＊All animals are equal＊

The most interesting topic in the class is the whaling.
I think that the whaling is bad,but I rethink it once more after the discussion.

The whale is on the road to extinction.
It is rare to see the whale in the see.

By the way, do you know that we can see the whale and the dolphin in the AUS ocean??
When I was in AUS, my friend went to the whale wathing.
She told me that the whale wathing is so interesting, but there are some regulations.
AUS people are proud of the wild whales.
They think that we must not be permitted for the whale to take the power of live as we like.
They aim at the sustainable tourism.
This is the one of the rules that we can stay near the whale in the maximum 30minute.
These rules are necessary to protect the whale.


However the anti-anti-whaling said that every animal is equal.
Why is the whale particular??
The pork is not also exception.I think deeply.......

I have not found the answer yet.
It is so difficult problem, I think.......

◎Surname◎

　In the class, we discussed our 『surname』. It was interesting for me.
My suename is NAKAMURA,which is normal,so I don't like it so much.



I think that married couples should have the same surname. However it is no need to maintain either of the two. I maen that we can make our own surname with our hasband.
I agree that it makes the sence of unity to have the same surname,but I don't think a family line is necessary for us,because I don't know what is the merit.


In Japan, There is a word that "One's adopted son-in-law."
Is there any words like that in other countries??
I don't know why they call like that,because the family line has nothing todo with the marriage.What's the merit to keep the family line??

If we don't have the same surname, our childlen might be troubled which surname they should use. When we will make our surname, it makes us the new sence of unity.
It is interesting, isn't it??
I am suppose to consider the law once more!!!

How much do you know Japan?

I went to KOYASAN which is the world's cultural and natural heritage.When we went there, it was rain. We were very very cold!

At first, we went to the temple,and then the monk who is a swiss welcomed us.He guided us around the temple and told much imformation about Ko-yasan.

There are a few foreighner monk there. And then he took us to look around near the temple.

He knows the Japanese culture and history much more than us.

It looks strange because we are taught Japanese history by foreghners.

Nowadays Japanese are not interested in Japanse culture,and there are many people who don't know Japan for sure. Is it OK for Japanese future?? It tends to wether our cultures.

Actually.,when I went to Australia, my teacher often asked me about Japan, but I couldn't anser easily.Compare with other countries classmates, they do know their own country and answer easily.I ashamed about that.

It is the cultural difference, isn't it??

I felt many differences in Australia. It is a good experience for me.

◎Iran culture ◎

Now, you know that I studied abroad to Manly,right?? I made a friend who came from Iran. She is one of my classmates.

What do you think about Iran? I associated Iran with a civil war.I don't have much good idea about Iran.However she told me that there was no war in Iran, and Iran is safe now.

I didn't know about that before she told me.

Do you know Iran??

Most of the Iranian are Islam. They have a lot of the religious customs.

For example,they don't have to eat the pork,and women don't show their skin to other people.

Iran is quite different from Japan.

One day, we had the class about the comparative. And then, we joined our hands to practice making the comparative "whose hands are bigger."

Suddenly she, Iranian, said that she couldn't touch boy's hand because she had a husband.

In Iran, the woman who has a husband don't touch other mans.I was surprised!

We don't have the custom like that,so it is difficult for me to understand.

There are a sort of religious customs in the world, so that we should know the manner before you go abroad.Otherwise you might be rude.

◎Korean army system◎

I studied abroad to Manly, Australia in this summer. It is near sydney. I had a very very good time there, and I could make a lot of other countries friends. One of my friends whose name was chun-soo came from Korea. He was so kind. I hard that most of Korean boys are gentleman.
He told me about Korea.Do you know that Korea has the conscription system??
That is the system for all over -twenty mans to serve in the army. They have to stay in the army for 2 years. He said the life in the army was so hard and very strict. He never want to go army any more.

Do you image about the army? We can enter the Ground ,Maritime, Air self-defense force.However it is not complusion. We can decide up on our own minds.When we hear the conscription system, we might image the war period.

Now, we have the right of free, and we can decide anything up on our own minds.
Korea and Japan are much the same, but it is the one of differences between two countries.

~Stereotype~

　There are a lot of stereotypes in Japan. It is not good because we don’t see only one of the small parts, and it is leaning to one side.
　
Japan is getting international more and more, but there are some old ideas yet. Japan is still a society where our educational record counts when we find work. However in the West, people think that their personalities are the most important thing when an employer decides a worker.
　


Stereotype is made by mass media. Now many sort of information is flying around.
We are not sure which information is really true. We sometimes believe wrong information which is the reason of a distorted way of thinking.

　However it is so difficult to eliminate our stereotype which was already made in our mind. So, we should try to know that there are some prejudices in our mind, and make an effort not to distort thinking.

＊Culture Shock＊

　　How do you think of Thai? Do you have any good imageｓ?
　Thai culture is quite different from Japanese one, so I enjoyed seeing other cultures. I could feel many culture shocks in Thai.

　　First of all, the speed of a taxi is so fast in Thai. We saw a lot of car crashes on the superhighway. A traffic line is no meaning for Thai people. It was like a car chase.
In Japan, a taxi must be safe because taxi drivers have responsibility of taking passengers safely to their destinations. However it is much important for drivers how fast they can take passengers to the destination in Thai.

　　Second, do you know that we need to pay the chip in Thai?
We didn’t know when I had to pay it, and how much. One day, when we came back to my hotel room from the breakfast lounge, a clerk cleaned our room. The clerk looked like under 18 years old, and she didn’t wearing shoes. Even if children are under 18 years old, they must work to live.
　　

　　Finally, there were many pictures of king on the road. Thai people believe their king strictly and they are proud of king. I think they are like Japanese in time of war who gave their lives for the country.

　　The culture shock gets me to think of my own culture. I would like to know other countries cultures as much as I can.