How is it like to live in Japan? Posted by keiko on Mar 11, 2014 in Culture
This article is based on the Youtube video I found recently. This video was made by one of the Universities in Japan, Keio University, promoting foreign students to come and study in Japan.
Video summarizes many aspects of Japan in less then 2 and half minutes. It is amazing how packed this video is with Japanese culture. I have made a list of vocabularies below from the scenes in this video. Many of these scenes look familiar to someone who grew up in Japan like me, but it is interesting to see how each one of these cultural aspect is viewed by the foreigners around the world. This video does a great job on summarizing what it is like to live in Japan. Take a look!
Here is the list of vocabularies. See if you can spot these items in this video.
Hiragana | Kanji | English Translation | |
asahi | あさひ | 朝日 | sunrise |
asa | あさ | 朝 | morning |
machi | まち | 町 | city |
kanban | かんばん | 看板 | signs |
rush hour | ラッシュアワー | rush hour | |
shuji | しゅうじ | 習字 | caligraphy |
kaku | かく | 書く | to write |
night life | ナイトライフ | night life | |
aruku | あるく | 歩く | walk |
omiyge | おみやげ | souvenior | |
yakitori | やきとり | やきとり | Yakitori-skewered chicken |
ojisan | おじいさん | お爺さん | old man |
tako | たこ | 蛸 | octopus |
sushi | すし | 寿司 | sushi |
okonomiyaki | おこのみやき | お好み焼き | Japanese pancake |
men | めん | 麺 | noodle |
ramen | ラーメン | ramen | |
taberu | たべる | 食べる | to eat |
otera | おてら | お寺 | temple |
shizuka | しずか | 静か | quiet |
obasan | おばさん | 叔母さん | old lady |
sanpo | さんぽ | 散歩 | taking a walk |
koi | こい | 鯉 | carp |
ocha~ | おちゃ | お茶 | tea |
chado | ちゃどう | 茶道 | tea lessons |
ryokucha | りょくちゃ | 緑茶 | green tea |
hanasu | はなす | 話す | to talk |
tokyo tower | とうきょうたわー | 東京タワー | Tokyo Tower |
jinja | じんじゃ | じんじゃ | shrine |
jidouhanbaiki | じどうはんばいき | 自動販売機 | vending machine |
omikuji | おみくじ | おみくじ | “Sacred Lot”-random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. |
negaigoto | ねがいごと | 願い事 | wish |
oshousan | おしょうさん | 和尚さん | Buddhist priest |
zazen | ざぜん | 座禅 | Zen meditation |
oteranokane | おてらのかね | お寺の金 | Bell at the temple |
daibutsu | だいぶつ | 大仏 | Daibutsu |
robot | ろぼっと | ロボット | robot |
akushu | あくしゅ | 握手 | shaking hands |
ufo catcher | ユーフォーキャッチャー | UFO Catcher | |
taikonotatsujin | たいこのたつじん | 太鼓の達人 | drum game |
dansu | ダンス | dance | |
odoru | おどり | 躍り | dancing |
earobi | エアロビ | aerobics | |
sentou | せんとう | 銭湯 | public bathhouse |
gakushu | がくしゅう | 学習 | studying |
sumo | すもう | 相撲 | Sumo |
yakyu | やきゅう | 野球 | baseball |
karaoke | カラオケ | Karaoke | |
utau | うたう | 歌う | to sing |
yomise | よみせ | 夜店 | night fair |
gyoza | ぎょうざ | 餃子 | Gyoza, dumplings |
tempura | てんぷら | 天ぷら | Tempura |
kaiten zushi | かいてんずし | 回転寿司 | “conveyor belt” sushi bar |
oishi | おいしい | 美味しい | tasty, delicious |
keisatsu | けいさつ | 警察 | police |
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