Living Japanese

"Living Japanese: Diversity in Language and Lifestyles" ("Ikita Nihongo: samazama na kotoba, samazama na seikatsu") draws students into the lives of thirty-three Japanese from ages seven to seventy-five. As students listen to diverse viewpoints on cultural and social issues, they will develop an extensive vocabulary and become accustomed to natural speech and linguistic differences. The workbook contains a transcription of all interviews, a cultural introduction to each topic, a complete vocabulary list, and grammar explanations. Furigana are provided in the transcriptions and notes to facilitate reading. Discussion questions encourage students to research the topics further, to think about and discuss recurrent themes, to speak or write about the topic in terms of their own culture or experience, and to seek out the views of native speakers. The online media and workbook will facilitate development of the five major skill areas delineated in the National Standards for Japanese Language Learning. Spontaneous interviews exploring twenty topics are available for online viewing, including:
- Family, living environment, household crafts, architecture
- Farming for health, eating habits in a fast-paced society
- Issues faced by children, working women, and the elderly
- Student life; views of marriage among young people
- Anime, manga, revival of traditional arts
- Ways of viewing and valuing nature, environmental education
- Buddhist thought on the interrelatedness of all things
- Japanese songs and their context
- Childhood memories, including school life during World War II
- Linguistic differences, Japanese Sign Language