Homework #6 Weddings

Weddings!!

Since Japanese weddings are expensive, do you think having a massive wedding like Korea or UAE is a good idea? Eloping?
I think it is good idea!! Japanese weddings are tooooooooo expensive!! I don't want to change dress many times! and I don't want to artificial churchs. This building is only used wedding like ceremonial occasion places. I don't want to pay my wedding ceremony, so I agree a massive wedding. However, I disagree with eloping. I want to be celebrated by everyone, so someone disagrees with my partner, I should talk them and give their assent.

Having it in a foreign location like Hawaii?What is your ideal wedding? What would you definitely do or wear or go to on that big day? Why is that important?
I want to go foreign location as honeymoon. My ideal wedding is simple one because I think it is not important in the wedding, it is important to become husband and wife, it's not just lover. They make a new relationship between husband and wife. so I hold wedding at church or shrine with family and some friends. Then, I hold simple party. I want to spend much money as honeymoon than as wedding.

Homework #5

Superstitions!!

Do you think it is important to talk about supersitions? why?
I think not so important to talk about them, but if somebody go to another country, you should know a little bit what kind of supersition there is in the country. becase superstition is a kind of costom and culture. something is taboo or good things in that country, so you should know what you can do or you can't do, I think.


Is communication affected by superstitions?
I think it is sometimes did, because some poeple has a strong believe in superstitions, but other poeple doesn't have. then believer can't explan what it means in superstitions, but they DON'T do that. probably, people fights in the cross culture situation by superstitions. friends of mine and I fought about standing chopstick in rice. she came from foreign country.I just said 'oh, no! don't do that' ,friend said, 'why not?' I can't explan it, then just said 'it is one of taboo in Japan. ' then I thought why I believe this thing and I noticed it is rude manner for me.
Don't you think??

Do you believe in Japanese supersttions? If so, what superstitions, what do they mean and why do you do, use, or believe in them?
I believe some in Japanese superstitions.
'If a tea leaf stand in a tea, you have a luck.'
'you don't use chopstick to chopstick to pass something.' and I used to believe
when a hearse passed the front of me, I had hided my thumbs.
Reasons of them, a tea leaf is a rare thing, so if I have a chance, I believe I will be brought something luck by a tea leaf. And for chopstick, I think it is rude manner for me. And for a hearse, I don't know why I believed, but everybody had hided their thumbs so I just had mimicked them.

I think superstitions have one of precept from the ancients. so when a hearse passed the front of us, you don't forget caring your parents, or you always think about parents or family. And old the time, some people used to persuade children what you can do or what cannot do by superstitions.

Homework #4

Time
Explain what you think are the meanings of each of the following expressions.

1. Time is money.
I think this is same meaning in Japanese, '時は金なり'. time is important, so you should spend time more usefully. but I think time is more important than money, because we cannot buy time by money.


2. A stitch in time saves nine.
If you have a small snag then you leave the snag, the snag will get bigger. you should keep little by little each time, then you finsh work. It is important to keep little by little. I think this expression is interesting, isn't it? In Japanese, we say '転ばぬ先の杖'.


3. There's no time like the present.
You have a chance to do something and you should do now, because you don't know you have a nice time again.


4. Fashionable late.
I have no idea of this expression, but I tried to find out of meaning from Internet.
if you participate in a party, you'll go to be late on purpose, becasue you can distinguish in the party. this expression comes from fashionable worlds(社交界). I think it is not good habit for me. everybody should go just in time.

Homework #3

The Language of clothes

1. Do you judge people according to what they wear? Why?
yes, because I don't have any idea of people so, I can get information from what they wear, then I guess people's character or what kind of person.


2. Do you think Japanese society puts an importance on clothing when judging other people from another country?
Yes, I think so too, because Japanese communication is gussing culture, I think. so we don't talk so many but we want to get many information about people. I think clothing is one of information to know who you are.


3. What colors are you wearing now? Do they reflect your mood?
Today's wearing is blue. I sometime reflect my mood what I am wearing today. I always reflect weather what I wear. If I wear clothes by my mood, I want to cheer up myself or feel relax.

Next topic: Friends
1. What are some subjects that you will never discuss with a friend?
I almost talk with a friend. but I talk with deeply friends about more personaly subjects, like weight or grade or family problems.



2. Do you have different friends for different parts of your life? If so, how are they different to you? Do you talk about different things? Go to different places? Give me some examples.

yes, they have many energy in their lives. They have job and have husband or wife now, then they have a baby. They have already had a sense of responsibility in social life. They don't care about public image and they have own their life style. I am concerned with appraeances. I get some energy from them.

homework #2

1. death and funerals;

a. Do you have any international friends or a host family? If so, how would you express your condolences to them if a family member died? If not, then how would you express consolences to an American host family if their Grandmother died?

Yes, I have internatinal friedns and host familys, but I never have had like situation yet. so if I have this situation, I say ' I'm sorry. ' I can't say any more, I think. It is difficult to say sorrwful in English, even though I could say it in Japanese.

b. have you ever been to a foreign funeral?

No, I haven't. I have never been to Japanese funeral, too.





2.the language of clothes

a. why are Japanese designer label crazy?why is what you wear so important?

It is not important for me to wear designer's clothes. I wear nomal label rather than designer label. I don't care about brand name. I just care what material is used to make clothes and how clothes sew or tailor. so I like some brand, becuse tailoring is great!!

b. what dose "don't judge a book by it's cover." mean to you?

I think it look at outside of people, so people judge about your character or knowledge by your clothes what you are wearing.

Homework #1

1. Reflecting about today's class;

Do you agree with hte web site's description? what do you do that can be called 'wrapping'? Give examples and reasons for your actions.

yes, I agree with some parts in the web site. when Japanese people say something to someone, we wrap some word by something kind of sugar-coating. I think 'wrapping' has 2 reasons Japanese are done. One of the reasons is Japanese people are important to be community, so they avoid arguing with someone. The another is Japanese people like to keep secrets or hide ourselves?? it is difficult to explain, but make sense??

However, I don't agree with Kimono is not 'wapping' !! This is one of our traditional costume, so this comment is rude. I feel it makes a fool of us.

2.Preparation for the next class "Death and Funerals"
a. where do you go when you die?

I don't know. BUT I THINK, ...
when I die my soul goes to heaven or hell or somewhere. when I die, I think that only a soul remains in somewhere. then, a soul can be back in the real world only after a person's death like 1 month, 1 year, 3 years, 7 years....

b. Explain why do Japanese have death memorial services 1 month, 1 year, 3 years, 7 years, etc. after a person's death?

I explained the above, we hold memorial services and greet the dead because we don't forget the dead.

Politics and International Relations

Today, we heard about politics in Japan. I was not interested in Politics in Japan, because I didn't know who should be trusted. They made a noice when they had campaign, and some politicians did bad things or said something to bad. I had a bad image of politics. However, I talked with foreign friends and they asked some questions. One of question was 'What did you talk with friend in a bar? ' and I said, 'Almost Japanese talked about boyfriend's matter or it had happend by personal appearance. ' Then, foreign friends asked 'Have you ever talked about politics with your friends in bar?' I said, 'Never!!' They were surprised at us and they saied, ' our country, if we go to a bar with friends, we talk about politics and always fight with friends. ' When I heard this comment, I was ashamed me by myself. Then, I began to get interested in politics little by little.

If I had a chance to work at UN, I would want to be a WFT(World Food Programme) staff, becasue I love eating, I enjoy eating food and I can eat something enough, but in the world, many children cannot eat food enough. It is too sad and terrible things, don't you think? Why so many children can't eat food?? There are many reason, one of the natural disaster. It is hard to solve this problem, but we can try reducing carbon dioxide or keeping forest. And the other reason is conflict. It is harder than the disaster. However, why are children caught up in that problem? That is not children's business. Then, they just born which there are conflics many times. We can not change childrend's fate, but we can help them, so I would like to help like that childrend, if I had a chance to work at the UN. Then, I will use my English skills and I make a new rule of the world. If you leave a dish half eaten, you should pay a penalty, so I will make like rules. We should think more like problems even if you think it just little bit, I think it is better than you thought before.

Thank you very much Meiki sense!! In the class, I could lean and realize a lot of things I never have thought. I had a nice time with my classmate, Rolf, Alison, and you!! Thank you so much!!

June 25th Dating

A man of the ideal which I consider is people with the following categories.

Looks, character, humor, sense, hobby

I think characeter is the most important than others. Second, humor and sense is more important, becasue I like a person who is good at conversation and I want him to amuse myself. And also, the hobby is one of information in conversation, and I think if he and I have same hobby, we can enjoy doing it and undersatand each other.

Lesson 7 textbook

textbook page 14 section 4 a-f

a. when do children usually leave home?
Some children leave home when they are university student. But almost all children leave when they start working, I think. I think it depends on family, my father doesn't leave us, so my sister works now but she staies at home.


b. how many people live in your home?
I live with my father, mother, elder sister, elder brother, and me. I told you the above, my father doesn't leave us, because he knows how lonely family split out. When he was a child, he split out his family during the war, so he doesn't want to be again, I guess.


c. do you have a head of the family?
Yes, I have my mother is a head of my family. My mother is very strong woman. When I was a kid, I felt my mother was so scary because she always hit me, but I understood why she hit me and it is kind of child discipline.


d. who does the housework?
My mother does the housework and my father never. I think Japanese men don't do the housework, but it is change little by little. My uncle does the dishes and washes clothes. I think Japanese men should do like other country. When I went to China, I went to big city, then, almost all husbands does the housework. I ate Chinese food at one family house, but thier wife didn't cook. she was just talking with us, then, thier husband cooked dinner. It is delicious and better than many restaurant.


e. who runs the family?
I think my mother runs my family. My father works and passes money to my mother, so my mother manages for money. And also, the power of decision has my mother. but we ask my father, too.


f. how many rooms do you have to sleep in?
I just have one room. My family have each own room, so we sleep separately, but when I was a kid, we sleep same room. My sister just slept on her room, but my father, mother, brother and I slept on same room. After that, my mother, sister andI moved another room which had an air conditioner. My sister and brother shared the studing room, but I didn't have my room yet. When I was an elementary school student at 4 or 5 grade, I got my room, but my mother slept with me, becuse there is an air conditioner. We changed the grade, then, gradually we separated own room.

Lesson 5 text page

textbook on page 9, number 1,3 and 7

1. How do you choose a child's given name in your family?

My father chose each child's given name. I have an elder sister and an elder brother. My sister's name is come from flower, because my father is a florist so he wanted to give her name to connect a flower, I guess. Then, my brother's name is come from my father's uncle who was a great person, so he wanted my brother to be uncle. However, my name is come from famous drama' s character when I was born. She was so beautiful woman, so he wanted me to be a beautiful lady!! I cannot believe that, he watched the TV drama then he decided my name!! I wanted to be more serious to choose a child's given name, don' t you think?


3. Does your given name or your family name mean anything?

I told you my name meaning the above, so I want to tell you about my family name. but I have no idea about it, because I don't know my family route. However, I just tell you that my family name become some place's name and some shrine's name, I don't know why.


7. How do you know if names are boy's names, girl's name, or both?

In the old days, it was easy to understand which name is boy's or girl's, because many girl had 'ko(子)' in last name like Hanako(花子), Sachiko(幸子). However, recent nema is too difficult to read!! What do you think the follow names?
愛人　（はあと）　　　→愛人 means mistress but it pronounces 'heart.'
光　　　（きら） →光 means light.
女王子　（じょおうこ）　→女王子 means queen.
I cannot read them. If you are intersting it, you should check the Internet!

Lesson 6 Names and Addresses

1. Are feelings emotions and facial expressions universal across borders, happy, sad, etc...?
I think feelings emorions and facial expressions are not so different for other country and Japan, but we are weak at expressing feeings directly. so we are misunderstood by other country people. I think we should show more clearly including me.


2. Try to name as many feelings as possible in Japanese. Now write the English translation.
うれしい happy 怖い　scary

悲しい sad　　　　　　　　　　　 楽しい　fun　　

腹立たしい irritating 恥ずかしい　ashamed

おかしい funny 苦しい　hard

面白い interesting 苦痛 　pain


3. Are there any feelings in Japanese that cannot be translated into English?
虫酸が走る
浮き足立つ
苦渋

Class #4 Islam

Today was class, we had a nice time to listen to her speech. I didn't understand some words but I enjoyed it. And I am interested in Islam, because I don't know another religion, of course I know the name, but I didn't know how they pray every day or what rule they have in Islam.

To next class, answer these questions.

1. How do you greet people in your life? Is it different for different people? Why?


In the morning, I say ' Ohayou' to my family, friends and younger persons than me, but I meet teachers or older persons than me I say 'Ohayou gozai masu'. When I say goodbye to friend and younger than me, I say 'bye-bye, zyane, mata' . Then I meet teachers or older than me I say 'shitsurei shimasu' or 'sayonara'. 'shitsurei shimasu' was strange for me, but when I was a high school stuend, I must say 'shitsurei shimasu' for teachers, so I get into the way of the greeting. Yes, I say different greeting for different people.


2. Do you touch people whey you talk to them? Why? or Why not?

I touch people many times, becaues.... I don't know... but I maybe touch them to take a body communication. My family sometimes hug each other at the time of greeting. I don't care even I hug with my father or my brother. I just set my mind at rest. so I think I touch people to want to relax or communicate with body.

Class #2 What is CCC??

・Find 1 article that has to do with cross culture understading or differences (English and Japanese newspaper). And write why you think this is a cross culture situation.

Newspaper: http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/3046488/

We use 卍 for a mark of temple on a map, and some peolpe have a one of family emblem (家紋） in Japan, and Hinduism, Buddhism, and also Native American use it for a symbol of happy. But long time ago, this mark was a symbol of Nazi Germany. So some people think they don't use it anymore and permit using it. However, we had used it as a family emblem or crest before Nazi Germany have used it. If it is not allowed by them, a historied family emblem will be lost. I think it is difficult matter, but I know why some poeple said that they don't use it more. I think it is not only matter of symbol, so we should be care of using gesture or words in another country or for another country person.

Class #3 Buddhism

Homework: 1. How is your daily life affected by Buddhism? What do you do and why do you do it?

In the morning, my mother offers green tea, rice, water, and some flower on the family Buddhist altar. Then she offers a candle and incense sticks on the altar, too, and prays with words, 'Namu ami da butsu, Namu ami da butsu...' And also, if we buy or get some manju or confectionery, we give them to the altar before we eat them. When I was a kid, I went to the Buddhist preschool. So, I put on zori and zyuzu (Buddhist rosary) and studied Buddha at the preschool.(but I didn't remember what I sutdyied...) However, we are not so Buddhist. Now, I go to the Christianity school and we don't know any more about Buddhism. Why do we this?? I don't know, but I think it is one of our habit??
'Man turns to God only in trouble.（苦しい時の神頼み）'
as the proverb says, we don't have real belief in God, but we have many troubles, we say 'Oh God, help me!!'. I always say that when I have many troblues. I don't know why do this, but I get some relaxing or power from the words, I think.

2. about Islam\ How are they talked about? Do you feel negative or positive about Islam because of these articles? Summarize one article in English and post it on your blog. Try to keep a list of adjectives used to describe Islam.

In the articles, http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/News/Sp200705090327.html,

May 9th. 2007, Suicide bombing attack by a track will occur at central city of Albill of the Kurdish self-governing area in northern Iraq. And 19 persons　were killed and 80 persons got injured. Suicide bombing attack is exceptional at the Kurdish self-governing region which is stable as compared with central part of Baghdad that continue to conflict cult of Islam and to attack US troops in Iraq.

I feel nagative about Islam, because my image is Islam always fight something. Why do they so fight to people who have same religion or live in same country?? I do not understand. I think it is important to have strong opinions, but they do so fighting and they do so kill themselves.

adjectives: passional
dangerous
strict・・・

HJU Cross Culture Communication Class

Hi! My name is 'sunny side up egg.' Nice to meet you!!
I'll do my best!!!