earthquake

Of course everyone knows about the terrible earthquake that struck Japan last week, and the damage from the tsunami which followed. And now we are all worried about nuclear radiation or fallout.

Last Sunday we met some friends and I got a few new stamps, birds from Hong Kong, and they have become a kind of symbol of hope for me. Let's all hope the situation improves soon and that more people can be saved.

日本語 hints
an earthquake strikes - this is the usual collocation, noun + verb
震源地　= epicenter
余震　　= aftershock

no time, no time!!

so many stamps calling out for my attention, but no time to give them the attention they deserve. Why didn't I spend more time with my collection when I was much younger, and had so much more time?

This picture is from a couple months back. I was sorting out duplicates, searching for things to send out to people in trade. If you know anyone who might like to trade used postage stamps with me, help us get in touch!

日本語 hints:
duplicates = extra copies

old French stamps

Just a short post today -

Here is a selection of old French stamps I received in trade for a set of (mostly) Japanese stamps. Of course the bright colors and interesting designs of modern stamps are interesting, but sometimes I prefer the simple - perhaps elegant? - designs of older stamps.

日本語 hints:

elegant - most people know this word, but be careful about pronunciation: elegant vs. arrogant. "Elegant" = 上品、優雅、and so on -- very positive. But "arrogant" has very negative connotations: 横柄、無礼 and so on. So be careful when saying something like "The French are elegant"!!

fami-resu

My family enjoyed the three-day holiday or long weekend very much.

One day we walked to a nearby "family restaurant" in the snow, which was quite nice. It may have been a little selfish, but I worked on stamps while there. On a prior visit, my daughter and I worked on our collections separately, but this time only I was doing the stamps. And though I should have talked with my daughter more, I have to admit that I made some big steps, bringing a small measure of order into my massive pile of Japanese postage stamps waiting to be put in albums.

日本語の hints:

ファミレス...I have no idea how to translate this. Short for family restaurant, of course (no one says "fami-resu" outside of Japan). But I have never used the phrase "family restaurant" in my life. We just give the name of a big chain, like "Denny's" or "iHOP" or "Perkins".

連休 Notice this can be "long weekend" or "3-day holiday", but the "day" is singular. We cannot say "3-days holiday", even though it seems natural since it is plural.

Too Many Stamps????

Maybe Japan issues more stamps than any other country. That is fine for me for now, because I am still in the stage of simply collecting everything, no specialization yet.

But the sheer number of stamps can be overwhelming. Especially the 記念 or anniversary stamps – they really seem endless. And sometimes the events they commemorate seem a bit…trivial.

Here are two of my favorites. The 9th Annual Congress on Edible Mushrooms??? The Kagoshima Int’l Conference on Volcanoes is a bit more understandable. But still, you have to wonder who makes the decision: Hey, let’s make a stamp for the 9th Annual Congress on Edible Mushrooms???

This is not a complaint – I love living in a country so full of stamps. But it is hard keeping up with the endless releases of new stamps.

日本語 hints
overwhelming = 圧倒的, too much
commemorate = 記念する
trivial = small and unimportant, maybe ささいな or ありふれた??
edible = can eat it, 毒性がなくて、食べられる
complaint = 不満、愚痴

still at it

My daughter's renewed interested in working on her stamp collection continues, much to my relief and happiness.

Today is a national holiday and tomorrow it is finally back to work for real. I had a few light days last week, but things get busy as usual from tomorrow.

We got quite a lot of stamp work done over the long holidays. But as usual, I find myself wishing for just one more day.

日本語 hints:
renewed - something started again. This is an easy word to recognize when reading, but not to use as output in conversation.

starting again

After a several-month hiatus, my daughter has decided she wants to work on her stamp collection again.

Of course, she has been gathering stamps all along (pilfering from among my new arrivals). But now we are going back to the beginning and re-organizing her album, complete with new artwork and categories.

日本語 hints:

hiatus = a period of no activity, 交渉、仕事などの中断、休止

pilfer = steal, ちょろまかす、くすねる

Most definitions taken or altered from my Canon wordtank v90