Newest Kit-Kat

Do you like Kit-Kat chocolates?

In your country, what types of flavors of Kit-Kat are available? Are there many flavors?

Kit-Kat in Japan is famous for constantly selling very original new flavors.

Click here to read a post I wrote about some of the numerous flavors of Kit-Kat in Japan.

The latest Kit-Kat flavor in Japan is 「杏仁豆腐風味」 (“Annin-doufu flavor“).

Annin-doufu is “Chinese Almond Jelly” dessert.

Annin-doufu (Chinese Almond Jelly) with fruit

 

I like Annin-doufu (Chinese Almond Jelly) so maybe I’ll try this.

“New” Kanji of the Year

Every December a kanji character is chosen in Japan that represents the year that coming to an end, and the character is written in traditional 習字 (calligraphy) by the head monk at a temple in Kyoto and presented in a ceremony to the public.

Last year (2008), the character 「変」 (“change“) was chosen. Click here to read my post from last year to see why that character was chosen.

It was decided that since the U.S. elected a historic new President, Japan elected a Prime Minister from a new party, and also because of the global epidemic of “Swine Flu” which is called 「新型インフルエンザ」 (“New Flu”) in Japan…that the kanji character for 2009 is 「新」, which means “new“.

The 2009 Kanji of the year is the character for "New"

Here’s a picture of the head monk writing the character 「新」 (“new”) in traditional Japanese calligraphy:

News in Japanese

I get most of the news from Japanese TV news programs and Japanese online news.

It’s more accurate and up-to-the-minute for domestic (Japan) news than the English-language media in Japan…and they help improve my Japanese language ability (both written and spoken).

Do you ever watch the Japanese news on TV or read it online or in a Japanese 新聞 (newspaper)?

Here’s a story about a big fire that broke out last night in Tokyo. Have you heard about it? Can you read this:

(I got this article online at at this site.)

Here it is again with ふりがな (hold your mouse over the kanji to see the readings):

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民家火災で２人死亡、品川 ８棟全半焼

炎を上げて燃える東京都品川区西大井の火災現場＝２３日午前３時３分ごろ（提供写真）

２３日午前２時４０分ごろ、東京都品川区西大井、片山定さん（７５）方から出火、隣の民家などに燃え移り計８棟が全半焼した。片山さん方から男女の遺体が見つかり、警視庁大井署は片山さんと母栄子さん（９０）とみて確認を進めている。

同署などによると、片山さん方は木造２階建てで全焼。片山さんの息子の会社員晃男さん（４２）は２階でテレビを見ていて火災に気付き、逃げて無事だった。片山さん方は３人暮らしで、２遺体は１階で見つかった。

ほかに近所の女性が足にやけどをした。

片山さん方の向かいに住む自営業深沢百合子さん（３０）は「大声が聞こえて外を見たら家が真っ赤になっていた。息子さんが『中に２人いる』と叫んでいた」と話した。

現場はＪＲ西大井駅から南西に約５００メートルの住宅街。

2009年08月23日日曜日

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This is my English translation:

Fire in Shinagawa burns 8 homes and kills 2 people

Taken at the scene of the blaze in Nishi-Oi, Shinagawa, Tokyo on (Aug) 23rd at about 3:03AM (freelance photo)

On (August) 23rd at about 2:40AM, in Nishi-Oi, Shinagawa, Tokyo, a fire broke out in the home of Jyo Katayama (age 75). The fire spread to the neighboring homes and destroyed a total of eight homes.
The corpses of a man and woman were found in the house and the Ooi Police Department confirmed that they are the bodies of Mr. Katayama and his 90 year old mother Eiko.

According to the same police station, Mr. Katayama’s wooden 2-story house completely burned down.
Mr. Katayama’s son, Akio (42 year-old office worker), who was on the second-floor watching TV when the fire broke out escaped unharmed.
The three members of the Katayama family lived together and the two bodies were found on the first floor.

A female neighbor burned her leg.

The neighbor who lives across from the Katayama family, Yuriko Fukazawa (age 30, self-employed), said “I heard shouting and when I looked outside I saw the house was bright red. Their son was yelling ‘There are two people inside!’.”

The scene was on a residential street about 500 meters south-west of JR Nishi-Ooi Station.

Sunday, 2009 August 23