Bedside Italian

Bedside Italian #24 - L'Italia su Instagram

In this podcast episode, I'll guide you through the process of introducing your family in Sinhala. "Paula" means family, and if you're at a beginner level, this episode will help you understand how to do it step by step. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any doubts or questions!

Sinhala corner 

මගේ පවුල - Mage Paula

Today’s episode is “トイレの女の子（toire no on’nanoko）”《A girl in the restroom》.
This story is based on urban legends from various parts of Japan, and a little scary story.
This episode is JLPT-N5 level.

I created a quiz on this episode.
After listening, please take the quiz!

Please use this audio for listening and shadowing practices.

☆Words☆
教室（きょうしつ）：classroom
思（おも）い出（だ）す：remember
聞（き）こえる：be heard
やっぱり：after all
急（いそ）いで：hurry
怖（こわ）い：scary
心配（しんぱい）：worry
手（て）を洗（あら）う：wash one's hands

☆Conjugation of verbs☆ 
・te-form：（ています／てください／てから）
・nai-form
・plain-form

☆Script for this episode
https://meg-smile.com/41-short-story-a-girl-in-the-restroom/

☆Quiz for this episode
https://www.italki.com/quiz/set/13773?utm_source=copylink_share&utm_medium=share_content&utm_campaign=share_quiz

Simple Japanese Listening with Meg（めぐ）Smile

#41 Short story / トイレの女の子《A girl in the restroom》/ Urban Legends / Horror  // N5 Level / Japanese listening

Today I will be discussing personal development, what it is, why it's important and Maslows Hierarchy of needs. The dictionary definition of hierarchy is a system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.

Matcha & Meditation

Personal Development

If you see someone sitting alone in a restaurant, you might assume they're waiting for someone, or perhaps they're grabbing a quick lunch on their break.

But more and more people around the world are purposely dining alone.

Japan has a special word for this: ohitorisama, which refers to people confidently doing things alone without worrying about what others think.

A recent survey found that 23% of Japanese people eat out alone, up from 18% in 2018. And in the US, solo dining reservations have risen 29% over the last two years, according to restaurant reservation site OpenTable.

OpenTable CEO Debby Soo thinks remote work is one reason for the increase, with people looking for a break from their home offices.

The increasing popularity in solo dining comes as more people are living alone. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that 38% of US adults ages 25 to 54 were living without a partner, up from 29% in 1990. In Japan, single households now make up one-third of the total; that’s expected to increase to 40% by 2040, according to government data.

Growing interest in solo travel — particularly among travelers ages 55 and over — is also leading to more meals alone.

But Soo thinks there could be more to it than that.

"I think there's a broader movement of self-love and self-care and really … enjoying your own company," Soo said.

As a result, many restaurants are redoing their seating, changing their menus and adding other special touches to appeal to solo diners.

But some aren't always happy to seat one diner. A Michelin-starred London restaurant caused a stir last year when it started charging solo diners the same price as two customers. The restaurant, which has 34 seats, offers an eight-course menu costing about $280 per person.

Other restaurants say it's worth seating one person because solo diners will often come back and eat there again.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Party of One: Solo Dining Increasing in Popularity

When you think about rainforests, you might think of somewhere with a tropical climate — somewhere like the Amazon or the Congo.

But in fact, a very large rainforest can be found in a country famous for its dreary weather: the UK.

The Eden Project, an attraction in southwest England, calls itself the world's largest indoor rainforest.

Sometimes referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," the Eden Project was created in 2001 from an old clay pit. It's famous for its two enormous biomes, which are designed to look and feel like rainforests and tropical regions from all over the world.


Collage of the Eden Project's iconic biomes seen from the inside and outside.
The Rainforest Biome is about 16,000 square meters in size, and is full of plants found in tropical climates, like sugarcane, pineapples and bananas.

There are rare and unusual plants too, like the titan arum — a flower famous for its terrible smell that only blooms around once a year.

The Mediterranean Biome is a little smaller at 6,540 square meters, but has plants from the Mediterranean and regions with similar climates, such as California, South Africa and Australia.

The Eden Project is not just a place for people to look at plants, though — there is an environmental message behind the attraction, and it aims to teach visitors about the importance of looking after the environment.

As well as activities and workshops that teach visitors about the importance of living sustainably, the Eden Project even offers courses for a university degree!

And there's plenty of other things to see and do, too.

Throughout both biomes, visitors can find art and installations which focus on important topics like climate change.

And every year, the Eden Project hosts the Eden Sessions, a series of outdoor music concerts. Famous artists such as Amy Winehouse, Elton John and Oasis have performed at the Eden Sessions in the past.

The Eden Project: The UK's Indoor Rainforest

瑞英：阿姨您好！
阿姨：你好，瑞英你好！唉呀，你家几口人呐？
瑞英：我家里有五口人，我老公，还有两个儿子，还有小姑娘，您认识的。
阿姨：儿子大的有多大啦？
瑞英：啊，老大八周岁了。
阿姨：老二呢？
瑞英：老二六周岁。
阿姨：她，小的三四（岁）？
瑞英：小的刚刚三周岁。
阿姨：哇，那个累不累啊？
瑞英：还好，不算太累！
阿姨：三个小孩在我眼里就觉得很辛苦了！
瑞英：还好了，其实习惯了。老大他们都会互相玩儿，他们玩儿得特别好，所以基本上不
需要我怎么照顾。
阿姨：就是小的要陪一下？
瑞英：小的也其实，等到有了，有了哥哥们回来，都在一起玩儿！

Coco 的播客-----听见中国

你家有几口人？

皆さんは卒業旅行に行ったことがありますか？

日本語でおしゃべり　podcast for Japanese learners

＃15 大学時代の卒業旅行の話

Continuamos aprendiendo vocabulario relacionado a la comida peruana. Esta vez les traigo información sobre la torta (cake).

En otros países hispanohablantes, se le conoce como tarta, pastel o ponqué.
Transcripción disponible en: https://conpedepatria.blog/2022/09/07/la-torta/
¡Gracias por escuchar!