Faulks Liu's EALJ-10001 Elementary Japanese I Blog

This semester, learning Japanese (にほんご) was a very exciting and meaningful experience for me. At first, it was difficult to memorize all the hiragana (ひらがな) and katakana (カタカナ), but after practicing many times, it became much easier. I really enjoyed studying new vocabulary (たんご) and grammar patterns, because little by little I could start making real sentences by myself. それから、クラスで日本語を話す練習（れんしゅう）をしたのはとても楽しかったです。 Sometimes, the homework (しゅくだい) and quizzes were challenging, especially when there were many new words and kanji. でも、友だちといっしょに勉強（べんきょう）したから、がんばることができました。 Because of the hard work, I feel like my listening, reading, and speaking skills all improved a lot. I also learned many cultural gestures and expressions, which made me even more interested in visiting Japan someday. At the end of the semester, looking back, I am really happy I chose to study Japanese. I think the basics I learned will definitely help me in the future when I travel to Japan. ふせ先生（せんせい）、ありがとうございました！日本語の勉強（べ...

１．はるやすみに　ガールフレンドと　カンクンに　いきました。 ホテルに　ごにちかん　とまりました。 それから、はるの　おわりに　ノートルダムだいがくに　のこりました。 はるの　ノートルダムの　けしきが　とても　きれいだったので、　すごく　きにいりました。 ２．しゅうまつは　ホテルで　プールに　いったり、　レストランで　たべたり　しました。 でも、ときどき　あめが　ふりました。 だから、へやで　えいがを　みたり、　ゆっくり　すごしたり　しました。 ぜんたいに　とても　たのしい　しゅうかんでした。 During spring break, I went to Cancun with my girlfriend. We stayed at a hotel for five days. Then at the end of spring, I stayed at Notre Dame. I really liked the beautiful campus view in spring.  On the weekend, I went to the pool and ate at restaurants. But sometimes it rained. So, we watched movies in the room and relaxed. Overall, it was a really fun week.

Today, I watched a YouTube video titled "A Day at Universal Studios Japan - Osaka | JAPAN VLOG 39" . This video offers a firsthand experience of exploring Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka. I am interested in this because I went there during middle school and really liked this! Even though I couldn't understand all the spoken Japanese, the video provided an immersive experience of the park's atmosphere. The natural sounds—conversations, background music, and ambient park noise—helped me attune to the rhythm and intonation of the Japanese language. Observing the cultural gestures and mannerisms of visitors and staff offered insights into Japanese social interactions. This experience emphasized the importance of listening to native speech and observing cultural contexts to enhance language learning. I look forward to exploring more such videos to deepen my understanding of Japanese language and culture. ​

わたしのしゅうまつはとてもたのしかったです。 アニメの「ジョジョのきみょうなぼうけん」をみました。 ジョジョはストーリーがとてもおもしろいです。それから、キャラクターのセリフ（ことば）がかっこいいです。 スタンドバトルはドキドキしました。でも、すこしむずかしかったです。 だから、あとでえいごのサブタイトルもよみました。 つぎのしゅうまつもジョジョをみたいです！ My weekend was very fun. I watched the anime JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure . The story of JoJo is very interesting. Also, the characters' lines are really cool. The Stand battles were very exciting. But, it was a little difficult. So, I later read the English subtitles too. I want to watch JoJo again next weekend!

  For this week's assignment, I watched several clips and trailers from four famous Japanese anime series: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure , One Piece , Jujutsu Kaisen , and Kengan Ashura . All of these videos were in Japanese with or without subtitles, which gave me a chance to listen closely to the sounds and rhythm of natural Japanese speech. In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure , I noticed how dramatic the characters’ speaking style is. They use exaggerated intonation and strong emotional expressions, which make the Japanese sound very rhythmic and intense.  When I watched  Jujutsu Kaisen , the tone became much more serious. The characters speak quickly but with clear pronunciation, especially during battles or serious conversations. It helped me notice how Japanese sounds become sharper when emotions like urgency or tension are involved.  In  One Piece , the characters’ voices were more casual and energetic. I could hear a lot of friendly shouting, laughter, and emotional...

Today, I watched a YouTube video titled "4K HDR Japan Travel 2025 | Night Walk in Shibuya (渋谷) Tokyo Japan" . This video, filmed in April 2025, offers a high-definition walking tour through the vibrant streets of Shibuya at night. Although I couldn't understand all the spoken Japanese, the video provided an immersive experience of the city's atmosphere. The natural sounds—conversations, traffic, and ambient city noise—helped me attune to the rhythm and intonation of the Japanese language. Observing the cultural gestures and mannerisms of people in their daily routines offered insights into Japanese urban life. This experience emphasized the importance of listening to native speech and observing cultural contexts to enhance language learning. I look forward to exploring more such videos to deepen my understanding of Japanese language and culture.