#22 An Unexpected Task

Activate Your Japanese!

What would you do
if you were Xuan?

"Today is the day of the festival!"

What are those?

I'm taking the shaved ice cups.

It's crazy busy!

Xuan, come back to make
water balloon yo-yos.

All right.

"Still haven't had enough
Ceylon, Assam, Darjeeling" "A gentleman..."

Point at me!

I'm the gentleman!
Do it properly!

Can I help you?

Two, please.

Two?

Thank you.

"Rei-san's doing so well."

Aoi-chan, I'm back.

Oh good.
I'll show you how to make the yo-yos.

Grandpa will watch too.

First, fill the pump with water.

Attach the balloon.

Next, push the handle and blow the balloon up.

Then...

wrap the rubber band around...

close it up...

and it's done!

Aoi-chan, well done!

Hey, the MC for the karaoke contest!
He's stuck in traffic!

Can anyone stand in for him?

Xuan-san, you saw the rehearsal.
How about you?

Me?!

But I was just an observer.

Then maybe I could do it.

I used to be the best MC in town
once upon a time.

Then maybe the two of you?

If you insist.

Hey!

Aoi-san, where are the uchiwa fans?

Where? How should I know?

Wait up!

I'll go with you.

Hello, Suzuki-san?

I've asked Xuan-san and Sasaki-san,
so can you tell them what to do?

Here you go. Thanks!

"Hello? Anyone there?"

This is Sasaki.

Sasaki-san? I'm really sorry.

And I have to tell you
my battery's running low.

So I'll keep it short.

Okay.

Introduce the singers
using the information we have.

It can be short or long,
depending on how things go.

So we introduce the singers?

"Yes."

Oh, I'm sorry.

That's after you bring them on stage.
I should've explained that first.

Oh no! I'm at 3%.

3%?

Don't forget to ask them questions
once they finish singing.

That gets the crowd going!

The crowd going?

"Xuan-san?"

You're there? What a relief!

The rest is like the rehearsal.

It's gone dead.

Did you get that?

I think so.

I didn't.
Could you explain it to me?

So...

We introduce the singers.

And that can be... short or long.

And we bring the singers on stage...

So we introduce the singers and then bring them on stage?

That's not right. It should be...

It looks like you're in trouble.

Yansu, what should I do?
I can't explain it well.

The contest's going to
start in a minute.

Calm down!

Look at how Aoi-san explained
the water balloon yo-yos.

First, fill the pump with water.

Attach the balloon.

Next, push the handle and blow the balloon up.

Then...

wrap the rubber band around, close it up...

and it's done.

Easy to understand.

Wasn't it?

It's because she said
the key points in order.

That's right.

Words like "first" and "next" helped too.

Yes!

So calm down.

And try again!

Sasaki-san, I'll try explaining it again.

First, we bring the singers on stage.

Next, we introduce the singers
and ask them to sing.

Okay, I see.

Then we ask them questions,
like how they feel.

Okay. We liven up the show.

Sasaki-san, I'll follow your lead.

Leave it to me.

And now for contestant number 1.

From the Grand Omiya Hotel, Ota Hana-san and Minorikawa Takashi-san!

Break a leg!

Aoi-chan, you too!

Not you, Grandpa.

Sasaki-san, relax.

Well then, now for their song.
The song is called...

Um...

"Teatime for a Gentleman and a Lady."

That's it. Enjoy!

"I seem to have had too much" "Earl Grey tea"

"I was able to explain properly
and be the MC!"

"I think I'm making progress."

"What do you think, Yansu?"

"Today's strategy!"

Now, there's someone who doesn't know
how things should proceed, so you want to explain it to them.

What will you do if that happens?

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

First, we bring the singers on stage.

Next, we introduce the singers
and ask them to sing.

Then we ask them questions,
like how they feel.

Process the information
and explain the key points.

Xuan picked out the information she needed
to clarify what should happen.

And she used words like
"first," "next," and "then" to explain the steps in order.

Clarifying the process like this
makes it easier to understand.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan, Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Nagata Marie from the Philippines.

Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, is home to a driving school for foreigners.

It's run by Marie.

Most of the students here are from around Asia.

The test is coming up.
Hang in there.

Marie runs the school and even teaches classes herself.

The language is different,
the hyooshiki are different.

There are lots of differences
like that.

So it's really hard for people from
abroad to get Japanese licenses.

Hyooshiki are road signs that show traffic rules.

Signs in Japan may be different from those in other countries.

Do you know what a
non-stopping zone is?

Marie came to Japan in 1999.

When she first came to Japan, she worked at a restaurant.

She met her Japanese husband, and they had two children together.

She wanted to get a license for her family.

She studied and passed the driving test.

But the other 14 foreigners who took the test with her didn't.

A driver's license gave her freedom of movement.

It also opened up new work opportunities.

To share the joy and freedom of driving, she opened her driving school.

Passing was the greatest feeling.
I want others to feel that, too.

Each week, Marie accompanies students to the testing center.

Well done!

Yay!

She's helped more than 1,500 students to pass the test.

Moments like these are some of her happiest.

They did it!

Marie lives in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka.

Hamamatsu has automobile and musical instrument factories.

It's also home to about 25,000 foreign residents.

The local specialty is Hamamatsu gyoza.

Marie loves it.

These gyoza are cooked in a round shape and topped with bean sprouts.

They're so juicy. Delicious.

These will help me work harder.
I feel revived.

Marie has a project she's passionate about.

She hopes to bring Japanese and Filipino people closer together.

Shizuoka has a Filipino basketball league.

Marie helps sponsor the team.

Hi.

Players from Japan and abroad are welcome.

It's a chance to make connections and deepen understanding.

I hope the teams come together
over basketball and become friends.

She serves as a bridge between
the two communities.

I learned Japanese through karaoke.

It began when Marie first arrived.

Her friends loved karaoke, and often invited her to go with them.

She would look up the lyrics of her favorite songs, then listen and sing them again and again.

She says it's what helped her Japanese ability the most.

Sing, listen, and look.

That's how I learned vocabulary
and how to read Japanese.

Here's Marie's favorite word.

Thanks to you.

An expression of thanks to people who have helped you.

I've been able to come this far
thanks to those around me.

Marie is thankful to the people who have supported her in Hamamatsu.

With their help, she hopes to achieve her dream: to open up driving schools all around Japan.

Good luck, Marie!