Last time we learned "onegai shimasu" which means "please do so" and "Sugoi!" which means "awesome!". I hope you had plenty of chances to try them out and that people understood you at least 50% of the time. For today's lesson, we will learn two very important words: "Yes" and "No". Click on the link to hear how each word is pronounced. Read more
" Re: Thoughts about Japan and more…
A little while ago I was able to teleport myself (almost) back to Japan by watching the movie “The Ramen Girl” starring Brittany Murphy. I figured, since I can’t teleport by eating Chicago-based sushi, I can try to immerse myself in a movie (although they come close, no restaurant tastes enough like the fish I tried at Tsukiji fish market at five in the morning – soft, sensual, just the right balance of flavor from fresh fish caught right out of the water). Well, it worked for a short while, but I find myself always itching for more Japanese culture, food, and the past experiences of GIM Japan 2010. Most memorable for me will always be my home stay family. What started out as a bit of an embarrassing occasion turned into one of the most warm and welcome events of my life. Why embarrassing? The night I stayed with my family I did not realize we would be together after bath time for tea-time. Note to all home-stayers! A long t-shirt does not suffice as a proper night gown. I understood immediately after my bath, stepping out into the living room for some family tea-time, the discomfort in the room (three kids, parents, grandparents and all!) Read more
Due to an unexpected and unfortunate event/ person, I started to teach myself Japanese a few months ago. To be honest, teaching yourself is not very effective and I wouldn't recommend it if you're hoping to engage in long dialogues with your Japanese clients or friend's parents. However, I have managed to learn a few phrases which could come in very handy if you want to impress your Japanese friends at Kellogg. I will introduce two new phrases each issue along with practical examples of their uses. Read more
March 3rd is Japanese Girl's Festival known as hina matsuri (hina doll festival) or momo no sekku (peach flower festival). It's said that hina matsuri's origin date back to ancient Chinese purification rituals for getting rid of bad lucks. During the Heian period (794 - 1185) in Japan, people let straw or paper dolls float down the river or the ocean as their substitutes which take bad lucks away from them. This tradition remains today in some regions in Japan as nagashi-bina (floating hina dolls). The purification ritual was unified with aristocratic girls' playing with dolls, and hina matsuri was established as Japanese Girl's Festival during Edo Period (1603-1867). Read more