Put On Your Metal Sandals

Posted on 08. Aug, 2008 @ 8:40 am by in Culture, Language Views: 641

My translation: Put on your metal sandals when searching for an older wife.

年上の女房は金の草鞋を履いてでも探せ
（としうえのにょうぼうはかねのわらじをはいてでもさがせ）
(toshi ue no nyoubou ha(wa) kane no waraji wo haite demo sagase)

Japanese wedding

An older wife was said to be very valuable treasure. I don’t know why this is… So in order succeed in your long journey to find that older lady, you need metal sandals that won’t wear down like regular straw ones.

You can “put on your metal sandals” 「金の草鞋」when searching for anything of great value, even if it’s not necessarily an older woman to marry.

年上の女は目走りが利くから「目ます繁盛」

といって重宝がられたらしい。それを嫁としてを得るため、擦り減らない「鉄（かね）の草鞋」を履いて、方々歩いて探せということ。
「金の草鞋」は、年上の女房に限らず、値打ちの高いものを探すときの喩え。

類：●姉女房は身代の薬

- Harvey

  • http://nipponster.com/dailyj_copy/ Tori

    Hey Harvey!

    I better go find me some metal sandals…

    Did you hear about the Japan Blog Matsuri? They’ve started it back up again.
    here’s the link.
    But the theme is impressions of Tokyo… :P

    It says those impressions can be real or imaginary so I guess you could give your impressions of how much better Kyoto is :)

  • kia

    Hi Harvey,

    I don’t know you and you don’t know me but, I am very interested in Living in Japan and would love to talk to you about it. How can I get in contact with you?

  • http://www.japannewbie.com harvey

    Yo Kia, try the “Talk2Me” link on the top of the page, there is a form there, follow those instructions!

  • Joe

    The romaji doesn’t match up with the hiragana.
    “dekimosagase”

  • http://www.japannewbie.com Harvey

    Whoops, thanks Joe, fixed it.

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