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Shochu Posted by Marcel on May 20, 2012
今日 (きょう/Today) I’d like to talk a little about my favorite Japanese alcoholic beverage, 焼酎 (しょうちゅう/Shochu)! This is not the traditional 酒 (さけ/sake) that many people order when they go to a 日本料理 (にほんりょうり/Japanese food) restaurant in another country. 酒 can be translated as rice wine, but the word is commonly used to describe any…
Spring has sprung Posted by Marcel on May 3, 2012
As Yuki indicated, the seasons have finally changed. Japan saw a colder than average 冬 (ふゆ/winter) this year, with 雪(ゆき/snow) falling in areas that don’t often see it. 東京 (とうきょう/Tokyo) got more snow than it has seen in years! Now though, 春 (はる/Spring) has arrived and the people are rushing outdoors to enjoy the weather…
Moved! Posted by Marcel on Apr 15, 2012
Yet again, another long delay between entries, and I apologize! First things first, I’d like to say a warm hello to Yuki, our other new face here! Hopefully with two people blogging there won’t be any more long gaps between posts! As for me, I have been offline for the last 一ヵ月半 (いっかげつはん/month and a…
Getting Sick Posted by Marcel on Feb 15, 2012
Sorry for the length of time between posts, but I got 病気(びょうき/sick) last week and then family stuff arose. I decided to write a little bit about being sick and going to 病院 (びょういん/hospitals) in Japan (note the repeated use of 病 for both sickness and hospital). Since it is a modern country, being ill…
Getting Sick (part 2) Posted by Marcel on Feb 10, 2012
Last time I talked about going to the doctor when you are 病気(びょうき / sick), so today I will talk about what the doctor will prescribe. Once you’ve seen the 先生 (せんせい / doctor), he will likely prescribe you some 薬 (くすり / medicine). All 病院 (びょういん / hospitals) and クリニック (clinics) have their own 薬屋 (くすりや…
Living with a… Volcano? Posted by Marcel on Jan 26, 2012
As indicated in my last entry, I live in 鹿児島(かごしま/Kagoshima), which is very close to 桜島(さくらじま/Sakurajima), an active 火山(かざん/volcano). Actually, an active 火山 that is getting more and more active as the years go by. Unsurprisingly, this affects our day to day lives in many ways, but it’s all due to one factor: volcanic 灰…
桜島 Sakurajima Posted by Marcel on Jan 15, 2012
I’m lucky that my current home in 鹿児島 (かごしま/Kagoshima), in southwest Japan, has a good view. Then again, maybe it isn’t luck, as most people plan their houses to have at least one window/balcony with a view of Kagoshima’s most famous sight, 桜島 (さくらじま/Sakurajima). Originally a volcanic island, Sakurajima has been pretty active for as…