Activate Your Japanese!

What would you do
if you were Xuan?

"The karaoke contest was a success!"

"And now for some fun!"

You got one!

Yes!

I'm jealous.

I could hear you on stage.

Was my voice so loud?

Yeah, but it proves
the audience enjoyed it.

Yes.

Here.

Thank you.

This tastes really good!

And they look wonderful too!

Of course!

Oh...

I need to go and say hi to a friend.

Thank you...

You've really opened my eyes
to opportunities.

You've helped me understand
what I want to do too.

It's thanks to you.

Hey, you two. Are you guys flirting?

It's time for the after-party.

Okay.

Will you come too?

I've got stuff to do.

I see. That's too bad.

Come on. Let's go.

Well done, everyone. Good job!

Thank you!

I must say everyone loved
the karaoke contest.

And I believe...

I deserve all the credit
for being a great MC!

And so now I'd like to sing a song.

- My favorite song, "Yosaku."
- Cheers!

Wait. Not yet...

What made you want to
participate in the festival?

I wanted to see Japan besides my job.

I see. And how was it?

There were lots of things I learned.

Everyone's so wonderful,
and we worked so hard for the festival.

It made me love this town even more.

That's nice to hear.

I'd really like more people to see
how great this town is.

Yes, you're right...

But enough of serious talk.
Time for fun.

All right.

I hope the autumn campaign
is as fun as this.

Yeah, something everyone can enjoy.

I'm really glad
I was part of this festival.

The shooting gallery
and water balloon yo-yos.

I think fun games like that
would be good.

Fun games?

For example... solving puzzles.

Like an escape room.

I see.

But would people think it's worth
coming to this town for that?

What do you mean?

The festival showed me
how wonderful this town is.

How about exhibits showing
the town's history?

Or we could have hotel menus
using the local specialties?

The town's history can be interesting, but wouldn't it be better to
actually go around town?

But I just think games aren't enough.

Introducing the town doesn't
seem to be enough either.

What should we do?

Seems like this is where I come in.

Yansu!

We're having trouble settling on an idea.

Okay...

- In that case...
- Wait!

I think I can handle this myself.

Or rather, I think I need to.

Xuan...

I can't be depending on you forever.

I'll try and push
the discussion forward.

I'll be watching over you.

"But how can I do this?"

"Come to think of it, neither of them are saying no to each other's idea."

I've got it!

What?

You both think it should be
fun like a game, right?

And something unique
to this town, right?

Maybe the best thing to do
is combine the two.

That's the best option.

How can we do both?

Something that's fun like a game
and can only be done here.

How about...

a stamp rally visiting
the best places around town?

That sounds good.

That would be like a game and fun.

And we'd be showcasing the town.

Once they get all the stamps,
we could give them hotel coupons.

That could get repeat visitors.
It's a great idea!

Hey...

Could we help too?

Right, everyone?

It's decided.

"I managed to bring their ideas together
and push the discussion along."

"And our plan was chosen
for the autumn campaign."

"It feels great, Yansu."

You're sure about this?

Yes, I am.

I've made my decision.

"Today's Strategy!"

Now, sometimes you find yourself
in a discussion that's going nowhere.

When there are several opinions
and no one to arbitrate, the discussion can hit a wall.

What will you do if that happens?

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

You both think it should be
fun like a game, right?

And something unique
to this town, right?

Identify the points that
have been raised.

"___, right?"

By speaking like this, Xuan summed up their views and
identified common ground between them.

And as a result, she managed to think of combining
their ideas together.

If you use this strategy, it will be easier to push
the discussion forward.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan, Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Lee Nyok Peng from Malaysia.

Deep in Aomori Prefecture lies this ryokan.

Lee is in a meeting with these two ryokan staff members.

I came today to make pamphlets
for foreign tourists.

Hello, ciao, hola.

Lee is making a visual guidebook for foreign tourists.

As part of that project, she's come to this ryokan.

Look this way a bit more.

By scanning codes, people can view the videos Lee has made.

I want people from abroad to know
how great the countryside is.

I want lots of people to visit.

She works so hard to appeal
to lots of tourists.

She's vital!

Lee operates a cafe that serves food from around Asia.

I use local ingredients.

I mainly make Malaysian food.

She hopes the food will help create an international environment.

Thank you for coming, as always.

She can cook anything.

Oh, no...

Her cooking ability is excellent.
Just like mine!

The most popular dish is this Malaysian chicken curry.

The spices pair perfectly with the sweet coconut milk.

It's spicy in a mellow way.
It's tasty and easy to eat.

She always welcomes us so kindly.
It was delicious again today.

Lee was born in Malaysia.

She admired the Japanese technology she saw on TV.

She came to Japan at 18 and spent a year at a language school.

At university, she met her husband, an Aomori native.

They moved to Aomori in 2002.

In 2012, she began an NPO to support the local area.

As part of that effort, she also opened her cafe in 2015.

Lee lives in Kuroishi City, in the center of Aomori.

This orchard is a place she loves.

Apples are a local specialty.

Apples aren't grown in Malaysia.

I was amazed at how red they were
when I first saw them here.

Here's a local favorite: Kuroishi tsuyu yakisoba.

Sweet and savory yakisoba noodles in a soy sauce-based soup.

Here goes.

So good. Delicious.
It's delicious every time I eat it.

The soup has this slight acidity
to it. It's delicious.

Lee often chats with her neighbors, who are also from abroad.

Our house is old. The kids say they
want their own rooms, a new house.

Well, there are nice used homes
out there. Why not look at those?

She gives me so much life advice.

I'm always chasing behind her!
I'm following in her footsteps.

Here are Lee's favorite words.

With all one's strength.

Doing anything and everything with all of one's heart and effort.

Trying as hard as you can to see
something through to the end.

That's what this means.

Lee hopes her cafe will be a place people from all over will gather.

A place for international exchange.

Good luck, Lee!