笑いたいですか？Yes!!

新しい船橋校の写真！

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:45:16 +0900

We're still finishing up with the new school preparation, but here's a couple pictures of the new school!

Check more out on our website.

http://www.jabble.jp/pics_p21.html

And check out our homepage for other news!

http://www.jabble.jp/index-f.html

Big News!!

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:36:20 +0900

I just wanted to let everyone know that our English school just got a little bigger.

We are opening a new school in Funabashi on March 2nd.

It's really exciting for us. Our current students have beenimproving and our school parties keep getting bigger and more exciting.The last one was so much fun.

Anyhow, we're really looking forward to meeting and teaching peoplein Funabashi. It's going to be fun. Thank you all for your support!

If you have a minute, check out our new page!

http://www.jabble.jp/index-f.html

Now in Japanese (ああああ！）

Jabbleはもっと大きくなります！

3月2日、新しい船橋校開きます！

私たちすごくexcitedです！（excited...日本語で何ですか？）今の生徒は本当に上達していますandJabbleパーティも大きくてもっと楽しくなっています。前回のパーティとても面白かってです。

とにかく、私たちは新しい生徒と友達に会うことを楽しみにしています。皆、応援してくれてありがとうございます！

あと、時間があれば新しい船橋校のホームページを見てください！

http://www.jabble.jp/index-f.html

Lesson 6

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:19:40 +0900

Tom: I’m so fired up! I’m going to see The Dark Knight this weekend.

Yuji: The Dark Knight? Really? Do you think I can join you?

Tom: By all means, a bunch of us are going on Saturday.

Yuji: Great. Where can I meet you?

Tom: Everybody’s meeting up at Keisei Rosa Theater in Chiba at 7.

Yuji: OK. See you then.

************************

I’m so fired up! I’m going to see The Dark Knight this weekend.
(胸を躍らせる！私は今週末、ダークナイトを見に行く予定です。)

By all means
(もちろん）

Everybody’s meeting up at Keisei Rosa Theater in Chiba at 7.
(みんな７時に千葉の京成ローザ映画館で待ち合わせしましょう。)

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉
http://www.jabble.jp/

Lesson 5

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:46:59 +0900

Bill: Hey Kenji, you lived in New Zealand right?

Kenji: Yeah, it was a great experience! So much fun! Have you been there?

Bill: No, but I’d really like to visit. I want to go bungee jumping.

Kenji: Are you serious?! I was too chicken to try it when I was there.

Bill: Actually, I’ve done it 3 times already.

Kenji: Wow! You are so gutsy! I get scared just thinking about it!

************************

it was a great experience
(それはいい経験でした。)

Are you serious?!
(本当ですか？）

I was too chicken to try it when I was there.
（私はそこでそれに挑戦するのには臆病すぎました。）

You are so gutsy!
（あなたはとても気骨がある！）

I get scared just thinking about it!
（考えるだけでも怖いです！）

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉
http://www.jabble.jp/

It’s October! Halloween (my birthday) is coming!

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:10:02 +0900

Does everyone know about Halloween? I’m sure you do! But how many people celebrate Halloween in Japan?

Does anyone celebrate Halloween in Japan?!

As I mentioned above, Halloween is my birthday!… so for me it’s extra special! And honestly, I can’t imagine a better birthday. In America, it’s so much fun! We dress up in costumes, go trick or treating, go to parties… it’s a blast!

When I was younger I used to love trick or treating. I mean, trick or treating meant free candy! Can you believe it? All I had to do was walk around my neighborhood, knock on doors, say “trick or treat!”, and like magic, they would give me candy!

Back then I think my costumes were pretty boring… ghosts, superman, batman, all the standard superheroes or monsters. But as I got older, choosing costumes got harder. Our costumes had to be original to make our friends laugh. Some of our costumes were hysterical… one my friends even dressed up as a golf green!

Halloween is also great just because it’s during a great part of the year. In California the weather is always nice, but there’s something special about Fall… maybe the weather feels drier or maybe it’s just the changing color of the leaves… it just feels so relaxed. And I remember going to pumpkin patches to buy pumpkins to carve. My dad was always really good at carving jack-o-lanterns with really funny faces.

I hope you all have a chance to experience Halloween in American someday.

*******************

mentioned = said

I can’t imagine a better birthday = I think Halloween is the best birthday

dress up in costumes = wear costumes

trick or treating = going to our neighbors house, knocking on the door, saying “trick or treat”, and getting candy

it’s a blast = it’s so much fun

I mean = if I say in different words…

meant free candy = I get free candy

All I had to do was walk around my neighborhood = If I walked around my neighborhood

like magic =suddenly (like a surprise magic trick)

all the standard superheroes or monsters = usual superheroes or monster

golf green = on a golf course, the place where the hole is

just because = only because

pumpkin patches = where pumpkins grow

jack-o-lanterns =pumpkins with faces

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉
http://www.jabble.jp/

Lesson 4

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:17:35 +0900

Jeff: Hey, have you seen Akiko recently?

Kenji: No, I heard she met a guy.

Jeff: Really?

Kenji: Yeah, Keiko was saying that she’s head over heels in love with him.

Jeff: Wow, that’s great! But I really hope we can catch up with her sometime soon.

Kenji: Yeah, me too.

************************

recently
(最近）

Yeah, Keiko was saying that she’s head over heels in love with him.
（はい。ケイコさんは彼に首ったけだと言っていました。）

But I really hope we can catch up with her sometime soon.
（でも私は近々彼女に会って話せるといいな、と思っています。）

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉
http://www.jabble.jp/

Cycling to Hiroshima (Day 3 and 4: the sento)

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:30:37 +0900

So Ryan and I finally arrived at the sento in Shizuoka. After such a long day… cycling up the mountain after Hakone, the great downhill ride, and tough, dangerous ride from Fuji city, the sento was a site for sore eyes.

When we arrived, we parked our bikes at the sento. I should tell you about unloading our bikes. Ryan and I were both carrying bags that sat atop a rack that was mounted to our bicycle seat post. We split our tent into two parts and each carried half. Usually we slept in a tent close to our bikes so we never really worried about anything being stolen. That’s kind of a funny thing about being American. We are always mindful about leaving anything alone because we’re afraid it might be stolen. In Japan though, it’s so much safer. Nonetheless, we took everything of value off our bikes: our bike computers, lights, my bicycle seat (a brooks leather saddle, http://www.brookssaddles.com/, the “Cadillac” of bicycle seats! Ha ha!), and we locked our bikes together.

We went into the sento and it was bustling with people… all dressed in the same lemon yellow and lime green pajamas! Needless to say, I thought it was a little funny. I mean, everyone was wearing the same thing! So I was a bit embarrassed to check in, knowing that I was going to be clad in the very same pajamas in a matter of minutes! Ahh! But we were exhausted, so in we went.

The check-in was painless. We were issued our lime green pajamas and told we could enter. The sento was amazing to us. There were free massage chairs, a community room where people could drink and watch TV, men’s and women’s TV rooms, a community Karaoke room, free internet, restaurants… everything you could want! And they gave us elastic wrist bands with bar codes on them so we could buy anything we wanted, just by scanning our wrist band at any vending machine, restaurant, or shop!

But what did we want?… the relaxing waters of the sento! So we went in and it was great! It was such a relief from the day’s rough ride.

The next day we woke up and I was ready to hit the road! I went to the sento again, then jumped in the shower, and after that I was ready to go. I packed my things and went into the common room to meet Ryan. And there he was, sick as a dog! He was pale and looked like he was dying. I guess his not having any warm clothing the previous day had taken its toll on him. He told me he couldn’t cycle that day and asked me to go down to the front lobby and tell the staff we would be staying another day. It wasn’t really a problem because we had given ourselves plenty of extra time to get to Hiroshima, but for me personally, I didn’t want to spend a whole extra day in the sento. But we had no choice. I guess one good thing was that it was raining that day… so maybe Ryan’s being sick was a blessing in disguise.

Day 4 in the sento was terrible… it seemed to pass by so slowly. Everyone dressed in the same lime and yellow pajamas… I felt like I was trapped in a prison. I wandered between the different places at the hotel… the massage chair room, the TV room, the common room (to check on Ryan dying). I read, I used the internet… but the day just lingered on. I was determined to get on the road the next day.

By the end of the day Ryan was feeling a bit better and thought he could cycle the next day. So we decided to get up early the next morning to try to make up for lost time. At the super sento, if you stay past 3am you have to pay an overnight charge, so that’s the time we decided to get up… 3am!

(To be continued… day 5, our most dangerous day!)

Here’s a link to the super sento if you’re interested!:

http://www.kur-hotel.co.jp/suruga/

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉
http://www.jabble.jp/

Lesson 3

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:16:55 +0900

会話

Mike: Hey stranger. Long time no see.

Daisuke: Hey. Yeah, it’s been a long time.

Mike: You look tired.

Daisuke: Yeah, I’m exhausted. It’s my new job. I need a rest because I’ve been working too much recently.

Mike: Well at least Golden week is just around the corner.

Daisuke: Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.

************************

I need a rest because I’ve been working too much recently.
(最近は働き過ぎで骨休めが必要です。)

Well at least Golden week is just around the corner.
(最低でもゴールデンウィークがもうすぐ来ますよ。）

I’m looking forward to it.
(楽しみにしています。）

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉
http://www.jabble.jp/

Cycling to Hiroshima (Day 2: To Shizuoka)

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:34:17 +0900

So we made it to Hakone. We had heard that after Hakone would be the hardest part of the trip... and it was!We heard that after Hakone there would be about 20-30km of uphill climb. We were a bit worried but we were confident we could do it. On day 2 we woke up to the friendly sound of rain. I'm being sarcastic, it wasn't friendly at all. In fact, it was the last thing we were hoping for. Not only were we going to have to climb 20-30km uphill, now we were also going to have to climb uphill in the rain! And to add insult to injury, it was cold! The previous day hadn't been that cold at all, but started getting a bit cooler the closer we got to Hakone.After waking up we had to decide what to do. For a brief moment we considered staying in the tent and waiting for the rain to stop. We probably could have gone and spent the day relaxing at an onsen, but we ultimately decided that staying in Hakone for the day would be a waste of our time. So we decided to press on... in the rain!So off we went! At first it wasn't that bad. I put on three layers of shirts because it was cold, but after about 20 minutes of climbing I was sweating so hard that I decided to take off a couple layers. Ryan on the other hand hadn't brought any long-sleeve shirts!! But at this point, we both probably didn't need any. We were sweating bullets.On the way to the top, Ryan and I experienced what I thought was our biggest defeat of the trip. On a couple occasions the slope was so steep that our pace was barely faster than walking. We had climbed over 20km, were beat tired, drenched in water... so we decided to get off our bikes and walk. I felt a bit defeated because our goal was to "cycle" to Hiroshima, not to walk. But we only walked for a few minutes then got back on our bikes and continued. And finally we saw it... the top! Needless to say we were ecstatic! From the top it was a long way down... or so we thought! As we raced downhill we quickly realized how cold the weather really was. I put my three layers of shirts back on, but the wind still seemed to pierce through my clothing. Ryan, on the other hand, had no long-sleeve shirts and admitted that he was freezing. We cruised into the town of Lake Ashi. Luckily for Ryan, the 7-11 had a rain jacket that offered him a lot of relief from the cold and rain. We got some food and saw some beautiful pictures of Mt. Fuji in the shops. But guess what??... we couldn't see Mt. Fuji! It was so cloudy and foggy that Mt. Fuji was nowhere to be seen! In fact, we didn't see Mt. Fuji the whole trip! It was my biggest disappointment of the whole trip. The only time we had a chance to see it was on the previous day. We saw a dark silhouette of Mt. Fuji on our way to Hakone, but we never actually saw the mountain during the day.From Lake Ashi we continued. But much to our disappointment, we were climbing uphill again! Fortunately, it only lasted for about 5-7km. But after that it was all downhill! By far that was the most exciting part of our trip... for me! I had bought fenders for my bike for this very occasion (because the faster you go the more water that kicks up in your face). But Ryan didn't have any! So for the 20-30km that we were flying down the mountain, Ryan had water splashing up in his face! It was also a little dangerous because the road was wet... but we were flying! It was amazing! Finally we reached the bottom, cruised through Numazu, on toward Fuji city. In Fuji city we decided to eat. We went into a convenience store but didn't see anything we wanted. We asked the staff if there were any family restaurants in the area but there weren't. Instead they told us about a sento called スーパー健康ランド in Shizuoka. Outside the sento we met a really nice Brazilian guy who was living in Japan and he offered us a place to stay at his house. It was really generous of him but we declined.So it was getting dark and the sento was about an hour away, but we decided to shoot for it! We quickly ate at すき家　and got back on our bikes for Shizuoka. This was probably the first really dangerous part of our trip! In hindsight I think we were cycling on the route 1 bypass. I had the flashing rear light on my bike turned on, but the huge trucks speeding past us were unnerving. The road was so dark but we couldn't turn back and there was no place to stop. So we decided to pick up our pace. So for the next 45 minutes Ryan and I cycled as hard as we could, primarily because it was so scary and we wanted that part of the trip to be over. During that stretch we averaged about 35km/hour. The adrenaline was really pumping as we rode. And finally, there it was スーパー健康ランド! Oddly enough, the scariest part of the whole day was 2 minutes before we arrived at the sento. A huge truck almost hit be from behind. I don't know if he didn't see me, but he was way too far over into the shoulder of the road. He missed me by less than 1 meter! My heart was racing, but we finally arrived.

(to be continued..., the sento and Day 3)

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉

http://www.jabble.jp

Lesson 2

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:21:43 +0900

会話

Keiko: Hey John!

John: Hey Keiko! Long time no see! How have you been?

Keiko: Pretty good. But I am thinking about quitting my job, because the salary is too low. And I don’t get to use my English.

John: Oh that’s right. You’ve been studying English.

Keiko: Yeah. I took the TOEIC test and got 800.

John: Wow! That’s great! Congratulations!

Keiko: Thanks.************************

Long time no see!
（お久しぶりです！）

But I am thinking about quitting my job, because the salary is too low.
(でも、お給料が少ないので仕事を辞めようと思っています。）

Jabble英会話スクール　千葉

http://www.jabble.jp