Today in Japanese class, for the first time that I can remember, we dealt with an actual story rather than the usual "dialogue" format of sentences. Does this mean we're actually being gauged as capable of handling more than three sentences at one go and not have our head explode? That's a daunting realization to say the least. For I don't believe I'm quite as good as they hope I am.
Anyway, today, we dealt with the story of Urashima Taro and Otohime of Ryuugu castle. For those who're unaware of the story, you can read all about it here! (Though they refer Ryugu as Rin Gin there!)
Now, when Sensei was explaining what Ryugu was, he told us that almost every kid in Japan would catch the drift the moment the name Ryugu was mentioned and that kids in India aren't so when someone tells them of some mythical place from Indian folklore. And it got me thinking... is it because we don't value our traditions and the folklore that comes as a part of it as much as the Japanese do or is it just because there are so many religions around and every religion has a set of folktales and everyone knowing one thing is quite... impossible! Aanyway, it was interesting and I should say that the story caught my fascination so very much! :) And to finally be able to understand the nuances of the language in the form of a story... it's amazing! So very different from the usual fare!
And the strangest thing happened today in class! On my way there, I was wondering what the Japanese word for crow was and I'd made up my mind to look it up once class was over. And then strangely, out of the blue, sensei remarked that the Japanese word for crow was karasu (烏). I might be wrong but it almost seemed like the one thing I was searching for had come up to me. Clearly something beyond human comprehension was at work there... the quantum universe perhaps heard my call for information and supplied it to me? Or maybe there are kami out there who listen to mortals and aid them in ways both little and big. I would never know!
Anyway, today, we dealt with the story of Urashima Taro and Otohime of Ryuugu castle. For those who're unaware of the story, you can read all about it here! (Though they refer Ryugu as Rin Gin there!)Now, when Sensei was explaining what Ryugu was, he told us that almost every kid in Japan would catch the drift the moment the name Ryugu was mentioned and that kids in India aren't so when someone tells them of some mythical place from Indian folklore. And it got me thinking... is it because we don't value our traditions and the folklore that comes as a part of it as much as the Japanese do or is it just because there are so many religions around and every religion has a set of folktales and everyone knowing one thing is quite... impossible! Aanyway, it was interesting and I should say that the story caught my fascination so very much! :) And to finally be able to understand the nuances of the language in the form of a story... it's amazing! So very different from the usual fare!
And the strangest thing happened today in class! On my way there, I was wondering what the Japanese word for crow was and I'd made up my mind to look it up once class was over. And then strangely, out of the blue, sensei remarked that the Japanese word for crow was karasu (烏). I might be wrong but it almost seemed like the one thing I was searching for had come up to me. Clearly something beyond human comprehension was at work there... the quantum universe perhaps heard my call for information and supplied it to me? Or maybe there are kami out there who listen to mortals and aid them in ways both little and big. I would never know!
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