R- Self Study

・How I studied Japanese this semester

I took notes during class, and if I did not know how to do things I asked sensei.
I took Gakken classes to learn Japanese every week, and I used class time to research words I did not understand. One thing I did to try to keep my ability to pronounce Japanese intact was reading the questions and writing on the worksheets in out loud Japanese.

A month.. 2 months? Worth of marked Gakken prints


Notes (Things to talk about) from when the language exchange video call happened.

・What you did well and how you can improve your Japanese study habits (min 2 sentences)

I think I can do better with keeping track of what assignments are there, because when I was given the sheet that tells you what assignments you are missing (not handed in.) There was so many more assignments I had not turned in than I thought. I think I did well on the tests and memorizing the vocabulary.

(Core competences)

・An example of something I have spent a lot of time learning about is… 

I have been learning Japanese since I was 2 years old, but I still have so much more to get better at! I remember learning to write hiragana in a Japanese children’s language class. I like learning new Japanese words because of the way it makes me feel like I gained another word that will allow me to express my feelings and thoughts more like I think and feel them; I learn new words that “fit” my feelings more and it helps me be able to communicate in a way that is easier to understand.

・To celebrate an accomplishment such as ____, I … 

To celebrate accomplishments like finishing all of my assignments and having none overdue (something that happens very very rarely) I usually tell this to Rinu in his Dms and send longer messages to him. (which he does not read/cannot read because of how many 86 thousand followers do so) Which I usually do not have the time, energy or focus to do, and it usually makes me feel really happy because he is the person I want to share my thoughts with most. (Though it is a 1 way thought, it makes me feel happy so that’s okay.) I also take time to watch videos from him and his group, and look at his Tweets which I did not have time to look at before (he tweets everyday) I also like writing stories in my spare time, though I usually do not get to have free time long enough to do so. The celebrating will be done as I have other Japanese studies as well as schoolwork and chores to be done as well.

・Some short/ long term goals for myself include… and my plan to achieve them is… (include where you might seek help from others) 

One long, this year term goal for myself with Japanese learning are getting qualification for JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) passing the N2 level test. I will study with the booklet (I will ask my parents to buy it for me online because I will try hard and not waste the opportunity to challenge myself. I will ask help from my mother to help me learn, I am recently having a hard time reading Japanese properly so she listens to me read and corrects me when I read or pronounce words wrong.

・How will you continue your Japanese language acquisition over the year? (min 1 sentence) 

I will continue learning Japanese on my own and with my workbooks, next year I want to challenge the Japanese course (at this school) and try to finish the next 3 years worth of class with the test. I also want to study for the JLPT test. (I wrote more about it above.) I also want to be able to help people with Japanese, so I maybe I could be a pure tutor. But the thing is I am not really good at explaining Japanese concepts in English, so it would be good practice for me as well.

・If you could travel back in time, what study/language advice would you give yourself or others? (min 2 sentences)

If I could travel back in time, I would tell myself to read more. I really need to be able to read, and my reading skills are terrible having more practice would have helped. When reading in my head, and when reading out loud. When reading out loud, my mom often tells me that I pronounced a word or was reading it wrong, and I never knew because I read it like that in my head so it stayed like that and now I have it memorized as the wrong way of reading.

Thank you for reading, and thank you Illing Sensei for treating me so kindly!

R4 – School Life

・How does school in Japan compare to Canada? Is there anything they do in Japan, that you wish we did at Centennial?

I think the schools in Japan expect more responsibility from students than the schools here do. 
Walking to and from school without parent supervision is something that is expected from grade one in elementary school, and you must clean up your own classroom, carry the heavy dishes up to your classroom to get to eat.  

Even seemingly small things like these build up the ability to be self-sufficient and have to rely less on others. I think a big thing is that they teach that there are consequences for your actions; for example, if you forget something you need in class (they have a check in the morning to see if you have what you need to bring to school) the teacher scolds you, then writes that you forgot something and what you forgot in your notebook. You then must show it to your parents and bring it back the next day to the teacher, signed by your parents.  

I feel like here they would not usually have measures that strict, if you forgot something it’s your loss and that’s it, nobody else is informed about it. Maybe that makes you stay in line more. I do not always think this kind of strictness, (like no dying hair, no short skirts etc.) is the best for students as it causes stress and may keep them “in line” but could kill their ability to think outside of what they are told to. 

There are some parts of the differences that I would want to see happen here though, one would be how the students there clean their own classrooms and school.

・Do you think that students should have more responsibilities at school like cleaning duty? Why?

I think that having more responsibilities would be helpful for the future, when you are on your own and must do everything on your own. It is good practice for cleaning up, as I am not very good at tidying up things, and in grade one they teach you how to clean places up efficiently and I think that knowledge would be useful. 

・How lucky are you in じゃんけん?Would you be able to snag leftovers?

In the short time I was able to go to Japan, I got to eat the school lunches and I thought that each portion of food were so much. The rice was put into the bowls like a mountain, and all the food was way too much for me to eat. I had to ask the teacher to lessen the portions for me, and the teacher would scold me and tell me to eat the full portion every time. It was so much, and I really do not know how the other students were eating those portions and then wanting more. I never participated in the janken because I always was so full.

Japanese Elementary school students cleaning up their classroom (second on is cleaning shoe boxes) ↓

See the source image

R 3 – Japanese Mascots

I picked a character called

“あまっち” (Amacchi)

He is a fairy of a type of strawberry called “amaou” which is a type that is harvested in the Fukuoka prefecture. Amacchi is part of a group calle “Hakata Jomon-san All Stars” with 27 friends. It works to promote agricultural products from Fukuoka Prefecture, and Amaou strawberries (He is an Amaou fairy, after all) The name of the strawberry comes from it’s characteristics. “red, round, large, delicious” (They took the first letters of the words. *In Japanese.)

~About Amacchi~ ↓

Gender:

But he’s a fairy.. (Some websites said he was a boy, so a boy I guess!)

From:

Fukuoka prefecture

An image of Amacchi! ↓

Source: https://w.atwiki.jp/yurupedia/pages/2261.html

Drawing version of Amacchi! ↓

Source: https://localchara.jp/catalog/3719/#:~:text=%E5%88%9D%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%80%81%E3%81%82%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A1%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99,%E9%A0%91%E5%BC%B5%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A6%E3%81%84%E3%82%8B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A0%E3%80%82

I chose Amacchi because I thought he was really really cute, and because I like Strawberries. Also, the fact that he is a character promoting a type of strawberries that grows only in Fukuoka got my attention. (My grandparents live in Fukuoka, and when I go visit them it’s like my home in Japan.) I found it cool that he and his friends have a group. Their reason to be a group is to help children all around the world to stop hating vegetables.

Their (the group’s) official website ↓

https://www.ja-fukuoka.or.jp/about/character

A photo of some members of his group ↓

What makes Japanese mascots different from the ones we see in Canada?

I think the mascots in Japan are more close to home, or relatable than the characters they have here. They seem to be cuter and more fluffy, and are more related to the items or places they advertise. I also think they draw more people, and have easier-to understand character concepts. The ones in Canada seem to be more human-like, and less soft and circular or cute. They also seem to have concepts that are harder to understand than the simple ones in Japan. (For example, they are advertising kelp snacks, the character looks like kelp.)

Why do you think mascots are so popular in Japan? Do you think Canada should have a similar take on mascots? Explain

I think that mascots are a very good way to advertise things, and people love cute things, so they will come see the characters, and then buying the products. Little kids too, even if they cannot understand about the store or the products, they can see the cute characters and want to learn more. (About the thing that is being advertised.) I do not necessarily think that Canada needs to have the same kinds of characters, I think that not many people would like them. (But in Japan, the concept of cute characters is already something everyone knows.)

If Coquitlam had a mascot, what would it be? Describe or upload a drawing of what it would look like.

(Face is pancake, French flag and Canada flag.)

When I asked about something special about Coquitlam, my dad told me about the “festivaldubois” which is to celebrate French culture and music that is held in Mackin park. (I had never heard of it before.) (Apparently it has a pancake breakfast, that is why I made the character’s face a pancake. I also included maple syrup because Canada makes a lot of it. He has a French flag and a Canada flag on him.)

Image of him ↓

~Thank you for reading~

R2 – ようかい

・Which Yokai did you pick? Why?

I chose the yokai “Hachishaku-sama.” (Eight feet tall, also sometimes called hasshakusama) The reason I chose that yokai is because it was one of the first ones I read about on my own, and was scared of. I used to like reading scary stories, especially the ones that are scary when you find out the meaning. (Imikowa) When I was reading those, I found a link to another website that had scary stories, and while I was reading those I found a section with Japanese urban legends. I was in Japan at the time, and it interested me so I started reading those as well. Out of those ones I started reading, the story of hachishaku-sama seemed the most realistic and scary to me, it felt like she might be around the corner or just be living right close, ready to attack.

・Name some characteristics and provide a background history/summary on your Yokai.

Hachishaku-sama is about 240cm tall, and is eight feet tall (If you couldn’t tell from the name of the yokai) and appears in the form of a woman. It always is wearing a hat, or has something placed on it’s head, which makes it difficult to distinguish the features of it’s face. It is said to haunt the countryside more often than the city, and appears wearing a long white onepiece dress. When it finds a child that it likes, they stalk the child around and take it away from their families; doing so using some of it’s powers. Hachishaku-sama is able to change it’s voice freely, and often mimics a voice that the child knows, like their parents to gain trust from the child, and then get close enough to take them away. Hachishaku-sama, when not mimicking any other voice, is said to have a inhuman, genderless mechanical sounding voice, in which it creepily cries “popopo.” According to legends and passed down stories, in the past, Jizo-sama had sealed and trapped Hachishaku-sama so it could not move from a specified area, but now that Jizo-sama has been destroyed by someone, and Hachi-shakusama can freely appear anywhere, and do what it wishes.

・Do you think Japanese Yokai differ from Western monsters and mythical creatures? Explain. 

I do think that Japanse yokai are different from the “monsters” we have here. For one thing, what they say in Japan “If you use the thing for a long time, it will become haunted” is also a thing unique to Japan (I think…but at least something that Canada does not usually say) And I feel like the “yokai” are more like spirits while the monsters from here are more human-like or are humans or creatures that did something bad and went wrong, or changed because of punishment from god. (Examples can be Frankenstein, fallen angels etc.) I also think that the yokai are more of stories/legends that are passed down, and most of the yokai’s seem whereas the monsters are usually from books. To me, yokai’s seem to be associated with things more familiar to people, and is closer to everyday life. (I mean, an umbrella jumping out at you seems more possible than a green huge monster running at you, right..?)

・Do you believe in Yokai, monsters, ghosts, or mythical creatures? Why or why not?

I do not know, I think I could say half and half. I cannot really say for sure that they are not real, but I cannot say with certainty that they are fake/non-existent either. If I would to see one, or get evidence that it would be real I would believe in it. I used to see (it might have been part of my dream or a delusion from being tired at night) little white things dancing in the corner of my room at night; after the nightlight had been turned off. Now that I learned about these yokai-creatures more, they looked a little bit like kodamas. (Spirits that live in trees and forests) My room is not a forest anyways so I really doubt that it was kodama, but you never know! I do think that the things people say about the yokais, and the creatures though. It is interesting, it does make you think! Maybe there’s a little ghost sitting next to me reading my writing right now? If you are, hi little ghost!

・Me with my little ghost friends (maybe)

Drawing is by me! It was done in about a minute so it’s very messy but please don’t say anything about that ; ; I just wanted to draw this so badly

・Images of Hachishaku-sama! ↓

Hachishaku-sama standing beside a phone stand (?) You can tell the height difference, wow she’s so tall
Hachishaku-sama looking into your soul *shivers* so scary…


R1 – Independent Children

・How old were you when you started doing chores, do you do chores?  

I do chores at home; I think I had just started middle school when I started doing actual “chores” like washing dishes, cleaning the bathtub and vacuuming, but before that I would just do simple things like folding clothes, lining up the shoes, and cleaning up. (Those are things everyone can do and should do, but they still were something.)  

・Do you think that children should grow up with Japanese ideals of independence?  

At home I am told a lot by my mom that “kids in Japan are doing way more than this so try more, you know you can do it if they can” It really is very shocking when you see the difference between the kids in Canada and in Japan. I think the school system and the contrast between the rules and how people think have to do with how the kids seem more responsible as well. (One thing I thought of is how Japanese schools make the children clean the school, there is no janitors! This surprised me so much…everyday they take time to clean all the parts of the school.) I do think the Japanese ideals of independence is good to grow up with, it prepares the kids for the future, and makes it so they aren’t depending on their parents for everything. But I also think that the age that they are taught to be able to do things on their own was a little bit early when watching the “はじめてのおつかい” (My first errand/Old enough!) show. It really was scary watching those little kids walking around the streets alone, when some of the children were not even old enough to read and understand words well yet. I think the ability to be independent is really a good thing to have, but I think they should be older before they have to try to be okay off on their own. They should be able to trust and let their parents do things for them and help them with their everyday life still at that age, if they are not able to learn to rely on their family when they are younger, when will they ever? If they are told to be responsible and do most things by themselves, I think that they would not ask for help or advice from their parents when they need it, as they feel like the problem/thing is their responsibility. Overall, I do think that learning how to be independent is a good thing, as many people here do not know how to do things themselves, but I also think that they should be able to “be kids” and depend on parents for most things for a while. 

・When did you first use transit by yourself, go somewhere on your own, go to school by yourself? 

The first time I went to school alone was when I went to school in Japan (When I was in grade 2 in Canada) and I was in grade 1 in Japan. (The school semester system is divided differently) I remember that I was surprised that I had to walk to school alone, even though the school was a 45-minute walk away from my house. I was really scared to walk to school alone. Well, I thought I was going to be alone. I did not know that in Japan they have set groups that walk to school together. The groups are split based on where you live. The children all meet up at the same time, (usually around 7:20) and go to school together, children of all different ages. This relieved me, as there would be older kids watching out for me. There also is “crossing guards” something you see rarely here; adults and volunteer grandparents were there to help us safely cross at every crosswalk. I understand now why parents are okay with their kids walking to school on their own. In Japan it is a rarity to have children sent to school by car. Even though I was scared the first couple of times walking to and from the school, I found it fun after a couple of times. It made me feel like a “big kid” I think. I enjoyed the sense of being more “free.” but when I talked to my classmates there, they envied and were surprised at the fact that in Canada walking to school at that young of an age was not normal, and cars were used more. I guess everyone wants what they cannot get. It was an interesting experience, getting to go to school in Japan and learning more about the culture. But here in Canada, I do not really want to go places alone, I am too scared and worried if I would get lost, how would I get help? In Japan there are many “help-centers” and most people are kind enough to tell you where to go if you ask, but I am not so sure about here. I have never really been going places on my own by transit, but I have walked places. (in Canada) I do not know yet, but maybe sometime soon I will go somewhere on my own by transit!