Title：「尻に敷く」人は誰？There is an English expression to describe the dominant member of a family or the dominant person in a relationship. We say that person, “wears the pants.”The phrase came from a time when men typically were the leaders of a house and when women usually wore dresses, not pants.In my family when I was younger, my father “wore the pants.” Whenever

This week, let’s discuss two main questions: 1) What are the things that are most important in your life and 2) what, if anything, is missing in your life?I was thinking about this question after I read a news story about a family that just returned to the US after a 7-year journey around the world on their 43 foot (13 meter) sailboat.In 2001, Tom and Kathy Crafton were a successful couple living

I took a little break from the weekly question last week because so many students took an O-Bon holiday. But now I am back to work and ready for the dog days of summer.So let’s start our conversations this week with a few simple questions about O-Bon.What did you do for the O-Bon holiday?Do you do the same thing every year?Do you or does your family follow some traditions for O-Bon?Do you or

This week, let’s talk about something called the “American Dream”, the stereotypical ideal life and lifestyle in America. Then, let’s talk about what is the “Japanese Dream” for most Japanese (if there is one)?The phrase "American Dream" was coined in 1931 by an American writer named James Adams in his book, The Epic of America. Part of what

In this week’s question, I wonder what (if anything) you have learned from others, specifically, other cultures.As for me...Since I first traveled to Japan, I feel very fortunate about my personal perspective: I have been able to see America from the outside looking in and I have been able to be an outsider on the inside of Japan. And the one part about living in Japan that has been the most

Do you ever engage in any kind of a PDA?What kind of PDAs, if any, are acceptable to you?What kind of PDAs are acceptable in Japan?How about when you were younger—were any kind of PDAs acceptable in Japan?How does it make you feel when you see a PDA at a park or in the train?A PDA, or public display of affection, is a physical expression of love or affection for someone while in public. Some

I was in the doctor’s office last week and I was thinking about the different injuries and illnesses I have had in my life and was a little bit surprised after I made a list. There are some people who have never had any injuries or illnesses but I am not one of them! I have had a handful of different illnesses and injuries but I actually consider myself pretty lucky—I am pretty healthy

This week’s question focuses on marriage and weddings.What kind of wedding ceremony did you have? Or, if you haven’t gotten married yet, what kind of wedding ceremony do you want to have? Do you want a big wedding, a small wedding, a traditional wedding, a non-traditional wedding or do you want to avoid the wedding ceremony and elope?Also, what is a traditional wedding ceremony like in

Please check the vocabulary below.This week’s question:Whether it was in pre-school, elementary school, junior high school, senior high school or university, who was your favorite teacher? What subject did they teach and what impact did they have on your life?My answer:I have had many good teachers in my life but there are a few that really stand out. The first was Ms. Woog, my kindergarten teacher.

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。 Do you have a favorite quote from a person or book? Is there a line, a paragraph or a phrase that you can recite off the top of your head? Whether from literature or something you heard someone say, are there some words that have stuck with you and given you guidance,