24 June 2014: Recap of Day 2 & 3

6/23 (Day 2 Recap)

Word of the day: Nihongo (Japanese language)

Yesterday was the start of our three week Japanese language and culture journey. In the beginner’s class, students learned about the Japanese language, encompassing vocabulary and hiragana, one of three Japanese writing styles. Uchida sensei taught the beginners basic greetings to provide the students with the ability to strike up a conversation in nihongo (Japanese). In addition to expanding students’ knowledge of vocabulary of nihongo, students practiced the formation and stroke order of hiragana. Afterwards, students were treated with an authentic peer-to-peer nihongo experience, pitting beginning, intermediate, and advanced students in an all-nihongo lunch where for one hour students were only allowed to speak nihongo  where many less-experienced students reiterated the phrase “nani desuka?” (“what is that?”). This allowed beginning students to utilize their newfound knowledge while higher-level students aided in any language mishaps along the way. After lunch, students were treated to a one-hour film class, which featured he film Princess Mononoke, held by one of the campus’ professors in which the students learned about nihongo animation, specifically Miyazaki films, and how he encompassed elements of modern themes and utilized the Japan’s vast history. Afterwards, students were lectured on campus safety by the assistant director of campus safety, Mr. Daugherty, on the campus in which students learned about the many safety features located throughout the campus. Following campus safety, students were allowed two hours of recreation time within the campus’s gymnasium, enjoying a plethora of equipment such as a pool, racquetball courts, and basketball courts, as well as a fitness center and others facilities. After cleaning up, students were treated to dinner and then attended their first of many culture classes hosted by their senpai. Kim-senpai taught one group about the differences and similarities between Japanese and Western animations, which included how audiences’ perception of each animation style varies from country to country. Chung-senpai educated students on the evolution of Japanese pop music and culture in Japan. Tomomatsu-senpai displayed the art of Taiko drumming to her students and showed them the techniques required to play the drums. Rounding off the day, students elected company leaders to perform various activities around campus throughout the duration of the academy and the company leaders recruited students to assist them on their tasks. After a fun-filled day of various activities, students recorded their experiences in their journals for the purpose of reminiscing at the academy’s end. 

-  Antoine and Melissa

    6/24 (Day 3)

Today, the beginner-level students continued to learn hiragana, one of the three Japanese writing styles. Uchida Sensei revealed many tips and tricks to facilitate memorization. The students have only had three days of exposure to the language, but are continuously learning new symbols and phrases. The students participate in group learning to mimic the Japanese group-mentality. After reviewing the hiragana symbols, Uchida Sensei passed out a blank board game and asked the students to fill in the spaces with the new symbols they had learned. This game required quick recollection and encouraged students to memorize the hiragana characters. This creative activity was an enjoyable and effective method! At the end of language class, the students all introduced themselves to each other and conversed completely in Japanese. This is a huge accomplishment considering the minimal experience these students have. So much progress is being made, and this is only the beginning!

-Lindsey

Today, Lawless Sensei taught the advanced class in the afternoon (We normally have Ōtani Sensei ). Lawless Sensei started off the class by having the advanced students play Taboo in Japanese. The students did well, but having a smaller vocabulary makes the game a lot harder. In preparation for Friday’s cooking class, in which everyone will make gyoza (dumplings) and onigiri (rice balls), Lawless Sensei helped the students re-learn cooking vocabulary. The advanced students will be asked to explain the recipe to the beginning students in Japanese. The Taboo game was a way to prepare the advanced students to explain unknown words using circumlocution. Finally, the advanced students read a story about an exchange student in Japan who ate her meal with gusto until she realized the meat was suppon, or snapping turtle!

- Christina B.

Today for our guest speaker we had Kristen Luck, a Ph. D candidate at VCU, come and give us a lecture. It was about Japanese politics. She analyzes documents and labor laws in Japan and searches for keywords referring to woman’s rights, specifically laws referring to the objectification of women’s bodies for childbirth and child rearing. We also watched a PowerPoint explaining the governmental and political system in Japan. She explained that the Edo and Meiji periods of Japan were a time where the emperor was revered. Afterwards, she explained how Japan’s political system had changed so drastically from imperialism to capitalism. Today, instead of an emperor executing all major actions for the country of Japan, there is now a parliamentary system in place similar to England. This is because of the occupation of Japan by the United States, where the United States wrote a constitution for the previously imperial country. The emperor is now currently a figurehead, and now the Prime Minister carries out most executive duties (sort of like a president). She also touched upon the issue of discrimination in Japan, mostly directed towards people of a race other than Japanese and Japanese women, her specialty. There was a question-and-answer session afterwards, where we asked questions and had a discussion.

All of the Japanese Academy students were very engaged throughout the lecture!

-Amy