Tsukuba number plate

This week the big news in Tsukuba was the つくば　ナンバー (Tsukuba Number).

From February 13th, residents of Tsukuba can change their car number plates from 'Tsuchiura' area to 'Tsukuba'. I'm not sure why but many people think 土浦 is a bit country bumpkin-ish and rather uncool. As for me, I'm happy that Tsukuba is written in hiragana characters that are really easy to write!

The timing was good for me because this week my car had its 5th year registration. I asked Mazda to change over the number plate at the same time. So now I can boast that my car is one of the first to become 'cool' :)

My children

Maybe you thought that I didn't have any children. Well, let me tell you my secret .... I have had babies since last summer. Do you want to see them?

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

Actually I am a grandmother. The big fat pink fish is a baby from last year. The other pink fish are her brothers. She's pregnant but she's been like that for a while --- hmmm, I wonder when I will have more pink babies?

The blue one and black one are male guppies. Sadly the female died earlier this week. I think she was a bit tired out because of all the babies she gave me. You can see five 'children' and nine 'babies' who are younger brothers and sisters. The babies seem to be mostly black, but the some of the children are starting to get beautiful blue and yellow tails. Mummy fish was blue/black/silver and I'm not sure which male is the daddy. Maybe both???

If you look closely you can also find two catfish on the bottom of the tank. And of course you can see one of the two shrimp 'flying' around. It took me ages of waiting to take that video! The shrimp do all kinds of interesting things. It is a bit disgusting but they also shed their shells every few weeks. The first time I thought it was a dead shrimp body but it was just the shell. Nowadays I find it difficult to eat shrimps ...

All finished

Well, the move to the new server is finished! The new company was really good about changing over my domain and email server super quickly. Good service and I'm amazed how much faster it is to download/upload.

And the best news is that I can add lots more files!!! That means you can read lots more blog posts and listen to more podcasts.

Happy reading ....

2007!

Hi,

Welcome to the first Real English blog post of 2007.


First of all, please accept my apologies for not writing for so long. I know many readers are wondering why I stopped writing. Don't worry, I'm perfectly well! :)
まず、長い間何も書かなかくて、ごめんなさい！

Let me explain:
説明します。。。

The main reason for the break was computer related. My website has been hosted by one company since I started out 3 years ago. The company was good but I didn't have enough web space on my plan. If I uploaded many photos or mp3 (listening) files, my website became heavy and the capacity was almost full. To solve the problem I searched for other ideas, other blog hosting services, etc.
サーバーの容量が足りなくてファイルをアップロードできませんでした。

Finally I decided to change hosting services. That will happen soon, so please be patient if the Real English webpage is 'frozen' for a few days or if you can't send me email.
今月または来月にサーバーが変わる予定ですので一日ぐらいwebsiteが動くないかもしれないです。

So please forgive my long silence and I hope you'll enjoy reading (and listening to) the Real English blog this year!
是非、今年も　Real English blog　を楽しく読んで、聞いて下さい。

Best regards,
A.

The bread city

Tsukuba seems to be a city full of bakeries! The local government is promoting the 'bread city' and most bakeries now follow a monthly flavor theme. Not sure what this month is, but recently it was 'bread with chestnuts'.

The large number of bakeries mean that competition is fierce, but that doesn't necessarily mean that every bakery is good! For example, one of the most popular places in town is not really that special - it has a few really nice items and the rest are just so-so. The drawcard is that it has free tea/coffee/soft drink and has some tables and chairs on a patio. But the cashier staff are far too busy and are not polite, and whats more, they often squash your bread in their hurry to serve you and move on to the next customer. I HATE it when my bread is all squishy and looks horrible. And because the shop is so small, it is always crowded with people pushing here and there. If they make so much money, why don't they open a larger shop??? And the worst thing, once I bought sliced bread which became moldy the very next day. Chemical free is good for your health, but mold after just one day? Hmmm. I don't go to that bakery any more ...

One of the best places in town is a really small shop in Sakura called 'Gris Gris'. That is French and I think the pronunciation is something like 'Guri Guri' :) I started to go there when it first opened 3 or 4 years ago. Nowadays I live on the other side of town so don't make the trip so often. You should try it though - the bread and pastries are French style and not like other shops. I asked the owner about it and he said he and his wife studied in France.

I really recommend the French bread sandwich rolls with either cheese or fresh ham. Sorry I don't have a picture because I forgot and ate my lunch today before I thought of the camera :) But here is a picture of an apple pie. And if you can find it on the day you go, the onion quiche is wonderful.

But by far the VERY BEST thing was apricot and black sesame tarts that they made a few years ago. Let's start a campaign - everyone please go and ask the owner about the apricot tarts! Maybe he will make them again. And please tell me if you find them! They are the most delicious tarts I've ever had in my life.

You can find Gris Gris behind Fujiya cake shop in Sakura. Turn left at the traffic light with Fujiya and Lawson, and the bakery is on the left.

A new supermarket

I found this new supermarket in Matsushiro. It is kind of strange because a few years ago there was a regular supermarket just across the road. That store closed and the building was rennovated and is now a wedding reception center. The new supermarket is in a building that used to be a toy store, which closed too! And next door is an empty shop that was a used book store.

Anyway, the new place is a 'professionals supermarket' and it has a lot of bulk items for restaurants, etc. I was happy because I could find a 2 liter bottle of vinegar there. (I use vinegar for cleaning.) The prices are reasonable for most things, even for brand name products. For example, the vinegar is a popular Japanese brand.

But please be careful because other things are not such good value. My husband bought some frozen gyouza dumplings and they tasted awful! I hope I never go to a restaurant that serves them ...

Chrysanthemum

What a difficult word! I wonder who gave the flower that name in English?









In Australia, the chrysanthemum season is in May (Aussie autumn) so they are popular Mother's Day flowers! Yes, that's right - chrysanthemums! But I don't remember seeing so many of the unusual shapes. The most spectacular chrysanthemum festival I've seen was at Katori Jinju in Sawara, Ibaraki. You should go there one day in the autumn - it is really lovely.

The chrysanthemum is the symbol of the Japanese imperial family, so why do they also have the image of 'grave flowers'? I really don't understand that. If you know why, please tell me.

Autumn in Tsukuba

A few weeks ago I went for a walk in Chuo Park. It was a lovely day and the colors of autumn were all around.

Autumn is my favorite season in Japan - so much more beautiful than the Australian autumn which is shorter. Most Australian trees are evergreen so they don't lose their leaves. Tsukuba is so beautiful with all the Japanese and European trees that range from bright yellow to gold to orange/pink to red to the deepest russet. And I love walking along with the sound of leaves crunching underfoot!

By the way, even though I use a lot of American English now for my job, I cannot imagine calling autumn 'fall' :)

Tsukuba Marathon

Last Sunday my Australian friend from Tokyo ran in the Tsukuba Marathon. In fact, she ran the whole 42kms! Wow!

It was her first marathon so my husband and I decided to go and cheer her on. At first we went to the half way point - I was SO surprised that there were thousands of runners. I thought it would be really easy to find my friend, but my eyes began to hurt from scanning all the faces of the runners as they went past. Chris found me rather than me finding her!

Next we moved to a bridge overlooking Nishi Odori about 5km from the end. I was really moved to watch the runners who'd been going for the last 5 hours or so. There were all ages and all kinds of body shapes - some people looked okay and some people could barely walk. Anyway, it was truly amazing. Next year please go watch and cheer the athletes on - it is okay if you don't know them!

This year the weather wasn't very good, but thankfully the rain held off. You can't see it in the photos but the trees along the main roads are really beautiful right now. A scenic marathon!

Here are some pictures of Chris, and a link to her blog, too. I feel really ashamed - not only does she put a lot of effort into running, but she writes Japanese. And yes, it is the same friend who wrote the 'My English Organizer' schedule book. Hmmm, I REALLY need to make my own effort ...

http://blog.livedoor.jp/newleaves2/

Xmas flowers

It is a little early for Christmas, but today Megumi gave me this lovely table arrangement. If you come to the Takezono classroom, you can see it for real.

Actually, this arrangement is a sample. On Tuesday December 19th, we are going to have a flower arranging class in English and we'll make an arrangement similar to this one. The market will give us the flowers in season, so it might not be exactly the same. If you'd like join, the class will be from 10:15am. Drop me an email if you're interested :)

I really can't believe that Xmas is 'just around the corner'. Each year the time seems to pass faster and faster. I really have to hurry up and make my traditional Xmas fruit cake!

A millipede

Sometimes I try to tell people what a millipede is, but you don't see them in Japan so much.

That's why last Wednesday I was SO happy to find millipedes at Shimana Community Center. Not just one, but lots! I saved a few by taking them outside, before someone stepped on them.

Millipede is made up of two Latin stems:

milli = 1, 000

pede = foot

What other 'milli' words can you think of? And how about 'pede' words?

My harvest

Here are some of the Chinese quince from my garden. They smell lovely, but I'm not quite sure what to do with them!

I'm still trying to decide if I should try cooking them or not, so if you have any ideas, please write and tell me. (Aside from making liqueur.)

And the little orange things are called "Karasu-uri" or "Snake Vine" in English. The vine grows in the summer, and in late summer it has fruits that look like tiny watermelons. In autumn they become orange and kind of look like mini-pumpkins. Please don't try to eat them! I picked them because I think they make good decorations :)

This year they were growing in many places in my garden, including in the persimmom tree.

Pronunciation workshop

Do you live in Tsukuba or the Tsukuba area? Would you like to practice English pronunciation?

Next Tuesday afternoon I will hold a 2 hour pronunciation workshop in Tsukuba Capio. This will be the third time for me to hold the class, and members who took the workshop before said they enjoyed it. I hope so anyway! :)

If you'd like to come, please check the information on the 'Short Course' page of the main Real English website, then send me an email with your reservation.

It would be great to meet some of my blog readers in person!

Podcasting

Have you heard of podcasting? Basically a podcast is a sound file that you can download from the Internet.

Please read about it here: ポッドキャスティング

The good news is that now you can listen to the Real English blog, as well as read! All of the entries from October through to now have listening files.

You can keep reading the blog at this URL, or you can go directly to the podcasting page at:
http://www.real-english.jp/podcast.html

Sorry, but the page will take about 1 minute to download. Usually podcasts are simple files that you can download onto your computer, but I made the files so that anyone can listen on any computer. You also don't have to worry about security problems.

I cannot promise to update the blog with a podcast right away, but I will try to do it at least once a week :)

Happy listening!

Camellia

This is my photo of the week. I found a row of camellia bushes as I walked to the post office in Takezono recently. The blooms were so beautiful I couldn't resist stopping and taking a picture ...




PODCAST

Shy Mt Tsukuba

Today Mt Tsukuba was totally invisible! I was really disappointed because I wanted my friend from Tokyo to see the lovely views as I showed her around the city. Instead, all we could see was fine rain and mist. But she was happy to see some of the tree lined streets that are changing color. (The trees are changing color, not the streets!)

Anyway, here is a picture of Mt Tsukuba that I took a few weeks ago from the rooftop carpark at Yamashin homecenter. Lovely, isn't it?

By the way, my friend said she once saw a photo of one beautiful cherry tree with Mt Tsukuba in the background. Just ONE cherry tree. Do you know that view? I know a place in Hojo that has many cherry trees, not just one.

PODCAST

My English Organizer

Today I met an old friend who lives in Tokyo. She has exciting news - she has co-authored a book! Congratulations Chris!

Please take a look at "My English Organizer" on the official homepage. It is a schedule book for 2007, and when I looked at it today, it is really nice:
http://www.ibcpub.co.jp/learning/techo.html

It is so popular that all the copies at Shibuya Loft have already sold out. We took a look at Tsukuba Loft today, but it seems they don't stock it. If you'd like to buy one, please look at Amazon: (If this link doesn't work, please search for クリス・フォスケット )
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search/ref=nb_ss_gw/503-4315294-0952704?__mk_ja_JP=%83J%83%5E%83J%83i&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%83N%83%8A%83X%81E%83t%83H%83X%83P%83b%83g&Go.x=2&Go.y=13

I also have five copies (black or red) so you can get it directly from me, too.

This organizer is truly "Real English" :) Of course it is a schedule book so very useful, but at the same time you can study and also improve your English skills.

PODCAST

Mystery solved

Here is the 'mystery bird' that was in the persimmom tree. Thank you to K-san for telling me its name :)

In English, it is called the 'Azure Winged Magpie', in Japanese 'Onaga'. Here are some pictures I found on the Internet.

Take a look at this page:

http://www.wbsj.org/birdwatching/gallery/2006/01.html

There are some wonderful pictures of other Japanese birds. It seems to be a group that shares bird-watching photos.

The second photo came from here, where you can also read about the bird:

http://www.tbs.co.jp/seibutsu/zukan/bird/htmls/bird_08.html

Autumn fruits

There are two fruit trees in my garden. Before you feel envious, let me tell you that NEITHER of the fruits can be eaten ...

The first is a Chinese Quince tree. (karin) I know you can make some kind of liqueur by cutting up the fruit and putting it in white liquor with rock sugar - but I think that tastes like medicine!!!

A few weeks ago there was very stong wind and some of the quinces fell on the ground. Here is one with a 'bata' grasshopper on the top. (Actually, I don't think 'bata' are really grasshoppers {kirigirisu} but I don't know how to say 'bata' in English...)

Oh, if you are wondering, there are quinces in Australia but a different kind. Karin are 'Chinese quince' but the quince I know can be eaten. They look kind of the same, but you can cut them up and cook them like apples. When they are cooked, the flesh becomes pale pink! My father really like stewed quinces. I wonder if I could try cooking Chinese quince?

The second tree is a persimmom tree. Of course you can eat persimmom, but the fruit on this tree are bitter. Despite that, the birds love them! A family of Japanese crows sometimes visits the tree (I don't like the awful noise they make) and yesterday a flock of beautiful birds came. They were about 30cm tall, with white/beige bodies, black heads and pale blue/grey tails. I hope those birds come back again. I tried to take a picture but my camera's zoom isn't powerful enough.

Learning something new

Last week one of my English classes changed into a flower arranging lesson! One of the members is studying to be a flower arranging teacher, and everyone else asked to teach us how to make a simple arrangement - in English!!!




M-san's class was really easy to follow. She had prepared a handout with the basic design, and after we finished that part, she said "Now you can add flowers as you like". I was happy with this idea because we could make our own original designs.

It was interesting because even though we had the same flowers, everyone's arrangment was a little different to the others. What do you think of mine? (It was my first try ...)



Flower arranging is quite relaxing so that night I made another arrangement at home to use up the flowers I had left over.

By the way, the very small pink flowers you can see are called 'wax flowers' and they are from an Australian native bush.