Tag: http://www.sayinsei.com/

One of the more interesting aspects about Japan is its language. The mix of kanji, hiragana, and katakana is something that fascinates me. In the english language, we have a set of 26 characters that are used to build the language. In Japanese, there are thousands of kanji, and almost each one has a story or pictogram behind it. It is really quite fascinating when you combine the different characters together to create a new word. Although there are similarities to English when building words, Japanese uses pictures or symbols that look similar to the thing it represents.

For example, the word TREE in Japanese is 木, which essentially looks like a tree. Contrast that with english, were there are no clues to help you determine whether what a word is. Take another example here:

 

CHICKEN – English

POULET (pronounced poo-lay) – French

鶏 (にわとり) – Japanese

To me, what is most interesting about Japanese is how the pictogram “looks” like a chicken. I can use my imagination to see the image of the chicken. That’s is just a small example, but it is one of the nice things about learning Japanese.

Questions:

1) What do you think is most interesting about Japanese?

2) In your opinion, what are some of the major differences between Japanese and English?

3) Which style do you prefer, the pictogram style of kanji or the “build” of the language like english?

4) Do you think learning a language is difficult? Why or why not?

5) What part of learning a language do you like the most?

Key Words and Phrases: aspects, characters, pictogram, combine, clues

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One of my hobbies is studying philosophy. Since I was a child, I was always interested in the world around me. Philosophy was something that could help me find the answers I needed. Reading works by David Hume and Plato helped me understand how people think. However, my personal favorites are Aristotle, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Albert Camus.

Eastern philosophy is much different. When you read works of Confucius, Sen no Rikyu (although he isn’t a “philosopher” in the actual sense, I consider a lot of his theory and works to have a philosophical base) and others, you can get a glimpse at how society functions. Buddhism and Shintoism also give us a glimpse at society.

Depending on who you talk to, there are quite a lot of people in America that like philosophy. Oftentimes, you have people talk about what is the “meaning of life” and how it applies to our actions today. It is an interesting set of topics to discover and talking about it can be quite fun.

 

Questions:

1) What kind of philosophy do you like? Who are some of your favorite philosophers?

2) Have you ever read any Western philosophy? What about Eastern philosophy?

3) In general conversation, how often do you speak about topics of philosophy?

4) If you wanted to learn more about philosophy, what would you do?

5) In your opinion, is philosophy important? Why or why not?

 

Key Words and Phrases:

philosophy

actual sense

theory

get a glimpse

functions

applies to

One thing I read about before coming to Japan was the culture of the public bath. Being from America, it seems almost unheard of to be in a bathing area with a stranger. Although we have locker rooms where people disrobe, there is more of a stigma behind being naked around others.

My first experience of attending a sento was when I lived in Saitama. It was an interesting experience, as there was a pool with cold water, a steam room, and an outside area that had several hot springs. At first, I thought it was an onsen, but I was told that it was actually different, as a sento is an area where water is heated artificially. I didn’t know the difference between both places at first.  

Personally, I do not have any issues regarding going to sento or onsen. In fact, after climbing Mount Fuji, I had the pleasure of going to an onsen afterwards to relax. It really helped after climbing up the mountain to see the sunrise, then back down again. It’s one of the parts of the culture that I like.

Questions:

1) How often do you go to onsen or sento?

2) What is the difference between onsen and sento?

3) If a foreigner wanted to try an onsen experience, where would you recommend?

4) In your opinion, when is the best time to go to an onsen or sento?

5) Why do you think sento and onsen are important?

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♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247

I have noticed that many people have pets in Japan. The most common pet I see is the Shiba Inu. I can understand why, since they look really cool. My little sister really likes those dogs. Her favorite is a dog named Marutaro.

In America we have a pet poodle named Fifi. She’s been in our lives for so long, that she is practically a part of our family. One of the things I like about going back to America is when I see Fifi sitting next to my door, waiting for me to open it. She likes to lay on my bed and go to sleep while I do work on my laptop. I think pets are wonderful additions to a family.

In Japan, I am not sure if they sell exotic pets. Although I have seen birds, lizards, and hamsters as pets, I don’t think those are considered “exotic” in America. For example, when my mother was younger, she had a pet python. I think that is a cool pet, but she didn’t get many visitors when she was younger. If I were to get a pet myself, it would be something quiet like a snake.

Questions:

1) Do you have a pet? If not, did you have one in the past?

2) If you were to get a pet, what would you get?

3) Can you buy “exotic” pets in Japan? Please give some examples.

4) Do you think having a pet is a good thing? Why or why not?

5) If someone wanted to give you a pet, what would you choose?

Key Words and Phrases:

practically / laptop / additions to

exotic / python

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英語が話せる！「SEI新宿英会話教室」 http://www.sayinsei.com/

♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247

Since living here, I have had the pleasure of visiting many bookstores. From Maruzen to Kinokuniya, there are countless number of stores that shelves thousands of books. Although most are in Japanese, I do get the pleasure of going to certain places that have books in English. It’s wonderful!

Living in Japan gives me access to plenty of rare books and great volumes to choose from. Being that I am interested in mostly politics and international relations, there are many books in English that focus on those topics. Even better, many bookstores offer books that talk about these issues in English.

If I had to choose what my favorite types of books are, they would have to be old paperback books.  The smell and feel of the pages remind me of a time when I would read everything I could get my hands on about Japan. Books are wonderful, and I’m glad Japan has a wonderful book culture.

Questions:

1) What kind of books do you like to read?

2) What bookstore do you like to go to and why?

3) When is the last time you read a book? What was it about?

4) Research shows that reading books make you smarter. Do you think that is true? Why or why not?

5) How many books did you read last year?

Key Words and Phrases:

countless number of / rare books / great volumes to

had to choose / would have to be

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英語が話せる！「SEI新宿英会話教室」 http://www.sayinsei.com/

♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247

Many people have this idea that it is difficult to learn a new language. While I agree that it will take some time to learn, I don’t think it is necessarily “difficult”.

For example, I have two foreign friends in Japan. There names are John and Stacy. John cannot speak Japanese at a high level yet, while Stacy can. Stacy goes to a language school in Tokyo, while John works as a language teacher in Ibaraki. Why is Stacy learning at a faster rate than John? It is because Stacy studies Japanese in class for 3 hours, plus, does her homework after class. John studies by himself, but because he works long hours, he may only have 1 hour to study once or twice a week. Therefore, Stacy learns the language faster.

It isn’t that the language is “hard”, but that there is not enough time being spent studying it. Give it a try. Make time each day to study whatever language you are interested in and you will see how faster it will be to understand it.

 

Questions:

1) Why do you want to study English?

2) How often do you study English? Did you study today?

3) What sort of things to do you use to help you study language?

4) In your opinion, what part of the language do you need to work on? What part are you good at?

5) What other languages are you interested in?

Key Words and Phrases:

foreign / at a faster rate / may only / therefore

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英語が話せる！「SEI新宿英会話教室」 http://www.sayinsei.com/

♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247

School in Japan is interesting. When I used to teach children and junior high school students, I remember how tired many of the students were when they came to class. Each and every one of them were loaded with homework, studying, and club activities. I would ask them what time they would wake up and it was always before 6 a.m.. These students were around 10-12 years in age, and they already had a rough schedule like this. I could not believe it! When I was their age, I did my homework and made good grades, but I also played video games and watched TV.

However, college was a little different than what I was expecting. For me, I had to do a lot of research and consistently write papers. The same was for graduate school, where writing papers longer than 20 pages wasn’t uncommon. My Japanese friend was surprised. For him, university life was fun and engaging, where he would go out to drink with friends and party. Granted, this was undergraduate, so I’m sure it is different in the graduate level, but it was an interesting contrast.

In America, junior high school (or “middle school”) and high school isn’t as busy or difficult as it is in Japan. But apparently, it switches around when university starts, as universities in America require quite a lot of studying compared to Japan.

 

Questions:

1) What was your life like in junior high school? How busy were you?

2) What club activities were you in when you were in junior high school and high school?

3) Did you go to university? If you did, what did you study?

4) Did you ever go to school in another country? If so, where did you go?

5) What clubs or circles were you in in college? What did you do?

 

Key Words and Phrases:

were loaded with / in age / expecting  /consistently

granted / undergraduate / graduate / Apparently

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英語が話せる！「SEI新宿英会話教室」 http://www.sayinsei.com/

♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247

Growing up, I read many books on Japanese culture and history. I was fascinated at how different it was from reading American history, and how much Japan contributed to the world as a whole. Being a child at the time, this of course meant watching anime, reading about samurai, and learning about the Sengoku period. I was also interested in traditional Japanese dress, and how different it looked from American style. While this part of the culture is significant and important, my focus has shifted to other things, leaving majority of this information in my childhood.

However, after coming here and observing my surroundings, it seemed rather strange that there are people who come to Japan strictly for those things and are disappointed when they aren’t the way they envision. People who read too much anime and think Japan is similar to the world of Naruto or One Piece are an example of this. People who are somewhat eccentric in their approach to Japan, and base things off stereotypes and generalizations. In America, we call people like this “otaku” or even more derogatory a “weeaboo”. From what I’ve understood, the meaning “otaku” in Japan basically translates to something along the lines of “geek” or “nerd”. Someone who is really interested in a particular hobby. In America, we use that term strictly for the people who are really interested in anime and manga.

 

As for weeaboo…well, generally those are people who are obsessed with Japan, but in a way that is awkward and strange. For example, watching an anime and thinking people in Japan all behave like the characters in the show. Or running around the country acting like the characters from a manga. These are just a few examples, but it isn’t unusual to think that those behaviors are a little strange.

 

There are many layers that make up a country. As wonderful as it is to appreciate a new culture and society, it is also important to understand that there are different perspectives.

Questions:

1) Do you feel strange if an American or foreign person asks you questions about history and old cultural practices? Why or why not?

2) What is your opinion on otaku?

3) Is it possible for foreigners to like parts of Japanese culture, without being weird or strange? Why or why not?

4) Tell a story about how you met some strange people who really liked Japanese culture. What did they do?

5) Why do you think many people like Japanese culture?

Key Words and Phrases: fascinated, contributed, significant, majority of, envision, eccentric, derogatory, the lines of, in a way, make up, appreciate, perspectives

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英語が話せる！「SEI新宿英会話教室」 http://www.sayinsei.com/

♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247

This is a topic that I really like. Having lived in Texas for most of my life, having a car is essential if you want to get anywhere. I had to drive to job interviews, special events, to high school, and university. After moving to Japan, all of that changed. Coming from Texas, the train system is something I have never seen before. Although, there are trains in New York City, and I have taken the train in places like Philadelphia, I didn’t understand the convenience of trains until I moved to Japan.

Living in a city like Tokyo makes it really convenient to get to different places. After moving from the Saitama countryside, I now commute to work everyday by train. Using different cards such as SUICA or the ICOCA in Kansai, I can get to my destination without losing a step. This is really convenient, since I can get a lot of work done before getting to my stop. Also, I don’t have to worry about traffic, sometimes having to sit in my car for an extended period of time. For me, I prefer using the train to get around the city. From the Shinkansen to the local train, getting almost anywhere in Japan is a breeze!

 

Questions:

1) Which do you prefer, taking the train or driving? Why?

2) Have you ever driven or taken public transportation in another country? What was you experience?

3) Do you have to take the train to work? If so, how does it take?

4) When is the last time you took the Shinkansen? Where did you go?

5) If there is a train delay, what do you usually do?

Key Words and Phrases:

essential /  in places like / convenience

countryside / commute / destination

losing a step / having to sit / extended / a breeze

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英語が話せる！「SEI新宿英会話教室」 http://www.sayinsei.com/

♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247

Living in Japan for quite some time, I noticed interesting conversational points from Japanese people and Americans alike. For some Japanese people, I would hear statements such as “We Japanese…” then it would be a general statement or fact. On the other hand, some of the American people I’ve met do the same thing, saying that “Japanese people like to do ____” or “Japanese people think like _____”.

For me, it seems weird to categorize people under such broad terms. I read a book awhile ago about human nature, and because they way brains have evolved, people tend to like labels, lists, and categories. For me, it seems silly to think in such a way, but nevertheless, you often see this type of thinking exhibited from people. In the case of Japan, while there maybe some foundational truths, labeling people as “they behave like this” or “they think like that” is stereotyping, which leaves out some details as to how different people think.

 

Questions:

1) Have you ever used the phrase “We Japanese…” when describing Japanese people? What were you talking about?

2) What is your opinion on stereotypes? Why do you think people like to stereotype things?

3) What stereotypes and generalizations have you heard from others about Japanese people?

4) What stereotypes and generalizations have you heard from others about American people?

5) Why do you think some people like to stereotype things?

 

Key Words and Phrases:

statements / broad terms / way / silly / exhibited

foundational / labeling / stereotype

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英語が話せる！「SEI新宿英会話教室」 http://www.sayinsei.com/

♦〒160-0022 東京都新宿区新宿2-8-1 新宿セブンビル 606
♦メール: sei@kaonnuri.com　TEL: 03-5925-8247