Natural speed please, Thank you!
I know that Westerners use their first names in most cases, but not in Japan.
The yoga class instructor was American. There was a memorable woman in this class. She was in her 60s, and was widowed a long time ago. She looked forward to the yoga classes every week, and I liked seeing her cheerful face there.
Now, you're probably wondering whether the American instructor spoke Japanese or not. He spoke little Japanese, so he used English as his mainstream speech. All of his students were capable of understanding English, except for the woman.
She did not understand what he said, however, she kept a smile on her face all the time.
After the practice once, I spoke with her for a while.
She said,
" I like the instructor! I'm very very happy to hear the instructor calling me by my first-name-Yumiko. I have never been called Yumiko by anyone for such a long time. Maybe the only time was when I was still a child..."
I couldn't forget her words, and I remember how happy she was at that time. She even did not hear her first-name from her husband, did she?
There must be lots of Japanese people who would feel the same as she did in Japan. It's a little sad..
