Crepuscular Rays At Dawn and Sunset 薄明光線

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I often look up at the sky. One day just before sunset, I noticed these crepuscular rays—also known as Jacob's Ladder or God rays. I had never heard of the term crepuscular rays, or even its literal Japanese translation, hakumei kousen, until I looked it up to write this post. Instead, I used to just say, 'It looks like a Buddha's halo is shining.' I am not religious, but these rays always make me feel like there might be something greater than ourselves up there. I took the photos below at sunset on different days.

Crepuscular rays at sunset

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？

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What do you think are the essential skills and capabilities for simultaneous interpreting from Japanese to English? English-speaking skills? Yes, of course, but there is another key capability: "negative capability." And this doesn't apply to just any language pair. Before jumping into the details, let's look at what "negative capability" means.

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The beginning of autumn always makes me look up at the azure sky and the drifting white clouds, searching for my friends up there.

In a previous post, 'Japanese Women's Minds, and Sheep, Sardine, Mackerel, and Fish Scales,' I mentioned that only the Japanese language had nicknames for clouds. However, I was mistaken; English and many other languages have their own nicknames for clouds. Below is a list of nicknames for cirrocumulus and altocumulus clouds in several different languages

 

	Cirrocumulus	Altocumulus	Cumulus
Japanese	Sardine / mackerel / fish scale	Sheep	Cotton
English	Mackerel / buttermilk
French	－		Fleecy
Spanish	Cobble
German	Sheep
Italian	Little sheep

St. Luke International Hospital, Tokyo 聖路加病院

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

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!

Unable to enter heaven or hell, she returns to this world to take revenge on the guy who played with her heart and broke it, crying 'Urameshiya!' to curse him to hell.

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

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 the autumn sky. Japan has a saying, 'Women's hearts and the autumn sky (onna gokoro to aki no sora),' which means a woman's mind changes as quickly as autumn weather.

So let's study two types of autumn clouds. Altocumulus clouds in the first picture are called 'sheep clouds,' while cirrocumulus clouds in the second photo are 'sardine clouds'—which are also called mackerel or fish scale clouds. Interestingly, fish swim higher than sheep even in the sky!

These clouds are all said to be signs of rain in a few days. But even though they bring bad weather, sheep, sardine, mackerel, and fish scale clouds are so beautiful. They always make me keenly aware of the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.

Sheep clouds  or altocumulus clouds 羊雲

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

'An iron fist in a velvet glove.' A CEO from Europe often told me this before important meetings. I remember this because it perfectly described him. He appeared gentle, but could be very ruthless.

The Ring Finger's Fault 薬指が悪いんです｡｡｡

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Everyone has made at least one (or maybe even hundreds of!) spelling errors in their life. I'm no exception. I misspelled "mouth" as "month" in a 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. However, because writing "month" instead of "mouth" isn't a misspelling but a misuse of words, it went through the spell check without being detected.

Work Like Hell or Possum? 蛭子さんの助言「死んだふりして働きなさい」

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"Work like a possum...."

Simultaneous Interpreting, Skiing and Yakuza 同時通訳とスキーと褒め殺し

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A couple of weeks ago, I interpreted for the first time in a while. I used to do that every day, but not anymore. One of the directors, who's joined the company just recently, doesn't speak Japanese at all and needed someone translating through a two-hour internal meeting simultaneously, so I interpreted for him using a technique called "whispering," a form of simultaneous interpreting.

Democratic Spanking

I’m always looking for hilarious stories for my blog. One day, I remembered what happened to my brother when he was in the third grade.

Nara - Byakugouji Temple 白毫寺

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Byakugoji Temple sits on a hillside, so you have to walk a bit to reach the entrance and then climb a long stone staircase to enjoy a panoramic view of Nara City, but it is well worth it. 

The temple is famous for its five-color Japanese camellias (goshiki tsubaki) in the spring and you can also enjoy blooming bush clover (hagi) later in the year.

5/3/2019

Kyoto Botanical Garden 京都府立植物園

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

Fuchsia Lonora

Fuchsia My Fair Lady

Fuchsia Looks

Fuchsia Golden Dawn

Fuchsia Winzewrin

Fuchsia Looks

Fuchsia Jack Shahan

Fuchsia Angels Earrings

Fuchsia Lena

Fuchsia Happy

Fuchsia Mrs. Minnie Pugh

Fuchsia Display

Fuchsia Harbour Bridge

I went to Kyoto Botanical Garden a few days ago. The garden held a special exhibition of fuchsia flowers. I'm not interested in plants, just wanting to kill time, but found these! How beautiful and lively these two-tone-color fuchsia flowers are! Please enjoy these Fuchsias "Lonora," "My Fair Lady," "Winzewrin," "Golden Dawn," "Looks," "Jack Shahan," "Angels Earrings," "Lena," "Happy," "Mrs. Minnie Pugh," "Display," and "Harbour Bridge"!

京都府立植物園に行きました。 何の期待もせずに行ったのですが Wow! フクシアという花を初めて知りました。

Tulips are Also in Bloom! 桜だけじゃないですよ！

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

So colorful and powerful, aren't they! People in Japan talk about only cherry blossoms from late March through early April, but don't forget that tulips are also in bloom. 

Cherry blossoms make me aware of ephemerality of life, but these tulips' bright colors gave me vitality and energy. 

銀座の道路脇にチューリップを見つけました。あまりの鮮やかさにしばし見とれてしまいました。最近弱っているのでエネルギーもらいました！

Never Underestimate "等 (Tou)"! 「等」の訳し方

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A Japanese man asked me how to translate the following term:

指名委員会等設置会社 shimei iinkai tou settichi gaisha

The Surprising Origins of Royalty: Korean Emperors and French Kings 天皇は朝鮮人でスウェーデン王はフランス人

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A historical fact that astonishes me is mentioned in Geert Hofstede's Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. In 1809, Swedish nobles deposed the incompetent King Gustav IV and invited Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a French general under Napoleon, to take the throne. Consequently, the current Swedish royal family is of French descent—a fascinating fact that is widely accepted today.

Kyoto - Horinji Temple in Arashiyama and Matsuo Taisha Shrine 法輪寺と松尾大社

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The first photo shows Matsuo Taisha Shrine in Arashiyama, Kyoto. This shrine is famous for enshrining the God of sake, protecting people who not only produce it, but also sell or drink it. It makes sense that the shrine receives so many offerings from sake manufacturers across Japan.

The shrine is very close to the famous tourist area of Arashiyama, home to Hōrin-ji Temple. The temple enshrines a deity of electricity and radio waves. You can enjoy beautiful views from this temple—from the top of its stairs (Picture 2) and from its viewpoint (Picture 3).

If you're in Arashiyama and tired of the crowds, cross the Katsuragawa River and head to Hōrin-ji Temple. You can enjoy a serene atmosphere and, a 20-minute walk later, pray to the sake deity at Matsuo Taisha Shrine. You can also reach Matsuo Taisha Shrine on the Hankyu Line, just one stop from Arashiyama Station.

1. Saki offerings to Matsuo Taisha Shrine