Nick’s DLS 英会話 Blog

After talking to a Japanese man about Abashiri, I learnt some new things about Hokkaido.  I know there is a prison in Abashiri but I didn’t realize that prisoners built a lot of the roads in Hokkaido years ago.  He went to Abashiri to see the drift ice.  The ice comes from a river in Russia and carries with it many nutrients.  These nutrients are deposited int he sea around Abashiri, making it a productive place for sea-life.  Talking of the sea-life in Japan, I have always been amazed at the small “angel-like” creatures that live in the very cold sea around Hokkaido.  I have seen them close-up in the chocolate factory in Sapporo.  Well, as I look out of my window today,  I see it is still snowing, bu it is wet snow and is melting quickly.  I feel spring is in the air…

Many Japanese people tell me about the festivals in Japan so I thought I would write about one of the festivals in England.

Guy Fawkes night is also known as Bonfire night or Firework Night.  It is celebrated every year on November 5th.

On November 5th 1605, Guy Fawkes (who was a member of the gunpowder plot) was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had planted under the House of Lords.  Celebrating the fact that King James I survived an attempt on his life, fires were lit around London.  A few months later an act was enforced and an annual public holiday was introduced because of the plots failure.

On Firework Night, bonfires are often made, and a ‘Guy’ is sometimes made.  The ‘Guy’ represents Guy Fawkes and is usually a doll made of straw stuffed into old clothes.  The Guy is usually placed on top of the bonfire, to be burnt.  Fireworks are set off around England on Firework Night.

Merry Christmas Everybody!  I hope you had a good Christmas.  Coming from England, for me Christmas is a smaller and quieter event here in Japan.  Still, I enjoyed the festive season.  Also, right now, it is snowing quite heavily, as I write this blog in my apartment.  It’s a nice feeling to be in a warm place and see the snow falling outside.  I feel that that the air is cleaner after snowfall in Sapporo.

Enjoy Christmas and Happy New Year!

This is an animal I occasionally saw when I was living in England.  They are shy and look a little bit like a small dog.  When I was a student I went on a badger-watch.  A group of us went and sat in the woods before dusk.  We sat very quietly for about an hour.  Just as it was getting dark, these animals came out of holes in the ground.  It was probably the nearest I have been to them.

Something I don’t think you can find in Japan, the hedgehog.  When I was living in England, I often saw hedgehogs in summer.  They are shy, and If you approach them, they curl up into a ball.  Unfortunately, many are run-over by traffic on roads.

I have been watching with great interest and passion, the 2011 Rugby World Cup.  One thing that really stands out for me is the refereeing.  Compared to football there is almost no answering back, no arguing and no contesting of decisions made by the referees or line judges.  This is really refreshing to see.  In football, I don’t really know why players contest decisions anyway, how many times do you see a player contest a decision with the referee and then the referee change his mind?!  Almost never, right!  Well, so far I believe it has been a very exciting World Cup.  I think New Zealand will win it and South Africa (If they don’t play each other earlier) will be runners-up.

Well, it’s another World Cup.  I think it is always a very exciting tournament with most of the best football players in the world.  It was interesting to see Maradona last night, a real character.  Unfortunately England slipped up against the USA and drew 1 each.  It was a goalkeeping error.  Spain, who are the favourites, lost their game against Switzerland.  The World Cup is always full of surprises!  Japan did well to beat Cameroon but they are in a tough group and play Holland next, who are a very strong team.  If you have been watching the World Cup, enjoy it, it only comes around every four years!

With the start of the Winter Olympics, my mind drifted back to my childhood, when the first British competitor to represent Great Britain in ski jumping took part in the 1988 Calgary winter Olympics.  His real name was Michael Edwards and he was the world number nine in amateur speed skiing (106.8mph) (I didn’t even know there was such a thing!) and the stunt jumping world record holder (10 cars/ 6 buses).

Eddie finished last in both the 70m and 90m events….

I have just returned from a trip to the Philippines.  An interesting country.  I was surprised that most people speak English very well.  On Philippine TV, they switch between Tagalog and English.  January is part of the dry season.  I played golf but the dry course was difficult for me.  Fresh fruit is very good in the Philippines.  Most people were friendly towards me.  All in all, a good trip, though it is more dangerous than Japan.

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had an enjoyable New Year break.

I want to write a little about New Year in England.  It is a very big event based around the countdown 10 seconds before 12am, and the first day of the new year.  Most people either go to a house party, a club, a restaurant or a pub.  Wherever you may be, there is bound be a lot of alcohol, a lot of people, and a lot of noise!

Fireworks are a big part of New Years eve in the UK.  Some people even build bonfires to stay warm outside while they are watching the fireworks.  I always remember a a New Year’s eve spent at a high-school friends house.  He actually used an empty oil drum to build the bonfire in.  The flames got so big, he almost set fire to his garden fence!  That would have been one big surprise for his neighbour!

Anyway, whatever you did over New Years eve, I hope you enjoyed it, and I wish you all the best for 2010!