Pronunciation ChallengeThings I Miss About America

Hey folks, Ken here.

Today’s video is about two friends sharing the things they missed most about the States when they lived in Japan. Some people would refer to America as “land of the free”, while for me, I like to call it the land of the BIG, since not only the food but also space, house and the people there appear to be bigger than what we have here in Asian countries. In addition to chatting about the States, for our sentence of the day, the speakers in the video will demonstrate how young people talk, like um, uh, you know, especially on the west coast, and I’ll break down the sentence for you to understand it better.

1. Spacious Living Quarters

Living quarters simply means the place you live in, your accommodation. Now this one I personally approve a lot. In countries like the U.S. with such a large land mass, most housing locations and residential areas are separated from factories and offices, so people could have more living space. For example, a typical American home would include a big bungalow with a garage, driveway and your own front yard or backyard. Sounds pretty good right? But like, in Taiwan where I live, people in big cities mostly live in apartments, and a backyard would seem like a fairytale to them. I once lived in the States back when I was a boy. My family and I lived in one of those standard American homes in California which I really enjoyed. I would walk a block to school every morning with my friends, it was a nice time.

2&3 Food and Beverages

Yes, when it comes to food and beverages, most of you might think of fast food restaurants, steak dinner or some really sweet desserts. Those are true, but back when I lived there, my Mother would cook regular Taiwanese style dinner, so it really wasn’t burgers and fries everyday. And also, some of you might know that you can have free refills of your sodas and drinks in most fast food restaurants, and that’s true as well. I could remember seeing a white lady, possibly in her mid-80s, entering a Carl’s Junior carrying a bucket sized bottle to fill up some Sprite. Folks, I’m not encouraging behaviors like this, and because of behaviors like this, I’ve heard some restaurants are considering to stop offering free refills. So folks, don’t be selfish.

In contrast, according to the speakers in the video, when they went to restaurants in Japan like an izakaya, a table fee of 500 yen per person is charged before you could order anything. Moreover, most Japanese restaurants do not provide take out containers or doggy bags for you to wrap up your leftover food. Hmm… I am not too sure if that’s true, but if i can’t finish a delicious burger, I can’t even bring it home to finish it? Well, maybe it’s just my own problem, I love nice food and don’t wanna waste it.

4. Driving and Parking

You might think gas prices in America are high. But according to the speakers, gas prices in Japan are sky-rocket high, driving in Japan is actually pretty expensive. Also for roadside parking, the hourly rate is pretty high compared to America. But what’s special is that in Japan, there are automated parking systems. Just drive onto an elevator, and the system will transfer you to your parking space. And to retrieve your car, select the number of your parking space and the elevator will bring the car down, the elevator platform will also turn your car around so you can drive away easily. Pretty cool and convenient design.

5. Movies

In America, you can watch the latest movies in theaters, or even go to a special premiere and screenings to see it before everyone else does. However, in Japan, Hollywood movies sometimes come out one month to three months after their premiere in the States. It takes a long time for companies in Japan to get movie rights. So, if you’re a movieholic who needs to see the newest films, then America, and especially Los Angeles, California, would be the place for you.

[Sentence of the day]

Here’s the way the speaker said it-

But if you guys don't know, the parking garages sometimes in Japan are really cool. Like, you know, you do this thing where you park and all of a sudden the car, like, would go up.

When you hear the words: like, you know, this thing / it’s uh /kinda sorta like uh~ / well, so...
These are called “filler words”, words that people say when they’re uncertain or still thinking.
These words fill up your sentences, but might sound a bit unnecessary.
However, it can be useful to break it down to help us understand it better when listening.

Now, let me translate it for you-

But, if you guys don’t know, some automated parking garages in Japan are really cool. You drive onto a platform, and it elevates you to your parking space.

For today’s sentence, feel free to try both versions, you can practice the one with filler words, or my translated version.


[Vocabulary words]

1. parking
leaving a vehicle in a particular place for a period of time

Ex: Jack was fined for illegal parking.


2. garage
a building where a car is kept, built next to or as part of a house

Ex: You left the garage door open last night, didn’t you?


3. sudden
happening or done quickly and without warning

Ex: Drop the gun, put your hands in the air, and don't make any sudden movements.



Alright and that’s all the time we have for today.
What’s your impression of America?
It’s kinda like, you know, uh, a very big place to me.
Share it with me and leave a comment down below.
This is Ken Miao and I’ll see you again next week.

Well, you know, I don’t really know! Bye.

But if you guys don’t know, the parking garages sometimes in Japan are really cool. Like, you know, you do this thing where you park and all of a sudden the car, like, would go up.