Hello to all my Pharm Eng students,
Otsukaresamadeshita to all of you after our mid-term test last week!
This is my very late Part 2 to your Q&A for me in your pre-teaching surveys. I'm sorry again! But here they are. It's long, but I'll try to answer as many of your questions as I can.
KENNOSUKE ITO, YUKA EBISAWA & MISAKI IDE (1st period) & TAKAFUMI NAKABARU, WARABI HOSOKAWA & MINA KAMIKAWA (2nd period) – you asked me when I came to Japan, and Kennosuke, Yuka and Mina – you asked me if I like it here in Japan, and Yuka, you also asked if I fear any earthquakes.
I've been living here since 1997, first in Tsuchiura, then Tsukuba in Ibaraki, and after that, in Kashiwa in Chiba, then since 2007, in Nerima-ku here in Tokyo. But the first time I ever came to Japan was in 1981, in the U.S. Navy. I was posted to the U.S. Navy dental center on the base in Yokosuka, in Kanagawa. I was there until 1983, then the Navy sent me back to the U.S.
Yuka – yes, I liked Tokyo very much when I was here in the Navy. Of course, like most young American military people in the early 80s, I went to Roppongi, Shinjuku, and places like that. But when I came back later, I came to like places like Karuizawa, Nagano, Chichibu too. And I was very impressed with Fukuoka and Sapporo – they're both very nice cities (but Sapporo would be too cold for me in winter!). In Tokyo, I don't like Roppongi now! But I do like Takadanobaba, Shin-Okubo, and smaller places like Ekoda. And my wife and I really liked Kashiwa when we lived in Chiba.
Yuka – I always think earthquakes are scary, but I think we can survive them. I also think, especially after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, that the response in Japan is much better than before. It's much better than the Hanshin earthquake in 1995.
AYAKA ATSUMI & MEGUMI SUZUKI (1st period) & ASAMI FUJIYA (2nd period)– Ayaka and Megumi – you asked why I came to Japan and what my favorite Japanese food and place is, and Asami – you also asked what my favorite spot in the U.S. is.
Well, my father died in 1990 and my mother died in 1994. They had both been getting old and I had to help take care of them. So after my mother died, I had a chance to travel again. I wasn't married at that time, and I had no family connection with where I lived in Idaho, so I re-organized my life again. I wanted to live outside the U.S., and I could reconnect with Japan – this time not in the U.S. Navy, but as a regular person.
My favorite Japanese dish is unagi! I love it, but I shouldn't eat it too much because it's kind of expensive, and fattening. But in summer it's great. How about you both? What are your favorite dishes?
I think my favorite spot in Japan now is around Karuizawa. It reminds me of northern Idaho, which is beautiful in summer. My favorite spot in the U.S. is the highway just south of the San Francisco area, along the Monterey Peninsula (モンテレイ半島). It's also very beautiful in summer – not really really hot like Los Angeles, but comfortable (San Francisco is my favorite city in the U.S. It's like New York in California!). What's your favorite spot in Japan, Asami?
DAISUKE AIKAWA & MIZUKI IGAKI (1st period) – you asked what I like about Japan, and what I'm interested about it.
I like the food and life in Tokyo. It's crowded and sometimes irritating, but that's the way it is, and I accept it. But there's all kinds of things here. I can eat any kind of food from anywhere in the world here. Many people know good food, wine and beer too. I love finding a small restaurant or izakaya in a local place that most people don't know. I also like the transportation system with the trains in Tokyo – I really got tired of driving in the U.S., and when I lived in Ibaraki. But sometimes, I need a break from the big city. I love onsen, and for such busy people, Japanese know how to relax. So what do you like about your own country, Daisuke and Mizuki?
RISA SHOJI (1st period) & AKIKO HIROSAKI, YURI TSUKUDA & ARA CHO (2nd period) – you asked if I had a pet, and what kinds of animals I liked. Risa – you remembered that I said I had cats, and asked what kinds they are, and Ara – you asked if I had children.
My wife and I have three cats. Yes, we're cat lovers! We have two black ones and one gray one. One of the black ones, and the gray one, are a brother and sister, and the other black one is a year younger and came from a different mother. We're not sure what kind they are – we think they're all mixes, of Siamese, maybe Persian, with other things we don't know!
Ara – no, we don't have any children. Our cats are our babies! They keep us warm in winter and make us laugh in summer. How about all of you? Akiko, you say you have a dog, a mix – but how about you, Yuri and Ara? Do you have pets, and what are your favorite animals?
RISA (again!), YUSUKE TSUKADA (1st period), & MIHO MATSUMOTO (2nd period) – you asked about my hobbies.
Well, I'm so busy that I don't really have time for hobbies right now. Whenever I get a chance, I like to go on YouTube and search out old music show clips and TV shows from the U.S. and Australia, especially music from the 1960s. I was very small at that time and don't remember it very well, but I think the 1960s was an interesting time in many countries. I would like to learn more about Japanese life in the 1960s, because I think it would have been an interesting time for a foreigner to have been here. I like searching out old TV clips from my favorite sport, Australian rules football, especially from the 1960s and early 1970s, when my family lived in Australia.
I also like searching out unique and interesting eating and drinking places in and around Tokyo, especially for Indian, Thai or Vietnamese food – my wife and I really like these kinds of food, even though Vietnamese restaurants are so expensive in Tokyo!
NATSUMI MIZUMOTO (2nd period) – you asked me when I got married.
I got married in 2004. So on February 1st, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.
I would love to answer more questions – but I have to save some more for a Part 3. See you in class!
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