Learning English vocabulary

I'm trying to learn new vocabulary for some reasons. It is not easy, and something I want to make an excuse like "I'm not a teenager any more. My memory is not as good as it used to be." However, I know this is a lame excuse. My memory might be getting bad, but it is not as bad as I can't memorize a few of new words.



Especially, it is hard for me to learn the names of popular pin-up girls ("gravure idols" in Japanese) because more and more girls come and go very very quickly.

And this applies to other older English learners in Japan who always say that they can learn new words. Of course, they can. Even they can't, it is not because of their momories. Let me explain why I think like this:



I learned her name, but I still don't know what she does. Singer, pianist, actor, or comedian...?

My dad is much older than me. But, he knows much more TV personalities than me. Why? Because he watches TV shows much often than I do. I'm sue he can learn English words if he spends as much time to try to memorize them over and over as to watch his favorite TV shows.

Some people say that English is difficult to learn. But, I think that what is difficult is not the English language but repetition for learn it.

Finally, I remember her name, but it seems like she's already become one of the popular female actors in Japan. Am I too slow?

Up-Talk

English teachers in Japan never speak or teach like them. When you studied at a US college, most of your classmate would speak like them.

While flipping through the TV channels last night, I found the Hills 2nd Season was on MTV. I don't like the content of the TV show, but the characters on the show reflect typical young people's speech. They always finish the sentence with rising-intonation. Actually, it is the same with Japanese.

昨日，適当にCable TVのチャンネルを回していたら，『The Hills』というアメリカでも見たことのある番組がやっていた．内容は，高校を卒業したばかりの子がLAに出てきて，『ヴォーグ・ティーン』のインターンをしながら，青春期特有の騒動が巻き起こるというリアリティー・ショウで，あまり学ぶものはない（この番組が好きな人ごめんなさい）．ただ，日本の聴覚教材の「キレイすぎる英語」に慣れすぎた人には，若者特有の早口で，like を連発して，文尾のイントネイションがあがる英語を聞くのはためになるのかもしれない．たまにこういう英語を聞いたら，懐かしく感じてしまった．向こうに居た時はこういう英語を聞く機会には事欠かなかったのに，いまではそういうことはないので，またこの番組見ようかなあ，なんて思っている自分が怖かったりする．

Has Kumiko Aso become a comedian?

Kumiko Aso, one of my favorite female actors, appears in a drama, which doesn't seem to be that which I expected her to be in.

Since I have so many things to do during the holidays, I was engaged in channel-surfing in front of the TV. After the Lupin (See below) was finished, I just found Kumiko Aso purforming in a drama.

Gee, she looked as stupid as Yukie Nakama in "Trick." I thought that she intended to appear in romantic movies. But, she was a comedian in "Jikou Keisatsu (Police for Precription)." She sang a stupid song, she behaved like a whore, and she became crazy many times...

Well, I don't know whether or not she can be like Yukie Nakama, who is one of the best actors in Japan in a way. I think her character is less strong than Nakama.

silly Japanese TV shows

こんなことを云うのもなんだが、やっぱり日本のテレビ番組の多くはくだらない。
ヨーロッパ人に倣って、テレビを一切見ないようにするというのもひとつの選択かもしれない。

Kazunari Ninomiya is a good actor despite the fact that he is a member of Johnny's Entertainment.

というわけで、あまりヴァラエティー・ショウの類やニューズ番組はなるべくみないようにしているんだが、ドラマは少しみる。『拝啓、父上様』というフジのドラマはつくりは『北の国から』と同じだが、嵐の二宮君がジャニーズとは思えないさえない若者をうまく演じているのはいいと思う。

ちょっと前までは『結婚出来ない男』の再放送を見ていたやっぱり阿部寛はいい。

はじめのほうはユースケ・サンタマリアが出ていた『今晩、妻が浮気します』も見ていたが、話があまり進展しないので少し飽きてきた。二枚目俳優、沢村一樹（いっき）は今回も大した訳じゃない。

Ikki Sawamura is a handsome actor, but he hasn't played a major role in a major TV drama. Is it because he talks difty whenever he appears on other TV shows?

これはどうでもいい話だが、テレビでどうしても自分の感覚ではきれいとかかっこいいとか思わない俳優やＴＶタレントが「美人」とか「美形」とか云われているのが謎だ。一応、自分の感覚が少しおかしいんだろうと謙虚に考えるようにはしているんだけど。

Asami Mizuhara. "Is she pretty?" "I'm afraid not."

Learning English on TV

Basically I don't like Disney's movies, because they are too romantic and totally different than the real world where you have to face a lot of bad people and painful reality of the life.

Should we still call her Bonnie Pink? Her hair isn't pink any more!

But, I watch some dramas and comedies on Disney Channel at times to learn English. I started out this learning method because that is the way Bonnie Pink, who sings in both English and Japanese, learned English despite the fact that she's not a returnee. The English used for such dramas contains many useful expressions that are frequently used in the real communication with native speakers but that are not taught at school in Japan.

I watched Disney Channel a couple of days ago since I had nothing to do at that time. And I came to know that Beni Arashiro sings a song for the Japanese version "Kim Possible." The main characters of this cartoon were highschoolers, so maybe it may be appropriate for high school learners' supplemental audio materials.

Beni Arashiro also shows up in an NHK's English learning program.

So far, mainly I've just wanted to say that if you live in Tokyo and are paying for a Cable TV, watching Disney Channel at times may help you improve your English. From now, I want to bitch about Disney Channel in Japan. Between a program and another, there is a corner called something like "Disney 365" and it will introduce some shows that are coming. Well, that makes sence, but who does it? Actually, Shuzo Matsuoka, a former tennis player, does. I don't like to watch him too often. He may not be a bad person, but his energetic personality on TV often rubs me the wrong way. Whenever a figure skate game is broadcasted, he will be on TV. And he is supporting Mao Asada as if being his daughter. It makes me really exhausted. To tell the truth, I'm not interested in figure skate and Mao Asada. But, my parents often see figure skate on TV, and in our small house, Mr. Matsuoka's voice supporting Asada really freaks me out. Also, I'm astonished by my dad, who is always like, "Well, I think Kimmie is prettier." I'm like, "Who is Kimmie?" Recently, I learned that it was Kimmie Meissner, who is an American athelete (I put her picture here). Maybe, for most dirty-old men, watching figure skate is like watching Morning Musume...

Mao Asada, Matsuoka's favorite

I'm not a healthy geek, but it made me think a little bit.

The news regarding Encyclopedia of Living II gave me a chance to think about some important topic for anyone: the relationship between politics and science.
Lost your job? You're not the only one, man!

People may want to belive that science is independent of politics, but sadly in this real world, science is often subordinate to politics.

Anyway, some people may not know what is the Aruaru scandal (the scandal with regard to Encyclopedia of Living II) . Here is the newspaper article that describe it:

From the Japan Times
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007

Kansai TV pressed for details on false 'natto' info
Kyodo News

Telecommunications minister Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday he will ask Kansai Telecasting Corp. to report by Feb. 7 the details of its fact-finding probe into a program that used fabricated data purporting the weight-loss effects of "natto."

"We've received a report on the situation of (the broadcaster's) fact-finding work. But we have yet to get satisfactory answers" to questions about what happened and what was behind the data fabrication, Suga said.

He indicated that in line with the Radio Law, he will demand thorough details covering not only the Jan. 7 program, whose data fabrication was first revealed, but also others, if any.

"New facts fueling suspicion that similar data fabrication might have occurred in past programs have been reported," he said.

The Osaka-based broadcaster has come under fire since admitting it aired deceptive data and comments in the Jan. 7 episode of "Hakkutsu! Aruaru Daijiten II" ("Encyclopedia of Living II").

The show was about the presumed weight-loss effects of a natto diet and sparked a run on natto. The company has admitted the program used fabricated data and false statements by experts.

Suga also plans to ask the broadcaster to report how its system of checking the credibility of program content worked, because two other companies were involved in the production of the variety show, ministry officials said.

The Radio Law authorizes the telecommunications minister to request such a fact-finding report "for the purpose of maintaining the order of radio communications or ensuring the proper operation of radio stations."

If you want more details, please go to the Japan Times Online (see Link List). Anyway, the broadcasting staffs ignored scientic-based results in order to convince viewers that natto is very effective to lose their weights. I can see viewers who knew that the broadcaster made it up really pissed off. I belive, though that the staffs did it following their rational choice.

I don't support them, but I try to understand the process of their reasoning. Maybe it costs them a lot of money to make one TV show. What if they knew that what they have done for the show could be useless? Wouldn't they think up a way to make their work effective? Keep your mouth shut and broadcast! Probably that's the way.

What I want to mention here is not to convince you that we should forgive you the staff of the program, but to let you know that scidentists need to know that they will be used by (political) power. The study of an economist that concludes Japan is going to have more depression might be ignored because the result definitely seems to depress Japanese people.

Oops, I've got to explain this to some of you who are reading this despite of native speakers of Japanese. "Science" is not always "kagaku（科学）" or "rika（理科）."Here is definitions of the word "science" from Merriam-Webster:

the state of knowing
something that may be studied and learned like systematized knowledge

These two difinitions can apply to economics or sociology, can't they? Yes, science is not limited to astromony, physics, chemistry, which are called natural science. It includes social science.

When Japan introduced the concept of "science" from the Western World, they only imported the usage of science as natural science. So, even now when Japanese people read English, they have difficulty understanding the part that includes the word "science" because of that.I know you didn't know it, Mr. Shimura, but you're part of it in a way.

We gotta get back to the point. What were we talking about? Oh, yes. About the relationship between science and politics (I use this term almost as a synonym of "power" here). Science is often dependent on politics, sadly.

By the way, TV host or other TV personalities in this show aren't criticized. It seems like people are feeling sympathy for them, but aren't they really responsible for this scandal?