MY REPORT

I don't know that it is OK to put my report of KAIGAIKENSHU. But I heard that most of the students who had the class about KAIGAIKENSHU put their reports to their blog so I try it.If it is bad thing, I will not count these words. So if it is not allowed please tell me...

1. Introduction
How do you welcome Christmas and New Year? Japanese think these days are special days, and American people must think these days are special days, too. This idea is same among both countries.Christmas is a memorial day of the day Jesus Christ was born. Christians have celebrated this day since a long time ago. But now, many people all over the world are joining this celebration even if they are not Christian. For example, in Japan, some people believe in another god, but they celebrate Christmas day with family and friends and boyfriend or girlfriend.New Year is the beginning of a fresh year. Japan has many customs around New Year’s Day. Maybe some other countries have their own customs as well. It is interesting to compare their different customs and life style on New Year’s Day in America and Japan.To explore these different customs, I made a questionnaire for both Japanese and Americans. They answered the same questions. I will compare the differences and similarities that the questionnaire has.

2. In Kumamoto
In Japan, we spend Christmas with family or friends or boyfriend or girlfriend. We get together in our house or restaurant to eat something special. Children get Christmas presents from Santa Claus, even though it is actually a surprise from their parents.New Years Eve’s is welcomed with family eating buckwheat noodles and going to temples. We ring the watch-night bell each time we go there. We also go to a shrine on New Year’s Day, and often draw a fortune slip. Of course some people spend New Year with their boyfriend or girlfriend. They go to a shrine and draw a fortune slip, too. There are fortune slips especially for “LOVE” so many Japanese couples buy them. But they enjoy these events after cleanup. It is one of the main customs in Japanese end of the year. We have a custom to clean the house. The reason why we clean our house before welcome New Year is to have “TOSHIGAMI” in our house. It is a name of god who comes to each house on New Years Day. From old days to now, many Japanese have continued this custom.According to the questionnaire, some Japanese tend to take a lot of time to spend some events; for example, New Year's visit to a shrine, with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Of course they like their family and friends. But they had an idea that they should to spend these events with their boyfriend or girlfriend.

3. In the US
According to the questionnaire, American people tend to spend Christmas day with their family and friends. Surprisingly, they do not spend Christmas with their boyfriend or girlfriend. They have a lot of time to spend with their family; they often go to dinner with their family to eat chicken or Mexican foods.Before New Year, they do not clean their house especially like Japanese. They spend time relaxing, eating some foods and watching TV. They do not do any special work. Some Americans wrote on the questionnaire that they were lazy.On New Year’s Day, they gather at someone’s house and eat foods they brought. It is similar to Christmas in America. They enjoy New Years days without customs. If they have boyfriend or girlfriend, they spend New Year’s Day as a couple. They may go to parties with their boyfriend or girlfriend.A few weeks later they do clean their house like Japanese year-end cleanup because the temperature gets warmer. They do this with the good weather in spring, and this is called “spring cleaning.”

4. Conclusion
Japanese people have some stereotypes about American people. It was that Americans must be crazy about their boyfriends or girlfriends. So I thought that maybe the questionnaires’ answers would be filled by the word “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” and that surely they must be deeply in love. In Japan people are ashamed to be close to their boyfriend or girlfriend in the public places, and they tend to spend annual events only by themselves. They spend with their family before or after that. But, in America, they spend these events with family and friends and it includes their boyfriend or girlfriend. They are so friendly and parents do not mind that their daughter or son is necking.I could not experience the Christmas and New Year in Minnesota directly, so I asked people how they spend Christmas and New Year. My host mother, Alaina, said that they always gather at a friend’s house and all of them bring some special foods. They have a buffet party and they play some games. There are many foods in the kitchen so they go there and dish out what they want to eat as they like.In Japan, they often go outside. They go out to dinner, they go shopping and they go to see Christmas illuminations. If they spend Christmas in their house, they buy or make some special foods and they put dishes which have these foods on the table. They sit on the chair and surround the table. Then, they start to eat and talk together. In Japan, there are Christmas presents for children from their parents. According to the interviews to the Japanese students in Kumamoto Gakuen University, they get these presents on the bedside. In America, they put these presents from parents and relatives under the Christmas tree.In Japan, they prepare the house for New Year. They clean their house and their office hard. They buy round rice cakes offered to the gods at New Year’s time. They eat special foods in the New Year Eve and go to temple to ring the watch-night bell. On the New Year Day, in Japan, children can get New Year’s presents of money from relatives. We eat “Osechi.” It is traditional meal in Japan.After New Year’s days, when it is coming that warm season, Americans begin spring cleaning. They do cleanup their house. It is similar to Japanese year-end cleanup. They are wiser than Japanese because they can do it without cold. They have this opportunity so they do not clean their house at the year-end. They do not do any special work before New Year.(1097words)