japanese non-verbal communication

Generally speaking, Japanese tend to apologize much and so, we have a few different ways to apologize. One unique posture to express sorry is called “Dogeza.” To make it, you kneel on the Tatami which is a common Japanese floor made of straw, and make your feet flat. Then, you sit on your legs directly, so your behind touches your feet. Next put your hands flatt on the floor, bend your upper half of the body by your waist.

We don’t do “Dogeza” in ordinal situation but do when you want to apologize terribly. For example, if you cannot return a large amount of money by the time you promised, you have to make “Dogeza” in front of the boss. This may not be accepted by the boss, but you should do it really because you made a huge mistake.

“Dogeza” includes the meaning of shamefulness so people don’t want to do. If you would like to be forgiven in serious situation, however, the longer you make “Dogeza” or the nearer your head to the Tatami, the deeper your apology is. So when you behave very badly by accident in Japan, do “Dogeza”.

If I am in...

We live with ordinal amount of air in Japan, then, if I were forced to stay 30days on the high land of the Himalaya Mountains, what the life would be like???
First, of cource it would be difficult even to breathe. I may be able to move little because action need much energy, of I may get sick. And, I think I counldn't communicate with people for the lack of air.
I cannnot imagine more what is happning, but I really want to go around the world, someday I'm going to the South America and climbing the Himalayas!

30DAYS gave me WHAT!?

As you know, most of the Japanese are in the middle class and we possess things equally compared to other countries. I have lived in comfort: I've been able to put on many clothes, had enough food, and gone to school.
"If my family has little money..." I've never thought like this. "30DAYS" indicated to me what the life in poverty in the debeloped country like. On one side of the America, there are many rich people who live with lots of luxury, but on the other side, people are troubled with everyday food and this side tend to be hidden. Medias always inform the rich part of the America.
I have thought that the U.S. is the country everyone can have chance to achieve, but in reality, many people have no right to be sucessful. This is not fare. The government should help them by cutting their salary. Then the country is being a real attractive nation.

What did rise from the Hurricane Katrina?

I think the fast reason why the disaster led bigger damages is the gap between rich and poor people in the state. I had not known the fact that two of three people in New Orleans are black, and that they are quite poor as they cannot afford to buy a car to get out of the region. If they have ways to escape or if they have places to go, they must have leave as fast as they could. What all the American, or even people in other countries, have to perceive from the tragedy is there are a lot of hidden poverty on the glob.

Finish my last summer in teens

This is all the members of the volunteer work in Germany. They come from Spain, Germany, Russia, Austria, Italy, France, Koria, Serbia, Poland, and Japan. The village called Lindberg where we worked has great nature and I come to love contryside better than city! The people in the village were so cheerful and love beer the best in this world (they always drink alchol from the morning!!).
Our work was painting small houses, cleaning the factory, putting tails on the roof, and restoration a cemetery. They were not so hard, but we lived the full life! I wish that I can come back to Lindberg and see them all again.
I wanna talk about my trip more in the class, and wanna listen to your summer too!! See you soon.

HAPPINESS of my own

#1 How important is money to your happiness? What would you want to buy??

I need more money! The reason is not to satisfy myself with luxury such as expensive clothes, jeweley or boots, but to improve myself by studying more, learning dance and reading books. First, I'm planning to go to U.S. university the year after next year. It costs me about a million to live there, so I have to earn them by the end of next year. Next, I need much money to learn dance. One lesson at a studio take 2000yen, and I usually go to lessons two times a week, so that I pay at least 16000yen a month. Finally, I want to read more books. I think reading them is the best way to widen my knowledge.


#5 How can a long-term romantic relationship contribute to your happiness?

Actually, I have never had so called romantic relationship, but I think it must lead more influence to your life than you live alone. If the person is the one who you can really believe and respect, you will tell him or her what you think and what you feel, and then, they'll answer what they trully think about your opinion. This way of comunication is so important to broden your view of the world. You'll get much different thinking from different aspect. So I've been serching such a person recentry.


#11 What else will it take to make you happy ten years from now?

The confidence of who I am and what I do will make me feel happy. At the present time, I don't have self-confidence because I don't see myself, in other words, I don't know what I really want to do. I'm nor sure if I can find the solution, and there may not be a clear answer. Now, however, I'm trying to find something I can consent. At least in ten years from now, I'm meeting the real apperance of my own. I'm looking forword to the time.