Notes
kill an hour 暇をつぶす;
reunion 再会の集い
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I went to a language teaching conference in Tokyo over the weekend. I’ve known some of the teachers for more than 15 years. Of course, we talk about teaching, but the conference is also like a reunion, a chance to see old friends. Last night I had a long talk with one teacher. We had dinner, but I still had a couple of hours before my bus left. We didn’t feel like coffee. Can you guess where we spent an hour talking? On the Yamanote Line. We started at Harajuku and took the train all the way around Tokyo! When we got back to Shinjuku, we said goodbye and I went on to Tokyo Station. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Shotokutaishi is one of the most important leaders in Japanese history. There are many stories showing how great he was. According to Nihon Shoki, he could understand 10 people speaking to him at the same time. The other day, I turned on my computer while I was listening to my wife. I started to read an email while she was speaking. In the middle of the email, she finished what she was saying. I knew that I should say something, but I hadn’t been listening to her. I apologized and said, “What did you say?” My wife said jokingly, “I’m disappointed. I thought you were Prince Shotoku.” (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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