Welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."

Join us as we learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories.

Today's headline is:

Test Ride Event Held for Hokuriku Shinkansen Extension.

The "Hokuriku" in Hokuriku Shinkansen
refers to the Hokuriku region.

It's comprised of Toyama, Ishikawa,
and Fukui prefectures.

Sometimes Niigata is included.

I've been to the Hokuriku region, including Niigata, many times, both for work and for fun, and it always makes me think of snow.

Me too.

But the region is also home to
many hidden gems.

Right, Yoshikawa-san?

Yes! We will highlight a few of those spots later on.

But first, let's go over some key terms to listen out for in our story today.

"shinkansen."

"shinkansen," commonly known as the bullet train.

"chusen."

lottery or drawing.

"hoomu."

railway platform.

OK, try to follow along.

On March 16, the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line
will start operating

between Kanazawa Station in Ishikawa Prefecture
and Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.

A (test) ride event for the shinkansen
was held on February 3 and 4.

Two thousand participants were selected
in a lottery with a 1-in-75 chance of winning.

On February 3, about 500 people
gathered at Tsuruga Station.

When the shinkansen pulled into the new platform,
people and their families took pictures with it.

A child who rode the shinkansen said,
"It was fun - I got to see so many beautiful sights."

A man said, "It was a quiet and comfortable ride."

So the Hokuriku Shinkansen has been extended from Kanazawa Station, in Ishikawa Prefecture, to Tsuruga Station, in Fukui Prefecture.

Now let's review the following sentence from the story.

A new (section of) shinkansen will start operating.

Now read along with me.

"shinkansen no unten ga
atarashiku hajimarimasu."

Today's keyword is "unten."

"Unten" usually refers to
running trains and driving cars.

It can also refer to the operation of
large machines, such as at a power plant.

So in everyday conversation we use "unten" to talk about driving cars.

For example: "Watashi wa unten ga tokui desu."
(I am a good driver.)

"Watashi wa unten ga tokui desu."
(I am a good driver.)

It's usually assumed that
you're talking about driving a car.

It's led to the coining of many
"-unten" expressions.

You may have heard this one in the news.

This is the act of driving dangerously close
behind another vehicle,

or excessive horn honking.

What is this called?

OK, well, so that car in the back is clearly being very aggressive...

So I guess that's "aori-unten?"

Correct!

"Aoru" means "to fan the flames."

It's used figuratively to describe
provoking someone.

So by extension, aggressive driving
is called "aori-unten."

How about this one?

Ah, this looks like the driver is under the influence of alcohol, which in Japanese would be "inshu-unten?"

Yes. "Inshu" refers to drinking alcohol.

Driving aggressively or under the influence
can lead to a serious accident.

We call that kind of driving "kiken-unten."

Right. And "kiken-unten" is against the law.

When behind the wheel, be sure to practice "anzen-unten," safe and responsible driving.

Bite Size Japan.

Now that there's this new link directly between Tokyo and Tsuruga,

I think a lot more visitors will be able to go and discover what Fukui Prefecture has to offer.

Yeah. And Fukui boasts a variety of attractions, including the soothing waters of Awara Onsen,

the rugged cliffs of Tojinbo, along the Sea of Japan,

the ancient temple of Eiheiji,

and Echizen Ono Jo, known as the "Castle in the Sky."

And that's not all: Fukui is also known as the "kyooryuu" capital of Japan.

Check this out.

Fukui Station acts as a gateway to the Dinosaur Kingdom.

In front of the building are three life-size "kyooryuu" from the Cretaceous period.

There are more than a dozen hotels in the prefecture, that feature themed rooms where guests can immerse themselves a world of dinosaurs.

But perhaps the best-known dino-attraction is the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, in the city of Katsuyama.

More dinosaur "kaseki" have been excavated in Katsuyama than virtually anywhere else in Japan.

Here, inside what's considered one of the world's largest dinosaur museums, there are a whopping 50 complete skeletons on display.

The exhibits include skeletons and fossils of locally discovered species, including Fukuisaurus and four others named after the prefecture.

This is a place where you can experience

the cutting edge of
dinosaur research in Japan.

That looks so awesome!

Oh my God, I love dinosaurs! So I think anybody else who loves them as much as I do, absolutely has to go see this.

So much to see! I want to go as well.

Yes. Tourism officials in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture say that, despite the recent Noto Peninsula earthquake,

the southern part of the prefecture, where the shinkansen runs, remains open for business.

So that includes places like Kanazawa, Komatsu, and Kaga Onsen.

They invite people to come and discover the area.

That is so cool! I really wanna go take a trip down to Hokuriku, and maybe meet these guys too.

Let's learn some useful expressions
for riding the shinkansen.

Take a look at this.

Chiara, can you read this kanji?

Hmm... so I believe that's "zairaizen?"

Yes.

"Zairaisen" refers to conventional,
non-shinkansen railway lines.

"Zairai" is a formal word
that means "pre-existing."

With the advent of the shinkansen,

we started referring to train lines
that existed before as "zairaisen."

Right. So for example, you could say:

"Fukui-eki kara zairaisen ni norikaemasu."
(Transfer to a non-shinkansen line at Fukui Station.)

Here are the two tickets
you get for the shinkansen.

Oh yes, so one is the "tokkyuu-ken"、and the other is the "joosha-ken."

"tokkyuu-ken to joosha-ken."
(limited express ticket and basic fare ticket)

The "joosha-ken" is the base fare ticket.
You need one for all trains.

The "tokkyuu-ken" is
the limited express ticket.

Sometimes they're combined
into one ticket,

other times you receive
two separate tickets.

But it's what you'll need
to enter the gates.

Yes, and of course, riding the shinkansen itself is just... it's such a cool experience.

And you get wherever you want to go very quickly, which means you have a lot more time to enjoy the city or place that you're visiting.

OK. That's all for today.

We'll see you next time.

"Mata oai shimasho."
(See you soon.)