Japanese Blog

  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！