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Embarrassing Stories(2)

■Fun with the Japanese Language

Most travelers to Japan limit themselves to a few travel oriented Japanese phrases and greetings. However, inevitably some will arrive with a more or less working knowledge of the language, or aspirations thereto, and that’s where the trouble can begin.

　In the first video of the Japan Lowdown section of this website, several of the participants share their stories of such mishaps. Uri, the young Chinese woman, talks about meeting an acquaintance who asked how she had been. Meaning to reply with the stock phrase, “Okagesama de, genki desu,” or “Thank you, I’m fine,” she instead said “Gochisousama, genki desu,” or roughly “It was delicious, I’m fine.”

　That’s fairly mild, actually, as these things go. The two Englishmen in the segment had much more potentially embarrassing encounters with the word chikubi, which means nipple.

　Kevin, unable to find chickpea curry at a grocery store, turned to a store employee and asked, “Chikubi wa doko desuka?” Thinking he’d get his point across by pronouncing the work chickpea in Japanese syllables, he asked the young woman, “Where are the nipples?” A great many English words have found their way into Japanese, with a new Japanese pronunciation. Sadly, chickpea isn’t one of them.

　Patrick’s story illustrates another frequent problem, that of mistaking one word for another that sounds similar. Wanting to compliment a father and son on their dimples, or ekubo, he instead alarmed them both by telling them what wonderful nipples they had. When the boy’s mother came into the room he continued, cheerfully noting that while she didn’t have nipples, her husband and son’s nipples were great.

　So proceed with caution, especially when speaking to members of the opposite sex. Certain pairings, in particular, have caused real heartbreak. Yasashii means kind, while yasui can mean cheap or easy. Kawaii, of course, means cute. Kowai, on the other hand, means frightening. Onnarashii is feminine or ladylike, while onarashi describes someone with severe flatulence. Probably not the message you want to send.

　Naturally, people are quick to forgive these kinds of mistakes. And if some brave soul decides to practice his English, you’ll have ample opportunity to return the favor.

■Earthquakes in Japan

　Although the chances that any given traveler will experience an earthquake during her time in Japan are small, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. In fact, earthquakes are recorded every day somewhere in the country. Most of these are minor, many too small even to be noticed except by seismographs.

　However, Japan is situated in a volcanic zone at the juncture of several tectonic plates, and from time to time there are very powerful and damaging earthquakes. In the last century, the two worst were the Great Kanto and Great Hanshin quakes. The first, in 1923, was the worst earthquake in Japan’s history, with a loss of as many as 140,000 lives. The second struck the city of Kobe in 1995 and, in addition to about 6,400 deaths, resulted in damage amounting to ten trillion yen, or 2.5 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product at the time.

　Before you cancel your travel plans, though, keep in mind that these two very destructive earthquakes happened seventy years apart, and that earthquake preparedness and construction techniques have improved enormously. And even as seemingly safe a country as the UK can expect one fairly strong earthquake every century or so.

　If you experience an earthquake while you are in Japan, there are a few precautions you can take. First, don’t panic. The building you’re in won’t fall down (hopefully), so just take a position away from windows with glass, under a table or in a doorway, and enjoy the ride. When the motion stops, it may be a good idea to turn off ovens or stoves until you’re certain things are safe. If you can understand some Japanese, check the radio or TV for updates. Otherwise, just ask someone. Chances are, you’ll find the Japanese going about their business as if nothing had happened.

　And if your travels happen to take you to a Japanese hot spring, just remember that the occasional earthquake is part of the price of all that lovely hot water.

Shooting Location: HACHIRO'S BAR

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Hiroshima Station====(Hiroden bus (green bus No. 3, 4, or 6), 20min.)====Fukuromachi===(on foot, 5 min.)===HACHIRO's BAR

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