受講生3　女性

試験の様子

11:00集合、11:30移動、11:40本番開始。試験官は、アメリカ人女性、日本人女性の2名。

質問内容

（以下、J：日本人試験官、N：ネイティブ試験官、A：受験者）

A: (ドアをノックして) Good morning.

J: Good morning. Have a seat. What is your name?

A: My name is ...

J: Where do you live?

M: I live in ...

J: I see.

N: Let me ask you a few questions about Japan. I have just been arrived and I read a guidebook about Kamakura. Why are there so many temples and shrines in Kamakura?

A: Kamakura was an ancient capital of Japan in the 12th century. The shogun Minamoto Yoritomo opened the shogunate government there. He was a samurai warrior. In Japan, temples are for Buddhism and shrines are for Shintoism, which is Japan’s indigenous religion. The samurai class took much emphasis on both religions, so there are many temples and shrines in Kamakura.

N: What are other interests in Kamakura? Have you been there?

A: Yes, I have been there many times. It takes one or two hours by train to get there. Kamakura has many cozy shops along the street, and you can buy many things as souvenirs.

N: I see. Next, I would like to ask you Japanese housing. I heard traditional Japanese housing is wooden structured. Is wooden housing still common in Japan now?

A: Let me see. Wooden housing is actually prone to fire, so now you can see wooden housing less often. But, it is very humid in summer in Japan, so it is good for us who have to go through humid summer season.

N: You talked about humidity. Is summer so humid in Japan? Please tell me the climate in Japan.

A: Sure. Japan has four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Summer is very hot and humid, but other three seasons are relatively dry.

N: Which season do you like the best?

A: I like the autumn the best. Weather is mild, and it is good to travel. Also, food is very delicious.

N: You talked about food. What Japanese food do you recommend?

A: I really recommend Kaiseki ryori. Kaiseki ryori was originally served prior to tea ceremony, but now it is a typical Japanese haute cuisine. It is a course meal. For lunch, it costs about 5000 yen. It is relatively expensive.

N: Yes, it is expensive.

A: Although it is expensive, you can enjoy various kinds of Japanese traditional foods such as steamed egg custard, salad with sea weeds and vegetables…

N: I don’t like sea weeds.

A: If you have something you don’t like, tell the restaurant that serves it. It will tailor the meal for you.

N: I see. Where can I find the restaurant that serve Kaiseki ryori?

A: At Ginza, there are many Kaiseki ryori restaurants. You can choose one from the guidebook if you like.

N: Thank you. I will try. This time, I will ask you about Japanese politics. I noticed Japan’s prime minister appearing in summit or other international meetings has been changed so often. It is a bit confusing. Why does it happen? Are elections held many times?

A: In Japan, a prime minister is elected among diet members, not directly elected by Japanese people. Although the prime minister has been changed so often, the overall policy has been the same, because the majority party has not been changed. Actually change of prime ministers does not affect Japanese politics overall.

N: I see. We finish. Thank you very much.

A: Thank you very much. Good-bye.

試験を終えて

CELの二次対策セミナーで、口述試験で大事なのは、笑顔・挨拶・身だしなみ、と聞きましたので、とにかく笑顔で入室しようということだけを念頭に置きました。幸いネイティブの試験官も日本人の試験官もにこやかに迎えてくれ、和やかな雰囲気で試験は進みました。試験官の質問は、私が考え込んでいると、答えやすいように質問を変えたりしてくれたので、話しの途中で言葉に詰まってしまうということはなかったように思います。CELの二次対策の授業で、あらゆるTough questionsに答える訓練を受けましたので、どんな質問が来ても大丈夫、自分に必要なのは、笑顔とリラックスだ、と試験前に自分に言い聞かせて臨みました。試験の結果はどうあれ、CELでの二次対策の勉強を通じて、日本への愛着が増し、さらに日本に関する知識を深めていきたいと思うようになりました。ありがとうございます。

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