What do you do as a preparation for your oversea trips? Check this episode to get some ideas about the preparation!

最悪(さいあく)の出来事(できごと) the worst case」

何(なに)を想像(そうぞう)しますか。What do you imagine?

事件(じけん) a crime

事故(じこ) an accident

万一(まんいち)に備(そな)える to prepare for the worst

旅行先(りょこうさき)の領事館(りょうじかん) a consulate in the area where you travel

大事(だいじ) important

パスポートを失(な)くしたら、どうしたらいいか what we should do

パスポート用(よう)の写真(しゃしん) passport-size photo

それを聞(き)いた時(とき)、目(め)から鱗(うろこ)が落(お)ちたような気持(きも)ちでした。I was suddenly awakened to the

家(うち)にパスポート用(よう)の写真(しゃしん)が余(あま)っていませんか。I guess you

使(つか)えそうな気(き)がします。I feel I can

失(な)くした時(とき)に、写真(しゃしん)を撮(と)りに行(い)けばいいんです。It’s ok to go

役立(やくだ)つTo be useful

Do you know Natto? It's fermented soybeans, which is famous for a healthy food. Check this episode to find out how I eat natto every day now.

訳(やく)されるTo be translated

プロセス process

ネバネバになるTo become sticky

好(す)き嫌(きら)いが分(わ)かれる食(た)べ物(もの)です。It’s a food people either love or hate.

納豆好(なっとうず)き Natto lovers

我(わ)が家(や) my home

前(まえ)はよく食(た)べていました。We used to eat it often.

でもここ何年(なんねん)か for these years

ご飯(はん)を食(た)べなくなりました。 We used to eat rice but not any more

ご飯(はん)と一緒(いっしょ)に食(た)べる物(もの) something we eat with rice

固定観念(こていかんねん) a fixed idea

要(い)る to need

お味噌汁(みそしる) miso sou

納豆(なっとう)を入(い)れる to add it in

まぁまぁおいしい sort of delicious

納豆(なっとう)の味(あじ)がお味噌汁(みそしる)に負(ま)けていました。Natto flavour was weaker than miso soup one, so we couldn’t enjoy natto much.

サラダにのせてみるto test to put it on the salad.

そしたら、なんと！You know what happened after that?!

是非一度試(ぜひいちどため)してみてください。Please give it a try once, definitely!

体(からだ)にいい good for our health

As a Japanese person, it's disappointing to hear about the issues at hotels in Japan. However, I believe that sharing this news can lead to a better environment for guests and hotels alike.

備品(びひん) equipment

窃盗(せっとう) theft

旅館(りょかん) Japanese traditional style hotel

ビニール袋(ぶくろ) plastic bag

ご自由(じゆう)にお持(も)ち帰(かえ)りください。 Please feel free to take it home.

ボトルごと a

盗(ぬす)まれるto be stolen

ドライヤー hair

木(き)の靴(くつ)べら wooden shoehorn

とても残念(ざんねん)です。I am very ashamed. It's disappointing.

確認(かくにん)する to confirm; make sure

Do you know the Golden Week holidays in Japan? Where are the hot spots for the Japanese people to visit during those holidays? Check it out! You might be able to find a good spot you would like to visit for your next Japan trip.

連休(れんきゅう) consecutive holidays

9日間(ここのかかん) 9 days

この期間(きかん) this duration

祝日(しゅくじつ) public holiday

土日(どにち) Saturdays and Sundays

遠足(えんそく) school excursion

計画(けいかく)を立(た)てる to make a plan

お勧(すす)めしません。I won’t recommend you.

旅行会社(りょこうがいしゃ) travel agency

旅行先(りょこうさき) travel destination

唯一(ゆいいつ) the only one

都市(とし) big city

都道府県(とどうふけん) prefectures

ひとつの場所(ばしょ) a place; a spot

ランクイン ranking in

伊勢神宮(いせじんぐう) Ise major Shinto shrine

正式(せいしき)なformal; official; legal

お寺(てら)や神社(じんじゃ)巡(めぐ)り a pilgrimage

特別(とくべつ)なspecial

地元(じもと)のlocal

大切(たいせつ)にするTo take it as a very important and respectful thing and treat it well.

全日本人(ぜんにほんじん) all the Japanese people

言(い)えるぐらい特別(とくべつ)な as special as we can say that

「一生(いっしょう)に一度(いちど)はお伊勢(いせ)参(まい)り」 At least once in your life, you should visit the Ise major Shinto shrine.

Do you speak your first language fast or slow? Does the Japanese language sound fast or slow? Do you try to speak Japanese as fast as possible? Check this episode out!

This episode's vocab list:

速(はや)い fast

遅(おそ)い slow

どんな言語(げんご)でも any languages

速(はや)い人(ひと)もいれば、遅(おそ)い人(ひと)もいます。Some are fast and some are slow.

別人(べつじん)のようだ  to seem like another person

音(おと)の数(かず)で at the syllabic rate

情報(じょうほう)の数(かず)で at the information rate

難(むずか)しい話(はなし)はさて置(お)き apart from the difficult topic

慌(あわ)てないで with no rush

がんばって速(はや)く話(はな)そうとしていました。I was trying to speak as fast as possible

落(お)ち着(つ)いて with presence of mind

自分(じぶん)のスピードで at my comfortable speed

Guess which country is the most popular for learning the Japanese language. It might be easy to guess, but this episode is about not only just the simple popularity but also something more interesting. Check it out!

記事(きじ) article

載(の)るto be published/reported.

見事(みごと)に completely;

アジア太平洋(たいへいよう)Asia-Pacific

身近(みぢか)に感(かん)る to feel close

ここで一(ひと)つ疑問(ぎもん)が湧(わ)いたんです。One question has just occurred to

人口(じんこう) population

不思議(ふしぎ)ではありません。There is no

５カ国(こく) 5 countries

人口(じんこう)と比(くら)る to compare something with its

学習者(がくしゅうしゃ)の割合(わりあい) the proportion of the learners

偶然(ぐうぜん) by chance

必然(ひつぜん) inevitable

環境(かんきょう) environment

私(わたし)もその力(ちから)になれたら if my podcast

How much time do you dedicate to listening to Japanese every day? Which of the four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, or writing - do you focus on the most in your Japanese studies? Tune in to this episode to reflect on your own study style.

集中(しゅうちゅう)する to focus on

聞(き)く方(ほう)に時間(じかん)を使(つか)う to spend more time for listening practice

間違(まちが)った発音(はつおん) wrong pronunciation

イントネーション intonation

身(み)に付(つ)ける to learn and master

「目(め)から鱗(うろこ)」でした。I was suddenly brought to my senses. Uroko means scales, so that expression literally means the scales have fallen from my eyes.

ハイテクのおかげで thanks to the high technology

日本語(にほんご)の字幕(じまく) Japanese subtitle

知(し)らず知(し)らずに without realizing it

変(へん)な癖(くせ) peculiarity; unnatural accent in this context

One of the greatest time to visit Japan! How do you feel when you see Cherry Blossoms? Enjoy listening to this episode!

本州(ほんしゅう) the main island of Japan

北(きた) the North

Somethingを除(のぞ)いて excluding something

全国的(ぜんこくてき)に all over the

桜(さくら) cherry blossom

咲(さ)き始(はじ)めるto start blooming.

SNS   Social Networking Service

先々週(せんせんしゅう) the week before the last

満開(まんかい) in full bloom

わくわくするto be excited.

ワイワイする to have noisy get-togethers

懐(なつ)かしいです。I look back on it with nostalgia.

桜(さくら)が咲(さ)くのと同時(どうじ)に at the same time as cherry blossoms bloom

新(あたら)しい学年(がくねん) new grade

だからか I’m not sure but I think that’s the reason

暑(あつ)さが和(やわ)らぐ。 The heat gets milder.

I have completed the online marathon!!! I hope this episode message can motivate you to pursue your dreams and live life to the fullest.

This episode's vocab list:

やっとfinally, I was waiting for this time

以前(いぜん) before/ I don’t remember

ついに finally; in the end

完走(かんそう)しました！I

一度(いちど)に at once

イベント期間中(きかんちゅう)に during the event period

合計(ごうけい) the sum

距離(きょり) distance

目標(もくひょう)を達成(たっせい)する to achieve one’s goal

地元(じもと) hometown

行(おこな)われるTo be

参加(さんか) participation

残念(ざんねん)ながら unfortunately

女子(じょし)マラソン Women’s marathon

女性(じょせい) women

自信(じしん)  confidence

先週(せんしゅう)に引(ひ)き続(つづ)き continuing from last week

Check out this Japanese young man's story about the push scooter trip for 3,500km. Hopefully I can update his story sometime in a few months. 

uni kick Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/uni.kick/

This episode's vocab list:

ちょっとした有名人(ゆうめいじん) a somewhat famous person

23歳(さい)の男性(だんせい) 23-year-old man

旅(たび)するto travel

英語(えいご)が話(はな)せるわけではないようです。 It doesn’t mean he is good at English (although traveling by himself in Australia)

助(たす)けてもらいながら with lots of helps

旅(たび)を続(つづ)けるTo continue the travel

この旅(たび)の目的(もくてき) the aim of this travel

自分自身(じぶんじしん)へのチャレンジ challenging one’s own weak points

人(ひと)との出会(であ)い encounters of people

家(うち)に泊(と)めてもらえる to be able to have an offer to stay at someone’s home

考(かんが)えていなかったそうです。He said he hadn’t thought about that.

感動(かんどう)する to be impressed with deep gratitude in this context

繋(つな)がる to connect; to link; to be leaded

最終地点(さいしゅうちてん) the final point of a journey

Uniさんに会(あ)いたいなと思(おも)っています。I hope to meet Uni

無事(ぶじ) safely or without any troubles

祈(いの)る to pray

応援(おうえん)するto support or cheer up someone

見守(みまも)るto watch it or someone with care