University students explain what life is like in Tokyo
[ ] Posted on 06.01.09 under Culture, Podcast, Social
ListenJero is a foreigner that sings enka, the country-like music from teh 50’s in Japan. He has given this music a whole new life. Find out what university students think of this phenomenon.
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Script
Narrator: Hello ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for downloading our podcast. Our topic for today is one of the most well-known immigrants in Japan - Jero.
Jero - Jerome Charles White - is an American born Japanese enka singer. Enka is a genre of Japanese popular songs developed in the postwar period. Jero was born in Pennsylvania, 1981. His maternal grandmother was Japanese. He is the first black enka singer in Japanese music history.
What do the Japanese think about Jero? Let us listen to the interviews we’ve done in the town on Jero and his influence in Japanese culture.
Interview 1
Interviewer: Hello. Do you know Jero?
A: Jero? Oh, you mean the singer? Of course I do! Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 05.25.09 under Culture, Podcast, Social
ListenIn this hilarious reenactment of a family argument, find out the pressures for and against international marriage in Japan.
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Script
A: Yuka (the daughter)
B: the father of Yuka
C: narrator
C: Hi, everyone. Thank you for downloading our podcast. We made a short dramatization about an international marriage. Please listen to this.
A: Hey Dad, do you have some time now? Could you listen to my idea about why I want to get married to my American boyfriend, Kevin?? Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 05.18.09 under Culture, Podcast, Social
ListenJapan and Korea have long had an antagonistic relationship. One of the largest groups of immigrants in Japan comes from Korea. Even though they have been living here for generations, most are still not given citizenship. Find out what this group thinks (which includes one Korean).
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Script not available
[ ] Posted on 05.11.09 under Culture, Podcast, Social
ListenJapan has instituted a program for Chinese (and other nationality) farmers to work here in Japan and “learn” about farming. The problem is that many of the techniques used here are impossible to use in China. The pay is so low (below minimum wages) there have been charges of exploitation. Find out what university students think.
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Script
S: Student
F: Farmer
C: Chinese worker
Narration: A Japanese student is taking a field trip to talk to a Japanese farmer. Now the farmer’s explanation about farming has just ended.
S: Thank you for your complete explanation about your farm here in Japan.
F: Is there anything else you’d like to know? Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 05.04.09 under Culture, Podcast, Social
ListenDo foreigners have the right to vote in Japan? In most places they don’t. A few local elections allow foreign residents to vote. Find out more from this group of university students.
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In Japan, immigrants don’t have the right to vote, and not only at national elections, but also at local elections. Now, if they want the right to vote, they must get Japanese nationality.
About immigrants’ right to vote, there are two opinions in Japan: to maintain the present situation, or to allow them to take part in local elections. Today, we have a discussion between two persons who have different opinions about this problem.
A: I think foreigners who will live in Japan permanently should be allowed the right to vote in local elections. They carry out their duty as a resident, such as tax payment, so they have the right as a matter of course. Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 04.27.09 under Culture, Podcast, Social
ListenAccepting Foregn Workers is a big topic, with a lot of disagreement. Here two students take roles of popular politicians to debate the matter.
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Script
MC: Hello, everyone! Today, we have invited two university students, Haruka and Masahiro. And we are going to discuss whether Japan should accept immigrants or not. Thank you for coming here today.
Masahiro: You’re welcome.
Haruka: Glad to be here.
MC: OK. Let’s move to the discussion! First of all, Japanese government has a policy of accepting 10 million immigrants in 50 years. What do you think about it, Haruka?
Haruka: Well, I think we should accept more immigrants. In Japan, the number of young people is decreasing these days. So, companies in Japan will need more labors in the future. Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 04.20.09 under Culture, Podcast, Social
It’s not always about immigration. There is a significant group of people interested in emmigrating. They are usually retired, in their late 60’s and early 70’s, looking for relaxation in a favorable economic environment. Let’s find out how they do it.
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Script
Retirement Emmigration
A: Have you ever heard something about overseas emigration?
B: Emigration? Such as studying abroad?
A: No, no. The emigration after retirement. As a kind of third life! I saw on TV that, in Japan, many elderly people these days think of emigration as third life. And they tend to want to emigrate to other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia, Australia……. There are even companies supporting it! Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 04.13.09 under Culture, Language, Social
Sumo has been dominated lately by foreign wrestlers, both in the winner’s circle and in trouble with the law, for drugs. Find out what university students think of this ancient sport and the prospects for the future.
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Script
A: Hey, guys!
B: Hi!
A: Did you watch the baseball game between the Tigers and the Giants?
B: I did! Ramirez blasted a homerun again! He is a great batter. Lately, foreign players’ performance is very very good.
A: Yeah…for example, ??????? ?????… Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 04.06.09 under Culture, Language, Social
ListenHi-tech fields need good brains and hard workers. Trying to get them, and other high-skilled workers to come to Japan is a concern here, looking toward the future. Find out how these students think it will work.
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N: Hello, everyone. As globalization is expanding, more and more people are coming to Japan from overseas. They have some special skills, like technical skills and marketing skills. Today, we have a guest from China who works in Japanese company. We’ll have an interview with her. Nice to meet you, Ms.Lee.
Lee: Nice to be here.
N: First of all, why did you come to Japan?
Lee: I came to Japan to work as a system engineer. Japanese companies are popular among Chinese people because we can improve our technical skills. Read the rest of this entry…
[ ] Posted on 03.30.09 under Culture, Language, Podcast, Social
ListenContinuing our discussion of immigration in Japan, a group focuses on one of the most visible groups of recent immigrants, from Brazil. Many are from families that emmigrated to Brazil in the early 20th century, and have returned during the economic success in the 1990s. Now, it is a much more difficult situation.
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Script
R: Hey!! Yuki!
Y: Hey!! Roberto!! I’ve wanted to see you for a long time! Time flies, don’t you?
R: I think so, too.
Y: What do you do now?
R: I work in a car factory the same as my parents in this city. How about you?
Read the rest of this entry…