Archive for 2013

.二十ねんごのわたしのはなしをしましょう。。。
　わたしのうちはカリフォルニアのきたにあります。わたしのうちはすてきですがあまりおおきくありません。わたしはかいしゃいんです。わたしのつまはきれいです。そしてかしこいです。そしてふたりのげんきなこどもがいます。
　まいあさあさごはんをたべます。そしてしごとへいｋます。うちへかえります。それからこどもとやきゅうをします。

まえのしゅうまつ十三人の刺客（じゅうさんにんのしかく）をみました。とてもいいなえいがです。

This film was directed by Takashi Miike, and released in 2011. It follows the story of 13 assassins, mostly samurai, led by the noble Shinzaemon, played by Koji Yakusho, against the sadistic Lord Naritsugu, played by Goro Inagaki. Naritsugu is hell-bent on plunging the recovering Japan of the 1840s into a new age of violent feudalism, and it is up to Shinzaemon and his fearless band of warriors to stop him. 

The film masterfully displays the nature of feudal Japan, and gives a realistic depiction of the ways of the samurai, emphasizing the mandate for honor, and adherence to codes and tradition. The action is intense and the film culminates in a fight scene that is nothing short of spectacular. 

It is shot entirely in Japanese, and it seemed (although I can't be sure) that the script was written in an attempt to be more historically accurate with the dialogue, as opposed to modern Japanese. The speech was difficult to follow at this stage in my knowledge of the language, so I relied heavily on the subtitles. Nonetheless, the visuals are vivid and impressive, the plot is solid and engaging, and the fight scenes are visceral and riveting. I highly recommend this movie.

コロンビアだいがくはすてきなだいがくです。わたしのコースは現代文明とマクロけいざいと芸術人文科学と微積分と統計とにほんごです。こうしてわたしはたくさんしゅくだいがあります。

せんしゅうのきにようびのあさラングアジュラブへいきました。クラスはちょっとおもしろうです。ごご12じにやきゅうのれんしゅうへバスでいきました。れんしゅうはむずかしいですが、たのしいです。

I've always been somewhat interested in Japan and Japanese culture. One of the first memories I have of my interest came when I read the book, The Samurai's Tale, by Erik C. Haugaard in the 4th grade. Today, I'm interested in learning Japanese because I want to communicate effectively with Japanese-speaking people, here and overseas. I may want to work in Japan one day, also. I'm thinking of sticking with Japanese to satisfy the language requirement, so I'll be studying it for at least two years. The areas I've had the most difficulty with in the last few weeks is conversational Japanese, which really only can be practiced by speaking and listening, and not so much by reading and writing or memorizing vocabulary. This is also what I'm most excited to do- converse with friends.

はじめして。わたしはマーチンです。テキサスからきました。いまニューヨークにいます。コロンビアだいがくのにねんせいです。じゅきゅうさいです。どうぞよろしくおねがいします。