Sensei's Pages - November 2004

As our two newsletters, Dear Sensei and Across the Sea, have merged, we have chosen ‘Omusubi’, the new newsletter title, as our theme for Sensei’s Pages. Omusubi is another word for onigiri, hand-made rice balls which are a traditional Japanese favourite. Here we show how to use a cultural product such as omusubi in the Japanese classroom. We use it not only to teach about particular products, but also as a means of developing students’ understanding of Japanese culture and society.
According to Intercultural Language Learning theory, culture is a dynamic, constantly changing phenomenon. Exploring language & culture through active engagement will lead students to compare, draw connections, and gain deeper perspectives on Japanese society and their own.

Showing authentic cultural products is an effective way to engage students’ interest. It is important to present the products in a way that awakens students’ curiosity, and then enables them to become familiar with the product as a concept. An effective way to do this is to ask students to guess what the products are, and to notice interesting and unfamiliar aspects. You may show the products and ask students questions. Alternatively, you can present them in a game show format by hiding them in a box or feely bag and letting students touch them to guess what they are. (You can also find pictures of products by searching on the web using Google Japan Image Search.)

You can use questions such as the ones below to arouse students’ curiosity and encourage them to think about a product. Possible answers are provided.

これを、しっていますか？	Do you know this?	eg.	はい、いいえ
なんですか/なんだと思(おも)いますか？	What do you think this is?	eg.	ごはん、のり...etc
なまえは？	Do you know what it is called?	eg.	おむすび、おにぎり
なにをしますか？	What do you do with this?	eg.	たべます、つくります...etc
いつ、つかいますか？/たべますか？	When do you use / eat this?	eg.	あさ、ひる/ばんごはん、おやつ
だれが、つくりますか？/たべますか？	Who makes / eats this?	eg.	がくせい、サラリーマン...etc
かたちは？	What shape is this ?	eg.	さんかく、まる
いろは？	What colour is this ?	eg.	しろ、くろ
においは？	What is the smell like?	eg.	いいにおい、くさい、すき、きらい

Once products are introduced to the students, you may show how they are used or made in the target culture, and let students experience the process. Videos can provide rich visual information. ‘ALS Japanese Video Resource materials Video 4: Cooking’ contains a cooking demonstration of omusubi with English commentary. The set of videos and booklet is available for purchase through the Japanese consultant at the NSW Department of Education & Training. They are also available for loan from the Japan Foundation, Sydney Library.
To experience making and eating omusubi, you need to prepare boiled rice. Here are the instructions for cooking rice for 4 omusubi.

ごはんのたきかた
ざいりょう：　おこめ1カップ(200cc)　みず(240cc) ratio: 1:1.2

おこめをあらってから、みずをいれる。	にたつまでつよび	ふっとうしたら、ちゅうびで6分	よわびで15分。ひをとめる。	ふたはとらないで 10分くらいむらす。

To explain how to make omusubi in Japanese, you may use the following task sheet.

おむすびをつくりましょう

Match the instruction to the picture

1.　てにみずをつけます。

2.　てにしおをつけます。

3.　ごはんをとります。

4.　_________をいれます。

5.　にぎります。

6.　のりをつけます。

You may then ask students to decide on fillings and shapes. Below are the popular fillings for omusubi in Japan, but students can create their own fillings, eg. ‘ham and vegemite’!

	めんたいこ (chilli cod roe)
	たらこ (cod roe)
	しゃけ (salmon)
	シーチキン (canned tuna)
	うめぼし (pickled plum)
	おかか (shaved bonito)
Your favourite filling
	________________________________________

さんかく	たわら	まる

You can also get information about omusubi shapes and fillings from websites:
http://www.komenet.or.jp/onigiri100/event/onigiri/kihon.html : This site introduces shapes and fillings
http://vote2.ziyu.net/html/c199018.html : This site shows the top-ranking fillings

After students have become familiar with the products and tried making or using them, they can be given a discussion task which enables them to deepen their understanding of the social significance of the product. Students can make comparisons with their own culture to analyse the differences and similarities. If students do not have enough language, the discussion can be in English. For this task you need to prepare questions which enable students to consider the reasons for certain customs and practices.
The following is a set of example discussion questions for Omusubi, with possible answers for your reference.

1.	ひるごはんになにをたべますか？What do you eat for lunch?
	A:サンドイッチ　sandwich
2.	サンドイッチとおむすびはどんなところがにていますか？What are the similarities between sandwiches and omusubi?
	A:さんかく　Triangular shape、　ぐがはいっている　There are fillings
3.	おむすびはどうしてさんかくだと思(おも)いますか？Why do you think they are triangular-shaped?
	A:たべやすいから　Because it is easy to eat
4.	おむすびをしおでにぎるのはどうしてですか？Why is salt used when shaping omusubi?
	A:ながもちするから　Because it keeps longer
5.	おむすびのぐはどんなものが多(おお)い？　どうしてですか？What kinds of fillings are used?
	A:しおからいもの　Something salty　A:ごはんがくさらないから　For preserving rice
6.	日本人(にほんじん)は、おむすびをどんなときに食(た)べる？どうしてですか？　When do Japanese eat omusubi? Why?
	A: ピクニック　picnic、うんどうかい　sports day、　やしょく　supper、　おやつ　snack、　おべんとう lunch...etc

Omusubi appears in many Japanese folktales. You may still remember that omusubi appeared in さるかにがっせん, which we
introduced in Dear Sensei Issue 41 ( http://www.jpf.org.au/slc/nletter/no41/sensei2.htm ).

Here is a short manga version of another story, おむすびころりん.

This section written by Himiko Negishi-Wood