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Language Learning Center
Smullin Hall
Willamette University
900 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97301
(503) 375-5492 voice
llc@willamette.edu
This video clip is pretty hilarious. But, I wonder who it was made for. If this is some sort of a comedy for Japanese people, I think that’s awesome. Anyways, enjoy this video. You can learn how to eat sushi at a sushi bar or Japanese restaurant. But, you might better ask your Japanese friends if it all true or not. ; )
Although Japan's economy is recovering, there are several elements in the world economy that remain unclear, which make the foundation for the Japanese economy unstable. First, the social security system of Japan should be reformed. Until now, each element of the system - pensions, medical care, and nursing care - has been reformed separately. Recently, however, the squeeze on benefits and the increased burden of payments have required repeated spur-of-the-moment adjustments.
Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day? Is there a special way of spending this time in your culture? In Japan, it is only women who give presents (mainly chocolates) to men. Japanese women are usually too shy to express their love. (Though it might not be true nowadays.) Therefore, Valentine's Day was thought to be a great opportunity to let women express their feelings.
Japan is moving toward a two-party system comprised of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan. The international environment surrounding Japan has changed drastically in the last ten years. In the midst of economic globalization, the laws and systems adopted by a given nation have even more impact than before on whether that nation's economy prospers or founders.
A 14-year- old school boy horrified the nation by murdering two children and leaving the severed head of one of them outside the gate of school in Kobe. That crime was the newest and the most horrible thing to me when I was the same age as of the boy, and that is vividly reminded in my life. School crimes are tragically not that uncommon in the United States, but, in Japan, an attack of this nature and scale has never happened at a school. Although Japan is still one of the safest developed nations in the world, youth crime has dramatically increased in recent years.
Continue reading "Juvenile Crime Education and Society - between Japan and the U.S."
Hello. My name is Takafumi Yamada and I’m from Japan. I am part of the Tokyo International University; it's probably famous for the TIUA here. I was a TIUA student in 2006, so this is my second year at Willamette University. Now, I have joined WU full time. I’m a junior and my major is sociology.
Through the TIUA life, many cultural and social experiences stimulated me a lot. For example, I visited a Native American reservation to do community service called the TAB Trip. In this past summer, I've traveled around the US for a month by Greyhound bus. Of course, my daily life at Willamette ignited a social imagination and also gave me a motive to challenge myself because it is such a fabulous environment. I was really eager to study here again. That’s why I decided to come back , so i could continue learning inter cultural aspects.
My life at Willamette University is great, but sometimes I feel misunderstood among different cultures. I had been thinking about what I could and should do for the Willamette community. Then, I found the Willamette World News. Through it, I will try not only to learn new things but to also show and to express my own culture, ideas, style, etc. I’m looking forward to telling you about Japan and what Japanese people think nowadays.
Thank you,
Taka
Although this is not an article about the latest news in Japan, I would like to introduce you to a film called “Letters from Iwo jima”. This film is impressive and I think it has to be seen by many people in order to understand the truth about World War II. With "Flags of Our Fathers," director Clint Eastwood approached WWII's Battle of Iwo Jima from the American perspective. He chronicles the same time from the Japanese perspective in "Letters from Iwo Jima," featuring Ken Watanabe ("Memoirs of a Geisha," "The Last Samurai").
Continue reading "Watch this Film! -'Letters from Iwo jima""
Konnihiwa, kongakki mo douzo yoroshiku.; Hello, again (Greeting for this semester.)
I am the Japanese Language Assistant for Spring 2007. I have been here since Fall 2006 and will be on this occupation until the end of spring 2008. Since you have a lot of opportunities to meet and chat with TIUA (Japanese students at Willamette) please be feel free to ask me anything about Japan or its language. I would also like to make a bridge between WU and TIUA by planning some events.
For these past few decades, Japan has maintained its three non-nuclear principles of not producing, possessing, and not introducing nuclear weapons into the country. I strongly believe that Japan should never go nuclear because it is the only country that has had a tragic experience of being attacked by atomic bombs, and we should be proud that our country has never kept nuclear weapons in Japan. So we should keep our non-nuclear principals and oppose the nuclear race within the international community and make people understand that nuclear weapons bring only tragedy similar to what happened in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Japan has been threatened immediate and stern measure over North Korea test, although the Prime Minister, Abe, had taken over post Koizumi. However, I think the issue will stay for long andwon't be solved until Japan roots a fundamentally warm relationship in entire Asian countries.
Continue reading "Abe, Bush vow to take “decisive action” against North Korea"
Konnichiwa. Misuzu des. dozo-yoroshiku. Hello, I'm Misuzu. Nice to meet you.
I'm a Japanese language assistant for 2006/2007. However, I may continue in this position for another year.
I like Willamette University because it has a beautiful environment and with nice people. This environment is similar to the one in Albany in Western Australia where I was teaching at elementary school right before I came here.
I was here 4 years ago as a TIUA student. So, you can guess how old I am.... I'm 24.
Sayaka Horinouchi
In Japan, there were only male can be emperors by law today. However, the children who are members of the Imperial Family are only girls now. Therefore, government panel needs to discuss about female can be emperor or not. Eighty percent of the Japanese nation agree with the opinion that female can be emperor. In this article, there are the pros and cons about this problem.
Japanese Language
In Japan, there has been a marked decline in the levels of skills of Japanese language. To solve this problem, broadcasting stations the programs which are containing about Japanese language. These help not only for Japanese but also foreigners who study Japanese. Let▓s check contents of these programs out!
The Common Lottery in Japan
There are a lot of lotteries in Japan. The most popular lottery is ▒Takarakuji.▓ In each season, we can get different ▒Takarakuji▓ in Japan, and the prize money is so big deal. The prize money of first prize is about 300 million yen (3 million dollars)!! This lottery is really famous in Japan and ▒Takarakuji▓ has long history.
Pros and cons about female emperors
In Japan, there were only male can be emperors by law today. However, the children who are members of the Imperial Family are only girls now. Therefore, government panel needs to discuss about female can be emperor or not. Eighty percent of the Japanese nation agree with the opinion that female can be emperor. In this article, there are the pros and cons about this problem.
Japanese Language
In Japan, there has been a marked decline in the levels of skills of Japanese language. To solve this problem, broadcasting stations the programs which are containing about Japanese language. These help not only for Japanese but also foreigners who study Japanese. Let▓s check contents of these programs out!
The Common Lottery in Japan
There are a lot of lotteries in Japan. The most popular lottery is ▒Takarakuji.▓ In each season, we can get different ▒Takarakuji▓ in Japan, and the prize money is so big deal. The prize money of first prize is about 300 million yen (3 million dollars)!! This lottery is really famous in Japan and ▒Takarakuji▓ has long history.
Hi,
my name is Naoko Kasakoshi. I am a transfar student from Tokyo International University in Japan. Now I am a junior and my major is
Rhetoric and Massmadia Studies.I am excited to join this group to share our own country's news. Hope, through this project, you will get some
intersts about Japan! thanks!
I’ll Scratch Your Back if You Go To War
Things these days between Washington D.C. and Tokyo are pretty sweet. Pretty much all the news coming from Japan and the U.S. regarding one another has been nothing but stories of success in economic progress, political solidarity and the underlying theme of friendship. In fact, Japan and the U.S. will be celebrating this month, their success at being successful as friends. Huh? We all know that things haven’t always been so rosy between the two so there’s always reason to celebrate this special friendship. But come on!!! The way I see it, Tokyo’s special status in Washington only comes from its willingness to support the Bush administration; and in doing so, Tokyo is rewarded with military protection from Washington from a North Korean threat. I suppose this type of relationship is for the best if both nations profit from it. Nevertheless, a quintessential Japanese question remains…what about identity?
Missile Defense
The Japan-U.S. military alliance is working so well that it makes you wonder whether world peace can’t be established through military means after all…
Japanese Gratitude to US
OK, so maybe I am going too far in discrediting Japan-U.S. friendship. It is important and it is for the better there is no doubt about it. In this article written by Mr. Ogawara, pay special attention to his closing paragraphs which leave the reader wondering what he is implying about Mr. Bush’s “neo-conservative” foreign policy.
(Go to the article)
Yakyuu
If people want to make friends and celebrate, this is probably one of the best ways to go. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Tokyo, Toronto or Tampa Bay, grab a beer, a hot dog and root for the home team. Politics and missiles will all but be forgotten if not just for an afternoon.
(Go to the article)
The Japanese economy has been increasingly feeling the effects of a more economically powerful China. With growing wealth, the purchasing power of 1.3 billion Chinese has never looked so promising to Japanese companies. Most of these companies are technology oriented such as cellular phones, digital cameras and DVD players. The automobile industry is also seeing some increase in profits as well. China, which not too long ago was seen by Japanese companies as a source for cheap manufacturing is quickly changing its image to a powerful consumer nation.
During the last World Cup hosted in partnership between Japan and South Korea in 2002, the Japanese soccer team performed better than they ever had. Since then however, it seems as though the team has run into problems. While Japanese players aren’t as internationally visible as their South American and European counterparts, in the past decade or so, they have started to venture out to show their skills in the prestigious European leagues. Today, it is said that the players chosen to be on the Japan national team are increasingly causing scandal due to their lack of discipline since changing coaches. The coach, Brazilian born “Zico”, is failing to administer disciplinary action and is being blamed for the latest “no-no’s” involving his players.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has decided to raise the bar in the area of “gross-airline meals” by serving hypoallergenic foods on all international flights which apparently do not contain flour, buckwheat, dairy products, eggs or peanuts. Rather than the classic choice of “Chicken or Beef”, will the new option be “Water or Ice”? Hopefully other airlines will not follow suit, otherwise I’ll have to remember to pack food with me as well.
Following up on last week’s article on the dispatch of Japanese troops to Iraq, here is an editorial piece which poses some interesting questions and makes some insightful observations on some of those themes. The author seems to suggest that Japan’s willingness to aid the United States is fuelled by ulterior motives. At a time when most of the world has denounced the war, Japan has proven to be a faithful ally by agreeing to dispatch troops for the first time since World War II. Could politics be playing a role? What do you think?
NO MORE GYUDON!?!!!!! What is gyudon and why is it going away? Gyudon is a bowl of rice topped with pieces of seasoned beef. It’s really good…so why get rid of it?
The political war over abducted Japanese citizens by North Korea during the 1970’s continues to this day. Some progress has been made in that some of the abductees have been recently repatriated. Yet some Japanese are still being kept in North Korea.
Hotel Apologizes for slamming door on Hansen’s sufferers
A hotel in Kumamoto prefecture refused accommodation to former patients and workers at national sanitarium for Hansen’s disease suffers. The 18 patients and four workers had planned to stay at hotel on November 17th, Tuesday, but when the hotel found out that many of them are Hansen’s disease patients, they decided to refuse them entry. The Kumamoto Prefecture government started an investigation into in to the decision of hotel, citing a violation of human right and a possible violation of hotel industry laws. On Thursday, the facility offer and apology to them.
Japan’s youngest criminal defendant gets jail for tape
The youngest Japanese criminal defendant at the age of 15 was sentenced to an unspecified prison sentence for his part in the savage gang rape of young woman on November 20th, Thursday. This is first time a criminal is under age 16 and punished. He committed with other two men who are 35 and 17. They invaded a young woman’s house, violate robbed money and raped her. It is very serious problem for younger people in Japan, because the Juvenile Law has changed in April 2001, and there will be more younger people can be punished.
Penniless parents pinched for ordering son to steal
A father and mother were arrested on suspicion of theft after they helped their 14-year-old son steal from a friend in Ehime Prefecture on last July. The parents wouldn’t make dinner for us, and finally they told him that if he wants to eat, he had better steel something. And he went to his friend’s house with his mother and stole about 1.3 million yen in cash and other goods, and his mother collected a portion of the stolen cash on the spot. The parents used these money on living expenses and Pachinko (Japanese gamble).