Live from Japan!

Thought I would share a few essays from my second year students for this weeks Engrish Tuesday feature. I have been working on essay writing for the past few weeks with these students and I, overall, have been really happy with how it has gone.

During the first lesson they gathered ideas for their essays, brainstormed locations they wanted to travel and reasons why they wanted to travel there. In the second lesson I taught them about introductions, transitions and conclusions. They worked with my sample essay to identify the parts and then they wrote their own essays. After they wrote the essays I collected and marked them. I do not correct their English, instead I underline problem areas and mark them with a code (1=Punctuation, 2=Capital, 3=Plural, 9=Strange, etc.). During the third lesson the students work with an essay that I wrote which is littered with mistakes they commonly make, they must find the mistakes and correct them with their partner. Then, they get their own essays back and must spend time fixing their own mistakes.

It is a good lesson series in part because it really makes them think. Typically Japanese teachers correct all the mistakes on student essays and rarely, if ever, do they have the opportunity to reread their work and check it themselves. I think this is a valuable skill for a writer to have whether it is in a native language or a foreign one.

Read the rest of this entry »

Reason 2 – I love that I still walk around and spot things and signs that make me laugh and chuckle to myself. I love that I have not become annoyed by the stupid English I find everywhere (like many foreigners), instead I find it amusing. I love that something so simple still brings me joy almost everyday.

On that note, here is some good Engrish that we found at a new restaurant we were introduced to. It is a pretty flash place, but the highlight is the all you can eat bread that is brought to the table throughout the meal. And it is pretty good bread, not the overly sweet fluffy stuff we have grown accustomed to.

It has been a while but I thought you might enjoy another smoking sign. I still love these things.

This plate is one piece of a series of dishes that are available at one of our favorite restaurants. Hinano.

Everyone needs a little Twinkle Dreaming every now and then.

Nothing really Engrish about this, but I did find it really fun and charming. From a vending machine in Osaka.

Click on the picture to make it bigger and to fully appreciate what it says.

Aaron and I spotted this lovely little number as we were walking around Amerika-mura (American village) in Osaka. Couldn’t help but think of all the little girls in our lives and how each of them needed a romper just like this. After all, it has such a positive message for girls.

So, we are taking orders. I think that all of our nieces (Abigail, CeCe, Lola Bea, Madeline) and other little girls we know (Xanthea, Rhoda) would really benefit from this fine bit of Engrish. No?

Now seriously, I am completely and totally gobsmacked that this sort of message would be printed on a romper for very small girls. I know that the Japanese may not really pay attention to the message on most of the t-shirts with English writing, but this one seems over the top.

I am not sure what this shirt says about the friends of those who wear it. Perhaps it is marketed to reformed nihilists. I donno, but that seems like a niche market to me…

Anyway, I have to agree. It sure is a “Cosmic Wonderful World” with so much engrish in it.

While we were in Osaka for the Beer Festival (Aaron will tell you more about that soon) we spent a second day walking and sightseeing around the town. One stop was Amerika-mura (American Village). I thought it was pretty funny to see what the Japanese thought America was like. There was a lot of nonsensical English (which means a lot of fun new Engrish for you), there was a lot of marijuana paraphernalia (t-shirts and pencil cases all emblazoned with the leaf) and a lot of fun people watching. Ultimately it was not at all like America, but it was a lot of fun.

BTW…in case you can’t read the picture above. It says “Love Drug Store” on the top of the sign.

The L and R is notoriously difficult for the Japanese, and they often get them confused. Recently, in class, I have been working with my students on the distinction between the two. I hope that I have been helping them!