If you like watching and listening to authentic spoken World Englishes or first language content with English subtitles, you’ll love the YouTube channel Great Big Story (GBS). It’s a great archive for discovering a diverse variety of people, places, and things all over the world. Each short video allows the viewer to experience new perspectives and widen their understanding and imagination, not only about what occurs on this planet daily, but also the new possibilities they may adopt in their own lives.

GBS had described itself as “a global media company devoted to cinematic storytelling”. Based in New York with an office in London, GBS was creating micro-documentaries (about 5 minutes long) and short films and releasing them on YouTube. This came to an end after five years in October, 2020, when the parent company CNN shut them down, citing dwindling advertising revenues due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, the weekly YouTube uploads stopped. Despite this, GBS still has an amazing 6.03 million subscribers, demonstrating that the available content continues to maintain popularity. The topics featured in the videos are mostly obscure, niche vignettes which are compelling and fascinating to watch.

I first heard about GBS from a former English teaching colleague way back in 2016, about a year after the channel had been launched. I realized immediately it was a gold mine of content for English lessons and wasted no time hitting the subscribe button. In no time, I’d binge-watched at least half a dozen videos and was well and truly hooked! Very quickly it became much more than a go-to-site for English language lesson content. I was watching every upload as soon as it was available. I still remember my first Great Big Story with its punchy title, “I live in a plane.” This particular two-minute documentary tells the story of a Portland-based aeronautics enthusiast, Bruce Campbell, who lives in a converted 1960s Boeing 727 jet deep in a forest. It was mind-blowing to see how spacious the plane’s interior was when all the seats and fixtures had been removed. Campbell had installed basic living necessities and improved on existing features to make a home out of something that had been destined for the scrap heap. In just two minutes, I had a concrete understanding of the idea of “repurposing” which as we move forward into our climate-challenged future is something we need to take heed of. Watch a Great Big Story video today, and have your eyes opened!

Photo Credit: Joyce Busola@unsplash.com

Blog Quiz

Select the meaning of the word or phrase as it is used in the text.

Q1. dwindling

a. increasing

b. decreasing

c. neither increasing or decreasing

Q2. a gold mine

a. a good source of something

b. a money maker

c. an underground place where gold is found

Q3. go-to-site

a. travel website

b. preferred and often used website

c. English learning website

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. B

Q2. A

Q3. B

Have you ever experienced culture shock? You may be familiar with the term as a description of the emotions you feel while traveling or living abroad and encountering feelings of shock, disappointment, or loneliness due to differences from your home country and culture. More shocking than regular culture shock, however, is another type of culture shock known as “reverse culture shock.”

Reverse culture shock is the shock you feel when returning to your home country after spending time living abroad. Reverse culture shock is interesting because not everyone experiences it, but for those who do, it can be a very strange experience bringing about many complex emotions.

Five years ago, I visited my hometown in the United States, and I experienced very strong reverse culture shock. What is very normal in the US made me feel shocked after living many years in Japan. Below I have described three of my reverse culture shock experiences:

Reverse Culture Shock Experience #1: Everyone in the US Is Always Smiling

One thing I forgot about the US from years of living in Japan is that everyone in the US is always smiling. In Japan, you may only smile in photos or when you feel happy, but in the US, it is common for people to smile often as a sign of friendliness. It is common in the US to smile at strangers, and staff at stores and supermarkets frequently smile at customers. I felt strong reverse culture shock when I saw complete strangers everywhere in the US smiling at me so often!

Reverse Culture Shock Experience # 2: Everyone Does Small Talk and Even with Strangers

Small talk is a normal way to “break the ice” when speaking to people, but what about doing small talk with complete strangers? It may sound strange, but small talk with complete strangers is very normal in the US. People frequently do small talk and strike up conversations with each other while out shopping, at the gym, or even while waiting at a bus stop. Once while shopping during New Year’s Eve at my neighborhood mall, the cashier began asking me about my plans for the night. Another time, while waiting at a bus stop reading a book, another person who had also read the same book, began asking me about my thoughts on it! It might be strange in other cultures, but small talk and talking to complete strangers in the US is very common and a sign of friendliness.

Reverse Culture Shock Experience # 3: Everyone Dresses Very Casually

Another source of reverse culture shock for me whenever I visit the US is how casual everyone dresses. Jeans, T-shirts, sneakers, and sweatpants are a common outfit for many Americans. Compared to Japan, where many people are often focused on their appearance and looking very nice before going outside, it almost feels like everyone in the US is competing against each other to dress in the most casual way possible!

Photo Credit: Ketut Subiyanto@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. What is culture shock?

Q2. What is reverse culture shock?

Q3. What are the three examples of reverse culture shock mentioned in the

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

A1. The emotions you feel while traveling or living abroad and encountering feelings of shock, disappointment, or loneliness due to differences from your home country and culture.

A2. Reverse culture shock is the shock you feel when returning to your home country after spending time living abroad.

A3. 1. Everyone in the US is always smiling. 2. Small talk is very common. 3. Everyone dresses very casually.

At Ritsumeikan, we are very fortunate because two of the most famous temples in Kyoto, Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji, are just a few minutes walk from our campus. As most people know, Kinkaku-ji is famous for the Golden Pavilion, and Ryoan-ji is famous for its karesansui garden. In English, karesansui gardens are known as dry landscape gardens or Zen gardens.

There are many famous dry landscape gardens in Kyoto, and many of them, like Ryoan-ji, were made hundreds of years ago. However, did you know that some of the most famous Zen gardens in Kyoto were made less than a hundred years ago? And they were designed by the same person? Do you know who that person is?

The answer is Mirei Shigemori (1896-1975). Shigemori studied traditional Japanese culture growing up, including flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and philosophy. However, his gardens are famous for being a mixture of the traditional and modern. He designed more than 200 gardens, including many at temples and shrines, both in Kyoto and in other places in Japan.

He thought gardens are art forms like painting and sculpture. In fact, one of his disciples said that Shigemori viewed gardens as works of art, not living environments. In fact, some of his gardens were influenced by the paintings of famous European artists, such as Kandinsky, Matisse, and Mondrian.

Some of Mirei Shigemori’s most famous gardens in Kyoto are at Tofuku-ji; Zuiho-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji; and Matsuo Taisha Shrine. All of these gardens are quite unique.

At Tofuku-ji, he designed both the “Garden of the Big Dipper” and the “Garden of Eight Phases.” The “Garden of the Big Dipper” is based on the constellation the Big Dipper, and Shigemori used seven columns taken from the temple’s outhouse to represent the stars in the constellation. The “Garden of Eight Phases” is named after the eight phases in the life of the Buddha and features stones that represent islands in a sea of white gravel.

At Zuiho-in, Shigemori made the “Garden of the Solitary Meditation” and the “Quietly Sleeping Garden.” Both are Zen gardens, but the design of the “Quietly Sleeping Garden” takes inspiration from Christianity, not Buddhism. In the garden, there are seven stones that form the shape of a cross. Shigemori designed the garden this way because Otomo Yoshishige, the founder of Zuiho-in, was baptized as a Christian.

Mirei’s last masterpiece, the “Garden of Ancient Times,” can be found at Matsuo Taisha Shrine. The design is quite simple, with only stones and bamboo grass, but it is quite modern and beautiful. If you’d like to know why, I suggest you visit the shrine and see for yourself!

If you are at all interested in traditional Japanese culture, these gardens are well worth a visit, whether you are a Japanese or international student. These gardens are great places to learn about culture, but also wonderful places to just sit quietly and relax without having to think about anything, especially your classes!

Blog Quiz

True or False?

Q1. Mirei Shigemori was a Christian.

Q2. Mirei Shigemori used pieces of a temple bathroom in a garden design.

Q3. Mirei Shigemori designed the gardens at 20 different temples and shrines in Japan.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. False

Q2. True

Q3. False

Lately, a word game called ‘Wordle’ has taken the Internet by storm. The American newspaper, The New York Times, bought the game from a developer named Josh Wardle. Wardle made the game for his partner who loves word games. Now, over 300,000 people play it every day (Serrels, 2022). One game is posted every day, so once you guess the answer, you cannot play again until the next day. It’s exciting to try and guess the word quickly. You get six tries to guess the answer, and I’ve guessed the word in three tries, but some of my friends guess it in TWO! I wonder if anyone has ever gotten it in one try. My friends and I post our scores on social media and compete. In these pandemic times, it has been a fun way to generate a sense of community online.

The rules are easy. The game generates a five-letter word, and you must try and guess it within six tries. If you guess a letter in the correct position, the tile turns green, but if you guess a letter in the word but in the wrong position, the tile turns yellow. If you guess a letter that is NOT in the word, the tile stays white. It’s a challenge to beat the computer every day, but it’s a good chance to train your mind and keep it active. It’s also a bit addicting! I enjoy playing Wordle and its spinoff games, Quordle and Octordle

My favorite game of this type is the Japanese version: Kotoba de Asobo. For this game, you have to guess the 4-kana word within twelve tries. I play with my American friend who lives in Fukuoka. We compete and try and guess the word before the other person. He knows much more Japanese than I do, but it is fun to play and try to beat him. I also learn lots of new Japanese words from the game. So, I recommend any of these games for your vocabulary study, whether you study English...or Japanese, like me!

Serrels, M. (2022). Wordle: What You Need to Know. Retrieved 17 May 2022, from [https://www.cnet.com/culture/internet/wordle-everything-to-know-about-2022s-biggest-word-game/] 

Photo Credit: CQF-Avocat@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. How many chances do you get to guess the word in Wordle?

Q2. How many times can you play every day?

Q3. What language is the author studying?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. Six

Q2. Once

The other day I was having dinner with my family when my two-year-old daughter did something interesting. When she knocked over her cup, she yelled in Japanese, “It fell, didn't it?!” This was surprising because she doesn't know too many words yet. At that moment, I was just excited that she had learned a new word, but later on that evening, I began to think about the way of learning languages.

Before moving to Japan, I took two years of Japanese language courses at my university. After moving to Japan, I continued learning Japanese through classes and tutors. During my classroom studies, we focused on the basics of Japanese, starting with grammar rules.

So, when I learned the word for “fall,” I also studied all the variations: “fall, fell, falling, will fall,” and “have fallen.” This is the same experience that Japanese students have when learning English in middle and high school. They learn the definition of individual words and then the various ways that these words can fit into sentences grammatically. In the end, I believe this way of studying a foreign language slowed my progression, and I believe it is the reason why Japanese students struggle with English despite taking years of coursework in it.

My daughter, on the other hand, just learned a single phrase that she heard from one of her Japanese teachers, “It fell, didn't it?!” At first, this may sound like she's learning incomplete versions of words, yet this is the way that all of us learn our first language. Can you imagine a parent sitting a one-year-old child down and trying to teach them what nouns, verbs, and adjectives are? I doubt the child could grasp such concepts. Instead, we learned by repeating what others said, and we weren’t even introduced to grammar until elementary school. Therefore, maybe we can consider learning a second language this way, too.

When learning a second language, it is crucial to keep an open mind regarding the best ways. Humans are not robots, so simply only feeding us rules will not progress our understanding of languages. However, it is also essential that we have some comprehension of the rules. Therefore, learners should create a good balance between both methods.

Photo Credit: Bruna Gabrielle Félix@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. What is the topic of the essay?

Q2. According to the author, what is the difference between how people learn a native language versus how they learn a foreign language?

Q3. What is the author’s suggestion regarding learning a foreign language?

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Quiz Answers

A1. The topic of the essay is about learning a native language versus learning a foreign language.

A2. When learning a native language, people learn examples with no understanding of grammar rules. When learning a foreign language, people often start with grammar rules first.

A3. Learners should have a good balance between learning grammar rules and learning practical examples.

University is a very important part of our lives as it marks the move towards independence as adults. For many students, it is the first chance to live away from home, with all the challenges that involves. For others, even though they may continue to live with their parents, it provides new stimuli and exposes them to new people, new ideas and new ways of dealing with life.

I am always impressed when I hear about the creative endeavours of my students. Many of them like to branch out and try something new at university. For example, some of them learn to play a musical instrument; others become involved in photography or art. I feel these kinds of activities are especially valuable and serve as more than a way to simply kill time or make new friends (although these are important benefits, too.)

Including something creative in your life can benefit you in many ways. It can open up new worlds and new experiences, help you to experience different emotions and develop a broader understanding of people, inspiring you to widen your own interests and make your life richer. Such activities offer an ideal way to put aside worries and relax, and even if you are a beginner, online tutorials and videos on YouTube have made it much easier to develop your skills. Creative hobbies can help you stay mentally and emotionally healthy, learn new skills, and get more enjoyment out of life.

Creative work, whether it is painting a picture, making a dress, or writing a song, requires you to think in different ways. How can I make this better? What would happen if I did this? Is there another way to do it? You become aware of different qualities in your work; it opens your mind to subtleties of expression and feeling, as well as technique and often you find yourself making unexpected discoveries. It also sharpens your judgement – is it better like this or like that? – and helps you to look and listen more carefully.

It can be frustrating, too. When things don’t go right, when you realise you’ve wasted hours and hours of your time and will have to start over again, you might wonder why you started at all. But when it goes well, when you finish and show it to an admiring audience (even if it’s just your best friend or your mum), you get a tremendous sense of satisfaction. Suddenly, all the hard work seems worthwhile!

Photo Credit: Tiana@pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. The writer is impressed by ________________.

a. his students’ musical abilities

b. videos on YouTube

c. the creative activities of his students

Q2. What is one reason it is becoming easier to develop creative skills?

a. There are many helpful videos on YouTube.

b. It helps you to think differently.

c. It can help you to enjoy life more.

Q3. According to the writer, a negative feeling that may be connected with creative activities is __________ .

a. admiration

b. satisfaction

c. frustration

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. C

Q2. A

Q3. C

Week 3 We continued our trip to fabulous Lake Titicaca. This Lake with several islands is the highest lake in the world, and it has both traditional and modern things. Especially the Uros Islands are unusual and were made from plants by the Uros people. We learned from the indigenous people that the plants originated in the lake, and when their islands were damaged, they just made new ones and moved in there. Many of them made a living from fishing. Surprisingly, there were big solar panels on the roofs of their simple houses on the islands. With an abundant energy supply, they seemed to enjoy the latest technology and manage a hotel business for tourists too. On the other naturally made islands, the local people were engaged in community tourism, and tourists were able to visit and stay with them at their homes. Unfortunately, our stomachs still felt uneasy, and we stopped by just for lunch, but they were very friendly and welcomed us. The next time we go there, we will surely plan to stay with the local family and enjoy the shining stars.

At the end of our itinerary, we came back to the capital Lima, an urban and exciting city nearby the ocean. We could not believe that we were traveling in the same country. Peru is unique geographically and culturally. There are just so many things to see and to do. One of my friends introduced me to a local teacher, and we had a great conversation about education in Peru. We wanted to spend more time with her, but we had to leave. In the future, we definitely want to go back to the country, meet more people, and explore more places—including the Amazon!

Photo Credit: Author

Blog Quiz

Q1. What do the Uros people make from the plants in Lake Titicaca?

Q2. Did the writer and her husband stay overnight on the island in Lake Titicaca?

Q3. Is Lima located in the mountains?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. They make their islands (Uros Islands).

Q2. No, they didn’t. They just had lunch there.

Q3. No, it isn’t. It’s on the coast.

We always wanted to visit Peru, the country of wonders and mysteries, and finally our dream came true about ten years ago. Peru has three distinct regions: the desert, the Andes, and the Amazon. In about three weeks, my husband and I made a trip to the capital Lima; the Nazca Lines in the desert; and Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca in the mountains. We were able to make precious and unforgettable memories.

Week 1 The Nazca Lines were just amazing. First, we arrived in the desert and did not see anything there. I wondered where the Lines were. Then we climbed a tiny tower and found some patterns, but I still did not get it. I was kind of disappointed because we traveled all the way from Japan for almost nothing. However, the next day we saw something incredible from the sky, and more than one hundred– including big and small–drawings were below us. They were simply too big to recognize while standing on the ground. I understood why people could not find them for a long time. According to our English-speaking guide, no one knows exactly when, why, and who created them. Animals, birds, insects, and even humans were depicted in the desert. I liked the ‘Monkey,’ and my husband liked the ‘Condor.’ As the time went by, the Lines became unclear, and some researchers and organizations have been trying to preserve them with the local people. I hope the mystery will stay forever.

Week 2 Our next destinations were Cuzco and Machu Picchu in the beautiful mountain areas. Since we flew to Cuzco, the historical city more than 3,000 meters high, we got mountain sickness. A special tea made from coca leaf helped us to recover, and three days later, we were ready to go to Machu Picchu, the Incan ruins, by train. Just like the Nazca Lines, people were not able to find Machu Picchu for a long time either. The village was made on top of the mountain so that it could be protected from the enemies. The ruins were well preserved, and some people were working in the field and even keeping alpacas. We felt as if we were in the time of Incas. Before the trip, we practiced Spanish and ocarina to prepare for the moment at the ruins. I was very excited to have a chance to talk to one of the workers in Spanish about the history of Machu Picchu. My husband was allowed to play the famous Peruvian music, ‘El Condor Pasa’ (The Condor Passes) on the instrument from Peru. These experiences made our visit even more special and memorable.

Photo credit: Author

Blog Quiz

Q1. What can we see in Nazca Lines?

Q2. How did the writer and her husband recover from the mountain sickness?

Q3. What did the writer’s husband do at Machu Picchu?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. Animals, birds, insects, humans, monkey, condor

Q2. They had coca tea.

Q3. He played the ocarina.

In life, we need to interact with other people. Not long ago, most communication took place by speaking face-to-face, but these days we communicate a lot using technology which is incredibly fast and globally connected. Since technology and cheap travel have allowed us to make contact with people all over the world very easily, it is increasingly important to be aware of the effect that culture has on communication. 

Many people understand it is valuable to understand the culture of others. However, it is first important to examine yourself and your own culture. What are your social attitudes? Why do you think like that? What is polite or impolite for you? Why do you have those ideas? Are these basic ideas that everyone in the world has, or are they different from country to country, group to group? Understanding your own attitudes is the first step to knowing the culture of others, and you should be aware that some deep beliefs that we hold are not universal. 

The iceberg is a very helpful image to use when we consider culture. Like an iceberg, only a part of culture is easy to see and understand. Some things like clothing, food, different styles of greeting may be on the surface and easily seen as different. However, other important aspects of culture such as moral, social, or political beliefs may be much more difficult to notice, even about ourselves. 

To look at a simple example, let’s consider the issue of speaking out or being silent in class. Many Asian students wish to study abroad in Europe and English-speaking countries around the world. However, sometimes cultural misunderstandings happen in class. For many students from an East Asian culture, it is considered polite to listen carefully and quietly to what the teacher is saying. This is an educational attitude that has been taught carefully for generations and is easy to see in educational settings today. However, in other countries, this idea may not be well-understood. Western-educated teachers tend to reward students who speak out during classes. Their educational attitude is that older children and young adults should be able to discuss issues in class and learn through dialogue. Western teachers may have a negative attitude to students who are too quiet, believing them to be uninterested in the lesson, or that they do not have an opinion. 

In this example, it is easy to see that both teacher and the student would benefit from understanding each other’s deep cultural attitudes to education and learning. The teacher should understand that their East Asian students may communicate differently in class, and the student should understand their responsibility to show curiosity and contribute in an active way to get a good score for the class. Without understanding the hidden aspects of each cultural belief, we may create a misunderstanding that has real-world consequences. 

In the end, it is important to recognize that everyone has a background culture that affects how they communicate with others. Like the iceberg, some of these ideas and attitudes may be hidden to some extent. Trying to understand your own attitudes, and those of others, will definitely help you to connect more effectively in the global society and avoid misunderstandings. As we interact ever more freely in the modern world, I would encourage all language students to also consider the role of culture in the way we communicate. 

Q1. Why is it even more important these days that we are aware of cultural differences?

Q2. Why is the iceberg a good symbol of culture?

Q3. Do western teachers tend to reward quiet or outspoken students?

Scroll down for the answers to the quiz.

A1. Technology and cheap, easy travel have allowed us to connect with people all over the world very easily.

A2. Because much of it is hidden

A3. Outspoken

Have you ever tried rooibos tea? I drink it almost every day. It tastes good and seems to benefit me in several ways. I first tried rooibos tea after my dermatologist told me that it could alleviate skin inflammation caused by allergies. I have some allergies that cause skin and eye irritation, and I cannot help wheezing and coughing without antihistamines during the pollen seasons. I cannot clearly prove the effects of rooibos tea, but it seems to me that the scratchy feelings in my throat and skin have eased since I started regularly enjoying this tea.

Rooibos tea is an herbal tea made from the leaves of the plant called Aspalathus linearis. Rooibos means “red bush” in Afrikaans, and it looks crimson as its meaning suggests. Depending on its type, the flavor can be a little different. Red rooibos is probably more well-known, which is fermented and oxidized. It generally tastes a little nutty and sweet, more like black tea. Green rooibos is unfermented and unoxidized. The flavor seems a little weaker, and it tastes more like green tea. I personally prefer the red one for its unique flavor.

In addition to the alleviation of skin inflammation, rooibos tea may be able to benefit you in some other ways. Rooibos tea is rich in vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. It also contains an enzyme called superoxide dismutase. These nutrients may help you ease some problems. Magnesium is said to help the body relax, which may lead you to better sleep. You may be able to doze off quickly if you take a cup of rooibos tea before bed because it is also caffeine-free. Minerals such as calcium, manganese and fluoride contained in the tea is also said to help build strong bones. The enzyme contained in rooibos tea is believed to work as an antioxidant and antihistamine. It may slow down the aging process of the body and alleviate skin inflammation and irritation.

Recently, rooibos tea is available at ordinary supermarkets because of its increasing popularity from the possible positive effects. Why don’t you try it? Before you try rooibos tea, you should know the nutrients of rooibos tea may interfere with medications, so I suggest you consult your doctor if you are taking medicine.

Q1. What kind of doctor is a “dermatologist” in Paragraph 1? 

Q2. What kind of color is “crimson” in Paragraph 2? 

Q3. What are some possible positive effects of drinking rooibos tea according to the author?

Scroll down for the answers to the quiz.

A1. A doctor who studies and treats skin diseases. 

A2. Red. (Actually, rich deep red color inclining to purple)

A3. It may alleviate skin inflammation and irritation, help induce a good sleep, help build strong bones, and slow down the aging process.