Ti invito ad accettare il fatto che non capirai tutto subito con un solo ascolto, cerca di intuire il significato con un approccio positivo e curioso. Dopo utilizza la trascrizione e il language focus sul mio sito – il link è nella descrizione – per arrivare ad una comprensione completa. A questo punto ti invito a praticare il tuo parlato ad alta voce insieme a me ‘shadowing my speech’. Se trovi utile e interessante il tema scrivi le frasi più belle e prova ad utilizzarle nelle tue giornate, così aggiungi writing and thinking in English. OK let’s begin.
I want to share some memories of a fantastic two week tour we did in Japan in 2010. I’m reminded of our trip because this year the World Expo is held in Osaka.
Our tour included Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and then the north east of Tokyo, along the coast as far as Matsushima.
Let’s start with the Japanese language, it’s unique!
Apart from a few simple words that are commonly known like “arigato” (thank you) and “konnichiwa” (Hello), Japanese is no way related to our latin and germanic languages. I had presumed that English would be the way to communicate, and while this is true in big hotels and some large shops, there were other moments when even hand gestures seemed useless. An interesting concept in Japanese communication is that they avoid using a direct ‘no’ because it sounds harsh, so they use softer language and expressions to politely decline.
The Japanese are very polite, respectful, efficient and punctual.
We saw amazing examples of all these characteristics at the train station in Tokyo when we caught the Shinkansen or Bullet train. As our train arrived, uniformed cleaners appeared along the edge of the platform in unison. When the train doors opened the cleaners entered the carriages with military precision. After about a minute they exited the train and stood to attention by the door and gave a bow to the first passenger boarding the train, to thank them for giving them a job. This level of politeness and respect is very common and accompanies all Japanese social interactions. The trains illustrate another important aspect of Japanese life: punctuality. When the train is scheduled to leave at 13.03 it leaves at 13.03! Whatever you do, don’t be late for anything in Japan, it is a big sign of disrespect. And speaking of respect, if you are noisy by nature (or simply Italian) then you must remind yourself to lower your volume. The Japanese are generally very quiet and on public transport you usually find them either reading or sleeping.
Japan is a culinary adventure!
Most restaurants in Japan present their menus in the window as photos or perfect wax models of the dishes. Not knowing the language means that when you choose your dish you have to point at a photo on the menu. It was impossible to know exactly what we were ordering or whether it was cold or hot. Other than rice, noodles, fish and meat there were numerous ingredients that we couldn’t identify. However, all the things floating in bowls or on sticks covered in batter or sweet sauce were wonderfully tasty! In some restaurants they leave you to do the cooking. In the middle of the table you find a boiling broth or a grill with which to cook your food. As a general rule you have to use chopsticks, although some members of our group managed to get a fork with the help of a translator. One note about the food in Japan: you can end up eating endangered species of fish without realising it. Red Tuna Sushi for example is readily available almost everywhere in Japan, even though there are serious concerns about overfishing.
One of the most beautiful things about Japan are the Ancient Shinto shrines and the Buddhist temples.
Shinto is the oldest religion of the Japanese people and it is said that the Shinto gods created the islands of Japan. The Shinto shrines are always fronted by a gate made of two uprights and two crossbars painted red. When visiting a shrine if there is water and a ladle provided you should wash your hands and sometimes even your feet. Where you are permitted to enter the shrines you must always remove your shoes.
Buddhist temples and Zen gardens are another common site in Japan. One very impressive temple that we visited is in the park at Nara, not far from Kyoto. The Great Hall contains the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha which is nearly 15m tall. The park grounds are full of wild deer that are said to be messengers of the gods.
Religions in Japan are viewed by most Japanese as traditions, social rituals and superstitions rather than set paths for life. Here in Europe we are used to being marked as Catholic, Protestant or Muslim for example, however it is possible that a Japanese person can be blessed at birth by a Shinto priest, married in a Christian style and given a Buddhist ceremony as a funeral.
The traditional Kimono must be the most famous Japanese garment.
The sight of a Japanese man or lady dressed in this way on a modern city street or on a train is beautiful. At the other extreme are the Japanese teenagers who we saw at the famous trendy Shibuya109 shopping centre in Tokyo. And talking about dressing up, Cosplay (a portmanteau of the English words “costume” and “play”) originated in Japan. It’s the practice of dressing up as characters from anime, manga or video games. On the weekends in certain areas of Tokyo, where you can find the cosplay shops, you can see young people parading in their favourite costumes. Manga is so entrenched in Japanese culture that cartoon characters are even used to convey serious public messages, such as a ‘no smoking’ sign on the metro or a ‘keep out’ sign on a building site.
Japan is the home of karaoke
The Japanese generally work very hard, they are quiet and respectful and will avoid drawing attention to themselves. However, don’t think for a moment that their subdued behaviour means that they don’t know how to party! The sudden transformation from a subdued worker during the week into an energetic singing superstar at the weekend is remarkable, but karaoke is not a public open mic that we are familiar with. These karaoke bars or restaurants are divided into lots of private rooms that you rent with your friends or family and the party remains private.
Ryokan and Onsen
We stayed in some beautiful and modern hotels in Japan, but we ended our holiday by staying in an old part of Tokyo in one of the many traditional Japanese guesthouses, which are known as ryokan. In the rooms you will find traditional tatami mats as flooring, paper sliding walls and a simple futon on the floor as a bed, which I must say I found surprisingly comfortable!
Often the ryokan will have bathing facilities known as onsen, which means hot springs. The naturally occurring hot springs are found in many places throughout the volcanically active islands of Japan, but the term onsen is widely used to describe communal bathing facilities found in most hotels.
All bathers are naked with men and women usually divided into separate bathing rooms. Before entering the bath you must wash and rinse yourself thoroughly at a washing station. Then you relax in the very hot water. The onsen is one of the most treasured pastimes of the Japanese. Whether you are with your family or business partners, communal bathing like many other Japanese rituals is part of their fascinating way of life.
Japan is a beautiful island with incredible contrasts!
The horrific and moving story of Hiroshima and the atomic bomb seems somewhat incongruous next to Japan’s most popular sport, American Baseball. The beautiful and ancient shinto shrines stand next to modern skyscrapers and speeding bullet trains. The wonderfully polite and reserved Japanese people, who are constantly cleaning and searching for peace and harmony, can become party animals in a karaoke bar (but who doesn’t need to let their hair down and party?!). It’s not surprising that many people become enchanted by fascinating Japan and its incredible history and culture.
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