Everett Alvarez High School
エベレットアルバレズ高校
the 愛 project: what is "love?"
By EAHS Japanese Program students, alumni, and teachers
This is a collaborative art project created by the current students, alumni, and teachers of the EAHS Japanese program. Because we could not meet in person due to stay-at-home orders, each participant was mailed a piece of the art project, which they designed in their own style with the medium of their choice. They then mailed it back in a return envelope to be assembled into one piece. We hope this project will show that even though we may be apart, there is still a way for us to come together in the name of love.
トンカツの作り方 How to Make Tonkatsu
By Jocy Hernandez
This video explains how to make a popular Japanese dish called tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet).
母のかわりに In Place of My Mother
By Alicia Guillen
This was a speech I wrote that I was going to give at the speech contest. I wrote about my mom’s immigration story from Mexico to the US. She left behind her family in Mexico and built up a new one here in the US so that my siblings and I could have a better future. It was nice to hear my mom’s story because she doesn’t really talk about herself. I think that family is really important.
明日の英雄たち The Heroes of Tomorrow
By Evelyn Flores
In this art piece I wanted to incorporate our hardworking essential workers during this time of need. In the front we have the businessman, the doctor on duty, and the policeman. In the top corner I had also put a teacher (Hashiba-sensei!), a janitor, and a store worker. In the bottom corners, I have drawn piles of gloves and masks, which has become the new norm around the world to wear as precaution. There is a hospital in the top left to show that during this time so many people go through the process of hospital care with the hope of coming out healthy again, but sadly, that is sometimes not the case. The purpose of the art piece is to thank our essential workers for their hard work and providing for the people around them.
サリナスへの道 The Way to Salinas
By Gregory Serrano
I interviewed my mom about her and my grandpa's immigration story. To be frank, my respect for her multiplied exponentially, knowing some of the key events that had happened in her life. There were so many things that I thought were interesting. For instance, I did not know that my grandfather was born shortly after WWI and he came to the US through the Bracero program that Mexico and the US established with each other. The story encaptures the vision of the American dream and the struggles that one could face to get there.
This project allowed me to learn a large chunk of my family's history and gives me a newfound purpose. I’m most proud of learning about my family history as well as writing a longer and complex piece than what I am typically used to. I think that I am able to empathize with many who are immigrants.
俳句 Haiku Poems
By Lorena Vargas
Crystalline water,
And fresh air. They all sigh a
thanks to this surged boon . . . .
Insight: During this quarantine caused by COVID-19, the water and air all over the world has been clearing up. For example, canal water in Venice has been clearing up after years of being murky. Some animals (such as dolphins and other fish) are coming out from their hiding places. Also, the coronavirus has reduced levels of nitrogen dioxide and greenhouse gases in China and other parts of the world. I described this pandemic as a “boon” because of all these positive outcomes for the environment.
静かな日
明日は違う
変化ある
Insight: I wrote this haiku poem based on my personal experience. I was trying to say “One day is quiet, the next one is not, there is change”. When this virus was in China everybody here in the United States was not as concerned as how we are right now. We were ignorant and underestimated this virus. Everyone was silent and ignored this virus going on in China. However, when the virus came to this country, everyone was terrified. People in the U.S. were and are communicating this everywhere from the news to articles. Now, nobody is silent. In reflection of all of this we had to make some changes in our lives. For example, when I go to the store I have to wear a mask and sometimes gloves. I have to return to my house and shower. All of these hygiene practices are not what we are used to. It is difficult when we have to change how we used to live our lives for the sake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, I ended my haiku poem with “変化ある”. Like many people, I do not like such big changes in my life.
中国による日本語への影響 Chinese Influence on the Japanese Language
By Esmeralda Macias
My purpose was to show Chinese influence on the history of Japan and the evolution of the Japanese language.
I like that I was able to explore a new creation website (Visme) where I started from scratch. I usually look for articles for help but I actually watched videos to grasp the concept of what I’m researching. Learning background from kanji was epic! Along the way I learned how words came to be from China to Japan. I learned a lot of the background of China and Japan. It was interesting how Korea tied into the history.
I think that I wish to explore Japanese inventors next. I want to study what inventions revolutionized Japan and the world, making it the one we know today.
Chinese Influence - Esme M.jpgスサナさんの日本旅行 Susana's Trip to Japan
By Jimena Ortiz
For my project I interviewed my cousin, who shares her experiences and insight on traveling to Japan. I made this project for students who have never been to Japan, so that they could hear and see what traveling to Japan is like. From listening to my cousin, I learned that the Japanese are self-aware of their actions and care for the people around them, which has helped me reflect on my own actions towards others. Overall, I had a good time working on this project and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. ありがとう。
「千と千尋の神隠し」からの食べ物 Food from Spirited Away
By Ashley Lagudas
These are my recreations of the food that Chihiro's parents eat in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. I wanted to do something Studio Ghibli related, so I was thinking about making either a famous piece of food from a movie or painting one of the scenes, because a lot of Studio Ghibli movies bring happiness to people who watch it. So during this pandemic I want to give people happiness through seeing something Studio Ghibli related.
ナルト Naruto
By Mitchelle Ramirez
This project is a painting I did of my favorite character Naruto. Naruto is a Japanese anime created by Masashi Kishimoto. Naruto Uzumaki was a young boy who grew up without parents because they died and was left in the care of the third Hokage, which was the leader of their village called Konohagakure. Although the Hokage looked after Naruto, Naruto’s village hated him even though he didn’t know why. Naruto was treated as an outcast, and he wanted to become Hokage so that the village would respect him. The reason I chose to talk about Naruto is that even though he was treated as an outsider in his village he fought for what he wanted and never let the words of others break him. Naruto would always say “believe it” when people doubted him so I want everyone to also “believe it” when I say that even though things may be tough right now with COVID-19, things will get better!
私は、ナルトが大好きです。なるとは、十七才です。このはがくれにすんでいます。もくひょうは、ほかげになることです。ともだちは、さくらとさすけです。せんせいは、カカシはたけです。また、ナルトは、ラーメンと食べることとチャレンジが大好きです。でも、勉強が好きじゃないです。
花見 Cherry Blossom Viewing
By Lizbeth Ortiz
My project is based on cherry blossom viewing (はなみ). I chose this topic because everyone knows Japan is famous for its cherry blossoms during spring, but few may know how to enjoy them with family and friends. I hope this poster encourages people to look at the flowers in all their beautiful glory by being close to them as possible.
Lizbeth Ortiz- はなみポスター.pdf
嵐山 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
By Stephanie Perez
こんにちは！ステファニーペレズです。十五才です。びじゅつが大好きです。京都に行きたいです。The artwork I created is of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, which is located in the western outskirts of Kyoto. I decided to use watercolor as my tool because watercoloring can be symbolized as a way to show dreams, illusions or emotions. Through my artwork, I want to show the audience the distinct scenery of Kyoto because I think it is a place that captures the nature, culture, and history of Japan really well.
日本の歴史 6 Significant Eras of Japanese History
By Andrew Fleming
This presentation gives a brief overview of 6 significant eras of Japanese history: Jomon era, Yayoi era, Tomb era, Asuka era, Kamakura era, and the current Reiwa era. The main reason I decided to do this project was because I myself wanted to learn about some important parts and eras of Japanese history. This project was very fun and hopefully taught new things for you too.
宮本武蔵 Miyamoto Musashi
By Vanessa Gonzales
My project is a painting of a samurai named Miyamoto Musashi and and his introduction that tells about his life and his family. I also talk about other samurai and their history. The message/purpose of my project is to tell people that like samurai, we can get through this, and we can be strong.
日本のマナー Japanese Manners
By Rianna Mateo
The purpose of this project is to educate people who are fascinated with Japan and/or want to visit one day about Japanese manners. Having this kind of information is important so you know what to do and not to do. So when someone wants to visit Japan, this information can help their trip to Japan go smoothly without a problem.
強く立つ Standing Strong
By Lyle Casipit
My art piece consists of a Japanese person, the Tokyo Tower, a tree, and a sun. The Japanese person is wearing a mask to protect him from the virus, and in the middle of his mask is the kanji love. I want to show that no matter how hard life is and no matter how many times you fall, you will eventually stand up, stronger than ever.
鎌倉時代 Kamakura Period
By Alexis Torres
I chose to do a project on the Kamakura period was because I found the establishment of feudalism in Japan interesting. What I enjoyed about this project was learning the history of the Kamakura period like the trade, social hierarchy, and battles. The message that I would like to send to the audience would be certain aspects of a country can change overtime.
芸者 Geisha
By Joceline Ramos
My art piece is a Geisha, which is a very important part of the Japanese culture. Geisha, also known as geiko or geigi, are Japanese female entertainers or hostesses of traditional art like classical music, dance, games, and conversations. They are important because they show the art of the Japanese culture to others.
日本の都市 Japanese Cities
By Kiriratanak Vong
This project is intended for those who have future plans for visiting Japan and would like to have a brief overview of some of the attractions that can be found in popular cities in Japan. I decided to make a project on this topic as I also plan to visit the country in future so this would also benefit myself as well. I hope anyone who sees this would find it very informative and interesting regardless of whether or not they intend to visit Japan in the near future.
日産スカイライン Nissan Skyline
By Manuel Mejia
音楽：J-POP
By Elizabeth Rojas
I chose this topic because I wanted to explore Japanese culture through their music. I enjoyed learning about the history of J-pop and the artists. The purpose of my project is to help people discover different types of music they haven't heard.
キラキラ美味しい食べ物 Sparkly, Delicious Foods
By Claudio Zavala
Eating food or making food together is an amazing way to bring friends and family together. And, during these times of crisis that’s more important now than ever before.
日本の動物 Japanese Animals
By Daisy Tovar
The message of my project for my audience members is to highly encourage everyone to get out of their comfort zones and try to learn more about the world and what else roams amongst it! For example, try to learn more about creatures despite the fact they may be located elsewhere, because it’s really quite entertaining to learn about so many more species you’ve probably never even heard of.
日本のユニークな文化 Japan's unique culture
By Valentina Rojas
My project is an art piece representing Japanese culture. In the bottom right corner I decided to draw anime characters from shows that I've watched. In the bottom left corner I drew some things related to Japanese New Year's like the food and decorations. The top left corner is a traditional red Japanese wedding dress. On the other side I put a New Year’s Card to show what people would give others on New Year’s. Finally in the middle I drew Mt.Fuji, a well known Japanese landmark. The reason why I drew this was because I wanted to show others that don't know much about Japan how beautiful and unique the Japanese culture is. If my family were to ask about it I would rather show them through art than trying to explain it to them in words.
日本の食べ物 Japanese Foods
By Juan Garcia
I chose to do my project on Japanese food because I wanted to see how much Japan has in different types of food. Japan has some of the most creative foods in my opinion; like sushi, you can put all sorts of toppings on the sushi like crab, seaweed, and much more.
日本語は私の人生を変えた Japanese Changed My Life
By Esmeralda Macias
This is my performance of a speech I wrote for the Japanese Speech Contest this year about the impact Japanese has had on my life. Even with some mishaps, I am proud that I didn’t have to refer to my document to recite it. I was pretty nervous recording but I did it!
Speeches are hard in my own native language and doing it in Japanese was a unique experience. I can definitely work on pronunciation and tone. I was pretty nervous and wanted to go fast to get done with it, but it hurt my pacing and the fluidity of the speech. I could have done better in practicing to let the speech flow smoother. Maybe practice in front of the mirror a bit more because I got nervous when recording. It gave me insight in the way speeches sound to an audience. I certainly learned new sentence phrasing and I practiced storytelling techniques.
善と悪 The Good and the Bad
By Maurilia Vargas-Mendoza
I wrote this poem for those in quarantine as a reminder that there is always good in whatever appears negative. We just need to find a way to be happy with the negativity. I learned a lot about the different types of poetry in Japan just like how there’s different poetry here. However, I didn’t know there were so many different forms of poetry.
Anger, happiness, sadness too
Quarantine may hurt us but not you
I have family and with them I share smiles,
With them, I share happiness and at times fires
There is always good in bad
There is always bad in good
We just need to find a way to be in the right mood.
いかり、よろこび、かなしみも、
検疫は私たちを傷つけるかもしれないけど、君を傷つけることはない
私には家族がいて、彼らと笑顔になる
彼らと幸せを分かち合い、時には火事を起こす
悪には常に善があり
善には常に悪がある
適切な気分になる方法を見つけるだけの問題だ。
悟空 Goku
By Juan Escamilla
私のアートピースは孫悟空です。悟空は三十八歳です。闘いと食べることが好きです。さらに、孫悟空は、毎日闘いの練習をします。それから、孫悟空は買い物と勉強が好きじゃないです。孫悟空は、優しくて、うるさくて、明るいです。孫悟空と友達は闘いの練習をします。それから、孫悟空は、家族と買い物をしたり食べたりをします。孫悟空は、家事をしません。
I chose to do this drawing because during this quarantine I saw on the news how the coronavirus devastated people all over the world. So I wanted to do an art piece that would send a message for people to ask them to be safe and keep on doing their best. I chose to do an anime character because anime is a big part of Japanese culture and the character is very well-known.
コロナウイルス予防法 Coronavirus Prevention
By Hector Mora
This project is all about showing steps on ways of preventing yourself from getting COVID-19. The reason I chose this topic was because it is something that is affecting us all as of now and it is a current event.
日本 drawing of japan
By Noah Tellez
This drawing represents many things that I love about Japan. Tokyo is the main landscape of my drawing with Mount Fuji in the back. Mount Fuji is very iconic in many pictures. I drew ramen as the sun, since it's what gives Japan light and favor. ラーメンが好きです。 Up above is ナルト (Naruto), a popular anime character. It takes up the most space because it's a big part of Japanese culture. When I think of “Japan,” these are the images that come to my mind.
