Lyon College Japanese Newsletter
Vol. 3 No. 1
I am happy to present for the third year the Japanese
newsletter from Lyon College. This
edition of the newsletter includes 9
compositions in Japanese written in fall 2004 by the students taking
the first semester of Beginning
Japanese or Intermediate Japanese. Questions
and comments regarding the newsletter or the Japanese program at Lyon College
can be directed to:
Mieko Uchida Peek
Instructor of Japanese Language and Literature
Email: mpeek@lyon.edu
First place: Jessica Leasure
Second place: Sarah Dunkerson
Third Place: Jakeb Howard
Japanese 201
First place: Matt Bradley, Tristen Dean
Certificates and prizes were presented to the winners.
The 2004-2005 Japan Lecture Series began on November 3 with a shakuhachi performance by Dr. Stan
“Kakudo” Richardson from Baylor University. The performance was well
attended and appreciated as the meditative sounds a bamboo flute filled the
Bevens Music Room. While in Batesville, Dr. Richardson also visited Eagle
Mountain Elementary School, West Elementary School and Batesville Junior High
School, introducing more than 500 students a very old but mystical instrument
from Japan.
Our last lecture series guest of the year is Dr. Kinko Ito from
the University
of Arkansas at Little Rock. She will be on the
Lyon campus on March 3 to talk about the “The
World of Japanese Comics.” Her presentation
will begin at 7:00 pm in the main lecture hall in the Derby Science Center.
The
Japan Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from the Freeman Foundation.
Planning for next year’s lecture series will begin shortly, so please
let Mieko Peek know what topics you would like to see discussed in the coming
year.
The seventh Community International Night
took place at Lyon College on January 22nd.
Students of Japanese at Lyon College participated in the program for the
third year. They sang “Ue o Muite Aruko”, which became a million
seller in 1960s. Back then, most Americans knew the song as “Sukiyaki Song.”
Lyon students also set up a table where adults and children could observe
and experience Japanese crafts, calligraphy, and games.
Students of Japanese will participate in Community International Night
again in 2006, which will be held at the University of Arkansas Community
College at Batesville.
Planning is underway for a Nichols study
trip to Japan in May 2006. The trip
will include visiting historical locations in Tokyo and Kyoto.
Participants will have many opportunities on this trip to gain real life
experience in the use of the Japanese language.
The prerequisite for the trip is Japanese 102.
By Mieko U. Peek
I especially enjoy visiting Japan at the time of
preparation for and celebration of the first day of the New Year.
Japanese celebrate this occasion in various ways, but most of them
include Buddhist and Shinto traditions in their celebrations.
Many, for example, will visit a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine
during the holiday season. These
practices reflect the fact that the belief system of most Japanese is a mix of
Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism.
On the first day of the New Year, it is said that
numerous kami (gods, 年神様) visit each household in Japan.
In order to appropriately receive the kami, Japanese clean their homes
with great care at the end of the year. They
also decorate the entrance to their homes with shimekazari, a hanging
decoration made of a straw rope, pine tree branches, e apricot flowers, rice
cake, and/or tangerine oranges. In
addition to shimekazari, most businesses decorate their entrances with a
large stock of bamboo and accenting pine branches.
The New Year season is also an occasion on which Japanese decorate their kamidana
(a small family shrine kept in the home) with rice cakes, oranges, and sakaki
plants.
On the evening prior to New Year’s Day, many
Japanese go outside at midnight to listen to the ringing of local temple bells.
The bells are traditionally rung 108 times to announce and welcome the
New Year. The sounds of the bells are said to purify the mind according to
Buddhist tradition.
On New Year’s Day, most Japanese dress up (many in
kimono) and visit a local Shinto shrine and/or Buddhist temple to wish for a
peaceful and healthy New Year. When entering the Shinto shrine, they pass
through a large wooden gate called a torii. Once through the torii, they cleanse their hands with
water before entering into the inner area of the shrine.
In front of the main shrine building, they clap loudly twice to invoke
the kami. They then bow twice, pray for a good year, and clap one more time.
These rituals are not observed at Buddhist temples as no kami reside on
the temple grounds as in Shinto tradition.
Japanese do, however, use their visit to the grounds of a Buddhist temple
to wish for a peaceful and healthy year.
Whenever I visit Japan, I am intrigued by the latest
fashion. I am especially interested
in the integration of the modern with the traditional. I will provide a few examples.
In the latter half of the 1990s, for instance, many
teenage Japanese girls were dressed like Raggedy Anne dolls or in the attire
associated with saloon women in American cowboy movies. Later they added to this
western attire in various forms material used for kimonos and/or kimono sashes.
In recent summers, young Japanese women increasingly
wore the traditional yukata, a summer cotton kimono. This renewed interest in the yukata was accompanied by the
replacement of the traditional prints used for yukata with some very modern
designs. I also noted that this new
generation of yukata was advertised as mosquito-proof.
This past winter, I noticed more young women wearing
kimono. This trend is attributed to
young women seeking alternatives to standard western clothing and concurrently
discovering old kimono stored in their mothers’ and grandmothers’ closets.
Storekeepers noticed this trend and began carrying second hand kimono
made of wool and silk for a very small fraction of the cost of new silk kimono.
At first, I was taken aback by this wearing of used kimono. However, I concurrently found reassuring the rediscovery of
the kimono by the current generation. I
suspect the mothers and grandmothers of these young women were also pleased by
the current generations rediscovery of the kimono.
Thus, as you can surmise, I look forward to visiting
Japan again and seeing the latest effort by young Japanese to sustain tradition
without forgoing current fashions.
|
セアラ・バークレ わたしはごぜん八時におきます。あさごはんをたべません。がつこうに九時にいきます。ともだちとはなします。わたしはばんごはんをたべます。七時にとしょかんで本をよみます。わたしはれきしをべんきょうします。十一時にねます。 わたしはせんしゅううちへかえりました。おかあさんにあいました。セーターをかいました。てがみをかきました。本をよみました。おちゃをのみました。おとうさんとはなしました。あさごはんをたべました。わたしはだいがくにかえりました。 これでおわりです。ありがとうございました。 |
My Life Sarah Barclay I am a student at Lyon College. I am a first year student. My major is Psychology. I wake up at eight. I don’t eat breakfast. I go to class at 9. I talk to my friends. I eat dinner. I read a book at the library at 7. I study history. I go to bed 11. Last week I went home. I saw my mom. I bought a sweater. I wrote a letter. I read a book. I drank tea. I talked to my dad. I ate breakfast. I came back to College. |
|
セアラ・ダンカソン わたしはアメリカじんです。ライオンだいがくのがくせいです。一ねんせいです。十八さいです。せんもんは日本ごです。 わたしはごぜん七時はんにおきます。たいてい九時にがっこうへいきます。よくひるごはんをたべます。ときどきハンバーガーをたべます。たいていみずをのみます。ピアノをひきます。二時ににほんごのクラスへいきます。クラスでにほんごをはなします。まいばんべんきょうします。たいていおんがくをききます。ときどきえいがをみます。十一時にたいていへやにかえります。十二時によくねます。 わたしはせんしゅうのしゅうまつにジョンズボロへいきました。ベッキさんにあいました。ベッキさんとわたしは七時にかいものにいきました。ジーンズをかいました。ベッキさんのうちにいきました。ベッキさんはおかあさんにてがみをかきました。ベッキさんとわたしはばんごはんをたべました。ピザをたべました。ソーダをのみました。えいがをみませんでした。三時かんはなしました。わたしはごぜん二時にうちへかえりました。五時にねました。 これでおわりです。ありがとうございました。 |
My Daily Life Sarah Dunkerson I am an American. I am a student at Lyon College. I am a first year student. I am eighteen years old. My major is Japanese. I get up a 7:30 am. I usually go to school at nine o’clock. I often eat lunch. I sometimes eat a hamburger. I usually drink water. I play the piano. I go to Japanese class at two o’clock. I speak Japanese in class. I study every night. I usually listen to music. Sometimes I watch a movie. I return to my room at eleven o’clock. I often go to sleep at twelve o’clock. I went to Jonesboro last weekend. I met Becky. Becky and I went shopping at seven o’clock. We bought jeans. We went to Becky’s house. Becky wrote a letter to her mother. Becky and I ate dinner. We ate pizza. We drank sodas. We didn’t see a movie. We talked for three hours. I returned home at two in the morning. I went to sleep at five. |
|
ジェイク・ハワード わたしはまいにち七時におきます。七時はんにあさごはんをたべます。それから、だいがくにいきます。八時にれきしのクラスにいきます。九時にえいごのクラスにいきます。本をよみます。十一時におんがくのクラスにいきます。おんがくをききます。十二時にひるごはんをたべます。みずをのみます。ごご二時に日本ごのクラスにいきます。日本ごをはなします。ごご三時にうちへかえります。テレビをみます。ごご五時にべんきょうします。十一時にねます。 きのうデパートにいきました。ぼうしをかいました。ごご六時にうちへかえりました。ごぜん一時にねました。 せんしゅうともだちのいえにいきました。しゃしんをとりました。それからレストランへいきました。それから本屋もいきました。本を五さつかいました。ばんごはんをたべました。 これでおわりです。ありがとうございました。 |
My Everyday Life Jakeb Howard How do you do? My name is Jake Howard. I am a student at Lyon College. I am a first year student. My major is English. I am eighteen years old. Nice to meet you. Everyday, I wake up at 7:00. At 7:30 I eat breakfast. Then, I go to school. At 8:00, I go to history class. At 9:00, I go to English class. I read a book. At 11:00, I go to music class. I listen to music. At 12:00, I eat lunch. I drink water. At 2:00, I go to Japanese class. I speak Japanese. At 3:00, I return home. I watch television. At 5:00, I study. At 11:00, I go to bed. Yesterday, I went to the department store. I bought a hat. At six, I went home. At one, I went to bed. Last week, I went to a friend’s house. We took pictures. Then, I went to a restaurant. Then, I went to a bookstore. I bought 5 books. I ate dinner. This is the end. Thank you very much. |
|
ベン・ジョンソン わたしはライオンだいがくのがくせいです。一ねんせいです。十九さいです。せんもんはびじゅつです。 わたしはまいにちコーヒーをのみます。ときどきあさごはんをたべます。たいていがっこうでひるごはんをたべます。たいていごご十時ごろテレビをみます。よくだいかいじゅうえいがをみます。しゅうまつうちにかえります。たいていはやくおきます。よく本をよみます。あまりスポーツをみません。ときどきにほんごをはなします。 わたしはせんしゅううちにかえりました。せんしゅうのげつようびにレストランでハンバーガーをたべました。せんしゅうのかようびにしゃしんをとりました。せんしゅうのすいようびに本やにいきました。せんしゅうのもくようびにてがみをかきました。せんしゅうのきんようびにスーパーでかいものをしました。せんしゅうのしゅうまつに、本をよみました。きのうぜんぜんテレビをみませんでした。 わたしはこうこうのときいいがくせいでした。 これでおわりです。ありがとうございました。 |
My Everyday Life. Ben Johnson I am a student at Lyon College. I’m a freshman. I’m 19 years old. My major is Art. I drink coffee every day. I sometimes eat breakfast. I usually eat lunch at school. I usually watch TV at around 10:00pm. I often watch giant monster movies. I go home on the weekends. I get up early. I often read. I don’t watch sports much. I sometimes speak Japanese. I went home last weekend. Last Monday I ate a hamburger at a restaurant. Last Tuesday I took photographs. Last Wednesday I went to the bookstore. Last Thursday I wrote a letter. Last Friday I went shopping at a supermarket. I read a book last weekend. I didn’t watch TV yesterday. I was a good high school student. |
|
ジェシカ・レジャー わたしはライオンだいがくのがくせいです。いま三ねんせいです。せんもんはけいざいです。二十さいです。 わたしはまい日六時におきます。八時にがっこうにいきます。まい日十二時にひるごはんをたべます。二時に日本ごのクラスにいきます。ときどきよるとしょかんで日本ごをべんきょうします。たくさんべんきょうします。 ぜんぜんしゅうまつにおさけをのみません。しゅうまつにうちにかえります。そこでよくえいがをみます。ときどきリトルロックにいきます。 せんしゅうまつリトルロックにいきました。デパートでかいものをしました。かばんをかいました。かさもかいました。二時にひるごはんをたべました。レストランはデパートのなかです。わたしはさかなをたべました。日曜日にライオンだいがくにかえりました。日本ごを二時かんぐらいべんきょうしました。十二時にねました。 これでおわりです。ありがとうございました。 |
My Everyday Jessica Leasure I am a Lyon College student. I am now a junior. My major is economics. I am twenty years old. Everyday, I wake up at six o’clock. At eight o’clock I go to school. Everyday at twelve o’clock I eat lunch. At two o’clock I go to Japanese class. Sometimes at night I study Japanese in the library. I study a lot. I never drink alcohol on the weekends. I go home on the weekends. I often watch movies there. Sometimes I go to Little Rock. Last weekend I went to Little Rock. I went shopping at the department store. I bought a bag. I also bought an umbrella. I ate lunch at two o’clock. The restaurant was inside the department store. I ate fish. I returned to Lyon College on Sunday. I studied Japanese for about two hours. I went to bed at twelve o’clock. This is the end. Thank you. |
|
エリック・ラミレズ わたしはアメリカ人です。十九さいです。ライオンだいがくのがくせいです。ニねんせいです。せんもんはえいごです。 わたしはまいにち九時におきます。あさごはんをぜんぜんたべません。十時にライオンだいがくにいきます。三時にうちにかえります。たいてい五時にアルバイトにいきます。八時にうちにかえります。八時半にばんごはんをたべます。九時にしゅくだいをします。十一時に本をよみます。ときどきテレビゲームをします。一時にねます。 月ようびにえいごをべんきょうしました。火ようびにきっさてんでともだちとはなしました。四時にしんぶんのクラスでべんきょうしました。ときどきテレビをみました。水ようびに日本ごをべんきょうしました。たいていおんがくをききます。木ようびにべんきょうしませんでした。金ようびに本やで本をかいました。しゅうまつにえいがをみました。しゅうまつにともだちにもあいました。 これでおわりです。ありがとうございました。 |
Everyday Me Eric Ramirez
I am an American. I am nineteen years old. I am a student at Lyon College. I am a sophomore. My major is English. I wake up at 9:00 a.m. everyday. I never eat breakfast. At 10:00 a.m. I go to Lyon College. At 3:00 I go home. I usually go to work at 5:00. I return home at 8:00. I eat dinner at 8:30. I do homework at 9:00. I read a book at 11:00. Sometimes I play videogames. I go to bed at 1:00. On Monday I studied English. On Tuesday I went to the café and talked to a friend. I also went to my News Writing class on Tuesday. On Tuesday I watched TV sometimes. On Wednesday I studied Japanese. I usually listen to music. On Thursday I did not study. On Friday I bought books at the bookstore. On the weekend I saw a movie. I also met with a friend on Sunday. This is the end. Thank you. |
|
エリック・スチュワート わたしはライオンだいがくのがくせいです。一ねんせいです。せんもんはえいごです。十八さいです。 わたしはたいてい八時におきます。まいにちあさごはんをたべます。ときどきコーヒーをのみます。九時ごろクラスへいきます。たいていおんがくをききます。ときどき本をよみます。まいにちにほんごをはなします。たいていわたしのへやに五時ごろかえります。テレビをあまりみません。たいてい十一時ごろねます。 わたしはトルーマンにいました。せんしゅうわたしはべんきょうがわかりました。きんようびにおちゃをのみました。すいようびにテニスをしませんでした。せんしゅうわたしのともだちにあいました。おかあさんにあいんにあいませんでした。きのう、おかあさんにてがみをかきました。きのうしゃしんもとりました。きのうマックにいきました。おおきいハンバーガーをかいました。 これでおわりです。ありがとうございました。 |
My Everyday Life Eric Stewart I am a student at Lyon College. I’m a first year student. My major is English. I’m 18 years old. I usually get up at 8:00. I eat breakfast every day. I sometimes drink coffee. At about 9:00, I go to class. I usually listen to music. Sometimes I read a book. I speak Japanese every day. I usually return to my room around 5:00. I don’t watch much T.V. At around 11:00, I go to sleep. I used to live in Trumann. I understood my classes last week. I drank green tea last Friday. I didn’t play tennis last Wednesday. I got to see my friends last week. I didn’t get to see my mother. Yesterday, I wrote a letter to my mother. I took photos yesterday. I went to McDonald’s yesterday. I bought a Big Mac yesterday at McDonald’s. This is the end. Thank you very much. |
|
テレビゲーム テレビゲームはたのしいから、私はすきです。きのう新しいファイナルファンタジーを買いました。ドラゴンボールのゲームもします。こどもの時ロックモンのゲームをしました。ゲームボーイのゲームの中で、ゾイドがいちばんたのしいです。 テレビゲームの中で、ファイナルファンタジーがいちばんすきです。ゲームの話がとてもおもしろいからです。 ドラゴンボールもおもしろいです。でも、アルバイトをしないから、新しいゲームをまだ買っていません。 ロックモンはちょっと古いですが、たのしいです。グラフィックはよくありません。でも、ゲームはおもしろいです。 ゲームボーイのゲームがあまり好きじゃありません。でも、ゾイドがだいすきです。ゾイドのアニメがすきだったから、ゲームもだいすきです。 せいけんでんせつはたのしいゲームです。ファイナルファンタジーを作った会社がせいけんでんせつも作りました。グラフィックがとてもいいです。 私はテレビゲームが大好きです。毎日ゲームをします。大学をそつぎょうしたら、ゲームを作りたいです。テレビゲームの会社につとめて、たのしいゲームを作るつもりです。 |
Video Games Matt Bradley Because video games are fun, I like them. Yesterday, I bought the new Final Fantasy game. I also play the Dragon Ball games. When I was young, I played Rokkumon games. Out of all Game Boy games, Zoids is the most fun. Final Fantasy is my favorite video game because the game’s story is very interesting. Dragon Ball is also interesting. But, because I have no job, I haven’t bought the new Dragon Ball game yet. Rokkumon is a little old, but it is fun. The graphics aren’t good. But the game is interesting. I usually dislike Gameboy games. But I really like Zoids. Because I liked the Zoids anime, I also enjoy the game. Seiken Densetsu is a fun game. The company who made Final Fantasy also made Seiken Densetsu. The graphics are very good. I really enjoy video games. I play games everyday. After college, I want to make video games. I will work for a video game company and make fun games. |
|
トリステン・ディーン きせつの中で、はるが一ばんきれいだと思います。ぜんぶみどりになります。いえにたくさんりんごの木があります。さくらとりんごのはながさきます。毎日雨がふりますが、ときどきすずしくてあたたかいです。四月は私のたんじょうびだからはるがだいすきです。 はるはきれいなきせつですが、なつもきれいです。なつはしゅくだいがないから、たくさん本を読みます。 今年(ことし)のなつに、ゆうびんきょくにつとめてたくさんはたらきました。とてもつかれましたが、お金をたくさんかせぎました。なつ休には父母と話ができるから、なつがすきです。 今はあきです。あきはいろがたくさんかわります。はがあかくなったり、きいろくなったり、金いろになったりします。私は山道をさんぽして、はのいろを見ます。あきに車でうんてんするのがすきです。山道はたいへんですが、たのしいです。私は車をうんてんするのが上手です。あきは、たくさんしゅくだいがあるから、とてもいそがしいです。 たくさんの人はふゆがきらいですが、私はふゆのさむい日がすきです。私は日本文学のクラスで「雪女」を読みました。ピーク先生は雪女がこわいと言っていました。私は雪女がとてもおもしろいと思います。雪はきれいです。私は雪の白いのがだいすきです。日本でときどき白はわるいですが、私は白がいいと思います。 私はきせつがぜんぶだいすきです。 これでおわりです。どうもありがとうございました。 |
The Four Seasons By Tristen Dean Of all the seasons, I find spring to be the most beautiful. Everything is turning green during spring. At my home we have many apple trees. The cherry and apple flowers are blooming. Everyday it rains, but on some days it is cool and hot. My birthday is in April, which is a month of spring, so that is why I really like spring. Spring is beautiful but summer is also beautiful. There is no homework during the so I read a lot of books. Last summer I worked a lot of hours at the post office. I became tired, but I also made a lot of money. During the summer vacation I get to talk to my parents, which is one of the reasons why I like summer. It is now fall. During fall there are many colors changing. The leaves of the trees are turning to red, yellow, gold and many other colors. I like to walk through the mountain trails and look at the colors during fall. During the fall I like to drive through the mountain roads. It is difficult but fun driving through these winding roads. And I am a skilled driver. There is a lot of homework during the fall, so I’m very busy. Many people say that they don’t like winter, but I love the cold weather winter brings. In my Japanese Literature class we read the tale of the Yuki-Onna (Snow Woman). Peek sensei said that the Yuki-Onna frightened her. I found the story of the Yuki-Onna very interesting. Snow is pretty. I love the white color of the snow. In Japan sometimes white is bad, but I think it is good. I love all the seasons. |