Week Eight & Week Nine

My time in Japan has come to a close. This past week I 帰った (kaetta/returned home) from 日本 and my extraordinary summer experience. Here are some recollections from the last week of the program and my subsequent week of travel.

Week Eight was the final one of the program and probably the most intense. On that 木曜日 (mokuyōbi/Thursday, lit. 'tree' day) we had our three hour and fifteen minute final exam which covered the material from the entire summer, including the several hundred 漢字 characters we had studied. We also had to submit a paper reflecting upon our Independent Study project and interview experiences. Here's a page from my interview notes containing some of the 質問 (shitsu-mon/questions) I asked the 宮司さん (gūji-san/Shinto head priests) whom I interviewed.



In order to facilitate the involvement of everyone in our 組 (gumi/class group), on the first day of class in June our teacher implemented the use of 笑顔 (egao/'smiling face') participation cards. During a 相談 (sōdan/discussion), once someone participated he or she could turn the card around. Originally they were all identical, but over the course of eight weeks most of us had left our mark. Contributions of mine include the tentacled tongue devouring a stuffed animal and the パックマン (pakkuman/Pacman) to the right. (A brief Pacman-related aside: the word Pacman, invented by Japanese video game developer ナムコ (Namco) in 1980 is based on the 擬声語 (giseigo/onomatope) パクパク (pakupaku) for an object which flaps open and closed, such as a mouth. As I mentioned before, onomatopoeia are very common in 日本語.)



Although our time in 函館 was coming to a close, city life continued on unabated, as evidenced by the daily hustle of the 魚屋 (sakana-ya/fish market).



On the night after the final, my host family and I went out for dinner to a nice 寿司屋 (sushi-ya/sushi restaurant) with one of my お父さん's high school teachers and his wife. Although 外国人 often think of 寿司 as the quintessential item of Japanese cuisine, it is fairly 高い (takai/expensive) and usually reserved for special occasions. Somewhat similarly, many 日本人 think that アメリカ人 (Amerika-jin/Americans) eat ピザ (piza/pizza) and ハンバーガー (hambāgā/hamburgers) for every meal.



Finally, on the morning of that Friday, プログラムの最後の日 (puroguramu no saigo no hi/the last day of the program), we had our 卒業式 (sotsugyō-shiki/graduation ceremony).



Here I am receiving my 免状 (menjyō/diploma) from 山崎代表理事 (Yamazaki, Director General), the head of HIF. After two very intense months of study it was very gratifying to receive that piece of paper!

After the ceremony we had a 送別会 (sōbetsu-kai/farewell party), and every 組 gave a performance; our class sang a song appropriately entitled ありがとう (Arigatō). Afterword, we said our goodbyes to one another and made promises to meet again stateside.






That afternoon I also bid adieu, or rather さようなら (sayōnara), to my host family and their house which had been my home for two months! They took me to the 駅 (eki/station) that afternoon, where I rode the 新幹線 (shinkansen/bullet train, lit. 'new trunk (i.e. main) line') all the way to 東京 (Tōkyō).



My host 弟 (otōto/younger brother) also wrote me a very sweet farewell letter in 日本語 and 英語, which he studies in school.



I wasn't the only one who spent the five hour ride looking out the window.



Train Shop is the Japan Rail version of SkyMall, except the front section is devoted to 漬け物 (tsukemono/pickled food).



I spent Week Nine, the rest of my time in 日本, living with a college friend in 六本木 (Roppongi), a bustling financial district, and taking day trips before I returned to アメリカ ('Amerika') just last week. It was a perfect capstone to the summer: a chance to put my newly improved language skills to practical use as I navigated the country! Here are some photos from my travels.

京都 (Kyōto) was the original imperial capital of 日本 and remains a cultural center for the nation. I met a friend from Yale, 崎山俊樹 (Sakiyama, Toshiki) who showed me around the city.





On my last day in 日本, I visited 松本城 (Matsumoto Shiro/Matsumoto Castle). Built in the 16th century by a local warlord, it is completely surrounded by a triple moat and was quite impressive to behold.





And that concludes the chronicle of my adventures during 'Summertime in Japan'. Thank you to all who have followed and supported my journey. I can honestly say that my language skills, most especially my oral communication skills, have improved tremendously over these months. I eagerly await the next chance I have to return to the country, but till then I shall do my best to take advantage of all more local opportunities to engage in 日本語 and 日本 related activities, be they culture clubs, language tables during lunch at school, or whatever else!


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お大事に！ (Odaijini!/Take care!)

Week Seven

And the penultimate week has passed! Now comes the time to wrap up class (with 七時間以下/sichijikan-ika/less than seven hours) of actual class time left, take our 後期期末試験 (kouki-kimatsusiken/second-semester final exam), begin saying our さようなら (sayōnara)'s, and leave town. Here's my ticket to 東京 (Tokyo) for this 金曜日 (Kinyōbi/Friday, lit. 'gold' day). My Japan Rail Pass lets me travel anywhere on the rail system for one week, and I'm planning to visit 京都 (Kyōto) next week.



Before I go through some of the highlights for the week, and since this is a Japanese-language program after all, I thought I should take some time to talk about 日本語 (nihongo/the Japanese language) itself. 日本語 is the national language of Japan, where it is spoken by virtually the entire population of approximately 130 million; also an official language of the island of Angaur in Palau (pop. 188); is used by several million Japanese expatriates worldwide; and in sum is the tenth most widely spoken language in the world. 日本語 arguably has one of the most complex writing systems in the world: To begin with, there are two syllabaries each containing 46 commonly used かな (kana) characters which each represent one mora, or consonant-vowel pair. For example せ and セ represent 'se'. The former is ひらがな (hiragana/'level' characters, historically developed by women), the script that can be used to spell most words and which is usually used for all grammatical particles. The latter is カタカナ (katakana/'fragmentary' characters, historically developed by men), the set of characters usually used for onomatopoeia, which are much more common than in 英語 (Eigo/English), and most foreign words, including names. For example, my name is written in カタカナ as セルジオ (Serujio). In addition, 漢字 (kanji/Chinese characters) are used to write most verbs, nouns, and other non-particle words. There are many thousands of commonly used kanji: 1,006 characters are taught in elementary school, starting with 一 (ichi/one), and about 2,000 more are taught in junior high and high school. In addition there are many 表外漢字 (hyōgaikanji/'outside-the-list' kanji) which are relatively common. It's said that about 1000 characters are sufficient to read 90% of a newspaper article. In contrast to 中国語 (Chūgoku-go/Chinese), 漢字 have multiple pronunciations depending on the context in which they are used. Some of these are based on old historically Japanese words (訓読み/kunyomi/native readings) and some are based on ancient Chinese pronunciations (音読み/onyomi/sound readings). Knowing when to use which reading is definitely one of the hardest parts of studying 日本語. For example, 下 (below, down, confer upon) can use the 音読み pronunciations カ (ka) and ゲ (ge) or the 訓読み pronunciations した (shita), さ(げる) (sa(geru)), くだ(る) (kuda(ru)), or お(りる) (o(riru)) depending on the context. I really do enjoy 漢字, and have spoken about them a lot in my 日直 speeches, but I admit they are truly 難しい (muzukashii/difficult)! Sometimes 外国人 ask why 漢字 are employed at all since the syllabaries can also be used to write all words, but since 日本語 has many homonyms (and accent is subtle and not reflected in the writing system, nor even usually taught to foreigners), 漢字 actually do make reading a lot more efficient.

Whereas 英語 is an SVO language (Subject-Verb-Object; e.g. 'I eat lunch.'), 日本語 is classified as SOV (私がお昼を食べる。/Watashi ga ohiru o taberu./'I, lunch, eat.'). This is actually somewhat misleading, though. 日本語 uses 助詞 (joshi/particles), which are pronounced, to mark most parts of speech. In the previous example が (ga) marks 私 (watashi/I) as the subject while を (o) marks お昼 (ohiru/lunch) as the object. Because of this there is much more flexibility in word order; depending on the context almost any order can be used. One can thus also say お昼を私が食べる。/Ohiru o watashi ga taberu./'Lunch, by me, is eaten.'.

日本語 also is much more specific about social relationships than 英語. For instance, words for the 動詞 (dōshi/verb) "give" include 差し上げる (sashiageru/to give to a superior), 上げる (ageru/to give to an equal), やる (yaru/to give to an inferior, such as a small child or animal), くれる (kureru/to be given by another), and 下さる (kudasaru/to be given by a superior). The 動詞 for "receive" likewise depends on who is giving something to whom. These are the kinds of words which often lead to awkward subtitles in old Japanese movies!

I think that should suffice for a brief introduction to 日本語! Those with further interest are encouraged to take a Japanese class!

This past week was as busy as they come! That being said, it was also quite enjoyable, although fairly 蒸し暑い (mushiatsui/humid). I actually saw some people enjoying the 浜 (hama/beach) for the first time.



A highlight of the week was a 文化クラス (bunka kurasu/culture class) about 書道 (shodō/calligraphy). The 高校生 (kōkōsei/high school students) greeted us with a live, large-scale demonstration.



The 先生 (sensē/teacher) was great and went through the history of the different styles of writing Japanese 漢字 with us.



We were taught to impart 意味 (imi/meaning) and 気持ち (kimochi/feeling) into the way we wrote the characters themselves. For instance, this is my attempt at a Portland-area 風 (kaze/wind). Below is my own explanation: 強い風だが、強過ぎない。(Tsuyoi kaze da ga, tsuyo-suginai/A strong wind, but not too strong.)



In class we gave those famed ラジオ体操 (rajio taisō/radio calisthenics) a try, although it happened to be the television version. It was a good stretch in the middle of a busy day.



Later we went out to get a class picture of E組 (E-gumi/class E) taken. From left are 齊藤先生 (Azusa-sensē), who teaches Japanese in America during the school year; Caitlin Comfort (Yale '12); Erico Tso (Smith College '10); Melanie Jensenworth (University of Washington); David Thayer (University of Pennsylvania '12); Michael Chirico (UPenn '11); Nicole Humphrey (Michigan State University '11); Vinson Young (Princeton '12); Eli Tung (UPenn '13); and myself (Yale '11).



This past weekend my host parents took me to 五稜郭 (Goryōkaku/lit. 'five-sided fortification), a famous 19th century fortress. From the adjoining, modern-day tower we took in a gorgeous view of the city.




Finally, on 日曜日 (Nichiyōbi/lit., well, 'Sun'-day), I reunited with some of my friends from the 北大オーケストラ to watch the biggest 花火 (hanabi/lit. 'fire flowers') of the year from across the 浜 (hama/bay). It was great to see them again, and we all exchanged our information for the next time I come to 日本, or, as I invited all of them, the next (or first, in many cases) time any of them come to the states. They were so sweet as to all give me a 浴衣 (yukata/light, lit. 'bathing' kimono) and slippers, which I wore all evening. These pictures include 宏航君 (Hirokazu-kun), a guy my age who was nice enough to give me rides home after every evening rehearsal, and 千恵さん (Chie-san), a very nice girl who does animal research in addition to playing the cello



Unlike most American 花火 I've seen, this show lasted for 一時間 (ichi-jikan/a whole hour)!

じゃあ、後で！

Week Six

Yet another week has whizzed by, and now there's only a fortnight left before the program is over and I leave 函館市 for 東京 (Tōkyō)! It was a busy week with plenty of work and plenty of activities: here are some highlights.



Each 留学生, in addition to his or her normal coursework, must complete an 'Independent Study' project about 日本文化 (nihon-bunka/Japanese culture). I chose to learn more about 神道 (Shintō, lit. the way of the gods), the native, polytheistic religion of Japan which coexists with 仏教 (bukkyō/Buddhism, lit. teaching(s) of the Buddha) as the faith of the majority of Japanese. Last week, I went to an お祭り (omatsuri/(honorable) festival) at 豊川稲荷神社 (Toyokawainari Jinja/Shinto Shrine), established 安政一年 (Ansei 1/1854). 豊川稲荷 is a god of abundance, and this was the single largest event of the year. It was quite an event! Dancing, libations, カラオケ (karaoke, lit. "'invisible' orchestra"), and an hour-long prayer service all were occuring at the same time.



Earlier I had also visited a shrine commemorating war dead, 護国神社 (Gokoku Jinja), and I also received a note this week from that 宮司さん (Gūji-san/(hon.) head priest containing some photos from my visit and a very kind letter wishing me all the best in my future studies and work. This was in addition to the bag of お土産 (omiyage/souvenirs) he gave me at the time of my interview. He was a truly kind person!



Every day in class, we each take turns with 日直 (nicchoku/day duty). The 日直 comes early, prepares the classroom for the day, gives the day's announcements in the morning, and then gives a short speech and leads a discussion on a topic of his or her choice. For my turn last week, I decided to give a speech about 四字熟語 (yo-ji-juku-go/four-character idioms). These are idiomatic phrases consisting of four 漢字 (kanji/Chinese characters). Examples include 十人十色 (jūnin-toiro/"Ten people, ten colors"="Different strokes for different folks") and 美人薄命 (bijinn-hakumei/"A beauty, a thin life"="A beautiful woman is destined to die young"). After my speech I had my class break up into small groups to come up with their own 四字熟語. My favorites are 大笑長命 (daishō-chōmei/"A big laugh is a long life") and 一話二訳 (ichiwa-niyaku/"One word, two translations"). The latter has been demonstrated to all of us many times here!



I went bowling for the first time in many years last week with my host 弟さん (otōto-san/(hon.) little brother) and host お父さん (otō-san/(hon.) father). I bowled 104 and 105, which is much better than I usually do. In a characteristic display of Japanese modesty, my host お父さん beforehand insisted he was completely 下手 (heta/unskilled, lit. "lowly handed") and proceeded to near a score of 200.



This is オリエンタルキチン (Orientaru Kichin/Oriental Kitchen), a small, nook-in-the-wall restaurant where I usually grab my lunch. For a mere 五百五十円 (go-hyaku-go-jū-en/¥550≈$6) I can get a delicious グリーンカレー (gurīnkarē/green curry) and アイスコーヒー (aisukōhī/ice coffee).



At the ジム (jimu/gym) the other day, there was an adult dancing class. This reminded me of a great film, Shall We ダンス? (Shall We Dansu?). There is a lot of interest in ballroom dancing in Japan.

On Saturday, I headed with some other 留学生 to climb 函館山 (Hakodate-yama/Mt. Hakodate).


(Chris Purdy, Purdue '11; Laura Specker, Williams College '08/University of Hawaii at Manoa; Hilary Ledwell, Williams College '12; Sandra McKee, CSU Monteray Bay '10; and Samik Sikand, Boston University.)



Although I had been up via the cable car before, it was definitely satisfying having climbed to the top! I celebrated by buying a little treat at the café on the summit.



Afterward, Chris and I continued to hike around the 公園 (kōen/park) for a couple hours. It was truly a きれいな日 (kirei na hi/beautiful day); it's hard to believe that so much 自然 (shizen/nature) is so close to the 都内 (tonai/metropolitan area) of 函館市.



Little Buddhist statuettes and shrines dotted the trail throughout the hike.

Finally, this past Sunday I participated in the yearly お祭り of 北斗市 (Hokuto-shi/Hokuto city), the city adjacent to 函館 in which my host family and I actually live. I volunteered with my host お父さん to help carry an お神輿 (omikoshi/portable shrine) of good fortune in the parade. It was a lot of fun! The shrine took about twenty people to carry. It was fun seeing people watching realize that a 外国人 was helping and then start excitedly talking to one another. The procession took about two hours, but, thankfully, we got to take plenty of breaks using stands being carried alongside us.



Oh, I forgot to mention that various women and children took turns riding on top while we carried them through the city.



Needless to say, my shoulder was quite sore the next day! Luckily I had two towels wadded up beneath my robe.



じゃあ、また後で！