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2007.08.30

[174] Spring is in the Air

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Under the Shade編集部

After many cold and dreary days, suddenly spring is here in Melbourne. It's like someone flicked a switch, and all of a sudden we are having blue skies and twenty-degree days. It's great!

Of course, the other sign that spring is here is that blossoms have come out all around my suburb. And also the bees! When I went close to a blossoming tree yesterday to take the photo above, all I could hear was the buzzing of dozens of bees. I guess spring must be a pretty good time for them too...

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2007.08.30 13:22:39

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2007.08.27

[172] At the Golf Driving Range

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On the weekend I visited my friend Craig, and we went down to the golf driving range in the evening to hit some golf balls.

Since golf is quite popular in Japan, I'm sure that you have these kinds of driving ranges. But I'll point out a couple of details that are different.

Firstly, notice those four posts in the background of the photo? Those are fake Australian Football goalposts. Australian Football has nothing to do with golf, so I guess they are just there as a joke, and as something to aim at.

Also, there's a kind of tractor that drives out regularly to collect the golf balls. And when it drives out, every single person who is practicing starts aiming their shots at the tractor. (The driver is shielded, so he isn't in any danger.) I'm guessing that wouldn't happen in Japan... but I'm not sure. What are your driving ranges like there?

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2007.08.27 12:20:28

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2007.08.23

[170] Wagamama

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I was with a Japanese friend when we found this ramen-style restaurant the other day. My friend laughed at the name, and I learnt a new Japanese word - wagamama.

I looked up the restaurant online and it seems like it's a chain restaurant that started in London. I haven't eaten there yet, but I like the name!

There are lots of popular 'fusion' restaurants in Melbourne, like Wagamana, that combine different styles of Asian cooking together. There are some great restaurants with food that is Japanese-influenced, but also incorporate lots of other cooking styles.

That's a good thing about Melbourne - there are plenty of great restaurants, with food from all over the world, and most of them aren't too expensive.

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2007.08.23 12:31:44

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2007.08.20

[168] Re: sachi's Message

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I got a message from a reader named sachi, who said some nice things about my blog. Thanks for your kind words, sachi - I'm always glad to hear that people are enjoying reading what I write.

sachi also talked about going to do a homestay in New Zealand this October. sachi is feeling excited and nervous, and asked about how I felt when I first went to live in Japan.

Well, I felt the same way - excited and also very nervous. The hardest thing for me at first was not being able to read anything. I couldn't even order food in a restaurant. After I learnt some Japanese I was still nervous... I was too worried about making mistakes.

I think the most important thing when you're overseas is to not to worry about making mistakes while you're speaking. Language isn't a grammar test, it's about communicating with people.

Anyway, I'm sure that sachi will have a great time. I've heard New Zealand is beautiful, and I'd love to visit it one day.

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2007.08.20 15:06:27

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2007.08.16

[166] Australian Slang

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It's been a while since I last taught you some Australian slang, so I think it's about time for some more!

There's a famous Australian expression, which represents the easy-going attitude that Australians are famous for: "She'll be right."

The expression means "Don't worry, things will be fine." It's usually used after someone has pointed out a problem or concern, to tell them not to worry.

John and Bruce are driving to an appointment.
John: I think we're going to be late.
Bruce: No, she'll be right. It doesn't take long to get there.

Note that you always say "She'll be right" and never "He'll be right."

2007.08.16 11:40:45

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2007.08.13

[164] Good Time Band

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It was my friend's birthday on the weekend, and a few of us went out for a drink to celebrate.

By chance, one of my friend's bands was playing a gig on the same night, so later on we all went to see them play. They're called the 'Tom Budge Good Time Band', and they play folk rock music.

The band's front man, Tom Budge, is a very successful Australian actor, and he's starting to get offered roles in big Hollywood films. I'm sure he'll be famous in the US soon.

I had a good night, and it reminded me how much I like seeing live music. I really should do it more often!

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2007.08.13 12:03:05

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2007.08.09

[162] Melbourne Nabe

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Last night I went to my friends house for a nabe dinner party. Most of the Australians at the dinner party had spent some time living in Japan, so we were all excited to be eating some Japanese-style food.

My friend is also vegetarian, so we first cooked vegetables and tofu in the nabe and then added meat afterwards for the meat eaters.

We spent a lot of time reminiscing about Japan. We talked about the yaki imo and tofu sellers, and told funny stories about things that happened to us in Japan. It was a lot of fun, although I got a bit too drunk for a weeknight!

P.S. I'm sorry that I don't have a photo to show you... I took photos of the dinner using my friend's mobile phone, but we had some technical problems getting them onto my computer. I'll upload a photo later if I can work out how to get them.

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2007.08.09 12:24:43

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2007.08.06

[160] Bye Bye Tokyo

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There is a saying in English, "All good things must come to an end." My Tokyo vacation is over, and now I'm back in chilly Melbourne. I've got the heater on, and I'm wearing plenty of warm clothes.

Thanks to everyone who sent suggestions about places to visit. Unfortunately I ended up having to do a lot of work, so I didn't really get to go to any places outside of Tokyo. Still, I'm glad I got to see some old friends, and to visit my clients. I also got to go to karaoke, which is important for me - I love singing karaoke!

It feels strange to be back in Melbourne. I feel like I'm caught between Melbourne and Tokyo; I like living in both cities, and when I'm in one of them, I miss the other one.

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2007.08.06 11:59:27

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2007.08.03

[157] Vegetarian food in Tokyo

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After I wrote about trying to be vegetarian in Tokyo last week, a few of my friends took me to vegetarian-style restaurants. It seems there is some very good vegetarian food in Tokyo, if you know where to go.

The photo above is of a restaurant in Kyodo called 栃の実. It's not a vegetarian restaurant because they still serve fish there, but they don't serve any red meat or white meat. They use only organic ingredients in their food, and they also sell a lot of interesting health foods.

A couple of friends took me to a totally vegetarian restaurant in Omotesando called Pure Cafe, which was really good. They had some very tasty tofu meals and desserts.

I noticed that almost all the customers in Pure Cafe were women, and it got me thinking... Are most vegetarians in Japan women? If so, it's different in Australia. I have quite a few male vegetarian friends in Melbourne.

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2007.08.03 12:35:18

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