DLI Japanese Headstart Modules 1-5.pdf

8/17/2019 DLI Japanese Headstart Modules 1-5.pdf

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2/184

J P NESE

HE DST RT

MODULES 1-5


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The Japanese words

tha t appear

in th i s t ex t are writ ten

according

to the

Hepburn

System

of

romanization

of

Japanese.

Pronunciat ion of most of

the

l e t te r s presents no di f f icu l ty to

an American.

Those l e t te r s

or combinations of

l e t te r s

con-

sidered d i f f i cu l t to pronounce wi I I be explained in the Vocabu-

lary Section of the modules. You

may

have di f f icu l ty with the

following:

I. When

the

le t te r n is the

las t

le t te r

in

a word, i t may

sound

somewhat

I ike the ng

in sing.

2. When double le t te rs appear

in

a Japanese word, the sound

is repeated. Think

of double l e t te r s as

having

a hyphen between

them

and pronounce both le t te rs

dis t inc t ly .

3.

The l e t te r s

marked

with a bar ,

a e i and

0 are

pro-

nounced

longer

than ones

without

a

bar.

4.

When and u are writ ten with a s lash mark through them,

they

are

s lurred

or

barely

pronounced.

5.

The l e t t e r in

the

middle of a word is pronounced I

ike


4/184

ONTENTS

MODULE ONE

CULTURAL

BACKGROUND

.

. .

.

.

. . .

.

...

An

Island Nation

The Climate

......................................

The Government

........................ ............ .

Too Crowded for Comfort?

Some Ways to

Show

Courtesy

..........................

Invitat ions

.....................................

How to

Be

a Good

Guest

Foods

..............................

Conversations

You

Might

Get

Into

....................

What the Japanese Do

for

Fun

........................

5

6

7

I

5

7

23

8

30


5/184

MODULES 1 5

CONTENTS

Part

5 •

Dialogues

Part 6 •

Sel f evalua t ion

Quiz

Part

7 •

Review and Remediation

Part

8.

Supplementary Self evaluat ion Quiz

Part

9.

Additional Vocabulary

MODULE

THREE:

DIRECTIONS

Part

I . Objectives

Part 2. Vocabulary

Part

3. Notes

Part

4.

Fluency

Dri

l s

Part 5. Dialogues

Part 6. Self evaluat ion

Quiz

Part 7.

Review

and Remediation

Part 8.

Supplementary Self evaluat ion

Quiz

Part 9. Additional Vocabulary

65

7

71

72

73

74

74

75

78

79

9

98

1 I

1 2

1 3


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MODULES

1 5

CONTENTS

MODULE

FIVE:

SHOPPING ND REPAIRS

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

39

Par t

I .

Objec t i ves 39

Part 2. Vocabulary 42

Part

3. Notes

45

Par t

4.

Fluency D r i l l s 47

Par t

5. Dialogues

58

Par t

6. Sel f eva lua t ion

Quiz

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 69

Par t 7. Review

and

Remediation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 72

Par t 8. Supplementary Se l f e va lua t ion

Quiz

• • • • • • • • • 73

Par t

9.

Addi t iona l

Vocabulary

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

74


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J P N

~ I n t e r n a t l o n a l

boundary

® National capital

Railroad

Road

50 100 150

M

~ - 5 ~ ~ ~ ~ 6 0 - - 1 5 r l ~ - - K - o - m ~ : t e s

HEJU DO

SE

OF

f

4 V

P CIFIC

OCE N


8/184

MODULE

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

N ISL ND

N TION

The Japanese cal I the i r country

Nihon

or Nippon. The

two

names are

interchangeable.

Both mean, l i t e ra l ly , source

of

the sun.

Because Japan I ies to the eas t

of

the Asian

mainland,

to

many Asians the sun seemed to r i se each morning from Japan.

They,

too, accepted Japan as the land of

the

r is ing sun.

Into modern times the sun motif

has

remained a

favor i te

design among the Japanese,

and the

national flag is

the

hinomapu

or

sun f lag.

Japan

has

four

ma

i n

is lands,

p I

us

severa

I

hundred

sma

II

is Iands tha t dot

the

coast l ines. Of the four ma i n is

lands,

the

largest

is

Honshu,

followed in size by Hokkaido, Kyushu,

and Shikoku.

The fact tha t Japan

is

an island nation

is s ign i f i can t in

any

considerat ion of her past ,

present ,

or future.

Japan has had a

well-kni t ,

highly organized society

for

many centur ies . uch

of

the land

area

on

each

of the Japanese

islands is

rugged and mountainous, and th i s

probably

kept the

earl

ies t

inhabi tants separated into smal I groups. But hIsto-


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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mikimoto_Ginza2.JPG


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CULTUR L B CKGROUND

N

ISL ND

N TION

to the great centers

of Asian civi I izat ion. There they

could

learn f i rs thand about

new developments in science

and

the

ar t s

from

the

Chinese and Koreans, for example. At

one

point , Japan

is

only

about

125 mi les

from

Korea.

The

Japanese

of

earl

ier

centur ies , l ike thei r descendants

today, showed an eagerness to learn from

other countr ies

and

to

borrow

ideas

and

methods

from

other

peoples

if

these

seemed workable in Japan.

Some

have

cal led

Japan a nation

of

borrowers,

but the

term can

be misleading.

Historians note

that

the Japanese

were never mere copyists . Almost al I borrowing by the

Japanese

was (and

s t i

II is) a very careful process. The

Japanese

re jected

much from other cul tures tha t they judged

unworkable for

themselves.

Too, whenever

a foreign idea

or method

was

introduced

into

Japan, the

Japanese

invar iably

adapted

i t to

the i r own use,

often improving in some way on the or ig ina l . Using many for-

eign ideas and

methods,

the Japanese have almost

always

arrived

at

thei r

own (often ingenious)

ways

of

doing

th ings .

Beginning in the

la t te r

half

of

the 19th

century, the

Japanese

learned

primari Iy from industr ial nations

of

the West

in

much

the

same

way

they

had

learned

from

neighboring

Asian

nations. s a resu l t ,

Japan

was the f i r s t Asian country to

become an industr ial power.


11/184

CULTUR L B CKGROUND

N ISL ND N TION

s tudied

by the

people

of many

nat ions. Durable qual i ty pro-

ducts made

in

Japan are purchased in

al

I

parts

of the world

and

great ly affec t world economy. Japanese

ar t s influence

a r t i s t s

on

al

I

cont inents . Japanese sc ien t i s t s contr ibute

heavi

Iy

to worldwide research. Many people bel

ieve

the

way

Japan

adjus t s

to current problems wi I I help much of the res t

of

the

world

solve

problems

of

the

21st century.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E6%97%A5%E7%94%A3%E6%9C%AC%E7%A4%BE.jpg


12/184

THE

CLIM TE

Japan

is

about as far north

of

the equator as the

continen

ta l United s ta tes and

has

a similar cl imate .

Hokkaido,

Japan s

northernmost

i s land,

has

cold

winters

with much snow.

Cold

t e m p ~ r t u r e s las t for

about

four months

each year,

but

because of the ocean winds, temperatures seldom

drop below zero degrees (Farenheit) .

The

cl imate

is

milder in centra l Japan, which

includes

Honshu

and

the

northern

parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. The lower

two-thirds

of

th is

region, especia l ly

on

the side facrng

the

Pacif ic receives summer monsoon

winds,

which

bring fa i r ly

heavy

ra infa l l .

Winters

are

usually

mi

Id

and

sunny.

The

southernmost

parts of Kyushu and Shikoku are the warm-

es t

regions

of Japan. Here the winters are mi Idest

(al though

some

snowfall

occurs) and

the

summers

are

warm and humid.


13/184

TH GOV RNM NT

Japan has a

pari

iamentary

government.

The na t ion s

con

s t i tu t ion gives the grea tes t power to the national legis la t ive

body, the Diet

(the

Japanese term for th is body is kokkai .

Like

the

U.S.

Congress,

the

Diet

is

made

up

of

two

houses.

Japan

is divided

into

electoral di s t r i c t s , each of which

sends

representa t ives to Japan s House of

Representatives

shugi in) .

Japan is also divided into

6

prefectures , each of which sends

representat ives to

Japan s House of Counci

lors sangi in) .

Addit ional members of the House of Counci lors are elected

from the nation a t large.

The

adminis t ra t ive

branch

of Japan s national government

is

headed

by a

prime

minister

sor i -da i j in ) ,

who is

a member

of

the House of Representat ives and

elected by

i t

according

to party

loyal ty.

Like the U.S. Consti tut ion, the

const i tut ion

of Japan

contains

a bi

II of r ights guaranteeing

personal

freedoms,

including freedom of speech,

assembly,

the

press ,

and

rei

igion.

The Japanese const i tut ion renounces war as a w y to solve

internat ional

disagreements

and

I

imits

Japan s

mi

I i tary

estab

I ishment to self-defense forces. Also, according to the con

s t i tu t ion , Japan s emperor

is merely

a symbol

of s ta te who

owes

his

posi t ion

to

the wi II of the people.


14/184

TOO

CROWDED

FOR

COMFORT

Firs t - t ime vis i to rs to

Japanese

c i t i e s and resor ts often

think they have

arr ived a t

the

height of

the

Japanese

t ou r i s t

season,

because of the crowds

they

encounter . But

throngs

of

Japanese

packed

into

publ

ic

places are

an

inescapable

fac t

of

everyday I

i fe in

modern Japan. The nation is crowded.

One

of the

most awesome

experiences of the crush of heavy

populat ion

to

be found anywhere in the world awaits the

t rav

e ler who boards publ ic

t ransporta t ion

in Tokyo during the rush

hours.

The Japanese themselves find crowded I iving condit ions

often

uncomfortable

and

sometimes

oppressive,

but they

are

resourceful in deal

ing

with

the

problems.

Some

of the

ways

the

Japanese

have adapted to the physi

cal and mental s t resses of crowding can be seen as

purely

prac t ica l .

For

example, golf

has

become popular in recent years in

Japan, and many Japanese

share

a passion

for the game.

How-

ever,

in

and

around

Japan s

urban

areas there is

I

i t t l e

room

for the spraw l ing go I f l inks tha t go I fers in other parts of

the world

often take

for

granted.

Of

the

complete 18-hole

courses tha t

exis t

in Japan,

most

are

control led

by exclusive


15/184

Japanese subways and

t ra ins

are

e f f i c i en t

and prompt but can

be

extremely

crowded

during rush hours.

Tokyo Rail Station Image: Zaida MontañanaDate: 18 December 2005cc-by-sa-3.0

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TokyoStation.JPGhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TokyoStation.JPGhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TokyoStation.JPGhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.enhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sumida_river05s3200.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TokyoStation.JPGhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en


16/184

CULTURAL

BACKGROUND

TOO ROWDED

FOR

COMFORT

However, not al I space-conservIng measures in Japan are

modern

innovations. Many things the Japanese

do to

save

space

originated

centur ies

ago when

Japan

was a far

less crowded

nation.

For

example,

Japanese farmers have

for

centur ies been

masters

a t gett ing the most use out of avai lable land space.

If

you t ravel through

the Japanese countryside,

you

can

see

tha t prac t ica l ly

every

square inch of possible farmland

is

cul t iva ted. Many of the

terraced

f ie lds that have been cut

into

hi I

Isides to

create addi t ional

growing

space

date

back

hundreds of years.

Some

t radi t ional

Japanese ar t s

signi f icant ly help

modern

Japanese to adjust

to crowded

I

iving

condi t ions,

since

minia

tur iza t ion and economy of space are important in Japanese

aes the t ics .

Bonsai, for

example,

is the

Japanese

ar t of

miniaturiza

t ion of t rees to the s ize of ordinary potted plants . Sometimes,

using

bonsai and

arrangements

of

stones, gravel , smal I

ponds,

plants

and

shrubbery, Japanese

gardeners

can

crea te within

the

confines of

a smal I

backyard,

a representat ion of a

great land

scape

which

car r i es with i t

the comfort ing

i l lus ion

of

vastness

and distance.

Other

t radi t ional

Japanese ar t s and ways of I

i fe

may not

save space di rec t ly but the Japanese

make

the mental and

emotional

adjustments

tha t

help them

thr ive

in the i r

crowded


17/184

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

TOO CROWDED

FOR

COMFORT

enjoy

these enter tainments

obviously

untroubled by

what to

some

foreign vis i to rs are dis t rac t ions onstage which are a t f i r s t

d i f f i cu l t to ignore.

According

to

some observers,

the

nature

of t radi t ional

Japanese

homel

i fe

also helps

explain the Japahese abi i ty

to

ignore many

dis t rac t ions .

Much Japanese

housing remains

wholly

or

part ly

t radi t ional

in s ty le with the iving space

within

houses and

apartments

divided into

rooms

mainly by s l id ing wal l panels sho j i ) made

by

s t re tch i ng parchment-I ike paper

shoj i -gami) over

wood

frames.

Such households,

with i t e ra l ly paper

walls ,

provide

few oppor tuni t ies for the kind

of

privacy avai

lable

n Western

s tyle homes. n spi te

of

(or perhaps

because

of) th i s lack of

Western-style privacy in

Japanese

homes, the

Japanese

did

not

become a

nation

of

eavesdroppers.

On

the contrary,

they

seem

to

have evolved

instead

a social t rad i t ion of disregarding

or

tuning out

the

conversat ions

of others even when these could

be easi y overheard.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NagoyaExpressway_Horita_dir.JPG


18/184

SOME

W YS

TO SHOW COURTESY

The

Japanese prac t ice

many

formal i t i e s

and observe many

ru Ies of e t i quette among

themse

I

ves, but

genera y

they

do not

expect foreign

vis i to rs to

understand

many of

the i r

customs and

ways

of

doing

things.

s a ru le a g i j in (foreigner) can

impress

the Japanese

by being pol i te and

reserved in

his

or her

behavior.

f they

see these qual i t i e s in

a foreign v is i to r

most

Japanese wi

quickly excuse social blunders or shortcomings.

However, i t is

precisely

because the Japanese are wi II ing

to accord you spec i a t reatment as a

vis

i tor that they

wi

be

impressed

if

you show you

are

in teres ted

in

doing

some

things

the

Japanese

way

You probably could not master

the in t r icacies of

Japanese

social customs

and cour tes ies even if

you spent many

years in

Japan.

You can, however,

make many

Japanese fr iends

and experience

the

best

of

J

apa

nese

hosp

i

ta

i

ty

if

you

ma

ke an

ef

for t

to

understand

Japanese

ways

and pract ice

a few

of them yourse l f .

The fo I low i ng notes

may

give you some ideas of th i ngs

to


19/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

COURTESY

Gif ts . A Japanese

may thank

you upon receiving a

g i f t

or

favor

from you

jus t as people

do

in the

United

Sta tes .

What

is di f fe ren t is tha t , in

keeping

with

Japanese

custom, he

remembers the occasion unti I the next t ime you meet--days,

weeks,

or

months l a te r - -and

expresses his appreciat ion ful ly

again.

If

you

receive

a

g i f t

or

favor

from

a

Japanese,

you

should

thank him as you would an American. However,

if

you can

remember to say a sincere thank you a second

t ime,

at your

next

meeting,

the Japanese

wi

II appreciate

both your

thought

fulness and your

observance

of Japanese custom.

If

you should present a

g i f t to

a Japanese, he

wi

I I prob

ably put

the

gi f t

aside

and not

discuss i t .

Don't

urge

a

Japanese

to unwrap

a

gift-wrapped

package whi Ie you look on.

The

Japanese

I

ike

to

open g i f t s

in

priva te .

Conversation.

When a

Japanese

person

is speaking to you,

even

i f

you are conversing in Engl ish , you would do wei 1 to nod

and say

words

of

acknowledgment

often .

You

wi II see how im-

portant th i s

is

to

the Japanese i f

you watch them

converse

among themselves. The

pat tern

of much

Japanese

conversation

is one tha t Ii ngu i s t s ca II a conf i rmi ng

pat tern .

The

Japan

ese

often

I

ike

to

express

obvious

facts

in

only

a

tenta t ive

way and many sentences are ended with the

Japanese

equivalent

of i s n ' t i t? or don ' t you agree? Thus, when a Japanese

speaks,

he is accustomed to get t i

ng

frequent

nods and'

react ions


20/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

COURTESY

American-style

t ipping

in

Japan.

The

Japanese

are

especia l ly

t roubled by t ips offered in an open, obvious, or showy manner,

and in general are not

comfortable

even with t ips offered

quiet ly and discree t ly .

Receiving Change. When making purchases in Japanese s tores

you may notice tha t Japanese clerks do

not

count

change

for

customers

in

the way American clerks do. Japanese clerks

usually count change as they

remove

i t from the cash

reg i s t e rs .

Then

they

hand

the

sum

to

the

customer

without

bothering

to

go

through the count again for

the customer 's benef i t .

Japanese

customers make

mental

calcula t ions

of

the change they expect to

receive, then cast inconspicuous glances a t the money clerks

re turn to make sure the amount

is

correc t . Giving and receiving

change

in

th i s

manner resul ts from the Japanese

disdain for

f lashing money

in publ ic

places . Clerks do

not

mind if you

check the i r accuracy by counting

your

change upon receiving i t

but avoid spreading bi J Is or coins across a counter top,

for

example,

or counting or

otherwise

handl

ing your

money

in

any

way

tha t might invi te a t ten t ion .

Privacy.

Because Japan

is

a crowded country,

and because

o p po r

tun

i

t i e

s

for

p r i va c y for man y J a pan e

s e a r i

i

mit ed,

the

Japanese reta i n a so l id app rec i a t i on for the p r i vacy tha t is

avai

lable

to them, and for good

manners

when in trusions become

necessary.

mong the

Japanese,

foreign vis i to rs should always

be on the i r

best

behavior

where

matters

of privacy

are

concerned.

Like the Japanese, they should

make frequent

use of the

expres

sion sumim sen

( excuse

me ). They should always

knock

a t

doorways before enter i ng and a I ways avo i d i mpo l i t e I y i nter-


21/184

See the Bank of Japan website:

http://www.boj.or.jp/en/note_tfjgs/note/valid/index.htm/

http://www.boj.or.jp/en/note_tfjgs/note/valid/index.htm/http://www.boj.or.jp/en/note_tfjgs/note/valid/index.htm/


22/184

INVIT TIONS

I t is

not

real i s t i c

to

expect

to

be

invi ted into a Japanese

home

Such an inv i ta t ion

may be extended

to you during your

stay in Japan,

but

the

odds

are

agains t

i t . Many fore igners

who

have

resided

in

Japan

for years

have

never

been

ins ide

the

homes

of

close

Japanese f r iends .

This is not because of rudeness on

the par t of

the Japanese.

Rather, most Japanese

are

uncomfortable with the

thought

of

using the i r

homes

as places to en te r t a in gues ts .

Some

say

a reason

for

th i s

is

tha t

even more

than other

peoples around

the

world, the Japanese

I

ike to th ink

of

the i r

homes

as

informal

places to

re lax

from

the

tension

and formal

i ty

of

the i r

socia l

and working I ives .

The Japanese genera l ly

seem

re luctant

to

think

of t he i r homes as something other than

per

sona I or fam i I Y preserves .

Most Japanese

homes

are compact, and

many

householders

e s p e cia I I Y tho

sew

i t h sma I I

c

h i I d r

en may

con s id e r

the

i r

homes too

smal

I and

crowded for the kind of enter ta in ing they

would

I

ike to of fe r .

Also, since enter ta in ing guests very often includes

serving

a

meal,

many

Japanese feel tha t res taurants are be t te r places

to enter ta in

than

t he i r

homes. One

Japanese

notion

of

hospi


23/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

INVIT TIONS

a

Japanese host

may not say so an invi ta t ion tha t he extends

might not apply to the wife of the individual whom he is in-

vi t ing

American men whose wives are with

them in Japan

should

check

with

hosts before accepting inv i ta t ions

Also an American in

Japan

should be spec if ic in any invi-

t a t ions he might

extend

to

Japanese.

If you expect a

Japanese

to

bring

his

wife

to

a

dinner

or

party

be

sure

you

have

made

th i s c lear to him. ome

Japanese

men and the i r wives are un-

accustomed to at tending dinners and par t ies

toge ther

and both

husband and wife might be

uncomfortable if

you

ins i s t

tha t

they

do so.

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24/184

HOW

TO BE GOO GUEST

You

may not

receive

an

inv i ta t ion

to

enter

a private

res i

dence during

your

s tay in

Japan

but

the

fol lowing notes can

help

you to be

the kind of guest

with whom the

Japanese wi

I I

be

comfortable

whether

you

are

vis i t ing them

a t

home

or

e lse

where.

Removing

Shoes.

Remember tha t the Japanese do not

approve

of the

wearing of

shoes

in

some indoor se t t ings . Most

notably

they

are offended by

the thought of shoes worn inside

the i r

homes a

prac t ice tha t most Japanese

associa te with

the

t rack

ing in of d i r t

dust grime and mud from

outdoors .

The

Japan

ese

remove the i r shoes upon

entering

a residence of ten a t a

small

alcove

cal led

a

genkan

The

pract ice

of removing shoes

before

entering extends to

some

other

places besides

pr iva te

residences such

as

some

t rad i t iona l -s ty le res taurants . So whenever invi ted

out

be

sure to note upon arrival whether guests have removed the i r

shoes

and be

prepared

to remove

yours.

Bathing.

I t is possible tha t if you v i s i t a Japanese home

your

host

might

extend

to

you

an

invi ta t ion

to

bathe.

You

should

not

take th i s as a comment on any suspected

lack of

cleanl iness

on your

part . Bathing

to

the Japanese can

be an opportunity

to

relax

as

much

as

to get clean. Offering a guest a

refreshing


25/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

OW TO BE GOOD GUEST

Here are some notes that

can

help make you a good dinner

guest in

Japan.

Rice. Never underestimate the signif icance

that r ice

can

have-rDr the Japanese.

Of

al

I foods consumed in Japan, r ice

is

the most basic .

Gohan

is

the Japanese name for pla in steamed r ice tha t

is ready to be eaten (the Japanese have other names for un

cooked

r i ce for the r ice

plant

i t se l f and for other r ice

dishes) .

Long-grained white r ice

is

the

variety most favored

by the Japanese for making gohan, and

every

Japanese acquires

a

refined

sense

of

t as te for gohan cooked

to

jus t the

r ight

softness and texture . To many Japanese a mea l s hard I y com-

plete without

a t leas t

one steaming bowl

of gohan, and

i t

is

so essent ia l to Japanese

eat ing

habi ts

that

the word is some

t imes

used

to

mean

food in

general .

n

indicat ion

of the s igni f icance of gohan

is

to be noted

in

the

fac t

that

the

Japanese

words

for breakfast ,

I

unch, and

supper are each formed from

combinations

of the word for

morn i

ng

asa), noon hiru), or

even

i

ng yugata), and the

word

gohan. Breakfast is

asa-gohan

(often

shortened

to

asahan),

lunch

is

hiru-gohan

(or hiruhan), and

supper

is yu-gohan

(or

yuhan)

One popular

box

lunch sold in

Japan consis ts

of nothing

more

than

an individual portion of gohan

served

in a shallow

rectangular t ray with a bright red plum placed in the center .


26/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

OW

TO

BE GOOD GUEST

You def in i te ly should not

announce

a dis tas te for r ice

when a bowl of i t is being passed your way.

True, most

Japanese

can accept tha t foreigners have t as tes

dif ferent from

the i r s .

But

to

the

Japanese,

not I

iking

r ice

is unusual indeed. To

add

to

the strangeness

of th i s by

say-

i

ng

outr i ght tha t one does not l ike

r i ce

espec i a I I Y when

i t

is being served

during

a meal,

can

be

regarded

as

astonishingly

rude.

There

is

one blunder tha t foreigners

sometimes

commit

when

dining with Japanese tha t

can

t rouble the i r hosts even

more

than

refusing r ice and tha t is accepting

a

serving of r ice

and then

asking for the wrong

thing to

put

on

i t .

Butter

or

sugar, for

example, is

commonly

added to

steamed

r ice when i t is served

in

Western count r ies but the

Japanese,

I

ike

many

other

Asians, f ind the

combination of

e i ther

of

these

with r ice to be almost

sickening.

You wou I d do we I I to

add

noth i ng

a t

a I I

to

r ice tha t is

served to you by

Japanese

hosts unless i t is something you

notice your hosts adding to

the i r s . Many

Japanese are apt

to

be si lent ly

disturbed

even if more than a few drops of soy

sauce shoyu),

probably

the

most

favored condiment

in

Japanese

dining, is

sprinkled

upon a serving

of

gohan.

Port ions.

I t

is the

Japanese

way to

serve

a meal

using

severa

I

sma

I I pla tes and bow I s for each

diner , ra ther than

heaping servings of di f fe ren t foods on a

s ingle

pla te as

in


27/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

OW TO BE GOOD GUEST

In Japanese, ois i i means tas ty or del iclous, and the

word

is

often repeated around a table several t imes by well

mannered guests a t

a Japanese

meal.

Appearance

of food. No

people in

the world are

more

con

cerned than the Japanese about arranging foods

to

be

appetizing

and colorful on a pla te . I t

is

sometimes remarked tha t the

Japanese

eat with

the I r eyes as we I I as

with

the i r

mouths.

Almost

always

the

Japanese

make a

special

ef for t

to

make

foods

look

good

to guests .

comp I iment, therefore ,

about

the

appearance

of a serving

of food before i t is eaten

can hardly fai I

to appeal to

Japanese

sens i t iv i t i e s .

Chopsticks. Silverware is usually avai lable in

Japanese

restaurants

and in many Japanese homes

if

you request i t ,

but

for

eat ing Japanese-style

meals

the

Japanese

use hashi (chop

s t icks) . You can learn

to

use hashi expert ly

with

only a

I i t t l e prac t ice .

For

Japanese-sty

I e mea Is, the Japanese genera I I Y need no

other

utensi

Is,

since

such

foods

are

always cut

into bi te -s ize

morsels

by

the

person who

prepares them.

When

using

hashi,

bi te -s i ze

items should

be

raised

from

the pla te to the mouth,

but

the best way to tackle a bowl of

gohan

is to pick up the bowl from

the

table .

Hold

the

bowl

near

your mouth with one hand and use your chopsticks with


28/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND OW

TO

BE

A

GOOD GUEST

Att i tudes toward drinking. Alcohol ic

drinks,

especia l ly

beer and s ke (Japanese r ice wine), are popular with Japanese-

s tyle meals. If you are

invited

to drink when being served a

meal

or

on

any other occasion,

some

knowledge of Japanese a t t i -

tudes toward drinking may

be

helpful .

mong men an

invi ta t ion

to drink s ke or any other drink

is not an offer to refuse casual ly. Many Japanese can be

offended by refusals

of

such

invi ta t ions,

al though they are

not

apt to say so. Drinking and

relaxed

social izing are close-

ly l inked, in the minds of many Japanese men and a refusal

to drink without some good excuse can be interpreted as a

reject ion

of

the i r company.

The

hos t s

suggest i on.

n

Amer i can host

may

typ i ca I I Y ask

a

guest

to name the kind of drink he might prefer , and be

prepared

to

serve or

mix

any

of

several

kinds of

drinks.

A

Japanese

host, however, is

more

apt to suggest something

speci-

f ic that

he would I

ike

to

serve to you.

Whether a

hos t s suggestion is to drink s ke or something

e lse , you should

regard

the offer as something more than a mere

suggestion, and you

should not announce

a

preference for

some

other drink.

Refi

l Is .

If

you

are

being served

any

alcohol

ic

drink,

including beer, allow your

host

to pour your drink

for

you

and

also to ref i l l

your gla ss. mong Japanese

i t

is general ly

understood

that

a good

host wi

I I be

a t t en t ive

to the

cups

and


29/184

CULTUR L B CKGROUND

OW TO BE GOOD

GUEST

On the other hand despi te the discipl ined way they

general

ly go

about the

serving of dr inks many

Japanese

do enjoy heavy

drinking as

nat ional

s t t i s t i c s on alcohol consumption reveal .

Women in Japan are

expected

to refr in from

drinking

in

toxica t ing

amounts but

i t

is

widely

accepted

in Japan

th t

men are f ree

to

seek

re

Iease from the tens ions

of everyday l i fe

by

drinking heavi

Iy.

Probably

more

so than most Americans

~ s t Japanese can accept

with

understanding the behavior of

men who

are drunk in publ ic.

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30/184

FOO S

If you are unfami I iar

with Japanese foods

you

should

sample the

dishes and

styles

of cooking for which Japan is

world

famous. Simple t h r i f t

might be

one in i t ia l reason

for

you

to

do

so.

ome American tour i s t s re turn

from

Japan with t a les of

outrageous res taurant

prices.

The cost of dining

out

can

indeed be

high in Japan but

many

Americans

go

wrong

by

dining

on

steak

and other favori te American

foods

during the i r stay

and do not

consider

the possible

scarci ty

of

such foods

In

Japan.

Knowing

how to

dine

inexpensively

in

Japan

begins

with

knowing some basic

facts

about

Japanese eat ing

habi ts .

You should know for example that the people

of Japan re ly

heavi l yon

seafood as

a

source of protein.

The

Japanese

have

always had

easy

access to the sea and

they

lack

abundant

grass

land for grazing animals. Beef

p r ~

and

other meats have not

been as important to the average Japanese

as

to the average

American and t rad i t iona l ly meals with meat

were

served only

on

special

occasions

in

Japan.

The Japanese depend a great deal on r ice; potatoes

and

some

of

the Western array of

foodstuffs

made

from

wheat f lour


31/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

FOODS

Apart

from

the

food

a t

fast -food restaurants

and

a t some

American-style

coffee shops ktssa-ten) , American

fare

in Japan

can

be extremely expensive. For tha t matter,

most

of the

internat ional restaurants

of

Japan, which

special

ize, for

example, in the

foods

of France, I ta ly or Mexico, while not

exact ly hard to

f ind in

the larger c i t i e s of Japan, are also

qui te

expensive. Some Chinese res taurants in

Japan

are ex

cept ions.

Many

of

these

are

qui te

expensive,

but

many

others

are not, since Chinese food is

qui te

popular

among

the common

people of

Japan.

I t

is

t rue

that

the Japanese

themselves

pay heavi Iy

for

some of

the

exot ic spec ia l t i es of Japanese

cooking

served

a t

f i r s t -c la s s

res tcurants .

And as

in

the

United Sta tes

some

res taurants in

Japan

can be very expensive

simply because of

the luxurious surroundings tha t they offer to

diners .

n ent i re category of

luxurious

res taurants bars , and

other places of enter tainment in Japan

is

priced

far

beyond

the range of ord

i

nary

wage

earners, and rea

II y

exi s t s

on I y

for

cl

ients

with expense accounts or some other source

of nearly

unl

imited spending power. Some Japanese

businessmen wield

. expense accounts

that would boggle the

minds of the i r counter

parts in other countr ies . Some of the most generous

expense

accounts to be found anywhere in the

world are

part of the

salary

s t ruc ture

for

managerial

posi t ions

in

Japanese business

and industry , and those

who

have them are famous for making

ful

I

use of

them

to enter ta in business associa tes and guests

in lavish s ty le unmindful of the cos ts .


32/184

CULTUR L B CKGROUND FOODS

kinds of seafood, and

sometimes chicken,

are also used. Deep

f r ied along with

these

are

mushrooms,

chunks of onions, chunks

of sweet potatoes, and sl

ices

of peppers

and

other vegetables .

Domburi l i t e ra I I Y means bow I , but when a

Japanese

orders

tanin-domburi or oyako-domburi, he

is asking

for a bowl of

gohan

topped with

an

omelettel ike

mixture

of cooked egg,

meat,

and

vegetables .

Tanin-domburi

is topped

with a b e e f a ~ d e g g mix

ture ( ingredients considered unre la ted , the I i t e ra l

meaning

of

tanin ;

oyako-domburi

is topped

with an egg-and-chicken mix

ture ( ingredients considered

parent

and chi ld ) . Other kinds

of

domburi

are tendon ( f r ied shrimp on

r ice)

and

katsudon

(pork

cut le t on

r i ce) .

The

Japanese

I

ike marinated meats cut in th in sl ices .

Teriyaki

is marinated beef; y k j tor i is marinated chicken.

These

are

often skewered

and

roasted

and

then served on s t i cks

six or eight inches

long.

Udon and soba are names for two popular types

of

long

noodles which are general ly served hot in a

th in

broth with

bi ts of

meat

and vegetables and seasoning. Udon is noodles

made from wheat f lour ; soba i s darker-colored noodles made

from buckwheat f lour . A

large

bowl of udon or soba is a con

venient ,

inexpensive,

and

therefore popular lunch in Japan.

S ~ s h i can be any

of

a

var ie ty of bi te - s ize

por t ions of

pressed

go

han to which bi t s of seafood

or pickled

vegetables

have been added. Sushi is served

cold.

A few drops of

mi

Id


33/184

CULTUR L B CKGROUND

FOODS

ably priced shops

which

special

ize

in preparing them,

usually

to the exclusion of other menu

i tems.

In

Japanese,

ya

added

to the end of a word can mean store or shop, and when i t

is added to names for

foods

such as

soba,

yaki tori , or s ~ s i

soba-ya,

yaki tor i -ya

sushi-ya) ,

the

new word in

each

case

means a shop

that

spec i a Ii zes in prepari ng tha t food.

At

one time i t

was

the

Japanese

way to

dine only on low

tables raised

I i t t l e more than a

foot from the

f loor ,

with

diners

seated on f loor cushions zabuton). Woven straw

mats

tatami)

covered the f loors of most rooms in Japanese houses,

including

rooms used

for dining.

Some Japanese retain

t radi t ional

furnishings for dining at

home but increasingly

in modern Japan the use of Western-style

tables and chai rs

seems to be considered more

convenient.

mong

res taurants

only the

more

expensive

ones,

notably

the

t radi t ional

countryside inns ryokan), are apt to s t r ive to

provide al I furnishings

and

decor associated

with

t radi t ional

Japanese

dining. Most shokudo and special ty

shops

are out

f i t t ed much I

ike

American

res taurants with

t ab les chairs, and

counters .

With

almost

any

food

the Japanese serve hot tea o-aha).

Both sof t drinks and mi Ik

are

consumed in Japan, especial ly

by

young

people,

but

they

general ly

do

not

complement

t radi t ional

dishes, in the Japanese view.

mong adul ts cold beer

or

warmed sake

is

popular with most


34/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

FOODS

Many Japanese

do not seem especia l ly in teres ted in desserts as

a

f inish

to a meal

cons is t ing

of

Western-s tyle foods and seem

to

think tha t such desser ts as pie or ice

cream

are rea l ly

bet te r

as

between-meal

snacks.

Two young guests a t a Japanese inn enjoying the i r dinner

which

is

served

in the i r room. The kimono they are wearing

is

fur

nished by the inn.

Image: Tomo/shishamo72 Date: 29 August 2009cc-by-2.0

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ikaho_dinner_01.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ikaho_dinner_01.jpghttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.enhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ikaho_dinner_01.jpghttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ikaho_dinner_01.jpghttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en


35/184

CONVERS TIONS

YOU

MIGHT

GET

INTO

Because

you

speak

Engl

ish,

some Japanese might regard you

as a

loarning resource.

Engl

ish

is by

far the most popular

foreign

language s tudied in

Japan, and many

Japanese begin

studying

Engl ish in

junior

high school and continue studying

i t

in

univers i t i es .

Other Japanese enrol

I

in pr iva te

language

schools

tha t special

ize

in Engl ish , and in

Japanese

magazines

you

can

see

advert isements for

home-study

courses

in

Engl

ish

conversat ion.

Don't be

surpr ised i f

a

Japanese

introduces

himself to

you

on the s t ree t and asks

i f

he

may pract ice

the Engl ish he

has

learner . This happens

frequently to

Americans in

Japan,

and

some

Japanese

have

been

known to offer Americans the i r services

as

on-the-spot

tour guides around

Japanese c i t i e s

in exchange

for the

opportunity

to sharpen the i r English-speaking ski I Is .

Except perhaps when

they

want to pracfice the i r Engl

ish,

most Japanese

probab I y wi I I be very

interested

in

any

ef for t

on your

par t

to

use the i r

language. They

will gladly help

you

in your at tempts

and

encourage

you with compl

iments.

In

fac t ,

some Americans f ind

Japanese praise of

the i r

lan

guage abi

I

i t ie s

a

bi t

overwhelming. Some

Japanese

may be

so

happi Iy

surpr ised to

hear

you speak

Japanese tha t they

wi I I

make a

great

fuss

about

your language

ski

l i s ,

however

l imited

they may

be.


36/184

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ginza_district,_Tokyo.jpg


37/184

WH T

THE J P NESE

DO

FOR FUN

American influence on Japanese ways of I i fe has

been

very

st rong.

n American in Japan can

hardly

fai

I

to notice tha t

the Japanese

enjoy

themselves

by

doing

many

of

the same

things

Americans do. Mi II ions

of

Japanese

seem

to l ike

American

popu-

lar

music, t e lev i s ion shows, and movies ful ly as much as

simi

lar

Japanese

enter ta i nment.

Like Americans, mi

II ions

of

Japanese

love

basebal Ii

they spend

summers preoccupied

with

Li t t le

League games and with

the

ups and downs of the i r favori te pro-

fessional teams

and players .

However,

a Japanese who enjoys

these

things may also enjoy

par t ic ipa t ing in Japanese fes t iva l s

of

ancient or igin, and

may

enjoy

pract icing

or

appreciat ing

ar t s and craf t s

deeply

rooted in Japanese

t rad i t ion . The same

Japanese may also

en-

joy such past imes

as

photography and golf ,

which

are very popu-

lar in

modern Japan, and

he

may

I

ike to frequent paahinko par-

lors , playing

the ver t ica l

pinball

machine game which

mt

II ions

of Japanese enjoy.

s in few other countr ies , I i fe in modern

Japan

combines

the very old

with

the very new and foreign influences with

t rad i t ion .

No

one can

get

to

know

the

Japanese

very

wei I

with-

out

knowing about the i r

diversi ty , and

some

ins ights

can

come

from knowing

how they have

fun.


38/184

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

FUN

umo

is

a

t radi t ional

Japanese

wrestl

ing contest

that

seems

to a t t rac t vi r tua l ly no in te res t

outside Japan, but

among

Japanese the sport fo II ows

close

I y af te r

baseba

I

l n specta tor

populari ty.

umo wrest lers t ra in to achieve great body proport ions and

weight in addi t ion to s t rength . After ceremonious

int roduct ions,

man-to-man

grappl

ing takes place in

a small

c i rcu lar

r ing.

Japan s networks t e l ev i se sumo

year-round

a t regular in ter-

vals , covering

six major

sumo tournaments,

each held annually

in a

different

region of Japan and each las t ing 5 days.

Japanese masters teach martial ar t s such as

judo karate

and

aikido

to the world. Many Japanese enjoy watching

and

pract ic ing

these

very disc ipl ined,

t radi t ional

forms of unarmed

self-defense.

On the other hand, to judge from the number of

t e lecas t s ,

the Japanese also enjoy watChing brawls known as kick-boxing

contests,

in which combatants

use

the i r

feet

for kicking

as

we

I I as

gloved

f i s t s for punch i ng. The Japanese seem to have

learned th i s sport by see ing i t pract iced

in

Thailand.

The

Japanese

have accepted the game of vo I Ieyba I I as a

spectator sport

in

ways

yet

to

be

equa

II

ed by sports

fans

in

the Un i

ted States

and in

other

countr Ies. When Japanese vo I Iey

ba I I teams

t rave

I ab road, they se I

dom

f ind worthy compet i t ion

anywhere.


39/184

CULTUR L B CKGROUND

UN

Notable Japanese addi t ions to ski

lodge amenitIes are

nearby hot spr ings for

bathing.

Onsen is the

Japanese

word

for natural warm-water

springs which

exi s t

in

large

numbers

not only in the

mountains but

also throughout the i s lands.

Bui Iding ski

lodges

near

onsen,

so tha t skiers can

conveniently

relax warm themselves and recover from fa t igue in t radi t ional

Japanese

fashion is

an

example

of

how

the

Japanese

can happi Iy

combine foreign ideas with the i r own and achieve

unique resul t s .

The

actual

number of onsen in

Japan

is est imated a t about

13 000 a I though not a II of them are of temperatures su I tab Ie

for bathing.

Many onsen,

however

are of

temperatures that could hardly

be more

ideal for bathing and the waters of several

hundred

of them have

high

minerai

content

reputed

to

be of

health

value

to those

who regularly immerse

themselves in them. Therefore

both

the

good

clean

fun of

bathing

and

the

supposed

curat ive

propert ies

a t t rac t

many Japanese to onsen, and resor t towns

cal

led

onsen

maahi have

grown up

around

some

major hot spring

locat ions to

accommodate

the

vis i to rs who

flock to them.

Bathing. The Japanese place a high value on

personal

cleanl iness

but

the fact tha t

bathing

amounts to something of

a national

pastime

in Japan does

not

resu l t from concern about

mere

clean

I i

ness.

I n a

bath

o- furo) , most

Japanese

seek

a I

so

re laxat ion

and warming rei ief from the chi I I of winter or the

swelter ing heat of summer. Sometimes in

public bathing Ben to ) ,

a

bath provides

an

opportunity for soc ia l iz ing.


40/184

CULTUR L B CKGROUND

FUN

aff luent

Japanese today

seem less

wi

I I ing

than

the

Japanese of

a few generations

ago

to I ive in homes without

pr ivate

baths.

Some good publ

ic bathhouses

remain in business today, however.

At bathhouses, separate faci I

i t l e s

are

used

by men and women

After scrubbing and r ins ing, patrons

soak

together in a large

bath

which

may equal a swimming

pool in

size . Bathhouse

patrons are

almost

al I

regular customers.

Other

le isure-t ime

ac t iv i t i e s .

The Japanese

watch

a

lot

of

t e lev i s ion and many homes have two or more se t s including

a t least one

color

set . Even an American

who

understands

l i t t l e

or no

Japanese

can

f ind

Japanese te levis ion fasc ina t ing.

For

one thing,

Japanese te lecas t ing is

remarkably sharp and

c l ea r

and

the

visual experience

alone

is in terest ing. Also

of

in ter-

est

are

the

several American t e lev i s ion

ser i es tha t

are broad

cast

in

Japan

af te r

having been

dubbed

into Japanese. Some

of

these

are

qui te popular in Japan,

among

Japanese

in al l walks

of I

i fe . For

example,

during

a 1975

v i s i t

to the United

Sta tes

Japan s emperor reportedly expressed a special in te res t in

meeting

the

actor

who portrayed his

favor i te

pol

ice detect ive

hero in an American te levis ion ser i es .

To

an American, Japanese

comedy,

drama and adventure

ser ies

quiz shows, and

commercial

advert ising may have a fami I iar look,

brought about

by American influence on

Japanese t e lev i s ion en

tertainment.

But

many

in te res t ing

differences

a lso

ex i s t

making

Japanese

te levis ion a unique hybrid.

Also,

an

American interested in

the

Japanese

language

can


41/184

CULTUR L B CKGROUND

UN

You wi probably not ice

during

your

s tay

tha t the Japanese

ike to pose

for

group

photographs.

Often a s t ranger is ap-

proached and asked if

he

wi

kindly

use a member s

camera to

photograph

a group

of

f r iends

s wi

ing

as

the Japanese often are

to

pose, many are

t roubled

by photographers

who

at tempt

candid shots, and regard

such

at tempts as

infringements

on the i r privacy.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E4%B8%AD%E5%8F%A4%E3%82%AB%E3%83%A1%E3%83%A9%EF%BC%88%E4%B8%B9%E6%B3%A2%E5%B8%82%E6%9F%8F%E5%8E%9F%E7%94%BA%EF%BC%89.jpg


42/184

E RTHQU KES

True to

popular

bel ief

earthquakes j i s h in ) do occur often

in Japan. However, a

vis i to r

is

not

ikely

to

experience

a

severe

one.

n the course

of

a

year

a dozen or so quakes

may

be

serious

enough to r a t t l e household or of f ice furnishings,

but

even

these are

more

ikely to

occur

in

the countryside

than

in

the urban

areas where most

people ive.

City residents also

have the assurance

that major

cons t ruct ion

in Japan s

urban

areas has

for the

past several

years been carr ied out

according

to

some of

the

world s

f inest

ear thquake-proof ing technology.

More s ta r t l ing to some Americans than an earthquake

i t se l f

is

the Japanese reaction when a tremor is f e l t . any Japanese

promptly evacuate

rooms,

stand between doorjambs or duck under

desks

or

tables

in

a ref lex ive

reaction

to what might happen

in a severe quake. any Japanese are t rained

from

chi

Idhood

to take such

precautions,

and although

they may appear

panic

str icken to Americans, they are

rea l ly

react ing only out of

habi t .

Obtain spec if ic

recommendations

about what to do in

the

event of an earthquake both

a t

your place

of

work and in your

iving

quarters .

Don t

be

fazed

by

the

react ions

of

others i f

an earthquake should occur.


43/184

TR VEL

WITHIN

J P N

Japan has impressive s t re tches of

superhighway,

and

many

Japanese

own private

automobiles.

Most,

however, rely

on publ

ic

t ranspor ta t ion.

With gasol

ine and

other petroleum products

priced three

or

more t imes as high as in the

United

s ta tes ,

most

Japanese cannot

afford to operate

private

automobiles,

even

though mass production of

well-made, fue l -e f f ic ien t

cars

is

a major Japanese industry.

J a pan e s e pub I i c t ran s p r t a t ion i s fa mo u s for i t s e f f i c i en c

y •

World-famous bul le t

t ra ins

connect some major population

centers . They are recognized as the world s fas tes t passenger

t ra ins , reaching speeds

of up to

130

miles

per hour. Other

t ra ins

make

rai

I

t ravel

possible to

pract ical ly all

parts

of

Japan and also

of fe r courteous

service

and comfort.

Interurban

t ra in ,

subway and bus service

is

general ly

extensive

in

all

s izable Japanese

c i t i e s .

Although publ ic

t ranspor ta t ion is plent i ful

in Japan, and

runs

dependably on schedule, commuter

t ranspor ta t ion

in

the

larger c i t i e s can be extremely crowded during

rush

hours. The

t ra ins

that

I ink

distant

c i t i e s also can be

qui te crowded

dur

i

ng

Japanese

ho I i

days.

Japanese

workdays in most of f ices and fac tor ies begin and

end a t about

the

same hours as in

the

United Sta tes , but com-


44/184

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yurakucho_Shinkansen.jpg


45/184

HOLID YS ND FESTIV LS

The Japanese

celebrate

2

national

hoi

idays

each year. As

with national

hoi

idays in the United s ta tes and elsewhere, in

Japan these are

days

se t aside to honor persons or

inst i tu t ions

or

to

commemorate events of great s ignificance

in

the

I ife of

the nation. Japanese

government

off i ces , schools , banks, and

some private

businesses

remain

closed

on

national holidays.

In addit ion to

national

hoi idays,

the

Japanese celebrate a

calendar of matsuri fes t iva l s )

every

year.

These are not

of f ic ia l ly sanctioned

by

the

Japanese

government

as

national

events .

Almost

al l

matsuri began as regional celebrat ions , and

remain so, with only a few celebrated

throughout

Japan. How-

ever ,

many

matsuri

are

we

I I known among a I I

the

peop

I e

of Japan

and

receive

considerable

national at tent ion. For

local folk in

some

parts

of Japan, an

annua

I matsuri can be the I

ivel

ies t ,

most eagerly

awaited,and

most

careful ly

planned celebrat ion of

the year.

Japan 's national hoi idays and some important matsuri are

given chronologically in the following l i s t ing .

January 1-4.

New

Year 's

Day

(January

I)

is

a

national

hoi iday, but

f es t iv i t i e s las t

through

January

4.

The Japanese

term for the ent i re ho I i day i nterva l s

s h ~ g a t s J i ,

and i t ran ks

h i g h i n

imp

0 r tan c e amon g

ann

u a I c e I e bra t ion s for a I I J a pan e s e •


46/184

CULTURAL

BACKGROUND

HOLIDAYS ND FESTIVALS

February 1-5. Snow Festival

yuki-matsuri)

in Sapporo.

Since the beginning of th i s fes t iva l

in

the 19505, the people

of th is

principal

ci ty

of Hokkaido have every

year

been

con

s t ruc t ing elaborate

snow

and ice sculptures

in the i r downtown

Odori

Park. Nowadays about 200

such sculptures are

created

for th i s

fes t ival , some of them

small

and f inely deta i led,

others

massive.

Colored I

ighting

ef fec t s are added during

evenings, and shows and events are staged.

February

II .

National Foundation Day (a national hoi iday).

Ca

II ed kenkoku

no hi

in Japanese, th

is

day ce Iebrates

the

founding of Japan

by

the

legendary Emperor J immu in 660 B.C.

March 3. Doll Fest iva l . The Japanese

call

th i s celebra

t ion hina-matsur i . I t

is

held nationwide and

is

also known as

Girls '

Day. I t is

celebra ted

with

displays

of

ceremonial

dolls (not toy dol l s ) , for which the Japanese word is hina

ningyo. Many households

display

se ts of dol

Is which

depict

Japan's emperor,

empress, and

imperial

cour t .

Hina-ningyo are

often

fami Iy

heirlooms. Par t ies are customari

Iy given by

young

gi r l s

on th i s day.

March 2 or 22. Vernal

Equinox

Day (a

national

hoi

iday).

The time

of

the vernal equinox-- that time in

spr ing

when

days

and nights become of

exactly

equal length-- is

of

rei igious

significance

to

some

Japanese,

reminding

them

of

Q

dividing

I

ine

between I i fe in

th i s world

and

the af te r l i fe . Graves are

vis i ted and decorated on th i s day, and for some Japanese i t is

a I

so

a

day

to ref Iect on

the

wonders of natu

re ,

espec i a I I y


47/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

HOLID YS

ND

FESTIVALS

May

5. Chi Idren 's Day (a national hoi iday).

This

hoi

iday,

ko omo

no i in

Japanese,

honors the ch I dren of Japan and

ca

II s

a t tent ion to

proper

gra t i tude of chi Idren to parents .

Boys' Day

Fest

i va I ( i n Japanese, tango no sekk-p.). The

f i f th day

of

the

f i f th

month is

also

the

t radi t ional

date for

th i s fes t iva l ,

from

which the Children 's Day holiday has

been

adapted. For many Japanese, May 5 remains Boys' Day, the time

when fami I

ies

honor

the i r

male

offspring

and

wish

them

healthy,

successfu

I I

ives.

Throughout

Japan, fami

I ies

with young

sons

hoist carp streamers --Iarge cloth or paper representat ions

of

th i s

respected f ish--which bi I low

in

the wind. The Japanese

name for these

streamers

is koinobori , and they are seen a t

many

other t imes of

the

year also.

July 7.

Star Fest ival tanabata-matsur i ) . This

fes t ival ,

celebrated in

many

par ts of

Japan on

the seventh day

of

the

seventh

month,

has

grown

out

of

an

ancient

Chinese

legend

about

two

lovers

destined

to meet somewhere

among the

s ta rs of

the

Mi Iky Way on th i s

day

throughout e te rn i ty .

This

is a very old

fes t iva l in

Japan,

and in

the c i ty

of

Sendai,

in northern Honshu,

i t

is celebrated on an

especia l ly

large scale (although th i s

famous Sendai celebrat ion usual ly takes place during

August).

Many

t radi t ional

papercraft ski l i s

are

used to crea te the

streamers, Ianterns, pompons and

origami

(fo I ded paper f igures)

associated with th is

day in

Japan. Poems

writ ten

on colored

s t r ips

of paper

tanzakA)

are

seen hanging

on

branches

a t

the

gates of

houses

and gardens

on

th i s

day_


48/184

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toji_Temple_Blossoms.jpg


49/184


50/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

HOLID YS ND FESTIVALS

remains much the same in

th i s

combined Japanese version: the

honoring

of laborers and

of

the

commitment

to

hard

work, plus

grat i tude for material blessings.

December 25. Christmas. Chr is t i an i ty is not a dominant

rel igion in Japan,

but

i t s

influence

is s trong. Most Japanese,

however,

enjoy Christmas

as a gi f t -g iv ing occasion. For th i s

purpose, the

Japanese have

adopted many of

the customs

of

Western

countr ies

to

celebra te

Christmas, including

simi

lar

hoi

iday decorat ions and Christmas t rees .

Many Japanese

com

panies

choose th i s

time of year

to

award

employees

the second

of

two annua I

bonuses

customar i I y pa i d to workers in Japan.

Chrisimas

shopping

sprees have become as common in

Japan

as

in

the

United Sta tes .

December 31. misoka means the Ias t

grand

day. The

Japanese

end the year by concluding business t ransac t ions ,

pay n 9

deb

t

5,

and

ex

c han

gin

9

yea

r

end

g i f t

5 •

No

0

die

s hop s

are

at

the i r

busies t , supplying

the t radi t ional

demand

for

noodles

to celebrate

the

end of the year.

Many Japanese

stay awake

unti I midnight

to

hear temple

bel ls

to l l 108

t imes,

according

to

custom, and

some go to shrines and temples

for an

ear ly

s ta r t on

New

Year 's

fe s t iv i t i e s .

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Itsukushima_jinjya.JPG.jpg


51/184

QU Z

a rk each

of

the fo

I low i

ng statements e i ther

t rue

or fa

Ise.

Then

check your answers

with the

key.

I. Because Japan has become a

crowded nation most

Japanese have lost much of

the i r

concern

for

the

pr i -

vacy

of

others .

2.

A Japanese acquaintance

wi

II

more I

ikely

invi te you to a

meal

a t

a

res taurant

than

to

a meal prepared and served

a t

his

home

3.

Japan

has

been invaded and

conquered several

times in

the

las t 1 000 years .

4.

If

you invi te a married

Japanese

male

to

attend

a

par ty or dinner he will

surely assume

that

his

wife

is welcome

to attend

True

False


52/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

9

A

J a pan e s ew j

I I

pro b a b

I Y

want

to open

a

gi f t -

wrapped

package

upon re-

ceiving i t

whi Ie

the

person who gave

the

g i f t

looks

on.

10 Eng

l i s

is the fore i g n

language

most

commonly

studied by

the

Japanese.

II . The

Japanese are

qu

i te

open

in compl imenting

hosts on

foods that

are well

prepared.

12. The land area

of

Japan

is

about equal in

s ize

to

tha t of Ca I ; forn; a.

13. If you buy a bowl

of

Japanese

noodles

i t

is

okay to s ip

the

broth

from

the bowl i t se l f

14. Baseball

is

a very

popular sport among

the Japanese.

QUIZ

True

False


53/184

CULTURAL

BACKGROUND

19 waitress in a typical

Japanese

res taurant

wi

II

probably

think you are a

cheapskate if

you do not

leave her a

5 percent

t ip

20

You

should

allow

a Japanese

host

an

opportuni ty to re-

fi I I your s ke cup

for

you

instead

of ref i l l i ng i t for

yourself

21 To refuse to eat a number

of

foods

impresses many

Japanese as

a

sign of

sophis t ica t ion

22 Leaving

uneaten

food

on

a pla te

is apt

to be con-

sidered a serious social

wrong by most Japanese

QUIZ

True

False


54/184

CULTUR L

B CKGROUND

QU Z K Y

Key

I •

False

12

True

2

True

13 True

3 False

14 True

4

False

I 5 • False

5

False

16

True

6

False

17

True

7 • True

I8 True

8 False

19

False

9

False

20 True

10 True

2 I

False

I I •

True

22

True


55/184

BIBLIOGR PHY

Many

excel lent

books

on Japan are avai lable in

l ibrar ies

and

bookstores,

including books by Western authors and

t rans

la t ions

of books original ly publ ished

by Japanese authors .

Book-length studies are

avai

lable on many

spec if ic aspects

of

Japanese

cul ture

and

periods

of his tory. The

fol

lowing

books,

however,

are

recommended

for

the i r

general

in te res t

to

foreign

res idents in

Japan

and

for

the i r easy ava i lab i l i ty .

Condon, John, and Kurata, Keisuke, In Searah

o

What s Japanese

about Japan.

Shufunotomo

Company of Tokyo, 1977.

n in terest

ing study of many facets

of

Japanese cul ture with photographs,

by a

professor

a t

the

Internat ional Christ ian Universi ty

in

suburban

Tokyo.

De Menthe, Boye, P s and Q s

for Travelers in

Japan.

Shufunotomo Company of Tokyo, 1974. A I ively book

of

informal

advice, especia l ly good for f i r s t - t ime v is i to r s by

an

American

with a long career in Japan.

Forbis, i I I iam H., Japan Today. Harper

and

Row, 1975. Sub

t i t l ed People, Places and Power, th i s is a

useful inside

account

of

Japanese I

i fe

and thought by an American journal

i s t

who

has

special

ized

in

covering Japan.

Nagasawa, Kimiko, and Condon, Camy, Eating heap in Japan.

Shufunotomo

Company of

Tokyo,

1977. A

visual ly

appealing


56/184

MODULE

GREETINGS

ND

INTRODU TIONS

I

O JECTIVES

pon completion

of t h i s

module you w

II be

able

to

I . greet someone

with

the appropr ia te expression in

the morning, af ternoon,

and

evening;

2.

in t roduce

two

persons to

each

o ther

3.

respond

appropr ia te ly

when

being int roduced;

4. say good-bye.


57/184

GREETINGS

ND INTRODUCTIONS

P RT

2 VOCABULARY

The system of wri t ing Japanese used in t h i s course is

ca l led the Hepburn system. Pronuncia t ion

of

most of

the

l e t t e r s

presents no

d i f f i cu l t y

to

an

American. Those l e t t e r s or

combinat ions of l e t t e r s

considered

d i f f i c u l t to pronounce wi

I I

be

explained

in

t h i s

sec t ion

of

the

modules.

In Module you may have d i f f i c u l ty with

the

following:

I. When the l e t t e r n is the l a s t

l e t t e r

i t may sound somewhat l ike the n

in

s ing .

Miura-san

in a word

Listen:

2. When double l e t t e r s appear in a Japanese word as in

konnichiwa

3

the

sound

i s repeated . Think of

double

l e t t e r s

as having a

hyphen

between

them

and pronounce both l e t t e r s

d i s t i nc t l y .

Lis ten:

Kon-nichiwa

3.

The

l e t t e r s

with a bar above them and

a

3

are


58/184

GREETINGS ND INTRODUCTIONS

PART

2

o h y ~ g o z i m s ~

good morning

konnichiwa good

day

kombanwa

good evening

kochirawa

t h i s

person)

sa n

Mr. ;

Mrs.

Miss

des t1

is ; am;

are

hajimemash/te

how

do

you do

dozo

yorosh/kt1

pleased

to meet

you

kochira koso

the

pleasure

i s

mine

dewa

mata

see

you

l a te r

j mata see you l a te r


59/184

GREETINGS ND

INTRODUCTIONS P RT

3

3 NOTES

I. The

phrase

ohayo gozaimaBn l i t e ra

I I y mean s

i

t s

ea r ly .

This

gree t ing

is

not

genera l ly used a f te r about

ten o 'c lock in the morning.

Konniahiwa

l i t e ra l ly

means

as for today.

I t

is

used

from

about ten

o 'c lock

in the morning

unti

I

dusk.

Kombanwa means

good

evening and

is used

in

the

same way as

i t s Engl ish t r ans l a t i on .

2.

Although Americans customari Iy follow

a

greet ing

by

how

are you, the

Japanese

equivalent , o-genki

deB,

ka

is

not

used

by

persons

meeting for the f i r s t t ime. The phrase

is

used

by

f r iends

who

have

not

seen each

other

for

some

t ime.

3. The ending

-Ban

is added to

a

person ' s name. I t

may usual ly

be

t rans la t ed as Mr., Mrs.,

or

Miss.

-Ban

is

used

a f te r a

person 's

f i r s t name

or

l a s t name.

Note tha t

-Ban

shows

the

speaker ' s

respect

for

the

person

he

is speaking to or about. The

speaker ,

therefore ,

never uses

-Ban

with his

own name.

For example,

you would

cal l

your

f r iend

Tanaka-Ban

but

he

would

refer

to

himself

simply as Tanaka.


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GREETINGS ND INTRODUCTIONS

P RT

3

6. At a par ty or on the

s t r ee t

when you recognize a t

a

distance

someone

you know you

should f i r s t

nod

as

a

gesture of

recognit ion. s

you approach

or

are approached

by the

person

you greet him. General ly one

does not

shout

and

greet

another person at a dis tance in Japan

except

in some intimate groups

such as

young

s tudents .

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ggb2006014327/


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GREETINGS AND

INTRODUCTIONS

PART

4

FLUENCY

DRILLS

I . Japanese, l ike

Engl ish,

has an expression for good

morn

i

ng --ohayo

gozaimasi. I t is

used

unt i I about

ten

o c lock in

the

morning.

If someone says ohayo g o z a i m a s ~

i t is

customary to

answer

ohayo gozaimasi. Now you wi I I

hear

the expression

three

t imes;

repeat

af te r

hearing i t

each

t ime.

o h a y ~ gozaimasli

o h a y ~

gozaimaski

ohayo gozaimasd

You

meet

Mr.

Naka

on

the

way to

work

in

the

morning:

Naka:

Ohayo g o z a i m a s ~

YOU

2. From

ten

o c lock

in the

morning

unt i

I dark, the most

common greet ing

is

konniahiwa. Konniahiwa

is also

the


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GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

PART 4

3. After dark

the

gree t ing is kombanwa and you

answer

with

kombanwa.

Listen

to

two

Japanese people

gree t ing

each

other when they meet

af te r

supper.

Naka:

Kombanwa.

Imai: Kombanwa.

Now

Imai

greets

you

a t 8:30 in

the

evening:

Imai:

Kombanwa.

YOU

4.

Japanese

has only one word for the English

words

Mr. ,

Mrs., and Miss. That wor

Documents

DLI Japanese Headstart Modules 1-5.pdf