On March 3 the Hina-Matsuri (Doll Festival) is held throughout Japan !
Traditionally, each home is decorated with ornamental dolls called ''Hina-Ningyo''.
These dolls represent the imperial court with the Emperor, Empress, but also musicians in dress of the Heian Period (9th-12th centuries).
In general, these dolls are passed down from generation to generation.
Families display ''Hina-Ningyo'' from February to wish girls happiness and take them down on the evening of March 3. If families forget to take the dolls down before March 4 it is thought to bring bad luck for the future marriage of the daughter(s).
Everyone celebrates it throughout the world, but do you know the differences between countries ?
Let's learn more about the most romantic day of the year ♪
Originally, Valentine's Day was a religious festival. It is just from the 14th century that Europeans introduced the aspect of love within this celebration.
In most countries, couples give each other a present to show their love. Red rose is the most common present as it is the symbol of passion.
What about Japanese Valentine's Day ?
Valentine's Day was introduced in Japan in 1958. On this day, only women offer chocolates to men.
At the office, female clerks also give chocolates to their colleagues. These chocolates are usually called ''giri-choko'' (chocolate of obligation !).
One month after, on 14th March, it is men's turn to give a present to thank these women ! It can be chocolates but also flowers... This is the ''White Day'' !
It also happens that girls offer each other chocolates to show their friendship. In this case, chocolates are called ''tomo-choko'' （chocolate of frienship).
Panamanian Mr.C -Could you tell us the reason why do you come to Japan? C:My great-grandfather was Japanese, so I began to become interested in Japanese culture since I was little. Moreover, Japanese technology industries and manufacturing technologies are very famous around the world. Compared to other countries, Japan is a very safe place. That’s why I decided to come to Japan. I had also visited Nagoya about ten years ago, and had a good impression at that time, so this was another reason.
-How about transportation in Nagoya? C:I think Nagoya is the right size; it is neither a very big city nor a very small town, so it is easy to live in here. The transportation is also convenient. However, the taxi fares are very high. The bicycle is very useful for me.
-When did you start study Japanese and when did you start living in Japan, Nagoya? C:I started studying Japanese in 2002, but did not study for very long, then, I came here in April 2009. At that time, I could just read “HIRAGANA” and “KATAKANA” but I can read “KANJI” now. -What is your major in college? C:My major is electronic information systems. The lectures were conducted mostly in Japanese, so I couldn’t understand the lectures when I entered this college. I usually asked my friends about the assignments. In addition to this, some professors have a thick accent so it was really hard to understand them most of the time.
-Did you have any difficulties (troubles) when living here? C:The college dormitory has a rule that says that a student must move out within 6 months. Throughout these first 6 months I looked for a new place and started living by myself. When I started living alone, shopping for groceries was very hard for me. It took a while to get use to shopping here. Additionally, I was surprised by how expensive fruits are in Japan.
-How do you feel about the climate here, especially summer time in Nagoya? C:The climate agrees with me because I’m from a warm country, but sometimes Nagoya is just too hot and humid in summer.
-Could you let us know your favorite Japanese food? C:I like Sushi, Sashimi, Edamame(green soybean), Tofu, Wakame(seaweed), Mozuku, Hijiki, Kinpira(boiled burdock root and carrot with Japanese sake ,sugar and soy sauce) and I don’t like Natto.
-Which place did you visit in Japan? C:I went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Kyusyu, Toyama, Fukui, and Nagano.
-Which place would you like to go next? C:I would like to go Hokkaido and Okinawa.
-I’d like to ask you what do you planning to do for the future. C:I would like to enhance knowledge of my major and to gain a range of experience. If I have the chance, I would like to work in a Japanese company.
-Finally, please give an advice to overseas students who want to come to Japan to study. C:For overseas students who wish to come to Japan to study, it is good to study Japanese as much as you can before coming to Japan. If someone has a favorite brand, like ZARA, you shouldn’t buy it in Japan, it is expensive and also some clothing shops in Japan don`t have such a wide range of goods. In such a case you should better buy it in your country or another country before coming. In addition, it is really important that you keep in mind a sense of humility and sense the atmosphere at all times.
I went to see the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on July 25th.
In a sumo match, two sumo wrestler wearing only loincloths wrestle in a ring.
It is different from watching it on TV, watching sumo live is really good. I can feel real sounds. The sumo world has recently been shocked by a baseball gambling scandal and Yakuza problem, however the tournament went ahead as planned.
Many tickets were refunded before the Tournament started. Therefore I thought there would be a small audience, but it was not. The gymnasium was full of fans and I even saw bannerrs put up by the gymnasium staff which thanked the audience for attendance. It made me happy.
On the final day, Hakuho won without a single defeat. Then record for winning streak was established and he still hasn't lost.
There voluntarily refused from victory ceremony because of their recent problems. It was very sad, but I hope many fans will continue to support sumo.
Additionally, I was surprised because there were a lot of foreign spectators from different countries. Later I learned there were many tours introducing Japanese culture.
－Hello. Congratulations for passing the entrance examination for a graduate school of a state university. I’d like to ask your advice on language learning and the circumstances regarding the examinations. First, could you tell us about your experience from the moment you arrived at Japan?
C: Hello. I am C from China. I began studying Japanese during my time as a junior college student in Shanghai. Since I was interested in the Japanese language, I watched Japanese soap operas, movies and animation. I have relatives living in Japan, so I could easily obtain information on various aspects of Japan. After graduating from college, and mailing back and forth with some Japanese companies while looking for a job, I thought studying the Japanese language could become my weapon and that’s what brings me to Japan as an international student.
－Did you immediately think about the university entrance examinations?
C: First, I entered a Japanese language school. After consulting with an agency in China, I decided to study the language first and only then take the examinations to enter a university. I studied Japanese language in Shanghai and although I passed the third level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, I thought taking lectures together with Japanese students would be difficult. Therefore, I first took a 1 year and a half Japanese language course and while I did this, I got used to life in Japan and slowly searched for the universities of my preference. I then gathered information about the entrance examinations, and was transferred to a private university as a third year student.
－Why did you decide to become a transfer student?
C: After considering time saving and my current academic level, I decided on becoming a third year transfer student.
－The university you are attending is known to be quite difficult. Isn’t it hard to transfer as a junior after studying Japanese for only a year and a half?
C: The pressure was great. The examination for transfer students was a short essay, an English written test, and there were also interviews in both English and Japanese. After being admitted, I was placed together with Japanese students in the same classes, therefore I could not keep up with the speed of professor's speech, so I struggled through the first two months. At the beginning I would take notes of everything the professors said. (laughs)
－We often hear about hardships in the first 6 months of studying abroad.
－Now, your field of study is business administration and management right?
Since my field of study is business management, I am interested in enterprise management, organization structuring, international financial affairs, and marketing tactics. If we look at it from a global point of view, in Japan there are plenty of excellent corporations, therefore I felt I wanted to study the secrets of their success and their characteristic ways of thinking.
－In other words, you firmly decided to follow a road towards your own field of interest.After graduating from the university, what type of approach did you take to proceed your studies in a graduate school?Was your professor introduced to you by anyone?
C: Before entering the university, I received a pamphlet regarding graduate students. Inside it there was an introduction to every major subject's professor. During my time as an undergraduate student, I had already attended lectures by the professor in charge of my major subject. This is why I could directly speak to my professor, get his contact address and communicate with him. I think I got lucky.
－Which aptitudes do you feel were the ones which led you to pass the graduate school entrance examinations?
C: I think it's important to have the will, a serious attitude and Chinese, Japanese and English language abilities. I made considerable preparations for the interview. The competition among undergraduate students, workers, and overseas students was tough. There were also many research students willing to proceed to graduate school. Their advantage is that during research, they get to improve their technical language.
－I hear that English language ability matters a lot, but is that really so?
C: Well, not really. Japanese language ability is very important. Lectures are imp
arted in Japanese; therefore if you cannot comprehend Japanese you cannot follow the lectures. Also, because there are textbooks written in English, English language ability is also essential. In other words,
both English and Japanese are important.
－What is the greatest difference between being an undergraduate and a graduate student?
C: The great difference is that as a graduate student, there are presentations on the content of your research topic. When speaking in front of people, it is important to facilitate understanding for everyone. I am still not used to make presentations. However, having lectures with workers and other people was a lot of fun.
－Do you have hopes and dreams for the future?
C: Before coming to Japan my desire was to be admitted to a Japanese university, go on to graduate school, acquire working experience in a Japanese corporation and then return to Shanghai to work there, but now I am thinking of founding my own company in Shanghai. I wish my field to be related to the service sector. It is still vague, but I want it to become a reality.
－I think this is a wonderful objective. Please do your best. Finally, please offer an advice to overseas students who wish to go on to graduate school.
C: It is important to carry a purpose, an objective of your own. I believe, it is not just about studying abroad and hoping you would learning something. If we have goals and objectives, we can head towards them and do an effort, right?
－Thank you very much for your valuable opinions based on your real-life experiences.
