2016年2月5日金曜日

Teacher's Essay

公開中の映画のお話です。日本との関わりの深さを知ることで、翌年公開の次回作も倍以上の楽しみになりますね!!

Star Wars and Japan
By Bobby
 
This New Year people all over the world will go to see the new Star Wars movie in the cinema.
 
 
You might remember the three original movies in the cinema, on video or playing with the toys as a
 
 
child.  But where did George Lucas (the creator and director of Star Wars) get his ideas from?
 
 
 You might be surprised that was influenced by Japanese culture.
 
 
 
 
While a student at film school George Lucas was first introduced to Japan through the movies of
 
 
 Akira Kurosawa. He saw famous movies like; ‘The Seven Samurai’, ‘Yojimbo’ and ‘Hidden
 
 
Fortress’. Many years later he copied directly from Kurosawa’s movie Hidden Fortress; and based
 
 
the two arguing men at the start of the movie as the robots C3PO and R2D2 in Star Wars.
 
 
 

Lucas also wanted Toshiro Mifune to play Obiwan Kenobi or Darth Vader.
 
But Mifune refused as he thought the characters were from a child’s movie. Princess Leia was
 
 influenced by the princess from the Hidden Fortress where the Samurai rescue a princess.
 
 
 In Star Wars the heroes rescue a princess from the Death Star.
 
 
 
 

Darth Vader’s helmet and the white Stormtrooper’s armor were based on Samurai armor.
 
 
The name Jedi was also based on Japanese drama ‘Jidai-Geki’.
 
 
The Jedi robes were also styled after kimonos and the movies famous light saber dual was taken
 
 
 
from Kurosawa’s famous Samurai sword fights.

                                    

In Star Wars episode I, II, and III princess Amedala’s name was taken directly from Japanese ‘
 
 
Ameda’ Buddhism and the scene of the army marching over the hill in Star Wars

episode one is a direct copy of the bandits coming over the hill from Seven Samurai.

 

Japanese culture has influenced George Lucas and without Japanese culture and the influences of
 
 
Akira Kurosawa the Star Wars movies would look very different. You can feel pride that when
 
 
millions of people across the world watch Star Wars, they will experience some of Japan’s culture
 
 
 as well.
 
 
 

2015年6月11日木曜日

Student's Sightseeing Memoirs

5月に当校に長く通っていただいております生徒さんがアメリカ西海岸旅行へお出かけになりました。
その時の写真と感想文を掲載します。(投稿ありがとうございました!)
ブライスキャニオン

ホースベンシュート(馬のひづめの形状)

アンティノーブルキャニオン


モニュメントバレー



Route66


ラスベガス・ベネチアの噴水ショー

Santa Monica Coast

Chinese Theater


The eastern U.S. is simply a mega city. My first stop in the U.S. was New York. I felt that New York is bigger than Tokyo.

I prefer the western U.S. The area is a full of natural scenary. It's really wild.
There are many wonderful landscapes in the world, I was impressed to see the of them.

In a famous spot town called 'Sedona' , I could oreder a Mexican taco and beer in English. It went smoothly.
 I didn't have any trouble sightseeing in English. I was able to hear the conversation between a local bus driver and the Japanese staff.

But one trouble was that I couldn't a restaurant menu at all.

圧巻の大自然とルート66など写真はどれもアメリカらしさを象徴していますね。
英語のメニューだけが分からなかった・・というのはおそらく、メニューの名前(野菜・肉等の固有名詞)はエスニック料理の多いアメリカでは、日本では見慣れないものが多く見られた事がゆえに少し困ったのかもしれませんね。写真もなければ尚更だったと、アメリカ人講師は言っておりました。

メニューの注文がスムーズだったことや、現地スタッフ間の会話が聞き取れたことは日頃の英会話のたまものですね!
また海外旅行にお出かけの際も心強いです!

つかの間の旅行気分を絶景で癒されつつ皆様も味わって下さい。

2015年3月7日土曜日

イギリス英語・アメリカ英語の単語比較

イギリス英語になかなか親しむ機会がないまま英国人の会話やインタビューを聞いていますと、知らない単語ばかり..なんて事もあります。
アメリカ英語なら何を言っているのか理解出来る事が多いので、今回は様々な言葉を並べ比べてみました。
数えだしたらキリがないですが今回は頻出ワードパート1です!

Let's take a look!



British words not used in the USA

 

There are many differences between British and American English. Why not try to learn a few of these and use them when speaking to both British and American people with this quiz.

 

What are these common British English words in American English.

 

Q 1) Can you go to the shops and buy me an aubergine and a courgette please?

 

Q 2) After you get the messages can you make me a cuppa please?

 

UK                   USA                 Meaning

Aubergine                       Eggplant

Courgette                        Zucchini

Crisps                              Potato chips

Cuppa                              Cup of tea

Chips                               French fries

 

Lorry                                Truck                                  Heavy vehicle to transport goods

Bloke                               Guy                                     A man

Bobby                              Cop                                      A police man

Brolly                               Umbrella

Bureau de change         Currency exchange

Butty                               Sandwich

Cagoule                           Windbreaker                     A coat worn in bad weather

Cash Point                      Automated teller machine                      ATM

Chemist                           Drug store

Chinwag                         Chat

Clingfilm                         Saran wrap

Cooker                             Stove

Child Minder                 Baby sitter

Cobblers                          Shoe repair store

Compère                          Master of ceremonies

Courgette                        Zucchini

Crisps                              Potato Chips

Doddle                             When something is easy

Dosh                                 Money

Drink-Driving                Driving under the influence

Flat                                  Apartment

2015年2月9日月曜日

Teacher's Essay Vol. 1

先日イタリア旅行に出かけたBobby先生のフィレンツェ(英語ではFlourence)紹介エッセイを掲載します。ヨーロッパ出身者が各国の名のある美術・建築物の中でも比べ物にならない程美しいと絶賛しております。

『食』に関して見てもリゾット、ピザ、トリュフ・・・日本人の胃袋をガッチリ掴んでくれそうですし、うーん。。。行きたい!

エッセイ中の文章や単語は固有名詞を除いては比較的平易、短く書かれておりますのでフィレンツェへの思い馳せながら楽しくお読みいただければと思います。


Florence a Beautiful City

by

Bobby





If you compared the art found in Florence Italy with other beautiful European cities there would be no equal. Paris has the Louvre and its beautiful streets; London its Hyde Park and Rome has the Colosseum. But as a home of high art none of them can compare to the achievements of Florence. The kingdom of Florence was the birth place of Michaelangelo, Galileo Galilei and Leonardo da Vinci, Dante and of course the birth place of the renaissance.


 

The city is an open air museum grown more beautiful over the centuries; and a treasure chest with masterworks of art and architecture so close that you can almost touch them. Florence today is crowded with tourists, but you can walk down the same streets where Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo walked. Florence is an ideal tourist destination although avoid the summer season in June, when it’s too hot. It’s not unusual to wait up to 5 hours outside some of the larger museums like the Uffizi Gallery one of the most visited art museums in the world. If you can wait then prepare for another two or three hours inside the gallery; where you can see masterworks like Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Leonardo da Vinci’sAnnunciation’ and many other works of art. There are even large seats more like beds in the gallery just in case you feel tired and need to rest.
 
 
 

Florence Cathedral with its famous dome makes an impressive sight anywhere in the city. It’s free to enter and open most days except religious holidays and Sundays. It’s dark inside so go in the morning until noon when the light is bright as the windows light up the paintings on the inside of the dome. If you fancy a challenge why not climb up the 463 to the top to see the paintings up close or a spectacular view of the city. Or if you fancy a walk away from the city why not go to the Pitti Palace with its beautiful garden.

 

The food is typically Italian where you can buy pasta, pizza and risotto. Florence is famous for its beef and especially Bistecca – a 0.5kg steak served on the bone. The locals also enjoy tripe soup, slow cooked pig’s trotters, chickens, rabbits and ducks too. Tuscany is also famous for its cheese, olive oil and chianti red wine. Florence is also famous for its cold meat cuts, salad, and tomato soup. Truffles are also popular and shops sell fresh truffles, truffle flavoured oil, or the city markets famous fresh seafood and shellfish.

 


WORDS LIST

Colosseum    コロッセウム                              

Michaelangelo  ミケランジェロ・ブオナローティ

Hyde Park    ハイド・パーク (ロンドンのバッキンガム宮殿に隣接)                           

Galileo Galilei  ガリレオ・ガリレイ

Louvre   ルーヴル美術館      

achievements  功績                                    

  
Uffzi Museum   ウフィツィ美術館                  
 

Dante ダンテ・アリギエーリ

open air   野外

masterworkspiece 傑作                            

Botticelli サンドロ・ボッティチェッリ

architecture建築                                                 

dome ドーム

impressive  素晴らしい 

walk down ~まで歩いていく

fancy ~を気に入る

Florence Cathedral   サンタ・マリア・デル・フィオーレ大聖堂

treasure Chest    宝箱                                           kingdom  王国

renaissance  ルネッサンス                                 tripe 豚や牛の胃

trotters 豚足                                                          cured ham-塩漬けハム

Chiantiキアンティ(ワインの名産地)                         truffles トリュフ

Tripe-ハチノス                                             on the bone-骨付き

Birth of Venus – A famous painting showing the Greek Goddess Venus

Annunciation – A painting where an angel tells Mary she is pregnant with the baby Jesus

More Info ⇒ http://www.italyguides.it/us/florence/florence_italy.htm

2015年1月21日水曜日

New Year Party 2015

We had a bowling and dinner party to celebrate the New Year!

初の試み、ボウリング⇒懇親会(居酒屋にて)イベントを開催いたしました。
多くの生徒さんにお集まりいただき、ネイティブ講師全員とチーム対抗戦・個人戦とも熱戦を繰り広げ、大いに盛り上がっていただいた事と思います・・!

下馬評ではアメリカ人はボウリングが得意(?そうなんでしょうか・・)だし、雰囲気も上手そうだからJ先生が1位になるだろう、いやいやM先生もアメリカンだから相当良い成績を残すかもしれない、ヨーロッパ人は勝てないかもしれない。。など各々好きに妄想&予想をしておりました。

結果は・・・本当に1人のアメリカ人講師Mが優勝しました。(生徒さんを差し置いて)
2位~4位は日本人生徒さんが独占し、健闘されました!
皆さん何十年ぶりだから不安でしょうがない・・とおっしゃる方々こそ上位入賞された印象です。
普段からテニスやフィットネスに通っていらっしゃる方は何をされても得意のようです。
日頃の運動は大事ですね。 おめでとうございます!

国籍も性別も年代も超えてスタッフもちゃっかり生徒さんとハイタッチまでさせて頂くほど盛り上がれるボウリングは素晴らしいスポーツだと改めて実感した1日でした。次回もこうご期待です!







from U.K.(He didn't have any confidence even though  he was a team leader.)
From Europe(He has a lot of power! The ball was so fast!)

Super cool form! from the U.S.A (but he didn't win.)

He's also from the U.S.A (He was a fifth place:))





He won!! A champion !

不満.... He's complaining..


ひとしきり盛り上がった後は乾杯をしました。一汗流した後のドリンクの何と美味しいこと・・!優勝者はもう止まりません。