Hello everyone! Lately I don’t really speak to anyone, so I thought I’d imagine someone to talk to. Hi Mr. BB!

BB: Hi P! How’s it going?

P: Well, could be better. Did you know that Shiga has its own basketball team?

BB: No. What are they called?

P: The Lakestars.

BB: Doesn’t Shiga have just one big lake?

P: I guess no one’s really bothered to count in Los Angeles either.

BB: Where do they play?

P: All over the place. Chikubushima, Takeshima, Okinoshiraishi, Yabasekihanto, Okishima…

BB: Okishima! The nightlife there! Oh, I love those little stand-up bars like the Nishinoko and the Ibanaiko. The best was the Dainakanoko! But it closed down. Do you think I can catch a game here in Osaka? I want to see them beat Kyoto. I hate those Kyoto teams! 

P: You remind me of my wife who once came to visit me in Toronto. I asked her if she wanted to go watch an NBA game and she said, “Yes! I wanna see the Bulls play against the Lakers!”

BB: Whoa! Ain’t she lucky! Does Shiga have any superstars, like that James Lebron?

P: I don’t know. Let’s google it. I’ll read you off a few names and you tell me if you recognize any. Let’s see. At centre, they got Biwako-ohnamazu.

BB: (silence)

P: Their guards are Moroko and Sujiebi.

BB: Nope.

P: Biwamasu and Funa are the forwards.

BB: Who’s their coach?

P: I can’t read the kanji…Whonazushi?

BB: That rings a bell! Where have I heard that name before?

P: It says he’s Australian.

BB: That makes sense! Listen, let’s go watch a game this weekend.

P: I can’t. I’m going camping at some place called Yogo.

BB: So it’s a no-go?

P: It’s up north.

BB: Oh yes. The sea! Fukui!

Photo Credit: the team icon

https://www.lakestars.net/

Blog Quiz

Q1. How many lakes are there in Shiga?

Q2. How many islands are there on Lake Biwa?

Q3. What kinds of fish or shellfish can you find in Lake Biwa?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. 4: Lake Biwa, Lake Nishi, Lake Ibanai & Lake Yogo. Lake Dainaka was lost to land reclamation.

Q2. 4: Okishima, Chikubushima, Takeshima & Okinoshiraishi. Yabasekihanto is an artificial island.

Q3. Biwako-ohnamazu (Lake Biwa Giant Catfish), Moroko (Willow Gudgeon), Sujiebi (Lake Prawn), Biwamasu (Biwa Trout), and Funa (Japanese White Crucian Carp).

I sometimes draw in my free time, but these days I tend to spend more time looking at art than producing it. Maybe it should be the other way around, but as a busy teacher and father, it takes much less time and effort to open Instagram than to continue working on one of my many unfinished artworks.

Before I had a smartphone and knew about Instagram, I used to find art online using an American art community website called deviantart.com. I still have an account with a gallery of my old illustrations and lists of the artists that I used to follow on there (https://deviantart.com/safepnc). 

I signed up to Instagram in 2013, whereupon I found some of those same artists, and over the years I have also discovered many other talented and inspiring creators. Below is a list of my 8 recommendations, including a short profile of the artist and their artistic style:

1. @maxgrecke (419k followers) is a Swedish digital artist whose portfolio is full of monsters and fantasy characters. His characters are angular and distorted but come to life with amazing lighting and shading techniques.

2. @seangallowayart (224k followers) is the super-friendly and hardworking comic book artist Sean ‘Cheeks’ Galloway from San Diego, USA. I have been following his career and artistic development for over 15 years. His style looks simplistic, but his understanding of character poses and expressions are of the highest professional quality. 

3. @loisvb (2.1M followers) is a Dutch digital master who recently made the artwork for the @procreate update release. She draws mostly female figures infused with magical, mysterious lighting, but she is also an excellent landscape plein air painter.

4. @littlethunder (710k followers) is a world-famous female illustrator and painter from Hong Kong who creates dreamlike images of beautiful, powerful, and mysterious female characters. Her colors are vivid and passionate, and her brush work is exquisite. She is one of my favorite artists.  

5. @artgerm (695k followers) is Stanley Lau, a consummate master of the marker pen. He has a very distinct style, so his characters are easily recognizable. He usually draws popular comic book and anime characters, and he often produces covers for DC and Marvel comic books.

6. @ryancecil (8k followers) is an independent comic book artist who makes and prints his own comics. He also works for Netflix animation as a background designer. I met Ryan here in Japan 13 years ago and we have remained good friends. His comic book work is quirky, intelligent and retro.

7. @chriscopelandart (42k followers) is a film director and storyboard artist at Dreamworks Animation studios. He has a distinct, urban style, often putting slickly posed characters within cinematic and dynamic compositions.          

8. @levitzo (209k followers) is Levi Prewitt, a talented cartoonist living in San Francisco. His style is bold and fun, and his skillful Copic marker color work is gives his designs great appeal. Some of his best works are his sketch card pairs which he auctions to the highest bidder.

Photo Credit: Marlene Leppänen @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. Which of these suggested artists has the largest number of followers on Instagram?

Q2. What is Sean Galloway's nickname?

Q3. Which studio does Ryan Cecil work for?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. @loisvb with 2,100,000 followers.

Q2. Cheeks.

Q3. Netflix

Have you ever heard of Boxing Day? It's a national holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day. It is usually the 26th of December, initially in the United Kingdom and in several countries that previously formed parts of the British Empire, such as Romania, Hungary, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Scandinavia. Because it is a national holiday, people get together for meals, spend time outside, or relax at home. We can also say that Boxing Day is a day for many sports such as horse racing and football. The name of the holiday “Boxing Day” is said to have derived from three things. First, it's a reference to holiday gifts for servants. The master would give them a 'Christmas Box' as a Christmas present, and they would go home and hand it over to their family. Second, it's a reference to charity drives. A box to collect money for the poor is placed in churches on Christmas Day and opened on Boxing Day. Third, it's a nautical tradition. Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck. The box was given to a priest if the voyage was a success, opened on Christmas, and the things inside the box were then given to the poor. 

Boxing Day is also a day for shopping. I am going to explain how I spent Boxing Day when I lived in Australia as a university student. I spent the daytime just relaxing, having conversations with friends, and cooking together. After dinner, it was time for us to go shopping. Famous shops such as David Jones, Myer, and almost everywhere had special sales. Every product was on sale at almost 50 to 80 percent discount. I had never seen that kind of discount in my life. Thursdays are a special day for night shopping, stores being open until 7 pm, instead of 5. However, this Thursday during the Boxing Day Sale became a very special time of the year, and stores were open until midnight. It was an unusual scene to see many young people go there at night. Me? Of course, we went shopping and had fun buying lots of stuff such as shoes, perfume, tea, cookies, cosmetics, and bags. I do miss the time when the moon lit up the way we walked on a summer night. It is a special memory for me hanging out together with friends during the university break.

Photo Credit: Giftpundits.com @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. According to the blog which of the following is not a reason for the name ‘Boxing Day’?

A. It is the day gift boxes were given to servants

B. It is the name of boxes used to collect money for charity

C. It is the day people watch boxing on TV

Q2. According to the blog what kid of discounts do shops in Australia offer on Boxing Day? 

A. 50-80%

B. 25%

C. 10%  

Q3. What time did the stores close on Boxing Day in Australia when the author was in Australia?

A. 5pm

B. 7pm

C. 12am

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. C 

Q2. A

Q3. C 

It is always good to be making more friends. University is probably THE best time in your life to make lifelong friends. At university, we have constant encounters in class and on campus with many people in our peer group. The people we connect with the most we can then easily spend more time with and deepen those relationships. Many of those close friends will be people who are with you all through your life.

Meeting people at university is natural and not that different from meeting people at high school but then there was COVID-19. Suddenly we must do it all online and the rules are a bit different and a bit harder. Here are some hints to help you.  

First, turn on your camera when you can and when it is appropriate. Most importantly, pay attention to your body language on camera. Smile and make eye contact by looking into the camera. Try to have a relaxed body posture. Ask yourself, “Do I seem approachable and friendly?” Offer greetings to others and ask questions when you can. 

Keep the conversation going 

Once you have made a connection in class with others you can make friends outside of class. Privately offer YOUR contact information to others you want to be friends with so you can talk outside of class. Don’t be too disappointed if someone doesn’t follow up. They are probably just busy, and your effort is still appreciated. If someone offers you their contact information, try to follow up soon even if it is just to say it was nice talking to them. 

Don’t give up 

Blog Quiz

1. According to the blog, why is it more difficult to make friends now?

A.    Because the social rules in university are different from high school.

B.    Because Coronavirus means we must interact online.

C.    Because people don't try to make friends anymore.

2. According to the blog, what does 'invite dialog' mean?

A.    Share information about yourself, ask questions and make comments.

B.    Organize a party.

C.    Arrange an online study group.

3. According to the blog, how can you keep a conversation going?

A.    Go to the pub.

B.    Ask for someone's phone number.

C.    Privately offer your own contact details.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. B

2. A

3. C

Because of the recent pandemic, many people choose to stay inside. If they do go out, it is only to stock up on food or other necessities. We need to remember to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Parks and bike-ways can be places to enjoy nature and still respect social distancing rules. Some people say “But what is there to do outside? There’s nothing to see…” A hobby I started long ago in childhood has stayed with me all these years. It is a way to enjoy the outdoors and see and learn about some fascinating things. What is it? Bird watching! Yes, observing birds in your local area is a great way to connect to the environment and become aware of the amazing diversity of birds and their behaviors. It will also give you motivation for getting outdoors.

How do you ‘bird watch”?

The best way is to have a pair of decent binoculars and a bird book for your local area. It is possible to bird without binocs, but you really miss a lot of details as birds tend to be small and quick. You can also find many pictures of birds with descriptions on the Internet. Don’t forget birds make a variety of calls and songs as well. It’s one more way of identifying a species. You will begin to notice that bird species can occupy different habitats. I like to visit forests, lakes, riversides, and open parks. You can start right around your home. How many different species can you observe just there? After you get a few species names under your belt, you might want to try a different area away from your home. You can find birds in places crowded with people as well as in unpopulated areas.

Here’s a few kinds of birds I have seen just from bird watching around my apartment in the city: Sparrows, Doves, Pigeons, Ravens, Thrushes, Cormorants, Herons, Egrets, Bulbuls, Lapwings, Woodpeckers, White-Eyes, Redstarts, Swallows, Hawks…The list goes on.

The next time you walk to the store, try to catch sight of a few birds. Are they all the same? Different? Do they make the same noises? Are they the same shape, color, or size? When you start learning species names, try keeping a list and you can add to it as you learn more about birds and bird watching. And finally, if it’s possible, birding can be more fun with a partner or two along to enjoy the time outdoors.

Photo Credit: Pixabay@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. Why does the author recommend bird watching?

A.    It helps people connect with nature.

B.    It is a safe activity during the pandemic.

C.    Both A and B.

2. Which is NOT mentioned as a way birds can be identified?

A.    By listening to their sounds.

B.    By watching television.

C.    By using a book.

3. In the last sentence, what does ‘birding’ mean?

A.    Catching birds.

B.    Looking for birds.

C.    Studying about birds.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. C

2. B

3. B

According to the encyclopedia of Japanese Frogs, forty-eight types of frogs live in Japan. How many of them have you seen? May to August is the best season to meet some of them. Let me introduce three kinds of frogs that you can find in Shiga prefecture.

One of the most common frogs is the Japanese Tree Frog, 'ama-gaeru' in Japanese. 'Ama' stands for 'rain' and 'gaeru' for 'frog.' As the name indicates, you are most likely to find them during rainy season. It is a small frog about three to four centimeters long. They are small, but they sing very loudly. So please be careful if you you plan to keep them as a pet in your apartment. If you visit an area with rice fields, you will probably be able to find eggs and tadpoles just before and during rainy season. Be careful not to stamp on frogs when they are crossing the road from one rice field to another one.

Somewhat rare frogs you can find in mountain areas are the forest green tree frog and schlegel's green tree frog. They usually live on land and they come close to water sites when they lay eggs. Other types of frogs usually lay their eggs in water with a jelly-like coating. However, the eggs of these tree frogs are coated with bubbles and are laid on grass or leaves of trees hanging over the water. Within approximately two weeks, the eggs hatch and the tadpoles are washed away into the water by rain and live in the water until they grow legs. When you visit the mountains for them, watch out for leeches.

If you are wondering what the other forty-five types of frogs are like, why don't you go outside and try to find them? You will be able to find other interesting creatures as well.

Photo Credit: Kaboompics@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. When is the best season to see frogs in Japan?

2. What does 'ama-gaeru' mean in English?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. May to August (summer)

2. rain frog

3. tadpoles

Is the Color “Blue” or “Green” on a Traffic Light?

Before the invention of the blue light emitting diode, which made the “blue” on a traffic light look much more blue, the color on the traffic light was “green”. In most western countries today, such as the U.S.A., the traffic light meaning “go” is called “a green light”. Today, I’m going to talk about “colors”. There are some interesting differences in the way colors are thought of by Japanese and Westerners.

Let’s start with filling in the blanks with the name of a color:

1. I am healthy = I am in the ____.

2. He isn’t mature enough = He is _____.

3. She is good at gardening= She has a _____ thumb.

4. They are cowards= They are ______.

5. He has bruise around his eye= He has a _____ eye.

Check your answers at the bottom of this page. How many did you get right? I thought number 2’s answer was blue because of “Aonisai（青二才）” in Japanese and that number 5’s answer was blue or purple because of “Aoaza（青あざ） in Japanese. It is a well known fact that the Japanese sense of color differs from that of people overseas. Some say the differences can be attributed to cultural issues, genetic factors such as the performance of photoreceptors inside the eyes or even the climate. Acquiring a certain country's ideology regarding colors can be difficult unless you are a native to that specific country.

There are also cultural differences in the way countries think of numbers. The numbers 4 and 9 are considered bad luck by the Japanese. In the western mind, the numbers 13 and 666 are bad luck or carry a negative image. I hope you have a chance to discover and experience these interesting differences in culture and ways of thinking.

1. pink   2. green   3. green   4. yellow   5. black

Photo Credit: JESHOOTS.com@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. In the United States, what color do they call the traffic light that means “go”?

A.   blue

B.   green

C.    yellow

2. What color represents a person who is not brave?

A.   yellow

B.    pink

C.    green

3. What numbers have bad images in many western countries?

A.    4 & 9

B.    666 & 13

C.    2 & 5

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. B

2. A

3. B

Do you like playing musical instruments? I do. I used to play the piano when I was little although I was not a good player. I also tried playing the guitar in college when I enjoyed listening to Avril Lavigine. I wanted to sing while playing the guitar like her. However, it was so difficult to press guitar strings with my little hands. So, I have given up the guitar and just enjoyed singing at karaoke.

Recently, however, I have started playing a new musical instrument, the ukulele. Unlike the guitar, the ukulele is smaller, cheaper and has fewer strings. This time, I felt like I could play some chords. At first, I tried to learn how to play the ukulele by reading a practice book for beginners. On the first day, I was already able to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” On the second day, I was able to play “Happy Birthday to You.” Wow. I was impressed. On the third day, I was bored. These are adorable and nice songs. What was wrong with me? I simply did not enjoy singing the songs.

I changed my approach to practicing the ukulele, and this new way worked well for me. I used Youtube videos. Visual demonstrations and step-by-step instructions were much more helpful for me than just following my practice book. I can even use Youtube videos to tune my ukulele! What attracted me more was that Youtube provides many videos for learning how to play famous pop music. At first, I hesitated to practice those tunes, remembering my failure in playing the guitar, but I tried. It was free anyway.

I practiced playing “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. It sounds difficult, doesn’t it? Relax. The video I used was for beginners. For a week or so, my clumsy fingers were a lot slower than my singing, which annoyed me a little, but I was very pleased and satisfied when my fingers caught up with my singing speed. It felt so good. After all, I was able to sing while playing an instrument. Of course, I cannot play the ukulele as professionally as Jake Shimabukuro or Grace Vanderwaal, but I am quite satisfied.

What’s better, I got another benefit from practicing the ukulele on Youtube. I learned some new English words and expressions because I kept watching the same video in English and singing the same song over and over again. You may be able to pick up vocabulary in a foreign language as a by-product of practicing a musical instrument. The approach is extremely simple. Watch Youtube and practice. You may be able to kill two birds with one stone.

Photo Credit: Pixabay@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. How did the author practice playing the ukulele?

A.   She used a practice book.

B.    She used Youtube videos.

C.    She used a practice book and Youtube videos.

D.  She used songs played by Jake Shimabukuro and Grace Vanderwaal.

2. What does the passage indicate about Jake Shimabukuro and Grace Vanderwaal?

A.  They are professional guitarists.

B.   They are professional singers.

C.    They play the ukulele as skillfully as the author.

D.  They play the ukulele very well.

3. What are the “two birds” in this passage?

A.  the ukulele and English skills

B.    the ukulele and guitar skills

C.    the ukulele and Youtube

D.  the ukulele and karaoke

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. C

2. D

3. A

In Japan, curry rice is regularly found by surveys to be the most popular dish. Even more popular than ramen and miso soup! To foreign visitors it may be surprising because Japan is not traditionally world-famous for its spices. Actually, Japanese food is famous for avoiding strong flavours. So how did Japan fall in love with curry?

The story begins soon after the Meiji Restoration (明治維新) around 150 years ago when Japan began to rapidly modernise and change. Before that, Japan was a very isolated country. In a very short period of time Japan became a very modern country and made alliances with lots of other countries. In 1902 Japan and the United Kingdom became allies. A big part of this partnership included the British Royal Navy and the Japanese Navy (海上自衛隊) sharing weapons and military advice with each other.

Japan had a big problem with their Navy during this period. The young Japanese men in the Navy often had Beri-beri disease (脚気) and nobody knew why. However, Mr. Takaki Kanehiro, who was a naval doctor and went to university in England, discovered that the reason so many Japanese sailors got sick was because the young men only ate white rice and nothing else. These young men were not getting enough Vitamin B1 and were often dying very young.

The Japanese government needed to find a cheap way to give their men Vitamin B1, so they asked the British Royal Navy for advice. One of the foods served on British ships was curry, so they introduced curry to the Japanese Navy to see if this would help stop Beri-beri. The British Navy had been controlling India as a colony for over 100 years and had adopted the Indian national dish. The British Navy never suffered from Beri-beri, so they recommended curry to the Japanese Navy and it worked very successfully. Mr Kanehiro was given the Order of the Rising Sun (旭日章) for saving many Japanese lives.

After the British Navy shared the curry recipe with the Japanese Navy, the Japanese young men took the recipe back to Japan to eat at home. The Indian spices were imported from the UK in exchange for Japanese silk. But in 1931, there was a big scandal. Some Japanese shop owners were arrested by police for selling cheap Japanese curry powder but pretending it was expensive UK curry powder! Actually, it was good news for Japan because people couldn’t taste the difference between the UK version and the Japanese version. Then Japanese spice companies like S&B became very popular with their domestic curry and British spices stopped being imported.

The Japanese then added their own white rice to the curry and also adapted the recipe to suit the Japanese. For example, yuzu was sometimes used in Japanese curry instead of lemon to make Japanese curry a little sweeter. In more recent years, Japan has created its own unique styles of curry, including curry-pan, curry-udon, curry-nanban and the very popular instant curry blocks. The Japanese Navy still eat curry rice to this day – every Friday. Each Naval ship has its own unique recipe!

Photo Credit: Buenosia Carol@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

1. What is an alliance?

A.   An enemy

B.    A partnership

2. Which fruit is sometimes added to Japanese curry instead of lemon?

A.   Yuzu

B.    Mikan

3. Which country did the British adopt the curry dish from?

A.   India

B.    Nepal

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

1. B

2. A

3. A