Blog#9:"Yodobashi Camera"

 Hi, I'm Megumi. Today, I'll introduce Yodobashi camera's commercial.  I think almost everyone have heard  Yodobashi Camera's song. The song is used in the commercial. The song is quite long, but the Lyrics and tempo is easy to remember. If you have never heard the song ,  I think you can remember, if you hear it only once. The melody is parody of  the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". In Japan, it is known as "権兵衛さんの赤ちゃん", or " ともだち賛歌"
At the end of the song, same phrase are repeated again and again. "カメラはヨドバシ　カ、メ、ラ！！" this phrase exaggerate the name of company, "Yodobashi Camera". So you'll be able to remember the company's name naturally. There're a lot of commercial's song in Japan. It is a kind of strategy to let customer remember a company's name.

this is the Yodobashi Camera's commercial song

Blog#9: The advertising of a cram school "NICHINOUKEN"

Hi! I'm Tomoko. Today, I introduce the advertising of a famous cram school "NICHINOUKEN". It is a cram school for elementary students, who preparate for examinations od junior high schools. It was established in 1973. The reason I chose this advertisement is when I was a elementary school student, my mother knew this cram school and I  began to go there and studied hard. Therefore, I think this cram school became famous by the advertisement By the way, do you know the catch copy, "Change square head into round head", in Japanese, "シカクい頭をマルくする". It mean that "Let's think about many things flexible". we can often see it at public places such as trains and buses. This catch copy  have been sticking to my head and I think it is easy to understand what advertising is. Another interesting point of this cram school is bag. Have you ever seen or heard "N bag". This is the blue bag and the center of it has "N", an initial of "NICHINOUKEN". All of the students who go there use it. I think it is one of the strategy of this company, because many people see the children who have the bags and are interested in them like "what is the blue bag?" or "What the N mean?" Therefore I think it is one of the advertisement. i think catch copy is most important for advertisement, because it can ring in our ears, if it is a good catch copy. And I also think that advertisement have to be easy to understand, interesting and novel to attract the interest of many people.  

This is the advertisement of "NICHINOUKEN" and it is always with a quiz like this.

                                                     This is the "N bag".

If you want to know about "NICHINOUKEN", plwase click here.

 

Blog#9: The advertising of Takano Yuri beauty clinic

Hello! I'm Akari. I'd like to introduce the advertising of Takano Yuri beauty clinic. Of course people who go to a beauty clinic are adults. But the company used a popular child actress as a CM character. She said in the CM, "good arms Takano Yuri, good hip Takano Yuri, good mama エステに行くならたかの友梨に決めた、たかの友梨に決めた!" A part of Japanese changes the English, "my mama decided Takano Yuri if she goes to a beauty clinic."  When I saw the CM in the first time, I was very surprised because I can't come up with using a child actress in a beauty clinic's CM. The company aims people of the age who have a child in the age as same as the child actress, so I think the CM is very effective. Also, the music is rhythmical and the name of the company is repeated, so we remember the company's name naturally. So I think this CM is very effective and impressive. If you are interested in the company, please click here!

Blog#9: The Advertising and the catch copy

Hello, this is Masako Miyahara. It was slightly cold today. Now, I'm going to introduce an advertising that is one of the most impressive advertising for me, and the importance of the catch copy. As you know, the advertising is the common way to tell people the noteworthy things such as the new products, the latest information, or the convenient service. The advertisings are well constructed by using colorful picture, good designed letter, or attractive catch copy. I think the catch copy is the most important element for them. Do you know the catch copy  "キリンさんが好きです、でもゾウさんの方がもっと好きです"in English," I like the giraffe, but I like the elephant better"? I hadn't known that what kind of the advertising it is because I was child when I had seen it, but its impressive catch copy didn’t to be separated from my head. I used to imitate the girl, and the company's commercial song. There are many kinds of advertising, and each of them has a good cache copy. If there is no catch copy in the advertising, it cannot tell people that what the most important information of it is. According to the advertisement production company, the catch copy is made by one foundation called the principle of AIDA. AIDA means attention, interest, desire, and action. The catch copy becomes the strongest tool as "an opportunity" to get the heart of people by using the principle of AIDA. We don't pay attention to the importance of the catch copy, but it's so interesting to think of it, isn't it? If you have a favorite advertising or catch copy, please tell me.

 

                                         This is the video of my favorite advertising.
                                         The girl is very cute, isn't she?


If you want to see any other interesting catch copy, please check here.

I found interesting homepage that explain the importance of the catch copy.
It's Japanese page, but very interesting, so please try to read it.

Blog#9 My favorite book

Hi,I'm Moe. In this time, I'd like to introduce my favorite book which I read recently. The book's title is "Aoi Tori", which was written by Kiyoshi Shigematsu. In the story, there is a Japanese language teacher. Though he is a teacher, he can't speak language well because he is disabled so he can't speak smoothly with students. However, when he speaks, he says something important so students listen to his speaking eagerly. His words save many students who are holding worry. The book show me that what is really important for my life. Even if we can't speak well, imortant things what we want to tell will reach to people's heart, I thought so after I read the book. I could feel warm things from this book so I recommend you to read this book.



 In addition to this book, Kiyoshi shigematsu  wrote many great books. I want to read his works more. If you are interested in this book, I'm very glad. Please read it. This book must impress you.

Blog#8: Creative dancing performance

Hello!! I'm Akari. I went to a creative dancing performance in my high school on 22 September. It took place in Nakano Zero Hall. I met my friends and teachers after the long separation. In the event, students determine music, weave costume and create dancing by themselves in a dancing class for half a year. Only first-year students in junior high school dance an established work Hananoyouni Kazenoyouni traditionally. Our class won the championship in five years running during our school days, so I'm deeply attached to the event. My sister is third-year student in the high school now, so this was her final performance. All performances were exciting and every classes were very high level. Unfortunately, my sister's class couldn't win the championship, but they won an encouragement prize. Then I went to eat with my friends and some teachers and we chatted for a long time. I spent a really pleasant time there and I want to go to there next year too!

Blog#7: Summer Training Camp

Hello!! I'm Akari. I went on my dancing club training camp on 9-12 September in Ibaraki. The site of the camp was old, but there was a big dancing hall. We danced all day in the camp and practice was so hard. After stretch and muscle training, we practiced dancing that we will perform at the school festival. The festival is the biggest event in a year and we will perform four times in the festival. I'll perform five out of twelve dancing and I'm exciting from now. In the end of a day, we danced in its entirely and then recorded it on video. After practice, we watched the video or practiced independently until about 23 p.m, so I was very tired.  At the final night, we had a party and my tiredness vanished. We played bingo and chatted over drinking and eating. Then there was an announcement of the next position because our seniors will retire after the event. I'll be the vice-captain. I'm very anxious, but I'm going to strive my role! The camp was so hard, but I could practice full of dancing and chat our juniors a lot. So I spent a full and pleasant time!

Blog#8:Amelie came to Japan

 Hi, I'm Megumi.  From 10th August to 5th September, Amelie came to Japan and stayed at my house.
Amelie is my brother's girl friend who is from Switzerland. My brother got to know her during his study abroad in UK. Amelie also studied abroad in UK to study English. They used to go to same language school.

 I and Amelie and my brother went to many place. Mt Tsukuba, Akibahara, Beach in Kuzyukuri.  The place I enjoyed the most is the beach in Kuzyukuri. The day we went there was so hot. But we didn't bring a swimsuit so we got into the water with the closes on. We were in high spirits like a child. We went back home with wearing wet clothes.

 When she left my house,  I and my mother cried a little. Then she promised us that she would come to Japan on December.

In the beach (a man behind Amelie is my brother)

Blog#7:Study abroad in Oxford

 Hi, I'm Megumi. I went to Oxford from 22nd July to 20th August to  study English.
It was my first trip to go to abroad so I was anxious about many things at first.
When I arrived at Heathrow airport, I was very tired because I had been taking an airplane for 12 hours. It was too long for me because I had never taken an airplane such a long time.  But when I took the first step toward outside of airport, everything I saw was fresh. A sign written in  English, a car number written in English...these things  made me excited.

I went to language school in Oxford. In the school, students came from a variety of country.  I made friends with Chinese, Korean, Slovakian, Czech, Italian, Indonesian, and Kazakh!! Especially, I became close friends with  two Chinese girls and one Kazakh girl. We could understand almost everything each other. But sometimes we couldn't. In that case we communicated by gesture or handwriting. We often went out with them after school. We went London, Brighton, Stonehenge. I made a lot of unforgettable memories.

But actually, not all memories were happy. Sometimes I couldn't say my opinion in my class because of  my lack of English speaking ability. When it happened, I felt stressed. And unfortunately, my  I phone was stolen, then I went to the police, but I couldn't understand what policers said and couldn't tell them the truth correctly. I was very disappointed.


The days I spent in Oxford were valuable days. But I thought I need to study English hard.

 with my class mate

London tower

a famous building in Oxford

Blog#8: Trip to Hokkaido

Hello, this is Masako. Today, I’m going to talk about my trip in the summer vacation. I went to Hokkaido with my old friends for four days in August. We visited a lot of interesting place and enjoyed sightseeing. The first day, we went to Hokkaido by plane, and saw many famous places such as Goryoukaku, Hakodate Mountain, Asaichi, and the cemetery for Westerners. It had been our dream to go to Hokkaido since we were junior high school student, so we were very excited. The second day, we went to Biei and Furano by train and bus. Biei and Furano are famous for the vast nature, the vegetables, and the flower farms. The flower farm was so beautiful. Third day and Fourth day, we went to Otaru and Kushiro. In Otaru, we ride the Zinrikisha for the first time, so we had impressive experience and good time. This trip became one of the most important events of my life. If I have a chance, I want to visit Hokkaido with her again.

 

 

If you want to know about Hokkaido, I reccomend you to check here.



Blog#8 Summer Training Camp

Hi, I'm Moe. In this summer, from August 21 to 26,  I went to Sugadaira in Nagano prefecture for a summer training camp. I'm belonging to a Track and Field club team in Gakushuin, so I went there with my club team mates. There was not so hot compared with Tokyo, but my skin was suntanned because I was exposed to the direct rays of the sun everyday. The summer training camp was very hard, so for all the camp, I was thinking I want to go home early. To tell the truth, I don't like a summer training camp. However, I could keep going to the end due to my club team mates. We gave encouragement each other. I like running because after the trainings, I can feel a sense of achievement so I could a lot of them after the summer training camp.

This is a picture of the same period of my club team mates. They are my valued people.

Blog7#Kusatsu Hot Springs

Hi, I'm Moe. In this summer vacation, I went to Kusatsu hot springs in Gunma prefecture with my family. Kusatsu is very famous for its a lot of hot springs in japan. Have you ever been to hot springs? I like them very much because I can shake off my tiredness in there and feel happy. I think hot springs are nice Japanese culture of which we can be proud to foreign countries. My family also like it so we often go there in vacation. After we enjoyed hot springs, we ate Japanese foods at old Japanese-style hotel. It was very delicious. I like Japanese foods, such as sashimi and tempra, better than foreign foods so I was very happy to eat them. the atmosphere of the hotel was also nice because of its good treatment and a comfprtable room.  Besides, at night, we walked a road of hot springs, called yubatake. It was fantastic to see some light of  each hot spring. I thought I want to go there again.If you are interested in kusatsu hot springs, click here.