Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Journal Entry #1

こんばんは~。きょうは おもしろいね。 にほんごクラスえ いきました。 それから スターバックスえ いきました。 それから きのくにやほんやええ いきました。 それから としょかんえに いきました。 それから にほんのレストランえ いきました。らめん と アイスクリームをたべました。

Good evening. Today was interesting. I  went to Japanese class. After that, I went to Starbucks. After that, I went to the Kinokuniya Bookstore. After that, I went to the library. After that, I went to a Japanese restaurant.Ⅰate ramen and ice cream.

This is my terrible Japanese in translation. So far, I am on my second month of my Japanese studies and have a long way to go.

So, I enrolled in a 5-day Summer Camp for Teens (14-18 years old) where I interactively study Japanese with my classmates and teacher. The classes are 3 hours from 9:30-12:30 pm. Today, we basically learned to introduce ourselves in Japanese and learned all the Katakana characters. In addition we went on an 1-hour tour where the tour guide explained in detail most of the history,buildings,stores,streets, and notable Japanese Americans in Little Tokyo. The tour guide is a nissei (second generation American) who has experienced the Japanese internment during WWII when he was about 11 years old. Wow, I learned so much, and would probably not look at Little Tokyo the same way again.Even though I’ve been to LT more than a dozen times, I have never learned how LK started and developed.I also had just found out about some hidden spots, such as the Japanese garden, that I have always overlooked. More importantly, I have learned so much new Japanese words today, and I believe the new material has already reinforced in my mind since I learned in such an enjoyable way.Definitely take a tour of Little Tokyo if you want to know more about Japanese in America.Also, check out the Japan Foundation, a great organization that provides Japanese classes and information on learning more about Japanese language and culture.

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