「difference」の使い方

I wrote about "difference" the other day. Take a look at that post for review:

http://upgradeenglish.blogspot.com/2010/09/differdifferentdifference.html

Over the weekend, I visited Niigata. The cooler weather was really pleasant.

× There's a big difference with Tokyo and towns in the mountains.
◯ There's a big difference between Tokyo and towns in the mountains.

When you use "difference", don't forget this pattern:

• difference between _(n)_ and _(n)_

In Naeba, there wasn't a Seven Eleven or Family Mart, and there were far fewer vending machines. That was a bit inconvenient.

• vending machine〔飲料｛いんりょう｝などの〕自動販売機｛じどう はんばいき｝(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

That's not the only thing, though. There's also a difference between the air in Tokyo and the air there. The air in the mountains was clean and had the wonderful smell of plants. The air in Tokyo is mostly fumes from buses, taxis, and smokers.

• vehicle fumes 車両｛しゃりょう｝の噴煙｛ふんえん｝［排（出）ガス］(definition from Eijiro on the Web)

Despite that, I think I prefer the convenience of the city. Still, it was nice to escape for a few days.