Learn about popular Japanese artists and musicians
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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 Fine arts. These are five well-known Japanese musicians. Hand picked. |
| FIVE KEY VOCABULARY ITEMS |
| Yura: Natsuko, what’s our first word? |
| Natsuko: 小澤征爾 |
| Yura: Seiji Ozawa, a world-famous conductor |
| Natsuko: (slow) 小澤征爾 (regular) 小澤征爾 |
| Yura: Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko: 小澤征爾 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Seiji Ozawa is a world-famous Japanese orchestra conductor. He's also known as a music director and as a principal conductor of opera. - |
| Yura: Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko: (normal) 小澤征爾は、わずか38歳でボストン交響楽団の音楽監督に就任した。 |
| Yura: Seiji Ozawa became the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at just 38 years of age. |
| Natsuko: (slow) 小澤征爾は、わずか38歳でボストン交響楽団の音楽監督に就任した。 |
| Yura: Okay, what’s the next word? |
| Natsuko: 坂本九 |
| Yura: Kyu Sakamoto, a legendary singer and actor |
| Natsuko: (slow) 坂本九 (regular) 坂本九 |
| Yura: Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko: 坂本九 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Kyu Sakamoto was a singer and actor. His songs were great hits all over the world, selling 15 million records in total. He lost his life in a plane crash in 1985 aged 43. - |
| Yura: Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko: (normal) 坂本九のベストヒットは、英語では「スキヤキ」として知られる「上を向いて歩こう」という歌です。 |
| Yura: Kyu Sakamoto's best known song is ""Ue o Muite Arukō"", or ""Walk Looking Upward"", which is known as ""Sukiyaki"" in English. |
| Natsuko: (slow) 坂本九のベストヒットは、英語では「スキヤキ」として知られる「上を向いて歩こう」という歌です。 |
| Yura: Okay, what’s the next word? |
| Natsuko: 美空ひばり |
| Yura: Hibari Misora, a famous enka singer |
| Natsuko: (slow) 美空ひばり (regular) 美空ひばり |
| Yura: Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko: 美空ひばり |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Hibari Mosora is considered the greatest ""diva"" in Japan. She started her life as an actress at 8 years old, but it took about a year to convince people in the music industry to accept her mature talent as a singer. - |
| Yura: Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko: (normal) 美空ひばりは、女性初の国民栄誉賞受賞者です。 |
| Yura: Hibari Misora is the first woman to receive the People's Honour Award. |
| Natsuko: (slow) 美空ひばりは、女性初の国民栄誉賞受賞者です。 |
| Yura: Okay, what’s the next word? |
| Natsuko: 氷川きよし |
| Yura: Kiyoshi Hikawa, a young enka singer |
| Natsuko: (slow) 氷川きよし (regular) 氷川きよし |
| Yura: Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko: 氷川きよし |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Kiyoshi Hikawa is a young Japanese enka singer. Enka is a popular type of Japanese music which is made to resemble traditional Japanese songs, and is considered to be a genre popular with older people. Kiyoshi Hikawa made an impact among enka singers older than he, and made enka more casual and approachable for the younger generation. - |
| Yura: Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko: (normal) 氷川きよしの演歌は、演歌とポップの融合のような歌です。 |
| Yura: Enka songs by Kiyoshi Hikawa sound like a mix of enka and pop music. |
| Natsuko: (slow) 氷川きよしの演歌は、演歌とポップの融合のような歌です。 |
| Yura: Okay, what’s the last word? |
| Natsuko: 嵐 |
| Yura: Arashi, a popular male pop group |
| Natsuko: (slow) 嵐 (regular) 嵐 |
| Yura: Listeners, please repeat: |
| Natsuko: 嵐 |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Yura: |
| Arashi is a group managed by Johnny &Associates, a company which manages many other boy pop idol groups. Amongst many similar ""Johnny's"" groups, what makes Arashi different is that each member has his own different strengths apart from singing and dancing; one member even reads the news. - |
| Yura: Now, let's hear a sample sentence using this word. |
| Natsuko: (normal) 1999年のデビュー以降、嵐は日本国内外で人気を高めてきました。 |
| Yura: Since their debut in 1999, Arashi has become more and more popular both in Japan and abroad. |
| Natsuko: (slow) 1999年のデビュー以降、嵐は日本国内外で人気を高めてきました。 |
| QUIZ |
| Yura: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the words you just learned? Natsuko will give you the Japanese – please repeat it out loud! Are you ready? |
| Natsuko: 小澤征爾 |
| [pause]Yura: Seiji Ozawa, a world-famous conductor |
| Natsuko: 坂本九 |
| [pause]Yura: Kyu Sakamoto, a legendary singer and actor |
| Natsuko: 美空ひばり |
| [pause]Yura: Hibari Misora, a famous enka singer |
| Natsuko: 氷川きよし |
| [pause]Yura: Kiyoshi Hikawa, a young enka singer |
| Natsuko: 嵐 |
| [pause]Yura: Arashi, a popular male pop group |
Outro |
|---|
| Yura: There you have it – five musicians in Japan! Thanks everyone, see you next time! |
| Natsuko: またね！ |
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