May 31, 2017　=========

☆  pursue  追求する

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If you pursue an activity, interest, or plan, you carry it out or follow it. We often talk about following your interests when choosing what to study at university, or what career to pursue. This is a formal word, so it is more likely to be used to talk about careers rather than hobbies, but it is still fine to talk about pursuing interests and hobbies too.

If I had more spare time, I think I’d pursue travel and camping more. There are so many great place to visit and camp at around Australia, but as you know Australia is HUGE! So, it’s a bit hard toRead more about Today’s Word: pursue[…]

May 30, 2017　=========

☆  meditate  瞑想する

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Hmm, this is another one of those words that most native speakers wouldn’t say “my hobby is meditating.” However, they would be likely to say, “I like to meditate each morning.” Or “I like to meditate before I got to bed.”

How about in Japan? Do people like to meditate? Would it be considered a hobby, or something that people do for their mental health?

I’ve tried to meditate, but I’ve never been able to do it very consistently… maybe I need to think about it like a hobby! So instead of thinking I should meditate each day, I should try to meditate every Saturday morning – insteadRead more about Today’s Word: meditate[…]

May 29, 2017　=========

☆  head to  ～へ向かう

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We are nearly at the end of May! This month’s Q&A section is asking “How do you spend your leisure time?” One sample answer is “I head to the mountains to go hiking.” For me, since there aren’t really any “mountains” near hear, just slightly big hills, I would say that I head to the beach for a swim.

If you had a day off and nothing that you needed to do, where would you head to? Would you go to the mountains? The sea? The local park? Or maybe you’d head to the shops for some “retail therapy”?

It’s rare that we really have a dayRead more about Today’s Word: head to[…]

May 28, 2017　=========

☆  treat  喜び

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There are a few different ways to use the word, “treat”. You might have heard it used in the phrase, “It’s my treat.” This means that the person who said it will pay for you, so if you are at dinner or at the movies, then you don’t need to pay, as the other person will pay as a treat to you.

Today’s usage is more about an actual “thing” – something special that you buy or arrange for another person, or for yourself even! For example, if you reach a goal, you might give yourself a treat of a massage or a nice bottle of champagne.Read more about Today’s Word: treat[…]

May 27, 2017　=========

☆  theater  演劇

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Do you like to go to the theater? This is not my hobby now, but when I was in high school, it was definitely a hobby for my parents. They had season tickets to the South Australian Theater Company, and the State Opera Company. I was very lucky because they took me with me each time! So during my high school years, I went to the theater or opera about once a month! Pretty unusual for a high school student, I think…

Once my kids are older and would appreciate going to the theater, I would like to be able to take them to the theater regularly.Read more about Today’s Word: theater[…]

May 26, 2017　=========

☆  pottery  陶芸

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Have you ever tried pottery? I tried it once when I was living in Tokyo. It was good fun, but too hard for me. I went a few times but basically discovered fairly quickly that I was not good at pottery – which was actually a good thing, because it was kind of an expensive hobby! Another reason I was glad to discover I was no good at pottery was because it freed up my time to try a different hobby.

Have you ever tried a new hobby and discovered that even though you thought you’d like it, that in fact you didn’t like it? Or discoveredRead more about Today’s Word: pottery[…]

May 25, 2017　=========

☆  photography  写真撮影

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Photography is definitely a hobby for me. How about you? I actually have a very good DSLR with fancy lenses, but unfortunately the camera I use the most is my iPhone camera! The cameras on our smart phones are so good these days, that for most people’s photography hobby, they are more than good enough.

The other thing I love about photography is that you can basically teach yourself. I started doing a “365 Project” in March 2010… so that means I’ve been taking a photo a day for more than seven years! Wow!! I guess you could say photography really is a hobby for me –Read more about Today’s Word: photography[…]

May 24, 2017　=========

☆  DIY  日曜大工

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When I was younger, I used to think one of my hobbies was doing DIY stuff around the house. For example, fixing up an old table, sanding it and repainting it. It was fun, but it always took longer than I was expecting! So, after a few years of starting these projects but never really finishing them, I realized that I like DIY when *other* people do it, not me. Ha ha 🙂

How about you? Is DIY a hobby of yours? If so, what kind of things do you like to make or fix?

Do you fix things around the house or hire someone to do itRead more about Today’s Word: DIY[…]

May 23, 2017　=========

☆  jigsaw  ジクソーパズル

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One of this week’s Useful Phrases is the very simple phrase, “I love doing jigsaws.” This is a simple sentence, but you can use it any time, very easily, to describe your hobby or what you do in your spare time. “I love doing X” is so easy, right? Have you ever made a list of your hobbies? This would be a good phrase to use to make the list. Why not try it? Like this:

I love reading.
I love running.
I love taking photographs.
I love going to the movies.
I love having coffee with friends.
I love learning new things.

It’s a pretty simple list, but thinking about this listRead more about Today’s Word: jigsaw[…]

May 22, 2017　=========

☆  pleasure   楽しみ

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If something gives you pleasure, you get a feeling of happiness, satisfaction, or enjoyment from it. For example, “Watching his favorite baseball team play live gave him great pleasure.” Or, “She gets a lot of pleasure from her volunteer work.”

What gives you pleasure? A lot of things give me pleasure, but one funny thing is watching my younger son eat. He takes pleasure in eating, and so it a pleasure for me to watch him. He just loves to eat and will usually try anything. It gives me pleasure and satisfaction to watch him eat. Just don’t ask me about my very fussy older son!!

Bye,

Chris

May 21, 2017　=========

☆  binge-watch  （テレビ番組など）一気に見る

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I rarely watch TV, so it’s even more rare for me to binge-watch something. We do have Netflix, but it’s mostly so that we can watch a movie on the weekend or the David Attenborough nature TV shows.

However, a few weeks ago, my friends were talking about a Netflix series called 13 Reasons Why. Have you heard of it? It sounded interesting, so I decided to watch the first episode. Oh my goodness! It was so captivating from the very beginning, that I had to binge-watch it – I had to know what happened in the end! It took me three nights, with not much sleep,Read more about Today’s Word: binge-watch[…]

May 20, 2017　=========

☆  read  読書をする

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This is definitely my hobby! I love to read in my spare time. One good thing about living in Australia for me, is that now I have access to a library with English books in it! When I lived in Tokyo, there were only a few English books in the library near me, and they were mostly Sidney Sheldon books!! I like to read many different genres, but I’ve still never read a book by him. Ha ha!

Do you like to read in your spare time? Do you prefer books or eBooks? Kindles and other devices are so handy for train travel. You don’t have toRead more about Today’s Word: read[…]

May 18, 2017　=========

☆  garden  園芸をする

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Today’s word (like Tuesday and Wednesday’s too) is actually more commonly used as a noun, “gardening” (writing, inventing). However, it is important to know the verb form, too. Depending on the sentence structure and grammar pattern you want to use, you will need to decide on using the verb or the noun.

For example, a common way to answer the question, “What’s your hobby?” is to reply, “I like to X (verb) in my spare time.” You could also say, “My hobby is Y (noun – usually ‘ing’ form.)”

To be honest, a native speaker is much more likely to say, “I like to garden in my spareRead more about Today’s Word:[…]

May 17, 2017　=========

☆  invent  発明する

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Like yesterday, I feel like this might be an odd hobby – I don’t know many people that say they like to invent things in their spare time… but in fact, I do know at least one person who loves to do this! In their spare time, they spend a lot of time inventing and designing new things. Mostly they are alternatives to things that already exist, like a picnic table – but one that folds up and is small enough to carry in a backpack.

If you can invent the “right” thing as your hobby, you could become very rich! Right now in Australia, Bey BladesRead more about Today’s Word: invent[…]

May 16, 2017　=========

☆  write  書く

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Do you know many people that say that they like to write as a hobby? I know a lot of people, including myself, that say they like to read books during their spare time, but to be honest, I don’t think I know anyone who likes to write in their spare time. I think most people who write want to do it for a living – such as publishing a book, fiction or non-fiction.

But as a hobby? I’m not sure… I have once met someone who said they wrote poetry as a hobby. That’s the only person I can think of. How about you? Do youRead more about Today’s Word: write[…]

May 15, 2017　=========

☆  reveal  明らかにする

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This week’s quote, “In our leisure time, we reveal what kind of people we are.” (Ovid – Roman poet) This is quite similar to last week’s quote about the intelligence test, isn’t it.

These days, I’ve been so busy that if I ever had free time, I’d like to take a nap! Ha ha! I wonder what kind of person that makes me?? Lazy or intelligent??

If you have free time, how do you spend it? Do your actions reveal the kind of person you are? Do your actions reveal that you are someone that loves hiking or being outdoors? Or that you are someone that loves toRead more about Today’s Word: reveal[…]

May 14, 2017　=========

☆  outdoor  アウトドア

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Are you celebrating Mother’s Day in Japan? I’m trying to – and I’m spending quite a bit of the day outdoor, too! Luckily, even though it’s almost winter for me, it’s not toooooo cold yet.

I’ll be at one of my kids’ outdoor soccer game later this morning. Unfortunately, it’s not indoor soccer! Then afterwards, we’ll meet up with friends and head to the hills, to see the autumn leaves. That time will mostly be outdoor too… hopefully there will be a café with a warm fire and hot chocolate! I love being outside and doing outdoor sport – but I also love being inside and warm,Read more about Today’s Word: outdoor[…]

May 13, 2017　=========

☆  distraction  娯楽

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Good afternoon!

Well, I had so many distractions throughout the morning, that I totally forgot to write and send this email to you! Usually, distractions can be fun; a relief, a diversion, some form of leisure or amusement. But the distractions for me this morning were kid-related.

Usually on a Saturday morning, my kids go to Japanese school, to learn the language and culture. However, recently, they have changed teachers, and the class is now “boring” and “too easy” or “too hard.” Of course, I want them to learn Japanese, but it’s tough to motivate them to go on a Saturday. I think I might have to motivateRead more about Today’s Word: distraction[…]

May 12, 2017　=========

☆  cards  トランプ

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I’ve always wondered why the Japanese katakana word for cards is “trump”… do you know why?

In English, the trump card is the winning card. Many hundreds of years ago, there was a card game called “triumph” which go shortened to “trump”. So I guess that is where the Japanese word came from? Do you know if this is right or not? If you know, please let me know on Facebook!

So, basically, if you said to someone “Do you want to play cards? / Do you want to play a game of cards?” it would be fine. However, if you said, “Do you want to play trump?”Read more about Today’s Word: cards[…]

May 11, 2017　=========

☆  hiking  ハイキング

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Hiking! Now this is a hobby that I can understand (much easier to understand for me than knitting! Ha ha) Lots of people go hiking in Japan, right? It seems like a popular hobby, in particular with older people – I guess because they have more time after retiring?

I love hiking, but in my hometown, there aren’t many hiking spots – it’s more like walking trails through the hills, there’s no need for any special hiking gear really.

Do you like hiking? If so, what is your favorite hiking spot? Why? What do you love about it? And if you don’t like hiking, why not?

Bye,

Chris

May 10, 2017   　=========

☆  knitting  編み物

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Is knitting a popular hobby in Japan? My mother was always knitting when I was growing up. All of my jumpers (Australian word for sweaters!) were knitted by her! These days, I don’t know many people who say that knitting is their hobby but I must admit that recently it is making a comeback!

In particular, a few of my friends have recently started to crochet scarves and blankets! Crocheting is a little different from knitting (apparently! I don’t really know!) but it is in the same genre of knitting, and requires wool, and a lot of time!

So, do you like knitting? If so, what kindsRead more about Today’s Word: knitting[…]

May 9, 2017   =========

☆  adventure  冒険

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Last weekend, my running friends went on an adventure. They attempted a 100-mile (160KM) run in the Flinder’s Rangers, which is a mountain range in the north area of South Australia. To them, it was an adventure, but of course, to most people around them, it was just crazy to even attempt something like that!

Unfortunately, they didn’t make the cut-off time at the halfway point, as they had gotten lost – this was all part of the adventure I guess! However, they were extremely disappointed because they “only” managed to run 83KM…. crazy! And of course, amazing! The power of the human body and mind…Read more about Today’s Word: adventure[…]

May 8, 2017      =========

☆  intelligence test  知能検査

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I love the quote for this week. “The best intelligence test is what we do with our leisure.” This is by Laurence J. Peter, a Canadian educator (1919 – 1990). What does this mean to you? To me, it means that since we have to work to get money, the most important thing to our overall happiness is what we do when we don’t have to work – in other words, what we do with our leisure time.

To be honest, often when I have free time, I spend it looking at Facebook and Instagram. I’d actually rather be reading a book, playing with myRead more about Today’s Word: intelligence test[…]

May 7, 2017 =========

☆  extreme  過激な

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Extreme sports are sports that are considered risky. They often involve speed, high places, and a high level of physical exertion. It used to be that only people who were a “little bit crazy” did extreme sports, but now many extreme sports are actually quite mainstream.

One funny thing I found when I searched Google for a list of extreme sports was unicycling! In Australia, I guess this might be an extreme sport, but in Japan, it’s one that many children learn, right?? Even things like snowboarding and mountain biking are listed as extreme sports!

Have you ever done anything that would be considered an extreme sport?Read more about Today’s Word: extreme[…]

May 6, 2017　=========

☆  interactive  双方向の

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A lot of people play video games as a hobby, right? In the past, these games were only one-way, and not interactive at all. If you invited your friend over to your house, you could play together, but that was the limit.

Nowadays, you can play interactive games with people over the internet, and you may not even know who the other people are, right? Is this common in Japan? In Australia, teenagers tend to play with their friends online, but it is possible to play with complete strangers… I’m not sure how I feel about this! I don’t think I want my kids playing video gamesRead more about Today’s Word: interactive[…]

May 5, 2017　=========

☆  expensive  高価な

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One of the funny everyone says about running is that it’s a very cheap sport; you just need shoes and shorts and a shirt. But of course, like any sport, once you start really getting into it, it is actually a very expensive sport! For women, you need a good sports bra, which are very expensive. You also need expensive shoes, and technical sportswear. Oh, and a GPS watch. Ouch! Those are expensive too. Then, of course, if you’re running long distance, you need your backpack or water belt and so on… Yes, running has been one of the most expensive “cheap” sports I’ve ever done.Read more about Today’s Word: expensive[…]

May 4, 2017　=========

☆  risky  冒険的な

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Alright, time to talk about our topic of Entertainment and Leisure! Do you like risky sports? Risky adventures? Risky hobbies? What would you consider to be a risky hobby?

I like trail running, and I’ve never had any problems, but some people consider it very risky. In Australia, you might come across snakes. You might fall over stones or tree branches and hurt yourself, and I guess there is a chance you might get lost too! Because it is a little risky, most people run with others rather than alone, which makes it a little less risky.

Do you like doing something that others think is risky? IfRead more about Today’s Word: risky[…]

May 3, 2017    =========

☆  exciting  面白い

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Another important point for learning new words is that it is exciting for you. If you just learn random words from a list for a test or an exam, it is probably not going to be particularly exciting!

On the other hand, learning words that you can use to talk about something that you like or that you find exciting, will be much more motivating. Of course, you’re also more likely to remember those words – even if you’re learning the words for work rather than pleasure, it can still be exciting. How? Well, if you are learning words you will need to use, then youRead more about Today’s Word: exciting[…]

May 2, 2017      =========

☆  specific  特殊な

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Carrying on from yesterday, useful words would be words that allow you to speak about a specific situation or specific topic that is important to you. For example, when talking about your leisure time, if you like playing a certain sport, then you should learn the vocabulary that is specific or special to that sport. Although most words might be similar, there are also words that you use when talking about American football, that you wouldn’t use if you were talking about cricket in Australia.

So, when choosing words to learn, it’s OK to start off with the Japanese words that you would use when talkingRead more about Today’s Word: specific[…]

May 1, 2017　    =========

☆  useful  役に立つ

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This month’s topic is “Entertainment and Leisure”… and I hope you’ll find a lot of “useful” words in our daily word section. What kinds of words are useful? For me, I believe that the most useful English words are the words that you actually use!

The school system in Japan tends to make people study lists of words that they won’t need or use except when they take an exam… is that useful? Not really! Useful words would be ones that you use when you want to talk about yourself, or your work, or whatever you need to talk about in English. Not just a randomRead more about Today’s Word: useful[…]