Please remember that there will be no classes at E-Style from the day after tomorrow (明後日) (August 10th) to next Sunday (the 16th). Lessons will resume (再び始まる) on Monday, August 17th.
Jack and I wish you a safe and pleasant Bon holiday.
P.S. Please don't hesitate (遠慮なく) to contact me should you have any questions about make-up lessons (振替授業) or starting English conversation classes after the break.
P.P.S. Another way to say "Please don't hesitate" is "Feel free."
Hi eel eaters and conger eel lovers,
This afternoon, my family and I ate delicious eel dishes at a local restaurant. As it is Midsummer Ox Day (土用の丑の日), we enjoyed grilled freshwater eel marinated in sweet soy sauce and served over a bed of rice in a lacquered box (重箱). This Kabayaki-prepared dish is rich in vitamins A and E as well as omega-3 fatty acids, and is said to give us enough stamina to beat the summer heat (夏の暑さを乗り切る・しのぐ).
Of course, another way to beat the heat is to stay indoors and watch TV in the A.C. (エアコン). This evening, we kept cool while enjoying an episode of Sazae-san which featured an appearance by my favorite character on the show, Mr. Conger Eel. Perhaps (おそらく) you know him by his Japanese name, Anago-san.
Anyway (とにかく), please be sure to take care this summer and stay cool.
Deciding on rock, paper, or scissors, I remain
Anago-san's biggest fan,
Alan
⚀ ⚁ ⚂ ⚃ ⚄ ⚅
Hello advisors,
For the past several weeks (ここ数週間), my beginner class students have been studying about how to ask for and give advice. We rolled a die (サイコロを投げて) to decide which of the following questions to discuss:
⚀ What's your advice for health (健康)? How do you stay healthy?
⚁ What's your advice for stress (ストレス [発散])? How do you reduce (減らす) stress?
⚂ What's your advice for saving money (お金を貯めること・節約)? How do you save money?
⚃ What's your advice for staying in shape (体型を維持すること)? What do you do to stay in shape?
⚄ What's your advice for friendship (友情)? What do you do to keep/maintain a friendship?
⚅ What's your advice for romance (ロマンス)? What do you do to keep/maintain a romance?
Our answers included what we do (すること), what we don't do (しないこと), and what we used to do (以前していたけど今現在しないこと).
Here are some of my examples for the most popular topic, romance:
❤️ I listen to her and sometimes give her flowers.
❤️ I don't ignore (無視する) or belittle (見くびる・馬鹿にする) her.
And for those who don't currently have a partner (現在パートナーがいない人達), answers included the following:
💔 I used to send him/her text messages.
💔 I used to eat out (外食する) and go to the movies (映画見に行く) with him/her.
What advice do you have for romance or any of the other topics above? Feel free to leave a comment or let me know at E-Style.
With no time to die, I remain
Your croupier,
Alan
P.S. "Dice" is the plural form (複数形) for 「サイコロ」. The singular form (単数形) of the word is "die," which has the same spelling and pronunciation as the word meaning 「死ぬ」in Japanese.
Hi everybody,
This is just a quick blog post (ブログ記事・投稿) to inform you of our Golden Week break. There will be no lessons at E-Style from tomorrow (April 30th) to next Wednesday (May 6th). Classes will resume (再び始まる) on Thursday, May 7th.
If you want some English to study during the break, then how about trying to memorize (暗記する) all of the holidays that make up Golden Week? Here is the list:
Take care, have a great Golden Week, and good luck with your studies.
See you at E-Style,
Alan
P.S. Next Wednesday, May 6th, is a substitute holiday (振替休日) for Constitution Memorial Day, which falls on a Sunday (日曜日に当たる) this year.
Hi everyone,
Spring has sprung! (春がやって来た！) For tonight at exactly 11:46 (just a few minutes ago), the tilt of the Earth's axis (地球の自転軸の傾き) was neither toward (～に向かって) nor away from (～から離れて) the sun. The result is an equal amount of both daylight and darkness, known as the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox. The word "vernal" is an adjective (形容詞) for spring (春) while "equinox" comes from Latin (ラテン語), with "equi" meaning "equal" and "nox" meaning "night."
So, even though it is still a little chilly (肌寒い) outside, astrologically speaking (占星術的に言えば), spring is here!
See you at E-Style,Happy New Year!
Hi everybody,
A happy and healthy New Year to all of you! I hope that all of your dreams come true (夢が叶う) in 2026: The Year of the Horse. Jack and I are looking forward to seeing (and teaching) you at E-Style when classes resume (再び始まる) on Monday, January 5th. Until then (それまで), take care, enjoy the break, and good luck with your New Year's resolutions (新年の抱負).
All the best in Reiwa 8,
Alan
Just a quick entry (一筆啓上) to let you know (あなた方にお知らせするため) that there will be no lessons at E-Style for the next two weeks. Classes will resume (再び始まる) on Monday, January 5, 2026.
As the year comes to a close (終わりに近づくにつれ), Jack先生 and I would like to thank all of you for studying English conversation with us in 2025. We look forward to continuing to teach you throughout "The Year of the Horse," 2026.
Take care and have a happy and healthy New Year.
Sincerely,
Alan
