londonist.com Northolt The town was originally known as Northala, a name rejuvenated by the modern Northala Fields (pictured above). Both the hala and holt refer to woodland, with the 'North' simply a compass direction. Southall plays on t…

londonist.com Our series on London etymology continues with a look at the stations of the Central line. Find out how your local station got its name. See also Northern, Victoria. West Ruislip, Ruislip Gardens and South Ruislip Ruislip, pro…

londonist.com City of Westminster The name relates to the famous Abbey — 'mynster' being Old English for a church. The 'West' part simply denotes it as west of the ancient City, and its great church of St Paul. In Anglo Saxon and early Nor…

londonist.com Wandsworth Wandsworth takes its name from the River Wandle, which remains one of the delights of the borough. The Wandle got its name from an Anglo Saxon called Waendel, who owned land round here. ◆単語の意味 - ↓↓↓ ◆訳してみる…

www.bbc.com Onsen, which source mineral-rich spring water heated by natural volcanic activity, are the luxurious option for bathers in Japan. Often claiming a myriad of restorative properties, from purifying skin to easing arthritis, they …

www.bbc.com Japan's naked art of body positivity In Japan’s strongly hierarchical culture, naked communal bathing allows people to broach controversial topics and speak openly and honestly about their feelings. Sinking into the almost too-…

londonist.com Waltham Forest Waltham Forest is an ancient name for what we now call Epping Forest. Waltham meant 'forest estate'. The borough contains Walthamstow, which was originally called Wilcumestowe (meaning welcome place), but gradu…

www.bbc.com Cromarty's new 35-seat cinema opens its doors One of the smallest cinemas in the UK has opened in a Highlands village after two years of planning and fundraising. The 35-seat facility in Cromarty has been made possible by EU an…

www.japan-guide.com Shinjuku (新宿) is one of the 23 city wards of Tokyo, but the name commonly refers to just the large entertainment, business and shopping area around Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku Station is the world's busiest railway sta…

londonist.com Sutton Recorded as Sudtone in Domesday Book, the name translates roughly as 'south farm'. Tower Hamlets Predictably, the name refers to the hamlets and villages closest to the Tower of London. Despite having the whiff of a mo…

www.japan-guide.com Tokyo (東京, Tōkyō) is Japan's capital and the world's most populous metropolis. It is also one of Japan's 47 prefectures, consisting of 23 central city wards and multiple cities, towns and villages west of the city cen…

londonist.com Southwark This ancient part of London was settled by the Romans. Early records call it Suthriganaweorc or Suthringa geweorche, meaning 'the defensive works of the men of the south' (i.e. Surrey). ◆単語の意味 settle 定住する ↓…

www.bbc.com Underdog sumo wrestler celebrates win - with tears No-one could have predicted the victory of sumo wrestler Tokushoryu - the lowest ranked competitor at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo. But win he did and burst into…

londonist.com Richmond upon Thames Another relatively recent coinage (well, around 1500), Richmond took its name from the now-vanished Richmond Palace, built on the river by Henry VII. His former title was Earl of Richmond, relating to the…

Netlfixのクィア・アイ in Japan 第２話から Intelligent, body spotlight.-What's that mean? He wants to get his body together. He's trying to get his mind right and get them [mocking] coins up, honey. He wants to be coinsey. Love! He wants to…

londonist.com Redbridge Quite simply, named for a red bridge which bestrode the River Roding from the 17th century, until it was knocked down for road improvement in 1922. Here's the modern replacement. ◆単語の意味 bestrode またぐ、またが…

www.bbc.com A woman has died in Australia while taking part in a contest to eat as many lamingtons as possible. The woman, aged 60, is reported to have had a seizure during the event at a hotel in Hervey Bay, Queensland, to mark Australia …

londonist.com Newham One of the few borough names not to derive directly from ancient roots. Newham was formed in 1965 from East Ham and West Ham, the 'new' bit conjured up to declare that, yes, this political entity is new. The 'ham' part…

londonist.com Merton The name is again Saxon and means either farm by the pool or Maera's homestead. The former is perhaps most likely, as Merton stands on the banks of the Wandle and its associated flood plains. ◆単語の意味 pool homestead…

londonist.com Lewisham Leofshema is thought to be derived from the Jute name Leof or Leofsa, with the hema bit being a variant on 'ham' or dwelling. ◆単語の意味 thought to be だと思われる Jute ジュート族 variant 変形、別形 dwelling 住宅、…

londonist.com Lambeth Rather satisfyingly, the name means 'landing place for lambs', and it's a shortened version of the earlier Lambehitha (hitha being a common ending for riverside landing places like Rotherhithe). ◆単語の意味 satisfying…

londonist.com Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames Kingston was an ancient seat of kings. Recorded as Cyninges tun in 838, the name means King's manor or estate. Several 10th century kings were crowned here, as still remembered in the are…

londonist.com Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Kensington's yet another place named after an otherwise forgotten Saxon chappie. This time, Mr Cynesige or Kenesigne. Chelsea's a bit more interesting, with various ancient spellings al…

londonist.com Islington More properly, it should be Islingdon, as (like Hillingdon and Wimbledon) the name denotes a hill (don), here formerly governed by a Mr Gisla. Old records call the place Giseldone (1005) and Gislandune (1062). The a…

londonist.com Hounslow This one's not certain. It might derive from Honeslaw, meaning an area of land suitable for hunting, or it may indicate a hill claimed by a man called Hund or a tribe called Hundi. ◆単語の訳 derive から〜を引き出す ↓…

www.bbc.com Night rider: 21 years sleeping on a London bus At the age of 55, in 2017, Sunny was granted leave to remain. It had taken a year but finally he had the right to shelter, to work, to exist. And he was thankful. It is almost his …

www.bbc.com Night rider: 21 years sleeping on a London bus Sunny didn't blame the British government for his predicament. Had his own country's not been so bad, he wouldn't have been here in the first place. Eventually, the refugee centre …

www.bbc.com Night rider: 21 years sleeping on a London bus But there were always distractions: the lurching bus, the neon lights, the noisy night-riders and the humming engine. Two hours of proper sleep across an entire night was an achiev…

www.bbc.com Night rider: 21 years sleeping on a London bus Sunny always travelled light. A small tote bag allowed him to avoid the stigma of homelessness during daylight hours. Some homeless folk would stretch out across seats but he prefe…

www.bbc.com Night rider: 21 years sleeping on a London bus But no later than 9pm he would invariably be stepping aboard a bus for the first of three, maybe four, nightly trips across the capital. He soon discovered the best buses for a goo…