【質疑応答の内容】 (受付を済ませると大部屋の待合室に案内され、そこから順次試験室前にある椅子に移動させられる) B: Please come in. (試験室前の椅子に座って待機していると、試験官Bが呼込みに来た。) Put your bag and belongings on the table there and have a seat, please. (部屋に入ったあとで) Thank you very much.(試験官Bに向かって)Good morning! (最初から、明るくフレンドリーなところをアピールしようと考えていたので、試験官Aに向かって笑顔で挨拶する。) A: Hi, good morning! B: May I have your name? And please tell us where you are from and where you live now.(予想どおりの始まりだなと思いました) My name is ....... I'm originally from Osaka Prefecture and now I live in Fukuoka City.(落ち着いて回答) A: How did you get here today? I walked to come here. A: Wow! You walked to come here?(驚いた様子) Yes. It is only 20 minutes’ walk. It is environmentally-friendly, too.(近くに住んでいることで歩いてくる理由を分かってもらい、環境にやさしいと言って笑いを取ろうとする) A: Yes, yes.(近くに住んでいることが分かり、歩いてきた理由に納得した様子。環境にやさしいと言う部分で両試験官とも笑い。和やかなムードに。作戦成功!!) A: I'm going to ask you some questions from now on. Yes, please. A: First, please tell me about some features of Japan’s land area.(確かこのような質問をしてきたが、厳密な英語がイマイチ聞き取りにくかった。日本の地理について聞いていると思ったが、念のため次のように確認する) Are you asking me about Japan's geography? A: Yes. (想定した質問であることがわかりホッとして回答) Japan is a mountainous island country consisting of four major islands and more than 3,000 smaller islands. The size of its land is a little bit smaller than that of the state of California in the U.S. (少し短いかなと思ったが、他にすぐに頭に思い浮かばなかったので、深入りしてつまるよりは安全策を取った方がいいと思い、ここでやめる。他にも「火山が多い」「地震が多い」なども言ってもよかったかなと、今にしてみれば思う) A: What do you think of the recent financial crisis worldwide? (出るかもしれないな、と思っていた質問だったので少し安心) I think it is a serious situation for Japan. Because the Japanese economy has been depending greatly on export to the U.S, the recent shrink of the U.S. consumer spending will be quite influential to the Japanese economy.(概ね事前に準備していた通りに回答) A: How about its influence on tourism?(先週、円高が急激に進んだことの観光業への影響を聞きたいのかと思い、以下のように回答) Last week yen appreciated, and a stronger yen will have a negative impact on foreign visitors coming to Japan. It is because, if yen is appreciated, it will cost them more to visit Japan. (順調順調) A: I'm curious about the tea ceremony. Could you tell me about it.(少し意外な質問であったが、持っている知識を駆使して以下のように回答)The tea ceremony began at the end of the Kamakura period. It is not simply drinking tea. There are many rules and rituals regarding how tea is served to a guest and how the served tea is drunken from a bowl. Guests invited to the tea ceremony must follow these rules.(まあまあ、うまくまとめられたかな) A: I see. I want to see cherry blossoms in Japan. When and where can I see cherry blossoms? The time when cherry blossoms are at their best begins at the end of March and ends at the beginning of April. Cherry trees can be found all over Japan. If you stay in Kyushu Island, you should visit Kumamoto Castle. It is one of the best places to view cherry blossoms because there are many cherry trees around the castle.(「桜はどこでも見られる」だけでは少し不親切と思い、どこか具体の場所をと考え、とっさに浮かんだのは熊本城。本当に桜の名所かどうかはわからないが、とりあえず桜の名所にでっち上げて回答) A: Oh, really. Next, what is Shichi-go-san? It is one of Japan's traditional customs. People dress their children up in a Japanese kimono or in their best dress and take them to a local shrine to pray for their health and happiness. Children who reach the ages of 3, 5 and 7 are celebrated in this custom.(準備していた質問であったので、落ち着いて答えることができた) A: OK. What is the retirement age of company employees in Japan?(想定していた質問。落ち着いて答える)The retirement age differs from company to company, but the retirement age for most company workers is 60. Many people expect that the retirement age would be raised in the near future so that Japan can prepare itself for the coming shortage of workforce in rapidly aging society. A: What do people do after retirement? Some people enjoy traveling. Others may stay home to enjoy their hobbies. A: Don’t some people continue to work? Of course, some people switch to another company and continue to work in their seventies. A: OK. This is the end of the interview. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Have a nice day.
【時間帯別問題群からの出題と思われる質問】 (1) Please tell me about some features of Japan’s land area. (2) What do you think of the recent financial crisis worldwide? (3) I'm curious about the tea ceremony. Could you tell me about it. (4) I want to see cherry blossoms in Japan. When and where can I see cherry blossoms? (4) What is Shichi-go-san? (5) What is the retirement age of company employees in Japan?
【質疑応答の内容】 Good morning! B: Please put your bag and coat on that desk, and have a seat.(早口で話す) Thank you. B: Could you please tell us what your name is and where you live.(正確には思い出せないが、いつものハローでの模擬面接の聞き方とは違った)Yes. My name is ......... and I'm from ......... in Tokyo. (Bはなぜか少し怪訝な顔をする。最初の型通りの挨拶なのに、間違ったか、と焦る。しかしBは、自分の質問はこれで終わり、という素振りでAに目配せをしたので気にしないことにした) A: I'm going to ask you some questions, OK? Yes.(模擬面接では、いつもアイコンタクトが外れる、と注意されていたのでまっすぐ試験官を見つめる) A: Please explain "Shichi-go-san" to foreigners visiting Japan for the first time. (300選や特訓セミナーで練習した問題なのですが、丸暗記ができていないので、断片的にしか出てこない…)"Shichi-go-san" is a kind of celebration for children in Japan. It is a celebration for seven-year-old girls, five-year-old boys, and three-year-old children of both sexes. "Shichi-go-san" is held in November. People celebrate the healthy growth of the children, and pray for children's happiness, health, and success in the future. And at this celebration some parents allow their children to wear traditional Japanese kimono(この言い方はあまりにも稚拙と思ったが、もう遅い…)It is very pretty! (ここでアイコンタクトが外れていたことに気付き、二人の試験官に向かってにっこり微笑んでみたが、AもBも無表情。焦る…) A: Why do you think people celebrate "Shichi-go-san"? In ancient times, it was quite difficult to raise children because various kinds of disease were prevalent.(これまた実は稚拙な言い回しで、グラマーの弱点も露呈し、単数・複数がごちゃごちゃになっていた) So, when children reach the certain ... old or year,(ageという単語が出てこなくて口ごもる。Bは怪訝な顔をしている)parents were so happy about it. That's why they cerebrate "Shichi-go-san."(Aが頷く) A: If I want to see and visit one of the volcanoes in Japan, what would you recommend? Oh! That's a good question!(間をとるためにこのフレーズをはさめ、とハローの模擬面接でアドバイスされたのを思い出した) If you have enough time, I would recommend that you go to Kyushu Island in southern part of Japan, and visit Aso volcanoes.(Mt. Asoと言えばいいのに変な言い方をしてしまった。単数と複数の間違いが多いと指摘されていたのに、ここで少し焦って複数と単数がごちゃごちゃに)In Aso volcanoes there is a caldera and it is the largest caldera in the world! So you can enjoy the beautiful ...(「雄大な眺め」という言い方を探すが思い出せず)grand scenery.(Bは怪訝な顔をする)Moreover, there are lots of hot springs around Aso, so you can enjoy beautiful scenery and hot springs as well! A: Please tell me about the topographical features of Japan. (前からこのトポグラフィカルという質問への答えがピンと来ていなかったことを思い出し、さらに焦る) Japan is an island country and long from north to south. It is 3,000 km long. The Japanese archipelago consists of four main islands ....(ここでたまりかねたのかAから助け船が入る) A: How about mountains? Oh! Two thirds of Japan’s land area is mountainous, and so, rivers are short and flow fast, and they make deep gorges. Therefore, you can enjoy beautiful scenery of mountains all over the country. A: What do you think of the current economic downturn in Japan? Oh! Japan's economic situation is very bad and it is causing serious problems, I think. Since last year, lots of companies and banks have gone bankrupt, and lot's of people have lost their jobs. The rate of people losing their jobs(「失業率」という意味の英単語が思い浮かばなかった)is going high.(ここでなぜかBが頷く)The government is making efforts to help them out. A: Where and how can you tell if the Japanese economy is getting really bad? (景気が低迷しているのはどこでわかるのか?と云った感じの質問) Compared with the situations three or four years ago, department stores are not so crowded. The profits of department stores may be declining a lot. A: OK. That's all of our questions. Thank you.(突然ちょん切られた感じでちょっと焦った) Oh, is that all? Thank you very much.
【時間帯別問題群からの出題と思われる質問】 (1) Please explain "Shichi-go-san" to foreigners visiting Japan for the first time. (2) If I want to see and visit one of the volcanoes in Japan, what would you recommend? (3) Please tell me about the topographical features of Japan. (4) What do you think of the current economic downturn in Japan?