Skater Words hit the National TV Posted by eriko1 on Aug 23, 2021
Tokyo Olympics is over, and Japan has been seeing the COVID-19 number making the record every day. But I am not going to talk about that. I am going to write about a Japanese skateboard commentator that has been attracting many Japanese’s attention in a good way. Skateboard was introduced in the Olympics for the…
What a Little Sweet Snoozing Can Tell You Posted by eriko1 on Jul 30, 2021
Inemuri (居眠り), snoozing, is one of the Japanese cultural traits. Students fall asleep in class. People snooze on a train. Members of the Diet (国会議員 kokkai giin) snooze during a session. Local assembly members (地方議員 chihou giin) snooze during an assembly meeting. Wikipedia refers to it as “a custom that is notably seen in Japan.”…
Kominka – a future for disappearing villages? Posted by eriko1 on Jul 21, 2021
Kominka (古民家) – a traditional Japanese old house. A new fad that came about in the pandemic Japan was to escape (逃げる nigeru) from big cities and live in a rural area (田舎 inaka). The COVID-19 pandemic made many people realize that they did not need to live near the big cities and endure a…
I am not worthy… SUPERFICIALLY Posted by eriko1 on Jun 17, 2021
One day, my Japanese friend who was my classmate at grad school told me “Your bag is very nice.” And I said, “I got it on sale (セール se-ru).” What would you have responded to? Have you told a compliment (称賛 shosan) to your Japanese friend, and have you heard a similar response from your…
Kamikakushi – Spirited Away Posted by eriko1 on Jun 8, 2021
Kamikakushi (神隠し) is a word that has been in Japanese culture for hundreds of years. It means “hidden by kami (god, deity, divinity, tengu, yamanba, oni, fox, or spirit)”, and often translated to “spirited away.” You may have heard of Hayato Miyazaki’s movie. Even in the present day, many people disappear in a blink of an…
Lessons on How NOT to Communicate with the Japanese Posted by eriko1 on May 26, 2021
Not a day is passed without hearing the Tokyo Olympics controversy (論争 ronsou). Approximately 70-80% of the Japanese residents oppose having the games this summer. People are so frustrated (ｲﾗｲﾗする irairasuru) that their voices have been ignored by the government. Approximately 400,000 people have signed a petition so far asking the government and IOC to cancel…
LINE – An Iconic Scene in Japan Posted by eriko1 on May 7, 2021
What’s an iconic (象徴的 shochoteki) scene in Japan? I would definitely say “a LINE” (行列 gyoretu). People line up without any hesitation to get a popular pastry, to eat at a popular restaurant, and so on. There was even a Japanese TV episode, like Twilight Zone, in Japan about this “line” up trait (特性 tokusei). In the…