Is Shadowing Effective? シャドーイングの効用

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

In Japan, shadowing is a very famous English learning technique recommended by many English teachers and websites. Repeating after the speaker requires more concentration than that required otherwise and when we can't catch what the speaker says, our mouths stop moving. More concentration should improve listening skills and pronunciation. I've been doing this for a long time and recommending it to others as well. However, some native speakers criticize the technique, saying that a language can only be learned through communication with others. In a sense, this is true.

Shadowing is effective to improve English listening skills, which, however, doesn't necessarily improve speaking skills because the technique provides means to acquire skills to parrot what the speaker says, but not to comprehend their message and effectively convey our thoughts. We, Japanese, lack the abilities to express ourselves since we are not educated as such, i.e., we are told to do what we are told to do and as long as we do so, we are protected or believe we are. Look at the MOF scandal, i.e., tampering with public documents under implicit or explicit instructions from the minister. And in workplace, too. Some big guys still prefer those without brains to those who think.

In conclusion, shadowing is effective, but not enough. The reason why Prime Minister Abe has been always parroting, oops, rephrasing what Trump says is that he's done shadowing too much......

リスニング力を上げる方法としてシャドーイングは有名で、勧める人は多い。流し聞きだとBGMに終わってしまうことが多いが、シャドーイングだと、聞けていないと自然に口が止まるので集中力が高まり、いい方法なのではないか。ただ、日本以外では、言葉はコミュニケーションの中で学ぶべきだ、という批判的な声もあるらしい。ここで長年やってきた私の意見を言わせてもらうと、シャドーイングはリスニング力向上には役立つが、スピーキングの向上には役立たない、と思っている。

スピーキングって聞くだけじゃだめだ。相手が言わんとしていることを理解して、自分の考えを相手に的確に伝える能力が必要だ。そして相手を理解し、自分を伝えるには、日本人が最も苦手とする、「自分の考えを整理し、それを言葉にする」という能力が求められる。これがね.....　そもそも日本ではいちいち考える人間より、「考える前に動く」人間の方が重宝されるでしょ。学校教育は変わったといっても、仕事の場ではまだまだロボットを好む傾向が強いのではなかろうか。

というわけで結論。シャドーイングはリスニング力向上には役立つがそれだけのこと。安倍首相がトランプ大統領の言ったことをほとんど猿真似しているのは、シャドーイングのやりすぎなのかもね。

Fxxxing Cake 一切れでいいのでお願いします

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This 18cm long iced cake was on a direct mail brochure sent by one of my favorite Kyoto confectioners a couple of days ago. I often buy their sweets when going to Kyoto for me and friends. Their cakes are a bit expensive but worth it, or so I had believed until that day.

The cake was an iced lemon cheese cake, a seasonal summer sweet of the confectioner. It uses Gouda cheese, my favorite food, and lemon, my favorite flavor. Of course I wanted to have a big bite. But look at the price! It's JPY2,916  (including tax) and only available on the Internet, which means I have to pay additionally JPY1,000 for a shipping fee plus a special cake box cost. Do I have to pay JPY4,000 for just a cake? I changed my mind and looked for another way to eat one piece of it at more reasonable price. The store may offer a piece of this cake at their outlet in Kyoto and I go to Kyoto every summer....... But oh noooo! They don’t have this cake on their menu, but only sell it online.

I gave up. I have no intention of paying JPY4,000 for a cake even if it’s 18cm long. Why don't they sell a piece of it at JPY800? This is still high for a piece, but I can afford it. Store owner, please. Give me a chance! 

レモンバトンケーキ🍋に一目惚れしました。数日前に届いたダイレクトメールに載ってました。京都に行ったら必ず寄るお気に入りのお店です。

夏季限定らしく、早速注文しようと思って値段を見たらびっくり！ほぼ3,000円。しかもオンライン販売のみなので、送料とクール便料金でプラス1,000円かかるとのこと。それって4,000円ってことでしょうか。それならこの夏、京都に行くのでその時にお店に行って食べようと思ったのですが、お店では出していないのです。たとえ18センチでもケーキに4,000円なんて出せますか。社長さん、お願いですから、お店で800円でもいいから出していただけないでしょうか？

Don't Bother Me While I'm Eating 食事中は歌うのやめてください

Japanese follows English.  英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Not always but sometimes, men acting as if they were cool and the center of the universe make me sick and an Italian man I saw at an Italian restaurant a couple of days ago is one of them.

He is in his 50s or 60s. He sings off key when customers come in and if they are young girls, never misses the chance to talk to them in Italian or broken English. He also talks to Japanese men and women in English, but not to me who is reading "A Mind To Murder" by P. D. James on Kindle. Does he think that I'm not Japanese? No, it has nothing to with my ability to speak English. It’s just because this guy never wants to talk to customers, but wants them to listen to him. I know of another Italian man of the same type working at another Italian restaurant.

More than ten years ago, I read a news article about men coming from other countries to Japan who misunderstood that they were popular among Japanese women because they were “cool.” Yes, they are popular but not because they are cool, but because they are non-Japanese (but not Chinese or Korean and it’s discriminatory, isn’t it?) and speak, fluently or not, English. The post-war era isn’t over yet. Many Japanese are still awed by those from other countries, gaijin, particularly by Caucasian. I’m not interested in how many Japanese girlfriends they have, but want this Italian guy at the Ginza restaurant to stop singing at least while I’m having lunch.

ちょっと感じ悪いけど、俺が世界の中心だと思っている男性を見るとむかついてしまう。数日前、銀座のイタリアンレストランで見かけたの人のことです。

50代か60代でしょうか。歌っています。音痴です。若い女性が入ってくるとすぐにイタリア語か片言の英語で話しかけ、日本人の男性にも話しかける。でも私には話しかけない。P.D. Jamesの「A Mind To Murder」を読んでいたので、日本人ではないと勘違いされたのでしょうか。

10年以上前、日本に来て突然もてるようになった「勘違い外人（ただし、差別でしょうか、中国人と韓国人は除かれるんですね...）」の記事を読んだことがあります。確かにそういう外人（個人的にこの言葉は好きではないのですが）いますよね。でも「違いますから、あなたがもてるのは外人だからだけですから」と言いたい。まだ戦後は終わっていないのです。今でも日本人、特に女性は白人に弱いです。日本人のガールフレンドを何人作ろうと知ったこっちゃありませんが、私がランチを食べている間は歌うのやめてもらっていいでしょうか、というお話でした。

Having No Kids Is Huge Loss to Country? 子を持たぬは国家的損失？

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"A woman like you having no kids is a huge loss to Japan.” Two ladies said to Eri, a friend of mine, about twenty years ago. That day, she was waiting with them for a man at a coffee shop. It was a blind date set by them, i.e., her mother's friend and this friend's friend. The man was a doctor working for the World Health Organization and Eri had graduated from the University of Tokyo, one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. To these ladies, a doctor working for a global organization marrying with a woman with high IQ and having children was a wonderful idea to contribute to the country.

Before Criticizing Students 先生は発言に気をつけてください

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

When I was in the third grade of a junior high school, the classroom teacher said to me that I was too used to school transfers. I don't remember why he said it and whether or how I responded to it at that time, but it was obvious that he criticized me for being cold or indifferent to friends or others because of too many school changes and by that he insinuated that I had no empathy. I had gone to four elementary schools and three junior high schools and it’s true that I was accustomed to meeting new people and leaving them after a certain period of time.

Looking back now, however, one thing is clear. He was wrong as a teacher and an individual. I wasn't cold or indifferent to friends or others, but was protecting myself by keeping a distance from others. I had been hurt too much by many separations from friends and was no longer wanted to be hurt. It was not I, but this teacher who had no empathy or ability to understand a student who grew in a different environment from his.

If you are a teacher, you need to be very careful before criticizing students. It may be you, not the student who should be criticized and the student will never forget what you said.

担任の教師に「転校ずれ」していると言われたのは中学3年の時だ。どういう状況だったかは覚えていないが、あまりに転校が多かったせいで、人や友人に冷たい、無関心だとか言われ、暗に共感能力に欠けると非難されたことを覚えている。確かに転校の回数は多く、小学校は４校、中学校は３校に通った。

でも今は分かる。間違っているのはこの教師だ。教師としてでなく人としても。冷たかったわけでも、無関心だったわけでもない。友達との別れに傷つきすぎてもう傷つきたくなかっただけ、ただ自分を守るために人との距離を保ちたかっただけなのだ。自分と違う環境で育った生徒に対する共感能力がないのは教師の方だ。

もし、これを読んでいるあなたが教師なら、生徒を非難する前には少し考えてほしい。子供は教師の思う以上に傷ついている。そしてそのことを大人になっても覚えている。

Being Honest Isn't Always Right 本音と建て前

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

If you’re chatting at someone’s house in Kyoto and are told "ぶぶ漬けでもどうですか（Bubuzuke* demo dodesuka [How about ochazuke])?," the person means, "It's time for you to leave." Likewise, if your Japanese coworker says, "今度またお昼でも (Kondo mata ohiru demo [Let's have lunch together sometime])," he or she really means that they’ve got to go.* Bubuzuke is a Kyoto word for ochazuke.

Another case in point is a response to "Nihongo ga ojozu desune (You speak Japanese fluently)." In this case, you should say, "Iie, madamada desu (No, my Japanese isn't good)" even if you fluently speak Japanese. Such a modest response, or which may sound too modest, makes relationship with others better in Japan because we, Japanese, trust or like modest statements more than honest ones. To put it the other way around, Japanese, asked if they speak English, would never say they do. They would say, "Yes, but a little." Being honest is not always the right thing. 

京都で「ぶぶ漬けでもいかがですか？」と聞かれたらそろそろ帰れ、ということだということはよく知られている。オフィスでも「今度お昼でも」と言われたら、そろそろ会話の潮時と言えるだろう。

同様のことが「英語話せますか？」にも言える。日本語で聞かれたら「はい、でも少しだけ」と答えるのが正解。でも英語で聞かれたら「Yes, I do」が正解だろう。少しでも話せるなら、いや、英語で仕事したいなら「Yes, I speak English」と胸を張って言えないと絶対使ってもらえないし、気合負けする。英語で話す私は日本語の私とは違う。最近、そんな二人をやっと冷静に使い分けできるようになった気がする。

A Common Thing Between "White" and "Puke" 美白美容液 Haku

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Haku, a skin brightening cosmetics product of Shiseido, is named after 白. This Chinese character means white and has two Japanese pronunciations, haku and shiro. Every Japanese can see how this cosmetics is named. But I can't help but think of something. Is it only me who thinks of another meaning of haku, 吐く, i.e., throw-up or puke?

資生堂の美白美容液「Haku」が「白」に由来することは、日本人なら誰でも分かることだろうけど、私だけだろうか。Hakuが時々「吐く」に聞こえるのは。馬鹿だと思う人はどうぞそう思ってください。はい、馬鹿なんです....

Beauty Makes Us Stop and Think パワーもらいました

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I got good grades in Japanese, math, history, English, music, gymnastics, science......, but NOT in art! I'm a terrible drawer, was said so and haven't drawn since the ninth grade. But I can tell beautiful things and want to share a photo I took a few days ago. Look at the combination of colors, i.e., green and violet. I just stood and stared at the flower whose name I don't know. The colors are so fresh and gave me power. I just wanted to share this beautiful flower picture and its colors and power with you. If you know the name of the flower, please let me know.

学校での成績は比較的よかったが図画はさっぱりだった私。高校以来、絵は描いていない。そんな私でも、きれいなものは分かるのです、というのが今日のテーマです。たまたま見つけて取ったのがこの写真。緑と紫という色の組み合わせにご注目ください。 見とれてしまいました。パワーをもらいました。そこで皆さんとシェアいたします。どなたか花の名前が分かる方、お知らせいただけたら幸いです。

Collateral Damage 付帯的損害

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Collateral damage is everywhere. About one year ago, Sachiko considered filing a lawsuit against her employer. The company was going through restructuring and treated her very badly. But after a detailed consideration of the pros and cons of possible scenarios, she decided not. She was afraid to lose her job. After all, she was only one of many collateral damages for the company during the reorganization.

The Japanese abducted by North Korea are collateral damages, too, for the U.S. and if Prime Minister Abe believes that the U.S. will do something good for Japan about this, he is stupid. If we want to solve this issue, we need to accept the fact that we were the only aggressor in Asia while North Korea was a victim during the war. I'm not justifying what North Korea has been doing to Japan, but we invaded China and Korea and no matter how many times we have apologized and/or paid compensation, it's them who have the right to say, "Apology accepted." The abductees are "collateral damages" to the U.S., those sacrificed for a greater good, such as innocent civilians killed for no reason in air raids on Iraq and Syria and by atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as Sachiko, a hard-working woman who almost lost her job for no reason.

But this is how things work in diplomacy and business in real world, isn't it? Again, I'm not saying that we should give up recovering them, but that we must work harder and more independently, taking the abduction issue as our own issue. Also, we have to keep in mind that we all may end up being collateral damages if we abandon Article 9 of our Constitution.

When I watch news programs on the abductees, I recall what my former supervisor often said to me, "an iron fist in a velvet glove." Does Abe have such a fist?

幸子さんが勤めていた会社を訴えようか考えたのは1年ほど前だ。当時、幸子さんの会社は大規模な組織変更を行っていて、そのとばっちりを食ったのだ。でもいろいろ考え、結局、訴えるのはやめた。所詮、一社員、「付帯的損害」にすぎず、ヘタにぎ騒ぐと職を失うのではないかと思ったのだ。

拉致被害者も同じだと思う。日本にとっていくら大切な問題でもアメリカにとっては付帯的損害にすぎない。もし安倍首相が、アメリカが何とかしてくれると思っているのなら、大バカ者だ。じゃあ、どうしたらいいのか。過去に向き合い、アジアでは唯一日本が侵略国で、北朝鮮は被害者であるという事実を認めなければならないのだと思う。北朝鮮がやっていることが正しいなんて言っているのではない。ただ、日本が中国と南北朝鮮を侵略したのは事実で、日本が何度謝罪して賠償金を支払っても、「許す」権利は日本にはなく、拉致被害者は「より大きな善」のために犠牲になった人たち、つまり、イラクやシリアの空爆で殺された一般市民、広島や長崎で原爆で殺された一般市民、そして、会社の再編で危うく仕事失いそうになった幸子さん、なのだ。ただ、外交やビジネスってそんなものではないのだろうか。もう一度言っておくが、拉致被害者の救済をあきらめろと言っているのではない。ただ、本当に連れ戻したいなら、もっと真剣に、自分自身の問題として取り組まなければならないと思うのだ。それともう一つ。9条を修正したら、日本人全員が付帯的損害になる可能性があることを忘れてはならないと思う。

拉致被害者のニュースを見ていると、以前の上司が言ったことを思い出す。「鉄の拳にベルベットの手袋をつける」彼はそう言いながらよく交渉の席についていた。安部首相は鉄の拳を持っているのだろうか。 

Woman Condition 女が人であるための条件

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I started this blog to record a process of my personal growth through de-imprinting and this post is a progress report.

Isn’t working hard, doing household chores and paying tax enough for women to be treated as humans? Or are women who have no kids or don't sacrifice their health and future to look after their parents, subhumans? Isn’t it wrong that as men are superior to women, only sons are eligible to succeed the family wrong? And among other things, if women don’t do what they are told to do by men, are they subhumans?

A Proof of English Proficiency? 夢で英語を話しました！

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

As I wrote in another post, Sachiko was hospitalized for four days and had to go through several procedures. It was terrible experience, but there was one good thing. She said to a nurse just before losing consciousness in anesthesia during a colonoscopy, “Can you hold my hand?” in English! Sachiko has been working as a translator for many years, so has many opportunities to speak English. But she’s never spoken English while dreaming. The next thing she remember is lying on her bed. I asked her if the nurse held her hand. The answer is no. Not all Japanese speak English.......

以前にも書いたが、幸子さんが4日間入院した。いろんな検査を受けなければならず、ひどい経験だったそうだが、ひとつだけいいことがあったという。大腸内視鏡検査で麻酔で気を失う寸前に、「Can you hold my hand?」と「英語」で看護婦さんに言ったというのだ。長年翻訳をやっているので、英語を使う機会は多いが、夢の中で英語で話したことは初めてだったとのこと。「握ってくれた？」と聞いたらそれはなかったらしい。日本で英語を話す人はまだまだ少ないようだ。

Konbini Goodies - Family Mart’s Ottotto (JPY 108)

I found this Morinaga and Family Mart's collaborative ottotto, nishurui no shio de shiageta super ottotto (super ottotto made with two types of salt; see Photo A), last week. It was the second ottotto-brand collaboration between Morinaga and a convenience store chain I have encountered, following hard-baked ottotto with oat bran, a collaboration between Morinaga and Lawson (see Photo B). The following is the result of my comparison analysis between Family Mart's and Lawson's ottotto from the four perspectives:

Photo A: Family Mart's "ottotto made with two types of salt (Lorraine salt and Okinawa salt)"

Tag             ⭐⭐
Taste          ⭐⭐⭐
Portion        ⭐⭐⭐
Kawaii         ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price            ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Texture        ⭐⭐⭐
Product development

Photo B: Lawson's "hard-baked ottotto with oat bran"


Tag             ⭐⭐
Taste          ⭐⭐⭐
Portion        ⭐⭐⭐
Kawaii         ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price            ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Texture        ⭐⭐
Product development ⭐⭐⭐



1. Health consciousness
Both are non-fried. Lawson and Family Mart are equally aware of the importance of health.

2. Taste
Both are non-fried, salty and yummy and go well with beer and wine. I couldn't tell any difference in their taste.

3. Texture
Ottotto has been popular for a long time for its seafood shape, i.e., crabs, squids, octopuses, whales, turtles, sea stars, sea bream and puffer fish and these two ottotto brand products are of the same shape, but one thing, i.e., Family Mart ottotto has a hollow in the center and because of this, the texture is lighter than that of Lawson's ottotto.

4. Product development strategy
The original ottotto is deep-fried and so, changing the recipe from deep-frying to non-frying makes sense to target health conscious consumers, but how does using two types of salt, i.e., one from Lorraine and the other Okinawa work? Did Family Mart believe that consumer's decision would depend on the origin of salt? Snack lovers may care about calorie or carb intake, but not in the type of salt..... 

The Word “Saitekika” in an Example Sentence 嘘つきは嫌い

Japanese follows English: 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Sachiko is angry at the term "最適化 (saitekika)," which literally means optimization," because she has to translate the term differently depending on who reviews it. Specifically, she would translate "社会保障費の最適化 (shakai hoshohi no 'saitekika')" to "the 'reduction (削減)' of social security cost" if an English native speaker reviews the translation, but to "the 'optimization' of social security cost" if the translation goes through a Japanese reviewer because this “reduction” is likely changed to “optimization” by the Japanese reviewer due to the general preference of Japanese for literal translation (i.e., "optimization") over more correct and understandable translation ("reduction"). She also hates the term "kaisei," which means change, revision or amendment, because it gives almost no information. Why don't they say "消費税率引上げ (a consumption tax hike)," instead of "消費税率改正 (a change in the consumption tax rate)"? She often complains that the term "kaisei" in revised law increases her work because she has to look up the previous provision.

Sachiko believes that those using words sloppily are dishonest and that they have something to hide, which I don't know is true. But I know that when she says something, she really means it. 

幸子さんが「最適化」という言葉に怒っている。何でも「社会保障費の最適化」を訳すとき、日本人が訳語をチェックする場合は「optimization of social security cost」と訳すが、英語スピーカーだけが見る場合は「reduction of social security cost」と訳し分けしなければならないとのこと。というのも、日本人が訳文をチェックする場合は、直訳に変えられてしまうことが多いからだ。「消費税率改正」というのも嫌いで、どうして「消費税率引上げ」と言わないのだ、ぶつぶつ言っている。改正じゃ、改善なのか、改悪なのか、はたまた引上げなのか、削減なのか、改正前の規定を見ないと分からないなんて面倒だ。

幸子さん曰く、言葉をいい加減に使うやつは嘘つきで、隠し事があるとのこと。本当かどうかは知らないが、幸子さんが言うことに嘘はないのは確かだ。

Menopause - Chinese Medicine 六君子湯

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

As I wrote in another post, Sachiko was hospitalized because of anemia and had to go through many procedures including gastroscopy. Fortunately nothing wrong was found with her stomach, but she still felt sick while and after eating. During a consultation with her doctor, she explained the symptom and was told that it might be due to menopause and given this Chinese medicine, rikkunshito, a Chinese medicine for those with nothing wrong with their stomachs (i.e., no tumor) but gastric disorders. Amazingly, it started to kick in right after taking it!

以前にも書いたが、幸子さんが貧血で入院した。幸いなことに腫瘍等の深刻な病気は見つからなかったが、貧血が治っても吐き気は治まらず、そのことを医者に話したところ、更年期障害による胃腸機能不全ではないかということになり、処方されたのがこの漢方、「六君子湯」である。驚いたことに飲んだ直後から効き始め、吐き気は治まった！

Menopause Changes Taste? 更年期による味覚障害と肥満？

Japanese follows English:　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Something is wrong with Sachiko. She eats cookies, chocolates and cakes, which she never ate more than once a month before. But look at her! She drops by convenient stores and buys not savory stuff, but many sweets and enjoy eating them everyday. Is it because of her being in menopause? Is menopause so powerful that women's taste changes? Her husband is surprised, but Sachiko is surprised most and worried about gaining weight!

幸子さんが変だ。クッキーを、チョコを、ケーキを食べている。以前ならせいぜい月に1回しか食べなかったのに。最近は毎日コンビニに寄って、しょっぱいものではなく、スイーツを買っておいしそうに食べている。これって更年期障害？更年期って味覚も変えてしまうの？幸子さんの旦那さんが驚いている。でも一番驚いているのは幸子さん自身。そして太るかと心配している。

"Mu" Produces Purpose of Life 山田洋二監督のぼやき

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I watched an interview with Mr. Yoji Yamada, the director of "otoko wa tsuraiyo (It's tough being a man)," on TV. (If you are interested in my post on the "otoko wa tsuraiyo" series, click here.) Yamada is famous for making great movies about families, but during the interview he said that he had hated such films when he had started his career in the film industry. At that time, Yasujiro Ozu was the "maestro" director of such films while prospective directors, who weren't interested in such movies at all (including Yamada), wanting to shoot Italian neorealist films, such as Federico Fellini's "La Strada." He said that as time went by, however, people started to regard him as a family movie maestro.......
   
Does a life need a purpose? I don't think so. It's okay for someone to have his or her purpose of life. But others may be given it by a religion or philosophy, or by other people, like Yamada by fans of his films. He once "killed" Tora-san, the main character of "otoko wa tsuraiyo," because he'd been bored of the series, but revived him due to the strong opposition from Tora-san's fans. So, if you have no purpose of life, why don't you do nothing, see around and keep doing what you currently are doing? Does it sound too passive? Again, I don't think so, because being passive or "mu" requires a strong will and determination. Yamada said that actors and actresses can't help but doing something since doing nothing is difficult. Doing nothing requires you to concentrate on immersing yourself in what surrounds you, i.e., be "mu."

Yamada was talkative, but calm and seemed a little sad. Was it because he gave up on something? I don't know, but he seemed natural and to have been living his own life.

山田洋二監督のインタビュー番組を見た。「男はつらいよ」シリーズについて聞かれていた。映画会社に入社した時は、小津安二郎のような家族を描く映画は大嫌いで、イタリアのネオリアリズム映画のようなものを撮りたかったが、寅さんファンの存在を知り、それに応えるのが自分の役目なのか、と考えを変えたと言っていた。日本的だなと思った。

人には、案外、自分には見えない自分というものがあって、時にそれを人に教えられたりする。そして、そういうチャンスは、受け身というか、無でないと見逃してしまうような気がする。受け身というと悪い意味で使われることが最近多いようだが、「能動的に受け身になる」という選択もあるのではなかろうか。受け身、無でいながらも、常に「考え続け」られる強さが欲しい。そして、必要になればすぐに動ける自分でありたいと思う。

誰が見ても「成功者」の山田監督はそうは見えなかった。サラリーマンの悲哀というか、少し悲しそうにも見えた。でも、なぜかインタビューは最後まで見てしまった。

Konbini Goodies 7-Eleven's Gateau Chocolat (JPY 288)

I bought this Gateau Chocolat at a 7-Eleven store in my neighborhood. The bag is plain. It is light beige and has no eye catching phrases or pictures and only has information about its portion that "it contains four pieces and you can eat all at once." But these four pieces of chocolate cakes are so yummy. If they were served as desserts at a French restaurant, I  wouldn't be able to tell. They don't need any advertising. I will buy it again tomorrow!     

Tag             ⭐
Taste          ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Portion        ⭐⭐⭐
Kawaii         ⭐⭐
Price            ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hotch, Sara and Sharon Speaking Japanese 標準語と京都弁

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I watched "Ten Commandments" aired on TV a few weeks ago. It was gorgeous, but I couldn't help but feel strange because everyone in the film spoke English. Moses is a Jew. There is no way he would speak English. It's like Hotch and Morgan of Criminal Minds, Mac and Sara of CSI, or Sharon and Lieutenant Provenza of Major Crimes speak Japanese. (It happens when you watch these programs dubbed by Japanese voice actors/actresses and makes me feel awkward.)

But the thing is I have the same feeling when watching Japanese police drama series featuring Kyoto, because they all speak the standard Japanese (i.e., Japanese without the Kansai accent). The standard Japanese, which is spoken in the NHK news programs and generally spoken by those in Tokyo, is completely different from the Japanese spoken in the Kansai region and any Japanese can differentiate it from the Kansai Japanese, like the American English from the British English. It's unnatural for those born and living in Kyoto to talk with friends and families in the standard Japanese.

I don't feel such strangeness when watching American/British TV programs because I choose to listen to actual voices instead of dubbed voices, but have not been able to find a solution for Kyoto detective drama series. Am I too sensitive?

先日、「十戒」を見た。映像はとてもきれいだったが、変な感じが最後まで拭いきれなかった。全員が英語を話していたからだ。モーゼはユダヤ人で、英語で話すのはおかしい。クリミナルマインド、CSI、Major Crimesのキャラクターが日本語で話すようなものだ。

この違和感、実は京都の刑事ものを見る時にも感じる。京都人なのに全員、標準語を話している。米国のドラマは英語で聞けばいいが、京都の刑事ドラマはいつも変だなと思いながら見ている。私、気にしすぎ？ 

Solution for Rising Social Security Cost 国民皆介護

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Sachiko felt dizzy because of anemia and was hospitalized and stayed there for four nights and this made her realize how important nursing services are. She had to have a colonoscopy to identify the cause of the anemia and because of that, she had to cleanse her colon, which means that she had to drink an enormous amount of liquid laxative before the procedure. But she still couldn't push out pxxp on her own because of the loss of physical strength and that was when a nurse (whom she calls "Ms. Nightingale") rescued Sachiko. Ms. Nightingale administered an enema to Sachiko and helped her push by massaging her abdomen and after that, cleaned her and did all of this without any complaints or even smiling. Of course it's her work, but doing such literally "dirty" jobs even for money is, to Sachiko, amazing. I can't agree more.

After getting out of the hospital, Sachiko said that she came up with a solution for the recent rising social security costs, i.e., giving points for doing nursing services. She said that if someone performs care/nursing services at hospitals or care facilities, they can be paid and save points instead of money so that they can use these points to receive care services when they get older. A nurse shortage and the rising social security cost are the most serious social issues in Japan. Don't you think that drafting for not military services, but "nursing services" may solve these issues?

貧血で幸子さんが入院した。4泊して帰ってきた幸子さんが言った。看護の仕事って大切だなと。貧血の原因を特定するため、入院中、大腸内視鏡検査を受けなければならなかったのだが、そのためには腸をきれいにするために便を出し切らなければならない。つまり下剤を飲むわけだが、貧血で体力のない幸子さんは自力で排便できず、看護師さんの助けが必要になった。その看護師さん（ナイチンゲールさんと呼ぼう）、何と、幸子さんに浣腸し、排便後には体をきれいにし、しかもそれを文句ひとつ言うこともなく、にこやかに対応してくれたというのだ。勿論、看護はナイチンゲールさんの仕事だ。でも、それでもすごい、幸子さんはしみじみ言った。私もそう思う。

退院後、幸子さんが突然、「看護ポイントってどうよ」と言い始めた。若いうちに看護の仕事（サポート業務）をしてポイントをためれば、介護が必要になったときにそのポイントで介護サービスを受けられるというものだ。社会保障費用削減のための「国民皆兵」ならぬ「国民皆介護」だめかしら？

Nihon University Case and Karoshi 日大事件 何で今まで言わなかったの？

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Why didn't Mr. Miyagawa say that he didn't want to make an illegal tackle in the first place? Why didn't his team members do or say anything to confront Head Coach Uchida if they had felt that something had been wrong with the team? Reading articles about the incident that Mr. Miyagawa, a 20-year old student and member of the university's American football team, delivered a late hit to a quarterback of Kwansei Gakuin University's team, according to him, based on an order from the head coach (see this for details) reminds me of Adolf Eichmann and makes me angry because Nihon University's team members and their parents have been acting like they are innocent victims. But it is them who stopped to think and blindly followed unreasonable or even illegal orders from the head or other coaches and it is one of them, Mr. Miyagawa, who made such an illegal tackle. But now once the media started to support them, they suddenly changed attitudes and have been acting like superheroes. They may be victims, but are also responsible for creating the culture in which someone confronting coaches is excluded from the team. They are guilty as accomplices. If they were innocent, they would have been already expelled from the team.

The same is true of karoshi. If you work for a company, the karoshi environment of your company is created and strengthened by your inaction. If someone doesn't do overtime and is harassed, and you don't do or say anything to change the environment and as a result he or she kills himself or herself, you are responsible for it. And I hate to see such people, who stop thinking and turn a blind eye to a wrongdoing, but once a scapegoat is found, start to criticize the scapegoat as if they were victims. They are automatons and represent the evil of human beings.

日大の事件が連日マスコミに取り上げられ、監督やコーチが非難されている。そしてその一方で、宮川さん、チームメンバー、その親御さんたちは、犠牲者のように報道されている。不思議だ。彼らは、これまでそのようなことが行われていたことに全く気付かなかったのだろうか。それとも、気付いていたけど何か言ったら自分が叩かれるので何も言わなかったのだろうか。私には後者にしか思えない。そしてもしそうだとしたら、今さら、被害者面するのはいかがなものか。

自分の行為に対して責任を持てるのは本人だけだが、同じことは行動を起こさなかったこと（不作為）にも言えると思う。気付いていたけど放置していたならば、今回の事件の責任は、宮川さんに、そして、そういった体質を放置していたメンバーにもあるのではなかろうか。

怖かった、言えなかった、絶対君主だった。気持ちは分かる。でも、20歳と言えばもう大人だし、ましてやその親御さんたちには手段を講ずる機会がいくらでもあったと思う。見て見ぬふりをしていた罪を軽く流す態度は、「考えて意思決定し、その結果を請け負う」という大人としての責任を放棄することであり、結局は「ヒーローが助けてくれないかな」という無責任主義、ひいては、大勢のロボットを独裁者が束ねる独裁主義につながっていくと思う。