Activate Your Japanese!

What would you do
if you were Xuan?

"I'm going to be late!"

I won't make it.

Yansu, can't you stop time for me?

Good morning, Sasaki-san.

You're Xuan-san... Right?

That's right.

Do you know what today is?

What day...?

- See you tomorrow.
- See you.

Sudo-kun!

Do you know what today is?

Huh?

I see you've forgotten.

I remember giving you a present
when it was your turn.

How could I forget, Ota-san!
Happy birthday!

I left your present at home today,
so I'll bring it tomorrow.

Goodbye.

Your bag.

"That's it!"

Happy birthday, Sasaki-san.

It's your birthday today, right?

No...

You don't need to hide it.

You're the one hiding something
behind you.

I'm not.

Show me.

It's not a present.

What are you talking about?

I'm fed up with people
breaking the rules.

You can't throw out garbage
whenever you want.

Today is non-combustibles.

You're holding a cardboard box.
A recyclable.

You can't throw it out today.

Recyclable?

Come here, I'll show you.

Can you read Japanese?

Newspapers and "danbooru"...

Friday.

Throw them out on Friday.

Understand?

Go to... Friday!

That's like asking her to
time travel to Friday.

Aoi-chan!

Shouting at people
about the rules again?

You're so loud.

But that's...

No wonder people are scared of you.

No, no... It's my fault.

Don't apologize.

Say whatever you need to say.
Sasaki-san won't get it otherwise.

Don't call your grandpa "Sasaki-san."

But that's what everyone calls you.

Your grandfather?

- "Grandpa."
- Yep.

Hi. My name is Aoi.

I'm Xuan. Nice to meet you.

Anyway...

Make sure you follow the rules.

You're so harsh.

Are you okay?

I'm good.

Because I told Sasaki-san what to do.

Today is non-combustibles,
and recyclables are on Friday.

I told him what to do.

What on earth is she saying?

"What happened?"

"Why is he angry?"

"Why is Aoi-chan laughing?"

Having trouble?

Yansu!

Seeing the way Sasaki-san reacted,
you must've made a mistake.

Tell me.

Like I always say, I can only offer support.

I can't give you the answers.

What should I do?

Maybe Aoi-san will tell you.

But I'm a bit embarrassed.

Nothing is lost for asking.

Better to ask the way than go astray!

But what should I say?

Why not ask her,
"Did I say something wrong?"

Okay. I'll do that.

Seems like you're ready now.

Um... Aoi-san...

Did I say something wrong?

Did you tell him about the rules
for recyclables?

No, Sasaki-san told me.

So instead of "I told him,"
you wanted to say "he told me."

That's right.

What did I say?

I told him what to do.

Is that what I said?
I didn't mean to say that.

Don't worry.

He likes people
who are straight with him.

Straight?

Just tell him you made a mistake,
and he'll understand.

Come on then.

Go on.

I'll be straight with him.

Good luck.

What is it?

Sasaki-san...

I'm so sorry.

What I really meant to say was, "You told me what to do."

I need to study Japanese more.

I hope we can be good neighbors.

Okay.

It's all right, Xuan-san.

Thank you.

Don't you have to go to work?

You're right!

Now I'm never going to make it.

All right. I'll make an exception.

Thanks, Yansu!

Sasaki-san, I'll be going.

Aoi-san, have a good day.

Xuan's late today.

- Welcome...
- Welcome!

When did you...?

Checking in?

This way.

"If you think you've made a mistake,
just ask."

"Better to ask the way than go astray."

"Today's Strategy!"

It's not easy to notice your own mistakes
when speaking Japanese.

But sometimes you can tell
by the look on the other person's face that you've made a mistake,
like it happened to Xuan today.

What will you do if that happens?

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

Um... Aoi-san...

Did I say something wrong?

Instead of "I told him,"
you wanted to say "he told me."

Ask the other person if you made
a mistake or not.

People don't point out
every mistake you make in Japanese.

If you ask, like Xuan did,
"Did I say something wrong?"

they'll tell you
whether you made a mistake or not, and if you did, what that mistake was.

If it's hard to ask them directly,
you can ask someone else, like Xuan did.

It allows you to go over
what you said in Japanese.

It's a shortcut to progress.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan,
Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Rasoanjanahary Tantely from Madagascar.

She works at this factory in Hiroshima that makes machines.

They include rice processing machines and sorting machines.

They're exported to 150 different countries and regions.

Tantely came to Japan in 2017.

She designs factories to process rice and other grains.

I started from the basics, learning
how grains are transported.

It's really interesting.

This rice milling facility features the latest technology.

In just one hour, eight tons of rice can be milled and packaged.

The sorting machines find and
remove pests and debris.

It helps produce better rice.

At 13, Tantely became interested in Japan.

She began studying at a Japanese language school.

After attending university in Madagascar, she received a scholarship to study in Hiroshima.

She then joined her company.

She speaks English, French, Malagasy, and Japanese.

She's an asset during meetings.

We have dealings with
factories in Africa.

Tantely performs a valuable role.

Tantely lives with her son, Hasina.

Life in Japan can be hard, but her son provides her great comfort.

- This is hard.
- It is?

He cheers me up.

There are lots of tough times.
But living with him is so fun.

Each Sunday, Tantely and Hasina head to a nearby park.

Tantely met friends here who give her advice about school and more.

The school needs so much paperwork.
I get confused.

She helps me and shows me
what I need to write.

Tantely really brightens up
the mood around here.

She's always doing her best with
a smile. We're all rooting for her.

Tantely lives in Higashihiroshima in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Okonomiyaki is the local specialty.

It features layers of vegetables, egg, and noodles.

Tantely first tried okonomiyaki in Hiroshima and fell in love.

The Hiroshima-style sauce is
delicious. I love it.

It has lots of vegetables.

I like to eat all my favorite
parts mixed in one bite.

Here's Tantely's favorite word.

Friends.

I live in Japan, away from
my family and relatives.

But I have friends here who help
me. They've become like my family.

I treasure the friends I have here.

Tantely's goal is to build a rice milling factory in Madagascar, and to serve delicious rice to her friends and family.

Good luck, Tantely!