ゆるキャラ Yuru kyara

   先日[せんじつ]、くまモンについて書[か]きました。くまモンのようなPRキャラクターを「ゆるキャラ」とよびます。「キャラ」はキャラクターから、「ゆる」はゆるい、つまり、ゆっくり、リラックスしたようなイメージです。日本[にほん]では、とてもたくさんのゆるキャラがあります。 I wrote about Kumamon the other day. Kumamon is, as I explained there, a PR character for Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. There are so many characters called "Yuru kyara" like Kumamon in Japan; "Yuru" is from yurui meaning loose or relaxed, and "Kyara" is, as you might guess, from the English word: character. […]

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ハミルトンの自然 Beautiful nature in Hamilton

ワイカト大学[だいがく]があるハミルトンは、街[まち]ですけど、いたるところで(= everywhere) 自然[しぜん](= nature)が楽[たの]しめます。今[いま]は夏[なつ]の始[はじ]まりで、あちこちで美[うつく]しい若葉[わかば](= young leaves)が見[み]られます。そして、今朝[けさ]、その若葉[わかば]の中[なか]で際[きわ]立[だ]っていた(= standing out)のは。。。 Hamilton is a city but you can enjoy beautiful nature here. Now it is almost summer here and you can see beautiful young green everywhere. And… this morning there was something standing out in the nature, which was… かわせみです! King fisher!

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FREE Japanese film showing – THIS THURSDAY (November 2012)

As usual, it is no booking required and English sub-titles are there. ALL WELCOME! Thursday 8 November 20127pm | L3 (University of Waikato) | Free Admission Arrietty 「借りぐらしのアリエッティ」115min | 2010 | GDirector: Hiromasa YonebayashiWriter: Hayao MiyazakiStudio Ghibli  Discover a secret world within our own. This is a story of a family of “little”people. Beneath the floorboards […]

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日本の芸術? 3 Japanese arts? 3

これでもうわかりましたね。写真[しゃしん]の中[なか]の女性[じょせい]は、てんぷらを作[つく]っていたのです。もちろん、これは食品[しょくひん]サンプルです。食[た]べられません。これは世界的[せかいてき]に(= internationally)有名[ゆうめい]な(有名[ゆうめい]ですよね?)日本[にほん]の食品[しょくひん]サンプルの芸術[げいじゅつ](= arts)です!!  おいしそうでしょう? Now you know what it is about. Yes, the lady in the photo was making prawn tempura – of course, it is not edible, this is the famous (I think this is famous, isn’t it?) Japanese arts of food model. I am sure you have seen this before. Doesn’t it look […]

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