Learn how to use the common English idiom "A Dime a Dozen" on the latest episode of Stairway to English!

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Stairway to English: Short easy to understand episodes to improve your English grammar and fluency

Don't buy that! They're a dime a dozen! Learn how to use the English idiom "A Dime a Dozen"

この前、コンサートに行ったんだけど、本当に最高だった！最後に行ったのはコロナの前だから2～3年ぶりかなぁ。fantasticsのコンサートに行ったんだけど、本当に神対応(かみたいおう)だった！主要都市だけじゃなくて、地方にもいくコンサートだからその土地の方言話したり、Twitterでその土地の有名な食べ物聞いてその食レポしたりしてて、すごいおもしろかった！

I went to a concert the other night, and it was absolutely fantastic! It's been a couple of years since I last went to a concert in front of Corona, and I went to ”fantastics from exile tribe” concert, and they were absolutely “warm-hearted response”! They were not only going to major cities, but also to rural areas, so they spoke in local dialects and asked their fans on Twitter about famous local foods, and did food reports on them.


日本のコロナのルールはまだ厳しいから、お客さんが声を出すのはだめで、拍手だけだったんだけど、それもすごいいいコンサートだった！アイドルのコンサートとか握手会に行くと塩対応だったっていうことも聞くけど、私は塩対応(しおたいおう)より神対応のほうが好きかな～。

The rules at Corona in Japan are still very strict, so the audience was not allowed to shout, only applaud, but it was a great concert! When I go to idol concerts or handshake events, I hear that they are “unfriendly attitude”, but I prefer a “warm-hearted response” to a “unfriendly attitude”.


塩対応で有名になったアイドルはAKB48の「ぱるる」だよね。この人は神対応をする日がないっていうくらい塩対応だったらしいよ。座ったまま、笑顔もなし、不機嫌な表情だったんだって。でも、それがいい！って人もいて、人気がでたからすごいよね！みんなは神対応と塩対応どっちが好き？

The idol who became famous for her “unfriendly attitude” is "Paruru" of AKB48. It is said that she was so “unfriendly attitude” that there was not a day when she did not give a “warm-hearted response”. She would just sit there, not even smiling, with a grumpy expression on her face. But that was good! And it's amazing that she became so popular! Which do you like better, the ““warm-hearted response”” or the salty response?


🌟My courses and schedule
https://www.italki.com/teacher/7661858/japanese


ガチ日本語 - Everyday Japanese -

Ep.10 神(かみ)対応と塩(しお)対応(God response and salt response？)

先週の週末に運転免許証の更新に行ってきたんだ。青からゴールドになったの！うれしい～！てか、みんなは日本の免許証には3種類の色があるの知ってる？運転者がどんな人かわかるように色分けされてるんだよー！

I went to renew my drivers license last weekend. It went from blue to gold! I'm so happy! Did you know that Japanese driver's licenses come in three different colors? They are color-coded to show what kind of person the driver is!


免許証には緑、青、ゴールドの3種類があって、その人の運転経歴と違反歴で色が分かれるんだよ。新しく免許をとった人は緑で、スピード違反とか事故とか何か違反があった人は青になって、5年間無事故・無違反だった人はゴールドになるよ。

There are green, blue, and gold, and the color is determined by a person's driving record and violation history. Newly licensed drivers are green, those with speeding tickets, accidents, or other violations are blue, and those with no accidents or violations in the past five years are gold.


ゴールド免許をとるとき、どんな手続きだったかというと、まず手続きのお金を払うんだよね。ゴールド免許は3000円だったよ。そして、視力検査、写真、講座っていう順番だったよ。講座はどんなルールが新しくできたとか、この内容が変わったとかいう話を聞いて、あとはビデオを見て終わりだった！全部で1時間くらいだったと思う。で、帰るときに新しい免許証をもらうっていう流れだったよ。ほしい人は古い免許証ももらえて、私はもらって帰ったよー。5年前の自分若かった～！

When I got the gold license, I had to pay for the procedure first. The fee for the gold license was 3,000 yen. Then there was an eye test, a photo, and a class. The lecture was about what new rules had been established, what had changed, and then we watched a video and that was it! I think it took about an hour in total. Then, when we left, we were given a new driver's license. I got my old license if I wanted it, and I left with it!


みんなは「ペーパードライバー」っていう言葉知ってる？「ペーパードライバー」はふだん運転は全然しないっていう人だよ。日本は身分証明書として運転免許証がよく使われるんだよね。だから、別に免許証は必要ないんだけど、身分証明書として使ってるっていう人も多いよ。

Do you know the term "paper driver"? A "paper driver" is a person who does not drive at all. In Japan, a driver's license is often used as an ID card. So many people do not need a driver's license, but use it as an ID card.


🌟My courses and schedule
https://www.italki.com/teacher/7661858/japanese


Ep.9 緑 青 金色の運転免許証(Green, blue and gold driver's license)

▼Script
みんなが住んでるところって、まだマスクしてる？もうしてない？日本はまだ、ほぼ全員（ぜんいん）がマスクしてるんだよね。コロナの前はマスクっていったらもうほぼ白で、お医者さんとかは水色のマスクをしてるイメージだったんだけど、もうマスクはファッションの一部になってるのね。で、ピンク、ベージュ、青、カーキとかいろいろな色があるの。その中から服に合うマスクを選（えら）んだりするよ。私もピンクとラベンダーと白を持ってるよ。

Does everyone still wear masks where they live? Don't they already? In Japan, almost everyone still wears masks. Before Corona, masks were mostly white, and doctors wore light blue masks, but now masks have become a part of fashion. There are many colors to choose from, such as pink, beige, blue, and khaki. I choose a mask that goes with my outfit. I have a pink one, a lavender one, and a white one.


日本に来たことがある人は知ってると思うけど、日本ってマスクをするのに全然（ぜんぜん）抵抗（ていこう）がないだんよね。だから、コロナ前でもマスクしてる人は普通（ふつう）にたくさんいたの。それは、風邪をひいたからマスクをしてるんじゃなくて、風邪を引かないように予防（よぼう）してる人もいるし、花粉症（かふんしょう）対策（たいさく）でマスクしている人もいるよ。私も友だちと約束（やくそく）がある日とか大事（だいじ）なイベントがある一週間くらい前からはマスクしてたよ。

As those who have been to Japan know, there is no resistance to wearing masks in Japan. That's why there were many people wearing masks even in front of Corona. Some people wear masks not because they have caught a cold, but as a preventive measure against catching a cold, and some wear masks to prevent hay fever. I used to wear a mask about a week before an important event or an appointment with a friend.


あとあと、日本って花粉症の人が多いじゃん？日本人の4人に1人は花粉症らしんだけど、花粉症って鼻水でるしくしゃみでるし・・・って感じでコロナだと間違われたりするんだよね。だから、鼻水もくしゃみも我慢できない！でも私はコロナじゃない！って人のために、マスクに「花粉症です」って押すスタンプも売ってるよ。でも実際にスタンプをしてる人は見たことないから、日本に来たときに探してみてね～。

Also, there are many hay fever sufferers in Japan, right? One out of four Japanese people suffer from hay fever, but hay fever is often mistaken for corona because of the runny nose and sneezing. So I can't stand the sniffles and sneezes! But I don't have corona! For those who can't stand the sneezing and sniffling, there are stamps that say "I have hay fever" on their masks. But I've never seen anyone actually wearing one, so look for one when you come to Japan!

🌟My courses and schedule
https://www.italki.com/teacher/7661858/japanese

Ep.8 マスクとファッション (Masks & Fashion)

▼Script
日本語って短く略（りゃく）すのが多いんだけど、今日それを考えてたのね。そしたら結構 略してる言葉がたくさんあって、発音するのが難しいな～とか長いな～とか思ってる人がいたら本当使ってほしい！

Japanese is often abbreviated in short sentences, and I was thinking about that today. I found a lot of words that are abbreviated.I really want people to use them if they find them difficult to pronounce or too long!


まず、タイトルにも書いてるんだけど、「ポケモン」ね。これって「ポケットモンスター」の略なの。そして「マクドナルド」は「マック」っていうんだけど、大阪の人は「マクド」っていうよ。「マクドナルド」の発音が難しかったら「マックどこですか？」って言えばOKだよ。

First of all, the title says it all: "Pokemon”. It stands for "Pocket Monster”. And "McDonald's" is called "Makku," but people in Osaka call it "makudo”. If you have difficulty pronouncing "McDonald's," say, "Where is Makku?(Makku wa doko desuka?) It's OK if you say.


あと「ケンタッキーフライドチキン」は「ケンタ」、「ユニバーサルスタジオジャパン」は「ユニバ」、「スターバックス」は「スタバ」....うーん、あと、、、コンビニの「セブンイレブン」は「セブン」、「ファミリーマート」は「ファミマ」、「ローソン」は...略しません！「ローソン」は「ローソン」だよ！

And "Kentucky Fried Chicken" is "Kenta", "Universal Studios Japan" is "Yuniba", and "Starbucks" is "Sutaba". .... Ummm...also...convenience stores "7-Eleven" is "Seven", "Family Mart" is "Famima", "Lawson" is... They don't abbreviate! Lawson is "Lawson"!


あと「タピオカを飲む」は「タピる」、「あー、なるほどね」は「あーね」とかも言うよ！

We also say "tapiru" for "drink tapioca (Tapioka wo nomu)" and "ah, I see(a—, naruhodone)" for "a–—ne"!


あとあとアイスクリームの「バスキン・ロビンス(Baskin-Robbins)」ってあるじゃん？もし日本で「バスキン・ロビンスどこですか？」って言っても日本人わからないんだよね。「サーティーワン(31)どこですか？」ってきいたらわかるよ！

And there is also an ice cream shop called "Baskin-Robbins", right? If you ask, "Where is Baskin-Robbins?(Baskin-Robbins wa doko desuka?)" in Japan, the Japanese don't understand. If you ask "Where is Thirty One?(Thirty One wa doko desuka?)", The Japanese will understand!


🌟My courses and schedule
https://www.italki.com/teacher/7661858/japanese

Ep.7 Pocket Monsters=Pokémon

最近日本は暖かくなって春だな～って感じる日が多くて、桜も咲いてきたよ！みんなが住んでいるところはどうかな？そういえば、桜がどのくらい咲いているかは特別な数え方をするの知ってる？桜が咲き始めたころは「開花宣言」っていうよ。

It's getting warmer and warmer in Japan these days, and the cherry blossoms are blooming! How about where you live? Oh, by the way, did you know that there is a special way to count how much cherry blossoms are in bloom? When the cherry blossoms begin to bloom, it is called "Kaika sengen" (declaration of blooming)

今年、2022年は3月17日に福岡で「開花宣言」があって一番早かったよ。そして、その次に3月20日に東京で「開花宣言」があったんだよね。北海道は4月20日ごろに咲く予定らしいよ。毎年「さくら開花予想」っていう地図があるからググって見てみてね。

This year, 2022, Fukuoka was the first to declare the blooming of cherry blossoms on March 17. The next earliest was Tokyo, which declared the blooming of cherry blossoms on March 20. Hokkaido is scheduled to bloom around April 20. There is a map called "cherry blossom forecast" every year, so please Google it and check it out.

桜が半分くらい咲けば50％咲いているの意味になる「五分（ぶ）ざき」っていうんだよね。だいたい80％咲いたら「満開」って言ってお花見をしたりする人が多くなるよ。なんで80％は「八分ざき」じゃなくて「満開」かっていうと「今、桜は100％咲いています！」っていうともう散り始めるかららしいよ。

If half of the cherry trees are in bloom, it is called "gobu zaki," meaning that 50% of the cherry trees are in bloom. When 80% of the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, it is called "mankai," and many people go cherry blossom viewing. The reason why 80% is called "full bloom" and not "hachibu zaki(80% bloom)" is because "100% of the cherry trees are in full bloom now!" means the cherry blossoms will already begin to fall.

ちなみに「開花宣言」があったらニュースでは「さくらの便りがありました」っていうんだよね。「便り」っていうのは「手紙」って意味だよ。例えば「本日、福岡から桜の便りがありました」みたいな。だいたい「開花宣言」から1週間くらいかけて満開になっていくから、もし日本のニュースを見ることがあれば注意して見てみてね

By the way, when the "blooming of cherry blossoms" is declared, the news says "there is a "tayori" of cherry blossoms". The word "tayori" means "letter".  For example, "Today, we received "tayori" of cherry blossoms from Fukuoka". It usually takes about a week after the "bloom declaration" for the cherry blossoms to be in full bloom, so if you watch the news in Japan, pay attention to it.

Ep.6 さくら...percentage??

みんなはカラオケ好き？私はすっごい好きなんだけど、コロナで友だちに会えないから、全然カラオケにいけないんだよね。でもヒトカラ（＝ひとりカラオケ）する勇気ないし…そしたら、switchの「JOYSOUND」を見つけたの！これは家でカラオケができるソフトなんだけど、ソフト自体は無料で自分が使いたい時間だけをチケットで買うっていうものなの。

Do you guys like karaoke? I like it a lot, but I can't go to karaoke at all because I can't see my friends at COVID‑19. But I don't dare to do karaoke alone... Then I found "JOYSOUND" for the Nintendo Switch! The software itself is free, and you buy a ticket for the time you want to use it.


早速使おうと思って、マイク買っちゃった！でも近所迷惑になっちゃうから、マイクにつける防音のやつも買ったよ。これをつけると、隣の部屋にも聞こえないし、大きい声も出せて本当にスッキリするよ。残念なのはカラオケに行ったらPVがあるんだけど、このswitchのほうにはPVがないことかな～。私は好きな歌手のPVを見ながら歌うのが好きだからちょっとそこが物足りないかな。でも、好きな時間に好きなだけ歌えるし、本当これはいい！

I bought a microphone to use it right away! But it would disturb the neighbors, so I also bought a soundproofing kit to attach to the microphone. With this, I can't be heard in the next room, and I can speak louder, so it's really refreshing. Unfortunately, the switch doesn't have any music videos, which is a pity because karaoke places have them. I like to sing while watching the music videos of my favorite singers, so I think that's a little lacking. But I can sing whenever I want and for as long as I want.


曲も15万曲あって、毎月新曲が追加されてるらしいから、歌いたい歌はだいたい見つかると思うよ。ちなみに、私が最近好きな歌手は「FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE(ファンタスティックス・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ)」っていうグループで、この前新曲だしたからその配信を待ってるところだよ。よかったら聞いてみてね！

There are 150,000 songs, and new songs are added every month, so I think you can find almost any song you want to sing. By the way, my new favorite singer is a group called "FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE," and I'm waiting for them to release a new song. You can listen to it if you like!

🌟My courses and schedule
https://www.italki.com/teacher/7661858/japanese

Ep.5 Nintendo Switch - JOYSOUND

▼Script
週末、美容院に行ったよー！半年くらい前にボブにしてもうボブが楽(らく)すぎて楽すぎて...。いつも行っている美容院があるんだけど、今回は気分転換(てんかん)に違う美容院に行って少し切ってもらう予定だったんだよね。

I went to the hairdresser this weekend! I got a bob about 6 months ago and it's already too easy and comfortable... I have a hair salon that I usually go to, but this time I was going to go to a different one to get it cut a little for a change.

いつもは結(むす)べるギリギリくらいの長さに切ってもらうんだけど、まさかの！切られすぎた～。なんか、前髪(まえがみ)もカラーも変だし、結局2週間後にまたいつもの美容院行ったんだよね。ブリーチするかどうか悩んだんだけど、傷むのもいやーって美容師(びようし)さんに相談(そうだん)したら、今はダブルカラーっていうのが人気って教えてもらったからそれをお願いしたんだよね。たしかにブリーチしたときほど傷(いた)んではないんだけど、ちょっと髪がキシキシしてる感じがするかな。

I usually get them to cut it just long enough to tie it up, but no way! She was cut too much! Something was wrong with my bangs and color, and I ended up going back to my regular hair salon two weeks later. I wondered whether I should bleach my hair or not, but I didn't want to damage it, so I talked to the hairdresser about it, and she told me that double coloring is popular now, so I asked her to do that.It's true that my hair is not as damaged as when I bleached it, but it does feel a little bit squeaky. 

最近、日本では韓国のメイクとか髪型が流行ってって、私が行った美容院もそういう髪型を推してるところなんだよね。日本はまだみんなマスクしてるんだけど、髪を耳にかけたときに、前髪と後ろの髪の間に毛がないので、そこだけハゲて見えちゃうんだよね。そのこめかみの部分に「天使(てんし)の羽根(はね)バング」っていうのを作るのが人気なの。説明がむずしいからググってみてね。結構(けっこう)みんなしてるから、日本のテレビ見るときに注意(ちゅうい)してみてみて！

Recently, Korean makeup and hair styles have become popular in Japan, and the hair salon I went to is one that promotes such hairstyles. In Japan, everyone still wears masks, but when you put your hair over your ears, there is no hair between the front and back of your head, so you look bald there. So, it is very popular to create a bang called "Tenshi no Hane Bang" at the temples. It's hard to explain, so you'll have to Google it. It's pretty common, so pay attention when you watch Japanese TV!

🌟My courses and schedule
https://www.italki.com/teacher/7661858/japanese

Ep.4 びよういんに いきました

▼スクリプト
みんなは視力（しりょく）どれぐらいある？私は目が悪くて、コンタクトをつけてるんだけど、パソコンするときは目が乾燥（かんそう）しちゃうから、めがね使ってるんだよね。でも、ずっとパソコンしてるとほんと目がヤバくなってくるから、この前ブルーライトカットのめがねを買いに行ったの。

How good is your eyesight? I have bad eyesight, so I wear contacts, but when I use the computer, my eyes get dry, so I use glasses. But my eyes get really bad when I'm on the computer all the time, so the other day I went to buy a pair of blue light-cut glasses.

日本のめがねの値段（ねだん）はピンキリなんだけど、安いのは10000円くらいから買えるよ。有名なお店は「J!NS」とか「Zoff」とか「めがね市場」かなぁ。私は今までずっと「J!NS」で買ってたんだけど、かわいいフレームがあったから今回は「めがね市場」で買ったんだよね。

Prices for glasses in Japan vary widely, but you can buy inexpensive ones for as little as 10,000 yen. I think the most famous stores are "J!NS", "Zoff", and "Megane Ichiba". I used to buy my glasses at "J!NS", but this time I bought them at "Megane Ichiba" because they had cute frames.

レンズのオプションもいろいろあって、ブルーライトカットはもちろんなんだけど、スマホを見るとき目を楽にするレンズとか、抗菌（こうきん）レンズとかいろいろあってびっくりしちゃった。

I was surprised at the variety of lens options available, including blue-light-cut lenses, lenses that make it easier for me to look at my phone, and antibacterial lenses.

視力検査（けんさ）もめがね屋さんでするんだけど、右目も左目も「0.05」ずつしかなかったからショックだった…。あと、少し右目が乱視（らんし）って言われたから、レンズは特注（とくちゅう）になって1週間後に出来上がって取りに行ったよ。もし日本でめがねを作ることがあったら、時間に余裕をもってつくったほうがいいよ。

I also had my eyesight tested at the optometrist's, and I was shocked to see that it was only 0.05 vision each for my right and left eyes.... I was also told that I had a little astigmatism in my right eye, so the lenses were special ordered and I went to pick them up a week after they were made.If you have to get glasses made in Japan, you should make them well in advance.

ちなみに、この前、子供の視力が悪くなってるってテレビで言ってたんだよね。1.0未満の子どもは高校生で63％らしいよ。たしかに私も高校生のときからコンタクトしてるなぁって思った。いつかレーシックもしてみたい！

By the way, I heard on TV the other day that children's eyesight is getting worse: 63% of high school students have less than 1.0 vision. I have been wearing contacts since I was in high school. I'd like to have LASIK someday!