The cats' apartment

I promised some of you that I would take pictures of the cats' apartment, and here it is!

Recently in the day time I put it by the patio window in the kitchen that looks out onto the small Japanese garden. (Unfortunately that view is also the veranda where we hang our laundry this season, so please forgive the towels and clothes that you can see hanging in some pictures later.)

Dusty inside on the second floor, Kuro on top, Dusty attacking Kuro, pushing each other on top, and ...

Sitting nicely together. (A rare thing.)

Side view, front view, and an inside view with Makurokurosuke peeping out!

By the way, the apartment is for both cats. Therefore, I have to write the cats' apartment. The apostrophe ' is after the S. 

The cats' apartment. = belongs to both cats

The cat's apartment. = belongs to only one cat

Of course in speaking, we don't know where the apostrophe is so you must explain. 

It's the cats' apartment for both cats.

These are my sisters' books, they belong to both sisters, not just one.

and/or/both??? や。。。と

Someone asked me a tough question about the translation of the Japanese 'ya' and 'to'  :(   I think many times it is difficult to translate them easily with simple grammar.

Here are some examples that I will write in English and then put the translations at the bottom.

1. I like Dusty and Kuro. = both

2. You can buy bagels and small cakes at Tsukuba Bagel. = both

3. I can play tennis and badminton. = both (but not at the same time!)

4. Let's eat spaghetti and salad for dinner. = both

5. I went to Ueno, Ginza and Shibuya. = all 3 places, only these places

6. Please catch Dusty and Kuro. = both

7. Please catch Dusty or Kuro. = 1 of them, either is ok

8. Please catch either Dusty or Kuro. = 1 of them, either is okay, nuance is there are also other cats here

9. I will buy bagels or sandwiches for lunch. = only 1, either is ok

10. Do you want spaghetti or pizza for dinner? = only 1, either is ok

11. I want spaghetti and pizza. = both

12. I want both spaghetti and pizza. = both (stronger feeling)

13. Sorry, you can have either spaghetti or pizza. = only 1, (stronger feeling)

14. I went to Ueno, Ginaza, Shibuya, etc. = 3 places plus other places

1. I like Dusty and Kuro. = both

ダスティとクロが好きです。

2. You can buy bagels and small cakes at Tsukuba Bagel. = both

つくばベーグルでは、ベーグルと小さなケーキが買えます。

3. I can play tennis and badminton. = both (but not at the same time!)

私はテニスとバトミントンができます。

私はテニスやバトミントンができます。

4. Let's eat spaghetti and salad for dinner. = both

夕食にはスパゲッティとサラダを食べましょう。

5. I went to Ueno, Ginza and Shibuya. = all 3 places, only these places

上野と銀座と渋谷に行きました。

6. Please catch Dusty and Kuro. = both

ダスティとクロを捕まえてください。

7. Please catch Dusty or Kuro. = 1 of them, either is ok

ダスティかクロを捕まえてください。

8. Please catch either Dusty or Kuro. = 1 of them, either is okay, nuance is there are also other cats here

ダスティかクロを捕まえてください。

9. I will buy bagels or sandwiches for lunch. = only 1, either is ok

昼食にはベーグルかサンドイッチを買います。

10. Do you want spaghetti or pizza for dinner? = only 1, either is ok

夕食はスパゲッティもしくはピザどちらにしますか。

11. I want spaghetti and pizza. = both

スパゲッティとピザが食べたい。

12. I want both spaghetti and pizza. = both (stronger feeling)

スパゲッティとピザの両方が食べたい。

13. Sorry, you can have either spaghetti or pizza. = only 1, (stronger feeling)

すみませんが、スパゲッティかピザどちらか食べれます。

14. I went to Ueno, Ginaza, Shibuya, etc. = 3 places plus other places

上野と銀座と渋谷に行きました。

15. Do you use refill packs for your household cleaners and toiletries?

家庭用洗剤と洗面用洗剤の詰め替えパックを使いますか?

家庭用洗剤や洗面用洗剤の詰め替えパックを使いますか?

In Japanese "to" is clearly a limit of ONLY those things. "ya" means those things plus other things. So "ya" is the same as "etcetera" in English :)  Sometimes we use etc or another word if we really want to show there are more choices, but most of the time it is not necessary.

3. I can play tennis and badminton. = 

私はテニスとバトミントンができます。

私はテニスやバトミントンができます。

Maybe I can play other sports, too, but I am focusing on tennis and badminton. If other sports are important, I can say:

I can play tennis, badminton, etc.

I can play tennis, badminton and some other sports.

Would you like tea and coffee? = both (this is strange English)

Would you like tea or coffee? = only 1

Would you like tea, coffee or something else to drink? = tea is ok, coffee is ok, a different thing is ok

"ya" is really difficult :(   I don't like it in Japanese so I never use it. I only use "to", "ka", "nado", "nanika"
You should read this Japanese page and study kokugo :)  Then you will agree with me that English is MUCH easier!

http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/thsrs/17181/m0u/%E3%82%84/

Introducing .... Baby Boar and Baby Black Pig

Let me introduce Inoshishi-chan and Kurobuta-chan, who are from Miyako Island and came to live at our house last autumn.

Inoshishi-chan is supposed to be for Dusty to play with, and Kurobuta-chan is for Kuro. But Dusty isn't interested in playing, so Kuro plays with both.

He carries them around in his mouth and puts them here and there. In this photo, they are together, where he left them after playing. If you look closely, you can see their noses have become really pointed. He likes to pull on their noses so now their original cute flat pig noses have changed to look like mice :)

Sometimes I will find one or the other on my bed where Kuro left it after playing.

Sakura season, again.

It is almost the start of the cherry blossom season in Tsukuba, but almost the END of the sakura flavored sweets season. (Soon it will change to Boys' Day sweets, such as Kashiwa-mochi).

Here are some sakura things that I enjoyed in early March:

Tea from Lupicia. Black/green/hoji tea with sakura, a sample pack of 2 of each kind. The hoji tea was not so nice, so I don't recommend it.

 'Roll your own' sakura mochi!!! Cherry leaves, red beans and regular rice :)  It might be really, really strange, but it tastes great! You should try it.

Hagendaaz vanilla ice-cream mixed with chopped cherry leaf. Why don't they make sakura ice-cream?

Lunch in Tokyo

Yesterday I had lunch in Tokyo. It was something that had been planned for many months and that I had been looking forward to.

I used to live in Tokyo and I'm familiar with the old downtown districts in Arakawa and Taito Wards. But in these past few years I only go to the metropolis a few times a year. Of course there are many things to do in Tokyo but sometimes too many things and I can never decide which one to choose :) Tsukuba is becoming more and more convenient for shopping so it has been a long time since I needed to go to Tokyo for something I couldn't get here or on the Internet.

I really like the Hibiya Line subway, followed by the Ginza Line. Especially the Hibiya Line stations are in parts of historical Tokyo where you can find things that haven't changed much in decades. Some shops date back to the Edo Period. Yesterday I could use both lines to get to Akasaka-mitsuke -- very modern Tokyo :) And so quiet on a weekend because it is almost all office buildings.

Except for many escalators that were cordoned off and not working (to save electricity) the city was exactly the same as always. For most Tokyoites, life is perfectly normal :)


date back to the Edo Period = are from the Edo Period = were built in the Edo Period


And so quiet = And therefore quiet


Tokyoites = people who live in Tokyo  {---ites, ---ers}