Japan on a World MapPart of the continent of Asia

Japanese FoodPopular Japanese food in the United States: I SushiI Rice bowls (donburi)I Tempura (fried vegetables)I Udon noodle soup

Symbols of Japanese CultureI Cherry blossomsI KimonosI Karate

Important Holidays in Japan

I Golden Week (April 29 – May 05)I Showa Day (former Emperor Showa’s

birthday)I Constitution Day I Greenery Day (appreciation of nature) I Children’s Day

I The New Year (January 01)

I Culture Day (November 03): celebrates culture, schools give awards to studentsfor special achievements

I Star Festival (July 07): believed to be a lucky day, write wishes on paper and hang them on trees so they come true

Japanese Gestures

A. MeB. NoseC. I knowD. Help

A. Sit downB. Stand upC. Go homeD. Come

here

A. QuietB. PeaceC. Smile!D. Excuse

me

A. PleaseB. You’re crazyC. Broken/

ClosedD. I’m sorry

Japanese Language • Vowels are A E I O U just like English• Only 14 consonants, English has 21

Counting to 10 in Japanese

Days of the Week

Introduce Yourself!

Konnichiwa (your name) desuHajimemashite, dozo yoroshiku.

Hello, my name is (your name)Nice to meet you.

In Japan, it is good manners to bow when

you greet someone

Other Helpful Words

Yes HaiNo Iie Thank you Domo arigato

To say “Mr. or Mrs.” in Japanese, use the word “san” after the person’s name

Mr. Smith = Smith san Mrs. Jones = Jones san

A teacher is called “sensei”

Haru Ga Kita“Spring Has Come”

Haru ga kita, haru ga kitaDoko ni kita, Yama ni kita, Sato ni kita, No ni mo kita,

Hana ga saku, hana ga sakuDoko ni saku Yama ni saku Sato ni saku No ni mo saku

Tori ga naku tori ga nakuNoko de nakuYama de nakuSato de nakuNo de mo naku

X

.

Hiraita Hiraita“Blooming Flower”

Hiraita, hiraita Nan no hana ga hiraita?Renge no hana ga hirataHiraita to omottar Itsunomanika tsubonda

Tsubonda, tsubondaNan no hana ga tsubonda?Renge no hana ga tsubondaTsubonda to omottar Itsunomanika hiraita A

I

Donguri Korokoro“The Rolling Acorn”

Donguri korokoro donburikoO-ike ni haatte saa taihenDojou ga detekite konnichi waBotchan issho ni asobimashou

Donguri korokoro yorokonde Shibaraku issho ni asonda gaYappari o-yama ga koishii toNaite wa dojou wo koaraseta

O

L

Ryuichi Kishi: A Day in JapanRyuichi is 10 years old and lives with his parents, grandparents and sister in Maebashioa in Japan

X 6:00 am – wake up and get ready for school. I wake up my younger sister, Nao. We watch the news and help my mom make breakfast. We have rice, grilled fish, boiled vegetables, and miso soup.

X 7:30 am – I leave to walk to school with my neighbors, it takes us about 25 minutes to get to our school

X 8:50 am – class starts, Class starts. The first subject is mathematics. Right now we are learning division. I love math because I enjoy explaining how to solve problems. Next is science.

X 10:50 am - It is time for gym. We do gymnastics. After that is shosha. This is when we learn Kanji characters by copying. I am learning to write “hikari”, but it is very hard

Ryuichi Kishi: A Day in JapanRyuichi is 10 years old and lives with his parents, grandparents and sister in Maebashioa in Japan

X 12:25 pm - Lunchtime! We have miso ramen noodles, stir-fried vegetables, deep-fried dumplings, soybean snacks and milk. We clean up after lunch. My group is in charge of the school's entrance. We sweep and scrub the floors. At 1:55, we go to Japanese class

X 3:00 pm – school is out and I go home. At home, I play my favorite videogame and do my homework. I also help my dad make dinner

X 7:00 pm – my family sits down to have dinner together, my dad is a great cook! After dinner I take a bath and then go to bed.

Japanese Art: Origami

Oru (fold) + kami (paper) = Origami

T Japan was one of the first countries to make and use paper (China was first)

T At first, origami was only allowed to be used for religious ceremonies T When paper was first invented it was very rare and expensive, but as

paper became more common, people started to do origami just for fun

T The first written instructions for how to fold origami were published in 1797 (216 years ago!) and showed to fold a paper crane

T Japan was not the only country to do origami, in Spain they also practiced the art of paper-folding and called it pajarita

T By the 1800s kindergarteners in Spain and Japan were learning the art of paper folding

T Before books about how to make origami existed, families passed down their origami patterns by teaching them to their children

Y K

;

Origami Symbols & Meanings

F Chocho – Butterfly: popular symbol for young girls as they “spread their wings and become beautiful, graceful adult women”

J Sakana - Fish: symbol of happiness, well-being and freedom. A carp symbolizes strength, courage and determination and is the symbol for Children’s Day.

O Neko – Cat: stands for independence, wisdom and confidence. In Japan, February 22nd is cat day!

A Tsuru – Crane: a symbol for long-life. Japanese folklore tells stories that cranes live for 1,000 years. The crane is also a symbol for happiness, good luck, and peace.

S Usagi - Rabbit: mischievous and very silly they have also been said to represent the season spring.

Colors for OrigamiB Red: love, inner strength and beauty

D Pink: happiness and friendship

P Yellow: hope and positive thoughts about the future

Green (light or dark): good health and/or good

luck

R Royal blue: peace and calm

T Light blue: trust and honor

@ Purple: represents royalty

` Black: strength and power

Y Orange: excitement and energy

Tips for Folding Origami ' Always watch the edges of your folds to make sure they line up. The

more exact your fold the better your origami will turn out

" Make your folds neat and careful, take your time and don’t rush

# Don’t press hard on your fold until you’re sure, you can lightly fold and then unfold

$ Press the crease of your folds well after each fold

( Make sure the surface you are working on is clean flat with nothing in your way

+ You must have patience – there are times you will do the wrong fold or it won’ turn out exactly like you wanted, that’s just part of learning!

, Try not to get frustrated! Origami is HARD and takes a lot of practice

) Have fun! Origami is an activity people do to relax and enjoy themselves

Let’s Fold!

Put your paper with the white side facing up.

Let’s Fold!

Fold in half at a diagonal

Let’s Fold!

Fold in half again

Let’s Fold!

Then unfold

Let’s Fold!

You now have a crease in the middle of your triangle

Let’s Fold!

Fold the bottom points up

Let’s Fold!

Fold the middle point down

Let’s Fold!

Turn the whole piece over

Let’s Fold!

Cat Face