Reflection:

Pros: You can study at your own pace and the order that you want, (more freedom), you can learn a more casual way of speaking, (slang).

Cons: You might not know where to start, you might not figure out the formal way of speaking and might find it difficult because you don’t know how to get help.

I spent a lot of time learning the grammar and the different tenses and how they change sentences, I found it interesting how there were so many different ways to say the same word in Japanese and how different they were contextually when put in sentences, something that I would like to learn would be more kanji so that I can get a better understanding of Japanese texts and songs, the best way for me to do this would be to learn kanji and try to read more Japanese or visit Japan to further expand my knowledge on Japanese culture.

I will continue to improve my Japanese over the Summer break by talking to my Japanese friends and people in Japanese, and I will use Duolingo to retain my knowledge and expand it as well.

If I could go back in time my advice to myself would be to use Duolingo as it was really helpful I found that the order it thought things and how many times you could do the same exercise and have it be different thought me a lot of new words that we haven’t learnt in class and it also helped me remember the letters better.

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

In Japan high school tends to have less clubs and subjects than most school’s in Canada, and schools in Canada have less rules, less strict, so there is more freedom with choice in Canada. Something that I would like to have in Centennial that Japanese high schools have are uniforms because I think its easier to just wear something premade rather than take time to select clothes.

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

I think its better because it will teach people about the importance of cleaning up and will impart good habits onto them when they leave high school and let them turn out as better people in society in the future.

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

I’m pretty lucky I think I would be able to snag leftovers.

Do you like the idea of having a mascot for your city? Would it work here or is this something that can only exist in Japan?

Yes, I like the idea of having a mascot for the city so that it makes boring day-to-day activities fun, when you go to your local city office provincial/governmental offices, having a mascot there helps change the mood and helps people feel more relaxed they also work better with kids as they will be less afraid or nervous, they also help the businesses and people directly by allowing the residents of the city to use the mascot it increases the number of tourists that they get, I don’t think that this could only exist in Japan, my reason being that if they added a mascot here people would love it, and if I had the chance to add a mascot I would do it.

What is the most important factor of a mascot? Appearance, popularity, personality, activism, revenue??

The most important factor of a mascot is their Appearance, activism, and popularity. The mascot has to appear nice so that kids like it and they have to support a good cause because having a nice looking mascot that has no meaning wouldn’t make any sense because the mascot has no goal so people cant relate to it, and popularity is important as it shows whether or not people like it or relate with it, having a mascot with none of these means that the mascot isn’t well-liked/received by the people.

Do you have a favorite mascot? Why? (you can browse all mascots from the Mascots by Ranking link) 

My favorite mascot is TKPG (Tk penguin), its the mascot of the Japanese band 凛として時雨 ( ling tosite sigure), the reason that I like this mascot is that I feel as though it is funny to have an animal that people see as calm representing the band and their playing.

When do you have to dress up for events in Canada? Did dressing up make the event more special? Why?

I only recently moved to Canada so I can only speak about what events I had in the UAE, yes we dressed up for certain events in the UAE especially for national day people would come to school or go to different places to celebrate the national day while wearing clothes that had the color of the flag, ie. black, red, green or white, or they would come to school wearing traditional clothes such as kandura and abaya, yes dressing up made the events more special because everyone regardless of their nationality celebrated national day there were alot of festivites, such as fireworks, laser shows, water fountain shows and many other traditional dances, clothes and various things displayed, I dressed up for my primary school graduation in graduation robes and we threw our caps in the air which was fun.

When you have to dress up for events, what do you usually wear?

I usually wore the colours on the flag, if it was for another event i would dress up according to what the event is, either formal or casual, sometimes if i was going to celebrate an event that required traditional clothing i would wear traditional clothes.

Search traditional Japanese clothes and pick your favourite. When would you wear this in Japan, what event would you wear this to in Canada?

I really like the look of Yukata, I would wear it for a summer festival in Japan, I would wear Yukata when it would be Canadian national day adorning the colors of the flag, because it would be celebrating the different cultures that came together to transition Canada into what it is today.

Ishen.D

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

I started doing chores as I became older such as cleaning my room and making sure the curtains in the house were closed and doing my homework, my parents didn’t force me to do chores the only thing they asked of me was that I finish my homework and study, when I was younger maids took care of me and my sister so I didn’t have to do chores.

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

I do believe that having Japanese values of independence is good, but I feel as though it depends on where you live maybe the area you live in isn’t that safe then you should teach your kid when you are with them, I do believe that the Japanese values for independence are good because it teaches kids that they can do things themselves and don’t have to rely on others to much.

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

I used to go to school on the school bus my parents drop me at school on their way to work or I commute by myself from home to school and back, I don’t have any problems with commuting myself.