MEETING MY PEN FRIENDS

Tutor. William Fernando Zarate Velasquez

University Corporation God's Minute

English II
NRC: 2872
Leidy Daniela Guzman Martinez
ID: 763076
B GROUP
2023.
 Student B: Japanese
1. What's your name? where are you from

Hello, My name is Akira, I am from Japan, and I live in the city of Tokyo.

2. What tourist place have you visited in your country?

I have visited Naoshima , a small island in the inland sea, famous for its many modern art
museums, architecture, and sculptures. I have seen Osaka castle, Arashiyama bamboo
forest Bambu Grove and the Shukkein Garden , appreciating its beautiful paths that cross
ponds, bridges and waterfalls that will make you forget for moments the outside world.

3. What kind of misstep, (rules and cultural traditions), do foreigners consider?,

should you take your country into account when visiting your country? Name
3.

Japanese culture is very rich and different from the rest of Asia and the world in its
gastronomy, cinema and literature among others.
We Japanese are organized, disciplined and respectful people.
The puntuality; Being punctual is one of the Japanese customs, arriving late for an
appointment is considered a lack of respect towards the other person.

There is no garbage on the street; Not throwing garbage in the street is a respectful
custom that is learned from school. It is rare to walk through the streets of Japan and
see traces of garbage on the ground, since cleanliness is one of its unbreakable rules.

Recycling; In Japanese homes they have separate containers for paper, plastic, and
organic waste . In addition to this, there are established schedules for throwing away
each waste.

Tip; surely in other countries it is common to leave a tip in places of consumption,

in Japan they do not see it favorably, because they consider that their duty is to treat
the client as well as possible, in fact, if you try, they may take it as an offense.

Calling someone by their last name is a sign of respect, for the Japanese, referring to
a person by their name is only accepted if there is a lot of trust or friendship.

Take off your shoes to enter the house; Leaving your shoes when entering the house
is one of the oldest and most ingrained Japanese customs in all homes. In fact ,
many houses have a kind of drawer at the main entrance to leave the shoes when
entering.
 4. How do they celebrate important dates (such as Christmas, Halloween) last
year in your country, please provide as much detail as possible and use the past
simple structure, noun 2 ?

HALLOWEEN
In nightclubs, theme parks, bars, and street parties across Japan, people dress up in
all kinds of Halloween costumes, ranging from the cutest and most endearing to the
most terrifying.

Classic costumes of witches, wizards, demons and black cats are typical, although
participants also dress up as their favorite characters from video games, television
shows and movies such as Pikachu , Darth Vader or Mario Bross.

In Ikebukuro , a major center for Japan's anime culture, everyone dresses up as

manga or anime characters, rather than monsters and ghosts.

There is an annual Halloween parade in Roppongi Hills that always turns into one
big street party. Another of the best parties is in Shibuya (Tokyo) where Scramble
Crossing and Center Gai are closed to traffic and the party continues until the wee
hours of the morning.

Although people don't trick or treat, you can find plenty of sweet things to eat on
Halloween. Carving orange pumpkins is a tradition that the Japanese have embraced
with open arms.

There is also a range of limited edition products that are on sale around Halloween.
Restaurants and bakeries also serve specialty orange, black, green, and purple
desserts, which are a huge hit.

On Halloween, Japanese trains transform. Normally, they are quiet places, but on
Halloween they become one of the craziest and most modern places to celebrate this
event.

CHRISTMAS
In Japan, Christmas is to celebrate with your partner, with your friends, meetings,
dinners and lots of parties. But in the New Year it is considered a home celebration,
ideal to gather all the members of the family, go to the temple and welcome the
New Year with traditional food and drinks.

Christmas Eve in Japan is considered the most romantic time of the year. It is the
version Japanese Valentine.
 Japanese Christmas cake is sold practically on every street. This dessert is light and
fluffy, with chantilly cream and topped with perfectly cut natural strawberries.

Every Christmas it is estimated that more than 3.6 million Japanese families
purchase their festive menu at the American chain Kentucky Fried Chicken . This
tradition is sacred and is considered the greatest Christmas representation in the
country.

Demand is so high that people start ordering the menus six weeks in advance, and
the queue on Christmas Day to pick up the order can last for hours. Simply put,
Christmas is not complete without a visit to Colonel Sanders.

At Tokyo Disneyland, both local and international guests will be able to enjoy the
“Christmas Fantasy ” event, whose theme refers to the protagonists of their stories
in an atmosphere of Christmas festivity.

This event offers attendees a Christmas, in true Disney style, loaded with fireworks,
special merchandising items , a special menu and gift candies and sweets. Tokyo
Disney is a fantastic place for families with children celebrating Christmas in Japan.

5. How long have you been learning English?

Does about a year

6. What activities have you done to learn English?

I have seen programs in English, with the courses and modules offered by
the university have helped me to understand.
I listen to music in English.
I have taken some extra courses.

7. Why do you need to learn English?

I think it is a very useful tool to make progress both professionally and personally.
It is nice to be able to learn about other customs and other cultures and I can do this
through speaking English, and I know that learning this language can open many
other doors for me to achieve the quality of life that I long for.