Daily Life

Overall I say the biggest noticeable difference when comparing these cultures is collectivism vs individualism. Japan is a collectivist culture while America has more individualism and there are examples of this in everyday life. For example, Japanese people are known to be more loyal and are more group-oriented and they tend to work with the same company for the rest of their lives. loyalty is valued and roles are more serious. While in America it's more socially acceptable to completely change careers. Family ties also aren't as strong in America. Family members in Japan live longer together and close by. while in America most kids move out right at 18 that's what I did. Another really big noticeable difference between our cultures is our different work ethics. Japan is known for its insane work ethic. People in Japan are very hard workers and very punctual. while in America there are not as long work hours and it is more self-motivation based. there also isn't as much of a firing culture in Japan unlike in America. But this isn't all good japan has one of the highest suicide rates because of the stressful work environment. overall there are a lot of differences in my daily life in America compared to if I lived in Japan.        

いえ

 

わたしのいえはアパートとです。

わたしのいえはせまいです。

わたしは カンザスシティ にすんでいます。

わたしのいえはふるいです。

でもあかるいです。

Literacy Blog

In this assignment, I was supposed to read a book completely in Japanese. I read a level-zero book which is the easiest level lol. it was just an informational book 4 pages long about a mantis. It's a very simple and straightforward dialogue, it starts off by saying that the mantis is green, it has big eye's and it gives birth to cute baby mantises. That's about it, even though it's very simple I still struggled trying to read this I had to keep looking back at my chart and sometimes I couldn't find the character's that were in the book. It was slow but I eventually was able to read it which is a big stepping stone for me. I'm glad that in this class we are actually being taught to read Hiragana and Katakana because I know that there are programs that don't bother with teaching to read and just focus on speaking and conversation. When I go to Japan I want to be able to read signs and menus at restaurants so it's easier to get around. Obviously, my ultimate goal will be be able to read and write in Japanese with ease but that's gonna take a good long while. It's hard to Compare Hiragana and Katakana to the English alphabet because they're so different in my mind. hiragana and katakana and kanji aren't different alphabets they work together to create the written language of Japanese. all three of them are complementary to each other. Overall I learned a lot of new words and characters from this assignment.     

Topic 4 HOME

Close your eyes and picture your ideal home. What do you see? What type of culture is it from? For most of us our idea of a house is shaped by the culture we grew up in. We see what we've seen our whole lives. For this assignment I've looked at lots of different houses from japan. Some of the first main differences that I noticed was that American houses are twice the size of Japanese homes. It probably has to do with factors like land availability and just the culture differences of them not needing as much space. While on the other hand Americans tend to get the biggest houses they can afford. But big size is not the key to happiness in your home which has been shown by the Japanese with their amazing and effective architecture. Their homes are famous for their adaptability. One room can be used for many different things A study room, a living room, a dining room and more. One of the things that I find really appling about Japanese homes are their wooden sliding doors, also called “fusuma” . They are used to separate spaces into smaller rooms but if you leave them open then you just have one giant room. If you had a big group of people coming over it would be so easy to fit them all because of the fusuma’s. 

Jikoshoukai Video

Usually how I introduce myself to someone that is important in English is, hi I'm Liberty it's nice to meet you and then we shake hands. how I usually informally introduce myself in English is, Wasssuppp I'm liberty. it's very similar in Japanese just like in most languages you start by saying hi and then say your name. but there are some differences, for example the Japanese don't shake hands like we do here they bow instead as a form of respect while we shake hands also as a form of respect now it used to be more to show our peaceful intent towards each other. by extending your empty right hand, people can see that you're not holding any weapons. bowing is an everyday thing in Japan from meeting someone new and introducing yourself to exiting an elevator or bowing as an apology. it's one of the things that makes Japanese culture unique. Another difference in our introductions is saying I or Watashi. the reason I didn't start off my introduction with "Watashi wa Nomaea wa Liberty desu" and instead just said "Liberty desu" is because the Japanese do not like using the word "I". They tend to shy away from using it in ordinary situations and only use it unless necessary to clarify what they're saying. It's most likely because self-assertion is frowned upon. I can't wait to be able to go past just the introduction and be able to have a small conversation in Japanese I'm a very social being and love talking to people and making new friends. I want to be able to ask about people's interests and be able to understand what they are saying, that will be a huge milestone for me when that happens hopefully that moment will come sooner rather than later.    

katakana chart

 

わたしの あさごはん

 わたしは   パンを　たべます。　

 たまごを　よくたべます。 ジュースもすきです。

わたしは  ごはん たべます。

わたしは  パンケーキ　がすきです。

バナナもすきです。