Poor Little (Kawai So Na) Frog! カワイソウな蛙!

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Poor little frog

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! 

Can you hear it? I heard it and couldn't help but chuckle because this poor little flog poked with a stick, flying on something like fish or alligator with both arms raised was so kawaii, isn't it?....   

The above picture is a magnified center left (red circled) part of "The Temptation of St. Anthony" by David Teniers, the Younger (below) at The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo.

The Temptation of St. Anthony" by David Teniers, the Younger

The painting depicts St. Anthony (in the center), a hermit living in the desert, being tempted by the Devil sent to test his faith. It is so religious, but that's not what grabbed my attention but this little frog and although I should have felt "sorry (kawai so)" for the frog, I found it cute (kawaii)...

"Kawai so" differs from "kawaii."

kawai so ni (adverb):
その蛙をかわいそう/可哀そうに思う
I feel sorry for the frog.

kawai so na (adjective):
かわいそうな/可哀そうな蛙
poor frog           

kawaii (adjective):
かわいい/カワイイ/可愛い蛙
cute frog

上野の国立西洋美術館に行きました。常設展、ほとんど人がいませんでした。その中で目を引いたのが上の一枚、ダフィット・テニールス(子) の「聖アントニウスの誘惑」。絵の中央左のカエル君に目が釘付けに。。。 悪魔が聖人を誘惑して試すという宗教画なのに全然別のところに目が行ってしまいました。テニールスさん、そしてカエル君、ごめんなさい🙇

Kawaii Transformer Rats ネズミの変身!

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I wrote about Christmas trees made of mini Santa rats in the Tokyo International Forum a few weeks ago. These trees were made of dolls of rats, the Japanese zodiac sign for Year 2020. They are so cute with Santa Clause outfits.

Santa rats

Santa rats wearing Santa Clause outfits

However, look at the rats in the photos below!!! Can you see them changing? They have changed their outfits and ornaments on December 25 to welcome New Year.


New Year rats

Rats with New Year ornaments

This transformation, which materializes the spirit of "mottainai (i.e., waste nothing)," is so funny and made me smile!

12月26日の帰り道、「サンタネズミ」が「干支ネズミ」に変身しているのを発見!お着換えまでしていてびっくりしました。もったいない精神の究極とでも言いましょうか。。。 しかも面白い!カワイイお着換えに思わずクスリとしてしまいました。

Showa Emperor's Remorse Does Not Make His War Responsibility Go Away NHKスペシャル「拝謁記」を見て

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think is common between the Showa Emperor and Japanese people complaining about their lives but voting for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ("LDP")?

They are irresponsible, i.e., what they say does not match what they do. I thought so while watching a TV show about "Haietsuki" aired in early December.

"Haietsuki" is the detailed records kept by Michiji Tajima about his meetings with the Showa Emperor from June 1948 to December 1953. Tajima was a former businessman and upper house lawmaker turned into the first post-war Grand Steward of the Imperial Holding Agency and had had such meetings during his term of 5.5 years.

Tajima's records vividly show the emperor's agony from being unable to show his remorse to the public because he was stopped from doing so by Japanese and US politicians. The conversation between the emperor and the Grand Steward reproduced by two actors moved me.

However, that does not change the fact that he was responsible for the war. The Showa Emperor was not prosecuted at the Tokyo International Military Tribunal, but that's only because he was "useful," the exact word used by an American official, to contain the opposition against the US occupation of Japan. Also, although there might have been mitigating factors, that doesn't make his responsibility for the loss of millions of lives go away, either.

Tajima wrote that the emperor had repeatedly said during the meetings that he had been against the military's decisions but couldn't help but accept them, but it's easy to complain after the event. The emperor's excuse that he had no choices reminded me of people complaining on Twitter that they don't like Prime Minister Abe, but have been voting for the LDP saying that that's because they have no choices.

The Showa Emperor had choices and was responsible for the war as those complaining but doing nothing to change the status quo being responsible for allowing the current scandal-ridden Abe administration to continue.

What scares me more is that very few Japanese have blamed the emperor for his role in the war. How can the Supreme Commander during the war be not responsible? Treating the emperor in such a way, i.e., denying him the opportunity to admit his wrongdoing, apologize and be punished for it, and learn from it, is a breach of his human right. And such treatment has been infringing the human rights of other imperial family members, such as Princess Mako.

We make mistakes, so we have a judicial system under which those making mistakes are tried but at the same time be given the opportunity to make them right or make up for such mistakes. This is a cornerstone of democracy.

It's so wrong to claim that the Showa Emperor was not responsible for the war and moreover scary because those saying so should apply the same rule to themselves to evade their responsibilities and this may erode the foundation of democracy already in danger...

NHKで「拝謁記」に関する番組をやっていました。「拝謁記」とは初代宮内庁長官田島道治氏と昭和天皇との間の5年間(1948~1953年)の対話を田島氏が克明に記したメモです。

番組の制作趣旨に興味があったのですが、思った通り、そして悲しいことに「天皇に戦争責任はない」ということを訴えるためのようでした。

統帥権者だった昭和天皇に戦争責任がないなんておかしいと思います。東京裁判で起訴されなかったのは、日米で天皇を「使って」反米勢力を抑えようという合意があり(番組の中で実際に天皇が「useful」と表現されていたのには驚きました。)、「天皇は便利」→「だから起訴しなかった」だけのこと。情状酌量の余地があったというなら分かりますが、起訴すらされなかったのは逆に天皇の人権を無視した話だと思います。

昭和天皇の戦争責任であれ、好きになった人と結婚して失敗するかもしれない自由であれ(眞子内親王)、天皇そして皇族が人間の成長に必要な「間違う権利(もちろん戦争における間違いと婚姻における間違いはその影響度合いが違いますが)」そして「間違いから学んで成長する権利」を奪われていることは人道的に大きな問題だと思います。そして、それを理解しない日本人がこんなにも多いということは日本人の人権意識そして民度の低さを物語っていると思います。

Is Kumamon Kawaii? くまモンだけは分からない。。。

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Kumamon

This is Kumamon, a mascot character of the Kumamoto prefecture in the southern part of Japan. He (yes, he's a boy) is popular not only in Japan but around the world and said to be five years old (although he hasn't disclosed his age officially). His name comes from the Japanese word for bear (i.e., kuma) and a unique honorific suffix of his home prefecture, (i.e., mon). For more details, read this website.

Everyone says that Kumamon is kawaii, but I had never thought so. His disproportionally large white part of the eye compared to the black part always scared me....

However, a strange thing has happened. As I see it almost everyday since this statue is near my office, I have come think that he is kawaii.

People's perception of something may be proportionate to exposure to it.

数か月前から勤務先の近くのベンチに座っているくまモン。。。 黒目の割に白目が大きく、これまではカワイイというより気味悪かったのですが、あら不思議。何度も見る内に慣れていき、ついにはカワイイかも?と思うようになってしまいました。洗脳されてしまったのでしょうか。怖い(笑)。。。 くまモンファンの人、ごめんなさい🙇

Crepuscular Rays At Dawn and Sunset 薄明光線

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Crepuscular rays at sunset

I often look up to see the sky. One day before the sunset, I found these crepuscular rays, or angel's or Jacob's ladder or God rays.

I had never heard of the term "crepuscular rays" or even its literal Japanese translation of "薄明光線" until looking it up to write this post. Instead, I just said, "It's like Buddha halo shining." I don't believe in any religion, but these rays always make me feel that up there, there might be something greater than ourselves.

I took the photos below at dawn on different days.

Crepuscular at dawn
  
Crepuscular at dawn

最近朝早く起きるせいか、薄明光線をよく見かけます。1枚目は日の入り、2枚目、3枚目は日の出の時の写真です。「薄明光線」という言葉、このブログのために調べるまで知りませんでした。天使のはしご、天使の階段、ヤコブの階段、とも言われているようです。でも私にとっては「後光がさしている」という感じでしょうか。無宗教ですが見るといつも敬虔な気持ちになります。

Negative Capability - Essential Skill for Japanese Simultaneous Interpreting ウィスパリング通訳 トンネルを抜けると予期せぬ結論があった?

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think are essential skills and capabilities for simultaneous interpreting from Japanese to English? English speaking skills? Yes, of course, but there is another key capability. That is "negative capability." And this does not apply to other language interpreters. Before jumping into details, let's check out what "negative capability" means.

Kawaii Ultraman Monster "Kanegon" 祖師ヶ谷大蔵のカネゴン

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。


"Kanegon" statue

Do you know what this is? This is a statue of "Kanegon," a monster of "Ultra Q," i.e., the first series of Ultramen, Japanese fictional superheroes, aired since 1960s.

Kanegon used to be a boy named Kaneo Kaneda before being turned into a monster because of his money grubbing personality. Kanegon has a coin purse head and needs to eat notes and coins of 3,520 yen (about 30 dollars) every day and can tell their authenticity. "Kane" means money while "gon" is a Japanese honorific suffix, showing friendliness like "mon" of "Kumamon," a mascot character for promotion of the Kumamoto prefecture. 


My hubby & Kanegon

The statue is in Soshigaya Okura in Setagaya ward, Tokyo where Tsuburaya Productions producing this Ultramen series for such a long time is located. If you are interested in Japanese superheroes and their lovely antagonists, why don't you go there to see this silly but kawaii monster and Ultra superheroes!

祖師ヶ谷大蔵で出会いました。カネゴンです。リアルタイムで見たことはないのですが名前は有名ですよね。間抜けなイメージがありますがそうなのでしょうか。

Wikipediaで調べたら日に3,520円のお札と硬貨を食べなければならないとのこと。知らなかったです。でもそれも間抜けっぽくてかわいいです。祖師ヶ谷大蔵ってウルトラマン(円谷プロ)の街だったんですね。ほっこりした一日でした。

LEGO Made "Kawaii" Darth Vader レゴのダースベイダー!

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I met these 2-meter-high 2.5-heads-tall Darth Vader and R2-D2 on the first floor of the Shin Tokyo Building in Yurakucho, central Tokyo. Both are made of Legos and so cute, aren't they!!!

Lego-made Darth Vader

Lego made R2D2

The kawaii villain and tall droid are only a few minutes away from Tokyo International Forum where there are two Christmas trees made of mini Santa Claus rats, so why don't you come around the Yurakucho/Tokyo station to see these chubby dark hero, square droid and many many mini Santa Rats!

By the way, my husband had been often said to resemble C-3PO until he got pot belly... Can you imagine C-3PO with pot belly?

有楽町の新東京ビルの1階で会いました。レゴでできてます。R2-D2はいいのですが、ダースベイダーってこんなんでしたっけ(笑)?ちなみにうちの主人はよくC-3POに似てると言われてました、🐽腹になるまでは。。。。

東京国際フォーラムのクリスマスネズミツリーからもすぐ近く。是非、見てみてください!

Is Japan Heading Toward Authoritarian State? 日本人は権威がお好き

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I live in Japan, and people here doing things such as the following puzzle and scare me because they clearly show authoritarian personalities:

- Waving national flags with tears at the new emperor's accession event
- Using eerily polite words when speaking about the imperial family
- Supporting Prime Minister Abe despite a series of nepotism scandals
- Flocking around Prime Minister Abe to shake hands with him at a tax funded party
- Call themselves "pure" Japanese to differentiate them from Korean people

If you find my view to be a big leap in logic, then read the "elements of the authoritarian personality" on the Psychologist World website listed below.

- Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong
- Respect for submission to acknowledged authority
- Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking, or who are different
- A negative view of people in general - i.e. the belief that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity
- A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising power
- A belief in simple answers and polemics - i.e. The media controls us all or The source of all our problems is the loss of morals these days.
- Resistance to creative, dangerous ideas. A black and white worldview.
- A tendency to project one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group
- A preoccupation with violence and sex


The five behaviors I mentioned in the beginning show these elements, don't they? I analyzed these behaviors from the following three perspectives:

1. Blind respect for the imperial family

The Showa Emperor declared in 1946 that he was a human, but obviously this message didn't reach commoners. It's absurd that he had to make such declaration, but it's frightening that so many Japanese still treat the imperial family as gods or goddesses as shown in their excessive use of honorific prefixes and suffixes for the family. One such example is "o kotoba." "O" is a honorific prefix and "kotoba" means words, and this combination of "o" and "kotoba" is only used for speeches made by the imperial family.

Why? I would say a need for something to worship which fills a void in the heart. Using such excessively polite words makes them feel closer to that family, enabling them to forget the emptiness.

2. A false sense of superiority to Korean

Many Japanese still use the phrase "pure Japanese" to emphasize that they are a different race from Korean despite that DNA shows that Japanese have been mixed with Korean (National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo). The previous emperor also said in 2001 that the imperial family had its roots in Korea (Press Conference on the occasion of His Majesty's Birthday (2001)).

This false sense of superiority reminds me of Nippon Kaigi (Japan Conference), a Japanese ultra nationalist organization, which has double standards for the so-called "Korean comfort women" issue.

In 2012, this organization posted an opinion of a member (Mr. Kunitoshi Matsuki) denying the existence of Korean women forced by the imperial Japanese army to be sex slaves during the war ONLY IN JAPANESE. In 2019, however, the organization released a statement BOTH IN JAPANESE AND ENGLISH to distance itself from its other members expressing the same view in the documentary film "The Main Battleground of The Comfort Women." The group obviously doesn't want their discriminatory view to be heard by those outside their closed community.

Mr. Matsuki authored the book titled "Japan's Annexation of Korea saved Korea (kankoku heigo ga kankoku wo sukutta)." Prime Minister Abe is an adviser of Nippon Kaigi.

3. Prince charming syndrome

Shinzo Abe is now the longest-serving prime minister in Japan despite a series of nepotism scandals, e.g., the land sale scandal in 2017 and the tax-funded cherry blossom viewing event this year.

What puzzles me most is the so-called working poor, who haven't benefited at all from Abe's economic policies since 2012 and so should first say no to Abe, although complaining about the status quo on Twitter, still keep voting for his ruling party saying that they have no choices... They have had choices and it's them who have made choices themselves that have resulted in the current situation, like teenage girls dreaming of a prince charming to rescue them some day ...

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I think nothing of someone doing stupid things but am scared by someone doing something without thinking (e.g., worshiping emperors as others do so or believing in Japanese superiority to Korean) or someone giving up before trying. They all are irresponsible for society and themselves.

What turns society into an authoritarian or totalitarian state is not a single individual like Hitler or Stalin, but those who complain about the status quo but do nothing to change it. Their irresponsibility really scares me...

最近ニュースを見ていて、つくづく日本人って「権威主義的」だな、と怖くなりました。例えば、

- 即位の礼でたくさんの人が旗を振って、泣いている。
- 皇族に気持ち悪いほどの敬語(例:お言葉)を使う。
- こんなにスキャンダルが多いのに安倍政権が続いている。
- 桜の会で安倍首相に群がって握手を求めている。
- 「純粋な日本人」と言う人がたくさんいる。

Psychologist World というサイトでは「権威主義的な性格」として以下を挙げています。ほぼ全て該当しています。。。(注:訳はナルジマ)

- 善悪に関する従来の考えを盲信する。(Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong) 
- 従来の権威に服従することを尊ぶ。(Respect for submission to acknowledged authority) 
- 伝統的な考えに従わない人や自分とは違う人に敵意がある。(Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking, or who are different) 
- チャンスさえあれば人は嘘をつく、物を盗むといった風に、人を否定的に一般化する。(A negative view of people in general - i.e. the belief that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity) 
- 断固とした力を示すリーダーを欲する。(A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising power) 
- マスコミが我々をコントロールしている、全ての問題の根源は最近のモラル低下にある、といった簡単な答えや論争を信じる。(A belief in simple answers and polemics - i.e. The media controls us all or The source of all our problems is the loss of morals these days) 
- 創造的で危険な思想に抵抗感があり、白か黒かで判断する。(Resistance to creative, dangerous ideas. A black and white worldview) 
- 不全感、怒り、恐れを他集団に投影・転嫁する傾向がある。(A tendency to project one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group) 
- 暴力や性に没頭している。(A preoccupation with violence and sex) 

もうちょっと詳しく書いてみました。

1. 天皇バンザイ病

1946年、昭和天皇が人間宣言をしたことは歴史上の事実。そんなことをしなければならなかったこと自体どうかと思いますが、それより怖いのが、今でもかなりの人が天皇のことを神様か何かのように扱うこと。「お言葉」っておかしくないですか。怖いです。

なんでみんなあんなに皇族、天皇が好きなのか。狂信? 周囲がそうだから? それとも気味悪いほどの敬語を使えば自分も皇族の一員になった気がするという妄想的優越感からでしょうか?

2. 人種差別 韓国・朝鮮

日本人は中国人そして韓国・朝鮮人と混血してきたことがDNAで証明されてます(国立科学博物館)。また、前天皇も2001年に天皇家は朝鮮にルーツがあると言ってます(宮内庁ウェブサイト)。なのに「純粋な日本人」と言う人は一体何を訴えたいのでしょうか。

更に言うと、安倍首相が特別顧問を務める日本会議のメンバー(例:松木國俊氏)には慰安婦の存在を否定する人がいて日本語サイトには「『慰安婦強制連行』という根も葉もない非難」とあるのですが英訳はない。。。。 なのに「主戦場」が上映されるとなると、急に「(慰安婦存在)否定派とは関係ございません、個人の意見です云々」という英訳を併記する。。。 聞いてほしいことだけ英訳して、聞いてほしくないことは日本語だけでこそこそってどうなんでしょう。

3. 「安倍さんは白馬の王子様」症候群

安倍政権、歴代最長です。生活が苦しい人が「自民党以外」に投票すればすぐに変わると思うのですがそうはなってませんね。そして先日、驚くべきツイートを発見しました。生活が苦しいと言っている人たちが「他に選択肢がないから自民党に入れている」と。。。 口があんぐり。選択肢あるでしょ。どこからともなく突然現れてお姫様抱っこしてくれる王子様でも待っているのでしょうか。いやいや道理で、森加計から桜を見る会になっても何も変わらないわけです。

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私、馬鹿なことする人って全く気になりません(私自身がそうですし)。でも「他人に言われるがままに発言したり行動したりする」人は本当に怖いと思います。権威主義的な社会、全体主義的な社会って、ヒトラーやスターリンのような個人が作るものではない。不平不満は言うけど選挙には行かない、行っても「選択肢がない」といって現状を追認する人たちが作ってるんだと思います。選択肢は自分たちで作り、育てていくものだと思ってます。

最近怖いんで書いてしまいました。

I'm Rat. What's Yours? 私はネズミ。あなたは?

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think the two are talking about?

- I’m rat. What’s yours?
- Mine is ox.

They are talking about their Japanese zodiac signs, called "eto (干支)," and age. This type of conversation, "I’m XXX. What’s yours?," is very common among the Japanese elderly as they often use their zodiac signs to say their age instead of directly saying it. Japanese zodiac signs consist of the following 12 animals, forming a 12-year cycle:

2020  rat
2021  ox
2022  tiger
2023  rabbit
2024  dragon
2025  snake
2026  horse
2027  sheep
2028  monkey
2029  rooster
2030  dog
2031  boar

So, what do you think this is?

Christmas Ratree at Tokyo International Forum

The tree in the above picture is a Christmas tree made of Santa Rats, that is, stuffed animals of the zodiac sign for the following year 2020.

Mini Santa Rats

Every December, two Christmas trees decorated with stuffed animals of the following year's zodiac sign appear at the Tokyo International Forum. As Year 2020 is the rat year, the trees this year are made of mini Santa Rats, representing fertility and prosperity of descendants. If you want to know more details about Japanese zodiac signs, click here

Tokyo International Forum is directly connected with JR Yurakucho Station and JR Tokyo Station through the underground path.

東京国際フォーラムのクリスマスツリーです。毎年、翌年の干支の動物ツリーを飾ってますのでご存知の方も多いかと思います。来年はネズミ年なので今年のツリーはネズミサンタさんで一杯です。

これまでクリスマスなんて何とも思ってなかったのですが、なぜかクリスマスケーキを無性に食べたいな。。。と感じる今日のこの頃です。(花より団子です。。。🙇)

How About A Walk in Tokyo with River View? 夜散歩で屋形船とクレーン

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I often enjoy a one-hour walk after having soba noodle dinner (not only soba, but also tempura and sake) at my favorite, but not fancy Japanese restaurant in the central Tokyo. On my way home from the restaurant, I have to go across three bridges, which are all over the Sumida River, and that day, the contrast between the darkness and the light was so beautiful, so I took several pictures. The boat in the photo below is yakatabune, a traditional Japanese boat, going down the river.

From Tsukuda Ohashi bridge
Traditional boat going down Sumida River

Clouds Taking A Walk 雲とお散歩

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。



Walking is good. It works for me. So, I left the office a bit early to walk home.

I was tired and lost confidence that day. I'd had a one-on-one meeting with a native English speaker in a higher position and at the meeting I was treated badly. Usually I handle situations nicely or don’t care, but the American guy was pretty aggressive. I tried to persuade him to accept something which I was correct, but he wouldn't listen...

Having people of diverse cultures usually make meetings more productive and effective as the attendees discuss things in a more straight forward manner. I prefer such an open atmosphere to a typical meeting of Japanese people of a "lecture type" where staff can't say a thing without approval from their superiors.

At the meeting, however, I felt like a second citizen, discriminated for not being an native English speaker. I like learning English, so usually enjoy speaking with English speakers, but his way of treating me as a second citizen hurt and angered me. What made matters worse is that I can't talk about this with anyone. I teach English. Who would want to learn from a teacher hurt when indicated that she doesn't speak English as fluently as native speakers do...?

So, I decided to walk, resulting in encountering these clouds which were also taking a walk. Just being together with them cheered me up, filling me with a sense of warmth and calmness...

落ち込むことがありました。1対1のミーティングがあって相手の方が自分より職位が上の米国人。理不尽なことを言われたのですが、うまく言い返せませんでした。嫌だったのは、英語ネイティブでないことを非難されている、もっと言うと二流市民として扱われている気がしたことです。実力不足と言われればそれまでですが。。。 まだ立ち直っていません。。。

というわけでその日少し早めに会社を出て歩いていて見つけたのが、写真の「お散歩雲」です。会社で打たれて、雲で癒されて、また頑張る。。。 最近の私です!

In Solitude Before Dawn 夜明け前 一人

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I sometimes get up early like at four a.m. I try to sleep again, but often in vain. I took these photos on one such day.

One hour before dawn

Thirty minutes before dawn

The time of dawn that day was at around six a.m. The sky and clouds, and their colors filled me with a sense of solitude.


Dawn

One hour after dawn

Japanese has no word meaning solitude, so uses "孤独 (kodoku)," the same term for loneliness to mean "solitude." Language shapes how we think, so if you are by yourself in Japan, people would find it to be sad and lonely. What I appreciate most about learning English is that that makes me aware of things that exist but are not verbalized in Japanese, expanding my channels to communicate with the world.

Looking at myself deep down alone in solitude, I ask myself what I am to rediscover myself with a little excitement....

朝4時ごろ目が覚めて、もう一度寝ようと思ったけどダメだった。。。 そんな日に撮った写真です。朝焼けを見ていると痛烈に「一人」を感じますが「寂しい」わけではなく、「一人、空と直接つながっている」ように感じます。

大人になってから、英語に「lonely」の他に「solitude」という概念があるのを知りました。日本語では「ひとりぼっち」とか「独居」とか訳されているようですが、どちらかというと「本来の自分に戻るための静謐な時間」というのが私にはぴったりきます。日本にない概念を日本語にするのは難しいですね。。。 Anthony Storr の「Solitude: a Return to the Self」という本。好きで時々読み返しています。

Proposal for Japan's "Work Style Reform" 働き方改革への提言

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

December 23 will no longer be a national holiday from 2019 in Japan because the date is no longer the emperor's birthday. Upon Naruhito's enthronement, the emperor's birthday is February 23.

So, here is my proposal to promote Japan's so-called "work style reform"; Why don't we make the birthdays of all the emperors (as well as empresses) so far national holidays?😜

Jinglish - Rugby vs. Baseball 和製英語の観点からのラグビーと野球の比較考察

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The 2019 Rugby World Cup is over. What surprised me most was that in rugby so many English terms are used as they are in the form of katakana with heavy Japanese accents, such as "nokku on (ノックオン)" for "knock on" and "mo-l (モール)" for "maul." They have no translated Japanese words.

Celadon in 16 Forms いろんな青磁

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I always wondered why there are so many celadon colors, so looked it up. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "Celadon is greenish ceramic glaze that is used on stoneware. Celadon is used both for the glaze itself and for the article so glazed. It is particularly valued in China, Korea, Thailand, and Japan."

I still didn't understand why the green or blue* colors of celadon porcelain vary between articles. So, I went to the Asian Gallery (Toyokan) of Tokyo National Museum to compare celadon ware there. (I say "blue" because in Japanese, celadon glaze is "青磁," meaning "blue porcelain.")

1. Large vase with carved peony design,  China, 14th century

Sky and Clouds Reduce Loneliness 空と雲は孤独を減らす

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The beginning of autumn always makes me feel lonely. And that makes me always look up to see the blue, azure or pitch dark sky and white clouds drifting in it, to look for my friends up above there, i.e., the sky and clouds.

St. Luke International Hospital, Tokyo 聖路加病院

Japanese "Serendipity" - A Pony From A Gourd? セレンディピティは「瓢箪から駒」?

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is an example of serendipity or "a pony coming from a gourd (瓢箪から駒; Hyotan kara koma)," a Japanese saying!

------------------------------
Last Saturday I went to a hospital early morning for a regular health check up. As the hospital is a university hospital, it’s always crowded and so the test usually takes about two hours, one and half of which are waiting time. That day, I put my laptop into a backpack, planning to write blog posts at a coffee shop after the check up. The test finished at around 10:30 a.m. and it was at about 11:00 a.m. I arrived at my favorite coffee shop, finding that the wifi service there was unavailable, which meant I couldn't write there.

Having got up early, taken blood and other tests, and carried my laptop around in the rain only to find the destination useless, exhausted me. I even went to another coffee shop, asking if I could use their wifi service for free, but just found again that they only give free wifi service to a specified carrier's users. I trudged home and took a nap.

It was 3 p.m. I was woken up by my husband and asked where we would have dinner. Fully recharged, I was starving and wanted to eat something good, like tapas-style small dishes with wine! So we went to Kirin City at the Tokyo Station.

Kirin City is a Japanese restaurant chain of the Kirin Brewery group. So, it's natural for them to serve a variety of tasty beer, but they have nice wine, too. As a non-beer drinker because it's bitter, at the restaurant, I always enjoy wine and their monthly changing dishes ranging from pickles, nuts and salad to sausages, grilled beef, ajillo, pasta and pizza!

At around 6 p.m., we finished a bottle of red wine, making me feel so good and happy, but at the same time feel something was missing, something that fills not my stomach, but my heart... Yes, art! And luckily, Tokyo National Museum, usually closed at 5 p.m., was still open until 9 p.m. that day!!! (For how much I enjoyed the night museum, read this!)

---------------------------------
This means:
(1) If I hadn't bring my laptop to the hospital, I would've written and had dinner at home. I wouldn't have gone to the museum;
(2) If wifi at the coffee shop had been available, I would've been there for at least three hours, had dinner at a nearby restaurant, and walked back home; or
(3) If the museum had been closed, needless to say we would have gone straight back home.

Because I'd carried my laptop around with me, taken a health check up and been exhausted, and wifi connection had been unavailable, I ended up taking rest at home, fully recharged, eating dinner near the Tokyo Station, visiting a nearby museum, and ultimately encountering beautiful Chinese lute and mirror and other treasures. (Click here for the lute and here for the mirror!)

It's like "a pony coming from a gourd (瓢箪から駒; Hyotan kara koma)" or the occurrence of an unplanned fortunate discovery or SERENDIPITY!!

東京駅八重地下で夕飯食べて上野公園と東京国立博物館を楽しんだことは先日書いた通りですが、実はその日は大変でした。。。

朝から病院で検査検査。しかもカフェでブログ書こうと思って雨の中PC持って出たのに、肝心のカフェがWifiトラブルで結局帰宅するはめに。。。 もうへとへとでいつの間にかお昼寝してました。でもそのおかげで回復し、東京駅八重地下キリンシティで飲んで食べて、急に「芸術の秋」に目覚め、東京国立博物館の正倉院展を楽しもうってことに!

瓢箪から駒? Serendipity? うん、そういうことにしとこ~(笑)。単語しっかり覚えました。

Netsuke - Japanese Lovelorn Ghost Puts a Curse Saying "Urameshiya.." うらめしや~

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think it is? It's not a field horsetail. It's a Japanese female GHOST.


Shosoin Exhibition at Night Museum 夜の正倉院展

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Japanese say that autumn is the best season for art. That may be true because I felt an urge to see something beautiful when finishing dinner near the Tokyo Station last Saturday. I checked the website of Tokyo National Museum and found the facility in Ueno, which is usually open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., was open through 9 p.m. on the day. So, I said to my husband, "Let's go to Tokyo National Museum!"

Entrance of Tokyo National Museum (正門入口)

Symbol of Peace? - Netsuke & Halloween 平和の象徴?「根付とハロウィン」

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Netsuke titled “Halloween,” carved from macadamia nut and amber
「ハロウィン」宍戸濤雲作

Japanese Women's Minds, and Sheep, Sardine, Mackerel, and Fish Scales 女心と秋の空

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

If you want to be popular with Japanese women, you need to understand autumn clouds. Japan has a saying that "Women's minds and autumn clouds (女心と秋の空 [onna gokoro to aki no sora])," meaning women's minds are fickle like clouds in autumn.

Sheep clouds  or altocumulus clouds 羊雲

Metabolic Syndrome Diet メタボに捧げるご飯

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Japanese dinner for "Metabo (big people)"

This is a meal I made a week ago for my husband when he was diagnosed with "Metabo," i.e., obesity. Clockwise from the top left;
- steamed pumpkin;
- sesame sauce salad of spider mustard, wakame seaweed and aburaage (deep-fried tofu);
- niboshi (dried small sardine used for making miso soup);
- grilled saury;
- miso soup with tofu and mushroom;
- stewed chicken with potato, egg and burdock roots; and
- brown rice in the center.

"Metabo" means in Japan people who have metabolic syndrome. Medically speaking, those meeting the following both criteria have metabolic syndrome in Japan:

1. Waist ≥ 85cm for men, ≥ 90cm for women, and;
2. More than one of the following applies:
(1) Elevated Triglycerides ≧ 150mg/dL and/or HDL cholesterol < 40mg/dL;
(2) Systolic blood pressure ≧130mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≧ 85mmHg; or
(3) Fasting hyperglycemia ≧110mg/dL

This is his fault. He's been eating potato chips, chocolates, ice cream and other greasy snacks every day A LOT after dinner in more than ten years!!

I used to warn him, but some time ago gave up because he wouldn't listen. What made things worse is that as he's so-called "half," i.e., his father is American while his mother Japanese, some Japanese doctors avoid making diagnoses saying that the Japanese criteria may not apply to him....

But he's BIG except for the face, which is another reason for nobody to notice how he’s fat. His belly looks like three, NO, six month pregnant as a result of having eating not only too much, but also too much trans fat and not exercising at all....

By the way, the below are six types of ingredients I always try to eat in each meal to stay healthy. My mom often said this when I was a child.

1. Deep colored vegetables - vitamin A (pumpkin)
2. Light colored vegetables- vitamin C (spider mustard, potato, burdock root)
3. Meat, fish, egg, tofu, fermented soybeans - animal or plant protein (chicken, fish, egg, tofu)
4. Rice, bread, pasta - carbohydrates (rice, pumpkin)
5. Milk, small fish, seaweed - calcium (dried sardine, seaweed)
6. Oil, butter, margarine - fat (sesame)

Can you see the meal in the photo contains all these types of nutrition?

He’a stopped eating junk food once for all. (Instead, I steamed pumpkin, a zero-fat dessert!) The next medical check up will be in one year. We will work together to reduce his waist and cholesterol. Wish us luck!!

到頭、夫がメタボ認定されました。メタボの定義を調べてみました。

(内臓脂肪蓄積)ウエスト周囲径が、男性 ≥ 85cm、女性 ≥ 90cmを超え、以下の項目の内、二つに当てはまるとメタボだとのこと。

- 高トリグリセリド血症≥ 150mg/dL かつ/または 低HDLコレステロール血症< 40mg/dL
- 収縮期(最大)血圧≥ 130mmHg かつ/または 拡張期(最小)血圧≥ 85mmHg
- 空腹時高血糖≥ 110mg/dL 

でも自業自得です。もう何年も食後、ポテトチップ、チョコ、かりんとうなどなどのジャンク菓子をお皿一杯食べてました。何度も注意したのですがやめないんです。ですから言うのやめました。。。 そしたらこの状態に。。。

でも今回はさすがに本人も考えたようです。食後のお菓子一切やめました。蒸しカボチャはその代わりです。

ちなみに私の献立は全て母からの教え「6群の食材を全て食べる」という教えに基づいています。これだけは母に感謝してます。

第1群 緑黄色野菜
第2群 淡黄色野菜
第3群 タンパク質
第4群 炭水化物
第5群 カルシウム
第6群 脂質

今の栄養学的にどうなのかは分かりませんが、私はこれでずっと育ってきました(苦笑)。というわけで、とりあえずこれで一年頑張って、来年また検査受けます。頑張ります!乞うご期待!🐖

Hideki Tojo's Untranslatable Statements in Tokyo Military Tribunal 東京裁判での禅問答

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
 
"Interpretation is difficult." I have often written about it, but felt so again when watching "International Military Tribunal for the Far East." It's a 1983 Japanese documentary film on that trial, directed by Masaki Kobayashi.

The trial's legality and fairness has been controversial. However, in this, post, I want to take on something else, which interested me as a translator; discommunicaction in the cross examination of then Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo by Chief Prosecutor Joseph Keenan.

Interpreters were in the court to translate the proceedings. However, although we can hear Keenan's questions in English with Japanese subtitles, Tojo's answers only in Japanese with no English subtitles. In order to convey the hopelessness of the discommunication, I translated Tojo's several statements into English. The bold and underlined texts are my translations of Tojo's statements. Note that A is word-for-word translation while B is slightly modified in red based on my interpretation of his answers.

Beyond AI Translation - Organize Thoughts First! 機械翻訳を超えよう!

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Japanese love organizing. The KonMari method, i.e., a system created by a Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo of organizing your home by getting rid of physical items, is one such example. Japanese organize many other things, too, e.g., shoes, closet, refrigerators, but not WRITING.

Japanese Temples, Sontaku and Venison Sukiyaki 忖度に関する考察 No.3 興福寺と鹿のすき焼き

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Five-storied pagoda of Kofukuji temple

Auctioned in the 19th century

This is part 3 of a series of posts about "sontaku," a unique habit of Japanese, i.e., preemptive acts to ingratiate themselves to their superiors, to explore it from a religious perspective.

The above photos are of the five-storied pagoda of Kofukuji temple in Nara prefecture. I definitely recommend visiting it if you come to Japan. I love this old temple, but one fact.... It once auctioned this pagoda for 25 yen then or 100,000 yen (930 US dollars) currently.

There was a reason, of course. The temple wanted to survive "haibutsu kishaku" or abolition or destruction of Buddhism, triggered by the government's order issued at the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912).

Encounter of Hindu Ganesh & Buddhism Mask in Japan ガネーシャと酔胡従の出会い

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Who do you think it would be, Ganesh in the first photo plus the head in the second picture? That's my husband! His belly looks like six month pregnant. And he always makes a face like the mask when trying to be funny.

Seated Ganesh ガネーシャ座像

Japanese Phrases You Should Remember 記憶にございません。

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

As a professional translator, I keep it in mind to understand what a speaker/writer really means before translating because literal translation doesn't necessarily convey their real intent. I wrote about this in the post, "Simultaneous Interpreting, Skiing and Yakuza," using an example of "killing by praising," a technique once used by yakuza against a politician.

Jinglish: Japanese Women "Mounting" マウンティングする大和撫子達

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Have you ever heard of the Japanese term "マウンティング (mounting)"? Male monkeys are known to "mount" each other to assert their authority over the other male monkeys, but Japanese women also do the "mounting" in a more subtle and elegant way.

Chinese Sculpture - Agate Pomegranate 瑪瑙石榴

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It seems so fresh and so real, doesn't it? I've eaten pomegranates only a few times and don't remember how they tasted like, but when I set my eyes on this red stone craft, I wanted to take a bite of it!

Pomegranate made of agate and ruby

Cambodian Statue With Thumb Up イエーイ!な仏像

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"I have a lot of money. Money follows me like chicks do! I'm cool and have everything! YAY!!," said this 10cm tall statue.... Or was it my hallucination...?

Standing Uma

Japanese Saying: Iron Fist In Velvet Globe or Velvet Fist in Iron Globe? 外柔内剛?内柔外剛?

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"An iron fist in a velvet glove." A CEO often told me before important meetings. He was from Europe. I remember this because it well described himself. He appeared gentle, but was sometimes very ruthless.

Japan has a similar (not the same) saying "外柔内剛," meaning "soft on the outside, but hard on the inside." My father always wanted to have "an iron fist in a velvet globe," but couldn't. He was hard on the outside, but soft on the inside.

Chinese Antiques Give Us Power 中国美術にパワーもらいました!

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I was so exhausted mentally that I needed something to recharge me so went to the Toyo Kan (Asian Gallery) of the Tokyo National Museum and found this! 

What's this?

Is This Condo Leaning? どうなってるの?

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。


The sky is so blue! But it's not what I want to talk about today. Do you see something wrong in this picture? If not, take a look at the photo below.


Do you see now what I mean? It's still under construction so definitely not tilting or leaning. It should be so designed. But if so for whatever the reason is, isn't it so confusing to build such a condo in the country where the 2011 earthquake disaster made many condos look like this in reality? Or does Japan have such a sense of sarcasm or a dark sense of humor?

I've been wanting to ask someone about it, but still haven't been able to find the right person....

建設中のマンションです。どうしてこうなってるんでしょう?こういうデザイン?地震大国の日本で?このセンス嫌いじゃないけど。。。

前を通るとムクムクと疑問が。。。でもまだ誰にも確認できていません。

Japanese Saying: "My Butt is Ticklish!" 今日の英単語: Utility Player

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Am I a utility player? My mentor, who is American, said I am. I didn't know what it meant so googled it, finding that "a utility player is one who can play several positions competently." Can I? As a modest Japanese person, no.... My butt got ticklish... Of course, it wasn't ticklish literally, but figuratively it was. His praise made me feel at unease...

"(Someone's) butt is ticklish (shiri ga kosobayui [尻がこそばゆい])" means that "(they) feel at unease because they feel overpraised." This is how a Japanese mindset usually works as they don't want to stick out by being praised. "Harmony" is still one of the values that drive their behaviors. But as an individual working closely with English native speakers, I should be able to confidently say, "Yes, I'm a utility player. I can do anything!," shouldn't I?

The thing is that Japan has no such concept. Japanese see someone who can play several positions competently as a "nandemo ya," i.e., someone who can play several positions competently, but not completely..." From the Japanese perspective, I'm not a translator, interpreter, English teacher or anything. Does this sound like the well-known half empty or half full glass saying, doesn't it?

Either way, I've "decided" to go for a utility player when being with English speakers. I like this new definition of me. Of course, with Japanese people, I need to wear a cat (another Japanese saying), i.e., modestly acting a competent, but incomplete player.

What I like most about being a utility player is that it stretches myself beyond my limits, i.e., not only translating or interpreting, but also helping and even leading others through checking their writings, teaching English, coordinating Japanese and non-Japanese speakers. It's fun to feel I can change not only myself but also others!

先日、米国人の同僚と話していたら「You are a utility player.」と言われました。意味が分からないのでググってみたら「何でもできる人」とありました。「尻がこそばゆく」なりました。米国人らしい発想ですね。コップの水が半分「しか」ないのか、半分「も」入ってるのか、という話に似ています。

日本だと、全部中途半端な「何でも屋」とみられます。。。でもいいんです、「utility player」で行こうと決めました♪ 最近、翻訳、通訳、英文ライティング・チェック、日本人と外国人の仲介、英語の先生等と「何でも」やってます。楽しいです! 成長してる気が(?)します。

It's Ring Finger's Fault 薬指が悪いんです。。。

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Anyone must've made at least one (or more than hundreds!) spelling errors in life. I'm not an exception. I misspelled "mouth" as "month" in the post about netsuke sculpture and was unaware of it until it was pointed out by a kind reader. I always perform a spell check before publishing posts or submitting documents to clients at work, but as writing "month" instead of "mouth" isn't a misspelling, but the misuse of words, it went through a spell check without being detected....

One day about ten years ago, I was translating several provisions of Japanese tax law about donations. Japan, as other countries, exempts certain donations to non-profit organizations serving the public interest from tax. Since the translated document was for a big client, meaning it was urgent, as soon as finishing translation, I emailed the document to a British proofreader and went to the ladies' room.

Coming back, I saw him smirking, pointing to the screen of his computer to indicate a misspelling of "public" as "pubic."(OMG!) Since then, my right ring finger has always twitched when I intend to type "public."...

先日、根付について書いたところ、読者の方からスペルミスをご指摘いただきました。(「mouth」が「month」になっておりました。ご指摘、ありがとうございました!)。ブログでも仕事でも、スペルチェックはいつもかけているのですが、こういうのはすり抜けてしまいます。そこで似た事例をもう一つ。

以前、日本の公益法人の寄附金税制について訳していた時のことです。日本に限らず、公益法人は寄附金について税制優遇を受けられる場合があります。急ぎの仕事だったのでガーっと訳し、ネイティブチェッカーにチェックをお願いし、トイレに行って戻ってきたら、そのチェッカー氏、ニヤニヤと画面を指差しているではありませんか。見ると何と「public interest(公益)」が「pubic interest (言えません。。。)」に(恥)。。。

以来、「public」と書くときは薬指がピクピクするようになりました。

Beef Jerky at Midnight 真夜中のビーフジャーキー

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
 

On a weekday afternoon, I was in the office, talking with a colleague of mine. He loves steak, in particular, grilled beef steak.

As always, he was passionately telling me about his favorite steak restaurants. It was nearly 1 p.m. I had many things to do in the afternoon, but he kept talking. I glanced at my phone pretending to check the time and, when looking up, found surprisingly a slice of raw beef on his right palm. He said with a broad grin, "This is the best beef I've ever had. You should try this!!"

The meat just appeared literally out of nowhere. Where was he holding it? Then, he disappeared. After that, I only recall him coming back shortly, holding something in his right hand, and saying with a grin again, "Eat this."

It was grilled medium-rare, which made me wonder again how he could cook it in such a short time and where?? But I wasn't given time to think because he told me again to eat it. He was persistent. I couldn't say anything, just grabbing and put it into my mouth.

What am I chewing? It's like tasteless beef jerky! I felt his eagerness to hear something good about "what he was calling the best steak," but couldn't speak because no matter how many times I chewed it, it didn't get soft. I couldn't swallow it. It was still in my mouth with no taste... I had to keep chewing it over and over again........ until I woke up, realizing that I'd been dreaming and chewing my silicone mouth guard for anti teeth grinding.....


ある日の午後、ステーキ好きな同僚のK氏が職場で肉を差し出してきました。そして「絶対に食べるべきだ」と言って聞かない。。。断ることもできず一切れ口にしたまではいいのですが噛めない! というか、ビーフジャーキーを固くしたみたいで噛み切れない、飲み込めない、しかも味がない。。。仕方なくずっとくちゃくちゃしながら「これ何? ステーキじゃないじゃん、味のないジャーキーじゃん!!」と叫んたところで目が覚めました。歯ぎしり用のマウスピースを噛んでいました。ウソのような本当の話です。

Japanese Saying: "Wear a Cat" in Aye-Aye and British Guy Examples 「猫を被る」アイアイ

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Aye-aye "wearing a cat"

Today, I would like to explain the meaning of "猫を被る ("neko wo kaburu") using examples of an aye-aye and a British guy. For those who've never heard of this Japanese saying, it means literally "wear a cat," but figuratively "feign innocence."

So first, look at the above picture showing a typical aye-aye in Japan. According to Wikipedia, the aye-aye is "a long-fingered lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger ....... and considered evil." But here in Japan, aye-ayes are known as cute animals because of a cheerful song for kids composed by someone who'd never seen aye-ayes. (How could this happen?) The lyrics says, "Aye-aye♪ aye-aye♪ They are monkeys♪ Aye-aye, aye-aye♪ They are monkeys in a southern island Aye-aye♪ aye-aye♪ They are monkeys with long tails♪"

Then, take a look at the picture below of an aye-aye after "taking off the cat."

Aye-aye not "wearing a cat"

Aye-ayes eat fruits, but they also eat insects using their long middle fingers. Their munching insects with eyes glaring in the dark is so gross and horrifying!! Of course this is a real aye-aye...

Here is another sad example... A former friend of mine was so quiet and gentle. He is British, teaching English and translating for a big Japanese firm for over ten years. But one day I saw him shouting, "I hate Japanese! They don't learn!!!" Sometime later, he was found to have cheated on his wife and divorced. He must have been sick of "wearing a cat" at home and work for such a long time.....

以前から不思議でしょうがないのがアイアイの歌。アイアイを見たことがない人が作ったらしいのですが、そんなことってあるのでしょうか。。。怖い、気持ち悪い。。。それであの歌。。。

「猫を被る」は、猫は「うわべは優しいけど本当は獰猛」だかららしいのですが、アイアイの方がよっぽど猫を被っている(ご本人にそのつもりはないでしょうが)と思います。口で虫を引きちぎっている映像を見て以来、アイアイ♪を歌う気にはどうしてもなれません。。。

ちなみに昔お友達だった英国人男性。英語の先生と翻訳をしておられ、紳士だとばかり思っていたのですが、ある日「日本人なんてでえ嫌いだ。学習しねえ!」と叫んでおられました。その後浮気が発覚し、離婚されました。家と職場の両方で「猫を被る」のに疲れてしまったんでしょうね。。。

Exquisite Chinese Ornaments of Three Kingdoms 中国美術の繊細さ

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Crown decorated with cicada design

I want to show you two items currently on view in the Three Kingdoms exhibition held in the Tokyo National Museum.

One is a 5cm wide 5cm tall, gold and bronze made crown in the above photo. The color is so beautiful and its cicada design, usual for Chinese bronzeware, is so exquisite.

Money tree

The other is "Money tree," a two meter high bronze made tree, decorated with more than 400 bronze coins. Despite the name, the tree has some kind of religious (not financial) significance.

Both embody delicate and exquisite beauty with many similarities to ancient Japanese ornaments.

東京国立博物館三国志展に行ってきました。展示物が多かったので、自分の好みで二つ紹介します。

上の写真は「蟬文冠飾」という天子や重臣の装飾具。下は「揺銭樹」で英語では「Money tree」と言いますが、宗教的な意味合いを持つ装飾具だそうです。

両方とも、とっても繊細でした。。。

What's Your Name, Kung Fu Buddha? 仏様、お名前は?

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。 


What do you think it is? I found this 15cm to 20cm tall Buddha in the Tokyo National Museum. It was between an old plaque and an old mirror which were made from the 10th to 12th century and found in Tenkawa village, Nara prefecture, but there was no description of this kung-fu kicking Buddha.

So, hey Buddha, I'm gonna name you "Kung Fu Buddha"!

A curator said that a description of the Buddha is missing and that they're waiting for re-issuance. If you are in Tokyo or considering coming to Japan, don't miss the chance to meet him!!

東京国立博物館に行ってきました。そこの本館で見つけました。ムムム!奈良県天川村で発見された銅板と鏡の間にあったのですが、このちっちゃい(15cm~20cmぐらい)仏さまに関しては何の説明もなし。確認したところ、おそらく漏れてしまい(なくしてしまい)、再発行を依頼しているとのこと。

でもこのとぼけた顔可愛いでしょ。一見の価値ありです!

Reason for Writing No.2 - An Elephant Never Forgets! 英語の諺「象は忘れない」

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。


An elephant never forgets. Neither do I...

Mr. Yamanishi, my third grade homeroom teacher, treated his favorite students differently. He quietly snapped at me when I pointed out to his mistakes. (I'd never do that today...)

Mr. Kumagai, my eighth grade English teacher, went back to the teachers' lounge without answering my question about the subjunctive mood. He spoke English with strong Japanese and regional accents.

Then, Mr. Onishi, my ninth grade homeroom teacher, said that I'd lost my "innocence." I was transferred from one school to another seven times from the first grade through the ninth. How could I have survived bullies and loneliness, had I been an "innocent" girl? 

Last, but not least. My high school homeroom teacher said, "Women can wait, but men can't." I don't exactly recall what he meant by this. We were talking about me being bullied. He suggested me to be a good girl and less assertive like a friend of mine...

Elephants do forget actually. (And me too, off course!) Being inspired by this saying, Agatha Christie wrote the book entitled, "Elephants Can Remember," but she forgot things, too. A study shows that Christie became forgetful when she got older maybe because of dementia, which is now known as Alzheimer's disease.

In conclusion, I have to write as many blog posts as possible before I forget...!

ブログを書く理由が最近少々変わってきました。というわけで今日はそれを英語の諺になぞらえてみました。

小学3年の時の担任はえこひいきがひどく、間違いを指摘したら静かに切れられました。(今考えるとそんなことする私が馬鹿です。。。)

中2の時の英語の先生は、仮定法について質問したら無言で職員室に帰ってしまわれました。地元訛りの強い英語を話すことで知られた先生でした。

中3の担任には「転校ずれ」してると何度も言われました。(小中学校で合計7校行ったので当然です。)修学旅行で夜おしゃべりしてたら私だけビンタされて他の生徒への見せしめにされました。私にもっと素直になってほしかったそうです(??)。

最悪なのは高校の担任です。いじめについて相談したら「女は待てるが男は待てない」と言われました。「黙って男についていけ」みたいなことかしら?「あまり自己主張するもんじゃない」というようなことを言われました。

ここで諺。An elephant never forgets.(象は忘れない。)

象は記憶力がよく、昔の恨みを忘れないとされており、この言葉は記憶力がよいことを賞賛する分脈で使われることもあるが、自分に不親切であった人に対する恨みをいつまでも忘れないという意味でも使われる」とのこと。大人、特に先生は気を付けましょう。象だけではなく、子供も覚えてますよ!そして今、私がブログを書くのは「忘れちゃう前に全部書いておきたいから」です。

ちなみにアガサ・クリスティー作品に「象は忘れない(Elephants Can Remember)」というのがありまして、この諺を下敷きにしています。象の記憶力はいいそうですが、勿論忘れることはあります(証明済みです)。クリスティーは晩年、アルツハイマー認知症で忘れっぽかったのではないかと言われています。

Wintersweet (Chimonanthus Praecox) ソシンロウバイ(蘇秦蝋梅)

英語の後に日本語が続きます。 It was a surprise to me to see wintersweet starting to bloom but it was because I didn't know it flowers from November to...