Let's do reading Japanese students' work!

This week the students have been sitting mid-term examinations, so I have hardly had to do any work. However, on Wednesday I had a 2nd year class. As they were the only 2nd years I would teach for the week, I set them a task which was separate from the textbook.

Inspired by a conversation with Dad, I compiled six questions about Japanese culture. I then structured the questions into an "email" from Dad. So here are some of my picks (I have 43 students in the class, I wouldn't list all of their responses!!!!)... I have not edited any of their responses, this is exactly how they wrote...

A short greeting:

• "Dear April Foolish, I answer the question" I have no idea where April Foolish comes from...
  
• "Dear the man who is suiting eyeglass"
• "Dear Good Father!!" Must have done something right!
• "Dear The my second Dad"
• "Hello, I'm deeply indebted to her. Beauce Suzi teacher teach English kindness. I love Suzi teacher"
• "Hello, I'm Nodoka Ando. Suzi teach us every week. Suzi is very pretty, and you are more! So, I will answer your questions" Ummmm, Dad is more pretty than I am? Should I feel good about that?

Question One: Why are Japanese toilets so primitive? I don't understand why you must squat on the toilet.

• "Because Japanese people could live primitive life. Do you can image that Samurai man is sitting on water toilet?"
• "Because Japanese people has short legs. So we can't sit on the toilet"
• "Because it is good for health. That stance act as a stimulus bowel, and you can see your excrement clearly. If it was western-style toilet, it have sinked"
• Japanese style toilets is very useful. The style is easy to put our power into relieving ourself. But this style have a big problem. A little child may be difficult to relieve. As a result Japan have a potty that type of duck. When you try Japanese toilets, you may be good if you use potty."
• "Oh! It's very difficult question! I think it is easy to strain yourself when you go to toilet. But, you know? In addition, the old Japanese has more old-fashioned toilet, it called "botton". "Botton" means bottomless. In order to the name, "botton" is bottomless, so sometimes people fall into their excrement. Please imagine the scene. What horrible things!!"
  

Question Two: Why are Japanese bathtubs square? I am very tall, and I don't think I could fit in the bathtub!

• "I think, Japanese people like narrow place"

Question Three: Why do Japanese people make the peace sign when they have a photo taken?

• "It is not peace sign. I think its scissors. Japanese people plays the game of "rock-paper-scissors". They like to use scissors. Why?... I don't know!"
• When we take a photo, we say "Is one plus one?" The people who have a photo taken say "Ni". And they smile. "Ni" means "two" in English. So they make peace sign."
• "Japanese love peace. Now Japan is peaceful. I want to have top of Chinese seeing that."

Question Four: Why are ATMs only open until 9pm?

• "Because in the ATM, it is said to be ghost after nine. His or her name is "money-man" or "money-woman". I have seen them twice in the ATM, when they said "I'll go to Australia. How about you?" So next month they'll go to Australia. Please enjoy to see them"
• "I think that money want to sleep. So Japanese people over works them. Poor soul, they are tired surely. Please give them rest in your country like Japan!"
• "Peope need to eat. Do you have dinner, don't you? The machine have as you as dinner time! The time is 9pm!?"

Question Five: What is natto, and why do Japanese people like to eat natto?

• "Natto is what soybeans are gone off. I don't like it when I was a little child, too."
• "Natto is a kind of rotten soybeans. That is smell bad. Though I am Japanese, I don't like "rotten soybeans". So I can't understand why do they like to eat natto. I'll advice you to wearing mask when you eat Natto. It only taste good..."
• "Natto is rotten beans. But it is very delicious!! Natto is sticky and offensive. The smell is... for example, a shoes which you didn't clean for a long time. But taste in nice. That's wonderful!! Japanese like a smell nasty food!!"
• "Natto is strange food which give us brain wash. Actually, we don't think natto is delicious. But our parents said that natto is delisious to us again and again. And we eat natto and like it without notice. So we are given a brain wash. Then why our parents said that to us otherwise natto isn't delicious?"

Question Six: Why do students fall asleep in class?

• "I think that the teacher's voice is as if sleep song!? Or the voice makes the students relax?!"
• "Because we are all friends"
• "They are studying in their dreams. And they are not sleeping. They make pretense to sleep. If teacher say, "Get up, Tom!" Tom says "I sit up, teacher"
• "I understand that to sleep in class is bad. But while I don't know myself, I sleep. Because I sit up late at night, the next day I am too asleep. In brief, it is unconscious."

Short Ending:

• "Do you undestanding? You may have not understanded, Because I'm very good at witings in English." I think she meant "I am not very good..." Japanese students never talk themselves up, especially when it comes to English!
• "Hi! Suzi's dad. I'm this highschool student. Suzi is very beautiful. We love Suzi as you. She is great teacher. What I like most is her smile."
• "I'm sorry. I wrote an incomprehensible exaplanation."
• "Do you understand? Japanese people has a strange culture."
• "If you come to Japan, you are surprized at being sold so many. It is danger zone. Please you are careful there."