Hills Learning

WIT Life #122: Gaijin food and smile rankings

Stacy Smith — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:40:51 +0000

WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

Today’s news did a special investigation on the favorite foods of foreigners visiting Japan. The results were displayed in an easy-to-read pie chart which showed soba/udon at the top with 20%, sushi and yakitori tied for 18%, ramen at 13%, okonomiyaki at 9% and 22% for other. The average total amount of money spent on food per day was 3352 yen (about $40 at today’s exchange rate of 84.125 yen to the dollar), thanks to cheap, filling meals like a serving of yakisoba for 200 yen at a local matsuri. With lodging for 2500 yen per night at a hostel, this allows for a pretty cheap stay in Japan despite the current 円高 (endaka or strong yen).

This survey marked a shift from the popularity of more upscale foods like sushi to more everyday dishes like noodles. Many foreigners interviewed attributed their interest in ramen to the fact that they had encountered cup ramen in their home countries and wanted to try the real thing (I recently read Andy Raskin‘s The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life, a both painfully honest and entertaining memoir about the author’s quest to overcome his personal problems and meet the inventor of instant ramen, Momofuku Ando). The news showed gaijin trying tsukemen (ramen but the noodles are separate and you dip them in the soup), monjyayaki and takoyaki, with running color commentary (“She can use chopsticks well,” “He’s sweating profusely”). They then challenged two Englishmen working on bowls of udon to slurp their noodles to comic effect.

Another section of the news did an International Smiling Grand Prix between representatives from the countries of Japan, Russia, America, Thailand and France. It was based on a type of Smile Scan technology used in Japan by companies such as KFC to get their employees to improve their smiles. The scan measures a variety of facial features to give you a score anywhere from 0 to 100%. Each country’s team had three members, and the final results had the Thai group with the highest combined score at 91% and Japan with the lowest at 46% (in between were Russia followed by the U.S. and France). But thanks to coaching from an on-site “smile specialist” who was watching the proceedings, the Japan team was able to have a better showing the second time around.

WIT LIfe #121: Virtual Love

Stacy Smith — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:17:21 +0000

A wacky article from the WSJ about overnight trips between otaku and their virtual lovers to the seaside area of Atami, not far from Tokyo. Local business such as yakiniku (pictured above) and dessert shops are catering to this new clientele with special menus and promotional products, adding a bit of economic stimulus to this past its heyday region. Hotels will often charge for two (for up to $500!) despite the fact that half of the couple is virtual, and the men gladly pay. An Only in Japan story that I hope will be taken in context!

$8 Chinese Lesson on 09/24/10

Hills Learning — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:37:27 +0000

Chinese Curriculum:

Through games, role plays and presentations, students will learn the basics of Chinese, from greetings and basic conversational skills to being able to order food, shop and travel. This is an intensive basic course designed for students who are eager to begin the Chinese language by learning both the pinyin and characters.

Teacher Profile:

Our teacher, Jenny, is currently getting her masters at the New York Institute of Technology. She currently teaches the Beginner, Advanced Beginner, and Business courses at Hills Learning. She’s a very friendly teacher who brings enthusiasm and experience to all of our classes.

More information on our Interactive Chinese for Beginners Class

$8 Korean Lesson on 09/17/10

Hills Learning — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:18:59 +0000

Korean Curriculum:

Learn the basics of Korean, from greetings and basic conversational skills to being able to order food and shop. Our course is designed for the beginner who’s eager to learn basic Korean phrases and develop a strong familiarity with the Korean alphabet, Hangul. Regular homework will also be given.

Teacher Profile:

Our teacher, Stella, has been teaching Korean for a few years in New York City. She’s currently enrolled in a masters degree at Columbia University. Stella teaches our Beginner, Advanced Beginner, and Korean Conversation classes. Stella brings enthusiasm, energy, and creativity to her classes.

More information on our Beginner Korean Class

WIT Life #120: Domestic challenges

Stacy Smith — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:18:54 +0000

Yesterday’s NYT had an article about the rise of Japan’s very own Tea Party. It profiles the rise of the Zaitokukai, or the Citizens Group That Will Not Forgive Special Privileges for Koreans in Japan. In comparison to old-line rightist groups this movement is known as the Net right, as they are organized via the Internet and come together for demonstrations. The article focused on their protest last December at an elementary school for ethnic Koreans. This year they also picketed theaters showing the documentary The Cove, which they perceive to be anti-Japanese. The group is led by a 38-year old man who insists that foreigners have caused Japan to go in the wrong direction (members even harassed Westerners for wearing Halloween costumes!). The far right writes them off as amateur attention seekers, but nevertheless this is a disturbing trend.

In WSJ coverage this morning, there is discussion of how a majority of the Japanese populace is still supporting PM Naoto Kan despite economic and political troubles. On September 14 there will be a DPJ internal vote, and at this time Kan will be challenged by party rival Ichiro Ozawa. Should Ozawa win, he would become the third prime minister since the DPJ took power in September [and] the seventh national leader in less than four years. He resigned as a top party official in June due to a campaign finance scandal, but is said to have close ties to opposition parties which could help strengthen the DPJ.

In order to remedy the soaring yen, Kan met today with central bank officials and plans to unveil a new economic stimulus package tomorrow. The Bank of Japan plans to introduce their own stimulus proposals in the next few days. In the Kyodo News poll featured in this article, 52% of respondents said the most immediate tasks for the DPJ are jump-starting the economy and securing employment. Indeed, the Zaitokukai’s success has largely been attributed to the country’s economic decline, and the 9000 person group consists primarily of young males who bounce from job to job, feel disenfranchised and are looking for someone to blame. A quote from a 37-year old member appeals, “Japan has a shrinking pie. Should we be sharing it with foreigners at a time when Japanese are suffering?”

WIT LIfe #119:　小東京

Stacy Smith — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:05:18 +0000

My current travels bring me to Los Angeles, so a trip to Little Tokyo (aka 小東京 or sho Tokyo) was in order. My first stop was Mikawaya, a (cash-only) sweets shop located in the Japanese village. As you can see in the picture on the right, they have a colorful selection of mochi. The top row features fruity and exotic flavors ranging from strawberry, orange, pineapple, melon and blueberry to coconut and chocolate. They offer bite-sized samples (and let you try as many as you want!), and I enjoyed the coconut and the strawberry.

However, when it came to buying some mochi to take home I decided to stick to familiar favorites. I opted to go for one each of the peanut butter and taro ($1.15 each), pictured on the left. The peanut butter on the inside of the former is fairly granular, and its thick mochi outside makes for a substantial snack. The taro mochi was of the perfect sweetness, and it made me miss the various forms in which you can find this taste in Hawaii.

Always one to comparison shop, I next made my way to (cash-only) Fugetsu-do which is found on little Tokyo’s main street (not far from my favorite restaurant in the area, Daikokuya (I went there for lunch with my current Japanese client, and she said that their hiyashi chuuka was better than any she’s had in Japan!). I remembered that they had their own version of peanut butter mochi, which comes pre-packaged with six smaller sized mochi ($4).

They are flatter (due to less peanut butter inside) than the ones at Mikawaya, and more uniform in size. Mikawaya’s are individually wrapped so they have more of a handmade feel than Fugetsu-do’s, which seem more processed. We head to Santa Fe tomorrow so will taste test Fugetsu-do’s offerings on the plane on the way over!

Free Trial Lesson for English Conversation on 08/31/10

Hills Learning — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:18:12 +0000

For a limited time, Hills Learning offers a free trial lesson for our English Conversation class. The class allows a maximum of 4 students to encourage speaking, listening and interacting time with the teacher.

If interested please send an RSVP to events@hillslearning.com. Please note, this class is available on a first come, first serve basis.

This class is to promote our English Conversation class. More information can be found at English Conversation NYC

WIT Life #118：プリクラの進化

Stacy Smith — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:51:27 +0000

It’s been a few years since I lived in Japan, but during my various periods in the country purikura played a big part in my life. Purikura stands for “print club” and refers to the sticker pictures often taken with friends that blanket Japan and many malls in the States as well. I must admit I sometimes didn’t fully understand all the purikura functions available and usually let my Japanese friends take charge, but they seem to have advanced even further these days. A special on the news this morning took a look at what current purikura machines have to offer.

Three functions were highlighted as being the most sought after by young women, who are the prime target of purikura. They are big eyes (デカ目 or dekame), skin beautifier (美肌機能 or bihada kinou) and linking to your keitai (携帯との連動性）. The first option of dekame works with the same technology used for facial recognition in digital cameras. The subject’s eyes are enhanced to be bigger and rounder than usual (as it often seen in manga), a look women think makes them look cuter. They took a purikura of the Mona Lisa and tried giving her dekame, and it did indeed soften her image.

The second bihada function offers 16 hues you can select from to ensure beautiful skin in your purikura. Among them are marshmallow, smooth (subesube) and boiled egg (yudetama), and you can also use this function to remove pimples, moles or anything else you don’t want showing up in the picture. They did a test by purposely dotting two young women’s faces with a marker to resemble pimples, and sure enough in the final product their skin was almost perfectly clear. In terms of putting your best face forward (at least in pictures), this seems like a useful tool.

The third feature allows you to send the resulting purikura straight to your keitai via infrared technology. Back in the day you would get your prints and faithfully put them in your purikura book, but apparently this style of collecting is not employed as much anymore. Instead, 63% of female purikura fans take advantage of a function that allows you to send the pictures to your keitai instead of getting a printout. They will then use these shots for things like the main pictures on their blogs.

Another reason why purikura books have gone out of fashion is that these days young women use purikura not to be exchanged with friends, but as both proof and confirmation of their appearance. One young woman detailed that if she is having a good hair or makeup day, she wants to record it for posterity with a purikura. Another said it is her way of checking how she looks to other people.

There is a bit of a gender divide however, in terms of who approves the ability of purikura to alter one’s look. Young men were also surveyed regarding purikura habits, and more than half of them said that they were against their female contemporaries using a multitude of functions to alter their appearance. As one guy put it, “Sometimes they come out cuter on the sticker, but there’s nothing like the real thing.”

Free Trial Lesson for English Conversation on 08/24/10

Hills Learning — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:17:34 +0000

If interested please send an RSVP to events@hillslearning.com. Please note, this class is available on a first come, first serve basis.

This class is to promote our English Conversation class. More information can be found at English Conversation NYC

WIT Life #117: Japan’s Englishification

Stacy Smith — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:00:40 +0000

WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

As of late there has been much discussion regarding to what extent English should be incorporated into different aspects of Japanese society. A recent post here talked about the possibility of mandating English in Japanese high schools in 2013, and a Wall Street Journal article from earlier this month entitled “English Gets the Last Word in Japan” highlighted Japanese firms that are conducting their internal business in English. This is an interesting phenomenon that is especially timely in light of the possibility of the JET program being cut.

The high school teacher who wrote the former article says, “Although many of our school’s students acquire the reading and writing skills needed to pass university entrance exams, I have failed to teach them the skills necessary for simple conversation. In the future, these elite students from high-ranking universities will most likely become our politicians and leaders. It will be a shame to see them at a Group of Eight meeting still unable, for the most part, to speak to other world leaders because of poor English communication skills.” He argues that it is premature to try to implement such an overreaching policy when most students are not nearly ready for it.

The same might be said of such corporate endeavors. The latter article describes how at the Internet retail company Rakuten (whose CEO Hiroshi Mikitani was educated at Harvard Business School and speaks fluent English) even the menus in the cafeteria are written in English, causing problems for employees who don’t know what they are ordering. Mikitani echoes what the teacher above says when he states, “Japan is the only country with all these well-educated people who can’t speak English. This is a huge issue for Japan.”

Statistics prove that this is true, but it is questionable as to whether a forced English-only policy is the best way to achieve proficiency. I have a feeling that depending on the skill level of the target group it can lead to more confusion than it is worth, as is touched upon in this WSJ article about 和製語 (waseigo) or Japanese-English words.

On a related note, a brief article in yesterday’s free Japanese newspaper Daily Sun gave last weekend’s JETAA USA National Conference held here in NYC high marks, putting in a quote from Ambassador Nishimiya about what he sees as the great significance of our alumni organization’s role.

Hills Learning

WIT Life #122: Gaijin food and smile rankings

WIT LIfe #121: Virtual Love

$8 Chinese Lesson on 09/24/10

Event Information

Chinese Curriculum:

Teacher Profile:

$8 Korean Lesson on 09/17/10

Event Information

WIT Life #120: Domestic challenges

WIT LIfe #119: 小東京

Free Trial Lesson for English Conversation on 08/31/10

WIT Life #118：プリクラの進化

Free Trial Lesson for English Conversation on 08/24/10

WIT Life #117: Japan’s Englishification

WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

WIT LIfe #119:　小東京