Notre Dame Japanese Studies Blog

 I’ve also been supplementing my listening practice with an anime called black clover. Black clover is a really interesting anime, I like it a lot. I’ve started turning off the subtitles at certain points to force myself to try to understand things. I’ve noticed that, if I know some of the words, than I can get the general idea of what they’re say really easily. It’s actually been really helpful to hear them speak as it helps me to track conversations better.

 Recently, I’ve been reading a manga called Vagabond, it’s about Miyamoto Musashi and his life. It includes the philosophical lessons he learned and how he eventually became the most renowned Ronin in Japan. I tried reading some chapters, that I had read in English, in Japanese to see how much I would understand. I was surprised that I could understand a lot more than I thought I would. It’s really cool to see how far I’ve come since starting the course.

 Japanese was a really fun class. Besides the awesome teachers and good friends I made, I learned a language I never imagined myself speaking. Before learning Japanese, everytime I saw the characters I’d be amazed at how complicated it looked. However, now that I’m starting to learn the language, I’m excited to dive even deeper into it next semester!

 サンスギビングのやすみは　よかたです。私は　カリフォルニアに　かえりました。私のともだちは　いしゅうに　スフィングを　しました。それから、わたしは　とてもあついですから、うみに　いきました。ロス　アンゲレスも　いきました。 (The photos are of a surf board and me in a wetsuit)

 私のへやは　とても　きれいですが、小さいです。へやは　しずかです。でも、しゅうまつに　へやは　とても　にぎやかです。私のりょうは　大きいですが、しずかです。りょうの人は　とても　やさしです。それから、私のりょうは　ゲイタナさんが　います。

 私は　うまえたべものです。レストランの　「こい」とういすきです。こいは　すしお　りょうりsじます。でも、こいは　とても　ゆめです。だから、レストランは　にぎやかです。それから、こいは　たかいですが、たべものは　とても　うまえです。

 At the conversation table, we made Onigiri. This was pretty exciting, I’ve never made Onigiri before, however, I’ve worked with Sushi and Masubi before since my friends back home like to make it fresh sometimes. I had a fun time making it and talking to people in Japanese, although I couldn’t quite get the rice to form the right shape!

 きょとけんは　とても　きれいです。だから、きょとは　ゆめです。きょとは　とても　おもしろいです。Kyoto is often considered the spiritual capital of Japan, furthermore, it once served as the seat of power for the Emperor. It is the second largest city in population in Japan after ときょ。It is also famous for its Gion and Jidai まつり。

Iaido is a Japanese martial art based on sword fighting, usually with a wooden (also called a Bokken). I find the art of Iaido, as well as other Japanese sword fighting arts like Kendo, to be extremely fascinating. I am a philosophy major, and I’ve started getting into Japanese philosophy too. One major Japanese philosopher who I’ve really started to like is Miyamoto Musashi. He was a swordsman who pioneered the art of Niten Ichi-Ryū. This is the style of fighting with two swords, which is common in some Japanese sword style arts. I found his connection to the modern day art fascinating, and I’m sure his teachings still play a massive role in the lives of many practitioners. I included some drawings of Musashi, including one from the Manga Vagabond, which is about Musashi’s life.

 私のともだちと　いしゅうに　パーテイに　いきました。私は　ジムで　うんどうしました。それから、私は　べんきようや、しゅうくだいおしました。でも、私は　しゅしんおとりました。