Class#3 The language of clothes

1. Do you judge people according to what they wear? Why?
Yes, of course. I think Clothes express their character or what they like. I can recognize whether they are intelligent person or not. For example, if I see girls who wear "Gyaru"clothes(brightly-colored clothes, too short skirt,etc...), I would guess they are not so intelligent.

2. Do you think Japanese society puts an importance on clothing when judging other people from another country?
hmm... It's difficult question... I think Japanese don't do that.

3. What colors are you wearing now? Do they reflect your mood?
Now I'm wearing black and white clothes. I like simple color. But sometimes, I wear pink clothes when I am so happy, so I think they reflect my mood and feeling.


1. What are some subjects that you will never discuss with a friend?
I tell anything except my serious problem with my best friends.
I rarely talk about my worries.

2. Do you have different friends for different parts of your life? If so, how are they different to you? Do you talk about different things? Go to different places? Give me some examples.
Yes. Although I am shy and indoor type, I have bright and open mind friends. They are talkative, so I'm comfortable when I am with them. I tend to go outside with them such as mall, cinema, festival!

Class#2 Death and Funerals

1.Death and Funerals:
a. Do you have any international friends or a host family? If so, how would you express your condolences to them if a family member died?
Japanese wear black kimono or suits for condolences, and give a condolence payment to the family. And then, we see died person's face and say goodbye.
b. Have you ever been to a foreign funeral?
No, I've never been. However, I watched American funeral on TV. I was interested in wearing sunglasses. Why do some people(especially, women) wear sunglasses at funeral??

2. The language of Clothes (preparation for next weeks topic):
a.Why are Japanese designer label crazy? Why is what you wear so important?
I guess that Japanese want to express their status. If someone wear famous designer label clothes or accessories, others think she is rich and luxurious.
b.What does “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” mean to you?
I think the meaning is "Don't judge a person by his or her appearance such as their clothes." Most People are diffrerent from their appearance.

Class#1 Fall 2009

Q1.
a.Do you agree with the web site's description?
Yes!! Japanese exactly like to do wrapping!!! Therefore, Japanese think that Amercans say too directly. On the other hand, Americans cannot understand what Japanese really want to say.
b.What do you do that can be called "wrapping"?
Give examples and reasons for your actions.
For example, when I give a gift to someone, I say "Here's a little something for you(つまらないものですが。）" even if I think it is a good or expensive thing. The reason is that I may be thought that I'm a patronizing person.

Q2.
a. Where do you go when you die?
I'm not sure whether heaven exists, or not. But many people have believed heaven and hell for a long time, so we may go there when we die.
Also, I believe that we will be born again after we die because a few people have memories of previous life. I think life has connected.

b. Explain why do Japanese have death memorial services 1 month, 1 year, 3 years, 7 years, etc. after a person's death?
Most Japanese are Buddhism. They believe that people go to the hether world (heaven) after they die, so bereaved family pray for repose the deceased's soul each year.
And 49days after someone's death are most important because his or her destination of the next life is decided during this period.

Class#14 Politics and Reflection

I want to work as translator because I can use my English, and I like wrting.
But I cannot speak three different language, so I have to learn another language.
I'd like to learn French or Korean.
And also I have to study difficult words to work at UN.

Working with different culture

I think I will work as a manager at foreign capital company.
American don't care whether women work as boss, or not.
I think American women are stronger than Japanese women.

Class#12 Dating

The most important thig is looks for me. I think everyone likes good-looking guys more than not-good-looking guys. The face and style are important because I would have seen him almost everyday if I were his girlfriend.

Second, personality is important.

And, good salary& neatness are better.

I also like a person who have talent. I wanna respect my partner.

Class#7 Names and Adresses

1.Are feelings, emotions, and facial expessions universal across borders?
Yes, I think so. For example, children who cannot speak language yet smile when they are happy, cry when they are sad, or get angry when they don't like something. It is common all over the world.

While, words and gestures are different between other countries. For example, "nod" means "yes" in Japan or America, but I heard that some countries it means "no".


2.Many feelings in Japanese and the English translation.
嬉しい/ happy
悲しい/ sad
楽しい/ pleasant
寂しい/lonely
腹立たしい/ be irritated
苦しい/ hard
悔しい/ be mortified
羨ましい/ envy
妬ましい/jealous
憎い/ hateful
恥ずかしい/be ashamed
恋しい/ miss


3. Feelings in only Japanese
愛おしい
切ない
憂い/愁い
儚い