Reading Japanese With A Smile

Reading Japanese with a Smile Nine Stories from a Japanese Weekly Magazine for Intermediate Learners Tom GALLYSans GMADAU UUELcUe bien Sno BI ETERSCURG LSS aThe “Country of Ban” The “Country of Ban” tending fouryear colleges and looking for #288 jobs, but they still do not always recsive equal treatment in hir ing and promotions. $8 BE yokyjitw the next day / BttOIN I hatha no 4taeri ni on her way home from work / WLV*22 nacoita peeked into; dropped by / HRTEM noko dairten travel agency / = S (= mave ni exactly, precisely / FEA ‘% ricbteki na ideal / HE nitei schedule / 24% kingaku amount of money / 77 — tour / SLOW mituke she 7c oot fe" bay . found / © }) 4%" provisionally; for the time being / Pishivs vaca, Peshos, v BEES doludan de on her own judgment / F#)% Ai YHR-—VPYLORY AD, Ew> TBUK yoaku o ie oita she went ahead and made a reservation BY BIZ we ALC cook / LOU we LOWS. mitkers [ART AND inn / BVI BS 3 MV modifies HME, s0 Mv ciR TBE ‘means “a travel agency that she dropped by.” / The use of £024" suggests that Miss K has made the reser vation only provisionally, pending consultation with her coworkers. / The final 3372, translated above as “went ahead,” indicates an action taken with an eye to future de velopments. See also 51 EL EoK. 8% MDL habochi candidate locations / W2\% various / Hite deta were mentioned; were proposed / 1 2 nisl the number of days / 3 yasan budget / %* because of / YYHR—MPY A ONY 3 Singapore or Bangkok, Thailand / £05 £E°C to in koto de (see TE, below) / BRIE LE 2 7 banashi wa matomatta they decided; they reached a conclusion Gy Wit wd dem/ EL FoK we ELED Thailand is called 474 in Japanese, while the Thai language is 944% Taigo. / The phrase LW LET refers to something that has been previously mentioned. It usualy does not need to be translated into English, A Te 86. Hho hove house, Kis Sot, coe HE Le. He BH, Kia. SKolhy Bu cP | fie BA yotuace the next morning / (MO—A0 Vie 2H. Kia, Bboh oi heii nakarna no hitori no Waijs Miss Y, one of the group / 8. C, ESCMHMS HEL Bho 9 (oy 7- AFB mikakers notice; catch sight of / > ¢ imme elon, Pobre CEB e Lac a diately / €O¢F sono hen that mater / LZ boon * shite reported BELA ee BETS bokokn seu 37The “Country of Ban” 34 ffl means “a companion, fiend, or colleague (cther in dividually or as a group)” / The & after 717% is the sequential & (see If). / ZOE here refers to the fact that Miss K had made a tour reservation. The word ff jg offen used to refer to previously discussed matters, 7 TWVOMD OL. HEY 1OYT-eH LAA Le oRTRE, Vib dial BH VLOHD LOE ii no ga atta no yo there was a good one / BRIFIS hatte ni'on my own; without prior consultation or permission / 8 LIbA U2 1 mid. onjatta signed up for / > E42 ii twa yo ne thats okay, isn't i? bd / HLIRAL Rok © BLIAATL HH LiAt mabikomu / LE ot we LES 3£ When referring to a person’s behavior, fF usualy sug gests selfishness or disregard for the feelings of others ‘When it refers to the speaker's own actions, the word con- vgs a sense of humble apology. In this sentence, Miss K's apology for what she has done is reinforced by the L of: suffix (Gee 3h and 4), This apology is litle more than a ritual, though. Miss KC in fact thinks she has done a ‘good thing by making the reservation, and she is expecting to be thanked, The “Country of Ban” 7g at eae diatblnble L Hudkioltekoc RK $8 BOB gai na hao a surprised face / HEVIERE hand hinan slight criticism / iif chishi tone of voice / iA% T homeie with; including / % % 72 kotaeta answered Ho Leth /AOT ae BS komm / BAK we B 2B hotaeru & BMGBUETS means “to make a surprised face” or “to look surprised.” #29} means “unexpected,” and the reason for the surprise is that something unexpected has occurred.The “Country of Ban” [ho 94% ROMYAD Letboro| 8B BS (shows mild suprise) / FAIELA? Tei nf stita no? Did you decide on Thailand? / 187 51> Un yp PotD Bankoku ja nakatta no Wasn't it Bangkolo Wy Lie te /Urthok we Citthot eg Nk%U> de wa nai er ChB 5 The [CS mi su pattern means “to decide on; to choose” / In informal women's speech, a sentence ending with the particle 2 may be either an explanation or ¢ question depending on the intonation. Explanatory 0) sentences have falling intonation, while questions have ris. ing intonation. In writing, it is impossible to determine whether a sentence such as 94 (2 L720) is an explane tion or a question without contextual clues. Here, the ? shows unambiguously that 9412 LAO is a question, and that context tells the reader that 287 27 Ue tes 24:0 is a question as well. (Question marks are not mally used in Japanese only in cases of possible ambigu ity. If the sentence is clearly a question—because it ends in 2, uses an interrogative pronoun, etc—then the question mark is omitted.) [Ro ho tny arity 4 of e 8B Ro at Huh / oT but / HMB shuo capital city 140 The “Country of Ban” %2 is a shortened version of % 2, an interjection that, depending on the situation and intonation, can indicate joy, sorrow, anget, agreement, or hesitation. Here it shows surprise. As in 4g, the final small > in 22 indicates a sudden halting of the vocal chords. It is not pronounced “" Here and in 7j (2-2), this > is similar to an ex dlamation point. / The conjunction #22°T is used in speech when asserting a fact that contradicts another per son's statement or assumption. % (ils? 2-2, oy 4 Of Z 2 2-CL 190 NY IZ OTA HO POMOAML EVD I [ove] HX ——> at (chows surprise or disbelief) / 4A Laos / 2722 ¢ oka ga tik ends in kokw (“country”) / El 4 Hit kumi no namae the name of a county / t%% VO) ja nai no isn't ie Ue RV ae THEEV? de wa nai ee THB 2 js pronounced with a prolonged rising tone. This interjection is often used in conversation by young women. / The 2 after 717 is a contraction of EV3 Ok to iu no wa, which literally means “that which is called.” though there is usually no need to translate it into English. In writing, 27 27 EV Old might be rendered with quotation marks: “Bangkok.” / The ellipsis dots in quotation marks [-----J indicate that the listener, Miss K, is so stunned she is unable to speak. 4The “Country of Ban” 2% Genuine country names that end in [3] haku include 3¢ Bl Fikoku “United Kingdom,” 41) 3408) Chirt Kg. twakoku “Republic of Chile,” and the official name of J pan, E25] Nifonkoku or Nippontoku. 7k Yidadence og, 5° PUNYEWI BL, DED“ ah Bpamokocas. 8 EN TOON wmarete kono kata ever since she was born / +P I nijigo nenkan twenty-four years / 7% Y £W5 6 Ban to in huni a country called Ban / 2 Din other words, that is / ff URED % 7 shinite Magmeanakatta believed and didn’t doubt SH ENT & END umarerm / ACT w BUS Shinji | Web tsp Ts ex Rt TEV» ex BE agua OF hono kata means “sinos after” HENTLOR is a set phrase that means “all one's life, ever since one was born.” / The & before 4 UT is the quoting &, im dicating what Miss Y believed. / Another version of the phrase 48 U-CWE4D% 25 72 appears in 3m, The “Country of Ban” 1 (risa R tho SHER Ie. BOSE, RAR ORAL a FU ARO AERIS doki myasha no josei shain ni among the female employees who joined the company at the same time / A751 bitor’ dake only one (person) / ARAGRIAR onto saiyisha a person hired through a per sonal connection / 4 saewa rumor / 2% 22-0 % donté data n? da was teue ih Koket Mit means nearly the same thing as =2% in 7a-a per sonal connection, whether through blood, marriage, or acquaintance. / #213 saé sew means “to hire,” and RANE sabes is *hitee” /— ARAB AVS EW3 IME bitoni dake enko saiisha ga iru toi moasa means “the rumor that only one person was hired through a personal connection.” / The Ain KYO RATE is a contraction of the explanatory %. In other words, the fact that there was one hires—Miss Y—who got her job through a connection explains why Miss Y is working in this company even though she is so ignorant. / This sentence is in parentheses because it indicates Miss K’s thoughts.The "Country of Ban” 7m RHREA UC, KiB oe aie Lr DKoke piisha gonenme ni shite in the fith year after joining the company / MOI weasa ng ‘hingi the truth of the rumor / HUE L72 kakushin shia was convinced of HER L 72 ew HAE TS % hakushin sure / 12 T is a literary version of I= or © “in of at (a place or time)” / The characters Land (§ in KMS mean “truth” and “falsehood,” respectively. In some contexts, # 1% can be translated as “truth or falsehood,” though here just “eruth” is better. 2% Large Japanese companies, which often have their pick of new hires, screen prospective employees in several ways, ‘One is by choosing only those who have graduated from high-ranked universities, thus relying on the rigor of the university entrance exams to weed out the poorly edu- cated and the less diligent. Another is by subjecting ap- plicants to exams and interviews. The tests given by companies are usually not as tough as college entrance cams, and they offen focus on more practical, common- sense knowledge, such as current events and geography. ‘And a third is to use recommendations from the personal contacts of important people in the company. While this method is sometimes as effective as the others-a recom- mender can lose face if the introduced employee tums out to be a dud-it does not always work, as shown here by the case of Miss Y. 8 BHP RRGRECEAOR wh Tue Rice Boy's Urine Tuerapy ano His Grrereieno's DepressionLNA SAAT ARN HSHoSveH oa30 RRBRACOADRS PRIMOEERASLO OL, MESA (=) kk, OF (LA) £4 HINRAMOBAMTE RS K POOH, HR-ADLYF, RORETS PAHMAH CHD, PLENRHATMT. Hs BMWEANY xT EMU TS. MF SARDATMR, SHMORY Fa Teh BL. KKESONITVEMERTITUF— bt Like FORK, LMOAY FVILMORA BAT WV KF 27747, OBAY + T-EBOTHSES, ROMBOK BRE bP > BERD 2 ho [RA, RORMMSM LEARY, OF RE HORBILBLOCKATSEAKoTI lio, v7?) Tue Rice Boy's Urine Tuerapy ano His Gircreiewo's Depression Mcko (24), an office worker at an architectural firm in Kanagawa, now has a boyfriend, O (28), who is as handsome as K@ji Kikkawa, Although he went to a sec ond-rate university, he's 184 centimeters tall, works at a real estate company run by his father, and makes over ight million yen a year. He drives both a BMW and a Mitsubishi Pajero. On Valentine's Day, Mcko bought 30,000 yen worth of chocolate just for O, and they went on a double date to Yokohama with another couple. That night, the two couples checked into a hotel with a view of the sea. While O was taking a shower, M-ko got a telephone call from her girlfriend in the next room. “Hey, according to my boyftiend, O drinks his own piss every morning. He says it’s good for his health.” “Yuck!” Mcko said. “Are you serious?”The Rich Boy’s Urine Therapy MTS ADRS BS OBI, BR oRD KBAR [RUBS MBE 4 IEMHE SCN THORAT. Ro RTP RE UT, BOL BTEC RVAK, B OKATAS | OBE FASNEIRBORMEBA, [EX taAt iC 4 VL | EUR ICHAT. OBIE “7-757 HER” BMOARTHT, & BESO PHEDIEVS M¥SAM=SAMBARR, OB SOD RHEE HL. D MOWMTHKRLEWTE QRCKREMBDEVIE O MR BIEL 3 0 L, tobi eC ze polk<, ELS, BSS DORMER, BAALARZYIBoTK NS. LAL. MESA Ewe, Tek, KAKI 1 VAATED, RIB AO RE KHeAKDS . EMRT SERVI, CMEKET (RSD TH Bo The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy When Mcko nervously asked O about it, he replied confidently, “It has cured my colds and tonsils and hay fever. There's nothing dirty about uring, it has the ame components as sweat and tears. You should try drinking it, too.” When O started to kiss M-ko, she adamantly refused. “No kissing! No way!” also practices “no-underpants therapy”—he never wears brief when he sleeps. ‘Afier stewing over it for three days, M-ko laid down three rules for O: () Do not drink urine in front of me. 2) Do not try to get me to drink urine. 3) Always gargle after drinking urine, and then brush your teeth for at least twenty minutes. Every weekend, the handsome, gentle, and rich O in- Hf vites Mcko out to expensive restaurants. But M-ko just ff “That wine he's drinking now will get warmed up in Ihhis body, and then tomorrow moming he's going to H drink it again.” ‘Whenever she thinks about it, the gourmet food turns bitter in her mouth,ype ryacsen suue erye Tite 835 2% SHR MEE EKO BB 3B BY Se E obotchama rich boy / HRMBHE inns henkiobs urine therapy / 2A hoibito girlfriend / Ee _gutsu depression; melancholy 3k BYjo be E is the extra polite version of 3325p 4. obotckan, which is either a polite term for another per son’s son or a derisive term for a rich, coddled young man who lacks common sense. / Just as 5&A is a child’slanguage version of the polite suffix & A (6c), © & jis the child’s version of the even politer suffix =, / As explained in this story, adherents of UR AEHEEE believe that drinking or gargling one’s own urine in the morning is beneficial to one's health in various ways. A few Japanese doctors advocate the practice, though it is not widely followed in Japan. / The characters in the phrase MURGEHEE mean “drinkurinehealth-method.” / A 2A may be either a boyftiend or a girlfriend. Unlike BA aijin “lover,” the word A does not imply- though it does not rule out-sexual intimacy. / If you like to impress people with your ability to write difficult kanji, the @ in HE is a good one to lear. (It is also writen 38. Lea both versions and impress people even more) ® 8b The Rich Boy’s Urine Therapy 4HRIII Kanagawa prefecture south of Tokyo / #:2i8tt tt jiuaku sekkei gaitha housing design company / OL Gem female office worker (see 5a) / #INISEMIDL Kikkewwa Kini resembling K6ji Kikkawa / AAC 872 hoibito ‘92 dekta (she) acquired a boyfriend Chk we CES HIIISLF is a handsome pop singer and actor. He was at the height of his popularity in the early 1990s, when this story was written. / The suffix DL ni means “resembling, looking like” / The V¥3 in O#EW5 modifes BA, so OFEV5 HIIBAODBA means “a boyfriend named O who looks like Koji Kikkawa” / The suffix # dun is explained in 3b. Articles in the popular press often describe people's ap- Pearnc through comparions with show busines pason- ities,The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy Be Ris etka, Hh oniis 2 Rabe EAL “Ht. BK daigatn university / = % (adds emphasis) / — i ninyh secondrate / SPB shincho height / — Ue 7 Ipvaku bach yon senchi 84 centimeters (60") / cic his father / S244 hele suru rans, manages / 7° Shi 23th fudisan gaitha realestate company / BH twtome works; is employed / 4240 nenshit annual income / AE FE bappyakn man en eight million yen / ®1F haw ex cxeds Bye © HS ssutomern ‘This sentence describes three things: O's education, his height, and his income and job. While M-ko regards the second and third—184 centimeters and eight million yen per year from his father’s company-as good, the first~O's graduation from a secondate university-is not so favor able. The particle < & singles out A as different from the other two elements. / The particle @ after 50 is an al temative form of the subject partie 2%, so LOT BAMBESHL means “the realestate company that his f ther manages,” with LOWE % being a relative clause that modifies 7° 234t. This sentence assumed that the reader was in tune with the Japanese zeitgeist of the early 1990s. At that time, Japanese women were said to demand three things from ‘prospective husbands: #54¢1E kagakureki “high educational background,” HS koshincho “high height,” and I The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy HULA ashinya “high income” In other words, they ‘were supposedly interested only in men who were tall and rich and had gone to good universities, Because each re quirement began with the kanji #, they were referred to collectively as = sanko “the three highs.” Like #1158: 7, though, = vanished from the public consciousness within a few 8d (gh eo aay: HY BMW by eneugics, 8B ML huruma cars / NY 2 Pajero | UOT THB sukaiseakete ina uses one or the other as appropriate EB) RUST C om HUGHES oukatwakere | 2 The % “also” after # indicates that O's cars are another ample of his wealth and attractiveness to Mcko. / Pajero is the name of a line of fourwheeldrive vehicles made by Mitsubishi Motors. In some countries they are marketed under the name Montero or Shogun. 3The Rich Bay’s Urine Therapy tpi zom SARARE +H, =ANORYF asae MES Ale BL. RRO y Tred -hELIte CIT ME #6 A+ migasw jaokka February 14th (Valentine's Day) / =J5F1 san man en (costing) thirty thousand yen / AY Fa a sincere present of chocolate / HRL yoi si prepared / IKE onna tomadach gilfriend / 7 Fv couple / HK Yokohama city south of Tokyo, in Kanagawa Prefecture / 77 F— b double date Sy RL © WETS poi om / LI FH 2 EMTS is a fiend who happens to be a gitl or wo man, No romantic connection is implied. / In Japanese, the meaning of 7 7 7/1) is restricted to a man and wo: man who are lovers or married to each other. The word is not normally used in the more general sense of “pair.” # 3% On Valentine’s Day, Japanese women give presents of chocolate to men. There are two major categories of these chocolate presents: 884 3 2 gin choko “obligatory chocolate,” which includes inexpensive chocolate candies that female office workers give to male coworkers or bosses in whom they have no romantic interest, and 2 7 F321 “favorite’s chocolate,” which is a more expensive chocolate gift given to an actual or prospective lover. The aY in YF ao is an abbreviation of As howme. Originally a sports term for a competitor that is expected to come in first in a race, i can also refer to the per son who is the leading candidate for some position. In this story, O is Mcko's leading candidate for her future & 154 8f ot, “Hons 7rishofizaxs vic FRIDAY. 8 ra a age ORM y T-EBUTHSES, BORED mhaet KES, The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy hnusband. / March Ith has been designated 27-4 b°— “White Day” in Japan. On that day, men who received Valentine presents are supposed to reciprocate with gifs of white chocolate or other treats. OH sono yore that night / —ALD Ay TW futakumi no kappune the two couples / DLR. BTN sami no mien hoters a hotel with a view of the sea / Fx 7 24 % checked in The in #0522 is an alternative to the potential particle %, so HOLA SFI literally means “a hhotel from which the sea can be seen.” / With the omit- ‘sd verb added, this sentence would end #29 747 L Bnd ot. YX T-RRUTHS ES shewwd 0 abite iru toki while taking a shower / BRO SBI tonari no heya the room next door / E62" 7: denwa ga atta there was a tele phone call 1SThe Rich Boy's Urine Toerapy The Rich Bay's Urine Therapy) WUTC BUS abin / Hote we BS 2-47 FIGU'D is the usual expression for “to take a shower.” %#U'S means “to be drenched with a large amount of water or other liquid.” 8i IWfo, v7?) BU gat yuck gross! / ~Y really? are you serious? 2%. The interjection 17" indicates the speaker's disgust. (The small > is explained in 4g) An initial IY seems to con- rote stomach upset in Japanese. Similar words include 1¥ % “vomit,” \F->.4: “burp,” and the onomatopoetic 17%, VFR, which describes the sound of retching / ¥Y is a shortened, slangy version of JIE! maiime “serious, not joking” 8h far, nobkotalleane, Ofbg) ‘hi ACSAOTI IRD IOILB Lo Chk 1A hey, listen! / LOK watashi no kare my boyfriend / MEAL hikidasita extracted information by asking found out / #831 maiase every morning / fHEBE 7:1 (= kenké no tame ni for health’s sake / 33-2 = urine / fk 8j ATCBAIEST monde ‘ru n° datie (js said to) drink as Ht at o# a ay 3 ! < if Sy MAU Li ww BRU bkidaw / HA-CS oe Hk MPS Anes 08cm kL, Be Cid ww ARE nome 3 a2 is used in conversation to get another person's at tention or to change the subject to something that the speaker considers important, / Here 4 means “boyfriend.” Similarly, 1% hanojo sometimes means “git- fiend” / 382°C is the word that children lea for “urine.” A more formal word is “ff shoben, The medical term is FR my. / The A after BASH LZ and KAT & jis a contraction of the explanatory and nominalzing ®. / The ending >°C is used to report what someone else has said, It is a contraction of £13, $5 BSA’ cxomesor nervously; fearfully / OBI ¢ & Olan ni kiku to when (Meko) asked O / BAZ. IE thin tappuer ni fall of selfconfidence / 22.72 kotaaa answered MH BAK we BRS howaem 3% The reduplicated #3242 is an adverb derived from the verb 2% oor “to fear.” / The & after Bi < is the sequential &. / #2. means “full” / The subject of BET is OF.The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy 8k (iio RE «Hees caciio te Ae. BB JRUB haae a cold; the flu / FUPEA hentéen tonsilts / 2 SHE hafinsho pollen allergy, hay fever / <1UT by meang of this / if 7 naotta were cured hots 14% naore ‘BUIB can refer to both the common cold and the flu. / The tonsils are called FUBEBR boutien. / The verb 22233 is woitten 4 when it means “to recover from an ill ness.” When it means “to be repaired; to be restored,” it is written 1. 81 PompaH we ec, soe uC aw Ato BORATHS 8% TROD nyo no sibun the components of urine / fF ae sweat / i namida tears / [FIC onaji the same / ot % (not) at all / FC BV» kitanakunai not dirty / kimi you / BACH & nonde miro yo try drinking it Ce 752 ew TR hitanal / KAT or BRE nom | AF x AB ROBB RE UT means “urine is made of the same things as sweat and tears.” / 52% adds exe phasis to the meaning of a sentence. It is used only in negative constructions. / The pronoun # kimi is used 158 The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy mainly by men when addressing a friend or close ac quaintance who is of equal or lower social status. Being a woman, Mko would be likely to reply to her boyfriend using cither his name (probably followed by SA, % Ay, or hun) or 2% 42 “you” / A is the brusque imperative form of 4%. / When used after the gerund (2) form, %% means “to ty,” so KATHS is “to uy drinking” / The final £ reinforces O's recommendation that Mcko try urine therapy. 8m oars ORc+Asne i ceeokMPS Al, [FA wehicc 1) Cale cHiar. HR OFASNTIAC OF hi saves mi natia was about to be kissed (by O) / #83112 zeta’ ni absolutely / 47° | no! I refuse! / TU% 12 katakiona ni stubbornly / #8A7E obanda refused Wy FASN wFASNE HATS / Gokae B [HEAT ex HB kobamu 3& 4 V indicates strong dislike or refusal. It is also written 10, fit, oF BE. / The % in the adjectival noun (na adjective) 1% katakuna is part of the stem, so another % is needed when the word precedes a noun: is Ze 18 atakuna na taido “stubborn behavior.”The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy 8n OF “7-7 HR oak ANTWT, Bacackvos theounn. 3B 7 — 787 PEARL ndpan kenkohé no-underpants therapy / MY AMT WT soniinete ite has adopted / #5 & & ir1t nent taki mi wa when he goes to bed / 2% always / FRE OW shitagi o tukenai doesn’t wear underwear RDART © MOAN onirem | WT we WB / DUFEW ex DB The 87 in 7—/*Y is an abbreviation of *1y-y “underpants” or 187 F 4 — “panties” Practitioners of 7-787 SEHEWE believe that sleeping without any restrictions on the nether regions is beneficial to one's health. 80 MEsAa= ett. BE SEM mika han for three days / iA72 nayanda worried; was unable to decide / 7 se after / =OODRH sittse no joken three conditions / Hi L 7= dashita presented By ALE ew tits mayan / LT ee HT daw 3 2K refers to the end of an action or period of time, so = EIMVGA EAL means “after brooding over it for three days” 160 RLBEWVIE ORR eB mvs e ORR LB aL APE hee gece 8 LOT saatashi no mae de in front of me, in my pres- ence / BURL ZV nye shinai do not drink urine / Bh EU» susumenai do not urge; do not recommend / fh FRA inmyo go after drinking urine / 2" hanarazu al. ways without fail / 32% L gai shi gargle / +40 -E: njuppun io for more than twenty minutes / HH % ii < ha 0 migaku brush your teeth By BURL ew ARF & inmyd suru / Hh 7s ex Hid & susumere | FAW ew IAWFS ‘gai sure 2% The sentencefinal = & indicates a strong command or prohibition, It is often used in signs: #72 EW wv nonda wain the wine he drank / $SA°C tainai de inside his body / HE) atae ‘mari is becoming warmer / 4 kare he / AO ashita no asa tomorrow moming / £7: again / #kt nomu will drink & The subject of kts is 4, that is, OF. 8t ERs aru, ChEET Radoc bBo BE (quoting £) / URES AOE saad suru tabi ni every time she pictures in her mind (what she describes in 8s) / TWIE socks gourmet food / FF < %% macuku nant starts to taste bad / > because MH ew ET == AMRF 4S sized suru means “to imaging; to picture in one’s mind” / ='94#8 can mean food or drink to which one is treated, or it can refer to a luxurious meal. Here the focus is on the latter, as they are eating in an expensive restaurant where the food would normally be delicious. / The % explains why M-ko is depressed in 8r-she can 1The Rich Boy's Urine Therapy no longer enjoy the delicious food because she keeps thinking about what will happen to the wine that her boyftiend is drinking. SG DO TENE MF b IVBlSBOM His First Cate Gree Was THe Girt Next DoorTOO GUNNS © 393 MOCHA WF b IVS ROB FRY 7 WEI LEACH A MOWERS SA (H KL) td, KAM, KRY ORRMIRICHMD VOSOMROKI, MTRMO MLB ee KBBOMH] FBTSOEA, COBIRBHO H#iatig Eo TMS RMORE-ATMIOXSA CEI BOKRS SAL RR, BohM CHAK. Ficlk, AMTAMSS LORD [RIVIEMRLET] OEYIF 2. PEL, aERIERS BIOS CRERLES SAI, VMBEMY EL. YRI-EBO, BO ODLROLE CST, BOF +4 AMBot. KOR MI, WOCN KT EMUESSARBECOK. KEES SAEED SH ALEOMROMFTS & Aoi. His First Cau Grre Was 7H Gir Nexr Door S (59) is deputy mayor of Town A on the Sea of Okhotsk in Hokkaido, At the beginning of June, he went on his first business trip to Tokyo in six months. Usually the evenings of his business trips are spent briefing his Diet representative's secretary on the latest goingson in his district, but today the secretary's schedule was full. Now S was able to spend the evening in Tokyo alone. Late that night, his brain foggy with drink, he tried to decide what to do. In his hand was something he had never seen in Town A: a flyer advertising a call girl service, “She'll come to your hotel,” the ad said. “Okay, no one will ever find out,” he thought, and he picked up the telephone. He had just taken a shower and sobered up a bit when the doorbell rang. Smiling, he slowly opened the door. But then his eyes widened. The woman was Mo, the daughter of his neighbor back in the government employee housing complex where he lives in Town A.2 927109. GUIS The Girl Next Door [HEP KFAOZHOUF KR. CARES CME L THBARS LoL, SSAOWEKMES © ALAA pote [BUSAAMMEARATL £ J BO < GokS SAIL, [BREAD SOHED MSAFE. bOLEL DIP SEEKS CS eVD) EARP BCE RUT REDS, Vea AE ASE the Wo MEB & AIRTEL BARE bOMLIA TV atte ERTS 2 J WS LEDORS SAKA, WEB LCREEB 0 O=BMtitho tte Mb e Ald, (BES ABE LEW THIS EI LBRe Lictictto trot. BE VOPS, Some. MOMEMET, HEA, Lo OPEN THBLES SAM, HRA ALL ARAL I > The Girl Next Door “You're supposed to be a junior at a women’s univer. sity. What are you doing in a place like this?” Mcko was unfazed by S's scolding. “You called for me, didn’t you?” she replied. That put S on the defensive. “Your father must be sending you an allowance,” he said. “Shouldn't you be behaving better?” He lectured her for nearly an hour, but to no effect. “You want to pay for some more time?” M-ko asked. He couldn't tell if she was joking or serious. Though S had done nothing, he paid the 30,000 yen as agreed, with no extension. “I won't tell your wife,” Mo said as she left, still with a stubborn expression. Why? Since when? How did she get into this? Un- able to find out anything from her and, even worse, caught in the act himself, $ returned home, his head, it seemed to him, having grown even grayer.3O3TIOS GUaNO3 = AdVuaT 9a Title Bh CHEAT b VEEROR. 85 WT hajimete for the frst time / BEATE yonda called / ARF BVA hotetons 76 hotel call gitl / BEDS tonari no musume the neighbor's daughter By REALE ew DS yobu 2E RF bv is a blend of the words 71) “hotel” and JV 21 BV Torukoburo “Turkish bath.” A 287} JAE is a prostitute who plies her trade at hotels. / The phrase # DCA LAT b VA indicates that this is the first time the protagonist of this story has hired a call girl 3% The word }J)-=1/8\83 formerly referred to bathhouses with private rooms where women would provide massages and sexual services to male customers. In the 1980s, after the Turkish government and others complained that gen- une Turkish baths are not brothels, the bathhouse indus- try abandoned the term and coined the word Y—7'7 Y F “soapland” to replace it. It is not known whether soap manufacturers have objected. / Although Japan en- acted an antiprostitution law in 1956, the measure is in- consistently enforced and many forms of prostitution continue to be practiced openly. The Girl Next Door 9b St) CBI) ia, Abi, Pay ORK Ath cages a—7 7 Hic LER A MOM BS & waaeate iets z. k~ 7 7 i Ohitsuku Kai Sea of Okhotsk / (CT LZ ni men shite facing onto / Aci, Hobkaids Hokkaido / ABT E machi Town A / BY joyaku deputy mayor / FAD rokuguse baie at the beginning of June / “4% “Y) hantesbebri for the first time in half a year / #3 HBR Taye shacks business trip to Tokyo / HI} 7 dekaketa went, set out for WL © TS mensuru / Witte w Hite dekakera A ok—Y 7 HEIST L Ze and AGHE:H both modify AFT, so the phrase 27h — 7 2 Htc L Z-dbiHEi81 A RT-means “Town A in Hokkaido, facing onto the Sea of Okhotsk” / BY is the official designation for a local governmental area smaller than a Tii shi “city” and larger than a 4 mura “village.” The kanji WY is read cither 6 or machi, with some towns preferring one reading and other towns the other, / A BYR is a civil servant who serves as assis: tant to the mayor of a city or town. / £4. ) OBER HVE means “his first business trip to Tokyo in half a yea”The Girl Next Door The Girl Next Door 9e povoligodi, Fs Hor HER HBO] en 20%0, con Eo HHS o CHR. HOD always, usually / HABE shutchs business trip / gone evening, night / 3876 jimoto local / 38tH senshutsu lected / (iB daigihi Diet member / 724 hisho secretary / BAEK senbyotu electoral district / 1H98 jet situa. tion / BUbf saat informationgathering / 3215 2 uheru hae receives / © E11 kono bi wa on this day / F#E nie tei schedule / i 2CW 7S tomate ita was fall By EOC ES tomam/ VEO} EVOL OMBOKIE means “Usually in the evening on hhis business trips” / Here the word 3876 refers to the lo- cation of a political power base, so 387038 HOARE means “a Diet member elected from S's district.” / (i A usually refers to a member of the SRiBBE Shigiin “House of Representatives” the lower and more powerful house in the Japanese Dict. / IH refers to gathering information for a particular purpose. A %3E1} means roughly “to be interviewed.” In this case, the Diet member’s secretary would presumably ask $ about the political situation in his boss's home district and perhaps put pres sure on S to provide political support. a2 9d Rowe hchrwsckinonSsn & wR, ho ratchian. KT bitoni de by himself / BCLS SLI sugosers koto ni natia became able to spend (the evening) / BRA shina late at night / BR 7BUT yatta atama de using his drunken brain / {HA/72 nayanda tried to decide what to do CUS ow BOF segau / Gok GS / Mok we BRS you / RATE ww HED maya The first half of this sentence means “S, who was now able to spend the evening in Tokyo by himself” He seems to have spent the evening getting drunk. / tit here means “to be unable to make a decision.” mB: B is 5 2 5 The Girl Next Door 9e Fic, AM CASO LORY [RFI WEL) ovy 249 vas. BFC we ni wa in his hand / BELLOW min foto no nai never seen (in Town A) / [a8 FJ 1 HAR L- E3] bot ni shatco shimasa “Well send (a woman) to your hotel” / U7 FF % advertising leaflet for a sex business The word 27% “pink” is a euphemism for sex-related matters. A 2» 7 ORB pinku ciga is a pornographic movie. / A #7 is typically a onepage advertising flyer. The word is also written #45 L. / FIIE modifis 4 &, the principal verb of this sentence. In other words, 'S was holding the leaflet in his hand. / The phrases 58.2 LEO and PRFWIMRL ET] O both modi- BEYIFFY, A EY 274-9 % is typically a small printed notice adver tising a call girl service, massage parlor, or other sex business. EY FF Y are often posted next to public telephones in nightlife areas or left in apartment building mailboxes. of Tel, Meteisiis av] ERERL AS SA wt, Seeeaey burn. BEL okay! here we gol / BEBE shiko proof, evidence / #8 74 The Girl Next Door 52> nokoranai will not remain / R*RL* i o heshita decided / St8#% jmwaki telephone handset / 3X ENTE toriggta picked up BH) RSG w RS nokom /RLE & RTS kesurn / MD EWA BY EWS toniagere 3 People say & L when they have decided to do or start something new or difficult. / The & before HEWL 7 S 8A is the quoting , indicating what S said to himself when he decided to call the prostitution service. og ye 7-tho, Boss rawerecac : ‘ MEOF + 1 AAMOK $B v7 BiG shad o abi he took a shower / HRV ‘poi drunkenness / > L sukoshi a litle bit / #172 sameta lessened; cooled off / & °C when / BOF + 4 La ea no chaimu doorbdll / 89-272 ata rang By GU ew BUS abi / Made we HOS samen / Bo Frew 1% nan 3 BROAD means “to sober up.” 494% is an intran- sitive verb meaning “to cool off” In this context, it may also be written 34% or HE 2.The Girl Next Door oh IRD, WoC DET EMTES BAIA BEVK. PIS with a smile / >< Y slowly / KT EB U7: doa 0 aketa opened the door / HE CVA me o muita his eyes widened BBLS 22 ew BAT kere / CUZ ew BY < muh The idiom H #8 < me 0 muku means “to open one’s eyes in surprise or anger.” The verb #1 means “to peel,” but HZ < has a different meaning from the English “to keep one’s eyes peeled.” biaS a catke behiokOh. 38 Sct joe! the woman / ft sumu to live, to reside / HEL himuin civil servant / 1% jataku housing / BRI tonari musume neighbor's daughter SBE is a housing complex for public employees. Government agencies and private companies in Japan often provide lowcost housing for their employees. / The suffix % © A after M7- reflects both S's acquaintance ‘with her and their difference in age. See also 6c. / ‘Ihe explanatory ® in MF eA oROZ tells why S's ‘eyes widened in 9h. 176 The Girl Next Door 2% The words ttt, % onna, and $A fujin all mean “woman.” Of these, ct is the most neutral, In certain contexts, £ onna might suggest “mistress” or “prostitute,” while 38M. figin is avoided by some feminists and others for its old-fashioned, patronizing air. In many expressions, though, 4 and 88.A. are still the only choices, such as 4 DF onna no ho “gist” or KA FE figinka “gynecology.” BROT. CARES CHE ‘3B ir» tashika I thought; I was pretty sure that / TK Josbidai women's university / =4% sannen third year (student) / \84°75 dazu da supposed to be / = AME LT onna toko de in. a place like this / 1% LTS Ate nani o shite ina n’ da what are you doing? Lt ets ‘The sentential adverb iz? indicates that the speaker is almost certain of what he saying, though the word does leave some room for doubt. Here it reinforces (i, which also indicates something that the speaker believes to be true. Thus HEADSETS 7 means “L thought you were supposed to be a junior at a women's university” / FX is an abbreviation for KFA Jjosti dajgaku, / © & is an informal version of Bi takoro “place” / The & in LTS A, the explanatory and nominalizing D. 7The Girl Next Door 9k LoL, SSA Om IMED © Aid CA tio tts [BUSAMUEAEATL 2 I #8 LoL however / DLR shita scolding / 72 U5 Az > 27s didn't flinch; was unfazed / BCS A, (refers to older men) / BFAREAC L 2 yonda n* desbo you called, didn’t you CAA bot aw RUBIES / IF AtS er FER yobu %& means “to be overcome, to be staggered.” / The word BUSA is used to address or refer to men who are somewhat older than oneself The word implies some degree of familiarity. The equivalent for referring to women is 23128 A. The words BUSA and 331d BA are used in the same way to refer to elderly men and women. 91 BEo# nor Sanis, [Bkearootk Lowa sath. boLELOEP ORES De eid] $B MEOM< ozs batair no waruku natta looked de feated / BSE A, otsan your father / 113%) shiokuni allowance / $2 €CWIE motto majime ni more seri ously / PH te eH Le tA yanmakya dame ja nai ka aren't you supposed to behave? a8 The Girl Next Door BM) tokm eb / Peas we PORTE ae B/C RV TEV de wa nai 2% HES literally means “the colors of flags.” Originally, the idiom #48960» referred to an armys flags becoming less visible on the field of battle as the army is defeated. Here it refers to the fact that S was in a weaker position to scold M-ko for working as a prostitute after she pointed out that he was the one who had hired her. / Hi: 3% is money sent periodically to help another person, such as a college student or an aged parent. / 36 % & e720 is a contraction of 5 %itHiE7ei, which means “must do” feeoass og ReBiren, vepecB yn BE bE fo ichijékan for nearly an hour / Bae BRIT Te seklyd 0 tueuketa he continued preaching / Wi AAE A. unfortunately / 38 32%%V hakunoku ga nai it had no effect (on her) Hy RT RS toeukem / Ve HS 3% The initial £ in this sentence is the quoting &, referring to 91. / Before expressions of quantity, the prefix /)s ko ‘means “almost; slightly less than.” / The original meaning of BiB is “religious preaching, proselytizing.” In its refer ence here to S's attempt to convince Mko to quit prostitution, the word lacks any religious connotation. / i87) means “the ability to move or influence other people”The Gi Net Door _ on MP6 ARTE ORRL DomaLTa CO otto ERTS? 8 TEAR jodan joke / #5. honki honesty, seriousness / 22 2% unable to tell the difference / [19H kuckd tone of voice J wort sid / HERTS 2 enchd seu do you want to extend the time? Die 26 /Vok eB) inst TRE BARE bv means “in a tone of voice that S couldn't tell was joking or serious.” / It seems that S had arranged to pay for one hour of Mko's services If he had agreed to the iE, he would have had to pay an additional fee. 90 fie LamorSanna, techie HE 1% LDH nani mo shinakatia had done nothing / HER % LC enché nashi de without an extension / #72 ¢ 3B) kitei dori as agreed / =75FA san man en thirty thow- sand yen / 4h>% haratia he paid Lipok @e Lime t3 / thot et har f% Lieto ft: nani mo shinakatta refers to the fact that S had done nothing that he had paid the call gil for. / WE means “agreement; rules” and the suffix &33, 780 The Girl Next Door _ also written 3f'9, means “in accordance with,” so $2523 9) means “as agreed.” op MPS e Ald, Pare ctcisiiic Levee Wer) eRe Utbichto trot. es BE BIZSA, (refers to older women) / MHEIZ LEW TA VFB naito ni shitote agers Vl keep it secret for you / # PRE Lit hizen to shita stubborn / Bil kao face; expression [382°C Pz hate ita le BH LEW Ce LTE Ce F486 (Liaw te [Wo we HEB baer ] OT ww Fi ie BE Here, BIZ% A refers to S's wife. Mo uses this word because she is acquainted with S's wife. If Mko had never met S's wife or was not on familiar terms with her, she would have used the word SLE A okusan “wife” instead, / FARE means “secret; confidential” EIS means “to keep confidential.” / 217% indicates that Mcko will keep the secret as a favor to S. werThe Girl Next Door 9q Be, vod, Bomitlts Bete lies, ERA Loto en He LAS Att, RAHA LED RAL Re BE EE why? / WON since when? / BMI hike hake toa how did she get into this? / 1 nani mo nothing / B48 HiA2¥ bakidaseaw unable to ask / & #2 %% in addition; even more 90 / LolFEOMENT sheepishly, having been caught in an act of weakness / it BL te kilys shita returned to his home town / F3%e shi rage white hair, gray hair / HA 7c 9 GIRDLE fice (38 na ki ga shta seemed (to him) to have increased Bh BAR HES ew BSUS ex BR kikidasu / 2 PENT OPENS @ ODT / ABLE oH GOES bilys su / MRT ow RS fern | LIE tS The first sentence consists of the questions that S wanted to ask Mko but couldn’: Why and when had she started working as a call gi? What led her to do i / & oy means “cause, reason; start.” / HS #7 means “to ask.” It often refers to an attempt to extract information from someone who is teluctant to reveal it. / The idiom L-2 {Ez Oats means “to reveal a person's weaknesses or st crets” The literal meaning is “to grab by the tail.” AUTHOR'S PROFILE TOM GALLY-writer, leicographer, and translator—re ered maser dees in linguistics and mathematics 1m the University of Chicago. He is the author of Handy Japanese: The Basis in 50 Easy Lesons and English for Scentss, and. general editor of Kenkyusha’s Guide to ‘Quota Exons in Engl His dicionary work lacudes Keats New Jeane Egih Din St ton, as well a its online version as part of the Ken- kryusha Online Dictionary. Among his translated works are Japanese Vers at a Glance, Amazing Scnce Trids for Kids and Parents, and Jazz Up Your Japanese with proaon ihe Colne of Ars Sse at he rin ol University of Tokyo, waethis book was first published by Kodansha International in 1997 under the ttle Strange but True: A TrueLife Japanese Reader Cover design by Koichi Kawamura, Published by Japan & Stuff Press, Mihara 219-60-202, ‘Asaka-shi,Saitama-ken 351-0025, Japan. Japanese text from “Dekigotology,” Shikan Ahi, Copyright © Asahi Shimbunsha, English translation and commentary. Copyright © 2007 by Tom Gally All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-49902848-47 First edition by Japan & Stuff Press, September 2007 wow japanandstuff.com ‘With the exception of Chapter 9, which is new to this edition, Conrents Inrroouerion BRE BOF +> THEAE2-N\-OW The Honesty of a Famous Supermarket, Revealed by a Daughterin-Law’s Sudden Urge 2 Cag ceo eetWROMBOW ‘A New Year’s Dawn on the Summit of Mt. Fuji Climbed While Carrying a Dead Friend 3 BIER WOSLOLERDS A Woman's Shrewdness Concealed in a Fictional Jounal ure: 4 MEO The Son-in-Law of the Mob 5 BRO L ORAL The Tiwo Sides of a Superclean Woman i B 33 55 B 36 HOMECERIBMMSTER uw Examination Hell Lullabies for Infants 1 Ny MSS 32 ROME i) The Cluelessness of a “Connected” Employee on Her Way to the “Country of Ban” 8 SHS PARMA DADE Ms The Rich Bay's Urine Therapy and His Girlftiend’s Depression 9 MOTHAEMF b VBA ROI 165 ‘His First Call Girl Was the Girl Next Door Inreoouerion Most Japaneselanguage textbooks make language leaming simple and systematic. They carefully limit the number of kanji introduced at each level. They present new vocabulary and grammatical pattems step by step. Most important of all, they choose topics that are easy for readers to understand and un- likely to offend any teachers or students. The only problem with these textbooks is that they generally are very, very dull. The boredom induced by textbooks contrasts sharply with the rich and stimulating variety of the Japanese press. Some fifty thousand books are published every year in Japan on subjects ranging from philosophy to pornography. Thousands of magazines clog the racks of bookstores and newsstands, offering entertainment and debate, scandal and libel, the high, the middlebrow, and the very low. It is this world, the world of Japanese as it is really written, into which this book is intended to provide a glimpse. The nine stories in this book were chosen from the “Dekigotology” column that appeared in the magazine 3871/94 Hi Shiiken Audi for many years. The word dekigoolagy (7% =P }07-) is a combination of Hi34 dekigotg which means “event” or “happening,” and the Greek/English suffix logy. Dekigotology, in other words, is the study of things that happen. Each week, the column carried a half dozen stores, all Purported to be true, about interesting events that had happened to people recently. The stories generally concem subjects that are familiar or topical, and their interest lies in the way they reveal what happens behind the scenes of everyday life. 7Introduction The stories are often surprising and usually funny. The stories on the following pages were selected from the hundreds that ran in “Dekigotology” in the early 1990s. To be chosen, each story had to meet two criteria: it had to be inter sting, and it couldn't be so topical that it would quickly go ‘out of date, There was also an attempt to choose a variety of topics. Organization Each story is presented first in its entirety, exactly as in the paperback book edition, with kanji pronunciations marked only when they appeared in the original. An English translation appears on the facing page. This translation is intended to help the reader understand the Japanese, so it is more literal in places than a smooth literary translation would be. Students of Japanese may want to avoid looking at the translation until they have finished reading the text and notes. Next, the story is presented again a sentence or two at a time, with the reading of every kanji marked with furigana Each of these text excerpts is followed by several groups of notes. -, The first notes, marked with the kanji #8 (hort for #d% ocabulan), consist of short glosses of words and phrases that appear in the preceding sentence, Every word is explained ex: cept basic grammatical function words (Ii, 28, %, etc) and words that have appeared earlier in the same story. The second group of notes, marked with the kanji 5 (short for BhfH verb), consists of reverse derivations of declined verbs and adjectives. The first word in each derivation is the form that appears in the sentence, while the last word is the form that would normally appear in dictionaries. For example, the series KDI tt er Keb. ex KES saga goes from the pasttense negative to the nonpast negative to the nonpast affirmative (or dictionary) form of this verb. The third group, marked with 2 (short for TA am & Introduction notation), consists of detailed notes on the vocabulary and grammar, Special attention is given to identifjing the subjects of verbs and to showing which nouns are modified by which adjectives, relative clauses, etc. These notes also include remarks on usage, related words, and typographical conventions, the last being @ topic rarely mentioned in Japanese textbooks. The notes in the final group, marked % (short for Ek: alu), provide information and commentary about the cul tural background of the stories. When necessary, they also explain what makes the stories particularly interesting or funny to the Japanese reader. Pronunciations are marked in the notes using romaji, not farigana, There are several reasons for this, Furigana are sometimes hard to read, especially when the type is small. Romaji are useful for showing word divisions and identifying the read- ings of the particles ( and ~, such as in the phrase EV Olé to iu no toa And for students who have learned Japanese fiom teachers who prohibit the use of romaj, the romaji scat tered through the notes will familiarize them with this method of representing Japanese pronunciation, which is still essential for scholars and for others who use both Japanese and English in international contexts. Acknowledgments am grateful to many people for their help in the preparation of this book. I first leamed of “Dekigotology” over two decades ago from Tomoko Iwai, who was one of my Japanese teachers at the time, and her enthusiasm for making language learning interesting as well as educational was one of the inspirations for this book. I am also thankful to Hiroko Fukuda and Kazushi Ishida, who made valuable contributions to an carly dra, to Michael Brase and Shigeyoshi Suzuki of Kodancha Intemational for their helpful suggestions during the planning stages and for their careful editing of the fist edition in 1997, and again to Michael Brase, now executive director of Japan &Introduction Stuff Press, for offering to publish this expanded edition. Special gratitude also goes to the Asahi Shimbun for kindly granting permission to reprint the stories here and to Shin- chosha for permission to use the versions published in book form. Readers who wish to read more of these stories are en- couraged to purchase the paperback anthologies in the 4 E13 i. Ahi Bunko and 35MM Shinchi Bunko series. would also like to thank the participants in the Honyaku mailing list for their wise and informative discussions on many matters related to Japanese and English translation. For their responses to questions I posted about this book, I am particularly indebted to Sara Aoyama, Adrian Boyle, John Brannan, Regina I. A. Brice, John Bryan, John De Hoog, Alan Gleason, Graham Healey, Rich Higgins, Brian Howells, Sako Ikegami, Dan Kanagy, Yosuke Kawachi, J. C. Kelly, Mamoru Kondo, Bill Lise, David J. Littleboy, John Loftus, Tammy J. Morimoto, Gururaj Rao, Adam Rice, Karen Sandness, Fred Uleman, Rodney Webster, and John Zimet. ‘As always, I am indebted to my wife, Ikuko Gally. She provided many comments and suggestions about each of the stories in this book, and her insights greatly improved the accuracy and depth of the notes. Although all of these people did their best to help me, I fear that I have betrayed their kindness by persisting in many errors, for each of which I take full responsibility. Tom Gally Ane HARMEFRMEA LOT. RAOHAD—DIK PBONSAHACEVEWI CER, MRL ATI, BAMR, ARBRE CEBET SLEDS PS, th BVRVOOMSLAGVAL PBILDF¥ Xb IIe Th. BLA CHS LOMELA LM TRY, FA AOPRIOWT] LH (PMEGSI) EVI, FA BRPMMOUBICHS £5 LRP MA, SS id [AS ASARMENG | OLIG, ReiMoMd AEWA, SMUD DEBI 0 Ro TS HS Bo FOLF CHAE CARB EMT SL, HAIZO EORUBIC. HAAGRIKZ LU ABE, Evor AMS RAE Cae. Lal, BRIA, KORE, FLU, Bee ERTVSL, COBAHORICMITE CS WME HERO CHSLVI CE MDDS. LA CRHELES HSL. FRTHIELV HESS, ARR CHAM EMML TORE, ARB Bo TUR BARAMEIC RSL. LK ORB FO TUbMALK. ERAAMMEL ALB SPORE TO, TLIMA EA, HICMREO SRE, ES (Ci WB EBC BEC EOLI CHORAL Akbok, LZ FAREEL, POL RABLNO RAMAbHS LI chook. thst [Fe ahuy Y=] A THB Ro OLA SEB oo MMP SIL, COII LORY Y— 1K SOWMRMEMACRLSCLEIDS, TONBUHAERM SPB IBoTH SM, RE OMARERT SMT SL VIE, VRHLVIE, FEVCLSEMHLE ZO TS, MILD) ORME RA TURMICE o TIE, ZIACH ot [FFT hUI—| OA LY AMTED PRCEAD LI Kok. Hts [FF ThaY—-| & WPL RS OhAFRFRE CRM LTO So YEOMHT. COKEEsK. PRIAOTHOO RMEAORAT. GREPMGERENIK, HRRE ISAAGE PAT SABAH BROCE ERBTE FOF HF CMHTS D>, ELUMGAOA CHAS BRAKEO LIBR SD, EVIC LIC MRDHS BRA OMA TOREIRIZABM LV. BOF +b CHS BB2-/\-ORE Tue Honesty of a Famous Superwarer, eveaten By A DauesteR-w-Law's Suoven UeeeBOF + CHS AS2-\-ORR HHEOSFEA (=~) Bec. B FSA (A-) WiheCR ROI, HERON DROZ EKO Ke [RAE CRED, SLOLMOMERKC AS SESAKESTIRE UHV MTHS. Heo URAL COTE LAK, MEER THRI Vo ThHOK. LB. MARAE, BMERAES FEA, BL, fA OMMRA—7— TK 7 BB CHOKE) FOF IORICAMIEE Oo EF DABAL Wo THK, (CHIEF MS DA) EIS BOLOD, RMIBEL DIL. B ERTS LE, HICILATHO F-F 70 Tue Honesty oF a Famous Supermarket, Reveaeo sy A Daveurer-w-Law's Suovew Uree Tt was midday during a dry spell in the rainy season when Fko (61) came from Zushi to visit the home of her daughterinlaw Sko (31) in Setagaya. “Since I had already come as far as Shibuya, I just dropped by to see my grandchild’s face.” For Sko, her motherinlaw was more frightening than a demon. Sko did everything she could to be a good hostess for Eko. Later, her motherinlaw took S- ko's daughter for a walk. Sko breathed a sigh of relief As she relaxed, Sko felt hungry, and her eyes suddenly came to rest upon the bag of doughnuts that her motherinlaw had bought at Kenokuniya, a luxury supermarket nearby. Eko had said that she was going to take the doughnuts home to Zushi. Sko thought at first, “I really shouldn’t touch them.” But hunger is stronger than reason, She opened the bag and found six doughnuts inside.Honesty of a Famous Supermarket (MIE % B Spd em) £, BUTHAB LE, 117 YOHEBAD | RULTHVRe FH EMS wmils, BRP ORS FOP YORE T. HRITICHO TH OK. ELOM, BEKRORFTSA, Lowy, — BLD RVOCMAOV ED KK [KFOK BIBT AALFSRAT! I &, Sof6 K/ BEC StH OMMOEE, KJ BIR OHY SMG Lito BARE. AE AD K-F 7 —MERERB HA, WER CID WOWEEME TSNEE CHM RRO THS, MOSM Do BUTE, HORA EO tO HGS REMKEWS. FHEASCHIM, [Static K/ BK D— | wees EK KAP SF SAME LT iBlo hk. OESA, ENEMVEST SAM, MIRE. © DUBE, BBECHO THEI CMC EL TO Bo Honesty of a Famous Supermarket “Maybe she won't notice if I eat only one.” $ko thought. She hurriedly ate a doughnut and carefully reclosed the package. Fko returned from her walk none the wiser. Quite satisfied with herself, she left for home carrying the bag of doughnuts. But sure enough, when Fko retuned to Zushi, she noticed that one doughnut was missing, That's when the trouble started. “T can’t believe that, of all the stores in Japan, K- nokuniya would make such a mistake!” Fko immediately called K-nokuniya to complain. The call dragged on for thirty minutes. Fiko was too much for the person handling the matter at K-nokuniya, The first thing the next morning, clutching a single 80yen doughnut as if their lives depended on it, the sales clerk and the floor supervisor came to Fko's home to apologize. One way, it had taken more than two hours. When asked, the sales clerk said she had left home at five o'clock that morning. Fko was greatly impressed. “That's Knokuniya for you!” she said. She spread the story around to her friends and Sko. OF course, when Sko heard what had happened, her face turned deathly pale. She has firmly resolved to take the secret to her grave.Title BOF ECM BRBA—N— OBR BR yome daughterinlaw / 74> dekignkoro (bad) impulse / THIS de shine to find out from; to be shown by / # 4% yitmei famous / A—/— supermarket / BE sii honesty, sincerity sk FAA» is usually written Hi%K-Ls. Katakana is often sub- stituted for kanji or hiragana in informal writing as a kkind of playful emphasis. / The phrases 17 #-LyC4a1 % and HHA—/—D both modify Mi. Lepee =z . FEEA BB HET Suqgaye residential area in western Tokyo / ST SA Esekowan Ms. S, Sko / =— iB sani iai 31 years old / % taku home, residence / i2-F Zui city near Kamakura, about 50 km south of central Tokyo / 38 shitome motherinlaw / ia S12 tacunte kia came to visit / #878 fapw the rainy season, which usually ‘comes to all of Japan except Hokkaido in June / 7. aroma a brief dry spell we Honesty of a Famous Supermarket hia me MRD tame | Bt we RZ han The word % can come immediately after a person's name without a connecting , so SF&AZ means “Sko's home.” / The phrase EFICfEBR: modifies FFE A, so MFCM, FSA means “Eko, ($-ko’s) motherinlaw, who lives in Zushi.” / The topic of this sentence is F FS AMATA ROIS “(the time when) Fko came to visit’; the ® is a nominalizing parti dle. This topic is linked by the copula #227: to HERID BEAM OBOK &. The core meaning of the sentence is thus “the time when Eko came to visit was around midday during a brief dry spell in the rainy season.” The principal characters in the “Dekigotology” stories, and in many similar articles in the popular press, are identified by their initials. The J in SF marks it as a woman's name, perhaps #- Sachiko or MF Shizuko. The motherinlaw F$ might be XF Funiko or iF Fagiko, Not all women’s names end in *¥-, however, and sometimes you may see names like H3€ Harumi) or A% (for &2% Anna), / The ages A are written in kanji here because that is how they appeared in the original vertically:printed article. In hori zontal Japanese text, the numbers would normally be writ ten as 31 and 61. / The kanji ity is not one of the 1945 characters of the HB 760 kanji list recommended by the Japanese government for general use, Aside from school textbooks and newspapers, few publications adhere rigorously to that list, and the student of Japanese who leams only the #438 will remain incompletely liter ate,Honesty of a Famous Supermarket Honesty of a Famous Supermarket Ic BGs chad, be ot home kcal Shibuya a major business, shopping, and entertain. ent area on the west side of central Tokyo / 3% mago grandchild / #8 kao face By ot we RZ hue / Sew LB mine 2 What Fko means to say at the end of this sentence is EDEROME LIRA TT “T just dropped by to see my grandchild’ face.” Fko’s omission of the verb is a breezy, familiar style that is common in speech and infor: mal writing, The stories in this book contain many verb- Tess sentences. / The symbols [ and J are used here as z quotation marks. Called 9530 kggi kakko “key brackets” ' because of their resemblance to Japanese Lshaped keys (65 ag), these marks are also used for emphasis and to indicate proper names, as in Ig and 6). le freotoBis (oce ck, Pesine Bhicvotb bor. BB ARO ILW at ippai as much as possible, with a total ef fort / BARE < aio yoku cheerfully, warmly / &C% L 4 entertained (her) / ato after / 14 musume daughter / LIT source taking along / BSI sanpo mi for a walk /2T% 507: had gong [lit] received (her) going BH OTRLE mw OTRT / MNT © MNS comm / oT ew fi< lu/ bot h55 3% The subject of & TL and BHoK is SERA, and the subject of BHT and WoT is FEE A, K The image of a daughterinlaw playing the perfect hostess while secretly fearing her motherinlaw would be familiar to many Japanese readers. 1d SFeAc eos HVE cH, if ovens ay ee, 8 SFEAIE o Tit Bwkosan ni tote wa for Sko, in S kko's opinion / 38 oni devil, demon / i kowai fight ening 2% The topic phrase of this sentence is understood to be F FS Als. AX Conflicts berween married women and deit husbands mothers are a frequent theme of popular fiction and tele vision dramas, reflecting, perhaps, the prevalence of such conflicts in real life. 8 ok & with relief / $4. bitiki a short rest [lit] one breath 3 As in la, the katakana in ck y & indicate a mild empha sis, similar to italic type in English. This word appears in dictionaries as (>. / Again the verb is omitted. The full idiom is 2 < bitoikd taker “to take a breather.”Honesty of a Famous Supermarket Honesty of a Famous Supermarket & g EWS FF 7 ORICA MLE oh b BER nSE en, & “Ge E ( OBB As Fk? Bi CH ABATE ki ga yurunda relaxed; became less tense, less Vigilant; flit] the 4 Ai became slack / 2EV» because / 2 IL kajfuku empty stomach; hunger / $2.72 oboeta felt / Ae suddenly / #< D chikaku no nearby / #6 hilt highclass, luxury / [K 7 BIE! Kénokuniya abbreviated name of supermarket / So 72 atta purchased / £3 ‘o i to 9% which (Bko) said (¢he bought) / F-+-70 $8 dnaisu no fukuro bag of doughnuts / Eliik ¥ 3% ‘me ga tomatta (Sko) noticed; [lit] (So's) ee stopped on PRAT ex ABE yunema | GER A2 ow BERD oboeru | ote WS kau / bE of er LES tomar The phrase MARA EAEW AY means “perhaps because she relaxed,” explaining why Sko suddenly felt hungry. / The topicmarker ( we after Sko-san has been elided. / While $£2.% often means “to remember” or “to lear,” here its meaning is “to feel” / fii is the subject of > R./ SFE A is the topic for HALE OH. Tokyo residents would recognize K / BIR as #27 EI Kinokuniya, a luxury supermarket that sells imported food, (There’s also an international chain of bookstores called Kinokuniya, but they write their name #2(*18)/28.) ih EPonhevocvnns, (cache fiteobda) keto eso, She atk 38 FVS/il jizakuyo for use at one's home / Eo TE 5 0 ite ita kara because (Fko) had said that / F-& 1H 2222 te 0 dasenai cannot touch; cannot get involved in / ia (shows mild exclamation; used by female speakers) 1 &OD mono no but / BBISBEL DAL kpfiew twa ris yori taposhi hunger is stronger than reason HoT HD vor / Wi eS / Hee © HES ew HT daw] Bot: ew B5 omow #& The kanji fis used as a suffix in many expressions similar to HGF. Examples include 2/8 ipukwo “for use by guests,” JH guar) “for military use” and 4:58 shay “for company use.” / The parentheses in (C#UIZI2-F Hie%R vd fa) and in Ij indicate S-ko’s unspoken thoughts. / #8 L is the archaic literary form of the adjec tive 58U> ipo’ “strong” / F¥& A, is understood to be the subject of V0 CWA, while SF& A. is the subject of HEM and Bor, The phrase IUATEEE 93H L is a pun on the pro- verb <7 138 £9 38 L per wa ken yor! tugoshi “The pen is mightier than the sword.”Honesty of a Famous Supermarket li etna c, MXtio r-ty. 8% ITS & akerw to when (Sko) opened / ICIS naka ni ‘wa inside / 718 rokko six (roundish objects) Z£ In fill, this sentence would end A/HO F-77088 72, ij (tire oA etvm) by Buokess 2 OHREKY CEE TRV Io 8 —IBKIN% 5 ikko dake nara if only one (doughnut is missing) / "CHS oide tabers to cat in a hurry / 1 2D package / # futa cover / BAY AC nen’ini ni carefilly, meticulously / JECBELTHBW 7 moto ni modo. shite oita reclosed (the package); [lit] returned (the cover) to its original position (in preparation for Fko's return) By BPS PPS eoakam / BUT BC ing / BRUT & RF modou / BOT © BS 2 The particle & is used in two distinct meanings in this sentence, The first £ can be called the “quoting” &; itis used to report speech, names, of, in this case, thoughts ‘The quoting & often appears with the verb #4 “to say” or {85 “to think’; it is also used in 1g and th, for exam ple. The scoond & is the “sequential” £5 it chows that ‘one action follows another. Examples of the sequential & appear in li and ik. Honesty of a Famous Supermarket 3% So's impulsive doughnut eating is the 74> mentioned in the story’ title. Ik Sis, Hideo hak. Ko Biche tvs. ZI ERMS ORE MITC, $8 FF CILMS AME © w wa shinann shitome ber motherinlaw, who didn't know about that / BUA BES & sanpo kara madors to when (she) returned from her walk / BRUT T sage carrying / WUENFI manzokuge ni with a satisfied look / HCl" 7 hate ina went home Hy HS va ee KD shire / TT ow BITS 2 Coe WE buen | ote we tik te 3% The #8 ending on $ii4d is a more literary version of the negative suffix 1; 51542 has the same meaning as 415 721», / The basic meaning of the verb #21 is to dangle to let hang” When the object is a shopping bag, handbag, or other object with a strap or handle, the verb is best translated as “to carry.”Honesty of a Famous Supermarket ul kcaay jl Lote F FEA, Lomo, THD BOOM OVEPSKBS # ELSA however (ie, contrary to what was expected or hoped) / Kt: modotta retuned / LoD. surely, without missing a thing / J. %V> taninai to be lacking to be missing / M2*O UZ: i ga suita noticed / 25 because / KE taihen a major crisis Bot: KR modom / BY tev a 2% sarin / DM wot The adverb L-o#*)), which modifies 32° V7, sug gests that Pko is the type who lets very little get past her, 7 As in Ib, the particle © is a nominalizer, so —fH2 %V90) means “(the fact) that one doughnut was mise ing” / Note that the meaning of 2» depends on the form of the verb it follows. After the past or present tense, it means “because”: A O77 “because she noticed,” When preceded by the gerund (4) form, how ever, it means “after”: S0'2W TAP “after she noticed.” / The word KH often expresses shock or panic Someone who finds that the bathtub has overflowed and soaked the tatami is likely to shout [ABE 1] “Ob, nol” The word’s use in the above sentence expresses So's sense of impending disaster. / The copula 7 after KH has been clided. Honesty of a Famous Supermarket im (REOK Bilhore Ae &, Soe CK BRE #8 FO tenka no unsurpassed leading / = A% 3% such a mistake / % AT (expresses doubt, surprise, or anger) / &2€¢ immediately / JE ener at length; longwind- edly / {13% kégi complaint / #238 denwa telephone call a As the kanji suggest, the original meaning of KF is “under heaven,” that is, “the entire country” or “the world” When used as a modifer, KF means “widely known to be the best.” / The traditional pronunciation of +4 in the meaning “ten minutes” is sippy, not jigpun as shown above. While the former pronunciation can be heard in news broadcasts and the like, the latter is more common in contemporary speech. (When +} means “enough, sufficient,” it is pronounced jithun) / With the esate verb ade this sentence woul end ORO ELK. Baus) UEsHA Un. '#% tantésha the person handling the matter / #8f4\5 Lit konmake shia gave up BREW LA RRITS & konmake suru 3 ARFLITTS means “to give up because one’s opponent is more persistent.” 7Honesty of a Famous Supermarket lo Eg gang Hi Bz cH &rOTHS. BPA yohuase (or yokuchd) idhiban the first thing the ing / AT FIO K-77 (Rl bachijten no dinate ikko one 80-yen doughnut / RKC gobo aii ni with infinite care / 44.2. kakae holding (his or her arms around) / SH5EF banbatin sales clerk / 36 3% teiba sales floor (of the supermarket) / HE sckininsha the manager, the person with senior responsibility / #58 (© shazai ni to apologize TAR we RB hakaeru | BX KZ haw ‘Other combinations with # include A yokwitw “the next day” and BUH yokwhi “the next week” / 42% is the stem of 4423 Aakaemast, the present formal of 44S. The present formal stem is used to link clauses. / The difference between @IJBI= & *:@°Ca B and just a JRC & te is that the ® followed by the copula C4 indicates that this sentence is an elaboration of the preceding sentence: it explains what happened after the #814 % gave up in the face of Pko's complaints. The term #4 is so close in form and meaning to the English “afterlife” that one might think it a loanword. In fact, though, #4: 43% comes from Buddhism and orig nally meant “caring more about the next life than about this one” In this story, the meaning is more secular. The supermarket employees were worried about not the Great Beyond but the store’s reputation. There's a bit of sar 2B Honesty of a Famous Supermarket casm, too, in the use of this fullpowered MLE kango to describe how someone carried an eighty'yen doughnut. A APTW thie, RM tot CREME WS. $8 Hill Atami oneway (ip) / —RFN42 9 néjihan amari over two hours / BIFIE dikeba when (Fko) asked / £0 72% for that purpose / REFS gi ni at five o'clock / REZ ie o dea left home By BOUTS ew BS haku / HAS ew HS dew 3 The opposite of Hill is “E48. gfuku “round trip.” / Other expressions with }¥ include HFC katate de “with one hand” and JF kauabi “one (of a pair)” / After a me merical expression, 4) means “somewhat more than,” as in +A jinin amari “more than ten people; a dozen or so people.” / In this sentence, £0728 means “in order to make the oneway trip of over two hours” / The unstated subject of BRUTE is FF. %& Nowhere is the gender of the RUJEH specified, nor that of the #244 or the 3) MOWER. Bach could be cither male or female. This ambiguity is often impossible to ‘maintain in translations into English, in which gender specific pronouns are unavoidable.Danae Honesty of a Famous Supermarket Honesty of a Famous Supermarket Iq FRaAe onic, PStaCK BE EKA. b-] 8 STAC really, as expected / MRI daikangeki greatly moved; deeply touched 2 CA. “this refers to the long journey made by the super market employees. / The vowel of the exclamation part. de # is lengthened to b— sd as emotive emphasis. / K dai is a prefix meaning “greatly, very much” / The particle & here is the quoting & (see Ij). / The verb of this sentence is MRL 7: kangeki shita, with the Lz: SES AB Chote KA yijin friends; acquaintances / KEL THO t ‘fuichs Shite mazwatta proclaimed; spread the word & Boke GS mawan 2% By itself WHET means “to announce; to spread (news) widely.” The [ilo 7%: emphasizes that Fko told this story to one person after another. 1s bOSA, eneboeS esc, MMEE, 8 854A of course / Bill ganmen face / HHH sthaku pele; pallid Dh BAY Ze ww BHC hikw 2& With the omitted verb replaced, the sentence would end BSL AI % 2 7 “her face blanched.” % The kanji # in #67 means “blue” or “green.” It also has the kun reading ao, It com, Bhs cho cH 5 LRG LTS. 85 WA imiton secret / HH hakaba grave / ¥¥-2 CHEZ 3 & motte ikd 10 to carry away / THl< hataku firmly, reso- lutely / BOL°CUS hein shite iru has decided; has re solved By HoT © 19 motu /FFLF ww ATS ku 3% Sko's determination to cary to the grave the secret of her fartive doughnut eating has two motives. One is her em- barrassment at having forced the supermarket employees to take such a long journey for the sake of an Alyen doughnut. The other motive, which gives a sharper edge to this story, is Sko's continuing fear of what her mother inlaw would do if she ever found out. 32 CEeRBUCBoF BIweOMEOW A New Year's Daw ow THe Semmir of Mr. Fust, Cumseo Waite Carrvine a Dean FrrenoCeRuceoe SIwEOMEOU HOR CMRGE LEVSTSA (SE) WR, BOPMOKALTHOMLBIEWKLES EL Bit, KWH ICMBTS CRASHERS LIEBE. MEI OVEST CEC S aT. —_ DE LED HMLARMIL, TEAIBUML ZS [ASI MEMES CE ROTH KR. EF PIAPSOBLERSLTHOT HI I SIS 8 HLT [bowTWAETH SI £5, SELTIARTSACMRUWL, BAK EMI, BHU OLONTHSo o Se, RMON CH ho wera el BBA, (44504, MEasBoctth A New Year's Daww on THe Summ of Mr. Fuss, Cumseo Wane Carrvine a Dean Frrewo T (33), who works as an editor in Tokyo, had promised to dimb Mt. Fuji on the morning of New Year’s Day together with a friend from his native area, Shizuoka. But when T telephoned him on New Year's Eve, he was told that his friend had been in a traffic accident and was near death. T rushed to the hospital only to find that his fiend was already dead. Having sobbed for a while, his friend’s father ap- pealed to T: “T was supposed to go along to climb Mt. Fuji, Please do something so that my son can climb it now?” The head nurse, who was nearby, was moved by this and said, “Tl go along, too.” So the father and nurse led T outside, and they actue ally did put the dead body in the car and head for Mt. Fuji. Along the way, they were stopped for questioning as part of the yearend safedriving campaign. A police off- cet peered into the car and said, “That fellow looks sick”Canying a Dead Friend EBL. Mb eK MATHS CO EAN, H We oP AIR LCN bh AO CHBL TK Ko MEEMIRL, SAM ARBUE BD thot DISKO. HE BROKOWERRIT EY 2 TORTEACHS. MMIEKAT THES TT FERMAAIE , TSA OHO ME Sit Keone 7 . SWEEPER, POL bIM DMA. RAKE REL RADA ilk ¢ oro [E&BoRAC ea] £, RUDE YDRPV KO as CHD LA, WS SOMA MELE. RATIRA, TSEARRORMILE SEK Boke NDS BARBS KAKKAORMP SRM, MORE, HLAMY y 7 7 — Chto AOE AMOMHSNTH?. KAKO THSEFICHE Bo Rid, 74 VAERRICET S CHF OD oK DCHS. TSA, ECRMILE SRC BOR. —Carying a Dead Friend Soon the fact came out that it was a corpse. When he understood the situation, the officer was so moved that he led the way for them in his patrol car. Leaving the head nurse at the foot of the mountain, the three began to ascend the Osawa Trail. The time vas ten o'clock at night. T, who used to lift weights, carried the body piggyback. The temperature was fifteen degrees below zero Celsius. Rigor mortis had already begun to set in, and T fell down several times and got covered with blood. At half past five in the morning, they finally reached the summit. They built a fire, and the body of T's friend warmed up a little. “Tt looks like he's come back to lif,” the father mut tered to himself Just before seven, the morning sun suddenly shone on them. As they sat on either side of T’s friend, nei- ther T nor the father could stop crying. Five years have passed since then. In February, a let ter arrived unexpectedly from the friend’s father. Enclosed was a photograph of the three of them, taken with a selftimer. The friend seemed to be smiling. It had taken the father five years to send the film to be developed. Once again, T couldn't stop crying.WC hit fie BB LEK nakiomo dead fiend / HU hatwide carying on one’s shoulders / 27: nobotta climbed / atu Figesanché the summit of Mt. Fuji / #) Fi DH hatsubiinade the first sunrise of the year HVT ew HC hate / Bio ts ee BS noboru The verb So modifies WIN and HEK is the object of 18°C, so C&AHW CH ABLUT means “the summit of Mt. Fuji, climbed while carrying a dead friend on one’s shoulders.” / The prefix 12% naki “dead” is also used in other combinations, such as C23 A nakibito “deceased person” and U2 nakichichi “one’s late father.” / The prefix #1) hats means “the first of the year,” as in #i% Aatugu “one's first bath of the New Year” and #8 hatsuméde “New Year's visit to a shrine.” One of the many customs associated with the New Yea’s season in Japan is viewing the first sunrise of the New Year. People go to mountaintops and eastfacing seashores on the morning of January 1 to see and photograph the year's first dawn. Because of the cold and snow, though, ‘only the most intrepid attempt to climb Mt. Fuji, which at 3,776 meters (12388 fet) is the highest peak in Japan. 38 Canying a Dead Friend BERLE. 8 FORT Talo de in Tokyo / SS82% henshizsha editor / 4ER nenmatsu at the end of the year / $8 kydri home town; native area / HH) Shizuoka name of a prefecture and city southwest of Tokyo / 2A. yijin friend / 76H. gantan the morning of New Year's Day / #Ill tozan mountain climbing / #3 L 72 yaloku shila promised MH LCS tS /MRLA © MRIS yakwoku sum 2% The phrase WK CHRE LTWST SA means “T, who works as an editor in Tokyo.” / Series of nouns linked by © are sometimes difficult to parse. Here $8 O©MOKA means “a friend from T's native area, Shizuoka.” / 8-111 is “climbing Mt. Fuji” H The “Dekigotology” editors assert that all of the stories in this series are true. One piece of evidence to support this claim is the high proportion of characters who are edi tors, designers, or employees of publishing companics—in other words, the sort of people who are likely to be ac quaintances of the series’ waiters.Carrying a Dead Friend trot, Rhee thie kee LABELS EB -£ x42" however (ie, contrary to what was expected) / Kits Omioka the last day of the year / BTS & dea sunt to when T telephoned / SEC itt jiko traffic accident / #2C Lobos had caused / (8:8 itl close to death Eo L ew BOF oboe GHB WHF means “to be in a traffic accident” / The & after MAFF Z is the sequential &, while the & after fERETE is the quoting & (ce 1). / T&A is the subject of BATS, and AA. is the subject of KEL and fE9575. / The subject of 1° is the unidentified person who told T of his ftiend’s accident over the tele phone. 2d PRickinonret eek. tot. WADE bydin hospital / HIF DUV7: kaketuketara when (D hurried (he found that) / CIC already / 2< %9 “Custs nakunate ita had died BRIS ONG: bo BRITT akeouhere | T2< 29T Vite CRS nakunars, VB SBIT{TTS means “to rush or hurry to a destination.” / ~e —Garoving a Dead Friend _ The subject of HEIII%25 is TSA, and the subject of EX Bo TWN is KA. / Here, the 5 suffi sug gests that the matter described in the following clause that is, the death of T's friend—was surprising or unexpected, 2e Sadar, bane. DELS DRE LAE, Fs Ace. HH OELAED fora while / Fi L7: gikyit shita sobbed; wailed / S048 chichioya father / ELA aig peed begged Son tea BOHOL BETS gibt sou / SULT ee KR & agen suru 7% SCR is the subject of both HL 7 and RBLA./ 32841 is more formal than 4 chi. a—Caroiing a Dead Friend 2F BLeKwoTH KS. & Fike Hic Ethic’ jrcnpodse Bo lewocint | BE Hb coatashi mo 1 also / —#4IC iho ni together (with you and my son) /< EI2% TWA: was supposed to, was going to / £3 2» (word used with requests) / =i. a6 now, soon / KF musuko my son / ES LTH 3 "CCH noborashite yatte kure let (have) him climb the mountain (as a favor to me) Wh otuie tots es / BC wr BS FES nobom/ PoC TRS / Che (na Gk The pattem CEI%2 TVS follows the plain form of the verb and means “is supposed to” or “has been de cided to.” / #5 LT is the gerund of 485°, which is the literary causative form of the verb %2. The usual spoken causative form is 52%. / The verb *°% here means “to give” with T&A, as the giver of the action and the father as the recipient. / < #1 is the brusque imperative of ¢ 21% “to do for me” The brusque impera tive is seldom used in formal situations or by women. The more polite version of < #1 is (7E8U.. Ut, fieoutvs EFPS] EWF. HE IL nearby; next to / MER fics head nurse / HH) LT e Carrying a Dead Friend ands sbte was moved (emotionally) / DWC w 8 $$ g0 along with; accompany WROD / i LT ow BT hands suru / DV Trt buku / EEF FTC sku TIPISV-7LAE means “the head nurse, who was near by.” / The iit of REE is the same as the last character of RIG hangofe “nurse.” / The sentence VC» ¥ &F%6 literally means “Because I'l go with you, too.” ‘The explanatory %*% “because” indicates that the head nurse is giving another reason why T should take his finds body to Mt. Fuji-because she will accompany em. on eLclhats stabi, £8 icaid Wik, PLliichaorocas, HB ZLT then; next / =A. fuaari the two people (ie, the fther and the head nurse) / EAL eerweai cd o outside / AS IZ bontd mi actually / BLE itaé corpse; body / HE kuruma car / 3% nase placed (into the vehi. Ce) / EIN I o Fgion ni muda beaded for ft. Fuji By EL sw BN dan / Fee ew Het Jot © 5 mukau / BEB man 3% HED iis the transitive counterpart of €% non “to ride, to get in a vehicle” / i#:f.Hi L and SR are the stems of the present formal forms iH f1i UE and See x ‘%, respectively. As in 2), 21, and 20, these stems link clauses. / The sense of 44 {2 in this sentence is “acte ally went so far as to (put the corpse into the car)” “aCarrying a Dead Friend 3% eh toca along the way / WIR nenmatsu kek yearend safety [safedriving] campaign / B80! kexmon ine spection; questioning / i> 72 atta encountered; came across iho twit aw #13 is one of several ways to waite the verb 4 3. When the meaning is “to meet; to rendezvous with,” the word is written £7. The meaning “to match; to align” is written, 42. When written iff, the verb means “to encounter by chance, to happen to meet” itl is usually used of unfortunate experiences. During 4E4°F7%, the police do spot checks on passing vehicles, looking for drunk drivers, undone seatbelts, and other traffic violations. In this case, they may also have been hoping to turn back some of the motorcycles and cars packed with young people that gather at the base of Mt. Fuji for a raucous celebration of the New Year. 3 HiatieMada re500%, Mise wetial ENS. 38 WE keikan police officer / LPN shanai interior of veh- de / BER nowokitom’ pecked into / £5508 “4 Carrying a Dead Friend serhina no kata that person / BEA havi ga wand Tooks sick / Bi < il ask; inquire SH WSLA@ BSAC nocokikomu iB The verb WEEAtr “to peck into” is a compound of 8 < nocoku “to peck” and itr homu “to put into.” / = 5 SOF js the polite version of £A sono bito “that person.” / The idiom B@5°HEV" literally means “his f ial color is bad,” but “looks sick” is closer to the intended meaning. / The verb Bi < indicates that the police officer spoke in a questioning tone. AS suggested by the sentencefinal 4a, he was asking for confirmation that T's friend really was sick. 2k then Bice sc tanvin, bes RISER LCS —CHBL TC Ctue OMDB & ¢ ma mo naku soon / BURCH SSL tai de aru koto the fact that it was a corpse / /SU72 was re vealed / FF jo the situation / 12%: shina leameds found out / 4 — pawrol car / HLT CHE sends shite urea ted the way (for T and the others) BH NVR wR’ / Blok © MS shin / KML TERT % sendé sera] te LN} 3 The idiom fll b % < literally means “without even an in- terval of time,” in other words, “very soon.” / The verb (ZH. is used when lies, conspiracies, or other scercts arc discovered. / H1% Hl 7:42 means “the police off cer, when he found out about the situation.” 6Carrying a Dead Friend 2 nah nee he at BR ERAL, Shek ROWED TH #5 8 fiumato the foot of the mountain / HL nokosh lea. ing behind / =A sannin the three people / ARB sata Tazandé the Osawa Trail / 321 #872013 nobor- Iajimeta no wa when they began climbing / RO+K yond no jij ten o'clock at night PRL ew RF nokosw / BEN Reed ts BS noborw, Wir & bajimera SA is the subject of BRL and 20 #tnwo7, Is it surprising that =A “three people” should refer to two living people and a corpse? This may reflec the tradé- tional Japanese belief that some portion of the soul of a dead person continues to inhabit the physical remains This would also explain why T and the father decided t0 camry the corpse up the mountain in the first place. 2m nga Bkeesonode Rhee. CORT EATHSo #8 Bot carvied on his back / HAP japoage weight lifting / "TV: had dong; used to do BRot © HED ob [POT RE / Ve ve 6 ing a Dead Friend 2% The verb $1483 means “to carry on one’s back” / iff # BROIL means “the one who carried the dead body”; this phrase is linked by the copula C4 to E BAEVO CORTE “T, who used to do weight ing. $8 ilk hion air temperature /IKACTF Ipotenka below the freezing point / ++ TIE jigodo fifteen degrees (Celsius) 7% ASC is 45°F. 2o soi ads», Ts .ahisRo. MA SIFI Rot. $B FTC already / TERETE shigo hachoku rigor mortis / HE bgjimari had begun / FUE mando mo several times; again and again / 40° korobi fell down / ti 72 13 chidarake covered with blood / %2 7: became Sb AGED ee Ah hyimane / HU ee WEES howbu / 18-2 wee “% The kanji of FEIN show the meaning: “deathafter- hhardstraight,” that is, “stiffening after death” or “rigor mortis” / The verb #2. describes the action of tripping or slipping and then falling down. / The suffix 7517 also appears in ¥8#£% 1} dorodarake “covered with mud.” 7Gargying a Dead Friend Canying a Dead Friend [ESMoRA LRA] Ey Rute Sly Burs. *PMTELRE gozen gojihan half past five in the morning / ok finaly, at last / BLE ofgj6 summit / iil) vr: tadoritsuita reached By WD Ve wl) AC tadoritsuku 24 The verb ill!) ##¢ means “to reach a goal after suffering or hardship.” $B ALR f: ihikaetta came back to life / OLY to himself / 25-7: muttered Wy ERROR © SED ithe / OBOE ws ‘tudagaku Gh The A affer 4 838-2 7: is a spoken form of the ex planatory nominalizer , and © ZV is a contraction of Tike “not” / The ending Ce %0°%* means roughly “it looks like (he's come back to life.” Raker’, BKoRiS ile tot. 2s HAA TS 8% EEA sakibi bonfire / t:< light (a fire) / RAKE _pijin no karada Ts ftiend’s body / 27 L sukoshi a lite bit 7 ilk < te fe atatakaku nata warmed up BG ew IEC aku / Bd 6 iW atatakai / tot: wed 28 The adjective d7ztzau> “warm” is written HAW it means “warm to the touch” or “friendly, cordial” and z>v> when it means “warm air temperature.” CAB L, wa nb Maan. | HCE Lilt shichizi sukoshi mae shortly before seven o'clock / V8 % ) suddenly / 1H axahi the moming sun / U7: sahita shone (upon them) Sh BLA Et saw ‘Carrying a Dead Friend 2t Rhea Tarek vtanks 5% wor. 8% PA hasami siting [standing] on cither side of / T & A, BSE Thaan mo chichi mo both T and the father / i snamida tears / th. % § % 2 12 tomananales natta wouldn't stop Bete ew Be hasamu / EMC LB RV © ILS tomane | tot ow 1 2 The verb #et> means “to place or press between.” It is the source of the noun # havemi “scissors.” / The compound phrase TEA X% is the topic of the verb phrase Ib 5% < tos; the subject is BE. /°A litera translation of T'S A630} BARE 5% < 22 might be “Both Ts and the father’s tears wouldn't stop.” 2u anr sn tahen. BB HS since then / HAGEL: gonen ge gia five years passed AXLES agin Carrying a Dead Friend fio avila, Bich Kow storia snc $8 Al migatu February / 229% totvarn unexpectedly / {8 luyori letter / FH & todoki was delivered / "P12 naka mi inside / EDS + 7 9 — jido shana selftimer, automatic shutter / #5 72 tote taken / =AOEK sannin no sha «bin a photograph of the three people / FST SHC 7: deft sare ita was enclosed (in the envelope) FAX AL tadok / Hoes MS tome / ISSA THR APSE co HTS defi suru 2 The context here suggests that 11) refers to a letter, In other situations, the word can also mean “news (about a n)” or “communication” / BED + 7 7 — THis 7=AOBH means “a picture of the three people, taken with a selftimer” The verb dit 7: modifies 5.3. / When &% “to take” refers to the taking of photo- graphs, videos, etc, itis written #22. / THAT % means to enclose in the same envelope”Cargying a Dead Friend Carrying a Dead Friend ay 2w Bkisho eva k3CRRS. Tait, EWokeoe mor. 88 E25 again 3 This sentence is an echo of 2t. Ko Cw’ swaratte in smiling, laughing / £3 2 36 ni mien appears to be; seems to be By RoC eR warn 3525 can mean cither “to smile” or “to laugh.” (To keep this story from becoming too macabre, let's suppose that the corpse is only smiling) ig, 74 wAeHRichls z chED pot OCHS. BE 71D firumn film / BUBIZLIT gonad ni marae send for developing / iAF2-# 1 gonen kakatia it took five years Pirot = Prd AAs in lo, the final °C indicates that the preceding clause is an explanation of what came earlier. Here, it er plains that the letter from the father came five years lter because it took him that long to get up the courage to develop the film.3 BEB lZWOS ZOLERDS A Wowan’s Surewoness Conceaeo w a Fierrowat JourwatAFA RICWHS QOLEEDS MADAM SPEEA (LH), th, BURKE Foi) ORF, TH (TE) Clee chs, at TH TRE LTE AT. ALR BUCAREE KOS, HHL TNS 7) CRIM S [E%d, LEORHOTH KD. Th, KHON HUPOE SEVP, LOKEBI1 ZY avo ios ata! CARB VICAR SE ICED Te RAEI RHREPRACLOSSPESA, BK, ROT WI4F Ya vEBSBRTRLATIRA, TH LEA gERE TERee, FOCHAY ! | LPL, ke, HBBIDe oT COR & ARB RERLAEMVELTLE DK. 56 A Woman's Surewoness Conceaceo iw a Ficriowas Jourwat Ce ee Ey Fko (25), who works for a trading company in Tokyo, is living with T (23), a college student who is in the midst of looking for a job. This spring, T asked Fko, “I'm so bad at writing it's pitiful. I'm going to keep a diary as practice for employment exams. Would you check it for me?” She readily agreed. “In that case, Pl keep one, too. But a simple diary would be boring, so mine will be all lies, total fiction, okay?” And so they decided to show each other their diaries. When Fko was in college, she had sometimes dreamed of becoming a writer, so every evening she had a good time writing out her innocuous fiction. T thought her writing was great. “You're good,” he ssid. “This is really interesting!” But recently she found a new way to enjoy her fabri cated journal.A Woman's Shrewdness Pik, BHKRICE SAAS» Hb AIC A SAK, RECHT HEY. HFOTL © PLE Levee COMTPORME, SOG CMOS ARI a < CAORRMLE SEV. (FEIT SYNCH, MIERHORE, Bi ADHSNK-No MEMS, HOMYROR IS Oe < Moke al, HLEBOTREBCET J CHOP SAD “Alte” IRL THD SMTA, TU 7UF1-bSkb, YOY LE“I] CRBRE SD. [AROBDTC, ROPMAA NF ABD EL, MOPREL IZ Ya voTIEKhoTS Le LITS<, CORMARP HOSED] LERDIERIFTSATHS. A Woman's Shrewdness Ther’s someone at the company who's been on my mind these days He seems intersted in me, too. He invites me out to cat and things like that. After all, T's younger than me and marriage is a long way off. She gets an inexpressible thrill as she writes nonchalantly in her fictional journal about her ongoing affair. T bad a party tonight and was late geting home I went with the man from the office to a mellow bar, When we came ot ofthe ba, be casually put bis arm around my shoulder. I ‘lt the premonition of a new romana. Believing without a doubt that this story was also F- ko's invention, T was all innocence. “It’s so realistic,” he said. “I get all excited” “Thanks to his diary, I know everything that T does, while my affair is supposed to be completely fictional. I won't be able to give up swapping diaries for a while.” Bo laughs shrewdly.BD BEO Liztems BGI souaku creative work; imagination / Rd nikki diary, journal / #4 % himere hidden; kept secret / KD onna oa woman's / Lf:72% & shrewdness, wiliness As the story explains, a SIE E182 is a diary or joumal that is supposed to be a work of the imagination. / The word L#:z:%& is the noun form of the adjectival noun $87 shitataka (also written fit») “shrewd; stubborn; wily” / KOLAR S can mean either “a woman's shrewdness” or “the shrewdness of women.” / The verb 4 modifies L #5 ABA tonai within Tokyo / Witt sasha trading company / B®% tsutomera works; is employed / BRIE Sisko hutsudé jolrhunting / 75%) 2 masaakari no in the midst off at the height of / K7##: dajgakse university student / T Tekum Mr. T / (VBE dieiht now living together 60 A Woman's Shrewdness 2% The #8 in #814 is the last character in the official name of Tokyo, HER% Tobyoio “Tokyo Metropolis” / #3 means “getting a job” and 18BH “activities” / 201) appears in dictionaries as 36> 18 9. / The phrase SERIE BE ol) OKA, TH means “T, a college student who is in the midst of looking for a job.” / The suffix ch, as in FIP, indicates that something is currently taking place, as in L3#th hgj-dhz “under construction,” BRET} entocha “under evaluation,” and WP sensbeht “in a state of war” % A Pitt is a company whose main business is buying and selling products, commodities, or services. Although the term is offen translated as “trading company,” many Hitt do business primarily or exclusively within Japan. The large, powerful Japanese trading companies that operate internationally are called #4784 sg0 shisha, / The RIES of a typical university student involves requesting information from companies, preparing separate hand- written résumés for each potential employer, visiting companies for tests and interviews, and asking friends, teachers, and relatives for advice and contacts. For most fouryear college students, #MLIEN is the culmination of a lifetime of study and determines the student's future ca reer and social standing. / The suffix # kun is added afier a sumame or given name. Usually used in place of SA with the names of boys or men, it indicates that the speaker or writer regards the other person as a ftiend or subordinate, It is not used when speaking to or about an older person. In this story, it suggests that T, as a univer. sity student, is still regarded as young by the writer or readers. / The term [3/4 can mean simply “living in the same home,” but, as in this case, it often describes a man and woman living together out of wedlock. or3c SK, é, Homevisehbiclentte A Woman's Shrewdness A Woman's Shrewdness 7 ie i AE RROBE 47%% konsen this spring / NE ore I; me (masculine, info. mal) / {#17 22°14 & nasakenai hodo to a pitiful degre / ESC sakubun writing, composition / 31> joweai weak Like 8 boku “me,” {8 is used only by men. ff is les polite than { and is not used when speaking to super, ors or in formal situations. / The particle | &" meang roughly “so much that.; to such an extent that..” / The phrase 48174 91d LYESXICEYVY means “50 bad at writ ing that it's pitiful” / The A in #UA%E is a con tracted form of the explanatory particle 2. JALIRIR spisha shiken company entrance examination / HH renshi practice / WEG BE< > nikki o haku kam Tm going to keep a journal, so.. / HILT < 1S? densaku shite kur? could you correct it for me? / (2 BEEN hare ni sidan sare Po) was consulted by him HH LC or RAIS Sta ru / AUS Tow HR EAB ex BTS sidan sore HIT S means to correct or revise another person's writing. / The subject of # < is fe (T), while the subject of HH) LT and HBS 2 is FF. T wants to prac tice writing because employment tests often include essy questions. @ 3e (ted, Beoabo cic. ce, RKO YAR POR SEV MD, LOUSH7 + avolios Hite! ORR Bucieds | ceichon. Ud well, in that case / D2 TH tsukiate haku write together with you / (shows emotive emphasis, used by female speakers) / C% but / 7270) simple, plain; unadomed / + (contraction of Cli de aa) / DE SEV boring / LOE watashi no wa ming my journal / 2887-4 7 23 YO zenbu fitushon no com pletely fictional / E> & ssotsuki lying, false / RE ‘eaidaku agreed cheerfully / H.V°IZ t4gai ni to each other / EBA miseau to show (0 each other) / & E (nominalizer) / BRD Z2 kimeta decided M DEbOT SAD sukiaw / POO ew HS Kimera 2 f1 844 here means “to do something together.” / The icle Le, from Cla, indicates the topic of £5 % HEU +226 20 literally means “as for only a diary, that would be boring” / Both 7 4 % 2 2Y and REO mean “not true.” though 747 93 Y is often used in the sense of literay fiction while 8 & refers to a deliberate lie or deception. / The use of the sentenceending particle #2 after a noun or adjectival noun, as in 12a, is a feature of women’s speech. Men would say Hat/2d. / The omitted verb after REE is L , the gerund form of FH. / HVC BUEI CEI BLOT means “they decided to show (their journals) to &A Woman's Shrewdness cach other.” / The subject of th#i(LT) is FFSA, while the subjects of B27 and Bexb7 are FH y) and TH. 3f SERRE BAL Sb bboFEEA, a, Honu7 (py avehatacRe ATW RAS, THe EB pute jie when (Bk) was a college ste / VER sakka writer, author / BATS Lb % % yumonia foo naa ons dread abo / 5% mai every night / BDz twmi no nai without sin; innocw. ous; harmless / #2 ilta°C kakitsurancte writing at length; writing an extended work / LACUS tan. inde ita was enjoying, was having fun / KEM dai zsan lofty praise By BRA ee BRS yumemin / BRT @ PEt % hakitsuraners [LAT ee RUE tancshima | Ot: eS 2% #2 means “college student’; the word normally does not refer to students of high schools, vocational schools, etc. / HAE means “era; period of time,” so 2#ERH lie cally means “the period when Fko) was a college ste dent” / The clause (FREBACL 4S modifies FEEA, so REBLECLODSP FEA means “Fko, who sometimes used to dream of being a writer” The b in 2&2 here means “sometimes in addition to other things” / #83€ means “high praise; the prefix * adds emphasis. / With the omitted veb added, this sentence would end Tl A485 U7 4 A Woman's Shrewdness 38 (Ebun, to¢ tide 1) i EEV> sma skillflly done / % (indicates appreciation) [356 vey / HEY mbit neg fun V3 Without the okurgana %, 564 becomes the adjectival &° noun -EF jaa, which means “skillful; talented” / $= isthe adverbial form of BEU> ago “ightenngs ten fing; amazing; extreme.” The use se of Fo cto mean “very,” though common in speech, is discouraged by some conservative grammarians. 3h Lil, BE Biticzoccolbos BreRrathon evict. 1 LL however / 1K kanojo she / MII GT saikin ni nate recently / 372% arata na new / LI tanoshimi enjoyment / KATE LT LE 21 miidashite shimatia discovered js RVELT @ ARF miidau / Lot LEX j% BOLIC oT is nearly the same as LIE saikin, which F also means “recently,” but #LIfIC%2°C emphasizes a } change in situation, Here, it shows that Fko has just discovered a new kind of enjoyment. / The gerund (ve) form followed by L £4 indicates that the action of the verb {has unfortunate consequences, In the case of SVE LT Lox, the pattern is used ironically, as the conse %A Woman's Shrewdness quences are unfortunate for T, not for Fko. (In other contexts, the gerund + Li form may indicate merely that the action of the verb is completed) 3i fos, Michie shana, BeRicl Kath eatnc, RiicBoc cn 2 BROT ce, Mie: 8% VE now / Stk aisha (my) company, (my) office / 12% BA ki mi nara hito a person Ym thinking about / 18 hare he / FURA' BA 7=V> ki ga ara mitai seers to be interested / $¢% shokwji meals / HoT ¢ Hit sasote kuretari invites me (to meals) (and other things) / 4E-F tachisita younger (than me) / $4 hekkon marriage (/ 3: sak i the future, stil far off BRC @ BLE / BOT HI sao / Ct Dee CNS This passage is taken from Fko's journal. / Though 24 means “company,” it offen refers to a person's workplace, especially an office. / FRO means “interest,” and HORA DHS “to be interested.” / The suffix A7sW-7E means “seems” / The 721) suffix in BT < NID come sponds to “other things”; that is, the man shows his inter est in Fko not only by inviting her to meals. / As in 3e, Le is a contraction of Cit dew EFOT US. ti WHILSG7E means “In the case of T, who's younger than ‘me, marriage is still a long ways off” / The clauseending particle L- means roughly “too; in addition.” It is often used when several clauses all exemplify the same thing Two more examples appear in 3n. 66 —A Woman's Shrewiness %_ On average, Japanese marry later than people in any other country, and college graduates are especially likely to y late, Few young men of T’s age and situation are married. Fo, though, would be considered quite eligible. 3j erry) comitokhe, sive ios hie #< caoktaczonn, $8 SRAT*P shinkacha now in progress / 85 mwaki infidelity / S017 %¢ casually; nonchalantly / #<% & haku ‘oki when (che) writes / {AG kaikan pleasure / 72% 6% > extremely good 3% The original meaning of *2 = 5 %1> is “unbearable,” but it has taken on the extended meaning of “unbearably good.” / #252 is the object of the verb # <.Walad 18 A Woman's Shrewdness 3k (Aa tas cH, Basiobe, # BROS N—A, #% Ho today, tonight / 77/78 party / IBV> oxi late (arriving home) / SHH % fin’iki no are having a nice ambience /7*— bar, drinking spot 3 A 2777% is a college party where the attendees share the expenses. The word comes from the English “company.” / BLOB kasha no har literally means “he of the company.” that is, “the man at the offic.” / EH means the atmosphere or mood of a place. As here, it offen refers to an interesting, memorable, or romantic ambience. / With the omitted verb, the second sentence would end N—-N47-9 7 bie itta “went to a bar” % Japanese has several words for places where alcoholic bev ferages are sold and consumed. A /S— or 787 serves mainly whiskey, brandy, cocktails, and other Wester drinks and may have a stylish interior. A A777 or % +7778 serves light meals in addition to drinks. A SKE nomiya is a Japanesestyle drinking and eating es tablishment, and an JEWS izakay is an inexpensive ver sion of the same. A E*V 7k — JV serves mainly beer, while aZFT or FA bY FT is generally more expensive and caters to businessmen on expense accounts. A fashion conscious young woman is likely to prefer a 7°— a8 being trendier or more romantic while disdaining a #4 IE or RHEE as the province of drab older men. A Woman's Shrewdness 31 eliob, Roliata ESI, HeeBo TEEN D PR mise 0 der sai when we left the bar / BU ude arm / FH kata shoulder / [al> 72 mawatia encitcled; ‘wrapped around / 2 Aoi love; romance / “Fi, yokan pre- sentiment; anticipation / #8 °C kanji felt 8 Bok BS mawan / BUC RUS kanji 2 The word jf can refer to almost any kind of retail estab- lishment, including bars, restaurants, shops, boutiques, etc. / If completed, this sentence would end AL CU°7: *T felt” / The subjects of HS are FES A, and SHO M, the subject of Il] > 7 is 4##Bi, and the subject of I U (WZ) is Hh ceatashi “L?cd 3m zneF sno “Be cece? Sis, [UT UF 1 -boE BR. VIII L be 5 A Woman's Shrewdnes J Efe oO. ZAG this also / BLT shinite believed / Bebe. tageeanai does not doubt / ') 7 1) Ft ~ 8% has real ity, is realistic / 77-77 Lb > shiver with excite ment / S652 8 © musiaki na mono innocent person FUT ee RUD shinjiu / REDIV ex EF utggau / SITY BR @ ELEC LTLED RE <9, LE9 Zit refers to the passage quoted from Fko's journal 7 “f1V2" is in quotation marks because Fko's joumal ‘vas not really the “imaginative work” that Pko pretended it was / The & after “AU” and the & after T's sats ment are both the quoting & (ee I. / SHO F FSA D “Gite” ERC THD LVTH means “T, who be lieved without a doubt that this was also Fko's ‘imagine tive work’ / Referring to T as a SAB4% & © suggess that he is innocent and childishly unsuspecting of Fo’ tunfaithfilness, / This sentence’s omitted verb is the cop ula #9 ’ A Woman's Shrewdness 3n (Hkosairc, Botta kins xy x Ly, AOPMEET YY avoTleke 2TtbLe 1 HRD DTC nikki no okage de thanks to the diary / BOTH hare no hidé his actions / 21h zmmen com pletely; in every aspect / 1 7 ABN ganasubani visible; ex posed / 424 completely; entirely Wh GoTS who EB, S 3 This sentence and 3o are what Fko is thinking or saying, They are not taken from her journal. / The original meaning of #75 A#&) is “lined with glass (and thus visible ftom the outside)” In its extended meaning, the word refers to information that is open to the public. Here, it indicates that Fko knows everything T does be cause he records it all in his diay. / 7477470 CEI TS is a contraction of 747 Yavew FEE OTS flushon to ix koto ni nate iru “i is supposed to be fiction.” / As described in 3i, the clause ending L’s mean roughly “too; in addition” and are used when giving a nonexhaustve listing of examples or rez sons that lead to a certain conclusion (whether clearly stated or not), Here, these clauses explain why Eko cannot stop keeping her journal (30).A Woman’s Shrewdness 30 LIES <, CORRE IPH ONE B LIL < for a while / ZRH AL hokan nikki [lit] ex change diaries / 41 5 1.7%» cannot quit ROONEY & PHHNS aw POS s ie The meaning of #8132 is explained by this story: a diary in which two people alternate entries, or diaries that two people show to each other. The practice of exchang. ing 2&2 is most common among girls of elementary or juniorhigh-school age. 3p Listmichs FEEATHS. Tue Sow-w-Law oF tue Mostrees MEO We KROPF. TH (SM) ik, HAL HM FSA (LM) OMS, LEX eM cH Ke Tad, commy tack. Ew ois, MPS AORBIAACME TS EVE BOMB OME. MMMBEIAMK ota, NY FN-Z ASLO, [REEMA LOS LCS LEEDOL] PETHS. SC, HRTIMAMRICA CE, VERRY NY HN — in 334%) % & WE indicates an abrupt halting of the voice at the end of the greeting, Here it suggests tough yakuza speech. (This small final > indicates a glottal stop; it is not pronounced tort) / The E afer FED & isthe sequen® 4h Barceacoc, icy PP#e BRMEBS | x ‘ALAS kumi bonbu gang headquarters / £4 enai pary, banquet / HACE CUT soi ga dekite ite prepare tions were finished / SEIZ(& kabe mi toa on the wall / 9 % shimei the naming of a successor / 9 hind an. rnouncement / £3 1S no 30 mi lke; as if / 231888 oj sama daughter (respectful) / 4.3 eax congratulate / © VWAZLAECE to ivy na kow something like.. / KI Lis taisho shita written large / 4 kami paper / oT BB hatte aru was stuck (to the wall) THT CES / VT eS / KELE KE FB taitho suru | HoT ee BE bare ‘The term #8 is used by many companies and other or ganizations to designate a headquarters or main office. / The verb AL: modifies #6, The phrase [THEB MRERS | LVI LG GOL EABLEM mem “a piece of paper on which something like ‘Congratu lations to T and the Young Mis’ was written large.” / The & in £5 £5 % is the quoting &. ! if 5 f Many titled positions in Japan, from those of kabuki ac tors and artisans to those of shop owners and gang bosses, ate handed down from genention to generion, it person in line receivit same ceremoni wn ih ton isnot abe inher ara e it may go instead to an adopted son or son-inlaw. The banner congratulating T and M-ko, with T's name writen so prominently, looked like a 9£44%% “announcement % SCAT LZ. The Son-in-Law of the Mob of succession,” suggesting that the gangsters believed that T was joining the gang as their boss's heir. adored gona, Ute oA roKBicn ome) PRe+ MES ci beak UHL 72 < to 7 nigedashitaku nana flt like running away / ‘14> nankai ka a few times / RL I: luiken shitara after you have experienced (this) / $88 12 % % men'thi ni naru you'll become immune / "7% ‘eizen to suru unconcerned; indifferent / MF A IHS HLT Emuckosan mi satosarte was instructed by Mko / #% WEL ZS chakaceki shite sat down ft SAUTE Lt < ee RELY L221 ew SEUTIE-Y ia / wok w GB / PRLES eo RTS saiken son'/ MENT MENS MF satosu / HELI a H WES 2 chakuseki sera 3BU7NF means “to run away,” so SIH LAV is “want to run away” and S8IFiH L2< ote is ® to feel like running away.” / The words #6R aiken and 48% heiken both mean “experience” and are sometimes interchangable, though 48% usually refers to a specific in- cident that has made an impression on a person, while #2 often refers more generally to a person’s past or background. / $88 is the medical term for “immunity.” It also has the extended meaning, as seen here, of “being accustomed to something” / Tis the subject of the passive verb Sf 27UC and MF-8 A, is the agent, so the gist of the sentence is “T was instructed by Miko.” / 28 &The Son-in-Lawo of the Mob means “to provide moral instruction (to an inferior)” Here the word is meant to be comical, because it makes ‘Méko seem like her husband's teacher. / T # is the sub. ject of #18 L ts. 4 Biaiky baey, piace eat, VA IWRS NI rey THK BE FE sage banquet / 1 EAS) moriggari became lively / BPAS obiraki the end of the party / 747 micro. phone / 841.75 watasareta was handed BH) BY LAY we HY LAD moriqgam / WEN « iE SNS HF wwatau 24 An elegant word for “banquet” or “party,” 3 sounds ironic when describing a gathering of thugs. / Words such as #454 owam “to end” and Y% kine “to cat” are taboo at weddings and other celebrations, so eu- pphemisms are supposed to be used instead. Here, 236 & is the polite substitute for #42 1) owari “the end” 4k Skies s iiiodiaw. 8B BRIE indo de because of nervousness / 3 £ < well / FER towoba words / Hi% > denai don’t come out By We ew HS dew 2 The topic of this sentence is TH. / 3 ¥ < HMA % WL BLE DRRE TS ZOU, [AREE CS APOSEALS BBYLEF] E, vBIE Lrea’, [AR SE, CHPHH Lac Y BBs) &. votLéon The Son-in-Law of the Mob Vs means “he wasn’t able to get the words out very well.” # but; however / % A 4 somehow or other / HAE T saigo made until the end / = ¥1F he reached the end /%SE minaszma you (plural, polite) / < tz» 5b kore kara mo from here on; in the future, too / BUC BBV LET yormbiku onegai shimasu (see expla nation below) / 19335 L Li & i to shite taki when he tried to say / CHM ET goshid6 negaimasu please give me instruction / VT L £572 ite shimata he said (to his regret) CEO WERT S hagitwken / VBI, V2T © HS ing / Liew tS / LEoKe LEA The original meaning of ##¥ #13 is “to row (a boat) all the way to one's destination.” Here itis used in its ex tended meaning, “to reach a goal after repeated efforts” / SS UC BML EF is a set phrase used when one is introduced to other people. T had intended to close his speech with this phrase. Instead, he said £% L< Cie BleEF, which sounded as if he were asking the gangsters to instruct him in the ways of the underworld. / The W833 in B53 ELA is the informal volitional form of #4 “to say.” When the informal volitional is followed by £44, it takes on the meaning “to ty” in the sense of “to attempt (without success.” / As explained 9The Son-in-Law of the Mob E The Son-in-Law of the Mob in 3h, the gerund + L'E3 pattern indicates that the ag 7 has been created / EMSC wwakagyabm de with the dion of the verb had unfortunate consequences. Here, T's ‘Young Boss / > % we; our gang / 22% antai safe, secure slip of the tongue made the mobsters think that T in Cee tended to join them, a misinterpretation that was def. HH Taka CaS nitely unfortunate for T. 3 The gang members want T to be second:indine to M-ko's father because a sonintaw is more likely to be recognized as the undisputed leader of the gang should the current Boss be incapacitated. Without a designated heir, the gang would risk disintegration into rival factions. Many men join yakuza gangs because they come from broken fami- lies, have limited educations, or suffer other disadvantages that exclude them from mainstream Japanese life. Gangs bring structure and security to the members’ lives. —FAl ichid6 everyone / 11 FBR hakushu kasai clapped and cheered / = OU kono sekai this world (oF organ. ized crime) / A% hairu enter, join / #38. L 7: kanchi. g1i sta misunderstood WE Le ee BIBT S kanchigai sure —Fl means “everyone who was present” or “the entire group.” / The omitted verb after UFIBR is LI. / — Tis the subject of both #-PIBR L 7 and HhiL | sq = 4 238 houna foe such voices such words / 2% 72./ TB is the subject of AB. / The E before His 2° achikcki kara ftom here and there / TA. could be Wis the quoting & (ij it is used with the verb hav» heard / i oC hankanamate was very moved | BE Ltt to indicate what was misunderstood. / The © in 4 Litzas *: namie shibgimeta began to shed teas iV L222 indicates that this sentence is an explana : ° tion of why everyone applauded. BWR ee HAD more / MAE oT oe MABE Z han. eiwamare / Le FB namida sum / HO 1 ex 18 6 baie 3% CAI refers to the gangster’ outbursts of emotion in 4n. / The noun #& means “tears” and the verb EF “to shed tears.” 4o Chetih bobo sian, Mais > cikLibor. 4n bexk phox presse (BSF OBES aec & te] (BBE I $B BUD opabun the Boss / BRE atotygi successor / TH & i &The Son-in-Law of the Mob 4p Hono t A, RA coho rs, [We om. CORRS OBR ADB ID Bevel EL Be Fete THCHS 0 fib EAR Y, 74 88 Hot: komatta no the one who didn't know what to do / KBNHio TS Chaka e katte mo even after they returned to Osaka / 38H 03 (© royis no 36 mi neatly every day / WD when / #82 haere come back (to X City) / © DUIS & ono schai de mo even in this busi ness (of organized crime) / 463% shygeé training; educs- tion / WE bitwys necessary / #50 gife fatherinlaw / 36 demea telephone call / 7-40 — EF IY moize snzen con the verge of a nervous breakdown Hots HID homan / HiT BZ haem / A ww RS hain 2 Here, 1% means “to be uncertain how to deal with an undesirable situation” / With the omitted verb shown, the first sentence would end TAZ. / U3 is usually translated as “world” Here the sense is “field of active ties” that is, the world of organized crime. / The 2% “because” after 387! shows that the clause explains something that was expressed or implied earlier. Here, the fatherin-law wants T to come back to X City soon be cause a period of training is necessary even for people joining the underworld. / LRA.) means “there were telephone calls (from the fatherinlaw nearly every day).” / The topic of 74 D-¥SHWCHS is TH. / 710 = comes from the German Neva, which is cognate with the English “neurosis” A Japanese synonym is HE 90 The Son-in-Lawo of the Mob #8 sbinkeisbs “nervous disorder” In informal speech and writing 740 —# and PEE may refer to any of a wide and illdefined range of emotional and mental prob- lems. / “tft is a suffix meaning “just before, on the verge of” Other examples include HSE shuppause se zn “just before departing” and =1—3F HY gi sexzon “just before (reaching) the goal.” At the end of this story, T faces the dilemma of balance ing his own wish to keep away from the world of organized crime with his sense of family obligation to his new father-inlaw. The difficulty of his dilemma is com- pounded by his spoken blunder, which made it seem as though he wanted to join the gang, and by the threat of violence that underlies most relations with yakuza. oF5S BIOL OPES Tue Two Sioes oF 4 Superciean WowanBRO L ORIN FACE OAPAMA ICD OFS A (=P) id, SNVIEE THB. MIE, SOMBRE KP SEV. WET, ated Eng 7a HME Bn, OF SARTEDE SMD 5, BOMBR EEE R47 Ya CRERE LTRS RAVE CIE. SRR MERans, Heiracoeo BEANS. WADKIKIMESERBE HT PDNEBEOM, BOTTA, MFO, BOG &F o RARALEVEMNEY., BETS, KEWO TEBE. RV TROASIELK Tue Two Stoes oF 4 Supercueaw Wowan Oko (24), who works for a large publishing company in Chiyodasku, likes things to be sparkling clean. + Whenever she goes out, she can't be without a disinfectant for minor cuts and scrapes. While moistened {paper towels for wiping off Westerns Shinkansen, the first thing she does is wipe off the seat. She's particularly careful with the armrests because of the repeated skin contact. When she stays at someone's home, she can’t get to sleep until she has busily wiped everything in her room—the walls, the windows, the door frames, the door handles... She even wipes the font door knob every time she goes into her own home.5a Title BOLO Sia $8 BRE heppeki obsessed with cleanliness; fastidious / OL, Gera fernale office worker / AFH) naiigaigd tough on the outside but soft on the inside WE modifies OL. / OL is an abbreviation for the JapaneseEnglish 474 A+L7°4— “office lady.” The term indicates an office support worker who is female, usually young, and not in a careerrack position. / The kanji in PY44 show the meaning: insidesoftouride tough, that is, lenient about matters that have to do with oneself but strict about matters that have to do with other people. A typical example would be a person who habitually eats junk food while urging others to watch their diets. Here, the) and 9 also refer literally to the protagonist's opposite attitudes toward germs inside and outside her home. This double meaning is indicated by the marks of emphasis that appear above A] and 4 in the title on p, 94. These marks are called #58 bien “side points,” because they appear next to kanji in vertically printed text. The term FSS: appeared originally in 3:RE Ehilyd, the Chinese classic of divination called the Book of Changes or I Ching in English. It is also written 9 BVI grigdnasid. The opposite is EPI saiitnaigs or AMF naipigaij ok A Superdlean Woman | Sb Pit ORF Hi hth f] WW) it, SHV TH ae FARK Chiyadaku Chiyoda City (administrative area in central Tokyo) / FLUMLEL dite shuppansha large publishing company / }%% tudomeru works, is employed / & TURES: kireuki fond of cleanliness 2 Tokyo has twentythree IX ku. The word 5X has tradition- ally been translated as “ward,” but in recent years many of Tokyo's [X have changed their offical English names to “city.” / KF indicates a company that is one of the largest in its field, 5c tee arco ica, BAWEM ek se, 8% PtH guisbutse going out; leaving home / {1 kizaguchi wound; injury / THIER shidokuyatu disinfectant / 22 S7EV° kakasanai docs not omit; does not forget RPS oe RAPT hakasu SEINE gaishutsu ni wa here means “whenever O-ko goes out.” The particle I is used for contrast to emphasize that O-ko's behavior is different when she's away from home. / fC1N3E26 is medical disinfectant for deaning minor cuts and scrapes. / The verb Kit is often used, as here, in the negative. / The subject of this sentence is OF SA. = YeA Supercean Woman 5d wc, ER ie HS Bing 74 antl ENCVBA, OF EAU TEE OH, Haws BRR eer 1 y vache TR A Superclean Woman style is gaining popularity in both private homes and public facilites. 5e BB WE TIE ima de wa nowadays, these days / HRA i benaa Westernstyle toilet scat / 47} mgs to wipe / RFT nuenapukin moistened paper towels / NRE CUR shihan saree ine are sold (at retail stores) are marketed / F4ELLEG B22 jitnen 56 mo mae kara since more than ten years ago / MHOHBM* SEU F477 x kiznguci shidokuyaku 0 fudsaste tishe tis. sue soaked in disinfectant / REIKE LUA: fkifki shite ita has wiped WMSNT MENS ew MIS sbiban seru | GEtK e GELS w Bb fukuma / RERELT RAREST S fidifiki uu [VIE we VS 5 ESB EHS NITY means “moistened paper towels for wiping off Westernstyle toilet seats” / Tilt refers only to selling in stores, markets, or other public venues It is not used to, describe private transactions / The reduplicated SHAS suggests repeated, vigor ous scrubbing and has a somewhat childish ring. The word is derived from the verb 4% < fiuku “to wipe.” % Oko took special care to clean Westemstyle toilet seats because they come into direct contact with people's bot toms. With crouch-tyle Japanese toilets (AIS b 4 twashiti tir), the user does not touch the toilet. Although both types of toilet are common in Japan, the Westem 100 BRAY soiles / HIF CIEMVY dake de wa nai not only / ‘SPAR Shinkansen bullet train; Shinkansen / He FIX ‘nora toki ta when she gets on (the Shinkansen) / ¥¥° first of all / ASIF zaseki the seat GE The subject of ##% and RAMA(F4) is OF SA, Sf Haviacoroblahhnsoc, HieBer nas 8 BYBRIY diate armrest / 72U°22U' frequently, again and again / WL hada skin / LHL% fireru touches / DC because / FIZ tok ni expecially / 2% KAZ nen o ireru is careful 2& The At Aji in AFBHF means “elbow.” / Other words ending in #113 hake are JET ashikake “footrest” At 15 hataake “shawl,” and PEABEHY yofidubake “clothes hanger.” / 4% AILS is a common idiom meaning “to be careful.” 2 means “thought” or “feeling.” rorNeswaL3d ‘LS A Superclean Woman A Superclean Woman 58 fikogicihas es OB, BOND, to WESLRSL, SCMONLBB HH, Bogle $ BB {HA tanin another person / % iz, uchi house; home / if EBLE tomara to nar to when she spends the night / Cat? 7B atggasarta hoy the room as. signed to her / BE habe wall / ® mado window / #5 % glass / 18-F shi translucent sliding door / #% ‘an lattice / 'h fusuma opaque sliding door / | & ¥ bikie handle By HcHbN ew HTADNS w HTH, 2% Here, the kanji #% might be read either WX or 35, / iS means “to spend the night; to stay.” / The phrase ©%%& means roughly “when it is time to..” or “when she happens to..” / 2 C#*} means “to assign or allo cate to another person.” / fift-F- was originally the general term for all traditional wood-frame sliding doors. Now the word usually refers to HH» 9 FEF akan’ haji, which are covered with a single sheet of translucent paper, silk or plastic so that light can shine through. These IF have a framework of horizontal and vertical crossbeams (3) that one may hold when sliding the door open or shut. A 2 (or #RIR-F fisuma shgji) usually has no lattice and is covered with two layers of paper, so light does not pass through. The handle (§| & 3) is typically a round or rectangular indentation. sh Raha Leveling, MARS LAV fiubfuki shinai 0 if she doesn’t busily wipe / HRI% 0 nemurenai she is unable to sleep MH HERE LEW ew RERATS fikifuki som / IRN V0 ew IRIS ew IRS nemune 5i Hee, 1S Eiko veh, doce sks $8 ETS taku de mo even at her own home / XM genkan front door / 77 knob / ENE maido every time / BUCS fle kana after wiping / A% bain to enter / (22°75 Bodo da she is so (fastidious that she..) By RVC ow BRC fie [;: DM usually refers to the entranceway of a home or building, although here it refers specifically to the door itself. / The word 13 &* suggests that the action described by the sentence is somehow unusual or extreme. It can often be translated as “so (adjective) that...” In this case, the adjective is unstated, because we understand from the receding sentences that what is being described is O-ko's obsession with cleanliness,A Superclean Woman 5i LoAaA, BADGER LER ahher | Bodin, Pile Raekco wo heli, & ELBA however (ie, contrary to what one would ex. pect) / KAD AFEA yigjin no Ekosan (O-ko's) friend, Ako / BIEL Z: mokugeki shita eyewitnessed; saw firs hand / WK OEBEE kanojo no heya her room / i yéfidea clothing / A hon books / BLS 1 HO chinbari ‘hidai scattered about with abandon ERLE & ARTS mokygeki suru / BOAT) ow Bh BILS chirabara AEE A is the subject of H¥EL7, which modifies fi BB. / Wek refers to OF EA. / PMR refers to dress, blouses, slacks, trousers, shirts, and other Westernstyle clothing. The opposite is FINE waficku “Japanesestyle clothing.” Since most Japanese wear UN only for special occasions or not at all, PEAK can usually be translated merely as “clothing” / SIE means “to scatter about.” / The suffix HG is used after the -masu stems of certain verbs to indicate that something is done with complete freedom. Thus * 9 Hi yari bédai means “doing whatever you want” and $< sabe bidai “all A Superclean Woman 48 CB daidokoro kitchen / f yuka floor / %') ¥ 7% slipper / HEY DV CUZ hanitsuite ita was stuck RED OUT ee HEN AEC anituku / 7s ew OB 2 HRD AY < means “to be stuck firmly onto something” |, % In most Japanese homes, people wear slippers when walk- “ing on carpet, wood floors, or linoleum. They remove the slippers when walking on tatami, and switch to a different pair of slippers when using the toilet. Wete cHlore ai, Mckbrna vel k, He avy neaaechinl bMoTEVAD 5B 5 samago egg / HE LTH OTE SIZ otashite twatta ‘oki mi when she dropped and broke (an egg) / $8-CH8 BR FRUL VU ato de ai sucba ii ya its okay if | clean it later / (11% < nanige naku casaally, without concern / PRET covered up / 417A b ‘mo for several months / io TU: hate oita had left untouched BELT we RES oom / Mok w MS wan / BRET ee RTS gi se / PSEC oe HES habuert | oC KD bin | Butz ew BS 2% The -da form of a verb followed by VV» “good” means “it’s okay t0 do...” as in CHB TTL, / The final *? adds a sense of casual unconcem. This casualness is reinforced by the phrase {17% <. / H% here means 705A Superclean Woman A Superclean Woman “to leave alone; to ignore” / When used after a gerund, the verb 2 < adds the sense that the effects of the pre ceding verb extend into the future. Here 23 < is used be cause Oko lef the slipper stuck to the floor for months & fk52% means “to be messy; to have things scattered about.” People often use this word when apologizing to guests about a disorderly home. / Hi is close in meaning to 465 hired “clean; beautiful” but while #38 may emphasize the clean appearance of something, 72% fo- uses on its healthful, hygienic cleanliness. As with the #2 ; in 3e, the sentenceending particle £ immediately after the adjectival noun i#%@ is an indicator of women’s speech. A man would say #4272. A similar example of female usage is °F, in 5p. \ (Come CBRE Go H %D4 4 before long / HAM setchakueai adhesive, glue J EOE as if attached / MAE C107 hana naky natta became unable to detach Edt ew ES / Mee we NEY ow HES hanarera | tots ow igh | tots a te BE BAPAC L LED AC setchahuaa de tometa y6 ni means “as if stuck with adhesive” / The ® in MEU < % ok: ® shows that this sentence completes the explana. tion of why the slipper back in 5k was stuck to the floor. 50 Lapeses Hak Resor 78 4 $8 APR yakintse organic matter / 1X7 F') T bacteria / REM TS fukitoe ‘mL wipe away % REMOTE we RAMOS we MEMS fukitom 7% HEMLS means “to wipe off to wipe away.” / The subject of SEK CS is the unspoken % eewtashi, meaning OF SA. / Note that HH and S771) 7 are the objects of the verb #3 MoTS. 5n 12d, homo care, HR. geese 1d DUNESUaLSd LS 4% Ed welh anyway / Mow CHIL chinakate ‘mu keds it’s messy, but / 1% sciketw clean; hygienic WH KoPoCS @ MSPS w oS rakane chi-A Supercean Woman SP Qatar. teases, Wino iba Lc a. Bec CES Ritmo, catHePR Evo t, BE A saikin bacteria / HOM LCS hanshoku shite mo ever if (bacteria) propagate / 224%'"°C1L kitkichit de tea in the air / AIRARER lyromin jotai state of dormancy / = 35> TUE ko sueba if I do this / *¥5R. beiki okay, no problem /EWOT wit she said Bh FFL ee HINTS hanholn se | FHL $3 [oT @ BO ing 3 SPA is used in speech to mean “there is no need to 1 worry” or ‘I don’t care.” / Here, a man would more : likely say “PSA72. ie W BRO Ave Yay EHLEOKS 8B ABT formu shodokujaku disinfectant vaporizor / infectant being sprayed) / #L 7: ita pushed BLA we BS om / ote K disinfectant, not the disinfectant itself. / The 2 in ##L 7:27: indicates that this sentence explains that & 708, Hes 7 Alb’ nowle / 72-7 & (indicates the sound of dis 2 FAG literally means “spraying fog.” / The context sug gests that SABFVHSEIE is the container for spraying the A Superclean Woman 3 FHF in Sp refers to O-ko's spraying the air with disinfectant, Ss. A BEA, OFS ARERERS BBs #8 SAIC incidentally, by the way / WACK Tohoku Daigaku Tohoku University / 382285 Yakugakuhu Faculty Pharmaceutical Sciences / Hi 3} shushin graduated from 3% HAGA is a respected national university located in Sendai in northern Honshu. / In 4b, His} shusshinchi meant “the place where one was raised.” Here, #444 indicates the school from which O-ko graduated. 3% The point of this story is the contrast between Oko's ex: treme aversion to possible sources of infection in public and her slovenly, unhygienic lifestyle at home. But behind this humorous situation is the more serious theme of the nearly pathological fear of germs that seems to affect an increasing number of Japanese. Sales of pens, computer keyboards, and other products made with antibacterial plastics have been booming, and surveys have reported that a significant percentage of people, especially women, never use public rest rooms. While some scientists warn that itis fatile and even counterproductive to try to avoid contact with microorganisms, the spread of AIDS and some food poisoning scares have only increased people's fears. Despite these trends, though, Orko's case is stil unusual, 7096 COMBCLERS SRRPTTR Exammarion Hee Louasies FOR INFANTSasdalad LS COMBCERS BRBSSTR LRRF COA, WER PERODERORRT bh. FRIEGSE SA, ERT ANOMBIS, Of FOMBICBN TLE ia, EROS ¢ HH BI Like EERO YS RACH". BROWS AS, Md5, SDKOF, MOKROF IDEM TSE Leo FAL, HABFEHAGOSY] [HobOBRSAOBAY, FARTLE. KO ERBLTS. VVARVRAROL BA IEA OES EVORMET. HVBIETIS. Ay BMRB4ORBIS, HEIR, BIC THRE MORPHY T. (KEAERAL & [KREOR fh] ERAMPETHS. CNREVPSL, SHA ISBORAVEIAR, Examination Hew Lowasres For Ineants ‘These days, “examination hell” begins as early as junior high school or elementary school. In Chiba, the parents of Baby S, eleven months old, have already commenced preparations, determined ‘not io fall behind the times. The mother is in charge of “moral and aesthetic edue cation.” While out for a walk, she lectures her son. “Look!” she'll say. “That gitl is throwing sand on the | boy next to her. Never make friends with anyone like hat” “That mother’s eyes look funny, don't they? I'm sure she had them fixed. It’s better to have eyes with two satura folds like mine” The father isin charge of the baby’s studies. Looking ahead to the boy’s ultimate admission to university, he reads college guidebooks at his son’s bedside every evening, He says the boy falls asleep better that way.Examination Hell Lullabies EABOBA, SHRAIB-ATHATOT, PRACEY EV IBoTLE OK. BoPY LERBKoKA, SN BVhon_ RACH. BAL, RBOWSER, BIKA BATHE OOK. TC. BP ORBRIMIG CRD, ETS RISD EBIFS OL CRMORBIS—B. RBI BRITS OREM T, MEBSESOI: HOT So Examination Hell Lullabies One day when Baby S was playing alone, he tore up lone of the admission guidebooks. The father was disappointed, but he was surprised when he saw the tattered book Why, the only page left untouched was the one for Keio University, the father's alma mater! So they decided that their son would aim for Keio. The parents agreed to focus all their efforts on the en- ance exam for the university’s nursery school, They've heard that the exam includes a ringtoss game, so they/re doing everything they can to get their baby to wrap his fee around a ring.qa penesHalad 1S BE LOIRE zeosaiji eroyearold baby / 128 RE ni mo ovobu extending even to.. / IRR juken seni intense competition to pass entrance examinations, “examination hell” / 53% komoniuta lullaby In Japan, babies under the age of one are said to be #0 I zaosai or I, reisai “zero years old” / The word % B. juken refers to studying for and taking examinations, specially college entrance tests, #24 sensi means “war.” / A FIR is a song sung to babies to put them to sleep. Here the word is used ironically. / This title literally means “Lullabies for Examination Hell, Which Now Reaches Even Infants Less Than a Year Old” 6b i . | SBRS eva, ne eRER AERO Reds. HEV ALE mo ieba concerning, in regard to; speaking of / \2® now / HHL dijeakks junior high school / "4% shigabhd elementary school / B54 jidai era; age By VAlke 85 in Examination Hell Lullabies 2% EVALE follows a subject that is already known or has bbeen mentioned; it introduces information that is related (perhaps only tangentially) to that subject. Here, SEER 4% is already known to the reader, and EVs2 12 indi cates that the story that follows is somehow related to 2 BL4!. / The point of this sentence is that high school students are no longer the only ones competing intensely to pass entrance examinations. Now junior high and ele mentary school students are also fighting the SEAR 4 XX Japanese schools follow the sixthreethree pattern introduced from the United States after the Second World War, sIs##2 lasts for six years, followed by three years of "PEK and three years of FL kdkd “high school.” 6c thie ss on, RAPT OM He, sesh ted gy Eee HO WBN om, bee CH eB L ie | $8 TSR Chiba prefecture and city east of Tokyo / kt suis to live, to reside / A, (respect suffix used with children’s names) / 4 6-+—7 }} eign juiekagesn cleven months after birth / T#L pyishin parents / BESO{HS sakkon no jései the current situation / HATS % 5 a okurte wea naranu must not delay / %>% < promptly / MO jumbi preparations / TIME: kaithi shita com menced PBN BN obuen / ho CRSRV) wt % / Wikis U7: ww BARES S haithi seru 3% F5E might be cither -FI8tti Chibashi “Chiba City” or “7—Zeamination Hell Lullabies the larger F-38IR Chibasken “Chiba Prefecture.” / The eh in Sb eA is the version of 8A, used when ad. dressing or talking about babies, children, and sometimes adults who are close friends or relatives, usually younger in age. Though % 4 A, may be used for both males and females, its more common with the latter. The equiva lent suffix for males is # hue (see 3b). In this story, St eA. happens to be a boy (see 60). / The quoting £ after HEP ANGIE EAL T Id % © 9 indicates that this sentence expresses the sentiments of S's parents, to wit, “Wwe must not fall behind the times.” / The final 28 in # is the literary form of the negative suffix %V. The gerund (4e form) followed by either (3% 598 saa naranu or (% 5%» cea naranai means “must not” / Both {% te and E617 A modify She A. 6d SHOW wR, SHS 18 HINES! 8 EBL habaoya mother / 12% tants (aea of) responsibilty 1 THRECH 000 kydiku moral and aesthetic education ‘THHRECTT is a type of pedagogy that emphasizes the de velopment of a child’s overall sensitivity to moral, acs thetic, and spiritual matters, The quotation marks indicate that the term is being used sarcastically to refer to the les- than-lofty instruction provided by S's mother in 6e through 61. 145 Examination Hell Lullabies be Miboilisns, fa5, aokod FeBbeoucatlr. $B BA canpo walls stroll / if2%S mihi sygara along the way / 135 hey! look! / DOF ano onna no ko that Sil / BROB}OF= tonari no otoko no ko ni at the boy next to (her) / B sua sand / FT SCL & hakee dbo is throwing (sand), isn’t she? BPI TS PN TOS PS 2% BAHROWTAS means “while taking a walk” / TLE is an abbreviated spoken form of TL 3, the formal volitional form of the copula #2. / The subject of #1tT (8 is DOKOF. 6f FAL, HAGE EAT e| 4B FX don't do that) / BALE E anna ko to with a child like that / $8473 © ssukiatcha (don’t) be friends, (don't) spend time together By HSB obe EATS tukiate wa RE 9 twkiaw 3% The elements of this sentence have been reversed. In stan- dard order and without the contraction to #f 84> 5, it would read HAGFEGES > TLYX E “Don't be friends with a girl like that.” / A man would say ¥ x 29SY51ad ‘LS 14 DHNES Examination Hell Lullabies PEL instead of HAE. / Here ¥X is in katakana for emphasis. Also written #22 or SH, this word means 6g ts a. whee [hobonitsconan, *HK 8% obDBESA atchi no okasan that mother over there / BH% omeme eyes / EM fishizen unnatural 3 2% is an informal version of HS “that; over there.” / 338% is a word used only by or to small chil dren. Other children’s words include 33°C ovete “hand,” PAA “dog” and KF 3} “automobile.” | Soc BLS, vreau iho da WHRALO LE 8 SOL cenainly, 'm sure / WBLTS sited shite she's had plastic surgery / 77? A729 %e Mama mitai na like Mama's / E1280 shizen no natural / — Ti fiaae folded (eyelids) / V5 12 A. the best MIL TS ew BELTS we BITS wie’ se 7 can refer to any type of surgery or treatment that changes the shape of a part of a person's body. / Note that S's mother says "7° when talking about herself When speaking to children, Japanese adults often refer to themselves by name or title rather than with a fist person 20 Examination Hell Lullabies pronoun. Similarly, children usually refer to themselves by name until they reach school age, when girls are supposed to start saying # anatashi and boys $8 boku for “I; me” / = here refers to —HHWR fiaae mabuta “double eyelids,” that is, eyelids with a horizontal crease, Most East Asians have —TEW hitoe mabwe “single eyelids," that is, eyelids without a visible fold, Some Japanese who admire European facial features undergo 2 simple operation to add creases to their eyelids. Here, $'s mother is sneering at another mother for having had that operation while bragging that her own eyelids are naturally the fashionable creased type. She may also be warning her infant son to avoid potential marriage partners who alter their appearance artificially. Evo RIFT to ita chisbi de in this manner IETS iikikasete ire instructs Dok @ 8 ing / BOM ET © BVM ® itkikasera This sentence’s initial & is the quoting &. It refers to the quotations from the mother in 6¢ through 6h. / SVB =Z means “to instruct” or “to convince.” Here it seems to suggest that clevenmonthold $ is actually pay- ing attention to what his mother is saying.Examination Hell Lullabies irc, (KER BRA HABIDETHB o 4B maiban every evening / $L7GC makunamoto de at io bedside / HEEL saishi mokabyd final goal, ult. mate target / K% daigaku university / (11ST ni mukete directed toward; aiming at / [KAASRA| Nyigaku Arnai “Guide to University Admissions" / [®ORE] Nydgaku no Tokushoku “Key Features of Admissions” / ABACUS yomikikaste iru reads to Bh) RABI D>ET ew BAM AED yomikitasern 3 BWI has the prefix 23 because the word refers to a child’s studies. / The #% makura in #C7E means “pillow,” and #76 literally means “next to the pillow.” / #68 MOK refers to the university that the parents want S to enter. / KEABRA and ALOE are commer Gilly published guides to techniques for entering certain universities. #€6 means “unique characteristics” / Bt Bide % means “to read to” or “to instruct through reading” — 6k CTNEDSLE, SHeARBOR MINED Ke Examination Hell Lullabies $8 CELLS L kore 0 yaru to when (the father) does this / HED EDU netsuki ga ii falls asleep well / £3 72 35 da is said to 7% A refers to the father’s reading to S. / The noun #2 & “falling asleep” comes fiom the verb #82 ¢ netsuku "to fall asleep.” / The word 3 indicates reported Here, it means that the parents have said that $ falls sound asleep when they read the university admission books to him. EhbbSAL Sheva Kaur, PRR Cy ey clo cL dot. 8 £A%H2 Hi sonna am bi on one such day / — ACHE ATT itor de asonde ite was playing alone / 21) & VILE 2 TL 2 22 binin’ ni yabutte shimata tore up SH) BACT MES aobu / BoC @ BS yah / Liok we Lk5 [ek Both ZA% and 4% modify H. SAMA means “such a day” and 22H means “one day, on a certain day,” so @A%2% %H means “on one such day (during the baby’s training for university admission)” / AR Niyigaku Annai is the same as KEAZRA in 6. / E J EY ICHRS means “to tear up; to tear into shreds.” ~ J 21) I= suggests that the baby tore up the book especially violentlySUalad ‘1S ” SLE 14 OHNE! Examination Hell Lullabies 6m Bob) LAR kA, BOE Khor REA CR OR. 8 Atom) Ltt gubkani shita disappointed / 5) 2 iz % 212 chnjin’ mi natia bon the book, which had been scattered around in pieces / 52°C mile when he saw / 3 V2 adorita he was surprised Bom) Lite DoD TS gabkari su | tots ew tt / ote bh / AT @ BS mim / Bok w= BE < odoroku The unspoken subject of this sentence is 528%, which is the same as the predicate noun in the first half of the sentence. Thus the first half can be translated literally as “Hie was a disappointed father.” Examination Hell Lullabies 2 As in Sr, HHS shusshin means “graduated from.” # is an abbreviation for 482 gakko “school” Thus HIS means “the school ftom which one graduated.” / The ap- positive comma after 111 #2 indicates that the school in question is BEI. / The at the end of this sentence explains that the father was surprised in 6m because only the page for Keio University was not tom up. Keio University is an old and respected private university in Tokyo. It was founded by ##iRM@#¢ Fukuzawa Yu- ichi (1834-1901), the educator, philosopher, and diplomat whose face appears on the 10,000yen note. The univer sity’ fall name is BEISMERA Keio Gj Daigaku. BE Jib is the cra name for the years 1865 to 1868. Bia, 6n Lgotees muna nas he, SHOR BE BbKio~ WHEN THE Do KOK. BE AL nan to (expresses pleased surprise) / th Srbe shussbinks alma mater / MEIGKEO<— YI Keis Daigaku no pg dake only the page for Keio University / NTA Te yaburete inakatta was not torn up WRAL ww WALD yaburene / VIRDP OTE ee VIR WS 4% T then; therefore / LF musuko son / SEAL shiboka (Gee BE, below) / BES BY Keio to kime decided on Keio / E 41S macu wa first; to begin with / AEG Yodhisha name of nursery school / 2) €%IS = ET zennyoku o agera koto de to make a total effort / Hk /iyfi the husband and wife / $4 iken opinions / —3 ‘chi matched; agreed By RY ew RDS hime J} 2% 582 shibo means “aspiration and desire,” so MF-OKB #8 means “the school their son would try to enter.” / 5) ‘HE@ZH means “taking the nursery school entrance crams” SbH84 is a nursery school affliated with Keio 2SExamination Hell Lullabies University and famous for its rigorous admittance stan. dards, A child accepted by this nursery school is likely to be admitted to the university more easily. / The omitted verb at the end of this sentence is L7:. F2HhO BFL — KL: means “the opinions of the husband and wife were the same.” AIR site test / REIT wanage ringtoss / &BAVT to heite they heard that / #8 ma ring / HSS O niginsera tno making him grasp / L5EIC% 2 CW shi ni nate in (they are) frantic Bok w HS / MWT w HS hike / BSUS WS niga / 129 TE WHIT is the children’s game in which a ring made of rope, wood, or plastic is thrown from a distance onto a vertical pole. It is the type of game that might be in- Examination Hell Lullabies to home. Among Japanese who fall into the broad social class of salaried whitecollar workers—company employees, civil servants, academics, and the like-admission to a good university determines more than anything else one's career, social standing, and marriage prospects. Parents whose own lives have been shaped by this obsession with educational credentials are naturally eager for their own children to enter the best possible schools. The parents in this story are unusual not in the degree of their enthusiasm but only in how early they have begun. a "2 rc mR eB 2 (5 16 = 2 8 cluded in a nursery school entrance examination. / #6 22 is the causative form of the verb 8% “to grasp, to hold.” An elevenmonthold baby is too young to ply ringtoss, so the parents are just trying to get him to wrap his fingers around the rings. / The © after HO is the nominalizing ; it tums #4 into a noun. While some people will be amused by the misplaced fer vor of this mother and father eagerly trying to prepare their infant son for university entrance exams, for many Japanese parents this story may strike uncomfortably close eee 126 275 NYSE TRH ROMORE S314 18 gecee 14 DENS Tue Cuvetessness oF 4 “Conwecreo” Eupiovee ow Her Way ro te “Country oF Baw” Anta MATT AR ALMAaad 18 gezee Td DUNES pines PATSIAR AUIS \ NYBSS IRL OMAR MADAF MALI S SK (SW) (eA ORMBAR, AHBRFR ERELT. CDR, — PICMIMRAT ET BABE TKR PMMWIVSLSHLA, AMCFRDS, YY WAIAONVAD, EWFLE THIEL Boke BA, Katia, Sttowm) iil cher ftaM, ESCMMMEHELRMOXIDYT—-*EHO WH, EDDA FRUITEMEANTEV KS BR, MMO-ADYRERDITSE, KimieS ORS, FOMERE LES TevOrwtbohOd. BRIIIDIT—EHL BALeoORUHE, Vodsial Tue Cuvetessness oF 4 “Connecreo” Euptovee ow Her Way ro re “Counmey of Ban” ; This spring, Miss K (24) and three other women, her | peers at a large publishing company in Tokyo, planned to take an overseas trip in honor of their fifth year since entering the company. They discussed various destinations, but considering } the available time and their budget, they settled on either F Singapore or Bangkok, Thailand. The next day, Miss K stopped at a travel agency on her way home from work and found a tour to Thai- land with the ideal schedule and price. She went ahead and made the reservation. The following morning, Miss K spotted one of the group, Miss Y, and immediately told her what she had done. “[ found a good tour, so I went ahead and signed us up for Thailand. That’s okay, isn’t it”The “Country of Ban’ YRISGAGCME L. EVIEMOMT FLO TH ake [H5, FAILEOVMNY IPE w EPS P22, Ko tN 371k 9 1 OBB Cove] [HB2R-o, KotCHAOMMEIFATLE Jo NYAVOTIAIPHO< POHOBMC Oe m2) Poseee] YRISEENTOOG, M+ OEM, Ny aris AVEWIB, OE UVR” LUC Ep SkDTCHS. (TIAA HLO Stet Ac ATE RRBARS tv BEV, AYO RAR) ABABA LT, Kit RS © HE LAO Koto Miss Y looked surprised and replied in a somewhat critical tone, “What? Did you decide on Thailand? Weren't we going to Bangkok” “Huh? But Bangkok is the capital of Thailand...” f “The capital? But the capital of Thailand is Laos, E isn't i Bankok ends in koku, so it must be the name of Miss K said nothing. For the twenty-four years of her life, Miss Y had ' | been convinced that the name Bangkok meant the E Country of Ban.” | | Miss K thought, The rumor that one of the women hind with us got ber job through a connection-I gues it was true all w her fifth year since joining the company, Miss K ! has now confirmed the truth of that rumor. H i i

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