Quote Marker と Posted by Ginny on Jul 11, 2010
Quote marker とcan be used to quote someone’s speech : 勅使河原さんは来週来ると言いました = Mr. Teshigawara said that he will come next week. (てしがわら/勅使河原 = Testhigawara. さん = Mr. は = particle. らいしゅう/来週= next week. くる/来る = to come. と = quote marker. いいました/言いました = said.) The sentence above is an example of an indirect quote. To…
The Three Holy Mountains Posted by Ginny on Jul 8, 2010
If you’re thinking of going to Japan, make sure you visit the “three holy mountains” (さんれいざん) of Japan. You’ve most likely heard of one of the mountains- Mount Fuji (ふじさん). The other two are Mount Tate (たてやま) and Mount Haku (はくさん). Mount Fuji is one of the most recognizable mountains in Japan. Its conical top…
Japanese Seafood Dishes Posted by Ginny on Jul 5, 2010
Being close to the water, Japan is home to many seafood dishes : Ankimo (アンキモ) is a dish made from the liver of a monkfish (pictured on the left). A monkish (pictured below) is a broad faced black fish. First the liver is taken out from the monkfish. Then the veins are taken out of…
G8 Summit Posted by Ginny on Jul 2, 2010
Among other countries, Japan was one of the countries that participated in the G8 summit in Canada : In the video, it looked as if Prime Minister Naoto Kan (菅直人) was excluded from the group. He was physically outside the circle of the leaders of major countries. Obama, stop hogging all the attention! Now in…
Royal Wedding Attire Posted by Ginny on Jun 29, 2010
Seventeen years ago in June, Prince Naruhito (皇太子徳仁親王) married a commoner named Masako Owada (小和田 雅子) : After the ceremony, the Prince changed into a black suit and the newly crowned Princess changed into a white wedding dress. The actual wedding ceremony was held in the traditional Japanese style for royals. In the heat of…
Japanese Gardens Posted by Ginny on Jun 26, 2010
In some parts of the world, the weather is getting warmer and more people are venturing out to see the different varieties of Japanese gardens on display. A Karesansui (枯山水) is a type of garden where the natural landscape is used in a harmonious manner to create a picturesque scene. Gardens of this variety…
のが + … Posted by Ginny on Jun 23, 2010
You can indicate whether someone is good at something by using のが上手です. 比嘉さんは日本語を話すのが上手です = Mr. Higa is good at speaking Japanese (ひが/比嘉 = Higa. さん = Mr. は = subject particle. にほん/日本 = Japan. ご/語 = language. を = direct object marker. はなす/話す = speak. のがじょうずです/のが上手です = is good at [doing]) You can also indicate…