Thursday, June 30, 2016

Wednesday June 29, 2016


Today the Beginner class had a sweet tooth for learning. Not only did the class learn more about families and phrases, but also colors. We graphed jelly beans by their Japanese name, and then we ate them all! Well, maybe not all, I still have a load of black licorice jelly beans in my backpack, but I’m not complaining.
The class also learned ten more hiragana (adding on to the load of about 50 now), and built compound words using the Japanese letters. I’m finding it easier and easier to talk in Japanese at the lunch table, and was even able to tell a riddle. Nobody could figure out the answer, so I still have at least one trick up my sleeve. Overall, the Beginner class had quite the colorful day.


-Molly

Today’s lesson was all about food and cooking in preparation for Friday’s activity. We started by learning several kanji, such as the equivalents of “ingredients,” “to wrap,” and “to mix,” none of which I knew before the lesson. I think they will be incredibly useful in the future, especially when trying to utilize Japanese recipes! After going over the necessary steps and vocabulary for making gyouza (dumplings) on Friday, the focus of the lesson switched to daruma, which we made later in the day. We read a print-out about the background, and though I didn’t understand everything, I think it was helpful in growing my kanji knowledge.
Next came the difficult part: sanding taiko bachi (sticks) to be smooth and have tapered ends. Outside the classroom, we learned proper drumming technique from Otani-sensei: sticks pointing straight in the air and wrists flicking to hit the drum. It was really difficult to do it correctly; hopefully, when we actually start practicing, we’ll all be in sync!

-Olivia




Beginner: Today’s class started by knowing the difference between kimonos and yukatas. They are very formal, and depending on the occasion it will determine what color kimono a person wears. Due to the material, which is silk, you can’t just throw it in the washing machine.  And I thought suits and dresses were bad! Thankfully, a yukata is casual form of a yukata, so it is pretty much like wearing a T-shirt. Finally, Otani-sensei gave us several kendamas to play around with. We were wowed as Nathan-kun managed to the get the ball to land on certain points on the toy, doing incredibly well compared to the rest of the class.
-Isaac


Intermediate/Advanced:


Today’s topic class was on the art of the Haiku. A haiku is a Japanese poem that consists of a total of 17 syllables that are mostly associated with nature. Students learned the history behind the haiku, including the famous haiku writers, as well as how to make one. With the useful seasonal vocabulary packet Nemastil sensei gave them, everyone’s haiku turned out sugoi!


Then, near the end of class, the Haiku Rap Battle Extravaganza commenced! Students brought their haikus to the front and battled it out with music pounding out the speakers. The crowd went wild, and the competitiveness increased as poetic rhymes were being spit back and forth. It was absolutely crazy, and our top competitors, Percy and Abhishek, rapped to the death in the video below. Check it out and decide who won!         


-Mirai                    


Daruma: Today’s activity was making Daruma, Japanese dolls that are used for making wishes! To make one, we blew up a balloon and covered it in papier-mâché. We also taped a weight to the bottom because traditional Daruma always “stand” back up when you push them down. Although it was fun, it was also very messy! For the papier-mâché we had to dip the paper in a mixture of water and flour which felt really mushy and dripped everywhere, and afterwards it wouldn’t even wash off my hands! After the papier-mâché dries, we can paint the Daruma however we like it which I look forward to doing!

-Abhishek







Tuesday June 28, 2016

There was a thunderstorm last night, and this morning it was still raining. So, we had our morning exercise, Radio Taiso, in the multi-purpose room in Andrew’s Hall. I felt much more comfortable with the lyrics to the song and the movements this time, and I think it went much more smoothly for everyone. Also, it helps that we were inside, not out in the heat and humidity!
-Olivia


A professor at the university, David Clark, talked to us about the history of mathematics in Japan; we also learned a little about history and stuff like the Warring States period. The main topic of the presentation was wooden tablets called sengaku; these tablets were located at temples and had math problems (mostly geometry) inscribed on them for visitors to solve. I tried one of the problems myself and realized why these tablets are so popular; they’re difficult to solve! I spent over 30 minutes on one of them and still haven’t made any progress...overall the presentation was interesting and I look forward to other guest speakers we may have. 
-Abhishek




Mom, I’m learning! The Beginner class furthered their adventure into the unknown today. The class learned the names of countries, and new hiragana (Japanese letters). Now, tako (A new word to the Beginner class) has become one of my favorite words in Japanese. It’s even more fitting since it was “Taco Tuesday,” in the cafeteria today.


-Molly

The Intermediate/ Advanced class had a packed schedule today! Starting with a 15 minute journal, the students transitioned into learning about the art of soraban (abacus) and were given an introduction into their upcoming Japanese garden field trip held on June 30th.


In my opinion, I believe the best part of today’s class was learning how to use the soroban. I’ve always had an interest in it, seeing as all it’s made out of are beads. I’m pretty sure we’ve all wondered, “how does that work?”. Otani Sensei and Tago Sensei did an excellent job explaining, and soon everyone more or less had a solid grasp on how to calculate the problems. Well, if you call simple first grade addition a “solid grasp”, then yes.


-Mirai



Beginner: For our topic-based class, Otani-sensei talked about an upcoming festival that we will be celebrating in about a week which is Tanabata (Star Festival), but he did so in only Japanese. Thankfully, he began the two hour class with a short animated video (which had English subtitles) that explained the origin of Tanabata. Long story short,  a God and a Goddess were madly in love, but since they did not uphold their duties, the father of the Goddess was outaged, and separated the two, only to allow them to see one another on July 7th. You know, your average love story.
Afterwards we were handed a music sheet and sang along to the music. Then we ended the class by making neat origami decorations, which was met with frustrated remarks. Next time we will have a lesson on kimonos.
-Isaac

Intermediate/Advanced: Nemastil-sensei taught our class an introductory lesson about seasons. The interactive and fun (yet fast paced!) atmosphere was a breath of fresh air. We learned the kanji characters for each season, which I had never seen before. To help us understand context, we watched a cute video that contained a short song with each season personified. Even though I didn’t understand everything, it was still really helpful.


We gave short presentations on activities in each season. We also sorted food and weather events into the seasons we believed they should be placed in. Later, we looked at a recent weather report from Japan and wrote down any phrases we knew. There were so many kanji that I didn’t recognize, and that was scary, but I hope to learn more over the course of the academy! Ganbarimasu! (I’ll do my best!)
-Olivia




Today, for the first time after entering our companies, we were treated to a game invented by the Unokai Company. We were split into opposing sides and pitted against one another in a traditional fight to the death!
...Not really.
It was only ultimate frisbee and basketball, but it occasionally got competitive. Luckily, no one was hurt, and we successfully got a lot of exercise, while also having a bit of fun together, and with a little bit of time left at the end to do our own thing for a few minutes. I believe it to be a successful first day for the Undokai Company, and I’m excited to see what the other companies will do later on… like the blog club for instance.  ;)

               -Amara


































Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Monday June 26, 2016: Language


Beginner
Many students at the Japanese Academy are new to the language, and are here to build a foundation in the language and culture.Today, the Beginner class learned basic conversation starters, how to tell the time, and the titles of family members. The class sang together with Japanese songs that taught both numbers and new vocabulary.


As a Latin student back at home, I found my first immersion class a little overwhelming, but everything is “genki” (good) now. (I hope I used that right…)


-Molly

Intermediate/Advanced
On day one of the Virginia Governor’s Japanese Academy, students were required to take a proficiency test to assess their level of Japanese, which consisted of a writing sample and an interview. Based on those results, students were divided into either Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced classes.
The Intermediate/Advanced class has a moderate to high level of Japanese and participate in a single class most of the time. June 27th marked the first day, and it started off with a simple introduction of Otani Sensei and Tago Sensei, the sensei in charge. After students were given their Japanese particle and verb/adjectives/noun packets,  they practiced self-introductions and wrote in their journals.


However, after everything, I must say the best part of today was the Taiko demonstration. The power emanating from the drum and the kiai the demonstrator released was absolutely stunning. If I have the chance, I won’t hesitate to try it.

-Mirai

Monday June 26, 2016:Culture


Fairy tales from Japan: A group of students in Sabo-senpai’s watched three fairy tales in the form of cartoons. They were Momotaro, or The Story of the Son of a Peach, Utsuru no Ongaeshi, and Urashima Taro.

Themes in Anime: Tomomatsu-senpai talked about various mature themes that are commonly portrayed in anime, Japanese animation which is usually considered for children. This activity was great because so many of the kids were enthusiastic about anime! Discussion ranged from light-hearted talks about gender roles to more darker topics such as war and genocide. After the theme was explained, Tomomatsu-senpai showed us clips from popular anime such as Death Billiards and Princess Mononoke that reflected the themes discussed. Overall, it was a fun, unique experience... until the anime we were watching ended on a cliffhanger. :( 
- Abhishek

Game Show: After students were split up into three groups after dinner for cultural activities, a portion of them went to experience a real life Japanese game show with Chung Senpai!
Japanese game shows are distinguished by their over-exaggerated and strange challenges accompanied by rewards, punishments, and a lot of laughs in between. In this exercise, students participated in a number of mini games, were subjected to dance in front of their peers, and won pocky for their efforts at the end. All in all, it was a lot of fun… and definitely very funny, too! :D  
-Amara








Sunday June 25, 2016: Check-in & Opening Ceremony


After check-in, opening ceremony, and a tearful good-bye to family, students took part in several ice-breaker games led by the three RAs: Chung-senpai, Tomomatsu-senpai, and Sabo-senpai. We learned the rules of the academy and were introduced to all of the faculty. Those with prior Japanese experience were given a placement test to help find a class that was best suited to them (Intermediate vs. Advanced). Everyone had dinner (bangohan) together for the first time. Later we had our first nightly meeting, where we reflected on their day, before going to bed. Even though it was a relatively short day, I still felt exhausted (in a good way!) by the end.
-Olivia













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Saturday, June 25, 2016

2016 PARENTS: Student Check-in and Open Ceremony

Dear Japanese Academy Parents,

This is a reminder that tomorrow, Sunday, June 26, is the beginning of your child's journey at the Governor's Language Japanese Academy. The entire staff is excited to meet your children and explore Japanese language and culture together. Tomorrow will be a very busy day, and in order to avoid confusion I am sending the planned schedule for Check-in and the Opening Ceremony.

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Student Check-in at Andrews Hall
1:30pm - 2:00pm: Opening Ceremony at Blackwell Auditorium

Check-in will be in the lobby of Andrews Hall and there will be academy staff waiting for you to check in your children. Resident advisor (RA) staff will also be present to assist with move in. The staff will be wearing the Japanese Academy T-shirts, so we will be easy to find. There will be a limited number of carts available for move in.

The scheduled departure time for the parents is at the end of the opening ceremony.   Please make sure your children have all of their belongings in their room before the opening ceremony. Additionally, please be sure you have collected your child's WIFI-accessible electronic devices (laptop, tablet, cell phone, etc.).

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask.

A few reminders:
If you were contacted to bring extra documents please bring them.
Please do not forget that your child needs quarters to do his or her laundry.
The dorm rooms are very cold so be sure to bring extra blankets or warm pajamas for the building.


We look forward to meeting you tomorrow! J