少人数制で楽しく身につく英会話教室・英会話スクールなら「アミックインターナショナル」

It’s surprising to me that one of the top news stories in Japan has been a controversy surrounding American football. I knew that Japan had a small collegiate football scene and also a professional league, but did not expect the sport to garner the level of attention it has the past week, especially considering the World Cup is three weeks away and Shohei Ohtani continues to dazzle Major League Baseball. 

The incident, in which a Nihon University player delivered an egregious tackle on Kwansei Gakuiin University’s quarterback that left him hospitalized, was jarring to watch and goes far beyond what would be considered a ‘normal’ late hit in gridiron football.

Even though the sport may have a gladiatorial reputation, a hit like the one Taisuke Miyagawa delivered would have resulted in immediate ejection if it were to occur in America. The player would also likely face other sanctions, including suspension from upcoming games and if it happened in the NFL, a harsh fine. Most surprising to me about the video is that even though the incident occurred right in front of Kwansei Gakuiin’s sideline, their players, coaches, and fans seemed largely unphased. 

While the controversy is appearing to sort itself out, with the coach (that allegedly ordered the hit) resigning and Miyagawa saying he is done playing for good, I just hope it doesn’t blacken the game’s reputation in Japan and that the next time the sport is headline news here, it’s for positive reasons (perhaps ahead of Japan’s national American football team going for a fifth consecutive medal at at next year’s IFAF World Championships). 

–Andrew

As some of you may know playing video games is a love of mine. It’s been a hobby since my early childhood but ever since I bought a Playstation 4 a few years ago gaming has had a big resurgence in my life. The resurgence was sparked by my playing a “Souls” game for the first time.

The now legendary Japanese game developing company From Software first made Demon’s Souls back in 2009 and have made three Dark Souls games as well as the excellent Bloodborne since then. Since I got into these games late I didn’t have a chance to play the earlier titles, so it is very exciting for me that the original Dark Souls has been remastered for current generation consoles and will be released tomorrow (5/25)! If you enjoy fantasy and horror mixed with role-playing exploration and amazing combat, please check it out. Hehe.

Joe

アミックのブログを除いてくださりありがとうございます  (^^♪

今日は、英語ではなく、ドイツ語の豆知識です！

実はみなさんの身近にもたくさんドイツ語が隠れています

みなさんよくご存じ

”バームクーヘン”

こちら、ドイツ語です！ご存じの方もいらっしゃると思いますが、ドイツ菓子で、昭和初期から日本でも人気のお菓子です。

年輪のような形から、日本ではお祝い品として贈られることも多くあったそうです。

そう、年輪！！バームとよく記載されているのを見ますが、ドイツ語により近いのは”バウム”です。

“Baum”…..der Baum、ドイツ語で”木”のことを言います。

”kuchen”…der Kuchen、クーヘンと読む、こちらクーヘンは日本語でいう”ケーキ”のことです。

が！ケーキにもたくさん種類がありますね。

ケーキと言えば、生クリームの乗ったものから、パイのようなもの、シフォンケーキ、パウンドケーキ等ありますが、クーヘンは、焼いたケーキのことです。生クリームののたものや、冷やす製法のものは、”Torte”…トルテと呼ばれます。

“バームクーヘン”、直訳して”木のケーキ”、あっという間にドイツ語2つ覚えましたね♪

ちなみにこのバウムクーヘン、ドイツは本場でありながら日本ほど有名ではありません。

ケーキ屋さんにいったらたくさんあるんだろうな～！と思っていたのに、

食べたくてもなかなか見つからないのです。

老舗のショッピングセンターなどに行ったり、専門店までいかないと見当たりません。

日本では抹茶や、苺、チーズ味など、たくさん種類もあり豊富ですよね。

ドイツのお菓子なのになぁ～と不思議に思いました。

が、1年に一度そんなレアなバウムクーヘンをドイツのスーパーでもお見掛けすることがあります♪

クリスマスの時期です！クリスマスマーケットでに賑わう頃、バームクーヘンにスーパーでも

出会えちゃうのです！が！なんと。

チョコのコーティングがしてあります。肝心な年輪が見えないくらい、チョコ！！！

しかも、２、３段はあたりまえなのです@.@!!!!!!

日本で知られているバウムクーヘンは、本場ではなかなか出会えないということです。

チョココーティングのバウムクーヘンも美味ですよ！！

是非機会があれば試してみてください♪

You can find a vending machine on nearly every street corner in Japan. These vending machines sell all sorts of refreshing beverages and some even sell soup! But…what do you do after you’ve bought and consumed your drink? Trash cans aren’t quite as easy to find to throw your garbage away. You might feel tempted to leave your plastic bottle on the sidewalk and simply walk away, but that action can have dire consequences for our environment!

According to an article on National Geographic, “[m]ass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons—most of it in disposable products that end up as trash.” Wow! Did you know that 91% of the world’s plastic doesn’t get recycled? Plastic ends up in landfills and even in the ocean! It has a devastating effect on wildlife. Scientists have predicted that by 2050, the ocean will have more plastic waste than fish. It’s up to us to help keep our home planet free of pollutants.

If you’d like to learn more, please read this very eye-openning article about the dangers of plastic. 

Hard

As an adjective, hard can mean: 

The opposite of soft:

• Wood is hard.

The opposite of easy:

• The exam was hard.

Something involving effort:

• Running a marathon is hard.

As an adverb, hard can mean:

Doing something with energy:

• She works hard.

To use force:

• He hit the ball hard.