Year: 2019

It is the nashi season here, in New Zealand, now. Have you heard about nashi before? Nashi means pear, but when Japanese people say nashi, normally it means something different from the fruit New Zealand people would imagine. 今、ニュージーランドは、なしのおいしい季節[きせつ](= season)です。なし、知っていますか。なしは英語にするとPEARです。日本人が考えるなしは、ニュージーランド人が考えるPEARと多分[たぶん](= probably)違[ちが]います。 The following two pictures both show pear, but the first one is Japanese nashi […]

Another food consumed particularly around this time of year, which I should mention, is hot cross buns. This is, needless to say, is related to Easter. Hot cross buns are eaten not only in New Zealand but also many places across the world. I like to bake hot cross buns too! By the way, I […]

Do you know what those are in the above photo? 上の写真[しゃしん]、何かわかりますか。 These are ANZAC biscuits; I baked them as it was ANZAC Day yesterday (25 April). ANZAC Day is very important here, in New Zealand and the commemoration ceremony was held across the country yesterday. You can eat ANZAC biscuits anytime but the day strongly […]

You can order flatwhite and latte in Japan. A difference between New Zealand flatwhite/latte and Japanese flatwhite/latte you can find is a pattern drawn on the top of coffee. The above photo was taken in Japan. You can guess which month I had this coffee there! 日本でも、フラットホワイトやラッテを飲むことができます。ニュージーランドと違[ちが]うのは、日本のコーヒーではいろいろな絵[え]をかいてくれることです。上の写真のコーヒーは日本で飲みました。何月[なんがつ](= which month)にこのコーヒーを飲んだか、、、想像[そうぞう]できます(= can guess)よね！

Coffee is popular and prevalent in New Zealand as well as Japan. But Japanese coffee culture seems to be slightly different from that of New Zealand. 日本でもニュージーランドでもコーヒーは人気[にんき]があります。でも、日本のコーヒー文化[ぶんか](= culture)とニュージーランドのそれは少[すこ]し(= slightly)違[ちが]う(= different)ようです。 To me, it seems that flatwhite is particularly popular in New Zealand. In Japan, on the other hands, tasty filter coffee served at some sort […]

It is autumn in New Zealand and it is spring in Japan – yes, it is the cherry blossom season there! People in Japan do ‘hanami’, blossom viewing picnic; they enjoy obento (= box lunch), beer and so on under/near the beautiful trees. You can see beautiful cherry blossom in September in New Zealand but […]

So have you managed to find answer to the question I threw yesterday ‘what are they’? 昨日の質問「これは何ですか」の答えがわかりましたか。 The answer is – sakadaru. This is a barrel for sake, Japanese rice wine (you can see sake in the barrel in the above photo)! 答えは酒樽[さかだる](= sake barrel)です。酒[さけ]を入れる入れ物です。上の写真[しゃしん]の樽[たる](= barrel)の中にお酒が見えますよね?

The above photo is from yesterday’s (26 March 2019) New Zealand Herald. Do you know what they are? 昨日、3月26日のニュージーランド・ヘラルド紙ですが、上のような写真ものっていました。これ、なんだかわかりますか。

Have you looked at today’s (26 March 2019) New Zealand Herald? The Travel sections show all sorts of info on Japan! They are about Tokyo, Kobe and what to do in Japan etc. There is a big ad on a trip to Japan there! It must be because of #RWC2019 ! 今日、3月26日ののニュージーランド・ヘラルド紙[し]を見ましたか。日本への旅行の記事[きじ](= article)がいっぱいです！　東京[とうきょう]について、神戸[こうべ]について、日本でするべきことなどなど。旅行[りょこう]代理店[だいりてん](= travel agency)による大きな日本旅行の広告[こうこく](= […]