Il recente terremoto in Giappone, con tutte le sue nefaste conseguenze, nucleari e non, ha colpito l’attenzione di tutto il pianeta. Dopo i primi momenti di sconforto, in molti non sono rimasti a guardare e si sono attivati per organizzare iniziative di supporto e solidarietà a favore delle popolazioni colpite. Tra queste iniziative, ci piace [...]

The recent earthquake in Japan, with all its tragic consequences, nuclear or not, has impressed the whole world. After the first moments of despair, many people started to take the initiative and arrange actions or projects in order to help Japanese population.

Last weekend I went to a Japanese restaurant in Hamburg and had a Japanese beer there. My favorite Japanese beer is the so-called Asahi beer. It’s pretty popular among young people in Japan.

先週ハンブルクの日本料理屋でご飯を食べた時、久しぶりに日本のビールを飲みました。このところドイツ国内中、おそらくヨーロッパ全域で猛暑が続いており、湿度も高く日本の夏を思い出させるような気候です。

日本では7月から8月にかけて日本の至る所でお祭りが開催されます。七夕祭りはその中でも有名なお祭りの一つです。七夕の行事は、中国から伝来したもので日本では7月7日に通例お祭りが開催されます。ところで有名な仙台七夕祭は旧暦の7月、つまり8月に行われています。

From July to August, there are many festivals in Japan. Tanabata festival is one of the most famous festivals among them.

一般的に日本人（特に大人）は他の国とは違い誕生日を祝いません。しかし誕生日には家族や友達からプレゼントをもらうことはあります。

Generally in Japan we grown-ups don’t celebrate our birthday as people do in other countries. For your birthday, you usually get a present from your close family and friends.

One of many things I like here in Germany is the social understanding for pets in public places. During my first visit to Germany, I realized that the Germans consider their pets as family members much more than the Japanese do.

ドイツで好きなことの一つが公共の場でのドイツ人のペットへの理解です。初めて旅行でドイツを訪れた時、一般的にドイツ人は日本人よりもペットを家族の一員とみなしているのに気づきました。