By Tomi Watanabe
A lot of college students these days use their phones. They often use their phones during breaks, while waiting for a bus, in the library and at home. Many people waste their time using phones. I wasted a lot of time on the YouTube and SNS’s, too. I regarded my bad behave when I failed an examination. I should have stopped using my phone. I would like to argue that college students should read more books.
Reading books have many good points. For example, if you read books, you can build vocabulary. If you built good academic vocabulary, you could write reports easily and able to obtain good grades. You can get a lot of good knowledge. It’s true some online materials offer good information, but printed books are carefully edited and the value of information in printed books is greater. In addition, by reading novels, your imagination improves. You be able to anticipate a variety of things through reading novels. Likewise, by reading some business books, you can get the knowledge what required for your job.
Some people might say that purchasing some books cost, on the other hand, apps on our phone are free to spend the time. Surely, buying books requires money. However, I am convinced vocabulary and knowledge are more than worth the money. Reading books is the easiest way to invest in yourself. In conclusion, college students should read books instead of enjoying SNS’s and video sharing. Reading books help you to live a better life. Why don’t you should set yourself apart from phones.
Real Reporter Online
By Ami Tsuru
“It seems that studying abroad is good, but is it difficult?” I think there are many students who want to study abroad but are hesitant because of money and cultural differences. I have considered studying abroad several times. Universities and government are helping students with a lot of ways to study abroad. However, there are many people who don’t study abroad. Some people think that there is no point in going just because it costs money. Nonetheless studying abroad gives you a variety of experiences and skills. There are several reasons why studying abroad as a student is important, including acquiring English ability, understanding different cultures and increasing future options.
Learning English abroad will help students acquire the ability to speak English fluently. Unlike in Japan, English is widely spoken overseas. To continue to study, you will need the ability to speak English. In Japan, there are few foreign people around, so there are few opportunities to talk in English. Since there are only foreign people abroad, it is necessary to speak a lot of English. Therefore, the ability to use English naturally and practically grows.
We can experience the culture of country we visit. Behaviors that are allowed in Japan will be allowed in foreign countries. For example, in Japan, it is a good manner to hold a rice bowl while eating, but in Korea, it is good manners to keep the rice bowl on the take while eating. Also, in Japan, people often take off their shoes when entering a house, but in many other countries, people enter a house without taking off their shoes. We can learn manners and rules in a foreign country that we wouldn’t normally know if we lived in Japan.
If we can speak English, we can get a job at an overseas in the future or go on to an overseas university. Studying abroad will increase the number of occupations you can choose, which is useful for finding a job. We can expand our horizons by meeting people with various backgrounds in foreign countries. Being able to speak English makes it easier to find a job because there are more options for many kinds of occupations. If we make use of experience and go on to study abroad, we will be able to learn deeply.
Some students might object to going study abroad, saying the drawbacks. It requires a lot of money. Graduation may be delayed due to the time spent in studying abroad. Also the life will be stressful in a foreign culture. However, as stated previously, studying abroad provide good experiences and the ability to speak English.
In conclusion, study abroad will help you acquire ability to English, understand different cultures, and expand your future career options. We can learn a lot of things that we didn’t know by going abroad. Go among the students and have a nice experience!
By Ryuki Tada
Nowadays, you can read various books on your smartphone. There are people who slide their screens sideways on their phones and people turning pages on their paper books. Probably now is the middle of the transition from paper books to e-books. Reading contents are released in both paper books and e-books. I would like to compare the differences between paper books and e-books.
Many people still love paper books. They say that paper books are good for the eyes because they do not emit blue light harmful to the eyes. They also say that it is easier to concentrate on contents because books do not distract the attention of a reader with annoying notifications. They also argue paper books are more beautiful than e-books. Each paper book has a different design, and readers can enjoy arranging their books on books shelves as they are part of the interior.
However, I think e-books are better in many ways. First, the portability of materials is greater. When I moved to a new place to attend university, I left most of my comic books at my parent’s house because they did not fit in my luggage. I thought if I had read them in an e-book, I could have brought all of them with me in my smartphone. E-books are more convenient. If you have an e-book, we can read stories anytime and anywhere. I often read stories during breaks between classes and waiting time at a hospital. Also, when you read an e-book, you can change the text size to your desired size. The most remarkable point of e-books is that we don’t have to go to a bookstore to buy books. We can buy contents whenever we want to read them. In addition, for e-books, we can buy not only one volume at a time but also one episode. In other words, we can buy it at a low price and read it little by little. I have been enjoying the book for a long time by buying and reading each episode. In addition, by paying a certain amount of money every month, you can read as many books as you want for free.
Paper book lovers will argue that the data will be lost if a smartphone is broken. It is true. I lost my comics contents once when I broke my smartphones. However, I was able to restore the data from another smartphone when I created my account in it. The data were saved in the cloud.
In conclusion, after talking everything into consideration, I think e-books have more advantages than paper books. E-books are portable, convenient, and reasonable. Media are evolving. I think e-books are on trend.
By Towa Oguni
Most students have thought at one time or more, may this class change to online or on-demand from in person? A lot of university and other school have taken classes on online or on-demand due to coronavirus. But now, many schools change class format from online or on-demand to face to face. There are some students saying that on online or on demand a class is the best way. Nonetheless, a class in person is suitable for students to study. Teaching in person allows direct communication between a teacher and students, and also allows a teacher to choose the teaching method that best suits students. There are several reasons why teaching in person at school or university is important, including improving communication skill, asking a question in direct and effective classes for students.
Taking a class in person leads to improve communication skills. Classes face to face allow students to interact with each other. Students can improve their communication skill by discussing and solving problems and discussing issues in class. By communicating with various people, you can be stimulated by them and grow as well. Communication skills are important even as adult and face to face classes have a role in developing them.
In addition to improve communication skills, students are more likely to ask questions of their teachers. It is not a good idea to leave something you do not understand, and it is difficult to ask questions in an on class, and not on demand. While classes in person allow students to ask questions directly to teachers or professors. Also, when one person asks a question, other students can get ideas from it and creating a good learning environment.
Becoming from online or on-demand classes to in person lead to effective learning. Teachers can teach materials that suits students face-to-face. It is not possible to tell the student’s level of understanding online because their body language cannot be clear online. Teachers can manage students activities easily in the classroom as well.
Some students might claim that online and on-demand classes could offer the same content as in person. It is true that the content itself may be the same. On the surface, this point has some merits. However, as stated previously, it is also true that online and on-demand classes have less positive impact for students, and in person classes are overwhelmingly more effective for students.
In conclusion, there are many merits of classes in person. A school or college is a place where students learn, and it is the mission of school to provide effective instruction for students. If students who take effective classes achieve higher grades, it is more likely to lead to future success. Schools should offer classes in person.
By Nozomi Murakami
Children are running on the school ground under a blue sky without any clouds. A runner is crossing the goal line and spectators are screaming and shouting. In Japan, children take P.E. classes to graduate from high school. Most university students, however, do not take P.E. classes. I would like to argue that university students also should take P. E. classes for three reasons.
First, the P.E. class gives students a chance to get along well with their classmates. When college students just enter university, they are worried about if they can make friends. In academic classes, it’s hard to get close, because students only talk about questions that they are asked to discuss in the class. However, in P.E. class, students can talk about personal matters, while enjoying sports.
Second, the P. E. class is good for college students’ health. In college, students who take enough exercise are few. They are busy with studying and homework. If they are required to take P.E. classes, they will have more opportunities to do exercise, and they will be healthier.
Finally, the P.E. class positively impacts academic achievement of students. Physical exercise such as competing in a group and getting better each other leads to boost students’ mental power. In addition, physical activity improves memory. Better cognitive ability and memory will help college students understand materials and do well in exams. Thus, there are many benefits of taking P.E. class for students. Good P.E. class makes it possible for students to make friends, to live healthy life and to do well academically.
By Kyoko Abe
You may have seen people who eat, make a call or put on makeup while driving. Also, you must have heard some news about car accidents because of these careless activities. People are busy and want to do it while driving. Whatever their reasons, distracted driving is a serious problem.
First, it’s dangerous to drive and do something else. According to data of the National Police Agency, the number of traffic accidents related to mobile phone use, etc. doubled to 2,645 in 2019, compared to 1,380 per year in 2009. Each day, more than 9 people are killed due to distracted driving. More than 1060 people are injured in crashes that involve a distracted driver. One out of 3 people text while driving. You are 23 times more likely to crash while texting while driving. Distraction was reported as a factor in nearly 1 in 5 crashes in which someone was injured.
Second, drivers underestimate the danger of distracted driving. The number of traffic accidents caused by using mobile phones was 1424 in last year. Also, the fatal accident rate because of using mobile phones was 2.4 times higher than the cases where people didn’t use them. The length of time a driver perceives danger by looking at an image varies depending on the driving environment, but according to various research reports, it is consistent that the driver perceives danger if the image is viewed for more than two seconds. If you drive at 60 km/h, it will cover approximately 33.3 meters in 2 seconds. If a pedestrian crosses the road during that time, or if the vehicle in front of you stops due to a traffic jam, you may cause an accident. It means that looking away lead to an accident.
Finally, imprisonment for distracted driving is too short. As of January 2021, if you look at the screen of a smart phone call or car navigation system while driving, you will be subject to “imprisonment of up to 6 months or a fine of up to 100,000 yen”. Compared to November 2019, a new penalty of imprisonment has been added, and the fine has doubled from “50,000 yen or less” to “100,000 yen or less”. The penalty is tripled to 18,000 yen (for ordinary cars), and the number of violation points is also tripled to 3 points. However, if you cause traffic hazards, you will be subject to “imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 300,000 yen”. Since there is no penalty and the score is tripled to 6 points, you cannot escape the penalty by paying the penalty and your license will be suspended. However, the penalties should be heavier because it involves human lives. In addition, people do not have a sense of danger because the penalties are lenient.
Thus, distracted driving is very dangerous. Drivers should be aware of the dangerous consequences of distracted driving and the term of imprisonment should be longer.
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/intelfreepress/8598246170/sizes/o/in/photostream/
By Ryota Kawamoto
Have you ever been to Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan? Kanazawa is a good place for sightseeing. There are a market where you can enjoy delicious food, a downtown where you can see old-fashioned streets. If you want to experience traditional Japanese culture, Kanazawa Castle is best spot for your sightseeing. Kanazawa Castle is a great sightseeing spot.
The Castle was built 400 years ago. It is surrounded with white walls and stone walls as if it protects the headquarter from enemies. The traditional castle let you feel 400-years history. After pass through the gate, there is a lot of nature there. The park has lush green grass, and you can take a break while feeling nature everywhere. In spring, cherry blossoms bloom and the park is so beautiful. At night you can enjoy cheery blossoms lit up at night. In autumn, the park is filled with maple leaves which turn bright orange and red colors. Right next to Kanazawa Castle, there is a wonderful park, Kenrokuen. Kenrokuen is one of the three most famous gardens Japan. The spacious garden was built by the lords of Kanazawa Castle.
If you come to Japan, please visit Kanazawa. It is a great place to feel the atmosphere of traditional Japan.
By Shuka Iwamoto
Now that the number of people going to study abroad is increasing, the reasons why these people go abroad are various, such as career advancement and language training. Have you ever been interested in studying abroad Korea? I am currently studying in Korea, joining the Double Degree Program of the University of Shimane and University of Ulsan. I would like to share two reasons why I decide to seek two degrees in Japan and Korea.
First, I have always wanted to learn Korean history and culture since I was a junior high school student. I have made Korean friends and have had conversations with them through language learning apps. During the conversation, I realized differences in perceptions of history and politics between Japanese and Koreans. Especially in terms of history and politics, there have been disagreements. Through this experience, I wanted to go to Korea and learn about their culture, history and politics.
Second, I want to improve my Korean language ability. I started studying Korean on my own when I was a junior high school student, and by high school I was able to read, write and speak to some extent. While studying Korean on my own, I became interested in how Hangul was established and the differences in dialects between regions. I wanted to deepen my understanding of Korean language.
I made up my mind to study abroad, and now I’m in Korea to study and learn various things that are different from Japan. There are also many Chinese, Vietnamese, and English-speaking foreign students as well as Koreans, and there are classes with them, so it is very helpful to learn about various cultures other than Korea.
A lot of people hesitate of studying abroad because it is expensive. But the Double Degree Program of the University of Shimane and the University of Ulsan is very reasonable, because the tuition to the University of Ulsan is excepted. I am able to improve my language skills, and I am able to broaden your horizon. I hope my experiences can help you make a good decision.
By Mai Takeshita
Today, the medical technique is getting better and more sophisticated in the world. People can live healthier and longer thanks to the developed medical care, and it is called “The 100-year time period” today. However, there are many diseases that even the medical technique today cannot treat, especially “terminal illness”. There are some arguments in the world whether patients with a terminal illness should be able to request medically-assisted suicide or not. Actually, in Japan and many countries, assisted suicide is considered illegal, even if it is “medically-assisted”. Followings are the three reasons that medically-assisted suicide should be allowed in case of patients who are in terminal-illness: physical suffering, mental and social distress, and respecting the patients’ intention.
The first reason that medically-assisted suicide should be allowed is physical suffering of patients. According to Hoshino (1996), an emeritus professor in Kyoto University, patients are suffering from mainly four pains physically: the symptom from the disease, therapeutic drugs, surgical operation and examination, and other sufferings that are different from pain. Here is an example of physical suffering in terminal cancer. For the symptom from the disease, in case of terminal cancer, patients are struggling from the pain at their internal organs which the cancer have spread. The patients feel severe pain. For therapeutic drugs in case of cancer, the anticancer drug treatment is common. But the drugs have side effects. Hosokawa (2016), a professor in Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, explained that some of the side effects of the drug are numbness and pain. The anticancer drug damages the peripheral nerve, and those numbness and pain appear. It is called “Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.” Patients are struggling from something that is different from pain. According to Hoshino, patients are struggling from general malaise, sense of fullness in the abdomen, difficulty in breathing, etc. Patients are suffered from those unimageable pains, and patients in terminal-illness should not struggle with them anymore.
Secondly, medically-assisted suicide should be allowed for the reason of mentally and social distress. According to Clinic C4 (Clinic for Comprehensive Convincing Cancer Care) (n.d,), there are many types of mental and social distress that patients face. For instance, economic distress, working distress, and family distress. In addition to physical sufferings, patients are strongly stressed by these distresses. For the patients who are in terminal illness, they no longer have to suffer from these stresses. They should be given a choice of medically-assisted suicide.
Third reason that medically-assisted suicide should be allowed is respecting the patients’ intention. There was a Japanese who chose euthanasia in Swiss in 2021. SWI Swiss Info.ch closely covered him from him visiting Swiss to euthanized. He had suffered from motor neuron disease, which is very similar to ALS, from 2016. He decided to be euthanized three years ago, in 2018. He answers the doctor’s question why he chose to euthanize, “Since I cannot contribute to society anymore because of the disease, I’m now worthless. I will never depend on ventilator after I lose ability to move. I don’t want to be alive with losing human dignity.” His parents hoped to keep him alive whatever way he uses. However, he said that that idea ignores the patient’s suffering and dignity. Just before he took the drip by his own to die, he told his doctor and parents “Now, I’m going.” His mind to die was very determined. As the example shows, patients will choose medical-supported suicide with not temporary feeling, but very determined. Therefore, doctors and families should highly respect patient’s significant decision.
Medically-supported suicide is now illegal in Japan, and families of patients who are in terminal-illness hope the patients will stay alive. However, medically-supported suicide should be allowed in case of patients who are in terminal-illness for these reasons above. Patients are suffered from physically pain, and mentally and socially stress that general people and even doctors will never experience and understand. Medically-supported suicide should be allowed as one of the choices for patients.
By Natsumi Shirasaka
These days a lot of cities, towns and villages adopt free health care. Indeed, this enables people to go to hospital easily and live longer. However, this causes financial deterioration at the same time. So, I disagree that all people are entitled to free health care. There are three reasons to support my idea.
First, free health care causes higher medical costs. According to O (2015), through the launch of free healthcare for elderly, aging population has been advanced suddenly because of the increase of national standard of living, the development of medical technique, the decrease of birthrates, and so on. Including Tokyo, a lot of local governments started free health car, but when the national government also started it, a lot of elderly people started to use medical services, so national medical expenses have been increased. Medical cost for elderly have become three times higher than ever, so elderly outpatients means the increase of overall medical costs. Also, according to the Japan Medical Association (2015), through the development of the medical technology, of course it helps people’s health but on the other hand, it also costs a lot of money. For example, X-rays, which exist from before, is only 1,000 yen once, but MRI, which is used these days, costs 14,000 yen once, so the total cost is increasing. So, free health care increases the national medical expenses.
Second, free health care can cause too many consultations. According to Asahi Shinbun (2018), “Convini consultation” happens. It means that people have unnecessary medical tests and treatments at night and on holidays even when their pain is very small. Some people go to the hospital when they can treat their conditions or buy medicine at the drug store. This type of easy-going medical treatments is also paid as national tax or insurance by the nation. If the government considers people’s health, they should use money for prevention of diseases. For example, the newborn baby’s thorough examination, is preventive because it discovers diseases early. Thus, the government can cut the cost of medical treatment fundamentally.
Third, according to Asahi Shinbun (2018), free health care causes injustice. Of course, in order to keep free medical treatment, the nation must have pay and support the system. These needs increasing tax. However, the Ministry of Health, labor and Welfare’s survey on this Asahi Shinbun indicates that the working-age generations argue that it is injustice to pay tax. Many people who are more than 70 years old think that the working-age generations should pay, but many people who are 30-39 years old think that elderly people should pay more. So, free health care causes unfairness.
In conclusion, I’m not in favor of all people having free health care. It causes higher medical costs, wasting consultation, and injustice. The Japanese government has to consider what health care should be.
References
Japan Medical Association. (2015). DOCTORASE. https://jpn01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.med.or.jp%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C70a24f76fa9249b9400708dae7028e25%7Cf11434e8abcf41f48154a9b2608dcd42%7C0%7C0%7C638076296315836330%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=f8ykvz1oqS0NlaEkiJiBkATLaeM4HB%2FmPGQCVEMLgn4%3D&reserved=0
doctor-ase/vol2/2page_09.html
O, S. (2005). 老人医療無料化制度の形成 と国民医療費. 佛教大学大学院紀要 第33号. https://jpn01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Farchives.bukkyo-u.ac.jp%2Frp-contents%2FDO%2F0033%2FDO00330L223.pdf&data=05%7C01%7C%7C70a24f76fa9249b9400708dae7028e25%7Cf11434e8abcf41f48154a9b2608dcd42%7C0%7C0%7C638076296315836330%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MPMBhofjZFwENyWmAD6ABB3WnPf5T9NCJLZ%2BVCD7FYs%3D&reserved=0
Yoshikawa, K., Nichiura,T. 子ども医療費の無料化拡大、是か非か?. (2018). 朝日新聞DIGITAL. https://jpn01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asahi.com%2Farticles%2FASL2P3QVKL2PUBQU006.html&data=05%7C01%7C%7C70a24f76fa9249b9400708dae7028e25%7Cf11434e8abcf41f48154a9b2608dcd42%7C0%7C0%7C638076296315836330%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=h4eLsbtp0ctkUeAR7Mq1CTp7ORPt%2BnelNc6eVDTTjD0%3D&reserved=0