Hi everyone, 皆さん、こんにちは。

My Japanese classes/lessons included practices to develop skills of speaking/talking, reading, listening, writing, interacting, and constructing/performing students’ own dialogues by pairs/groups. As for the main textbooks and materials, the Beginner 1 usedTraining Manual and other handouts for vocab, grammar etc. From Beginners 2 onwards, Genki Book 1 was used for the main textbook.

Also, apart from Japanese magazines (e.g. Jenta, Nichigo Press), Japanese newspapers, The Australian (esp. for news/current affairs on Japan), Daily Telegraph (its travel magazines and pictures of cute animals etc to make sentences/application of grammar in Japanese) were used. At the end of courses of 10 weeks, the students have an exam or open-exam which included features of vocab., grammar, dialogues construction, translation and script.

One of the pictures, which I used in class to make Japanese sentences with use of adjectives and verbs (esp. ones of the past tense), was the very cute and adorable picture of a baby elephant. The elephant had fallen off at a small muddy cliff in a town in India, survived and looked so relieved/marveled by himself! (Daily Telegraph, 19.2.14) It’d be fun and enjoyable to make descriptive sentences in Japanese about such picture and the positive and happy-ending amazing event.

As for Japan and its culture, international relationships making news, I informed to all students about the Exhibition of Sogetsu Ikebana School & Ceramic Art, ‘Clay to Flowers’ (www.mitsuoshoji.com.au and www.sogetsu-ikebana.org.au) at the Royal Botanic Garden, Macquaries Rd, Sydney. It is open from Sat. 1 Mar. to Sun. 16 Mar., daily 10am – 3pm. Free admission. It is a big exhibition. On 9 Mar., the Garden will hold its Autumn Festival. It will take place, celebrating together with the exhibition of the above Japanese, exquisite exhibition of the flower arrangement of Sogetsu-school and well known ceramics arts which are also used for the Japanese flower arrangement. Seeing such an exhibition will be great and inspiring experiences to understand Japanese arts, art and tradition culture. (I said to one of my wonderful students, who respects and loves Japan, “You might be able to see beautiful Japanese ladies in gorgeous kimono if you go there esp. on the 9th!”)

During the week of 24 Mar., one of the NHK Japanese News shows at SBS2 (11:05am~) reported Japan and the US has launched a satellite which will detect changes of rain, snow and the climate, around the whole globe. The US Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy was at the location of the satellite launching on that day too. The satellite was built as the joint work with a Japanese well known university. The satellite will be useful for the future globe and for many good causes for the benefits of human race and environment.

The above TV program also reported/showed (4 Mar.) that there are gorgeous cherry blossoms opened in many areas in Japan. One was in Shizuoka prefecture and for about 500 metres on a big road, beautiful sakura (cherry blossom) are in full bloom (when the winter of terrible and trouble-causing snow falls is finally coming to the end!) Amazing and peaceful sights indeed.

During this March, Chatswood Concourse (409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood, TEL: 9411 8144) is showing brilliant and beautiful anime films of Hayao Miyazaki. worldly renowned animation film producer, on Tuesdays night or from afternoon weekly. It is for public viewing and free of charge. You can check the website for the events too. All the films are in English (if the setting is in Japan, you will see many Japanese culture, environment, names and traditional things and value). Miyazaki’s works have been being used in the Japanese HSC in the NSW Education for years. I personally adore H. Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka (his famous series of Astro Boy, Tetsuwan-atomu went to many countries in the world and touched many people and youths’ hearts and minds) and Akira Kurosawa (who shouldn’t be forgotten even in the world’s history of film making together with acting by great actor, Toshiro Mifune for many brilliant samurai movies; Kurosawa was once invited to the Hollywood, Academy Awards and received an Award). Those powerful, thoughtful, passionate, creative film producers’ influence to Japanese society (for its value, cohesiveness, increase of compassion, technology and science and knowledge upon the universe in case of Tezuka, respect for virtues etc) and to the rest of the world are immeasurable. – I don’t know “how many” of my past students (both youths and adults) during my 30 years’ teaching in Australia said to me when they came to my courses and talked about themselves, “I love Japanese anime!”

Another inspiring and intelligent comments were spoken by Rick Wallace, who was the newspaper The Australian’s Tokyo correspondent for 4 years until recently in his article, “Feeling blue: The fruity language quickly returned after four years working in polite Japan” (24.2.14, p.14). In the article, he said he hardly swore during 4 years’ stay in Japan and he had never swore with Japanese people. However, after returning to Australia, Wallace got back to swearing habit quickly (as his wife says that). He says it is normal that at his local post office in Australia, the employees swear on duty. He says even during commuting on train in Australia, some people talk on their mobile phones loudly and overbearingly while people in Japan behave very cooperatively with good manner and quietly on trains (Wallace says “sweet and blissful silence in Japan (i.e. Japanese trains). – I know what he is talking about. In my case, I can’t stand awfully noisy and rudely speaking people on the train and sometimes I move to the different carrier or seat esp. when I feel tired. Same with those who illegally keep their feet or shoes on the seat which is facing them. You don’t see such awful and immature behavior in Japan where if you left your belonging on a train and ring the station’s Lost & Found office, they keep your thing until you can come to pick it up. (That point was spoken on a weekend radio program in Sydney, “George and Paul”, esp. with Susan Kurosawa some months ago). Such reflects value and consistent practice of peace, order, respect to others and human decency in Japanese society.

Japanese Teacher, Toshiko Jackson