My Communication Class

Congratulations and Thank You!

2007-01-25T11:02:00.000+12:00

To all the students in my Communication Classes, congratulations on finishing the semester, and thank you for the pleasure of being your teacher. I was impressed by everyone's efforts this semester to improve your communication skills and, especially, to try a completely new challenge, using blogs in English. According to our class blogging survey, this was the first time any of you had written a blog in English. You did very well!

I will continue making entries in this blog over the break. I will start a new class blog next semester. I encourage all of you to continue using your blogs. I'm very impressed that Marie at Amami 5 has continued to use her blog to write English. When I start a new class blog, I will invite you to join us. You can then help the new students to understand how to use English-language blogs, and can continue to communicate in English together.

Have a great vacation!

Coming of Age Day

2007-01-09T11:07:00.000+12:00

Happy Coming-of-Age Day! What did you all do?

Happy Late New Year

2007-01-06T12:08:00.000+12:00

Happy New Year!

My new year's break has been peaceful and happy, for the most part. My wife and I visited her family for a New Year's lunch. We ate tons of osechi (and sushi and sashimi; there was also yakiniku, but I didn't eat any of that). My wife's uncle's family has a rabbit. I'm extremely allergic to rabbits, so within an hour, my nose was running like crazy. Other than that, I had a great time. The food was delicious and the people were interesting and friendly.

We also watched a few minutes of Kouhaku (the big New Year's Japanese song competition, which pits men against women), and also watched different parts of the world do New Year's countdowns on CNN.

Experiencing the New Year's holidays in Japan and watching other countries celebrate on TV, reminded me of how different Japan and the U.S. are in celebrating the New Year's holiday. For one thing, the New Year's holiday is much more important in Japan than in the U.S. In Japan, this holiday is filled with old traditions which have symbolic importance. For example, people carefully prepare osechi, eat toshikoshi soba, visit shrines and pray for good things in the New Year, etc. Young people look forward to nice cash gifts from their families and a lot of people still watch Kouhaku on TV (although this year, it wasn't very popular, I heard). In the U.S., people often spend New Year's eve at parties. The most important moment is the New Year's countdown, and the most important activity is drinking alcohol, especially champaigne (a huge number of police are on the streets during New Year's, to stop drunk drivers). There is also a popular idea that you should have a date on New Year's, and you should kiss your date at exactly 12:00 midnight (as is shown in the movie "When Harry Met Sally"--Japanese title: 恋人たちの予感; 見てみてください！).

I wish you all a peaceful and healthy 2007. See you soon!

John

P.S. nyo---n! I can't see your blog! Probably other people can't see it, either! I don't know the reason for the problem, but it's possible that you write something in kanji on the name of the your blog, or the name of an entry. This sometimes causes problems with Blogger. Please try to fix it. Thanks.

Merry Late Christmas

2006-12-28T11:37:00.000+12:00

I spent a quiet, happy Christmas at home this year. My wife and I exchanged nice gifts. We refused to wrap the gifts, to avoid causing pollution. We had a great, homey dinner together and watched a movie on TV.

I talked to family members and friends on the phone in the U.S. and was reminded of how different Christmas is in Japan compared to other countries. My family and friends were having family parties (some very large) around Christmas trees decorated with lots of lights and tinsel and other colorful decorations, eating lots of good food ("feast food" like turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, etc.--in the part of the U.S. where I'm from, the food for Thanksgiving and Christmas are similar). Some people drink eggnog, which is a kind of sweet, thick, milky drink (I don't like it--I think it tastes nasty), sometimes with nutmeg sprinkled on top and sometimes with a shot of whiskey. Some people watch a famous Christmas movie called "It's a Wonderful Life".

Since Christmas is, ostensibly, a holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, some people in the U.S. go to church on Christmas. However, many others "celebrate" by buying and giving gifts. For many people in the U.S., Christmas involves buying expensive products. People often feel pressure to buy expensive gifts (when they don't have money), and feel stress from the huge crowds at the stores. The number of suicides in the U.S. increases during the holiday season.

I never liked the materialistic ideas about Christmas, and am happy that my friends and family don't like them either. My brother and his wife gave me and my wife a perfect Christmas present this year. It was a jar filled with flour, bits of chocolate, and other tasty things--it was homemade muffin mix. It probably cost about a dollar to make (100 yen), and was a recipe created by my sister-in-law (who is a great cook), especially for us. I can recycle the jar, too!

Merry Christmas!

John

What did you do for Christmas? What will you do for New Year's?

A Herniated Week

2006-12-14T01:35:00.000+12:00

It's been a crazy week...it seems like everything became twice as busy and twice as difficult.

We have an expression in English: "When it rains, it pours." This means "When there's a little bit of trouble, there is a lot of trouble" or "when one bad thing happens, many other bad things also happen."

Teaching always becomes more frantic as New Year's holiday approaches; there are final exams to prepare, and lots of papers to grade, especially in my writing classes. Additionally, I got injured twice in the past week and a half. A visit to a doctor showed that I have a herniated disk in my spine, and a small fracture in my knee. The pain was bad enough to prevent me from standing or walking all weekend. Now, fortunately, I am becoming better. I can walk again! Walking is important!

I haven't thoroughly read every blog this week (but I will!). However, I wanted to point out a very good entry by Yamame on December 12, at ti-mutonosama. He read an interesting book about Japanese rich and poor people, and he wants to hear your opinions.

See you soon!

John

MEAT

2006-12-11T15:33:00.000+12:00

Some alternative uses for meat:

Beautiful meat art.
Formal meat suit.
Useful meat shoes.
The comfortable meat chair.
The lovely meat dress.
And last, but not least, future meat, for the time after we've killed all the animals and have no choice except to create hi-tech meat.

Busy Week

2006-12-03T19:35:00.000+12:00

On Sunday, I took the Japanese Proficiency Test (level 2). The test was held at Konan University in Okamoto. It was an interesting experience. I was in a big room, with about 400 other people. Almost all were Asian-looking people, most in their twenties. I heard lots of people speaking Chinese and lots of people speaking Korean. I heard at least a few people speaking Thai (maybe) and a group of people speaking Arabic. Probably 70 percent of the test-takers were women. Out of the 400 or so people there, I saw only 5 "western" people (non-Asian). The westerners represented only about 1 percent of the group. I was in an even smaller minority--a middle-aged white male. Because I live in Japan, I'm accustomed to this.

The test was difficult! The kanji and listening parts were not too bad, but the reading section nearly killed me! Nonetheless, there's a chance that I passed. A very, very, very, very small chance.

It was a good experience.

Strange Sushi

2006-11-23T10:46:00.000+12:00

I read an interesting story today about sushi nationalism. The Japanese agricultural minister is planning a certification program for restaurants that serve "pure" Japanese foods. While I love Japanese food, and I respect the great skill the Japanese chefs have, it seems strange to me too, because there are so many "Japan-ized" versions for national foods in this country (for example, there is no "mentaiko spaghetti" in Italy).

What do you think of this issue?

It reminded me of the time I went to Montana to visit my family. We visited a sushi bar there and had, among other peculiarities, cheese sushi, asparagus sushi and fried chicken sushi (they actually tasted very good).

The distortions of sushi even goes outside the world of food, and includes things like the sushi pillow and sumo sushi soccer.

A little class blog news:
Dagurodo and Metamon had some great entries last week on tobidashi (see November 21st and 22nd entries). D. writes about a "secret" gift for a friend (of which he posts a photograph), and M. writes about how a manga he is reading and how it got him interested in boxing. He also claims to like ham sandwiches.

Dead Fish and Tantei Knight Scoop

2006-11-19T11:10:00.000+12:00

I read this story the other day. It says that most of the marine life on Earth will likely die (or "collapse") by the year 2048. The reasons for this are pollution and overfishing. If the story is true, your (university students') children might not be able to eat fish anymore, and perhaps not seaweeds like konbu, wakame, and nori. What do you think?

On a positive note, I recently went to a live studio recording of Tantei Knight Scoop. Tantei Knight Scoop is a comedy TV program made in the Kansai region of Japan. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. I watch it often. It has a strong "Kansai flavor", meaning, simply, that people don't take life too seriously, and are comfortable laughing at themselves. Have you watched Tantei Knight Scoop? Do you like it?

Under the Weather

2006-11-14T14:23:00.000+12:00

I've been very sick for three days. I have a sore throat, a fever, and a bad cough. In English, when I am sick, I can say, "I am under the weather." I have been VERY under the weather lately. I hope I'm better by this Friday's class.

Important! I already posted this, but to remind my first period class: the test for this Friday is cancelled. The same material will be on the final exam in December.

Important Part 2! Please don't forget that your assignment (homework) was to write two entries by Friday's class, and to write two comments on other blogs.

Important Part 3!: I recommend that when people leave comments on your blog, you answer them. I've noticed MANY comments (some by me, some by classmates, some by "outsiders") that ask you questions, but almost no one answers the questions. This is not a requirement for class, but answering comments is a good chance to practice communicating in English. もったいない！

I also want to say that your blog entries are fantastic, and that some of you are really working to use your blogs to communicate. For example, Mami visited Hiromi's blog in Tokyo to leave a message for her.

John

P.S. The picture above is NOT me! It does look a little like my dad, though. I got this picture from a public domain photo site (where you can find photographs to legally put on your blog).

The Lame Duck

2006-11-10T09:42:00.000+12:00

A couple of days ago, there was an important election in the United States. The voters elected enough Democrats to overthrow the Republicans in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Previously, both the Senate and the House were controlled by Republicans. Since George Bush is a Republican, this meant that the Republicans had almost complete control over the government.

Very generally speaking, Democrats and Republicans have different opinions about issues like the legality of abortion, social welfare, military spending, rights of homosexual people, and stem-cell research. The most important difference between the two parties now is their different opinions about the Iraq war.

When the war first started, most Democrats in the Senate and House supported it. Most Democrats later changed their minds about the war. Now, very often, Democrats oppose the war and Republicans support it.

This election shows strong unhappiness and disapproval among Americans about the war in Iraq and the George Bush presidency. George Bush has lost much power because of the election. When a president loses much power, and can't be reelected (George Bush must quit at the end of 2008), he is called a "Lame Duck" in English.

What is your opinion of the war in Iraq? What do you think about George Bush? Do you think Japan and the U.S. should continue to be such close friends?

John

Have a Great Festival!

2006-11-03T20:34:00.000+12:00

I hope you are all having an incredible Kandai festival. If you are selling stuff for your clubs, I hope you make plenty of money. If you are walking around, I hope you find many fun and interesting things to do. If you are at home, go to the festival!

John

P.S. A special announcement for my first period class: the test for November 17 is cancelled. I know you are disappointed. Don't cry, though, because you will have the same material on your final exam.

P.P.S. Happy Culture Day, too!

My Strange Birthday Present

2006-10-29T19:10:00.000+12:00

As I promised, here are pictures of my Aokubi Daikon. My wife gave me these for my birthday. The name of the one on the bottom is Cha-chan. The one on the top is Netteru-kun.

How would you feel if someone gave you these for your birthday?

Models for Homework

2006-10-24T10:21:00.000+12:00

Hello, Everyone,

What a beautiful, sunny morning!

Please don't forget to leave comments on two other blogs this week (list of student blogs is on the left).

Here are some examples of how to do the homework. Remember, the idea is to personalize your words. These sentences are all true for me:

I want to learn how to do plumbing, so I can fix my faucet if it breaks. About ten years ago, a pipe leaked in my ceiling, and I couldn't fix it.

To me, the significance of my family is large.

I was affected by the novel called "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (thanks to Turedure Diary).

I like astronomy, because I'm curious about extraterrestrial life.

My wife told me to turn down the TV two days ago, because she was trying to read. I turned it down, but then I couldn't hear it.

I've never been nagged by anyone.

Chocolatter also has some excellent examples.

John

Dekita.org

2006-10-23T01:33:00.000+12:00

I found a nice website called Dekita.org, which brings together other English-learning class bloggers from around the world. It seems like a very good website for our class to be connected with. I am posting our class information here for visitors to Dekita.org. I have also added a button below (click on "Exchange" on the lower left), which you can use to visit Dekita.org.

Our bloggers consist of two university communication classes in Osaka, Japan. We meet once per week. Our blogging course began in September 2006 and will continue until the end of January, 2007. Links to our blogs are on the left side of the screen. We'd love to hear from you!

Team Tathutata
http://tathutatata.blogspot.com

Kuma-san
http://kuma-san.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_kuma-san_archive.html

Green Swallow
http://greenswallow.blogspot.com

nyo-------n
http://3s-noopy.blogspot.com

Amami 05
http://amami05.blogspot.com

AK Blog
http://george-1112.blogspot.com

Chocolatter
http://chocolatter.blogspot.com

boom
http://okonomiboom.blogspot.com

First Day
http://Jackfans.blogspot.com

Made in Japan, Yeah!
http://made-in-japan-yeah.blogspot.com

Gangaradou
http://gangaradou.blogspot.com

Bdoll Lanvin
http://kkk-115.blogspot.com

1.5 Retsume kara no Tobidashi!!
http://tobidase-metamon.blogspot.com

Turedure Diary
http://turedure-diary.blogspot.com

Ti-mutonosama
http://ti-mutonosama.blogspot.com

Our Slow Life
http://our-slow-life.blogspot.com

Tsk
http://tsk02.blogspot.com

121 Years Old to Hatachitachi
http://weare24.blogspot.com

2006-10-22T19:28:00.000+12:00

Hello Everyone,

I added links to some other English-learning class blogs (look on the left, toward the bottom). These other classes are similar to ours. The students are using blogs to learn and communicate in English. Please visit them. If you leave comments for these students, you can improve your chances of communicating in English.

John

2006-10-15T13:15:00.000+12:00

Hello, Everyone,

Today is another beautiful autumn day. I love this season, but I am also looking forward to winter, because I love cold weather. I want snow! I love eating oden while it's snowing! Don't you?

I noticed that Gangaradou posted a photograph on their blog. If you want to post photographs, but you don't know how, please contact them, and they can tell you how to do it. Please be careful not to post copyrighted photographs. Of course, for safety, don't publish photographs of yourselves either.

I've seen also that some of you are using the "team members" function of Blogger. This is a great way to separate your posts and your profiles. You can learn how to do this by reading "help". You can also contact your classmates who are now using "team members" and ask them to explain it.

Some groups haven't posted their profiles yet. Please do this soon. It was your homework last week!

If any of you are having trouble with your blogs, contact me soon.

Have a peaceful Sunday.

John

2006-10-10T19:07:00.000+12:00

Hello Everyone,

The weather is amazing today, huh? I wish I could go outside and ride my bike around, but I'm too busy.

On the links to the left, I added a Japanese / English dictionary (from Yahoo Japan) and (for very enthusiastic students!) a literacy site, where you can practice lots of things in English (listening, vocabulary, and reading). The literacy site is very good, but it is also pretty difficult.

I posted some more of your blog addresses below. Please look at the other students' blogs! I look forward to reading this weeks' entries.

Enjoy this great weather, too!

John

2006-10-03T22:26:00.000+12:00

Hello everyone,

On the left, under "links", I added an online English Dictionary to our class blog. There is also an English Thesaurus there. Please use it if you want.

John

2006-10-02T10:42:00.000+12:00

Hello, everyone. Here is a list of our class blogs (so far). Please read them! They look good!

There are some that are still missing. I look forward to receiving the rest before next class.

Team Tathutata
http://tathutatata.blogspot.com

Kuma-san
http://kuma-san.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_kuma-san_archive.html

Green Swallow
http://greenswallow.blogspot.com

nyo-------n
http://3s-noopy.blogspot.com/

Amami 05
http://amami05.blogspot.com/

AK Blog
http://george-1112.blogspot.com/

Chocolatter
http://chocolatter.blogspot.com/

boom
http://okonomiboom.blogspot.com/

First Day
http://Jackfans.blogspot.com

Made in Japan, Yeah!
http://made-in-japan-yeah.blogspot.com/

Gangaradou
http://gangaradou.blogspot.com/

Bdoll Lanvin
http://kkk-115.blogspot.com/

1.5 Retsume kara no Tobidashi!!
http://tobidase-metamon.blogspot.com/

Turedure Diary
http://turedure-diary.blogspot.com/

Ti-mutonosama
http://ti-mutonosama.blogspot.com/

Our Slow Life
http://our-slow-life.blogspot.com/

Tsk
http://tsk02.blogspot.com/

121 Years Old to Hatachitachi
http://weare24.blogspot.com/

2006-09-20T17:15:00.000+12:00

Welcome to our main class blog. Here, I will publish all of your blog addresses.
You can write messages to me, or to the class, by answering my blog posts using "comments".

I will post messages to the class here, both serious and casual. Please read them! You can leave comments too, if you want.

You can write to me to ask questions about English or anything else. You can write messages to me on your blogs also (because I will read them regularly!).

And also...