tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post7081525029465404806..comments2008-08-04T16:07:45.247+09:00Comments on My So-Called Japanese Life: OpinionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-85442271127719373162007-10-27T16:16:00.000+09:002007-10-27T16:16:00.000+09:00Nice post. I suppose it depends much on the topic...Nice post. I suppose it depends much on the topic. Anything on religion, politics, war, etc I would be pretty similar to the Japanese people you speak of. There is no changing opinionated peoples minds, so stating an opinion and then listening is my best course of action. No matter what is said no opinions will be changed.<BR/><BR/>Other just random topics, that should be different of course. I have always placed a big importance on listening skills instead of speaking. As my Grandfather has told me before, "I never learned anything from speaking, only listening."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-59956467649395618672007-10-27T15:26:00.000+09:002007-10-27T15:26:00.000+09:00In my school I have a few ladies from Tokyo who ha...In my school I have a few ladies from Tokyo who have moved to Osaka (or thereabouts) because of husbands' company transfers. They are beautiful, poised, and elegant. Frankly, they have a hard time fitting in. However they have been made very welcome by my regulars, and are slowly starting to relax. One of the things that startles them is that Osakans tend to laugh a lot, and make light of difficult life situations. (Another thing that surprises them is that we eat a lot of sweets in this part of Japan! Yes, really!) Something that catches my attention, as a teacher, is that they often have a far higher level of English in terms of grammar and general comprehension. However they experience great difficulty in expressing themselves, because they fear making mistakes and looking bad. I have to spend a LOT of time reassuring them that it's okay to make mistakes, and that they don't have to be perfect, much more so than with my regular ladies. I wonder if this is a Tokyo thing?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, on the topic of conversation, it must be a very unnatural situation to have to suddenly make "natural conversation" with a person with whom you have nothing whatsoever in common! I imagine, say, a 26-year-old girl from London trying to find common ground with a half-senile 71-year-old Japanese man ... how on earth do they get the conversational ball rolling, in that case? It seems very strange to me! I bet you learned a lot about how to make small talk during your time with the Nova Voice room. You should write about it some more.Mikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05410781872502597824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-89639309639847860972007-10-27T11:54:00.000+09:002007-10-27T11:54:00.000+09:00I've met a few Japanese people who were opinionate...I've met a few Japanese people who were opinionated and forthright but most of them weren't from Tokyo or had spent some time abroad. In fact, when I do telephone tests with students, I can immediately tell simply by how they speak that they've spent time abroad. It's not their English ability but how they project themselves.<BR/><BR/>I have had a few experiences with people from Osaka and visited there at one point. I think a lot of the Tokyo-Osaka rivalry is based on the great disparity between their characters! <BR/><BR/>I think the fat lady hasn't sung for Nova yet (the documentation they filed gives them 11 days to try and pull a rabbit out of their hats - no pun intended), but she's definitely scheduled to make an appearance soon.Sharihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17419851636570519145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33409496.post-71772834434763359242007-10-27T10:47:00.000+09:002007-10-27T10:47:00.000+09:00I must have some exceptional Japanese friends (wel...I must have some exceptional Japanese friends (well, of course they are, otherwise they wouldn't be my friends!) but I'm often surprised out how opinionated and downright strident some of them are when it comes to making themselves heard. It often feels that I am the passive one in the friendship! However, although we might disagree from time to time, I have never had an outright argument with a Japanese friend. If we did that, we would have to stop being friends. <BR/><BR/>Hey, did you know that Osaka women have a reputation for being pushy and forceful? Sometimes I don't like it very much, but at least I'm never kept in the dark about their true feelings. I'm glad I live in this part of Japan, I have a feeling the people are a good match for my temperament.<BR/><BR/>All told, it's very true that Japanese people value keeping the peace more than anything else. It's one of the things I've come to really appreciate, and nowadays I can't help feeling annoyed when I meet a person (Japanese or foreign) who behaves disageeably or uncooperatively. I can't help feeling that it's immature. <BR/><BR/>All over for Nova, eh? Poor things.Mikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05410781872502597824noreply@blogger.com