The Virtual Picture Album --Japan

The grid below is an annotated index to part of the Virtual Picture Album compiled and distributed by the Less Commonly Taught Languages Project at the University of Minnesota. The pictures in this section of the VPA are of people, places and objects in Japan. Each of the pictures is represented by a thumbnail-sized image in the grid, and is accompanied by:

• a list of vocabulary items corresponding to elements in the picture;
• some suggested lesson topics and grammar points for which the picture might be useful. (These categories are summarized at the bottom of the page.)

There are also suggestions for ways to use certain pairs or groups of pictures.

You can also find some ideas for activities based on the pictures provided here.

Due to the number of pictures in this section, the VPA index for Japan is divided into five parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

To view or download a full-sized picture from the VPA, click on its thumbnail representation below.

Photo (Thumbnail)	Vocabulary Items	Topics	Grammar Points
	Night, p.m., city, buildings, tall, dark, lights, downtown, Shinjuku, Tokyo.	Times, places, urban/rural.	Descriptions, comparisons.
	Day, a.m., city, buildings, tall, light, downtown, construction, crowded.	Times, places, urban/rural.	Descriptions, comparisons, preferences.
	Mountains, town, houses, quiet.	Places, urban/rural, geography.	Comparisons, descriptions, preferences.
	House, garden, bushes, roof, window, country.	Places, urban/rural, nature, home exteriors.	Comparisons, descriptions, preferences.
	House, city, air conditioner, entrance, trees, street, two floors, return home.	Buildings, home exteriors, urban/rural, daily life.	Comparisons, descriptions, preferences.
	Danchi, apartment, mansion, futon, modern, crowded.	Home exteriors, urban/rural, home interiors.	Comparisons, descriptions, preferences.
	Apartment, small, two floors, stairs, fence, trees, parking lot.	Home exteriors, urban/rural.	Comparisons, descriptions, preferences.
	Kitchen, stove, sink, window, cupboards, towel, fan, chopsticks, plant, bicycle pump, sponge, cutting board, cooking, food, small, convenient.	Home interiors, daily life, food.	Descriptions, sequence of events, daily activities.
	Toilet, door, little room, separate, Western-style, clean, wallpaper, toilet paper, rug, rabbit, sink, towel, wash.	Home interiors, animals, daily life.	Descriptions, daily activities.
	Bath, deep, narrow, Japanese-style, enter, hot water, heat, wash basin, relax, pleasant, evening, wash, inside, outside, cover.	Home interiors, daily life.	Descriptions, comparisons, sequence of events, daily activities.
	Closet, clothes, jacket, skirt, sweater, hang, futon, pillow, blanket, daytime, store for later, fusuma.	Home interiors, clothing, daily life.	Descriptions, sequence of events, daily activities.
	Bedroom, door, plants, cabinet, shelf, floor, curtain, futon, pillow, sleep, wood, tissues, cassette tape.	Home interiors, daily life, materials, nature.	Descriptions, daily activities.
	High school, trees, concrete, four floors.	Buildings, school life.	Descriptions.
	High school, Cultural Festival, balloons, red, blue, green, yellow, big, sign, 15th, fun.	School life, buildings, festivals.	Descriptions.
	Sign, school, expressions, calligraphy, muttsu, heart, communicate, good morning, bright/cheerful, yes, obedient, sorry/excuse me, consideration, I will do it, be positive, thank you, appreciation, thanks to you, humility.	Signs, useful expressions.	Wa versus ga, general counters, dependent clauses, no, ~teki (na).
	Teachers' office, school, window, blackboard, map, clock, chairs, table, posters, tanabata, radio, hot pot, tea, cabinets, coffee cup, newspaper, work, relax.	Interiors, common objects, time, furniture.	Descriptions, transitive verbs.
	Classroom, front, teacher, stand, students, back, sit, question, answer, teach, learn, study, practice, education, clocks, time zone, sister city.	Interiors, school life, time, geography.	Descriptions, daily activities.
	Classroom, calligraphy, kanji, practice, write, become friends, harmony, brush, ink, inkstone, paper, skillful, unskillful.	Traditional arts, school life, writing systems.	With an instrument (de), with a person (to), sequence of events.
	Cafeteria, tables, students, vending machines, eat, lunch, meet, talk, relax, joke, laugh, complain, uniforms.	School life, food and drink.	Daily activities.
	Kendo, gym, uniform, long, practice, club activity.	School life, daily life, sports.	Descriptions, daily activities.
	Judo, gym, uniform, practice, club activity.	School life, daily life, sports.	Descriptions, daily activities.
	Cultural festival, o-mochi, hammer, pound.	Celebrations, school life, food.	Descriptions, daily activities.
	Sports day, outside, consult, talk, teachers, sit, stand, hat, compete, race, sunshine, shade, exercise.	Celebrations, school life, sports, seasons.	Descriptions, daily activities.
	School excursion, sightseeing, meet, take a picture, uniforms.	School life.	Have someone do something (~morau, ~itadaku, etc.)

Grouping Suggestions

• Animals everywhere!
• Architecture:Ancient and Modern
• City Layout, Urban/Rural
• Clothing:Traditional and Contemporary
• Color Everywhere
• Counting and Counters
• Festivals/Celebration
• A Feast: Food and Drink
• Health, Fortune, Illness and Death
• Home Interiors
• Japanese Names
• Nature
• Occupations
• Opposites
• People and Relationships
• Positionals (on, under, beside, etc.)
• Religion and Beliefs
• Schools and School Life
• Seasons and Weather
• Shops and Buildings Around Town
• Signs
• Sports
• Symbols
• Tea Ceremony
• Time and Time spans
• Vehicles and Transportation

ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

• Research floor plans and interiors of Japanese apartments and houses. Then, design and furnish your own house! Where in Japan would you like to build it?
  
  
• Act out a shopping and dining excursion, playing roles such as shopper, grocer, clerk, and server in a casual Japanese setting. Create a shopping list, price tags, etc. Practice ordering/serving, selling/buying, handling currency.
  
  
• Research transportation, trade and shipping in Japan. Compare Japan's fuel prices, sources, and consumption with that of other nations (using ~no hou ga/ichiban~).
  
  
• Research Japanese recycling and waste disposal practices. Compare with practices of your neighborhood.
  
  
• Plan a sightseeing tour with partner/small group. Pick points of interest from the VPA and find internet sites with historical and travel information.
  
  
• Set up a vocabulary scavenger hunt based on the VPA photos. Hunts could be thematic (colors, plants, actions, etc.) Students can also create hunts for other classmates.
  
  
• Teams of students create internet travel brochures for various cities using VPA photos. Try to convince visitors to come to your city. Decide as a class which team was most convincing.
  
  
• Make a to-do list of weekend errands. Include bank, grocery, post office, etc. What will you do at each place? What do you need to take with you before you leave the house?
  
  
• Create timelines based on examples of architecture, stages of life, etc., that are portrayed in the VPA.
  
  
• Describe a day in the life of a Japanese middle/high school student or a person in a given profession (teacher, shop owner, police officer, train engineer, etc.).
  
  
• Conduct a scavenger hunt based on counters: go through the VPA and count fish, zabuton, plates, phones, cups, people, buildings, vehicles, etc. and express the number with the counter appropriate for the given object.
  
  
• Research the history, utensils, ceremony, and significance of the Way of Tea. Groups of students can be responsible for different topics and then report to the class. Create posters for the classroom summarizing the findings in Japanese. Invite someone to perform the tea ceremony for class. Or, make a traditional Japanese treat such as ohagi in class and have a Japanese tea party with green tea!
  
  
• Select a picture and describe it or compose a story around it. Can be done individually, in pairs, or as a class, with each student adding the next sentence. Suitable opening activity could be brainstorming vocabulary suggested by the photo.
  
  
• "Make" an obento with markers, paper, magazine cutouts, etc., and describe the contents and/or recipes of typical Japanese obento fillers. Hold a food festival with each student bringing an item and sharing the recipe.
  
  
• Create a story about a girl celebrating the Doll Festival, becoming engaged, and marrying.
  
  
• Act out a scene where a child has lost his way and asks an officer at a koban for help. Give directions for getting the child back home.
  
  
• Select 3-4 seemingly unrelated photos and create a story that ties them together.
  
  
• Study the various signs represented in the VPA and create your own sign. Will it be informative, advertise food or goods, or warn of danger?
  
  
• Create a city as a class with various buildings and modes of transportation. Pay attention to city layout. Roleplay traveling around town and visiting various places.
  
  
• Locate specific examples of how materials are used (stone, wood, fabric, paper, pottery, plant life, water, concrete, steel, bamboo, fire/smoke etc.) Learn the kanji for common materials, several of which are the kanji for the days of the week. Discuss common nature kanji radicals (uohen, kihen, sansuihen, etc.)
  
  
• Discuss the relationships depicted in various photos (teacher/student, parent/child, engaged/married partners, neighbors, customer/clerk, etc.) What kind of language choices and politeness registers will be used by each person? Create a dialogue or alter one previously studied to suit the various relationships depicted in photos.
  
  
• Study the photos depicting nature. What emotions does each invoke? Compare with standard Japanese symbolism (such as the transience of sakura.) Find examples of literature referring to these elements of nature (such as haiku by Basho, traditional songs, folk stories, etc.)
  
  
• Compare photos of nature or everyday life with how elements of each are depicted in art (folding screens, ukiyou-e, kakemono, kimono and obi textiles, etc.)
  
  
• Please email additional activity ideas you'd like to see added here! Thank you!

The Virtual Photo Album for Japan was created by Marian Sheeran.
Please e-mail suggestions directly to msheeran@hotmail.com.

This URL: /lctl/VPA/Japan/org_grid4.html

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