Rocking in Hakata

I recently got a pingback on a seriously ancient post of mine about a visit to Sanwa, the local restaurant that is famous for its Hakata Salt Ramen. I followed the pingback to an excellent post by Cardcaptor. I liked it, so I submitted it to JapanSoc – get over there and SOC IT! It basically shows the progression of an internet meme born of a weird catchphrase on a TV commercial – a man simply barking out the product name,「伯方の塩」 (Hakata no Shio), in a staccato manner. The users of Nico Nico Douga (a Japanese YouTube competitor for which you may want to sign up to fully enjoy that post) ramped up the crazy and turned Hakata Salt into a sprite-like mascot character named 伯方さん or Hakata-san – a play on the homophone 伯方産 (made in Hakata), probably, a.k.a. シオたん, or Shio-tan. Tan is a shortened, cutesy, feminine vernacular form of the suffix chan for familiars, commonly used in “moe anthropomorphism,” by the way. Cardcaptor links to the relevant Wikipedia entries, and generally covers Nico Nico Douga stuff over there, so make sure to visit.

Hakata Salt is a bit of a fraud in that it’s merely packaged in the area (not even actually on Hakatajima so much – it’s done on the neighboring island of Omishima at a bigger factory), but it is actually imported from Mexico. It shocked me too, when I first discovered it. Laws around here made it illegal for the company to continue to pull salt from the sea at the rate they were going, I guess. Makes it hard to expand business. So yeah, high quality Mexican salt is being packaged with the map of a totally unrelated Japanese island and being sold as a local product here. (This is not a secret, nor is it illegal like the various foods being sold as Japanese when they were in fact imported from China, by the way. A foodstuff company in Matsuyama, the capital of this prefecture, went down for that crime last year after the gyoza scare and the related fallout.)

That’s sort of the long way of explaining why the character is wearing Mexican garb. She was born in Mexico and ostensibly raised in Japan – probably on my island. As you might guess, as Cardcaptor pointed out, the internet has decided to hypersexualize the character pretty fast, deciding that she wears nothing under her poncho.* I’ve chosen a few fan-made family-friendly versions of Shio-tan that I found by following a link via Cardcaptor to the Nico Nico Douga thread about Hakata no Shio. I will, however, include a totally absurd video of Shio-tan dancing to a techno remix of the slogan. Watch a few seconds and you’ve basically watched the whole video. The guy in the background is yelling 「伯方！伯方！伯方！端たない！」(Hakata! Hakata! Hakata! Hashitanai!). Hashitanai roughly translates as “vulgar, unladylike, rude, immodest.” As far as I can tell, it’s a joke about the character not covering up appropriately. I’m not particularly bothered by her not wearing anything – she’s supposed to be a sprite, or a 妖精 (yousei) after all. I was never bothered that various American toons never wore pants either.

* – interesting note about the more perverted pics: it seems to be a running gag to add a false scroll bar to pictures that cut off just before any naughty bits. (I use Firefox on Mac OS X or Ubuntu, though, so I didn’t [and wouldn't] bite for the joke – my scroll bars are blatantly different from the fakes.) It’s sort of a weird internet joke like Rick-rolling or FAIL banners in English speaking forums. Designed to frustrate people so that you might enjoy a bit of semi-pathetic schadenfreude. Just thought I’d mention it. Curious. And creepy, sure.

Deas Customary Drivel, Humor, Unsolicited Commentary

I often wonder how social websites will translate their trendy Web 2.0 slang into foreign languages. Here’s a quick look at Facebook’s English (US) and Japanese versions, side by side. First, we’ve got what was formerly the status field. Now it’s a Twitter-like thought dump area. In English, it reads “What’s on your mind?” In Japanese, it says 「今なにをしていますか？」which still translates as “What are you doing (now)?”

In short, the question isn’t translated – it’s just different. I suppose they did focus groups for each audience to figure out what got the best reaction. That, or they simply asked their employees converting the UI into Japanese to choose the most appropriate way to phrase the prompt. Then again, it could just be that the changes haven’t been rolled out to the Japanese edition just yet. (Facebook used to have a status message that had your name followed by “is” and a blank, then “is” became optional, and now the field is totally within your control.) The button reads “Share” in both languages, though.

My comment is obviously written in Japanese. But the above image is taken from the English version of Facebook. You can see that the links underneath the message say “Comment” and “Like” respectively. And the timestamp is obviously in English, as well.

Here’s the message in the Japanese Facebook. Now it says 「コメントする」and 「いいね！」, which translate as “Comment” and “Good(, isn’t it?)!” I am not sure why they didn’t translate “Like” more straightforwardly, but the overall interaction is the same. You click that on stuff that you particularly enjoy or approve of, and hopefully boost the morale of the person who wrote the item in the first place. An interesting difference to me is that the English version leaves messages like “Deas likes this.” But in Japanese it says “Deas is saying ‘Good(, isn’t it?)!’” (Deasさんが「いいね！」と言っています。) Small change, but curious.

The Pokes area on the right side of the home page doesn’t exist in Japanese. In fact, “pokes” don’t exist in Japanese at all! I found that quite funny. (This poke is from my little sister, by the way. But I haven’t poked her back yet, because I realize I now have a choice to make.) I guess the playful concept would be pretty much lost in translation. Anyway, should I “poke” her, or…

Simply say “Hello!” with an exclamation point? Pokes have become 「ハロー！」in Japanese. It’s not hello literally in Japanese, it’s the English word pronounced using the Japanese syllabary. Fascinating (to me, anyway). Why is the Japanese version of Facebook so much more exclamatory than the English (US) version? Do you know of any other changes that I missed? If you are studying Japanese, do you use Facebook in Japanese? I do – you can hit my profile from my sidebar here on the blog and add me as a friend, by the way. That’s all for today!

Deas Customary Drivel, Unsolicited Commentary, 日本語

Yahoo! Japan Weather has got something interesting going on. I am quite intrigued. Have you ever been annoyed at the inaccuracy of the weather forecast? I know I have. I make cynical jokes about it all the time. Well, you can now press a button on your area’s forecast page to tell them what the actual conditions are. It’s sort of like voting for reporting on reality, I suppose. They call it “みんなで実況！今の天気” (Minna de Jikkyou! Ima no Tenki), which transliterates as “Everyone Real Conditions! Weather Now.” Ha ha. Let’s take a look. Here’s the splash page for the new interactivity.

Wow! So bright and fresh! So appealing! No login required! I’ve simply got to try it! Ok, that wasn’t my honest first reaction. My honest first reaction was more “whoa – what is all this about?” The promotional page shown here is basically meant to show people how easy they’ve made it to be Yahoo! Weather’s collective collaborative reality checkers. You just click the appropriate button, and the results update. You can use your PC or, as with most viral things in Japan, you can vote using your cell phone. Smart move. I don’t see why this hasn’t been done before. Considering how vastly complex weather systems are, and how much variation there is even in small areas, you’d think this would have been pitched years ago. Read more…

Deas Customary Drivel, Unsolicited Commentary, 日本語

Did you know that you can have kerosene delivered straight to your house in Japan? It’s one of the first things I learned to do pretty well on the phone here. (I hate the phone. Using the phone in a second language is always absurdly stressful.) But since I drive a scooter and can’t take my tank to the gas station, I figured it out really quickly. Here’s the deal. Get the phone number of your local kerosene stand, call them up and order some kerosene, wait for the delivery, make small talk with the delivery guy and pay him, fill your heater and enjoy warmth once more.

I got the number for my local kerosene place by stopping at a gas station on my island. I asked them if they sold kerosene, and they said they did. I asked if they delivered, and they said they did. They asked where I lived, and they said wait – you should call the other kerosene shop – they service your side of the island. They provided me with a business card. (I just saved the number into my cell phone.)

This is how the conversation usually goes. Consider it an example. It’s pretty straightforward. Depending on the person who answers, you may or may not get a 「もしもし」(moshi moshi).

Salesdude: こんにちは、村上石油でございます。
Konnichiwa, Murakami-Sekiyu degozaimasu.
“Hello, this is Murakami Petroleum.”

Me: こんにちは。こちらは（アパートの名前と部屋番号）のデイズです。灯油を注文したいんですが。
Konnichiwa, kochira wa (apaato no namae to heya bangou) no Deizu desu. Touyu wo chumon shitai n desu ga.
“Hello, this is Deas from (apartment name and room number). I’d like to order some kerosene.”

Salesdude: はい、わかりました。配達ですね。
Hai, wakarimashita. Haitatsu desu ne.
“Yes, I see. Delivery, right?”

Me: そうですね。
Sou desu ne.
“Yup.”

Salesdude: ポリ容器はどうされます？
Pori youki wa dou saremasu?
“What shall we do about a polyethylene container?”**

Me: あっ,ありますよ。２０リトルの。一つだけです。
Ah, arimasu yo. Ni jyuu ritoru no. Hitotsu dake desu.
“Oh, I’ve got one. It’s a 20 liter container. Just one.”

Salesdude: わかりました。えっと、何時にしましょうか？
Wakarimashita. Etto, nanji ni shimashyou ka?
“Alright. Um, what time shall we make it?”

Me: まぁ、僕は今からずっといますので、今日なら何時でも構いません。
Maa, boku wa ima kara zutto imasu no de, kyou nara nanji demo kamaimasen.
“Well, I’ll be here from now on, so as long as it’s today I don’t really mind when you come.”

Salesdude: じゃあ、多分（？）分ぐらいかかりますが、大丈夫でしょうか？
Jyaa, tabun (?)-(f)pun gurai kakarimasu ga, daijyoubu deshyou ka?
“It will probably take around (?) minutes or so, is that alright?”

Me: はい、いいんですよ。
Hai, ii n desu.
“Sure, it’s no problem.”

Salesdude: 畏まりました。では、失礼致します。
Kashikomarimashita. Dewa, shitsurei itashimasu.
“I understand. Well then, I’m hanging up.”

Me: はい、失礼します。
Hai, shitsurei shimasu.
“Ok, me too.”

** – this is a statement that could also be read as “do you need us to bring you a container?”

If you want to, you can call in advance and set up a time for delivery at a later date. That’s cool too. Some places sell the polyethylene tanks, too – so try to be clear about what you’re ordering and what they’re bringing. Humility is a boon here, so don’t feel bad about sacrificing your pride for the sake of clarity. Then you hang around and wait for the guy to show up. Just make sure your entry is clean and that you’re fully clothed and nothing could possibly go wrong. (And no, I’m not warning you from personal experience, but rather from an abundance of caution. Ha ha.)

You’ll hear your doorbell ring. It’s the kerosene man! Just hand him your empty tank, and he’ll truck it back down the stairs to his truck to pump it full. He’ll come back with a cash box and your full tank, and write you a little receipt. During fall and spring, when I’m feeling nice, I meet the guy in the parking lot so he doesn’t have to climb a ton of stairs twice, once carrying a full tank of kerosene. But it’s not necessary. This is primo Japanese practice time. Talk to your delivery dude about whatever’s on your mind. Easy topics include how cold it is, how expensive or inexpensive kerosene has gotten, the virtues or drawbacks of heating with kerosene, comparisons with your home country’s heating methods and weather, etc. You’ve got a conversation opportunity wide open. If you’re like me, you might end up talking about something completely out of the blue. I like weird conversations.

Alright, now that you’ve got your kerosene, transfer some from the tank to your heater’s mini-tank. Please use a pump to do this – no MacGuyver tricks. I prefer the battery-powered auto-pumps that you can get at just about any home improvement center. They even have a bubble stop system like the gas station so that it cuts off when full. Nice. Just make sure you kill the switch before trying to wipe and stow the pump for later use. Please keep your kerosene in a safe place. I store it in one of two places; the laundry balcony outside (not in direct sunlight) or on the concrete floor closest to my apartment door inside my entryway. Remember to wipe up any spillage. Cleanliness is next to not-burning-your-place-down-edness. Fire safety first. Only you can prevent stupid, avoidable, incendiary loss of property or life. (Really – be careful. Don’t screw around with dangerous stuff. You’re an adult, for crying out loud.)

Deas Customary Drivel, Media, Unsolicited Commentary, Video, 日本語

Valentine’s Day was last Saturday, but I got my first (and only) giri-choco yesterday. One of my English teachers at my base school gave it to me. Very thoughtful of her. Little did she know that in lieu of honmei-choco this year, I received 2 dress shirts and a tie – a much finer gift than chocolates if I do say so myself. But the gesture is appreciated. It’s always nice to be remembered! Ha ha.

Also, Claytonian recently posted a video on YouTube to which I made my first ever video response. Both videos are in Japanese, folks. Sorry! I’ll follow Clay’s lead and subtitle the Japanese with annotations after the fact. Cheers!

Deas Culinary, Customary Drivel, Unsolicited Commentary, 日本語

I got a care package today! It had some nice warm socks, some pajama pants, some American deodorant, some shelf-stable bacon, a card, and….Peeps. Peeps? Peeps. Strawberry Creme Hearts and Chocolate Mousse Bears, to be specific. (Who knew they did flavors and non-animals now? Or that the website would have questionable background music?) Yup. My mom, the best mom in the world, who also happens to read this blog, clearly thinks I’m someone else. Someone who eats Peeps. (I did enjoy microwaving them once.) It’s cool – I’ll use them as prizes in class. Oh, I can’t wait to see their faces fall once they bite into their prize…and realize it’s not how they thought it’d be. Ha ha. I already made them try root beer this week after a trip to an import store during my 40 minute transfer in Okayama on the way home from Tottori. I love my job. (But…for the record…I don’t love Peeps…) And in case anyone’s keeping score, this package is still a 100% success. I mean, bacon, guys. What else is there, really?

Oh – and if you’re curious why you got a quick and easy blog post today, here’s why.

Deas Culinary, Customary Drivel, Unsolicited Commentary