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コメント(15)
Well, I will go first as the host of this community:
I moved to California to study filmmaking right after graduating from high school in Japan. Graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with BA in World Arts & Cultures, which is a multi-discipinary major with 7 majors in arts combined. Film/Theater, music, dance, fine arts, etc.
After college, I started making films as an independent and gradually that led to creating my own production company.
Moved to NY and from then on, I never looked back. I've done lots of things in all areas of entertainment industry --- Looking back my study at UCLA really helped my career.
Now, most of my day is spent at Sesame Workshop in New York, where I produce Japanese version of Sesame Street. I have my own company called Greeting Cats that produces intellectual properties like films and music and manage them to expand their business potential.
I come to Tokyo a lot on business, nowadays mostly for Sesame Street. I never lived in Tokyo, so I feel like a gaijin there, not knowing anything, anywhere ... subway system scares me. I can't live without vending machines now and now hooked with "Afternoon Tea, Royal Tea."
To be continued...
I moved to California to study filmmaking right after graduating from high school in Japan. Graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with BA in World Arts & Cultures, which is a multi-discipinary major with 7 majors in arts combined. Film/Theater, music, dance, fine arts, etc.
After college, I started making films as an independent and gradually that led to creating my own production company.
Moved to NY and from then on, I never looked back. I've done lots of things in all areas of entertainment industry --- Looking back my study at UCLA really helped my career.
Now, most of my day is spent at Sesame Workshop in New York, where I produce Japanese version of Sesame Street. I have my own company called Greeting Cats that produces intellectual properties like films and music and manage them to expand their business potential.
I come to Tokyo a lot on business, nowadays mostly for Sesame Street. I never lived in Tokyo, so I feel like a gaijin there, not knowing anything, anywhere ... subway system scares me. I can't live without vending machines now and now hooked with "Afternoon Tea, Royal Tea."
To be continued...
Hello Tomato-An-san,
Great to hear from you. Kids brain is a mysterious thing. While there are lots of academic arguments about how to introduce 2nd language in kid's life and many argue that 2nd language can confuse kids and delay their language development skills, I have seen many parents and teachers who do the opposite and their kids being perfectly normal, if nor better at it than other kids. It is hard to say.
What do you think?
The point is how well WE are prepared when there is a clear need for kids to be prepared for international awareness.
I hope many parents and teachers will join this community to talk about this.
Great to hear from you. Kids brain is a mysterious thing. While there are lots of academic arguments about how to introduce 2nd language in kid's life and many argue that 2nd language can confuse kids and delay their language development skills, I have seen many parents and teachers who do the opposite and their kids being perfectly normal, if nor better at it than other kids. It is hard to say.
What do you think?
The point is how well WE are prepared when there is a clear need for kids to be prepared for international awareness.
I hope many parents and teachers will join this community to talk about this.
Hello everyone,
I am a mother of a 11-months-old boy who is going to grow up as a simultaneous bilingual of Japanese and English. I am a native speaker of Japanese, and his father is a native speaker of American English.
I do hear that children who have been growing up while acquiring mutiple languages tend to have a late start, but it is understandable, since thay have to deal with mutiple sets of information (e.g. phonology, syntax, etc.) for each language. However, this language delay should not be interpreted as a language disorder. Some parents are very concerned about their child's language development, and sometimes the child could be misdiagnosed as having a disorder by an SLP who does not have a good understanding of bilinguals' language acquisition. I think that a case like this has been decreasing as the U.S. faces the muticulturalness of its own, and also most of the SLPs are (supposed to be) well trained on this issue lately.
Since we are living in the U.S., I am not so concerned about my son's English acquisition so much, but I am somewhat concerned about the maintenance of his Japanese. It will be great if someone who has gone through the similar situation could share his/her experience with us.
....Why am I already worrying about the "maintenance" of his Japanese, while he doesn't speak a word of any language?? I guess I am a conscientious and uptight new parent after all.
I am a mother of a 11-months-old boy who is going to grow up as a simultaneous bilingual of Japanese and English. I am a native speaker of Japanese, and his father is a native speaker of American English.
I do hear that children who have been growing up while acquiring mutiple languages tend to have a late start, but it is understandable, since thay have to deal with mutiple sets of information (e.g. phonology, syntax, etc.) for each language. However, this language delay should not be interpreted as a language disorder. Some parents are very concerned about their child's language development, and sometimes the child could be misdiagnosed as having a disorder by an SLP who does not have a good understanding of bilinguals' language acquisition. I think that a case like this has been decreasing as the U.S. faces the muticulturalness of its own, and also most of the SLPs are (supposed to be) well trained on this issue lately.
Since we are living in the U.S., I am not so concerned about my son's English acquisition so much, but I am somewhat concerned about the maintenance of his Japanese. It will be great if someone who has gone through the similar situation could share his/her experience with us.
....Why am I already worrying about the "maintenance" of his Japanese, while he doesn't speak a word of any language?? I guess I am a conscientious and uptight new parent after all.
To agu2005-san's point, my son who is now 10 had been diagnosed as semi-langauge disoreded child by City of New York ... what it is that he was failing in his general spelling, understanding articles, etc., while he is actually more English sufficient than Japanese.
His Japanese skill is waaaaaayyyy behind. But, with a few years after that, he caught up with his reading skills but not much spellling due to partly the fact that his school does not teach spelling per se until 5th grade. No phonics either.
His school happens to be one of these experimental school with more social study based approach. Anyways, I would not worry too much about delay in language but will be very careful about maintaining Japanese, especially when you are living in the states and your spouse is non-Japanese person.
Also, I would choose the kind of school the child attend based on your altimate goal. The kind of school my child attend is probably not good for bilingal children to grow in. But, the school teaches something differet from others that I am trying to believe will benefit him in different ways later on his life.
His Japanese skill is waaaaaayyyy behind. But, with a few years after that, he caught up with his reading skills but not much spellling due to partly the fact that his school does not teach spelling per se until 5th grade. No phonics either.
His school happens to be one of these experimental school with more social study based approach. Anyways, I would not worry too much about delay in language but will be very careful about maintaining Japanese, especially when you are living in the states and your spouse is non-Japanese person.
Also, I would choose the kind of school the child attend based on your altimate goal. The kind of school my child attend is probably not good for bilingal children to grow in. But, the school teaches something differet from others that I am trying to believe will benefit him in different ways later on his life.
October in New York is the begining of Middle School tours. Parents and kids in elementary school go visit middle schools that they are thinking of applying. In December, the elementary school gathers everyone's application forms and submit to Board of Education for first review. Then, each school will contanct the parents in January or February for additional test. The final result will be announced in May or June of next year, a few monthis before the school begins.
To Japanese parents, this process seems very unorganized and there are lots of parents panicking ... including me!
By the way, I am a little discouraged that noone is writing in this topic in English!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To Japanese parents, this process seems very unorganized and there are lots of parents panicking ... including me!
By the way, I am a little discouraged that noone is writing in this topic in English!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GreCa(?)-san,
Thank you very much for your response. Sorry for this belated reply. I really appreciate that you share your own experience with us. It is very generous of you.
Good luck with your school search. I cross my fingers for you. (May the force be with you??)
By the way, I really liked the "Pacman music." It is somewhat reminiscent of RPG "Mother" series which I have just finished playing the 3rd one lately. Maybe because of the sound quality and the rhythm?
Thank you very much for your response. Sorry for this belated reply. I really appreciate that you share your own experience with us. It is very generous of you.
Good luck with your school search. I cross my fingers for you. (May the force be with you??)
By the way, I really liked the "Pacman music." It is somewhat reminiscent of RPG "Mother" series which I have just finished playing the 3rd one lately. Maybe because of the sound quality and the rhythm?
Oh.. the Pac-Man music... Thanks for listening! It has some history to it. I was producing a music vide for a Japanese pop group, Judy & Mary before they broke up. The shoot took place in a game arcade and we found Pac-Man antique coffee table game. We used it to shoot a few scenes and Pac-Man was all over the video. So, we had to get a legal permission to use Pac-Man images in the background. We did and the video was complete. Several years later, the person I got the permission from called me out of nowhere and we met in New York. We were just talking and then he told me that Pac-Man was getting to be 25 years old in America.
That's where this Pac-Man music project began. We thought it would be cool to make music .. like a birthday song, for Pac-Man's 25th Aniversary. The song, Pac-Man Jam, was born and we kept making more.
I am planning to make songs until Pac-Man is 30 yeras old.
We made a video too with the artist, Ben Jones, but later it was banned by the game company for its being too wild.
I am showing it time to time though. It is a peice of art work.
Maybe, I will leak an information on Mixi so that Japanese fans can see it sometime.
Here are some screenshots from the BANNED PAC-MAN JAM VIDEO.
That's where this Pac-Man music project began. We thought it would be cool to make music .. like a birthday song, for Pac-Man's 25th Aniversary. The song, Pac-Man Jam, was born and we kept making more.
I am planning to make songs until Pac-Man is 30 yeras old.
We made a video too with the artist, Ben Jones, but later it was banned by the game company for its being too wild.
I am showing it time to time though. It is a peice of art work.
Maybe, I will leak an information on Mixi so that Japanese fans can see it sometime.
Here are some screenshots from the BANNED PAC-MAN JAM VIDEO.
OHHHHHHHHH!! You produced a music video for Judy and Mary!! Lucky you!! I was a big fan of Judy and Mary! YUKI-chan is my role model. Oops, sorry.. This community is not a place to talk about YUKI. ...Anyways, I'm very happy to be able to know what you do.
Yea. I also think it's really cool to make Pac-Man's 25th birthday song!! I'm 27, and nobody has made me a song till now!! Pac-Man!! you're a lucky little yellow thing...
Well, I look forward to hearing another secret information of your work!! Oh, I also love to hear about you and your son's life in NY.
Good luck!!
Yea. I also think it's really cool to make Pac-Man's 25th birthday song!! I'm 27, and nobody has made me a song till now!! Pac-Man!! you're a lucky little yellow thing...
Well, I look forward to hearing another secret information of your work!! Oh, I also love to hear about you and your son's life in NY.
Good luck!!
More secrets ... not really secrets. For Japan, I produced music videos for Masaharu Fukuyama, Anri, Kubota Toshinobu, and bunch of other not-so famous geinoujin.
Lately, because of my involvement with Sesame Street, I tend to do more long term projects of international nature.
Pac-Man is great --- it's another way to meet cool artists whom I would have never met without Pac-Man.
Lately, because of my involvement with Sesame Street, I tend to do more long term projects of international nature.
Pac-Man is great --- it's another way to meet cool artists whom I would have never met without Pac-Man.
On every Saturday, my 10 year old son goes to a Japanese school in Manhattan. Today was no different, except for there was a parents conferece with the teacher.
My son gets 100-ten almost every week on their weekly Kanji-test but he almost ever time fails at the end of semester test.
We know why --- he studies really hard to memorize Kanjis for the week and never use them in his daily life so by the time the end of the semester comes around, he will have forgotten everything.
Thinking of the opposite situation where kids learning English in Japan struggles because there aren't enough opportunities to use the English learned in schools.
There got to be better ways for all of us who are trying to raise our kids as bilinguals to learn and maintain the languages we study....
hmmmm.
My son gets 100-ten almost every week on their weekly Kanji-test but he almost ever time fails at the end of semester test.
We know why --- he studies really hard to memorize Kanjis for the week and never use them in his daily life so by the time the end of the semester comes around, he will have forgotten everything.
Thinking of the opposite situation where kids learning English in Japan struggles because there aren't enough opportunities to use the English learned in schools.
There got to be better ways for all of us who are trying to raise our kids as bilinguals to learn and maintain the languages we study....
hmmmm.
A language skill gets rusty very quickly if it is not used on a daily basis. Even if we want our child to become a bilingual, if the child doesn't see the "need" of the language, s/he will not acquire it well.
There are so many language learning materials for kids, such as Disney series and so forth, but they are not going to be useful if viewers (children) are not interested in them.
I don't know for other people, but it is very easy for me to shut English out. If I don't pay attention to it, it will almost instantaneously become a background noise, whereas Japanese invades my consciousness no matter how hard I try to get rid of it. I cannot turn Japanese off. If this is also the case for most people, then I would imagine that this might also be the case for young language learners. In other words, those videos can be the source of "unintelligible sounds" that are accompanied by fun imageries. But if there is someone (close caregiver, like a parent) who can help a child to realize that those "gibberish" actually means something, then the learning language with those DVDs might be helpful.
Sorry for digression. I was originally planning to comment on GreCa-san's son's situation, but I just happened to meet a Japanese grandparent who purchsed multiple sets of English educational videos for her grandchild based on the hope that he would become a bilingual. I just used this opportunity to express my doubt and thoughts on this issue.
There are so many language learning materials for kids, such as Disney series and so forth, but they are not going to be useful if viewers (children) are not interested in them.
I don't know for other people, but it is very easy for me to shut English out. If I don't pay attention to it, it will almost instantaneously become a background noise, whereas Japanese invades my consciousness no matter how hard I try to get rid of it. I cannot turn Japanese off. If this is also the case for most people, then I would imagine that this might also be the case for young language learners. In other words, those videos can be the source of "unintelligible sounds" that are accompanied by fun imageries. But if there is someone (close caregiver, like a parent) who can help a child to realize that those "gibberish" actually means something, then the learning language with those DVDs might be helpful.
Sorry for digression. I was originally planning to comment on GreCa-san's son's situation, but I just happened to meet a Japanese grandparent who purchsed multiple sets of English educational videos for her grandchild based on the hope that he would become a bilingual. I just used this opportunity to express my doubt and thoughts on this issue.
Wow. Fukuyama!! I like him just like other women in Japan!!
Well, many Japanese or Japanese-American kids go to Japanese schools on Saturdays, huh? I know many people who go there and learn Japanese. Most of them forget Kanjis when they grow up.
Like you say, they study Kanjis really hard when they have tests, and never use them..... and forget!!
You speak English fluently. That's because not only living in NY, but also using English in your daily life. You know, I know a lot of Japanese living in America more than ten years but can't speak English much. They depend on their children for their language support, and never use English in their life.
I agree with your opinion. Kids in Japan don't have enough opportunities to use English.
If you live in the countryside like where I live, and want to learn English, you're gonna have to spend a lot of money.
After coming back from CA, I didn't have much opportunities to use English. It may sound strange. I teach English, and I'm saying I don't have opportunities to use English. Well, but that's the truth.
I've digressed a little so far....
It's really difficult to tell my thoughts in English, so I'm kindda afraid to write or say my thoughts in English in public places like here. But now I think I have to use English to improve my English as a mom trying to raise my daughter as a bilingual, and also as an English teacher... You know, I always tell my students "Don't afraid to make mistakes!! Throw away SHY!!" But I was the one who haven't practied them.
You encouraged me to do that!
Using launguages is the only way to learn languages. So let's find better ways to make good environment to raise our kids as bilinguals!!
Well, many Japanese or Japanese-American kids go to Japanese schools on Saturdays, huh? I know many people who go there and learn Japanese. Most of them forget Kanjis when they grow up.
Like you say, they study Kanjis really hard when they have tests, and never use them..... and forget!!
You speak English fluently. That's because not only living in NY, but also using English in your daily life. You know, I know a lot of Japanese living in America more than ten years but can't speak English much. They depend on their children for their language support, and never use English in their life.
I agree with your opinion. Kids in Japan don't have enough opportunities to use English.
If you live in the countryside like where I live, and want to learn English, you're gonna have to spend a lot of money.
After coming back from CA, I didn't have much opportunities to use English. It may sound strange. I teach English, and I'm saying I don't have opportunities to use English. Well, but that's the truth.
I've digressed a little so far....
It's really difficult to tell my thoughts in English, so I'm kindda afraid to write or say my thoughts in English in public places like here. But now I think I have to use English to improve my English as a mom trying to raise my daughter as a bilingual, and also as an English teacher... You know, I always tell my students "Don't afraid to make mistakes!! Throw away SHY!!" But I was the one who haven't practied them.
You encouraged me to do that!
Using launguages is the only way to learn languages. So let's find better ways to make good environment to raise our kids as bilinguals!!
Aguu2005-san, thank you so much for your sharing your thoughts on "packaged English teaching DVD set". It has been the biggest topic at Sesame Street where I work. We have been receiving quite an interest from parents and business people if we are going to do more of English teaching stuff with the show and video.
I shared your comments with my coleague. I sincerely appriciate comments from parents and teachers about learning/teaching materials they use.
REI-san, just to tell you ... Fukuyama-san is really a nice guy, very relaxed and approachable, not like many other celebrities I worked with.
About not being shy about speaking/writing English, I agree that most times adults are more shy than kids.
In my business, I have to make lots of presentations in front of many people using both English and Japanese. I get really nervous. I think it has also something to with being Japanese. We are not used to speak up, and explain things logically.
My son's school teaches the logical writing and uses computers to research and write essays. You need to be very organized to do this. In middle school, they will learn how to use Microsoft Words, Excel, and Power Points to make class presentations. Now, they also use basic movie editing software as well as digital photo editing software to tweak visual images. They draw cartoons with characters they developed. Very fun, and it is not what I grew up with.
I think that English being a sort of univeral language in these areas, these kids will be very "useful" with these skills already mastered and can enter global environment.
I hope that the kids in Japan have the same open approaches.
I shared your comments with my coleague. I sincerely appriciate comments from parents and teachers about learning/teaching materials they use.
REI-san, just to tell you ... Fukuyama-san is really a nice guy, very relaxed and approachable, not like many other celebrities I worked with.
About not being shy about speaking/writing English, I agree that most times adults are more shy than kids.
In my business, I have to make lots of presentations in front of many people using both English and Japanese. I get really nervous. I think it has also something to with being Japanese. We are not used to speak up, and explain things logically.
My son's school teaches the logical writing and uses computers to research and write essays. You need to be very organized to do this. In middle school, they will learn how to use Microsoft Words, Excel, and Power Points to make class presentations. Now, they also use basic movie editing software as well as digital photo editing software to tweak visual images. They draw cartoons with characters they developed. Very fun, and it is not what I grew up with.
I think that English being a sort of univeral language in these areas, these kids will be very "useful" with these skills already mastered and can enter global environment.
I hope that the kids in Japan have the same open approaches.
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