favorite things...

Last week in class we talked a bit about our favorite things. I told the students about me and some of the things I like, but then I asked them to tell me a little about what they enjoy. Many of the students mentioned things from America like the singer Gwen Stefani or the television show Full House. I find it really interesting to see which bits of American pop-culture are popular in Japan and which aren't.

For example, in my English club the students have all heard of Britney Spears, but they were not familiar with Justin Timberlake. Justin is another singer and he is incredibly popular in America (he also used to be Britney's boy-friend). Given this, I thought both of them might be known here in Japan. On the other hand, Hannah Montana and High School Musical both seem to be really popular with a lot of students. Just like they are in America! I wonder, are they on MTV here? (I think there is an MTV Japan, but I'm not sure. I just get the basic television channels here.) I have caught some "top of the charts" type shows on television and the American/English songs at the top seemed to include a lot of slower, pop and country ballad-type songs from the USA and elsewhere. I'm not sure if those types of songs are more popular overall or maybe just this week?

In America, we get some Japanese anime on television, but none of the regular television shows/dramas. Anime and manga are popular as well in America as well, but more with certain sub-groups. One group manga is particularly popular with is teenage girls. Girl's manga features a style of drawing and a type of story that just isn't found in most American comics. (Mainstream American comics traditionally feature story-lines that focus more on action and intrigue than emotion and relationship development.) As a result, Japanese manga publishers have found America to be a great market in which to sell their books.

I also wonder why certain types of pop-culture from one country succeed in another. Each kind seems to have its own particular reasons for connecting with an audience in a new country. I love to watch foreign movies and television or listen to music from other places because it gives me a little glimpse at what another culture enjoys listening to and talking about. As an American, I wonder, what do other places learn about me when my country's pop-culture makes it into theirs?

classes begin

This has been my first week of teaching here at Gotemba Minami High School. This lesson I taught about myself and where I'm from in America and talked about some of my favorite things. I also brought the students some of of my favorite food to taste: peanut butter and banana sandwiches. 

Have you ever heard of a peanut butter and banana sandwich? I taught at an English camp for Yoshiwara High School in August and the students there had never heard of them before. If you think it sounds really weird, that's okay! There are a some people in America who think that too. I love them though. So did Elvis, but he put all sorts of extra things on them. I prefer the simple version. Give it a try sometime! All you do is make a peanut butter sandwich, just like you were making peanut butter and jelly. Only, instead of jelly, you slice up some banana. 

If you try it, let me know what you think! Did you like it? Or do you think it tastes weird? (It's okay, I don't mind if you didn't like it.)

ようこそ日本！

みなさん、はじめまして！

My name is Katie and I am the new ALT at Gotemba Minami High School. I am from the United States in America. Before coming to  Japan I lived in Washington D.C. I have been in Washington D.C. for the past two years attending graduate school. I attended Georgetown University and studied communication. 

Living and teaching in Japan is a big adventure for me! I have never lived outside of the United States before. Actually, I have only left the country twice! Once, when I was younger I travelled to the United Kingdom. More recently, I traveled to Japan with my mother. In the summer of 2007 we were in Japan for ten days. I loved my time in Japan and I decided to try very hard to come back and work in Japan when I finished graduate school. It took some work, but here I am! 

I am very excited to be teaching English here. I hope I can help the students with their speaking skills and teach them more about America. I also hope that learning in my classes will be fun! 

For myself, I hope to learn as much as I can about Japan, to meet many people, and try many new things. I have just begun studying the language and my Japanese is still very poor. I hope that I will get better with practice. In the meantime, please be patient with me. 

Thank you for your time! どぞよろしくおねがいします