When a word has the vowel sequence of [o-u] in Hiragana spelling, we pronounce it [o-o].

Example: きょう [kyo-u] → [kyo-o] 

When a word has the vowel sequence of [e-i] in Hiragana spelling, we pronounce it [e-e]

Example: せんせい [se-n-se-i] → [se-n-se-e]

When I write words in Romaji, I base their spelling on their actual pronunciation rather than their Hiragana spelling. As a result, you might notice discrepancies between the Romaji and Hiragana spellings in my lessons & materials.

The phrase "[City name] + きんこう (kinkoo)" can now be used as a standalone noun, so the particle "の" is optional.

[City] + きんこう(kinkoo)

OR

[City] + の(NO) + きんこう(kinkoo)

They are both commonly used.

You can use the structure in the image here.

It's worth noting that "miles" aren't used in Japan, so you might want to convert the distance to "kilometers" (キロ or kilo) if you're speaking to a Japanese person.

Here is a diagram of directions in Japanese that demonstrates how the reading of Kanji changes when two directions are combined, such as South and East.

[Example]

• South: みなみ (minami)
• East: ひがし (higashi)

→ When you combine the two, it's なんとう (nantoo)

そうか and そうですか both mean "Is that so = I see," and we use it to acknowledge what someone has said. 

The difference is the level of speech. そうですか is a polite & formal expression, whereas そうか is the informal version. Some people (especially females) might use そう instead of そうか. 

We also use "そうか" for self-talk when we have an epiphany or solve a riddle, as in "Ah, I see" or "I got it!"