#17 When You Disagree

Activate Your Japanese!

What would you do
if you were Xuan?

One!

"What's he counting for?"

Xuan! Xuan!

"Is this a boxing ring?"

"I'm in a match!"

Get up, Xuan!

Xuan!

Xuan?

Ota-san!

Where am I?

A hotel room.

What happened?

Don't you remember? You passed out.

I passed out?

"Huh...?"

Oh no! I was still at work.

Don't worry about that.

The doctor said
it's a mild case of anemia.

Lie down for a while and go home.

I'm sorry.

The autumn campaign and the new work...

It was too much.

I'm not a good floor manager.

Please don't...

Take two or three days off. All right?

Okay.

And I'll ask someone else
to work on the autumn campaign.

We'll get back to work.

Let's go.

"So someone else is going to work on
the autumn campaign..."

Are you okay with that?

Yansu!

Don't you want to plan for
the autumn campaign?

I do.

To be honest, I really do.

Then go and tell Ota-san!

I can't.

I've caused trouble fainting.

And she's made up her mind.

I see. I get it.

You're better off just doing
everything your boss says.

That's not it.

It's just that...

It's hard for me to say I disagree.

What would she think?

You'll do nothing
because of what she might think, but you still wish you were
working on the campaign.

What do you want to do?!

See? You're angry.
This is why I'm reluctant.

Even you get upset
when people contradict you, right?

That might be true, but you need to learn
how to speak your mind tactfully.

"Tactfully" is the hard part.

Wait...

What you said just now...

That was good.

"That might be true, but..."
Is that it?

Yes!

When you say,
"That might be true, but..."

it's like you've listened to my opinion.

It doesn't upset me.

Okay.

That's a good point.

The important thing is to accept
what the other person is saying.

To accept what the other person
is saying...

You're back already?

Sorry for making you worry.

Are you okay?

You can take more time off.

I'm really okay.

Well, if you're sure.

Ota-san, could I still be on the planning team
for the autumn campaign?

Xuan, it's hard to do two new things at once.

Maybe you need to focus on
restaurant duties.

That might be true, but...

I really want to try this planning job.

Why do you want it so much?

Working at the hotel, I find many things difficult.

But as long as I continue to work hard
with Monica and Danny, a new future might be waiting for me.

That's why I really want this opportunity
to plan for the campaign.

Please let me.

I understand how you feel.

But you fainted because of work.

I won't overdo it.

So please let me work on
the autumn campaign.

Well...

Why not let her?

Rei-san.

She'll do it, even if you say no.

She's so passionate,
she even thinks about my bento.

Um... That was just...

All right.

But promise me.

You'll tell me if it's too much.

Yes, ma'am.

Such a hard worker!

And she's blessed with good colleagues!

I'll base my next novel on her.

Yes!

I can see it.

I feel a masterpiece coming!

What are you doing?

Just doing some yoga.

I told you no bathrobes!

"To make someone listen to your opinion,
you need to accept their opinion first."

"That's the important thing."

"Today's Strategy!"

Now, I'm sure there are times when someone says something
that you don't agree with.

But telling them you don't agree
could make them upset.

What will you do if that happens?

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

Maybe you need to focus on
restaurant duties.

That might be true, but...

I really want to try this planning job.

Acknowledge the other person's opinion
before saying your own.

"That might be true, but..."

If you say this phrase
before stating your opinion, it will let the other person know
you've understood their point of view.

And they won't get upset.

But be careful how you say it.

"That might be true, but..."

Sounding defiant will have
the opposite effect.

It's important to be polite and
respectful too, just like Xuan.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan, Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Silvia de Souza from Brazil.

She works at a factory in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture.

It specializes in painting metal parts.

These include parts for bus seats, window frames, and more.

Silvia studied Japanese in Brazil for six months and came to Japan in 2002.

Silvia's job is to inspect painted parts.

She ensures that only perfect parts are shipped out.

It's a vital position.

The paint can't be too thin.

And it can't be too thick.

No dust or dirt, either.

These checks cannnot be done by a machine.

They're done visually.

Silvia can complete a check in just eight seconds.

She's the fastest at the company.

She can even hum as she works.
The rest of us can't do that.

Whenever she takes time off,
we start to worry.

Silvia used to run a small diner in Brazil.

Then her husband, who was working in Japan, asked her to join him.

She's now a permanent resident of Japan.

She's proud of her work.

It's an important job.
I don't want to make mistakes.

Silvia lives in Imizu City, in Toyama.

This area has an abundance of fresh seafood.

Silvia's favorite is shiroebi, or Japanese glass shrimp.

She likes eating shiroebi in sandwiches.

It's not sugary, but it's sweet.

She spends her days off with her grandchildren.

Imizu is often used as a filming location for movies.

I like this older style.
It feels like we're in a movie.

This is the Venice of Toyama.

There are nearly 3,000 foreign residents of Imizu City.

Many of them come here, where they can learn a variety of martial arts and dances.

Silvia started this organization.

I don't just want to share Brazilian culture.

I want to share different cultures
with foreign and Japanese people.

I want it to be a place for
international exchange.

Silvia studies Japanese by going to Japanese classes held by local volunteers.

- I loved climbing trees.
- Was that fun?

When I wanted to eat a guava, I
would climb up and pick one myself.

But there's more.

She can also ask for help with worries or issues she's facing.

Here are Silvia's favorite words.

We're in this together.

Words about people helping each other.

I might have trouble with neighbors
or with throwing out trash.

Other people will help me out.

So I might cook something and
share it with them in thanks.

Having a place to learn has been a source of help for Silvia.

She hopes to support and revitalize her community in the future.