Used to introduce the everyday lives of Japanese children before participating in homestays in Japan through the “Imaginary Trip to Japan” project (For details, see an article in TJF Newsletter. http://www.tjf.or.jp/newsletter/pdf_en/NL30_VOICE.pdf). Have students discuss the differences and similarities between the Japanese students and their own lives.

■Students’ Reactions in Class
Class duty, school lunches, cleaning period, bosai zukin, baths, kotatsu, and meals were given as differences. Students were surprised to see that Japanese elementary schools are three or four stories high, since many elementary schools in Canada have only one floor. Students guessed—having compared the area and population of both Japan and Canada—that this difference was due to the fact that Japan is small and has a high population density. Some thought these school buildings looked like hospitals. On the other hand, students thought it was cool that there is space to play as well as swimming pools on school rooftops.

Make playing cards out of greetings—such as ittekimasu, itterasshai, okaerinasai, tadaima, oyasuminasai, and ohayo—and scenes using simple vocabulary such as gakko and soji. Students can also play a game to see who can pick the card for the expression or scene called out.

Show a photo, and have students say Japanese words that are related to what is pictured. They can use not only words that are pictured, but also things that can be interpreted from the photo. For example, itadakimasu, if the photo is a scene from a meal, and kowai, if it is a picture of a father. The class can be divided into groups to compete against each other.

Select a photo of a person, add a speech bubble to it, and have students think of words to insert in the bubble. Students may either present orally or write the words into the bubbles themselves. Create variations by using a Post-It cut out into a circle with a drawing of a crying face or an angry face to change the expression of the person pictured in the photo. Students may then come up with new sentences to fit the speech bubble. For students whose Japanese language ability is not up to this exercise, have them imagine what the Japanese children are saying and present their ideas in English.