Category: ネイティブ講師の日記

One of my most favorites aspects about living in Japan is the availability of tea. In every conbini, supermarket, and vending machine, you can find an abundance of different teas. I am from America, and in my opinion, the country is has more of a coffee culture. Although they have different shops they sell various blends of tea, coffee seems to be the dominating stimulant to get people moving in the morning. In my city, you can definitely see lines wrapped around the building of a coffee shop, as people rush to get their morning caffeine fix. Coffee is a big deal in America.

As for my family, I grew up drinking mostly tea, so that is my natural drink of choice. Also, coffee feels too “heavy” for me, so I don’t really like drinking it. However, I can understand why people like it so much. If you need an energy boost, coffee is the way to go.

Perhaps coffee is quite popular in Japan as well, as brands such as Boss Coffee and Georgia stock the shelves as much as tea. Starbucks and Tully’s coffee shops are just as abundant in Japan as they are in America. So whichever drink you prefer, rest assured you can find a large selection of coffee or tea in Japan.

Questions:

1) Which do you prefer, coffee or tea? Why?

2) Why do you think coffee is popular in Japan?

3) When you drink coffee or tea, how do you prepare it?

4) What type of tea do you like and why?

5) What type of coffee do you like and why?

Key Words and Phrases:

availability / abundance / more of

culture / stimulant / morning coffee fix

energy boost / are just as / rest assured

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One thing that I like about Japan is the way they handle medical care. I’ve only been to the doctor once since I’ve been here, and the service was fantastic. Furthermore, the ability to get medical treatment for a reduced amount is wonderful.

Although in America we have great medical care, sometimes it can be a bit expensive. For example, when I was 15 years old, I broke my leg. When I went to the doctor, I had x-rays and a cast put on my leg, with the total cost of the procedure being close to $10,000 (1 million yen). That price was with insurance! When I got hit by a car in Japan, I fell off my bike and couldn’t walk very well. So I had to go to the doctor to get x-rays, as well as get bandages for my hands and fingernails. The total cost of that procedure was around 5000 yen ($50). I was surprised! I do not think x-rays in America are that cheap. That is what’s nice about having insurance in Japan. Now, I go to the dentist, get medical check-ups regularly, and take care of myself more without having to worry about high costs. My experience with going to the doctor was a positive one.

Questions:

1) Have you been to the doctor recently? What for?

2) How often do you go to the doctor per year?

3) In your opinion, how healthy are you?

4) Have you ever been to the doctor in other countries? What for?

5) What is your opinion of medical care in Japan?

Key Words and Phrases:

furthermore / for a reduced amount / medical

cast put on / procedure / insurance

bandages / check-ups

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One aspect of the Japanese work environment that is interesting to me is the constant need to do overtime work. Now, I know not all companies in Japan have overtime standards, but there are many that do. A friend of mine told me about how some companies have a reputation for having long overtime hours and that people generally work hard at these firms. The term he used was burakku kigyo, which translates to “black companies”, and how he was concerned about getting hired at one of these places.

As an American, this is a shock to me. Now, there are cases in the US where people work overtime. Additionally, there are jobs that require high levels of time and energy. However, these jobs are generally paid very well and overtime services are paid for. I was completely shocked when I heard that some people work for long hours, only to get very little pay (or sometimes no pay at all). I do not think sabisu zangyou would work in America, as people would complain and protest to get the rules changed. This is an interesting aspect of worklife in Japan.

Questions:

1) Do you have any friends and/ or family that work long hours? How long do they work?

2) Have you ever worked overtime? If so, how long?

3) What is the difference between overtime and paid overtime?

4) Why do you think companies have overtime standards?

5) If you were president of your company, would you have employees work overtime? Why or why not?

Key Words and Phrases:

is interesting to me / overtime / reputation

the term / pay / would work

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One of the most significant memories I have about Japan is having the opportunity to climb Mount Fuji in August 2015. It was on my wishlist for the longest time and I was able to scale the mountain within less than a day. My entire life, I wished to see the sunrise at the summit of the the mountain, and at around 5:15, sunlight peered from the clouds. Tired from the long journey, many people cheered and shouted praises as the sun rose to signal the start of a new day. It is a day that I’ll never forget.

I read somewhere that the island of Japan is 70% mountainous. That means that there are tons of mountains you can climb throughout the country. A good friend of mine is really into mountain climbing. He bought all of the gear and is constantly sending me pictures of his exploits.  He most recently climbed a mountain in Yamanashi prefecture (not Fuji-san!) and it took him more than 5 hours to do so. He says that he does it for health.

Mount Takao is one of the more popular mountains in the Tokyo area. Every year, many people climb it during their holiday season. I think climbing mountains are fun. I hope to climb more in the future.

 

Questions:

1) Have you ever climbed Mount Fuji? When?

2) What is your favorite mountain in Japan? What about in the world?

3) If you wanted to climb a mountain, what items would you bring?

4) Do you have any friends or family members that climb mountains?

5) In your opinion, why do you think people like to climb mountains?

Key Words and Phrases:

wishlist / within less than / summit

peered / throughout the country

gear / exploits / During

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One of the more interesting aspects about living in Japan is the sporting culture. I was surprised to see that not only are traditional “sports” popular (such as sumo, kendo, and karate), but more team-oriented sports such as baseball and soccer. In America (especially Texas), the most popular sport I’d say would be American football, followed by baseball, and basketball.

I had the opportunity to attend a baseball game at Meiji Jingu Stadium, where I got to see the Yakult Swallows play against the Hanshin Tigers. It was interesting how people supported their team, coming up with creative chants and cheers whenever the baseball players went up to bat. Playing in Japan must be an interesting experience, as you’ll have mountains of support if you’re good player on the team. I haven’t been to any other sporting events yet, but I look forward to exploring more!

 

Questions:

1) Do you like sports? Why or why not?

2) Which do you prefer, watching sports or playing sports? Why?

3) Do you know of any friends and/or family members that play sports? If so, what?

4) Have you ever been to any sporting events?

5) In your opinion, do you think sports are important? Why or why not?

Key Words and Phrases:

opportunity / supported / chants

mountains of / exploring

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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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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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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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