Post Japanese-related YouTube links here

Keio University is another top university in Japan. By the way, the man who founded Keio University, Yukichi Fukuzawa, is the person who is featured on the Japanese 10,000 yen bill. (Take a look at the photo on the bill at 0:23.) According to the video, Keio has over 1,500 international students from 74 countries and regions, and has over 800 classes taught in English.

 
Keio University was founded by Yukichi Fukuzawa, quite a figure in Japanese history during the mid- and late-1800's. (He even visited America and met with the American president, which was quite unusual at that time.) He set up English classes at his school (the future Keio University) which was revolutionary at the time. Here is a biographical video of his life.

 
Yukichi Fukuzawa was a big supporter of women's rights, which was unheard of in Japan in the late 1800's. Among other things, he strongly opposed Confucian teachings (predominant in Japan at that time) which (still) greatly suppress women. Fukuzawa's father died when Fukuzawa was very young, and Fukuzawa watched as his mother suffered financial trouble (and he suffered directly) because women were not allowed to have jobs. This really affected Fukuzawa, and he championed women's rights and employment as a result.

 
Here is something I don't think you will see outside of Japan. This is a ceremony for new students at a university in Japan (Keio U.) (My university in America certainly doesn't have anything like this.) Watch from 0:00 to 0:49 as students enter the building for the new students' ceremony. Then there is a couple of long-winded speeches, then more footage of the new students from 4:16. (Check out the enthusiastic singing from 4:30.)

 
Japanese universities are ranked in a strict hierarchy. (For those who don't know, Tokyo University ("Toudai", とうだい, 東大) is ranked by everyone as number one. ) Does it matter which university a person graduates from? I think it matters a lot. If a Waseda recent grad and a Rikkyo recent grad apply for a good job at the same company in Japan, I am sure there are times when the Waseda grad will get the job because Waseda University is 'better'.

The ranking begins from 2:42. From 1:00 he also talks about how, when students fail their university entrance exam, some of them will spend one more year studying and take the university entrance exam again the next year.

 
Listen to the extreme steps a student from Finland goes through to get into an English-speaking program at a university in Japan. (For example, he flies to Japan just to take the entrance exam, then flies to Japan a second time just to apply to his university because applications can only be done when a person is physically in Japan. Also, his admissions documents have to be mailed to his prospective university in a specific size and type of envelope.)

 
Buntaro said:
Listen to the extreme steps a student from Finland goes through to get into an English-speaking program at a university in Japan. (For example, he flies to Japan just to take the entrance exam, then flies to Japan a second time just to apply to his university because applications can only be done when a person is physically in Japan. Also, his admissions documents have to be mailed to his prospective university in a specific size and type of envelope.)

Click to expand...

A friend of mine went on the JET program, and we spent ages puzzling over the application form, which even went as far as requiring the names of all the courses taken at undergraduate level. Once he was in Japan he was told by someone high up in JET that the form was intentionally made difficult with the idea that only someone who really wanted to go on the program would complete such a form. This sounds similar.

I had my own minor unpleasantness with an application form earlier this week. I applied for my latest vaccination certificate, having recently had the third jab. I sent the form off and forgot to include my address on the form. I got a phone call from the office, telling me of the problem. I apologised and asked them to use the address on the self-addressed envelope that I'd included, and I verbally confirmed the address, but they would not accept my (in my view, entirely reasonable) request that they copied the address from the self-addressed envelope onto the form, and insisted that I sent in a new form. I lost a few gaijin points for getting annoyed with the person from the office and telling them how they were wasting their time and my time by not doing a task that would take them a few seconds, but a stubborn adherence to unimportant rules tends to bring out the worst in me.
 
There is a huge amount of pressure on high school students to get into a good university by passing the entrance exam. Because of this, high school students study an unbelievable number of hours everyday for years.

It has gotten to the point where students study hard to get into a good high school in order to get into a good university. Watch from 0:34 as a girl tells of studying really hard just to get into a good high school.

 
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Takeshita Street (Takeshita Douri, たけした どうり、竹下通り), Harajuku, Tokyo, is a popular shopping and eating place for young people (at least it was, when this video was taken pre-Covid). Watch the curious and popular phenomenon called 'purikura' (coin-operated photo booths) from 2:36. This particular 'purikura' booth has a touch screen with an amazing number of features (for a photo booth!) Towards the end of the video is a toy store called Kiddyland, the most amazing toy store I have ever seen, and just like the YouTuber in the video says, Kiddyland is a must-visit store.

 
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The YouTuber who calls herself rainboholicTV did the Harajuku video posted above and she also did a nice video on sakura blossoms during sakura season. Take a look..

By the way, cherry trees and cherry blossom trees have nothing in common. Cherry blossom trees do not bear cherry fruit.

 
Here is a beginning level video (with a lot of grammar analysis) on the Japanese Language. I am including this video because it is on a YouTube channel called Langfocus. This YouTuber's name is Paul, and he is an amazing fellow who has made about 150 videos on many of the major languages in the world. If you have a chance, take a look at his YouTube page.


Here is his video on the Japanese language.

 
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The boy in the above video (his name is Takuto Kawakami) is a genius at learning English and his ability is not typical of Japanese children. In contrast, here is a video of a more typical (but still excellent, as compared to other students) Japanese child who is learning English. (I wish my young students in Japan were as good at this boy.) This young boy is really genki! One thing about Japanese students is they are often quite shy and very embarrassed when they make a mistake in English. Not this boy, he makes a mistake, laughs it off, and just keeps going (quite unusual for many Japanese students, especially young ones).

 
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I am posting this video, even though it is only in Japanese, with no English translation or English subtitles, but the girl in this video (named Kurara Fujita) is absolutely incredible. At age 13 she scored 980 points on the English test called TOEIC, which is astronomically high — her mother even framed her TOEIC results and hung it on the wall. (I think the average Japanese adult who takes this test gets maybe 500 points.) Look at 4:31 at the stacks and stacks of English books she has, all of which she has read without using a dictionary. (She doesn't even own an English dictionary.) Listen to her tell her reactions from 6:21 to a book she read. (She sounds like a native-speaking English speaker.) To be honest, she takes English conversation lessons.) Listen from 7:01 as she discusses the day's new topics with her online English teacher. (She gives a very good psychological analysis of a news article.) She speaks English again from 9:59.

 
Buntaro said:
I am posting this video, even though it is only in Japanese, with no English translation or English subtitles, but the girl in this video (named Kurara Fujita) is absolutely incredible. At age 13 she scored 980 points on the English test called TOEIC, which is astronomically high — her mother even framed her TOEIC results and hung it on the wall. (I think the average Japanese adult who takes this test gets maybe 500 points.) Look at 4:31 at the stacks and stacks of English books she has, all of which she has read without using a dictionary. (She doesn't even own an English dictionary.) Listen to her tell her reactions from 6:21 to a book she read. (She sounds like a native-speaking English speaker.) To be honest, she takes English conversation lessons.) Listen from 7:01 as she discusses the day's new topics with her online English teacher. (She gives a very good psychological analysis of a news article.) She speaks English again from 9:59.

Click to expand...

She should move on to other languages. She may be a polyglot.
 
The Differences Between Geisha, Geiko, and Maiko

 
Tengu, in Japanese folklore, is a type of mischievous supernatural being. Here is a parade down a street, including a tengu. (Look at the huuuuge geta the guy in the orange 'jacket' is wearing from 1:09.) If I am not mistaken, this kind of tall, 'single blade' geta are called tengu geta.

 
Here is a curious video, a fellow walking in tengu geta in a park. The video starts with him walking on small boulders (looks kind of dangerous).

 
Mdchachi,

I believe your question is answered in the video.

Japanese sumo is well-known for its official anti-woman policies, declaring that women are 'unclean'. In this video, a mayor of a town was part of a ceremony being conducted at a sumo event when he collapsed with a medical emergency. Several people rushed onto the stage, including two female medical personnel. The two women were repeatedly ordered to get out of the ring because they are women.



In the following video, a female mayor requested to make a speech at a different sumo event, but was denied because she is a woman.


 
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The cat-moving-arm statue is called Maneki Neko (まねき ねこ) (招き 猫) It is seen everywhere in Japan. (I have even seen it for sale in Los Angeles USA.) At 2:14 it is explained that waving a hand at someone, palm down, waiving the hand up and down, means goodbye in the west but in Japan it means come here. (I was quite surprised to see a female Shinto priestess in the video!) What do you think of the taxi driver at 0:23 who has hundreds of tiny Maneki Neko on his dash and steering wheel?

 
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