2008-12-24

Japanese phasebook scenarios

Courtesy of the travel guide series, Roughguides.com
http://www.roughguides.com/website/shop/products/Japanese-Phrasebook.aspx

2008-12-20

learning Japanese - radio feature story

http://www.theworld.org/?q=language
from the radio program, "The World"

see also, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOvfz4T2_6s
seems so popular in the U.S.

Another anime songs to use in a conversational Japanese class,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1AvAvsuX8M
(a nice anime fantasy)

2008-12-16

shared project & discussions - high school students

Consider using "voice thread" in which all users can add comments and questions to any material placed online (movie, slideshow, audio, text). The comments/questions can be voice, text or drawing!

http://voicethread.com/#home

--- Guven Witteveen, sjmiAT hotmail Dotcom

Re: in search of ....

Posted by: "Tae Murakoshi" taekomura@yahoo.com taekomura

Mon Dec 15, 2008 12:25 am (PST)

I know this topic has been introduced before, and I thought I kept it for the future use; however, I am asking you all again for your help in finding several discussion sites for high school students globally. We are highly motivated and have a keen interest in having friends all over the world, though very inexperienced right now, to connect and discuss whatever while improving our English skills and gaining experience through online interaction with foreign high school students. The benefits for both foreign students and Japanese students will be unmeasureable in many ways as you may agree; the both Japanese and English skills will improve for both sides through discussion and some debates.

Send e-mail faster without improving your typing skills. Get your Hotmail® account.

2008-12-13

well used manga - learning Japanese language & culture

(1) Asaki Yumemishi by Waki Yamato
(2) Buddha by Osamu Tezuka
(3) Orochi by Kazuo Umezu
(4) Hyooryuu Kyooshitu by Kazuo Umezu
(5) Doraemon by Fujio Fujiko
(6) Chibi Maruko-chan by Momoko Sakura
(7) Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi
(8) Verusaiyu no Bara by Riyoko Ikeda
(9) Azumanga Daio by Kiyohiko Azuma
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= more books
(1) Atashinchi by Eiko Kera
(2) Nana by Ai Yazawa
(3) Seitoshokun by Yoko Shoji
(4) Azuki-chan by Chika Kimura & Yasushi Akimoto
(5) Oishinbo by Akira Hanasaki & Tetsu Kariya
(6) Hanada Shoonenshi by Makoto Isshiki
(7) Kobo-chan by Masahi Ueda
(8) Hachimitsu to Kuroobaa by Chika Umino
(9) Hikaru no Go by Takeshi Obata & Yumi Hotta
(10) Ookiku Furikabutte by Asa Higuchi
(11) Raki Suta by Kagami Yoshimizu
(12) Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki
(13) Toripan by Nanko Torino

2008-12-12

buzzwords of Japanese for 2008

students might find these latest buzzwords interesting:

http://singo.jiyu.co.jp/ and http://u-ryukogo.jp/award.html
2008 Grand prizes are awarded to "グ〜！" and "アラフォー."

2008-12-08

Japan's veterans -WWII prisoners in Siberia

Weekend Edition Sunday, December 7, 2008 · For Japanese Soldier, The War Went On — Today marks the 67th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese surrendered four years later, but Japanese soldiers captured by the Russians in Manchuria were held as prisoners for more than five years after World War II.

More than 500,000 Japanese soldiers were taken to Soviet penal camps and forced into slave labor. Independent producer Robert Rand tells the tale of one of the surviving Japanese soldiers.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97920789

2008-12-04

searching for postal codes in Japan

http://www.post.japanpost.jp/zipcode [in Japanese only]
See also, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2224.html

Ainu events 2008

A. Lewallen [via www.japanfocus.org Dec 4, 2008]

Indigenous at last! Ainu Grassroots Organizing and the
Indigenous Peoples Summit in Ainu Mosir

2008-11-22

illustrated children's books - ehon

online children's books http://www.arakawa-shizue.jp/web-ehon/index.html#

2008-11-16

Revising the list of kanji

[Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008 - Japan Times]
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20081116a2.html

A panel of the Council for Cultural Affairs is working to revise the
official list of Chinese characters in common use (joyo kanji). The
final proposal is expected in February. The revision should draw the
attention of not only Japanese but also foreigners interested in
Japanese culture.
The current joyo kanji list contains 1,945 characters. The kanji
panel plans to add 186 characters, including "kan" of
"kankoku" (Korea) and "satsu" of "kosatsu" (ancient temple).

2008-11-15

videos on High School memories; health care options

Each is about 10 minutes or less (in English).

About Japanese health care, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6446526054197373344

Japanese high school memories, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7986423489127429101

2008-11-08

online reading of Kanji

http://www.readthekanji.com/

2008-11-07

new release of "kanji alive" online

After much work and many delays we've finally released an updated
version of "Kanji alive" that is both much faster than the previous
version and compatible with current versions of Windows and OS X.

You can access it via http://kanjialive.uchicago.edu

katakana intro, roots, links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana
gives a good overview with visual illustrations.

2008-11-06

project on classical language of Japanese

-from Paul Baptist:
http://www.lingwiki.com

http://lingwiki.com/index.php?title=Hyakunin_Isshu

http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/bungo/bungo.html

2008-11-05

rich site reopened - Minna no kyozai

http://minnanokyozai.jp/
　…………………………………………………………………………………………
　■The number of resources has been expanded!

　　★Kisetsu no Katsudo
　　　There are 109 classroom activities that facilitate study of
　　　Japan's seasons and annual events. Various types of classroom
　　　activities are available for beginning to advanced proficiency
　　　levels.

　　★Elementary Vocabulary Pictures
　　　This contains 308 black-and-white pictures for basic verbs.

　■Finding resources has become easier!

　　★Classroom Activities and Pictures are organized by series (base
　　　material), enabling a search by series as well as cross search.
　　　There is also a list of material titles.

　　★Search of Grammar items had previously been available only
　　　according to the 50 kana order index, and some users expressed
　　　difficulty using the search function. On the new site, Grammar
　　　items can be searched by keyword as well as by two types of lists ("50 kana order list" and "list by proficiency level").

2008-10-24

visual approach to understanding life in Japan

http://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/

2008-09-25

what do Japanese eat day-to-day?

Here is what people in Japan eat daily, http://tmap.yomiuri.co.jp/

M. W.Isoyama, JFLA.org

2008-09-18

video - Obon in Kyoto (1 minute 28 seconds)

via the LonelyPlanet travel guide (newsletter, "Comet")
http://enewsletters.lonelyplanet.com.au/ch/14dwhq0/532146/ce6d81755m.html

2008-09-16

Japanese by distance learning [accredited programs]

via Susan Schmidt, Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese

**************************************
1. Online Center for Japanese Studies - The Yamasa Institute,
Okazaki, Japan - http://www.yamasa.org/ocjs/english/index.html

2. Virginia Satellite Educational Network (VSEN)
www.vsenvirginia.org.htm

3. World Wide Learn Language Learning Center (several programs)
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/language-courses/learn-japanese.htm

4. Nihongo Web from Univ Alabama (online tutoring)
for high school or college credit - http://www.ccet.ua.edu/nihongoweb/

5. Mesa Community College, AZ offers JPN101, 102, 201 and 202 online
using Yookoso.

6. Irasshai at Georgia Tech has distance learning courses -
http://www.imtc.gatech.edu/projects/culture/i-irasshai.html
or http://www.gpb.org/irasshai Irasshai hotline 800-883-7444

7. Japanese 1 & 2 (at least) taught online through the Indiana
Academy at Ball State:
Cathy D. Whaley, Ast Dir of Outreach
Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana 47306 765-285-3248 (fax)
765-285-6004 (phone); 800-316-3163 ext. 22 (toll-free phone)

8. Brigham Young Univ high-school Japanese 1 and 2 online, http://tinyurl.com/cmwdr

9. More options for self-study: www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/japanese/selfstudy.html

started in Japan - now known worldwide: The Algorithm March

2008-09-10

films depicting High School in Japan (or suitable for teens)

Water Boys (high school clubs and school festivals)
Swing Girls
gakkou (学校) series by Youji Yamada... depicts non-traditional students who go to a night school in Tokyo. http://item.rakuten.co.jp/book/5660131/

Kinpachi-sensei (TV series), http://www.tbs.co.jp/kinpachi/
http://ishop.tbs.co.jp/tbs/special/kinpachi/index.html

Nobody Knows if you would like to show a side of Tokyo that is not typical, successful students. It is one of the saddest movies I have ever seen ...four siblings that are abandoned by their mother and have to fend for themselves in Tokyo.

Kamikaze Girls is also good for capturing pop culture.

Koko Yakyu --tells about a private HS (?Wakayama-ken) and public HS (Osaka) preparing for the national HS tournament at Koshien. There is a lot of "live" (?nama kaiwa) dialog, lots of emotional intensity, and some useful impressions of HS life.

And I like the materials at Deai, www.tjf.or.jp/deai

Erin ga chosen is pretty good, I think. It is not documentary, but has a script. Still it gives some images of life for teens these days.

=-=-=-=-=-= possibly to show in class, as well
Sen to Chihiro
Ping Pong
Hula girls
Adrenalin Drive
Kikujiro

=-=-=-=-=-= more titles, (* popularity by students)
*Totoro
Mimi wo sumaseba
Omoide boro boro
*Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke)
*Sen to Chihiro (Spirited Away)
*Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies)
*The Cat Returns
Tonari no Yamada-kun
*Howl's Moving Castle
Minwa (Kaguyahime, Tsuruno Ongaeshi)
Ohayou (Good Morning)
After Life
*Kikujiro
*Shall will Dance
*Tampopo (with some discretions)
*Daremo shiranai (Nobody Knows)
*Water Boys
Maboroshi
*Densha Otoko
*ShogunZatouichi
*Kakushi toride (Hidden Fortress)
*Kumonosujyou ( MacBeth in Japanese version by Kurosawa)
*Kwaidan ( by Masaki Kobayashi)
Miminashi Houichi and other stories
*Rashoumon

Samurai (Historical documentary from BBC)
Families of Japan (documentary)
Nihon-Sono sugata to kokoro (Japanese family life) -Documentary
Living Arts (Culture in modern Kyoto) and Friends.....Documentary
Animated Classics of Japanese Literature (12 part series)

=-=-=-=-=-= undergraduates at college
NHK documentary series, Working Poor (as well as the books the accompany them). The sections on the young working poor in Japan have resonated deeply with my [undergraduate] students.

2008-09-09

short-stories of Japanese literature (in English)

Offered by J-Lit (Literature of Japan)

free PDF files of translations of Japanese contemporary short stories
(http://www.jlpp.jp/story/index.html)

2008-09-06

music resources linked from Japan Society site

Bibliography of Resources about Music in Japan
<http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/bibliography_of_resources_about_music_in_japan>
E. Taylor Atkins of Northern Illinois University composed a bibliography of some print, on-line, and multimedia resources that might be valuable to the K-12 (as well as college) educator.

2008-09-01

classroom routines

sensei online Digest Number 2716+
...I have been using the toban/ aisatsu system but with a few additions.
Namely, toban also checks the homework (they seem to enjoy the responsibility and they get to pick what stamp to use for the day!) She or he also collects the diaries of students who have not done the homework.
Other toban jobs include starting tha ball rolling for answers/ activities, giving out handouts etc, setting up the DVD/ data projector, wiping the board, running errands to the office e.g. to get another box of tisssues. THis way i avoid always asking a few trusted students to do those types of things.
The toban also gets to be the MC/ games master which includes using the blow up microphone for quick fire question time/ interviews etc and other fun jobs like picking out the bingo cards etc
The students take the toban role seriously, to the point where if a student is away or skipped they come up to me at the end of class to ensure i reschedule their turn!
Having the toban really helps me out with everyday systems, but also keeps everything fair because each student knows they will get their turn.
I am interested to hear of other ways teachers make toban an enjoyable and special job.
==follow-up to listreader's query:
yes, the toban changes every day. I do it in alphabetical order so the students know when their turn is coming. I also try to remind the next student that it will be their turn the following lesson.
The toban marks the roll with a 'T' when it is their turn so i can see who did it on what dates and correct any skipped students.
If the student is late, they miss their turn and have to catch up later.
With my older students i normally do something with technology e.g. Youtube/ music at the start (that is before the lesson offically begins) so that the late students miss the fun, but not the greetings and intro part of the lesson. I have invited students to make requests as a way of getting them to explore Japanese language and culture in their own time by surfing the net. I am always amazed what kind of Japanese things they find. Often the students are so much more on the pulse with what is 'in' than me because they have special interests that they like to pursue in their free time. e.g. Gazette etc!

==as well as,
...my former school required me to put the following information on the board for each class:
Do now:
Today:
Homework:
Learning outcome:
The L.O.T.E. department translated these and made funky board signs with magnets on the back.
The students seems to work well with knowing what to do when they came in and what the rest of the lesson would include.
=-=-=-=
...I guess the most important thing is to simple have routines and structure. I don't think that it matters what the routine is. My class has a "Kanji Corner" with 2 sentences full of Kanji compounds that have to be copied and translated in the first 5 minutes.
Next, we look at a paragraph with the new vocabulary and grammar point for the day.
Then we practice using those in conversation.
Finally, they write using the new learnt information. (these are used in the next visit's warm up sentence and kanji practice). Next we do activities and play with the new information is there is time. I always end with a quick moment for culture stuff!
=-=-=-=
-We have a "nicchoku"sign by the door with vinyl pockets to insert the student's name and the "weather" card/s of the day. 4x6 Cards are in a basket with all student names for each class, and another basket has 4x6 cards w/ weather pictures and the word in Japanese (kumori, hare, yuki, etc.)
-I am "nicchoku/toban" the first 6 wks of JPN1, then they take over. They LOVE it and look forward to their turn, checking the sign as they come in and reading the name (in katakana) to see who gets to do the job that day.
- The student leads the "kiritsu-kiwotsuke-rei-yoroshiku onegaishimasu-chakuseki", then answers my Q: kyou "no tenki wa dou desuka?" and puts the appropriate weather card in the vinyl pocket.
*Starting with JPN2, they also fill in the day and date on the board, and read the date to the class.
=-=-=-=
Survey on what you say in class, http://www.research.nttnavi.co.jp/305clr/clr_078_01.html

Pr. Shigenobu Ujiie's Lecture Notes (Tohokugakuin U)
http://www.izcc.tohoku-gakuin.ac.jp/liberal/Sujiie/doutoku15.htm
(Prof. Ujiie's Website: http://www.izcc.tohoku-gakuin.ac.jp/liberal/Sujiie/)

Japan Academy for Municipal Personnel's Professional Development Workshop
Protocols, http://www.jamp.gr.jp/information/point.htm

2008-08-25

Japan through folk and children's songs

information on folk and traditional songs of Japan...
"Social and Cultural History of Japan Though Music Education," at
http://bulldog2.redlands.edu/dept/AsianStudiesDeptmusic_ed/

...song files and cultural information about fifteen or twenty songs

2008-08-12

filmography -anime for k12 classroom

from http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org

Resource: Anime - An Annotated Filmography for Use in the Classroom

by Toni Levi, April 30, 2008
In this filmography, Japanese historian and anime and manga expert Antonia Levi recommends anime movies to use in the grade K-12 classroom. For each movie, she gives a synopsis, suggests age appropriateness, and offers points of discussion.

2008-08-11

films showing language/culture

[cross-posting from H-Japan] ...the Itami Juzo film "Minbo" for its depiction of sarariman.
His "Tampopo" is good for images of small business and of food culture. It also has great use of language, from that used by a pedantic academic (is there any other sort?) to the rich, women, blue-collar workers and so on. Students who are told to listen for it can pick out some of the variation, even if they have never studied Japanese. Both films have enough slapstick and other visuals to
do a reasonable job of holding the attention of students who find subtitles tedious.

2008-07-30

video, "Election, Japanese-style"

http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/campaign/
Discover Democracy "Japanese-Style"

This is democracy – Japanese style. Campaign on P.O.V. provides a startling insider's view of Japanese electoral politics in this portrait of a man plucked from obscurity by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to run for a critical seat on a suburban city council.

Kazuhiko "Yama-san" Yamauchi's LDP handlers are unconcerned that he has zero political experience, no charisma, no supporters and no time to prepare.

What he does have is the institutional power of Japan's modern version of Tammany Hall pushing him forward. Yama-san allows his life to be turned upside down as he pursues the rituals of Japanese electioneering – with both tragic and comic results.

full film online at http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/campaign/fullfilm.html

2008-07-17

J-Pop with on-screen lyrics

Soul-ja: His song with Thelma Aoyama is nice. Several of my students bought the album this summer
www.jpopasia.com/play/4153/soulja/kokoni-iruyo-feat-thelma-aoyama.html
see also the J-Pop homepages, http://www.jpopasia.com

2008-07-14

audio slideshow (contest)

13 July 2008. [senseionline] Digest Number 2685

Kwassui Women's College announces a worldwide video slideshow contest
reserved to students who are learning Japanese as a foreign language
in high school; original announcement at
http://www.kwassui.ac.jp/college/news_topics/news_82/news_82.html
For further inquiries, please email videocontest@kwassui.ac.jp

The purpose of this contest is to encourage high school Japanese
language teachers to enhance their classes with video production
projects. Kwassui has long been active in forming teachers of both
English and Japanese. The college is now experimenting with new
technologies and promoting their use in language teaching. It has
become evident to us that many language teachers would like to use
video production in their classes but are hindered by time constraints
and limited access to technology. The experience matured by our
English department has shown us that this kind of obstacles can be
overcome by letting students work on video slideshows rather than
moving image videos.

A video slideshow is a succession of still images, be they
photographs, drawings, charts, or computer-generated pictures,
accompanied by narration and/or music and recorded in video format. It
can be created with minimal equipment: a computer, a digital still
camera or camera phone, and a microphone. The editing can be done with
simple software such as Windows Movie Maker (free on all Windows XP
and Vista machines) or iMovie (free on all new Macs).

A site with extensive technical information on video slideshows,
including step-by-step tutorials can be found at
http://www.deepmoat.com/moodle/

Theme of the Contest: School Life
This theme should be interpreted as including topics such as school
clubs, school festivals, school friendships, etc. Entries may be
authored by a single student or by groups of up to four students. Only
one submission per student or group will be accepted.

Basic Requirements: All authors must be high school students. None of them must have lived
in Japan for more than a year. Teachers can advise students but cannot
be authors. All videos must be composed of still images accompanied by Japanese
narration. They must be suitable for all audiences. Opening and end
titles are required and must also be in Japanese (romaji is
permissible). Transitions, the Ken Burns effect, and other special
effects are permitted. On the videos, students' must be identified
only by their first names. Family names, addresses, and other
sensitive personal data must NOT be included. The script and all
images must be original and created by the entrants themselves. Music
is optional. If included, it must be legal and properly credited.
"Legal" music means a piece that is either out of copyright,
copyright friendly (such as Creative Commons licensed pieces from jamendo.com or
podsafeaudio.com), or composed and played by the students who make the
video.

Video format: wmv or mov. Videos submitted in formats other than wmv
or mov will not be considered. Those who are creating in other formats
are welcome to use online converters such as media-convert.com or
zamzar.com to get their piece into one of those two formats.
Length of entries: minimum 2 minutes 30 seconds; maximum 3 minutes 30
seconds. Files should not exceed 30 MB.

Deadline for submissions: 11:00 p.m., Japanese Time, on November 30,
2008. No entries can be accepted before 8:00 a.m., Japanese Time, on
October 1, 2008. To find out the corresponding time in your time zone,
you may wish to use the converter at
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html.

How to submit: All videos must be submitted by teachers. To submit,
please use a free file delivery service such as YouSendIt.com. In the
"To" box, please type the following address: videocontest@kwassui.ac.jp
Do not send videos as email attachments.

Teachers will also need to send a separate confirmation email to videocontest@kwassui.ac.jp
containing the following information: teacher's name and contact email, school's name and address, title of the video, full name and grade of each student who authored the video.
[see full announcement for detailed judging criteria]

2008-07-06

pbs-Japan: Military Academy (July 8), Campaign for local elections (July 29)

intro blurb, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/japans-about-face/introduction/746/
In the aftermath of World War II, Japan's new American-authored constitution renounced the right to wage war and maintain military forces.

In recent years, though, the line between defense and offense has blurred. In 2004, Japan sent its Ground Self-Defense Forces to Iraq — the first deployment of Japanese soldiers in an active combat zone in 60 years.

With China's economy and military expanding and North Korea test-launching ballistic missiles into the Japan Sea, Japan has started reconsidering its regional strategy.
Today, Japan has a $40 billion military budget, the fifth largest in the world.

About the Film:
Japan's About-Face is a remarkable window into the shifting role of the military in post-war Japanese society.

WIDE ANGLE has acquired rare access to the National Defense Academy, Japan's "West Point." We follow Defense Academy cadets preparing for a future that may involve overseas deployment, and meet with a group of peace activists — some of them atom bomb survivors — on a grueling two month, 750-mile protest march from Hiroshima to Tokyo. We also witness joint maneuvers with the U.S. Marine Corps, surveillance flights over the Sea of Japan, and the DDH Hyuga — the first Japanese aircraft carrier built since WWII.
Japan's About-Face offers unprecedented insight into the future of Asian geopolitics.

VIDEO PREVIEW, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/japans-about-face/preview/1272/

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Campaign
by Kazuhiro Soda Broadcast Date: July 29, 2008 at 10 PM (1 hour) Check local listings
This is democracy — Japanese style. "Campaign" provides a startling insider's view of Japanese electoral politics in this portrait of a man plucked from obscurity by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to run for a critical seat on a suburban city council. Kazuhiko "Yama-san" Yamauchi's LDP handlers are unconcerned that he has zero political experience, no charisma, no supporters and no time to prepare. What he does have is the institutional power of Japan's modern version of Tammany Hall pushing him forward. Yama-san allows his life to be turned upside down as he pursues the rituals of Japanese electioneering — with both tragic and comic results. A co-presentation with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).

FILM PREVIEW, http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/campaign/index.html

2008-06-26

abduction - Megumi Yokota story (PBS)

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/abduction/

2008-06-21

Japan stories from the Web (starting with NPR)

With the encouragement of NPR following the weekly Thursday 11 a.m. tour of their studios in Washington, DC, I collected links for many of their features of the last few years. It's mostly in English (apart from some interview/lyrics). Several are musician related. For cultural background, they all make for good listening.
_______________________
Japan stories from the Web (links to stories for KR and CN, too)
http://interccc.googlepages.com/jpweb

sample photo groups of Flickr.com (Japan)

2008-05-09

worksheets source

Added to our bank of resources:
-a very young learner-friendly explanation worksheet for ichi-dan, go-dan
and irregular verbs and constructing their negative form,
-a verb conjugation puzzle,
-and an exercise worksheet to complement and assess this new knowledge.

http://www.languageteachers.net/sharing_ttoz.html next to the 'tense' heading.

2008-04-25

language in time of war

interesting radio profile of Guy Gabaldon, who saved many lives in World War II with his knowledge of Japanese.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89917992

2008-04-23

radio stories, Hello Kitty Gets ...

2008, Hello Kitty Gets a New Look in Japanese Vogue
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89803701&sc=emaf

2004, Hello Kitty: A Marketing Sensation Grows Up
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4135154&sc=emaf

2008-04-22

countering the wartime de-humanizing process

Today on the radio this piece was broadcast; perhaps some US listeners to National Public Radio heard the visits to U.S. high school classrooms by former members of the WW II corps of kamikaze pilots (in conjuction with the documentary film's producer). The recorded segment can be heard online and may be of interest in a variety of classrooms or lecture topics, so I pass it along here.
--Guven Witteveen

Wings of Defeat: Kamikaze Stories, Told in Person
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89622063&sc=emaf

Make i'm yours. Create a custom banner to support your cause.

2008-04-09

blog of Old Japan photos (commercial catalogue, though)

Multilingual Photoblog of Old Photographs of Japan. Daily uploads of rare photographs and postcards of Japan between 1860 and the 1930's. ...displays photos from a private collection of many thousands of rare photographs and maps
http://www.oldphotosjapan.com

2008-03-30

short videos - Japanese language and culture

http://www.j-plusonline.jp/

The videos are presented mainly in English and also they include some interviews in Japanese with English subtitle. Conveniently, they are stored in the temporary file on your computer while downloading them, so you can move them to wherever you like for your later use.

video titles:

- Toward a Peaceful and Prosperous World
- An Invitation to Noh
- Monozukuri - The Japanese Art of Making Things
- Multiculturalism
- Mottainai
- Japan Fashion
- A stroll through Old Asakusa

Junko Fujimoto, fujimoto@colorado.
East Asian Languages and Civilizations, UC-Boulder

2008-03-04

students videos from Nagasaki

cross-posting from ED-TECH electronic list.
...slideshow videos done by students at Kwassui Women's College in Nagasaki
http://www.nextvista.org/collection/global-views/asia/

2008-02-24

origami master links list

Spotted on EDTECH (www.h-net.org)
Copied for easy reference to http://japanlore.googlepages.com/origami

2008-02-21

street fashion in Tokyo (book, blog, slideshow)

as seen on http://anthropologistabouttown.blogspot.com

...website run by an anthropology PhD student in London, Philomena Keet, http://tokyolookbook.com. Her research examines street fashion in Tokyo, and she has just published a book on the subject which is informed by some of her anthropological thinkings - 'The Tokyo Look Book'. Also on the website is a blog [http://web.mac.com/philomena/iWeb/TokyoLookBook%20/Blog/Blog.html] about her research and related events - sometimes there are late notice seminars she will be talking at for those of you who are interested in the subject. Another interview with Philomena is available online here, http://writerinterviews.blogspot.com/2007/12/philomena-keet.html

2008-02-15

teen perspective on going to Japan

cross-posting from H-Japan by U.Mass East Asia librarian
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
...One of my non-Japan friends brought me a book that she enjoyed called _Japan Ai:
A Tall Girl's Adventures In Japan / by Aimee Major Steinberger. Go!Comi, 2007.
ISBN: 1933617837

Aimee is a manga artist and cosplay fanatic. She and her friends go to Japan so
that she can visit the VOLKS doll company. Aimee experiences most things that
young people experience when they go to Japan: maid cafes, Akihabara, cosplay,
internet cafes, Takarazuka ... The great thing is that she illustrates each
scene with short comments, so it really brings the experience to life.

2008-02-14

advocating Japanese lessons

...Japan has the second largest economy in the world, Japan is a vital ally to America in the Pacific, Japan is the largest foreign influence on American youth culture right now. Remind parents that Japanese is an academic subject like algebra and when was the last time their kids begged and pleaded to be allowed to take algebra? Finally, remember that you will lose at least as many battles as you win, don't lose heart, just learn from the experience.
----- J. Guthrie on 2008-02-13 senseionline

2008-02-08

Podcast Itunes: searching for 'Gwyn' and 'Japanese'

gmcclell@xavier.vic. (edu DotAU), Gwyn McClelland

Please consider contributing, or sending any topics to cover.

Seeking people for online interviews (through Skype), too:
--experiences they have had in Japan, or simply
--about their hometowns

2008-02-06

examples of articles, Japanfocus.org

hotlinks to 3-5 page essays in English from http://japanfocus.org may be of use to students (assignments; reactions or presentations) and teachers (background material & illustrations) of Japanese.

Wada Haruki, The Comfort Women Issue, the Asian Women's Fund and the Digital Museum

Heonik Kwon, The Ghosts of the American War in Vietnam

Nakazawa Keiji, Barefoot Gen, the Atomic Bomb and I: The Hiroshima Legacy

Mel Gurtov, Reconciling Japan and China

2008-01-24

children's favorites (cross-culturally)

...great survey data that could be easily incorporated into language lessons, such as Japanese children's favorite subjects, relationships with friends, even "the effects of bullying."
http://www.childresearch.net/RESEARCH/DATA_JCHILD/index.html
[Jessica H]

2008-01-23

early ages - classroom culture in Japan

Child's Play: Japan's Groundbreaking Child-Development Web Site: When the conformist Land of the Rising Sun forges ahead in education innovation, we'd better pay attention. [from http://www.edutopia.org/global-education-2008]

textbooks page online

The Japanese Textbook Information Board is online at
http://www.japaneseteaching.org/projects/textbook/

We invite all teachers to explore the site and send updated information as well as feedback on the textbooks that are listed there. Publishers are also welcome to send information on new textbooks that are not yet included on the site.

Susan Schmidt, Executive Director
Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese
Phone: 303-492-5487, Fax: 303-492-5856
http://www.colorado.edu/ealld/atj

2008-01-20

kana stroke order - on screen, iphone or ipod-touch

stroke order online thanks to s. shinagawa: http://iphone.marinebat.com/
see also original site for web-browser use: http://gahoh.marinebat.com/

2008-01-15

top 10 words in Japanese 2007

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ek20080115a1.html
Kyushu dialect, golf prince top 2007 buzzwords
By MARK SCHREIBER, Special to The Japan Times Jan. 15, 2008

[excerpt]...other buzzwords that finished the top 10 included kieta nenkin (vanished pension funds), a phrase muttered by Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe to describe the mismanagement of pension payment records by the Social Insurance Agency (3rd place) and shokuhin giso (false labeling of foods), following a year of successive stories revealing manufacturers' mislabeling the contents of food products, disregard for the freshness dates of ingredients or use of slipshod sanitation methods (7th place).

2008-01-13

"king of Sushi" on CBS news investigation show, "60 minutes"

on 60 Minutes! The segment is "The King of Sushi," about the journey of Atlantic bluefin tuna. It will be broadcast Sunday, January 13th, 2008, at 7pm ET in the United States. After it airs on the West Coast, it will become available on the CBS News website. Click on this link http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

and there will be a list of stories from this broadcast. [cross-posting from EASIANTH e-list for East Asia Anthropology]
=-=-= GP Witteveen, sjmi AThotmail DOTcom

2008-01-09

images & articles (cabinet, JP)

http://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/