Japan on My Mind

[Anonymous]

Reza,

i studied japanese in college and studied abroad there one year (93-94). my japanese is really rusty and i haven't been back since that year. i'm looking forward to going back if I'm chosen for the trip.

i looked up aware and pitiful and miserable is what came up. i've been especially fascinated by the "Connections" sections in the EWP book that talks about the connections between the regions of east asia and east asia's interactions with the rest of the world.

did the word aware survive across asia because of its commonality to the human condition? is it a word used in Buddhism or another religion fomenting its spread? was it a word used in commerce as a way to say, "no deal," politely? does it describe a condition known throughout asia?

i looked at a couple of sites for the mazda motor co. to see if it was farsi or turkish? haven't found it yet.

dan

by the way, thanks for responding. you're the first beside clay to respond to something i wrote.

[Anonymous]

I have NEVER been a fan of crossword puzzles. However, there’s a ‘new’ logic puzzle that appears in all the daily newspapers called Sudoku. The name Sudoku is the Japanese abbreviation of a longer phrase meaning "the digits must remain single.” Some Japanese publishers refer to the puzzle as Nanpure (Number Place), which was its original title. It hit the Japanese market in 1979, but didn’t gain popularity until the 1980’s. It didn’t gain internation appeal until this year however. As a mathematics teacher, I was turned onto the puzzle by my colleagues. The puzzle is most frequently a 9×9 grid, made up of 3×3 subgrids called "regions." It requires the player to fill in the 9x9 square grid with the numbers one to nine. The numbers should be arranged in such a way that each row, column and mini-grid contains one of each number. I personally love for my students to use it to enhance their logical reasoning. The level of difficulty of the puzzles can be selected to suit the audience. I recommend you try it…Take a look in the LA Times or at
Sudoku. I’m almost positive you’ll find it as addicting as I do!

[Anonymous]

Are any other middle school teachers planning to make comparisons of any ancient periods of China and Japan? I was considering this recently and am hungry for ideas. I would like to focus on the roles of women in both cultures in ancient periods, especially focusing on women in leadership roles.

Let me know.

jem

[Anonymous]

I grew up in the fifties, so I have vivid memories of how prejudiced people were about anyone or anything Japanese at that time. When I was in elementary school, I remember children ridiculing objects that were "made in Japan." If something had been created in Japan it was expected to be flimsy and cheaply made, and people would joke about this a lot!!! Contrarily, in my household we enjoyed holiday dinners presented on Jyoto China made in Occupied Japan. (I have inherited this beautiful china.) The china is inscribed with those words on the backs of each piece, and the china has lasted all these years with only one cup missing. How America got its comeuppance, right? It's ironic that today anything made in Japan is noted for its fine and durable qualities and "made in America" is sometimes not so made in America. I sure have loved my two Hondas and one Subaru. (Now I drive a Jetta, though, not quite by design.)

My daughter has taught me to appreciate sushi--it really is great food. She and my son have touted Katana's as being one of the best sushi restaurants in the LA area.

Have you seen Iron Chef on the Food Channel? I think the show stereotypes the "Japanese warrier" stance to the extreme--I guess the producers think this adds drama, but the fun is in watching chefs compete with five recipes created in only one hour with a secret ingredient, supposedly not known in advance, for the title of Iron Chef. There is a tasting panel of judges, and viewers watch the chefs scramble to devise outlandish dishes using the secret ingredient, and then at the end, present mouth-watering concoctions of taste and beauty![Edit by="tbarbarossa on Jan 5, 6:53:09 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Christine, I also heard long time ago that the Japanese traditional costume, Kimono, is made up of one piece of cloth for that purpose. The Japanese government was trying to make up the men they lost during the war. I didn't verify the truth of it.

[Anonymous]

It's just amazing what the nation, Japan, has accomplished from the ashes. I was taught, in a way, to hold grudge against that country from listening and watching what it had done to Korean people, but I had to admire the people.

[Anonymous]

As I ws reading one of the articles in our course reader for seminar, I came away with a new insight I had not previously considered as being that important. The political uses of genealogies in our readings of Japan was highlighted in my mind as I read the long geneological account of Japan's origins. Through my reading, it became clear that the Japanese wanted to convey the idea that they had a long and rich history that stretched back to antiquity. Perhaps they were trying to compete with China’s ancient historical written record. It also fascinated me to learn that the Japanese went as far as tracing their origins back to gods and goddesses.

Any suggestions for further reading on this topic would be greatly appreciated. I am currently working on my genealogy and never thought about it in a political light. I was fascinated by it being used as an instrument for legitimacy. The preservation of the bloodline has been important throughout many cultures. When I traveled to Egypt, I clearly learned this when our tour guide taught us about the crazy things the pharaohs did to keep power in a family/dynasty (e.g. intermarriages, assassinations, etc.). After reading the Japanese geneaological account in our seminar reader, I also started to think about the use of genealogies in the Bible. In the New Testament, for example, the gospels open up with a genealogy of Jesus to show his importance by tracing his ancestors back to important Jewish patriarchs. It speaks volumes to those who understand its reference. Does anyone have more information on Japan’s genealogies?

[Author]

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