Plain Japanese Tourism Initiative (Yasashii Nihongo Tourism Kenkyukai) Plain Japanese rap song Yasashii Sekai

The music video “Yasashii Sekai”, based on the theme of plain Japanese, is now available on YouTube. This is a video that calls for the use of plain Japanese through a novel approach of rap music. It is not a form of learning, but a natural and enjoyable way to experience the world of plain Japanese.

What we want you to pay attention to is this song’s lyrics. They were written from the point of view of a foreign resident learning Japanese; for example, by using onomatopoeia; whose difficulties are not readily understood by Japanese people. In addition to the rap lyrics in the video, there are subtitles in plain Japanese, on YouTube. For example, look at the following lyrics: "Kira kira hitomi (sparkling eyes), gira gira metsuki (glittering eyes), the voicing marks change the meaning of it all." Underneath the lyrics, there are explanations in plain Japanese subtitles, "The sounds of these words are very similar. But a little difference makes a big difference.”
In addition to the difficulties of the Japanese language, the song also describes the barriers that foreign residents face in Japan, and the thoughts of the visually and hearing impaired. The song is not only about language, but also about having a mind that appreciates differences.

This video was produced by Plain Japanese Tourism Initiative, in cooperation with the Yamawaki Keizo Seminar of the School of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University. The students of the Yamawaki Seminar took the lead in coming up with the lyrics and singing the song. The video was shot at the Nakano campus of Meiji University. A student from Syria who participated in the event said, "The world is big and there are many different people. It is very important to be kind to each other, and to support each other, in order to create a peaceful world. I hope this song will reach people all over the world.” This project seems to be resonating with young people.

There is also a video of the lyrics of the plain Japanese version which was translated into Japanese sign language, and performed in sign language rap. In addition, anyone who supports "plain Japanese" is free to add their own lyrics to this music, and to publish a video of their performance. The Japan Foundation, which sponsored the production of this video, is planning to hold a parody video contest in collaboration with the Yamawaki Seminar; calling on Japanese language learners around the world to participate. This new attempt at plain Japanese rap will accelerate the promotion of plain Japanese.

The making video of the music video "Yasashii Sekai" has also been released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhK75Ghk2jY

Plain Japanese Tourism Initiative (Yasashii Nihongo Tourism Kenkyukai)