#19 Taking a Step Forward

Activate Your Japanese!

"What would you do
if you were Xuan?"

"Today is my first time at a staff meeting
for the summer festival."

Everyone, this is my friend and
our new member, Xuan-san.

Hello, I'm Nguyen Mai Xuan.

I'm from Vietnam.

I work at the Grand Omiya Hotel.
Pleased to meet you.

Pleased to meet you.

Sasaki-san.

Xuan-san...

You need to take this festival seriously
because it's a town tradition.

Yes, I'll do my best.

I'm Tadokoro,
the leader of the Youth Team.

The main thing is to have fun.

I hope to do that.

Have a seat.

I'm sorry for being late.

Aoi-chan!

It's okay. We haven't started yet.

Grandpa was waiting for you.

Aoi-chan.

What are you doing here?

I'm helping with the festival.

Great! We need all the help we can get.

Then Xuan-san could join
the Logistics Team with Aoi-chan.

Logistics Team?

We're the team in charge of
setting up the stage and stuff.

Setting up the stage... Okay.

The Logistics Team is
always shorthanded.

What's the matter?

It's my first time
at a Japanese izakaya.

Really?

This is Inagaki-san's place,
and he lets us use it.

He makes takoyaki balls at the festival,
and they're really good.

Hope you'll try them.

I will!

Today, we're discussing ideas for
something we could do on stage.

What did we do last year?

Bingo.

Then let's do the same thing.

Everyone had fun.

That's a bad idea.

Right! Bad idea! Terrible idea!

People get bored
if it's the same thing.

We could have new prizes.

An onsen trip would be nice.

But I don't think
we could afford that.

We don't have the money!

Bingo needs prizes to be exciting.

And we could always do bingo
some other time.

That's true.

"Everyone has an opinion."

"I should join in too."

A karaoke contest?

Karaoke?

"Karaoke sounds good."

But with karaoke, the singer might feel good,
but no one's really listening.

Yeah.

"It's no good? It sounded like fun."

Let's take a break.

Good idea.

"I couldn't say anything.
I'm here, so I have to participate."

Are you okay?

It's hard to discuss things
with different kinds of people.

"Aoi-chan's so good at
speaking her mind."

"I want to join in,
but I don't want to say anything wrong."

You look gloomy.

Yansu.

I haven't been able to
join in the discussion.

Ah well... It's your first time.

Just listening qualifies as joining in.

But I want to do more than just listen.

Okay.

But...

There are things I don't understand,
so it's hard to say anything worthwhile.

You don't need to say anything worthwhile.

Asking questions can be important too.

Okay.

But how?

Joining in a discussion is difficult.

Then why not say,
"Can I say something?"

Someone will say, "Go ahead,"
and then you can join in.

Okay. I'll try that.

Let's start again.

All right.

Any other ideas?

How about a magic show?

Magic...

Magic is universal.

I could ask the super illusionist Hayato
to come. We went to the same school.

I know him.

Yeah.

People would love someone famous.

Will he do it for free?

That might not be possible.

Can I say something?

Go ahead.

What is this festival about?

What is it about?

Yes.

We have festivals in my country too.

Festivals to celebrate the harvest,
or to celebrate the New Year.

What is this festival for?

It's to help residents
get to know each other better.

A chance to get acquainted with
people you've never talked to before.

If that's the case...

I thought the karaoke contest
sounded like fun.

I think we'd make friends
by singing together.

Then how about this?

We could have two teams of singers
and pit them against each other.

We could get young and old people
on the same team.

That way, we'll have
a variety of songs too.

That'll be good. Yeah.

If we introduce the singers on stage,
people can learn more about them.

You're right!

"I should join in the discussion
rather than worrying about what to say."

"I'm so happy to be part of the team!"

"Ah, it's Ota-san."

"Rei-san's menu wasn't chosen
for the autumn campaign..."

"Today's Strategy!"

Now, participating in a meeting
can be nerve-racking.

You want to say something, but you don't know how to
join in the discussion.

What will you do if that happens?

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

Can I say something?

Go ahead.

What is this festival about?

"Ask for permission to
say something."

"Can I say something?"

Saying this will create a pause
in the discussion, and everyone will listen to you.

Then you can give your own opinion, or you can express how you feel
about what other people said,

or you can ask a question,
like Xuan did.

It's a simple but important phrase.

So pluck up your courage
and join in the discussion.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan, Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Kanchha Lama from Nepal.

Greenhouses are a feature of Karatsu City in Saga.

Kanchha works as a farmer in this agriculture-based area.

He came to Japan in 2007.

It's good.

Kanchha raises mostly tomatoes, strawberries, and citrus fruits.

He has more than 10 greenhouses.

They have a total area of about 2 hectares.

He also has two employees.

Could you cut off the old leaves?

- I'll need scissors.
- No you won't.

He's kind. A good person.

Because he tries everything.

Kanchha invites local kids to try their hand at farming.

He hopes to instill a love of farming in young people, and to raise a new generation of farmers.

There aren't as many farmers now.

The kids can experience farming,
and maybe gain an interest.

Spreading that interest
to many people is key.

Kanchha learned about Japanese history in elementary school.

He gained an interest in Japan.

After university in Nepal, he worked as a climbing guide.

He saved money and came to Japan at 25.

After a year at a language school, he studied management in Mie.

He noticed the high prices Japanese produce earned, and saw an opportunity.

At the time, there were virtually no other foreign farmers.

To succeed in farming, I needed
personal local connections first.

He participated in farmers' meetings whenever possible.

Gradually, he established relations of trust.

Anywhere you go in the world,
building trust is important.

Kanchha taught me that.

Kanchha lives in Karatsu, Saga.

It's surrounded by the mountains and the sea.

The key industries here, are farming and fishing.

Karatsu was also once a flourishing castle town.

The Yobuko Morning Market opens daily.

Fresh catches line the storefronts.

The local specialty is squid.

This squid sashimi, ikizukuri, is a favorite of Kanchha's.

It's delicious.

It has this sweetness to it.

It has texture, it's fresh.
There's a depth to the flavor.

Tastes like happiness.

If I see a kanji I don't know,
I take a picture and look it up.

When he finds unfamiliar Japanese, he snaps a photo with his phone.

His phone is full of photos of words he's learned in this way.

Here's Kanchha's favorite word.

I love the word taihen.

When things are tough or don't go
your way, you say "This is hard."

It's used with a
negative meaning.

But look at the kanji. Break it
down, and it means "big change."

Big change brings opportunity.

Kanchha's dream is to start a tourism-based farm.

There, he hopes more people will experience farming.

Good luck, Kanchha!