Glimpses of Japan Local - in JEnglish

  A long time ago, at the office in Perth, I was thinking of getting a few papers together. So, I asked, "Hey, anyone got a  Hotchkiss ? 　 And then, out of the blue, someone goes, "What?  Hotchkiss ? What's that?" I was like, "Wait, seriously? A  Hotchkiss  is, well, a  Hotchkiss . How else can I put it?" I figured, okay, maybe I can use gestures to get my point across. So, I grabbed a few sheets of paper and clicked them together with my fingers, like a snap. And then, someone goes, "Oh! Stapler!" And we're all like, "Yeah, that's it! It's a stapler!" And we burst out laughing. << In Japan, the stapler imported in the late 19th century was from the USA, manufactured by E.H.Hotchkiss Co. Ltd . Ever since, it's been called  "Hotchkiss"  rather than the real name "stapler".>> There were other times too, you know, when we had a good laugh about the names of everyday items I used back in Japan....

  The unpredictable spring weather, Said to turn rainy by evening, Recently, passing by, I noticed a few flowers blooming. Thinking it might be about time, I came to " Anzu-no-Sato  (Apricot Village)   Park ." Looking up at these daunting stone steps, I remembered seeing high school students in uniforms sprinting up and down energetically. Though I had no intention of doing repetitive stair exercises, I felt like climbing up to shake off my usual lack of physical activity. Glancing back, Admiring the blossoming apricot flowers, I just took it easy, ascending slowly. There's still more to go. 1, 2, 3,     1, 2, 3,  I should have stopped...! Alright!  Made it this far! You can see the  Genkai  Sea and even the distant  Watari  Peninsula. Oh no!  There's still a way to go. Knowing there's a park up here means these steps must be the last. Finally, made it! The young folks climb up without showing much fatigue, chatting along ...