HOOSIERS TRIBUNE　on 4/4

フージャーズの皆様へ

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※※皆さんにお願い※※

最近、同姓のメンバーが増えています。出欠欄の記入は必ずフルネームで
お願いします。特に田中さん、渡辺さん、山下さん、中村さん、岡田さん、
濱田さん、山田さん、山本さんはフルネームで！


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こんばんは、デモらです。

大阪では24日、桜の開花宣言が出されました。3月もまもなく終わり季節はすっかり春！
のはずですが、寒い日が続いてますね。今年の花見には厚手のコートが欠かせないかも
しれません。

さて、今回のトピックは「日本」についてです。先日行われたWBCでは日本が見事優勝し、
試合がテレビ放映されたのは昼間であったにもかかわらず、視聴率は30%を超えたそうです。
日本の優勝を心から喜び、自分が日本人であることをあらためて自覚された方が
多いのではないでしょうか？

質問には「日本が好きですか？」という項目がありますが、本音はさておき、「大嫌い！」と
いうアプローチで考えてみるのも面白いかもしれません。


☆★☆　今回初めて参加される方へ　☆★☆


できれば、以下のトピックを印刷してお持ちください。

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

What's good about Japan?
By David Parmer
I have lived in Japan most of my adult life. Sometimes when I tell people this, they are surprised, even astonished. And I am
surprised at their surprise. Why is it more strange to live in Tokyo rather than in Barcelona, Buffalo or Birmingham?

I came here in the 1970s for the usual reasons. I was interested in "things Japanese": Japanese history and culture, Zen and martial
arts. I had a chance to train long and hard in the martial arts. Over the course of time I have made a life in Japan. Even today, I
often catch myself marveling about something Japanese, and I realize that after all these years I am still delighted by Japan.

Here are a few of the things that I like:

The seasons. Japanese people will tell you Japan has four seasons. Foreigners are often surprised by this since most countries have
four seasons. What I think Japanese people mean is that the seasons are observed in Japan. There are all kinds of seasonal markers,
like the kadomatsu at New Year's, the plum blossoms in February, the cherry trees in April, the sunflowers in summer and the susuki
in October.

Speaking of kadomatsu, my second favorite thing about Japan is Oshogatsu. In late December, people finish up their work for the
year, clean up their houses and then celebrate. It is a time of energy and excitement. For a week, the spirit of old Japan is here.
Everyone is given the chance for a fresh start, and the bonenkai is the party to forget the old year. Wonderful. Personally, though,
I prefer shinnenkai where people celebrate the beginning of a new year.

By nature, I am an orderly person, so my next favorite thing is the way things work smoothly in Japan. Schedules are made and things
go according to schedule. You buy a couch at a department store and they say that they will deliver it next Tuesday before noon. And
at 11:45 on Tuesday there is a knock at your door and your couch is there. Showing up on time and doing what is promised is not the
exception in Japan; it is the rule. And I appreciate it.

I also value the transportation system in Japan. I haven't owned a car for 30 years, and haven't needed one. I can get anywhere in
Japan by well-maintained and modern trains. Also, the trains run on time. The 9:07 Shinkansen from Tokyo station leaves at 9:07, not
9:08 or 9:09. What about rush hour? Well, rush hour is rush hour. All cities have a rush hour, but the Japanese transportation
system manages to move millions of people daily in an efficient manner.

And finally, I like the way Japan is clean. Once you arrive at Narita, you can see this. Come from any industrialized country to
Japan and you will see the difference: clean streets, clean buildings, clean trains. I wonder if Japanese people take this for
granted; I certainly don't.

Are there some frustrating things about living in Japan? Certainly. But I think each particular place has its pluses and minuses.
And one has to balance them. I have done the balancing with Japan, and I am very happy to be here.


Q1. Do you like our country, Japan? Why or why not?

日本が好きですか？なぜですか？

Q2. Are you happy with being Japanese?

日本人に生まれて幸せですか？

Q3. What are good and bad points of Japan?

日本のいいところと悪いところはどこですか？

Q4. If you have a chance to move, where in Japan would you like to live?

引っ越すとしたら、日本のどこに住みたいですか？

Q5. Some say it is dangerous to love Japan because it will lead to ultranationalism. What do you think of this idea?

国粋主義に結びつくので日本を愛するということは危険だ、という人もいます。この考えをどう思いますか？

adult life成人期　are surprised, even astonished意外に思い、驚きさえするBarcelona, Buffalo or Birminghamバルセロナ（スペイン南部）、バッファロー（米国北西部）やバーミンガム（英国中部）usual reasonsありきたりの理由things Japanese日本的なるものmartial arts武術train訓練するOver the course of
timeそうこうするうちに
have made a life生活の拠点を置いたcatch myself marveling about 〜自分が〜について驚いているのに気付くafter all these years長い年月を経てみても（am）delighted by 〜〜に喜んでいるare observed慣習に従って行事が行なわれるseasonal markers季節を特徴付けるものplum blossoms梅の花cherry
trees桜の木sunflowersヒマワリBy nature生来orderlyきちょうめんなaccording to 〜〜に基づいてcoachソファShowing up on time時間どおりに現れることexception例外appreciate 〜〜をありがたく思うtransportation system交通システムwell-maintained整備の行き届いたmanages to 〜何とか〜するin an
efficient manner効率的なやり方でCome from 〜 and 〜〜から来てみなさい、そうすれば〜wonder if 〜〜なのだろうかtake 〜 for granted〜を当たり前と思うCertainly.もちろんあるでしょうpluses and minuses長所と短所