Pronunciation ChallengeTop 5 Things to do in Hakone | japan-guide.com

The expansive and pristine grounds of the Hakone Open Air Museum are dotted by large sculptures which visitors can walk around and appreciate up close.

[Transcript]

Intro:

G’day, VoiceTubers. Now that Covid restrictions have finally been lifted, I am starting to see a lot of friends traveling again. One of the most popular holiday destinations has always been, and still is - Japan! Have you traveled to Japan before? Where are your favourite destinations in Japan? Let’s talk a little more after we go over our pronunciation tips. Here is our sentence.


[00’56’’] Sentence:
The expansive and pristine grounds of the Hakone Open Air Museum are dotted by large sculptures which visitors can walk around and appreciate up close.

Pronunciation Tips:

expansive - not expensive
pristine
walk around - linking words
appreciate


[02’05’’]Vocabulary:

expansive (adj.) KK[ɪkˋspænsɪv] IPA/ɪkˈspæn.sɪv/
廣闊的 covering a large area

Example: The back balcony is my favourite part of this apartment, it has an expansive view of the rice fields.

pristine (adj.) KK[ˋprɪstin] IPA /prɪˈstiːn/
嶄新的 new and in a very good condition

Example: Her cleaner comes twice a week, maintaining her house in pristine condition.


dot (v.) KK[dɑt] IPA /dɑːt/
分佈; 分散 to be spread across an area, or to spread many similar things across an area

Example: There are a lot of Indian restaurants dotted around London.


[03’06’’]Outro:

Hakone is a mountain town only an hour and a half southeast of Tokyo. It’s a popular weekend getaway for the city people with the onsen (hot springs) and views of Mt Fuji being the main reasons for visiting. Watch our video to learn more about Hakone’s beautiful sceneries and their top 5 travel recommendations.
This cooler weather is perfect for the hot springs! The Japanese have perfected the art of onsen for centuries. As most of you know, no clothes or bathing suits are allowed in the onsen bathing areas because they could bring dirt and soap into the hot spring waters from outside and are considered a sort of ‘contamination’. Remember to wash yourself before entering an onsen to ensure you don’t bring any unwanted dirt or bodily residue into the water. Also, keep your face above the water. Unfortunately for those of you with tattoos, you will be refused to enter these public onsens in Japan, due to people associating tattoos with the yakuza, meaning the mafia in Japan.

Traditionally, men and women would apparently bathe together in the same facility, but these days 99% of the onsens in Japan are segregated by gender, with only a few offering mixed pools. At these mixed gender onsens, fortunately you will be allowed to cover up with a towel, cotton dress or shorts provided by the facility so everyone can bathe comfortably (phew!). If you do get the chance to visit one of these rare mixed onsens, it is highly recommended especially if you’re traveling with the whole family. It can be a relaxing and fun experience!

I can’t wait to visit Japan again! In fact, I wish I could be there right now! Alright guys, time for me to wrap up today’s episode. I’m your host Jenny and this will be one of the last few episodes I’ll be hosting here on Pronunciation Challenge. I hope to see you here again next week. Don’t forget to record your sentence and feel free to leave a comment underneath my transcript and tell us what you love about Japan! Bye for now!


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