Narendra Modi Calls For Japanese to be Taught Online

English: Image of Narendra Modi at the World Economic Forum in India (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prime minister Narendra Modi (the 15th Prime minister of India) wants Japan to take the time to create Japanese language courses online so that more people can learn the language. He said that Indian languages could also be introduced to Japan, but what prompted this?

In India they had introduced Japanese as a language to be learnt in schools. However, there was a shortage of Japanese teachers to teach the subject. If Japanese was more readily available to learn this could be prevented. Narendra Modi believes that mutual language learning support would help their countries.

Modi arrived in Kyoto on Saturday and was received by Shinzo Abe and is scheduled to hold a talk with him.

I certainly would not object to more Japanese language learning material becoming available, especially if it was free and open source and hopefully all in one place!

What support do you think the Japanese government should add?

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Things I Love About Japanese Culture 1

This is a new section that is dedicated to finding little examples of Japanese Culture that make you smile!

Japanese Clean Up Football Stadium

After Japan's crushing defeat in the World Cup fans made sure the stadium was free of litter. Fans stayed behind and cleared up the stadium, something which I think most people would find surprising especially considering they were defeated. The bathrooms were also cleaned by the time the fans had left.

Why Did They Do This?

One fan when questioned about this said “It's our tradition. Living without waste is much better,”

In relation to Japan

In Japan it is thought to be proper to clean up after yourself in public, even if it means taking the rubbish home.

Why we love it

Imagine if every country in the world did this! The results would be amazing but alas right now it's only in Japan but maybe you can change that ;-)

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Smiletalk Updates That'll Put A Smile On Your Face

It has finally happened! Smiletalk now has an option to listen to Japanese talks!

Now you have a supply of Japanese listening comprehensions that will undoubtably be invaluable resources to you! You should check out our article on how to effectively use listening comprehensions. Don't forget to help support learners in Japan by contributing your own talks!

Don't forget to check out the facebook page for more information and of course the actual website. If you have any ideas please drop them in the forum where I personally read all of them.

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Japan Gets Involved With Malaysian Jet Crash Investigation

English: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I'm sure everyone and their cat has heard the tragic story of the Malaysian Airplane that crashed on the Ukraine-Russian border at this stage, but recently Shinzo Abe decided to get Japan involved in the investigation.

Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Saturday.

Abe said that Japan was ready to help the international community however it could. He also expressed that he felt it sensible not to antagonize Russia, preferring instead to be able to talk with Russian president Vladimir Putin. So far Abe has had five summits with Putin since he took office.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida returned to Japan on Friday after a four-day visit to Ukraine. Prior to the shooting down of the Malaysian plane, which the West blames on pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, the U.S., Europe and other allies ramped up sanctions against Russia.

Abes efforts to restore relationships with Russia may come to naught while the two countries are so focused on fighting over Ukraine and the voice of reason is drowned out.

Japan has set up an entry visa ban on 23 yet to be named individuals and has also suspended bilateral talks on certain issues with Russia.

But what does this mean for Japan

Only time will tell but this could be a slippery slope and definitely something that Japan does not want to be caught in the crossfire of. Do you support Japan's actions?

The War Against War in Japan

In Japan, current plans for military reforms have caused uproar in Tokyo and have lead to 40,000 People protesting outside of the Japanese prime minister's office.

What Military Reforms did Japan have Planned?

The military reforms that the Japanese government had planned prior to the protests were to change parts of the constitution to allow Japan to expand its military role and allow troops to be deployed overseas. Many fear that this would lead Japan into becoming a war mongering fascist country. Despite the protests and the passionate immolation of one protester it would seem that the Japanese government plans to go right on ahead against the wishes of the people.

The War on Article 9

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws war as a way to settle international disputes that involve the state. This constitution came into effect on May 3, 1947 after World war II. It was put in place in an effort to promote peace based on justice and order. Within the article it is mentioned that armed forces capable of being involved in a war will not be maintained (apart from the de facto armed forces A.K.A The Japan Self-Defense Forces who are more akin to peacekeepers than soldiers). 

The Abe administration plans to change this and therefore move away from this peaceful way of thinking and thus it is easy to understand the uproar it has cause

Pictures

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Japan Expo

Japan Expo is a huge annual event that takes place in the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center and is commonly accepted as the biggest festival about Japanese Culture in Europe. It runs from the 2 of June all the way to the 6th. It is definitely on my bucket list.

History of Japan Expo

In France anime is quite popular and over the years a rather large fan base has been created. People watching anime become more and more drawn to Japanese culture and want to learn about it and experience some of it. The Japan Expo was created to fulfill this need, it is mainly and anime convention but also has Games and many other attractions including special guests and even ninjas!

What Happens at Japan Expo

There are many events over the course of Japan Expo ranging from Fashion to anime to manga to video games and toys. There are contests and games to play and screening of different animes. There is even a place for aspiring artists to draw and the chance to meet some of the voices in some of the animes in France. It's definitely something that anime hardcore anime/manga/Japan fan should experience at some point in their life.

Their Website for more information

http://www.japan-expo-paris.com/

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Nagoshi no harae

English: Icon of Shinto 日本語: 神道のアイコン (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ooharae-chinowa-summer,katori-jingu,katori-city,japan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

History of Nagoshi no Harae

Nagoshi no Harae is a purification ceremony that happens on the last day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar. In olden times a great purification was held twice a year (once every six months) but over the years the end of the year purification began to die out as the mid-year purification gained unprecedented popularity. The mid-year ceremony became grander and more magnificent year by year until it became what it is today.

Shinto and Nagoshi no Harae

Nagoshi no Harae is very much related to the Shinto belief system in Japan. The Oharahi-no-Kotoba is a prayer that is said during daily Shinto shrine pursuits.

What happens at Nagoshi no Harae?

Shrines hold a grand purification ceremony in late June called Nagoshi no Harae. People come to the ceremony to atone for the sins they have so far committed in the first half of the yeah and pray for good health and positivity in the months to come by walking through a large wreath made of miscanthus reeds called a 'chinowa'. 

Some shrines supply their guests with little paper men that are known as 'hitogata' or paper scapegoats. these are used to help purify a person. They are meant to rub it all over their body to absorb the sin and badness that has polluted their body. This badness and negativity is knows as 'kegare'. The paper scapegoat is then thrown awayby floating it along a river or by burning it.

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Fred's Phrases: Anime: Fruits Basket Vocabulary

Earlier this week we reviewed the anime 'Fruits Basket' so why don't we learn a bit of the vocab used in the anime?

Daoist (Taoist) symbols carved in stone: yin-yang and animals of the Chinese zodiac. Qingyanggong temple, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anime Vocabulary Lesson 1: Fruits Basket

Animals of the Zodiac

Eng:             Jap:              Kanji

Mouse:        Nezumi :       鼠

Ox:              Osuushi:       雄牛

Tiger:           Tora:            虎

Rabbit:         Usagi:          ウサギ

Dragon:        Ryū:            竜

Snake:          Hebi:            蛇

Horse:          Uma:            馬

Sheep:          Hitsuji:         羊

Monkey:       Saru:            猿

Rooster:        Ondori:        雄鶏

Dog:             Inu:              犬

Pig:               Buta:            豚

And the extra...

Cat:               Neko:          猫

Miscellaneous words
Landslide:    Jisuberi:        地滑り
Handsome:  Hansamu:      ハンサム
Schoolgirl:   Joshi seito:    女子生徒
Hot spring:   Onsen:          温泉
Curse:          Noroi:           呪い
Hug:            Hōyō:            抱擁

Three Excellent Documentaries on Japan

You love Japan? How about you study up and watch these awesome top rated documentaries?

Life in Japan: This one is about actual life in Japan and the experiences of various foreigners. This personally my favorite documentary and is something that really solidified my resolve to learn the Japanese language.

Japan by Bicycle: It's subbed but still an amazing documentary.

Secrets of the Samurai Sword: is an excellent documentary with a lot of replay value.

What are your favorite documentaries about Japan? comment below or leave a message on our facebook and we will include them in our next list of 'what to watch documentaries'.

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Some Free Language Learning Hacks

So you want to learn Japanese but you can't get a hold of any textbooks, you are just too broke or nowhere near you sells them. Your only means to learn Japanese is the internet but oh my goodness it's so confusing, where do I even start? How do I measure my progress? Am I going to have to buy those really expensive Genki Japan books that everyone is talking about?!

No.

Japan Characters - Food (Photo credit: Teratoiid)

This is the internet generation and trust me you don't need a book to help you learn when you have the media.

Every day you are bombarded by thousands of advertisements trying to sell you something, pictures of scantily clad woman brandishing bottles of perfume and promising that for just $69 you too could be this beautiful. Adverts are designed to get their message across clearly and quickly to a wide audience and usually have visual aids. This makes them the perfect tool to practice you're Japanese or any language you are learning on.

It doesn't just stop their though listen to Japanese music, get a hold of some lyrics and scratch out some of the Japanese words. Learn the meanings of the one you scratched out, if it's a verb learn all of the parts to it. Do this with a few songs especially if you can find common words in them. Next listen to the song and write down the words you scratched out and their meaning. If you get it right why not treat yourself to some gorgeous plum wine? Keep this up until you learn the whole song and don't forget to sing along to those lyrics. I must admit I get up and do a jig every time I hear Gackt's song Vanilla. Find the music you like and use it as your springboard into the language. Submerge yourself in the Japanese language, watch Japanese commercials on Youtube (it's actually incredibly entertaining and freaky).

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