Ume Plum Blossom Viewing & Picnic @ Osaka Castle Park

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get a chance to see the Ume Blossoms outside Osaka Castle.
I went to an International Picnic in the park around the castle.

(here is a very bad photo of Osaka Castle)

Ume is the Japanese word for Plum.

Ume Plum Blossoms were actually once more preferred than the Sakura Blossoms in the Nara Period (8th century), while Sakura only gained popularity from the Heian Period (794-1185)
Ume Plum Blossom bloom through out Japan from february to March.

Spring is not too far away.



The Picnic was organised by an international group "We are One" , they organise parties in Kyoto and Osaka for the Japanese and international community.

Here are a few photos from the Party.







More Ume Blossoms.

The Party people :D

There were people of many nationalities at this event. I met people from Japan ,Spain , Switzerland , China , Indonesia , Germany and many more.
There were such nice people at the event.I only wish the world could get a long as well as these people.

Our Uniqueness is what make us the same :D


Thanks to everybody who asked me about the Christchurch Earthquake. My family live in Auckland which is at the other end of the country.

"Engrish" Japanese English.

I have found a few examples of strange English while shopping in Japan.


"Is your tooth clean?" This toothbrush set must be for people with only 1 tooth?

I think they mean "Are your teeth clean?"

This second photo I took at a clothes store.

What is wrong with this photo? I will give you a hint.

"leather Jacket , chicken wings , wooden table...."



This should say "Woman's leggings" as they are for women..not made from women :D

I will post a few more photos soon. I always find new examples of strange Japanese English.

It is cold in Japan

This winter seems colder than last winter.


It snowed yesterday in Osaka yesterday.I have never
seen snow sitting on the ground during the day until this winter.
I took these photos around 1pm.
.
These are views from my apartment building.

I enjoy the snow as it does not snow in the city where I am from.

This is a photo of my poor car.(Poor meaning かわいそ/可哀想）It looks so sad and cold.

I am from Auckland New Zealand.It does snow there but
not in Auckland.
The seasons are the opposite of Japan so Christmas is in Summer.
We usually have barbecues or go to the beach for Christmas.

Stay warm everybody.

Last years Christmas Party.This years Valentines party

Here is a photo from the Christmas party we held on the 25th of December 2010.

It was a great party.About 20 people came to the party but some were camera shy.
They did not want to appear in the photo.

We ate , spoke English , played bingo and had a great time.

This February 19th we will do a late Valentines party.
It will be a Dessert buffet.If you like chocolate ,sweets and want to make new friends you should come along .

The price is ￥1500 including a light dinner , non alcoholic drinks and dessert.
The theme is Saints and Sinners if you want to dress up.(You might win something)



I hope to see you there.

For more details contact me via my homepage.

〒566-0043

大阪府摂津市一津屋1-19-5

ロイヤルコート1Ｆ

TEL：090-2706-3446

Email:admin@step-learning.jp

http://www.step-learning.jp

"Halloween Party" 31 October 2010

This year has gone so fast , soon it will be Christmas.

I do social events at my Eikaiwa Studio every week and here are some photos
from my Halloween Party


22 People came to the Party .It was a good chance to practice English, eat
and have a fun evening




There was a very "interesting" mix of costumes.




The lady 3rd from the left won our best costume prize.
She won a bottle of Wine and some chocolates.



My wife and Ryan the Giant Pumpkin Man ? I don't know exactly
what his costume was but it was great.



Sneaky Paparazzi (Italian word for photojournalists)



I want to thank everybody who helped make the evening a good one.
Miki Knight Manami Kakimoto , Hidemi Igari and Nami Ishikawa.Without your help
the night would not have been possible.

I plan to hold costume Parties once a month because everybody had such a great time.
November is difficult as I can't think of a theme.

If anybody in Osaka wants to practice English , study English or meet new people you
should check out http://www.step-learning.jp/ We have weekly events,Cafe lessons
and Eikaiwa lessons in Minami Settsu Osaka.

"Games Night" update

Hello everybody.

Games Night is becoming popular. We have had 3 successful Games nights so far.

Last week was the first event with our new Dart board.

Here are some photos of our Games Night events.

Enjoy


Playing a board game called "Risk"




"Bulls Eye".This means 100 points.

Me

Some Great people from America, India, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand (me)

If you want to speak English and have fun , come along on Friday nights at 7:30pm
Email me first please :D So I can prepare Snacks and drinks.

Step Eikaiwa is now open!

Step Eikaiwa in Minami Settsu has now opened for business.

Come and have a free Trial lesson!

We are open from 10am to 10pm Monday to Saturday.

Game night is Friday night. If you enjoy speaking English and playing board games
Come join us. It is only 750 yen including coffee and snacks.

Our first game night is Friday 30 of July from 7pm

Email admin@step-learning.jp for details.

Eikaiwa Studio

Step Learning Eikaiwa Studio coming soon!

Teacher Introduction.

Today I would like to introduce and welcome Patrick Eckl.
今日は新しい先生のパトリック・エクルを紹介したいと思います。



He is a Dutch conversational teacher.
彼はオランダ語の先生です。
The following are his words in Dutch and English:
以下は彼のオランダ語と英語のコメントです。

Zes jaar geleden reiste ik naar Japan om Japans te studeren.

Six years ago I traveled to Japan to study Japanese.
６年前に日本語を勉強するために日本へ来ました。

Nadat ik de taalcursus had afgerond, reiste ik van Hokkaido naar Okinawa.

After I finished the language course, I traveled from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
日本語学科コースを終えた後、北海道から沖縄まで旅をしました。

Ik maakte veel Japanse vrienden.

I made many Japanese friends.
私はたくさんの日本人の友達を作りました。

Sommigen wilden Nederlandse woorden en uitdrukkingen leren.

Some of them wanted to learn Dutch words and expressions　so I taught them.
その内の何人かはオランダ語や文章を習いたかったので、彼らに教えました。

Ik vond het erg leuk om hen les te geven!

I really enjoyed teaching them!
彼らに教えることは本当に楽しかった！

Nu wil ik jou graag Nederlandse les geven.

So now I would like to teach you Dutch.
だからこそ、今私はあなたにオランダ語を教えたいのです。

Als je een paar uitdrukkingen kent, ga je meer plezier in Nederland hebben!

If you know some expressions, you will have more fun in the Netherlands!
もしあなたがいくつかのオランダ語を知っていたら、オランダ語をもっと楽しむことができるでしょう！

Nederlanders houden van andere culturen.

Dutch people love different cultures.
オランダ人は違う文化を好みます。

Ze zullen het waarderen dat je probeert te communiceren in hun taal.

If you go to The Netherlands they will appreciate that you are trying to communicate in their language.
もしあなたがオランダへ行って、あなたがオランダ語でコミュニケーションをとったら、彼らはあなたに感謝するでしょう。

Nederlands is een taal die vrij ruw klinkt.

Dutch is a language that sounds quite harsh.
オランダ語の発音はきつく聞こえます。

Nederlanders drukken gevoelens en meningen in een directe manier uit.

Dutch people express feelings and opinions in a direct way.
オランダ人は感情と意見を直接表現します。

Dit maakt het eigenlijk makkelijker voor je.

This makes it actually easier for you.
実はこれがあなたにとってわかりやすいことなのです。

Je hoeft je geen zorgen te maken dat je iemand aanvalt of beledigt.

You don't have to worry that you might offend or insult someone.
誰かに不快感や侮辱を与えてしまうかもなんてことは心配無用です。

Maak je asjeblieft geen zorgen.

Please do not worry.
どうか心配しないで下さい。

Ik weet hoe moeilijk het is om een nieuwe taal te leren.

I know how difficult it is to learn a new language.
新しい言語を習うことがどんなに難しいことかは、私がよく知っています。

Daarom weet ik hoe belangrijk het is om alledaagse woorden en uitdrukkingen te leren.

That is why I know how important it is to learn common words and expressions.
だからこそ、共通の言葉と文章を習うことがどんなに大切なことかを知っています。

Doe je best, je kunt het!

Go for it, you can do it!
頑張って、あなたならできます！

スペイン語は日本語に似ている

こんにちは、私はパコです、ＳＴＥＰ-ＬＥＡＲＮＩＮＧカフェ英会話のスペイン語の先生の一人です。どうぞよろしくお願いします。Ｅｎｃａｎｔａｄｏ！



スペイン語は日本人にとって英語より勉強しやすくて、楽しいと思っています。なぜかと言うと、発音はよく似ているからです。



したがって、たくさんのスペイン語の言葉は日本語と同じ発音ですけど、意味はまったく違いますので、とても面白いです。



例えば、スペイン語で，”Ｖａｃａ”という言葉があります。日本語の”馬鹿”と同じ読み方で、スペイン語で意味は”牛”です。



私は，スペインに”Ｖａｃａ”という名字の友達がいます。その友達は、日本に興味を持っていますから、昔日本に来ました。日本のホテルでチェックインの時”馬鹿様と呼ばれました。



”Ａｂｏｇａｄｏ”という言葉もあります。弁護士という意味です。いつか弁護士を食べたことがありますか。



最後に、日産モコという日本メーカー生産されている車があります。その車はスペインで未だ売っていないのに、もうスペインではとても有名です。



なぜなら、モコはスペイン語で”鼻水”という意味だからです。



スペイン語は面白そうじゃありませんか。一緒にＳＴＥＰ-ＬＥＡＲＮＩＮＧカフェ英会話で勉強しませんか。



!Hola! me llamo Paco, y soy uno de los profesores de español de "ＳＴＥＰ-ＬＥＡＲＮＩＮＧカフェ英会話". !Encantado!



El español, comparado con el inglés, es mucho más fácil y divertido de estudiar para los japoneses, pues la pronunciación del español y del japonés son muy parecidas.



Por eso, hay también muchísimas palabras que se pronuncian igual en ambos idiomas pero el significado es totalmente distinto.



Por ejemplo, en español existe la palabra "vaca", que se pronuncia igual que la palabra japonesa "馬鹿". Pero en español significa igual que la palabra japonesa "牛".



Tengo un amigo japonés que se llama de apellido Vaca, y que como está interesado en las cosas japonesas, vino una vez a Japón, y cada vez que se alojaba en un hotel, era llamado por el recepcionista "馬鹿様”que significa "Señor Tonto".



"Abogado", en español significa "弁護士”.¿Has probado alguna vez comer a un abogado en la ensalada?


Y para finalizar, últimamente ha salido el coche japonés "Nissan Moco". Ese coche ya tiene bastante popularidad en España aunque sólo se vende en Japón.



Si te apetece estudiar más español, por qué no lo aprendemos juntos en tu café preferido, en ＳＴＥＰ-ＬＥＡＲＮＩＮＧカフェ英会話.

Blog かいた　ひと　は　Paco さん