Japanese Blog

こんにちは！Today I watched several different vlogs made by students who attend Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan! I recently submitted my study abroad application for this school, so I decided to challenge myself by watching student vlogs in Japanese to see how much I could understand.  It was interesting to see the daily lives of Japanese students and consider  how their experiences are similar to and different from those of American students. Watching these videos made me even more excited about the possibility of studying in Japan! Here are some of the videos I watched if anyone is interested:  https://youtu.be/6tslC-hbjjo https://youtu.be/GkUvNreRlLU https://youtu.be/XdY-PQEnzXU

こんにちは！私はりょこうがだいすきです！私はかぞくと いっしょによく ディズニーにいきます。 ディズニーはにぎやかです。それから、とてもたのしいです！ コロンブスから ディズニーまでひこうきでいきます。たいてい二じかんはんぐらいかかります。 それから、 私は かぞくと いっしょに おいしいたべものをたべます。

  こんにちは！Today I listened to the song "Senbon zakura  千本桜（せんぼんざくら)"  written by Kurousa-P  ( 黒うさP)  and sung by the Japanese Vocaloid Hatsune Mi ku ( 初音ミク). This song is a famous rock song in Japan, and it's about the rapid modernization/westernization of Japan during the Meji Restoration and Taisho era. From what I understand  千本 means "one thousands," whereas  桜 means "cherry blossoms" or "cherry trees." Therefore, the title of the song literally translates to "one thousand cherry blossoms/trees."  Here is the link if you would like to listen!:  https://youtu.be/shs0rAiwsGQ

こんにちは！私のおすすめのレストランは「K-Pot」です。K-Potは 韓国の食べ物です。お い しい レストランです。でも、高いです。私の好きな料理はエビ（shrimp🦐）です。来週、いっしょに行きませんか？

  This week I began watching Kamisama Kiss (ひらがな：かみさま はじめました；かんじ：神様はじめました) while I was sick. I've really been enjoying it so far since it combines comedy and romance with Japanese mythology. For example, the anime references different spirits and gods (かみさま) and yokai (ようかい), which are supernatural creatures. One of the main characters, Tomoe, is a fox yokai, also known as a kitsune ( きつね). Furthermore, this anime takes place in a shrine ( じんじゃ) , which has allowed me to better understand Japanese shrine culture and some traditional beliefs. I really recommend this show!  みなさんいっしょにみませんか？

  Okinawa (おきなわ) is both the western and southernmost prefecture of Japan, consisting of three main island groups, being the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daito Islands. Known as Japan's tropical paradise, Okinawa is famous for its beautiful beaches, warm weather, and Ryukyu ( りゅうきゅう)  Heritage. One famous landmark is known as the Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa, which was the heart of the Ryukyu kingdom and served as the royal palace.  Okinawa is also famous for its many festivals, one of the most notable being the Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival, which is held in late summer. The event lasts three days and includes street parades, performances by different eisa groups, and firework shows.  おきなわにいきましょう！

  こんにちは！Today I listened to the song "Ooedo Julia Night (大江戸ジュリアナイト)" written by Mitchie M (ミッチー・エム) and sung by the Japanese vocaloids Hatsune Miku ( 初音ミク) and Kaito (カイト). The song is very fun and energetic, and combines Edo-period Japan with 1990s Japanese club culture. From my understanding, the characters 大江戸 mean "Great Edo," which act as a playful name for the Edo period in Japan (1603-1868). The other characters ジュリアナイト mean "Julia night" which is a pun on Juliana's Tokyo, a famous club in the 90s that was associated with extravagant dancing and Juliana fans ( ジュリ扇), which can be seen in the attached photo.   From my understanding of both Japanese and Chinese (for some kanji) I was able pick out some words and understand some of the song! It was very rewarding! If you would like to listen here is the link!:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3yyYYLyVzw&list=RDy3yyYYLyVzw&start_radio=1

こんいちは ！わたしはマロ リーです。にねんせいです。 しゅっしん は オハイオの コロンバス です 。せん こうはGlobal Affairsとちゅごくごです。しゅみはアニメとおんがくと ゲームです。 セーラームーンと プリキュアがすきです。 どうぞ よろしく おねがいします。

Learning Japanese this semester has been lots of fun! I've enjoyed getting to know my other classmates, and Kawamura Sensei as well. While not long, the conversations we have in class feel very rewarding! As someone who has been studying Chinese for many, many years, seeing the overall between Japanese and Chinese has been super interesting too. Next semester, I am planning to take Elementary Japanese II in order to keep learning. わたしはにほんごがだいすきです！ ありがとうございます!

こんにちは！せんしゅうのきんようびにくじにクラスにいきました。それから、いちじごろともだち と ひるごはんを たべました。それから、さんじごろ としょかんで べんきょうしました。わたしはにほんごを べんきょうしました。でも、 すうがくを べんきょうしませんでした。 それから、はちじごろともだち とばん ごはんを たべました。それから、 ゲームをしました。 ありがとうございます！

こんにちは！  さくらまつりがだいすきです！わたしのクラスは うた をします。それから、 ダンスをします。The Sakura Matusri was a lot of fun! It was nice for our class to come together, and I enjoyed seeing some of my friends in the higher levels of Japanese perform as well! Their Japanese was so good, and it gives me motivation to keep learning! ありがとうございます！

こんにちは！ わたしはかぞくのいえにかえりました。わたしとおとうとはえいがとアニメをみました。それから、べんきょうをしました。わたしとともだちはカフェにいきました。ぜんぜんジムでうんど うしませんでした。にちようびにだいがくにいきました。

こんにちは！This week I would like to talk about a new anime that I watched recently, titled  Mahoo Shoojo Madoka Magica (まほうしょうじょまどか☆まぎか). Since I love Sailor Moon, I decided to give another anime of the same genre a chance! This show follows Madoka ( まどか), a junior high school student, who is offered a wish by a mysterious creature named Kyubey . In exchange for this wish, she and other girls in the series become magical girls who fight monsters known as witches. At first the show is like Sailor Moon, very cutesy and normal. However, the story takes a dark turn when one of Madoka's friends is murdered, showing how the life of a magical girl isn't as simple as it seems. I absolutely loved this show and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys dark stories/and or magical girls like Sailor Moon, Precure, or Card Captor Sakura. 

こんにちは！This week I would like to talk about the katakana ( カタカナ) I found being used as onomatopoeia in two of my favorite mangas! The first onomatopoeia example I found was in Kaguya-sama Love is War ( かぐや様は告らせたい). The phrase is " ポワポワ," and in English it translates to "fluffy" or "light." The phrase surrounds the character, Chika Fujiwara ( ふじわら ちか) , and is fitting since she is a very airy and kind character.  The next onomatopoeia I found is from Card Captor Sakura ( カードキャプターさくら). The scene shows a bunch of friends roller skating together, with the phrase " ワイワイ," meaning "lively" or "noisy."  It was a lot of fun to look back at some of my favorite manga and find some examples of onomatopoeia in katakana!  ありがとうございます！

  わたしはまいにちしょくどうであさごはんをたべま す。よく ゲームをします。ときどきアニメをみます。あまりとしょかんでべんき ょうしません。 ぜんぜんカフェで コーヒーをのみません。

こんにちは！わたしはまいにちはちじにおきます。 はちじはんにあさごはんをたべます。くじ はんにがっこうにいきます。じゅういちじにしょくどうを たべます。 ご ごろくじにともだちと ゲームをします。

こんにちは！Hello!  This week I would like to recommend an anime that I started watching a few weeks ago with all of my friends! After months of their persistence I finally sat down to watch Jujutsu Kaisen ( じゅじゅつかいせん) and I have been hooked on it sense!  Jujustu Kaiden was first released as a manga back in 2018, later being adapted into a massively successful anime by MAPPA. The story follows Itadori Yuji ( いたどり ゆうじ ), a high school boy that swallows a powerful cursed object, becoming the host of a dangerous curse known as Ryomen Sukuna ( りょう めん すく な) . As a result, he is brought to Tokyo Jujutsu High, where he trains to become a jujutsu sorcerer in order to defeat curses and protect the innocent.  One thing that stuck out to me in the show, and something that we learned recently in class, is the use of katakana as onomatopoeia. During many of the fight scenes, lots of katakana is shown on screen to emphasize punch sounds, explosions, etc.  I have really enjoyed...

こんにちは！This week, I will be talking about a few things that I like! わたしはともだちとゲ ー ムとおんがくがだいすきです。To start, I absolutely love my friends! We do everything together, and they are super important to me! I'll attach a picture of all of us ice skating this past week!  ゲ ー ム がだいすきです。During my free time I like to play video games! While Nintendo games are my favorite, I also like to play Koei Tecmo and Atlus games as well!  おんがくがだいすきです。Lastly, I love to listen to music as well, especially when I am studying. I listen to lots of different kinds of music, such as  アニソン　and J-POP! ありがとうございます！

 I've been studying Japanese for a month now! Here is my current self-introduction: はじめまして！わたし はWolfeです。 Notre Dame だいがくのいちねんせいです。わたしのせんこう はちゅうごくごと こくさい かんけいがくです。しゅっしん はアメリカのColumbusです。しゅ み はおんがくです。どうぞよろしくおねがいします！

こんにちは！Hello! If I had to recommend a Japanese show, I would recommend watching Sailor Moon ( 美少女戦士セーラームーン) ! Sailor Moon was first released as a manga in 1991, created by Naoko Takeuchi, eventually being adapted into a very famous anime known throughout the world shortly after. The story follows Usagi Tsukin o ( 月野 うさぎ) , a clum sy yet cheerful middle school student living in Tokyo, Japan, who learns that she is Sailor Moon, a magical guardian who is destined to protect the world from malevolent forces. Along with the other guardians, Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, the girls learn about love, friendship, and responsibility. Even for those who can’t understand Japanese, the interactions the characters have with one another, their emotions, and the bubbly, colorful animation make the story very easy to follow. I have been watching Sailor Moon for years and it holds a special place in my heart! I definitely recommend watching it! ありがとうございます!