Activate Your Japanese!

What would you do
if you were Xuan?

"My Nagatoro trip with Aoi-chan,
part two."

Now we're getting on the ropeway.

The ropeway?

It has two lines going up the mountain,
so we can go all the way to the top.

- Let's go!
- Okay.

Can I post this online?

- Sure.
- Yay!

Isn't that Ota-san?

Who's that?

The manager at my hotel.

Is he her husband?

Do you want to follow them?

Yes!

- Is that the name of those cookies?
- I think so.

Weird name!

They look good, though.

- Here you are.
- Thanks.

Hana-tan, here...

How is it?

It's so good!

Now... you try it too.

They're lovey-dovey.

She's not usually like that.

Really?

Do you have someone you really like?

Me?

I do.

Really? What is he like?

Well...
He's in the same basketball club.

And I've had a crush on him for ages.

Really?

But he's really popular...
which means lots of competition.

I've been trying to catch his eye.

But he doesn't seem to notice.

He just doesn't notice.

Huh?

I mean...

I don't want to bore you
with my love life.

Sorry about that.

"What just happened?"

Yansu!

"What just happened?"
You don't know?

We were getting along fine,
and she suddenly stopped.

Didn't you find her story interesting?

Of course I did.

I'd love to be in love like that.

It didn't look like it.

It didn't?

You didn't really say anything
in response to what Aoi-san said.

It's no wonder she thought
you weren't interested.

Really? I was listening properly.

You should try watching them.

Them?

Yuzu-tan...

There's a cake shop nearby
that everyone's talking about.

Uh-huh.

Their cakes are supposed to be
really good.

Huh!

From what people have been telling me, the patissier trained
at a first-class hotel in France.

Uh-huh.

And their chocolate cake is a huge hit!

Huh! Really?

What I'm trying to say is...

I'd really love to have that cake
for our next wedding anniversary.

Hmm… Okay! I'll get some for you.

Thank you, Yuzu-tan.

Had you there for a second?

- I thought you'd say no.
- Of course not.

Of course you wouldn't!

How did he look?

He looked excited.

What was different compared to you?

He said "un" a lot.

And "soonanda."

And he said "hee" too.

So you can use "hee"
when you're surprised?

That's right.

You can use it
when you're impressed too.

Hee.

Yes, that's it.

A conversation can sound interesting
if you respond in that manner.

Uh-huh.

Seems like you're good to go.

Should we head home after this?

Aoi-chan...

Anywhere else you'd like to go?

Somewhere you'd like to go on a date
with your crush?

Somewhere I'd like to go on a date?

What does he like?

Well...

He likes sweets.

Huh! Really?

But when I say sweets...

Uh-huh.

It's not like cakes.

Uh-huh.

It's Japanese manju cakes.

Huh! Manju cakes.

The other day, there were manju cakes this big,
and he ate five of them in one go.

That's amazing.

Right?

Then why don't we go to a manju shop
and practice for that date?

Seriously?

Thank you very much.

So how did you spend your day off?

My friend showed me around Nagatoro.

Nagatoro...?

Yes, it was fun.

I'm glad you made a friend.

Introduce me sometime.

I will.

I'd like to meet Yuzu-tan too.

Xuan...

You didn't see anything.

Okay?

Okay.

You're called Hana-tan?

"Showing the other person
that you're listening."

"I've learned that it can make
conversations much more fun."

"Thanks, Yansu."

Hana-tan. Yuzu-tan.

"Today's Strategy!"

How do you listen
when someone is talking?

Giving appropriate responses in Japanese
can be difficult.

Let's look at the strategy Xuan used.

What does he like?

Well...

He likes sweets.

"Hee, soonandesu ka."

But when I say sweets...

"Un."

It's not like cakes.

"Un."

It's Japanese manju cakes.

"Hee." Manju cakes.

Use interjections effectively.

Those interjections Xuan used
are called "aizuchi" in Japanese.

If you use aizuchi effectively, the other person will know
that you're really listening.

When the speaker pauses, say "un" or "hai."
That works effectively.

You can also say
"hee" or "soonandesu ka" to show that you're
surprised or impressed.

If you can't find the right moment
to interject, you can just nod.

There are many types of aizuchi; you can see what other people are doing
and copy them.

Goodbye for now.

Meet senpai from all over Japan, Tsutsu Uraura!

Let's hear about their lives.

Today's senpai is Amani Amiroh from Indonesia.

Amani lives in Nasushiobara City in Tochigi.

This city has a theme park.

It's unique in that guests can bring their pets.

Amani works at a souvenir shop at the theme park.

- I want this one.
- You sure?

I'll put a sticker here. Thank you.

She also sells tickets at the ticket booth.

Amani became interested in Japan through watching anime as a child.

She was inspired to study Japanese literature in university.

She learned about her current job at a job fair in Indonesia.

She passed an interview in Japanese with flying colors, and joined the company in 2019.

It was my dream to come to Japan.

Getting this job is like
a dream come true.

Now in her third year, she has a kohai.

Dibya, from Nepal.

He's in his first year.

Write about the flavor.

He's making a sign for a product.

All done.

What does he think about Amani?

She's like family to me.

Tasked with helping kohai, Amani has a lot of hopes riding on her.

We want to hire more
workers from abroad.

It would be great if Amani could
be a role model for them.

Amani lives in Nasushiobara City in Tochigi.

I love this view.

This is 1,915-meter Mt. Chausu.

Indonesia doesn't have
four distinct seasons.

Japan has this mountainous scenery.

I like the changing colors.

On days off, Amani looks for local spots she can share with guests.

Today, she's come to eat this: Sano ramen.

The noodles are pressed with bamboo.

Doing this adds air pockets to the dough and creates texture.

This shop offers halal options.

Delicious.

I want to share places
with halal menu items.

The shop owner has this to say.

I want her to let people know
that Japan does have halal food.

Here's Amani's favorite word.

My favorite words are: it's OK.

It means everything is fine, no need to worry.

Amani strives to do her work perfectly.

Hearing this word from coworkers puts her at ease.

Hearing this makes me relax.

I feel at peace.

Amani wants to master hospitality.

Her dream is to put a smile on every guest's face.

Good luck, Amani!