I forgot to tell you about a comedy show I was watching on the BBC the other night. There was an American comedian doing stand-up comedy, and he made a joke about the terrorist bombings in London. He compared it with the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. His joke was that after 9/11, Americans became obsessed with worrying about terrorists, whereas in Britain, people were standing at the bus stop where the bomb exploded only a few days later. This joke was told to a British audience, and everyone laughed. It was a good example of how British and American people like to laugh about subjects that Japanese people would never make a joke of. As I said last week, it's just a cultural difference.

•  David
• 2011年2月21日 13:36

Hi David and everyone,

This is the first time I post a comment on this blog. It is very challenging for me, but I would like to improve my English like everyone who reads this blog. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu:)
Actually, I think the reason why I make a “V” sign is because “everyone else does it”, as David mentioned.
I didn’t know “V” sign is strange for non-Japanese people before I went to Australia.
In Britain, how do you always do when you have your photograph taken?

Thank you very much for reading my poor English.
Aki

•  Aki
• 2011年2月21日 18:31

Hi David,
It is interesting topic.
Your question is very interesting.
I always make the V sign.
I'm trying to think about that.
"手持ち無沙汰"
"照れ隠し"
I found these words in Japanese.
I can't make a good pose when I am taken a picture, whereas it is easy to make a V sign.
That's why I often make a V sign.
This is my opinion.

Kazu

•  Kazu
• 2011年2月21日 19:50

Hi Aki,

I don't think you need to worry about your English if you can write a sentence like "Actually, I think the reason why I make a 'V' sign is because everyone else does it, as David mentioned"!

Your question is interesting (but it should be "What do you usually do when you have your photograph taken). If you asked someone from Britain that question, they would probably not understand why you think there has to be something that we always or usually do. That is the point I was trying to make. Different photographs are taken in different situations, in different atmospheres, and at different times, so why do Japanese people feel the need to do exactly the same pose every time?

I think Kazu's point about doing it because it's easy and safe is a valid one, but I was wondering more about how, when, and why this custom started in the first place. Does anyone know?

•  David
• 2011年2月21日 20:56

I don't do "knock on wood" when I heard something bad, but most western people do when they heard something bad.
As same as this kind of custom, most Japanese might make the V sign.
I want to know from when that custom has been done.

Kazu

•  Kazu
• 2011年2月21日 21:16

Hi, David,
this is my first visit to this blog. Yoroshiku-onegaisimasu!

As for V-sign we make when taking photos, I hear there was a famous "Konika" TV commercial a few decades ago. In that CM, a well-known comedian, Jun Inoue made a V-sign when he was taken a photo.

Before that, there was a very popular TV program called "サインはV”that depicted high school students who belonged to a volleyball girl's team obsessed with victories. This program gave an influence on the commercial of Konica. This is a very old TV program . Probably my mother knows it.

Konica is a camera maker, so now you probably understand the origin of Japanese V-sign.

It is interesting to say that V-sign was originally made by Winston Churchill.

•  Atsuko
• 2011年2月21日 21:59

Hi Atsuko,

Nice to have you with us. That's a very interesting story. It is amazing how much culture comes from TV commercials in Japan!

One of the big differences between Japan and the West is that in Japan, it's good to be the same as everyone else, whereas in the West, it is better to be original, or at least different. If a Japanese person sees everyone else doing something, I think he or she naturally wants to do the same thing. If a Westerner sees everyone doing something, however, our natural instinct is to try to be different so that we stand out. It's just the way we are brought up.

I have actually written about this in a few books using the example of wedding speeches. In Japan, it is not necessary to try to be original. In fact, doing something different from what is expected would probably make you quite unpopular. In the West, however, being original and avoiding cliches is the most important thing to think about when you write a wedding speech.

Well, that's what I think, anyway. Please feel free to disagree!

•  David
• 2011年2月21日 22:51

Hi David and everyone,

When I was in school, we had to do sports in bloomers, but as you wrote on the blog, they have been replaced by unisex shorts. I haven't seen bloomers for ages!

I burst into laughter when I read your entry today. I don't get many chances to have my picture taken these days, but I have to admit that I used to make a "V" sign almost every time a camera appeared. When I was young and when I had my picture taken with my friends, we often made a "V" sign, and it meant something like "Yaay!". I don't know why, but a camera made me feel like I had to do something, and the "V" sign was a safe pose. Well, I usually have my picture taken with my children now, so I often hold my daughter while waiting. It's funny, but small children don't make a "V" sign because it's a bit difficult for them to do it with their little fingers, and they don't get shy like adults. If you took pictures at a kindergarten, I'm sure children would show you a variety of poses. I think they will start doing the "V" sign while they are in elementary school, though.

＞I was wondering more about how, when, and why this custom started in the first place.

Sorry, I have no idea!

Hi Aki & Atsuko,
Nice to have to with us:)

Tomo

PS David - I learned the word "cliche" from your comment above. My dictionary says it's French. Is it a common expression for English speakers?

•  Tomo
• 2011年2月22日 00:06

Hi Tomo,

Yes, "cliche" is quite a common word.

•  David
• 2011年2月22日 00:08

Hi David,

My posting this time doesn't have any relation to V-sign. However, I'd like to answer to your request.

I don't know what I should write exactly.

My book is 4th edition, A Practical English Grammar published by Oxford University Press.
The writers are A. J. Thomson & A. V. Martinet.

Its section 20 is The sequence of tenses.

It says, "When the main verb of a sentence is in a past tense, verbs in subordinate clauses are in a past tense also. See the starred sentences below."

Its section 31 is Indirect speech.
The section has many explanations about tense changes, including exceptions.

This book is very useful for me when I check English grammar.

See ya,

•  Gussan
• 2011年2月22日 05:39

Hi David and everyone,
It's glad to hear that bloomers were not worn by female students any more because I felt embarrased to wear them when I was a student.

About Vsign, I stopped doing it several years ago because I somehow felt it might look stupid. Actually I saw the pictures of about 30 people who had passed the national exam at their cerebration party. Surprisingly, all of them made Vsigns with their hands and made me feel they look stupid, although they are in fact very smart cause they had passed the difficult exam.

I looked for the origin of it. Atsuko already answered it. It sures is the effect of TV commercial is sometimes so strong. Another habit of us when we have our picture taken is we say "cheese". Why cheese? why not other words? Maybe when we say cheese our lips open sideways and looks smiling.

David pointed out the interesting point: westerners want to being original whereas Japanese want to being same as others. This mentality shows in a joke about the sunnken ship, we talked about it before.

>In fact doing something different from what is expected would probably make you quite unpopular.
I disagree with that or it's not always true. There is a boy who always stood out and did anything differently from others when I was in elementary school. He was kind of a class clown and quite popular.

Talk to you later, Fumie.

•  Fumie
• 2011年2月22日 07:34

Hi Gussan,

I understand what the writers say about the sequence of tenses, and I agree with it, but where does it say that is "grammar" and not "usage"? Do you just mean that it is in a book called "An English Grammar"?

•  David
• 2011年2月22日 07:37

Hi, David and everyone,
This is the first time I join you.

May I ask David about the following joke you wrote that made the British audience roar with laughter:

...after 9/11, Americans became obsessed with worrying about terrorists, whereas in Britain, people were standing at the bus stop where the bomb exploded only a few days later. ...

Does this mean that Brits forget about the past easily while Americans stick to the past? Or what is the point that made people laugh? I don't get it, as I imagine would be the case for the most of the Japanese.

Thank you in advance for your help. I am a typical Japanese who is so out of touch with western jokes.

Nicky

•  Nicky
• 2011年2月22日 13:19

Hi David and everyone,

David, your comment "Because everyone else does it." reminds me of the discussion about jokes we did before on the blog as Fumie mentioned. I don't think most of the people have any specific reasons for making the "V" sign. Personally, I don't think I have done it so far because I don't like it. I'm not sure,though, it was not common when I was young,four decades ago!
One thing I can't forget is that I saw a photo (or magazine?) of a group of high school students making the "V" sign in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome. It made me feel sad.
Astuko, thanks for the information and welcome to the blog. Yes, I do remember that CM and that TV drama.

>>In fact doing something different from what is expected would probably make you quite unpopular.

Sorry to say, I have a different thought with you.
As for a wedding ceremony, a lot of couples are trying to plan something original among traditional ones.

Hi Aki and Nicky,
Nice to have you with us.

>Fumie, thanks for the information about the TV program. I saw it last night. Prof. Sandel's approach towards "telling a lie" was interesting,wasn't it?

Bye for now,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年2月22日 13:58

Hi David,

I happened to be in London a week after the terrorist bombings, and one year after the attacks, I was in Prague watching BBC news in which a woman was crying bitterly at the subway station.
I don’t expect you to understand, but it doesn’t matter what American and British people think about A-bombs, and it doesn’t matter how “British jokes” go. You just can’t stop lots of Japanese people, including Yamaguchi-san’s oldest daughter, Toshiko-san, from finding the joke in question offensive. That’s why BBC said "QI never sets out to cause offense with any of the people or subjects it covers. However on this occasion, given the sensitivity of the subject matter for Japanese viewers, we understand why they did not feel it appropriate for inclusion in the programme."
I really really hate to say this, but “Hiroshima and Nagasaki” can’t be comparable to “the 9/11 attacks” so easily. In New York two buildings were collapsed but the whole city was intact. The death toll from “Hiroshima and Nagasaki” now exceeds 400,000, both cities were completely devastated, and lots of people are still suffering from atomic-bomb disease. A-bombing is not something that happened long time ago, it’s still happening now. Facing this fact, I run out of words, let alone a joke.

•  Jazmín
• 2011年2月22日 14:50

Hi David,

I didn’t know that Japanese people like V sign because I don’t make a V sign when I have my picture taken. Of course I won’t say I never did, but I checked my pictures and couldn’t find one that I made a V sign. I found that one of my friends did in some of the pictures, but I did not notice until now, so I could say I don’t care about it at all. But I admit it’s annoying that I see some children make a V sign on TV.
By the way, I could not find the word “serow” in my English-English dictionary, but I could find the word in my Japanese-English dictionary. It’s strange isn’t it??

Good night and sweet dreams,
amo

•  amo
• 2011年2月22日 21:30

Hi David,

According to Wikipedia, the V sign is an obscene gesture like extending a middle finger in the UK and some other English speaking countries when it is performed with the palm facing inwards. Is this true?

>> I always forbid them to make the "V" sign because I think it looks really stupid.

Perhaps they think it looks cute and that they don't care what people think about it.

>> I guess there must be a reason why this started in Japan, and I was wondering if any of you know it.

Wikipedia says:

One account of the V sign's use in portrait photographs claims that during the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo Hokkaido, American figure skater Janet Lynn stumbled into Japanese pop culture when she fell during a free-skate period, but continued to smile even as she sat on the ice. Though she placed only third in the actual competition, her cheerful diligence and indefatigability resonated with many Japans viewers, making her an overnight celebrity in Japan. Afterward, Lynn (a peace activist) was repeatedly seen flashing the V sign in the Japanese media. Though the V sign was known of in Japan prior to Lynn's use of it there (from the post-World War II Allied occupation of Japan), she is credited by some Japanese for having popularized its use in amateur photographs.

Jazmin wrote:

>> I really really hate to say this, but “Hiroshima and Nagasaki” can’t be comparable to “the 9/11 attacks” so easily.

I totally agree with Jazmin. I feel uncomfortable when Americans call the former World Trade Centre site "Ground Zero".

Ash

•  匿名
• 2011年2月22日 22:06

Hi David and everyone,

As for "V" sign,I'm wondering if it is just a Japanese thing or not. What about China,Korea and some other Asian countries?
By the way, when you have your photo taken with your friends, some of you might say"cheese", I sometimes say "butter" with my friends,instead. Not smile but laughter. Make sense?

訂正：
＞I have a different thought with you→　I have a different thought from you

Bye for now,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年2月22日 22:12

Hi Nicky,

I was hoping nobody would ask about that joke because I realized after I wrote it that it is very difficult to explain! Basically, the American comedian was making a joke about national stereotypes. The stereotype of Americans is that they are very emotional, whereas the British are more reserved and react to shocking events much more calmly. The comedian who made the joke was American, so he was telling the British audience about his observations of British people. Another thing he said was that when Americans get angry, they scream things like f*** you! whereas British people are much calmer. He said, "When a British person reaches the maximum level of anger, his response is, 'Right! That's it! I'm going to write a letter!'" People laughed because they realized that it is true. In other words, he wasn't making a joke about the bombings, he was making a joke about how British people reacted to them. It was okay for him to say that because he was actually making fun of his own country and saying that the British are much stronger.

Hi Anne,

Re your comment:

"Sorry to say, I have a different thought with you.
As for a wedding ceremony, a lot of couples are trying to plan something original among traditional ones."

Are the couples really planning something original, or are wedding companies just coming up with new packages and marketing them to young people? I don't know much about this topic, but I take your point that not everyone likes to be the same.

Hi Jazmin,

Re your comment:

"I don’t expect you to understand, but it doesn’t matter what American and British people think about A-bombs, and it doesn’t matter how “British jokes” go."

I'm afraid I disagree. I think it matters a lot what British people think about A-bombs and how British jokes go when British comedians are making a TV comedy in Britain that is designed purely for British audiences.

Maybe some Japanese people did find this joke offensive, but I'm afraid I do not think it is Japan's place to tell British people what we can and cannot make jokes about on our own TV shows. I'm sure there are many things on Japanese TV that would offend people in other countries, but do you think that Japanese TV shows should be changed because of that?

and your other comment:

"I really really hate to say this, but “Hiroshima and Nagasaki” can’t be comparable to “the 9/11 attacks” so easily. In New York two buildings were collapsed but the whole city was intact. The death toll from “Hiroshima and Nagasaki” now exceeds 400,000, both cities were completely devastated, and lots of people are still suffering from atomic-bomb disease."

I think you are missing an important point with that comparison. The 9/11 attacks took place during peace time. America was attacked by people who it did not know it was at war with, and there was no aim other than to cause the maximum possible loss of life and destruction of property. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were, of course, truly terrible, but they took place during the course of a war that Japan had started when it attacked and killed thousands of Americans at Pearl Harbor without any warning.

Anyway, my point is that I understand why Japanese people are still very sensitive about the bombings, and I think that the joke would have been very inappropriate if it had been made in Japan or on a show that was likely to be screened in Japan. As I said above, however, I do not believe that British comedians should worry about what might offend people from other countries when they are making TV shows in Britain for British audiences.

I suspect, however, that we may have to "agree to disagree" on this point :-)

•  David
• 2011年2月22日 22:29

Hi David,

The book doesn't mention a definition of the word 'grammar' or the difference between grammar and usage of words.

I know there are some understandings of meaning of the word grammar.

I think that English grammar includes the sequence of tenses, because it is one of rules of language.

Anyway, you let me know the phrase: I thought I would be able to ～' is better, but the phrase: 'I knew I was able to ～' is more suitable to my case.
And, The sentence: 'I thought I can pass him.' should be changed in direct speech style.

Those help me a lot.

Thanks.

•  Gussan
• 2011年2月23日 05:35

Hi Gussan,

Glad to be of help :-)

I usually think of tense sequences as being more about usage than grammar because it is often possible to use the tenses in different ways depending on what you want to say. Anyway, you should think of it in whatever way makes it easier for you to understand.

•  David
• 2011年2月23日 11:21

Hi, David,

I thank you for your explanation about the joke.

That makes me wonder though why the same Anglo-saxons as Americans and British have different attitudes toward an shocking event....

Why are Americans more emotional than British people?

I have endless "whys" in my head, sometimes driving me crazy.

Hope you expound it when you have time.
I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Nicky

•  Nicky
• 2011年2月23日 12:53

Hi David,

Thank you for your comment :-)
It seems I wasn’t able to get my points across because of my poor writing.

You wrote:
I'm afraid I disagree. I think it matters a lot what British people think about A-bombs and how British jokes go when British comedians are making a TV comedy in Britain that is designed purely for British audiences.

Yes, of course you’re right in that context, but that’s not what I meant.
My understanding is BBC apologized not for broadcasting the programme but for making Japanese viewers feel uncomfortable, no matter how British jokes go. That means “I’m sorry to hurt your feeling, but I didn’t mean it.”

You wrote;
Maybe some Japanese people did find this joke offensive, but I'm afraid I do not think it is Japan's place to tell British people what we can and cannot make jokes about on our own TV shows. I'm sure there are many things on Japanese TV that would offend people in other countries, but do you think that Japanese TV shows should be changed because of that?

I understand what you say, but I don’t think it’s always true, I’m afraid. It depends on TV stations’ decision whether or not and how to respond to a thing like this. If the TV station had not been BBC, and the programme had not been so popular, things might have been different.
Mexico's ambassador in London also has complained to the BBC and demanded an apology from it.
www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/04/top-gear-mexico-insults-sorry

You wrote;
I think you are missing an important point with that comparison. The 9/11 attacks took place during peace time. America was attacked by people who it did not know it was at war with, and there was no aim other than to cause the maximum possible loss of life and destruction of property. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were, of course, truly terrible, but they took place during the course of a war that Japan had started when it attacked and killed thousands of Americans at Pearl Harbor without any warning.

So…what’s the point? We’re talking about whether or not people make jokes about tragedies, right? What I was trying to say is “Hiroshima and Nagasaki” was/is a catastrophe too devastating for many Japanese to make jokes about it.

Anyway, I’m not trying to convince you, so now I’m glad we have an interesting discussion. Thank you for reading my comment and replying to it so sincerely. I really appreciate it.

•  Jazmín
• 2011年2月23日 14:33

Hi David,

>> but they took place during the course of a war that Japan had started when it attacked and killed thousands of Americans at Pearl Harbor without any warning.

It was not a so-called sneaky attack. Japan sent a notification of ultimatum to the Japanese Embassy in Washington, however it took too long for Japanese Ambassador to deliver it in time. In fact, American cryptographers had already broken the Japanese code before the attack. Pearl Harbor Attack was a good excuse to sway American public opinion in the direction of war. So is the 9/11 attacks. Bush connected Iraq and 9/11 and hit Iraq.

I must hasten to add that there is no hard evidence.

Ash

•  匿名
• 2011年2月23日 15:34

Hi Jazmin,

My point about 9/11 and 7/7 was that Western people make jokes about tragedies. It's part of our culture, and I don't think we should change that because other nationalities don't like it. I understand why Japan sees the A-bombs as something completely different that should never be joked about, but I'm afraid that Western people simply do not share that view. As I said, I think we will just have to agree to disagree on this point.

By the way, when I was researching this topic, I actually found an American website written by someone who was angry that there are not enough jokes about 9/11! His point was that if we lose the ability to laugh at tragedies like this, then the terrorists will have won.

Thanks for bringing up the Mexican joke. I didn't mention it because I wasn't sure whether Japanese people knew the story or not. In my opinion, that was extremely offensive and totally unacceptable. Not only was it offensive, it was not even funny. The comment was made by a group of people who are well known for saying stupid and rude things about other countries on their show "Top Gear."

I have a friend whose nine-year-old son watches that TV show. When I was at my friend's house last year, we were talking about Italian cars, and the boy suddenly said, "Of course, all Italians are stupid and lazy." I couldn't believe my ears! I said, "Who told you that?" He replied, "That's what they always say on Top Gear." It made me realize how damaging stupid "humor" like that can be. However, I don't think that any child watching QI would have thought anything bad about Japan or about Mr Yamaguchi because of the joke they made, and that is an important difference for me..

For me, the most important difference between that joke and the one made on QI was that the Mexican "joke" involved extremely offensive, personal insults about Mexican people. If the people on QI had said, for example, that Mr Yamaguchi was "the stupidest person in the world" because he got bombed twice, I would have been in favour of throwing them all in prison. Of course, that was not what they said at all.

By the way, I wasn't sure whether to mention this or not, but it might be interesting for some of you. Someone asked me a while back why people around the world do not have any bad feelings towards Germany. I had never really thought about it before, but I had an idea about that as I was reading everyone's comments. I don't know if it is correct or not, but here is what I felt:

If you talk to German people about the war, their attitude is, "Our country did terrible things. We are deeply sorry." As we saw on this blog, many Japanese people seem to feel more like, "We are sorry that Japan did terrible things, but...." To take some examples from the comments on this blog:

We are sorry, but other countries have done terrible things too.
We are sorry, but many Japanese people died too.
We are sorry, but America should apologize to us as well.

Just to be very clear, I am not saying here that I think Japanese people are wrong to say that. I am just saying that I noticed that difference between Japanese people and German people when we were discussing the topic last week, and I wondered if that might be a reason why people still attack Japan about the war but they don't say anything about Germany.

Hi Ash,

I'm afraid that I don't know enough about history to have a discussion about this. What I can say, however, is that 99% of Western people believe that the attack on Pearl Harbor was completely unprovoked.

•  David
• 2011年2月23日 16:22

Hi David,

I got a point. A-bomb is a sensitive topic for Japanese people, whereas humour is essential for David (and British people)! Then, you worried about it very much and you thought that British humour would be extincted. :-) Too bad is many Japanese found it's not humour! So, you were so dissapointed.

Thank for realising me it. I'll look close at British homour and try to understand!!

•  匿名
• 2011年2月23日 19:59

The last one is by Neko.

•  Neko
• 2011年2月23日 20:00

Hi David,

With my several experiences that I went, couples were smart and realistic, and wedding ceremonies were rich in originality. Of course, as you mentioned, wedding companies have been marketing new packages to young people, and they have lots of options.
As for wedding speeches, I don't think most of the people use cliches such as "本日はお日柄もよろしく。。." One thing I have to admit is Nagoya is famous for using much money for wedding ceremony including "引き出物（a gift for guests at a ceremony).
By the way, apart from the wedding ceremony, I don't think "being different" is not necessarily the most important thing. For me, the point is "what matters you." or "what is your idea."

Hi everyone,

I went to "知恩院" today. The weather was fine and I had a great time there.

See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年2月23日 23:15

Hi David and everyone
There are another busy days, so I haven't had enough time to come here.
About V sign, I didn't know its origin. I never thought about it. (Atsuko and Ash, thank you for letting me know!)
V sign become standard form that we never care about its origin or meaning. I hardly make V sign when I have my photograph taken because I am shy :-(
About BBC story. I watched the program. I felt hurt a little. There is one reason. When an presenter were introducing the story that Mr. Yamaguchi had got bombed twice, the laughing voice effect appeared despite the cast didn't laughing. Why did creators put the effect in this timing? It made me a little irritated. I feel a vicious intention about the effect. (BTW, I don't like such a voice effect in any case.)

Hi Tomo
It's too late to say thank you for your answer to my question "-1 is plural or singular?".
You always help me a lot!

Hi Atsuko, Aki and Nicky
Welcome to the blog!

Hi Anne
You went to 知恩院? Nice! It is beautiful place. I like 三門.
What do you like at there?

sweet dreams.
trmr

•  trmr
• 2011年2月24日 01:33

Hi Anne,
I watched the Takeshi's TV program which Michael Sandel was in. Yes, it was interesting. Isn't he great that he makes difficult philosophical ideas accessible through the use of concrete experiences? I think that's the reason of the popularity of his lectures and his books.
As you may know, there is an interview of him on EJ, september edition of 2009.

Isn't this blog becoming difficult recently? It's getting harder for me to just follow some of your comments. It's ok though, I don't flinch. It's a good chance to learn new vocabularies and new expressions. :-)

Fumie

•  Fumie
• 2011年2月24日 06:24

Sorry, I made a mistake. That's EJ of 2010 not 2009.

Fumie

•  Fumie
• 2011年2月24日 08:56

Hi Fumie - I think you are right. I'll pick an easier topic next week!

•  David
• 2011年2月24日 09:12

I just got an email from two of my friends in Christchurch. They are fine, but they said a friend of theirs was killed when he was running over the mountain that I used to run over when I lived there. He was hit by a big rock.

I have another friend who lives in Lyttleton, which was the centre point of the earthquake, but I haven't heard from her yet. She works in a completely different part of the city, though, so she wouldn't have been at home at the time of the quake.

Does anyone else have friends in Christchurch?

•  David
• 2011年2月24日 09:18

Hi David,

I’ve read your comment. Now I’ve learned a lot about "British jokes". Thank you.

•  Jazmín
• 2011年2月24日 14:28

Hi David,

Sorry for the guy who was killed by a rock. Hope another friend of yours is OK.

I saw the damaged buildings on the TV news. A lot of people are still trapped including Japanese students attending King's Education. The Japanese rescue team flew to Christchurch. Hope they can save as many people as possible.

•  匿名
• 2011年2月24日 14:46

I heard this morning that one Japanese student at a language school had to have her (or his) legs amputated during the rescue. When you hear about things like that, it makes the problems of our everyday lives seem very unimportant.

•  David
• 2011年2月24日 16:02

Hi David,

I saw the news about the earthquake on TV; I saw the damaged buildings including King's Education at which Japanese students were studying.
Sorry for the people who were killed by this disaster and hope your friend is OK.
The student who had his legs amputated was the captain of the soccer team when he was in high school.
He answered to the interview from Asahi shinbun. There was a photo making a peace sign in the newspaper and when I saw it, I almost shed tears because his face was frowning. It was the sad peace sign.
It could happen but I guess nobody would not imagine it could happen to "Me."

Hi trmr,
Yes, 三門 was magnificent. I like Miedou as well.
I walked to koudaizi temple after that.

Hi Fumie,
I missed reading that interview,but I bought his book. Of course, the book is not English version!

See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年2月24日 17:10

Hi David,

I hope your friend is fine. I heard the news of the student today. I also hope the rescue teams will save as many people as possible.

taco

•  taco
• 2011年2月24日 19:25

I just heard from my friend. She is fine, but she said that Lyttleton (the part of Christchurch where she lives) is like a war zone.

I didn't realize that the Japanese student was a boy, but I think he must be an incredibly strong character to be doing interviews and making peace signs for photographers! I hope he is able to come back to Japan and his family as soon as possible.

•  David
• 2011年2月24日 21:36

The message posted at 14:46 was mine.

Ash

•  匿名
• 2011年2月27日 20:37

Great website from Lenora Mira

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•  WesleyOrpha
• 2011年10月11日 13:59

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•  cruises from baltimore
• 2011年10月17日 07:27