This is Japan.indd

5
Unit
Explaining
Japanese
Things
t Warm Up
Imagine you’re going to do a homestay in a foreign country.
Ask your partner:
1. What Japanese souvenirs would be good for a homestay mother or father?
2. What Japanese souvenirs would be good for a young girl or boy?
• “If there was a teenage boy, I’d probably give him …”
• “I’d probably take …”
• “An older woman might like …”
t Before You Listen
Label the souvenirs with the correct English word.
beckoning cat
daruma doll
folding fan
flower stand
incense burner
rice scoop
traditional toy
32
unit
5
cup & ball game
devil mask
festival coat
folding screen
lacquer bowl
sword wind chime
curtain
earwax scraper
flower vase
headband
paper lantern
wrapping cloth
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
33
t Listening—Danny and Takuya talk about souvenirs.
Danny:Takuya, I bought some souvenirs
to send home, but I don’t know
what you call them.
Danny:And this?
Danny:Sure.
Takuya:It’s to make dreams come true. We
paint one eye, make a wish, and
paint the other eye when the wish
comes true.
Takuya:Oh! You got one of these! It’s a cat.
You see its hand…?
Danny:Oh great. What would you wish
for?!
Danny:…(interrupting) Its paw?
Takuya:A girlfriend! And I wish my
mother would stop shouting at me!
Takuya:Can I see them?
Takuya:No, its not poor. It has money!
This is koban, old Japanese money.
Danny:We call a cat’s hand a paw.
Takuya:Oh, OK, OK, paw, paw cat … かわ
いそ!… this is neko ni koban, waste
of money to give it to a cat. Only
spends money on cat food (laughs).
The cat is welcoming money like
this.
Danny:(laughs) And this?
Takuya:Oh, it’s a Japanese headband, (puts
it on) “Japan Number 1!”
Danny:Yeah, number 1! Takuya number 1!
Takuya:Oh, you bought folding fans, too?
Danny:Yeah, I got loads of these fans.
They’re light and cheap. I got this
wind chime, too.
Danny:I see. And this? Is it a ninja weapon?
Takuya:Wind chime? Interesting present!
Takuya:No, no (laughs), this is not for
ninja. It’s for ikebana, for flowers,
like this ぐス、ぐス.
Danny:Yeah, four of those. And this cup
and ball game. What’s it called in
Japanese?
Danny:Oh! For flower arranging? Right.
Takuya:Right, not for ninja, not shuriken.
It’s called a kenzan.
t Listening Check
Go back to the pictures on the previous page, and circle the seven items that Danny
bought.
34
unit
5
t Bingo — Japanese Things
• GET READY FOR BINGO
Get ready to play the Bingo Game on the next page. Read the instructions below.
Look at the Useful Language at the bottom of the page.
STEP 1: Find a partner. Decide who is StudentA and who is StudentB.
STEP 2: Both partners, write the numbers 1–25 in your Bingo grid. Put the numbers in ANY order you like. Do not show the page to your partner.
STEP 3: StudentA—Look at the list of Japanese things on page 84.
StudentB—Look at the list of Japanese things on page 86.
STEP 4: Start the game. StudentA, say a number from 1–25. StudentB, find
the Japanese word with this number on your vocabulary list. Explain
the thing. Give as much information as you can, but DON’T SAY THE
WORD! Try to make at least two sentences for each word. Explain
clearly. Give extra information.
STEP 5: If StudentA guesses the thing correctly, then StudentB can circle that
number on the Bingo grid.
STEP 6: Keep taking turns at explaining until you both get Bingo! (five numbers
together—up, down, or diagonally.)
• USEFUL LANGUAGE
It’s something we use to …
It’s something we use when we …
It’s something we wear when we …
It’s something we eat when we …
It’s a kind of … / It’s like a /an …
It’s usually made of / from …
Is it a
shūgibukuro?
It’s a kind of envelope
that we use for giving gifts
of money. The decoration is very
pretty and colourful, and it has
a bow on it, to tie up (musubu)
the happiness of the
couple.
That’s right!
35
• PLAY BINGO
It’s a kind of nameplate
for a house.
In Japan, we usually put our
family name outside the house,
on the wall or on the gate.
BingoSheet
36
u n i t 5
It’s a comedy double act.
There’s usually a straight
man and a funny man.
They usually talk and
joke very fast.
t Wrap up with Danny
S
amue, jimbei, hanten, and chanchanko? Hakama,
kimono, yukata, and nemaki? Geta, jikatabi, and zōri?
Take your shoes off in the house, but put slippers on
when you visit a school. And change to toilet slippers when
you go to the toilet?! I think that Japanese people sometimes
forget how confusing Japan is for foreign visitors!
Japanese use a decorative envelope when they give a
new-year gift, but use a very different envelope for a wedding
gift. And of course, this shouldn’t be the same envelope as
they use for a funeral gift!
Ahhh! Life seemed so simple in England. We don’t
change our style of clothing very much. We don’t keep
changing our shoes. And when we do give gifts of money
(which isn’t very often) we usually just put the money inside
a birthday card; no frills, no fuss!
Yes, life in England feels far less confusing, but that’s
what makes Japan so interesting! Learning about Japanese
culture and all its nuances can take a lot of effort, but it’s
worth it. Japan is a charming and fascinating place to visit.
Now, am I wearing a yukata? Or is it a happi?
Am I “happi” in my yukata?
• What do you think?
Imagine you’re going to send a Japanese gift to your friend. Write a short note to
explain what it is and how you use it.
Get ready to talk about the Japanese language.
➙ Turn to page 91.
37