One week ago today, I gave a talk about my monitor tour at an International Fair in Imabari City. The local media came out and did a story on it. Here’s my amateur slapdash attempt at translating the newspaper article that was published in the morning edition of the Ehime Newspaper last Tuesday. Many thanks go to reporter Fumihito Tawa for coming out and covering the event. I’d also like to proffer my thanks to the photographer who snapped that incredible “A-ha!” finger pointing gesture. The team made me look good! Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

Caption: Mr. Richardson (right), an American whose theme was using foods like yakitori in a plan for promoting tourism in Imabari City.

Enjoy Imabari Even More

Increase the amount of foreign language information on websites to promote short-stay food tourism

Proposed by a sightseeing foreigner

Let’s rediscover Imabari’s tourist attractions from a foreigner’s point of view. The International Fair hosted by the Imabari City International Exchange Association (ICIEA), took place on the 7th at the JA Saisaikiteya farmer’s market, where the townspeople were able to learn about local attractions as well as ideas for drawing foreign tourists to the area.

The ICIEA received a request from the city, and so set out on a project to have 7 foreign residents undertake monitor tours from June of 2009 to February of 2010. The fair was designed to showcase the results of these tours for the people of Imabari CIty.

Deas Richardson (26), an American assistant language teacher, said of food tourism with a focus on Imabari’s famous yakitori, “Of course it is not really a reason unto itself to visit, but it could easily be a reason to stop (here) on the way to another destination.” He expanded upon his ideas, putting emphasis on using short term stays centered around culinary attractions to bolster tourism to the area.

He also raised the example of websites which anyone can edit (wikis) and are frequently used by foreign travelers, citing the fact that the city’s English and Chinese language information was scarce. He encouraged the audience, saying, “The Japanese page introduces yakitori, but there is no explanation in English or Chinese. Since anyone can contribute information as a volunteer, I would really like us to try to do so.”

Mr. Martin Samoy (44), a Belgian photographer who has lived in Imabari for 15 years, presented some of his pictures of scenery around the city. Mr. Samoy’s acquaintance and coworker, Ms. Mizumi Ide (5), also of Imabari, said “I was moved by the way that he photographed landscapes so familiar and ordinary to Japanese people with a fresh perspective.”（Fumihito Tawa）

Hey – here’s a post to answer the obvious (and totally fair) question: “Dude, you just said you were back to blogging and went radio silent again. What the heck is up with that?” Well, I’m wrapping up a huge project that has spanned about a full year. It’s a project put on by the city government and the local international association in an attempt to glean some useful information about how we can increase foreign tourism to Imabari City. If you’re in the Imabari area and you’d like to come, you can get a flyer in the city. (I might be able to upload one later, but it’s the same as the images you see.) For those who want to cut right to the nitty gritty, here’s the deal.

Where – Saisaikiteya
When – March 7th (Sunday), from 9 AM to 3 PM
What – Videos and pictures from monitor tours, a 30 minute presentation by yours truly, a slideshow by a professional photographer, a live radio talk show event, a piano “live” performance, a kids quiz & craft bonanza.
Why – To discuss how to increase foreign tourism, of course. But also to receive the free handdrawn English map of Imabari and to enjoy the international cooking demonstration. ICIEA Eco-bags are also being given to those who answer a survey.

Hope I see you there! And hope I can get back online once this mega-project is over!

Check out this image from the UK’s Daily Mail. It’s from a pretty big protest rally against the American military base situation in Okinawa, but with a distinctly Japanese twist. I’m not interested in the pre-printed cards that were distributed. I am interested in the hand drawn cardboard one on the right side of the frame. It reads as follows.

福は内〜！平和は内〜！基地は外〜！！
グアムに沖縄に日本に米軍基地は居坐るな！迷惑だ！帰ってくれ！！

***

Fuku wa uchi! Heiwa wa uchi! Kichi wa soto!
Guamu ni Okinawa ni Nihon ni beigun kichi wa isuwaru na! Meiwaku da! Kaette kure!!

***

Luck in! Peace in! Military bases out!
American military bases in Guam, Okinawa, and Japan, do not remain! It is troublesome! Go home!!

This is obviously modeled on the customary Setsubun holiday ritual of 豆撒き or mamemaki – throwing soy beans and chasing ogres out of one’s home by yelling 「鬼は外！福は内！」(Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!) or “Demons out! Luck in!”. People have been pretty heated up over the base situation for a long time now. I’m curious about whether it really implies a few things or not, though: that the American military is a bunch of friendly demon ogres (big step up from foreign barbarians if you ask me), that Okinawa is not part of Japan, and that Guam is upset about the military base there? Perhaps the delineation of Okinawa and Japan was kind of like “Okinawa and mainland Japan”? I dunno. But I found this interesting, and thought you might too!

Trip note: I’m currently writing this from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I’ll be here in Vietnam for a bit before making a sweep through Singapore (2nd time), Malaysia (2nd time), and Thailand. I’ll see everybody on the other side of the winter break. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

Let me first start out by saying that this preview for Fox’s Human Target came to my attention back in May, but I figured I should wait a bit since the actual show won’t start until fall. Upcoming disappointment? I’m not sure. I know it’s based on a comic book, but I’ve no idea how good the comic is, or if this show will even come close to replicating it anyway. If Mark Valley’s supposed to be fluent in any number of other languages, we could feel the giddy excitement that comes from watching him maul them too. If it’s just Japanese, I’ve got to say that the actors in Heroes have totally whooped his behonkus. You can watch the actual full trailer from Fox Broadcasting below.

The show looks kind of fun, sure. I’m going to watch it, if for no other reason than to listen for any other horrendous Japanese lines. Gotta love the possible connotation of the elderly Japanese dude’s words to him, though, right? 「あなたの日本語はどこで習いましたか？」and「日本語上手ですね。」OUCH. The classic response. I’m kind of thrilled a bit that it was included in a realistic way. Ha ha.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
If anyone out there is a better listener than I am, please feel free to take a crack at the word that he said that I’ve got down as 《ふしょうねん？》in the captions. I have no clue what that was supposed to be. Admittedly, my vocabulary needs work, so if you can parse what he’s saying please leave a comment and I’ll correct the captions. I’d appreciate it. It’s gnawing away at me…and I’ve watched that clip more times than necessary…

The video I’ve embedded here, which subscribers may have already seen, is a segment from the NHK Matsuyama Branch about one of the summer camps I went to. I had commenters asking me what was being said. I knew that real subtitles (not hard subtitles, where the text is actually part of the video itself) were doable through the Closed Captioning options on YouTube. I’d seen it done bilingually lots of times by one of my favorite Japan-related YouTubers, Hikosaemon. (Go subscribe if you’re curious!) I set out to try and do so myself, but felt discouraged after watching several tutorials – all of which used Windows software. Until I could find a Mac-viable option, it looked like creating a text file with the proper format by hand was my only option…

Just in the nick of time, before I attempted to do captions the hard way, one of my commenters came to my rescue and told me to check out a free subtitling program called Miyu. (Thanks, shrgnatlas!) I downloaded the program and left it in the middle of my desktop so I could try it when I came back from Okinawa. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m back from Okinawa. Ha ha ha. I uploaded the files, and I’m stoked with the results. There are some line-length problems and whatnot, but I felt like it went pretty well for my first ever attempt at bilingual subbing!

I found using Miyu to be pretty easy once I got the hang of it. What I wound up doing was creating English subtitles first, and then using the same timing to swap Japanese subtitles in. Here are two screenshots of Miyu at at work, in English and Japanese. (And I’m just using the standard Mac OS Japanese input Kotoeri setup, by the way.) I’ve not pictured the playback monitor here, but it’s just the video with some editor controls on it and the text displayed with the proper timing – it updates as you alter things on the fly, too.

If you’re curious about the type of file that pops out of Miyu’s export dialog, here are my examples. I exported my subtitles as .srt files, which are recognized by YouTube. SRT files are actually just TXT files (like sooo many kinds of files out there) that follow a specific pattern – that’s why you can easily create them manually. If you’re curious like me, you might open these SRT files you’ve just created in the go-to Mac program TextEdit, but you might panic when you see the Japanese results. Let me assure you that this gobbledy-gook is to be expected – that file is the exact file that I uploaded to YouTube, and you can see that it renders there no problem. There is probably a different text editor that can handle the proper character encoding, but I’m too lazy to look it up. If you’d like to see the raw .srt files themselves, I’ve uploaded them to my server so you can take a peek. Please play around with the video above to swap out subtitle tracks on the go and compare. Then try your own hand at it and drop a link in the comments if you like.

That’s right, folks. It’s the 3rd installment of my transcripts for the Japanese version of the Loom Audio Drama. (See Part 1 and Part 2 if you’ve somehow missed it so far.) But as always, fear not if you can’t read Japanese. I’ve got the English language audio and text for the exact same section available here for your perusal, just after the Japanese. It’s a good study aid for the oldschool LucasArts adventure games inclined. I’m not as certain of my translation of the aside comments in the script as I am of my transcription, so if anyone notices anything awry – let me know!

This is the third of four entries in total. This one is set apart by the weirdness of Cygna being transfigured, Bobbin being born from the Great Loom, and the voice acting for young Bobbin. To me, personally, the biggest error that leaps out the most is the Japanese actress playing Hetchel – she seems to forget Bobbin’s name and call him Bobby a few times. Of course, it could just be her speech style, swallowing the closed ん sound at the end. But it sure sounds weird to me. Ha ha. Alright? Let’s get to it. It’s time to venture back to that mysterious little island, shrouded in mists, which ancient maps call LOOM.

Japanese Audio for Part 3 –> [See post to listen to audio]
English Audio for Part 3 –> [See post to listen to audio]

シーン２

深夜です。コオロギや梟の期待している鳴き声が聞こえる。誰かの散った葉の上に気がかりな足音が聞こえて来る。鍵、そしてロック、稀にしか使われているドアの音も。中に入って、広大なルーム（機）のリズムが響いている。

シグナ：誰もおらん。誰にも聞かれず。誰にも知られずにすむ。このルームこそ、我らの力。長老はルームの力を恐れているが、私は何も怖くは無い。何て色鮮やかなパターンなのかしら。模様が踊っている。まるで虹のようだわ。一本のグレーの糸が。グレーはどんな色とでも混じり合い、分からなくなる。誰もこのグレーの糸には気付くまい。布を織るには、そう、こうするんだわ。まず、糸を杼に結び付けて、後はハーネスが織り込んでゆく。杼を打ち、おさ（筬）を打ち、踏んで、休む。杼を打ち、おさを打ち、踏んで、休む。押して、戻して、横糸を渡していく。これなら、ヘッチェルに習った通りだわ。休んで、杼を打ち、おさを打ち、踏んで、休む。中へ、下へ、通して、戻す。杼を打ち、おさを打ち、踏んで、休む。杼を打ち、おさを打ち、踏んで、休む。杼を打ち、おさを打ち…（繰り返す）

アトロポス：レイディ・シグナ！そこで何をしておる？

新生児の泣き声で部屋の中が反響する。足音が急いで向こうから渡ってくる。

ラキシス：やはり、遅かった。なぜにこの風なのか？

アトロポス：そんな何をしあって、其方は事の重大さが真実分かっているのだろうな。

シグナ：私たちを裁けるのはパターンだけ、そう仰いましたわね。

ラキシス：其方、こんな事をして、無事にすむと思っているのか？

シグナ：お好きになさいませ。でも、この赤ん坊は生きております。私は満足です。

クロトス：それでは、その子をヘッチェルの手にお渡しなさい。

シグナ：可愛がって上げてね。私を可愛がってくれたように。

ヘッチェル：私に出来る事と言ったら、それだけでございます。はい、よーし、よし。

シグナ：さあ、お裁き。

アトロポス：レイディ・シグナよ、其方は織物氏ギルドに対し重大なる反逆罪を犯した。其方は聖なるルームを冒涜したばかりか、己れの欲望を満たさんがために、我々長老に対し、真っ向から逆らった上に、幾世代にも渡って、手から手へと受け継がれてきたパターンを敢えて危険に晒した。その罪は実に許しがたい。よって、其方を「有罪」とし、これより以後織物氏ギルドから永久に追放する者とする。従って、この子に会う事はもちろんのこと。二度とこの島にその足を踏み入れる事も許されぬ。今日、只今より死を迎えるその日まで、其方はただ一人孤独の内に空をさ迷い続けなければならぬ運命となるのだ。其方の悲しみにくれた嘆きの叫びは、己れが背負った運命に挑まんとする不心得者に対して、良い見せ締めとなるであろう。

奇妙な音が急にクレッシェンドに上がり、強い翼の羽ばたきの音に溶ける。今度は白鳥の鳴き声が部屋の中に響く。目撃者たちは恐怖に驚いて、息が止まる。

ヘッチェル：まっ、白鳥に！姿を変えてまで、まだお美しい。

誇りのある鳥がもう一回鳴いてから、飛んでいく。大きな窓が壊れて、白鳥が夜に消えてしまう。

クロトス（ナレーターとして）：その夜、織物氏の村では大白鳥が海の向こうに消えて行くのを見た物はほとんどありませんでした。しかし、シグナがギルドの掟を破り、長老たちの怒りを勝ったという噂は、まもなく島中に広がってゆきました。人々は皆この赤ん坊を一目見ようと集まって来ました。その子が人からではなく、ルームから生まれたからでした。誰がそのようなことを予想したでしょうか。
その赤ん坊は当時の成人とされた17歳の年まで織物氏ギルドと関わる事は許されませんでした。そして、その後は長老たちが話し合いで決めることになりました。かつてシグナの乳母だったヘッテェルがルームから生まれたこの子を我が子として引き取りボビンと名付けて、育っていたのです。

シーン３

暁近く。野所の家の寝室です。

ヘッチェル：ボビン。ボビン！さぁ、もう起きるのよ。

ボビン：お母さん？

ヘッチェル：えぇ、そう。お母さんよ。さ、早く起きて。

ボビン：外はまだ真っ暗だよ。

ヘッチェル：そうよ、真っ暗よ。でも、いいから、早く起きて、服を着て。

ボビン：どうしてなの？まだ眠いよ。

ヘッチェル：お前にどうしても見せておきたい物があるのよ。さ、急いでちょうだい。日が登らないうちにね。

シーン４

海の見晴らしがいい、風にさらされた崖の上です。

ボビン：あぁ、寒いね、ここ。

ヘッチェル：だから、キルトを持っておいでって言ったでしょう。ほら、お母さんのショールを掛けようね。

ボビン：何も見えないよ。

ヘッチェル：辛抱するの。もうすぐだから。お前が生まれてから毎年やって来ているんだもの。

ボビン：何が来るの？

ヘッチェル：えぇ、それはね。見て！あそこよ、木と木の間！…あぁ、違ったわ。ただの梟ね。

ボビン：ここからだと、村がちっちゃく見えるね。あれは何って言う星？

ヘッチェル：あの明るいの？あの星は明けの明星と言って、お日様の位置によっては昼までも見えることがあるのよ。ボビン、あそこを見て！波の上を低く飛んでいるだろう。どう、見えないかい？

ボビン：ただの鴎じゃないか？

ヘッチェル：もう一同よく見てご覧。

一匹の鳥の鳴き声が波の上に響く。

ボビン：おぉ。

ヘッチェル：あれは白鳥って言うのよ、ボビン。雪のように真っ白だろう？お誕生日おめでとう、かわいそうなボビン。

ボビン：こっちに飛んで来る！ほら、頭の上を飛んで来る！とても綺麗な鳥だね。

ヘッチェル：本当にねぇ。相変わらず美しいわ。

ボビン：どうしてあんなに悲しそうに鳴くの？

ヘッチェル：一人ぼっちだからよ。誇り高くて、一人ぼっち。

ボビン：あの鳥、もう飛んでちゃうよ。どこに飛んで行くのかな。

ヘッチェル：多分パターンのずっと向こう側だと思うわ。

ボビン：僕たちも行けるとこ？

ヘッチェル：そっちに行っちゃ危ないわよ。お前には行けない所よ。パターンの枠の中で生まれた者はね、織り込まれた模様と同じでどこへも行けないのよ。だから白鳥の後を追いたくても、付いて行くことは出来ない。

ボビン：お日様の光が眩しいよ。

ヘッチェル：また欠伸をしているのね。さぁ、帰って、もう一眠りましょう。

SCENE 2

Night. The chirp of crickets and hoot owls are tense and expectant. Anxious footsteps cross a yard of dead leaves/ A key tinkles. We hear the dull click of a dead bolt, and the creak of a little-used door. The perspective slides indoors, drawing closer to the echoing rhythm of the Loom.

Cygna: Deserted. No one will hear me. No one will know. The Loom, power. The Elders are afraid to use it. I am not afraid. Oh, the colors in the Pattern! Dancing. the shadow of rainbows. One gray thread. Gray goes with every color; invisible. No one will notice one gray thread. To work. There’s the trick. Tie it to the end of the shuttle, let the harness do the work. Throw, beat, treadle, rest. Throw, beat, treadle, rest. Back, forth, cross the web, you taught me well, poor Hetchel. Rest, throw, beat, treadle, rest, in, and under, through, back. Throw, beat, treadle, rest. Throw, beat, treadle, rest. (Repeated…)

Atropos: Lady Cygna!

The first cry of a newborn infant echoes in the room. Footsteps hurry across the floor.

Lachesis: Too late. Poor child.

Atropos: You understand the gravity of what you have done?

Cygna: Only the Pattern may judge, Elder Atropos.

Lachesis: We cannot allow this outrage to go unpunished!

Cygna: Do what you must. This baby is alive; I am content.

Clothos: Surrender the child to Dame Hetchel.

Cygna: Care for him the way you did for me, old friend.

Hetchel: It’s the only way I know. There, there.

Cygna: I am ready.

Atropos: Lady Cygna, you are guilty of treason against the Guild. You have breached the sanctity of the Loom and compromised the fulfillment of the Pattern to indulge your own selfish desires in direct defiance of the Elders. You are henceforth and forever outcast from the Guild of Weavers. You shall neither behold this child, nor set foot upon this island again. From now until the end of your days, you shall wander the skies in perpetual solitude. Your mournful cry shall be a lesson to all who would defy their destiny.

The eerie sound rises to a terrible crescendo, then condenses into the flutter of powerful wings. The cry of a swan echoes in the chamber. Witnesses gasp in surprise and horror.

Hetchel: A swan! Still beautiful.

The proud bird utters a final cry and takes flight. A great window crashes to pieces, and beating wings fade into the night.

Clothos (as Narrator): Few in the Weavers’ village saw the great swan disappear across the sea that night, but it did not take long for them to hear of Lady Cygna’s defiance in the Sanctuary and the Elders’ terrible vengeance. All were curious to behold the new infant, a child born not of woman, but out of the Loom itself, and whose creation was unforeseen.

It was decreed that the child be raised outside the ways of the Guild until his coming of age 17 years hence, when his future would be decided by a Hiigh Council. The old serving woman, Hetchel, agreed to raise the Loomchild as her own. She named the little boy Bobbin.

SCENE 3

Night. The bedroom of a farm cottage.

Hetchel: Bobbin. Bobbin, wake up child.

Bobbin: Hetchel?

Hetchel: That’s right dear. Out of bed.

Bobbin: Still dark.

Hetchel: I know, little one. Get up quickly and get dressed.

Bobbin: Why? Sleepy.

Hetchel: There’s something outside that I want you to see. Quickly now, before the sun rises.

SCENE 4

A windswept cliff overlooking the sea.

Bobbin: Cold up here.

Hetchel: I told you to bring your quilt, didn’t I? Here, my shawl is warm.

Bobbin: I don’t see anything.

Hetchel: Patience! She will come. She’s come every year ever since you were born.

Bobbin: What does she look like?

Hetchel: She looks like…wait. There, bit between the trees. …no, no, only an owl.

Bobbin: The village looks small from up here. Which star is that?

Hetchel: The bright one? That is the Morning Star. You can even see it in the daytime if the sun is right. Look! Down there, flying low across the water. Do you see?

Bobbin: It’s just a seagull.

Hetchel: Look again.

The cry of a lone bird echoes above the surf.

Bobbin: Oooh.

Hetchel: A swan, Bobbin. A white swan. Happy birthday, poor boy.

Bobbin: Here she comes! Look, she’s flying over. She’s beautiful.

Hetchel: Yes, still beautiful.

Bobbin: Why does she sound so sad?

Hetchel: Because she is alone. Proud, and alone.

Bobbin: She’s flying away. Where is she going Hetchel?

Hetchel: Out beyond the Pattern, I expect.

Bobbin: Can we go visit?

Hetchel: Stand away from the edge! No, little Bobbin. Those who are born of the Pattern are hemmed into its web forever. Where that swan goes, we cannot follow.

Bobbin: The sun is in my eyes.

Hetchel: You’re yawning. Come, back to home and bed for you.

“Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of peaches, peaches for free.” Yeah, this tongue twister is all about how peaches and (Japanese) plums are related. I embarrassed myself in the video when I totally blanked on how to say 李 in English…but I left it in, cause I was too lazy to edit it out I keep it real. Or something. These two twisters are pretty much exactly the same thing, just in a different order. Both are repetitive, or circuitous at least, making them brethren with a certain family of English twisters. (Including the Peter Piper and Woodchuck twisters, 2 of my favorites.)

If you’re a cheater, you’ll see that you can just count your way through these things, but you’ll also see what a ridiculous looking math problem it becomes. Ha ha. I had a few stumbles in my runs through them. I noticed that occasionally you can hear a micro-m send before I say の – I think it comes from the lips slightly closing as my mouth begins the new character. Like a phantom m. (Or I just don’t want to admit that I fail sometimes, too.) It’s pretty hard. So, can you do it? Hmmm? Video responses with you attempting these tongue twisters are highly encouraged! Upload them to YouTube if you’re game. And now, a double-entry of the standard twister summary.

Difficulty: Easy
Kanji: 李も桃も桃のうち 桃も李も桃のうち。
Hiragana: すもももももももものうち、もももすももももものうち。
Romaji: Sumomo mo momo mo momo no uchi, momo mo sumomo mo momo no uchi.
Meaning: Japanese plums are a type of peach, and peaches are also a type of peach.
Audio: [See post to listen to audio]

Difficulty: Easy
Kanji: 李も桃、桃も桃、桃にも色々ある。
Hiragana: すももももも、ももももも、ももにもいろいろある。
Romaji: Sumomo mo momo, momo mo momo, momo ni mo iroiro aru.
Meaning: Japanese plums are peaches, and peaches are peaches; there are lots of kinds of peaches.
Audio: [See post to listen to audio]

By the way, if you’re interested in the other stuff I ramble on about in this video, here are some links. First, subscribe to my RSS feed if you please! You can use the standard feed, or have updates emailed to you. Then hit the 2 posts about the Loom Audio Drama (Part 1 and Part 2) that are up already so you’ll be ready for part 3 early next week.

Time for the third lesson. This time we’re doing a slightly more complicated tongue twister that actually forms a sentence! (Yes, yes, a big day for us all.) The meaning is “A monk skillfully painted a picture of another monk onto a folding screen.” Ok, I actually interpret it as “another” monk, but it could be “a monk” again. Whatever. That’s being nitpicky. You might look at this tongue twister and think that the hard part will be the bou / byou / jou / bou progression – especially with the pronunciation of the glides (which means the y-plus-vowel sound tacked onto the first consonant of a syllable). It’s an understandable assumption. You might discover as I did, however, that that portion of the twister is relatively easy at high speeds when you use a rhythm to help you keep pace. For me, as evidenced in the video this time around, the hardest part is the separation of the particle を or wo (pronounced “oh” most of the time but conventionally represented as wo) and the preceding word “picture” – 絵 or e (pronounced “eh”). I wind up slurring it all together, even crashing into the last word 描いた or kaita and turning it into a mush-mouthed gaita, thereby ruining the end of the twister which is especially aggravating after making it that far! Ha ha. I hope you’ll try and enjoy this one. Video responses with you attempting this tongue twister are highly encouraged! Side note: I need a haircut.

Difficulty: Medium
Kanji: 坊主が屏風に上手に坊主の絵を描いた。
Hiragana: ぼうずがびょうぶにじょうずにぼうずのえをかいた
Romaji: Bouzu ga byoubu ni jouzu ni bouzu no e wo kaita.
Meaning: A monk skillfully painted a picture of a(nother) monk onto a folding screen.
Audio: [See post to listen to audio]