RICKY DLS 英会話 blog

The sun goddess heard my prayer, it’s nice, hot and dry today, blue skies. I see ya all later at our Yukata Beer Garden Party. Can’t wait!

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Here’s an image of Sapporo’s fabulous summer

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Check out this week’s TIME coverstory.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Good news for night owls: I found a beer garden that stays open one hour later than the big 4. The new Sapporo Classic beer garden beneath the TV Tower (previously Otaru beer garden) closes at 10 PM and - very flexible - last order is at 9:50 PM. I stumbled upon this information through pure coincidence. Irritated by my ignorance - I forgot the shortened opening hours of the main beer garden - I instinctively headed toward the TV Tower where to my delight we were served cold & bitter Sapporo Classic and even got a bite to eat. So that’s good news. The bad news is that my favorite beer garden, the one in front of the pond & Akarenga building, is not being held this year.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

This was Zafiro one year ago, energetic and always in the mood for a prank. We miss you Zafirito.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Mr. Donut has just launched shaved ice in the flavors melon/pineapple and mandarin/orange. At Misdo it’s called “gokishari” (not kakigori, which is the general term for this iced drink) and it’s really cheap (190 yen till the end of this month). I had the melon/pineapple version (melon/”pine” in Japanese English) and it was the perfect drink for a hot midsummer day.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

I got Luisa a pink shrimp toy on her 14th birthday. It has an airpump that makes it jump up and down and Luisa charges and attacks like a 4-year-old.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

I had the most amazing, most unhealthy breakfast this morning: A cup of Haagen Dazs Tahitian Vanilla Caramel, one of their most splendid creations so far, along with Salty Butter Biscuits which was launched simultaneously. You’ll probably agree that summer in Japan goes hand in hand with indulging in a variety of summer delicacies, some old and some new, and I do not only mean beer! Other highly recommended treats this year are raspberry pannacotta - check it out, so good! - blood orange nata de coco and melon “katsugen”, a kind of yogurt drink. Actually ever since coming to Japan anything tasting like melon feels like summer. Not to forget the indispensable ice matcha. Enjoy this summer, all ya out there!

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

I saw several girls dressed in yukata cotton kimono today, heading for the Toyohira River Fireworks Festival. I absolutely love yukatas and I’m so jealous that I don’t have the time today to don one and head to Toyohira River and join the 50-min multicolor spectacle sponsored by Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper and UHB TV. Unfortunately this is the only fireworks festival this year in Sapporo. The second one has been canceled and the third was moved to the debt-ridden melon town of Yubari three years ago. Wearing yukata, watching fireworks and drinking beer - sounds like the perfect summer! Don’t miss our fabulous DLS Yukata Beer Garden Party next week on Saturday, I’m already counting the days See you there.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Former North Korean spy Kim Hyon-hui wearing an anti-suicide mask while being escorted by South Korean officials (1987). When I first came to Hokkaido a Japanese friend told me that there were rumors about Japanese people having been abducted by North Korean submarines on the coasts of Niigata, Akita and here in Hokkaido. The stories seemed very far-fetched and I didn’t give them much thought. I was stunned, however, as shortly thereafter North Korea admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens for the purpose of training its spies. A few weeks later then prime minister Koizumi traveled to Pyongyang and brought back five of the abducted Japanese. It was a historical moment and all TV channels broadcasted the news almost non-stop. The news had double impact on me because I was doing homestay in East Hokkaido at that time and one of the activities for improving my Japanese was watching TV. The expression “rachi mondai” (abduction issue) to this day remains etched in my memory: A non-fiction story that reads like one of Ian Fleming’s best spy novels. Kim originally studied acting and appeared on national television. But the North Korean leaders had other plans for her. She was sent to a spy training camp outside Pyongyang where she learned the craft for seven years. In 1987 she was on a mission to South Korea where she successfully blew up Korean Air flight 858: 115 people died including her spy partner who bit a cyanide capsule. Kim tried to do the same but was caught in the attempt and arrested. She escaped capital punishment by supplying detailed information about life in North Korea. Kim is currently visiting Japan where she is meeting with family members of some of the abducted Japanese. Quirky detail: The house she is staying at is ex-prime minister Yukio Hatoyama’s second home.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。