English Education at Elementary School by M.Kanaya

Our government has a plan to teach English at elementary schools. I know that there are a lot of problems in today’s English education in Japan. Most people study English for more than six years, but most of them can not speak. They don’t need English in their daily life like they don’t need equations or functions. But on the other hand, they have a kind of feeling that if they could understand English they will get a good job and have a better life. In fact, English speaking countries lead world politics, economy, culture and other things. Yes, English is important in these fields, however, should English education at elementary school be discussed from the same view point?

Recently I often hear that people use very strange Japanese. Not only young people but also even elderly people sometimes use the wrong Japanese. One day when I was listening to the radio in my car, an announcer said midorii kaeru – green frog. I know that ao-blue or aka-red can become an adjective - aoi or akai, but midori or pink can not, so we have to say midori-no or pink-no. I often hear midorii and pinnkui, but I was very surprised that an announcer used that word. How do they get their positions? Or am I out of date? Of course I know that language as a way and means to communicate is changeable. If many people use the new words and expressions, we will accept them someday. But I think we should resist and try to keep our language as beautiful as possible. That’s why I think children have to study our own language before studying foreign languages.

Elementary school children will enjoy using English, but how many of them will keep their interest in the future? Most of them will lose their interest rapidly after they enter junior high schools. It’s only a subject to get good scores in the same as other subjects. It’s already not a language for communication for them. If they really need it or are really interested in English in the future, it’s never too late to start studying it. Necessity and interest are the biggest motivating force to acquire something.

One of my friends said that singing English songs everyday is a good way to memorize English words. Her elementary school teacher gave the students ten to fifteen minutes every morning to practice kanji. Thanks to that practice, she could keep her kanji ability for a long time. I agree that it is very good way to memorize something by repeating it. In addition the melody and the rhythm are very helpful to memorize words. It might be a good way to sing an English song every morning, and to start practicing the next song after they master one song.

I’m against English “education” at elementary school which is forced by the Ministry of Education and Science with many rules, but I think it might be a good way to keep in touch with English a little every day like her idea. Then students won’t loose the time for other subjects, and may keep their interest in English.

Good luck and Thank you!

Last night marked the end of my term as the English teacher for the Nyuzen eikaiwa class. It was a great two years. We've had endless interesting discussions (approximately 80) covering every topic from rugby to fireflies, American politics to how to make salsa and Japanese funeral customs to education reform. It's been a fun learning and teaching experience for me. And hopefully the students learned a new phrase or two in the process.

Keep up the blog! I'll be checking in to see what your latest discussion/zine topic is!

Best of luck and please keep in touch!

Our LAST Tuesday Evening Together!

Oh no!! Everyone was supposed to make a funny face!

It's a hook, rainbow, sock....

Playing to perfection!

Tackle someone else next time!


The FAREWELL Party!!

Presented with a beautiful Japanese fan!

Dinner at Sakura Sweets

Too much food and too much to drink!

Getting to know the new English teacher, Ms. Linea!

Friends Forever, ne!

One of my favorite things about Japan by Kanaya

(picture taken from Wikimedia Commons)

Japanese people didn’t have peculiar letters before they imported Chinese characters in the early fifth century. Chinese characters had their own meanings, so our ancestors gave them Japanese readings that had the same meanings. Then they used those letters as phonograms as well as ideograms. About 400 years later, they made “hiragana” from running hand and “katakana” from the parts of “kanji” to use only as phonograms. “Hiragana” became especially popular among the noblewomen, and at that time, the golden age had come to Japanese classic literature.

I think this history shows that Japanese people are very good at taking something in and arranging it according to our own style. This characteristic may come from Japan being an island country. We haven’t been getting influence from other countries compared to countries with borders, and have had enough time to expand on one thing. Anyhow, I like this characteristic of Japanese people and I think we can be proud of it. Aside from this, I’m sorry that we may be slightly lacking in originality.

You Are My Lover by Reiko

I am a dreamer

Lying in the field

Smell grass, flowers and trees

Feel the comfortable wind blowing

I left from the crush of the great city and you

I was too busy there, then I couldn’t have enough time to meet you

You can come and stay here with me

Have my room key

Touched by the secrets of nature

Nature heals my strain

Let’s talk together more and more

Let’s talk about our future

You are my lover

Making Easter Eggs

It was a little pre-mature, but I had the dye from another easter egg project earlier in the day. I was a little nervous about bringing a kids art project to an adult English class, but it went over really well. Everyone really enjoyed coloring eggs and watching them turn brilliant colors! The eggs turned out really well. Here are a few pictures from the evening! The lesson: you are never too old to make Easter eggs!!

Japanese New Year Holidays by S.Tobita

January 1st is the beginning of the New Year holidays. Japanese make OSECHI dishes for New Years. We put them in OJYU a Japanese square container like a lunch box.
They are 2 or 3 tiers in the beautiful box. We usually eat foods with various meaning. For examples,we eat sweet black soybeans. Bean in Japanese is MAME. MAME means health.So people eat and hope the black beans will bring health in the coming year. In addition,we make soup with vegetables, fish and rice cakes. The name is ZONI. Traditionaly Japanese people ate rice cake after they putting them on their household Shinto alter. It represents that we have been given God’s power.

Traditinaly, many women wore KIMONOs during New Year holidays, but recently that tradition is disappering. Many people go to Shinto shrine for worship during New Year holidays. We can see some people wearing KIMONOs there. People take out money for a money offering. It’s called SAISEN. Then pray for their happiness, health and so on. A Daruma doll or a New Year's exorcising arrow(called HAMAYA) are sold. Many people also buy it for good luck.

Many relatives come and we also go to their homes to celebrate together. Adults give money to children for a New Year's presents it’s called OTOSIDAMA. In the old days, we played with kites, tops or HANETUKI it’s like a badminton. But lately children like video games so they spend OTOSIDAMA on toys. I don’t give my children video games. And last year my father and my grandfather past away. So my family enjyoyed HANAGARUTA a Japanese picture card game this year.

I hope everyone will be happy this year! 　

*The pictures were taken by Kirsten during New Years celebrations in Chiba in Jan. 2006.

My Life in Nyuzen by T. Yamaguchi

Hellow, everyone.

My name is Tetsuo Yamaguchi, and I will soon be 80. I was an English teacher, I retired at age 70. Now I live with my son's family in the country. I have a small vegetable garden around my house. I grow peas, eggplants, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cucumbers, water melons and pumpkins. I don't use pesticides, because I have a dog. It usually plays in the yard, and I don't want it to eat vegetables polluted with chemicals. I use only organic fertilizer. I don't use insecticide , either. Our family enjoys safe and fresh vegetable. We also have kiwi, persimon, citron and kumquat trees.

Growing vegetables is a constant job. But it gives me a moderate amount of excercise to keep me in shape.

I know we can't stop growing old, but I hate to get senile. So I try to read as many books as possible. Fortunately I have a lot of free time on my hands. I also have lots of books to read. mostly English books. I've forgotten many English words since I retired. Yes, ten years is a long time.

I think I stopped learning when I retired. The proverb "Teaching is learning" has taught me a good lesson. I have found my English is rusty. I know I have to start over. That's why I decided to join this Nyuzen English Class in order to prevent senility as well.

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Mr. Yamaguchi doesn't have a computer or email, so I typed this out for him but did not change any of his words or sentences. He can't check the comments or leave comments for others, but if you leave him comments, we will print them out and give them to him.

The pictures are of gardens in Nyuzen that I've taken in the last two years.

Tokyo by H. Sasaki

“ After all I love Tokyo.” a friend of mine said after returning from her friend’s daughter’s wedding party in Tokyo. She stayed over night in the room on the 21st floor of the hotel in ODAIBA. “Underneath us the night view was spread out like the sea. It was so beautiful.” She looked excited.

Tokyo is proceeding with a reorganization program currently. A lot of old buildings are being rebuilt. Some buildings have a clear concept of attracting people, even office buildings such as ROPPONGI HILLS and MARUBIRU. They are shapely and stylish.

There are many characteristic downtowns in Tokyo. For example, HARAJUKU is a very fashionable and trendy place especially for teenagers. SHIBUYA is for college students. There are many colleges and schools around there. There are a lot of electric appliances stores in AKIHABARA where there is a unique OKAKU culture ( OTAKU is people who are crazy about something, Computer-OTAKU, Anime (animation) -OTAKU or Game (TV game) –OTAKU, etc. ). They support the Maid Cafés there.

I should not forget to mention a distinguished area, it is GINZA. There are many established stores, high-class bars and restaurants, some department stores and famous brand shops such as CHANEL, LOUIS VITTON, HERME’S, GUCCI, etc. It used to be a pronoun of downtowns. There are many such-and-such GINZA throughout Japan. Of course, we have NYUZEN-GINZA.

ODAIBA is a new downtown. It is very refined. The mono-rail train takes us there from the nearby JR (Japan Railway Company) stations. It weaves its way through about the 4 or 5th floor of the surrounding buildings. No operator is on it, it is automatic. It reminds me of the picture on the wall of Nyuzen elementary school which my children graduated from titled “ The Future City “ which was painted by children many many years ago.

Beauties of a big city consist of long straight metallic lines of buildings, the lights and people, I think. It is the intelligence and energy that has created Tokyo that attracts me to it. TOKYO is always evolving and I can not take my eyes off it.

My Color by M. Inaba

Let`s think!
“What color do you like best?”
‐Well, I like pink, yellow, and green.

“What color do you dislike?”
‐I don`t like purple, grey, and black very much.

“So, do you know what color is best for you?”
‐I don`t know.

This was the conversation between the color analyst and I two weeks ago.
At first, I wasn`t interested about colors. I was not good at putting on making up.
But, after I listened to the color analyst, I started liking colors and I want to know more about it.
“The color world is wonderful !!”

From the color analyst , I learned about the fascinating world of color.
There are 4 groups of colors. The spring colors seem to be warm. The summer colors seem to be light and close to white. The autumn colors seem to be clear. The winter colors seem to be heavy. Even“pink”is different in each of the 4 groups. All of the colors around us belong to these 4 groups.


My skin and my black eyes are also different in each of the groups. My best colors from these 4 groups was diagnosed. My skin color is winter. My black eyes are autumn. My hair is winter. Totally, my face color is mixed, but closest to autumn. The autumn colors match my skin and my eyes !

“That`s funny !”

So, from now on, when I wear clothes and accessories, I will wear autumn colors（like brilliant orange, red, blue, yellow, and pink）. Vivid colors make me more attractive.
It is good for me to know my own color. And I`m sure that it will be important help me my best improve my life.

I imagine my skirt, my ring, my purse, and my diary including many vivid colors.
Now, I just can`t wait to go shopping !

Where's the oval ball going? by K. Uehara

"No side" The final game is over. The winners are ecstatic. X from O.K Island won the R.W.C championship. The losers hang their heads. They mustbe very disappointed. They shake hands with each other heartly because everyone played hard.

Oh, no! My team was defeated at last. I don't want to believe the results. I have no idea if it's a prophetic dream or a nightmare.

The R.W.C will be held in France this Sep. But, in Japan rugby football is
France. How about in your country is rugby football popular ? The Japan National team will participate in the R.W.C.in France. Unfortunately, theyprobably won't win. I don't think that they are weak, but, other teams are stronger.

I don't think that rugby football is very popular in the world. Most ballgames usually use a round ball except in rugby football and Americanfootball. So the rugby ball's motion is irregular, it is very interested towatch.

If you're not interested in rugby football. I hope that you'll understandwhat I'm talking about. All for one,one for all. It's the spirit of rugbyfootball. Rugby is a very violent and manly sport. After watching agame,you'll be fascineted.

Could you please tell me what your favorite team is ? My favorite teams are the All Blacks from New Zealand and the Wallabies from Australia. I have an autograph of Tim Horan who is Australian and an ex-CTB. Now, I'm ready to watch the test match. It's time for a kick off. See youafter "No side"!"
(*Photos borrowed from an Australian Rugby site)
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I have to anser your questions. 1: What is R.W.C ? It means Rugby World Cup. 2: Do women play rugby ? No, they don't. 3: What's CTB? Centre Threequarter Backs, the name of position. 4: How did I become interested in rugby ? I was in N.Z for a half year, but unfortunately I wasn't interested in rugby that time. I didn't know that there are very strong national teams,either. Coincidence,I know that the name of teams. After that I took a monthly rugby magazineabout 10 years. Now, I get information about rugby form on the Internet.

Toyama in Japan by T. Yoshida

I am introducing my hometown, Toyama.
Toyama is located in the center of Japan.
Toyama has many beautiful view points.
There are many old traditional houses in the Gokayama region.

They are world heritage sites.
In summer, many climbers go to the North Alps.
Mt.Tateyama and Mt.Tsurugi are very famous.
They are about 3 thousand meters high.

Some big rivers come down from the Alps, like the Kurobe River and Ginzu River , Syo River so on.

So, water and Japanese Sake are very delicious.
Vegetables, fruits and fish are very fresh.
We can eat them in every season.
Kazeno bon festival is very elegant and sweet.
The dance and music , song are very nice.
So, Toyama is a good place to live.
I am very happy that I was born in Toyama.
This year, a new high way line (Tokai-Hokuriku line) will be opened to Toyama.
And in the near future, the Hokuriku-Shinkansen will be opened to Toyama.
Toyama will be closer to Narita air port.I hope that many travelers from the world will visit and enjoy Toyama.

The Problem of Small Local Shopping Streets by M. Kanaya

The mass media says Japan’s economy is in unprecedented good times. In fact, many big companies are gaining the highest profit in their history. On the other hand, people – even office workers of big companies – say they do not feel those profits in their everyday life. According to the T.V. and newspaper, it is because they have not gotten a raise.

Recently I decided to close my pharmacy on Nyuzen’s main street. Nyuzen is a small town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. Someone said it’s a car street not a shopping street, and another person said it’s a “ghost town.” People go shopping at big stores far from our main street. They are selling things cheaper than our prime costs. As a result, many small stores are closing. There are so many empty stores and parking spaces on our street now. There used to be four supermarkets about twenty years ago, but now there’s none! There used to be a fairly big clothing store next to my pharmacy, but it’s a parking area now. In addition, there is only one child under 18 in our district. Most children of shopkeepers don’t want to take over their parents businesses. And parents don’t want them to either.

There are so many customers in big stores, but even for them it’s not easy to carry through, because there are bigger stores which have bigger capital. Someone said “Money flows from the lower place to the higher place.” People know that this was caused the deregulation policy. I know the deregulation is necessary to compete against foreign countries, but I also know that there are many people who are being left behind.

Back to my problem; when I look around the situation of our shopping street and myself, I think it’s time to change my life–style. I think it’s the best decision for me, but I was very sorry for my neighbors because I left another empty store on our already quiet street.

The economy is always moving. A big turning point is coming to the commercial businesses. People, who can not drive, won’t be able to go shopping on the outskirts in our aging society. People will need stores close to their houses. But I think those stores are quite different from today’s personal stores. In fact, some big companies are going to start new businesses. There will be many small stores opened by them in the city centers in the near future.

Foster Sponsorship by Reiko

Nicaragua is one of poor countries in the world. It is located in the middle of the Americas. There is a high level of unemployment there. Many families are farm laborers on cattle ranches owned by wealthy families. The average family income ranges from 40 to 60 US dollars a month.

I have been a Plan sponsor of a Nicaraguan child named Keyner since 2003. Now my sponsored child is six years old. He is cute and looks smart. He goes to preschool. He lives with his mother, grandmother, two uncles and two aunts. He likes playing with a car and drawing pictures. He is loved by his family and neighbors. He lives in a poor wooden house. We exchange letters with each other. He can not write letters yet, so his mother writes letters to me. I have sent them many photos with my letters. ( I write letters in English and a volunteer translates them into Spanish.)

His family use private latrine within the property for their toilet facilities. The family’s water comes from a domestic connection installed all year round. They use an open fire to cook their daily meals. Collecting firewood is usually the work of women and children and a very time consuming task.. I contribute \3000 to Plan Japan ( the office in Japan as member of Plan international) every month. I heard about Plan international from my friend and was interested in it before. A few years later I found a small article in the news paper that said Plan looks for new sponsors and I decided to become a Plan sponsor.

More than 50,000 sponsors in Japan communicate with sponsored children. 15 donor　countries provide 46 developing countries with development. Plan uses our contributions for education, hygiene and attempting to raise the children’s standard of living.

I usually talk about small things with my coworkers but I think I have to have a view of the world. That is important for me. And I am thinking if I could be a volunteer translator for Plan. I wrote a letter to him about my dog a few days ago. I hope he write a letter to me by himself someday. 　

Plan's Website in English

Going Live!

We're going live soon! Stay tuned!!

But before we start posting, here is a little background about who we are and when we got started!

This English conversation class has been meeting in Nyuzen town since October 2nd, 1986. It was started as part of the Nyuzen Town Culture School. In the original class there was over 30 students of various levels. The class split into three levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced. After the culture school class ended, the students decided they wanted to continue meeting and started a class on their own. To this day, both the intermediate and the advanced class meets once a week, but only the advanced class is on the internet!

Students come and go and sometimes come back again, depending on life commitments, family, moves, jobs, etc.. However, there is one student that has been a member from the beginning! A few others claim 16-18 year memberships. And there are a few newbies that just started this last year. The class always welcomes new people, but the ideal size is about 10 students.

Just as students come and go, they have had many teachers from many countries: the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and America.

The class started published their first zine on September 24th, 2001. Their readership is limited to themselves. But in celebration of their 25th zine and their 20th year as a class, they are posting their articles for the international blogging community! Please leave comments! They are looking forward to seeing who visits this blog and what countries you are from!

Thanks!!

Kirsten

May 31st 2005-Present