Activate Your Japanese!

What would you do
if you were Xuan?

My name is Nguyen Mai Xuan.

I'm Vietnamese,
and I love Japanese anime.

I'd wanted to work at a travel agency,
planning trips to Japan.

But sadly,
I failed the job interview.

Then I had an epiphany.

Working in Japan might get me
closer to my dream!

So I studied hard at a Japanese
language school in Vietnam, and I managed to get a job
at a hotel in Japan!

But this is my first trip to Japan.

To be honest, I'm a little anxious.

This is how my adventure
started here in Japan.

Oh no... It's the wrong terminal.

What do I do?

Where is she...?

O-TA-san?

Or was it... O-O-TA-san?

O-TA-A-san?

Maybe she got angry I was late
and left.

Help...

Sorry!

I'm sorry.

What am I doing? （in Vietnamese) I can't even find her.

Excuse me.

You...?

You dropped this.

It's not mine.

Oh well...

I guess I'll have to keep it for him.

I'll return it next time...

Hold on.

When's that?

Xuan-san?

Xuan-san?

Didn't mean to frighten you.
I scared myself too.

You're Xuan-san, aren't you?

There, there... It's all right now.

I'm sorry.

I'm really excited that we'll be
working together.

Me too.

Then we headed for the hotel in
Omiya, Saitama Prefecture.

How's your Japanese?

His name is Yanagisawa Rei-kun.

He works at the hotel's
Japanese restaurant.

I'm Xuan. Nice to meet you.

Hi.

Hi, I'm looking forward to
working with you.

No problem with your Japanese there.

Come on!

No need to be so tense.

Take it easy.

Ease your shoulders and just relax.

What's with you?

Xuan-san,
we really have high hopes for you.

I mean, our hotel would love to have
more guests from abroad.

Hey...

At the remote interview,
you said you liked Japan.

I did.

How about Japanese food?
What do you like?

I like everything.

All right.

Anything you can't eat?

I don't think so.

Okay.

Oh no... She stopped talking.

What should I say?

Oh my...

Great... I'll go to sleep.

What was that?

That noise...

Are you okay with that-yansu?

What...?!

I saw you pretending to
fall asleep-yansu.

You're talking...?

If you really want to make it in Japan, you need to work up the courage
and talk to them.

I should start the conversation?

But I wouldn't know what to say.

Why don't you ask them a question?

A question?

If you can't find something to say, ask a question and
let the other person talk.

I see.

But what should I ask?

Anything you like.

How about... where we're going?

All right.

The important thing is
to try everything-yansu.

Okay.

Um...

Why do you keep saying
"yansu" at the end?

And who are you?

Excuse me!

What... what's the matter?

What is Omiya like-yansu?

"Yansu" ?

I mean...

What is Omiya like?

Omiya?

Well...

It has practically everything you need.

There are lots of big department stores,
so you can shop for anything.

There's a Shinkansen station too,
so you can go everywhere.

I see.

I've seen Omiya in an anime show.

Really?

Yes.

So you like anime.

Do you like Sally-chan then?

Sally-chan?

You don't know Sally-chan?!

How about you?

Nope.

You don't know Sally-chan?!

I always wanted to be her
when I was little.

Unbelievable!

How can you not know her?

This is how my life in Japan started.

Xuan-san, follow me.

Okay.

I'm going to do my best!

Still...
What's with this key chain?

"Today's Strategy!"

When communicating in Japanese, there may be times when you don't know
what to do, like Xuan today.

That's when you should use
"communication strategies."

What are they?

These are creative ways of
using your Japanese skills that will enrich communication.

Now we will start learning about
"communication strategies" with Xuan.

Sometimes, you can't keep up a conversation
with someone you have just met.

What will you do if that happens?

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

Excuse me!

What... what's the matter?

What is Omiya like?

Omiya?

It has practically everything you need.

Ask questions and
let the other person do the talking.

Xuan said, "What is Omiya like?"

Omiya is the name of a city.
Ota-san works at a hotel in Omiya.

If you bring up a topic that
the other person knows a lot about, the conversation will flow.

However, ask personal questions
after you have become better acquainted.

You can use "communication strategies" and try to communicate
in a way that's a step ahead.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan, Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Htet Shein Win, from Myanmar.

Shein works at a hotel in Okinawa.

Eighteen staff members from abroad work at this hotel.

The hotel has a buffet-style restaurant.

Shein, who works as a waiter here, came to Japan in 2020.

Sorry for the wait.

Here's some fresh bread.

He often strikes up conversations with guests.

Your Japanese is very good.
How long have you been learning?

- Only ten months.
- Only ten months!

Making guests smile through
my service is so fun.

Shein worked at a hotel in Myanmar.

He was inspired to work at a hotel abroad and chose Japan.

He studied at a Japanese language school in Yangon for 10 months, then joined this hotel under a Specified Skilled Worker type 1 visa.

I'm not able to speak well
with our guests from abroad.

Our foreign staff speak
other languages, like English.

I really respect them.

Shein lives in Okinawa.

Its warm climate and scenic beaches attract many tourists.

As a hotel worker, Shein is often asked tourism-related questions.

To share the best of Okinawa, he visits tourist spots on days off.

Today, he's at Shuri Castle, a trove of local history and culture.

In 2019, Shuri Castle was mostly destroyed by fire.

It's currently being rebuilt.

During the Ryukyu Dynasty, there
were ceremonies in this open area.

- The main hall was there?
- Yes, it was up there.

They take an avid interest in
everything.

I ask him how their country
is different from Japan.

They explain the differences.
So I learn a lot from them.

This is one of Shein's favorite Okinawan treats, shiikuwasha.

Sweet and sour shiikuwasha juice is an Okinawan specialty.

When I'm a bit tired or sleepy,
this juice perks me up.

Here's Shein's favorite word.

Motivation.

The desire and effort to see things through.

There are many things at work
I'm not able to do yet.

Being motivated means that I'll be
able to do them well in the future.

That's why I like this word.

Shein hopes to be a top worker at this hotel in the future.

Good luck, Shein!