Question 1

I live on Honshu and I was born on the island of Great Britain. When I was a child my family moved to another island, the South Island of New Zealand.

Question 2

I have never really been to a very remote part of Japan. I think the most remote place that I have been to in Japan is either Gifu or Sendai.

Question 3

I would love to visit the tropical island of Okinawa. It is a very famous places that promises fun and great food.

Question 4

Hokkaido is famous for seafood and mutton/lamb dishes.

Question 5

For me, an island mentality is when the people who live on the island have a shared national identity as the border is the coast around the island.

Question 6

I think it is most likely that these people will return to the countryside to retire after making money and raising their family in urban environments.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
tropical island	南国の島
mutton	羊肉
national identity	国民性
urban environment	都市環境

Question 1

I live in Kyōto, on the island of Honshu. However, I was born on the island of Java, in Indonesia.

Question 2

The most remote part of Japan that I have visited is probably Miyama (美山), roughly 30 km away from Kyōto city. I visited it 6 years ago with some of my friends who all lived in Kyōto at that time. It felt like a completely different region of Japan as the atmosphere and scenery were just looked out of this world! The houses in Miyama had thatched roofs; something that I have actually never seen before. I took a lot of photos from different locations and angles to capture the beauty of the unique rural area.

Question 3

There is one island that I wish I can visit in the near future. It's the island of Tsushima. This island was the first island that the Mongolians invaded back in the 13th century. I played a game last year called "Ghost of Tsushima" and realized how stunning and beautiful the island is. This game deepened my interest in Japanese history and definitely made me want to visit Tsushima!

Question 4

Sanzoku-yaki (山賊焼き) was the most recent famously known food that I tried during my trip to Nagano. The chicken is marinated in a special garlic tare sauce and grilled over charcoal. More spices are added after the grilling process is done and I can't describe how tasty this dish really is!

Question 5

Island mentality refers to the belief that a certain community holds true when it comes to their superior status to the rest of the world. I believe that the answer to the second question varies from one generation to another. I have met some of the most open-minded and humble people who were born in Kyōto, the city where I live in. However, there are also some people (mostly older generations) who seem very haughty and proud of themselves. I live in an area called Nishijin (西陣) and some argue that people from that area can be rather fake and condescending.

Question 6

With our world saturated heavily by globalization, I think it is only natural for people to seek better opportunities in metropolitan areas that are much more developed than the countrysides.

Tough Vocabulary

Question 1

1

Question 2

2

Question 3

3

Question 4

4

Question 5

5

Question 6

6

Tough Vocabulary