Swag blog

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By Alexx Thompson

Last Sunday, a few people from the class and I attended the Japanese New Years Celebration hosted by the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, DC (JCAW). There were numerous events, such as taiko performances, to countless food stalls and games. There was even a shrine to pray/wish at, and receive your omikuji (fortune slip)!

It was a very family oriented event, and there were mainly Japanese families attending. I was really overwhelmed to hear all the Japanese around me, it felt as if I’d gone to Japan almost. I could understand it mostly, but when I was waiting in line, a lady came up to me and asked me if I was waiting for the line, in Japanese of course, and I blanked out immediately and just kept stuttering. I was really embarrassed that my Japanese wasn’t as good as it was in class. I want to work harder to be able to respond more readily and engage in conversation easier. Coming to this event really helped me think about my future as a translator, and kind of scared me a little, as I thought that I wouldn’t be able to keep up, but of course I want to continue, so I’ll try my best again next year.

The one time I did use my Japanese well, or responded easily, was when I was playing karuta with Kenny, Luis, Maria, and two girls who were at the celebration. One of the girls was only six, but spoke mostly Japanese to the girl who was teaching us how to play. I wanted to get pictures for the blog, so I asked the older girl if it was okay in English and she said sure. But then the little girl asked me what I was doing, so I asked if it was okay that I take her picture in Japanese, and she said yes. I was really proud of myself for being able to respond so readily. Although afterwards she asked what the picture was of, and I didn’t understand until the older one answered for me. I think I still have to learn and work on informal questions in that case then!

Overall, from the food, to the games, I really enjoyed karuta the most, even though it was the easy version. I played it multiple times because I really liked it and I won twice! The event was really eye opening for me and really helped put a perspective on things for me, and I want to come back again next year.

Kendama

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By Maria Garcia

Blick, blick, blick….Ahhhh……so close! As we stood in a circle, laughter and friendships grew… Kendama is a Japanese hand eye coordination game that can be played by all age ranges. Ken means hand and tama means ball.

While other cultures have similar versions of kendama, the Japanese kendama is more complicated. By this I mean in Mexico and other Latin countries, we have a toy that goes by Balero. Both of these would be played. The object of these games is similar and the player must put the ball on the side or inside of the handle…

On Sunday January 27, 2019 some of the students from Japanese Plus (Inu) class decided to attend the JCAW Japanese New Year Celebration in Washington, DC. Many fun activities could be found at the event and the food well… that’s another story for another time (was amazing just being honest!).

To continue, we are all gathered in a circle with the kendama toy in our hands trying to go for different tasks that can be performed. My goal was to try to get on all the levels. Each level was different, where on one side the kendama was slightly bigger, on the other side it was slightly smaller, and on the very top was this knob for the tama to land on and stay. It was fun to watch all my friends try to get to the different levels as well. But as we concentrated on our task, all that could be heard was plip-plip-ploop-plip-plip-plip-ploop… then the pace picked up and some of the plips with some of the ploops were jumping over each other.

Our attention turned to a couple of skilled people, and as we watched, the game got interesting. It was intriguing to be a beginner at something and have someone skilled to show us what can be accomplished with time and patience. Just like in class, when we were at this event the learning did not stop just because it was a new day. Rather, because it was a new day, we were exposed to a new learning environment, one in which we were vulnerable from the second we stepped in and had to get moving to understand what was truly going on. So, as the plip-plip-ploop-plip-plip-plip-ploop went on, we continued to give each other advice on how to get through each level.

I was very proud of this because it was difficult to get on the hardest level! That’s all for now. Thank you for reading and make sure to comment about what you enjoyed from my day off and in the New Year Celebration here in Washington, DC.

Adorning Hope

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Photo: @zackowicz, courtesy National Cherry Blossom Festival

By Asa Marshall

Comforting assurance and pride
The freedoms promised to all
Men were created equal
Not dependent on race, religion, or status
Radiant are the pinks and stone whites as the sun crowns them
Hope and faith
Struggles of the past are reminders of why we should be grateful everyday
Symbols of peace
Anticipating the blessings the future brings

Kemushi-chan (Loretta)

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By Alexx Thompson

When I saw Sally had posted a Kemushi-Chan (Loretta) video in our Facebook group, I was beyond excited. She is one of my favorite YouTubers to watch for foreigners experiencing Japanese culture, and I’ve been watching her for years. I really like her drive and how motivated she is, and I can relate to her a lot. We both started learning Japanese when we were around high school, but she is obviously really good now. The entire video she did was her speaking in Japanese, minus a few sentences in English for an example. I was really blown away and she’s been one of the reasons I want to become a translator and I want to be able to speak as well as she does. Check it out for yourself:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=28&v=L7MwlWfWc6Y

The video Sally posted was about Loretta explaining how in Japan the voices the store workers use to welcome people is very interesting. It’s kind of a loud nasally sound and they say “irasshaimase!,” but then she goes on to say it’s not their real voice, and normally they don’t speak that nasally. She was really surprised at first when she saw and she wondered why they didn’t just speak normally. I thought it was extremely interesting and I really wanted to know how it developed into what it is today! She then compared it to America in that when we go to a store, usually store clerks have a “customer voice,” if you will, and I thought that maybe it really wasn’t that different after all. Especially since I’ve noticed that the worker voice is higher pitched while talking to customers, kind of like a robot, or a set of lines. So even though it is shocking at first, it’s still kind of similar!

Sharing appreciation

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Before winter break, we asked students to take time to express appreciation or recognize the accomplishments of one or two of their Japanese Plus classmates. The results:

Angel: Asa, thanks for always having a smile on your face. It’s really nice talking to you. You make the learning environment brighter.

Maria: I like how Angel tries hard and takes lead of our group. I also appreciate how both Carlos and Luis did the performance the other day alone.

Cyrus: I like hearing Alexx and Theo’s Japanese, because it sounds close to what I’ve heard in media.

Asa: I’m thankful for the encouragement of Lucca for helping me practice and also Che for being the person to help lighten the mood and make me laugh.

Chetachukwu: Carlos is a nice and funny person. It is really helpful and helps me grow educationally. Asa is a funny soul and I like her skirts.

Alexx: I’d like to thank Che for always being on point. She did a lot for our group and was really responsible. I’m glad I have her in my group. I’m also thankful for Gabe who always works really hard. He inspires me to push myself even harder.

Gabe: Jonah, keeping the class always positive and giving heartfelt thanks to visitors. Alexx, for helping a ton in my group, especially during the skit.

Jazmin: I would like to thank Theo and Elena for helping me a lot when learning my katakana. They always make me laugh, and I’m glad to have them in my group.

Katie: I’m really happy that Asa is here with me since she told me about this program and that she’s been with me this whole entire time, even if I am annoying to her. I’m also really happy that Jazmin is here since I can ask her about Japan since she has been there and that she is someone I know who can be there for me.

Jonah: Carlos is very optimistic and a good friend always willing to help. Kenny seems to always want to learn and never bummed and is fun.

Arjernae: I’m proud of Alayshia for being dedicated and not quitting even with people telling her to. I’m proud of Cyrus because he’s one of the few people I see and he acknowledges me when I come to class. Also he’s becoming more open and not as shy as he was in the beginning.

Theo: Jazmin is a very hard worker and I really respect her drive. Alexx has a strong grasp on the language and I find her very impressive in general.

What are you most proud of?

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Before winter break, we asked our Japanese Plus students to reflect on their time in the program so far, and to share what they felt most proud of. Here are they answers:

Angel: I’m proud of the onigiri that I made and improving in katakana.

Maria: I am most proud of the self-introductions we have learned.

Cyrus: I guess just being able to talk to new people and not be a complete mess.

Asa: I’m most proud of me mastering katakana but mostly gaining more courage to speak out and meet new people.

Che: The fact that I memorized all my katakana. I know most of my combinations.

Alexx: I’m most proud of my speaking abilities in terms of public speaking. I’m not very good at speaking loud and clear, so I’ve been really happy with how far I’ve come.

Gabe: I went from knowing one Japanese word to being able to introduce myself and knowing katakana.

Jazmin: I’m most proud of my speaking skills, because I’ve improved a lot since the last time Eshita sensei taught me some phrases when I was in “Japan in DC.”

Katie: I’m really proud that we finished learning katakana and mastering it. I really thought it would take a long time to learn.

Jonah: Learning katakana and meeting with new people.

Arjernae: Learning basic Japanese is what I am most proud of (katakana, introduction, writing).

Theo: Probably the feeling of mastery over a different alphabetical system to the point that I recognize meaning relatively quickly.

Hana Market

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Ah! Look at all the food!
I glance at the small corner packed with curry, ramen, bread, and snacks.
Bowls, novelties, fresh produce, and pounds of rice.
Everything looks amazing!
Enticing and exciting.
I am greeted by the owner, “Good Morning”
Yes! An opportunity to practice speaking Japanese,
“Ohayo Gozaimasu!”
I am speechless, this small hole in the wall,
Packed with stuff I can’t find anywhere else.
I can’t stop reaching for more.
Filling my basket to the brim,
Later realizing
I didn’t bring enough money.
I buy what I can and promise to return for more,
Often it is a treat to visit.
          By Asa Marshall

Hana Market was such a nice place to be in. Although it was small, the market had many Japanese goodies that were hard to find in other stores, let alone DC. My first time there I was like a child in a candy store. I was really excited to be there, there were lots of snacks, sweets, and many more. I wanted to buy almost everything in that market but I didn’t really have much on me, so I bought whatever I could with what I had and even got some of my siblings some snacks. I loved how they don’t charge you for tax, so I didn’t have to worry about extra money to give or to give back. I also liked how their shop was really small and cute, so that I wouldn’t have to get lost or be too absorbed into everything. I wish I can come back to the market and try all the other food that was there and so that I can bring back some food for my family as well.
          By Katie Nguyen

You can experience Hana Market for yourself through our video here: https://youtu.be/dh7ZtpTG5yE

If you would also like to go to the Hana Market, then their address is 2000 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, and they are open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Sackler Museum Art

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By Katie Nguyen

My favorite art piece in the Sackler museum was a Diorama Map of Tokyo. I really like how it is in black and white and the way I can see everything in a bird’s eye view. This art piece was really big and detailed so you can go up close and see actual people and buildings. This was actually created by Ino Tadataka by taking pictures all around Tokyo, printing them out on a sheet, cutting them up, and assembling them into a single composition. If you come up close to the art piece, you can actually see where he cut up parts of Japan, and it is so amazing that he took up most of his time making such a wonderful art piece and how everything looked so natural.

Learning Katakana

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By Arjernae Miller

When I first saw Japanese letters, I felt like a newborn baby with a crowd full of adult faces surrounding me blubbering nonsense. I knew absolutely nothing about the characters, I had nothing to compare it to, I was stuck seeing unknown symbols float off of the paper.

Unlike some of the other students in my class, I have never attempted to learn Japanese language nor have I taken Chinese. My reasoning behind mentioning Chinese is because in my class I tend to notice that some of my peers have better progress with the Japanese writing portion of the class due to the Chinese courses they have previously taken during their years in school.

I’d spend time in class writing the lettering over and over just to have a nearly terrible grade on the quiz. I literally laughed at my score the first time I saw it, because I never had a score so low before, due to the overachiever that is built into me. In fact, I didn’t think it was possible to have so many emotions in one sitting.

The next big test I had I scored a 100%.

I spent the previous night rewriting the lettering over and over nonstop. Then the next morning on my way to class I was literally on the train studying on my way to class.

The best way to learn katakana, in my opinion, is to take Senpai Chi’s advice and write it EVERYWHERE. Your teacher’s whiteboard will be your new best friend. Along with every piece of paper you find, even scrap paper, I surely became a big recycler of paper while learning Katakana. I struggled with memory a lot, so to refute this I used the method of studying every other day or every three days, a method I learned in my Psychology class which I found to be successful. Katakana filled the pages of my notebook, front and back.

Now to fully master Katakana I try writing words in my notebook. I write small words such as cake, bin, as well as my name. After that, I hope to move on to phrases and sentences. I find that the best way to learn something is to immerse it in your everyday life, that way it will become a norm in your everyday life. Like speaking English and singing a song.

Japanese in my life

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By Chetachukwu Obiwuma

There are small things here and there that are truly needed when learning a language. One of them is immersion. There needs to be a healthy amount of the language included in your life. One of the ways I do that is through anime. Of course, there are differences when it comes to anime and Japanese in real life, but when you recognize a phrase that a character used or read a sign in katakana, there is a sense of pride. It’s not very large but it makes learning more worth it. To see it being applied in your reality, and for you to understand it, shows great progress and allows for you to feel more motivated to learn more.