Questions for Tim
DOES JAPAN LOOK LIKE NEW ZEALAND?
Tim showed us a map of New Zealand and a map of Japan. We saw that New Zealand had 3 islands and Japan had 4. Japan is a little bit bigger than New Zealand but there are 30 times more people living there! Tim lives on the middle island called Honshuu, which he said looks like a banana. He said the top island in Japan is the coldest and the bottom island the warmest. In New Zealand our North Island is warmer than the South island, this was interesting to think about.
HAVE YOU BEEN ON A BULLET TRAIN?
Yes. Tim had been on a bullet train and he told us about travelling from Osaka to Tokyo. He said it would take 8 hours to drive but it only takes 2 hours by bullet train. He said bullet trains move so smoothly you don’t feel anything, and can go to sleep very easily.
Tim also told us that a lot of people in Japan travel by trains because there are so many people living in Japan there wouldn’t be enough room for everyone to drive cars.
CAN YOU EAT WITH CHOPSTICKS?
Yes, Tim uses chopsticks to eat with a lot. Tim told us the difference between Japanese and Chinese chopsticks. Japanese chopsticks are pointy at the ends, like pencils. Chinese chopsticks are flat and straight. He said even though Japanese chopsticks are pointy you shouldn’t stab your food to pick it up because that is bad manners.
WHAT KIND OF ANIMALS LIVE IN JAPAN THAT DON'T LIVE IN NEW ZEALAND?
Tim told us about snakes and monkeys, which live in Japan.
HAVE YOU BEEN ON THE JAPANESE ROADS THAT ARE ABOVE THE CITY?
Yes. Tim talked to us about how the Japanese motorways are put on poles high above the city because there is no room on the ground.
IS YOUR WATCH FROM JAPAN?/DO YOU LIKE PINK?
Tim was wearing a brightly coloured watch with a pink face. He said these kind of watches are very popular in Japan at the moment and that lots of men in Japan wear pink.
Tim showing us his pink watch.
ARE THE SHOPS IN JAPAN LIKE THE SHOPS IN NEW ZEALAND?
Tim told us that most of the shops in the big cities in Japan are open all day and all night. There are a lot of toy shops, costume shops, and sushi shops.
WHAT KIND OF LOLLIES DO THEY HAVE IN JAPAN?
Tim showed us lots of different types of Japanese lollies including candy floss that pops in your mouth and lemonade candies in a lemonade bottle.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MARTIAL ARTS?
We learnt that Tim’s favourite martial art in Japan is karate. He also talked to us about sumo wrestling and how the men try and use their strength and weight to push each other out of the ring.
We also learnt that Samurais are like Japanese knights who live in castles. The castles of the Samurais have curved red rooves and are decorated with gold to show the people inside are rich and powerful.
WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO SPEAK JAPANESE?
Tim learnt to speak Japanese at high school and then he moved to Japan where he learnt how to speak it really well.
Tim taught us how to say:
hello: konnichi wa
good morning Ms Gain: Gain Sensei Ohaiyoo Gozaimasu
thank you: arigato
goodbye: sayonara
After Tim’s visit we continued to learn about Japan with some more Japanese activities. We made some origami booklets, see the link to the video on the right hand side of this blog page to have a go at home. We also learnt about Children’s Day in Japan, which is a day that celebrates children. We did some colouring of Japanese children wearing traditional clothes and started making some carp kites, which are flown on Children’s day. Keep a look out for our finished carp kites next week!
Edward's Colouring
Jasper and Noah with their origami booklet.
Noah and Henry making their origami booklets.
Finally we said goodbye to Finn who is going to England for the rest of the year. We played a game of Fruit Salad and finished the day with chocolate cake and a goodbye song. Ka Kite Finn, we will miss you!
Finn sharing his farewell chocolate cake.
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