January

January 10 2001		Our class was started today. "How was your new years holiday?"Robin asked us. I answered "my husband and I went to see a movie." On January 3rd, we went to see "GODZILLA vs. MEGAGUIRUS" at Theatre Seiyu. Every Wednesday we can see a movie \1000- there. We exercised to pronounce "relatives". Robin said "I teach at a Kindergarden, children call my name not Robin but Lobin. R, tongue is up and not touch upper jaw." For a minutes, we did to pronounce it, but it's difficult for us. Why Japanese cannot speak English well? I think Japanese don't like to bite their lips. To show one's teeth looks like angry. Old Japanese women didn't show their teeth. They painted her teeth black. So we are not likes to show our teeth, and cannot pronounce F and V, maybe. But it is not to explain why many Japanese confuse to pronounce R with L.

January 17 2001		"I am close to my sister." Robin said this is common phrase in native speakers. "Close to means warm feeling. How does it say in Japanese?" I answered "...friendly?" He said opposite close to is cold. I thought Japanese word is same. Reacently I read two comics. One is "How about China?" written by Oda Sora. Another is "Days of India" written by Nagami Rinko. Both are written in Japanese. There are many language and these are closed to life who lives there. But I think there are not big difference what s/he feel and what s/he say. If there are some different things, because religion, whether...So we don't have to be afraid of speaking to foreigners,maybe.

January 24 2001		Robin sometimes said a word "polite". I didn't know what mean. And I didn't know how does it spell so I couldn't look up that word in my dictionary. Today I asked him "how does it spell polite?" He wrote it on the blackboard. "Polite is reigi-tadashii. An opposite word is impolite, shitsureina." We knew there are polite phrases in English. We also knew in U.S.A people call their family, friend and office workers first name, but in the office they call their boss Mr./Miss/Mrs. and family name. He said "in my office, Japanese call me Robin, but when call Japanese naninani-san. " Not first name, but last name. He feels it strange.

January 31 2001		I'm sorry to hear that. Today we studyed this phrase and the situation when we say it. If someone have a problem, we might say so. And we should say with our feeling. A question was gave us. "If your husband's head become gray, what do you say? I'm sorry? congratulation? or take care? NAOKO, how about you?"ROBIN said. She asked "Congratulation! Because your head not bald." He said "I will say, don't worry. You don't lost your hair." And we studyed names of our body's parts. He said "where is belly?" But we didn't know that. He was fingered his abdomen. "Heso!" we said. I asked him "belly dance no belly?" He answered "Yes." After the class, I thought "SHIBUKAWA is heso no machi. There is heso odori in SHIBUKAWA. Is belly dance heso odori? Because is SHIBUKAWA heso no machi?"