Learn about Japanese pop and traditional culture
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Yura:Hi everyone, I’m Yura. |
| Natsuko:And I’m Natsuko! |
| Yura:In this lesson you'll learn 5 essential words related to Society &Culture. These are five examples of Japanese pop and traditional culture. Hand picked. |
| FIVE KEY VOCABULARY ITEMS |
| Yura:Natsuko, what’s our first word? |
| Natsuko:書道 |
| Yura:calligraphy |
| Natsuko:(slow) 書道 (regular) 書道 |
| Yura:Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko:書道 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| In Japanese calligraphy, an ink brush is dipped in black ink produced from an inkstick. Calligraphy was the standard form of writing in ancient Japan, but it now remains as an art form. - |
| Yura:Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko:(normal) 小学生は、学校の書道の授業で習字を習います。 |
| Yura:Elementary school children learn calligraphy at school. |
| Natsuko:(slow) 小学生は、学校の書道の授業で習字を習います。 |
| Yura:Okay, what’s the next word? |
| Natsuko:祭り |
| Yura:festival |
| Natsuko:(slow) 祭り (regular) 祭り |
| Yura:Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko:祭り |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Matsuri is a general term in Japanese for any kind of festival. At Japanese festivals, there are many stalls selling food and/or offering games. Such festivals are often held in warm or hot seasons and people go out at night wearing traditional summer kimono called "yukata". - |
| Yura:Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko:(normal) 祭りがある時は、よく花火もあげられます。 |
| Yura:When there's a festival, fireworks are often also set off. |
| Natsuko:(slow) 祭りがある時は、よく花火もあげられます。 |
| Yura:Okay, what’s the next word? |
| Natsuko:初詣 |
| Yura:The first visit to a shrine of the year. |
| Natsuko:(slow) 初詣 (regular) 初詣 |
| Yura:Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko:初詣 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Hatsumōde is the first visit to a shrine (sometimes a temple) of the year. People go to the shrine on one of the first three days in January to greet the gods and to pray for a good year. - |
| Yura:Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko:(normal) 初詣ではお守りを買い、古いお守りを返します。 |
| Yura:At the first visit to the shrine of the year, people buy lucky charms and protective charms for the coming year and return those from the past year. |
| Natsuko:(slow) 初詣ではお守りを買い、古いお守りを返します。 |
| Yura:Okay, what’s the next word? |
| Natsuko:お盆 |
| Yura:Bon Festival |
| Natsuko:(slow) お盆 (regular) お盆 |
| Yura:Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko:お盆 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom which takes place in August, during which the spirits of deceased ancestors are said to revisit the altar in the family home. Typically, Japanese people welcome their deceased ancestors on the 13th of August and send them back to the afterlife on the 16th of August, but these dates vary in each region. - |
| Yura:Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko:(normal) お盆は、祖先をまつる期間なので、祖先の霊を迎える前にお墓を掃除するのは大切なことです。 |
| Yura:Obon is a period of honouring one's ancestors, so it's important to clean the family graves before welcoming their spirits. |
| Natsuko:(slow) お盆は、祖先をまつる期間なので、祖先の霊を迎える前にお墓を掃除するのは大切なことです。 |
| Yura:Okay, what’s the last word? |
| Natsuko:俳句 |
| Yura:Haiku poetry. |
| Natsuko:(slow) 俳句 (regular) 俳句 |
| Yura:Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko:俳句 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| A haiku poem has only three lines, with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second line and 5 in third line. It must usually include a word which represents a season. - |
| Yura:Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko:(normal) 俳句には、限られた文字に深い思いが込められています。 |
| Yura:Haiku poetry expresses very deep thoughts with a very limited number of words. |
| Natsuko:(slow) 俳句には、限られた文字に深い思いが込められています。 |
| QUIZ |
| Yura:Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the words you just learned? A will give you the Japanese – please say the English meaning out loud! Are you ready? |
| Natsuko:書道 |
| [pause]Yura:calligraphy |
| Natsuko:祭り |
| [pause]Yura:festival |
| Natsuko:初詣 |
| [pause]Yura:The first visit to a shrine of the year. |
| Natsuko:お盆 |
| [pause]Yura:Bon Festival |
| Natsuko:俳句 |
| [pause]Yura:Haiku poetry. |
Outro |
|---|
| Yura:There you have it – five examples of pop and traditional culture in Japan! Thanks everyone, see you next time! |
| Natsuko:またね！ |
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