Play: The Boys and the Dango
This play, based on an old Japanese story, comes from a collection of plays and skits created by the ACT Japanese teachers’ group for use in their primary and junior secondary classrooms. Students work cooperatively in groups or as a class to prepare and perform the play for their classmates or at a school event.This story came from a NSW Dept of Education and Training School Magazine.
Story Outline
This story is based on an old Japanese story. A mother asks her son to take a bunch of flowers to her friend. While he is there, he eats dango – a traditional Japanese sweet – for the first time. He decides that he will ask his mother to make some dango for him, but he must remember the name of it until he gets home.
Cast
ナレーター narrator
おかあさん mother
たろう Taroo
ひろこ Hiroko (mother’s friend)
じろう Jiroo (Taroo’s friend)
Script
Cultural Notes
Dango/O-dango
is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour). Dango can be sweet or savoury-flavours include anko azuki bean paste), soy sauce, kinako (soy bean flour), goma (sesame seed) and nori (seaweed).
Language Concepts
- leave taking (ittekimasu, itterasshai, tadaima, okaerinasai)
- ~ mashoo
- ~ te kudasai
Web Link
The lyrics of ‘Dango Sankyoodai’ in Japanese, with English translation
http://www.tokyowithkids.com/entertainment/dango.html
