Category Archives: Japan (日本)

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) October 11, 2019 Typhoon 19 is set to hit our area tomorrow. Yesterday, I added mulch pins to hopefully keep the mulch film on the ground. 台風19号準備 台風19号は明日近畿に接近するらしい。昨日、マルチが飛ばされないよう、マルチピンを増やした。 ************** English novels by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book in the trilogy) II. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire Trilogy 1. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire 2. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Returns 3. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Challenges (The final book in the trilogy) III. Fantasy fiction set in Japan 1. 21st Century Ninja 2. Regressed 3. Japanese Woman IV. Fantasy fiction set outside of Japan 1. Dimension Jumpers ************

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) October 10, 2019 October 10, 1964 was the day the Tokyo Summer Olympics opened. It was the first Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first to be relayed worldwide by satellite. The Olympics ended on October 24, 1964. 1964年10月10日 1964年10月10日は東京夏オリンピック(第18回オリンピック競技大会)の開催日だった。アジアでの初めてのオリンピックで、世界中に衛星放送転送された初めてのオリンピックでもあった。10月24日の閉会式で終わった。 ************** English novels by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book in the trilogy) II. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire Trilogy 1. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire 2. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Returns 3. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Challenges (The final book in the trilogy) III. Fantasy fiction set in Japan 1. 21st Century Ninja 2. Regressed 3. […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) October 9, 2019 Credit Card Cashless Transactions When I went to a Family Mart convenience store to buy cigarettes last week, I noticed that the convenience store had a sign announcing that it was a participant in the government’s 2% or 5% discount plan to hasten in cashless transactions. I had planned to pay for my purchase in cash, but when I was told it was 5,100 yen as opposed to last month’s 5,000 yen, I asked the sales clerk if the 2% applied to tobacco purchases. She didn’t know and said the system hadn’t been explained to everyone, so I asked her if I could try an experiment. She canceled my cash transaction and I gave her one of my credit cards. Sure enough, the total dropped to 4,998 yen. Many older Japanese don’t […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) Written: October 2, 2019 The Japanese government raised the sales tax yesterday on most items other than food and non-alcoholic beverages to be taken home from 8% to 10%. What the idiot politicians probably didn’t count on is that 10% is a percentage that the highly math literate Japanese will calculate automatically in their heads as soon as they see a price. 8% is cumbersome and most people won’t bother to figure it out, but 10% coupled with the Japanese ability to do quick reflex addition in their heads is a suicide number for sales. For example, an item that cost 989 yen is unlikely to make a normal person calculate it at 8%, but when you tax it at 10% the 98.9 yen tax comes out automatically. You round it to 99 yen, which […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) September 30, 2019 I was looking for something to watch on hulu yesterday and stumbled upon “Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura” (2017). It turned out to be a wonderfully done fantasy adventure with special effects that equal those used in the Harry Potter series. It’s based on the manga series drawn by Ryouhei Saigan published by Futabasha and is a Japanese tale set in Kamakura that introduces the many ghouls, goblins and other creatures that abound in Japanese folk culture. It was directed by Takashi Yamazaki and stars Masato Sakai and Mitsuki Takahashi who both outdo themselves in creating a heartwarming and exciting romantic adventure. If you’re a serious student of Japanese culture, this is one film that you really shouldn’t miss viewing. It turned out to be one of the best movies I’ve seen […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) September 26, 2019   Equinox Flowers in Bloom The equinox flowers (red spider lilies), or higanbana in Japanese, bloomed rather late this year. They usually bloom a little before the fall equinox, but this year they bloomed yesterday (September 25). They are one of the flowers that mark the passage of the seasons in Japan and the fall equinox is a time when Japanese visit their ancestral graves. ************* 彼岸花が咲いた 昨日、畑に行ったら、遅れた彼岸花が咲いていた。例年なら、彼岸花はとっくに咲いているが、今年は遅い。 ******** English books by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book in the trilogy) II. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire Trilogy 1. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire 2. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) Japanese movies featuring junior high and high school days are quite popular and I enjoy watching them. One thing that detracts from their reality, though, is the use of actors and actresses who are sometimes over eighteen to portray junior high students and those who are clearly over twenty in the roles of high school students. Yesterday I watched a high school flick called “P to JK” on hulu. It was released in 2017, so it was probably filmed in 2016. The main actress playing the 16-year old high school girl who gets married to a policeman is Tao Tsuchiya, who would have been 22 at the time. She and the other actors and actresses who play the high school roles are really talented, but it’s very hard to recreate youth. It would be nice […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) **************** English books by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book in the trilogy) II. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire Trilogy 1. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire 2. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Returns 3. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Challenges (The final book in the trilogy) III. Fantasy fiction set in Japan 1. 21st Century Ninja 2. Regressed 3. Japanese Woman IV. Fantasy fiction set outside of Japan 1. Dimension Jumpers ************

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) The answer key will be put up within the next few days. 横 2. 日本ポップの女王 1992年2018年（苗字) 4. 「時代」の歌手1993 （苗字） 6. 水俣病の原因 9. 日本女子カーリングチームが流行させた言葉 12. ラストサムライの主役（苗字） 14. 小泉が首相だった時の米大統領 16. SCAP(苗字） 縦 1. このはげ！と叫んだ政治家（苗字） 3. Ron and Yasu時の首相の苗字 5. 伝説となった阪神タイガースのアメリカ人選手 7. 三種の神器：白黒テレビ、・・・、洗濯機 8. オーム真理教が殺害した弁護士（苗字） 10. 日本でのパナソニックの旧名称 11. 昭和天皇の英語名 13. 1969-1995年まで『寅さん』を演じた俳優（苗字） *日本語の答えをヘボン式ローマ字で書いてください **答えを2・3日以内にポストします。 ******************** Books published by AELS (AELS出版書籍) 魔女学院＆光塾：魔女ガールズの冒険 原作＆翻訳：ビレー　ハモンド 日本語編集：伊庭野れい子 Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools – English Edition (魔女学院＆光塾（英語） By Billy Hammond 迷える魔女の戦い (魔女学院＆光塾シリーズ第2弾) 原作＆翻訳：ビレー　ハモンド 日本語編集：伊庭野れい子 Lost Witch (Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku Series Book 2) – English Edition (迷える魔女: 魔女学院＆光塾第2弾：英語版） By Billy Hammond 幸せを運ぶ魔法のチャレンジ 魔女学院＆光塾シリーズの第3弾 (Fate & Magic Jp) 原作＆翻訳：ビレー　ハモンド 日本語編集：伊庭野れい子 “Fate & Magic” Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku Series – Japanese Witch Schools Book 3 – English Edition (幸せを運ぶ魔法のチャレンジの英語版） By Billy Hammond Regressed 「過去に生きて・・・」 原作＆翻訳：ビレー　ハモンド 日本語編集：伊庭野れい子 Regressed – English Edition […]

By Billy Hammond (Copyright AELS) September 3, 2019 Temperatures had been heading downward in Osaka recently, but yesterday they suddenly jumped to mid-summer levels. It was 34 degrees when I arrived in Matsubara City yesterday! The sudden change in temperatures switched my body back to the sluggish, slow-mode thought function and actions that prevail in hot summer weather… 高温残暑夏バテ 最近の大阪の気温は徐々に下がりつつあったが、昨日突然に真夏の34度まで上昇した！松原市に着いた時、車の温度計は34度だった！ 突然の気温変化で頭がボーッとしている、身体がだるい…夏バテへの逆戻り… ************ English books by Billy Hammond published by AELS (AELS出版英語書籍リスト）   I. Majoh Gakuin and Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools Trilogy 1. Majoh Gakuin & Hikari Juku – Japanese Witch Schools 2. Lost Witch (The second book) 3. Fate & Magic (The final book in the trilogy) II. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire Trilogy 1. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire 2. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Returns 3. Brindle – Scryer Extraordinaire – Challenges (The final book in the trilogy) […]