A lump of reserve

If you’ve been in Japan for a while you’ve probably heard the phrase 遠慮 (enryo). It basically means to hesitate, to have reserve, or to constrain yourself.

It can be used in many ways…

To refuse an offer…

Kid 1: 明日またカラオケ行こうよ！ - ashita mata karaoke ikouyo! - Let’s go to Karaoke again tomorrow!

Kid 2: えっ、また？行きたいけど、遠慮しとくわ。- eh? mata? ikitaikedo, konkai ha enryo shitokuwa. - Eh? Again!? I want to go but I’ll pass this time.

To tell someone not to hold back…

うわぁぁぁ〜ステーキだ！- uwaaaaaaa suteeki da! - Wow! Steak!

遠慮せずに食べてください。- enryo sezuni tabetekudasai - Don’t hesitate to eat all you want.

There is also a famous saying that goes, 遠慮の固まり。(enryo no katamari)

Katamari refers to a lump or clump of something. You might know that word from the video game Katamari Damacy actually… Anyway…

This, is an enryo no katamari.

As you can see, an enryo no katamari is the last piece of food (or other desired item, but usually food) that no one touches because they don’t want to seem like the greedy person who rudely grabbed the last bite.

Typically in Japan, this last tasty morsel will sit around for a few minutes while people carry on, and then at some opportune time ssomeone will offer it to somebody else in the group. “Hey, eat this Joe!” Joe will refuse, and insist that Sam be the one to eat the last bit.

After some more of this someone will finally eat it and the party will be over.

Or everyone will just hang around and watch more comedy shows on TV.

- Harvey

Omamori, Japanese Good Luck Charms

If you’ve ever been to a Japanese shrine you have problem seen these omamori around.

They’re not tea bags.

In Japanese they’re called omamori (お守り). They’re good luck charms that are said to have a god inside to keep you safe. There are a wide variety of omamori. There are traffic safety omamori, omamori that will allow a pregnant woman to have an easy child-birth, and omamori to help you with your studies, like this one.

Characters on front: 太宰府天満宮 (dazaifutenmangu) Dazaifutenmangu Official Webpage

Characters on back: 学業お守り - がくぎょうおまもり - gakugyou ommori (omamori for studies)

Sometimes shrines will be known to have especially powerful omamori of a specific type. This dazaifutenmangu which is in Kyusu (english wikipedia) is famous for its ability to improve luck in studying. It works. I’m sure.

You are supposed to return the omamori to the same shrine where you purchased it after one year. Otherwise, the charm will lose its effect.

I have only actually ever done that twice I believe… It’s hard when the temple is far away from your home!

Also, you are only supposed to have one omamori at one time. Otherwise, the gods will fight and none of them will work.

Remember these things… And  good luck.

- Harvey

Learning Japanese through Proverbs

Our friends over at TheJapanShop.com have another great deal. You can get audio, textual, and visual media to help you learn Japanese Proverbs for just 5 bucks.

It’s a PDF, Flash, and Mp3 pack of 25 commonly used Japanese proverbs. You can listen to any sentence in slow, or regular speed, and explanations are included. Check out the product image on their website to see some of the features.

They’ve got all the classic “kotowaza”, such as…

石の上にも三年 Literally, sitting on top of the rock for 3 years. A proverb for perseverance. And…

十人十色 Literally, 10 people, 10 colors. A proverb that means everyone is unique.

Click here for a larger image. Click here to go to product page.

Back in my early days of learning Japanese we went through a lot of these in class. Proverbs are a great way to pick up new vocabulary, learn about Japanese culture, and impress native speakers all at the same time. Native Japanese are usually astounded and very happy to hear when foreigners can quote proverbs. These days many young Japanese don’t know the more difficult ones. I would be willing to bet that any high school kid these days (except for the roughest of the ruffians) would know all 25 included in the JapanShop package.

So, the proverbs they include are very basic, so if you’re already an advanced learner of Japanese this probably won’t be terribly useful. However, if your Japanese is beginner to low-intermediate, it looks like a great deal!

You can pay with PayPal and download the stuff immediately. Instant gratification. Yum.

Other Proverbs on JapanNewbie

By the way, check out a few more proverbs that I have introduced in the past… Like a Rolling Stone, and The Light of Money.

Learn Proverbs With Our Favorite Cat-like Robot Doraemon

For more Japanese Proverb fun, check out this episode of Doraemon called “Proverb Game” (kotowaza game) in its entirety on YouTube. The proverbs introduced in the episode and their literal and interpreted meanings are…

早起きは三文の徳 - hayaoki ha sanmon no toku

Literally: Waking up early brings three coins of profit.

Meaning/usage: Waking up early will bring good things to you.

In Doaremon: The father woke up early and happened to see a famous actress during his morning walk and tells the main character, Nobita-kun. Nobita really wanted to see the actress and starts to head out to get her signature, but his father tells her she’s already gone. Nobita should have woken up early!

棚からぼたもち - tana kara botamochi

Literally: A botamochi (a type of snack) falls out of the cabinet.

Meaning/usage: Good things can happen unexpectedly.

In Doraemon: Nobita thinks that he can just lie under the cabinet and wait for an actual botamochi to fall out. He didn’t know the proverb. Instead, they accidentally stumble upon his moms secret stash of cash.

急がば回れ - isogaba maware

Literally: If you want to hurry, take the round-about way.

Meaning/usage: If you want to arrive at your destination quickly, don’t take the more dangerous and risky shortcut. Instead, take the long way around and you’ll be more certain to reach your destination safely and on time.

In Doaremon: Nobita is going to his friends house, so instead of taking the direct route he takes the long road. On the way there he happens to run into his friend, which is lucky! Good thing he didn’t hurry to take the direct route.

情けは人のためならず - nasake ha hito no tame narazu

Literally: Pity/compassion doesn’t help people.

Meaning/usage: Traditionally, it means that showing compassion to people not only helps them, but will also bring good fortune to the person who showed the compassion later. Some people these days mistakenly interpret this to mean that if you’re too overly compassionate to people it won’t help them in the long run.

In Doaremon: Nobita sees a little girl who has fallen and hurt her knee. Due to the literal meaning of the proverb he almost doesn’t help her, but gives in to his good nature and decides to carry her home anyway. Later Doraemon explains the actual meaning of the proverb and Nobita feels better.

仏の顔も三度 - hotoke no kao mo sando

Literally: On the third time, even someone with a face like the Buddha… (will get angry)

Meaning/usage: No matter how nice someone may be, the third time (or eventually) they will get angry!

In Doaremon: Nobita and his friend see the town bully getting scolded by his mom for fighting. They get an idea and decide to tease him just twice, because they figure he won’t get angry the first and second time. They’re right… But some other friends accidentally taunt him a third time causing Nobita and his friend get beat up anyway.

泣き面に蜂 - naki tsura ni hachi

Literally: A bee will come to a crying face.

Meaning/usage: Once something bad happens, more bad things will follow.

That’s all!

By the way, I didn’t know 泣き面に蜂! Passed JLPT level 1, and there are still things about Japanese to learn from kids shows. Isn’t Japanese great!? The fun never stops.

- Harvey

Vegetable Cutters for your Bento

Ever wonder how they get those cute flower or leaf shaped vegetables into the bento lunch boxes in Japan?

You can get those special food shape cutters straight from Japan on JList.

I’m surprised to see so many food-shapers for wiener hot dogs!

If I ever become a bento making parent, I’ll have to get an arsenal of these things to always keep the kids on their toes.

“Wow today’s carrots look like roses!”

“That’s right kid. Eat em up.”

- Harvey

Osaka Landmark Restaurant, Kuidaore, Closing Down July 8th

If you would ask me to name some of the top famous landmarks in downtown Osaka, I would say the neon Glico sign that appears in the JapanNewbie logo, the giant moving crab attached to the Kani-Douraku restaurant, and then the kui-daore clown in front of the restaurant of the same name.

But…

The Kui-daore Restaurant is Closing on July 8th!

Here is an image taken in 2006 of Kui-daore all dressed up for the World Cup.

One of my Osaka friends said that the famous restaurant’s main problem was that tourists would come in droves to have their picture taken with the clown, but then they would leave. The restaurant opened just after the war in Showa 24, which is 1949 if my calculation is correct. The doll has a name, and is called Kui-daore Tarou.

I have to admit, I have posed for countless pictures in front of this thing, but have only eaten there once. In fact, when discussing this with my wife and her friends I had forgotten that I had ever eaten there at all! The restaurant is most famous for having gigantic portions that will cause you to eat so much that you fall down, hence the name, くいだおれ (くう is to eat, たおれる is to fall down).

There are rumors that a larger organization will simply buy the drum-beating clown so that it can stay on Doutonbori even if the restaurant goes under. The doll alone is said to contribute 1.7 billion yen to Osaka’s economy yearly [source]. Tourists come to the downtown area to see the doll, and continue on to go spend their money shopping in the nearby Ebisu area and whatnot. Given Osaka’s famously poor financial situation, I don’t think the city can afford to lose any potential income sources, even if it is simply clown-fueled tourism.

What will become of our glasses-wearing, drum-beating friend? I don’t know, but I hope they find a way to keep the doll in place! Doutonbori just wouldn’t be the same without it.

So, if you’ve never eaten there, go quick!

- Harvey

DJ Baku DHARMA DANCE

At midnight tonight (Japan time, in like, 1 hour) DJ Baku’s new album, DHARMA DANCE will be available on HearJapan. Be sure to check out a music video from the music video at the HearJapan link, and on YouTube as well.

The album is released April 5th all over Japan, but if you can’t wait until the brick and morter shops open up in the morning you can snag it via HearJapan as soon as the calendar day changes.

I went to a DJ Baku live event in Tokyo last year and had a great time. I’m no music critic, but he’s just everywhere. High energy and intense stuff.

If you haven’t already, check out the music video embedded at the bottom of the HearJapan site. [youtube link to the same video] It’s really, really, cool.

I got some free time. Let’s learn from the video.

In the video there is a marionette who obviously represents a Japanese salaryman. He is holding a giant HANKO, a stamp that is used in place of a signature for documents in Japan. In traditional Japanese companies, many levels of HANKO can be required to complete important (or even no so important) tasks.

The stamps have different Kanji with varying meanings throughout the video. Here they all are, with my interpretations. Once you know the Kanji, watch the video again. It makes it even better.

働ヶ- Work! (commnd form of the verb, playing with characters by using the katakana small け)

マダマダ - Still more! (with the nuance of, you’re not done yet)

忙 - Busy!

押せ - Stamp it! (literally push, but same verb is used to “push” stamps)

死ヌマデ - Until you die! (or, until death)

押シエ - Stamp it!

あれ? - Huh? What?

苦 - Agonizing! or Arduous. Painstaking. (from くるしい, mentally and physically strenuous)

ナイ - Nothing (the negative, oposite of HAI)

疲 - Exhausted (つかれた)

イヤダ - I don’t like it (stronger nuance though, maybe you could say, horrible. Or intolerable.)

辞 - Quit

不要 - Unnecessary

操 - Manipulate (from あやつる, great with the marionette!)

破壊 - Destruction

制御 - Control

不能 - Impotent, incapable

金 - Money

糸 - Strings (literally, thread)

最高 - Awesome! (the best. This appears next to a pictre of the album jacket.)

攻撃 - Attack

And then, he completely collapses. Poor Japanese salarymen. Mechanical stamp pushers. Overworked… Occasionally overworked until they die… Karoushi.

It’s getting better though…

- Harvey

Sakura in the Sushi Shop

The not-so-famous sushi shop had cherry blossoms blooming in a pot.

I took these pictures weeks ago actually. He was able to get them to bloom earlier because of the warmer temperature inside his shop.

I didn’t ask to take any home… Because… You know.

I don’t have a green thumb.

The sakura trees are blooming already by the way, if you haven’t noticed from the other Japan blogs around!

- Harvey

Okinawan Dancers in Shimoda

I have actually had these pictures for quite some time, but never got around to posting them.

These are from an Okinawan dance performance that I saw… in Shimoda (on Honshu, far from Okinawa). I love how colorful their costumes are. I have been many places in Japan, but Okinawa is one of the places I have yet to visit. Some day…

I’m not even sure if these performers are actually from Okinawa – but they very well could be. Anyway, doesn’t really matter does it!

In case you missed it back in 2005, here are some Okinawan dancers in Osaka!

- Harvey

Valentines Day Chocolates For Me! Kinda

In Japan on Valentines day girls give chocolates to guys.

There is also a phenomenon known as “giri-choco” (義理チョコ) .

Literally it means “duty-chocolate”. Basically, it’s the chocolate that girls give to guys because they are obliged to do so. For example, my guitar teacher is a lady, so she gave me giri-choco. She doesn’t have Valentines Day-ish feelings for me, but I see her often, so she must give me chocolate or I will feel like a chump. I will.

This is good, because the only other chocolate I got on Valentines day was from all of the ladies in the office (they put their money together and bought something for all the guys… There aren’t that many of us… This is also 義理チョコ).

This is the lovely chocolate I got from my guitar teacher. Fujiya! Peko-chan!

My wife ate half of both the chocolates I got…

I need more chocolate!

- Harvey