Author: italkyoutalk

[Easy English Blog] First snow of the season

/ italkyoutalk

Here in Japan, we had our first snow of the season over the weekend. Some places in Japan had very heavy snowfall. Many vehicles got stuck on roads, and some trains stopped running.

It wasn’t so bad in the city where I live. We had about 10cm of snow. The snow stuck (= stayed on the ground) for about a day. Then, it was gone. According to the weather forecast, we are going to have some more snow in the next few days.

I don’t like the snow. Well, I like looking at it. I live in the countryside, and the winter scenery is very beautiful. However, I don’t like digging my car out of snow, or clearing snow from my car and car park. Also, I don’t like driving in the snow. Here in Japan, we have snow tyres, but our cars still slip sometimes. Also, we have to leave early if we are going somewhere, because the traffic on the roads moves slowly.

The weather forecast said that we can expect more snow than usual this year. I think it will snow heavily in January and February. I will keep my shovel and snow wiper in my car just in case I need them.

By Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

[Easy English Blog] My year of reading

/ italkyoutalk

Every year, I make a list of books I have read during that year. This year, I have read 21 books. Now I am reading my 22nd book. I think I will finish it before the end of the year. My target was 24 books. I didn’t hit my target, but I am happy with my reading this year.

I only read one English book. That was a business book. The other 20 books were all Japanese books. Most of them were fiction books by my favourite Japanese writer Seicho Matsumoto. Some books were non-fiction. They are about studying languages, or business. I also read a book of essays about life. My friend wrote it. It was very interesting. It made me think that we shouldn’t waste time.

I bought some of my Japanese books on Amazon, but I also bought many at a second-hand bookshop called “Book Off”. Some books were cheap, but some books were not so cheap. However, they were cheaper than the books in my local bookshop or Amazon. I can also sell the books back to the second-hand bookshop.

I also read a very short graded reader in easy Spanish. I could understand around 98% of the book. I only started studying Spanish a few months ago, so I was pleased that I could understand most of it.

Next year, I want to read more books in Spanish. I also think I should read more books in English. However, I have enjoyed reading Japanese books this year. I want to read more Japanese books by my favourite writer next year too.

By Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

[Easy English Blog] Boat ride

/ italkyoutalk

There is a interesting boat ride in my city in Japan. It is called “Horikawa Sightseeing Boat”. In my city, there is a castle. Around the castle, there is water. This is called a “moat”. There are also many rivers in my city. The boat sails around the moat and the rivers. The boat is small. It is around 8 metres long and 2 metres wide. About 10 people can ride the boat.

In winter, the boat has a “kotatsu”. A kotatsu is a Japanese heater with a heated blanket. People on the boat can sit under the blanket and enjoy the winter scenery while keeping warm. I think it is a good idea.

When my family or friends visit me, I always take them on this boat. They enjoy it very much. My city is very traditional. It has many old buildings and natural scenery. Of course, it is good to see the buildings and scenery when we are walking, but it is also nice to see them from the boat.

By Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press