Ai Nagano and Aya Komori

What unique Japanese things do you know? Each country has unique things, and Japan also has unique charms, such as trains, food and anime. These unique items are very famous around the world. Japan has a lot of unique things that are not yet well known to the world. Some of them are ancient, and some of them are modern creations. Japanese people have traditional unique things through events such as New year’s Day, Celebrating Life’s Milestones and Moon Viewing Day, but people also enjoy new unique things such as vending machines, capsule toys,and catering robots. This presentation will show why people value traditional unique things and how people enjoy new unique things in Japan.

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Yuko Osaki and Risako Uchida

Do you know Japanese manga and anime? Pokemon, Doraemon, Naruto, etc. are famous works that represent Japan. Manga and anime are unique to Japan's culture that attracts people all over the world and creates an entertainment industry. The development of Japanese manga and anime around the world is due to the efforts of many famous manga artists and anime creators and the development of production techniques. This presentation will introduce the history of manga and anime from the origins of the traditional art form to modern works, and the famous manga artists and anime creators who have been involved in their evolution.

Photo by Yilin Liu on Unsplash 

Mizuki Ogawa and Shino Fujii

”Mogu Mogu”, “Bannnn!”. Have you ever heard these Japanese words? These words are called “Giongo” in Japan. Giongo explains the sounds in one word. Giongo is called onomatopoeia in English. Japanese people often use it during conversation. Also, onomatopoeia is used in manga or other Japanese literature that are popular among foreigners currently. The Japanese language is one of the most difficult languages because of Giongo and many types of letters. However, by learning both interesting parts of Japanese language and literature which uses more complicated Japanese, one can realize that Japanese is an attractive, deep language. In this presentation, we will explain the most interesting points of the Japanese language such as the variety of Giongo, three types of scripts, different dialects, and Japanese literature such as poetry, novels, and manga.

Photo by Eddi Aguirre on Unsplash