September 21, 2019　=========

☆  green exercise 自然の元での運動

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Green exercise is the kind of exercise you do when you are out in a natural environment. So, it doesn’t mean running through the streets of a big city, but rather running along paths and trails (or walking and hiking of course!) in green areas, where there is a lot of nature. Green exercise is supposed to have the positive effects of reducing stress and mental fatigue.

Blue exercise has recently become popular too. Blue exercise refers to physical activity that is close to water. Exercising near water can help with anxiety, stress and even help you sleep better.

So, if you are feeling stressed, go forRead more about September 21 – green exercise[…]

September 20, 2019　=========

☆  healing 治療

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Healing (noun) is the process of becoming healthy again. It could mean the healing process of a simple cut or graze from falling, or it could be the healing needed for a more serious injury, such as a broken bone. Or, it can also be used to refer to the healing that someone goes through when a bad situation ends or starts to improve.

Here are some example sentences:

This herb is used because of its healing powers.
Get enough sleep to promote healing.
The healing process is going to take a long time.
Cover the wound with new gauze each morning.

Can you use healing in a sentence?

Bye,

Chris

September 19, 2019　=========

☆  wellness 健康

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Your wellness is how healthy you are, and how well and happy you feel. Here are some examples of how it is used:

The university has established a wellness program for its students.
We need to promote health and wellness.
I try to maintain wellness by eating healthily and exercising often.
She has started going to her local community wellness center.

More and more people are focusing on mental and physical wellness, and the industry is now $4.2 trillion dollars apparently! That sounds like a crazy amount of money, but at least it is money being used to make us healthier!

Bye,

Chris

September 18, 2019　=========

☆  stress ストレス

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So, I have a question for you today. Why is “stress” written in Katakana? Is there an actual word in Japanese (hiragana or kanji) that means stress? Is there some way that it is decided, “Oh, this word should be in Katakana” or “this word should be in hiragana.”?

Or, maybe Japanese people never felt stress until the met English speaking people?! Ha ha! 

If you don’t know the answer, no need to feel stress! I won’t mind. It’s just that I couldn’t find the answer on Google, so I thought I’d check in here with you guys.

Bye,

Chris

September 17, 2019　=========

☆  exertion 大変な努力

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If you exert yourself (a verb) you work physically (or mentally) hard to do something. So, exertion is the noun of this meaning effort, exercise, strain, and struggle for example.

Continuing on from yesterday, about cortisol, when you put in a lot of physical exertion in exercise, the body produces cortisol. So, you might here doctors say, “Exercise, but not too much.” What they mean by that is there is a good level of exertion that will allow your body to be fit and healthy, but not produce too much cortisol.

I’m trying to run more regularly, but without too much exertion, so that I can run longerRead more about September 17 – exertion[…]

September 16, 2019　=========

☆  cortisol （ホルモンの一種）コルチゾール

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As you probably know, cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands in the body. It helps us deal with stressful situations, however, when the level of cortisol in our body stays too high for too long, we can have problems, such as memory loss, tiredness, weight gain, and of course, a feeling of high stress.

Interestingly, some studies have found that cortisol decreases after an activity outdoors. The research showed that people had less cortisol in their system after gardening outdoors, compared to the people who were reading a book indoors. I think this is interesting, because I love reading books, so that wouldRead more about September 16 – cortisol[…]

September 15, 2019　=========

☆  explore 探検する

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As adults, we probably don’t really “play” in nature, as I said the other day. However, I definitely spend time exploring outdoors, how about you?

One way to explore outdoors is to go on a “Nature Scavenger Hunt.” Have you ever heard of this idea? Basically, you go hunting for things in nature. They can be simple things like a flower, butterfly, something straight, something round and so on. Or you can make it more difficult, and look for things that are harder to find, like certain animals or insects.

The idea is to get the kids exploring outdoors and having fun. It doesn’t just have to beRead more about September 15 – explore[…]

September 14, 2019　=========

☆  immerse 熱中させる

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One of the useful phrases this week is, “Immerse yourself in nature.”

Recently, they started a Community Garden at the oval near our house. This means everyone in the community can come and help grow things like vegetables, herbs and fruits. If you want to join, it’s only $10 a year to be a member, and you can join in and help grow things, and just immerse yourself in gardening whenever you want. And of course, when all the fruits and veggies grow, they are yours to share with other members.

It’s a fantastic idea, adults make friends in the community, and kids get to immerse themselves inRead more about September 14 – immerse[…]

September 13, 2019　=========

☆  alleviate （病気などを）癒す

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Being and playing outdoors has many benefits. One of which is that it alleviates stress. Research all the way back in 2003, showed that being in nature, or being surrounded by many natural play areas alleviates stress in children. (Research by Wells & Evans, 2003).

I’m sure that being outdoors in nature can help alleviate stress in adults, too. In fact, we often talk about green therapy, which basically means getting outdoors in nature and surrounding yourself with greenery. This kind of “therapy” has been shown to alleviate depression. Even just a 20-minute walk outdoors in a green space can alleviate depression and a lack of focus…Read more about September 13 – alleviate[…]

September 12, 2019　=========

☆  play  遊ぶ

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Most of the time when we talk about playing outdoors, we are talking about children. Kids play outside, doing unstructured things like I mentioned yesterday, climbing trees, jumping over things, picking up sticks and stones to look at or play pretend sword fights with.

Unfortunately, as we get older, we don’t really tend to play in nature anymore. We do things outdoors, but they are usually structured, or organized, like skiing, or hiking, playing tennis. All of these are great fun and good for us, of course, but what about just being in nature, without anything to play or do… can you do that? I’m not sureRead more about September 12 – play[…]

September 11, 2019　=========

☆  promote 促進する

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On a parenting website in Australia, they promote that children aged 0 – 8 years old, should be playing outdoors several times a day. This could something simple like playing in the garden, or at a playground, climbing trees, playing in the sand and water or mud. Older kids can go on nature walks or even build cubbyhouses. Even at elementary school, the teachers promote getting outdoors and running around and having fun.

I wonder why we stop promoting the outdoors and getting outside for teenagers and adults? Teenagers are prone to stress, with so much study to do, so getting outdoors would help with that. AndRead more about September 11 – promote[…]

September 10, 2019   　=========

☆  optimize  最適化する

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To optimize something means to get as much advantage or benefit from it as you can, or to improve something so that it runs more smoothly and efficiently. So, for example you could talk about optimizing your health by drinking juice only, or cutting out sugar, or eating less carbohydrates and so on. There are so many different systems and fads out there to “help” you optimize your health or your weight loss.

Or, you might optimize your exercise routine, by running outdoors rather than on a treadmill, so that you can get the benefit from wind and weather, and the natural ups and downs ofRead more about September 10 – optimize[…]

September 9, 2019   =========

☆  heighten  高める

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If something heightens a feeling, or a feeling heightens, the feeling increases in degree or intensity. It is often used in negative situations, such as “The tragedy has heightened our awareness of the need for improved safety measures.” Or “The tension between the two groups has heightened.”

However, you can use it in a positive way, too. For example, “Being out in nature heightens my senses and I can really smell the fresh air.” Or, “When I close my eyes, I can really heighten my hearing.” And even meditation, many people say that focusing on their breath and slowing it right down, can heighten all theirRead more about September 9 – heighten[…]

September 8, 2019      =========

☆  vigorous  活気のある

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One of the useful phrases this week is, “Vigorous activity each day is good for our health.” Some examples of vigorous activity are running, jogging, swimming laps, tennis, bicycle riding, jumping rope and hiking uphill.

These days, a lot of people wear the activity trackers, the ones with heart rate monitors can also track the intensity, so you know whether it is moderate or vigorous. The Mayo Clinic in the US, suggests that 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity is good, but if you really want to improve your fitness, aim for 300 minutes!!

I wish I could do 300 minutes weekly, but itRead more about September 8 – vigorous[…]

September 7, 2019 =========

☆  rugged  でこぼこの

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Rugged is used to describe a place where the land is uneven and covered with rocks, without many trees or plants. I remember climbing Mt. Fuji and the way up was actually OK. Hard word, but OK and I felt like I could do it.

The way back down was crazy! The path was so rugged, with the volcanic rocks, it was hard to grip and I felt like I was going to slide all the way to the bottom! Trying to grip onto such a rugged landscape was really hard work for my legs. All of the pain and muscle aches I felt were fromRead more about September 7 – rugged[…]

September 6, 2019　=========

☆  fresh  新鮮な

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One of the great things about living close to the beach is that there is generally a fresh sea breeze coming in, so the air smells clean. One of my favorite times in Tokyo for smelling fresh air was right after a typhoon. The sky was always so clear and the air was so fresh and clean! Is that still true?

Near our house, there is a big oval where they play football and soccer. Some mornings, when it has been very cold at night, the air smells like a forest! The grass gives the air a fresh grassy smell. It’s hard to describe, but even thoughRead more about September 6 – fresh[…]

September 5, 2019　=========

☆  active  活動的な

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If you are an active person, it means that you do a lot of things. We often hear that it is important to be active to lead a long and healthy life. You might describe someone who is active as energetic or lively or even busy, but busy in a good way – not just busy with going to work every day.

These days, most of us do desk work or have jobs that require us to sit down, rather than be active. The opposite of someone who is active, is someone who is sedentary. A sedentary lifestyle is one where you are sitting down a lotRead more about September 5 – active[…]

September 4, 2019　=========

☆  daily  毎日の

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If something happens daily, it happens every day. At the beginning of the year my friend announced on Facebook that she was going to run 5 kilometers daily. She would take a photo of her run, a runfie (instead of a selfie) and post it.

I was super impressed with her – at first, she actually did run 5KM daily! Sometimes she ran more, but never less than 5KM. But gradually, she has stopped posting every day. Work was busy, family life was busy, and so she wasn’t able to run daily. She was still running a lot, just not 5KM daily.

Running 5KM daily is a prettyRead more about September 4 – daily[…]

September 3, 2019     =========

☆  barefoot 裸足の

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My little girl loves to be barefoot. Inside the house, outside the house – in the mud, and rain, in the sunshine… it doesn’t matter. She loves being barefoot. At her baby-gym class, the teachers insist that all the kids wear no shoes and socks because being barefoot is much healthier for them.

I like going barefoot at the beach, but on grass and other surfaces, I’m not really that keen! I love the feel of sand on my feet, so I’ll always go barefoot at the beach, unless it’s too hot. Sometimes the sand in summer gets so hot, it’s actually impossible to go barefootRead more about September 3 – barefoot[…]

September 2, 2019      =========

☆  unhealthy   健康に悪い

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Unhealthy is the opposite of healthy. It can describe something that is likely to cause illness or poor health, such as cigarettes or too much alcohol. Or it can describe a person that is not healthy, meaning that you are not very fit or well. Here are some example sentences using both:

I try to avoid unhealthy foods like hamburgers and chips.
I always worked overtime at my last job, it was really unhealthy.
In the past, many people worked in coal mines, until they realized it was a very unhealthy environment.

I’m so unhealthy at the moment!
She looked really unhealthy, I hope she is OK.
When I feel unhealthy,Read more about September 2 – unhealthy[…]

September 1, 2019　    =========

☆  nature  自然

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This month’s topic is “Spending time outdoors.” It’s a timely one for both you in Japan, and me in Australia. Is it still hot there? The end of summer and the beginning of autumn is one of the best times to be outside in nature in Japan, I think. How about you?

And, then in Australia, we are finally heading into spring and the warmer season. There are pretty almond blossoms to see, and lovely flowers and roses blooming. It’s not too hot and not too cold. I love being in nature during early spring and autumn.

How about you? Do you have a favorite season whenRead more about September 1 – nature[…]

August 31, 2019　=========

☆  protect 保護する

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The final sample answer for our monthly question of, “Have you ever had trouble while traveling?” is “I had to protect myself from a pickpocket!” I hope this has never happened to you! It has never happened to me, and hopefully never will.

These days, there is less need to carry money or even a wallet when we travel though, so I guess protecting our cash is not as important. What do I mean? I use my phone to pay for most things these days. In Australia, at least in the main cities, you can just carry a phone with your banking app on it, and neverRead more about August 31 – protect[…]

August 30, 2019　=========

☆  entitle 権利を与える

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If you are entitled to something, you have the right to have it or do it. Some sports clubs in Australia are affiliated with American sports clubs, so their members are entitled to use the gym in anywhere in Australia or America! That’s pretty cool, don’t you think? One of the things that is hard to do while traveling is keep fit, but if you are entitled to use the local gym, you could do your regular workouts without it costing money.

Of course, if you stay at a hotel, there might be a gym or pool you are entitled to use, but these days, a lotRead more about August 30 – entitle[…]

August 29, 2019　=========

☆  rectify （誤りなどを）正す

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If you rectify something that is wrong, you change it so that it becomes correct or acceptable. If you are traveling, there are all sorts of things that might need to be rectified.

For example, the spelling of your name on your passport. My sister changed the spelling of her name from Gill to Jill. The British spelling is Gill, but when we moved to Australia, she changed it. When she tried to get her passport, they didn’t believe it was her, because of the J and G difference. It actually took her quite a bit of time and effort to get it rectified to J onRead more about August 29 – rectify[…]

August 28, 2019　=========

☆  overcharge  （高値を）ふっかける

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Continuing with the Q&A for the month, “Have you ever had trouble while traveling?” the second sample answer is “I was overcharged at my hotel.” Has this ever happened to you? If so, what did you do?

I have no memory of ever being overcharged at a hotel, but I have definitely been overcharged when shopping while traveling. When I was in Thailand, the street vendors change the price depending on how much they think you will pay! I was charged $10 when my friend was only charged $5… was I overcharged by $5 or did my friend get a $5 discount? Hmm… not sure!

Bye,

Chris

August 27, 2019　=========

☆  cancel  キャンセルする

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This week, we have the end of month Q&A. The question is, “Have you ever had trouble while traveling?” and one of the sample answers was, “My flight was canceled suddenly!” Has this ever happened to you?

In Australia, there is an airline company and their international flights are great, and they partner with Qantas, so it’s safe, and if they cancel a flight, you get re-booked or refunded.

However, their domestic service is hit and miss. You can get great service one day, and your flight will be on time, and the staff are wonderful. Then on another day, your flight will be canceled suddenly, and theyRead more about August 27 – cancel[…]

August 26, 2019　=========

☆  accept  受け取る

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There are a few different ways to use today’s word, but this time we are talking about accepting an unpleasant fact or situation. In this case, it means that you get used to it or recognize that it cannot be changed.

Nothing to do with traveling, but last week was “Book Week” for Australia. It means that around Australia, all the elementary schools celebrate books. This is a great idea of course, but the one thing that I dislike is that they have a parade and the kids have to wear a costume of their favorite book character.

Every year, I say, “Let’s get your costume organized soon!”Read more about August 26 – accept[…]

August 25, 2019　=========

☆  safety  安全性

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When you travel and choose your destination, is safety one of the things you rate as important? And what exactly do you mean by safety? For example, when they do the country rankings according to safety, they are ranking according to things like the likelihood of terrorist attacks, political instability and the number of murders.

However, when I think about safety, I’m mostly thinking about whether or not the public transport is good, and OK for families to travel on, and whether or not there are a lot of areas where people are using drugs or homeless.

How about you? What does safety mean to you?

Bye,

Chris

August 24, 2019　=========

☆  surcharge  追加料金

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A surcharge is an extra payment of money, in addition to the usual payment for something. It is added for a specific reason, for example, in Australia many restaurants have a surcharge on weekends, because they have to pay their staff higher wages on weekends.

Another common surcharge these days is for using a credit card instead of cash. Many small businesses charge a surcharge for using a credit card because the bank charges them a fee to allow credit cards to be used in their business. Many hotels charge a surcharge for an early check-in or a late check-out.

How about in Japan? Are the many placesRead more about August 24 – surcharge[…]

August 23, 2019　=========

☆  refund 返金

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One of the useful phrases for this week is, “Did you ask for a refund?” When would you use this? Can you imagine a situation? I haven’t used it that often, but mostly concerning food at restaurants.

Once, I remember being at a pizza café, and the staff brought my pizza. There was a very long hair on top of it!! Yuck!! Even thinking about it now, I feel a bit sick!! Ha ha. So, I told the staff, and she said she’d get me another pizza, and I said, “No thanks, I’d prefer a refund.” Seriously, I was no longer hungry and definitely not going toRead more about August 23 – surcharge[…]

August 22, 2019　=========

☆  journey 旅

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A journey is a trip, an excursion, an expedition, or tour. Generally, we talk about the difference between a trip somewhere and a journey somewhere as being that the trip is more lighthearted and fun, whereas a journey implies that the person is going on a journey and changing or developing themselves at the same time.

So, we can talk about a “journey of discovery” or an “inner journey” but we wouldn’t say, “trip of discovery” or “inner travel/trip”. You can also use journey when the trip you are taking is long or more difficult. For example, you might plan to take a journey across America. OnRead more about August 22 – journey[…]

August 21, 2019　=========

☆  mishap  災難

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A mishap is an unfortunate event that happens to someone, but it is usually not too serious. Other similar words are accident, misadventure, mischance and misfortune.

It’s interesting to look at the origin of this word. I always thought that it was a shortening “happening.” In other words, we add the prefix “mis” to make it negative. So, it was a bad happening, as opposed to a good happening… however, I have just learned something new! The word “hap” actually means “luck”! So, this word, mishap, literally means, bad luck. The word “hap” is very rarely used these days, except in this kind of word, like mishap.

Interesting!Read more about August 21 – mishap[…]

August 20 2019　=========

☆  reaction 反応

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Your reaction to something that has happened or something that you have experienced is what you feel, say, or do because of it. When traveling, your choice of reaction can make a big difference. If your flight is delayed, you have two reactions to choose from (well maybe more, but two main ones) – you can feel angry or you can feel calm.

If you’re on a plane with a screaming baby next to you, same kind of reactions, right? Calm or angry. If the hotel made a mix-up, or the airline lost your luggage….

It’s not always easy to choose the peaceful reaction, but if you haveRead more about August 20 – reaction[…]

August 19, 2019　=========

☆  memory  思い出

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One of the best things about traveling is the memories that you can make, right? And of course, hopefully they are all good memories! Although, I have the rather unfortunate memory of our travel in London, I do have some great memories of that trip, too.

For example, I have the memory of catching a taxi in Paris, and getting to use my very limited French language skills from high school! Ha ha, luckily the driver spoke English too.

I also have a hilarious memory of the memory of going to a famous horse race in America, and trying to place a bet. The staff couldn’t understand myRead more about August 19 – memory[…]

August 18, 2019　=========

☆  hassle  口論する

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If you hassle someone, you cause them problems by repeatedly telling them or asking them to do something – usually in an angry or annoying way. So, if you read yesterday’s email, I said there was a problem with the hotel rooms when my students and I went to London.

At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing, talking with the staff in order to get the problem sorted out. However, now looking back, I can see clearly that I was hassling the staff, and arguing pointlessly with them. There was no solution to the mix up that they had made, but they didn’tRead more about August 18 – hassle[…]

August 17, 2019　=========

☆  embrace 受け入れる

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If you embrace something, it means that you accept it, or come to terms with it. (You might know that it also means to hug someone, but not in today’s situation.)

What kinds of things might you have to embrace while traveling?

Delays? Plans being rescheduled? Hotel booking mix-ups? When I went to London with my English students many years ago, there was a big mix-up with the hotel room booking. We had a big group, and so I had to negotiate with the hotel staff. They were being very unhelpful, and so I got angry – unfortunately a lot angrier than was necessary. I apologized, but stillRead more about August 17 – embrace[…]

August 16, 2019　=========

☆  request 依頼する

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If you request something, you ask for it politely or formally. While traveling, if you run into trouble, being polite and requesting help – rather than just asking – can mean that people are more likely to help you. So, what is the difference between requesting some help and asking for some help?

The main difference is in your intonation and choice of words. If you are asking for help, you’d probably speak more casually and whereas when you are requesting help, you’d be more likely to use soft intonation and polite words, just as a simple example:

Asking for help: Hey, can you help me?

Requesting help: ExcuseRead more about August 16 – request[…]

August 15, 2019　=========

☆  reschedule  計画を変更する

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If you reschedule something, it means that you have to change your plans in regards to the time which something was supposed to happen. If it’s just a dinner date with a friend, it’s pretty simple to reschedule, just send a text with an apology and suggestion of a different date, right?

But, how about if you need to reschedule your travel plans? That can be time-consuming, and expensive! Airline tickets usually charge a fee to reschedule dates or times. Hotels are the same – they keep a certain percentage of your payment, or they keep the deposit. Ouch!

Have you ever had to reschedule your travel plans?Read more about August 15 – reschedule[…]

August 14, 2019　=========

☆  delay 遅らせる

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Once when I flew from Japan to the USA with a couple of Japanese clients, we were caught up in a big pilot strike, so there were not as many flights taking off as usual. It was very bad timing and we were delayed and rerouted through a different city, too!

The airport staff didn’t seem to care that we were heading to a seminar in Atlanta, they rerouted us through a tiny city way up north even though we landed in San Francisco. And, because our flight was delayed, we missed the connection to Atlanta! In the end, we made it to the seminar, but onlyRead more about August 14 – delay[…]

August 13, 2019　=========

☆  refuse 拒む

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One of the useful phrases this week, is “I would refuse to pay the extra charge.” What could this situation be? For example, a tax on your hotel or dinner that you weren’t told about. Or it could be travel insurance that you didn’t agree to pay for.

If you are planning to travel to another country it’s a good idea to learn some basic phrases so that you can confidently refuse things. You can probably find an app that would help you, but some basic phrases are also good to know, such as:

Sorry, I didn’t order that. (to refuse food at a restaurant)
Sorry, this seat isRead more about August 13 – refuse[…]

August 12, 2019　=========

☆  hitchhike  ヒッチハイクをする

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Have you ever hitchhiked? I did while traveling in Japan when I was younger, but I was always with a group of other girls. There were three of us trying to hitchhike and get a ride to the next city. It was surprising how many people stopped to help us… although only one person actually offered us a ride! Ha ha. It was a woman in her twenties who was confident in her English, so we had a lovely chat.

However, I would never, ever, hitchhike in Australia. And I certainly wouldn’t recommend to my kids to ever hitchhike – anywhere – not just in Australia, butRead more about August 12 – hitchhike[…]

August 11, 2019　=========

☆  grumpy  気難しい

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Someone who is grumpy is bad-tempered and miserable. You will mostly hear this word used to describe old men! For example, “Don’t worry about my dad, he’s just a grumpy old man.” This can be said in a humorous or serious way, the nuance will be different depending on the person’s intonation – and of course, the dad – maybe they really are grumpy! Maybe not.

When traveling, it’s easy to become grumpy if you run into trouble. Someone noisy next to you on the plane, so you can’t sleep. Your train is late, so you miss your connection to the next city. You couldn’t speak theRead more about August 11 – grumpy[…]

August 10, 2019   　=========

☆  anxious  気がかりな

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If you are anxious you are nervous or worried about something. Do you travel outside of Japan often? I know a lot of my students really wanted to learn English, in order to travel to other countries. They felt anxious that they wouldn’t be able to travel without fluent English.

Believe it or not though, lots of people feel anxious about traveling, and not just related to language differences. People all around the world feel anxious about things like flying, what to eat, the weather and what clothes to pack, and of course, whether or not you have your passports and the right visas.

There are manyRead more about August 10 – anxious[…]

August 9, 2019   =========

☆  unfortunate 不運な

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Today is my sister’s birthday. I hope nothing unfortunate happens to her, and that she has a fortunate day! I haven’t talked about this in a while, but a simple way to increase your vocabulary is to learn prefixes, like today’s “un”. By adding “un” to words, you turn them into the negative of the original word. So, instead of saying something like “that is not fortunate.” You can say something much more natural and native-like, by saying, “That is unfortunate.”

There are lots of “un” words that I’m sure you know. Here are some:

unfair
unclean
unclear
unhappy
undated
unloved
unfazed
unsavory

Can you add any other “un” words to this list?

Bye,

Chris

August 8, 2019      =========

☆  desperate 絶望的な

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There are three ways to use “desperate”. Firstly, you can be desperate. If you are desperate, then you are in a bad situation, and you are willing to try anything to change it. For example, “I was desperate to find my lost passport, so I called the hotel where I had stayed last week.”

Secondly, you can be desperate “for something” or “to do something”. You want or need something very much. In this situation, there can be some nuance of desire, not hopelessness. For example, “I’m desperate to visit Tokyo during the Olympics next year!”

And, thirdly, you can be in a desperate situation, a situationRead more about August 8 – desperate[…]

August 7, 2019 =========

☆  surprising 意外な

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Today’s word reminded me of a surprising travel experience I had in the USA. I was traveling on a small taxi bus with some other people I didn’t know. And we crashed! Our minibus was hit by a car that went through a red light. It wasn’t a bad accident and no one was hurt, but my friend and I were in a hurry to get to the airport!

The police arrived and took our information and checked we weren’t hurt, and then we told the Texan policeman that we needed to get to the airport quickly. The first surprising thing was that he said heRead more about August 7 – surprising[…]

August 6, 2019　=========

☆  terrifying  恐ろしい

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The second useful phrase for this week is, “That must have been terrifying.” Have you ever had a terrifying travel experience? I have! It was actually so terrifying, that sometimes when I think about it, I wonder how my friend and I didn’t get ourselves killed!!

Once, in Nagoya, my friend and I got separated from our group of friends. It was late, and my friend had drunk too much wine. She walked off with three Japanese men, maybe in the 50’s, with lots of tattoos. She got in a car with them, and no matter how much I tried, she wouldn’t get out… so I gotRead more about August 6 – terrifying[…]

August 5, 2019　=========

☆  frustrating イライラした

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Today’s word, frustrating, means that something annoys you or makes you angry because you cannot do anything about the problems it causes. This week’s useful phrase is “How frustrating!”

So, in terms of troubles while traveling, what situation might cause you to say, “How frustrating!”?

How about when the airline company loses your luggage? Or when your train is late and you miss your connection? Or when you arrive at the museum only to find that it is closed for the day? Or … what else? Can you think of any frustrating situations you might have while traveling?

Bye,

Chris

August 4, 2019　=========

☆  attack 攻撃

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An attack could be an assault on you physically or verbally. I hope you have never experienced an attack while traveling – or in fact, I hope you’ve never experienced an attack ever!

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you were the victim of an attack while traveling? For women traveling alone, the risk of an attack is unfortunately higher than for men traveling alone, however, we should all be prepared and alert for danger while traveling.

My Japanese friend told me that once when she was traveling in Italy, a pickpocket stole from her handbag – lucky for her, they didn’t get herRead more about August 4 – attack[…]

August 3, 2019            =========

☆  compensation 賠償

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Compensation is the money you receive when you suffer a loss, in the case of our topic, you usually receive that compensation from a travel insurance company. However, you could receive compensation from your employer or the government, or if you are in a car accident, possibly from the other person’s insurance company.

In the case of our running stroller, we were so lucky that it was just a damaged wheel, and we received compensation quickly and easily. However, you often hear of people who have gotten sick overseas, and need the compensation to pay their medical bills but the insurance company says they will notRead more about August 3 – compensation[…]