写真

Autumn is so beautiful! Yesterday was warm, dry and sunny. I went for a walk around a park in Atsugi City. The sun was shining brightly and the colours of autumn were radiant.

日向夏みかんパイ

Thank you to Yuko who gave me this present from Kyushu. Yuko visited her family and attended a dance festival in Miyazaki.

マチミロ 2014 イベント

There will be a special event in November in Machida and London Bridge English will be involved.

I will give a free talk on foreign beer. Please join!

The times are:

• Saturday 8th November 5pm to 11pm
• Sunday 9th November 5pm to 10pm

You can come anytime. You can stay for a short time or stay the whole time. It's up to you!

Here is more information in Japanese:

• http://machi-miro.jimdo.com/
• http://www.townnews.co.jp/0304/2014/10/23/256292.html
• https://www.facebook.com/machimiro

関西のお土産

Thank you to Kimie for these delicious sweets from Osaka. Half contain chestnut and half contain anko. 

マッサン 朝ドラ

NHK's new morning drama is about the founder of Nikka Whisky, Masataka Taketsuru, and his international marriage to a Scottish lady, Jessie Roberta "Rita" Cowan. It's the first time a non-Japanese actor has starred in the leading role of an NHK drama.

You can read about the new NHK morning drama here in Japan Times:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/19/national/for-first-time-nhk-seeks-caucasian-actress-to-star-in-morning-drama/

You can read about it in English here on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massan

日本語で：http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%83%83%E3%82%B5%E3%83%B3

相模湖

The other day, I went to Lake Sagami. I had lunch in a lakeside restaurant. The weather was great and the view was fantastic. I had a three-course lunch for ¥1100. Nice.

山形県のお土産

Thank you to Ikuko who gave me this present from Yamagata.

アナと雪の女王

Do you know the film Frozen? The Japanese title is「アナと雪の女王」。It is such a popular film worldwide. I haven't seen it because the film doesn't interest me. I think Frozen is more popular with women and children than men.

There is a lot of Frozen merchandise and many everyday goods are adorned with imagery from the film, such as this tissue box. Funny.

フランス語

長崎ちゃんぽん

I like eating noodles at least once a week. Sometimes, I go to Ringer Hut. I always choose the standard style Nagasaki Champon but usually I order the 50% extra portion. I once ordered the double portion but it was too much and I struggled to finish it.

I usually go to Ringer Hut at lunchtime because the lunch sets are good value for money. Another reason I like it is because fresh local vegetables are used; I guess that is healthier than most noodle shops.

My local branch of Ringer Hut.

スターバックス

What's your favourite cafe? There are so many cafes these days and they're all so busy. I always choose a fully non-smoking cafe if possible, so I often go to Starbucks.

In the area near my home, there is a drive-though Starbucks but I always prefer to relax on the premises.

I also like Chococro (aka Sant Marc Cafe)

インドネシアのお土産

Thank you to Yoichiro for this present from Indonesia. Yoichiro's company has a branch office in Jakarta and he needs to go there every month. Yoichiro's English skill has enabled him to go on business trips abroad regularly.

マレーシアのお土産

Thank you to Kaoru for this present from Malaysia. Kaoru accompanied her husband on a business trip to Malaysia recently.

クレイアート

London Bridge member Ikuko has several hobbies. One of her hobbies is clay art. Ikuko regularly exhibits her work in the Tokyo area. She very kindly made this piece for London Bridge English. Ikuko is clearly talented. Thank you for such a wonderful objet d'art!

イタリアのお土産

Thank you to Kanako who gave me these presents from Italy. Kanako recently went on a trip to Italy with her family. I was pleased to help Kanako with some of her travel arrangements, such as checking emails in English.

Language Exchange Party

Every Saturday at London Bridge English, we have a language exchange party. You can practise English or other languages. There is an international atmosphere with people from various countries. Last Saturday there were people from England, France, Ireland, Scotland, USA, and Japan of course!

Please join us every Saturday from 7pm to 11pm.

Entry is free!

Samuel and Matt

父の日

London Bridge member Taisaburoh received lots of packs of coffee from his son for Father's Day, and he gave me one pack. Thank you to Taisaburoh; the coffee is nice.

英語パーティー

Every Saturday evening from 7pm to 11pm, we enjoy English Party. Come join the party and international atmosphere. Free entry!

アジサイ

Hydrangeas are blooming in Kanto, which means the wet season is coming.

I took these photos last Sunday while out walking. Beautiful colours. What's your favourite Hydrangea colour?

無料英会話

Every Saturday from 7pm to 11pm, you can enjoy free English conversation. Come on everybody! Let's make new friends and practise English together. No fee!

Poodle Exercise with Humans

Do you know this video? It was made in Japan. Panasonic commissioned the video as part of a promotion for the 2004 Olympics. The video is a parody of a real aerobics video. The humour is certainly surreal. Very funny!



Link to the video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/vdX_OBUeHb4

my guitar

He's playing my guitar! It's a Takamine made in Japan. It's an electro-acoustic guitar made from Hawaiian koa wood.

Some people bring their guitars and we enjoy music and English together. Please join us!

He's playing my guitar!

ギッター

We like music at London Bridge English. Sometimes, members and I play the guitar. Music is a great way to learn English. Please join us and enjoy music and English together!

随意筋英語

Do you know this English learning method? It was a series shown on Japanese TV in 1992. It's very funny!



Link to this video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/7wCmMrRX3UM

桜

Are you enjoying the cherry blossom? There is cherry blossom in England but people do not have any special event.

I went to a park the other day and was pleasantly surprised to see cherry trees in bloom.

狐の声

We've been discussing the different sounds made by animals. Animal sounds vary in different languages. Why? Surely, an animal sound is the same. Do we hear them differently?

Some animal sounds are similar such as for a cat:

• meow
• ニャオ

Some animal sounds are very different such as for a mouse:

• squeak
• チュ

Some animals have two sounds in English such as a frog:

• croak
• ribbit

Some animals don't have any sound such as giraffe:

•  

Some animals have a sound in English but not in Japanese such as a fish:

• blub

Some animals have a sound in Japanese but not in English such as a fox.

Link to this video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/jofNR_WkoCE

By the way, that video was made by a comedy duo from Norway called Ylvis. They are very funny.

英語バー

Every Friday and Saturday from 7pm to 11pm is English Bar time. It's a great chance to meet like-minded people and make new friends, while practising English.

There is a big selection of drinks and the snacks are free! There is beer, wine, cocktails, tea, coffee and fruit juice.

But the best part is free entry!

Martinelli's gold medal apple juice, sparkling (left), still (right)

イタチコーヒー

Thank you to Tomo who gave an interesting present from Vietnam. It's coffee harvested from weasel poo. Certainly interesting.

The coffee was very bitter so I added 森永チョコミルク to make it more palatable.

イタチコーヒー情報

社交的

We're friendly at London Bridge English. We like meeting you new people and making friends. Every Friday and Saturday, we socialise and practise English together. We really enjoy singing popular English songs together, which is a great way to learn English.

Do you play a musical instrument or can you sing? Come on and join us! Don't worry if you can't play or sing because you'll enjoy the atmosphere.