Thanks for listening!🌸Instagram / sakura_sensei_japanese 🌸Private Japanese Lessons sakura-sensei-japanese.my.canva.site*Script:https://docs.google.com/document/d/13WBenfm96E8YQ8iKDdsCFUMJOXzuHlvusAXn85vBSHI/edit?tab=t.0*EnglishHello, this is Sakura.Welcome back to my channel.Language learning requires a lot of input.Through this program, I want to speak in Japanese on various topics for people studying the language.So, let’s get started.Today’s topic is spring break.When is spring break in your country?In Japan, school usually ends at the end of March, and spring break lasts until around the first week of April.It’s the same for the elementary school my children go to, so they have about a two-week spring break.Recently, I talked about spring break with one of my students, and it seems that in other countries, the break is much longer—some places even have two or three months off!I thought that must be really hard for parents.Even with just a two-week break, I already find it difficult to make lunch boxes and take care of the kids.During this time, overseas families often go on trips or participate in extracurricular programs such as summer schools.In Japan, the longest vacation is in summer.Most schools are off for all of August, so our family usually takes a trip during that time.In March, there is a two-week break, but since the new school term starts in April, many people are busy with work and can’t take long vacations.It’s probably not easy to take time off.In Japanese elementary schools, students are usually served school lunch, but during spring break, there is no school lunch, so I make bento (lunch boxes) every day.It takes time to get used to making bento.I pack rice, vegetables, and a main dish like fried chicken or rolled omelets.Adding mini tomatoes or broccoli makes the bento colorful.Red, green, and yellow make it look bright and fun.Today, my kids asked for rice balls (onigiri), so I made them and packed them into their lunch boxes.What kind of lunch do children eat in your country?In America, based on TV dramas and such, it seems like kids bring a sandwich in a Ziploc, some jam, and fruit like bananas or apples.Is that what their real lunch looks like?It seems easy for kids to eat and for parents to prepare, so I think it’s a great idea.Are Japanese the only ones who put so much effort into preparing meals?Earlier, I mentioned that school lunch is served during the school term.It usually includes rice, soup, some meat, and vegetables.For drinks, many schools provide milk.So, it might be a bit difficult for kids who don’t like milk or are allergic to it.School lunches also often use local ingredients, so the menu can be very different depending on the region, which I find interesting.My hometown is famous for mandarins (mikan), so in winter, we often had mandarins in school lunch.We even had mandarin rice or mandarin buns!When I talked about this with friends later on, they were surprised.Alright, that’s all for today.Thank you for listening.Please come visit again!*Vocabularies春休み / haruyasumi / spring break小学校 / shougakkou / elementary schoolお弁当 / obentou / lunchbox子供 / kodomo / child / children家族旅行 / kazokuryokou / family trip学校 / gakkou / school給食 / kyuushoku / school lunch夏休み / natsuyasumi / summer vacation唐揚げ / karaage / fried chicken卵焼き / tamagoyaki / Japanese omeletミニトマト / mini tomato / cherry tomatoブロッコリー / burokkorii / broccoliおにぎり / onigiri / rice ball食パン / shokupan / sliced bread授業 / jugyou / class / lesson地元 / jimoto / localみかん / mikan / mandarin orange
