Class#6 Greetings

1.How do I greet menbers of my family?
　I say "おはよう" "いってきます" "ただいま" "おやすみ" to all members of my family.
I never say "こんにちは" and "さようなら" to my family.

2.How do I greet people that are important in society?
I use honorific language to them like "おはようございます" "こんにちは" "さようなら"or"失礼します"　Also, I bow to them.

3.Do I greet people from the opposite sex in different way?
I think "Yes". Although I greet them in same way, I don't touch their body. While, I sometimes touch girl' s arms, or hug them.

4. Do I hug anyone?
Yes. I sometimes hug only girlfriends in Japan. But I hug people including men in America.

My name means・・・・・
・My first name means nothing special, but it feels an antique and graceful name.
　The chinese character means a beautiful design of textiles.
・My family name means nothing special.
The chinese character means "road" and "surface".

Class#4 World Religion

Q.How do I greet people in my life?

・Against my friends
I just say "Hi"or "Good morning". I sometimes hug them when I met them after a long time.

・Against my family
I just say "Good morning","Good night", "I'm leaving" or "I'm home."

・Against my superiors or elders
I bow to them or shake hands. And I also use honorific words.
Because we have to express my respect for them.


Q. Do I touch people when I talk to them?
No. Because it is impolite in Japanese culture.
But I sometimes touch only my close girl friends.

Class#3 Buddhism

Higan : We visit to ancester's graves to hold service for the dead while Higan in March and Septmber. We also offered Ohagi at the altar.

Joya no Kane : It is to ring a bell 108 times at midnight on the last day of the year. The number represents the worldly desires of human.

Houji : It is a memorial service for dead persons. The family and relatives come together, and a priest read a sutra.

Tourou nagashi : We float paper lanterns to river or sea to hold service for dead persons.

Bon Odori : It is a dancing festival at night while term of Bon in summer. The reason of Bon odori is to welcome the spirit and hold service for dead persons.

Class#2 What is culture?

04/27/2009

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Can terrorism be eradicated?

President Obama has a problem that how to deal with the terrorist threat from Afghanistan and Pakistan.He said that he will send more forces to Afghanistan and indicated that he will not hesitate to use them. The reputation of the present government of Pakistan is low, corruption is rife and democratic institutions at best fragile. Japan may not be able to do directly to help to find a solution, but the Japanese government should announce its renewed support for American efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan and should be willing to increase its assistance to both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It will be very difficult for the new U.S. president to find solutions to the problems that the world faces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but we must hope that new thinking and new personalities on the American side may enable progress.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20081112hc.html