Blog
Picture of the Week: Fox
In folklore, foxes are often cunning and tricky. In Japan, they can also be messengers of the gods, like the inari found in many shrines. Have you ever seen a real fox, or only stone foxes?...
Phrase of the Week: It’s My Pleasure
"Thank you for your help.” “It’s my pleasure.” “It’s my pleasure” or “It was my pleasure” is a different way to say “you’re welcome”. Use it to tell someone you are or were happy to help, so it wasn’t an inconvenience—in fact, it was a pleasure. 「手伝ってくれてありがとう」 「喜んで」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“I can’t take this class. I haven’t taken all the ______.” Fill in the blank. A. previous B. prerequisites C. parasites D. postrequisites 「この授業は受けられない。必要条件を満たしていない（必修の授業を受けていない）。」 この授業の前に受けないといけない授業なので「previous...
Let’s Count! Count the Animals! 動物を数えましょう！
Animals are fun, and the more the better, so long as you don’t have to take care of them all! 動物って楽しい！たくさんいるともっと楽しいね。ただし自分で世話をしなくてもいいのなら・・・。 Classroom Tip During Happy Valley 1 Unit 10 Storytime, use this to introduce the main vocabulary and target language. After...
Trivia of the Week: Kryptonite
“Water is the smart phone’s kryptonite, so we made ours waterproof!” Kryptonite is not a real thing. It’s a fictional rock that is the only thing that can defeat Superman. Superman is so popular and well-known that kryptonite has become a metaphor for the weak...
Idiom of the Week: It’s My Way or the Highway
“Wouldn’t it be better if we did it like this?” “Look, I’m in charge here, so it’s my way or the highway.” This phrase means that you have to do things my way, or else you can just leave (hit the highway). It’s not very polite or professional! Hopefully you...
Word of the Week: Momentum
“I enjoyed the first half of the book but then I just lost my momentum, so I haven’t finished it yet.” “He tried to stop but his momentum carried him into the intersection, and he almost caused an accident.” When an object is moving, it keeps going at the same speed...
Picture of the Week: Tulips
What flowers are the best kissers? Tulips! It’s a joke. “Tulips” sounds like “two lips”, which you need in order to kiss! キスが一番上手な花はなんですか？ チューリップ！...
Phrase of the Week: No Problem
“Thanks for lending me a pencil for the test.” “No problem! I brought extra.” Use “no problem” instead of “you’re welcome” in casual conversations to show that helping the other person did not inconvenience you at all. 「試験に鉛筆を貸してくれてありがとう。」 「問題ない。余分持ってきたから。」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
“If we go on a weekday afternoon, maybe we can void the large crowds.” Find the mistake. A. If we go B. weekday C. can void D. large crowds 「平日の午後に行けば、人ごみを避けることができるはず。」...
