Literacy with Japanese 9

 

                This time I read らっかせいは　おもしろい。With starting with the cover I have to assume this is about Peanuts because of the photo used.  The first page of the book shows the same photo on the cover. After reading through I can't understand what it's speaking about. Though I know the top half of the page is a question cause of the addition of a question mark. The second page shows a seed in dirt with the date May 22nd listed. I think they're recording about growing a peanut plant. The third page shows the plant being watered and uses the kanji for water. The fourth page it shows a sprout raising from the soil and lists May 29th as the day reading the hiragana, I think it's just saying it rose or it's alive. We jump further ahead and go into June 11th, I'm unsure as to what it says but it shows a photo of the plant branching out. Hitting June 25th, it says the plant has grown and become bigger. In the next few pages, it shows the flowers being alive and then being dead, and it looks like they're going towards the ground. September 20th shows someone digging up the plant and you have peanuts. This reading was a lot harder for me as I barely understood anything. The photos helped me the best, though reading out what was on the page was interesting. This was one of my first readings that had longer sentences. 

Literacy with Japanese 8

 

                This time I read ははのひ。In the beginning it shows two little girls looking up at a calendar, and they have a thought bubble with a woman in it. Knowing from the cover I assume that woman is their mother. I think it's their mother because the title has はは。Though I'm not sure what event it could be that is dated on the calendar. I think maybe her birthday. The girls then talk to their father about buying something and he gives them money. In the next page it shows him hiding behind an electric pole while the girls are walking to the flower store. With the father hiding behind an electric pole, I think the girls wanted to go without him or they asked him to let them go alone. Which I can't comprehend doing that in America, but Japan I wonder if that's common for kids to go alone especially with a sibling.  They go to the flower store and point out red and pink flowers, I assume the speech is possibly what the girls each think their mother would like. The father shows back up behind the pole as the girls end up going to the cake store and get a cake. They then go back home where the dad gives a sigh of relief (possibly them making it home safe.) They then are sitting at a table with paper on it, which makes me think they're making a card. The cards I wasn't expecting to have been then made into Origami. The next page is them shouting something at their mother, which one of the words is Thank you which makes me think this is Mother's Day than her birthday. I didn't know that Mother's Day was celebrated in Japan. I found it funny at the end the father is looking at the calendar which I assume is him counting out when Father's Day is coming. 

My Nengago

 

            When learning what a Nengago was I was surprised to see what they were. I know they're not that common for Americans. I know a lot of Americans send out a Christmas/Holiday card but not a New Year's card. However, I find it super interesting that they send out New Year's cards that have more of a graphic of the animal rather than a photo of your family. I also find it super interesting how many companies cater to Japanese culture by being more print-oriented rather than American which is very digitalized and more online-based.

            Before this Nengago project, I was working in a collaborative pair for a swap-a-thon, which is swapping a piece of work between the two of you multiple times. In one of the swaps, I had a spur-of-the-moment idea to do a green Chinese dragon flying. This made me think of the idea I wanted for the Nengago to be the same dragon. Also in Jan's Asian ceramics history class, we learned a lot about the Chinese dragon and how it was pictured. I remember seeing a lot of serious ideas surrounding the Chinese dragon and the dragon never really being playful. The green dragon I made for the swap-a-thon project was more of a "what if the dragon wasn't serious?" This made me think of a relaxing Dragon. But what was he relaxing with? I'm subscribed to one artist that I really enjoy and they made a daily vlog about their journey importing a Kotatsu and putting it together. It made me think about a dragon (whose body isn't made for a Kotatsu) chilling under one eating some food. The food I wanted to base off of Osechi Ryori. The main photo of Osechi Ryori I found while googling was a bowl dish similar to ramen though it had less broth in it. Though it may not be as noticeable in my piece, I like the idea of it being an easter egg for myself. 

            I'm really happy with the outcome of my Nengago and enjoy the simplistic form it takes.

Literacy with Japanese 7

 

            This time I read オーストラア の もりの かじ。I first noticed the kanji for もり being 森 I've seen this kanji before meaning forest. The kanji looks like a forest of trees spreading their leaves out. Knowing some information about Australia and the orange cover of the book makes me wonder if this is about the forest fires that got super huge a few years ago. 

            The photos were super helpful this time. The first photos are of the Earth and Australia below with a thermometer that makes me think my guess was correct. The first thing in the first sentence is 2019 and I remember there being a bunch of fires in Australia around that time. Especially since videos of people saving wildlife became popular on social media.

            Continuing onto the next page it shows the right side of Australia with flame imagery. It then shows that the fires were from 2019 to 2020. They also mention South Korea and there being many fires, which leads me to expect there to have been so many fires that it was the size of South Korea. It then shows a hurt Koala and a hurt Kangaroo, leading me to expect that a lot of animals were hurt during this event. 

            They mention South Wales though I'm not sure what they were saying South Wales did. They also mention New South Wales which I didn't know was "new." There then is a photo of the Earth with Co2 Labels on it and the Earth is sweating and having a face that is in pain and sweating. I believe this part is talking about global warming due to these fires. The end is shown with the photo from the cover but more saturated showing the sky that turned orange because of these fires. This reminds me of when Canada was having wildfires it led some areas of America to get orange skies as well. 

Literacy with Japanese 6

  

       This time I read よるのりかしつ. Reading this was super interesting and a bit weird. With some of the words I looked up, this story is about a science room though I don't understand why they chose super weird and creepy photos of the room in the dark. The room looks like it's from abandoned building photos. I think it may be showing that school isn't in session. I also think that they could be talking about what the skeleton does at night. Strange though the Skeleton didn't seem to have a name. Though the story turns into the personification of a skeleton don't worry they say he isn't alive. There are more images of the skeleton and then at the end, there is a goofy photo of him around the pitch-black science room. 

My Day Off

 

            うちで  そうじと。  せんたくを しきした。 たいへんでした。ねこ のせわを します。うれしかった です。KCAIでアルバイトを しました。いそがしかったです。

Vacation Days

         Looking at various videos that were shared, I find it interesting how many Japanese end up traveling to Japan. I think of this as interesting mainly because in America a lot of people vacation outside of their state or even out of the country. Though the way they travel I feel is very similar in the sense of activities. I noticed some people vacationing at the beach, which of course is very common here. I also noticed people visiting other landmarks like temples, hiking trails, and restaurants. Nearly all the videos mentioned and showed food/restaurants. However, I think a lot of the vacationing areas shown in the video are more in nature than America usually does. I mean this in the sense that a lot of people in America when they travel, shop. Instead of it only being for souvenirs people will shop at stores in the area and consider that vacation activities. A lot of tourist attractions are indoors, like escape rooms, theaters, and performances. I wonder if there's something that is different between the two societies or if it could be that America doesn't have as much nature or beauty in that nature as Japan does. 

          In the Marugoto topic, I found it super interesting learning more about Nara Park. I've seen Nara Park in many videos of people going there, but I never knew the other side of the park, the stall vendors. I also didn't know about deers being the messengers of the gods. I find it is a common theme to wanting peace and quiet in many of the spots shown in these videos. Every vacation spot seems to have such a big length of history placed on it. Even the pond has its own name and history.