#12

1. When they are asked about their religion, most Japanese answer they are Shinto and Buddhist. Why do they belong to two religions at the same time?  Why don’t they think it’s contradictory?  Cite more than 2 times from the textbook and explain why you think so."Shinto is involved in nature worshiping, (201)" and also, " Shinto does not have strict doctrines (201)." This pretty much sums it up.

2. What is iitokodori? Cite once from the textbooks and explain what it is. Choose the scene from this film in order to explain the negative effects of iitokodori. "Foreign culture (127)." Pretty much iitokodor is just adopting foreign culture. In the movie Daigo adopted different aspects of peoples families while preparing the bodies for the grave. 

3. Daigo was a cellist, but his orchestra was dissolved, and he takes a job as “Nokanshi.”  What kind of job is “Nokanshi”?  From the film, what is the general perception of this job? How does Daigo feel about his job? Describe the transition of Daigo’s wife perception toward his job.The job is taking care of dead people. People don't think highly of it until they see it for themselves. 

4. Japanese funerals have many rituals and customs.  In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the Japanese funerals you saw in the film and the kind of funerals you have been to?  Their funerals seem better. totally more professional 

5. What other Japanese key concepts do you see in this film. Explain what and why you think so. gambari. Daigo worked hard at his job.

6. What did you learn about the Japanese culture through the film?  What do you think about the movie overall? too much. And the movie is one of my favorite movies. Sorry about my answers being so short. This week is my finals week since i wont be here during UA scheduled finals. I would like to say though that this class has been one of my favorites. You allow students to move in their own directions while answering questions which is not too common today. Many teachers usually attempt to mold students into the same shapes but for you that's not the case. Keep it up.