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。

Topic 3 Food

 

    Many cultures have different practices when it comes to almost everything, however, one thing everyone has in common no matter where they're from is the different cuisine of their culture. You and I, no matter where we come from are constantly surrounded by the culture in itself which is food. Millions are deeply tied together through culture, identity, and food. What we eat can show our cultural background and who we are as a person. Most importantly food can also show our differences. The differences between American cuisine, the cuisine of my home, and Japanese cuisine are very apparent for example, Japanese food portions are significantly smaller compared to the portions that we eat in America, not only are they just smaller portions their food practices are seemingly a lot healthier than the American food practices that I'm used to. Veggies and fruits are a much bigger part of the everyday lifestyle in Japan, along with different kinds of fish and rice. Even their sweets are much healthier and much yummier than what I'm used to here in America. Overall I personally find myself wanting to indulge more in Japanese cuisine as I enjoy it a lot more and it's a lot more inclusive to someone who has similar dietary restrictions as me since I am a vegetarian. 

Hiragana Chart

 

I don’t remember most of what I did to learn English as a kid. I do know from my mom that I struggled a lot with learning English in general. And that it took me a lot longer to learn than the others. I was put into a separate classes than the other students because I wasn’t learning at the same speed. Apparently I even had a teachers that said I would never learn to write which did not turn out to be true thank goodness. Later I got tested and it turned out I just had some learning disability’s and I Clearly still have a lot of trouble with spelling and grammar as well. I know that learning hiragana is going to be a struggle for me because my memorization skills are not the best but learning a new language is always going to be a struggle. So far I’ve been able to recognize a lot of hiragana and know the sounds they make but actually knowing the word that I’m reading is not to my ability so i never really understand what I’m reading. Even still Im really excited to learn hiragana and hopefully one day be able to read it with no little to no effort at all.

かぞく

 

わたしのかぞくはごーにんです。

ちちとははとおとうといもうととわたしです。

わたしたち はアメリカにすんでいます。

わたしのちち はかいしゃです。

Disaster prevention poster

Disaster prevention in Japan is very important because Japan is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters including mostly earthquakes and typhoons. Japan's preparedness for these types of disasters is unmatched to other countries because of this. Japan even prepares in little ways for example, Japan's government has a disaster bag checklist that all the people of Japan can access. Japan has made many milestones when it comes to the prevention of natural disasters, for example, they've redesigned skyscrapers so that instead of fighting against the earthquakes and potentially destroying everything they made them so they can sway with the earthquakes instead of against them. Japan's largest earthquake the Great East Japan Earthquake, which took place on 11 March 2011, was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. The quake triggered a massive tsunami that engulfed many towns along the Pacific coast, estimated 20,000 lost in this earthquake. Even though the Japanese system is very effective there are some flaws. A survey went out after this great earthquake asking how many people heard the sirens to get above ground and 35% said they didn't hear anything. I remember back in school whenever disaster prevention drills we would either just walk out of the building in a line or hide under the desks. That's all I remember doing at my school. If something were to happen right now I don't think I would be prepared. I've only ever experienced one tornado where I hid under a desk for 30 minutes. It was a very small tornado and I didn't do much. To sum it up I learned a lot from this project about Japan's quick readiness to fight back against natural disasters. 

Meishi Business Card

the use of business cards in Japan are very relevant They are used all the time in Japan's society there basically used as an introduction tool when introducing yourself to someone new. if you do not have a business card they will not respect you. its very important in business culture because it's the first impression of a respective business. you also have to make sure that you exchange it in an appropriate manner. offer it to them with both hands with the Japanese side facing up and toward the person so they can read what it says. make sure not to cover your company name or logo when presenting the card. and thats what you need to know about Meishi.

Topic 2 Family

In the TED talk, she talked about how the Japanese birth rate is lower than ever and how it's due to the overworking of employees in Japan and how a lot of people will work over time, thus other problems like depression and anxiety come in the play which explains why japan has such a high suicide rate. but to get back on topic the first part of the TED talk was really focused on how Japanese workplace culture affects the family dynamic in Japan. her husband wouldn't get back til 2 a.m. most nights and would wake there son. I think the workplace dynamic is insane, I knew about this topic before because of Japanese media especially recently there's a lot more openness to discussing this topic in Japan than before. I've noticed shows and animes that go over the topic of black companies which is just a term for an exploitative, sweatshop-type employment system which are very prevalent in Japan's society. I remember there were times when my mom wouldn't get back home til 2 or 3 am because of a grant that was due that night or something or other which I still think is a bit much. my mother is definitely over worked by her company but compared to japan system it doesn't seem as big in comparison.