Giggling in Osaka (Featuring New Friends)

Introduction

This week was full of more new experiences and learning and it has been one of my favorite weeks so far. Like always, I made the trek to class, but it’s not too bad when I can talk with my classmates on the way there. I also really look forward to the discussion we have in class everyday. I love hearing the perspectives that my classmates bring to discussion. My favorite part of class is our teacher. She is such a wonderful and amazing woman. I really admire her and I know that the whole class really appreciates  having her as our teacher. 

Learning 

This week, class was focused on learning about the nuances in spoken Japanese amongst different groups. Last week, if you can recall, we learned about the differences in using scripts to convey meaning in different contexts. This week, we analyzed the actual spoken language and how it is being used to convey meaning. We began the week by discussing the difference in dialects across Japan. In Japan, there are about 13 different dialects that are spoken. This is so incredible because, Japan is a country that is extremely small in size (smaller than California, but more people), and people live closer together, so how could there be such a variety in the way the language is spoken? While being in Japan, I’ve had the experience of learning some of the Kansai dialect, a dialect only spoken in the Kansai region of Japan (including Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, and others). Even among these cities, there are specific phrases and pronunciations that differ. In some regions of Japan, the spoken dialect is so complex, native Japanese speakers can’t understand it. It almost becomes a whole new language. Pretty amazing. Next, we learned about gendered language in Japanese. This is a concept that can be somewhat confusing for English speakers since we don’t have anything like this in the English language. When speaking casually, in Japanese, men and women use different words and final particles. When using these particles and words they can emphasize a sense of femininity or masculinity. Sometimes the other gender will use the opposite final particles to prove a point. As I walked around Japan I tried to listen for these final particles, but it’s hard to pick up when you’re not a native speaker. The final topic we learned in class this week, in regards to language, was the differences in polite languages that are used in Japan. Japan has an extremely strict hierarchical structure when it comes to spoken language, especially in business settings. This specific language is called Keigo. Keigo is to be used when talking to someone you need to respect and it’s used as a way of humbling yourself. A main characteristic of keigo is in-group and out-group, or uchi and soto. Your in-group are people you’re supposed to humble, for example your family and friends. Your out-group would be someone like your boss, or another company. What makes this so difficult is, your in-group and out-group can change depending on who you’re talking to, so it’s very important for Japanese people to pay attention. Learning Japanese in school, I was introduced to honorific form, and it makes everything so much more difficult. It’s amazing what Japanese people need to do in their daily life.

Osaka University

On Friday we visited Osaka University to partake in an exchange with the students there. Me and two other students traveled early to watch Idemaru sensei (our teacher) give a lecture in Japanese. Even though I didn’t understand a large portion of the lecture I still really enjoyed being there and felt like I still was still able to glean some knowledge. After the lecture, we began the exchange with the other students, now that the rest of the class has arrived. We began with Professor North giving us a lecture about the history of the workforce in Japan. I enjoyed learning about how the economy shaped the way the workforce behaved. The main point I gathered was that, when the economy was good, many people had a guaranteed lifetime job, but once the economy collapsed, this system that was working so well for so many years, began to fall apart. His lecture was very insightful and allowed me to understand a bit more about working in Japan. After that, we began our exchange activities. We prepared some ice-breaker games to play and during those games I was able to get to know some of the students. Apparently, the students have never done ice breakers before. People don’t try to get to know each other like that in Japan. I attempted to speak in Japanese, and they spoke in English. I was a little embarrassed that my Japanese wasn’t better. Then, we all went to lunch. The cafeteria food was so delicious. I had the best karaage (fried chicken) and I met a new student. She was so much fun to talk to, and extremely nice. I asked her what it was like being a student in Japan and she asked me about various things in the US. We even exchanged instagrams and took a cute selfie together. Finally, we all took a group picture and then said goodbye. Going to Osaka U was really an amazing experience. We are so lucky that we got to meet the students and have an exchange. I hope to see some of the students at Oregon someday!

Image Descriptions: 1) Idemaru sensei teaching about the ear in her lecture. 2) Lunch at Osaka U 3) A photo of me and my new friend Marie!

Week 3 Activities

This week was packed with activities. The first place we explored, this week, was Nijo castle. This place would have housed the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate and would be a place where he invited guests and had meetings. Defining features include beautiful murals on the walls, gardens surrounding the house, and my favorite, squeaking floors that sound like birds. They were used to alert guards of an intruder that may have snuck in to assassinate the shogun. After Nijo, we went to a temple called Sanjusangendo. This is probably my favorite temple of them all. This temple has over 1000 bodhisattvas, each hand carved. It was truly an amazing sight. It felt so peaceful inside and I enjoyed walking and noticing the details of the bodhisattvas while inhaling the scent of burning incense. The next day we had the opportunity to go to a cooking class and make a bento box. I really enjoyed this class. We learnt how to make teriyaki chicken, tempura, sesame spinach, and sushi rolls. It was so delicious, and I was even complimented on my sushi rolls by one of the teachers. I can’t wait to go home and cook this meal for my family. The day after, we visited the golden temple named Kinkakuji. It’s a beautiful gold building that shine’s so nicely. Although it poured, I enjoyed myself. On Friday, we went to Osaka University and then me and some of the other students stayed longer and went to the Osaka aquarium. This aquarium was huge and had so many amazing animals. My favorites included the penguins, seals, and of course, the whale shark. I laughed so much and had tons of fun at the aquarium. Saturday was also a very fun day. Me and a couple other students and Haruna (our tour guide) went to another temple and next to this temple was bamboo gardens. After that we walked over to an adjacent mountain and climbed up to the top where there are real monkeys! These little guys are so funny and we enjoyed watching them. I even got to feed one of them. On Sunday we traveled back to Osaka and then we toured Osaka castle. This castle is so cool. First of all it’s beautifully constructed, secondly it has the best view in all of Osaka from the top. As you travel back down, there is a museum. After that, we went to Dontonburi and explored. Osaka is known for being silly and not taking itself too seriously and Dontonburi is the epitome of this fact. There were so many silly statues and billboards, we even rode a Don Quijote ferris wheel. The next day we went to two museums. The first was a history museum that had some really cool models and artifacts. I wish I knew more about Osaka history. I felt I would have enjoyed it more. Then we went to an exhibit in an art museum. This was the exhibit for Kazuyo Kinoshita, a postwar Japanese artist. The exhibit featured pieces from all throughout her life in chronological order. Her art was made with photography and others were made with oil paint. Her life story is what really made this exhibit so memorable. Finally, we returned from Osaka, exhausted, but we have to keep pushing through. Gion Matsuri Festival is up next. 

Image Descriptions: 1) One of the gardens at Nijo Castle 2)Kinkaku-ji 3) Bento made by me! 4) Kakegori 🙂 5-6) AQUARIUM 7-9) Saturday Trip 10) View form atop Osaka castle 11-13) Cool and interesting stores at Dontonburi 14) Don Quijote ferris wheel 15) Small cat on a replica village in the History Museum 16-20) Art Museum