Host
Welcome to Japanese Daily News. I'm Maya. Today is August sixth. This morning in Sendai, in northern Japan, the city's famous star festival begins — the streets fill with thousands of giant paper streamers. Let's listen.
News
今日のニュースです。
Here's today's news.
News
今日8月6日、宮城県の仙台市で、夏の大きい祭り「仙台七夕まつり」が始まります。祭りは、8月8日まで続きます。
Today, August 6, the big summer festival "Sendai Tanabata Festival" begins in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. The festival continues until August 8.
News
仙台七夕まつりは、日本で一番大きい七夕の祭りです。今から約400年前の江戸時代から続いています。
The Sendai Tanabata Festival is the biggest Tanabata festival in Japan. It has continued since the Edo period, about 400 years ago.
News
駅の近くのアーケードの通りに、約3000本の七夕の飾りがあります。長い紙が風でゆれて、とてもきれいです。
On the arcade streets near the station, there are about 3,000 Tanabata decorations. The long paper streamers sway in the wind and are very beautiful.
News
飾りは、和紙と竹で作ります。お店や会社の人たちが、何か月もかけて、手で作ります。
The decorations are made of Japanese paper and bamboo. People from shops and companies make them by hand, spending many months.
News
飾りには、七つの種類があります。それぞれに、「勉強が上手になりますように」などの願いがあります。
There are seven kinds of decorations. Each one carries a wish, such as "May I get better at studying."
News
昨日の夜は、前夜祭の花火大会がありました。約1万6000発の花火が、仙台の夜空に上がりました。
Last night, there was an eve-of-festival fireworks display. About 16,000 fireworks went up into Sendai's night sky.
News
七夕は、普通は7月7日の行事です。でも、仙台では、昔のカレンダーに近い8月に祭りをします。
Tanabata is usually an event on July 7. But in Sendai, the festival is held in August, which is closer to the old calendar.
News
祭りの三日間で、約200万人の人が来ます。外国からの観光客も、たくさん来ます。
About 2 million people come during the three days of the festival. Many tourists also come from abroad.
News
仙台七夕まつりは、青森の「ねぶた祭」、秋田の「竿燈まつり」と同じ、東北の三つの大きい夏祭りの一つです。
Like Aomori's "Nebuta Festival" and Akita's "Kanto Festival," the Sendai Tanabata Festival is one of the three big summer festivals of Tohoku.
Host
Now let's break it down, sentence by sentence.
Breakdown
Slow Repeat
今日8月6日、宮城県の仙台市で、夏の大きい祭り「仙台七夕まつり」が始まります。祭りは、8月8日まで続きます。
Today, August 6, the big summer festival "Sendai Tanabata Festival" begins in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. The festival continues until August 8.
Host
Today, August sixth, in Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture, the big summer Tanabata Festival begins. The festival continues until August eighth.
Vocab
始まる
Host
It means to begin.
Slow Repeat
駅の近くのアーケードの通りに、約3000本の七夕の飾りがあります。長い紙が風でゆれて、とてもきれいです。
On the arcade streets near the station, there are about 3,000 Tanabata decorations. The long paper streamers sway in the wind and are very beautiful.
Host
On the covered shopping streets near the station, there are about three thousand Tanabata decorations. The long paper streamers sway in the wind — they are very beautiful.
Vocab
飾り
Host
It means a decoration.
Slow Repeat
飾りは、和紙と竹で作ります。お店や会社の人たちが、何か月もかけて、手で作ります。
The decorations are made of Japanese paper and bamboo. People from shops and companies make them by hand, spending many months.
Host
The decorations are made of Japanese paper and bamboo. People from local shops and companies spend many months making them by hand.
Vocab
作る
Host
It means to make.
Slow Repeat
昨日の夜は、前夜祭の花火大会がありました。約1万6000発の花火が、仙台の夜空に上がりました。
Last night, there was an eve-of-festival fireworks display. About 16,000 fireworks went up into Sendai's night sky.
Host
Last night, there was a fireworks show on the eve of the festival. About sixteen thousand fireworks rose into the night sky over Sendai.
Vocab
花火
Host
It means fireworks.
Slow Repeat
七夕は、普通は7月7日の行事です。でも、仙台では、昔のカレンダーに近い8月に祭りをします。
Tanabata is usually an event on July 7. But in Sendai, the festival is held in August, which is closer to the old calendar.
Host
Tanabata is usually a July seventh event. But in Sendai, the festival is held in August, closer to the old calendar.
Vocab
昔
Host
It means old times, or long ago.
Slow Repeat
祭りの三日間で、約200万人の人が来ます。外国からの観光客も、たくさん来ます。
About 2 million people come during the three days of the festival. Many tourists also come from abroad.
Host
Over the three days of the festival, about two million people come. Many tourists from other countries come too.
Vocab
観光客
Host
It means a tourist.
Host
Let's listen to the whole story one more time.
News
今日8月6日、宮城県の仙台市で、夏の大きい祭り「仙台七夕まつり」が始まります。祭りは、8月8日まで続きます。
Today, August 6, the big summer festival "Sendai Tanabata Festival" begins in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. The festival continues until August 8.
News
仙台七夕まつりは、日本で一番大きい七夕の祭りです。今から約400年前の江戸時代から続いています。
The Sendai Tanabata Festival is the biggest Tanabata festival in Japan. It has continued since the Edo period, about 400 years ago.
News
駅の近くのアーケードの通りに、約3000本の七夕の飾りがあります。長い紙が風でゆれて、とてもきれいです。
On the arcade streets near the station, there are about 3,000 Tanabata decorations. The long paper streamers sway in the wind and are very beautiful.
News
飾りは、和紙と竹で作ります。お店や会社の人たちが、何か月もかけて、手で作ります。
The decorations are made of Japanese paper and bamboo. People from shops and companies make them by hand, spending many months.
News
飾りには、七つの種類があります。それぞれに、「勉強が上手になりますように」などの願いがあります。
There are seven kinds of decorations. Each one carries a wish, such as "May I get better at studying."
News
昨日の夜は、前夜祭の花火大会がありました。約1万6000発の花火が、仙台の夜空に上がりました。
Last night, there was an eve-of-festival fireworks display. About 16,000 fireworks went up into Sendai's night sky.
News
七夕は、普通は7月7日の行事です。でも、仙台では、昔のカレンダーに近い8月に祭りをします。
Tanabata is usually an event on July 7. But in Sendai, the festival is held in August, which is closer to the old calendar.
News
祭りの三日間で、約200万人の人が来ます。外国からの観光客も、たくさん来ます。
About 2 million people come during the three days of the festival. Many tourists also come from abroad.
News
仙台七夕まつりは、青森の「ねぶた祭」、秋田の「竿燈まつり」と同じ、東北の三つの大きい夏祭りの一つです。
Like Aomori's "Nebuta Festival" and Akita's "Kanto Festival," the Sendai Tanabata Festival is one of the three big summer festivals of Tohoku.
Host
Time for a short quiz. Listen and try to answer.
Slow Repeat
仙台七夕まつりは、いつまで続きますか。
Host
Until August eighth.
Slow Repeat
アーケードの通りに、七夕の飾りが約何本ありますか。
Host
About three thousand.
Host
That's all for today. The Sendai Tanabata Festival runs until August eighth. If you ever walk under those three thousand paper streamers, you can make a wish of your own. See you next time!
News
また明日。
See you tomorrow.
1 / 0
Grammar Reference
〜まで N5
until ~
noun (time/place) + まで
祭りは、8月8日まで続きます。
The festival continues until August eighth.
まで marks the end point of a time or place range
Grammar notes → 〜で作る N5
to make with/from ~ (material)
noun (material) + で + 作る
飾りは、和紙と竹で作ります。
The decorations are made with Japanese paper and bamboo.
で marks the material or tool used to make something
N5 grammar list → 〜ますように N4
may ~ (a wish or prayer)
verb ます-form + ように
「勉強が上手になりますように」などの願いがあります。
There are wishes such as: may I become good at my studies.
ますように expresses a hope or prayer, often written on Tanabata paper strips
N4 grammar list → 何 + counter + も N4
many ~ (emphasizes a large amount)
何 + counter + も
何か月もかけて、手で作ります。
They spend many months making them by hand.
何か月も means 'for months and months' — the も adds emphasis
N4 grammar list → 〜と同じ N5
the same as ~
noun + と同じ
青森の「ねぶた祭」と同じ、東北の大きい夏祭りの一つです。
Like the Nebuta Festival in Aomori, it is one of Tohoku's big summer festivals.
と同じ compares two things and says they are alike or in the same group
N5 grammar list →