☆ Dangerous Typhoon Experiences

夏と言えば台風！
今日はクリスティーナが
始めて日本で経験した
台風の話をしてくれます。

Have you ever experienced a dangerous typhoon
season in Japan? I imagine many people
reading this blog would have some very
interesting stories to share!
In the year 2000, I remember going jogging and
looking up at the dark, gray sky. I was wondering
why not many people were driving and noone was
walking. Suddenly, it became voraciously windy
and I could feel my body almost flying off the
ground! The next day when arriving at work,
everyone started to exclaim about the "really
bad typhoon last night", then I realized I had
experienced my first dangerous typhoon. I started
laughing at how crazy I was for exericising in
such scary weather.

voraciously-とどまることを知らない
（辞書で調べると「どん欲な・飽くことを知らない」となっています。ここでは"voraciously windy"なので、とどまることを知らないくらい風が激しいというような意味合いですね。）
exclaim-叫ぶ

確かに台風を知らなければ、
ただ一時の暴風雨かと思いますよね。
でもそんな雨と風の中ジョギングに行くなんて
クリスティーナは自分のプランを崩さない
しっかり者です！(^o~)b

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

☆ Many famous Japanese brands

今までブログで取り上げて
きたもの以外でも日本の
有名なブランドは
沢山ありますね。

There are so many Japanese brands
to choose from, so I thought I would
name some that quickly come
to my mind as I am writing this. Here they are:
Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic, Nissan, Honda, Suzuki, etc.
These brands are popular because people realize
they are made well and last longer than other brands.
It is difficult to choose my favorite brand because
I admire them all for their excellent, efficient and
convenient professionalism. Many people think
Japanese can make products better. Japanese are
good at improving things.
Everyone knows these brands and at some point
in their life they have used them, including myself.

efficient-効率的な、効率の良い

私がアメリカの大学で日本史のクラスを取ったとき、
先生が「日本人は発明はできないが、発明された製品を
改良するのにはすぐれている。」と言っていました。
これからも、頑張って日本のブランドを有名にして
もらいたいですね♪

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

Dan: "I don't care about fashion or buying the latest products, how about you?"

Kelly: "I think it's important to keep up to date."

Dan: "But don't you think it is a waste of time and money? Brand names are all about buying the latest products, they cost a lot of money. "

Kelly: "No, it's not a waste of money, because when you think about it, we help many businesses by buying the products."

Dan: "To me, it's like saying 'out with the old, in with the new' every year! It seems like a waste of time."

Kelly: "It is fun trying new products, Dan, you should try them."

Dan: "Hmmmm...may be..."

! ネイルワークショップ

先週行われたネイルワークショップ。
おかげさまで参加してくださった皆様には
とても好評でした。

ベラの講師クリスティーナが
爪のケアの仕方から塗り方まで、
丁寧に教えてくれました。
英語の勉強にもなって
とても良かったですよ♪

↑ワークショップの様子

↑出来上がったネイル

参加して下さった皆様、ありがとうございました。
今回は参加出来なかった方も、また機会がありましたら
是非参加してくださいね♪

☆ Shiseido success

日本の化粧メーカーといえば？
私の脳裏には、まず資生堂が浮かびます。
海外でも資生堂は有名なのですね。

Shiseido has been described by many
as the largest cosmetics and skin care
product maker in Japan. It is now world
famous. But Shiseido not only produces
those particular items, but also hair care
products, skin care products, pharmaceuticals,
etc. There are products for both men and
women to choose from.
Shiseido is friendly for women working at
the company. It has flexible time for working
mothers to be able to work and also take
care of their children. Shiseido company
is also creative and has produced products
that help reduce the age of skin by 10 years!
At the moment Shiseido shampoo 'Tsubaki'
is a great hit in Japan and now the company
has become a popular shampoo maker.
I am very interested in using Shiseido hair
products to see if they are good for my hair type.

describe-表現する、評する
pharmaceuticals-医薬品、薬事

資生堂は女性に嬉しい製品を作るだけでなく、
資生堂で働く女性にも優しいのですね♪
安心して働ける職場からは、良い製品が沢山
生まれてくるのかもしれません。

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

☆ Toyota

今日はトヨタのお話です。
創設者の名字が
そのまま社名になっている
ところは多いですが、
トヨタはその代表例ですね。

Toyota Motor Corporation is extremely popular
in the USA, Europe, Africa and Australia, as well
as Japan. The company was founded in 1933.
An interesting point to make is, that it's also
the only place in Japan to be named after a
Japanese family name. The Toyota family were
the founders of the Toyota company and that is
how a place was also named after them in Japan.
Toyota is popular in Australia because it is
professionally designed and made to suit
the environment. People in western countries want to
buy vehicles that don't take much gas, so Toyota is
good because the design helps save the cost of gas.
It is also a smooth car to drive in the busy city!

土地の広い海外では、車を使う頻度が
日本とは比べものにならないくらいです。
その点で、燃費の良い車は海外で
人気があるのですね。
ガソリン代が高騰している今、
燃費の良い車が売れるのかもしれません。

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

Dan: "Hey Kelly, how are you doing? How's the fitness club?"

Kelly: "Hey Dan, I'm ok."

Dan: "You don't sound ok, Kelly. You sound like you're running on empty."

Kelly: "Well, actually you're right, Dan. I do feel kind of tired."

Dan: "Why Kelly?"

Kelly: "I guess it's because I've been working out every day at the fitness club, and twice on the weekends, and I haven't been able to rest much!"

Dan: "You need to take a break from exercising so much, Kelly. You need to re-charge your batteries - gain more energy and have a more balanced exercise work-out."

☆ Sony Building in Ginza

今日から４回は
日本の有名な会社に関してです。
１回目はソニーです♪
始めてウォークマンを
手にしたときの事を覚えていますか？
Christinaがその時のことを
書いてくれました♪

When foreigners come to Japan they usually visit
the Sony Corporation (Sony Building in Ginza),
because it's so famous. Sony's electronic products
are extremely popular - especially during the 1980s
when Sony produced the world's first 'Walkman'
and also created a new English word!
Since that time, Sony has grown more successful.
They now produce MD and CD products, video
equipment, DVD players, digital players, etc.
I remember when I was a child and the new
Sony Walkman came to Australia! It was so
exciting and I was the first kid in the neighborhood
to have one. My friends were really surprised to
see such a product. Sony has touched the lives
of millions of people all over the world, including mine!

equipment-装置、備品、器具

ソニーと言えば、海外にも広く名を知られた
日本を代表する会社ですね。
日本の会社が、こうして海外に住む人達の
記憶に鮮明に残るなんて、少し嬉しいです♪
こうした生活用品からでも
日本に興味をもってくれたらいいですね。

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

☆ Japanese universities

今回は教育についての最終回。
大学についてです。
日本とオーストラリアでの大学生活、
かなり違うようです！

Many Japanese students have traditionally
considered their university time to be more
social than academic. These days the
demand for graduate education is increasing.
This is because of globalization, which
started in the mid 1990s. When I was at
university in Australia it was a serious time
for me. I did a double major and submajor,
so there was lots of researching, reading
and writing to do. The university teachers
in Australia expect their students to
study at least 10 hours per week on each
subject. Exams are extremely competitive
and stressful too. Not everyone graduates
from university in Australia. There is a high
drop-out rate of students in their first year,
in the first semester.

demand-要求、需要
globalization-国際化
major-専攻
semester-学期

日本と海外の大学では
生徒の生活がだいぶ違うようですね。
オーストラリアでは勉強が大変なようです。

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

Dan: "Why are you making such a big fuss about graduating this semester, Kelly? It's not as if you are the first person to ever graduate in the world!"

Kelly: "True, but I want to be a wise old owl like Professor Thompson."

Dan: "You've got to be kidding? That professor treats his students as though they are a flock of sheep, not wise old owls."

Kelly: "No he doesn't Dan. He just understands that we need to study hard to get a good job. I think wanting to be a wise owl is good, because it means that you are going to be intelligent."

Dan: "Do you seriously think all that study is going to pay off, Kelly?"

Kelly: "Yes, I do. Most graduates get better pay than non-graduates, Dan."

Dan: "May be I shouldn't drop out of my university class?"

Kelly: "I think that is a good idea, Dan. You may live to regret it if you do."

☆ Japanese future education system

今回は日本の独特な
教育システムについてです。
昔の教育は、暗記がほとんどでしたが
最近では考えさせる学習法が
広まっていますね。
少し内容が難しいですが、
頑張って読んでみて下さい。

Traditionally, Japanese education has
a centralized uniform curriculum.
Now there is much concern that
the system needs to become
more flexible. Harmony and
uniformity and learning by
memorization is now being slowly
replaced with more emphasis on
being an individual and being creative.
The introduction of higher level
thinking is still being considered as
a new educational method.
Some parents would like an
alternative (a choice) instead of
sending their children to school,
some parents would like to be
able to have home education for
their children. Japanese students
spend at least six weeks longer
in school each year than
American students or Australian
students.
Also, classrooms and the way
texts are written are very different
in Japan. Classrooms in both the
USA and Australia are utilized
with lots of posters, books, and
different parts of the room have
displays such as plants. Texts
are usually changd every 3 or
4 years and they cater for the
mindset of young people's
generation.
These days spekaing English
has beocme one important part
of all students learning in Japan.

日本と海外では、教育法も
実際の教室の様子も
違いがあるようですね。

traditionally-伝統的に
centralize-〜を中心に集める、中央集権化する
curriculum-カリキュラム
concern-関心事、重大事
flexible-融通の利く
harmony-調和、一致
uniformity-一様であること、均一性
memorization-暗記
emphasis-強調
individual-個性
creative-想像力
alternative-二者択一
instead of-〜の代わりに
utilize-利用する、役立たせる
cater-（要望、要求に）応ずる
mindset-心的態度、考え方

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

☆ Cram schools for highschool students

今回は日本の塾についてです。
大学受験に備えて、ほとんどの高校生は塾へ通っていますね。
海外の方にとってはめずらしい光景なのでしょう。

Entering a high-ranked highschool increases
a student's chance of admission to a good
university. Over half of Japanese junior high
students attend private cram schools
(or juku) to supplement their examination
preparations. Cram schools are open in the
evenings and on Saturdays, sometimes
they are open in the afternoon. During
holidays such as Obon week, cram schools
are also open. Most highschool students
are involved in clubs and sports activities
after school as well. But by the second
grade they stop participating in clubs
and when they reach the third grade they
attend cram school instead. I think cram
schools can be very helpful and useful
for students, we don't have cram schools
in Australia for any grade or level.

increase-増加する
admission-入学
attend-出席する
cram school-塾
supplement-補足
examination-試験
preparation-準備
involve-関係する（この場合は部活に属するということ）

アメリカでは、高校生まではあまり勉強しないようですが
大学ではすごく勉強熱心になります。
日本は逆に、大学に入ると遊ぶイメージがありますね。
最近ではほとんどの小学校高学年は塾へ行っているようです。

By Christina
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ

Kelly: "Did you like high school, Dan?"

Dan: "No, not really. I don't think I learned much. In fact, I think I learned more when I left high school, got a job and began earning my own money."

Kelly: "Really? I think going to school was the best days of my life."

Dan: "Many people are fortunate enough to say that, Kelly. But for me, I honestly think I learned more from the hard knocks of life than from high school."

Kelly: "Hmmm...you mean your life's experiences were more educational than high school?"

Dan: "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Sometimes high school can't teach you about how to survive in the world, like the school of hard knocks does!"

By Christina

☆ Iron Chef - 2 (The Iron Chef Returns)

Blakeのブログ第二弾です。
前回に引き続き、「料理の鉄人」のお話。
オーストラリアではユーモアなＴＶ番組が多いんですね。

"Iron Chef" returned to the small screens of
Australian TV the other week. It had been
off-air for about six weeks. With it's return
came a new TV commercial for a stir-fry sauce.
The commercial parodies "Iron Chef".
In the cooking competition that takes place
during the commercial, the challenger chef
uses a jar of stir-fry sauce instead of slaving
over a hot stove like the Iron Chef.
In the end, the judges unanimously vote
the challenger the winner, commenting on
how good his sauce was. Naturally,
the Iron Chefs shake their heads in disagreement.

「料理の鉄人」はＣＭでパロディ化されるほど
有名なんですね。

Parodies are popular in TV commercials in Australia.
At the moment, reality TV shows are quite popular.
One called Big Brother is on everyday. It features
live coverage of a share house of young adults.
It is a real-life version of the Jim Carrey movie
"The Truman Show". One difference though is that
the people in the Big Brother house are there
voluntarily, lured by the chance to win money
and prizes. Although reality shows are quite
popular, I miss the days of dramas.

実は日本でもリアルライフを題材にした
番組は少なくないですよね。
オーストラリアと日本では
面白いと思うＴＶ番組の趣向が
似ているのかもしれません。

return-戻る、復帰する
off-air-放送中でない
stir-fry - 炒め物
parody-パロディ化する
competition-競争、試合
take place-行われる
jar-瓶、かめ
instead of- 〜の代わりに
slave over-過酷な状況の中で働く
unanimously-満場一致で
vote-投票する
comment-コメントする、批評する
feature-描く、特集を組む
coverage-報道、取材、放送
share-共有
voluntarily-自発的に
lure-引きつける

By Blake
日本語解説ーベラスタッフ