JAPANESE

POP CUI.JURE
& LANGUAGE
LEARNING
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M A N G A J I N
Manga

BUSINESS MANNERS

No. 26

.JACK SEWARD'S

OUTRAGEOUS
JAPANESE

An Interview with
San1 Jan~eson
Los Angeles Times Tokyo Bureau Chief
In Japan they always give you a shave as
part of the haircut. T he barber put the
chair down so that here I was lying totally defenseless. As J heard him sharpening the razor on the leather strap,
thoughts of "My goodness, what if this
guy wants revenge for the war?'' went
passing through my mind.

Why did you decide to learn Japanese?

I had almost 19 months to serve

With over 30 years experience as whether I liked Japan or not, and I disforeign correspondent in Japan, covered quite quickly that in those days
very few ordinary Japanese spoke enough
Los Angeles Times Tokyo Bureau English to have any kind of association
Chief Sam Jameson is uniquely with, much less to develop any kind of
qualified to comment on the friendship with, Americans. (T his seems
American and Japanese press as to be the case today as well.) So I started
well as the trade, political, and studying with the relatively frivolous purpose of just enjoying as much of the resocial issues that now confront maining 19 months as I could.
Japan and the US. Mangajin associate publisher Greg Tenhover When did you decide to make Japan a
interviewed this legendary jour- career?
When I was in basic training, I knew
nalist during one of Mr. there was a chance I would go to Japan,
Jameson's recent trips to the US. so I began reading about what was going
What first brought you to Japan, and
what were your initial impressions?
I was drafted and sent to Japan as a
soldier in 1960. I had worked for the
Chicago Tribune for a year before I went
into the Army, so J was assigned to work
for Stars and Stripes. If J hadn't been
drafted, I probably never would have
gone to Japan, and mos t certainly
wouldn' t be here today.
The only thing I knew about Japan at
that time was that we had been enemies
in World War II. The most vivid example
of where my knowledge was when I first
arrived was when I went to get a haircut.

on the re at the time. The most important

issue in 1960 was revision of the US-Japan Security Treaty. I thought the American reporting was atrocious, because the
sole thrust of it was merely what the Japanese government was saying-it didn' t
include any of the sentiments of average
people.
When I first arrived in Tokyo, I spent
much of my time exchanging language
lessons with Japanese students, whose
age I was fairly close to at the time. This
was only six months after thousands had
demonstrated in the streets protesting the
unilateral passage by the ruling party of
a revision of the Security Treaty. I
learned from the students that these

people were not, as Prime Minister Kishi

put it, "eat's paws of international communism." In fact, none of the protesters
I met were communists. Contrary to
American reports, they were actually protesting the undemocratic method of enacting the revisions when all the opposition parties were boycotting Parliament.
If anything, the demonstrations were a
backhanded compliment to the United
States.
The upshot of the demonstrations was
the cancellation of a visit in June of 1960
by President Eisenhower. The demonstrators opposed the visit because they
were afraid that Eisenhower, with his influence, would bolster the government of
Prime Minister Kishi. So to get rid of
Kishi meant to block the visit by Eisenhower. The demonstrations, however,
were portrayed as anti-American and the
depth of the reporting did not go beyond
the objections lO the treaty revision.
After working for Stars and Stripes
for around six months, I started becoming interested in the country in an intellectual and then a professional sense. I
then started studying the language, not
merely to have a pleasant social time but
to try and learn something about Japan
in the hope of becoming a correspondent
there. So I stayed after leaving the military in June 1962 and studied Japanese
at the Tokyo University of Foreign Languages (not related to Tokyo University)
until March of 1963.
I was still on the roster of the Chicago Tribune, although not receiving a
salary. When I finished studying, the Tribune called me home for consultation
prior to making me their Japan correspondent in June 1963. So this coming June
will be my 30th anniversary as a correspondent.

drafted = ~~~h. t~ chiihei sareta vivid = 1:.4 t L t~ iki-iki to shira revenge = &.CJ~kushii frivolous = -'I'Jtilii 13 ft fumajime-na basic
training= (ilf.Ji<Q))ilt!illlllll** (shinhei no) kiso kunren US-Japan Security Treaty = 8 :l:'ti:.'~fi1'1~~*9 Nichi-Bei Anzen HoshO Joyaku atrocious= ~
maualw hidoi sole thrust = \lft - Q)~-~ yui'irsu no shiiten sentiments "'1l~ I ~111 iken I kanjo unilateral= - 1J(f)ft ipporeki-na
unilateral passage =(-IP-~)5~qjf*~ (randoku) kyokiJ saikersu backhanded compliment = & I~ 1t J:l ill:iW hiniku-na oseji roster= t.l'i meibo

( (} c'v'

10

MANGAJtN

Feature Story

In t he early days, how did the Japanese react to a foreign reporter who
could speak their language?
Well, with disbelief, I guess. But they
do react quite differently now. In the late
1970s the president of a Japanese trust
bank invited in foreign correspondents
who could speak Japanese, and gave us
something like an hour and a half briefing done only in Japanese. I think that
marked the turning point where it was no
longer a surprise to find a correspondent
who could speak Japanese.

How did you learn J apa nese?

With great agony. At first, 1 traded
language lessons. I also went to night
school and then started reading the newspapers with the help o f a kanji dictionary.
I remember spe nding live hours going
through one story. Another way was from
radio news. NHK Radio had fi ve minutes of news every ho ur, and I would
record one broadcast and listen to it again

and again until! could finally understand

the whole thing. It took several hours to
understand five minutes of Japanese.

you are not grasping the concept of the

language.

What suggestions do you have for our

readers on learning the language?

Obviously it's a big advantage for a

correspondent to speak, read and write
J a panese. Do you feel it is essential?

I would certainly suggest that they

spend enough time at the beginning to
understand how to transliterate Japane e
sounds into roman letters. When you' re
writing people's names or other words
that are not translated, it is very useful.
Once you' ve done that, you can always
write in roman characters anything that
you hear in Japanese.
I would also say that Japanese really
has to be learned by reading more than
by hearing. This is because of the different ways of reading the characters. For
example. the word for north is kira and
the word fo r east is higaslri, but " northeast'' is not kitahigashi-it's tohoku. If
you have to learn each character as a new
word for every combination it's used in,

To be able to func tion no t only as a

reporter but as a human being in Japan it
certainly is essential, for several reasons.
Even if you are doing an interview with
the best interpreter in the country you will
soon notice you are not looking at the
person you are interviewing, and the person you are interviewing is not looking
at you. Everyone is look ing at the interpreter. I also cover Ko rea, where it is
particularly painful for me to do interviews because I don't peak any Korean.
The best example of what this produces
was my experience with Roh Tae-woo,
the South Korean president until February of this year. The first th ree times I
had a private interview with him he began by saying, " I' m glad to meet you,"

~1fli kursl7 broadcast =h"lt~/-!lH!l. hosiilbangumi transliterate Japanese sounds into Roman letters
Nihongo rro oto o romaji de kakiara ...asu essential =.ll ~-1' uf './( ~ hitsuyo fukaketsu-na

agony=

= R :;fi:~!f(7) j'j ~ o- 7

'(:

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MANGA JIN

11

F ea tureSt o r y

\\ hich is fine the first time but the second time it shows he does n' t re member
you. He spe nt a ll three sessions looking
at the translator, which means he had no
e mpathy with me and I had no e mpathy
with him. There's something missing in
a human association when two people
don' 1 even look at each other.
The other thing is that if you are
speaJUng the same language there is a
greater possibility of getting a sen e as
to how honestly the person is speaking
to you. Even a perfect translatio n does
not get across that feeling.

Do most of the foreign correspondents

in japan today speak j apanese well?
T oday I would say that about 20 to
25 percent of the American correspondents speak Japanese well. However, the
numbers are gradually increasing, and I
would estimate that in another I0 years
mo re than half would speak well enough
to do inte rviews without tran lation.

Is your language ability a benefit in developing sources and contacts?

It 's just as important for ma king
fri ends too, which is part of the process.
I've never een anybody develop a
frie ndship using an interpreter. I've seen
correspondent I respected complain that
they couldn't make friends in Japan. The
reason is so obvio us I am astounded the
comment was even made. How do you
go to a Japanese friend 's home whe n you
can't speak Japanese? Even if he speaks
Eng lis h, his family a lmost certa inl y
doesn't. How could he have you in for
d inner if he ha to spend the whole
evening translating?
In my job, it's always easier to establish empathy with your interviewee if
you' re doing it in Japanese. He o r she
gets a feeling for your sincerity, which
is very impo rtant to the Japanese. You
can show that you're not being fri volous,
that you do take Japan seriously, and that
you take that person seriously.

How do foreign correspondents go

about getting news in j apan?
The ABCs of my job are watching TV
news, reading newspapers, and attending

nt

press conferences. Other tidbits and items

you learn throug h those activitie give
you idea to write other stories.
Beyond that, there are as many ways
as there are corresponde nts. Frequently
you will undertake a feature, and in the
process o f interviewing people for it
come up with an idea for anothe r story.
T he most profound difference between
being a foreign correspondent and a regular reporte r is that no American reporter
in the US i re po rting everything in
America. I was working a lone in Japan
until 1988, which meant one person was
assigned to do everything in the e ntire
country. With that burden, the likelihood
of coming up with something that nobody
else has written becomes very small.

Can you give us a little bit of background on press relations in j apan,

pa rticula rly j apanese press clubs?
Press conferences in Japan are generally open only to members of the press
club that covers a particular ministry,
agency o r organization. There are more
than 400 press c lubs throughout the country. The re's o ne at the Foreign Ministry,
one at the Agricultural Ministry, three or
fo ur covering the Keidanren, and others
organized by industry group. The press
club structure even reaches down to the
police station level.
Most people do not understand what
caused the press clubs to come into existence, and that was the censorship that
the Japanese government exerted until
the end of World War II. In those days
the press clubs were forced to eat what
they were being spoon-fed by the government- reporters were not allowed to
ask questions. But during the Occupation,
as a result o f American-imposed reforms,
the press c lubs turned around 180 degrees. They issued an edict to the government and all of its agencies that unless you an wer o ur questions, and give
us the informatio n we want to publish,
we won' t publish the information you
want us to publish. No longer instruments
of censorship, they became instruments
combating censorship.
One factor that is often overlooked is
the issue of numbers. Each newspaper

has thou ands of reporters, almost like

an army. T he Asahi, the Yomiuri, the
Mainiclzi and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun
all have probably two, three, or four times
the numbe r o f reporters that the Washing/On Post, the New York Times and the
LA Times have. If press conferences were
open to the reporters of a ll the major
newspapers, weekly magazines, and
monthly magazines, they wouldn't have
enough seats for them.

So to get into one of those conferences

you have to be a member of t hat club?
That's correct--or at least an observer
in that press club. In recent years they
have set up a system whereby people can
become observers. Some of the press
clubs have even gone further and said that
anyone who has a foreign correspondent
ID card can attend.
Whe n I first started you couldn' t attend anything, under any c ircumstances.
In tho e days 1 often went to the place
whe re a press club was having a press
confe rence, and after it was over corralled newsmen who freque ntly lent me
all the ir notes, including the "off the
record" portion-although those same
people had just made a decision to exclude me from the press conference.

How does it work now? Are you a

member of any press clubs?
The first press club to open up to foreigners was the prime minister's press
club. Originally it allowed fore ign news
agencies, but not newspapers, to join as
observers. In 1964 the Chicago Tribune
had what was called the Chicago Tribune
ews Service, so I persuaded them to
accept me as a news agency reporter instead of a newspaperman. One ministry
after another finally started allowing foreign corresponde nts to atte nd. I think
more than twenty are now open, including all major government agencies with
the possible exception of one or two.

J apanese press clubs are often criticized because of the cozy relationship
they now seem to have with t he agencies, ministries, and organizations they
cover. What a re your views?

empa1hy =;)~~ kyr1kan be as1oundcd = <r.~ T 1oJ I (!p .J;;"t 1oJ gaku:en to suru I gl'iJten suru inlervicwee = 1 / -1 ~ .:1.- i' 'i"lt 7;, A intabyu
o ukeru !Jito 1idbi1s = <t!:1 fR if)) ltlr H ljiJ!Jli no) danpen profound di.fference = i:J/: i.E((~ lj: ~ "' ket!eiteki-11~ ciligai burden = f. I IT~ ?ort fi_ttan ( omoni
press c lub = ~~.r, 7 7 7" krs!Ja kuralm censorshrp = .fg(ll!J ken etsu spoon-fed = :J. 7"- / -ri:t"'- ~ {/; C, tt t.: 1\Hil'/J{_. )J (~~,_..g. A. C, ttt.:
supiin de tabesaserarera I jaM ga ippti-teki ni araerarera edic1 = 1JJ IYJ seimei q:orral = "? fJ' t .Z 1oJ tsukamaeru off 1he record=/];: P. L -r li lj: t? lj:
'. ' kiilriishite ..-a 11aranai cozy relmionship = llllttfr'-'(l(Jij:(lij(,f. 11areaiteki-11a kmrkei

12

MA NGAJIN

f!

F e a t u r e S t o r

Certainly they deserve criticism, but

not to the degree that they normally get.
One way to look at lhis is to consider the
Japanese reporter as a participant in politics and the American reporter as an observer of politics. The approach of the
J apa nese press is somewhat akin to
American mass media after Watergate:
lhe reporters look upon themselves as the
system, in the sense that they hope to
bring about change in policy. Consequently, Japanese reporters are sometimes acting as messengers between government agencies, or trying to push some
particular policy. So, frequently, Japanese newspapers resemble government
gazette - they write article aimed at
government bureaucrats rather than at lhe
general public, no matter how boring the
story may be. On the o ther hand, the
American press frequently goes too far
in the other direction-not reporting what
lhe governme nt is doing, or getting so
wrapped up in gene ralities that you don't
actually know what is being proposed.

One other aspect of the press clubs

which is frequently overlooked is the
level of expertise required of Japanese
reporters, which is far superior to that of
American reporters. For example, in Japan everyone in a press club assigned to
cover technology would be familiar with
the most minute details of the science and
technology issues. But in the US, except
for the rare science reporter on a newspaper who knows wha t he 's talking
about, nobody on the paper would be able
to handle such topics.

Do you believe that the J apanese press

r efl ects the l' iews of the people a t
large?
It depends on what subject you're
talking about, but I think the Japanese
people are much more conservati ve than
is re presented in the popular press.
For example, the stance the Japanese
press takes when reporting on security
or military issues is very liberal. The view
in lhe press seems to indicate that lhe con-

sensus is lhat Japan should strictly abide

by Article 9 of it constitutio n, which
states that Japan's military is to be used
o nly for self-defense. I think this was
shown to be an aberration in the aftermath of the Gulf War, when Japan actually managed to pass a Jaw a llowing the
dispatch of self-defense troops overseas
to join UN peace-keeping operations.
The way the press was reporting the issue would certainly have led o ne to expect a massive outc ry, but there really
wasn' t any at all, except from the Socialist Party.

In a presentation last year at the J apan-America Society of Southern California, Karel van Wolferen said "Serious political discussion based on honest analysis has all but disappeared
from Japanese publications.. .. The
citizenry has no effective say through
its politicians or through non-government institutions over how the coun(conrinued on page 71)

govcrnmcnl gazelles= '*II kanpo burcaucrals = 'tff);f kanryo slance = fi)Jd!'fifL tachibaliken consensus= ri:f: I )c ~~c7) '!JQ soi I daitasr7 no
iken abcrra1ion = {i~iiv' kokoroe chigai

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MANGAJIN

13

A Taste of Culture

Ekiben
"Station box
lunches" make
getting there
more fun
by

Elizabeth Andoh
Japan Airlines Photo by Morris Simoncelli

In today's jet-paced, high-tech world, business and leisure travele rs don' t usually worry about where their next meal
will be comjng from . But, when you stop to think about it,
transporting and preserving food without the benefit of refrigeration or swift transpo rt must have been a considerable
challenge to pre-modern socie ties. The Japanese response to
this challenge-obentQ-wa c lever, convenient, and obviously appealing since it hasn ' t changed all that much in the
last eight hundred years or so.
The word bellto
(the o- prefix is an optional "polite"
touch) seems to have come into use during the 12th century.

1r-*

It derives from two calligraphs meaning " for the time being"
(#i' J.> benzuru ). ln other words,
a bento was originally a light meal intended to stave off hunger. particularly while traveling, until a proper meal could be
eaten. Cul inary historians speculate that most bento of that
era were probably pressed rice cakes that might have been
accompanied by pickled vegetables or other bits of preserved
food. T oday, bento can range from a simple rice ..sandwich"
wrapped in bamboo leaves, to a rather elaborate menu artfull y arranged in a lacquered box.
With the industrialization of Japan at the turn of the 20th
century, railroads became an important part of Japanese life.
T he railroads transported people as well as manufactured
goods. It is thought that eki bento (Jf..1f*. usually hortened
to ekiben) or "train station boxed meals" began at Utsunomiya
station, north of Tokyo in Tochigi prefec ture, in 1885. There,
it seems, an e nterprising gentleman by the name of Saito Kahei
sold pressed rice cakes (i:> tr't {f omusubi) tuffed with pickled plums (tfi umeboshi) that he garnished with yellow pickled radish (iRII\t takuan ). Other entrepreneurs quickly followed
his lead.
Today, every major train statio n in Japan sells its own
variation on ekiben. Vendors hawk their wares on the station
platforms while young ladies bring their baskets and carts up
a nd down the aisles in the trains: "/kaga deshiJ ka? Obento
(~ 1'~. toza) and " make do"

wa ikaga desha ka ?"

Most ekiben tend to be of two types: meisan :gj1fi, which
boa t a menu based on "famous" locally avai lable foods, and
~~which are meals arranged in a particular manner or in a spec ial type of box to commemorate a local activity, festival o r event. Shizuoka is famous for its tea, and so in

meibutsu
Daruma Eklben from Gunma Prefecture
Photofrom Ekiben, by Komekura. Bosker & 1Vato11abe. 1989 Clrroflicle Books

derives from= 1: iJJ ~T 6 ni yuroi suru to stave off= I H;}(~~ 1: ft"' tf:l6 J., t'li1.1 t 6 ichiji-reki ni kuiromerulsakeru culinary historians= *1-flli5eiii(
nori shiko speculate = ~ T J., suiko Sl/nl elaborate = iJ,E? t~JT.).:; i' if( i? LJ: koualkufii 0 korashita at the tum of the 20th century =20fil: ~ q)
'B.:.v I) l/)q)t;t:l.20f!I:~~Jll!'i.llijusstiki 110 koworime 110 koro, nijusseiki slroro 'endor =%6 A . .: .: 't'IJ:1ftl'JC I) uru hiro. koko de .-a bemo-uri
hawk =Of-U'% I) T J., yobiuri suru ware= jfij,\-1, shiilrin commemorate= il~ZT 6 Jlll-1 kine11 suru I 111'011

----------------------~

14

M ANGAJt N

Ta s teofCulture
Shizuoka station cha meshi ~liri.. or "tea rice," is the meisan
bentif. The Daruma bentif sold in Takasaki station is typical
of the meibutsu variety of train station lunch. Takasaki, in
Gunma Prefecture, is famous for its Daruma sculptures and
dolls so it's not surprising that the shape o f the lunc h box is
fashioned to resemble a Daruma doll. The contents of the lunch
vary considerably from one day to the next, but the container
is aJways the same.
Other kitschy and cute boxes worth co!Jecting include the
dimpled, white plastic golf ball from Karuizawa'sgorujU bentif
:f Jv 7 #~ and Fukushima's two-tiered warashiko bentif b
I? L...: #~ with a whimsically drawn child's face peeking
out from under a straw bonnet lid. Why a golf ball box from
Karuizawa? Simple. Karuizawa is a famous resort town in
Nagano Prefecture, known especially for its exclusive (i.e.
VERY expensive) golf course clubs. And why the c hild's face?
In the Tohoku (northeast) dialect, "warashi" refers to children. So Fukushima, in the northeastern part of Japan's main
island of Ho nshu, became known for its warashiko bentif. Like
Okayama Station's Kurl ("Chestnut") Bento
many meibutsu lunches, the containers are more distinctive
than the food.
Photo from Ekiben, by Kamekura, Bosker & Watanabe. r:J/989 Chronicle Books
Ofte n regional specialties are combined with local lore.
These combination meisan and meibutsu meaJs, such as Sendai
fashioned = f"F I? :11. -r II' 7.> tsukurarete-iru kitschy= *J'/{Il)~J;.I: .g.? .1: ? 1: f"F I? :11.!.; taishii no komi ni au yo ni 1sukurarera dimpled= If;:
If;: ll) bokoboko no whimsically = Jfii Dlfl: omoshiroge-ni distinctive= ~'f!!_iJf~ 7.> tokushoku ga aru

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MANGAJIN

15

Taste of C ulture

station's kuri bento ~ :fr~ ("chestnut lunch") in a chestnuthaped box and Fukui station's crab lunch arranged in a crabshaped box, are usually the most satisfying since they merge
the best tasting food with the most attractive containers.
Traveling by train in Japan can be challenging (reading
the time schedules, buying the right tickets) and tiresome (all
those staircase s), but it can a lso be fun (remember the yummy
ekiben). In addition, it can provide an excellent lesson in reg ional cuisines. Despite, or perhaps because of, the limited
land mass that makes up the Japane e archipelago, regional
distinctions in cooking seem to take on an even g reater importance to the native population.
Most of the local products featured in the ekiben mentioned thus far a re shipped to Tokyo, Osaka and o ther major
metropo litan centers for sale throughout Japan. And although
several different regions might supply the same kind of foodMiyazaki (in Kyushu) and Hachioji (west of Tokyo) both are
known for their shiitake mushrooms, just as the northern island of Hokkaido and the Fukui coast (on the Sea of Japan)
are both famous for their crab-there are certa in foods, such
as fermented bean paste (miso "*~) and soy sauce (shoyu
7111), that are found throughout the country. With such "universal" foods as these, strong regional identities emerge.

Miso is used in preparing a wide variety of dishes: to

thicken soup, make sauces, and as a seasoning in ground meat
and fi sh dishes . When a Japanese chooses a light, medium or
dark kind of miso it is not unlike a European d isplaying his or
he r regional preference for a certain kind of local cheese. Particularly with miso shin1 P;J;:~it (broth flavored with fermented bean paste) , Japanese show their deep regional roots.
In general, the northeastern portion of the country favors dark,
pungent aka miso ~'*~ (literally "red" bean paste, it is usually a deep mahogany brown color), while the southwestern
parts of Japan prefer light, mellow shiro miso 8'*11('1 (literally " white" bean paste, it is golden in color) . It may sound
trivial, but when a Japanese woman marries, she is expected
to shift her regional taste buds along with her loyalties and
adapt to her husband' s soup habits.
The choice of which soy sauce to use in making simmered
dishes (light colo red but salty flavored usukuchi l,~ 0 or deeply
colo red, "sweeter" koikuchi il"' 0) displays strong regional
pre ferences. Even the language used to describe it shows local prejudice. People from the Kansai area near Kyoto and
Osaka will de cribe their " lig ht" soy auce as delicate and
re fined, while folks from the Kanto Plain (Tokyo and its environs) will refer to the pale soy as ins ipid. Tokyoites will

yummy= J:; v' L.. ~,.' o ishii archipelago = 911 &'~ rello identities = f"(!) t:I1!!1Jt!!1i(!)~IH1 11. IW11 sono tochilchilrO no dokuj.isei. kosei pungent = iA
"'<'*(!)) koi {aji 110) mellow = i: :? '(>;I f.t I ll't,. ' moroyaka-11a I amai trivial = ~*IH f.t sasai-11a taste buds = P~'i(f I '*it2irf m irai I mikaku
kika11 delicate and relined = YUill<:1-.n"'. se11sai dejollirr insipid= P*;{f.tt,. ajike rrai

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MANGAJIN

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T a s t e o f C u l t ure

refer to the rich, burnished shades of their soy-simmered foods

as invigorating and appetizing, while those from Kyoto will
turn their noses up at the "stained" food eaten by tho e in the
modern capital.
How does this geographic prejudice evidence itself in
ekiben? Whether it 's simmered scallops, chicken. or bamboo
shoots that find their way into boxed lunches north of K yoto,
the rich, russet hues will tell you immediately that ko ikuchi
shi5yu was used to navor the food. To the south, the same
fish, fowl and vegetable nimono .v:!lm ("simmered foods") will
spon pale shade because they have been prepared with
usukuchi shlJyu instead.
Although America certainl y has distinct regional cuisines,
each with its own pantry of spices, I can ' t think of an American equivalent of Japanese soy sauce or bean paste. After all,
ketchup and mayonnaise are pretty much the same throughout the United States.
Although nothing remotely similar to ekiben currently exi sts in America, imagine for a moment that you could buy a
bentlJ meal at Grand Central or Penn stations in ew York.
After all, boxes shaped like the Empire State Building or the
Statue of Liberty might contain bagels and lox. Or perhaps
the ultimate Nyiiyoku bentlJ should include pizza, tacos and

Chinese dumplings, instead. Here' s a question for you: I f a

Hollywood benti5 filled with California-style sushi rolls were
for sale at L A 's airport, what would a ski benti5 at Vai l or
A spen contain?
Don't laugh, yet. It' s possible that the entrepreneurial impulse to adapt bema to the American scene might come from
the growing number of Japanese tourists to the United States.
With the yen strong, and possibly growing stronger, it's likely
that even more students, OLs ("office ladies," young women
with their own di sposable incomes), famil ies, and kens/111
ryoki5 groups (fl}ff~~rr. " study tour " for business and industry with nominal "educational" elements built into the itinerary) will visit American shores. I suspect that this will affect the American food service and hospitality industries in
many interesting ways.
In the next issue, we' ll explore a related phenomenonJapanese breakfast menus in American hotels.

Correspondence to:
Eli:_abeth Andoh, c/o M ANGAJIN,
PO Box 7119, Marietta, GA 30065- 1119

.-------

. invigorating= if;~(~ 1.> kakki aru russet hues= ,) 0. <7)0.&)~ 1 kaslroku11o i roai bagels and lox = "'- 7' lv( t- - t- "/ 1~(<7); ~ / ) t ~t <l).)'i; t!<l)
J:Jj' t;JJ I) beguru (dOII(I/Sllkatachi 110 pan ) to sake/slwke 110 ku11sei 110 u.w g iri ullimale = Jl:j.l\<7) k.l 'likyoku 110 disposable incomes = uf !ll!:~flfr!~}
kashobun shotoku

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MAN GAJI N

17

The many functions

of meishi
Why are meishi ("business cards") so important? Because
this one card can perform many useful functions.

It's o n 10 c ord
Meishi are commonly 5.5 em tall and 9 em wide. Printed
in this tiny space are the name of the company or organization, department, section, title, the person's full name, company address, telephone number, and fax number. A meishi
serves as a kind of "ID card," not legally but in everyday
situations.
It identifies you in two ways: first as a physical being,
and second as a social entity, or how other people should
regard you. A meishi bearing the name of a well-known company or organization garners more respect than one with
the name of an unknown company.
In Europe or the United States, the company you work
for is less important than your position or responsibilities in
that company. In Japan, it's the company name which has
the most significance. This is apparent when meishi are exchanged during an introduction. As mentioned earlier, after
saying "Hajimemashite," a person states the name of the
company before his or her personal name.

It's a passport
A company is an independent nation in the world of business, and a "passport" is often necessary to enter another
company's building. Meishi are used for this.
When visiting a company for the first time, you will find
yourself in an awkward position if you arrive without meishi.

Top corporations all have reception desks where visitors are

requested to show their meishi. The receptionist may accept an excuse like, "Oh no, I left them in my other suit," but
in certain cases the visitor may be denied entry and turned
away.
You may be permitted through "immigration," but you
will be embarrassed again later, when meeting the person
with whom you have the appointment. You will feel emptyhanded when the other person presents a meishi. It's the
same uneasy feeling as when taking a friend or client out to
dinner, your treat, and then discovering you've forgotten your
wallet. Even if everything else goes smoothly, it's difficult
for you both to keep this incident out of mind for the rest of
the evening. In short, you can forget your wallet, lunch, or
umbrella, but never your meishi.

It's a memorandum
On the meishi you receive from someone, you can write
the date, impressions you have of the person, or notes about
the discussion you had. This information will stimulate your
memory in case you meet that person again. These notes
should be written afterwards, when you are alone. Otherwise, the other person will feel uncomfortable being "analyzed" on the spot.

It's on entry in on address book

In Japan, season's greeting cards are sent to friends,
relatives, and business acquaintances two times a year: in
summer (shochu-mimat) and at New Year's (nengajO). There

are some Japanese who consider this custom an empty formality

and want it abolished, but it has many adherents. The postal service even has to hire extra part-time workers to alleviate the
workload.
Meishi received are a vital reference when writing these cards
or other correspondence. Well-organized people will diligently input name and address information in a computer; others will file
them in a meishi folder. One often flips through the meishi folder
before writing a card or letter.
In certain cases a person's department or title may have
changed from what is indicated on the meishi you received. Personnel changes usually occur in April and September, and when a
person is transferred to another department, a notice is sent to his
or her business associates or clients. A change can happen with
short notice, though, and not all are informed about it. An associate may also overlook it in the piles of mail received each day. In
writing a letter to the person, an error with the person's department
is not a serious mistake, but to mark the title incorrectly can cause
problems. A department chief identified as "section chief" would
have hard feelings.

It can be an introduction card

Suppose you are discussing business with someone or seeking his or her advice. This person may say, "I am not familiar enough
with this matter. Let me introduce you to Mr. A who is." In this case,
meishi are occasionally used as introduction cards. Your client or
advisor will take out his or her own meishi, write "As an introduction to Mr. A. With best regards .. ." on it and present it to you. This
little letter of introduction can open new doors for you.

It can serve as a receipt

A meishi can be used as a simple receipt, when an actual one
is not available, by writing the amount received, date and the pertinent information and stamping one's inkan seal on it.

It can be an IOU
Entertaining a client, a man goes to pay the bill and discovers
he is short of cash and has also left his other wallet full of credit
cards in another suit. He writes the amount outstanding on his meishi
as an IOU for the restaurant manager. This doesn't always work,
of course. It helps if the man is well- dressed and his meishi is from
a prestigious company.
Since meishi printed with the name of a major company are
more likely to be accepted as an emergency IOU, they are at times
forged and used to trick restaurant proprietors. So, before giving
out their meishi, persons with major social responsibilities, such as
high government officials and well-known lawyers, write on the back
the name of the person they are about to give it to and the date.
This is to prevent the abuse of their meishi as described above.
There are some public officials who take extreme precaution by
never giving out their own meishi, even when they have received
one from another person. Not all public officials observe this practice. A notable exception is politicians- they pass out their meishi
like feeding bread crumbs to pigeons.

SE

tR
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Next issue: the physiognomy of meishi

by Sowone Fumitoshi

JA

2-12 'iJUft: Jt-4F

**D-'f{~IB~~~~::anda surugadai
Ful<.ai Building 4F. -01
Chyoda-\<.U, To\<.yo

~41 Fax: (03)3295-5443

PMne: (03)3295-5

.. "

...,...

JACK SEWARD'S

OUTRAGEOUS
JAPANESE ........

It is often taken
as an article of faith
that the amiable, soft-spoken
Japanese seldom resort to verbal
abuse or defamation in. their dealings with others. All the same, while I was atTending Japanese language
school. our top-priority mission was acquiring the vocabulary
needed to (a) roundly malign others, and (b) become cozy with
Oriental maidens when we at last reached the distant, misty
shores of Japan. The harvest of the second task was indeed
much m.o re bountiful than the first.
But I persevered and at length came to understand that

~-

the Japan ese

language-if not a
cornucopia of curses and
censure-is at least rich enough to
reasonably satisfy occasional compu1sion. to
condemn and recriminate. Granted, the Japanese strive for surface harmony and try to avoid antagonistic confrontations when
possible. As a result, quantitatively speaking. they do not generate verbal vitriol in the quantity or variety that can be alfribllfed to some other nationalities. But this is not to suggest that
they are without their resources. As you will see, they can be
inventive users of invective that is both vivid and injurious.

Part 1: Ridiculing Physical Appearance

Fat or Skinny
The Japanese language is rich in words to hurt others through
disparaging comments about weight, shape, age, attire, odor and
hairiness. Let's look first at several choice words of abuse that
can be directed at those who are, bluntly speaking, futotte iru
(:k -::> "'("'~,"fat"). There is a very good (and obvious) reason
that I know a god's plenty of such colorful epithets, enough of
them having been directed at my person.
I must note, however, that the Japanese may not all agree that
such words are be littling. Although the younger generation
wants to be "smart" ;7., 7 - ~ sumiito (meaning fashionably
slender, not intelligent), the older ones tend to regard obesity as
obvious proof of success and wealth. Else, how could you afford
to eat enough to put on that extra weight? Lndeed, the word for
paunch is jiiyaku-bara 11H9:Jil, or "a company director's stomach."
I shudder to recall how often a Japanese acquaintance (I disdain to use the word friend) has launched at me a brutal barb
like:
1~

:J-'7- J-:~A, (j:

Mii,

Suwiido-san

:;$: ~3(: :J.c-::>"'(11'~. b o

wa honto ni f wotte iru, ne.

(excl.)

(name-hon.)

as-for

truly

fat

arc

(emph.)

" You really are fat, aren' t you, Mr. Seward."

I try to keep in mind that my acquaintance may have meant
his comment as a compliment of sorts but it has taken me a long
time to accustom myself to such frank evaluation, a very long

time indeed.
Other words which can be used to describe excessive weight
include 't' h: 't' h: debu-debu and h: J: h: J: buyo-buyo, as in these
examples:

Bucho no debu-debu shita musume o

dept. head ('s)

fat/plump

yobandoko.

daughter (obj) let's not call/invite

"Let's not invite the section chief's obese daughter.

1/tfr<l)

fJi 1: ..g--) ~fo (j:

Kanojo no shiri ni au isu wa

her

hips

to

fit

~\,\

iJ'~ o

nai

kara.

chair as-for don't have because

We don' t have a chair that would fit her hips. "

debu by itself is a noun meaning " fat person."
yobandoko is a conrraction of yobanaide oko, from the verb yobu
("call/invite/summon") and the volitional form of the verb oku.
Used this way with the -tel-de form of another verb, oku means
"(do the action of the first verb) and let it go at that."
~<7) h: J: h: J: If~~ A, li ;hf.t f.: 1: -'F
Ano buyo-buyo blisan wa anata ni te

that

flabby

old woman as-for you

>&.-

'?"'(It\ . 0

futte-int.

at hand (obj) is waving

"That flabby old woman is waving her hand at you."

Other germane expressions:
't' -:> h: IJ L f.:.(A) deppuri shita (hito)- dumpy (person)
~:ttl:J.c

IJ toshima-butori - gain in weight that women may ex-

The material in this column is excerpted from the book Outrageous Japanese, by Jack Seward, Charles E. Tuttle . Inc .. Tokyo, Japan.
MANGAJtN has added Japanese kanji and kana, as well as grammar and vocabulary notes.

26

MANGAJtN

OutrageousJapanese

perience with the encroachment of middle age

zunguri shita (hito) f lv ~ LJ.:(A)- fat and short (person)
hyaklron debu aft-c.'~- tub of lard (Hyakkan means 100 kan
or 826 pounds.)
futotcho -Js;.-::> t? t. - blimp/fatty

<

In contrast to such heavyweights, we have the skinny ones.

Yaseru -?-tt 7.> is the verb meaning to lose weight, and from it
derives -? -tt;:. Itt.:. yase-koketa ("to be emaciated").
i:IJ) -t->1:!-::.~tt.:. ~
t Wj)n. 1:;\lv'/j:lt'o
Sono yase-koketa otoko wa byoki ni chigai nai.
that

emaciated

man

as-for

sick

without doubt

''That emaciated man has to be sick.''

ni chigai nai (lit. "without difference") means "for sure/without
doubt."
the verb kokeru by itself means "(flesh/body) is sunken/hollow."

Hisashiburi ni Yasube-san
after a long time

ni

(name) (-hon.) to/with

atta

ga

meet

but

" I met Yasube for the first time in a long while.

Ji. 7.>

miru kage
see

shadow

'b tj:

<

~-tt-c v'

mo naku

i L. f.:.o

yasete-imashita.

there was not (even)

was skinny

" He was a mere shadow of his former self."

miru kage ="a shadow to see" - "a visible shadow." Miru kage
mo nai means "There is not even a shadow to see," and changing nai to naku makes this an adverb phrase modifying yaseteimashita.
of -) t!. J. 0
~
c Bi. li il' ~ ~ 0
Soda yo. Hone to
kawa bakari sa.
that's right

bones

and

skin/hide

Men who are not necessarily fat but whose bone structure (honegumi it *H.) is huge can be disparaged with words like these:

-? c.' udo -

*:95

':

~:~
somi

o-otoko

~~
chie

ni

ga

mawari-kane

big man entire body to wits/intelligence (subj)

can't go around

The brain power of a big man does not extend throughout

his body. (That is how the proverb translates, but it's easier
just to say, "You dumb lout.")
mawari-kane is a combination of mawari, from the verb
mawaru ("go around/circulate") and kane, from the verb kaneru,
which, when added on to another verb, means "cannot ..."

A David next to such a Goliath could be cut down with the following:

t? lv t? < ~ lv tj: ~ chinchikurin-na otoko- dwarfish man

'J'A kobito- pygmy, runt, shrimp
-i"#;;Bi!i issun-boshi - Tom Thumb (lit., a one-inch monk)
{iiJ?
:t v t
- 1-~Bili
t!. -::> -c ?
Nani?

Ore wa

What?

issun-boshi da

tte?

as-for one-inch monk islam (quote)

" What? I'm a Tom Thumb?"

"ftf,f{

I
wa

Kisama

;J,A

ltlt.PI?Iv
keshikaran

l:~lj:lt'

tJ'o
ja nai ka.

kobito

you (derog.) as-for insolent/disgraceful dwarf/pigmy

aren't

(?)

"Why, you' re nothing but an insolent runt, aren't you!"

ore is a rough/informal masculine word for "I/me."
kisama is a very rough and derogatory word for "you."

only (emph.)

''That's right. He's j ust skin and bones." (PL2)

kawa can be used to refer to the "skin" of fruits and vegetables,
the "hide" of animals, and a number of other figurative "skins,"
but the usual word for human skin is hifu (Bl/1).

Wags who wish to personalize this description can construct

such names as:
~

great awkward oaf

Bi. T 1.: T- Honekawa Sujiko

(Miss) Sujiko Honekawa (lit., Miss Sinewy Bonehide)

suji (Mi) means "sinew/tendon," and adding ko (T) makes the
word sound like a girl's name.

This reminds me of how a friend once depicted such a

woman. He said, "Putting your arms around her is like putting
your arms around a sack of antlers."
Such ridicule can be extended to men by using the name:

1tBl T L:. .t3

Honekawa Sujio
(Mr.) Sujio Honekawa (The final o indicates it is a male
name, whereas a final ko signals a feminine name.)

There is a class of Buddhist ascetics who fast for religious purposes. Like Mahatma Gandhi, these holy men usually do not
have enough excess fat on them to feed a gnat for a day. They are
called if~ rakan - skin-and-bones Buddhist fanatics (the
word was once applied to Buddha's five hundred disciples who
had entered into the state of Nirvana.)
In the last extreme, those fleshless ones become mere ~ ~ t J.>
~ ikeru shikabane- living corpses.

The Body and Physical Attributes

Face
t: ~ r.Jt!. I? ~t <l)Jlt4: nikibi-darake no kao- pimple-covered face
~~~IT) M chinmurui no kao - face that would stop a clock
chin means "rare/curious/strange," and murui means "incomparable/without like kind."
~=fAA

umeboshi-gao- prune face

MIt' M minikui kao - ugly face

1-9>~-TIJ)

Mv'

Yukiko no minikui kao

(name)

's

!R~i.Jf}E

JU.: t!.lt -r:

mita doke de

face (obj.) see

ugly

only

IJ i i' o

mushizu ga hashirimasu.
be disgusted

"The m ere sight ofYukiko's ugly face sends chills down

my back."
mushizu ga hashiru (lit. "bug-acid runs") is a set expression
meaning that one is disgusted/revolted.

!1})-'flf sukebege !!Hl~

Tarehoho

lecherous looking (face)

IT)
!1})-'flfl'j:
no sukebege-na

Ifiif,l/d.

f!.? f.: o

tsuragamae datta.

hanging cheek (-ed) lecherous looking face/countenance

was

''It was a lecherous face with drooping jowls."

tarehoho combines tare from the verb tareru ("hang down"),
MANGAJIN

27

Ou t r a g eo u s Japane se
and hoho ("cheek").
tsura is a slang word

for "face," and gamae (kamae) means

"slrtlcture/style/appearance"

1?-"fB

13 t ~-c~:l'ttj:~t' <~~~ ' CU::'t.' Mi -c.'"T o

memo aterarenai kurai hidoi kao desu.

li

Sanae wa

(name) as-for can't even lay eyes o n extent

awful face

is

"Sanae's face is too awful to look at."

aterarenai is

the negative potential ("can't do") fonn of ateru

("apply to/direct to"), and kurai is "about/to the extent'' so me
mo aterarenai kurai hidoi means "awful to the extent that (one)
can't even direct the eyes to," and modifies kao. "face."

The following three words are all used to mean a stupid looking face:
.~ B:00

~ 'i

baka-zura

? 00 ahO-zura

r.!lt~Jt oo

manuke-zura

eyed Peeping Tom (donguri is acorn; manako is another

word for eyes.)
9J h.{:(!) 13 kirenaga no me - slit-eyes
13 (/) 't I) ~ 1>{ ? t:. ):!! i'F (/) 1J:: me no suri -agatta Toyo no onna
-slant-eyed Oriental woman
o / ~~ ') (!) 13 Ron-Pari no me - wall-eyes (lit., London-Paris
eyes). Imagine that you are standjng athwart the English
C hannel and are looldng at both the cities simultaneously.
Mouth
~0 (/) ft~

wani-guchi no daigishi- Diet member with

the mouth of a crocodile

11 1\8 (/) im I) -T deppa no odoriko- buck-toothed dancer

(Soppa .& lW also means buck-toothed, or, according to
some sources, snaggle-toothed.)
~~

.@.

(/)

lki

no kusaki

breath ('s)

stench

l;i

:m ~ -r

wa

nushi

shirazu.

as-for owne r

does not know

Eyes

One is not aware of his own foul breath.

Ri !3 (/)~I! I!~ yani-me no oni-babii- rheumy-eyed old devil

(This is a literary expression used to describe someone who

is blissfully unaware of his own faults. This is not, however
the case for the unfortunates around him.)

of a woman

oni means "devil/demon," and babii is a derogatory word for

"old woman/hag."

1J-Iv1Jf I? 13 (!) ?'G ~Jffi hingara-me no baishOju- cross-eyed

prostitute (Suga-me means the same as hingara-me.)
11 !3 (!) ~~ i)i; de-me no koshokkan- pop-eyed lecher
I]] ~IJR (!) iiJl!. ~ ~ donguri-manako no nozoki-mi- goggle-

That should provide sufficient material to allow most

readers to begin verbally abusing their friend s and neighbors.
In the next lesson we will fini sh up the section on physical
attributes, and move on to the more serious business of Threats,
T aunts and Curses.

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really impressed us: lt'5 the mmt clever and truly useful version
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When Micro5oh Corporation tramfen 5oftware engineen for a
5tint in its Tokyo office, it give5 them a computer disk called
'Power Japanese' made by Boyware, Inc.

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exercise books and flash cards.

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t -H00-53 TUTOR

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28

MANG A JI N

As used In these
and other corporations:
American Airlines American Express AT&T Boeing
Cano11 Dell Eastman Kodak Ford Motor Hitachi
Hewlett Packard IBM Intel Konamatsu Kyocera
M icrosoft Mltsublshl Motorola NASA NCR Panasorllc
Pfizer Polaroid Procter & Gamble Ricol1 SI1arp Sieko
So11y Subum Toshiba Toyota Unisys Verbatim

Viewlogic Systems Xerox

-IT7

Knowing how it could change the lives of canines everywhere, the dog
scientists struggled diligently to understand the Doorknob Principle.

tnt.: lti:!!: W. q:. O):;ldR 0) ~ffi t

li, ~7 /

Dore dake

sekai)ii

no

~ .Z J.> :0' t
/O)JJii:JitNPY'J L J:.-) t,

inu-rui

no seikatsu o

how much all over the world ("s) dog (genus) ("s)

:;kQ)~$;ft.:t:>
li
inu no kagakuslzatachi wa
dog scientists

~7 / /Q)
doa nobu 110

(as-for) doorknob
:0

t'?..t?

life

(obj)

Jjj(Jll!

a-

genri

~~JU: ~ '-'' -c:;k0)1t!!f:~jl

~fit;O)~:tJ t~~'Htt.: o

!went

ka

change

(?) (obj) knowing/keeping in mind

nenti5 ni oite

M~ l.J:.-J
~fit;Q)~:tJ
kaimei slziyi5 to ke11mei 110 doryoku

("s) principle (obj .) try to understand

diligent effons

a-

~Ht.: o
o tsuzuketa.

(obj.) continued

canine (keinain) = 1 Y. f.:}Q)~~- 1 Y. (Q))

nento ni oite is from nento ni oku ("keep in mind/know").
although it's not always necessary to make the singular/plural distinction in Japanese, adding the suffix
- tachi is one way to form a plural noun.
kaimei suru ="make clear/elucidate," and kaimei shiyo is the volitional ("let's .. .") form of the verb. The
construction verb-yo to suru implies "striving/endeavoring to (do the action of the verb)."

30

MAN GAJIN

t<l v'N ..,J tlobbrs~~

,/~

~
-

. -;-

GJ

""<....~~-=:.

Calvin: "Do ou have any money?"

~ i31fi:
~ "?
.0 ?

-c

O-kane

moue-ru?

(bon.-) money

have

Hobbes: "NQQe."
-If- lv -If lv 0
Ze-n zen
none at all
;0"\'h~ ~ O.&~lfA.

nope [noup]li no Q)~MI'f.JlHilo

Calvin: "Hmm ... How can we get some?"

~ 7 l.>. t ~ ~ "? t::. I?
i:> 1fi: =f. 1: A tL I? tL .0 tJ' ;>j:?
Fumu. . .

Do

hmm

how

yauara

okane

te ni irerareru

kana?

can gel hold of

I wonder

if (we) do (hon.-) money

Calvin: "Who do we know that we could sue?"

~ ~*'J

-c: Wf*. I? tt.o

A,

~~"' ;>j: "'

hito, dare ka

coun

person somebody doesn '1 eltisl I wonder

al

can sue
JJ4.

-f" A.:bf~ 'IA >l,.. J. ?

~ ,,.

mar

iJ' ;>j:?
ka na?

Saiban de uuaerarent

Jj

t..-1.:.:'1::

~PI! A.

.:.

''? 1/A,.'{ ~

.-<\ l.:,(

~ Pi/A

sue ... for - c 1.: tJl~l!fjfj\Q) )!l1F .:t >a:~:: T o fiiJ$ ~ Ri.!I'IJl.:f; i? :it:, tt Q) -!Jf- All:it-1 t:t 00 -r: li, m:t=IJ >a:
'lt tJ~ 1
\l.f.!A.
OA.~(
It,,..:.
''~"'
tl'~"(
J9ifut'ltQ) - p3U: 1..- "'(~ .:t J.>n!rPJ-IJ~- ~~.:~ IJ, :::: -r: ri-t-tL>a:- &:~!-? "'(v' J.:, 'b Q) o
Calvin & Hobbes, copyright

1987 Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved. Reprinted/translated by permission of Editors Press Service,

M ANGAJIN

.Y.

31

(0\'liN ~ HobbeS
~RlSI\

Calvin: "Dad How do oeogle make babies?"

~ J'{r~, J;.lvf.t. c'-J ~-::> ""( iffi-1? ~lv
Papa,
dad

minna

do

-:><o

yatte

akachan

tsukuru

no?

do

baby

(obj.)

make

(ex plan.)

everyone how

(J)?

Father : "Most geogle just go to Sears, buY, the kit, and follow the assembly instructions."
-::> -r ~ --c ,
-+ t.:. ", -r ", (J) A I t.:. t.:. ':/ 7 - .:t "" fT -::> -r , -t "J 1- ~
Taitei no hito

wa

most people

tada

Shiiizu

iue,

setto

Sears

to

go

sellkit

as-for just

~IY'liD
setsumeisho

(/)

mjf-

1: tt.-::> ""( *-'l. J;. JL. ""( 0 t..:lt

110

shiji

ni slritagaue kumitateru

instruction sheet 's instructions to

put together

follow

dake

nkaue kite,

(obj.) buy and bring home

~0
sa.

only/just (emph.)

Sears li *~C7)*~1'f.J Tl~- r C7)~n1J o

assembly instructions *H.h.j! -rmff-o Instructions li..: C7)ff,P*1:1i:iffif'!l,
Calvin: "I came from Sears??"

~ t.:. -::> ""(

k.ara kita
11e

-+ If< I ':/ 7 - ;/:. fJ' C:>

Boku wa

shiiizu

Vme as-for

Sears

"'

mrr~ ~ fflv'

.o o

(J)??

iu -) no??

from came (quote) say

(ex plan.)

Father : "IN.__y_ou were a blue light sgecial at K Mart. Almost as aood and a lot cheaoer."
~ "'~, .t:>M I K7 - !-- (J)
ilf!~fillio"b
t..: -::> t.:. lv t.!.o ':/ 7 - ;/:. (J) t
lya,
no

omae wa,
you as-for

I
~Pi
lri11shitsu wa

quality

n da.
Kei miito 110
clro-toldcahi"
daua
KMart 's super-special price item were (explan.) is

-t- tt. 1:1 e:

sorehodo

as-for that much

t.t. ", 1t e:,

~ b t:>
k.awaranai

kedo,

isn't different

but

Shiiizu
Sears

no

/0

's with

i'-::>c

1i: fJ' -::> t.:.

lv

t..: J:. o

zutto

yasuk.atta

II

da

yo.

much/by far was cheap (explan.) is (emph.)

-r

.o

r .o
n .o ..: n

K Mart 9: :!: tJ! 7t IJ !fm (7,) * ~ (7,) 1 A tJ ? ::.-- r A r 7 o Sears t !t""' t ~ tJ! tJr 0
blue light special ~filii, ;-{ - ?''/ .fbo K Mart "'(' li t.:
1 J: IJ <ro>7tlm ,._ 7 ::.-- 717)-? "' t.:?l: IJ :1-,g;--c"<fiil
0
-!Jfblue light special.
~W~Ufiffi:te l:lj:-?"t"i:; IJ i-to J t ", ? J: 7 lj: 7 -r ? ::.-- A -/J{ TJr ~ ~ -/J'

r r.: "'

Calvin: "AAUUGHHH"
~

??-/ !
Uwa-11!

Mother : "Dear, what are you telling Calvin now?!"

~ ~ t.t. t.:., "' -::> t::. "' A, 71 Jv r'f 1 /
1: fPJ
Anata,
dear

32

MAN GAJtN

Er-::>""Co

illai

ima

Karuvi11

IIi /lOIIi

(emph.)

now

Cal vin

to what (obj.) are saying

dear 7C MU.l'l ~ *Jl -/J' c_, =f "'-, \J: 11f~ i/.

.!; ( ~bh.O o

h.~

itte-ru

(J)?

no?
(explan.)

..: ~ "( f~-? P/f'-tf-/J' IT (7,) H~ o

..: 17)

1t!! sweetheart, honey

lj:

t'b

0-nt.!!lii1tMB

OL Shinkaron

fi<fj

-t

by Akizuki Risu

Jiritsu

to

Koki5

self-reliance and superiority/aloofness

Self-Reliance or Superiority
ro is usually "and," but here it sets up a contrast, so "or" works better in English.

Sound FX: I! I!
Pi pi (sound as paper drops in paper tray)

Sound FX: 7iGli (sound of copy machine motor)

Kochira no

kachi5-san

marne

desu ne.

over here 's section chief-(hon.) diligent/active is, isn't he

" Your section chief is reallv hard-workim~. isn' t

he?" (PL3)
-Ji?~llv'

Po

Urayamashii

wa.

envious

(fern. colloq.)

" I' m envious." (PL2)

OL 2: X.?
E?

"Hunh?" (PL2)

OL I is visiting from another section of the c;ompany, and uses koch ira (lit.
"over here/this side") as a pronoun for "this section." Kochira no = "this
section's" -+ "your."'
kachi5 combines ka ("section") with the suffix for indicating the " head/chief/
leader" of a group, -cho, to give the meaning "section chief." It is standard
for Japanese employees to refer to and address their superiors by title rather
than by name, often adding the honorific suffix -san.

OL 3:

=f-f~ v'

1 l .t. -) iJ'?

Tetsudaimashi5

ka?

shall he! p/assist

"Shall I helo vou (with that)?" (PL3)

Kacho:

'-''~,

lya,
no

'-'''-'' o
ii.
okay/fine

"No, that's okay." (PL2)

OL2: i?iJ'-? q)
J:. o
Chigau

no

yo.

different (explan.-is) (emph.)

"You' ve eot it wrong.'' (PL2)

<!? :h !i -"!! t: f.l.t:. t;,
~ 1g Jfll ""C ~ v' t! 11 J:. o
Are wa tan-ni watashi-tachi o shin'yi5 shite-nai dake yo.
that as-for just

us

(obj.)

doesn't trust

only (emph. )

" It's simolv that he doesn' t trust us." (PL2)

Sound FX: U' -f: (} -f:
Hiso hiso (effect of whispering secrets)
tetsudaimashi5 is the PL3 volitional ("let's/l shall") form of tetsudau ("help/
assist"). The question particle ka makes it "shall J help/do that?"
chigau no yo is literally "it is different," but idiomatically means "that's the
wrong idea/conclusion" -+ "you've got it wrong."
the explanatory no by itself serves as no desu (explan. +"is/are") in colloquial
speech; similarly yo by itself can serve as desu yo ("is/are"+ emph.).
shin 'yo is a noun meaning "trust," and shin 'yo suru is its verb form. Shin 'yo
shite-(i)nai ="doesn't trust."
Akizuki Risu, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by Kooansha Ltd. Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Kooansha Ltd.
MANGAJIN

41

0 ~ii1ciDfn
-..

fxfJ ~ -t

by Aklzukl Rlsu

OL Shinkaron

Terebi/tii-vii wa Utau
TV

as-for sing(s)

The Television Sin2s

Ad: 1Jtfvf!.O
Ganbaru

J.l

(J) 1~'7- ~J

otoko no

strive/work hard man s

/7

pawii dorinku
power drink

Power Drink - for hard working men (PL2)

S_Q!.md FX: I::
Pi (effect of pushing remote button to change channel)

the verb ganbaru ("to stri ve/work hard") modifies otoko ("man").
because the illustration suggests it, we have treated pawii dorinku (re ndered
from the English) as a brand name. The ad is for a (fictitious) tonic eiyii f'nullition/nourishment") drink of the kind we featured in M ANGAJIN No. 21.

Anchorman:

!~~

Kiisei-sho

no elrosa ni yorimasu to

Min. of Health & Welfare s survey

according to

" Accordin2 to a survey b the Ministry of Health

and Welfare ..."
lrataraki-zakari no totsuzen-shi wa kono jiinen de zoka no
working prime

in sudden death as-for this 10 yrs. in increase of

"sudden deaths of men in their) working prime

have increased over the last ten years." (PL3)
Sound FX: I::
Pi (effect of pushing remote button to c hange channel)

... ni yorimasu to is the PL3 of ... ni yoru to, "according to/based on ..."
lrataraki-zakari comes from lwtaraku ("to work/labor") plus sakari ("height/
summit/peak": s changes to z for euphony) to make a noun referring to the
time when a person is "at the peak of his working years."
kono ("this/these") followed by a time period (n days/months/years) refers to
that long of a period leading up to the present.
the no where the sentence breaks off turns the preceding into a modifier for
whatever follows. The implied final meaning is essentially the same as if the
sentence ended with zoka shite-iru ("are increasing/have increased").

mt~J

t:
L

.t

~ ~

t:.
(J)

Ad:

~ ~ t::. (J) f;
Anata no ai

1: L. J: ? o

Jf~

karachi ni slriyii.

s love (obj.) shape into do/put

you

Give sbaoe to vour love. (PL2)

On Screen:

~7

~fill

Tomato Seimei

Tomato Life (lnsuranc!)

Sound FX: I::
Pi (effect of pushing re mote button to change channel)

shiyii is the volitional ("let's/1 shall") fonn of suru ("do"). As in English, the
volitional form can be used to encourage the listener to do something: 'Let's
give shape to our love -+ "Give shape to your love."
the Japanese term for 'Life insurance" is 11:: 611~Wi seimei hoken, but most life
insurance companies are better known by their short names,-- Seimei.

Wife:

~ 1: ~ ;Z .: lv "t" .0
Nani kangaekonde-ru

(J)

no

J: ?
yo?

what become lost in thought (Cllplan.-?)(emph.)

" What're vou broodin2 about?" (PL2)

kangaekonde-(i)ru is fro m kangaekomu ("become lost in thought/think deeply
about/ponder/brood").
C Akizuki Risu, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by KOdansha Ltd. Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through KOdansha Ltd.
42

MAN GAJIN

0-ul.!!lil1ciDm

fj( Ji VJ

OL Shinkaron

by Akizukl Ris u

Title: f'F #'.

(J)

il A

Saho

no

Tatsujin

manners/etiquette on/of expenlmaster

Expert on Etiquette

<a

'7

Ashita warashi no

BJI

tomorrow I/me

n~~ s

t.t 1: "
"' l:fj (J)
IJ -r ft
t.t ll

dairi

de

's representative as

1:: 1:1.1-r<hlj:v'

~j:\

-Jplj: o

soshiki ni dete kurenai

ka na.

funeral to won't a!lend for me I wonder

"I wonder if you wouldn't attend a funeral as my

respresentative tomorrow?"
- " I want you to go to a funeral in my stead tomorrow." (PL2)
OLs: liv' o
Hai.
"Yes sir." (PL3)

.--.~:

the particle de often indicates the cause or reason for an action.

dete is the -te form of deru ("go/come out"), used idiomatically to mean "appear" on TV/in a movie/on stage or to "attend" (i.e. "appear at/in") class/a
meeting/a funeral or other ceremony/etc.
kurenai is the negative form of kureru ("give [to me]," or after the -te form of
another verb, "do [the action] to/for me"). Kurenai ka after the te form of a
verb makes an informal but fairly polite request; o r, as here, it is a way of
"softening" what is in fact a command.

OLl:

1j: 1::' .: h?
Nani, kore?
what

"What's this?" (PL2)

this

OL2: i./1)

(J)

Kiyome

jj[ t:.~Jj:v'?

no shio ja nai?

purification for salt

is it not?

" I think it's salt to purify yourself." (PL2)

Sound FX: 1i 7 ;..; :::l ~ ;..;

Gatarz gotorz (rumbling of train wheels against tracks)
kiyome is a noun form of kiyomeru ("purify").

.l .
l

0-soshiki

kara

kaettara

(hon.)-funeral from when return/get home

A. .o

:t r~

-wn::

1~ -?

gerzkarz hairu mae ni tsukau

front door enter before

use

(J)

.t o

no

yo.

(explan.-is) (emph.)

"When you get home from a funeral, you use it before entering your front door." (PL2)
OLI : .b-lvo

"Hmm, (I see)." (PL2)

Fun.

it is the custom to sprinkle salt on yourself before entering the house when
returning from a funeral - as a form of ritual purification.
fiin is an interjection showing interest/understanding.

"Sound" FX: li -=>

Pal (effect of scattering salt)

Boss: -f IJ

Sorya

13l{A. IJ

dohyo-iri.

as for that entering a sumo ring

"That (way) is (for when you) enter the sumo ring."

- ''That's how they do it for sumo." (PL2)
sorya is a contraction of sore wa ("as for that'').
note that they appear to be throwing the salt out in front of them, as if into a
dohyo ("sumo ring"), rather than sprinkling it over themselves.
Akizuki Risu, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by KOdansha Ltd. Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through KOdansha Ltd.

M ANGAJIN

43

~Pta
OBATARIAN
by

:tJffi 83 tJ~ -::> v z:

Hotta Katsuhiko
The name Obatarlan was coined from the
two words:
obasan - literally "aunt" but also used
as a generic term for middleaged/adult women, and,
batarian - the Japanese title for the
American movie Return of the
living dead-a reference to the
"battalions" of zombies in the
film.
Obatarian is used as a generic term for
this type of c haracter, but it's also used as if
it were her name (this is similar to the use of
the word obasan). The word has now become
a part of the Japanese language.
In this series Obatarian is most commonly drawn as the plump character with
tight curly hair, but there are also other embodiments.

44

MANGAJIN

**"-C.to

Narr ation: ::H>I: 7-fA?"'// ~

Tsui-ni raimu mashin o
finally

time machine

5i:Jilt~-ttt.: ft
li,
ktmsei saseta hakushi wa, mtrat e

(obj.)

completed

~t!.-:Jf.:o

tabidatta.

professor as-for future to (quote) departed on journey

"The professor who finally completed a time machine departed o n a journey to the future.
- Havin finall com le te d his time machine the rofessor took a tri into the future. ( PL2)
Sound FX: ~~~~~ ...
Bi bi bi bi (effect of humming/buzzing or other dull, repetitive noise made by machinery)

i- :. 1.' ~~ tJt
soko de kare ga

Narr ation : L '/J' L

Shikashi

but/however there at

he

~ t.: {> ~ li .. .
mira mono wa .. .

(subj.) saw thing as-for

But what he saw there was

kansei saseta is the causative ("make/let") form of kansei suru ("to complete/perfect"). Tsui ni taimu mashin o
kansei saseta is a complete thought/sentence ("finally made complete a time machine") modifying hakushi (or
hakase, "professor/doctor").
tabidatta is the plain/abrupt past form of tabidatsu, from rabi ("journey") and tatsu ("depart"; t changes to d for
euphony).
mila is the plain/abrupt past form of min1 ("see"), and soko de kare ga mila is a complete thought/sentence ("he
saw there") modifying mono ("thing'').

-r

Professor: lj: , lj: lv

Na. nan
te

:. c.

t!.'

koto da.

wh- what {quote) thing is

" Wh- what's the ex lanation for this - "

Kakusenso de sekai ga

hametsu shita

to

wa.

nuclear war by world (subj.) was destroyed (quote) as-for

"(that) the world has been d estroyed by nuclear war?" (PL2)

te is a colloquial equivalent of the quotative to iu, so nan re koto literally means "a thing called/described/explained as what?" Asking a question with da is very rough/forceful, so nan te koro da has the feeling of an astonished/exclamatory "What the heck/hell (is this/is going on)?!"
we have treated this as a case of inverted syntax, viewing the first line as what would normally follow the end of
the second. Another way to view it is as an exclamation of astonishment ("What in the world?!") followed by an
incomplete second sentence implying an ending something like odoroila ("am astonished/surprised") or
shinjirarenai ("can't believe"): "I'm astonished/can't believe that the world has been destroyed by nuclear war.'"

Professor:

J\ ':J

Hal (effect of catching his breath with a start)

i- -) 1l'o

Professor: :1 :!f 7 1) !!
Gokiburi!
cockroach

So ka.
(interj. of recognition/understanding)

"A cockroach! Ahaa!" (PL2)

:l&~.t

~:tt

Chilcyii-jo no seibursu
on earth

's

"('

-:fi

de

ichiban seimei-ryoku no

life fonns among most

:! :!f 7' 1) t!.lt iJf

:. -) L -r

gokiburi dake ga

ko shire

cockroach only (subj.) in this way

''The cockroach alone (PL2 implied)

Sound FX:

~tfr;'j]

life force

~~

J:l h -r

tsuyoi

(subj.) is strong

.. .

ikinokotte .. .
has survived

that m ost resilient of life fo rms on earth -

has s urvived like this."

ff"T :f"t
Gasa gosa (rustling sound)

chikyii no seibursu de ichiban seimei-ryoku no rsuyoi is a complete thought/sentence ("has the strongest life
force/resilience among life forms on earth") modifying gokiburi ("cockroach").
ikinokotte is the-re form of ikinokoru, from ikiru ("to live/be alive") and nokoru ("remain") - "has remained
living" - "has survived.''

Sound FX: rC/ ;\ / ;\ /'

Ban ban ban
Blam b lam balm (sound of bashing cockroach)

e Hona Katsuhiko. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by Take Shotxl, TOkyO. English translation rights arranged through Take Shotxl.
MA NG A JI N

45

f;tlflll
OBA TARIAN

by

[!]

:tmi EE tY-::> V Z: I Hotta K a t s uhiko

Cover Stor : .f*
Aki

mffi!>.

(J)

no Ryiiko-shoku

aulUmn 's

ryiiko refers to things that are "popular/fashionable/in vogue."

Non-no and Men 's Non -no are fashion magazines; needless to say, Oba 's
Non-no does not actually exist.

0)

_;~

.. ..

t:::;

popular colors

This Fall's New Colors

3f-K

Cover Storv: iilt ff

Ryiiko

ii'1 .: ~ T

kikonasu

fashions (obj.) wear welVskillfully

Wearine the Fashions Stylishl_y

Men:s ~

kikonasu is from kiru (''wear") and -konasu, which is added to other verbs to
imply that the action is done "well/skillfully/thoroughly" -. (when speaking
of wearing clothes) "sty lishly."

Cover Stor
,cf> .

iitt fT
RyiikO

ga

doslzita!

fashions (subj.) what/how did

Wha t About F ash ion?

Fashion - Who ares? (PL2)

Obatariao 1: i}\;t.: < -nr
I? <o
-+

Semaku ga

raku.

laundry (subj.) easy/convenient

"It's eas to launder." (PL2)

Obatarian 2: l :b ~= ~I?~ '-'' o

Oba:smwn

Slziwa

ni

naranai.

wrinkles to doesn't/won't become

" It doesn' t wrinkle." (PL2)

Narration: :t ~~ -5' 1) 7 / li ;f, 1) .:r..;;;... .:;- Jv
Obatarian

wa

obatarians

as-for

(/) 7/l:::"-:J...
no wan piisu

poriesuteru
polyester
~

,{(J.> o
kiru.

of one piece dress(es) (obj.) wear

Obatarians wear one- ieee

Arrow: 1]\ ~ ~ ~EW'i (/)-;' 1) / r ~~

(PL2)

Chiisa-na hanagara no purinro moyo

small nower panem of printed pattern

A small floral- rint attern

... ga do slzita makes a colloquial expression like "(topic/subject) - what of
it?/so what?/who cares?"
naranai is the negative of naru ("become"). Shiwa ni na ru = "become
wrinkled."
poriesuteru, wan piisu, and purimo are katakana rendering of the English
words.
kiru means " put on/don/wear" for clothing that involves putting arms through
sleeves.
clziisa-na is an alternate form of the adjective chiisai ("small/little").
gara, whe n speaking of fabric, refers to a " pattern" printed on or woven into
the c loth: moyo is a more generic word for "pattern/design."

C Houa Katsuhiko. All rights reserved. First published in J apan in 1990 by Take ShobO. Tllkyll. English translation rights arranged through Take Shobll.

4 6

M A N GAJtN

tllflMI

by

:tftt EE :t.J~--:::> V' .::: I Hotta Katsuhiko

Narration: :t '~"'

7 / ti 1J- V ~

1
)

Obatarian

OBATARIAN

wa

obatarian

klido

;t v :.-Orenji

riyiJ shinai.

as-for card(s) (obj.) doesn't make use

Obatarian doesn' t use

Salesman:

:fiJ.ffl l t.t. "' o

:; 1J -

orange

I' "' fp nt

re aid cards. (PL2)

-r- T n'?

kiido

ikaga

desu ka?

card

how

is it?

" How about an Oran e Card?" (PL3)

prepaid cards for pay telephones and other services are popular in Japan. both
for their convenience and as insurance against getting caught short of pocket
change. Orenji kiido is the name of a prepaid card for train tickets.
riyiJ shinai is the negative form of riyiJ sum ("utilize/make use of').
ikaga is a more polite/formal word for do ("how/what").

(2]

::.. ([)*. "'-? 1~ ~ n' b

kono tsugi itsu tsukau ka

Obatarian: f: 1-v t;;.,

sonna,

that kind of next time

Jl: ~

when

use

n' I? t;;. "' b 1-v

"&; ';) t:. I? 1:. ffi 1ft

j3 ~

kart okane a/lara

Salesman: t:? , t: <t:. I? l "'-? !!

Nil nikutarashii-!
pro- provoking/aggravating

"(Grrr,) What a pain!" (PL2)

kono tsugi is "this next" -+ " next after this" -+ "next (time)." Kono tsugi itsu
tsukau ka wakaranai ("don' t know when [I] will use it next") modifies man
("thing," a contraction of mono). Sanna ("that kind of') also modifies mon.
The particle o has been omitted after mon, the direct object of kau ("buy").
kau in tum completes a full thought/sentence ("[to] buy something like that
that I don't know when I'll use next") modifying okane ("money").
mawasu is literally " tum/rotate," but is used idiomatically to mean "send
around/forward/shift/refer [to]" -+ "apply to."
nik11tarasilii is the same as nikurashii; both are used as exclamations/interjections when the speaker finds another person "aggravating/insufferable.''

tj'~

nt

kozeni

ga

Obatarian: "&; t? 0 ,
Ara!
(interj.)

t;;. \t'
nai

bo
wa.

small change (subj.) not exist/have (fem. colloq.)

"Goodness! I don' t have an

Obatarian: l .;. -1J{ t;;. 1.t ' o -1? .;.
SiliJ ga nai.

t ...

Chotto .. .

can't be helped

a little/hey

"Oh well. Say ..." (PL2)

sho ga nai is a variation of shikata ga nai, "there's nothing one can do" -+ 'it
can't be helped."
chotto is literally "a little," but it's also used as an interjection for getting
someone's attention, like "say/hey/look here."

Obatarian: ::.. h
Kore
this

<1' l

"( o ~

kuzushite.
demolish/break down

"Give me chan e for this will ou?'' (PL2)

Arrow: 7C I') ...t~f~
Uriage-kin
sales money

Receipts from Sales

kuzushite is the -te form of kuzusu ("demoHshlbreak down," or with money,

"break/change [a larger denomination)"). The -te form makes an informal/
abrupt request or gentle command, "(do it), please /(do it), will you?"
Hotta Katsuhiko. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1990 by Take Shobo, Tokyo. English translation righis arranged through Take ShobO.
MANGAJIN

47

1""'""

:sL1E ~ ~::taB

Y Tachibanaya Kikutaro
Sound FX: ;{ .:f- :;
C rack! (effect of golf club hitting ball)

Bakii!

Toch~ "(C.:,(!') ~v'-:> o

Berabo-mei! " Damn!" (PL I)

berabO-mei! is an exclamation used by Edokko (..children of Edo" = "native
Tokyoites'') meaning "(that's) idiotic/ridiculous/outrageous." and it also serves
as an all- purpose curse. -Mei! is a dialect version of the pejorative suffix -me.

[3]

Sound FX: ;{ ~-

'l

Crack! (effect of golf club hitting ball)

Bashii!

Tochl!!!;. .:. lv f?

<L.. J: -

~ ~.- ' -:> o

KonchikushO-mei!

"S.O.B.!" (PLl)

chikusi!O literally means "beast/dumb animal," but it's also probably themOSt
commonly used curse of chagrin/aggravation/disgust. Kon- serves as an em
phatic prefix but is actually a contraction of kono (''this").

~ 1v, =t Jv 7 li
Tame-san. gorufu wa

*'~

Friend: -7 7-

(name)-(hon.)

'b -:> c

as-ror gentleman 's

J: 1.:
johin-ni

mouo
more

golr

Q) :7..

-r-- "J t!.

shinshi no supotsu
~ t)

da

sport

fJ' L?
kara

is because/so

f.t .t 0

yari-na yo.

in genteeUrefined manner do/play (emph.)

"Tame-san,_golf is a entleman's s ort so

genteelly!' (PL2)
lochan: i>-:> t, -f ') l"T fJ'It' o VfJ' t)-? L..t.:o
Ouo,

so

ohloops

that way

desu kai.
is

is it?

Wakariyashita.
understood

" Oh is that so. Okay." (PL3)

yari is from yaru ("do"), and -na is a contraction of -nasai, which makes a
relatively gentle command.
olio is an interjection used when a person realizes he has made/is about to
make a mistake.
wakariyashita is a dialect version (Edokko style) of wakarimashita.

Sound FX: ;\.:f- :;

Crack! (effect of golf club hitting ball)

Bakii!

lochan: i> <-t"-:>t.:tt.~-v'-:> o

0-kusottare-me- i!

" 0-kusottare-mei!'' (PL I)

Friend: i> t :::H t I? ~ "' "'
0

tsukerya

"o-" (obj.) ir attach

ii

-:> -r t lv t: ~ f.t "' .t 0

1/e

mon

is good/enough (quote) thing

ja 11ai
IS not

yo

(em ph.)

"It's not a thing where it's enough to just add o-."

" ust addin o- isn' t enou h." (PL2)
kusollare (or kusotare), with or without the pejorative suffix -me(i). is used to
call someone an "S.O.B./ass," and it's also another widely used curse of ch agrin. Since it's literally a scatalogical reference, it has a somewhat cruder feeling than the other two curses. lochan thought he could make it more "gen tee I"
merely by adding the honorific prefix o-.
tsukerra is a contraction of tsukereba, a conditional ("if') form of tsukeru ("affix/attach"). The -ba form of a verb plus ii (''good/fine") makes an express ion
meaning "it's enough to ... /all you have to do is ..."

e Tachibanaya Kikutaro. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1991 b) Take: ShobO. Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO.
48

M ANGAJI N

:5L :fE 1M ~ ;t!lB

Y Tachibanaya Kikutaro

Tochan:

flii

~'-'S"(>/v,

Kiichan,

Beranmei Tochan

klichan (an informal okiisan, "mother") is the female counterpart of tifchan

(an informal otosan, "father") in the title of this series. Married couples often
address and refer to one another this way once they have kids.

ii

Oya mii,

da

11101

nei.

well well/my, my good/fine smell/fragrance is (colloq.)

"M

the smell nice don't the ?" (PL2)

oya mii is an exclamation of mild surprise, "well well/my, my." Oya and mli
can also be used separately for the same effect.
neat the end of a sentence expects or assumes the listener agrees. Nei is a
dialect version of ne.

[2]

Tochan: L ~' L,
Shikashi,

t:t. AJ! t:t.

nan da

7 ,

nli,

bulfhowever (interj.) (colloq.)

"But

ou know . .."

1t

Hana

wa

v't.: tH:' . . .

saita

kedo . . .

blossoms as-for bloomed but .. .

"the blossoms have bloomed, but . . ." (PL2)

nan da is literally "what is it?'' but here is being used as a pause/hesitation
word, something like "you know," as he momentarily contemplates what he
sees before going on.
na is an informal and mostly masculine equivalent of ne; here it's part of the
verbal pause (a frequent use of Ill! in the middle of a sentence) and lengthening it to nli extends the pause slightly.

Tochan:

~ #:,

~t

Umeboshi

ga

t:t.-:::> "( t.lnaue-ne

t:t. o
na.

dried/pickled plums (subj.) arcn 't growing on it (colloq.)

" there aren't any umeboshi growing on it." (PL2)

Kachan: ;< tJ t! b v' o -t- ~ "(> :fE
t;t ~-:::> "( ~, C:> t!.. J:. o
Baka da

nei.

fool is/are (colq)

Sorya

hana

ga

chitte kara da yo.

as for that blossoms (subj) after scatter is

(emph)

"Sill ! Those come after the blossoms fall." (PL2)

futy: fiX '? t.: '? "(
~ ;i{:,
t:t. lv ~'
t:t. lv bJ:.

Chiuaue

umeboshi

nanka

nanne

yo.

even after scatter pickled plums thing like won't grow on it (emph.)

"Umeboshi won' t row on it even after the blossoms

fall." (PL2)
ume are ''Japanese apricots," often translated as "plums," and -boshi means
"dried" (from Jwsu, "to dry"). Umeboshi are ume first pickled in salt water
with red shiso leaves, and then partially dried.
11atte-ne is a slang contraction of natte-inai, negative of natte-iru, which is the
progressive ("is/are - ing") form of naru ("be borne as fruit"-> "grow on [a
tree/plant]"). The boy's nanne is a contraction of naranai, the negative fom1 of
naru.
sorya is a contraction of sore wa ("as for that").
chiue is the -te form of chiru ("scatter"), and kara (lit. "from") after the -te
form of a verb means "since/after (the action took/takes place)." Chittalle is a
colloquial equivalent of chiue mo, "even if/when [they] scatter.''
Tachibanaya Kikutaro, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1991 by Take ShobO, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO.

MANGA J IN

49

,u,-:~~

Ueda Masashi's

Furiten-kun
'*

Title: ~ .:t

Teislru-:.oku
husband tribe

T he Hus bands
reis/111 is an infonnal word for "husband."
zoku, literally tribe," is used for referring to various groups that are seen as
having a "culture" of their own. It could be translated "subculture" in some
cases. but that seems a bit excessive here.

Ma n: J.J.-?

c b ~ ~_,,

Miuomonai

-?-:>

t.!o

yarsu

da.

unbecoming/disgraceful guy/fellow is

" What a dis2race he is." (PL2)

.'f\11'~

Man: -t(fiJ. 1:

v'li'"?ttC,tL"'C' ...

Nyobo ni kaimono iirsukerarere . ..

wife

by shopping be !Old lo/ordered-and

" Being told by his wife to go shopping and .. ."

" Lettinsz. his wife tell him to do the shQp_Itinl! a nd . . ."
(PL2)

miuomonai essentially means " looks bad," both in the sense of "unbecoming/shabby/unsightly'' and in the sense of " losing face/being disgraced."
ya/Sit is an infonnallrough word for fellow/guy." here serving to emphasize a feeling of derision.
nyobo is an infonnal word for "wife."
kaimono is a noun deri ved from kau ("buy") and mono ("thing"). It can refer to any shopping. but it typically means "grocery shopping/marketing."
The panicle o. to mark the direct object. has been omitted after kaimono.
iirsukerarete is the passive-reform of iirsukeru ("tell/order/instruct [to]").
The -re form acts like English "and" to connect this clause with the c lause in
the next frame.

Ma n:

.:L

L.. "'(

7 o /

epuron

shire

apron

do/wear shopping cart lhing like

kiiro

nanka

hippatte.
pulling

"wearing an apron, and pulling a shopping car t."

(PL2)
epuron is from the English "apron," and shire is the -re fonn of suru (literally "do" but in this case meaning "wear").
kiiro is from English "cart.'' Since so much of the grocery shopping is done
on foot. whether at the neighborhood gree ngrocer/butcher/fishmonger or at a
nearby supermarket, carts like the one shown in frame one are popular
among Japanese housewives.
nanka is a colloquial nado ("a thing/things like"), and is often used to belittle/put dow n the item(s) mentioned.
lrippalle is the -re fonn of lripparu ("puiVdraw").

Man: j, L..

li

Sukoshi wa
a linle

a1

7J-{: 7 7 - :J :z.. L.. ~ 11' 0

kamofuriiju

leas! camouflage/disguise

slriroi.
do

"(He s hould) at leas t use some camoufla e." (PL2)

the particle wa after a number/quantity often has the emphatic meaning of
"at least.''
kamofurclju is a katakana rendering of "camouflage."
slriroi is a colloquial/slang shiro, the abrupt command form of suru ("do'').
<0 Ueda Masashi, All righls reserved. Firs! published in Japan in 1992 by Take ShobO. Tokyo. English lranslalion rights arranged through Take Shob6.

50

M ANGAJIN

Ueda Masashi's

,!1,':1<
Furiten-ku~
Title: 7J

"* gt

Manpokei
ten thousand steps meter

Pedometer
Man:

~B

!i

Kyo wa

ichimanpo

aruita.

today as-for ten thousand steps walked

" I walked ten thousand steps today." (PL2)

in Japanese numbers, the next place after ones, tens. hundreds, and thousands is
called man, so ichiman, or "one man," is literally "one ten-thousand." In combinations, man often means "many" instead of literally "ten thousand"- though
in the case of some manpokei it is appropriate since they have four digits - for
counting 9999 steps. after which the meter goes back to 0000.
-po (or -ho) is a counter suffix for the steps a person takes.
aruita is the plain/abrupt past form of aruku ("walk").

Centi ede:

~B

l;t

Kyo wa hyakumanpo aruita.

today as-for million steps walked

"I walked a million ste s toda ." (PL2)

after reaching man, Japanese numbers cycle through ones, tens, hundreds and
thousands at each new level-which makes it possible for this Japanese centipede to simply multiply the man's ichiman by a hundred (hyaku). The humor is somewhat obscured in English because saying "a million" doesn't
make it immediately obvious that he's talking about "100 X 10,000."
The next main division after 75 man is it oku, equivalent to "100 million,''
and after that comes ~~ chO, equivalent to" I trillion."

- 75 ichiman
+75 jiiman
875 hyakuman
f-75 senman
- ro; ichioku
+ ro: jiioku
8 {!( hyakuoku
f-{t( sen'oku
- ~~

-e~

/J

ry

~~

.:l~

10,000

=
=

100,000
1,000,000
10,000,000
I00,000,000
I ,000,000,000
I0,000,000,000
I 00,000,000,000
1,000,000,000,000

Since this system results in a four digit cycle instead of three digits, it can be
quite confusing to Westerners accustomed to a three-digit system. Even
people who constantly go back and forth between the two systems often find
they need to check large numbers by writing them down. To know how to
read a large number in Japanese, repunctuate it in four digit blocks:
I ,234,567,890

~
\Vl

itchii

one man
= ten man
= hundred man
thousand man
one oku
ten oku
hundred oku
= thousand oku
= one cho

= 12,3456,7890

= 12 oku 3456 man 7890

This number would be readjiini oku, sanzen yonhyaku gojiiroku man

nanasen happyaku kyiijii. Going the other way, when you hear or see a large
number stated in terms of man, oku, and cho, write it down in Arabic numerals, remembering that each of those words represents four places (don't forget to include zeros when a place is empty), then repunctuate with commas
every third place in order to figure out the English equivalent:
~~A~t~ + li~ ~~=+- JJ

Kyii cho hassen nanahyaku rokujiigo oku yonsen sanbyaku nijiiichi man
9 chO 8765 oku 4321 man

9,8765,4321,0000
9,876,543,210.000
Ueda Masashi, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by Take ShobO, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO.

MANGAJIN

51

WiJlt);lt,l0J
Ueda Masashi's

,~,':1~
Furiten-kun

Title:

~aJl

Shindaisha
bunk car/uain

Sleeper
Narration: l'ftHr
Aomori-yuki

~a
shindai

~~.
tokkyii

r~'t!:Q) 3~J
"Akebono Sango"

(place)-bound sleeper [train I special express

dawn

No. 3

Aomori-bound_Limited Express Slee er A kebono

No. 3
shindai is the Japanese word for "bed." although it has pretty much been replaced by beddo (r< 'l r). The word shindaisha, however. is still used to
refer to a ''sleeping car.''
Aomori is the name of the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island
as well as the name of that prefecture's largest city.
the suffix -yuki, from ikulyuku ("go"), is added to place names when designating where a bus/train/plane/etc. is going.
!J;f~. rokJ..:yii is hort for !j;fglj~.:ff tokubetsr1 J..:yilkO, literally "special express," - ''limited express."
most typically -go comes after numbers to give the meaning "No.-," but it
is also routinely attached to the names of trains even when they do not include numbers.

Sound FX: ':!

r/

Caton

r/

':::f
gown

':!

r/

goton

':!

r/

goton

(the rhythmical rumbling of speeding uain wheels against tracks)

Gatung gatung gatung gatung

Furiten-kun:

~t

<

1. C; t.:
Kita-makura

~ t.I-1J'o
ointed north."

jane ka is a colloquiaUslang contraction of de wa nai ka ("Is it not ... ?"),

but the question is strictly rhetorical. The question form is often used like
this when observing/realizing something for oneself, with the feeling of "Is
it not . .. ? Of course it is!/1 should have known!/No wonder!"
it is considered unlucky/taboo to sleep with one's head to the north, and
Furiten-kun is blaming that for his inability to fall asleep. The taboo comes
from the custom of laying the dead with their heads to the north while
awaiting cremation/burial because, according to tradition, Buddha lay that
way when he died. There is apparemly one exception to the taboo: for some
reason, people are supposed to sleep with their heads to the north on their
wedding night.

Ueda Masashi. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by Take ShobO. TOkyO. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO.
52

M ANGAJIN

'Y9':1~

Title: J'li1f
Voice Actors

Seiyii

Furiten-kun

[2]

Rarii,

~I! A fl) 13 If L.. li

hannin no meboshi wa

Larry

criminal of mark/aim as-for be fixed (explan.- ?)

Co-worker: 7

Jl

1) - ,

--:> '-' t.:. fl) -IJ'?

rsuira no ka?

"Larry, has aim been fixed on a criminal?"

-+

Furiten-kun:

" Larr do ou have a sus ect et?" (PL2)

t!. ~ 1-v t!., A .:;- 1 - 7' o

Mada na n

da.

Suriibu.

not yet (explan.) is

Steve

"Not et Steve." (PL2)

meboshi o rsukent means " fix aim on/mark/single out" and meboshi ga (or
wa in a question) rsuku is the passive form. Tsuira is the plain/abrupt past
form of rsuku ("stick/attach [itself] to").
no in no ka indicates that an explanation is being sought. ll can literally be
thought of as " Is it the case that ... ?" but explanatory no is used far more
often in Japanese than we would use such a phrase in English.
n is a contraction of the explanatory no: when following a noun or equivalent, na must be inserted: na n(o).

Sign:

A 1

:J:t

Studio

Surajio

surajio is a katakana rendering of "studio." ln Japanese the word is generally

restricted to studios of the broadcast/film/recording/photo industry. Artists'
studios are referred to as arorie, from "atelier."

Cats: 7 :t -

:t -

Ao-ao-

"Yow-w-1, yow-w-1" (cats' yowl)

GJ

Co-worker: .:;- /- -, :::.. (/)::: 7, 1: iP '-' :; 7

Teme,

kono goro dekai /sura

you

recently

L.. ~ 1'Jf? " ( shi-yagatte-.

big/large face doinglmaking-(derog.)

" He vou. You' re struttin' around these da s like

ou're some sort of a bi shot." (PL I)
Furiten-kun: r'J Jv ~ - o ::l31l1J :::.. -t- ~ :b ~ ~ 1-v t!. J: o
Umse.

Omae koso mezawari na n

noisy/shut up

you

da

yo.

(emph.) eyesore (explan.) are (emph.)

" Aw shut u . You're nothin' butan e esore

yourself." (PL I)
Cats: 7 :t -

:t -

Ao-ao-

"Yow-w-1
Cats:

~ ~ 1:

<'-'

(thinking) Yarinikui

ow-w-1" (cats' yowl)

~o

na.

difficult to do (colloq. e mph.)

"They sure make it bard to concentrate." (PL2)

teme (a slurred temae) and omae are both rough, masculine words for "you,"
with teme the rougher of the two because it is more often used as a fighting
word. Interestingly, both words were originally polite words for "Ume."
dekai is an informal word for "big/huge," and tsura is an informaUslang word
for "face," so dekai tsura (o suru) is "(do/make/go about with) a big face."
This is the rough, slang version of oki-na kao o suru, which refers to a person
acting self-important/superior/snobbish.
shi-yagatte is suru ("do") with the derogatory/insulting verb ending -yagant
in the -te form.
urusai literally means "noisy/bothersome: but it's also used like the English
expression, "Shut up!"
yarinikui is from yarn, an informal word for "do," with the suffix -nikui, which
is added to verbs to indicate that the action is " difficult/hard to do."
@

Ueda Masashi. All rights reserved. First published

10

Japan in 1992 by Take Shob<l, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take Shob<l.

M ANG A JtN

53

~'ti 0)

itt.:

t' ~ ;f-.A

~ ~ c7;.

7-T- Business Manners

TITLE:
Kansei ga Towareru Midashinami
Personal Appearance, For Which Your Sensibilities will be Doubted
- Your Appearance Reflects Your Sensibilities, Part 4
Josei no Midashinami wa Sawayaka ni
Women Should Dress Simply

td: ~ =h ~ :IJ) ':

kansei means "sensitivity/sensibility," in this case

referring mostly to the "common sense" variety.
sawayaka has a wide range of meanings ("refreshing/clear/crisp/flowing"), mostly associated with
the pleasant/positive qualities of nature. In speaking about dress, it would mean the opposite of
"gaudy/flashy" --+ "simple/ moderate/conservative."

[Q

Sakaeami:
Kore, kare kara no purezento nan da.
''These were a present from m y boyfriend."
(PL2)
Co-worker:
Wii, suteki!
''Wow! They're really nke!" (PL2)
kare is actually a pronoun for "he/him," but it is
also used colloquially as a common noun meaning
"boyfriend."

I2J Sen paiOL:

Demo shigoto no jama ni naranai kashira?

" But I wonder if they won' t get in the way
when you're working?" (PL2)

Sakaeami:
Kore kurai daijobu desu yo.
"This much is safe/not a problem."
- " They're no bother. I'll be fine." (PL3)
jama ="hindrance/obstacle,"' andjama ni naranai
is the negative form ofjama ni nan1 = " become a
hindrance/get in the way."
kashira is a mostly feminine " I wonder if/is it perhaps?"

0
Business manners for women! In our last issue we presented a chapter
about "Socializing With Co-Workers Outside the Office," from the book
Manga Bijinesu Mana ("Manga: Business Manners"). In this issue we present
two short chapters offering advice to women readers. The first is about dress/
appearance, and represents the more traditional or conservative attitudes
that most people associate with Japanese women in business. The second,
however, encourages women to be assertive in the workplace, and reflects
some of the changes that are going on in the world of J ~panese business.
The book Manga Bijinesu Mana was compiled by Wj B ~ !1f:;~~ffi 1i
~U ("Asahi Seimei Hoken Sogo-Gaisha," a major Japanese insurance company), in the education department of their personal development center,
and the publisher, Sunmark, has a series of educational business comics.
" Business Manners" has four sections: -"" - ~ 'J 7 7 T -(Beshikku
Mana, " Basic Manne rs"), ~-~ :t-.AU~Q)j;j" Aml-f* (Bijinesu Shakai no
Taijin Kankei, " Personal Relations in the Business World"), .::. C (;! (J) 7
T -(Kotoba no Mana, "Speech Manners"), and !:::'" ~ ;t, :A 7CUtHH~
(Bijinesu Kankonsosai, " Business Ceremonial Occasions.") The les ons we
have chosen come from the " Basic Manners" section.
5 4

M ANGAJIN

SenpaiOL:
Sore nara ii kedo.
" It would be good if that's the case."
- " Well, I hope so..." (PL2)
kedo, literally ''but," is used here mainly to soften
the sentence ending, but also betrays a hint of doubt.

Sakaeami:
Fun!
" Humph." (PLI )
Sakagami:
Kureru hito ga inai mono dakara yaite-n no
yo.
"She's j ealous because she doesn't have
anyone to give her (presen ts)." (PL2)
kureru hito= "person who gives (to her)," and inai
is the negative form of im ("have/eJtist" for animate things).
yaiten is a contraction of yaiteiru, from yaku,
which literally means " burn/roast." Various references to " burning" have served as metaphors for

"being jealous" since ancient times.

1:: ~;f. .:X.

"? -t-

Bus i ness Ma nne r s

OJ SoundFX:
Ru ru ru
Ri-i-nng (sound of soft electronic telephone
ring; the FX word for an o ld-fashioned ring is

riin)

QJ

Sakagami:
Hai.

"Hello." (PL3)
hai, literally "yes," is often used as a "hello" when
answering the phone.

Sakagami: (thinking)
Yappari jama kashira.

"Maybe they do get in the way after all."

(PL2)
yappari is a colloquial yahari ("after alVon second thought/in retrospect").

Sakagami: (remembering senpai OL)

Jama ni naranai kashira ?
"But I wonder if they won' t get in the

way?" (PL2)
Sakagami: (remembering herself)
Ki o tsukereba daijobu yo.

"I'll be fine if I'm careful." (PL2)

ki is " mind/heart/spirit," and tsukereba is a conditional ("if") for m o f tsukeru, meaning
"attach": to attach one's mind to something is to
attend to it with care. - "be careful."
in colloquial speech, especially the speech of
women, the emphatic particle yo by itself can
function as desu yo ("is/are/will be" + emph.).
Note that when she was actually speaking to her
senpai (facing page) she included desu, for greater
politeness. The emphatic yo is used when the
speaker thinks he/she knows something the listener does not, or when asserting one's own authority/judgment, often in the face of likely opposition/disagreement. This authoritative tone
means it must be used with caution when speaking to one's superiors.

Supervisor :
Oi, Sakagami.

"Hey, Sakagami." (PL3)

oi is an abrupt "hey" or "yo."

M ANGAJIN

55

~:l:f-.A

""<'-}--

Business Manners

[2J Su

rvisor:
Sono mimilu:Jzari denwa no tokijama daro.
"Those earrings get in the way when
you're using the phone, don't they."
(PL2)
Doni lu:J shiro.
"Do something about them." (PL2)
mimikazari is literally "ear decoration/ornament." Jyaringu, a katakana rendering of En-

glish "earring." is also commonly used, and

mimikazari has a bit of an old-fashioned flavor.
wa <'J:), for marking the topic, has been omitted after mimikazari.
darif makes a conjecture ("probablyll suppose/
I imagine"), but in this context it bas the feeling
of an assertion/accusation ("I bet/it must be'').
do ni ka = ''somehow or other/something or
other" and shiro is the abrupt command form
of suru ("do").

Saka ami:
Ki o tsukeru kara daijobu desu.
"I'm careful, so they' re OK." (PL3)
Saka ami: (thinking)
Yappari mazulu:Jtta kashira.
" Maybe it was a bad idea after all?"
(PL2)
mazukatta is the past form of mazui ("unsavory/
poor/awkward/inadvisable'')
idea."

-+

"was a bad

Su rvisor:
Sanna koto ni ki o tsukatte-itara shigoto ni
naranai daro.
"When you are attending to thjngs like that,
your work doesn't progress, I bet.''
- "If you spend your time worrying

about that sort of thing you' ll never get

any work done." (PL2)
Saka~:ami :

Demo ...
' 'But ."
tsukatte-itara is a conditional "if/when" form
of tsukatte-im, from tsukau ("use"). Ki o tsuktw
is literally "use (one's) mind/attention" in the
sense of "worrying about/being distracted by
(something)."
shigoto ni naranai is literally "doesn't become
work,'' and it's used as an expression meaning
"work doesn' t progress/get done."

Sunervisor:
Nan-nora ore ga hazushite yaro lu:J?
'If you would like, shall I remove them for you?"

- " Maybe I should take them off for you!" (PL2)

nan-nora ="if you would like/if you wish/if it suits you"
lrazushite is the -te form of hazusu ("take off/remove"), and yaro is the form of yaru ("give") showing wiiVintent ("! shall," or in a
question, "shall !?"). Yaru after the -te form of a verb implies the action wi ll be performed as a favor for someone else, in this case the
listener.

"Sound" FX:
Gaba! (effect of lunging or any sudden large movement)

56

MAN GAJIN

1:::":/::f-.A

[JJ

'7-}--

Business Manners

Sakagami:
Ha, hazushimasu!

"1-, I'll take them offi" (PL3)

hazushimasu is the PL3 form of hazusu ("take off/
remove").

Co-worker:
Are? lyaringu wa do shita no ?

"Huh? What happened to your earrings?"

(PL2)
are is an interjection of surprise/bewilderment at
something unexpected.
di5 is "how/what" and shita is the past form of
suru ("do"), so di5 shita is literally "what did you
do?"- but it often has the idiomatic meaning of
"what's the matter?/what happened?"
asking a question with no is very common in informal speech, especially among female speakers and children. It shows that she is seeking an
explanation.

[TI Sakagami:
Yappari shigoto no jama da kara hazushita
no.
" It turned out that they did get in the way

when I was working, so I took them off."

(PL2)
Co-worker:
He, erai na.

" Wow, that's admirable." (PL2)

hazushita is the plain/abrupt past form of hazusu,
and no shows she is making an explanation.
he is a mild exclamation, like " Gee!/Wow!!How
about that!" It shows that the speaker is impressed.
erai ("illustrious/admirable/worthy of praise") is
often used to praise someone directly.
na is a less formal equivalent of ne, in this case
giving an emphatic/exclamatory feeling. Na is
associated more with masculine SP.Cech, but females can use it, too, especiall y w~ en speaking
among themselves.

Shigoto no jama ni naranai yoso 'o i o

Dress in a way that does not obstruct your

work.
Kami wa shigoto ni sashitsukaenai yo na hea
sutairu ni. Me ni kakaru kami ya, senaka
made no rongu hea wa, shigoto no mae ni
pin nado de matomete oku.

Wear your hair in a style that will not distract from your work. Hair that falls into
your eyes and long hair reaching down
your back should be pinned back before
work.
Kesho, manikyua nado wa hikae-me ni shite,
dogitsuku naranai yo ni chili suru.

particular, you should think ahead and remove things like large earrings and prominent necklaces, or bracelets that could get in the way or
work.
hairyo ="consideration/forethought," and hitsuyi5 (daldesu) ="is necessary: so hazusu
hairyo ga hirsuyi5 means " the forethought to remove (them) is necessary" - "'think
ahead and remove ..."

Kata ya senaka nifuke, nukege ga tsuite-inai ka ki o tsukeru. Mata, tsume no

nobi-sugi nado ni mo chili suru.

Exercise restraint in applying makeup and

manicures, and take care that they do not
appear garish.

Check to make sure you don' t have dandruff or loose hairs on your shoulders and back. Also, be careful not to let your fingernails get too long.

Amari akusesarii-rui o tsukenai. Toku ni okina iyaringu ya medatsu nekkuresu, shigoto

no jama ni naru yo na buresuretto nado wa,
hazusu hairyo ga hitsuyo.

When you notice that your makeup needs adjustment or your lipstick
has worn off, take care of it promptly.

Don' t wear a lot of accessories/jewelry_ In

Kesho-kuzure ya kuchibeni no hageochi ni kizuitara, tebayaku naosu.

Kosui wa kaori no yowai mono o era bu. 0 de koron ka o do toware ga bun an.

For perfume, choose something with a faint scent. Eau de cologne or eau
de toilette are safe choices.

MANGAJIN

57

~~;f-.A

?-j- -

Business Manners

TITLE:
Shitsumu no Manii Jiyii Jizai ~

Mastering Work Etiquette, Part 2

Josei mo Sekkyoku-sei ga Daiji

Assertiveness is Important for Women,

Too.
shitsumu refers to the performance of one's official work duties, and manii is a katakana rendering
of English "manners," so slritsumu no mana =
"work etiquette/conduct."
jiyt7 jizai refers to being free and unrestricted, but
when speaking of a skill (in this case a social skill),
it often refers to one's complete controVmastery
of the skill- i.e., one's ability to use it freely.
sekkyoku-sei is often translated "positiveness/enterprising spirit/gumption," but its essential meaning comes clearer when it's contrasted with its opposite, si!Okyoku-sei (7lH~11). "passivity."
daiji is a noun meaning "importance/consequence,''
but here implies daiji daldesu: "is of importance."

Sign:

Meeting Room

Kaigi-shitsu

Speaker:
... to iu koto desu.

" . . . and that's where we stand.'' (PL3)

~

... to iu koto desu is an expression used in making

explanations. ln this expression, koto ("th.ing") can
be thought o f as meaning "situation/explanation."

.::.

IJ (!)
1. W
Tf4
C. 1:

Speaker:
Nanika go-shitsumon wa.

''Do you have any questions?" (PL3-4)

a bubble coming from someone's nose is a sign
showing that they are asleep.

Mimura:
Hai.

''Yes (I do)." (PL3)

one of the many uses for hai (lit ''yes") is when
raising your hand. Here she happens to be responding to a yes-no question, so it can also be thought
of as meaning "yes."

FX:
Su! (effect of a quick, smooth movement -

in

this case, standing up)

Mimura:
It is questionable how representatjve the attitudes a nd opinions presente d

Kono shiryo ni yorimasu to . . .

in this chapter really are, but the very fact that such material has been written and p u blishe d can be taken as some kind of indication that c ha nges are
starting to take place.

"According to this data . . .'' (PL3)

yorimasu is the PL3 form of yoru ("be based/
founded/grounded [on)''). To after a verb can have
a conditional "if/when" meaning, so ni yoru to is
literally "if (my conclusion) is based/founded on"
-+ "based on/according to ..."

" Wow!" (PL2)

he is a mild exclamation, like "Gee!/Wow!/How

about that!" It gives the feeling that the speaker is

at least mildly impressed.

[2]

Yamada:
Sugoi na.

"She's amazing." (PL2)

sugoi means "amazing/awesome/remarkable.''

58

M ANGAJIN

~~;f.;r.

"?-t- Business Ma nners

ala man:
Kotoshi no onna no ko sugoi sekkyoku-teki
dana.

"T his year's girls a re r eaJJy assertive,

aren' t they." (PL2)
Salar man 2:
Onna no kuse ni shacho ni demo naru tsumori
ja nai ka? Ha ha ha ha.

" I suppose she plans to become president

(of the company) even though she's just a
girl. Hah hah hah bah." (PL2)
... kuse ni means "in spite of (some trait- usually negative or inappropriate in some way)."

Mimura:
Hikae-me 110 ho ga ii no kana?

" Maybe it would be better to be more restrained ." (PL2)

Mimura:

Anna fii ni omowarete-iru no kashira?

" I wonder if I'm being thought of that way
(by everyone)?" --+ "I wonder if everyone
sees me like that?" (PL2)

-me is a suffix added mostly to adjectives to mean

"somewhat -/a bit on the - side." It also turns certain verb stems into descriptive nouns: hikae is
from hikaeru ("hold back"), so hikae-me is "somewhat holding back" -+ "somewhat reserved."
... no ho ga is attached to the greater of two items
in a comparison. Here the comparison is between
being more or less restrained.

en ai OL:
Ki ni shinai, ki ni shinai.

0((

"Never mind, never mind." (PL2)

ki ni shinai could be literally translated as ''do it
no mind," from ki ("mind/spirit") and the negative form of suru ("do").

Sen ai OL:
Onna dakara to ka onna no kuse ni to ka iu
jidai ja nai no yo.

" This is no longer an age for saying things

like 'Since she's just a woman' or 'Even
though she's just a woman'." (PL2)
Sen ai OL:

A iu hito-tachi ga iru kara komaru no yo.

"Because that kind of person exists, we have
problems."
--+ "They' re the problem, not you." (PL2)
Yamada:
Soda yo.

' 'That's right." (PL2)

... to ka . .. to ka means "things like ... and ..."The
to is quotative but the blanks can also be filled with
regular nouns, not just quoted sentences/words.

Yamada:
Mimura-san sugoi nli. Kanshin shichatta yo.

" You' re amazing, Miss Mimura. I was really

impressed." (PL2)
shichatta is a contraction of shire shimatta. Shimatta
often shows regret, but in this case shows that the action - being/finding himself impressed- was a surprise/unexpected.

[I].
Shigoto ni seibetsu wa nai.

Work has no gender.

" Watashi wajosei dakara ... " no yo na taido wa yokunai. Shigoto no ue
de wa dansei mo josei mo doto de aru.
It is not good to have a "Since I'm just a woman . .." attitude. From

the standpoint of work, men and women are equal.

Kaigi nado de wa, tsui josei wa hikkomi-jian ni nari-gachi da ga, dondon
iken o ii, jibun o apiiru suru.

Women often tend to be shy in meetings and such, but you should go
ahead and state your views and assert yourself.
Shigoto de ganbaru to doji ni, sekkyokuteki-na insho o ataeru doryoku o
wasurenai. Sono tame ni wa, akaruku hakihaki to shita taido ga taisetsu.

Along with applying yourself diligently to your work, you should

remember to make efforts to create a positive impression. To that
end, it's important to keep a cheerful and lively attitude.
MAN GAJIN

59

)c ~ 3?- ~

;t< -1;.

m""<' :=.

.:1

7 Jl- Dai Tokyo Binbl5 Seikatsu Manyuaru

Maekawa Tsukasa, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1988 by Klldansha Ltd. TOkyo. English translation rights arranged through KOdansha Ltd.
~n

M ANc:lAJIN

**.rrt 1::: / ;- ~ffi? =65

Dai rokujiigo wa
No.

65

.:L

7 Jv Dai-Tokyo Binbl5 Seikatsu Manyuaru

Bon 'odori

story Bon dance/dancing

Stor No. 65: The Bon Dance

Sign on Tower: A$: PIT
~fifi IJ
Honcho

*~

Bon'odori

(neighborhood name) Bon dance

Taikai
great meeting/gathering

Honcho Bon'odori Festival

Sound FX: ~ ~ / ff r /
~ ~ / ff
Dodon ga don

dodon

~ /
ga don

Ba-boom-da-boom ba-boom-da-boom (beat of Japanese festival drums)

Bon (or Obon or Urabon) is the Buddhist "All Souls' Days" observed from July 13 through 15 or 16 (originally July 7 through 13- 1S on the old ~~ l1J inreki, " lunar calendar") or the same days in August in some areas, and bon 'odori (odori is the noun form of odoru, "dance") are the community dances held throughout Japan as part of the observances. Typically. the dancers form circles around a tower and the steps take them
slowly around it in a three-steps-forward, two-steps back pattern.
:<$:PIT could be read Honcho. Honmachi, or Motomachi.
taikai is literally "great gathering/meeting," and can refer to any event that draws a large crowd including conferences, conventions, contests and shows, large community events, etc. - "festival."
the dance music is most commonly recorded, but the drums are often live and the music can be as well.

Narration:

ift-t{~

0)

~-9:

U:

Yukata-sugata

110

kanojo

wa

~M

IJ

0)

::R:t

\:'~;:,

bon'odori no tensai de aru.

summer kimono appearance/dress (=) she/her/girlfriend as- for bon dance of master

is

She in the summer kimono is a master of bon'odori.

-+ M irlfriend in her ukata is a master of bon'odori. (PL2)
yukata, literally "bathrobe," refers to a light cotton kimono. Yukata are used as both bathrobe and sleep wear.
but they are also acceptable dress for casual neighborhood outings on summer evenings.
-sugata after the name of an item of clothing means "dressed in/wearing."
kanojo is a pronoun for "she/her," but it is also used colloquially as a common noun meaning "girlfriend." In this
series, Hiroko is Kosuke's "girlfriend"- though the relationship seems somewhat ambiguous at times- and
since the narrator often speaks in Kosuke's voice, it can be thought of as "my girlfriend" here.
tensai, literally " heaven( -bestowed) talent,'' refers to a person with a "genius/natural gift" for the skill in question, in this case bon'odori (when no skill is implied or specified it refers to overall intelligence).
no can reflect a wide variety of relationship between the two nouns, but bas ically makes the first into a modifier for the second. Here, the first no can be thought of as meaning "who is": "she who is dressed in a
yukata"; the second can be thought of as "of" (bon'odori no tensai ="a master/expert of bon'odorr") or as
simply making the first noun into a modifier (bon'odori no tensai ="a bon'odori master/expert").
de aru is a more formal/literary equivalent of desu ("is/are").

Hiroko: Jfc

-r t.P L ;?< e;, -r 1:

Hazukashigara;;u ni

J 1::: J 1::: ~
nobinobi-to

.f. ..IE

:th i?' i"

teashi

ugokasu

without being shy/embarrassed freely/fully arms & legs (obj.) move

0)

J: o

110 yo.
(explan.) (emph.)

" You are to move your arms and legs fully without being shy."
-+ "Now don' t be sh . Move our arms and le s without holding back." (PL2)

Signs (L toR):

t.:.:: tSf ~

bt.:. ~ ~

Takoyaki

Wata-ame

Ringo-ame

octopus fritters

cotton candy

apple candy

lv :::~~

tSf ~ f' li'

Yakisoba
stir-fried noodles

Takoraki Cotton Candy Candied A_pp!es Yakisoba

hazukashigarazu ni is the same as hazukashigara11aide, the negative -re form of /wzukashigaru. from
hasukashii ("be embarrassed/shy"). The suffix -garu is attached to adjectives of feeling (either psychological
or physical) to mean "show signs of being .. .'' Thus, /razukashigaru ='show signs of being embarrassed'' "be/act embarrassed/shy" and hazakaslrigarazuni ="without being/acting embarrassed/shy."
explanatory no (da/desulyo) can be used to give commands if said with the appropriate tone and force. rn such
cases yo provides a gentle/friendly kind of emphasis that actually "softens" the command.
takoyaki are spherical "fritters/dumplings" made from a batter containing chopped octopus meat along with
gi nger, onions, and other flavorings and cooked on a special griddle with rounded indentations.
ringo-ame (lit. "apple candy") are small apples coated in a hard-candy shell reddened with food coloring.
yakisoba is noodles stir-fried with chopped vegetables, meat. seafood, etc.

Sound FX:

~ r / ff ~ /
Dodon ga don

~ r /
dodon

ff r /
ga don

Ba-boom-da-boom ba-boom-da-boom
(continued on following page)

MANGAJtN

61

*W:

62

M ANGAJIN

J?; ~ / ;t; - ~ ii'i ~ =-

;1.

7 11..- Dai-Ti5kyi5 BinblJ Seikatsu Manyuaru

,....

*** /
~

# -1:.i57 =- .:1. 7 Jv Dai-Tokyo BinbO Seikatsu Manyuaru

(continued from previous poge)

Sound FX:

.
0

1~1~ /

Q)

I~ /

papan no pan represents a common clapping pattern, typicall y repeated twice, used to fill the pause between verses of a bon 'odori song: two quick claps, a silent beat (re presented by no), and then a third clap.

xL?<

.
.
.
.
.
Na rration :

..
.
0

Sound FX:

Man:

"'"'

??/ ? ? /
Taran ta tan
(sharp taps of drumsticks against the wooden side/edge of the drums)
oi is an abrupt "hey" or "yo!" that can actually be quite rough depending on how it's spoken, but the
double oi oi seems quite a bit softer.
niichan is a familiar form of oniisan ("older brother"), often used as a generic term of address for young
men in their upper teens and twenties (approximately).
eraku is the adverb form of the adjective erai ("eminentlimportant [person)"); it can be used colloquially
as a emphasizer like "very much/considerably/terribly."
isei ga ii, literally "power/spirits/energy is good/fine," is an expres sion used to describe people and actions
that are "vigorous/full of energy/high spirited."
periodically beating on the wooden frame of the drum is a standard part of most festival drum beats.

71/:/3 (;;t.

Q)

..1!--=>V>J.>c

l: ? c

l..lt'o

Tehon
no kanojo
wa
jitto
mitsumeru to I nabushii.
example/model (=) she/her as-for fixedly/i ntently if look/stare at bli nding/dazzling
As for she who is my model/example, if I look steadily at he r, s he is dazzling.
- M v 2irlfriend is radia n t as I watc h her closelv to follow he r moveme nts. (PL2)
no here is again like "who is": rehonno kanojo ="she who is [my] example/model."
mirsumeru means "look/stare/gaze fixedly/intently at," so jitto is essentially redundant. butjitto mirs umeru
is a common combination. To after the plain form of a verb can give a conditional " if/when'' meaning.
mabushii used to describe a woman refers to "dazzling/radiant bea uty."

r""" r"""

Doki doki
Thumo t humQ (effect of heart beating hard)

It t

iX~(j:l,.\1,.\

ttPJ

1Jf

-tfA..-tfA..

~?"'( .0

f !

lsei wa ii
kedo
ga
chigatte-ru
Juri
unzen
zo!
vigorous/energetic but dance movements (subj.) completely are differentlwrong (emph.)
" You' ve 20t lots of en er 2v. but vour mo ve m ents are aU wro ng," (PL2)

Sound FX:

I.

Q) I~/

Papan no pan
Papan no pan
(clapping with a special beat)

1;{
b'
Man: Hlt'i:> "' !:- t, ~A.,
iX~
eraku
ga
ii
Oi oi.
Niichan,
tset
ne.
hey hey
brother/young man very power/spirits (subj.) good (colloq. emph.)
" Hey there, buddy, you' ve 2ot a lot of e ne rgy, don' t you." (PL2)

Sound FX:

I'<J~ /

.
.

~~~~ /

Q)

I~/

Papan no pan
(clapping)

kedo is a colloquial keredo ("but").

Juri is the noun..form ofJuru ("shake/swing/wave") and is used torefer to the ''choreography" or 'set movements/postures of a dance.
zenzen is usually followed by a negative for the meaning ''(not) at all/completely (not)," but it's also used
with words whose meanings can be thought of as essentially negati ve, like chigau ("differentlwrong" = "not
the same/not right"). In recent years young people have begun usin g zenzen more freely with non-negatives,
but it will probably be qui te a while before such uses are fully acce pted.
chigarre-ru is a contrac tion of chigarre-iru, from chigau, "is differe nt" but is often used to mean "is wrong.''

.
~

Kosuke: ~ 0
A.

" Oo

" (PL2)

Sound FX: t A.
Don
(effect of a dull thud/bump)

a is an interjection of surprise/sudden awareness, in this case equiv alent to "oops."

M ANGAJIN

63

k.

64

MANGAJ IN

*hi / f-- 'E i6 7

~

=. .:~. 7

11-

Dai- T~ky~ Binbo Seikatsu Manyuaru

***

!:::" ::.-- ;- ~ffi7:::. .:~. 7 Jv Dai-Tokyo BinbO Seikatsu Manyuaru

-------------------------------------------Kosuke:

~~

... 1!- -:> 'J iv(J)

l: i:> lr' o

Aa . . .

sekken

no

ahh/mmm

soap

of smelVfragrance

nioi.

"Ah. the fragrance of soap." (PL2)

Man: -=. I?

-=. I?

Kora kora
(interj.) (interj.)

" Hey, hey." (PL2)

kora is an interjection for scold ing, often spoken like a sharp "Hey!/Halt!" to quickly get the offender's
attention; as with oi, a double kora kora tends to have a much softer feel, but it still carries an ad monishi ng
tone. T he man is trying to get Kosuke to pay attention to the dance agai n.

@J

Sound FX:

c:

c:

c' lv 1Jt lv
Dodon ga don
Ba-boom-da-boom

Sound Fx:

c:

t' lv 1Jt t' lv e:: lv

Dodon ga don don

c:

c:

t' lv 1Jt lv t' 1v

dodon ga don don

Ba-boom-da-boom-boom ba-boom-da-boom-boom
Arrow: 1 "t"

Ude

< IJ

makuri

arm/sleeve rolling up

Sleeves rolled up
ude = "arm," so when speaking of clothing it means "sleeve," and makuri is a noun form of makuru ("roll
up/bac k"), so udemakuri is a noun referring to the act of ro lling up one's sleeves.

n'n'-:> -c

Narration: 15nil
Jiigoshii
IS laps

;tv li

kakatte

ore

wa

~ IJ

Juri

~
o

~~ ~:

kanzen-ni

')t;{.

t.:. o

oboeta.

taking/requiring Ume as-for dance movements (obj.) cornpletely/pcrfectly learned

"Taking 15 laps, !learned the movements perfectly."

- After 5 times around I learned the movements perfectly. (PL2)

Arrow: i".f
Suso

< IJ

makuri

bottom hem/skin rolling/tucking up

Yukata tucked up
Sound FX: li' li 1v 1Jt li' 1v
Papan ga pan

(rhythmical clapping)
-shu is the counter suffix for " laps/times around."
kakatte, is the -te fo rm of kakaru ("[something) takes/requires"), here being used as an adverb modifying
oboeta (plain/abrupt past of oboeru. "learn/memorize"). Kanzen-ni is also an adverb modifying oboeta.
suso refers not j ust to the bottom he m but to the e ntire lower pan of a skirt/dress/robe. Since the "skirt" of
a yukata or kimono can be constraining to movement. men have trad itionally tucked it up wben e ngaging
in vigorous activity.

Sound FX: t.:. t.:. lv t.:. t.:. lv t.:.lv

Tatan

ta tan

tan

t.:. t.:.lv t.:. t.:. lv

Tatan ta tan

(sharp taps of drumsticks against the wooden side/edge of the drums)

Sign : :11t ~ (.f li)
Yaki(soba)
stir-fried noodles

Yakisoba

M ANGAJtN

65

*. 1U Jj( 1::

l1:.

i?

fi 1!: 15
fJ' ;t J!l

t t: t

fi fJ' lijfi fJ'

\.\

f)

tt

(i "'(

66

MANGAJIN

;;.t

;f.- ~ t5 7 :::.. :~. 7 lv Da i- Tlikyli BinblJ Seikatsu Manyuaru

rr
.kJ.lU}t 1:::' /

;t;- tf:.i'i5"<'

=- .:z. 7 Jt.-

____

Dai-Tokyo Binbi5 Seikatsu Manyuaru

..:.__

Sign: t.:. .:.m.~

Takol'aki
octopus friners

Takoyaki
Vendor: ~ rJ 1Jt t. b.
Arigato

ne.

thank you (colloq.)

"Thanks." (PL2)
both shonening arigato to arigato and adding ne give the word an informal feeling.

Sign:

bt.:.~~

Wata-ame

Cotton Candy
Sound FX: tJ 7 tJ 7
Kara kara

(sound of wooden geta scraping the ground as she walks)

Hiroko: !i "' !!
Hoi!

" Here!" (PL3)

lrai ("yes'") is often used when offering or handing something to another person, much like the way English
speakers say ''Here/Here you are.

@J

Sound FX: t.' t: !v -/)t t.' !v

Dodon ga don

c: t'lv -/)f c.' !v

Dodon ga don

Ba-boom-da-boom Ba-boom-da-boom
Man: ,:Q) 1.: - t:J~/v
-/)t
iftit)-t>~J., i't:' :tv{>
Kono

niichan

ga

t[ltJ.,
odori-yameru made ore mo tsu:ukeru

i'o
zo.

this br01her/young man (subj.) stops dancing until lime also will continue (cmph.)
"Unt~ quits, I ' ~ to kee~ dancing, too." (PL2)

yameru means "stop/quit.'' and it is suffixed directly to verb stems for the meaning "stop/quit (doing the
action)."

:o is a rough, masculine particle for emphasis.

Hiroko: t:. .:. fJf ~
I ffl
't:' 2Jlil U:
{> -:>
Takoraki

ikko

de nishii wa

motsu

b. o

wa

ne.

octopus fritter I piece with 2 laps (emph.) will hold/last (fern.) (colloq.)

"One takoyaki will hold you at least 2 times around, won' t it?" (PL2)
the panicle de here essentially indicates "means": ikko de (nislrii wamotsu) ="with/using one piece (you
wil l last/hold out through at least 2 laps)."
the particle wa after a number/qu antity often has the emphatic meaning of "at least."
motsu means " hold/carry"; when speaking of a span of time/space. it means ''last (for/through) " - not unlike the idiomatic use of "hold out (for/through)'' in English.

Narration: lSJilil
Jilgoslul
151ap;

{>

iJ'It-r

mo

kakete

j'l;tt.:. itli IJ (;t

oboeta odori wa

t:tfJ't:tfJ'

J.l:i t?t;tlt' 0

nakanaka

tomaranai.

as much a.\ taking/using learned dance as-for [not] easily/readily doesn't stop

"The dance ltook 15 laps to learn does not stop quickly."

-+ I can' t seem.JQ_guit the dance that took me 15 times around to learn. (PL2
kakete is the -te form of kakeru ("(I] take/use/apply/expend''). Cf. kakatte/kakaru, above.
jtlgoshtl mo kakete oboeta i~ a complete thought/sentence ("learned taking/using 15 laps'") modifying odori
("dance").
when nakanaka is followed b) a negative. it means ''(not) easily/readily/quickly."
tomaranai i the negatl\e form of tomaru ('"!something] stops/halts'").

M A NGA JIN

6 7

The main character in this popular manga series is lnokuma

Yawara. Born into a family with a rich judo legacy, she proves
to be a prodigy. Her fLrst recollection is of throwing her father
at age five. Her paternal grandfather, a spotlight-seeking fonner
national champion, has trained Yawara in judo since she was
three, keeping her incredible talent a secret until he felt the time
was right for her make her debut.
When the series starts, Yawara is a high-school student,
who just wants to be a nonnal girl: to go shopping, talk with
friends about ciOlhes and boys, and fi nd romance. Her grandfather has other plans, however. She reluctantly cl imbs to the
top of her spon through a series of tournaments, and eventually
takes the gold medal in women's judo at the Seoul Olympics.
The name Yawara (~)is written with the same kanji as the
jil in jiido C*ill) - it means "soft/pliant."

Although the series centers on Yawara, this panicular story

focuses more on her friend, Ito Fujiko. Yawara met Fujiko at junior
college, and they quickJ y became friends. Fujiko, emotional and
intense, was an aspiring ballerina until she grew too tall ( 1.75M,
approximately 5' 9") while in high school. Fuj ikoenthusiastically
supports Yawara. persuading her to compete in Seoul when
Yawara wants to call it quits. Fujiko stans a judo club at school
to give Yawara some backing, and becomes quite good herself.

The other important character appearing in this story is Hanazonokun. Big, lovable oaf Hanazono was head of the rather pathetic judo club at
Yawara's high school. He goes on to become a major judo contender,
hoping to make it to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He meets Fuj iko for the
first time while they are both at the airpon to welcome Yawara back from
Seoul, and their mutual concern for Yawara brings Fujiko and Hanazono
together - in this story we see exactly how clo ely.

(1:> Urasawa Naoki, All rights reserved. First pubh~hed 10 Japan

in 1992 by Shogakukan, Tokyo. English translation rights

arranged through Shogakukan and Viz Commu01catoons..

MANGAJ tN

69

Ya waral

70

MAN G AJIN

Yawara !

QJ

Maeazine:

~ 9C.

lkuji

(!)

no

IX.

Tomo

child rearing 's friend/companion

_C_hild-Rearer's Comoanion
ikuji combines kanji for "raise/nurture" and "child" to make a noun meaning "child rearing."
magazines targeted at specific audiences often have titles in the form - no Torno, literally "- 's Friend/Companion.'' One of the biggest is Shufu no Tomo. " Housewife's Companion."

Yawara:

:f* / .. .

Gohon ... (effect of a si ngle cough or of clearing throat)

Sound FX: 7f 1- ~
Cacha
Click (sound of door latc h)

F eatureStory
(continued from page 13)

try is run; the monolithic press, rather

than reflecting public opinion, manufactures it on behalf of adminis trators." What do you think of that?
I tend to agree with what he says, but
also disagree when he goes on to portray
a sort of systematic conspiracy against
the opposition which prevents the m from
taking over the government. The Socialists are the leading candidates to take
over, but they are so ineffective they cannot win the support of the people.
Do you think the press in J a pan a dequate ly represents the view of the
public when it comes to trade issues?
I think the Japanese public's position
is, "well, that's not our business, we'll
leave trade to the government." In opinion polls the responses range wildly from
"yes, we have to open our market more"
to " no, we are already open." But genera lly, I don't be lieve the public really
thinks that much about it.
In his boo k Yen !, Da nie l Burs tein
quotes a Japa nese executive as saying
something like " Japan is the best ex-

a mple of socialism t hat h as ever

evolved." Do you agree?
Some of the eastern European states
and Russia send people over to Japan for
training, and I have heard indirectly that
many of them say "this is exactly what
we were trying to do."
People like Chalmers Johnson have
bounced around terms such as "national
development economy" for years. The
point is that the principles of capitalism
don' t work in Japan the way they do in
the US. One MITI bureaucrat recently
wrote a book in which he frankly stated
that it is misleading to look at Japan in
capitalistic terms. Employees control
Japanese companies, so the fundamental
definition of capitalism doesn't apply.
Also, banks and insurance companies that
own stock are generally passive.
What's your view on Japa n ' s world
role, now a nd in the future?
I think Japan is trying to resist a major role, and do as little as it can to get
by. This is one of my great frustrations
about Japan, because I think they have
the potential to make major positive con-

tributions, and I don't mean just merely

providing more money. The idea front i
where they would be a great help, but
they refuse to make any proposals.
They want to avoid standing out as
the proverbial nail. The easiest way to
do this is to basically see what America
is going to do, then wait for the first 80
members of the UN to cast their ballots.
thereby determining which side is going
to win, and that 's the one we'll side
with-not always the best policy.
I remember a speech given in 1970
by a Bank of America executive, who
said the thing Americans most want to
know is when Japan is going to assume
an international role of leadership and
what is that role going to be? That was
23 years ago. Perhaps we ought to start
taking a look at the possibility that the
event everybody is predicting isn't going to come.
What is most important for Americans
to know about J a pan?
First of all, one recent development
in American reporting on Japan involves
the notion that somehow the "sun is ink(cominued on page 75)

monolithic = 7i::@: ~: f,t- ~ :Itt:. kanzen-ni toitsu sareta conspiracy = ~ ~ inblJ ineffective= 1W; 1J I P,~ n~ mu~oku 1 muno fundamental definition
= fl;!.:<f>:~ft konpon teigi passive= ffl~B'-]1:5;17 A IJ l,.. IJ: v' sekkyokuteki-ni wakeiri shinai frustrations = lflili fuman proverbial= .:. c b eQ)

/ :fl:ts IJ: kotowaza nolyiimei-na

MA NGAJtN

7 1

Yawara/

7 2

M ANG A JI N

Yawara/

Yawara:

w t T- ~ lv!
Fujiko-san!

(namc)-(hon.)

"FujikQl"
Fujiko is a given name: the receptionist calls her by surname in the next frame. The honorific suffix -san,
which is added to people's surnames for politeness like " Ms./Mr." in English. is commonly used with given/
"first" names as well - much more than "Ms./Mr." are used with first names in English and wilhout any
feeling of humor/incongruity/affectedness.

Re~tionist: W~r ~ lv o

Ito-san.
(namc)-(hon.)

" Ms. Ito."

Japanese -san is used for anyone, without regard to gender or marital status, so for women it has always been
equivalent to "Ms." rather than " Miss" or " Mrs."

[I)

Receptionist:

.If f I li
Kyo wa

1JJ ,;' t f4
shoshin-ryo

$; C:
4500fiJ
1: '.1: I) ' t' o
fukumete yonsen gohyaku-en m narimasu.

1oday as-for firs1 cxaminalion/visil charge (obj.) including

4500 yen

(obj.)

becomes

"{You r:__bill) today, including the first-visit charge, comes to 45_(!0_." (PL3)

Mslto (often read ltatm in other combinations) means "first'' and~ shin is an abbreviation of ~flf shinsatsu,
referring to a doctor's examination of a patient. Ryo is a suffix meaning ''fee/charge for-."
ful..umete is the -te fo rm offukumeru ("include/contain").
narimasu is lhe PL3 form of naru ("become"): the preceding ni marks lhe result of lhe " becoming."

I2J

Yawara:

~ .Z , 'M-1- ~ lv,

t -J .. .

Fujiko-san,

do . . .

(inlcrj.) (name)-(hon.)

howlwhal

Ne.

"So Fuj_iko what .." (PL2-3)

Receptionist: jS k "1~ 1:
0-daiji ni

'.1: ~ It' ' -tt o

nasaimase.

(hon.)-preciously/carefully

plea<;e do

" Please take good care of yourself." (PL4)

an elongated ne is often used for getting someone's attention- among people who are on informal terms.
daiji literally means great thing," often implying "a grave concern/serious matter," but its adverb form, da~ji
ni. means "preciously/carefully," and the expression daiji ni suru (sum= "do") means "hold precious/treat
with care." Nasaimase is an honorific equivalent of shite kudasai ("please do"), so o-daiji ni nasaimase literally means "please hold precious/treat with care." This is a conventio nal expression (often shortened to just odaiji ni) used with people who are iiUinjured. or who have visited the doctor for any reason, meaning " take
good care of yourself (and get well soon)."

Yawara:

'iJ J:-=f ~ lv t 7 t!.-:> t:.

Fujiko-san

(narnc)-(hon.)

do

(J)?

datta

no?

was

(explan-?)

how/whal

" Fujiko, how was it?'' -+ "Fujiko what did the doctor say?" (PL2)
dtuta is the past form o f da. the PL2 equivalent of desu ("is/are"). No shows she is asking for an explanation.
Asking a question with 110 is very common in informal speech, especially among female speakers and children.

Sign:

Mill i~Hm A~31-

Ueda Sanfujin-ka
Ucda Ob-Gyn Clinic

Yawara: 1;1' I: f ~ lv C:
Fujiko-san
te
(name)-(hon.)

(i!!
ba!

(quote) (cmph.)

"Fujiko, I say!" (PL2)

the suffix H (-ka) designates departments/specializations of study and medical practice.
te ba is used like the e mphatic tag, " I say." It's actually a colloquial contraction of to ieba, the quotative particle to plus the -ba form of iu (''say"). Since the -bt1 form makes a conditional "if,'' ... te ba literally means
"if I say." implying emphatic expressions like " If I say -, I really mean - ," or " If I call you/ask you a question. I really want a response."

M A NGA JIN

73

Yawaral

74

MAN GAJ IN

Yawara/

" Sound" FX: A 7 A 7

Suta suta (effect of walking briskly)

Yawara: 1~; J:.: f ~ lv . . .

Fujiko-san .. .

"Fu ' iko." (PL2-3)

FX: 1:::"7
Pita (effect o f coming to a halt)

Yawara: .t:>~tT~Iv .
Oisha-san

f.t.l-v "l

nan

te

(hon.)-doctor(hon.) what (quote)

~-?-rt:.

itte-ta
said

{/),

hl"-T~Iv?

110,

Fujiko-san ?

{explan.-?) (name)-(hon.)

" What did the d octor~ Flljiko?" (PL2)

female speakers typically refer to doctors with both the honorific prefix o- and the honorific suffi x -san. M ale
speakers are more likely to dispense with the honorifics- though they can use honorifics, too. without
sounding especially feminine. I f honorifics are used. both the prefix and su ffix must be used together.
wa, for marking the topic of the sentence. has been omitted after oisha-san.
nan is a contraction o f ncmi ("what").
re is a colloquial equivalent o f quotati ve ro.
ille-ra is a contraction of ille-ira ("was saying/said"), the plai n/abrupt past form of ille-im (''is saying"), from
iu ("say").
as i n English, the name of the person being addressed in a question can come either at the beginning or at the
end of the sentence.

F e a t u r e S t o r y

(cominued f rom page 71)

ing" on Japan and the " bubble has burst"

and will not expand again. Or, mo re simply, " it's a ll over for Japan."
All of which I think is a bunch of bull.
We seem to go to the extremes, one year
worrying about the Japanese becoming
too strong and the next year overjoyed
because they' ve collapsed . I certainly
would recommend both vie ws be te mpered somewhat. But if you wish tote mper one more than the other, I would certainly temper the view of Japan's de mise.
The investment that they went th roug h
in the last three or four years a lone will
be e nough to sustain a solid economy for
the next I0 years.

On a personal level, what do Americans need to know about the J apanese?

from Japan on the so-called shinjinrui,

o r ne w human be ings, is Oippant and
fashionable, but in my observatio n the
new human be ings now are no t that much
d ifferent from th e ir cou nterp a rts in
1960s, 1970s and 1980s. T here were always some people who eschewed respons ibility and enjoyed leisure. It was just
the me thod o f play ing that was different.
The o ne thing abo ut the younger people
that does seem a little di fferent to me than
it did in the 1960s is that there is mo re
critici m or more disillusionment with
what Japan is today than there was in the
'60s, i.e., things like graft and corruption,
and nobody ever seems to be able to do
any thing to change that. The political
situation is truly o ne that causes a huge
amount of disi llusionment.

I think it's essential that Americans

understand the Japanese are not getting
lazy. So me of the reporting be ing done

So you ' re saying they ' r e becoming

more a pathetic?

They' re becoming significantly more

apathetic. This is not restricted to the new
human beings, but is expressed by the
new human be ings mo re c le arly tha n
some o f the older human be ings.
The other po int is American people
go o ut o f their way to look fo r negative
c ha racte ris tics in the Japanese , as if
searching for a straw to grasp hold o f,
hoping Japan will co llapse and become
weak. The most prominent of these is the
continued theory that the Japanese are
just imitators, not innovators.

What do you think is most importa nt

for Japanese to know about Americans?
The most important thing is that divers ity is a stre ngth, no t a wea kness.
Americans can be very lazy and letharg ic on a daily basis, but when an internatio nal c risis occurs they rally together
(continued on page 77)

-n -r /

a bunch o f bull = 't" t.; &? I

-1:: /A derarame I nan\l'nSII be tempered = {II &? If 7.> yawarageru demise= ~ ;t lv slu7en flippant = u~ ~
keihaktl-IUt esche w= il!l:tt 7.> sakeru disillusionment = i Jiti. genmersu graft and corruption = i'ilfll:'(>~l/.Uii o.~ltaktl ya s/u7wai apmhc tic = Kl"i;R I~
llij.(., reilan/mukanshin ; pron1incnt ~~iL -? l ~ ' 6 J.iwadalle-iru diversity= ~~~11: tayosei lethargic= M;~(h mukiryok11

M ANGAJ I N

75

Yawara l

t.= 10
~F.J

L' 10

OB

76

MANGAJ I N

Yawara!

f!_
-? ""( 0
Fujiko: IOfl
10 8
Jiigatsu taka
da
tte.
October tenth day is/will be (quote)
" He said it'll be October lOth." (PL2)

.. da is the PL2 equivalent of desu ("is/are/will be").

depending on what it follows, the quotative te (colloquial equivalent of to) becomes tte. Here it implies the
verb itte-ita ("was saying/said").

Yawara: X. ...

E ...
huh?/what?
" Huh?" (PL2)
Fuiiko:

a'l:lii:

7 5 B o

Shussan yotei-bi.
childbirth schedule/plan -day
"My due date." (PL2)

. W.
.

san (often o-san, with the honorific o-) by itself also refers to "childbirth/delivery," but slmssan is the preferred form in certain related terms. A more technical term for referring to labor and delivery is )tlzjt bunben.
yotei ="schedule/plan/expectation" and yoteibi ="scheduled/expected/due date."

Yawara: ~i'-~lv ...

Fujiko-san ...
"Fujiko .. " (PL2-3)

F e a t u r e S t o r y

(continued from page 75)

under the flag very quickly. They should

have learned that at Pearl Harbor.
What's the most s ignificant event
you've covered?
From my perspective in Japan, events
are not really events but rather processes.
For example, the reaction in Japan to the
floating of international currency rates in
1971 caused a tidal wave of doom and
disaster predictions. An appreciating yen
was supposed to make Japanese exports
more expensive-very scary for a country whose economy is driven by an "export or die" mentality. But it took two o r
three years to see that it was neither doom
nor disaster. Things like these are no t
one-day events or even compressed into
several months. These processes went on
for several years, and it was only perhaps
a year after completion that what happened became obvious.

Are there a ny particular Japanese

you 've enjoyed d ealing with or adm ir ed ?
Well, the ones I particularly enjoyed
were prime ministers Kakuei Tanaka,
Yasuhiro Nakasone and, less so as a politician than as a human being, Masayoshi
Ohira, who was j ust about one of the finest people I ever knew. Mr. Tanaka because he got things done; his nickname
was the "computerized bulldozer," which
was quite accurate.
Mr. Nakasone was the firs t prime
minister to attempt a leadership role for
Japan in the world. But because he was
the first , he didn't go as far in that direction as I would've liked. I first met Mr.
Nakasone in 1962 when Japan' s national
mood was still in the gloom o,f defeat,
and most Japanese were almost ashamed
of anything Japanese. What l most enjoyed and admired about him was that

he was not. He was not proud or supponive of militaristic or authoritarian traditions, but took pride in being Japanese.
It's very difficult to have any kind of a
relationship with a person who does not
have personal pride.
What are the most significan t changes
yo u 've seen in Japan in your years
there?
Well, the biggest single change that
I've seen would be going from what I just
described, the gloom, defeat and shame
that overshadowed all of Japan when I
arrived in 1960, to an appropriate level
of pride. Some might call it inappropriate. It's certainly a very different country than it was when I first arrived. And
in spite of all the graft and corruption
that's been revealed in the last few years,
I like the current Japan much more than
the former Japan.

perspective= JUt!!. kenchi tidal wave= i,:!l"i!l{ wmami doom and disaster predictions = M(l~ t ~.!Jj:ll)"'f:t!;\ hametsu to sanji no yoso obvious= 1J11 B
meihaku gloom of defeat = !I!Oii\(O)~]ifi ilaise1lnO in'utsu overshadow= ~~~flt~f7J'lt J., kage o nagekakeru

MANGAJIN

77

Yawsra/

78

MANGA JI N

Yawara!

Fujiko: J:- L- ,

iJ< !v li 7.>

-f'- !!

Yo-shi,
ganbam
zo-!
okay/all right will work hard (emph.)

"Airi-i-e:ht! I'm e:onna e:ive it everytbine:.J've e:ot!" (PL2)

.
.
. zo

yoshi, often elongated, is an exclamatory/interjectory form of the adjective iilyoi ("good/fine"). It's used to
show that one is ready to begin an action ("okay/all right, I' m gonna do it/let's do it").
ganbaru means to be "dogged/persistent/unflagging" in working toward some goal or facing some challenge.
The word is used a great deal, but especially among athletes, and the command form, ganbare, is the most
commonly heard cheer at sporting events.
is a somewhat rough-sounding emphatic particle used mostly by males, but female speakers can use it. too .
in very informal situations, or to express particularly strong determination.

t:t. 5t*t:t.

Fu'iko: iJ< !v li '?

"(
~n~ ~ ~v }}. t.:. "\
b J:- !!
7- t
~tInokuma-san mitai-na genki-na
ko
Ganbarte
0
umu
wa
yo!
will work hard-and (nume)-(hon.)
like
energetic/strong child (obj.) will bear/give birth to (fern.) (cmph.)

.
.
.
.
.
YJl_wara :

" I'm e:oinl!: to hanl!: in there a nd bear a strone:. healthv child like vou." (PL2)
ganbarre is the -te form of ganbam (see note above). Here the -te form functions like "and'': ''will work hard/
hang tough and ... bear/give birth to"
mitai after a noun means ''is like," and mitai-na is its adjective form. so lnokuma-san mitai-na ="like
l nokuma-san," and Jnokwna-san mitai-na genki-na ko ="a child who is strong/healthy like lnokuma-san."
genki is a noun referring to a vigorous state of health/energy, and genki-na is its adjective form, "healthy/energetic/strong."
the informal particle for emphasis, yo. sounds very masculine after the plain form of a verb (here, umu, "bear/
give birth"), so female speakers typically add the mostly feminine particle t') wa and say ... wa yo.
lnokuma isYawara's surname. In Japanese, it's quite common to refer to one's listener by name in situations
where an English speaker would use "you."

-.i7- ~ !v .. .
Fujiko-san ...

"Fuiiko ." (PL2-3)

Fu'iko: t

li

~m L-!! ...

"(

b!

Haha wa tsuyoshi!! . . . te
ne!
mother as-for strong
(quote) (colloq.)

"A mother is strone: ... they say. right?" (PL2)

..
so?"

tsuyoshi is the classical plain form of the adjective tsuyoi ("strong").

neat the end of a sentence expects or assumes agreement/confirmation from the listener, like "right?/isn 't it

Yawara: m7-~lv

.. .

Fujiko-san ...

"Fujiko .. ." (PL2-3)

PollticaiCartoon
(colllinuedfrom page 7)

is not very clear to the average Japanese citizen. (Our "translations" of the cartoon reflect this indistinct distinction.) This is
one reason why the "citizens" in the cartoon are not quite sure
what to think.

In the cartoon, the Diet is drawn as a sumo wrestler (his head

is shaped like the Diet building). There is a selection of decorative "aprons," but no one can decide which one is the most
becoming.

MAN G AJtN

7 9

Yawara l

n
7 v "" e
A. Jv It Jv ?t
If

:1.

';I

"? D

I) ~

1i 0)

!!

M A N G A JI N

..,.~

;! Jv

-t -r

8 0

'l -t: {,

1:

Yawara!

FX: ff :;
Cal (effec t of grasping ha nds tightly)
Yawara: i.H6 "'(:' t -? , @-=f ~ lv !!
Omedeto,
Fujiko-san!

" Congr_atulations,.lJJ ' iko!" (PL2-3)

omedeto (go:aimasu) is a congratulatory phrase used for a variety of joyful occasions like birthdays. New Year's.
times of personal achievements or good fortune. and times of joy such as when a woman becomes pregnant.

@J

Hanazono:

"'f:'TQ, @-T~Iv,
desu ne, Fujiko-san,

lt>J:It>J:

lyo-iyo

finally/atlas! is, isn' t it? (name)-(hon.)

~8:;$: ~f-fl!!

~en -Nihon

senshuken

all Japan

championship

' 'It's finally here isn' t it Fuiiko. The national championship (meet)!" (PL3)
iyo-iyo is used when speaking of an event that is finally/at long last about to occur.
either ~ 8 4.: :en-Nihon (lit.. "all Japan") or~~ :.enkoku (lit.. "alVentire country") can be used to refer to nationwide events - though the two words are not interchangeable in any given case.

Hanazono: :=-$ JJ. t..: It' 1: i}C)JJ1 I ~1!~

t '&r {- ~ lv (J)
Kyonen mitai-ni kessho wa lnokuma to Fujiko-san
no
last year

like

~M]~

title bout as-for (name)

1: Jj: J.>
ni naru

mei-shobu

and (name)-(hon.) of/between

b!!
ne!

"'f:'L.t-?
desha

fine/great contest/match will become (explan.) probably/perhaps won't it?

" Like last vear the title bout willJ!r_obabh' be a reat match between you and
it?" (PL3)

4'1f.

Kotoshi wa
this year

F17t

jibun

~);J'I:

mo

zellai-ni

r.l:.ti

(:

oen

nt

"'<

lnokuma~

won' t

"'f:';h t) iT!!
de arimasu!

iku

as-for oneself/myself too/also absolutely rooting/cheering for purpose of will go

is

''This year I will also absolutely go to cheer for you."

- "This_year you can be sure I wiJJ be there to cheer you on, too!" (PL2-3)
Sound FX: 'fi 'J 'fi :; 'fl :; tl 'J
Catsu gatsu gatsu gatsu (effect of eating vorac iously)
mitai-ni is the adverb form of mitai ("is like").
mei is added as a pre fix to a wide variety of words to imply' , reatfexcellent/notedfcelebratedldistinguishedfetc."
Shobu is written with kanji meaning "victory" and "defeat," and can refer either to the "contest/match'' it elf or 10
the decisive moment/act that determines the winner and loser. KesshiJ written with kar for "decide" and "victory," refers to the decisive game/match in a tournament-+ " title bout/match/game."
n is from explanatory no. and desho makes a conjectural statement. son desho is "it probably is the case that .. :
jibrm ="oneself," or '' me/myself," "he/himself,.. 'you/yourself," etc .. depending on the context. Male athletes and
military personnel commonly usejibun rather than warashi.
oen is a noun referring to the act of "cheering/rooting ... Ni iku after an action noun means "go to (do the action) ...
some speakers add desu or de arimasu to the plain/abrupt (PL2) form of a verb as an informaVcolloquial alternate
for the PL3 form (in this case ikimasrr. from iku ["go")). creating a form that stands somewhere between PL2 and
PL3 in our scheme of politeness levels. It has an emphatic effect here, emphasizing his determination.

@J

Hanazono:

It>~,

/ya,

nolinterj.

L1.PL
shikashi
but

J.tt&
oen

1!1.1'1)
bakari

rooting/cheering only/exclusively

L'CJ.>
shiteru
doing

btt
wake
situation/explanation

t.:.~;hl)i-tt'lv! !
)a arimasen!
is not

"(No) but the situation is not that I' m only cheering (now)."
- "Not that all I' m doing these days is cheeri.ngl" (PL3)

JjJibun

~ *: (J)J{Jv~O-j- li~ t:ttt'C7Jv.AO;; rJv"'f:' iJ(/v(i'-?C 11 ;iT!!

mo rainen no Baruserona gorin 11i mukete furu surottoru
de ganbattorimasu!

Umyself also next year 's

Barcelona

Olympics 10

facing

fullthronlc

at

am working hard

"I'm trainin at full throttle, too, with..m~igbts set on next ear's Barcelona Oiym~!" (PL3)
iya literally means "no." but in this case can be viewed mainly as a verbal "warm-up" for his sentence.
shiteru is a contraction of shite-iru. from suru (''do''). Oen sum is the verb form of oen ("rooting/cheering"). and
inserting bakari makes it "only cheer/do nothi ng but cheer."
gorin is "five rings." the Olympic symbol. More commonly used is :t '} / ~ :~ 7 o rinpikku, from the English.
... ni mukete is an expression meaning "facing/aiming/heading toward."
f um surottoru is a katakana rendering of "full throttle"; furu surolloru de= ''at full throttle."
ganbattorimasu is a contraction of ganba11e-orimasu. the -te form of ganbam plus the PL3 form of onr, a humble
equivalent of iru ("be/exist" for animate things). The -te ont form. like the -te iru fom1. can mean either "am/is/are
doing'' or " have/has done" depending on context.
MA NGAJIN

81

Ya wara l

}d - 1il3

tt. ..., "'?

(,.....:. =f- (J)

tt A. -c =J=.
i l: tt:t
-t/JI.~'7

J:8 "'?
!! 1:7-

-c
t

82

M ANGAJI N

Yawara!

~= ip t ~ -:::> "' -c {> '

:fi

Hanazono: t:tfvt L-c{> ,

ni

is hi

Nan to shire mo,

kajiritsuite mo,

at any cost/by any means rock/stone tO bite into/onto even if

<

--c-<h~ii"!!
~= ~-r
-~~= 1 \ Jl-- -t o -T li ~
ffi -T ~fv t
to issho ni Baruserona gorin Ill iku de arimasu!
Fujiko-san
(namc)-(hon.) with together
Barcelona
Olympics to will go
is

" Whatever it takes even if I have to dim! to a rock (even if it kills me). I willtw with you to the
Barcelona Olvmoics." (PL2-3)
:{~

~iko:

<fv ...

" Hanazono . .." (PL3)

Hanazono-kun .. .
ishi ni kajiritsuire mo (or kuitsuite mo) is an expression showing o ne's determination to endure any hardship to attain one ' s goal. Kajirirsukt1, from kajiru ("gnaw/bite [at]")+ rsuku ("attach to"), means 'fasten/sink teeth into," and,
by extension, "hold on to/cling to" (not necessarily with one's teeth).

H~?
Kodomo ... suki?

Fu"iko: i"- f:tt...

" Do vou like . . . children?" (PL2)

like

child/children

?
- .
Hanazono: .s., '~-

Fugo? (inte rjection of surprise/uncertainty at her question, muffled by a mouth full of food)

Hanazono: ;t;L -t-'?~

sorya
Ee,

-? !!

mol

' 'Yes. oh ves indeed!" (PL2)

that as-for (interj.)

yes

4-

{>

{>

*ill$

lma mo jiidobu-

i!i: fiJT

0)

kinjo

no gakidomo ni

t;tff t t!'i" :b

mainichi nagetobasu wa

every day

fling/hurl

1: t:t-:::>1J'h1?i ? l

(/)

no

now also judo club dormitory 's neighborhood 's

fff:B

:tl q:. 3t

j!
ryo

(j: ?

t.: .:13-t

hatlaosu

natsukarechimatte

kids/rascals by be co)llpletely taken/attached tO

:b

0)

wa

no

*!I~
osawagi

-r:-t

:b !!

is

(cmph.)

desu wa!

(emph.) knock/slap down (emph.) of great clamor/commotion

" Even now the little rascals in the nei!!hborhood of the .Judo Club dorm have really taken to me,
and I horse around with them evervdav. throwim! them around and knockin!! them down." (PL3informal)
is a slang word for " kid(s)lbrat(s)" and can be either singular or plural. Adding -domo makes it plural.
is a contraction of natsukarete shimatte. the passive form of natsuku ("take to/become attached
to/become tamed,'' usually said of animals and children only) plus the-re fonn of shimau ("end/finish/complete."
here indicating the action has taken place ,;completely/thoroughly'').
nagerobasu and hattaosu (contraction of haritaosu) are both complete sentences ("[I] fling [them] away/down" and
"[l] knock/swat [them] down"), and the usually feminine particle wa is added for emphasis. The use of wa like this
at the end of parallel embedded sentences describing details of the main action is heard among both men and
women. Women's use of wa at the e nd of a regular sentences lends their speech a feeling of femininity, but men's
use of the same wa in informal speech is primarily emphatic and does not necessarily sound feminine .

.. gaki
natsukarechimaue

.
~iko:

*~t:t

Oki-na

.f. ...
te .. .

big/large hand(s)

Fujiko:

iffi f:, ~ fv
Akachan
baby

"(Such} big hands." (PL2)

.:I?Ji\15 1:

o-furo

.An~ 0)

ni ireru

no

(j:
wa

.f.
te

(/)
110

(obj.) (hon.)-bath in put into (nom.) as-for hand (subj.)

*~t:t

oki-na
big

"/;tO)
;'\;'\ (/) tt:
papa no shigoto na no
papa

's

job

J:. o
yo.

(explan.) (cmph.)

"Puttin!! a babv in the bath is a iob for the daddv with his bilf hands . vou know." (PL2)

Hanazono: . . . . . ?

.
.
.

' 'Huh?" (PL2)

H e?
no after ireru is a " nominali zer" that turns the complete thought/sente nce akachan o o-furo ni ireru ("put the baby
in the bath" -+ "give the baby a bath") into a noun. Here it can be thought of as standing in for shigoro ("job").
the subject marker ga often changes to no in modifying clauses, and okina is an alternate fo rm of okii ("big"), sore
no oki-na = re ga okii ("[his] hands are big"), a complete thought/sentence modifying papa (from English ;'papa").
na no yo= na no desu yo: na no is the form explanatory 110 takes after a noun, and in informal situations. the emphatic particle yo by itself can function as desu yo ("is/are/will be" + emph.), especially in female speech.

(continued on following page)

M A N GAJIN

8 3

Yawaral

t:: 'tlt ~ tM ~ ~ t
! ! }?. il L' fl~ #1: L
7- t:. ""? ~ IJ>
"\" t:. < J: -r:
~~;W?~

36

84

M ANGAJIN

t .: IJ I:

t:.

*AI?

I?

-r:

ll - - - - -

Yawara!

(contilwedfrom previous page)

H anazono:

1371-

li ? li ? li ? !!
Hahhahha!

(J)

]i"'?=f -c.'b

~;

no te

Jibun

nara

oneself/myself s hands if it is/if it were quintuplets even

Oaugh)

~"'?=f

-e b

itsutsugo demo mutsugo demo

sextuplets even

v'?~!vl: Jl\.8 1: .Attt:>tt~T J:: !! I t!.? li? li !!

yo!
Dahhahha!
ippen ni
furo ni ireraremasu
(laugh)
can put into
(emph.)
at once
bath in
" Ha ha ha. With these hands I could even put auintuplets or sextuplets in the bath a ll at once. Ha
ha ha. " (PL3)

jibun ="oneself/myself/yourself/himself/etc.," andjibwr no= "oneselrs/my/your/his/etc."

ireraremasu is the PL3 potential ("can/able to") form of irero ("put imo").

Fu'iko:

.
.
~

1Jf lv If.?

-c b.,

/~/~ 0

Ganbatte

ne,

papa.

work hard

okay? Papa

"Give it everythin& you 've got, okay, Daddy?" (PL2)

ganbatte is the -re form of ganbaru ("be dogged/persistent/unflagging" in the face of a challenge). The -re form
here is being used as a suggestion/urging/gentle command.
neat the end of a request or command urges compliance/obedience, like "[do it]. okay?"

-e ~ t:.;

{>(_, =f~
1Jf
Papa ka! Moshi kodomo ga

Hanazono: ;'{;~ il'! !

papa

is it?

if

(J)

-t!tW. 71'/l::":t/
chanpion

sekai

J: -? 1:

~ .(., "'?

<

lftr

tJ>t:>

lnokuma no yi5 ni monogokoro tsuku mae kara

(subj.) if is made/born (name)

child

~ )Q: t:. t:. ~ .:: lv -e

judo tatakikonde

~,~

dekitara

like

begin to understand

before from

t!. !!
da!

champion
is/will be
judo pound/drum into-and world
" Daddy, huh? If I had a child, I'd train him hard in judo from even before he understands what's
1!0in2 o n around him like lnokuma and (m a k e him) world champion. " (PL2)
Sound FX: 1!71!7 1f'7 il7

..
.
.
0

Gafu gafu gafu gafu (effect of shoveling food into his mouth)
dekirara is a conditional " if/when" form of dekiru ("be made/formed/produced").
. .. no yo ni after a noun means " like/in the manner of ..."
monogokoro refers to "discretion/judgment/understanding of things." Monogokoro (ga) tsuku refers to the process
of a child coming to understand the world around him/her, and the phrase here modifies mae ("before").
rarakikonde is the -re form of rarakikomu, literally "pound/drum imo," an idiom referring to teaching/instructing/
training someone vigorously/relentlessly. The panicle o, to markjiido as the direct object, has been omitted.

Hanazono: t:t.lv"C b.!!

Nante

ne!

/\ --; /\ :; /\ '/ !!
Hahhahha!

(quote) (colloq.) (laugh)

" Listen to me talk! Ha ha ha!" (PL2)
Fu'iko:

ih t:. L {> -(--) LJ::-7 t

-~-? "( !!
Atashi mo
so shiyi5 to omotte!
also that way will do (quote) was thinking
Vme
" I was thinking I would do that also."
-

"I was thinkin2 the same thi112,'' (PL2)

Hanazono: ~Jt

.-/ken

1J~

ga

name is a colloquial quotative form implying that what

precedes it is somehow unworthy/ridiculous/silly. When
it's tagged on after the sentence like this it implies the
speaker is not serious/just kidding, a kind of backpedaling lest he be thought overly bold.
atashi is a variation of warashi, more common among
female speakers than males.
shiyo is the form of suru ("do") expressing wilVintent.
omotte is the -reform of omou ("think"), here implying
something like omoue-irulita ("am/was thinking").

-fl-v' ~ -t b.-' 'li=f~lv

aimasu

ne,

Fujiko-san

lie

to wa.

opinion/thinking (subj.) match(es) doesn't it? (name)-(hon.) with as-for

"Our thinking matches, doesn't it - you and me?"
- " We think alike don' t w e F uiiko." (PL3)
Sound FX:

/ \ ~ /\ ~

Hagu hagu (effect of chewing)

Fu'iko:

IO}JIOB,
Jugatsu ti5ka,

.
.

1*~
tai'iku

(J)

-IJ~

no hi ga

~(_,~

tanoshimi

aimasu is the PL3 form of au ("fill

match/coincide").
Fujiko-san ro implies Fujiko-san to
warashi ("Fujiko and me - "you
and me"). The syntax is reversed.
Normal order would be Fujiko-san to
wa iken ga aimasu ne.

b. o
ne.

October lOth
physical education of day (subj.) is awaited eagerly isn't it?
"October lOth, Phys ical Fitness Day, will be awaited eagerly, won't it?"
''I can hardlv wait for October lOth Phvsical Fitness Dav. can vou?" ( PL2)
ranoshimi is a noun meaning "pleasure/enjoyment/delight"; when a future event is referred to as tanoshimi, it
means that event is awaited with eager anticipation - "[I] look forward to/can hardly wait for."
ne by itself often replaces desu ne ("is, isn't it/are, aren't you?"), especially in feminine speech. Herne here assumes a similar eagerness on his part rather than expecting him to confirm her eagerness.

(continued on following page)

MANGAJIN

85

Yawaral

S6

MAN GAJIN

Yawaral
(continued from previous page)

SoundFX:
Hanazono:

*~*~

Hogu hogu (effect of chewing)

fPJ

1Jf

Nani ga
what

.A

tJ''l

su ka?

(subj.) is

"What is (awaited with anticipation)?" -

"Why is that?" (PL3-informal)

su is a contraction of desu. Some speakers habitually drop the de in desu when speaking informally.

Fu.liko:

-rm ...

-c: ~ ~ ~ -? t.::. o

Kodomo . . . dekichatta.
child/baby

was made

"I'm prgnant." (PL2)

dekichatta is a contraction of dekite shimatta, the te form of dekiru ("be made/formed/produced") plus the
plain/abrupt past form of shimau ("end/fmishlput away"). In many cases, shimau after the te form of a verb
implies the action is regrettable/undesirable, but here it merely reflects her surprise and (obviously delighted)
embarrassmentlsheepishness.

Hanazono: i" IJ ~ ~-c:t.::.ll' .Ab- o ~Q) .A-IJ'?

Sorya
medetai su ne.
Dare no su ka?
as for that joyous/happy is, isn't it

whose

is 7

' 'That calls for congratulations. Whose Is it?" (PL3-infonnal)

Fujiko: if.> t.::. L. c ;(E Ill <lv Q) l!
Atashi to Hanazono-lam no!
lime

and

(name)-(bon.)

's

' 'Yours and mine," (PL2)

sorya is a contraction of sore wa, "that" plus the topic marker ("as for").
medetai means "happy/propitious/joyous," and is the word from which the congratulatory expression omedeto
(gozaimasu) comes. Hanazono continues to drop the de from desu: medetai (de)su =" is happy/joyous" "calls for congratulations."
no after a name or pronoun is often possessive: dare= "who" and dare no= "whose"; Hanazono-kun no=
Hanaozono-kun's."
-kun is an equivalent of -san ("Mr./Ms.") typically used with young males by their peers or superiors; it feels
somewhat less formal than san, but is still essentially an honorific title. As occurfed several times above, in
Japanese it is common to address one's listener by name in situations where English speakers would say
'~ou.u

Hanazono:

A..-,

He,

i-1
so

(interj.) that way

.A-IJ'-!!
su ka-!
is ?

''Hmm. Is that ri&ht?" (PL3-infonnal)

Hanazono:

..t - ?!
E?!
"Whaa-a-t?!" (PL3)

adding the two dots to e is non-standard. It's presumably intended here to emphasize the intensity of his surprise/shock, and to reflect the fact that he has a mouthful of spaghetti.

. . . to be continued in the next issue of MANGAJIN

MAN GAJ IN

87

Voc;ab u la ry S um mary

From Calvin and Hobbes, p. 31

~#ti"o

kokai suru
ko-sodate
kumitateru
setsumeisho
shiji
shiiri suru
uttaeru

r1i-r
ki!I.}J.3i.-r.o
i!tllt!f

mff-

~J.t-t.o
IDF~o

regret (v.)
child-rearing
put together
instruction sheet
instructions
fix/repair
sue (v.)

From Basic Japanese, p. 34

~""
ff:-tt-.0

kingyo
makaseru
tsuba
yukidaruma

'/I'<
~t.:.o

goldfish
leave to/entrust
spit/saliva
snowman

From OL Shinkaron, p. 41

:t:
El3i.

~~.:tr
~(>

~llliii

f'J:rt

~~-1*~

-mm-r.o
~p:;

~t'ME

l?~i l,..l;>

chlJsa
jiritsu
kangaekomu
kiyome
koklJ
saho
seimei hoken
shin 'yo suru
soshiki
totsuzen-shi
urayamashii

survey/investigation
self-reliance
ponder/brood
purification
superiority/aloofness
manners/etiquette
life insurance
trust (v.)
funeral
sudden death
enviable

From Obatarian, p. 44
ill!~
::f fl"r ")'I}

tt

litilli"o
;rem
~~~0

~ftfl!~1-t.o

,J,SJ

**
fllffli" o

iiltrr
L..b

chikyii
gokiburi
hakushi/hakase
hametsu suru
hanagara
ikinokoru
kakusenso
kansei suru
kozeni
mirai
riylJ s uru
ryiiko
shiwa

Earth
cock.roach
professor/doctor
be destroyed/be ruined
flower pattern
survive
nuclear war
complete/perfect (v.)
small change
future
utilize/make use of
popular/fashionable/in vogue
wrinkle(s) (n.)

From Beranmei Tochan, p. 48

tt.o
=f-t

.l:JIJ 1:
.::.;to{

*'II

*'

chiru
hosu
johin-ni
nioi
shinshi
ume

scatter
hang out to dry
in a refined/genteel manner
smell/fragrance
gentleman
plum

From Furiten-kun, p. 50

~<

~I! A

TJ--? I!o

7J~3t

13 ~b t)

as

aruku
hannin
hipparu
manpokei
mezawari
shindaisha

walk
criminal
pull/draw
pedometer
eyesore
sleeper car (on a train)

From Manga Business Manners, p. 54

{$\;\

7'T

ncr
li-fT

'(}f)>~ f>

51-? :i6 }j..w.;l

..( -\' 1) ',/ pt:~i

~-~

~11

J+M61J

~v:t~.o

ttgiJ
'l~11

l{.fl.
rlll~tt

bunan
erai
Juke
hairyo
hazusu
hikae-me
hikkomi-jian
iyaringu
jama
kaigi-shitsu
kansei
mimikazari
sashitsukaeru
seibetsu
sekkyoku-sei
shiryo
shlJkyoku-sei

safe/secure
illustrious/admirable
dandruff
consideration/forethought
tak.e off/remove
restrained/moderate
shy/withdrawn
earring(s)
hi ndrance/obstacle
meeting room
sensitivity/sensibility
earring(s)
distract from/hinder
gender
assertiveness/positiveness
data
passivity

From Binbo Seikatsu Manyuaru, p. 60

~3tl:

:t~.o

MIJ

1t-? 11 lv
-=F.tl

-*
?~

bt.:~f>

kan zen-ni
oboeru
odori
sekken
teas hi
tehon
ude
wata-ame

completely/perfectly
learn/remember
dance (n.)
soap
arms & legs
example/model
arm/sleeve
cotton candy

From Yawara!, p. 69
fukumeru
furo
7 Jv.A o-;; !- Jv f uru surottoru
5C~1j:
genki-na
lifii
gorin
li 1J t.: .t3i"
haritaosu
iken
lf!,~
ikuji
li'?r
itsutsugo
l;lJ:I;lJ:
iyo-iyo
kajiru
il' 1.:0
kinjo
i!Iffl'
kotoshi
4-iF
kyonen
*iF
fr.'?r
mutsugo
~lfjRI!T
nagetobasu
oen
It-~
rainen
*iF
~RMAflsanfujin-ka
il-~
senshuken
shlJbu
shussan
11
tai 'iku
~l...}J.
tanoshimi
tomo
~
Mtr
umu
758
yotei-bi
~11'1:
zettai-ni

*t>.o

!l\8

-~

~-

include/contain
bath
full throttle
energetic/strong
Olympics
k.nock./slap down
opinion/think.ing
child-rearing
quintuplets
finall y/at last
gnaw/bite (at)
neighborhood
this year
last year
sextuplets
fling/hurl
rooting/cheering
next year
ob-gyn clinic
c hampionship
contest/match
c hildbirth
physical education
pleasure/enjoyment/delight
friend/companion
bear/give birth
due date
absolutely

The Vocabulary Summary is taken from material appearing in this issue of MA NGAJJN. It 's not always possible to give the complete
range of meanings for a word in this limited space, so our "definitions" are based on the usage of the word in a particular story.

90

MA NGAJIN