Learning Hiragana

Passwords for the Month of November

Teacher せんせい　　　               Student　せいと

先生（せんせい）　　　　　　           生徒（せいと）

こんにちは。　　　　　　　　               こんにちは。

おなまえは。　　　　　　　　              ｘｘｘｘｘです。

あいことば  は  なんですか。　                ｘｘｘｘｘｘｘｘ 

どうぞ。


こんげつ（１１月）　の　あいことば　は・・・

I made the four versions based on the word,  もったいない.

1. つかいすて  もったいない。

2. たべのこし  もったいない。

3. つかいすぎ  もったいない。

4. もったいない で  ちきゅう  を  まもろう。

Please choose one of the phrases from the above as your あいことば. You can also use two phrases, three phrases, or all of them as your あいことば if you want to challenge more. Please watch the following video to think of each phrase's meaning.

A Message from Asheley-san

She worked for Japanese public schools as an English teacher. She carrys her own chopstics because...

Do you have a sense of "eco"?

エコ (eco) is a Japanese term that comes from the English word "ecology". It's said that if you're environmentally conscious, you are "eco" - for example, carrying your own chopsticks instead of using disposable wooden ones and taking care to "waste not, want not" - もったいない. Eco can be as simple as wearing layers in winter so you can turn the heat down a notch, or using a paper hand fan instead of an electrical one or air conditioning in summer. Every little bit counts, so why not try to help the planet in these small ways?

(もったいない勿体無い) is a Japanese term meaning "a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized." The expression "もったいない!" can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted. In addition to its primary sense of "wasteful," the word is also used to mean "impious; irreverent" or "more than one deserves." (from Wikipedia)

TV commercial - もったいない おばけ (short version)

TV commercial - もったいない おばけ (long version)

Songs of the Month for November

みんなで うたおう もったいないソング！(Let's sing a Mottainai song!)

Please ask questions during your classes if you want to know more about these Mottainai songs.

Words of the Month for November

Please greet me using following phrases before your class begins.

あたたかい　暖かい
warm, mild　

(きょうは) あたたかいですね。 It is warm (today), isn't it?

きのうは  あたたかかったですね。 It was warm yesterday, wasn't it?

あしたは あたたかくなると  いいですね。I hope it will be warm tomorrow.

さむい　寒い
cold

(きょうは)  さむいですね。 It is cold (today), isn't it?

きのうは  さむかったですね。It was cold yesterday, wasn't it?

あしたは  さむくないと  いいですね。I hope it will not be cold tomorrow.

* cold to touch =  さむい つめたい

Halloween Week (Monday, Oct.25 - Sunday, Oct.31)

Tsunami hosts a Halloween week from October 25th to October 31st.

Please give me a phrase, “Trick or Treat” in Japanese instead of the passwords for the month. Please watch the following video. You should try to catch the phrase with your ears. If you find it is difficult to catch the phrase, you can find the written phrase on my blog.

Also, please do not forget about the Halloween Costume Photo Contest. The deadline is Wednesday, November 3rd.

Enjoy the Halloween’s special events!

NL Musician, Daniel Payne & Online Lessons

Online Lessons

Nami Tsunami would like to introduce one of my Skype students, Daniel Payne who is a popular musician in Newfoundland, Canada. Daniel loves not only music, but also Japanese culture and food. He has Japanese friends in Okayama. After visiting them in Japan, he wanted to communicate with them using Japanese.

Daniel started learning Japanese with Nami in 2008. He wanted to continue Japanese lessons after moving back to Corner Brook; however, he could not find a Japanese instructor there, so he started taking Nami’s Skype lessons.

He has practiced Japanese very well with a good sense of pitch. He has learned not only conversation, but also Japanese songs. Currently, he practices a song, Hisame（ひさめ　氷雨） which means a chilly rain. This song is a person’s sorrow because she was heartbroken.

 

Daniel Payne’s Comment about Skype lessons

I love my weekly Skype Lesson with Nami-san! Here in Corner Brook I don’t have access to a Japanese teacher so being able to do Skype lessons over the Internet is a great way to keep improving my Japanese. Plus when I travel, I never have to miss a lesson!

Daniel Payne’s Bio

Daniel Obediah Payne is from the town of Cow Head on the Northern Peninsula.

For over a decade now, he has worked as a professional musician, performing the traditional music of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as collecting songs and dance tunes from older traditional players around the province. Starting in his teens with guitar and voice, Daniel has gone on to become proficient in a wide variety of instruments, including fiddle, accordion, mandolin, flute, whistle, and bodhran. He has also enjoyed a successful career as an actor in theatre and film, his most notable role being a starring performance as Ned Andrews in the mini-series Random Passage. (danielpayne.ca/)

To Celebrate the Beginning of Fall (last month)

We had a party to celebrate the beginning of fall in September. Around 30 people participated in this event. We played the Yes-No Quiz and a bingo game and watched a Japanese movie. It was a fun event! Thank you all for your participation.

Participants’ Comments

Jay
Nami's fall Japanese party had a great turn out. It was a lot of fun and allowed people to socialize with others who share similar interests. I made a few new friends just by going. I think the party was a great success and I hope there will be more in the future.

Peter
The games were exciting and everyone was having a good time.

Sherry
The party was interesting!　Maybe the game was a little bit hard...
If there is going to be another party in the future, I think some games that involve more interaction (or teamwork) would be fun. I liked the movie!

Molly
The party was very fun and I enjoyed the movie along with chatting with my friends.

Chantel
The party last month was really fun. the games were entertaining and great for learning. the movie was really good. I loved it. :) It was also a great chance to meet other people who have the same interests. :) i really enjoyed it!

Jordan
It was a wonderful party, and I enjoyed getting meet other people interested in Japanese culture, too.

I have been waiting for more of your comments.

2010 Halloween Costume Photo Contest

2010ハロウィン仮装（かそう）フォトコンテスト　

Send in the best photo you took of your costume. You might win a prize.

What kind of costumes can you enter? Any costume is suitable to be shown on this blog. (It should be family-friendly.) It can be home-made…or store/bought. You might have used a sewing pattern… or created your own original design.

Requirement for Entry
Ohara Consulting’s students

Photo Contest Prize for the winner
Prize - おたのしみ (Some Japanese stuff)

The Halloween Contest’s Judges
Judges are Tsunami's friends in Japan and family in Japan. (Tsunami does not participate in the judgment.)

Deadline
Pictures must be received by Wednesday, November 3rd. Winners will be announced by November 10th.
After the winners of the Costume Contests have been decided, the winner and participants’ pictures will be displayed on this blog.

Sounds fun? I look forward to receiving your entry.

Thanksgiving & Halloween - Origami Acitivity

October   -   Thanksgiving   Halloween

じゅうがつ - かんしゃさい　はろうぃん　

  

Tiffany-san made "Obake." おばけ

Brett-kun made "Shichimenchou."  しちめんちょう

Evelina-san made "Kinoko."　きのこ

Dear students,

Please let me know if you are interested in making something which related to Thanksgiving or Halloween with origami during your lesson.