Hi everyone,皆さん、おげんきですか。
 
In my classes (Monday and Tuesday nights), apart from regular learning activities of speaking, reading , listening, writing and dialogues making with use of the course books, the classes continued viewed “Japanese for Beginners” video series with revision of phrases taught. And we sang Japanese songs. In addition, I showed DVD “Rekishi Kaido” (the info can be obtained at www.rekishikaido.gr.jp). It is a collection of many traditional tourist attractions and historical and cultural heritage. The places are in the west of Japan, e.g. Nara, Kyoto, Osaka. Many of them were built between the Ancient Times and the Edo Period, e.g. Buddhist temples (e.g. Todaiji temple of the world’s largest Buddha statue), shrines, castles, gardens etc of exquisite beauty, tranquility, great wisdom and innovations, art, architecture etc. Some of the heritages were (initially) made over a millennium ago or regarded as the world’s cultural heritage by the UNESCO. The dvd also shows popular “onsen” hot spring facilities.
Also, I showed and mentioned about articles or advertisements of Japanese newspaper and The Australian. They were for mainly technological, economic development related, environmental, educational and cultural values. They were:

(1) The Japan Newspaper Museum “Newspark” newly built in Yokohama. Admissions of youths are free up to junior high school students. More info is at http://newspart.jp/newspartk.
(2) "Buffett’s visit revives hope of value in Japan” by R. Wallace, The Australian, 24.11.11, p. 24. It reports Warren Buffett’s intention of investment to Japan and visit to Iwaki prefecture. Buffett is internationally well-known and respected investor who has prodigious wealth. (Great news!) The article also refers to the weakness of Japanese economy, politics etc apart from Japan’sstill being the world’s largest foreign creditor nation with about $3.3 trillion in offshore assets.
(3) A company Sharp’s new product “Blacksolar”. That can be used for solar energy saving at the roofs of small houses with more capacity to take the solar energy (18% up than conventional ones) with monitoring/communicating system of Sharp by Internet.
(4) A company Komatsu’s hybrid machine, HB205-1, for building industry at their work sites. According to the ad, it is well used in Japan, China, the North America and it began being used in Australian building industry too. It works with diesel and electricity (producing and saving energy), reduces appro. 25% of CO2 and costs.
(5) Profile of late Konosuke Matsushita, a founder of Panasonic (previously National Panasonic), Matsushita-juku (Business School) and publication of PHP. I gave the copy of a few pages of Matsushita Leadership, (1997, J. P. Kotter, Free Press, NY) with my explanation in classes. And some pages of “Matsushita Konosuke”, (2006, Takarajima-sha, Tokyo, http://tkj.jp) were also used. As Kotter says, K. Matsushita (1894-1989) was an amazingly great leader, author, educator, philanthropist and  management innovator. Still his legacy continues through the corporation, PHP and his Business School that produced many Parliamentary Members of Japan that include the current Prime Minister.
(6) A big ad of traditional Kabuki stage play actors who succeeded to the names of highly respected and ranked past actors in Kabuki.

Japanese Teacher, Toshiko Jackson, 4.12.11