Homework #1-2

2.a) Where do you go when you die?
I hope I will go to heaven. In Japan, I think many people believe that when people die, they go to heaven or hell. I believe transmigration of the soul.

b) Explain why do Japanese have death memorial services 1 month, 1 year, 3 years, 7 years, etc. after a person's death?
Buddism holds that after a person dies he or she is reborn but not reborn at the exact moment of death. There is a certain prosess which needs forty-nine days. The forty-ninth day, where the person reborn is decided, so we hold special memorial service on this day. When this custom was transmitted from India to China, three dates were added: one handred days, one year and three years. Then, when Buddhism reached Japan, ceremonies were added for the seventh, thirteenth and thirty-third anniversaries and then, there were thirteen ceremonies.
("英語で話す「仏教」Q & A" 参照)

June 25th Dating

My ideal man is someone who is gentle, has a sense of humor and has talent.
The most important thing is kind. I love a man who is always kind to everyone, not pretending to be kind. Sense of humor and talent is also important for me. it's just because I like that kind of man. Looks is a little important because if he wears dirty clothes such as he hasn't washed them for a long time, I can't be attracted to him.

Family Life

a. What do chiidren usually leave home?

I think it's depends on. Usually, people leave home after they graduated from high school or university. Some of my friends live their own but most of my friends live with their parents.

b. How many people live in your home?

There are 3 in my family. I live alone and my mother and father live together.

c. Do you have a head of family?

Yes, my father is a head of family.

d. Who does the housework?

My mother does. My father told me that he sometimes helps my mother lately.

e. Who runs the family?

I think both of my parents do.

f. How many rooms do you have to sleep in?

My parents have 3 rooms to sleep in their house. They have one guest room and others are one for my parents and one for me.

Lesson 6 Names and Addresses

1.Are feelings emotions and facial expressions universal across borders, happy, sad, etc..?

I think the way of showing emotion is a little different.

2. Try to name as many feelings as possible in Japanese.

　 ①うれしい　 happy
②悲しい　　　　sad
③楽しい　　　　fun
④落ち込む　　　feel down　
　 ⑤怒る 　　 angry
⑥寂しい　　　　lonely
⑦腹が立つ　　　mad
　 ⑧驚く　　　　　surprise
⑨つらい　　　　hard/rough
⑩がっかりする　disappoint

3. Are there any feelings in Japanese that cannot be translated into English?

　頑張って/仕方ない

Class #4 Islam

1. How do you greet people in your life? Is it different for different people? Why?

I think I greet different way for different people. For my friends or family, I usually say "Ohayou" and then I just go the conversation straight. But for professors or elder people, I usually say "Ohayougozaimasu" with bowing.

2. Do you touch people when you talk to them? Why? Or Why not?

I sometimes touch people when I talk with them. But just my close friends, boyfriend and little cousins. I touch them because I have a sense of closeness for them.