Liberal Help Wanted

This is just your run-of-the-mill “help wanted” poster in Japan.

With a down right dangerous twist.

It says…

年齢伺わず 問わず- We won’t ask your age (meaning any legal age is OK)

性別伺わず 問わず- We won’t ask your sex (meaning they don’t discriminate male or female)

オカマOK - Homosexuals are OK too.

Some joke.

Only in Japan…

(actualy, I’m not sure if I totally understand what’s going on with the verb 伺わず。It’s just the 伺う in the ず form right? Like 食べず〜 and stuff? Is this related to おかまいなく? Just curious.)

It’s 問わず! (とわず) Thanks for pointing that out Ken Y-N. I dropped the ball on that one! 恥ずかしい〜

- 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

Get more for your yen with a 2000 yen bill

Asahi Shinbun is reporting that at certain shops in Hokkaido, you can buy close to 3000 yen worth of goods if you use the rare 2000 yen bill.

Some of you may remember that back in the year 2000, a 2000 yen bill was released in Japan. The creating of the 2000 yen bill was simply a gimmick for the Summit that was held in Kyuusyu and Okinawa that year, and after printing about 800 million bills, printing was completely stopped in 2003. As of 2006 there were only about 160 million in circulation, according to The Bank of Japan. As you can imagine, vending machines were not adapted to support this new tender, so the bills never caught on and were forgotten as little more than a collectors item.

I know I saw one in 2000, I think. But I certainly didn’t end up keeping it. Any readers have any?

Now,  the G8 Summer is going to be held this summer in Hokkaido, so they’re bringing back the 2000 yen bill!

At pharmacies and random okonomiyaki stores in Sapporo you can exchange 2000 yen for a 2000 yen bill, and then spend them at other shops for bonus points. Bonus points? For example, apparently at one Chinese restaurant there, you can buy three 700-900 yen dishes and a drink with only one 2000 yen bill. Savings!

What fun what fun.

Any readers living in Hokkaido who can report on this incredible phenomenon first hand?

- Harvey

Source - Asahi Shinbun

City of cities

Megacity. Sounds like terminology out of an Anime, but it’s the real deal.

A megacity [wiki] is a city with more than 10 million people. Tokyo is currently the largest megacity in the world, with a population of almost 36 million. This figure includes some of the surrounding areas, including Yokohama, Kawasaki, Chiba, and others. (So now all of you living in Yokohama yet still tell your friends that you live in Tokyo are justified!)

So if you’re in Tokyo, congratulations, it doesn’t get any more populated than that! And it won’t for quite a while.

According to the an article in Japan Times…

“In 2025, Tokyo is still expected to be the world’s most populous urban agglomeration, with 36 million inhabitants,” according to “2007 Revisions of World Urbanization Prospects.”

This is despite the current aging society and low birth rate which has no hope of making up the difference. This growth could be due to the numbers of Japanese moving to urban areas from rural Japan, and also the number of immigrants moving in from other countries. I’m going to bet that the latter is the least significant contributing factor of the two.

Last year I had a chance to talk to a school teacher and family living in Shimoda, a small city which gets a lot of tourism due its proximity to the ocean and of course, onsens. They said that their town is really feeling the effects of the aging society (少子化: literally, change to fewer children) and a lot of their junior high schools and high schools are closing or merging, leaving huge empty school buildings around the town.

It’s quite the “pinch” isn’t it? The aging society makes it harder to live out in the country and have a satisfying career due to a lack of jobs… Thus driving more and more people to move to the cities. However when you get to the cities, it’s difficult to have a large family due to the hectic lifestyle, small living quarters, and high rent. Does anyone have newly-wed Japanese acquaintances who plan on having more than 2 children? I have a lot of Japanese friends between 25 and 35 years old, and I cannot recall a single one who is married with plans to have more than 2 kids. Quite a few 2 children family, but 3 seems to be quite a challenge…

Me? Kids? Hah. Not yet.

- 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

Now I’m On The Record US-VISIT Style

Every foreigner in Japan has heard of Japan’s new United States inspired (or, better put… driven) US-VISIT style fingerprint and photograph system to inventory foreigners as they enter the country. The program is sometimes referred to as Japan’s version of the US-VISIT program and started in November last year. I hear that similar program will start in England shortly.

Foreigners here are generally quite upset with the new system. I have yet to mention anything about it in a blog entry. It’s not that I have been avoiding the subject, but I didn’t feel that I had anything to add to the conversation that hadn’t already been said. I mean, there are entire blogs devoted to the issue, and JapanProbe has covered it frequently in the past. Unfortunately, the passage of time has taken its toll and the clamor seems to have died down. Maybe this post will start it up again?

Again, it’s not that I don’t care. In an attempt to validate myself, let me say that I was one of only two foreigners in attendance at a lecture given by Barry Steinhardt (the head of the ACLU’s Technology and Liberty Program) in Osaka in early November pointing out the failures of the US-VISIT system as a warning to the then soon to be released Japanese version. I am also currently translating an article for IMADR’s (International Movement Against All forms of Discrimination and Racism) newsletter which denounces the new system as discriminatory. As you can see, I’m not a fan of the new system.

So why am I finally writing now? I recently popped out to take a trip to India, so on the way back into Japan I was fingerprinted for the first time.

I’ve been filed! At Kansai International Airport.

I have heard a lot of talk about being held up at the line and the finger print readers and camera slowing people down. I don’t care what anybody says. The process was painless.

Maybe it’s because I arrived during the middle of a day on a workday, but the line was incredibly short,  and I was whisked through because I had a re-entry permit, and the entire fingerprinting and camera ordeal must have taken all of 20 seconds. It was easy. I flinched just as the photo was taken the first time, and the system prompted me to hold still for a second shot, but it was very intuitive and I knew exactly what was going on.

Don’t get me wrong, the fact that the technology was able to record my biometric data quickly and painlessly does not make the system right.

The system is terrible.

Blanket targeting all foreigners , excluding those with special status (i.e., Japan-born Koreans who still carry Korean passports) and collecting their biometric data is discriminatory, and does little to make foreigners feel welcome in Japan.  The system also has an unpleasant emotional impact as well. Even if a foreigner gains permanent resident status they still must be fingerprinted and photographed each time they re-enter the country. Even if I stay here for 50 years, when coming home from a family vacation overseas I’ll still have to line up separately from the rest of my family and be fingerprinted and photographed. Welcome home indeed! It’s bad enough that even long-term foreigners have to endure  compliments on their ability to use chopsticks once every few months… and now this. And how is this system supposed to catch the Japanese terrorists?

Not to mention that the system is based on the US-VISIT system… which doesn’t work.

So far personalities including Nelson Mandela, Tariq Ramadan (a Swiss scholar of the Muslim world who was coming to the US to accept a tenured professor position he was offered at Notre Dame – the ACLU flied a lawsuit on his behalf in 2006, info here), and Yusuf Islam (a.k.a. Cat Stevens, author of the Peace Train song, the entry denial incident is documented on Wikipedia) have been flagged as terroists and denied entry into the United States at some point.

Of course, no system is perfect, but the US system currently has something exceeding 720,000 people registered on the terrorist list. That’s roughly 1 in every 500 Americans. It doesn’t make sense. If there are that many potential terrorists we have got a problem… and the database never stops growing.

Some may say… so the US-VISIT system is broken – you’re not registered in US-VISIT, you’re registered in Japan’s system. Why do you care? Well, The database of entries will be shared between countries. So now my biometric data is forever in the hands of the US and Japanese government.

Hopefully I’ll never be flagged as a terroist.

Wouldn’t it be funny if one day when flying from the US to Japan, flagged as a terroist in Japan, and sent back to America only to be refused entry there as well?

Where would I go?

Some dark prison somewhere probably…

Anyway. The technology at the gate works fine. The process gets you through the gate quickly. However, the concept is broken and something needs to be done so that our data is not abused.

- Harvey

No Chikan Thank You

The Japanese word for “pervert-who-takes-advantage-of-crowded-train-to-get-some-buttocks-grabbin-goin-on” is “CHIKAN”.

The Kansai-ben (western Japanese dialect) way to say something is no good, or just won’t do, is pronounced, “AKAN”.

They rhyme!

This poster is a play on those words.

CHIKAN WA AKANDE! GENIUS!

- Harvey

Non-smoking restaurants in Japan

Kinen-Style will be useful for anyone looking to escape all of the second-hand smoke in Japan.

You must be able to read Japanese to use Kinen-Style, but it lists non-smoking restaurants and what not around the country. Looks pretty useful!

On a related note…

[image from JapanNewbie 2005]

- Harvey

Are you a dreadist?

Remember how I mentioned that down at Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri almost all of the participating girls had their hair braided?

Well, I also ran into this place in Kishiwada.

The Japan Extension Dreadist Society!

Their window was plastered with photos of their clients.

The girl in the upper right looks so young! I bet she’s eight. What a cutie!

Actually during the fesitval some random old dude stopped me and asked if I was from Jamaica. Is there some kind of Kishiwada-Jamaica bond that I’m missing here?

- Harvey