This document provides an overview of an intermediate Japanese language lesson covering various topics: 1. It discusses the traditional Japanese sport of sumo, its history and rules. 2. It briefly mentions other popular Japanese sports like soccer, baseball, and golf. 3. It presents useful Japanese phrases for asking questions and requesting repetition in English. 4. It covers the grammar point "koto ga" which allows verbs to be used nominally in sentences. 5. It lists some Japanese national holidays in September and October and counting system for flat objects using "mai". 6. It provides additional Katakana letters and encourages using online resources and practicing with colleagues outside of class.

1. Intermediate
Japanese Language
Lunch-time sessions at PCC
By Peter Missen
Session 5
Sports

2. Objectives for this session
Sumo
Other sports
Useful sentences to do with English
Grammar
koto ga
Culture – Japanese holidays Sept & Oct
Counters
Flat things
More Katakana

3. Japanese Sport – Sumo
sumou 相撲 Sumo
(2 Kanji: a look + hit/strike)
The sport people think of when asked about Japanese sports.
According to Japanese legend the very origin of the Japanese
race depended on the outcome of a sumo match. The
supremacy of the Japanese people on the islands of Japan
was supposedly established when the god, Take-Mikazuchi,
won a sumo bout with the leader of a rival tribe.
Apart from legend, however, sumo is an ancient sport dating
back some 1500 years.

4. Japanese Sport – Sumo
A military dictatorship was established in Kamakura in 1192
and a long period of intense warfare ensued. Sumo, quite
naturally, was regarded chiefly for its military usefulness and
as a means of increasing the efficiency of the fighting men.
Later in the hands of the samurai, jujitsu was developed as an
offshoot of sumo. Peace was finally restored when the
different warring factions were united under the Tokugawa
Shogunate in 1603. A period of prosperity followed, marked
by the rise to power of the new mercantile classes.
Professional sumo groups were organized to entertain the
rapidly expanding plebian class and sumo came into its own
as the national sport of Japan. The present Japan Sumo
Association has its origins in these groups first formed in the
Edo Period.

5. Japanese Sport – Sumo
The first sumo matches were a form of ritual dedicated to the
gods with prayers for a bountiful harvest and were
performed together with sacred dancing and dramas
within the precincts of the shrines.
Sumo was introduced into the ceremonies of the Imperial
Court during the Nara Period in the 8th Century. A
wrestling festival was held annually which included music
and dancing in which the victorious wrestlers participated.
Early sumo was a rough-and-tumble affair combining
elements of boxing and wrestling with few or no holds
barred. But under the continued patronage of the Imperial
Court rules were formulated and techniques developed so
that it came more nearly to resemble the sumo of today.

6. Japanese Sport – Sumo
A sumo bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or
throwing him in the dohyo. To lose the match it is not necessary to
fall in the circle or to be pushed completely out.
The player who touches the ground with any part of his body, his
knee or even the tip of his finger or his top-knot, loses the match.
Or he need only put one toe or his heel over the straw bales
marking the circle.
Striking with fists, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking and kicking in the
stomach or chest are prohibited. It is also against the rules to seize
the part of the band covering the vital organs.
As there are no weight limits as in boxing or western wrestling it is
possible for a player to find himself pitted against an opponent
twice his own weight.

7. Other Sports
sakka- サッカー Football
Football is popular in Japan with the J league.
Japan won the recent Asian Cup held in Jan 2011.
(beating Australia in the final)
yakyuu 野球 Baseball
Baseball is big in Japan with a pro league.
supo-tsu スポーツ generic term for sports.
gorufu ゴルフ Golf – popular with businessmen,
quite an expensive pastime in Japan!

8. Useful sentences - question
kore wa これは
nihongo de 日本語で
nan 何
desu ka. ですか。
What is this in Japanese?

9. Useful sentences - question
[anata wa] [ あなたは ]
eigo 英語
w(o) を
hanashimasu ka. 話しますか。
Do you speak English?
hanashimasu = to speak (polite form)

10. Useful sentences – possible replies
iie, hanashimasen.
いいえ , 話しません。
no, I do not speak.
sukoshi hanashimasu.
少 話します。
I speak a little.
hai, hanashimasu.
はい , 話します。
yes, I speak.

11. Useful sentences
kore wa これは
eigo de 英語で
nan 何
desu ka. ですか。
What is this in English?

12. Useful sentences – speak slowly!
yukkuri hanashite kudasai
ゆっくり話して下さい
。
Please speak slowly.
yukkuri = slowly
hanashite = te form of the verb to speak

13. Useful sentences – request repeat
mou ichido onegaishimasu.
もう一度おねがいしまう
。
Once more please.
mou ichido itte kudasai.
もう一度言って下さい。
Please say once more.

14. Grammar – koto ga
koto ga ことが nominalises a
verb.
This allows you to use a verb in the middle
of a sentence.
The plain form of the verb has to be used.
We’ve only seen polite forms of
Japanese verbs so far!

15. koto ga example - question
[anata wa] [ あなたは ]
eigo 英語
w(o) を
hanasu koto ga 話すことが
dekimasu ka. できますか。

16. Useful sentences - question
Do you have the skill of speaking English?
hanasu = to speak (plain form)
koto ga nominalises the verb
dekimasu = to have the skill (polite form)

17. Culture section – holidays & festivals
September and October National holidays:
Third Monday of September.
Respect for the Aged Day (keiro no hi):
Respect for the elderly and longevity are celebrated on
this national holiday.
A national holiday since 1966, this used to be held on
September 15th but from the beginning of 2003,
Respect for the Aged Day has been held on the third
Monday of September due to the Happy Monday
System.
Each year Japanese media take the opportunity to
feature the elderly, reporting on the population, and
highlighting the oldest people in the country.

18. Culture section – holidays & festivals
September and October National holidays:
Around September 22nd / 23rd.
Autumn Equinox Day (shubun no hi):
Graves are visited during the week of the
Equinox Day.
The date of the holiday is not declared
official until February of the previous year.
Autumnal Equinox Day became a public
holiday on 1948.

19. Culture section – holidays & festivals
September and October National holidays:
Second Monday of October.
Health and Sports Day (taiiku no hi):
This holiday commemorates the opening
of the 1964 Summer Olympic games that
were held in Tokyo, and exists to promote
sports and an active lifestyle.

20. Counting – Flat things
Example: paper, stamps, envelopes, etc. uses suffix "mai"
1 ichimai 一枚
2 nimai 二枚
3 sanmai 三枚
4 yonmai 四枚
5 gomai 五枚
6 rokumai 六枚
7 nanamai 七枚
8 hachimai 八枚
9 kyuumai 九枚
10 juumai 十枚

21. More Katakana
kya kyu kyo キャ キュ キョ
gya gyu gyo ギャ ギュ ギョ
sha shu sho シャ シュ ショ
ja ju jo ジャ ジュ ジョ
cha chu cho チャ チュ チョ
ja ju jo ヂャ ヂュ ヂョ
nya nyu nyo ニャ ニュ ニョ
hya hyu hyo ヒャ ヒュ ヒョ
bya byu byo ビャ ビュ ビョ
pya pyu pyo ピャ ピュ ピョ
mya myu myo ミャ ミュ ミョ
rya ryu ryo リャ リュ リョ

22. Outside the classroom
Communities of Practice for Public Service
Language Learning & Development – Portsmouth City Council.
It’s for all of us to use…
Any feedback?
Japanese word processor
Did anyone try this yet?
Internet sites
Did anyone find any cool sites?

23. Homework
Nothing compulsory
Suggestions
– Work on making a few sentences
– Great if you can practice with a colleague

24. Questions
??????