英米 ２年
I was surprised to know the statistics about Americans’ views of Japan because I thought almost all Americans have unfavorable opinions toward Japan in terms of international relations. I am happy to hear that about 70% of Americans trust Japanese now. As to Americans’ interests, if I were from the U.S., I would be fond of Japanese food and martial arts, too. In addition to that, hearing about Mr. Kovacsics opinions, I agree with one huge negative opinion, which is about whaling. I think that’s a typical problem for us, and countries all over the world are concerned about it.

英米 ２年
Today’s presentation was so interesting because I could think about lots of things which are quite normal for us. Especially, his question “Everything is so efficient in Japan, so why work such long work hours?” because I’ve had a completely opposite question: “Why can American people achieve lots of good results even though they are always relaxed?” No one knows the answer to this question, however it was so interesting to know the other side of my question..

英米 ２年
I enjoyed hearing about how Americans think of Japan and also how Mr. Kovacsics thinks of Japan. I have the same opinion that people should think more about the rules or customs. It is not always better to say “Follow it because it is a rule.” Regarding the whaling, I cannot say it is wrong to kill whales just because they are smart, as animals’ intelligence is not related to the value of their lives.

英米 1年
I was interested in what foreign people think of Japan. Today, I had a chance to hear what Americans think of Japan fortunately. The most surprising thing is the differing images of whaling between Japan and America. It never occurred to me that whaling is a bad thing because it is a custom and I have taken it for granted. The fact gave me a chance to think about whaling more. Certainly, as Stephen thinks, whales are intelligent and in danger. These are enough reasons to stop whaling. But now I don’t have a clear answer why Japanese people don’t see it as bad. I must thank Stephen because a new view I could not have imagined was given to me. I could learn from this class that to realize about our own country, we should listen to other ideas from people with other viewpoints.

フランス　２年
I have never been to America so I do not know much about the country and actually I am not interested in the USA. However Mr. Kovacsics’s presentation was really interesting and made me feel like going there and knowing much more about America. The points of view are really different. The questions he has are not unusual to me at all, but I have never thought about such questions. I thought Americans did not trust Japan because Japanese people do not often say their true opinions and always say “yes” or “same as you”. But quite a few American people trust my country so I was surprised but also really happy. His phrase “A rule is a guideline” is really interesting and “Rules are rules” shows exactly how the Japanese people live.

中国　３年
I will answer his questions. The skin on big grapes is hard and bitter. So, it’s not delicious so we peel it off. But, now, farmers have made grapes with nicer skins so that all the fruit could be eaten. He also said, “I can’t understand the word ‘kawaii’.” Many Japanese men think so, too. The reason why many Japanese people work so hard is because of a bad societal system. Japanese almost always work as a team. If they do not work together well, they are called a social outcast.

中国　２年
After today’s lecture, I think the best way to know other countries is knowing our own country well. There are so many questions foreigners have, which I don’t know either. Why are there no trash cans on streets? Why do people make the peace sign in photos? As a Japanese, I’ve never thought those things deeply and never put question marks on them. But today I’ve finally come to realize one thing, Japanese people rarely think “Why.” Sometimes when we follow the rules or do something, all we have on our minds are we do it because other people do it as well, we do not want to be different from the group. It’s nothing about why the rules exist.

国際関係　３年
I could see that American people generally have a good image of Japan. I guess that’s the outcome of the Japanese systematic side, such as being efficient, punctual and organized. As for whaling, that problem between various western countries and Japan occurs because of the divergence of how they see the whales. I suppose while Japanese people see the whales as ordinary animals like any other, western people view whales at the same level of pet animals like dogs or cats.

教育発達　２年
I used to live in the U.S. What I like about the U.S. is the communication between people. Like what Mr. Kovacsics said at the end when someone sneezes people around you would say “bless you.” And if you walk passed someone you say “excuse me.” And you hold the door open for the people who come after you. Those actions create communication between people, even though they are strangers and I think that is necessary in any community. And that is what Japan needs right now.

留学生　１年
As a foreign student, it’s interesting to see the opinions of Japan through American eyes. I see close relationship between Japan and America. I also see the cultural differences. For example, the presenter does not know why Japanese work such long hours and why they make the peace sign in photos. Maybe there’s no answer because through the years people’s habits have evolved into a culture.