#039: A Bit Different

Japan Fan Post #039

Today, I thought I would talk about a very rare occurrence that happened in late July, but is making the news around now. This is going to be a short post, since this doesn't directly relate to me, but on July 30th, a 16 yo. girl from Nagasaki Prefecture beheaded her classmate after a day out. This is a very unusual crime in Japan, and it is making a ton of headway in Japanese news. However, that does not mean that it wasn't horrible. I am extremely sorry for the girl's family, and it seems that people who knew the victim are doing everything they can to lighten the burden on her family. 

Anyway, for those of you who haven't had the final push to visit Japan, don't let this bother you. While it is very sad, understand that, just like in other countries, this is an odd happening, and, with it being Japan, nothing should ever happen like this for a very long time. And perhaps it's the fact that things like this are so rare that they make the news so largely.

Here's the link for a Japan Times story that is more informative.

RIP Aiwa Matsuo

#038 What's a Hanko?

No, not a handkerchief.

Japan Fan Post #038

In, Japan, people have to sign a lot of paperwork, whether it be water, heating or electricity bills, signing for a delivery, signing papers in the office or many other situations. After a while, your hand might get tired. So, here's the solution!

Well, what is it? It's a hanko, a personalized stamp used to sign letters, official documents, bills and more. Here's what one might look like on paper.

But, there's more than meets the eye. You might think whoever owns this stamp just picked it up at their local convenience store (that's the logical answer). But no! He or she probably placed an order in a few days in advance at their local hanko shop. Yes, there are whole workshops devoted to these stamps, where trained craftsmen work hours every day to make these stamps. Since each one is personal, there's no other way.

Here is a stall ran by Mr. Tei Hei. Tei-san is a Chinese immigrant who now resides in Yokohama's Chinatown. He has made hanko for as long as he can remember! 

So, if you're planning on going to Japan, or have already been, but have never heard of a hanko, I would definitely get one, as they make great souvenirs! I'm sad I didn't know about them when I was there!

#037: The Many Scripts of the Japanese Language

Japan Fan Post #037
日本ファン投稿＃037

PS: Sorry about the white highlights. I'm trying to work things out with this.

Japanese is a tricky language, especially for those who speak English as their primary language. If you don't speak Japanese, here's something to brag about knowing. If you do know Japanese, well, good for you.
日本語特にその第一言語として英語を話す人のために、トリッキーな言語です。あなたは日本語を話せない場合は、ここで知って自慢するために何かです。あなたは、よくあなたのために良いと日本語を、知っていない場合。

Is there a difference between these three signs?
これら二つの記号の間に違いはありますか？

There's a big difference! The "Shibuya Station" sign is in kanji (or 漢字) the red McDonalds one in katakana (or カタカナ) and the one with the blue thing in hiragana (or ひらがな). But even on that last sign, the black characters on the bottom are kanji again. So, what does this all mean and why don't they call everything by one name.

大きな違いがあります！「渋谷駅」のサインは漢字でカタカナに赤いマクドナルド1とひらがなの青いものを有するものである。しかし、たとえその最後の記号を、上下に黒い文字が再び漢字です。だから、何これはすべてのことを意味し、なぜ彼らは1名で、すべてを呼び出すことはありません。

Well...

うーん...

The story of the Japanese language starts in the year 57 CE, when items like official seals, letters, swords and more were imported to Japan from China. For a long time before and after that, Japan used Chinese characters. However, during a time called the Heian period, a system called kanbun (or 漢文) emerged, which involved using Chinese text with things called diacritical marks to allow Japanese speakers to restructure and read Chinese sentences by changing word order and adding particles and verb endings to match the rules of spoken Japanese grammar. This is the predecessor of common kanji. Basically, the Japanese kanji characters are Chinese characters, but restructured.

日本語の物語は公式シール、手紙、剣などのようなアイテムが中国から日本に輸入された年の57 CEで開始。前とその後長い間、日本は漢字を使用していました。しかし、時間の間に平安時代、システムと呼ば漢文といい（または漢文）日本人が再構築することを可能にし、語順を変更し、粒子と動詞語尾を追加することで、中国の文章を読むために発音区別符号と呼ばれるもので中国語のテキストを使用して関与しており、出現話さ日本語文法の規則と一致させます。これは一般的な漢字の前身である。基本的には、日本の漢字は、中国語の文字がありますが、構造改革を実施しました。

Here's how Japan restructured Chinese characters. For example, if the word for can is ki (or 可 in Chinese), the Japanese would discard the meaning and make 可 the syllable for ka, which sounds a bit different, but differs it from Chinese and is in accordance with Japanese spoken grammar. However, Chinese has many characters which sound like ki and people were choosing different characters to mean each syllable. So, around 471 CE, Japan developed another writing system, called hiragana. It was originally designed as a simpler version of kanji for women who didn't have adequate education, but it soon caught on with everybody, especially calligraphists. 

ここでは、日本は漢字を再構築してみましょう。例えば、缶用の単語である場合KI（または中国語で可）、日本語の意味を破棄し、少し異なる音色が、中国からは異なり、日本の話の文法に従っているkaのための音節、可になるだろう。しかし、中国人は気のような音と人々がそれぞれの音節を意味するために別の文字を選択した多くの文字を持っています。だから、471 CEの周りに、日本は、他の書き込みシステムを開発したひらがなを呼んだ。もともとは十分な教育を持っていなかった女性のための漢字の簡単なバージョンとして設計されていますが、すぐに皆、書道の練習を、特に人の間で流行した。

Below: Recent hiragana calligraphy by Hikari Chyan

下：ひかりチャンによる最近のひらがな書道

So the kanji for ha (哈) turns into the hiragana for ha (は). So, as an example to show how the two scripts are quite different, here's the Tokyo ward of Shinagawa in both kanji and hiragana.

だからヘクタールのための漢字は（哈）（は）HA用ひらがなに変わります。だから、2つのスクリプトはかなり異なっているかを示すために、一例として、ここでは漢字とひらがなの両方で品川の東京区です。

Kanji: 品川

Hiragana: しながわ

漢字：品川 

ひらがな：しながわ

You can see that the hiragana is a lot curvier. Hiragana is now the most used script in Japanese.

あなたは、ひらがなは、より多くの曲線美であることがわかります。ひらがなは現在、日本で最も使用されるスクリプトです。

Below: Station signs on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo are in both scripts. Kanji in big letters, hiragana in small ones.

下：東京の山手線駅兆候が両方のスクリプトにあります。小さなものに大きな文字、ひらがな漢字。

Have I completely flooded your brain yet? If I haven't, good because there's more.

私は、まだ完全にあなたの脳を浸水しましたか？私が持っていない場合は、それだけではありません良いので。

With the deluge of Western culture into Japan recently, the katakana script has gained more use. Katakana is used for loan words from other cultures. For example, the Japanese word for guardrail is "gādorēru." Say that fast and you'll see that it sounds like the English word. The only reason why they don't copy the word exactly is because Japanese doesn't have some of the sounds in our word, like the "aur," so they try to make it as close as possible. Just like hiragana, there is a whole other syllabary with the same sounds, but different characters. So, "gādorēru" in katakana characters is "ガードレール." The reason for the lines over the a and e are to show that you double the length of the sound when saying that word. In Japanese katakana, the lines over the letters translates as this character: ー. So, the word "ガードーレル" has two of those characters. Here's how one would break it down. Remember, the line character means to extend the syllable for double the time you would normally.

ガードーレル

ga doo raaay ru

(gah-dough-ray-roo)

最近日本への西洋文化の大洪水では、カタカナスクリプトは、より使用を得ています。カタカナは、他の文化からの外来語に使用されます。例えば、ガードレール用の日本語の単語は「gādorēru」です。速いことを言うと、あなたはそれが英語の単語のように聞こえることがわかります。彼らはできるだけ近くに作ってみるように日本人は「AUR」のような私たちの言葉での音のいくつかを、持っていないため、彼らは言葉をコピーしない唯一の理由は正確になります。ちょうどひらがなのように、同じ音が、異なる文字を使用した全体の他の五十音があります。だから、カタカナで「gādorēru」は「ガードレール」です。 AとE行以上の理由は、その単語を言ったときに、音の長さを倍にすることを示すことである。日本のカタカナでは、文字の上の線は、この文字として変換しますー。だから、言葉は「ガードーレル"これらの文字のうちの2つを持っています。ここに1つは、それを打破する方法です。覚えておいては、改行文字を使用すると、通常どおりダブル時間音節を延長することを意味します。

ガードーレル 

GA斗raaay RU 

（GAH-パン生地線 - カンガルー）

But wait, there's more. With all the deluge mentioned above, the Japanese figured that there might be Western tourists as well. So, they added ANOTHER FORM. This one is called "rōmaji" (roman alphabet) and is the Japanese language in the roman alphabet. If you look up at the katakana paragraph above, you'll see "gādorēru." This is rōmaji. And hey, rōmaji is in rōmaji too! Did that kill your brain? If not, good. Because there's more. To add on top of this, some Japanese people, instead of putting the line over a letter, they'll just repeat the letter. So, instead of ōishi (tasty), they would write ooishi. And people use the two synonymously!

#036: Top Seven Phrases to Sound Like a Local

Japan Fan Post #036

It's always great to read up on a few phrases before going to Japan. Here are the most useful ones!

すごい

sugoi

soo-goi

This expression is used to exclaim that something is great or amazing. This isn't used for edibles, and I haven't heard it used sarcastically either.

Example:

"Are you coming to the party tonight?"

"Yes!"

"Great!"

ちょっと 待って ください

chotto matte, kudasai

(choh-toh mah-tay, koo-dah-sai)

This translates as "wait a moment, please" and can be used nicely or if someone is annoying you.

Example:

"Are you ready to order?"

"Um... one moment, please."

"Okay."

よろしく お願い します

yoroshiku onegai shimas

(yoh-roh-shku oh-neh-gai shee-mahss)

This is extremely useful if you are lost. Just say this and someone will help you. There is no good English translation, but it translates directly to "please do your best and treat me well."

Example:

"Can you help me? I'm lost."

*a dozen Japanese people run over*

ホント に, 美味し です よ

honto ni, oishi des yo

(hohn-to nee, oh-ee-shee dehss yoh)

While you could just say "oishi" if something tastes great, it's better to say this if you are dining with Japanese people. They will appreciate it if you drop a "honto ni." This translates as "really, it's delicious" or "for real, it's delicious."

Example:

*gulps noodles*

"Wow, you seem like you like those."

Really, they're delicious!"

うそ

u-so

(oo-soh)

This is a great expression of surprise to use around Japanese people. It translates as "you're kidding" or "really?"

"We're going to Japan!"

"You're kidding!"

もちろん です

mochiron des

(mo-shee-rohn dehss)

This is almost like saying "you're welcome," but a bit different. You would say "mochiron des" after you hold the door open for someone or give your seat up on the train or bus. This phrase means "of course" or "certainly."

Example:

*old lady gets on subway train*

"Here, have my seat."

"Thank you!"

"Of course."

ダイジョブ

daijyo bu

(dai-joh boo)

If someone makes a mistake or forgets to bring your food, chances are that they will make a big deal about it. If that is the case, reply with daijyo bu. It translates as "it's alright" or "it's okay."

Example:

"Do you know where a pharmacy is?"

"No, sorry. I just moved here."

"Oh. It's alright."

#035: Culture Shock!! - Differences You'll Encounter in Japan - Part Two

Japan Fan Post #035
日本ファン郵便番号035

Part Two!
パート2!

3: They are extremely punctual!

The average delay on the shinkansen (bullet trains) in total for the past 20 years has been 18 seconds. While, in America or the UK, a 10 minute delay is nothing, in Japan, even a 2 minute delay can be disastrous. 

3：彼らは非常に時間厳守です！ 


過去20年間の合計で新幹線（新幹線）での平均遅延時間は18秒となっている。しばらくは、アメリカやイギリスでは、10分の遅延があっても2分の遅れが悲惨なことができ、日本では、何もありません。

Below: The Shinkansen N700 (photo by me!!)
下：新幹線N700系（私の写真！）

4: Japanese people sleep on trains (all the time)

I was on the Yamanote line one morning and we began to slow down for a station. An elderly man next to me was dead asleep. He woke up while the train was stopped and it took him a while to gather his bearings. Soon after, just as the doors were closing, he realized that this was his stop. The Japanese do sleep on trains. A LOT. After they get off work, which can sometimes be pretty late, they often go party with their co-workers, which takes up most of their night. So, they try to get all the sleep in the morning. Now, I don't think that the old man was up partying, maybe he accidentally fell asleep. Anyway, he got off at the next station.

4：日本人は電車で寝る（全期間） 


私は山手線に1朝だったと私たちは駅のためにスローダウンし始めた。私の隣に年配の人が眠って死んでいた。電車が停止している間、彼は目を覚ますと、それは彼のベアリングを収集するために彼にしばらく時間がかかった。すぐ後に、ドアが閉じられたのと同じように、彼はこれが彼の停止だったことに気づいた。日本人は電車で寝るん。たくさん。彼らは時々かなり遅くできる作業を降りた後、彼らは頻繁に彼らの夜のほとんどを占めており、彼らの同僚とパーティーに行く。だから、彼らは午前中にすべての睡眠を得ることを試みる。今、私は多分、彼は誤って眠ってしまった、老人はパーティーまであったとは思わない。とにかく、彼は次の駅で降りた。

Below: A common sight on a morning train.
下：朝の電車の中で一般的な光景。