Barbeques

I think that having a barbecue with friends is one of the best ways to spend an afternoon, and fall is barbeque season. Here is a list of some of my favorite barbecue words:


ホタテ　　　　Scallop
豚バラ　 Back Ribs
カルビ　 Short Ribs
焼きそば Fried Noodles
網で焼く　 To Grill
網　　　　 Grill
さんま　 Mackerel Pike
ニンニク　　　Garlic
焼肉たれ　 Barbecue Marinade/ Sauce
なす　　 Eggplant
トウモロコシ　Corn on the Cob
カボチャ　 Pumpkin


What are your favorite barbecue foods or cooking techniques(調理法）?
Why don't leave a comment?

Tokyo Skyscrapers

Tokyo is famous for its skyscrapers (超高層). I always think that Shinjuku looks really funny when you see it from a distance (遠くから) because many parts of Tokyo are very flat, and then you see all the skyscrapers in one small area.
Recently (最近), I found an interesting video on the internet. There is a photographer who has been taking pictures of the same scene (景色) every day for many years.







Click here to see all the Shinjuku skyscrapers being built in 20 seconds.
 
Here are some skyscraper photos that I took recently.



-Ed

A Student's Blog

One of my students is a blogger. She writes every day about many topics (話題）, including (含まれている） cooking, F1, and interesting shops, restaurants and bars. She usually writes in Japanese, but I asked her if she would like to write in English sometimes. She has many friends abroad (海外で） so it would be nice for them to read about her life. It's also a nice way to study English. She has started writing in English, and I think it is a good way to study. Please visit her blog if you have time. The URL is: http://ameblo.jp/pa-ko930/
 If you are an AtoZ student and would like to write a blog, please ask your teacher and we will be happy to check your English for you during the lesson! - Ed

Use your Ipod to study English for free!

 If you have an iPod, you can get free English listening lessons from the Internet. It's really easy. First, you need iTunes. You can download it from http://www.apple.com/jp/itunes/download/. Here is how to download a free podcast:
1. Click on iTunes store.

2. Click on "Podcasts"

3. Click on 教育

4. Choose a podcast

You can also use the search （検索) function （機能):

Here are some good podcasts to search for:
英語リスニング.com (easy)
The Nikkei Weekly Interview (business)
CNN News Update (advanced)

-Ed

Sendai

A few weeks ago I went to Sendai for summer vacation. It was the actually the first time I had ever traveled north of the Kanto area. I stayed with friends, went to the beach, and had barbeques with lots of cow tongue (牛タン） and watermelon smashing　（スイカ割り）! But my favorite part of the trip was the beautiful rivers. In this picture is a big waterfall (滝）. I went swimming in the pool underneath it (滝つぼ).　The water was so clean and there were even a few people swimming around trying to spear fish(やりで魚を捕まえる) for dinner. It was really nice to get out of the city and I want to go back to Tohoku again. - Derek

引越し

 This is my new apartment in Ayase. I'm going to move (引っ越す） in October. This is a big excitement in my life because I'm sick of  (飽き飽き) commuting （通勤) for almost 3 hours every day.
 We found a very big apartment. It's 63 (平方) square meters and has four rooms. It's 12-minutes' walk (徒歩12分）from the station, but it has no key money (礼金）, agent's fee (手数料), or renewal fee (更新料）. We had to pay a 3-month deposit (敷金）, but all but one month is refundable (返済できる).
 My new apartment is near Nezu, so I hope I will be able to ride my bicycle to work! - Ed

One-legged dancer

Do you ever feel depressed (落ち込んでいる） about learning English? Maybe you have some handicap for learning. Maybe you're old or forgetful (忘れっぽい）. Maybe you're busy at work. Maybe you're not good at (得意） reading.. But if you really try, you can do anything. If you watch this video, you might be really surprised. It's a man with only one leg who can dance Salsa. If he can dance Salsa, you can learn English!

Click here to watch the video!

-Ed