Blogs edited and submitted by Chiho Kamioka
JOI Support staff and manager.
Apple Blossoms
Japanese fruit trees
Japan is country with a great tradition of farming. The quality of their fruits is really astounding and one really has to come to Japan to taste their flavours.
Although it has limited arable land (only 12% of its land is used for farming), the intensity of the farming and the focus on the quality rather than the quantity in many farms, is perhaps why the competitive world of Japanese fruit farming produces such highly prized and also highly priced fruits.
Oosawa Miki sensei is a Japanese teacher at JOI online Japanese school, and she lives in Nagano. A prefecture in Japan well known for its apples.
Read this blog for Japanese learners and learn new vocabulary as well as Japanese pronunciation by listening to the video.
りんごの花
Apple Blossoms
By OOSAWA Miki
梅、桃、桜など、春には果物の花がたくさん咲きます 。果物の花で、時期の最後に咲くのがりんごの花です。私の住んでいる長野では、毎年5月上旬のゴールデンウィーク ごろに満開 になります。
りんごの花のつぼみ はピンク色ですが、花が咲くと白くなります。りんごの花は桜より大きくて、満開になると木一面 が真っ白になって、とてもきれいです。でも、咲いてから2、3日で散って しまうので、花を見るチャンスはあまり多くないかもしれません。
りんご花は一つのところから5つくらい咲きますが、いいりんごを育てるために、よく咲いていない花を摘み取ります 。実 になってからも大きいりんごにするために、大きい実を残して摘み取ります。
秋の収穫 まで1つ１つ大切に育てられた りんごを、日本に来たらぜひ食べてみてください。
To listen to this blog, please watch our Youtube video.
梅(うめ)、桃(もも)、桜(さくら)など、春(はる)には果物(くだもの)の花(はな)がたくさん咲(さ)きます 。果物(くだもの)の花(はな)で、時期(じき)の最後(さいご)に咲(さ)くのがりんごの花(はな)です。私(わたし)の住(す)んでいる長野(ながの)では、毎年(まいとし)5月(がつ)上旬(じょうじゅん)のゴールデンウィーク ごろに満開(まんかい) になります。
りんごの花(はな)のつぼみ はピンク色(いろ)ですが、花(はな)が咲(さ)くと白(しろ)くなります。りんごの花(はな)は桜(さくら)より大(おお)きくて、満開(まんかい)になると木(き)一面(いちめん) が真っ白(まっしろ)になって、とてもきれいです。でも、咲(さ)いてから2、3日(にち)で散(ち)って しまうので、花(はな)を見(み)るチャンスはあまり多(おお)くないかもしれません。
りんごの花(はな)は一(ひと)つのところから5つくらい咲(さ)きますが、いいりんごを育(そだ)てるために、よく咲(さ)いていない花(はな)を摘(つ)み取(と)ります 。実(み)になってからも大(おお)きいりんごにするために、大(おお)きい実(み) を残(のこ)して摘(つ)み取(と)ります。
秋(あき)の収穫(しゅうかく) まで1つ１つ大切(たいせつ)に育(そだ)てられた りんごを、日本(にほん)に来(き)たらぜひ食(た)べてみてください。
Apple Blossoms
There are many fruit trees' flowers that bloom in the spring inJapan :- Japanese plum, peaches, sakura and others. Among these fruit's flowers, the last one to bloom in this season is the apple blossom. In the prefecture that I live in, Nagano, they reach full bloom during the first 10 days of May, around Golden Week,
Apple blossom buds are pink, but when they bloom, they turn white. Apple blossoms are larger than Cherry blossom flowers and when they are in full bloom, the trees are white all over and are very beautiful. But after they bloom, they fall away within 2 or 3 days so there aren't many chances to see them.
Apple blossoms grow in groups of 5 from one place, but in order to grow good apples, they pick away the ones that have not grown well. When the trees bear fruits, in order to ensure bigger apples, they leave the larger fruit and pick off the rest.
If you come to Japan, please taste some of the apples which are grown lovingly one by one until they harvest in autumn.
咲(さ)きます bloom
ゴールデンウィーク Golden Week holidays
満開(まんかい) full bloom
つぼみ bud
一面(いちめん) all over
散(ち)って fall
摘(つ)み取(と)りますpick away
実(み) fruit
収穫(しゅうかく) harvest
育(そだ)てられた grown
While all of you may have a different goal, there is one common purpose that you all share, which is to use the Japanese language in order to achieve something. I would be really glad if by learning Japanese here at JOI with me, and with your peers we can help to influence your life – even a little.
When I was a child, I used to perform a musical instrument, and played various kinds of music including pop and jazz. I also love to look at old buildings like temples and shrines and so I often travel. In my class, I would like to introduce some of Japanese culture and the traditions, through learning Japanese, and also introduce some of the characteristics of Japanese people. Lets face our goals together and go for it !