Local Cafe Recommendation

～オススメ　カフェ！～(ミッシェル講師）

もうすぐ夏休みも終わりですね。たくさんくつろげましたか。
コーヒーが大好きなミッシェル講師が徳山にあるお勧めのカフェを紹介してくれています。
友達とおしゃべりをしたり、勉強をしたり、軽食を楽しんだりとよく通っているお店のようです。
コーヒーだけでなく、ネコ好きにとってはとても素敵な場所のようです。
近くを訪れた際に一度寄ってみてはいかがでしょうか。みなさんにとっても安らげる空間になるかもしれませんね。


Hello, readers!

Welcome back from a busy Obon season! Summer vacation is almost over, and everyone is heading back to the grind* soon. I hope you had plenty of time to relax! 

As most of you know, I am a big fan of coffee. I spend a lot of time in cafes, chatting with friends, studying, or just enjoying a small meal. Recently, I've been especially fond of a cute, new cafe here in Tokuyama called "Kodama Coffee." 

From the outside, you might not notice the small, corner shop next to a big yakitori restaurant. But once you enter, the smell of roasting coffee is unmistakable. The room is dimly lit, with dark red booths lining the right wall. To the left, a long bar counter offers a number of seat with easy access to electrical outlets. The owner, a tall, slender man with a cheerful smile, welcomes you warmly. 

"Welcome, please sit anywhere you like!"

Sinking into the comfortable booth, you quickly notice the cat decorations all over the shop. From local artist paintings on the walls to the cat-shaped business card holders on the tables, cat lovers will be in heaven! 

Soon, you are offered a glass of water, some small peanuts, and a unique menu of coffees, crepes, side dishes, and desserts. Each month, a new crepe flavor is introduced - sometimes they are designed by customers!

Ice coffee and a savory crepe make a great summer combination.
 アイスコーヒーと塩味をきかせた食事系クレープ

The "Danish pizza" is really delicious. 
デンマークのピザ

This crepe - green tea ice cream, Oreo cookies, and custard creme - was designed by me!
ミッシェル講師デザイン：抹茶のアイスとオレオクッキー、カスタードクリームのクレープ

If you order a hot coffee, the owner may design some "Cat-fe art" for you!
コーヒーを頼むとネコの絵が描いてくれるかも

So cute!!!!!
かわいい!!!

The cafe is located near "Tres" cafe off of Route 2. They are closed on Wednesday. 
場所：国道2号線のトレスカフェ付近　定休日：水曜日

If you have some free time, please check out this great cafe and help to support a local business! Find more information on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Kodamacoffee?pnref=story  

Do you have any favorite cafes to recommend? 

Until next time! 
~Michelle 

* "Head back to the grind" means to start working hard again after a break. 

～みなさんこんにちは～（マシュー講師）

4月から新しくSESの講師となりましたマシュー講師です。彼はイギリスのヘレフォードシャー州の出身です。今回はその故郷について書いてくれています。イギリスと言えばパブを思い浮かべる人もいるのではないかと思います。ここでマシュー講師は伝統的な飲み物についても触れています。皆さんはパブに行ったらどんなお酒や飲み物を飲んでみたいですか。


Hello everyone!

My name is Matthew Kirby. I come from Herefordshire in England, I actually lived in the middle of the countryside with the nearest city being Hereford about 10-15 minutes’ drive away. I came to Japan at the end of March 2015 to teach at SES. I have been working as an English teacher all over Asia and before SES was a university lecturer in Malaysia.

I have only been in Japan for a short period of time but I am really enjoying being here and I think Japan is the best country I have worked in aboard. Japan is a beautiful country, it's very clean and I feel very safe living here surrounded by such lovely people.

Although Japan is great I have been away from home for just over two years and I miss home very much. Hereford is a very interesting and quite city. Hereford has been around for a very long time with written records mentioning it as early as 676AD and many believing it has been around since before records began.

ヘレフォードシャー橋

Hereford is near the boarders of England and Wales and was once a very wealthy trading center between the old kingdom of Mercia and Wales. Today the area is very agricultural producing a lot of food, mainly apples, potatoes and beef. A very traditional drink in the area is called Cider and is like a beer made from apples.

 

サイダーと呼ばれるリンゴから作られたビール

 

A Golden Week Starbucks Adventure!

～スターバックス　アドベンチャー～（ミッシェル講師）

ミッシェル講師はゴールデンウィークにアリソン講師と関西地区に旅行にでかけました。
大阪、京都、奈良、神戸といろいろ回ったようですが、それよりも楽しかったことがあったようです。
それはスターバックス巡り。大きな都市に行くとたくさんの店がありますが、山口のこのあたりではあまり見かけないようです。大好きなスターバックスに毎日のように通ったみたいですね。
みなさんはコーヒーが好きですか。もしそうなら是非行ってみて下さい。いろんな味にであえるかもしれませんよ。

Hello, readers! And Happy Saturday! It's me, Michelle :)

During the Golden Week holidays, I took a trip with Allison to the Kansai Area. We went to Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe, and visited many interesting sightseeing places there.

But for me, the most exciting part about going to a big city is...Starbucks!

The ubiquitous Starbucks logo: a two-tailed mermaid
至る所にあるスターバックスのロゴ：二つの尾を持つ人魚

 Have you ever been to Starbucks? It's a cafe that started in Seattle, Washington in 1971, and has since become the world's trendiest coffee shop. There are many Starbucks cafes in Japan, too.

For Golden Week, I went to a Starbucks almost every day! Their coffee is delicious, and they have rare flavors that other coffee shops don't offer, such as Chai tea and Matcha latte. Of course, their coffee is more expensive than other places - around 500 yen per drink.

European-style Starbucks in Kitano, Kobe
ヨーロッパスタイルのスターバックス（神戸市北野）

Anyway, I also collect "tumblers" (special coffee mugs for traveling) from different places in Japan. Now, I have five tumblers: Tokyo, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, and now Kyoto and Kobe, too. Aren't they beautiful! I think coffee tastes better in these tumblers (hahaha).

My tumbler collection! I hope to find many more!
ミッシェル講師のタンブラーコレクション

Do you like coffee, too? What's your favorite coffee shop?
Please let me know if you like Starbucks as much as I do!

See you soon,
Michelle

Golden Week

～ゴールデンウィークの旅行～（アリソン講師）

ゴールデンウィークのお休みの間にアリソン講師は友達と関西地域をいろいろと旅行したようです。大阪、京都、奈良そして神戸まで足を運んだようです。買い物や観光を大いに楽しみ、日本を更に好きになってくれたみたいです。日本にはたくさんの良い観光スポットがあります。皆さんは海外から来た友達を案内するならどこを案内しますか。

My Golden Week Trip

Hello everyone! It's Allison! I hope you all had a wonderful Golden Week holiday! This Golden Week was my first one in Japan and I did a lot of site seeing. It was a lot of fun! A friend and I traveled all around the Kansai district and I saw many interesting things. In Osaka we did lots of shopping and in Kyoto we went to the Golden Temple, the Silver Temple, Kyomizudera, and the Inari shrine. Whew! So much walking! In Nara we saw what may be one of the world's largest Buddha statues and the many cute deer which roam in the parks nearby. In Kobe we discovered a Yu Darvish museum! Who knew? It was my first trip to really get out and see Japan and I loved it!

 The famous Glico Man in Osaka
大阪で有名なグリコサイン

 The many gates at Inari
伏見稲荷大社の鳥居

 Foxes at Inari
伏見稲荷大社のキツネ

At the Yu Darvish museum
ダルビッシュ・有　ミュージアム

Golden Week's biggest impression (Karina)

～ゴールデンウィークで一番印象に残ったもの～（カリーナ講師）

あっという間に過ぎてしまったゴールデンウィーク。
カリーナ講師は世界遺産でもある奈良の東大寺が一番印象に残ったようです。
絵のように美しく、堂々とした建物と世界で最も大きな仏像に心を奪われ、そしてかわいらしい鹿たちに囲まれ、ますます日本を好きになってくれたようです。
日本にはまだまだたくさんの美しい場所や世界遺産があります。みなさんはどのくらい訪れたことがありますか。


As we know, good times always past so fast! Spring Holidays are over now and I hope that all of you had some quality time whatever you've been doing.

I would like to tell you about the place I've never visited before and that became my favorite place in Japan after I did.

It's Todai-ji Temple in Nara city. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara. Deer, regarded as messengers of the gods in the Shinto religion, roam the grounds freely.

The building itself is truly a masterpiece. It's so big that not every camera can capture it. It was so monumental and picturesque, I've been just standing in front of it for maybe 15 minutes, trying to remember as many details as I could. 

Inside the building another masterpiece has been waiting for me. The Great Buddha, the biggest bronze Buddha statue in the world.

Todai-ji Temple was originally founded in the middle of 8th century and has been reconstructed few times, but the beauty still remains.

When I left the Temple I was amazed by friendly deer all around. They were coming to people and bowing politely to ask for some food.

This trip made me love Japan even more than before.

Karina

東大寺

奈良の大仏

During the Golden Week with Karina and Rob

～ゴールデンウィーク～（ロバート講師＆カリーナ講師）

ロバート講師とカリーナ講師はゴールデンウィーク中に京都、奈良、大阪を訪れたようです。
京都と奈良の美しさに魅了され、とても良い時間を過ごせたようですね。
伝統的な日本の美しさをもっと知ってもらいたいですね。
みなさんはどのようにゴールデンウィークを過ごされましたか。

During the Golden Week we visited Kyoto, Nara and Osaka; here are some photos of the trip. The weather was great and everything almost went according to planned :) During our trip we received a lot of help by the locals which really made the trip even more enjoyable. Both of us were really impressed with all the beauty in Kyoto and Nara.

京都：八坂神社

奈良：カリーナ講師と鹿

奈良：ロバート講師と鹿

Shauna's Future!

～ショ―ナの未来！～　（ショーナ講師）

ショーナ講師が誕生日の予定をたてています。
何をすべきか・・・何を買うべきか・・・どこに行くべきか・・・
何かおもしろいことをしたいようです。
みなさん何かいい案があったら教えてあげて下さい。

I am already planning my birthday.
I will be 21 years old...again! What should I do? What should I buy? Where should I go?

For Christmas, I went to Vietnam and Cambodia. It was fun, interesting and hot.

Ho Chi Minh Palace, Hanoi, Vietnam
ホーチミン廟　ハノイ　ベトナム

Angkor Wat, Cambodia
アンコールワット　カンボジア

In February, I went to Hiroshima for sledding and snowboarding! It was my first time and it was very, very scary and cold!
So for my birthday, I want to do something interesting. what do you think? What are your plans for your birthday? Maybe we can walk on the Great Wall of China or go trekking on an African Safari or swim in the Caribbean Sea!
What do you say? Let's Go!!
I am waiting for your reply....