[culture notes] Ohitorisama Episode 6
Ohitorisama, episode six! Culture notes :DD
toudai*; toudai is short for toukyou daigaku, which means Tokyo University. many of the colleges are abbreviated in similar ways. Toudai is considered the most prestigious college in Japan, and has been called "the Yale" or "the Harvard" of Japan.
cram school*; in Japanese, it's known as "juku". In Japan, because students work extremely hard to prepare for entrance exams, there is an afterschool-type school that is called "cram school". Basically, these schools serve as a supplementary to courses already being taken at school as well as a way to further one's own studies. If anyone knows Kumon, it's sort of like that. Depending on how good the cram school is, there's a certain tuition the parents have to pay for the classes. When I was in Japan, while I went and played around with the other clubs such as judou and rugby, my host sister went to juku classes in order to refine her studies. For further reading concerning juku in Japan, I've provided a link ^^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juku
aten-hut! bow*; literally, what is said is "ki wo tsukete. rei." ki wo tsukete means "be careful". To be honest, I have no idea why that translates to "aten-hut", but basically when they say ki wo tsukete in that form, it's sort of like everyone stands up straight and possibly in a straight line (or they stay next to their desks). the second part makes sense, though, since rei means "bow".In Japan, at the beginning/end of classes (in homeroom) or during club practices (volleyball, basketball, etc all those sports are clubs, not teams, in Japan), it is customary for the student body to do the following: 1) stand up straight, 2) bow, and 3) say a common phrase together. In the morning, it might be "ohayo gozaimasu (good morning)" or after classes it might be "arigatou gozaimasu". This is an important gesture of respect and gratitude towards a teacher or coach.
klesa*; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kle%C5%9B%C4%81
toudai*; toudai is short for toukyou daigaku, which means Tokyo University. many of the colleges are abbreviated in similar ways. Toudai is considered the most prestigious college in Japan, and has been called "the Yale" or "the Harvard" of Japan.
cram school*; in Japanese, it's known as "juku". In Japan, because students work extremely hard to prepare for entrance exams, there is an afterschool-type school that is called "cram school". Basically, these schools serve as a supplementary to courses already being taken at school as well as a way to further one's own studies. If anyone knows Kumon, it's sort of like that. Depending on how good the cram school is, there's a certain tuition the parents have to pay for the classes. When I was in Japan, while I went and played around with the other clubs such as judou and rugby, my host sister went to juku classes in order to refine her studies. For further reading concerning juku in Japan, I've provided a link ^^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juku
aten-hut! bow*; literally, what is said is "ki wo tsukete. rei." ki wo tsukete means "be careful". To be honest, I have no idea why that translates to "aten-hut", but basically when they say ki wo tsukete in that form, it's sort of like everyone stands up straight and possibly in a straight line (or they stay next to their desks). the second part makes sense, though, since rei means "bow".In Japan, at the beginning/end of classes (in homeroom) or during club practices (volleyball, basketball, etc all those sports are clubs, not teams, in Japan), it is customary for the student body to do the following: 1) stand up straight, 2) bow, and 3) say a common phrase together. In the morning, it might be "ohayo gozaimasu (good morning)" or after classes it might be "arigatou gozaimasu". This is an important gesture of respect and gratitude towards a teacher or coach.
klesa*; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kle%C5%9B%C4%81