Nihon News Part II"One benefits in various ways by traveling."I received an encouraging amount of replies to my first letter. Since some of those questions or comments may be of general interest, I'll deal with them first.
Q: Do you ever feel invisible because the Japanese avoid eye contact?
Q: Is it true that Japanese girls auction off their underpants? I also received several comments on biking, from the advice to enjoy the rare unregulated aspects in Japanese society to musings on how to best display Shimano gearsets on the mantelpiece. I was pointed to China as the possible origin of Japanese cycling habits, and reminded that Swiss cyclists aren't saints either. The latter is certainly true, but have you ever seen a Swiss truck with a sticker that says "Challenge Safe Driving for the 21st century?" For even the Swiss aren't as enamoured with foreign languages as the Japanese, whose apparently great respect for things Western is doubly reflected in their language. First, they have a rich vocabulary of words they declare Japanese, but which are actually foreign words that after a cryptic process of revision and adaptation to Japanese pronunciation have become so disfigured as to be nearly unrecognizable. Fortunately, these words are written in Katakana, and once the beginner masters this syllabary he can begin deciphering shop signs and other inconsequential writings, which in my opinion beats the Sunday paper riddles for entertainment value. Second, the Japanese freely use foreign languages and the Roman alphabet as a sign of distinction, based on their perception of the respective culture. Not surprisingly, French is used liberally for whatever is gourmet or chic; for instance, the free-floating gumpism "L'Amour, c'est comme un bon gâteau" is the slogan of the DONQ bakery chain, and a clothing store recently advertised a special with the slogan "Jouer à la pupe." German is dominant in medicine (this seems to date back more than a century, when Japanese scientists were sent to Germany to study this field) and mechanical precision, as evidenced in the names of Toyota models such as Kluger, Platz (a compact car) and Opa. (Then there's the Noah, measuring a less-than-divine 9 by 3.5 by 3 cubits.) English is simply ubiquitous. It is used to declare that "Coffee is the source of satisfaction and comfort and is the medium for togetherness" or to gush: "I fall in love with you. You are my favorite food." Dried banana chips are "healthy life support." A coffee creamer goes by the name "Creap." The "energen" drink proclaims itself a "power assist" to "reach your summit," the "POCARI (not peccary) SWEAT" drink claims it is a "body request," and the Japanese fatally pronounce the innocent-looking "Calpis" drink much like "Cowpiss" with a B-movie Latino accent. Coca-Cola's telling slogan explains what it takes to use English for marketing purposes: "No Reason!" When space allows for it, logorrhea meets literary striving. The Tomoguchi company, blissfully unaware of the doggerel "Beans, beans, the musical fruit," writes on a package: "Let's have joyful talking with FRESH BEANS. Every time and every where, it's so delicious. Best of the world FRESH PACK!" (The first person to correctly guess what was in the package gets one.) Other places to look for unintentional humor are clothing items, shopping bags, photo album covers (where I found the opening quote), and the spare wheel coverings on SUVs. It was on a Pajero io I found the following cross between Chief Seattle and Sid Meier's Civilization:
A long time ago, before human was born, there were only WOODS, GRASS, ANIMALS, BIRDS and FISH. When human was born, they helped the newly born baby, offering their bodies. GRASS and ANIMALS became human's clothings, and then, they protected him from the rain, wind and cold. WOODS and GRASS gave him their fruits, nuts, and grains. ANIMALS, BIRDS and FISH became human's food, and, they grew him up. WE WILL NEVER FORGET THEIR FAVORS. WE WILL NEVER LIVE WITHOUT NATURE. 'CAUSE, WE LIVE WITH NATURE. I must add that I do not intend to belittle the Japanese. The average Japanese speaks English about as well as the average Swiss (and the average American, I'm tempted to say): barely. Therefore, despite a track record of being pedantic about spelling mistakes, I'm by no means highlighting the erroneous use of foreign languages in Japan in a pitiful attempt to prove my superiority. Rather, faced with Japanese exuberance, I gladly forgive; how could I harbor a grudge when the results of their labor are so much fun? To come full circle, here are some words now Japanese, but of foreign origin, retranscribed into the Roman alphabet. Those who correctly guess all original words will receive an as of yet undecided small prize. (This will likely be the only time I go commercial to add zest to my e-mail.) Deadline, quite arbitrarily, is my last e-mail check on July 14th 2001 - if nobody gets them all by then, the top three win.
Basics: karee - seetaa - botan As usual, I wrote more and covered less than I intended to: please forgive my wordiness. And do continue to respond - I am very grateful for all contacts outside of the island!
Yours, |