Eng 191
10/26/2009
Interviewer: Wenda Qian
Interviewee: Jeita Takahashi
Date of Interview: 10/25/2011
Country Report
Jeita's home is in north part of Japan, he didn't tell me too much about his hometown. Japan is an island nation in East AsiaMy hometown is China, both countries are close. So, we have some similar culture, for example: we have some same words and traditions. In Tang dynasty, Japanese government sent many people to China for learning new skills. Thus, China and Japan had a good relationship in the past.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Regions_and_Prefectures_of_Japan_2.svg/500px-Regions_and_Prefectures_of_Japan_2.svg.png
Japan has four major islands, they are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, also "Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents."
Japan is a major economic power in the world, after the second world war, Japan got very poor as a loser in the war. However, Japan's economic growth very fast from the 1960s to the 1980s has been called the Japanese post-war economic miracle. Japan developed fast because The Vietnam War and the Marshell plan. Also, Japan's auto-mobile industryl and electronic industry are very advanced. This is why Japan revive so quickily.
Japan is not a big country, but climate varies greatly from north to south. "Japan's geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones: Hokkaidō, Sea of Japan, Central Highland, Seto Inland Sea, Pacific Ocean, and Ryūkyū Islands."
Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan . it is also the representive of japan. There are many viewer and climber go to the mount. "It is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku."
Preparation of the Interview
I live in Lawrence Hall, so I have many chances to meet international student. Each international student has to share the room with American student. So I have to ask someone who live in the other room for my interview. After considering, I decided to interview a Japanese student. He is my friend’s friend, and he is tall and strong. Before the interview, I didn't know him too much; I only knew his name is Jeita. He lives in room 304. Besides, I didn’t know how to tell him, and then my friend told him about the interview, he happily accepted my request. I was nervous, because this was my first time to make an interview. We started the interview in the lounge at 3rd floor. He lives in the north part of Japan, so I asked him about the earthquake happened in Japan last year, he said that his house was shaking very strongly at that time, but he didn’t fear, because earthquake happens frequently in Japan, luckily there is no people got hurt in this event. I showed him the questions I am going to ask; he just checked some and agreed to answer my question. Jeita is a new student in St Cloud state university; also he is an exchange student from Akita University. His English is not too good, he can’t understand the fourth and fifth question, and the answers were all very short. Jeita is easy-going, I relieved the tension. The interview almost took 20 minutes, everything went good. We shake hands after interview. By the way, I have got a new international friend. Our rooms are pretty close, my room number is 302. We will have more time to understand each other and share cultural experience.
Interview
Interviewer: Wenda Qian
Interviewee: Jeita Takahashi
Place: Lawrence Hall 3rd floor, lounge.
Place: Lawrence Hall 3rd floor, lounge.
Wenda Qian: let us get start. First one, what is your name?
Jeita Takahashi: I am Jeita, full name is Jeita Takahashi
Wenda Qian: Where are you from? Which part?
Jeita Takahashi: Japan, northern part.
Wenda Qian: Please describe the education system of your country.
Wenda Qian: Ok, just like when did you go to elementary school? Or how long you spent in school before university?
Jeita Takahashi: I see, I started to go to elementary school at 7 years old, 6 years in elementary school, 3 years in middle school, 3 years in high school, 4 years in university.
Wenda Qian: How has your culture influenced your people/family values?
Jeita Takahashi: Eh…Sorry, I don’t know.
Wenda Qian: What is the form of government in your country?
Jeita Takahashi: I don’t understand this one; but I think is same as America.
Wenda Qian: Tell me one thing that makes you proud of your country?
Jeita Takahashi: Animation
Wenda Qian: What places /sites would you recommend to tourists?
Jeita Takahashi: Akita.
Wenda Qian: Where is it?
Jeita Takahashi: It is in Honshu.
Wenda Qian: What festivals do you celebrate in your country?
Jeita Takahashi: Fantou Festival.
Wenda Qian: What's the weather like in your hometown?
Jeita Takahashi: Cold, a little bit warmer than MN.
Wenda Qian: What is a type of sport in your country?
Jeita Takahashi: What is a type of sport?
Wenda Qian: Ok, just like what sport do most Japanese children like?
Jeita Takahashi: Baseball. Many Japanese children like to play baseball after school.
Wenda Qian: What's a traditional food in your country?
Jeita Takahashi: Sushi.
Wenda Qian: Yeah, I guess so. What do most women do after they get married in your country? (house wife, working?)
Jeita Takahashi: Stay at home, but it is changing. More and more women find job.
Wenda Qian: It is same in China, and what is your major?
Jeita Takahashi: Linguistics
Wenda Qian: Ok, next. What reason takes you to America?
Jeita Takahashi: I am here to study English.
Wenda Qian: Would you like to find a job on campus?
Jeita Takahashi: Yeah, whatever job. But I will try to find one.
Wenda Qian: How many children does each family usually have in Japan?
Jeita Takahashi: One or two.
Wenda Qian: Do you have brother or sister?
Jeita Takahashi: Yeah, I have an old sister.
Wenda Qian: How old are people in your country by the time they got married?
Jeita Takahashi: 26-27 years old.
Wenda Qian: What about you?
Jeita Takahashi: Uh…I don’t know, probably 28 years old.
Wenda Qian: What is the relationship between you and your American roommate?
Jeita Takahashi: Good.
Wenda Qian: What is the most difficult problem you faced after you came here?
Jeita Takahashi: I think is English, the language problem.
Wenda Qian: What is your plan after you graduate from SCSU?
Jeita Takahashi: I will leave America, to become an English teacher. I probably won’t go back to Japan. I will find a job in somewhere else.
Personal review
For my first interview, I conclude two points I have to improve: 1, I should find an interviewee my own instead of get help from my friend. 2. I should make more communication with interviewee. One thing which disappoints me is about the interviewee, Jeita answered every question very short, and I don’t know how to organize them into my paper. Thus I will make more talking with the interviewee next time, try to make everything more detail.
There is another important reason I choose to interview Japanese student, because I wonder how they deal with earthquake problems. As we all know, there was a great earthquake happened in Japan last year. And I am interest in their culture, even Japan is close China, there are still many different and interesting cultures I didn’t know. Actually, many Chinese people don’t like Japanese, because Japanese army killed too many innocent people in Second World War, however this opinion is changing, more and more Chinese people are accepting Japanese people and Japanese production.
Accord to this interview, I got many new ideas. Interview is a kind of communicational skill; we should learn how to talk with strange person. I think it is also a social skill. This experience will make me better in the next one.
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