Tuesday, November 22, 2011

It's Flea Market, Not Free Market!

Recently, some of our friends opened a stall (a temporary shop) at a local flea market. Many people in Japan think it's "free market." But if you think about it, nothing's free. The people who open a stall have to pay money to the organizers, and the customers have to pay money for the things they buy.

The real meaning comes from flea (ノミ), a small insect that lives in clothes and or body hair and eats blood.

A Flea

Many flea-market stalls sell old clothes. If those clothes haven't been washed carefully, they might have fleas in them.

When I explained that to our friends, they started to feel...
Itchy!

Next time you go to a flea market, try NOT to think about the meaning too much!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Happy Pocky Day!

Today is Pocky Day! The reason November 11th is Pocky Day is pretty clear...
Today is an extra special Pocky Day because it's 11/11/11!
How do you celebrate Pocky Day? Well, that’s easy! Just buy some Pockies & share them with your family & friends!

Did you know that they have Pockies in other countries? About 15 years ago, I travelled through Europe with my sister. We took a 3-day bus tour to Pompeii & Amalfi from Rome. (Everybody should visit Pompeii & Amalfi for 3 days!) On the way to Pompeii, the bus stopped at a service station [gas stand] for a break. I felt like a snack – something chocolatey – so I went for a wander through the convenience store. That’s when I found the European version of Pockies…

“The Mikado” is a famous Gilbert & Sullivan musical that is popular in Europe. Maybe that’s why Glico changed the name for the European market.

Internationally, November 11th is Armistice Day (in some countries it’s known as “Poppy Day”), the memorial of the end of World War One (“The War to End All Wars” – Mmmmmm?). An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting. The armistice that ended World War One was signed at 11:00 am, on November the 11th (“the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month"). People usually remember Armistice Day by stopping everything they are doing at exactly 11:00 am, and thinking quietly for 2 minutes about all the people who died in the war.

I guess you can do both today. At 11:00 am, stop whatever you’re doing and think about the uselessness of war and the sacrifices made by all of our ancestors in the name of peace. Sometime after that, cheer yourself up again by sharing some Pockies with your family and friends!

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

スクールカレンダー & イベント

みなさん、こんにちは!オンライン”スクールカレンダー&お知らせ”の ページをアップデイトしました!当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝 日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校の ホームページ(http://www.be-and-me.com/) の “スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい!または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい!(携帯電話からも可能です)

ス クールカレンダー :
http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生 徒のみなさんへ :
http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よ ろしくお願いします!