Learn Amazing Japanese

Since it’s snowed about 2 ft. over the past few days where I live, I thought I’d talk about snow.

First off, here’re some Japanese snow scenes for you, taken during 2005 in the Hagiwara district, not too far from Nikko (I think).

I lived in Aomori Prefecture (northernmost prefecture on the main island) during my first winter in Japan. Dude. People dug tunnels to their front doors through the snow. The city of Aomori piled snow in center of the streets, and I kid you not, the piles were at least 30′ high.

One summer I spent a month in a city called Oomagari (Akita prefecture). Most of the houses in this town have a door on the second story, but no stairs leading up to it.

Why, you ask? Well, during the winter, they just pack the snow down and carve steps into it, using the second-story door as the main entrance. That’s a lotta snow.

So here are some snow-related words for you:

冬
fuyu
winter

雪
yuki
snow

雪が降る
yuki ga furu
to snow (furu = “to fall”; “ame ga furu” means to rain)

雪が積もる
yuki ga tsumoru
for snow to “pile up” (tsumoru = to pile up, accumulate)

氷
koori
ice

ひょう
hyou
hail

みぞれ
mizore
sleet

除雪
josetsu
snow removal

除雪車
josetsusha
snow plow (snow removal truck)

雪かき
yukikaki
snow removal (less formal than “josetsu”)/ snow shoveling
Check out THIS LINK for the latest “yukikaki” information for the Sapporo area. The snow-shoveling monkeys show where residents are likely to have to shovel snow. Not sure how often it’s updated, but the monkeys are funny.

ツララ
tsurara
icecicle

氷山
hyouzan
iceberg

氷河
hyouga
glacier

吹雪
fubuki
blizzard

霜焼け
shimoyake
frostbite, chilblains (not the kind of frostbite that’ll they have to cut your toes off, it just hurst, especially when you start warming up again)

凍傷
toushou
frostbite (the kind where they do have to cut your toes off)

Here’s a “fubuki” (blizzard) in Aomori from a few months back. Nasty.

I told you it snows crazy there.

Sore ja.

James at Japanprobe posted this vid from the latest Kasou Taishou contest held a few days ago.

Pretty cool.

Sore ja.

Our blender/ smoothie maker at home is kinda weird.

The bottom part screws on counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise for my British friends), and then screws off clockwise…which is the exact opposite of how my peanut butter jar opens. When I try to get the bottom off, I usually end up tightening it more.

That’s not important.

What’s important are these two words:

時計方向
tokei houkou
clockwise (literally “clock direction”)

反時計方向
hantokei houkou
counter-clockwise

The “han” character of “hantokei” means “reverse, opposite, anti-”

Unfortunately, I can’t find any videos to demonstrate “clockwise” or “counter-clockwise,” so here’s a video from Curio (circa 1990-something). Used as the 3rd Closing Ending Song for the Rurouni Kenshin anime series:

None of my Japanese friends under the age of 30 know who Curio is. My wife is cousins with the bass player…who happens to be a lefty…kinda on the same theme as today’s post, I guess.

UPDATE -
Since I kinda already introduced this, I’ll tell you the J’go for it:

右利き
migikiki
right-handed

左利き
hidarikiki
left-handed

Sore ja.

This time of year always reminds me of the Gin-chan Kasou Taishou. (”Gin-chan” is the name of the entertainer who hosts the show).

Here’s a treat (at least it was for me):

The Top 20 Skits (仮装/ kasou = costume, but these are really skits) of all time. You might not agree, but there are quite a few skits I’ve never seen before:

Part I

Part II

There are a few others that I’d definitely put in the Top 20…maybe I’ll scrounge around and try to find them. Lupin III and some others come to mind.

“minna ga eranda kasou besuto nijuu”
Top 20 Best Costumes Selected by “Everyone”
minna = everyone
kasou = costume
eranda = past tense plain form of erabu (to choose); used here to modify the following noun (kasou), so “minna ga eranda kasou” = the costumes/skits that everyone chose.

Sore ja.

三味線
しゃみせん
shamisen.

Nothing particularly tied to the New Year (shin’nen), but the shamisen always makes me feel “new yearsy,” if you know what I mean.

Sore ja.

明けまして、おめでとうございます。
Akemashite, omedetou gozaimasu.
Happy New Year.

Traditional ringing of the temple bells on New Year’s Eve.
“Jyoya no kane”

Sore ja.

Back in the U.S.
Jet lag. Nasty cold. Sick, tired.
No time for pics and vid.

In other words…I was so bizzy the last three weeks in Japan, I hardly had time to do much of anything other than work…so unfortunately, I don’t have many pics or video to share with y’all.

Right out the gate back home I had a ton of translation work, most of which I now have a handle on, but until late last night, I was hatin’ on life for awhile.

OK, enough about my pathetic life. At least I got to go to J’land for three weeks on someone else’s dime, eat a lot of good Japanese food, and meet some cool people.

Back later with some actual good-for-something posts.

Sore ja.

Blogging has been very light as I am in Japan right now doing some consulting work. I think my schedule will calm down a bit in a few days, and then I’ll be back with more.

I’ll also try to take some fun pics and video while I’m in Tokyo.

Sore ja.

The famous Danny Choo, aka Dancing Stormtrooper

H/T to Japan Probe.

Danny Choo’s site is HERE. (Warning, not all of his content is strictly PG, so I’m just sayin’.)

And he speaks Japanese very well. (Notice how I left the “…for a gaijin” part off that comment.)

Sore ja.

…at least on the accordion level.

She is Anzai Norie (アンザイ　ノリエ)

Listen for “maitta” early on from some lady in the crowd.

参った
maitta
Be beaten, give up, admit defeat, cry uncle, “you got me,” I’ll be darned, have no idea what to do, etc. very context-y. Usually said in reference to yourself, but Japanese people also tend to “quote” someone else’s feelings, which is what the lady in this vid was doing (i.e. talking about Norie’s response to a comment/kid making noise from the crowd, I think).

I believe samurai in old Japan used to say “maitta” to admit defeat when their opponent had them at the advantage.

参る
Mairu
To go, come, call upon (humble form verb)
To be defeated
To be annoyed
To visit

Sore ja.