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Post date: May 16, 2014 7:13:02 AM
My topic for this second cycle was about the Japanese Returnees that means the people who were born in Japan and have Japanese nationalities, parents but have moved to abroad and have been in there for a while at least consecutive two years. Also this decide is not by themselves, it is their family’s choice. It can be said as Kikokushijyo in Japanese. Many of the Returnees have spent their childhood in western countries and got some western culture and idea which are very opposite from Japanese one. The Returnees can be bilingual, and tend to have envious image from other Japanese people. Also there are some special treatments for them to cover these cultural gaps. First, my starting interest for this topic was about the Returnees’ mental struggles. It was because that I am also the returnee and I know there are some problems for being the returnee particularly in mental part. I have older sister and older brother, and both are about ten years older than me. I saw some troubles with them which are because of by being as the returnees. Actually, I did not feel so much difficulty about being the returnee. I think it was because I was too small when I spent my time in abroad. But also, I still remembered the days I spent in the abroad. So then, I thought the age or situation of the returnees is the important point to consider this topic. So for the start, I have explained about the key points for my presentation such as about returnees’ mental struggles, school, image and individuals’ interviews. Then, I explain some about the Returnee itself as I have already said in first part above.
So, the issues about the Returnees are mainly the Returnees’ mental struggles and the timing of returning, these two parts. The Returnees’ mental struggles have two sides to consider I thought. One is cultural side, it has diverse point, active point and thinking points to compare with western and Japanese society culture. In Japanese culture, it is good to be same and quiet. It is bit a closed society. But compared to it, in western culture, it is good to be different and arguing their own idea or opinions. Western society is more diverse culture. This difference is quite opposite thought. Second of the Returnees’ mental struggles is about the study. They have some problems with the study. But this does not mean they have less knowledge or that they cannot study very well. This mean they cannot follow the study in Japan because of Japanese language skills, particularly the Kanji, and the education difference with abroad. So even they can study very well they have no idea to answer it in Japanese technical term. Also the contents the education that they got in abroad may be different with Japanese one, so they may be on different track, it does not mean they are on WRONG track. Second issue was about the timing of returning. It is important because it may cause some hardness for the Returnees. One is that if they came back when the schools in Japan are preparing for the entrance exam, it would be more hard to catch up the situation for them. Also some Japanese schools ask them to repeat the same year that they already have finished in abroad. It is because some Japanese schools cannot accept the credits from the foreign schools. And the last is that, if they could come back to Japan in April which is the start month of new year in Japanese schools, it would be more easy to make friends because it is the new class for all of the students. But if they came back to Japan in middle of the year or term, it tends to be more difficult to make friends because the students have already gathered in groups.
Also I mentioned about the special treatments that the Returnees have. Main special treatment for the Returnees is for entrance exam. This special treatment is that the Returnees can take the entrance exam with calculating English score higher than other subjects and sometimes they take only three subjects for the entrance exam. And what the key for this part is that because of this special treatment, the Returnees sometimes get unfair feeling by other usual Japanese students. But as I researched and heard from my friend who is returnee, it is not unfair. Also in the presentation discussion, my partner said so. It is because they have disadvantages to answer the exam in Japanese even they can study well, so it is proper treatment.
Then for last, I introduced some individuals’ experiences that I got from my interviews to my partners. And most interest point for me was that about the food gap for the Returnees. I was very small and have no actual feeling to be a returnee but I have one thing that I sometime notice I am a returnee. That is about the feeling of the taste. I and my interviewee, also my partner who have moved to Japan from abroad in the presentation were kindred spirits about it. Particularly, we felt the gap for the taste of milk. It was very interesting, and I thought this is just the very thing that features the Returnee.
For conclusion, I think to be the Returnees have of course both sides advantages and disadvantages. It should be lucky thing for them even it is not their choice and have some troubles because of being the Returnees. But to capture it as a special lucky thing easier for the Returnees, I think Japanese people need to change their idea a bit. Then the important is that the word which explains the Returnees should be “international-ness”, not “Returnee”. This idea came from my interviewee. He said that to be said the “Returnee” and got envious image is very annoying to him.
989 words 70 minutes
Reference for whole presentation researches
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/13/language/it-aint-easy-being-a-bilingual-girl/
and the interviews to two of my friends who are the Returnees
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