00:00
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast!
Hello everybody.
Our last recording of the day.
Microphone is still on.
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Powerful guy.
This thing's battery running.
It's still holding up.
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We've been recording for like what, four, three hours?
Still there.
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So today, yes, we've got a message from
"I've been working for a company that likes English for 30 years."
Okay!
Full profile.
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Alright.
"Nice to meet you. Good evening."
"I've been working for a company that likes English for 30 years."
Maybe that wasn't the name.
Maybe that was, yeah, maybe.
It's okay.
Yeah.
"I'd like to ask you about the cherry blossom season."
Okay.
"I don't know if it's okay to generalize, but
I think Japanese people think of the cherry blossom season as a time to meet, part, and start a new life.
And I think they feel a little sentimental when they see the cherry blossoms blooming."
Mm-hmm.
I do.
Okay.
"Japan is in its early years of graduation in March and entering school in April,
so I think the deep memories of meeting and parting and the beautifulness of the cherry blossoms
are deeply connected and remain in people's hearts."
Mm-hmm.
"On the other hand, in America, it's September,
so I think there's no such thing as a one-year graduation or a one-year graduation ceremony.
And I think Americans don't get any more emotional than, 'The cherry blossoms are beautiful as flowers.'
Also, is there a season in Japan where you feel like you're going to meet and part in March and April,
and it's going to be like a new life?"
"In the past few days, the cherry blossoms in Tokyo have bloomed in full bloom,
but I was wondering how you would feel when you saw the cherry blossoms."
Mm-hmm.
"I'd be happy if you could answer that in a video. Thank you."
Thank you.
Good point there.
Good point.
So, right, true. It's in September. We don't have sakura as well.
We don't have ikkatsu saiyo.
So, no, we don't get image of like, "Oh, deai! Atarashii hajimari!"
Like, no, we don't get any of that.
When we look at sakura, we only think of it as, "Oh, that's a very beautiful flower right there!"
Pink and beautiful, and the petals are like really, yeah, it's raining down and beautiful.
That's all we get.
Okay.
For me, when I look at sakura, I do have like this, "Oh, shin kisetsu, shin... shin... what?"
"Shin nendo?"
Yeah, shin nendo, atarashii deai, wakare no kisetsu, like all that stuff.
Yeah.
But at the same time, I feel like more than...
But I feel, I think I have less of that than like you guys, right?
Okay.
But, so it's being replaced with like, I get the same feeling if I look at a sakura.
It's more like, it's the same feeling when I look at Tokyo Skytree, or like when I look at the Odaiba no Keshiki, or like Asakusa-dera, or something like that.
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Sensoji?
Sensoji, right.
It's the same feeling, you know, when you look at sakura.
It's more like a Japanese tourist attraction spot.
Okay, okay.
It's those kind of like images, like it's a thing to do in Japan, it's a thing to be amused, right, to...
Yeah, a thing that you enjoy in Japan is kind of my image there.
So it's like, yeah.
You get what I'm saying, man?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.
Yeah.
Like people, like when I look at sakura, I think of like ohanamis, right?
The people gather, right, and then have a very fun time.
It's similar to like Tokyo Skytree, right, people gather and have fun time, right?
People go on dates, family time, like it's the same.
True.
That's the image that I have against sakura.
Okay, okay.
Right.
And also the sakura flavor is another image that I have.
You know, a lot of Japanese food, they have like a seasonal taste of the sakura taste, the sakura flavor, right?
And my question of like where does that flavor come from, that applies as well, right?
Yeah, so I guess that's my image of sakura.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, I guess that's the same like for people like Japanese people like me goes to the United States and see maybe the Statue of Liberty.
Yeah.
Oh, that's big and wow, that's cool.
Yeah.
But not feeling of like feel the, you know, liberty or like freedom, just the statue, you know?
Right.
Or like go to the like White House and just, oh, that's white.
That's, you know, that's big and that's America.
But not feeling like, you know, not any politic things in my mind.
That's the same thing, I guess.
Yeah, I guess.
See, I don't know what the Americans are.
If there's anything that triggers their emotional something.
Just like how sakura triggers the Japanese people's emotions.
I don't know what, because I was kind of raised in a Japanese household.
So my kankaku against that is a little bit more towards Japan.
Okay, okay.
Yeah.
True.
Yeah, like maybe they see the, you know, football match.
No, I mean American football match, you know, the big, what was that?
The, you know, there's a big huge match.
Oh, the Super Bowl?
Yeah, Super Bowl.
Yeah.
If they see Super Bowl match, then they will maybe imagine something.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Yeah, maybe.
Yeah.
Or like NBA finals.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Yeah.
Or like July 4th.
Yeah.
The fireworks.
Maybe.
I don't know.
Yeah.
06:00
Patriotism.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I don't have that.
Okay, okay.
True.
But do you have like this sense of like, it's said it on the DM, sense of like sadness when
you look at sakura?
Yeah.
Do you get that?
I do.
I don't have that.
Where does that come from?
Well, because it's connected, deeply connected to my memories that I, you know, sotsugyoushiki.
Ah, the sotsugyo season.
Yeah, like saying goodbye to my friends.
Under the sakura.
Under the sakura.
Or like, you know, those memories are, you know, strongly connected with those, you know,
sceneries.
And so that's why I feel a little sad.
Little, you know, sadness from that.
But joy too?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But you know, when we say, I mean, especially in songs, lyrics, when you say sakura ga mau
koro, something something, that refers to sad scenes.
Or like saying goodbyes to somebody.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
Maybe that's bigger than...
So it's stronger.
Yeah, it's stronger than the, you know, excited to the new friends or new season.
Yeah.
So we tend to feel that, you know, strong connection between sakuras and those little
sad goodbyes moment.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
Wow.
But, so in the United States, the school year starts at September.
Yeah.
So do you feel anything typical, special?
Like when you feel new, beginning of the new season?
Or like...
Every time I, okay, every time I go to Walmart.
Yeah.
And...
What?
Walmart?
Yeah, Walmart, like the grocery store.
Yeah, yeah.
The front section of the Walmart is filled with like, back to school, back to school stationery.
Yeah.
Like the notebooks, the folders, and like the glue, Elmer's glue, Sharpie, colorful Sharpies.
If I look at that, that kind of reminds me of like, oh, it's back to school season.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's one.
Okay.
Hmm.
But not, see like summer things like, like, you know, blue sky and big clouds reminds you
of starting new.
No, not really.
Not really?
Or like going to the pool side?
No.
Going to the beach side?
No.
Oh, nothing?
The only image I have against that is like, family time.
Okay.
Fun time.
09:00
Uh-huh.
You know, that's the only, no, nothing related to like, back to school or like, new season
or nothing like that.
Oh, okay.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
All right.
Okay?
Okay.
All right.
Thanks for listening, guys.
